This could be me...Hall of Fame Farzin??? Ha Ha sike I wish. We will see
Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been swamped with finals and papers these past couple weeks. The reason for this is that I was recently invited by the Nutrisystem to do a commercial shoot in Las Vegas. As a result I chose to take my exams early which forced a ton of work on me in a very short period of time. I am actually in Vegas right now typing on my lap top. The weather is unbelievable here and I am having an amazing time. I will definitely be working out while here however, I will also enjoy myself by allowing a couple drinks and meals out in this amazing city. I will throw a hundred on black for everyone that comments on this post! Alright just kidding but hopefully I will leave here with some cash babaaaay! (I am throwing it all on the Cleveland Cavaliers…jk)
Note: Trips such as these are a perfect time to incorporate more body weight circuits into your routine, especially if your at the beach. Do your circuits and take a dip in the ocean!!
VEEEEGAAS....Your Money Baby!
Anyways, I recently received a comment suggesting I post the workout I used while on the Nutrisystem, which is the food plan I used to lose the majority of my weight loss. I highly recommend this nutritional plan for anyone especially people who want to shed serious pounds. You can get started with the Nutrisystem by clicking here. Before I post this workout I want to emphasize that although it works, it is extremely rigorous and for many not realistic to sustain for a long period of time. My best recommendation for weight and fat loss is the formula of 10-20 minutes of High Intensity Interval training or body weight circuits followed by 15-30 minutes of steady state cardio. See my posts on “The Perfect Cardio Workout and “Body Weight Circuits: A Great Alternative to HIIT" for a detailed account of this workout. This workout performed 3-4 times per week and coupled with 3-4 days of weight lifting is in my opinion the best workout for weight and fat loss.
My workouts while on the Nutrisystem varied throughout however, the structure remained the same. During this time I consistently performed cardio first thing in the morning before eating six days a week and lifted weights 3-5 times per week. The cardio was mostly steady state in which I either ran on the treadmill or performed on the elliptical for 30-60 minutes. During the first half of my weight loss I performed a typical bodybuilders split routine 4-5 times per week and during the second half I performed various full body circuit training workouts three times per week. I always made sure to get one full day of rest. Also note that I recommend the three days of full body circuit training over the body building split, especially for weight loss. Using full body circuits will give you more of a cardiovascular effect and won’t leave you feeling as sore as a Bodybuilding routine, so you will have more energy for other fun activities. Also the circuits are only performed three days per week and can be completed in 20-30 minutes, which will save you from spending endless hours in the gym. See my routine below!
Cardio – First thing in the morning before eating six days per week. Performed on either elliptical or treadmill for 30-60 minutes.
Bodybuilding split routine – Back, Chest and Shoulders – 3-4 sets per exercise. Reps varied from 6-12
Triceps and biceps – 3 sets per excercise of 8-12 reps
Monday – Chest:
dumbbell or barbell flat bench Dumbbell or barbell incline bench
Dumbbell or barbell decline bench
Tuesday – Back:
Lateral pull down
Seated cable row
Bent over barbell row or dumbbell rows
Thursday – Shoulders:
seated dumbbell military press
Lateral raises
Biceps:
dumbbell incline curl or hammer curl
Preacher curl
Barbell curl
Triceps:
press down or rope pull down
Dips
Lying tricep extension
Friday – legs:
Squats – 4-6 sets 10-12 reps
Dead lifts – 4-6 sets 10-12 reps
Lunges – 3 sets 20-25 total lunges
Step up – 3 sets 20—25 total steps
Below are samples of various full body weight lifting routines I performed 3 days per week while losing weight on the Nutrisystem.
Sample Full body circuit 1
Excercise, Reps
Squats 10-12
Bench Press 10
Lateral Pulldown 10
Military Press 10
Upright Row 10
Triceps Pushdown 10-12
Leg Extension 10-12
Biceps Curl 10-12
Leg Curl - 10-12
Perform each exercise then rest for 30 seconds and move immediately to the next one.
Finish circuit and rest 1-2minutes then repeat 2-3 times.
(This is the abs diet circuit)
Sample Full Body Circuit 2
200 pushups
200 bodyweight squats
200 assisted pull-ups
Perform at your own pace.
Sample Full Body Routine 3
For this routine I superset chest and back exercises, shoulder and leg exercises and bicep and triceps exercises. A super set indicates that you perform one set of the exercise and immediately perform the exercise of another muscle group. For example you would do one set of 10 reps of bench press then immediately move on to 1 set of 10 reps of the lateral pull down. You would then rest one minute and repeat the superset.
Chest+back superset – sets, reps
Bench press 3-4, 10-12
Lateral pull down 3-4, 10-12
Shoulders +legs superset
Standing military press 3-4 10-12
Squats 3, 10-12
Biceps + Triceps superset
Barbell curl 3, 10 -12
Press down 3, 10-12
5 comments:
Hey Arya,
So I've been following your blog for awhile now and cannot express how incredibly inspiring you are. Not only have you completely transformed yourself and you life, but you are a role model for everyone else out there who wants to do the same thing, by showing that it's possible.
You know, there are so many people out there who are overweight, obses, unhealthy, or just don't care about themselves or making a healthy lifestyle a priority. The thing is, how is it possible for someone like myself, who has never faced this type of obstacle, to confront someone who is in this situation? No matter how much I encourage exercise and healthy eating, it's something that I "will never understand." And the problem is, that's exactly it. I can't seem to figure out what it is that prevents someone from exercising and making even only somewhat healthy eating decisions. It is really sad and upsetting to see that many people destroy so many years of their lives. Sure, I encourage those "lucky people who have never been in a gym and eat whatever they want, yet can still maintain a normal weight" to exercise and be healthy, but what about the people who need it the most?
While you lost all of that weight on your own, Arya, many people are turning to gastric bypass surgery to assist them on their journey. Now, I'm not really an advocate of the surgery, especially after seeing your amazing transformation without it, but if that's what some people need to get motivated to change their lifestyle, then that's great and we should all be supportive.
I'm not quite sure if you know much about the surgery or what your feelings are about it, but some people might even need it just to get over that mental barrier of "I can't do it." What is your opinion? Is it something that a simple surgery can make someone change their mind, or did you have to slowly change your mentality and learn to love yourself before you were able to adhere to such a diet and exercise regime and then the weight started to come off?
I'm scared for some people who choose the gastric bypass surgery because, let's face it, some people have an "addiction' to food, and if that's what she has, then would surgery cure that addiction? Would it be successful?
Also, what did you need from your friends and family, in a general sense, or in a personal sense, in order to successfully reach your goals? A partner to work out with?
You're probably really busy in LA and whatnot, but thank you for taking the time to read this! As much as you may hear how amazing and inspiring you are, you can never hear it too much. You truly deserve the respect and honour that comes with all of your accomplishments. The more YOU go out and tell your story, the more likes YOU help to positively change - BOTH physically and mentally. Congratulations and I look forward to your response!
:)
Anonymous,
Thanks so much for all your kind words and support. I am thrilled to meet another avid reader of my blog. It is amazing to see others who are also interested in spreading the importance of health and fitness. As for gastric bypass surgery, I actually contemplated getting a similar surgery. The surgery is called lap band and it entails putting a band around your stomach in order to shrink it to a size that requires small amounts of food to fill you. I also know of many family members and friends who have opted for these types of surgeries. I am not against these surgeries however; I do strongly believe that it is possible to lose the weight without surgical assistance. This is due not only to my success in doing so, but the increasing number of others who are conquering obesity as well. You are correct that for many overweight and obese people food is a mental addiction. The problem with these surgeries is that although they correct things such as portion sizes by shrinking your stomach, they do not correct your mind. I believe that everyone is obese or overweight for a reason, whether the reason is genetic, environmental, or emotional, there is a root cause to peoples food and weight issues. Having surgery in my opinion, only allows for a quarter of the transformation since it allows for weight loss without exercise and other lifestyle changes necessary to make a complete transformation. Also many people have gotten gastric bypass surgery and been unsuccessful. A recent real life example of this is Ron from the biggest loser.
During my transformation, which I am still enduring today, I worked on my body as well as my mind. I myself worked to truly change how I viewed food and was successful in doing so. I also worked with an eating disorder psychologist to get to the root of my eating and weight issues. I believe that all of these steps and changes are important for anyone trying to not only lose the weight, but keep it off for a lifetime. So while I do not condemn surgery as an option, I strongly advise people to take the challenge of doing on their own. You will not only feel transformed, but also incredibly accomplished and proud. By losing the weight on your own you will truly test yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally and you will emerge from the journey stronger than ever before!
Also don't hesitate to post a name next time. It can be fake! :)
Hello Arya,
I commented awhile back on your Today Show post. At the time I had lost 150 from my starting point of 420 pounds. I have now lost 175, so I am slowly but surely getting there. I had to comment on the surgery issue. I don't begrudge anyone doing it because I know how hard it has been to lose the weight, but I do feel a great deal of satisfaction when I pass by the weight surgery clinic on my Saturday morning 30 mile bike ride. Many times I thought surgery would be the only way I could ever get my weight down, so I feel so good to prove myself wrong. Anyway, I always enjoy checking out your blog. Lots of good info. I even tried the pancakes.....not bad.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog.
Sara
workout routine
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