Let The Quest Begin

My friend and fellow runner/blogger, Chris K, recently challenged me to work on "getting my abs". Why this particular challenge? Briefly, I'm an injured long-distance runner (see my running blog), as well as a VERY goal-oriented person; especially when it comes to fitness and exercise. To stay focused while I'm not running, I need a concrete goal to shoot for. My primary objectives, while I'm rehabbing my injury, will be to:

1. Stay in cardiovascular shape
2. Increase my upper body strength and, to some degree, muscle mass
3. Eat as clean and healthy as possibly, thereby allowing me to...
4. Get an etched six-pack!

What kind of fool decides to take on this challenge during the holiday season (in the U.S.)? Me...I guess. I honestly had second, third and fourth thoughts about creating this blog, because I love me some holiday baked goods! Pecan pie, fudge, gingerbread cookies...


Okay, never mind the challenge. I'm going for "flabs" instead.


No...no, I need to do this.


Getting abs to show THE CORRECT WAY (i.e. not just starving myself) will be tough. I want to maintain and/or increase my overall muscle mass while doing so. I've been close before, but never really got rid of the last little bit of fat obscuring the bottom two abs.


I plan on posting progress photos once per week. I'll determine which day of the week once I take and post a photo of my current state. I'm already relatively lean (due to my running, up until recently), so I don't have a ton of fat to lose. Just need to tighten things up a bit. I'll also post stats (weight, waist measurements) and the challenges I've faced and either failed at or overcome. Like many personal fitness-oriented blogs, I'm making this public for accountability purposes. I'll probably document other strength-related goals, too (I'm trying to achieve a set of 20 pullups for the first time in several years).


The wild card in this quest will be the walking boot I'll soon be wearing, which will undoubtedly affect my exercise selection. I'll make do, though.


(Maybe I should put a walking boot on my pie hole...)


So...this blog will chronicle the ups and downs of trying to become lean enough for "Ab Out Time." (a little play on words there, you get it? About Time...Ab Out Time...ahem)


"Before" photo coming soon...