Max/Maxine's Challenge 2014
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Bodyweight Training Guides
My favourite bodyweight training exercises are:
Squats (pistol squats are super hard to do); lunges; walking lunges; hip thrusts; donkey kicks; calf raises on a step;
Push ups (vary in difficulty depending on angle of feet to shoulders, most difficult being hand stand pushups); tricep pushups;
Pull-ups (you need a bar - go to a childrens playground) and again, you can start with a low bar and feet on the ground out at an angle, gradually get higher and then weight assisted until you can do un-assisted pull-ups. Not all that easy for women, but we can gradually progress!
Here are some links:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/Body Weight Bodybuilding 2.0 Craig Ballantyne.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/Primal Blueprint Fitness - Mark Sisson.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/Beautiful Badass Programme - Nia Shanks.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/21 Core Strengthening Bodyweight Pilates Exercises .pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/Body Weight Accelerators 2.0.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/Challenge Complexes 4 week plan.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4222844/36 Fitness Bootcamp Workouts.pdf - this one is killer cardio
Hope that helps Lou!! Above all, if you have your DIET right and go for a walk every day, it will be ok to miss a few training sessions. It depends what your goals are and what you want to achieve at the end of the challenge. Push-ups and squats will keep you in good stead if you make them hard by the variation that you use and should not be overlooked if you can't get to the gym, they'll keep you working hard.0 -
Thanks heaps for that skim, tips are really helpful. Will also check out the links a bit later. Thanks again.0
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Registrations open at 9am today!!! http://www.maxineschallenge.com.au/2014/maxines/0
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Today is the day!!!
Except that I am not registering today... too much work on but I will register some time this week.0 -
Today is the day!!!
Except that I am not registering today... too much work on but I will register some time this week.
I'm not registering today. Need to get my before photo taken first...0 -
I registered!!! DD took my photo and it's all done.
I am doing the "Get Strong" Training Programme, and will be following the Gluten Free Nutrition Plan. There are more options this year, but basically the same formula as last year.
So excited! I'll print the pdf's out at the office tomorrow. I am going to stick the Nutrition Plan on the fridge and tick it off through the week.0 -
Looking forward to registering some time this week.0
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All signed up. Are you guys going "public" profile to be in the running for the prizes, or private and just doing it for yourself?0
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Mine is a private entry. I have privacy issues putting my face on the internet and I'm doing it for me, I've also registered under a fake name (same one I used last year)... I know that seems a bit extreme, but I have my reasons
I'm really excited! I am already posting on Instagram @SFW68 with #maxineschallenge and #tttaussies tagged, so have a look for me if you use Instagram.
I'm also in a Facebook group (since last year) and they are all really excited.
Then there are the forums - a lot of those posts are a bit annoying, I'm not sure if people don't read the FAQ's or messages but they seem to ask the same things all the time. Still - we all have to learn somewhere.
And posting here!! I don't think I'm going to be lacking motivation with all this support from all directions.
How is everyone else feeling so far?0 -
Feelin' good. Was extremely bloated from my weekend away so the perfect time to take my 'before' pic on Monday night. It is very confronting having that on an open forum but great motivation to make the next 12 (14) weeks really count!
As I have spent the last 3 months at a surplus and I have a lot of fat to shift I won't be following their plan to ease in to 'healthy' eating - I'm going all in from day 1. 1500 net calories on average for me (a deficit of around 700 per day), with occasional re-feeds as needed (mostly to fit in with social commitments). No cardio to start with but I'll start adding some in in the next week or two depending on how quick the progress is.
I will have to shift about 10kgs of fat so there's not a lot of room for error for me! I'll keep you all posted along the ride. :drinker:0 -
Good luck Ray!!! Keep us posted!0
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Have registered tonight. Yeh!! In the end didn't have the confidence to go public but really looking forward to giving my all for the whole time. Will be starting seriously tomorrow even though I do have a dinner to go to on sat night. Will just stay clear of desert.
Also hoping to shift 10kgs. Challenge ends a week before my birthday which is perfect timing.0 -
Well done Lou! It's not easy to stick to anything for 12 weeks but what a great goal - lose 10kg for your birthday!! We'll get there 0
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The Challenge website has some great stuff under the SUCCESS TIPS page. Here is a snippet...
Welcome to the 2014 MAXINE'S Shape-Up Challenge. If you're new to the Challenge, this guide will give you some great tips and tricks we've learnt from the past 3 Challenges and successful Challenge finishers to help ensure you have the best chance of success. If you've done the Challenge before, then the following points should be a good refresher for you to help get the most out of your 2014 Challenge.
The Challenge is not for everyone. It's tough and many Challengers don't make it all the way through. In fact, only about 30% of our Challengers actually complete their 12 weeks! We don't make any apologies for these statistics. The fact is that not everyone is tough enough to see it through. It takes hard work and discipline to see out 12 weeks of solid training and strict eating, however the end results can be life changing and certainly worth the effort.
If you just want to go on a diet to drop a few kilograms, or you just want to start exercising to get a bit fitter, this Challenge isn't for you. However, if you want to make fundamental changes to your lifestyle, if you're sick of being out of shape and you want to live a healthier life, or you want to take your body and fitness to the next level in just 12 short weeks, there's no better place to start.
Our previous three Challenges have produced many amazing transformations. The sort of transformations many people can hardly believe. So if you think you've got what it takes to transform your body and change your life – welcome aboard!0 -
There is also some really good stuff under the MINDSET tab...
Transformation is the Motivation
Everyone who gets involved in a challenge such as this, has one thing in common: a desire to change something (or perhaps many things) about their current reality. At the risk of being presumptuous, I'll assume you're in this group. Of course, it's normal to want better. More. We see it with people who join a gym, people who enlist the services of a life coach, financial planner or psychologist, people who start their own business, enrol in a self-help program, make a New Year's resolution, go on a diet or plead with their long-suffering partner for "just one more chance".
Yep, for most of us, transformation is the motivation. The objective. The intended destination. It's why we partake in challenges like this one. On some level, we all want to become a better, new-and-improved version of our current self but the relevant question here is: how many of us will actually achieve what we set out to and then build on that success over the long term? That is, change and, more importantly, stay changed? Sadly, in most cases the answer is, not many. Take a look around (or maybe in the mirror) and you'll see the evidence.
New Year's resolution anyone?0 -
Oh boy I did the fitness test. I went for a 12km walk this morning and legs are sore and tired, but here we go. Results as follows:
My scores:
Burpees 11;
Pushups 27;
Crunches 34;
Alternate Lunges 22;
Plank 70 sec;
Jump Squats 31.
Look forward to seeing the improvements in 4 weeks time when we have to update photo and stats.
How many can you do in one minute?0 -
Great going at the fitness test.
Bought two boxes of Maxine's bars this week from grocery run. About $23 each + about $8 for postage.0 -
That's a good bargain Lou! I am not going to buy the bars, they contain gluten but they tend to send me on a binge (they are nice).
Let me know how you did in the Fitness Test? Bloody burpees almost killed me, can't believe I only did 11 but they are hard!!0 -
That's a shame re the gluten as they are really nice.
Will do the fitness test this weekend that way I can get hubby to time me.
Did do the fitness plan at the gym this morning. All went well however think I'm going to increase the weights as I'm sure I can push myself a little more.0 -
Good news about your workout Lou.
I'm following a weekly plan with Upper/Lower workouts A and B, so 4 different workouts a week. I'm going to do a 4 weekly cycle, where the first week (that was last week) will be easy but high rep (12-15), then add weight the second week with say 10 reps, push it the 3rd week and max out the 4th week to failure on everything. That way I am progressing each week with the weights.
Then in the second 4 week period, I'll take the weight back down again but heavier than in the first round... If that makes sense.
Should make some strength gains by the end of the 12 weeks.
I'm totally pumped for the challenge!! Have been off sugar and wheat for 2 weeks and plan on keeping it that way. I usually replace every fortnight, but I'm determined to keep my streak this time around 0 -
I'm in the same boat as you Skim, I tend to go too hard, then lapse when an event comes up... then ease off a little too much for a while after that
14 weeks of solid discipline should (hopefully) yield some good results though. One week in and the scale has shifted significantly. Even though it is mostly water weight from dropping carbs down and recovering from my pre-photo binge weekend it's nice to go 4 kgs down in a single week! 0.5 - 1 kg per week from here until the end of the challenge will have me right on track.
I'm not following the meal or workout plans from the challenge. I think they're ok, but as I've gone public and want to have a crack at top 50 I need to step it up a notch. I will not have that pic left on the open web without an 'after' pic along side it!0 -
Fantastic result for week one Ray!!! Well done!
What are you going to be doing for your Nutrition and Training Plan? Spill!!0 -
Well, you asked for it :bigsmile: :
How I have worked out my nutrition is pretty simple, but there are a few little tricks I've thrown in too.
I have based my intake on the old 31 formula (the theory that the maximal rate of fat loss is 31 calories from each pound of fat on the body per day). I know this is far from an accurate measure and will vary between people, but is a decent place to set my baseline intake.
So for me that is a max deficit of close to 1000 cals per day without the significant risk of muscle loss. I'm eating around this deficit and sticking to around 1500 cals per day (which is definitely on the low side!). As I lean out a bit the deficit will have to get a bit lower, but the intake can stay fairly static. No cardio is being done at this point aside from making sure I'm keeping up my LISS activity with walking and taking the stairs etc.
Macros (approx): 190P / 90C / 40F.
I'm trying to keep my carbs to morning when they are tolerated better, and around training times. This is when they will more likely be used for energy and to limit muscle protein breakdown. I pair a small amount of fast release carbs with protein post-workout. I will stick to 50-100g CHO per day.
I don't buy into the whole 'eat every few hours to rev your metabolism' BS they spout on the site, but I do know that having a decent breakfast helps me when on low calories. I generally don't think meal timing makes a huge difference either, but when on consistently low calories trying to get a sufficient amount of carbs in I have to make it count.
Lastly, I will plan for a few re-feeds along the way. This will be timed mostly around my social events so I don't have to be the guy drinking a protein shake in the corner when out to dinner with friends :happy: . I'll do this by having a day or two of making sure my carbs are on the low side, and having a full body training session (for glycogen depletion) followed by a post training carb up (low fat and moderate protein) to re-fill muscle glycogen and increase metabolism. Just not sure on the amount of carbs to take in yet, will have to work that out.
As for the training, I have been doing a full body 3 x week program, but have recently switched to a push/pull/legs split. Nothing mind-blowing here, just more volume per body part and a little longer to recover. I'll train 4-5 days per week (depending on schedule). I'll throw in a depletion/full body workout as needed but that'll only be once every 2-3 weeks I think.
I reckon that's everything, but feel free to fire away with any questions if you have them.:drinker:0 -
Love it Ray!!
I've been doing the whole 6 meals a day thing for the last week and it's killing me. I like Intermittent Fasting and don't really buy into "stoking the metabolic furnace every 3 hours" either, but I'm giving it a go for a few weeks and will do a feedback loop to see how I like it. I'm keeping my snacks to protein only meatballs and the like, and I agree starchy carbs in the morning are the way to go.
That is pretty low calorie but you aren't a huge man either - macros look good!! Can't wait to see how you look at the end!!0 -
Skim and Ray,
I love how you've been able to work everything out to exactly to what you need to do to accomplish your goals.
As I'm a bit of a novice to all of this I'm finding it easier to stick to the plans they have given, more so for the training. But as I'm so determined to lose as much weight as possible I'm using their eating plan as a guide. I am finding their calories a bit on the low side also and haven't gone over the 1200 cal, but then again I haven't been hungry either with what I've been eating.
I'm trying to do my macros at carbs 30%, protein and fat 35%. I weigh in every sat and am looking forward to my first weigh in even though it will only have been 5 days since starting.
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Found it!!!... Boy exhausted looking around in here... Not much of a forums person, (not much for excercise at the minute either but that all changes Monday....)
All signed up and ready just waiting for the supps to arrive after the let down by Supplement Mart WA Ive order from NSW??? go figure I can walk to the Supplement Mart that runs the online but cant get a good deal there and postage (just down the road will be 10 working days????
The young fella assisted me with the fitness test and apart from the obvious - I'm NOT fit !!! he had a good giggle - He is fit he's in training for the Army..... Looking forward to Monday and an currently exorcising the demon foods.....
Good luck to all0 -
Lou, that's perfect! The plans are there to be followed and for a good reason, if you do get hungry, just increase the quantity. I have about double the vegetables and I eat a bit more protein than suggested as well. I'm sitting around 1250-1350 calories and I know it does seem low but if I'm hungrier some days I will eat more. I'm not so caught up in the calories as I am the QUALITY of food.
As for training, the Tone and Shape is a good beginner programme and a lot of people follow it unless they have been training for a while. I love my weight training so I do 4 days, I'd probably do more if I had time!!
Lil, you made it! Welcome aboard!! So glad to see that you are doing the challenge
What a nice boy at the shop to help you too. A lot of the stuff is cheaper online. Supps R Us had a Maxine's special going for a couple of weeks, and the other one to watch is Vitamin King. I also read something in the MC forums about catch of the day... Will check that one out and report back.
As for the Fitness test, OMG the burpees were the worst but I surprised myself on the jump squats. Anyway, doesn't matter what the week one score is, the aim is to do better each time.
9am, oops, better start work!!! Have a great day challengers!0 -
Lou, I'd suggest most people follow the plan, it's pretty solid and will work for almost everyone.
I just want to lose more fat than I could with their approach, hence the tailoring. I also have a pretty good handle on nutrition and am confident designing a plan, otherwise I'd have stuck with what they provided.
I did the fitness test too, though I've been training a while and am not really expecting to see much of a difference at the end of the challenge. I'm dissapointed I only got to 43 pushups in the minute though, might have to include a little more high rep work so I can get it to at least 50! :ohwell:0 -
50 pushups!!! Right - well we are going to EXPECT that from you now Ray!!0
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Hey everyone,
had quite a few setbacks this year...but really wanna get back on the horse. Positive is that I havent gained any weight but havent shifted any either.
gonna sign up for Maxines and see if its my cup of tea. I am most nervous about putting a photo online :S0
This discussion has been closed.