Shredded for Summer Challenge: Week 7
bacon and pancakes

The end is finally in sight, but things are about to get much, much harder. Not only will my diet contain little to no sugar, carbs are at a minimum.  And as well as weight-training, I’ll be doing loads of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

I’ve heard of HIIT before, I might have even done it, but not to the degree as I’ll be going through over the next two weeks. I asked my trainer, Terry, about what it will entail and it’s going to be 55-60 per cent of my 1 rep max for weight training mixed with anaerobic exercise such as boxing, battle ropes, circuits etc.
I’ve been an intermediate long distance runner for a few years now so my body is more used to aerobic exercise. This will be a real test.
The learning curve I’ve experienced over the last seven weeks has been incredible and I’m amazed at the knowledge I’ve gained from it. I’ve gone from avoiding deadlifts entirely to deadlifting 130kg and it being one of my favourite exercises. I’ve also learned how to train smart, fitting in as much as you can within a short space of gym-time.
My friends are picking my brains as to what I’ve been doing as they have seen the results I’ve achieved in a few weeks.

Ab-blaster workouts

Now, it’s time to ‘shred’. I’d never imagined I’d do something like this but I’m looking forward to seeing what it does to my body. The ‘ab-blaster’ workouts at the end of each training session have left my core feeling pretty solid so I’m intrigued to see if there’s a six-pack hiding under the final layer of body fat I’ve got left.

I waved goodbye to carbs yesterday by making some wholewheat protein pancakes on my rest day (along with all the other food I’m so used to consuming nowadays) and I gave my colleagues any carby snacks I had stashed in my desk drawers. It’s going to take a lot of food to feel full now. This is going to be brutal.

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