8% Body Fat

In mid-May, I decided to halve my body fat by 12/12/12. This goal is spurred on nicely by a $1k bet I have going on with a friend on the outcome :) Since I started off at 15.8% (according to bioelectric impedance measures, which admittedly are inaccurate), half would technically mean 7.9% but 8% is a nice round number. I consider this foundational step in body reformation to be a critical springboard for badassery. There are a lot of questions that come with that singular assertion, so let me address them.


1. Is badassery defined solely in physical terms? No, it isn't. I do not want to take anything away from those who have badass minds, characters, leadership skills, expertise, or any other non-physical elements. That being said, my concept of badass requires the mastery and development of a fully expressed human body. One of the exemplary models of this would be Bruce Lee in my mind. There's in fact a book written about it which I am currently reading.

2. Why body fat? Because it's one of the best, solitary reflection of health in my mind (assuming you are not dying of starvation). And to be perfectly honest with myself, a substantial part of the motivation is derived from vanity. It's a desire to look badass, with the knowledge that it's only the beginning.

3. So, does that automatically make Calvin Klein underwear models badass? No, it doesn't. In fact, a very real counterpoint was introduced to me by my friend, Jonathan Verbanets. Multi-world record holder and world fitness endurance champion, Paddy Doyle, has done remarkable things (49 entries / reentries in the Guiness Book of World Records!). For instance, he's done 1.5 million pushups in a year, 1,940 pushups in an hour on the back of his hands, and delivered 29,580 full-contact straight arm punches in 8 hours. Can you imagine getting punched 30k times within one work day?? And this is what he looks like (the guy with the backpack):
 







Not exactly awe inspiring, but badass physical achievements nonetheless. Big thumbs up for Paddy Doyle.

4. But Jack, isn't model-like definition what you're shooting for? Yes, I'm aiming to lose fat, retain lean body mass, and look ripped. But more importantly, I'm undergoing a sequence of self-experimentations with both nutrition and exercise that will get me to my goal. This challenging exploration along with the requisite discipline and self-awareness it takes to reach the goal are just as important as the goal itself. Moreover, the body fat percentage is simply a starting point for more functional goals, namely speed and power.

So, that's it for now on the 8% body fat goal. Next time, I can share some of the progress that's been made thus far, as well as some of the learnings from the research that I've done on this topic.