Ready. Set. Fitness.
For a while, I’ve felt like I’m in “Fitness Limbo”. This is a state of mind that has caused me to get off track from my objectives.
Fitness Limbo is this weird scenario I’ve found myself in. When I lived in Connecticut, fitness meant a small studio with some coaches that were really invested in their clients, a clientelle that tended to skew older, and more “general fitness” people than people trying to be bodybuilders or powerlifters.
As I moved into a larger gym, I found myself being a “small fish in a large pond”. (Almost literally a small fish given the size of some of these guys.) I began down a journey that would take me from being a ‘powerlifter wannabe’ to a ‘bodybuilder wannabe’; the truth being I would land somewhere in the build as a ‘powerbuilder wannabe’.
Ok, maybe I shouldn’t use the word ‘wannabe’. This is how my mental state is still working to some extent. I’m a poser. I am an “asipiring powerbuilder” but my brain is still stuck in many ways to “old Benjamin” before the fitness change began.
When I pulled my back in May, it set me back some more. I had to once again ensure that I wasn’t in caloric deficit while I was healing. Once again I was experiencing another setback in my effort to lean down to the mid-teens for my bodyfat. It made me feel depressed, which sent me down a path where I was experiencing fitness ennui.
This on top of my Fitness Limbo, where I can’t find my place to click in the fitness world here. I’m not jacked enough to hang with the jacked guys, I’m not lean enough to hang with the lean guys, and the overweight folks don’t know my overweight past and so I don’t connect with them.
I made the decision that what really mattered was what I wanted to achieve. I needed to ignore the distractions I was facing and realize what I need to do to get where I want to go. This is it… the time to push hard and get better than I’ve ever been.
Training Schedule
First step was to set up a firm schedule of my workouts. I worked with my coach to figure out what what would make sense; a balance of “Going HAM” (Hard as a Mother&^*&^) and letting my body rest. I know I can’t be HAM long term, but I also know I need to do this for right now. I’ve done this before, and I know I can do this again. When I went to Camp Nerd Fitness, I hit it HAM for 3 months. Twelve weeks, and then I’ll take a break. I need this; mentally, physically, and emotionally this is critical for me to level set myself.
The schedule is aggressive, and I may need to deviate here and there, but generally I want to commit to doing this 90% of the time.
Nutrition
I know nutrition is a cornerstone of what I want to achieve. I had to find a balance of macros and calories that will retain and gain muscle while continuing to improve body composition. In addition to meal prepping, I am committing myself to being more diligent in planning my nutrition and sticking to it.
This week, I’ve already loaded up my entire meal plan into MyFitnessPal. Now I know for the next seven days exactly what I will be eating, when I’ll be eating it, and how much I will be eating. I figured out what I wanted for “refeed day” and programmed that in with higher carbs and allocated a slight calorie increase for that day.
It’s hard to be precise with macros, but this is a solid plan for Day 1 to achieve my macros and push me towards my goals.
Meal Prepping
I’m also upping my meal prepping day, ensuring that by the end of the day Sunday I go to bed with the plan in place, and all Lunches and Dinners cooked and in the refridgerator.
This week I completed meal prep for my core meals as well as breakfast for two days. I recently switched my overnight oats to cow’s milk so I don’t like to many too many ahead for fear of spoilage. I am finding this switch has helped with satiation throughout the day.
Ironically, the new calories of 2,800 with 40c/35p/25f is very close to what I was doing when I was in HAM 2 years ago (I was 40c/40p/20f then) so in many ways I am in familiar territory.
Pushing Hard & Accountibility
I am going to push myself hard for this effort. It may means some ups and downs, but I know this is for the greater good of achieving my goals.
I will be more active on social media moving forward for fitness. This includes more videos, more posts, and more updates about my progress.
I started this blog, and posting to social media, to inspire others… as hokey and corny as that sounds. I went through a major change in my life. I transformed the way I looked at fitness, my body, and honestly the world. I was lucky because I had an amazing coach along the way to guide me and he really changed by outlook of the world. Now it’s my turn to change someone else’s life.
In addition to taking a step back and revisiting by goals, I also revisted why I do social media and I want to get back to the original intention… making that one person out there realize if they are afraid to start, that you can achieve your goals if you just push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Expect more coming here, on YouTube, on Instagram, and more in the coming weeks. It’s time to make this all happen. I want this more than anything… and I will achieve it. I am committed, dedicated, and ready.