Hammer and Chisel Challenge

Beachbody released a new workout program called “Hammer and Chisel.” It’s all about weight training and conditioning – something I’m just not good at committing myself to. If someone’s not forcing me to do strength training, it goes by the wayside. Take these last 4 days, for example, between the end of my last challenge and the start of this one – I worked out hard 3 of the 4 days, but didn’t do a single strength session (including PiYo). I just couldn’t get myself to do it.

So… I bought a program that will force me to do weight training, because when I commit to something, I do it. It really is that simple for me.

I’ve had a hard time coming up with goals for this challenge and wrote out my thoughts just last night. That helped me really think about what I want to achieve in the next 8 weeks. I got way too relaxed the last two weeks of the last challenge and lost a lot of momentum. My “after” photos still looked pretty good with visible changes, but I was really on a good roll and lost it with food. It’s always the food, isn’t it? Because of that, I’ll be starting at a higher-than-normal-for-me weight and body fat percentage. Because I know this already, and because both of those were quick gains, I need to plan accordingly. Quick gains in weight and body fat are quick losses if you stay focused – and I will stay focused. Because I know how quickly I can lose those quick gains, I’m going to set some lofty goals out the gates.

I am in a FB challenge group for this program so I am going to follow the group schedule and start on January 4th (a Monday) but will run my weeks, officially, from Wednesdays through the following Tuesdays. I do this to let the weekend weight fall off and normalize by mid-week. When I report the first week, my stats will include the Monday and Tuesday before my official Wednesday start so that I can stay on schedule with the group in regards to workouts each day. My week 8 will end on a Tuesday, but the group will finish the Sunday before, so I will finish out my week by doing H&C workouts on Monday and Tuesday after the official national group finishes up – so I will be adding two days to the program. I hope that makes sense. Everything – number of workouts, days within calorie goals, etc – will be reported on a Wednesday – Tuesday schedule.

So here is how it will work:

My “workout week” will start on Wednesdays and end on Tuesdays
- The official H&C national kick-off starts on a Mondays, so I’m using that Monday and Tuesday (January 4 and 5) as a “ramp up” and will tack on two days at the end of my final week for good measure 😉
I will weigh in and measure body fat on Wednesday mornings and report weekly here on this page
I have planned out my supplemental workouts in addition to H&C but will fine-tune it as I work through this program
I do plan to run 3 times a week

Goals for the Next 8 Weeks:

Finish on 03/01/2016 with a body weight loss of 6% or more
I am targeting a loss of 2.0% or more of body fat as reported on my handheld body fat monitor
I want to see major changes in my physique since this is a weight training program – I want incredible before and after photos!
Complete 6+ hours a week of dedicated exercise
Run 3 times a week at minimum
Complete the full Hammer and Chisel 8 week program
Supplement my fitness with at least 2 BOD (bea.chbo.dy on dem.and) workouts a week
Stay within daily net calorie goal of 1390 calories at least 6 days a week
Follow as closely as possible the eating plan per the food containers supplied by H&C
By the end of the 8 weeks, I want my minimum distance on the treadmill to be 4.0-5.0 miles (need to work up after a long break in running)

Starting Statistics on 01/04/2016

Weight: 144.6 pounds
Body Fat %: 22.6% with the handheld (x with calipers, x% with the Tan.ita scale)
BMI: 22.6

Starting Measurements:

Natural Waist: 28 inches
Belly Button: 32 inches
Hips: 35.75 inches
Chest: 32.5 inches
Leg (Left): 19 inches
Arm (Left): 10.75 inches

The Workout Plan:

It’s lofty, but totally doable! As the weeks progress, things will be crossed out, signifying that they were completed. All items in black font are/were part of the original plan, whether they got done or not. Items in green font were added post-original plan.