40 Day Body Outcomes

Five males and three females with varying body compositions and fitness levels took part in the 'Naked Eight' experiment. All successfully completed the 40 Day Body programme.

Over the first week, the eight volunteers were given three hours of education and the 40 Day Body prescriptive progamme that includes all the necessary information to implement the full programme:-

• Low Carbohydrate / High Fat (LCHF): Participants were given 10 nutritional prescriptions.
• Progressive exercise sessions consisting three prescriptive exercise sessions per week. A progressive training programme using the principles Minimum Effective Dose (MED).
• Improving sleep, including the best tips and tricks were taught to ensure participants aimed for 7.5 to 9.0 hours of sleep per night. Ensurng 5-6 ninety minute sleep cycles per night and catching up with 26 minute naps if in sleep debt.
• Cold Thermogenesis (CT). After each of the three exercise sessions, the participants jumped into a bin or pool of water, temperature 5-15⁰ C (40-60⁰ F) for 15 minutes to induce optimal fat burning and future fat burning potential.

What was the percentage fat loss?

This graph above shows the Naked Eight reduced their body fat by 30%, whilst increasing lean mass by 2%. The improvement in body composition is supported by a 3% reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) and 2% improvement of waist to hip ratio.

How much weight did they lose & how much did their body composition change?

The graph above shows the Naked Eight lost on average, 4.0kg of fat and gained 1.7kg of muscle over the 40 days. That is a 1kg per week improvement in body composition, for six weeks straight!

Did exercise performance improve?

The graph above shows the Naked Eight improved exercise performance by at least 18% for power, muscular endurance, aerobic capacity and core strength. The greatest improvement was in core strength, with a 43% improvement in time holding the plank.

Did having goals and accountability work?

The self-set goals of 10-30% improvement appeared to drive success, with the graph below showing a collective loss of 33.2kg of fat, gain of 13.9kg of lean mass and reduction in actual percentage of body fat by 35%.

The main findings of the Naked Eight experiment can be summarised as:-

• LCHF nutritional intake was thought to account for 50% of the success. Following the 40 Day Body meal plan was reported to be easy, and everyone of the Naked Eight is going to keep to a lower carbohydrate intake. The take home message is – This is the most important element of the 40 Day Body programme.
• Cold Thermogenesis (CT) was estimated to account for 15% of the success. The main benefits reported were; waking up brown fat tissue to burn more fat and stress reduction from Wim Hof's breathing techniques. The take home message is – Get your bin cleaned out, get it filled with water, and in Wim Hof’s words 'Breath Mother f****r!'.
• The progressive exercise plan was thought to account for 15% of the success. What gets measured gets managed, so you could use the progression planner in the 40 Day Body fitness prescription when you sign up. The take home message is – Monitor your workouts and set small goals for improvement each session.
• Improving sleep habits were reported to account for 10% of the success. The Naked Eight were surprised by how much sleep is needed for optimal health. The take home message is – Aim to get 7.5 – 9.0 hours sleep a night and try catch up 26 minute naps if you are in sleep debt!
• Being in the Naked Eight group was estimated to account for 10% of the success. They defined this as an additional fifth pillar, ACCOUNTABILITY. The take home message is – If you are able to, sign up with a Naked Athlete buddy or group as this will provide you with additional accountability and help you achieve your goals.

CONCLUSION

The Naked Eight completed the 40 Day Body Programme and achieved:-

• 30% body fat reduction, whilst maintaining lean mass
• 20% improvement in overall fitness
• Feeling healthier on a daily basis, by reducing stress and digestion issues
• Activation of brown fat by the cold and becoming resilient in the face of a challenge