"Don't be mad." Jacques said putting his calipers to my skin. I had decided it was time, I needed to know where I was in terms of my body composition.
He wrote down the numbers for the various sites and handed me the slip of paper. I grabbed the calculator and the chart...and held my breath.
Well, I didn't exactly eat pine cones. But I stayed on point all winter, or off season, as I trained to gain muscle. I worked hard to stay leaner this year. And it worked!
I'm starting my contest prep in a leaner place than last year. But the kicker? I'm not as fat as I thought I was. Sometimes knowing your numbers gives you the perspective you need. Whichever direction.
Whether you're too far on one side, or not as far as you think - just knowing the number gives you the perspective you need to move ahead in your plan in the right mind-set.
I joked that I'd been hunkered down "eating pine cones" which meant I was on a fairly strict off season plan. It's what I needed to do in order to keep my body under a certain percentage. So, instead of starting my dieting process at 20.5% like last year, I'm starting at 18.5%.
Being able to stay just 2% leaner over the off season helped me gain a little bit more muscle. Which is hard for us ladies to do. Don't be mad...ha! In the big picture each prep cycle makes me a better athlete because of what I'm able to do in the off season.
Sometimes it's hard to see the forest through the trees as you move along your journey. Just don't forget to stop along the way and eat your pine cones.
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