ziffy

Poles are great if you have bad knees or any kind of lower body compromises. They REALLY help on the descent too when the legs are a little wobbly. I'd recommend them. But, I will say they take some practice apparently.

It's a long post, but let me say one thing up front: YOU MUST go to physical therapy. Now that's out of the way, here's my story. I tore my achilles tendon in 2009 during what was probably the most heated non-professional squash game to have ever been played. It was my left leg, and the moment it happened I knew exactly what I had done. I saw a surgeon, opted for the more invasive but more durable surgery, and told him point plank my intention was to 1) get back on the court and 2) not be hampered at all by this injury, so if that wasn't what he was going to help me go, I was going to find someone else. Luckily he was great, really pushed me to get things moving again sooner rather than later, and was an all-around awesome guy. And this brings me to my recommendation and a suggestion. YOU WILL NEED PHYSICAL THERAPY. Sports therapy, to be specific. The best you can find. Check who the local sports teams go to and go there. There are two kinds of PT out there and I had experience with both. The first was more mobility-based, and my therapist there said they focused mainly on getting people to functional stability again. Stairs, chairs, hills. That stuff. For old ladies who have a hip replacement. I got frustrated when my progress stalled a bit and I wasn't seeing any real improvements (I walked with a severe limp for a few months after my walking boot came off). I decided to find a sports therapist on the recommendation of my surgeon. I knew it was going to be a different story when they had me change into workout clothes at the beginning. They put you through the paces, and the massage (read: torture) is one of the best things for muscles that are remembering how to work. Bosu ball, stability exercises, proprioception drills. Proprioception is how your muscles know to expect the ground without you necessarily looking at the ground etc. Balance and all that. The thing to remember is that nobody expects you go kick a soccer ball before you're ready, but really intense sports-oriented physical therapy gave me the confidence to get back on the court about 6 months after my injury. And three years out, I squat about 80% of my BW on my repaired ankle, and I'm climbing serious mountains this year which has always been a dream of mine. You'll get there. You'll have no fear about reinjury because a great therapist will give you the confidence you need through the proper rehab protocols. Thinking about the day, and the days shortly after still give me the willies, but I don't have any issues playing all the squash I want or doing whatever I feel like on my ankle. I'm sure as I age, these won't always be available to me, so I'm making hay while the sun shines and so should you. Lastly, dude...you're still in a boot. Don't go making any plans besides heading straight to the therapist. I'd question any surgeon who tells you otherwise, to be honest. Get ready for more calf raises than you can shake a stick at!

Thanks all. Great recommendations. I was hoping not to be that weird guy with twelve sticks of salami in his pack. @The Tin Man: Fretfully I'm at work and the byzantine security prohibits me from watching that video, so I don't know what the joke is. However I'm sure it's hilarious. I'm climbing it because I love mountains and want the skills to climb bigger ones. I ski, hike, and fly-fish, and I always stare up at these summits and basically want to be on them. So it'll be Washington, then Rainier in the Spring, then Denali, then...Himalayas hopefully. Or the Andes.

Hi all. Me again. As always, I need to start with a thank you. You all inspire me so dang much to keep my shit together and stay on the right path. After a youth filled with overworking, overdrinking, and undersleeping, you all have helped me put it back together. So thanks again. I’m on the ascent. And that brings me to my next point/question. I’ve always been a climber, in college and just after you could probably have described me as a climbing “bum,†but then I moved to NYC and discovered martinis, so that got put on hold for awhile. Fast forward 6 years and I’m in a new, better (awesome!) job in a more relaxed place and I will finally be getting back into climbing. Mountaineering specifically. I’m climbing Mt. Washington with a group in early February. It’s only about an 8 mile hike out and back, but it’s a good 4,000 ft of elevation gain in what generally is accepted to be some of the worst weather in the world. So the question is: what should I eat? We’re descending back to the lodge both nights as it’s sort of a two-day workshop type deal, so dinners shouldn’t be a concern, but I’ll have to keep my energy up both days, and most importantly on the summit day. Are there any outdoorsy paleo folks with good ideas for quick (like, edible with one gloved hand), clean (I don’t want to have to haul 20 apple cores back down) and light (a jar of almond butter will probably not do…) snacks I can shove in my gullet in what will probably be at or below zero temps to keep me going? Thanks in advance. Z

Broiled skirt steak with sauteed onions and brussels sprouts. It's cheap and takes less than 10 minutes. Also, a baked egg thingy I do. Two eggs in a saucepan with a bit of coconut oil, cook until the whites are juuuuuust starting to turn white, then add either tomato sauce, san marzano tomatoes are the ideal, but not always available, with basil, or like a pesto kind of thing if you have it. Add maybe some gluten free chicken sausage or whatever cooked meat you have lying around and bake for 5-7 minutes at 375 depending upon how hard you like your eggs. I prefer them pretty creamy. Donezo. And it only dirties ONE pan.

Hey there. I snapped my achilles back in 2009 and extensive running bothers my injury as well. I have replaced it with both the step machine (NOT the stairmaster, which is basically just a stair treadmill and HURTS my achilles) and the Concept 2 rowing machine which may be the best excercise of all time. On the step machine I've come to really enjoy intervals and I use the rowing machine either to warm up or for sprints. Doing 1000m on the rower as fast as I can doesn't hurt my ankle one bit and gives me a great cardio boost to my workouts.

I used to fail math, so we're a good team. Sadly, I have literally no comprehension of what you chaps are talking about. I keep track of two numbers 1. Weight, with a scale and 2, bf% with a caliper and I line it up to the supposed %equivalents on the little sheet that came with it, so who knows how accurate those are. I suppose the more accurate measure would have been the caliper distance in mm, which is down I believe about 7mm from when I started?

I am doing the paleo (primal, caveman, whatever...I know people are all about being specific here), but I'm not as dogmatic about it as I probably should be. I have student loans and a rent to pay, so grassfed beef is for when I can afford it not for every day. But I've cut ALL refined sugar, grains, and dairy. I cheat with a burger and fries every now and again, but no bun since I'm now at the point where my system just revolts if I put gluten in it. Thanks for all the input you guys. I think the next thing I need to tighten things up will be to stop drinking alcohol altogether. I've minimized it pretty well and overindulge far less frequently than I used to, but the lbs aren't flying off like they used to so...has to happen.

Dear Carjack, THANK YOU. Z

Hey guys. Just wanted to say a quick thanks to you all and to this site for getting me motivated. Before: ~211lbs, 21% bodyfat [ATTACH=CONFIG]1153[/ATTACH] After: 191lbs, 16% bodyfat [ATTACH=CONFIG]1154[/ATTACH] I'm shooting for 170's by January. Hope I can make it. Thanks again everyone! Z

Bondgirl: I am leveling off on my bench press for sure. I've been stuck at the same level for easily three weeks. My squat and deadlift have ever-so-slowly been creeping upwards but I'm not seeing anywhere near the gains I was when I started, but I'm told that's common. I am also super bored at this point. But whatever. The good habit is there so that's a blessing and I should probably stop being an ingrate. As far as Mr. I-Like-To-CrossFit-In-The-Squat-Rack, he's well known to basically everyone who uses the gym from what I've been told. There's a whole group of them flailing dumbells around in a gym that's not even close to set up for it. Makes me crazy. They're supposedly giving them one of the workout rooms to do their thing in, but until then...stink eye. Or I'm considering doing Yoga-lates in the squat rack while he's waiting, just so he can know my pain.

Hi All. First off, thanks so much to all of you on these fora for helping me along the way. I have been meaning to write a quick re-cap post because I've lost a great deal of weight and bodyfat in the last 3-4 months and I'm very happy about the direction in which I'm headed. The simple formula of heavy weights, no grains has been a real life-changer for me. With that said, I'm getting a little bored in the gym. When I started, I wanted to keep it simple because one of the fact that I'm easily confused an defeated by anything having to do with numbers and counting. I didn't want to mess with complex set/rep combinations because I'm a little dense. So as of today I (still) do: Warm up: 500-1000 meters on the rowing machine 3x10 Bench presses (~155lbs/80% of my BW) 3x10 Deadlifts (~175lbs/88% of my BW) 3x10 Squats (~175lbs/88% of my BW) 3x5 Pull ups(still working on those...) I wrap up with 10 minutes of high intensity intervals on the stair-stepper machine. I tore my achilles a few years back and it screams if I sprint on the treadmill and the bike hurts my gentleman's area, so I tend to avoid it. I do this 4 times a week with a light cardio/bodyweight circuit (short run/pushups/situps/burpees/bicycles) mixed in there somwhere for a break. I usually take one day off during the week and one day off on the weekends. I know you're supposed to change things up and I've looked around and I need someone to just tell me what to do. What can I add that isn't complicated and how should I work it in? I've heard some do push exericises on some days and pull on others or upper body/lower, or should I just do it all and add in certain exercies? So that's the technical stuff, here's the etiquette question: There's a dude in my gym (which is physically located in my office, accessible only to employees, so technically the guy is a coworker but not in my department) who ties up the squat rack/power cage thing for at least an hour doing what I believe to be some sort of crossfit routine (eight zillion barbell swings, eight zillion overhead presses etc). What's the etiquette for asking him if I can rotate in? The last few times I've asked he always tells me "I just have one more" and "one more" must mean super set, because he's on that thing for at least another 20 minutes. Thanks in advance for all your help guys! Z

Down like a clown charlie brown. Goals are as follows: Fitness: Drop 12 lbs of healthy weight and a measurable % of bodyfat. Let's say 4%? Be able to do 10 pull-ups in a row. (Currently at ~3) Eat paleo, full stop. (Prima facie paleo, however. I travel a ton and I order things I believe to be cooked as closely to paleo as possible, and that's got to be good enough. Not going to travel with a side of beef or watch the cook.) Life: FINISH. MY. DAMN. THESIS. Save 100 dollars per week. I can do this.

Basically I was having very rapid success that has levelled off pretty quickly. I started at about 215 and I'm down to 203 (20% fat) after a solid 8-9 weeks. But the thing is, I've stayed at 203 now for a good two weeks without any real downward flux in either my overall weight or bodyfat %. Here are the specs and hopefully you all can help me tweak these things to meet my intermediate goal of getting back under 200lbs. Food: Basically paleo. I haven't had an actual piece of bread in two months and the only dairy that sneaks its way in is maybe a cup of cottage cheese here and there. We're talking less than 10 oz a week if that. I have allowed myself beer or wine every other weekend or so, but don't always have it. Breakfast is usually black coffee and I've started doing a fruit smoothie, but it's just fruit. Berries, apples and water. I used to do almond milk but found it too sweet. Lunch is usually leftover steak from dinner and a veggie or a salad with chicken and olive oil. Dinner is either broiled skirt/flank steak and veggies (I've taken to really liking sauteed brussels sprouts and onions, nice smoky flavor.) Snacks: Trail mix, which does contain peanuts but I'll move to a more paleo mixture when I finish this bag. It was a leftover from the beforetimes. Apples and almond butter. Probably eating too much of this, maybe 3oz + 1 apple per day, post-dinner or for morning snack. I have a protein shake after I work out. 220 Cals, 48g protein. Must have it. I don't really count calories, but I keep loose track to make sure I don't exceed the neighborhood of 1700-1800 calories per day. Workouts: When I started I was working out 7 days a week, which I sort of decided was too much. Now I probably work out 4-5 days per week and the routine is as follows. 10-30 mins of some kind of cardio. Either stair-stepper high-intensity invervals, which I love and hate or a longer run on the treadmill. 2-3 miles when I feel like it. I can't do the same cardio every day or I get bored. I tried treadmill sprints and nearly killed myself on the thing so those are out. 3x10 of the following: Dumbell benchpress (45lb), Overhead press (55lbs), squats (85lbs), deadlifts (85lbs) and ab rollouts. I've worked in 3x3 pullups because I suck at them currently. Looking to make that 3x10 as well. So...what am I not doing? Am I eating the wrong stuff? Why can't I break this 200 lb barrier?

I'm going to buck the trend a little bit and tell you what's worked for me so far. I'm about a month and a half in, dropped 10 lbs, and I'm looking to drop another 20, so I'm 1/3 of the way to my overall, more nebulous goal. BUT, the thing that keeps me going is really just a mindless, daily goal that isn't really a goal at all: work out, in some form, everyday, and stop eating crap. I have such intense ADD that all those old saws of delayed gratification (it will feel so good later and you'll be so happy you did it, past tense) have never worked for me. I need gratification now. Today. So, my only goal is be better TONIGHT AT THE GYM than I was this morning when I woke up. It's been working for me since only thinking in 24 hour chunks of my life is a whole lot less daunting that thinking about the months it will take to reach my background goal of overall weight loss. Good luck!

I've been doing whey protein (specifically, Nitrean+) after my workouts and it's been the best I've tried. It's got about 46g of protein and 6g carbs in a two-scoop shake, which is kind of a perfect consistency. Not too watery, not too thick that it chokes you after you've busted your ass in the gym. I'm no pro, but I like it mostly because it does two things: 1. Keeps me from reaching for disgusting snacks post-workout. 2. Magically staves off debilitating soreness the next day.

Hey you guys. Thanks so much for the insight. I finally bought a scale (I'd been using the one at the gym, which is crap). Looks like the story is even better. I'm down to 203! Boom. I also grabbed some bodyfat calipers and I'm at 20mm which is about 21% bodyfat. I'd love to see that significantly reduced as well. Thing's I'm going to look at: 1. MORE EGGS 2. MORE FAT FOR LUNCH 3. Jay Robb's Egg Protein powder (probably once I finish the comically large tub of the one I have now...) You guys ROCK. Also, this coming week's mission: squat/deadlift much heavier and attempt some pullups even though the meadhead gym bros seem to constantly be hanging all over that thing. Also, don't snap achilles in half again. Wish me luck! Best, B

Hi all. Finally joining the rebellion for a lot of the same reasons that I'm sure you've all heard many times before. I was a college athelete (squash, don't laugh) but after a serious injury two years ago (achilles tendon rupture) the poundage has just been piling on. I live in the DC area now, but I was in NYC before that and with the easy access to bars and restaurants, things got way, way out of hand. It was a slow roll back to actually being able to walk properly (I'm still not QUITE back to full strength in my injured calf) but after being able to walk I was really scared of doing anything too intense so I took up some more mellow hobbies such as fly fishing and fly tying. Low and behold, the LBS just kept piling on as fly fishermen as a group aren't known for their healthy lifestyles. Basically a drinking team with a fishing problem. Anyway, I've got a much less stressful job now, free access to a gym, and no more f'ing excuses. So I've gotten really serious about getting in better shape over the last month and a bit, and I didn't want to dip my toe into this community without at least a couple weeks of actual change in my life. Now I've reached the point where I could use some advice and encouragement about what steps to take next. Here's just a general overview of some of the things I've been doing. Check me? 1. Eating as close to paleo as I can manage right now. I travel a lot for work and though not an excuse at all, I'm doing what I can. All grain/gluten is out. No dairy. Stay away from the legumes. Just eating meat, vegetables, and berries. No alcohol. 2. For now, keeping a close eye on calories. I got a really handy Android app called Noom and while it doesn't really like that I'm eating so much protein, it is a good way to keep track of calories. It recommends a daily calorie allowance for me of about 2450 calories as I go to the gym (for now) 5-6 days a week. Is that too high/too much? I've been losing weight but want to make sure it's the right kind of weight. 3. I lift heavy. My gym workout consists of dumbell bench presses (3x10), deadlifts (3X10), and squats (3x10). I get more ambitious with the benches than the squats or deadlifts because I'm still nervous about my achilles but I'm progressing upwards slowly. I add about 5 lbs a week and am sort of stuck at 50 lbs because it tweaks my achilles a bit and I'm afraid to go higher right now. 4. I don't do a TON of cardio. Some days I'll run really hard for 15 minutes, or maybe 30 if I'm feeling like it. Repetitive motion like that tends to hurt my lower body for much longer. I know I should be doing sprints but...injury-wise I'm wary. 5. I switch it up with the ab exercises because I generally hate crunches/situps. I do the ab rollout which I like (3x10), and bicycles as well (usually 3x20-25), or planks for maybe 2 minutes and side planks for the same. In all honesty, this is working pretty well for me so far. I've been working out with regularity for about six or seven weeks now and I've dropped about 10 pounds. I was at 214 and now I'm at about 204. I haven't weighed myself in a few days so that could be down. I'm shooting for 175 (the lightest I've ever been) by February or so. Realistic? A few things I really could use some help with though: The food. I'm a dude, and a creature of habit and while some people love variety, now that I'm not eating recreationally anymore, I just want to get the food in with as little fuss as possible. A normal day is like this: Breakfast: Black coffee around 10 am. I'm not a breakfast eater. Should I be? Lunch. Bigass salad with only veggies and greens. Some olive oil and vineagar (maybe a tablespoon of both?) and maybe some sunflower seeds. About a tablespoon if any. Dinner: Perhaps 8-10 oz. of either chicken or beef, broiled or lightly sauteed, with some vegetable. Snacks usually are an apple + almond butter (max 1x per day), nut-based trail mix (trying to phase this out) or a protein shake right after the gym (200 cal, about 45gs of protein, maybe 4g carbs I think in mine). How's this looking? What should I be taking out/adding? Also, the protein shake. If I don't have one, I'm super sore after the gym but I know it's not paleo. Am I doing myself any disservice by drinking them? On the exercise front, anything I should be working in? Anything I'm missing? Thanks for reading and sorry for the novel... This forum is fantastic and thank you all for sharing your stories as well. B