tgsmith489 is a Viking

[aquadwayne]

Hey everybody,

 

I haven't been on here in a while. I went on vacation to Disney World in March when I got engaged. Since then, I've been eating like crap and actually put on 40lbs. I started at 347lbs 2 1/2 years ago, got down to 232lbs, then quit. I've tried a few times to get back into it, but haven't been successful yet. I suspect it's because I try to jump right back where I left off with the nutrition and exercise instead of approaching it like a new adventure. This time I want to make it stick.

 

Goal 1: Workout at least 3x a week.

Goal 2: Cut back eating out to once or twice a week.

Goal3: Drop 5 lbs (265lbs)

Bonus: Drop > 10 lbs

 

I'm pretty tired of feeling too fat for my clothes. I'm tired of feeling exhausted all the time. I'm tired of feeling like I'm not as happy as I used to be. I think a lot of this has to do with my self image. Getting back to the gym, fitting into my clothes properly, and putting better food into my body should fix this. I just need to stick with it for more than a few days.

[miss_marissa]

Welcome back!!! Happy to have you along for the ride and to cheer you on.

 

Might want to update your signature link as it's all wonky right now

 

Oh look @Rurik Harrgath another Viking!

[SpecialSundae]

Welcome back!  

[Rurik Harrgath]

14 hours ago, miss_marissa said:

Oh look @Rurik Harrgath another Viking!

 

I have been summon, and so I arrive.

 

Welcome back to the forums, mate!  I'll be your source of all things Viking motivation.

 

 

[aquadwayne]

Thanks guys! I made it to the gym yesterday, although it is still a struggle getting back to it. I've been doing the Bigger,Leaner, Stronger program which is 4-6 rep range. It's not really doing it for me right now. I'm thinking about switching to a higher volume plan so I can get the "pump". That way there's a feel-good incentive to go to the gym while I'm getting my routine set back up. Once I'm back into the routine for a while, I can switch to a higher weight, lower volume plan. Any suggestions for routines? I'm also going to add about 20 minutes of cardio to the end of each session.

[miss_marissa]

Do you have a full gym available to you?

[aquadwayne]

Yeah, I go to a local gym.

[miss_marissa]

You can try poking around the programming section of forums for some ideas. Danger Method is fairly popular with the nerds. Or also try searching sites like bodybuilding.com. Really up to you for what you will like

[aquadwayne]

In the past, I've done James Grage's Rewired program as well as an 8x8. I'll take a look at Danger Method.

[miss_marissa]

14 minutes ago, tgsmith489 said:

In the past, I've done James Grage's Rewired program as well as an 8x8. I'll take a look at Danger Method.

@Sam Ashen is a big fan of 10x10. He could probably give you some tips

[Sam Ashen]

23 minutes ago, miss_marissa said:

@Sam Ashen is a big fan of 10x10. He could probably give you some tips

 

I usually think I am in a lot of trouble when I am quoted, and even more trouble when mentioned.  Regarding diet, my thread contains excellent examples of what NOT to do.  Looking at your goals, I would suggest Rurik is an excellent example, especially in his early Challenges.  He found success with the combination of Crossfit and Paleo and he is one of the main reasons I do not say anything bad about Crossfit.

 

The main diet advice I can think of right now is to find something that works for you.  I am big on tracking, especially on the bad days.

 

The same applies to exercise.  Find something you love.  I see a big axe under your name and that marks you as a Warrior.  So that implies you love lifting.  I do not know what James Grage's Rewired program is, but I can look it up.  I don't know what exercises you are running 8x8, but that seems to be a LOT of reps.

 

The Dangerous Four-Day Split is what I call the Danger Method looks very intimidating at first.  Basically it pairs Squats with Bench Press, and Deadlifts with Overhead Press and you run four days per week with those lifts, plus accessories.  So:

Monday: Squat / Bench Press, plus accessories.

Tuesday: Overhead Press / Deadlift, plus accessories.

Thursday: Bench Press / Squat, plus accessories.

Friday: Deadlift / Overhead Press, plus accessories.

 

If you look at the spreadsheet, you will notice that the volume is lighter on Thursday and Friday and that is because it is marked as an "Intermediate Level" program.  That means you are setting a new Set x Rep x PR at the gym every week instead of every time you go to the gym.

 

The popular beginner program everybody around here either loves or hates is StrongLifts.  You run 5 sets of 5 reps on the major lifts and keep adding weight until you stall.  What I like about it is it is simple and involves the major lifts and it gets people (myself included) passionate about lifting.  Why does it get people passionate about lifting?  Because for a while, every time you go to the gym, you run 5x5xPR.  And it's simple!

 

My own programming is done by somebody who loves Bulgarian-inspired methods.  So based on what I have learned on the Dark Side, the thought I have for you is if you are planning to train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and you miss Wednesday for some reason, it is OK to train Monday, Thursday and Friday.  You are not going to die.

 

I have no idea if this is helpful.

[aquadwayne]

@Sam Ashen I ran the 8x8 about a year ago because I read an article about Vince Gironda doing so. It worked, but was very challenging mentally and physically. I have run SL5x5 in the past and found the squats to be too much. It reached the point where the gym was my least favorite part of my day because it meant doing squats every day I was there. Rewired is a program I found on BB.com that is based around supersetting with similar lifts i.e. benchpress & cable crossovers.

 

Diet is a totally different beast. I'm trying to figure out how to change my habits long term. I have had success with tracking my food in the past, but I don't want to be tethered to a phone or notebook for the rest of my life to track everything that goes in my body. I've pretty much been eating shit for the last 7 1/2 months (eating out every day, WAY too many calories). Right now I'm focusing on eating more whole foods. I have to admit that I do love bread though so I may keep some of that in my diet (I get whole wheat bread with no added sugars). I realize this means I may never get "shredded", but it also means that I won't have to live the rest of my life by the numbers.

[aquadwayne]

After doing a little looking, I think I'm going to go with 531-BBB. It was a plan I was looking at before I quit lifting and I think the boring but big version will have enough hypertrophy to keep me interested. I'm also going to add 20 mins cardio at the end of the workout.

 

Today I also took my dog for a 40 minute walk before work. I got her from a shelter 3 weeks ago and she is having problems with separation anxiety. When we leave her out of the kennel for the day she poops in the house. When we put her in the kennel she cuts her face up trying to get out of the kennel. I'm not sure what to do, so I'm trying some new things. I read that exercising with your dog in the morning so she's tired can help. My fiance is ready to take her back to the shelter, but I've grown attached and I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. Other than the separation anxiety, she's a great dog. Does anyone else have experience with this?

[aquadwayne]

 

I started 531 on Monday with squats, because fuck it. My legs are pretty sore (as was expected after a long break), but good sore. Today I'm doing deadlifts and looking forward to it. I still can't say that I'm 100% hitting all of my numbers all of the time, but I'm making sure to get enough protein while not overdoing my calories for the day. I'm gradually getting closer and closer to 100% with each day. Each "correct" decision I make gets me a little closer to where I want to be mentally.

 

On a totally different note, after many years of not playing, I'm getting a D&D group together to try out 5e. We had our first session last Friday and will be playing again this Friday. I am the DM, which I was mediocre at in high school but not great at anymore. I'm really used to having EVERYTHING written out which takes way too much time and effort. I remember playing with a DM who didn't seem to have anything prepared, but knew exactly what he wanted to happen in the storyline and ran a really natural flowing game. I want to be a DM like that. Does anyone have suggestions that may help me with this? Also, do you normally do accents and voices when roleplaying NPCs?

 

TL:DR;

- Workouts and Diet are going well

- How do I become a better DM without preparing every little detail?

- Do you do voices/accents when roleplaying NPCs?