AvatarAbe

Hah, that's awesome. I don't watch much TV, but maybe I'll steal that idea for the next presidental election debate. I saw roughly 16 different drinking games for the last one.

So yesterday I did my first "Endurance WOD" at my CrossFit gym: "10 rounds for time of: 10 Burpees 100 m Sprint Rest 1:1" This plus we had to jog from the gym to the outdoor track (which wasn't terribly far, about 3/4 mile), do some dynamic warmups/agility drills, and jog back afterwards. A lot of people said it reminded them of workouts they would do when they were on the football/soccer/etc team back in the day. Um...I was basically destroyed haha. Running is a huge weakness of mine and it definitely showed. I could only end up doing 8 of the rounds, and ended up walking the last half of the distance back to the gym. But honestly, considering how long it's been, I'm just happy to have done as much as I did. The only reason I did the endurance class was because of my wonky schedule this week, but honestly, I think I'm going to start doing it weekly. Clearly I need it.

Thanks! And of course I promptly disappear again, because that's what I do. I'm worse than Aang... First week and a half has mostly gone pretty well. Summary of how I've been doing on my goals so far: Work out at least four times a week. Last week hit the gym four times. This week it's looking like only three though, because I did a workout that I probably shouldn't have tried and re-aggravated my back (though not NEARLY as bad as the first time, it's almost back to where I was before) so I took a couple of days off. Not quite ready to get back to deadlifts apparently, at least not with much volume. Mobilize, mobilize, mobilize. Yep! I've done at least 15 minutes of mobility work after every workout and 20 before bed on every night except two so far (because contorting yourself and doing mobility work when you come home from the bar is...difficult). Eat well, and make it home-cooked as often as possible. I've nailed the goal of bringing lunch 4/5 days out of the week. As far as calories, I've gone over a couple of days, but I've been able to balance it out by eating a bit under the following day so the two days average out. It does work that way....right? Life goal: spend at least 30 minutes/day studying French. Struggled with this the first few days, but for the past 4 days or so I've been on it. I got absolutely destroyed on my first day of review, but eh...c'est la vie. So overall a pretty decent start for me. Couldn't resist stepping on the scale a couple of days ago...looks like I've dropped about 1.5 lbs.

I'm having a similar thing and it's frustrating as all get out. Though what I can't do are (back) squats with any real weight. Front squats feel fine though, so that's my sub. Deadlifts are okay at low-ish weights and reps, but I'm probably going to give them (as well as the back squats) a miss for a couple more months still. In the meantime I'm trying to focus on things to help me with my hilariously low core strength and finicky squatting mechanics, both of which I think contributed to my problems. Lots of stretching, planking, and third-world squatting in my future. It sucks, but permanently messing up my spine would suck more. I'm looking at it as an opportunity to focus on the upper body basics that I'm still terrible at, like push-ups and pull-ups. I'm definitely going to give this a shot!

Thanks! Thursday isn't actually particularly more intense though. It's just a normal CrossFit class followed by an "Active Recovery" class which is basically just stretching and mobility work. It's actually pretty relaxing! Except for the lacrosse ball/foam rolling stuff. Ow.

True. But I've always felt that it doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Also thanks ColoQ.

I'm Hispanic--my dad was born in the Dominican Republic and my mom was born in NYC to a Puerto Rican and a Colombian--but was not taught Spanish as a kid. So for me, I'd have to say learning Spanish in 11th and 12th grade and becoming more or less fluent (my accent is a little off in some places and I can have trouble with very fast or dialect-heavy speech, so it's not perfect). This helped me re-connect with my culture much better, including being able to talk to my grandmother and being able to explore Spanish-speaking countries on my own, which was pretty life-changing.

Hah, love the succubus imagery. As for bisexual men, I've been told we don't actually exist, so I'd probably--- *vanishes from existence* ETA: Didn't see ColoQ's post. I feel much less clever now.

I hear you with the lunches. I have that problem at work. Not only is it often less healthy, but it gets expensive buying lunch every day....especially when you work in Manhattan. I wish I had thought of decluttering as a life goal. My place looks like a tornado went through it. It's horrendous.

Hello all! So, this isn't actually my first challenge. I used to post here sporadically a couple of years ago, but I'm terrible at forums so I disappeared. Since then, I sort of fell off the fitness wagon (not helped by overdoing it and messing up my back a little), but now I've climbed back on it, and decided to try posting here again. I love the community and attitude here but I am terrible at forums...I always lose track of threads and then wander off. Taking another swing at it, and because it's been so long I'm treating this as if it were my first challenge. Here's to new beginnings! Some vital stats: Name: Abraham Occupation: Transportation planner/engineer Age: 27 Height: 5'10" Weight: 207.5 lb Currently obsessed with: Sense8, anything in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Favorite color: Red Max pull-ups: Hah. Main Quest: I kind of struggled with this as there are a million things I'd like to accomplish. Since I plan to do many of these challenges, I think I'm going to follow the approach of a book series: each individual "book" (challenge) has its own plot/goal, but all adding to the overall series story arc / main quest. I'll hop around from guild to guild to correspond with whatever the main goals of each challenge are. ...you know, I'm pretty sure that's what you're supposed to do. I guess just thinking out loud helped! Anyway, my snazzy catch phrase for the next 11 months is "build a body I'm proud of for Pride 2016." Part of this is aesthetics. This means a significantly lower body fat percentage (abs would be nice, but judging by my dad not having visible abs even when being in great shape in his 20's, they may not be in the cards...I'd be happy with a flat/firm torso), not having wet spaghetti for arms, etc. I imagine I'd be in the 175 ish pounds range, but this is more about how I look and feel than a number on the scale or even calipers. Basically, I want to feel totally at ease and comfortable taking my shirt off for the first time. Right now I'm uneasy in fitted t-shirts.It's not just about looking good though! Every May, my friend (who is a gym rat in good shape) does the Spartan Sprint, and so my performance goal is to be able to do that with him. I may not be able to keep up with him (though I will certainly try), but I want to be able to tackle the race confidently and have a reasonable shot at completing all the obstacles. This means I'll need to work towards getting stronger--especially in my upper body, which is severely lacking in the ability to do pull-ups, monkey bars, climb walls, or God forbid, rope climbs--as well as work on my endurance.As an aside, Pride 2016 = last weekend in June 2016. So that's the sneak peak of the series finale. But that's a ways off. The first step, and the main goal of this challenge, is to return to the healthy rhythm I had from mid 2013-mid 2014 and make fitness a lifestyle again. Once exercising and eating right are habits again, I can focus on more specific skills/weight-/time-/reps-/etc based goals in future challenges. My specific goals in this six-week endeavor: Work out at least four times a week. Five if my body is feeling up to it. Absolutely no less than three. My exercise program of choice is CrossFit--I love the variety and the team comaraderie, and contrary to what you might think, that isn't how I hurt my back, haha. I have a recurring appointment in my calendar for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 6:45 am before work. Mobilize, mobilize, mobilize. My core is very weak, my hamstrings and hip flexors are always tight, and I have trouble recruiting my glutes into movements...I'm a mess, mobility-wise, and that is how I ended up messing up my back. Back squats + weak core = compromised posture and too much stress on my lower back. Thankfully no herniation, but I had to take a break. Back squats are still on hold for a bit but I can front squat fine. Anyway, I will commit to doing 20+ minutes of mobility work, core strengthening, and stretching per day, as well as attending a weekly hour-long "Active Recovery" class at my gym after my Thursday workout. I even got my work schedule on Thursday pushed back so I could do the AR class. Eat well, and make it home-cooked as often as possible. Going off various BMR calculators I have set a goal in MyFitnessPal for a 2,000 calorie/day limit (let me know if you think that sounds too low/high) in effort to start shedding some of these excess pounds. It's okay if a day or two is higher, if it averages out over the course of the week. A subsidiary of this goal is to cook as often as possible and to buy lunch at work no more than once per week. Life goal: spend at least 30 minutes/day studying French. Another thing I started on a while ago and stopped. I'm very much a beginner here, but knowing English and two Romance languages (Spanish and Portuguese) should help with the vocabulary and grammar. That pronunciation though.... Well that's my incredibly verbose (re-)introduction! As annoying as it is to have fallen off the horse, the only thing you can do is get back on, and that's what I hope to accomplish. See you all around the forums!

Thanks. It was...an experience. For those who don't know what Fran is, it's 21-15-9 reps of thrusters (front squat --> push press) and pull-ups for time. The thrusters are prescribed at 95 pounds...I did 65 pounds, and of course had assistance bands for the pull-ups. Still took me 9:41...but hey, I lived! Also, I'm famous! And reppin' Nerd Fitness, even, on Monday's workout page on my box's website. http://www.crossfitnyc.com/2013/10/20/monday-131021/

I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!! Ahem, anyway. I feel bad for having basically disappeared from the boards for a while. Like I said, I'm terrible with forums. BUT the good news is that while I've been away, I've been pretty dang successful with 3 out of my 4 goals. Been working out four times per week consistently and diet has been very on point. What's more, I've been cooking for myself almost every day as well, so my food expenditures have dropped consistently. With one exception (this past Tuesday) I've also done well with the drinking. Whooo! Python has kind of fallen by the wayside. I downloaded the free trial version of ArcGIS to refresh my basics, because I feel like that will be more immediately needed in my job. So while it's not Python, it's still in the spirit of "refresh/learn software for the new job." The new job which I still haven't started. The city government has a mind-numbingly slow hiring process and I'm still waiting to be cleared by the budget office. Spoke with my soon-to-be-boss today and he says there's nothing to worry about, and hopefully on Monday we'll hear something. Going to go to bed pretty early today, as tomorrow will be my first time tackling what is perhaps the most famous CrossFit WOD of all--Fran. Thrusters ruin me, but my front squat form has gotten a lot better (I can now do a decent front rack position, which I was totally incapable of before). Nervous but looking forward to it as well. *runs off to read all the threads I've missed*

Sleep is certifiably amazing. To think that I wasted all those opportunities to sleep when I was younger and had the time.......

Dang, missed the shirt. Guess that's what I get for disappearing from the forum for several days. Also, I caught myself sorta self-censoring by saying "gorram." And my friend thought it was awesome. I have good friends.

Whoa, haven't posted on here in a while. Gotta head to bed, but quick summary: 1.) Karaoke was fun, in that I always enjoy watching people perform. But it sucked in that it took them so long to call me up to sing (talking 2 hours here) that I ended up giving up and going home. I drank more than I wanted to, but not quite as much as I often end up doing. Giving myself a "C" for the night. 2.) Did a speedy review of some of the super-basic Python stuff. Even got myself a notebook! 3.) Eating has been pretty on point this week and I once again made it to the gym/CrossFit 4 times! 4.) With eating, I'm particularly happy that I did a pretty good job of sticking to Paleo/Primal principles, and not just shoving random stuff into my face to meet my calorie goals. I'd hate to just get fat again, hah, and I really do feel better on whole foods. 5.) Tonight, went out to a (former) coworker's goodbye from work party. He's a nice guy and someone that I enjoyed talking to at work, but never hung out with outside of there. I have a weird thing going where I'm an extrovert--I love being around people and feel recharged by it, rather than needing alone time to charge like an introvert--but because I'm shy/lack confidence, I am bad at introducing myself to people and also bad about taking that step of "let's hang out sometime." I think it's the fear of rejection. At any rate, it was a great night, I had precisely one drink, and my friend and I toasted to keeping in touch and to hang out again. A+ for tonight! And with that, I'm off to bed. Gym in the morning, then brunch with my mom and sister, then work!

Are all the mini-challenges going to be Firefly themed? That is...awesome.

Wall balls are the devil, basically.

Thanks! Eating goals went pretty well, I'd say. Got my calories in every day, and MOSTLY from Paleo sources, though my mom did beg me to come over for pizza on Saturday, heh. I did eat out too much though. Tomorrow I'm going on a major grocery shopping trip to make sure that doesn't happen this week. Drinking goal went well too. I had a grand total of three drinks over the past week (two on one night, one on another, all with dinners). Tomorrow will be a challenge, though. We're going to karaoke. I love karaoke, but it tends to require some, er, liquid courage. I'm going to try to keep it reasonable, and at least I'm not scheduled to work out the next day, so there's no risk of it ruining that. Either way, I'm looking forward to doing my old standby, "Don't Stop Believin'." It's been my anthem in the past three years of career-related struggle, so now it gets to be my song of triumph, lol. Python...I dabbled a little bit, but not as much as I wanted. Another thing on my agenda for my next couple of days, which I have off from work.

Oy, overscheduling. I know that feel. Generally I do better being too busy than being too idle, but there are times where it just goes overboard. Also, totally seconding "always pack a lunch." One of my goals for this week, in fact, is to cook up a bunch of stuff on my days off so I stop buying food out every day. Insanely expensive, not to mention likely to be unhealthy.

Well, it's funny, because I'm pretty sure I'd lose. But what the heck, let's go

*swears in Mandarin* Wow.

Thanks guys! Sorry for taking so long to reply. Work has been wicked hectic over the past few days. Anyway, 85% of what I make tends to be some sort of one-pot deal. Ground beef or pork chunks with a bunch of frozen vegetables with whatever combination of seasonings I'm in the mood for. Satisfying enough, but gets repetitive. Baked chicken leg quarters have become my friend recently, too, as they are ridiculously easy and the supermarket often has them on sale for cheap With cooler weather coming along, soups/stews might be a good thing to get a hang of. One of my biggest Paleo fails is that I've never made my own bone broth/stock, which I've heard is incredibly healthy for you. I also almost never eat fish, which is something I keep telling myself I need to fix. Seafood always seems so expensive though. I also have a slow cooker, which I want to use more, especially now that I'll have a 9-5 job. I'm just terrified I'll come back to find the apartment on fire lol. My other main toys are a food processor, blender, and one of those cast iron stovetop grill pan things. It's funny...I have like four Paleo cookbooks...I think I've given myself decision paralysis with so many options, lol.

Looks like you've had a pretty strong past few days. Great going! Also, thanks for checking in on my thread. Work has been crazy since Friday and I kinda fell off the face of the earth for a bit.

Okay, I'm back! Crazy busy couple of days. So...deadlifts on Friday. They were okay. Did 185 for 5 sets of 5. I felt like I could have done more. Problem is, because of scheduling, I couldn't make it to CrossFit, so I went to the regular gym. The regular gym, which does not have nor allow chalk. So my problem was not so much the weight, but my grip, as the bar kept slipping out of my hands. Gah. On the plus side, this makes last week the first week I have successfully worked out four times. So I'm happy about that. Went to the gym again today. Did some bench presses, military and push presses, front squats, and assisted pull-ups and chinups. Bench presses are difficult for me....after a couple of weeks being able to do 115 reliably still is just out of reach. And I still can't do a pull-up. But getting there. Tomorrow's CrossFit WOD is "Elizabeth." I always try to make sure I'm there for the benchmarks. Now, off to all the threads I'm following that I've been neglecting...

I need to vary up my Paleo cooking. I've gotten stuck in a rut with the same three things. A lot of it is because I sublet a room in an NYC apartment with a terrible, horrendous kitchen, so laying out / chopping up / working with lots of ingredients can be challenging. Man, now I'm hungry and I'm supposed to be going to bed....