Back with a bang after a few days off, Lifestyle editor Adrian Collins’ attempt to #GetRippedOrDieTrying is going well, and we have an infographic to prove it too.
After being away last week and taking two days off, it was back to the grind this week with a few extra sessions and two days of cutting in order to shift any of the weight I might have picked up in those precious 48 hours where I couldn’t work out and had to eat like a regular human again.
I had been concerned that my results would really suffer as a result, so when I went to meet Ant at Raw Gyms Dublin this week with the fear that I had disrupted the momentum, and that I had a setback where I would need to go back to the powerful misery of cutting. As it turns out, things weren’t that bad, and rather my results, despite the break, were still all good, with the numbers headed in the right direction.
I had gained muscle and size all over, but my body fat was down again, to a pretty impressive 7.96%. This is, without doubt, the best shape I’ve ever been in and while it hasn’t been easy, it has been worth it. I feel better, I look better and I have a lot more confidence than I did before, even though I considered myself to be in OK shape, I just couldn't shift that belly.
The foundation I laid by working out before, even without doing the extreme eating plan that I’m on now, has helped me to achieve these goals, so if you are thinking of starting off on a plan, then there’s no doubting that it’s of benefit, even if you don’t want to achieve what I’m doing here.
Again, Ant was thrilled with my results, and happy that once again he could prove he knows what he’s doing and he’s bloody good at it! He also took a few pictures to show me the progress, and when you stack it up against the first week, the comparison is extraordinary. Here’s a shot of my back in week one, just a month ago on the 5th of May and here it is on Tuesday, 10th of June when the picture was taken. I have cheated a little by flexing, but still, it's a big difference.
Those numbers that I spoke about have been what drives me. I want to make sure that every time I come back to the sheet I’m seeing improvement, and it does help that there are some concrete figures to go by that help you to understand where you’re headed. I decided this week to put together a little infographic with the key numbers, including my most impressive cheat meal. It should be noted that math was never my strong point...
The monotony of it is beginning to get to me a little bit however. When I’m not in work, I’m cooking or in the gym, and with having extra bits and pieces to do these past few evenings, I’ve found myself not getting to sleep until about 1am when I switch off the laptop and fall into bed. I’m up again before 7 in order to start eating, so it’s also beginning to wear me down physically. I know that I have to take a bit more responsibility and make sure that I manage my time better, but it’s also not easy managing everything. That’s becoming part of the challenge too, and like everyone, I could use a few more hours in the day.
What lies ahead sounds less pleasant again, as there’s talk of cutting again before the end as well as a “flushing” stage, which sounds like it will be negative craic. For now though, I’m thrilled with what I’ve achieved, and confident that the big changes I’ve made that I know have had an effect (mostly not having much/any sugar) will be ones that I can continue with and that will help me stay in the shape I’ve gotten in to.
If you want the incredibly grim meal plan, or if you’ve started the program yourself or you’re thinking about making a change and getting fit, then don’t be afraid to drop me a line on Twitter or get in touch with the lads at Raw. They know their stuff, clearly.
Check out the blogs from the other weeks here:
