VTSPE772 - Enter the Sheep, Exit the Warrior

[VTSPE772]

Alright Warriors, here I am!  Fresh out of the Rebels!  I am ready to use what I learned as a Rebel-noob to take this to the next level.

 

Main Goal: (Ongoing) Get down to 220 Lbs.  Haven't been there since I left the Army Bootcamp.  I know it's feasible, and I know it will be tough, BUT I have good mission goals to aid in getting there! Once I get there, I will reward myself with the best Suit Imaginable, the Seersucker (complete with bow-tie and either Suede or Saddle Shoes)!

 

Mission Goals:

• StrongLifts 5x5: (+STR[#]) I will be strength training on M/W/F (continuation of schedule from last challenge).  I have used the calculator on the SL spreadsheet to determine a higher starting point than beginners, but nothing way out there.  This give a total of 18 total training days for the challenge.
  • A:   17-18
  • B:   15-16
  • C:   13-14
  • F:   <13, I don't see this happening, but you never know what could happen over the course of 6 weeks!
• Form Check: (+DEX[#]), (+WIS[#]), (+CHA[#]) Need to post form check videos on Squats and Deadlift.  As someone who has had 3 back surgeries (2 @ L4-L5 (Fusion), 1 @ L5-S1) I need to be ever vigilant in the performance of all my strength training.  Squats and DL is the arch-nemesis of my back.  I have been performing them for the past 10-12 weeks, but with relatively low weights.  With SL, I know I will be moving on up, and need to be careful. So I will rely on my fellow Warrior-Nerds to hold me accountable
  • Pass/Fail--Must post before and after type videos in order to pass!
• Cardio:  (+STA[#])  Minimum 60 minutes per week outside of SL days.  Currently SL is easy enough that I am knocking it out in about 20-30 minutes depending on the day, so I am doing 30 minutes (at least) of cardio on those days, typically the Elliptical or the Precor Stride Master (both knock about 500 calories off in 30 minutes for me)
  • Get outside: (+CON[#])  Some level of "play" must be done outdoors each week!  I have two boys (6 and 1) and the older is really into getting outside and doing things!  I love it!  He and I hike Burke Lake Park, Climb on whatever we can, play Frisbee, football, soccer, basketball, tennis, swim, swing from the trees, playgrounds, whatever we can!  This will give me some Vitamin D, and restore my sanity!
     
  • Pass/Fail grading system on a weekly basis
• (EDITED / DELETED) Log Food Intake: (+CHA[#])  I have been consistently dropping weight almost every week, but I want to start tracking my food intake!  This may prove to be the hardest goal to attain this challenge...but that is why it's called a challenge, right?  I have chosen to reward this goal with Charisma points due to the "HONESTY" factor.  I have to be honest with myself, and ask "Is it worth it?" before eating something!  I am eating mostly paleo but allow myself some exceptions (beer) occasionally (I am talking once every 3-4 weeks), and I don't really eat bread products anymore either (I turned down cake at my 1 year old's birthday cause it didn't look good)!
  • Use MyFitnessPal to track food during weekdays.
     
  • Need some help on the grading system here...weekly reflection maybe???

My inspiration all along has been my family; I have a great wife, and two wonderful boys!  My oldest even did a modified version of the PLP-60 with me last challenge which was amazing!  He is so competitive that he can't let me do anything athletic without trying to do one more than me!  Also, I need to get off these pesky medications (high Triglycerides, Low HDL cholesterol...needs to be higher).  I went for a screening in April, and made HUGE strides, but just missed the mark on the HDL.  Gotta stay on for another 6 months then re-assess!

 

I still need to figure out my point breakdown for each of the goals, but that will come soon enough!  No side/life quests this go around...not that I don't have stuff to do/work on, but I haven't thought about that yet...and don't want to over-burden this challenge and burn out, since I am still "new" to this type of structure!

 

Stats and weekly progress will be posted in Post # 2 each week.  Let's get Strong!

[VTSPE772]

Starting Stats:

 

Height: 6'4"          Starting Weight:  244.0 Lbs.     Starting BF%:  20.0% (per Gym Handheld)

 

Start of Challenge:  6/8/2014

 

Weight: 244.0 Lbs.

 

Waist: 39 in.    Neck: 16.25 in.    Wrist: 7.75 in.     Forearm: 13.5 in.     Bicep: 16 in.     Calf: 18.5 in.     Thigh: 26.75 in.

 

Calculated BF%

DoD: 21.84%     YMCA: 17.80%     Modified YMCA: 19.44%     Covert Bailey's:  14.05%     Penrose, Nelson & Fisher: 24.38%     AVERAGE: 19.5%

 

End of WEEK 1:  6/15/2014

 

Weight: 245.6 Lbs.    (+1.6 Lbs.)

 

Measurements will be coming bi-weekly, so no updates there.  Slightly disappointed in the weight gain, but only slightly...MORE disappointed with my will power.  I know what happened this week, and I will be correcting it.  Suppose it could be ALOT worse...this could just be water weight (as I ate a WHOLE lot of Smoke Whitefish for Father's Day Brunch). 

 

SL 5x5: Went 3/3 times to gym!--A

Cardio: 60 Minutes/Get Outside--A...my son and I played basketball yesterday and scootered around the school playground for 1.5 hours yesterday (It was a great Father's Day)!

Form Check: Did the pre-challenge videos (Squats are posted, DL has been taken, and will post tonight (6/16))--A

 

And of course, right after I Delete my food logging goal, I put on some weight...figures!  That's what I get for boasting about losing 2.25 Lbs. per week on average...

 

End of Week 2:  6/22/2014

 

Weight: 243.2 Lbs. (-2.4)

 

Forgot about the measurements...will try to do tonight.  Slightly more than surprised about the weight loss...as my diet has been heading towards a vacation, that my body will be on starting on Wednesday!  But a happy surprise, nonetheless!

 

SL 5x5:  Went 3/3 time to gym!--A

Cardio: 60 Minutes/Get outside--A++  No problems here...My son and I went to the gym twice this week, and I did 60 minutes of Cardio each time...Also got outside and played basketball, American football and world football (soccer) for 1.5 hours yesterday!

Form Check:  1/2 done with this challenge.  Both the squat and deadlift are posted.  Thanks to all for your comments, looking forward to posting videos at the end of the challenge with heavier weights.

 

End of Week 3: 6/29/2014

 

Weight: 244.8 Lbs. (+1.6)

 

Again, forgot about the measurements...will probably do those at the end of the challenge noow.  Vacation was awesome!  Ate some "boardwalk food", but always asked if it was worth it...and what I didn't like, I gave to my son/wife (fried oreos sounded awesome, but didn't turn out to be so great that day).  Mostly ate well, packed food to take to beach, and cooked at the home station while in town.

 

SL 5x5: Went 2/3 times to gym--B

Cardio: 60 Minutes/Get outside--A++++++++++++++  No problems here...I played outside almost all day, got well over 60 minutes of cardio per day while at the beach...We played Frisbee, football, ran around the beach (in and out of the water), walked the boardwalk, etc...IT WAS AWESOME!

Form Check: see above...waiting till the end of the challenge to re-post new form check videos for comparison.

 

 

End of Week 4: 7/6/2014

 

Weight: 246.4 (+1.6 Lbs.)--BOOOOO!!!

 

SL 5x5: Went to the gym 3/3 days! -- A

Cardio:  60 Minutes/Get outside -- A+++++++++++  Again, no problems here...Swimming pool 2 days, basketball, football (American), and Frisbee yesterday afternoon, and a whopping 60 minutes INDOOR TRAMPOLINE PARK session!  (www.flighttrampolinepark.com)  After getting acclimated to the jumping around (NO WALKING/RUNNING allowed) we were hopping everywhere. They have trampoline dodge ball setups, platforms to jump from, air bags to jump into, foam pits to jump into, basketball hoops to slam dunk on, and a shit ton of CARDIO all while doing it!  I was a sweaty mess by the end of our hour session!  I can't wait to go back, it was sooo much fun! 

Form Check:  see above...waiting till the end of the challenge to re-post new form check videos for comparison.

 

Week 3/4 takeaway:  GET YOUR FOOD INTAKE UNDER CONTROL!  NO MORE SWEET TREATS DURING THE WORKDAY, AND GET BACK TO PALEO!!!

 

End of Week 5: 7/13/2014

 

Weight: 243.0 (-3.6 LBS.)---WOOT, WOOT!!!

 

SL 5x5: Went to gym 3/3 days! -- A

Cardio:  60 Minutes/ Get outside -- A+++

Form Check: NEED TO GET ON THIS...last week already started...

 

Week 5 takeaway: Putting a week 3/4 takeaway helped me...I got my food under control...I LOST 3.6 LBS!!! And I ate BBQ and drank beer on Saturday (Lake Party)...it had to be done!

NOW I need to keep it up!

 

Going to the gym 3 days a week has become easy!  I am really going to have to think about next challenges goals, because this has become a habit now.

Cardio went well this week.  The oldest and I went to the gym on Tuesday for 60 minutes of CARDIO and a awesome stretching session (post Chiropractor).  We played outside too, went to a lake party Saturday and went Canoeing, swimming, floating, rafting, water gun fights, etc...it was awesome!

 

I go back to the Chiropractor on Tuesday to continue my treatments...I may have to find another chiropractor though, as this one is out of network (more money out of my pocket), but they are awesome.  Big takeaway on this, GET EDUCATED!  I started watching some of the Mobility WOD videos and incorporating some of that "flossing" and rolling techniques into my warm ups & cool downs.  I need to get some Lacrosse balls and some bands to bring to the gym and have at home/work for intermittent sessions throughout the day.

 

 

End of Challenge/Week 6:  7/20/2014

 

Weight: 241.6 Lbs. (Lean Muscle Mass = 196.27 lbs.)

 

Waist: 38 in. (-1 in.)   Neck: 16.5 in. (+0.5 in)    Wrist: 7.5 in. (-0.5 in.)    Forearm: 13.5 in. (+/-0.0 in.)     Bicep: 16 in. (+/-0.0 in.)    Calf: 18.5 in. (+0.5 in.)    Thigh: 28 in. (+1.25 in.)

 

Calculated BF% 

DoD: 20.59%     YMCA: 17.20%     Modified YMCA: 18.85%     Covert Bailey's:  13.05%     Penrose, Nelson & Fisher: 24.13%     AVERAGE: 18.76%

 

 

Challenge Wrap-up:

 

SL 5x5:  A+++, I only missed one workout day the entire challenge, due to vacation...

Cardio/Get Outside:  A+++, I love going outside with my son and just playing.  During this challenge we went to indoor trampoline park (the highlight of the challenge...AWESOME), we went to Burke Lake Park, played tennis, basketball, soccer, football, on the playground, etc.

Form Check Videos: A+++, Did these at the beginning and the end of the challenge!  Form got better, and the weight increased!

 

Overall, I loved that my body allowed me to do what I wanted to do!  I am tentative and nervous every time I step under the bar.  But the SL program allowed me to gain confidence each workout and figure out that my body could do what my mind was nervous about! 

 

It's a WARRIOR's life for me.  I will continue to be a warrior, and will continue to lift heavy shit...just in a different way.  Next challenge I want to focus more on Pull-ups (Lifting heavy shit = ME).  Squats and DLs will remain a major component of my training, but I will be switching back to front squats.  I want to work on the wrist flexibility, and being more upright in form it will work my upper back more.  Also, I feel less inclined to have bad form with Front Squats (e.g. ass up first, good morning type ending, etc.). 

 

I need to come up with a regimen for the upcoming challenge, but it will also include more work at home, in the evenings!  I have felt a little lazy in the evenings this challenge, and want to get back to doing bodyweight work, stretching, foam rolling, mobility, etc. during this time.  All stuff that can be done while watching whatever crappy T.V. show I am into at the moment!

 

Thanks for all the support and a great challenge!  See you soon!

[Super Destroyer]

Looking forward to seeing your goals.  Welcome to the Warriors!

[wildross]

Welcome aboard

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[Lincarte]

Here to see the sheep sheared once and for all!

[TheStephil]

Hello again!!!

 

Looking forward to seeing your goals and following you on our first Warriors challenges together.

[Stronkey Kong]

Sub'd.

[INSAIYAN]

Welcome to the Warriors!

[Hazard]

In

[VTSPE772]

Hey all, thanks for the warm welcome...Seems that I already know some of you from the Rebels, or the PvP 20 Lb. weight loss thread!  Glad to be here, and I have finally posted some goals up top.  Please let me know if they can be S.M.A.R.T. - er (smarter), after all I am still new here!

[Raev]

Welcome to the warriors!

 

If you have any questions, please ask one of us.  We are a pretty supportive bunch and have some people around here that know just about everything it seems!

[Lara]

I see you are ready to make a big start with the Warriors. Best of luck!

[TheStephil]

You are really close to your weight goal. You are going to kick-ass at this challenge just like you did your last time!

 

Glad you are trying SL too.

[AlexCold]

You say you're losing weight every week, may I ask how much?

 

If it's a decent amount (1lb a week or so) I may suggest not logging. While a helpful tool, it can really mess with the rhythm of what you're already doing. If you really want to log, I'd just write down what you ate, throughout the day vs calorie counting with an app. Just a thought. I know that when I started tracking, it really clunked up the works on what I was doing with paleo. 

[Elder]

Place holder for Weekly reports/wins/losses/measurements/grading/etc...

 

I like this idea....will save a whole bunch of searching around for things.

[VTSPE772]

You say you're losing weight every week, may I ask how much?

 

If it's a decent amount (1lb a week or so) I may suggest not logging. While a helpful tool, it can really mess with the rhythm of what you're already doing. If you really want to log, I'd just write down what you ate, throughout the day vs calorie counting with an app. Just a thought. I know that when I started tracking, it really clunked up the works on what I was doing with paleo. 

On average it's about 2 lbs. per week.  I really don't want to track...because it's just like you said, "messes with the rhythm of my mojo" (I may have paraphrased)...Thanks for confirming my deep-down thoughts.  Can I add a goal to NOT track!?  Now I gotta figure out what to put in its place.

 

Thanks for the advice!

[VTSPE772]

I like this idea....will save a whole bunch of searching around for things.

I saw someone do this in the Rebels...and it was a "lightbulb" moment for me.  Too easy!  Good to hear from you again!

[gijoe4500]

If you are effectively losing without tracking, and you fear that starting to track with throw stuff off, don't track.  There are perks of tracking, so you can see what does and doesn't work.  The more data you have to trend, the better overall, but each person needs to make the decision for themselves on what is and isn't necessary.  If you can't find something you like to replace that goal, just have 1 less goal!

[Chris56Ryan]

You go dude kick some tail.

[VTSPE772]

Alright folks,  I edited my goals to delete the Food Tracking/Logging goal, since I am consistently losing weight (average weekly loss since Feb. 16 = -2.27 Lbs. per week).

 

Other than that...I had a pretty good workout this a.m.  Working the SL 5x5 Program and my weights are still low, but that won't last too long!  Below was today's workout:

 

Squat: 1x5xBar, 5x5x120

OHP: 1x5xBar, 5x5x75

DL: 1x5xBar, 1x5x135

 

30 Minutes Cardio on the Precor StrideMaster, and 15 Minutes on the Stair Climber...I was a total sweat box by the time I was done!

 

Officials stats/weights/etc. will be posted over the weekend, but before the start of the challenge!

[Raev]

Yeah, weight won't be low for long.  Before you know it, you will be completely smoked by the end of the squats and wondering where the hell the energy is going to come from for the next lift.

[Super Destroyer]

^this. Word of advise: you will want to add more warmups as your working set gets heavier. For example, at 120, I would do 2x5x45, 5x75, 5x90, 3x105, 5x5x120. There is an example on the strong Lifts site as well.

[VTSPE772]

Yeah, weight won't be low for long.  Before you know it, you will be completely smoked by the end of the squats and wondering where the hell the energy is going to come from for the next lift.

 

^this. Word of advise: you will want to add more warmups as your working set gets heavier. For example, at 120, I would do 2x5x45, 5x75, 5x90, 3x105, 5x5x120. There is an example on the strong Lifts site as well.

Thanks @Raev & @Super Destoyer!  This is a new world for me...One: it's been years since I lifted weights.  Two: There is a lot to research.  Three: It's good to have this forum to come to to get advice, references, and resources!

 

Thanks!!!

[karinajean]

found you! yay. can't wait to see the awesomeness achieved this challenge.

[quilaho]

Nice start, man.

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