Howdy from Down South

[JonnyGunns]

Hello fellow Rebels!

 

New guy here.....better late than never, right?  So i heard a pod cast this week from a guy named Steve from Nerd Fitness. He spoke about leveling up and taking on new challenges, pushing myself to do things that scare me just a bit. Well, here i am, in all my nerdness!!!

 

i have signed up for a Barbarian Challenge coming up in 6 weeks. It should be hotter than the gates of Hell here by then, so i gotta get my body in gear ASAP. i currently weight train 4 days a week, but will be adding a longish run (4-6 miler) on Sunday mornings and interval track days 1-2 times each week.  My weight training is centered around squatting, deadlifting, pressing, chins, dips, and grips training. i also plan to add in some plyometrics 2-3 times per week. This, along with watching my fuel intake, should get me started in my quest to not only complete, but actually compete, in the Barbarian. But, i am SO open to suggestions, tips, tactics, thoughts, or input y'all my have to share (any Yoda's out there?).

 

Just a brief background....i am a masters prepared and licensed social worker serving in the medical field. It's been 20 years of tough work, but i couldn't think of a better way to serve my fellow man.  i am not much of a gamer (put the torches and pitchforks down, please), but love, love, love epic sagas, sci-fi, the recent flood of Marvel comic inspired movies, graphic novels, good ol' paperback books, and hero movies.  The outdoors has captivated me since i was a toddler, along with baseball, boxing, archery, firearms, blades, and leather.  Weight training is my outlet and i am looking to really turn up my general fitness capacity and become a more well-rounded athlete/hero/rebel.

 

Thank y'all so, so much for allowing me the honor of joining your ranks, learning from you, and maybe even passing along some of the things i have gleaned along the way. Alrighty then, time to train!

[MooseFly]

Awesome to see a social worker! I was studying social work until I decided I REALLY needed a break from school. I love playing video games but books definitely hold a lot of my interest too. Do you have a favorite? Or perhaps a book your enjoying right now? I've been working my way through the Dragonriders of Pern series for a little bit now, but I'm in between books right now. Not quite sure if I want to move on to the next book in the series or take a break and start a new one.

 

Welcome to NF!

[SpecialSundae]

Hello and welcome!

 

Always good to see another Warrior entering the fray. Venture over to the challenge boards to say hello, or pop your head into the Powerlifting and Weightlifting boards if you need any help or advice. There's a lot of experience floating around here!

 

Hope to see you around soon!

 

Sundae!

[Steaky]

Welcome to the boards and the community.

 

Nothing wrong with enjoying reading.  I love reading, currently working through the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet, and love the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.  I enjoy a good book or fantasy film over a game most days of the week.  I tend to get bored with games too easily.

[Elleica]

I enjoy reading too! Although I am a casual gamer, it's just that books have  more thrill for me than games where I usually hit a dead end and simply die (game over). Haha. I suck at playing games. 

[JonnyGunns]

Hey MooseFly, SpecialSundae, Steaky, and Ace!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!  Currently i am reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougal. i came back to it after reading his Natural Born Heros.  Both are fantastic!  American Gun by Chris Kyle is also in the rotation, as is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. C.S. Lewis's work really captivates me. Oh, also reading the Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It's pretty challenging, so it's a slow go.

 

Sundae, in what weight class do you compete?  Best lifts? Geared or raw?  Sorry for so many questions.....i am interested in powerlifting too!

 

MooseFly, we NEED more social workers! Get back to the books!

 

Steaky and Ace, i hear ya on those games!  My biggest problem is trying to work these controllers with 40 buttons!  Good grief!!!

[SpecialSundae]

27 minutes ago, JonnyGunns said:

Sundae, in what weight class do you compete?  Best lifts? Geared or raw?  Sorry for so many questions.....i am interested in powerlifting too!

 

I'm almost always 63kg, although ventured up to 72kg once. Best lifts in comp 132.5/72.5/135 and all raw. I'm an IPF lifter. Hoping to hit 140/80/140 in the next few months. I'm definitely more squatter than deadlifter.

 

You?

[JonnyGunns]

Those are some great lifts, Sundae!,

 

i have only competed once, but did okay. That was a few years ago, raw.  174/124/226.  Deadlifts are it for me!  Too many shoulder injuries and some surgery to be competitive in the bench. 

 

We train barefooted, shorts and tee shirts. No support gear, although some straps would be nice from time to time in my pulling and rowing. 

 

Nothng like it!

[SpecialSundae]

I love my Romaleos and Wonder Woman Chucks too much to go barefoot... but don't really call footwear supportive gear. Knee sleeves you can argue, but they're the only thing keeping pre-existing knee injuries down. 

 

What's your gym like?

[JonnyGunns]

It's pretty small and minimalist, but i love it!  Three lifting platforms with lots of places for chins, pull-ups, TRX attachments. Lots of bars and bumper plates.  Kettlebells, Dumbbells, strength bands, battle ropes, hurdles, various boxes, weight vests, chains and parallel bars for dips. One adjustable bench for those times when a bench is needed. There are no machines, unless you count one Airdyne.  It is a great place to train and get the work in. i really like that just about every exercises we do is ground based and that its cool to drop weights, if needed.  And that we can go barefoot. 

 

The Romaloes?  Sweet!!  Never seen any in person, much less lifted in them. But i hear that they are awesome. Wonder Woman chucks?  i haven't seen those, but sounds really cool!

[SpecialSundae]

They're pretty common in the gym I train at. It's a pretty heavily weightlifting- and powerlifting-focused room of a big university gym so as many people wear weightlifting shoes as not.  There are six platforms with squat stands, four power racks a bench, a t-bar row, a pull-up/dip station and a GHB. 

 

It's good being surrounded by other lifters.