- Weight: 132.4 lbs.
- No workout today; next: new workout on Dec. 3
- Total inches: 121.3
- Protein: 126 g (1 g over target)
- Calories: 2,103
November has been even steven: My workouts were flat. My calories were flat. Everything was flat.
I can fix this.
Weight through Nov. 30
As you can see, my rapid weight gain leveled off, never straying too far from 132 pounds this past month.
Measurement | Sept. 1 | Nov. 30 | Change |
Weight (pounds) | 121.8 | 132.4 | +10.6 |
Body fat percentage | 23.5 | 26.8* | +3.3 percentage pts. |
Fat weight | 28.6 | 35.5 | +6.9 |
Lean weight | 93.2 | 96.9 | +3.7 |
Total inches | 113.6** | 121.3 | +7.7 |
*Last measured Nov. 1.
**My measurements starting out weren’t terribly consistent.
Some of my gains in September and October were erased in November. I had a really challenging time making progress in the workouts.
Exercise | Sept. 1 | Nov. 30 | Change |
Yates row | 7 x 55 lbs. | 4.4 x 115 lbs. | +109.1 percent |
Barbell overhead press | 7 x 30 lbs. | 5.3 x 50 lbs. | +66.7 percent |
Myotatic crunch | 6.5 x 2.5 lbs.* | 4.5 x 5 lbs. | +100.0 percent |
Slight incline bench press | 3.2 x 30 lbs. | 0 x 60 lbs. | +100.0 percent |
Squat | 10 x 45 lbs. | 10 x 85 lbs. | +88.9 percent |
Kettlebell swing | 32 x 20 lbs. | 22 x 40 lbs. | +100.0 percent |
*I added weight to this exercise on Oct. 4.
The total workout time was almost identical these past 2 months: 84 minutes in October and 90 minutes in November. But I can see where my lifting has stalled out, even with adequate rest and recovery time.
Total inches through Nov. 30
Calories consumed through Nov. 30
You can see a couple of factors at work. Total inches confirms that I haven’t gained or lost significantly in the last 30 days.
I adjusted calories dramatically, concerned over having gained too many pounds of fat vs. muscle.
In October, the target was 2,500 per day; actual average was 2,582. In November, the target was 2,050 per day (2,000 for the first half, 2,100 for the second half); actual average was 2,101. Protein intake has remained roughly the same all 91 days. Because I have not measured body fat percentage since Nov. 1, I can’t tell if it has changed, but I believe it has not gone up or down significantly.
The project has cost me $283.59 so far. (The cost dropped because my monthly food bill in November was lower than the 24-month average before starting all of this.)
You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.
I am making one small change and one big change for December.
The small change is moving up to 2,200 calories a day.
The big change is to switch to a new workout. I had been considering doing kettlebell swings and abdominal exercises on Mondays and Fridays, likely doubling my exercise time to about 3 hours total for December.
But in re-reading “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon |iTunes aff. links] last night, a set of exercises in the chapter “From Geek to Freak” caught my eye. I’ll research them over the weekend and have a workout routine in place for Monday.
I’m looking forward to bulking up for real in December, closing out 2012 bigger than ever.
Day 91 – side
Day 1 vs. Day 91 – front
[Click image for a larger version.]
Day 1 vs. Day 91 – side
[Click image for a larger version.]