Body Comp Tracking
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Just like precise nutrient timing or a large exercise variety aren't necessary for new trainees, detailed body composition tracking isn't a vital aspect just yet either. Since most beginners still have a good deal of space between their current physique & their "genetic potential," any program worth its salt (and especially a customized program like this one) will produce favorable results.
The hallmark of a good diet & training regimen is that it allows you to lose fat while maintaining or even gaining lean muscle. This is absolutely possible, and should almost be the expectation for beginners like yourself. |
With this in mind, we can actually tell quite a bit about your body composition changes simply by monitoring your scale weight. It's not like we're doing hours of cardio or crash dieting; we've set up an intelligent energy deficit, we've employed calorie cycling to allow you to eat more on days you train, we've devoted all of your training efforts to a well-constructed strength training program & we've prioritized adequate, quality sleep. Talk about "having your ducks in a row." You're all but assured to preferentially lose fat while gaining strength & lean mass when you employ these methods.
This is where the rubber really meets the road when implementing a proper fitness-focused lifestyle: the actions you are taking now will build good habits that make further progress easier. Improving your body composition by losing fat & gaining muscle will increase your metabolism, reduce inflammation, improve hormone function & make any subsequent health & fitness goals easier to achieve.
With these practices in place, we can be almost certain that any change in scale weight will reflect fat loss, not overall weight loss.
What does this mean in terms of how we will track these changes? It means that we can indeed rely on scale weight, since we know the proper practices are in place. You don't get any extra credit for eating less than what your macros detail, or training on extra days. If you simply stick to the program, we can get a good gauge of progress just by checking the scale.
If you don't have a digital scale, go buy one before the start of this program. A full list of items you will need can be found in your template. You will be getting in the habit of weighing yourself every morning upon waking up, after going to the bathroom, in minimal clothing. This will standardize your measurements across days, and literally takes 15 seconds. Again, good habits are everything.
It will also help to hold you accountable, as daily check-ins with the scale are a huge predictor of success on any diet. Incentives matter, and the number on the scale can be unforgiving at times. You will notice your weight fluctuate whether you just completed an off day or a training day, but the overall trend will be a downward one.
If you do want to gain some extra credit, invest in a measuring tape (one with a button on it that applies the same amount of pressure when taking measurements). It costs roughly $5 and can tell us quite a bit about body composition change, not just weight loss.
If you go this route, you will also be taking this measurement every morning upon waking, after going to the bathroom. You'll want to measure the same spot on your abdomen each time, just below your belly button. You'll also want to maximally flex your abs every time you take this measure; it further standardizes things. If you take one measure without flexing & then one while flexing, you can falsely think you're making progress.
This is where the rubber really meets the road when implementing a proper fitness-focused lifestyle: the actions you are taking now will build good habits that make further progress easier. Improving your body composition by losing fat & gaining muscle will increase your metabolism, reduce inflammation, improve hormone function & make any subsequent health & fitness goals easier to achieve.
With these practices in place, we can be almost certain that any change in scale weight will reflect fat loss, not overall weight loss.
What does this mean in terms of how we will track these changes? It means that we can indeed rely on scale weight, since we know the proper practices are in place. You don't get any extra credit for eating less than what your macros detail, or training on extra days. If you simply stick to the program, we can get a good gauge of progress just by checking the scale.
If you don't have a digital scale, go buy one before the start of this program. A full list of items you will need can be found in your template. You will be getting in the habit of weighing yourself every morning upon waking up, after going to the bathroom, in minimal clothing. This will standardize your measurements across days, and literally takes 15 seconds. Again, good habits are everything.
It will also help to hold you accountable, as daily check-ins with the scale are a huge predictor of success on any diet. Incentives matter, and the number on the scale can be unforgiving at times. You will notice your weight fluctuate whether you just completed an off day or a training day, but the overall trend will be a downward one.
If you do want to gain some extra credit, invest in a measuring tape (one with a button on it that applies the same amount of pressure when taking measurements). It costs roughly $5 and can tell us quite a bit about body composition change, not just weight loss.
If you go this route, you will also be taking this measurement every morning upon waking, after going to the bathroom. You'll want to measure the same spot on your abdomen each time, just below your belly button. You'll also want to maximally flex your abs every time you take this measure; it further standardizes things. If you take one measure without flexing & then one while flexing, you can falsely think you're making progress.
