Productivity Maniac and Finishing the Experiment
So just finished the last workout yesterday! Now I’m simply waiting for tomorrow to take the final measurements after 2 full days of rest from yesterday’s workout.
So far the most interesting things I have to say are this:
I can safely say that I was able to increase the weight of the major lifts (chest, squat, deadlift) steadily along with repetitions the entire time.
I can safely say that I have gained a significant amount of strength. My muscle tone and firmness has increased. I certainly feel healthier and stronger.
The measurements are not as significant as Mr. Tim Ferris’ were in his experiment, though I can say that the gains were significant given the general proportion of them. My arms, chest, thighs, and hips increased in size while my waist shrunk over an inch.
I did not have the type of gains weight wise that Tim Ferris did either. My net weight gain was that of only 3lbs. I can tell by appearance and measurement that the weight was more of a displacement then a gain. I’ve eliminated a lot of bloat and fat and increased muscle significantly.
Now I do understand the fluctuations in water weight, and that had an effect on measurements, however I have provided pictures to at least show that it’s not entirely in my head.
I probably could have made the workouts slightly longer or added more core exercises between the two workouts. I also could have done a more consistent and better job of food intake. If I were to do the same experiment again I would increase the number of exercises giving me an hour of workout time (as opposed to the 40-50 minutes I did). I would also double the amount of protein I was intaking. I stayed on target 90% of the time within a reasonable window in terms of taking the supplements, but generally speaking I could have probably peppered in way more protein intake.
I am satisfied with my results though. It was an interesting experiment. As for moving forward, I will continue this regimen for another two weeks and then switch to a more traditional 3 day rotation with day 4 being a full body blast like the workouts I was doing for this experiment.
I think that this is an excellent way to prepare the body for heavier loads and a more traditional weight lifting program. I do also think it is good for athletes or people not looking to bulk or lose too much agility. I don’t think that this is a gimmick or a “vibrating belt solution”. I mean it uses proper time management. During that short period of time invested you do have to work your tail off though. You get what you give. The workouts I did were short, but I packed a lot of slow proper reps with a lot of weight into a short period of time with as many compound or core standing movements as I could. It was the right combo of bulk and burn. Admittedly it still felt strange to work out the whole body each time, but it was fun, each workout day was a new challenge, a new gauntlet, a new day to say how much can I squeeze into this time (properly, no cheats).
I’ll post the results and measurements tomorrow evening along with the remaining pictures.
Now over the next few days I’m going to ramp up and decide what my next experiment will be.
Of my other initiatives please note that I am:
At the end of week 4 of the Artists way and about 30 pages into the writers pages activities (aside from the weekly activities). This means I’ve written over 90 pages in the last month from stream of conscious…wowsers.
Related to this I’ve also painted two more watercolors since the last one, pictures below. One is of Ponte Vecchio, a famous old bridge (which is what Ponte Vecchio translates to from Italian) and the other is of a landscape that I freehand sketched. I’ve also been to two Art Gallery’s in the last 2 weeks which is awesome (I brought my daughter Kira along as she is far more cultured than I).
The music is also going really well. I’ve dug into Deadmaus’ masterclass which is very interesting. I’ve learned that even though my musical style is different my methods for electronic music making is largely the same.
I’m on day 31 of headspace! Wow, what a difference it has made. 30 days of 10 minute meditations is 5 hours of meditation. I really am learning a lot. It helps with anxiety, focus, and outlook, as I am now more able to see my thoughts as a stream from a third person perspective. This is an ongoing learning experience.
I’m also on a 24 day streak using the Duolingo App! It says that I am 12% fluent in Italian. I believe it. It feels so natural. There is even a function in the App I learned about where you can join clubs and talk with other people. This is awesome, as it was my strongest criticism of the app. I’m starting to be able to pick up Italian readings though. It feels so natural! I do a couple of modules at lunch and a refresher while I’m waiting somewhere etc. I’ll be speaking like a native by the time I get back to Florence.
Between all of those things, this experiment, working on projects, and all of the wonderful things I’ve learned from the great books I’ve read I feel like I’ve really set up the synchronicity. I can’t wait to pick out the next learning adventure/experiment and of course continue with these others that I’m doing.
