I did another round of Body Beast, Bulk version. It’s a body building routine that lasts about 3 months. I did the Lean version last year before my 40th birthday. This year, I wanted to see how lean I can get. I also found out from last year I had lost 9 lbs from simply not eating as much (basically skipping breakfast) and doing a little cardio for fun. Sadly my measurements showed that I had about the same amount of body fat, meaning a lot of my weight was muscle. Still, clothes did feel better and doing cardio things for fun was easier too.

Previous Injuries

My knee, hurt from an ambitious squat PR + competition, only slightly bothered me during some grueling leg days, but did not inhibit/negatively affect my workouts.

I struggled a lot less this year doing pull-ups. Chin-ups never hurt. I did something bad to my right shoulder when I was excited during some overhead presses 2 years back, and it’s sloooowwwllly get better. By the end of 3 months, I could hang on the bar, slack, and didn’t hurt which is mucho awesome progress. BRING ON SUMMER PARKOUR.

I got a new injury falling on my Onewheel, spraining my wrist pretty bad. It only hurts when doing pushups, but as soon as I switch to using dumbbells instead of my hands, the pain goes away.

Gains

I wasn’t strict on measurements this year, but clothes wise before my last week cut, I could totally feel massive chest and tri progress. Just adjusting last year + this year how I leverage chest muscles to do chest exercises. For some reason I guess I’ve been using my shoulders instead for the past 10 years. Yes, I’m a moron. My bi’s did grow, but they made my tri’s nervous, so they grew more. It’s not HUGE gains at all, but given my genetics mean I was built for cardio, I’m happy. Most of my lifting numbers towards the end were records. I could’t buy heavier dumbbells because of the Covid-19 pandemic; everyone is buying stuff for their new makeshift home gym. That’s ok, I’ll keep trying; great problem to have, being strong enough you need to buy heavier weights. My back muscles continue to be my strongest with most endurance.

Diet

I still don’t follow whatever the Book of the Beast says; too hard to make all that stuff. The strict sleeping schedule + erring on the side of extra food really helped me push through the Cardio. It was HARD last year, but this year I was keeping up towards the end. I remember in Lean last year was doing the common mistake of just skipping meals thinking it was helping (less calories to get lean, right?), but instead, I just didn’t have any energy for workouts. Not this year. I was strict about forcing myself to eat a breakfast, and 3 additional meals a day. This included ensuring about a 2 hour meal before workout. It paid off.

I didn’t count calories or macros but once, and just ate slower and really trusted my body. If it was hungry, I fed it. If it wanted sugar, I had another shake. If it wanted salt, I had nuts. As usual, in the first 6 weeks, it’s really hard not to overdo the fat macros. I always erred on the side of ensuring at least around what I felt was enough protein; their first 6 weeks at 25% recommendation of basically 600 extra calories than I normally eat was at least 140-180 grams or more.

I stopped alcohol, soy, and processed food (where possible) for 3 months.

Weight

Weight stayed the same 167.8 for about 7 weeks. I only did body fat readings using the Navy method which stayed a steady 19% (always seems like 8% higher compared to calipers?). Only the last 2 weeks did drastic things happen. I did the “show week” where you take a week to drink lots of water and salt, and slowly cut your calories more and more daily to prep for a competition (I wasn’t competing, just doing the diet). I dropped about 4.5 lbs to about 163.4lbs. I had 2 1/2 abs in my pics this year compared to the 2 last year, heh. My fat calipers died, and I’m obeying the stay at home order, so I didn’t venture to CVS to get new batteries… but I suspect I’m probably at 11% using the calipers? Clothes feel a little looser now, but I’m working to fix that eating horrible food and alcohol in celebration. No Cocoa Pebbles to celebrate yet, still waiting on grocery delivery.

Next Up: Lean

The last time I got super lean, I was doing P90X2, learning to eat Vegan, and on a strict minus 500 calories a day diet. This did net a 1/2lb to 1lb weight loss on average per week till I got stuck at around 146. The lack of animal protein + calories just made me drop muscle AND fat (like… at least 9lbs of it, basically all of my gains from 2 rounds of P90X), but it was so cool to be that lean. I had 6 abs with no flexing!

I’m going to see how much leaner I can in 3 more months. I’m going to take 2 weeks off, and go right back at it. It’ll be hard, but I don’t care. We’re getting our groceries delivered, and given everyone else is too, supplies aren’t predictable so I may have to dive into not-so-good food supplies, but that’s ok, I’ll make it work. Goal is NOT to starve myself, but instead, see if I can put in the work and calories, will it pay off. That and learn to be creative with diet. Every time I do this, I learn more about cooking and the macro/calorie contents of various foods.

I remember my 2nd round of P90X, that last month where they suggest you eat MORE food with MORE carbs, it really really does work. I had so much energy and could crush the workouts, and the weight slowly came off while I still felt more and more powerful/energetic. I could feel the progress. I’m curious if the same happens this time as Body Beast lowers the carbs the last 3 weeks. :: shrugs ::

I’m convinced if I truly wanna be lean, like sub 8%, even for like just 1 day, I’ve gotta nail in the calories and macro’s to whatever the heck my body needs… but I want ONNNNEEE last try by just increasing the cardio since that seems to work for me. I’m a far cry from my 180 lbs PowerLifting days weighing much less. After a 3 month stint of trying to get stronger, I’ve got a lot of great muscle/energy to work with, so hoping it’ll go well. It was a tough 3 months, man, even if the pandemic didn’t happen. It was quite emotional finishing as I worked my ass off and I didn’t get the results I wanted, BUT I was just so happy I finished. I did my best to show up everyday, and if I collapsed on the mat, or failed on a lift, I just kept going.

I am convinced that last week, that 10th week you optionally use as a pre-show week, is so worth it.

Hopefully middle of July I’ll be at least 8% body fat. I don’t really care about the weight or gains, just curious what’ll happen since I so recently completed a Body Beast Bulk round. That and continouslly learning good form, learning to cook different things, and memorizing calories/macros of things. I know when I did P90X a second time, it was SOO much easier and I felt so much better, stronger, and boundless energy so hoping something similar happens this time.

For my 40th birthday, I wanted to look good as well as get my haircut like Hawkeye (aka Ronin) from Avengers Endgame. I timed it so I’d do a 6 day a week bodybuilding workout for 3 months, then 1 week of a stage diet, and then take pictures 1 day after my birthday. The next week I’d be ready for Avengers.

What Is Body Beast?

Body Beast is a bodybuilding workout by Beachbody, the cats behind P90X, 21 Day Fix, Insanity, etc. There is a lean version if you’re more interested in losing weight than making gains. The stage diet is where you spend a week slowly reducing your calories, changing your macros to more and more protein, excluding 1 carb day where you do cardio. You start with high sodium and water intake, and slowly reduce it the day before you go on stage. This is supposed to ensure your muscle is retaining water, but the outside is not and you look defined (can easily see muscles) and striated (veins are popping out).

Diet Now vs 5 Years Ago

I have done Body Beast 5 years ago and strictly followed the calories and macro portion of the diet, including no soy, nor alcohol. This time around, I wasn’t too strict with tracking calories, although I was a bit more strict on macros. I did strict intermittent fasting for the last month. I was extremely strict the stage week diet, though. Anyway, my lack of discipline and not abstaining from alcohol this go around is why I had 6 abs in those pictures from 5 years ago vs. the 2 in this one, heh!

Injuries

I’ve been into Powerlifting for about 5 years; focusing on compound lifts vs. isolation like Bodybuilding. Specifically the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. However, I suffered a knee injury doing a PR that just never got better. Despite modifying form, and trying various things, my knee just kept hurting once I got up to my heavier squats. I took 3 months off for a break, started again, and pulled my shoulder while too excited doing overhead Press. Basically I can’t hang from a pull up bar, which subsequently hampered my Parkour fun. My knee hurting really depressed me, and the shoulder was super frustrating. I basically just stopped working out, and focused briefly on Parkour, although both hurt there too and I basically just stopped exercising altogether.

What typically happens with me is I’ll get angry and that gets me my motivation back. I remembered with bodybuilding that I could do exercises on parts that didn’t hurt. For example, in the Squat, if my calves hurt from running, or my back was sore, or my wrists ached… my Squat suffered. It’s a compound movement requiring everyone to work as a team. Bodybuilding, however, I can do curls and really don’t care about the rest of the body.

I found both my shoulder and knee pains could be worked around. In fact, both continued to feel better despite the 6 days a week of increasingly heavy workouts which further emboldened me to keep going.

Gains

Despite being focused on weight loss, I was still eating a ton of calories month 1 and 2. The dumbbells I had used 5 years ago I supplemented by buying many smaller ones as well as some larger ones. Last time I had to make due, and my gains suffered because it was either too heavy resulting in bad form or low reps, or too light and thus not progressing. Also nice that dumbbells basically last forever.

I’m happy that FINALLY my curl related exercises finally started increasing in weight and chest slightly so. While I didn’t take many strict measurements, my biceps, tri’s, lats, and even my never-growing pecs actually made slight gains. The weights told an even more positive story and went way up this time. It’s nice to know at my age I can still make n00b gains, and that is inspiring.

Conclusions

I miss Powerlifting. I miss lifting super heavy things and slowly but surely getting stronger. I miss the see food diet: see food, eat it. I miss the 3 days a week 1 hour workouts. I miss doing Parkour at the local parkour gym. However, it’s nice to know I have an option with bodybuilding to look good even on a not-so-awesome diet, and still make gains despite injuries. I’m debating if I just say heck with it, and do another not-so-strict round this summer, and only focus on the calories and ignore macros to get better. I was so happy to see the weights kept getting heavier and that was motivating. Since taking a break to do Powerlifting and slowly I stopped focusing on diet, I was pretty out of practice tracking calories, macros, meal prepping and cooking. I don’t really have the passion for it anymore beyond just ensuring I’m getting enough calories (or limiting them), and occasionally tracking macros. That said, it was nice to try again and get acquainted with all of it again. As usual, the workouts are hard but I managed to show up everyday, including with the flu. The diet part is nigh impossible, lol!

Why P90X?
I’m a programmer who’s a work-a-holic so I sit for 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week. Recently, my part of the tech industry has gone into major upheaval (change is a constant, but this was crazy), and the only thing I can control about it is my well being to adapt to the change. I always found exercise to be a positive outlet; strength training for the frustration when code doesn’t work or a client drives me bonkers, and cardio for keeping my body warm and not achy from sitting so long. My business partner is a meat head and always raves about P90X that he and his wife do together, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Personal/Life Challenges

• I hadn’t worked out in 4 years (used to do strength training + too much cardio 3 times a week). I couldn’t even pass the test they suggest you pass before you start P90X, but I forged ahead anyway. #growl
• I run my own business so even if I only bill for 5 hours in the day, I still work 14. Being in software, you have to constantly research/read/experiment to stay up to date; this isn’t an option, you just have to do it whether you want to or not (most of us do via our short attention spans). I have to do this in addition to everything else required to run a small business (taxes, paperwork, lead generation, dealing with insane clients, etc). As such, time is in short supply, and valuable, for me.
• I have 2 young kids who are spaztastic like me.
• I’m a beer snob. I like trying new beers every few weeks, from light to dark, foreign and domestic. Water weight.
• I’m not attempting to do the P90X diet. I want to, but not for round 1.
• I’m taking zero supplements, nor shakes. While I’ve found positive results from protein bars when I was younger, nothing of the sort here.
• I’m “not 23”, lulz. I’m 32. My metabolism is not what it was at 18 – 24 where I could eat 10 billion things and show nothing.

Results

So what’s positive that’s happened 3 weeks in?

1. I found some “brand new” jeans from 4 years ago that I could fit into (32/32 vs 34/32). I wasn’t really trying to lose weight, just feel better and bulk up. 3 weeks in, though, clearly my beer stocked stomach is showing results.
2. The first week I couldn’t even use weights. Week 3 I’ve maxed out to the 27lb band (red one) for most work outs, falling back to the black one for some of the harder arm/leg exercises. I’m already having to order heavier bands and maybe a few free weights for some of the leg exercises I’d rather use dumbbells for.
3. Week 1 and 2, I couldn’t finish Kenpo X. Today, I did and only did 18 of the 20 reps on 2 of the exercises. Next time, I know for a fact I’ll finish no problem.
4. First time Yoga, I couldn’t do half of the poses. Now, I’m just getting my tail kicked by Warrior 3 and Half-No-One-Is-Supposed-To-Bend-That-Way-Moon. While all my poses aren’t perfect, it’s insane how quickly I got better at doing + holding just 3 weeks in. I’m uber paranoid about hurting myself so am pretty impressed.
5. Anytime a stretch required me to stand, lean to the floor with my hands and touch it, I’d get my hands to my knees. Now I can touch the floor. 2 years of working out on my own I never was able to do that; it shows just how much repetition + following P90X’s lead can really make you more flexible.
6. I only got a heart rate monitor (+ app + connector) 2nd week in, but already it’s a lot easier to keep my heart rate in the zone. Yes, I do try to raise it, but I’m just amazed at how good I feel even in Zone 3 and 4… (yes, was on the floor week 1 and 2 breathing heavily, not moving).
7. I could only do 1 pull up the entire workout week 1. Using the bands + chair combo sometimes, I can do a lot more, improving week to week. I’m still not happy with my current state, but looking at the worksheets, I’ve seriously improved. I thought it’d take 2 months, but apparently it doesn’t.
8. As I slouch a variety of ways, whether at my desk or at Starbucks (other office), my legs will sometimes fall asleep if I get lost in the code. It used to take 15 minutes for an asleep limb to stop being in pain and wake up. Now it takes 15 seconds. I actually made my leg fall asleep on purpose the other day because I thought it was a fluke. That took me 2 1/2 months to get to back when I was working out 3 days a week even with a personal trainer (who cost bling I might add).

…the other positive thing that’s happened, and I didn’t intend for this, is that some of my friends who were doing P90X, unbeknownst to me, have being inspired to bring it more. Others who were on the fence about trying it have said they’d look into it. Two unrelated people have said the same thing: “The DVD’s have been on my shelf, un-opened for awhile… maybe I’ll try it next Monday.”

Remember folks, this scrawny, beer bellied work-a-holic programmer is getting results in 3 weeks in, feels better emotionally, and I’m only doing 80% of my physical best because of my lack of previous fitness + no good diet + 2 year old hugging me during leg squats + 4 year old falling on me during Yoga + her majesty demanding I do more cardio in addition to my regular P90X schedule. I’ve even switched to more wine vs. beer just because I don’t want to ruin this momentum.

Finally, if you’re still not losing enough fat to visibly see a difference, reading this thread on another forum helped a few people I know feel better.

So good luck and continue to bring it!