Rebels Report! How'd you do?

[JBarduhn]

GOALS:

Fitness:

1) Bench 225 at least twice. For reals this challenge -- A+

Just got it! - Fantastic feeling, for reals.

2) Practice TI Swimming Drills at least Once a Week -- F

I got past the first couple weeks great, but then the combination of working late hours at the bar, and trying to get up at 5AM to swim caught up with me.

3) Hold a 2 min Plank 3 consecutive times in a row (same workout) -- N/A

I've realized that I pretty much hate planks. Feel like I've been getting a ton of ab/core work from my deadlifts and pullups and other work. So yeah, I dropped this as a goal.

4) Run a 5K in less than 30 min. -- F

Totally forgot about this! Oopps!

Life:

1) Finish & Cross Every T and Dot Every I on my Immigration Paperwork -- A+

Seemed pretty daunting at first, but I buckled down and got it done! All submitted and waiting to hear back from the lawyer.

2) Re-invigorate my blog, and start new photo project -- B-

Didn't adjust my blog at all, but nailed 3 wedding shoots, and also started writing for a new blog project that I have in mind for the coming months. I'm not sure how its going to turn out, but I'm even more committed now that I read Steve's post on "failing more"

Measurements:

Height: 6'5" - The Same

Weight:184 lbs -- 180 as of today (-4)

Neck: 15.5" -- 16" (+.5)

Chest: 39" -- 40" (+1)

Shoulders: 19" -- 20" (+1)

Biceps (tape under armpit, not center of arm): 14" -- 14" (same)

Stomach (at belly button): 34" -- 32" (-2) (wow!)

Waist (just above hips): 35" -- 34.5" (-.5)

Hip (at widest): 42" -- 40" (-2)

Thigh: 25" -- 24" (-1)

Wrist: 7.25" -- 7.25" (same)

I'm assuming the lost in Waist & Hips is due to me tinkering with my diet, and the loss in thigh circumference due to not having squatted in over 4 weeks or deadlifted in over 2 weeks.

Overall, I feel great, and am enjoying whats changing in the mirror (Im starting to actually have a CHEST?!, whats that like!?)

As a grade though, due to my scores above, I give myself an average of a C, So passing, but not excelling.

Good to read about everyone else's progress! These challenges are pretty awesome

[Knurdle]

I haven't been very active in the forums but I was working out.

My fitness goals.

1) 10 pullups (5 currently) - B+ - I hit 9 pullups and 10 chinups.

2) Workout 4x a week. I'm currently only doing it 3x a week. - A - I was varying my workouts more and just working out whenever I had the chance.

3) Start jumping rope, at least once a week. - F - Didn't jump rope even once. I couldn't find my jump rope and I just gave up.

Diet Goals

1) Drink less beer. I work at a startup with friends and it happens way too often that'll we go out for lunch and get a beer. I need to skip those beers. Totally empty calories and I do it more out of being with the crowd. Totally unnecessary. A - Totally cut back on the beer and bad food in general.

2) Try intermittent fasting once. I'm going to try skipping breakfast/lunch once this challenge and reassess how I feel. Might do it more if I find it useful. - F - I started to try it but I got so hungry, I couldn't concentrate at work.

Life Goals

1) Work on my linkedin profile. I have no plans for looking for a job anytime soon but when I want a new job, I don't want to have to scramble. I want the job to come to me, not to have to hunt for the job. - F - Fail, didn't even look at it.

2) Sleep more. Get to bed before 12 as much as possible especially if I'm at home and just putzing around on the computer. A - Made it a point to get to bed at a reasonable time each night.

So all in, I would say it probably averages out to a C?

I feel like I'm a lot stronger, doing the 10 chinups was great even though I wanted 10 pullups.

My diet has changed dramatically and I think that was partly to blame for my failing at fasting. It's only been in the last week that I haven't been hungry all the time. I was eating almonds constantly at work because I was hungry and I haven't had any in the past week I think. I think it took a while for my body to adjust to a better/less carb diet.

Though weight loss wasn't a goal, I've lost about 5lbs but the best thing is that I've gone down a belt size. I haven't measured myself but I think I've lost about 1.5 inches off my waist.

I think the best part of the challenge has been that I feel like these are lasting changes. I don't crave bad food as much, when I do eat something bad, I really feel the effects of it on me. I've always been the eat everything and eat a lot of it kind of person. The only thing that has saved me so far has been my fast metabolism.

But these last 2+ months of eating better has really changed how I feel about food. I say 2+ months because I started working on stuff before the challenge.

[thegeezneez]

Diet/Fitness Goals

1. Strength Train 3X per week. C

2. Go to at least one kickboxing class a week. Bonus points if I get 2 in! F

I didn't go at all! Boo to me!

3. Keep eating Paleo with occasional treats. D

I did well the first 3 weeks, but then the last 3 I did horrible. Complete opposite of Paleo basically. I'm back at it though and feel so much better.

4. No more Red Bull. A

This is one the few things I aced. The downside though is I started drinking more coffee drinks. Egg Nog Lattes are my current downfall...will consider this during the next challenge.

Life Goals

1. Clean my cottage and keep it clean. D

2. Make a list of all items I own in the cottage. F

3. Work-Complete tasks assigned on time and take more initiative. Organize current training material and create a solid training program. A

This is still a work in progress only because new info has come up for training, but I have been on task and taking initiative. I'm proud of myself. Also, just got my review and my boss literally had nothing bad to say.

4. Complete challenge even if I fail. I have a tendency to be on board with challenges only to choke halfway through and give up. I will complete this challenge even if I fail at it. A

Ha ha. I totally forgot about this. I did feel like I failed at the challenge and I almost didn't post my results because of my failure.

Overall Grade C-

[DreadMaster]

Beginning Goals

1. 10 Pullups- I finally got to 10 at like the last week, and it was so surprisingly awesome!!

2. 40 Pushups and 40 Crunches- Didn't quite make it there, possibly because I never tried.... I should definitely try next time though.

3. Didn't get to play soccer every Saturday or Sunday cause something always came up... it was pretty pathetic... but whatever.

4. I started getting into a groove with the palio life style by eating more and more greens and proteins, still not sure if I should add grains in the mix yet though. (I'm kinda scared about the whole "grains make you fat" thing from this movie I watched a while ago...)

5. I don't think I pierced the heavens this time around, but you bet your wallet I'm gonna Pierce it Next Time!!!

Overall I believe I've learned a lot about diet and exercising, especially about resting.. Ah man, that was a good first challenge for me! I give myself a B-

My starting point:

Age: 19

Weight: 167 pounds

Height: 5''5

Right Leg: 23.5 in

Left Leg: 23.5 in

Right bicep:12.5 in

Left bicep: 12.5 in

Waist: 33 in

Chest: 34 in

And My ending point:

Age: 19

Weight: 15.8

Height: 5"5

Left Bicep: 13"

Right Bicep: 13"

Left Leg: 23 1/2"

Right Leg: 23 1/2"

Waist: 32"

Chest: 34 1/2"

[Shortkaik]

And My ending point:

Age: 19

Weight: 15.8

Height: 5"5

Seems like you had a really great challenge! Hope the next one goes as well!

(Also, I'm hoping that was a typo and your weight is 158, not 15.8... that would be some impressive loss, there!)

[DreadMaster]

Seems like you had a really great challenge! Hope the next one goes as well!

(Also, I'm hoping that was a typo and your weight is 158, not 15.8... that would be some impressive loss, there!)

Oh! Hahahaha Rofl Ok yeah that was a typo! haha its one 158. Thats pretty funny

[andygates]

Bah, C. Weightlifting goal: yes. Swim goal: LOL not even. Noms goal, er, I got bored of paleo and rediscovered the pasty. General gumption goals, fail. In my defence, the swim goal was silly to include, and I've had vehicle trouble. Still. Weightlifting goal: yes.

[bamfitude]

My lack of logging in over the last 4 weeks might be one way of telling why I did so poorly in this challenge.

FITNESS / HEALTH GOAL 1: Lose 15 lbs. Current weight: 250.5, height 5'5"

Ending Weight: 245.5

I did lose some weight, but not as much as I wanted to.

FITNESS / HEALTH GOAL 2: work through the Rebel Fitness Guide workouts consistently, meaning 3 days / week of those workouts and 4 of another kind of activity (walking to work, swimming, etc.)

I did walk to work #2 from work #1 almost every day, weather permitting, which I am pretty proud of, and I had kept this up, trying to find more ways to work a 2-3 mile walk in during my days.

Grade: C

FITNESS / HEALTH GOAL 3: taking the stairs instead of the elevator! I work on the 8th floor and my apartment is on the 5th floor, so this is no mean feat.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAh

Lesson learned: I really, really hate stairs. A lot. F

FITNESS / HEALTH GOAL 4: (Bonus round!) Eat clean! I've wanted to improve my diet for a long time, and I am kind of in love with the whole paleo idea, so my goal is to eat clean the majority of the time. I've got a spreadsheet on my computer that I'll share at some point breaking down the meals I plan to make in advance and the days I'm going to give myself off.

I have definitely improved my eating, but came very far short on my pale goals and the planning of meals beforehand.

Grade: D

And I'll accomplish this by...

LIFE GOAL #1: Saving $2,000! I am planning a trip to London in January and I need to save money which means:

I saved $1500! So, good! Let's not talk about my credit card bill, which I am also working on.

Grade: B+

I'm looking forward to the next six week challenge, so I can take this to the next level!

['Roos]

BF: 36.1 - 35.2% (-0.9%)

Weight: 209.5-208

Overall, moderate success on the weight loss front, but... SUCCESS on the thesis front. I proposed yesterday and my proposal was successful, so I'm now prepped for another 18 months of work at least, to get this shit done.

I also feel like I learned a lot during my challenge. Emotional eating triggers. Verified today that I SHOULD NOT bring dates home from the grocery shop.

From my squad challenge I learned what I normally thought of as my sprint was actually just a fast run. I really enjoy sprints in my vibrams. I have a lope, a run (lope with purpose) and an actual sprint, which I probably shouldn't do on, ya know, uneven ground.

I also learned that even while kind of screwing up I could move in a somewhat positive direction. Some weight loss, even under adverse conditions. I have a lot to work for in this next challenge, and I'm really hopeful I'll get some serious stuff done.

Overall, C+ for the challenge. Thesis proposed. Norwegian, not really undertaken. Kettlebell, swung. Some paleo action? Undertaken but not really... done right. Weight loss goal and %? Not met.

But! I HAVE PICTURES!

Left is July, Right is October

[Robzilla1983]

Robzilla - way to just kill this challenge! you should feel so proud of yourself, because you leveled up all over the place. i also like the fact that you made a conscious effort to have a positive attitude at work too... if that's the place you spend most of your week, might as well try not to feel crappy about it, right? excited to see what you do with the next challenge - 10k? even faster 5k?

thanks

Yours and caco's encouragement got me off my ass more than on e this challenge. Don't really plan to run as much next time. Gonna hit up the weights and eat like crazy. The plan is for three off days a week, so depending on how I feel then I might get a run in.

[Hermione Gainser]

Way to go, Roos! Definite progress in those pics!

Thesis proposal is no small feat, either.

[Robzilla1983]

@JBarduhn Man that bench is awesome. Good job.

[JBarduhn]

@JBarduhn Man that bench is awesome. Good job.

Thanks man! So much. I am going to try and video tape it for visual proof soon. I tried again after my success, unspotted though, and got 1, and then JUST failed on the second one. So I'm gonna try and video early next week and see how it goes.

[Hannibal]

I did pretty much exactly like I did the first one of these I did, ending up with a 3.06 GPA.

Running: A

Body weight: CB

Diet: BA

Alcohol: BA

Japanese study: D

Japanese conversation: C

Get out & do something: A

Read: A

There's more info in my challenge thread.

A "B" grade isn't bad. I'd have liked an A, but oh well. Maybe next time.

[bildungsroman]

It's a good thing Steve's last post was about failure, because there's plenty of it here. My 6-week challenge can be summed up this way: "How 5 weeks of good go to shit thanks to one and a half weeks of bad".

Here were my original goals:

Fitness and Diet:

1. Be able to do 60 push-ups in a row without teh death

2. Body fat down to 20%

3. Continue eating paleo at home, cut booze consumption to under 150 PLN/month (that's about $50, which is less than half of what I spend on evenings out per month these days). This is good for both my wallet and my diet, since I tend to prefer micro-brewed beers that are both pricier and loaded with carbs... Mmmmmm beer.... *tries to refrain from drooling a la Homer Simpson*

Scoring: 1 and 2 are pass/fail, 3 will be graded on actual amount spend - so hitting the goal is A, going under is A+, each 10 PLN over is a letter grade down, etc. Also, point 1 must be documented with video to count!

Life:

1. Get at least one either well-paid or well-positioned writing job.

Scoring: Based on how much money from writing/potential long-term clients I bring in.

And a new category I'm going to call "habits" - as in one habit I've been working on developing and will be focusing on, so by the end of the challenge it's ingrained in my head as a habit and I can move on to forming other ones next time.

Habits:

1. When working, JUST WORK. That means no distractions, no open email clients, no Reeder, no checking Facebook, no snacking, no cleaning, no making another cup of coffee, no chasing the cat around the apartment, no excuses, until the task at hand is done. This is my attempt to overcome my "Facebook itch". +15 to awesomeness if I can work while standing all month.

...and here's how I did:

Fitness and Diet:

1. F. I could probably do it two weeks ago, and then I got sick and can barely do 20 right now.

2. F. Went down to 26.14% from 26.72%, but about as far from 20% as when I started

3. F. Spent 202 PLN on alcohol in September, far more than that already in October thanks to my birthday and a week-long festival

Life:

1. C. Got a long-term client for writing HTML newsletters (and learned how to make HTML newsletters, yay), but other than the initial commission it won't be that well-paid in the future.

Habits:

1. B. Did do well on this when I had steady work. I've now developed a habit of working while standing at home (and I really enjoy it), plus I keep the email/FB checking reserved for certain hours. Of course, if I don't have paid work that day, it's still hard to stay on task.

OVERALL: D-

If nothing else, I now have several goals to repeat for the next challenge...

[PlastiqueFruit]

Fitness Goals:

Get myself from knee push ups to actual push ups: C (73%)

I'm starting to add them in to my workout. I do normal pushups to failure, then do knee pushups.

Use the climbing wall at my gym once a week: A+ (100%)

Totally rocked this one. I went from barely making it halfway up the easy route once, to be being able to hit the top 4 times on more than one route. Never missed and even went bouldering on the mornings occasionally. I'm going to continue this.

Do 1 pull up(chin up?): F (59%)

Not even close. still doing inverted rows. I'm fairly pathetic.

Personal goal:

Remove $1000 dollars from my current debt mountain: D(66%)

I maybe got 500 off.

Over all grade: C (74%)

The only exercise I did consistently during these last three weeks was the climbing wall. I did not train enough for any noticeable gains on the strength front, which is disappointing, But I've only got myself to blame. On the flip side, the only thing standing in my way is me. And I know I can take that sucker down.

Thanksgiving week was murder on my primal lifestyle. Oh well, time to begin again.

[Loren Wade]

PlastiqueFruit - Wrong thread? http://nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?6591-Rebels-Report-How-did-you-do

[llsoszynski@gmail.com]

Roos- Great job!! Keep it up!