reggiethebeast’s BodyBlog

i have lifted weights on and off since i was about 18, but i never kept at it for any substantial period of time.  i would improve my physique and then when the stresses of life got too much i would stop working out and let myself go again.  i have pictures of myself at different periods in my life where i looked muscular and with abs… for instance- a time when i was 21 and worked out, and another time when i was 25.  But now, as you can see from my picture, i completely let myself go and look horrible.  in the last couple years i have paid no attention to my diet whatsoever, and consumed way too much alcohol.  i have had zero exercise in my life, and given into stress.  its gotten to the point where im ashamed to take my shirt off, a feeling that i have never experienced before in my life- AND I HATE IT!

the time has come to make a real change.  this time i will not just throw around some weights for a couple months and then stop.  this time i am changing my entire lifestyle.  i have registered to compete in the model universe competition october 25th in nyc.  in order to prepare i have changed my entire diet to high protein, low carbs, good fats, and powdered supergreen foods.  i have cut alcohol out of my life.  i am running and lifting weights daily.

i began exercising in the beginning of april 2008.  it was rough!  i could barely do any of the exercises i was so good at when i was younger.   sit ups were brutal, lifting weights seemed incredibly difficult, and running seemed impossible.  but i kept pushing myself everyday.  now i am in my 8th week and i have gotten over that hump.  i am no longer a beginner.  i can do declined situps with a 30lbs dumbbell on my chest, lift heavy weights with intensity in multiple sets, and can do cardio for 30 minutes at a time.  these feats might not seem like a big deal to alot of people, but they were impossible for me 8 weeks ago.

ok so, i made 8 weeks of improvement, but now its time to take it to another level.  so far in the first 2 months my improvements have been in strength, endurance, and ability to perform exercises.  yes, i have seen a slight improvement in my physique, but only slight.  my abdomen looks less like a bloated beer belly and you can see some abs showing through when i flex them.  also my muscles are looking more full and pumped up.  but i still have a long way to go!  my body fat is still way too high for the type of physique im looking for!  and im also not muscular enough.

so now starting in weeks 8/9 i am going to increase my cardio from 30 minutes of medium intensity once a day to high intensity interval training (hiit) one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening!  i am also going to continue my weight lifting regimen of 6 days a week.  i know this sounds extreme but i am having a lot of trouble cutting body fat, so extreme times call for extreme measures.   also i am going to completely cut out cheating on my diet with  alcohol and bad foods, because cheating on my diet is something i think has hindered my ability to cut body fat in my first 8 weeks.

well, 8 weeks down and 21 weeks until my competition!

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