Last week I read The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want by Rachel Cosgrove. I read this book on my Kindle and this is the first time that I’ve really used the Kindle’s highlight feature a lot. In fact, it was difficult to read while on my treadmill, because I kept stopping to highlight passages.
The gist of the book is lifting heavy weights and a low carb diet with an emphasis on eating clean – nothing new there. It’s the details that did it for me.
She advises making strength training the priority of one’s workout regime, with cardio coming in second place. I usually do the opposite, but am switching around. I’ve read quite a bit about lifting heavy, but I never felt like I knew enough to do it with injuring myself. How much weight to start, when to increase etc. Rachel lays out a plan for lifting on a four-week cycle – with the timing tied to one’s menstrual cycle, which is a very interesting concept. The cycle involves steady increases in weights over a four-week period – and really pushing yourself the last week – then cutting volume in half to start the next cycle.
She includes a workout plan in the book, but I plan on using workout videos at home, but building up to much heavier weights than I’ve used in the past. I’m excited, because I’ve always wanted to do Cathe Freidrich videos, but never felt like I was “there yet.” I finally feel like I have a plan and with this plan, Cathe is definitely in my future.
The eating plan is rather restrictive, but I am incorporating aspects of it. I’ve already started having a protein shake in the morning and I’m trying to make sure I have at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal and snack. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but they tend to be clustered in my meals – lots of fruits at lunch, lots of vegetables at dinner, etc. I’m not going to get obsessed with clean eating, because I know from past experience that tends to shut down my diet. Small changes. . .
I highly recommend this book. Expect to hear about this book in future posts, as I will be implementing modified versions of many of her ideas.
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