Easy Strength for Fat Loss Program Review and Results

Here is my detailed review of what I did and what my results are. When I thought through doing Easy Strength for Fat Loss, I would have liked to see a review like this. 

The Easy Strength plan is to do 2 sets of 5 exercises 3-5 days per week for 40 workouts. The secret is that you never goal to failure and do just enough to nudge your strength up gradually. The main adjustments "for Fat Loss" include adding 5 sets of 15 Kettlebell swings and 1 hour of walking or cycling on a fan bike (Airdyne).

What I did

Warm-up (5 Goblet Squats/5 Push-ups/2:00 on Airdyne for 2 rounds)

Kettlebell Press 2x5

Pull-ups or Hangs (I hung for 30 seconds for 2 rounds. Every 4th day, I did 3 sets of 3 pull-ups. Dan John recommended this to help protect your elbow. I didn't want to get Middle-Aged Pull-up Syndrome again--I've had it twice.)

Staggered Stance Romanian Deadlift 2x5 with each leg

Ab Wheel Rollouts 1 set of 10

Carry 1 set (I did farmer's carry one day, suitcase the next, and waiter's walk the last)

Kettlebell Swings 5x15

Airdyne 30:00 (I did a pace that kept my heart rate at 120 beats per minute. This was easy enough for the talk test, but not slow.)

I did this for 40 workouts. I added the swings and Airdyne at the end to try and lost some weight. I am 10 lbs from my goal, and that was designed to help with that. Dan says to walk or Airdyne for an hour at the end of the workout, but I couldn't do that. 

I got extra sleep during this program and cut out snacking after dinner (my snacks were usually Cosmic Crisp apples before this program).

Results

Starting weight: 167.0

Finishing weight: 166.8

Starting waist: 91.8

Finishing waist: 90.2

My lifts went through the roof. My pull-ups were easy. My deadlifts are much better. My undershirts don't fit the same in my shoulders, but my other measurements didn't change. 

I hadn't shot my compound bow since starting Easy Strength, and when I got it out, I thought it was broken because it was so easy. 

My Reflections

• It was monotonous. I hated doing the same exact workout for two months. It was boring. I got results, though. There is a trade off. 
• When I went back to my regular training, I got super sore and struggled with a few movements because I hadn't been training with any variety. Front Squats made me sore for 3 days, and I almost pulled a muscle doing them with a sandbag. I prefer variety of movements so that I feel ready for anything. If you do Easy Strength, plan to ease back into movements like Front Squats.
• I do notice that I busted through a few plateaus on my strength. 
• I wanted to get stronger in the Overhead Press. I didn't get a lot stronger there, but I did get stronger. 
• I feel much stronger and much more knit together. 
• My sleeves filled out a little. My hamstrings are rock hard. That is a fun side benefit.
• I didn't lose the weight that I wanted to lose. It seems, though, that I lost some fat and gained some muscles because of how my body changed. I wonder if the program will show the most gains for someone who has a lot of body fat to lose.
• I suspect the added muscle will help me lose that last bit of fat. I think it will just take more perseverance in doing good workouts. My main goal is for my waist to be half my height so that I am healthy for the long term.