Edit: Thinking about this challenge some more, it should be opened to everyone. I originally thought about it being tackled only after weight loss because it would not seem good to have such a transformation challenge interfere with weight loss. However, now I think anyone should be able to do it even to help with weight loss, as long as you are able to physically and mentally rise to the challenge. I will let you define what this criteria means to you, but I would think it excludes those that are less then 2 months post op. I would probably not attempt it until 5 months post op, but that is just my opinion.

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Transformation is something that may interest some veterans who are done with the weight loss phase of VSG. Losing weight is the beginning of the transformation process to become a beacon of health and radiant energy for yourself and those around you.

I am really a big fan of both transformation programs that the Phillip brothers have spearheaded.

In 1999, bill Phillip created the much revered Body-for-life program that is 12 weeks of intense transformation. Some have trouble extending their success of the 12 week program to the rest of their life, possibly because they jumped in too fast or did not have the mental and physical strength to continue after 12 weeks.

That is where his brother Shawn Phillips came along more recently and created the Strength-for-life program. This program focuses more on developing habits of strength in all areas of physical and mental health. The results gained from exiting the 12 week strength-for-life will be foundational for the rest of your life.

The strength-for-life program includes a base camp phase that is 12 days long. It is important to do this base camp phase before starting the 12 week program in order to set your body up for success. During this time, you focus on rebooting your body.

Essentially,

1. Eat lean, clean and green

2. Drink Water in abundance (no alcohol, sugary drinks, energy drinks, etc, just water)

3. sleep at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep a night

4. Have an attitude of gratitude

5. Recharge with the base camp training plan

As VSG post op, we know how to eat and how to drink water. Try and keep the Protein as lean as possible. Drink as much water as you can, but do not drink the energy or sports drinks ( too much sugar). sleeping restfully will lower the cortisol levels and help the body detox.

The base camp training plan is essentially Training 3 days a week with body weight movements. Do 3 sets of 3 different exercises, pausing for 30 seconds between each set.

Monday: 15-20 reps of push-ups. 3 sets.

Wednesday: 15-20 air squats or lunges. 3 sets.

Friday: 12-15 ab crunches. 3 sets.

If you slip on any of the 5 principles listed above, start over. It is important to get thought the 12 days successfully before moving onto the 12 week transformation. You may see some weight loss and or lean muscle gain during this short reboot. However, the real change will occur over the next 12 weeks.

Here is where I would like to propose a transformation challenge. The challenge will be 12 weeks long and success is defined by achieving a set of clearly defined goals. Make sure the goals are as personal as possible and link them to your feelings.

Create 2 physical goals and one inner strength goal.

For me, I am :

37 years old

5'11"

188 lbs pre transformation (as of yesterday)

Married with no children, a dog, 3 cats and currently provide a place for my brother.

Physical goals:

I will lose 15 pounds of fat, gain 5 pounds of lean muscle and lose 2 inches around my waist by September 1st. I have high energy and soaring confidence.

Mental/emotional goal:

I will have positive energy to share with my wife and brother. We enjoy 1 family activity a week that is not centered around the tv. I will read 2 leadership books and hire a business coach to strengthen my career by September 1st.

Be sure to measure along the way:

Weight

Body fat percentage

Resting heart rate

Blood pressure

Cholesterol

Other

Take weekly photos : front, back and from each profile. Shoot the photos in the same position and location, wearing the same clothes. At the end of the 12 weeks, you will literally be able to see the transformation from week to week.

During the transformation, consider the following eating guidelines:

1. Shoot for macronutrient balance, eating lean protein first.

2. Eat 5-6 x a day, keeping each meal small.

3. Avoid sugar and alcohol

4. Eat your Omega 3s. These really help with inflammation.

5. Get more Vitamin d either as a supplement or being in the sun

6. Eat organically

During the transformation, consider the following strength training guidelines:

1. Monday - Upper body push (chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps)

2. Tuesday- HIIT and abs

3. Wednesday- lower body / legs ( quads, hamstrings and calves)

4. Thursday - upper body pull (back, rear delts, triceps, biceps)

5. Friday - HIIT and abs

6.saturday - circuit (strength, stamina, stretch)

7. Day off - recover and rejuvenate

Train strong and not long.

1. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday should last 33 minutes to 44 minutes

2. Tuesday and Thursday HIIT would be 20 minutes

3. Saturday circuit should be 20 minutes followed by 8-12 minutes of stretching

The strength workouts should be no longer then 4 sets:

Set 1: 12 reps

Set 2: 10 reps

Set 3: 8 reps

Set 4: 8+ reps

For example,

I will be using a pair of dumbbells at home to complete the strength training

Try and be very focused during the strength training. It is the focus that is going to help the most with achieving the transformation. Be progressive and increase the weight from week to week. Make every rep count. Make them super high quality.

HIIT training is far more effective then long cardio training at steady state.

1. Start with 3 minute warm up

2. First interval is 60 seconds at high intensity

3. Second interval is 60 seconds at lower intensity (catch your breath)

4. Repeat 2) and 3) for 18 minutes. No more.

5. Cool down for 2 minutes

For example,

I will be using cross fit training with a PT to complete the HIIT workouts.

On the 7th day, it is a rest day both nutritionally and physically. If you want to eat more calories or have that treat, this is the day to do it before diving into the next week. Each week should be programmatically the same, but should also increase in intensity.

It is important to keep a diary of your training during this 12 week challenge. This will help you with keeping on the program and motivation.

After the 12 week transformation challenge, you will be in a position of strength to set new goals and achieve them.

Good luck everyone!

Hiya FM -- as you know, I'm sort of semi-doing a modified version of this (read: Nothing as good as what you're doing!!). I'm already paleo (ish) since 8 months and am coming up on two months of 5:2 as well. I started doing HIIT on the elliptical rather than the medium intensity long version and I really like it. I feel much better after doing it, less exhausted more exhilarated. I love that! I also still do my weight routine, which I've upped the weight on over the past weeks, so I'm up to 70 kg on the leg press, 40 kg on the thigh machines (both of them), 35 kg on the leg lifts, and 45 kg on the pull-up machine (so it lifts 45 kg of my weight I think, so I'm really lifting like 25 kg, which for me is pretty good), I also do the other kind of pull-ups on that, with the biceps facing forward. I do push-ups, am up to 30 of those (20 then 10) and my plank is up to 1 min at least (I often forget to count). Then a bunch of ab stuff from my physio and bob's your uncle.

So I haven't lost any weight to speak of, but my clothes from last summer (which are theoretically the same size I'm currently in) are all a bit bigger, particularly around the waist. Yay!!

But you're the killer on this one -- you are in beast mode for sure. LIKE A BOSS!!

As expressed above in my last post, I have cut out cardio since march 2013 and focus exclusively on weight training spread across adv body weight exercises at home and workouts at Crossfit with my trainer. However, I was feeling like a second workout yesterday afternoon so ran a 25 min 5k and then smashed through a few sets of bench presses.

To my surprise, my weight dropped 4 lbs last night to 175 lb. I am a little concerned because I hope this cardio did not munch my muscle growth. i do not think my body went catabolic because i drank a lot of bcaa throughout the day, including before and after the run. Furthermore, i do not want to drop much more weight or i will be underweight. According to my scale, body fat % is still the same. I want to keep my weight around 175-180 until it increases to 185-190 as I bulk out more ( yet, still remain cut).

If I can successfully get in 1 5k run a week without sacrificing muscle gain, I think I will add it to my weekly fitness plan. I also like doing a 2nd strength training workout on M,W,F with my adjustable dumbbells ( body weight strength training in the mornings). I like doing some lighter weight deadlifts, sumo squats and bench presses using the adjustable dumbbells at home on MFW in the afternoon to complement the body weight exercises i do in the morning and the the heavy lifts I do at cross fit on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

Here is what the new fitness plan would look like:

M : am - body weight training, pm - 5 k run (about 25 min)

T : am - core training, pm - cross fit

W : am - body weight training, pm - adj dumbbell training

Th : am - core training, pm - crossfit

F : am - body weight training, pm - adj dumbbell training

S : rest,maybe some hike or jog.

Su : hot yoga (90 min)

Does anyone have any suggestions about adding a run on Monday and 2nd workouts on Wednesday and Friday? the workouts are different enough i think it will not lead to over training. I get to eat an extra meal (recovery shake) after 2 nd workout which I think will make my metabolism super happy.

Swizzley- great update! Thanks for sharing. We are almost to the end, only a few more weeks. This will be where we will see the most gains. If people liked this challenge ( I certainly did), we can do another challenge, focusing on a new set of personal goals.

Fiddleman, I've got the Green Vibrance now - yay!! How do you recommend I take it?

As expressed above in my last post, I have cut out cardio since march 2013 and focus exclusively on weight training spread across adv body weight exercises at home and workouts at Crossfit with my trainer. However, I was feeling like a second workout yesterday afternoon so ran a 25 min 5k and then smashed through a few sets of bench presses.

To my surprise, my weight dropped 4 lbs last night to 175 lb. I am a little concerned because I hope this cardio did not munch my muscle growth. i do not think my body went catabolic because i drank a lot of bcaa throughout the day, including before and after the run. Furthermore, i do not want to drop much more weight or i will be underweight. According to my scale, body fat % is still the same. I want to keep my weight around 175-180 until it increases to 185-190 as I bulk out more ( yet, still remain cut).

If I can successfully get in 1 5k run a week without sacrificing muscle gain, I think I will add it to my weekly fitness plan. I also like doing a 2nd strength training workout on M,W,F with my adjustable dumbbells ( body weight strength training in the mornings). I like doing some lighter weight deadlifts, sumo squats and bench presses using the adjustable dumbbells at home on MFW in the afternoon to complement the body weight exercises i do in the morning and the the heavy lifts I do at cross fit on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

Here is what the new fitness plan would look like:

M : am - body weight training, pm - 5 k run (about 25 min)

T : am - core training, pm - cross fit

W : am - body weight training, pm - adj dumbbell training

Th : am - core training, pm - crossfit

F : am - body weight training, pm - adj dumbbell training

S : rest,maybe some hike or jog.

Su : hot yoga (90 min)

Does anyone have any suggestions about adding a run on Monday and 2nd workouts on Wednesday and Friday? the workouts are different enough i think it will not lead to over training. I get to eat an extra meal (recovery shake) after 2 nd workout which I think will make my metabolism super happy.

I think you might benefit from replacing runs with Pilates.

Fiddleman' date=' I've got the Green Vibrance now - yay!! How do you recommend I take it?[/quote']

Welcome back! We were all concerned when we had not heard from you in a while. for the green vibrance, 1 scoop a day in 8-10 ounces of water is good. If you have any flavor to mix in like coconut, that makes it easier to drink, more refreshing. Otherwise, it is a hint of mint and mostly grassy tasting. Hope you like it!

I think you might benefit from replacing runs with Pilates.

Are you recommending Pilates and hot yoga or just Pilates? I am doing the hot yoga primarily to enhance my balance and flexibility to be better at cross fit, but not for the exercise really.

I am coming into this super late in the game but very interested in this. I've done crossfit and am familiar with HIIT but my gym charges a lot for crossfit. So, I bought a timer watch so I can do it myself. I am sort of starting at the beginning here after having been in a very long stall resulting from my not really being on plan. I think doing the 12 day bootcamp with the 3 day per week HIIT makes the most sense to get started? Thoughts? Thanks Fiddleman for starting this.

You are very welcome. The challenge has been a real game changer for all of us. You will find the boot camp a good transition into the challenge that will follow. The boot camp will help you restart your nutrition and fitness. It is perfectly fine to do cross fit on your own, especially if you are doing body weight exercises. A stopwatch or a stop watch app on the phone works very well. I sometimes have my wife time me when doing a Crossfit WOD at home or in a hotel if traveling.

One WOD I really like to do when I am anywhere is the 52 card game of exercises. I may have even described it up in this thread; do not remember. Essentially, you pick 4 exercises and assign them to 4 types of cards ( heart, spade, diamond, club). You start the clock and do as many exercises as the card type number. Ace is 13. Face cards are 12. A good set of exercises are burpees, jumping jacks, lunges and sit-ups, but you can really pick any 4 that allows you to count them. Another good set is one legged warriors, forward lunge with a twist, full dive bombers and thumbs up. You can do these with the cards, as a set of ladders (reps 1->4->1->4->1) or as a circuit. When doing ladders, I like to pair two exercises together for each ladder of up, down, up and down. The other two exercises are paired with another set of ladders. It is about a 20 min workout.

Fiddle - I'm recommending that you switch out some of your running for Pilates because Pilates is all about maintenance and strengthening of the muscles you already have - it was invented for injured ballerinas, so they wouldn't lose strength while healing from injuries. It only uses your own body weight and tension and is incredibly intense, I have dripped sweat tears more quickly in Pilates than in Xfit! Also, it is simply unbeatable for sculpting the musculature.

I will look up Pilates and see if it is something I can tryout at home. Thanks for he information on preserving muscle and toning. Do you recommend any specific pilates DVD for someone who is fit, has done yoga for about 7 months and no exposure to pilates. I saw a couple good ones on Amazon: "element: pilates weight loss for beginners" and "classical pilates technique: complete workout for the mat". I am thinking about starting with the former and graduating into the latter in due time.

The following adv. body weight circuit workout officially kicked my butt today @ home, but I did make it through barely:

Warm up :

5 min run

Light rotation of dead lifts, bench presses and squats with 90-105 lbs of 3 sets

Cross fit like Warmup exercises ( push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, plank holds)

WOD:

8 rounds of 2 minute AMRAP ( as many rep as possible) sets ( added some personal opinions on how these exercises might functionally relate back to formal exercises in gym or crossfit):

1. Iron mike - start in forward lunge, jump into air, switch legs, land in forward lunge with opposite leg. Really requires a strong core and balance. Helps with the solid balance needed on back and front squats, Olympic lifts and dead lifts. Balance is something I am always working on.

2. Bouncy push-ups: start at bottom of a push-up, forcibly push off ground into the air, land in top of push up position ( add clap in air for greater challenge). Good fast twitch exercise and will help with real powerful bench presses. Not sure if these help with pull-ups or not. Would be nice if they did. I know hand stand push-ups do, so suggest working on handstand pushups either on a box of up against the wall. My hat off to anyone who can do hand stand push-ups without a box or a wall, but in the middle of a room, no supports.

3. Jack knife - lay on back, legs and arms extended, reach feet and fingers up to center point and touch. Builds strong core and 6 packs! functionally, these are simulat to the technique and strength needed to do toes to bar (hang from pull up bar and bring toes to meet hands upon bar)

4. One legged leg extensions - sit in L position, hands planted straight on the ground, fingers forward, arms slightly bent (not locked), 1 leg off ground, lift hips up with other heel on ground. This one will help with gymnastic type exercises like ring rows, ring sits, dip variations and L sits.

5-10 seconds between 30 second exercises. 30 seconds of rest between rounds.

Killer! This one is a big time cardio breather and sweater!

This is the hardest body weight routine and the *last* of the 9 I have been doing over this 12 week challenge. I will do this circuit again next Friday and have 2 weeks of this specific workout to get good at it. Monday and wednesday are timed sets and ladders, respectively. tuesday and thursday are cross fit and dedicated core work. It is all about endurance on this circuit. This will be part of my ongoing workout after the 12 week challenge is up until I need to move onto something harder @ home. Phew, what a workout!!

I like these body weight workouts because they are extremely effective, yet short in duration (20 minutes). 20 minutes plus 15 minute warmup and 10 minute cool down with stretching and roller is about all the time I have in the mornings. When i first started working out about 6 months ago, I found I was more likely to do a morning workout at home then in the afternoon. My cross fit workouts are ok in the afternoon because i pay a lot for a trainer. I will never miss. Now I am more motivated to work out just for the sake of working out because it is so much fun and it has become a daily ritual (see my post on different levels of motivation above that I wrote at the end of may or beginning of June). I probably do not have a motivational issue with working out at home in the afternoon any longer.

Actually Fiddle, because of your intentions and fitness experience to date, I would go ahead and do the classical. Just follow the rules of yoga - follow along but go at your own pace, if your body tells you to stop, stop, don't try to achieve yogi master status.

Yesterday, I tried to do the same body weight workout above on the grass instead of on the floor with the DVD trainer. Two things I noticed:

1. The grass in the yard I was in was slightly sloped and very uneven. This made the workout more challenging.

2. I tended to take the reps a lot faster, instead of pacing. The form suffered at times and I lost the ability to successful complete all the intervals to end before muscle fatiguing (for example, on the bouncy push-ups).

3. Focus was compromised

So there were some advantages and disadvantages to performing the workout outside on the grass. Besides not having the excellent trainer to keep me in pace and motivated, I fatigued too early and my focus deteriorated. Interesting. I think that is why I like a trainer with me when I workout, even if it is one on a DVD. Just food for thought.

What do you guys think?

Tomorrow marks the last day of the 12 week challenge. Yay, we made it!! Congratulations on all who have persevered through the emotional and physical aspects of these last challenging 12 weeks.

Personally, I have accomplished my physical goals outlined over the last 12 weeks:

1. My waist has really trimmed down from 34 to 30-32 inch levi.

2. My arms, legs, hands are really vascular.

3. My upper body strengthened has bulked up in terms of muscle mass and definition

4. My body fat percentage dropped 6 percentage points.

5. I can complete 10-20 unassisted pull ups, 200 Toes to Bar, 5:30 min mile run, 300+ lb dead lift, and on and on. My cross fit game has really improved in terms of strength, speed, mobility, flexibility and gymnastics skill.

6. My weight also dropped from 188 to a low of 172 and has stayed in 175-180 for the last month. This is right where I want to be for 5'11" frame. This has been a good trade of fat for lean muscle.

7. I have completed the entire "Be Your Own Gym" (BYOG) fitness program, progressing from novice to advanced. The advanced is still effective for me, but I am going to move onto a new program per notes below.

What now you ask? It is time to think about your next 12 weeks. I am going to start a whole new level of training to hopefully move from "fitness" body (13-18% body fat) composition to "athletic" body composition (10-12 % body fat. I have a new DVD trainer that I have found to be 10x more brutal than Mark Lauren on BYOG program.

What would you like to accomplish in terms of fitness, nutrition, professional and lifestyle per the application of strength in all these areas? These last 12 weeks should have helped you find tools to carry your vision of strength forward.

Again, thanks for sticking with me over the last 12 weeks.