Wow, just did 3.5 miles in this cold. My entire face and my teeth hurt... but it was worth it.

1/12/2011 1:01:29 PM

^ I couldn't make it out at lunch, sadly...I'm heading out there late this afternoon and am not looking forward to the cold. I've gotta stay ready for running outside daily in Petersburg and Charlottesville, VA during Feb though.

1/12/2011 1:26:26 PM

Is nobody doing the picture tracking this year? I guess I see a few, but I'm going to start to track progress. I'll update either every Wednesday or every other Wednesday (more likely) since that is my off day from the gym.

Height: 5'9"-9.5"
Start Weight: 170.5 lbs
Current Weight: 170.5 lbs

I honestly don't know what my optimal weight is. People are shocked when they find out what I weight as I carry it well proportioned. I think I'm pretty close to ideal but want to cut off a bit of fat and build a bit of lean muscle (like everyone else in the world)

Starting photo:


Goals

* Get rid of that thin layer of pudge covering my abs and the tiny bit of love handles the Holiday's gave me. It's not much but it's enough to keep me working.

* Build mass in two key areas -- Chest and arms. I might just be genetically challenged, but as you can see I have trouble building mass in my chest especially.

* Build endurance. Gone are the days I can run pickup games for 2-3 hours straight. I want those days to come back.

How to do it

* Curtail drinking during week (since the New Year I've only drank alcohol ONE night during the week. And that was Monday at Saucer and it was 3 pints.

* Run five days a week at least 2.5 miles and lift four days a week -- so far so good

* No junk food/snacks and more lean protein-- been better but still some work to do.

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 1:55 PM. Reason : x]

1/12/2011 1:55:00 PM

Quote :

"Build endurance. Gone are the days I can run pickup games for 2-3 hours straight. I want those days to come back. where Quinn's team blanks mine and the guy i'm covering drops 90% of the points while Quinn stands around like an idiot."

1/12/2011 2:13:16 PM

I like the direction in which this thread is going.

Yay pictures.

Anyway...

Quote :

"Height: 5'9"-9.5" Start Weight: 170.5 lbs Current Weight: 170.5 lbs I honestly don't know what my optimal weight is. People are shocked when they find out what I weight as I carry it well proportioned. I think I'm pretty close to ideal but want to cut off a bit of fat and build a bit of lean muscle (like everyone else in the world)"

I honestly don't think weight is that important for most folks unless they're playing a sport where weight makes a big difference in performance, like boxing or marathon running.

BF% if probably much more important.

1/12/2011 2:18:10 PM

^^ I will have you know that I wasn't guarding him until the rubber game and we kept it close... but I had to use ALL my energy on defense so had no legs to make shot!

1/12/2011 2:18:38 PM

I'll post pics soon. My house just has terrible lighting, so it's hard to see anything from pics. And I feel weird taking pics in a public place, like work or the gym.

I probably shouldn't post pics at all, because I'll look worse as time progresses. I have to lose weight to reach my goals, which is a running performance goal, not an appearance goal. But once running season is over, I can pack the pounds back on.

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 2:22 PM. Reason : h]

1/12/2011 2:20:08 PM

^^

hahahahahah . we were setting double screens for him in a 3on3 game. you had no chance to survive!!!! (make your time)

1/12/2011 2:23:07 PM

I posted my pic already and lost 1.4 lbs.in the first week!

Woot!

1/12/2011 2:37:26 PM

inorite hawt

1/12/2011 2:40:58 PM

194.5 this morning, haven't checked my BF% yet prob should get one of those to check more regularly

started trainer workouts this morning. Yesterday kicked my ass, today kicked my ass again and he was going light on me both sessions lol.

i deserve it for not working out w/him since october!

1/12/2011 2:55:19 PM

^ You're pretty tall, aren't you? Sounds like you're in pretty good shape still. You lost a bit of weight last year, right?

1/12/2011 2:59:31 PM

6'4" yep

ya i was ~235 back in 08, hired a PT at golds never looked back!


i froze my account in october i had to leave town for a family emergency, i didn't come back until last Friday. Luckily I didn't gain any weight but a lot of my strength is gone. I'm upping my cal intake gonna try to put on some muscle over the next couple of months, training sessions 3x/week + cardio/training on my own 2x/week

1/12/2011 3:01:54 PM

I've got a day 0 pic, when I hit day 30 I'll put them side by side and see if there's any difference. I'll do that again for 60 and 90 days. (along with weigh, body fat %, etc)

I will say that today's workout, shoulders & arms, straight kicked my ass and ab ripper X still kicks my ass.

1/12/2011 9:09:52 PM

started back today...actually DID a back workout for the first time in forever anyways.

im working out with 2 guys one that does bodybuilding and personal training the other who is retardedly athletic so it should work out well.

we'll see how it goes. currently at 175 but hoping to get all this body fat gone...my key is to have as low a body fat % as possible so i look shredded, i dont really care about getting huge.

so i ask you tww...how do i do that? im sure its going to be about 90% diet. my diet now SUCKS. fast food all the time really but im not fat at all.

I want a boxers body, not too bulky but not skinny lean...something like this

http://beat.bodog.com/wp-content/uploads/GSP.jpg

any helpz?

[Edited on January 13, 2011 at 12:35 AM. Reason : d]

[Edited on January 13, 2011 at 12:40 AM. Reason : g]

1/13/2011 12:33:24 AM

I believe all your "gym time" efforts will be wasted if you choose to eat poorly. As far as i am concerned getting a defined midsection is genetics and/or diet not gym time. You wont get that arm definition you want if you are not physically large enough (ask me how i know). That is why I chose to gain 15lbs from last summer. A fast food diet can be hard to break. Do you enjoy any sports? I cant do anything "cardio" related if it isnt some kind of sport.

1/13/2011 1:01:31 AM

im getting off the fast food diet asap...but its a matter of what to eat and when and in what portions...any tips with that?

the reason i got on teh fast food thing was we moved houses so keeping anything in the fridge was tough.

but as of today I started the clean diet.

I do play some basketball from time to time, i used to play alotttt...i find just running to be a bore and not my cup of tea at all. i play golf, bball, fball from time to time and a little bit of everything really.

[Edited on January 13, 2011 at 1:04 AM. Reason : g]

1/13/2011 1:03:58 AM

If you stay away from sugar and fast food you will end up eating healthy (you might go overboard with the carbs). I'm not a big fan of super salty foods so I naturally avoid sodium. If you lift weights with motivated partners and play basketball you will only experience positive results. I think its a great routine. Get a protein goal and nail it and you will be fine. If you are not huge now ( as in "chubby") you probably never will be. Consider yourself blessed!





[Edited on January 13, 2011 at 1:14 AM. Reason : .]

1/13/2011 1:14:16 AM

not chubby just have a pocket of fat on the lower part of my abs that i can NEVER seem to get rid of.

I know i will be fit by the time I am done with these guys...the problem is i never stick to anything for more than a month, so i figured by having 2 ppl it will help a lot. one of them will convince me no matter what. benefit of two i suppose.

think i may do some of the p90x mess or insanity from time to time to keep my cardio up.

and protein goal? isnt it supposed to be like 1 g per lb of body weight?

1/13/2011 1:21:48 AM

If you never make it more than a month then set some kind of goal that forces you to go longer

ex: "Run a 5K in March" or something similar

1/13/2011 5:45:14 AM

^

1/13/2011 7:32:34 AM

grrr, the snow has delayed the delivery of our power tower. Was looking forward to getting that today.

1/13/2011 10:09:32 AM

^^^^ yeah it should be about 1g protein/lb of body weight, and that should be about 30% of your total calories for the day

1/13/2011 11:24:59 AM

so since I weigh about 220, I should be taking in about 220grams of protein?


And I would like to say that at week 3, p90x yoga is still kicking my ass handily.

1/13/2011 8:00:58 PM

So in this thread's professional opinion, if I'm looking to drop my run time, with out actually running much, (shin splint issues, nearly flatfooted) would insanity be a good bet?

1/13/2011 9:56:14 PM

Insanity wouldn't hurt, but if you are exercising with the goal of improving your running, I would fix your shin splints and get custom shoes for your flat feet.

1/13/2011 10:18:48 PM

for anyone interested in an upcoming 5K, the NHL All-Star 5k is on Saturday, January 29th!

http://www.ncraces.com/NHL_All_Star_5K.php?nosessionkill=1

1/13/2011 10:32:01 PM

Somehow I don't think Insanity will help to any significant degree...

You'd be better of doing CrossFit or something similar. I've seen a lot of my clients lower their run times by reducing the amount of days they run each week and incorporating CrossFit. Obviously it depends on the distance you're trying to improve, but even my marathoners only do 3 days a week of actual running (2 interval sessions + 1 "long" run)

I would actually recommend the opposite and find shoes with minimal/no support like inov8 or nike Frees (still not as good as the inov8)

1/14/2011 6:08:13 AM

^^I registered for that a couple weeks ago!

1/14/2011 8:37:47 AM

haven't posted since the first day but i'm down 4 lbs from the holidays and i can tell i'm losing inches in my waist...now for the tum and thighs...

1/14/2011 8:47:23 AM

Quote :

"so since I weigh about 220, I should be taking in about 220grams of protein?"

it's typically supposed to be based around 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. If you're 220lbs and 15% body fat, you should technically be only taking in 187 grams of protein. As long as you don't have kidney problems, excess protein isn't going to hurt you.

The more important thing to consider is the time at which you consume protein. Your body has no storage system for protein other than muscles, and you don't want your body feeding off of other muscle groups to repair the damage you just did to one muscle group during a workout. Spread your protein consumption throughout the day, and eat more protein in the couple of meals directly following a workout. Keep in mind that protein shakes and eggs digest really fast, while most meats stay in your digestive tract much longer.

1/14/2011 9:09:33 AM

^ yes, beware of too much protein in your diet. it can cause kidney stones speaking from personal experience

1/14/2011 9:25:47 AM

i would also like to add-be careful with too much fiber in your diet.

i just went through that. it was horrible.

1/14/2011 9:27:41 AM

^, ^^ how much was "too much" for you?

1/14/2011 9:38:24 AM

Quote :

"So in this thread's professional opinion, if I'm looking to drop my run time, with out actually running much, (shin splint issues, nearly flatfooted) would insanity be a good bet?"

No. Insanity helps your endurance when running, but it won't help your speed. Your best bet for speed is to find a track and to try and run a 6 minute mile on it.

The method I've used before (esp. when training for a PFT) is alternating sprint laps with jog/walk laps and timing myself on only the sprint laps until you reach 1 mile. You time should for the mile should add up to as close to 6 minutes or less as you can get it.

Eventually build up to sprinting longer distances (i.e. doing a non-stop 1/2 mile in 3 or less minutes kind of like the CFT).

That, and put distance on your legs gradually. If you start with a low mileage (1 to 2 miles) 2 to 3 times a week for a couple of weeks you should be able to strengthen your legs enough to eventually add a great deal of distance.

I have flat feet too and the best thing I've done for them is run on them.

I've never had shin splints but I've had tendonitis in many places on my legs from over training and starting with too many miles. I'm just getting back into a really good running routine now and I'm only logging 10 miles for this week. (4 Sunday, 2 Wednesday and 4 tonight or tomorrow).

Hope that helps.

[Edited on January 14, 2011 at 9:41 AM. Reason : I basically train how PackMan92 explained it. LOL]

[Edited on January 14, 2011 at 9:44 AM. Reason : moar]

1/14/2011 9:40:28 AM

God asked me to post this video ITT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R9BUH37lmc

It's very cool! Shows the effect of 365 days of exercise.

1/14/2011 9:46:17 AM

That's pretty crazy.

1/14/2011 9:56:17 AM

The change in tan and hair color is pretty trippy throughout!

1/14/2011 9:59:36 AM

Quote :

"I would actually recommend the opposite and find shoes with minimal/no support like inov8 or nike Frees (still not as good as the inov8)"

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll try some of that. I actually do own some Vibram KSOs, but its pretty chilly out to be running essentially barefoot, and there's a lot of ice around here, so I'm trying to find some good indoor stuff for a couple months.

1/14/2011 10:07:10 AM

^ If you still go to State see if you can run on the Reynolds indoor track or the Carmichael indoor track. The Reynolds one will be less crowded.

1/14/2011 10:34:50 AM

Quote :

"how much was "too much" for you?"

well, in my case, i'm not sure. it was a combination of too much protein and not hydrating well enough that was the cause of the kidney stones.

there's no way of knowing what was too much. i now just have to take supplements of citric acid to prevent additional stones from forming

1/14/2011 10:49:04 AM

^aha same here

i was eating probably around 25 grams (fiber) per day but not drinking nearly enough water.


oh, oh it was bad.

1/14/2011 12:10:04 PM

That got me wondering how much fiber I normally get so I just checked my logs. I seem to hit right around 25 grams of fiber half the time and 40 grams the other half. But I usually drink a lot of water and have never had any issues with it. So, ymmv when it comes to tolerances with all these things.

1/14/2011 12:25:30 PM

get it? checked my logs...

1/14/2011 2:44:02 PM

good news: i'm down 3 pounds from last week

bad news: i have somehow managed to mess up my knee at work so running this weekend is not gonna happen. hopefully I just need to rest it and its nothing serious. I was limping all yesterday and stairs are still pretty much horrible :/

1/14/2011 3:54:21 PM

oh lawd

what did you do?

1/14/2011 4:00:12 PM

I'm back in the gym next week after having a run in with some health issues. I never posted goals, but I'm currently 6' 185 lbs. Would like to stay around 185 while losing fat and gaining muscle. Will post pics eventually.

1/14/2011 4:06:22 PM

^^ no clue! just started bothering me at work on wednesday. discomfort was minimal the next morning so i went running on it. I was limping the rest of the day. I'm dumb

1/14/2011 4:25:19 PM

take a few days to rest it and if it still doesn't get better, get new shoes

1/14/2011 4:27:09 PM

^^ What kind of pain is it? Does it have a creaking feeling when you move it? Is it swollen? Also, how much were you running per week (frequency and mileage-wise)? Did you start running like a million miles per day back to back from nothing or did you gradually increase frequency and mileage?

1/14/2011 4:54:01 PM