G’s Driver’s License Weight Challenge – Exercise Plan Breakdown Part 3 and Day 29 Results

Exercise Plan Breakdown Part 3

Saving the best for last in this Exercise Plan Breakdown, let’s talk about progressive weight training! While I’ve incorporated cardio into my exercise plan, it is viewed as a supplement in the fat loss pyramid. Up until a few years ago, any exercising I did was mainly cardio – Billy Blank’s Bootcamp, Beachbody’s P90X and T25, jogging, going up and down stairs, etc. If I did anything with weights, they were light weights for the fear of getting bulky.

My turning point was when Farhad discovered Beachbody’s Body Beast and asked if I wanted to do it with him. Since I love doing anything with him, I decided to do some research and found that you burn calories after lifting weights much longer than after a cardio session. Understanding what being “toned” really meant also did it for me. As I mentioned earlier, my goal isn’t only to lose weight. If I want to be toned, I need to build muscle and lose fat so I can see that muscle. I was convinced that lifting progressively heavier weights is the best way and, as long as I am in a calorie deficit, I will continue to lose fat and not get bulky. People in a calorie surplus, on the other hand, get bigger and that’s where nutrition comes in.

Since doing a few rounds of Body Beast, I’ve also tried a CrossFit challenge, and another program with an online coach I found on Instagram. The weight training I am doing on this weight challenge is mostly based on what I did on this latter program. The days I do them, however, are moved around in order to fit my schedule better. There are certain moves that work better for me as well, so I changed them up.

Day 29 Results

• Weight: 136.4 pounds (21.4 to go!)
• Steps: 9,783 (as of 10:23pm) – I’ll hit 10k by the time I’m in bed.
• Lows: Didn’t get my post workout protein shake in again and dinner was later than I prefer.
• Highs: Crushed leg day today!
• Nutrition:
  • Meal 1 – 1 slice of white bread, 1 slice of American cheese, 1 whole egg and .5 c egg whites, scrambled
  • Meals 2 and 4 – 1 serving of protein shake
  • Meals 3 and 5 – salad with 4 oz boiled chicken breast, lettuce, 10 g croutons, 7 g raspberries, blueberries and walnuts, 14 g blue cheese, zero-everything raspberry vinaigrette
• Exercise: (1st number is the number of reps, 2nd number is the weight on each side, 0 means bar only for curl/barbell moves or body weight for others)
  • Dumbbell goblet squats – 15-25, 15-30, 15-35, 15-40
  • Barbell squats – 15-15, 15-17.5, 12-20, 12-22.5
  • Bulgarian split squats – 8-12, 8-15, 8-17.5, 8-20
  • Deadlifts with curl bar – 15-15, 15-20, 15-25
  • Walking lunges with dumbbells – 12-12, 12-15, 12-17.5
  • Standing 1 leg calf raises (1 dumbbell) – 20-20, 20-25, 20-30, 20-35
  • HIIT – rowing machine for 45 minutes
  • LISS – air climber for about 44 minutes
• All other markers checked.

Don’t forget to recognize and deliver love today! ❤ G