Challenge Three: Istrix and the Ultimate Unsuck!

[Istrix]

I sets some goals for the last challenge:

 

MAIN QUEST: Reconstruction:

 I have successfully torn down the ragged, bloated body I sported 6 months ago.  I've become a svelter (I love that word!) more streamlined version of myself before, with an ability to run around 4 times further than I've ever done before.  What I have not gained back yet is my former definition and horsepower.  So, now that I've lost the weight and restored the frame, it's time to work on the body, while still keeping my cardio in check to run the Super Spartan in Wintergreen, VA on August 24th.

 

Three goals:

1. I want my Six Pack back.  While I'm concerned that my second venture in to the big fat giant fat-ass world of 220lbs+ might have left a little skin around my mid section that may never completely flatten out, I'm going to do everything in my power to smite it in a fashion most biblical.  My body fat caliper disappeared in the move and I've got one in the mail so as soon as that arrive I'll update this goal with fat percentage goals
2. I want my Strength back.  In training for Tough Mudder (June 14th) I've been focusing on weight loss and cardio / endurance, and have only trained strength tangentially.  So, I want to be able to move heavy things again and strike fear into the hearts of my enemies (if I ever get any enemies anyway.  Who doesn't like me? I'm friggen charming as hell!).  I can't think of a better test than the wonderfully cliche bench press, so by the end of this six weeks (five technically since I'll be taking a week or so off when I finish my tattoo) I intend to be able to bench 225, not quite 1.5 times my current body weight.
3. I want some size, period.   I've always either been the skinny kid, and more recently the tubby fat kid.  While I've slimmed down, I'd like to have some man-bulk.  To that end, while maintaining the (TBA) body fat percentage I want to get my weight up from my current 178lb to between 185 - 190lbs of raw manliness.  Don't go getting all excited on me.

 

 

 SIDE QUESTS:

Life Side Quest: Time to re-learn management of both people and time.  I've learned recently that it's almost 100% certain I'm getting the job I've been begging and screaming to get a foot in the door into.  Why?  Well they pay a butt-ton of money, and I'm a firm believer while money cannot buy happiness the rental program is friggen amazing.  To this end I need to re-read my old management documents and books, as well as work on a personally destructive habit of silently putting off issues and conflicts and dealing with them quickly and openly.

 

Fitness Side Quest: I'd like to work directly on increasing size in my forearms.  I've always been self conscious about my skinny stick boy arms.  I've been able in the past to bulk up my bicepts and tricepts, but never as much the forearms, no matter how cut I can get them.  I'd like to fix that.

 

 MOTIVATION:

I actually have this hanging on a post-it note in my current office:

• Never look like / feel about myself the way I did when I was the aforementioned tub of lard.
• Live to my (supposedly) fairly impressive potential
• ^---- Do that through being accountable to myself, no matter how effective my current... outside motivating force is at the moment
• Win back the respect, and maybe one day love, I lost from someone most dear to me.

Guess what I accomplished:  One or maybe two work outs a week.... I didn't finish a book, spent too much money on drinky-treats to sign up for a gym, my weight is about the same (did get my body fat % down to 15 - 16%).  Basically I didn't do enough to really be sure if I accomplished what I was going for.

 

 

 

So I'm calling a mulligan.  Do over. 

 

In 25 days I'm running spartan in Wintergreen Va.  Four out of six weeks.  I've got a tail to chase, so let's re-post and amend the last challenge. 

 

 MAIN QUEST: CONSTRUCTION:

 I have successfully torn down the ragged, bloated body I sported 6 months ago.  I've become a svelter (I love that word!) more streamlined version of myself before, with an ability to run around 4 times further than I've ever done before, though I didn't maintain as hard as I could have after tough mudder.  What I have not gained back yet is my former definition and horsepower.  So, now that I've lost the weight and restored the frame, it's time to work on the body, while still keeping my cardio in check to run the Super Spartan in Wintergreen, VA on August 24th.

 

Three goals:

1. I want my Six Pack back.  While I'm concerned that my second venture in to the big fat giant fat-ass world of 220lbs+ might have left a little skin around my mid section that may never completely flatten out, I'm going to do everything in my power to smite it in a fashion most biblical.  My body fat caliper disappeared in the move and I've got one in the mail so as soon as that arrive I'll update this goal with fat percentage goals.  Was 17-18% at the start of the last challenge, aproximately 15-16% now.  Would like to hit 14% by the end of this challenge.
2. I want my Strength back.  In training for Tough Mudder (June 14th) I've been focusing on weight loss and cardio / endurance, and have only trained strength tangentially.  So, I want to be able to move heavy things again and strike fear into the hearts of my enemies (if I ever get any enemies anyway.  Who doesn't like me? I'm friggen charming as hell!).  I can't think of a better test than the wonderfully cliche bench press, so by the end of this six weeks (five technically since I'll be taking a week or so off when I finish my tattoo) I intend to be able to bench 225, not quite 1.5 times my current body weight.
3. I want some size, period.   I've always either been the skinny kid, and more recently the tubby fat kid.  While I've slimmed down, I'd like to have some man-bulk.  To that end, while maintaining the (16%) body fat percentage I want to get my weight up from my current 178lb to between 185 - 190lbs of raw manliness.  Don't go getting all excited on me.

 

 

 SIDE QUESTS:

Life Side Quest: Time to re-learn management of both people and time.  I've learned recently that it's almost 100% certain I'm getting the job I've been begging and screaming to get a foot in the door into.  Why?  Well they pay a butt-ton of money, and I'm a firm believer while money cannot buy happiness the rental program is friggen amazing.  To this end I need to finish re-reading my old management documents and books, as well as work on a personally destructive habit of silently putting off issues and conflicts and dealing with them quickly and openly.

 

Fitness Side Quest: I'd like to work directly on increasing size in my forearms.  I've always been self conscious about my skinny stick boy arms.  I've been able in the past to bulk up my bicepts and tricepts, but never as much the forearms, no matter how cut I can get them.  I'd like to fix that.

 

 MOTIVATION:

I actually have this hanging on a post-it note in my current office:

• Never look like / feel about myself the way I did when I was the aforementioned tub of lard.
• Live to my (supposedly) fairly impressive potential
• ^---- Do that through being accountable to myself, no matter how effective my current... outside motivating force is at the moment and maintain this accountability into habit, not spurts of motivation.
• Win back the respect, and maybe one day love, I lost from someone most dear to me.
• Crush the Super Spartan on August 23rd.

 

I pretty much dropped the ball on the last challenge.  I came out swinging, and fizzled out.  I'm coming out swinging again on this one. 

 

Game on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[digdscpl]

Istrix, I did the same thing with my second challenge, I set some goals and then just stopped following up.   It's not that I've done nothing but I've just had no particular direction.    I saved the You Blew It image, loved that.    Did the Sparta Sprint with a group of friends earlier this year and it was awesome, trying to convince some of them to do the Sprint and Super next year (or maybe even trifecta).    Hope you do awesome there.  I'm going to be running from zombies that same day (The Zombie Run), but that will be nowhere near as challenging.        Good luck sticking to the challenge this round.

[Istrix]

So I've been horrible about keeping up with updates and this challenge in general. But I've got these now.