27

3/4/2012 5:02:21 PM

+1 for emce

3/4/2012 5:05:30 PM

-5

3/4/2012 5:09:25 PM

check out amazon.com for miracle noodle.

I want to try the spinach angel hair.

3/5/2012 12:51:22 AM

Beachbody Status:
Biceps - 12.25 (+0.25)
Forearms - 11 (+0.5)
Chest - 39.75 (+0.75)
Waist - 35.75 (-0.25)
Hips - 38.75 (0)
Thighs - 22 (+1)
Calves - 14 (+0.5)
Weight - 184.6 lbs (+4ish)

February Goal Status:
LOL

Q1 Goal(s)
Trim another inch from stomach
Stop weightloss and start increasing size - ?

Yearly Goal(s)
Be a waist size 32-33 pants (may be unrealistic due to bone structure, but want to know for certain) - size 33 currently
Biceps - gain 2"
Chest - gain 3"
Compete in Warrior Dash with time under 45 minutes

[Edited on March 5, 2012 at 8:17 AM. Reason : forgot to update at start of month. whoops]

3/5/2012 8:16:50 AM

ok dude, I'm trying to picture your stats and all I'm getting is a vision of myself

we're the same/similar on everything (well, if you measure 'chest' around my bewbs) except forearms and I weigh 10lbs less

how tall are you?

3/6/2012 6:31:51 PM

^^Do you live in Raleigh?

[Edited on March 6, 2012 at 7:18 PM. Reason : ;]

3/6/2012 7:17:46 PM

i might need a walker tomorrow.

[Edited on March 6, 2012 at 7:26 PM. Reason : e]

3/6/2012 7:26:03 PM

^^^ 6'5"
^^ yes

3/6/2012 11:07:32 PM

That makes me wish I had taken a bunch of measurements before I really started working out. I know I've bulked up but can't quantify how much.

Weighed in today at 210 and did a light day on the weights, focusing more on making sure my form was still great on the last reps than on pushing maximum effort.

Squats: 185x5x3
Press: 90x5x3
Dead lift: 275x5x1
Barbell curls: 85x5x3

I did my curls with the Olympic bar in the power rack, LIKE A BOSS, because no one was acting like they were interested in it while I did the rest of my workout; I didn't notice anyone giving me the stinkeye and no one took up residence after I left, so I guess I got lucky.

3/7/2012 12:48:06 AM

I've considered printing out a No Curls in the SQUAT Rack sign before.

I suppose it's ok if there's no one else around, but that is my biggest gym pet peeve.

On multiple occasions I've had to wait around, with no where to squat because some bro is doing curl pyramids off the pins of the squat cage.

Just to do some shameless plugging... It looks like I'm signing the lease to my gym space in Raleigh this week!

If any of you TDubbers out there, who haven't grown annoyed with my constant contrarian fitness guidance , are looking for a serious place to take your training to the next level give me a shout.

[Edited on March 7, 2012 at 5:38 AM. Reason : plug]

3/7/2012 5:34:35 AM

congrats on the gym space! i bet you're stoked

3/7/2012 7:36:52 AM

buy an ad

3/7/2012 7:45:46 AM

after primarily doing low rep squat stuff, doing 5x12 at 55% 1RM after heavy squat day really just showed how much i've been neglecting conditioning work.

3/7/2012 7:52:29 AM

I personally find that my legs grow better in the higher rep range. There is also the added bonus of better lung efficiency and less stress on the joints/back.

3/7/2012 9:33:38 AM

Quote :

"buy an ad"

I've already purchased a premi membership.

Why don't you just block me and disregard any of the free advice I distribute in this thread.

And, I probably will buy an ad when things get rolling.

Quote :

"congrats on the gym space! i bet you're stoked "

Fo' Sho' ! It's nerve racking, exciting, and a little intimidating. But I am feeling confident. The 15+ clients I currently train regularly should all be coming with me, and that's over half way to where I need to be to be cookin'.

Now, I just need to find some good trainers/employees and spread the word.

[Edited on March 7, 2012 at 11:17 AM. Reason : words]

3/7/2012 11:03:05 AM

Quote :

" I've considered printing out a No Curls in the SQUAT Rack sign before."

I was at the Y the other day waiting to do squats, and some fucker was doing CURLS in the god damned squat rack.

I was happy that he only did one set though.

3/7/2012 11:36:31 AM

the curl bars stop at 110lbs at my gym, so I have no issues with curling in the squat rack. I DC train though, so one long set is all it takes after warming up with the fixed bars.

3/7/2012 12:30:03 PM

^curling in the squat rack because there is no other option is different than curling in the squat rack... well just because.

3/7/2012 12:37:01 PM

If I have to curl, I use the olympic bench. There's usually double those, compared to the squat rack.

Or just DL it up.

3/7/2012 9:46:39 PM

Yeah, my gym doesn't have a proper squat rack; I use the power rack instead.

3/7/2012 10:33:29 PM

I use squat/power rack synonymously.

3/8/2012 6:46:11 AM

Special Olympics powerlifting has begun! My team got 4th overall last year. The top DL was 442lbs, top squat was 376 & top bench was 300 IIRC. Doubt we'll compete with those numbers but we should get a bronze. Using a pretty basic program, I'm still struggling with teaching proper form & getting my team on board with working out outside of practice. We only get 1 day a week to train at the Fitness Connection in Cary

3/8/2012 1:03:38 PM

i'm glad that the power rack seems to confuse most of the people at my gym.

the squat rack doesn't allow me to go as deep as i like to, without bottoming out on the safeties. i can put the pins lower in the cage, and be good to go.

and it's nearly always open... so that's nice.

3/9/2012 8:36:19 AM

Quote :

"No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable."

-Socrates

3/9/2012 11:38:52 AM

^I may paint that quote on one of my walls!

Good workout today, despite a late night and early morning today!

-Power clean: 185 3x3. The bar was flying today. Felt great. My timing and commitment to power -were on point.
-Squat: 295/315x3, 330x5. This felt great too, and I probably had about 3 more reps left in me on my top set. It is a fun sight to see that steel barbell bending over my back with that much weight on it.
-50#Ketllebell swings 2x15 superset with snatches 2x5.
-Ab work.

3/9/2012 1:15:13 PM

Wohoo results are in from the run for oaks 5K. My goal was to run it in around 25 minutes and my time was 24:48. I placed 5th in my age division and was only 2 minutes behind the first place finisher for my age group.

3/10/2012 1:35:03 PM

Wow! Great job!

3/10/2012 1:39:06 PM

I would like to place in top 3 in my age division before my birthday in June because then I will move into the next age group and they're a billion times more competitive

I just signed up for the Cary road race. My pace for this race was 8:02 - if I can keep my pace around there then I can finish the 10K in under an hour. Right now I am running about 7 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes. And this is from my house to LJ, around LJ twice, and then home - damn hills slow me down some.

3/10/2012 1:43:06 PM

30 in June? Me too!

3/10/2012 1:45:12 PM

Cass, have you spent much time working on running technique?

I am considering dedicating some time to learning the best methods to coach runners. Have you tried the POSE method?

3/10/2012 2:30:02 PM

To be honest, I haven't learned any methods. I think the first thing for me when I decided I wanted to get good at competitive running, is that I had to figure out my natural pace and then figure a good breathing technique. My sinuses swell so bad when I run I don't breathe very well out of my nose so it took me a while to figure out a good breathing pattern and when to recognize I was pushing too hard and ease back for a small amount of time.

I run a lot of hills which I think has been a good benefit. I also scaled back on my running and focus more on weight training with maybe 1 day a week of running. I've gotten really good with distance running lately so I think a lot of my focus will shift to that this summer.

But yeah other than that I have never done any level of running training.

3/10/2012 4:53:18 PM

^Cass doesn't train to run, she trains for push-ups

@CassTheSass where do you stand on your pull-ups?

TKD til next tuesday, i predict a 5lb weight loss

3/11/2012 9:26:59 PM

I'm getting a personal trainer got a wedding to look good for plus I'm over fighting for myself and losing. Going to get one to help me hit my goal and guide me so I know how to maintain. I just hope they will allow monthly drafts instead of being billed all atonce. Hey pts would that work? Lol I hope so

3/11/2012 10:30:12 PM

I haven't tried doing pull ups in a while. Next Saturday we can test that out because I'm interested in seeing how I can do. My upper body is my weakest point.

So this week I am going "back to basics" with my diet. I've continued to do well and maintain my focus but I started to realize over the weekend that I have been overeating, even if it's the good stuff (veggies, fruit, healthy fats). I would like to lose 4 more pounds so i am going back to the basic shell that I started off with diet wise and seeing how it goes. Today was my first day and it went well - basically I'm just scaling back a bit and putting more focus on the original diet plan. I'm also changing things up some - I wish I didn't have so many issues with my allergy because it would make some things easier - I really only have a few options in terms of protein for breakfast which limits me but I made some scrambled eggs in muffin tins with 0% Greek yogurt to have with my oatmeal and fruit in the morning so I'm thinking that will be good.

[Edited on March 11, 2012 at 10:52 PM. Reason : Diet]

3/11/2012 10:48:21 PM

230 today

3/12/2012 7:45:01 AM

Does anyone use the myfitnesspal app? It seems interesting and easy to use, it has me on 1200 calories a day, I'm not sure that's enough for my active lifestyle but I guess I'll see. So far today I already have 820 calories left

3/12/2012 10:36:20 AM

you have to subtract out the exercise calories, k

3/12/2012 10:41:56 AM

the app says that if I follow this calorie intake and do all my normal exercising routines (run 3 times a week(14miles) and my strength training) that I'll be down 10 lbs by April 16th....

3/12/2012 10:49:35 AM

you have to be careful with those apps sometimes. i re-downloaded a couple over the week to log in my calories to see where i stood, and one of them said i should only be eating like 900 calories a day which is WAY low. i think if you're going to be physically active, you need to eat at least 1500 calories. if you have a significant amount of muscle, you might need to even push for 1600-1800. you have to make sure you are fueling your body to keep your metabolism up.

3/12/2012 11:04:57 AM

You don't need a minimum of calories to keep your "metabolism up".

You do need a minimum to support the amount/intensity of activity you are doing. This is especially important for carbs.

Going super low calorie has it's drawbacks like intense hunger, muscle loss, and lethargy. But can be mitigated with a high protein diet and micro-nutrient supplementation. The upside to very low calorie + high protein + strength training is rapidly losing pure body fat.

###

In other news, I had a great training session today!

Standing Overhead Press 140x5, 160x3, 180x3. 180 was my previous 1rep max, blew through that today!
Incline Bench 185 3x6
Weighted Chin Ups - body weight + 105lbs 3x2
Tricep extensions 3x8
Face Pulls 2x15



[Edited on March 12, 2012 at 11:31 AM. Reason : words]

3/12/2012 11:29:39 AM

My schedule is so frustrating now... I don't have ANY time to go to the gym... I guess i COULD get up and be at the gym by 5, but I have to be at work by 6:55 and that only leaves me a short time to get in my lifting and cardio (plus cool down).

After work I'm coaching Lacrosse and we have games twice a week. Add into that getting the house ready for a baby and doing odd projects, it's been very hard to get into the gym to work out.

sorry, just venting.

3/12/2012 12:18:55 PM

If you are focused, you can get a good strength training work out in <45min. Structure it correctly and you can get a strength and conditioning stimulus in. Think circuits, couplets/triplets, tabatas, HIIT.

Adjust your diet so you don't need cardio. Or get in a little running while you are coaching.

It's not that hard to get it in, you just have to focus.

3/12/2012 12:56:13 PM

Well I guess I underestimated how much my run would impact my calories because my app says I have a net of 877 calories for the day. I spent most of the day hungry but I did feel fueled for my run. I will try to eat more tomorrow since I'll be spending time strength training.

[Edited on March 12, 2012 at 8:17 PM. Reason : Lol]

3/12/2012 8:02:10 PM

Nice workout, Matt! Those weighted chins are killer.

Weighed in at 208 today and did

Squats: 230x5x3
Bench press: 145x5x3
Dead lift: 315x5x1
Barbell curls: 85x5x3, 45x10x1

Still making progress, so I'm still happy. Thinking about starting my cut in the next few weeks, because I don't want to buy new shorts.

3/12/2012 8:41:23 PM

Does anyone believe in Reiki? I wanted a deep tissue to release that neural tension in my glute and hamstring from the nerve impingment.

She did some Reiki on me and said,'things were bouncing off' when she was at my lower back. Wanted me to come back in a week or two.

Wonder if she would say this if I hadn't mention my injury at all.

3/12/2012 9:45:35 PM

It's not ideal but if you know you aren't going to be able to hit the gym for a few days just substitute pushups in every other day.

I do this a lot on vacations or super busy times. They take almost no time because you don't have to travel.

Also gives your body a chance to recover some because they aren't that taxing on your muscles.

3/12/2012 9:49:15 PM

^^ I'm not on board with all of the things that Reiki involves, but I do believe that it can be useful at least as a relaxation technique and some placebo effect if you're open minded. I have a friend that does it, if you decide to give it another shot I can recommend her.

[Edited on March 12, 2012 at 9:58 PM. Reason : ]

3/12/2012 9:58:06 PM

My cousin used to do massage therapy and Reiki a while back. I don't know if she stil does but she talked to me about it and it seemed kind of cool. Something I think I would try once but I don't know if it would be an ongoing thing.

3/12/2012 10:33:53 PM

Quote :

"If you are focused, you can get a good strength training work out in <45min. Structure it correctly and you can get a strength and conditioning stimulus in. Think circuits, couplets/triplets, tabatas, HIIT. "

I'm training DC style. If my workouts take longer than 25 minutes including warmup sets, I'm slacking.

3/12/2012 11:47:35 PM