So here is my latest Posing Update Video exactly 4 weeks out from the Vancouver Fall Classic where I plan on competing in both Physique and Classic Physique in a mix of Open and Masters Classes.
I have been eating 2000 calories for 6 or 7 weeks no (kind of lost count) with a lot of exercise (generally 1500+) each day.
So I can see the fat coming off and even my scale is going down so I know I am losing weight. Sometimes during a contest prep your mind plays tricks on you so it is hard to be realistic about what is actually happening. Even these update posing videos don't always tell the truth as lighting and water retention can play a roll but it is what it is so you be the judge and see if I have made improvements from my 6 Week Out Posing Video.
More importantly am I on track? Will I be lean enough in 4 weeks? I feel like I am on track sitting in what I believe is the high 7% to low 8% body fat mark. I need to get into the 5% body fat ranges but this should not be a problem given I have 4 week to go...
I do get a lot of people asking me to show them what a full day of eating looks like and also what I do in terms of activity like workouts and cardio leading up to a show. We are one day away from being 4 weeks out and for the last 6 weeks or so I have been sticking to this relatively same program of around 2000 calories of food each day with at least 1500 calories of exercise which generally includes around 1+ hour of weight training 6 days per week with at least 6 miles of walking each day.
On my one non day of weight training I try to get a little more activity in if I can like a mike ride or something but I do need that one day off from weight training for sure to give my body a chance to rest.
In terms of macros my diet is low carb with higher protein and a bit more fat than most people eat during contest prep which does mean it is hard to get all my protein in since fats take away from other macro calories. That said I generally get between 150-200 grams of protein in each day, with a little over 100 grams of carbs and a little under 100 grams of fats. It does range a somewhat each day.
During this video I record a short clip each time I do some exercise or eat something so you ca get a get the full picture of what I am doing in terms of diet and exercise leading up to a show. I do change things as I need to but at this point I most likely will continue exactly what I am doing to the 2 weeks out point and then reassess where I am at and where I need to be. If all goes well I will be 99% ready for my show and will be able to cruise the last 2 weeks with a little more food then I usually allow myself.
My last posing checkin for the Vancouver Fall Classic was 4 weeks ago and so it has been a while and I was hoping to see some visible changes. I feel like there are some changes but sometimes it does not translate to video as well... But I for sure notice the fat is slowly coming off my trouble areas (stomach & lower back) and I am down 4 pounds from a month ago sitting right around 201 pounds versus just over 205 in my last Update Posing video.
My InBody Body Composition Scale also is telling me I am down around 2% body fat (9.8%) which is again around 4 pounds of fat so this means I did not lose any muscle at this point even with the fairly hard calorie deficit over the last 4 weeks. In comparison the InBody Scale at the gym said I was 9.1% Body fat.
I need to for sure get down to 195 pounds and maybe even a bit more so that is around a pound per week which should be fairly easy to do, this will get me in the 6% body fat range which on my scale may even be less since it seems to be a bit higher than the Pro InBody Scale I use at the gym. So I may even be in the 8% body fat ranges right now!
The plan for the next two week is to stay on my same diet plan of 2000 calories per day with around a 1500 calorie deficit each day, this again is to ensure I lose at least a pound per week of fat. At 4 weeks out I will reassess and figure out if I need to stay at 2000 calories per day, go up a bit or maybe even drop calories if need be. What ever I have to do is what I will do, hunger is not important, energy a bit more important so I hope that stays good...
We are almost 6 Weeks Out now to the Vancouver Fall Classic and it's time for another update video. This video will not have any posing in it, that video will follow in a couple of days when I am within a day or two of being 6 weeks out.
I kind of missed my 8 Week Out Video but it was intentional, I just didn't feel like there was anything to really show everyone, I have been on track for the most part with my training, activity and eating, but at least visually not much had really changed. I am hoping this 6 Week Out Posing Update video will show some significant improvements over the 10 Weeks Out Video.
I have been working very hard and even dropped my calories a bit more down to 2000 per day for the last 4 weeks to make sure I stay on track and don't have too much work to do all at the end, that can really such!
In terms of my daily calorie deficit I should be close to 1500 most days with maybe a closer to 1000 on the weekends. I am achieving this by walking 5 to 6 miles per day which burns around 700-800 calories at my body weight of just over 200 pounds and I also weight train for at least an hour per day generally burning about 500 calories. I also burn an additional 200-300 calorie from NEAT activity through the day for a total of around 1500 calories burned via activity. When you add in my BMR of around 2000 calories this gives me a total calorie burn of right around 3500 calories each day.
With 2000 calories eaten and 3500 burned this puts me in a 1500 calorie defect and should allow me to lose around 2-3 pounds per week but it is not always as simple as that... As I get older my body does not respond as quickly for sure and I do have to work harder than before but I am up for it!
Generally I am feeling pretty good, my energy is good most of the time and I am not overly hungry because I have made my body use to not eating much the early part of the day and expecting more food in the evening so I don't go to bed feeling hungry. I also eat a bit more fat than most people in a contest prep and this helps me feel less hungry, this does come at a light cost to protein intake which I have to be careful to get enough of each day when only eating 2000 calories of total food.
Well stay posted for my 6 Weeks Out Posing Video where I hope to show everyone what 4 weeks of pushing hard can achieve.
As we get older our Testosterone levels will naturally decrease over time but they can drop to low levels that can affect us negatively in many ways. It is not always easy to tell if it is for sure low Testosterone as many factors can come into play but I have made a short list of the most common symptoms to look out for. You do not need all of these symptoms to know you are low in Testosterone but if you find yourself having several of them, you may want to talk to your doctor or check out my partner links for TRT Clinics in Canada and the US.
Here is a list of signs your Testosterone may be low and TRT could be a good fit for you.
Is your Energy Level low?
Is your Sex Drive low?
Morning Wood, not so much these days…
Do you feel Less Excited About Life in general?
Does it take a lot longer to Recover from Exercise?
Is your Body Weight and Fat increasing even though your Diet and Activity have not changed?
Is your Strength going down in the Gym, not making any Progress?
Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 12:42PM ;)
;)
