How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 25
Today is Thursday day 25 on my How to Get Ripped Abs challenge and I go from eating low carbs to having a high carb day. It was a nice change of pace being able to have starchy carbs with every meal and more calories than I would normally take in. It’s not easy getting all the calories in for the day since eating a lot of healthy food is very filling.
For cardio I opted for the elliptical machine workout today to give my knees a break. I’m able to push this workout harder each week and seeing progress in my cardio conditioning. The way I make sure to stay consistent is by making a note of the RPM’s I’m working out at. I’ve been keeping it at level 9 around 92 RPM for the 1 minute work set but this week I pushed myself to stay around 97 RPM for the 1 minute work set and the rest set was also kept at about 5 RPM more. It was a very intense workout and at the end I did a 10 minute cool down just to keep things going a little longer.
The results I’m getting on How to Get Ripped Abs are not only visual but my conditioning level is becoming noticeably better. I’m able to workout at a much higher intensity than I was just 3 short weeks ago. As I’m wrapping up week 4 I can’t imagine how good of condition I’ll be in by the end of week 12 by keeping this up and continually pushing myself harder each week.
How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 24
Today is Wednesday day 24 on my How to Get Ripped Abs challenge. I’m still sore from my workout on Monday and it’s time to get back to the gym. It was my first attempt at workout B for phase 2 so it took some extra time in the gym figuring out my weights and learning many of the exercises. The workout was extremely difficult and exhausting but I loved it. Most of the exercises I’ve never done before and by the time I was done my entire body was worked to complete exhaustion and I was once again dripping sweat at the end. These are the toughest gym workouts I’ve ever done in my life.
It was my third day on low carbs and still very easy to follow. The first 2 meals of the day I get 2/3 of my carbs for the day in the form of starchy carbohydrates. Meal 1 I had oatmeal with protein powder and meal 2 I made an egg scramble with 2 pieces of toasted Ezekiel bread. Both of those meals are very filling and by 3:30pm it was time for my third meal which was the tuna salad lettuce wraps. After my workout meal 4 was a couple scoops of protein powder and meal 5 was a grilled lemon chicken breast with a big side of asparagus drizzled in olive oil. I got plenty to eat so I never feel like I’m on any kind of a diet. Tomorrow is my higher carb and higher calorie day to restore glycogen levels and keep the metabolism burning strong. I like how the How to Get Ripped Abs program does the phase 2 diet with 3 low carb days followed by a moderate carb up day. It’s not a cheat day but a day where I can eat starchy carbs again for all 5 to 6 meals of the day.
It’s midweek and I can see some slight changes in the mirror again. Every couple days I lose another pound of body fat so the changes are happening rapidly. I can see most of the visible changes happening in my arms, shoulders, and chest. That is usually how it goes for me first. Once they lean out then my waist starts dropping the fat more rapidly. It’s coming off but I am impatient and want it all gone now. I just need to stick How to Get Ripped Abs for the 12 weeks and I will reach my goal.
How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 22 & 23
Day 22
It’s Monday day 22 and the official start of week 4 for the How To Get Ripped Abs 84 Day Challenge. Things start to change up a bit in the program now. I move into training phase 2 How to Get Ripped Abs The workout took a little longer than usual since I had to read the descriptions on some and learn them as some are not traditional exercises I would normally do. It was very challenging and I found myself crawling out of the gym again.
Just as I was starting to get used to How to Get Ripped Abs phase 1 of workouts things switch up and it feels like it’s day 1 again. These are some of the toughest workouts I’ve ever done. I have to admit I love the misery of pushing myself to my outer limits physically. It’s not something I have done since my days in the marine corps and wrestling practices back in high school. These full body workouts use so many muscles at once that you really work up a sweat. My body generates so much heat from burning so many calories that my shirt is soaked at the end of the 45 minutes. It’s not often that you see someone in the gym lifting and sweat is dripping off of their face onto the floor. That’s how I look when I’m doing these workouts.
I switched over to phase 2 in the diet also. The How To Get Ripped Abs phase 2 diet goes 3 days low carb with 1 day moderate carb and higher calories. This keeps a strong balance of burning fat with a higher carb day to restore glycogen levels. I’m still getting around 120 grams of carbs but 2/3 of them are from the 1st two meals of the day. So the majority of carbs are happening early. It seemed pretty easy to follow and I don’t even feel like I’m on a low carb plan. Low carb for me would normally be 40 to 50 grams of carbs so 120 grams seems like a lot. The rest is lean protein and fibrous carbs later in the day which keeps me full and never hungry.
Day 23
It’s Tuesday day 23 and I woke up feeling sore again. The new workout phase is definitely going to make me push to the next level. During the first 3 weeks I was sore for about 10 days and then got used to it. Now I feel sore all over the place from the new workout. I need to push myself as hard as possible to get in shape for phase 3 and 4. They progressively get harder so if I’m struggling in phase 2 I can only imagine how tough it gets in phase 4. This is putting me on track to get into my best condition ever. I’ve hit the heavy weights for so long I don’t even remember what it’s like to be in really good condition.
For cardio I did the jump rope. This was the first time I was able to do the jump rope workout as it’s supposed to be without taking too much rest in between sets and actually making it a full minute of jumping each time. With my weight down over 10 pounds and already being in better condition this is an enormous improvement from where I was 3 weeks ago when I tried to jump rope. It was embarrassing the first time. Now I feel like I am getting somewhere. Still I’m pretty heavy so 1 minute of jumping rope and my calves are on fire and can’t take anymore. Then there is 30 seconds of rest and back to the next jumping cycle. The entire cardio workout only took 12 minutes but was very tough and left me exhausted.
I started making some of the recipes from the recipe book included in the How to Get Ripped Abs system. There is an outstanding lemon oregano chicken recipe that I made and grilled up. Even my wife loved it. It was a great meal and I put the chicken in a nice salad. I also made a tuna salad recipe that is in the book and it turned out great. I had 3 scoops of tuna each wrapped up in a big piece of romaine lettuce. I really liked how that turned out and will probably have that as a mid afternoon meal everyday now. Still I’m eating plenty of food and it doesn’t seem like a diet at all. It’s just a great nutritional plan designed to keep your metabolism burning fast. Then the workouts do the rest. This is as easy as following the program 1 2 3. The nutritional plan is something I think anyone could follow. I’ll have to start trying out more of his recipes. There are a lot of good ones to choose from in the book.
How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 18-21
My family took a much needed vacation for a few days and attended a wedding. This took me out of my How To Get Ripped Abs program for a few days. I had debated with myself how I wanted to handle this and how strict I wanted to stay on the diet. I decided I would allow myself breakfast and dinner each day of whatever I wanted but stuck to a very light lunch. I missed 3 workouts and that I decided is also o.k. because I am just going to extend the 12 weeks by 3 extra days. That will make my last day the day before Thanksgiving. This works out to perfect timing for my next cheat meal.
The next 9 weeks of following How To Get Ripped Abs I am going to buckle down and drop the cheat meals. If I want to hit my goal of 40 pounds I need to follow the diet to the letter. On Monday I start phase 2 of the workout program and go into phase 2 of the nutritional plan. Phase 2 of the diet is a little different. There are 3 low carb days followed by 1 moderate carb up day. This is the best possible combination to be able to follow a low carb diet for a longer duration. The carb day every 3 days helps normalize the metabolism and restore lost glycogen. This is the phase of the program where the fat really starts to melt off fast. I’m down 12 pounds in 3 weeks which is pretty good considering I was having cheat meals and just took a half week off and ate really well.
So far my first 3 weeks of How To Get Ripped Abs were a big success. Now it’s time to buckle down for 9 more weeks to lose another 28 pounds. If I don’t cheat and I continue to workout as hard as I have been I am certain I will make it. I want to end this challenge in great condition. I can go into the holidays lean and spend some time adding some extra lean mass. I will be very careful not to fall back into bad habits causing me to gain fat.
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How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 17
Today is day 17 of my How to Get Ripped Abs Challenge. I did my workout B which includes several full body exercises and really gets the heart rate going. I find the split squats very challenging because I’m not used to doing reps in the 12-15 range. This has really given my thighs a new twist and I can actually tell I’m getting a little bit of lean mass on my legs. I haven’t worked my legs that hard in the last year so these workouts are really bringing them up quick.
The workouts in the gym are probably the toughest I have ever done in my life. Actually they have been the toughest gym workouts I have ever done. By the end of the session my shirt was soaking wet and I could have wrung it out. I’m not even using any thermogenic fat burners. I’m keeping my supplements very healthy and natural so the only fat burner I am taking is green tea which has a little bit of caffeine in it. How to Get Ripped Abs will get you leaner than ever on the workout plan and diet alone. There is no need for any of the fat burners on the market. I’m only using Fish Oil, Green Tea, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and a multivitamin each day. I want to be as healthy as possible at the end of this.
I didn’t have dinner until fairly late so I didn’t have a starchy carb with dinner. I made a huge grilled chicken salad that was delicious and filled me up for the night. If you eat late salads are perfect. How to Get Ripped Abs allows for fairly high carbs in the first phase at around 50%. Going into the next phase of the diet I will be alternating low carb with high carb days. Even the low carb days aren’t that low considering it is still 20% of the calories then so I’ll still be taking in over 100 grams of carbs on the low carb day. I can switch over to that on either week 3 or 4. The fat loss has been really solid on the high carbs so I might go another week. I would like to get myself in a little better condition before I start dropping the carbs.
Another good day and on target.
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How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 16
Tuesday Day 16 of my How to Get Ripped Abs challenge. I was able to get stocked back up on some much needed groceries. I cooked up a big batch of grilled chicken and made my turkey chili. With the veggies that I eat on the side this will last me until Friday and then I’ll have to start cooking again. I haven’t had any problems sticking with my eating plan and when I do cheat I make sure it is a planned cheat with a starting point and stopping point. In the past my biggest problems with cheat meals was that it became an entire cheat day or a cheat weekend. If I’m going to drop the entire 40 pounds in 12 weeks I’ll need to keep myself disciplined.
How to Get Ripped Abs has kept me in a good structure to follow. I’m really happy with how I feel and how my appearance is quickly changing. I did the elliptical again for my cardio workout. Each time I do that workout I’ve been able to push a little harder each time. Each cardio workout has a level A and a level B. I’ve been doing the beginner/intermediate workouts. My level of conditioning has needed some work but it’s coming up really quickly. Next week I would like to try one of the bodyweight cardio workouts again. The first time I tried it I was spent within a few minutes and it was too difficult. Now that I have dropped some significant weight it will be much easier. I’ll be at a wedding this weekend so I’m going to bring my jump rope and do a Saturday morning workout so that I don’t miss any. The jumping rope will probably be easier than when I did it last week as well. Since I’m lighter and my conditioning is improving quickly it gets easier each time.
Tomorrow is my last workout for Phase I. I’ll be switching to the Phase II workouts on Friday. Each phase of How To Get Ripped Abs gets progressively more difficult and adds a new challenge with new variations of exercises. I’m looking forward to switching things up.
How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 15
Today is Monday day 15 on my How to Get Ripped Abs challenge and the beginning of week 3. I felt great after resting all day on Sunday and was really looking forward to my workout. I pushed all my exercises hard and worked up a great sweat. Once again I was hitting more reps on each exercise than I did the last day that I did this workout. It always feels good when you see the progress and numbers don’t lie. I feel like I have some great momentum now to carry me through the next 10 weeks. I plan on hitting my goal of losing 40 pounds and it is going to take focusing each day.
How to Get Ripped Abs has been easy to follow. As long as I keep my fridge stocked up with the foods I need its also easy to follow the eating plan. I haven’t experienced any hunger at all in the first two weeks and in fact have fallen short on most days at trying to get all of my calories in. When you eat a balanced meal that includes a lean protein, starchy carb, fibrous carb, and some healthy fats it’s amazingly satisfying and will keep you full for hours. I look forward to eating because I can create a lot of great meals to choose from with such a wide variety of foods.
I have to admit I did have a cheat meal tonight though because it was opening Monday night football and I was looking forward to seeing the Patriots play with Tom Brady back in the game. I had to enjoy some Monday night football with a little buffalo chicken and a beer. I did have a chance to go watch the Patriots training camp back in August since the stadium is only a half hour from where I live and got to see the players up close. That started getting me thinking that I wanted to get myself back in shape again. Being a former fit guy turned fat guy made me feel lousy as I watched the conditioning drills they were running. It was only a few weeks later that I discovered the How to Get Ripped Abs system and it was exactly what I needed. And the Patriots did squeak out a victory in the closing minute of the game so it was an all around good night with a cheat meal and an opening Monday night football win. I’m going to have to buckle down over the football season though and eat healthy. Drinking a few beers and eating buffalo wings while watching football is what got me into this poor condition in the first place. I need to remember that as temptation strikes every Sunday! Commitment to How to Get Ripped Abs will be my focus.
How To Get Ripped Abs Program
Click here for my full review of How To Get Ripped Abs by John Alvino.
How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 14
It’s finally Sunday day 14 and the completion of week 2 on my How to Get Ripped Abs Challenge. That means I’m 16.6% of the way to the finish line. The time goes by quickly and I need to stay completely focused if I want to hit my goal of 40 pounds in 12 weeks. I got a lot of rest today and kept the physical activity to some short walks with the dog and my kids. Looking in the mirror now I can actually see a big difference in 2 short weeks. That in itself gives me a lot of motivation to continue on and stay the course.
Once you get yourself a couple weeks into the How to Get Ripped Abs the changes in how you look and feel are so noticeable that your motivational levels will go up. When you aren’t seeing results quickly it can be harder to believe in the system you are following. Watching the change I have made in 2 short weeks lets me know that this is working and I need to stay right on track. I’m actually looking forward to my torturous Monday workout A. It will be the last time I do workout A for Phase I. On Friday I will be switching into the phase 2 workout which will have a new workout A that is slightly more advanced and difficult. The workout program progresses you through 4 three week phases over the 12 weeks with each more difficult than the last.
So far so good, I’m ready for more!
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How To Get Ripped Abs Challenge – Day 13
Today is Saturday day 13. I had to hit the gym first thing in the morning and do my workout B of How To Get Ripped Abs. I worked it especially hard knowing I was going to have my Saturday night cheat meal of pizza and a glass of wine. I pushed so hard I that ended up a bit nauseas towards the finish of my workout. I really punished myself in the gym and it felt great. The funny thing is how these workouts are so tough that they will raise your endorphin levels for a few hours afterwards giving you a bit of a natural high. I feel extremely calm and relaxed for several hours after the workout or maybe it’s just sheer residual exhaustion from pushing myself so hard.
Once you see that results are showing in the mirror at the end of week two it makes you push that much harder. It is motivating to see the fast changes happening to my body so now when I’m in the gym it gives me that much more incentive to stick very close to the program laid out by How To Get Ripped Abs. I know the harder I work the quicker my body will change and the results will be visible quicker. I’ve found it very easy to stick to this and now I look forward to these grueling workouts that I do 3 days per week. The other 3 days where I do high intensity cardio are also extremely tough but I almost consider them a break compared to the core workout plan.
I ate well through the day and made sure not to try to cut out meals to make up for my cheat meal at night. It can be very counter productive to skip some meals in anticipation of a cheat meal. You really want to stick with all of your meals to keep the metabolism charged high and the fat burning hormones and enzymes at peak levels. It actually makes the body burn up the cheat meal that much easier. I had half of a large pizza, a glass of beer, a glass of wine, and 1 mini Hershey’s Chocolate bar. I’ll have all day Sunday to eat clean and drink a ton of water to flush out any excess water that this meal makes me hold prior to my Monday morning weigh in. I really ate more than I needed to but it’s a cheat meal and I’ve seen such a noticeable difference this week alone that I’m not worry about this impeding my progress. If I was at the stage where I was trying to get rid of that last 3-4 pounds that sat around my lower abs I would be more careful on the cheat meal and maybe not even cheat at all.
Another successful day done in my How To Get Ripped Abs challenge and tomorrow is a much needed day of rest from training. I’m going to be early also to catch up on my Z’s.
