FINISHED.

Well it's over, I did it. See:

30ish days later... There are a complete set of pics in the previous blog post
(I knew all you ladies were wondering that)

Yesterday was the last day of Decembulk, the era has ended. There was some things I hated about Decembulk, and some things I loved. For those of you who saw the results, I think you can guess the part I loved. For those who didn't, RECAP:

In 33 days, I lost:
- 4.6 lbs
- 8.6 % of my body fat,

Which means my lean muscle mass went from:
- 145.225 lbs
to
- 157.1284 lbs

I gained 11.9 lbs of MUSCLE in ONE FUCKING MONTH and lost 16.5 lbs of fat (that part is new)

That being said, after the hell-week, there is a super-compensation week. During this week you don't workout at all and you eat over 3000 kcals a day. The idea is that you are still burning fat and building muscle. For me, this super-compensation wasn't overly successful, but I am at fault. It was my midterm week so I hardly even ate the kcals required and I definitely didn't follow the proper protein-carb-fat macros suggested in the Decembulk manual. 

Long story short: 
My weight stayed the same, and my BF% barely moved during the super-compensation week. This does allow one to consider a few things however...
- I was eating approx. 3000kcals a day and pretty much whatever I wanted from 5pm to about 8 or 9pm everyday for a week, and yes, this included delicious chocolate cheesecake, and I still gained no fat. Clearly my body was burning fuel in a whole new way despite the fact I didn't gain any more noticeable muscle weight. 
- Scotty did the same super-compensation week, but was able to eat much more than me. He gained another 4ish pounds of muscle sitting on his ass during super-compensation week. (That's what's supposed to happen btw).

Let's move onto some additional random thoughts about the whole thing.

1. Doing this program was not easy, it required a lot of discipline at different times for different things. BUT, if you do it, and do it properly, you will get results. I AM PROOF OF THAT.
2. I did my best to follow every aspect of Decembulk to the best of my ability. As you know I didn't take every single supplement, and I stuck to the highest recommended ones. As far as the workouts went, I followed them 100%. As far as the eating/diet portion went, I say I followed it 85% -- I always ate the proper foods, I just didn't track macros too religiously.
3. The point of point 2 was, if you actually followed Decembulk 100% in all aspects, you will be huge in ONE MONTH. I got great results being mostly committed. Imagine you were 100% committed. Also, one month is a pretty short period of time.  
4. Having a workout partner made this much easier, you often have to change weight during rest periods etc etc so it was nice to have someone else do it while I continued my circuits (especially during Hell-Week)
5. It's called Hell-Week for a reason. 
6. BCAA's helped me a ton with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
7. If you don't like working out, do Decembulk, get killer results, and become addicted. 
8. Jason Maxwell of www.jmaxfitness.com must know his stuff. Follow him, use his advice, get swole.

Website: www.jmaxfitness.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jmaxfitness
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JasonKMaxwell

9. I can't wait to get back in the gym - starting again Monday doing Jason's personal workout plan - I am going to try and keep up with the master himself.


Of course Decembulk was difficult, of course I hated parts of it, but I would trade in the shitty parts for the results any day. I also couldn't of done it without the help of many.

First, obviously, Jason - without the program I would be 16 lbs of fat heavier and 12 pounds of muscle lighter.

Second, Scotty - without him I would've been pretty tempted to quit, or at least cheat. He was always keen to go to the gym, who would drive me to and fro and he would get swole. Just like me. Here's some proof btw:

Great Face

Better Face

Ripped back - thankfully, no face

Check previous posts for his before pics, but overall:
Start:
201 lbs
15.5% BF
169.8 lbs LBM

Finish:
200 lbs (-1 lb)
11% BF (-4.5%)
178 lbs LBM (+8.2 lbs)

Third, the lovely ladies, Krista and Lily. Sure, Lily really doesn't get the difference, she is only a small dog after all, but when I get home from the gym and just lay on the floor, the 4000 kisses help with the pain. Krista - you supported me every inch of the way, made carb free dinners (and celebratory cheesecake!) and would always provide an ego boost. It's an honour to get to marry you soon. 

Lastly, all my friends - As much as watching you munch on chicken finger pasta at noon was difficult, you guys always encouraged me to stick to it. 

Final thoughts:
1. I can really think of no reason to not try Decembulk (providing of course resistance training is okay-ed by your physician) 
2. Almost forgot about this part! We signed up for Tough Mudder next May! We now have a training goal - kick Tough Mudder's ass... By the way, this is tough mudder: www.toughmudder.com - I am excited to start training with Krista even though she hates me for signing her up (it was her 7 year anniversary gift - I'm a nice guy eh?)
3. Jason really does understand every aspect of strength and conditioning. He gives sound advice, and if you listen to his advice, you will get the results you are after. (And no, I am not on his payroll, and I am not just saying this. He is like my brother - if he was bullshitting, I would just tell him to stop bullshitting. That's the way things work with brothers.)
4. Relates to first point but remember: I am a full time student, who works part-time, plays 3 intramural sports and is applying to Physiotherapy school for next year. I have a thing or two on my plate and I was still able to never miss a workout and always give it my all. Don't pretend you don't have the time, because you do. The longest workout from when Scott picked me up on campus, to when we got home (both about 5-10 minute drives from the gym) was probably 1hr and 15 minutes. 80% of workouts take about 45 minutes. 

Now get some discipline, purchase Decembulk below and go to the gym to get stronger, bigger, faster, healthier. 

RESULTS! Post hell-week. (Quicky)

This post is going to be short and sweet just showing my results from Day 1 to Now. It's midterm season, so I have shit to do.

I will post a much more in depth account of everything later - more comparisons etc. As well as Scotty's results, blah blah blah.

Things to keep in mind:
1. I never really worked-out before (I was/am an amateur) 
2. Before you look at the pictures and think: "He's not that big", think: "This all took ONE month"

So, we recall:
DAY 1: September 19th, 2012 - THE BEFORE

Body weight: 185 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 21.5%


DAY 33ish: October 20th, 2012 - THE AFTER

Body weight: 180.4 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 12.9%

The math done for you.
In 33 days, I lost:
- 4.6 lbs
- 8.6 % of my body fat,

Which means my lean muscle mass went from:
- 145.225 lbs
to
- 157.1284 lbs

More math:
I gained 11.9 lbs of MUSCLE in ONE FUCKING MONTH

Here's some pictures, quick:

Like I said, I'll be back to fill you (7 readers) in later.

Food and library time.

Much love.

Jason, you win.

Drop sets, Supersets, and Park workouts

Well, I'm not sure what Day of this whole thing it is anymore... I know I have about two weeks left.

We have done both a huge upper body and a huge lower body workout on Thursday and Friday...

These workouts included supersets and drop sets. Supersets and drop sets are a great way to want to kill yourself during a workout. Leaves your muscles screaming and very tired. BUT, on the plus side, after you go home and drink a post workout drink, you feel and look like a spartan, so I guess it was all worth it.

Today, I am at my parents house for Thanksgiving. Today however, is a workout day. My parents live in a super small town and there was no access to a gym or any equipment... If that only meant I could just take the day off... Jason told me to go to a park and do 3 exercises of as many reps as possible, take 2 minutes break, and do them again, and again... for 45 minutes. What a great thing to do at 9am on Thanksgiving sunday. But... I did it... I didn't want to, but I did... I am sticking with it and it will pay off.
Eating wise, this weekend is difficult, no carbs before dinner means no sandwiches for lunch, no crackers with cheese, that kind of thing. But... I will do it... I don't want to waste what I have done so far.

I do feel bigger, and stronger, which I suppose is the point to all of this. It's nice to see feel like my arms are getting bigger, because I am putting in a lot of effort, so no results would kind of blow.

Last thing I am going to touch on (because Mom is sending me out on errands) is the surprising lack of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)... In the past, I used to get DOMS after workouts that were way less intense, yet with these hellish workouts, it's not that bad... Of course I am sore, but nothing like it as been in the past.... This is probably something to do with the supplements actually working. Jason says the BCAAs will help with DOMS... Therefore, they must be working, at least a little bit.

Off to the grocery store,
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Eat lots and keep getting huge.

Now you can get DECEMBULK HERE:

Day 4 of Bulking Portion... Rambling and How to succeed so far

I have a bit of free time, so I figured I would ramble a bit.

I have completed 2 workout days (Saturday and Sunday)... with number three coming tonight. So far, I've loved em. Great exercises, mixed intelligently to target many areas. Today is a leg based workout... of course it is... I have hockey tonight.

What I have realized in the last 2 weeks.
1. Not eating carbs sucked.
2. Eating carbs again is awesome.
3. Having to wait until to eat carbs is difficult.
4. Eating 2500 calories a day can prove difficult, especially if you can't eat carbs before dinner. I have to try and eat massive dinners, then eat again about an hour later. Don't get me wrong, I love food, so I ain't complaining but... it's a lot, you know.
5. Turns out, I am starting to like going to the gym - yesterday was an off day and I felt like I should've worked out.
6. Eating healthy all the time gets in your head - in a good way. Last night was date night with my beautiful fiancee, so we went to see Looper (awesome, btw)... We had popcorn and iced tea, yet I felt kind of guilty after eating it... Not sure why, we didn't add butter or anything, but in my head it was a sweet... and sweets can kill.
Additionally, I have started drinking more tea... it has nothing in it.... unless you add it yourself... like I used to - sugar and milk.... Now, I just add half a pack of Splenda and that's it. I still enjoy it and there's no added sugar. 
7. Listen to Jason's advice, stay positive and be dedicated. Getting fit really isn't as hard as I thought it would be... It really only takes a few things... mostly mental. So do this, and you will succeed. 

NEW LIST! The very simple, short list of how to be successful (for the first 2 weeks anyways) doing Decembulk

1. Be positive. This is purely mental. Be confident the work you are doing will end in good results, and don't give up.
2. Schedule it! This means your workouts, this means your meals. I mentioned in my last post that if you make food ahead of time, you can just eat that. It works. If going to the gym is in your schedule, treat it like homework, work or anything else you schedule. 
3. Take advice. Jason seems to know what's up. If he gives you advice, listen. He tells me alternate exercise ideas, and things to avoid almost everyday. He even has advice on cooking. Jack of all trades this kid. 

Boom. 3 things. So when this program gets released in a month, not only will you know if it works or not - with my before and after pictures as evidence, you'll know simply how to succeed. 

P.S. I'm pretty sure it will work. 


All that aside, Thursday and Friday workouts like awful....ly great!.... Stay positive.
They will be difficult, they will burn, I will sweat.... But like I said. Schedule them in. Go to the gym. Put in work. And go see the family for Thanksgiving.

Get your copy of DECEMBULK here:

Ten days. No carbs. 5 workouts. RESULTS.

So, as I mentioned, eating no carbs for ten days sucked a lot of balls.

But look what happened....

Like I said, our fat calipers aren't pristine, but we used the same ones and the same method, so we were at least consistent.

BEFORE:
Weight: 185 lbs
Body fat percentage: 21.5%

AFTER:
Weight: 174.9 lbs
Body fat percentage: 14.7%

CHANGE:
Weight: -10.1 lbs
Body fat percentage: -6.8%
ALL IN 10 DAYS!!!

And who cares about all that if I don't look any different.... so.... the pictures...

Krista's gone for the weekend, but no fear! Lily stepped in with the support!



Oh, yeah.... Scotty did this thing too! Too bad he photoshopped these before sending them to me. (KIDDING!!! - but he does need to work on his back more)
No Lily support either... bitch....

Weight: From 201 lbs to 189 lbs
Body fat %: From 15.5% to 11.2%

I guess all I can say so far is.... You win round 1, Jason... you win...

Guess what I am going to go do now? You guessed it... workout... 

Let the bulking begin. Let the eating carbs begin. 

I might post a "post-workout 1 thoughts" blog if I can move. I could also do some homework....

Au Revoir 

Accelerator and eating...

Today is Day 10 of the Accelerator for Scotty and I.

That means this is the last day of no carbs.

That means my mood is improving.

I will be posting pictures and another blurb about the whole thing tomorrow (or sunday), but I wanted to touch on the whole eating aspect of the Accelerator because I am finally fucking done it. (Well, almost...)

To start, some honesty... Not eating carbs sucks balls. I go over to my buddy James' house to do homework and watch him drink chocolate milk while Dan has his leftover pasta.... I just ate my veggies.
So, that being said, it takes discipline, and a lot of it. A lot of food has carbs, and a lot of things I used to eat everyday did too. No sandwiches for lunch, no cereal or bagels in the morning. But I made it.

With that in mind, I offer some tips to anyone who will be doing this sort of thing... Some of them came from Jason, so apparently he does know what he's talking about (so far...)

First, and most importantly, when you cook food, cook lots of it, have leftovers, and pre-package it for your lunch the next day. This makes life much easier.
For example, make a massive bowl of mixed veggies/salad and pre-portion it into containers for your lunch. Then, voila. Open fridge. Grab container. Lunch made. ANDDDD you know you can eat it.
Do the same thing with meat, I make multiple chicken breasts at a time...

Easy to make turkey burgers

I also made like 12 spinach and feta turkey burgers. These puppies saved me this week. Less than 1g of carbs per burger and they taste fantastic. I am actually about to go eat the last two now... Take a look at the picture... All that is in them is spinach, feta, lean ground turkey, garlic and eggs. VOILA!!

3 seconds after hitting my plate

So, all in all, it sucks, but there are many ways around it that make it bearable and very doable. And it should hopefully be worth it.

Check back later this weekend to see the before and after shots... SPOILER ALERT - I have shredded some fat. Scotty wants me to post his as well... I guess that depends on how well he treats me between now and then...

Adios bitches. I have to go drink my dextrose water.

GET DECEMBULK HERE:

Day 5 - Cravings and sore arms...

Like I said, I wouldn't be blogging daily, but after a few more days of eating/working out like a spartan I have a few more things to say. (I don't actually know how a spartan eats or exercises, but fuck off, I am telling myself I am being a spartan).

Friday's workout (Day 3) (the second of the 2 we rotate through during the accelerator) was shitty. But the good kind of shitty. All four exercises required us to grip things - dumbbells, barbells etc.... turns out my forearms aren't the strongest part of me... Straightening my arms = sad face... However, most of that is gone now (oddly enough - after today's workout, the pain went away).

Friday's eating was fine again... minimal cravings, lots of veggies and pork tenderloin for dinner. YUM.

Oo, oo, oo!! Jason said I can eat BACON!!!! 2 slices with breakfast, but I have to count it as my fat. Works for me... this was a fucking game changer! I will probably just have eggs (mostly egg whites) and 1-2 slices of bacon with every breakfast this week. Bacon is making life easier and better.
Now for the effed-up part: Scott doesn't like bacon. Fucking weirdo.

My new breakfast buddy

That being said, yesterday (Day 4) was the hardest day eating wise. It was a Saturday, I had the day off (from school, work, WORKING OUT), and it was my buddy Nik's birthday party at night. Carby cravings were ever-present yesterday. I wanted pasta, pizza, chips, beer... you name it. I wanted it. Jason warned me this would happen, so, using my new-found self control and discipline, I still managed to eat just fine... 
Note: Crown Royal Black has zero carbs, and like 97 cals, so 1-2 oz on ice was enough to suffice. 

Onto today, Day 5. Got up at like 9:30, drank a bunch of water, went to the gym at 11. Today, we did the same workout that we did last Wednesday. Soooooooo, in like 4 days, I actually improved. I was able to do more during the "as many as possible" exercises, and more weight during the 10 rep exercises. #neuralchangesmakemefeelgood. Told you I was a spartan. 

Jason just shared this on Facebook... talk about timing

Also, Krista came to the gym today too and burned over 500 calories. Hats of to her for working hard and getting in the spirit of exercise! 

We then rushed home, at lunch, and left again for our ultimate frisbee game at 1. We got there at 12:59ish I think... and the other team no-showed. They must've heard I was on the opposing team and decided to stay home and save themselves the embarrassment. 

After frisbee and a shower, we went to the grocery store. This is fun now. You go and buy a shitload of veggies and MEAT. Pork, chicken, turkey - got em all. Then when you get home, all you have in your house is healthy food that fits the program. Eating is easier if I don't temp myself.

That's about it for now. I am tired, and we have soccer at 10pm tonight (busy day, right?)... So time to rest until then.

I am looking forward to see how much stronger I get over the next days/weeks.

Oh, and I feel thinner already... who knows if it's in my head or true... we'll see on the weekend when we re-measure everything. (I will also post post-accelerator pics then, try and keep it in your pants ladies.)

Oh, and if anyone actually reads this, and doesn't already follow Jason, do it - he knows his shit.
Website: www.jmaxfitness.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jmaxfitness
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JasonKMaxwell

Day 2... of 30ish

Well, it's Day 2 and I'm not any bigger, so I quit.














Wow, imagine that was my attitude...

I will start by saying that I probably won't blog daily, but I will do what I can. This one will be short as not much has happened. I am a full-time student, part-time research assistant, semi-pro-intramural athlete and life gets busy.

Now onto today's thoughts:

I worked out last night, Workout A of the Accelerator. Obviously I can't post the specifics of each workout, but I will give some insight.

Long story short, from the time I left my house, to the time I got home it was about an hour... who says they don't have time for the gym!? (I know I used to). Now granted, the gym is close by, and I showered once I got home, but that's not really the point, is it? With these Accelerator workouts there are 4 exercises (in a 1a1b, 2a2b fashion) with 30 second rest periods, so it goes by relatively quickly. Also, some repetition guidelines are "as many as possible", and since I am currently a weekend, AMAP is not really that many, and not that many = less time...

Scotty on the other hand is already pretty damn strong, and he said he the workout took him 35-40 minutes... so hey, like I said, who says they don't have time for that?

The exercises are difficult, especially combined with 30 second rest periods and 5 sets of all of them... but in the words of the man himself: "getting swole ain't easy".

As for the eating, again, today didn't seem to bad, no starchy carbs is doable so far, I just have to be a little more conscious when I am going to eat something, especially a snack. What sucks is when other people eat it in front of you and it smells so damn good.
Whatever, 8 more days. (I almost guarantee I will have pasta next weekend).

Until next time (hopefully this weekend at some point)

-Tyler


P.S. I told you my support system was good... Next to me even when I blog!

GET DECEMBULK HERE:

Day 1 of Accelerator and many first times.

It’s Decembulk Time – In October.

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Well, here it goes… No carbs for 10 days, then 15 workout days over three weeks.

My name is Tyler Allen, and I would not call myself a gym rat. I love sports, I play them all, and I could play them all day long. However, then it comes to the gym, I have trouble keeping disciplined about going regularly.

So, when asked if I would test subject Decembulk, I thought: “here’s a good way to force yourself to be disciplined about working out… oh, and THE BEST way to see for yourself if the best man at your wedding knows what the hell he’s talking about.”

Oh yea! Did I mention that I happen to be best friends with one of the best up and coming fitness professionals in Ontario (and probably North America, and probably the world). I know most of you reading this have already figured out that I am talking about Jason Kenneth Maxwell of www.jmaxfitness.com.

            
I have read each of Jason’s articles, and I know he knows a ton of useful information. I also worked out with him a couple of weeks ago. Long story short, we weigh the same, he lifts DOUBLE. What he says (and of course does) must work. (He also walks around in just his underwear a lot – I guess I might too if I looked like him…)

            
Now it’s my turn. Let’s make it work.

Not going to lie, I am nervous. But I am also excited.

            
Now this program requires 10 days of super strict eating (something I have never really done). Then 3 weeks with 15 days of workouts (2-a-days in the last week!!!) and of course the diet portion is still SUPER important. Now there will be lifting exercises that I have never done, but Jason will help me modify them to keep them safe, and Scotty will always be around to spot me.

            
There are also a lot of supplements suggested by Jason in this program. Since I am a beginner, and I previously owned none of them (AND I AM HELLA POOR!!), I Skyped Jason to see what I should do. He suggested the most important ones (obviously if in anyway possible, take what he tells you to take), some of which my roommate Scott (who will also be doing this) gave me for free, and others I picked up at Walmart. On sale. Super cheap. Supplements are something I have never really used, so this aspect should be interesting.

            
So that being said, I have eaten breakfast – carb free. BOOM! 1 meal down! I am going to the gym tonight with my beautiful fiancée to start that portion of all of this. Like I said, I am nervous, but with the help of Scotty (we’ll help eachother), the knowledge of Jason, and the support of Krista (and Lily!), I feel like 1 month is very doable. And let’s be serious, I will probably get huge.

Aside: I have also never blogged about anything before. All kinds of firsts happening here.

The BEFORE:

Weight: 185 lbs

Body Fat %: 21.5% (we used some free fat calipers but we'll just be consistent)

She's going to kill me for not cropping her out of the pictures, but look how close Krista was for support. These are the before pictures.

Get yours here: