Author Topic: Strength & Fitness 2016  (Read 402418 times)

Quetzal

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #350 on: January 22, 2016, 08:25:23 PM »
I did go, spent my longest time in there yet, did about 50% more pool lengths than ever before, as well as the usual stretching and playing. Was so sore after, I laughed to find myself struggling with two flights of stairs, ha! But yep, it was one of the two best parts of my day, for sure!

Great work, scrubbyfish! You've totally inspired me! I will be up and on the treadmill and aim to do my longest time in honor of you kicking butt!

horsepoor

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #351 on: January 23, 2016, 02:16:14 PM »
Ran Freezeout Challenge this morning.  It's supposed to be 12K, but I'm not sure if that distance is totally accurate.  Anyway, the second quarter is a pretty tough hill climb, but then that's mitigated by turning around and running back down.  My longest run since my last half marathon in early November.  Finishing time was 1:06:08, which is just under a 9:00 mile.  Pretty happy with that, since it means I could break 2:00 on the half if I can add some endurance to my current cruising speed.

2300

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #352 on: January 23, 2016, 06:59:09 PM »
I'm in "officially" this year, although posting delayed due to last minute work trip to Australia.

Belated Thanks!  Especially to JR for starting and all for motivation!  I must admit to using this forum to help motivate me last year without contributing anything.

Goals:
* Strength Train 3x a week (except when travel...usually hike 5-8 miles a day when travel)
* Progress:  increase weights/difficulty every month.
* Cycle/Walk/Yoga/Qigong 3x a week (pick as desired).
* Bodyfat ~15% (currently ~20%).

Stretch Goals:
* Bike to work 1-2x a week
* Add 10lbs of muscle
* 5K? (this one is most likely to be a "next year" goal, I never ran anything before)

Resources:
* Zen Habbits start exercising:  http://zenhabits.net/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/
* Zen Habbits all fitness: http://zenhabits.net/best-tips-getting-in-shape/
* Tracking workouts and other habits (ignored $ coaching option):  https://www.coach.me/habit-tracker

History:
Successful for ~6 months last year after an unplanned break/setback due to wrist injury (cubital tunnel)...which I used as a lame excuse to not do anything.  Presently in mediocre shape, but for me the best shape since my 20s (42 now).

Routine (in progress):
Sort of combining Convict Conditioning/Starting Strength/Stronglifts...work in progress currently is a rotating A/B format alternating every workout on Tues/Thurs/Sat.  Typically doing 3-5x5.  Presently doing/soon changing (probably changing 1-2 more times before settling in):
A:
Pistol and/or weighted Split Squat
Push-up progressions (CC, but with lower reps)
Adding: Resistance or Sandbag Band Rows
Dips
Add?:  Hanging Leg Raises

B:
Adding:  Pistol and/or weighted Split Squat
Overhead Press (changing to Handstand push-up progression because that'd be cool)
Bridge (moving to A)
Single-Leg Deadlift (remove with addition below?)
Adding:  Sandbag or Resistance Band Deadlift
Chin-up

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #353 on: January 23, 2016, 07:00:42 PM »
Got in a ton of walking while visiting Seatlle. But now I really feel the need to RUN...especially since my diet discipline went to pot while down there. Granted, it was probably worth it to enjoy some of the great dining options of the city.

Tomorrow, if the weather isn't too obscene I intend to run a 10k around Burnaby Lake (a sort of Vancouver answer to Seattle's Green Lake). ;)

Peter Gibbons

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #354 on: January 23, 2016, 08:44:30 PM »
jogged a treadmill 5k today.  First time I was able to do that in a long time without walking breaks.  Time was very poor at 45 minutes, but its a start.

AcftW

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #355 on: January 24, 2016, 11:49:01 AM »
Third week of weight training went great.  Getting back into deadlifting has been a breeze, and I've been adding 10lbs each week.  I'll be ready to start adding weight to my dips after this following week when I should hit 3 sets of 15.  Chin ups are still coming along slowly, working negatives has helped somewhat but I ordered some assistance bands to use as well.

After week four, I'm planning to add another day to my workout schedule as a second back day as well as some shoulder work.

I'm also looking into either Yoga or Pilates at gyms for flexibility and joint health.  From strictly that perspective (and not the meditation part of yoga), which would you guys recommend? 

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #356 on: January 24, 2016, 03:19:59 PM »
Well, another PR today. Deadlift this time. 160lbs. Only 5 lbs more, but I did 2x1 on it and it felt like way less of a struggle than my last PR. Unfortunately, I think the only way I can re-jigger the weight I have is another 15lb jump, so we'll see when that can happen.

Didn't do as much of a workout as normal, since I worked yesterday plus my Brother in Law visited today and we went over the lifts with him- he wanted to be sure he understood form before working on big lifts at his own gym.

hudsoncat

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #357 on: January 24, 2016, 05:49:01 PM »
Week 3 check-in:

  • Ran 4 times
  • Swam once
  • one round of yoga

Annnnnd that's it. I did not strength train at all. It was just a weird, tough week both professionally and personally. Something had to give and the strength training gave this week. Sigh.

Random hip pain from last week did not rear it's ugly head (Yay!). Temperature has made it almost back to freezing (actually above today!) and my arms have not been weirdly cold liked they were all last week either. So at least those are positives.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #358 on: January 24, 2016, 08:42:51 PM »
Really not thrilled with my weekend eating at all lately...if it keeps up it will seriously jeopardize my fitness goals...in particular body fat % goals. I need to lock this down for the rest of January if I want to see progress from my 13% BF reading I got on January 1st. I cannot contemplate the possibility that I might go in the wrong direction...I would be most displeased.

Feb 1st I am going to do a status report on some of my goals...especially body fat and my 1 minute push up target.

I am happy with the fact that I'm really starting to notice improved muscle size and improved strength. And the legs...how I thought ignoring my legs (other than running and stationary bike work) during my workouts in 2015 is rather mind boggling. Running and hiking endurance is much improved...and I have gained some lean muscle weight because of my new attention paid to the lower torso. And reducing the amount of cardio to a more reasonable level seems to be having the desired effect of helping to improve strength gains.

But the diet...shoring up that s*** starts now.

bloomability

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #359 on: January 25, 2016, 07:00:36 AM »
Well, another PR today. Deadlift this time. 160lbs. Only 5 lbs more, but I did 2x1 on it and it felt like way less of a struggle than my last PR. Unfortunately, I think the only way I can re-jigger the weight I have is another 15lb jump, so we'll see when that can happen.

Didn't do as much of a workout as normal, since I worked yesterday plus my Brother in Law visited today and we went over the lifts with him- he wanted to be sure he understood form before working on big lifts at his own gym.

Creative weight additions are my favorite! If you can't get it to work, working up to multiple reps at 155 and 160 will also be PRs AND get you ready for a 15lb jump.

Congrats on the PR!

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #360 on: January 25, 2016, 07:07:26 AM »
I'm in "officially" this year, although posting delayed due to last minute work trip to Australia.

Belated Thanks!  Especially to JR for starting and all for motivation!  I must admit to using this forum to help motivate me last year without contributing anything.

Goals:
* Strength Train 3x a week (except when travel...usually hike 5-8 miles a day when travel)
* Progress:  increase weights/difficulty every month.
* Cycle/Walk/Yoga/Qigong 3x a week (pick as desired).
* Bodyfat ~15% (currently ~20%).

Stretch Goals:
* Bike to work 1-2x a week
* Add 10lbs of muscle
* 5K? (this one is most likely to be a "next year" goal, I never ran anything before)

Resources:
* Zen Habbits start exercising:  http://zenhabits.net/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/
* Zen Habbits all fitness: http://zenhabits.net/best-tips-getting-in-shape/
* Tracking workouts and other habits (ignored $ coaching option):  https://www.coach.me/habit-tracker

History:
Successful for ~6 months last year after an unplanned break/setback due to wrist injury (cubital tunnel)...which I used as a lame excuse to not do anything.  Presently in mediocre shape, but for me the best shape since my 20s (42 now).

Routine (in progress):
Sort of combining Convict Conditioning/Starting Strength/Stronglifts...work in progress currently is a rotating A/B format alternating every workout on Tues/Thurs/Sat.  Typically doing 3-5x5.  Presently doing/soon changing (probably changing 1-2 more times before settling in):
A:
Pistol and/or weighted Split Squat
Push-up progressions (CC, but with lower reps)
Adding: Resistance or Sandbag Band Rows
Dips
Add?:  Hanging Leg Raises

B:
Adding:  Pistol and/or weighted Split Squat
Overhead Press (changing to Handstand push-up progression because that'd be cool)
Bridge (moving to A)
Single-Leg Deadlift (remove with addition below?)
Adding:  Sandbag or Resistance Band Deadlift
Chin-up

Glad to have you here!! I've got you added to the tracking post and the resources added to the resource post.

Welcome to the gauntlet.

I'm also looking into either Yoga or Pilates at gyms for flexibility and joint health.  From strictly that perspective (and not the meditation part of yoga), which would you guys recommend? 

I think scrubby was right. I've seen more yoga for stretching than yoga for meditation. There is of course the breathing bit, but one can take that as a way to get deeper into the stretch.

Really not thrilled with my weekend eating at all lately...if it keeps up it will seriously jeopardize my fitness goals...in particular body fat % goals. I need to lock this down for the rest of January if I want to see progress from my 13% BF reading I got on January 1st. I cannot contemplate the possibility that I might go in the wrong direction...I would be most displeased.

Feb 1st I am going to do a status report on some of my goals...especially body fat and my 1 minute push up target.

[...]

But the diet...shoring up that s*** starts now.

I'm glad the strength training is going well. Sorry to hear about the crappy weekend diet, but that can be easy enough to fix and work off. It's cool to see that you are aware that even though it was a short term 'lapse' or just letting loose, it will affect you if you do it long term. Not only does it put the weekend eating choices into perspective (i.e. is it really worth it), but if it turns out to be worth it on occasion, you can appreciate it even more, knowing that it's not quite sustainable for you. I'm pretty sure I had a better way of putting that, but that's how it came out.

To that end, a new Ask Al was uploaded this morning, and there was a quote that I thought was absolutely awesome.

Quote from: Al Kavadlo
No matter what you did yesterday or last week or last month, or maybe even this morning. Every moment offers an opportunity for a new beginning right now. So instead of feeling guilty, or feeling sorry for yourself, start taking action in this moment. If you didn't workout yesterday, work out today. If you ate something crappy at your last meal, make a better choice at your next meal. It's up to you to empower yourself and make better decisions.

bloomability

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #361 on: January 25, 2016, 07:30:01 AM »
It was a pretty light end to the lifting week with snow cancelling the gym for 3 days, so at home I followed along to Fightmaster Yoga on Youtube.

I did get a heavy deadlift day in, working up to 90% of my 1RM and a heavier bench day with doubles at 85% of my 1RM. The lifts were strong and pretty easy. I am really digging the beginner gains.

This week will be another light week with a business trip. Well, bodyweight stuff isn't easy but I really hate non barbell stuff. I'm such a meathead.

McBuck

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #362 on: January 25, 2016, 07:33:50 AM »
My first weekly update:

(Day/goal/actual)
Mon/rest/rest
Tues/3Mi/3Mi
Wed/6Mi/6Mi
Thurs/3Mi/3Mi + 1hr floor hockey
Fri/rest/rest
Sat/6Mi/6Mi + 1.5hr volleyball
Sun/11Mi/11Mi + 1hr volleyball. Didn't plan on running the full distance but kept negotiating with myself to go a little farther until I was almost done so there was no point giving up :D

I Did a bit of stretching after most runs focusing on legs and ankles.
Also, I switched up my running technique from full strides to more of a glide to put less stress on my knees and that's been working well so far.

peppermint

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #363 on: January 25, 2016, 09:03:10 AM »
This week's goals:
- go bouldering
- go to one pilates or yoga class
- go to aerials class
- run 2x

Here's what I ended up actually doing:

- went climbing, but top-roped the whole time, no boulder.
- went to aerials class
- ran 1x (2.7 miles)

It's a new week...

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #364 on: January 25, 2016, 09:09:34 AM »

I'm glad the strength training is going well. Sorry to hear about the crappy weekend diet, but that can be easy enough to fix and work off. It's cool to see that you are aware that even though it was a short term 'lapse' or just letting loose, it will affect you if you do it long term. Not only does it put the weekend eating choices into perspective (i.e. is it really worth it), but if it turns out to be worth it on occasion, you can appreciate it even more, knowing that it's not quite sustainable for you. I'm pretty sure I had a better way of putting that, but that's how it came out.

To that end, a new Ask Al was uploaded this morning, and there was a quote that I thought was absolutely awesome.

Quote from: Al Kavadlo
No matter what you did yesterday or last week or last month, or maybe even this morning. Every moment offers an opportunity for a new beginning right now. So instead of feeling guilty, or feeling sorry for yourself, start taking action in this moment. If you didn't workout yesterday, work out today. If you ate something crappy at your last meal, make a better choice at your next meal. It's up to you to empower yourself and make better decisions.

Ah, JR...leave it to you properly put my diet "fails" into proper prospective. I definitely view it as a fixable "lapse". And perhaps even "worth it"...I was out of town, meeting some wonderful new people in an unfamiliar city...so I think I can live with some "special occasion" indulgence. That quote you posted hits the mark for me.

I feel much better about things now...thanks JR.

And I'm off to the gym in about an hour...I have a feeling that this week, the 4th and final one of the month, will be EPIC in terms of taking things to the next level. If it does go as well as I expect, I may post the details here.

I am finding myself growing impatient for the arrival of Spring and Summer...to start pursuing my outdoor passions and hobbies...to test my evolving physical capabilities...it continues to be an exciting, fulfilling journey.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #365 on: January 25, 2016, 09:42:08 AM »
I am finding myself growing impatient for the arrival of Spring and Summer...to start pursuing my outdoor passions and hobbies...to test my evolving physical capabilities...it continues to be an exciting, fulfilling journey.

There with you! There has been a hint of spring in the air the last couple days, and I've been fantasizing about:
asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb
hiking, lake swimming, and camping
and taking naps in the sun.

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #366 on: January 25, 2016, 09:56:34 AM »
Ah, JR...leave it to you properly put my diet "fails" into proper prospective. I definitely view it as a fixable "lapse". And perhaps even "worth it"...I was out of town, meeting some wonderful new people in an unfamiliar city...so I think I can live with some "special occasion" indulgence. That quote you posted hits the mark for me.

I feel much better about things now...thanks JR.

You are very welcome! It really just made me giggle that the video was playing in another window exactly when I was reading your post. So applicable.
And I'm off to the gym in about an hour...I have a feeling that this week, the 4th and final one of the month, will be EPIC in terms of taking things to the next level. If it does go as well as I expect, I may post the details here.

I posted something last year from The Oatmeal, about the Blerch (as it relates to that most unrelatable passion to me - running). One comment he made reminds me of what you just said:

Quote from: Matthew Inman
I run long distances for the WORST possible reason. I run to eat. I punish my body outdoors to atone for my atrocities indoors.

I'm not saying that you workout to atone, but it's a fun example that I think people would like. Of course this next week is going to be epic. It will be for all of us!!!

I am finding myself growing impatient for the arrival of Spring and Summer...to start pursuing my outdoor passions and hobbies...to test my evolving physical capabilities...it continues to be an exciting, fulfilling journey.

There with you! There has been a hint of spring in the air the last couple days, and I've been fantasizing about:
asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb
hiking, lake swimming, and camping
and taking naps in the sun.

If any of you read my journal, you know I'm going back to basics, and I am all about shifting my perception to understand the awesomeness that is each day (or you will...working on that post now). I get that summer is awesome, and I do love it (even though I carry enough...um...fat to make anything over 60F uncomfortable), but the outdoors is awesome year round. JS recently talked about reading radar maps to time runs, everyone who went to the Seattle Meetup commented on how great it was to take a walk in the rain with like minded people. The summer offers a plethora of adventures. What really sets us apart is the awesome adventures we have year round. Don't forget that! I sledded down my street a month ago because plows aren't quite willing to come on my street. It was amazing. A plastic bag can make that fun (although painful in the nether-regions - and for the love of god only do it when there is snow).

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #367 on: January 25, 2016, 10:04:15 AM »
I am finding myself growing impatient for the arrival of Spring and Summer...to start pursuing my outdoor passions and hobbies...to test my evolving physical capabilities...it continues to be an exciting, fulfilling journey.

There with you! There has been a hint of spring in the air the last couple days, and I've been fantasizing about:
asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb
hiking, lake swimming, and camping
and taking naps in the sun.

If any of you read my journal, you know I'm going back to basics, and I am all about shifting my perception to understand the awesomeness that is each day (or you will...working on that post now). I get that summer is awesome, and I do love it (even though I carry enough...um...fat to make anything over 60F uncomfortable), but the outdoors is awesome year round. JS recently talked about reading radar maps to time runs, everyone who went to the Seattle Meetup commented on how great it was to take a walk in the rain with like minded people. The summer offers a plethora of adventures. What really sets us apart is the awesome adventures we have year round. Don't forget that! I sledded down my street a month ago because plows aren't quite willing to come on my street. It was amazing. A plastic bag can make that fun (although painful in the nether-regions - and for the love of god only do it when there is snow).

I do read your journal, actually =) Winter has some wonderful things to offer too, and I do try to avail myself of them. Lately it has been:
Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, and Butternut squash
Snowshoeing, trail runs where your splatter mud all up your back and feel the most AWAKE as any other time in life
And reading on the couch wrapped in a quilt with my dog with a hot cut of coffee

Doesn't mean I don't love Spring and summer. Way less gear, and much easier to clean up after outdoor activities. Also, I HATE HATE HATE camping in the cold winter rain. Well, the mud, to be specific. It just sucks and I don't enjoy it. Snow? Great. Light spring rain? Sure. Muck? I'm out.

I do agree though, that it's easy to lose the value of today in the anticipation of tomorrow.

Sorry for derailing the S&F thread though!

AcftW

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #368 on: January 25, 2016, 03:16:19 PM »
I'm also looking into either Yoga or Pilates at gyms for flexibility and joint health.  From strictly that perspective (and not the meditation part of yoga), which would you guys recommend?

I didn't want this missed, so will do my own best to reply.

I have largely steered away from yoga, no real reason, just didn't feel I fit with the culture or something. (That feels a little silly to me, but oh well.) Pilates interested me more, because I didn't want to get spiritual or anything and really wanted to support my core strength more than anything else. Last summer I was sidelined for a month with a big joint injury, and started looking into healing and prevention. I decided on Pilates, but ultimately found I wasn't doing it on my own, and there were no Pilates classes during my child care hours. I talked with a few instructors and ultimately decided that a mix and match of any core strength and stretch would be fine, so now in a week I do any of: strength yoga class (no meditation), swimming, core strength circuit. I'm super happy with this mix so far, as is my body.

There are so many different types of yoga, at least two styles/schools of Pilates, yoga-Pilates fusion classes, and then unspecified "strength and stretch" gigs, with ardent fans and detractors of every single one. I think lots of people are of the mind that any that include key elements can work.

I would just look for the essential elements in a time and place you can and will do it. I would think that would be more important than the name.

This is great, thanks for the advice.

The culture aspect of it is a concern of mine as well, but I'll have to see if gyms around here have a strength/stretch specific yoga class.  It looks like the Pilates is already out of the question with my schedule.

In other news, I had an unusually bad day yesterday, and it spilled over to today making me not feel like going to the gym.  I made myself go, and ended up getting mad at the barbell and muttering expletives at it while deadlifting.  So today's workout was super light feeling lol. :)

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #369 on: January 25, 2016, 03:32:52 PM »
I'm not sure 600 calories of cardio, followed by 1.5 hours of weights can ever really feel truly GOOD...but you know what...I needed that BADLY. Very much a feeling of things being RESET.

Onward. :)


griffin

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #370 on: January 25, 2016, 07:49:56 PM »
Checking in as well!
Squat - 220x5
DL - 265x5
Bench - 175x5
Total: 660.
Linear progression going well still. Up to 190 pounds body weight so 200 by may is hardly a stretch. I might even be able to get to ~210 before summer cut. Actually counting calories is helping me a lot here. It's nice having some accountability here :)

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #371 on: January 25, 2016, 08:06:32 PM »
I'm also looking into either Yoga or Pilates at gyms for flexibility and joint health.  From strictly that perspective (and not the meditation part of yoga), which would you guys recommend?

I didn't want this missed, so will do my own best to reply.

I have largely steered away from yoga, no real reason, just didn't feel I fit with the culture or something. (That feels a little silly to me, but oh well.) Pilates interested me more, because I didn't want to get spiritual or anything and really wanted to support my core strength more than anything else. Last summer I was sidelined for a month with a big joint injury, and started looking into healing and prevention. I decided on Pilates, but ultimately found I wasn't doing it on my own, and there were no Pilates classes during my child care hours. I talked with a few instructors and ultimately decided that a mix and match of any core strength and stretch would be fine, so now in a week I do any of: strength yoga class (no meditation), swimming, core strength circuit. I'm super happy with this mix so far, as is my body.

There are so many different types of yoga, at least two styles/schools of Pilates, yoga-Pilates fusion classes, and then unspecified "strength and stretch" gigs, with ardent fans and detractors of every single one. I think lots of people are of the mind that any that include key elements can work.

I would just look for the essential elements in a time and place you can and will do it. I would think that would be more important than the name.

This is great, thanks for the advice.

The culture aspect of it is a concern of mine as well, but I'll have to see if gyms around here have a strength/stretch specific yoga class.  It looks like the Pilates is already out of the question with my schedule.

In other news, I had an unusually bad day yesterday, and it spilled over to today making me not feel like going to the gym.  I made myself go, and ended up getting mad at the barbell and muttering expletives at it while deadlifting.  So today's workout was super light feeling lol. :)

There are so many varieties of yoga: hatha or yin yoga are more focused on the flexibility and gentle stretching whereas Vinyasa/Ashtanga/Power/Flow yoga is more about strength and the various sequencing between postures. Bikram is hot yoga (like you might pass out hot) and uses 26 poses, the guy who invented it has some lawsuits against him for being a bit of a quack but the classes are always identical no matter the instructor and no meditation involved.

I'd personally just shop around studios, there are two near me and one has an altar with a hindu god on it at the front of the class, the other plays hip hop music. :P You might be able to gain insight from the naming conventions of the studios (Veera is the hindu one, the name is sanskrit for warrior) or the other types of classes they offer, but most places offer cheap trials or even "first class free" deals.

Good luck! I love yoga, I started with an ashtanga/power yoga style at a military gym but have grown with it over the years to the point I really appreciate the meditation aspects now too. The "nap" at the end of the yoga class is the best part. ;)

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #372 on: January 25, 2016, 08:12:40 PM »
Still new to the forum but can I join in on this? I have a little more experience here than I do in the money threads (goals...goals...) :/

I have been lifting for several years now and have competed in two NPC Bikini Competitions. This year I am taking a long "off season" and I decided not to compete again until 2017 mostly because it is so obscenely expensive but also because I really need to build more muscle size/definition to be competitive. So my goals are related to my hobby in hopes I'll compete again next year but I also set some strength goals because it always nice to have something a little more tangible to achieve.

Fitness goals 2016:

Bench 150lbs
Squat 200lbs
Deadlift 250lbs

Maintain 18-20% body fat
Reverse Diet to 2750 calories
Add mass to my hamstrings and shoulders

Hedge_87

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #373 on: January 26, 2016, 08:04:00 AM »
Well I missed all of last week due to scheduling issues and part laziness lol, but got back into it this morning with a killer squat workout and a ~2 mile walk early this morning. It was a beautiful crisp winter morning the sky was clear and the moon was so bright. It was really peaceful, I will try and keep this morning n mind when I really don't want to head out to the garage and lift on cold mornings. Sometimes the hardest part is getting out of the door. Still need to work on my other goals though.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #374 on: January 26, 2016, 09:18:54 AM »
Still new to the forum but can I join in on this? I have a little more experience here than I do in the money threads (goals...goals...) :/
[...]
Fitness goals 2016:
[...]

Welcome to the gauntlet. I've got you added to the tracking post.

monstermonster

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #375 on: January 26, 2016, 10:26:49 AM »
Tried another new gym this morning (this classpass thing is fun!) and we did Olympic lift circuits. I did 48 squat thrust-deadlifts (65 lbs), 87 russian twists (5 lb medicine ball), 48 KB swings (26 lbs), climbed a 14-foot wall and repelled down 4 times, and a bunch of other less-impressive sounding but still really damn hard stuff.

Some day I'll be strong. But for now, 65lbs *is* more than half my weight. So I'm getting there.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #376 on: January 26, 2016, 05:48:37 PM »
Upped my push press! Was doing just the bar before (45lbs), up to 65lbs now. Did 5! This is a big deal for me, as my arms aren't exactly my strongest muscles.

Also did squats, working up to 3x3 at 95lbs, and deadlifts, working up to 1x1 at 155lbs. Was in lifting shoes for the deadlift, whereas I was barefoot Monday- nice that I can still pull my PR with the deficit of the shoes to overcome.

Didn't workout yesterday. I did, however, sit in the sunshine with my dog and read for 2 hours. Counts for wellness anyways =)

use2betrix

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #377 on: January 26, 2016, 06:58:08 PM »
My bench is getting back closer to where it used to be. Put up 275x6 on decline tonight. My PR is 275x10 on flat, but I was also 15 lbs heavier at the time. I looked a lot better then too lol. Good to have goals though!

bloomability

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #378 on: January 26, 2016, 07:25:38 PM »
Upped my push press! Was doing just the bar before (45lbs), up to 65lbs now. Did 5! This is a big deal for me, as my arms aren't exactly my strongest muscles.

Also did squats, working up to 3x3 at 95lbs, and deadlifts, working up to 1x1 at 155lbs. Was in lifting shoes for the deadlift, whereas I was barefoot Monday- nice that I can still pull my PR with the deficit of the shoes to overcome.

Didn't workout yesterday. I did, however, sit in the sunshine with my dog and read for 2 hours. Counts for wellness anyways =)

I did presses today too! Upper body strength is so hard for me to build. Keep pushing.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #379 on: January 26, 2016, 08:27:50 PM »
Hi all. I'm a bit behind posting last week's results, but generally am moving in the right direction.

Cardio (all treadmill, aim for 80% target heart rate) - best session yet last Monday (68 minutes, HR 145) followed by good sessions Thursday (40 minutes, HR 138) and Sat (45 mins, HR 145). Still trying to learn the heart rate settings on the treadmill I'm using; it shuts down on me if my heart rate gets 10 points above what I've dialed in is the goal and sometimes my heart rate spikes (at least my monitor says so) for no good reason and the workout stops. So tracking is a bit wonky.

Sleep - after watching how differently I felt on the days where I slept lots versus didn't, have upped my sleep goal to 8 hours/night which I hit 5 times last week!

Quality nutrition - at some point I need to stop drinking, as it definitely can't be moving me toward my body fat composition goal. But until I make the decision, I'm pleased with my meal planning and home cooking. More veggies in my diet, more leftovers for next night/ lunch, less worry generally about meals when I'm planning out 4 solid dinners per week in advance. Good all,the way around.

And then we have Convict Conditioning. I think I got intimidated after not being able to do the leg raises or squat step 1 exercises, so have done nothing since. Was trying to decide if I should buy the book and went online and started to wonder if I'd be better served having a book like it, but geared toward women. I'd welcome anyone's input based on your experiences. Regardless, I need to get back on that wagon and get some strength training in. What appealed to me about the CC description is the steady progression which made it sound incrementally achievable. But then when I couldn't do 2/4 exercises at the initial level with proper form....

Thoughts?


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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #380 on: January 27, 2016, 09:15:43 AM »
Hi all. I'm a bit behind posting last week's results, but generally am moving in the right direction.

Cardio (all treadmill, aim for 80% target heart rate) - best session yet last Monday (68 minutes, HR 145) followed by good sessions Thursday (40 minutes, HR 138) and Sat (45 mins, HR 145). Still trying to learn the heart rate settings on the treadmill I'm using; it shuts down on me if my heart rate gets 10 points above what I've dialed in is the goal and sometimes my heart rate spikes (at least my monitor says so) for no good reason and the workout stops. So tracking is a bit wonky.

Sleep - after watching how differently I felt on the days where I slept lots versus didn't, have upped my sleep goal to 8 hours/night which I hit 5 times last week!

Quality nutrition - at some point I need to stop drinking, as it definitely can't be moving me toward my body fat composition goal. But until I make the decision, I'm pleased with my meal planning and home cooking. More veggies in my diet, more leftovers for next night/ lunch, less worry generally about meals when I'm planning out 4 solid dinners per week in advance. Good all,the way around.

And then we have Convict Conditioning. I think I got intimidated after not being able to do the leg raises or squat step 1 exercises, so have done nothing since. Was trying to decide if I should buy the book and went online and started to wonder if I'd be better served having a book like it, but geared toward women. I'd welcome anyone's input based on your experiences. Regardless, I need to get back on that wagon and get some strength training in. What appealed to me about the CC description is the steady progression which made it sound incrementally achievable. But then when I couldn't do 2/4 exercises at the initial level with proper form....

Thoughts?

Why type of workouts are you looking for? Body weight? Do you have access to a gym?

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #381 on: January 27, 2016, 12:46:05 PM »
And then we have Convict Conditioning. I think I got intimidated after not being able to do the leg raises or squat step 1 exercises, so have done nothing since. Was trying to decide if I should buy the book and went online and started to wonder if I'd be better served having a book like it, but geared toward women. I'd welcome anyone's input based on your experiences. Regardless, I need to get back on that wagon and get some strength training in. What appealed to me about the CC description is the steady progression which made it sound incrementally achievable. But then when I couldn't do 2/4 exercises at the initial level with proper form....

Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Rules-Lifting-Women/dp/1583333398 or http://www.amazon.com/Strong-Workout-Programs-Metabolism-Strength/dp/1583335757/

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #382 on: January 27, 2016, 01:01:28 PM »
Had a success this week, looked at progress on my current reverse diet and I'm up to 2136 calories daily and body fat is at about 18%, I started at 15% body fat in November from my bikini competition and eating 1260 calories a day (ouch, I was starving and super lean). It's been an up and down process but I'm happy with where I am now and will work to continue to increase calories and maintain current body fat.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #383 on: January 27, 2016, 02:25:25 PM »
Managed the 2nd run of the week today! Starting off slowly as not to aggravate my knee, but I did just over 1.5 miles.

As February is just round the corner I think it would be great if everyone could post a progress report on their goals from the beginning of Jan!

I'll be doing it even if no one else joins me. :)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #384 on: January 27, 2016, 03:18:50 PM »
And then we have Convict Conditioning. I think I got intimidated after not being able to do the leg raises or squat step 1 exercises, so have done nothing since. Was trying to decide if I should buy the book and went online and started to wonder if I'd be better served having a book like it, but geared toward women. I'd welcome anyone's input based on your experiences. Regardless, I need to get back on that wagon and get some strength training in. What appealed to me about the CC description is the steady progression which made it sound incrementally achievable. But then when I couldn't do 2/4 exercises at the initial level with proper form....

Thoughts?

First, this is based on my experience, and I've restarted by the time I get to Step 5 for one reason or another.
Second, I'm a guy.
Third, I'm not genetically fit. Any time I've gotten remotely fit, it's been in spite of my genetic make up, not because of it.
Fourth, even though I have my problems, I am one damn smart individual, and I love researching things.

To that end, I will say that there are some of the initial steps I couldn't do with proper form the first time I tried. I mentioned the squat section earlier this year, with a quote from the book. To that end, even though I've only missed one week of squats this year, I still can't perform it with proper form. Considering that lesson, and applying it to the other progressions, I took away the following:

  • There are instances in which the shape of one's body prevents proper form even before the muscles can truly engage.
  • There are instances in which the muscle's are too weak to complete the entire exercises.

Here is what I do. In instance 1, I do exactly what I can, starting with proper form. I may not be able to complete the exercises, and then won't mark it as a completed set, even though I will do my bastardized version of the exercise up to the progression standards if I can (even though I won't progress until I can do it perfectly). When this happens, other life changes (or maybe just more progressions on the other exercises) will have a huge impact on how one progresses. The CC program doesn't specify what these other things may be, and I like to think that's because Paul Wade is super-smart, but it's probably the simple fact that all bodies are different, and one needs to experiment with nutrition.

As I'm writing it out, I realize that in instance 2, I do almost the same thing. What I do in instance 2 specifically is go as far as I can using proper form. I've found that when I'm too weak, I hit bad form faster than I hit muscle failure (or I fall over). To that end, I use my judgement as far as progress goes (getting lower, getting higher, getting deeper), and try to continue until I can actually do step 1.

I hope that helps.


Had a success this week, looked at progress on my current reverse diet and I'm up to 2136 calories daily and body fat is at about 18%, I started at 15% body fat in November from my bikini competition and eating 1260 calories a day (ouch, I was starving and super lean). It's been an up and down process but I'm happy with where I am now and will work to continue to increase calories and maintain current body fat.

Holy crap!! Can you give a touch more back story (if you don't mind)? I know you said you were in bikini competitions, but looking at your other posts, you have a lot of knowledge to share. I feel like a background post would be helpful.

I'll be doing it even if no one else joins me. :)

Even if nobody does your exact bit, everyone here is joining you. :)

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #385 on: January 27, 2016, 05:14:46 PM »
Had a success this week, looked at progress on my current reverse diet and I'm up to 2136 calories daily and body fat is at about 18%, I started at 15% body fat in November from my bikini competition and eating 1260 calories a day (ouch, I was starving and super lean). It's been an up and down process but I'm happy with where I am now and will work to continue to increase calories and maintain current body fat.

Holy crap!! Can you give a touch more back story (if you don't mind)? I know you said you were in bikini competitions, but looking at your other posts, you have a lot of knowledge to share. I feel like a background post would be helpful.


Fitness and food have been my hobbies for years. It started with eating healthier by cooking at home in 2007 and has grown from there. I took some weight lifting and running classes at the community college while I was also doing gen. eds. for my bachelor's degree. In 2010 I started going to yoga twice a week while my husband was deployed and fell in love. It was the first time I'd found something that I was willing to stick to fitness wise. I continued going twice a week and would squeeze in the occasional spin class(stationary cycling) when I could. When I graduated from college (BS in Mechanical Engineering) in 2012 I started weight lifting a little more frequently though not super consistent because my new job was ultra demanding and I started an online Masters program so I was very busy.

Around that same time, a friend convinced me to start going to a weight lifting circuit type class at a local gym that only catered to women (not Curves, we were doing squats/bench/deadlift/TRX/pull ups/etc). I liked the weight lifting classes so I stayed with them and would workout 4-6 days a week when work wasn't insanely busy. That gym also had an advanced program for training girls for bikini and figure competitions. They participated in the same sessions that I did, but had extra sessions as well and more specific nutrition guidelines plus posing practices. I had to take some time off from this gym because I started traveling for work, I dabbled for a couple months in Crossfit in Salt Lake City, UT but again consistency was hard because of the work schedule.

Life slowed down a tad (still doing online grad school and working full time but only 40 hrs/per week vs 60-80) and I went back to the women's gym and started training for my first bikini competition in March 2014. I stuck with training 4-6 days a week, with 2 hour sessions twice a week. Then life happened and DH and I got relocated from NM to Northern California so I jumped in with an online personal trainer. He helped me with training and nutrition and I eventually hired a posing coach that was local to me. I dropped to about 13% body fat and competed in my first NPC Bikini Competition in Sacramento Nov 1st, 2014. I stuck around with that same personal trainer/coach for a few more months and switched over to a power lifting training program and even did some strong man lifting until May 2015. Then I realized I needed someone with more experience with bikini girls and switched to the local team(who I'd used for posing) for all aspects of competition prep (training/diet/posing). I had a rough time coming out of my first show and went from 13% body fat to 27% in roughly 6 months. The new team/coach managed to diet me back down to about 15% for my second competition Nov. 7th, 2015. This was an incredibly brutal process, and we are in the process of reverse dieting now.

There is a lot to be said for nutrition practices not just what you eat but also how much or how little. Dieting can have huge consequences on a person, I'm learning that now. My first few coaches dieted me on too few calories and it really hurt my metabolism. I took a training course and received a certification from Eat To Perform(ETP) just this month and learned a ton about how the body works and how dieting can affect it. The coach/team I have now understand all of that (not associated with ETP but follow similar nutritional guidance) and are working to increase my calorie intake back up so that I can "diet" on more calories the next time I want to drop body fat for a competition.

So, I'm not going to compete this year 1) it's insanely expensive 2)my body still needs time to repair my metabolism 3)I need to build more muscle mass and to do that I need to be eating more.

Oh and through all of this my nutrition has varied widely:
2007-2012: transitioned from eating out a lot and only eating packaged food to learning how to cook and cooking most meals at home to eating only "real food" to "clean eating"
2012: learned about calorie counting and roughly tracked for a month, lost some weight
2013: started following the paleo diet, dabbled in food tracking again
2014: stayed with the paleo diet and then did macro tracking for my competition prep while sticking to paleo foods
2015: continued tracking macros but started eating a more flexible/if it fits your macros (IIFYM) diet

I still track and measure/weigh everything I eat using My Fitness Pal,  I hope to eventually transition away from tracking, but it's a necessary evil when you're after specific body composition goals like I am now.

I have a public "competitor" facebook page and instagram where I post pictures of food and progress pictures and you know, bikini competitor stuff, not sure if it'd be appropriate to link that here. I also keep my MFP diary public so people can see what I eat and what my macros are.

So yeah, long journey, I've done a ton of research along the way and feel pretty informed, but it's all just a hobby. ;)

use2betrix

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #386 on: January 27, 2016, 06:05:31 PM »
Had a success this week, looked at progress on my current reverse diet and I'm up to 2136 calories daily and body fat is at about 18%, I started at 15% body fat in November from my bikini competition and eating 1260 calories a day (ouch, I was starving and super lean). It's been an up and down process but I'm happy with where I am now and will work to continue to increase calories and maintain current body fat.

Holy crap!! Can you give a touch more back story (if you don't mind)? I know you said you were in bikini competitions, but looking at your other posts, you have a lot of knowledge to share. I feel like a background post would be helpful.


Fitness and food have been my hobbies for years. It started with eating healthier by cooking at home in 2007 and has grown from there. I took some weight lifting and running classes at the community college while I was also doing gen. eds. for my bachelor's degree. In 2010 I started going to yoga twice a week while my husband was deployed and fell in love. It was the first time I'd found something that I was willing to stick to fitness wise. I continued going twice a week and would squeeze in the occasional spin class(stationary cycling) when I could. When I graduated from college (BS in Mechanical Engineering) in 2012 I started weight lifting a little more frequently though not super consistent because my new job was ultra demanding and I started an online Masters program so I was very busy.

Around that same time, a friend convinced me to start going to a weight lifting circuit type class at a local gym that only catered to women (not Curves, we were doing squats/bench/deadlift/TRX/pull ups/etc). I liked the weight lifting classes so I stayed with them and would workout 4-6 days a week when work wasn't insanely busy. That gym also had an advanced program for training girls for bikini and figure competitions. They participated in the same sessions that I did, but had extra sessions as well and more specific nutrition guidelines plus posing practices. I had to take some time off from this gym because I started traveling for work, I dabbled for a couple months in Crossfit in Salt Lake City, UT but again consistency was hard because of the work schedule.

Life slowed down a tad (still doing online grad school and working full time but only 40 hrs/per week vs 60-80) and I went back to the women's gym and started training for my first bikini competition in March 2014. I stuck with training 4-6 days a week, with 2 hour sessions twice a week. Then life happened and DH and I got relocated from NM to Northern California so I jumped in with an online personal trainer. He helped me with training and nutrition and I eventually hired a posing coach that was local to me. I dropped to about 13% body fat and competed in my first NPC Bikini Competition in Sacramento Nov 1st, 2014. I stuck around with that same personal trainer/coach for a few more months and switched over to a power lifting training program and even did some strong man lifting until May 2015. Then I realized I needed someone with more experience with bikini girls and switched to the local team(who I'd used for posing) for all aspects of competition prep (training/diet/posing). I had a rough time coming out of my first show and went from 13% body fat to 27% in roughly 6 months. The new team/coach managed to diet me back down to about 15% for my second competition Nov. 7th, 2015. This was an incredibly brutal process, and we are in the process of reverse dieting now.

There is a lot to be said for nutrition practices not just what you eat but also how much or how little. Dieting can have huge consequences on a person, I'm learning that now. My first few coaches dieted me on too few calories and it really hurt my metabolism. I took a training course and received a certification from Eat To Perform(ETP) just this month and learned a ton about how the body works and how dieting can affect it. The coach/team I have now understand all of that (not associated with ETP but follow similar nutritional guidance) and are working to increase my calorie intake back up so that I can "diet" on more calories the next time I want to drop body fat for a competition.

So, I'm not going to compete this year 1) it's insanely expensive 2)my body still needs time to repair my metabolism 3)I need to build more muscle mass and to do that I need to be eating more.

Oh and through all of this my nutrition has varied widely:
2007-2012: transitioned from eating out a lot and only eating packaged food to learning how to cook and cooking most meals at home to eating only "real food" to "clean eating"
2012: learned about calorie counting and roughly tracked for a month, lost some weight
2013: started following the paleo diet, dabbled in food tracking again
2014: stayed with the paleo diet and then did macro tracking for my competition prep while sticking to paleo foods
2015: continued tracking macros but started eating a more flexible/if it fits your macros (IIFYM) diet

I still track and measure/weigh everything I eat using My Fitness Pal,  I hope to eventually transition away from tracking, but it's a necessary evil when you're after specific body composition goals like I am now.

I have a public "competitor" facebook page and instagram where I post pictures of food and progress pictures and you know, bikini competitor stuff, not sure if it'd be appropriate to link that here. I also keep my MFP diary public so people can see what I eat and what my macros are.

So yeah, long journey, I've done a ton of research along the way and feel pretty informed, but it's all just a hobby. ;)

Very interesting! If you don't mind, what's your height and weight at your BF %?

My wife and I are currently cutting. We count calories and measure our macros. She's 5' and about 118. She's trying to get to around 112ish. She's very muscular, can do pull-ups and squat 225 lbs for a few perfect reps. I'm not great at guessing BF on women, but she has visible abs. She's just trying to get down a few more percent.

We're slowly cutting back calories, and by now she's down to a measely 800 calories. Her weight loss seems to have haulted the last few weeks which is just crazy cause she's not eating much. She's not overly hungry and the amount is reasonable as its well balanced throughout the day. She lifts weights with me 4x a week, does an hr of cycling 3 days a week, and 2 days a week of yoga + cardio. She's 22 years old and overall healthy. Doesn't work but gets a lot of exercise. She looks great, but just has a few last pounds she wants to shed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Jon_Snow

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #387 on: January 27, 2016, 06:51:40 PM »
E.T.Y.L...thanks for sharing that. I am finding the whole fitness/nutrition subject to be fascinating...I am definitely hooked. It is definitely starting to go beyond hobby-status. You certainly bring excellent value to this thread...hope you stick around. :)

As February is just round the corner I think it would be great if everyone could post a progress report on their goals from the beginning of Jan!

I am planning on doing an end of month status report in terms of some of my progress as they relate to some of my end goals - I'll be grabbing my skin fold callipers to do a BF% check (I was around 13% on Jan 1), and I will also see how many push-ups I can crank out in 60 seconds....

Might also do a run down of calories burned in January - between walking, biking (stationary) and running (treadmill and road).
« Last Edit: January 27, 2016, 06:55:21 PM by Jon_Snow »

Kerowyn

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #388 on: January 28, 2016, 07:58:47 AM »
Wow, thanks for sharing your story, eat.train.yoga.love! Super fascinating.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #389 on: January 28, 2016, 08:17:43 AM »
Jordan,

Thanks for starting this thread and for getting me started on the Convict Conditioning program.  I run a lot, but have failed to do upper body work for several years and I think this is what I need as I think I'll be more interested in learning a new skill than lifting another 5 or 10 pounds. 

On the Convict Conditioning program my goals are to acheive:
Lever Pushups (currently at Full push ups)
One Leg Squats (not sure, but could probably complete full squats)
Uneven Pull ups (currently beginner half pull ups)
Stand-to-stand Bridges (currently at straight bridges)]
Handstand push ups (currently on crow stands)
Handing straight leg raises (currently at hanging knee raises)

Outside of that my other goals are to:
Get and stay below 160 pounds (currently 181)
Get under 20 min in a 5k (stretch goal: 19 min, PR is 20:15)

Thanks again!

Stache it Away

Thought I'd send a quick update on my goals.  Down to 169 pounds now (down 12 total so far).  A friend of mine who was always overweight as a child, but now pretty fit, told me that he made the decision that he didn't need to always eat until he felt full.  I've really taken this to heart and the weight has really dropped off.  You just need to embrace that you will feel (fake) hunger pains.  I'm looking at this like muscle soreness after a workout like a sign that I did something right.

I don't have the convict conditioning update in front of me, but overall I'm impressed that I am moving up in the program even though the workouts are so short.  Also have a 5k in just over a week so we'll see if I can get that goal also (assuming I don't push my daughter in a stroller).

jordanread

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #390 on: January 28, 2016, 10:22:52 AM »
My bench is getting back closer to where it used to be. Put up 275x6 on decline tonight. My PR is 275x10 on flat, but I was also 15 lbs heavier at the time. I looked a lot better then too lol. Good to have goals though!

Sorry for not following up on this. What kind of goals do you actually want me to add to the tracking post? Are you trying to match your PR and gain 15lbs of muscle? I'm just not clear. Let me know and I'll get you added.

Thought I'd send a quick update on my goals.  Down to 169 pounds now (down 12 total so far).  A friend of mine who was always overweight as a child, but now pretty fit, told me that he made the decision that he didn't need to always eat until he felt full.  I've really taken this to heart and the weight has really dropped off.  You just need to embrace that you will feel (fake) hunger pains.  I'm looking at this like muscle soreness after a workout like a sign that I did something right.

I don't have the convict conditioning update in front of me, but overall I'm impressed that I am moving up in the program even though the workouts are so short.  Also have a 5k in just over a week so we'll see if I can get that goal also (assuming I don't push my daughter in a stroller).

Way to rock it so far!! I love how such little time investment in body weight training yields incredible results.



ETYL, I just wanted to chime in as well thanking you for sharing your knowledge. Kick ass journey you've been on. Also, feel free to post your instagram and facebook links if you feel comfortable with it. It's all good in this thread, just make sure that it's properly labeled as NSFW if that's the case.

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #391 on: January 28, 2016, 10:32:42 AM »
Thought I'd send a quick update on my goals.  Down to 169 pounds now (down 12 total so far).  A friend of mine who was always overweight as a child, but now pretty fit, told me that he made the decision that he didn't need to always eat until he felt full.  I've really taken this to heart and the weight has really dropped off.  You just need to embrace that you will feel (fake) hunger pains.  I'm looking at this like muscle soreness after a workout like a sign that I did something right.

This is awesome Stache it Away...and I totally agree on the eating habits in terms of coping with hunger and portion control. In the process of losing my 60 pounds (documented elsewhere) I learned that once you make the big mind shift to accept that if you are feeling slightly hungry you DO NOT need to stuff yourself silly...just eat enough to feel NOT HUNGRY. Combine this mindset with ample cardio (I used to run 1000 calorie daily deficits regularly) and the weight will MELT OFF.


EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #392 on: January 28, 2016, 11:48:08 AM »
Very interesting! If you don't mind, what's your height and weight at your BF %?

My wife and I are currently cutting. We count calories and measure our macros. She's 5' and about 118. She's trying to get to around 112ish. She's very muscular, can do pull-ups and squat 225 lbs for a few perfect reps. I'm not great at guessing BF on women, but she has visible abs. She's just trying to get down a few more percent.

We're slowly cutting back calories, and by now she's down to a measely 800 calories. Her weight loss seems to have haulted the last few weeks which is just crazy cause she's not eating much. She's not overly hungry and the amount is reasonable as its well balanced throughout the day. She lifts weights with me 4x a week, does an hr of cycling 3 days a week, and 2 days a week of yoga + cardio. She's 22 years old and overall healthy. Doesn't work but gets a lot of exercise. She looks great, but just has a few last pounds she wants to shed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm tall, 5'11 and at 13% body fat in 2014 I was 143lbs (water depleted though too), at 15% I was 148lbs (also water depleted), I'm now sitting closer to 18 or 19% and am 161lbs. I posted progress photos for my current reverse diet on my instagram and facebook page, depending on how open minded your office space is I suppose they could be NSFW, bikinis are rather small... http://www.facebook.com/eat.train.yoga.love and my instagram is also @eat.train.yoga.love

Trixr, any particular reason she is trying to get leaner? 15% or below for women is excruciatingly difficult and really hard on a person, it is also not sustainable as the body will start fighting back. I only diet down that low for competition day and then increase a little for maintenance, mostly for my mental health!

800 calories is crazy low, (I'm not a doctor/nutritionist/dietitian disclaimer) but I would be working to increase her calories back up now so she can revisit losing weight later, you really can't cut her any lower. And if she stayed eating that little it could really set her up for major health/metabolism issues as she gets older. I dropped down to 1260 calories for my competition cut but I'm back up to over 2100 calories now and still very lean. A reverse diet would probably be perfect for her, the idea is to add back in no more than 5% of her carb and fat calories while keeping protein the same and increase weekly. I use the Eat to Perform calculator to determine appropriate macro goals http://www.eattoperform.com/eat-to-perform-calculator/ and she should be eating more than twice what she's eating now based on her activity. I'd set her goal macros to 115g protein, 55g fat, and 315g of carbs for a total of 2215 calories. A reverse diet at 5% increases from her current 800 calories would take over 6 months, but she'd likely lose a little bit of weight during the process and be able to at a minimum maintain where she is at presently. What are her macro breakdowns right now?

use2betrix

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #393 on: January 28, 2016, 01:08:23 PM »
Very interesting! If you don't mind, what's your height and weight at your BF %?

My wife and I are currently cutting. We count calories and measure our macros. She's 5' and about 118. She's trying to get to around 112ish. She's very muscular, can do pull-ups and squat 225 lbs for a few perfect reps. I'm not great at guessing BF on women, but she has visible abs. She's just trying to get down a few more percent.

We're slowly cutting back calories, and by now she's down to a measely 800 calories. Her weight loss seems to have haulted the last few weeks which is just crazy cause she's not eating much. She's not overly hungry and the amount is reasonable as its well balanced throughout the day. She lifts weights with me 4x a week, does an hr of cycling 3 days a week, and 2 days a week of yoga + cardio. She's 22 years old and overall healthy. Doesn't work but gets a lot of exercise. She looks great, but just has a few last pounds she wants to shed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm tall, 5'11 and at 13% body fat in 2014 I was 143lbs (water depleted though too), at 15% I was 148lbs (also water depleted), I'm now sitting closer to 18 or 19% and am 161lbs. I posted progress photos for my current reverse diet on my instagram and facebook page, depending on how open minded your office space is I suppose they could be NSFW, bikinis are rather small... http://www.facebook.com/eat.train.yoga.love and my instagram is also @eat.train.yoga.love

Trixr, any particular reason she is trying to get leaner? 15% or below for women is excruciatingly difficult and really hard on a person, it is also not sustainable as the body will start fighting back. I only diet down that low for competition day and then increase a little for maintenance, mostly for my mental health!

800 calories is crazy low, (I'm not a doctor/nutritionist/dietitian disclaimer) but I would be working to increase her calories back up now so she can revisit losing weight later, you really can't cut her any lower. And if she stayed eating that little it could really set her up for major health/metabolism issues as she gets older. I dropped down to 1260 calories for my competition cut but I'm back up to over 2100 calories now and still very lean. A reverse diet would probably be perfect for her, the idea is to add back in no more than 5% of her carb and fat calories while keeping protein the same and increase weekly. I use the Eat to Perform calculator to determine appropriate macro goals http://www.eattoperform.com/eat-to-perform-calculator/ and she should be eating more than twice what she's eating now based on her activity. I'd set her goal macros to 115g protein, 55g fat, and 315g of carbs for a total of 2215 calories. A reverse diet at 5% increases from her current 800 calories would take over 6 months, but she'd likely lose a little bit of weight during the process and be able to at a minimum maintain where she is at presently. What are her macro breakdowns right now?

Her current ratio is about 105g of protein, 80g of carbs, and 30 g of fat. Totaling about 800 calories. If she has been slowly cutting back from around 1200 calories, I can't possibly imagine that tripling her calories will do anything positive in terms of fat loss. In fact, I'm 5'9.5, 205 lbs, and around 10-12% BF. I'm having 2000 calories per day 205g protein, 145g carbs, and 65g of fat, and I've been slowly losing about 1-2 lbs a week for the last month. A perfect rate for someone looking to maintain muscle while losing fat.

I used to be huge at 220lbs, (muscular and less fat) where I could have 300g protein and 400+g carbs and not gain a pound. That was about 18 months ago. I slacked off hard for 8 months and now I've been paying for it. I still look very good, just not where I was.

From what I've read, 1200 calories is not abnormal for maintenance for a small woman (mind you she's a foot shorter than you), and a calorie deficit of around 400 calories a day comes out to be about a pound of fat a week.

I'll slowly increase her calories back up and see what happens, but we see women competing at her height at 105 that look amazing. I dunno if I can see that 118lbs is simply the lowest weight/BF she can get short of starving herself.

I'll add you on IG and you'll get an idea, I think I have a couple pics of her, last part of my name on there is "88"

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #394 on: January 28, 2016, 01:45:59 PM »
I'm super intrigued by all the conversations about body fat/macros/strength training that has been happening. I'm not sure I'm that dedicated, shoot, I can't even seem to complete my strength train twice per week goal, But I really enjoy reading about those who are that dedicated and learning from the posts.

This is becoming another tough week, posting to commit to at least one round of Iron Strength for Runners this week. I have run twice and know I will get two more runs in this week (running is my stress relief) and likely a swim (husband's stress relief).

I know excuses are lame, but this week has been a succession of 12 hour work days before going home to deal with plumbing and heating issues. Somehow in less than a week the main sewer line out of the house managed to collapse and our furnace quit working. But the main line replacement will be finished tonight and the new furnace will be up and running tomorrow. Husband will be home tomorrow (not traveling for the foreseeable future) and next week is a lighter week work wise (at least there will be a minimum of late, late hours). Things are looking up!

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #395 on: January 28, 2016, 01:59:41 PM »
Very interesting! If you don't mind, what's your height and weight at your BF %?

My wife and I are currently cutting. We count calories and measure our macros. She's 5' and about 118. She's trying to get to around 112ish. She's very muscular, can do pull-ups and squat 225 lbs for a few perfect reps. I'm not great at guessing BF on women, but she has visible abs. She's just trying to get down a few more percent.

We're slowly cutting back calories, and by now she's down to a measely 800 calories. Her weight loss seems to have haulted the last few weeks which is just crazy cause she's not eating much. She's not overly hungry and the amount is reasonable as its well balanced throughout the day. She lifts weights with me 4x a week, does an hr of cycling 3 days a week, and 2 days a week of yoga + cardio. She's 22 years old and overall healthy. Doesn't work but gets a lot of exercise. She looks great, but just has a few last pounds she wants to shed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm tall, 5'11 and at 13% body fat in 2014 I was 143lbs (water depleted though too), at 15% I was 148lbs (also water depleted), I'm now sitting closer to 18 or 19% and am 161lbs. I posted progress photos for my current reverse diet on my instagram and facebook page, depending on how open minded your office space is I suppose they could be NSFW, bikinis are rather small... http://www.facebook.com/eat.train.yoga.love and my instagram is also @eat.train.yoga.love

Trixr, any particular reason she is trying to get leaner? 15% or below for women is excruciatingly difficult and really hard on a person, it is also not sustainable as the body will start fighting back. I only diet down that low for competition day and then increase a little for maintenance, mostly for my mental health!

800 calories is crazy low, (I'm not a doctor/nutritionist/dietitian disclaimer) but I would be working to increase her calories back up now so she can revisit losing weight later, you really can't cut her any lower. And if she stayed eating that little it could really set her up for major health/metabolism issues as she gets older. I dropped down to 1260 calories for my competition cut but I'm back up to over 2100 calories now and still very lean. A reverse diet would probably be perfect for her, the idea is to add back in no more than 5% of her carb and fat calories while keeping protein the same and increase weekly. I use the Eat to Perform calculator to determine appropriate macro goals http://www.eattoperform.com/eat-to-perform-calculator/ and she should be eating more than twice what she's eating now based on her activity. I'd set her goal macros to 115g protein, 55g fat, and 315g of carbs for a total of 2215 calories. A reverse diet at 5% increases from her current 800 calories would take over 6 months, but she'd likely lose a little bit of weight during the process and be able to at a minimum maintain where she is at presently. What are her macro breakdowns right now?

Her current ratio is about 105g of protein, 80g of carbs, and 30 g of fat. Totaling about 800 calories. If she has been slowly cutting back from around 1200 calories, I can't possibly imagine that tripling her calories will do anything positive in terms of fat loss. In fact, I'm 5'9.5, 205 lbs, and around 10-12% BF. I'm having 2000 calories per day 205g protein, 145g carbs, and 65g of fat, and I've been slowly losing about 1-2 lbs a week for the last month. A perfect rate for someone looking to maintain muscle while losing fat.

I used to be huge at 220lbs, (muscular and less fat) where I could have 300g protein and 400+g carbs and not gain a pound. That was about 18 months ago. I slacked off hard for 8 months and now I've been paying for it. I still look very good, just not where I was.

From what I've read, 1200 calories is not abnormal for maintenance for a small woman (mind you she's a foot shorter than you), and a calorie deficit of around 400 calories a day comes out to be about a pound of fat a week.

I'll slowly increase her calories back up and see what happens, but we see women competing at her height at 105 that look amazing. I dunno if I can see that 118lbs is simply the lowest weight/BF she can get short of starving herself.

I'll add you on IG and you'll get an idea, I think I have a couple pics of her, last part of my name on there is "88"

Fortunately your math is off, if she's getting 105g of protein, 80g of carbs and 30g of fat she's eating 1010 calories a day. (carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram while fat has 9)

But I mean it, increasing her ultra slow will do a body good. She can't diet forever and if she's stalled the only option is to drop calories even lower or add more cardio (HIIT is particularly efficient for women (20 minutes tops)) but too much of that she'll eventually tank and her body will fight back. I ended up in the hospital with heart/lung symptoms, I couldn't figure out what was wrong and I was diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks. I was staying at around 1400 calories per day and it started affecting me in ways I couldn't believe. My maintenance calories are actually around 2500-2750 when my metabolism is up to full speed. Dieting for long periods of time though significantly reduce metabolism, the body wants homeostasis and will become more efficient at living (using less calories) if you reduce calories too low. Which of course is the opposite of what you want.

So show me a picture of a girl who is under eating at 5' tall and not losing weight and I'll show you one of a girl who is totally shredded and eating 253g of carbs and at 1850 calories, this is while she's cutting, she was eating much more in her off season and still lean.

Your wife's estimated BMR is 1346 calories, that is how many calories her body should burn if she just laid in bed all day. Add in exercise, general moving around(walking to the car, standing, fidgeting, etc), and the thermic effect of food and she is certainly burning closer to 2100 calories a day. If she isn't losing at 1000 calorie/day intake then something needs to give, her BMR may be significantly reduced from under eating in which case the only way to fix that is to work on gradually eating more. BMR calculator here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #396 on: January 28, 2016, 02:36:56 PM »
I'm super intrigued by all the conversations about body fat/macros/strength training that has been happening. I'm not sure I'm that dedicated, shoot, I can't even seem to complete my strength train twice per week goal, But I really enjoy reading about those who are that dedicated and learning from the posts.

I've had a different reaction - not sure if this is quite the right thread for me after all ;)

I honestly don't care about metrics like body fat, macro nutrients percentages, specific strength training goals, etc...  I just want to feel healthy, capable and strong and that I can use my body to do the outdoor activities that interest me. I hate going to the gym, but I am very active outdoors and I enjoy recreational activities like swimming, hiking, cycling, etc... that keep me active. I want to continue to be in good overall health/ability as I get older, but not get bogged down with measuring everything and stressing out over the small details.

That's just my style, though. For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, good for you! :)

Come now!! It's a cumulative thread. There are people here who focus on that stuff, but the end-all-be-all of what we try to accomplish is exactly what you are talking about. It's a year long gauntlet for a reason. There may be discussions that you don't agree with or people who are going a different route, but the ultimate goal is Strength & Fitness!! I love the back and forth being created here, but I also understand that (for me, and possibly for you), that many carbs would make me super-fat, since my workout isn't super intense and my body doesn't react well to carbs. I'm fine with the discussion. Stick with us please. Can you do that? You provide an immense value (since you update almost more than I do ).

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #397 on: January 28, 2016, 03:29:29 PM »
I'm super intrigued by all the conversations about body fat/macros/strength training that has been happening. I'm not sure I'm that dedicated, shoot, I can't even seem to complete my strength train twice per week goal, But I really enjoy reading about those who are that dedicated and learning from the posts.

This is becoming another tough week, posting to commit to at least one round of Iron Strength for Runners this week. I have run twice and know I will get two more runs in this week (running is my stress relief) and likely a swim (husband's stress relief).

I know excuses are lame, but this week has been a succession of 12 hour work days before going home to deal with plumbing and heating issues. Somehow in less than a week the main sewer line out of the house managed to collapse and our furnace quit working. But the main line replacement will be finished tonight and the new furnace will be up and running tomorrow. Husband will be home tomorrow (not traveling for the foreseeable future) and next week is a lighter week work wise (at least there will be a minimum of late, late hours). Things are looking up!

I think tracking calories/macros has it's pros and cons, most people have no idea how much they actually eat. I know a lot of women who eat way too little and plenty of men and women who eat too much. Then factor in food quality (which is a highly controversial subject) and things get even more confusing. Tracking can be pretty enlightening and help a person understand the size of a portion, the difference between nutrient dense and calorie dense foods (broccoli or whole grain pasta or beans or a donut for example) and how changing your macronutrient ratios drastically from one day to the next might affect you.

If you want to reach "shredded" status (approximately sub 8% body fat for men or sub 16% for women) you really have to track macronutrients, it's the only way to really dial things in.

If you just want to be healthy then eat mostly whole foods, have dessert no more than once or twice a week, if you go for the burger don't also get the fries and milkshake, only have 2 or 3 slices of pizza instead of the whole thing, etc. No need to start weighing and measuring your food, eating intuitively is fine. Minimal dedication required. ;)

The cons of tracking are how cumbersome it can be, if you get tied up into being rigid or following the rules it is easy to get obsessive. It can almost become it's own type of eating disorder. Plus, it's still not exact and it never will be. Food nutrition changes simply based on how you cooked it, no two cooked sweet potatoes will ever be the same. Is your scale accurate enough? If ounces aren't precise enough how about grams or why not find one that measures to the microgram? :P No need, people have to remember you are still just best guessing in the end anyway.

Dieting is hard on you physically, mentally and emotionally. Your goal for your diet should be learning how to stop dieting.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #398 on: January 28, 2016, 03:30:35 PM »
I'm super intrigued by all the conversations about body fat/macros/strength training that has been happening. I'm not sure I'm that dedicated, shoot, I can't even seem to complete my strength train twice per week goal, But I really enjoy reading about those who are that dedicated and learning from the posts.

I've had a different reaction - not sure if this is quite the right thread for me after all ;)

I honestly don't care about metrics like body fat, macro nutrients percentages, specific strength training goals, etc...  I just want to feel healthy, capable and strong and that I can use my body to do the outdoor activities that interest me. I hate going to the gym, but I am very active outdoors and I enjoy recreational activities like swimming, hiking, cycling, etc... that keep me active. I want to continue to be in good overall health/ability as I get older, but not get bogged down with measuring everything and stressing out over the small details.

That's just my style, though. For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, good for you! :)

That should be all of our goals! It's all a means to an end right? ;)

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Re: Strength & Fitness 2016
« Reply #399 on: January 28, 2016, 03:52:25 PM »
I'm super intrigued by all the conversations about body fat/macros/strength training that has been happening. I'm not sure I'm that dedicated, shoot, I can't even seem to complete my strength train twice per week goal, But I really enjoy reading about those who are that dedicated and learning from the posts.

I've had a different reaction - not sure if this is quite the right thread for me after all ;)

I honestly don't care about metrics like body fat, macro nutrients percentages, specific strength training goals, etc...  I just want to feel healthy, capable and strong and that I can use my body to do the outdoor activities that interest me. I hate going to the gym, but I am very active outdoors and I enjoy recreational activities like swimming, hiking, cycling, etc... that keep me active. I want to continue to be in good overall health/ability as I get older, but not get bogged down with measuring everything and stressing out over the small details.

That's just my style, though. For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, good for you! :)


I get that.  I usually just skim many of the posts.
For me the specific strength goals aren't really my real goals at all.  Nor is my performance on Ninja Warrior (assuming they pick me at all), nor my appearance at Bay 2 Breakers.  Those things are all motivators.

My actual GOAL is to be one of those 85 year old guys who is still doing push-ups when most of his peers are using walkers (if they are still alive). 
Every old person I've ever asked "what's the secret/" to have given a variant of the same answer:


"Never stop"


But in practice I found that the fairly vague and very very far off in the future goal of maintain strength and fitness as I age didn't actually get me into the gym, where a goal of "be able to lift  my own bodyweight over head by May" is concrete enough to get me to do some presses every week


Speaking of which...


Yesterday I was doing weighted pull-ups, and was a little disappointed by my lack of progress and how much of a struggle it was...
until
I noticed that I had hidden a 5lb plate in the back pocket of my backpack who knows how long ago and forgotten about it.
So I was doing a bit more than I realized. Up to 5 reps @ 50lbs!