SagerRager

Hi everyone, this will be my first time posting in this section of the forum as I just finally decided to get a gym membership, as such I have very little experience weight lifting. So I will start with my stats: Fitness Goals Not just lose weight, I want to also gain strength. Maybe size later on but definitely not a priority right now. Exercise Preference I found the 5x5 stronglifts program super easy to understand and was planning on that being my starting program, but am open to suggestions... Current Physical Stats Male 27 5'11"(1.8 m) 220 lbs (100 kg) Previous Training History I have never done weight training before. Current Training Basic Bodyweight/ max 2 pullups/ 20 pushups Past 6 Months Current Diet Normal/ no tracking but I have maintained the same weight over a year now. Current Resources/Limitations Gym Access: free weights, cardio equipment, racket ball courts sauna/ showers, 24/7 access. Work Schedule 7 AM to 6 PM I work and live and go to the gym all within minutes of each other. Limitations, my wife and I both signed up and we have kids so we need to go at different times, she is very much not a morning person so she will be going in the evening when I get home from work... which leaves me with my dilemma... I'm left working out before work, really early before work, ideally starting at 5:30 AM. So does anyone have experience with how to make early morning workouts work? My current plan is to go 3x a week, go to bed at 9:30 pm wake up at 5:00 AM be at the gym by 5:15 AM Drink plenty of water/ BCAA's - I can't eat food first thing in the morning and I heard BCAA's are good for lifting in a fasted state 10 minute sauna/ meditation session - again I have heard a sauna session can aid in warm-up which I find would be helpful since I have been awake less than an hour at this point. By 5:30 I want to be doing my program (again planning on 5x5 stronglifts) be done at 6:30 Shower be to work at 7:00 AM Either have a protein shake or hard boiled eggs or any other suggested first meal that is portable Basically, I'm looking for flaws and critiques of this program, and definitely suggestions from anyone who has worked out early in the AM. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies I have been running body weight circuits 3 days a week M-W-F with some mild Yoga and Stretching on the off days. I think I do need to be more patient with my upper body that is a good suggestion. Just after losing weight and things being such a breeze with leg work I was getting frustrated by dismal upper body strength. I never thought that circuits would conflict with my goals, but I tried the 5x5 today with proper rest between sets and I've got to say it just felt better, I wasn't fighting to keep my form halfway through like on the circuit. Thanks for the advice. And I'll try improving my range on my leg exercises to see if that makes them harder.

I've tried several things, most recently I've been doing 5 sets of push-ups lunges and jumping jacks starting with 5, 10, and 20 reps respectively then up to 7, 15, 30 then 10, 20, 40 this is when I really start to struggle with the push-ups then I go back down for the remaining two sets. So I can never do the push-ups well enough to advance to a harder level. But in the meantime the lunges and jumping jacks are so easy they feel like a waste of time.

So I know first of all the mantra, "don't skip leg day" but hear my situation. I have plenty of strength and size in my legs I had been overweight until recently, I lost 50 lbs. and when I was younger I had a trampoline I jumped on every day. I could squat until the sun goes down and be fine. In fact I can almost pistol squat except I am not balanced enough or flexible enough. However my upper body is drastically behind, I can barely do 10 push-ups with good form. And forget about pull-ups. So normal progressive overload programming often feels lacking. So should I "skip leg day" just for a while to catch up?

Awesome I'm glad you enjoy it! You should look me up on there SageDM89. Just started it back up myself. I wish I knew more about caloric baselines but around 2000 seems right for weight loss. I think the caloric floor for men is around 1800 a day making me think 1500 is a bit low. But I'm no expert, if someone else wanted to chime in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Woohoo Morlog! Your determination is incredible, inspirational and stupendous [emoji38] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll go, some success and some falls. I've had no problems keeping up with my training. No matter how I've been finding a way to involve it into my life 3x a week but I underestimated how much moving apartments would effect my diet goal, the exhausting act of moving itself plus having limited access to the kitchen for some time after really made ordering out necessary. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a great mantra, but I think for this challenge I may need to reevaluate my goal, I'm thinking 100% unpacked. I need to reclaim my kitchen from the boxes to be able to eat healthy. Is changing goals allowed in 6wc? I'm thinking "no sugar" (6 weeks no added sugars) -> "man v boxes" (0 boxes left in 6 weeks) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

awesome encouragement! I haven't been able to fully pull away from refined sugars long enough yet to fully know what kind of effect its having but I can't wait to find out.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yeah my fitness pal does track calories but it can also track macros, and tell you when you go over in individual areas not just calories. Though to be fair I've never tried S health so I can't make a fair comparison.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny things those sea cucumbers they poop a lot too... Yeah Since I was moving that day it was like an eight hour long workout lifting couches and chairs. And I have been keeping up otherwise, and the third goal is tougher than I thought it would be. I felt silly getting angry with my daughter (terrible twos) for interrupting my workouts wanting to play. So now I do warrior two poses with an added child on my leg for resistance [emoji38]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Crash and burn, [emoji45] I had to move apartments the past couple of days and did not properly fuel my body for it, so subsequently when donuts were presented to me after 3 hours of moving and no food yet that day, I caved... The sweets then attacked me like zombies from Adventure Time! I should not have underestimated the sugar demons I am ashamed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will have to check it out, it's a small part of the body that doesn't seem to get a proper warm up traditionally but after this experience you can be sure I won't forget toSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks for the reply! I am new to fitness so it is a safe bet my grip strength is pretty lousy and I do plan on getting a door frame bar soon so I can get some dead hangs in, the pain lasted maybe 30 sec after the workout of course I was massaging it because it didn't feel right.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't know if this is so much of a form check as just a general inquiry but I have been doing body weight rows on this following outdoor thingy since it conveniently close to where I work I can walk to it on breaks... However I can only crank 5 reps out before my right wrist starts paining me... So I stop and massage it, pain goes away, 5 more reps it comes back, the grip on this is pretty much a right angle with no option to use my thumbs for grip... Should I not be doing this? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome firefly reference, one of the reasons I love the NF community. I'm excited to join the assassins when this challenge is over! If I could be an assassin from any genre is a tough question to answer but I've always thought of Knuckles as an assassin After all how else can you explain his awesome abilities to glide and climb walls, definitely an assassin hired by sonic and co to take on Dr. Eggman Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I third this suggestion Morlog, I've used MyFitnessPal in the past and it makes logging infinitely simpler. And I know too just looking at your belly can be decieving, I've found that the side by side progress pics suggested on NF articles, taken once every month are much better, eyes can decieve you so can the scale, but pictures do not lie.

Thanks Luciana Valerosa Culming, I definitely feel me getting fit involves the little ones so it felt right to involve that into my challenge and I will be posting weekly updates here but keeping track of my daily adventures at my daily battle log. Very Helpful mr_willes, to be honest I came in thinking to join the rangers, but after reviewing your material I see that the assassins more closely line up with my goals. I will follow throughout the remainder of this challenge, and hopefully the next one will be in with the Assassin Guild. And yes with my little free time being devoted to the little ones, I am definitely looking everywhere and anywhere to get my workouts in. A couple of days ago I found myself looking for a low hanging branch on my walk to work to do some pull ups!

Yikes realized this posted multiple times stupid tapatalk 😡

Hi all I already posted my first post in the challenge thread but I did not make a proper intro so here it goes. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or healing potions. I found myself googling how to get healthy last October, topping the scale at 242 the heaviest I have been in my life and settling into my new office job. I had no ill effects yet aside from panting up stairs but I knew this had to be nipped in the bud. Enter the rebellion. I found NF best day of my fitness life and instantly ate it up. I was full boar paleo beginner body weight routine and walking every day over the next few months I went from 242 to 205 and life was good. The dark side of the force Complacency and sugar took control, the pants are getting tight again... But lo and behold a challenge is about to begin. Maybe now I should actually join this community and take back control. So I have, save me NF Rebels you're my only hope! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Morlog, I hope I didn't pick to dangerous a foe to go toe to toe with on my first quest Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, Sager here. I've been hanging around NF since last October, NF has helped me already lose 40lbs, from 242lbs and prepared me for my first ever pull-up, on the monkey bars while my daughter was at the playground . So I finally figured it has been overdue for me to join the community and challenge myself and take this quest of fitness to the next level. So here I am reporting for duty NF Rebels! Main Quest: Man, those six pack abs... dreaming. Quest 1: NO added sugars for the duration of this challenge, I will one day return to full paleo. But for now killing the sugar beastie is sufficient. Reward: +5 CON Quest 2: Consistently workout 3 days a week, Yoga and Body weight have been my method of choice. Reward: +3 STR, +2 DEX Quest 3: I am a father so I hereby dedicate 1 hour everyday to playing with my daughter. Non-transferable (ie: two hours today plus one hour tomorrow still only equals two hours) Reward: +2 STA, +2 WIS, +1 CHA Motivation: My daughters, one here and one on the way. I want them to have a happy and active life, not stuck inside on electric doohickeys because "That's what daddy does" p.s. I know I've seen how to do those fancy progress bars around but I have forgotten, if anyone would like to enlighten me. And I will be joining a guild next challenge. Just don't know where I belong and first challenge thought to start here.