Fitness Builds After You Want To Stop

I am competing in a half-ironman event in September this year and over the past four weeks, my training has drastically changed. Since 2011, my training has been focused on resistance training with snippets of cardio thrown in from time to time.

From 2011–2013, my training was mostly about aesthetics and vanity, mostly using bodybuilding style training to add muscle to my skinny frame. My bodyweight went from 78 kg to 96 kg during that time. I trained in the gym four or five times per week and did very little cardio.

After challenging myself to get quite lean at the end of 2013, I switched my focus to building strength while maintaining a respectable body composition in 2014. Over the next four years, I worked with some great coaches to learn how to lift properly and build up my strength. I competed in a powerlifting competition in 2015, but I mostly enjoyed competing against myself and challenging myself to continue to improve.

My bodyweight went from 96 kg to 98 kg during this period, although I did spend some time at 100+ kg when my diet was slack. The training was primarily strength work with long rest intervals and some higher-rep work towards the end of sessions. I did almost no cardiovascular training during this time, although I spent a lot of time on my feet when I was coaching clients in the gym and I would often take…