HWN #021: My 2024 Body Transformation Plan

2024 is going to be a huge year for me.

I can feel it. A lot of exciting things are coming both professionally and personally.

As excited as I am to crush 2024, I am equally disappointed by where I have let my body get.

In 2023, I gained some weight, approximately 10-15lbs. Throughout the year my workouts were great and consistent, I managaed to average more than 10k steps a day for the year, and averaged 7+ hours of sleep each night.

All of that was great. My nutrition was a different story. It was great for a week then terrible for a week. I had the hardest time being consistent (nutrition is always the toughest element of health and fitness for me).

But because I want to be the best role model possible to everyone in my life, I am spending 2024 focusing on transforming my body.

So, today I am going to share with you exactly how I am going to transform my body, health and fitness in the next 12 months.

Let’s jump right in.

My 2024 Physique Transformation

The first step is to set the goals that I have, which are very simple.

Here they are;

The Goals;

1. Sub 12% bodyfat
2. Add 5lbs of muscle mass
3. VO2Max at or above 45

My goals are based a lot on becoming a lean, strong, healthy body that is going to age well and maintain a high quality of life. Because of that, keeping my bodyfat low, strength above average for a man my age, and really doubling down and focusing on building a strong and robust aerobic system.

For what it’s worth, a lot of my thought process is built around the work of Dr. Peter Attia and his book Outlive. 

The Plan

Strength training: 4 strength training sessions a week. Two upper body sessions, 2 lower body sessions

Cardio/Conditioning: 135-180 minutes of Zone 2 cardio each week. 15-20 minutes of Zone 4 cardio each week.

Movement: 10-12k steps a day, on average, for the entire year.

Nutrition: I will be using Dr. Layne Norton’s app Carbon, a custom nutrition app that prescribes macros based on you and your goals.

Mobility: 10-15 minutes of mobility work each day to maintain healthy joints.

What Will I Be Tracking?

Bodyweight: I will be weighing myself each morning, using a 7-day average for my weekly weight.

Bodyfat: I will be using a DEXA scan and be performing this once a quarter. 

VO2Max: I will be performing a lab VO2Max test once a quarter.

Steps: Since my iPhone tracks steps I will be using that to track daily steps.

Where Am I Starting At?

A couple of weekends ago I went into Boston and had some testing done, both a DEXA scan and a VO2Max test at a lab.

Here are the starting points:

• Bodyweight: 184lbs
• Bodyfat: 22%
• VO2Max: 39.9

Quarter 1 Goal (January – March)

The first 3 months of the year my main goal will be to get my bodyfat sub 14-15%. If you do the math, assuming I hang on to all my muscle mass while dieting down, this should put me at a bodyweight around 170lbs.

Along with that, I will be putting a big focus on improving my cardiovascular health which will most likely see major improvement from simply being more consistent with my cardio/conditioning than I have in the last 12 months. I simply want to tick my VO2Max up and get into the 40’s during this first quarter.

From a muscle mass standpoint, I simply want to hold on to all my muscle mass while lowering my bodyfat. I am not expecting to add any muscle to my frame in this first quarter of the year…that will come later!

Final Thoughts

This is going to be a heck of a year with a lot of changes.

I am well aware that there are going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout the year and even the best made plans don’t always go as planned.

But I haven’t set many goals for myself in the last few years when it comes to my health, and the ones I have set I haven’t hit, so it’s time to change that.

Will I be perfect? Nope. Do I want to be perfect? Nope. I simply want to make some significant progress and be the best role model I can and the healthiest dad I can.

I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy following alone.

In health,

Craig

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