I think it's more important to be fit than to have a great body

Rant and Tip for November 18, 2011

Quote: I think it's more important to be fit so that you can be healthy and enjoy activities than it is to have a good body.  Rachel Blanchard

As I was trying to find a quote for the day I found the above quote. I think it is important to take note here that while I do get complimented on my physique it was not the main I had set for myself. When I first started my exercise regimen the goal was to just get fit. My goal was to get my triglycerides down to healthy levels and to be able to play with my children for as long as they wanted to play. I am not so sure I would be at the fitness level I am had it not been for my original goal. I also believe that being fit is not always about being extremely thin. I see many people who are very skinny who are not fit and healthy. They walk around thinking they look great but cannot run to the end of the driveway. These are the people who actually destroy your motivation with out you even realizing it. You see them in the mall eating poorly but what we do not see is that they probably are only having one meal a day and that when they eat it is not really enough to fuel the body. They are weak in comparison to others. They also tend to be what some people call skinny fat. They look skinny but have a higher fat percent than you would expect.

I have not been successful in finding a sponsor for the worlds next year. I will continue to try to find a company or gym to help me out with this goal. I am not finding this to be an easy proposition. One thing that was suggested to me was to organize a bench press competition at one of the local gyms. Give out awards at the meet per weight class and even age group. The proceeds to go to my world competition. I will have to check and see if this is a possibility. I would not be able to do this at Albany Strength as they currently hold meets for the USAPL.

In the near future I am going to change my training program around again. I need to really focus on training for the worlds. While I want to set the NYS record for a full power meet. I have to be realistic in my approach and focus on increasing my bench press. I want to get o hitting a raw bench of 360 and an equipped bench of at least 435. Some people have told me that you can get 100 lbs out of a bench shirt. Let’s see what I can get out of it.

My diet is getting back on track and the one thing I need to do differently is lower my protein intake just a bit. I need to be able to put on strength but not to much more muscle by May 23rd.  The weight class is 163 and while I made 161 for the last two meets I have to be careful to not put on so much muscle that I cannot make 163 next year. I was taking in 2 grams of protein per lean body mass which was about 300 grams give or take a few grams. I am going to lower that to about 1.5 grams per lean body mass and see how my body reacts to that. I have plenty of time to see if t affects my strength.

Have a great workout!

Tip: When planning out your meals for the day, yes I said plan, be sure to have 4 to 6 ounces of protein with each meal. Also a serving of healthy non root vegetables with your meal as well. Keep in mind that corn is a grain not a vegetable.