As I am something of a compulsive human guinea pig for fitness programs, I get inquiries each time I test-drive a new workout plan or diet. People want to know whether a plan is effective, worth the money, too much cardio, too little cardio, etc. These are reasonable questions because we are warned all the time by the media that diet fads and scams are all around us. (Never mind that the same media will air a Slim Fast commercial or Jenny Craig ad immediately after their report on how exercise and eating right are the only real ways to get into shape and stay that way!)

Why don’t I cover my current program first?

I’m enjoying the TT workouts a lot and am seeing improvements in strength every week. They are challenging without being overly time-consuming, and the accompanying fat loss diet recommendations are in line with the Precision Nutrition rules though I am not currently using the 10% caloric deficit suggested for fat loss since I am maintaining. I also prefer the brief TT interval cardio sessions to the long, drawn-out cardio I was doing for most of the year, but I’ve never pretended to be a fan of cardio in any way, shape, or form.

I don’t think I can gauge the program’s effectiveness as a fat loss routine until I start reducing my caloric intake after January 18. I have too much subcutaneous fat going on right now at 20% to see any visible improvements from week to week, unfortunately. I do give it a big thumbs up for maintenance, overall fitness, and progressive strength gains, however.

Now for that unvarnished truth I promised: Due to my normal, boring baseline genetics (No catastrophic thyroid issues, history of rampant eating disorders, or chronic physical limitations here, sorry!) and OCD tendencies, I think that ANY program that includes resistance training, aerobic conditioning, and clean nutrition–if followed consistently–will work for me and any other person with equally normal, boring, run-of-the-mill genetics. And despite what many women (and a few men, too) will say about being given the short end of the genetic or metabolic stick, average and normal are exactly what most of us are.

I don’t think that the whole fat loss/general fitness process is nearly as complex as the experts, gurus, reporters, magazines, web sites, and even us amateur enthusiasts here on the web make it out to be, you know?

In the past two and a half years, I’ve tried:

Body-for-Life
Leanness Lifestyle
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
Swolegenix/Femgenix
Max-OT
P90X
Yourself Fitness
Body By O custom program
Turbulence Training with Precision Nutrition
Working with a personal trainer at my local gym 2x/week

Some of these programs were high volume cardio, others like BFL and TT barely required an hour a week. Some required that I train with weights for just 30 minutes per session while others took an hour to complete. Some were 40/40/20, some were 50/30/20. I was supposed to have a carb, protein and small amount of fat with every meal in a few of them, while others required that I keep my carbs and fat separated and time my carb consumption around my workouts. Some endorsed supplements throughout the fat loss/muscle gain process while others said they should be reserved for that final 5% of effort at the end.

ALL of them worked. There was never a time when I said, “I’m following the workouts and diets exactly as written, and I’m not getting any results!” If I wasn’t getting results, it was because *I wasn’t really following the program,* usually on the diet end, heh. Training, as long as it is performed on a regular schedule, involves progressive, challenging increases in resistance, is partnered with cardio and integrates sufficient time to rest and recover, always yields results in my opinion. Whether or not I could SEE those results was directly related to my adherence to my diet.

So while in a perfect world all effective fitness programs could be part of the public domain (since, realistically, the majority of people out there wouldn’t follow them anyway when there are miracle fat burning pills and Special K diets around), I don’t mind paying for new workout programs even though there are free resources out there that are perfectly good, too. I like variety in my workouts and–as I said–I know that any balanced program will work for me. I’m expanding my knowledge and building up a nice library of workout regimens that I can rotate periodically, so I consider it money well spent. The money other women spend on make up, chick-centric hobbies, and clothes I divert into my fitness geek repertoire.

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TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Back/Bicep/Tricep/Abs Circuit with Trainer
- Flat DB Chest Press (2 x 8 @ 35 lb; 4-0-4)
- Incline DB Flyes (2 x 8 @ 20 lb; 3-0-3)
- DB Hammer Curls (2 x 8 @ 20 lb)
- BB “21″ Curls (2 x 21 @ 30 lb)
- Tricep Rope Pushdown (2 x 8 @ 80 lb)
- Tricep Bench Dips (1 x 25)
- Floor Crunch (1 x 20)
- Floor Side Crunch (1 x 20)
- Bicycles (1 x 30)

Elliptical (Level 5 / 20 min)

P90X Core Synergystics (60 min)

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TODAY’S EATS:

WO: 1 scoop dextrose, 1 scoop whey protein
1: 1/3 c. oatmeal, 1/4 c. raisins, 3 egg whites
2: 3 oz. chicken breast stir-fried with 1 c. mixed vegetables, 4 oz. sweet potato wedges
3: 2 rice cakes, 1 T. all natural peanut butter, 1/2 scoop whey protein, 3/4 c. baby carrots and zucchini
4: 2 oz. trail mix, 3/4 c. baby carrots and zucchini
5: 3 oz. chicken breast, 3 c. lettuce/tomato/onion/pepper salad, 2 T. Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing
6: 4/2 spinach omelette

Water: 16 cups (~2 cups green tea)
Supplements: 3 capsules Digest-All, 6 capsules fish oil, 1 multivitamin, 1 calcium 600 + D, 10 g. l-glutamine

CALORIES: ~2050 calories (40% carb/35% protein/25% fat)