A whole deployment to get back in shape.

[Emcee Gloves]

Hello. My name is Marshall, I'm 26, I'm in the Navy, and currently I'm stationed on a small island in the geographic center of the Indian Ocean called Diego Garcia (yes, the one from Transformers). When I was stationed in New London, CT I would train with Navy Divers everyday, so I was at peak fitness. I was maxing out at around 115 push-ups in two minutes, 120 sit-ups in two minutes, and running 1 1/2 miles in 9:30 with only a two minute break between each activity. I could crank out around 35-40 pull-ups without stopping and I was benching over 200lbs. On top of this, I got to hang out on submarines, which is awesome.

Let's skip ahead. I moved to Virginia to work on fighter jets and ended up working at a desk for 8 hours a day as a database administrator. I loved my job, but I got married and had a daughter around the same time. I didn't exercise for almost 2 years straight and most of my meals consisted of as much bacon and beer as possible. I smoked 2-3 packs a day. I was in miserable shape. I decided after I left that I needed to get my ass to work, not only for myself, but I wanted my kid to grow up with the mindset that fitness and exercise are vital to a good life.

Now I'm out here on the island and I find myself going to the gym every single day. This didn't start until I found this website and found out that Brother Ali is probably the best workout music ever. I stopped smoking cold turkey, I stopped eating like crap and drinking soda, and I cut down on drinking booze. I know my workouts aren't exactly methodical or planned, I don't track my progress, and eating entirely healthy is almost impossible here because all the meat is of terrible quality and fresh fruits and veggies are few and far between but I'm back on track. I was taking rest days, but instead I use those days to work on form as opposed to lifting heavy or really getting a solid workout. I try new exercises that seem difficult or uncomfortable and I do them repeatedly with low weight while watching myself in the mirror. It has helped my bench press, squat (front and back), and dead lift form IMMENSELY. I added glucosamine, fish oil, and a couple other supplements to my routine to make up for the crap food as much as possible. I'm still struggling to get that six pack back, as it's covered up with a layer of beer fat, but I am making progress and I have this community to thank for it. When I finally settle on a routine and a direction, I'll start posting progress.

My challenge for this month:

Increase max bench by 20lbs.

Increase max squat by 50lbs.

Increase max dead lift by 50lbs.

Cheers everyone!

[Khep]

Ahhh Diego Garcia. Such a paradise, so much boredom. Good luck on your fitness goals! Deployments are the best time for working out. Work, eat, sleep, gym. Who could ask for more?