STICKING TO THE PLAN

I know I’ve missed a couple of weeks but I’m still here, still dieting and still training hard. The reason for my absence is down to plan old focusing on the task in hand and a few hiccups. Firstly I managed to trap some nerves and to put it mildly I was wailing like a baby. The pain was, well, painful and poor Dave almost had to carry me out of the gym. I can now proudly say that I’m 99.9% recovered as long as I stick to the rules. There are a few people out there who train hard and do not suffer any type of injury and they are lucky but my left shoulder is the bain of my training.  I put it down to two major accidents and the specialist stating that I have weak lower traps which I have been given exercises to do and once competition is over I will spend my time working on.

Secondly I have been very busy and really just needed to focus on my goal. Setting ourselves goals, whether they are long term or short term really need focus and determination. Whether you are implementing a new structure to your training plan, shifting a few pounds for holiday or just getting yourself into the routine of going to the gym are goals. To reach a goal you must have a plan because if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Each and every one of my 12 weeks leading to the competition is set out in a plan. Dave put this together for me in a little black book and I carry it around with me like a vicar with their bible. All too often people set themselves a goal such as making a sudden declaration they have gained far too much weight (I believe not enough people think this but that’s another blog update) and decide that they want to lose a stone or two in a couple of weeks and so cut everything out that they enjoy in their diet, go to the market to buy low fat this, low fat that, no fat, reduced calorie, declare from the roof tops that they are going to abstain from alcohol, no cake, no biscuits... la la la la  and only live on chicken and salad and fruit, loads and loads of fruit so it fills them up. I could go on but I think you get the drift and for these people they have all the good intentions of the world on day 1. Now by day five it’s all going downhill. They have already found the packet of biscuits in the back of the cupboard after an extra long double session of good old cardio at the gym and scoffed the lot before their gym bag has touched the ground, they had to have a bottle of wine with Sally when they meet up in the week as she had just broken up with so and so and you couldn’t let her drink alone. Excuses, excuses, excuses is all I hear but what makes me frustrated the most is that they didn’t put a plan in place because if they had they would have already given away any kind of treats in the house and arranged to meet Sally in a suitable place such as a coffee shop with some healthy snacks in the bag. Plus as a nice cup of black coffee would have the perfect thermogenic effect on her body. The weeks are going by and my body shape is getting leaner and people come up to me in the gym and ask me how I do it. So I tell them I have a plan and even though this plan to get stage ready is 12 weeks I actually started this plan 8 months ago. Even now I have a good idea of the plan I’m going to follow from September for the next 12 months thus getting me ready to compete again next year. I know those same people will come up to me again a few months either looking the same or bigger and complain again how they just can’t shift the weight. If you are one of those people who just can’t seem to shift the weight (excuse me please) but for fuck sake pull yourself together, get realistic and get yourself a plan. If you do not work in the fitness industry how the fuck are you supposed to know what to do, that is why every gym has something we call a Personal Trainer. They are there for a reason so get your podgy little finger on your latest wifi phone and look up for a well educated, well respected PT who is PICP qualified and even better Biosignature qualified too. (Go to www.charlespoliquin.com to locate your nearest PICP coach).

Even though I have a plan and a trainer to tell me what I need to be doing it’s not easy but that’s what I love about it the whole challenge because if it was easy then everyone would be in amazing shape eating nothing but organic foods.

Apart from my shoulder everything is coming along well but anxiety is creeping in. I’m determined to follow it all the way through and be at my best on stage. I’m still getting leaner every week, weight hasn’t changed that much and I have gained lean muscle mass and my strength is still increasing. Now that’s what happens when you follow a good plan put together by a well educated PICP personal training coach. I’m so lucky to have Dave Lewis from Upfitness (www.upfitness.co.uk) with me on this journey.

WHOSE HAREBRAINED IDEA WAS THIS!!

Here I am 7 weeks out and I’m going slightly loopy. Now dieting down for any type of competition where you have to parade around on stage in a bikini that would be more suited to a Las Vegas show girl flexing muscles that you have worked your butt off to achieve (literally worked your butt off!) is by no means easy. Nutrition is of high importance because if you don’t reach your protein goal http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/113/The_Protein_Goal_Diet.aspx and optimal nutritional intake you will lose focus, muscle mass and energy and this are the last thing that I want to lose. All the staff at work are very understanding; I’m able to eat my meals at the time that I need to. I don’t rely on bars or shakes as I prefer to eat real food as opposed to something that’s been man made with a whole load of other crap thrown in for good measure. People assume that because you lift weights to build muscle you drink and eat a whole load of protein with a few raw egg whites added in for good measure. Yes I do eat a higher amount of protein than say your average Josephine but that’s because I follow a Paleo diet and I follow the guide line for my weight and goal. Now the Paleo diet has a simple philosophy, “if it doesn’t swim, run, fly or isn’t green and grow in the ground then don’t eat it” or Jack Lalanne’s simple dietary prescription “if man made it, don’t eat it”. My diet is a variation of “Paleo-meets-sports nutrition”. Animal proteins are considered of higher quality than grain or vegetable proteins because they contain all the essential amino acids along with essential fatty acids in the proper portions and ratios that mother-nature intended.  I could go on and on about the current westernised diet but that’s not what I’m writing my blog for, I already know what I know and keep reading to learn more but, if you are interested about changing your physique, increasing life expectance, decreasing your chances of disease such as Cancer, Parkinson’s (which is a man made disease by the way) and being happier etc then have a read of the Paleo Diet by Dr Loren Cordain or do your research on sites such as Charles Poliquin and for you serious muscle heads the T-Nation website.

With dieting for body building shows it falls in to a different ball game and this week could be the changeover to fish and greens but I am praying to god that I can still be on a carb rotation due to the fact that I don’t think my colleagues can cope with me being anymore dippier than I already am. The reasons for the changes are for when body fat becomes low I need to consistently challenge my body so that body fat continues to drop to reach my on stage goal. Had my measurements taken today and I’m a very lean 8.3% BF. I know this is only short term, once the competition is over I’ll be heading up to my usual percentage. For all my female friends reading this I want to let you know that lower body fat% in females is not hormonally healthy and I do not advocate that anyone try to attain that lower percentage unless you are doing it for a sporting event and are under the guidance of a very well educated trainer. With my percentages dropping it is getting hard and harder by the week, even day by day. Even whilst I’m writing this blog I have a look of concentration on my face that is so focused that a naked man could run through the surgery and I wouldn’t notice. Ok I probably would but hey that’s never going to happen. Even yesterday whilst in the queue at the local Tesco’s I was surrounded by my favourite sweets and wine. Oh to have just one glass of wine right now would be blissful. I’d be pissed as a fart but very happy indeed.

This weekend I have been on a fantastic course with some great people. I have now completed my PICP Level 1 which is an additional notch to the belt for when I finish my personal training certificate. I was the only non PT on the course and I would like to say a big thank you to some of the boys who were very patient with me constantly asking questions. I have learnt so much that my already fried brain is a little bit more fried. I’ve learnt to differentiate strength qualities and the scientific basis to follow training loading parameters. I’ve also learnt manipulation of reps, sets, rest intervals and the science of tempo along with upper extremity structural balance lifts. There were a few interesting people on the course but since I have been sarcastic in all of my blogs so far I’ve decided for this part to change my attitude. Either that or I just don’t have the focus right now. (I’m sure it will be back!) Considering this course was partly in a class room, a lot of the time was in the gym (Fulham training ground and bloody hell they have a lot of good looking men there). I managed to find my 1 rep max on pull ups but for some insane reason I asked one of the strength coaches and friend if I could do an arm workout with them during our lunch break. WTF was I thinking, this was Derek Woodske who massively strong. Well Derek all I have to say is that two days later and my arms still feel pumped.

Over all I’m happy with my progress, yes the dieting is hard and train is requiring more mental focus and I love it. Today was legs, all weights have doubled since starting this program and I’m proud to say I didn’t cry. I had little hissy fit but I didn’t cry. A major achievement I think!!