body for Life workout

[Firehawk]

The weightlifitng workouts are pretty intense. If you keep your diet proper, i'm sure you will be just fine.

The only thing i disagree with Body for life regarding diets, is they advocate to perform the weightlifting on an empty stomach. Definitely wouldn't do that.

[txgrl29]

Really??? by doing just 6 sets of 1 excersice for 1 muscle group, it will really make a difference?

[Firehawk]

The point of their routines are to burn calories. That's why they are done in such a fast pace. Usually i think it's 2 exercises per body part with like a total of 6 sets. That last two sets are supersetted (no rest) for 12 reps each. Very tough workout. If you keep to a true 1 minute rest period, it is very intense and very cardio-like. That's why it is so effective.

[txgrl29]

Is it possible to tweek it a bit such as do 2 excersices per body part, doing the reps both at 12/10/8/6

For instance
bicep curls 12/10/8/6 superset with hammer curls 12/10/8/6

Or is this just going against what the original workout does?

[Lady C]

If you can superset 12/10/8/6 then you are using too light of weight. Peroid. The idea behind the superset is to pick a weight that you can barely finish by 12 reps. Besides, you don't need that much volume for small muscles like biceps.

[kungfu74]

Both my wife and I did a 12 week BFL cycle about 2 years ago.

If executed properly it is a very good workout. you might think that 3 days of HIIT cardio for only 20 minutes isn't much but, you get from it what you put into it as with anything.

one thing to remember while implementing a 12 week BFL cycle is to really focus on your intensity levels, only YOU know your intensity level and if you are truly following the intensity levels defined in the program.

[.V.]

Hey, Kungfu's posting again. Welcome back.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by txgrl29

Is it possible to tweek it a bit such as do 2 excersices per body part, doing the reps both at 12/10/8/6

For instance
bicep curls 12/10/8/6 superset with hammer curls 12/10/8/6

Or is this just going against what the original workout does?

That's not how you do the program. It's one min rest between 12, 10, 8, 6 reps, then you do another 12 rep set at a lighter weight followed immediately by another exercise that hits the same muscle differently, for 12 reps, then 2 min rest before you move to the next muscle group. Very intense but burns lots of calories.

Don't try to change the program. Either do it how it's laid out, or don't do it. Just my opinion.

[Streetman]

Got to the Body for Life site and print off the workout sheets. They have filled out for you so it's idiot proof. It's a real ball buster of a workout.

When I used it I dropped 26 pounds of fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle, in 12 weeks. This was after I had been working out for 16 weeks, so still in the beginning. I got away from the program once I got more experienced and educated.

Yesterday I got back on it. I did legs and had to concentrate for 20 minutes afterwards on keeping my PWO from coming back up. People in the gym stared. I grunted. I was sweating all over every piece of equipment I touched. Sometimes sweat would drip off my nose, and get sprayed everywhere by my heavy breathing.

Is it effective? Uhmm..12 hours later and I'm having a hard time walking. I'm screwed at the 48 hour mark where I'm usually most sore. Glutamine will be my friend.

I'll be blogging my results. I come and go here, depending on my mood, so just check there. I'm sure I'll be building muscle and losing fat in a big way this 12 weeks.

I still can't get over how intense this workout is. I guess I had forgotten.

[derek145]

I did a couple of Body for Life challenges. I enjoyed the workouts, but was trying to gain strength so it wasn't really effective for what I was trying to do, but I did drop a few percentage points of body fat which is saying something since I was fairly low when I started already.

The only real issue I had with the program was that it placed equal emphasis (# of sets) on the smaller muscles (biceps, triceps, and calves) as the larger muscles (quads, hamstrings, chest, and back).

[Firehawk]

The workouts are made to burn calories, not build strength.

[Streetman]

In gaining 9 pounds of muscle, I gained strength. They are what you make of them.

[Firehawk]

Well, you gained 9 lbs of lean body mass. That doesn't mean you gained 9 lbs of muscle. NEvertheless, impressive if true that your lean mass went up. The routine is definitely geared toward fatiguing the hell out of your muscles...hence bodybuilding...

[Streetman]

I was tested in a Bod Pod at National Institute for Fitness and Sport. Explain what I gained if those 9 pounds weren't muscle? Bone?

[Firehawk]

Water.