This week is a deload week for me. This is a very important part of the strategy for contest preparation. It gives my body some time to recover before we put it through the rigorous training that will start on January 1, 2012.
Cardio Training
Today was a cardio only day. While I am not fond of cardio, I am motivated to get it done because I want to be as lean as I possibly can. It is at times like this that I am thankful I have a trainer. Chris has told me not to over do the cardio. He specifically dialed back the amount of time I spend doing cardio. Had I been preparing on my own I am sure I'd have gone in the other direction.
My cardio training is now the high intensity cardio format. I am not doing intervals as much. I will be throwing them in after weight training workouts, but will not use them during dedicated cardio sessions such as the one I did today.
Cardio After Weights
One new wrinkle is that Chris has me doing cardio after my weight training. It is a very short (10 minutes) session of intervals, but it is designed to help us maximize my fat burning potential. After all the glycogen has been expended through a tough weight training session, this interval cardio has the potential to burn a tremendous amount of fat. This is another strategy that we are using for contest preparation.
Nutrition
Today was a banner day. I ate nothing but chicken, beef, sweet potato, spinach and water. The focus that was there before is getting even more laser guided. I can feel the difference. The anticipation of the start of 2012 has me bearing down more than before. I can see major changes in the pictures I posted on Saturday and I am looking forward to the pictures to come on this Saturday.
I'd love it if you would share with me your thoughts on getting lean. What has worked for you and what has not that you thought would?
