If you missed the last competition update, originally I was planning on competing a couple weeks back on June 10th in The Natural Spartan in Fargo, North Dakota, but instead I’ll be competing on September 30th in The Natural Viking in Bloomington, MN.
This is the same show I did last year. At least I know what to expect, right?!
Now that we have that out of the way…
THE NUMBERS
Since I’ve competed twice before (and did a mostly okay job of tracking important metrics), I have some data to compare my current prep journey to.
For reference, I round up to 5’9. Part of my strength training goals are to maintain my height, ha!
- 2018 – 14 weeks out: 161.2 pounds, 22.1% body fat
- 2022 – 14 weeks out: 159.4 pounds, 22.8% body fat
- 2023 – 14 weeks out: 151.0 pounds, 20.9% body fat
I’m down a pound weight-wise and up a percentage point body-fat wise from where I was the last time I checked in three weeks ago. So much for dedicated weekly updates…
THE DIET
I’ve been dialing in my diet and would give myself a B+. Like most people, the week is structured and scheduled and much easier to stay on track than the weekend, which tends to be more social, with more space and time to eat.
My current macros look like this:
- 190 Carbs
- 60 Fat
- 150 Protein
This equates to roughly 1,900 calories per day. My goal is to eat 90%+ whole foods (ideally 99.99%) and focus on food being fuel, rather than a source of pleasure (easier said than done!).
I don’t find myself physically hungry, which means cutting macros again is probably in order soon. I’m pretty good at maintaining my weight, but I have 10-15 lbs to cut, so it’s time to get moving!
THE TRAINING
I’ve continued to coach myself (and my gym rat bestie, Emily), using the 9-week plan for bikini bodybuilders included in Bodybuilding: The Complete Contest Preparation Handbook by Peter J. Fitschen and Cliff Wilson.
Two weeks down and seven to go! I’ve got some travel coming up (camping mostly), so there likely will be a week’s break coming up (after week 3 is in the bag). The plan is to continue working out, just not via the training split we’re currently using.
Likely I’ll increase cardio, hiking and biking with the fam and pair that with some bodyweight workouts via the Peloton app. I thought about figuring out how to keep doing the training plan, but that would likely eat into the actual vacation time as I’d have to drive 30+ minutes each way to the gym and maybe even Uber when we have the RV and no car.
Sounds like a huge PITA and I know how to workout without a gym, so we’ll call good enough, good enough! It’s also extra motivation to stick to my meal plan!
That’s the update for this week – I have every intention of returning for ’13 weeks out’ and hopefully with a new low! After all, this is contributing to my overarching goal of getting my pro card by my 40th bday and we’re now T minus 340 days away!
Have you checked out my guide to help you answer the question: Why am I not losing weight? The answer might be different than what you thought!
