Week 37 was a very positive week in terms of my gym attendance. Unless there is a very exceptional reason, I always stick to my pre-planned schedule and work on what I’ve set out to improve and the first step of it all is actually turning up!
My overall goals are to return to my lowest bodyfat percentage of 6.2%, although my actual goal for the year was 7% or less and even though I’ve hit and surpassed that already, it’s another thing maintaining it!
Below is a diary of how I trained for Week 37:
Mon 8th – Gym (Arms & Abs)
Tue 9th – Gym (Legs)
Wed 10th – Rest Day
Thur 11th – Gym (Shoulders)
Fri 12th – Gym (Chest & Abs)
Sat 13th – Rest Day
Sun 14th – Gym (Arms & Abs)
I think what’s key is not only attending and working extremely hard on your desired muscle group for that day but also ensuring that your protein intake is spot on.
The real achievement over this past week was upping my protein intake successfully by having chicken 3 times per day. Last Sunday night I roasted a large whole chicken, boxed it up and took some to work with me. When I ran out I’d roast another. I’d also have my usual daily protein shake on top of these chicken meals.
As a result of this increase in protein, as well as my continued effort of pushing myself to the maximum at the gym, my weight increased and my body fat percentage dropped:
End of Wk 36 – 129.2lbs / 7.9 BF%
End of Wk 37 – 130.0lbs / 7.6 BF%
Don’t get me wrong, there is some effort (and cost!) involved in roasting a whole chicken every 3-4 days (especially when you don’t get to enjoy it hot!) but it is well worth it. I’ve gained almost 1 pound in muscle and lost .3% bodyfat all in 7 days as a result of this increase in protein.
As far as weight-gain goes, I’m very pleased I’m now putting on weight because it’s in muscle, not fat. At the end of the day, the training is about being healthier and looking better.
This week my aim is to continue to with this increased protein diet and work even harder at the gym and I’ll look forward to the results.
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Everybody has good days and bad days in life in general, how do you keep yourself motivated on bad days?
Good question! It’s not always easy but since I’ve really got into this I can ignore the voices in my head much better than I used to i.e. “just leave it for tonight, go straight home” – I guess if you know your goal and are determined enough, every day will be a motivational day. Sometimes I speak to others who are going for similar goals and they provide extra support 🙂
I must admit I’d never paid attention to my protein intake (as such) as I’m blessed with not gaining weight overall, but breaking things down in terms of body fat % ( & not just weight in general ) is what it’s about…
Are there any alternatives to chicken as a protein source..? 🙂
There are so many protein sources Charlie. If you’re a meat-eater, beef and lamb contain major amounts of protein. Check out the recipes as most contain plenty to supplement your diet.
Nice abs!
haha thank you Anna
Thank you 🙂
Show off :p. least you know all your hard work has paid off xD.
Hard work is what it’s all about Lee, without it you’re limiting what you’re capable of.
Incidentally, how do you accurately measure your bodyfat percentage?
I know there’s basic devices like calipers to “pinch” the body(fat) at certain points, or even more complex water displacement techniques..?!
There’s even a very crude equation based on BMI, age & gender I believe (which gave me 18%!!)
Good question! I tried the callipers but they showed very low scores that even I didn’t quite believe. The scales showed more realistic, even higher results than expected but I stuck to that and used it as a guide.
how long did it take you to get into that shape?
Well I weighed 20 pounds more about 2 years ago, and since changing the diet and training hard, it’s brought me to this point Harvey