Jabba the Hupp

Second the taps and apps. Gnome or muddy pig would be good choices if you ask me.

I would totally look into it but I live in St Paul now and LA fitness is just so close. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

The Minnetonka one is also nice and has a squat rack. So does alexandria and Bemidji if you're out of town, like I frequently am for work. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

I started at snap, the one in NE mpls on Broadway but the problem is only a few have actual squat racks. Really too bad since I like the 24/7 access. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Work out at LA fitness in St Paul, off snelling/University. Would love a smaller, lifting specific gym but right now LA is just too convenient. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

http://m.active.com/running/st-paul-mn/beer-run---summit-brewing-company-part-of-the-mn-brewery-running-series-2013

St Paul rebel here. Just starting to come back to forums. Doing the Summit brewery 5k in September, any revels out there doing that one? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

So busy, so behind in my updates! Although I am not behind in training or my goals. Weeks 2 and 3 have gone really well and life is good. I'm PRing all over the gym, eating all the meats and vegetables I can get my hands on and scouring the Twin Cities for a nice apartment. Here's a breakdown by goals: Goal 1 Train 4 days per week +4 STR No problems here. Lifts are all progressing well and I have added some lifts I haven't done before. Holy Shit jump squats kick my ass...Hurts so good. Goal 2 Gain 10 pounds +2 Con, +2 STR Upping calories has been nice and it's a so refreshing to not be cutting. I weighed in at 219 this morning. Goal 3 Yoga and Mobility +3 Dex Yoga is good and the Hip mobility exercises I've been doing have really really helped. Goal 4 Find an apartment and create a monthly budget +3 Wis Well, we found a place that looked really good and I got a call in to the guy. He finally called me back today and told that the 1br they're renting is for only 1 occupant...so that really sucked. Back to searching.

Upping my calories is no problem and getting in the workouts with all the time off hasn't been easier. Great week for fitness. Pumped to go eat big later today. I'm not using any tools for a budget but I definitely could benefit from some. Do you know of any or have tips? Right now I have a loose piece of paper with my income and some fixed expenses but that's it. Pretty rough. My routine looks something like this: Sunday - Back Squat, Deadlift, Row, Jump Squat, Bi Curls, Situps Monday - Bench Press, Overhead Press, Pull ups, Tri ext, Farmers Carry Tuesday - Treadmill, elliptical, whatever Wednesday - Back Squat, Deadlift, Row, Front Squat, Curls, Situps Thursday - Yoga Friday - Incline press, DB shoulder press, Dips, Farmers Saturday - rest There may be some other stuff in there that I forgot but i'm going on memory here.

First week down and I'm off to a good start. Lifted 4 days last week, ate a good amount of food but not too much, and did some yoga. Went out and picked up some racquetballs for some other mobility exercises too. Apartment searching has been light but I need to kick it in to high gear soon since we're shooting for 1/1. Yikes. Goal 1 Train 4 days per week +4 STR Lifted Sun/Mon/Weds/Fri. Felt great lifting an extra day a week and mixing in some lifts I haven't done for a while. Goal 2 Gain 10 pounds +2 Con, +2 STR Upping calories is going fine I think. I went a little wild the first couple days just kind of eating whatever I wanted but have pulled myself back in to eating mostly paleo and eating clean. Goal 3 Yoga and Mobility +3 Dex Did some yoga at the house and mobility exercises before bed. I think it helping. Goal 4 Find an apartment and create a monthly budget +3 Wis I hate budgeting but I need to do so asap. I'm going to try to hammer that out this week. Girlfriend and I have found a few places that look promising so we will need to be making some calls and checking them out.

Jabba's Challenge So up here in Minnesota it is starting to get cold and the snow will soon start to fall. That means people will retreat indoors and start to gain weight in order to keep the cold off their bones. For the first time in the past 2 years I will intentionally up my caloric intake and put on some weight. I've successfully cut from 327 to 215 and I'm just sick of it haha. So I'm going to attempt to go from 215 to 225 in the next 6 weeks in a healthy way. I'm planning on eating well, upping my protein intake and lifting as heavy as I can 4 days a week. New to gaining weight so I will need to do some research within the next couple days and see what works for a lot of people. If anyone out there has some tips for me or can point me to some resources that would be awesome. So here are my challenge goals: Goal 1 Train 4 days per week +4 STR Going to be lifting 4 days a week, going heavy with reps in the 5-8 range. I'll post my routine within the next few days. Goal 2 Gain 10 pounds +2 Con, +2 STR Honestly excited about upping my calories but nervous at the same time. It will be weird seeing the scale go in the opposite direction. I'm also hoping that I won't get to 225 and want to cut down again. Goal 3 Yoga and Mobility +3 Dex Yoga once a week and mobility exercises after lifting 4 days per week. Shouldn't be too challenging but I need to have this as a challenge in order to continue to push myself to do it. Goal 4 Find an apartment and create a monthly budget +3 Wis The girlfriend and I are planning to move in together on January 1st. Super excited about it and need to get moving on the financial planning aspect of it as well as finding a great place in St. Paul. So here are my embarrassing before photos at 215 lbs. Sorry for the underwear shots and please ignore the harry potter banner on my wall...Yeah, I'm pretty cool. [ATTACH=CONFIG]6242[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]6241[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]6244[/ATTACH]

Week 5 Update Well things are still going okay. Last week I PRed on each lift last week, the only lifts still going strong with the Stronglifts program are deadlift and BB Row. The breakdown: 1) So PRed in Row and Deadlift. Other lifts are stalling but I added 5 pounds last week to Bench, Squat, Overhead Press. So i'm happy with it. Plus the weight is still melting off. Hopefully I can continue the downward trend and then start a bulk cycle and really improve those lifts. 2) Getting conditioning in and feeling resolved about it. Think I'll be attempting the 5K and see how far I can jog this week. 3) Yoga is going strong. Also got a massage this week thanks to a groupon deal and man did that feel awesome...might have to make it a more regular thing. 4) Still on track with my $250 a week plan. Should be good.

Week 3 and 4 Update Wow I've been busy, apparently too busy to post a quick overview of how the training/fitness has been going. So on with it! The breakdown: 1) I'm stalling out on my squats and overhead press but continuing to make gains with my deadlift, row, and bench press. I honestly think the stall is just do to the fact that I'm still eating at a deficit and cutting weight. Planning on trying to add 5-10 pounds on my squat and overhead press per week instead of adding 5 pounds per workout, 3x a week. That way I'm still PRing but just at a slower rate. 2) Despite the busy schedule I've been getting my conditioning in. I am not really following any type of program at this point. I've just been getting in some jogging/walking at the gym or outside. I may just continue the no plan approach and attempt 5k toward the end of the challenge and see where I end up. Tough getting motivated about running and setting a plan since I don't really care for it. Maybe not a great goal in the future lol. 3) Yoga is going strong. Still haven't taken a class at the gym with other people but I'm working up to it. Feeling more confident with poses more and more each day. Also, totally helps with the tight hips from squats. 4) Still on track with my $250 a week plan. Got my car problems dealt with by a guy who works on my car and it saved me about 500 bucks although now something has popped up. Gotta find the time to get it back to him to check out the new problem...ugh. That's what I get for putting on 100k miles within the last 2 years. Yikes.

Highly recommend the St. Paul/Minneapolis area. Cold in winter but gets nice and hot in the summer. Definitely fits your budget but it is definitely a metro based around driving. Obviously we have some public transport through bus and a very limited light rail (it's just starting out and goes like 4 places). Great place to live though.

Week 2 Update So last week just really was not a great time for me. Crazy weird stuff with work really messed up the last half of the week resulting in almost no fitness time for me. I managed to maintain my diet, which is the most crucial, but I feel so lazy everyday I miss the gym. Just sucks. The breakdown: 1) Only got 2 of my 3 lifting days in for the week. I at least like to get all my lifting days in at the gym and usually don't feel so terrible when skipping the gym on non-lifting days, so feeling pretty crappy today. Gym this afternoon though and I'm gonna tear stuff up. 2) Again, the first part of the week went well but after Wednesday it fell by the wayside. I'll get some more time in tomorrow. 3) Got my yoga in early in the week so that was great. Also, while I did skip the gym I did manage to squeeze in some poses and some other mobility work in over the last half of the week. So at least that went well. 4) Still on track with my $250 a week plan. One possible hiccup. Took my car in for oil change and they found a few things wrong. The garage estimated $750 for the few things...but I got a guy that works out of his home that does most of my car stuff and it is usually half the cost of a garage. Calling today to figure that out and hoping I can end up with sub $400 for all the work. Gotta keep my office running smooth.

Keg Toss? Man, that sounds like a blast. I want in on that lol. I'm feeling stalled out right now on my squats too. I think I'm hitting a wall with them as I'm eating at a deficit and my body is going "really man, you're not eating much and trying to make me do heavier shit, really?" but that's just a preliminary theory. No real helpful tips, just sympathizing lol. Maybe try adding in some lunges or deadlifts as some assistance for the squat.

I would definitely be up for some nerdy Highland Games training. Honestly not sure if I'll be able to head out that way anytime soon though. Work usually stays crazy until it snows then slows down. I'll have to keep you posted. Are there any online resources with regards to games in MN? Any tips for starting to train for games?

Week 1 Update So we're already through week 1 (what? So quick) and the challenge is starting out fine. Not as strong as others but good. The breakdown: 1) Strong lifts went great week 1. I lifted yesterday and while I PRed at 5x5 in my squats, it was rough. Really rough. I'm worried i'm going to stall out in my squats. We'll see though. 2) Running has been fine. C25k is actually a 9 week program so I may have to push it/abandon it in order to hit my 5K goal. I'm not starting out at couch potato level, just lifter who hates running level. I think I'll be on track to finish. 3) Nailed the yoga session. Doing yoga tonight as well. 4) $250 per week should be doable and last week I squirreled it away. Hoping I won't have to dip back in later in the challenge. Quick and clean update.

Yeah, I'd bet there are several Minnesotans who couldn't find Litchfield on a map lol Highland games is something I'm really interested in doing (it's actually on my bucket list). I just have no idea where to start in terms of training, competing, etc etc. Would you be willing to share how you train and how to get involved in the competitions. I've seen competitions in MN at the Renn Fest and at the Scottish Fest but are there other competitions happening in MN? Let me know!

Sorry Laney but I think you're wrong on this one. I think Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of the most underrated metro areas in the U.S. Yeah it may not be for everyone but if you enjoy seasons and being outside it is definitely an amazing place to be. It appears your biggest gripe with Minnesota is that you absolutely hate the snow, which means anywhere in the north may not be for you. But for people that enjoy fall/spring weather, where it's a little chilly but still comfortable or who like to get outside and play in the snow then Minnesota is fantastic. Hockey, ice fishing, cross country skiing, etc etc, lots to do in MN even in the winter. It was chilly today but you probably noticed that a lot of Minnesotans were still in T Shirts and Shorts because that's just what we do. As for thinking that the best thing in Minnesota is the Mall of America...well you must not get out too much. North shore by duluth, Boundary Waters, downtown of Mpls or St paul, out on Lake Minnetonka or freaking Juicy Lucy from Matts Bar. Many fun and interesting things and places in Minnesota. Only cons of Minnesota for me are the lack of mountains and an ocean. Lake Superior will have to do though.

Thanks everyone. Blueberries: I've been focusing on cutting recently. Taking in about 2100 calories, strength training a few days a week and then cardio, what have you on other days. I've been doing stronglifts and PRing everyday with that program so I suppose my strength is increasing too. Cutting is the primary focus though. Khep: I've heard great things about C25k too and am looking forward to starting it. I'm a terrible runner but hoping this will help me improve. Time will tell.

Subscribed, since you're from Minnesota. Drive through litchfield from time to time for work purposes.

Great goals, looking forward to seeing your environmentally responsible changes and then possible stealing those ideas.

What's the point in being in strong if you can't move right? After switching to doing real squats I'm noticing lots of tightness in my hips. Last challenge I didn't include Yoga in my goals and subsequently did none. Well that sucked so now it's back. I also want to continue to get conditioning into my week, so I am trying to find a balance between lifting, conditioning and mobility. Should be doable. Also, while not a goal, I'm looking to continue cutting approximately 2 pounds per week and hoping to be around 210 by the end of the challenge. Just don't want my challenge to be centered on silly numbers on a scale. Starting stats: Weight: 220 Photo: (Insert Later) Quests 1) Finish the last 6 weeks of Stronglifts. +4 STR 2) Run 5K by the end of the challenge. +2Dex, +2STA Probably going to follow the Couch25K routine here as it's a 6 week program. Running sucks but It'd be nice to do 5k. 3) Attend a yoga class once per week +2DEX, +2 CHA Mostly will be done at my parent's since my ma is a yogi and the one on one instruction rules. I am going to add a stipulation here, in order to get full points I need to attend a class at LA Fitness with other people...which I still haven't done. Nervous about doing poses horribly wrong in public and/or farting throughout the class. Hazardous. 4) Set aside $1500 in to savings +1 Wis, +2 Con Do it. Probably going to put the money towards my car loan and move much closer to paying it off. However, just saving up any money and putting it aside is good for your general health and well being right?

Coffee and Water is all I seem to need