Welcome back to Week 2 of Project Legacy! Joshua Marron here, founder of The Level Up! Arena and the subject of Project Legacy. I appreciate everyone who is following along on this journey and if you have any questions whatsoever, whether it be coaching advice or anything Project Legacy related, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Week 2 is in the books, spanning from July 20th to July 26th, 2025, and it was a week of hits and misses, which honestly should be expected at this junction of a new fitness plan. It’s so much fun to get into planning a perfect program (at least it’s fun for me!), but there really isn’t a perfect program. It’s about having a solid foundation, the support needed, and the drive to follow through, and even then, there will be trial and error involved. As a coach, I always emphasize that consistency trumps perfection. It’s about showing up and adapting.
Visually, it’s still too early to see any noticeable changes in body composition, but the weight is going down, dropping 1.5 lbs to 200.0 lbs. I think by week 6, we should be able to see some significant visual changes. Until then, I keep pushing forward! A consistent weight below 200 will feel like a major victory for me, so I am looking forward to that happening! I am losing more lean mass than I would like at this time (1.9 lbs down), a huge goal going forward is getting my daily average protein intake much higher. My body fat percentage also saw a slight increase of 0.4% to 26.8%, with fat mass going up by 0.4 lbs. This highlights the importance of constantly monitoring and adjusting, even when the scale is moving in the right direction.
Nutrition
Speaking of protein, here we are back at nutrition. There was a slight slip, but nothing dramatic. I am still managing how to balance workouts and nutrition together with other responsibilities, but again, this is to be expected at this stage of the program, so it’s not a red flag. Getting protein above 150 grams per day is a huge goal going into week 4. I had planned for week 3 to see the big increase, however my shipment of new protein powders from MyProtein was delayed by FedEx. Week 3 will probably see a small increase in protein from week 2, but not the dramatic increase we had planned. Fat was a little high, but not obscene, and saturated fat stayed low. I am trying a new meal delivery system from Thistle this week to see how that fits into my time and macros. So far, the time saving is fantastic, however some of the meals have more fats than I would like. This is a common challenge for clients – finding the right balance between convenience and hitting macro targets. It often requires some trial and error with different services or meal prep strategies.
I did nail all my nutrition logging, hitting 4 out of 4 days tracked! When using an app such as Cronometer and when you repeat certain things everyday, it makes logging so much easier. For instance, my breakfast is almost identical every day (I know, boring right?). Oatmeal with plant milk, protein powder, chia seeds, a dash of peanut butter, half a cup of blueberries, and sugar-free syrup. Sometimes hot, sometimes overnight style, and I just don’t seem to get tired of it! Another thing I do 5 days a week is a massive bowl of fruit in between lunch and dinner, and I am talking massive amounts! I mix it up here and there with some additions or subtractions, but you will always find blueberries, mandarins, apple, grapes, and strawberries in there and then I cycle in and out watermelon, cherries, blackberries, raspberries, kiwis, mango, and plums to give it a little variety. This consistent approach to certain meals is a fantastic tip for clients struggling with logging, simplify where you can!
Putting in the Work
I had a much better week of habit building with my workouts in Week 2, completing all 3 strength training sessions and 2 short/HIIT cardio sessions. No intense workouts, no PRs broke, but building the habit, and that is what matters most. In the coming weeks, once my routine is down pat, I will be sharing my workout breakdown on the Project Legacy page, so stay tuned for that! Currently, I am doing a 3-day split of push, pull, legs, but the goal will be to do a 6-day split that has 2 different workouts of each push, pull, legs. For cardio, I have a stationary bike that I would like to work in more often along with a row machine and of course the running, which is my primary cardio. The eventual goal with that is 4 days of various cardio for 30-45 minutes and one long run or trail hike/jog per week. It is hard to put into words how disappointing it is to be starting over again on my mileage since my back injury took me out of the game, but I know if I keep working hard, I will get back to and hopefully surpass those miles!
My coach’s reflection confirmed that the plan and systems are working when followed, and I excelled where I stuck to the plan. However, I didn’t complete my long-distance cardio or active recovery sessions. This is why new bonus mini-quests were assigned for Week 3: an Active Recovery Mission, Obstacle-Specific Mobility, and Long Cardio Revival. These are crucial for overall progress and injury prevention.
Data Intensity & Leveling Up!
With the goals I had set, I was able to do a double level up this week! Now I am a Hybrid Warrior Level 4 Recruit! It’s funny how adding just a dash of gamification can make calculating and adding tasks together so much more fun! Which is why it is a key core principal of The Level Up! Arena!
I feel that Project Legacy is the most in-depth follow-along coaching plan ever done, and I thank you for being along for the journey. A lot of photos, data, and reflections go into documenting Project Legacy, and with that, a lot of time and effort, so if you are reading this and have followed along, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It means a lot that you would give your time and attention to this project, and I hope it inspires you to seek out a coaching program like those offered at The Level Up! Arena. I would love to help you reach your goals!
In Legacy,
Joshua
