The combination of reverse pyramids and Visual Impact had me putting on a solid bit of muscle. More muscle than I ever had before. The has caused my weight to increase. Normally I wouldn’t care but this contest means a lot to my teammates and I do not want to be the one to gain weight.

So with that said, I am somewhat sorrowful to announce that I am doing the first phase of P90x and am currently on week 1. I am doing P90x because it’s a quick and proven system for me that I know works. Even though I don’t care for the 6 days a week workouts, I only have to do it for the next 30 days and then I am done with the contest. After that I am going to go back to either reverse pyramids or Visual Impact and cut my workouts down to 2-3 days a week with a mix of sprints and clean eating. At that time, I will again be posting more progress stats and I will stop stepping on that darn scale!

I decided that I want people to look at me and see someone that is in great shape. I don’t want them to look at me and see a guy that walks like he spends all of his time in the gym. That is the direction I feel like I was headed.

I have been on Phase II of Visual Impact for 2 weeks now and am really starting to notice a difference in not only my strength but also my muscle definition.   Along with the standard weight training outlined in the VI book, I am also doing the recommended 15 minutes of H.I.I.T cardio immediately following each weight session. The only thing I am not following in its entirety is the recommended 2on/1off schedule. I don’t have access to a gym on the weekends so I lift Monday/Tuesday and Thursday /Friday.

My diet really suffered the last year while I experimented with the Leangains approach.  I’d scour the internet for people that where doing Leangains and I would see the crap they would shovel into their mouths on their workout days and I assumed I could do the same thing.  However, I never saw the same ab ripping results that so many others achieved. I didn’t put on a lot of fat but I did put on a pretty decent layer over my muscle.  All my clothes still fit, just not as good as they once did.

So now I am back to living the Primal lifestyle outlined on MarksDailyApple.com and in the Primal Blueprint.  In the last 2 weeks, I am down 6lbs and my lifts have gone up every week. Something about this diet just works for me. I am starting to look good and I am feeling great.

The picture below is one that I took yesterday. Upon close inspection, I can really start to see the individual muscles popping in my shoulder and through my arms.  Now if I could get that same definition through my abdomen area,  I might start to really consider the dream I have of competing on stage.

Here is my starting lift weight as of 2 weeks ago. At the end of the 2 month Phase II program I will be posting my end lift weight.

As some know, I have been doing a combination of Visual Impact and Leangains for roughly 2 months now and I am really starting to see a difference. Just today I had to cinch my belt up to the very last (homemade) hole. The one usually reserved for when I wear tighter style dress pants. And for the first time ever, that last notch didn’t feel uncomfortable!

Although I am losing body fat and weight on the scale, I am not quite ready to take new progress photo’s quite yet. Maybe in another month or so.  I really want to go for the ab shot before I put up another picture. If not, I am afraid no one would be able to tell the difference.

Well that is about all I have for now. I am hoping to post about my Whole30 challenge that I have been doing at the office. Maybe by the end of the weekend I can get that up as well.

In other news, Men’s Health reported today that a new study from the European Congress on Obesity states that the main reason Americans are much heavier than we were 30 years ago is that we eat too much—not that we exercise too little. Well duh! Did someone seriously get paid to perform this study?? If so, do they need anymore done?  The main key to any successful weight loss has always been a proper diet. Eat clean, eat lean, eat often, and maintain portion control. Add some exercise into the mix and you will accelerate your results. 

Also wanted to point out that I started Phase 3 – Week 2 today; Chest and Back.  What a great workout this was!  I left purely exhausted but happy.  As I near the end of my P90x journey, I have begun to think about the next step. Should I get P90x+ or Tony Horton’s One on One?   I might also go back and do Body for Life for a few months just to change things up a bit.  Anyone have any suggestions?