Monday 6.04.12

Yesterday I started a nutrition challenge to shed this winter coat I have.  The challenge will run 13 weeks (through most of the summer up until Saturday 9-1-12) and will consist of the following:

• Pictures to be taken on day 1 and day 91, and those pictures will be posted here.
• 3 measurements taken on day 1, and then every Saturday to gauge progress.
• My eating plan will involve a mixture of intermittent fasting and carb/calorie cycling.  I will not be paleo exactly, but the emphasis will be on paleo and other "real" foods.
• 1 cheat meal will be allowed each week, but only if I "earned" it by showing measurable results.  Since this is a body fat and appearance based competition, than my body circumference measurements will be the gauge of my progress.  If I lose size, I get a cheat meal.  Not a cheat day, not a cheat 4-hour window where anything goes, just one cheat meal.
• Drink at least 1 gallon of water each day.
• Get in a minimum of 4 workouts each week.  Weights will be heavy (for me), along with conditioning work, to ensure that I don't burn muscle mass.
• Sleep 7 hours a night, which will be a big improvement from the  5-6 I currently get.

So pictures and measurements are done, and I'm two days in.  Following this plan a few years ago I was able to get almost-six-pack lean, and I'm hoping to get back there in 13 weeks, and then STAY there this time!.  I actually hope I can get there in 10 weeks, which is when my 35th birthday comes around.  I gotta go into "middle age" looking good, or at least better than I do now.

What I did today...

Warm Up:
- 500m Row
- GHD Sit Ups
- GHD Hip Extensions
- Pistols
- Handstand Push Ups
- Muscle Ups

Strength Work:
Front Squats (5's):
- 45x6
- 135x4
- 225x2
- 250x2- WTH.  I was supposed to hit 5 reps at this weight but I had nothing in the tank today and got really light headed on this set for some reason.
- 225x5
- 195x5

Press (5's):
- 45x6
- 95x4
- 135x2
- 165x5
- 145x7
- 125x9- Working on gripping the bar with my thumbs around the bar, rather than a false grip.  It feels awkward.

Conditioning:
 Five rounds for time of:
- 25 Push Presses at 95 lbs
- 50 Double Unders
Time:  9:10. 

The original workout called for 75 lbs but I decided to scale up to make it heavier.  The double unders were all unbroken except for one trip up in round 3.