I
imported_dojomatic
Guest
First, a little background:
I'm in my early 30's and I'm 5'11". In early 2004 I was at the peak of my fat and untrained period, hitting the scales at 235lb. I actually have a small frame, so at that weight I looked like a sea lion. After getting an all around bad report card on my yearly blood test, I decided to make some changes. Nothing drastic, just enough to deal with the guilt of how negligent I was being to my body.
I started to eat cleaner, but not less. But still, my weight slightly improved to 225 after 3 months. Some time in March, a co-worker and I started a weight loss bet. So in a time-frame of 6 weeks I lost 39 lbs and was down to 186 lb. This was done by cutting my caloric intake in half and doing intense cardio 3 times a week. Sometimes I did more, but that was the exception. I wasn't weight training at this time because the reduced calories plus the 750 to 1000 calories burned per workout was very effective in losing flab.
After a while, I shifted to weight training and almost no cardio, but still stuck with the reduced caloric intake. I didn't know about HST at the time, but I was doing full body workouts 3 times a week. I did 2 or 3 sets and 8 to 12 reps per set for the most part. Occasionally, I would increase the weight. Because of the reduced calories, I wasn't progressing very quickly, but my weight kept dropping. All the while, my appearance was improving. Without knowing it I was actually doing a "cut". By the end of that year I was at 165lb.
Introduction to HST:
I knew I badly needed to put on some muscle. But still, I was happy with the decision to lose the flab first and then add some lean mass. Enter HST. I found this website around Spring 2005 and I completed 2 cycles. My nutrition was admittedly not very good. I think I was still eating under maintenance. I basically only ate three times a day, including my post workout shake as a meal. But still HST worked. I gained maybe 6 or 7 lbs and my body fat was the same or lower. My only gauge was the mirror. I look for vascularity in my upper arms, shoulders, chest, and lower abdomen. As well as my abs. I was only able to achieve a faint 'four-pack'.
Falling of the wagon:
After a couple of months, due to incredibly stressful personal factors, my workouts started to decline in frequency and intensity until I stopped completely. Every now and then I tried to re-start, but my efforts would fail after a week or so. Eventually I stopped working out all together. My diet deteriorated somewhat, but not to the levels from before.
Re-dedication:
Apparently, the fall off the wagon broke my motivation bone. Up until 6 weeks ago, I was pretty much inactive for over a year and a half. I gained 12-15 lbs and lost all of the modest gains from my brief try at HST. So in the beginning of August, I began my "comeback" with a couple of weeks of very light workouts to get my system accustomed to an environment that wasn't the couch or the chair at my desk. I've done cardio here and there and I've re-established my RMs again. Took a short SD and began my journey once again. Currently, I am on week two of my first HST cycle. Wish me luck!
More details of my goals, training, and my progress in posts to come…
I'm in my early 30's and I'm 5'11". In early 2004 I was at the peak of my fat and untrained period, hitting the scales at 235lb. I actually have a small frame, so at that weight I looked like a sea lion. After getting an all around bad report card on my yearly blood test, I decided to make some changes. Nothing drastic, just enough to deal with the guilt of how negligent I was being to my body.
I started to eat cleaner, but not less. But still, my weight slightly improved to 225 after 3 months. Some time in March, a co-worker and I started a weight loss bet. So in a time-frame of 6 weeks I lost 39 lbs and was down to 186 lb. This was done by cutting my caloric intake in half and doing intense cardio 3 times a week. Sometimes I did more, but that was the exception. I wasn't weight training at this time because the reduced calories plus the 750 to 1000 calories burned per workout was very effective in losing flab.
After a while, I shifted to weight training and almost no cardio, but still stuck with the reduced caloric intake. I didn't know about HST at the time, but I was doing full body workouts 3 times a week. I did 2 or 3 sets and 8 to 12 reps per set for the most part. Occasionally, I would increase the weight. Because of the reduced calories, I wasn't progressing very quickly, but my weight kept dropping. All the while, my appearance was improving. Without knowing it I was actually doing a "cut". By the end of that year I was at 165lb.
Introduction to HST:
I knew I badly needed to put on some muscle. But still, I was happy with the decision to lose the flab first and then add some lean mass. Enter HST. I found this website around Spring 2005 and I completed 2 cycles. My nutrition was admittedly not very good. I think I was still eating under maintenance. I basically only ate three times a day, including my post workout shake as a meal. But still HST worked. I gained maybe 6 or 7 lbs and my body fat was the same or lower. My only gauge was the mirror. I look for vascularity in my upper arms, shoulders, chest, and lower abdomen. As well as my abs. I was only able to achieve a faint 'four-pack'.
Falling of the wagon:
After a couple of months, due to incredibly stressful personal factors, my workouts started to decline in frequency and intensity until I stopped completely. Every now and then I tried to re-start, but my efforts would fail after a week or so. Eventually I stopped working out all together. My diet deteriorated somewhat, but not to the levels from before.
Re-dedication:
Apparently, the fall off the wagon broke my motivation bone. Up until 6 weeks ago, I was pretty much inactive for over a year and a half. I gained 12-15 lbs and lost all of the modest gains from my brief try at HST. So in the beginning of August, I began my "comeback" with a couple of weeks of very light workouts to get my system accustomed to an environment that wasn't the couch or the chair at my desk. I've done cardio here and there and I've re-established my RMs again. Took a short SD and began my journey once again. Currently, I am on week two of my first HST cycle. Wish me luck!
More details of my goals, training, and my progress in posts to come…
