BFBuckner

How'd I do? A whole lot better than I thought I would, that's for sure, and had a blast doing it. (Full Recap Post in my thread) My big goal was to improve my standing against the benchmarks that Steve created for overall fitness. There were some things I had completed, some at which I was passable, and others I at which I was failing. So... A! +3 STR, +1 STA This was the stuff I was hoping to knock out completely. The squats came easy, fairly early on in the challenge. I've always enjoyed squats since I started lifting in high school. The pushups were a different tale entirely. Long story short, I knew I couldn't get 50, but after I put my mind to it and cranked them out, all of my other goals fell into place. A! +1 STR, +2 CON I've found I really like the overhead press. It feels fun and old-timey to lift weight over your head. Simple. Strong. As for the pullups, after the pushups, they were the next to fall. A! (hating it most of the time) +2 DEX, +1 STA I was hot and cold on running. Some sessions it felt great, others it was a labor. It was in my last two runs, I think, that I really finally recovered from that half in October. I'd like to keep running in January (on days where the weather is cooperative) but I doubt I'll make it a goal. I'm quite taken with the gym for the moment; running might take a back seat till spring. A! +3 WIS, +2 CHA This surprised me. I've not written much since the summer, and I had a bunch of excuses--some more legit than others. Turns out I can keep up a decent page count production if I stop whining and start typing. Mini-Challenges Accepted and Bested Managing- 5 healthy meals cooked and consumed in a week +1 CON Moving & Loading- Incorporate new strength moves 3 times per week +1 STR Delivery- Incorporate parkour moves 3 times per week +.5 DEX, +.5 STA, +1 STR THE LONG-TERM GOALS Start: Finish: 6', 155 lbs. [table=width: 500, class: grid] Goal Achieved Percentage Pushups, 50 50 100 Pullups, 10 7 70 Benchpress, 10 x 160 10 x 135 84 Overhead Press, 5 x 120 5 x 85 70 Deadlift, 5 x 240 5 x 165 73 Squat, 10 x 160 10 x 160 100 Run, sub-24 min. 5K 23:31 100 Hike, with 30 lbs. 15 mi./2 days 100 Touch Toes Done 100 [/table] Next logical step, then: Get rid of the yellow.

Since getting word of the coming invasion of the Medizer, Lygdamis, the Naxians have mustered the motivation to push themselves beyond what they knew. We have stored up provisions for the future siege and prepared ourselves for conflict. When the first purple sails appeared in our harbor, we were waiting for them on the shore. Our lookouts spotted them as they circled around the north side of the island, and we knew they were coming. Poor fools, led on in slavery by their barbarian ignorance and corrupt greed. They have not yet dealt with true sons of Hellas. --- I've had an absolutely great challenge. As the post above says, things all came together at the end, and I cranked out everything I needed to do--even the stuff I knew I wouldn't finish. I am so thankful for the community here; I really can't say. I'm so excited to keep going. Bring on the New Year! Let's recap: DONE! +3 STR, +1 STA DONE! +1 STR, +2 CON DONE! (hating it most of the time) +2 DEX, +1 STA DONE! +3 WIS, +2 CHA Mini-Challenges Accepted and Bested Managing- 5 healthy meals cooked and consumed in a week +1 CON Moving & Loading- Incorporate new strength moves 3 times per week +1 STR Delivery- Incorporate parkour moves 3 times per week +.5 DEX, +.5 STA, +1 STR NEW STATS Level 2 Ranger STR 8 (+6) DEX 4.5 (+2.5) STA 5.5 (+2.5) CON 6 (+3) WIS 6 (+3) CHA 4 (+2) AND THE LONG-TERM GOALS Old: New: [table=width: 500, class: grid] Goal Achieved Percentage Pushups, 50 50 100 Pullups, 10 7 70 Benchpress, 10 x 160 10 x 135 84 Overhead Press, 5 x 120 5 x 85 70 Deadlift, 5 x 240 5 x 165 73 Squat, 10 x 160 10 x 160 100 Run, sub-24 min. 5K 23:31 100 Hike, with 30 lbs. 15 mi./2 days 100 Touch Toes Done 100 [/table] NO MORE RED THERE. MISSION: GET RID OF THE YELLOW

They feel great, don't they? Congratulations, and keep going!

In the past few months, really since cutting out the crap from our diet, we've started planning and cooking as much as possible for the week on Sundays. It sucks. It's hard. But it's awesome to only go to the store once a week and to have three meals and snacks ready to go with not much more than 20 minutes of preparation. I'll usually choose a meat and build a week of lunches around that. This week has been deconstructed hamburger salads. I cooked 2 lbs. of burger patties on Sunday and assemble in the mornings. Take a portion, cut up, put over spinach with tomatoes, mustard, relish, and hot sauce. Last week was porkchop salads. Same idea, more barbecue sauce. Week before that was brats and sauerkraut. Before that was chicken breast. You get the idea. Drop some meat in the skillet/on the grill, eat throughout the week. My wife does something similar, usually with chicken and tomatoes stewed in the crock pot, for her lunches for the week. If I can, I'll cook, chop, prepare as much as I can for meals on Sunday, too, in addition to making a week's worth of trail mix (almonds, pecans, raisins, banana chips, and a bit of dark chocolate) to have on hand for meals (breakfast) and snacking. We also keep bananas on hand, and usually some chopped carrots to dip in hummus or the like. For dinners, we usually do one crock pot soup per week, for which there are plenty of recipes online. That covers at least one meal of leftovers. There's always one night of spaghetti squash, cooked on Sunday and refrigerated. There's usually a bacon/ham/sausage and eggs night. Other dinners are a quick-cooking meat--whatever looks good at the store or anything I've seen online--and a bag of frozen veggies. Anyway, that's what we've found to work at our house. Like I say, we've been planning like this for about 3 months, and it's going really well. I started out really simple, limited, and rather repetitive, but I've found more ways to bring in different recipes over time. Hope that helps!

Hey, hey! Congrats, grandpa!

Thanks for all the encouragement! Seriously, I mean it. I used it. And I've had one awesome 24 hours. So, I'm sitting around last night. Jenny was upstairs lifting weights, and I was kinda feeling sorry for myself after a stressful day of work. Poking around the internet being worthless. Since I hit 46 pushups the other day, I've been itching to try again for 50. Getting 46 really surprised me, honestly. By the time I got over 40, I was so happy with myself that I kinda lost focus. I was betting that if I could really concentrate I could break 50. Why not now? I went in the other room, shut the door, did some warmup stretches and went for it. 10, breeze. 20, fine. 30, was there a time I couldn't do 30 this easy? 40, God, I'm not tired. I had decided that I wasn't going to think about how much my arms burned until 45. 46 started to sting. 47 hurt, but I was good. 48 was slow. S-L-O-W. I was feeling it. Could I do it? 49 felt the same as 48. Yeah, yeah I could. 50 started great, but my mind had about started to celebrate too soon. I stalled halfway up. Would I lose it? Would I let myself sink back down at 49? Nope. Took a second to regain my focus, and pushed on through. 50. Nailed it. Goal #1, 50 pushups, 10 x 150 squats. Done. +3 STR, +1 STA. Woke up today, feeling energized and awesome, obviously. Jenny and I planned to go to the gym together. I was so excited to work out, I couldn't wait. My plan was to do my regular 5x5 lift routine today and take my last good crack at those darned pullups tomorrow. On the way, though, I got super pumped. Adrenaline rush. I could feel success. I damn near ran into the gym, threw off my coat and went right over to a pullup bar. Hopped up. Cranked out 7. (Alright, I cranked out 5 and eked out 6 and 7...but my chin got up over that pipe). So...Goal #2, 5 x 85 overhead press, 7 pullups. Done. +1 STR, +1 CON Finally, went to work today, edited my sample chapter and introduction for the book proposal. Took two good passes over them, rewrote a good deal of my dissertation-ese into more direct, active prose. Felt great about it. I talked with my acquisitions editor at the press on Wednesday. She's excited to get my proposal. I'm excited to send it. Which, after today, I can do. Goal #4, Write Book Proposal. Done. +3 WIS, +2 CHA. Honestly, I feel a bit silly writing all this up. It sounds unbelievable. Promise, I'm not making it up. Ask JennyLoo. She was there. Thank you, Nerd Fitness! Really, I can't say how much the challenging and supportive environment has helped setting and following through on these goals. Helped? No, more than that. I would have done NONE of these things if it hadn't been for this community. I never thought I could do some of this stuff. Even the book proposal--the culmination of my academic work and a cornerstone of my career--would have stayed on the back burner for another three months. A week ago, I was planning out my "well, I came close, but I set the bar too high" post. Now we're here.

Man, skipped a busy day. Let's catch up. Wednesday- Heavy lifting Squat- 155 x 5 x 5 (felt great) Bench- 105 x 5 x 5 (felt easy) Row- 85 x 5 x 5 (really starting to feel those; love the back/lower body hold they require) Wednesday Night- Ride Got on Gracie again, and we went for a ride. No, a ride. She was ready to motor. Her old jumper training came out full force, and she was cutting tight corners and digging for the next jump each run. It was thrilling, but terrifying. Lost a stirrup going over one fence, and rode out her switchback turn at one hell of a canter with one leg wrapped around her body. A month ago I'd have come flying off with, shall we say, disastrous results. So, there's that! Thursday- Run Got up this morning before the storm front brought in the wet and the cold. Logged my final 5k of the challenge! Goal #3 Complete. +2 DEX, +1 STA.

Mini-Challenge Day! Pullups- 4, 4, 3 (First time ever doing a set of 4!) Pullup Hang- 30s, 30s, 30s Dips- 10, 10, 10 Bodyweight points= 170 Medicine Ball Squat Lifts- 12 x 20 x 3 Lift & Press- 65 x 10 x 3 Weight moved= 3,095 lbs. Big Challenge Goals Update: * Knocked out half of my Goal #2. Overhead Press, 5 x 85. Done. * Just about knocked out my pushup goal. Was striving for 50, got 46. I'll save up my strength and try again on Friday. SO CLOSE, but I just lost it about 44 and collapsed halfway up on 47.

Monday Training Squat- 150 x 5 x 5 Press- 70 x 5 x 5 Deadlift- 145 x 5 x 5 Nothing spectacular, just that good old progress. Also, healthy meal #5 last night, local burgers and sweet potatoes. A repeat? Yep, and a delicious one. Stats bumped up.

What a morning! Ran 5k to the gym, while there did the following: Pullups- 9 Pullup hang- 30s x 2 Dips- 10 x 3 Lift & Press- 65 x 10 x 4 Medicine Ball Squat Lifts- 12 x 20 x 3 Then came back and took the hound dog out into the woods. Got up early enough to catch squirrels on the ground, and had some good sport. She's thrilled with herself and exhausted. So am I. Now I get to kick back, read a new book I got yesterday on the mechanization of the U.S. Cavalry (grandfather was in the 1st Armored Div., and came in just after his unit had turned in their horses). What a day!

Man, I'm loving the gym! Squat- 145 x 5 x 5 Bench- 100 x 5 x 5 Barbell Row- 80 x 5 x 5 Plus some box jumps, light warmup sets, etc. I felt indescribably amazing leaving this morning. Those barbell rows really clicked, and I felt my back, shoulders, and neck in awesome alignment all day. Healthy meals #3 and #4 yesterday and tonight--beef and vegetable stew with wonderful, local grass fed beef and mahi mahi (marinated in lemon and hot sauce) with steamed veggies.

Shoulders were still sore from fighting Raffa on the bit, but I wasn't about to let a perfectly good day of mini-challenging slip away. Morning workout: Pullups- 8 Pullup Hang- 4 x 30 seconds Dips- 3 sets of 10 Total present delivery points- 150 Lift & Press- 45 x 10 x 3 Medicine Ball Squat Lifts- 12 x 20 x 4 Total present loading weight moved- 2310 lbs.

Should've Taken the Stick. When I first started warming up with Raffa tonight, my trainer asked me if I wanted a crop. No, I didn't, Raffa and I usually ride very well together, he pulls a bit on the bit, but his new martingale has really cut that out since I was last riding him regularly during the summer. Nah, he's just being lazy because of the cold; he'll warm up and be fine. Sure you don't want a stick? Should've taken the stick. We drifted too far inside on our corners, we couldn't seem to pick up the right canter lead, we balked at a fence, and we knocked a rail down. Tough night. Good news is, though, we left the ring on a few rounds that I can be proud of. We finally kicked that canter into gear, rode with some purpose, listened to one another, and cleared our jumps in good time and fine style. I should've taken the stick, but I will take those jumps at the end. Oh, and I also lifted this morning. Squat- 140x5x5 Press- 65x5x5 Deadlift- 135x5x5 Also did 2 sets of 3 pullups, 20 medicine ball squat-and-lifts (both added to mini-challenge score), and 15 knee-high box jumps to warm up. Healthy meal #2 last night- Spaghetti squash and mixed veggies. Italian feasting.

Mini Challenge, Day 1 - 12/11 Super excited about this one, just the kick in the pants I need to help me break out of my comfort zone with my familiar lifts. I'm not counting anything done in the normal course of lifting, Mon., Weds., Fri., but only the extra days of training in between. This morning included: Pullups- 3 sets of 3 and a final set of 1, making a total of 10. I had, honestly, been avoiding these because I'm not great at them, but one of my goals is to get a set of 7, so I'd better start to like them. Pullup Hold- And then, when I couldn't manage but 1 pullup, I hung there for a minute. Dips- 2 sets of 10, total of 20. Squat Lifts- I don't quite know what to call these; I take a 12 lb. medicine ball, squat with it and make it touch the floor, then stand up and lift it over my head. There's probably a name for it, but you get the idea. 12 lbs. x 20 reps x 3 sets = 720 lbs. moved. Lift & Press- My shoulders burning, I scaled back my normal overhead press weight to just the bar. Deadlifted it up off the floor and pressed it over my head. 45 lb. x 10 reps = 450 lbs. Total weight moved = 1170 lbs. Healthy meal #1 last night: Local grass fed beef hamburger (1/4 lb.) and one of the best white sweet potatoes I've ever had from a farm a couple of counties south of here. Simple and amazing meal.

I can't complain much about PF--my wife gets it far worse than I ever do...and she manages to run more--but, man, the few times I've had it jabbing into my heel have been brutal.

What was that I said about running yesterday? Forget that mess. I woke up feeling alright, but once I got to the gym I had some super annoying pain shooting out of my left hip and right lower back--places that tend to strain when my stride is off. But I was not about to let that stop me from hitting my reps. I stretched before, and then some more during, and a whole lot after my workout, and got some really satisfying squat-bench-barbell row work in.

I am just about sick of running. I've just not felt it since running a half marathon in October. After that, I could barely walk for a week, and I've dreaded running since. I set myself a goal here of running a 5k every week, though, and I've kept it up so far. So it shall be done. Curiously, though, I went out for my run this morning, fully expecting to hate it, on this gray rainy morning, and it actually wasn't that bad. Towards the end I--to my great surprise--was even enjoying myself. Oh well, I'll take it. Much more fun than my run this morning was my reward after, taking my hound dog, Lucy, out into the woods for a good long walk/sniff. Since we moved a few months ago, she's been out of sorts, more mopey and less self-assured than usual. So I'm going to try to bring her back out of herself a bit. By breeding, she's a squirrel dog, and though the instinct to track and tree is there she's thoroughly suburbanized. So, off we went for an hour or so to tramp about, chase small things, and get muddy. If the rainy day wasn't great for running, it was perfect for that. She had a blast. I might have enjoyed myself, too.

I know it's been said a few posts above, but DUDE, THAT'S AWESOME. I'm doing that for next week.

Some Jenny I know got some awesome new workout clothes that make her look like the hot, badass athlete she is.

Rode Gracie again last night, and in all honesty currying all the mud out of her shaggy winter coat before I tacked up was the hardest thing all night. She's white; she shows dirt. I felt in the zone all night. We rode a short course but a demanding one, just three fences, but each requiring a hairpin turn to swing around to the next (or the wall), which also called for a canter lead change--something I'm still getting a feel for. Some of my turns bowed out a bit more than I'd have liked and my lead was off for a few strides before I got Gracie to change, but I felt great about the rest. My squatting thighs of iron and my increasing oblique stability (from holding the weight steady on my shoulders) held me secure as we flew around the ring. This solid foundation has allowed my shoulders, arms, and hands to move more independently, following the horse when going over fences and holding her under control when she tended to gain (a bit too much) speed on the approach. Additionally, deadlifting has established a much better back position as I leaned up Gracie's neck and following her motion over the jump. WOW. So this is what that's supposed to feel like. Jumping last night felt natural. Didn't have to overthink, didn't have to force an artificial posture, just felt the horse, kept my balance and flew with her. Adrenaline-tastic.

Strength Update Gains in November I just realized from looking at my chart that I've been lifting for just over a month now. In that time I've added 10 pounds to my bench max, ten to my overhead, twenty each to my squat and deadlift. In the past week, I really feel like I have worked the kinks out of my form, and feel confident to start adding weight without risking injury. I've been conservative with sliding on more plates until I felt safe with everything, and now it's time to get to work. Just got back from a great ride, but the recap will have to wait. Suffice it to say, I was much more thrilled with my jumps than the person I was riding with who got dumped twice at the same fence. Ouch. But to her credit, she got back up and ran the course through after that.

Midweek (already?) update. Lifted heavy on Monday, still can't complete my bench sets, but everything else felt good. Tuesday, I did some circuit training and bodyweight work, and it's back to heavy things this morning. I think I'm going to up my deadlift weight, finally feeling secure in my position and form! Today's also going to be a killer, I usually ride on Thursday, but it got bumped to tonight. Lifting and riding on the same day! Endurance!

Nah, the worst member is the one who hasn't joined the rebellion yet! You're doing great. And, to Capt. Isolde, I can attest that Jenny has had a long and sometimes painful experience with running shoes over the past couple of years. Though I think she's found a happy pairing now. I hope she can steer you in a helpful direction.

Bump up the stats, man! Great job.

Quick update while I have some down time. Had an awesome 5k run today, really pulled me out of a blah morning. Also, knocked out my Annotated Table of Contents today while Jenny was at work and the dogs were asleep. This puts me well on the way towards having my proposal done. Just need to get my intro in shape and polish up that first chapter I left unfinished a couple of months ago!