"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," said Leonardo da Vinci. So I decided to try Simplefit. I like simple, fast, efficient. A little background:
Male
37 yo
5'9'' (or 1,77m)
160 pounds (or 73kg)
BodyfFat: 19%
As you can see, I`m not terribly out of shape. Have always played lots of sports, but 3 years ago suffered a hip injury and had to quit it all. I`m now getting better, doing rehab exercises, and been cleared for bodyweight by PT. Intend to get in good shape to go back to my lifelong hobby of jiu jitsu in about 6 months, as per doc`s orders.
I was fairly certain I could go straight to level 5 or 6. But I`m not qualifying for Simplefit Olympics, so I decided to pace myself and start from scratch. Been inactive for too long, and don`t want to risk any injury. So, without further ado:
WEEK 1 – August, 11th to 15th, 2014.
Level 1 - Day 1 (L1D1)
40 rounds (perfect form) in 19:52. Hurray!
Comments: I`m spent, but mostly in my legs. Go figure. Not as bad as I expected. I could certainly have cranked out 50 rounds (or more), I really took my time and paced myself though. Glad I did it. Mildly sore the next day.
Level 1 - Day 2 (L1D2)
Rounds: 00:54 - 00:56 - 00:49 – 00:43 – 00:44
Comments: Didn`t even break a sweat. About 2 minutes of rest between rounds. Pacing myself. Keeping perfect form.
Level 1 – Day 3 (L1D3)
Round: 01:42
Comments: Well, that was easy! On to Level 2...
My mods: Since I have mandatory rehab exercises, I`m doing them before the workouts. Basically ab crunches, half bridges, one-legged half-bridges, light stretches for the hip/legs/groin/lower back. I intend to incorporate handstand pushups slowly, as my hips/back improve.
Diet: Mostly Paleo, no gluten (i`m intolerant), occasional cheats (mostly cake or icecream on weekends). Supplement with good quality whey (total 60g of whey prot/day) and creatine (3g/day).
Comments are welcome!
Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Moderator: cheapo
Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Last edited by Edie77 on Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Foray into Simplefit (aka My LOG)
WEEK 2 – August, 18th to 22nd, 2014.
Level 2 Day 1 (L2D1)
34 rounds in 19:52
Total of 34 pullups, 102 pushups, 136 squats.
Comments: I knew it would be hard to beat my previous Day 1 mark of 40 rounds, but I didn’t expect to fall so short. I struggled to get to 34, almost puking my guts out. So strange. There are days when you are very energetic, and others when you are feeling like crap. This was a case of the latter. Anyway, I’m glad I stuck to the program and worked out on a prescribed day. I wasn’t feeling very well since Saturday (went out of diet and into lots of pizza = gluten).
I gained 4 pounds (or 2 kg) since last week, but certainly not muscle! Crap… Bodyfat went to 20.5%. Not good.
Note to self: Must. Stick. To diet.
Level 2 Day 2 (L2D2)
Rounds: 00:55, 00:53, 00:48, 00:51, 00:53
Smooth. I'm not really having any trouble with day 2 so far.
Level 2 Day 1 (L2D1)
34 rounds in 19:52
Total of 34 pullups, 102 pushups, 136 squats.
Comments: I knew it would be hard to beat my previous Day 1 mark of 40 rounds, but I didn’t expect to fall so short. I struggled to get to 34, almost puking my guts out. So strange. There are days when you are very energetic, and others when you are feeling like crap. This was a case of the latter. Anyway, I’m glad I stuck to the program and worked out on a prescribed day. I wasn’t feeling very well since Saturday (went out of diet and into lots of pizza = gluten).
I gained 4 pounds (or 2 kg) since last week, but certainly not muscle! Crap… Bodyfat went to 20.5%. Not good.
Note to self: Must. Stick. To diet.
Level 2 Day 2 (L2D2)
Rounds: 00:55, 00:53, 00:48, 00:51, 00:53
Smooth. I'm not really having any trouble with day 2 so far.
Last edited by Edie77 on Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Level 2 Day 3 (L2D3) - 02:39
Comments: I haven`t been feeling very well almost all week. Not sure what it is. Some digestive issue. But round completed today (Sunday, 08/24), and onto level 3 we move. Got a major headache after this short workout...
Comments: I haven`t been feeling very well almost all week. Not sure what it is. Some digestive issue. But round completed today (Sunday, 08/24), and onto level 3 we move. Got a major headache after this short workout...
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEk 3 - August 26th to 30th.
L3D1 - 27 rounds in 20:00.
My rounds on day 1 have been dropping vertiginously.
Well, who cares? Day one can be brutal. It is by far the day I dread the most. I'm usually spent by the end of those 20 minutes. I definitely dislike D1.
My digestive issues that had been bothering me cleared for the most part. I'm not sure if was the gluten or the tea. Lately I have been switching coffee for black, white or green tea in the mornings, sweetened with stevia. I read that traditional japanese zen priests who conduct the tea ceremony daily had terrible gut linings, and several digestive problems such as ulcers. It turns out too much of anything, even "harmless" tea, may be bad for you. So I cut back on tea also, and switched green and black for the milder chamomilla. Plan to reintroduce slowly and see how it goes.
L3D2 - Rounds 00:55, 01:08, 01:09, 01:07, 01:04.
You can see the rounds are longer, but I'm striving to ger perfect form, and slow movements. It makes the workout harder, and I feel I worked the muscles more efficently. Day 1 and 3 are fast days, so I'm making Day 2 as slow as possible to counteract.
L3D3 - 03:09
Done, moving on to Level 4. I expect to start being challenged by L6, but I feel I'm getting quite a workout even from these intial levels. Don't dismiss them outright. I like the fact that simplefit gives you a great frame to improve and progress slowly, with a set metric that is easy to measure and to stick to. My total workout time, per WEEK, is around 30 minutes. Yes, 30 min PER WEEK. I can see improvements in muscle tone and definition already, in posture and stamina.
I really like this program.
L3D1 - 27 rounds in 20:00.
My rounds on day 1 have been dropping vertiginously.
Well, who cares? Day one can be brutal. It is by far the day I dread the most. I'm usually spent by the end of those 20 minutes. I definitely dislike D1.My digestive issues that had been bothering me cleared for the most part. I'm not sure if was the gluten or the tea. Lately I have been switching coffee for black, white or green tea in the mornings, sweetened with stevia. I read that traditional japanese zen priests who conduct the tea ceremony daily had terrible gut linings, and several digestive problems such as ulcers. It turns out too much of anything, even "harmless" tea, may be bad for you. So I cut back on tea also, and switched green and black for the milder chamomilla. Plan to reintroduce slowly and see how it goes.
L3D2 - Rounds 00:55, 01:08, 01:09, 01:07, 01:04.
You can see the rounds are longer, but I'm striving to ger perfect form, and slow movements. It makes the workout harder, and I feel I worked the muscles more efficently. Day 1 and 3 are fast days, so I'm making Day 2 as slow as possible to counteract.
L3D3 - 03:09
Done, moving on to Level 4. I expect to start being challenged by L6, but I feel I'm getting quite a workout even from these intial levels. Don't dismiss them outright. I like the fact that simplefit gives you a great frame to improve and progress slowly, with a set metric that is easy to measure and to stick to. My total workout time, per WEEK, is around 30 minutes. Yes, 30 min PER WEEK. I can see improvements in muscle tone and definition already, in posture and stamina.
I really like this program.
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEk 4
09/03/14
L4D1 - 22 rounds in 20:00.
Not much to comment, really. Rounds keep dropping, as expected. But my total count of reps for each exercise is higher than on D2 (more than double), so I figure I'm ok.
L4D2 - Rounds 01:20, 01:25, 01:30, 01:31, 01:40.
Perfect form, and slow movements.
L4D3 - 03:55
Done, moving on to Level 5.
I expected to start being challenged by L6, but I think that L5 may present some challenge already. I almost didn't make it within the 3 minute mark, and L5 will add 6 pull ups, and 10 push ups/squats. That's not a negligible addition to complete below the remaining 01:05. I'll have to do it faster.
One thing I did wrong was to aim for as many reps as I could on the first set. I almost reached muscle failure, and the subsequent reps were very dificult, I had to take lots of breaks. In fact, I barely made the required 20 pull ups, I was about to have total muscle failure on the last rep. Now I'm going with lots of mini-sets, with mini-breaks of a few seconds. You'll see how it goes here, next week, on our next episode of my Fabulous Fitness Foray!
Stay tuned.
09/03/14
L4D1 - 22 rounds in 20:00.
Not much to comment, really. Rounds keep dropping, as expected. But my total count of reps for each exercise is higher than on D2 (more than double), so I figure I'm ok.
L4D2 - Rounds 01:20, 01:25, 01:30, 01:31, 01:40.
Perfect form, and slow movements.
L4D3 - 03:55
Done, moving on to Level 5.
I expected to start being challenged by L6, but I think that L5 may present some challenge already. I almost didn't make it within the 3 minute mark, and L5 will add 6 pull ups, and 10 push ups/squats. That's not a negligible addition to complete below the remaining 01:05. I'll have to do it faster.
One thing I did wrong was to aim for as many reps as I could on the first set. I almost reached muscle failure, and the subsequent reps were very dificult, I had to take lots of breaks. In fact, I barely made the required 20 pull ups, I was about to have total muscle failure on the last rep. Now I'm going with lots of mini-sets, with mini-breaks of a few seconds. You'll see how it goes here, next week, on our next episode of my Fabulous Fitness Foray!
Stay tuned.
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEK 5
09/10/14
L5D1 - 17 rounds.
D1 leaves me wasted...
09/12/14
L5D2 - Rounds 01:41, 01:35, 01:59, 02:13, 02:14.
Piece of cake.
09/14/14
L5D3 - 04:51
Almost didn`t make it. Probably going to be stuck on level 6 for a while. My strategy of short mini-sets worked. It`s much easier to do many mini-sets than a few long sets.
Done, On to L6.
09/10/14
L5D1 - 17 rounds.
D1 leaves me wasted...
09/12/14
L5D2 - Rounds 01:41, 01:35, 01:59, 02:13, 02:14.
Piece of cake.
09/14/14
L5D3 - 04:51
Almost didn`t make it. Probably going to be stuck on level 6 for a while. My strategy of short mini-sets worked. It`s much easier to do many mini-sets than a few long sets.
Done, On to L6.
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEK 6 - Level 6 - (FAILED!)
09/16/14
L6D1 - 15 rounds
I figured 15 rounds is ok, since the total count of reps for each exercise is pretty high, better than D2 or D3.
09/18/14
L6D2 - Rounds 02:00, 02:15, 01:56, 03:12 (had to stop and answer the phone), 01:29
09/20/14
Round: 13:15
Yes, I took 13 minutes to complete. I was very surprised, because it differs so much from previous D3`s. I felt heavy and tired from the beginning, and I reached total muscular failure several times. Long minutes waiting just to be able to crank out a few more reps… I had to rest for almost 2 minutes just to get the last 4 push-ups! But I didn`t cheat and completed every single demanded rep (which I thought at one point would be impossible). Anyway, I failed miserably, and it looks like I`ll be stuck on level 6 for a while...
09/16/14
L6D1 - 15 rounds
I figured 15 rounds is ok, since the total count of reps for each exercise is pretty high, better than D2 or D3.
09/18/14
L6D2 - Rounds 02:00, 02:15, 01:56, 03:12 (had to stop and answer the phone), 01:29
09/20/14
Round: 13:15
Yes, I took 13 minutes to complete. I was very surprised, because it differs so much from previous D3`s. I felt heavy and tired from the beginning, and I reached total muscular failure several times. Long minutes waiting just to be able to crank out a few more reps… I had to rest for almost 2 minutes just to get the last 4 push-ups! But I didn`t cheat and completed every single demanded rep (which I thought at one point would be impossible). Anyway, I failed miserably, and it looks like I`ll be stuck on level 6 for a while...
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invisiblejk
- Advanced Member
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 8:58 am
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Edie, I'd not use 'failure' with what you did yesterday. You successfully completed the first week of the X week L6 regimen. There are millions who would love to be able to do what you did yesterday. Heck, If I can do what you did yesterday but in 30 mins, I'd take it and celebrate it with a dinner at a buffet 
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Hey, JK! Thanks a bunch for the support, man. A dinner at a buffet sounds tempting right now, actually! I must admit that I am a somewhat tongue-in-cheek person, and I do not consider that result "failure" in the harsh sense of the word. I tend to exaggerate a bit. I am pretty satisfied with my progress so far, but I guess what surprised me was that I had been going pretty well on previous D3`s, and this one was so off the mark. Guess it all boils down to expectation, in life, doesn`t it? Anyway, I didn`t give up, not at all, but I have been working hectic hours, and unable to post my logs. Let`s correct that. Stay tuned below! 
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEK 7 - LEVEL 6 (Second try - FAILED...oops, I meand, "didn`t progress"...)
09/24/14
L6D1 - 18 rounds.
Woo-hoo! Managed to increase rounds from previous week! And actually didn`t finish so wasted. Thumbs up for me!
09/26/14
L6D2 - Rounds at 02:56, 02:42, 02:13, 02:49, 03:40
On that last round I was feeling it, and had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath; other rounds went smooth. As always, slow and keeping good form. Hmm last round may have been a little sloppy. Perhaps.
09/27/14
L6D3 - Didn`t even do it!!
The scheduled day happened to be my daughter`s baptism day! Huge party, family from all over, lots of food, and no exercise. I cut myself some slack this time. And another failure. Oops, sorry, JK, another less-than-stellar performance. Which in this case was no performance at all.
On to another Level 6 Week. But hey, who cares when you`re having fun, right?!
09/24/14
L6D1 - 18 rounds.
Woo-hoo! Managed to increase rounds from previous week! And actually didn`t finish so wasted. Thumbs up for me!
09/26/14
L6D2 - Rounds at 02:56, 02:42, 02:13, 02:49, 03:40
On that last round I was feeling it, and had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath; other rounds went smooth. As always, slow and keeping good form. Hmm last round may have been a little sloppy. Perhaps.
09/27/14
L6D3 - Didn`t even do it!!
The scheduled day happened to be my daughter`s baptism day! Huge party, family from all over, lots of food, and no exercise. I cut myself some slack this time. And another failure. Oops, sorry, JK, another less-than-stellar performance. Which in this case was no performance at all.
On to another Level 6 Week. But hey, who cares when you`re having fun, right?!
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEK 8 - WTF!?
Since I know that millions of people are tuning in every week to watch the unfolding of my fitness saga, I must be honest with you guys. I decided to take a decompression week. Every fitness trainer tells you to take a week off every once in while, and it just felt right to do it now. So, this week I`m doing only two days, each comprising one single round of 20 push ups, 20 pull ups, and 30 squats. This is just to give the muscles some work. Not much to report or track, then.
Stay tuned for the next episode of this riveting tale...
Since I know that millions of people are tuning in every week to watch the unfolding of my fitness saga, I must be honest with you guys. I decided to take a decompression week. Every fitness trainer tells you to take a week off every once in while, and it just felt right to do it now. So, this week I`m doing only two days, each comprising one single round of 20 push ups, 20 pull ups, and 30 squats. This is just to give the muscles some work. Not much to report or track, then.
Stay tuned for the next episode of this riveting tale...
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invisiblejk
- Advanced Member
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Sat May 04, 2013 8:58 am
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
Edie, you did make progress. You caught yourself judging.. that awareness is progress. Way to go, Eddie!
Re: Edie77`s Fabulous Fitness Foray (aka My LOG)
WEEK 9 - Level 6
10/6/14
L6D1 - 19 rounds
Increased one round! Pretty close to the max I can do without sacrificing form. You simply cannot squeeze much more than one round per minute if you do it properly. Maybe one round every 45 seconds, but that would be a stretch.
L6D2 - Rounds: 02:22, 02:41, 02:17, 02:24, 03:01.
Not much to comment.
L6D3 - Round at 10:02.
Well, it looks like my decompression week turned out to be a great idea. Improved on every single day, and shaved off a couple of minutes on D3, though that's admittedly a loooong way from 5 min. My greatest problem is the push up, oddly enough. I thought the pull up would be my nemesis, but alas, no, sir. Old friend the push up is driving me into muscular failure, and then is a long rest to even be able to crank out a couple more reps...most of those 10 min are spent simply waiting. :/
Anyway, I made a BIG decision. I intend to modify my simplefit routine to better suit my needs. I won't go into details here, since it won't really be simplefit anymore. In short, I will be working towards more muscle building and less cardio, so I will ditch D1 (as previously conjectured) and my D2 will become a little bit harder. I also will not do D3 for a while, focusing instead in increasing my mod-D2 performance. My week will be like this:
Monday: Mod-D2
Tuesday: Jiu jitsu
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Mod-D2
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Jiu jitsu
Sunday: Rest
The reasons for my decision is obvious. I will be returning to my jiu-jitsu practice, and that already provides me with enough cardio. I also feel good in terms of weight right now, I don't want to lose weight, and I do want to pack more muscle. The best way to go about it is to train with a slightly different regimen. Now don't get me wrong: I think simplefit is a superb training regimen, one that's well suited to the goal of getting fit in a very time-efficient and easy way (well, sort of easy).
If you are considering giving the method a try, I would strongly advise you to go ahead and do so. I would also advise everyone to start from level 1, even if you think you can start on a higher level. Starting on level 1 will "put strength in the bank", to quote from "Convict Conditioning". Also, be sure to download tha simplefit app: it helps a lot with logging and tracking.
Special thanks to JK for valuable input and support! Keep working out and keep fit, man!
Best regards to all simplefitters,
Edie
10/6/14
L6D1 - 19 rounds
Increased one round! Pretty close to the max I can do without sacrificing form. You simply cannot squeeze much more than one round per minute if you do it properly. Maybe one round every 45 seconds, but that would be a stretch.
L6D2 - Rounds: 02:22, 02:41, 02:17, 02:24, 03:01.
Not much to comment.
L6D3 - Round at 10:02.
Well, it looks like my decompression week turned out to be a great idea. Improved on every single day, and shaved off a couple of minutes on D3, though that's admittedly a loooong way from 5 min. My greatest problem is the push up, oddly enough. I thought the pull up would be my nemesis, but alas, no, sir. Old friend the push up is driving me into muscular failure, and then is a long rest to even be able to crank out a couple more reps...most of those 10 min are spent simply waiting. :/
Anyway, I made a BIG decision. I intend to modify my simplefit routine to better suit my needs. I won't go into details here, since it won't really be simplefit anymore. In short, I will be working towards more muscle building and less cardio, so I will ditch D1 (as previously conjectured) and my D2 will become a little bit harder. I also will not do D3 for a while, focusing instead in increasing my mod-D2 performance. My week will be like this:
Monday: Mod-D2
Tuesday: Jiu jitsu
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Mod-D2
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Jiu jitsu
Sunday: Rest
The reasons for my decision is obvious. I will be returning to my jiu-jitsu practice, and that already provides me with enough cardio. I also feel good in terms of weight right now, I don't want to lose weight, and I do want to pack more muscle. The best way to go about it is to train with a slightly different regimen. Now don't get me wrong: I think simplefit is a superb training regimen, one that's well suited to the goal of getting fit in a very time-efficient and easy way (well, sort of easy).
If you are considering giving the method a try, I would strongly advise you to go ahead and do so. I would also advise everyone to start from level 1, even if you think you can start on a higher level. Starting on level 1 will "put strength in the bank", to quote from "Convict Conditioning". Also, be sure to download tha simplefit app: it helps a lot with logging and tracking.
Special thanks to JK for valuable input and support! Keep working out and keep fit, man!
Best regards to all simplefitters,
Edie