Day 258: What M3 Is Really All About

G'day,

Today is July 24, 2007. This means I have exactly 32 days until M3 Phase 1: Judgment Day on August 27, 2007.

As you can see from my "accountability statement" to the left my goal is to get (another) six-pack by Day 290.

Once I achieve this I will then go into a "shredded muscle building phase" in hot pursuit of my "dream physique" by Day 365.

100% Compliance Required

However, I must be honest, getting a six-pack by Day 290 will require absolute 100% compliance to my pre-determined workout and nutrition plan over the next 32 days.

There is absolutely no margin for error if I am to get that sixer. Even if I do manage to follow my plan 100% it will still go down to the wire.

My M2 Experience

I know this from personal experience as Mission 2 was also dedicated to getting that elusive six-pack. Ten days out I knew I had to "go massive" if I was going to get anywhere close to a sixer.

My strategy for M2 was basically hit the cardio as hard as I could. I ran, I swam, I boxed, I cycled and I Tae-Bo'd like a madman during that final 10 day countdown.

Of course I had supreme motivation to do so because I put my US $1,500 pre-paid "redemption trip" to Phuket on the line in the form of a public vote that took place on March 24, 2007. I used this "external motivation" to fuel my fire each and every day of M2.

What followed on Day 136 was the most intense 12 hours of my life as I watched the "yes" and "no" votes roll in unabated in the first 3 hours. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep and woke up about 10 minutes before voting closed.

Below is a 3 minute video that captures the "drama" from that day.



The pressure to reveal that six-pack on Day 136 was enormous, my heart was in my mouth the whole time. M2 literally consumed every waking hour of my life, to the exclusion of everything else.

Regular readers will know that I took 95 days off from the end of Mission 2 until I started Mission 3. I had a lot of "issues" to deal with once I got back from Phuket because I had put everything else in my life on the backburner.

However, I don't regret the experience at all because I gained a lot of self-confidence by "putting myself out there" and coming out a "winner".

After 6 long years of failed attempts to get in shape, I finally believed in myself again. Trust me, I don't say that flippantly, I honestly did not believe in myself or my ability to turn my life around until I was well into Mission 1.

Why M3 Is Different

Anyway, Mission 3 is a little different. The thing I seek more than anything else is consistency and balance in my life. This is the reason why Mission 3 is 136 days long.

I want to prove to myself that I can follow this "fitness lifestyle" for long periods of time so that it becomes automatic. This is what it will take to finally convince myself that I can ingrain these lifestyle habits into my daily routine for the rest of my life.

On a sidenote you can clearly see what those 95 days "rest" did to my physique by comparing my M2 Day 136 picture to my M3 Day 230 picture.

Yes, its true, your body really is a fluid being and it can only respond to the stimuli you give it. It doesn't matter where you are right now, if you stop or stagnate you will go backwards, simple as that.

What M3 Is Really All About

For as long as I live I never want to have to go through the pain of starting at "zero day" again. I firmly believe that once I achieve my "dream physique" by Day 365 I will have enough momentum and forward progress under my belt that I will never go back.

With this goal of consistency and balance in mind I decided not to make Mission 3 subject to a public vote.

M3 is all about proving to myself (nobody else) that I am capable of "internally motivating" myself to follow through on my goals.

However, I did learn a few things from M2 that I will apply to my training and nutrition plan (especially over the next 32 days). These things include monitoring exact caloric intake and expenditure, optimal levels of cardio and the power of "positive pressure".

With that said, my M2 plan was not "perfect" by any stretch. I have since learnt a few techniques like re-feeding and de-training that I will implement during the final countdown for M3 Phase 1.

Anyway, now it is time to get serious and put it all together for the next 32 days as I close in on my M3 Phase 1 deadline.

I must also mentally and physically prepare myself for training and eating "on the go" again as I will be in Australia (and Korea) for 3 weeks starting from July 28, 2007. This will be a challenge within itself but also an important test on whether I really can handle this "fitness lifestyle" under all types of conditions.

Peace,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

P.S. I put up a poll in my right-hand side nav bar today. If you could take the time to vote (once only please!) I would really appreciate it.

P.S.S. Below are Day 258 pics for July 24, 2007: Mission 3 Phase 1 - Day 28 of 60