Dave's Not Here

I’m done with my cruise, taking a break from CrossFit, and now it’s time to get back to business. I weigh about 30lbs more than I think I should. And, my muscles are shrinking . . . so, what should I do, when my shoulder can’t take any more CrossFit?

My requirements were pretty simple:

1. Lose weight
1. Don’t lose muscle mass

(And, yes, I know that it is extremely difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time)

I asked out on [Fitocracy][f]. I was looking for weight loss, and strength training. The guys seemed split about [Stronglifts][sl] vs [Starting Strength][ss]. And, one person mentioned [Leangains][lg], which I had googled before, but, their site was a bit confusing.

So, I took the time to read a bit more, learn a bit more, and decided that I would build a plan based on [Starting Strength][ss], [Leangagins][lg], and, my normal [Primal Diet][pb]. There were two reasons I picked [Starting Strength][ss] over [Stronglifts][sl]:

1. I have done [Stronglifts][sl] before. And, while I did like it — I love new shiny things more 🙂
1. Someone on [Fitocracy][f] mentioned that [Starting Strength][ss] did not take as long as [Stronglifts][sl]. And, I do remember [Stronglifts][sl] taking a VERY long time.

The Food Plan
————-

So, what exactly is my plan? [Leangains][lg] is a fasting / feasting plan, with 8 hours of feasting, and 16 hours of fasting. I have to use a slightly modified plan, since I workout in the morning. So, following the Early morning fasted training plan [here](http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html): I have come up with the following schedule:

### Workout Days

**5:00AM** Wake-up, have 10g BCAA (or low carb protein) shake before I head to gym.
**6:00AM** Training.
**8:00AM** 10g BCAA
**10:00AM** 10g BCAA
**12:00PM** First meal of the day. Large meal, since it’s Post Workout Nutrition (PWN)
**5-6PM** Dinner — Try to make this meal lower carb, since it’s pre-fast.

### Non Workout Days

**12:00PM** First meal of the day.
**5-6PM** Dinner — Try to make this meal lower carb, since it’s pre-fast.

### General Diet Guideline

I’ll be following the [Primal Blueprint][pb] as much as I can on the meals. I will allow carbs on the first meal, but I’ll try to get them all from fruits & vegetables. If some grains / tubers slip in, though, it will be ok. Particularly in the beginning of the diet. If I stall, I will start counting carbs, and limiting them more aggressively.

The Training
————
As I said before, I will be following [Starting Strength][ss] for a workout plan. The only thing I’m going to be modifying is Bench Press. Since my little gym does not have a power cage, I’m going to be doing dumbbell press instead of bench. (So, it is good that I’m starting lower, since I can only climb in increments of 10lbs (5lbs/hand)). Here is my schedule:

### Workout A
3×5 Squat
3×5 Dumbbell Bench Press
1×5 Deadlift

### Workout B
3×5 Squat
3×5 Overhead Press
3×5 Power Cleans

### Schedule

Here is my workout schedule. Every workout the weights go up.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Week n	Workout A	Rest	Workout B	Rest	Workout A
Week n+1	Workout B	Rest	Workout A	Rest	Workout B

My particular workout regimen is in a google doc [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnIjaVApjlifdE9EdllPUmxWQ2MxN3RWNHFSN2w3dlE)

Starting Stats
————–

And, finally, some starting stats. I am at my heaviest (since moving to Utah) starting this diet. I left for a cruise at 220lbs, and I came back at 225. (It would have been worse, but I stuck to my strict diet of soft-serve and liquor).

**Body Weight:** 225.2
**Bench:** 225(1RM), 205(5RM)
**Press:** 155(1RM), 135(5RM)
**Squat:** 255(1RM), 245(5RM)
**Deadlift:** 315(1RM), 275(5RM)
**Clean:** 185(1RM), 135(5RM)

I’ll find a measuring tape and update my google docs measurements sometime today and tomorrow, so, more accurate stats can always be found [there](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnIjaVApjlifdE9EdllPUmxWQ2MxN3RWNHFSN2w3dlE).

Week 1:
[lg]: http://www.leangains.com/ “Leangains”
[ss]: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki “Starting Strength”
[sl]: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5×5-beginner-strength-training-program/ “Stronglifts”
[pb]: http://primalblueprint.com/ “Primal Blueprint”
[f]: http://fitocracy.com “Fitocracy”