*Before some of you freak out, yes, it is I in both pictures. I had more tattoo work done over the years since I started OBLF. And no, it's not magic that a tattoo ended up on my other arm. One pic was taken in a mirror and the other was not.
Since we last checked in together I was getting ready to compete in the 242 lb weight class. I was keeping my weight right around 248-250 and cut the rest of the weight with the help of EliteFTS teammate Mike Mastell the last week (he's really smart by the way). The cut was easy. For those of you not familiar with competition weight cuts, it's all about manipulating the water weight in your body. So all that weight comes back on and then some if you do it right. It's not the diet answer you are looking for to drop double digit lbs in one day.
Anyway, I had a pretty successful day. First I made weight, that being the immediate goal. The next objective was to bench at least 500 lbs. I had not competed due to injuries for a year and a quarter. Meanwhile I like to compete somewhere around four times a year (it keeps me focused). I ended up with 530 lbs which was good enough to rank me in the top ten in the country. Not bad at all. I had more in me if it were not for some mental lapses. Yeah, there is a very strong mental aspect to training and especially competing.
Here's the video for your viewing pleasure:
So what's next? I am on my way down to the 220 lb weight class. The main goal will be to weigh somewhere between 236 and 238 before I cut for the competition. This will be a good push to my next weight loss milestone. WHEN I get to 238 that will be 90 lbs of total weight loss for me. My other goal will be to hit a 500+ bench. That will make me a 500 lb or more bencher in 5 weight classes. Three of which were 600 or more. Is this information relevant to weight loss? I don't know, but if I don't toot my own horn, who will? Toot toot!
So how will I get ready for my next meet? First and foremost I have to get to weight. For the past year I have been enjoying dropping only about half a pound a week. It served me well. Unfortunately I am stagnating with my weight loss. Part of it is me coming off a competition and giving myself a little rest. I think the other part is on some subconscious level the half a pound feels insignificant. I mean if I don't get it one week I can easily make up for it the next. Unfortunately that can catch up to one quickly.
In order to combat this I am going to push for 12 lbs in 12 weeks. This would put me at weight a good three months out before my competition. It will allow my mind to be at ease at least in that regard. Then I can just focus on strength.
How will I do this? Same way as usual, math. I'm going to start with my daily calorie intake right around 2750. I will keep my protein intake at .80 of my body weight or more. That means I will hit at least 200 grams of protein a day or greater. The rest will come from carbs and fat as I please. Usually a little higher carbs on training days and higher fats on non training.
Training will remain the same. Three days of weight training using the 5/3/1 method. I will be hitting light conditioning on all four days off. In addition I want to perform at least one more intense conditioning session a week. These will probably be either prowler pushes, airdyne hiit, or heavy weight vest walks.
With the priority being weight loss more than strength over the next three months, I will probably lean towards harder conditioning versus cutting anymore calories to hit my goal. That's what I am hoping at least. It will really take me about two weeks of tracking calories to know where I am.
I will post an an update one month from today. If all goes to plan I should be 246. I will have enough data by then to know with a fair degree of certainty what it will take to reach my goal.
So there's my plan. A goal without a plan is merely a wish. Like I said, I'll check back in a month. In the interim feel free to hit me up with any questions on your own Operation Be Less Fat below. I really love helping people in their efforts. It's hard losing weight and it's even harder doing it alone.
Thanks for reading.