Four weeks can seem like an awfully long time, especially if you are involved in a program that you've paid for and
that you expect to see results from. As a personal trainer I get told all the time, "but I thought I would have
seen more results in a whole month of this program!" So, what can you really expect? Is a month worth your time,
effort, and investment? The answer is wholeheartedly "yes!" and here is why.
First you need to understand that 4 weeks can either make a really big difference in your body or not, and it all
depends on where you are starting from and what your body type and goals are.
For example, if you have been exercising at an intermediate-to-advanced level for some time, hiring a personal
trainer to take you to the next level in 4 weeks is an acceptable goal. If, on the other hand, you are starting from
a completely sedentary level, are just coming off of a serious illness, and/or have a very thin and/or very frail body,
then 4 weeks is a crucial time frame for you, but not so much for visible results.
So in order to proceed we need to divide the group of readers in to (1) those who have been exercising for some
time, and (2) those who are starting from scratch. Additionally we need to divide each of those into (1) those who
have relatively strong bodies which build muscle pretty easily and (2) those who have pretty thin bodies which don't
build muscle very easily. Find your situation below and discover what you can expect in 4 weeks.
You've Been Exercising At An Intermediate Level For Some Time.
You Have a Relatively Strong and Muscular Body.
Hey...you're ready to take off. What do you want to do? Build muscle? Burn fat? Your body
is ready to either or both and your personal trainer can begin to work you hard right out of the gate.
You
can expect to build muscle and burn fat in 4 weeks....how much depends on how much you have to start with,
but as an example, a 160 pound female with 30% body fat can burn as much as 8-16% body fat and build
as much as 2-8 lbs of muscle in that time.
You've Been Exercising At An Intermediate Level For Some Time.
You Have a Relatively Weak and Low-Muscle Body (i.e. you have something of a "super model's" body - long and thin limbs).
You need to hold back a bit. If you have been exercising that much and your body is very lean and/or somewhat
weak (can you do a pull-up all by yourself or 20 "man style" push-ups without stopping?), then you are probably
exercising at an intensity that is counterproductive. Your body doesn't have much fat and/or muscle which is the
body's source of fuel for higher levels of exercise. You will need to back off on the exercise so that your
body has adequate time to recover and build muscle. If you don't back off, you'll stay lean and relatively weak.
Unless you allow your personal trainer to back you down to fewer sets of heavy weights with 1-2 days recovery
in between and much less cardio (too much burns the little bit of muscle that you have), you won't see much
of a visible result in 4 weeks. If you do allow your personal trainer to bring you down a notch (it will be really
hard for you to accept and do), you can expect to see 1-5 lbs of muscle gained and 1-5 lbs of fat lost in 4 weeks.
You Have Not Been Exercising Much At All, Or Have Just Started.
You Have a Relatively Strong and Muscular Body.
Since you haven't been exercising much your personal trainer will need to take you through a lower-intensity
to moderate-intensity period during your first 4 weeks. Those 4 weeks will be spent getting your muscle used to
working, learning how strong and capable each muscle is in terms of strength, flexibility and endurance, and you
will be learning how to eat. In addition, your body will begin to adapt to an increasing workload by strengthening
it's tendons and ligaments. If you progress too quickly, you'll set yourself up for a tear or a strain or a sprain,
which isn't good becuase then you'll have to stop for a while and then start all over again.
Because you are just starting out, you need those 4 weeks to begin to adapt. Your body is not yet ready for
big changes. Those bigger changes come in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th 4-week periods. Go ahead and allow your trainer
to do some testing and analysis during the first week or 2 and then some added loading over the 3rd and 4th weeks. If
you do, you'll be ready to go at it beginning in your 2nd 4 week period. You can, however, do plenty of moderate cardio
during your first 4 weeks so you are able to burn plenty of fat while your muscle, tendons, skeleton and ligaments
get ready to lift heavier weights.
You can expect to gain 2-6 lbs of muscle and lose 8-16 lbs of fat in your first 4 weeks.
You Have Not Been Exercising Much At All, Or Have Just Started.
You Have a Relatively Weak and Low-Muscle Body (i.e. you have something of a "super model's" body - long and thin limbs).
Your body needs time to get going. Just as the person above, you must allow your trainer to take you through
the lower-to-higher levels period or you will get injured, burn up all of your very little muscle, or both. Either way,
your body fat isn't going down much. You must take a slower-than-average approach, and if you do, you'll find yourself
building plenty of beautifully smooth muscle in your 2nd, 3rd and 4th 4-week periods.
Because your body has a hard time building muscle, you are going to need to really back off on the cardio or you'll
burn up what little you are able to put on. And, again, since it has a hard time building muscle, you will need to
go slowly and carefully to the point where the majority of your exercise is flexibility and strength training with heavy
weights. You only want enough cardio to condition your heart and lungs -- not to burn anything because sure enough, you'll
burn your muscle up! Walking is good cardio for you. Heavy weights and short sets are your preferred weight
training plan -- but you will have to take 4-8 weeks to build up to it -- really.
You are perhaps the most frustrated of all personal training clients. You want to get lean and defined like the
rest of us do, but you have to go much, much more slowly. You can expect to get a little stronger in 4 weeks and perhaps
build 2-3 lbs of muscle and burn 2-3 lbs of fat. Do not dismay, however. If you are able to back off in the beginning,
you will be able to progress much more quickly in your 3rd, 4th and 5th 4-periods. It is absolutely crucial for you, if
you want to build and/or sustain your muscle, bone density, etc, to proceed slowly, however.
If you can recognize which category you are in, and understand what is required and possible for you in your
first 4 weeks, you'll then be able to recognize what success means for you and set reasonable goals and programs
with your trainer.
Do you have a question for me? Let's e-Chat.
Do you struggle with meals? We can help by delivering freshly-prepared, age-defying,
body sculpting meals to your door each week. Check it out here: http://thebodysculptress.com/meals.htm.
Do you want a home-based business? Check it our opportunity here: http://thebodysculptress.com/meals.htm.
Do you want a comprehensive and inexpensive home program that really works? Read what Diand did:
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02/07/06
Angela,
Thank you. I'd like to share with you my story and my successes.
I began running on December 27, 2005. I also started watching what I was eating and counting calories. I thought that I needed something to help boost my matabolism and was looking for reviews of supplements like Hydroxycut, Stacker, Cortislim, etc. One website, and I wish I could remember which one, had all of this and more. It was for female body-builders and she not only gave her review on these supplements, but also your plan. After reading that your program was geared towards women like me, over 40 and having trouble loosing weight, I went to your site and began reading, reading, reading. I was convinced, bought your whole progam and here I am!
I purchased your book about a month ago and read it cover to cover. Twice. Then I sat down with the 12 week plan for my 5'4" 185 lb. Mesomorph body and planned the next phase of my life.
I am now in my fourth week of the plan, have read your book several more times and as of 10 days ago, dropped 11.5 lbs and who knows how many inches. I only weigh and measure every few weeks so that I can keep my momentum up, but so far it's:
3 inches from my hips and 2.5 from my waist, 2 from my chest (am loosing back fat) and I'm sure there's more gone because I see how my clothes fit differently and my tummy isn't quite as round!
I just turned 44 last week and have had this weight on since I gave birth to my youngest child who is now 7 years old. I've dieted and worked out, but with no success since I usually quit after two weeks. Mostly because I get tired of the eating plans and other times because I stop exercising for a day and feel guilty and let the negative talk keep me from returning.
This time I began running before I found your plan determined that the weight had to go. And now I run/intervals for 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. I work your weight training program 3 days per week and work my abs (your plan) 3-4 days per week. I feel healthy and happy and manage to work in exercise almost every day. I plan the time and don't allow anything to get in my way but I also don't feel guilty if something comes up that pushes it off. On a couple of occassions when it was beyond my control, I woke up the next morning and first thing did the exercises from the day before. Then later in the day did that day's exercise.
The best part of my new lifestyle is the eating. It's easier to eat the same things all week than it was trying to cook differently every day. I would got so tired of being in the kitchen all the time, that it only took two weeks until I was grabbing chips from the pantry instead of a nutritious meal. Now I prepare the weeks worth of food on Saturday or Sunday and presto! I'm ready for the week. You also helped me to understand better how I should feed my body. I've done so many diets and even eaten raw foods for awhile, so I know the nutrition part of it, but it was your book that helped me to accept what I already knew-- that I need to feed my body throughout the day to keep those cravings at bay. It also showed me that making afood plan that is easy to prepare is easy to stick with.
Although I thought I would have lost more weight than 11.5 lbs by this time, I am not discouraged in any way. I know 1 - that 2 lbs per week is a great amount to loose,
2 - I'm adding muscle so I'm probably doing an exchange of fat for muscle and 3 - I have allowed myself a few drinks (for my anniversay and a happy hour after work one Friday), some cake (for my birthday) and some cookies (those oatmeal cookies looked soooo good) along the way. I also battled a few days when my emotional eating came into play and was very proud that despite that period of eating poorly, I still exercised, recognized where the eating came from and vowed that I wouldn't let it stop me from succeeding. Immediately, I went right back to my plan. So I do know why it wasn't more.
I'm focusing on short-term, mid-term lenth goals at this time. ( I know the ultimate long-term goal.)
Short term is this week. This week is the popcorn eating plan. I'm looking for a little shake-up and think this will work. I'm also a little nostalgic about this one because when I was 16, I lost 15 lbs that summer eating only popcorn and diet 7-Up. This is a bunch healthier, but I had the right idea! lol
Mid-term is the next four weeks. The goal for the next four weeks is to keep my eating totally on track. There aren't any anniversaries or birthdays and I won't allow my emotional issues to take me to food. I will instead get on my treadmill and drink a big glass of water when I feel it hit me.
Angela, thank you so very much! I don't live in your area and found you, a gem, quite by accident. But I suppose it wasn't an accident at all. Some things happen in our lives for a reason and finding your website and your materials was meant to be.
Thank you and I'll keep you posted on my successes.
Diane
Orlando, Florida
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Pick up your "Live Your Dreams" package, the very one that Diane uses, at the main The Body Sculptress (SM) web site.
