My last post talked about how I'm WAY TOO FAT! My bodyfat as of a few weeks ago was 17.9% at a bodyweight of 173 lbs which equates to 31 lbs of fat. As a comparison, I looked up the bodyfat % from the NBA combine for each player with at least a 38" max vertical. This includes 46 athletes over the last several years. I decided to crunch the numbers and figure out the average bodyfat % for these athletes. Not surprising, the average is very low -- only 6.33%! In addition, there were only 2 of the 46 athletes who had a bodyfat % over 10%.
So I'm absolutely going to get much leaner and stronger. My goal is to be 8% by August 5th. To help achieve this, I started Intermittent Fasting (IF) a few days ago. I first heard about IF from Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual). He was posting before and after pictures on his facebook page and I was amazed at the results he was getting.
So I'm absolutely going to get much leaner and stronger. My goal is to be 8% by August 5th. To help achieve this, I started Intermittent Fasting (IF) a few days ago. I first heard about IF from Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual). He was posting before and after pictures on his facebook page and I was amazed at the results he was getting.
For those of you not familiar with Intermittent Fasting, it is pretty simple. You eat during a 8 hour window each day and the rest of time you don't eat (water is ok). My eating window will be from noon to 8:00 pm. It is also recommended to take BCAA (branch chained amino acids) as a supplement before, during, and after your workouts. I didn't think I had taken this supplement before but it is included in many protein powders including the one I take (Optimum Nutrition). But, I have not taken BCAA all by itself before. I got watermelon flavor by Scivation. You just add it to water and it actually tastes really good.
I won't go into all the reasons why Intermittent Fasting seems to be an effective way to get very lean and strong but read up on it if you are interested. It actually contradicts everything I and most people believe about nutrition (eat every 2-3 hours). But, I have an open mind and am willing to give it a shot. I will be sure to post updates on how it's going.
To wrap up this post, I want to leave you with this amazing video I saw yesterday. This is a high jump competition in Kenya with some high school athletes who are absolutely unreal. I hope these guys get access to some better resources and a shot at the Olympics. They absolutely deserve it. BTW, I bet these guys bodyfat % is also just a little lower than 17.9%! :-)
On my next post, I will let you know what tweaks I've made to my training. My vert has increased a little over the past few weeks and will share what I've been doing different.
Happy Summer!
Welcome to IF!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried the ON brand of BCAAs. I may have to look into it when I run out. I have only taken Scivation Xtend - Blue Raspberry. Tastes good and mixes well.
Regarding BF%, I personally think somewhere in the 10-13% range is sufficient for most athletic folks. The lower your BF gets, the harder it is to get lower. You have to be much stricter with your diet (mentally tough) and you tend to workout longer, which adversely affects your recovery time. I have been hovering between 10 and 13% for the past 6 months and I think that is where my mind and stomach likes it best. The only thing I miss about not having a 6-8% BF is the six pack.
In any case, each person's body is different so good luck. BTW, prepare to buy new pants or punch new holes in your belt. ;-)
I'm also using Scivation Xtend (watermelon) flavor. It had good reviews and was cheaper. But, I noticed on the ON protein that is has 5 grams of BCAA in each serving.
DeleteWhen I was jumping my highest off 2 feet (29 years old), I was 7% bodyfat and weighed 169 lbs. I'm stronger now than I was then other than bench press so I'm confident that if I get that lean again I will be jumping like I did at age 29.
Good report :) Are you starting another round anytime soon? This week is my last week, and I hit 39.3" today :) I haven't tried to dunk the ball yet, but I'm afraid I won't be jumping as high when I try to grab the ball in the air. What are some good tips to jump high when you are trying to dunk off-ball?
ReplyDeleteYes - I started 2 weeks ago. Going well.
Delete39.3! That is awesome. You should definitely be dunking with that.
I would find someone who is a good passer to toss the ball up for you over the rim or practice throwing them yourself off the bounce. I also think doing dunk attempts with a medicine ball help a lot. Teaches you how to jump high with the ball in your hands.
Thanks. Yeah, I need to work on jumping high with a basketball. I think I lose about 3" when I try to get the timing and the steps right, so I need to work on that :)
DeleteSo how is the Intermittent Fasting going? Have you stuck to it? Are you seeing the results that you wanted. I've been curious about it myself.
ReplyDeleteGoing pretty good. I actually like it a lot. My weight has only dropped maybe 2 lbs in the 3 weeks or so I've been doing it but my pants are getting looser and so I think its possible I have gained some muscle and so the scale hasn't changed much.
DeleteI've been really strict on only eating between noon and 8:00 pm but I haven't been as strict as I should be about the foods I eat during those hours. However, I've done much better this week and it has made a difference.
I'm going to keep going at least until I get my bodyfat tested in August and will have a much better idea of the results at that point. Sure hope my bodyfat drops dramatically!
That's awesome. Good luck.I still need to go to BYU to get the test with the BodPod.
DeleteThose Kenyan jumpers are insane. Wow! Cool video.
ReplyDeleteyep so cool. hope those guys get an opportunity to compete in college or olympics. crazy talent!
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