Only one month left! Time to get down to brass tacks. Since I'm nearing my target weight, I need to begin focusing on my body fat percentage.
I can go about this in one of two ways: Spend more time in the gym while eating more and hope for the best, or deliberately gain X amount before shearing back down. As counterproductive as the second option sounds, it's the better bet.
I can go about this in one of two ways: Spend more time in the gym while eating more and hope for the best, or deliberately gain X amount before shearing back down. As counterproductive as the second option sounds, it's the better bet.
Most professional bodybuilders start "cutting," meaning they restrict their caloric intake (and do cardio) in order to drop body fat, six-to-eight weeks before a contest. I haven't—nor am I going to—until a week out for two simple, very good reasons: 1) Most bodybuilders are endo- and mesomorphs. One of the few advantages of being an ectomorph is that I can lose weight very, very easily. 2) I don't have to lose that much. |
Here's the math: Take the amount of fat you currently have and subtract the amount you'd house at your desired body weight. An athlete with 10 percent body fat who is 185 lbs. possesses 18.5 pounds of fat, thus . . .
Where am I at? A miraculous 11 percent! | Check out these amazing before and after, bulking vs. cutting, off-season to on-season transitions |
Looking back, this is rather interesting. It took me two months to drop one percent. This was the result of burning calories through routinely working out. I didn't drop another percent for four months . . . but then, over the course of the next four months, I jumped from 14 to 11! This is undoubtedly the byproduct of having built more and more fat-burning muscle as the year progressed while gradually increasing my protein intake.
Yes, yes. I know what you're thinking: "Mike, fat weighs. If you lose fat, you're going to lose weight." I've already taken into account that I need to be over in order to level off at 185. But I only need to be two pounds too heavy. Easy-peasy.
Going back to my April 20 post, I have two options: Eat more or burn fewer calories. I'll do both. Admittedly, there is a risk in choosing to bulk. It may alter my body fat percentage but, fingers crossed, hopefully my hard-won muscle will continue to do its job chewing up fat.
Yes, yes. I know what you're thinking: "Mike, fat weighs. If you lose fat, you're going to lose weight." I've already taken into account that I need to be over in order to level off at 185. But I only need to be two pounds too heavy. Easy-peasy.
Going back to my April 20 post, I have two options: Eat more or burn fewer calories. I'll do both. Admittedly, there is a risk in choosing to bulk. It may alter my body fat percentage but, fingers crossed, hopefully my hard-won muscle will continue to do its job chewing up fat.
Putting on mass then cutting body fat is the name of the bodybuilding game: It might be hard to believe, but this is the same guy, the legendary Lee Priest, off- and on-season, respectively. I asked Lee how he did this, and he responded, "I lost 75 pounds in 12 weeks. I [weight] trained twice a day, did cardio for 2 - 3 hours, and ate six or seven times a day." |
This is one aspect of the sport which goes unrecognized by the general populace: Bodybuilders are masters of fat loss. The pros deliberately pack on between 25 - 40 pounds in the off-season and, once contest training begins (which is typically a four-month process), they drop 9 - 15 percent of their weight. But it isn't just any weight—it's almost exclusively fat: Most step on stage with 3 - 5 percent body fat. Amazing!
#ThorChallenge #BeYourOwnSuperhero #Bodybuilding #WeightTraining #Bulking #Cutting #FatLoss #BodyFat #BodyFatPercentage #Ectomorph #Protein #Cardio #Muscle #LeePriest #PhilHeath #KaiGreene #AlexeyLesukov #JayCutler #OnSeason #OffSeason
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#ThorChallenge #BeYourOwnSuperhero #Bodybuilding #WeightTraining #Bulking #Cutting #FatLoss #BodyFat #BodyFatPercentage #Ectomorph #Protein #Cardio #Muscle #LeePriest #PhilHeath #KaiGreene #AlexeyLesukov #JayCutler #OnSeason #OffSeason
https://primitivarum.weebly.com/thorchallengeblog