I may not be a social media fitness star, but I'm setting real, achievable goals!
I know many of us probably follow some VERY fit people on social media. We are all looking to their posts in order to gain insight and new information on how they look like they do. So many people are duped everyday into buying some supplement or health product they are convinced will be the absolute “game changer”. Social media influencer's claim it's the "reason" for the dramatic improvements in their body composition.
Yes, there are effective supplements on the market, but their use is implied within their title. They are SUPPLEMENTARY to an effective diet and training program. Most of these people, with a huge following on social media, have probably reached their current status without the use of any of those supplements. However, these companies will pay a lot to sponsor someone that drives traffic and business to their product. So many people who are just starting out think that if they stack all of these amazing products together, they will reach their goal in no time. Unfortunately for all these normal people, usually just the opposite happens.
One of my biggest goals in creating content for you through my social media is to grow with you and put out information that is relevant to your goals. Below is a picture of my physical goals for 2017 and what I hope to achieve.
Even though I wish I was leaner, I think it’s a positive that I'm at the body weight/body fat % I currently am because I can share with you what I'm doing in order to progress.
I think that’s what a lot of you are aiming for as well and seems to be the most common goal of anyone beginning their health and fitness journey. Even though I wish I could be leaner, I think it’s positive that I am at the current bodyweight/body fat % I currently am because I can share with you what I am doing in order to progress. A lot of the fit people that you follow on social media have before and after pictures but you never see the process when you look at their timeline. If you go back far enough, most of them just had an awesome physique coming into it and then will recycle their before & after photo every once in a while. I feel like the process is one of the most valuable bits for people looking to start their own personal journey because that’s where they get ideas and get pointed in the right direction.
What I will be doing for the next 3-4 months is documenting and recording everything I do and then once I have retested myself, I will write another blog post that shows both the before and after as well as the methods I implemented in order to help get me to the finish line. I think it will be an added bonus if my strength and power have increased as well, but the biggest thing for me right now is just feeling more comfortable in my own skin. I want to put out more content for you guys without feeling like I don’t look the part. The hard part in the health & fitness industry is that your body is your business card. Why would people take your advice if you don’t practice what you preach and look the part? Although I have a degree and some certifications, I think this will be a great opportunity to gain a little credibility by changing the physical aspects that are the easiest to see visually, which is my body composition. With that being said, here are my “before” pictures taken on 1/13/17.
Weight- 292.2lbs
BF%- 23.72%
I used hydrostatic weighing for my body fat percentage because it is one of the more accurate methods for recording your body fat percentage. It was the gold standard until DXA scanning came along, but is still considered one of the most accurate models for your BF%. Simpler and more common methods for recording are skinfold caliper testing and bioelectrical impedance which are cheaper and more convenient, but the room for error is a lot higher.
Skinfold calipers can be tough, especially with those who have lose skin following weight loss as well as making sure that the practitioner gets the right site every time. Bioelectrical impedance can also have error from inadequate hydration and isn’t as precise at measuring adipose tissue within the stomach. I think if you’re serious about tackling your goals for body composition that hydrostatic weighing would be a good way to go. Fitness Wave in Irvine offers a few different tests and prints out the results so you can where you stand according the norms for your body fat and age group.
You can see my results HERE.
Although my results weren’t the best, 3-4 months is more than enough time to make substantial improvements in my body composition. A 1-2% reduction in body fat should be possible each month and a loss of 1-2 pounds of body weight per week should manageable as well.
Stay tuned for all the tips and tricks as I go along into my training!
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