When I took the decision towards the end of 2013 to ‘get fit before I’m 30’ it was with an idea in place to finally put a structure together to realise a long term dream throughout my 20’s to commit to seeing some muscle and stay healthy. With my 30th in Feb 2015 I wanted to test myself to see how fit I could get and set some goals.
Over the next few lines I hope to take through the challenges and celebrate what has been an incredible year.
Goals
I had set out 3 main goals last year, some evolved and others were a constant motivation to stay on track.
1) to have ‘defined’ muscle tone
2) to get somewhere between 10-12% body fat before my 30th
3) to run a distance race of some sort
What I didn’t expect was that with the muscle definition becoming such an exciting process my running goal concluded with a 10k in May with a time of 55 minutes đź‘Ť – I then switched my focus to muscle strengthening for the rest of the year. I realised by the end of this year that the muscle definition goal was a bit vague but I knew that if I kept pushing with the right programme and diet, I would naturally achieve what I wanted. In terms of BF – I started at 26% and managed to get 12.6% during my latest programme , but I realised early on it was an obsession at the start and as training evolved and I was more body confident, the less I worried about the figures.
Hemiplegia Help!
My early concern was centred on any possible muscle ‘imbalance’ and being faced with lop sided abs due to my left hemiplegia. What a load of rubbish now! It was all in my head – in fact I’m proud of the muscle I’ve started to build on both sides.
A summer personal training session helped me break my own barriers when using gym equipment and I now use all of the tools available in the weights area, I’ve just adapted and found my way with the support of wrist straps. Getting body confident on my left side has, I feel, been my greatest achievement this year. I bench press, I lift, all things I thought I couldn’t do throughout my 20’s.
Seeing folks such as Josh Goodfellow of JG Fitness get on stage and highlight disABILITY bodybuilding has been inspiring. Who knows? If the first part of 2015 goes well I’d love to join them on stage one day!
My recent training programme created by Dr Jim Stoppani really highlighted the need to define your goals, training & diet and hone in exactly what you want. I’ve just completed a great shred programme to finish my first year off and intend to get straight onto a bulking course in a few days, designed to build more muscle and size.
What I initially thought was a year long dedication has developed into a great lifestyle where I have built confidence, a bit of muscle and focus with my future goals.
Il keep you all updated but thanks to everyone – family & friends for being part of this ongoing journey.
On to 2015, let’s make things happen!!
My first year of progress…
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