New to fitness, old pals with nerd and sport

[AmBePu]

Hello, this is the first time I've actually joined any type of forum or anything, I usually prefer just creeping, but Nerd Fitness just seems different to me. I saw the site for the first time yesterday, and have been pretty much hooked since.

About me:

I'm 23, 5'8", probably 175 lbs, (I'm going to start keeping track, I've learned metrics are important). I've always been into sports and athletics, but also have been out of shape since 10th grade. (I was an active and healthy kid and ran distance track in 9th grade, when I was the skinniest I've ever been.) So for the past 8 years, my weight and fitness has fluctuated, with no real trend or me paying that much attention to it.

I played rugby in college but gave it up when I graduated because head injuries just scare me too much. Since then, I ran off and on for a couple of months, then did absolutely nothing, then started biking to work, and then playing tennis. Right now (before I found NF yesterday), I bike almost everywhere I go - on average 50 miles/week, and also play tennis for an hour once a week. But I want to get fit.

My weight depends on my general mood- when I'm unhappy and bored I eat and don't exercise. I'm going back to school for engineering, and I know I don't like school. So I want to stay active and get super-duper fit. I'm thinking about adopting some paleo-principles, but I'm mostly vegetarian, so I'm hesitant. I also think I'm going to focus on body-weight work and interval training, no gyms for me.

I'm going to join the next challenge in November, but here are some goals I want to work towards. Please let me know if you think they are 6 week goals, 6 month goals, or somewhere in between.

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1 mile in 7:00

My personal best is 6:45, but it was 10 years ago. If I had to guess, I'm probably at 8:15 if I push hard. I'm going to time myself this weekend.

1 pull-up

Even in middle school, I could never do it.

20 push-ups, perfect form

I can do 10 with decent form right now.

there and back on monkey bars

Whenever I have tried recently, I can't even go one

2 minute plank

I'm in lots of pain after 30 seconds.

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Weight/appearance wise, I think it would be cool to weigh 156.2 lbs because 562 is my area code, but that's sort of arbitrary and I don't care. I would like to punch a new hole in my belt, so losing a couple inches on my waist would be good.

Beyond that, I want to give myself the best shot at winning in tennis, and I could see doing a triathlon in a few months. And averaging 20 miles/hour on my bike around town, even considering the hills and traffic lights. But that could be far in the future.

I'm going to do all measurements and test myself on all of my goals over the weekend so I know my baseline. I'll post that and a picture by Monday.

[KentMcCann]

Hey AmBePu,

I love the goals! They should all be doable within 6 months, the plank and pushups probably within 6 weeks if you focus on them.

There's nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but definitely make an effort to stick to unprocessed foods still. I've seen, time and time again, vegetarians who assume just because they eat a specific diet that they are more healthy when in fact all they eat is crazy processed crap. It can also be a bit tough to get enough protein, so beans (although a bit high in carbs,) eggs, greek yogurt, and protein powder are going to be your friends.

Lookin' forward to seeing your progress! You've got a great attitude about everything, so just keep your eye on the prize and you'll get there!

[CyningaDena]

Welcome to the boards! It sounds like you're already pretty durn active, so you've got a really good head-start on a lot of people who are starting a fitter life. A triathlon would be crazy! I learned how to "swim" in a stock dam and it's not pretty, so the idea of having to do it for distance at speeds above the Pokey Paddle basically scares the snot out of me. That's an awesome goal to work toward!

For all of the paleo-cheering that happens here, there's also a good core of vegetarian/vegans. They've even given us our own forum! There's lots of good stuff posted there already, and folks here are very helpful whenever you have questions. The best thing I learned to do was how to plan my own weekly menus and stock my pantry for them. That way, I don't suddenly find myself hungry with nothing at hand but Wheat Thins and a bucket of hummus. Because you know that path just leads to an empty box of Wheat Thins.

It can also be a bit tough to get enough protein

I'm actually getting more protein now on a vegan diet than I was before on the "eat whatever substance is in front of me" diet. I think this concern about protein is a hold-over from the '60s when vegetarianism became trendy and people were boggled at anyone who turned down a burger. Between the soy, tempeh, quinoa, six different types of beans, bulgur, low-processed oatmeal and wheat germ, not to mention the secondary sources like nuts, I sometimes feel silly having my daily protein shake. If you aren't vegan and can throw in eggs and dairy for a guaranteed complete protein, I'd say you're golden.

[AmBePu]

Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm excited to start. (Also CyningaDena, one of my life-adventure-level-up-things is to spend an extended period of time in a place like Montana or Alaska, so I'm jealous.)

I have a couple of questions, and thought I'd throw them out here, but let me know if I should be posting elsewhere.

As far as diet, I'm not concerned with protein because I eat eggs, drink a glass or two of milk a day, and have fish or chicken for dinner maybe 3 times a week. My main issue is breakfast- what do people eat if not some sort of bread or grain?

Are monkey bars really that difficult? It seems like you need a good grip and some momentum, but not much else.

Also - pull ups vs. chin ups? Are chin ups easier, but help you train towards pull-ups?

In terms of workouts, I think I want to do varied body weight workout circuits, but changing the actual exercises and order and reps each time. But that would make it difficult to track progress on number or time for each exercise. Should I stick to maybe two different routines that I alternate to better measure, or just record the best I can and keep pushing hard?

Thanks. And please redirect me if I should ask elsewhere.

[CyningaDena]

one of my life-adventure-level-up-things is to spend an extended period of time in a place like Montana

It's god's country, I tell ya.

What do people eat if not some sort of bread or grain?

Smoothies ftw! Tofu/veggie scramble and omeletes are also fantastic when I have some cooking time, and they're perfect for cleaning out stray veggies that are on their last legs.

pull ups vs. chin ups? Are chin ups easier, but help you train towards pull-ups?

Chin-ups are indeed easier. There's some overlap between the muscles trained by chin-ups and those trained by pull-ups, but I tend to think the best way to train pull-ups is by just doing pull-ups. Steve has an article on pull-up progressions that a lot of folks here have tried with good success.

In terms of workouts, I think I want to do varied body weight workout circuits, but changing the actual exercises and order and reps each time. But that would make it difficult to track progress on number or time for each exercise. Should I stick to maybe two different routines that I alternate to better measure, or just record the best I can and keep pushing hard?

That might depend on what you consider "progress." Is your goal to lose weight, build muscle, increase mobility, or to do those specific movements better? There's a forum called Bodyweight Strength Training, and the folks who follow that forum would have a good idea of how to plan a varied program to support your goals. You're free to post your questions wherever you want -- I've never seen anyone get in a snit about forum taxonomies -- but this one tends to get lower traffic than the more specialized ones.

[AmBePu]

Here are my first pictures. It was after playing tennis, so I was all sweaty and they are blurry, but they will work for future reference.

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Baseline metrics that I hope to improve, but am not working specifically to achieve the goals. I think I should make progress by working on the other stuff. I don't feel like measuring my arms and legs and stuff, especially because it would be hard to get the same place each time. I also don't have a body-fat-caliper, so I'm just going with the basics. Let me know if you think I'm missing something.

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Current

Comments

Progress: Pretty Cool!

Progress:

Awesome!

174 lbs

not super concerned about the actual number

156.2 lbs

<150 lbs

40" top of hips

don't really know what to aim for, but would like a new hole in my belt

38"

<36"

31" stomach at narrowest

Honestly, my only reference is "Baby Got Back" when he says, "36, 24, 36, only if she's 5'3"", and I'm not completely sure what he means, so I'm going to go conservative

30"

<28"

average 13.5 mph on my bike

It is hard because each ride has different hills and stoplights and I don't want to be too sweaty when I show up somewhere.

>15 mph

>18 mph

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Goal

Current

Comments

1 pull up

0

I tried some reverse pull-ups, and they were okay. The reverse rows were hard, I need to start with the basic stuff on the progressions

<7:00 minute mile

7:58

But that was after a 4+ mile bike ride to the track, and I didn't really have any pace to compare myself to.

20 perfect push ups

10 semi-decent push ups

I was able to do 10 the first day I did the beginer body weight circuit workout, but 2 days later, I could only do 4, so I need to improve

2 minute plank

0:41

But I tested myself 2 days after the circuit workout, so I think I was still sore

monkey bars, there and back

able to move from 1 bar to the next

It was really hard on my hands. Losing weight will really help this.

Climb up the tall fire-man pole at the playground in 30 sec

Able to climb the short pole

Ouch. I think I'll just try every so often.

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Here is my tentative workout plan. I am going to be taking it easy with the squats and lunges because they absolutely killed my bike riding for a few days after doing the circuit, so I'll either substitute them out, or just do a few each time.

MWF- Body weight circuit (plus about 13 miles on bike)

TTh - Interval running or maybe swimming (plus about 6 miles on bike)

Sat- test max mile, max push up, and max plank (plus about 7 miles on bike)

Sun- Tennis