Sikul

Thanks for the responses everyone! Been busy with life but I appreciate everyone's input! Warrior Dash does look like it might not be much of a challenge, but if it proves not to be that just means I'll do a tough murder or spartan race sooner! My buddy that'll be running with me has done a rebel race and the trash bag and change of clothes sounds like a great idea after what he's told me about the muddy mess. I'll be running in about 5 weeks now, I'm still training though as if its going to tax me

Said I was gonna throw pics up, here they are! After 2nd day of ABWW routine, had enough time to do two sets of it today before class!

Giving yourself enough time, I don't see why a run would be impossible. Definitely something to work your way up into, diving right into two miles if its something you're not used to would be quite the task! Congrats on the new job!

Hells yeah! Great job, nothing like the first clean pull up on the path to domination!

I'm now imagining a guy walking around with a constant o-face and its amazing. Okay sweet, i'll keep going now that I know i'm not about to pop blood vessels!

Yeah, I totally saw Maryland biting it... i'm rushing out of here at the first sign of trouble, if I can make it to Colorado I already have a buddy to go hunting with

Anybody here run one before, or any like it? (Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, etc) I'm gonna be in MD's warrior dash 5/10 this year, lots of pictures will come from that! Any tips or experiences or encouragement is greatly appreciated! Also, have a warrior-cat

Very fun creative ideas! I'll have to attempt this with my pack sometime, way better than drinking games

I've noticed recently (and in the past) while working out and really getting down to business with weights or more-challenging bodyweight exercises like i've been doing recently, I have this strange sensation that I don't quite understand. I went through the advanced body weight workout yesterday for the first time and it was a good challenge and something to work toward improving. While I was doing the chin-ups in that circuit, that strange feeling hit me. I could feel a bit of strain on my muscles which was to be expected; i'm pushing myself in this workout. About 3 or 4 reps in, I notice this surging feeling in my biceps. Its hard to describe, like all of a sudden blood starts rushing through my veins. I don't feel lightheaded or anything, there's no pain involved and i'm not failing the reps or losing my form that I can tell. I've generally given myself a moment to rest or moved to work on another part of my body when that has happened, as I don't know if i'm causing damage to myself or not. Any idea whats going on here? Am I just not used to seriously pushing my limits?

School has always been the primary objective! Top of my class, finishing out these last two courses holding myself to that same standard. I agree with you on the sleep as well, which is why i've been making the changes I have. As of lately, i've used my time between work and class for exercise, and if I have the strength left once class is done (After turning wrenches and swinging hammers and flipping manual transmissions over) i'll do another circuit in the evenings as long as its before midnight. I don't like splitting up sets like that, but I guess its better than not doing anything at all. Speaking of circuits, rather than doing a bodyweight routine of my own creation I decided to give the advanced bodyweight circuit a go. Words cannot describe how effective just one rotation of that is at getting things tight! I'll be sticking to this routine as my go-to for awhile, once I can get through 4 sets of that we'll see what I look like then. Everything else seems to be going quite well. -Daily protein goals have been on target with my better eating -I need to get better at counting calories. I'm sure i've been getting more than my BMR every day which is a start, but I know I need quite a bit more than that! -Been doing better with stretching, I'm determined to stay as limber and flexible as possible. I bit the bullet and took a selfie yesterday (hate taking pictures of myself), can't upload on the work computer... Once I get in from work maybe! I need to ask some questions today too bout some weird stuff i've had while working out

Korpiklaani, finntroll... other fun folk metal bands. By far the nerdiest things to pop into my playlists. There's accordion and everything it might as well be speed polka

Its been a long... five weeks now? Many changes, many many changes since the beginning. This is going to be a big post, as my dreams have been troubled and my goals have shifted. My dark past appeared before me once again, a cloak of shadow in front of a mirror I stood before. I could see through the miasma, but in a different path ... in the path I was more or less built for. I remembered the slums I grew up in, vaulted over and crawling under, finding comfort crouched deep within it's secrets... the same I continue to reside in today. For once, I could feel myself smiling... nothing malicious of course (that would be silly), but just a sort of happiness with what i've already accomplished. The changes i've experienced since the beginning of this challenge brought some clarity to my mind, which I shall share with any who cares to see. My missions: 1. Eat three substantial meals per day. So most days i've managed to eat three times. I was mistaken in my initial measurements in the beginning; I measured myself in clothes, with various knick-knacks on my person. I've re-weighed myself without the trappings of this realm and have truly come to weigh 160 pounds. Thats a gain, and that makes me feel good! The changes to my psyche are still a bit startling to deal with. I went through a very frustrating period through the past two weeks or so where I felt so out-of-tune with myself, just because I wasn't used to knowing what hungry felt like. I definitely didn't know what full felt like, and for awhile both feelings just made me feel ill and miserable. I wanted to stop, but i've kept myself to my word and have eaten much better. What needs to change: Calories. I need to eat way more calories! I've been starting to count numbers for protein and I can see the difference in muscle size in definition, I need to start counting calories a bit more too. I need roughly 1800 just to exist per day, I need to learn and understand how many more I need to make proper strength gains. This was my primary goal, and the one i've kept up when all else failed. 2. Train three times a week mininum. I've been doing okay with this, only okay because I haven't given myself true scheduling. My life is highly-scheduled already, and before I make it into an excuse i'd like to explain in an effort to seek help (This is incredibly hard for me to do, asking for help). I'm going to school to become an automotive technician/mechanic in the evenings. I work a full time job in the mornings. My day starts at 7am, i'm at work from 7:30AM - 3:30PM. I'll be home around 4PM. I have until 5 PM to do something before I absolutely MUST get moving toward class. I'll arrive at my classes usually with 10 or 15 minutes to spare before they begin. 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM i'll be in class. I'll get home before 11:30 so long as there's no maintenance on highways at night, or anything out of the ordinary happening on them in general. I try to allow myself 30 minutes to an hour to decompress before going to sleep. For awhile, I went to the gym right after class (wore my workout gear under my uniform!) and did dumbbell exercises and a little cardio. I realized that most nights, I get between 5 and 6 hours of sleep. This puts me in a position where i'm straddling two things that aren't optimal: I can cut into what could be possible sleep time and get a decent gym workout in, or I can go home, do some bodyweight exercises, and get a little more sleep. I do not know which is better for me yet, and need help with this choice. I can function either way, I just need to know the best way. Luckily, my evenings will get freed up when i've finished with school in late May. 3. Keep note of my progress and events. Soooo... yeah that didn't happen. I've kept up with weighing myself, i've started counting numbers to make sure I get what I need till it all becomes more natural... but I haven't written much down. Going to get a journal just for that, no excuses for the next challenge. Life quest: Play some bass every night My life quest is going to change. I enjoy playing the bass, I really do. I've even gotten back into a band since this challenge has started! THIS WAS THE SINGLE WORST-MISTAKE I HAVE MADE SO FAR IN 2014. I simply don't have the time to learn this band's set-list, they have a ton of local and not local shows lined up, they practice usually during the week while i'm at school (all three things that weren't shared before I signed on with them), and its just a gigantic stressor with everything else going on. I'm going to hold these people back in the long-run from their dreams of touring and whatnot. Not to mention its just another financial burden (Do I spend $700 on a toolbox to be serious about my new job as a fleet mechanic starting in May, or do I spend $700 on another cabinet and head for my bass thats show-worthy? Hmm...) and there's lots of silly drama between the members. I'm on my way out the door there. I can't say i'm overall proud of what i've done this challenge yet, but i'm still in it and i'm far from giving up. Only looking forward to whats next, and to make up for lost time here finishing this challenge up strong. I did say I was going to post a picture up here, I PROMISE you will have a photo of where i'm at physically BEFORE 3/30/2014. If there's no picture of me up by then, you can send the assassins after me. Speaking of the assassins... for the time being, i'm re-aligning myself to spend some time with them when the time comes. I've been doing body-weight exercises for a long time, and they will be the basis of my NEW LIFE QUEST : Perform a human flag, and get a photo of it I've always wanted to pull that off one day. Thats it for now!

*coughs* Still in this thing... but weaknesses are starting to show... Primary weakness being I need to figure out how to get tapatalk to link up with these forums! I just don't have the time to sit down on the forums and report as much as i'd like to. Also, apologies if anyone was looking for the follow-up post to that last post I left here; getting home was expected to be about midnight or so... ended up not getting back in until about 3am. To top it off, this past weekend I was kicked in the gut with a nasty stomach virus that kind of gave my eat three meals a day plan an unfortunate setback. All I can do is continue onwards! Its week three now... i've actually gained two pounds since i've began, and until I get some body-fat calipers I can only assume its muscle. I already stayed well under 10% body fat, I figure it'd be easier to see if some of the lean went away. Energy levels are a lot better though it seems. I need to wear my workout-gear under my school uniform so I can jump straight into the gym after class; the weights I have at home wont suffice for building strength, even though they've worked well for giving me more confidence in my form along with the starting strength book. That stomach virus I had for the past two days really weakened me though... I think i'm going to be paranoid and only eat home-cooked food that i've prepared, as i'm pretty sure that was the cause. Week 3 stats: Weight - 157 (Oh my god this number was higher mid-last week ) Only change in body measurements is left bicep is now 13.75"

Day 4 and 5, where did you go... Lucky for me, the lapse in writing on this journal isn't the mark of failure... I just haven't had enough of a moment to gather thoughts that would appear at all coherent. Quick update, since I'm still a bit predisposed: Unfortunately missed a meal on day 4, made up for it by fighting against exhaustion and the desire to just sleep on day 5 to make sure I got dinner in. I'm actually on the way to a performance now. Meal plan still intact, exercise is about to come in the form of thrashing and head banging. I'll summon the energy to update this when I get home tonight!

Day 3 down. Keeping up with eating, actually had to take some time for a nap today... never realized how much slow, deliberate exercise would impact me along with the physicality of my current job now. Due to soreness I didn't want to stress already aching muscles too much more while they're rebuilding, so I replaced some of the exercises that would focus on upper body with form practice for possible weight time tomorrow. tonight's activities for "workout time" 4 sets of 8 proper squat technique practice (its amazing what a difference going parallel has) 4 sets of 8 barbell row form practice (never have done this exercise, but it seems to share some posture with squats and deadlifts) 4 sets of 8 deadlift form practice Did 10 slow chin-ups from a dead hang just because I wanted to! Using a door-frame bar, so kept legs crossed behind me. Finished with some stretching, now for a couple minutes of bass and then sleep.

Fencing has always looked like so much fun, something I'd like to try one day if a time slot opens up! What kind of workouts do you have planned?

Actually I'm pretty much the same! Didn't have much growing up... grew up and it was just so natural to deprive myself for sake of saving money. I went from not eating anything good to not eating good very much. Changes are happening more swiftly than expected! I wasn't so sure on this when I first started, but a few days in and its very apparent. I have a lot of endurance already and could do sets of 10-12 pull ups, but just doing my light bodyweight set this past Monday has my body more sore than I care to admit with proper nutrition behind it! Day 3 is off to a good start with eating. need to figure out whether workout happens between work and class or after class tonight. Will update with end of the day progress as I have been. Thank you everyone for your kind words, once o get tapatalk working with me I can respond quicker!

Day two was a remarkable success. I'll be honest, I never thought eating could be such a challenge... but when you've lived in a constant fast for most of the life you can remember, its one of the hardest things to do. Every meal like a successful scavenge, my mind and body tricking themselves into squandering what energy I gain away for when its needed most... or just strategically dispersing slowly over long periods of time so no one moment felt like an extreme deficit. I suppose I should be happy i've held onto what muscle-mass I have! Eating is accounted for today, and as promised, i've taken some measurements so I can see my progress as time passes. Not sure if I did this right, but here goes! All measurements were taken at the widest point. Bicep - 13.75" Right, 14" Left. Forearm - 11.50" Right, 11.25" Left Chest - 37.5" Abdomen - 32" Waist/Hips - 36" Thighs - 22" both sides Calves - 15" both sides Time for a little musical interlude before bed... then breakfast!

I've been struggling off and on with learning german myself, I just haven't had enough time to put in true effort between work and school and music blah blah blah. I think the losing strength could be from a cardio aspect as far as the thai/kickboxing thing is going. There's going through the motions, and then there's tension and muscle activation to put real force behind the movements. I could be wrong in this, its been awhile since i've done martial arts or anything like that, but its where my head went when I read. Best of luck!

Franks red hot in white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough. The commercials lied to me. HOWEVER, putting frank's red hot on already baked aforementioned cookies... i'm ashamed to admit i'd do it again.

Hah, you had me at DDR! If cardio wouldn't work against all i'm aiming for right now i'd be onboard, its been so long since i've hit the dance pad... wonder what mix they're on now?

Best wishes with the sculpting! Seeing your provision list reminds me I truly need to do something like that for myself.

Its nice to see these artistic goals along with the fitness! My heart goes out to you on the bread; I know thats gonna be hard... you can do this! Persevere or perish! Don't perish though, I just started following this thread!