As I mentioned in my previous post, me and my best friend took on a 3-month challenge as part on our NY resolutions. Both our personal challenges were physique-orientated, however, whereas I had committed to gaining at least 1 cm in my upper back and — possibly — in my arms, my bestie’s challenge was to lose 8 Kg. I can proudly anticipate that we both did really well.
I have to say, however, that I didn’t do extremely well in the first month and was quite worried I’d never make it through. Although I did gain some mm, it didn’t seem to happen consistently. However, with a strict diet and high-volume workouts I not only met my expectations but even exceeded it, in that I managed to gain 2.5 cm in my upper back. Unfortunately, I didn’t gain any cm in my arms, but their composition changed (I can confidently say so, because my strength has improved a lot over these past 3 months), so I’m happy with my result. Weight-wise, I gained 2 Kg and my body fat percentage increased by 2%. Doing the maths, I estimated those 2 Kg coming down to roughly 1 kg body fat and 1 kg lean muscle (both are less than 1 kg, though, considering some water weight).
I did lose some definition, but I visibly increased my size too (compare the ratio upper back-waist in the two pics — for the 2.5 cm I gained on my upper back, I only gained 1 cm on my waist)
I’m still far away from my objective, but I’m definitely proud of my achievement. I’ve just started a mini cut now, to see how much of those 2.5 cm I can keep on my upper back, while bringing my bf percentage back to its maintenance level (16-17%) or even a bit below (summer is coming!). Being naturally extremely lean in my upper back and shoulders, it seems like a doable process to me. To do this, I created a new meal plan to slightly reduce my calorie intake (which is still fairly high, though) and introduced a second workout to incorporate some brisk walks, yoga and acrobatics in my daily routine. I’m planning to then re-introduce sprints on the treadmill and steady bike x3 a week, while I’m not going to make to major adjustments to my diet.
As to my bestie, well, she started way better than me: in the first 6 weeks, she managed to lose 4 Kg and I was sure she would win and I would lose. However, she caught a flue, stopped her diet and plateaued on that weight. I’m still super proud of her because she hasn’t gained any kg back so far, and will start dieting again, once she’s fully recovered. 4 kg in 6 weeks is such a remarkable achievement, that I consider her to have won her challenge too. 😉
Strength Improvements and New PR
My NY resolutions didn’t solely concern my physical appearance though, as should never be the case (we want to become better human beings, not prettier Barbies, after all). I wanted to increase my upper back’s strength too, and the exercise that works best for me it’s rack pulls . Although this exercise can be thought of as a deadlift variation — and, similar to deadlifts, it does work your lower back and hamstrings –, it’s in fact one of the best ways to improve your upper back. If you’ve never tried them, you’ll be surprised with how beneficial rack pulls can be for your trapezius, your rhomboids and even your lats (if you squeeze them enough). In the last month of my challenge, I focused on strength training, and achieved new PRs in almost every exercise — the one I’m mostly proud of being rack pulls (of course). If you’re a natural athlete, incorporating strength programmes in your routine will definitely help you with hypertrophy too, as strength training will break plateaus and prepare your muscles for heavier loads, hence for more tension, hence for hypertrophy.
Conclusion
Life is a journey whose final destination is for you to become the best version of yourself (namely, to become who you are). I like to break down my ultimate self-realisation into smaller, achievable goals, each of them being accountable year by year, and I like to keep track of them on a monthly basis, to make sure I follow the right path. I’m happy with how my journey towards this year’s goal is going so far, and I’m proud of myself, for not feeling discouraged by the monstrosity of the ultimate goal, being able to focus upon the small steps that will lead me there instead. You should also find a good reason to be proud of yourself. Stick with it, and let it become your personal mantra for your darkest days!