Before reading the 14 Week Fitness Challenge, I recommend you check out:
Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. – Johann Gottfried Von Herder
The 14 Week Get-Fit Challenge:
The original purpose of the challenge was simple:
- This challenge was originally set for my honeymoon. I wanted to look better for the beach.
However big or small your goal may be, 14 weeks is a good length of time. It is long enough to obtain some serious results (providing that we are all 100% dedicated), while it is a short enough period of time to keep us engaged. I have to quote Arnie here…
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”
The first step is to set your personal goal. This can be however big or small you choose – you might want to consider one or more of the following…
- To lose a certain amount of weight
- To gain a certain amount of weight
- To run/walk a given distance without stopping
- To run/walk a given distance in a certain time
- To get a new personal best (P.B.) in deadlift, benchpress, squat etc.
- To get a six-pack
- To feel more confident
- To attend the gym regularly
- To change your diet
Whatever your goal may be, choose something and commit. Do not choose multiple and conflicting goals. We are going to set ourselves an end goal which can be broken down into ‘mini-goals’ which we can review on a weekly basis. This will give us a chance to discuss progress and help each other out with any setbacks.
Let me get started with my End Goals:
DIET:
- Consume a fizzy drink a maximum of once per week
- Eliminate white bread out my diet altogether
- Vastly reduce carb consumption (especially simple carbs)
- Revert back to eating six-small meals per day
- Minimise consumption of chocolate/candy
GYM:
- Bench Press 130kg (265lbs) for 10 reps
- Pullups – 30 (continuous)
- Pressups – 80 (continuous)
- Squat regularly (I have naturally very strong legs and don’t want to build them up too big – I already have trouble fitting my legs in most trousers)
- Deadlift – 200kg (440lbs) for 10 reps
- Running/Cardio 3 times per week.
While you probably look at my goals and think that they are worlds apart from what you want to achieve – this doesn’t matter. The point of all of this is the journey to achievement. Personally, I am going to find the DIET tasks the hardest and most challenging, but as I already discussed, 80% of the gym is in the kitchen. When you are in the kitchen, make sure that you count up your macro nutrients to ensure that you are getting the correct amount of protein, fats and carbs. A good way to ensure you are getting enough protein is to make protein bars by using protein powder. You can get this from any reputable online store or online from places like Maxishop. My original end goals were decided and I constructed my first weeks’ mini-goals:
Week 1:
I have a gym at work (completely free :D) that I can attend throughout the day. This requires me to manage my time effectively, so that I have free time in the afternoons to attend. I prefer to workout when it is quieter so that I can get on all the machines/stations that I want without waiting and without the distraction of talking to colleagues. Music is a huge motivator for me when working out. I will make myself a new Spotify playlist this afternoon for the week ahead. I will try to keep this fresh throughout the next 14 weeks by adding and removing songs as we go. My ‘mini-goals’ for the week are as follows:
- Not to buy any fizzy drinks at work; I will attempt to drink water and milk only. (I bought a new ‘Bobble’ bottle yesterday which includes a carbon filter to cleanse the water that you are drinking. Each filter is good for 300 refills – a LOT cheaper than buying bottled [not that I do that anyway 😉 ])
- Eat brown/wholemeal toast in the mornings with my poached eggs and also if I have a baguette at lunch.
- Continue to eat bananas/nuts/flapjacks as ‘small meals’ throughout the day.
- Workout a minimum of 3 times
- Bench Press – 90kg for 10 reps
- Pullups – 3 sets of 8
- Pressups – 30 continuously
- Squat – 80kg for 3 x 10 reps
- Deadlift – 140kg for 3 x 8 reps
- Row 2500m at two sessions, 30 min jog at one.
While the above list does not cover all the exercises that I will carryout, it highlights those which count towards my end goals. Reflecting on the above list; I think that I will struggle most with the fizzy drinks aspect as I often need a sugar-kick mid-afternoon. Hopefully by drinking lots of water this will help keep me hydrated and more attentive.
Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. – Arnie
All in all, this challenge was a huge success, if anyone is interested in learning more, then Contact Me