G'day,
While today was a rest day from training I still burned quite a few calories!
In the midst of 40 degree heat I did rock climbing, abseiling, canyoning, jungle trekking and rope walking with my German friends.
I'll upload more pics in the next few days but here is one when I was taking a rest and enjoying the amazing view from the Patong Jungle.
I'll be back in Osaka this time tomorrow, until then...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
I had a very cool night in Phuket meeting Thai people.
I gotta sleep now but I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I need to rest as I have an action-packed day tomorrow.
Me and a German couple I met 2 days ago will do rock climbing, abseiling, rope bridge walking and jungle trekking tomorrow.
Hopefully I'll get some cool pics.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
My second full day in Phuket was all about the "chill factor"...after my morning workout.
I was chillin' around the pool when I struck up a conversation with a nice German couple. We hit it off and have planned an action day together on Saturday.
We will go on a tour to nearby Patong where will do rock-climbing, abseiling, jungle trekking, rope walking and a ride on a 'flying fox'.
I actually met the German guy yesterday in the gym. He's very cool, totally into bodybuilding (much bigger than me) and kickboxing.
Hopefully I'll get some cool action shots on Saturday.
Until tomorrow...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
P.S. No side picture today because I was "busted" by some Aussies in the pool below (from my balcony) who saw me taking flex pictures of myself. In typical Aussie style they really gave it to me, "Here he goes again..." they were shouting out! I just couldn't bring myself to take any more pictures.
G'day from sunny Phuket,
Check this out!
Is that a six-pack I see? That elusive shadow line across my last row of abs suddenly appeared today.
This is so weird because today was the first day I have worked out since I finished M2 (4 days ago).
I'm totally baffled because I literally flexed all day on M2 Judgement Day to get a sixer to show up in my front picture...without success.
However, I'm not getting too carried away. I realize the power of lighting angles can make things appear more visible.
Either way, I am real happy because now I really do feel like I earned this trip in accordance with the criteria I set out in my M2 Goal statement (No six-pack = No Phuket). Needless to say I had a blast this morning at the Hotel gym. Check it out below.
The gym is quite small (all equipment is contained within this picture) but there are literally 24 different exercises you can do on that machine.
Today also marks the first day of what I will call Post M2 Training. This period will run for 20 days until April 16, 2007 with the purpose of priming my body for Mission 3.
My focus is to gain strength through heavy training with long rest periods between sets (the opposite style routine compared to the last 139 days).
I will also start consuming a surplus of calories through food for the first time since I started Mission 1. After having been on a caloric deficit for so long (in order to lose fat) I am glad to finally start eating meals other than tuna salad!
This is also the smart play because your body will adapt to the same stimulii (training and nutrition) over a period of time. This adaption will stall your progress and frustrate you through unbreakable plateaus.
Before I sign off today I'll give a pic of the beautiful resort I am staying at. The Deevana Resort is situated in Patong Beach in Phuket which is 40 minutes from the airport.
I have only been here for a day but I'm already in love with this place, yes the Day 140 pics really is the view from my balcony!
I'll give a full report in the coming days.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
Check this!
I arrived this morning at Bangkok International airport for my connection to Phuket.
I was chuffed that I had arrived so early (11.30 am for a 2.05 pm flight) which is very rare for me. Actually, this is the earliest I have ever been for a domestic flight.
Only one problem...and its a big one! I'm at the wrong airport!
Yesterday I arrived at the brand spanking new Bangkok International Airport which only opened 6 months ago.
For my connecting flight to Phuket the taxi driver assured me that I would be leaving from the 'old' airport as this was a domestic flight.
Like yesterday I had a gut feeling that this wasn't right so I re-checked my itinerary. That wasn't much help because it just said Bangkok International Airport. In the end I decided to trust my driver's judgement.
Not to my great surprise, when I arrived to check in with Thai Airways they informed me that I was at the wrong airport. They said I would miss my flight and would have to wait until 4.50 pm for a Phuket flight from this airport.
This is why I am writing to you now from the airport, I normally wouldn't have as much spare time as this at an airport.
Two hours down, only three more hours to wait...
See you tomorrow from Phuket, hopefully!
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
Well, that was a close shave! I arrived in Bangkok at the brand-spanking new international airport at 3.30pm Bangkok time.
As is always the case in Thailand, there were no shortage of people wanting to give me a taxi ride into the city. I picked a driver and showed him my hotel address and he promptly informed my hotel was 2 hours away with a charge of 2,300 Baht (US $80)!
I knew this wasn't right. There was no way Bangkok city was that far away from the airport and the charge was way too high, but he insisted. As I was putting my suitcase into the back of the taxi I had a gut feeling something wasn't right. So, I showed the address to another taxi driver.
He started smiling...I was right! The hotel address contained a name similar to the country town of Pattaya (2 hours away in Nothern Thailand). I cleared up the confusion with my original driver and got my fare knocked down to 700 Baht.
Thank God for that, if I had ended up in Pattaya it would have been a struggle to get back to the airport tomorrow for my Phuket connection.
By the time I checked in I was ready to crash as I hadn't had a decent night's sleep for 48 hours because I had been sweating on the M2 verdict and doing 'last chance training'. I woke up refreshed this morning at 7.00 am and had nice healthy breakfast.
Here's an interesting thing. If you ever travel to Thailand you'll notice a lot of Thai people wearing yellow shirts. You'll see all different kinds of people wearing these shirts, no matter if they are working or just cruising about town.
I asked my taxi driver why this is so. He said these shirts symbolize their devotion to the King of Thailand. Let me tell you, the King is quite literally everywhere, he adorns billboards, advertising hoardings and even the facade of high rise buildings.
However, there does seem to be a lot of genuine love for him from the local people I spoke to.
Well, today I will catch my connection to Phuket. I cannot wait to hit the beaches since its the first time I've been in shape for 7 years!
Until tomorrow...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
P.S. I am still taking daily pictures to hold myself accountable on this trip. This is important because I have previously let myself go both after fat loss missions and while on holidays. The only problem is that I forgot to bring my camera USB cable! I'll try to find one in Phuket.
G'day,
Well, that was quite an experience! I slept like a baby last night...I tossed and turned all night!
What started out as a crazy idea at 3.00 AM one morning to put my pre-paid Phuket trip on the line in a public vote I saw become reality in front of my eyes.
Thank you everyone who participated and for your kind words of support in the Inner Circle forums and comments on my blog.
The vote was quite close with a total of 94 responses, 61% voting Yes and 39% voting No as to whether my mid-section qualified as a six-pack.
To tell you the truth I am not too worried about the high No vote because deep down I know that the most important picture (front) didn't show a defined six-pack.
The side picture and the picture of me sitting down did show a six-pack I believe, so in the end it really came down to what picture people would decide to vote on.
Obviously, in the end a majority of people thought my mid-section was a six-pack.
At the end of the day I am still very happy because at the age of 33 I am in the best shape of my life and the healthiest I have ever been. This is a far cry from 3 years ago when I was obese and on my way to an early grave.
I have learnt a lot during the last 10 days since I decided to go through with the poll. Ten days out I knew it would go down to the wire, both the vote and getting a six-pack. This feeling of pressure is what pushed me to achieve the result I did so I'm glad I went through with it.
Even though I didn't take any supplements, use water retention or sodium intake techniques, I have a new-found respect for what professional bodybuilders go through to get in shape for a contest. Not just the training and diet discipline but the feeling of being judged on your physique and mind games that go along with it.
The only thing I would have changed would have been be to have the poll during the same time zone as me as I really value my sleep!
Anyway, as you can see I'm off to Phuket tomorrow and I really look forward to chilling out for a while. When I'm there I will think about Mission 3 and how I will structure my goals, diet, training and accountability.
One thing for sure is that I will finally go on a caloric surplus and focus on building muscle. Of course, I still have a dream of getting a shredded six-pack so I'll have to factor this into my plan.
This time tomorrow I'll be in Bangkok. Until then...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
What a night! By the time I finally got to sleep I was woken up by an earthquake (literally).
Thank you to everyone who voted and for the kind words of support I received on my blog and in the Inner Circle forums.
The verdict is YES I will be going to Phuket. Below is a screenshot of the survey results at 9PM US Central Time.
This was definitely the weirdest experience of my life and I'll have a lot to write about in the future, but right now I gotta go and pack.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
Well, it all comes down to this!
For the next 12 hours between 9 AM and 9 PM (US Central Time) you can decide if my midsection qualifies as a six-pack or not.
On the line is my $1500 pre-booked holiday to Phuket. If the Yes votes are greater than the No votes I will be on my way to Phuket on March 26, 2007. If the No votes are greater I will be back at my Osaka gym on March 26, 2007.
As you can see I'm waiting for your vote!
Please vote only once so the votes are not skewed. I will not vote so the results will be totally independent.
The vote box is in the right-hand navigation bar.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
This is a video I made today (March 24, 2007) just to amuse myself!
G'day,
Well here are my final M2 pictures.
During the last 4 days I did everything I could to try and reveal a six-pack.
I ran 40 km's at 16 km/h intervals, did 40 laps of the pool, did 4 hours of Tae-Bo & ab training and 4 hours of high intensity cycling.
Needless to say I am completely hammered!
Before I show them I just want to say a big thank you to a few people.
First of all, my family. I love you guys, you are the driving force behind everything I am trying to accomplish.
I also want to thank Tom Venuto, Nick Nilsson and David Grisaffi for their awesome information and inspiration. I have used their books and resources exclusively for the last 136 days. Thanks guys.
I also would like to thank all the members of Burn The Fat Inner Circle for their kind words and encouragement, and my Myspace, FaceBook and BodySpace friends.
And last but definitely not least I want to thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and make comments. You'll never know how much I appreciate you for doing that.
Well, here are the pics.
G'day,
Well, what a day! I am completely hammered!
I will soon upload my final Mission 2 pictures for a public vote on whether my mid-section qualifies as a six-pack thereby sending me to Phuket...or back to the gym.
But first, here are the final M2 Pre-Judgement Day Survey Results from admin (as of 5 minutes ago).
Thank you very much for your overwhelming support, I really appreciate you.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
Today has been like any other day during M2...I am eating clean, training hard and thinking BIG!
Now I gotta sleep!
See you tomorrow for Judgement Day.
Peace,
AJ
G'day,
Why has it been 54,000 hours since I last had a six-pack?
Why am I having a public vote on whether I go to Phuket or not?
Why am I doing any of this?
All the answers are in this movie.
Peace,
AJ
...at the end of the tunnel.
Even though I hit the wall around 3.00pm today I am now on my second wind and feel pumped that I am only 48 hours away from the end of Mission 2.
This morning I did my regular 5 km run (16 km/h intervals), 15 minutes of recumbant bike (keeping heart rate at a minimum of 140 bpm) and core training (abs and lower back).
My day is not over yet, more to come this evening...
Peace,
AJ
P.S. Here are the March 22, 2007 M2 Pre-Judgement Survey results from admin.
M2 Judgement Day Video (YouTube)
Here are Day 134 pics - Mission 2 Day 44 of 46 - March 22, 2007
G'day,
Ohhh man...I lost my original blog post for today! I worked on that for 30 minutes and now its gone!
I gotta go to bed now so I don't have time to try and recall what I originally said.
Anyway, today my gym closed early for some reason so I only got in 7.5 km's of running (instead of 10 km's) but I did get in my quota of swimming, ab training and cycling so I'm happy.
Only 72 more hours until M2 Judgement Day and the pressure is really on now...and I love it!
This WILL go down to the wire...
Peace,
AJ
P.S. Here are the March 21, 2007 M2 Pre-Judgement Survey results from admin.
G'day,
The last 42 days of Mission 2 has been about priming my body for the next 4 days of intense exercise. I always knew a six-pack by Day 46 would come down to the wire.
However, I also know what I'm capable of in a short period of time, as the last 24 days of Mission 1 was a successful shred phase. Having this experience under my belt I know what I can do and more importantly I know what I have to do, in order to reveal those last two abs in the next 4 days.
Before I discuss my training schedule for the last 4 days I want to put a disclaimer in here. I receive 10 to 20 emails a day from people wanting to know what I eat and how I exercise.
I always help as best I can but the reality is that you must learn sensory acuity in order to maximize your fat loss. This means using your own inate intelligence and intuition to understand the feedback your body gives you from the stimulii you provide it.
Broadly speaking there are 3 main stimulii: mind; nutrition and exercise. Each of these is a book unto itself and I believe each to be equally important. For now, I will focus on exercise in this post as my mind and nutrition are dialled right now.
The point I want to make is that just because I will follow this exercise regime for the next 4 days does not mean that you should follow this same plan, or believe you have to in order to get results. This plan is the culmination of 132 consecutive days of experience and listening to my body.
Ok, here is my 4-Day Shred Plan (and why 4 is the magic number).
1) 40 km's of running
2) 4 hours of cycling
3) 4 abdominal training sessions
4) 40 laps of the pool
These training sessions are divided into 2 workouts daily for the next 4 days.
The reason I devised this exact plan is because over the last 132 days I have built my cardio and endurance capacity to such an extent that my body now requires extreme stimulii to lose fat.
The key here is to know your capabilities AND your limits. I will follow this shred plan for the next 4 days only.
After Mission 2 is complete I will then incorporate completely new exercise and nutrition stimulii congruent with my muscle gain goals.
Ohhh man....it was so much easier to lose fat in the early days! If you are just starting your fat loss journey take advantage of the 'shock effect' by training hard early on. Trust me, those early weeks can produce big results.
Until tomorrow...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
P.S. Here are the current M2 Pre-Judgement Survey results from admin.
Below are two videos which describe my Mission 2 goals and accountability.
Day 95: Mission 2 Goals & Power Of Visualiztion.
Day 128: M2 Judgement Day Video - Accountability.
Here are Day 132 pics - Mission 2 Day 42 of 46 - March 20, 2007
G'day,
Just a quick post today as I just about to head off to the gym for my second session today. I will do my standard 5 km run with the goal of beating my previous best of 26 minutes 10 seconds. I will then do 15 minutes on the recumbent bike and my abdominal workout.
Every single hour of every day is so crucial right now. I will do my absolute best to make every session session count like never before. Going by the numbers I need to burn 1000 calories a day through exercise to reach my dream of a six-pack by March 24, 2007.
Time has flown by the last few days I am really feeling the pressure now. To be honest I'm surprised at the total number of votes my M2 Pre-Judgement Day survey has gotten so far. As of 5 minutes ago there are now 51 responses!
Here are the lastest numbers.
Thank you to everyone who has participated so far. For all those people who voted Yes I will be thinking of you when I am on the treadmill this afternoon.
I will focus on the positive from here on in. Thanks Suzette for your comment yesterday, you really set my head straight.
Ever since my blog started getting visitors from Day 42 I have been living in a bubble surrounded by positive comments from my new online friends. Getting my first No votes yesterday totally shocked me!
In reality, I can't expect to put up a survey online and have every single person jump on board the Yes wagon. I simply have to practice what I preach and let you guys decide whether my midsection is worthy of being called a six-pack.
Until tomorrow...
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Peace,
AJ
Here is my video from Day 128 laying my Phuket trip on line.
Here are Day 131 pics for March 19, 2007. (I threw in my Day 1 pics to remind myself how far I have come and to be grateful that I have progressed since November 8, 2006).
