My Training Log/Thinspiration Board

Does what it says on the box. A spot for me to log my daily training activities and post pictures of buff dudes so I have something to aspire to. Goal weight, body fat percentage, and BMI to follow. Also, you should be aware that I do not censor this blog or edit for time or content, or format to fit your screen (though I promise not to post pictures of my wang). This is the director's cut fitness blog. Viewer discretion is advised.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I've been taking a month off. Well, off is a strong word. I've been eating at a slight deficit, lifting hard, trying to spur along some muscle growth. And, you know, spare my sanity.

It's time though. It's time to get rid of these last 15 pounds. I know I can do it, and I know I can maintain when I'm done.

I'm ready.

Get out of my way.

[angrybeardedfitness]

Update

I haven't posted in a while. Still going strong, just very, very busy.

Currently doing 6 days a week, with 3 two-a-days per week.

My belly is gone, though some abdominal fat remains. I did 100 pull ups yesterday (across sets, not in a row), I can run two miles non stop.

But most importantly, I can see me underneath. My chest is getting big and I can see the shape it's taking. My top two abs are visible, and my obliques are coming in. I'm getting arm veins, and my head is a completely different shape.

If you're working on your body too, keep it up! I'm coming up on two years of work, one of which has been serious and focused, and let me tell you, it's worth every moment.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I look so good until I shave my chest and stomach. Then I look like a deflated balloon. I need a tan.

[lovegunn]

Getting there.

Visible loss of belly fat. Almost day to day. Less bulge over the top of my jeans.

I’m scheduled for a bod pod scan in about a month.

Once I’ve got it, I’ll be able to compare my results with my scale. Then I’ve got a baseline, so I can carefully monitor my body fat levels… well, forever. Super low body fat may not be sustainable for me, but I don’t see why reasonably low shouldn’t be, provided I keep an eye on my metrics.

I’m not doing this again. I know that much. I’m not getting fat again, I’m not fighting this battle again. It’s been 2 years, and I’m tired.

[angrybeardedfitness]

When losing weight, start with nutrition.

Start by reducing the amount you eat while improving the quality. That way, as you get into lower levels of body fat (below about 20 for men, 30 for women) and your caloric needs begin to drop, you can maintain your deficit by ramping up the amount you burn.

If you focus on exercise first, at some point you'll hit a wall, where you're over training and can't possibly do more. At that point, all you can do is eat less, but at that point you need the calories to train. Then you're stuck, and it can be extremely hard to flip it around.

This is the thing most people get wrong and why they think of weight loss as a hard thing.

If you do it the right way, all it takes is discipline and time.

[angrybeardedfitness]

Did some math.

The rate at which I'm burning fat vs muscle is improving.

Meaning the more weight I'm losing, each pound is more fat and less lean body mass.

Which is, simply put, exactly what you want to see.

I'm not going to get into the science here, but basically:

Losing more lean mass than fat is an indicator of over training & poor nutrition.

Losing them in equal parts, or without the changing ratio indicates bad training- too much cardio with enough lifting, for instance.

Of course, the ideal is to lose fat while building muscle, but I'm in too big of a caloric deficit for that to be a realistic goal for me at this point.

Which is fine. I want my belly gone more than I want big muscles. Big muscles I can do later.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I just signed up for a friend's weight loss challenge.

I have 35 pounds to go to hit my ultimate goal weight.

And I have tricks in my bag I have not yet brought out.

And the payout at the end is for whomever loses the greatest percentage of their body weight.

I am going to crush them all. Mercilessly.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I rarely post pictures of myself, but here's one. On the left, roughly 3 years ago. On the right, 3 days ago. 55 pounds lighter, fit, and still going. I haven't lost all my belly fat yet, and I'm still working on about 10 nagging injuries, but hey- progress.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I don't know when the shift happened, but I woke up one day this week and realized:

I am now a bodybuilder.

Which isn't to say I'm done losing weight (and fat), but it's in a broader context now than getting the skinny guy out.

I'm working with a coach, eating clean as hell basically 100% of the time, taking a multivitamin made for contest level physique athletes, and spending more time shopping for protein and supplements than I care to admit.

I may never compete. I may never get massive. I certainly won't ever compete in open bodybuilding, simply because I have no interest in steroid use, and that's basically required to get that big, but maybe I could do up Classic.

But all that aside, while I am training for function and performance, I can't deny that aesthetics is a huge part of what I'm aiming for.

And that makes me a bodybuilder.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I'm at the end of Athlean-X 1. I've dropped a solid 10% of my body fat, and put on probably 5-7 pounds of muscle. I can see my top two abs. I can do a ridiculous number of clapping push ups, and several pull ups without coming off the bar. Today, I shaved 90 seconds off my 400 rep challenge time. I don't know if I'm ready for the final challenge, but if I'm not, this week won't change that. I've already picked up AX-2. One week off for rest and Destiny 2, and it's back to it.

[angrybeardedfitness]

It's great to be motivated by pictures and videos of massive body transformations. But they never show you the hours of grinding. The lifting when you're tired, doing cardio when you're aching, the nodding off at work because 8 hours isn't enough sleep when you're training like a demon athlete. And they don't show you the weeks where the scale just doesn't move, or those mornings when you were super good yesterday and you gained a pound overnight. And they don't show you weeks and months of looking in the mirror at the same person, not seeing any progress, digging deep to keep the faith and remember that you're in it for the long haul, and increased strength and endurance is the real reward, not visible abs. They don't show you all the times you'll almost quit. Or the all the times you don't.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I've been looking back through this blog and noticing how I've changed. Not just physically, but with the way I think about and approach my fitness. I used to think of it as a chore, a thing to slog through so I could sit down and watch TV. Now it's part of my daily routine. A part I enjoy and look forward to. And as a bonus, Athlean is designed to fix common weaknesses, so all my little aches and pains have been clearing up. Knees, shoulders, bicep, plantar fasciitis, all of it. I'm a new man, inside and out. Outside still processing, but I'm getting there. For the record, I'm almost 45 pounds down. 15 to my goal, 35 to my ultimate goal.

[angrybeardedfitness]

I never post things like this, but my arms were looking particularly nice today. I've got a long way to go, but I'm on the path.

[angrybeardedfitness]

While still high, my body fat is the lowest it's been in my adult life. The spare tire is even shrinking a tiny bit, but mostly my neck and upper belly keep getting smaller and smaller. I'm not stopping.

[angrybeardedfitness]

It's been a hot minute. I've started doing Athlean-X. Google or YouTube it if you're not familiar. I've been working out regularly and eating better and better for a year. Progress is slow but I'm in it for the long haul this time. I'm not anywhere near my goal yet, but every so often I get a glance of the man I will be. My wide chest during a cable sword pull, my lean legs while trying on shoes, the real shape of my upper torso when I take off my shirt. I'm faster, more agile, stronger, and now energetic. Now I just have to keep at it and be patient, until my appearance matches my physicality.

[shittyninja-deactivated20210218]

“pineapples” except pronounced like “minneapolis”

[linguisticparadox]

No

[angrybeardedfitness]

Refeeding day is my favorite. Feel that metabolism go.