Weight loss/pre-season workout...

So, last year over Labor Day week a group of friends that I ride with bet me almost $500 that I couldn't lose a ton of weight this year. If you want the full story you can check out some blog posts I've put up here:
http://warmbeer.wordpress.com/

I've dropped over 50 lbs so far... looking to lose about 50 more. I can't wait to get some water time to see what effect all of this will have on my riding.
I've always been the biggest guy in the group, and with snowboarding it never really mattered. With wakeboarding, that just isn't the case. Seems like I work 10 times harder than everyone else and never see even 10% of the progress.

Mostly, I'm posting all this in a pretty blatant attempt to get some encouragement from the community... But I'd also like to hear what you guys might recommend as far as wakeboard specific workouts/weight loss regimens... and I'd love to hear from some other big guys that might be out there tearing it up.

Thanks!
Rich

Hell yeah Rich! Congrats on the success so far, and keep it up man!

I'll leave it up to other people on specific workouts, but I've always been a fan of this:
http://www.learnwake.com/ (it's the "Video Sample #3: Handle Drill" on the right of the intro vid on the page)

Great because it beats sitting around on the couch when you have nothing to do after work or on the weekend - plus, it is essentially working out with burning calories, building muscle, and more specifically greatly helps on muscle memory for handle passes.

Nice Sinko! Thanks man... looks like the rope handle I'm using for my tramp is gonna have to pull double duty!

Congratz just keep at it, also just eat meat and veggies both are low in carbs I would suggest pull ups and running both burn calories like jet fuel.I dropped about 20 pounds and gainded a ton of muscle without changing my diet,but you could probaly drop pounds quick if you tried this.

My friend is a trainer and I asked him how to gain weight. He said less reps and more weight to gain lbs. To lose weight more reps and moderate weight will help build muscle and burn fat fast. Keep up the great work. I hope you get all the money, it will be well deserved.

congrats brother!!
keep it up!!

I'm kinda in the same boat but looking fir the opposite results. I'm trying to gain weight. Any suggestions on the workout I'd need to achieve this

Rich-First off great job getting all that weight off. That is no small feat and your motivation to keep going is awesome. I have a few tips that could use. When you work out and do weight resistance training, you want to keep your intensity at a high level. In between sets keep your rests to a maximum of a minute. As said before you want to use moderately heavy weights with more reps(10-15). This high intensity will focus on your muscular endurance which is necessary for wakeboarding, since this is the type of muscle firing that is used behind the boat. For your cardio, you want to try interval training. It doesn't matter what modality you use(treadmill, bike, elliptical, etc), you want to vary your speed from high intensity to low intensity repititively. For example on a treadmill you would want to sprint for a minute at 9 mph and then jog 2 minutes at 7 mph, repeating this for 20 minutes. This is the fastest way to burn calories. For your diet try to eat 5-7 small meals throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism rate higher throughout the day then eating three big meals. You also want to focus on eating carbs(wheats and multigrain products) and proteins (chicken and turkey). Try to limit your red meats, since they are high in saturated fats. If you have any other questions just send me a PM, more than happy to help. and keep going strong, your doing great.

Sean-gaining weight is all about taking in more calories than you are expending. More importantly you want to be taking in more good calories, such as carbs and proteins. As far as working out, if you are trying to gain muscle mass you want to strive on progressing your weights. Try to increase the weight of your exercises by 5 to 10 lbs every 4 to 5 weeks. also you want to change up your work outs frequently. This will keep your muscles from experiencing the training effect which will limit muscle development. Hope this helps.

Hell yeah Rich, great job so far, keep it up. The before and after pic is amazing.

Keep it up, Rich! The biggest problem I've seen with losing a ton of weight is that it doesn't become a lifestyle change. I have two friends that have lost 80 and 40 lbs. The one who lost 80 gained it all back because he went back to his old ways after a while. The one who lost 40 has kept if off by continuing to commit to good diet and exercise.

Keep us posted on how your boarding progresses.

www.crossfit.com

If you do the CF warmup and the posted wods for 6 months you will be in finer shape than you ever thought possible. Obviously, some of these wods are extremely difficult so scale(reduce in this case) the weight and dont worry about your time at 1st.

It changed my outlook on fitness. Good luck Brother and nicely done with the 1st 50lbs!!

Rich, I lost 40lbs right before my wedding(7 years ago), and the drag behind the boat was night and day difference. Good luck, and stay with it.

Awesome job man, keep it up.

I am in the process of losing weight too. I always lose 25-30 lbs from winter to summer. Wakeboarding at 210 lbs is night and day from doing it at 180 lbs.

You have made some awesome progress. Maybe I missed it in the blog, but give us a rundown on the things that have brought you to this point. I saw a mention of an MMA workout. What else have you done. Then maybe you can get some more recommendations.

DUDE THAT IS GREAT! Congrats on the loss!

I think that one of the BEST work out and a SUPER under rated workout is Jumping Rope. I works your fast twich muscles to the extreme! KEEP IT Up and Show up the rest of your grew by taking there $500!

Thanks everyone, for the words so far!

Stephen -- Up til now, I've pretty much just tried to keep myself at a caloric deficit every day. And I've tried to ensure that the calories I am taking in are good ones. Protein, complex carbs, that sorta thing. I've always had the super-slow metabolism, so I really don't get hungry very often. As such, it's been tough for me to stick to the "several small meals through out the day" plan. I'm trying though.
I'm also in the gym 6 days a week. Mostly, I do cardio. I've pretty much stuck to the elliptical because I've had such bad shin splints, but a bright side to losing the weight is that they seem to be going away. I also jump into pick-up basketball games there whenever I can. I play hoops two nights a week with my friends in a private gym, and I play softball on Sundays on a coed team with my wife in the less rainy months. I was doing the MMA classes, but unfortunately my work schedule made it really tough to continue those. They were really fun though, and a GREAT workout.

Really, that about covers it so far. I want to start getting in more weight training. I've always been pretty active for a big guy, so I carry a fair amount of muscle anyway, but I want to add more to help to continue to spike my metabolism.

BC -- Thanks for the advice. I've been following those patterns (High Intensity Interval Training) when I'm doing my cardio... and my love for basketball is helpful, since that game is pretty much nothing but HIIT.

Dante -- I hear ya! My wife and I want to become parents at some point, so yeah... this is a lifestyle thing, not a quick fix. I want to be one of those dads cheering on his groms as they progress behind the boat... and I want them to learn to ride from watching me!

Jarrod -- A guy I work with is into Crossfit and he recommended it to me. I'm definitely going to check it out!

Aaron -- Good luck on the 25-30 lbs... sounds like you've got it down if you do it every year.

Andy -- I used to LOVE jumping rope. Haven't done it for a while though. I'll have to dig mine out and see if I can still do it. Great thought!


Thanks again everyone, for the advice and the props!! Just what I needed!!

Nice work rich

Just stay with it and be very aware that the more you do the better your body gets at adapting to the stresses. Change it up and DO NOT be discouraged that the progress is slower as you reach your goal. That's normal and it's not your fault--just bust through and KEEP WORKING at it!!

Congratulations!!! I do Nuclear Cardiology procedures all day and 99% of my patients are overwieght. Get back in shape and every facet of your life will benefit. Good luck.

ps. Diet is 99% of losing wieght--exercise accelerates the loss.

"Aaron -- Good luck on the 25-30 lbs... sounds like you've got it down if you do it every year."

I am already half way there. All I do is change my diet, do yard work, and ride behind the boat. Toughest part is laying off the beer.

Rich, great job brotha! Check out the link. WW put together a workout back in December. http://www.wakeworld.com/getarticle.asp?articleid=1999

I second Crossfit. I've been doing it for about 8 months and have gotten great results. Gets you into amazing shape and breaks up the monotony of doing the same things over and over in the gym. Diet is very important also and a lot of CF's use the Zone diet with great results.

Rich...Have you looked into P90X? This did wonders for me(35lbs in 3 months), and some of my homies! I was amazed at myself last spring when we started riding. The program comes with a great meal plan that is very user friendly! the program can be done at home so you don't have to travel to and from the gym. you can check it out at..
www.teambeachbody.com/wakejunkie

Doing awesome man, keep it up!

Again... this is great... eating less portions helps a lot... no alcohol can help you drop fast... and hitting the gym at least 4 days a week... someone else posted also but they were right on about the lower amounts of weights and more reps... circuit training with various machines (muscle groups) with low weights at 30 seconds at a time with 15 second rest periods keeps your heart rate in a cardiovascular fat burning area and you don't get bored easily. Good luck!

Good work Rich. Always great to hear stories like this, people doing well with personal goals. Keep it up.

As far as what has been helping me, I have always been into heavy weight training, but I was still heavier than I wanted to be. About 2 months ago I started to adjust my diet (less carbs, more protein, smaller portions every 2-3 hrs, no junk food, etc.) But what has helped me the most is http://www.twistnu.com/AirTrix1.htm I take the adult class Thursday nights, and in addition to helping my coordination, I usually drop anywhere from 1.5 to 3 lbs after the session (no lie). All I have to do is maintain during the week, and I do get to indulge on the weekends. Thursday nights I sweat it off. Have dropped almost 25lbs this way in 2 months...

(Message edited by Socalwakepunk on April 30, 2009)

Wow guys. Thanks for the advice!
I did pick up P90X, but I'm not sure I'm ready for most of the stuff they're doing. Pretty hardcore.

I have all but given up alcohol. I mean, I was never a heavy drinker... but the name of my softball team is The PB-Army. We're one of the few squads in our league that insist on at least 1 case of Pabst in the dugout at all times.
I read or heard somewhere that if you have alcohol in your body, it diverts extra functions to eliminate that "poison", which can take away from other metabolic processes and reduce your weight loss potential. I don't know how true it is, but I only allow myself maybe 1 day a month to have a few beers. And even then, I make em as light as possible. Mostly Guinness.
Of course, I also know a lot of runners that LOVE beer. But they're in great shape. If I ever reach their level of athleticism, maybe I'll rethink my beer approach. I do love the stuff. Especially when I'm chillin' in a boat on a hot summer day.

Tank -- twistnu looks SWEET! I've kinda got my own solo class going in my backyard, but I'm jealous as hell that you have that kinda thing to go to. As far as I know, nothing of that type in Seattle. I can huck and land backflips on a snowboard... and easily throw fronts and backs on my tramp... but would LOVE to get to the point where I'm landing Backrolls and Tantrums on the water.
And even if I never get one on the water, repeatedly attempting Raleys on my trampoline makes for a great ab workout.

Rich,

I just started counting calories, and am curious what your caloric deficit is. I am in the process of determining what I want that to be.

Nice job, Rich. Keep it up!!
I am a big fan of P90X - the "Lean" program can really burn the fat off of you and get you in shape. Since you have it, but don't think you are ready for it, I would recommend 2 things for you with this program:
1. Start doing the YOGA. It is challenging, but in a different way. It really helps your flexibility and building stabilizing muscles that are really important for wakeboarding (and other sports) especially as you get older.
2. Do the core workout. It burns a lot of calories and, again, works muscles that are critical for wakeboarding - your core!

Also - you can work other things into your program. If you are lifting weights do drops sets. Pick a challenging, yet managable, weight to do your 12 - 15 reps. Remove 5-10 lbs (depending on exercise) and immediately do 12-15 more reps. Drop 5-10 more pounds and immediately do 12-15 reps. This is back-to-back, no rest. This type of exercise routine will burn calories for a longer time after your workout.

Another option with same result is to do slow reps. Say you are doing curls - curl-up to a 2-count cadence, let down slowly (3 count cadence).

Keep up the good work. Half the battle is "keep pressing play" whatever your workout, the other half is diet.

Best of Luck!
MN1

Tim --
Well, from what I understand (and obviously, based on this thread, I am NO expert...) it takes about a 500 calorie deficit per day to lose 1 lb. per week. So... I've tried to calculate what a guy my size, age and weight burns a day... and then make sure I'm a minimum of 500 - 1000 calories under that through decreased calorie intake and calorie loss through exercise.
I'm usually closer to the -500 per day mark, but it has equated to greater weight loss, I think because the calories I am eating are of a higher quality than before and are ingested through out the day more than they were before.
There are tons of calculators online to help you figure what your daily caloric intake would need to be to maintain your current size. You can figure the deficit from there.

Anyone feel free to correct me if this is wrong. It has all worked for me so far, but I think when you start out at 328, any change is going to be effective for a while. I think that's why this thread exists... because I'm worried about boredom/plateauing/slipping...

By the way, Minnesota1 -- love that expression.... "Keep Pressing Play".

Thanks for that response. That is in the range that I am going to try, so we shall see what happens!

Rich,

This is more for long term, but you want to try build as much lean muscle as possible. This will actually facilitate in the weight loss as every action you take will take burn more calories due to the extra muscle mass and you will feel stronger as well. Also, know that when you are in a calorie deficit you are actually starving your body. This is good for losing weight but still stressful to the body as well. take a free day once a week and indulge this will give your a body a day to recover. It also helps contain the cravings as you know you have the free day coming up. If you crave ice cream and pizza, just know you can eat it in less than 7 days.

Most importantly, losing weight by diet alone is the worst approach to long term weight loss. You will screw up your metabolism and never keep the weight off unless you continue to cut calories, at some point you will collapse or add calories back to your diet. Try to take an approach where you increase your activity level and or intensity and keep your calorie count steady (2000-2500)and not only will you burn more calories, but as you increase your intensity you will increase your lean muscle and you have a multiplier affect and burn even more calories. Good luck and I'll see on the water. (my boat is on the lift and ready to go, if you are looking to get in some riding.

Rich, this is a great thing to hear! I've been doing the same as you, except on a smaller scale. 20 lbs down in about two months (stalled out at 15 lbs the three weeks prior to this one), but I'm down 20, and the difference really is night and day. You're going to be shredding extra hard when you get to your goal weight.

Troy --
Thanks for the advice. Everything you wrote sounded pretty much right on to me. And although I haven't really set aside a specific day of the week to cut loose, I have had plenty of indulgences. Between our trip to Hong Kong, a guys weekend in Cabo, and about a thousand other dinners with friends, happy hours and Suprebowl party type affairs... I've eaten plenty of bad stuff.
My attitude is that it is a lifestyle thing, and I know I'm not going to be a super-perfect diet kinda guy. I enjoy those Brewster Mexican meals WAY too much!
As for lean muscle, that's my next step. I do lots of cardio work, and a little lifting... but I want to step that side of things up a notch.

The bet has been a helpful motivator, but I just really don't want to embarrass myself behind the boat the way I did behind yours last year. Watching you guys tear it up was awesome... I want to get out there and actually participate, rather than just burn gas hanging on for my life.

Oh... and just let me know when the water temp gets above drysuit level. I only have a spring suit, so even though I'm dying to ride, I don't actually want to freeze to death to do it. I'm always a willing 3rd though, if you need one.

By the way, congrats on the wedding!


Nick --
20 lbs in two months is great! Don't know how much you're trying to cut in total... but that's definitely a nice start!

Awesome job Rich! I too made the commitment to lose weight this year. I'm a big guy so it never really looked like I was overweight, but I didn't have a lot of energy. I committed myself to be in the best shape of my life this year for wakeboarding. I figured if I'm going to own this expensive toy, I may as well try to progress as much as I can! Plus my 20 year high school reunion is next year

I'm planning on making that Pateros week this year. My sis in law lives 200 yards from the dock by the bridge. Hope to see you there and hopefully less of both of us!

Check out my weight loss and that of my 2 brother in laws here: http://fatbet.net/f3fatboys.aspx We started the first of the year.

Shawn --
Nicely done, man! And that site is pretty cool as well. I've got a few friends that want to shed 20 or so lbs... might have to utilize fatbet to get em motivated.
It was funny to read all the back-n-forth between you and your brothers-in-law!
Congrats again on making your goals! If you head out to Pateros, I will definitely see you there!

Rich

Rich, congrats on the progress so far.

Here's a good stretching routine from Mike Schwenne:

http://videos.wakeboardingmag.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=1570&title=Mike_Schwenne_Te aches_you_his_3_minute_stretches

Dude, unbelievable. Those before and after pictures are crazy. Congrats on the success and dedication. Hope you have a great season with it all!

So anyone have some ideas on how to break through the "barrier"? I've lost 30 pounds over the last 4 months (actually lost it all in 2 months) but I've hit a barrier now. I can't for the life of me lose any more weight. I'd love to lose just 5 more, but 10 would be great!

I watch what I eat within reason and work out about 4 days a week. I believe (and hope) that I'm building muscle right now so that's why I'm not seeing the drop in weight.

Ideas? Suggestions?

I may have some before and after pics to show, but you gotta promise not to buy a bear permit and come hunting for me... Anyone have $1,100 for laser hair removal?

Im with shawn, I just finished p90x last Sunday(yes all 90 days!!!). I started at 185.5 lbs. and flabby to a pretty tone 164 lbs. I went from being able to 3 pull-ups and no yoga, to 15 pull-ups without straining (or the chair) and all 95 mins of yoga. I lost 10lbs the first month and another 7 the second month, and maybe 5 lbs the third month.

I would like to lose another 5 lbs in certain areas, but I dont know what to do... but I have consulted a few trainer friends I have and they simply said those "problem" areas just take time.

Jimmy F,

www.crosssfit.com Coming from someone who did P90X... "The hardest P90-workout was not as difficult as the easiest CF wod."

Do 60 days of 3 on, 1 off. I promise you your whole philosophy of being 'fit' will change.

"Everyday is a leg day."

Viva Le' CrossFit!!

Fix ya link bro! Crossfit looks interesting... I think im going to hit the old fashioned gym and wieghts and treadmills for a bit though, im pretty lean and want to muscle up a bit.

Here's another vote for P90X. I'm 60 days in now, and it is an excellent program. Lots of stuff that ties directly into the types of strength and conditioning you need for wakeboarding. Even if you can't do it all, do what you can to keep up, and you'll be amazed how quickly you close the gap.

How's this for resurrecting an old thread?

Just got back from the NWWF '11 get together in Washington State and had STRONG memories of 2008. Unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. My weight has been steadily climbing back up pretty much since my wife got pregnant early last year.

It's time to get back after it.

To recap everything... weight went from:
328.5, Labor Day weekend, 2008 to
248.5, Labor Day weekend, 2009.

and now, sadly:
307, Labor Day weekend, 2011.

I'm posting here for accountability. The people on this board were a big help when I lost the weight before, so I'm back again. Keep me honest guys. Keep me motivated.

Rich