ToothlessMountaineer

Awesome goals! Hiking challenges are awesome to find out what you're really made of - you can't do them (well) without decent conditioning, but finding the will to keep pushing when your mind wants to give up (or slow down) makes for some great adventures. I was hoping to go for some personal bests of my own by the time this challenge wraps up (first ever 30 mile day), but I'll have to root folks like you on from the digital sidelines. I highly recommend doing not only stairs, but stairs with a weighted pack on. Once you can hold a target pace with a heavier or much heavier pack than you'll be carrying, your actual traverse will be much easier. Good luck!

A week after my 'don't do anything for 3 weeks' prescription, it's definitely been a struggle. It's frustrating when I've got permission to walk, but not take the stairs. Just a week and a half ago I was hopping in and out of trenches, and 3 weeks out I was hiking 8 miles in 3 hours with a backpack on... On the upside, I'm 2/2 getting through my upper body workouts this last week. Not wanting to injure another part of my body is a nice motivator to not overdo it and slowly work my way back into the shape of things.

Backpacking is easily my favorite part of the summer, and I happen to live in one the best places in the world for it. Over the 4th of July, my 3rd trip of the season, I took some friends out to the Desolation Basin for a fun weekend of mellow cross country trekking and to attempt to summit Mt. Humphreys. With less than a quarter mile to go to our campsite the first night, I had a little mini stumble that I didn't even fully trip from, but due to an awkward angle I managed to feel the worst pain I've ever felt in my left quad. I was debating that night whether I'd need to send someone ahead to call in for a rescue, but the next day I felt massively better and could hike around to test what I could do (most anything) and what I couldn't (butt kicker stretches and 1-legged squat type maneuvers). The 3rd day I felt good enough to lead the group toward the big, imposing spire of Mt. Humphreys, and halfway up I managed to pull the other (right) quad while hopping between boulders. This one wasn't so bad and I was able to descend without issues, and hiking back the next day was uneventful. I was in just about the best hiking shape of my life, so I was hoping this was akin to just a flesh wound... I got it checked out with a diagnosis of a partial tear and a 2-6 week recovery window. I took it easier the next two weeks, but noticed that I still had some bruising on my worse off left quad and I wasn't seeming to heal up much. Running, jumping, and kicking were instant jolts of pain, but most everything else was totally doable. Another orthopedic visit, and this the doctor looked close enough to notice my left quad bunched up closer to my knee, with a depression closer to the thigh. An MRI confirmed that I'd come damn close to tearing my quad, with a 9-18 month recovery window to look forward to. In the meantime I've gotta absolutely lay off anything that might risk tweaking or reaggravating my quads, even the adult league softball team I was psyched to join. Fighting through the pain is NOT always the best solution! I was taking things pretty easy, but had already started PT and was doing some light mountain biking before the more dire warnings of how close I am to a rather sever injury. My dream backpacking trip that I had planned for this summer will have to wait for next year, but I have 4 months to heal up before ski season starts. As much as I love backpacking, I love skiing even more and I'm willing to forgo the rest of the summer for a great winter. Sadly, I'm going to have to aspire to become that buff guy who looks like he always skips leg day - I'll have to! I used to be able to do 25 pull ups or 10/10/5/5 alternating pull ups/chin ups, hopefully my upper body will be ready to take the reins after my predominately lower body focused training the past 9 months. This is going to be a test to resist the temptation to become one with the couch and beer, but at least I've gotten my diet mostly in check thanks to NF and other sites. All the more power to those of you who've come back from even worse injuries!

I'm all packed up and ready to test out how well I can stay in control of my diet and workouts while on the road. If I'm lucky and have very understanding Amtrak passengers, I can do a bodyweight upper body workout and some stretching on my 14 hour train rides to and from Santa Fe. I'll be skiing, hiking, and/or rock climbing every day while I'm out there so I won't feel too guilty about not working out when I'm in the Enchantment State. Maintaining some semblance of a healthy diet will be a challenge too, but that's why it's one of my side quests! Here's a summary of my most last pre-trip workouts: Monday 3/9/15 - Leg Day Squats - 10 x BW, 10 x 45, 6 x 135, 4 x 155, 3 x 175, 1x8 x 195, 2x8 x 185. Not able to keep up an improvement over last week due to lack of sleep and starting to approach my first wall in terms of technique. I know I can squat plenty more... Romanian Deadlifts - 5 x 135, 2 x 185, 2 x 205, 3 x 5 x 225. My technique still has plenty of improvement, but I'm back to my best raw RDL at the end of last ski season. Calf Raises (seated and on the leg press machine, supersetted) - 10 x 55/250, 11 x *60*/300, 2 x 12 x *60*/310. I tried going with the seated raises first, and definitely noticed that my current limit is due to explosive endurance rather than strength. Accessory lifts: Quadricep Extensions - felt great and hit a new 120 PR, although I haven't done these as much as hamstring curls. Hamstring Curls - didn't feel so great. On the extension, my left LCL right at the knee wasn't liking it so I stopped early rather than overuse my right leg alone to control the extension. Roman Chair Back Extensions - 3 x 15 as before. I still need to figure out if my glutes are supposed to feel a burn or if I'm still not engaging my lower back enough. Wednesday 3/10/15 - Upper Body Dumbbell Bench - 10 x 27.5, 45 x 5, 50 x 3, 55 x 2, 3 x 8 x *60* *new PR - These felt suprirsingly good. My goal is to get up to 75s before doing barbell benches, as I'e had issues before with imbalanced arms. Seated Delt Row - 5 x 90, 3 x 105, 3 x 8 x *120* - I tried thinking of pushing my elbows back to engage my back more and that seemed to make a nice difference. 105 last time wasn't difficult, probably because I was using my biceps too much. Seated Shoulder Press - 8 x 22.5, 5 x 27.5, 3 x 8 x *35*. Same as benching, I want to work my way up on these (to 50lb dumbbells) before overhead presses. Pull Ups/Chin Ups (somewhat supersetted) - 8/8, 5/4, 3/3 - The first set felt back to when I could easily do 20 pull ups in a row or 30 if switching off between pulls/chins, but then I ran out of gas after that. Machine Incline Bench - 5 x 100, 3 x 115, 3 x 8 x *135* - These felt pretty solid, but I'm still far from perfect engaging both arms as a unit rather than trying to get each to push equally. No shoulder issues though. I also had my very first deep tissue massage yesterday and the masseuse was impressed with how tight I was in my shoulders and back. In addition to feeling great (why did I go so long in my life without a professional massage before?!?!?!?) I have some extra motivation to increase my stretching and shoulder posthab work. Rotator cuff [ad,ab]ductions alone aren't enough - my right shoulder that had an AC separation has about 45% of the rear mobility of my left! That could explain why I have plenty of difficulty getting my wrists back when squatting...

Thanks for the tag Blaidd! Winter is sadly ending months sooner than usual in my part of the the world, but that means hiking and backpacking season is imminently approaching! In terms of my goals: Main Quest: I am skiing really well. Working out is paying off and so is a good mindset. I've skied 4 days thus far, 2 of them nearly all day long powder days! Diet Side Quest: I stopped tracking my protein after a week, probably because I was trying to do that at the end of the day instead of after each meal. However, my diet is definitely improved and although I probably haven't met my protein target, I'm more conscious of what I'm eating over the course of each day. Gym Side Quest: 0 leg days have been missed, but I have missed two of the upper body workouts. I'm going to get my first of two upper body workouts for this week in after this post, and I had a pretty solid leg day yesterday. Skiing Side Quest: I did skip out on dowhill skiing one of the 5 days I've had available since this challenge started. but at least I did some cross country skiing with 500' of elevation gain yesterday On the upside, I'm heading off to Taos next week for at least 6 days of skiing at one of the coolest resorts in North America! Sadly I couldn't go last week when they got 6 feet(!) of fresh snow, but at least it should snow a little bit while I'm there. Life Quests: I've done some more nonfiction reading, but haven't delved into the fiction or technical books yet. 25 hours roundtrip of riding on Amtrak to get to Santa Fe en route to Taos should give me some time to catch up on that though. I haven't had any meditation sessions sadly, but I have been practicing more mindfulness. I love hiking and backpacking because when you get in a good rhythm with yourself and the trail, I consider it akin to walking meditation. Hasta luego, I'm off to the gym!

I kept the protein log going for about a week, but stopped doing it two weeks ago. It has made a change for me though in my diet. I've better reinforced the mentality of 'Is there helping me get closer to my goals or further away from them?' Without trying that hard, I'm finally even giving up extras like cheese on a sandwich and resisting the urge to get a box of Pop Tarts when I see them for 50% off, even as a treat. Not that I don't have some treats - I have a beer with dinner every night and I definitely cheat here and there. But I definitely have healthier habits for what groceries I get and what I eat throughout the day. I probably haven't hit my 150g/day protein goal, but I haven't been working out as feverishly recently either. I have kept my gym workouts logged though, so at least I built that habit into me Major respect to those of you keeping your daily logs going!

Thanks for the encouragement ldct! I've hit a few snags keeping me from having everything go as planned, but I'm still keeping things on the right track. Diet: I've been unable to hit a full 165g/day of protein (I never seem to move my weight much between 160 and 170) unless I'm consciously trying to eat protein for every single meal. I have eaten 1g/day/lean body mass, assumng that I'm somewhere around 20% body fat right now. Now that it's getting cold gain I'm not quite so bummed to have some insulation around...However, I will be using the 6 day on/1 day off cheating plan for general dieting goodness. Wednesday I went to an awesome potluck where someone made biscuits and gravy onsite and another made fried tacos. At least I know I met my protein quota. Exercise: Normally I work out Lower Body on Tuesdays and Upper Body Thursday (+ Sunday for the first time last week). I helped out a friend with a project Tuesday afternoon that ran into Tuesday night and...I missed my workout! I'm not a stickler to a body clock right now - that'll wait for the next challenge - but I wa able to get in a bare essentials Leg Day Wednesday AM: - Warm up per Steve's dynamic stretching guide + a few extra motions like shoulder dislocations from Stronglifts - I have chronically tight shoulders. - SQUATS: 10 x bodyweight 10 x bar (45) 10 x 135 3 x 10 x 155 - I can probably squat over 200 right now, and I usually do leg presses as well, but I'm trying not to overdo it and hurt myself this training period. - ROMANIAN DEADLIFTS: 5 x 115 5 x 165 3 x 5 x 185 - Same as squats, I can probably do a proper 255lb deadlift now, but I'll save those for later once my lower back is stronger to keep up with my legs. - LEG PRESS CALF RAISES supersetted with SEATED CALF RAISES 10 x 180 + 10 x 45 10 x 270 + 10 x 50 10 x 290 + 10 x 55 10 x *300* + 10 x 55 - New PR for leg press calf raises! I know I have more room to grow in those, my seated calf raises will take longer to raise though. I wish I had more time for pistol/1 legged squats or leg presses, some ankle mobility work, or some lower back work to compliment the deadlifts, but at least I didn't miss out on the workout for the week! Yesterday I had a fairly good upper body workout, but I got even better news: I might get to go off for a weeklong ski trip to Taos! Not so good news: I'd be going mid-March with no guaranteee of powder, at least not like the 7 feet or so they'll have from last week and now this week's storms. As much as I want to cram in a lot more leg exercises, I'm pretty comfortable with my lower body right now and getting hurt before a dream trip would just be silly. Plus, getting to Side Quest #3... Skiing: I have this coming Monday off, so I'll be getting three straight days in on the hill! If I'm feeling really good Sunday/Monday and the little storm that's blowing 10 feet of wind out my window right now isn't too rough, I'll try for some cross country skiing as well. Some people may claim cardio kills your gains, but Taos will involve a fair bit of hiking and I don't want to run out of gas on a powder days. I'll post yesterday's workout up tonight, but I gotta get to work right now. Hasta luego...

[Dr. Nick voice] Hi, everybody! [/Dr. Nick] I've been an NF lurker for over a year and a half and am finally joining what is surely one of the coolest communities around. I've always considered myself to be some degree of fat/pudgy, and to have man boobs more than pecs. I'd rather be strong than skinny though, and since November I've been slowly but surely working my way up to 4 days/week of working out or skiing. I'm enjoying weightlifting for the numerical progress I can track and seeing muscles pop out for the first time in years, and my 2-3 days/week of skiing lets me utilize those gains to have a lot of fun. I've had my share of chronic and acute injuries in the past, hence my thread title to keep my progress going for the whole 6 week stretch. MAIN QUEST: Ski better than I ever have before and shred at a mountain I've never skied. Once the snow melts, backpack 20 miles/day through any terrain with a full pack load (9 days of food, but still only 30 pounds). SIDE QUEST 1: Eat 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. I've cut a lot of empty calories out of my diet, but I don't want to limit my muscle growth potential. Because eating is easier than writing for me, I need to keep track of it too. Measurement: A = 40 days, B = 30 days, C = 20 days SIDE QUEST 2: Do at least 1 lower body and 2 upper body workouts each week. I can mentally stay dedicated to a cause or goal, but I'm too good at giving up or letting things get in the way of my own desires. This will also be a barometer for staying injury-free. Measurement: A = 6 weeks, B = 5 weeks, C = 4 weeks SIDE QUEST 3: Ski as often as possible. I can claim the drought afflicting my local mountain town can justify skipping out on skiing because conditions aren't perfect, but I really shouldn't when summer is fast approaching. Measurement: A = 16 days, B = 12 days, C = 10 days LIFE QUESTS: Finish 1 nonfiction, 1 fiction, and 1 technical book. Meditate 3 times a week. MOTIVATION: I've never really committed to myself before - I don't know what I'm fully capable of. I have decent genetics and am pretty good at sports, but I want to actually experience the payoff of working toward goals and accomplishing things I never knew I could before. Due to a long history of injuries and being a playing catcher for a dozen years, I won't be surprised if something finally goes and I find out that I need knee or ankle surgery (the last time I had an ankle x-ray after a ski crash, the physician pointed out bone spurs starting to grow). I don't want to hold myself back with excuses any longer.

In the last 4 weeks I've been keeping a regular gym log for the first time in my life. I'm up to 5 weeks in a row of getting to the gym twice a week, and this last week I made it up to 3 trips in a week for the first time ever. I started getting to recording more daily progress with a protein log - tracking everything I eat will be an ultimate goal, but getting my goal of 150g of protein/day is a pretty good head start. Maybe this will expand to recording sleep, reading, studying, and other facets of my life. Who knows? Without further ado, here's my tracking for today: Exercise: OFF - I had an upper body workout and a 10 laps of (mostly) powder turns yesterday Stretching: 2 x 5 minutes Protein: 30g for breakfast (Power Oatmeal), 5g from nuts snacked on throughout my workday, 35g for lunch (salad with chicken and cheese), 40g for dinner (pasta with leftover stew beef), and a final 40g protein shake to round out my 150g