So the next stage in training is the one after I come back from Costa Rica. Things are still up in the air with regards to how long it’ll be… there are a lot of things that will determine that… will I have a job at Rogers? Will I have time off between Contract and Full Time? Even if I do have the time off, will I have sufficient money to be able to pay for the trip? Many questions left unanswered at the present moment.
But – in any case… let’s assume Stage 3 of training is going to go from Jan 4 through early April. That gives me another 3 months of mostly uninterrupted training – it’ll have to be interrupted in late Feb when I move into the loft.
As discussed a while back, since I’m going to be snowboarding (hopefully a lot) come Jan/Feb, it’ll be stupid for me to entertain a mass gain cycle… that’ll have to come after April…
So my goals for that period should resonate around maintaining the fat loss (especially after whatever I may gain in Costa Rica), and then maintenance and posture.
I think my goal of 20% bf is entirely reachable by Dec 23… in fact, I think I’ll be able to achieve it by next week. If I really focus, maybe I’ll be able to go a bit lower than that, but I’m going to take it one step at a time – no getting ahead of myself 
OK – so back on track… goals for Stage 3… well, as discussed, I’m still going to be quite active next stage, so mass gain is out. Also – it’ll be a transition period. Having made 20% bf, I’ll need to push forward and prove I can continue / maintain… so here’s what I’m thinking:
- Continue cutting. Goal 15% (loss of 10lbs) – Stretch Goal 12% (loss of 15lbs)
- Minimum weight = 160lbs. I don’t want to go lower than 160lbs. There’ll be nothing left of me at that point. I’ll be too skinny. 12% bf would level me off at 160lbs
- Continue to 15 / 12% and when there, start a maintenance phase which would include a posture improvement section
Timing wise, if I can get to 15% (12%) by end of Feb, that’ll be a nice transition for me moving into my loft. That’d give me 8 weeks of training. At about 2lbs per week, that’d allow me to lose 16lbs – in line with the goal of 12%. Then – once I’ve moved into the loft, I can start training at my new gym (wherever that may be), have a personal trainer who can help me with determining what to do about posture for the month of March, before I leave for my potential holiday… and when I come back, start more of a mass gain cycle.
That sound good… so a brief summary:
- Jan – Feb: lose 5-8% bodyfat / weight in region 160-165lbs
- Mar: move to new gym, have personal trainer, focus on maintenance and posture
- April: holiday
- Mid-April: Stage 4 – move into mass gain