Athletic physique week 12: the final pictures

Hey guys,

thank you for following me through my journey :) your support both here, on facebook and in person has been a huge help towards keeping me on track towards my goal.

I started this mini challenge as I have been unable to commit to playing football this year so wanted a push into regular weight training to ensure I continue to practice what I preach :)

The Program

Big thanks go out to Bryan Kavanagh whose athletic physique program I have been following:

http://www.tiny9.com/u/athletic_physique

I found the program to be well organised, easy to follow, challenging and progressive which is exactly what I was looking for and the range and type of exercises involved meant it was fun to follow too (well, if you like this kinda thing like me).

The goal:

My main target was to get my body fat below 10% and to start to look more defined and athletic (As a personal trainer I felt I should look the part as well as being generally fit)

The results:

Success :) I managed to take my bodyfat down to 9.4% my shape has changed a fair bit and my abs are begining to show so i'm pretty pleased. More so than the physical appearance changes, I have enjoyed how much stronger I feel. Before starting I could barely throw together a set of 10 chin ups (the easier ones with the palms facing towards you) whereas now I am performing chin ups with weights between my feet and can do 5-6 wide grip pull ups with pretty good form. Being able to achieve these exercises is just as pleasing as the physical changes :)

The Pictures:

Week 1

Week 12

Let me know what you think with a comment below or some feedback on facebook :)

Thanks Guys,

Nathan

www.nathanlee-pt.com

Athletic physique week 8

So 8 weeks in and time to update my progress on the athletic physique program :)

So what's been happening the last 4 weeks?

Well, I feel that in the first 4 weeks although I made great progress I may have rushed into the training program trying to lift too much too soon...I get a little exciteable that way sometimes.

I figured this was the case as an old shoulder injury was rearing its ugly head and causing me mild pain on some shoulder and chest exercises. Because of this I decided to change tact slightly as I was aware that the planned overtraining was only a few weeks away eeek.

So what changed?

I didn't veer away from the basic outline of the program...the main exercises remained but I regressed the weight back slightly and increased the repetitions to take some pressure off my shoulder joint. I also spent some extra time each session working on my back and rear shoulder muscles to see if improving the balance of my upper body strength would reduce the pain....

And?

Im pleased to say it has worked...or seems to have as the shoulder pain hasn't re-appeared in the last 2 weeks of training yay, so I will be maintaining this small change as I progress through the coming 4 weeks of the challenge.

Progress?

I definately feel progress has been made as I am gradually again increasing the weight I can lift for some exercises, particularly I am pleased with my weighted pull ups...not much weight added (upto 8kg now) but considering I struggled with bodyweight pull ups 8 weeks ago it feels good to be able to perform these. Body wise I feel my back has made the most change in the last few weeks, my chest is still improving and my arms are still lagging behind but getting better :)

Goals:

So 4 weeks to go....I am pretty pleased with progress however my only target was to get my body fat % below 10%...currently I'm at eleven....4 weeks hard work then to bring it down (even 9.9% will do haha). My diet has been clean throughout (beyond the two cheat meals) however the last few weeks have been more carb heavy with an attempt to up calories for development...the coming 4 weeks I will be again stripping the carbs back to push for this last drop in fat....I might even chuck in a fast or two for good measure.

Pictures :)

Day 1

Day 56

Week 4 Athletic Physique Update

Onto my week 4 update of my progress on Bryan Kavanagh's athletic physique development program.

To see the program itself follow the link below and once you've checked out my review below leave me a supportive comment or a critique of my progress :)

http://9e994ahli1r6oa940b1lkj91b4.hop.clickbank.net/

The last two weeks have seen a progression in intensity from the first two weeks with a mixture of upper/lower and full body workouts.

Despite much post workout soreness I am still enjoying the training and feel I am slowly getting stronger and fitter, the eating is dull but manageable...its good food but very samey...I'll cope though :) (especially as I'm giving myself a treat meal once every 4 weeks which co-incided with tonight yay - did the photo first though lol)

Making progress?

Looking from week 1-4 there's a definate change in shape, I have also dropped from 14% Body Fat to 12% so im on course for my sub 10% target....still alot of work to do and I would like to continue building lean mass as well (particularly my weedy arms), having looked at the program for the next month with planned overtraining I'm hoping this will start to happen.

I have also briefly seen my Abs poking through and wish they looked as good standing up as they do lying down :)

So 8 weeks to go and going strong, leave me a comment or critique my progress to keep me inspired and look out for the next photo in 2 weeks time :)

Nath