Cardio Only Once per Week

I've decided to do cardio only once per week for the following two or three months. Here in Montreal the sun has already begun setting by about 5 pm. The lack of sun creating extremely cold weather makes our winters pretty unbearable. Dealing with daily snow shoveling and constant car problems makes it even more brutal. All of these combined have the effect of lowering your energy levels... which is why I've decided to decrease my cardio training frequency (from 2-3 days to only 1 day of cardio). I don't want to burn my muscles out, as gaining muscle mass (and not leaning down) is my priority right now. As always, I'm still going to do about 20-30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise... probably on the eliptical runner.

For the incredible challenge I've given myself, this might not seem like enough cardio... At least not when it comes to leaning down. I had originally planned to achieve my goal within 3 months (and I might have already mentioned that in one of my first blog posts)... But, it's just unrealistic. I know I would be able to do it under more "normal" conditions, meaning better weather. It's quite alright because for now I should be focused on gaining mass anyways. Even if I get a little fat (which I doubt will happen because my weight training workouts are pretty intense), I'll give myself the last 2-3 months (of my 6 month journey) purely to lean down. I have a very fast metabolism, so this shouldn't be a problem. Seeing that I'll need to be 'bodybuilding lean', meaning extremely lean and dry as well, I'll have to gain at least another 50 pounds from here until February 5th, 2010 (before I focus on stripping off about 20 pounds of fat). That gives me less than 3 months to accomplish the impossible. Well, of course, I don't believe it's impossible and I'm going to prove to others that it's not.

In sum, my original plan to lean down as I gain mass, has shifted to gain serious muscle mass for the next two and a half months, and then focus on leaning down for the last 3 months... to get to a naturally huge, naturally ripped, record-breaking 215 pounds. I understand if some of you are thinking that 215 pounds is not really that huge. But trust me, 215 pounds of lean muscle looks twice as big as 250 pounds of fat. Besides, my ultimate, ultimate goal (which I'll disclose in the near future) is much more than the goal weight of 215 pounds. Still, my reaching a shredded 215 pounds should not be undermined as it will definitely classify me as the biggest natural bodybuilder of all time (plus, I've never weighed more than 207 pounds).

I don't mean to sound arogant nor am I implying that this journey I'm on is going to be an easy road that I'm certain will end in success. Like I said, I've never weighed more than 207 pounds so I'm running pretty much on faith right now. Also, it's been not even two weeks since I started my journey and already I've ran into many roadblocks. I've had to adapt and have made the necessary changes to my weight training, cardio training, work schedule, sleep schedule, etc. What's important to me right now is to use all of my knowledge, all of my experience, and every other tool God has gifted me with to pursue my potential. In other words, the goal is secondary to the journey. I can dream all I want about my goal, and know my whole life that it's possible for me to achieve it, but if I don't take the necessary steps towards it... It will never become a reality. What I'm attempting to do, this journey, is the hardest mission I'll ever give myself.