Dr. Hussman sends me a weekly email and there was so much good stuff, even though it's long I'm gonna post it here for your reading pleasure (you might want to print this one out!):
Quote:
Week 4, Day 2.
I hope that this update finds you still on track. From that healthy twinkle in your eye, it looks like you are.
The next few weeks are going to separate the "wanna-be" team from the "gonna-be" team. Unlike grade school, where I and a good number of you were always picked last, we get to do the picking this time. So pick your team.
As I noted last week, there's a real temptation at this point to demand very visible results, as well as results from the scale. But let me assure you - it's still a little too soon.
This is true for both men and women, but applies particularly to women. As I note on my main fitness page, "A woman doing relatively well on her fitness program might be losing over 1 pound of fat a week, while gaining a fraction of a pound of muscle. So while she might be on track to lose 12-15 pounds of fat and gain several pounds of attractive muscle over 12 weeks, by the 5th week she might be looking at a scale change of less than 4 pounds. And since that's about the weight of a meal and a couple of glasses of water, she may not even see the scale move at all. This is especially true at high bodyfat levels, where shifts in water retention over a monthly cycle can be quite large. But gradually, the changes are happening anyway, as long as she doesn't give up."
The scale is not a tool for measuring fat loss. When combined with readings from fat calipers, the main usefulness of a scale is to estimate changes in body composition (lean weight vs. fat weight).
When people first get involved in resistance training for fat loss, they often find that their weight stays relatively constant at first. This gets them upset because they are conditioned to think of the scale as a measure of fat loss. But the scale also picks up changes in muscle, digestive contents, water retention, and other factors. These changes can easily overwhelm the true fat loss that's occurring. What these people really need to do is to use the scale IN COMBINATION with other measures, such as caliper readings or waist measurements. If the caliper readings are gradually going down or the clothes are fitting better, that's your best sign of fat loss in the early weeks. You do ultimately want the scale readings to go down if your goal is fat loss, but don't equate the change in scale weight with change in bodyfat.
That said, you've also got to be honest with yourself. If you can't list exactly what you ate yesterday, and exactly what you're going to eat tomorrow, your meal planning needs work. Also, remember that people reporting trouble losing fat are typically underestimating their caloric intake by as much as 40%. You've got to create an honest caloric deficit.
NEW RESEARCH
Two of the best ways to create an honest caloric deficit are 1) to shift the composition of your meals toward more fruits, vegetables and other low-glycemic foods that naturally contain fiber, and 2) to include "structured meals" in your program, such as supplement shakes and bars. It's much harder make dramatic errors in intake this way. Meals that are less dense (more fiber and water content) are typically more filling, lower glycemic, and help to reduce hunger. There is absolutely no way to track your true caloric intake if most of your meals are unstructured or prepared by others, particularly at restaurants.
A recent study out of Germany tracked 100 overweight individuals for 12 weeks. Subjects were assigned to two groups. One group was instructed to eat significantly fewer calories over the next 12 weeks. The other was prescribed the same number of calories as before, but included 2 meal replacement shakes as part of their daily caloric goal. After 12 weeks, the group that tried to eat less in an unstructured way had lost just 1.5% of body weight. The group that included structured meals, including supplement shakes, lost an average of 7.8% of body weight.
A similar study recently appeared in Nutrition Review, but in this case, the groups differed by the amount of fruits, vegetables and fiber prescribed. The study concluded that "diets low in fat and high in fiber may be the most effective low energy density diets for promoting weight loss."
TECHNIQUE
Now that you're settled into a particular routine, let's add a little extra technique during this fourth week.
First, at the beginning of every workout, ask yourself "What is my goal here?" That one question will help you to focus on the results you expect from the workout, and it'll get you more involved and committed.
In the cardio and interval training, here's a useful technique. Focus on recruiting the use of as many muscles as you can (without looking like a dork). Many people at the gym literally drape themselves over the handles of a bike or a treadmill, rather than taking control. Ask yourself, "Am I using my hamstrings?", "Could I work my quadriceps more?" Or if you're doing an exercise that involves the arms as well, make an effort to notice whether you've involved your triceps, biceps, and back muscles. And now do it all at once, as smoothly as you can - flow. You'll be surprised, and possibly even slightly scared, by how much power you can pump out. Work on this gradually if you're starting from a low level of fitness.
In the resistance training, during eccentric (lowering) portion of your last one or two reps, it's useful to hold the weight in mid-lowering, at the point where you feel significant tension on the muscle. Don't strain a muscle, don't lose form, particularly in your back, and don't do this in any exercise in which you couldn't safely drop the weight if you had to. That said, try to hold the weight in mid-lowering until you can no longer keep it up in good form.
You're going to feel a burn. Not really pain, but a spreading burn in your muscle as it stretches under tension. Linger in that burn. It's exactly what you're working for. This is exactly the point at which the muscles are enduring the little micro-tears that promote growth. If you feel joint pain, your form is bad or your poundage is way too high. The goal is not pain, but "static stretch." Don't hold your breath. I usually breathe faster and shallow when the burn sets in.
Finally, a little nutrition technique. The Journal of Physiology recently reported a study that tracked 13 subjects over 12 weeks. One group took a protein-containing supplement immediately after resistance training. The other waited for 2 hours before taking protein. The immediate protein group saw significant increases in muscle mass, dynamic strength (strength in moving a weight) and isometric strength (strength without movement). The 2-hour delay group saw only improved dynamic strength. The study notes "We conclude that an early intake of an oral protein supplement after resistance training is important for the development of hypertrophy in skeletal muscle."
Next week, we change the routine a bit. Maybe incline dumbbell presses instead of flat presses. Maybe seated curls instead of standing ones. What you're really after is a small change in the angle of the exercise, or a change in the order, or the tempo, so that your body will have to respond to a new set of challenges. For now, just keep your eyes open for new possibilities, and spend a few minutes learning the proper form for each.
Oh, and one final technique. Focus on your cheek muscles. Now contract them so that they pull back and upward toward the ears. Contract hard enough so that your lips part slightly and your teeth show.
Outstanding. Keep that up.
Best wishes, John
. To answer your question about glutes. Yes, they come along for the ride. As you notice on the BFL workout sheet, glutes are not listed as a body part. That is because they are also being worked when you do squats, lunges,leg presses, deadlifts, etc. Glutamine will help. I also use the Labrada brand and as MrsJim said, it lasts a LONG time.
It's a shame, it was a nice roomy one for when I have those long days. 
BTW I think I got a major workout just putting that bench together, who would have thought they came in so many pieces.
but of course I would not be wearing size 4's if I had ended up quitting! 