Weekly Progress Report- Week 6 of 26
|
|
|
|
By Brandon Cook
January 4th through January 10th
Progress Picture:
Brandon @ 161.5 lbs and 13% body fat
Week 6 of My Transformation Journey:
Okay, not exactly sure what’s going on here. My scale was acting funny this week and giving me some weird numbers. This weeks weigh in results were disapointing and quite frankly I don’t think entirely accurate. Although I could be wrong and/or crazy! 
I’m not making any excuses or rationalizations though. If I get a similar number next week then it may be correct. In which case, I’ll need to cut back on my food intake a little bit. Personally, though I feel that this new phase should kick-start my muscle growth and the numbers will turn around VERY SOON! This is ONLY my first week of Phase II, where the focus is on gaining strength and lifting heavier weights in the 5-8 rep range.
If you analyze my pictures it does look like my waist has increased slightly and that correlates with my waist measurements. You can also see my pants are falling off a little more in the first pic. So, realistically I may be in denial and actually need to cut back the calories slightly to keep my body fat % in check.
I fully expect to gain a little fat during this whole shebang… however, my intention is to be gaining more muscle than fat and not the other way around. This is why it is so important to track everything. It simply allows you to analyze what’s working and what’s not.
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: 161.5lbs
Current Body Fat: 13%
Current Lean Mass: 140.5lbs
Current Fat Mass: 21lbs
Total Bodyweight Change: Gained 4.2lbs
Total Body Fat Change: Gained 2%
Total Lean Mass Change: Gained 0.4lbs
Total Fat Mass Change: Gained 3.8lbs
Summary:
Overall I have gained 0.4lbs of muscle and gained 3.8lbs of fat
(0.1 : 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) = 19%, Green (bone) = 5%, Blue (water) = 63%, and Yellow (fat) = 13%.
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 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 | 42.00 | 46.00 | 4.00 |
| Biceps (flexed | 13.50 | 16.50 | 3.00 |
| Forearms | 11.50 | 13.50 | 2.00 |
| Wrist | 6.50 | 6.50 | 0.00 |
| Waist | 33.38 | 31.00 | -2.38 |
| Hips | 35.00 | 35.00 | 0.00 |
| Thighs | 19.25 | 24.50 | 5.25 |
| Calves | 14.50 | 16.50 | 2.00 |
| 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!
See you next week,
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
© 2010 Hardgainer Muscle Building. All rights in all media reserved.
Share This Page With Your Friends |
||||
|
|
|
|
|
Fajar Says:
January 13th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Great stuff! Keep it up you will get there.
Brandon Says:
January 14th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Hey Fajar! Thanks man… I WILL get there. Hope all is well.