October Completed

OCTOBER 2012 - Month 1 : Strength
#ProjectAutumnLeans

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
	1 Fit Test DONE! results	2 Standing Shoulder Press (Week 1) + Hot Body On Me DONE! results	3 Walking DONE! PR! 13:56min/mi, fastest .25mi was 8min, bested previous walk by 0:50sec/mi	4 Deadlift (Week 1) +Assistance Work DONE! results	5 Walking DONE! 14:30min/mi on the trail! 3.23 mi in under 47min, another PR!	6 Bench Press (Week 1) +Assistance Work DONE! results
7 REST	8 Shoulder Press (Week 2) + ZWOW #24 DONE! results	9 Custom Routine DONE! results	10 Deadlift (Week 2) +Assistance Work DONE! restuls	11 REST	12 Bench Press (Week 2) +Assistance Work DONE! results	13 Dirty Girl Mud Run SO MUCH FUN!!! =D Pic
14 REST	15 Shoulder Press (Week 3) + You Da One DONE! results	16 REST	17 Deadlift (Week 3) +Assistance Work DONE! results	18 Walking Did this instead of walking. DONE!	19 Bench Press (Week 3) +Assistance Work DONE! results	20 REST
21 REST	22 Shoulder Press (Week 4) + You Make Me Feel DONE! results	23 Hot Beastie DONE! results	24 Deadlift (Week 4) +Assistance Work DONE! results	25 ZWOW #26 DONE!	26 Bench Press (Week 4) +Assistance Work DONE! results	27 Walking DONE! 14:03 min/mi, First cold run, 2.33mi.
28 REST	29 ZWOW #25 Bum wrist, didn't buy in results	30 1,000 Rep Challenge Bum wrist, on the bench today. =(	31 Fit Test DONE! results

September marked the end of Operation Sweaty Summer. Welcome to Project Autumn Leans! Super cheesy name, I know. Previously, I'd been doing lots of body weight routines and using my sandbag as my "heavy" weight. I wanted to get into some real weight lifting, so I've started with Wendler's 5/3/1 program.

I know full well that I've modified it before I've even started, but his structure is still the backbone for this month. The biggest modification I'm making to his 5/3/1 is that I'm not doing squats. My garage isn't setup in a way where I would be able to front or backload a barbell. So I've tried to throw in more more walking and some BodyRock and ZuzkaLight routines to compensate for lack of heavy squatting I'll be doing. Truth be told, my quads bulk up faster than anything else on my body. I don't think I'm doing a disservice by skipping his version of the squat (because I'll still be squatting in other routines).

I'm very excited to see how this goes! Who am I kidding, I've been wanting to try my hand at the deadlift for a while now, so I'm excited that I've finally incorporated them! I've also been wanting to do hill sprints so I've left room for that on my walking days.

So, here's the big breakdown for my 5/3/1. There are 4 main moves: Standing Shoulder Press, Deadlifts, Bench Press, and Squats. Each week is a different progression. You're supposed to first figure out what your 1 Rep Max (1RM) is for each movement. Then calculate what 90% would be. Working with that 90% as your base number/weight, here's how the 4 weeks should look.

 

This was taken from an article Bryan Krahn wrote for T-Nation. Here's the full article, it's LOADED with helpful info that can explain 5/3/1 much better than I can.

I learned a lot about myself and my body during Operation Sweaty Summer. I plan to carry that knowledge into Project Autumn Leans, and I fully expect to learn a LOT more! You may be wondering what is my project goal? Well, essentially, I'd like to lose 20lbs by New Year's. Though I feel like that's unrealistic as it's over 1.5lbs per week, and I'm currently averaging 1.1lbs per week. I apologize for not having a more specific goal, but I still want to lose weight. 20lbs would be great, but I'd be happy with 15! And I really want to see more fat loss.

I've got 82 days to make this most of this endeavor!

DISCLAIMER
Days in red are my weigh in days. I didn't create any of the routines on this calendar. It's a combination of The Abs Diet, BodyRock.TV, Zuzana Light's ZWOWs, and Jim Wendler's 5/3/1.

I am in no way, shape, form, or fashion an exercise or diet or nutrition expert. I'm simply sharing with y'all what I'm doing this summer to get in shape. I do not recommend that you attempt anything I'm doing. I do, however, suggest that if you like the routines, look into them for yourselves. And please, consult a doctor before you begin any fitness regimen.