Thread: This is how analysts train

Hey BD,

I have used spreadsheets to track nutrition, training routines, etc, over the last 8 months.

However now I have lost my 30kg and learnt how to run, ride and swim for distance - I want to change my focus AWAY from weight loss (while still losing some) and toward performance.

So in putting together the attached plan, I have:
Included a table on the first worksheet for tracking times for run, cycle and swim sessions
Calculated a daily and weekly avg nutritional requirements
Built a nutrition plan that tracks my macros and includes WAY more food than I was eating (I changed macros from 40\40\20 to 15(P)\55(C)\30(F) )
Built a strength program that is very high rep counts and utilises strategies I have read about for training endurance athletes (not Body Builders)
Built an endurance cycling, running and swimming training plan.

The point is - I have completely changed my approach to food and strength training.

Care to cast an eye over it?

In true analyst style - my spreadsheet is pretty complex and I didn't put any notes on.

NOTE - I cannot attach spreadsheets. So if you are interested in having a look and giving some advice - I have to email it. (will email to anyone interested. It is a cool spreadsheet!).

I just figured out how to put the spreadsheet online with google docs

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...0Jg&output=xls

Nice work... plenty of effort has gone into that and no doubt underlies the great success your have experienced in achieving your goals.

I may be boring, but I love a good spreadsheet!

Yeah _ I reckon success began the day I made weight loss an academic experience (learning and doing my own routines, etc).

I have a couple of degrees and am an academic at heart.

What I love about spreadsheets is that Tacit knowledge can be transitory. That is - what you learn from reading without experiencing is the first thing you forget. So a good spreadsheet\documented plan can include what you learnt so you don't forget it while gaining the experience.

Still interested in feedback though on the changes to nutrition (by eating lots more), changes to weight training (by focusing on lower weight\higher rep and independant arm\leg movements) and tracking of improvements on cardio activities.

Nice spreadsheet. Congrats on your weight loss too.

Interesting to see your diet. I can't believe how little you are eating! If I ate that little and did as much excercise as you I reckon I'd lose 20KG in the space of 2 months

Originally Posted by Gav

Nice spreadsheet. Congrats on your weight loss too.

Interesting to see your diet. I can't believe how little you are eating! If I ate that little and did as much excercise as you I reckon I'd lose 20KG in the space of 2 months

Really?

That diet has a big increase in food over what I eat at present. I currently do about 80% of the exercise in the spreadsheet. I am just ramping it up a bit and taking a competitive aspect by improving times. Plus a COMPLETE change to my workout regime (always 3 times per week though).

I get hungry alot though.

And frequenty wonder how much of my slowness is from me being a beginner or me having constantly depleted glycogen stores.

I have't heard from the body doc yet but I love the leg routie.

I just did it to experiment with light weights.

Hi ClownBoy,
That is a very interesting spreadsheet. Sorry I can not really help you with any training advice as I am new to all this, but I do have a few questions.

In the Nutrition tab, you seem to have left out the PWO nutrition from the totals, so your actual total Protein value should be around 150g when your protein shake is included.

In the nutrition tabs, are they grams of protein/carbs/fat you have listed? You then times Protein & Carbs*4, and Fat*9, is this a conversion from grams to calories or am I misreading it? If that is a conversion is that just a rule of thumb on how to calculate Protein intake into calories?

Also, you seem to have Running using 13 calories a minute, swimming using 5 calories a minute, cycling using 8 calories a minute. Is this based on a hard run compared to a leisurely swim? I was under the impression swimming could burn many more calories than running. (http://www.neversaydiet.com/tools/ca...ned-calculator)

Your Required Calories is the calculated nutritional requirements -500, if you are aiming to not be losing much weight now, and just improving performance, is aiming for a 500 calorie a day deficit too much? Wouldn't that have a significant impact on performance as you would be hurting your recovery times?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks for posting that up, its interesting to see what intense training is needed to compete in a triathlon!

Hi Maffu,

Thanks for showing an interest. The routine is working well. I have some problems with adherence for swimming in the evenings thanks to my wife's late shifts (we have a son) but am sticking to it on the whole.

My running is improving to 6.3 minutes per km over 16.5kms. Swimming I am now close to 40 mins for 1500m

In response to your points - see below:

Originally Posted by maffu

In the Nutrition tab, you seem to have left out the PWO nutrition from the totals, so your actual total Protein value should be around 150g when your protein shake is included.

I will check the spreadsheet when I get home however I believe it is doing the calculations correctly. It is possible I made a mistake and fixed it already in my live copy. Thanks for the heads up.

Originally Posted by maffu

In the nutrition tabs, are they grams of protein/carbs/fat you have listed? You then times Protein & Carbs*4, and Fat*9, is this a conversion from grams to calories or am I misreading it? If that is a conversion is that just a rule of thumb on how to calculate Protein intake into calories?

That is the formal rule as far as I know (to convert grams to calories). I have always understood carbs and proteins to be 4 calories per gram and fat to be 9 calories per gram. With the exception of alcahol carbs which are 6 cals per gram.

I could include a link but people talk about it everywhere - let me know if you would like some form of confirmation.

Originally Posted by maffu

Also, you seem to have Running using 13 calories a minute, swimming using 5 calories a minute, cycling using 8 calories a minute. Is this based on a hard run compared to a leisurely swim? I was under the impression swimming could burn many more calories than running. (Calories burned calculator tool | Never Say Diet)

I am off to read your link after posting this. However I used the following:
For an easy activity assign 3-5 cals a min
Moderate activity 6-10 cals a min
Hard activity 11-15 cals a min

and then guessed which training is at each level. More on this at the next question.

Originally Posted by maffu

Your Required Calories is the calculated nutritional requirements -500, if you are aiming to not be losing much weight now, and just improving performance, is aiming for a 500 calorie a day deficit too much? Wouldn't that have a significant impact on performance as you would be hurting your recovery times?

Figuring out the calories you eat and the calories you burn is a softly, slowly type science. I was increasing the food I eat and therefore researched plenty about how to work out input calories and output calories.

In the end, I chose to construct a perfect day diet that maintained a defecit according to the 'science'. I then saw how it affected me. By eating close to the 'perfect day' diet and adding some treats here and there, plus energy gels during endurance training, I am maintaining weight loss of a couple of hundred grams per week.

I think this means I am about spot on the money for what I should be eating - although I know I need a few more carbs on my big cardio days when I hit around 5 hours of training in the day.

So by calculating a diet that has a deficit of 500 cals for me was the right thing to do because it influenced me to a semi-relaxed eating regime that does what I want - even though I have no idea of what my 'real' and incalculable calorie deficit is. Did that make sense?

Originally Posted by maffu

Sorry for all the questions, thanks for posting that up, its interesting to see what intense training is needed to compete in a triathlon!

Like I said, thanks for the interest. The regime is really working wonders. I have made some changes, listed below, but am still having fun so I assume that I am not overtraining.

Changes:
Instead of 1hr gym and a 5km jog on Mon, Wed, Fri - I do 2 hours gym. The extra time lets me do up to 25reps on exercises to increase power endurance. I also added some circuit training. Maybe not good for body building but it does work for training endurance.

On my run day (tuesdays) I added some cycling for days when I am not trying for a new PB (always go for PBs when fresh so you don't rip yourself off!). So I ride to my sister's house (25km) then run (12-15km) and then ride to work and ride home (35km). It makes it a big day but in any triathlon event I wil always be tired before I even begin the run.

On my cycle day (Thursdays) I threw Mt Cootha out the window and train on relatively flat territory (60km+ route ending at work, 35km home). My cycling events are flatish so I train the same. There are lots of hills but nothing mountainish.

Great spreadsheet!
Has motivated myself to start one.
Probably not as detailed though!!

Good work and thanks for posting
Gb

Originally Posted by gymbunny87

Great spreadsheet!
Has motivated myself to start one.
Probably not as detailed though!!

Good work and thanks for posting
Gb

I find it really motivating. I have been updating it as well - changes to routines, PBs, etc. So I can upload a new copy but all of the formulas are the same so feel free to steal away.

On being detailed though - my sister reckons we should form a competing team called 'Team OCD'!

Originally Posted by ClownBoy

On being detailed though - my sister reckons we should form a competing team called 'Team OCD'!

Haha - its a little bit like that isnt it!!

Thanks for the answers ClownBoy, I learnt plenty.

Such well planned training and nutrition schedules are something I will definitely have to learn more about.

I had not heard of the Protein and Carbs * 4 and Fat *9 for calories before, so I will check that out, I also did not know how to calculate a rough amount of calories burnt from different types of exercise so that was interesting as well.

Goodluck with the training!

Originally Posted by maffu

I had not heard of the Protein and Carbs * 4 and Fat *9 for calories before, so I will check that out, I also did not know how to calculate a rough amount of calories burnt from different types of exercise so that was interesting as well.

This is the full formula

1.)Determine your RMR (resting metabolic rate) by multiplying body weight (in pounds) by 10!
Body weight X 10= RMR
that’s the number of calories it takes to maintain your body all day like breathing, making new blood cells, and keep everything running good! It can use as many as 75% of your calorie to maintain!

2.)Then determine how many calories needed for your workout!
For an easy activity assign 3-5 cals a min
Moderate activity 6-10 cals a min
Hard activity 11-15 cals a min

Multiply the assigned cals a min by how long you worked out that gets you your workout energy expenditure!

3.) you need to find out your daily energy expenditure, which is hard to do it involves your age activity level, sex, size weight, and more. But to give you an idea you can use and move around and play with to make it work right for you!

If your sedentary most the day other than your workout add 20-40% of your calculated RMR
If your moderately active add 40-60% of your RMR
If your very active add 60-80% of your RMR

Active percent X rmr =daily activity calories!

ex. .60X 1600= 960 daily activity cals

4.) add all the answers up and that gets your requirements for the day! Then decide whether you wanna bulk or cut and add or subtract!!

An example (using my data) is as follows:

1.) 104kg x 2.2 = 228 pounds = RMR of 2280 cals

2.)Workout figures are too complex to do here right now but you saw them in the spreadsheet

3.) I am an office worker (sedentry) so
2280 x 20%-40% = 456 - 912 cals

4.) 2280 + 456 + workout cals = an approximate minimum cals expenditure
2280 + 912 + workout cals = an approximate maximum cals expenditure.

Where you do in that minimum-maximum bracket depends on your knowledge of how your own body works and experimentation.