{Ben changing a tire for a stranger in a gas station parking lot. Will learning to help people.}

20 weeks out! 

It may seem silly to some that I’m starting to count down so early. But, it’s already been over 12 weeks since I decided to compete! And those 12 weeks have gone by pretty damn fast!

Since September my body fat has come down about 6% (from ~23% to ~17%). I’m aiming for somewhere between 9% and 12% for competition. So I have somewhere between 5% and 8% to lose in those 20 weeks.

I’ve read and heard: The longer the prep, the better. 

It makes sense. Unless you’ve been at it a long time you’re basically feeling your way through a maze of information. Your trainer and research can show and tell you what has worked (for themselves and other people) before. But, everyBODY is different! 

There are basic general guidelines that can get most people pretty far. But then you have to begin to tweak things for yourself as an individual to keep seeing results.

Side note (at 20 weeks out): I’m eating roughly 1600 to 2000 calories per day. Roughly 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. 

I was going to start carb cycling right away but I’m waiting 3-4 more weeks to start that.

I’m still making progress with what I’m doing and I really want to keep feeding my muscles a steady amount of carbs for another month. I want to continue to grow as much as possible in the next month without gaining fat. 

I’m totally curious as to where I’ll end up (body fat and weight wise).

Slow and steady wins the race!