G’day,

Today I had a full-day to go sightseeing in Seoul and hit the markets one last time before catching my 8:00pm flight to Australia.

I went back to the markets at Meyondon to pick up some souveniers for my nephews in Oz and got in another round of kimchi – spicy korean pickles.

Phuket Flashback!

However, my day was not without drama! Anyone who has followed my previous travels to Australia and Phuket know that I have a weird tendency to get my flight times wrong, and consequently make last-minute dashes to the airport.

For example, I literally made my connecting flight from Phuket to Bangkok with 3 minutes to spare back in March of this year. Would you believe I was actually getting fitted for a tailored suit at my hotel…90 minutes before my flight was due to take-off!

My “Master Plan”

Well today was different…kinda. I made sure I was back at the hotel by 4:20pm in time for the 4:40pm bus to Seoul International Airport.

This bus would get me to the airport by 6:00pm, a full two hours before my flight was to leave! My master plan started well, I actually did board the 4:40 bus…but then things started to go wrong as we closed in on the airport.

I Started To Smell Smoke!

Would you believe the bus broke down! Its true, a fair dinkum “limosuine bus” carrying me and another 10 people actually broke down and had to pull over on the highway!

The driver then called in for a backup bus which took 20 minutes to arrive. My master plan was already falling apart!

A Mammoth Check-In Line!

We eventually got to the airport at 6:20pm which was not so bad…until I saw the check-in line. In all my travels I have never seen a line so long! It literally snaked around 7 times.

My master plan was in tatters by this stage as I started to wonder if I’d even make it on the plane in time. Half and hour had soon passed and I figured by the length of the line It’d be another 40 minutes until I could check-in.

My Saviour…

Once again, I was going to cut it very fine…until a “bright spark” from KAL decided to cut the line in half by opening up more check-in counters on the other side.

Hooray! I was then able to check-in within 10 minutes, get through customs and immigration, all with 30 minutes to spare!

This was a personal best for me…that I will try to beat on my return flight back to Osaka!

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. Below my Day 263 pics are some photos of my brief time sightseeing in Seoul.

In front of the hotel I stayed at, Best Western Kukdo (pretty decent hotel gym).

Hittin’ the markets at Meyondon

In front of the Dongdaemun baseball stadium.

A dance performance by some high energy Korean teenagers on the sidewalk.

G’day,

I have touched down in Seoul after a short 2 hour flight from Japan. I’ll stay here for one night before I take off on an 8 hour flight to Australia tomorrow.

My hotel in Seoul is located between the two major entertainment districts, Meyondon and Dongdaemun. I was able to walk to both and check out the scene which was extremely lively!

Cool Places In Seoul

Meyondon has a real “buzz” to it with a ton of shopping stalls (selling mainly fake stuff!) along with heaps of places to eat traditional spicy Korean food, like kimchi. If you haven’t tried kimchi before I highly recommend it, especially if you’d like to clear your sinuses.

Dongdaemun is a more “upscale” market area dominated by large shopping malls and nightspots. I actually stopped in at a coffee shop on the way back to my hotel and watched the last 10 minutes of the Asian Cup final between Korea and Japan.

Much to the delight of the locals Korea beat Japan in a penalty shootout 5-4 after the scores were locked after extra time. The crowd went beserk, some rivalries never die!

The picture below (from Photos.com) accurately depicts the “buzz” of downtown Seoul.

The Reality Of Training In Hotel Gyms

Tomorrow I’ll get up early and do a workout at the hotel gym which has a good supply of cardio gear but very light on with weights.

The more I travel, the more I realize that getting a decent gym in a hotel is very “hit and miss”. This is regardless of what rating the hotel is. However, it is up to me to adapt my workout to the eqipment on hand rather than complaining about it!

Before I sign off I’ll reveal the answer to the question I posed back on Day 260 regarding my “shocking loss of strength”.

Answer To Day 260 Question

The reason why I was unable to lift the same amount of weight for barbell bench press compared to my previous Lactic Acid (LT) workout 2 weeks earlier was because of an error I made with my rest periods.

My rest periods were only 10 seconds in length while they should have 20 seconds for LT. I mistakenly used 10 seconds rest because I mentally prepared myself for Muscle Rounds instead of LT beforehand.

This was a very simple error but one which perplexed me at the time. As I follow the Metabolic Surge fat loss training program this mistake is quite easy to make as the rest periods vary between 10, 20, 30 and 40 seconds for each of ther different types of routines within the program.

However, this is actually the strength of Metabolic Surge as your body is continually being stimulated by the change-up and as a result it cannot adapt to the constant barrage of different workouts. This “non-adaption” was (and is) a key driver for my success over Mission 1 & 2.

For more information on Surge and an RTP bonus offer check out my Day 75 Post: Nick Nilsson’s “Power Surge”

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. Day 262 pics from my hotel room in Seoul.

G’day,

6 hours until I take off for my summer vacation! I have a 3 week holiday to Australia and a short stopover in Korea.

I’m really looking forward to the break from the “daily grind” of Japan and chillin’ out with my family in Oz.

However, it won’t be all fun and games! I still have Mission 3 to attend to, with my phase 1 six-pack deadline fast approaching. In order to complete this phase successfully I’ll have to remain laser-focused on my routine and complete the daily actions required to reveal that sixer.

I am confident I will make it happen because I was able to continue Mission 1 successfully when I went back to Australia (and Hong Kong) for 12 days over Christmas.

Anyway, I’ll write more about this topic of how to stick to your workout and nutrition plan while “on the go” as I go through this experience myself.

I must go now and do some final packing before I head off to the airport.

Next time I post to this blog I’ll be in Korea!

Catch ya!

Adam

P.S. I’ll reveal the answer to yesterday’s post tomorrow.

P.S.S. Below are Day 261 pics for July 27, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 – Day 31 of 60

G’day,

Wow, that was a weird workout!

About Lactic Acid Training

Today I did Lactic Acid (LT) Training for chest, back, biceps and calves. LT is a high volume, high intensity form of training that is designed to penetrate your deep muscle fibers and overload them with lactic acid.

I have done this kind of training about 20 times since I started this journey back on November 8, 2006. Suffice to say, I know to a “t” what gains I can expect from LT workout to the next.

As I racked up the bench press with the same weight as my previous LT chest workout my goal was to beat by 2 reps for each of the 8 sets.

To be precise, LT training dictates that you get 20+ reps on the first set, then rest 20 seconds for each additional set with the goal of getting in as many reps as possible.

Here’s Where It Gets Weird

I got out my 20 reps on the first set but then averaged 2-3 reps less for each additional set (compared to my previous LT workout).

I was mortified!

This loss of strength has never happened to me before.

How could it be that I went backwards for the last 2 weeks?

The weirdest thing is that I have gained strength across the board for every other chest workout throughout these last two weeks! I am actually now lifting my bodyweight on the bench press for my “heavy sets” which is a first for me.

It Gets Even Weirder!

I originally thought I must be having “one of those days” where I am lacking energy or overstressed about getting that six-pack.

But, I then proceeded to beat my previous rep counts for my back, bicep and calf sets on LT in the very same workout!

What is going on here? I couldn’t figure it out.

Then, as I was doing my HIIT cardio session after LT it hit me like a ton of bricks!

Ohh man, how could I make such an elementary error!

Can You Guess What Happened?

If you think you know the reason why I lost so much strength on my chest workout because of a simple error just post a comment to this entry. I’ll discuss the answer and who got it right tomorrow.

There may even be a (small) lesson here!

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. Lactic Acid Training is derived from the fat loss training system – Metabolic Surge – I have used for Mission 1 & 2 and am currently using for Mission 3 – Phase 1.

For more information on Surge and an RTP bonus offer check out my Day 75 Post: Nick Nilsson’s “Power Surge”

P.S.S. Below are Day 260 pics for July 26, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 – Day 30 of 60

My goals, accountability and visualization structure for M3 is revealed in this part 2 of my Day 245 video.

I discuss the 2 separate phases of Mission 3 and why it is 136 days long (the same amount of time of Mission 1 & 2 combined).

N.B. As I mentioned in my previous blog post this video was originally recorded back on Day 245.

Cheers,
Adam

G’day,

Today will be a short post as I have spent quite a bit of time tonight putting the final touches on my Mission 3: Goals & Accountability video that I originally recorded back on Day 245.

With all the “drama” of the past week I had completely forgotten about it!

Anyway, below are my Day 259 pics for July 25, 2007: Mission 3, Phase 1 – Day 29 of 60

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!

G’day,

Today is July 24, 2007. This means I have exactly 32 days until M3 Phase 1: Judgment Day on August 27, 2007.

As you can see from my “accountability statement” to the left my goal is to get (another) six-pack by Day 290.

Once I achieve this I will then go into a “shredded muscle building phase” in hot pursuit of my “dream physique” by Day 365.

100% Compliance Required

However, I must be honest, getting a six-pack by Day 290 will require absolute 100% compliance to my pre-determined workout and nutrition plan over the next 32 days.

There is absolutely no margin for error if I am to get that sixer. Even if I do manage to follow my plan 100% it will still go down to the wire.

My M2 Experience

I know this from personal experience as Mission 2 was also dedicated to getting that elusive six-pack. Ten days out I knew I had to “go massive” if I was going to get anywhere close to a sixer.

My strategy for M2 was basically hit the cardio as hard as I could. I ran, I swam, I boxed, I cycled and I Tae-Bo’d like a madman during that final 10 day countdown.

Of course I had supreme motivation to do so because I put my US $1,500 pre-paid “redemption trip” to Phuket on the line in the form of a public vote that took place on March 24, 2007. I used this “external motivation” to fuel my fire each and every day of M2.

What followed on Day 136 was the most intense 12 hours of my life as I watched the “yes” and “no” votes roll in unabated in the first 3 hours. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep and woke up about 10 minutes before voting closed.

Below is a 3 minute video that captures the “drama” from that day.

The pressure to reveal that six-pack on Day 136 was enormous, my heart was in my mouth the whole time. M2 literally consumed every waking hour of my life, to the exclusion of everything else.

Regular readers will know that I took 95 days off from the end of Mission 2 until I started Mission 3. I had a lot of “issues” to deal with once I got back from Phuket because I had put everything else in my life on the backburner.

However, I don’t regret the experience at all because I gained a lot of self-confidence by “putting myself out there” and coming out a “winner”.

After 6 long years of failed attempts to get in shape, I finally believed in myself again. Trust me, I don’t say that flippantly, I honestly did not believe in myself or my ability to turn my life around until I was well into Mission 1.

Why M3 Is Different

Anyway, Mission 3 is a little different. The thing I seek more than anything else is consistency and balance in my life. This is the reason why Mission 3 is 136 days long.

I want to prove to myself that I can follow this “fitness lifestyle” for long periods of time so that it becomes automatic. This is what it will take to finally convince myself that I can ingrain these lifestyle habits into my daily routine for the rest of my life.

On a sidenote you can clearly see what those 95 days “rest” did to my physique by comparing my M2 Day 136 picture to my M3 Day 230 picture.

Yes, its true, your body really is a fluid being and it can only respond to the stimuli you give it. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, if you stop or stagnate you will go backwards, simple as that.

What M3 Is Really All About

For as long as I live I never want to have to go through the pain of starting at “zero day” again. I firmly believe that once I achieve my “dream physique” by Day 365 I will have enough momentum and forward progress under my belt that I will never go back.

With this goal of consistency and balance in mind I decided not to make Mission 3 subject to a public vote.

M3 is all about proving to myself (nobody else) that I am capable of “internally motivating” myself to follow through on my goals.

However, I did learn a few things from M2 that I will apply to my training and nutrition plan (especially over the next 32 days). These things include monitoring exact caloric intake and expenditure, optimal levels of cardio and the power of “positive pressure”.

With that said, my M2 plan was not “perfect” by any stretch. I have since learnt a few techniques like re-feeding and de-training that I will implement during the final countdown for M3 Phase 1.

Anyway, now it is time to get serious and put it all together for the next 32 days as I close in on my M3 Phase 1 deadline.

I must also mentally and physically prepare myself for training and eating “on the go” again as I will be in Australia (and Korea) for 3 weeks starting from July 28, 2007. This will be a challenge within itself but also an important test on whether I really can handle this “fitness lifestyle” under all types of conditions.

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. I put up a poll in my right-hand side nav bar today. If you could take the time to vote (once only please!) I would really appreciate it.

P.S.S. Below are Day 258 pics for July 24, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 – Day 28 of 60

G’day,

Wow! What a roller coaster ride!

Back on Day 235 I blogged in amazement that my YouTube videos had reached 100,000 combined views in just 165 days.

I still remembered Day 70 when I nervously uploaded my first video to YouTube and anxiously waited for the response…24 views in the first 24 hours!

Uploading videos to YouTube or any other video site is so commonplace these days (40,000 new videos a day!) that it easy for your video to get lost within all the others.

The Power Of “External Accountability”

However, one cool thing I have noticed recently is the huge amount of “weight loss video blogs” on YouTube. Many people are starting to realize the power of “external accountability” via chronological video blogging.

This is why I originally started making videos, as I strongly believe in holding yourself accountable in as many different places as possible.

In the Internet Age it is very easy to do, due to all the “Web 2.0″ services such as YouTube, Myspace, FaceBook and Flikr that have cropped up in the last few years.

If you are on a physique transformation journey I highly recommend that you take advantage of these free services and start holding yourself publicly accountable to your dreams and goals.

In regards to YouTube, your videos can be as simple as you talking into a web cam and discussing your thoughts and feelings as you progress. The majority of my videos are in this format and it is very simple to do.

The Digg Drama

Is there a downside? In a word yes!

Anyone who has followed my blog recently knows about the “Digg Drama” that surrounded one of my videos last weekend. My video titled 84 Days In 48 Seconds was submitted to Digg without my knowledge and proceeded to get 40,000 views within 3 days.

I got hammered far and wide for that video! People on Digg and other websites were rather brutal in their comments regarding that video.

However, the “silent majority” Dugg the video enough to keep it the Top 10 for 3 days running, so it wasn’t all bad. I guess at the time I was totally unprepared for the amount of negativity that video would generate and that was what I focused on, at the exclusion of everything else.

3 Reasons Why I like YouTube

The major lesson I learned from this experience to limit your exposure to only people who are interested in weight loss/physique transformation.

The cool thing with YouTube is that for anyone to find your video they have to search for it using specific keywords related to your video. This means that these people are interested in weight loss to begin with so they are much more likely to draw a positive from your video rather than focus on the negative.

The other factor with YouTube is that you can turn “external embedding” off so your video will not appear on other “wacky” video sites. This gives you the power to limit your exposure and avoid those “anonymous online energy vampires” that seek to undermine your effort.

Lastly, there is one more cool thing with YouTube. This is the ability for people to subscribe to your videos so they will receive an instant alert when you upload a new video. This alone will increase the “accountability factor” as you will feel “positive pressure” to not only continue your journey, but also make a full-blooded physique transformation.

200,000 Video Views!

Anyway, as you may have noticed from today’s title I passed 200,000 combined views on YouTube today, only 22 days after I hit 100,000 views. This was entirely due to the “Digg Effect” from that “infamous” 84 Days In 48 Seconds video.

Below is a screenshot of my YouTube account that shows 200, 276 views as of July 23, 2007.

If you like you can subscribe to my YouTube video channel (and help hold me accountable to my M3 goals!) by clicking AdamWatersRTP Video Channel

N.B. You can also watch these videos on my blog by clicking on the RTP Video Archive. For the time being I have continued to allow “external embedding” for the majority of my videos.

Fat Loss Circuit Training Today

Before I sign off today I had an awesome workout tonight doing Fat Loss Circuit Training (FLCT) for chest, back, biceps and calves. This is a high intensity form of training that utilizes the 40 second “rest period” for HIIT cardio.

As I mentioned back on Day 231 I believe skipping to be the “perfect cardio exercise” for FLCT. There are so many benefits to skipping, especially in a crowded gym environment.

FLCT is derived from the Metabolic Surge fat loss training system I used for Missions 1 & 2, and again using to “cut up” for Phase 1 of Mission 3. If you’d like more information regarding Surge click here for my Day 75 blog post that details my personal experience (and a RTP bonus offer).

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. Below are Day 257 pics for July 23, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 – Day 28 of 60

G’day,

Yesterday we discussed one of the most important components of a full-blooded physique transformation…intensity.

As intensity is difficult to define or quantify in the absolute, I gave you my definition of intensity in the form of a blog post I wrote back on Day 38, Man Vs. Machine.

In that Day 38 post I described in great detail a brutal cardio session that had taken place earlier that day. However, you can also apply the concept of intensity just as easily to your weight training sessions.

How To Create Intensity

Now, you may be thinking, “Ok, that’s a good idea, but there are some days when I just don’t feel “intense” so how can I force myself to train at high intensity on those particular days?”

I think this may be a common scenario for some people as the day-to-day grind of a long-term physique transformation can be quite draining, physically, psychologically and emotionally.

Well, I have an idea you can use to increase the intensity of your training on “those days” when you are not “feeling it”.

Use Your Imagination!

Use your imagination to create intensity. Simple as that!

This has worked amazingly well for me, especially on “those days” when I felt I was struggling to break through a plateau or
I just wasn’t feeling the “intensity vibe”.

In essence, what you want to do is “raise the stakes” of that particular workout by applying an almost “life or death” or a “ultimate success or ultimate failure” type of importance to your training mindset. Then channel that “intense vibe” into every single rep and set of your workout.

This may sound dramatic, but I know for a fact that applying this type of mindset into the vast majority of my workouts has been a major factor in my success thus far.

Back on Day 118 I described a concept of intensity that I frequently apply called “EarthQuake Intensity”. If earthquakes are a common occurrence in the area where you live perhaps you could apply “EarthQuake Intensity” to your training sessions?

Make It Personal

However, the biggest tip I can give you is to make it personal to you, draw on internal or external hypothetical scenarios that strike a nerve with you.

That’s right, make it dramatic! Blow it completely out of proportion! Allow it to consume you, then direct that “intensity” into the job at hand…your workout.

EarthQuake Intensity

Imagine that an earthquake struck during your workout (a very real possibility in Japan where I live) and your gym came crashing down with weights, racks, machines and dumbells flying everywhere.

Now just imagine the damage that would cause to the gym…and to you.

Here’s what I want you to think about.

In the split second before that earthquake struck would you be going down in a blaze of glory giving it your all? Or would you already regret not maxing out your potential by not pushing yourself through the pain barrier?

Here’s the point, train hard with intensity on every rep of every set because you never know how long you have to live your dreams.

Finally…if you don’t believe me take a trip to Kobe in Japan and ask people there how quickly earthquakes can destroy buildings and lives. I personally know many people who were directly affected by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.

Peace,
AJ

P.S. Here are Day 255 pics for July 21, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 – Day 25 of 60

G’day,

Ooooh man! That was an extremely intense workout today. I was dripping in sweat by the end of it.

Here’s the weird part, today’s workout consisted of weight training only, no cardio. To be covered in sweat after a cardio workout is a given, though for weight training it is quite rare for me.

Just to top it off, I got hammered by a sudden downpour of rain as I rode home from the gym! How’s that for synchronicity!

Anyway, back to my original thought. Why was I covered in sweat after my weight training workout? The answer I believe has to do with intensity.

It stands to reason that the more intense your training is the more you will sweat. In regards to weight training, short rest periods and a high set volume will also increase the intensity factor of your workout.

I firmly believe that the level of intensity with which you train at is a major (and underrated) component of a successful physique transformation.

This is not news to most people, pick up any reputable workout book or magazine and you’ll notice that the subject of intensity is often discussed.

The problem with discussing intensity is, how do we define it? Quite obviously intensity cannot be quantified in the same way as sets, reps and rest periods.

Let’s face it, what’s intense for me may not be intense for you, and vice-versa. With this in mind, perhaps it is better to give you my version of intensity as a reference point that you can use.

Below is a blog post I made on Day 38 while I was in the midst of Mission 1. I am discussing a brutal cardio workout I had completed earlier that day.

N.B. Tomorrow I’ll discuss another facet of intensity (other than the purely physical) which I believe to be even more important. Stay tuned!

===========================

Man Vs. Machine

Day 38 of 84 – Mission 1

Status – Round 4: Phase 2: Day 1

G’day,

Today was a titanic struggle, it was literally man versus machine. No, I wasn’t squaring off against the Terminator, the machine I am talking about is far more lethal.

Can you guess what it is? One word…Treadmill.

Yes I know, it may look harmless to the uninitiated but once you start a high intensity workout on it there’s no going back baby!

It all started at 9.30 am this morning. When I woke up I felt queasy just thinking about it. I was going for my personal best – 4 cycles of 6, 12, 14, and 16 km/h at 1 minute intervals BUT the last cycle had to be 2 minutes and 5 seconds.

I hit 2 minutes at 16 km/h on Tuesday this week, now it was time to up the ante to 2 minutes and 5 seconds. Five extra seconds may not sound like much but let me tell you…it was pure torture. As I entered the final minute I was already feeling nauseous, my stomach was churning, my calves were aching.

The final 15 seconds felt like 15 minutes.

This is living life in the moment, right here right now.

Will you fulfill the most important promise you can make? You know…the ones you make to yourself. Of course I did, do you know why?

Because, no matter how hard it is I always know in the back of my mind that these are the moments that define success or failure. The only way you can dramatically transform your physique in a short period of time is to continually raise your standards.

You have to break through new barriers every single workout. If you stay stagnant even for one workout you will not progress, simple as that. The great thing is that you can apply these intense experiences to other areas of your life.

Are you living in the moment?

Do you cherish what you already have?

Do you respect yourself and others enough to keep the promises you make?

I have discovered over the course of the last 38 days that changing your body shape is a great metaphor for life changes. I already feel more confident and secure in myself.

I also notice that the people around me are reacting to me differently, in a positive way. The changes in me are now becoming obvious, almost daily I am stopped by someone I know. They tell me how great I am looking, they also notice my new-found confidence.

So yes, I can safely say that those extra 5 seconds don’t just make a little bit of difference…they make ALL the difference.

Until next time that is, when it will be those extra 10 seconds.

I can already feel it now…

===========================

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. Below are Day 252 pics for July 20, 2007: Mission 3 – Phase 1, Day 25 of 60

P.S.S. You can see effects of that massive downpour of rain that hit me on the way home!