Weekly Progress Report- Week 2 of 26
|
|
|
|
By Brandon Cook
December 7th through December 13th
Progress Picture:
Brandon at 158.4lbs at 11.1% Bodyfat
Week 2 of My Transformation Journey:
This second week was good, but slightly more challenging. The week started off with a sore ankle and knee. I believe this is from my ankles and knees adapting to walking with the 32lb weighted vest. So, I decided to give my legs a break and replace any leg exercises with core exercises, since having a strong core is going to be vital for squats and deadlifts next month.
Things were going well until my Wednesday workout. The additional core exercises worked good, but I probably shouldn’t have done the partial lockout squats with 315lbs, since my core was tired. The next day my lower back was a little sore. Nothing major, but sore enough where I had to skip my Friday workout. I may stop doing these partial lockouts altogether and just focus on squats and deads next month. Doing them at the end of my workout really isn’t the best strategy anyway.
Missing the 3rd workout happened to work out to my advantage though as it gave my legs and back time to recover a little bit. Plus, with the drastic change in weather I started to get a sore throat. I immediately went out and bought some echinacea/goldenseal capsules, which help boost the immune system. I have used these herbs to help combat colds/sore throats in the past. If you can boost your immune system and get some extra rest before the cold has a chance to take root, you can usually defeat it from taking over and making you sick. I also started using my humidifier/vaporizer to add moisture to the air in my bedroom. I’ve found that this also helps as the air becomes dyer when running the heater all winter.
Despite all of this I still gained right under a half a pound of muscle, but also the same in body fat. So, what does this mean? It means I’m eating enough to be in a caloric surplus, but my training is not quite heavy enough yet to produce the bigger gains in muscle that I’ve seen possible for other ectomorphs. My goal is to gain 1.5 to 2.5lbs of muscle a week. These type of gains are possible if you are doing things RIGHT!
However, I’m grateful that I am gaining something. That’s a step in the right direction. I’ll need to watch how much fat I’m gaining though. I started to increase my calories, but now I’m thinking that I should probably keep things about the same and focus on increasing the volume of my bodyweight training for now. After this 4 week bodyweight break-in period I’ll be raising the weights and lowering the reps. I expect to see some greater gains once this happens.
Final Verdict for week 2: Adversity stuck, but with some quick thinking I overcame!
Body Composition:
To determine my weight and body fat percentage I weigh myself four times at various intervals throughout the day on my weigh in day. I take the average of these and that becomes the numbers you see below.
This isn’t entirely necessary, but I’m trying to account for flucuations that occur in my bodyweight throughout the day. A simpler method would be to just weigh yourself on the same day and same time each week…. but that’s not as much fun!
——————————————————————————————
Weigh in Results:
Beginning Bodyweight: 157.3lbs
Beginning Body Fat: 11.0%
Beginning Lean Mass: 140.1lbs
Beginning Fat Mass: 17.2lbs
Current Bodyweight: 158.4lbs
Current Body Fat: 11.1%
Current Lean Mass: 140.9lbs
Current Fat Mass: 17.5lbs
Total Bodyweight Change: Gained 0.8lbs
Total Body Fat Change: Gained 0.2%
Total Lean Mass Change: Gained 0.8lbs
Total Fat Mass Change: Gained 0.4lbs
Summary:
Overall I have gained 0.8lbs of muscle and gained 0.4lbs of fat
(2:1 Ratio of Muscle:Fat).
——————————————————————————————
I will also be using the following charts to track my progress visually. The first chart represents my body compositional changes from week to week. My scale calulates muscle mass, bone mass, water percentage, and fat percentage. I’m not sure how accurate these results are so this represents my best guestimate based on the scales output.
This first chart uses this data to graph the changes in my body composition over the next 26 weeks. If all goes as planned you should notice the red sections (muscle mass) growing larger and the overall columns (total bodyweight) growing larger. If the yellow sections (fat mass) are growing too large… then we’ve got a problem!
This second chart simply shows my current body composition as a pie chart. Red (muscle) = 20%, Green (bone) = 5%, Blue (water) = 64%, and Yellow (fat) = 11%.
Maximum Muscular Bodyweight:
According to The Weight Trainer: Maximum Muscular Bodyweight and Measurements Calculator:
My estimated maximum muscular bodyweight at ~10% bodyfat is:
197.1 lbs
This calculator gives you an estimate of the maximum muscular bodyweight and measurements that a drug-free trainee of a similar skeletal structure is likely to attain. It is based on equations Casey Butt developed through over 6 years of research and analysis of data from drug-free champions both past and present. The article presenting the equations utilized by this calculator can be found here: Your Maximum Muscular Bodyweight and Measurements.
I’m using this calculator as a general and realistic guideline in determining my ideal body weight and measurements for what I can accomplish naturally. I’m not letting these calculations impose limits on what I can accomplish. The only limits are the ones we impose upon ourselves. Remember, limits were meant to be broken! I just think its a cool calculator.
Measurements:
As another means of tracking my progress I will be measuring my neck, chest, arms, forearms, waist, hips, thighs, and calves. My wrist and ankle measurements should stay pretty much the same.
I used The Weight Trainer calculator to determine my goal measurements and rounded up or down a little based on my own desires, but only buy a 1/4 inch or so.
More specifically I just made the goal for my neck, arm, and calves measurements to be the same. This is typical of the Classic Physique goals talked about by Steve Reeves and other bodybuilding legends.
| Body Measurements | 12/13/2009 | Goal | Difference |
| Neck | 15.00 | 16.50 | 1.50 |
| Chest | 41.00 | 46.00 | 5.00 |
| Biceps (flexed | 13.25 | 16.50 | 3.25 |
| Forearms | 11.25 | 13.50 | 2.25 |
| Wrist | 6.50 | 6.50 | 0.00 |
| Waist | 33.13 | 31.00 | -2.13 |
| Hips | 54.00 | 35.00 | 0.00 |
| Thighs | 19.00 | 24.50 | 5.50 |
| Calves | 14.25 | 16.50 | 2.25 |
| Ankles | 8.50 | 8.50 | 0.00 |
As you can see the biggest differences are apparently my chest, arms, and thighs, but everything will need to come up. Well except my waist, which should be slimmer. The ideal concept is to have wide shoulders tapering down to a thin waist to develop the classic V taper.
Of course these are more bodybuilding type goals and objectives and not necessarily a requirement for athletes or those who are more performance oriented. Personally, I desire form and function… so I’m aiming for the best of both worlds!
Keep going strong,
Brandon
——————————————————
About the Author:
Brandon Cook is creator of The Awakened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to teach hardgainers how to build muscle fast using the laws and scientific principles of body transformation.
HargainerMuscleBuilding.com features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.
Please visit us at http://hardgainermusclebuilding.com
© 2009 Hardgainer Muscle Building. All rights in all media reserved.
Share This Page With Your Friends |
||||
|
|
|
|
|
