Project 300

For those of you who don't know my fitness history, all of it has been cataloged in this old thread which I am letting fall off the page. I am turning a new leaf, and with a new leaf comes a new thread packed with new information!

Brief background
From August 2008 until March 1 of 2009, I gained 32 pounds to go from 168 pounds to 200 pounds flat. I did this through eating right and lifting heavy 3 days a week.

On March 1, 2009, I began my cut to shed the body fat I started with, and the fat I had unavoidably gained throughout my bulking process. In the 32 weeks between March 1 and October 15 (when I began to ramp up my calories again), I lost 30 pounds, for a rate of about 1 pound per week. That's a pretty good pace, but I made several critical mistakes:

1) I tried metabolic experiments that ultimately did not pan out (carb cycling).
2) I had several weeks where I slipped into starvation mode because I was careless. My metabolism tanked and my weight didn't budge.
3) I severely underestimated the amount of body fat I was carrying. I estimated and allotted time for 20 pounds, but the real amount is just shy of 40.
4) I was really demotivated by cardio, but I discovered in just the last 3 weeks that I didn't even need it. A correct caloric deficit was enough to spur weight loss for me, even in the difficult final 10 pounds.

It's not all failure, though. I can happily say that I have replaced every ounce of body fat I had in August of 2008 with lean mass. The only fat I have left is what I gained from bulking, because I am very near to the weight I was at when I started. I have transformed my body in a big way.

That said, I am not yet happy with my progress, my body, or my efforts. I can do better. I made fitness mistakes. I made mistakes I've told other people how to avoid. I made silly decisions at times. But the lesson is that I picked myself up, and I'm going back at it with renewed vigor.

This week I am beginning a new round of bulking which is designed to:
A) Significantly increase my lean mass and;
B) Reduce my body fat percentage by adding minimal fat while my lean weight increases.

My goal with this project is to be 100% ready to be a Spartan from 300 at the next Oktoberfest. That was my 2009 goal. I promised it this year, and I failed. I know others are disappointed, but nobody's more disappointed than me. I'm disappointed that I have to spend another 6-8 months unable to see any of the definition I have worked for. No six pack, no v-shaped torso (from the front), no separation between quads, etc. Basically, I have fundamentally failed to achieve the appearance portion of my goal, but I'm fixin' to fix it starting today, November 2.

Here's how it's all gonna go down.

Diet
I will be eating a standard 40/30/30 diet of protein/carbs/fat. I have continuously refined the quality and consistency of my diet to the point where I have a very small stable of high-quality foods that my body responds very well to.

I am a big believer in the "path of least resistance" when it comes to fitness, in that I don't want to spend 50% more time for 2% better results. That's just not for me. I also don't want to spend gobs of time diversifying my diet with a horrifying amount of daily cooking. I don't have time for that. So as a result, I've tailored my diet for quality, convenience and portability. I can't do much better than what food I've picked, but all of it I can take with me to work, which is what I need if I'm going to eat right.

Meal plan

Meal 1 (9:00 AM): 1.5 cups oatmeal (dry before cooking), 40g peanut butter

Meal 2 (2:00 PM): 6.5oz chicken

Meal 3 (6:00 PM): 452g cottage cheese, 40g peanut butter

Meal 4 (9:00 PM [Pre-workout]): 1 cup oatmeal (dry before cooking), 3 cups 2% milk w/ 3 scoops protein powder

Meal 5 (10:30 PM [Post-workout]): 3 cups 2% milk w/ 3 scoops protein powder,

Meal 6 (1:30 AM): 6.5oz chicken

Calories: 3269
Protein: 342g
Carbs: 248g
Fat: 110g

I also plan to supplement 300mg daily Omega 3, and creatine for energy/definition as an experiment.

Lifting
Three days at the gym is no longer sufficient for the level of fitness and the appearance I am striving to obtain. That is why I am switching to a 4-day split on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri that will give me more energy and more time to dedicate to each muscle group.

My current muscular development is truly a limitation of the time I dedicated on the first go. My rear delts are underdeveloped, my chest--especially my pectoralis minor--needs considerable work, my lats need help, and finally my Adonis Belt. Everything else is proportioned correctly, but simply needs to be enlarged for the figure I want. This will also have the added effect of adding the vascularity that isn't particularly prevalent in my current weight class.

The lifting plan
Mon (11/2):
Squats: 7/6/6 @ 230
Calf Raise: 3x8 @ 145
Hamstring Curl: 8/8/8 @ 130
Leg Press: 3x8 @ 370
Weighted leg raise: 3x8 @ 25

Tues (11/3):
Incline Bench: 6/6/5 @ 155
Flat Bench: 6/6/5 @ 170
Pec deck: 3x6 @ 90
Cable Flyes: 6/5/4 @ 65
BB Curl: 10/6/5 @ 60

Thurs (11/5):
Deadlift: 7/6 @ 315
Chinup: 8/6/6 +10
BB Row: 3x6 @ 110
Skullcrushers: 7/5/5 @ 60
Dips: 3x6/6/6 @ 40

Fri (11/6):
Hammer Curl: 3x8 @ 45
Reverse curl:
Shoulder Press: 3x7 @ 110
Wrist curl:
Reverse wrist curl:
Reverse flyes: 3x8 @ 100

Please note that these rep targets are taken straight from my log. The actual target is usually 3x8, or 3x10 in the case of forearm/bicep work.

Final thoughts
I am targeting a non-lean weight between 185 and 190 pounds, which will take me no longer than the end of March. If my calculations are right, my body fat will be approximately 11.5% by the end of March as a result of lean mass composing a higher percentage of my total body weight. This will put my lean weight around 180-185 pounds, or within a 3 month cut window.

I would like this to be my last bulk/cut cycle. This is my last real shot to get major muscle groups in check and into shape. By this time next year, I want to be around 180-185 with 9-10% body fat, eating approximately 2700 maintenance calories a day. I want to be in a position where I can experiment with weights, maybe try strength training, and only have to worry about fixing small proportion issues.

Let's see what happens.