Leego

So, I decided to try a salad bowl from my school today. It wasn't the best salad I ever had, but it was only 382 calories, supposedly, and not only was it pretty good, but it actually made me feel full, and one bowl = one serving, if I understand correctly. Of course, my choice in dressing probably cranked it up to 622 calories. Ouch. I've got to be more careful in my choice of dressing. But what I realized is that, I don't exactly hate salads. I used to think salads were kind of bullshit nonsense stuff people eat when they try to be more healthy to feel healthy, but honestly, I feel quite sated right now, and if it wasn't for the dressing, it would have only (supposedly) been 382 calories for 347 grams, and it was a good source of vegetables of all kinds, as well as protein. Tomatoes aren't as gross when they're mixed with other things. So, I am thinking of making salads, if it means having a filling and decent-lasting meal that gives me everything my body needs with low calories, being able to carry my meal with me more easily, and if it's easy to prepare. So then I decided to google Cracked Salad. I was originally trying to find a Cracked.com article on salads, maybe a salad joke, but instead, I came across this: http://www.madebythechef.com/kisir-bulgur-cracked-wheat-salad-recipe/ To me, this looks and sounds delicious, but it doesn't seem like the kind of salad I would expect to be "healthy". Just something about how it looks reminds me of something else. I know some people around here believe in avoiding grains, but personally, I find it hard to stay away from grains. I don't have anything against grains. I think a little bit of the right kind of grain goes along nicely with the right kind of protein and vegetable. So, if not this salad, I want to know, are there salads out there that are filling, healthy, and good-tasting that are 500 calories or less? What's your favorite low-calorie dressing?

Good news, everyone! I/my body kind of remembers how to do proper low squats! And they don't hurt my knees! Meanwhile, my right knee still aches after sitting for too long or walking under load for too long. And it occasionally makes a popping sound when I stand up.

Great! Awesome! I mostly wanted to just learn a stretch for after workouts, but I am interested in increasing flexibility. Ill check those out. Starting today, I have about 10 months and 4 1/2 days to get down from 240 lbs to 168 lbs. Assuming I lose 2 lbs a week, that's 8 lbs a month. So in a perfect world, I could lose 80 lbs in 10 months, getting as low as 160 lbs, but that's not counting any issues or snags in the future.

Yeah, it does! I'm not too sure about the daily workout thing, though. If possible, I'm going to try a kettlebell workout that sticks to the 3 day split pattern I'm used to. I feel like I've asked this before, but what stretches do you do or recommend for bodyweight training or kettlebell work? I had a stretching routine before, but I can't remember what it was, and it seems like there are several ways to stretch. It would be neat if you also had some kind of stretching progression guide to go along with your bodyweight training progression guide, as well. Often times when I try to stretch, I kind of feel like I'm not sure what I'm doing.

That thing looks beast. It looks expensive, but beast. Well, I did try some bodyweight exercises that I saw on your website yesterday. It was kind of pitiful how poorly it went. I managed to do 1 set of 18 squats, but on the second set, I only had enough energy to do 8 more squats. I tried to find a place on the field track to do inverted rows, but I couldn't find a good position that let me get low, and I felt afraid that my arms wouldn't be able to hold me. I did flexed arm hangs, but I could barely flex my arms, and I forgot chalk, so my hands were burning. I managed to hold it for 20 seconds the first time, but only 8 seconds the second time. I tried inverted push-ups on a riggidy old wooden bench, but I felt my right hand hurt after I put pressure on it the wrong way. A leftover from a hand injury. I didn't let the pain stop me, though. It's frustrating, because before, I could do bodyweight exercises so easily, even if it was just the beginner stuff. Now I'm stumbling through the beginner stuff because of old injuries and, or at least I think, I lost the strength and form I gained learned from barbell training. This Friday, if not tomorrow, I'm going to pack my weightlifting shoes and try the kettlebell exercises at my school's rec center, and see if that's more manageable for me.

Yeah. I was thinking of trying the whole Simple & Sinister routine. I just wish there was an overview of the movements and routine, and the equipment I need for it, before I decide to go order the book.

Yeah. It's just, It's not that I don't enjoy running. I DO enjoy running when I feel lightweight or like I am literally running from or towards, or for something. I run when I get frustrated, I run when I get anxious, when I get angry, when I'm excited, euphoric, etc. But when I don't feel those types of ways, and the weather or surroundings aren't to my liking, it just feels like a chore that drains me. I loved running in the morning time during my last Spring semester and it was freezing cold outside because running warmed me up, and I didn't sweat as much. NOW, during this summer heat, oh my God. I don't know what's changed about the treadmill, but for some reason, I just don't like it anymore. I guess I'll try kettlebell swings or kettlebell training at some point, if there's some way to incorporate it into bodyweight training. Maybe I'll try Simple & Sinister. How expensive is it to do kettlebell training at home? I also hear that I need someone to teach it to me for it to work right. I guess I'll ask this in the Kettlebell thread.

Yeah, I figured 100 squats a day is not a good idea. It's just something I came across when I was googling for some squat something. I have to be able to run at least a mile as a military requirement, but I'm not even close to my weight goal yet. So I don't think I should worry too much about running right now, but later on, I will.

Something simpler than before. Right now, I just want to focus on: Losing weight Improving posture Maintaining some level of strength Improving flexibility In that order from most important to least important. I'm doing bodyweight training, this time around, because I feel the progression fits my goals and condition better, and it's easier to do with my current lifestyle. Instead of counting what reps and weights I can reach each time and trying to push myself to lift more weight (which is how I hurt my knee). I will just keep doing the same exercises until all parts of my body are at the same level, and I can hit 3 sets of 20-30 reps with ease. That's doing things like: Push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats, and something else I'm forgetting right now.

I want to know, because I'm not really enjoying it all that much anymore. Last summer, before I hurt, I enjoyed running on a treadmill enough. I would just plug some earbuds into my ears, listen to music, and fantasy while alternating between walking, jogging, running, and sprinting for 1-2 hours. Now when I try to do this on a treadmill, I feel myself getting bored or anxious about the amount of time I've been on, and for some reason, I feel heavier than in the past. Even though I lost (supposedly) 40 lbs. Like my feet drag a little when running on a treadmill, which doesn't feel safe at all. Granted, I haven't been resting well lately, and I still have a sinus infection. I also kind of already do a fair bit of walking and bike riding during the day when on campus. Last semester, I would get up at 5:00 AM in the morning, and do interval training around the field track, and I plan on doing that again this semester...it just seemed more enjoyable when it was cold outside, and not many people around. Now, it's like I got to share the track with a running class (that I didn't join because at the time it felt silly paying $500 to join a class where I run), and I can't run around campus because I have to keep my backpack close to me, but if I run with my backpack on and it happens to have a lot of books, I put myself at risk of overloading my knees again. Or at least that's what I'm paranoid about. It also messes with my form to run with a backpack. So I've been looking for ways to burn calories in the morning besides running. I could just continue to bike ride. It gets pretty exhausting when going uphill a lot and going all around campus, but I've heard and read that biking doesn't have the same impact on the body and generate the same calorie burn as running. But I hear boxing does. So I might practice boxing in my apartment. Also, is 100 squats a day really a good idea?

So for the remainder of this month and next month: MWF: Bike ride, bodyweight train, stretches. TR: Boxing, stretches I also need to brush up on Steve's suggestions of incorporating primal movements and squat practices into everyday life. I don't know about a standing desk, though. I saw a professor with one in his office, and they look neat, and I can store my bike under one, but how expensive do they go?

Thanks! I think that I'm gonna do is: On MTWRF: bike ride for 30 min. - 1 hr. When I get into better shape and my knees strengthen, I'm gonna go back to doing my intervals of: Walk for one lap, jog for one lap, run for one lap, sprint for as long of one lap as I can, and then cool down with walking. Then once I get that under better control, I might switch it to a pyramid formation: Walk, Jog, Run, Sprint, Run, Jog, Walk, for a total of 7 laps. On TR: Practice boxing on a reflex bag or a double-end bag. On MWF: Do bodyweight training routine. After I get the hang of the basic levels of it (I.e. I can do 30 proper push-ups and other exercises on that level), I will incorporate kettleball training. The reason I am incorporating bodyweight training now, is because I was able to do it in the past, and squats will help strengthen my knees, and strengthening my muscular system as a whole will help me better support my own weight in fat, and the weight I have to carry at school. Every day, do stretches before bed. I can follow the basic stretches Steve shows in the Nerd Fitness article, but for some reason, I feel like I need a more, specialized, full-body stretch routine, and I still need to incorporate hip bridges (or what were they called) to correct my posture with, I need to watch my eating. I wouldn't mind finding more types of meals I can cook using scrambled eggs, or even hard-boiled eggs.

Maybe I still should incorporate kettleball training with my bodyweight routine. Just to help my muscles and joints move along and support my weight.

I kind of like the sound of that more too..."Zero eight hundred". I'll have lunch at 1450 then...how do I pronounce that?

Right now, I'm in college with a crazy schedule, and basically, I have time to get lunch at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have back-to-back classes from 8:00 AM (or 800 hours) to 2:30 PM (or 1450 hours?). I'm trying to learn military time, since I may be in the military, and a lot of people here are from Europe. The only way I can get lunch sooner, is if I skip biology class, where attendance is not mandatory, letting me get lunch a little after 1:00 PM, right after the lunch crowd has died down. I would prefer not to skip class, but so far most days, by the time I get to biology class, I'm so tired and bored and hungry, I'm barely hanging on. I can barely focus, let alone stay awake. So, if I were to do two meals a day (work out in the morning, eat mid-day and in the evening), would it hurt me any if I got my lunch at some time between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM instead of at 12:00 Noon?

Sounds like a good plan! Bodyweight training WILL give you the same function strength you can get from weightlifting, just slower. That being said, I remember that I used to want to try to incorporate some free weights use in MY bodyweight routine just because I liked weights so much. If you find a way to incorporate weights into your routine, let me know. One thing you could try are simple kettleball swing routines, which, somehow for some reason, greatly increase your entire body strength over time...something called the "WTH effect". I think I still have a link to the page I read about it on when I first got interested in training for the military: http://www.strongfirst.com/what-the-hell/ I don't really know what weight the kettleball should be, though. Good luck.

Welcome to the Rebellion. I myself have just recently recovered from a similar thing. Last summer, I ran Starting Strength and did treadmill intervals three days a week, and tried eating two meals a day (with a snack after morning workouts) while reducing my carbs, calorie, and sugars intake. Although I had some success in losing weight, maybe more than I believe, I somehow hurt my left knee warming up for squats with an empty bar...Even though I was at 100 lbs in my squats. It turns out that squatting over 100 lbs when you weigh 280 lbs (maybe 240 lbs?) isn't such a good idea. That tells me that either what happened to my knee was a gradual thing, or that 105 lbs was just my breaking point. Long story short, I got lazy while waiting for my left knee to recover, and then my right knee which got worn out from supporting my left one, and even though I still weigh less than I did before, I'm gonna have to start all over with strength training. I don't mind anymore. I might suggest that you try yoga or some form of stretching with guidance from a teacher to help your back recover. Stretching helped my knee recover, I think, if I did it right. Did the doctor tell you to let your back rest? I would do the RAICE (Rest, Anti-inflammatories, Ice, Compression, Elevation) thing for about 2-4 weeks, if you haven't already. And then after that, IMMEDIATELY get back to doing stretches to restore flexibility in your back muscles and help them recover and strengthen up again. I'm not sure if your issues is related to your weightlifting style, but you could try bodyweight training. It's what I'm doing. Me being 5'9 inches tall and weighing 240 lbs, and being in college (sorry for those on the metric system, I will convert), I think bodyweight training would be best for me because not only does it increase strength, but it offers a more natural progression. By "natural progression", I mean you keep doing the same thing until you gain the strength and stamina needed to do it effortlessly, and then you move up to a more challenging movement. Like, you keep doing push-ups until you can easily do 3 sets of 30 reps without much challenge. Then you try doing one-handed pushups. And if you aren't strong enough to do it, you can just collapse. No fear of dropping a barbell on your head. Also, from my understanding, bodyweight training helps burn calories more than weightlifting, and, if you do it fast enough, it may even help increase your stamina. Now I could be bat-shit insane. So, it would be best if someone else came in to verify some things I just said.

I was wondering the same thing. The site still says the next challenge is July 27th, but I think that's the one that has already passed. I'm assuming that our glorious leaders and comrades have been busy with something big.

Hey, guys, I'm back, if anyone remembers me. If not, it's still nice to be back. So, about a few months ago, I tried cutting back on bread and milk, only eating two meals a day (working out in the morning time, eating a snack after working out, and eating lunch and dinner), and running Starting Strength and, well, just running intervals on a treadmill every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It actually worked great for me. I loved the feeling of being more physically capable by sprinting up to 7.5 mph on a treadmill (supposedly) and lifting all kinds of weight, and it actually made me feel all-around better! My eating pattern actually left me sated. When I got sick, it was almost like I got over the cold faster. When I went to sleep, I actually had an easy time going to sleep because I had been up since 6:00 AM in the morning working out. I actually had an easier time carrying groceries and heavy things for my family. I actually had more energy and speed for chasing my little sister around the house when she wanted to play. I actually didn't get bored, anxious, or depressed as easily. I could actually stay in some type of squatting position for (what felt like) a minute, although I don't think it was the "3rd world squat" or "ass-to-grass" squat. And then I injured my left knee trying to do squats, hurt my right knee trying to take pressure off my left knee, and then pretty much my entire left leg hurt, and I got lazy waiting for my body to recover. I stopped eating as well, and I kind of stopped exercising for awhile. For this reason, one of the biggest surprises, was that I apparently loss quite a bit of weight over the summer. Almost everyone I've known and seen on a regular basis said that I lost weight, but I didn't believe it because I had only been working out for a month before I stopped due to an injury. The entire time, I thought I stilled weighed as much as I did when I first started lifting weights or when I was in college last, which was 280 lbs. But then I got weighed when I visit the doctor's office for an injured hand I wanted x-rayed, and they told me I weighed 240 - 241 lbs. Whether if the manual scales I used before were broken and I have always weighed that much, or if I really did lose 40 lbs over the summer, this was wonderful news to me, especially since I am now planning on joining the military after college, and the maximum weight for someone my height in the Coast Guard is 168 lbs. But now I'm in a different set of circumstances. Even though I really enjoyed weightlifting, I don't think I ever really want to go back to it. At least not until I'm already in good, strong shape, and I want to build muscle, and not just strength, and even then, I'm starting to care less and less about having big muscles. My reasons being: I prefer to workout alone. My school schedule and living conditions this year make it more time-consuming and potentially dangerous to go to the rec and lift weights. I feel like bodyweight training offers a more natural progression, so it's less likely that I may injure myself trying to constantly increase my weights each time. Oh by the way, I'm switching to bodyweight training because: It has a more natural progression, IMO. I can easily workout in either my own apartment (hopefully) or on campus. It's cheaper, in theory. It burns more calories. Right now, I'm still trying to workout my workout schedule. It seems like MWF is still going to be the best daily split for me, since those are the days that I have an extra hour before classes begin. If I can get it to the point where I don't have to study any school work in the morning, and if I can find some affordable way to eat lunch on campus or take lunch with me, I will probably continue with the two meals a day thing. It just doesn't work when breakfast and dinner are the only things I eat. Too much time in between meals. I might have to find and buy some sort of healthy alternative to carrying around an apple and a sandwich, or find a way to carry them. And that's not even counting Tuesdays and Thursdays, where I only have about half an hour at the most in between classes. I'm not even sure if I can find time to eat lunch those days, but my classes are over with by about 2:30 PM, so I might end up having a late lunch. So maybe, I could eat lunch at 3:00 PM every day on or off campus, and eat dinner later, maybe at some time like 7 or 8 PM? I'm just thinking out loud about my schedule. So, yes. The biggest obstacles I have for getting into shape this semester so far are, trying to eat around my schedule, and getting groceries that are healthy. I only own a bike, and the only grocery stores for me to go to are pretty far, and my bike rack is pretty small. Luckily, I have a sister who lives in town now, so I can get her help with grocery shopping every month or so I would say. Cooking, is not an issue, although I'm not entirely sure what to get when I finally DO go on my first big grocery shopping trip. I'm not really interested in going full-paleo. I still like a little bread and rice. That being said, I still have backed away from cereal and milk...even though I miss them. D: I'm going to follow the bodyweight routine that BaconLover (or was it BaconHunter) created and put on his website. So, that's what's been going on with me, and why I haven't been too active on the forums. I guess, since I don't lift weights anymore, and I'm planning on using martial arts and boxing (with the use of a bag) as an off-day activity, this means that I'm not exactly a Ranger anymore? If anything, I'm thinking I'm either going to become a Monk, or an Assassin. But for now, I think I need to go back and be what I should have started off as, an Adventurer.

Well, yeah. I still need to find a way to consult a doctor about this. It's so strange, though. Bodyweight squats don't hurt my knees, or at least not right away, as far as I know, but I can't stand or walk for several hours without pain. From my understanding, bodyweight squats strengthen knee joints, right? Or does it further harm already injured knee joints? EDIT: OK, I really hate having to self-diagnose, but with my current circumstances, it's the only option I really have. It sounds like something called an IT Band Syndrome. Stop me now, if it sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about, but I could at least do some of the exercises recommended for it, if that helps. I'm taking advice from this site: http://www.knee-pain-explained.com/iliotibial-band-syndrome.htmlon how to help my knees heal, especially in terms of strengthening and stretching. I have noticed that my knee feels better when I massage it...but then I also feel a vein or an artery behind and to the right of my left knee.

OK, so now I'm feeling paranoid. It's been nearly a month, and even though I can do bodyweight squats again, my knees and left shin still start to hurt if I stand for too long, or keep them in a certain position for too long, and they keep popping, too. Especially when I pivot on my feet. Sometimes when I use a knee brace, it helps relieve pain, but I only own one right now, and after wearing it on one knee for awhile, the other one hurts. Sometimes, I can almost swear that the knee brace actually makes the pain worse, in some cases. When I felt the upper-left side of my left knee, I noticed that it felt tender, and a little warmer than the rest of the knee. It seems like the best, long-term solution to this, really is to just cut down on my weight.

Well, I tried to do inverted rows with the same bar, but there's a mirror wall and some metal bar horizontal on the ground behind the squat rack, so I have to move my body in and bend my knees to be able to reach the bar. But, thank you. With the current circumstances I have been having a harder time trying to stick to the routine now, and have almost been considering taking a break until I get moved into an apartment, but I will try to stick to it. I was thinking of setting up my room so that I can do my bodyweight exercises at night. I have it figured out how I'm going to do pull-ups and arm-hangs (with a pull-up bar), but I still don't know what to do for inverted rows. I could try to use a table that my dad was planning on getting me as a house warming gift, or I could use some sort of gymnastic rings mounted to the wall. Or at least that's what I think.

OK, my work log for yesterday: hip-height incline push-ups: 1X10 reps, 1X8 reps. This one was actually my favorite. I used this cool, foam-padded rubber weighed bar that's square tips fit perfectly snug into the rack thingies that hold barbells, so I just adjusted them to my hip height, placed the bar into place, and got to it. It's my favorite exercise, so far, and the only one I feel I've got the hang of, although I need to practice my form. 2x12 sec. arm hangs: That's what I pulled off with the arm hangs. Made my left elbow sore, which I hurt previously when hitting a heavy bag improperly. Apparently, it's not a good idea to fully extend your arm and lock out your elbow when hitting something that isn't going to budge that easily. Also, my hands get tired/sore quickly, when hanging, usually, but I don't remember having that problem this time. 1x? reps in inverted rows. I tried to do like BaconHunter with a low bar at a playground with the padded weighed bar on the squat rack, but my arms weren't long enough, and I couldn't fully extend my legs, so I sort of did this weird thing where my body was...I almost want to say "scrunched" or just loosely hanging from the bar, and I was pulling myself up with support from my feet. It was kind of like doing something similar to a straight bridge but with my hands in front of me? I can draw a picture of it. 2x1 Hindu Push-ups: I was just trying to get the form right on it. Either I really can't do a proper push-up AT ALL yet, or I'm doing something wrong. It was surprisingly difficult, having to maneuver my head downwards, and then moving my hips in and driving my head past the inside of my arms and then upwards. I mean, I did it in yoga once, but it wasn't easy then, either. It was fun, though. 3x10 sec. straight bridges. Again, surprisingly difficult, but it worked for me. It was more hard on my left wrist and both palms, than it was on my arms. So, at the end of the day, my palms hurt, my left wrist hurts (even though my dominant hand is my right hand), I felt tension in my right arm, my left elbow hurt a little, and my left heel hurt. I think my left heel hurting is a bone spur or something, but I don't know for sure. Personally, I think I enjoy bodyweight exercises, or at least some of them. They feel slightly safer than barbell training, as long as I am careful with any injured body parts. I went easy on myself that day, because I felt oddly tired, and I wanted to make sure not to hurt my elbow or knees, which is why I left out squats that day. Plus, I can do squats anywhere.

Well, thank you! I really don't know if I like running or not. I know it's a form of stress release, when I usually do it. I do want to get better at it for freedom's sake. I can't sprint as easily in my backyard because the terrain's so uneven, plus it feels oddly silly running around the yard, sometimes. Other times, I don't care. As for the treadmill, it's just an easy, passive way for me to rack up interval times while keeping track of calorie burn, and being able to easily use my blue tooth to listen to music while I run. I hardly ever get bored on the treadmill, although I never liked how unnatural it felt. So, I'm gonna try what EmbracingChaos suggested, because it sounds like an ingenious alternative to using ice.

Well, with bodyweight training, I kind of have to start small, and with weightlifting, I thought I was starting small. I may have overdone it on the treadmill, though. I didn't hurt myself on the treadmill, but I wouldn't be surprised if running treadmill intervals for 1 hour and 1/2 and reaching speeds up to 7.0 mph when I weigh 280 lbs didn't help any soreness or injuries I may have. Got just a liiiiitle too zealous about running fast and burning calories...now I'm not running anywhere for a bit. D: