Well, I have officially begun Occam’s Protocol. Despite Tim\u2019s declaration of simplicity I have found that this workout has taken quite a bit of preparation. But again that is only because it is a change from my normal routine. First of all making the cheat sheet<\/a> really helped me organize my thoughts and plan my workout routine. That, and having a small pocket calendar so that I could plan my weeks. I debated for a while weather or not I would use Tim’s recommended supplements. But I decided to throw caution into the wind and go for it. First of all, I have never used supplements and this has been a subject completely foreign to me. But God knows I have seen the guys around the gym sucking and shaking those chocolate flavored smoothies for a long time. Despite my wife\u2019s initial complaints of large round “buckets” of powder scattered about the house and on the kitchen table, she has been supportive of my quest.<\/p>\n My first day of the protocol was as Tim says the most difficult. I printed out the cheat sheet<\/a> and brought it with me to the gym on a clip board, this proved to be a life saver, although I would recommend bringing a pen and calculator (or a smart phone) to chart your progress and then record your final weights for future reference.<\/p>\n This is how my first day of the Protocol on the “A” workout went<\/span><\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n Close-Grip Supinated Pull Down:<\/p>\n Machine Shoulder Press:<\/p>\n Six Minute Abs:<\/p>\n Now on to Supplements<\/span><\/strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n After leaving the gym I went to our local grocery store “Staff of Life<\/a>” which to my surprise had the most extensive display of vitamins and supplements I have ever seen. I spent 30 minutes just staring at everything. I now see what a big market the world of supplements truly is. Although I knew I wasn’t getting a good deal I wanted to see how much this would cost me to buy these vitamins locally and plus I just wanted to get started. I figured it would take two weeks to get this via Amazon so I decided to buy now and comparison shop later (aiming to buy in bulk later).<\/p>\n This is what I ended up with:<\/p>\n As you can tell I may have done a little better shopping online, but it wasn\u2019t that much more expensive and the time spent browsing in the store really was valuable. I did not buy the Whey protein at this time nor did I buy the Cissus Quadranularis<\/a> which I could not find at our local grocery.<\/p>\n It has been seven days since I made the shopping trip. I started immediately when I got home and decided to ease into the protocol since I wasn’t sure how my body would react to the creatine (which I have heard can upset your stomach).\u00a0 I started by taking the \u201cCreatine Surge\u201d and the glutamine powder mixed together at night for the first 5 days as well as Alpha Lipoic Acid 30 minutes before breakfast in the morning and 30 minutes before dinner at night. The first night I had to wake up and empty my bladder, and my stomach was a bit upset, but after that is has been clear sailing. In fact no side effects whatsoever.<\/p>\n I am now on day 7:<\/p>\n Workout B<\/span><\/strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n 3 days later I headed back to the Gym, it was late after work but ended up being an ideal time. It was quite and the grunting and screaming I find I have to do to lift to exhaustion was a bit less embarrassing.\u00a0 Again, I took my cheat sheet and this time my phone so that I could time things a bit better (the rest periods). Honestly the hardest thing I find is to count the 5 seconds up and down and then keep track of my reps. This is a direct reflection of my inability to multi-task.<\/p>\n Here is how it went:<\/p>\n Leg Press:<\/p>\n Slight incline\/decline bench press:<\/p>\n I unfortunately did not have access at this time to a kettlebell but will be adding this next time. Also because of time, I was not able to step up my weights exactly as was suggested in the book. But, it seemed to work OK.<\/p>\n Feeding<\/span><\/strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n Today I began the whey protein supplement as I have found it otherwise impossible to eat enough protein. I love my spinach salads and have been able to at least prepare some eggs in the morning. I have been transitioning into more protein and less carbs not just because of the recommendations of Tim and his \u201cslow carb diet\u201d but because it is just a good idea anyway.<\/p>\n I took a trip to Costco and GNC to compare. I ended up buying Gold Standard Whey Protein 2 lbs<\/a> for about 22 dollars at GNC just because I wanted to try it first before I bought too much. I am sitting here and drinking it for the first time as I write; Note: do not mix chocolate flavor whey with punch flavor creatine, very bad!!<\/p>\n Best deal I have found was at Costco where they sold a monstrous bag of the Muscle Milk Whey Protein (6 lbs) for $36 dollars. I will probably buy this if I continue with the regimen. Although I have heard many of these products may be bad because of all the fillers.<\/p>\n Notes after my first week and a half<\/span><\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n The lifting routine<\/span>:<\/p>\n I just completed my first “real” day of workout “A” and am officially into the protocol. It is extremely hard to lift to the point of exhaustion. It requires discipline and a major shift in your thought process around weight training. When I was in college I took a bio-mechanics class and my dad and I held a preliminary patent on a weight machine that would allow people to perform negative reps. I have been familiar with Arthur Jones\u2019 idea of single sets to exhaustion for some time and maybe this is why I have no problem stripping down my workout. After 14 years of essentially the same lifting routine this has been a challenge, I think it is fun. Also, as a busy dad I cannot wait to see if I can use this protocol to build and maintain muscle mass. But some questions have come to mind:<\/p>\n The Supplements and Nutrition:<\/span><\/p>\n I have been developing a routine around the supplements which has been a huge learning experience. These supplements have been around for a long time and I am just beginning to see what a market there is for this out there and how much money they are making off of people. My total cost to this point has been around $75.00.<\/p>\n I would advise anybody to go into a GNC just to familiarize yourself with these supplements and do some research. Shop around at Costco, Safeway (which is limited in this department) or Whole Foods. Check out your options at your local gym, talk to people who have been doing this for years. You will be fascinated by what you learn.<\/p>\n My thoughts and questions:<\/p>\n Some Closing Thoughts: <\/strong><\/p>\n Today I went surfing for an hour and a half before I did my Occam’s “A” workout. It was sunny and absolutely beautiful. Being outside in the fresh cool water and paddling into the break reminds me what exercise is all about. Loving it! Weather outside on a long run with my son in his stroller, or mountain biking the beautiful single track of Wilder Ranch<\/a> State Park, this is all about balance, and enjoying the experience.<\/p>\n Preparing healthy foods (that aren’t a powder out of a bottle) is a joy in life. Savoring the rich flavors and the company of loved ones around a table should still be the focus of nutrition.<\/p>\n And finally, if you are just beginning this routine for yourself: Go all out, you have nothing to lose. Stay disciplined, it is a change in your routine and this is always good. And think of this: If this really does work as Tim claims you have lost nothing,\u00a0 gained experience, had an exciting look at the world of dietary supplements, and quite possibly (this is the part I am most excited about) reduced your gym time to the barest minimum with maximal results. This is why you are doing the whole thing anyway right? To have time doing the things you love…. For me: It’s the sun on my skin, playing with my family, and the beauty of an open trail!<\/p>\n You can sign up to receive updates via RSS<\/a> or sign up for the all new 4hourlife newsletter<\/a>!<\/p>\n Related Articles:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, I have officially begun Occam’s Protocol. Despite Tim\u2019s declaration of simplicity I have found that this workout has taken quite a bit of preparation. But again that is only because it is a change from my normal routine. First of all making the cheat sheet really helped me organize my thoughts and plan my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32,39,4,3,211],"tags":[9,75,1111,46,20],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tiSR-fd","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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