My name is "Jake" and I'm a recovering couch potato,

["Jake"]

My name is "Jake" and I'm a recovering couch potato,
“Hi Jake”

Sorry, not entirely but at least it’s a start...

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New to the Rebellion? Welcome to the boards, soldier! Post your story here, your battle plans, and what you plan on bringing to the table.

 

My Story, hopefully without too much detail… When I was young I was very active, swimming, snowboarding every weekend in the winter, racing mountain bikes in the summer, climbing whenever I could and occasional endurance lifting to help my sports. But life seldom stays the same and in 2009 long work hours, poor self-esteem and no motivation to stay active led to a back injury. The underlying cause is a conditon I may have been born with, but keeping a strong back covered it up until I let myself get weak.

After several doctor and many physical therapy visits figured out that I needed to get active again and I set a goal to train for a Tough Mudder…
"How do you plan to do a Though Mudder next year when you can't even bend over to pick up your son?" a friend asked
"I’m going to get better" I said
The battle against the pain and restricted mobility was a rollercoaster "ok" days and bad days... I did not make it to that Tough Mudder.

Years later, I’ve learned many things, (Yoga helps a lot!) and I’ve completed 4 Tough Mudders, a few power lifting completions and more. Different right? Squats and deadlifts help my back.* 
Battle paln, Stay active! I've had some recent setbacks but I'd like to reclaim some of my lifting milestones from summer of 2017. I'm here because I found the fitness quests page and thought that was fun. And because I've noticed certain other fitness boards aren't always very pleasant places to be.


*Disclaimer: This is not to say; I grab a bar and start deadlifting for back pain. NO, I ensure I am recovered first and I ease into a regimen that will ensure I stay recovered.

[RubiksCat]

Hi there. From another recovering couch potato, let me be the first to welcome you. I'm sorry to hear that your underlying back condition made it harder on you than it needed to be but I'm glad to hear you're better and competing. Off the couch onto Tough Mudders is quite an achievement! I hope to hear more from the front lines as you battle your way to a better version of yourself. 

["Jake"]

Thankyou, I actually just signed up for another TM this coming April. They have a 5K version now which is what I'll be doing this time, hopefully the shorter distance will be less deterring to those I invite to join me.
Better is never 100% it comes and it goes but it's worse when I've been lazy for months. Yoga helps and if I do nothing else I need at least to hold myself accountable for 3 sessions a week.
My best year was 2017, life was dramatically different for 6 months and I had a lot of spare time which I devoted to my health. I felt like I was 100% then but overdoing it one day reminded me for 2 weeks that I was still mortal. The silver lining was, despite the pain, I was still strong enough to be fully functional as long as I didn't have to reach anything off the ground and 2 weeks recovery was incredibly fast compared to other instances.

[RubiksCat]

Tough Mudders are 5k? I learn something new every day. Hopefully your back doesn't come back to bite you. If 3 sessions seem like too much try not to over stress yourself. I read on a Reddit page this week that adults don't judge other adults for where they are in life (or at least they shouldn't). That supposedly came from a 70-year old user. 

["Jake"]

1 hour ago, Rubik'sCat said:

Tough Mudders are 5k? I learn something new every day. Hopefully your back doesn't come back to bite you. If 3 sessions seem like too much try not to over stress yourself. I read on a Reddit page this week that adults don't judge other adults for where they are in life (or at least they shouldn't). That supposedly came from a 70-year old user. 

Yes, Previously 8-12 miles depending on location. I had the privilege of working with the medical Team for their first ever "Mudder Half" (5 mile) and now 3k/5mi. They are trying to make it more inclusive since distance is what scares a lot of people away.
3 sessions is never too much. I trottle myself in-class if I'm limited on flexibility that day but not going at all is what slows me down.

["Jake"]

Crawled out from under the truck today and went to my yoga class. I really wanted to finish what I was doing but I knew the work I was doing would make me stiff in this cold and going to the warm classroom would do the opposit. Felt good! I'll get back to the truck tomorrow...