Murph

Maybe someone can help me: I've been working on pistol squats (I'm fairly amazed I can actually do them with just a 5lb counter weight held out in front of me). When I get down into the bottom of it my knees pop. Loud. They don't really hurt, but they don't sound good! These have been helping me build strength in the bottom of my squat and I don't really want to stop doing them, but I really don't want to hurt my knees either. Is there a warm up I can try? Anyone else encounter this?

Congrats on resisting the muffin! I had a similar battle with bagels in the break room yesterday. Keep up the fight!

I can't help feeling like my updates on this challenge are kind of boring, I worked out, I ate, wash, rinse, repeat. Yesterday was challenging in that I went out for both lunch and dinner. That usually doesn't happen, but someone at work who wants to help me with a project that will level up my career asked me to get lunch with her to talk about it and I had previously scheduled to go out with an old friend after work. We went to Panera for lunch and I got a salad. I actually love their salads so that wasn't all bad. However, I missed my protein goals for the first time this challenge. As far as my life challenge goes, Facebook recently informed me that a friend moved into a nearby suburb. This girl I originally met when we were about 11 years old, we did the same sports all through high school and eventually went separate ways and haven't spoken in probably 10 years. I reached out via Facebook and we had a really delightful time together last night. I didn't used to be the kind of person who reached out like that, but I've started to realize that for the most part other people really really want to be reached out too. You almost never get "no I'm not really interested in being your friend". Oh and also I increased reps on my deadlift again yesterday. Counting the whole day as a win.

Week 1 Review: Mini Quest 1: I only managed a deficit 3 days out of 7, but I did get my protein in every day. This week I'm going to refocus on managing my hunger by trying to space out my food more through out the day.. Mini Quest 2: I actually had 3 great full body lifts last week. The weights I'm moving are all the same, but I increased reps on each one. (A) Mini Quest 3: Achieved! Saturday was a beautiful day for a run. I love the path I get to run these days, it goes along one of the Great Lakes. I have to move away from this area in a few months so I'm really going to make an effort to get out there every weekend and run by the lake. (A) Life Quest: I spent time with my mother-in-law on Saturday and addressed/mailed invitations for my friend's bridal shower. Not exactly what I had in mind when I said "do social things", but it's what needed to get done this week. (A-)

Listen to your body when you're not feeling well, don't beat yourself up for missing one or two work outs when you're sick. Your body needs the rest! Just get back to it like nothing happened when you're feeling better. Good luck!

I haven't reported for a few days, but I've stayed mostly on track. I've done my scheduled workouts for the week so that's good, but food has been tough. A little about me: I'm a 5' 7" female, I weigh about 140lbs right now and I'm 27 years old. I workout about 30 mins 6 times a week, aiming for 3 full body lifts and 3 cardio workouts. For this particular challenge I'm trying to do interval workouts for two of those. According to this: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html my TDEE is around 2250 calories so to create a deficit of 500 calories per day I should be eating around 1750 calories. I am trying to do this and I'm eating an average of 129g of protein daily. I am starving!!! That might be overdramatic, but I just feel hungry most of the day. I get hungrier and crankier the closer it gets to meal time and after I eat I feel less hungry, not full. Anyone out there dealt with this? Did IF help? Or 6 meals a day instead of 3?

Looks like your first week went pretty well! It looks like you're eating pretty balanced meals to me so I wouldn't beat yourself up over a few extra carbs. I love the reading with your kids goal! Keep up the good work.

My first 5K was around 36 mins, so I totally believe you can do it in 35! Good luck!

Anyone else get super hungry the day AFTER a lift? Fortunately lunch today was awesome, I had some leftover turkey meatloaf from this weekend that was really good. Recipe below, I subbed panko breadcrumbs for the bread and added dried oregano and parsley. I paired that with some grilled brussel sprouts, frozen edamame and an apple. Dinner will be bean burgers. The recipe can be done vegan for those interested, but I usually add an egg to bind it. It also helps to put them in the freezer for a few minutes to set right before cooking. I'm on track for 116g protein today and I did an interval workout. Day 2 out! http://www.marthastewart.com/1096331/chipotle-glazed-turkey-meatloaf#1096331 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/veggie-burgers-with-mushrooms-recipe.html

Oops double post

Haha! I KNEW that was going to be the first comment. Long story short, it's taken me a long time to get deadlift form down and I was scared of it as long as I felt like I was doing it wrong. So I've been squatting for years and deadlifting for only a few months. I expect it to catch up to or pass my squat probably during this challenge.

Day 1! Starting Stats: Squat: 160 lbs Deadlift: 155 lbs Bench: 80 lbs Hips: 40.5" Thigh: 23.5" Busy day for me but I got a good lift in. Good luck everyone!

Good Morning Recruits! I am very intrigued by this community and I like the idea of challenges and quests. I’m not new to exercise, I’ve been a swimmer, a runner, a triathlete, an overuse injury and I have found a new(ish) home among weight lifters. My Main Quest is to lean out, losing about 1.0†on my hips and thighs while getting stronger. Quest 1: Log my calories every day targeting a small deficit. I will also target 110-120g of lean protein daily . Quest 2: Increase the sum of my deadlift, squat and bench to 410lbs. Just for fun, according to Animal Planet that is the average weight of a male African Lion. Quest 3: Do two interval workouts and one long run per week. Life Quest: Do one social thing per week. I’m not always a great friend, especially when I’m busy. I’ve been trying to prioritize my friendships and make sure I stay connected with those who are important to me. 90%/A, 80%/B, 70%/C I haven’t decided if I want to get into the RPG yet. It’s not usually my kind of thing, but I like the idea of rewarding points for various successes. Good Luck to the rest of you!