thescrawnycaveman

@knightwatch, Fantastic goal! Keep it up and stay strong! @theanne, I understand what you mean. Being a lanky skinny boy, I wasn't exactly first pick for many sports. So I definitely get what you mean with keeping up with the friends in sports. Also I really hope that you succeed in your goals and raise your self esteem some. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who played football for Notre Dame. He invited me to play a pickup game of football with him and a few more highly athletic people. I asked him how he thought a skinny unfit wimp like myself could even begin to compete with them? He said it didn't really matter how fit I was, "its all about your confidence in yourself. If you think you can do it, you will do it". Its a little corny but I find the more confident I am, the better I do at anything. @Wolfman, that is exactly why I do not want a kid. I can't imagine living up to how I saw my father to my kid. Best of luck making a kid! And don't forget to enjoy the process too >.> Raincloak, put that job at the top of your bucket list and do everything within your power (that isn't unethical) to succeed and get that job, whatever it is. Since when has being a woman been an excuse to not get something you want? (other than girls in love with gay dudes. That is pretty much hopeless). Good luck with your progress, good luck with getting your body, and I hope you find your way out of your hole as well. Keep your head up and keep trudging on.

Thats a really neat goal! Parkour is pretty sweet. Do you practice parkour at all right now or are you in the process of building the base fitness first? From what I know (which probably isn't much) as long as you are starting with the basics, its never too early to start practicing since quite a lot of it is body awareness and core.

Are you working out and eating better just for the sake of being healthy and avoiding illness in the future? Are you trying to look better for the ladies/men? Are you doing it all to be more useful in everyday life? etc. I personally am trying to eat paleo and workout for overall fitness to eventually live in the woods (sort of like Thoreau, but more like Grizzly Adams. But of course without the murder charges). Eating what is in wilderness and training to be effective in finding those foods and surviving is what I am working for. So what about you?

Wow, I've never even thought about using the oven or using the extra fat to use for eggs.... You may friend just made my bacon making egg eating life So. Much. Better. How long does a cookie sheet of bacon normally take to cook?

When making bacon, what I believe to be a piece of Heaven Jesus brought down with him when he rose from the grave, is it healthiest to cook so its flimsy, crispy, or somewhere in between?

One question though that maybe I missed in the article or wasn't mentioned for a reason. When you do 5 sets of 5, do you increase the weight at all each set? This is how I was taught to workout in my school strength training class (for pretty much every major lift). Start with a relatively easy weight and progress each set until your last one is heavier than the last set of your last workout. Should I stop doing this?

Thanks Alpha, I will most certainly "bump it" as you say. Steve, thanks for the welcome, I am 150lbs and 5 foot 10 inches. I want to weigh closer to 170 if I can, though that may be a little bit of a lofty goal. And other than the taste of milk, I'm not totally against it if it was important to gaining muscle mass/weight.

Something I'd enjoy to kick my ass once a week was 5 Minute Abs, do sit ups for 50 seconds, hold your upper body at a 45 degree angle and pick your feet up 6 inches off the ground and hold for 10 seconds, then 40 seconds of sit ups and 20 seconds of holding half way, etc. I found it pretty brutal, once you get to that 50 second hold it feels like time has stopped just to punish you.

I was wondering if I'm the only one this happens to or not, but often times when I am bench pressing (or doing a large amount of pushups), I will feel sharp pain in my arm while pushing up that feels bone-deep. Is this actually my bones or my muscles struggling? This normally only happens when I am increasing my weight and isn't particularly common, but it really discourages me to try and push for more weight when it feels like my arm is going to snap anytime I try. If this is a bone issue what can I do to help it? If it isn't a bone issue, then am I just pushing my muscles too hard or what?

Starting Stats" 5feet 10 inches - 150lbs Diet: Stick to Paleo as much as I can. Learn more recipes to make and experiment with. Start eating more grass fed beef. Fitness: Gain 5 lbs of muscle Workout at least 3 times a week Be able to do at least one legit handstand pushup by the end Life: Get a full-time job Save money for an apartment (I'm 19 and back at home with the rents... I'm not staying to see 20) Find more friends in Chicago Any other info: Just recently moved to Chicago, a place where I know no one, so I will be spending a good amount of time at my friend's house in my hometown. All they food they have is frozen or boxed. I have no idea how I will eat paleo there without spending a buttload of money at chipotle.

Hey there everyone! I am new to the forum and wanted to just say hi. I'm Zack, I've been reading a lot of nerdfitness lately so I figured I would take a look at the forums and I decided to sign up. I'm looking to get in better shape, aka not look like a twig's twig, and this seems like the best place to start. I eat mostly paleo (except grassfed beef, I don't have the money right now to get it regularly, so its the normal bad meat currently) and I love it. I started doing it about 3 weeks ago, so I've decided to take the next step and start working out a lot more too. My body is still adjusting to the demand, but hopefully soon I can get back to my fitness level I was at a year ago (before I went to college). Any other skinny guys out there who are trying to gain some muscle mass? Any have some suggestions for us? Much appreciated! Cheers, Zack