Author Topic: Strength & Fitness 2016  (Read 402421 times)

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #800 on: April 15, 2016, 09:03:22 AM »
I am uncertain if making goals is wise, so one is a journey goal that I've already been working on, and the other is piddly and achievable with even minimal effort:

Walk an average of 5 miles daily. I have a complex set of rules for what qualifies as acceptable substitutions. (Biking? Yes. Walking up and down stairs? No, unless it's for a truly excessive amount of time. Dancing? Depends.)
Do a pushup that doesn't involve my wall or kitchen counter.

MJ!! I've got you added to the tracking post. Welcome to the gauntlet. (I'm pretty sure you posted before, but hadn't put 'goals' in yet)

I'm super late to the party! There's still 2/3 of the 2016 left, though, so I'll sneak in a couple of goals here. Back story: I'm horribly un-stretchy. And weak. And I have awful balance. And coordination. Ok, basically I suck at all things physical. It's been made worse since I started working from home since June 2015, where I went from about 5mi/day on foot daily to about 250 steps a day. Maybe. Yeah, that bad. Therefore, I've gained about 5lbs of PURE FAT. That's probably WITH some muscle-wasting, so >5lbs of fat gained, some muscles lost, and I wasn't exactly in shape before...

Starting point:  short and 120lbs, flabby arms, flabby belly, ok legs (thank you, genes)

Realistic goals for a fitness newbie (me):
  • Flexibility: 30-60 days to splits! (link)
  • Strength: be able to do 10 push-ups
  • Strength: be able to do 10 lunges without crying
  • Cardio: be able to jog 2 miles straight or successfully pick up tennis as hobby or commit to gym with cardio classes and go 2x/week

Cai, I'm glad you found us!! I've got you added to the tracking post and put the 30 Days & 30 Stretches to Splits in the goal description post (next year I might move it to the resource post). Zikoris around these parts (she posted the first before picture) is also going for splits and flexibility, so you and she will probably be good allies and resources.

cai - I am in the same place as you - really starting from scratch.

I want to rejoin this thread since I really lost momentum from earlier in the year.

I started hot yoga and that will go on for another 2 weeks and I also started some strength training classes they offer at work.  It is only one day a week but for now it is fine.  It is time to lose the weight but, more importantly, strengthen and tighten everything up. 

Here are my goals:

1. Finish hot yoga in 2 weeks and feel a little bit more flexible than I do now.  I will continue with yoga and start pilates. My only goal here in general is to become more flexible and this will be a great way to do it.  When I am able to do the poses correctly, I guess I will have reached my goal.  I, at least, want to incorporate yoga daily.
2. 25 kettlebell swings in proper form.
3. Ride 5 miles on my bike without stopping

I think I can accomplish this by year end and, hopefully, more. 


Alleykat, I've updated your goals in the tracking post. I assumed that you are still referring to kettlebell swings as 10lbs, so I moved your goal of 1 set/50 to a stretch. Do these look okay:
Quote
alleykat
  • 1 set/25 10lb Kettlebell Swings (Stretch: 1 set/50)
  • 20 minutes (continuous) on rebounder (mini tramp)
  • Lose > 10lbs
  • Complete hot yoga classes (05/01/2016)
  • Start pilates
  • Incorporate daily yoga
  • >=5 miles on bike non-stop
Also, don't forget to checkin in a couple of weeks so we can cross off the hot yoga one.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #801 on: April 15, 2016, 11:51:48 AM »
Oh goodness, I forgot to post my own goals while patting myself on the back for my recent progress! I am focusing on powerlifting right now so my goals will center on the big three. By the end of 2016 I am hoping for:

Bench: 225->255 (my worst lift by far, so this is probably a "reach" goal, alas)

Box Squat: 395->455 (I have to exclusively box squat these days because of hip issues)

Deadlift: 515->585 (my best lift, although progress has slowed noticeably since I've gotten to the 450+ mark)

We'll see if I can pull these numbers off!

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #802 on: April 15, 2016, 12:33:48 PM »
Oh goodness, I forgot to post my own goals while patting myself on the back for my recent progress![...]

It's all good. It's hard to type and pat at the same time. I've got you added to the tracking post. Keep up the great work!!

alleykat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #803 on: April 15, 2016, 12:38:49 PM »

cai - I am in the same place as you - really starting from scratch.

I want to rejoin this thread since I really lost momentum from earlier in the year.

I started hot yoga and that will go on for another 2 weeks and I also started some strength training classes they offer at work.  It is only one day a week but for now it is fine.  It is time to lose the weight but, more importantly, strengthen and tighten everything up. 

Here are my goals:

1. Finish hot yoga in 2 weeks and feel a little bit more flexible than I do now.  I will continue with yoga and start pilates. My only goal here in general is to become more flexible and this will be a great way to do it.  When I am able to do the poses correctly, I guess I will have reached my goal.  I, at least, want to incorporate yoga daily.
2. 25 kettlebell swings in proper form.
3. Ride 5 miles on my bike without stopping

I think I can accomplish this by year end and, hopefully, more. 


Alleykat, I've updated your goals in the tracking post. I assumed that you are still referring to kettlebell swings as 10lbs, so I moved your goal of 1 set/50 to a stretch. Do these look okay:
Quote
alleykat
  • 1 set/25 10lb Kettlebell Swings (Stretch: 1 set/50)
  • 20 minutes (continuous) on rebounder (mini tramp)
  • Lose > 10lbs
  • Complete hot yoga classes (05/01/2016)
  • Start pilates
  • Incorporate daily yoga
  • >=5 miles on bike non-stop
Also, don't forget to checkin in a couple of weeks so we can cross off the hot yoga one.
[/quote]


Yes, I will check back and get yoga crossed off. I cant believe I will accomplish one of them. :)  Thank you so much for showing me what my original goals were. I copied them and will post them on my board. Yes, they look great.   

Thanks

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #804 on: April 15, 2016, 12:40:50 PM »
Yes, I will check back and get yoga crossed off. I cant believe I will accomplish one of them. :)  Thank you so much for showing me what my original goals were. I copied them and will post them on my board. Yes, they look great.   

Thanks

I also put start pilates on there. That should be another awesome win. Then we can add a new goal once you know how pilates are going to look.

Abel

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #805 on: April 15, 2016, 01:28:31 PM »
Oh goodness, I forgot to post my own goals while patting myself on the back for my recent progress! I am focusing on powerlifting right now so my goals will center on the big three. By the end of 2016 I am hoping for:

Bench: 225->255 (my worst lift by far, so this is probably a "reach" goal, alas)

Box Squat: 395->455 (I have to exclusively box squat these days because of hip issues)

Deadlift: 515->585 (my best lift, although progress has slowed noticeably since I've gotten to the 450+ mark)

We'll see if I can pull these numbers off!

Awesome numbers! I'm at a lower baseline, but hoping to make similar gains in strength. Out of curiosity, do you have any opinions on the use of a weight lifting belt for squats / deadlifts? I sense that it would help me lift more weight but I wonder if I would be improving other muscles/capabilities by forcing myself to do without, even if it makes the numbers suffer a bit.

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #806 on: April 15, 2016, 02:07:26 PM »
Oh goodness, I forgot to post my own goals while patting myself on the back for my recent progress! I am focusing on powerlifting right now so my goals will center on the big three. By the end of 2016 I am hoping for:

Bench: 225->255 (my worst lift by far, so this is probably a "reach" goal, alas)

Box Squat: 395->455 (I have to exclusively box squat these days because of hip issues)

Deadlift: 515->585 (my best lift, although progress has slowed noticeably since I've gotten to the 450+ mark)

We'll see if I can pull these numbers off!

Awesome numbers! I'm at a lower baseline, but hoping to make similar gains in strength. Out of curiosity, do you have any opinions on the use of a weight lifting belt for squats / deadlifts? I sense that it would help me lift more weight but I wonder if I would be improving other muscles/capabilities by forcing myself to do without, even if it makes the numbers suffer a bit.

Thanks! I used to be such a weakling it's been so gratifying to make this progress. I started using a belt when I got to 300-350+ on the squat/deadlift (a little earlier with the squat) and it definitely helps. When used correctly, you'll find it easier to keep your core tight and stable and it can also protect against injury (e.g. losing tightness can be more dangerous as the weights get bigger). I still do a lot of beltless work to continue building my core strength (as far as I know as a non expert, that's the main thing a belt might hinder), but usually it's for higher reps at around 60-75% of my 1RM and also with variations like deficit deadlifts, good mornings, safety squat bar, etc.

Good luck and happy gains! :)

Bakari

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #807 on: April 15, 2016, 06:34:55 PM »
Hello, hello. I joined the tail end of the 2015 thread with ridiculous goals that made me hate everything. I swore I wouldn't set fitness goals for myself again or join the 2016 thread.

I am terrible at keeping my word to myself.


Sometime around 2000, give or take a couple years, I made the first New Year's Resolution that I ever kept long-term:
Never again make a New Year's Resolution!




In fitness news, I skated the entire way from the bikeshop home today (about 12 miles), first time I skated so far since I moved in with my fiancee over a year ago.

And now I suddenly recall a post in this thread from probably months ago.....

Bakari

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #808 on: April 15, 2016, 06:51:18 PM »

Here it is!

Oh wow thank you for all the quick and useful advice!  I have my work cut out for me here......I am hoping if I strengthen my back I may help with the spine instability. PT kind of tried to do this to no avail, but I wasn't ever really thrilled with the exercises.  The hip flexor is fine now but I know I am prone to tight hips, so this is one thing I do regularly work on.  One knee doesn't track quite correctly (skeletal) which got me to quit running years ago, but it's less of an issue on the bike.  Both knees complain a bit when hiking and mountain biking, sometimes road biking if I do a lot of climbing, but it's not too bad.  As long as I ease into things and ice when I do too much, it's manageable. 
...

Recently I've just been doing a selection of PT exercises for my knee & hip (always try to do those a couple times a week), and then a half-assed attempt at core strengthening via pilates & general strengthening via sworkit.  The latter is not working, mostly from a motivation standpoint.  I do best with a clearly defined simple workout where I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

I have two main challenges:

1) When I have time to work out, I choose the bike, always....


2) Working out goes hand in hand with a risk of injuries by definition.  After the past couple of years I've had, where attempts at injury prevention have resulted in causing injuries that kept me off the bike, I'm going to err on the side of gentler exercises that may not make me as strong / serve as much of a cross training purpose, but won't hurt me themselves.  If I were a pro cyclist, I would have trainers & support and yeah I'd lift heavy weights.  But, it's just me in my basement, and I know where my priorities lie -- on the bike.

...


By injury prevention I mean to have a semi-balanced body and to develop some protection against overuse injuries - not, say, get so muscular that it'll help protect me when I inevitably come off a horse or a bike.  I just worry that a desk job (although I do have a standing desk!) + a ton of biking will result in some imbalances that will cause issues down the line.  Although most of my injury prevention approaches have just resulted in injuries...

A bad deadlift is what caused a lot of my injuries, so that's off the table.  I know that I am "wrong" in my reaction to this.  I 100% believe that deadlifts are important.  I also 100% admit fault for the injury -- I did everything I could to try to teach myself proper form in my garage but I'm sure I made a mistake.  I'm also sure I was predisposed to the injury and the deadlift was just the straw that broke the camel's back.  However, unfortunately, I'm not going back to weight lifting.  This spine injury has been one of the worst things I've ever dealt with (given that I'm a young healthy person who absolutely depends on being active outside to stay sane).  It's been two years and I don't think I'm ever going to be back to normal.  I'm never deadlifting again.








I don't know why this didn't occur to me back then when I responded to this!?


Skating!!!!!


Its almost kind of just like cycling, but (unlike cycling), it is very much a lower back exercise.  But not in a progressive resistance way, but in a gentle core stability kind of way.  Enough to be a little sore the next day if you aren't used to it, but not so much to ever cause a spine injury (unless of course you get hit by a car! but that risk is there on the bike too...)

I'll have to send fallstoclimb a PM, haven't seen her(?) in this thread since those posts on page 12

horsepoor

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #809 on: April 16, 2016, 04:58:59 PM »
I completed the Robie Creek half marathon today!  Still waiting on my chip time, but I was somewhere around 2:20 - official chip time in 2:19:50; within seconds of my 2014 time.  I'd stated 2:10 as my goal at the beginning of the year, but I'm pretty pleased with my performance and felt I managed the hills really well, despite, you know, running hills much at all this spring.  This is a TOUGH course that is basically 8.5 miles uphill, and then a crazy downhill most of the rest of the way to the finish line.  I find that adding at least 10 minutes to flat course time is about right, though I just saw on the race website that some freak ran this in 1:13 back in the '80s.  But anyway.  It is done, and I'm not sure if I'm going to run Zeitgeist this fall or not.  The long runs are well, long, and they kind of eat into my weekends, and I've gotten a little bored with spending >1 hr at a time running.

But anyway.  I'll just be walking and riding this week, then start back with my kettlebell next week.  No running for me until the end of the month, and then it will be shorter distances for awhile.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2016, 08:13:40 PM by horsepoor »

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #810 on: April 17, 2016, 09:35:32 AM »
My days here in Baja are almost done, so I decided to crank up the pace of my (mostly) daily 5k run...to see where I am at. I left Casa Snow at daybreak to "beat the heat" of the day...and managed to gut out a 23:20. One of my goals of the thread is to break 20 minutes for 5k. This will be tough...though I may have a chance if I eliminate hills (there are a few doozys on my route here) and give it a go on a track...I have a nice one with a bouncy rubber surface close to my place in Vancouver. But I can't help feeling that trying to knock over 3 minutes off what I did this morning may be TOO MUCH for me. Ah well, it was certainly a "stretch goal" to begin with.


hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #811 on: April 18, 2016, 06:28:28 AM »
Weekly Check-in... I managed 4 runs, a swim, strength work twice and a lovely 10  mile bike ride. I had to cut my long(ish) run on Sunday short by two miles. Severe calf pain. Not sure if it was just too soon after the half still (though I've felt really good otherwise), the bike ride Friday evening (I've only had the bike out twice and both times were 6 or less miles), the lower body strength work, or the several hundred stairs climbing up and down a monument on Saturday. Likely a combination of those things. I sit here this morning with sore calves and slightly unsure how much rest I will need. I'm not very good at resting, but I also don't want this to become an on-going thing.

Horsepoor: Great job on the half! That sounds like a tough one, I'm certainly impressed.

JoRocka

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #812 on: April 18, 2016, 12:02:21 PM »
Post weekend check in!!!!

I'm behind on my cutting- I was hoping to be closer to 160 at this point- I'm still hanging out high at 167- which is irritable to me to say the least.
Last week kind of sucked
Monday- Lift/Dance
Tuesday- Day
Wed- Dance
Thursday - nothing
Friday- Lift/Dance/Cardio Kick Box Class
Saturday- Lift/Dance/Dance gig
Sunday- Dance

I need to fit more cardio in there- which means- running- or stair master- but UGH REALLY. I can't. I hate cardio. But I need to drop a more weigh faster- and that means less food and more cardio.

I'm feeling moderately good about my lifts despite the cutting.  Hardest thing last week were my rack pulls- those just felt tortuously heavy and only 250#. Boo.
Oh well.

I have some weird foot pain causing me grief- I am attempting to work that out- but we'll see. Goal is to hit 150 by May 13th- I'm not hopeful- but I'm going to try.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #813 on: April 20, 2016, 09:35:16 AM »
I've been off my game and beating myself up a bit. :/ But I have had activity in my life every day since Saturday and that's making me feel better.
Saturday: Hashing with the Sacramento Hash House Harriers
Sunday: Hot Yoga
Monday: Bike ride and squats/lunges/hack squats/leg extensions at the gym

Yesterday I rode my bike to the softball field with DH. His work had a recreational game and as a spouse I'm allowed to play too if I want! :) I've never played softball, I've never even swung a bat. DH taught me how to catch a ball with a mitt on and then gave me some swinging pointers. When we got there they had enough people already so I was just a sub, which was fine by me. Somehow someone had to leave to pick up his kids and another guy got ejected(he didn't mean too, it was mostly an accident, no one was super upset about it, he felt bad...) and next thing you know I'm up to bat! :eek: I watched the ball fly past me on the first throw, it was a good throw so I got called for a strike. Someone else on our team yelled, "that's what it looks like, swing at it next time!" Lol. When the next pitch came I hit the ball! And then stuttered for a second and sprinted for first, I got called out by a fraction of a second. :/ It was so close though! I was pretty proud and fortunately our whole team was really bad so no one was upset about me being bad too. I had to play catcher for an inning and that was not as fun, fortunately I didn't have to do much, we actually got the other team on 3 outs pretty quickly. After that the one guy came back and filled back in and I didn't play anymore but I'm pretty happy with how my first game went.

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #814 on: April 20, 2016, 10:07:12 AM »
I've been seriously off my game due to a combination of jetlag/schedule. Last week I ran 4 times and hit the gym for weight training twice despite two cross-country trips. Not perfect, but better than nothing considering the circumstances.

I flew in on Sunday afternoon and I've just gone on one 3 mile run and nothing else. I'm having trouble fitting the gym into my schedule today, and it's going to be 87 degrees after work, a bit hot for a run. How do you get motivated when your schedule is crazy?

JoRocka

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #815 on: April 20, 2016, 10:35:57 AM »
How do you get motivated when your schedule is crazy?

I work 4 jobs (job number 5 starts on Sunday!) I treat my gym time like you would treat a cancer check up appointment.
Not the dentist appointment.

I'm missing that ONLY if it's an emergency- and I have a plan for rescheduling it (not just - I'll get to it whenever) Like- this Friday- I'm working Friday night (I don't work every Friday- it' flip flops with Saturday) so some nights I'm at the gym on Friday- some nights I get up early Saturday morning to get to it.

Make a plan. Stick to the plan. Schedule it- and ALWAYS pack your bag.

You can do it!!! 

mm1970

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #816 on: April 20, 2016, 01:15:26 PM »
Gosh, haven't checked in at all in a long time.

I've been doing pretty well.  I have a dual-goal:
Lose a few pounds that found me in Feb/March
Get stronger

With that in mind, I made up a schedule for my workouts.  Now, generally I swim 2x a week at 5:30 am, and work in other stuff around that.  But it's SUPER hard for me to get up that early (4:40 am) every day.  And I rarely feel like working out.

However - I've been doing pretty good.  Schedule is this:
Sunday - walk with friend
Monday, Weds, Friday, Saturday - PiYo (it's a workout program that I first did in 2014, and my coworker told me how great my butt looked, so I figured - why not?  It's all body-weight exercises.  It's kicking my butt.)
Tues/Thurs: swim 30 laps at the pool (~42 min)

So I'm attaching my March and April so far.  Not bad.

My challenge is just keeping going without getting discouraged.  I have *goals* but they are hard.  So how much do I want to work for my goals?  At the basic level, I want to be healthy and fit.  I've got that one down.  Further past that, I'd like to *look* good too.  The challenge here is that I'm almost 46, and short and stocky. I *cannot* compare myself to my friends.  Most of my friends are short and thin or tall and thin, and I just don't have those genetics.  I have loose belly skin from giving birth at 42, loose skin on my thighs, and cellulite (which I've had forever).  I have a little extra fat at my belly that I didn't have before the second kid.  I put a LOT of effort into exercise and diet and the fact of the matter is, it will take EVEN MORE to get rid of that stubborn few pounds.  And HOW MUCH do I want that?

(It's also hard living in CA where health, fitness, and looks are so emphasized.  I have a friend who LOOKS GREAT. She's a few years younger than me, and has a small build.  She told me recently "I work very hard to look like this", and listed her workouts, which were literally half of my workouts.  It's depressing to think that my effort doesn't really show.  She admittedly has a body that responds quickly to exercise.)

My niece found fitness a couple of years ago and it's her new religion (she lost 90 pounds at first). I remember being that way the first time I lost a bunch of weight.  And she's always posting things about #goals, etc.  Trying to be encouraging, but sometimes it comes off as hard-ass (it's our family personality).  I try to gently suggest that it's good to be encouraging but not everyone has the same goals.  (She recently broke her state's record for squat and dead lift, after only starting to lift heavy a year ago).

Anyway, those are my struggles. On the flip side, in week 3 of PiYo and I can do a lot more regular pushups than when I started.  Week 1, started doing on my knees about half way through.  Week 2, only did the last set on my knees.  We'll see what I do on Saturday! (It's a particular 37 minute workout that I'm talking about.)

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #817 on: April 20, 2016, 03:02:40 PM »
Gosh, haven't checked in at all in a long time.

I've been doing pretty well.  I have a dual-goal:
Lose a few pounds that found me in Feb/March
Get stronger

With that in mind, I made up a schedule for my workouts.  Now, generally I swim 2x a week at 5:30 am, and work in other stuff around that.  But it's SUPER hard for me to get up that early (4:40 am) every day.  And I rarely feel like working out.

However - I've been doing pretty good.  Schedule is this:
Sunday - walk with friend
Monday, Weds, Friday, Saturday - PiYo (it's a workout program that I first did in 2014, and my coworker told me how great my butt looked, so I figured - why not?  It's all body-weight exercises.  It's kicking my butt.)
Tues/Thurs: swim 30 laps at the pool (~42 min)

So I'm attaching my March and April so far.  Not bad.

My challenge is just keeping going without getting discouraged.  I have *goals* but they are hard.  So how much do I want to work for my goals?  At the basic level, I want to be healthy and fit.  I've got that one down.  Further past that, I'd like to *look* good too.  The challenge here is that I'm almost 46, and short and stocky. I *cannot* compare myself to my friends.  Most of my friends are short and thin or tall and thin, and I just don't have those genetics.  I have loose belly skin from giving birth at 42, loose skin on my thighs, and cellulite (which I've had forever).  I have a little extra fat at my belly that I didn't have before the second kid.  I put a LOT of effort into exercise and diet and the fact of the matter is, it will take EVEN MORE to get rid of that stubborn few pounds.  And HOW MUCH do I want that?

(It's also hard living in CA where health, fitness, and looks are so emphasized.  I have a friend who LOOKS GREAT. She's a few years younger than me, and has a small build.  She told me recently "I work very hard to look like this", and listed her workouts, which were literally half of my workouts.  It's depressing to think that my effort doesn't really show.  She admittedly has a body that responds quickly to exercise.)

My niece found fitness a couple of years ago and it's her new religion (she lost 90 pounds at first). I remember being that way the first time I lost a bunch of weight.  And she's always posting things about #goals, etc.  Trying to be encouraging, but sometimes it comes off as hard-ass (it's our family personality).  I try to gently suggest that it's good to be encouraging but not everyone has the same goals.  (She recently broke her state's record for squat and dead lift, after only starting to lift heavy a year ago).

Anyway, those are my struggles. On the flip side, in week 3 of PiYo and I can do a lot more regular pushups than when I started.  Week 1, started doing on my knees about half way through.  Week 2, only did the last set on my knees.  We'll see what I do on Saturday! (It's a particular 37 minute workout that I'm talking about.)

Setting realistic expectations for your body type is so important! I'm glad you understand that. It is one I still struggle with, I am tall and building muscle has been a bit of struggle for me, my limbs are so long so 1 lb of muscle on me isn't as impressive as 1 lb of muscle on a shorter person. Time is the biggest struggle, I want 3 week results, even 6 week results! But in actually I'm going to new several years to achieve what I'm after.

The amount of work is important too, but honestly it's diet that is the hardest part. Adding exercise will make you healthier, and fitter, and it's definitely necessary if want to add lean muscle/"tone" but if you want to be skinnier that comes from diet. :/ "eating healthy" isn't really enough either, calories in vs. calories out will always be the basis, your body is tricky too and loves homeostasis so it will do things to try to get you to stay the same weight if it's happy there. This is why ending a diet so often leads to weight gain, your body will fight back and make you extra hungry or extra lethargic(or both) to try and fight the imbalance in calories.

Bottom line, enjoy the process, don't do anything too extreme, appreciate where you are each and every day. :)

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #818 on: April 21, 2016, 06:54:23 AM »
How do you get motivated when your schedule is crazy?

For me, I put it on my calendar like any other appointment. I talk a lot of with my students (college) about how what they really value is what they spend their time doing and to do a calendar check. Are you scheduling time for the things that you say are important to you? So I decided I should probably practice what I preach. I work a job with weird hours and A LOT of hours, especially at certain times of the year (I'm looking you months that start with the letter 'A'), So I just look at my calendar each weekend and schedule in my workouts for the next week. That means I sometimes work out in the morning, some times in the evening. But having it planned when I am going to do it helps me a ton in making sure it gets done.

It also helps that DH is my accountability buddy when motivation is flagging. Whether it working out together (well, at the same time) or sometimes just knowing he got his workout in already and I need to do mine, an accountability buddy does help.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #819 on: April 21, 2016, 09:46:56 AM »
It's amazing how "in tune" with your body you become once who have fully committed to the health and fitness journey. I've been back from my Mexico trip for 4 days now. During my 3.5 weeks there I only lifted weights 3 times - basically one fully body session per week. But the cardio though...TONS. My Fitbit says I either ran/beached walked just shy of 100km for the week of April 3 - 9. The other weeks were only slightly less. Now, having upset the nice balance of cardio/weights I had going before my trip...and with what the "mirror" suggested...I figured I came home a bit lighter...and a bit weaker. Bingo. About 4 pounds less and my first weight session days ago had me struggling to hit those few final reps I was nailing about a month ago.

So back in Vancouver, with my awesome gym just around the block...time to resume my previous program...build up what strength I can (with ample cardio work too) until JUNE when everything shifts to my outdoor pursuits for the Summer. A series of half marathons start in June too - my IT Band issue in my right leg is much improved...but it is still present. Annoying.

And got some paddling in yesterday after garden work was done - 2016 total now 20/500km. Long way to go. :)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #820 on: April 21, 2016, 10:21:08 AM »
It's been a while since I checked in, but I've been going at it hard.  Bulking is going well, I'm up to 186lbs and feel great. 

I've had to slow down a little while progressing on deadlifts.  I'm increasing by 5lbs per week not instead of 10.  Up to 290 for 3 reps. 

Hit a milestone yesterday on weighted dips. +45lbs hanging from my waist for 3x5 reps.  Cranked them out easily, and haven't had any shoulder issues which makes me happy.

I'm getting LASIK done next Friday, so I'm supposed to take one week off the gym, which works out well for me.  I do 8 weeks on, 1 week off lifting and it falls perfectly at the end of a cycle.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #821 on: April 21, 2016, 11:26:44 AM »
All right. Something weird happened. There is a way of categorizing body weight movements as either strength or skill. Some, like pushups, pullups, and squats, are considered strength based. The best definition I can come up with is that the category is used to determine what particular thing will be the primary cause of failure when doing those. When you hit that wall while doing pushups, it's usually because you don't have the strength to continue. When trying to do a handstand pushup (or a handstand) it's usually a lack of skill (or balance) that screws you up. And when I say you, I totally mean me. That has been an interesting way of looking at things, and definitely changes my focus when doing those specific workouts. Anyway, to the weirdness, I'm still doing wall pushups (which seem ridiculously easy), and during my last set of 50, about 30 in, my left arm started shaking a bit. I didn't lose any strength, it was just an involuntary shake. Didn't think much of it, and hit my progression standards with perfect form, just a bit of effort to stop the shaking. Two days later, my freaking left tricep has been extremely sore. I'm backing off my intensity (not doing a full week's worth of workouts 3X/week) for this week. It was just a bit strange. Oh, and even without drinking, even with the fact that when I wear my compression shirt my belly is pretty flat (not sucking in, just flexing it), I still can't touch my damn knees to my forehead with shoulderstand squats. Stupid. I know I'm getting stronger, but the perceived lack of progress could be frustrating. I'll of course keep at it, and the frustration isn't phasing me, but still...I want a damn six pack :-) Maybe the more regular workouts will make that happen. I know my diet is not ideal, but right now I'm pretty much going ERE style, and I'm focused on the cost instead of the quality.


I hope it isn't too late for me to join.

Not too late at all. I'll get you added to the tracking post momentarily. Welcome to the gauntlet!!

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #822 on: April 21, 2016, 12:20:44 PM »
All right. Something weird happened. There is a way of categorizing body weight movements as either strength or skill. Some, like pushups, pullups, and squats, are considered strength based. The best definition I can come up with is that the category is used to determine what particular thing will be the primary cause of failure when doing those. When you hit that wall while doing pushups, it's usually because you don't have the strength to continue. When trying to do a handstand pushup (or a handstand) it's usually a lack of skill (or balance) that screws you up. And when I say you, I totally mean me. That has been an interesting way of looking at things, and definitely changes my focus when doing those specific workouts. Anyway, to the weirdness, I'm still doing wall pushups (which seem ridiculously easy), and during my last set of 50, about 30 in, my left arm started shaking a bit. I didn't lose any strength, it was just an involuntary shake. Didn't think much of it, and hit my progression standards with perfect form, just a bit of effort to stop the shaking. Two days later, my freaking left tricep has been extremely sore. I'm backing off my intensity (not doing a full week's worth of workouts 3X/week) for this week. It was just a bit strange. Oh, and even without drinking, even with the fact that when I wear my compression shirt my belly is pretty flat (not sucking in, just flexing it), I still can't touch my damn knees to my forehead with shoulderstand squats. Stupid. I know I'm getting stronger, but the perceived lack of progress could be frustrating. I'll of course keep at it, and the frustration isn't phasing me, but still...I want a damn six pack :-) Maybe the more regular workouts will make that happen. I know my diet is not ideal, but right now I'm pretty much going ERE style, and I'm focused on the cost instead of the quality.


I hope it isn't too late for me to join.

Not too late at all. I'll get you added to the tracking post momentarily. Welcome to the gauntlet!!

I was taught that you can train muscle endurance, strength, speed, and volume. Speed could correlate to "skill" and it sounds like you just bumped into an endurance issue. The good news is, if you are training to failure (as you did) even at super easy levels you can still trigger muscle growth. You can get really science-y on the various types of muscle fibers involved in each aspect but training to failure is the known method to develop bigger muscles. :)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #823 on: April 21, 2016, 01:34:31 PM »
I was taught that you can train muscle endurance, strength, speed, and volume. Speed could correlate to "skill" and it sounds like you just bumped into an endurance issue. The good news is, if you are training to failure (as you did) even at super easy levels you can still trigger muscle growth. You can get really science-y on the various types of muscle fibers involved in each aspect but training to failure is the known method to develop bigger muscles. :)

That's the weird thing: I wasn't going to failure, and I wasn't going fast. The difficulty of a 5 second pushup (2 seconds down, 1 second hold, 2 seconds up) is part of what I like so much about CC (can you imagine the strength required to do a perfect form one handed pushup super slowly? And it would look bad ass). I definitely triggered muscle growth. The other strange thing is that it was only one more rep than what I've been doing. I've been holding steady at one rep short of progression until I get some of the other exercises to progression standards. Every week I've worked out (not as regularly as I wanted...see earlier post), I've done 2 sets of 50 and 1 set of 49 (on purpose, so I can track in the app I use), and Monday I did 3 sets of 50. That's part of why it was so weird. I did use a different wall, so maybe I was off with my foot placement or something.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #824 on: April 21, 2016, 03:26:15 PM »
I was taught that you can train muscle endurance, strength, speed, and volume. Speed could correlate to "skill" and it sounds like you just bumped into an endurance issue. The good news is, if you are training to failure (as you did) even at super easy levels you can still trigger muscle growth. You can get really science-y on the various types of muscle fibers involved in each aspect but training to failure is the known method to develop bigger muscles. :)

That's the weird thing: I wasn't going to failure, and I wasn't going fast. The difficulty of a 5 second pushup (2 seconds down, 1 second hold, 2 seconds up) is part of what I like so much about CC (can you imagine the strength required to do a perfect form one handed pushup super slowly? And it would look bad ass). I definitely triggered muscle growth. The other strange thing is that it was only one more rep than what I've been doing. I've been holding steady at one rep short of progression until I get some of the other exercises to progression standards. Every week I've worked out (not as regularly as I wanted...see earlier post), I've done 2 sets of 50 and 1 set of 49 (on purpose, so I can track in the app I use), and Monday I did 3 sets of 50. That's part of why it was so weird. I did use a different wall, so maybe I was off with my foot placement or something.

A million factors to go into why you could or could no do a "lift" on one day versus another. Or why one extra rep seemed to lead to more fatigue than expected. (But if you were "shaking" you were certainly at failure! (and it could have been failure of one particular type of muscle tissue vs another, which is why you were still "strong" enough to continue the set)) If we all progressed in a straight line we'd have super human strength by now! ;) Could be lack of recovery, not enough fuel in the tank, not enough sleep in general, taking a shorter rest period, etc.

Not so weird, in my opinion.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #825 on: April 21, 2016, 03:30:39 PM »
A million factors to go into why you could or could no do a "lift" on one day versus another. Or why one extra rep seemed to lead to more fatigue than expected. (But if you were "shaking" you were certainly at failure! (and it could have been failure of one particular type of muscle tissue vs another, which is why you were still "strong" enough to continue the set)) If we all progressed in a straight line we'd have super human strength by now! ;) Could be lack of recovery, not enough fuel in the tank, not enough sleep in general, taking a shorter rest period, etc.

Not so weird, in my opinion.

Well I definitely suck at sleeping, but now that you mention it, I did drop my rest between sets from 1:30 to 1:00. Hmmm.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #826 on: April 22, 2016, 08:50:33 AM »
Add me to the recent struggles with crazy schedules group! DH is my usual trainer/gym helper, and he has been working 12's in addition to going to classes for... let's see... 10 days now. Oh, and they're night shift, so I can't very well smash about weights outside our bedroom while he's asleep during the day. And there was a bit of craziness leadup to that in its own right. This both means more is on my plate with non-fitness life responsibilities, but also that to do workouts, it's all on me. I usually have DH tackle wrestling the barbell out of our 100 year old house in order to use it. Well, okay, putting it back in is really the hard part! DH and I did end up hitting on a metcon that works pretty well but doesn't kill me so thoroughly that I can't put away equipment and take care of everything else needed in life. So it is a "good enough" solution for the time being. Trying not to let perfect be the enemy of good!

Right now, I'm figuring if something has to give, I would prefer it be exercise than diet. So if I have to choose between cooking a whole chicken and doing a workout, I'll pick the chicken. Better for my health (I respond really strongly to dietary factors), but will certainly slow my fitness goals. Luckily, I get plenty of "low and slow" movement in my job and daily life (nurse = what is a chair?)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #827 on: April 22, 2016, 12:48:12 PM »

Setting realistic expectations for your body type is so important! I'm glad you understand that. It is one I still struggle with, I am tall and building muscle has been a bit of struggle for me, my limbs are so long so 1 lb of muscle on me isn't as impressive as 1 lb of muscle on a shorter person. Time is the biggest struggle, I want 3 week results, even 6 week results! But in actually I'm going to new several years to achieve what I'm after.

The amount of work is important too, but honestly it's diet that is the hardest part. Adding exercise will make you healthier, and fitter, and it's definitely necessary if want to add lean muscle/"tone" but if you want to be skinnier that comes from diet. :/ "eating healthy" isn't really enough either, calories in vs. calories out will always be the basis, your body is tricky too and loves homeostasis so it will do things to try to get you to stay the same weight if it's happy there. This is why ending a diet so often leads to weight gain, your body will fight back and make you extra hungry or extra lethargic(or both) to try and fight the imbalance in calories.

Bottom line, enjoy the process, don't do anything too extreme, appreciate where you are each and every day. :)
The especially hard part about diet is the lack of leeway the older you get. I already eat a clean diet and maintain a reasonable calorie level. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that I have very little leeway if I want to lose those 5 pounds.

For example, at the same calorie level... Lower carb > smart carb > a few cheats

The only way I get reasonable results has been when I have completely eliminated all cheats for a month.  Not even a cheat a week.  That means, no alcohol, no wheat, no sugar.
(Am I willing to give up wine, chocolate, and bread for 45 years? Ummm...)

All else (calories) being equal, keeping my "heavy carbs/ starches" to only beans, brown rice, oats, corn, potatoes beats allowing the occasional glass of wine or piece of bread.
And reducing these carbs to 1 serving a day (maybe 2) works even better.

I've been fiddling around with various combinations, but those are what work.  It's a bummer really.

I have a friend who has always been fit and trim, works out a lot - walking, weight lifting.  She's 72.  After 70, she gained 15 pounds, put her maybe 5 pounds overweight.  She talked to her doc, and he said "Um, you are 70".  On one hand, a few extra pounds is good at that age, as it helps you weather illness better.  I lost 8 pounds due to stomach flu, it wasn't pretty.

In addition to her 1.5 hours a day of workouts, she added a 2x a week HIIT class, and that got 10 pounds off of her.  (She was already reducing her calories to about 1200-1300 a day).

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #828 on: April 22, 2016, 12:53:20 PM »
A million factors to go into why you could or could no do a "lift" on one day versus another. Or why one extra rep seemed to lead to more fatigue than expected. (But if you were "shaking" you were certainly at failure! (and it could have been failure of one particular type of muscle tissue vs another, which is why you were still "strong" enough to continue the set)) If we all progressed in a straight line we'd have super human strength by now! ;) Could be lack of recovery, not enough fuel in the tank, not enough sleep in general, taking a shorter rest period, etc.

Not so weird, in my opinion.

I agree with Eat.Train.Yoga.Love- any number of things- down to the amount of carbs you did or did not have. Removing rest space- all these things matter.   As tough as we are- we are susceptible to the smallest of swings.
And its' all okay!
Well I definitely suck at sleeping, but now that you mention it, I did drop my rest between sets from 1:30 to 1:00. Hmmm.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #829 on: April 23, 2016, 06:51:11 AM »
I'm only 4 weeks out from my half ironman and not feeling ready.  Since it's an early season race, most of my biking has been indoors on the bike trainer.  Got outside for the first time last weekend and was sllooooow.  Heading back out tomorrow and hoping that my speed is better.  I was completely exhausted and emotional last week so I'm sure that didn't help my biking any.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #830 on: April 23, 2016, 12:01:20 PM »
I'm only 4 weeks out from my half ironman and not feeling ready.  Since it's an early season race, most of my biking has been indoors on the bike trainer.  Got outside for the first time last weekend and was sllooooow.  Heading back out tomorrow and hoping that my speed is better.  I was completely exhausted and emotional last week so I'm sure that didn't help my biking any.
I am mobile right now, so I don't have quick access to your goals. However, I don't know that one can actually be ready for an Ironman (half or not). Which means that when you complete it in a few weeks, you will have done so in spite of feeling unready, which greatly increases the bad ass quotient.

No progress pics from me yet, buy even with the issues I've had, I'm almost down to 180lb. About 15-20 lbs from when I last weighed myself. Sweet. Still no six pack though.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #831 on: April 23, 2016, 04:40:27 PM »
So I guess all of those TRX single leg squats with a one arm row are paying off. Jumped up to the pull-up bar and pulled myself up (overhand grip and all!). I'm sure there was momentum from the jump, but I'd say I'm getting pretty close to that strict pull-up goal without even realizing it!
Kick ass!

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #832 on: April 25, 2016, 06:50:06 AM »
Check-in... I basically took the week off in hopes of getting my calves back on board. I did nothing Monday-Thursday. Easy swim Friday (no problems) and a three mile run Sunday. The run was... weird. My feet felt like blocks of wood for the the first half mile, legs felt off for the first couple of miles. My calves started to get tight toward the end, hence stopping at mile 3 as my plan was 4 miles. Today I do not have calf pain, but I can feel them if that makes any sense (don't worry, it doesn't to me either). I have no idea what this means moving forward for me. I'm going to take it easy this week again, no runs over 3-4 miles, focus on upper body strength work, and swimming. I'd planned this week to start easing back into cycling to work most days, but I think I'll save the legs for now. If nothing eases up next week, I might call the doctor and see what he says.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #833 on: April 25, 2016, 08:21:46 AM »
Had a pretty successful weekend-
M- Lift
T- Dance
W- Dance + Lift
T- Interval Cardio Class + 15 minutes of jump rope
F- Dance Gig
Sat- 3 hrs of dance + Lift- 10 minutes cardio + dance
Sun- 2 hrs of Dance

I need to do more cardio- but I can't seem to get myself up at a reasonable time- because I cant' get myself to BED at a reasonable time- so sigh. Still fighting that good fight.  Plan this week is
M- Lift
T- Dance
W- cardio
T- lift
Sun- lift

I have a gig Friday and Saturday night- so hopefully I can still squeeze some cardio in there.


Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #834 on: April 25, 2016, 11:31:54 AM »
Had a pretty good run yesterday. If I could maintain that pace for my upcoming half marathon that would be a very respectable time.

I did, however, manage to tweak my Achilles' tendon. :(

Now I'm off to the gym to abuse my chest, shoulder, and tricep muscle groups. :)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #835 on: April 25, 2016, 12:21:16 PM »
I don't even have hikes as goals, especially considering that I don't make plans until about 20 minutes before I implement them. This weekend we hiked around 23 miles (16 miles on Sunday, around 7 on Saturday). I got some really cool photos that reinforced the relationship we have with the Sun. It's kind of a scale vertigo when thinking how much goes into that relationship. The tilt of the earth, the location in our orbit around the Sun. Amazingness. I'll write a bit more about that in my Journal and in JS's later.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #836 on: April 25, 2016, 01:03:38 PM »
Last week I had my worst workout week in four months, combo of jetlag/stress/anxiety/schedule.

I still managed to bike 56 miles, run 2 days, and hit Barre and dance class. So you know what, it's not THAT bad. On the scale of "not working out enough", it's like a 6.5 on a 10-point scale.

But this week I have much more ambitious plans to get back up to my working out 6 days a week: 2 days of HIIT, one day of lifting, two days of barre/dance fit, and 2 runs. BACK TO WORKING OUT, everyone!

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #837 on: April 25, 2016, 01:22:16 PM »
ASL, here is the main picture that caused that train of thought. North facing vs. South Facing slopes on a hike. Traversing both, especially in 70F weather. Hot and dry sometimes, feet going numb and going through up to 18" of snow, all within minutes of each other, and a couple of minutes outside of the City.


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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #838 on: April 26, 2016, 02:05:26 PM »
Today I took a walk outside during a break to blow off steam, because I have been having a bit of a day. A co-worker came with me. She finally asked me what was up, because I have been a very short tempered, out of sorts version of myself for the last week or two. At first I brushed it off to being April (it's always a busy, stressful month) to which she replied, "No, this is not you normally during our busy, stressful times." So I thought about it. And then I realized, I haven't run or barely worked out in a week and a half. It also occurred to me that I have been a much happier person in general the last year since I renewed my focus on health and fitness. Here's hoping for my sake (and apparently my co-workers) that I can get back to it soon!

I'm also a little jealous of all you who get to hike regularly. Keep posting pictures and letting this flat lander live vicariously through them! Hiking around cornfields just isn't the same. :)

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #839 on: April 27, 2016, 10:15:52 AM »
For those of you who want a lot of pictures about the places we live, the adventures we go on, and the beauty we see, I highly suggest jumping over to the Show me your beautiful places thread. It's pretty much a picture thread, and has some amazing shots in it. For this thread, feel free to post the adventures we undertake on our Strength and Fitness journey here. After all, we all do this for a reason, and keeping that in mind can't hurt our journey.

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #840 on: April 27, 2016, 12:22:35 PM »

I used to live in a much (much!!) flatter region than I do now, so I can sympathize. That being said, I bet there are some really beautiful walks in your region somewhere - I think everywhere has some sort of intrinsic beauty, although you may have to look harder sometimes. In the flatter region where I used to live, I used to regularly go for photo walks to try to find the hidden gems - worked really well for me, YMMV.  :)


I actually totally agree! I should also admit, even though I made fun of them in my earlier post, I weirdly find beauty in corn fields, I just like the orderly rows, the bright green leaves... and we do have some lovely places around here to exercise for sure. We have some great paved paths that go for miles through old railroad right of ways and are awesome! Alternate between trees,  farm fields, and small town scenery. We cycle and run them regularly, but I do sometimes wish my outdoor adventures could include more actual trail running!

I ran three miles last night... my calves did not hurt. I thought about running more, then I told myself to not be an idiot and cause a set back. Fingers crossed this improvement continues.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #841 on: April 27, 2016, 01:48:45 PM »
Ugh, tweaked my back on a heavy deficit deadlift today. Dropped the bar as soon as I felt a twinge but it's pretty stiff and sore now. Hopefully just a muscle strain. I was feeling really good before that and I'm afraid I let my technique get sloppy. Not the wisest approach when pulling 495lbs! :(

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #842 on: April 27, 2016, 01:50:54 PM »
Ugh, tweaked my back on a heavy deficit deadlift today. Dropped the bar as soon as I felt a twinge but it's pretty stiff and sore now. Hopefully just a muscle strain. I was feeling really good before that and I'm afraid I let my technique get sloppy. Not the wisest approach when pulling 495lbs! :(

Yeah, 495lbs is no joke. I have no advice for this particular injury, since I don't lift anything besides my tubby ass, but what have you done so far? Does ice/heat help stuff like that?

Lagom

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #843 on: April 27, 2016, 02:00:06 PM »
Ugh, tweaked my back on a heavy deficit deadlift today. Dropped the bar as soon as I felt a twinge but it's pretty stiff and sore now. Hopefully just a muscle strain. I was feeling really good before that and I'm afraid I let my technique get sloppy. Not the wisest approach when pulling 495lbs! :(

Yeah, 495lbs is no joke. I have no advice for this particular injury, since I don't lift anything besides my tubby ass, but what have you done so far? Does ice/heat help stuff like that?

Yeah, iced it quite a bit, a long hot shower (wish I had easy access to a hot tub!), more ice, and vitamin-I (ibuprofen). Been using my portable standing desk for work as well (luckily, I work from home) as sitting is not too comfortable. While painful, it feels like it's only a muscle injury, so hopefully I'll recovery quickly.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #844 on: April 27, 2016, 03:47:08 PM »
I'm here to report that I completed Day 10 / 30 of the 30 days to splits challenge. So far..... I'm not seeing a difference. But then again, I always knew that my tendons (is that what we are stretching?) are extra stiff. Still going to get through 30 days though, even if I skip a day here or there! (I've skipped 1 day due to food poisoning).

Here to report that I finally picked up Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym book from the library per recommendation from this thread's list of references. I'm in love with the concept! Can anyone offer experience / success stories from following the 10-week program in YAYOG? I'm a horribly impulsive person, so I actually got the App that goes with this book since I've had about $10 sitting around in my iTunes account for... no lie... 5+ years. Yup. Hopefully this is a good use! Before finding this book, I was contemplating joining up at the local gym for group classes, which would've been roughly $80/mo, so a $5's worth of credits that probably wouldn't have gotten used up else where is definitely worth a try!

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #845 on: April 27, 2016, 06:36:36 PM »
I'm here to report that I completed Day 10 / 30 of the 30 days to splits challenge. So far..... I'm not seeing a difference. But then again, I always knew that my tendons (is that what we are stretching?) are extra stiff. Still going to get through 30 days though, even if I skip a day here or there! (I've skipped 1 day due to food poisoning).

Here to report that I finally picked up Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym book from the library per recommendation from this thread's list of references. I'm in love with the concept! Can anyone offer experience / success stories from following the 10-week program in YAYOG? I'm a horribly impulsive person, so I actually got the App that goes with this book since I've had about $10 sitting around in my iTunes account for... no lie... 5+ years. Yup. Hopefully this is a good use! Before finding this book, I was contemplating joining up at the local gym for group classes, which would've been roughly $80/mo, so a $5's worth of credits that probably wouldn't have gotten used up else where is definitely worth a try!

I have the book, and have read through it, but I haven't done the actual program. However, I did find this thread on the MyFitnessPal forums that may have some of the information you want. Here are a few excerpts:

Quote
I'm seven weeks into the second level, and loving it so far. Some days are more challenging then others but have seen a lot of changes to by body. My legs have become leaner but strong (I love strong legs!), I have a lot more definition in my arms/upper body and my bum has became a lot more pert/firmer ;) I've had a lot of compliments on it in recent months and the guy I'm involved with loves my bum haha.

Quote
I've been doing the app. I'm in week 8 of my second run through the basic level. Scrolling back through MFP, I started sept. 30, but I was very sporadic about it at first. It looks like I didn't get regular about it till novemberish. Anyway, per my log, I weighed 168.5 then. Today I weigh 132. And I have muscles!

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my arms and shoulders look better, I actually have muscles there now (never really had that before). My legs look more muscular, too. If you stick to the body weight training stuff from Mark Lauren, you surely see results.


Actually, while finding excerpts, I just realized that it's a very short thread. Hope that helps.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #846 on: April 27, 2016, 06:38:22 PM »
Oh, and this looks like a collection of stories from around the web:

http://bodyweighttrainingarena.com/you-are-your-own-gym-results/

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #847 on: April 28, 2016, 08:53:35 AM »
I'm here to report that I completed Day 10 / 30 of the 30 days to splits challenge. So far..... I'm not seeing a difference. But then again, I always knew that my tendons (is that what we are stretching?) are extra stiff. Still going to get through 30 days though, even if I skip a day here or there! (I've skipped 1 day due to food poisoning).

Here to report that I finally picked up Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym book from the library per recommendation from this thread's list of references. I'm in love with the concept! Can anyone offer experience / success stories from following the 10-week program in YAYOG? I'm a horribly impulsive person, so I actually got the App that goes with this book since I've had about $10 sitting around in my iTunes account for... no lie... 5+ years. Yup. Hopefully this is a good use! Before finding this book, I was contemplating joining up at the local gym for group classes, which would've been roughly $80/mo, so a $5's worth of credits that probably wouldn't have gotten used up else where is definitely worth a try!

In my experience, any program that you stay consistent with will yield results. Especially if you are new to training, you will see "gains" from just about anything relatively quickly. How effective a program is really only starts to factor in when you are training at a more advanced level (like struggling to add 5lbs to your already impressive 300lb+ deadlift).

So I'd say jump in and stick with it! I expect you'll be very happy with results. :)

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #848 on: April 28, 2016, 09:42:04 AM »
I'm just sitting here taking note of the sea conditions...debating whether or not I'm going to do a big paddle today. I think so. 20km or bust. :)

I'll be curious as to how this "feels" considering the strength gains I've made over the winter.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #849 on: April 28, 2016, 09:56:48 AM »
Okay, so while my workouts are going great (that freaking picture actually really helped). However, on walks around my lake and stuff, the SO challenged me to a pull up contest. I'm not at that step in CC yet, and she is pound per pound probably stronger than me overall. She works out every weekday morning, doing a combination of Insanity, Butt Bible, P90X, ChaLean Extreme, etc. But, even with only at the Jackknife pullups, I was able to pump out around 7 slow pull ups. She couldn't do any, so after her workouts on my pullup days, I'm going to start walking her through the progressions. All of that to say that I have been re-reading and researching a lot on pull ups lately. I recently read a few explosive calisthenics books, which is a bit different for me. It's all about training the existing strength to be more on the spot and increases intensity. Since my existing strength is my actual focus now, and not explosive strength, it was an interesting shift in thinking. I'm not changing my workout, as I still need a super solid foundation, but it's definitely something I am going to pursue a bit down the road (maybe as soon as S&F '17). I was just dicking around on the computer this morning, and found a video (below) where there is actually a challenge based on bars and explosive strength. This is the main event, so these guys are obviously at the top of their game, but being able to have that kind of body control is definitely something to work towards.

Video (SFW)





I'm just sitting here taking note of the sea conditions...debating whether or not I'm going to do a big paddle today. I think so. 20km or bust. :)

I'll be curious as to how this "feels" considering the strength gains I've made over the winter.

How many total kilometers have you paddled already?