Bangarang90

So... I've been terrible at posting my progress, but I want to reassure everyone that the progress is still eminent and ongoing!!! I weighed myself a few days ago... 157lbs and 22% Body Fat! I started around 164lbs and 24% Body Fat. I feel awesome! I've been getting compliments from family, friends, and coworkers recently. As of now, I just started the "Recovery Week" DVD... I get an easier week before I start the Max set. OGAWD!!!! I've also been reading quite a bit... tearing through the Hobbit, albeit not as quickly as I'd wish. More than halfway done The biggest thing I've been slacking on is my training... I keep getting work shifts on the Monday and Wednesdays that I have Krav! UGH. But I talked to my manager, and for the remainder of my stay I will have those days off. I'm also going to the Super Summer Seminar in Herkimer later in July. Can't wait! I'll post new pictures once I get the chance

Well done Zuel--your logging looks way more detailed than mine! Can't say I miss waking up that early, though Hehe

Insanity has been insane. I love it just for that reason--the difficulty never changes. It's just as arduous and exhausting every single time. It took 3 days of my legs and butt to get used to the plyo, but I think it's well worth it. I'm loving these DVDs and would definitely recommend them to anyone. The before's are in my original post... here's Day 7 of Insanity, and week 2 of my diet and exercise:

Wow... If I had to put my progress in two words, they would be "I'm melting!" And it's completely and utterly mind-boggling. I'm not seeing any gradual change every day. In fact, I've been ignoring the scale in the morning altogether. Some mornings I'm down around 162, others I'm sitting at 166. My diet has been great--capping the 500 calorie deficit very easily with work--and I hope to keep it as a lifestyle change. I'm seven days into Insanity ((this being my day off for recovery)), and the pictures speak for themselves... and I'll have them posted once I figure out how to do so again

Woooooot to Muay Thai! That's something I miss... I should be able to make my Krav Maga class tomorrow (granted Insanity doesn't leave me crippled )

SIMBAAAA my friend YOU CAN DO EEETTT! Looking good we're gonna be set for either the Boiler Maker or Tough Mudder next year!

Day 1: Well, I'm technically three days into Insanity... Lemme tell you, it is in fact INSANE. I'm mostly feeling it in my quads, hamstrings, and glutes. It's a fantastic workout though! My brother and I have been leaving puddles of sweat on our tiled floors. We had to mop afterward... Not seeing the scale go down yet, which is disappointing, but I think it's because I've been building muscle mass. I'll post the results of my next Fit Test as soon as I do it... I definitely blew my 500 calorie deficit out of the water. Probably closer to 1000... I'll be skipping out on reading tonight, but I did so last night I started the Alchemist, and I still need to finish the Hobbit... Training will be Wednesday! I'll post again then!

Day 1 of Insanity... OW! Hahahaha! Hurts so GOOD! I'm starting this part of the challenge a tad early and I want to share my progress on the thread. I'll be logging everything in a notebook as I move forward... Here's what I got on my first Fitness Test: Switch Kicks: 105 Power Squat: 46 Power Knees: 80 Power Jumps: 34 Little Jumps: 8 Up-downs: 13 Push Up Jacks: 35 Spidermans: 39 This was a major reality check for my legs. Most of my body is okay, but you know your legs are sore when the act of sitting on a toilet is an epic battle...

Woahhh no way, I trained in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu for about three years! The dojo near me in NY had closed, though. I don't bump into many people who have trained in the same thing... Kudos! Also, I've heard good things about myfitnesspal. I haven't used it myself, but does it include your Base Metabolic Rate? I used to count calories and was terrified when I did so without including my BMR. Make sure myfitnesspal does the same!

I'm liking the list! Tai chi is great! Also, what are you getting your PhD in if you don't mind me asking? I'm about to start an MA program in History, and I'm considering going all the way through the PhD...

Neem, thanks for the heads up! I'm going to fix that now! It's great to hear the welcomes from everyone! I may start Insanity tonight and post a reflection. Kishi--any words of advice? Or shall I just accept that he'll come home capable of dominating me in the ring?

AHHHH I love this!!! Hahaha. Kudos on the challenges, especially #3!

Fear us! Muahahahaha! Thanks!

Ah, a fellow Dwarf! Haha I really like your goals! Flexibility is very important for Monks, and I also think your cleaning project is excellent. I've noticed that an organized room/living area leads to a calmer mind... Best of luck to you!

Hahah very enjoying read, Zuel. Best of luck to you! For pull-ups: when I first started doing them, it definitely helped when I did only 1 and then held at chin level for as long as possible (or reserved this for the last rep) I'll be tracking my diet as well! I've noticed that the one week I've been doing it has already helped enormously!

Nice! I'm on it, Kishi, thanks! And a big thank you to Risen Phoenix as well

Hey all! I'm thrilled to be starting my first challenge here on Nerd Fitness... I have decided that "Dwarf" best suits my stature... I'm a walloping 5'6", but very stocky and muscular. I chose Monk because training in martial arts has been a passion of mine since freshman year of high school. Here are my beginning stats: STR: 4 DEX: 2 STA: 2 CON: 3 WIS: 3 CHA: 1 Instead of restating my bio, I'll just re-post the thread I started a few days ago on the last challenge I've also updated my goals...: "To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities"--Bruce Lee Hey all--my name is Chris and I'm fairly new to the site. I've been receiving occasional emails, but I hadn't taken full advantage of Nerd Fitness until a few days ago... In truth, I have no idea if anyone will ever read this thread... and that's fine. I feel that this will give me the extra drive I need to exceed my limits, and if I can inspire even just one person while doing so, then I'll consider this successful. I'm 5'6" in a family of 5'11"; I recently earned a degree in a field with minimal outlook (Social Studies Education); and student teaching has shoved me into a deep hole of superfluous self-criticism. This was exacerbated by the fact that my grandfather passed away. It all ends now! I used to be between 150-155 lbs while training in Tae Kwon Do (I've dabbled in various martial arts and consider them my passion. I train in TKD at school and Krav Maga while I'm at home. I'm also a Bruce Lee fanatic, hence my quotation and posting on the Monk thread). At one point, I had even reached 146 to compete as a lightweight in the ECTC. Here's a shot of me in my "prime": 1031111101 (2).jpg As you can see, things have gone a bit downhill....: DSCN0823.JPG Right now I'm sitting around 162-5. I feel that my "norm" is 155. I'd like to get as close as possible to this as I can. Here are my goals: 1) Have a daily calorie deficit of at least 500.In theory, I'd like to lose 1lb per week... +2 CON 2) Be consistent and persistent with the Insanity DVDs... I'm getting a hold of them through a friend. +2 STR, +2 DEX, +2 STA If this falls through, I'll continue my last goal: Lift at least 3 times per week. I've been targeting my shoulders and chest, because they are quite underdeveloped compared to the rest of my body. My uncle, who worked with professional body builders, tells me I have a "boxer's back." Time to work on the front! +3 STR +3 CHA (Only if Insanity falls through) 3) Spend at least one night per week reading... It can be anything. A PhD in History may be in my future, so this could also be an opportunity for me to brush up on my Spanish. I could also take advantage of this to read recreationally. Graduate school is head of me, so I need to be reading more! +3 Wisdom 4) Train at least once per week. If work doesn't allow me to make my Krav Maga classes, then I'll use my gloves and focus mitts with my brother at home. +2 DEX, +2 CHA (I'm adding +2 CHA, because who would disagree that training makes you feel a whole lot better about yourself ) Now, here's my longterm goal... My brother is leaving for Marine Corps boot camp, and I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of him. And yet, I'm also jealous. He has time to commit to his physique, while I spent the last 8 weeks commuting an hour and a half--one way--to get to a student teaching placement where I taught 3 different classes (5 total). As much as I enjoyed teaching, my entire day was dedicated to lesson planning, teaching, and commuting. I digress; anyways, he is leaving in August for boot. We're quite close. What I want by the time he gets back is to impress him as much as he's going to impress me.

Thanks a bunch Zuel! I'm actually quite happy and relieved that someone replied only a day after the post--whew! Haha. For the progress recording, do you mean the attribute points? I'll have to take a look and start prepping for the next challenge... I may tweak my goals by then as well. I think the other challenge for me will be poking my head into other threads and being less shy on here! Anyways, thanks for the reply and good luck to you as well! I hope the end of your challenge is going well!

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities"--Bruce Lee Hey all--my name is Chris and I'm fairly new to the site. I've been receiving occasional emails, but I hadn't taken full advantage of Nerd Fitness until a few days ago... In truth, I have no idea if anyone will ever read this thread... and that's fine. I feel that this will give me the extra drive I need to exceed my limits, and if I can inspire even just one person while doing so, then I'll consider this successful. I'm 5'6" in a family of 5'11"; I recently earned a degree in a field with minimal outlook (Social Studies Education); and student teaching has shoved me into a deep hole of superfluous self-criticism. This was exacerbated by the fact that my grandfather passed away. It all ends now! I used to be between 150-155 lbs while training in Tae Kwon Do (I've dabbled in various martial arts and consider them my passion. I train in TKD at school and Krav Maga while I'm at home. I'm also a Bruce Lee fanatic, hence my quotation and posting on the Monk thread). At one point, I had even reached 146 to compete as a lightweight in the ECTC. Here's a shot of me in my "prime": As you can see, things have gone a bit downhill....: Right now I'm sitting around 165. I feel that my "norm" is 155. I'd like to get as close as possible to this as I can. I understand that this website has challenges, but I'm too impatient to wait for the next to start. I'm done making excuses to perpetuate a hold on what I need to do. Here are my goals: 1) Have a deficit of 500 calories daily. I want to lose 1 lb per week. 2) Lift at least 3 times per week. I've been targeting my shoulders and chest, because they are quite underdeveloped compared to the rest of my body. My uncle, who worked with professional body builders, tells me I have a "boxer's back." Time to work on the front! 3) Cut the shitty food. No more soda! I want to eat clean as much as possible. I'll allow myself the occasional light beer, but that's it. Now, here's my longterm goal... My brother is leaving for Marine Corps boot camp, and I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of him. And yet, I'm also jealous. He has time to commit to his physique, while I spent the last 8 weeks commuting an hour and a half--one way--to get to a student teaching placement where I taught 3 different classes (5 total). As much as I enjoyed teaching, my entire day was dedicated to lesson planning, teaching, and commuting. I digress; anyways, he is leaving in August for boot. We're quite close. What I want by the time he gets back is to impress him as much as he's going to impress me. For anyone else on the community: I'm not doing this to compete in a challenge. However, I dare any of you to tag along with me on this journey. I'll do my best to log my progress!

First of all... Nice Dynasty Warriors reference for an ID! My name is Chris and I just joined. I'm in the same boat as a college kid (History/Education majors), with the exception that I have mainly trained in Taekwondo and recently earned my first black belt. I've also trained in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, BJJ, Krav Maga, and various others on and off for years. Last semester I took 21 credits... I earned all A's, but only at the expense of gaining weight and losing touch with myself. Actually, it started last year when I cut weight from 157lbs to 146lbs in a month for TKD sparring. I will never recommend that anyone cut weight, ever. Period. Soon after, my pop-pop passed, and within 6 months I was looming over 170lbs (the biggest I've been since I graduated highschool). Just like you, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. This semester I will be a student teacher, thus just as hectic, but I'm looking forward to a refreshing new start. I feel that martial arts will be the motivation I need. I still need to get familiar with this website and the forums, but good luck on your journey! I will be doing the same! Also, a big hello to anyone else on the forum! This site is such a wonderful idea.