Vanilla Bean

I've done the cold shower thing a few times, and I can say it was something that fell out of my routine very easily heh. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and it certainly did the trick of waking me up in the morning, but blah. Getting into that routine is just no fun! I have heard that yelling when the cold water hits you helps out. Yes I am completely serious about this and not just telling you to do it to read funny stories after... >.>

haha yup Jax, I count on you girls to call me out when I'm being bad ;P Week 2 update! I know I'm bad about posting so much, but I'll try to keep it updated at least once-twice a week! 6/13/11 Climbing day! Today was a really cool day. I've had a small personal goal of learning at least 2 people's names every time I go, and so far I've rocking on that. Lots and lots of bouldering today! I met 2 really cool guys with a good deal more experience that gave me some really good tips and showed me some good lines/techniques. I spent a good deal of time on the boulders and when I managed to find a belaying partner my arms where so tired that after failing 2 routes within my skill range I reserved myself to belaying for a while All in all good day! 6/14/11 Barbell day! I did my push press/squats today. Squats were good, but I was a bit squirrely with this weight of push press so I think next time I'm going to lower it a little to make sure my form is solid. Push Press 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 110lbs Squats 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 130lbs Plank I did 1 set of planks, mostly just to remind my abs that they are still there I'm getting a good amount of core work done in my other routines I'm not terribly worried Set 1: 3:00 6/15/11 Today was scheduled to be a rock climbing day, but I opted to make it into a rest day instead. 6/16/11 Barbell day! I need to do something about my grip. My left hand can barely seem to hold to the bar near the end. The grip on the left side of the bar (we have kind of a ratty old bar with a rubber grip) has come off and it is making my life rather difficult. I'm thinking about wrapping it up in my climber's tape and chalking up next time. I'll report in next week on how that goes. Deadlifts 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 195lbs This was muy difícil! I'm going to sticking to this weight, or possibly lowering next round, all depends on my 'grip' situation Push-Ups 100 push ups in 4 sets, one set being 16 fingertip push ups (rock climbing training) 6/17/11 Today was also supposed to be a rock climbing day, but with a trip planned out for this weekend I didn't have the time to manage it. I think I more than made up for it on Saturday though! 6/18/11 I set off at about 5:30am to get out to the Spruce Grove Campground in the Angeles National Forest. The hike about 4 miles to our campsite (I do not recall the elevation gain, but it was fairly hilly), and I had ~35lbs in my pack. Once we got to the site I set up my tent and kept everything else in my pack to hike up to Mount Wilson, and holy crap that had me sweating bullets by the end. The hike to the peak is only about 3 miles, but there ~2,700 foot elevation gain in those 3 miles, so it is around 900 feet up per mile. With my pack at 30lbs at this point, that was more than enough to get me sucking wind by the end. Once we hit the peak, we rested for about 30 minutes, re-filled our water pouched and headed back down the way we came. 6/19/11 Leaving camp I headed back to the parking lot by myself and I was doing fine until one of the members of my group met me along the way. This well meaning lady informed me that I was going the wrong way, and seeing as she was coming back from the direction I was going I was inclined to take her word for it, against my better judgment ><. So after about a half a mile in the other direction we realized our mistake and turned back around. Turning a 4 mile hike into a 5 mile hike, with 35 lbs. Nutrition update: I've been doing pretty well keeping 80/20 paleo. Over the weekend I cheated a little bit while camping, but that a concession I'm willing to make.

Here here! I am very guilty of letting to know "everything about stuff" and doing the "perfect stuff" before actually starting to do stuff

I need to do more of this when I'm working out. Those yoga classes sound awesome! I've only done it by myself with the aid of an instructional video. I imagine having a yogi tell you in person how to transition/breathe/bend/concentrate would be extremely helpful.

I did on my lifting days, but just didn't think of it on my climbing days ><. I can say I am paying for that! I'm still a bit sore from FRIDAY, I haven't had stiff muscles for this long in quite a while!

6/6/11 Exciting day, I took my belay class at the rock climbing gym. I'm really looking forward to going there. The employees are great, and the atmosphere is really friendly. Today was mostly instructional with minimal climbing, but my hands/forearms were still burning by the end of it! This is going to really push me I can tell. 6/7/11 Barbell day! I recently purchased an old squat rack off craigslist for $50 (sweet!!!), and for the first time I am able to do some squats in my house. I am very excited about this, and trying to be as careful as I can. I am constantly checking Starting Strength to make sure my form is correct, ha. Push-Press 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 90lbs Squats 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 120lbs (I think? First time doing either of these with the barbell, I am going to go nice and slow) 6/9/11 Barbell day! I'll be eliminating the pull ups from this routine. With all the climbing I'm going doing pull ups here is just redundant. Pull-Ups 3sets Sets 1-3: 5 reps, 25lbs Deadlift 5x5 Sets 1-5: 5 reps, 190lbs 6/11/11 Rock climbing gym! I didn't have a partner so I couldn't go up the wall without a belayer, but instead I practiced some bouldering. I was then humbled by a route marked "Easy!" with pink tape. I can do pull ups no problem, but it turns out that doing pull ups on a bar with your whole hand, and doing pull ups with just your fingertips are VVVEEERRRRYYYY different! I met more very cool people, and I had a blast destroying my hands. My entire upper body is still sore, and my hands are still raw from this day...awesome.

Wow thanks for the interest in my progress guys! Sorry I feel off for a bit, between working out, making dinner, and my daily chores I usually pass out before I get a chance to post up here haha. Alethea: Hopefully I can produce those inspiring results! I seem to be hit and then miss for some reason. My first round or two will have me breaking 70+ and then by the end I'm barely going over 5! Crooked: Thanks! They are still a bit of a work in progress. I just turned 25 and when I talked to a buddy of mine he told me that 25 was one of the best years in his life. So I figured why not try and make it my best year so far too! And then do the same next year. I would like to share, once I have the list down pact, but for right now it is still a mental work in progress Clawed_Bear: Good to be back! Jaxy!: Haha I'll do what I can, no promises ;P Martinpanduh: Goals are going alright, I've made some strides with a few of them Ok as an update I guess I'll start with some changes I've thought about making to my fitness goals. While I've been going to the climbing gym a few times this week I noticed that I was so sore after that doing more pull-up exercises would probably over stress my shoulders/back. So I figured if I kept my high frequency visits to the climbing gym I would have to change around my routine to accommodate for the physical exertion. Here is the routine I'll be trying for next week, I'll let you know how it goes! Sunday Rest/Stretch Monday Stretch/Warm-up Rock Climbing Gym Tuesday Stretch/Warm-up Barbell training: Push Press 5x5, Squats 5x5 (Tentative) Core Work: Planks 3sets Wednesday Stretch/Warm-up Rock Climbing Gym Thursday Stretch/Warm-up Barbell Training: Deadlift 5x5, Push-ups max reps/3sets (Tentative) Core Work: Side Planks 3sets Friday Stretch/Warm-up Rock Climbing Gym Saturday Rest/Stretch (normally, but this Saturday I'm going backpacking) This is subject to change depending on how I feel about the routine that day.

Did he have one of the tension ones that was just a bar pushing out against the door frame? I don't care much for those either. But I've never had a problem with mine, and I've had it for about a year and a half now. It looks very similar to this: http://www.asseenontvguys.com/iron-gym-pull-up-bar.aspx You just need to be sure it is on straight, your friend might not have had the top bar resting on the door frame. Aside from getting one of those, have you checked out your local parks? Most parks these days seem to have bars and other body weight fixtures around them for training.

I have a lot of trouble with balance exercises as well. What I find works for me is imagining that there is a plum line attacked the to top of my head going through the rest of my body. Wherever the plum line goes is where my center of gravity is. Whenever I get off kilter I try and use my obliques to balance myself out, which helps a lot. Using your core to shift your center of gravity avoids any over compensating that comes from spastic flailing of arms

If you're having problems finding places to do pull ups have you looked into getting a door frame pull-up bar? They are great for just about any variation of pull-ups and chin-ups (though I do worry about smacking my face with kipping so I haven't attempted any of those on it). I picked mine up at Fryz for about $20, and that is a steal for how much I have used it!

Ok I know I'm a week late, but better late than never! Since I'm so late I'll go it alone for this challenge (I see some groups already made up). Fitness objectives Work on RFG Barbell Battalion routine (just bought a squat rack, SO excited)Go to the rock climbing gym at least 2 times a weekGet back to being able to jump rope 100 times in a row consistentlyPut on more muscleGet Deadlift to 240lbsGet Squats to 200lbsNutrition objectives Eat Paleo 80/20Cut out sweets (I know that goes with paleo, but I have a huge sweet tooth so I'll list it twice!)Meet protein goals everyday (~170g+)Continue high calorie 'bulk up' levelsDrink more waterAim for 8 hours of sleep a night (7 acceptable)Life objectives Make my "So you're 25 now, what do you wanna do with yourself?" listGo backpacking moreSign up/start taking next round of classes for accountingContinue to check stuff off "to do" listPractice drawing whenever I'm just "sitting around"

Ok I know I'm a week late, but better late than never! Since I'm so late I'll go it alone for this challenge (I see some groups already made up). Fitness objectives Work on RFG Barbell Battalion routine (just bought a squat rack, SO excited)Go to the rock climbing gym at least 2 times a weekGet back to being able to jump rope 100 times in a row consistentlyPut on more muscleGet Deadlift to 240lbsGet Squats to 200lbsNutrition objectives Eat Paleo 80/20Cut out sweets (I know that goes with paleo, but I have a huge sweet tooth so I'll list it twice!)Meet protein goals everyday (~170g+)Continue high calorie 'bulk up' levelsDrink more waterAim for 8 hours of sleep a night (7 acceptable)Life objectives Make my "So you're 25 now, what do you wanna do with yourself?" listGo backpacking moreSign up/start taking next round of classes for accountingContinue to check stuff off "to do" listPractice drawing whenever I'm just "sitting around"

Ouch! I'm sorry to hear that. I agree with Timmy, take it easy. If you feel the need to 'push' a little just focus on areas where you aren't injured. You said that your knees and your foot were hurt, so basic stuff like pull-ups, push-ups (maybe knee push ups with some padding if keeping your core stiff stresses your legs too much), dips, etc should be alright. Steve posted up a nice article on how to train while injured a few weeks back. Probably worth a read. Either way good luck and feel better soon

I wish someone had told me this a couple of months ago... Alethea holy cow! Seriously you're going to become the female stretch armstrong by the end of this!

Go go Jax! Posts are looking impressive already I'm getting a bit of a late start on this challenge, but look for my thread soon! Good luck!

...o.o! The word "only" does not fit anywhere in that statement! That is freggin awesome spezzy, congrats!

Jax continuing to hold it down! As a summary for last week: it was not bad My nutrition has been somewhat lacking, but I've kept myself honest about it on my dailyburn page. I missed 1 workout on Friday because I was prepping for a camping trip over the weekend, which was awesome. The trip started out on rocky ground because the main road up to the campground was closed off for some reason and we had to find another way around. Thanks to my navigation skills (smart phone) we were able to find a back route up to the site and continued on our merry way! Did my fair share of hiking on Saturday, and earned myself 2 little ol' blisters on both of my big toes haha. How was everyone elses' week go? So Jax doesn't have to do all the work: WOTD for Monday, reflection

Hey all, a friend of mine who found out about my decision to lead a healthier life spent me an eye opening lecture on the evils of sugar. Now I had always known that sugar was a no no, but I had no idea that it was SO bad. The lecture is a bit on the long side (about an hour and a half), but it is worth every second of your time.

Ok ok Jax, we can't have you doing all the work Word of the day for Tuesday: Humility

Oh my! So much to catch up on! To save some time (and for the simple fact that I can't quite remember the specific details of all of the days) I am going to skip my daily descriptions and just list out my workout numbers in succession. But as an overall summary for the days that I have been gone I'd say things are going well. My diet hasn't been the greatest, but I'm still meeting my calorie needs as well as my protein levels. My carbs and fats need to be reeled in a little, but at least the fats are 'good fats'. My workouts have been going very well. I have been enjoying the RSG, and the comments I'm getting from people noticing the change . I have been slacking a little bit on yoga, but I aim to pull it together for the home stretch! I am still smoke free and I feel great about it. I still feel small urges every now and again, but they are easily suppressed. I've been playing catch up with old friends I wasn't able to see during my busy season at work and it has been great. Trip to Redondo Beach this last weekend and a camping trip this weekend. Inspired by fellow Nerd of All Trades icfasntw I have signed up for a rock climbing gym starting next month! I can't wait Day I No Longer Have Any Idea Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session D: Rank One - completed Deadlift Set 1: 5 reps, 175lbs Set 2: 5 reps, 180lbs Sets 3-5: 5 reps, 185lbs Lunges Sets 1-3: 8 reps, 40lbs Planks Set 1: 2:00 Set 2: 1:50 Set 3: 1:40 Finishing Move: 4 Minute Run - completed Cool-Down - completed 5/9/11 Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session C: Rank One - completed Push Press - form started to get sloppy so I reduced weight at the end Sets 1-4: 5 reps, 45lbs Set 5: 5 reps, 40lbs Pull Ups - accidentally did weighted pull up for first set instead of max reps, whoops Set 1: 5 reps, 25lbs Set 2: 12 reps Set 3: 8 reps Push Ups Set 1: 30 Set 2: 20 Set 3: 18 Side Planks Set 1 Right Leg: 1:00 with leg in the air Set 1 Left Leg: 0:50 with leg in the air Set 2 Both Right and Left Legs: 0:45 with leg in the air Finishing Move: 4 Minute Run - completed Cool-Down - completed 5/11/11 Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session C: Rank One - completed Front Squats - I'm surpassing what my dumbbell weight set has to offer for this workout. I have a barbell, but I don't feel comfortable doing squats without a rack. I will have to figure out a solution to this. Set 1: 5 reps, 45 lbs Sets 2-3: 5 reps, 50lbs Set 4: 7 reps, 50lbs Set 5: 10 reps, 50lbs Deadlifts Sets 1-2: 5 reps, 185lbs Sets 3-4: 5 reps, 190lbs Planks Set 1: 2:30 Set 2: 2:20 Set 3: 2:10 Finishing Move: Max Burpees - completed - I actually managed to keep count of how many I did! 40 Cool-Down - completed 5/13/11 Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session C: Rank One - completed Pull Ups Sets 1-4: 5 reps, 25lbs Set 5: 5 reps, 1 assisted, 25lbs Push Ups Set 1: 35 Set 2: 20 Set 3: 20 Bent Over Row Set 1: 7 reps, 45lbs Set 2: 8 reps, 45lbs Set 3: 7 reps, 50lbs Side Planks Set 1 Both Right and Left Legs: 1:00 with leg in the air Set 2 Both Right and Left Legs: 0:50 with leg in the air Finishing Move: Max Burpees - completed 45 Cool-Down - completed 5/16/11 Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session C: Rank One - completed Deadlift Set 1: 5 reps, 185lbs Sets 2-3: 5 reps, 190lbs Sets 4-5: 5 reps, 195lbs Lunges Sets 1-3: 8 reps, 40lbs Planks Set 1: 2:40 Set 2: 2:30 Set 3: 2:20 (2, second long breaks to rest my shoulders) Finishing Move: 4 Minute Run - completed Cool-Down - completed

You aren't the only one! I think the extra few weeks have slowed some of us down (well not Jax...she's a machine)

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA (again, /sigh), a small evil creature decided that it would be fun to chew through our cable line to the house ><! We have someone coming out to fix it today, so I'll do a more thorough update when I get home tonight. These last few weeks have been pretty positive I'd say. My dancing classes are coming along alright (though I still am a goon), now if they only offered 'confidence on the dance floor' classes I'd be set! I've been visiting with friends I haven't seen in a while because work buried me during busy season, and I've been trying to get out and live a little on my days off. Inspired by icfasntw I also signed up for a rock climbing gym! My membership begins June 1st, and I can't wait to start. I have continued my Rebel Strength routine, and it is coming along nicely. I haven't been very good about yoga though My nutrition has been 'ok', but not great. This last weekend I slacked a bit while I was out of town, but now that I can get back on dailyburn.com and get scolded by the 'Daily Nutrition Alerts' hopefully I'll change my ways ;P Cheers to Jax and Alethea for keeping this thread up to date and alive!

Hopefully your influence will rub off on the man. Like Steve says though you can't MAKE someone get off the couch if you want the change to last. It has to come from within. I say just keep doing what you're doing cause you're kicking butt. Yes to vitamins. I wince every time I pass by them in the store because I know I should be taking them, but they are expensive! I know it is silly because it is a small investment for your body, and you get enough to last a while, but still ><

You flatter me Alethea, and give awesome tips! I tried lifting the leg today and oh man, it cut my time in half. My roommate was watching me and saying, "that...looks really unpleasant." I'm not sure if he was talking about the exercise or my twisted, strained, sweaty, and red face! Day Twenty One Break day, not much to report. I had my first dance class today to get ready for my roommate's wedding and it was pretty fun. I wanted to break out my funky white boy moves (the shopping cart, the sprinkler head, the q-tip, the move your feet with a rhythm somewhat in time with the music while you bite your lip and look at your watch with your thumbs out. You know, the classics), but they kept me to the box step with some spin. I have managed to maintain my dual left feet. Day Twenty Two Where is go? I need to pass it to collect $200! After paying for the hotel room, the flight ticket, wedding gift, rent, class, and mother's day gift I am reflecting on the word of the day: air. Why you ask? Because it's %#@*ing free! Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session C: Rank One - completed Pull Ups Sets 1-3: 5 reps, 25 lbs Set 4: 5 reps/1 assisted, 25 lbs Set 5: 5 reps/2 assisted, 25 lbs Push Ups Set 1: 35 Sets 2-3: 20 Bent Over Row Set 1: 8 reps, 40 lbs Sets 2-3: 7 reps, 45 lbs Side Planks - following Alethea's advise I raised my leg this time around...yeah, it made a HUGE difference Set 1: 1:00 with leg raised on both sides Set 2: 0:43 with leg raised on both sides Finishing Move: Burpees - completed Cool-Down - completed

Day Sixteen Today was an interesting mix of healthy and unhealthy for me. When I got off of work I immediately started into my routine because of my plans for the evening. I did about 45minutes of my jump-rope/burpee routine before I started to feel a pull in my left Achilles tendon and I decided to stop for the day. That night I drove down to Hollywood to see my friends' show and a show it was. The performances before my friends' set were...interesting to say the least, but my buddies rocked the house and it was a pretty good night overall. Lots of drinking and staying up late, which is not so good, but sometimes you gotta bend the rules 45 Minutes Jump Rope/Burpee - completed Day Seventeen Oi my head! I began my workout in the evening, but my tendon was still giving me some issues so I opted to just let myself rest and not stress it out too badly. So recovery day in more ways than one! Day Eighteen Not much to say about Saturday. Nice and slow day watching movies, playing with the dog, and exercise in the evening. Warm-Up - completed RFG Dumbbell Division Session A: Rank One - completed Push Press Sets 1-3: 5 reps, 40lbs Sets 4-5: 5 reps, 45lbs Pull Ups - I used a different pull up bar this time, it was much thinner and cut into my hands a bit. Not much fun, so I'll be going back to my old bar for next time. Set 1: 14 reps Set 2: 10 reps Set 3: 8 reps Push Ups Set 1: 30 reps Set 2: 20 reps Set 3: 18 reps Side Planks Set 1: 1:50 on both sides Set 2: 1:40 on both sides Cool-Down - completed Day Nineteen Break day filled with errands. Nothing exciting to report. Day Twenty Warm-Up - completed - I'm feeling a little bit off when I jump rope lately. I don't think I have injured myself, but my arms are definitely seeming to get tired more quickly. I'm not sure why, but I will pay attention to it from now on. In other news I'm getting much better at jump rope! I am getting much more consistent, which may also be why my arms are getting tired, ha. RFG Dumbbell Division Session B: Rank One - completed Front Squats - I have been using dumbbells to complete this routine, but I think I need to find another method. My left shoulder (I've had problems with bursitis in the past) is giving out at the weight levels I'm able to squat. I'd like to use a barbell, but I do not have a squat rack to assist me. I will try to figure out a safer way to complete this routine so I do not injure my shoulder. Sets 1-3: 5 reps, 50lbs per dumbbell Set 4: 5 reps, 3 with 50lbs and 2 with 45lbs Set 5: 5 reps with 45lbs Deadlifts - I love deadlifts! Set 1: 5 reps, 155lbs Set 2: 5 reps, 160lbs Set 3: 5 reps, 170lbs Set 4: 5 reps, 176lbs Side Planks Set 1: 2:00 each side Set 2: 1:50 each side Set 3: 1:40 each side Finishing Move: Max Burpees - completed Cool-Down - completed