Here are the results and conclusions so far
- Raw food works
This is one of the core elements I wanted to test and see if my level of energy can stay high while training intensely.
After 3 weeks of this training rhythm, I see no limitations with my raw food diet.
It works.
- Body looks good - happy with that
- Still a tiny bit fat left on the mid section
It would be almost invisible to most people but get the feeling that front and back combined could represent still one or two pounds.
I want to get rid of this in this last week of my intensity training.
The reason why this small fat is still could be because:
- Still taking too much oils or fat in the form of avocados and nuts
- Calorie intake still slightly too high
With amount of training I do, it's definitely not because of not burning enough calories.
It's not either because of not enough localized training like abs.
That's an open question and I need to find out the EXACT strategy I need to implement for the last week before I complete my 4 weeks cycle.
- Took some protein supplement - Conclusions?
I experimented with that one for about 10 days - taking probably an extra 90 grams of protein daily.
Why did I do that? To see if my muscle mass would increase + see if taking this protein would cut the slight fish craving I had.
Muscle mass increase? That's difficult to estimate... I have the feeling that my pecs, abs and arms are slightly bigger, fuller but it's very subjective.
Yes, taking that protein kicks out the slight fish craving I had. This means that my body was asking for protein.
As I finished this box of protein about 2 days ago, I will stop using it now and see what happens in terms of muscle mass.
I know that when taking this protein, I lower my raw food optimization strategies because this type of protein is a processed product + contains additives like chocolate flavor and sweetener.
Overall, in the last 4 days of using it, I felt a drop in energy.
It could be related with taking it as everything else I eat is very much live food, raw, unprocessed. It is possible that this protein actually puts a toll on the digestive system and you eventually pay the price by feeling lower on energy.
One more point: if I wanted to solidly increase my muscle mass volume, whether or not i take protein, I would need to have at least 3 weekly 90-120 min heavy weight training.
The training I am doing that is 50% aerobics with only short light weight sessions. There is some power training but it's not enough to significantly increase my muscle mass.
On top of that, to stabilize significant results, I would need to go for a 3 months target rather than a 1 month target like I did now.
In terms of muscle mass, I am at 50% of something that would be a very light body builder body.
This means that I have lots of room for muscle growth. It wasn't simply not my main target in this 4 weeks training period.
My calorie intake is relatively low to build muscle mass as well. I would need to increase that too.
So, should YOU take extra protein?
Well, if you have a very balanced diet with already input of protien in the form of eggs, fish or poultry, I believe you can do without it.
If you are aiming for a solid muscle mass increase, protein might help as long as you realize that it's first the heavy 3x week power training sessions that will give your results. Simply taking protein without these power sessions at the gym won't do a thing.
Remember as well, that if you integrate protein in your strategies, that's something you need to maintain long term. It can be heavy on the budget ($100-200 extra/month). The moment you stop using it, you go back to where you were without it within a couple of weeks to 3 months depending on how long you used it.
If you are preparing for a specific event like the shooting of a movie for instance and you need extra muscle mass for aesthetics, this type of short term strategy could help too.
- Weight extremely stable!
With daily fluctuations my weight is steady now for a week between 69.5 and 71 kg. I am at 70.2 most of the time. ( it could be a kilo more as the scale I use does not seem to accurate ;)