40 Lbs in 100 Days

"I just decided to quit messing around and Get it Done" - Fred

Fred's weight dropped from 211 pounds to 170 in 100 days.

So how did Fred do it? There are about 20 Boot Camp regulars that have been to most of the workouts since Fred started this stretch in the Summer. Fred hasn't missed a single workout. He had some scheduled days off for rest but other than that, there has not been a single excuse. Over the years we have heard every excuse in the book. Fred made the daily workout a priority and choose to honor his commitment. Fred put the excuses aside and stayed disciplined to the program. Step one: No unscheduled days off and NO EXCUSES.

Bill Squires says "The long run puts the tiger in the cat." Fred let his objectives be known from the start. He said "I want to run a marathon in November." Fred decided to train for his marathon at Boot Camp with the understanding that he would do a long run on the weekends. Fred ran every Saturday and took every Sunday off for rest. His first long run was Six miles. Every week, he added a mile to his long run until he reached 13 miles. Over the next two weeks his long runs were 16 miles then 20 miles. As these long run progressed, FAT BURNING progressed. Continuous running and exercise bruns sugar for the first 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, the body burns fat. Fred was averaging 8 minutes per mile on his long runs. In a 10 mile run, he burns sugar for the first 40 minutes and fat for the final 40 minutes. On his 20 mile run, Fred burned fat for two hours. These long runs were key for preparing Fred for the marathon distance and cutting weight by burning fat.

Fred has also been starving himself. Not really but, by today's standard, it would seem so. Fred switched his diet to mostly fruits, vegetables and fish. Some folks would call this pescatarian. He says his taste has changed and it's not that big a deal. Nutritional discipline has grown on him. He has also cut out alcohol and sweets.

Boot Camp (cross training) is an old school method to increase muscular and cardiovascular fitness. We find that it also works great for middle & long distance running. We have become better runners with less running. Boot Camp's low mileage, high intensity reduces the risk of injury, allows us to workout every weekday and produces lean muscle that supports efficient runners. The discipline also works great for becoming THIN & FAST!

Dave Baker qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon last weekend. His training for the Marine Corps Marathon combined Boot Camp with long runs too. In fact, many of Fred's long runs were with Baker.