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8 Week Winter

Weight Loss Challenge

Starter Pack

-By Mark Woodgate

Holistic Health Coach & Body Transformation Specialist

Body Blueprint Personal Training

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz

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CONTENTS

Page Contents

3 Welcome to the 8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge

4 Overview

5-7 Cardio / Interval Training

8 Recording Your Progress

9 Personal Statistics Sheet

10 8 Week Calendar

11-16 The Top 5 Workout Secrets

Legal Disclaimer

The techniques, ideas and suggestions in this document are not intended as a substitute

for medical advice. Always consult your health care professional before starting a new

exercise programme or nutrition plan – particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, elderly

or have any chronic or recurring conditions. The application of the techniques, ideas

suggested in this e-book are at the readers sole discretion and risk.

The author of this document is not responsible or liable to any person or entity for any

errors contained in this document, or for any special, incidental, or consequential

damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information

contained within.

All material is Copyright: Mark Woodgate, Body Blueprint Personal Training

All Rights Reserved

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz

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Welcome to the 8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge

Congratulations for making the decision to lose weight and totally transform yourself

with the 8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge.

Most of us gain weight over the winter months, the average weight gain being one to

three kilograms.

With colder temperatures our appetites tend to increase and our bodies conserve more

energy in order to generate heat. Unfortunately there’s often a tendency to consume

more calories than we burn, and if the majority of those calories come from

carbohydrates/ sugar the end result is usually unwanted body fat! Unfortunately when

spring and summer rolls around we often have to work twice as hard to lose those extra

kilograms…

With the Winter Weight Loss Challenge you’ll get a head start on summer, all the while

boosting your immune system and keeping nasty winter colds and ills at bay.

The Winter Weight Loss Challenge contains some of the most time efficient principles on

the planet so you can completely transform your body just 8 weeks from now.

Here’s what you’ll receive:

1) Extreme Fat Loss Workouts These specially designed home and gym based

workouts are guaranteed to burn fat FAST. Workout spreadsheets and

accompanying exercise videos can be accessed from your dashboard page.

2) Nutrition Guide and 7 Day Meal Plan. Take away ALL the guesswork of good

nutrition with my sample body transformation nutrition plan, recommended foods

and portion sizes.

3) 60 Delicious Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snack Recipes. Healthy eating

never tasted so good!

4) Motivational support email & weight loss tips to help you stay motivated to

achieve your weight loss, health and wellness goals.

Plus I’m also on hand to answer any questions you may have about your workouts,

nutrition or otherwise. Simply email me at: mark@bodyblueprint.co.nz

Here’s to your successful 8 week transformation on the Winter Weight Loss Challenge!

-Mark Woodgate

Holistic Health Coach & Body Transformation Specialist

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz

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8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge - Overview

1) RESISTANCE TRAINING

To transform your body in the least amount of time, resistance training is essential.

Regular weight training will help you to maintain and build muscle tissue in turn will

increase the rate at which your body burns calories.

The extreme fat loss workouts of the Winter Weight Loss Challenge will rev up your

metabolism, burn body fat, increase your fitness, shape and sculpt your body in

record time. For best results we recommend that you perform these workouts 3

times per week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Nb: To download your resistance workout spreadsheets / view the exercise videos,

please visit your log on to your dashboard page at:

http://www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/login/

2) CARDIO

Regular cardio will help you to burn body fat and increase the efficiency of your heart

and lungs. However not all cardio is created equal. I recommend interval training as

your preferred cardio choice. Numerous studies demonstrate that interval training

can burn body fat up to 9 times faster than traditional steady state cardio.

(See pages 5-7)

Ideally 20 minutes of interval training will be done on Tuesday & Thursday, followed

by 10 minutes of steady state cardio. There is an additional 30 minutes of steady

state cardio on Saturday.

3) CORE

A strong core is essential for good posture and staying injury free, and let’s not

forget the aesthetic appeal of a well defined mid section! Your core workouts

(approximately 5 mins) should be done immediately following your cardio workouts

on Tuesday and Thursday.

4) REST DAYS

We recommend a complete rest day every Sunday. This gives your nervous system a

well needed rest and enables you to consistently perform at high levels of intensity

throughout the week.

WEEKLY WORKOUT SCHEDULE

MON

TUES WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

DAY 1

Resistance

training

(40 mins)

DAY 2

Cardio

+

Core

(25

mins)

DAY 3

Resistance

training

(40 mins)

DAY 4

Cardio

+

Core

(25

mins)

DAY 5

Resistance

training

(40 mins)

DAY 6

Steady

state

cardio

(30

mins)

DAY

7

REST

Total exercise quota is 3 hours 20 mins per week. (200 mins)

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Cardio

Cardio is an essential component of the 8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge. Regular

cardiovascular exercise is an excellent way to improve your heart and lung capacity and

burn tons of calories.

If you’re relatively new to exercise, walking, swimming, indoor or outdoor cycling is a great

way to start out.

However, for the best cardiovascular response, we recommend activities that challenge the

whole body. These activities include power walking, jogging, and cardio machines such as

the rower, cross trainer, summit climber, elliptical trainer and treadmill.

On occasion you may wish to incorporate group fitness classes into your cardio programme.

These might include Body Combat, Body Step, RPM or ZUMBA. Not only are group fitness

classes are motivational, they’re lots of fun as well.

Interval training

Studies reveal that interval training burns up to 9 times more body fat than

conventional low intensity, long duration cardio.

This is due to the residual calorie burn which means that your metabolism stays elevated and

you continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after your workout! (This is something that

traditional steady state cardio does NOT achieve...)

Interval training has been shown to have pronounced effects on cardiovascular health, aerobic

and anaerobic fitness.

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Intensity and ‘P.R.E’

As already outlined, it’s the intensity of your workout that results in significant

improvements in fitness and fat loss.

Intensity is best defined as “the momentary output of effort put forth in a given moment.”

This is also known as Perceived Rate of Exertion or P.R.E for short.

P.R.E. is represented by using a scale of 1-10.

For example, 1 represents a very low intensity and 10 represents a very high level of

intensity.

In other words, “5” would represent a moderate activity or 50% of your maximal effort.

Similarly, “9” would represent very hard activity or 90% of your maximal effort.

See the perceived exertion chart as follows.

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The most important thing to remember is that this scale of perceived exertion is unique to

YOU. That means your “5” is likely to be different from someone else who may have a

higher or lower level of fitness.

Depending on the type of interval workout, your perceived rate of exertion will vary

between a 5 and a 10.

The 2 types of interval workouts featured in the 8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge are:

1) Guerilla Cardio (Weeks 1 to 4)

2) Peak 8 (Weeks 5 to 8)

These 20 minute interval workouts are done on Tuesday and Thursday.

For best results your interval workouts will be done on a crosstrainer, rowing machine, or

as an outdoor brisk walk/ sprint. (The treadmill is not suitable due to the short intervals

and the time it takes to increase and decrease speeds.) In other words, choose a machine

that allows you to quickly accelerate and decelerate.

On Saturday you’ll do 30 minutes of steady state cardio which can take the form of a bike

ride, walk or run on the beach, swimming OR cardio activity of your choosing.

Steady state cardio should be performed with a perceived exertion of around a ‘6’ or ‘7’

(As per the perceived exertion chart)

Progressive Cardio Training

As with resistance training, it’s important to make your cardio workouts progressive in

nature.

At every workout try to challenge yourself by attempting to go a little faster.

Nb: Ideally you’ll use a relatively low level of resistance so that you can move your body

as fast as possible for your sprints. In doing so you’ll activate your fast twitch muscle

fibres which results in a cascade of beneficial hormones including human growth hormone

(HGH) which is considered to be the body’s number one fat loss and anti-aging hormone.

For further information about the amazing benefits of high intensity interval training, please read my articles:

1) The Myth of the Fat Burning Zone

http://www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/the-myth-of-the-fat-burning-zone/

2) The Most Important Kind Of Fitness – Do You Have It?

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/the-most-important-kind-of-fitness-do-you-

have-it/

3) Why You Need Fast Twitch for Fat Loss

http://www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/why-you-need-fast-twitch-for-fat-loss/

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RECORDING YOUR PROGRESS

One of the best ways to establish that you’re making consistent progress is to have your girth measurements and body fat percentage recorded every 4 weeks

by a personal trainer. This also serves as an excellent motivational tool.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Providing that you adhere to the recommended exercise and nutritional guidelines, you can expect to lose up to 1kg per week. However it’s important to

note that individual results may vary as this depends on your starting weight, exercise history, level of fitness and adherence to the programme. By including

resistance training you can also expect to lose centimetres and shape your body faster than with cardio alone.

For motivational purposes, and for a visual reminder of your progress, we recommend that you have photos taken every 4 weeks.

BODYWEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS

It’s not uncommon for bodyweight to vary as much as 0.5 to 1kg in a single day as this is subject to variables such as the time of day, how much food and drink

you’ve consumed as well as fluctuations in hormone levels. Therefore to establish a reliable trend of your progress, we suggest that you weigh yourself once per week on the same day of the week at about the same time.

If you’d like a personal trainer to document your progress, the following statistics sheet can be used to record your weight, girth measurements, body fat

percentage and ratio of lean muscle mass to body fat.

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8 Week Winter Weight Loss Challenge

Name:

Personal Statistics

DATE:

Measurements Weight Chest Waist Hips Thigh Bicep Calf

Body Fat Measurements Right Bicep Right Tricep Subscapular (back) Superilliac (waist) TOTAL mm Body fat Percent Bodyfat kg’s Lean mass kg’s

Blood Pressure

Notes:

Body Blueprint Personal Training

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz

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WINTER WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - 8 WEEK CALENDAR

MON

TUES

WED

THUR

FRI

SAT

SUN

DAY 1

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 2

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 3

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 4

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 5

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 6

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 7

REST

DAY 8

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 9

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 10

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 11

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 12

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 13

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 14

REST

DAY 15

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 16

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 17

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 18

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 19

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 20

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 21

REST

DAY 22

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 23

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 24

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 25

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 26

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 27

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 28

REST

DAY 29

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 30

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 31

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 32

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 33

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 34

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 35

REST

DAY 36

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 37

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 38

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 39

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 40

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 41

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 42

REST

DAY 43

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 44

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 45

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 46

CARDIO

+

CORE

25 mins

DAY 47

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 48

STEADY

STATE

CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 49

REST

DAY 50

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 51

CARDIO

+ CORE

25 mins

DAY 52

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 53

CARDIO

+ CORE

25 mins

DAY 54

RESISTANCE

TRAINING

40 mins

DAY 55

STEADY

STATE CARDIO

30 mins

DAY 56

REST

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THE TOP 5 WORKOUT SECRETS

WORKOUT SECRET 1 – CONSISTENCY

It doesn’t matter how much weight you lift, how intensely you work out, or how well you

eat unless you’re working out consistently.

Good nutrition combined with 2-3 resistance workouts and 2-3 cardio workouts per week

will result in ongoing improvements in fitness and body composition.

However, like all things in life, more is not always better.

The regularity of your exercise sessions (in this case, 6 relatively short resistance &

cardio workouts) serves to increase your body’s metabolism and influences the rate at

which you burn calories. This explains why better results can be achieved by training

frequently rather than intermittently.

Consider exercise as a prescription. You wouldn’t take an entire bottle of painkillers in

the hope that that they would relieve discomfort for a week or more. Instead you’d take

smaller doses at regular intervals. The same applies to your workouts.

WORKOUT SECRET 2 – INTENSITY

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There’s a saying that goes like this; “You can either work out intensely OR you can work

out for a long time, but you can’t do both!”

In fact, workout intensity could be singled out as THE most important ingredient to

achieving amazing body transformation results.

For this reason, quality wins over quantity every time and is the foundation of Body

Blueprint’s workout programmes.

Studies consistently reveal that high volume workouts (workouts lasting more than one

hour) are less efficient in terms of building strength, maintaining and increasing lean

muscle. It all has to do with the accompanying hormonal response. For example, long

workouts are more conducive to storing body fat and breaking down muscle tissue.

The hormone in question? Cortisol. (also known as the fat storage hormone)

In contrast, short workouts lasting no more than 45 minutes result in a surge of human

growth hormone (HGH) which is conducive to building lean muscle and burning body fat.

In other words, 2 or 3 sets per exercise can produce better results than 4 to 6 sets per

exercise as long as the intensity is high. Regular high volume workouts can also be

counterproductive as they result in fatigue and can compromise the nervous system -

often resulting in symptoms of overtraining which can slow progress even further.

For better than average results, keep your workouts to 45 minutes or less and train

intensely at every session. Make every exercise and every set count!

NB: If you’re just starting out, we recommend working out at a lower level of intensity.

Gradually increase your weights and build up to the suggested timeframes over a period

of 3-4 weeks.

If you have any questions / doubts relating to your current level of health or fitness,

please consult your health professional.

WORKOUT SECRET 3 – PROGRESSION

No two workouts should be the same. For a successful body transformation you should

progressively:

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a) Increase your weights (while never compromising form)

b) Run, pedal or row a little faster (rather than extending the timeframe)

One of the best ways to record your progress is to keep a workout journal. (Workout

spreadsheets are provided with the Winter Weight Loss Challenge on your dashboard

page)

By recording your workouts you can adjust the variables that need to be changed at

each session. For example, if your goal was to do complete 10 repetitions on the bench

press however you only managed 8, make it your goal to complete 9 or 10 at the next

session.

Likewise, if you can perform 2 or 3 repetitions over and above the prescribed number of

repetitions, increase the weight at your next workout so that you reach muscular failure

at the designated number of repetitions.

A workout journal also serves an excellent motivational tool as you’ll be able to observe

just how much stronger and fitter you’ve become.

The Winter Weight Loss Challenge has 2 x 4 week components and it is these 4 week

deadlines that provide incentive to reach your personal bests such as weights lifted,

distances travelled etc.

There’s also a physiological and psychological reason to change your workouts every 4

weeks…

The first is that your body adapts to a new stimulus after 3-4 weeks. Secondly, boredom

and lack of enthusiasm can set in if you do the same workout for weeks on end. In both

cases, results start to diminish and weight loss can come to a screeching halt.

Changing your exercise programme every 4 weeks provides a new challenge for the

body and the mind.

Remember this all important phrase:

“Change should be your most consistent variable”

WORKOUT SECRET 4 – USE STRICT EXERCISE FORM

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1) Core stability

Core stability is best described as:

“Your body‘s ability to remain grounded in order to provide the strongest,

safest and most efficient mechanics.”

In other words, it’s about being sufficiently grounded and stable throughout the

movement to avoid excessive body momentum.

By developing a strong low back and mid section you’ll be less likely to use momentum

or “cheat” the weight up.

For example, one of the most common exercises where momentum is used is the

standing bicep curl where an individual swings the weight up by arching their lower back.

In turn this minimises the involvement of the biceps while compromising the low back

which could lead to injury.

If you use body momentum (and therefore less core stability) you may need to reduce

the weight in order to complete the allotted number of repetitions using good form.

2) Use a Safe Range of Motion

You may have noticed I didn’t use the commonly referred term, “full range of motion”

training. While it’s important to use a range of motion that trains the muscles to their

optimum capacity, it’s also essential to use a range of motion that is safe for your joints

and won’t increase the likelihood of injury.

Here are 2 commonly performed exercises to illustrate my point:

Bench press – allow the bar to come to a point that is approximately 1 inch above your

chest. Any lower can predispose the shoulder joint and surrounding rotator cuff muscles

to injury. Keep the arms slightly bent at the top of the movement as locking out can put

undue pressure on the joints. This also allows the muscles to stay under constant

tension rather than being supported by the joints.

Squat – contrary to popular belief it is actually safer to squat to a point where your hips

are slightly below your knees. By doing so you can use the larger gluteal muscles to

achieve the upward motion of the squat, and at the same time there is less shearing

force on the knees. (than if you were to only squat to 90 degrees.) However, as the

squat is one of the most technically challenging exercises it is recommended that you

use light weights and have an instructor or personal trainer critique your form.

3) Tempo

As a general rule of thumb, use a controlled tempo of 2-3 seconds to lower a weight,

1-2 seconds to lift a weight with a 1 second pause at the top of the movement.

For example, when performing a bench press, take 2-3 seconds to lower the barbell to

the chest, 1-2 seconds to return the bench press to the starting point and pause for 1

second at the top of the movement.

Never underestimate the power of the pause! The pause is actually the point where

your muscles are at full contraction and therefore at maximum tension. The more

tension you create, the better your results.

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Therefore try to “squeeze” or flex the muscles you’re using by pausing for a count of 1

second, whether it’s a bench press, a seated row, bicep curl or otherwise. To enhance

the contraction even further, try gripping the barbell /dumbbells / machine as hard as

possible at the top of the movement.

As you might have guessed, a slow controlled tempo of 3-2-1 also eliminates the

possibility of using momentum and “cheating” the weight from point A to point B.

Recommended reading: Do You Have the Mind to Muscle Connection?

http://www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/do-you-have-the-mind-to-muscle-connection/

WORKOUT SECRET 5 – ACCOUNTABILITY

Unless you’re superman or superwoman, have unwavering enthusiasm and you’re

motivated 100% of the time, then it’s a great idea to have someone keeping tabs on

you.

I always encourage my clients to share their fitness goals with the people closest to

them.

Your partner/ friends/ family members can provide you with support and encouragement

to follow through with your plan of action. And if you’re having one of those days when

you’d rather skip the gym or indulge in an unscheduled cheat meal (!) a supportive

partner or friend can help steer you back on course.

If you can’t envisage your partner, friend or family fitting into the above role, consider

hiring the services of a personal trainer. A personal trainer will motivate you and provide

you with the tools to achieve your fitness goals faster.

In fact, according to a recent report from an international health and fitness

organisation, 75% of people who exercise are not getting the results they want. And out

of the 25% of people who are getting consistent results? 90% of them are working with

a coach or personal trainer.

You might also consider teaming up with a workout buddy - someone who has similar

health and fitness goals to you. Having a workout buddy is an excellent way to stay

accountable. Make a commitment to meet on the days and times you’ve set for your

workouts. If by chance you’ve had a rough day and you’re struggling with motivation,

your workout partner can help to lift your spirits, or vice versa.

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The added advantage of having a workout partner is that it keeps your workouts fun.

Plus there’s nothing like a little healthy competition!

THE TOP 5 WORKOUT SECRETS : SUMMARY

1: Consistency.

Work out with regularity: 5-6 times per week, EVERY week.

2: Intensity

Make every set and repetition count. Don’t be tempted to add more sets, reps to your

workouts. Quality over quantity wins hands down.

3: Progression

Make every workout progressive from the last. No 2 workouts should be the same.

4: Use Strict Exercise Form

Practice core stability, use a safe range of motion and a slow controlled tempo of 2-3

seconds to lower the weight, 1-2 seconds to lift the weight. Pause at the top of every

movement.

5: Accountability

Tell your friends and family about your fitness endeavours.

Find a workout buddy who has similar goals to you and commit to meeting regularly.

Consider hiring a personal trainer for additional motivation and goal setting.

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Mark Woodgate – Holistic Health Coach & Body Transformation Specialist

Mark Woodgate is the fitness director of Body Blueprint, a leading personal training

company which he founded in 1995.

With a background in natural therapies, Mark takes a holistic approach to health and

fitness to help you achieve the best possible results.

Originally based out of Les Mills World of Fitness in Hamilton, Mark was the first personal

trainer in New Zealand to create a specialised personal training package for the Body for

Life Challenge. He quickly became known as a top body transformation specialist and in

2001 he created his own body transformation programme, the Body Blueprint 12 Week

Challenge.

Since 1999 Mark has transformed more than 10,000 people thanks to his revolutionary

quality versus quantity training principles. 5 of his clients have placed in the top 2000 in

the world for their remarkable body transformations. (International Body for Life

Challenge)

Mark provides a range of services including one on one personal training, boxing,

kettlebell training and specialised strength and cardio programmes. He trains a variety of

clients - from those wanting to transform their bodies to elite swimmers and strongmen.

Mark is the creator of the Biggest Loser 12 Week Challenge, the 5 Week LEAN

Programme, Body Blueprint 12 Week Challenge, Muscle Morph 12 Week Challenge, 30

Minute Express Workouts and 3 Day Holiday Detox - all available as online /

downloadable programmes.

Visit Mark’s website at: www.bodyblueprint.co.nz

Join Mark on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/transformyourself

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Plus when you sign up you’ll also receive my FREE report,

“Body Transformation Secrets Revealed!”

Visit: http://www.bodyblueprint.co.nz/free-help/

Body Blueprint Personal Training

www.bodyblueprint.co.nz