Well, yesterday I completed the first 28-day Mission of the Recruit level of TACFIT Commando. I have to say that on the whole I'm quite impressed.
I've got quite a bit more definition in my shoulders, chest, and legs. I did add ab and biceps exercises to the system, so I'm sure those have helped a bit. But you do really see the difference in the shoulders and chest. The lats seem to get their share as well.
But what gets measured gets managed, they say. For this cycle I only took a morning waist measurement (no weight). The results are what they are:
Day 1: 40.5 inches.
Day 28: 38 inches.
So, that's a reduction of 2.5 inches. Not the fastest result for a month, but the most consistent result I've seen so far.
To manage the next mission, I will be tracking weight as well, so Day 29's measurements are:
Waist: 38
Weight: 200
Body Fat: 23.44%
For this last one, there's a simple formula for estimating body fat for men (the one for women is a bit more complicated). The formula, which I got from Gastelu & Hatfield's Dynamic Nutrition for Maximum Performance
, is as follows:
Take your morning waist measurement in inches (around the love handles, at the level of the navel).
Take your morning weight in pounds.
Calculate: (Total Body Weight x 1.082) + 94.420 = Weight Factor
Calculate: (Waist Measurement x 4.150) = Waist Factor
Weight Factor - Waist Factor = Lean Body Mass in Pounds
Total Body Weight - Lean Body Mass = Body Fat in Pounds
(Body Fat x 100) / Total Body Weight = Body Fat Percentage (BF%)
100 - BF% = Lean Body Mass Percentage
We're working on a calculator for the sidebar here so you don't have to do that much. However, if you'd like to do a spreadsheet version (I'll put one up later I'm sure), just set it up like this:
Column A:
Waist
Weight
Waist Factor
Weight Factor
LBM
Body Fat (lbs)
BF%
LBM%
Column B:
blank [input your waist measurement]
blank [input your weight]
=B1*4.15
=(B2*1.082)+94.42
=B4-B3
=B2-B5
=(B6*100)/B2
=100-B7
I know from using this and the Tanita scale at the gym that this method is accurate within about 4%. That's a big sweep, so if you're competitive you may want to be more accurate. For me, I need to track progress, so I can use a less accurate measure and a mirror to see if I'm getting there.
So there you have it. Only two more 28-day cycles to go at this level and I can take four days off. It's a long road, but it's working for me.
I have my reasons and my goals. How about you?
I've got quite a bit more definition in my shoulders, chest, and legs. I did add ab and biceps exercises to the system, so I'm sure those have helped a bit. But you do really see the difference in the shoulders and chest. The lats seem to get their share as well.
But what gets measured gets managed, they say. For this cycle I only took a morning waist measurement (no weight). The results are what they are:
Day 1: 40.5 inches.
Day 28: 38 inches.
So, that's a reduction of 2.5 inches. Not the fastest result for a month, but the most consistent result I've seen so far.
To manage the next mission, I will be tracking weight as well, so Day 29's measurements are:
Waist: 38
Weight: 200
Body Fat: 23.44%
For this last one, there's a simple formula for estimating body fat for men (the one for women is a bit more complicated). The formula, which I got from Gastelu & Hatfield's Dynamic Nutrition for Maximum Performance
, is as follows:Take your morning waist measurement in inches (around the love handles, at the level of the navel).
Take your morning weight in pounds.
Calculate: (Total Body Weight x 1.082) + 94.420 = Weight Factor
Calculate: (Waist Measurement x 4.150) = Waist Factor
Weight Factor - Waist Factor = Lean Body Mass in Pounds
Total Body Weight - Lean Body Mass = Body Fat in Pounds
(Body Fat x 100) / Total Body Weight = Body Fat Percentage (BF%)
100 - BF% = Lean Body Mass Percentage
We're working on a calculator for the sidebar here so you don't have to do that much. However, if you'd like to do a spreadsheet version (I'll put one up later I'm sure), just set it up like this:
Column A:
Waist
Weight
Waist Factor
Weight Factor
LBM
Body Fat (lbs)
BF%
LBM%
Column B:
blank [input your waist measurement]
blank [input your weight]
=B1*4.15
=(B2*1.082)+94.42
=B4-B3
=B2-B5
=(B6*100)/B2
=100-B7
I know from using this and the Tanita scale at the gym that this method is accurate within about 4%. That's a big sweep, so if you're competitive you may want to be more accurate. For me, I need to track progress, so I can use a less accurate measure and a mirror to see if I'm getting there.
So there you have it. Only two more 28-day cycles to go at this level and I can take four days off. It's a long road, but it's working for me.
I have my reasons and my goals. How about you?
hooray for you Steve, that's an awesome blogpost. I'm going to use your calculation method, are you taking weekly pictures? or monthly pictures? I'm already sore on muscle aches as it is, and i'm having some difficulty with the basic push ups. but other than that, i'm liking all exercises and I already feel changes happening. cheers. guido
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, I'm going to do a picture at the start of this mission today, and at the start and end of the next one. Since it's 28 days, I guess that's monthly LOL.
ReplyDeleteThe basic push ups are killer on this one! I actually usually do push ups in bodyweight routines, but I think it's the 8 sets of push planks and sit throughs that kill the shoulders. I'm up to a solid 8 push ups per set, but I'm a little embarrassed to say I'm still on my knees for more than half of them. It's a brutal upper body workout for sure. Make sure you do the full mobility workouts to recover from the muscle aches. The program also recommends glucosamine, which will help with connective tissue recovery. Experience shows that will also help with some of the aches, since that's actually where a lot of the strain happens.
Keep us posted on your progress!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice blog. And here share your experience and calculation methods regarding body weight and Recruit level of Tacfit Commando . That’s really nice.