Geek to Sheik

[Trebin]

The name is Mark aka Trebin, Trebin is my gamer handle from various games and gaming sites. I am also an avid member on the Animal Pak FORVM which is what first got me started in to lifting. I have made amazing gains in the last year and a half however my diet has sucked and my body isn't changing like it should. I have been teetering w/ the paleo diet for quite some time and I am now finally ready to try it. Why not right? I like to pretend I am a big tough guy and some times I try to think of what character I would be in warcraft if it were real life. This is a tough question because I see myself as a warrior but then I think that due to enjoying the planning and thinking things through I would probably be a mage. Hence the title I decided to choose.

About me:

I am 6'5" and currently weight between 275 and 280 depending on the day. I am an IT nerd w/ a Masters in Computer Science so I sit on my arse 9 hours a day. I started lifting in the winter of 2010 and I am at the end of year 2. The entire first year was me going to the gym and guessing at it. I made some decent gains but the weights were not what I wanted. I am not built to be a bodybuilder and even if it is something I considered I doubt I could be competitive without the aid of science which isn't going to happen. Growing up I was always considered country strong or cowboy strong. I could pick up and put down heavier shit then most of the other guys. So after a year I got on the Animal forum and started chatting around and really began to learn about lifting and lifting plans. At the beginning of the journey last August my lifts were:

Bench Press 205

Squat 225

Deadlift 275

Military Press 95

Since then I have ran 531 mostly by Jim Wendler and used it to get my numbers up. I also started training to be a strongman as of 2 months ago. I currently do my normal training 4 days during hte week and have 1 strongman session on Saturdays. Needless to say it is a lot of work and the event training is very hard to do which is why the sessions usually last 3 hours. The goal is recovery to try the next lift. My lifts as of today are:

Bench Press 295 (not a focal point for strongman)

Squat 405

Deadlift 500

OHP 235

Strong Man Maxes:

Atlas Stone 230lb for 2 reps on 48" platform

Farmers Walk 285lbs per side for 15 feet

Viking Press 350lbs

Arm Over Arm 405lbs

600lb Tire 10 flips 24.93 seconds

Log Press 240lbs

Now I wanted to lead in to the part I really struggle at. I am hitting a plateau and I know it is because of my diet. I have tried to eat clean but I love dirty shitty food and I cannot seem to kick the habit. I tell my wife all the time what I want to do and the typical response is that it is too expensive. She has finally decided to try weightwatchers and it is really working for her. The good news with that is that she sees why I asked for the food I did and how much food you can eat when you eat clean. I had looked in to Paleo before but steered away from it. I know that based on my current training I cannot eliminate all carbs but I think I can place them more appropriately which should help with me burning the body fat I have. I feel like a bear but look like a cow and this needs to change.

TLDR: I am awesome, thank you.

[Laureleye]

I'm a WeightWatchers member, and I manage to eat fairly paleo. The rest of her group will think she is crazy, but can't have everything. WW also really pushes cardio, but I hope she's doing some strength training with you. It sure is easier if you're both doing it, right? Good luck with your transformation.