Hello to the Nerd Rebellion

[GDPWired]

Hello everyone,

My name is Gareth and I am a web designer based out of Northern Ireland. I found Steve's blog many months ago while doing a search for the best order in which to do weights and cardio for weight loss. I landed on an article from Nerd Fitness (turns out just weight lifting was best - mind = blown) and I was won over by the personality of Steve's writing and the manner in which he approached his articles. Being a nerd myself it really appealed to me. From there I was exposed to the paleo lifestyle and Marks Daily Apple which opened my eyes to so many new things about nutrition that I was floored.

I have now decided to join the Nerd rebellion. It took a while for me to reach this decision but I have recently established what my goals are in terms of health and fitness and I think joining the community here on NF will help me stay on target to reach those goals (Star Wars reference FTW).

If I may here is a little background on how I got to where I am and where I want to be over the next few months and beyond.

I joined a traditional Jiu Jitsu club while in my second year of university and trained until 2004 when I got my black belt. Back then I was in great shape. I had 14% body fat (may even have been less than that as I only ever got it done once - it's now sitting in the 20s somewhere), was training in Jiu Jitsu several times a week and lifting weights at least 3 times a week. That was a long time ago.

Not long after I got my black belt I ended up quiting training. Due to the pressures of the real world I just wasn't able to make the time. I also stopped training completely and put on a lot of weight.

Leading up to my wedding in 2007 I started going to the gym again and attended spinning and Body Pump classes. I did this for many, many months and got in pretty decent shape again. In fact I went spinning the morning of my wedding to help with the nerves. Then after the wedding the training stopped and the weight piled back on.

Then the year that my first child was due (2007) I spent the summer lifting weights again for a holiday, kept this up after the holiday, then stopped it after the baby was born and put the weight back on.

Then last year (2011) I went back to Jiu Jitsu. I found that I missed it and had a chance encounter with a former training partner who was running a club near to where I now live. So I got back into training, lost some weight, and then got exposed to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and started training in that alongside the traditional Jiu Jitsu stuff.

Then my second daughter was born... and this time I didn't stop training! Well actually I did, but only for 11 weeks while we got our house in order and the new baby in as much of a routine as we could.

Now I am in a position where I want to work towards my 2nd Dan. Easier said than done. Right now my fitness is actually very bad. I've been gassing pretty hard during training finding myself struggling to continue training. I am also carrying quite a bit of excess flab round my gut which certainly can't be helping things.

So for now my immediate goals are to improve my fitness levels so that I do not fall apart 5 minutes into the grading. No dates have been given yet but it is most likely that the next black belt gradings will be held in November. That's 5 months away. It's not ideal but I feel I should be able to get somewhere close to where I need to be for the grading. And that's why I have joined the Rebellion. To state my goals, get accountable and do my best to reach those goals!

I am looking forward to getting to know the community and sharing my experiences with all of you. In turn I will offer any help or advice that I can along the way.

[bigm141414]

Welcome Gareth! Glad to have you here! We've got a small but active group of martial artists on this board and we're always happy to have one more. I wish you success in gaining your 2nd Dan.

If you have any questions or need any help from us don't hesitate to ask

[GDPWired]

Welcome Gareth! Glad to have you here! We've got a small but active group of martial artists on this board and we're always happy to have one more. I wish you success in gaining your 2nd Dan.

If you have any questions or need any help from us don't hesitate to ask

Thanks bigm141414. I appreciate the welcome. I'll have to get to know this small but active group. There is so much to take in on these baords that I was unsure where to start but I will probably start there now.

Thank you.

[bigm141414]

Thanks bigm141414. I appreciate the welcome. I'll have to get to know this small but active group. There is so much to take in on these baords that I was unsure where to start but I will probably start there now.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

The Monk's Dojo is a general chat thread and then there is the Monks Challenge Thread where everyone hangs out and discusses their goals for the 6 week challenge (currently one week in, so if you feel like joining in on the fun plenty of time left )

[GDPWired]

Oh, sounds interesting! I started into my new fitness goals this very week (last night in fact) so maybe I can get in on that. Will have to look and see what's involved.