October 2011 Progress Update

New and improved
kettlebell pose at
4kg - 5kg heavier
and slightly leaner

It’s been 32 months and 12 days now since I had my second attempt into this lifestyle. I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of my achievements not just in the weights room but everything else that stemmed from gaining a healthier and stronger body, the list is endless and it continues to grow. This is just a brief update from the past 2 years, 9 months, and 12 days of training. One year from January 05, 2009 (It’s funny how the date is so memorable as if it was just yesterday) I had gone from 82.5kg to 64kg. I had specific goals set from there but I didn’t quite follow these and with much experimentation on nutrition and training, I ended up at only being 3kg to 4kg heavier on February 26, 2011. There was also an error (lesson learnt) where I had accidentally overshot what I had planned of being 6kg heavier than my previous goal and all of a sudden, I found myself only gaining 3kg to 4kg. Lesson learnt indeed, and that's just one of many. Practice does not make perfect, but practice with being able to apply corrective action, I make progress. Anyway, I enjoyed this new composition, I was a fair bit stronger, more knowledgeable, and looked a lot harder. Not to mention this is the leanest I’ve ever gotten myself, EVER. Eight months on from February, I find myself 6.5kg heavier at 74.5kg. Although I’m not as lean now compared to my February 2011 status, I’ve got a crap load more strength while having a balance, ie. being content with the level of composition, strength, and lifestyle (which may be too good for a health nut like me...). A milestone from here is pretty much see how 75kg but at the same composition as my Febrary 2011 status goes, which means I’m looking at keeping my slow lean gains towards the 78kg territory and briefly and effortlessly cut down back to 75kg. Overall though, I think I’m just at above average strength and it’s not all about the looks. Essentially I’d like to be one strong fucker for 75kg.

Old version, still good
but ligher

I also found an old pair of jeans that I used to wear when I was around 90kg or so (see attached pic). Please do not forget that I was 100kg at some point so these aren’t my biggest pair. Fucking imagine that for someone who’s 5’6. I’ve also done a comparison of an old kettlebell pic I had taken during a cut in January 2011 (also attached) vs a newly updated kettlebell pic now, 10 months on. I’d like to note that the current pic now is approximately 4kg to 5kg heavier (I know the lighting doesn’t help) while being a little more defined. Still soft, but defined enough. Here’s a quick summary of my current lifts which I’m proud of and on a never ending quest to continuously, slowly and surely, simply get stronger.

• Wide grip pull ups @ 5 reps with bodyweight + 34.4% body weight
• Dips @ 3 reps with body weight + 68% body weight
• Deadlift @ 1 rep of 270.8% body weight
• Squat (deep) @ 5 reps of 142.8% body weight (weakest, slow progress)
• Leg press @ 1 rep of 554.8% body weight
• Dumbbell flat bench press @ 2 reps of 122.5% body weight (I never bench press + injured right tricep tendon since December 2010)

ex-90kg jeans (I was at 100kg+ at
some stage....), now at 74.5kg

I’ve got other several minor achievements but overall I consider 2011 the only year I started lifting seriously. When I say seriously it’s because I stopped going to the weights room just to create “tension”. I started creating milestones for my lifts, recorded every single fucking lift, every damn set, repetition, down to the 0.5kg of every weight. I tracked injuries, flagged anything that may potentially become one, and recorded whether form was dirty as shit or clean and tidy. I started sleeping better, paying more attention to consistency with recovery and nutrition. To be accountable, with attention to detail, it does pay off and it’s helped with my progress a great deal. I’ve also become a lot more flexible with everything, nutrition and training. Stepping out of the comfort zone just simply because I want to know the answers to the “what if...” or “would it be better if...” type of questions. It's most definitely a part of my life, something that used to be hard work during my first year and now has simply become fun, a game I want to keep getting better at. Something I love and enjoy, for me.



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