Author Topic: Strength & Fitness 2017  (Read 172625 times)

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #700 on: May 28, 2017, 09:09:40 AM »
That last question is an important one. We have a habit of comparing ourselves with others, but this journey of strength and fitness is ours. We are the baseline, and bettering ourselves, no matter what that looks like to each person, is the goal. Don't fret izybat, you've totally succeeded in identifying elevation as a new thing that can be worked on. Good job! Plus, you ran a freaking 5k, without being chased. I'd call that a win.

Izybat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #701 on: May 29, 2017, 08:55:20 AM »
Well, I just ran a 5K on the treadmill in my living room, and while still on the slow side (for whatever reason I run faster during races, must be the adrenaline), I still managed to shave 3 minutes off my time from my race on Saturday. That makes me feel a bit better at least. Plus, I did run the whole 5K today, no walking, which also makes me feel better.

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #702 on: May 30, 2017, 07:20:39 AM »
Izybat- I'm with Jordan here. It's a journey that comparison to others doesn't always help with. I have a good runner friend who is just flat faster than me. I'm unlikely to ever beat her, no matter how much work I put in. That doesn't diminish any of my joy in a race well run or when I set a new PR.

As for the walking in a race, well, running is a fickle friend and elevation is a killer. :) Last fall I ran my half PR. During that half I ran the entire thing outside walking briefly though three water stations (10-15 seconds each time max). Two weeks later I had to walk twice during a 5K when I wasn't even running that hard. Sometimes it just isn't your day (and that day certainly wasn't mine)! Hills are a great work out though. Embrace the hill, it'll not only make you a strong runner on a hilly course, but also on the flat.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #703 on: May 30, 2017, 07:29:57 AM »
(for whatever reason I run faster during races, must be the adrenaline)

Izybat, and anyone else who runs, have any of you done a Zombie Run? If I run at all, I think that's what I'm going to do.

Oh, and obviously I didn't get the time yesterday to update the most recent stuff, but hopefully I'll get to it today.

2microsNH

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #704 on: May 30, 2017, 01:08:49 PM »
Lagom, I hope your wife is recovering well, and that your back muscle is healing up. I have chronic pain and knots in my erector muscles too, and have used a racquetball rolling on the wall to press them out. A book that helps me a lot with these knots is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook -- have you heard of it? -- essentially targeted self-massage of trigger points to allay referred pain.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #705 on: May 30, 2017, 06:29:47 PM »
Lagom, I hope your wife is recovering well, and that your back muscle is healing up. I have chronic pain and knots in my erector muscles too, and have used a racquetball rolling on the wall to press them out. A book that helps me a lot with these knots is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook -- have you heard of it? -- essentially targeted self-massage of trigger points to allay referred pain.

I'm throwing this out there on the off chance it helps anyone dealing with this: I used to deal with chronic erector-based discomfort (not pain, but nauseating, headachy discomfort). It was most noticeable in the levator scapulae muscle, but looking at an image of muscles I can see all the connected areas were involved. Rubbing any of the erector muscles would help while I was rubbing, but it'd take 3 ibuprofens to make the nauseating discomfort actually go away.

After years of this, I finally noticed that, for me, the pain was associated with alcohol use. All I had to drink was one glass of wine or one beer, and I'd wake up with a "stress headache"--clearly rooted in erector muscles--the next morning. After eliminating alcohol, I now almost never get this discomfort. (Avoiding psychological stress helps too.)

Thanks both (and for the well wishes @2microsNH). My wife is doing well, though she ended up needing a second surgery due to complications from the first. Not fun but at the moment she is recovering and the prognosis is good. Still have not been exercising as much as I would prefer, alas. My erector issue was getting quite a bit better but then seemed to go back to how it was before, which is not debilitating, but definitely uncomfortable.

I have not read The Trigger Point Workbook, but will definitely check it out. I use a lacrosse ball to roll out my back--less often than I should and it does seem to help when I do.

@annamal - Interesting point about alcohol. I'll admit to partaking more than normal lately as a (probably counterproductive) stress reliever and thinking back there may be some correlation between flare ups and evenings I had a few drinks. I'll have to abstain for a while and see how that affects things. It would be great if the solution is that simple!

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #706 on: May 31, 2017, 06:41:51 AM »
(for whatever reason I run faster during races, must be the adrenaline)

Izybat, and anyone else who runs, have any of you done a Zombie Run? If I run at all, I think that's what I'm going to do.

Oh, and obviously I didn't get the time yesterday to update the most recent stuff, but hopefully I'll get to it today.

I did a local zombie run once...  Runners got a flag football belt, you had to finish with at least one flag (out of three I think?) to be considered a survivor. It was a really open course through a wooded park rather than a very specific course like a typical 5K. Zombies lurked behind trees. Because it was a small-ish town, local race- most of the zombies were the organizers kids and their friends, so it wasn't exactly super hard to avoid them. Not that some of the kids weren't speedy, most just weren't very tactical or good at hiding for a sneak attack. haha! It was still a fun, relaxed kind of a day. If you want competition, this might not be it (at lest my locally organized one wasn't!), but it worked great as a fun, active afternoon with friends. A friend did a bigger, better organized one (that I think was apart f a series?) a few years back, that one had some obstacles and more grownup zombies. She said it was a lot of fun.

Zombies, Run! The phone app is fun. Currently enjoying listening to season 6!

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #707 on: May 31, 2017, 07:05:12 AM »
Yeah, zombies run is on the resource post. It's the only app I've used for running.

I remember seeing a video of a runner coming to the end of one, totally exhausted, and a zombie jumped out and scared the crap out of her. The immediate increase in speed made me think of the adrenaline izybat mentioned.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #708 on: June 02, 2017, 02:10:37 PM »

April checkin:
Cardio: 19/17 workouts
Strength: 15/17 workouts
Weight: 156
BF: 16.3%
Diet: On track, but apparently at maintenance

Overall, a good month. I'm progressing on deadlift, and my shoulder feels fine. I had lots of boring meetings to dial into, so I got some extra cardio workouts in. I had a whole week where I was above my calorie target every day, which contributed to my staying at the same weight. I'm working on that this month.

May checkin:

Cardio: 18/17 workouts
Strength: 12/17 workouts
Weight: 152
BF: 15.7%
Diet: on track

I figured I would be under 15% body fat even at a higher weight, but I guess not. I'm seeing quite a bit of ab definition, so I'll just keep at it and keep trying to add muscle. I lost some discipline or motivation on the strength workouts; it always seems to happen on the last weekend of the month. Well, June is a new month, and I'm making progress.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #709 on: June 02, 2017, 02:24:54 PM »
May goals:
-3 hikes
-keep running 2 times per week for the couch to 10k program
-15 days of 10/10 daily minimum
-3 bike rides
-Add 1 time per week lifting

May is a lot of April repeats that I'm hoping for.

May... did not go as planned. Work blew up for husband, and I stepped in to help with some of it (launching a website, for example).

Hikes: 0
Runs: Decided to switch my program halfway through the month. I think it was 6 runs for the month total.
Daily minimums: 18 days of 100%, this is a big success
Bike rides: way more than 3, haha. 12 rides. Helps that husband got a bike, so now we get groceries on bike.
Lifting: added toward the end of the month, so I got like 3 sessions in.

All in all, decent but not awesome. June goals will be nearly the same.

June goals:
Hikes: 1, outside of camping trip. Come on, self, haha.
Runs: do 4 runs of 5k length
Daily minimums: 15 of 100% (10/10)
Bike rides: minimum 1 per week
Lifting: continue with my A/B program, exempted for the camping trip week

Kerowyn

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #710 on: June 02, 2017, 02:34:28 PM »
May check-in: I am way behind on my yoga time goal. Trying to ramp it up, but I don't know how successful I'll be.

All other goals are either completed or on track. I'm still pretty wobbly on my bike but at least I'm riding it again!

ElleFiji

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #711 on: June 02, 2017, 09:09:47 PM »
jordanread says that you are all very nice people, and this is a nice thread. So I'm going to slowly start reading through everyone's posts. But first: My goals

Vague goal: get to an activity level I'm happy with, without sending my pain and fatigue into an ugly spiral. So baby steps, not jumping into things just because I'm capable that day.

Complete each of the distances needed for a sprint tri, super slowly, without linking them:
Swim  750m (30 lengths)
Bike 20k (hmmm. looks like my work and back is 20k, but not continuous. I could probably test this one and get it out of the way as soon as we get a sunny day)
Run 5k (registered for a race september 9th)

Be able to do all the basic poses in my sequence without modifications. I need to work on:
headstand
plow
locust
crow

So I had a teensy health debacle last month. But I'm killing it in crow and plow. Seriously. In plough. Like the one I can't breathe in, due to anatomy, I'm doing without mods (or breathing)

 Crow is measured in tens of seconds, so I'm calling it.
My body responds poorly to some approaches to yoga, which has broken my yoga teaching heart over  the past 5 years. So the fact that I have consistently been practicing for 2 months without my body getting mad is huge.

Almost as huge as today's pose success

Hedge_87

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #712 on: June 03, 2017, 12:04:06 PM »
Just checking in for the month. life has been pretty crazy and I've had to shuffle things around to keep on track. In the past I would do pretty good until life got crazy and then I would fall off the tracks and it would take me a few months to get back into the swing of things. I am determined to not let that happen anymore. I wasn't 100% on my workouts this month but I got 90% of them in somehow. I'm counting it as a win.

Mongoose

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #713 on: June 04, 2017, 09:24:53 AM »
Ok, I've actually been working out. I've temporarily stopped counting steps because I started training for a half marathon. I joined a group for motivation and encouragement. Wasn't sure how to do the training runs with the hubby out of town and the kids...but I tried with them on their bikes and they did fantastic! First week total: 5 miles. Sad by many standards but it's more running than I've done in years. I'm doing the run-walk option and hoping to finish...because 13 miles on foot currently seems impossible.

SCUBAstache

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #714 on: June 04, 2017, 10:53:06 AM »
Did my open water race today, 1.4 miles across the Potomac. Very fun! And I was a solid mid-pack finisher about 5 min faster than my goal time.

Most weeks I've been hitting my "do something" 4x goal, but I've had a few fails.

Maybe after I have a better plan to deal with my back, I'll sign up for a triathlon.

Goals:
1) See a PT about my lower back issues and figure out a way forward. It's even been bothering me on long walks lately, ugh.
2) Do SOMETHING at least 4 days a week for 30 min. Used to run a lot but wondering if that was aggravating my lower back disc issues.
3) Join the nearby pool again, since it's my favorite exercise and thus worth the money.
4) 10 dead hang pull-ups by the end of the year. Bit of a stretch (at 1 now) but what the hell. I now have a pull-up bar in my living room so no more excuses!
5) Sign up for and complete an open water swimming race. (ETA: Just signed up! The race is in 3 months - definitely time to hit the pool!)
« Last Edit: June 07, 2017, 10:30:45 PM by SCUBAstache »

Cherry Lane

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #715 on: June 04, 2017, 11:35:34 AM »
Congratulations on completing your race, SCUBA! 

Chesapeake Bay swim (4.4 miles) next year?
« Last Edit: June 04, 2017, 11:37:22 AM by Cherry Lane »

Roots&Wings

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #716 on: June 04, 2017, 02:22:22 PM »
Joining too. Specifically need to work on my posture/core strength.

Goals:
- Foundation Training (recommended by chiropractor) for core/back strength. I'm on exercise 1 of 10, but poor posture lately is making the exercises almost moot.
Progress Update: Been doing the basic Foundation routine of exercises 1-5 the past 3 weeks, it's helping a lot!

- Improve Posture - keep shoulders back!
Working on this, travel has made ergonomic laptop use challenging

- Continue walking at least 1 mile/day, morning stretches/yoga, 7-minute workout, and 4-minute workout.
Check, aside from 2 days of crummy weather without long walks. Happy to have mostly kept this going on the road, travel can really disrupt usual routine

Izybat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #717 on: June 04, 2017, 02:27:16 PM »
Completed my first week of my half marathon training program. Ran 4x, total miles for the week, 12.4.

SCUBAstache

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #718 on: June 04, 2017, 05:13:10 PM »
Congratulations on completing your race, SCUBA! 

Chesapeake Bay swim (4.4 miles) next year?

Thanks Cherry Lane! Oof, 4.4 miles... I better keep training, sounds like a great goal.

LifeHappens

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #719 on: June 05, 2017, 10:35:05 AM »
April and May were good on the "Do Something Every Day" goal, but I have gotten off track on keeping up my shoulder rehab. I signed up for beeminder (thanks monstermonster for recommending this app) and committed to doing my rehab exercises 5 times per week.

The pilates goal has been a fail and I've decided to drop it. I just couldn't get into the breathing pattern. It seems like the opposite of yoga breathing to me and I wasn't able to adapt. I have added some ab exercises and am doing some more core focused yoga instead.

Jakejake

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #720 on: June 07, 2017, 05:27:23 AM »
May was filled with discipline for me. Lifted weights daily, rode the bike daily. That was pretty much my goal.

This month i have the counter goal of not working out at while I recover from surgery. No weights, no bike rides, I can just walk around the neighborhood if I don't get too sweaty. What a sad workout goal -do nothing!

LifeHappens

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #721 on: June 07, 2017, 07:12:22 AM »
Hope your recovery is quick, Jake. No doubt you set yourself up to be as healthy as possible going into surgery with all that strength and cardio work.

Drole

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #722 on: June 07, 2017, 07:16:59 AM »
   •   Lose >= 8lbs: unknown—down 3# since late March.  Pass
   •   <= 16% body fat: no change since late March.  "Pass"...hasn't gotten worse although I might have lost some muscle
   •   Full splits: Still not yet, but I think there has been some improvement
   •   Consistent ab work: "Pass", 18/38 days, but this could be better
   •   Consistently perform Stretch Therapy Program: "Pass" rotated Arm and Leg routines 26 of 38 days, this could be better too
   •   Run >= 3x/week: Pass: went on 18 runs.
   •   Run w/speed, hill or cross-training component-1x/week: Pass; 8 runs with speed work, 4 long runs (8+ miles)
   •   Yoga >= 1x/week target: Pass, 5 sessions
   •   Plank practice >= Fail, target 3x/week…averaging 2x/ week.
   •   >=07:00 plank, not yet, in progress
   •   Practice press handstand >= 1x/week target, Pass in that I tried, but failed miserably...I can't figure out the beginning
   •   1 set/10 Press Handstands, not yet
   •   Bike to all nearby errands, Pass: biked to errands for 28 of 38 days.  Since early March, I've now found $14.78 while biking. 
   •   >= 1 hike/month: Fail
   •   Passagiata >= 3x/week: Fail, still averaging 1x/week
   •   Find slackline setup location: Fail….no place at house to setup
   •   Practice slackline, Fail, see above
   •   Incorporate social activities in fitness: Pass: 13x, plus the folks I normally run with but I don't count them for some reason
   •   Consistent Keto Eating: Pass, and I started using MFP to watch calorie intake over the last 15 days
   •   Bought a rebounder which I read is good for some issues I have....have added that to my routine 12x so far....Pass

MsPeacock

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #723 on: June 07, 2017, 02:30:07 PM »
Congratulations on completing your race, SCUBA! 

Chesapeake Bay swim (4.4 miles) next year?

Thanks Cherry Lane! Oof, 4.4 miles... I better keep training, sounds like a great goal.

Ambitious!  Have you found the crossing currents website and open water practice/coaching on Sundays? Or the "Morning swim" group out on the bay?  I have met a few people who have done or will be doing the Chesapeake Bay swim.

I figure if I gave up (sprint or Olympic) triathlons and just ran or just biked or just swam I could do a marathon/century/bay swim - but then I'd only be doing one fun thing instead of three fun things. Otherwise, there is just no time. I don't know how people find the time to do iron man distances.

The bay swim would be awesome though!


What was the event in the Potomac? I'm not tracking much on swimming in this area, aside from the triathlon events.

flan

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #724 on: June 07, 2017, 06:53:01 PM »
Somewhere someone said that fitness goals should be about the ACTION, not the measurements. So... this month my goal is to hit the gym class 15 times so I can get a free shirt. Frugal AND fit. Good goal, right? I'm 3/15 so far :D

SCUBAstache

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #725 on: June 07, 2017, 10:30:01 PM »
Congratulations on completing your race, SCUBA! 

Chesapeake Bay swim (4.4 miles) next year?

Thanks Cherry Lane! Oof, 4.4 miles... I better keep training, sounds like a great goal.

Ambitious!  Have you found the crossing currents website and open water practice/coaching on Sundays? Or the "Morning swim" group out on the bay?  I have met a few people who have done or will be doing the Chesapeake Bay swim.

I figure if I gave up (sprint or Olympic) triathlons and just ran or just biked or just swam I could do a marathon/century/bay swim - but then I'd only be doing one fun thing instead of three fun things. Otherwise, there is just no time. I don't know how people find the time to do iron man distances.

The bay swim would be awesome though!


What was the event in the Potomac? I'm not tracking much on swimming in this area, aside from the triathlon events.

I haven't done any bay swims, practice or otherwise, I'll have to check that out! This race was actually my first open water swim, aside from pretty casual swimming in lakes just for fun. It's called Washington's Crossing (starts on the old town side of the river, ends at national harbor). If you're interested in other area open water races, I found this link while looking into the same thing recently: http://marathonswimmers.org/swim-calendars/mid-atlantic/ For what it's worth, the Potomac water didn't seem all that bad.

MsPeacock

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #726 on: June 08, 2017, 07:01:20 AM »
Congratulations on completing your race, SCUBA! 

Chesapeake Bay swim (4.4 miles) next year?

Thanks Cherry Lane! Oof, 4.4 miles... I better keep training, sounds like a great goal.

Ambitious!  Have you found the crossing currents website and open water practice/coaching on Sundays? Or the "Morning swim" group out on the bay?  I have met a few people who have done or will be doing the Chesapeake Bay swim.

I figure if I gave up (sprint or Olympic) triathlons and just ran or just biked or just swam I could do a marathon/century/bay swim - but then I'd only be doing one fun thing instead of three fun things. Otherwise, there is just no time. I don't know how people find the time to do iron man distances.

The bay swim would be awesome though!


What was the event in the Potomac? I'm not tracking much on swimming in this area, aside from the triathlon events.

I haven't done any bay swims, practice or otherwise, I'll have to check that out! This race was actually my first open water swim, aside from pretty casual swimming in lakes just for fun. It's called Washington's Crossing (starts on the old town side of the river, ends at national harbor). If you're interested in other area open water races, I found this link while looking into the same thing recently: http://marathonswimmers.org/swim-calendars/mid-atlantic/ For what it's worth, the Potomac water didn't seem all that bad.

I will check out that link.

Here is the Sunday swim practice:

http://www.crossingcurrentsaquatics.com/open-water-team/

I have found that the practice has allowed me to get much better with sighting and increase my comfort in open water. The ocean still freaks me out a bit, although I've worked on it when I can (winter trip to FL and Mexico). My first tri was in the ocean and it was very rough and I had a panic attack.   This open water practice is in the south river - with a marked course, support for the simmers (people in kyacks) and a lot of friendly people turn out. Sandy Point is also a good place to practice as there are lifeguards there and not too many people who swim out on the edge near the buoys.   Downside of both places is that eventually the jelly situation gets intolerable.   

Potomac grosses me out - I cycle near it several times per week and sometimes it smells so bad. I've avoided signing up for the Nations Triathlon because the swim ins cancelled frequently due to the poo-levels in the Potomac being too high. OTH, it is probably no worse than the local swimming pool.

I enjoy open water - just as I prefer an outdoor pool to an indoor pool. More interesting, more to look at, challenge is different.

Bicycle_B

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #727 on: June 10, 2017, 08:13:26 PM »
Three month check-in after joining thread: 

Improvements gradually happening in workouts, weight, waist, maybe body fat %.
 
Workouts - In mid-May, began training 2-3x/week with a track coach who is teaching a free community training group.  So, now doing some interval training (speed training), not just jogging.
  Target: 130 runs in 10 months, aka 13x/month. 
  Performance: March 5x, April 5x, May 9x.

Weight - maybe 5 pounds lower from start.  Broke my old scale accidentally; by comparing waist measurements, and my new scale's weight measurement to that of the scale just installed in the grocery store's blood pressure machine, am guessing that the old scale was about 2.5 lbs high and the new scale 1.5 lbs low, with the store scale being accurate.  In that case, start weight in early March was 165.8 lbs, current weight 160.

Waist - was 39.25, now 38. 

Body fat % - Goal: reduce from 33% in March to under 30% by year end.  A bit confusing because I'm still learning to get these measurements accurate.  If applying the formula correctly, dropped from 33% at start to 31.3% now.


hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #728 on: June 22, 2017, 08:30:11 AM »
The slow build back into consistency is is going well. Just back from 7 days in D.C. so no cycling or swimming, but I did get in several runs in the ridiculous humidity.

But the consistency must be paying off because I WON a race last night! Yes, yes for those of you who have been following along this thread for a while and know how slow I am, I was shocked too, but there is a reason I won that is not based on speed.

The local run club did a Predict-a-Mile run for fun last night as part of the weekly group run. Basically you say, "I think I can run a mile at this pace" and then everyone runs sans watch, fitbit, phone, or any other timing device. Closest person to their expected pace wins. I might not be a fast runner, but at my slow run pace I am pretty consistent. Ran a 5K warm up and then ran the Predict-a-Mile. I came within 0.6 seconds of my time (yeah that was partially luck, because I might be consistent, but not THAT consistent) and won! The best part? The organizer got the local running store to sponsor and I won a free Garmin 35! Since I have a watch I like and works perfectly fine, I asked if I could trade the watch in for new shoes and they said sure! Free shoes for a race with no entry fee that I ran on a lark? Not a bad way to end the always slightly depressing first day back to work after vacation.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2017, 08:34:59 AM by hudsoncat »

Izybat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #729 on: June 22, 2017, 04:03:28 PM »
Sadly, I haven't been running this week. I had a sharp pain shoot through my ankle last week, and now it's been bothering me for several days. It feels an awful lot like tendinitis, which I've had before, so I'm taking a week off and trying to stretch it and do some muscle building exercises so I can try to head this off before it gets too bad. The last time I had tendinitis, I had to take two months off running, so that would not be ideal. Trying to keep my spirits and my motivation up, despite the forced break.

GT

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #730 on: June 22, 2017, 05:44:03 PM »
Well done hudsoncat.

I've been experiencing some lower back pain the last week or so.  I think its related to the decline in the kms cycled due to changing family circumstances this month.  Interested to see my what my weight is tomorrow, I hope I'm on track for >10% drop for the year in less than 6 months.

ooeei

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #731 on: June 23, 2017, 06:37:12 AM »

Very cool. I still don't have any official goals for you. Not a big deal, but if you want something specific, just post, and I'll get you added within a day or two.

5x5 @ 225 lbs Squat by 12/31/17, thanks!

I switched from Stronglifts to Starting Strength, so now I'm doing 3x5, but I hit 210 yesterday.  Should be at 2 plates in the next couple weeks!  Not too bad for a tall skinny guy.

Definitely the most reps I've ever done at this weight, although for lower reps I have gone higher.

Bicycle_B

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #732 on: June 27, 2017, 01:14:13 AM »
After 4 or 5 weeks of track workouts, I am starting to experience periodic moments of feeling really good physically.  I had thought that feeling disappeared with age.  Very delightful to have it return.

Bird In Hand

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #733 on: June 29, 2017, 07:06:39 AM »
1) I've been stuck at ~13 deadhang pullups for what seems like forever (probably 3+ months).  So my first goal is to figure out how to improve that number.  At this rate, I'd be happy with 15 by the end of the year.

Going for max reps in 1 set has become psychologically challenging to me even if I do it only once a week, so I'm dabbling with other methods to get my numbers up.  I've been greasing the groove with 5-6 rep sets 8-12 times per day on alternating days.  And I've started to mix in weighted pullups -- currently adding ~10% of my bodyweight.

2) Handstands.  My longterm goal is handstand pushups, but I've so far lacked the discipline to practice handstands as often as I need to.  I think I need a handstand buddy to motivate me.

3) Cardio.  If there's one thing more psychologically challenging to me than a prove-it set for max reps, it's getting over the beginner's cardio hump.  I did a couch-to-5k program a couple years ago and hated it 95% of the time.  Running is just misery for me, not to mention extremely boring.  Sprinting is a lot more fun, but I'm too impatient and I always end up pushing it too hard, too fast, and getting injured.  So far a pullup-pushup-burpee-squat circuit comes closest to the mark for me, though it's still intimidating.  At least it's over quickly, since mere mortals can only do that at a fast pace for a couple minutes.  :D

flan

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #734 on: June 29, 2017, 07:35:48 AM »
I missed the gym morning because I took too long in the bathroom. I had a plan to go to the gym 15 times this month, and I would have been on 15/15! I am posting here to commit that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW, I WILL SHOW UP FOR MY CLASS (extra frugal incentive: then I would get a free tshirt).

Bird In Hand

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #735 on: June 29, 2017, 07:57:29 AM »
I missed the gym morning because I took too long in the bathroom.

TMI :D

Quote
I am posting here to commit that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW, I WILL SHOW UP FOR MY CLASS (extra frugal incentive: then I would get a free tshirt).

Yet another t-shirt would be a disincentive for me.

When #fitness goals conflict with #declutteringgoals.  #mustachianproblems

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #736 on: June 29, 2017, 08:02:43 AM »
1) I've been stuck at ~13 deadhang pullups for what seems like forever (probably 3+ months).  So my first goal is to figure out how to improve that number.  At this rate, I'd be happy with 15 by the end of the year.

In my experience, when I stall out like that, reverting to an earlier progression and upping the number of slow reps for a bit makes returning to the harder one (in your case, the regular pullups) more successful. Or, you can try splitting your 13 into 2 reps of 6 or 7. Sometimes, the break between sets helps get over that hump too.

Hedge_87

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #737 on: June 29, 2017, 08:18:54 AM »
1) I've been stuck at ~13 deadhang pullups for what seems like forever (probably 3+ months).  So my first goal is to figure out how to improve that number.  At this rate, I'd be happy with 15 by the end of the year.

In my experience, when I stall out like that, reverting to an earlier progression and upping the number of slow reps for a bit makes returning to the harder one (in your case, the regular pullups) more successful. Or, you can try splitting your 13 into 2 reps of 6 or 7. Sometimes, the break between sets helps get over that hump too.

Another thing I've seen work is to add weight to your pullups. One guy at my old gym stalled on his bodyweight pull ups so he added some heavy sets of pullups for low reps for a while and he finally started moving again on his body weight pullups. For me I can only do about 4-5 unassisted pullups so what I do is do my 4-5 reps then do 5 reps of band assisted pullups to get more volume in. Which would be another option. It's worked for me going from 1 pullup to 5.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #738 on: June 29, 2017, 11:08:50 AM »
I completely forgot about this thread over the past few months.


I raced an Olympic distance Triathlon on June 4th with barely any training. It was such a wake up call for my IRONMAN 70.3 race in September that I dove headfirst into a formal training program to peak for that race.

Went from no training, to in the past 4 weeks....

~300 miles biked
~75 miles ran
~5,000 yards swam

I am finally down to 221-222 lbs, from my high of 235 Jan 1st.

flan

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #739 on: June 29, 2017, 02:18:44 PM »
I missed the gym morning because I took too long in the bathroom.

TMI :D

Quote
I am posting here to commit that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW, I WILL SHOW UP FOR MY CLASS (extra frugal incentive: then I would get a free tshirt).

Yet another t-shirt would be a disincentive for me.

When #fitness goals conflict with #declutteringgoals.  #mustachianproblems

Usually true! I, however, am actually running out of workout tanks for the gym, so this will be a positive add to reward my more frequent exercise routine this year :)

Bird In Hand

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #740 on: June 29, 2017, 02:31:26 PM »
Yet another t-shirt would be a disincentive for me.

Usually true! I, however, am actually running out of workout tanks for the gym, so this will be a positive add to reward my more frequent exercise routine this year :)

Well in that case...it's a win/win/win.  NIce work.  :)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #741 on: June 29, 2017, 05:43:32 PM »
I missed the gym morning because I took too long in the bathroom.

TMI :D

Quote
I am posting here to commit that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW, I WILL SHOW UP FOR MY CLASS (extra frugal incentive: then I would get a free tshirt).

Yet another t-shirt would be a disincentive for me.

When #fitness goals conflict with #declutteringgoals.  #mustachianproblems

Usually true! I, however, am actually running out of workout tanks for the gym, so this will be a positive add to reward my more frequent exercise routine this year :)

Did you go workout??

Drole

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #742 on: July 01, 2017, 07:22:08 AM »
We have been on the road for about 3 weeks now so my workouts have had to change. I've succeeded in 'doing something' nearly everyday. It's allowed me to explore running less and doing more bodyweight workouts. I've been using Darebee.com 30 day programs as a guide and for inspiration. I just joined what seems to be a pretty challenging program on the Facebook to see if that helps keep things fresh and keep me motivated.

Travels have also made some changes in diet...I did nearly-vegetarian-keto one week. I've now switched over to keto with no dairy or as as those are my crutches. While I don't have a scale, I don't think i'm losing weight.   I'm trying to measure and track more accurately

Bicycle_B

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #743 on: July 01, 2017, 04:56:18 PM »
Four month check-in.  I think I hit my results goal for the year!

Input Goal: Run 130x / 10 months = 13x/month.
Results:  Mar 5x, April 5x, May 9x, June 13x.

Results Goal:  Drop from 33% body fat to 30%.
Results: Body fat now 30%.

Notes:  Dropped from 165.8 lbs to 156.3 lbs so far.  Waist down from 39.25 inches to 36.75.  Continuing track workouts that started in mid-May.

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #744 on: July 02, 2017, 09:24:44 AM »
Turning 30 in 5 days. Splits are still elusive, have no idea what I can do to get them back in this lifetime given all things I've already tried. Still about ~3 inches from the floor.

Down to ~4 days a week of working out from daily. It's been a bit of a scheduling clusterfuck with a lot of international travel, conferences, but mainly not making the time. I generally feel worse when I don't prioritize working out, so it's worth doing.

It's seemingly harder in the summer where there's more after-work events, but in reality sunrise is around 5AM so it's super-easy to make the 5:30AM classes and be done for the day.

I'll probably do a 30 days of working out challenge again starting on my birthday to try to jump start myself into it again.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #745 on: July 02, 2017, 01:17:31 PM »
half a year past and eek, idk if i will get all of those goals haha

>= 1 bike ride to work  >>>>>>  havent ridden to work yet, those 12 miles one way is pretty intimidating.
Run mile <= 9:00        >>>>>>  i run every now and then, but dont time myself, will have to check and see how far off i am
Lose 20lbs of fat          >>>>>>  10 lbs down! weight ~221 lbs atm
1 set/5 wide grip pullups  >>>>   i can do 4 pullups up from 0 =) although only 2 are nice form, but i think this will be easiest to accomplish
1 set/? benchpress @ 250lbs >>  i can do a set of 8 reps  @ 160 lbs. haha again a toughie here. sucks that i work out alone so cant realy push myself to failure or check my 1RM.


Just found out that i have plenty of excuses why im not further ahead, wow =) will have to step up my cardio and bench press game. Keep up the good work guys!




Roots&Wings

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #746 on: July 03, 2017, 05:55:24 AM »
Checking in again. Major improvement with posture and back pain due to this air pillow support that dr. recommended. As someone with lower 18.5 BMI, sitting can literally be painful/bruising, and this thing has made a world of difference. Exercises core a bit too similar to a balance ball when sitting on it.

Foundation Training exercises, walking at least 1 mile/day, 7-minute workout, and 4-minute workout also still on track.

2300

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #747 on: July 03, 2017, 10:57:16 AM »
Sorry for stupid long post...Back from 3 months in Japan.

Didn't achieve my "normal" workout goals, but I loved the time there.  I'll focus on the fitness aspects: 

In Japan:
1st month:
--Did normal Reddit Bodyweight Routine ~1 time a week.
--Walked a lot (commuting to work and sight seeing).  Technically could have walked to work, but way too tired from long hours and short on time/calling home, plus sight seeing to really do that.
2nd month:
--Almost no strength training
--Still walking a lot (although less because wife visited for ~2 weeks and walking 8-16 miles sightseeing isn't her thing...)
3rd month:
--Got back into bodyweight workouts or yoga ~1-2 times a week.
--And yes more walking.

Food & Exercise Habits:
--Portion size is most obvious difference from USA.
--I ate anything and everything some meat everyday, but small portions of it and more fish.  At home mainly vegetarian (eggs/meat ~once a week).
--Grocery stores have more real food in them - not as much processed things that resemble food.
--Nearly everyone uses public transit (which also involves a lot of walking).
--"Playground workouts" are not unusual.  1st week saw dudes in full suits doing L-sit pull ups, front and back levers.
--Eating out "desert" showed up/was offered 1 time and it was essentially ~1/4 of a USA size scoop of ice cream.

Obviously no offence meant, but it's also 100% obvious to anyone that's been in USA & Japan that USA folks carry more fat on average (myself included).  I've noticed this on previous trips, but never looked up any details--depending on sources you look up they say~
obesity rate:
USA     (my homeland) = ~33%
Japan   (2nd home in my heart) = ~3.5%


Of course everyone has different standards/goals/needs/desires/etc and again no offense meant, but if noting else it's an interesting cultural difference.

Home again (USA):
--Reverse culture shock: 
1st time I've ever felt strange coming home (also longest away from USA for certain).
--Sleep: 
Painful 1st 3 days waking up between 1-2am, then traveling for a family wedding/staying up late that comes with that, then just being lazy due to exhaustion lying around till 1-2pm and not able to get to sleep at night.  Finally getting back on schedule--I need habits of up early/do something/shut off screen time by 9 and read = best sleep.
--Workout: 
-Starting up reddit BW recommended routine on normal 3 times a week schedule.  Back to tracking my original goals now.
-Surprisingly I squat portion of reddit routine maybe 2-3 times total in 3 months, but haven't really lost any strength (actually seem to have gains in some aspects).  My walk home had a really long and steep hill along with 2-3 times normal amount of walking apparently is good for leg strength as well. 
-I find myself compelled to take long walks just for the sake of walking. 

That's probably long enough (or way too long) for now.  I'll just leave you with a picture of my walking for the past year and I think you can guess when I went to Japan...




monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #748 on: July 03, 2017, 11:09:53 AM »
Managed to do 9 x 150lbs (130% of bodyweight) back squats yesterday. This is the highest I've gotten since I was 18yrs. My birthday (30 yrs) is on Friday!

Deadlift is now up to 165lbs but unfortunately, I think I need to get gloves or wrist braces or something to get much higher. My hands suck too bad to get much higher without adding something to the equation. I hate buying things so I'll likely put this off.

Still stuck on bench press at 70lbs, 2 reps.  Not sure I have posture using the machine perfect; my feet often don't touch the floor on the seat (have I mentioned I'm tiny?)

Update on goals
Deadlift 1RM/118lbs Done
Back squat 1RM/118lbs Done
Bench press 1RM/100lbs - 70/100 ugh
Complete 1/2 Marathon - Done
Yoga >= 100:00:00 - 63 hours, on track
>= 5x/week working out - on track
Bike > 2,518 miles - On track
Do full splits - about to pay $100 for a special splits class I am so desperate to accomplish this
« Last Edit: July 03, 2017, 11:23:09 AM by monstermonster »

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2017
« Reply #749 on: July 03, 2017, 11:57:25 AM »
I know it's time for an update with all of the metrics associated with it. I may wind up delaying until this weekend. I've been slacking this last quarter, and to be honest, I'm a bit worried about seeing the numbers. However, I have implemented a new plan (ish). My workouts are boring. Slow reps, those aren't any fun. And I'm not yet strong enough to do the running around the lake and working out thing (which is how I envision things going). So I'm in the process of developing a flow, that incorporates my workouts, but is bigger than that. Warm up, stretching, working out, drinking coffee...I think that all of this will be involved. My better half always says she wakes up halfway through the workout videos she does daily, but I can't do it. I need to sneak up on the day. Therefore, I will try to incorporate that sneaking into a nice habit. I'll let you all know how it goes, and we'll see how my body composition has changed by this weekend.

You guys are all kicking ass!! Don't forget that.