Here's how it's going to be

I had a long talk with Glenn today about how thrown off track I've been feeling. I covered my frustration surrounding the body fat percentage not budging, although I did hit 107 lbs. on Sat. and I got scared because that's a really low number, so I ate some fries and ice cream later that day, very intentionally. I was 109 lbs. Mon. morning. I also told him that if so many other competitors train 5-6 days per week with 3 days of cardio thrown in the mix, then that's what I believe I should be doing.

He listened very patiently - it was a long monologue, the above is highly condensed - and he told me, no, I don't need to train like that. "Look, you can get to Florida 2 ways. You can drive or you can fly. Which would you rather do? Both ways WILL get you there." Glenn believes his method is to fly. The way you fly is to go hard and heavy 4 times a week and to not devote each workout to only a few select body parts. Also, two days of cardio that's brief and high intensity is all that's needed, which is not to minimize those two workouts, it's just clarifying what's required. Too much cardio can catabolize muscle which would be extremely counter-productive.

This is a highly unpopular approach. Glenn knows it and I've been in the gym long enough to know it, too. But here's why Glenn is qualified to throw complete confidence behind the outcome of this method. He was a competitor himself for 5 years. He did split body workouts, 6 days a week, along with 5 days of cardio per week. He knows what that is and he won many competitions that way. He later learned of the other approach: hard and heavy, then home. He knows of people who used this method and won The Arnold competition, the Indy 500 of bodybuilding competitions. He now trains exclusively that way and the results are undeniable (he's ripped and recently won a strongman competition).

Since March 1 when I started training for the competitions, I've been following both the more popular method with Ed and Michelle which has been effective. But I've also seen the results of Glenn's technique. And when I'm in the gym by myself, I'd say I fall somewhere between the two. Sometimes I do more reps with lower weight, and some days I do lower reps with higher weight.

At this point, I am fully convinced that if I keep the weights high (tonight, I took some of the machines up to between 70 and 90 lbs.), and max myself out each time (8 - 10 reps for 3 sets), I will achieve the look I seek. Highly sculpted and lean. The weight is coming off without much effort, too, as long as I eat "clean." Glenn said that he expects I will fall below 100 lbs. which is something I'm mentally adjusting to because, um, that takes me back to middle school. Mind you, I'm not going to stay at that weight for very long, it's strictly a competition-based goal/necessity.

Under the especially favorable lights at the gym tonight, I could see that my definition is absolutely there, both on the top and bottom. I had a lot of guys checking me out, too. I've seen those looks before, but not with the prevalence I did tonight. So I'll take some measure of confidence from what was likely their approval.

I feel like I'm back to center, I'm balanced and I know how the next 6 weeks are going to play out. My motivation continues to remain high and the fighter in me is eager for the final battle. In fact, I look forward to the challenges ahead. They no longer seem insurmountable.