Tag Archives: success

Day 162: Where does it end?

Day 162 - front

Day 162 – front

Weight: 137.0 lbs.
No workout today; next: Workout C, Feb. 11
Total inches: 124.3
Protein: 140 g (11 g over target)
Calories: 2,305

Project Bulk started as a 30-day plan to see if I could gain muscles and weight, having been stuck in the 120s for my adult life. Now nearing 6 months, I ask myself again: Where does it end?

For dieters, it ends at either a lower number or in frustration. I thought I might stop after adding 10 pounds of muscle. At this point, I’m just about there.

Chart: Lean mass, through Feb. 9

So many questions, without ready answers …

Do I keep doing what I’ve been doing?
If I stop, how quickly will I regress to that 120-pound blandness?
What should my maintenance workout schedule be?
Should I keep up the protein consumption, meaning a shake a day plus lots of meat?
Keep taking daily photos? Recording weekly numbers?
What does success look like?

It may take a while to figure out.

Day 161 - side

Day 161 – side

Day 34: The questions that remain

1 Reply

Day 34

Day 34
(See the gallery for more photos.)

Weight: 129.4 lbs.
Workout A: 21 minutes, 51 seconds. Next: Workout B on Oct. 10.
Total inches: 120.1
Protein: 153 g (31 g over target)
Calories: 2,247
See more measurements.

Entering month 2, the road ahead is easier to see.

Five workouts, instead of nine. No need to increase the recovery time, as 5 days is the maximum time required.
Steady on with eating. Weight has gone up fairly steadily, even with the regular up-down cycling.
Five or six posts, nothing back-breaking.
Daily photos and measurements.
Similar menu and grocery shopping.
Maybe, big maybe, some yoga or walking.

What remains uncertain is how much and how fast. I gained 3 pounds in 30 days, with nine workouts in 3 hours, 42 minutes. Let’s say the five workouts this month run about 20 minutes each, so 1 hour and 40 minutes. “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] says this is plenty, as muscle growth takes time and protein.

So this 31-day period should tell me plenty about my muscle growth rate and how it affects my upper body. We saw in the first month some reduction in “love handles” and some fleshing out of my chest. I’d love to see some growth in the arms, but I bet I might need to switch to an all-kettlebell routine in month 3 or 4.

The questions I need to answer: What does success look like? Will I know it when I see it? Is it a number on the scale or on the tape measure?

Will I need to switch to a different routine to sculpt the arms or abs? How far do I want to take this?

The original goal was to see what changed, if anything, after 30 days. Now I need to set a new goal.

For now, the goal is: Let’s see how I look on Halloween.

Stud or freak, toned test subject or fitness zombie?

Day 19: The new routine

4 Replies

Day 19

Weight: 125.2 lbs.
Workout B: 18 minutes, 0 seconds
Total inches: 118.2
Protein: 193 g (75 g over target)
Calories: 2,410

Modern folklore says it takes 3 weeks to make a new habit.

My new habits include …

hitting the scale each morning, then rushing to the computer to type it in before I forget the readout;
drinking a lot more milk, mostly in protein shake form;
taking half-naked photos of myself;
psyching myself up before workouts (never did that before doing treadmill);
measuring my body parts;
evaluating each portion of food for calorie and protein content;
planning my eating so I hit my daily goals, rather the much simpler hunger-based pattern;
fretting about the numbers;
thinking ahead to the next workout day;
buying a lot more bananas, milk, chicken and potatoes;
and learning to enjoy the weird routine.

The success of implementing the habits came from good preparation, small steps and changes and daily reinforcement through charting and blogging. Had I not done all of these things, I believe I would not be in the swing of the routine.

Here’s to finding new ways to live and grow.