All right...the talking phase is over...the planning is wrapped up too. It's time to get into the zone...BEAST MODE as Sagi, my new personal trainer is fond of saying.
The Body Beast program is divided into three phases.
The first is a 3 week long "Build" phase, which focuses on using synergistic muscle groups to build a solid foundation for the rest of the program. The Day 1 work out is Chest
& Triceps. Nothing fancy, chest flies...chest press. Incline
flies, incline flies, decline push ups. Close grip push ups. One arm
tricep kick backs, dips, two hand tricep press with some in and outs
thrown in for good measure. Giant sets, super sets, drop sets. I felt good through out the work out...conditioned enough to stand up to it with PLENTY of room to grow. I finished with a fantastic pump and a positive attitude about Day 2....Legs. *shudder*
This phase also emphasizes the importance of nutrition. To get big you gotta EAT big...like 3,000 calories per day per the Body Beast formula. These calories will be divided into a 25% protein, 50% carb, 25% fat ratio. The program also includes some heavy supplementing. I'll write more about those later.
Post work-out supplement shake: 1 scoop Fuel Shot, 1 scoop whey protein, 3/4c water, 1/2c unsweetened apple juice. ~360 calories.
Breakfast: 1/2c Grapenuts, 1c Almond milk, 1/4c fat free cottage cheese, 3 boiled eggs and a 1c unsweetened apple juice. ~570 calories.
Lunch: 4oz grilled tilapia, 1/2c no fat cottage cheese, 1c peas, 1c spinach, 1/2 baked potato, 1c unsweetened apple juice, 18 unsalted almonds. ~600 calories
Dinner: 1 chicken breast, 1/4c ferro, 1c unsweetened apple sauce, 1/2 baked potato, 1/2c steamed broccoli, 1c 1% milk, 1/2c sliced pineapple. ~720 calories.
After dinner snack: 1/4c Grapenuts, 1c Almond milk, 1/2c fat free cottage cheese, 12 unsalted almonds, 2 Tbsp peanut butter ~515 calories.
I'm headed to bed tired...but not overly sore. We'll see what tomorrow brings with the Legs work out...it's never been one of my favorites. Hehehe.
I've spent a lot of time over the last year putting my body through SERIOUS high intensity cardio workouts. With P90X, I've also done what I would consider to be a moderate amount of weight lifting. I've built a relatively lean body...but I'd like to put on more muscle.
To do so in what I hope will be an effective manner, I've decided to do HARD CORE weight lifting with Sagi Kalev and his Body Beast program for the next 90 days.
I'll also be doing hard core EATING. I've conditioned myself to consume between 1,200 and 1,600 calories a day. Using the formula provided with this program, I've determined that I'll need to consume 3,000 calories per day.
THAT is going to take a) some getting used to and b) some smarts about eating the RIGHT things...at the right time. Fortunately, the Book of Beast covers all of that. I spent the day yesterday figuring out what I'll be eating and when. I also bought the required food for the first couple of weeks of the program. I'll be supplementing heavily too. I plan to write up a post about nutrition and supplements later in the program but for now, suffice it to say I'm going to be eating A LOT.
I'm also going to be staying focused on my goals for this program. First, I will put on at least 10 pounds of muscle. Second, I will lower my body fat index from 12% to 10% or lower. Third, and most importantly, I will keep a positive attitude, I will work HARD, and I will NOT quit.
Now for the point in the program everyone dreads. The "before" pictures. The camera doesn't lie...and the images in the pictures don't change without commitment and hard work.
Tomorrow morning....Build Phase - Chest & Triceps. Let's get started!!
90 days until Christmas....90 days to work on building the best gift I can think of to myself...a stronger, leaner, more muscular and fit body. But first, the story from the beginning.
It was Christmas 2011 when this picture was taken....the effect it had on me was PROFOUND. Who IS that fat guy looking into the camera?! That can't possibly be ME?! I'm not fat. I've NEVER been fat. Well, the camera didn't lie. It WAS me. And I WAS fat. 204 pounds...I'd always carried myself at a lean and fit 170 pounds.
I decided then and there that change...REAL change...was overdue. I bought P90X and got to work.
Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm to begin I neglected the most important aspect of bringing about change. NUTRITION. I didn't miss a single work out...but I didn't focus on nutrition. I finished at 186....down only 18 pounds in 90 days. I was very disappointed by what I saw in the mirror and knew where I'd gone wrong. I was going to have to face down nutrition....study it...understand it...and then step up and and CHANGE my attitude towards food and rid myself of all of my bad eating habits once and for all.
Not one to give up, I decided to keep going and this time give more focus to nutrition. I bought Insanity and set to work. I made it about a month into the program when my gall bladder died. The resulting surgery to remove the faulty organ slowed me down for awhile...probably a month. I spent the down time studying nutrition and brewing up a SERIOUS intensity to get back to it...and to do it RIGHT. After being given clearance from the surgeon, I tore back into Insanity while also being diligent about my nutrition. I found that MyFitnessPal was an invaluable tool for helping me stay accountable to myself. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to take control of their nutrition once and for all. I wrapped up Insanity at
170 pounds! I looked better...but more importantly, I FELT better. Physically better...mentally BETTER. I felt like "myself" again and I was hooked on living a more active fit lifestyle.
Next up, I tackled The Asylum - Volume 1. That program is a SERIOUS physical and mental challenge and I loved every minute of it. Shaun T. knows how to motivate...how to push...how to engage...how to convince you to step beyond your comfort zone and truly dig DEEPER. It was an amazeballs experience to wrap up that program confident...strong...and a SUPER lean 164 pounds! I'd managed to lose 40 pounds in a year. It was a phenomenal experience.
In March of this year, I was diagnosed with skin cancer on my right shoulder...right on the trap muscle. On the advice of the dermatologist, I elected to have Mohs surgery to give myself the best shot at a "once and done" fix for my cancer problem. The good news? The surgery was a success and the cancer was fully removed. The bad news? I was left with a surgical incision 4 inches long and between 1/2" and 3/4" deep right on top of my right trap muscle. Small price to pay, I suppose, but recovery from that wound DEFINITELY got in the way of my working out. By the time I got the all clear from the doctors, I'd ballooned up to 187 pounds again.
In July, I tackled a P90X/Insanity hybrid for 90 days. I just wrapped it up and I'm back to a leaner 170 pounds with an estimated body fat of 12%. I feel like myself again....and I'm ready for the next challenge!!
