Progress Report

[Sum Dum Gai]

I thought it would be kind of fun to have a goals and progress thread.

The way it works is each person puts in one post that says/shows where they started, where they are now, and where they'd like to be. Each week or month you come back and edit your post to update the where you are now part, but leave the where you started and where you'd like to be alone so everyone can see your progress.

You can post pictures if you want, or just text.

I'll start in the next post, and will probably be doing pictures in mine, but I don't have one now.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Start:
My starting weight was roughly 185. I'm 5'9". I don't have a good starting pic, but picture a scrawny dude with a bit of a belly. Not a huge beer gut or anything, but starting to put on some jiggle around the middle. I started lifting around the middle of February 2011.

Starting Lifts: (started fairly conservatively, not testing my max)
Squat 85 3x5 (46% of body weight)
Dead Lift 135 1x5 (73% of body weight)
Bench 85 3x5 (46% of body weight)

Current progress:
Haven't updated in a while. Took a week off a few weeks ago. Over the previous 8 weeks I'd added 50-100 to each lift. My body was starting to feel pretty worked, I was hella tired, and I wasn't feeling like I'd recovered completely before my next workout hit. Last week I was back in the gym, but I'm laying off my legs for a bit. My right knee is bothering me again, it's the one I jacked up ice skating last year. The first time I injured it I tried to lift on it way too early so it took way longer than it should have to heal completely. This time I'm going to be smart, so I won't be working my legs for a total of three weeks.

I'm still doing my upper body lifts, and I've decided to get more cardio and ab work in while I lay off my legs. Might as well try to trim up a little.

My weight as of this morning was 189 on the nose. It had been fluctuating between 190 and 193.

Current lifts:
Squat last workout was 195 3x5 (103% of body weight)
Dead Lift last workout was 240 1x5 (124% of body weight)
Bench 142.5 3x5 (75% of body weight)

Progress Pic:
Coming Soon! I'll make sure to get one by the end of the week.

Favorite Exercise in my current routine:
Weighted planks, held for 1 minute. You lie on your stomach on the floor with your feet together. Put the plate on your lower back. Lift your shoulders off the ground and place your elbows under your shoulders, then lift your whole body off the ground, keeping your back flat, so only your toes and forearms are touching the ground. Picture the push up starting position, but with your elbows and forearms on the ground instead of your hands. I do one minute up, one minute resting for a total of 6 minutes. I'm going to take that up to 10 minutes than see how much weight I can do with it. I currently do 15 pounds.

Goals:
I'd like to get my weight up to around 200 with a 10% or so body fat. Right now I'm more focused on strength goals though.

I'm shooting for the following:
Squat 360
Dead Lift 450
Bench 270

[Deleted]

Start: I ran a 5k in 23:23 on 3/19.

Goal : My goal is to be able to run a 22:30 5k in a race I am running on 6/11. In order to be able to do that I probably need to lose 5 pounds or so.


I have been running mostly on the treadmill, but it will be nice to be able to start running outside, hopefully soon. For the last couple of months I have been running about 4 times a week, about 12 miles a week.. I would like to up that to about 20 miles a week by the end of May.

[Formerly SK]

Start:
My starting weight was 188 in Jan 2009. I'm 5'4." I don't know what my body fat % was, but my BMI was 33. I lost 45lbs in 2009 just with diet changes, and another 15lbs in 2010. I started lifting off/on last summer.

Currently:
I'm currently 130. Body fat% is 20. BMI is 22. I'm working my way through the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women". Turns out I really like lifting weights. Who knew??
Squat 95lbs (10x3)
Deadlift 95lbs (10x3)

Goal:
I'd like to get to 18% body fat (completely arbitrary number). I'd like to get my knees strong enough to climb Mt. St. Helens (or more precisely, get DOWN Mt. St. Helens). I don't care about more weight loss and have actually increased calories to hopefully build more muscle. Oh yeah...I also want to do 10 pushups with my feet elevated on a chair. I saw a girl do that at the gym recently and it blew me away. I currently do my pushup sets at a 25% incline.

[Frappuccino]

Starting:
Today I am 129lb after gaining some winter weight.

Progress:

I went to the gym on Monday night and I am going again tonight.

Goal:
I would like to get to 120lb because that is where I look best. I need to tone my flab. I desperately need to cut back on sugars and starches. This cold weather makes it difficult for me and my will power, but I need to get over it and just do it

[Artemis Windsong]

Goal: To find a better method to record my workouts.
To workout at something everyday.
Tighten the tricep area - started dips and chin ups as a must do.
Try to find joy in cardio.
Continue reducing coffee down to goal of 2 cups.

[tractor]

Last March and was 192 lbs, 5'8" and starting over, first stepped into the gym on March 9, 2010. I don't remember what my lifts were, but most things started at 135 lbs, and have been steadily going up. I work out three days a week, only free weights with my main focus on form, and consistency. I had a 38 inch waist, never measured anything else.

After one year I am now 190 lbs. I still work out three days a week and have a 34 inch waist. I don't know my body fat, but if you look at the picture I posted earlier in the week, you can tell it's not that low. I have a ways to go in lowering my fat content, but I have been focused on building mass and will start cutting down in a couple of months.

My lifts as of this week are as follows (I usually do four sets of 8 before I move up, so the numbers are my reps, not my max) bench = 225, Squat = 250, dead lift = 285, decline bench =185, incline bench = 135, leg extensions = 110, leg curls = 80, plus all the other stuff like curls, calves, rows, pull downs, etc.

Future Goals. I don't have any real lifting goals. I'd like to be a lean 200 lbs. My max bench in college was 335, I'd like to do that again, max squat was 350. I'll pass that in a couple of months (did 305 unassisted last week), and max dead lift was 450. I'd like to get to 500. I really need to get some cardio in my workout, or I'll end up a wide strong man who dies of heart failure trying to walk up a set of stairs.

[bobosensei]

Start - I'm 5'8" and since college my weight has been anywhere from 140-170.

Current - In the last few months I've dropped about 15 pounds. Mostly through watching what I eat. I weigh about 155 now. I started going to the gym at the end of February. I do about 6 days a week- just cardio for now. An hour each time. I love the way it makes me feel.

Goal - expand work outs to weight training. Also to begin taking more of the classes offered by the gym, Zumba, Body Sculpt, Spin, Cardio Dance etc. to change up the cardio. My weight goal is to get down in the 130s. Right now my scale says my body fat is like 32% so in theory my goal weight is possible. I'm also interested in learning to run. I'm hour glass shaped and it has always been uncomfortable to run, but I'm thinking if I can lose a little more weight it might become easier. I've got the couch to 5k program on my iPhone and I'm not far from the track. The weather is getting nicer, and I'd really love to be able to run with my dogs.

[Deleted]

I'm running a 10k with a couple of killer hills this weekend. My goal is to run it in 60 minutes or better, which is just over a 10 minute mile. Of course I would like to do better than that, but this is a long run for me, so I am not sure what to expect.

[Artemis Windsong]

Dragons can fly. Best wishes on your race.

[azphx1972]

Archie, if you've been training on the treadmill you should be faster on pavement. At least that was the case for me. Good luck on your 10k! My first race was a 10k, and it was a week after I started running. It was tough but I managed to finish in 51 minutes.

[shandi76]

I've also found that I usually manage to run faster outdoors than on a treadmill.

Archie, I think I remember you saying your 5K time was 23:30? In which case you should be aiming for double that plus 4 minutes or so, which would be around 51 minutes.

Best of luck with your race

[Deleted]

Just to update, I ran the 10k over the weekend in 49:03 I wish it wasn't raining and 40 degrees, but I am glad I ran it and I'm happy with the results... now to get better.

[pig]

running in the rain huh? Did your feet stink with mold and sweat afterwards?

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2011 8:32:38 GMT -5 @pig said:

running in the rain huh? Did your feet stink with mold and sweat afterwards?

No, but my man nipples were sore and burned in the shower afterwards.

[pig]

Maybe you're getting gyno? Are you developing breast tissue?

[Deleted]

Guess which one I am.. I am trying to get a closer shot of my man nipples.

[pig]

Can't see the image Arch, it's just a red x. Is it of your newly formed breast tissue?? I want to see it!

[Formerly SK]

Arch - my DH wears wears nip guards when he does races. He has to shave the chest hair around his nipples to get them to stick. It looks pretty funny, but he couldn't run without them. The friction from his shirt causes him too much pain. You can get them at most running stores.

[pig]

OMG SK LOL TMI!!!!

Archie are you the guy with his arms out?

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2011 9:13:50 GMT -5 @pig said:

OMG SK LOL TMI!!!!

Archie are you the guy with his arms out?

Yeah, that's me.

[pig]

That dude behind you is awfully close, was he hitting on you or staring at your buttocks?

[Artemis Windsong]

[Formerly SK]

Pig - you should have seen the cute girl helping DH locate/buy the nip guards at the running store. They talked chaffing and tips/tricks forever. Runners do a lot of kooky things....like rubbing Vaseline on their inner thighs before a run (the cute girl told us she does this). LOL

[pig]

Hmmmm sounds like a great way to meet chicks! Perphas I'll smear rogue on my nips and complain to a female sales woman about all the irritation.

[azphx1972]

Congrats Archie!

[Deleted]

Great job Archie!

[Artemis Windsong]

Pig

Bag balm is the go to chafing stopper as told to me by a super athletic ex-military general who seems to be on injury list frequently. I think I'll blow on the embers of the long forgotten whispers of "he rolled a car while driving a woman, not his wife, from and l.d. bike race. His wife started l.d. biking.

[Artemis Windsong]

skinnykid: Here's the training program from Outside Magazine. outsideonline.com/fitness/travel-ga-201011-mountaineering-strength-and-power-training-mount-rainier-endurance-training-sidwcmdev_152204.html

[Formerly SK]

OMG Art....THANKS!!!