WEEK 1
As this is my first training blog entry I’ll start by introducing myself. My name’s Bray Stoneham, I’m 23 years old and I’m the digital content producer for Men’s Health Australia. In less fancy words, that just means I look after the website and our social media accounts.
When I first started working at Men’s Health late last year, three other coworkers were in the middle of transformation challenges. After witnessing their gradual metamorphosis over a number of weeks, I gazed long and hard at my own pathetic physique. I knew right then that this was something I wanted to be part of.
Well, after sweet-talking my editor for the best part of eight months, this thing is finally happening. A little background about myself first, though. I’m 6’0” and I weigh 63 kilograms. I’ve always put my string-bean physique down to genetics. My dad was a similar size and shape to me when he was my age. But the real reason? I don’t eat enough and I’ve always been too lazy to hit the gym.
Over the course of this 12-week challenge, my job is to train and eat as much as I can. My goals? Get bigger (no kidding), tip past 70kg on the scales and be able to look at my body in the mirror with confidence.
As I write this, I’m coming to the end of my first week of training and I’m sore. Correction, I’m really, really sore. As someone who’s only trained on and off for approximately 3-4 months in my 23 years, this first week has been a major shock to my system.
I’ve been thrown in the deep end. My PT, Cato Rutherford from Lift Performance Centre (liftperformancecentre.com) in Redfern, Sydney, has immediately got me training twice a day. I wake up, go to the gym, go to work, then go straight back to the gym. Although this week has been mostly about easing me into what’s ahead, my muscles feel withered.
On the plus side, I’ve found eating more food is a lot easier when you work out and your body actually needs the fuel. All my life, it’s probably fair to say that I’ve feared food. I’ve never exercised or exerted myself enough to actually need it. It’s always been frustrating going out to eat with friends who work out and see them easily polish off a huge meal while I struggle to get through more than half the plate. This changes now! To grow, I need to eat. I can no longer fear food.
I’m not sure what’s going to be harder over these next eleven weeks – the training or the eating. But you know what? I’m looking forward to finding out.
Average Day of Eating – Week 1
Breakfast: 1x Beef Burrito, small cappucino
Post-gym: Protein shake
Meal 2: Chicken breast, cauliflower mash, grilled capsicum, beans
Lunch: 2 x Tuna and salad sandwiches
Meal 4: Sirloin steak, sweet potato mash, grilled capsicum, beans
Dinner: Penne bolognese
