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Programming Improv Easy Strength for Fat Loss

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CD5Lifter

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Hello All,
I am 44 years old with some experience with college football and various other sports. I‘ve spent a bunch of time in the weight room over the years with minimal issues controlling my body/composition for the most part. Due to years of abuse, my body can’t tolerate running anymore. Most recently I have been attempting to follow Dan John’s ESFFL program for just a couple of weeks now, but I know even he himself has made some tweaks along the way (using complexes etc.) as is his custom, in order to maximize the effectiveness (improved body composition). I was wondering about anyone else’s experience with any version of this program.
 
It has worked wonderfully for me! I'm by far the strongest i've ever been, and at the lightest bodyweight in more than 10 years.
 
Being a Commercial Fisherman, my schedule changes depending on weather and demand, so weightlifting was hard to plan (a high volume day right before a trip made work very difficult) Daily lifting Easy Strength style has been a game changer for me. My comfort zone has expanded so much that I'm making new PRs all the time without maxing or getting sore. I've lost more than 40 pounds of fat and deadlift 400 pounds on the daily, life is good
 
Thanks, that's encouraging. Have you been walking after each workout? I've been trying at least 25 minutes or so of walking or rucking or heavy hands. It was slow progress for the first two weeks but I am trying to stay patient, sticking to the 12-14 hour fast as well. My body doesn't always tolerate too much repetition of the same moves, but so far so good. I've added some goblet squats right after each set of swings which kicks up the heart rate just a bit more. I'm doing overhead presses and pull-ups with the deadlift and ab work. On a side note, I've also been adding in some backwards walking from some knees over toes guy influence (although I'm sure I look a little nutty doing it). I like what it does for my knee health.
 
I love the EES (even easier strength) style of training. If you're looking for fat loss specifically, I would do the weight training separate from cardio, and just do some Maffetone style cardio at different times. Make sure you address diet, as EES is not that intense. If your calories are too high, it likely won't do much to shed fat. That being said, your mileage may vary. If you aren't seeing the changes you want, post your average weekly routine here and the forum will help you out.

Welcome to the forum.
 
I love the EES (even easier strength) style of training. If you're looking for fat loss specifically, I would do the weight training separate from cardio, and just do some Maffetone style cardio at different times. Make sure you address diet, as EES is not that intense. If your calories are too high, it likely won't do much to shed fat. That being said, your mileage may vary. If you aren't seeing the changes you want, post your average weekly routine here and the forum will help you out.

Welcome to the forum.
I think the OP is referring to a specific course on danjohnuniversity.com, where EES is adapted a bit, accompanied by intermittent fasting. And walking right after strength seems to be prescribed.
 
Run that program last spring for 6 weeks. It worked for me as I could walk the dog before work and get the workout completed. From memory I lost about 10 lbs. Was tracking calories and averaging 16,000 steps a day. Only difficult I had was the DL. I don’t have a barbell in the garage and found the KB DL too light. Great program from the legend that is Dan John.
 
Now that I've been doing it for about 3 weeks, with little adjustment to diet aside from a 12-15 hour fast (skipping breakfast), my waist has started to trim ever so slightly. Strength feels good, and walks with my daughter after lifting are nice, but I'm not sure any of this will be sustainable when school begins and life as a teacher with 3 teenagers resumes. I haven't watched the scale too closely, but so don't feel like I've lost much. It's looked like the following, with workout usually happening before lunch:
Hanging leg raise or ab roller, 1x10
Overhead Press, 3×3
Pull-up 1 x 6, slow and controlled
Deadlift 3x3
Lately, I've finished with 15 swings followed by 5 goblet squats, for 3 rounds
Walk/ruck 25-40 minutes
5 days on, 2 days rest, rolling and stretching with some cardio
 
I saw an article out there set up with kettlebell clean and presses combined with front squats in an AB format, for 30 minutes, that's supposed to work for fat loss as well. Forgive my ignorance, but I'm assuming that means do A, rest, and then do B, and repeat for 30 minutes, keeping all reps crisp. I'm wondering if that's what I should transition to next on future days when time gets tighter. My issue with some of the higher intensity stuff that helps burn the big calories is the extended soreness and recovery that comes with it.
 
Hello @Craparo

You can also consider a "regular" Easy Strength, which would be 2 sets of 5 for a pull (eg pull ups), a push (eg ovh press), a squat (eg gobblet), a core exercise (HLR) and then 70-75 kb swings (S&S format). This would last about 15 minutes or so. Then, you can walk (eg: walk with your daughter with a weight vest or loaded backpack), run or whatever you feel like during the day, when your schedule allows it.

One of the principle could be to train easy but diet hard.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I saw an article out there set up with kettlebell clean and presses combined with front squats in an AB format, for 30 minutes, that's supposed to work for fat loss as well. Forgive my ignorance, but I'm assuming that means do A, rest, and then do B, and repeat for 30 minutes, keeping all reps crisp. I'm wondering if that's what I should transition to next on future days when time gets tighter. My issue with some of the higher intensity stuff that helps burn the big calories is the extended soreness and recovery that comes with it.

It depends on the wording. Sometimes A and B refer to alternating days. Sometimes it means A and B blocks on the same workout.
 
Thanks, that's encouraging. Have you been walking after each workout? I've been trying at least 25 minutes or so of walking or rucking or heavy hands. It was slow progress for the first two weeks but I am trying to stay patient, sticking to the 12-14 hour fast as well. My body doesn't always tolerate too much repetition of the same moves, but so far so good. I've added some goblet squats right after each set of swings which kicks up the heart rate just a bit more. I'm doing overhead presses and pull-ups with the deadlift and ab work. On a side note, I've also been adding in some backwards walking from some knees over toes guy influence (although I'm sure I look a little nutty doing it). I like what it does for my knee health.
Walking after each workout was key for me. But that means I'd need ~60 mins uninterrupted to lift and walk. That wasn't always do-able with two little kids and late work hours. Last couple of weeks I broke it up and I'd do swings then walk in the early AM and lift in the PM. That worked very well for me.
 
Thanks, that's encouraging. Have you been walking after each workout? I've been trying at least 25 minutes or so of walking or rucking or heavy hands. It was slow progress for the first two weeks but I am trying to stay patient, sticking to the 12-14 hour fast as well. My body doesn't always tolerate too much repetition of the same moves, but so far so good. I've added some goblet squats right after each set of swings which kicks up the heart rate just a bit more. I'm doing overhead presses and pull-ups with the deadlift and ab work. On a side note, I've also been adding in some backwards walking from some knees over toes guy influence (although I'm sure I look a little nutty doing it). I like what it does for my knee health.
I haven't been walking as much as I should. I aim to do some swings/snatch/long cycle in the morning followed by walking, but life often gets in the way. I've been very consistent with doing a short easy strength session each evening (Ab Wheel, Floor Press, Chin up, Deadlift) and this in combination with a clean diet seems to be producing good results
 
I saw an article out there set up with kettlebell clean and presses combined with front squats in an AB format, for 30 minutes, that's supposed to work for fat loss as well. Forgive my ignorance, but I'm assuming that means do A, rest, and then do B, and repeat for 30 minutes, keeping all reps crisp. I'm wondering if that's what I should transition to next on future days when time gets tighter. My issue with some of the higher intensity stuff that helps burn the big calories is the extended soreness and recovery that comes with it.
I believe you may be referring to "Dry Fighting Weight" which is clean and presses alternated with front squats for 30 minutes. Weight selection is supposed to be relatively heavy for the clean and press with different rep schemes per workout. I believe the intent/idea behind it is using heavy efforts to stimulate a response in the body that will drop bodyfat without resorting to metcon training and aerobics, etc.
 
Yes, that is the one. The funny thing there is that if you are strictly using kettlebells, you are going to need to need a clean to get them in the rack position for the front squats as well! For me, I might need to add another heavier bell to the collection to make that effective, as the only size I have two of is 45lbs. I guess I could also try to figure something out with one of my heavier bells and then use a barbell for the front squats. I like the idea behind the program.
 
Hello All,
I am 44 years old with some experience with college football and various other sports. I‘ve spent a bunch of time in the weight room over the years with minimal issues controlling my body/composition for the most part. Due to years of abuse, my body can’t tolerate running anymore. Most recently I have been attempting to follow Dan John’s ESFFL program for just a couple of weeks now, but I know even he himself has made some tweaks along the way (using complexes etc.) as is his custom, in order to maximize the effectiveness (improved body composition). I was wondering about anyone else’s experience with any version of this program.
I've found that the older I get (53 now) the most important variable is diet. When I was in my 20s I could eat anything and stay lean. As I got older it got harder and harder to maintain that level. I'm not overweight, but I can't eat whatever I want like I could in my 20s. Training is definitely an important factor in body comp, but I believe diet is more important. There are many dietary approaches out there: vegan, carnivore, paleo, primal, vegetarian, macrobiotic. Some are better than others, IMO. If you're not averse to eating animal protein, I recommend you do some research on paleo and/or primal. These are very sustainable methods of eating that include calorie dense foods that are bioavailable (especially if you include heart, kidney, and liver).

Some people to read (or find podcasts) on the subject include Chris Kresser, Joel Greene, and Gary Taubes.

Hope this helps!
 
I've found that the older I get (53 now) the most important variable is diet. When I was in my 20s I could eat anything and stay lean. As I got older it got harder and harder to maintain that level. I'm not overweight, but I can't eat whatever I want like I could in my 20s. Training is definitely an important factor in body comp, but I believe diet is more important. There are many dietary approaches out there: vegan, carnivore, paleo, primal, vegetarian, macrobiotic. Some are better than others, IMO. If you're not averse to eating animal protein, I recommend you do some research on paleo and/or primal. These are very sustainable methods of eating that include calorie dense foods that are bioavailable (especially if you include heart, kidney, and liver).

Some people to read (or find podcasts) on the subject include Chris Kresser, Joel Greene, and Gary Taubes.

Hope this helps!
Mr. Spezzano is in my opinion spot dead on with his assessment! And sir, may I add that each passing year it gets just that much more difficult when diet isn't dialed in!
 
Being a Commercial Fisherman, my schedule changes depending on weather and demand, so weightlifting was hard to plan (a high volume day right before a trip made work very difficult) Daily lifting Easy Strength style has been a game changer for me. My comfort zone has expanded so much that I'm making new PRs all the time without maxing or getting sore. I've lost more than 40 pounds of fat and deadlift 400 pounds on the daily, life is good
good job keeping up with training and eating right.commercial fishing is not an easy way to make a living.
 
Yeah, in the end I know you guys are right about diet. I'm caught in the middle of getting older with a family life where we eat together with two teenage boys at the same table. It's not impossible, but inconvenient to follow a separate diet. I need to make the transition, because limiting what pants I wear is a poor option. Thanks for the input. You guys are an inspiration, and I'll check out the suggestions.
 
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