I spent the good majority of 2011 going from over 31% Body Fat (my Body Fat was actually higher but I did not have the will to get it tested at that point) to 9% Body Fat but there are a couple of interesting things about that journey. I stalled at about 20%, this was eating Paleo and exercising, the missing component was muscle. After joining Crossfit my strength exploded I went from never lifting in my life to having a Deadlift PR of 385. From July to December I gained 10 pounds of muscle and lost 12 pounds. Something like that does not happen without a plan but I had a plan before Crossfit, so it’s easy to identify what was the missing component. Additionally I began lifting on my own a couple of months prior to joining Crossfit Templar but with bad form and bad technique I got bad results (go figure).
Now that I get to look back on that journey there was a lot of trial and error. Today there is a level of contentment because I know that if I eat mostly whole foods and show up and do the work the coaches tell me to do I will improve. My gains are much more gradual and I now have a passion for lifting that has been an interesting discovery. Last year I chased numbers, today I chase performance and that’s the right approach for me. I am not the gym fire breather and while I am competitive the actual competition is with myself. Certainly I am motivated by the people in the gym because I am not going to give a poor effort when everyone else is giving all they got.
Lastly I would like to say that I travel quite a bit and when I travel I usually visit Crossfit facilities. I typically perform very well because at Crossfit Templar our gym is established, the programming is designed for the best athletes and we modify from there. That is the example that is set for all of us and while I might not be one of those athletes now I am at least shooting for the correct goal.
Today my fitness journey ended exactly one year after my first BodPod, the final tally was 9.1%. While that wraps this up with a nice little bow I think the thing I am most looking forward to is just being able to move into my next phase of health and fitness. Clearly this year was a very measured approach, next year will be much more deliberate, less measuring and more enjoying the journey.
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