I’ve been on and off the forum for a few years and the ‘2021 T-ransformation’ challenge sounds like just the thing I need to kickstart my training during lockdown and into the new year.
Will get a pic sorted this evening then take a few measurements tomorrow morning as a starting point. Initial aim will be to cut down about 30-35 pounds and go from there.
Have finished off the last of the Christmas treats and begun to get back in the routine of training and eating right.
Training won’t be ideal with gyms currently closed and the weather outside making it tough to complete any weightlifting sessions (have a few weights at home that I can use to create half decent workouts) but getting back into running is one of my primary aims (play a lot of sport) so can focus on that and my diet for the early part of the year. Plan is to cut for several weeks to get back under 200lbs and see how things stand at that stage.
Starting weight: 215lbs
Waist measurement: 37.5”
First training session completed. Got on my bike to cycle out to a nearby beach which I ran before cycling back home.
8km cycle: 30 minutes
4km run: 20 minutes
8km cycle: 30 minutes
(times and distances only approximate)
Well the first 2 weeks in general were an absolute disaster training wise 
Working in finance / investments the first couple of weeks in January is one of our busiest periods so the long hours coupled with the bad weather meant I got very little training done. That’s a lie, I got nothing done. Additionally my diet went to crap too as it was much easier to just grab something on the go during the day and reward myself with takeaway in the evening after a long day. To be honest, about halfway through week 1 I sorta resigned myself to the fact that the first 2 weeks would be a write-off so I’d just need to get through them and work to make things right after that.
So that is what happened. Finally got my final client case sent out last Friday (15th January), ordered a pizza & had a few beers but got an early night in preparation for a busy weekend of traning and since then things have been going well. Got a really good weight-lifting session completed early on Saturday and did a few conditioning exercises to finish it off. Have got limited equipment at home (gyms are all closed) and the only space I have is a back patio so workouts are very much weather dependent. Even on a bright, dry day my hands quickly feel numb when lifting an ice-cold bar in freezing cold weather 
Also added in a couple of runs this week in the evening when it has rained and made weight-lifting sessions difficult so I feel like I’m back on track for this challenge now. It’s amazing how quickly things can click into gear; even after the first proper session I felt more motivated and my desire to eat junk food had waned significantly. Would hope that I’m back around my starting weight now but things should start to progress properly from here now that training and diet is in place.
2 weeks ain’t nothin man! You gone be fine big dawg
Ah I know, 2 weeks in the grand scheme of things is nothing but just wasn’t an ideal start to the challenge.
Out for a 7km run today in the rain at a time of about 40 minutes so will look to improve upon that as I build my running base up.
I believe you can do this Pablo
Thanks buddy, I appreciate the message.
Things continuing on steadily this week. Got another workout done last night before the rain came on, still working between a weight-lifting workout for strength / hypertrophy followed by a pseudo-crossfit style workout for conditioning.
Workout A:
Goblet Squat @ 40kg - 3 x 12
Bent Row @ 60kg - 3 x 12
Pushups on Kettlebells (so chest going slightly lower than my hands) @ BW - 3 x 10
Single leg RDL @ 10kg - 3 x 10
Military Press @ 40kg - 3 x 10
Workout B:
Skipping 50 reps
Step ups on tractor tyre 20 reps
Sledgehammer on tractor tyre 20 reps
Tricep Dips on tractor tyre 10 reps
Air Squat (eventually want to transition to pistol squats) 10 reps
Farmers carry 15kg plates in each hand for 100m
5 sets for time
Very little to report on over the last week or so. Had taken a progress pic given we’re now 1 month in but as my training has actually only been for 2 weeks there is a negligible difference.
Have lost a few pounds in terms of weight on the scales but overall feeling there’s much more progress being made than that. Not wanting to get too bogged down in the detail so early on in the challenge I’ve decided to just stick at things for several more weeks to see how the progress continues and possible reassess at that stage.
Running has really come on well with a new PB of 11km completed on Friday past. Still working on building a solid base and using my training to supplement that with squats, lunges, deadlifts etc as well as the conditioning work. It’s been hard to make solid strength or muscle gains given the limit equipment but with regards to any “transformation” I think my primary goal would still be to lose 20-30 pounds before worrying about bulking up.
Really just checking in here to maintain my committment to the transformation challenge and to keep a training log alongside it. No new groundbreaking progress, just keeping things simple;
Haven’t weighed in but definitely feel like there is progress being made. Would love to have the gyms open again so I can get back to lifting heavy as that’s when I’ve always felt the best gains but just doing what I can for now and focussing on improving my habits in general.
Ran a 5km for time the other night and came in just under 26 minutes (25:57) which wasn’t too bad given the stormy conditions though still a fair way off what I’d like it to be. Conscious that this is becoming more of a running log than anything else but it’ll all help me achieve the long term goal.
Just another check in to keep myself on track / accountable but don’t really have any training information to log per se.
Gyms where I am will remain closed until at least April so that negates any chance I have of heavy lifting. My focus until then remains on running, various CrossFit style workouts and eating right. Hopefully I’ll have engrained those good habits so when gyms open I’m able to take it up a notch and maybe look to add some size.
Overall progress has been good, currently down around 12 lbs from my starting point of 215 and hoping to break through the 200 lb mark in the next week or two. From there it’ll just be a case of maintaining the course for several weeks and reassessing my plan for the latter stages of the challenge depending on how things stand at that stage.
