Intermittent fasting day 1 and Back and Neck workout

While the basic 6 body weight exercises are great and enough to build a strong physique, I still felt the need to add a neck workout using bodyweight exercises to my routine. How this is going to work is that the muscles of the back of the neck are going to be done with the PULL workout and the muscles of the front of the neck are going to be done with the PUSH workout.

I began this week with the PULL workout and therefore worked the back of the neck today. The routine was as follows:

·         Wide Grip Jackknife Pull-Ups

·         TRX Inverted Rows

·         Close Grip Jackknife Pull-ups

·         Reverse Simple neck supported bridge

This was the first time I was doing a proper workout for the neck and it felt like it too. Working the neck muscles with a bodyweight of 233 lbs. can be a daunting task. Fortunately, I let the ego out of the door and did this one with the support of my hands resting on the floor next to my skull.

The back workout itself was quite amazing and I felt the immediate effects in my entire upper back and lats. My previous outings with the PULL routine in the last 3 weeks were using only the TRX, even for pull-us. But I decided to opt for the door gym to perform the wide grip pull-ups as the focus on the exercise and working muscles is far greater than with the TRX. In the latter case, the body also works hard to stabilize itself thus inducing skill work and hampering the strength work.

Nutrition and Diet

Another topic I am going to touch on today is my nutrition plan. I currently weigh in at 233lbs. Of these 233lbs about 178lbs are actually lean mass. Meaning this is the weight based on which my calorie counting begins. I am aiming or 2800-3000 calories a day on days that I workout. So today I have packed about 2900 calories using the following:

·         Chicken

·         Rice

·         Red Kidney Beans

·         Peanuts

This was further supported by other ingredients – green chilies, green beans and garlic. The total protein obtained is about 200 grams, Carbohydrates about 300 grams and Fats about 94 grams. This is being split into 3 meals.

The principle I am following is that of the 16/8 intermittent fasting. Now let’s see how this goes. This was day 1 and I carried the meals to work. While I could furnish the first two meals down, the third was a mammoth task and I had to let close to 1/3 of the contents of my lunch box remain. I also felt bloated but not heavy. 

I have been in the habit of eating small meals for a few years now and therefore unable to eat large meals at one sitting. This is something I am going to work on by force feeding myself until the body begins to accept it.