Day One

Here it is, day one of my 3 month cutting cycle. Before we get into any of that, I'd like to share my experience at the very first Legendary Competitor Powerlifting meet this past weekend. It was a blast! The weather was gorgeous, the contest went really smoothly, everyone was super cool, and I PRed in 2 of my lifts! I squatted 385, benched 260, and deadlifted 450 for a 1095 total. For not having been able to train for about a month I'm pretty happy with my performance, but now I want more. The next meet is in September, and I plan on squatting at least 400, benching 285 or more, and deadlifting 475+. All at a lower bodyweight, hopefully sub-200 lbs.

Which brings me to the point of today's post. Time to lose some weight! I actually started yesterday, but whatever. Today's the official day one. I weighed in at 221.6 this morning. My goal for the month of May is to get my weight down by 7 pounds, which means 31 days from now I should be 214. This goal is easily doable as long as I keep my mind on the prize. In order to continue to increase my strength numbers I'm still making sure to hit the big lifts (bench, deadlift, squat, and press) at least once a week. I'm actually planning on squatting twice a week, one back squat day (powerlifting focused) and one front squat day (Olympic lifting focused). My plan for conditioning workouts is to hit sprints on the rowing machine once a week, and do 2-3 Crossfit metcons with other people per week. Add in some mountain and road biking whenever I get the chance and I'll be getting plenty of activity.

Diet is simple: focus on clean foods. Stay away from processed stuff. Eat big on protein, moderate on fats, and low on carbs. 3 big meals a day, minimal snacks. Snacks should be low-calorie (fruit, beef jerky, veggies). Lots of fish, chicken, and steaks with a side of veggies. Omelettes in the morning. Turkey chili and turkey wraps for lunch. Simple.

I've got a solid plan. I know what to eat, how to cook, and how to train. The only thing keeping me from reaching my goal is me. If I can be consistent in my training and diet as I've laid it out there's no way I can't be successful and hit my goals. Just gotta stay on the wagon.