Cycle Day 1 – Boosting, Weight 138.5 lbs.
Today begins our second challenge of 2009. I believe in 12-week challenges. Each 12-week challenge is designed to focus on reaching a certain set goal.
This challenge, I’ve set my goal to lose 8.5 pounds. I’ve updated my ticker at the top. It now shows my actual weight and my goal for this challenge (130 pounds). I finished C1 at 135… and this last week (off week), I gained 3.5 pounds. (Today is also cycle day 1, which is responsible for a portion of that.) I’m not worried about the gain. My body has been on a caloric deficit for 12 weeks… so the increase in calories is good for my system.
During this 12-weeks, I’m working with my cycle days (hormonal timing) as per Michelle Berger’s “Hormonal Timing” book. Each month will be broken up into two two-week periods based on the cycle day. Two weeks for “buffing” (getting lean) and two weeks for “boosting” (building muscle).
During the buffing phase, we’ll be doing circuit type weight training, and during the boosting phase, we will be doing slower, more traditional weight lifting methods. I’ll be changing the weight lifting workouts each month as well.
Today’s workout was an upper body straight set workout (3 sets of 10). As we’ve been off for a week, we definitely felt the workout… our arms were spent by the end of it.
Chest: Flat bench press, incline flyes
Shoulders: Military press, lateral raises
Back: Lat pulldowns, middle back rows
Biceps: Seated bicep curls, EZ curls
Triceps: Tricep extensions, skull crushers
During the buffing phase, I will be eating at more of a caloric deficit (around 30%). During the boosting phase, I’ll be eating more toward maintenance calories (about 20% deficit). As I’m TIRED of counting every morsel in my mouth, I probably won’t be counting calories as much as just combining meals in protein, carb, and healthy fats.
I’ll be posting as I go.
Have you set a fitness goal for yourself? What are you doing to obtain it? I hope you’ll join me for a 12-week fitness challenge.
