Author Topic: Strength & Fitness 2017  (Read 172611 times)

boarder42

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #50 on: January 03, 2017, 09:52:30 AM »
[...] cat vomit[...]

I had to google that. Awesome.



Yeah its a Timothy Ferris 4 hour body thing... doesnt build strength but get the definition.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #51 on: January 03, 2017, 10:04:52 AM »

That is why I love seeing the progressions people experience year over year. Even if it hasn't been verbalized, I think it's obvious that everyone who regularly joins this gauntlet is all about identifying sustainable ways of staying fit. It's awesome.

Thanks for all of the suggestions regarding how you log your workouts. For those of you who are willing, I created a shared Google Drive Folder, if you want to upload an anonymized version of your log

Sure happy to share. It's nothing fancy but some might find it useful. I'll try to upload it today with some example data of how I use it.

Quote
Oh, and am I going to be the only one who winds up posting solid baseline numbers and a before photo? When it comes to posting them, it's not the most important part (although it's fun), but having that info available is great for your own progress.

The pics aren't showing up for me, so it wasn't clear to me what you were going for with the pose or what exactly is in the "baseline"' pic. Is this a problem on my end?

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #52 on: January 03, 2017, 10:17:28 AM »

That is why I love seeing the progressions people experience year over year. Even if it hasn't been verbalized, I think it's obvious that everyone who regularly joins this gauntlet is all about identifying sustainable ways of staying fit. It's awesome.

Thanks for all of the suggestions regarding how you log your workouts. For those of you who are willing, I created a shared Google Drive Folder, if you want to upload an anonymized version of your log

Sure happy to share. It's nothing fancy but some might find it useful. I'll try to upload it today with some example data of how I use it.

Quote
Oh, and am I going to be the only one who winds up posting solid baseline numbers and a before photo? When it comes to posting them, it's not the most important part (although it's fun), but having that info available is great for your own progress.

The pics aren't showing up for me, so it wasn't clear to me what you were going for with the pose or what exactly is in the "baseline"' pic. Is this a problem on my end?

It wasn't your end. It was mine. Should be resolved now. As far as what I was going for, that's a bit different. I wanted something fun, something outdoors, and something where I'm not flexing. I just want to see what my body at rest can become.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #53 on: January 03, 2017, 10:21:02 AM »
All right, everyone who has posted so far has been added to the participant tracking post. Let me know if you have any concerns.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #54 on: January 03, 2017, 12:07:47 PM »
I'm here to get back into it this year. I haven't set specific goals yet (other than no booze and no eating out in January, which are health and not fitness goals) so I will come back with those once I figure them out.

I am a serial fitness hobbyist, I like the gym, I love yoga, I've played around with crossfit, power lifting, strongman lifts, and bodybuilding. I traded bodybuilding competitions for yoga teacher training last year. It has done wonders for my mental health but I miss my lean body. Now that I am a yoga teacher (I teach 2 classes/week) I have to keep yoga at the forefront of my goals to stay current, but I want to find a way to get lifting back into my life. I think I just need to make some changes to my routine and what I consider a good day at the gym. I used to spend 1-1.5 hours lifting 5-6 days a week plus cardio. I just don't have the time (or the desire) to make that happen anymore so I need to make a plan that involves 2 or 3 days a week of lifting that can be done in less time if needed. I can do yoga on my own, but getting to classes is important to me.

BJ I love your daily minimum list, I could stand to use a similar one.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #55 on: January 03, 2017, 12:19:32 PM »
I'm here to get back into it this year. I haven't set specific goals yet (other than no booze and no eating out in January, which are health and not fitness goals) so I will come back with those once I figure them out.

I am a serial fitness hobbyist, I like the gym, I love yoga, I've played around with crossfit, power lifting, strongman lifts, and bodybuilding. I traded bodybuilding competitions for yoga teacher training last year. It has done wonders for my mental health but I miss my lean body. Now that I am a yoga teacher (I teach 2 classes/week) I have to keep yoga at the forefront of my goals to stay current, but I want to find a way to get lifting back into my life. I think I just need to make some changes to my routine and what I consider a good day at the gym. I used to spend 1-1.5 hours lifting 5-6 days a week plus cardio. I just don't have the time (or the desire) to make that happen anymore so I need to make a plan that involves 2 or 3 days a week of lifting that can be done in less time if needed. I can do yoga on my own, but getting to classes is important to me.

BJ I love your daily minimum list, I could stand to use a similar one.

I can't take credit. My friend made one when her baby turned ~4 months and she was having a *really* hard time doing anything, even though her daughter is pretty "easy", as far as babies go. Anyway, at the same time I was fighting some depression issues of my own (not the first time, it happens periodically) and having a hard time getting things done, so I made one as well. We're both the sort of people to be helped by having a schedule and a checklist, lol. Really worked well for both of us!

I hope you share yours if you build one =) It's hard to strike a balance between sustainable but still useful!

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #56 on: January 03, 2017, 01:11:43 PM »
BJ I love your daily minimum list, I could stand to use a similar one.

I can't take credit. My friend made one when her baby turned ~4 months and she was having a *really* hard time doing anything, even though her daughter is pretty "easy", as far as babies go. Anyway, at the same time I was fighting some depression issues of my own (not the first time, it happens periodically) and having a hard time getting things done, so I made one as well. We're both the sort of people to be helped by having a schedule and a checklist, lol. Really worked well for both of us!

I hope you share yours if you build one =) It's hard to strike a balance between sustainable but still useful!

That makes a lot of sense, I go through those phases periodically as well as much as I hate to admit it. I'll share once I have it crafted!

Also, what was the name of the book you read for the pregnant athlete? I'm realizing I should probably be prepared to structure my gym routine a bit differently.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #57 on: January 03, 2017, 01:26:41 PM »
BJ I love your daily minimum list, I could stand to use a similar one.

I can't take credit. My friend made one when her baby turned ~4 months and she was having a *really* hard time doing anything, even though her daughter is pretty "easy", as far as babies go. Anyway, at the same time I was fighting some depression issues of my own (not the first time, it happens periodically) and having a hard time getting things done, so I made one as well. We're both the sort of people to be helped by having a schedule and a checklist, lol. Really worked well for both of us!

I hope you share yours if you build one =) It's hard to strike a balance between sustainable but still useful!

That makes a lot of sense, I go through those phases periodically as well as much as I hate to admit it. I'll share once I have it crafted!

Also, what was the name of the book you read for the pregnant athlete? I'm realizing I should probably be prepared to structure my gym routine a bit differently.

The Pregnant Athlete by Brandi Dion and Steven Dion

They even have a pre-conception routine in there that I am loving =) Plus there's a post-partum recovery plan. I also found the "dispelling myths" section HUGELY helpful.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #58 on: January 03, 2017, 01:51:56 PM »
OK, I uploaded the spreadsheet I use to the google drive Jordan linked. I was too lazy to cut out all my data so you guys can see all the dirty details of my lifting history and how I use cell notes. I only started using this in September so the data doesn't go back to far, although I have been adding some stuff from written records when I can, especially the 1RMs. Note that the dumbbell maxes refer to the weight of each dumbbell and the 8-7-6-6-5 sort of notation in the notes is the rep scheme (for dumbbell variations I usually find a max effort weight at a certain rep and then follow up with as many reps as possible at the same weight for 4 more sets.

FWIW.

ETA - I like this spreadsheet because it makes the philosophy of always aiming to increase the weight or get just one more rep a little easier to follow without having to flip back through a notebook of workouts. It's not perfect, especially with accessories as I will often (but not always) do them after heavy working sets of the main lift (meaning sometimes my all time max is an unrealistic goal to beat during a high volume workout), but in general it's quite helpful.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2017, 01:57:16 PM by Lagom »

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #59 on: January 03, 2017, 01:56:10 PM »
OK, I uploaded the spreadsheet I use to the google drive Jordan linked. I was too lazy to cut out all my data so you guys can see all the dirty details of my lifting history and how I use cell notes. I only started using this in September so the data doesn't go back to far, although I have been adding some stuff from written records when I can, especially the 1RMs. Note that the dumbbell maxes refer to the weight of each dumbbell and the 8-7-6-6-5 sort of notation in the notes is the rep scheme (for dumbbell variations I usually find a max effort weight at a certain rep and then follow up with as many reps as possible at the same weight for 4 more sets.

FWIW.

You want me to pull that down, anonymize it and re-upload it?

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #60 on: January 03, 2017, 01:58:29 PM »
OK, I uploaded the spreadsheet I use to the google drive Jordan linked. I was too lazy to cut out all my data so you guys can see all the dirty details of my lifting history and how I use cell notes. I only started using this in September so the data doesn't go back to far, although I have been adding some stuff from written records when I can, especially the 1RMs. Note that the dumbbell maxes refer to the weight of each dumbbell and the 8-7-6-6-5 sort of notation in the notes is the rep scheme (for dumbbell variations I usually find a max effort weight at a certain rep and then follow up with as many reps as possible at the same weight for 4 more sets.

FWIW.

You want me to pull that down, anonymize it and re-upload it?

Nah that's OK. I think people might be interested in how I specifically use it and I don't really mind since there is nothing other than lifting numbers on it :)

Overflow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #61 on: January 03, 2017, 02:46:44 PM »

  • Complete all the OCR's I'm signed up for without dying . Currently signed up for 7 races for a combined 32 miles. Will probably signed up for 2-3 more for another 7-10 miles


AerynLee,

Which OCR races are you doing this year? I am also signed up for 4 Spartans and 1 Warrior Dash. Might end up doing 1 or 2 more as well.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #62 on: January 03, 2017, 03:01:15 PM »

  • Complete all the OCR's I'm signed up for without dying . Currently signed up for 7 races for a combined 32 miles. Will probably signed up for 2-3 more for another 7-10 miles


AerynLee,

Which OCR races are you doing this year? I am also signed up for 4 Spartans and 1 Warrior Dash. Might end up doing 1 or 2 more as well.
I'm doing a Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder and a bunch of local ones. I want to do a Spartan Sprint but they're not coming anywhere near me this year and I haven't found a good option for one to travel to yet. I'm actually traveling for all the big ones because apparently my state isn't profitable for them :)

Shoot, I forgot to ask you about that. Are any of them here in CO?

Friar

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #63 on: January 03, 2017, 04:21:17 PM »
Sorry about your tendonitis mate :(

I had it bad in my elbow all summer and fall but it seems to have finally resolved itself with rest.

That's very appreciated, thanks!

Hopefully yours will not return, and once mine is gone I'll try and get as close as I can to your squat flexibility. I'm miles away from that at the moment, hence all of my squat and knee related goals.


Friar

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #64 on: January 03, 2017, 04:28:41 PM »
Just weighed in: 221.8lb.

Christ.

Le Barbu

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #65 on: January 03, 2017, 08:31:20 PM »
I am into strength training for 18 months now, here are my 2017 goals

Squat 5x360 (actualy 5x325)
Deadlift 5x445 (actualy 5x410)
Press 5x142.5 (PB 5x132.5)
Bench 5x200 (PB 5x185)

I would like to run 800m in 2:30 (actual 2:50)

BW is actualy 188 wich is ok for strength but a bit heavy for running. I may end anywhere between 180 and 195 depending of progress and upcoming injuries (wich happens when we work close to our limits)



TightFistedScot

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #66 on: January 03, 2017, 09:29:09 PM »
I am into strength training for 18 months now, here are my 2017 goals

Squat 5x360 (actualy 5x325)
Deadlift 5x445 (actualy 5x410)
Press 5x142.5 (PB 5x132.5)
Bench 5x200 (PB 5x185)

These are really solid numbers for just 18 months training. Especially the squat and deadlift. Your press is really high in comparison to your bench. Have your tried playing around with your grip on bench? I wonder what your sticking point is...

TightFistedScot

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #67 on: January 03, 2017, 09:41:39 PM »
Baseline metrics and the first before picture*

Today:


Baseline:




*The not enforced fun 'rule' is that the first person to post determines the pose. I tried to do the splits like Zikoris last year. It was not pretty.

This pic reminds me of Kenny Powers (I think because of the pose). I'm a huge East Bound and Down fan.

Thanks for updating my username - I indeed made a change a few days ago. To be honest I likely will not really do anything beyond read posts in this thread, and post updates, but really appreciate you taking the time to organize everyone's goals. That is really cool.

I'll take your bait and join in the fun of posting this "before" pic. This is totally for LOLZ though. I have to work pretty hard just to maintain. I've lost about 5-8 lbs of muscle in the past 2 years. So I will be pleased with myself if I look the same in a year.

I did however just buzz my head, stomach, and chest hair, so I guess I will probably be hairier the next time I post a pic. Hair gains :P

TightFistedScot

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #68 on: January 03, 2017, 09:44:08 PM »

  • Complete all the OCR's I'm signed up for without dying . Currently signed up for 7 races for a combined 32 miles. Will probably signed up for 2-3 more for another 7-10 miles


AerynLee,

Which OCR races are you doing this year? I am also signed up for 4 Spartans and 1 Warrior Dash. Might end up doing 1 or 2 more as well.
I'm doing a Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder and a bunch of local ones. I want to do a Spartan Sprint but they're not coming anywhere near me this year and I haven't found a good option for one to travel to yet. I'm actually traveling for all the big ones because apparently my state isn't profitable for them :)

Damn good luck in the Spartans and Warrior Dash things folks. Those look so wild!

Le Barbu

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #69 on: January 04, 2017, 06:43:05 AM »
I am into strength training for 18 months now, here are my 2017 goals

Squat 5x360 (actualy 5x325)
Deadlift 5x445 (actualy 5x410)
Press 5x142.5 (PB 5x132.5)
Bench 5x200 (PB 5x185)

These are really solid numbers for just 18 months training. Especially the squat and deadlift. Your press is really high in comparison to your bench. Have your tried playing around with your grip on bench? I wonder what your sticking point is...

My press is 71% of my bench but both are not very heavy. I would really be happy to press 1xBW and bench 1.5xBW someday. I did not played around with the grip yet, just did the Starting Strength and Texas Method with standard grip.

Overflow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #70 on: January 04, 2017, 07:13:39 AM »

  • Complete all the OCR's I'm signed up for without dying . Currently signed up for 7 races for a combined 32 miles. Will probably signed up for 2-3 more for another 7-10 miles


AerynLee,

Which OCR races are you doing this year? I am also signed up for 4 Spartans and 1 Warrior Dash. Might end up doing 1 or 2 more as well.
I'm doing a Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac, Tough Mudder and a bunch of local ones. I want to do a Spartan Sprint but they're not coming anywhere near me this year and I haven't found a good option for one to travel to yet. I'm actually traveling for all the big ones because apparently my state isn't profitable for them :)


Yeah, trying to find events with dates and location that work can be tough. I am in the great lakes region and able to hit up several within about a 4 hour drive. Anything further away gets to expensive (hotel, airfare) to make it worth it.

But man, these events are tough, but so fulfilling.

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #71 on: January 04, 2017, 08:22:34 AM »

...

Unfortunately not. Two in KC and one in Indiana. Spartan in coming to Colorado twice but the dates won't work for me.

Not sure which race is the Indiana race, but the Warrior Dash here was nice the last time I ran it a couple of years ago. I also know several people who did the Spartan Sprint in Indiana last year who really enjoyed it.

If you are close to Indiana (not sure since you also mention KC) and looking for a challenge, the small, north central town I live in has a pretty tough mud run in July. They say it's three miles (lie). The obstacles tend to be harder than Warrior Dash (I, uh, had to do the burpee penalty a couple times) and the mud pit area is ridiculous, but it's a lot of fun. Not bad even without a team because everyone helps everyone. Happy to share details if you want them.

k_to_the_v

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #72 on: January 04, 2017, 08:39:47 AM »
Checking in to remain accountable. I've walked every day (that's not unusual - my dog helps with this). I did my first sprint intervals in like forever on Monday, which left my legs absolutely WRECKED yesterday (reminder: I am f*cking out of shape). Today I took a long walk despite 18 degree temps, and since I was still pretty sore from Monday's workout did about 40 minutes of yoga, started feeling a bit better, so added on the 7 minute workout. First time I've done the 7 minute workout and I think it's definitely a keeper. I think the yoga + 7 minute workout is a nice combo for days where I don't feel hard core.

Keeping the booze in check (actually haven't had any so far this year, lol), which is such a key part of this for me.

Not going to get cocky, a whopping four days into the challenge...but at least I haven't flopped yet either.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #73 on: January 04, 2017, 08:50:22 AM »
Checking in to remain accountable. I've walked every day (that's not unusual - my dog helps with this). I did my first sprint intervals in like forever on Monday, which left my legs absolutely WRECKED yesterday (reminder: I am f*cking out of shape). Today I took a long walk despite 18 degree temps, and since I was still pretty sore from Monday's workout did about 40 minutes of yoga, started feeling a bit better, so added on the 7 minute workout. First time I've done the 7 minute workout and I think it's definitely a keeper. I think the yoga + 7 minute workout is a nice combo for days where I don't feel hard core.

Keeping the booze in check (actually haven't had any so far this year, lol), which is such a key part of this for me.

Not going to get cocky, a whopping four days into the challenge...but at least I haven't flopped yet either.

Booze was primarily the cause of the last half of last year being a back slide for me. Good job keeping it in check!

Also, one of the things that helps me when I start thinking like "It's only a couple of days in" is to reframe that in a way that capitalizes on the fact that maintaining a 100% success rate is way easy at the beginning of the year, and all one has to do is whatever is planned today to keep that up.

So you are at 100% so far. Don't forget that!!

attackgnome

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #74 on: January 04, 2017, 09:04:33 AM »
Exercise:
Maintain habit of biking everyday to work, 19 miles round trip. (Exceptions allowed only for icy or slick conditions)
Begin program of bodyweight strength training --> would love any program suggestions, especially stuff that would help me improve my cycling and snowboarding performance.

Nutrition
Purchase no "fake foods" from grocery stores
only purchase red meat once a month
limit alcohol to $9/month or less.


Friar

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #75 on: January 04, 2017, 11:06:11 AM »
Checking in to remain accountable. I've walked every day (that's not unusual - my dog helps with this). I did my first sprint intervals in like forever on Monday, which left my legs absolutely WRECKED yesterday (reminder: I am f*cking out of shape). Today I took a long walk despite 18 degree temps, and since I was still pretty sore from Monday's workout did about 40 minutes of yoga, started feeling a bit better, so added on the 7 minute workout. First time I've done the 7 minute workout and I think it's definitely a keeper. I think the yoga + 7 minute workout is a nice combo for days where I don't feel hard core.

Keeping the booze in check (actually haven't had any so far this year, lol), which is such a key part of this for me.

Not going to get cocky, a whopping four days into the challenge...but at least I haven't flopped yet either.

Booze was primarily the cause of the last half of last year being a back slide for me. Good job keeping it in check!


Ah my old B&B downfall. Booze and Biscuits (cookies, to those over your side of the Atlantic!).

In other news, for my goal of attaining a reasonable body fat I'm trying being a Vegetablist for a while after viewing some documentaries on the environmental impacts of rearing meat. Let's see if a) I can manage it, and b) whether I miss the meat at all.

Don't worry, I'm not going Vegan. I love eggs too much and have a shit ton of whey protein kicking around.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #76 on: January 04, 2017, 11:09:19 AM »
I will jump in as a reminder that, while it's worked out find in the past for people to MENTION their nutritional goals, DISCUSSING them has been a flaming dumpster fire of disaster. If anyone wants to discuss the relative merits of various dietary paradigms, I highly recommend doing so outside of this thread =)

(Friar, you didn't do anything wrong, just trying to head of a common debate before it happens!)

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #77 on: January 04, 2017, 11:18:04 AM »
I will jump in as a reminder that, while it's worked out find in the past for people to MENTION their nutritional goals, DISCUSSING them has been a flaming dumpster fire of disaster. If anyone wants to discuss the relative merits of various dietary paradigms, I highly recommend doing so outside of this thread =)

(Friar, you didn't do anything wrong, just trying to head of a common debate before it happens!)

Good reminder BJ. I really need to get that resource post up, because I do point to some other threads. However, due to the mindset of our participants, I might make a companion thread for nutrition discussions. Would that be something that people would be interested in? A general thread to discuss food with a focus on how it makes people feel from an S&F standpoint.

alleykat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #78 on: January 04, 2017, 12:31:22 PM »
Checking in to remain accountable. I've walked every day (that's not unusual - my dog helps with this). I did my first sprint intervals in like forever on Monday, which left my legs absolutely WRECKED yesterday (reminder: I am f*cking out of shape). Today I took a long walk despite 18 degree temps, and since I was still pretty sore from Monday's workout did about 40 minutes of yoga, started feeling a bit better, so added on the 7 minute workout. First time I've done the 7 minute workout and I think it's definitely a keeper. I think the yoga + 7 minute workout is a nice combo for days where I don't feel hard core.

Keeping the booze in check (actually haven't had any so far this year, lol), which is such a key part of this for me.

Not going to get cocky, a whopping four days into the challenge...but at least I haven't flopped yet either.

Booze was primarily the cause of the last half of last year being a back slide for me. Good job keeping it in check!

Also, one of the things that helps me when I start thinking like "It's only a couple of days in" is to reframe that in a way that capitalizes on the fact that maintaining a 100% success rate is way easy at the beginning of the year, and all one has to do is whatever is planned today to keep that up.

So you are at 100% so far. Don't forget that!!


So right on point.  I am failing on my portion control healthy eating and exercising and one of the excuses for me has been, well, it is early in the year and I have time to get started and reach my goal, which is sooooo wrong.  I am not going to lose 20+ lbs and get fit with this mentality. So, I need to make a start and stick to it. Thanks for sharing that thought - puts me back on the path. 



monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #79 on: January 04, 2017, 02:12:46 PM »
YAY I AM JOINING Again!

Goals:
  • Deadlift body weight (118lbs)- at 85lbs on 1/1
  • Back squat body weight (118lbs) at 75lbs on 1/1
  • Bench press 100lbs - at 55lbs on 1/1
  • Run another half-marathon at some point this year
  • 100 hours of yoga
  • Average 5 days/week of working out (bike commute not counted)
  • Bike more miles than 2016 (>2,518)
  • Be able to do the fucking splits

Friar

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #80 on: January 04, 2017, 03:08:29 PM »
I will jump in as a reminder that, while it's worked out find in the past for people to MENTION their nutritional goals, DISCUSSING them has been a flaming dumpster fire of disaster. If anyone wants to discuss the relative merits of various dietary paradigms, I highly recommend doing so outside of this thread =)

(Friar, you didn't do anything wrong, just trying to head of a common debate before it happens!)

That's a can of worms I don't want to open. I am by no means a preacher, nor would I intend to on this thread!

Today I did my gym sesh and hit >10k steps (12.5k currently). I need to get my Sheet into the shared Drive at some point.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #81 on: January 04, 2017, 08:00:47 PM »
I might need to change my daily minimum of the squats. This time of year, the bar is TOO FRIGGIN COLD to do a quick set. The garage is barely above freezing lol.

Anyway, maybe it'll be "squats OR a walk 1+ miles long" or something. Still debating.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #82 on: January 04, 2017, 09:05:51 PM »
I might need to change my daily minimum of the squats. This time of year, the bar is TOO FRIGGIN COLD to do a quick set. The garage is barely above freezing lol.

Anyway, maybe it'll be "squats OR a walk 1+ miles long" or something. Still debating.

While not exactly cheap, you might want to consider knee sleeves like these for squatting:

https://www.amazon.com/Sleeves-Compression-Weightlifting-Powerlifting-CrossFit/dp/B00SW2O5M2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483589061&sr=8-2&keywords=nordic+knee+sleeve

I would order one size smaller than you think you need. They do wonders for keeping the knees feeling warm and mobile, even in fairly cold environments. I pretty much never squat without them these days.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2017, 09:23:56 PM by Lagom »

TightFistedScot

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #83 on: January 04, 2017, 09:22:14 PM »
YAY I AM JOINING Again!

Goals:
  • Deadlift body weight (118lbs)- at 85lbs on 1/1
  • Back squat body weight (118lbs) at 75lbs on 1/1
  • Bench press 100lbs - at 55lbs on 1/1
  • Run another half-marathon at some point this year
  • 100 hours of yoga
  • Average 5 days/week of working out (bike commute not counted)
  • Bike more miles than 2016 (>2,518)
  • Be able to do the fucking splits

Yay! Love the splits goal especially!!! I've been working on mine as well.

Do you do them side splits or front splits?

LifeHappens

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #84 on: January 05, 2017, 07:28:22 AM »
I might need to change my daily minimum of the squats. This time of year, the bar is TOO FRIGGIN COLD to do a quick set. The garage is barely above freezing lol.

Anyway, maybe it'll be "squats OR a walk 1+ miles long" or something. Still debating.

Do you have anything heavy you can use to squat with in the house? Dumbbells for goblet squats? Even a suitcase with some books in it can work for bear hug squats.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #85 on: January 05, 2017, 08:04:24 AM »
I set a ton of goals in the 2016 challenge and only successfully attained ~50%. I realize now that some were unrealistic and  I didn't have much structure to my approach.

This year I have goals in 4 categories - Strength, Endurance, Speed, Physique

Strength
Deadlift 625lbs
Squat 495lbs
Bench 365lbs
Compete in at least 1 USAPL Powerlifing meet.

Endurance
Run a half marathon
Complete Ironman Lake PLacid 70.3  sub 8 Hours
Do one Century Cycle Ride (100 miles +)
Swim 1+ mile open water.

Speed
Run a sub 7:00 Mile
Run a sub 24:00 5K
Run a sub 50:00 10k
Beat last year's Sprint Triathlon record
Cycle 25 miles in 1 hour

Physique
Drop 25lbs by my 30th birthday (May 9th) Currently 234.8lbs
Get to sub 200lbs by September 10th 2017 ( IMLP 70.3 race)
Keep lean body mass above 175lbs


Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #86 on: January 05, 2017, 08:09:08 AM »
I might need to change my daily minimum of the squats. This time of year, the bar is TOO FRIGGIN COLD to do a quick set. The garage is barely above freezing lol.

Anyway, maybe it'll be "squats OR a walk 1+ miles long" or something. Still debating.

Do you have anything heavy you can use to squat with in the house? Dumbbells for goblet squats? Even a suitcase with some books in it can work for bear hug squats.

.....YES.

-1 for my ingenuity lol. I have a kettlebell I've used for goblet squats before. It's only 35lbs, not the 45lb bar, but it's better than nothing! Thank you for the reminder.

Also, it was a nice ghetto DIY version. Here's a link to plans if anyone wants to play with that. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tim-ferriss-superhuman-kettlebell.htm I got the weights free of CL. It's held up for 8 years now.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #87 on: January 05, 2017, 08:23:08 AM »
YAY I AM JOINING Again!

Goals:
  • Deadlift body weight (118lbs)- at 85lbs on 1/1
  • Back squat body weight (118lbs) at 75lbs on 1/1
  • Bench press 100lbs - at 55lbs on 1/1
  • Run another half-marathon at some point this year
  • 100 hours of yoga
  • Average 5 days/week of working out (bike commute not counted)
  • Bike more miles than 2016 (>2,518)
  • Be able to do the fucking splits

Yay! Love the splits goal especially!!! I've been working on mine as well.

Do you do them side splits or front splits?

Have you seen Zikoris' before pic from last year? It was impressive, and that was the before!! My version was less impressive. Due to her goals though, once I get the resource post some content later this morning, there will be some splits stuff on there too.

I might need to change my daily minimum of the squats. This time of year, the bar is TOO FRIGGIN COLD to do a quick set. The garage is barely above freezing lol.

Anyway, maybe it'll be "squats OR a walk 1+ miles long" or something. Still debating.

Do you have anything heavy you can use to squat with in the house? Dumbbells for goblet squats? Even a suitcase with some books in it can work for bear hug squats.

.....YES.

-1 for my ingenuity lol. I have a kettlebell I've used for goblet squats before. It's only 35lbs, not the 45lb bar, but it's better than nothing! Thank you for the reminder.

Also, it was a nice ghetto DIY version. Here's a link to plans if anyone wants to play with that. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tim-ferriss-superhuman-kettlebell.htm I got the weights free of CL. It's held up for 8 years now.

I was thinking of JoRocka's video from last year, where she squat people at a toga party.

I set a ton of goals in the 2016 challenge and only successfully attained ~50%. I realize now that some were unrealistic and  I didn't have much structure to my approach.

This year I have goals in 4 categories - Strength, Endurance, Speed, Physique

Strength
Deadlift 625lbs
Squat 495lbs
Bench 365lbs
Compete in at least 1 USAPL Powerlifing meet.

Endurance
Run a half marathon
Complete Ironman Lake PLacid 70.3  sub 8 Hours
Do one Century Cycle Ride (100 miles +)
Swim 1+ mile open water.

Speed
Run a sub 7:00 Mile
Run a sub 24:00 5K
Run a sub 50:00 10k
Beat last year's Sprint Triathlon record
Cycle 25 miles in 1 hour

Physique
Drop 25lbs by my 30th birthday (May 9th) Currently 234.8lbs
Get to sub 200lbs by September 10th 2017 ( IMLP 70.3 race)
Keep lean body mass above 175lbs



I've got you added to the participant tracking post. I did change one thing, just because I'm aware of some stuff from last year. Normally I say lose XXlbs of fat. I didn't do that with you, just because I think that the loss you are talking about will probably be some muscle, right?

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #88 on: January 05, 2017, 08:28:38 AM »
I've got you added to the participant tracking post. I did change one thing, just because I'm aware of some stuff from last year. Normally I say lose XXlbs of fat. I didn't do that with you, just because I think that the loss you are talking about will probably be some muscle, right?

Correct, I don't think there is any way to drop 40lbs without sacrificing some lean mass.

I got DEXA scanned yesterday and the results were pretty wild. I measured 19.6% bodyfat @ a clothed 234.8, more interestingly my bone density is more than two standard deviations higher than average for my demographic.

I still plan on being pretty damn lean in september (sub 10% body fat).

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #89 on: January 05, 2017, 08:57:47 AM »
Yay! Love the splits goal especially!!! I've been working on mine as well.

Do you do them side splits or front splits?
I've been trying to do front splits mainly, because I'm hopeless at side splits. I look like a beached whale trying to get into side splits.

I used to have all 3 splits back when I was a competitive athlete in a sport that required it. I'm not sure how much of this is aging vs motivation but I've been solidly working on the splits for a year and am still not close (I am a very healthy level of flexible again thanks to hot yoga and the Fit & Bendy video series).

Yay! Glad to see someone else working on this!

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #90 on: January 05, 2017, 09:31:53 AM »
...
Unfortunately not. Two in KC and one in Indiana. Spartan in coming to Colorado twice but the dates won't work for me.

Not sure which race is the Indiana race, but the Warrior Dash here was nice the last time I ran it a couple of years ago. I also know several people who did the Spartan Sprint in Indiana last year who really enjoyed it.

If you are close to Indiana (not sure since you also mention KC) and looking for a challenge, the small, north central town I live in has a pretty tough mud run in July. They say it's three miles (lie). The obstacles tend to be harder than Warrior Dash (I, uh, had to do the burpee penalty a couple times) and the mud pit area is ridiculous, but it's a lot of fun. Not bad even without a team because everyone helps everyone. Happy to share details if you want them.
Indiana is a 10 hour drive away but we go there 4-5 times a year because our families are in the central part. The race I'm doing there is the Rugged Maniac in southern Indiana since it's a weekend we're always back anyway. What's the one in your town? Feel free to PM me if you want to keep the location private. Probably won't make it this year but I'm keeping tings in mind for the future

We live in Kokomo about an hour and a half north of Indy. Here is the link to the race: http://www.wildcatadventureseries.com/mud-battle

It's very home grown. That's 2016 information. They'll post 2017 sometime in June, which is very last minute and very not helpful for people making plans. Still super fun and you never know what random thing they will add each year (those Marines are sneaky). We were not able to do it last year (visiting family in KC actually), but I hope to this year!

******

In other news, on my first run of the year I tripped on a stick and felt a pretty good twinge in my hamstring and right ankle. I've taken a couple days off mostly due to the hamstring soreness and not wanting to aggravate (hard not to use your hammie while running). It feels better today. I might try a short, easy run tonight to test it. But it certainly isn't how I planned to start my fitness year! On the plus side, I have been doing various body weight exercises that do not bother the hamstring each night, so I should easily hit my 60 minutes non-cardio for the week.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2017, 09:33:46 AM by hudsoncat »

meerkat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #91 on: January 05, 2017, 11:47:17 AM »
I worked out twice this week. The first time wasn't really a work out - my lunch spilled in my bag and got on my work out pants and shoes - but today I sort of did a couch to 5k run of 90 second run/walk intervals. It was not as awful as I thought it would be. I'm finding that I'm actually enjoying running (which would shock early 20s me) but I want to focus on doing weights. Or rather I want to have the results from doing weights but when I actually get into the gym and warmed up I'd rather run than do my routine, which is not helpful if I want to achieve my pull up goal.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #92 on: January 05, 2017, 12:49:24 PM »
Holy crap I'm busy. I'm trying to get all kinds of stuff done. One of the things on my list is getting the resource post started and filled, but I'm running out of time. This makes me a bit sad, since there have already been questions asked that are answered by it. So, even though I'm ridiculously busy, I went ahead and slightly modified the resource post from last year. It's located at this post, and I hope that it provides some value. I kind of screwed up my time management skills at the start of this gauntlet, and didn't have enough stuff in place to make this as valuable from the jump as I usually strive for. I apologize for that.

I'm sure it will continue being valuable, I just wasn't able to do it as soon as I wanted.

Friar

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #93 on: January 05, 2017, 11:40:00 PM »
No need to apologise Jordan - it's a busy time of year for a lot of people!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #94 on: January 06, 2017, 08:06:09 AM »
The goblet squat change was brilliant. I can do it as part of my morning routine now. Thank you Lifehappens!

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #95 on: January 06, 2017, 09:14:37 AM »
Anybody have experience with foam rollers? I was doing a bit of research on the Rumble Roller based on some stuff I saw in a Tai Cheng video, and then started researching it. Apparently they have them at Target too, and since I don't know if it will actually be worth the stupid price they have on it, I was going to try one there. However, the reviews online (especially relating to bruising in the first couple days, and the discomfort on knots) made me want to commit to it. I didn't wind up buying the RR, but I found this smaller off-brand one that has similar reviews. Since I got an Amazon gift card for xmas, it didn't cost me anything. I'm just wondering what your experiences have been with it.

I'm doing some tai chi, possibly some yoga as my warm ups, as I find that I'm begin to get some soreness based on sleeping. Hopefully this makes my shoulder stop hurting. Oh, and it's not working out, it's just that I'm sleeping messed up on one shoulder.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #96 on: January 06, 2017, 09:26:44 AM »
Anybody have experience with foam rollers? I was doing a bit of research on the Rumble Roller based on some stuff I saw in a Tai Cheng video, and then started researching it. Apparently they have them at Target too, and since I don't know if it will actually be worth the stupid price they have on it, I was going to try one there. However, the reviews online (especially relating to bruising in the first couple days, and the discomfort on knots) made me want to commit to it. I didn't wind up buying the RR, but I found this smaller off-brand one that has similar reviews. Since I got an Amazon gift card for xmas, it didn't cost me anything. I'm just wondering what your experiences have been with it.

I'm doing some tai chi, possibly some yoga as my warm ups, as I find that I'm begin to get some soreness based on sleeping. Hopefully this makes my shoulder stop hurting. Oh, and it's not working out, it's just that I'm sleeping messed up on one shoulder.

We have a large one we use for mobility work- opening back the shoulders and such. Like so: https://runningyourbody.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_0456.jpg I've found that to be wonderful, and the foam roller is still left over from when I was in PT after a car crash. I lovelovelove that stretch.

And of course this is one area where KStar is awesome. This is one SirB does sometimes: https://youtu.be/LuJcHe_EebA
We also have a lacrosse ball that we play with when using the standing desk, and SirB used it pretty heavily for a few months to improve his ankle mobility to help his squat.

I would say, don't just barrel in without reading and knowing what you're doing. People can, and have, hurt themselves with mobility work. Like everything else, you have to educate yourself and be sensible and such. #disclaimer.

meerkat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #97 on: January 06, 2017, 09:33:31 AM »
We have a large one we use for mobility work- opening back the shoulders and such. Like so: https://runningyourbody.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_0456.jpg I've found that to be wonderful, and the foam roller is still left over from when I was in PT after a car crash. I lovelovelove that stretch.

I love that too. I move my arms around like I'm making a snow angel. I do it as part of my warm up routine but sometimes I'll go do that one even if I'm not working out that day.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #98 on: January 06, 2017, 09:35:36 AM »
Anybody have experience with foam rollers? I was doing a bit of research on the Rumble Roller based on some stuff I saw in a Tai Cheng video, and then started researching it. Apparently they have them at Target too, and since I don't know if it will actually be worth the stupid price they have on it, I was going to try one there. However, the reviews online (especially relating to bruising in the first couple days, and the discomfort on knots) made me want to commit to it. I didn't wind up buying the RR, but I found this smaller off-brand one that has similar reviews. Since I got an Amazon gift card for xmas, it didn't cost me anything. I'm just wondering what your experiences have been with it.

I'm doing some tai chi, possibly some yoga as my warm ups, as I find that I'm begin to get some soreness based on sleeping. Hopefully this makes my shoulder stop hurting. Oh, and it's not working out, it's just that I'm sleeping messed up on one shoulder.

We have a large one we use for mobility work- opening back the shoulders and such. Like so: https://runningyourbody.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_0456.jpg I've found that to be wonderful, and the foam roller is still left over from when I was in PT after a car crash. I lovelovelove that stretch.

And of course this is one area where KStar is awesome. This is one SirB does sometimes: https://youtu.be/LuJcHe_EebA
We also have a lacrosse ball that we play with when using the standing desk, and SirB used it pretty heavily for a few months to improve his ankle mobility to help his squat.

I would say, don't just barrel in without reading and knowing what you're doing. People can, and have, hurt themselves with mobility work. Like everything else, you have to educate yourself and be sensible and such. #disclaimer.

Oh, I didn't even think about that in regards to Mobility work. I was thinking more as part of a super easy warm up before I do my bodyweight training. I wasn't necessarily planning on doing mobility work. My plan was to get the habit ingrained with the standard Convict Conditioning work 3 days a week (MWF) and once that's in place, start working on the explosive power aspect an additional 3 days a week. Maybe I'll check out some of the mobilityWOD stuff (or the becoming a supple leopard book), and implement that as my warm up. I will research a bit into that. Thanks for the idea.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #99 on: January 06, 2017, 09:39:43 AM »
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought mobility work before lifting was a no-no? Because of neuromuscular feedback? I think you're more likely to get an injury, yeah?

Okay, it looks like the science is totally out on all this still: https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/two-new-studies-on-static-stretching-are-completely-conflicting

I know there's a lot more out there, but I need to hop offline for a while. Maybe someone else can investigate?