Wendy Allen

Supervised and Instructed by Kevin McKee

Goal Setting:

Wendy and I first met in mid-November at Titletown Fitness (Green Bay, WI) where I was giving a presentation on the requirements of effective exercise and the importance of resistance training when trying to lose body fat. At that time she expressed frustration over her inability to lose weight and her sincere desire to lose 30 lbs. This was her ultimate goal and she asked me to help her finally achieve successful body re-composition.

When we sat down for our first consultation I explained to Wendy that in order to see the results she was looking for, she had to both exercise effectively and seriously monitor her diet. Keeping in mind that she began her program just before the holiday season, the nutritional component was going to be the most challenging. However, she understood what she was facing, always striving for her final weight loss goal of 30 lbs by trying to lose one to two lbs each week. Prior to the start of her program Wendy was weighed, had before photos taken, and despite the relative inaccuracy of the machine, her body composition was assessed via the Futurex 5000.

Exercise Protocol:

At Titletown Fitness a high-intensity, low frequency training protocol is performed by all personal training clients in a private, distraction-free training studio. The facility is fully equipped with MedX variable resistance strength equipment and contains no "aerobic" equipment of any kind. Wendy had very little resistance training experience and it was my recommendation that she begin by training the major musculatures of the body twice a week unless it was deemed necessary to reduce training frequency or modify the program in some other way to ensure continued progression.

Normal training days were Monday and Thursday with the occasional variance due to scheduling conflicts or vacations around the holidays. Wendy never trained more frequently than twice a week (approximately 72 hrs between sessions) or less than once a week. No other exercises were performed outside the training studio. Two exercise routines, each consisting of no more than five MedX machines, were developed and alternated over the course of the program:

Routine 1 Routine 2
Leg Press Leg Extension
Seated Row Leg Curl
Overhead Press Pull Down
Rotary Torso (Left) Chest Press
Rotary Torso (Right) Abdominal

Exercise sessions were consistently performed in the aforementioned order. However, the first side addressed on the rotary torso machine was alternated each time the exercise was performed. One set of each exercise was performed to the point of volitional muscle fatigue followed by approximately one minute of rest before beginning each subsequent exercise. An initial resistance was selected for each exercise that would permit between 90 and 120 seconds of time-under-tension. Given the short duration of the program fiber-type testing was not performed to determine an optimal TUT for any musculature.

Wendy was instructed to always be mindful of proper form and technique and that the effectiveness and safety of the training sessions depended on her compliance. The primary training considerations were slow-controlled movements (up to 10/10, but varied according to ROM), continuous breathing (no val salva), and maintaining a stable body position (particularly the lumbar and cervical spine).

Nutritional Considerations:

Because the holidays were quickly approaching and a radical dietary change would likely lead to non-compliance, the emphasis was simply on watching caloric intake. Wendy was educated in regard to the importance of eating lean protein, essential fatty acids, and consistently making better carbohydrate selections. The glycemic rating of carbohydrates was discussed and a list of better choices was formed for her review. No supplementation beyond a daily multi-vitamin/mineral complex was taken at any point throughout the program.

Wendy was instructed to eat 1100 calories the first week, 1300 cals week two, 1200 cals week three, 1100 cals week four, then back up to 1300 cals week five, and so on. The cycle would continue in this manner for the duration of her program. Although the caloric intake was relatively low, Wendy was instructed to give herself an occasional day when she could eat more freely, increasing total calories consumed, but continuing to make better choices and always recording food intake. As long as this approach didn't lead to a deprivation/binge cycle it was thought to be advantageous both physically and mentally, especially with so many challenges given the time of year.

Wendy recorded all foods eaten, when they were eaten, and the caloric content of each item. She was responsible for bringing me her dietary journal for review, recommendations, and motivation prior to each training session. She was weighed every Monday in order to track progress and keep her motivated to monitor caloric intake over the weekends.

Results:

Wendy continued the program for approximately 14 weeks, training only once a week for the last five weeks. Her strength improvements were assessed based on a recorded TUT during the last two to three weeks of training compared to a comparable TUT from a session within the first two to three weeks of training. To be considered an accurate comparison, the beginning and ending TUT had to be within 10 seconds of each other.

Beginning Ending
Exercise Date/Wt/TUT Date/Wt/TUT ~ Change (%)

Leg Press 2/9-328-1:15 3/3-344-1:09 + 4.9
Seated Row 12/9-214-1:36 3/3-226-1:28 + 5.6
Overhead Press 12/2-90-2:01 2/3-118-2:01 + 31.1
Rotary Torso (lt) 12/9-56-1:40 3/3-64-1:30 + 14.3
Rotary Torso (rt) TUT varied by more than 10 sec, thus considered inaccurate
for comparison.

Leg Extension 12/12-138-1:35 2/24-150-1:34 + 8.6
Leg Curl 12-5-112-1:39 2/24-138-1:33 + 23.2
Pull Down 12/5-204-1:55 2/10-230-1:53 + 12.7
Chest Press 12/2-92-1:28 2/3-108-1:21 + 17.4
Abdominal TUT varied by more than 10 sec, thus considered inaccurate
for comparison.


Body Composition (Futurex 5000)

Beginning Ending
Date: 11/25/02 Date: 3/3/03
Body Weight 187 lbs 160 lbs
Body Fat % 37 % 28.8 %
Fat Weight 69 lbs 46 lbs
Lean Weight 118 lbs 114 lbs

Conclusion:

When Wendy completed her program she was very pleased with the results. She had improved her strength, significantly improved her body composition, and appeared more confident. Wendy consistently trained at a high level of intensity and with proper form and technique considerations. All told she improved her strength and lost 27 lbs over the 14 weeks, averaging almost 2 lbs per week. On the negative side, the futurex 5000 assessed a 4 lb loss of lean mass. Although the accuracy of this figure is arguable, it is not uncommon to sacrifice some lean mass when losing body fat and keeping caloric intake relatively low. Wendy is no longer a personal training client, but is a club member at Titletown Fitness where she continues with her high-intensity training.