Where I am currently at: Need input from the Rebellion

[Tom Kenobi]

Update on where I am at. I've put a little bit of the info on my profile(about me section), I'm sure i've probably sounded elusive when talking about my "personal 101 day challenge". Here is an excerpt from my original challenge that I sent to Steve Kamb when I first got started & then posted on Facebook in order to throw the guantlet down and either put up or utter humiliate myself for an epic fail if I didn't.

Level 1 is an 101 day challenge. Beginning Tuesday 06/28/2011, ending on Thursday 10/06/2011.

'APPEARANCE IS A CONSEQUENCE OF FITNESS' ~ Mark Twight Personal Trainer for “300”

Level 1's purpose is not to be “ripped” or “buff”, this can happen as a by product. The goal is to increase strength and endurance. It will be measured by the gradual increase in reps, sets and time accomplished for each appropriate exercise. I have taken one side and one front picture of my upper body. I will not take another picture or even inspect my body in the mirror for physical progress until Saturday 10/08/2011. I will then take another set up pictures for comparison. I will make a Level 2 goal and repeat the same process.

CIRCUIT 1: 5 Squats, 5 Pull Ups, 5 Dips, 30 second Plank – Repeat

CIRCUIT 2: 5 Lunges/leg, 5 Chin Ups, 5 Push Ups, 5 Hanging Reverse Crunches – Repeat

LEVEL 1 GOAL: 3 circuits of 10 full body weight reps per exercise & three circuits of 1min Planks.

LEVEL 1 REWARD: I will buy myself a Nerd Fitness T-Shirt - or a Black NEWKO T-Shirt*...or both. I have to EARN the right to use my money towards these things.

(*Newko is my friends Nutrition store. Was getting some good info from him before I came across NF. I owe alot to both NF & Newko in getting me on the right path.)

Would like to get some input from my fellow Rebels here in the community. Been working out every Tuesday & Thursday, the stats below include todays workout as far as how much I am able to accomplish. In advance, thanks for reading this.

Current stats as of 09/15/11 (6 workouts left until 10/06/2011):

Squats: GOAL ACHIEVED - EXP+ currently doing 4 sets WITH ADDED WEIGHT!

Lunges: GOAL ACHIEVED - EXP+ currently doing 4 sets WITH ADDED WEIGHT!

Dips: 60% Achieved. Tuesday 09/13/11 I did 3 sets of 6 @ FBW and 1 set of 10 @ FBW

Pull Ups: 6% achieved (able to do 2 FBW pulls). currently doing 4 sets of 5 @ -15lbsBW

Chin Ups: 11.6% achieved (able to do 3.5 FBW chins). currently doing 4 sets of 5 @ -15lbsBW last set of 5 this morning were BW negative chins instead of pulls.

Pushups: GOAL ACHIEVED - EXP+ currently doing 4 sets of 13

Planks: 83% achieved. 3 planks @ 55 sec, 1 plank @ 1min.

Reverse Crunches: 4 sets of 15 (not counting this towards goal - stopped doing hanging version, wearing grip out too soon to properly do other workouts, once i get more badassery points, i'll be bringing the hanging version back.)

I realized that I did not specify that my goal was for the pulls/chins/dips & planks & the rest was a bonus, but this far into it, I'm just going to stick with applying the goal to all the exercises.

I have six workouts left before the pics are taken and the final tally is added up.

My Thoughts:

Currently thinking about dropping the resistance bands all together on the Pulls & Chins, doing what I can FBW in reps and then doing Negatives on the rest of the numbers I can't. (example: 2 pull ups (out of 5 in my set) 3 negatives).

I currently do alot of "greasing the groove" when it comes to the pulls/chins, but i'm not able to measure this exactly yet as I do them throughout the day, cold, and i even "grease" the starting movements (doing 5 or 6 chins/pulls from dead hang and only coming 1/3 of the way up).

I seem to be gaining strength on my chins but losing strength on the pulls, can't fully explain it...?

Was thinking about switching up the Circuit routines: Circuit 1 - Squats, Chins (instead of pulls), Pushups (instead of dips), Planks, Circuit 2 - Lunges, Pulls, Dips, reverse crunches. Maybe switch up the order? Not sure.

The thought even crossed my mind to get rid of the lunges and focus on squats due to the limited amount of iron that I have at home to move.

The exercises I chose were based on trying to give me a complete full body workout as possible and utilizing a large range of motion, especially from the info I was getting from the NF posts from Steve.

I think my first six week challenge should revolve around achieving Level 1. Gonna hold my head up high when I purchase and then wear my t-shirts!

As far as nutrition goes, that area is doing fairly well. About 85%+ is primal/paleo, I would say more than that, although I really watch the carbs, I am currently not counting them, or my calories. I'm just eating, and eating with positive choices. I recently upped my protien intake (been having 3-4 eggs every morning since starting) to include a good low carb high protein shake from Newko (1/2 serving = 25g protein, plus 2 & 1/2 cups milk(20g) = 45g protein in the morning right after workout) and then I have the 3 - 4 eggs for lunch instead. Really been pushing the veg intake. Pounding down cauliflower and broccoli with my eggs religiously. Salads are well balanced, usually chicken or beef with spinach, romaine, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, carrot, green/red pepper, the occassional mushroom & radish, with a handful of mixed, raw, unsalted nuts (currently walnuts, slivered almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts). LOTS OF WATER. I drink 1 mug of coffee in the morning with french vanilla creamer, or irish cream creamer. My one devilish indulgence each week is a 12oz milkshake from a local mom & pop burger joint (think DairyQueen blizzard but BETTER), normally i get fruit (strawberries, huckleberries, blackberries) or a flavored shake (kahlua/caramel), RARELY - only once so far - I got a double cookie dough one. (i know...i know, i know) No beer, wine, alcohol. Haven't had a drink for about 6 mos, but then again, i'm not a big "drinker". I was religiously keeping a food journal until about a month ago. Just stopped, was updating every other day and then went on vacation, watched what I ate while I was on vacation and then just stopped recording my food. I think I might pick it back up in this challenge just see some real numbers on one of those tracker sites (burn.com?) I was previously tracking it on an excel spreadsheet.

Anywho. I wanted to get this out there like I said, to get some input from the Rebellion. Thanks guys for the input and for reading this! Much appreciated.

[darkstar]

Wow, this looks great! I'm kind of curious: what were your stats at the beginning of your 101 day challenge?

Anyway, while I don't have any specific answers to your thoughts (especially since I don't know too much about fitness or nutrition except "it's a good idea to exercise and eat healthy"), I do want to make one suggestion:

You only have about 3 weeks left until the end of your 101 day challenge, so if I were you, I probably wouldn't make any major changes to your workout routine at this point. I would recommend finishing off the 101 days doing what you're currently doing (workouts twice a week, the same way that you've been doing them this whole time), and then do some serious analysis / debriefing afterwards in preparation for your next big challenge. I think it might be easier to figure out what worked / what didn't work / what you want to change / what you want to keep the same if you stay consistent the whole way through. But that's just my two cents.

Good luck with the rest of your challenge, and I look forward to watching you level up soon!

[Tom Kenobi]

thanks for the input Darkstar! as far as what I could do before/starting the 101 day challenge:

Chins/Pulls = zero BW reps, i began the challenge using resistance bands taking 40lbs off my BW, 199lbs then so 159lbs - doing 4/5 sets of 3

pushups = 10 once - in the circuits it was 4/5 reps of 4 or 5, don't have my spreadsheet here at work

Lunges/Squats = NEVER did them before...ever

Planks = occasionally did them, but never consistently. this was the first time incorporating them in a workout in about 4 years

Dips = probably 1 - 3 fbw, again using resistance bands I started at 30lbs off my bw so 169lbs - doing 4/5 sets of 3 or 4.

Definitely good advice on keeping on with what I have until the end. Trying to start NOW to think of the Challenge ahead when I join up for the next one. I'll have about a week and a half to get it straight before the challenge starts.

BTW - current body weight: 186lbs! can I get a boo-yah?!? So with my new bodyweight considered, I guess I've gotten "stronger", with pulls/chins I am technically able to pull 27 MORE pounds when I do the 2/3 fbw reps I can do. And with the resistance bands on the chins & pulls I am technically pulling 12 more pounds compared to when I started with the higher resistance. Not too bad now that I think about it.

[Tom Kenobi]

any other input from my fellow rebels out there? (no offense Darkstar - I'm taking your advice of staying the course until the end of my personal challenge)

[darkstar]

Absolutely none taken - it's just an offered suggestion that you are free to consider or reject.

[Tom Kenobi]

09/15/2011 Planks: 83% achieved. 3 planks @ 55 sec, 1 plank @ 1min.

UPDATE: GOAL 100% ACHIEVED! EXP+!!! 3 Planks @ 1min each! Haha! Getting closer!

[darkstar]

YES! Congratulations!

[Tom Kenobi]

thanks man! much appreciated. Now I am roughly 57% to my overall goal! got over the hump so to speak.

[cacodaemonia]

I agree with Darkstar about sticking with the same routine so you can better analyze things when you're done. Sadly, I can't give you any advice on the chinups and pullups, as I've only just started working on them myself.

Really great job on the squats, lunges, pushups, and planks! I'm not sure what you mean about getting rid of lunges and focusing on squats because of the amount of weights you have. Are the lunges getting too easy or something, even with the added weight? I imagine you've done research, but I thought this might be useful? http://www.livestrong.com/article/343944-which-are-better-squats-or-lunges/

[Tom Kenobi]

I agree with Darkstar about sticking with the same routine so you can better analyze things when you're done. Sadly, I can't give you any advice on the chinups and pullups, as I've only just started working on them myself.

Really great job on the squats, lunges, pushups, and planks! I'm not sure what you mean about getting rid of lunges and focusing on squats because of the amount of weights you have. Are the lunges getting too easy or something, even with the added weight? I imagine you've done research, but I thought this might be useful? http://www.livestrong.com/article/343944-which-are-better-squats-or-lunges/

Thank you! Yeah, I definitely see the wisdom in not making any last minute changes. What I meant regarding weights is I have a limited (seriously limited...roughly 80lbs of iron..maybe) amount to share between my dumbells & the curl bar I use for squats. Mainly, I want to avoid having to switch the weights out between the dumbells & bar....cuz I'm working smarter (read as LAZY hahaha). More than likely i'll have to just 'man up' and take the extra few minutes to switch between the bells and the bar. I definitely notice that my rear is much more tender after working the lunges than the squats. Crazy.

Thanks again on the props for my accomplishments! With the pulls/chins & dips I am a HUGE fan of "greasing the groove". Today was the day I do squats/pulls/dips/planks. So I really worked dips & pulls throughout the day (modifying work furniture when no one is around is a bonus!) and then hit them again when I got home to my power tower. Getting closer and closer. Can't wait to be able to take a snap shot of my buying my well earned NF shirt!

I'm going to go to that link that you supplied me....right now(technically as soon as I am done with this long winded response). Thanks again, love this network here on NF!

[Tom Kenobi]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm done! thanks for the link! I might just stay with both once I regroup after 10/06. The colder seasons are coming and I will eventually not be able to ride my mountain bike on Saturdays. Definitely thinking about adding a workout into that day instead of the bike ride. Maybe one or two circuits of all the exercises I do? We'll have to see when its time to cross that bridge. Rest assured I'll be keeping this NF community in the know!

[Zelager]

Ah, so that's what I've been doing! I didn't know what "greasing the groove" was until I Googled it after reading it here. I found a lot of gains doing that as well. I test my endurance once a week, but I do several sets of low reps throughout the week for pull ups. Thanks for giving me the words and theory to back up what I was doing!

[Tom Kenobi]

Ah, so that's what I've been doing! I didn't know what "greasing the groove" was until I Googled it after reading it here. I found a lot of gains doing that as well. I test my endurance once a week, but I do several sets of low reps throughout the week for pull ups. Thanks for giving me the words and theory to back up what I was doing!

I felt the same way until I found the phrase! Definitely makes a big diff. Was surprised I was doing 10 dips in one set throughout the day. Will cross that off my Level up Goal list VERY SOON! Pulls/Chins...I WILL conquer you!

[cacodaemonia]

Yeah, I'd been wondering what "greasing the groove" was! Currently I can't do a pullup so I've been working on negatives. I have to drag a chair in from another room to get up to the bar, so doing one every time I walk by would be a pain. However, I might be able to reach it from one of those plastic milk crates, which would be much easier to keep by the door. Thanks for the information!

[Tom Kenobi]

glad I could help with the info. Keep on with those negatives, they are killer! I mixed in a bunch of them yesterday during my "greasing", I AM SORE TONIGHT! And I have a workout tomorrow morning! Tomorrow morning it is going to be time to send some signals to my muscles: HEY! Build up and get stronger! Necessity is the mother of invention, do whatever you can!

[Tom Kenobi]

Ok, ok...so I have a confession to make. Looks like I talked my Thursday workout up a little too much, I woke up thursday morning not having alot of sleep and I was still very very sore, and I wussed out. HOWEVER....i DID make it a point to do my thursday morning workout TODAY. Thursday morning workouts include the lunges and I am up to 28.5 lbs now total weight on the dumbells. 3x12 on those this morning. Currently "greasing" pushups and pull ups. Anywho, had to get that off my chest. I feel better now.

[Tom Kenobi]

>clears throat< ANOTHER GOAL ACHIEVED! ++EXP!!! 3 sets of 10 full body weight DIPS!! WOOT!

TOTAL % to GOAL ACHIEVED: 71.42%!! Wow, one category made a 14.28% jump! Chins & Pulls are the last goals to reach....IT WILL BE DONE!

[darkstar]

Holy shit, congratulations! Whatever happens with pull ups and chin ups in the final week (and I know you'll go far, but please don't injure yourself), you are already a fricken hero.

[Tom Kenobi]

Holy shit, congratulations! Whatever happens with pull ups and chin ups in the final week (and I know you'll go far, but please don't injure yourself), you are already a fricken hero.

Thanks for the support man! Going to give it all that I have, but defnitely don't want an injury throwing all the progress out the window. Still at -15lbs off FBW on the chins/pulls. Today was a pull day in my circuit, so my last set of 6 was all negatives. Will be greasing it more tonight and tomorrow, but then thursday is the chins. I have a feeling I'll hit my chin goal before the pulls, but either way... :-D

[Tom Kenobi]

Will be starting a new thread here soon, this is the final week for my 101 day challenge. Down side: had a SH*T happens end of last week and missed thursday/saturday's routines. PLUS SIDE: added ten more pounds to my squats and weighed in this morning at 182! a 17lb loss since I began! YEAH! Stay tuned for the new thread.

[bigm141414]

Excellent progress Tom!

[cacodaemonia]

It's awesome that you're almost to the end of your challenge! Looking forward to your next thread to see what goals you're aiming for this time.

[Tom Kenobi]

Excellent progress Tom!

Thanks BIG!

It's awesome that you're almost to the end of your challenge! Looking forward to your next thread to see what goals you're aiming for this time.

Thanks Chelsea! I'm wondering how much "lighter" i can go?!? I am trying to cut the fat and build muscle, and I keep dropping weight! We'll see, will be getting input from the rebels here very soon. Pics and such to come.

[darkstar]

Hey Tom, I want to congratulate you on finishing what you started (and with flying colors at that). I can't wait to see what's coming up next!