I MADE THE 3 MONTH MARK BABY!
OK, just had to get that off my chest. :)
12 weeks in and I haven't taken a pic or updated since week 9 and to be honest, I wasn't too excited about taking the 3 month pic after the celebration 'binge' I went on over the weekend.
The past 3 weeks have seen little change in my training, however I did play around with my meal plans. Since I knew I wasn't taking any pics for several weeks, I thought that this was a good time to try a few things.
Showing posts with label Transformation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transformation. Show all posts
Before And After Progress - Week 9
In case you were wondering...my 16 week transformation is still going strong; In fact, it's been going GREAT GUNS and I've taken my training and diet up a notch!
Diet
Over the past 2 weeks I've been rejigging my diet by adding more calories to accommodate my heavier lifting. I've been getting the extra calories by increasing my fats and adding more oat bran throughout the day.
Training
Training hasn't changed too much except I've shortened my rest between sets and am now doing 5 exercises per body part. I've also locked into a 2 on 1 off, 3 on 1 off training split and that's been suiting my recovery perfectly. I'm training each body part every 6-7 days continuing to focus on compounds and body weight exercises.
I have started training abdominal infrequently and will be sticking to my '7 minute a week' ab program for the remaining 7 weeks.
Cardio
Still 20 minutes of bike at the end of my resistance training, though I've dropped it back to twice a week to accommodate my new weight training program.
To the pics.
The difference between Week 6 and Week 9 is AWESOME!
My goal over the past 3 weeks has been to add more size and tighten my mid-section and I've definitely achieved that!
My shoulders and chest are filling out and my traps have begun to show themselves from the front (finally).
Am very happy with the improvements and will be continuing the same program this week, however I'll be playing with my carbs some...so stay tuned to see how that works out!
CAUTION!
I thought I'd recap with a quick comparison between Week 1 and Week 9.
The week 1 image frightens children and small pets, so please have them look away now...
Let me know what you think in the comments below and please share my transformation update on twitter and facebook by military pressing the icons at the top of this post!
Thanks for reading.
Ben
Diet
Over the past 2 weeks I've been rejigging my diet by adding more calories to accommodate my heavier lifting. I've been getting the extra calories by increasing my fats and adding more oat bran throughout the day.
Training
Training hasn't changed too much except I've shortened my rest between sets and am now doing 5 exercises per body part. I've also locked into a 2 on 1 off, 3 on 1 off training split and that's been suiting my recovery perfectly. I'm training each body part every 6-7 days continuing to focus on compounds and body weight exercises.
I have started training abdominal infrequently and will be sticking to my '7 minute a week' ab program for the remaining 7 weeks.
Cardio
Still 20 minutes of bike at the end of my resistance training, though I've dropped it back to twice a week to accommodate my new weight training program.
To the pics.
The difference between Week 6 and Week 9 is AWESOME!
My goal over the past 3 weeks has been to add more size and tighten my mid-section and I've definitely achieved that!
My shoulders and chest are filling out and my traps have begun to show themselves from the front (finally).
Am very happy with the improvements and will be continuing the same program this week, however I'll be playing with my carbs some...so stay tuned to see how that works out!
CAUTION!
I thought I'd recap with a quick comparison between Week 1 and Week 9.
The week 1 image frightens children and small pets, so please have them look away now...
Let me know what you think in the comments below and please share my transformation update on twitter and facebook by military pressing the icons at the top of this post!
Thanks for reading.
Ben
Before And After Progress - Week 6 Pics
Week 6 of my before and after transformation journey has come and gone and I'm still going strong.
This week was a little tougher than the last few. It started out great, everything was on track and then POW, Thursday came around and I crashed hard!
I thought I was over trained (if you follow my facebook and twitter profiles, you may have noticed a few panic updates and questions), but my loss of appetite and lethargy turned out, thankfully, just to be tiredness.
I rested up Thursday night, ate as much as my appetite would allow and crashed out early. I woke up early feeling like a million bucks and my training and eating was right back on schedule for my arms and cardio session on Friday night.
Today's pics have blown me away...I'm serious. Again, I thought that there is no way I could be any bigger or sharper than Week 5, but wait till you see them!
Resistance Training:
5 days of gym in Week 6, still breaking up my body parts and using 75% compound exercises each workout.
Cardio:
Also in week 6 I've started onto the bike full time. An easy walk at the start of my training session on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes depending on my motivation and a solid high RPM 20 minutes at the end. I'm finding that the bike is really helping with my leg recovery as well and they are responding great.
Eating:
Still following the same meal plan as in Week 5, however I've increased my carb levels and fats slightly.
7-8 Meals a day in a variety of sizes and not force feeding. however since on many occasions I struggle to get in all of my food, I've begun timing myself to create a challenge to get my meal in. E.g I give myself 20 minutes to eat a meal (that might sound like a long time, but not if you're not hungry...).
Sleep:
I think my average is up to six and a half hours each night and Thursday was the consequence of that. Over the weekend I managed 8 hours each night and will try and lift my average to 7 hours a night this week.
To The Pics!
Looking at this week pic, my muscles appear to look a lot fuller (I also had a haircut). Hard to see if I'm any sharper from that image, but definitely a lot bigger and not any less sharper.
I think the problem with this pic is that I took it too close to having a meal, apparently I wasn't as watery in the morning (which makes sense), so I may go back to taking the pics at that time.
I'm happy with the progress over the week and this has shown me again that the hard work, eating, juggling schedules etc. is still paying off.
I posted that pic last week to show how I've grown out of what was my favorite t-shirt. Well, it looks like it's going into the rag bag for sure now!
Again, thank you for your support over the past few weeks and I hope you guys can stick with me for the next 10 (Wow...still 10 to go...). If you have any comments (come on, you're personal trainers!), please feel free to share them below and as always, if you enjoyed this article click the icons on the top to share on Facebook and Twitter.
Train Hard!
Ben
The My Business Is Fitness Journey So Far:
Week 1
Week 4
Week 5
This week was a little tougher than the last few. It started out great, everything was on track and then POW, Thursday came around and I crashed hard!
I thought I was over trained (if you follow my facebook and twitter profiles, you may have noticed a few panic updates and questions), but my loss of appetite and lethargy turned out, thankfully, just to be tiredness.
I rested up Thursday night, ate as much as my appetite would allow and crashed out early. I woke up early feeling like a million bucks and my training and eating was right back on schedule for my arms and cardio session on Friday night.
Today's pics have blown me away...I'm serious. Again, I thought that there is no way I could be any bigger or sharper than Week 5, but wait till you see them!
Resistance Training:
5 days of gym in Week 6, still breaking up my body parts and using 75% compound exercises each workout.
Cardio:
Also in week 6 I've started onto the bike full time. An easy walk at the start of my training session on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes depending on my motivation and a solid high RPM 20 minutes at the end. I'm finding that the bike is really helping with my leg recovery as well and they are responding great.
Eating:
Still following the same meal plan as in Week 5, however I've increased my carb levels and fats slightly.
7-8 Meals a day in a variety of sizes and not force feeding. however since on many occasions I struggle to get in all of my food, I've begun timing myself to create a challenge to get my meal in. E.g I give myself 20 minutes to eat a meal (that might sound like a long time, but not if you're not hungry...).
Sleep:
I think my average is up to six and a half hours each night and Thursday was the consequence of that. Over the weekend I managed 8 hours each night and will try and lift my average to 7 hours a night this week.
To The Pics!
 |
| Week 1 |
 |
| Week 4 |
 |
| Week 5 |
 |
| Week 6 |
I think the problem with this pic is that I took it too close to having a meal, apparently I wasn't as watery in the morning (which makes sense), so I may go back to taking the pics at that time.
I'm happy with the progress over the week and this has shown me again that the hard work, eating, juggling schedules etc. is still paying off.
 |
| Week 5 Shirt |
 |
| Week 6 Shirt |
Train Hard!
Ben
The My Business Is Fitness Journey So Far:
Week 1
Week 4
Week 5
Before And After Progress: Week 5 Pics
OK, we're up to week 5 and I've just taken my pics!
Taking the week 4 image and comparing my progress to the week 1 disaster has definitely been a major motivating factor to my consistency and determination for week number 5 of my personal transformation.
Resistance Training:
This week I focused on heavier weights. Now that my body has become accustom to training again from the first 4 weeks, it was time to take things up a level.
I rarely use any machines (unless you count the treadmill) and I have not done and do not plan on doing one burpee over this 16 week period.
My compound exercises have all increased in weight by at least 3 times since week one and I'm rapidly closing in on the kinds of weights I was throwing around 12 months ago.
I also started doing abdominal specific exercises twice a week.
Cardio:
My cardio has gone up a notch also. Doing a 10 minute easy treadmill warm up before every workout except legs, where I jump on the bike and at least 20 minutes at the end of every workout.
Fat loss has not been a priority over the past 5 weeks. Getting my strength back and increasing my cardiovascular endurance has. I have not done a skin fold and I will be avoiding the scales for the next 3 weeks.
My body only really carries fat around my midsection and lower back (as the images show) so I will monitor my fat loss over the next 2 weeks with the aforementioned cardio strategy. Pending how that goes, I may incorporate some early morning cardio, but this is not a concern at this stage.
Eating:
Eating has been 70% on the money. Have not missed many meals at all and my water consumption has also been pretty close to spot on.
Have had some difficulty with evening meal preparation, quite simply due to being completely wiped out, but that is also improving gradually.
Eating has been the same as in week 4...I call it, "The Vegetarians Nightmare Diet".
Again...this is why I'm taking 16 weeks and not the traditional 12. My goal is to completely transform my life and develop a realistic eating/training strategy that I can manage for ever!
Sleep:
Sleep has also improved. Working on a sleeping routine is always difficult as there are always things coming up, but I'm determined to get some regularity in that department.
To The Pics!
Looks like my holiday tan has faded already, but there's definite improvements! My waist has come in some and my shoulders and chest look like I have, well, shoulders and a chest again!
I'm sticking to these 'relaxed' front pics until week 8 when I'll bust out a few poses to compare as we move forward towards my goals.
If you're wondering what the t-shirt pic is for...I bought that shirt about 6 months ago and it fit me perfectly well, it did up to 4 weeks ago, in fact it was loose on me. That's a large and it looks like I bought it in the kids section!
Now on to week 6 and getting closer to the half way point. This week will be planned very similarly to week 5, however my consistency should improve as the routine of eating and training is really starting to come together.
BRING ON WEEK 6!!!
If you enjoyed this update, please share it on facebook and twitter, I genuinely appreciate the support!
Don't forget to come back to My Business Is Fitness next week for my week 6 image and update!
Train hard!
Ben
The Full Progression Articles:
Before And After Week 1
Before And After Week 4
Taking the week 4 image and comparing my progress to the week 1 disaster has definitely been a major motivating factor to my consistency and determination for week number 5 of my personal transformation.
Resistance Training:
This week I focused on heavier weights. Now that my body has become accustom to training again from the first 4 weeks, it was time to take things up a level.
I rarely use any machines (unless you count the treadmill) and I have not done and do not plan on doing one burpee over this 16 week period.
My compound exercises have all increased in weight by at least 3 times since week one and I'm rapidly closing in on the kinds of weights I was throwing around 12 months ago.
I also started doing abdominal specific exercises twice a week.
Cardio:
My cardio has gone up a notch also. Doing a 10 minute easy treadmill warm up before every workout except legs, where I jump on the bike and at least 20 minutes at the end of every workout.
Fat loss has not been a priority over the past 5 weeks. Getting my strength back and increasing my cardiovascular endurance has. I have not done a skin fold and I will be avoiding the scales for the next 3 weeks.
My body only really carries fat around my midsection and lower back (as the images show) so I will monitor my fat loss over the next 2 weeks with the aforementioned cardio strategy. Pending how that goes, I may incorporate some early morning cardio, but this is not a concern at this stage.
Eating:
Eating has been 70% on the money. Have not missed many meals at all and my water consumption has also been pretty close to spot on.
Have had some difficulty with evening meal preparation, quite simply due to being completely wiped out, but that is also improving gradually.
Eating has been the same as in week 4...I call it, "The Vegetarians Nightmare Diet".
Again...this is why I'm taking 16 weeks and not the traditional 12. My goal is to completely transform my life and develop a realistic eating/training strategy that I can manage for ever!
Sleep:
Sleep has also improved. Working on a sleeping routine is always difficult as there are always things coming up, but I'm determined to get some regularity in that department.
To The Pics!
 |
| Week 1 |
 |
| Week 4 |
 |
| Week 5 |
I'm sticking to these 'relaxed' front pics until week 8 when I'll bust out a few poses to compare as we move forward towards my goals.
 |
| Week 5 Shirt |
Now on to week 6 and getting closer to the half way point. This week will be planned very similarly to week 5, however my consistency should improve as the routine of eating and training is really starting to come together.
BRING ON WEEK 6!!!
If you enjoyed this update, please share it on facebook and twitter, I genuinely appreciate the support!
Don't forget to come back to My Business Is Fitness next week for my week 6 image and update!
Train hard!
Ben
The Full Progression Articles:
Before And After Week 1
Before And After Week 4
Everyone Loves A Before And After, So Here's Mine: Week 1 - 4 Part 2
Yesterday was a bit of an oddly gratifying yet absolutely terrifying day, as I posted a picture of myself taken 4 weeks ago, at the very beginning of my 16 week before and after transformation challenge.
Link To Part 1 of Everyone Loves A Before And After, So Here's Mine.
As promised, below is my week 4 image of my ongoing transformation and I thought I'd give you guys a brief rundown of what I've been doing...being personal trainers, I thought you might be interested :)
Over the past 4 weeks, I've been training 5 - 6 days a week, alternating body parts and gradually increasing my cardio efforts from 10 minutes per training session in the first 2 weeks to 20 minutes the past 2.
I've put on approximately 5kgs (11lbs) body weight and my strength and general fitness have increased dramatically.
Diet:
My eating, while still not stellar, is far better and far more consistent than it has been in quite sometime, for me, this has been the most difficult part of the past month to adjust to. I've also been making concerted efforts to consume at least a half a gallon of water each day (2 litres, more on training days), again, this has been very difficult.
I will go into more detail with my meal plan as the challenge continues.
Supplements:
I've been using a protein powder in the mornings, post workout and periodically before bed.
I've also been using a pre workout energy supplement for 3 of my 5 workouts and drinking 10 grams of BCAA's and 40 grams of carbs while I train (in 2 litres of water).
The supplements I use will vary over the 16 week period, but those are generally my staples, along with vitamin C and a multi vitamin.
To the pics!
Over the next 12 weeks, I'll be posting weekly images on My Business Is Fitness for two main reasons:
1. Because I'm putting my pale skinny body where my mouth is and marketing a physique transformation
2. As Cheryne mentioned in the comments of Part 1, this is a bit of an accountability plan for myself.
If you would like any more specifics on what I'm doing or eating please feel free to ask in the comments section below and again, thank you for your support.
Oh, and if you're dazzled by my progress over the past 4 weeks, please share this post on facebook and twitter by clicking the icons at the top of this article.
I have to go eat!
Ben
Link To Part 1 of Everyone Loves A Before And After, So Here's Mine.
As promised, below is my week 4 image of my ongoing transformation and I thought I'd give you guys a brief rundown of what I've been doing...being personal trainers, I thought you might be interested :)
Over the past 4 weeks, I've been training 5 - 6 days a week, alternating body parts and gradually increasing my cardio efforts from 10 minutes per training session in the first 2 weeks to 20 minutes the past 2.
I've put on approximately 5kgs (11lbs) body weight and my strength and general fitness have increased dramatically.
Diet:
My eating, while still not stellar, is far better and far more consistent than it has been in quite sometime, for me, this has been the most difficult part of the past month to adjust to. I've also been making concerted efforts to consume at least a half a gallon of water each day (2 litres, more on training days), again, this has been very difficult.
I will go into more detail with my meal plan as the challenge continues.
Supplements:
I've been using a protein powder in the mornings, post workout and periodically before bed.
I've also been using a pre workout energy supplement for 3 of my 5 workouts and drinking 10 grams of BCAA's and 40 grams of carbs while I train (in 2 litres of water).
The supplements I use will vary over the 16 week period, but those are generally my staples, along with vitamin C and a multi vitamin.
To the pics!
 |
| Week 1 |
 |
| Week 4 |
1. Because I'm putting my pale skinny body where my mouth is and marketing a physique transformation
2. As Cheryne mentioned in the comments of Part 1, this is a bit of an accountability plan for myself.
If you would like any more specifics on what I'm doing or eating please feel free to ask in the comments section below and again, thank you for your support.
Oh, and if you're dazzled by my progress over the past 4 weeks, please share this post on facebook and twitter by clicking the icons at the top of this article.
I have to go eat!
Ben
Everyone Loves A Before And After, So Here's Mine: Week 1 - 4
Everyone loves a before and after physical transformation and I've mentioned in several articles on My Business Is Fitness how these can be great marketing tools, whether there your images or a clients.
I've recently started back at the gym after an 8 month layoff and decided, that since I talk about the benefits of before and after photographs that I might as well use my shrivelled body for some good and took a picture.
My layoff wasn't planned at all; work commitments and lethargy are mostly to blame, but more importantly I completely abandoned any hint of a balanced diet and that has led to the depressing before photo that you see below.
This picture was taken 4 weeks ago when I finally decided that enough was enough. It's hard for me to look at that (excuse the hat hair) but thankfully 4 weeks on (week 4 picture coming tomorrow) I've been consistently hitting the gym, eating 100% better and have made quite remarkable improvements already!
A bit of background:
Over the past 8 months I've been working my butt off (and my muscles evidently) which has been great in regards to getting myself on track professionally, but physically I've never been so disappointed.
In the last few months I started getting comments like "wow, you've lost weight..." but they weren't the congratulatory kind...they were the "what the hell's happened to you?" kind and that as they say, was the straw that broke the camels back.
So, 4 weeks ago I decided to give myself a 16 week transformation challenge. I chose 16 weeks because as fitness professionals, you guys can understand that a lifestyle change can't happen overnight, especially after 8 months of my only exercise consisting of late night chocolate runs to the store.
Also, 12 weeks is too short for me. While I have every intention of sticking to my training after the challenge, I strongly believe that 16 weeks will be the right amount of time to get all of my ducks in a row and find a compatible work, life and social balance.
I deliberately didn't take any photo's between week one and now (week 4) because the improvements are so subtle that I didn't want to become disheartened (or bore you guys to death).
However, from here on in I'll be taking weekly photo's and posting my progress right here on My Business Is Fitness, so it would be great to have you guys on board with support and encouragement through my 16 week journey.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my week 4 image!
Have you ever attempted a physique challenge? What kind of hurdles did you experience and was it the rewarding journey that you'd hoped for? Would love to read your comments below!
If you enjoyed this article, please share on facebook and twitter by clicking the icons at the top of the post!
Have a great day!
Ben
I've recently started back at the gym after an 8 month layoff and decided, that since I talk about the benefits of before and after photographs that I might as well use my shrivelled body for some good and took a picture.
My layoff wasn't planned at all; work commitments and lethargy are mostly to blame, but more importantly I completely abandoned any hint of a balanced diet and that has led to the depressing before photo that you see below.
 |
| Click Image To Enlarge (At Your Own Risk) |
A bit of background:
Over the past 8 months I've been working my butt off (and my muscles evidently) which has been great in regards to getting myself on track professionally, but physically I've never been so disappointed.
In the last few months I started getting comments like "wow, you've lost weight..." but they weren't the congratulatory kind...they were the "what the hell's happened to you?" kind and that as they say, was the straw that broke the camels back.
So, 4 weeks ago I decided to give myself a 16 week transformation challenge. I chose 16 weeks because as fitness professionals, you guys can understand that a lifestyle change can't happen overnight, especially after 8 months of my only exercise consisting of late night chocolate runs to the store.
Also, 12 weeks is too short for me. While I have every intention of sticking to my training after the challenge, I strongly believe that 16 weeks will be the right amount of time to get all of my ducks in a row and find a compatible work, life and social balance.
I deliberately didn't take any photo's between week one and now (week 4) because the improvements are so subtle that I didn't want to become disheartened (or bore you guys to death).
However, from here on in I'll be taking weekly photo's and posting my progress right here on My Business Is Fitness, so it would be great to have you guys on board with support and encouragement through my 16 week journey.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my week 4 image!
Have you ever attempted a physique challenge? What kind of hurdles did you experience and was it the rewarding journey that you'd hoped for? Would love to read your comments below!
If you enjoyed this article, please share on facebook and twitter by clicking the icons at the top of the post!
Have a great day!
Ben
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
