Fitness challenges for 2014?

--chris--

paul78 wrote: »

For the first 4 months or so, I simply ate well. But once I started feeling more healthy, I started a simple exercise routine on a home gym. Just simple cardio and compound weight exercises about 3-4 times a week. At the 6-7 month mark, I had gotten so use to exercising that if I missed more than 3 days, I would get anxious about it so I started to do shorter sessions (about 30 minutes) but daily if I could.

Its funny how one small thing leads to another small thing, then those two things build into one bigger thing...then the ball keeps rolling. The hardest part is getting started. After about 6 weeks its hard to stop.

@skin comment: Was it squishy? When I dropped 30 lbs a few years ago I could "feel" when I was about to lose some fat in a certain area. It would go from its normal moderate/firm feel to watery/squishy and bouncy. Then a couple weeks later the area would be more sculpted, less fluffy. I asked someone about it once wondering if I was crazy and there is actually a medical term for it. Its really cool if you can notice it.

Its as close as we can get to quantifying weight loss. One day your holding it in your hand, the next week its gone.

kohr-ah

phoeneous wrote: »

As a follow up to this thread, anyone have any fitness challenges/goals for 2014? I'm on week two of the stronglifts 5x5 program, trying to bulk up to 175 by April. I've always done calisthenics at home but if I want to bulk then I need to lift some heavy ass weight, haven't been in a real gym in over 10 years!

I want to complete the bar-barian challenge. So far I am doing good on pull ups and push-ups but dips I need to work on and it is too cold right now to go out and practice muscle ups.

Oh and do and hold a hand stand that is just a personal thing. Head stand hold I have down pat now just pushing off floor and holding left.

inscom.brigade

--chris-- wrote: »

125 KM? No thank. lol

How did you fare? Whats next, the leadville 100?
Leadville Race Series

.

I had my application I or that once, I was in that kind of physical condition; used ride dirt bikes and kick ass. Now after the certs I am just a pile of lard.

--chris--

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Striking a balance is no joke.

I'm here in front of my PC today working on assignments from classes and reading/labbing for CCENT. I want to go workout since its been 3 days since my last session but I know that this needs to be done. If I put off working out till later, then my toddler will be awake and complicate things. Then If I work out now, I could study later...but again, the toddler will be awake making that tricky lol.

Verities

Completing the Tough Mudder with my team this coming October. I've been training for about a two months and injured my leg (most likely from increasing intensity too much too soon). My workout routine amounts to: Day 1- Weightlifting (arms or chest or back/shoulders), Day 2- Running a 5k (all hills for leg strengthening, speed, and stamina), Day 3- Maybe Mudder workout (Tough Mudder Boot Camp Training), Day 4- rest, Day 5 - rest (it's a struggle, so sometimes I skip the second rest day and begin day 1 workout again). I've been doing some additional research and for those of you who like intense workouts or are looking to increase the intensity of your workouts (especially for those that plateau or get bored), only increase intensity by 10% a week. If not, you'll injure yourself either by muscle strains or stress fractures. In any case, when I started this routine I was at 175 lbs and now I'm at 200 lbs (6ft tall, 25 years old), most of the gains was my lower body.

CodeBlox

I'm doing more and more 5ks each month.

lsud00d

Just got my calipers in from Amazon, pretty happy with the first measurements of ~14-16BF%. I'll get a consistent measurement time to track it, probably in the morning...shooting for 10-12% within the next couple months. It is Mardi Gras season down here so King Cakes are gonna be an issue...but I can't not eat King Cake so I'll just have to work out harder

--chris--

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My last employer had a 'Cajun supplier that would send us King Cakes every Mardi Gras. I don't know if the shipping killed it or they just sent crummy King Cakes, but they were always soggy vanilla cake with that creepy baby in it.

johnnyarks

I made a bad life decision of moving in with my grandmother to pay off bills...

good news: I'm debt free (paid off nearly 17K of various debts)
bad news: I gained about 65lbs in 1.5 yrs

I need to lose maybe 80 lbs, plan to lose 60 of them in 2014... my tools will be XBOX one - Insanity.
(I already did it when it came out and lost 20lbs in 1 month, it works).

--chris--

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Ahh grandma, betrayer of most health oriented goals.

it_consultant

Claymoore wrote: »

@it_consultant It's the opposite down here with Winter being our race season. It's too hot to run in the summer.

I have a Disney half marathon the end of February and then I probably won't have another major race until the fall. I think I'll do both the Tower of Terror 10-miler and Disney Wine and Dine half marathon next fall. I've only been running about 6 months. I used to train in Kung-fu and joked that was so I wouldn't have to run. I'm at the point now where every training run is the longest I have ever run, with 13.1 miles my goal. Right now I don't think I'll ever do a full marathon, but we'll see how I feel after a couple of half marathons.

I'm going to run in the fall/winter and lift in the spring/summer this year and see how that works for me.

I didn't see this until today! Full marathons wreck your body. I train with some people who are true to form runners who decided to do triathlon and our coach says "NO" every time they mention doing a full marathon. Congratulations on hitting your running goals; my first half marathon is in April sometime.

To give you a snapshot of where I am at now, I can do 10K on a 9 minute pace without dying but I am far away from doing a half marathon after a 57 mile bike ride. Last night I did a 1.5 hour bike with a 2 mile transition run immediately following the trainer ride. Last night (it was bloody cold, like 15 degrees and snowing) was the first transition run where I didn't want to break down and cry and question my life decisions.

BrizoH

beaucaldwell wrote: »

very cool! happy to see another BJJ practitioner on here I'm a blue belt, loving the journey. Havn't competed in about a year but last time I did I made it out to Portugal to the Euro Championships, didn't place but was an amazing experience.

Another blue belt here although I haven't trained in a long time.

The percentage of IT workers in my academy was unusually high - BJJ seems to attract the geeks

UniqueAgEnT

If you guys get bored of the 5x5, look into 5-3-1. It's a great strength training program that can help you break plateaus.

Goals for 2014:
Body Weight - 185 6'1
Bench - 300
Squat - 350
Dead - 405

Current
Body Weight - 180 6'1
Bench - 280
Squat - 300
Dead - 365

I'm really excited to break the 1000 bench/squat/dead this year. Hopefully no setbacks!

phoeneous

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Decent numbers there! By week 12 (mid April) I hope to be around:

Bench - 225
Squat - 275
Dead - 315

bull313

phoeneous wrote: »

Decent numbers there! By week 12 (mid April) I hope to be around:

Bench - 225
Squat - 275
Dead - 315

I ENVY you guys!

My numbers:

Body Weight: 270, 6'3"
Bench - 0 (bad shoulder)
Squat - 0 (bad knees and hip)
Dead - 0 (bad back)

All I can manage are bodyweight workouts, and even then I have to be careful!

OfWolfAndMan

My currents: Bench- 235 (Would be better but hurt my shoulder several months back)
Squat: 325
Dead: 395

End of 2014 goals:
Bench: 260
Squat: 350
Dead: 430

Currently doing Lyle McDonald's generic routine (A variation of it anyway).

DoubleNNs

How many reps at those weights?

bhcs2014

Nice to see IT guys staying in shape! don't always see that.

My stats:
6'3 185
Bench 195
Squat 305
Deadlift 435

Sucks having long arms..

OfWolfAndMan

DoubleNNs wrote: »

How many reps at those weights?

Those are 1RMs. I don't touch a barbell for bench press during the normal workout as that originally hurt my shoulder. Usually do dumbbells instead

DevilWAH

Posted before in this thread about getting back on the bike after 3 years of illness. well been a few week since getting back in the saddle and still nothing like back to before illness. But can do the 8 mile to and from work with out to much issues so now its just getting the time down to some thing decent and getting a few longer rides in. One thing i have found is that a racing saddle is not good to get back on after a long break, dam I need a bit more padding.

phoeneous

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Road or mtb?

DevilWAH

Road mostly these days. I use to be 100% MTB about 10 years back, but after I started commuting road is just so much better. Although it is a cross bike

Bike

So with the other wheels on it, its good for dirt tracks and a little off road.

it_consultant

I bought a new bike just yesterday.

Hypntick

I'm about to start a 6 week training regimen for a white collar boxing for charity event. Now I have been doing fitness and sparring both boxing and kickboxing since August of last year, so I don't really expect to see much of a change in my training habits. May end up going from 4 days a week to 6 days a week, and focusing less on kickboxing. Looking forward to it though, although I am glad they're dividing it by weight and age, those younger guys are scary.

mistabrumley89

Weight: 186
Height: 5' 8"

Bench: 225
Squat: 365
Deadlift: 405

Run: at least 15 miles a week

Goal: Drop weight to 150ish

DoubleNNs

Weight: 205 lbs
Height: 6"2'

Bench: 210 x 8 reps
Squat: 215 x 8 reps
Dead: 365 x 6 reps

Goals - bench 225 for 3 sets of 10 reps, and improve my lagging squat (but still be able to fit my legs in my pants haha). Also drop down to 190-195 lbs temporarily for playing summer basketball.

--chris--

2014 fitness challenges has become a real appropriate name for my year! New job = almost no time to work out, so I am on the model diet as to not gain a ton of weight (somewhat sarcastic). Seriously though, consuming around 2000 cals/day blows. Better than blowing up though.

My employer has a gym/rehab center on campus but its $100/month! It kills me to pay that when I just spent $3000 over the last 12 months in gear for my home gym that I now lack the time to use.

datacomboss

Good to see so many guys doing deadlifts. It's the perfect lift IMHO. Fifteen years as a sprinter has my knees pretty wobbly when it comes to heavy squats, but I'm approaching 500 in my current 5x5 routine @ 200#.