Thursday 14 July 2011

From Figure Dream to Dream Figure: Day 11

Today is day 11 of my preparation for my first figure competition on August 14th, and progress has been good so far. My first weigh in and measure last weekend resulted in 3.5lbs and 2cm off my waist in week one, so I am now eagerly awaiting the next measure on Saturday (and my cheat meal, which I have had planned all week! :). I need to drop around a stone of fat without compromising muscle mass by mid August, so I am on target so far. Definition is starting to appear across my upper body and abs, although I still have a lot of work to do in getting my left leg (the one I broke) back to the same size of it's none atrophied counterpart!

I have now got into a routine of preparing 7 meals a day, which is actually much easier than it sounds when the habit is formed, and much of it can be done all in one go... I usually spend about 60 minutes cooking in the evening, but with a protein shake with oats blended in for breakfast and 2 of my other meals also comprising of protein powder, I only really have 4 small meals to organise. My diet is on the repetitive side to say the least, but it doesn't have to be that way, and is more a choice on my part as I find it easier to stick to when I have similar things each day. It is important however to mix it up a little, however, to ensure I continue to get all the nutrients my body requires to function optimally whilst training hard.

Training has also gone well this week, although owing to the fact I will be away this weekend, I've had to lift 4 days on the trot, which isn't ideal, and today I feel neurally fatigued, although owing to the split nature of my program my muscles feel surprisingly good. Whilst geared towards hypertrophy, my program definitely doesn't resemble a traditional bodybuilding program; Sprint drills, olympic lifts, med ball circuits and multi joint movements form the bulk of my training, which will also help me hit my goal of having my ankle fit to run a 10k before the year anniversary of my triple fracture in November (my surgeon said it would be 18 months before I was running again, so aiming to prove him wrong!).

Fortunately, I have gained a new cardio buddy in the form of Phoenix Pro member Jemima, who is preparing for her trip to Everest base camp next March, so we have been putting the world to rights on our early morning power walks! I also managed to persuade my girlfriends to have an uber healthy dinner together last night, where I think everyone was surprised how much they enjoyed salmon with tikka seasoning (A-MAZING!), lots of boiled veg, herbal tea, and lot of laughs!

Today was the first day I've really had any cravings, but with such a time sensitive goal to achieve, there is no way I will be succumbing! I've also been hugely motivated by the Phoenix Pro members this week, who have been kicking butt in the gym and posting some fantastic results... go team!

Char

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