I could get used to this
I’m now a month into my transformation programme. While I, regrettably, don’t look like Brock Lesnar (yet), there has been progress with the numbers to back it up.
My weight is growing at the same rate of one kilogram per week while my body fat percentage is steadily decreasing, although that might not be a good thing as there’s not much left to lose.
One problem, or more a minor inconvenience, is that I was so skinny when I started this programme that the improvements I have made are not visible in usual circumstances. People will jokingly suggest I’m getting smaller because I’m not yet bursting out my shirt. But I’m not going to strip off in the office for the sake of my ego, I’m not a monster.
And as I said from day one, my goal is to become a slightly more muscular stick insect and not be embarrassed by the size of my arms by the end of the programme. Going by those goals, we’re pretty much there, having only done a third of the programme.
I returned to the Ultimate Performance gym last week for another session with my personal trainer, Matt. He introduced me to a couple of new excercises, including the peck fly. It felt much more effective than the dumbbell chest press excercise that I usually do, but that could equally be due to having Matt next to me ensuring that I put every ounce of energy I have into every rep. We also used a different machine for the seated row, as seen in the photograph below.
The most surprising change that I have noticed is that I’m enjoying working out. I’m slowly getting addicted to the post-workout pump, the burn after completing a tough set and a general feeling of pride after improving on last week.
It’s dawning on me that I am now in this for the long-term, even if this programme only lasts 12 weeks. If I don’t keep this up, the improvements will disappear, and with my new, monster appetite, I will slowly start to put on fat.
The Reuben from two months ago would have laughed if you’d told him that he would be committing to this lifestyle beyond what was required of this programme, but there we go. Life is full of surprises.
But while the programme might have taught me how enjoyable going to the gym can be, it might have also ruined chicken for me. And eggs. I have eaten so much chicken and so many scrambled eggs in the past months, the happy egg co.’s profits have probably doubled.
Methods of jazzing up sweet potato are also welcome. As much as I love the stuff, there’s only so much orange mush you can shovel down before it begins to taste of nothing, like when words lose meaning if you hear them too much. That, but with chicken and sweet potato mash.
As I have previously mentioned, the progress that I have made in the past two weeks is essential for my morale going into the middle stretch of this programme. We’re a third of the way in, let’s smash the final two.
