MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Nothing that happens in your life is insignificant…God never wastes anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless he intended to use them for his glory." – Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life
GOALS & PROGRESS
"Recovering from a double fracture in my left wrist...my main priority is to get back to MY normal training levels as soon as possible..."
I have now completely recovered from the double fracture in my left wrist - in fact, this happened at least a month ago, and my left wrist has not given me any issues for quite some time now.
"Secondary goal is recomping to maintain my current muscle mass and lean down to 7-8% bodyfat!"
I have recomped and leaned down to under 8% bodyfat - although I started at 8.8% bodyfat, it went up and down and I ended up at a final 7.9% bodyfat. I gained back ALL of the muscle mass I lost when I was unable to train because of my left wrist, and then some. The BIGGEST part about all of this though is the fact that - not for the lack of "intending to", I might add - I did it all withOUT dieting, my diet "normal" for me ("normal" is what everyone ELSE considers a "cheat" ALL the time!)
"Since I could not compete in July as planned...I am looking at competing in late October..."
I did not compete (for reasons explained when it came to make that decision), but my body is now more proportional than it has ever been - in fact, it is almost perfectly symmetrical on both sides re upper AND lower body, which it has never been before, and any muscle size discrepancies that were created because of what I could - and couldn't - do [when I started training again] re left wrist are now gone, and I have SURPASSED the aesthetic physical condition I was in PRIOR to my injury!
"Recovering from a double fracture in my left wrist...my main priority is to get back to MY normal training levels as soon as possible..."
I have now completely recovered from the double fracture in my left wrist - in fact, this happened at least a month ago, and my left wrist has not given me any issues for quite some time now.
"Secondary goal is recomping to maintain my current muscle mass and lean down to 7-8% bodyfat!"
I have recomped and leaned down to under 8% bodyfat - although I started at 8.8% bodyfat, it went up and down and I ended up at a final 7.9% bodyfat. I gained back ALL of the muscle mass I lost when I was unable to train because of my left wrist, and then some. The BIGGEST part about all of this though is the fact that - not for the lack of "intending to", I might add - I did it all withOUT dieting, my diet "normal" for me ("normal" is what everyone ELSE considers a "cheat" ALL the time!)
"Since I could not compete in July as planned...I am looking at competing in late October..."
I did not compete (for reasons explained when it came to make that decision), but my body is now more proportional than it has ever been - in fact, it is almost perfectly symmetrical on both sides re upper AND lower body, which it has never been before, and any muscle size discrepancies that were created because of what I could - and couldn't - do [when I started training again] re left wrist are now gone, and I have SURPASSED the aesthetic physical condition I was in PRIOR to my injury!
OTHER NOTES
Going forward, as I said in my last update, I am going to be doing my best to MAINTAIN the lower body composition that I have attained - usually, I would maintain between 8-10% bodyfat, but knowing how I feel and look at different stages, I now feel rather UNcomfortable at anything too much more than ~9% bodyfat, and so desire to maintain something closer to ~8% bodyfat, aiming to "allow" myself to go now higher than ~8.2-8.3% bodyfat from now on.
As far as training, I have trained for athletic performance purposes - strength, power, speed, endurance; I have trained for muscle growth - gains in upper body; I have trained for leaning - no different than training for anything else, honestly. I no longer have any focus on athletic performance and I am quite ok with the muscle mass that I now have in my upper body - in fact, I wouldn't mind LOSING some more from my lower body, and "slimming" up my lower back, because the muscle there seems to "bulge" out because of my scoliosis (something that becomes more noticeable the leaner I get). Therefore, training from now on is simply going to be working on maintaining the current muscle mass and leanness that I have, but also on improving several areas of my body - for example, no more work for Legs, because they are big enough already; and cutting work for Chest and Back down to only what is done in my weekly Full-Body session, because working my Back is making it wider and thicker all over, and I need to work on "slimming" the mid to lower region up. As far as strength goes, I am not too concerned with what I am lifting - so long as what I am doing is challenging me and making my body work and scream.
Re nutrition, the last 10 weeks have taught me more than ever what it is important for me to minimize - and ideally AVOID! - as far as food, and I need to take more heed of this for health reasons, which I will do. I have also continued to adapt my own modification of the Lean Gains nutritional protocol so that it is "perfect" for ME, and will continue on using such a method, albeit being better with WHAT I eat.
There you have it - the last 10 weeks have taught me a lot. Not just about my body and training and nutrition, etc., but about BALANCE - my life has become a little more balanced and I am starting to enjoy it a little more, albeit still stressed as anything (just not quite as much). I am growing and developing more as an individual, and I am slowly starting to accept myself, which is a HUGE deal - almost as huge as getting below 8% bodyfat. So, it has been an INvaluable journey - although VERY upset when I refractured my left wrist, it really was a BLESSING, and although I knew at the time that it happened for a reason, to teach me something, now I understand more fully just WHAT that reason was!
Through it all, though, it was never done on my own strength, and any Glory for what I have done and achieved over the last 10 weeks goes to God and Him alone - I am only a living testament to His Grace and Power, to show that ANYthing is possible if you but have Faith and Desire and the Willingness to JUST DO IT!
Going forward, as I said in my last update, I am going to be doing my best to MAINTAIN the lower body composition that I have attained - usually, I would maintain between 8-10% bodyfat, but knowing how I feel and look at different stages, I now feel rather UNcomfortable at anything too much more than ~9% bodyfat, and so desire to maintain something closer to ~8% bodyfat, aiming to "allow" myself to go now higher than ~8.2-8.3% bodyfat from now on.
As far as training, I have trained for athletic performance purposes - strength, power, speed, endurance; I have trained for muscle growth - gains in upper body; I have trained for leaning - no different than training for anything else, honestly. I no longer have any focus on athletic performance and I am quite ok with the muscle mass that I now have in my upper body - in fact, I wouldn't mind LOSING some more from my lower body, and "slimming" up my lower back, because the muscle there seems to "bulge" out because of my scoliosis (something that becomes more noticeable the leaner I get). Therefore, training from now on is simply going to be working on maintaining the current muscle mass and leanness that I have, but also on improving several areas of my body - for example, no more work for Legs, because they are big enough already; and cutting work for Chest and Back down to only what is done in my weekly Full-Body session, because working my Back is making it wider and thicker all over, and I need to work on "slimming" the mid to lower region up. As far as strength goes, I am not too concerned with what I am lifting - so long as what I am doing is challenging me and making my body work and scream.
Re nutrition, the last 10 weeks have taught me more than ever what it is important for me to minimize - and ideally AVOID! - as far as food, and I need to take more heed of this for health reasons, which I will do. I have also continued to adapt my own modification of the Lean Gains nutritional protocol so that it is "perfect" for ME, and will continue on using such a method, albeit being better with WHAT I eat.
There you have it - the last 10 weeks have taught me a lot. Not just about my body and training and nutrition, etc., but about BALANCE - my life has become a little more balanced and I am starting to enjoy it a little more, albeit still stressed as anything (just not quite as much). I am growing and developing more as an individual, and I am slowly starting to accept myself, which is a HUGE deal - almost as huge as getting below 8% bodyfat. So, it has been an INvaluable journey - although VERY upset when I refractured my left wrist, it really was a BLESSING, and although I knew at the time that it happened for a reason, to teach me something, now I understand more fully just WHAT that reason was!
Through it all, though, it was never done on my own strength, and any Glory for what I have done and achieved over the last 10 weeks goes to God and Him alone - I am only a living testament to His Grace and Power, to show that ANYthing is possible if you but have Faith and Desire and the Willingness to JUST DO IT!
