Dear ITF Update

Dear ITF Update,

It's the moment so many have been waiting for (specifically, my Loyal Reader): time for my you, ITF Update. Time to let everyone out there know what's up with my genius creation that shall be sweeping the nation as a get-fit sensation: the Iso-Tensile Flexion System (ITF). Without further ado, then, my you:

It's been 24 days. 24 straight days of two-minute workouts - every day. I haven't missed a single workout so far, as part of my grand plan to do 30 days of ITF to see if there is any sort of merit whatsoever to my idea. So the big question that my Loyal Reader wants to have answered in this you is "is it working?" "Does ITF make me buff?" That question may not be as easy to answer as it may seem, but I will do my best.

The first thing I can say is that I have gained a little weight (maybe two or three pounds). Now, most people in today's world would misconstrue that as a true indication that ITF has failed me - for so many fools out there confuse "losing weight" with "getting in shape." Not so. For, as we all know, muscle weighs much more than fat does. Therefore, if somebody is losing their body fat while getting stronger - they will, in fact, GAIN weight, even if they are getting in much better shape. Or, perhaps, there may be no fat lost, but still muscle built, which would again result in a weight-gain. In this situation, I don't particularly believe that I have gotten any fatter (although I did just have a Spring Break vacation to Hawaii that had some fine dining at its center). That's something hard to gauge with a simple mirror-test, but I don't believe that I LOOK like I've gained any fat-weight, so my theory is that this particular weight-gain is representative of increased muscle mass (especially considering I have not had any significant weight-gain in YEARS, in spite of changes in diet, activity levels, etc.).

The rest is a lot harder to say with any sort of certainty. I cannot MEASURE my buff-ness by any scientific method. Since I see myself every day, it is hard for me to compare my present level of ripped-ness to my previous state of 24 days ago (besides, I had been pretty active at that point, so it wasn't like I was totally out of shape). All that said, my biceps - for sure - have gotten bigger and more defined. This makes sense, since they're not a muscle I would have been using with any regularity for anything (biceps are probably some of the most useless muscles to any sort of real athletic endeavour in the body) beforehand, so it makes sense that my random use of them in the course of ITF has gotten them going a little bit.

I would also say that I have some more definition in my shoulder muscles and back, but I also got quite a bit darker from my stint in Hawaii, which can convey a sense of buff-ness that wouldn't be as noticeable when pale and pasty. So that's hard to say, as well.

My gut, however, tells me there have been changes. I didn't do a "Before" and "After" photo simply because I would have felt like way too much of a jack-ass taking said pictures and having them around anywhere that another human being could get at them, so we'll have to leave the true scientific determinance of change to a study of SOMEBODY ELSE. But I do think it has made a difference.

For one, I have improved in my ability to DO ITF. It's not an easy thing to do, and it has become relatively easier since I started. Of course, as it gets "easier" for me, I am able to flex harder and longer, so it doesn't FEEL much better - I just can do it more "properly" the longer I do it, which is a good sign. It's also a good sign for ITF as a fad exercise - since it continues to be challenging, even after much "practice."

And that's pretty much all the you I have for right now, ITF Update. 24 days isn't THAT long, and I have all those aforementioned difficulties in pure judgement of my progress, so there isn't much more to say. It is unfortunate that I won't see any of my immediate family members in the near future, because they saw me last right at the start of my ITF training, and could thus say with more certainty whether or not I have had any noticeable physical changes. Oh, well. I'll just keep it up and keep checking in, and maybe I'll be able to come up with a more definite conclusion (and evidence) at the end of the 30 days.

Until then, that's my you, ITF Update, and I hope my Loyal Reader enjoyed it.

Wondering What a "Before" Photo Would Have Looked Like,
CVT

*Side-note: in the process of writing this letter, I learned that the acronym "ITF" has already been taken by the International Taekwon-do Federation. Luckily, THEY don't seem to be sweeping the nation as a passing (yet profitable) fad, so I'm not too worried about that getting in my way. Besides, if I stole their acronym without their permission and they got upset about it, what could any of them POSSIBLY do to hurt me?