Getting buff..

[Knurdle]

New on the forums and just wanted to say hi. Sorry for the long introduction. Just wanted to get some of it off my chest as well.

I've been doing the beginner bodyweight exercises for about 2 weeks now and it's been amazing.

My background. 34yo(almost 35), 5'10", 162lbs. Computer geek, working at a startup.

I've been pretty slim most of my life. I went through a few years where I was packing on the lbs by just eating really badly and drinking way too much beer.

I hit a max of about 180lbs in around 2007 and I started running. I hated it at first but then I really started to enjoy it.

I was running about 25-30 miles a week in 2008. I was also having issues at work so it was a good release. I was a little obsessed with it, I would go to happy hour, drink a couple of beers and then go run 3 miles after that. I dropped down to a low of about 155lbs at some points. At some points, I couldn't eat enough to maintain my weight.

Then a lot of changes in 2009, new job, had a kid. I stopped running, was taking too much time and I wanted to spend it with my daughter. I will say I'm really glad I was doing all that running when I had my kid. I was in such great cardio/mental state that I could go for days with barely any sleep and be okay.

I've dabbled with different workouts, stick with it for a few weeks but never really saw results from them. I was doing the 100 pushups thing, burpees for a while, lifting dumbbells next, etc.

I can't remember how I came across Steve's site but I started doing the bodyweight workouts about 2 weeks ago and like I said, it's been amazing.

My body has really changed in 2 weeks. Pants are slightly looser, I'm getting a little bit of a V shape in my upper body, something I've never had in my entire life.

I'm completely sold on the bodyweight circuits.

The hardest part for me has been the diet. I love to eat and it's not something I'm willing to give up. BUT I have made significant changes to my diet. I've cut back a ton of carbs from my diet, which has been really hard for me because I'm a carb fiend.

Instead of eating all the bread on the table which is really easy for me, I'll have a couple of pieces, instead of eating half the bowl of tortilla chips, I'll have a quarter.

I figure every little bit counts. I try not to limit myself on food but just limit how much of it I eat.

I don't really have a set of goals which is weird for me because I'm normally a really goal oriented person. I've been having a great time with the bodyweight exercises. Plus I love that it's only taking about 20mins every other day and it's the fastest I've seen my body change. Plus it's something that's just hard enough but not too hard so that I get discouraged. I love the process of small incremental successes. 1 extra pushup is 1 more than I did 2 days ago.

Actually, I'll take back what I just said. My goal is to be around for a long time for my daughter, to never be too tired to play with her or take her somewhere she wants to go. To always be able to keep up with her and for her to be proud of her dad. I don't want to be that dad with the gut who sits around while his kids run around the park. I want to set a good example for my kid. I want to go jogging with her when she learns to ride a bicycle.

And I would love to someday be able to do a handstand pushup. Actually, I'll be pretty happy if I can do a plain handstand.

Okay, sorry for rambling and thanks if you've read this far.

[Timmy M]

you seem pretty set, keep it up... i'll leave you to it

though have you ever considered adding a bit of Olympic lifting into the mix? that's fun and will get your whole body moving, all you need is a bar, some weights and bit of practise to nail form

[Knurdle]

We're really tight on space right now. We're looking to move around the beginning of next year so I might have an opportunity then but my current situation just doesn't work. That's why I'm a big fan of the bodyweight stuff though I'm really trying to find a way to get a pull up bar. I bought one last week but I found out that it doesn't fit anywhere in the house. I'm trying to figure another way to get pull ups in my mix.

you seem pretty set, keep it up... i'll leave you to it

though have you ever considered adding a bit of Olympic lifting into the mix? that's fun and will get your whole body moving, all you need is a bar, some weights and bit of practise to nail form

[Lyssi]

Look for a "Door gym." It goes over a door frame and BAM instant pull up bar. Both my dad and brother have one and use them for pull ups :]

So as long as your doors aren't really weirdly sized, it should fit over any door

[Knurdle]

That's actually the one I bought but we only have one door that has a frame around it and it also has a hinge that closes the door automatically so it doesn't fit.

I think I'm going to have to get a pressure fit one and try to find a place in the garage to mount it so I don't damage any of the door frames.

Look for a "Door gym." It goes over a door frame and BAM instant pull up bar. Both my dad and brother have one and use them for pull ups :]

So as long as your doors aren't really weirdly sized, it should fit over any door