apoclater

Thanks! That's really helpful and I agree with you. Your comment on squat progressive overload versus progressive overload via other exercises makes sense.

The reason is because progressive overload is extremely taxing on the body. My athletic priorities really don't include lifting to get bigger and significantly stronger--I also don't really find enjoyment or sport in it (though I respect all those of you who do). I lift to supplement my abilities in sports like soccer and tennis, and to look good naked. So when soreness or lack of energy from lifting is impeding higher priorities like playing sports, why lift more? I realize I'm on a lifting forum, but is a 300 lb 5x5 squat really any better than a 215 lb 5x5 for tennis? Probably not. Blindly lifting more because "I can" just doesn't make sense to me when it's a trade-off with something else that's higher priority.

There are a ton of articles out there on how to increase your squat by x amount, but what about for those of us who don't really want to keep squatting bigger? The reason I don't want to squat bigger is frankly because I don't need to. I have bigger priorities and I've achieved what I wanted to in terms of my lifting goals, and since I have a finite amount of time, I'd like to spend it doing other things. I've taken my squat from 90 lbs to 215 in the past year, and while it's not a huge increase, I"m not an ultra serious lifter and don't want to be. I lift for overall fitness and so I can be better/faster/more mobile at the sports I play. That being said, I wouldn't mind consistently improving in other lifts (bench, overhead press, bent over row, pull ups, etc). My plan is to just keep squatting 215 for the foreseeable future. Is there any issue with that? I mean, doing the same weight seems like the logical plan to maintain squat strength, right?

Thanks! Great advice.

Hi all, This topic is in relation to this post I made quite awhile back: http://www.nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?9815-Overcoming-Sunday-night-dread-Leveling-up-your-work-life So I'm only 5 full work weeks away from finishing this rotation and I'm done with this job. DONE. I get to move on to my next role which will be like a sweet sweet vacation compared to this one. However, I'm working from home today and I'm literally breaking down about this job. I have a consistent pit in my stomach about it, always worrying something will blow up in my face. Without going into too much detail about what the job entails (I think there is some detail on the previous thread I posted), I work at a large firm managing a $1 million project. And I absolutely hate it (again, won't go into the reasons, but just know I am counting down the days). What strategies can I use to motivate myself to get through this? I'm thinking there is a way to either turn myself around and make this whole experience a positive...help me out, please

Another one of my uncles died today from a heart attack. Now it's been two grandfathers, four uncles, and my dad that have had one or more massive heart attacks (most commonly called "widow makers"). It's scares the hell out of me because it isn't like cancer where you find out, occasionally have a chance to make amends, and make it out alive--it's completely sudden. I'm absolutely devastated, but I also want to make sure my entire family understands what they need to be doing to prevent these things. Feel free to add to this list of "big hits" that I need to make sure I and my family are committing to: -Eating a paleo/primal diet -Taking Omega-3 supplements -Exercising in some form for 30 min a day What else?

I love the whole paleo idea and I buy into it and all, but there are a couple things I just can't get over. Frankly, I hate every substitute for bread crumbs and crushed saltine crackers out there. Almond flour, coconut flour, flax seed, etc. How bad is it to eat breaded meat probably 3-4 times a week? Can't make THAT much of a difference, right? Also, I HAVE to have a piece of toast when eating eggs and bacon. I can't explain it, I just can't eat eggs--any way--without a piece of toast. I know it's weird but it's a texture thing. I mean, I'm cutting out the big ones--bagels for breakfast, soda, excess fruits, no candy and junk, etc. Breaded meat and toast once in awhile can't be that detrimental once in awhile, right?

Man, NF is an awesome community. Thanks for all the responses everyone, they are very helpful. Cosmo, if there are any other tips you have for young (first-time) project managers, they would be very helpful to hear. Good to know I have some support.

You could say I've hit the NF nirvana. I'm 23, and I've gotten to the point where my eating habits, fitness habits, wanderlust for travel, relationships with the people I love and my spiritual place are exactly where I want them to be. 8 months ago when I graduated I had three months before I started my dream job--it was a rotational leadership program doing IT Project Management. For the three months before I started my job, every day I would jump out of bed with enthusiasm and waste no time in starting the day. Fast forward three months. It's Sunday night and all I feel is a deep, foreboding sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. I'm googling everything from "work anxiety" to "sunday night dread" to therapy clinics where I live. Yes, I have slowly started to accept that I hate my work. I'm a 9 to 5 corporate slave (well, actually 830 to 6, generally). Specifically, as I said before I'm doing IT Project Management for a very large firm, so my typical day revolves around leading status calls, solving problems by talking to people I barely understand (because of their accent or because of their technical lingo), and reporting bad news to my rather rude boss. The dreaded Sunday night feeling is at it's worst right now, because I'm working on a project riddled with issues and baggage. The pit in my stomach has gone from sunday night to every night, to the point where I toss and turn when I try to sleep. The good news is this: I'm 5 months from finishing this "rotation" and I switch jobs. So it's a new opportunity to take the mistakes I've made this rotation and learn from them for the next one. The bad news is this: Well, I still have 5 more months on this project, and the constant stress is making my sick. Does NF have any advice? I am not sure the immediate answer is "Quit and find something else". I would like to try and turn this job around for the time being, and at least finish out this program (it is 2 years total). But it gets hard when you're reading forums and all people really have for advice on this topic is "you have to quit, it really won't get better, trust me I went through it for ten years". TEN YEARS? That scares me. I have looked into different jobs, but at 23 when you don't have any real skills (I have a non-technical business IT degree combined with a supply chain business degree), it's a little scary, especially when the jobs you've looked at don't seem to be any better. I've thought about starting my own business with a roommate who feels similar to me, but we keep getting stuck as again, we both don't have any real skill or expertise in anything. Any advice for the young corporate slave would be most appreciated. I just don't want to feel this dread the rest of my life, every Sunday night and weekday night, but I also want to be a contributing member of society and do something with myself.

Haha, thanks for catching that.

Already Completed Between 2010-2011 These are goals I completed before I joined NF. 1. Graduate from a top 100 university in the United States with above a 3.0 GPA. 2. Get an internship at a Fortune 500 Company. (completed twice!) 3. Get a career in a leadership development program after college. 4. Win an intramural sports championship. (completed twice!) 5. Study abroad in China. 6. Gain 5 lbs from lifting. 7. Read George RR Martin's entire Song of Ice and Fire series up until the last book. 8. Play video games for less than 10 hours per week. (down to roughly 1-2 hours per week now!) 9. Move out of the Midwest. Goals for 2012 For each entry applicable I will have a concrete goal. If applicable, a date and metric. Eating 1. Maintain an 90% Paleo diet throughout 2012. 19 Meals are clean, strict paleo per week 2 Meals are my choice 2. Try 10 new foods(I’m very picky, trying not to be) -Cauliflower -Onions -Lamb Fitness Current as of Dec 7th, 2011 Bench: 105 lbs Squat: 145 lbs Deadlift: 135 lbs Overhead Press: 65 lbs Bent Over Row: 95 lbs 1. Lifting goals--Complete these by March 31, 2012 Bench 190 lbs by March 31, 2012 Squat 225 lbs by March 31, 2012 Deadlift 225 lbs by March 31, 2012 Overhead Press 120 lbs by March 31, 2012 Bent Over Row 150 lbs by March 31, 2012 2. Play two nights a week at a tennis club for at least a month by February 28, 2012 3. Run/sprint for 15 minutes once per week each week by March 31, 2012 Career Development 1. Get at least “Meets Expectations” on performance review for Rotation 1 by Feb 3rd, 2012 2. Get at least “Meets Expectations” on performance review for Rotation 2 by July 31, 2012 3. Take at least 1 technical side-project during Rotation 2 by July 31, 2012 4. Find a “go-to” mentor or a person who knows and can vouch for me by July 31, 2012 Personal Development/Culture 1. Read a new book each month. The following must be done by Dec 31, 2012: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The Old Man and the Sea Steve Jobs’ biography Manovationals Slaughterhouse V How to Win Friends and Influence People The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Will add more later 2. Journal at least once per week. 3. Download a new album every week and listen to it 4. Watch at least one new movie every week 5. Go out to a new restaurant once a month Financial 1. Have $10,000 invested in Fidelity by Jan 31, 2012 2. Have $15,000 invested in Fidelity by May 31, 2012 3. Have $20,000 invested in Fidelity by August 31, 2012 4. Have $25,000 invested in Fidelity by December 31, 2012 5 Have an emergency fund of $3,000 by July 31, 2012 6. Spend less than $20 per week on alcohol immediately Travel 1. Travel to San Francisco. 2. Visit New York. 3. Visit Miami. 4. Visit Harry Potter World in Orlando.

This is fantastic. I really wish I had created lofty goals in high school, I could be so much better off than now. Better late than never, though.