Gym Lycan

The rain pelts the windows outside, and my knees are cold as I sit here typing at the laptop. I work at night now, as my day job is based in the US, but here I sit in a little town on the Southern tip of Africa.
This gives me a unique slot now with in which to train. I have my whole mornings free. What a dream come true.

So, its winter. And in winter I planned on gaining muscle mass. I started out early, and had planned on 8 -10 weeks of calorie surplus and putting on size. I had the rest of the year to drop the fat. Typically when I start a new phase, I like to add a “heavy” hitter change to my lifestyle. Just to see what that does. I’ve been in and out of ketosis for most of the year, after a VERY successful transformation towards the end of last year. But strict keto and calorie counting isnt for the weak. I personally found it to be unsustainable given I also had a professional work life, two kids and numerous other things happening in my life.

I did keep to a low carb lifestyle, and have managed to keep off all of the weight I had lost last year, while steadily gaining muscle mass. A win! I know I can keep this new shape indefinitely.

So back to my roots of bodybuilding for so many decades, I though a mass phase was in order. I also implemented meso-cycles as my training style. This will be the topic of a future post.

This phase change, I wanted to seriously focus on protein intake, and decided to forget ketosis – I was just going to get as much protein in as humanly possible. The remainder of my diet I make up with clean oils, cheese, butter and apple cider vinegar. I have been in mass gaining mode for 4 weeks.

This past week, I felt very ‘keto-ish’, and after an epiphany in the middle of the night that I had inadvertently been following a carnivore diet for three weeks, I jumped up and grabbed the ketone urinary test strips from the back of my cupboard and promptly went to go pee on one.

The results – dark dark purple, in seconds. That’s -deep- ketosis. Even on the keto protocols I had used before had I never been above 1.5 mmol/DL ketone blood readings. I’ve tested about 10 times in the last few days, after every meal, when I wake up, after and before training, different times of the day and its conclusive – I’m sitting at 3mmol/DL average. THAT is a game changer.

How does it change the game? Well I’m torching fat. That I can tell. I did a 3 day water drop, and yes – confirmed – way more muscle and probably the lowest body-fat percentage I’ve been at in 20 years. If ever.

I have abs about a finger tip in, and am a two day fast away from seeing ab definition. This means I am -very- close to 10% BF. The average mens magazine fitness model is at 10% body fat. It’s the magic number. 10.

Damn, that was unexpected! In trying to put on lean size, I have ripped away ALOT of fat. Without even trying, mind you. Im doing virtually NO cardio. Just lifting. I havent even started rucking for cardio yet.

So, this is the question I have to sleep on. Do I carry on the mass building phase – and and keep piling in the calories, or do I do a four week power cut – and reach sub 10% BF for the first time in my life. Ever. What to do?

The benefit of doing this is that firstly I would have accomplished a lifelong goal, and the original reason I started this transformation. This I can definitely do in four weeks. This also means, I will know what to do closer to the summer months – as I would have already gotten it right once. They, bodybuilders mostly, say its infinitely easier after the first time. Once you’ve done it once, you can pretty cut to that at will – as long as you don’t stray too far. But with the new lean mass I’m carrying – is not likely to happen.

The other thing is that once I see that 6 pack in the mirror, that’s going to supercharge my resolve to train harder, eat neater, live healthy.

This has come as a very pleasant surprise. I think I’m going to go for it. I’ll start rucking this week. I will stick to my mass training meso-cycle (will be discussed in a future post). I will smash 10% Body Fat in exactly four weeks, possibly less. Lets make that goal in 6 weeks. Because life happens.

I am shape shifting again. And I feel alive!