Astounding!
I'd say the results speak for themselves, just look at that sorry sack of man-lump on the left. All it took was some good old fashioned elbow grease... and half a cup of olive oil, some carefully placed lighting, a rolled up ball of socks, a well-timed flex/smile, oh, and about 30 minutes of awkwardly taking photos of myself before my roommates got home. Surprise: the two pictures were taken the same day, aaand I actually did a pretty shitty job. If somebody wanted to, they could make the two photos look significantly different. The point here is, not every body transformation you see is actually as impressive as they look. If you're trying to improve your fitness level and self-image, it's not always as simple as the photos make it look. You've gotta keep at it over an extended period if you want to make some noticeable improvements. Most people don't give their body enough time to see the benefits, or make a half-assed attempt, expecting to see at least some results, which just ends up being discouraging when it doesn't happen. Use that whole ass, asshole!
Great Success
In case you were wondering, in the 4 weeks of the challenge, I did indeed go from 163 to 174 lbs. Beating my goal of 10! Yeah! The biggest surprise during the challenge, is that I don't appear to have gained a single pound of fat. My visible body fat amount still looks like a rough 12%, judging by the amount of muscle and bone definition. That sounds crazy, 11 lbs of muscle in one month, right? The scale's not broken, but of course, this isn't dry muscle. I had a secret weapon for the weight gain. Once you get past the sudden urge to maim people/animals, and the genital shrinkage it's really not so bad. ROIDS... is not what I took. Creatine is a substance naturally produced in the body at low levels. For the month though, I'd been taking a creatine supplement, which is significantly more than the body produces. What it does is allow the muscles to retain more moisture, 'pumping' them with water. This works to great cosmetic effect, as well as better protein synthesis in the muscles and increased energy recovery after a workout. I'll talk more about it when I finally get into supplements, but the bottom line is that research shows it doesn't have any radical negative effects under normal dosage, and it does give the results I was trying to achieve (see figure 1):
Figure 1
11 lbs isn't massively noticeable on a tall guy like myself, but if you look carefully; especially at more pronounced areas like thighs, pecs, and traps, there's definitely a difference in size. While still not perfect, I tried to make these photos more legitimate than the first one. But yes, the creatine made a dramatic difference, and I've actually used up my supply, so I'm curious to see how much weight I actually keep on in a few weeks time without the extra water weight. I'd wager about 3 lbs, which I'd still be really thankful for, but time will tell. I do intend to maintain the 'bulking' routine for a few more months without the creatine, albeit to a lesser extent, so I'll keep y'all posted.
The other goal, which is less noticeable, but I'm easily more proud of, was the increase in strength. My goal was to increase the weight of all the lifts in my workout routine by 10%, and half by 20%. The lifts; pulled from my previous post about lifting and updated with the results, are as follows:
Back Squats - 245 / 255*
Chin-ups (shoulder width grip) - 163-16 assist / 174 / 18%
Bench press - 125 / 145 / 16%
Seated rows (wide grip, pull bar to pecs) - 50 / 65 / 30%
Leg curls - 130 / 170 / 30%
Concentration curls (alternate between arms with minimal rest) - 25 / 30 / 20%
Rope pressdowns - 50* / 60
Standing calf raises (w/ smith machine and stepping block) - 140* / 170
Wide grip upright rows (barbell) - 70 / 85 / 21%
B:
Deadlifts - 205* / 215 (Modified from original post to include weight of bar)
Pull-ups (wide grip) - 163-34 Assist / 174-22 Assist / 18%
Dips - 163-16 Assist / 174 / 18%
Chest-supported rows (w/machine) - 80 / 90 / 13%
Leg extensions - 190 / 230 / 21%
Alternating Incline dumbbell curls - 22.5 / 27.5 / 22%
Overhead extensions - 50 / 65 / 30%
Seated calf raises - 80 / 100 / 25%
Side lateral raises - 17.5 / 20 / 14%
In my last post, I'd stated that the lifts with asterisks were modified during the middle of the challenge, and won't be counted (probably to skew the results in my favour, duh). That being the case, I had a total of 14 lifts, all increased by over 10%, 8 increased by over 20%, with an average increase of 21%. What that means is that I'm probably a filthy liar and I'm just going to say I met my goal. In all seriousness though, these results depend greatly on a large number of factors, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that they are not 100% correct. While I didn't start officially recording my numbers till my second workout, there are still a lot of factors to consider. When I was starting with new lifts, both my technique and my comfort level played a major part in improvements, which is exactly why I waited till my second day of lifting to record solid numbers. There's also daily fluctuations in performance to consider, like fatigue, the time of day, and nutritional scheduling. The "10-ish repetitions to exhaustion" model also isn't entirely accurate. Sometimes I would lift 8 reps, sometimes 12; increasing weight if I could do more. You can bet your ass I was pushing my body to its limits on my last workout day. All in all, I'd guess an overall strength increase of 15% is more accurate, and about 5% of that simply came from the benefits of an increase in general 'fitness'. But you know what? I've made more progress in a month than I'll usually see in a year, and damn does that feel good.
The most important result I gained from this experience was just that: experience. I wouldn't claim to be an expert in any of this; there were plenty of people at my gym that I know without a doubt spend more time there than I did. My 10 hours per week was probably double what I would ever normally consider a high level of physical upkeep for myself. The bonus is that, whenever you start a new lifting routine like this, you stand to make significantly better gains within the first few months of starting up. For some people, this is a lifestyle, and even just maintaining such a high level of fitness and musculature is a major endeavour. I learned during the month (and even more now, after being a lazy sack of meat this last week) that I just don't have the passion to maintain that level of upkeep. However, I have goals I'd like to meet as far as physique, and beyond that, raw physical performance. This month of experience is gonna allow me to do what I do best: slacking off - while making better gains with the minimal effort I do put into scheduling workouts.
Heavy Help
So what advice can I give you? I like lists, let's do one of those. I'm just gonna start typing the biggest boons and if it turns into like a nice round number like 10, awesome.
1. Listen to your body - This is #1 for a reason. Whether it's the food you're putting in your body, or the strain it's going through, your body has something to say about it. The best approach is to pay attention to what it's telling you. Every body is different, and responds to stimuli in various ways that are particular to each individual. All these tips depend heavily on one entity: your body.
2. Find your fitness - While the goal here was for me to increase in size and strength, don't let that dictate how you should keep fit. The best fitness program is one that works for you, and makes you want to continue to achieve more. It doesn't have to be pumping iron - there are group classes, sporting leagues, dancing, working, jogging. The important thing is balancing your goals, your enjoyment, and your life. Go and try a new activity you'd like.
3. Find your food - Healthier food choices don't have to be expensive, time-consuming, or bland. Just like with fitness, you are going to have to make some extra effort if you want improve your nutrition, but there's always workarounds. Frozen, dried, and canned goods are often cheaper and sometimes easier to prepare than their fresh alternatives, or buying food that's readily available and in season is also cheaper and better quality. No time? Cook big meals and eat leftovers. Spend a little bit of time acquainting yourself with the food you're eating; and your body, tastebuds, wallet, and wristwatch smartphone may thank you for it. How your body handles different foods can change wildly from person to person, I'll say it again - listen to your body.
4. The best time is when you can make time - If you need a strict schedule that'll keep you going to the gym and eating right on a regular basis, do that. If your life is a chaotic mess and you always have an excuse not to do these, you're going to have to make time. Later turns into later, turns into later, turns into not at all. If you could do it now, you should do it now. You don't have to beat yourself up over a schedule that isn't going to get you motivated, but you do have to do something.
5. Track your progress - If you're in the gym, you're spending time resting between sets. Use this time not only to stretch, but to track your progress. Recording the changes to your workout isn't just motivating, it makes the process way more efficient, because you know what your body is capable of, and what you need to do to push those capabilities. This was an area I neglected in the past, but I know better now! Doing the same for food isn't a bad idea either. Find a spreadsheet online and print it off, or make your own! Just write it down!
6. Supplements are... supplementary - If food is the material you use to build a house, and working out is the tools you use and the work you do, then supplements are the little tricks that grizzled old carpenter knows to do the work better and faster. If you don't have the other pieces, you won't get anywhere, but healthy supplementation can be a great way to help gain some momentum. Any gym rat who's hit a peak in their routine can tell you that. You don't have to be an expert, but know what you are taking and why. For example, whey protein is a staple for a reason: fast delivery of important proteins and high levels of BCAA's are massively beneficial to muscle growth and recovery.
7. Lift to meet your goals - If you want size and strength, lift heavy. If you want to improve endurance and shed the excess, lift longer. Wanna be in top shape for the game? Try some vast and varied routines, and show that body who's boss with some intense, explosive workouts. There's a routine for everybody, and lifting pints doesn't count. Compound lifts like squats, presses, and deadlifts are the integral part of a large majority of workouts. You should probably be doing them, and doing them safely.
8. The body needs to repair - You don't grow when you're pumping iron, you grow when you're sleeping. Always make sure you're getting enough rest, but do maintain some level of activity on your rest days to keep that body keen. Overexertion does more harm than good.
9. Don't forget to stretch - And warm up! If you're doing any intense exercise, you need both of these. You can't exercise the same if you're injured, and many injuries never fully heal. Is that worth saving a little extra time? Not only that, but proper warm-ups and stretching can help improve recovery after intense physcial exertion.
10. Research - Despite all the advice I offer, you need to go out and look at other sources of information. Educate yourself on the data that applies to you. There are so many different answers out there, everyone thinks theirs is right, and you can be sure that they all have their own personal reasons for these beliefs. I can write pages and pages of information out for you, but there are people out there who have a much deeper understanding than I do, and can explain it better. Look it up, and develop your own educated opinion.
Hot dog, I made it to 10! I think that's as good a place to stop as any. So after all that, what can I say? This guy named Pharrell Williams just put out a song that describes pretty well how I feel about the project. I just want you to know that these sorts of goals are ones you can achieve. It took a little dedication and a lot more effort than usual on my part, but if you want to meet your goals, that's what it takes. Really though, I'm a lazy bastard, and it's definitely possible to make better progress than what I've done here if you put your mind to it. I still owe you a few backlogged posts here, but the next project might be further down the road with work getting busier. We'll see what happens, but don't be afraid to bring any questions to the table in the meantime!
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