Body goals for my 41st year.
- Find my body fat “sweet spot.”
- Glutes (build)
- Shoulders/Lats (build)
- Perfect My Posing
- Compete again in Spring/Summer 2018
Determining My Body Fat Sweet Spot
I ended up at ~13% body fat for my (first) figure competition on June 10th 2017. I started my journey at 28% body fat in June of 2016. In September of 2016 I made the decision to compete in a (June 10th) figure competition. At that time I was ~23% body fat.
Since my competition in June I’ve gained back some body fat. I’m not quite sure what % I’m at right now. I’m sure I’m sitting over 20%. I’m OK with it, but it doesn’t feel (physically and mentally) like where I should be at for optimum performance and overall wellness (physical and mental). But, 13% felt too low for the same reasons. I’m going to have my body fat tested in the next week. I’m still keeping a complete food journal so I certainly won’t be surprised by the results.
Today (Tuesday, September 19th, 2017), I’m starting a strict, slow, cut. I want to take my body down to the body fat percentage I wanted to compete at originally (~9 to 10%). I’m going to have to get that low for muscle separation to show in my glutes and legs.
This cut is probably going to take at least 30 weeks (maybe more) because I want to retain all of the muscle I have right now, I want to add some muscle along the way, and I want to diet on the maximum amount of calories possible for my metabolism.
In order to accomplish my goals it’s going to involve taking a 2 steps forward 1 step back approach with my diet. My plan will involve some carb cycling, possible re-feeds, and meal timing around workouts.
I’ll continue to track all of my food and supplements. I’m going to track how I feel (physically and mentally) along the way. And, I’m going to track my sleep patterns.
The bits information I hope to learn about my body with this experiment include:
- The body fat percentage I should compete at.
- The body fat percentage I should maintain (off season) for optimal performance (mentally and physically).
- How long it will take for me to go from my optimal (off season) body fat percent to my (stage) body fat percent.
- How my body responds to different percentages of macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates).
- How my body tolerates different foods for performance (physical and mental), fat loss, and muscle gains.
- How my body responds to the timing of my meals.
A couple of weeks ago I had my RMR (resting metabolic rate) tested. Your RMR is the amount of calories you would burn in a 24 hour period of time if you did nothing. Like, if you were on bed rest. It’s similar to BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), but not quite as accurate. My RMR result was 2232 calories.
So, for my first 28 days, I’m going to set my daily calorie intake at 2232. Therefore, any fat loss I experience should come from my workouts.
On October 16th, 2017 I’ll reevaluate my calorie and macronutrient goals.
I’ll track all of my workouts with my MyZone (heart rate monitor/activity tracker). I won’t be tracking my normal daily activities (such as: walking around at work, running errands, etc…). But, I’ll log my workouts, and everything I eat, in MyFitnessPal.
Besides calories, I also track my macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats). I track my macro nutrients mostly to make sure I’m getting enough protein for muscle retention and growth.
I’ve set my macronutrients at 30% Protein = 167g, 40% Carbohydrates = 223g, and 30% Fats = 74g.
The “rule of thumb” in bodybuilding is ~1g of protein per 1 lb. of body weight. I’m over that by about 24g. But, at 30%, I’m still within the USDA guidelines.
I will post weekly updates on my weight, what I ate, and how the week went (physically/emotionally).
If you have questions, please ask!