New Years Resolutions- Getting with the Program

So with the new year just around the corner, it is natural to think beyond the next few weeks of friends, family food and drink to a time when that ripped six pack, toned arms or just feeling better about yourself become the sole priority.

In my case, considering how fitness programs will effect my clients three to six months down the line consumes a very large portion of my day. But by the same token, my own situation has remained in the back of my mind.

Ever since my Modelfit photoshoot, I have been "recovering" from the preceding intense three months of training. In normal speak, this means I have been slacking off on my fitness program and that is about to change.

With this in mind, my resolution to myself is to stop worrying about my fitness by planning far enough ahead to achieve my objectives in logical order. A form of time management, this means knowing when I will be losing fat versus gaining muscle and the type of training program I will be utilizing to do so.

Luckily all of this will be documented here for your interest-- and to keep me accountable. My goal is to pack on a bit of muscle while shooting in January and June. With this in mind, here is what my cycle is looking like so far:

January 1st-31st: Conditioning/Fatloss
Feb 1st-10th: Unloading
Feb- March 10th: Strength (Muscle growth focus)
March 10-20th: Unloading
March 20th- April 20th: Strength (Power/Strength focus)
April 20th- 30th: Unloading
May 1st-31st: Conditioning/Fatloss

First Thing's First:

Before any of this can begin, one important part of any program is an unloading period-- in which we back off volume and intensity to allow the body to recover-- every 4-6 weeks.

In my case, the 1st week of December will serve as my unloading period while the remainder of the month will be devoted to gaining a bit more muscle before hitting my conditioning phase.

With this in mind, I will be posting my workouts on a semi-weekly basis along with thoughts and impressions to give an idea of how things are progressing.

Because today is an off-day from weight training, today's workout incorporates

Foam roll:
- IT Band
- Quads
- Adductors
- Hip rotators
* 15 rolls each

Mobility Drills:
- Wall slides
- Prone spiderman
- Leg swings
- Forward lunge to elbow instep
* 1 set of 15 reps for each exercise

Energy system work: Two mile run

Core:
- TRX fallouts- 3 x 8
- TRX side planks- 3 x 8
- Stability ball pikes- 3 x 8