screenager

I don't know about how others feel toward these two resources, but figured I'd drop the links here: Al Kavadlo - http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/05/14/mastering-your-body-weight/ All about gaining strength using only your body weight. He loves working out at parks for the bars, but you could just ignore those moves if you can't find a pull-up bar somewhere near you. Convict Conditioning - http://convict-conditioning.com/convict-conditioning-progressions/ This is similar to Al's stuff but with more specific steps/progressions. These should give you some ideas/inspiration about things to add into your workouts.

Personally, this changed my life: http://reembody.me/2013/10/05/sore-wrists-during-push-ups-lets-fix-that/

So if I'm counting calories and eating bone-in chicken (legs or thighs or whole chicken, for example), would I have to weigh it, eat, then weigh again to see how many actual grams/ounces I ate? Or am I overthinking it? I guess I'm confused because myfitnesspal doesn't seem to have an option for "meat only" chicken legs and so on. So I'm not sure how to log it. Thanks!

OK nerds, here's what's up: My wife and I live in MI with a great dane. Brilliant wife gets full-ride and more for her master's at Texas A&M. The dane and her will be moving around Xmas time while I have to suffer through another brutal snowpocalypse in Michigan as I am a teacher and can't just drop my students halfway through the year (much less pick up another full-time gig in Texas halfway through the year). I will join them as soon as school's over for me. Now here's where we need help: How the heck does one move their life across the country? Has anyone done this before? Any tips? Ideally we'd do this cheaply since we're living on a young teacher's salary with only a little help from TAMU. What we have at our disposal: 2 Honda Fits which fit an enormous amount of stuff in them with the seats down. However, the dane takes up most of 1 of them. My dad's F-250 truck which he uses to haul his huge trailer for work. A modest moving fund that we've already started to try to offset some costs (breaking our lease, gas/food as we drive 1,200 miles south, etc.) Luckily, my brilliant wife is also becoming a minimalist meaning we don't have all that much stuff. However, we also don't have the cash to buy everything all over again in Texas, and we WILL be there for 2-3 years so we don't want to "rough it" sleeping on a craigslist couch with a great dane on top of us for that long. Any tips or past experiences would be much appreciated. Love you nerds. I lurk often and post sparingly, but learn and laugh ton from y'all.

Two years ago I started doing dumbbell rows with a goal of a pull up. One year ago I was doing 4x5 chin ups and a achieved my pull up goal. Today I am doing 5x5 pull ups with 15 lbs added and 5x5 chin ups with 20 lbs added, steadily marching toward my new goal: one-handed chin up. Two years ago I took my first yoga class. One year ago I was learning backbends and balances. Today I am doing long headstands, happily finding new challenges all the time. Two years ago I was benching the bar. One year ago I was proud to be warming up with a 45 on both sides of that bar. Today I am doing 5x5 at 185. Two years ago I started using mint to track my money. One year ago my wife and I started using YNAB and living off from last month's salary, taking huge bites out of our student loans. Today we are still using YNAB just the same, but have a solid emergency fund and are excited to move into a smaller place to save money, shed useless possessions, and focus on the few things that really matter. Two years ago I started doing bodyweight squats. One year ago I was doing 5x5 at 175 lbs. Today I am doing 5x5 at 255 lbs., slowly but surely getting stronger every month. Two years ago I was reading articles and watching videos to learn what a deadlift was. One year ago I was doing 5x5 at 185 lbs. Today I am deadlifting up to 320 lbs., and I love whenever I'm using 3 45-pound plates on both sides. I'm also happy to say that this year: I've learned to do pistol squats, doing 5 on each leg without any counterweight or assistance. I've started bent rows, and I'm already at 5x5 with 145 lbs. I'm working on overhead press, and I've gotten up to a 5x5 with 130 lbs. I'm planking for 2 minutes 4 times a workout. Goals for the future: One handed chin up Lots of pistol squats Squatting 315 - I love racking up 3 45 lb. plates. Bench 225 lbs. Deadlift with FOUR of those 45 lbs. plates (405 lbs.) If you're somewhat skeptical that I've actually done this stuff, here's my post from last year: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/32303-results-are-typical/ If you have any questions or, better yet, have some other ideas of goals I could have, let me know. If it wasn't for this internets thingy, I wouldn't have ever known how badass one handed chin ups and pistol squats were to try them in the first place.

Found even older photos of myself. These are about two years old compared to now.

Unlike the diet- and exercise-fad commercials (that used to air), eating truly healthy and lifting heavy stuff can proudly claim that “results are typical.†I am just another typical story. One year ago, I was at another plateau in my long journey into being healthy and really, really, really, ridiculously good looking, and I was confused and frustrated. Today, I am healthy and strong, and my wife says I’m quite good looking. One year ago, I started doing dumbbell rows with dreams of one single pull up. Today, I am working out with 4x5 chin ups and can knock out a few pull ups in a row when I feel like I want to prove something to myself. One year ago, I took my first yoga class and struggled with a downward dog. Today, my buddy downward dog is a resting place that I go to before and after practicing balances and backbends that used to seem like only contortionists or gymnasts could manage. One year ago, I was benching the bar. Today, I warm up with a 45 on both sides. Am I the heaviest bench in the gym? No. But frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. Every single day at the gym I push to be stronger than me of the past. Even if that’s just by one rep in one of my sets. One year ago, I was following where my money was going with mint. Today, I am budgeting and living of last month’s paycheck while paying off a student loans well ahead of schedule using You Need A Budget (YNAB). I have never felt more in control of my financial life nor have I had such a solid plan for paying off that student loan debt the size and nature of Mount Doom. One year ago, I was squatting my body weight with some mild discomfort. Today, I am squatting 175, 5x5 for my workouts, adding more weight almost weekly. That’s almost 15 lbs. added to my squat per month. One year ago, I had rumbled my way through 3 miles and called it a long, awful run. Today, I have run a marathon (which, one year ago, would’ve seemed about as likely as me becoming an astronaut) and consider such runs to be “recovery runs.†One year ago, I was learning how to deadlift for the first time ever. Today, I am deadlifting 185, 5x5 for my workouts, again, adding more weight almost weekly. I have never felt like such a badass as I do when I deadlift. I even experiment with variations like the sumo deadlift for fun, yes, for fun. One year ago, I didn’t have a cute puppy. Today, I have a cute puppy. Proof! Irrelevant, sorta. One year ago, I was wearing mostly L but some XL shirts and 38x30 pants. Today, I am wearing mostly M but some S shirts and 33x30 pants (when I can find them). One year ago, I was looking to make a transformation during the summer before my first year of teaching. Today, I realize that my transformation has only begun and can continue as long as I maintain my focus. Yes, I did all of this as a full time teacher. (For the next bit, read sentence A if you think teachers are respectable individuals and sentence B if you think we’re overpaid and worthless). A: Yes, despite waking up at 5 AM, being at school working from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM to help somebody else’s child succeed, I was able to do everything I mentioned above. B: Sure, go ahead and make the excuse that I have summers off and long vacations throughout the year to make yourself feel better about how lazy you’re being. If you’re looking for an excuse to stay lame and unhappy, you’ll find one. One year ago, I was content enough. Today, I am happy. And before you tell me that I’m superficial or shallow or something else that’s sorta mean and starts with an s, actually read what I wrote throughout this. I am happy because things in my life that were causing me stress and making me feel helpless are now the exact opposite: I feel like my health and finances are firmly in my control and my exercising and budgeting simultaneously relaxes and excites me. I am happy because I’ve learned just how much perseverance, will power, and positivity I am capable of. I am happy because I have learned how to make goals, deal with problems, and (this one was ridiculously hard for me) be proud of my accomplishments - whether they are fully achieved or in progress. How can YOU have this type of year? Well, with help, intelligence, and commitment, you can definitely do this too. Help: Here is the post that got me started one year ago. Here is the post that got me started with lifting weights. Here is the post that got me started with eating healthy. Here is the book that help me (and my wife) run a marathon for the first time. Here is the link to help you get your finances in order. Here are more pictures of cute puppies. Here is a website you can use any other time you have a problem or question about things not fully covered at any of the above places. Intelligence: Now, I’d love to claim that I was always super dooper pooper scooper smart throughout this whole year long process. But, alas, I am not good at health and life like Newton was with physics. I’m more like Brain and Pinky combined into one overthinking and obsessive human. I had to redirect and restart my efforts many times this past year. For example, I was finally getting to some moderately heavy squats and deadlifts when my back started hurting. I stupidly charged on for a few weeks before I realized that I shouldn’t feel this way. So, I had the intelligence to finally reexamine my form for these lifts and fix the issues. I actually had to do this twice. Notice the intelligence in doing the research, knowing when to ask for help, knowing when something doesn’t work for you, and being thoughtful with choices. Intelligence also plays a role in goal setting. Make S.M.A.R.T. goals, and you’ll be much more likely to actually achieve them. Commitment: From here, I’m going to keep it up. Why? Because it is easy now. Because it makes me happy. Because it is part of who I am. Because I want to live a long, healthy, happy life. Because I want continue to look and feel better. Because I’m going to be active and able-bodied for my family. Because carpe diem (no Y.O.L.O. here, sorry). Because being happy about my life and my self, being able to do just about anything in the world that I want to do is infinitely more valuable than that box of Cheez-Its I don’t eat anymore or the lost hour (or usually less) a day of television or web surfing that I spend lifting, running, or practicing yoga instead. In the end, it is all about what you really want. And I mean really want. Deep inside, depth of your being want. I wanted a healthy body and mind. I think I’m basically there. Were there times that I wanted to just sleep or eat a few Qdoba Chicken Queso Burritos or make some other stupid short-sighted decision that I would regret? Yep. But I managed to stay focused almost always on what I really actually wanted. “A perfection of means, and a confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.†- Albert Einstein You’ve got the means (healthy food, heavy stuff to lift). Don’t let yourself confuse your aims. Perfect your means and aims, Screenager P.S. - Feel free to ask questions or whatever. I’m not super active on the forums, but I’ll check back on this for a bit. I actually almost forgot these because they seem almost irrelevant. But the people like the before and afters... I have more pics from longer ago, but this is exactly a year apart.

Thanks for the support LoD. You're rockin' this challenge yourself!

Goal Update: Run 4 miles in Five Fingers in under 40 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 BEAT Run 5 miles in Five Fingers in under 50 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 Current best: still 4 miles in 39ish minutes, BUT I did run twice this week (3.1 and 4 miles), matching my 4 miles in 39 minutes on Thursday. - I may need to up my running to three days a week to get myself up to 5 miles in under 50... Increase both Squat and Deadlift Monday lifts by 50 lbs - STR +4 Monday: Squat 195 (4, 4, 4, 4), Deadlift 205 (5, 5, 5, 5) Goal is 210 for both. 2 more weeks. It'll be close. My strength gains are slowing down. Not sure if it's the new 5:00 AM workout routine or that I stopped with the Muscle Milk or a combination of both. Take a Yoga class 3 times - DEX +1, STA +1, STR +1, CON +1 BEAT Went to Yoga today to make it 3 times during these 6 weeks. New challenge for the rest of the 6 weeks... Go to Yoga class 5 times (2 more times) - DEX +1, STA +1, STR +1, CON +1 I have roughly 3 opportunities to go a week, but school starts Tuesday and next weekend is my niece's 2nd birthday party back home... so... busy. Fully pay off one student loan ($3,000). - WIS +3 CHANGED Fully pay off $700 loan of my parents (I just had to take on all the loans they took out for me) and work on other loans while building up my savings accounts for emergencies. - WIS +3 BEAT Paid off my annoying $700 loan to get my monthly payments down to only $414. Next up, the loans I had to take over from my parents...

(Sidenote) Thanks to my results and many small conversations, my wife who was at first vehemently against my going Paleo is now going to go all of September fully Paleo with me. After that, we're planning on trying out different dairy foods in October.

Got the first paycheck. Disappointing, to say the least. Luckily, I love what I do. Sadly, the small-country-GDP amount of my student loans is not very friendly. Oh well. Happy and poor > sad and rich. I'm saving all of my paychecks until I have to start paying individual loans. Emergency funds and all that. I'll be paying off a roughly $700 loan that's got an annoying $50 a month minimum before September 5th. (Roughly) Weekly update on goals: Run 4 miles in Five Fingers in under 40 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 BEAT Run 5 miles in Five Fingers in under 50 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 Current best: still 4 miles in 39ish minutes, ran once this week (Tuesday). Only 3 miles. Increase both Squat and Deadlift Monday lifts by 50 lbs - STR +4 Currently: Squat 190 (8, 8, 8, 7), Deadlift 200 (8, 5, 7, 5) Goal is adding 50 to 160, so I'm shooting for 210. Take a Yoga class 3 times - DEX +1, STA +1, STR +1, CON +1 Went to Yoga twice this week. Free Yoga ends at the end of the month, so if I want to complete this goal for free, I've gotta do it by Friday of this week. Fully pay off one student loan ($3,000). - WIS +3 CHANGED Fully pay off $700 loan of my parents (I just had to take on all the loans they took out for me) and work on other loans while building up my savings accounts for emergencies. - WIS +3 Got first measly paycheck. Going to save until September, pay this off, then continue finance domination. That's all for now other than a small celebration. I got back on the scale today for the first time in two weeks (I think) and found myself down to 200.8 lbs. On top of that, in about a week and a half I've lost about an inch around my stomach and half an inch around my legs. This all brings my (inaccurate online calculator) body fat % from 25.3% down to 24.5%. But, most importantly, I feel great and think I'm starting to look almost as good.

Starting work tomorrow morning - although without students for another two weeks. I really cannot wait for that first paycheck this Friday. INCOME!!! I'm feeling good and back on track. Saturday night my wife and I walked for four miles. Then today I started a membership at my new gym and lifted again for the first time since last week Thursday's only day of lifting that week. So, after lifting, here's where I'm at with my goals: Run 4 miles in Five Fingers in under 40 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 BEAT Run 5 miles in Five Fingers in under 50 mins - STA +3, DEX +1 Current best: still 4 miles in 39ish minutes, running for the first time in over a week tomorrow morning before work Increase both Squat and Deadlift Monday lifts by 50 lbs - STR +4 Currently: Squat 190 (8, 8, 8, 7), Deadlift 200 (8, 5, 7, 5) Goal is adding 50 to 160, so I'm shooting for 210. Take a Yoga class 3 times - DEX +1, STA +1, STR +1, CON +1 My new gym's got free (for now) classes of which Yoga is one of them. There are 3 times each week that I may possibly be able to make it. I'mma knock this out! Fully pay off one student loan ($3,000). - WIS +3 CHANGED Fully pay off $700 loan of my parents (I just had to take on all the loans they took out for me) and work on other loans while building up my savings accounts for emergencies. - WIS +3

Yes, "fun" is how I would describe middle schoolers... hahaha. No really, I love the kids. I find the awkwardness endearing (and inwardly hilarious). Never thought I'd like middle school but I definitely do. Very cool stuff teaching at university. I'm planning on possibly doing that eventually, although I'm leaning toward literacy instead of ed tech as of now (for my master's work).

Thanks! 8th grade English.

Not sure if anyone'll read this, but anyway: ROUGH week. Friday: Travel. Saturday: Wedding. Sunday: Travel. Monday: Travel. Tuesday: Iowa State Fair. Wednesday: Travel. Thursday: Moving Day (Travel). Friday: Starting New Job and Unpacking. Therefore I ate poorly (nuts, dried fruits, jerky, etc.) 5 days of the last, ate horribly 1 day (Wedding), gorged like a king 1 day (Iowa State Fair) and moderately 1 day (Friday). Not to mention I was sitting for an ungodly amount of hours. Bright spots though were all the dancing at the wedding and a single lifting session I got in on Thursday morning. It's possible I should be more proud of myself than I am because of that, but I feel like crap. As for my goals: 1. Still exactly where I was when I surprisingly surpassed my goal very early, therefore nowhere near meeting my new one. 2. Squat @ 185 (half-way to goal); 8, 6, 8, 8. Deadlift @ 190 (20 lbs to go); 8, 8, 8, 8. 3. Haven't gone to a single class yet. 4. No pay check yet. New struggles: Not only just getting back into my groove, but finding an entirely new one. I just moved, and I'm starting a new job. Therefore, I've got to find and grow accustomed to a new gym, work schedule, sleep schedule, fitness schedule, eating/cooking schedule... ugh. School starts a bit later this year (7:40), so going to the gym beforehand is possible at 5:00am. I need to find ways to do my lifting workouts faster... MWF take me an hour on average and I'm only doing 4 sets of 5 different exercises. I must take forever to warm-up, stretch, and switch weights or something. I think I found the gym I'll join though, so that's a plus. How I'm going to Get the **** Over It!: Tomorrow I'm running or doing some body weight exercises in my new apartment even though I rarely do workouts on Saturdays since I missed so much this week. I'm also jumping right back on track with my eating, already went to the grocery store and stocked up on some basics so I should be fine.