Leego

So Rebellion, I've decided that I want to begin practicing how to draw, and to begin doing some story writing, but I feel like I need to read some more so that I can make sure I have a concrete understanding of how a good world-building book and a good adventure story should flow. That, and I just want to read a good adventure story. I want to read a book, but I also want to read a web comic with good writing so that I can possibly learn a bit about drawing as well. I'd consider playing an adventure game, but the laptop I have right now isn't very good, and I feel like a point-and-click would just be too distracting when I'm trying to focus on the story elements, but I may be wrong. I like the idea of writing a book because I can do more writing than drawing, and I always assumed that drawing is daunting. However, I like comic books because I like the idea of showing instead of telling more, and for all I know, I may LOVE to draw and paint, and it may begin to feel more natural and fun than writing. I have considered reading a Discworld book for something like world-building, and I've considered reading the Greek stories about Heracles or some other Greek hero who had to go through some struggle, or something like them, but in comic book form. I'm also considering reading some web comic I remember called Dresden Codak, or possibly reading the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics, if they're as good as the show or similar, which I loved as a teen. Manga is also nice.

Well, it's not so much that I don't think I can get strong off bodyweight exercises. Honestly, even though it contradicts what I said earlier, I don't find them boring at all. I just have a hard time getting started on them. I think I figured out what I am missing, and that's a good warm-up or cardio before. It's like, if I jump straight into doing bodyweight exercises without warming up, I have no energy. The only time I remember having energy to go through with hard exercises without stop is when I was already moving really fast and hard, and when I'm angry. So, maybe I lack adrenaline when beginning workouts. I don't add in weights when doing bodyweight exercises unless I'm following a specific program.

So I have not posted in a long time, but just to give an update as to what's been going on, I've gone to Colorado to do conservation work for the summer, mainly doing trail building and repair, fence work, and potentially disaster relief, as well as some other odd jobs. I'm at a higher elevation than in West Tennessee, and my current elevation is 7,083 ft. The biggest difference I noticed is that I seem to get winded easily when walking up hills, and there's a lot of them in some places. Anyways, due to limited funds and being on hitches for 9 days straight, I've pretty much decided to stick to bodyweight exercises for the rest of the summer, and to just not worry too much about strength training for now, since I do a lot of heavy lifting and hard work when on hitches and have limited time to workout when away, and I only get 5 days off after every hitch. I've been following Neat Progressions from Neat Strength by Silvio, and although the exercises are great, and I feel some of the effects, I haven't been enjoying bodyweight exercises as much lately. Mainly straight bridges. I also haven't really enjoyed dumbbells as much, either, and have been interested in trying barbell training again, if I could access them. For these reasons, I've considered just focusing on pursuing physical hobbies and sports and staying active for the summer, then worrying about getting strong in the fall. That being said, I can now do 10 push-ups on my first set if I use proper form, I can hit 30 leg raises or sit-ups if I push myself, my arm hangs are getting better, and I can just about pull myself up off the ground when standing under a bar or branch, without jumping up or swinging into it: What I'm saying is, I'm getting closer to being able to do pull-ups, and to me, that and push-ups are incredible signs of progress and are a great physical feat for me. I'm also am getting a little more comfortable with swimming in places like lakes, but usually only if there's a good shore. My only issue with my exercises are stamina. I feel like doing a laundry list of dumbbell exercises gets tedious and time-consuming, and I keep getting exhausted from bodyweight exercises. I don't know if it's lack of stamina, or due to my weight, or if I'm dehydrated, or all three. I'm tempted to try what someone once said they did and just do a bunch of cardio for the next three months and see if that helps with my stamina. Maybe I can practice trail running and rock scrambling. I just kind of wish there was more ways to get stronger just by doing things rather than following workout routines, just like how I'm getting stronger from trail work.

OK, so as a new addition to my workout routine, I'm going to try training with a medicine ball. I used to think they were gimmicky things, but having thought about it, they seem like a fun and different way to exercise. At the same time...there's a ton of different forms for them. I'm going to use them to practice my grip training. What do you guys think?

If you mean have most of my excess weight be in muscle, then yes, I totally agree. The military seems to be more concerned with whether or not you can handle your own weight and body, rather than how heavy you are. I'm going to do bodyweight exercises over the summer due to lacking equipment, but for now, I'm thinking about going back to barbell training, while being cautious with the squats. However, I am interested in experimenting with medicine ball exercises, as well. I don't expect to get really strong from them, I don't even see medicine balls as being good for building strength, but if someone can prove me wrong, I'd love to hear how. Mainly, I just want to give it a try for burning excess calories, continuing to build a better, sturdier body, and have something different and exciting to do in general. Maybe even something I can do with my friend, who has been wanting to go to the gym with me and occasionally does.

I just got oddly frustrated, but I'm gonna stick to it. I just get paranoid I'm not doing any good if I'm not sore in the morning, and I was expecting it, but from what I've researched, soreness is not an indicator of progress.

OK, so I've been doing full-body workouts with dumbbells, and I've managed to hit 30 lbs in full dumbbell weight on my press and curls, but I don't look or feel like I've lost any weight. My muscles are getting bigger. Although my arms still look fat on the surface, I see more muscle definition when I flex. That being said, I still can't do a push-up, nor can I do a pull-up. If I weigh 208 lbs and can only hit 5-6 reps on inverted push-ups, should I bother with bodyweight exercises? The last time I weighed, I was 208 lbs. I want to get down to 160 lbs some day, but I realized that may take even longer and be more difficult, as I have to eat less calories the lower I go. Also, the only reason I want to get down to 191 lbs or lower, is for the military, but I have been looking into other career options lately, and even applied for AmeriCorps. I'm actually on the waitlist for AmeriCorps NCCC service for this summer. I feel like if I want to gain more control over my body, I will need to do one of two things: Either get much stronger, or lose a lot more weight. I was working with dumbbells, and I may go back to working with dumbbells, but I just got a bit burnt out on working at the gym and doing a whole laundry list of dumbbell exercises, and not knowing if I'm hitting every muscle just right. I also thought that if I wanted to correct my anterior pelvic tilt and lose a lot of fat on my hips, thighs, and butt, and shrink the width of my hips, I would need to lose a lot of weight to "reset" my body composition. So I went back to bodyweight exercises for now, following Neat Progressions. I noticed that I have a similar issue with bodyweight exercises that I did with dumbbells: Lack of stamina. Except, I don't feel sick after doing a bunch of bodyweight exercises real fast. Still, I question if I'm doing any good with it: I did jumping pullups, and that seemed to work my arms really good, even though I only managed to get a good grip and hold every 5 reps. I did bodyweight rows and hit 20 reps at one point. I did inverted push-ups on a bench, and couldn't get past 6 reps. I could barely do Hindu push-ups and pike push-ups. I could do a straight bridge for 30 seconds before my hands got sore from balancing myself on the ground. I hit 20 reps in squats, although my thighs aren't sore. I hit 2 sets of 20 reps in sit-ups. All these movements took a lot of my energy, and even though it didn't hurt, it felt some-what agonizing at times, but I'd be willing to do it again because it's so quick to do, and once it's done, it's done. Only thing is, after doing these exercises, I don't feel sore. The only part of me that is sore are my arms and forearms, as well as my abs/stomach area. everything else feels like I didn't even do anything. My thighs and glutes are a little sore, and I already know my legs are pretty strong as they are, but that's it. I don't feel anything in my chest, and that bothers me, because I want a bigger chest. I think overall, the exercises did some good, and the bodyweight exercises would probably lead to more arm growth than working with dumbbells since I have to work with so much extra weight, and I like how I don't feel like I'm about to pop anything like with weightlifting. Still, I'm worried it didn't do any good simply because my weight kept me from doing a lot of reps.

@Rocker3722, I do cycle intervals for 15-30 minutes to warm up. I took a yoga class, but I don't remember how to do any of the movements, but maybe i can find something online. I might try your workout routine, Grandkai_NL. Is that what you're doing?

OK, so I wanted to stop being that guy who lurks the forums and keeps asking questions instead of doing things, so I picked up and am currently following a dumbbell training routine. I am also learning how to swim, which I now really enjoy! I got this one from some site called Muscle & Strength: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html So far, I enjoy most of the exercises, but I am a bit concerned about whether or not if I'm pushing myself too hard and too often. I workout on a 3-day split on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I have swimming class, which often really works my entire legs, but especially my calves and knee areas. ON top of the that, I have to ride a bike and carry a heavy backpack every day. I've been making sure to stretch, but I feel like either I'm not stretching enough, or I'm not stretching properly. OK, so this is going to be a long list documenting my experiences with the program so far, so skip over the bold stuff to get to the rest of my post. My workout routine experience (as of my last training session) is this: Monday: DB Squats: No problem with this exercise, and it's actually a really good workout that gets my heart rate up. I'm not too keen on going too heavy with them, since I have had knee injuries in the past. I'd rather just do higher reps in bodyweight squats. DB Bench Press: Hitting max reps with ease, working with 22.5 lbs dumbbells. Oddly enough, it doesn't feel like it's working my chest at all, so either I'm using too light of weights, or I'm not using proper form. One Arm Dumbbell Row: Either I'm doing these too fast, or I am having no problems with hitting max reps on these sets with 22.5 lbs dumbbells. Standing DB Curl: One of my favorites. Again, a nice struggle that gets my heart rate up. Currently, I'm up to 22.5 lbs, which doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm starting all my lifts at 20 lbs to be safe. Two Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension (ugh): Honestly, I hate this exercise. It feels clunky and awkward, and not too nice on my elbows, but I'm hitting reps on them. Sit Ups: For some reason, I've always enjoyed sit ups, even though they're not considered good by some. Something about doing them that makes me feel athletic. Wednesday: Dumbbell Step Up: I was actually concerned about how my knees would handle this exercise with 22.5 lbs dumbbells, but my knees held out well, and it turned out to be great cardio, when done fast. The only times I didn't hit 12 reps was when I got fatigued. Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift: I enjoy it as much as I do barbell deadlifting, and it's a pretty nice alternative to the barbell deadlift, since the gym I go to at school lacks a proper deadlift setup. I still feel like it doesn't work my a-glutes well enough, though. I guess I gotta squeeze. Seated Dumbbell press: I enjoy it, and hit 12 reps every time with 22.5 lbs dumbbells. Standing One Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise: This was a hard one, until I learned how to do it properly, but I sometimes question doing it since I already get a calf workout from swimming. Dumbbell Shrug: I can't help but to make a funny face every time I do these, I seriously can't even. They're fine, though. Dumbbell Side Bends: This one always feels weird, and I sometimes wonder if I'm doing it wrong. Nothing about it feels right or proper, but I do feel a burn in my rib areas. Friday: Dumbbell Lunge: I've skipped this one twice in a row already. I can get into a lunge position, but when doing it with just 20 lbs dumbbells, I have a hard time going down on my left knee, and when I go down on my right knee, I feel like I'm about to slip a knee cap. Honestly, I've never liked any lunges in general, which is a shame. I'm willing to do lunges without weights, though. Dumbbell Floor Press: Another move I don't entirely like, but I guess it works. It just feels weird lifting with my arms having such limited movement. And it's supposed to work the chest. Wide Grip Pull Ups: Can't do pull-ups yet, but my gym has a "pull up machine" I can use to sort of simulate this...it's fun. Otherwise, I'd just do jumping pull ups and arm hangs. I actually prefer to do those. Standing Hammer Curl: It's like the Standing Dumbbell curl, but much harder for some reason. I tried doing it with proper form, and I could barely lift up a 17.5 lbs dumbbell. It was a bit frustrating and daunting, and according to the website, it works the same muscles as the dumbbell curl-thingie. Lying Dumbbell Extension: I really hate this one. Nothing about it feels right. I got to hoist some dumbbells over my head, and lean them back using nothing but my forearms, which feels like the perfect way to injure my elbows. At least I can take loads off my knees and can still walk, but I need to be able to use my arms. I could barely even work with 17.5 lbs dumbbells on this one. Lying Floor Leg Raise: It's fun. I also do flutterkicks along with these. I wish there was a strength training routine I could follow that: Uses simple movements Uses few movements Is high intensity (burns more calories) Maximizes strength gain Has minimal risk of causing knee injuries Works the full body Does not strictly use barbells (since there aren't many barbell racks ever open at my gym) Works well with strength imbalances Helps Anterior Pelvic Tilt I know it's impossible for a workout to have all of these qualities, but if I had to choose two, for what my goals are right now (lose weight, build general strength & stamina), it would be works the full body, and low risk of knee injury. I'd like for it to also be high intensity but that doesn't sound realistic, as I'd imagine higher intensity = more strain on body, which = more strain in joints, which = higher risk of injury. If I could add an extra thing, it would be to solve the Anterior Pelvic Tilt, as I get the feeling that it negatively impacts my form when doing exercises. I'm tempted to try CrossFit for it's intensity and variety, but I also hear that a lot of injuries happen in CrossFit, which is what I'm trying to avoid, unless it makes my injured joints and muscles stronger after they recover. There used to be CrossFit classes at my gym, but they don't have them anymore. It was my intention to just do the dumbbell exercises that build upper body strength, and then work everything else with bodyweight training, but then I decided "why not try the entire program?" Now I'm thinking, "why not go back to bodyweight training?"

I tried the apartment route before. It wasn't worth the drama. Someday I will need an apartment, but for now, until I am 100% done with college and have a good-paying job, it's a no-go. I would go to bed early, but I have night classes. Really the only reason I have to go to bed early is for ROTC Bootcamp, which I only do because I feel the need to physically challenge myself and prove that I don't give up and something-something...Besides that, it goes against my schedule completely, and I'd rather drop it and do training by myself. That way, I have more lee-way in terms of sleep, and can train at times that fit my schedule. I tried talking to the manager of my dormitory about getting a single room or moving to another floor, but she said there's no singles available, and to check back tomorrow. I could talk to my RA about making a policy to not slam the doors, or enforcing the 10:00 AM courtesy hour thingie. Only thing is, it's not like everyone's up and about gettin' wild, the doors are just damn noisy. I went to bootcamp, and for the first time, I managed to push through the exercises, but I puked and nearly fainted, afterwards. I tried to go to bed early last night, but my friend kept me up until 11 am discussing plans for our club, and then I couldn't fall to sleep past the noise until 12:00 AM. Then my roommate woke me up by accident at 3:49 AM when he was coming in to get some food and school books. So today, I only got roughly 4 hours of sleep, have slept through most of my classes, and didn't even attend bootcamp.

I thought that, according to NeatStrength, push-ups were good for building and maintaining strength. So, what I'm getting is, leave out sit-ups entirely, leave out push-ups for now (until I can do a single, solid, basic, non-inclined push-up and intermediate bodyweight training), Begin doing bodyweight rows, and continue to practice my arm-hangs, jump-pullups, bodyweight rows (with rings), and everything else. I also need to spend more time getting in cardio before working out, and from what I've been told and have experienced, I need to drink more water, eat better, and do more cardio, and then I will have more stamina for things like bodyweight squats. It's almost starting to sound like it would be easier to just go back to barbell training. I mean, I can do it, and my knees are better and have been supporting my weight so far, even though they still occasionally hurt when under a load. It's just because of those injuries that I kind of steer away from barbell training and more towards dumbbells.

Basically, I'm staying in a dormitory, and everything's loud. Not just all the time loud, but the kind that startles you and keeps you awake. The doors are heavy, and people seem to love slamming doors. The problem is, I need to get to sleep early so I can get up at 5:00 AM to begin my workout routines. I can't find earplugs strong enough, but I got an idea: What if I used ear muffs with the earplugs? So now I'm looking for earmuffs. I'm just having a hard time making sure I get the right pair. The ones that look comfy are advertised for keeping the cold off the ears, not sound reduction, and the sound reduction ear muffs are these giant, metallic headphones for shooting guns with. Now if I have to wear giant headphones to bed, I will, but I'd prefer not to.

OK, now that I am back in college for the new semester, I have more time and space to exercise. I'm even planning to take a few PE classes. Mainly swimming, at least. However, I've run into another issue with exercising on a consistent basis in college, and that's the cold. I need a full-body dumbbell workout, and I need to practice situps, squats, and push-ups. I've been thinking of trying this one and replacing the squats and deadlifts with bodyweight squats until I can hit 30 reps in b-squats: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html It's cold where I am. So cold, that when I go outside, my legs begin to feel stiff. Plus, all the extra layers I'm wearing (hoodie with sweater and t-shirt underneath; windbreaker pants with thick pajama pants underneath) make me feel more weighed down. I mean, maybe it's a good thing, as far as building strength, but it doesn't feel like it. Also, I already couldn't do a pull-up. Now I can't even do arm hangs outside, with this cold. When I keep my gloves on, my hands feel like they're going to slip off the bar and out of my gloves. When I do it barehanded, I feel like I'm getting 3rd degree frostbite. Also, I'm pretty heavy, still, so I question if it's even good for my shoulders to be doing arm hangs. All these things combined with me having access to a rec and gym makes me wonder if I should just switch over to dumbbell training and incorporate situps, bodyweight squats (in place of squats with any weight), and push-ups. I chose dumbbells because I figure they might be safer than barbell training, even if it may require more movements. I also had a hard time having energy for exercises, over winter break. Then again, I had to exercise in front of a heater, which was hot.

Edit: Um, how do I get the spoiler tag to work? I know I usually ramble on, so I wanted to make it where people have the option of reading the details or just viewing the overview of my missions. Mental Training: Train memory, train reflexes, brush up on math, overcome fears Practice yo-yoing (Reflexes) Read memory book (Memory) Practice math (Math) Practice typing and grammar (English) Practice harmonica (math perception?) Make time for homework (Career) Stay true to your morality and philosophy (Character) Me not being interested in math and drafting and other technical and sciency things weren't the only reasons I didn't do well in class. I feel like spending years of doing nothing but watching tv, playing video games, and eating has made my brain go soft in some areas. I think if I mentally train myself in some ways, it will help me do better in certain areas of my life. Improving my memory will help with managing this organization and doing homework. Improving my reflexes may make me sharper in conversation, help with gaming, and maybe even pay off later when I go to bootcamp. I will train my reflexes by playing with a yo-yo. I always liked yo-yos, and I've been meaning to do some of my own research and experiments to see if it could be used as a make-shift self-defense weapon, as I remember reading somewhere that the yo-yos origins might go back to some form of martial arts or game hunting. But before I can practice it as a martial arts weapon, I have to know how to handle it. I will train my memory by reading and practicing with a memory book I got from my dad. I can't remember what it's called (lol), but I think it's finally time to seriously read it. I need to improve my math skills. Even if I'm not going to be an engineer, it feels like a critical weakness to not have at least good Algebra skills. Plus, I'm sure I'll need it for the ASVABs, or some job down the road. I need to work on my grammar and typing skills. I'm thinking of just playing some fun word game on Kongregate for that, though. I'm sure it will come in handy for my journalism classes. I'm also going to continue practicing playing the harmonica, because music is good for your brain, and I feel like I'm mentally training myself when I try to remember which number hole on the harmonica plays which note. As far as fears go, I just need to work on not backing down from things because I am afraid of the outcome or consequences. I've been adapting the attitude that "If whatever I say or do does not hurt or destroy my road to becoming a PJ, then it shouldn't matter much if it gets a good or bad turnout. I have to stay safe, as well, but I do not need to let fear of getting hurt control me. Physical Training: Train, run, stretch, eat right, learn how to swim Bodyweight exercises and swimming MWF Stretch every day Run every day Watch food intake (proportions and nutrition) Although I was thinking of incorporating bodyweight exercises with dumbbell exercises, I decided to follow an old member's advice and stick to the bodyweight training program on his website, while incorporating moves I'd have to do at bootcamp (mainly situps): Even if it means doing excruciating arm hangs out in the cold for 30 seconds each, because hey: With what I want to do in life, I'll have to do harder things anyways. I just need to keep doing stretches, especially for my knees, and find a way to incorporate flexibility training, mainly for the hips. I'll ask about this later. On top of this, I'm going to start running, because for some reason, I like running now, and it's something I'll need to do in the military, as well. I just love how free and athletic it makes me feel, and seeing how much longer I can run each time before becoming too winded to continue. It's also a good way to burn calories and build stamina. I'm also going to learn how to swim. I feel like it's an important survival skill, and it fits into the whole "me-wanting-to-be-versatile-and-near-superhuman" thingie. i don't just want to be able to run and sprint fast, I also want to swim. Also, I hear that most people wash out of the Pipeline at the water phase, due to not being able to swim well and being afraid of drowning. If I can get really strong and good at swimming, and eliminate my fear of the water, I can reduce that stress early. Spiritual Training: Meditate, attend different religious churches/mosques/etc, write and sing lyrics Meditate Explore other religions Continue to song write and sing Story write Never be game over I really need to practice meditating. I don't know how to describe it, but it just feels so fitting and essential now. And since I'm having swimming class at the school rec and am going over there regularly with swim trunks, I might as well spend time in their hot tub or steam room and meditate. I need to meditate on why I'm here, who I am, who I aim to be, and what's most important. If I keep those things in mind, nothing else will matter, and I think that will eliminate a lot of feelings of being daunted, and some social anxiety. I also need to meditate as a form of relaxation. I still haven't decided on a mantra, though. Speaking of which, I want to, and should, visit some other religious group's place of worship. I'm used to going to church, but I'm interested in meeting new people and learning about who they are, and I need to explore some more, as I usually learn more from leaving campus and doing something non-school-related than I do attending a class. Who knows: I might find out I'm Jewish. I seriously doubt it, but who knows? I also need to get back to song writing and singing. I really enjoyed those things, and it really helps me in some emotional ways. I also need to change my mentality about things. During break, I worried about things so much, something clicked in my head, and I decided I'm tired of worrying about things I don't entirely want to do, and instead, work on controlling them and doing my best at them, instead of just letting them overwhelm and steamroll me. I need to keep that mentality. Leadership: Establish the eSports organization Establish the UofM eSports Association I need to help my friend establish our school organization devoted to video gaming and competitive play. Since he's graduated, he can't officially run the club anymore, and since I'm already committed, I have to see it through to the best of my ability. Afterall, it wouldn't be very teamwork-ish or soldier-y of me to abandon my friends and allies and brothers and sisters when they need me the most. Even if I enlist this summer, I can at least work on bringing in more members and finding someone who can potentially take my place. Who knows. I might even just travel next summer, come back next fall semester to help further establish the club, and then enlist next winter or spring. Being president over a club sounds daunting, but after our officers meeting, it doesn't sound so bad. And even if it is, I have to show perseverance and at least do my best to lead. And if I fail at it, then at least I can say I tried, although I don't like that word. And if I cannot join the military at all for any reason, I want to have something to come back to and lead, and still feel at home and welcomed while in college, rather than go back to being a loner who doesn't do anything. Also, it might be my ticket to getting some other job I would actually care about outside of the military. Website: For journalism, for my story writing, my song writing, and other things, I probably need to just go ahead and work on rebooting my website that I made for Journalism. It might be a way to get myself more noticed on the internet. Backstory: OK, after a few months in hiatus on my physical training during the holidays, I've managed to maintain my weight, and even lose a few pounds.That's OK, because being stuck inside out in the country during the coldest (and wettest, where I am) time of the year for two months, I think maintaining my weight was an accomplishment! The last time I checked, without clothes on (except underwear), I weigh 214 lbs (97.1 kl?), and last spring semester, I weighed 280 lbs, if I remember correctly. It was probably more like 274 lbs, but still, I've lost a lot of weight since then. A little while back, I posted a thread about trying to lose a certain amount of weight in a small amount of time. Forget that I ever posted that. A lot of drama was going on in my life at that time, not to say it hasn't stopped yet, and I got desperate for a brief moment to try and lose enough extra weight so I can enlist in the military. I tried a crash diet. *pause* Yes, you can whoop me for it, because surprise, surprise: It didn't work. my weight loss actually halted until I started to eat more, and only then did I begin to lose a pound every two weeks. I would have lost more if I stayed active and ate a little better, but I'll change that around this semester. After my panic was over, I decided that I shouldn't rush myself to lose weight so I can go do something to escape some problem. Instead, I need to prepare for those upcoming obstacles, and continue to keep this weight loss process a healthy and positive one. I still remind myself of the original reason I wanted to lose weight: I remember watching martial arts and parkour videos and thinking of how it almost seems superhuman what they were doing. However, I've gotten a new motivation for getting into shape: After doing some deep thinking and research, I've decided that I want to enlist into the US Air Force. It's my end-goal/end-game to become a Pararescueman in the Air Force, but I know that even if I meet the physical requirements to make it through the Air Force's basic training by this summer, I'm far from ready for the training PJs go through. There are also other factors I have to keep in mind and deal with first, before I can become a PJ. I came to my conclusion on joining the military on a few things: I've been spending all my time in college trying to figure out who I am, or at least who I want to be, and what I want to do in life for a living. I chose Engineering Technology because I "like robots and drones and technology, so why not work with things i love?" I'm weak at math, and even though I am confident that I can improve my math skills and attention to details and succeed in a career path such as that, something kept myself distracted from doing so well in that major in the past, and I think it's because it was not anything that connected with me on a very personal level. Simply put, learning how to code and wire things and weld things wasn't what I was worried about at the time. I chose Geography because I have an interest in the world around me. It wasn't a good match. It taught me about the world, alright. But not the parts of it I care about, which is the history of people and civilizations, different cultures, and relations between these things. I mostly learned about rocks, and water, and the flow of these things, and wind, and dirt, and rocks in dirt, and dirt in rocks, and how the rocks got into the dirt, and how dirt forms into rocks, and etc. Some of my Human Planet class was interesting, but only because it covered some ancient mysteries about the planet, or taught me about some beautiful places on earth and remains of ancient civilizations and how they were made. Journalism is the only major where I had classes where I enjoyed reading the material, and enjoyed doing the work. Media Writing was very pro-active, and I actually felt like I was developing professional skills and doing professional work. However, there's still the question of, can I get a good job that I am satisfied with through a journalism degree? I decided that I wanted to become a PJ or at least a Rescue Swimmer because I want to help and protect people, and I also want to be strong, and I want to be recognized for that combination of compassion, strength, and bravery. As far as I see, saving lives is one of the ultimate ways of helping others. Right now, I'm not very strong, so I want to be VERY strong, near-superhuman, but not in terms of weightlifting. Maybe a better term would be "physically capable". Right now, even though I never wanted to admit it to myself, but I'm pretty afraid of a lot of things in life. I want to be one of the bravest people I know and other people around me know. At last, I remember of all the times I have ever gotten scared that I would lose my home, my family, and my life in a tornado, and then one day I thought, "What if I could do something about that?" I don't believe in controlling the weather, but being able to protect and save others from natural disasters and threats, now that' something. I know that if I work in the military, it doesn't mean I can and will be able to go on missions to save the lives of the people I hold dear to me, but I'm still saving someone's loved one, and with the money I make and support I get from the military, I can help provide for my family if anything ever happens to them or their home, or at least this is my understanding. And if anything happens to me, I won't care, because for me, it's all part of my job, and part of my life journey. And if my duty and journey take me to the end of my life, at least I will die being the man I want to be, while doing something good. Another thing that I believe motivated me to train towards joining the military, are some things I've been told and learned almost a year ago in school. It was after a few protests and talking to someone. Whether if it's true or not, I began to believe that it IS important to be successful to find love, although that does not always mean having a lot of money and a nice sports car. I'll probably tell the story at a later date. Although there is a parallel between the things you own and who you are as a person, I believe there's still a line between vanities, and who YOU are as a person. Your good money and nice suit may reflect how seriously you take yourself and how hard you're willing to work, but it does not tell the whole story of your character. So on my road to becoming this man I envision myself being, I have to make sure I do not let myself obsess over nice titles and fancy hats. And really, as long as I am doing something I enjoy and am still holding myself to the standards I strive to reach, whether if I use the PJs as a guidelines or not, I should be happy, but never content. Like, even if I cannot become a PJ or a Rescue Swimmer, or even if I cannot join the military for some reason I can still hold myself to the same or similar physical standards, and I can still strive to help and protect others in other ways. I have to keep in mind, if nothing else goes well this semester, I have to at least keep my body in check. It may sound crazy, but my priorities in life go like this: My health first, my grades second, my organization third. All of these things are important, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my grades for the organization, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my health and fitness for anything, if I can help it.

So, I don't have a pull-up bar or low-hanging branch at home, but I do have dumbbells. What are some good exercises with dumbbells to substitute pull-ups and arm hangs? And while I'm at it, what are some that substitute push-ups, if possible? And how the heck do I do Hindu push-ups?