July 26th,

So as of this past Sunday I have finally broke 20% body fat!! Just barely. This week I added in a little cardio, 3 days of a moderate 30 minutes, keeping my weight training about the same. But since I am participating in the Tough Mudder tomorrow, I only lifted 3 days this week, instead of my normal 5. For those who don't know, Tough Mudder is an ~11 mile race with around 18 obstacles throughout the route. Obstacles include jumping off 15+ foot ledges into water, barreling under barbwire through muddy trenches and getting electrocuted, slightly. So in preparation to complete this thing I have tapered out my training the last 2 days.

As of tomorrow I will be about 12 weeks away from the competition I would most like to compete in. However, there is one a week later and another one 3 weeks later incase I can't get ready in time. My goal for this week coming up is to add in more cardio, but add in some HIIT (high intensity interval training) and sticking to the diet. I'm contemplating doing a carb cycle (where you do 3 days low carb followed by 1 day high carb), but will probably wait to attempt that in a week or 2 after I make a quick trip home to Vermont to see my family. Traveling always makes it difficult on diet, especially when people don't understand how critical each meal can be when your training for something like this.

Well wish me luck at the Tough Mudder tomorrow!

Working it Out

For the last few weeks I have been working towards a new goal. I have had this image of becoming a fitness competitor in my head for well over a year now and realized that, no I'm not old, but I'm not getting any younger and the longer I put this off the more difficult it was going to be. I have been doing a lot of research and trying to determine the right macronutrient ratio, the right lifting split and the best way to get the most out of my cardio. I have determined I need to drop a few pounds and about 5%-8% body fat, which is going to be the real test of my capabilities. Yes, I have helped hundreds of people work on losing weight, and they have been successful, but this new trail I am embarking on is at a higher level that I am figuring out as I go.

The first week or so of my program I had a macronutrient balance of 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fats. I could not handle that, not enough carbs for me to function properly in society, meaning I was cranky due to the low blood sugar. So I switched my macro balance to 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fats which so far has been working wonderfully. My lifting split is pretty much a single muscle group each day, with a few days of HIIT. I'm trying not to do to much cardio first off so I don't run out of tricks in my bag later on down the road. I started taking creatine. Trying it out to see what happens to my body. After about a week I like what its done so far.

Now, after officially starting my program I have lost about 4 pounds but have not been able to break 20% body fat....stupid machine. I am using the hand help bodyfat measuring device, which can have a slight error to it, but I don't want to use that as an excuse as to why the body fat is not going down. I have definitely seen quite a difference visual as to the transformation my body has gone through, the definition in my arms are noticeable and my core is definitely slimmed down. I bought a skinfold caliper, which tends to be a bit more accurate when you have someone taking measurements who has some experience with them. Now to find someone who has experience with them.