Apologies for my lack of posts in the past few days… it’s been getting quite intense on this end.
I decided to wind down. Too much was happening. Primarily I wasn’t able to concentrate on much else other than the loft. Something had to quit. I quit meditation a week or two ago, and the gym just needed to end – for a while. Too much to cope with.
So – this is planned… the absence from posting, etc… although I will admit that I’m trying to keep nutrition at a reasonable level. Sure, it’s not A+ right now, but neither is it full of lemon meringue.
So – an update… I had my consultation with Extreme Fitness yesterday. That was an eye opener. Truly. I didn’t realize it was going to be a personal training session, albeit a body weight one. I am in pain today. My legs primarily hurt like ffing hell. Which opened my eyes. I have been working out under the presumption that because I had a personal trainer way back when, I’d remember how to maintain form, etc… turns out that presumptions isn’t quite valid. I had to be corrected on a number of levels yesterday, and it HURT. Like hell. But that’s good… I think.
I also learnt something that surprised the hell out of me: I’m at 13% bodyfat!!!! Yeah – that bears repeating – I’m at 13% bf. I’ve reached my goal. Wow. That was a shock to the system.
But that was also tempered with the fact that I’m now underweight for someone of my age, size and height. I’m like – d’uh! Of course. Apparently the average should be 180-195lbs. And apparently that’s now my goal! Interesting.
So I learnt a lot. What’s interesting are the next steps… they (of course) recommended a personal training plan, but I saw through the whole strategy. I saw it for what it was… and to be honest, I can feel the value in it. That’s not me rationalizing. Because working out with a trainer is going to be an intensely painful experience, so I’m not going to jump on that bandwagon without serious commitment of consideration.
So I’m thinking about it… if I wanna commit, I can do so this weekend. Then I can get my nutrition plan worked out next week, to start the following week, which’ll mark the start of Phase 4 of training, which – in the words of Jason, the cute consultant (there had to be something more for me in it right eh 
) – I’ll be in a conditioning phase which is preparing my body. That’ll last about 10-12 weeks, which’ll take me right up to Peru. After that I’ll be in a muscle development phase which should take me to Newfoundland. Here’s hoping.
So it works… it fits in, and it makes sense. But it’ll require a bit commitment from me – both financially, motivationally… I’ve done it before, albeit not to this extent. So I’m still learning. And I’m willing to push it.
The goals Jason set for me are quite intense… 20lbs of muscle, 1lb of fat to be gained over the next 6 months. That’s intense. Amazing as a goal, but intense. That’ll take me to about 180/185lbs. I told him – and will maintain on this site – that my goal is to be between 170-180lbs. I think that’s more realistic. But if I can get more, I’m never going to say no. But I need to be realistic, and set realistic goals.
So that’s where I am right now… big changes in life. Fortunately work’s remaining steady (I got a full time job offer, which secures this position for a reasonable amount of time). But gym, nutrition, commute, living, etc… all of that’s changing drastically, as well as a potential love interest too… So everything’s evolving quite rapidly right now, and it’s a lot. But at the same time it isn’t. The loft is exciting… the changes in lifestyle and routine are going to be wild, but doable, enjoyable and they’ll need to be sustainable. If there are huge changes happening, I can take that opportunity and make the most of it – aka a new training / nutrition plan, one that’s likely more intense than I’ve ever had before. Now’s the time.
So this will all mark the start of Phase 4 of my training… here’s it at a high level:
- Taking this week and next week off from the gym
- Get a trainer this weekend for training and nutrition
- Next week, work with the trainer to define optimal nutrition plan
- Week after – aka March 8 – phase 4 will start with training with the trainer
- Phase 4 will go until Peru, which is May 28 – that gives 12 weeks to that phase
- From the goals set with Jason, it’s looking like a gain of 10-15lbs during that time period. I’m going to take it easy and say a goal of 8-10lbs for those 12 weeks, which still equates to a pretty intense 1lb a week!
What I’m also considering right now, is a test… take the personal training on to begin with, and see where it goes. If it’s valuable, then invest more. If it’s not – aka I am not maintaining the nutrition plan, or if it’s too much – then pull back and review choices and refocus. That’s fine. We’ll see. This is a big chance.
I would love to say that I’m excited for Phase 4 of training, especially considering that Phase 3 has been successfully accomplished and rocks… but all my excitement is focussed towards the loft right now, and there’s not much room left to be excited about anything else! For now. We’ll see where I am after the weekend. Bring it on.