Jamie Eason's 12 week plan - week 2

So a major element of my goals include finishing the Jamie Eason Livefit 12 week plan. Basically this is a 12 week workout program on bodybuilding.com which is largely focused on weight training, but has cardio in later weeks as well. So, I'm not training to be a bodybuilder. Frankly, Jamie Eason's arms are a little too jacked for me, hot as she otherwise is.

Jamie Eason and her incredibly jacked arms

But lately I've been slacking on working out. In the past I've been pretty good, but since my last placement I ended up so exhausted coming home every day that I barely exercised. After that, I found it hard to get back into the swing of things. Now I'm living back with my parents I'm also finding myself putting on fat (I can't say weight because I never put on weight) and overall I just wasn't happy with the way I was looking or feeling.

In general I do best in fitness goals with a fixed plan to follow. I managed to start running with Couch to 5k, but struggled to keep going once it had finished. I need structure or I end up just aimlessly drifting from one thing to the next. I suppose this is why I've never really enjoyed sandbox games - I much prefer to know what objectives I could be completing next.

So far I've completed 2 weeks of the program. Thus far it's been fine - I'm doing fairly high reps (12 per set) but trying to push the weight up every time. I'm always sore the day (and sometimes 2 days) afterwards, but it's a good sore. It also only takes me 45 minutes, which is great for a morning workout. I hear the time it takes really ramps up in later weeks though, so maybe I'll have to start waking up earlier...either that or work out in the evenings. Next week 10 rep sets begin, so I'll be pushing the weight up even higher.

In terms of the diet...I am ignoring it entirely. Bodybuilders and anyone obsessed with weirdly specific performance (I'm looking at you runners and triathletes) tend to get very precious about diet. You may only eat egg whites, you must eat every 3 hours, you must eat constant protein, you can only eat 'bad' food on a 'cheat' day. Pfffft. Whatever. I've tried to clean up my diet a bit (a lot more fruit and vegetables, a lot less chocolate, biscuits and cake) but I'm not going crazy with eating a lot of unnecessary protein (read anything by Anita Bean - she makes a pretty convincing argument that we don't need as much protein as we eat) and I'm eating 3 times a day. I'm also eating junk food if I want it. I rarely want it. But I'm not aiming to look like a fitness model, just a fitter version of myself so I don't see any point in torturing myself with denying myself things.

So far I think I'm starting to look a bit 'tighter' if that makes sense - my muscle definition in my arms is improving and my stomach's looking a little flatter. I'm quite lucky in that my body seems to respond to exercise quite well and quite quickly, which is always gratifying.

Oh well, another 2 weeks and I can cross Phase one off my list and give myself 20 experience points. For now I'll keep working on my essay - should be able to get 20 experience points by mid next week if I push it.