TACFIT: Back in the Game

"What allows me to train 3x/day at 40 years old as intensely as I do isn't a secret formula. It's very simple. But it ain't easy. I strive every day to become the father my children deserve, the husband my wife deserves, the coach my students deserve, the athlete my teammates deserve, the servant my country deserves, and the disciple that God deserves. I continually fail. But I will never, ever give up." 

- Coach Sonnon (founder of TACFIT Commando)

Well, no more excuses. It's time to get back in the game.

As I wrote previously, I had a few more than significant interruptions in trying to get keyed up for TACFIT Mission 2. Rather than wrestle my way through with half-assed effort, I decided to just cut my loss and start over on August 1st.

I like starting on the first of something...Monday, first of the month, etc. Just something weirdly compulsive that I do.

Anyway, where I left off (July 5) I recorded the following stats:

Waist: 38
Weight: 200
BF%: 23.44%

In today's measurement, I can see where the intervening month of just general yard work has got me:

Waist: 39
Weight: 205
BF%: 24.69%

Time to get back on the wagon. I've done the first two No- and Low-Intensity objectives, and the first Moderate-Intensity one. I eased myself back in with only half sets, because I was doing them very slowly to get the movements right. The exercises are pretty complicated, but I can still hold my own. We'll see how that goes today with the High-Intensity workout.

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TACFIT Commando Recruit Mission 1 Post-mortem

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?

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