I have not been able to get skinfolds or assessments done and it is really frustrating not knowing exactly how I am getting on…

The lighting is crap in the hotel I am staying and I am basically living out of packets and tins…not exactly ideal considering I am supposed to be competing in less than two weeks!

The only proof that I have to send Bryan that I havent ‘gone and eaten a lot of cake’ like he would say is a pic I took with my phone.

Lean enough Bryan I'm still here

Bryan text me today and told me to open up and read the last chapter in the athlete physique manual. It is the carbing up and water manipulation section. He reckons I should do a ‘Mock’ carb up and dry out this weekend to see how I will look on stage/ with a good pump. I will follow it and take pictures on Saturday after my session.

Thanks for reading

Jay

http://athletephysique.com

Im gonna really put Bryans online training skills to the test now ha.

Yesterday I took the day off, rather than rushing around looking for somwhere to train and getting set up in the hotel I decided to just chill out and take it in my stride.

I went for a long walk around the place and checked it out.

Today I start the next phase of training, it looks fun, few tricks here and there, negatives and strip sets and all that fun stuff! The Gym I found is grand here and I will keep at it!

I met wit Bryan on Saturday and got my skinfolds taken.

just about

The fat is still coming off but much MUCH slower.

My abs and upperback are letting me down at the moment but I still have a few weeks to tidy that up.

My meal plans have changed a little and I was getting packish late at night so Bryan recommended I cook extra vegetables and split the chicken/steak or whatever I was having into two meals and have one at 830 when I get home for the gym and the other at about 1030 instead of getting hungry before bed and diving for the Ryvita and peanut butter! haha

shaping up

Happy enough with progress but lets see if I can keep up my training programme over here

I’ll keep you posted

Jay

Seeing as you are here, leave me a comment now and again, the few comments that I do get are helpful and help motivate me now and again.

Thanks… Back to my moan!

I thought being injured was bad, I have a new one for you all.

I have to move to London and then ..FRANCE for 2 weeks.

I will not even be back a week before my NABBA competition.

Unfortunately there is nothing I can do,I even had it in my head that is was all over and I had to give up,

I tried to get sympathy from Bryan and he just said:

‘Do they have food and a gym in London?…well then you will be grand’

Thanks Bryan! HA

I suppose he is right though, maybe the change in scenery will make these last few weeks on the training programme a bit easier. I am still hovering aroung 9% bodyfat. My abdominal fat is feeling a lot looser and less stubborn and my other skin folds are down nearly low enough… a bit of a tan and im sorted.

My Ab and supscapular (upper back) skin folds are being a pain but if you remember correctly my abdominal skinfold was over 37millimeters it is only 13.2 millimeters now. Still has a bit to go.

Progress pictures are shaping up but the results are getting slower…this is the grind!

Here they are from the start…

Week 2

too much cake

Week 6

Week 8

gettin there just under 10%

Week 10

hmmm just over 9%...any new tricks Bryan?

Thanks for reading..sorry about the moan!

http://athletephysique.com

Sabina said:

‘Nobody ever trips over mountains.It’s the stones that causes us to stumble.  Pass all the small stones in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain’

I thought i was well on my way up the mountain and I slipped!

I think i'll hold on for a while, slipping doesnt seem too appealing

Okay well it isnt that bad.

I was training there in the middle of last week and i was still delighted with myself having my bodyfat in single figures. the place where i do my single hand pulldowns was busy so I decided to throw in some machine pulldowns. I got a bit carried away and I was lifting fairly heavy.

Little did i know te knee support thing wasnt secure and i heard a click half way through my set. It came loose and I was lifting heavier than my bodyweight so I got launched into the air! The weights came crashing down and the jerk pulled on the back of my shoulder/ neck.

I wasnt that bad when it happenned so I trained on. It was a bit stiff the next morning but being a bit stubborn and determined I carried on and trained. I didnt mention it to Bryan in case he gave out to me

Come Friday it was in a bundle. I took Saturday off and bit the bullet and came clean. I called Bryan. He was busy early in the day but I met with him later in the day.

The rest is never to be repeated, he took out a tennis ball, a thing that looked like a rolling pin and the next 5-10 minutes were most unpleasant. Granted I could move a lot better afterwards and I could train the next day so I guess it worked but it was SORE haha.

Monday I just did a bit of a modified ssession, stuff that would take the pressure off my neck and reduced the weight slightly and just done more reps.

It worked out fine and I think we are back on track now.

I have my measurments again on Sunday, lets see if the setback and the reduction in intensity has effected my fat loss.

Thanks for stopping by

Jay

www.athletephysique.com

Actually im not sorry its your fault! Ha

Its probably better this way because i ahve my new bodyfat readings and some interesting news.

I was at a wedding the weekend and being there the whole day I ended up slipping up a couple of times. Nothing major, but there was a few of them small triangular sandwiches and a mini desert (or three) had.The dinner was fine, i just had an extra serving of vegetables and a large lump of chicken, few diet cokes and thats about it. It kept me going for the day.

I thought I would be able to keep the diet clean for the day but Bryan assured me that it wouldnt happen andthat i would end up slipping nad not to feel too bad about it. He said:

‘falling off isn’t the problem its getting back on that catches people out’

I took that as even if I had a slip or two that once I dont let it get to me and start fresh again tomorrow ill be alright.

Bring on the cake

Here is my progress pics for week 8. I am sorry about the picture I know it is different lighting but ibryan didnt have the same camera with him…again its his fault…i shuold really get a new trainer ha ha

abs are coming out

vshape starting to show

Interesting to note that i got my skinfolds done on sunday, the day after the wedding and they were showing over 10%

After such a hard week work and only 1% of a drop.

I nearly died.

Before skinfolds get done, Bryan makes you do a special water manipulation technique that ensures you are not retaining water before measurements. It also makes sure the measurements are repeatable. I was at the wedding and had a bad day Saturday. Bryan took my measurments but then we resheduled them because he said I looked bloated and like I was retaining water from the ‘mishaps’ at the wedding. Thanks Bryan, real boost for me ha

But then after a retest today I was feeling ‘dry’ and without a doubt i was down another %!

no bridge for me

I guess the main change this week is the introduction of metabolic work in between my sets on my lower body split days, and the addition of strip sets and the some nicer finishers in the workouts. I was spotted doing curls and I thought I was in trouble but there are actually curls on the programme next week so its okay I dont have to hide anymore doing them ha

Thanks for reading

Jay

www.athletephysique.com

I have been training away all week. Dont worry i wasnt HIDING I havent given up, I was just a little dissappointed last week that my bodyfat % numbers werent down.

I should have said nothing as the sessions are increasing in intensity now and getting a lot of metabolic and fat burning workouts in. I can see my lower abs coming out a little better and the lower ab fat is much softer and it feels like it is shifting. Them fish oils are doing the trick. I am taking 10 capsules a day of them and i have stopped taking my flax oil tablets as Bryan said something about it having to be converted into omega 3 and it stick to testosterone so i couldnt have spat them out quick enough

A lot of the workouts are similar this week but there is a circuit type finisher att he end of the workout that really kicks you in the ass. sounds gross but i am still sweating a half hour later after I leave the gym ha.

The NABBA competition was put back until mid September so I now have 6 weeks to prepare!

Bryan was quick to tell me that it doesnt give me an excuse to slack off it just means i will be in better shape for the competition!

Dam you Bryan!

www.athletephysique.com

getting there

I knew it looked better and then Bryan pointed out the parts to look out for that are important.

Lower abs, side of the chest and armpit and upper back.

After taking a closer look I couldnt wait to get my skinfold results back.

I am beginning to see alot more vascularity in my lower abs and and my abdominal skinfold has halfed since starting the beginning of the programme.

I thought i would at least be close to a single digit bodyfat %.

what the hell?

I was going crazy…all that work and not even a percent bodyfat lost!

However I gained over a Kg in weight so either I built muscle and lost fat or I was retaining water or something and lost more fat than we thought. Either way im happy when I actually think about it.

I looked at the progress pictures and I do see dramatic improvements visually

Maybe the calipers is wrong

I started adding Athlete Physique workouts to my routine at the start for the first two weeks before siwtching over completely so I am only really going into week 4 of the set athlete physique programme. Bryan has assured me it gets fun from here on in.

I cant wait … I think

Thanks for reading

Jay

www.athletephysique.com

After 2 weeks on the programme

My Skin Folds Week 2

And after 4 weeks

-

-

My skinfolds week 4

So according to the readings I have dropped approximately 1.8-2kg bodyfat per week and lost no muscle. I actually put on weight and lost bodyfat… Great!

Jay

www.athletephysique.com

I weighed in tonight at 91kgs so I am up 1 kg on last week and will have updated skinfolds AND PICTURES at the weekend.

So I can compare the results the both on paper and visually.

Hopefully they are still cuming down as I have been very strict and done everything advised by Bryan.

Fingers crossed or he may just kill me haha

As for training it going well but am starting to feel the strain on my body and strength is down a little. My training has changed a little on this phase of training and its getting pretty intense so thats to be expected.

Will just keep plugging away and keep u updated on how I am doing.

Thanks for reading

Jay

www.athletephysique.com

The end result?

I am hopeing to compete in my first competition. The NABBA bodybuilding show in September, I am 5 weeks into my diet and I have dropped 5% bodyfat and nearly 10lbs in weight.

The great news is i have not lost anything  in muscle mass so thats good news.

Heres my measurements from week 1-4

Week 1

Chest- 46 3/4

Arm R – 16 1/4

Arm L – 16

Quad/Thigh R – 24 1/4

Quad/Thigh L – 24

Waist/Naval – 37 1/4

Hip 41 1/2

-

-

Week 4

Chest- 46 1/2

Arm R – 16 1/4

Arm L – 16

Quad/Thigh R – 24 1/4

Quad/Thigh L – 24

Waist/Naval – 35 3/4

Hip 41

-

As you can see the measurements that matter have not dropped but the wais and hip measurements have… guess i had a fat arse ha.

thanks for reading

Jay

http://www.athletephysique.com