"There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
I've hit a plateau.
Or at least, that is what the scale is telling me. I've been 145 lb (on average) the last SEVEN WEEKS. The scale isn't everything, blah blah blah, but let's be real - after 12 weeks of hard work I'd expect more than just 4 lbs of overall weight loss.
Progress
With less than 4 weeks until my show, I can't help but look back at all of my training milestones.
Overall I've had some pretty good progress. It is easy to focus on the short term (and rightfully so with my show less than 4 weeks away now) but I'm happy to see sustainable changes that I will be able to maintain long after my show. There is no denying that I've made both measurable and visual progress, regardless of what the scale has to say.
[Left: 17 Weeks Out, Right: 4 Weeks Out]
Nutrition
The past 12 weeks I've been patient (well...patient for me) and have trusted myself and the process. Now, with 4 weeks left to give it all I've got, I'm getting more serious. Up to this point I've been pretty conservative with my macro reductions after each check-in. This week I'm giving myself a sizable reduction in attempts to jump start my body for some immediate fat loss.
Non-Lifting Day Macros:
- 1,360 Calories
- 155 g Protein
- 50 g Carbohydrates
- 60 g Fat
Lifting Day Macros:
- 1,604 Calories
- 150 g Protein
- 152 g Carbohydrates
- 44 g Fat
While it is less than I'd of course like to eat, it is only for the short term.
That being said, it won't keep me from eating foods I enjoy and I still plan on making some delicious meals. Here is a peek at what I was eating over the last week.
For my non-training days, I enjoyed eating my newest recipe creation - Egg Salad! I ate it atop of a salad for a few lunches. Because it has a pretty high fat to protein ratio, I paired it with an additional protein source of ham or pork.
For dinners I made use of leftovers at the beginning of the week, eating the remainder of my Slow Cooker Carnitas in some pretty amazing burritos. I used Rudi's Gluten Free Tortillas, jasmine rice, pork, fat-free cheese, avocado and Greek yogurt mixed with lime juice.
For my other post-lift dinners during the week, as well as for some lunches, I ate Greek chicken. SO so good. Recipe coming soon! When I was eating the chicken as dinner, I paired it with a side of mashed sweet potatoes. If it was during lunch, I paired it with celery and a side of homemade tzatziki sauce.
Training
I will be starting the 4th and final phase of Eric Cressey's High Performance Handbook this week. Prioritizing my cardio is crucial for the next 4 weeks. I've got a very strong and solid muscular base by this point and now I need to chisel away and show what I've built.
Following this structure for the week:
Monday: Lower Body & Upper Body Lifts + 15 minutes HIIT/Plyo Circuits
Tuesday: Olympic weightlifting (Snatch focused)
Wednesday: Lower Body & Upper Body + 15 minutes HIIT/Plyo Circuits
Thursday: 40yd Side Shuffles to 60yd Sprints x 5/side, walk-back as rest between sets
Friday: Olympic weightlifting (Cleans, Jerks focused)
Saturday: Kettlebell Swings - Goblet Squats - Push-Ups, 4x12-12-12, 90s rest between sets
26 days and counting...
