Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

Well, I think this morning's workout basically answered my question, but it arose another. Since starting up again, I have done:10x5, 10x4, 10x3, 10x5 and am now on week five of 10x4 but feeling a bit burned out. I decided to make it a back off week. (I think one thing I was notorious for in the past was ALWAYS trying to push for PR's, which was a major mistake.)

From what I read in "A Practical Approach To Programming" a back off week would consist of just doing the warmup sets and no work sets to keep the neural pathways open. But being that I almost never do sets of more than 5 reps, what if I just did one or two sets and repped out with 65 or 70%? Would a variation in the type of intensity work as well as just hitting a few warmup sets, or would that defeat the purpose? My gut instinct is telling me that my body needs the break and I should just stick with the warmups to come back stronger next week. But there is that small part of me that still wants to push myself in some way.

I know I am rambling a bit now, but I am wondering if my addition of cardio might have sped up the rate at which I needed a back off week. I have been doing 20 minutes every day on the eliptical. This week, I will do no cardio. I do want to do a minimal amount when I resume normal training again next week, though, as I need to improve my general conditioning. (I have a 55" waist at a bodyweight of 321.)

I really love the job Clarence does on his web site regarding the overall topic of obesity. Top notch!

Synephrine (or oxedrine) is a drug aimed at encouraging fat loss. While its effectiveness is widely debated, synephrine has gained significant popularity as an alternative to ephedrine, a related substance which has been made illegal or restricted in many countries due to concerns about potential problems with heart disease risk, and its use in methamphetamine manufacture. Synephrine is derived primarily from the fruit of Citrus aurantium, a relatively small citrus tree, of which several of its more common names include Bitter Orange, Sour Orange, and Zhi shi.

Many diet products such as Stacker 2 contain synephrine along with caffeine. Some reports have indicated that such diet pills cause numerous harmful effects. The Mayo Clinic published a report that suggested a link between Stacker 2 pills and increased risk of ischemic stroke, increased blood pressure, and cardiac infarcts.

Synephrine can cause arrhythmias. It is similar to ephedrine and can therefore show similar symptoms.

If synephrine can cause arrhythmias, I better steer clear of it. I realize that my bodyweight in and of itself isn't healthy, but believe it or not the majority of my eating is clean. I actually don't look TOO horrible at this weight because I have enough arm and chest size that most people guess my bodyweight at 250. (I've still got 19" arms.) I have been eating lots of Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine meals, but I supplement each meal with protein powder, though, as there isn't enough protein in them. I am hoping that with the weight training I will increase my muscle mass and improve my resting metabolic rate so that while I'm watching Oprah I still burn bodyfat! I lift weights first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (I do take 600 mg of caffeine for thermogenesis and a heaping tablespoon of glutamine to stave off the catabolic effects of training on an empty stomach.) I don't take any days off of the weights since my workouts are so short. In the evening I do 20 minutes every day on the eliptical. Ultimately, I want to get down to a forty inch waist. So far today, the diet has been going great! I will have to keep the board posted on my progress with the fat loss! Having some kind of accountability will keep me honest on the dieting.

Techno, listen to Stu's last comment...he's on the money! And read up a bit (on this site) on zigzag dieting.