The...Money...Shot

I’ll cut to the chase; here are the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots. The after shots were taken at a friend’s house, before my celebratory PCP completion Sunday lunch, which was fantastic and surpassed everything I hoped it would be. I’d been using the lunch as my goal throughout the programme and I couldn’t stop smiling once I got there, it felt like a huge achievement and it was brilliant to share it with such great friends - I was being relentlessly ribbed and ridiculed as I ‘posed’ for my ‘after’ shots, hence the laughing and lack of decorum, apologies.

And final stats are below. I am now wary about the usefulness of the stats as they don't tell the whole story and can encourage you to focus on things which don't really matter, but I have used them as a proxy throughout the programme so for the benefit of completeness, here they are. If I was pushed I'd admit that I’m pleased with my body fat %. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this is an accurate reading as I think I'm probably a few notches higher, but the general trend over the past three months says it all and that’s the main thing. I’m also pleased with my V02 readings, which is an indication of fitness. I was told 65 is pretty good - perhaps now is the time to give up the ciggies.

Day 1 28 60 91  Change +/- Weight kgs 82 76.6 73.4 73.3 -8.7 Body Mass Index 25 23.8 22.9 22.8 -2.2 Fat Mass 18.7% 16.8% 12.5%  8.1% -10.6% V02 Max 36 60     n/a 65 29 Resting Heart Rate bpm 70    63     n/a 61 -9

I’ve had a couple of days to let everything sink in now and time to do some retrospective thinking and I’m pretty sad it’s all over. PCP has been an incredibly positive experience and I’ve learnt so much about health, fitness, nutrition and most importantly, myself.

There is nothing revolutionary about PCP, the concept is well known: eat healthily, in moderation and often, exercise properly and the results will follow. Patrick has designed this course perfectly, everything is very accessible and his daily emails inform, educate and motivate.

I’ve found the last three months very cathartic and I have managed to answer a few personal questions that I’d been struggling with for some time. Abstaining from the booze certainly helped with this as it provided the clarity of mind that I needed (not to mention the numerous physical benefits too). Drinking far less frequently and far more moderately is something I will definitely be adopting from now on.

If truth be told, when I started PCP my motivations were probably more vanity driven then anything else. But as I progressed through the programme my mindset began to change and I realised that getting yourself to a place where you’re happy, healthy and confident is what it’s all about. You get out what you choose to put into this programme, but if you commit to it and really go for it then you’ll learn a hell of a lot and achieve the results you want; simple really.

Big thanks to all of you that have supported and encouraged me during the past 90 days (and a poke in the eye to those of you who didn’t believe I could do it hah). It’s been a long old slog and for the most part everyone have been very accommodating and have had the kindness to adapt plans in order to fit around my idiosyncratic diet and workouts.

Well done to everybody for completing PCP, it’s been a great effort and all of your results are mind blowing. Such a supreme effort has been made by everyone over the past three months and we should all be incredibly proud of what we have achieved.

Thanks particularly to Sam for all his positivity, support and great blogging, you really embraced the ethos of the programme and have been a flag carrier for the rest of the group. I’d also like to thank ex-PCPers Nick, Geordie and Kev. Your results and experiences were what sparked my initial interest and your support (and question answering) was really appreciated.

And of course a huge thank you to the main man, Pat-Diddy, for all your emails, videos, encouragement and above all, patience. This is something really unique and you manage to deliver it with sincerity, thought and care; A hugely heartfelt thank you to you and your team.

So, as has been well documented by many of those who have gone before me, this isn’t the end of my PCP journey but just the beginning of it. My outlook and attitude has vastly improved compared to what it was like on August 1^st 2011 and I now know what works and what doesn’t. There is still plenty more that I want to achieve but I have all the tools I now need and I’ll be making very good use of each and every one of them.

It’s been a very personal three months for me and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it (well almost) but it is time to move on.

Day 89 - For Patrick

So what about it Pat-Diddy, you keen to give this a go hahah - don't worry, I know what you'll say

http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/fitness/fit-to-fat-personal-trainer-piles-it-on-for-clients-20111026-1mj9k.html

Day 88 - Supersets, supersuck!

Supersets are tough, really, really tough..... but, you've got to be in it to win it.

I'm reaching failure on the planks pretty quickly so I'm going to use the stopwatch again to see if I can push it a little longer. Like a few of the other guys, I think I need targets to ensure I push myself enough. Although the quick failure could also be down to alternating with the v-situps to failure.

Diets all ok, except I've just discovered this new yoghurt called 'the collective dairy'. It's originally from NZ and just recently launched in the UK. Anyhow, this stuff is delicious and packed full of calories, but I just can't help myself, I really can't get enough of it. It has been responsible for more then one midnight raid on the fridge. Last night I was standing there in the complete darkness, illuminated only by the fridge light, as I shovelled my spoon into the carton, basking in the joy of this rich, creamy and sugary yoghurt, when I had an epiphany of Partick disapprovingly looking on - I am so sorry Pat-Diddy but as soon as your image had manifested itself, it disappeared again in a puff of smoke, and I continued to indulge myself.

This really is not the best thing to have discovered in the last throws of PCP. But I think I can just about refrain myself for another 48 hours until Saturday, thenceforth I can main line the stuff directly into my veins if I wish.

I'm pretty excited about finishing, it's like the end of term and Christmas eve all rolled into one, just the little hurdle of those dreaded supersets to get over in the meantime.

See you all on the other side!

Day 86 - So close...yet so far

I'm feeling full of the joys of life today, the exercises went well yesterday and the jump rope sessions all rocked. But feeling slightly apprehensive about these supersets, the first of which is pencilled in for this evening. They look pretty intimidating, it's a bit like reaching the summit of a mountain to then realise you're actually short and have another100 meters to climb - well so I imagine, I haven't actually ever bothered to climb a mountain. Though I did once walk up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh......it was knackering hahah

The social diary seems to be filling up fairly quickly, it's nice to be able to accept invites as opposed to making up excuses for wanting to stay in to the programme. I've decided to have a couple of weeks break once all is done and dusted before starting my post PCP programme. I'm going to try and be fairly rigid about it to, as it's very easy to let things slip if its all done on an ad hoc basis. Anyhow, need to get through the next few days first, I'm going to smash these supersets for 6.

Day 82 - I Am the Resurrection (for all you baggies)

I was feeling pretty unmotivated yesterday, but I got on with it and pushed on through with the routine. It wasn't great and it certainly wasn't pretty, but I did it and that's the most important thing. Leg exercises are a lot better now then they were and everything else is tough due to the high reps and the requirement to go for failure on the last set.

I'm starting to tire and as great as this has all been, I'm ready for a break. I fully intend to adopt, and stick with, everything I've learnt over the past 3 months but I need some time off. I need to think about something other then buying food, preparing food, cooking food, eating food and exercising. And I certainly need a night out on the tiles.

The mental and physical fatigue is starting to creep in, which is probably all more a state of mind as we are now so close to the finishing line. That said, I remain totally focused on giving my all over the next week and I'm going to finish strongly and on a real high, it's going to be epic hahaha.

And I'm sure you'll all be delighted to know that I managed to secure a ticket for the first of the Stone Roses comeback gigs in June - which really is epic.

Day 78 - It ain't over till it's over

Like everybody, I'm finding the exercises are now taking a bit longer to complete and every single set now hurts.. There used to be a particular exercise / set where I'd be able to 'take it easy' to some extent (not quite with my feet up chuffing back on a smoke though). I'd look forward to them as they'd provide a respite from the tears, sweat and affliction of work-out torture. Now though, there is nowhere to hide, each individual exercise is a real effort and requires total discipline to complete. I can honestly say, I have no favourites, I hate them all, they are all hernia inducing, weapons of mass fatigue........but...somehow, for some godforsaken sadomasochistic reason,  I love them. Am I turning into a flagellant monk, using PCP to repent for my wretched sins? Who knows?

One thing I do know, is that the home stretch is now upon us. I'm trying not to think about the finish line but it's hard not to. I'll leave my synopsis and reflections till day 91 as there is still plenty  more to be done!

Everyone seems to be going great guns and there is some infectious positivity amongst the group which is brilliant to see. Big shout out to the HK massive in particular, you guys are hammering this!. Keep it up y'all

Now where did I put that whip

Day 72 - Ailments

I had a good break in Portugal and managed to keep up with the exercises. The food was fine as we ate at home a lot of the time. When we did go out for dinner I stuck to veg and grilled fish so I'm not too concerned that I wasn't completely compliant, under the circumstances I think I did pretty well. A few glasses of wine wouldn't have gone a miss but I managed to abstain and actually had a few non-alcoholic beers which were a revelation - made me feel part of the group, as opposed to the boring proabitionist! One of my mates has starting to call me 'Bobby', as in 'fun-time Bobby' from Friends. He says I used to be fun but as I'm not anymore, I just get 'Bobby'.

One area of concern is the complete collapse of my body. Both knees are starting to give me grief, the shoulder is sore, and the right calf is feeling the strain. I guess 11 weeks of exercising every day will do this to you. I'm determined that these ailments won't stop me from finishing PCP, so I'm strapping everything up and now look something akin to an Egyptian mummy.

It looks as if everybody are doing really well and it's great to read all the blogs.