This past weekend ended my 28 day war with body fat. For those who didn’t see my post a little over a month ago I had decided to go into a strict fat loss phase the day after my Strongman competition. This fat loss phase was inspired by this quote:
“Fat loss is an all-out war. Give it 28 days — only 28 days. Attack it with all you have. It’s not a lifestyle choice; it’s a battle. Lose fat and then get back into moderation.” – Dan John
I started the diet at 198 pounds. I didn’t mess with doing measurements or caliper pinches. Being a fitness professional I guess it seems I should monitor all of these things. However; I know my body very well. I know what my body is doing. I used the scale, my clothes and strength (in the gym) to determine how things where going. Over the course of the 28 day fat loss phase I lost 12 pounds. I ended up weighing in at 186. My strength didn’t diminish at all. I actually felt just as strong throughout the whole fat loss phase. I am figuring my weight will settle in around 190 as I transfer into my maintenance phase. Since I went fairly low carbohydrate during the phase the introduction of carbohydrates will cause some glycogen storage as well as intramuscular water storage. This will account for the weight gain as well as a little more food volume.
As for training my gym days I am going to transfer into a hypertrophy phase to give my body a little rest from the heavy weights. However; my strongman day will still include events, some of which will be max effort or near max effort.
For those interested in what I am eating, Stay tuned for a post on “A Day in Photos: Food Edition” this week.
I have a confession to make. The class I have left to take to graduate from college is one of the first classes you are supposed to take, College Algebra. You see I pretty much continued to put this class off from the beginning of my college career. Why you may ask? Well, I always thought I wasn’t good at math. Math seemed overwhelming and just plain pissed me off at times.
My Former Attitude to the Thought of Doing Algebra
So like most I avoided what I didn’t like and didn’t think I was good at. After years of studying exercise science, business, motivation, psychology I have learned an important lesson. If you think you are bad at something you are more than likely not going to put forth effort and you will be bad at it. On the same note if you go into it with the mentality that you are good at it you will be surprised in the outcome. I just took my first test in the class and got an 88. Definitely not a perfect score, but then again not bad for someone who “isn’t good at math”. As corny as it may sound to some positive self talk works. I tell myself I enjoy math and I am good at it. And gosh damn it, it works. I have found myself enjoying the process of figuring out the algebra problems. Another thing I have done is made a goal to set aside one hour a day to work on algebra. It is amazing how much you can accomplish and learn in one hour. So for anyone who has something they want to accomplish, big or small remember the importance of positive self talk and putting forth time and effort. You may be surprised at what you can do.
I first entered the Iron Game back as a 8th grader inspired by the old black and white images of the likes of Arnold, Frank Zane, Franco Columbo, etc. I wanted to look like that. Many years have passed since I first stepped foot in the weight room as a 135 pound 8th grader. I originally wanted to be as big as possible. Like most, my idea of what I wanted to look like changed over the years. Even though I have dabbled in bodybuilding I have no intentions of ever trying to go to the next level. I do it because I like to compete. The same reasons I also compete in powerlifting and strongman. Bodybuilding today is almost becoming a freak show. I admire the physiques of today’s top bodybuilders and I know the hard work and dedication they have put into their bodies. That doesn’t mean I want to do the same. I like bodybuilding like it was back in the “Golden Era”. Back when bodybuilders where strong, athletic and had great looking physiques. Honestly, my current goals resemble that of the “Golden Era” bodybuilders. I want to not only look strong, but be strong. I don’t want to look like a freak; I want to look like an athlete. I guess what actually inspired this post was a quote I came across while looking through a book called “Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding”. This book is a classic and even has a note in it reading:
Merry Christmas! 1977
To: Billy
From: Griff
Talk about a true classic. A client of mine picked this book up for me at a yard sale. I looked it up online and saw it for sale for $125.00. Wow!
The quote that inspired this post is from “Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding”:
“Like one time I was on the beach here and a girl was with a guy. She says, ‘Look, This body. What a nice body this man has.’ I says, ‘Thank you very much.’ And the guy says, ‘Ahhhh. It’s just weak. Weak muscles.’ I went to him and I say, ‘Why you say that?’ I say. ‘I’m stronger than you. I can show it to you. I can lift something and show you I’m much stronger than you. And I can also do athletic stuff. But you can’t do it.’ I said, ‘Let’s go to the platform and ill show you.’ And then he started getting upset. He says, ‘Yeah? I’ll beat the shit out of you.’ He said it. So I grabbed him by the neck. I said, ‘Listen. Never say this again in your life.’ So then his girlfriend says, ‘Okay, Okay. Now you can leave him alone.” - Franco Columbu
I guarantee you Franco not only looked strong, he was strong. He trained like a athlete, powerlifter, bodybuilder, Olympic weight lifter and strongman competitor. He trained like that because he has competed in powerlifting, bodybuilding, Olympic weight lifting and strongman, even holding powerlifting and Olympic weight lifting world records. As most know he even held the title of Mr. Olympia a couple times.
So in essence I guess this post is a sort of tribute to Franco Columbu. He is definitely an inspiration to me and the way I train. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. You don’t have to train for just one specific thing. It doesn’t have to be bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc. It can be what you want. I think we all share a love for the Iron Game. I am passionate about lifting weights and everything that comes with the territory, not one specific “sport” of lifting.
School is finally winding down this semester. I have one more final on Monday and the semester is over. What sucks is my summer class starts on Tuesday…one hell of a break, let me tell ya. The good thing is in 6 weeks I will officially be done with my Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science from Murray State University. Talk about a long time coming. It has taken longer than I have expected but I have been building my career since I started college. I have great clients, and a great set up so any sacrifices and extra time it has taken are well worth it. My next step is to test for my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification through the NSCA. I just got my practice test today and am ready to test my knowledge. There are a few areas I am sure I will need to sharpen back up on, I don’t know or remember everything nor claim to. I plan to test this summer for my CSCS. Wish me luck.
I was just putting pics from my camera to my computer and came across the one above. This was from when I went up to visit iFast in Indy. I arrived at my hotel, got checked in and was starving. I was very excited to get to the gym and learn so I needed food and fast. I stopped by Wendy's and ordered:
2 Grilled Chicken Sandwiches (Through out the bun; kept the tomato and lettuce) 1 Baked Potato (Salt and Pepper) Water
There is no excusing for those who, "Don't have time to eat healthy" or "Travel a lot and can't find healthy food on the road".
I am calling B.S. on that. It can be done. It just takes some thinking and a small amount of effort.
I am not big on all this new internet technology. I had MySpace for a second when it came out. Then deleted it. I had Facebook for a little while longer. Then deleted it as well. Now there seems to be a ton of things out there to do. I got rid of MySpace and Facebook because they are big TWA's (Time Wasting Acitivites). I like to be productive with my time and getting on there and bouncing around looking at peoples pages and stuff brought out a bad case of computer ADD for me.
Twitter seems like a good fit though. Its great for social networking. You can type short messages that let people know what's going on or direct them to a link you may think people should see. It is quick, easy, simple and hopefully won't waste too much of my time. If it does it will be gone too.
So if you want follow me on Twitter click here --> Chase's Twitter
Here is a photo of Shawn and I with out badass (real) sword trophies. I took 2nd place and Shawn took 3rd in our first NAS sanctioned strongman competition. I was first introduced to the world of strongman around 4 months ago and I love it. Even for those not interested in competiting in the sport I highly recommend incorporating some strongman training methods into your programming. In just 4 months of training I hit an all time high in body weight (mostly muscle) and all my gym lifts increased greatly.
Damn, I am sick and tired of hearing about the Swine flu. It is every where and everyone seems to worry they may have it or catch it. Thank goodness the following website has all your Swine flu answers. Just click below.
I worked a few hours this afternoon, worked on a couple meal plans, and just made a cup of coffee, fixing to sit down and do some reading. For those who love coffee and cream I have a great alternative for you. Now, I wasn’t so genius to come up with this myself, I actual stole the idea from the brilliant Leigh Peele. Whenever I am feeling the need for something besides black coffee I’ll add an ounce or two of Almond Breeze from Blue Diamond. One ounce of this stuff adds only 5 calories and adds a great flavor. I highly recommend giving it a try.
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degress F. In a large bowl, combine feta and spinach. Cut a small slit in the chicken breast, then use the knife to create a large pocket, making sure not to cut through the chicken breast. Spoon equal amounts of the cheese-spinach mixture inside the pockets made in each breast. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place chicken inside. Bake for around 30 minutes.
We also added a side salad. Ingredients: 1 cucumber 1 tomtato 8 kalamata olives Wish Bone Salad Spritzer (italian vinaigrette) Directions: Cut up cucumber and tomato. Cut olives into halves. Place in a large mixing bowl and spray 10 sprays of dressing.
Chase Karnes graduated from Murray State University with a degree in Exercise Science. He is a NSCA certified personal trainer and strength coach located in Western Kentucky. He is currently studying for his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification (CSCS). His philosophy is simple: He believes that whether you’re an elite athlete, soccer mom, or family doctor you should have access to the most recent developments in exercise, health and nutrition science. Through Argonauts Fitness, Chase has worked in the exercise and nutrition arena for half a decade. He has hands-on experience working with strength and physique athletes along with athletic and general populations. Chase is also a competitive athlete himself competing in NPC Bodybuilding, Powerlifting (1330 Raw Total), and NAS Strongman competitions. He has worked or consulted with clients from over 6 states. Chase can be contacted for personal and group training, program design, nutrition consultation and speaking engagements.
Meal 3: 1 oz. Cashews, 2 Low Fat Cheese Sticks
Meal 4: Whey Protein Hydroslyate, Dextrose, Maltodextrin (Post Workout)
Meal 5: 8 oz. Chicken Breast, 1/2 Cup Brown Rice, 1 Cup Broccoli & Cheese ("Just for One" By Green Giant)
Meal 6: Tuna Steak, Sugar Snap Peas, Unsweet Tea
Meal 7: 1 Cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese, 1 Cup Blueberries
