Image by quickster This is the third and final installment of the “Shah Training is Not Bodybuilding” series. The first post talked about focusing on a long-term approach to fitness. In the second post we took that idea further and I asked you to take another look at your current goals. Are they really something that will bring you satisfaction in the long term?

This final post I want to dabble in the definition of fitness. The princeton.edu definition for fitness is – the quality of being suitable.

Suitable for what? For life? For bodybuilding? For powerlifting? For a particular job? For what?Princeton.edu provides a sample sentence: “They had to prove their fitness for the position.”

Interesting. I actually like this definition of fitness. I once made a short video where I stated something like, “Fitness has nothing to do with losing weight or gaining muscle. It has to do with being healthy.”

A Practical Example

A bodybuilder friend of mine responded by saying, “You’re contradicting yourself.” Lets do a little experiment in word replacement:

What I’m saying is, “Being fit means that you are healthy.”

Apparently, according to my bodybuilder friend means the same as:

“Having a six pack means you are healthy.”

or

“Having big biceps means you are healthy.”

or

“Being able to run 24 miles in a few hours means you are healthy.”

Here are my thoughts:

• A six pack does not necessarily mean that you are healthy, because you could have gone through some extreme form of dieting that could be potentially harmful to your body. In this case you look healthy, but may not be much healthy once you get your blood work done.

• Same goes for the guy with big biceps. How many guys are walking around with huge arms and inflated chest, along with a belly hanging down to the ground? They’re just strong, but don’t look very fit. They wouldn’t be able to run very fast, nor would they be able to lift their own bodyweight for high reps.

• Finally, lets take the last example. Most distance runners are extremely skinny. They lack fundamental levels of strength and some even look sick- borderline anorexic. I would not call them healthy.

So then, what exactly is the definition of fitness? I would love to hear your thoughts.

This is the third workout of the Fat Loss is a Battle series:

Substitutions:

You can substitute the running for any cardio option. Make sure you perform the cardio exercise for 2 to 3 minutes.

The other exercises may be sustituted for easier variations. You can also use kettlebell or dumbbell exercises and perform the workout using the same format.

Choosing a Starting Point

The progressions for this workout are organized a bit differently then previous workouts. I have three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced, with five seperate sublevel within each fitness level. My suggestion is to start with level one of your particular level of fitness, and steadily progress each week. If the first workout is too easy, then you can attempt the next level two to three days later. It is ideal to perform each level once a week, although with proper nutrition you may be able to recover at a faster rate.

Beginner

Level Five

Perform 1 round of:

Run around the block
10 Pushups
8 Leg Pullins
5 Squat Jumps

Level Four

Perform 1 round of:

Run around the block
Rest 30 seconds
10 Pushups
Rest 30 Seconds
8 Leg Pullins
Rest 30 Seconds
5 Squat Jumps

Level Three

Perform 1 round of:

Run around the block
Rest 30 seconds
5 Pushups
Rest 30 seconds
4 Leg Pull-ins
Rest 30 seconds
3 Squat Jumps

Level Two

Run around the block
Rest 30 seconds
5 Pushups
Rest 30 seconds
4 Leg Pull-ins

Level One

Run around the Block
Rest 30 seconds
3 Pushups
Rest 30 Seconds
2 Leg Pull-ins

Intermediate

Level Five

Perform 2 rounds of:

Run around the block
20 pushups
15 Leg Pullins
10 Squat Jumps
5 Burpees

Level Four

Perform 2 rounds of:

Run around the block
20 Pushups
15 Leg Pullins
10 Squat Jumps
5 Burpees
Rest one minute

Level Three

Perform 2 rounds of:

Run around the block
20 Pushups
15 Leg Pullins
10 Squat Jumps
5 Burpees
Rest two minutes

Level Two

Perform 2 rounds of:

Run around the block
10 Pushups
8 Leg Pullins
5 Squat Jumps
3 Burpees
Rest Two Minutes

Level One

Perform 2 rounds of:

Run around the block
10 Pushups
8 Leg Pullins
5 Squat Jumps
Rest Two Minutes

Advanced

Level Five

Perform 5 rounds of:

Run around the block
25 Pushups
20 Leg Pullins
15 Squat Jumps
10 Burpees
5 Kettlebell Clean and Press

Level Four

Perform 4 rounds of:

Run around the block
25 Pushups
20 Leg Pullins
15 Squat Jumps
10 Burpees
5 Kettlebell Clean and Press

Level Three

Perform 4 rounds of:

Run around the block
25 Pushups
20 Leg Pullins
15 Squat Jumps
10 Burpees

Level Two

Perform 4 rounds of:

Run around the block
20 Pushups
15 Leg Pullins
10 Squat Jumps
5 burpees

Level One

Perform 3 rounds of:

Run around the block
20 Pushups
15 Leg Pullins
10 Squat Jumps
5 Burpees

For those that have read my post An Analysis of Weight Loss methods and Program (don’t worry if you didn’t, it’s a long one), know that I developed a pretty intense program. The program was great but one thing I had not factored in was the time factor. Perhaps that is a program I can pursue during the summer, but certainly not right now.

After trying some of the workouts on my own, and then playing around with a few other methods, I’ve decided to really sit down and see what I need to go. What exactly are my goals?

This time I incorporated a few more “environmental” factors:

Goal One: Continue to burn fat

This is an obvious one. I have been doing a good job of steadily burning off fat putting on muscle. Now its time to take everything I’ve learnt and take it up a notch.

Goal Two: Remove exercises which stress knee

I’ve been complaining of a knee problem for the past few weeks. It doesn’t seem anything serious, but I should still lay off the knee for a while until I get it diagnosed. Besides, my lower body is huge. I’ll still be incorporating one or two lower body exercises. I’ve noticed that nothing happens to me when I squat, but it’s the “Reaching” exercises such as swings and pulls, and “balance” exercises like overhead squats that cause the pain.

Goal Three: Lower frequency of training

Until I graduate, time will be a big factor in my training. Hence, a lower frequency is most likely going to come about naturally. If I have time, I’ll train. If I don’t, I won’t. But the goal is to get in at least 4 workouts a week.

Goal Four: Be able to do 20 straight pull-ups

This is a goal I’ve had for a while, but never really focused too much on it. I believe my max is around 8 or 9. This will work in two phases: 1) Include the pull-up in regular training and 2) develop pull-up specific workouts. Phase 2 will come about only after I’ve achieved the desired levels of body fat.

Primary goal is to burn fat. But one must keep in mind all the other factors that affect their training before they develop one. Hence, I’ll be alternating between the following two workouts with slight modifications along the way to gradually increase the intensity level:

Day One

Kettlbell Press 8 reps
1 minute Shadow Boxing
Pull-ups 4 reps
1 minute Shadowboxing

Stretching: 15 minutes

Day Two

Medicine Ball Twist and Chest Push 8 reps
Run 1 lap
Jump Squats 15 reps
Run 1 lap

Stretching: 15 minutes

I’m unsure as to how many rounds I’ll be performing. Be sure to check out my workout log in the near future for updates.