.1%

Fitness Checkpoint Three

My cadence has been every quarter (here’s checkpoint one and checkpoint two) sharing where I am on my fitness journey, with my main goal of reaching 10% body fat by the end of the year. Most people don’t give a shit except the small number of people on a similar journey with me, but I committed to sharing it as an extra measure of accountability.

I was on track at the beginning of the year at 12% for .5% each quarter. When I got to July 1st and found myself far exceeding my goals being at 10.7% I knew I had this in the bag. I had dropped 1% from my last assessment that I took only a month before that. So if I could do 1% in one month, I could surely do .7% in 3 months.

But I wasn’t going to take any chances.

I was determined to reach that 3 months ahead. So I worked my ass off. I maintained my streak of not missing a workout in a 6 workout week since my short trip to Tahoe in June. But I only gave myself an extra day of rest since I ran a half marathon. Before that it was a couple days off on my trip to Colorado, while I spent 5 solid days snowboarding and hiking. So as far as I was concerned, I was doing everything I could. But it wasn’t enough.

The Battle for 10%

The second week of September it was clear I was hitting a plateau. I could feel it. My body was working as hard, but still going through the motions. So I did two-a-days for my 6 days straight totaling 12 workouts. Then I went back to a normal workout week. Then I had one remaining week before the end of my quarter. I did a second two-a-day week just to solidify it. On top of that I had mostly avoided any form of gluten, most sugar with exception to small amounts in some protein bars and no alcohol. With the exception of some drinks on Labor Day and the last Friday of the month when it was announced and celebrated that my company Conversable was being aquired by LivePerson. A 1K company spread across the glove bringing in stability and the power to do things even bigger. A couple stumbles. But still, I was crushing it.

But I could have done more, I told myself as I walked into Pure Austin, or what is now LifeTime Fitness Downtown. This third decade of my life I’ve really gotten to know my body, especially these last couple years. So I knew I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I was close. But not there.

Quick shot in my empty apt gym after a late night two-a-day session. Lighting is your best friend

I stepped on the InBody fitness machine, hands and feet on their contact points. The scan through my body started. The numbers starting adjusting as it scanned my left arm, then my right, then my torso, then my left leg and then settling on my right.

10.6%. Fuck.

My body was barely holding itself together. I had pushed as hard as I could and gave it everything. But my progress amounted to .1%. My heart sank. Sure there was a lot of things I could be excited about. My progress leaned more towards a bulk than a cut. So I gained size in most areas, but still, my goal of hitting that 10% early still fell short. I was ready to celebrate that night with a big ass juicy burger and a huge frozen margarita. But the celebration would have to wait.

Rest Easy

About every 12–16 weeks I usually do a two-a-day week followed by a rest week filled with some light cardio and mobility. I didn’t feel like I deserved it. All I had to do was half of the progress I had in a month and I fell short.

But my body told me that it needed to rest. I had worked hard. I had given it my all. But now wasn’t the time to step it up. I had done that. Even if I didn’t get the results I wanted. Now was the time to rest.

So I spent the past week still treating my body with love by giving it good food and lots of it. But I rested. I had an appreciation for what I was able to do, how my body showed up and the progress that was made.

I’ve always had a problem with disappointment. In myself, in others, if a certain standard wasn’t met. But there are a lot of peaks and valley’s in getting to our goals. That’s part of it. It’s painful. It’s not easy. The hard part is pulling yourself up when you’re not seeing the big progress. When you are discouraged.

Not a great start, but a better finish. (download these at the bottom)

I’ll be honest. I wanted to just sleep for a week straight. Not just because my body was in so much pain I could barely move. But because I just felt down. But it’s in these times, when it’s so tempting to give in and tell yourself you can’t do it, that you really are challenged to grow in resistance. Pushing through the discouragement, harnessing it and making it fuel you.

So that’s where I am. It’s not 10%….yet. But I’m going to fucking get there. My body is ready.

Now to give some of the things that I’ve found helpful in the last 3 months in particular. I initially didn’t add any because I was too busy beating myself up for lack of big progress, but I still there’s still some helpful stuff in here. So take it or leave it. My hope is always that there’s at least one that you can lean into that will help you when you’re getting after it.

Just the Tips

1. Focus on the Right ‘Tense’
   When you’re working out look down. All that matters is the next rep. All that matters is the present. When you’re eating look forward. In 5 minutes am I gonna be happy I ate this? Is this going to make me feel good or shitty? Is this going to help me in my goals? When you’re discouraged look back. Go back to see how far you’ve come. Like a frog in a hot pan, we get used to how we look. The longest I went without seeing my boy was weeks and he looked different when I saw him. I wasn’t use to seeing those small changes every day. The same with your workouts. It’s hard to see your progress. Look back to see how far you’ve come.
2. The Last Two
   The last two reps is where the progress is at. There are three criteria I use to determine whether or not those two were successful. First, it’s important that the form remains. If it’s too hard, pull back on the weight. Second, it needs to be intimidating. Those last two should really require you to step up and get out of yours comfort zone. Lastly following that, it should also be possible. You don’t want to give yourself no chance at success. Allow yourself the opportunity to crush it. Make your workouts a challenge, but not an impossibility. Give yourself enough room to be successful.
3. Compete Against Yourself
   In the software industry, gamification it’s an ugly word right up there with synergy. But you want to think of markers. Things you can strive for. Give yourself some challenges. Talk to yourself. “Let’s see if you can do this.” Set stretch goal on exercises and step up to the challenge. Get your head in a competition mode as if you were competing on Ultimate Beastmaster or The Rock’s new show coming in January, Titan Games.
4. Be Happy with Where You Are
   It is possible to be happy with where you are at the same time as never being happy where you are. Ok, that doesn’t make any sense. But soak in the times you are proud of your reflection and remind yourself that others see you better than you do. I’m rarely happy with where I am and am always wanting to be bigger arms, have more defined abs, have a more defined upper chest. But when I look back at progress pics, I progress, but I am pretty happy with how I look, but I know I wasn’t when I took the pic. Then there are times where I’m Ron Swanson and I’m all “come see how good I look.” I’m learning to let myself be proud of myself and not feel guilty for being happy with my progress. But also use that motivation to keep me going.
5. Pre and Post Evaluation
   I started making notes about how I feel before a workout and how I feel after. I make note before on my mood and energy level. Post workout I make note of how my form was and how much I pushed myself. I’ve found myself looking down at the bottom asking myself halfway through what I would put down and adjusting so I could check something more on the right. So I start to push myself more and am more conscience of my form.
6. Without Nutrition, Workouts are Worthless
   I’ve tried for years. There’s no way around it. If you’re not serious about your nutrition, those workouts are not just hindered, they are a waste of time. I’ve noticed particularly with myself and with others, if I’m consuming alcohol a lot, I just cannot move forward. There’s only one way I can go. Doesn’t mean I have to stay off at all times. But this summer by my apartment pool, I really challenged the idea of jello shots and working my ass off at the gym. There is only one winner. If you’re serious about fitness, you have to be serious about what you put in your body. I told a friend of mine who, because of his work schedule, was having a hard time getting his workouts in. I reminded him that his meals are a big form of workouts.
7. You Never Get Away with Cheating. It will rob you of the work you put in. Your body knows when you cheat it.When you make things easy for you and you think because no one sees it, you get away with it. You don’t. You’re only cheating yourself. You know when you’re not giving the exercise the right attention, the right form, the right effort. Don’t waste your time. Make the most of the little you get to put back into your body. Don’t cheat it out of the time you’re dedicating to it. Your body won’t let it slide.
8. It’s Ok to have an Off Day
   I have an off day at least once a week. You’re distracted. Frustrated. Didn’t sleep good the night before. Stressed from work. Lots of factors can really throw you off. I try and take a moment to myself before starting, just like a yoga class, to clear my mind, empty it and prepare myself to work. But it doesn’t always happen. That’s ok. Do your best. Come back tomorrow. But don’t let it stop you from coming back tomorrow.

So that’s some of what I’ve been thinking about lately. It might not have been the most encouraging month. But looking back I saw that there was progress and I’m happy with it, even if I didn’t reach all my goals. I learned a lot, grew a lot and am stronger today that I was 3 months ago.

Next up on the fitness journey, January 1, 2019 checkpoint.

10% bf, you are mine.

Resources

Also new to these fitness blogs in an attempt to bring more value to this posts, I have some resources I reguarly edit and improve on. I’ve shared these with others and have had enough people ask I thought I’d just make them avaialble on here. They are in evernote format. They are too much of a pain in the ass to convert to Google Docs or something else, so if you want them, just download Evernote and you’re good to go.

Workouts (October and November)
Abs (3 variants)
Nutrition (This is my approved shopping list including snacks, shake options and preworkout)

If there’s anything else you’d like me to include, let me know. I’ve got lots more month’s of workouts and resources I want to fine tune and make available. But these are what I’m currently using.