Black Panther

It’s my birthday again 🥳 and this time around I am my own superhero 🦸🏿‍♂️! I put the mask on and transformed into the Black Panther at 31! I’m going to share what I did in my final 6 weeks before stripping down for photos and putting up back bacon for viewing purposes.
​
Cardio 🏃🏿‍♂️
5 kms daily. I’d either run this distance (8 mins per kilometer - turtle gang 🐢) or walk it uphill on a treadmill (5 km/h @ 10-15% incline). All that mattered was covering the distance on a daily basis and keeping my body in motion.

Abs
100 reps minimum of sit-ups daily. No days off. It's amazing how after a couple weeks of this practice you start see your stomach compartmentalise itself starting with the top shelf 😅. The belly must go was the motivation behind this.

Gym work 🏋🏿‍♂️
Changed my lifting formula to sets of 15 - 30 repetitions at a time. I’d pick a weight that would allow me to complete a higher number reps per set till it burns 🔥. The only exercise I moved heavy weight on was deadlift (400lbs +), the rest was lightweight with high intensity and short rest periods not exceeding 1 min. I trained everyday without exception, sometimes twice a day.

Nutrition 🍱
I adopted an 16:8 intermittent fasting protocol so my first meal was an early lunch at 11 am and last meal was at 7 pm.

• Lunch - pretty standard x3 Chicken 🍗 (breast or thigh)/fish fillet 🐟/eggs 🥚/t-bone 🥩 with frozen vegetables 🥗, beans 🫘 and white rice 🍚/ pasta 🍝 /noodles. Every now and then I’d have a matebeto style lunch when I felt like it. Fitness & nutrition te punishment.
• Afternoon Snack - 2 small low fat fruit yoghurt + 3 pieces of fruits usually an apple 🍎 , banana 🍌 and chopped up watermelon chunks 🍉 + a handful of groundnuts bought off the street.
• Dinner - Popcorn 🍿, fruit based muesli taken with fat free milk 🥛 with extra toppings such as banana 🍌 and blueberries 🫐 . Alternative dinner was frozen pizza 🍕 from Woolworths topped off with slices of tbone and frozen veggies 🥗.

⚠️ I completely abstained from bread 🍞 and pastry related products and the preferred method of cooking was grilled for the protein options.

Supplements 💊

• Pro nutrition ‘pump & cut’ pre-workout. Used primarily for a pump, energy and focus 🦍
• Pro nutrition ‘six pack’ fat burner. Used to spike my metabolism and heat my body up🥵 so I could sweat more, cut water weight and stimulate my metabolism for more calories burnt per session and throughout the day.
• NPL water cuts post-workout. Used to cut water weight.

Everything worked like a treat and Supplement World Zambia was the plug 🔌. Call Patrick for the best deals on products 📞 0962-212157.

Hydration 💧
5 - 6 liters of fluid a day, which was 50 - 60 mls x my body weight in kilograms. I peed often but generally felt good and ready to go at a moment’s notice 🫡. I tried to, and sometimes failed to avoid juice 🥤 but I did try to limit my overall intake. I’d opt for sugar free cokes and sprite where possible. I’d drink alcohol 🥃 but only on weekends where I’d take a multivitamin before bed to prevent a hangover 😵 the next day. You should try it!

Apps 📲
I used the free Life app to track my fasting and eating windows and the free nutritionix app to log my food intake, hydration and daily weight. I believe that what gets measured gets improved so I’d track everything and make adjustments where required.

Photo credit 📸 Ryan J Banda 📞 0974-101553

Supplementary blogs
African King
Supplements for gym goers
Restarting your fitness journey
Weight-loss toolbox
4 kilos down and counting
Intermittent fasting 101
The belly must go!