Strength & Fitness 2016

[RonMcCord]

Checking in:

• Complete a 5K run

Have a few more sessions left on C25K.  I'm planning on doing a 5K on February 20th.

• 1 set/1 pullup (Stretch: 1set/>5 pullups)

Bought a pullup bar today and I was able to do a couple chinups.  I don't know if it's because I got stronger or if a doorframe bar is easier to pull yourself on than the one at the gym.  Regardless 1 was a really low bar and I might bump this to 1 set of 5 and make the stretch goal 1 set of 10.

• Drop weight to 145lbs

Current weight: 172lbs.  Afraid of the impending weigh-in because lots of fast food and going to a bachelor party where I already ate over my goals and that was before we started drinking.

[/list]

[IloveBakari]

Hi I'm Rachel, Bakari's finance (hence my name on this forum). My goals for 2016:

- run 5 miles in 40 mins comfortably
- bench: 8 reps at 65lb; row: 8 reps at 70lb; clean and press: 8 reps at 50lb; pull down: 8 reps at 80lbs; squat: 8 at 95lbs; deadlift: 8 reps at 85lbs
- stop drinking soda
- frequency: 2 cardio and 2 strengh training a week
- get consistent enough with exercise that signing up for Crossfit make sense financially
- conceive a baby

[Bakari]

I'm a little late to the party, but been talking to Jordan and this is a great idea and I could use the extra motivation!

It just so happens that (for the first time in ever) I have a specific reason to have some very concrete goals: I just applied to be on American Ninja Warrior!!

https://youtu.be/MkoI_8l60Ag (my application video)

     Ninja Warrior specific goals:

- consistently get up the 14ft warped wall at least 2 out of 3 attempts (currently can make 13ft 1 out of 4 tries)
- 4 reps full-range-of-motion 1-armed pull-ups (current: zero.  But I have done them in the past)
- 5 reps muscle-up

    Other - meet or exceed all of my previous personal bests:

- 70 push-ups in 60 seconds
- 58 sit-ups in 60 seconds
- 210# bench
- 140# overhead press
- 275# deadlift
- 275# squat
- 100# weighted pull-up
- run 1.5 mile in 10:25

    Process goals:

minimum 2 aerobic and 2 strength training workouts per week
minimum 1 ANW specific training every 2 weeks

   Aesthetic goal:

look like this guy again (me from about 2.5 years ago)




Not sure when (or if) I'll make it on the show, but I'd like to reach peak aesthetic form in time for the annual Bay 2 Breakers "race" on May 17th, as I plan to "run" it dressed as a stripper (again)

[Cookie78]

I'm still keeping up with my running and will likely focus on just that and nutrition for this month, then add some work on the other goals during the month of February.

I still hate having to go running in the cold, but once I get going I am enjoying it. I've only just started week 3 of a C25k program so it's not too hard yet, except when it's so cold it hurts to breathe.

[Jon_Snow]

I'm just about to head over to the gym...to punish myself appropriately for a few disappointing dietary transgressions over the weekend. All indicators point to this being a +2 hour session...10 mile bike on Level 16, and then chest, shoulders and triceps...perhaps with a few ab exercises thrown in. And perhaps some treadmill work to finish things off if I have anything left. I doubt I will.

[horsepoor]

Ran 6.7 miles yesterday.  It was tough, but manageable, which is good since I'm signed up for a 12K next weekend.  I haven't timed myself, but guessing I'm mostly running about a 9:30 pace.  Will need to up my game if I want to get under 2:10 at Robie (tough course, basically add 10-15 minutes to normal HM time).  I haven't done any sprinting yet, and need to do that.  My running endurance is OK, but my legs just feel heavy and slow, and I want them to feel light and quick again. 

Today is a strength training day, then I need to get a short run in on Wednesday.  I haven't broken my exercise streak; I've done *something* every day since December 31, but last Friday that was only 1.5 miles of walking.  Still planning to finish out the month.

Glad that weight isn't one of my goals, because even though I've been working out more and eating pretty clean, my weight has just gone over that number on the scale that I do not like to see.  Annoying, but hopefully it's just some retained water or whatever.

[griffin]

Just checking in too I guess. Linear progression going well, I deloaded bench a bit to adjust to increased volume from ICF 5x5.
Squat: 205x5
DL: 245x5
Bench: 160x5
OHP: 125x5
Row: 155x5
Big 3 total: 610 (5rm)
I've logged 4k+ calories consistently lately, and realized how often I wasn't eating enough on weekends. I should probably clarify that my goal is just to gain 20 pounds, I expect it will be at best 50/50 muscle/fat. Nice to read about everyone else's progress! Inspiring stuff :)

[jordanread]

tyort1	Decrease running 2:00/week until <= 30:00 Consistently do convict conditioning Bike ride regularly
ILoveBakari	Run 5 miles <= 40:00 1 set/8 bench press 65lbs 1 set/8 rows 70lbs 1 set/8 clean and press 50lbs 1 set/8 pull downs 80lbs 1 set/8 squats 95lbs 1 set/8 deadlift 80lbs Stop drinking soda >= 2X/week cardio >= 2X/week strength training Exercise consistently enough to sign up for CrossFit Conceive small human/baby
Bakari	2/3 consistent successful attempts @ 14ft Warped Wall 1 set/4 one armed pullups 1 set/5 muscle ups >= 70 pushups <= 00:60 >= 58 situps <= 00:60 1 set/1 bench press 210lbs 1 set/1 overhead press 140lbs 1 set/1 deadlift 275lbs 1 set/1 squat 275lbs 1 set/1 weighted pullup 100lbs Run 1.5 miles <= 10:25

Bought some good running shoes with some of the money I got for Christmas this year.  Started with a short 5 minute run today, will try to increase my time by 2 minutes every week till I get to 30 minutes.  After that I'll keep it at 30 minutes and just work on getting faster.  Combined with the Convict Conditioning strength exercises and regular bike riding, I think this will be one of my best years for fitness.

Wasn't quite sure about the specifics of these goals, but above I posted what I thought you meant. Hope it works well, but if not, let me know the specifics you want listed. Also, due to your unique name, I remember conversations last year regarding body weight training. Would you mind sharing where you are currently?

Hi I'm Rachel, Bakari's finance (hence my name on this forum). My goals for 2016:

2 things for you:

• You know Bakari is here as well? Since you are his fiance, I'm going to assume he knows about this 'Conceive a baby' goal.
• You have no idea how awkward it was to type out your username. I mean, I like Bakari, but still...

I'm a little late to the party, but been talking to Jordan and this is a great idea and I could use the extra motivation!

What?!?! You mean I randomly reach out to people via Hangouts, Texts, PMs, or miscellaneous goading just to get them to join in? Yeah, I suppose I do. I don't mean to make this awkward, but scrubbyfish was my first .

Not sure when (or if) I'll make it on the show, but I'd like to reach peak aesthetic form in time for the annual Bay 2 Breakers "race" on May 17th, as I plan to "run" it dressed as a stripper (again)

You had a six-pack, now I'm a bit jealous. I'd go as a stripper too. But I think everyone here has seen my before picture. I suppose there are six...um, somethings.

[jordanread]

Just checking in too I guess. Linear progression going well, I deloaded bench a bit to adjust to increased volume from ICF 5x5.

Shit, your's is great as well. I am literally right now (or once I'm done posting this), working on my linear progression spreadsheet to share.

[Bracken_Joy]

• You know Bakari is here as well? Since you are his fiance, I'm going to assume he knows about this 'Conceive a baby' goal.

Watch as this descends into a Maury-esque reveal. Drama on the MMM forum! (Completely kidding, and also hoping Bakari is in on that goal)

[Jon_Snow]

You had a six-pack, now I'm a bit jealous. I'd go as a stripper too. But I think everyone here has seen my before picture. I suppose there are six...um, somethings.

Worry not, friend. I was not long ago a fellow member of the six "roll" (I THINK you are referring to belly rolls here...if not IGNORE this) club. I think I am down to my last, stubborn roll...but it's days are numbered. :)

And I can't see Bakari's abs. ;)

[Quetzal]

The only thing off the top of my head that I can think of is that the progressions standards demand perfect form before you move on (as I'm sure you know).

Emphasis mine. I actually know little to nothing about Convict Conditioning, so feel free to keep providing the type of useful feedback you gave in response to my initial post. Thinking I may need to buy the book to understand the 'perfect form' piece (it's not at the library). One thing is clear: I do not have the strength to even do the very first leg raise exercise with proper form, nor the squat exercise, and in both cases I think the culprit is the same -- my abdominal muscles. Thus for awhile I may need to replace those two with crunches and other squat-like exercises until I have enough oomph in my body to keep proper form for the outlined exercises.

My week one was a success: three cardio workouts of at least 30 minutes each and at 80% of target heart rate; convict conditioning twice; 6 nights of 7+ hours of sleep. Working on the better nutrition thing still. ;-)

On the subject of helpful apps: I downloaded HabitBull last night. In the free version you can track up to five habits (I think it said up to 100 in the $5 version). You can have different goals (daily, 4x/week) with different ways of tracking (Done Yes/No, connect to google fit to track number of steps, etc). So far I like it and it's very easy to use. I had tried another habit tracker before (don't remember which one) and it didn't have an option for a number of days a week without selecting specific days but this one does. It tells you right on the main screen what percentage of each habit you've kept up on and what percentage of all habits

Thanks for the great suggestion. I'm enjoying using it!

Nice work to everyone. Very inspiring!

[Bakari]

Hi I'm Rachel, Bakari's finance (hence my name on this forum). My goals for 2016:

2 things for you:

• You know Bakari is here as well? Since you are his fiance, I'm going to assume he knows about this 'Conceive a baby' goal.
• You have no idea how awkward it was to type out your username. I mean, I like Bakari, but still...

:-P I encouraged her to join the forum, just for this thread.  I had no part in picking her screen name or goals however.  I thought those were both a little strange myself... but yeah, the baby "goal" is known, but its still quite a few months off before we even start trying.  Also, I really didn't think of that as a "fitness" goal - although, now that I think about it, in an evolutionary sense I guess it literally is

I'm a little late to the party, but been talking to Jordan and this is a great idea and I could use the extra motivation!

What?!?! You mean I randomly reach out to people via Hangouts, Texts, PMs, or miscellaneous goading just to get them to join in? Yeah, I suppose I do. I don't mean to make this awkward, but scrubbyfish was my first .

Well, thanks for that!  If nothing else, led to a very good first workout for us both this afternoon.

Not sure when (or if) I'll make it on the show, but I'd like to reach peak aesthetic form in time for the annual Bay 2 Breakers "race" on May 17th, as I plan to "run" it dressed as a stripper (again)

You had a six-pack, now I'm a bit jealous. I'd go as a stripper too. But I think everyone here has seen my before picture. I suppose there are six...um, somethings.

Yeah, keyword "had"

[Bracken_Joy]

Hi I'm Rachel, Bakari's finance (hence my name on this forum). My goals for 2016:
- conceive a baby

FWIW, I'm here with you! Just didn't list it as a goal. But DH and I will (most likely) start trying to conceive in the fall. Definitely a motivator for fitness and nutrition choices! So you have a goal buddy for that one.

Now just to cut down on coffee and wine in the meantime... I'm working on the second one, anyway =P

[peppermint]

I'd like to join in with some fitness goals.

Rock climbing goals:
consistently top-rope 5.10s in the gym
lead 5.9s in the gym
boulder V2 consistently (bouldering is hard for me, which is why I need to work on it)

Aerial goals:
Complete aerial beginner II
Have fun :)

Running goals:
Run 100 miles in 2016 (I go through phases with running. Recently I haven't been running much)
Complete a 10K

Other:
Go to yoga/pilates more to work on core strength and flexibility
Go hiking at least 1x/month

I should check in weekly, but didn't. So for the last 2.5 weeks (I use a tracker):
- run 3x (7.3 miles so far, ~2.5 miles each time- just getting back into running)
- hit the climbing gym 3x (today, I led two 5.8s and tried a 5.8+ but was getting a bit tired, so I stopped after a fall on the route and went back to top-rope. Will work on that one next time)
- gone to aerials class 2x so far
- yoga class 1x, at home 2x
- no pilates or hiking.

This week's goals:
- go bouldering
- go to one pilates or yoga class
- go to aerials class
- run 2x

[2Birds1Stone]

Update!

I did it! I ran the 10 mile race on Saturday.

This was an amazing experience. I finished in 1:27 averaging an 8:45 minute/mile pace.

The afterparty was fantastic. This race ends at a very popular brewery and sells out each year in minutes (1500 slots).

[jordanread]

Update!

I did it! I ran the 10 mile race on Saturday.

This was an amazing experience. I finished in 1:27 averaging an 8:45 minute/mile pace.

The afterparty was fantastic. This race ends at a very popular brewery and sells out each year in minutes (1500 slots).

Congrats! Was this one of your goals? I've listed them below.

2Birds1Stone

Run 1 mile <= 6:00 Run 5K < 22:00 Run 10K < 45:00 Complete Sprint triathlon < 1:30:00 Complete Half-IronMan triathlon >= 50 miles cycled before IronMan >= 1.2 miles swam before IronMan Complete Selden hills 10K < 54:00 Lose 20lbs of fat Complete Manorville Hills Single Track <= 1:20:00 1 set/1 deadlift 455lbs 1 set/1 squat 405lbs 1 set/1 bench press 315lbs 1 set/12 pull ups

[alleykat]

20 mins on my rebounder - my goal is 45
15 kettlebell swings - my goal is 50  I am not sure I am doing these correctly.  I need to get the form down.

I slacked off a bit but am back on track.

[jordanread]

You had a six-pack, now I'm a bit jealous. I'd go as a stripper too. But I think everyone here has seen my before picture. I suppose there are six...um, somethings.

Worry not, friend. I was not long ago a fellow member of the six "roll" (I THINK you are referring to belly rolls here...if not IGNORE this) club. I think I am down to my last, stubborn roll...but it's days are numbered. :)

And I can't see Bakari's abs. ;)

The 6 roll club. I like that.

Did anyone else look at that picture and initially think he was posing naked and the cat on his lap was some photoshop editing?


So a lot of people can measure their destination goals linearly. To that end, I took a bit of time to create a spreadsheet with charts that people can print out and put on the fridge or something. There is a post somewhere about how having something old school (like paper) with a trendline based on end-of-year goals can let you know if you are on track. You can make a copy, or just change the goals and print it out. Here is the link to the document. There are hidden sheets on the document, but the goals are 'before' and 'after'. If you have specific goals for bi-weekly, quarterly, etc, that aren't linear, you can use those hidden sheets to modify the charts, although I'd suggest making a copy of the sheet and editing it on your own. There was also some talk around this forum around little circles that one fills in as milestones are met, but I didn't add that to the sheet.

20 mins on my rebounder - my goal is 45
15 kettlebell swings - my goal is 50  I am not sure I am doing these correctly.  I need to get the form down.

I slacked off a bit but am back on track.

You might want to reach out to thegoblinchief. I think he did some training on that. Has anyone else here done kettlebell swings, and have anything regarding proper resources related to form?

[hudsoncat]

Update!

I did it! I ran the 10 mile race on Saturday.

Way to go! I always love to read a good race report if you are willing to share. :)

[alleykat]

20 mins on my rebounder - my goal is 45
15 kettlebell swings - my goal is 50  I am not sure I am doing these correctly.  I need to get the form down.

I slacked off a bit but am back on track.

You might want to reach out to thegoblinchief. I think he did some training on that. Has anyone else here done kettlebell swings, and have anything regarding proper resources related to form?

You quickly open your hips while squeezing your glutes to make the kettlebell swing without using your arms (they basically act as a lever here, so just keep them straight and hang on). Keep your back neutral (no arching backwards), your core engaged, and your weight mostly in your heels. The more rapidly you open your hips, the more power you put into the swing and the faster your KB will swing up. If you're doing these right, your hamstrings and glutes will be on fire and your heart rate will go up. You may feel fatigue in your forearms from gripping the handle. If you feel other parts of your arms, shoulders, or low back getting tired, that means you're using the wrong muscles and doing them wrong.

The guy in this video looks to have pretty good form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cVT3ee9mgU

It feels like I am doing what you describe but I know I am not nailing down a part of it.  I don't feel the fire at all.  I will take a look at this video when I get home and keep trying to perfect the form.

Thank you to you both.

[Bracken_Joy]

20 mins on my rebounder - my goal is 45
15 kettlebell swings - my goal is 50  I am not sure I am doing these correctly.  I need to get the form down.

I slacked off a bit but am back on track.

You might want to reach out to thegoblinchief. I think he did some training on that. Has anyone else here done kettlebell swings, and have anything regarding proper resources related to form?

You quickly open your hips while squeezing your glutes to make the kettlebell swing without using your arms (they basically act as a lever here, so just keep them straight and hang on). Keep your back neutral (no arching backwards), your core engaged, and your weight mostly in your heels. The more rapidly you open your hips, the more power you put into the swing and the faster your KB will swing up. If you're doing these right, your hamstrings and glutes will be on fire and your heart rate will go up. You may feel fatigue in your forearms from gripping the handle. If you feel other parts of your arms, shoulders, or low back getting tired, that means you're using the wrong muscles and doing them wrong.

The guy in this video looks to have pretty good form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cVT3ee9mgU

It feels like I am doing what you describe but I know I am not nailing down a part of it.  I don't feel the fire at all.  I will take a look at this video when I get home and keep trying to perfect the form.

Thank you to you both.

How much weight are you using? I have found that, unless I pick a pretty heavy weight (40lbs+), it's much more metcon and not actually pushing my strength much. This was much higher than I was expecting, having never done kettlebell before.

The most useful advice I had for form came from "4 hour body" by Tim Ferriss: he says, if Fido were to sniff your butt when you do the "snap", it'll crush his head. A bit of a terrible description, but certainly made my snap a lot sharper! Then I really felt the burn.

Good luck!

[Bracken_Joy]

Today's workout:
Squat: 5x2 at 115lbs
Overhead press: 4x5 at 45lbs (bar)
Extra:
Curls 4x3 at 45lbs (bar)
Delt flies 3x5 at 10lbs (per side) 

I didn't end up doing yoga yesterday (boo, but I wanted to give my knee a day off just in case). Knee went better today for my squats. I seem to have less of an issue with it under heavier load, which I think is amusing.

I'm not sure how next week will look: I'm working a string of 4 shifts, instead of the usual 3, and I usually do Saturday as my recovery day after work before getting back to working out. Since I'm working this Saturday, I might just have one strength and one metcon day next week.

And strength and fitness is sometimes very NOT frugal! I ripped my pants squatting (don't remember if that was last week or Monday) =( To be fair, they were like 8 years old. But still!

[2Birds1Stone]

Update!

I did it! I ran the 10 mile race on Saturday.

Way to go! I always love to read a good race report if you are willing to share. :)

Not sure what a "race report" is haha!

This was an Annual 10 mile brewery run.

1500+ runners.

It was my first foot race (did my first sprint distance triathlon at the end of August)

I attached the Garmin Connect mile split times. Not sure how to make it show in the body of the post here.

I felt really good, till about mile 9......where my ankle/foot started hurting. By the time I got across the finish line I was noticeably limping.

Can't wait till the next one!

[Kerowyn]

Well, my fitness goals are on hold for a couple of weeks. Or rather, I've replaced them with a temporary, more urgent one: recover from this nasty upper respiratory infection and let the antibiotics do their job.

Jordan, nice pic. I love your fierce facial expression. You may say you're shouting in pain, I say you're roaring in defiance.

IloveBakari and Bracken_Joy, I'm right there with you! I can't say it's a concrete goal at this point, but the hope is certainly the driving force behind my fitness goal.

Bakari, I'm impressed and wish you luck in your fitness goal. Not too many can pull off keeping two cats content at the same time. Very noble.

[horsepoor]

Ditto wondering about your KB weight.  I usually use a 25# bell for 1-handed swings and it's definitely more metcon, though if I do enough swings I feel the burn in the form of glute and hamstring soreness later.  Even 1-handed, I need to go to my 35# bell (or 50# 2-handed) to really feel my muscles fatiguing without lots of reps.

[Tyson]

Wasn't quite sure about the specifics of these goals, but above I posted what I thought you meant. Hope it works well, but if not, let me know the specifics you want listed. Also, due to your unique name, I remember conversations last year regarding body weight training. Would you mind sharing where you are currently?

Running - Right now I'm just trying to get to where I can run continuously for 30 minutes.  I'm at 6 minutes currently, going to increase by 1 minute every workout.  So it might end up 3 minutes per week instead of 2 like I originally said. 

Convict Conditioning - 2 things happened - I completely stopped doing anything over christmas/new years break, and then I got sick right after that, so went for about a month doing nothing.  That was a setback, but not horrible. I also decided that I actually rushed through some of the earlier variations too quickly.  So I've dropped back to the following:

Full Pushups
Narrow Full Squats
Jackknife Pullups
Floor Flat Leg Raises
Angled Bridges

One thing I'm changing this year - I'm going to add reps much, much more slowly and I'm going to really, really stick with each variation and have complete and utter mastery over it before I even consider moving on to the next step.  Becoming impatient and rushing through the variations was a big mistake last time. 

[alleykat]

Thank you all for the insight about the kettlebells.  I think I am not using enough weight.  I was only using 10lbs to start, I am embarrassed to say that now, but I wanted to start off slow to avoid injuries.  But, I think that is the problem.  I will try a higher weight. 

Thanks again.

[IloveBakari]

FWIW, I'm here with you! Just didn't list it as a goal. But DH and I will (most likely) start trying to conceive in the fall. Definitely a motivator for fitness and nutrition choices! So you have a goal buddy for that one.

Now just to cut down on coffee and wine in the meantime... I'm working on the second one, anyway =P

Yes exactly! I want to start making the healthy choices now that I will need to make when I'm pregnant so the transition is easier. I'm glad we can be goal buddies for this!

Everyone else, sorry for the overshare :)

[horsepoor]

Thank you all for the insight about the kettlebells.  I think I am not using enough weight.  I was only using 10lbs to start, I am embarrassed to say that now, but I wanted to start off slow to avoid injuries.  But, I think that is the problem.  I will try a higher weight. 

Thanks again.

Don't be embarrassed!  It's a good idea to start with a light one to learn the move.  I keep my smaller bell that I started with just for that purpose.  The swing is kind of different because the bell is basically acting like a counter-weight to your torso/butt, so if it's really light, it just doesn't work right. 

While you're playing around with the KB's, you might enjoy learning to do Turkish get-ups as well.  They work every muscle, so they're great for warming up and are good for muscle coordination too.  But do start with a very light weight on those.  :)

[Bakari]

I took a bit of time to create a spreadsheet with charts that people can print out and put on the fridge or something. There is a post somewhere about how having something old school (like paper) with a trendline based on end-of-year goals can let you know if you are on track. You can make a copy, or just change the goals and print it out. Here is the link to the document.

This looks interesting, but I'm not entirely clear on how its meant to be used.  What do the numbers mean?  Where does one put what?

[hudsoncat]

So I've been running in cold weather for a couple years now, but this year something is different. My arms are always FREEZING. I have tried different layering. My hands are fine, my core is fine, my legs are fine, but my arms freeze for some reason. I've tried putting on another layer, but then my trunk was way too warm. I did try wearing a zip up outer layer that I could unzip to cool off the core, but that just seemed to allow cool air in to the arms as well (jacket is a little big, that could be part of the problem. Extra space around the shoulders for air to go down the arms.) My next thought is to cut the toes out of a pair of old tube socks to make arm warmers.

Any tips from other cold weather exercisers?

[monstermonster]

I took a bit of time to create a spreadsheet with charts that people can print out and put on the fridge or something. There is a post somewhere about how having something old school (like paper) with a trendline based on end-of-year goals can let you know if you are on track. You can make a copy, or just change the goals and print it out. Here is the link to the document.

This looks interesting, but I'm not entirely clear on how its meant to be used.  What do the numbers mean?  Where does one put what?

You put in whatever number you need for the metric (pounds lifted, miles run) each day, and the graphs on the last tab will indicate if it is close to where it needs to be.

I've mentioned it before, but one of my favorite parts about beeminder is that if you enter the data, it not only creates the trendline for you, but also tells you how much you should do on X day to get up to trendline. It's great for running/time goals, only okay for weightlifting goals. Here's my beeminder trendline for accomplishing 365 miles of running this year.

[McBuck]

Coming out of lurking to join the fun and stay motivated. My goals for 2016 are:

For May 1:
Complete 16 week marathon training program
Finish < 4:00 in my 1st (& probably last) marathon  (ran my 1st 1/2 at 1:48 in the fall)
Cut to 165lbs by race day (currently 175)

For Dec 31:
Bulk to 181lbs
Improve squat to 405lbs (Currently 360)
Improve deadlift to 500lbs (Currently 430)
Improve flexibility (especially ankle dorsiflexion) - this should improve my form and help increase 1RM

[jordanread]

You put in whatever number you need for the metric (pounds lifted, miles run) each day, and the graphs on the last tab will indicate if it is close to where it needs to be.

I've mentioned it before, but one of my favorite parts about beeminder is that if you enter the data, it not only creates the trendline for you, but also tells you how much you should do on X day to get up to trendline. It's great for running/time goals, only okay for weightlifting goals. Here's my beeminder trendline for accomplishing 365 miles of running this year.

That's way better than my quick and dirty one. I like it.

I took a bit of time to create a spreadsheet with charts that people can print out and put on the fridge or something. There is a post somewhere about how having something old school (like paper) with a trendline based on end-of-year goals can let you know if you are on track. You can make a copy, or just change the goals and print it out. Here is the link to the document.

This looks interesting, but I'm not entirely clear on how its meant to be used.  What do the numbers mean?  Where does one put what?

Bakari, I'm going to make up some starting points with your squat goal. I'll assume a starting weight of 95lbs. Take a look at the 'Goals' tab and the 'Daily' chart. This is a super rough thing. Base functionality is for straight linear goals, without a difference between the charts (since I only have so much time), but messing with the other sheets will yield some additional functionality, especially when you use formulas instead of base numbers. If you want to touch base a little later, I can give you some additional guidance. I only made the base functionality because I know that I'll get totally caught up in it and not get anything else accomplished.

Coming out of lurking to join the fun and stay motivated. My goals for 2016 are:

For May 1:
Complete 16 week marathon training program
Finish < 4:00 in my 1st (& probably last) marathon  (ran my 1st 1/2 at 1:48 in the fall)
Cut to 165lbs by race day (currently 175)

For Dec 31:
Bulk to 181lbs
Improve squat to 405lbs (Currently 360)
Improve deadlift to 500lbs (Currently 430)
Improve flexibility (especially ankle dorsiflexion) - this should improve my form and help increase 1RM

I'll add those to the tracking post momentarily. Welcome to the Gauntlet!!

[jordanread]

Coming out of lurking to join the fun and stay motivated. My goals for 2016 are:

For May 1:
Complete 16 week marathon training program
Finish < 4:00 in my 1st (& probably last) marathon  (ran my 1st 1/2 at 1:48 in the fall)
Cut to 165lbs by race day (currently 175)

For Dec 31:
Bulk to 181lbs
Improve squat to 405lbs (Currently 360)
Improve deadlift to 500lbs (Currently 430)
Improve flexibility (especially ankle dorsiflexion) - this should improve my form and help increase 1RM

I think I have all of your goals added. I assumed you meant finish in < 1 hour as opposed to 4, so I reflected that in the goals. Also, I'm not sure what 1RM means specifically, and as it relates to flexibility. Do you care to expand on that?

[monstermonster]

Coming out of lurking to join the fun and stay motivated. My goals for 2016 are:

For May 1:
Complete 16 week marathon training program
Finish < 4:00 in my 1st (& probably last) marathon  (ran my 1st 1/2 at 1:48 in the fall)
Cut to 165lbs by race day (currently 175)

For Dec 31:
Bulk to 181lbs
Improve squat to 405lbs (Currently 360)
Improve deadlift to 500lbs (Currently 430)
Improve flexibility (especially ankle dorsiflexion) - this should improve my form and help increase 1RM

I think I have all of your goals added. I assumed you meant finish in < 1 hour as opposed to 4, so I reflected that in the goals. Also, I'm not sure what 1RM means specifically, and as it relates to flexibility. Do you care to expand on that?

I'm pretty sure a sub-1 hour marathon would be crazypants. It's probably sub-4 hours.

[jordanread]

Wasn't quite sure about the specifics of these goals, but above I posted what I thought you meant. Hope it works well, but if not, let me know the specifics you want listed. Also, due to your unique name, I remember conversations last year regarding body weight training. Would you mind sharing where you are currently?

Running - Right now I'm just trying to get to where I can run continuously for 30 minutes.  I'm at 6 minutes currently, going to increase by 1 minute every workout.  So it might end up 3 minutes per week instead of 2 like I originally said. 

Convict Conditioning - 2 things happened - I completely stopped doing anything over christmas/new years break, and then I got sick right after that, so went for about a month doing nothing.  That was a setback, but not horrible. I also decided that I actually rushed through some of the earlier variations too quickly.  So I've dropped back to the following:

Full Pushups
Narrow Full Squats
Jackknife Pullups
Floor Flat Leg Raises
Angled Bridges

One thing I'm changing this year - I'm going to add reps much, much more slowly and I'm going to really, really stick with each variation and have complete and utter mastery over it before I even consider moving on to the next step.  Becoming impatient and rushing through the variations was a big mistake last time.

I'll leave the CC goals as they are, but I changed the running goal to "Run >= 30:00 non-stop". Does that work?

Also, that is a kickass progression!!!

[McBuck]

I think I have all of your goals added. I assumed you meant finish in < 1 hour as opposed to 4, so I reflected that in the goals. Also, I'm not sure what 1RM means specifically, and as it relates to flexibility. Do you care to expand on that?

I definitely don't think I can halve the current world record, but I'll try my best haha. (4 hours was correct)

1RM = 1 rep max. It relates to my weightlifting goals because my horrible mobility is impeding my lifting progress.

For squats specifically, my ankles aren't flexible enough so I have to hinge more at the hips, causing me to use more back muscles instead of legs. If I can bend farther forward at my ankles, I can stay more upright at the bottom of the squat and be able to lift more. That's the plan anyways

[jordanread]

I definitely don't think I can halve the current world record, but I'll try my best haha. (4 hours was correct)

Yeah, that was my fault. I missed the '1/2' part of your commentary below, and got confused with your current time:

Finish < 4:00 in my 1st (& probably last) marathon  (ran my 1st 1/2 at 1:48 in the fall)

I don't run, so these are just numbers for me. Sorry for the misunderstanding on my part.

So I've been running in cold weather for a couple years now, but this year something is different. My arms are always FREEZING. I have tried different layering. My hands are fine, my core is fine, my legs are fine, but my arms freeze for some reason. I've tried putting on another layer, but then my trunk was way too warm. I did try wearing a zip up outer layer that I could unzip to cool off the core, but that just seemed to allow cool air in to the arms as well (jacket is a little big, that could be part of the problem. Extra space around the shoulders for air to go down the arms.) My next thought is to cut the toes out of a pair of old tube socks to make arm warmers.

Any tips from other cold weather exercisers?

I bike year round, and haven't had the same issue. It's usually my legs. That being said, I do have some arm only things (these ones), but even down to -14F, haven't had to use them. I like the idea of using socks as arm warmers, but remember that the main issue to deal with is 'wicking'. Cotton Kills. If you have some other material, I'd suggest using that instead, after researching it.

[Friar]

McBuck what stretches, etc. are you doing to improve your ankles? I am also working on that.


(edit: I guess we posted at the same time. :D)

Ditto. I try and sit in the third world squat for 3 minutes a day minimum, but most days don't succeed :P

[bloomability]

McBuck what stretches, etc. are you doing to improve your ankles? I am also working on that.


(edit: I guess we posted at the same time. :D)

Ditto. I try and sit in the third world squat for 3 minutes a day minimum, but most days don't succeed :P

good ol' mobility. What's great is that my entire left leg is a mess and tight because of my ankle. Glutes, hips, hamstrings, quads, calves, ankle, foot. All of it is on my list. None of it gets done.

Maybe we can make a February ankle challenge? 

[Tyson]

McBuck what stretches, etc. are you doing to improve your ankles? I am also working on that.


(edit: I guess we posted at the same time. :D)

Ditto. I try and sit in the third world squat for 3 minutes a day minimum, but most days don't succeed :P

good ol' mobility. What's great is that my entire left leg is a mess and tight because of my ankle. Glutes, hips, hamstrings, quads, calves, ankle, foot. All of it is on my list. None of it gets done.

Maybe we can make a February ankle challenge?

My ankles used to be super tight also, for me doing the progressions in Convict Conditioning really loosened things up.  Gave me better hip and knee flexibility too.  But mostly ankles.  If I ever get back to doing weighted squats or deadlifts again, that will help those lifts a lot. 

[McBuck]

McBuck what stretches, etc. are you doing to improve your ankles? I am also working on that.

I've started doing Limber11 with foam rolling for my lower body. Rolling my achilles tends to loosen up my ankles a bit
http://imgur.com/a/476PX
For my ankles, I really like this exercise where you bend until your knee touches the wall without your heel coming up. You can track your progress by measuring how far you can move your foot from the wall.

another one I like is using a towel


If anybody has other stretches they enjoy I'd love to hear them.

[alleykat]

Thank you all for the insight about the kettlebells.  I think I am not using enough weight.  I was only using 10lbs to start, I am embarrassed to say that now, but I wanted to start off slow to avoid injuries.  But, I think that is the problem.  I will try a higher weight. 

Thanks again.

Don't be embarrassed!  It's a good idea to start with a light one to learn the move.  I keep my smaller bell that I started with just for that purpose.  The swing is kind of different because the bell is basically acting like a counter-weight to your torso/butt, so if it's really light, it just doesn't work right. 

While you're playing around with the KB's, you might enjoy learning to do Turkish get-ups as well.  They work every muscle, so they're great for warming up and are good for muscle coordination too.  But do start with a very light weight on those.  :)

I agree with Horespoor! You have no reason to be embarrassed! You're learning! I'm sure everyone is commenting because they want you to succeed because KBS are so fun!

With the lighter KB sometimes you need to do more reps before you start to feel the burn, but I do agree that something a little heavier (I like 26-35 lbs range) can help you feel sooner if you're activating the right muscles because it becomes more obvious when you're using your arms or whatever.

You might try warming up your glutes with 5-10 reps of a few different body weight moves, then do 5-10 swings with your light KB, then start your "official" reps with your new heavier KB. You would be surprised at how many people don't know how to activate their glutes because we (as a culture in general) sit so much. For me, warming up sufficiently reminds my body to turn them on, so that when it's time for the official reps everything is firing correctly and I feel the burn.

Also, the 10bs is a great size for turkish get ups once your learn them without weight. They are so fun and really work your core stability! Here's a pretty good video about good vs bad get ups:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bWRPC49-KI

I hope I'm not over-advising. Good luck! You're going to get these.

Thank you Horsepoor and Karaishere.  I really appreciate it.  I only have a 10lb bell so I will pick up at least 25 lbs , I do think the weight is the problem.  My form certainly needs improving but the weight is not enough for me to be able to push it forward with my lower body and get it right so my arms do the work.  I do warm up first on my rebounder.  I actually do about 15-20mins on it before I do the kettlebell so it really works my legs and glutes. 

I checked out the Turkish get ups.  Interesting.  I will try these later without the bell but these look great at working your whole body. Great suggestion.

I appreciate the advice. I will order some kettlebells tonight for in store pickup, otherwise my ups man will hate me.  LOL

[monstermonster]

I did weight-training at a new gym this morning and it was really fun. Small class, 5 people, but other people working through individual lifts around the gym. No cardio going on, just lifting. The instructor was a young petite lady deadlift champion, which was rad. All different shapes, sizes, colors and a good mix of genders at the gym. Felt pretty great :-)

Did 90 26lb kettlebell swings + 30 ring rows, 30 chin-ups, plus 50 10lb lateral lifts and a 50 mountain climbers in <2 minutes challenge.

I'm liking this Class-pass things where I get to try out different gyms. My gym-around-the-corner however offered me a discount ($75/month for 8 classes) and I'm sorely tempted to do that for the convenience factor.

[jordanread]

Little/poor sleep, feeling bummed, thus telling myself I don't need to go. So, posting here so I will go!

I've complicated it by adding on additional town errands that I don't love. This is the real thing demotivating me. So, I will take the worst one of those off my plate, go straight to the pool, and see what I feel able to do after. Bye bye!

You've got this scrubby!!!

[monstermonster]

Little/poor sleep, feeling bummed, thus telling myself I don't need to go. So, posting here so I will go!

I've complicated it by adding on additional town errands that I don't love. This is the real thing demotivating me. So, I will take the worst one of those off my plate, go straight to the pool, and see what I feel able to do after. Bye bye!

You've got this scrubby!!!

Yea, scrubby!! I didn't want to go to the gym at 5:30 this morning, but I did and it was great. You'll feel the same!

[alleykat]

Thank you Horsepoor and Karaishere.  I really appreciate it.  I only have a 10lb bell so I will pick up at least 25 lbs , I do think the weight is the problem.  My form certainly needs improving but the weight is not enough for me to be able to push it forward with my lower body and get it right so my arms do the work. I do warm up first on my rebounder.  I actually do about 15-20mins on it before I do the kettlebell so it really works my legs and glutes. 

I checked out the Turkish get ups.  Interesting.  I will try these later without the bell but these look great at working your whole body. Great suggestion.

I appreciate the advice. I will order some kettlebells tonight for in store pickup, otherwise my ups man will hate me.  LOL

WAIT! Your arms are not supposed to be doing the work.

Lol,  yes, I know. I need to get the heavier bell,  maybe this weekend if we don't get snowed in.

[Quetzal]

I did it! I ran the 10 mile race on Saturday.

This was an amazing experience. I finished in 1:27 averaging an 8:45 minute/mile pace.

Congrats! Nice work!