# Starting a total transformation



## Omnium11

(UPDATED WITH PICTURES ON PAGE 2)

Alright well this is the first day of my mental and physical transformation! I'm so excited! I had a couple of false starts earlier but this time I'm really doing it. I'm gonna drastically cut down on my internet usage and start meditating again. I have been smoke free for about a month now and now I'm getting rid of the caffeine as well. I'm going on a diet and get back in to running. I think I will sort of use this thread as a journal where I will post my progress.

The last time I did this did so good and was real proud of myself because I completely changed myself and made drastic improvements physically and mentally. I went from 220 pounds to about 175 or so and went from only being able to run 1 mile to running 10 miles (once 13 miles.) I was amazed at how fast the body is able to transform like this. It only took me like 2 months to get up to 10 miles. I also almost completely stopped using the internet and was meditating and like sitting outside just relaxing for hours. Getting rid of the internet was best thing for me because I've been completely addicted to it since I was like 13. I really noticed anxiety and depression go away for the most part. I was very relaxed and just calm and collected. I also noticed that my imagination was working very well and I had very good concentration, also didn't have the negative obsessive thoughts that I usually have. Also I would have really cool dreams. It seems the more relaxed you are the more you dream and the easier it is to remember them. I also wrote down my dreams, my calorie intake and exercise progress and especially my progress with meditation in a journal. 

I really wish I hadn't stopped last time because it seems like it was all a bunch of wasted effort because I didn't stick with it. Oh well, just got to keep trying and not give up. The good news is that I am only 192 pounds now which is much better than what I thought I would be after 4 months or so of sitting on my *** everyday eating everything in site! Actually its pretty amazing. I seem to have a real good metabolism. I can lose weight very fast but it takes me a while to put it back on.

Initial Goals: (I plan to update these later, things like getting out of the house and stuff, just not ready for that now)

1) Get back down to 170 pounds or so (2 months from here)

2) Write down my progress in a journal everyday

3) Run 5 times a week minimum

4) Have at least one 10 mile run by August 15th (2 months from here)

5) At least 7 hours a week of meditation

6) Drastically cut down on the internet usage 


I don't think I will be as intense as I was last time with the mental transformation but who knows. Physical I plan to really push myself to the limit again. I wont get in to the dieting aspect too much because its sort of controversial and want to avoid any arguments and lectures etc. I know what I am doing though and have done it many times before. I've read loads about safety hazards etc. (Bodybuilding used to be an obsession of mine when I was like 16 though you sure wouldn't know that now by looking at me cause I'm so flabby and weak lol :-D )

Anyways very optimistic! Time to change my life and my self.


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## Omnium11

First day:

Starting weight: 191.8
General sentiment: 4.5/10

I notice when I am like in bed before sleep or when I just wake up my mind is constantly obsessing over things that I have no control about. This makes me feel pretty agitated. When I am alone with my thoughts I feel probably only about a 3.5/10. Otherwise I feel more like a 4.5/10 or so.

So far I have ran 3 miles which was real cool. I didn't think I'd be able to do even 2 so happy about that. Was pretty brutal and I had to really push myself but I feel pretty good now as a result.


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## Attica! Attica!

Wow, that sounds great Omnium! Keep it up!


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## hiimnotcool

good job bro! thats great. your thread actually inspired me to go out and run 3 miles too. i woke up at 9:30, checked this board, saw your thread then immediately went out and just did it. i feel good right now. I made it with stopping only once too. I used to be a hardcore runner like you but its always hard when you start up again.


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## Omnium11

Thanks guys! 

hiimnotcool: Oh that's awesome man, i was gonna make a post to see if anyone else wanted to do it with me but forgot. Good luck!

Hardest part right now is fighting the urge to use the internet lol. I'm gonna go sit out in the sun and listen to an audiobook or something. Think "The Power of Now" is appropriate


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## redtogo72

That's great! I'm doing something similar. Also I'm trying to have a schedule to keep me on track with doing other things besides exercise. I'd limit your computer use, but use it as a reward for working so hard to get better. Good luck.


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## wxolue

Hmmm. im about to start therapy and summer is coming. maybe ill follow in your footsteps!


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## krissydella

That sounds like an amazing plan! I get really overwhelmed when I try to lose weight and very obsessive. You are an inspiration really. I really have problem with perfection too ...one mistake and I give up. Does anyone else have this problem?


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## Cerberus

I've been working on a transformation as well. In 2 months I went from 192 to 173 lbs. My goal is to get a single digit body fat % (somewhere between 6% and 9%) and thus get more muscle definition. 

I haven't been running though. I've been doing HIIT or interval training on my stationary bike three times a week, I've been lifting weights three times a week, and I've been dieting. I'm not where I want to be yet, though. 

I need to up my protein intake to preserve and -- god willing -- gain muscle, and I need to keep my intensity up in the gym. Hopefully I'll be able to get as lean as I'd like in a month or two.


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## Omnium11

Thank you everyone! Good luck as well!

Krissy: Yeah same here. Like for example I exercised and did perfectly with my diet up to a point, but then once I screwed up it seemed like it was the end of the world and it really killed my motivation for dieting. Same with exercise if I miss a couple days all the sudden I get very pessimistic and feel like I should throw it all away. I definitely need to work on this because its so unrational

Cerberus: congrats on your progress! I too hope to one day get down to like 9-10% bf. I think the lowest I've ever gotten was about 10-11% and I looked really great. Did wonders for my confidence.

LaRibbon: Good job! Glad to have you onboard  You reminded me of another goal, to wake up every day at 6:00 (My schedule is completely bizarre and changes all the time lol, sometimes I wake up when everyone else is going to sleep etc) Good luck!


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## Omnium11

Day 2:

General Sentiment:6.5/10
Weight: 188.4

Woke up feeling pretty damn good. Surprised I'm feeling so good after only 1 day. Didn't have the normal obsessive negative thoughts that I usually have when I wake up. I attribute this to the meditation I did yesterday. Feeling more relaxed mentally but have lots of energy. I also sat in the sun for about 25 minutes yesterday which probably helped. Lost a lot of water weight already. Gonna go for a run here even though my legs are pretty soar and I got blisters already after only one run. I estimate only 1.5 miles or so. After run I will meditate for about 25 minutes or so. (Its always much easier to meditate after running, like a shortcut into a better frame of mind)

i think from now on I will write these at the end of the day. As sort of a review of the entire day instead of waking up and sort of going back and reflecting about the past day as well.


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## hiimnotcool

Man, I woke up and my hips and legs are so sore! After I went for the run I did some push ups and a 15 minute ab routine so I figure it was a good day.


This morning I woke up and did 45 minutes of Kenpo karate. That was quite a workout and got me sweating majorly.


Should there be an official 'What You Did for Exercise Today' thread or just post here?


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## njmalibu

Dude you are an ispiration for me right now. Long story short, med withdrawal, out of shape again, pretty much unemployed work is so slow, and SEVERE depression and anxiety.
This all looks like a good plan you have going, and I agree, being in shape helps a lot of physical and mental issues. I'll be watching your progress for sure, and good luck to you!


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## wxolue

I ran yesterday for three miles. Today, my back hurts so much, I can't even turn my body and I can barley get out of bed. I think i pulled something .


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## Omnium11

hiimnotcool: haha me too. I can barely hobble around the house right now, i move like frankenstein, sure go ahead and post your progress  It will help me out as well. Earlier today I was feeling kind of crappy because I started thinking about those obsessions of mine but I came here and read your guys replies and it boosted my mood and motivation immensely. I welcome everyone to post their progress. We're in this together!

njmalibu: thanks buddy, hope you start feeling better, look forward to you potentially joining us 

wxolue: Sorry to hear that man, I did something like that during my last transformation, it took about 4-5 days before I could run again. Hope it heals faster than that for you, good luck!


Ran 2 miles today when I woke up, fluctuated from feeling as high as 7 to about a 4.5 or so. (but only for a little while) Majority of the day I felt about a 6-6.5. Pretty good day.


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## hiimnotcool

I feel terrible. I just drank 6 beers. I WAS drinking a ATLEAST a 6 pack 4-5 nights per week, and on the weekends it reached up to 15 drinks. I'm not sure why I'm beating myself up over having a 6 pack. That's all I have per week now since trying to get in shape but it still makes me feel bad. Should probably just allow it.


Anyways, tomorrow morning I think I'll run 3 miles and then later in the day some Pilates will be in store. Gotta keep it interesting.


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## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> I feel terrible. I just drank 6 beers. I WAS drinking a ATLEAST a 6 pack 4-5 nights per week, and on the weekends it reached up to 15 drinks. I'm not sure why I'm beating myself up over having a 6 pack. That's all I have per week now since trying to get in shape but it still makes me feel bad. Should probably just allow it.
> 
> Anyways, tomorrow morning I think I'll run 3 miles and then later in the day some Pilates will be in store. Gotta keep it interesting.


Aww i hear you. It feels so crappy after you screw up diet, just destroys motivation and the feeling of progress. The first couple days are the hardest. Hang in there and good luck! Together we'll kick some *** :-D !


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## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> Aww i hear you. It feels so crappy after you screw up diet, just destroys motivation and the feeling of progress. The first couple days are the hardest. Hang in there and good luck! Together we'll kick some *** :-D !


Exactly!! I have been eating super healthy though the last 2-3 weeks. I just slip up on occasion with the beer, but we all have our vices right? Yeah this thread is really motivating and hopefully it keeps people focused on the end goal! The first days were tough but I've actually been working out 6 days a week for about an hour per day for 3 weeks now :b

Did you take before pictures so you can compare when you get fit? I'm taking them once a week. I'll post them in the thread here as a little update every week from now!! I think results pics are really encouraging.


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## hiimnotcool

So this is one week after I started working out. My day one pictures are on a seperate camera! But yeah, so this is day 7 and day 21 respectively.










Gross.










Here's 3 weeks. I can tell a difference in how my torso is slimming down and arms are toning up. Plus the belly is shrinking. You can really notice from the day one, but oh well!










and


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Don't overlook your back.

For the upper back, a simple, but effective exercise is to lift your arms horizontally with your forearms bent 90 degrees and squeeze your shoulder blades to try to touch, your arms would be going back like you are trying to get your elbows to touch from behind, then retract and repeat. You can do it fast, but do it slow as well because it'll help with your flexibility, change the speeds. Literally, you could sit there on your chair, surfing the internet and do it. 

For the lower back, there's an exercise called the bridge and it's a highly effective exercise that helps with posture. Google this, I'm not the best at instructions 

Just thought I'd recommend some moves to your arsenal and help you out on achieving the body of your dreams because for everything it's achievable as long as you keep showing up, no matter if you are up for it for that day, work half your routine, it's better than nothing. Just as long as you keep going. Keep it up tho, even though you have some beers once in a while, there's no point in working out when you can't enjoy life


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## Omnium11

Hiimnotcool: Great pics man! You can definitely tell a difference in the back and stomach. The biceps and shoulders as well. I was having my mom take pics of me but she held her finger over the lens on all the pics of the first day lol. (Which is unfortunate cause I was bloated and retaining water like a camel that day lol) I do have 1 pic of second day though, with her finger only covering about 30% or so , got a pic from the third day as well.


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## Omnium11

Day 3: (Yesterday)

Weight 185.8 (total weight loss 6 pounds)
General Sentiment 5.5
Distance ran 2 miles

The day started out very good and I talked to a good friend on the internet when I woke up which helped put me in a real good mood. I exercised for 2 miles which was damn hard because of my soar legs and the low low calories. As soon as I cycle out of this phase of the diet and start eating more normally I should be able to run a bit farther. Later on in the day I had a big overreaction to something my brother said. Put me in a bad mood for rest of the day. The first part of the day was so good though that the general sentiment is about a 5.5 average for the day. I did approximately 1 hour meditation about half of which was successful. I think I need to do lots more. I also sat in the sun for a while which seems to help.

Will post some pics here a bit later.


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## Omnium11

I think I'll post a morning update for day 4 cause I want to set goals today, no more slacking on the mental transformation part, will edit this later in the day

Day 4:

Weight 184.2 (total weight loss 7.6 pounds)

Woke up feeling sort of agitated and kind of sick. Slept way too long as well. Today I will focus more on the mental side of the transformation.

Goals: 
At least 3 hours of meditation today
Try to stay present even when not meditating
Internet less than 2 hours
Sit out in sun for half hour


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## kikachuck

Are you familiar with John Stone Fitness? He did sort of this same thing for YEARS. Although without the SA thing to fix as well..

http://www.johnstonefitness.com


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## Omnium11

kikachuck said:


> Are you familiar with John Stone Fitness? He did sort of this same thing for YEARS. Although without the SA thing to fix as well..
> 
> http://www.johnstonefitness.com


Oh yeah I remember this guy. I remember seeing him years ago. Thanks for the reminder! That is possibly the most inspiring and motivational thing I have ever seen. The guy completely transformed himself in such little time. He looks completely different. Amazing!

Just completed about 35 minutes of meditation. Feeling much better now. Will check back in in a bit with pictures.


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## Cerberus

I started doing the dreaded deadlifts on Monday and my back is really sore. 
I've changed my workout to focus more on the core exercises. 

I also started taking in 160-180 grams of protein a day. It's amazing how filling a skinless chicken breast is, considering how few calories it has. I counted up roughly how many calories I take in a day, and it's somewhere between 1800-2100, which puts me at a 400-700 calorie deficit. 

I've changed from doing interval training or HIIT on my exercise bike to doing steady state cardio for a longer period of time. I'm hoping this will jump start my body into losing fat because I've been doing interval training or HIIT on my exercise bike for quite a while. I also hike around a gully nearby with a lot of steep hills with my dog a few times a week.


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## hiimnotcool

Man you're doing really good. The weight looks like it's just falling off!! In 3 weeks I've only lost 2 pounds lol. Keep up the good work. I really like the style of your daily recaps too. You have quite a bit of discipline to be able to meditate for hours in a day. Have you considered Yoga? It's really great for focus and meditation but then gets your muscles involved too.



Well, my workout today was as 30 minutes of Yoga and then 20 minutes of Pilates just to get the best of both worlds. I still haven't ran since a couple days ago because my legs are still sore. I may go out later in the day or evening and run 2 miles or so at the local track just to keep adapting.


Hope everyone else's regimen is going good!


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## kikachuck

Omnium11 said:


> Oh yeah I remember this guy. I remember seeing him years ago. Thanks for the reminder! That is possibly the most inspiring and motivational thing I have ever seen. The guy completely transformed himself in such little time. He looks completely different. Amazing!
> 
> Just completed about 35 minutes of meditation. Feeling much better now. Will check back in in a bit with pictures.


The amazing thing to me wasn't so much the fact that he did it, a lot of people do that, it was that he had the drive to chronicle it all on the internet, every single day, for so many years.


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## Omnium11

Excellent job guys, yeah lol deadlifts and squats kill me everytime, least favorite exercises

Hiimnotcool: Most of the weight is water weight I think. The day before I started this diet I made loads of velveeta cheese dip and ate like 1 and a half bags of chips lol. I should put back on 30-40% of it once I up my calories. I actually downloaded a yoga video during my last transformation but never watched it. Sounds like it would be a nice change of routine. Will definitely try it out.


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## Omnium11

Yesterday I did pretty good. I met most of my goals even though the meditation was only quasi meditation because I was only really in a good state about an hour and a half or so. I stayed out in the sun and am burned right now but should turn into a tan here shortly. Internet I did too long. (I actually sat and looked at recipe's online for about an hour yesterday lol)

Day 5
Weight: 181.2 (Wow I thought I would have leveled off now but weight just keeps coming off)
General sentiment: 5.5 or so

Need to focus more on meditation again today. Will help the food cravings go away. I am constantly thinking of food so far today.

Uploading pictures now


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## hiimnotcool

Yeah I would definitely recommend the Yoga. You can also go to google.com then click the 'Videos' option at the top of the page then just type 'Yoga videos' and you can stream them directly from the internet too. Pilates is also a really good workout too. I've been doing both for 3 weeks and it just feels good afterwards. The endorphins definitely get flowing.

Today I did a core synergistics workout. To be clear, I'm doing the P90X program so that's why it seems I do alot of weird things (like Kenpo, Core synergistics, Yoga, Plyometrics). It's basically 90 days to a complete transformation so yeah, this thread has turned into my day by day assessment of the program. If I knew how to burn the discs I'd send you the complete system (they're like 120-150 dollars online!) in the mail but for some reason they won't burn. 


What's a typical day of food for you out of curiousity?


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## Omnium11

I wish I had picture of Day 1 but my mom put her hand all the way through it heh. I was really bloated and retaining water so I looked pretty damn big. Its possible that I have days 3 and 4 confused here as well. They might need to be reversed. From now on I'm gonna take the pics myself and will get better lighting etc.

Day 1: 191.8 (no pic unfortunately)

Day 2: 188.4









Day 3: 185.8 









Day 4: 184.2 pounds









Day 5: 181.2 pounds









Can't wait till I lose those boobs^


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## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Yeah I would definitely recommend the Yoga. You can also go to google.com then click the 'Videos' option at the top of the page then just type 'Yoga videos' and you can stream them directly from the internet too. Pilates is also a really good workout too. I've been doing both for 3 weeks and it just feels good afterwards. The endorphins definitely get flowing.
> 
> Today I did a core synergistics workout. To be clear, I'm doing the P90X program so that's why it seems I do alot of weird things (like Kenpo, Core synergistics, Yoga, Plyometrics). It's basically 90 days to a complete transformation so yeah, this thread has turned into my day by day assessment of the program. If I knew how to burn the discs I'd send you the complete system (they're like 120-150 dollars online!) in the mail but for some reason they won't burn.
> 
> What's a typical day of food for you out of curiousity?


Will definitely check google yoga vids out. I think I'll do my running now and then try out yoga today. My energy is pretty low right now so I estimate only 1.5-2 mile run. Yoga should be a great substitute. Also will be nice for when I get tired of meditating.

My dad does the P90x. I think he still has it. He actually had me burn him a copy for his friend. I think I got them to burn with 'clone dvd' or something I found at the pirate bay. I hear great things about it. I'll see if I can get it off him. Especially the dvds that deal with the abs and core which are my weakest parts.

Also I think I'm gonna buy one of these pull up bars that you can stick up in a door frame. Apparently they work pretty well and you can get them for like 20$ on sale. Since I have too much anxiety to go to gym now these should help with my lats and such.


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## Omnium11

Alright end of day review.

General sentiment: 5.5

Today has been mixed. On one hand I had the most successful meditation that I have had so far in this transformation using Adyashanti's meditation technique. I sat in the sun for a while again and have a light burn all over which will turn into a tan shortly. I also maintained some amount of 'presence' during the early part of the day and general felt pretty peaceful early on. I had some periods where my obsessive thoughts were triggered which caused me to nearly pig out on food because of the depression. I probably would have if I wouldn't have started this thread and have you guys doing this with me. 

Thank you all for contributing and for the support! Feeling better already :-D

Edit:
UPDATE: Alright just completed another 25 minute guided Adyashanti meditaion. Very successful. Reminds me just how much this is a mental game. No food cravings any more. No obsessive thoughts. Think I will listen to 'The Power of Now' while semi-meditating as I drift to sleep. Feel very peaceful and body is having minor tingle sensations along my spine, body is very sensitive to feeling, just feels very good. This is where I want to be mentally :-D. In the zone as they say. I'm at the point where I just feel content to sit around and meditate or day dream. Little mental resistance. No compulsive desire to run off and occupy myself with the internet. Hope I can hold this over through the night. Tomorrow I will meditate immediately when I wake up. Then take a shower and meditate once again. The earlier the better imho.


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## hiimnotcool

Just a little add on to earlier----

I just ran 3 miles. I drank about 44 ounces of beer and decided to go run while slightly intoxicated. Felt pretty good and I didn't stop to walk once.

I figured the run would elimiante the drinking basically so I feel accomplished. lol..

Tomorrow is 45 minutes of Kenpo Karate!



***edit for next morning***
So this morning I woke up feeling very lazy and didn't want to workout at all. I was dreading the Kenpo workout because it's just non stop punching/kicking/blocking for 45 minutes so it gets pretty tiring. But I fought through the laziess and managed to get it done. Immediately afterwards I did a brutal Ab workout. 25 differet exercises at 10 reps each (pshh..some of them I couldn't get 10 reps in though.)

Good luck to everyone else today!


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## Omnium11

Great job buddy! Keep it up

Day 6

Weight: 179.8
Sentiment so far: 6.0 - 6.5 Feeling pretty good had some good meditations earlier on. Gonna try and keep my computer usage to a minimum. So far only minor negative thoughts. So far food cravings haven't been too bad either.

Sunburned









Here's a different angle with slightly sucked in stomach


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## Cerberus

good job, ominum11. Try to make sure you're not losing any muscle by keeping your protein intake up, but you probably already know this. 

My update on my weight: 170 lbs. 

170 lbs. was my initial goal, so I've reached my goal, but I've set a new one to get a six pack. I can kind of see my abs when I push down on my stomach skin/fat. I'm guessing I have 10-15 lbs. more to lose to get a good visible six pack. And since I'm already used to being in a calorie deficit, I might as well go for it now. The last pounds are the hardest to lose, or so I hear, so it may take a while. I'll see. 

I'll see about posting some pictures later.


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## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> good job, ominum11. Try to make sure you're not losing any muscle by keeping your protein intake up, but you probably already know this.
> 
> My update on my weight: 170 lbs.
> 
> 170 lbs. was my initial goal, so I've reached my goal, but I've set a new one to get a six pack. I can kind of see my abs when I push down on my stomach skin/fat. I'm guessing I have 10-15 lbs. more to lose to get a good visible six pack. And since I'm already used to being in a calorie deficit, I might as well go for it now. The last pounds are the hardest to lose, or so I hear, so it may take a while. I'll see.
> 
> I'll see about posting some pictures later.


Excellent job Cerberus! My short term target is 170 or so too. Once I hit that I will drastically up my calories (relatively anyway, will still run a deficit though) then I will start lifting like crazy and get back into some very long runs. Right now my energy is pretty much toast. I will def lose some muscle during this 'extreme diet' part which should last another 4-10 days. My body has a real ability though of packing muscle right back on. Muscle memory I guess.

Currently feeling about a 7.5, a very light feeling, very relaxed etc
So far I have done about 2.5 hours of meditation! Real proud of myself. Mental resistance is gone and I am starting to feel that meditative state / presence in ordinary life. Definitely in the zone, no food cravings at all, its not even an issue anymore, no negative thoughts, no obsessive thoughts etc. I downloaded Red Baron 3d which is free and will use that as a reward later on today. Games are usually much better for me than internet.


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## Omnium11

Alright end of day 6 check in:

General sentiment: 7/10

Today was a very good day. Did probably 4 hours of meditation. The less I use the internet the better it seems. (which is odd because when I am real anxious internet also seems to help take my mind off of it) When I'm at a good state the internet seems to bring me down. Lack of staying in the now, too much thought I think.

My face is starting to look thinner. My face seems to retain lots of fat. Starting to notice the weight loss in the face. 

I think I will start a fire in the fireplace outside and do one last meditation before I sleep.


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## hiimnotcool

Good job bro!!!!!!!! I can tell that you've lost weight in the stomach area too. It's slimming down, just hope you don't get discouraged when you up your calorie intake and some of the weight comes back. Just remember that's normal and to just keep pushing through. 


I'm about to go to a bar and have a few beers. I am so serious-I CANNOT kick this habit. I hope the running and exercise will still work even though I'm drinking. I know that's pretty counterproductive, but d.amn..


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## Omnium11

Hiimnotcool: Oh man I hear you about the beer, I used to absolutely hate beer but over the last year or so I've started to really love it. My dad was an alcoholic though so I never let myself get too far into it. Also the fact that I never leave the house helps me with not buying it and such lol.

LaRibbon: Great job! :-D Meditation is the secret imho. Helps get rid of urges to binge and also breaks down mental resistance to things like running. I'll link you to some real good guided meditation here in a bit.


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## Omnium11

Day 7:

Weight: 177.6
General sentiment: 6.5 (so far)

Woke up feeling a bit more tired than usual. Had a great sleep though, not restless at all. I've started to have those real vivid dreams the past 2 days that I get when I meditate a lot. Today I feel like getting out of the house and going fishing or something, will see if my dad is home today. If not I'll try tomorrow. So far I haven't even thought about food yet. Need to do a meditation real quick before I start my day. Even though my physical energy is hella low I will do a run / walk combo for at least 30 minutes today. 

Todays goals

Meditation: 2 hours
Exercise: 30 minutes
Internet usage: 1 hour
Sit in sun: 30 minutes (already pretty burned / tanned)
First yoga session: 30 minutes

Pictures coming up in 20 minutes or so.


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## Omnium11

Alright here's the normal relaxed pic.









Here's a flexed pic (abs and arms)


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## Cerberus

Wow. You're losing your gut fast. 


ugh. I drank last night and I ended up binging. I ate two pizzas. I feel so sick right now. I always end up eating too much when I drink. I won't be drinking again for a while.


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## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> Wow. You're losing your gut fast.
> 
> ugh. I drank last night and I ended up binging. I ate two pizzas. I feel so sick right now. I always end up eating too much when I drink. I won't be drinking again for a while.


LOL yeah. I feel your pain. I didn't eat anything bad though surprisingly. Someone I was with had cheese sticks and I managed to refuse them. But I can't refuse beer. I was only going to have 2 pints, then my friend was like 'i'll buy you a pitcher'. Geez.

Anyways, Ominum-you're looking great. Such a big difference! By the way, where are you located to where you get Sun every single day? Ugh, here in Seattle it hasn't been sunny for like a week straight. I'm beginning to lose the tan I worked on when it was actually summer weather.

I just got done with doing 45-50 minutes of Core Synergistics. Later on I will potentially do push ups and run 3-4 miles.

I'll come back and edit if I do in fact end up doing those things :b

**edit**
I ended up doing the push ups but I'm gonna skip the run. Watching the UFC fights instead :clap


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## Omnium11

Thanks guys. 

Today I've slacked off a lot. I spent too much time on the internet. Also I haven't done exercise or yoga and only meditated for like 30 minutes, not a very good meditation either. 

I'm gonna force myself to do some stuff here before I go to bed.


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## Omnium11

Oh I live in Denver btw. Yesterday was cloudy the whole day. Today is sunny again.

Weight; 176
General Sentiment: 6.5

Had vivid dreams, slacked off yesterday, will do better today.


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## Cerberus

Damnit! I'm sick. After more than a month of working out six days a week every week, I'm going to have to take a day or two (hopefully no more) off. I'm going to try and keep my protein intake high so that my body doesn't start catabolizing my muscle to fight off this sore throat and fever that I have. So, I guess my diet will mostly be chicken noodle soup and protein shakes and maybe some orange juice.

What's the best way to get rid of a sore throat? Mouth wash has helped a little.


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## hiimnotcool

Try gargling with salt water.



Today was a pretty relaxed day. It was technically supposed to be a rest day but I went to a track and ran 3.5 miles. I actually ran the entire time and a pretty good pace. I'm surprised. I've only ran 3 times and already doing that. I suppose the 3 weeks of strength training and other cardio work really helped running alot. 

My goal is to run a 1 mile race on July 27th and do it in aroud 5 minutes and 30 seconds.


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## Omnium11

Ditto the salt water. Its nasty but works pretty well

Oh wow! good luck hiim! I have running endurance but am **** as far as speed goes lol. I 'run' at a measly 6-6.5 mph

Today has been pretty damn good. I feel very light and relaxed again. Also I did some pushups. The extreme low cal diet has put me into a very nice mental state I think. Feel very agile and dexterous. Lots of energy both mental and physical which is pretty odd considering the lack of food. I'm definitely losing some muscle but that's ok I think because I don't really feel the need of getting huge like I used to. Just athletic and toned seems fine to me now. I also spent about 2.5 hours cooking today lol! Cooked lots of really good foods, I was really in to it and was getting very creative. (I didn't eat any of it though!) I also had no real physical sensation of hunger. Like I LOVED cooking and I got completely into it but I was happy to just watch everyone else eat it. No strong desire to eat. Mental resistance seems to have broken. 

Also I get to report my first real social encounter experience. 

Social Anxiety: (Lower being better) 2.5! That is an incredible number for me! Very little anxiety. I was lots more talkative than I usually am and cracked lots of jokes (Awkward silence didn't follow either lol, was real genuine laughter!). Even though I know the people who came pretty well. My brothers friends and sisters boyfriend. Great experience. Partly why I'm feeling so good right now I think. 

I just can't waste this on the internet! I'm gonna go run real quick and then meditate!

Good luck everyone. Feeling great!!


General Sentiment 8/10

EDIT
Did 40 minutes exercise, downloaded some Eckhart Tolle audiobooks that I haven't listened to before, will listen to them while being present as a meditation tonight I think.

Good luck everyone. I'm so glad I made this thread. Has really helped to motivate me and I feel like everyone would know I failed if I didn't stick through this. So I can't stop now got to see this through till the end


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## Omnium11

Day 9

This will be short for now, woke up feeling pretty lethargic, hard to get out of bed, good vivid dreams though

Weight: 175.6 (leveled off it seems)
General Sentiment: 6


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## hiimnotcool

Do you have a goal weight in mind at the end of this thing (well, not the end since you're probably going to stick with a good routine, but you know what I mean)? By the way, last night on the internet I found this amazing (and really easy) Yoga technique that you should try out. It's pretty meditative in itself. It's said to reduce belly fat, raise good cholesterol, generate the proper acidic levels in the body, and even make your face glow and more attractive. Apparently you can even push anxiety and bad mental patterns out too. I would have been skeptical about all of this a while ago but I think the world and the human body and spirit work in incredible ways so I'm going to try it. The good thing is you only have to do it 5-15 minutes a day. 15 minutes is max. It's called Kapalbhati Yoga.






With that said, last night I ended up doing 25 minutes of Yoga and then the breathing exercise I mentioned above just to relax for the night. I have exercise TV On Demand and there is this really great Yoga on the Sunset video. It's really calming.That's probably going to be become a routine just because it helped me fall asleep too.

This morning I woke up and did 25 minutes of Yoga then immediately followed with a 5 minute push up and 15 minute ab routine.

I'm down to 165.2 now. I believe I started this at 169 but am not too sure. I'm definitely eating alot more now though so that's probably a reason I'm not losing a ton of weight.

Oh and today my Mom is picking me up one of those pull up bars that attaches to the door frame from the picture earlier in this thread. That should help develop the back.

Keep up the good work!


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## Catlover4100

Wow, you guys are inspiring! Great job!

Omnium: Can you recommend a book or website that teaches about meditation. Currently, my meditation consists of about 20 min/day of guided visualization with a podcast. It definitely helps me relax, so I'm looking for some more in-depth techniques.

I went from only exercising a few times a month to exercising about 5 days/week (even if only for 20 minutes), and I've kept it up pretty well for about 6 months. Now my goal is to increase duration and intensity. I would love to lose some fat too (I have a very high body fat percentage despite being a healthy weight -- but I've gotten that down from 33% to about 26%). I'd like to get it down to around 15% at some point.


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## hiimnotcool

Okay this is the same pic from last week.










This one too.

Here is some pics from today.


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Wow my stomach is really flattening out. I'm just standing normal there with no flexing at all.










Eh, back and arms aren't much different. As soon as I get the pull up bar there should be noticeable gains.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

It's noticeable, it looks more tight and I think you are doing a great job. Some of the stuff you are doing, it took me about 3 years to figure out that what I should be doing rather than just lifting weights and running. How beneficial yoga is and you are doing the right things for your body type (which is mine as well) I'm not even talking from a mental standpoint, a physical standpoint, it hardens your body and develops core stability, especially if you are lifting weight, it's important. Keep it up and you'll look pimp. I also think you should keep further exploration on breathing exercises because it's no joke, it'll harden your core, breath in softly and make sure to push all the air out like you are pushing all the air out from your belly button, it's an explosion followed by that last push pushing all the air out. 

One things you'll have to watch out is to space out your eating. If you feel, hungry eat. But you don't want to let yourself get hungry to the point where you'll ransack your kitchen in one sitting because that's when you'll put on body fat. But otherwise don't be afraid to eat good stuff, that's key. Also get a body fat monitor, they're like $20-$40 bucks for those electronic ones, it'll give you a better idea on when to adjust your goals because you don't wanna be ultra skinny because you'll eventually get a low body fat if you keep it up and that's when you want to stop losing weight and focus more on gains. 

Yeah man, keep it up, you look great.


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## Omnium11

Hiim: I think I will try to lose another 10-15 pounds or so or about 10-11% bodyfat or s (probably will take more than 10-15 pnds) Though I don't have calipers so I will have to guestimate. Its strange though it seems I have a lot more bodyfat this time around at this weight. I still have a fairly high bf percentage it seems. I must have los a lot of muscle sitting around on my *** everyday. Oooh ty for the video I found this nice firefox add on called 'download helper' which lets you download youtube video's pretty easily and then transfer them on portable media players. This is exactly the sort of thing I am really into. Seems like a good way to start off meditations everyday. I hope that pull up bar works great for you. Can't wait to get one as well. Excellent reviews on those things. Great pics btw man!

Catlover: Sure I'll assemble a list of my favorite meditations. Been meaning to do this for a while now. Good luck on your fat loss Catlover. Be sure to check back in soon :-D

Bright: Great advice. Those electric body fat testers or some nice calipers are 2nd on my list after the pull up bar.

Alright my favorite meditations coming up shortly here.


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## Omnium11

*Meditation*

First I highly highly highly recommend buying an MP3 player and listening to these guided meditations. Also first I would listen to Eckhart Tolle's the power of now book over and over again before you start meditating. Really teaches you a lot of things that will help you not just with your everyday life but also with your meditations. Very very important. So much of this book completely resonated with me and just made so much sense to me. Also there are a bunch of Eckhart Tolle / Adyashanti recorder retreats that I like to listen to. Very easy to do a 'presence' meditation while you are listening to them.

Also first I would like to tell you why I really really believe in meditation. Especially the ones I am about to list. I had suffered some severe mental traumas (temporary depersonalization syndrome, completely bizarre and very destructive thoughts) due to some really bad hallucinogenic drug experiences. I was pretty much a complete anxious / depressed suicidal mess for half a year afterwards. Only after about 1 year could i be somewhat functional. (Still incredibly anxious and depressed but better than I was) Anyway I was researching meditation and buddhism, and was practicing 'mindfulness of breath meditation,' I was doing it wrong, was controlling the breath instead of just 'watching' it without manipulating it. Anyways I had been meditating for 2 and a half hours or so in the dark basement when all the sudden I sort of freaked myself out, I felt the panic sensation coming and my heart started beating incredibly fast. My first urge was to stop meditating and try to escape mentally before it turned into a full fledged panic attack, instead I decided to stay with it and completely surrender to the panic attack, I 'let it do its worst', make no mental resistance, just allow the panic to be, watch it, don't identify with it, don't think about it, just feel it and put your attention on it. Anyways it turned it into a complete full blown panic attack. My heart and breath were incredibly fast. Still had the urge to try to escape it mentally but I did not I just continued the practice.

Anyways after about 1 or 2 minutes of this and me staying present and creating no mental resistance to it and facing it head on all the sudden the panic completely changed. I was no longer panicky at all. I felt absolutely amazing. It shifted almost instantly too. I had what felt like energy and tingles just surging up and down my back and I felt incredibly elated like a huge weight was lifted off my mind. Felt very happy and completely different. Seemed like all the negative energy was released. A state of bliss. Most amazing experience I've ever had. I never had a panic attack again and for half year or so I felt very good, still had some social anxiety by it was greatly reduced, then I got into other drugs and bad habits returned. Anxious again. Bad anxiety maybe but still no panic attacks. Also I think I closed the door on depersonalization syndrome forever. Never depersonalized since or had the feeling like your awareness increases like 100x like you do when you are about to depersonalize. Anyways I later read Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti and they described the mental aspect of it perfectly. Also Eckhart Tolle described exactly what happened to me. Like people would come up to him and tell him about experiences that were the exact same as mine

Also here's something I wrote in another thread which I think is really helpful.

The more energy you give to thoughts the more prevalent and more powerful they become. You must not feed them any more energy. The key to living in the now is to allow everything to be as it is. Don't resist anything mentally. Don't project into the future in attempt to escape an unpleasant now. Just be still. Feeling anxious? Allow yourself to feel anxious, don't try and escape it. Treat every moment as if you had chosen it. Totally surrender to whatever you are feeling, even if it is very negative, when you are completely surrendered then there is no conflict, no projection, no trying to escape, no more negative thoughts (which trigger even more negative thoughts and negative emotions which trigger negative thoughts etc.) There are two methods that I use to try to become more present if I am dwelling on things from the past. The first is to just watch your thoughts. Don't identify with them. Don't judge them. Just watch them. Observe them, realize that they are not you, they are just a matrix of repetitive conditioned thought loops. Gradually they will start to lose power over you and will no longer make emotional connections which trigger negative emotions and other thought loops. Another method is to consciously put your attention into the present moment. Try to feel your body from the inside and any sensations. Listen to the noises around you. Put your attention on your breathing etc. I alternate between these and others though. I find the 'allowing everything to be as it is' method the best though because you are not trying to get anywhere (which is projection, the false belief that you need to 'get somewhere' to feel complete and in the now, sometimes I got myself into bad mental states trying to hard to be in the now, so completely surrendering to the present moment and your emotions whatever they may be is best, you will sort of figure it out though through trial and error)

Favorite meditations in order with descriptions:
*
Adyashanti's "Allow everything to be as it is meditation"*
Found in "Spontaneous Awakening audiobook" for me its chapter 5 but chapter 4 is also needed imho. Can be found on the internet if you know where to look ;-) Just please buy them if they work for you. Guided meditation. Listen to it with an mp3 player. (Also this might be a better meditation to try when you have some experience with eckhart tolle's meditations.)

This is very very similar to what I was doing during that panic attack. The general idea is to completely stop manipulating your experience. Don't try to get to any particular mental state. Don't resist anything mentally. Allow everything to be as it is. Accept each mental state as if you had chosen it. Surrender to the now. Completely surrender to whatever you are feeling, feeling anxious? Allow yourself to feel anxious. Don't resist it, don't try to think your way out of it. Allow awareness to flow wherever it will. Don't try to change it. Allow it move about freely. Very relaxing meditation. Great for when you are in an unpleasant mental state. When you are in a bad mental state the last thing you want to do is 'think your way our of it' or do a manipulative meditation to try and get out of it. This can cause serious conflict if you fail and more mind activity and negativity. Best to allow it to be and totally surrender to it, then see what happens 

*Eckhart Tolle meditations:*
In his book / audiobook "The Power of Now"
Can be found on the internet if you know where to look
General idea is to stay in the now instead of in the past or future. Escape your mind by creating 'gaps in the mind' where there is no thought just awareness. Many methods of doing this, you can 'listen to the silence' which means put your attention on the 'silence.' (Better listen tot he audiobook to get a better understanding of what this means. You can also just listen to whatever sounds pop up, just put your attention to listening to whatever comes up. Another is the 'feeling your inner body' meditation which never worked to well for me, I usually just focus on whatever sensations I feel against my skin and such. "Watching the mind meditation" is a very powerful one, its purpose is to break your identification with your mind. So your mind no longer controls you, watch it make mistakes, become aware of you (the observer / awareness) and your thoughts at the same time. Goal is to realize that you are not your mind, and your thoughts are not you, and are often completely irrational and crazy and make no sense. Lots of good meditations in the book. I recommend doing these ones first.

*Jon-Kabbat Zinn General mindfulness meditation*
I like listening to this one when the others aren't working so well. I rarely do it relatively but it is a good meditation especially for beginners. I don't like mindfulness of breath meditation because I did it wrong for so long and felt so much negative energy / physical discomfort in my chest and 'controlled' my breathing instead of just watching it. If you do the mindfulness of breath technique try to feel the breath on your nostrils and not your chest if you feel lots of anxiety in your chest. But still a good meditation. Very effective and great for a beginner. He really does a good job explaining what you are supposed to do. I also like the method of gently putting your awareness on several things at once. Such as your hearing, the feeling in your body and hands etc and your breath at the same time.






Here's a good ebook dealing with mindfulness
*Mindulness in Plain English*
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

I alternate between all of these, these are the major ones that I do. Occasionally I will do others but I find these the most effective. Recommend Jon-Kabbat Zinn / Eckhart Tolle meditations for beginners, when you are more experienced or if the previous meditations seem to lose their effect try Adyashanti's meditation. I constantly alternate between these ones especially if my meditations have become stale or unsuccessful.

Very tired right now I will elaborate on this more tomorrow.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> It's noticeable, it looks more tight and I think you are doing a great job. Some of the stuff you are doing, it took me about 3 years to figure out that what I should be doing rather than just lifting weights and running. How beneficial yoga is and you are doing the right things for your body type (which is mine as well) I'm not even talking from a mental standpoint, a physical standpoint, it hardens your body and develops core stability, especially if you are lifting weight, it's important. Keep it up and you'll look pimp. I also think you should keep further exploration on breathing exercises because it's no joke, it'll harden your core, breath in softly and make sure to push all the air out like you are pushing all the air out from your belly button, it's an explosion followed by that last push pushing all the air out.
> 
> One things you'll have to watch out is to space out your eating. If you feel, hungry eat. But you don't want to let yourself get hungry to the point where you'll ransack your kitchen in one sitting because that's when you'll put on body fat. But otherwise don't be afraid to eat good stuff, that's key. Also get a body fat monitor, they're like $20-$40 bucks for those electronic ones, it'll give you a better idea on when to adjust your goals because you don't wanna be ultra skinny because you'll eventually get a low body fat if you keep it up and that's when you want to stop losing weight and focus more on gains.
> 
> Yeah man, keep it up, you look great.


Really fantastic advice. I never would have guessed how much strength Yoga can bring. I always looked at it as sort of girly and easy, but now I see that it's no joke at all. In 4 weeks I've noticed a definite increase in ease (because i've gotten stronger, not because the Yoga is itself easy) so it's very encouraging. I think it helps with my push ups too. When I first started I could literally barely do 10 push ups. It was just so difficult. Now I can sets of 10 without too much strain. These breathing exercises are really great. I just got done doing the one I mentioned earlier today. When I do it it seems like my entire body is getting hot. It mentioned that would happen because it's literally cleaning out your body but it's a cool sensation.

My eating is really healthy for the most part. I'm pretty obsessive compulsive when I get into things. My normal day of eating would be something like :

Breakfast:
Whey protein powder, half a banana, and oatmeal all blended up with milk to make a good breakfast shake. Sometimes I'll replace that with egg whites and turkey bacon.

Snack
Something like lentil soup. Maybe some nuts.

Lunch
Wheat tortilla with turkey, organic beans, brown rice, lettuce, jalapenos, mustard and some salsa inside with a side of cottage cheese.

Dinner
Mostly lean turkey burgers or skinless chicken breasts with a side of mixed vegetables.

Then sometimes I'll have another protein shake at the end of the night.

Water intake is probably around 120-150 ounces per day as well.

I'll also have to say that depression and anxiety have decreased ALOT since starting to work out. It's absolutely amazing. I expect that it will even get better once I start running more frequently and more mileage.

My end goal is just to be really lean and cut. I don't really want mass at all. I mean semi large arms and pecs would be good but I don't want to be a monster lol


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## Omnium11

Current weight: 177.8
General Sentiment: 6.5 or so

Alright today is the day I drastically upped my calories. Woke up at like 4 am ate a nice meal and fell back asleep lol. Wonder how high my weight will go before it starts to drop again. Went fishing with my dad today and caught a fish. Just got home now so first chance to write the report.


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## hiimnotcool

Congrats on catching the fish!!

Today is my rest day. I did go to the track with some people and did a 4 or 5 sprints then jogged a lap so I'm sure that burned some calories but it was nothing major. I'm tempted to go run 3 more miles but I know that rest is imperative to get gains. After that we went to a hot tub and just sat in there for 20 minutes and it was SO relaxing.


Tomorrow the hard work starts again. Tomorrow is an hour workout for shoulders, chest, and triceps and then a 15 minute ab workout. That should be an interesting update :sus


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## Cerberus

Still sick. Bah!!!!!! 


I've set a more important and more long term goal for myself: I will not ****ing gain that fat back!!!! I am going to stay at a healthy, lean weight. And if I deviate from this goal a little bit, I will quickly get on a path toward maintaining this goal. 

Is there some kind of meditation that could help me to strongly believe that? I kind of believe it, but I want that belief to be strong -- mind over matter and all that ****.


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## Omnium11

Ty can't wait to cook the fish, you wouldn't believe how much cooking I have done lately lol, I'm turning into my mom. One thing about this diet is I just really really appreciate food a lot mroe and all the effort it takes to make things. I will always remember to say thank you to my parents when they make food from now on. I have pretty much taken over the cooking duties for the whole family. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today I exercised abs and ran for 3 miles. Also I think getting out of the house has really helped. I talked to my grandparents from my dads side of the family and it went very well. Haven't seen them in like 8 years either. Tomorrow for me I think will be biceps and back.

I feel for ya Cerberus. Absolutely hate getting sick when I'm doing a transformation. 

Meditation definitely helps with diets and long term goals, it seems to chip away at the mental resistance, the negative self destructive thoughts which can cause you to give up on a diet. Also elevates your mood in general which makes urges much easier to resist. There will be much less like emotionally driven overeating or depression which destroys motivation. 

The worst thoughts for me are those ones where you stop exercising and dieting for like 5 days or so and then you start thinking 'whats the use, I've failed already and have been eating like crap, might as well stop the diet.' Meditation definitely helps with these. I would try Eckhart Tolle's "Watch the mind meditation to disidentify with your mind and thoughts so they no longer have the same power over you." Also Eckhart Tolle's other meditations and Adyashanti's meditation should be very good as well. Also when you run long distances there is lots of mental resistance, trying to get you to stop running, too 'hard', too much resistance to the now, too much projecting into the future when the run will be over etc. These are great resistances that meditation can break down which will definitely help you with your goals.


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## Cerberus

^Thanks. I looked at an article by Eckhart. It sounds like mindfulness meditation. I read a book about that a few years ago. I used to meditate. I should give it a shot again. I remember how calm it used to make me.


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## Omnium11

Almost forgot the pics, today was a change up from my usual boxer-briefs / running shorts :-D

(Stomach is back a bit, real interested to see what I weigh tomorrow)



















Sunburned bad on my right side only lol


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## Omnium11

Day 11

Weight 178.4
General Sentiment 6.0

Been slacking off with mental aspect of transformation, too busy fishing and cooking last couple days. Today I'll do some yoga, some meditation and listen to some audiobooks or something. My goal is only 40 minutes of internet today. (Give or take)

Abs are pretty sore today, legs kinda sore, will def go for another run today, then hit biceps and back. Back will be harder because I don't access to gym. I guess a bunch of different rows will have to do. I might look around the house and garage for something to build a temporary pull up bar with.


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## Omnium11




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## hiimnotcool

[email protected] sunburn on right side only. last year i got so obsessed with being tan that i failed to tan the back side of my body so only my face, chest, top of arms and front of my legs were tan while the rest was significantly less colored. this summer seriously sucks so far because there hasn't been Sun for nearly 2 weeks.

also dont worry about gaining any weight back. that's normal. when you start doing alot of exercise your clothes will just start fitting differently. i try my best to ignore what the scale says because it doesnt give an accurate depiction of what's *really* happening with your body.

With that said..

My weight today was 164.8 (I haven't bee below 165 in 8 months!)

I did chest, shoulders, and triceps and boy am I tired. My arms feel like complete jello. It was like 18-20 different exercises all at 12-16 reps a piece. Alot of them were different variations of push ups. I know I'm going to feel this one tomorrow.

I still don't have a pull up bar because my mom bought the one where you have to attach it to a wall with screws. she will be picking up the one that attaches directly to the door frame soon hopefully.

my legs are also really sore for some reason even though i didnt run alot yesterday. i suppose sprints are harder on the muscles then a regular jog. or it might be due to me not stretching afterwards :b

Tonight I might do some abs but they're really sore from that Yoga breathing exercise. I think that stuff REALLY works because my abs havent been this sore for awhile and thats including the actual ab workouts. I also plan on ending the night with that Sunset Yoga video just to stretch out my legs.

Tomorrow I'm going to run. I figure a mile jog warm, then maybe 8-10 sprints, then a mile jog cool down.


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## Cerberus

Weight: 167 lbs. 

Workout completed:

Deadlifts
Rows
Chins
Bicep curls
ab workout

I was feeling 90% better when I woke up this morning, so I figured it would be alright to workout today.

I'm starting to look really lean. I haven't been this lean since before I took paxil six years ago (damn paxil screwed up my metabolism). Luckily I stopped taking paxil five years ago, so I only took it for a year, but that year was enough to mess up my metabolism. Luckily, I'm on wellbutrin now, which helps as a slight appetite suppressant.

Overall, I'm pretty dang happy with my weight loss so far. I'm starting to see the outline of the outer part of my abs, and my love handles are negligible, meaning they're getting close to being gone.


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## Omnium11

Congrats on your weight and weight lifting today hiim! Good job :-D 

My running shorts are fitting much looser, I almost have to use the draw string on them now. 

I did that yoga breathing exercise yesterday, I really liked it! Any others yogas that you would recommend?


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## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> Weight: 167 lbs.
> 
> Workout completed:
> 
> Deadlifts
> Rows
> Chins
> Bicep curls
> ab workout
> 
> I was feeling 90% better when I woke up this morning, so I figured it would be alright to workout today.
> 
> I'm starting to look really lean. I haven't been this lean since before I took paxil six years ago (damn paxil screwed up my metabolism). Luckily I stopped taking paxil five years ago, so I only took it for a year, but that year was enough to mess up my metabolism. Luckily, I'm on wellbutrin now, which helps as a slight appetite suppressant.
> 
> Overall, I'm pretty dang happy with my weight loss so far. I'm starting to see the outline of the outer part of my abs, and my love handles are negligible, meaning they're getting close to being gone.


Awesome cerb, glad your back to lifting and feeling better!

We're all doing a damn good job! Keep it up.


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## Cerberus

^ Yeah, good job everyone. Good job, hiimnotcool. I'm glad you started this thread, Ominium11. This has helped with my motivation. Let's all keep making good progress!


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Really fantastic advice. I never would have guessed how much strength Yoga can bring. I always looked at it as sort of girly and easy, but now I see that it's no joke at all. In 4 weeks I've noticed a definite increase in ease (because i've gotten stronger, not because the Yoga is itself easy) so it's very encouraging. I think it helps with my push ups too. When I first started I could literally barely do 10 push ups. It was just so difficult. Now I can sets of 10 without too much strain. These breathing exercises are really great. I just got done doing the one I mentioned earlier today. When I do it it seems like my entire body is getting hot. It mentioned that would happen because it's literally cleaning out your body but it's a cool sensation.
> 
> My eating is really healthy for the most part. I'm pretty obsessive compulsive when I get into things. My normal day of eating would be something like :
> 
> Breakfast:
> Whey protein powder, half a banana, and oatmeal all blended up with milk to make a good breakfast shake. Sometimes I'll replace that with egg whites and turkey bacon.
> 
> Snack
> Something like lentil soup. Maybe some nuts.
> 
> Lunch
> Wheat tortilla with turkey, organic beans, brown rice, lettuce, jalapenos, mustard and some salsa inside with a side of cottage cheese.
> 
> Dinner
> Mostly lean turkey burgers or skinless chicken breasts with a side of mixed vegetables.
> 
> Then sometimes I'll have another protein shake at the end of the night.
> 
> Water intake is probably around 120-150 ounces per day as well.
> 
> I'll also have to say that depression and anxiety have decreased ALOT since starting to work out. It's absolutely amazing. I expect that it will even get better once I start running more frequently and more mileage.
> 
> My end goal is just to be really lean and cut. I don't really want mass at all. I mean semi large arms and pecs would be good but I don't want to be a monster lol


I go to a couple yoga classes every week, there are big, muscular guys that come, try it out their first time and they're struggling and find out real fast it isn't easy, I practice two more fitness oriented, westernized form of yogas, power yoga, which kind of like doing yoga boot-camp style and hassana which is more to open your hips, back and shoulders in a different manner, I recently started hassana and it feels like I never done yoga in my life, focused on muscles I didn't even know existed lol! Yoga works different components of fitness but all the components of fitness work in conjunction with each other. But you should attend one, at a local gym, nothing fancy, it gives you an excuse to be around a lot of girls, kinda nerve wrecking at first, but after a while, you just smile even though you'd be shy to talk to them, assuming of course because you have SA. It's kind of motivating none the less, better than doing it by yourself all the time!

One of the moves in yoga is like a push-up, it's called a chataranga. Same principle as a push up, except you below are by your side and you want your shoulders to be slightly above the elbows when you hold it, the only part of your body that should in the ground is your palms and balls of your feet. When you first do it, it's very taxing, but then you could do chataranga push-ups where you push up to a plank and back down again and they are intense, do them slow and hold them for a bit. Just an example of how yoga can directly help you improve the amount of push-ups you do.

Pushing a lot of weight is beneficial as well, regardless you want to get huge or not, focus on compound exercises. Much of it, you can do for free with relatively little equipment, it's just how you position your body in exercises and different things you can do to notch the intensity.

I played with my body around a bit more the years, I been relatively small, dropped from 200 to 160, hung around there for a while, then got relatively big, but maintaining 8% BF or below at 185 lbs a few years back, solely lifting major weight, running and playing ball. The way skinny people fill out is different, you look skinny from far away, but when sometimes comes up close, you look huge, it's just part of having a beanpole body type, especially when you are tall. But I found out it wasn't necessarily the best thing because to maintain it and get stronger, I had to spend a lot of time working out that I didn't think was necessary. So I changed my focus to more eccentric forms of exercises while maintaining some of the more traditional exercises I do more balanced work-out overall. I keep a current weight of 170 with currently 7.2% body fat, I can only lift 80% of what I used to be able to lift, but I'm way more flexible and lose and the strength developed is more practical for every day use.

Part of it all is to learn what works for you because what works for A might not necessarily be as effective or be enjoyable for B. It's important to try a lot of things out and find out what works for you (but don't pick them just because they're easy lol!)

What time of the day do you usually do your workouts? The diet looks good, although when you lose a little more fat, include a snack between lunch and dinner. That's why you should get the BF monitor. To get cut cut, diet is really important as well as amping up the intensity of your workouts. Because with everyone, they'll be a certain point where it'll seem you'll plateaued but you are gaining muscle. Looking at the scale solely might discourage you, there's all type of measures that can used to measure your level of fitness.

And you starting to see how effective the breathing exercises eh?

Keep it up everyone! As long as you keep doing it, there's no way you can lose (except weight!)


----------



## Omnium11

Oh wow just did a 5 mile run! Feels great. Half way to my goal! Didn't lift today, think i will wait till tomorrow when i build a pull up bar with my dad (hopefully)


----------



## Omnium11

Day 12

Yesterday I did much better with the mental aspect of this transformation. Very good day. Today I will again try to focus on this. Also will work muscles. Feel like going for a run as well. Sun burn no longer hurts, will sit out in sun and try to tan the rest of me as well.

Weight: 179
General Sentiment: 7.0

Lots of dreams about food. I even dreamed I caught a huge fish. Lots of vivid dreams all throughout the night.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> Oh wow just did a 5 mile run! Feels great. Half way to my goal! Didn't lift today, think i will wait till tomorrow when i build a pull up bar with my dad (hopefully)


Nice! I bet that does feel great. I don't think I've run five miles since high school.


----------



## Omnium11

Sweet, just built my pull up bar for free. Works great. I am gonna sand down the wood and put tape or something on the bar to make it easier on the hands and maybe a bit thicker. Took about an hour and a half or so.


----------



## hiimnotcool

hahah thats a sweet pull up bar dude. looks like it will do the trick perfectly!

This morning I did 10 minutes of Abs followed by 20 minutes of Cardio Yoga.

I then watched some Jean Claude Van Damme movies.


Following those cinematic masterpieces I went to the track and jogged a mile then did another mile of jogging the corners and sprinting the straight-a-way. That was sort of hard because my legs were still sore from the other day. I was a little angry and unmotivated too because I was supposed to go with my friend but he totally bailed on me and went to the casino instead. We were supposed to do 3 miles then some sparring/grappling afterwards. I suppose I'll 'accidentally' punch him in the face when we do it now :b


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> hahah thats a sweet pull up bar dude. looks like it will do the trick perfectly!
> 
> This morning I did 10 minutes of Abs followed by 20 minutes of Cardio Yoga.
> 
> I then watched some Jean Claude Van Damme movies.
> 
> Following those cinematic masterpieces I went to the track and jogged a mile then did another mile of jogging the corners and sprinting the straight-a-way. That was sort of hard because my legs were still sore from the other day. I was a little angry and unmotivated too because I was supposed to go with my friend but he totally bailed on me and went to the casino instead. We were supposed to do 3 miles then some sparring/grappling afterwards. I suppose I'll 'accidentally' punch him in the face when we do it now :b


Haha, Steven Seagal is where its at!










Today has been pretty good for me. I did HIIT for about 20 minutes or so. Then I made some rather pathetic attempts at doing pull ups (can't believe how weak I've gotten!) I made one hell of a huge dinner though wow, a lot of my cooking is not very healthy but I usually don't eat much if any of it. I have been eating loads of salt lately though, really craving it. Really cutting down on my internet has made me a hell of a lot more useful and active lol. I actually considered reorganizing the basement today! Something I would have really hated to do earlier.

I got satellite tv in my room now, so I can now do yoga's very easy and in the privacy of my room without using my little ipod type thing. Will check out the ones on the fitness channel and give some of those a try. Cooking channel and fitness channel ftw. I'm turning into my mom lol.


----------



## Omnium11

Also my sisters boyfriend left one of those ab wheel things here because it didn't work for him so I gave that a try 2 days ago. I couldn't do it correctly because my lower back was too weak and i could only go forward a little bit but I am still definitely feeling it a lot, seems like it is a decent workout tool. Especially if you hate doing crunches and such like me. Seems you just need to build up a certain amount of strength to be able to use it correctly. Anyways they are cheap as hell like only 8$ might be worth a try.










Apparently the UFC guys like it .





------------------------------------

EDIT: Alright just did some lifting biceps / back, will do another run I think because I have lots of energy all the sudden. I just checked the scale too btw lol. Wow I must be retaining loads of water! Too much salt. Sad thing is I'm planning on making another salty stir fry tomorrow too lol. My fat rolls are noticeably much smaller and I'm looking much better. Screw the scale.

16 mins of a sort of HIIT, wow that stuff is brutal. I'm doing 50 - 60 seconds of treadmill on max speed 10 followed by 2-3 mins of walking for now. I need to go to a track to do it properly I think, treadmill doesn't go fast enough and it makes me nervous on speed 10 like I'm gonna break the treadmill or fall on my ***. Time to stretch, meditate and go to sleep. Cya all in the morning.


----------



## Omnium11

Day 13

General Sentiment - 7.0
Weight 179.4

Alright, at one point yesterday evening I was 184.5 pounds or so, weight really fluctuates day to day. Back down under 180. Doing good. Leg has a cramp in it from running yesterday but other than that feel pretty good. My most sore muscles are my abs still. Gonna hit them today again and my chest / shoulders / triceps. Also gonna meditate here a lot today hopefully.

Pictures coming up in 2 hours or so.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Yeah, weighing yourself at the end of the day is probably not the best perspective because your body has all the food/water and stuff like that in it from the entire day. I'd think your weight when you first wake up in the morning is what your body 'actually' weighs. Still, good job on everything. I haven't found any more helpful Yoga's online but I think just sticking to that breathing one will yield great results all on its own. I did find the P90X Ab workout online though if you want to just stream that on the days you do ab work. I also have a really good Ab workout I found on Youtube and it's brutal. It's like 25 exercises and 10 reps a piece.



Today I did push ups then a 45 minute Bicep and Back routine. It was mainly biceps because I don't have the pull up bar yet but I managed to improvise with the resistance bands a little bit. It felt really good. My arms were super tight by the end and the reps were getting almost impossile to lift which means success I think.

Directly after that I did 15 minutes of abs. I did 15 reps of the 11 P90X exercises (10 of the oblique side lifts) then did 5-10 reps of about 15 of the Youtube videos exercises. Abs were definitely toast and I could barely lift my torso off the ground at the end. Once again that equals success I believe.


I might end up doing some Yoga tonight as well. Tomorrow I will do 2 miles of jogging and then 1 to 2 miles of sprints. 


ps, the Sun is finally out in Seattle. Thank God!!


----------



## hiimnotcool

Ugh. I'm feeling depressed. I was flexing in front of the mirror and just started thinking 'I should have better results then this since I've been working so hard'. What should I reasonably expect for a month of exercise? I also slipped up today and ate like crap so I'm having the 'might as well just quit and go back to drinking beer all the time' thought processes.



Blah.


----------



## Cerberus

^try not to devellp an all or nothing attitude. 

I'm drinking me beer and me chips and dip and I eat a couple slice of pizza

I don't fell guilty because as long as my diet is in order the rest of th eweek, I just be okiay.


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Ugh. I'm feeling depressed. I was flexing in front of the mirror and just started thinking 'I should have better results then this since I've been working so hard'. What should I reasonably expect for a month of exercise? I also slipped up today and ate like crap so I'm having the 'might as well just quit and go back to drinking beer all the time' thought processes.
> 
> Blah.


Man today has been the same for me. I've eaten like **** today. I just keep going back to the fridge and grazing more and more, I keep telling myself I'm done after this last peanut butter sandwich, but then will be back later. Keep saying 'tomorrow I will start again.' These are the sorts of moments that can screw up a transformation. Also been having those negative thoughts. It was real hard to meditate but I just did for 20 mins or so. Seems like I am better now. Try to do your best to not believe your thoughts and not take them so seriously. (hard I know)

I need to stop eating _now_ and do some more meditating _now_, no more procrastination. I think I will also go for a walk or something. If not now... when?

Hang in there buddy. I think your pics are looking great. All things are temporary, all emotions / moments pass. This negativity will as well.

I also had negative thoughts earlier today liek 'who cares if you do a physical transformation, you will still be retarded socially etc.' Relived some negative moments from my past as well. I'm slacking mentally I think. I think I should focus more on the mental aspect of this transformation from now on, I think it makes the physical part much easier if the mental is your priority. Too much emotional and mind involvement in the physical aspect. Too many negative thoughts in general. Going to upload these pics real quick then go for a walk.

I'm done eating for the day.

Hang in there!


----------



## Omnium11

Dunno why the pictures are so light today. The flash wasn't working either, maybe too low on batteries, even so they seem way to light.



















Alright just walked for 50 minutes or so with incline of 4% to 10%. Treadmill says burned 500 calories, I think it estimates a little too high, probably more like 430 or so. Feeling much better now and motivated. Legs are sore and one has a bit of a cramp or something, might have to not run tomorrow.


----------



## AbstractAnxiety

Not sure if using any "performance enhancers" has crossed anyones mind but beware of trying to order online. 97% scams and you'll never see your product or money back.

I do know of a couple very legit places with great stuff depending on what you'd be looking for (i.e muscle gains, fat burning, etc).

I like to do it natty, but a boost is always great.


----------



## hiimnotcool

AbstractAnxiety said:


> Not sure if using any "performance enhancers" has crossed anyones mind but beware of trying to order online. 97% scams and you'll never see your product or money back.
> 
> I do know of a couple very legit places with great stuff depending on what you'd be looking for (i.e muscle gains, fat burning, etc).
> 
> I like to do it natty, but a boost is always great.


Have you heard good things about beta alanine? I hear its similar to creatine just minus all of the water retention. I'm thinking about getting on that for a couple months for a boost.

Today I woke up and did 1 hour of Kenpo. Felt really good. Going for a run later.


----------



## Cerberus

Cerberus said:


> ^try not to devellp an all or nothing attitude.
> 
> I'm drinking me beer and me chips and dip and I eat a couple slice of pizza
> 
> I don't fell guilty because as long as my diet is in order the rest of th eweek, I just be okiay.


Okay, I feel guilty now that I've sobered up. Moreover, I'm eating a big mac with fries and a sugar drink right now. lol I really need to make sure not to let my diet break down. I'll get back on the horse tomorrow or at least by Tuesday after I get my paper turned in and talked to my professor about a research proposal. My diet has been pretty atrocious this past week.

It sounds like we're all having trouble in that sense. I'm confident we'll get our diets back in check.


----------



## AbstractAnxiety

hiimnotcool said:


> Have you heard good things about beta alanine? I hear its similar to creatine just minus all of the water retention. I'm thinking about getting on that for a couple months for a boost.


Go with CEE instead. It's creatine ethyl ester. Same good gains as creatine with no water retention. Tastes like booty though, but they have flavors as well as capsules.

There's also this stuff called clenbuteral that shreds you up. No mass gain or strength, but it gets you cut FAST.

I go with the big boys, i.e test eth, test cyp, prop, winstrol, etc. Not for everyone though.

There are some alternatives out there though. But beware, a lot of the stuff you'll see at GNC and other type stores is crap in nice looking packaging.

You'll find some great info at the site posted below. Don't be thrown off by the name, there's a ton of great info there.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/


----------



## hiimnotcool

Heres a little update. Just took these pictures after sitting out in the Sun for 45 minutes. I think my biceps are definitely getting bigger. I've started doing a push up a week ago so I think that's where its coming from. 

My chest and stomach are looking better too. Chest is getting more defined which is probably credited to the push ups as well.

etc etc etc. I'm excited for my run tonight!


----------



## hiimnotcool

AbstractAnxiety said:


> Go with CEE instead. It's creatine ethyl ester. Same good gains as creatine with no water retention. Tastes like booty though, but they have flavors as well as capsules.
> 
> There's also this stuff called clenbuteral that shreds you up. No mass gain or strength, but it gets you cut FAST.
> 
> I go with the big boys, i.e test eth, test cyp, prop, winstrol, etc. Not for everyone though.
> 
> There are some alternatives out there though. But beware, a lot of the stuff you'll see at GNC and other type stores is crap in nice looking packaging.
> 
> You'll find some great info at the site posted below. Don't be thrown off by the name, there's a ton of great info there.
> 
> http://www.steroidology.com/forum/


thanks man!! I'm gonna look into the CEE and Clenbuteral. I'm mostly concerned with getting really lean and cut but maybe stacking it with CEE will give some extra mass too.

I appreciate it.


----------



## Omnium11

big mac guilt  and god big mac sounds awesome right now, 

Alright today I'm doing much better. Diet back on track. Exercise coming up. I turned yesterday into a pretty good day because of the meditation and the long walk. Also thinking positively I ate LOADS of protein yesterday. Today I will do abs and cardio if my legs allow me.

Current weight: 182 (This will be my peak, it will go down from here, water has all come back and yesterday I ate so much. Weight will go down from here on out)

General Sentiment: 7 (attribute this to the meditation last night)

Feeling good! Motivation is great right now! Will take some pics here in a bit. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take them this morning.

I might be going up to a cabin in the mountains here shortly. If so I might be gone for 2-3 days. Will take some long hikes up in the mountains and such and do pushups etc. Also I can do some sprints up there. Also good way to work on my tan.

Great pics Hiim, looking very lean, biceps looking good too.


----------



## Omnium11

Relaxed









Flexed









EDIT:
Alright abs and 2.5 miles of cardio done. Also did biceps and back. Yesterday did chest / tri / shoulders. Lifting seems to be going pretty good. Maybe thats why I ate so much things with lots of protein yesterday. Body needs it I guess. As a reward I'm gonna play Dead Space here for a bit.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> big mac guilt  and god big mac sounds awesome right now,


heh Today has been one big cheat day. Big mac, pizza, and now I'm having a slurpee. Hell, I even got one of those silly candy straws.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> Relaxed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Flexed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT:
> Alright abs and 2.5 miles of cardio done. Also did biceps and back. Yesterday did chest / tri / shoulders. Lifting seems to be going pretty good. Maybe thats why I ate so much things with lots of protein yesterday. Body needs it I guess. As a reward I'm gonna play Dead Space here for a bit.


Your tan is looking really good and your shorts look like they're gonna be too big for you in the next couple of weeks. You might have to get a new pair :b Your tricep also looks really defined. Maybe it's the tan since they say a tan makes muscles look bigger, or maybe your body is an exercise machine and get yield results after one workout.

You did alot of workout today which is great. Your workout seems kind of similar to mine. I work the same muscle groups as you do. I would definitely recommend getting some Whey protein if you can. Protein will help significantly with fat loss. They say you should aim for 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. I should probably take atleast 2 protein drinks a day just so I meet those requirements from now on.

Well, today as I mentioned earlier I did an hour of Kenpo. I also did a 3 mile run about 2 hours ago. .5 mile jog, then 1 mile of running semi fast for the straight-a-way, then jogging the corners, then a mile cool down.

Tomorrow is 'supposed' to be Leg's and Back but I just look at it as a free day to do whatever I want because I work my legs enough by running and I don't have pull up bar yet to do back. I'll probably just end up doing alot of push ups and then an ab routine. That won't feel like enough though so I may do some other form of exercise from the TV or maybe just go for another run.

Man, this thread has seriously helped me so much. Keeps me motivated!

Cerberus, haha you're hilarious. I like how you called it 'one of those silly candy straws' like you're not even sure of the reasoning behind getting it. Ah, they say to give yourself a cheat day once a week so it's all good. I haven't had pizza or fast food for about a month and a half now. But I hear you loud and clear about the beer. Lately I've just been buying one of those 22 oz beers and drinking 2 or 3 per week. I found one that has 10.2% alcohol and its 4.50 so it does the trick in relaxing me. I know it's more cost effective to buy a 6 pack of something but I don't have ANY willpower when it comes to drinking. I may say that I'll only drink 3 but once I've had them all that goes out the window and I want 12 more. Ha.


----------



## giggles

well done 4 making a change!! even if u only do half of that it wud still be a great thing to do


----------



## Cerberus

I did 50 minutes of cardio on my exercise bike today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Just did abs and push ups. Feeling lazy.


----------



## Omnium11

Thanks giggles

Good job everyone, today was ok. Diet I ate a little more than I wanted but still in a deficit. Did about 10 mins of cardio before leg started hurting too much to continue running. I'll make myself stay off of it tomorrow and let it heal. 

I have some old strawberry protein powder from like 5 years ago lol, haven't tried it out yet to see how well it kept. Wish it was chocolate but it will have to do. I think the tan definitely helps make my arms look better. Also I seem to have a small pump that lasts a couple days after I work out a particular muscle group. 

Will post the pics tomorrow but too tired right now to upload em

Oh yeah

Current weight: 183 (guess I'm still gaining from the water)
General Sentiment: 5.5 (today had its ups and downs, managed to put in a good finish though)


----------



## Cerberus

weight: 169.25 (I'm guessing the increase in weight is water weight from all the cheat meals I consumed over the weekend)

workout completed: dead lifts, rows, chins, bicep curls, and ab workout.


----------



## Omnium11

Sorry here's the pics yesterday and todays.



















----------------------



















Took these hour or two after working out today. Did chest / tris / arms today and also abs. Arms have some pump because of this. Weight is 184! Put back on more than I expected from water weight etc. I will go on this trip to mountains on wednesday. Today diet has been pretty good. Yesterday I ended up eating a hamburger before I went to bed. Put me over maintenance I think. Today going better.

Great job everyone. Keep at it!


----------



## hiimnotcool

Just got back from a 4 mile run. 2 miles of those were quick tempo on the straight a ways. Felt really good and I could have went longer but I didn't wear socks and the insert was jabbing into the arch of my foot so it was too painful. I wasn't winded at all though which is great!

I have to do 20 minutes of Pilates then 30 minutes of Yoga tonight before bed. All in all I'd say this was a very successful day.


Tomorrow is my rest day but I'll do some push ups and maybe abs. Possibly some Yoga too.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Weighed myself this morning and was at 163.6! I guess the body takes awhile to adjust and start shedding it but it seems like it has started at this point. It may be due to the running I've been doing lately too though.

My legs feel surprisingly good after 4 miles. I'm gonna let them rest until tomorrow and then run 3-4 again.

Today has been really good. I went outside and sat in the Sun for an hour and it felt great. Listened to some relaxing music. Some bad thoughts tried to creep into my head but I consciously told myself not to project into the future and just live in the moment. I've listened to a bit of the Adyashanti messages on Youtube and I think it has helped.

Tomorrow is tri's, shoulder, chest so gotta rest up for that. Last time I did that workout I was sore for 2 days! Hope everyones day is going well.










*EDIT*

OH! and I got a pull up bar today!!! It came with 'The Perfect Push Up' things too. Also two arm straps to do ab work on the bar. I'm excited. I tried to do a pull up and couldn't though so I'll have to use a chair for assistance for awhile lol


----------



## Omnium11

Looking good hiim, congrats on weight loss

Well I just ate 4 pieces of pizza, also two reeces peanut butter cups. Pretty pissed at myself. Going to make myself burn off at least 2 of those by the time the day is over I think. I used the excuse that since my trip is tomorrow I can cheat today. Feel annoyed now though. Haven't checked the scale today, think I will just wait till this trip is over before I weigh myself again.

I'm hoping my legs will let me run today. Also plan on doing biceps / back. Today started off great, lots of meditation and sitting out in sun etc. Hope to put in a good end after the pizza thing

Good luck guys, you're doing great


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> OH! and I got a pull up bar today!!! It came with 'The Perfect Push Up' things too. Also two arm straps to do ab work on the bar. I'm excited. I tried to do a pull up and couldn't though so I'll have to use a chair for assistance for awhile lol


You might be able to use those resistance bands for assistance.

I did forty minutes of cardio today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Last night after posting I did 30 minutes of Yoga.


Now I just did 1 hour of tri/shoulder/chest then 15 minutes of abs. I woke up at 5 and just decided to get the workout done and start the day off right. 


Gonna run a little later today when the weather cools down. I think I'll sit out in the Sun for an hour or two while I'm waiting though 


Have fun on your camping trip Omnium!


*edit*

Just ran 3 miles. Felt good!


----------



## CircularThinking

Damn you guys are both making great progress!

I definitely think the ab wheel is worth it btw, if you go from a full standing position it is a brutal exercise.


----------



## Pelicanbay

congrats! im in the same boat, i went from 280 to 206 pounds will easily get down to 190

but your being really hard on yourself, i thought i was but man, you do allll that running so it must really bug but good for you though, i wish i could run like that. i only run when i am pissed off lol


----------



## Cerberus

Pelicanbay said:


> congrats! im in the same boat, i went from 280 to 206 pounds will easily get down to 190
> 
> but your being really hard on yourself, i thought i was but man, you do allll that running so it must really bug but good for you though, i wish i could run like that. i only run when i am pissed off lol


damn. Good job, man.

I did chest/tris yesterday and my shoulder is getting increasingly strained, so I'm going to give my shoulder a rest. sucks.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Pelicanbay said:


> congrats! im in the same boat, i went from 280 to 206 pounds will easily get down to 190
> 
> but your being really hard on yourself, i thought i was but man, you do allll that running so it must really bug but good for you though, i wish i could run like that. i only run when i am pissed off lol


wow that is really great! i don't know how easily you'll get down to 190 though. i'm sure it's gonna take a little effort :b

i did 40 minutes of cardio today. will probably add 30 minutes of Yoga tonight before bed as well.

tomorrow is biceps and back which will be the first day with my new pull up bar


----------



## hiimnotcool

Just got done with an hour of biceps and back and a 15 minute ab routine. The pull ups went nicely with the aid of a chair. I don't expect to be able to do them without it for a few weeks.

If anyone is interested in the ab routine I've been doing then here is a full video of it. It's pretty difficult and I'd say it's effective.


Oh yeah, I also bought some Whey Protein with Creatine Monohydrate and Glutamine mixed in so that should help increase muscle gain too. I'll have to let you guys know if I notice any differences from regular Whey.


----------



## Omnium11

Woohoo!! I'm back from my trip, had a pretty good time even though i got into a huge argument with my grandpa. Feeling great now though. I just checked the scale.. 179.8!!! Awesome. I'm glad I'm down again. Real happy to see back under 180.


You guys are doing awesome! Great job everyone. Great vidya hiim

Btw I can do 2 pullups now lol :-D 

pics coming up in a bit


----------



## Omnium11

I think from now on I'll take pics every 3 days or so


----------



## Cerberus

Cerberus said:


> I did chest/tris yesterday and my shoulder is getting increasingly strained, so I'm going to give my shoulder a rest. sucks.


damn it. My body is not working for me. I couldn't finish my leg workout today. I was only able to complete one set of squats. My left knee muscle is strained (from cardio for some bizarre reason) and it felt like it was about to give way, which is weird because this hasn't been a problem with my workout until today.

I guess I'll mainly be doing very very light cardio next week. I really don't like this. I'm getting sick of these set backs.


----------



## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> damn it. My body is not working for me. I couldn't finish my leg workout today. I was only able to complete one set of squats. My left knee muscle is strained (from cardio for some bizarre reason) and it felt like it was about to give way, which is weird because this hasn't been a problem with my workout until today.
> 
> I guess I'll mainly be doing very very light cardio next week. I really don't like this. I'm getting sick of these set backs.


Yeah man I hear you. My leg finally healed enough that I could run on it today though. I think staying off it for the most part for the last couple days definitely helped. Maybe it just needs some rest.

Well today I ran 4.67 miles and did my chest / tri / shoulder and abs. Damn good day today. I'm tempted to do some more cardio here before I go to sleep.


----------



## Omnium11

Well here we are. Day 20. I weigh 177.4! Total weight loss 14.4 pounds!!! Pretty proud of myself. Yesterday I ended up running another mile as well so 5.67 miles combined yesterday.

I'm amazed at how losing weight makes your face look better as well. Jaw / chin become more defined etc.










I'll try to find a before pic

EDIT

Alright just ran 3.5 miles about an hour ago. I think I will run some more here in a bit. Also have to do biceps and back today. Good luck everyone.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Dang dude, 14 pounds in 20 days is absolutely nuts!! I'm happy that you didn't gain a whole lot back once you started increasing your calories again too! It's like your body knows that you mean business this time. Your face does look really thin and defined! You have really good facial structure. Are you a Scorpio or Capricorn? Oh yeah, congrats on all those miles logged too. Fantastic progress

Anyways, I just got done doing 45 minutes of Pilates and Yoga. Wasn't gonna do anything today but felt the urge just to get something done to feel semi-successful. 


Oh yeah, I also got a comment from a friend the other day who said 'your arms are looking alot bigger' and then he came over yesterday and I had my shirt off when he got in and he was like 'i can see your abs too'. It's when people notice that sort of stuff that you realize all of the hardwork is paying off.


PS, fireworks are obnoxious.


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Dang dude, 14 pounds in 20 days is absolutely nuts!! I'm happy that you didn't gain a whole lot back once you started increasing your calories again too! It's like your body knows that you mean business this time. Your face does look really thin and defined! You have really good facial structure. Are you a Scorpio or Capricorn? Oh yeah, congrats on all those miles logged too. Fantastic progress
> 
> Anyways, I just got done doing 45 minutes of Pilates and Yoga. Wasn't gonna do anything today but felt the urge just to get something done to feel semi-successful.
> 
> Oh yeah, I also got a comment from a friend the other day who said 'your arms are looking alot bigger' and then he came over yesterday and I had my shirt off when he got in and he was like 'i can see your abs too'. It's when people notice that sort of stuff that you realize all of the hardwork is paying off.
> 
> PS, fireworks are obnoxious.


Thanks man!! Yeah I was pretty worried how much I gained after I upped my calories almost started to regret it. Feeling great about it now. I'm an aquarius btw 

Awesome about the compliment! It sure does make it all worth it. I bet the girls are loving you! This transformation has been great. Really glad you guys have joined up and have posted your progress. It gives me heaps of motivation and support. I think there were a couple times I would have quit if it weren't for you all. Great job everyone! Lets see this thing through till the very end!

Today I did 3.5 miles running, will do biceps / back / abs tomorrow.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Haha, no girls yet. I don't leave the house much :| Now that I don't go to the bar 2-3 times a week I don't really have much of a social life lol.

Anyways, I just did like 3 sets of 10 pull ups (with chair to keep feet on). I'll do some more in a little bit. I think I'll do push ups as well. Maybe 5 sets of 15then rest for an hour and do 5 sets of 15 again. Then tonight I'm going to run 3-4 miles as well! I've got to do some ab work too. Geez, got a lot of stuff to do ha.

Anyways, here's an updated pic. I think I won't post another pic for a month or so. Even though weekly updates show results I think it'd be better to see how much things change in a months time.

Here's where I started:









Heres where I'm at:


----------



## Omnium11

haha me either, one of my goals is to finally get a girlfriend at the end of this transformation, I always used to want to 'fix myself' before I got a gf but I'm just gonna say screw it and go for it anyways, I will never be perfect and am running out of time I think at 22 years old with never having a gf and I'm sure I could find a girl that can tolerate my SA and other problems. Just hope I don't wake up bald one of these days!

Good job with the pullups, I will have to start using a chair to help out, I did about 2 completely proper pullups where I got my chin at / above the bar level today, almost got 3 lol! Amazing how weak I've gotten when I was a kid I could do like 20 pullups. 

You are looking great man! Definitely looking a lot more defined. Any estimation of your body fat %?. I'm pretty bad at estimating but it looks like you are around 12-13% or so. Getting real close to having some very visible abs. Just a bit more fat to go. I think I'm at about 15-16% bf or so right now. I need to buy some calipers or something.

EDIT:
Weight: 176


----------



## hiimnotcool

I think you could get a girlfriend, just a matter of going out and putting yourself out there. I think at our age girls start to look past the superficial (okay, maybe only a little bit) and they start wanting something more meaningful. But you're only 22 and your a long ways away from 'running out of time' LOL. I wouldn't even be thinking about that at this point.


The chair helps alot. It's still reasonably difficult but nothing I can't handle at this stage. Even doing 3 pull ups is seriously good! I think the average person could probably do 1, while a large percentage not being able to do any. 


I wouldn't have a clue about my current BF% I've heard you need to be under 10 for the abs to show so I'd say your estimation would probably be in the ballpark range. Maybe 12-14%. I still have alot of fat that makes itself well known when I'm sitting in a chair or laying on the bed. I'm not too worried about it at this point though since I'm doing all that I can to get rid of it.


I'm loving it!


----------



## Cerberus

You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.

As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.

As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23. 

Hey, how tall are you guys?


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.
> 
> As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.
> 
> As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23.
> 
> Hey, how tall are you guys?


Yeah man, I felt bad about your injuries that keep stunting your progress. I remember when I used to run alot I would get hurt and would have to take a week or two off and then it felt like I had to start all over again. It's so frustrating. I hope that this time around you don't get hurt again.

Ugh, I know what you mean about thinning hair. My hairline is receding and I'm the same exact age as you. Nobody else would say that I'm balding though. Why can't we all just have good hair atleast until we were 45?!?!

I'm 6'0-6'1. How tall are you?

**oh yeah, edit for what I did today*

I did 25 minutes of Abs. Also numerous (lost count) sets of Pull ups then probably 100 push ups or so.. Will probably stretch it out tonight with some light Yoga as well.


----------



## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> You guys are looking great! Good job. Himnotcool, you look about as lean as I do right now -- I think so anyway. Good job! Omnium11, your face is definitely looking defined. Nice job on the weight loss.
> 
> As for myself, I've run into some mj a few days ago, so I've been indulging in munchies. I'll finish that **** off today and get back into my routine tomorrow, but I need to wait for my damn muscles to rest up. I don't want any major injuries, so these pulled muslces need to heal, which sucks because I really enjoy lifting weights and doing cardio exercises. It does wonders for my depression.
> 
> As for girls, my hair is thinning, so that's not really helping my confidence at the moment. I'm 23.
> 
> Hey, how tall are you guys?


Thanks cerb, haha i know what you mean, mj used to always screw with my fitness plans. I would always completely pig out when I was on it.

I feel for you guys. So far I have been very lucky. Hair is still there, my brother is a year younger than me and he started going bald at like 17! Lucked out I guess so far. Crossing my fingers that I got the genes from my grandpa on my dads side. He still has great hair at age 80 or so.

I'm 6'0 btw

EDIT: 
So far ran 3.4 miles or so and really hit my biceps and back hard today. Still abs to go. Feeling great!! Physically and mentally. I will probably do another run before I go to sleep here as well. Then feel like playing some dead space


----------



## Cerberus

Hey, thanks for the support. I'm 5'10" or 5'11". 

And, yes, hair loss should only, if ever, happen to guys in their forties or fifties, not their freaking twenties.

Oh, and dead space is freaking awesome. The atmosphere, sound effects, and soundtrack in that game are top notch.


----------



## Omnium11

Yeah I'm really liking dead space. I think I might actually complete it which is pretty rare for me to complete games. I'm also surprised at how well it runs on my gaming pc from 2005. Also like the fact you can just press 'b' and it tells you where to go lol (I'm lazy and have horrible sense of direction and get lost like crazy in games)

Just did another 2.5 miles of running. Too much internet today. No meditation etc. Starting to feel it mentally. Need to step away from the computer and force myself to meditate. Still got to do abs as well. Will do them now.


----------



## Omnium11

Alright current weight = 175.8

Just went to the gas station and saw somebody I haven't seen for a while who was more of an aquaintance than anything and had a 20 minute conversation with him. I was anxious but probably only a 4/10 on the social anxiety scale. 1 being low, 10 being high. So not too bad. Got his number so I might hang out with him. Apparently he had a falling out amongst a bunch of mutual friends who I also had a falling out from. He said he doesn't hang out with anybody anymore lol so we have that in common.

EDIT
I just made the call to see a doctor tomorrow. Apparently she's fairly good looking lol. I'm gonna try and get a benzo, I think I will just tell her the truth that I only want like a weeks supply just for job interview and first couple days of work. Not interested in anything but a benzo. Hate SSRI's and things like welbutrin etc


----------



## hiimnotcool

Did an hour of Kenpo today. Doesn't feel like I did enough though so I'll do something else later on.


Tomorrow is my rest day. Probably won't do much of anything. If I feel the urge too much I'll just do some light Yoga to stretch out the body and get the heart pumping. Oh and running later on in the evening.


----------



## Cerberus

I managed to do my back/bicep workout today without any trouble from my knee or shoulder, so that's good. My arms are looking pretty big, if I do say so myself (so I may have gained a bit of muscle; I don't know). Unfortunately, I'm back up to weighing 172 lbs. I doubt it's possible to gain 3-4 pounds of fat over the course of three days (even with the help of the munchies), so I'm guessing some of it is water weight. I wouldn't be surprised if I gained a pound or two of fat back though, given my drunken and stoned binges over the past couple of weeks. I'm pretty disappointed with myself. There will be no more drinking or getting stoned for me. I want six pack abs god damnit.


----------



## Smitten

hiimnotcool said:


> Haha, no girls yet. I don't leave the house much :| Now that I don't go to the bar 2-3 times a week I don't really have much of a social life lol.
> 
> Anyways, I just did like 3 sets of 10 pull ups (with chair to keep feet on). I'll do some more in a little bit. I think I'll do push ups as well. Maybe 5 sets of 15then rest for an hour and do 5 sets of 15 again. Then tonight I'm going to run 3-4 miles as well! I've got to do some ab work too. Geez, got a lot of stuff to do ha.
> 
> Anyways, here's an updated pic. I think I won't post another pic for a month or so. Even though weekly updates show results I think it'd be better to see how much things change in a months time.
> 
> Here's where I started:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Heres where I'm at:


hot =)


----------



## Omnium11

Hopefully just loads of water weight cerb. Sometimes the fluctuations are pretty brutal. Today has been ok for me. I ate more than I would have wanted. Partly because I went to the trouble of cooking up spaghetti and meatballs / salad / cheesy bread for my family. My cooking isn't very healthy at all but damn it tastes good. I can tell I'm retaining more water than usual. Expect scale to be up a couple pounds tomorrow. Also I did chest / tri / shoulders today. Maybe I'll do some cardio here too my legs are pretty sore though and need some rest I think.

Got to find a way to get to sleep early today.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> Hopefully just loads of water weight cerb. Sometimes the fluctuations are pretty brutal. Today has been ok for me. I ate more than I would have wanted. Partly because I went to the trouble of cooking up spaghetti and meatballs / salad / cheesy bread for my family. My cooking isn't very healthy at all but damn it tastes good. I can tell I'm retaining more water than usual. Expect scale to be up a couple pounds tomorrow. Also I did chest / tri / shoulders today. Maybe I'll do some cardio here too my legs are pretty sore though and need some rest I think.
> 
> Got to find a way to get to sleep early today.


What do you eat for healthy food? I figured you'd be cooking some pretty good healthy meals. Or, are you stuck eating tuna sandwiches, eggs, oatmeal, chicken breasts, pork chops, protein shakes, and so on, like I am? My health food is pretty bland. I should go pick up a recipe book or something.


----------



## Omnium11

I usually try to eat very healthy stuff like oatmeal, eggs, chicken etc. I absolutely love oatmeal and eat it loads. Lately I've had a lot of instances where I eat normal stuff but just in smaller quantities, partly because I want to cook stuff that tastes really good for the family lol. Definitely not ideal for health and nutrition but as long as I run a fairly large calorie deficit the weight still seems to fly right off. Also supplement with vitamins 

My diet is what most would call 'extreme' though, especially the first 9 days of this transformation. I used to diet strictly by the book (been member of bodybuilding.com since 2003, was really into it at age of 16-17 and on and off since then) and always used to criticize people who would do the stuff that I'm doing now and would always repeat the classic bodybuilding dogma etc, but I really lose weight a hell of a lot faster doing it this way. Also the muscle loss isn't nearly as bad as some claim, sometimes I'm pretty sure I gain muscle despite the fact I'm running fairly significant calorie deficits. (I know most claim its impossible) Other times when the calories are even lower I do lose muscle but not very much as long as I really hit the muscles hard. Also I have some really exceptional muscle memory and it doesn't take long to put it back on for me. I got tired of losing only 1 pound a week etc. Also I know longer am going for a really buff / big look and am satisfied with just looking tone / a bit muscular.


----------



## mia jane

WOW. I've just read this thread and must say you guys are amazing. I want to get fit although I am already quite tiny, just needing to have a bit more stamina. Your bodies are looking great and to quote Smitten "hot"
Keep up the great work.


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## STKinTHEmud

Yeah, looking good guys, keep it up. I'm trying to lose the belly fat myself so I can go to the beach. You guys look pretty trim (by comparison to myself). Doing anything special in your diets?


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## Omnium11

Thanks mia! :-D

Hi STK and thanks. 
I would recommend sticking with a traditional 300 calorie deficit with lots of cardio. You can start out by running as far as you can then walking, then when you get some energy back run again, then walk etc. This is how I built up to running longer distances when I did my last transformation.

To tell the truth the first 9 days of this transformation I was doing a water fast. I didn't want to tell anyone because fasting and 'starvation diets' are pretty controversial. More for mental aspects because fasting completely relaxes me and makes meditation really easy. Its like a gateway into a nice meditative state. I lost a bit of muscle doing that but I don't regret it. 17 pounds in 23 days or so can't really complain ;-) Also I felt great during the entire fast. I did gain lots of water weight afterwards though but lost it just as fast. Went from feeling like 2.5 or 4 to about a 6.5-7 average. Oh and I wouldn't feel comfortable if people did a fast or a very low cal diet taking my advice lol. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! I have done fasts many times before and done lots of research. I would def recommend doing lots and lots of research before any fasts are attempted.

Immediately ollowing the fast I ate 500 - 1000 calorie diet, pretty careful of foods I ate especially first couple days. A week ago or so I was eating up around 1500 calories. Right now I have very little appetite and my metabolism has slowed I bet. (helps you age slower) Mice having a 60% of their regular diets lived about 40-50% longer if I remember correctly. I get a feeling of fullness at around 600 calorie meals, like the spaghetti / salad / cheesy bread I had yesterday. (I had small portions) I used to be able to pack away 3000 calories sometimes if I was really binging before I really felt full. My appetite has definitely gone. I average about 1000 calories right now I think. will probably cycle back up to 1500 here in a bit though. I use my body and mind as a guage for how much cardio I should do before it becomes risky. When I was fasting I did very little cardio after the 2nd day because I was so low on energy and didn't want to risk anything. Right now though I have loads of energy so I do much more cardio. I definitely do not recommend this in any way shape or form. Its pushing the limits imho but I am quite confident I know what I'm doing and have lots of experience with this sort of thing. I would not feel good though if anyone saw this and thought they would try it. Would really hate for something bad to happen.


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## hiimnotcool

Thanks girls! Those words will definitely make us stick with it :b


STKinTHEmud-
Well, I was already pretty thin. I was like 145 pounds (at 6 foot) until I was 20 years old. Once I started drinking beer every night and not working out I got up to 170. So alot of the trimming down I've done is probably the alcohol not being so present. I just drink 2 or 3 beers a couple nights a week now. Other than that I eat every few hours and usually 2,000 calories a day. Sometimes up to 2,500 sometimes like 1,800. I stick with the tried and true methods-chicken, turkey, oatmeal, cottage cheese, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, brown rice, beans, protein shakes, low fat milk, etc. Add all that to drinking a ton of water everyday (like 120-200 ounces daily) and that's really all it has took. 

I've seen your posts in the other workout thread and it looks like you know what you're doing and how to get muscle already so my advice would just be to incorporate some high intensity interval training 3 times a week and the fat should start coming off.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks for the info, Omnium. I've done quite a bit of research myself, and I agree. Low cal diets and fasting, imo, are not good for healthy weight loss. And your 1000 and 1500 cal diet sounds pretty dangerous to me. I'm trying to lose as little muscle as possible. I'm on a 2100 cal diet, which is something like a 600 cal deficit at my weight, with 35% protein, 45% carbs, and 20% fats and 5 meals a day and LOTS of water. I haven't lost anything in the past week or so, but I'm thinking that's because I was sick all last week and couldn't work out. I figure that now that I'm able to work out again, I'll go for a week, and if I still don't lose as much as I want (going for 2 lbs loss per week), I'll cut down the calories.

Do you use any of those crazy supplements that are out there? I try to keep things simple (only vitamins and whey protein shakes for me - creatine makes my kidneys ache), but if there's anything else you recommend for weight loss (while keeping muscle), I might give it a shot.

Lately, I've been afraid that my sodium intake is far too high, which is causing me to retain water and look soft. I hear you can offset this by eating more potassium and acidic foods (or citrus fruits like lemon juice). Any opinions on this? (Just realized the 50 cans of tuna I bought recently have added salt. Besides, I like my chicken salty!)

I'm also looking for another source of protein from food that is easy to prepare (I never cook a meal that takes more than 10 mins to prepare, and yes, it was hard to find easy to make healthy foods to construct my diet) so that I can kick up my protein intake to 40%. Any ideas for anything that might go well with oats (or not, anything will do) that isn't tuna, cottage cheese, chicken, or protein shakes?


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks hiim. That sounds a lot like what I'm doing now. But I've completely cut out the beer. Instead I just drink Jack and soda water.


----------



## Omnium11

I dunno I honestly think I've maintained most muscle as crazy as that sounds, my arms look hella good right now, but yeah I admit I'm pretty far out there as far as diet goes.

Here's from today with no pump




























^ this pose looks a bit chubby. Need to lose 2% bf and will look much better I think. Also lats are pretty weak. I have some good genes as far as lats go. Unfortunately I lack the ability to train them very well. Can hardly do pullups (maybe I'll try the chair technique), rows only seem to work them as secondary etc. I wish i had a cable pulldown machine.

Haven't weighed myself today. Think I'm up 2-3 pounds because of water weight, will wait till tomorrow lol

I used to take glutamine, creatine and protein powder. Right now I only take multivitamins etc. Not a huge believer in most supps.

Oh and I love eggs. So many things you can do with them. I like to scramble them and put louisiana hot sauce on them. Also I don't mind the taste of them raw. I used to eat them raw quite a bit. Never got sick either!

Oh and hope you stick around STK! Welcome aboard! I know what you mean about the salt lol, I really crave it. Especially after the fast. I made a stir fry that was loaded with salt that tasted so good to me but I was the only one who thought so lol
-----
EDIT
Oh I just got Ativan btw! Definitely will come in useful as far as job interview goes. Today I have been fairly active relatively. Got out of the house 3 times, gas station doctor, and pharmacy! Also made succesfull small talk with girl at gas station. She was pretty old so wasnt so intimidating lol

Also I think I will buy some new wife beaters here. These ones are like 4 years old and are all stretched out and stained etc. Think I'll go with some black ones if I can find them.

So far excellent day today! Even though i noticed I can't talk about myself with the doctor without flood gate of emotions coming through, maybe I need therapy or something


----------



## Cerberus

^ Looking good, man. Yeah, most supplements are garbage. I just stick with a multi and whey protein.


----------



## CopadoMexicano

keep up the good work Omnium11


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## Omnium11

Thanks guys!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Omnium11 said:


> Even though i noticed I can't talk about myself with the doctor without flood gate of emotions coming through, maybe I need therapy or something


Might be a good call. My therapist's office is RIGHT next to my gym, so when I go for a session, I hit the gym afterward. I'm not very gushy at my with my therapist, but after a session and a intense workout, I feel pretty well unburdened.


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## LiveLaughLove

Looking good! Keep it up!


----------



## Cerberus

alright!!! I finally got some pics! I don't really have any good before pics, so I'll post an inadequate one for a comparison.

Before:










After:
Me being a Vin Diesel wannabe










sh-tty quality










What body fat percentage would you guys say I'm at. I'm thinking I need to lose around ten more pounds to start seeing a six pack.


----------



## Omnium11

STKinTHEmud said:


> Might be a good call. My therapist's office is RIGHT next to my gym, so when I go for a session, I hit the gym afterward. I'm not very gushy at my with my therapist, but after a session and a intense workout, I feel pretty well unburdened.


Yeah man, to be honest I really wasn't expecting so much emotion to come through, I'm ashamed to say this but I cried a little for the first time in a long time. I must be suppressing a lot of subconscious emotional negativity or something. Don't know how I feel about it, makes me worry whats gonna happen when and if I see a therapist. I got in a pretty big fist fight half a year ago or so and have gotten in a lot of confrontations lately and never felt the urge to cry at all so I really wasn't expecting this.


----------



## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> alright!!! I finally got some pics! I don't really have any good before pics, so I'll post an inadequate one for a comparison.
> 
> What body fat percentage would you guys say I'm at. I'm thinking I need to lose around ten more pounds to start seeing a six pack.


At last Cerb pics! :b Damn man your arm's looking big. Very impressive! Face seems a lot more chiseled as well.

I'm a notoriously bad guesser but it looks like 13-14% imho. Could be as low as 12

Lets all have a race to six pack abs!

---------
EDIT
Alright today I have felt kinda lazy. Diet has been great but I just don't feel motivated. Lately I have been using the internet way too much and slacking on the mental aspect of the transformation.

I did run 1 mile and then did my wussified version of HIIT for 10 minutes or so. I should do my abs here and maybe hit biceps / back again today. I am half tempted to try an ativan and see if they work for me or not. I worry that if I take the ativan now I will be too tired to exercise tomorrow. Hmm decisions, decisions.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> At last Cerb pics! :b Damn man your arm's looking big. Very impressive! Face seems a lot more chiseled as well.
> 
> I'm a notoriously bad guesser but it looks like 13-14% imho. Could be as low as 12
> 
> Lets all have a race to six pack abs!
> 
> ---------
> EDIT
> Alright today I have felt kinda lazy. Diet has been great but I just don't feel motivated. Lately I have been using the internet way too much and slacking on the mental aspect of the transformation.
> 
> I did run 1 mile and then did my wussified version of HIIT for 10 minutes or so. I should do my abs here and maybe hit biceps / back again today. I am half tempted to try an ativan and see if they work for me or not. I worry that if I take the ativan now I will be too tired to exercise tomorrow. Hmm decisions, decisions.


Thanks man! Hell yeah we should all get some six pack abs.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Dang Cerberus your arms definitely look huge!! I'm like the wuss in this thread hahaha..you guys are both big and stuff. I'm going for the Brad Pitt in Fight Club look though. I'd say your bf is pretty low..like 12-14%..same as mine. If you lost 10 pounds you'd definitely see your abs. 


Race to six pack abs huh? Alright, I'm in! :b



So today I went and ran almost 4 miles. Did a half mile warm up then ran a mile in 6:40 then ran a half mile cool down then did sprints for a mile and then some more cool down laps. My mile race is in 2 and a half weeks so I'm trying to focus on getting more speed. 

OH! I guess my family is getting a treadmill sometime this week too so that's going to be another 10 miles a week of running for me easily. I use to run 30 miles a week and I'm thinking that's what I'll aim for again. With the running and strength training I should reach my goal by the end of Summer for sure.


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Race to six pack abs huh? Alright, I'm in! :b


Haha alright its on!!!


> OH! I guess my family is getting a treadmill sometime this week too so that's going to be another 10 miles a week of running for me easily. I use to run 30 miles a week and I'm thinking that's what I'll aim for again. With the running and strength training I should reach my goal by the end of Summer for sure.


Oh man! My family getting a treadmill completely changed my running experience. Up until we got a treadmill the most I ever ran was 1.7 miles or so. This will definitely be a very nice addition and very helpful for you. Its awesome just running whenever you feel like it and not having to go outside. You'll love it! Best thing that ever happened to me as far as fitness is concerned imho.

Great job everyone!


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks hiimnotcool!

And once we all have six pack abs, we can start an SAS six pack abs club. lol


----------



## hiimnotcool

completed tris, shoulders, chest and 15-20 minutes of abs. i pushed myself really hard today because a friend came over and did the workout with me. where i'd usually slack off a bit once i got tired, today i kept pushing through for the most part. i feel really great at the moment! i also increased weight for the first time on some of the exercises so i guess im getting stronger. i'm gonna buy som of those adjustable weights though because while the bands are good for certain exercises, i think free weights would work best for some of the others. it'd be nice to have the option 



i hope we get the treadmill tonight!


----------



## Omnium11

Good job as usual everyone. I just woke up an hour or so again. My schedule is getting really messed up again. Need to change that. Today my goal is only 1 hour of internet. Plan to hit biceps / back / abs and cardio today. If I end up trying my ativan today I will probably come back on the internet for longer than 1 hour though. 

Good luck


----------



## hiimnotcool

Got the treadmill!!!!!!! :clap


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Got the treadmill!!!!!!! :clap


Sweet!!! Have fun now!

Alright just ate the ativan at 6:50. Lets see how it goes.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Ughhhh, its a piece of crap. I tried to run on it at 10.0 mph and it just slowed down!!! Then when I got off it started going again. This is ridiculous. Looks like I'll need to stick to running outside. This is weak!


----------



## Omnium11

Ah man that sucks. The one we got is cheap as hell too but it works pretty good. Maybe you could see if your parents will exchange or take it back.

We have a Pro-Form XP trainer 580. It has seen a hell of a lot of use too during the last 8 months or so. So far its held up really well. 

I took the ativans and so far am not feeling much, took two .5 ones as well.

--------------------
EDIT well maybe I need to do something that would normally cause me great anxiety. I think I will go to wal-mart and bye those wife beaters. See if it's working or not.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> Ah man that sucks. The one we got is cheap as hell too but it works pretty good. Maybe you could see if your parents will exchange or take it back.
> 
> We have a Pro-Form XP trainer 580. It has seen a hell of a lot of use too during the last 8 months or so. So far its held up really well.
> 
> I took the ativans and so far am not feeling much, took two .5 ones as well.
> 
> --------------------
> EDIT well maybe I need to do something that would normally cause me great anxiety. I think I will go to wal-mart and bye those wife beaters. See if it's working or not.


Ugh. Yeah this ones a Pro-Form 740CS trainer. I'm super disappointed. It will work for like a quarter mile to half mile then just stop. The thing is it's my mom's friends. They never used it and didn't want it in in the living room anymore cause it was just taking up space so they asked if we wanted to put it in the garage.

How did the trip to Walmart turn out? Valium does the same to me. Doesn't really make me feel any different but I've also never used it in an anxious situation.

*EDIT*
I think I figured it out. Apparently it's set up for a program and it just slows down automatically. I just pressed the 7 mph once it slowed down and it went back to that speed. The incline was raising without me manually doing it as well. No wonder it says 'fit day' on the machine. False alarm! Hopefully it works for me tomorrow lol..


----------



## Omnium11

Trip to wal-mart was fine, little anxiety. Hope that treadmill works for you. These ativans are ok, they get rid of anxiety but they also don't put me in a very social mood to begin with. Wishing for more I guess. These will have to do. I also seem to hsve a natural tolerance to them.


----------



## Cerberus

Alright, my weight is back down to 168-169 lbs, and my diet has been in check the past three days

I did chest/tri workout today. For whatever reason, when I do incline and decline bench my shoulder doesn't hurt. Very strange. I talked to a personal trainer and she basically said i was lifting wrong, so that's probably what's causing the pain on the flat bench. I'll see if that's the case next week, I guess.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Omnium11 said:


> Yeah man, to be honest I really wasn't expecting so much emotion to come through, I'm ashamed to say this but I cried a little for the first time in a long time. I must be suppressing a lot of subconscious emotional negativity or something. Don't know how I feel about it, makes me worry whats gonna happen when and if I see a therapist. I got in a pretty big fist fight half a year ago or so and have gotten in a lot of confrontations lately and never felt the urge to cry at all so I really wasn't expecting this.


There's no shame with the therapist, dude. I got pretty choked up the first time I went, but we haven't really gone back to the past since, so I've been able to keep more composed. Besides, one of the things my therapist and I have to work on is expressing emotion; with some guys, we tend to feel a need to hold back a bit too much, and it only aggravates SA.

I did 45 mins on a stationary bike (this is the second time I've gone that long) and my shirt got a little wet with sweat for the first time ever (that I can remember). I guess that comes with actually being closer to a normal weight for my height. Good times.

Sucks on that treadmill though. But I hear it's better to run outside anyway since you get fresh air.


----------



## Cerberus

I hiked around a gully with my dog for around 40 minutes, then I jogged 1.7 miles because I'm getting a bit tired of the stationary bike. Plus, I hear it's good to switch up one's cardio to stimulate fat loss by shocking one's body.


----------



## Lateralus

Hey guys, good work on all the exercising. I'm pretty big on fitness too; weight lifting, running, hockey, etc. Anyway I wanted to tell you that I have gone 3 weeks now on little to no sugar in my diet and it makes a huge difference. 

Body fat is noticeably much lower already and energy is much more consistent throughout the day. So for you guys who want the six pack to start showing, cut sugar out for a few weeks.

I was having two coffees at work with a tbsp of sugar, a coke, sometimes a candy bar, and then 4 tbsp of sugar in my pre-workout energy drink, on top of all the sugar in my regular diet which had lots of fruit and fruit juices. Now I have none of that stuff (except for some fruit) and drink tons of water and take lots of vitamins, along with a diet of mainly complex carbs and protein. It makes quite a difference. I suggest reading about sugar, I never knew how bad it was.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> Hey guys, good work on all the exercising. I'm pretty big on fitness too; weight lifting, running, hockey, etc. Anyway I wanted to tell you that I have gone 3 weeks now on little to no sugar in my diet and it makes a huge difference.
> 
> Body fat is noticeably much lower already and energy is much more consistent throughout the day. So for you guys who want the six pack to start showing, cut sugar out for a few weeks.
> 
> I was having two coffees at work with a tbsp of sugar, a coke, sometimes a candy bar, and then 4 tbsp of sugar in my pre-workout energy drink, on top of all the sugar in my regular diet which had lots of fruit and fruit juices. Now I have none of that stuff (except for some fruit) and drink tons of water and take lots of vitamins, along with a diet of mainly complex carbs and protein. It makes quite a difference. I suggest reading about sugar, I never knew how bad it was.


good advice! im obsessive compulsive so when i start something i tend to go all out. i havent had a coke, candy, fast food, etc for the last month and a half. on occasion ill have a popsicle or something similar just to reward myself. i'll also add a packet of sugar to plain yogurt because it's unbearably tart without it. other than that i eat really clean. i don't take a vitamin though, maybe i should start.

i think im gonna take a day off today. im pretty angry because the treadmill didnt work again this morning. i wouldnt even need if i could find my Garmin Forerunner GPS but somehow it's lost after we moved. I've looked for it like 3 or 4 times and can't find it. It was a 250 dollar investment but it was the best thing I ever did for my running, and now it's gone. Gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Omnium11

Thanks lat for the info. Yeah I used to notice whenever I had a pop my anxiety would get a lot worse. Also I got diabetus in the family so I have to be careful with sugar. Haven't had a pop or any sort of desert since transformation started either. Worst I've had is banana bread I think.

That sucks about the treadmill man


------------
Well today I went to a park near my house and ran / walked around the lake twice. Saw a cute girl there and said hi. Lots of people were there and social anxiety was at a minimum. Feeling pretty good about that.

I'm hesitant to weight myself because my dad just tore out the fake tile in the bathroom and replaced it with harder tile. I should pick up a couple pounds just from that I think because the scale is more lenient the softer the surface. Will check tomorrow though to be sure.

So far goals are all good for the day. I just wrote up a set of goals for the week. Will find them later and post them here.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> Hey guys, good work on all the exercising. I'm pretty big on fitness too; weight lifting, running, hockey, etc. Anyway I wanted to tell you that I have gone 3 weeks now on little to no sugar in my diet and it makes a huge difference.
> 
> Body fat is noticeably much lower already and energy is much more consistent throughout the day. So for you guys who want the six pack to start showing, cut sugar out for a few weeks.
> 
> I was having two coffees at work with a tbsp of sugar, a coke, sometimes a candy bar, and then 4 tbsp of sugar in my pre-workout energy drink, on top of all the sugar in my regular diet which had lots of fruit and fruit juices. Now I have none of that stuff (except for some fruit) and drink tons of water and take lots of vitamins, along with a diet of mainly complex carbs and protein. It makes quite a difference. I suggest reading about sugar, I never knew how bad it was.


Thanks for the tip! I did some quick research, and it seems there are times that a little (moderation!) sugar is beneficial: just after you wake up, just after your workout (for both, see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek69.htm) and just before your workout (an orange, see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/4_steps_pre_workout_nutrition.htm). In any case, you helped me realize that I've got to cut the sugar out of my morning tea (I get enough sugar from my morning V8 Fusion). Thanks!

I also calculated my sodium intake and decided to replace the garlic salt I use on my chicken with lemon juice. My diet just keeps getting blander, but healthier.


----------



## Cerberus

Yes, refined carbs are evil. I try to avoid them as much as possible.


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Thanks for the tip! I did some quick research, and it seems there are times that a little (moderation!) sugar is beneficial: just after you wake up, just after your workout (for both, see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek69.htm) and just before your workout (an orange, see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/4_steps_pre_workout_nutrition.htm). In any case, you helped me realize that I've got to cut the sugar out of my morning tea (I get enough sugar from my morning V8 Fusion). Thanks!
> 
> I also calculated my sodium intake and decided to replace the garlic salt I use on my chicken with lemon juice. My diet just keeps getting blander, but healthier.


Those were good articles. I guess I can reconsider having a little sugar pre- and postworkout. I actually remember years ago I knew that a little sugar post-workout was important, but I completely forgot about that. I've also felt more energized without the sugar during the second half of my workouts, but that's probably because I was having so much sugar beforehand and then "crashing" around halfway through. I still have protein before and after, as well as maltodextrin (complex carbs) before, so I've got those covered. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my leg/shoulder workout today. My weight while working out was 165.5 lbs., but my weight after I finished my workout was 167 lbs. Weight fluctuations are strange. Ultimately, I should pay more attention to the mirror than the scale. My veins have become more noticeable while working out now that I'm leaner. It's awesome to see my veins poking out all over my arms and a little on my chest while working out.


----------



## hiimnotcool

good job! your arms are really big in proportion to your weight. we weigh about the same but i'm nowhere near as big as you but my legs are pretty muscular from all the running i did the past couple years so i think thats where i keep most of it. or maybe it's cause youre 2 inches shorter so the weight is distributed differently. either way, you're looking good!



today i did biceps and back. i can do 5 pull ups though i'll admit the last couple are a little suspect but i think you're supposed to struggle to get the last few in so i'll count it :b

also did a nice ab routine, switched it up a little bit. Did 15 reps of each Ab Ripper X exercise, then did some planks, 15 side planks, 15 knee kicks while in push up position, and 15 reverse crunches. Abs are toast!



i didn't update for last night but i ended up doing half a mile warm up, ran a mile in 6:32, jogged for a lap and then did 5X40 yard dashes all out, then 2X100 yard dashes all out. Feeling it majorly today!!


----------



## Omnium11

Great articles STK, glad to have you aboard Lateralus 

Weight 174.8

Today I'm feeling pretty good. Went out of the house and asked for a job application, very little anxiety. Was pretty easy. 

I'm tempted to really really hit my abs today. Don't want to fall behind in the competition. My abs are admittedly one of my worst bodyparts.


----------



## SavorFlavor

*Wow*

This thread is definitely inspiring. I've gone through similar periods in my life where I'll work out consistently for a month or two, but usually I get bored and eventually stop. I think the key is to keep yourself active by constantly trying new things so that you won't get bored. This summer I started off by jogging and biking, but now I'm just satisfied with walking for an hour every day. When I move to Milwaukee I'm planning on joining a yoga class and that will help as well. (plus it will get me out of the house and interacting with people)

Anyways, I just wanted to say that you guys are doing great. Keep it up! Definitely an awesome thread.


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> good job! your arms are really big in proportion to your weight. we weigh about the same but i'm nowhere near as big as you but my legs are pretty muscular from all the running i did the past couple years so i think thats where i keep most of it. or maybe it's cause youre 2 inches shorter so the weight is distributed differently. either way, you're looking good!
> 
> today i did biceps and back. i can do 5 pull ups though i'll admit the last couple are a little suspect but i think you're supposed to struggle to get the last few in so i'll count it :b
> 
> also did a nice ab routine, switched it up a little bit. Did 15 reps of each Ab Ripper X exercise, then did some planks, 15 side planks, 15 knee kicks while in push up position, and 15 reverse crunches. Abs are toast!
> 
> i didn't update for last night but i ended up doing half a mile warm up, ran a mile in 6:32, jogged for a lap and then did 5X40 yard dashes all out, then 2X100 yard dashes all out. Feeling it majorly today!!


thanks!

Good job on your mile run time. That's an impressive time to run a mile in.


----------



## nihlanth1

Very inspiring thread. Very impressive transformations. I recently joined a boxing gym/class in June so that I reduce boredom from my usual weightlifting routine. I have noticed some improvements in stamina since doing the boxing workouts so I dont tire so easily when weightlifting.

This thread also inspires me to improve my diet. I dont even pay attention to my diet. Maybe thats why I feel so tired during the day. My fats/protein/carbs ratio is absolutley horrendous. Lotta fat, and carbs, but probably not more than 100g of protein which is bad since I weigh 185+.
I remember consuming those whey protein powder shakes a few years ago...gave me irritable bowels so I cant rely off of protein shakes.

Is running better or jump-roping? Maybe I should do both? I need to run more often.


----------



## Omnium11

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the input and compliments! 

Good luck with your diet nihl and I prefer running myself to jump-rope but it would be nice mix it up to keep your body guessing.

Just went to lake and ran around it. Definitely less anxiety.


----------



## hiimnotcool

i just ran..
to the store for 6 pints of beer. and when i say i ran, i mean i drove.

eh, i've worked hard this week. time to unwind boys!


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> i just ran..
> to the store for 6 pints of beer. and when i say i ran, i mean i drove.
> 
> eh, i've worked hard this week. time to unwind boys!


Haha! I hear you man. I just had a sort of mini-binge. I guess I just won't let it bother me. If I make no guilt or shame then I will have no mental issues / resistances that would make me want to binge more etc. (Besides I bet my muscles will really like this, ate loads of protein.)

Tomorrow I am going to go all out. Taking the transformation to a whole new level. :clap I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for it right now. Need to wake up with the correct mental state or I will postpone this and procrastinate.

Right now I just wish I could sleep! Insomnia ftl


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Omnium11 said:


> I dunno I honestly think I've maintained most muscle as crazy as that sounds, my arms look hella good right now, but yeah I admit I'm pretty far out there as far as diet goes.
> 
> Here's from today with no pump


That's a radical transformation. Look at your first pictures and you'll realize how far you gone. Looking big and skinny now, congrats man, well I really couldn't say that because your body shows the amount of work you put into it. Be more proud of the effort and will you put into it.


----------



## Cerberus

I've had a good day so far. I hiked around with my dog for around forty minutes, then I went for a 2-2.5 mile run (I'll check later with my car to see how long it was, but I know it was longer than the 1.7 miles I ran on Thursday). My diet has been in check for the past five days -- six days if I make it through today. I'm going to try and skip out on any cheat meals this week.


----------



## Omnium11

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> That's a radical transformation. Look at your first pictures and you'll realize how far you gone. Looking big and skinny now, congrats man, well I really couldn't say that because your body shows the amount of work you put into it. Be more proud of the effort and will you put into it.


Thanks a lot man. Really appreciate it.

Great job cerb. I also hit cardio pretty well today. Did 1.4 miles on treadmill then 3.2 outside at a park. Also did abs and chest / tri / shoulders


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

this is a great thread. seriously, I was thinking of skipping out on the gym tomorrow morning but after seeing this, there's no way in hell I'm doing that.


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## hiimnotcool

YES!!!!!! I found my GPS system today so now I'm gonna know how far I ran, the pace at any given moment, and how many calories I burned every time. This makes things MUCH better and now I'll be running alot more. I'm so fricken excited  Last Summer this thing got me down from running a mile in the 8 minute range to being able to run 3 miles in 18:30! Well, all the running got me to that point but i wouldnt have ran at all if I didnt have it


----------



## Omnium11

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> this is a great thread. seriously, I was thinking of skipping out on the gym tomorrow morning but after seeing this, there's no way in hell I'm doing that.


Glad its helped you 

Thanks for coming back and be sure to check back in ;-)

Also got any progress pictures? :-D

Hiim:

Sweet man! Glad to hear you found that. My mom just got one of those I was thinking about giving it a try. Shame your treadmill doesn't start working as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Alright guys just did a final 12 minute HIIT session. This one was legit because I did it at the lake and could really sprint. Wow that stuff is brutal. My legs are officially toast. Glad I stuck with my goals from yesterday after that binge. Now I just got to get off the internet. I've noticed even 15 minutes of internet has negative mental effects on me. It gives me anxiety. Lots of habitual anxiety mental patterns built up over the years of being addicted to the internet. I can't believe I actually spent a number of years being completely anxious feeling about a 3/10 surfing the internet all day.

Oh and I said hi to a couple people as I was running around the lake also asked guy if he caught any fish. Small triumphs for social anxiety.

Also had a really great meditation session this morning. Reached a nice place like during my last transformation.

Great job everyone!

Alright I got to officially sign off the internet, not in 5 minutes, now now now!


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## Omnium11

Interesting experience meditating!!

Well about 20 minutes ago I had something cool happen while meditating. First to put this in context I will copy and paste something I wrote earlier about the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me.



> Also first I would like to tell you why I really really believe in meditation. Especially the ones I am about to list. I had suffered some severe mental traumas (temporary depersonalization syndrome, completely bizarre and very destructive thoughts) due to some really bad hallucinogenic drug experiences. I was pretty much a complete anxious / depressed suicidal mess for half a year afterwards. Only after about 1 year could i be somewhat functional. (Still incredibly anxious and depressed but better than I was) Anyway I was researching meditation and buddhism, and was practicing 'mindfulness of breath meditation,' I was doing it wrong, was controlling the breath instead of just 'watching' it without manipulating it. Anyways I had been meditating for 2 and a half hours or so in the dark basement when all the sudden I sort of freaked myself out, I felt the panic sensation coming and my heart started beating incredibly fast. My first urge was to stop meditating and try to escape mentally before it turned into a full fledged panic attack, instead I decided to stay with it and completely surrender to the panic attack, I 'let it do its worst', make no mental resistance, just allow the panic to be, watch it, don't identify with it, don't think about it, just feel it and put your attention on it. Anyways it turned it into a complete full blown panic attack. My heart and breath were incredibly fast. Still had the urge to try to escape it mentally but I did not I just continued the practice.
> 
> Anyways after about 1 or 2 minutes of this and me staying present and creating no mental resistance to it and facing it head on all the sudden the panic completely changed. I was no longer panicky at all. I felt absolutely amazing. It shifted almost instantly too. I had what felt like energy and tingles just surging up and down my back and I felt incredibly elated like a huge weight was lifted off my mind. Felt very happy and completely different. Seemed like all the negative energy was released. A state of bliss. Most amazing experience I've ever had. I never had a panic attack again and for half year or so I felt very good, still had some social anxiety by it was greatly reduced, then I got into other drugs and bad habits returned. Anxious again. Bad anxiety maybe but still no panic attacks. Also I think I closed the door on depersonalization syndrome forever. Never depersonalized since or had the feeling like your awareness increases like 100x like you do when you are about to depersonalize. Anyways I later read Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti and they described the mental aspect of it perfectly. Also Eckhart Tolle described exactly what happened to me. Like people would come up to him and tell him about experiences that were the exact same as mine


Alright so anyway just a bit ago I was meditating using an adyashanti / general mindfulness type of meditation. During the meditation my awareness just happened to shift to my breath sort of spontaneously (it constantly shifts with adyashanti meditation) anyways I usually don't like doing mindfulness of breath type meditation because I feel a physical discomfort in my stomach and chest area. You know how when you are really stressed or anxious and you feel a lot of emotional energy in your chest and stomach? Especially things like public speaking etc. Well anyways I sort of have a constant very subtle discomfort feeling in that area. Anyways instead of willfully shifting my attention to something else I instead shifted my awareness onto this discomfort sensation. I had just read some Eckhart Tolle earlier today and remembering my past experience above I thought I would see if I couldn't try to 'release' this energy and face the fear head on again like I did earlier. Anyways so I shift my attention onto this discomfort sensation and for about 15 minutes or so I'm just 'feeling' it and just allowing it to be. Not trying to avoid it or anything, just feeling it completely and 'watching' it. Anyways I was having a fair amount of mental resistance, wanting to stop doing it and do a more pleasant meditation. I felt fairly confident though that I could sit through this panic attack if it happened. Wanted to release all this negative energy that's been building up for years. So I continued on anyways shortly I started to feel my breath quicken and my heartbeat pick up. This heightened my awareness considerably and all the sudden I just felt no mental fear or resistance at all, only the physical sensation of the beginning of a panic attack. I really really wanted the panic attack to happen. I was completely in the zone and was just waiting and wanting for it to go into a complete panic attack. At that moment I was very very confident that I could sit through it and face it head on like I did earlier. Anyways the panic sensation continued and got worse but unfortunately a full panic attack didn't happen. It just went away as quick as it came. I think maybe the fact that I wanted it to happen and subtley tried to make it happen contributed to the fact that it didn't. Next time I will just completely allow it to be as it is and just 'watch' and feel it and not try and manipulate it at all. I'm not sure but I am definitely going to experiment with this. I have huge amounts of negative emotional energy in me and really want to get rid of it. I don't fear panic attacks now either. (In a social setting it is another matter, I think I would still fear those) So I think its only a matter of time before I get rid of it!

Anyways it seems like some negative emotional energy was released (not nearly as much as last time, last time was incredible) because I'm feeling very good right now and I also got the tingling sensations running down my back like last time. I am really quite confident that this is key though to beating anxiety and panic! Panic attacks should be looked at as gateways and shortcuts into very fast mental transformations, opportunities really. I am really excited and proud of myself that there was literally no mental fear at all during this whole thing. I think I am really making progress. I just need to unleash all the built up negative energy in me right now. Feeling quite confident at the moment  Hopefully I can repeat this experience. Hopefully this wasn't a really huge wasted opportunity where I could have had a repeat of above experience.

If anyone wants to know more indebth about the technique I use to face these panic attacks read Eckhart Tolle's book "The power of now" especially the chapters about the 'pain body' and 'surrender' etc. Also Adyashanti is a must read as well. (Or listen really I just listen to his retreats and audiobooks and such)


----------



## Cerberus

^ Interesting.



Cerberus said:


> I've had a good day so far. I hiked around with my dog for around forty minutes, then I went for a 2-2.5 mile run (I'll check later with my car to see how long it was, but I know it was longer than the 1.7 miles I ran on Thursday). My diet has been in check for the past five days -- six days if I make it through today. I'm going to try and skip out on any cheat meals this week.


Well, I made it to one hour short of six days, but I found out someone I know had a joint, so I ended up eating a lot of food (I turn into too much of a stereotype when I'm high). Looking back, I didn't even really enjoy it all that much. Oh well, I guess that will be my (huge) cheat meal for the week. Hopefully, it didn't screw up my diet too much. I'll do some cardio today to counteract it and the cardio I did yesterday probably helped counteract it as well.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

Omnium11 said:


> Glad its helped you
> 
> Thanks for coming back and be sure to check back in ;-)
> 
> Also got any progress pictures? :-D


hahaha no progress pictures because I'm shy and its not really changing the way my body looks but more like getting in shape and keeping the depression at bay. I'm not really altering my diet either, just less snacking and less soft drinks.

Today I got up at 6am and did a mile at the gym, doesn't sound like much but for me its a lot. I've been increasing my distance once a week so I should hit two miles in about a month. I'm also going to try to go more than every other day. I'll probably go tomorrow and Tuesday and then Friday (softball Wed and Thurs so its impossible). I also lifted some weights and just took a half hour walk now because I was feeling anxious.
I'm thinking of taking a yoga class at the gym as well.


----------



## Cerberus

Well, I tried to do some cardio on my stationary bike today, but my knees started to hurt, so I stopped. I think my stationary has strained a certain tendon or muscle in both my knees because I haven't had any trouble running, doing squats, or deadlifting this past week. I guess I'll stick with running for a few weeks. I would have run tonight, but I ran on Saturday and Thursday and I don't want to overdue it.


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> YES!!!!!! I found my GPS system today so now I'm gonna know how far I ran, the pace at any given moment, and how many calories I burned every time. This makes things MUCH better and now I'll be running alot more. I'm so fricken excited  Last Summer this thing got me down from running a mile in the 8 minute range to being able to run 3 miles in 18:30! Well, all the running got me to that point but i wouldnt have ran at all if I didnt have it


That sounds cool. I imagine it keeps track of your heart rate as well. I wish I had one of those things.


----------



## judge72

3 miles in 18:30, that's a good time.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> That sounds cool. I imagine it keeps track of your heart rate as well. I wish I had one of those things.


mine doesnt keep track of heart rate unfortunately. the model that did that cost 100 dollars more and i wasnt too concerned with that. i wish i had it now though!

today i did a bunch of pull ups
20 minutes of abs
then ran half a mile warm up, 2 miles in 14:30, half a mile cool down, 2x400's at 1:25, then 4x40 yard dashes all out.

tomorrow is Kenpo karate and then some more running.

i also found out today that i have an interview thursday regarding benefits and insurance from the state to cover me going to a psychiatrist. i'm already really nervous and the thought of not going is already circling in my mind. i guess i'll take 2 valium before i go in and hope for the best.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Cerberus said:


> Well, I made it to one hour short of six days, but I found out someone I know had a joint, so I ended up eating a lot of food (I turn into too much of a stereotype when I'm high). Looking back, I didn't even really enjoy it all that much. Oh well, I guess that will be my (huge) cheat meal for the week. Hopefully, it didn't screw up my diet too much. I'll do some cardio today to counteract it and the cardio I did yesterday probably helped counteract it as well.


Ugh. I feel you. Went and did a champagne brunch yesterday. It's the first time I got really drunk in a long while. And the hangover didn't wait until the next day like it used to. Spent all of yesterday sick in bed, and I still feel a bit weak. I'm supposed to hit the gym today, but I don't know if I can make it through a workout. Remind me to never drink that much again. From now on, I should always drive to keep myself from drinking too much. It seems I go straight from buzzed to hangover without the enjoyable drunk these days.


----------



## hiimnotcool

did some Kenpo with a friend and then went and ran 3.85 miles.

Tomorrow is a rest day!


----------



## Cerberus

Today has been a fantastic day. I did my back/bicep workout, then I went for a roughly two mile run (I did it around rush hour traffic time too, so that's a damn good triumph over SA considering I used to run in the middle of the night to avoid people). What was cool was that, while I was running, one girl was staring at me and then she motioned to her friend to stare at me. They just stared, smiled, waved, and then said hi. I waved back and smiled. That has me really motivated right now.

Unfortunately, it seems as though I've hit a plateau in terms of weight loss. I've been at the same weight for around 2-3 weeks. I know I've had some binges on the weekends, but my diet has been in check most of the time. Three out of 35 meals a week cheating doesn't seem enough to stop my progress toward six pack abs. I'm guessing my body has just adapted, so I'm guessing I need to step up my cardio to get rid of these last difficult pounds to lose. I'm going to try and run two miles about four times this week and see how my legs are doing. If they start to hurt or get too sore, I'll back off a little bit so that my legs can adjust. Do you guys have any suggestions to break through this apparent plateau or do you think this is just the result of some of the set backs I've had?

Here's some update pics (sorry for the sh-tty quality):


----------



## Omnium11

Good job guys! We're doing great. 

Nice pics cerb, your pecs and biceps are really looking good. Ha I think I'm in trouble for the 6 pack abs contest. I think you have the right idea about the cardio, maybe drop calories a tad as well. Last transformation I was stuck at 195 mark for a week and a half, plateau's suck.


-------------

Weight 171.4 (almost 20 pounds weight loss, approaching the 1 month mark)

I'm starting to look pretty lean. Unfortunately though I still have a decent amount of fat that I want to lose. I think I will just go for 10% fat anyway even if I drop to about 155-160 pounds or so to accomplish it. I will be looking pretty damn thin / skinny once I get down there so I will do a clean bulk once I hit it.

I think I will wait for the 1 month mark to post new pictures for added effect etc.

Mentally I've been feeling pretty darn good lately. 7/10 or so. Just saw that same guy at the gas station and this time social anxiety was even less. I really feel the physical discomfort in my chest / stomach area during social situations. Don't know if I should try and ignore it or 'go into it' like I do when I'm alone, might be sort of embarrassing if I trigger a panic attack in a social situation. Though I'm starting to care less and less about looking like an idiot. Why do we feel the constant need to hide our anxiety and why does other people seeing us anxious such a huge deal??? Unnecessary fear imho. Why try and hide it? I just need to completely allow any anxiety I think and stop trying to suppress it. "Allow everything to be as it is" as they say. No mental resistance. We might hang out tonight even though we don't really have anything to do.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Heres an updated pic of my Back/Shoulder area since I havent done one of those for awhile. Already notcing differences there!!

My stomach's not improving anymore so I'm not sure what to do. I'm a little pissed cause I want abs!!! It's really frustrating

This is day 28 I think










This is day 49 or so


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks, Ominium11. And Damn. You accomplished in a month what it took me two and a half months to accomplish. Good job!

I can see a difference with your back muscles, hiimnotcool. Nice work. I also hear you on the abs. I'm frustrated as well. I hear that the last pounds are the hardest to lose, though. We just have to step up our game. 

Good job, everyone!


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## millenniumman75

judge72 said:


> 3 miles in 18:30, that's a good time.


That's sickeningly fast. I couldn't run that on my best day.

I just push for six miles in 50 minutes - unfortunately that included about four stops at various traffic lights.

I lost 15 pounds in 10 weeks this spring. Before Paxil, I was 6'3" 192. 
I am tanned, thinner, and then some.

A lady waved at me as I ran past her house this evening....she's probably married. 

****Thread Advisory****
Okay boys...flesh parade...gotta be careful with these pics or girls might lose control. :lol


----------



## Omnium11

Thanks 

Hiim: I agree your back looks much bigger. Lats especially, those pullups must be having an effect =P 

Great job Millenium! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back in =P

And yeah that is incredibly fast running lol. I like to 'run' at my granny pace of 6 mph lol. My mom currently runs faster at 6.5 haha
--------------------

Tomorrow is the 1 month mark. Pictures coming tomorrow.


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## hiimnotcool

Sweet! I'm glad there are noticeable gains in the back. It's crazy how fast back muscles start to develop. I've only had the pull up bar for two weeks and have only done pull ups like 5 times so I'm pleased so far. 


I just ran 3 miles. My legs are sorrrrre. 


I think the 1 month transformation award goes to Omnium! Good job man you're doing incredible. :boogie


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## Cerberus

^agreed. 


I just ran two miles. My calf muscle started to tighten up a bit near the end of my run. It hurts a little bit. Tomorrow will be my day off from running, so hopefully it will be good to go by Thursday.


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## millenniumman75

A day of rest is recommended if you run. Since I run four times a week, I have a remainder. I run on Sunday and Monday - the Monday run is rough, especially in the summer, but I pull through it.


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## Lateralus

I wish I could run like you guys. I do two miles a couple times a week and I run some steps at the nearby high school stadium bleachers, but if I try much more I get horrible shin splints that last several days. I think it's because I'm a bit of a toe runner and I have crappy shoes.

I've gone almost a month now on eating only low sugar foods and only drinking water and protein shakes. I have also been lifting 5 days a week. I'm just about where I want to be physique-wise although trimming all the body fat brought me down from 182 to 175. So even though I've gained muscle, I'm still 7 lbs lighter. A bit disappointing but appearance is more important than the numbers I suppose.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Heres an updated pic of my Back/Shoulder area since I havent done one of those for awhile. Already notcing differences there!!
> 
> My stomach's not improving anymore so I'm not sure what to do. I'm a little pissed cause I want abs!!! It's really frustrating
> 
> This is day 28 I think
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is day 49 or so


Hell yeah, the back is starting to show.

4 keys to a six pack.

1. Form. It's so important to do exercises in proper form, otherwise you are cheating yourself.

2. Do them slow. It's more effective to do 20 sit-ups slowly with good technique rather than 200 fast and sloppy. You'll feel how much more intense it is.

3. Variety. There are like thousands of ab exercises out there. You can also modify existing exercises like doing a sit-up in a decline and not hitting the surface of the bench at any point or using a dumbbell as weight.

4. Diet. If you really want them to show, you are going to have to count calories so you make sure you don't burn too much and you want to gain, just muscle, little fat. So you'll have to high-protein diet, minimize carbs a bit (yeah dude you gotta cut down on the beer) and eat only good ones, but you run a lot so you'll still need them. You have a vigorous program that burns a lot, more than you realize and abs are muscles that need to grow as well. The first 3 will make your abs strong regardless. But if you want killer abs that show, step 4 is necessary.


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## STKinTHEmud

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> You have a vigorous program that burns a lot, more than you realize and abs are muscles that need to grow as well.


On that note: I'm of the camp that it's best to work your abs no more frequently than any other muscle. Abs need time to recuperate to grow bigger just like any other muscle, so I do them only once a week. A lot of people seem to have the impression that working abs will directly burn your belly fat, but that's not true: cardio burns it best. Any opinions?


----------



## hiimnotcool

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Hell yeah, the back is starting to show.
> 
> 4 keys to a six pack.
> 
> 1. Form. It's so important to do exercises in proper form, otherwise you are cheating yourself.
> 
> 2. Do them slow. It's more effective to do 20 sit-ups slowly with good technique rather than 200 fast and sloppy. You'll feel how much more intense it is.
> 
> 3. Variety. There are like thousands of ab exercises out there. You can also modify existing exercises like doing a sit-up in a decline and not hitting the surface of the bench at any point or using a dumbbell as weight.
> 
> 4. Diet. If you really want them to show, you are going to have to count calories so you make sure you don't burn too much and you want to gain, just muscle, little fat. So you'll have to high-protein diet, minimize carbs a bit (yeah dude you gotta cut down on the beer) and eat only good ones, but you run a lot so you'll still need them. You have a vigorous program that burns a lot, more than you realize and abs are muscles that need to grow as well. The first 3 will make your abs strong regardless. But if you want killer abs that show, step 4 is necessary.


Hey thanks for the reply! I definitly agree with you about the form and speed. I really don't go for tons of reps with the exercises. I try to keep it 15 reps or so for each exercise. I do about 15 exercises per ab workout and I usually do them 3 days per week. I was actually thinking about adding hanging leg raises becaus those are said to really target the abs too. I have the arm slips to attach to the bar so it'd be easy to do. Also was thinking of buying the exercise ball and a weighted ball becaus my abs really popped back in 2007 when I was using those.

I definitely know I need to limit carbs. It just really sucks because I love beer. I don't know if its worth it to me to give up beer just to have a six pack that shows. Would giving beer up UNTIL I get the abs work? I know it's easier to maintain muscle then actually build it. My carbs are mainly from fruits and veggies but I usually eat 2 slices of whole grain bread everyday because I have a peanut butter sandwich and a whole wheat tortilla wrap.

My arbs are already showing and it's probably a matter of just losing the rest of the fat to get them completely visible. I can feel the abs beneath the fat and they're really hard and defined. I put myself in a bad position with all of the beer drinking and no exercise but I think I'll just let it happen naturally and quit trying to force results. The key is to just keep working and if you do that the results will naturally come, right?


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## judge72

Six pack abs take time to achieve. You have to have a very strict diet. This is most important. 

Next you have to do a lot of cardio depending on how much fat you have to lose. Never go over an hour or you'll start using muscle as energy. Forty-five minutes 5 to 6 days a week is good.

Lift 3 to 4 days a week, depending on your split. Compound movements are very important. Dead lifts, squats, bench press, shoulder press, dips, etc. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will be.

Train your abs like any other muscle. Do your upper, lower, and obliques one to two times a week. This is the smallest part of the six pack equation.

You could do a 2000 sit ups a day and never have a six pack. You have to have single digit body fat levels, and this can only be achieved through diet, lifting and cardio.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Hey thanks for the reply! I definitly agree with you about the form and speed. I really don't go for tons of reps with the exercises. I try to keep it 15 reps or so for each exercise. I do about 15 exercises per ab workout and I usually do them 3 days per week. I was actually thinking about adding hanging leg raises becaus those are said to really target the abs too. I have the arm slips to attach to the bar so it'd be easy to do. Also was thinking of buying the exercise ball and a weighted ball becaus my abs really popped back in 2007 when I was using those.
> 
> I definitely know I need to limit carbs. It just really sucks because I love beer. I don't know if its worth it to me to give up beer just to have a six pack that shows. Would giving beer up UNTIL I get the abs work? I know it's easier to maintain muscle then actually build it. My carbs are mainly from fruits and veggies but I usually eat 2 slices of whole grain bread everyday because I have a peanut butter sandwich and a whole wheat tortilla wrap.
> 
> My arbs are already showing and it's probably a matter of just losing the rest of the fat to get them completely visible. I can feel the abs beneath the fat and they're really hard and defined. I put myself in a bad position with all of the beer drinking and no exercise but I think I'll just let it happen naturally and quit trying to force results. The key is to just keep working and if you do that the results will naturally come, right?


If you keep working at it at the pace you are, it'll come, but you' still have to cut down the beer to get better results. Not giving it up completely but spacing it out and drinking a bit less. Doesn't have to be taken to the extreme and give it up completely, that's no fun. What's the point of doing all this if you can't sit back and enjoy a beer? It's just about balance. Also I thought about it and I think that might be skin and that's just a matter of time before that extra skin is gone, it's a part of weight loss.

Personally, you should just try to do it for bragging rights you could say "hey I had an awesome six pack, taken a picture. Then let go a little.


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## millenniumman75

judge72 said:


> Next you have to do a lot of cardio depending on how much fat you have to lose. Never go over an hour or you'll start using muscle as energy. Forty-five minutes 5 to 6 days a week is good.


Well, I have four of those 5-6. I try to throw in a 9-mile bike ride on Saturday, so I guess that makes 5. My legs are one of my best features - you've seen my picture thread. I get compliments on my calves. Most guys don't even bother with the legs - they get all muscle top-heavy and stuff. :lol.


----------



## Cerberus

millenniumman75 said:


> Well, I have four of those 5-6. I try to throw in a 9-mile bike ride on Saturday, so I guess that makes 5. My legs are one of my best features - you've seen my picture thread. I get compliments on my calves. Most guys don't even bother with the legs - they get all muscle top-heavy and stuff. :lol.


yeah, man, your legs are really muscular. I was impressed when I saw that picture. I have a leg day every week. I know how important they are. I neglected them for a little while in high school and hiking became harder and my legs would start to burn just hiking. I hardly ever see anyone doing squats at my gym -- hell, I never see anyone doing dead lifts either. Everyone seems to focus on exercises that don't seem to help very much. Free weights and compound lifts FTW.

BTW, I friggin love this thread. Thanks for starting it, Ominium11. It's such a positive thread on an otherwise generally negative forum


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## STKinTHEmud

Cerberus said:


> yeah, man, your legs are really muscular. I was impressed when I saw that picture. I have a leg day every week. I know how important they are. I neglected them for a little while in high school and hiking became harder and my legs would start to burn just hiking. I hardly ever see anyone doing squats at my gym -- hell, I never see anyone doing dead lifts either. Everyone seems to focus on exercises that don't seem to help very much. Free weights and compound lifts FTW.


Too true. My pet peeve is when 5 or 6 teenagers hijack a squat rack, pull up a bench from the other room, and bench press in the squat rack for about 30 mins or so on my leg day.


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## Omnium11

Thanks guys

Really good posts everyone!

I agree cerb, I was feeling a bit crappy just now but reading all these real positive replies and the great helpful info from so many people has really cheered me up. This sounds cheesy as hell but I seriously doubt I would have had the motivation to do this all on my own. Blogging about this with you guys and sharing our gains and experiences has really helped stay motivated and get through the tough periods. 

I was planning on wallowing around all night until I fell asleep but now I have new found motivation to get off my *** and work off the pizza and wine I had earlier today. Gonna hit the bench press and hit it HARD as well! 

Feeling better already! :-D

-------------------------------

Alright feeling great now. Did my chest / triceps, doing shoulders now.

WARNING: Boring summary of my day: =P

Anyways earlier today I went and saw my grandparents who I barely know. I felt little anxiety throughout the whole thing which I think really means I'm progressing well, will have to wait for a big family gathering with all sorts of relatives because I usually get very anxious with those. I attribute the lack of anxiety to doing meditation previously (Also yesterday I was completely in the zone as far as meditation goes) Eventually I ended up drinking wine and once I started I pretty much drank 1/3 or 1/2 of the bottle myself. Then I got started on the pizza. =P I figured I would not worry about this though because it is a rare and special occasion. I would say the whole ordeal was pretty positive. Also proud of myself for not resorting to the ativans. Later though after the wine wore off I started feeling kinda crappy and had bunch of negative thoughts and such and also tried talking to a girl that works at a gas station. Wasn't successful but wasn't really bad either. She just had a completely bored / neutral look on her face the whole time. Anyways my mind started making stories and dwelling on all these things and started creating lots of problems about the girl encounter and also about seeing my grandparents. 

Anyways its amazing how the mind can completely take a day that was pretty darn good and in one of its fits can only see the negatives and find negatives that never really were. Only creations and projections that it creates. I think it was the yin to the alcohols yang though which created this negativity. Alcohol makes a bit of euphoria and in return I get some anxiety as a result when it wears off.

Anyways pics are coming tomorrow I promise =P Today I just got real busy and all my clothes are in the washer now.

Am probably gonna retain a fair amount of water here but that will make muscles look bigger.


----------



## Lateralus

Ok so here's a pic, kinda dark and grainy on my 3 year old cell phone. I want to improve my abs a bit still, but otherwise I don't really want to be much bigger (if at all).

I wish I had taken a "before" pic from a month ago before I started the low sugar diet and lifting 5 days a week. I guess I looked similar to this, but I had quite a bit more body fat so there was less definition.










Now I need to get some better running shoes and learn to stop toe running so I can get into good aerobic shape. I couldn't keep up with you guys right now if my life depended on it!


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## Cerberus

^ That's about how I want to look. Your abs and muscles look really good and defined. What's to improve about your abs? I've never had abs like that. Fantastic job. What's your height and weight, if you don't mind my asking? 


Updated weight: 163-164 lbs. 

These weight fluctuations really throw me off, but that's what I get for getting wasted on the weekends. I weighed around 165.5 -167 last week when my water weight was lower, so I've lost a healthy amount of weight. I'm pretty happy with the amount of muscle I've been able to retain so far. Now I just need to get some abs like the above poster. Oh, and I completed my chest/tri workout today.

Edit: I hiked around with my dog for around 40 minutes.


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## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> Ok so here's a pic, kinda dark and grainy on my 3 year old cell phone. I want to improve my abs a bit still, but otherwise I don't really want to be much bigger (if at all).
> 
> I wish I had taken a "before" pic from a month ago before I started the low sugar diet and lifting 5 days a week. I guess I looked similar to this, but I had quite a bit more body fat so there was less definition.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now I need to get some better running shoes and learn to stop toe running so I can get into good aerobic shape. I couldn't keep up with you guys right now if my life depended on it!


You have the same body that I'm going for! Really defined but not overall huge. By looking at my pictures how long do you think it will take to get where you're at? Really impressive, must haveb been alot of hard work to get where you are. What was your body like before you began working out?

Also, what do you mean 'toe running'? If you mean running on the ball of your foot that's what I do too, but if you literally mean you run on your toes without any other part of your foot touching the ground then yeah altering that a bit may help


----------



## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> ^ That's about how I want to look. Your abs and muscles look really good and defined. What's to improve about your abs? I've never had abs like that. Fantastic job. What's your height and weight, if you don't mind my asking?
> 
> Updated weight: 163-164 lbs.
> 
> These weight fluctuations really throw me off, but that's what I get for getting wasted on the weekends. I weighed around 165.5 -167 last week when my water weight was lower, so I've lost a healthy amount of weight. I'm pretty happy with the amount of muscle I've been able to retain so far. Now I just need to get some abs like the above poster. Oh, and I completed my chest/tri workout today.


Thanks. I would like to just have larger abs and more definition in the lower abs. Ryan Reynolds has the abs I'd like to have someday but that will take a lot of painful hard work. And no I don't mind your asking at all: Height: 6'1" Weight: 175 lb.


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> You have the same body that I'm going for! Really defined but not overall huge. By looking at my pictures how long do you think it will take to get where you're at? Really impressive, must haveb been alot of hard work to get where you are. What was your body like before you began working out?
> 
> Also, what do you mean 'toe running'? If you mean running on the ball of your foot that's what I do too, but if you literally mean you run on your toes without any other part of your foot touching the ground then yeah altering that a bit may help


Yeah I'm not into the huge bodybuilder look either. It's hard to say how long it will be for you but almost certainly less time than me, because you're more dedicated than I was and your back got insanely improved in just 20 days or whatever it was. It takes me forever to gain muscle because I have problems eating enough of the right foods. Anxiety screws with my appetite. Recently I've been able to eat well fortunately.

Before I began working out which was years ago, I was the same height (6'1") and 130 lbs. Basically I was a stick and I rarely saw anyone skinnier than I was, that didn't help my anxiety either. I literally saw people laughing at me at the gym, consistently. Knowing all that I know now, I'm sure I could've gained that muscle much faster but what's done is done.

By toe running I mean the balls of my feet like you said. I don't remember where I heard toe running but that's what I've called it. Anyway I was reading about shin splints because I get them bad, and apparently one thing you can do is strike with the heel first and spring forward off the ball of the foot. Running shoes are designed for the impact in the heel as well. By impacting at the ball, it stresses the tibia and supporting muscles quite a bit which often leads to shin splints or even stress fractures. I guess for some people it's ok to run like that but I need to break the habit for my legs' sake.


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## judge72

Your in great shape Lateralus. Good job man.


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## Omnium11

Ha agreed that is my ideal body type right there. You look great man! (no **** oh course lol)

Also if you go to some of the nicer running shoe stores they will have you get on a treadmill and watch you run and select shoes especially for your running type to help with those types of problems. I dunno if they can do much about toe running but they helped with my over pronation (sp?)

Yeah cerb my weight is up over 3 pounds since yesterday. I'm back at 173 right now. Yesterday in the morning I was 169.8 :-\


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## Lateralus

judge72 said:


> Your in great shape Lateralus. Good job man.


Thank you judge.


----------



## Lateralus

Omnium11 said:


> Ha agreed that is my ideal body type right there. You look great man! (no **** oh course lol)
> 
> Also if you go to some of the nicer running shoe stores they will have you get on a treadmill and watch you run and select shoes especially for your running type to help with those types of problems. I dunno if they can do much about toe running but they helped with my over pronation (sp?)
> 
> Yeah cerb my weight is up over 3 pounds since yesterday. I'm back at 173 right now. Yesterday in the morning I was 169.8 :-\


Thanks Omnium. Yeah idk if the sports stores near me do that or not but it's worth asking. Thanks for the tip.


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## Omnium11

Woohoo 1 month complete! Yesterday at 1 month mark was 169.8 Today I'm 173 cause of water and all the crap I ate yesterday. Good job everyone!





































I think my lats are looking a bit better as well. Pullups ftw


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> Yeah I'm not into the huge bodybuilder look either. It's hard to say how long it will be for you but almost certainly less time than me, because you're more dedicated than I was and your back got insanely improved in just 20 days or whatever it was. It takes me forever to gain muscle because I have problems eating enough of the right foods. Anxiety screws with my appetite. Recently I've been able to eat well fortunately.
> 
> Before I began working out which was years ago, I was the same height (6'1") and 130 lbs. Basically I was a stick and I rarely saw anyone skinnier than I was, that didn't help my anxiety either. I literally saw people laughing at me at the gym, consistently. Knowing all that I know now, I'm sure I could've gained that muscle much faster but what's done is done.


Yeah, man, you look great. I feel that if I had that kind of body and went to the beach, my anxiety around women would go away pretty quickly, since I'd be desensitized to them by talking with those that might approach me. Are you flexing in that pic? If I get to that point, I'd hate to have to walk around the beach constantly flexing.

Can you give us some details about the process you went through to get there? I ask because back in high school when I first started working out, I was also 6'1 and 130 lbs. Now, I'm 185 lbs, gained after I actually worked on my diet for the first time 6 months ago. Did you do the whole mass gain thing? If so, how did the cutting process go afterward? How long did it take to start looking like that (I've been getting impatient lately)?

Also, can you give us the details of your diet and routine? I know it's a lot to ask, and if you can't make the time anytime soon, I understand. But I really want to know so that I can compare it to my own routine. Thanks in advance.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Omnium11 said:


> Yeah cerb my weight is up over 3 pounds since yesterday. I'm back at 173 right now. Yesterday in the morning I was 169.8 :-\


When are you weighing yourself? A 3 lb gain in one day seems like all water weight, which is something you can pretty much ignore, since water weight varies throughout the day. For an accurate measure, you should always weigh yourself at the same time of day, preferably in the morning after you first use the bathroom, but before you eat or drink any water.

(Going to post pictures soon, but I'm kind of embarrassed by comparison to you guys.)


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## Cerberus

You've made a sh-tload of progress in a short amount of time, Ominium11. You look really athletic and much better. Congratulations on your progress. Well done.


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## Omnium11

STKinTHEmud said:


> When are you weighing yourself? A 3 lb gain in one day seems like all water weight, which is something you can pretty much ignore, since water weight varies throughout the day. For an accurate measure, you should always weigh yourself at the same time of day, preferably in the morning after you first use the bathroom, but before you eat or drink any water.
> 
> (Going to post pictures soon, but I'm kind of embarrassed by comparison to you guys.)


Aw man no sweat about your pics :-D Don't worry about it at all, my first couple were pretty embarrassing lol

I always weigh myself when I wake up (the timing of which I actually wake up alternates though.) I think I weighed so much today because I really went crazy with the wine and pizza and chips and stuff I ate at my grandparents house when I was visiting them. Also I ended up making black beans and I really seasoned the **** out of them and ate em after I worked out yesterday. I really love salt on beans. Think I should be down to 171 tomorrow or so.
---------------------

Thanks cerb!


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## millenniumman75

OMG, Lat! That's sick! :lol I would love to have a physique like that, but I don't have the time.

I am a leaner version of that - my arms are lean from the constant motion of running - I use my arms to push when I sprint AND during certain songs, I have been known to pull a Rocky Balboa on the streets. :lol

My lower abs are a mess, but that's lingering Paxil fat. Just saying that I look like my picture thread again is a triumph for me. It's a mess trying to lose weight while on that stuff - I managed to do it somehow.
I am not sure about the muscle part as I am leanness. I _REALLY_ don't want to be overweight when I am older, but face it guys, we ain't gettin' any younger. 

Omnium - that's quite an improvement, though.


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## hiimnotcool

Wow!!! You dont even look like the same person anymore dude!! You must have really good genes for gaining muscles because those type of results in a months time is just ridiculous. I am absolutely jealous of the progress you're making! 


Hey actually, now that I think about it.. you're cheating on the abs competition!! You've never had a picture without your wife beater on where we could see your abs. You probably already have a six pack and just want to wait till we get closer then you're gonna be like 'BAM! I win'. :b..I probably wont have abs for about 2 more months but I'm gonna keep working towards it. 


But really, great work. Great work to everyone in this thread actually. Incredible results and I never knew working out could be so fun.


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Wow!!! You dont even look like the same person anymore dude!! You must have really good genes for gaining muscles because those type of results in a months time is just ridiculous. I am absolutely jealous of the progress you're making!
> 
> Hey actually, now that I think about it.. you're cheating on the abs competition!! You've never had a picture without your wife beater on where we could see your abs. You probably already have a six pack and just want to wait till we get closer then you're gonna be like 'BAM! I win'. :b..I probably wont have abs for about 2 more months but I'm gonna keep working towards it.
> 
> But really, great work. Great work to everyone in this thread actually. Incredible results and I never knew working out could be so fun.


Hahaha, naw my stomach has the consistency of jello lol :-D Whats sad is that I can't even feel the individual abs under the fat. The muscle is just completely flat in there. I still have about 14% bf I think comparing myself to other people. I still look pretty flabby when I'm not flexed. I will take a pic. My abs are def my weakest attribute.

I think my muscle memory is really good. I pretty much built all my muscle when i was 16-17 and it seems like I can get back up there fairly easily. Also I think I am very mesomorphic and got lucky genetically. (I get stretch marks easily though) I have some on my love handles which make me kinda self conscious. I think they will fade away here within the next year or so and when I get down to about 10% bf they will be pretty hard to see.

millenium: Paxil is really bad in that respect. My brother went on it and gained like 50 pounds. He ate the same as he always did too.


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## STKinTHEmud

As promised, my pics. These first two are form back in January, 3 weeks after I started working out again.











__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










These are from today, after 6 months of mass gaining and 1 month of cutting, after gaining 30 lbs and then losing 10.




























I'm thinking about shaving the chest so that I might look a bit more cut. Feels kind of weird to do it, but I already do a bit of manscaping as is (the realities of being brown).

I feel like I'm not making as much progress as I want to. I'm also afraid that since I've been losing so much strength in the gym lately, that when I do lose the fat, I'll also lose the muscle. I don't think I'm genetically predisposed to gain muscle.

In any case, I'll join you guys in the whole 6 pack thing, but I think I'm losing. I've got a long way to go.

Omnium: looking awesome, amazing gains in such a short time! I think you can plan on dressing as Conan the Barbarian for Halloween if you keep going at this pace.


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## Omnium11

Haha thanks man! Glad to have you aboard with the 6 pack abs contest :-D

I wouldn't worry too much about losing the strength. When I am cutting or on low cal diet my lifts decrease dramatically. As soon as I start eating normally again they always get right back up there. You might lose a bit of muscle but its really amazing how muscle memory works. It will all come back really fast. 

I think you are at one of those awkward weights where you have just enough fat on you that it covers up the muscles so its hard to see the gains from bulking. As soon as you drop about 3-4% bf or so I think you will like what you see.

Good job! Be proud of those stretch marks as well you earned them. Battle scars. I've got them as well, all over my biceps but they are pretty damn hard to see once they turn white. Pretty much unnoticeable unless you look for them.


----------



## Omnium11

Oh and I'm pretty big on manscaping. I even took a trimmer to my leg hair and cut it all to slightly above 1/8 an inch, at first I felt sort of guilty but now I love it lol 

Oh just saw the new pics, your arms look a lot like mine did in that profile shot. Big muscles under there that will look great as soon as you drop a bit more fat. Also your chest looks much much bigger than mine at that bf% Also nice lats! You have some very nice muscles under the fat.

Think you will be real proud once you drop a bit more weight.


----------



## Omnium11

Well guys month number one is over of the transformation. I feel much better rarely have the obsessive negative thoughts and dropped about 20 pounds. Also my emotional outbursts and anger problems have gotten a lot better. Though still happen from time to time. Not free from the negative aspects of the mind, judging, separating, stereotyping, me vs 'blank', defending mental positions, defending my incredibly insecure self image etc. Which have caused me to unleash on a couple people from here at this forum. Sorry to those people! I think I am making lots of progress though that's the important thing. Still have a couple triggers though. Will continue to work on it. Also have a sense of humor which if you don't know me could be a bit much or a bit offensive etc especially in the chat. Will try to level out a bit

GOALS: For this month! This will be a hard one because of the meetup group! Ugh
More meditation for longer duration
Try to stay 'present' for as long as possible every day
Go to one social anxiety meetup group (dreading this)
Turn in 5 application forms by months end
Get out of the house for at least one hour every day
Work more on getting me out of my comfort zone
Randomly start conversations / small talk with people.










I think my face has gotten like 10x better looking throughout this whole thing. Acne is for the most part gone. I no longer have bloodshot completely dead looking puffy eyes. My face is no longer bloated and sickly looking etc. No longer have the huge amounts of tension in the face that I used to have. I also had a problem where I would blush constantly. I looked sort of like a serial killer or something before. Making something which has slowly evolved in a deep dark cave for hundreds of years or something lol.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks for the kind words, Omnium. I needed that. I was about to come in here and post about how terrible those pictures were making me feel about myself, and how I thought I looked good, but that my bathroom mirror must be lying to me. As you can see, I'm dealing with a lot of the same negative thoughts issues you are, but your post dispelled those thoughts pretty well. Thanks, man.

Sounds great that you're getting a handle on those negative thoughts. I'm getting there myself, now that I know about the causes of my anxiety and how to overcome them. I'm feeling good about this. I think we're on the right track.


----------



## Omnium11

STKinTHEmud said:


> Thanks for the kind words, Omnium. I needed that. I was about to come in here and post about how terrible those pictures were making me feel about myself, and how I thought I looked good, but that my bathroom mirror must be lying to me. As you can see, I'm dealing with a lot of the same negative thoughts issues you are, but your post dispelled those thoughts pretty well. Thanks, man.
> 
> Sounds great that you're getting a handle on those negative thoughts. I'm getting there myself, now that I know about the causes of my anxiety and how to overcome them. I'm feeling good about this. I think we're on the right track.


Absolutely man! We definitely are. I feel very confident about my chances of getting through this and beating SA. I used to have HUGE mental resistance to the thought that I would ever be normal. Ever since I was 13 years old I made some really damaging beliefs about myself which have stuck with me since. I know how those negative thoughts are they can be completely brutal I know I've raved about these guys in the past without stop but if you haven't checked them out def try Adyashanti and Eckhart Tolle audiobooks and retreats out. Really good for dealing with negative thoughts and emotions.

I concur, we are definitely on the right track!


----------



## hiimnotcool

Just to say what I did today....


Core Synergistics
4 sets of 5 pull ups WITHOUT the chair haha
8 sets of 10 push ups
Ran 3.5 miles

I've also drank my last beer for atleast one month just to see what kind of gains I can get from that. I'm very displeased with my results so far so I'm just gonna take it to the next level. I keep looking in the mirror and thinking I look like crap. Ugh!


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> Just to say what I did today....
> 
> Core Synergistics
> 4 sets of 5 pull ups WITHOUT the chair haha
> 8 sets of 10 push ups
> Ran 3.5 miles
> 
> I've also drank my last beer for atleast one month just to see what kind of gains I can get from that. I'm very displeased with my results so far so I'm just gonna take it to the next level. I keep looking in the mirror and thinking I look like crap. Ugh!


Good idea. I think that was the one weakness in your diet. Wow great job with those pullups man! I'm still having problems with 3.

Ha well all the sudden I was hit with a wave of paranoia that I look like an attention ***** with those pics lol, so they've been edited. From now on I will wear running shorts or something.


----------



## millenniumman75

hiimnotcool said:


> Just to say what I did today....
> 
> Core Synergistics
> 4 sets of 5 pull ups WITHOUT the chair haha
> 8 sets of 10 push ups
> Ran 3.5 miles
> 
> I've also drank my last beer for atleast one month just to see what kind of gains I can get from that. I'm very displeased with my results so far so I'm just gonna take it to the next level. I keep looking in the mirror and thinking I look like crap. Ugh!


I always heard beer has a weird carbohydrate to it that causes a weird fat. I never understood that - of course, I don't drink beer (the last time was over four years ago, I think).


----------



## millenniumman75

Osmium11, you kill me! :lol


----------



## Lateralus

Wow Omnium, you've made ridiculously fast improvements. That's not even fair how quickly you're progressing!


----------



## Lateralus

millenniumman75 said:


> OMG, Lat! That's sick! :lol I would love to have a physique like that, but I don't have the time.


I wish I had enough going on in my life that I didn't have time.



millenniumman75 said:


> I am a leaner version of that - my arms are lean from the constant motion of running - I use my arms to push when I sprint AND during certain songs, I have been known to pull a Rocky Balboa on the streets. :lol


LMAO



millenniumman75 said:


> My lower abs are a mess, but that's lingering Paxil fat. Just saying that I look like my picture thread again is a triumph for me. It's a mess trying to lose weight while on that stuff - I managed to do it somehow.
> I am not sure about the muscle part as I am leanness. I _REALLY_ don't want to be overweight when I am older, but face it guys, we ain't gettin' any younger.
> 
> Omnium - that's quite an improvement, though.


I was on Paxil for a couple years but all it did was make me a zombie. Too bad about the weight gain it causes in some people. I'm with you about being in shape as I get older though. The only good thing I can say about myself as each day passes is that at least each day I'm in better physical shape than I was the last.


----------



## Cerberus

Have any of you guys been told you're getting too skinny? Some people have told me I'm getting too skinny, which I find to be bizarre.


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Yeah, man, you look great. I feel that if I had that kind of body and went to the beach, my anxiety around women would go away pretty quickly, since I'd be desensitized to them by talking with those that might approach me. Are you flexing in that pic? If I get to that point, I'd hate to have to walk around the beach constantly flexing.
> 
> Can you give us some details about the process you went through to get there? I ask because back in high school when I first started working out, I was also 6'1 and 130 lbs. Now, I'm 185 lbs, gained after I actually worked on my diet for the first time 6 months ago. Did you do the whole mass gain thing? If so, how did the cutting process go afterward? How long did it take to start looking like that (I've been getting impatient lately)?
> 
> Also, can you give us the details of your diet and routine? I know it's a lot to ask, and if you can't make the time anytime soon, I understand. But I really want to know so that I can compare it to my own routine. Thanks in advance.


Thanks. Funny you should ask about flexing because I actually tried that first and it was too hard to focus on each muscle group all at once and just felt goofy. So I ended up just flexing my abs, I wish they looked that way unflexed!

If I had it to do over again I would've tried the mass gain and then cut approach. I'm a hard gainer though and I just tacked on bits of muscle over the years that eventually added up to 45 lbs. It wasn't until this year that I really learned the right way to do everything, and results were better.

I was up to 183 a month ago after really increasing my calorie intake and looked really bulky (kind of like inflated). I had wanted to just be heavier but after I saw myself at 183 I decided I liked definition more than bulk, so then I cut most sugar out of my diet* and drank primarily only water to get to where I am now. But I was also lifting 5 days a week during that time. So for cutting I highly recommend that.

I am not an expert by any means, I just know what works for me. Looking at your pics, you have a good frame to work with now. I would say you need to really hit the weights hard and try to mix in some cardio, but still get plenty of protein, water, veggies. You don't want to burn the underlying muscles or deprive them of nutrition. I think the results will come very fast, especially around the waist. Probably visible differences in several days. I will post my diet and routine sometime but I'm tired of typing ATM!

*As was discussed earlier in the thread, there are times when a little sugar is good such as before and after working out.


----------



## Black_Widow

Good for you Omnium! Sounds to me as if you've put in alot of hard work and much effort there. I've recently started a new exercise regime to help myself get fitter too. I've never been much of a runner. But am hoping that once I've lost couple of stone or so that maybe this is something I can get myself to improve at. 

Anyways keep up the great work


----------



## Cerberus

I just ran roughly two miles in the blazing hot sun. I think perhaps I'm going to try to run earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat, although the extra sweat probably burns more calories.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I just ran roughly two miles in the blazing hot sun. I think perhaps I'm going to try to run earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat, although the extra sweat probably burns more calories.


Yeah the heat adds a whole new element!! I ran yesterday when it was like 80 degrees outside and it was so hard to complete. I usually run at night or early in the morning for that reason. I always end up trying to run the pace in the heat as I would otherwise and it really wears me out.

To answer your question about people saying that we're getting too thin--I havent really got that because just last year I weighed 157 so I think I'm just getting back down to what people normally knew me as. I've gotten comments that I've lost weight but I think that's a good thing.

I've got a phone interview in 30 minutes regarding insurance benefits from the state, I'm sort of nervous but I took a valium about 5 minuntes ago so I think that will help take some of the edge off.

Oh and I did 40 minutes of Yoga earlier. Gonna rest from running for the day and pick it up again tomorrow!


----------



## Omnium11

Thanks guys!



Cerberus said:


> Have any of you guys been told you're getting too skinny? Some people have told me I'm getting too skinny, which I find to be bizarre.


YES!!! Its so annoying, my mom started saying that I was too thin up around 180 pounds, she does it all the time now. My sister even said she likes guys with a little 'chub' oh them. My dad makes comments as well. Even my grandparents did. My mom and dad are constantly telling me to eat all sorts of really bad food though. Then they always tell me to stop losing weight and to 'convert fat into muscle instead' lol. They are great at laying down guilt trips but I'm gonnna go for 10% bf anyway with this thing


----------



## Omnium11

Black_Widow said:


> Good for you Omnium! Sounds to me as if you've put in alot of hard work and much effort there. I've recently started a new exercise regime to help myself get fitter too. I've never been much of a runner. But am hoping that once I've lost couple of stone or so that maybe this is something I can get myself to improve at.
> 
> Anyways keep up the great work


Awesome! Good job. Be sure to check in with your progress


----------



## Lateralus

Omnium11 said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> YES!!! Its so annoying, my mom started saying that I was too thin up around 180 pounds, she does it all the time now. My sister even said she likes guys with a little 'chub' oh them. My dad makes comments as well. Even my grandparents did. My mom and dad are constantly telling me to eat all sorts of really bad food though. Then they always tell me to stop losing weight and to 'convert fat into muscle instead' lol. They are great at laying down guilt trips but I'm gonnna go for 10% bf anyway with this thing


What would you guess your BF% is now? It doesn't look to be very high at all. It looks like you can get to 10% fairly soon.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> I was up to 183 a month ago after really increasing my calorie intake and looked really bulky (kind of like inflated). I had wanted to just be heavier but after I saw myself at 183 I decided I liked definition more than bulk, so then I cut most sugar out of my diet* and drank primarily only water to get to where I am now. But I was also lifting 5 days a week during that time. So for cutting I highly recommend that.
> 
> I am not an expert by any means, I just know what works for me. Looking at your pics, you have a good frame to work with now. I would say you need to really hit the weights hard and try to mix in some cardio, but still get plenty of protein, water, veggies. You don't want to burn the underlying muscles or deprive them of nutrition. I think the results will come very fast, especially around the waist. Probably visible differences in several days. I will post my diet and routine sometime but I'm tired of typing ATM!


Thanks! And thanks for the info, looking forward to seeing your diet. I'm lifting only 3 days a week right now, hitting all muscles but getting through a workout pretty quickly because I'm resting only 60 secs. About the whole 5 days of lifting a week thing: do you hit the same muscles twice in a week? I've been reluctant to do this because earlier this year, I found out that I'd been overtraining when I would work out for the past 10 years. I hear that muscles need 3-5 days to recoup. Any opinions? Should I switch to 5 days?

Also, do you all do a full 45 min. cardio workout on your lifting days? It seems a bit much to do both on the same day, but I do want to cut the fat. I've started doing 10 mins cardio before lifting and 10 mins after. Should I kick it up? Opinions?

EDIT: By the way, I biked down to the beach and back in 50 mins right after I woke up today, and felt like I was going to pass out when I got back.



Cerberus said:


> Have any of you guys been told you're getting too skinny? Some people have told me I'm getting too skinny, which I find to be bizarre.


Actually, I've been way too skinny all my life, so when I started gaining, my friends would say "wow, you actually look like a normal human being!" and my family would compliment me on how I look. Of course, I live in LA, where skinny is expected (though not necessarily often practiced).



Omnium11 said:


> YES!!! Its so annoying, my mom started saying that I was too thin up around 180 pounds, she does it all the time now. My sister even said she likes guys with a little 'chub' oh them. My dad makes comments as well. Even my grandparents did. My mom and dad are constantly telling me to eat all sorts of really bad food though. Then they always tell me to stop losing weight and to 'convert fat into muscle instead' lol. They are great at laying down guilt trips but I'm gonnna go for 10% bf anyway with this thing


"Convert fat into muscle": Hilarious. Don't let them get you down, Omnium, you look great. And certainly NOT all women like a little "chub." Whenever the token pretty white guy with a 6 pack runs through campus without his shirt on, I've found that a LOT of women turn to stare for a bit.


----------



## Omnium11

Lateralus said:


> What would you guess your BF% is now? It doesn't look to be very high at all. It looks like you can get to 10% fairly soon.


I might be really off with this but I think I am at 14-15% or so. I'll take a pic of my stomach and fat rolls and see what you guys think. Also on my upper thigh I can grab a fat roll that looks to be just under 1 inch thick, on my stomach if I am sitting I can grab a fat roll that looks like its just about that thick as well.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> I might be really off with this but I think I am at 14-15% or so. I'll take a pic of my stomach and fat rolls and see what you guys think. Also on my upper thigh I can grab a fat roll that looks to be just under 1 inch thick, on my stomach if I am sitting I can grab a fat roll that looks like its just about that thick as well.


Dude, if I'm sitting I can grab a fat roll that literally fills my grip. It's ridiculous! I think thats normal...I mean you've seen how lean I look when I'm standing, but sitting down its a whole other story.

With that said, I'm going to the lake with a bunch of people in about 30 minutes...that's a huge success for me since I havent done something like this in SO long. I'm also not ashamed to take my shirt off when I get there and normally I would be dreading it, and most likely would have declined the invitation on that merit alone. Hopefully its fun :b


----------



## hiimnotcool

STKinTHEmud said:


> Thanks! And thanks for the info, looking forward to seeing your diet. I'm lifting only 3 days a week right now, hitting all muscles but getting through a workout pretty quickly because I'm resting only 60 secs. About the whole 5 days of lifting a week thing: do you hit the same muscles twice in a week? I've been reluctant to do this because earlier this year, I found out that I'd been overtraining when I would work out for the past 10 years. I hear that muscles need 3-5 days to recoup. Any opinions? Should I switch to 5 days?
> 
> Also, do you all do a full 45 min. cardio workout on your lifting days? It seems a bit much to do both on the same day, but I do want to cut the fat. I've started doing 10 mins cardio before lifting and 10 mins after. Should I kick it up? Opinions?
> 
> EDIT: By the way, I biked down to the beach and back in 50 mins right after I woke up today, and felt like I was going to pass out when I got back.
> 
> Actually, I've been way too skinny all my life, so when I started gaining, my friends would say "wow, you actually look like a normal human being!" and my family would compliment me on how I look. Of course, I live in LA, where skinny is expected (though not necessarily often practiced).
> 
> "Convert fat into muscle": Hilarious. Don't let them get you down, Omnium, you look great. And certainly NOT all women like a little "chub." Whenever the token pretty white guy with a 6 pack runs through campus without his shirt on, I've found that a LOT of women turn to stare for a bit.


Hey man, I'd probably go the route of doing cardio and weights on the same days if you want to cut that fat down. It's really the best way possible from what I've noticed. It's said the best fat burning from a run comes AFTER the 30 minute mark so i think the 10 before and 10 after approach isnt really the best. I mean, its a good warm up and way to get the blood flowing but I'd recommend doing 30 to 60 minutes 3-5 days per week of cardio.

Also, I dont hit the same muscles twice EXCEPT for the back.

My workout goes like

1.Shoulders, tri's, chest/abs with a run
2. run/kenpo
3. biceps and back/abs
4. run/yoga
5. legs and back/abs
6. run

but my back workout is basically only pull ups.

I'll also do alot of push ups throughout the week.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> YES!!! Its so annoying, my mom started saying that I was too thin up around 180 pounds, she does it all the time now. My sister even said she likes guys with a little 'chub' oh them. My dad makes comments as well. Even my grandparents did. My mom and dad are constantly telling me to eat all sorts of really bad food though. Then they always tell me to stop losing weight and to 'convert fat into muscle instead' lol. They are great at laying down guilt trips but I'm gonnna go for 10% bf anyway with this thing


Hah! yeah, I started getting that around 180 pounds as well. My mom is constantly telling me I need to gain weight, and people from her church have brought cookies over, telling me I'm getting too skinny. I've even been warned that I might develop an eating disorder because I'm eating healthy food. I told someone who was offering me unhealthy food that I didn't want to eat it because I'm trying to lose weight, and this person just looked at me and asked me if I was anorexic. People also look at me like I'm insane when I drink the occasional diet coke. Oh well, I just brush such comments off as nonsense because I know I'm at a healthy weight, and I know losing some more to get a six pack does not signal that I have a friggin eating disorder.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Cerberus said:


> Hah! yeah, I started getting that around 180 pounds as well. My mom is constantly telling me I need to gain weight, and people from her church have brought cookies over, telling me I'm getting too skinny. I've even been warned that I might develop an eating disorder because I'm eating healthy food. I told someone who was offering me unhealthy food that I didn't want to eat it because I'm trying to lose weight, and this person just looked at me and asked me if I was anorexic. People also look at me like I'm insane when I drink the occasional diet coke. Oh well, I just brush such comments off as nonsense because I know I'm at a healthy weight, and I know losing some more to get a six pack does not signal that I have a friggin eating disorder.


Wow. You guys should seriously move to Cali. That could be our slogan. California: Where it's okay to be healthy!


----------



## Omnium11

Haha, yeah i even had my mom imply I was anorexic at one point but I can't really blame her considering I was fasting, I think its something about moms, an instinctual thing to turn you into a little ball of blubber

Hiim: how was the run around the lake?
I just came back from the lake where I ran probably 2.5 and walked .7 or so. It was hot as hell but a good run. I tried saying hi to everyone I passed. It went really well. I said hi to the first 4 people or so. Then after that I instead making comments, "Lots of prairie dogs over here eh," "Wow its pretty hot," "Caught any fish" etc. Worked really well. At the end of the run when I was walking I passed 3 really cute girls and we all said hi at the same time and they had big smiles on face and make lots of eye contact with one of them so I'm real happy!


----------



## millenniumman75

Cerberus said:


> Have any of you guys been told you're getting too skinny? Some people have told me I'm getting too skinny, which I find to be bizarre.


Right before I was on Paxil - yes. I remember my aunt grabbing my arm and asking me if I have been eating enough. I would eat like Michael Phelps and not gain the weight back then!


----------



## millenniumman75

Cerberus said:


> I just ran roughly two miles in the blazing hot sun. I think perhaps I'm going to try to run earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat, although the extra sweat probably burns more calories.


It might burn more a few more calories, but you'd lose more calories by water loss. At six miles, I am afraid I am at the peak - any more than that and I would be forced to take water with me. I don't know if running with water in my hands would be a very good idea.

80F + w/ humidity becomes harder to do the longer distance I run. It can get stifling even here in Ohio in the July-August timeframe - it starts about now. We are reaching the highs of the average temps shortly.


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Thanks! And thanks for the info, looking forward to seeing your diet. I'm lifting only 3 days a week right now, hitting all muscles but getting through a workout pretty quickly because I'm resting only 60 secs. About the whole 5 days of lifting a week thing: do you hit the same muscles twice in a week? I've been reluctant to do this because earlier this year, I found out that I'd been overtraining when I would work out for the past 10 years. I hear that muscles need 3-5 days to recoup. Any opinions? Should I switch to 5 days?
> 
> Also, do you all do a full 45 min. cardio workout on your lifting days? It seems a bit much to do both on the same day, but I do want to cut the fat. I've started doing 10 mins cardio before lifting and 10 mins after. Should I kick it up? Opinions?


Yes I always hit the same muscles twice in a week. I think with all the water, protein, vitamins, BCAA's, and sleep I get, I recover pretty quickly. All I know is what works for me. If I'm still really sore somewhere I skip that muscle - that's as scientific as I get lol.

As for cardio, all I do is jogging and hockey twice a week. I never really had to try to lose weight, so I only do extra cardio just for its health benefits. You would probably want to ask one of these other guys about it.

For upper body here are most of the exercises I do with the equipment I have available:










I change my routine every week to keep the body guessing as they say, but here is an example week:
Day 1: Flat Bench, Dips, Lat raises, Flies, Wrist Curls, Weighted Crunches, Pulldowns 
Day 2: Jogging, legs
Day 3: Decline bench, Skull Crushers, Shrugs, Barbell and/or Preacher Curls, Pullups, Leg lifts
Day 4: REST/jog
Day 5: Incline Bench, Dips, Lat raises, Flies, Wrist Curls, Weighted Crunches, Pulldowns
Day 6: Jogging, legs
Day 7: REST

I rest about 2 mins. between sets. You'll notice I shoot for a weight I can get 12 reps with in the first set. With many exercises I drop the weight down and do a burnout set at the end, without resting first. Bench is really the only exercise I increase the weight each set, the rest I just increase weekly or as needed in order for max reps to be no more than 12.

My legs workouts consist of leg extensions, lunges, squats (when my back isn't too tight), and calf raises. I haven't been working them as hard because of hockey twice a week.

Now for diet:
First meal: Oatmeal, toast with peanut butter. Sometimes cream of wheat or whole grain cereal.
Second Meal: Protein shake with 1/4 cup maltodextrin (pure complex carbs)
Third meal: Yogurt, mixed nuts
Pre-workout: Banana, energy drink (1 tbsp dextrose, 1/4 cup maltodextrin, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 250mg caffeine)
Post-workout: Protein shake with 1 tbsp dextrose
Fourth meal (dinner): I don't eat red meat so chicken/soy burger/soy chicken or pasta is usually the main course. I usually have a large salad and some sort of potato (baked/boiled/mashed). Beans and corn are common. Sometimes diced fruit.
Fifth meal: Soy burger or tuna sandwich, mixed nuts or celery and peanut butter.


----------



## Omnium11

Oh wow, very impressive and educational lat, thanks for the write up. I will check out wrist curls I've never actually tried them out before.

Well I ended up running for another 3.2 miles around the lake, had more small talk and such, I just did a really hard lat / back workout. Since I don't have access to my cable pulldown machine I've been looking for ways to train lats at home. I actually found a row that I like to do and that seems like it works. Also dumbbell pullovers seem to really work as well for me. Can't wait till I can do pullups effectively!

Used this vidya as a good guide


----------



## hiimnotcool

I think I need to invest in some free weights. I've been bands for everything and they definitely work but I think free weights would be better for curls and things like that. I also want to get a bench set so I can do incline and decline. It sounds like all of you guys alredy have access to that sort of stuff. No fair!! :b I'll just finish the 5 or 6 weeks of P90X then look into it.

Yesterdays lake went well. Didnt run though, we just all sat around and drank beer (ugh i know i said the other night was my last but i dont ever get out in situations like that so i caved..i had 7 beers which isnt too bad) and then we went to the casino and ended up staying there for HOURS! I ended up winning 55 dollars so I'm thinking of using that to buy an exercise ball 

Omnium, it sounds like you and I both had a pretty successful day in regards to SA! Both of us were alot more social than usual. I was even making everyone laugh at the casino table because I felt in the zone the comedic side of me was coming out. Oh man if we could only be that way all the time huh?

Well, today I'm gonna do some sort of workout but I dont really know what. It's a 'recovery' week in the p90x system which means there are no resistance days at all. It's purely Kenpo, Yoga, and Core Synergistics. I'll probably just do push ups and pull ups plus those things. Next wednesday is when the system really gets intense so I'm looking forward to that! After I complete P90X I'm going straight into this:






Oh, and I weighed 162.2 on the scale this morning


----------



## Cerberus

Nice work everyone! Impressive lifts and diet, Lat. 

I just completed my leg/shoulder workout. My squat strength is increasing, surprisingly. I was kind of expecting my running to hurt my leg strength. Oh, and my body weight is still at 164 lbs. My stomach fat is really getting low, as far as I can tell. I'm getting close, but it's hard to say how much longer it will take. That's fine. I can live with feeling more confident, more energetic, and feeling better overall psychologically. lol


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks for the advice hiim and lat. Lat, you're a monster with those massive lifts, but I've got to say that your routine is incomprehensible to me. I've never even entertained the notion that I might hit a muscle 3 times in one week. Now I understand that what works for you might not work for me, but now I'm getting worried about my routine. Anyone willing to critique my routine? I'd really appreciate it (I once asked for a critique on a bodybuilding forum, and got just one response by a guy who just laughed at me without giving me any way to improve my routine).

I was on a 4 day split during my mass-building phase, but now I'm on a three day split. I change my routine dramatically every 10 weeks. I always go till failure. Right now I'm resting 60 secs between sets, and burning out pretty fast. Here it is:

Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Tris
(Sets, exercise)
4 Dumbbell Bench Press
2 Dips
2 Pullovers
4 DB Military press
2 Boxes
3 Overhead triceps extension
2 One arm DB lying triceps extension

Tues: Cardio, 45 mins

Wed: Back, Traps, Bis
4 Pull down
2 One arm bent over rows
2 Row Machine
4 Shrugs
3 Preacher curls
2 Hammer curls (seated)

Thurs: Cardio, 45 mins

Fri: Legs, Abs
4 Squat
2 Leg extension
3 Straight Leg Deadlift
2 Leg curl
4 Calf Raise
3 Decline sit ups (with 10lbs weight)
3 Exercise ball crunch
3 Medicine ball twist

My diet is pretty similar to lat's but I don't take BCAA's. How many of you take BCAA's? Are they effective?


----------



## Cerberus

^That looks like too many exercises to me. I don't know though. I just copied one of the workouts stickied on the bodybuilding forum with slight modifications because of a lack of equipment and because it didn't include any ab exercises. I perform the following workout.

3-4 sets per exercise at 5-8 reps each set. I rest a minute and a half to two minutes between each set. 

Monday: Deadlifts, chins, rows, bicep curls, some ab workout
Wednesday: flat bench, incline bench, dips, tricep isolation exercise
Friday: Squats, leg curls, shoulder presses, calf muscle workout, some ab workout

And I try to do cardio 3-4 days a week on my non-lifting days, although I sometimes do cardio on my lifting days. 

I've been pretty happy with this workout so far. I wasn't expecting to gain any strength while cutting, but I have gained a little doing the above workout. Good luck, STKinTHEmud.


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud:

Yes, the BCAA's are a big part of making such fast recovery possible. I have about 12 grams a day in addition to however much is in my regular food.

I have found what has worked best for me is to give the muscles as few days off as possible. As soon as they're back to normal they get worked again. Like I said I'm no expert so my only indication of overtraining is if I'm still really sore trying to complete a few reps a couple days later, in which case I figure out an alternative workout or just have a cardio day.

You do more different exercises in a day than I do, but about the same number of total sets. I also rest longer than you between sets. I've tried the one minute between sets thing before and it's intense. That may be the key difference between us and why you feel that you need more days in between.

I would guess that your workout is better for increasing strength, and mine may be better for muscle definition. But that is a complete guess.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Hey man, I'd probably go the route of doing cardio and weights on the same days if you want to cut that fat down. It's really the best way possible from what I've noticed. It's said the best fat burning from a run comes AFTER the 30 minute mark so i think the 10 before and 10 after approach isnt really the best. I mean, its a good warm up and way to get the blood flowing but I'd recommend doing 30 to 60 minutes 3-5 days per week of cardio.
> 
> Also, I dont hit the same muscles twice EXCEPT for the back.
> 
> My workout goes like
> 
> 1.Shoulders, tri's, chest/abs with a run
> 2. run/kenpo
> 3. biceps and back/abs
> 4. run/yoga
> 5. legs and back/abs
> 6. run
> 
> but my back workout is basically only pull ups.
> 
> I'll also do alot of push ups throughout the week.


I was checking up your style of karate and it sounds very similar to the style I take, Goju Ryu, involving a lot of open hand attacks and circular movements. Badass, how long have you been practicing for?

My workout is similar to yours except a bit different because I don't run, but hit the bag and do a heck lot of Karate, that's pretty much the focus of my workout:

Monday: Karate at lunch, weights/bag for (A) chest/trap/triceps/legs

Tuesday: Karate, then later yoga or bag, depending on my mood

Wednesday: Karate, then weights/bag for (B) shoulders/lats/back/legs/biceps

Thursday: Karate, then later hassana yoga

Friday: Karate, followed by I don't do jack day.

Saturday: bag/(A) or (B) depending on how it cycles.

Sunday: Power yoga, then some Karate


----------



## Omnium11

Quick update. I've been eating more than usual because I feel like I put in some really great workouts lately and want to give the muscles some protein sot he workouts aren't wasted. I've sort of leveled out at 172 or so. Did chest, abs and about 5 miles of running + 1 of walking.


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## hiimnotcool

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> I was checking up your style of karate and it sounds very similar to the style I take, Goju Ryu, involving a lot of open hand attacks and circular movements. Badass, how long have you been practicing for?
> 
> My workout is similar to yours except a bit different because I don't run, but hit the bag and do a heck lot of Karate, that's pretty much the focus of my workout:
> 
> Monday: Karate at lunch, weights/bag for (A) chest/trap/triceps/legs
> 
> Tuesday: Karate, then later yoga or bag, depending on my mood
> 
> Wednesday: Karate, then weights/bag for (B) shoulders/lats/back/legs/biceps
> 
> Thursday: Karate, then later hassana yoga
> 
> Friday: Karate, followed by I don't do jack day.
> 
> Saturday: bag/(A) or (B) depending on how it cycles.
> 
> Sunday: Power yoga, then some Karate


man, you do alot of karate! im sure nobody messes with you. looks like youve got a really good and balanced routine going too. our workouts are definitely pretty similar. i've only been doing the kenpo for a month and a half now and for the most part it's really basic. i'm going to start getting into basic muay thai soon because that style is really intriguing to me. plus it's karate or anytime of martial arts is really a great workout in its own right.

I think Yoga is essential. I can finally do the downward facing dog to plank to upward facing dog movement without going to my knees. I couldnt believe how hard such a simple movement could be. All of the warrior poses are still pretty hard on the legs though but I really like the way I feel when I finish.

I've been really lazy today and haven't worked out at all really. I'm going for a run at around 8:30 so that should probably be enough.

Dang Omnium, running 5 miles eh? haha. I need to start hitting 4-6 miles run regularly because my endurance is CRAP. I tried to do a simple 3 mile run at a 7:30 pace and couldn't even keep it. I've got my single mile time back down to 6:10 so far though so I'm happy about that. Just earlier ths month I was at 6:45! I hope I can continue improving like this and get back to the 18's for 3 soon :b


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## millenniumman75

If my miles ever got under 7 minutes, I'd be sick.

I try to keep them under eight minutes :lol. Actually, I don't time myself. I just look at the clock on the wall when I leave and get back to find it had been 50 minutes. In six miles, I have no idea how fast I am running. :lol


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## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> If my miles ever got under 7 minutes, I'd be sick.
> 
> I try to keep them under eight minutes :lol. Actually, I don't time myself. I just look at the clock on the wall when I leave and get back to find it had been 50 minutes. In six miles, I have no idea how fast I am running. :lol


I bet you'd be surprised to find out how fast you could run in a race setting. If you run 6 miles 4 times per week at an 8 minute pace you're probably very aerobically fit. You should sign up for a local 5k race and see how fast you could do it. I'd be willing to bet that you could run in the 6:45-7:00 range for 5k. When I used to be fast I did most of my runs at a 7:45 to 9:00 minute pace, but once a week I'd do a tempo run for 3 miles at a 6:20-6:45 pace and then one other day I'd do intervals like 8X400 meters in 1:20-130 or 4X 800 meters in 2:55-3:00. That's all it took and come race day I would be able to run 3 miles at a 6:07 pace. It's crazy! Now that I'm starting back up again I'm shooting for a 5k in the 17's but that just makes my stomach hurt thinking about it at this point :b

Anyways, I went and ran 4 miles with a friend and felt good. I hit a good stride and just enjoyed it! Tomorrow is a core synergistics workout and another run. My mile race in 6 days!!


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## Black_Widow

I think along with everyone else, I'm going to start recording my progress here too. I think it's a great idea. 

Recently I've started a new daily exercise routine, which involves working with some exercises from a work out dvd I recenty picked up (which has a pretty good selection of different one's to choose from) and combining it with a walk each day (not yet at the point where I feel I can run for long time periods). The week before last, I started off fairly slowly, beginning with a 5 minute warm up exercise followed up by a 10 minute cardio dancercise workout and then following these up with a 20 minute walk after. With this starting point, I managed to reach my target of getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.

This week has also been a good week, as in addition to the above, I've also started adding in 5-10 minutes of pilates exercises each day (from the dvd) and - to my total surprise - have started discovering that I've been wanting to do the dancercise exercise more than once during the day (though initially I found it a bit of a struggle to get used to). As a result, on most days this week, I've been increasing my 30 mins exercise a day to 50 a day. By the end of this week, I've started to feel a definite positive difference in the way I feel when moving around. I've also been told by a couple of people that my body is already looking looking quite a bit more toned up and slimmer than it was 2 weeks ago (before I properly started these routines). So far I'm feeling really pleased with the results I'm getting, and highly motivated to stick with what I'm doing.


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## Omnium11

Black Widow: Awesome! Glad you decided to post your progress. Glad everything is working well for you! 

Hiim: Great job man! Yeah I got into a real nice zone when I was running yesterday. Felt like I could just keep going! I also think my running speed has increased from 6 mph to about 6.6 or so. Its hard to guage at the lake but it almost seems like it is a more natural running speed for me.

Today I am feeling really good. Will get out of the house a lot and go pick up some application forms and go shopping for clothes (which I hardly ever buy) I've been doing lots of meditation lately and have entered into some really nice states. Seems like they are starting to definitely carry over into my regular state of consciousness. I definitely just seem a lot more relaxed lately. When I was with my grandparents I was probably the most social person in my family. (Which isn't saying much but still) Also I would definitely say I was the most relaxed. Also I feel pretty confident talking to clerks in gas stations and stuff. Decent amount of small talk and some jokes. Also I really think running outside at the lake is helping with my SA. I'd say my social anxiety is only at a level 3 or 4 out of 10. When I started this I couldn't even go to the DMV or store without making an *** out of myself cause I was so nervous.

I was half thinking about doing a small mini fast for 4-6 days but think I will just lose this last 10 pounds or so the old fashioned way don't want to lose as much muscle etc


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## hiimnotcool

Did the workout earlier but I skipped some of the exercises and replaced them with pull ups. I can do 13 chin ups now without a chair! I'm pleased with that. I'll be doing some push ups and running as well. Can't wait till Wednesday because that's the last phase of P90X and it has alot of chest arms and back focus which I'm really wanting (and needing). 




Heres an update. Sorry for the blurry condition. Abs are starting to pop out though!


*edit*
Did the push ups but I lost track of how many. Probably 100-120 consisting of regular, diamond, and decline. Also went for a 3.8 mile run with a KILLER hill at the end so it was a good push. I even ran with my shirt off for awhile and caught some girls looking :b


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## Cerberus

Nice work, hiim! Yeah, I can see a couple of your abs poking through. Damnit! I want to win this contest!  lol 

I just went for a roughly two mile run. I was having trouble today because it was kind of humid out. It was sunny, raining, and windy all at the same time. Very bizarre weather today. My thoughts kept wandering to how much longer the run was going to take. I need to incorporate some mindfulness meditation in while running to combat this. 

I tried on some size 30 pants yesterday for the hell of it and they fit comfortably around my waist, although they are tight around my legs, so I'll probably stick with size 32 or 34. 

Also, my diet has been in check for six days -- seven days when I make through today. 

My mom told me I looked like I had just come from a concentration camp today. I told her I'm in the upper range of the BMI (23.5). That seemed to calm her down. Very strange stuff. I think I agree with you, Ominium, that mothers seem to have an instinct to turn their kids into little tubs of blubber. I even quoted you on that. lol 

Oh, and welcome aboard, Black_Widow!


EDIT: alright, I just had some hot dogs, but I'll still be able to maintain my calorie deficit, so it shouldn't be a problem.

2nd EDIT: I ran/hiked around for 40 minutes.


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## STKinTHEmud

Looking great, hiim! And thanks for the advice on my routine, guys.

But ugh. I feel terrible today. I'm sick (again), but I went out with some friends for brunch today. I ordered only egg whites and toast (along with the mimosas we were all drinking), and my friends really got on my case about that, saying how a man shouldn't order like that at a restaurant. When they got a bit more drunk, the started putting me on the spot pretty persistently to perform for them and make a fool of myself. One friend (a girl) tried to convince me that muscles are ugly (even the slim toned look that Brad Pitt had in Fight Club is ugly for her). Feel pretty bad, both physically and emotionally. And I won't be able to workout and work off frustration for the next few days because I'm sick. Ugh. But I think I'll feel better if I can just get some rest.

I think I need a way to get myself to sleep more quickly at night. I'm missing out on sleep because of tossing and turning and random thoughts.


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## Omnium11

Hiim: Looking good man! Great job with the chinups! Today I could only do 2 pullups :b Do you have an exercise ball? I did crunches for the first time on the exercise ball yesterday and my abs are really killing me today. Your pecs are looking big too. They will look great at 10% bf

Cerb: Oh yeah I highly recommend meditation right before and during a run. Today I did a general mindfulness / no resistance meditation and it helped me pinch out another lap around the lake. My legs were killing me but I managed completed it with minimal mental resistance. Lol about your mom

STK: Man I feel for you. I can imagine how bad that must have been. My old 'friends' were like that and I finally ditched them and am glad that I did. I hear you about the sleep problem. Lately I've had a horrible time getting to sleep. I readjusted my schedule and should be sleeping right now. Don't feel like it at all though, maybe I'll try an otc sleep pill or something. 

-------------------------------

Today was ok. Great meditation but I ate over my maintenance level. Oh well not a problem unless I make it into one mentally. Ran for 3.2 miles Think I might hit my back today, tried to do it earlier just no energy and didn't make it very far. Probably be good to force myself because I don't want to waste the protein I just ate.


----------



## Cerberus

Updated weight: 161 lbs.

Yikes! I bet that that loss is partly water weight due to me not binging at all last week. *pats self on back*

Um, I don't think I quite have this back posing thing down. Oh well. Oh, and I just finished my back/bicep workout today, so I'm a bit pumped up in these pics.



















I'm still getting stronger despite losing weight. I need to improve my grip strength. I know I could dead lift more and pump out more reps if I had more grip strength.

Edit: I ran/hiked around for 40 minutes.


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## hiimnotcool

I hereby request Cerb's removal from the abs competition due to his working out for the 2 months prior to this thread being created which therefore has given him a distinct advantage in looking FRICKEN HUGE!! :b Geez dude you're a beast. Looking really great all around. I bet some of the weight loss has to do with the running you've picked up the past week or two as well. It really does help. Congratulations! You don't have very far to go.


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> I hereby request Cerb's removal from the abs competition due to his working out for the 2 months prior to this thread being created which therefore has given him a distinct advantage in looking FRICKEN HUGE!! :b Geez dude you're a beast. Looking really great all around. I bet some of the weight loss has to do with the running you've picked up the past week or two as well. It really does help. Congratulations! You don't have very far to go.


LOL! Thanks, man. You just made my day.

I think you're right about the running stimulating fat loss. I also feel better overall. As my endurance increases, I have more energy. I can't remember the last time I've felt this good physically. I definitely need to keep running.


----------



## Omnium11

Wow man! Looking great! I'm screwed as far as the ab comp goes lol.

Yesterday I had really good back workout. Hit my traps for first time in this transformation as well. Feeling it today. Today I plan on eating about 1800 calories or so.

Weight has leveled off at 173.4 or so.


----------



## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> I'm still getting stronger despite losing weight. I need to improve my grip strength. I know I could dead lift more and pump out more reps if I had more grip strength.


You should give wrist straps a try. You can hold almost any weight, the limiting factor will not be your hands anymore. You can get them at any sports/fitness store and they're only like $8.


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## Cerberus

Lateralus said:


> You should give wrist straps a try. You can hold almost any weight, the limiting factor will not be your hands anymore. You can get them at any sports/fitness store and they're only like $8.


Thanks for the advice. I'll go see what they are exactly. lol


----------



## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> Thanks for the advice. I'll go see what they are exactly. lol


http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/lifting-straps.html

They are the simplest weightlifting accessory you can buy. They're very popular for calf raises, shrugs, and deadlifts, and they really make a huge difference in the amount of weight you can hold.


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## millenniumman75

GASP! I would want to let go of the bar!


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## Lateralus

millenniumman75 said:


> GASP! I would want to let go of the bar!


It's not quite as it looks in the picture. The strap just wraps around the bar until it's tight and you grasp it with your hand. If you need to let go it simply unravels as soon as you release your grip.


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## Cerberus

thanks for the link. Those don't look as conspicuous as I thought they'd be. I might just give those a try.


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## judge72

This is a great book for anybody who has SAD and is into fitness.​
Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey​
I'm 36 years old, I'll be 37 in September, and one of the best drugs I've found for SAD and depression is EXERCISE. Especially aerobic exercise. I'll put my running shoes up against an SSRI any day of the week. I'm not saying it's a cure, but it sure does help. I always feel better after I lift or run.

I have a treadmill, but I always try to run outside around people. I find this helps my SAD a great deal. I lift at home right now, but this isolation sh*t has got to go. (No pun intended) I have to get the courage up and join a Gym.

I have to say that this is one of the better threads on SAS. A positive thread, just imagine the possibilities.

Before I go for a run I hear Death Metal. After a run it's all Bob Marley and its all good!


----------



## hiimnotcool

judge72 said:


> This is a great book for anybody who has SAD and is into fitness.​
> Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey​
> I'm 36 years old, I'll be 37 in September, and one of the best drugs I've found for SAD and depression is EXERCISE. Especially aerobic exercise. I'll put my running shoes up against an SSRI any day of the week. I'm not saying it's a cure, but it sure does help. I always feel better after I lift or run.
> 
> I have a treadmill, but I always try to run outside around people. I find this helps my SAD a great deal. I lift at home right now, but this isolation sh*t has got to go. (No pun intended) I have to get the courage up and join a Gym.
> 
> I have to say that this is one of the better threads on SAS. A positive thread, just imagine the possibilities.
> 
> Before I go for a run I hear Death Metal. After a run it's all Bob Marley and its all good!


I couldnt agree with you more. Exercise is absolutely amazing at combatting these mental issues. I haven't had any extended depression at all since I began working out. Plus, the added benefit of getting in shape and having a nice body in turn gives you more confidence around people. I've been running with my shirt off since its so hot outside and havent felt self conscious at all. That NEVER would have happened before.

I think if you want to join a gym then you should. It's the next step and you should take it. I would definitely join a gym if I could afford it but unfortunately right now I'm unemployed and living at my parents. I really hope I can ride this wave of feeling okay for once into a job and living on my own.

I just ran 5 miles and it felt great! My legs will probably be sore tomorrow but that's nothing a slow 3 or 4 mile run won't fix right?


----------



## Omnium11

judge72 said:


> This is a great book for anybody who has SAD and is into fitness.​
> Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey​
> I'm 36 years old, I'll be 37 in September, and one of the best drugs I've found for SAD and depression is EXERCISE. Especially aerobic exercise. I'll put my running shoes up against an SSRI any day of the week. I'm not saying it's a cure, but it sure does help. I always feel better after I lift or run.
> 
> I have a treadmill, but I always try to run outside around people. I find this helps my SAD a great deal. I lift at home right now, but this isolation sh*t has got to go. (No pun intended) I have to get the courage up and join a Gym.
> 
> I have to say that this is one of the better threads on SAS. A positive thread, just imagine the possibilities.
> 
> Before I go for a run I hear Death Metal. After a run it's all Bob Marley and its all good!


Amen to that! Agree 100%

I like to listen to traditional / power metal when I am running like Iron Maiden. When I lift I like listening to death metal / faster black metal.

Hiim: Great job with the 5 miler! Today I wussed out and only did 1.6 miles


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Omnium11 said:


> I like to listen to traditional / power metal when I am running like Iron Maiden. When I lift I like listening to death metal / faster black metal.


Wow, I had no idea death metal was so popular. I listen to mostly alt rock from the 90's and faster electronica when I work out.


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks for posting that, judge72. I just reserved that book at the library. It should be interesting. I read Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy back in April or May and it helped get me motivated to get healthy. 

I hear you on the death metal. hah! There have been times where I'd listen to death metal while exercising, and after exercising I'd listen to Enya or some other kind of soothing music.


----------



## Lateralus

My lifting soundtrack consists of AIC, STP, Metallica, Nirvana, Godsmack, SOAD, Tool, A7X, NIN, Rob Zombie, etc. hahah, yeah metal and hard rock are the way to go for pumping iron.


----------



## judge72

Your welcome Cerberus. Another SAS member in great shape. Nice job.

I wish some of the ladies on here would join in on this transformation thread. You don't have to post a pic, just write about your fitness goals, nutrition, etc.

Have you guys seen some of the transformations on bodybuilding.com? Simply amazing and inspiring. There's one guy who's in a wheelchair and is totally ripped. That guy is my hero. He has a disability and he doesn't let it stop him from living his life.


----------



## socially inept

in october im starting a 4/12 month body transformation. im doing burnt he fat feed the muscle by tom venuto.

i start in october and finish just in time for the start of february.

im gonna be doing 45 mins steady state cardio on the cross trainer first thing in the morning on empty stomach on mon, wed, and fri. and 45 mins interval training on the treadmill 1st thing in morning empty stomach on tue, thurs , sat .

mon , wed, fri evening im gonna be doing 45 mins weight training workout. push, pull , legs routine 

eating 6 meals a day. on sundays rest and eat a few more calories than i would through the week 

its mainly a cutting diet to lose 36 pound of fat put i also want to gain 7 pound of muscle at the same time. i know this is usually impossible but by october ill av add a 9 month break from training so ill basically be a beginner when i start which could mean ive got a slight chance of gaining a bit of muscle at the same time as losing fat 

for the 1st 3 months im gonna be on a 15% calorie defecit mon - sat, then on sunday im gonna consume more cals.
for the last 6 weeks im gonna use the carb cycling method - 3 days low carbs followed by 1 day high carbs .


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## STKinTHEmud

socially inept said:


> in october im starting a 4/12 month body transformation. im doing burnt he fat feed the muscle by tom venuto.


Sounds like a good plan! Be sure to take pics so you can marvel at how great you look when you get there!


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## radames

I am employing the methods of the Gabriel Method by using visualization techniques, holistic eating, and my usual daily regime of weight lifting and cardio. I am different in that I can easily gain muscle but it is more challenging to cut down on the fat percentage, but I WILL do it! All it takes is tenacity and I have already achieved more than I ever dreamed by dropping 85 pounds and keeping it off for eight years (with only a few episodes of yo-yoing lol).

My goal is to get down to 180, I am currently 245 (used to weight 335 eight years ago) and have a lot of muscle. So, even 15% body fat will make me look very cut. I am in the high twenties and can still see a faint outline of my abs, it is just other areas that need more fat burning that will get me leaner.

I am on my way! Whoo!!!!


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## hiimnotcool

I got an Ipod Shuffle today so this is gonna make my running MUCH more enjoyable. Alot of the time when I was running I would think 'how much longer do I have' but now with music to distract me those thoughts should be less frequent or convincing. I used to have a 30gb one but it just magically stopped working one day and since then I've worked out without music. I'm stoked!


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> man, you do alot of karate! im sure nobody messes with you. looks like youve got a really good and balanced routine going too. our workouts are definitely pretty similar. i've only been doing the kenpo for a month and a half now and for the most part it's really basic. i'm going to start getting into basic muay thai soon because that style is really intriguing to me. plus it's karate or anytime of martial arts is really a great workout in its own right.
> 
> I think Yoga is essential. I can finally do the downward facing dog to plank to upward facing dog movement without going to my knees. I couldnt believe how hard such a simple movement could be. All of the warrior poses are still pretty hard on the legs though but I really like the way I feel when I finish.
> 
> I've been really lazy today and haven't worked out at all really. I'm going for a run at around 8:30 so that should probably be enough.
> 
> Dang Omnium, running 5 miles eh? haha. I need to start hitting 4-6 miles run regularly because my endurance is CRAP. I tried to do a simple 3 mile run at a 7:30 pace and couldn't even keep it. I've got my single mile time back down to 6:10 so far though so I'm happy about that. Just earlier ths month I was at 6:45! I hope I can continue improving like this and get back to the 18's for 3 soon :b


Oh ya, that's why I taken interest to what you do because it's like "hey this guy is basically doing the same thing I am doing. Very cool, I always wanted to do Muay Thai, the kicks and knees in it look devastating, in contrast to Goju Ryu karate which only has 3 types of kicks, front side, side kick and ground kick. The style I take is based around a traditional Okinawan style called Naha-Te, so it involves lots of striking using circular movements and grapples, it's a ****ty style to fight in a tournament, but in a street fight, it's devastating. If you seen the Karate kid, it's an authentic representation of the style I take, except a couple of moves he does which are absolutely ridiculous. But the wax on, wax off is entirely accurate and it's amazing what a simple move has so much potential. With that it could be a block, a strike, a throw, a way to grapple someone, very much depth to it.

Oh, you have to add a chataranga to that down-dog, high plank, chataranga then upward dog. After that, you can follow the upward dog going back into a chataranga then pushing yourself from that position to downward dog. You'll have strong legs and even though you get use to the warriors, that only means you'll have to start sinking lower to increase the intensity. They should always be hard on your legs!


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## millenniumman75

I just listen to the radio and swap stations if a commercial comes up - there is also a weather band to check out if rain is approaching. :lol


----------



## STKinTHEmud

radames said:


> I am employing the methods of the Gabriel Method by using visualization techniques, holistic eating, and my usual daily regime of weight lifting and cardio. I am different in that I can easily gain muscle but it is more challenging to cut down on the fat percentage, but I WILL do it! All it takes is tenacity and I have already achieved more than I ever dreamed by dropping 85 pounds and keeping it off for eight years (with only a few episodes of yo-yoing lol).
> 
> My goal is to get down to 180, I am currently 245 (used to weight 335 eight years ago) and have a lot of muscle. So, even 15% body fat will make me look very cut. I am in the high twenties and can still see a faint outline of my abs, it is just other areas that need more fat burning that will get me leaner.
> 
> I am on my way! Whoo!!!!


Wow, that's an amazing transformation! Sounds like you can get to your target weight fairly soon.

For some encouragement to us all, before and after pics for skinny guys:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=728136

And before and after pics for far guys:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=108359701


----------



## Cerberus

I took muay thai lessons last summer. It's one hell of a workout.

I ran roughly two miles today in the blazing hot sun. I stopped midway through, walked about 20 feet, and started running again. I'm kind of annoyed I did that, but it's not that big of a deal.


----------



## daffie

Ive been keeping up with this thread from the beginning cos i happend to start a little exercise routine at about the same time too. And you guys are looking verry nice...im liking what i see  Its been very hard for me actually because I have very little strength ..at abt 46 kg (I am 5'6) and having never done much before. So Im in a completely different situation from you guys lol but ive managed to keep consistent for the first time ever and actually seeing results ! This thread could be the one thing keeping me at it this far . You're all very inspiring


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I took muay thai lessons last summer. It's one hell of a workout.
> 
> I ran roughly two miles today in the blazing hot sun. I stopped midway through, walked about 20 feet, and started running again. I'm kind of annoyed I did that, but it's not that big of a deal.


Sounds like our run was similar, except I didn't keep running. I went out for what I thought would be a nice easy 3 miler but my calves and back of my ankles got REALLY tight. Like it was hard to even walk through it. I guess that is a lesson to start stretching really well. I was super annoyed though because I had to walk the rest of the way after stopping a mile and a half into it. Figured it was better not to risk getting more injured by running through it. Got home and stretched for an hour lol


----------



## Omnium11

Great job everyone!

Welcome aboard daffie! :-D


---------------------------------------
I'm feeling great right now! I have a huge urge to do toastmasters right now! If there was a meeting being held right now I'd definitely go. Hopefully I do go to toastmasters here shortly while I have this nice amount of confidence right now. Had some real good meditation experiences lately. (Bad ones that ended up turning good once I completely surrendered to what I was feeling)

Public speaking is one of my biggest fears. I think if I can do this this will be huge for me. I used to almost have panic attacks every time I had to read out loud in school. Must face that fear head on. I am even making space for a panic attack if it so happens, no more avoidance. Must release that energy. Who cares if I look stupid / weak. Why defend and protect that insecure self image. To hell with my self image. 

Today is my rest day as far as lifting goes.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Wow I think creatine really does improve workouts!! I am feeling so great right now.

So my first week of the chest and back DVD from P90X I could only do a set of 7 push ups (ON MY KNEES!) for each of the push up exercises. There are standard push ups, military push ups, wide fly push ups, diamond push ups, dive bomber push ups, decline push ups. 

So the workout is split up to where you'll do like a set of standard push ups, then do a set of wide front pull ups, then a set of military push ups, then reverse grip chin ups, then wide push ups, then closed grip overhand pull ups. 

You do all of those one time through, then you reverse and do it all over again. It's basically an hour straight of push ups and pull ups. For the first 3 weeks of the workout program I couldnt even do pull ups cuz I had no bar. So I was reallllllly weak. 

Well today I was doing sets of 10-12 push ups each exercise and 8-12 pull ups (without the chair!) for the first round of it. Then for the second round I was doing 12-20 push ups and 8-15 reps for the pull ups! So I guess my max for pull ups is 15 now but I did those at the very end of all of the other ones. I'm pretty happy with how it went and I'm fairly certain that creatine gave that extra pump. Even afterwards I busted out 25 push ups then did 20 minutes of ab work.

Hope everyone else's day went well!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

daffie said:


> Ive been keeping up with this thread from the beginning cos i happend to start a little exercise routine at about the same time too. And you guys are looking verry nice...im liking what i see  Its been very hard for me actually because I have very little strength ..at abt 46 kg (I am 5'6) and having never done much before. So Im in a completely different situation from you guys lol but ive managed to keep consistent for the first time ever and actually seeing results ! This thread could be the one thing keeping me at it this far . You're all very inspiring


Awesome, keep up the good work! I think it will be harder for us to be anxious when we all look so good.

Still waiting for this cold to go away so I can go back to the gym. This will be two weeks I've missed this summer due to illness. I blame swine flu. And SARS. And Obama's new health care proposal for some reason.


----------



## Cerberus

^ I know how that goes. It's a huge pain in the ***. Feel better soon. 

Nice work on the pull ups and push ups progress, hiim. Those dive bomber pushups are awesome, btw, if they are what I think they are. Also, you may gain some water weight while you're on that creatine. 


I didn't have that great of a workout today (chest/tri workout) because I didn't get much sleep last night.


----------



## Lateralus

Creatine is one of the few supplements worth using.


----------



## Cerberus

Alright, I was bored so I just counted up all the calories, grams of carbs, protein, and fat, that I have and will consume today with some help from FitDay.com. Do you think this is good for someone with my activity level (other than cardio or lifting weights, I'm mostly sitting around) and weight to get a six pack? 

My weight: 161 pounds

Calories: 1,847
Carbs: 147.6 grams (32%)
Protein: 185.3 grams (41%)
Fat: 54.2 grams (27 %)

My food consisted of: three whole eggs, one egg white, one serving of oatmeal, some skim milk, two servings of whey protein, half a bagel, a little cream cheese, steak, one medium sized baked potato, tiny bit of butter (I didn't count this), tuna sandwich with a little light mayo, and a lean chicken breast. 

Any critiques would be welcome. I think my diet is good enough in order to get my abs to show, but I am not entirely sure. I guess I could use some more fat in my diet, but I'm not entirely sure it matters. I'm thinking that as long as I keep my protein intake up and have enough carbs for energy, I'll be good to go.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Cerberus said:


> Alright, I was bored so I just counted up all the calories, grams of carbs, protein, and fat, that I have and will consume today with some help from FitDay.com. Do you think this is good for someone with my activity level (other than cardio or lifting weights, I'm mostly sitting around) and weight to get a six pack?
> 
> My weight: 161 pounds
> 
> Calories: 1,847
> Carbs: 147.6 grams (32%)
> Protein: 185.3 grams (41%)
> Fat: 54.2 grams (27 %)
> 
> My food consisted of: three whole eggs, one egg white, one serving of oatmeal, some skim milk, two servings of whey protein, half a bagel, a little cream cheese, steak, one medium sized baked potato, tiny bit of butter (I didn't count this), tuna sandwich with a little light mayo, and a lean chicken breast.
> 
> Any critiques would be welcome. I think my diet is good enough in order to get my abs to show, but I am not entirely sure. I guess I could use some more fat in my diet, but I'm not entirely sure it matters. I'm thinking that as long as I keep my protein intake up and have enough carbs for energy, I'll be good to go.


Sounds good to me, but I might recommend you cut back about 7% on fat and add that 7% to your protein intake. Of course, that might just be me being anal about diets. I'd say cut out the yolks from those 3 whole eggs and/or cut back on the light mayo. Maybe make sure that cream cheese is fat free.

Here's my intake (I'm 6'1'' and 185 lbs.): Protein: 176.5 (37.3%), Carbs: 203.9 (43.1%), Fat: 41.3 (19.6), Total: 1893.3 cals. If you get really bored, you might calculate your sodium and potassium intake. I get 2426 mg sodium and 3046 mg potassium. Of course, my meals are pretty bland and I don't really lose weight unless I workout. Been standing still since I've been sick.

Here's an awesome breakfast food I eat: 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1 cup V8 fusion light (fruit juice with full serving of fruit and veggies, lower sodium). Blend (I use a stick blender). De-licious.


----------



## judge72

I'm 6'2" and weigh 207lbs. 
My macros are: 2000 calories
250 grams protein
180 grams carbs
30 grams fat
I eat a lot of chicken breasts, tuna, egg whites, etc.
Two fruits a day and 3 to five servings of vegetables,
I use 100% whey protein,L-glutamine,creatine, and protein bars.
I take fish oil and a multi vitamin in the morning.
I lift four days a week and run six days a week.
So far this has been working pretty well for me.

A little Eckhart Tolle never hurts either.


----------



## Omnium11

judge72 said:


> A little Eckhart Tolle never hurts either.


Amen to that!

I just came back from the gas station where I had a 2 and a half hour - 3 hour conversation with the guy who worked there! Great progress. We really hit it off and had loads of the same interests. There weren't even any awkward pauses. Instead of being really quiet I was just waiting to jump in to the conversation whenever I could. This guy was extremely extroverted and loved to talk. At first there was a bit of awkwardness with me when he was talking (not when I was for some reason) like holding eye contact was a bit difficult for me. Also encountered some mental resistance and emotional anxiety. Just surrendered to both and watched the mental resistance and anxiety and they went away after 30 minutes or so. Towards the end I was feeling no anxiety at all and was very confident and had no problem with eye contact. It seems like when you open up to life life gives you what you need.

Woo hoo!

------------
Also diet has been great lately. Agree with STK about the egg whites


----------



## Cerberus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Sounds good to me, but I might recommend you cut back about 7% on fat and add that 7% to your protein intake. Of course, that might just be me being anal about diets. I'd say cut out the yolks from those 3 whole eggs and/or cut back on the light mayo. Maybe make sure that cream cheese is fat free.
> 
> Here's my intake (I'm 6'1'' and 185 lbs.): Protein: 176.5 (37.3%), Carbs: 203.9 (43.1%), Fat: 41.3 (19.6), Total: 1893.3 cals. If you get really bored, you might calculate your sodium and potassium intake. I get 2426 mg sodium and 3046 mg potassium. Of course, my meals are pretty bland and I don't really lose weight unless I workout. Been standing still since I've been sick.
> 
> Here's an awesome breakfast food I eat: 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1 cup V8 fusion light (fruit juice with full serving of fruit and veggies, lower sodium). Blend (I use a stick blender). De-licious.


I think you're right. I typically only eat two yolks, but I think I'll reduce that to one yolk. As for the light mayo, I use like a teaspoon; I use so little I'm not sure why I use it anymore, so maybe I'll cut it out entirely.

I think I'm going to start recording the foods I eat on fitday. It will probably help to record the foods I'm eating.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I think you're right. I typically only eat two yolks, but I think I'll reduce that to one yolk. As for the light mayo, I use like a teaspoon; I use so little I'm not sure why I use it anymore, so maybe I'll cut it out entirely.
> 
> I think I'm going to start recording the foods I eat on fitday. It will probably help to record the foods I'm eating.


You can just buy egg whites seperately in a container. That's what I have and I just pour them into my whey protein shakes which makes it more thick and creamy...sooooo good!

I don't really worry about calories. I just eat 5-6 times a day and eat more if I'm hungry. I'm probably somewhere around 2000-2400 calories of mainly pure eating. Lot of protein and I try to limit carbs but still get quite a few for running, then get fats from nuts and olive oil and things like that.


----------



## Cerberus

^yeah, I buy those egg white containers, as well. 




I just ran two miles. I was having trouble motivating myself, but once I got out there I felt great.


----------



## millenniumman75

I eat salads (lately, I have not been eating them .)
For the most part, I try to eat healthy. I had a baked salmon and cheese sandwich :lol.


----------



## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> I eat salads (lately, I have not been eating them .)
> For the most part, I try to eat healthy. I had a baked salmon and cheese sandwich :lol.


Sounds real good to me!!

Today I ran 3 miles and it was the easiest run I've had since starting. It's probably because I had an ipod to keep me occupied. Last night I ran 2 miles with a friend but didnt use the music and it was a little harder. I was worried about my foot because it was sore the other day but today it felt pretty goos, a little discomfort but nothing major. My mile race is on Saturday morning and its turning super competitive with me and a friend. He basically guaranteed that he will beat me so I'm hoping that's not the case. Everyone focus positive energy my way when you're meditating so I win :b


----------



## millenniumman75

You go, Hi!

Stay hydrated - you currently have my summer (we are headed for the coldest July on record here in Ohio).


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I've been keeping up with my running routine at the gym. no matter how ****ty and tired I feel after work I force myself to stay on the bus and go there. this is a big thing for me, often bring my gym bag and just go straight home because its so tempting. I've been sleeping a lot better, reading a lot and not going on the computer as much. I've also been in a great mood, chatting people up at work and joking so much with my teammates at softball that I was literally crying from laughter. Whoever said it is the best drug is 100% right, exercise improves everything.


----------



## Omnium11

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> I've been keeping up with my running routine at the gym. no matter how ****ty and tired I feel after work I force myself to stay on the bus and go there. this is a big thing for me, often bring my gym bag and just go straight home because its so tempting. I've been sleeping a lot better, reading a lot and not going on the computer as much. I've also been in a great mood, chatting people up at work and joking so much with my teammates at softball that I was literally crying from laughter. Whoever said it is the best drug is 100% right, exercise improves everything.


Great job! I agree about the computer as well. Too much time on the computer gives me anxiety

-----------------------------------------------------

Well I'm feeling pretty good right now. Trying to adjust my schedule. The weight is really flying off again. Right now I'm 166.6 but that is with a fair amount of dehydration. Real weight is probably about 170 or so.


----------



## Black_Widow

Hasn't been such a good week for me this time. :-( I've come down with a cold virus that's really been making me feel horrible the last few days - so only got in decent exercise amounts from Monday to Wednesday. Hopefully by next week I'll be back on track though.

Well done to everyone else in here who have been keeping up their exercises!


----------



## hiimnotcool

My race is in 2 hours and I screwed up big time!!!!!!! 

I was only gonna drink 3-4 beers or so last night cause it was a big festival that I actually went to with friends, but it turned into 6 or 7 beers and 2 jager bombs. Some girl actually bought me a jager bomb out of nowhere then her group of friends sat with mine. I felt like a champ! I probably made her mad when I started hitting it off with her friend instead :b



**edit**

finished the race. got 11th out of over 400 runners so i'm sort of satisfied but i didnt run anywhere near as fast as i should have. i'm not used to running only a mile in a race so i paced myself way too slowly and ended up having way too much energy left at the end. oh well, thats how you learn i guess!


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> My race is in 2 hours and I screwed up big time!!!!!!!
> 
> I was only gonna drink 3-4 beers or so last night cause it was a big festival that I actually went to with friends, but it turned into 6 or 7 beers and 2 jager bombs. Some girl actually bought me a jager bomb out of nowhere then her group of friends sat with mine. I felt like a champ! I probably made her mad when I started hitting it off with her friend instead :b
> 
> **edit**
> 
> finished the race. got 11th out of over 400 runners so i'm sort of satisfied but i didnt run anywhere near as fast as i should have. i'm not used to running only a mile in a race so i paced myself way too slowly and ended up having way too much energy left at the end. oh well, thats how you learn i guess!


That's really good considering you just started running a month and a half ago, and because you got drunk the night before. Well done.

Me on the other hand, I f-cked up big time. lol I've been awake for over 24 hours because I started playing the game Caesar III, which is apparently like crack for me because 14 hours went by very quickly without me even knowing it. What makes it worse is that once I did realize it, I kept on playing. Moreover, I had a couple of big cheat meals yesterday. I may have to call into work tonight, simply because I could fall asleep at the wheel (I'm not sure I want to push it to 35-40 hours straight without sleep. I"m going to try and get some sleep, but that's probably not going to help much. Sheesh.

Oh, I did get my leg/shoulder workout completed on Friday and it was a damn good workout, not that staying awake this long makes it worth a damn. LOL Oh well, I'm getting closer and closer to my abs showing, despite the occasional f-ck ups.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I had a good run today, 1.2 miles. doesn't sound like much but for me its good progress. I like running more on weekends, after work I find I sometimes struggle and labour my way through a run. this felt great though, as soon as I started running I thought "this is going to be a comfortable one." I had good rhythm all through. I feel great. Tomorrow I'm going to get my bike fixed so that will be some more good exercise.


----------



## Lateralus

1.2 miles isn't bad at all. It's enough to get your pulse up, expand your lungs and break a good sweat!


----------



## Cerberus

I just ran 2.5 miles. It felt incredibly good. Everything physical has become easier since I started running.


----------



## millenniumman75

I would just be happy with slimming down. My abs wouldn't have to show. 
It's bad enough I am halving my Paxil until I get a new doctor - still waiting on the status of my "intake". They were supposed to get back to me. My anxiety is coming back a bit - been ranting :mum

I ran my usual six miles tonight so I am hoping that I will get to sleep good tonight - I have had trouble with waking up at six hours after going to sleep.


----------



## Omnium11

Wow great job with your run Hiim! Congrats! Thats really impressive especially hungover.

Great job everyone with their runs!

I did great with my run today as well. I just met my goal of a 10 mile run earlier today on the treadmill. I ran 10.5 miles at 6 mph. I hadn't ran in like 4 days or so and yesterday I ended up binging and ate about 3500 - 4500 calories. Today I woke up feeling like **** and went for a run and were surprised to see my legs were completely healed and I had loads of energy. Just kept going on and on.

Anyways good news for me because a lot of things have been going wrong lately. My schedule sucks again, I started smoking again, I screwed up my hair and had to shave it all off and have been feeling pretty crappy lately.

Oh and if my mom or dad says I need to eat because I'm looking skinny one more time I think I'm going to explode. My dad said this to me after I did my 10.5 mile run earlier today. I still have big fat rolls on my stomach. They don't understand the concept of bodyfat % or cutting. AHHHHHHHHHHH! So frustrating and annoying. Especially considering I just binged yesterday. It shouldn't make me this mad but for it does.

I'm going to put off weighing myself for a couple days. I think I reversed a lot of the damage of that binge though.

Cerb: haha yeah ceasar 3 is like that, galactic civilizations 2 once I played for 36 hours straight :-\

------------
EDIT
Woohoo! My swine flu vaccine stock is taking off like a rocket! Average price 2.25, 4.11 right now :-D

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=nvax


----------



## huh

Omnium11 said:


> Oh and if my mom or dad says I need to eat because I'm looking skinny one more time I think I'm going to explode.


I hated it when my parents told me that. I weighed 190lbs (135 or so now) at one point and when I started to lose a lot of weight they actually wanted me to eat more to gain weight back. In the US most people seem to have a skewed view of what a healthy weight is.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

1.2 miles today after work. excellent.


----------



## hiimnotcool

4 miles today. That's gonna be the new standard distance so nothing less than that from here on out.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Black_Widow said:


> Hasn't been such a good week for me this time. :-( I've come down with a cold virus that's really been making me feel horrible the last few days - so only got in decent exercise amounts from Monday to Wednesday. Hopefully by next week I'll be back on track though.
> 
> Well done to everyone else in here who have been keeping up their exercises!


Sorry to hear that you're sick. I've been sick as well. Couldn't workout for 2 out of the last 4 weeks. But today, I got tired of being held back by this cold and decided to work out despite my cold and actually felt pretty good afterward.



hiimnotcool said:


> My race is in 2 hours and I screwed up big time!!!!!!!
> 
> I was only gonna drink 3-4 beers or so last night cause it was a big festival that I actually went to with friends, but it turned into 6 or 7 beers and 2 jager bombs. Some girl actually bought me a jager bomb out of nowhere then her group of friends sat with mine. I felt like a champ! I probably made her mad when I started hitting it off with her friend instead :b
> 
> **edit**
> 
> finished the race. got 11th out of over 400 runners so i'm sort of satisfied but i didnt run anywhere near as fast as i should have. i'm not used to running only a mile in a race so i paced myself way too slowly and ended up having way too much energy left at the end. oh well, thats how you learn i guess!


That's awesome! (And finishing 11th despite a hangover is pretty cool too!)


----------



## Omnium11

Hi guys, hope everyone is doing good! Hope you guys start feeling better STK and Black

Just curious for a body fat % estimation update from everyone?

I think I am down to about 12% or so now. Weight is 169

Did 4 mile run with four 9 mph segments in it of about 50 seconds each. Also did back to best of ability. My whole body is pretty sore after that run couple days ago with my back being most sore.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> Hi guys, hope everyone is doing good! Hope you guys start feeling better STK and Black
> 
> Just curious for a body fat % estimation update from everyone?
> 
> I think I am down to about 12% or so now. Weight is 169
> 
> Did 4 mile run with four 9 mph segments in it of about 50 seconds each. Also did back to best of ability. My whole body is pretty sore after that run couple days ago with my back being most sore.


probably around 12-14% from me still but i weighed myself this morning and was 158.8!!! I'm thinking that's as low as I want to go. I still have alot of fat on the lower part of my stomach so I'm not sure what that's about. hopefully all this muscle i'm gaining will just burn that fat up within the next few months. man i cant thank you enough for this thread, it has revived my love for running and now i want to be competitive again. my main focus is running now rather than a nice body but i'm still doing all the workouts and stuff, i just figure it will come naturally. i'm just not so worried about rushing it anymore, which is more healthy i suppose.

good job on getting down to 169 man! That's where I was when I started. Also, adding interval periods to your run is a great idea and will make all the slower running feel alot easier. My 4 miler yesterday was really easy aerobically but it was so hot outside that I had to stop a few times to drink water, but I was far from actually being 'tired' so it's feeling fantastic.

hopefully everyone elses routine is going good. pictures should be in order from everyone in the next couple of weeks i presume!


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> Wow great job with your run Hiim! Congrats! Thats really impressive especially hungover.
> 
> Great job everyone with their runs!
> 
> I did great with my run today as well. I just met my goal of a 10 mile run earlier today on the treadmill. I ran 10.5 miles at 6 mph. I hadn't ran in like 4 days or so and yesterday I ended up binging and ate about 3500 - 4500 calories. Today I woke up feeling like **** and went for a run and were surprised to see my legs were completely healed and I had loads of energy. Just kept going on and on.
> 
> Anyways good news for me because a lot of things have been going wrong lately. My schedule sucks again, I started smoking again, I screwed up my hair and had to shave it all off and have been feeling pretty crappy lately.
> 
> Oh and if my mom or dad says I need to eat because I'm looking skinny one more time I think I'm going to explode. My dad said this to me after I did my 10.5 mile run earlier today. I still have big fat rolls on my stomach. They don't understand the concept of bodyfat % or cutting. AHHHHHHHHHHH! So frustrating and annoying. Especially considering I just binged yesterday. It shouldn't make me this mad but for it does.
> 
> I'm going to put off weighing myself for a couple days. I think I reversed a lot of the damage of that binge though.
> 
> Cerb: haha yeah ceasar 3 is like that, galactic civilizations 2 once I played for 36 hours straight :-\
> 
> ------------
> EDIT
> Woohoo! My swine flu vaccine stock is taking off like a rocket! Average price 2.25, 4.11 right now :-D
> 
> http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=nvax


*Americans see fat as normal as weights rise: study*

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL0778048620070807

This is actually kind of scary.

Nice job on that run, man. 10.5 miles!

I completed my back/bicep workout yesterday. I should be going for a run here soon, even though it's probably 80-90 degrees out. I wish I was more of a morning person.

Oh, and I had someone hide Caesar 3 from me. lol

Edit: Alright, I just ran 2.5 miles. However, I stopped after I ran about two miles, walked for a little bit, and then ran the rest of the way. I'm a little annoyed I did that, but it's not that big of a deal.


----------



## Omnium11

hiimnotcool said:


> probably around 12-14% from me still but i weighed myself this morning and was 158.8!!! I'm thinking that's as low as I want to go. I still have alot of fat on the lower part of my stomach so I'm not sure what that's about. hopefully all this muscle i'm gaining will just burn that fat up within the next few months. man i cant thank you enough for this thread, it has revived my love for running and now i want to be competitive again. my main focus is running now rather than a nice body but i'm still doing all the workouts and stuff, i just figure it will come naturally. i'm just not so worried about rushing it anymore, which is more healthy i suppose.
> 
> good job on getting down to 169 man! That's where I was when I started. Also, adding interval periods to your run is a great idea and will make all the slower running feel alot easier. My 4 miler yesterday was really easy aerobically but it was so hot outside that I had to stop a few times to drink water, but I was far from actually being 'tired' so it's feeling fantastic.
> 
> hopefully everyone elses routine is going good. pictures should be in order from everyone in the next couple of weeks i presume!


Thanks man, and thanks for contributing!

I hear you about that belly fat. Hopefully we'll lose it soon. Mine has gotten really squishy so it seems like it is less dense. Yeah I def like the intervals, makes the runs funner and gets my heart rate up much higher than just 6 mph running

Pictures coming up shortly here.

Cerb: Great job man! lol about caesar, most games I only play for like 3 hours tops but strategy for some reason really reels you in


----------



## hiimnotcool

Heres an updated pic. Would you guess like 12-14% still? It's hard for me to gauge properly..I can just tell that I look a bit leaner now than I did at week 6 (i do weigh like 3 pounds less though, so makes sense). I guess that's the most important thing lol.


----------



## Omnium11

Your abs are definitely coming in. You have lower % than me. I'd estimate around 11-12% or so. Pecs are looking good too. Looking great man! Your hard work is def paying off


----------



## Lateralus

Looking great man, starting to see some big differences.


----------



## Cerberus

You are definitely looking lean, hiim. Congrats! You look great (no ****).


----------



## millenniumman75

You guys are too risqué with those photos.....getting the girls all in a twither. :lol


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I ran outside today instead of the track, I had to buy train tickets and ended up waiting over an hour so I didn't feel like going to the gym. Anyway I ended up doing 1.6 miles in the sweltering heat and a huge hill to climb at the end. It felt great. I also have cut down on the snacks and I have way more energy even though I'm having trouble sleeping with all the humidity.


----------



## LostPancake

Cerberus said:


> I f-cked up big time. lol I've been awake for over 24 hours because I started playing the game Caesar III, which is apparently like crack for me because 14 hours went by very quickly without me even knowing it. What makes it worse is that once I did realize it, I kept on playing.


jesus, yeah i did that with age of empires ii - it got so bad i had to smash the cd, lol. i can't touch that stuff.

and btw this thread is inspiring, even though i'm not a jogger, i just exercise at home. but running does sound like fun. maybe i'll try it some night.


----------



## Omnium11

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> I ran outside today instead of the track, I had to buy train tickets and ended up waiting over an hour so I didn't feel like going to the gym. Anyway I ended up doing 1.6 miles in the sweltering heat and a huge hill to climb at the end. It felt great. I also have cut down on the snacks and I have way more energy even though I'm having trouble sleeping with all the humidity.


Great job!

--------------------

I weighed myself and am back up to 172.2. Feels like last 2 weeks I haven't made much progress. I think I'm gonna start counting calories from now on. I am a bit of a grazer and I think all the grazing is adding up and catching up to me. Also gonna be a lot more picky about what I eat.

Gonna stock up on:

Oatmeal (best food ever!)
Beans
Eggs / egg whites
Bananas (to go with the oatmeal)

Total calories so far today
1000 (black beans, oatmeal / half banana, peanut butter, eggs)

3 miles running, chest / tri


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my chest/tri workout today.

I did two of those cloth measurement bodyfat percentage tests that are online. On one of them I got 10 percent and the other I got 13.4 percent. One had me measure my forearm, wrist, hips, waist, and height, and the other had me measure my waist, neck, and height. I don't really believe either of them. heh Bodyfat percentage tests, based on a google search are apparently not all that reliable.


----------



## Omnium11

Well after contemplating my rolls of fat over my abs and such I decided to do a bodyfat % test online and take my pics and compare em to John Stone. Well I just did the US Navy body fat % estimate and it says I'm 16% bf. I then looked at John Stone fitness website and compared my pics to his. I can only begin to see the outline of abs and ribs are still completely hidden by fat. Can start to see the hip bone or whatever they call it near the love handles. I'd say I look at about the 18-19% level compared to him. I guess I'm just pretty 'skinny-fat.' Maybe today I am also retaining a lot of water which ads a percentage or so. Anyways a lot more fat than I thought

I'll look tiny by the time I get down to 10% bf imho. My mom is gonna give me so much **** lol. Oh well I'm in it for the long run. The good news is is that within like 10 days john stone was down to about 14-15% bf from around where I am at now. Will maintain counting calories and cardio.

I'll post some pics here in a bit weight myself and see what you guys think. I think I lose the 6 pack abs contest lol. I think I'll need 1-2 more months before abs start coming in better

John Stone at about 18% bf (Looks more like 15% or so I'd say though)

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/all/front/75.jpg


----------



## Cerberus

I tried to run 2.5 miles today, but I only ran about a mile because I got an intense stomach pain that kept getting worse and worse. I had trouble walking. I don't think I've ever had a stomach pain this bad while running, and I played on soccer teams for over a decade. I guess it was a lack of water or something. The pain is gone now. I'll try to go running again in the evening.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Heres an updated pic. Would you guess like 12-14% still? It's hard for me to gauge properly..I can just tell that I look a bit leaner now than I did at week 6 (i do weigh like 3 pounds less though, so makes sense). I guess that's the most important thing lol.


Hell no. You are more like 10%, even lower perhaps. When you touch your stomach, is it soft on the fat or hard? When the fat on your stomach is soft, it's a good sign that you are losing fat.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Hell no. You are more like 10%, even lower perhaps. When you touch your stomach, is it soft on the fat or hard? When the fat on your stomach is soft, it's a good sign that you are losing fat.


Wow. Well, the fat is pretty soft but I don't really know what I'm comparing it too. It always felt soft and squishy but I know i'm losing weight since I am hovering at 159-161 in the mornings. I think the creatine is starting to make me look a little more bloated though and the definition in my abs is less noticeable. Hopefully that goes away soon.

I've had a bad diet the last few days. Yesterday I drank like 8-10 beers at the lake but I didn't really eat alot so I think I stayed within my calorie range (bad I know) then today all I've eaten is turkey bacon, egg whites, turkey sandwich and a ton of brown rice and beans. i suppose that's not unhealthy at all but i'd like it to be a bit better.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning feeling sick from all the drinking so I punished myself by running 5 miles. It actually wasnt bad and felt fine once I got going but now I have a painful blister on the bottom of my foot which sucks bad!

Hope your stomach stays okay Cerb and it's nothing serious. Dehydration could definitely cause that though so make sure you get some water. The past few days have been insane here in Seattle. Record highs almost every day. It got up to like 102 degrees yesterday! Water has been my top priority lately.


----------



## Attica! Attica!

You guys are looking great :O

Hows all this doing for your anxiety and mental state? I've been terrible about exercising lately... I've been dying to start swimming every day again, but the pool near me is having construction done  I've tried, but just cannot run!


----------



## millenniumman75

Attica! Attica! said:


> You guys are looking great :O
> 
> Hows all this doing for your anxiety and mental state? I've been terrible about exercising lately... I've been dying to start swimming every day again, but the pool near me is having construction done  I've tried, but just cannot run!


It exhausts me so I don't have to worry - it releases pent up energy. :lol

I ran 6.25 miles (that's more than 10K). It is a rare thing for me, but I gave it a go. I had tonight off from running so I could rest anyway.


----------



## Omnium11

Here's abs, what do you guys think about bf %? (I'm flexed) Still have love handles and lots of fat on stomach. Hopefully I get out of this plateau of 170-173 pounds or so.










Lately I've eaten 1300 calories a day for past 2 days since I've started keeping track.


----------



## Omnium11

Attica! Attica! said:


> You guys are looking great :O
> 
> Hows all this doing for your anxiety and mental state? I've been terrible about exercising lately... I've been dying to start swimming every day again, but the pool near me is having construction done  I've tried, but just cannot run!


Its really helped me amazingly! Thanks for checking back in. Can't wait till we hang out in Denver :-D 

Great job with run millenium!

------------
Oh wow, I need to get a digital scale to measure out my foods! Check this out! I've been eating about 25% more oatmeal and peanut butter than I thought


----------



## Cerberus

lol What have you been talking about man? Rolls of fat? Based on that pic it looks like you have about the same bodyfat percentage as me. Good job.


----------



## Omnium11

I guess its hard to see in that pic. When I am sitting down my bottom fat roll is like an inch wide pinched and can be pulled out about 2.5 inches or so.


----------



## EgoZero

You guys are doing great. Maybe I will join you here sometime  I also should cut down my body fat, cause my abs are getting barely visible, but I think I will continue to bulk up more and do big cutting weight next year.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Holy crap. I just bought one of those crazy scales that measure body fat, bone mass, muscle mass, and hydration %s. Apparently I'm 21.0% bf and I'm not 183 lbs. like I thought. I'm 176 lbs. I'm afraid that if I lose 10% body fat, I'll be back to the weight I was before I started mass gaining.

I'm not sure about your bf %, but I can guarantee you it's less than mine. My handles are a whole lot more pronounced. If I were to compare you to myself, I'd say you're around 14% bf.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Omnium11 said:


> I guess its hard to see in that pic. When I am sitting down my bottom fat roll is like an inch wide pinched and can be pulled out about 2.5 inches or so.


I think you're a little over dramatic LOL

Your pictures look great and nobody bases their stomach fat on what it looks like when they're sitting down. Everyone's does that so it's normal. When I sit down it turns into like 3 huge rolls but when I stand up it's just thin with a little bit of fat showing.

Just keep doing what you're doing and the results will come. What kind of ab exercises have you been doing?


----------



## EgoZero

This maybe useful for ya all http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10_belly_fat_reducing_foods.htm


----------



## Omnium11

I think pouring over John Stone fitness pictures made me question my own bf considering he looks pretty damn thin at about 18% Also for some reason you can see his ribs poking through at 18-19% where as I can't also he has more definition in ab area. I think he is pretty unusual though in that regard comparing him to ppl at bodybuilding.com. 

I've been doing crunches on an exercise ball. I wonder about my form because I was only sore the first 3 days or so of doing them. Perhaps my abs are just used to it already. I tried doing knee lifts with the pull up bar but it didn't seem to really work them. I am going to try planks tomorrow and perhaps find some other exercises. Any recommendations?

Also out of curiosity when you guys are standing up how big is your lower fat roll. Mine is about 4/5ths of an inch thick and pulls out to 1.5 inches or so

-----
Sorry to hear that STK hang in there. Just out of curiosity what brand is the body fat testing machine?

Welcome aboard Ego!


----------



## EgoZero

Omnium11 said:


> Ha maybe. I think pouring over John Stone fitness pictures made me question my own bf considering he looks pretty damn thin at about 18% Also for some reason you can see his ribs poking through at 18-19% where as I can't also he has more definition in ab area. I think he is pretty unusual though in that regard comparing him to ppl at bodybuilding.com.
> 
> I've been doing crunches on an exercise ball. I wonder about my form because I was only sore the first 3 days or so of doing them. Perhaps my abs are just used to it already. I tried doing knee lifts with the pull up bar but it didn't seem to really work them. I am going to try planks tomorrow and perhaps find some other exercises. Any recommendations?


Try these 



 you'll work both abs, biceps and back.


----------



## Omnium11

EgoZero said:


> Try these
> 
> 
> 
> you'll work both abs, biceps and back.


Thanks I'll definitely give that a shot.


----------



## Cerberus

I tried to go running again last night, but that intense stomach pain hit me after running just a block. Apparently, it's called the side stitch. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm And, apparently I got a severe form of it because I had trouble walking. It looks like I need to be careful to keep my breathing controlled, and I need to watch out for how much water I consume.

I finished my leg/shoulder workout today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I tried to go running again last night, but that intense stomach pain hit me after running just a block. Apparently, it's called the side stitch. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm And, apparently I got a severe form of it because I had trouble walking. It looks like I need to be careful to keep my breathing controlled, and I need to watch out for how much water I consume.
> 
> I finished my leg/shoulder workout today.


Ohhhh yeah those suck. A trick to get rid of them is to exhale hard on the foot OPPOSITE the side of the stitch. Also a good 3 inhale 2 exhale breathing pattern is great for running. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Drinking too much water right before a run can also cause that so it's best just to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Today I did biceps and back plus abs. Feelin good!

I also had an interview to see if I can get assistancne from the state and the doctor I talked to said he's going to recommend for them to approve me because it sounds like I'm dealing with some rough stuff. Hopefully it works out.

*edit*
Just got done running 7.5 miles and did the last one in 6:40 so that felt good. Longest run I've done so far and I enjoyed it. The music makes it so much more relaxing and enjoyable.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Omnium11 said:


> Here's abs, what do you guys think about bf %? (I'm flexed) Still have love handles and lots of fat on stomach. Hopefully I get out of this plateau of 170-173 pounds or so.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lately I've eaten 1300 calories a day for past 2 days since I've started keeping track.


It would be better if you'd do one unflexed and I can see your arms and upper body as well. But you are definitely not 18-19%. I guess from that pic anywhere from 12-15%.


----------



## EgoZero

Today I went for a few miles run and right after runing I did some rounds of boxing with two boxers that are friends of mine. I did much better than expected and survived more than one round  So I think I will start to take up more boxing and getting some speed and edurance, not just weight lifting for strenght and mass. So I'll try to do so from now.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Omnium11 said:


> Sorry to hear that STK hang in there. Just out of curiosity what brand is the body fat testing machine?


The brand is called Taylor. I bought it at Target for $40. I tried it again, only this time I set it for an "elite athlete," and it read 17.5% bf, which sounds like a more accurate measure. So apparently I'm an elite athlete. Sweet.

But if I'm at 17.5%, you're definitely less than 14%, Omnium. When I flex, you can still see my belly fat.


----------



## Omnium11

STKinTHEmud said:


> The brand is called Taylor. I bought it at Target for $40. I tried it again, only this time I set it for an "elite athlete," and it read 17.5% bf, which sounds like a more accurate measure. So apparently I'm an elite athlete. Sweet.
> 
> But if I'm at 17.5%, you're definitely less than 14%, Omnium. When I flex, you can still see my belly fat.


I think thats probably more accurate. I wouldn't worry too much about looking skinny when you cut this fat off. You had some pretty big muscles under the fat in your pics. Chest and lats much much bigger than mine.
---------------------------------------
good job ego! boxing sounds really fun and a great way to stay fit, I have an old punching bag around here, I think I'll set it up

Yesterday I did HIIT 6 intervals of all out sprints. That was so freakin brutal I felt like I was gonna die. I was out of breath for like 30 minutes afterwords. My lungs were killing me. I just smoked my last cig. Was stupid to start smoking again.

I hit legs for first time after the HIIT. Dumbell squats and lunges. Amazing how weak my legs are you guys would laugh if I told you how much weight I was doing =P My brother is about 230 pounds and plays video games all day and doesn't exercise and his calves are like 3 x the size of mine and rock hard. (Then again he's bald so you win some you lose some lol)

Today I woke up with weight at 165.8! woohooo.

Yesterday I ate 1500 calories, so far today I'm at 640. I'm gonna really try and limit my salt intake to see what happens.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

Omnium I think you are being too hard on yourself, everyone has fat rolls when they sit down. you're looking like Brando, not much more you can ask for there...lol.

I got up at 6am and did 1.5 on the road. I took a different direction and there were a lot of hills and the wind was in my face so I'm happy with the result. I passed two groups of joggers and they all nodded or said "good morning." 

And I think there was another girl on this thread who said she was having trouble getting started. I'm convinced that its much more difficult for girls to get started. When I first started running two years ago I could only do about 2 laps at the gym, thats just over 300 metres, and I was not overweight or anything and had pretty good conditioning walking and biking. You just have to work on it, it gets a lot easier after you find a good technique and a groove. I went from .6 miles to 1.6 in a month. Its really worth it, I've never been so upbeat and even keeled in my life.


----------



## huh

It's kinda neat to read all the posts with the progress people have made over the weeks/months. I think the hardest part about changing your diet and exercise is actually being able to maintain it. I've been able to drop weight pretty easily for a period of time, then it slips. I'd like to just maintain my progress at some point.

So far I've done good I guess. Over the last week I've jogged about 27 miles total and over this weekend I walked my route instead of jogging to let my legs rest a little bit. Walking six miles was relaxing, but damn...good thing I had a lot of time on my hands. I'm going to start jogging again tomorrow.

I'm not sure how much weight I've lost doing this so far, since I don't have a scale. I feel a lot better about myself though. I don't think I'm gonna have any half-naked before-after pictures :O Don't worry, that's for the best...lol!


----------



## ChrissyQ

huh said:


> . I don't think I'm gonna have any half-naked before-after pictures :O don't worry that's for the best!...lol!


lol


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Ohhhh yeah those suck. A trick to get rid of them is to exhale hard on the foot OPPOSITE the side of the stitch. Also a good 3 inhale 2 exhale breathing pattern is great for running. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Drinking too much water right before a run can also cause that so it's best just to stay hydrated throughout the day.
> 
> Today I did biceps and back plus abs. Feelin good!
> 
> I also had an interview to see if I can get assistancne from the state and the doctor I talked to said he's going to recommend for them to approve me because it sounds like I'm dealing with some rough stuff. Hopefully it works out.
> 
> *edit*
> Just got done running 7.5 miles and did the last one in 6:40 so that felt good. Longest run I've done so far and I enjoyed it. The music makes it so much more relaxing and enjoyable.


You guys are kicking my *** on running. I'll give your advice a try. i didn't run today, but I did 40 minutes on my stationary bike followed by 40 burpees.

Oh, and on with the "half-naked before-after pictures." lol

Before at 172 lbs. or so:










And after at around 161 pounds:


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^ Wow. Awesome transformation!


----------



## Omnium11

IHeartSteve: Thanks, great job with your run, too bad you don't live here in Colorado, or me in Canada ;-)

Huh: Great job man!

Cerb: That's freakin awesome man! Congrats you look great! Your face is looking really lean and chiseled. Very impressed! Abs are looking awesome.

---------------------
Oh I go to my first toastmasters on Thursday


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks guys! 

Updated weight: 159.2 lbs. Wow. I haven't been below 160 lbs in at least five years! What surprises me is how much strength and muscle I've been able to maintain. What body fat % would you guys say I'm at in that 2nd pic? 

I completed my back/bicep workout today.


----------



## millenniumman75

Cerberus, your cheeks are starting to look sunken . That's almost too much. 

I would say 8-10%


----------



## Omnium11

If thats a vein right near your finger on your abs I'd say your about 9%. If else I'd say about 10%. Seems like you lost that last stubborn couple percentages of fat in about 17 days or so, great job, those are the hard ones to lose. Can't wait till I'm down to your bf. Your pecs and arms are def bigger than mine. I can't wait to bulk cause my muscles are starting to waste away

--------------
Did a 6.4 mile run at the lake. Today I really worked on my posture so I was running straight up instead of hunched over. For some reason I just have no motivation to lift today or yesterday.


----------



## Cerberus

I don't know. My cheeks don't look "sunken" in this pic I just took:










Other opinions?


----------



## hiimnotcool

I think the picture you just took looks better. Your result pictures are looking good though. I don't think you should lose any more weight though like the others are saying because it doesn't look like you have any fat to lose at all. Then again, you know your body the best and can tell if there are any 'spots' of fat that still need to go. It's amazing how body compositions are so different from person to person..when I took my last picture I was at 159 but I still looked ALOT more 'fat' than you do in your 159 pic. I still have a ton of fat on my stomach to lose but it looks like you've accomplished all that. Good work!!


----------



## millenniumman75

You don't see them when you smile. It's when you have a straight face.


----------



## Cerberus

Let me post one in a different lighting just to see if there's a difference.










I don't think my cheeks look sunken in this pic. I think it was just the expression on my face in that one pic that made it look like my cheeks were sunken, and maybe the lighting. Also, as you can see, my abs aren't showing even a little bit in this light, and I still have a little "pouch" of fat at the bottom of my stomach.

I'd like to bulk up because my muscles are looking smaller than I'd like them to but I'd hate to quit my goal of having my abs show after I've been eating healthy and being in a calorie defecit for so long.

What do you guys think?


----------



## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> Let me post one in a different lighting just to see if there's a difference.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think my cheeks look sunken in this pic. I think it was just the expression on my face in that one pic that made it look like my cheeks were sunken, and maybe the lighting. Also, as you can see, my abs aren't showing even a little bit in this light, and I still have a little "pouch" of fat at the bottom of my stomach.
> 
> I'd like to bulk up because my muscles are looking smaller than I'd like them to but I'd hate to quit my goal of having my abs show after I've been eating healthy and being in a calorie defecit for so long.
> 
> What do you guys think?


I'd keep cutting, sure we might look skinny for a couple more weeks but then we can get down to a nice base and clean bulk from there. I mean there are no health consequences of continued cutting for couple weeks from where you are at. Only appearance issues. I'm pretty much in the same boat. Will continue my cut.


----------



## millenniumman75

Remember...the camera adds ten pounds. I think you look fine there (just watch the cheeks).
I'm worried about people getting too lean. What happens when winter comes?


----------



## hiimnotcool

Well, it's all up to you man! Though I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe your abs just aren't going to show through? That's the case for some people unfortunately. I would think that there would atleast be some sort of outline of them by now since you've gotten so lean. I know what you mean though about really wanting to get them. I'd keep cutting for awhile and if you get down to like 155 without seeing them then I'd just throw in the towel and focusing on bulk. Your body will still look incredibly fit (because it does even now) with the abs not popping out. Plus, who needs abs when you've got those guns? :b


----------



## Cerberus

Winter is bulking time, mill. 

Well, I like how I look. I actually found a picture of me with my shirt off when I was at around 200 lbs. The difference is staggering and highly motivating. 

I agree, ominium. I think I'm going to keep cutting for a bit. 

I was actually thinking that 155 lbs. would be my limit, hiim, but I haven't lost hope in getting my abs to show. 

Today has been a good one. I ran 2.5 miles and I sprinted for a bit near the end of my run (and I didn't get any stomach pains during my run!). My limbs felt so light while I was sprinting, it was almost like I was floating.


----------



## Omnium11

000


----------



## DSPFrat

Cerberus said:


> Winter is bulking time, mill.
> 
> Well, I like how I look. I actually found a picture of me with my shirt off when I was at around 200 lbs. The difference is staggering and highly motivating.
> 
> I agree, ominium. I think I'm going to keep cutting for a bit.
> 
> I was actually thinking that 155 lbs. would be my limit, hiim, but I haven't lost hope in getting my abs to show.
> 
> Today has been a good one. I ran 2.5 miles and I sprinted for a bit near the end of my run (and I didn't get any stomach pains during my run!). My limbs felt so light while I was sprinting, it was almost like I was floating.


What kinda excercises you do? Maybe you need to strengthen your ab muscles and eat more protein. Also try tonalin, that made me more cut when I was using it. You can get that at any gnc or vitaman world.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Week 10 abs. I only have 2 weeks left of my strength program and I'm kind of sad. I'm thinking of just doing the whole thing again and just adding onto the gains I've already got. Or maybe try to find a good program online to follow..I'm afraid that if I don't have a set schedule I'll just get lazy and revert back to my lazy beer drinking self. If there's a 'plan' I'm very likely to follow it, though so that's what I need.


----------



## Cerberus

Ominium: That's freaky, man. I wish had those experiences. They sound like entertainment gold to me. Kudos for facing it with meditation. damn. I want to wake up and see a non-existent alien standing next to me. It would be scary as hell, but it would be one hell of a story to tell. lol 

EDIT: oh, and don't worry about being a "attention *****." This is a transformation thread focused on the people who are trying to transform themselves in some way, so of course it's going to be focused on the people trying to transform themselves. I truly believe posting one's progress, stories, and progress pics, only helps motivate people further. It's a pity you erased your story. It was entertaining, a good read, and inspiring. 

DSPFrat: My exercises are the following. Monday: deadlifts, rows, chins, bicep curls, ab workout. Wednesday: flat bench, incline bench, dips, tricep isolation exercise. Friday: Squats, leg curls, shoulder presses, calf workout, ab workout. And I take in around one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, if not more (since I've lost weight). I've never heard of tonalin; I'll go check it out. I could use all the help I can get. 

hiim: Nice work, man. You are looking very lean. I can see your abs poking through a bit and I'm jealous.


----------



## Omnium11

Looking great hiim! You guys are really getting lean. You guys have both really hit that threshold of low bf% where you are looking real good. Looks like what you have been doing definitely worked. Could be good idea to go through it again

Cerb: lol yeah sleep paralysis is freakin bizarre. I agree with your post, thanks man, I'll be sure to leave the next ones up. Tomorrow I am facing a more social fear with Toastmasters. I'll def post the results.

----------

Woohoo I can do 4 pullups now! I think taking a couple days off was good for my muscles to heal and repair. I think I finally figured out how to do proper crunches as well. I find I have to pause at the top for about 2 seconds and I really feel them.


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my chest/tri workout today. My bench has gotten a little weaker over the months I've been cutting, but that's to be expected on a cut, and I know I won't have too much trouble getting it back up to a good weight after I'm done cutting. My weight was at 158.5 today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Good job on the workout Cerb. Your weight loss is really going well! I'm stuck around the 160-161 mark. I was 158 one morning and 159 another but since then I've been back up to 161 each time I check. I'm not too concerned though since that's still pretty thin for someone 6'0. 

I did chest and back for an hour then 15 minutes of abs today. Was feeling a little lazy at the end of the chest and back workout so I skipped some of the exercises.


I was searching online for ab exercises and came across this picture. This is the body I'm going for. I'm thinking I could get there by the end of this year if I just keep pushing toward the goal. What do you guys think?


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Hiim: That guy looks a bit too thin, I think. His shoulders look pretty weak, and he seems a bit shorter than you are. I think if you keep cutting, you'll definitely be there before the end of the year.

Cerb: I'm going to give that a shot the next time I do crunches.

But I go a bit hard on my abs: I do crunches on a decline with a 10 lb weight on my chest, and end up doing no more than 30 before dying. Do you guys go for more reps or less reps with your crunches?


----------



## mia jane

-Swoons- 
you guys have dedication- you've all transformed quite alot


----------



## Omnium11

STKinTHEmud said:


> Hiim: That guy looks a bit too thin, I think. His shoulders look pretty weak, and he seems a bit shorter than you are. I think if you keep cutting, you'll definitely be there before the end of the year.
> 
> Cerb: I'm going to give that a shot the next time I do crunches.
> 
> But I go a bit hard on my abs: I do crunches on a decline with a 10 lb weight on my chest, and end up doing no more than 30 before dying. Do you guys go for more reps or less reps with your crunches?


Glad you popped in STK was just gonna message you to see how you're doing.

I use an exercise ball for my crunches. It seems like with real good form and with staying in the up position for a couple seconds my abs are hit pretty good with just about 10 reps, then again my abs are really weak, i really like the exercise ball. I'd go for higher weight less reps with abs for best results to get the really defined look, perhaps you could throw on some more weight and try for 15 crunches or so.

-------
Thanks mia!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Following Hiim's example, I'm posting a picture of my ideal build:

EDIT: Found a better picture of what I want:










Yes, that is Dolph Lundgren. No, I really do think he's awesome. Though I want a bit more definition in the abs.

A little motivation I found:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bodybuilding_helps_find_mate.htm

I'm thinking of sending that link to my (female) friend that once told me that women don't like buff or toned guys.


----------



## Omnium11

Woohoo just went to my first toastmasters meeting, was pretty fun. I got up and spoke for about 25 seconds at the end of the meeting, My mind went a bit blank but only for about 3 seconds or so. Little anxiety or fear. No hyperventilation or panic attack. Glad I went through with it, the only problem I had I felt a bit awkward maintaining eye contact one on one but I did anyway. Hope it didn't seem like I was staring.

Pictures coming up today or tomorrow, weight is 167


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## STKinTHEmud

Wtf!? Woke up this morning feeling terrible. Feeling sore, a bit congested, and as if I don't really want to move. Had to skip my thurs morning cardio. Seriously, if I'm sick AGAIN, wtf? Going to have to see a doctor I think.

Well, enough whining. Om, congrats on the Toastmasters thing! I keep hearing about it. Might want to check it out myself, but I don't have TOO much of a problem with public speaking.


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## Omnium11

Damn man sick again that sucks

Here's some ideas I have to challenge myself further

. Toastmasters (today I went to my first meeting)
. Social Anxiety meetup group
. Meditation meetup group
. Various other interests meetup groups
. Group cognitive behavioral therapy (this sounds real cool and helpful)
. Working as a salesman of some sort
. Regular therapy
. Meetup with people from SAS (working on this one)


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## Cerberus

oh boy. Sales sucks. I was a door-to-door solicitor for five months. While it did help with anxiety and confidence, it ended up being too overwhelming in the end because I'm opposed to it in principle (because salesman are professional bulls--tters). Also, it is not fun being the most hated person on any given block. lol oh, and I'm going to have to google toastmasters; I don't know what it is.


----------



## huh

Looks like I'm on an involuntary break =/ The back upper part of my thigh on my right leg hurts when I run. Dunno what I did, as I stretch and even walk a ways before I start my jog. I'm still sticking to my diet and I do a walk yet. I'll just have to wait a bit to start jogging on it again. I also weighed myself (first time in a long while). I'm currently at 137. I tend to fluctuate between 135-145. Seems kinda low for a guy...but I'm short anyways.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Omnium11 said:


> Woohoo just went to my first toastmasters meeting, was pretty fun. I got up and spoke for about 25 seconds at the end of the meeting, My mind went a bit blank but only for about 3 seconds or so. Little anxiety or fear. No hyperventilation or panic attack. Glad I went through with it, the only problem I had I felt a bit awkward maintaining eye contact one on one but I did anyway. Hope it didn't seem like I was staring.
> 
> Pictures coming up today or tomorrow, weight is 167


I'm curious, what is a toastmasters meeting like?


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## Omnium11

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> I'm curious, what is a toastmasters meeting like?


First someone takes you in and introduces you to a bunch of members, then they sit you down next to someone who will explain what is happening as the meeting progresses. First everyone goes around the table and tells there name and what their role is. Then someone goes up and asks 3 random people to give a short speech about something that they are not prepared for. I think they called this 'table topics' then 3 more people give longer prepared speeches at about 6 minutes or so each. Then another 3 people come up and review those last people who gave the previous 3 speeches. Afterwords they asked me how it went and I stood up and gave a short little speech where I told them they seemed very confident and gave great speeches and I had a good time etc. Also you write down who gave best speeches and such.

I am unsure but I think group CBT therapy for social anxiety could be better though. For one thing the people at my toastmasters meeting almost all seemed very confident and seemed pretty damn socially skilled to me. Also all of the speeches I heard were pretty damn good. So this makes it all seem like a person with social anxiety might be better with something focused more towards social anxiety instead of public speaking. Also everyone at my toastmasters meeting were in there late 30's - 80's so they were kind of old. I think I might try a different club and see if I connect with it better. As of right now I doubt I would pay the money to join this particular club. Not until I tried group CBT anyways

I recommend checking it out though as a guest, I am glad I went.


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## Cerberus

crazy weather out today: lots of pollution or dirt being blown around. There have been gray skies all day, so I decided to stay in and ride my stationary bike for 40 minutes, followed by 30 burpees.


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## Cerberus

okay. What the flying f-ck! The scale has got to be kidding me. It said I weighed 155 lbs. today. That has got to be waterweight. Losing weight like that is too damn fast. My calorie intake has been the same as it has been for the past couple months. It might have been due to my lack of sleep last night (got about 2-3 hours), stress from a giant school project I had to complete, and/or those five hour energy drinks I've been drinking a lot lately. I'm going to up my calorie intake for the next few days to maintenance level to see what happens. My muscles are looking deflated, which is probably due to my lack of sleep last night or something else (hopefully not muscle). My strength for my lifts today was about the same as it has been for the past couple months, even though I felt pretty drained of energy (lack of sleep).


----------



## Lateralus

Took 10 days off of lifting and got back to it today - also starting a new creatine cycle.

Workout was rough; I was shaky and weak. I'm guessing it's because of the 50 or so beers I had on vacation. Amazingly I didn't gain a single pound during that week of unhealthfulness.


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## Omnium11

Cerberus said:


> okay. What the flying f-ck! The scale has got to be kidding me. It said I weighed 155 lbs. today. That has got to be waterweight. Losing weight like that is too damn fast. My calorie intake has been the same as it has been for the past couple months. It might have been due to my lack of sleep last night (got about 2-3 hours), stress from a giant school project I had to complete, and/or those five hour energy drinks I've been drinking a lot lately. I'm going to up my calorie intake for the next few days to maintenance level to see what happens. My muscles are looking deflated, which is probably due to my lack of sleep last night or something else (hopefully not muscle). My strength for my lifts today was about the same as it has been for the past couple months, even though I felt pretty drained of energy (lack of sleep).


Must be the caffeine in the 5 hour energy drinks dehydrating you. Caffeine is a pretty powerful diuretic

---

great job lat

----

Yesterday I ended up having an 800 calorie binge before I went to sleep. Today I'm trying to make up for it. Gonna go for a nice long run later today.


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## STKinTHEmud

So I went to see a doctor about my recent illnesses (had to have someone drive me to the hospital), and she said that my diet might be the cause. I've been getting 1800 calories/day, but healthy weight loss would be about 2200 cals/day. She suggested that I take some time off my diet and eat what I want when I want it. Of course, I haven't been able to eat much of anything for the past few days...


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## TheGMan

I am also in the process of a total health/body transformation. Should I post updates in here or create my own topic?


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## Omnium11

TheGMan said:


> I am also in the process of a total health/body transformation. Should I post updates in here or create my own topic?


Post in here  welcome aboard Gman!


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## Cerberus

sheesh. I had a terrible workout Friday and I had a terrible run today (only ran 1.5 miles and got that side stitch thing again). I've been feeling weak and lethargic these past three days. Very annoying. It could be overtraining, but I simply find that hard to believe. My short runs combined with three days of weight training hardly seems like enough to induce overtraining. I'll try and get to bed earlier tonight so that I can get more rest. If my workout sucks tomorrow, I guess I'll take a little time off, although I hate the idea of doing that.


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## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> sheesh. I had a terrible workout Friday and I had a terrible run today (only ran 1.5 miles and got that side stitch thing again). I've been feeling weak and lethargic these past three days. Very annoying. It could be overtraining, but I simply find that hard to believe. My short runs combined with three days of weight training hardly seems like enough to induce overtraining. I'll try and get to bed earlier tonight so that I can get more rest. If my workout sucks tomorrow, I guess I'll take a little time off, although I hate the idea of doing that.


You could try loading up on vitamin B's or niacinimide if you have any, and electrolytes. Maybe caffeine as well.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> sheesh. I had a terrible workout Friday and I had a terrible run today (only ran 1.5 miles and got that side stitch thing again). I've been feeling weak and lethargic these past three days. Very annoying. It could be overtraining, but I simply find that hard to believe. My short runs combined with three days of weight training hardly seems like enough to induce overtraining. I'll try and get to bed earlier tonight so that I can get more rest. If my workout sucks tomorrow, I guess I'll take a little time off, although I hate the idea of doing that.


I don't think you're eating enough. Didn't you say earlier that you eat like 1,800-2,000 calories a day? That seems awfully low to me! I eat like 2,400-3,000 calories a day and am still losing weight. That's with me literally not doing anything at all during the day other than working out. The first sign of not eating enough is low energy during workouts..maybe up you calories a bit for awhile and see if that helps out at all?

I've kind of fallin off the wagon a bit myself. I've been skipping workouts or cutting them real short. The ab routine I was doing the past 2 months has gotten really old so I just dread it now and usually slack off and dont do many reps. I think I need to vary it up a little bit because boredom isn't very conducive.


----------



## Cerberus

Lateralus said:


> You could try loading up on vitamin B's or niacinimide if you have any, and electrolytes. Maybe caffeine as well.


Is there something that I could take that isn't loaded with sugar (gatorade) that has electrolytes? Oh, and those 5 hour energy drinks have vitamin B's and niacinimide or whatever in it, along with caffeine, so I'll go pick up some more of those. They really do help get my energy levels up.



hiimnotcool said:


> I don't think you're eating enough. Didn't you say earlier that you eat like 1,800-2,000 calories a day? That seems awfully low to me! I eat like 2,400-3,000 calories a day and am still losing weight. That's with me literally not doing anything at all during the day other than working out. The first sign of not eating enough is low energy during workouts..maybe up you calories a bit for awhile and see if that helps out at all?
> 
> I've kind of fallin off the wagon a bit myself. I've been skipping workouts or cutting them real short. The ab routine I was doing the past 2 months has gotten really old so I just dread it now and usually slack off and dont do many reps. I think I need to vary it up a little bit because boredom isn't very conducive.


That's been my daily calorie goal for the past couple months. I haven't had any problems with it before. Also, I have been taking in more calories these past few days. And I'm going to continue to do so for the next couple of days to see what happens.

Yeah, you definitely should vary your workout if you're getting bored. I would recommend getting a gym membership. And what kind of ab workout are you doing that you would get sick of it? It must be pretty intense.


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## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> Is there something that I could take that isn't loaded with sugar (gatorade) that has electrolytes?


Yep, eat a few saltines and take some potassium, calcium, and magnesium pills.


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## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> Is there something that I could take that isn't loaded with sugar (gatorade) that has electrolytes? Oh, and those 5 hour energy drinks have vitamin B's and niacinimide or whatever in it, along with caffeine, so I'll go pick up some more of those. They really do help get my energy levels up.
> 
> That's been my daily calorie goal for the past couple months. I haven't had any problems with it before. Also, I have been taking in more calories these past few days. And I'm going to continue to do so for the next couple of days to see what happens.
> 
> Yeah, you definitely should vary your workout if you're getting bored. I would recommend getting a gym membership. And what kind of ab workout are you doing that you would get sick of it? It must be pretty intense.


I'm thinking of going to college so that will give me access to the gym there. Probably a good idea because I'm unable to bench, squat, or anything like that at this point. I've just been doing a bunch of body weight stuff as well as resistance bands.

The ab routine was this right here 3 days per week:


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

still keeping up with my 1.5 miles a day. its getting a lot easier, I've noticed that even after a mile I feel great and barely winded. Its probably because I've made a point to keep myself better hydrated throughout the day at work. I'm really happy about it cause I play softball two nights a week and last year thats what caused my drop off in exercising.


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## Cerberus

hah! After three nights of stoned binging, my weight has shot up to 167 lbs. I was 155 lbs on Friday, 162 lbs on Monday, and 167 lbs when I weighed myself today. Very strange stuff. My muscles did look a lot fuller and bigger today though. Yeah, that's pretty much all water weight. That's really extreme for water weight though. I guess all that caffeine I consumed last week acted as a diuretic, as Omnium said, and my stoned binging put a lot of water weight on. 

After I completed by chest/tri workout today, I ran 2.8 miles. Right after I finished the run I could have swore I had ran like six miles, but I went over the route with my car and it turned out to be 2.8 miles. lol I was surprised at how easy running was today, though. Maybe all that stoned binging allowed me to recharge or something, so I guess you were right, hiim. 

I bought myself some running shoes (New Balance). They're much nicer than my other shoes. I've never had shoes that have fit this well before. I have flat and narrow feet, so I've rarely, if ever, had shoes that fit well before.


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## millenniumman75

I got a surprise this past weekend. I started my weight loss after going to the doctor in April for pre-bronchitis. At the time, I got weighed in at the heaviest I have ever been in my life (thanks Paxil fat! grrrr). Anyway, I thought I lost 15 pounds since then. I weighed myself at the hotel scale (just like the doctor's!) and I have in fact lost 21 pounds - that's exactly half the weight I put on with Paxil! I have relaxed a bit on food (still don't eat all that much) and continue to run 24 miles a week.


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## Cerberus

Nice work, mill. 


I ran 2.6 miles today.


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## hiimnotcool

Good job everyone! Youre all doing great. Alot of improvements and major pat on the back to mil for losing that weight!

I'm down to 157 and i've been doing alot of running lately. 5 miles this morning. Yesterday was chest and back.


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## Omnium11

Good job IHeart!

----------------

Haha I know that feeling if eating everything in site when on weed, weed pretty much put an end to my fitness / bodybuilding life when I was 16-17 cause I just couldn't control my binges. My sister is going through the same thing right now. I was trying not to laugh when she was over here eating like 6000 calories and a whole cheesecake to herself cause I didn't want my mom who is completely oblivious to know she was baked, she just sat there with a glazed happy look on her face stuffing away everything in sight. New Balance makes some great shoes. Its really nice to get running shoes that fit well. I have odd shaped fat feet and pronate so am using asics 10w30s or something like that. I love them.

Lately I've been stuck at 165-168 range! Really annoying I started really upping my cardio these last couple days. Have been burning about 1000 calories a day with running. (My new goal is to at least burn off 1000 calories a day with jogging / power walking) Today I did a 10 mile run. Felt great until last 20 minutes or so where it got pretty hard because of my lungs (still haven't quit the smoking) The good news is that when I flex you can see the top two abs decently, also really like the way my lats are coming in. Hurray for pullups! Also my pecs are looking nice imho. I increased my bench from 135 to 145. I'll take a pic when I get down to 162. I'm at that point where I will look real good if I can just drop this last 2% or so. 

Mental transformation has been going well but nothing else really interesting has happened with it lately. No breakthroughs or anything. Social Anxiety is pretty low but I haven't gotten out of the house as much as I would have liked, only couple hours a week now. I think I emanate a pretty positive vibe right now and people definitely pick up on it. I was just told by a lady at the gas station that I looked 'chipper.' I no longer give off an awkward serial killer vibe thank god. I think the meditation has helped a lot with this and getting out of my mind and just dwelling in awareness more. I also have just been acting with 'integrity' being completely honest with myself and to other people, and letting me shine through more. I don't try and force anything or manipulate myself to feel a certain way, letting go of my protections and borders and letting people see the real me whatever that is at the moment. I try my best to accept every emotional state as if I had chosen it. I find when you stop trying to get somewhere mentally that you are not a lot of the mental noise and negative thoughts / resistances go away. If I don't feel like talking for example I don't try and force myself to. Anxiety and the feeling like I should talk goes away most of the time. Then ironically a lot of the time once I let go of the feeling that I have to talk to get rid of awkward silence I end up feeling like talking anyway and then it comes from a very natural state and not a forced anxious one. (The integrity I'm talking about)


---------

Awesome job mill!


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## millenniumman75

Omnium11 said:


> I think I emanate a pretty positive vibe right now and people definitely pick up on it. I was just told by a lady at the gas station that I looked 'chipper.' I no longer give off an awkward serial killer vibe thank god. I think the meditation has helped a lot with this and getting out of my mind and just dwelling in awareness more. I also have just been acting with 'integrity' being completely honest with myself and to other people, and letting me shine through more. ---------
> 
> Awesome job mill!


Thank you.

Isn't that awesome - the less we worry, the more we send things OUTWARD. Your world opens up. You were never a serial killer to us, MarlonBrando. He could play a serial killer, but he wasn't one in real life (his son, well..:lol). I am getting the same reaction. People are afraid to approach people if they look preoccupied. They don't know what to think.

The statement you made about protectionism is true, too. The more comfortable you are, the less you will want to put up the wall. When the wall goes up, you can't go out and they can't come in. :no


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## Cerberus

Well, my weight is back down to 160.2 lbs. I completed my leg/shoulder workout today.


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## Omnium11

millenniumman75 said:


> The statement you made about protectionism is true, too. The more comfortable you are, the less you will want to put up the wall. When the wall goes up, you can't go out and they can't come in. :no


Aint that the truth. Good post mil

------------------------

Well I did 3.2 miles at the lake got home and did my first timed miles on treadmill. My first mile I did in 6:59, the second at 6:40. So 5.2 miles combined. Pretty impressive that you can burn off 130 calories or so in less than 7 minutes, thats like 1 serving of oatmeal. I'm gonna start out all my days with a mile run like this. Really want to get to about 6:00 mile and I'll be really happy. I also did one hell of a good chest workout today.

My goal is to go the whole weekend without internet.

Plan on powerwalking / jogging to get up to cumulative 10 miles tonight.

Me and my sister are planning on running a half marathon here shortly and then in March a full marathon. I think the half marathon I could run right now with little problem but the full marathon seems really daunting. I dunno if anyone here watches 'the biggest loser' (pretty much the only show I watch anymore) but they managed to train for a marathon in 1 month after hearing about it and everyone who was not injured managed to do it. I think I could def get in good enough shape to run it in 7 months or whatever. I'm gonna try to do it here on the treadmill in the next two months as a sort of far out goal that will keep me motivated and push myself to the limits. As soon as I lose these last couple % bodyfat I can start eating more again and will be able to quit smoking. That should help.

-----------------------------------------

Woohoo just did a 6:15 mile run. If I can keep the treadmill on 10 the whole time it is a 6:00 mile. I think I'll try for it tomorrow.


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## millenniumman75

Are you sure?
I don't even know if I could run a marathon.

I am struggling with Achilles tendonitis in my left foot. I don't know if stretching it out would work. :stu


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## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> Are you sure?
> I don't even know if I could run a marathon.
> 
> I am struggling with Achilles tendonitis in my left foot. I don't know if stretching it out would work. :stu


Yes, ice it and stretch it. Ice will probably be most helpful right now though. Stretching is very good for preventative measures so you should stretch a bit after every run just to keep your legs good.

I had a 5k race today and placed 2nd overall. There were like 6 hills! Those were killers and definitely resulted in having to go slow for alot of the race. I even had to stop and walk a portion of it! Even though I stopped to walk and all of the hills I still ran in the 21's (I forgot my Garmin in the rush to get out of the door) so it was sub 7 minute pace for the race. I'm surprised at that since I've only been back running for 2 months and I haven't been doing any fast runs at all to prepare.

My goal is to be in the 16's for 5k by next Summer!

Also, Omnium...good luck with the marathon! That will be really great to accomplish and very rewarding to train for. I eventually want to run a marathon as well but that will be way later on.


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## Cerberus

Second place! That's amazing. Great job, man! Sounds like those hills got to the rest of the racers more so than you. It also sounds like you're a natural born runner. Do they offer any kind of money for some these races?


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## Cerberus

My stomach fat is feeling really squishy, and it looks kind of weird, as well. Nevertheless, my abs are starting to show -- that is, when I flex and push down on my squishy stomach fat. lol


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## hiimnotcool

Ohhhhh i see abs! Looking really good!! Have you been feeling better since you upped your calories a bit too? I had a hard time getting myself in the mindset of eating more than 2,000 calories in a day but that's when best results seem to come. You're looking great though! It looks like you're on your way to an 8 pack instead of 6 though, so looks like you lose the SIX PACK ab contest :b


Thanks for the kind words about the race! The hills were definitely hard but I'll take it. I think it's possible to win money in some of the bigger races where like 2,000 runners compete but not in the local community ones here because it's mainly just 30-100 people out there. My goal is to be really fast and start to compete in those huge races though. It'll take a couple years of running consistently but I think it's possible.


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## Cerberus

Thanks! I don't know how many calories I'm taking in for sure; probably around 2,000. I am feeling better. Whether that's because I'm not consuming quite as much caffeine as last week, eating slightly more calories for my 3rd meal, or those three nights of stoned binging, I don't know.

oh, and I'll chop off two of my abs just to win this contest if I have to. lol


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## millenniumman75

Isn't that hard to maintain? That is the scariest part of trying to lose so much.


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## huh

I'm feeling pretty good today. My leg feels a lot better. It's almost to the point where I can jog/run on it without worrying about it anymore. Too bad I lost two weeks of jogging. I'm not sure how far I'll be able to go when I start it again; should be interesting. I've still managed to stick to my diet. I can tell that I've lost some weight from my stomach and my pants are feeling a little loose. That's probably not good because I'm already at 30 waist and it's hard enough as it is to find pants my size in the mens department.

Also, I bought some actual running shoes so hopefully that should help a little when I start jogging again  The shoes I was using before have seen better days. I wear my shoes till they fall apart usually, lol.


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## Cerberus

Good luck, huh. Enjoy those running shoes. I know I'm really liking my running shoes. 

mill, it shouldn't be hard to maintain if I stay committed to a healthy lifestyle. 


I ran 3.3 miles today. I'm moving on up. My goal as far as running goes is to run four miles three or four times a week.


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## hiimnotcool

I did arms and shoulders today with about 20 minutes of ab work that me and a friend sort of made up as we went so it wasnt so boring.

was gonna rest from running because i ran every day since Thursday but decided against it and did 6.75 miles. That's 29 miles for the week so tomorrow is a definite rest day!


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## Omnium11

Looking good cerb, glad the water weight from the binging is gone, looks like you're going to win the contest
---------------

I did an 11 mile run yesterday. I'm 164.5 pounds, looks like I've dropped 1% bf or so. Ribs are starting to come out a bit and a bit more definition in the ab area. I'm getting real bored with cutting but gonna stick through with it. Yesterday I had real good meditations, today they have been kinda crap. 

Finally bought some protein powder as well, had a nice little chat with the girl at GNC where I had almost no anxiety and it all felt really natural and there were lots of smiles etc. I felt very genuine through it like I was really being myself and not wearing a mask or hiding etc

Feel like taking some big risks before I lose motivation and get too comfortable with the status quo, I'm trying to cultivate a really open and inviting attitude with whatever life throws at me. Planning on going to a meetup group or another toastmasters or something.

Also considering taking an hour and just going around making small talk with random people.


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## Cerberus

oh, I dunno about that. I had two pretty big cheat days. Today I had panda express, dairy queen, and skittles. Yesterday I ate almost a whole bag of doritos and I ate a bowl of ice cream. I'm not too happy with myself, especially given my screw up last week. One friggin medium shake at dairy queen is 760 calories. Jesus Christ! I need to get my act together. 

I just ran 3.4 miles. I would have ran further because I wasn't winded, but my side started to really hurt. Strange. On Monday I completed my back/bicep workout. I was told today that I look like a marine because I look like I'm in really good shape. Sounds good to me.


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## STKinTHEmud

I'm back to working out and dieting again after a week of being mostly sick. I've still got a bit of a sniffle, but I'm tired of not making progress. It turns out I lost 2 lbs (and 3% bf!?) in the past week, I think because I couldn't eat much of anything for 2 days when I was REALLY sick. Still trying to figure out why I'm getting sick so much and why I've been feeling really friggin' tired lately. On my doctor's advice, I'm trying to figure out how to increase my calorie intake by about 400 cals. I'm also going to stop eating tuna (maybe it's all that mercury?). In the mean time, I'm reducing my cardio until I feel more energetic.


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## Cerberus

That sucks, STK. Good luck in feeling better and getting more energy. 



I completed my chest/tri workout today. My weight was 159.5 lbs. I figured it would be higher with all my cheating.


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## hiimnotcool

Did chest and back today plus 5 miles of terrible running. I wanted to do 3 miles at 7:15 pace but I quit at 2 miles because I forgot my headband and the sweat was stinging my eyes. 


Hahaha looks like we're all cheating lately! I drank alot of beer (3 six packs) in the past 4 days and have been eating cookies. Last night went to Applebees and had a chicken quesadilla during a drunken binge.


Screw it! My abs are starting to go away already anyway because I've stopped doing the routine so much :mum


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## millenniumman75

I am injured.
It was originally Achilles' tendon pain, but in tyring to compensate, toward the end of my run on Sunday, I hurt the outer side (arch) of my left foot. I was in some pain. Monday, I tried to run, but the pain shot through my foot so I had to walk a mile, and then ran another couple of miles. 

I think I need to skip tonight's run and see how my foot is on Friday. If I do any exercising tonight or tomorrow, it'll be by bicycle so it won't be too much for my foot.


----------



## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> I am injured.
> It was originally Achilles' tendon pain, but in tyring to compensate, toward the end of my run on Sunday, I hurt the outer side (arch) of my left foot. I was in some pain. Monday, I tried to run, but the pain shot through my foot so I had to walk a mile, and then ran another couple of miles.
> 
> I think I need to skip tonight's run and see how my foot is on Friday. If I do any exercising tonight or tomorrow, it'll be by bicycle so it won't be too much for my foot.


Oh no! That is so upsetting and discouraging. Having some rest could be just what the doctor ordered and riding a bike is a good form of exercise in its own right. I've started a transition to minimalist running because they say it helps decrease the chance of injury..so far my shins and knees hurt a bit but I'm just ignoring it for now. It's more of an ache than actual pain so hopefully it stays that way or even better just go away completely.


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## millenniumman75

Thanks, man. It still hurts a little when I walk on it, but it is not that bad.
It's been storming all night - would not have run anyway. It's best to probably not do much on it for a few days - I have been using Absorbine, Jr. on it - it smells like eucalyptus so it'll clear my nose, too :lol.


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## STKinTHEmud

Sucks about the injury, millennium. Hope you feel better.

I just bought a pound of 85% lean turkey on a whim thinking that it would be better for me (and tastier) than the fish I was eating. Turns out it has 17g of fat per 4 oz patty. Doh. Ah well, I'm going to eat it anyway and pretend that it's healthy.

I've been feeling really depressed lately, so I'm taking the night off from work and worrying about work to try to think happy thoughts. Here's one: a woman showed signs of interest in me a few weeks ago. Granted she was drunk and it made me really uncomfortable, but still.


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## Cerberus

well, my food choices this week have been pretty ****ty (I'm eating a big bowl of ice cream right now), mostly because I'm having trouble maintaining a good routine because I'm moving. Still, most of what I've eaten has been healthy, and I can still see my abs poking through. After I'm done moving these next few days, I shouldn't have a problem getting back into the routine of eating healthy. 

Still, I really need to keep my diet in check, even when I'm going through stressful life changes. If I can't maintain eating healthy even when I'm stressed, then how am I going to survive stressful jobs? What I've done and have been doing isn't just a summer event -- I mean to stay committed to a healhty lifestyle. That said, I don't think my slip ups these past few weeks have harmed my progress to any significant extent. I'm viewing my slip ups as just hiccups in my overall progress.


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## millenniumman75

I ran the six miles last night - I ended up buying new inserts for the shoes I have been using. I tried to shift the focus back to the Achilles' tendon. I did hobble a bit, but there was really no pain. I was consciously avoiding it, though.

The foot pain has only slightly come back, but it is minimal. I used some more Absorbine, Jr. on it and it seems fine. I also stretched a bit more as HiIm suggested.

I have today off, too, so I can relax a bit.


----------



## huh

^ Sounds like it was a fast recovery at least, which is good 

I'm going to start jogging again tomorrow morning. I walked six miles both today and yesterday. The weather was great, really nice for being out and walking a bit. I haven't had any pain in my leg for a few days now. I've tried jogging on it a little already and it feels good. If I start to feel anything weird tomorrow though, then I'm going to lay off it again. The last time I thought it was better and decided to jog on it again I made it worse.

The worst part is going to be making sure I can get up early enough again so I have enough time before work =/


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## STKinTHEmud

Quick question for you guys: What do you think of the simple sugars in fruits? I've read that we should get 3 servings of fruit per day, but also that we should avoid simple sugars. Currently, I'm drinking a v8 fusion (the equivalent of 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of vegetables) in my first meal and an orange and a banana in my second meal. What's the best way to to go about getting fruits without too many simple sugars?


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

my ankles got pretty bashed up at softball last Tuesday and I took the week off. it was probably the right idea considering the humidity. I finally stepped on a scale and I'm down to 127 and someone at work today told me that she thought I had lost weight. I ran the 1.5 today and felt pretty decent considering the week off.


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## Cerberus

I completed my back/bi workout today, and I ran roughly four miles. My diet is still crap. I had taco bell and panda express today, but I think that was offset enough by all my exercising. I finally went to the grocery store to pick up some healthy food, so my diet should be healthy (most of the time) henceforth. 


I'm not sure about the fruit, STK. I usually don't eat any fruit, except for post workout, but I don't think it makes much of a difference. I don't know, though.


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## millenniumman75

What's Panda Express?

Fruit sugar is okay. It's not processed, which is a hindrance to losing weight since it can turn easily to fat.


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

so its been 2 and a half months since I've been running and I've noticed a big change. physically, I'm looking better but does the running ever fight off the depression and all the gross things that go with it. I'm still very anxious and nervous but its like I am feeding off that anxiety and being more social. I've noticed at softball I've been getting out of the comfort zone and chatting up random people. the other day I was coaching 1st and struck up a conversation with the 1st baseman who is from New York, about whether he was a Yanks or Mets fan. this is big for me. the biggest thing is I don't think I am horribly ugly these days. most of the time I can barely look myself in the mirror but I kind of don't mind my looks so much now. I've noticed the new attitude has been generating a lot of compliments in the last month. I'm a bit nervous about the winter and what it might bring but I'm gonna try to stick to the running routine at the gym.


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## millenniumman75

Yes, you are channeling the nervous energy outward. The more weight you lose, the better you feel about yourself and the way you carry it - it's confidence.


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## STKinTHEmud

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> so its been 2 and a half months since I've been running and I've noticed a big change. physically, I'm looking better but does the running ever fight off the depression and all the gross things that go with it. I'm still very anxious and nervous but its like I am feeding off that anxiety and being more social. I've noticed at softball I've been getting out of the comfort zone and chatting up random people. the other day I was coaching 1st and struck up a conversation with the 1st baseman who is from New York, about whether he was a Yanks or Mets fan. this is big for me. the biggest thing is I don't think I am horribly ugly these days. most of the time I can barely look myself in the mirror but I kind of don't mind my looks so much now. I've noticed the new attitude has been generating a lot of compliments in the last month. I'm a bit nervous about the winter and what it might bring but I'm gonna try to stick to the running routine at the gym.


It's great to hear you're feeling a bit better! I don't know about you, but I don't think I should rely on exercise alone to feel better about ourselves. That's why I'm also practicing challenging negative thoughts.

Holy crap, I just had a cup of coffee before my workout, and it increased my strength and endurance significantly. And only about a decade ago I seem to recall people saying that we should avoid caffeine before training.

I'm a bit tired now and my head is a bit stuffy. I hope I'm not getting sick again.


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## Cerberus

Panda Express is American Chinese fast food. It's really good, but bloody hell is it unhealthy. 

Nice work, IHeart. Good job on the progress. 

I completed my chest/tri workout today. I tried to race someone who's been running constantly for years, and I got my *** kicked. I didn't even finish the race because his pace was insanely fast. Oh well. If I keep running, I'm pretty damn sure I could beat him one day. My weight was at 157 lbs today, and I've been eating healthy again. My abs are poking through more and more.


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## hiimnotcool

Yooo

Just got done running 7 miles. It didn't feel very great and I was pretty tired near the end of it so that sucks! Other than that I haven't been working out very much. I think I'll pick it up again next week.

Cerb, you win the ab contest! LOL yours are coming in more and more and mine are going away by the day.

Good job everybody! I wonder how Om is doing?!


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## Cerberus

Om has apparently disappeared.

bout time I won the contest. Naw, I need to build up my abs a bit more to fill out this squishy fat or loose skin or whatever is left on my stomach. It also depends on the lighting whether my abs are showing or not, and I have to flex.

Don't mind the goofy look on my face.










I just ran roughly four miles. Running four miles on Monday was easy, but today it was pretty difficult (my limbs were tired the whole time). I wonder what I should eat after running. I've just been having a protein shake. Any of you guys know what's best to eat after running?


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## millenniumman75

Cerberus,

I think that is skin, man. If I looked like that, my wife would never let me leave the house - and I am not married!


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## Omnium11

Hey guys, I'm doing pretty good over here. I am probably going to start school here in a bit. Never thought I would ever be doing that cause I really hated school. I've been in the house more than I should lately. Haven't left the house for about 5-6 days. Quit smoking though finally lol!! This is like day 7 or 8 and haven't even thought about cigs for the last couple days

My diet has been pretty good the last 3-4 days, before that I had a day and a half binge where I ate probably 4500 calories one day and 3000 the next. I haven't weighed myself for a while but I think I am about 163ish or so. Sort of dissapointing that my weight has really slowed down.Then again I think I am looking much more defined and muscular. I think because I have a small frame and really skinny bones I look a lot thinner than I actually am. Also I can do about 7-8 chinups now! Chinups are def my favorite exercise, they seem to work a lot better than pullups for me and feel a lot more natural. Running has been great for me lately. I bumped up my mph to 7 and like to throw in a few 9 mph intervals. Ran 5 miles today, 6.9 yesterday. Today I did the 5 miles in 40 minutes so am proud about that. 

I pullled a Cerberus and played Age of Empires 2 for a long long time without a break. Woke up started playing it stayed up all night and well into the next day playing it. Really screwed up my schedule and was bad for me mentally, I can't believe how addicting strategy games can be. Was interesting how my mind started going back to all the old patterns, became anxious with a lot of tension etc, negative thoughts etc. Even got into an argument with my sister, which really sucked because 2 days before my and my sister had a really good time together, which is nice because I've never had a great relationship with her. Made clear just how much better I am doing mentally now than I was when I was on the internet all the time compulsively surfing web / gaming. The good news is that with a couple hours of meditation I'm out of that mental state. The hard part was making myself meditate cause my mind was resisting it so much. Times like this that you can lose motivation and revert back to old habits. Glad I'm still hanging in there.

So I guess things have been pretty good, could be better, I seem to be set on getting down to 10% bf before I really move on with the more social aspects of the transformation. Seems like in a way I am in limbo and am not willing to go full potential until I get down to 10% bf. Weird hangup about body image I guess.

--------------------

Great job everyone. Glad everyone is still here and well on their way to transformation success.


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## Cerberus

ahahah Om, I love how you called it "pulled a Cerberus." Yeah, those addictive games can really screw people up. Glad to see you back and posting. Nice work quitting smoking, and great job on the weight loss! We three all weigh about the same now. Funny how that's working out. What body fat percentage would you say you're at now? You're probably not far away from 10 percent.

Thanks, mill! I think it's a combination of skin and a little bit of fat. I'm pretty satisfied with my transformation and I'm not really trying too hard to cut anymore (although I will continue to eat healthy; I'm not going to yo-yo). I'm going to work on a body recomp now, I think. What I really need to work on now is getting a girlfriend and some friends.


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## hiimnotcool

Figured I should take a picture of my abs now. They're actually not as bad as I thought. Maybe even with not working them out the running is still burning fat to make them show?

Here is two. One without pulling fat down and one with pulling it.


To answer your question about what to eat...I would try to get some carbs in as well. Maybe mix some fruit with your protein shake. Chocolate milk is actually a really good recovery drink for running too.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

You guys are just looking great and buff and that hard work shows! I'm in awe because I still remember how you guys looked when you started. You guys are totally different now lol. Although I want to see Omiron, because I bet he looks like a beast now. 

Cerebus, that's skin dude. That's the result of over burning and muscles shrinkage. You are a skinny like me and the more you work out, the more you realize how much you are truly burning, which is a load. I would start adding some fruit, have a couple of bananas, some apples, anything to replenish calories in addition to that protein shake. 

HimNotCool, you abs are starting to be badass. You don't really need to work that abs often as long as you are working out abs effectively when you do and you seem to have good principles ingrained. Otherwise, just running alone will knock that fat out and get them to show. Keep it up!


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## STKinTHEmud

Yep, I think Cerb and hiim won the ab competition (Cerb gets 2 extra points for the 8 pack). Looking great guys. Cerb: I usually get a protein shake right after my workout, then a good mix of protein, carbs, and a bit of fat for my post-post workout meal (about an hour after my workout).

Om: Good to hear you quit smoking. I know how that addiction works too, man. For me, it was Starcraft. Now, I'm a bit addicted to RPGMaker, trying to make an RPG script I wrote into a game (yep, I'm a bit of a geek). Keep staying positive.

Lost a pound last week, and another this week, so I'm down to 171 lbs. According to my scale, I'm down to around 13.5% bf, which means that apparently I've lost 1% bf in the past 2 weeks (but I don't believe it).

Just went to see some bands play at a club. Heard an awesome band called Kozmonaut, but I have no idea how to get their music.


----------



## huh

Well, I jogged 4 out of 7 days this week. I've been trying to do every other day so I get a rest to let my body catch up a bit. I think it's helped. I started at 4 miles at the beginning of the week and now I'm at 5. I was at 6 before I injured myself, so I'll work back up to it. I also weighed myself again and now I'm at 131. So I lost about 6 lbs in a month. So a little over a 1lb a week. I guess that's a pretty healthy amount to lose. Considering my height and build, I could probably lose another 5 lbs, maybe a bit more.


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## millenniumman75

I don't know how you guys increase distance so fast! It took me eight years to run 6 miles consistently. 

Well, I don't time myself either. I go at my own pace. If I time myself, I look at the clock on the wall before and after my run :lol


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## Cerberus

You're looking really good, hiim. Nice work. 

Nice work, everyone, and thanks for the support and advice. 

I attempted to run four miles today, but I only made it to 2.5-3 miles. I ran out of energy at about that distance and my side started to really hurt. I basically ran/walked the rest of the four miles. Oh well, I'm somewhat satisfied with a 2.5-3 mile run. I'll get to four miles next time. 

oh, and I went a drunken binge last night. I probably consumed around 5,000 calories. heh


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## millenniumman75

I ran six miles - not as fast as I would like, but I was kinda tired.


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## zomgz

millenniumman75 said:


> I ran six miles - not as fast as I would like, but I was kinda tired.


that's good! that's almost 10k! . i like saying 10k because it sounds more than 6miles haha. keep it up!, running is like the best exercise ever imo. it boosts your immune system, helps you age more gracefully and keeps you looking younger, gives you nice legs =), helps with weight loss a bunch, helps you keep the weight off, and it's fun!


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## hiimnotcool

7 miles today and felt pretty good. Mostly at a slow pace but got one of the miles in 7:03 and 6:58 and that was a pretty conservative effort. I kind of want to go out for another quick 2-3 miler just for fun.


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## Cerberus

I love the feeling I can get during and after running: runner's high, I guess. I just ran four miles and it was much easier than the last two times I ran it. I also completed my back/bicep workout yesterday. 

I bought a big bag of broccoli the other day because getting enough veggies has been my weak point in my diet. I kind of like them actually.


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## millenniumman75

I just don't have the speed like some of these beanpoles. I have big legs like a speedskater. They're more for power than for speed. I actually have the same body type as Arnold Schwarzenegger. He and my dad were from the same area of the world.

Anyway :lol, on my day off from running, I had time to ride my bike for about five or six miles this evening before it got too dark.


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## Atticus

Great thread everybody. Some really nice progress and the support you all offer each other is inspiring, too.


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## hightimes2

figured i would post my transformation. i started January 1st and it took about 6 months of consistency. good luck to all


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## Cerberus

^Incredible transformation. Amazing.


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## hiimnotcool

yeah, amazing!

can you give some details about what you did??


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## Cerberus

I ran four miles today. I almost didn't run, but now I could kick myself for even thinking of skipping out on running. The feeling I get during and after running is too damn good to skip out on. I love running. Oh, and I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday.


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## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I ran four miles today. I almost didn't run, but now I could kick myself for even thinking of skipping out on running. The feeling I get during and after running is too damn good to skip out on. I love running. Oh, and I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday.


hahaha! it sounds like you're hooked man! most people that dont run dont realize how relaxing it really is. it's one of the best feelings in the world to be out there and everything is just feeling perfect and each step is smooth.

i did 5 miles today and it was one of the best runs ive had so far. just felt super easy and serene. i've got another 5k race this Saturday and i'm hoping to be in the mid 20's or so.

i started working out again yesterday. did chest, shoulders and tri's.

then i set up the pull up bar downstairs and now everytime i walk into the room i do 5 chin ups and 10 hanging ab crunches.


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## millenniumman75

I rode my bike six miles tonight - went to the bank, the drugstore to pick up my emergency Paxil meds (I have been on half-doses for the last two months in waiting for a new doctor; the meds would have run out four days before my first appointment!), and then home. I also rode Tuesday night - both nights are my off nights from running.


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## STKinTHEmud

Wow! Nice work hightimes. Yeah, give us some details. What supplements did you take?


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## Lithium4

Awesome thread guys. I really got a lot from reading it. I'm planning on getting back into running again after taking pretty much all summer off (I just can't do it in the heat). Despite my almost total lack of cardio, I still managed to lose a bit of fat, so I'm hoping to kick that up once I start running again.

I've been focusing on my lifting all summer though, with some success, although I'm starting to plateau on most of my workout. I had been adding 5 LBS on average every couple of weeks or so to most of my exercises, but now I don't seem to be gaining any additional strength. Any tips?


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## hightimes2

STKinTHEmud said:


> Wow! Nice work hightimes. Yeah, give us some details. What supplements did you take?


A solid high protein, low carb, moderate fat diet was key. All you need is a calorie deficit and you will lose weight. My diet was very strict and I allowed myself one meal a week to eat whatever I wanted to keep myself sane.

The only supplements I took were a Multivitamin and Whey Protein.

Good luck to all!


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## STKinTHEmud

Lithium4 said:


> I've been focusing on my lifting all summer though, with some success, although I'm starting to plateau on most of my workout. I had been adding 5 LBS on average every couple of weeks or so to most of my exercises, but now I don't seem to be gaining any additional strength. Any tips?


I think it depends on your diet. The best way to increase your lifts and muscle mass in the long run imo is by increasing your calorie intake. Maybe you're already getting lots of calories, I don't know, but in case you're not, here's what I would recommend.

1: Go here
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
and calculate your maintenance calories intake. Then add 500 (to start with) and that will be your initial calorie intake (if you're not gaining weight within the first week or 2, increase by 200 cals).
2: Plan a diet from which 35% of your cals come from protein, 35% from carbs, and 30% from fat.

I hit a plateau a long time ago and didn't break it until I tried this. Of course, don't plan on being able to show off a six pack anytime soon. You'll gain a bit of fat.



hightimes2 said:


> A solid high protein, low carb, moderate fat diet was key. All you need is a calorie deficit and you will lose weight. My diet was very strict and I allowed myself one meal a week to eat whatever I wanted to keep myself sane.
> 
> The only supplements I took were a Multivitamin and Whey Protein.
> 
> Good luck to all!


Sounds a lot like what I'm doing now. Of course I go equal amounts protein and carbs. Good to know I'm on the right track! Thanks hightimes!


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## Cerberus

I completed my leg/shoulder workout today. My weight was at 156 lbs, which is strange because I've been eating more. It's probably just water weight.


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## Lithium4

STK, I think that's probably it. I've actually been trying to lose fat at the same time as building strength, so I tend to aim for a small calorie deficit, while still getting lots of protein. It's probably not realistic for me to expect big gains with that kind of diet though. I may try to up my protein intake without increasing my calories too much to see if that helps. 

What about sets/reps? I almost always do 3 sets at 10-12 reps of whatever I'm doing, but I've talked to some people who mix it up with some lower weight, higher rep sets. Is there anythig to that?


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## hiimnotcool

Did the 5k today and came in at 20:40. Not too disappointed considering there was wind blowing right into all of us on the backstretch. I'm actually pretty stoked that I can keep a 6:39 pace for that long considering like 95% of my runs are 8:30 or slower when I run by myself :b


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## Cerberus

I attempted my four mile run today, but I had to stop at around 3.5 miles because . . . Surprise! My friggin side started killing me again. These side pains are so frustrating.


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## millenniumman75

My run was kind of slow tonight, too. Part of it was in light rain. It has been a while since I have had to run in the rain like that :lol.

Cerberus - 'been there. The only thing you can do is try to take deep breaths and stretch a little bit - they are hard to get through .


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## hiimnotcool

Ugh, sorry to hear about the side stitch. Those are seriously the worst. I get them very rarely but when I do it just ruins the whole run. I just exhale REALLY hard on the opposite side of the stitch multiple times and it usually just goes away. I guess it might not work for everyone, though.


Good job with your run in the rain Mill! Those ones are rather peaceful. I ran 4.1 miles this morning in a DOWNPOUR and it felt pretty good. That made 33 miles on the week. 


This week I'm gonna try for 38 miles!


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## Makaveli

hiimnotcool said:


> Ugh, sorry to hear about the side stitch. Those are seriously the worst. I get them very rarely but when I do it just ruins the whole run. I just exhale REALLY hard on the opposite side of the stitch multiple times and it usually just goes away. I guess it might not work for everyone, though.
> 
> Good job with your run in the rain Mill! Those ones are rather peaceful. I ran 4.1 miles this morning in a DOWNPOUR and it felt pretty good. That made 33 miles on the week.
> 
> This week I'm gonna try for 38 miles!


Jesus you're keen! 33 miles is like 50kms a week. That's unreal. I'm such a lazy **** with exercise and working out. My motivation levels are sporadic.

I'm not really a fan of running I'm lazy plus not sure if I should be running around an oval outdoors, running around the block, or just on a treadmill.

SA plays a role in that I guess


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## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Ugh, sorry to hear about the side stitch. Those are seriously the worst. I get them very rarely but when I do it just ruins the whole run. I just exhale REALLY hard on the opposite side of the stitch multiple times and it usually just goes away. I guess it might not work for everyone, though.
> 
> Good job with your run in the rain Mill! Those ones are rather peaceful. I ran 4.1 miles this morning in a DOWNPOUR and it felt pretty good. That made 33 miles on the week.
> 
> This week I'm gonna try for 38 miles!


yeah, I make sure to inhale and exhale when my left foot hits the ground, and when my side starts hurting, I'll breath out hard on my left foot to try and stop the side pain. It works on a mild side stitch, but with the more intense side stitches, it doesn't. I get plenty of water (hell, I probably drink two gallons or more of water a day), and I generally get enough carbs for fuel. I wish I knew why in the hell I keep getting these side stitches.

Oh, and I completed my back/bicep workout today.


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## STKinTHEmud

Lithium4 said:


> What about sets/reps? I almost always do 3 sets at 10-12 reps of whatever I'm doing, but I've talked to some people who mix it up with some lower weight, higher rep sets. Is there anythig to that?


What you do sounds fine to me, and I don't think alternating heavy and light sets help much. Everything I've read from pros on bodybuilding websites suggest to always go heavy with your lifts (except for warmup sets). Personally, I like to do 6-12 reps per set (recommended by most pros I think) and I always try to go to failure. I like do 2-4 sets per exercise.

Try not to listen too much to what other amateurs are telling you to do though. It might work for them, but it might not work for you. Instead, do you own research on the net. Also, try to avoid buying into workout fads. I think that at the end of the day, the best way to workout is to stick with tried and true routines.


----------



## huh

Weird...my right knee was feeling off this past week, and then my left ankle started to get sore. I decided to do my jog anyways and it seems that once I got halfway through the pain just went away. I was able to go 7 miles without stopping. I also saw an old friend on the trail today too...kinda awkward.

I don't feel sore at all from either. Usually if something hurts before I jog, then it hurts worse later that night...but not today, for whatever reason. Too bad it's starting to get light out too late in the morning, it doesn't give me enough time to jog before work now.

BTW: This site is very nice for finding your jogging/running/walking distance : www.mapmyrun.com


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## Cerberus

I completed my four mile run today. It was a pretty good run.


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## complex

You have inspired me I would love to do the same thing I just got back from working out for an hour and a half and feel great even though its 1am! I may do the same thing I love that you are using this as a journal but get so much support! I really would like to do this can you tell me where you got the idea and the will power. Seriously you have inspired me!


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

ugh, I've been sick since Friday night with a disgusting summer cold so I only struggled miserably through a run on Sunday morning. I've been walking home from work (about an hour if I walk briskly) just to keep in some kind of shape and oddly enough I get horrible side pains from walking too fast for too long though I never get them when I run. anyway I hope this cold ****s off by the weekend cause I've been dying to run.


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## pokeherpro

Im gunna have to go through and read what I can of this thread, cause I started a "total transformation" plan today. I had been wanting to do it for a while, but I finally decided that I want a real happy(self confidence) instead of a fake happy(weed, fast food). I'm eating 1800 calories a day, aiming for 45% carbs, 35% protein and 20% fat.

I was going to start trying to eat right before adding an exercise program but since I knew I'd start out with short amounts of exercise, I figured I'd start today. I did as many good form push-up's as I could(6 hahahaha) and as many good form sit-up's I could on an exercise ball(10 hahahaha) and then jumped onto the elliptical machine I have in my bedroom. I warmed up at a slow/medium pace, maybe 3 out of 10, for 3 minutes, then immediately started sprinting(8.5 out of 10) for 20 seconds, followed by 40 seconds of a slow walk(3 out of 10). I repeated the 20/40 split 4 times, and then went slow for a 3 minute cooldown. 
Here's the thing though, eventually, I want to do that 10 minute exercise routine, 3 times in a row, for 30 minutes, and only 4-5 times a week cause I just can't exercise every single day.

So, good diet + exercise = fat loss. And I have a lot to let go of haha. 
I weighed 207 pounds this morning. I'm 5'10 and my goal is 160 but Im giving myself til April to get there. Immediate goal is to be under 200 by the end of September.

Good luck everyone.


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

sounds good, I hope it goes well. I have a friend who was about your height and he went from 240 to 160 in about six months so I think your goal sounds very realistic. exercise will be good for your mood when the Bruins come back down to earth this winter.
hahaha.


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## pokeherpro

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> sounds good, I hope it goes well. I have a friend who was about your height and he went from 240 to 160 in about six months so I think your goal sounds very realistic. exercise will be good for your mood when the Bruins come back down to earth this winter.
> hahaha.


Hey, if I add a boxing routine for my exercise program, then not only would I get in shape, I may get a contract offer from the Habs to play on their fourth line. God knows no hockey skills are needed for that job.
:lol


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

didn't Glen Metropolit centre your second line like two years ago?


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## hiimnotcool

Did 7 miles again this morning. 27 miles in 4 days with a 10-11 mile run planned for Saturday. My knee is kind of sore..


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## millenniumman75

That's a lot of running! Be careful!


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## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> That's a lot of running! Be careful!


Yeah, it is for sure. I'm building up mileage though so it's necessary. It's not 'pain' in my knee but just soreness because it's adapting. I will be up to 70-80 mile weeks by the end of the year!


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## pokeherpro

Man...that's 3 marathon's a week. Does not sound like such a good idea lol.


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## Cerberus

holy ****, hiim. Good luck. 



I tried to run four miles today but my side gave me trouble yet again. I made it to about two miles, and I ended up having to run/walk the rest of the way. Hills seem to give me the most trouble with my side. Maybe I should change my route, so I won't be constantly going up and down hills, irritating my side. I dunno. I don't want to stop. 

Welcome aboard, pokeherpro, and good luck.


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## pokeherpro

I cant seem to quit smoking weed for more than a day, so I feel Im going to need all the luck I can get. Thanks.


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## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> holy ****, hiim. Good luck.
> 
> I tried to run four miles today but my side gave me trouble yet again. I made it to about two miles, and I ended up having to run/walk the rest of the way. Hills seem to give me the most trouble with my side. Maybe I should change my route, so I won't be constantly going up and down hills, irritating my side. I dunno. I don't want to stop.
> 
> Welcome aboard, pokeherpro, and good luck.


Alright dude, how fast are you going on your runs? If you're going anything faster than 9:00 minutes per mile then slow down. I am almost certain you're trying to push yourself each time you go out to run but that's not what you want to do at all. I guarantee if you slowed down a bit and just enjoyed the run without thinking about finishing then you'd get through with it. When Om first started this thread I was running 2.5 miles and tried to go through it really fast.....then I slowed down and just enjoyed it. Now I'm running 7 miles at a pace faster than the 2.5 miles I was doing 3 months ago. It just happens when you get adapted. Sorry for the rambling, i'm super drunk....


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Alright dude, how fast are you going on your runs? If you're going anything faster than 9:00 minutes per mile then slow down. I am almost certain you're trying to push yourself each time you go out to run but that's not what you want to do at all. I guarantee if you slowed down a bit and just enjoyed the run without thinking about finishing then you'd get through with it. When Om first started this thread I was running 2.5 miles and tried to go through it really fast.....then I slowed down and just enjoyed it. Now I'm running 7 miles at a pace faster than the 2.5 miles I was doing 3 months ago. It just happens when you get adapted. Sorry for the rambling, i'm super drunk....


I'm actually running roughly nine minutes per mile. Also, I've been building up my millage gradually (I started running in early July, for christ's sake). I started at 1.5 miles, slowly built my way up to 2.5 miles in probably 2-4 weeks, and probably after about 3-4 weeks, I made my way up to four miles. I really think I've been reasonable about my progress.

I suppose I could slow down a bit more, but I actually don't have much trouble about thoughts of wanting to get done as fast as possible. And I feel like I'm going at a good pace. I don't get winded on my four mile runs; I just get these side aches on, what seems like, half of my runs. It's seemingly random and it's pissing me off.


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my leg/shoulder workout yesterday. i also got wasted yesterday and I'm making today a giant cheat day for myself. Still, I can't help but feel guilty eating the fast food I've eaten so far today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Ran 12 miles today to make it 39.46 miles for the week.


Definitely taking tomorrow off and watching football!


----------



## Cerberus

Alright. This time I decided to focus on my breathing more than usual and to try and keep my pace steady, so as to avoid the dreaded side stitch. It was a success AND I increased my mileage to roughtly 5.5 miles tonight. I ran pretty fast the last half mile, gradually increasing my speed until I was sprinting. I was able to keep my breathing under control while sprinting for the most part. It was a really good run. It was really peaceful and I feel really great right now. I hope that if I continue to work on my breathing, I'll be able to avoid any side pains.


----------



## zomgz

I usually just do 6.2mi every other day. I don't even know what that averages out to weekly haha. I go at a 10:00 min pace, not too slow not too fast .


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> Alright. This time I decided to focus on my breathing more than usual and to try and keep my pace steady, so as to avoid the dreaded side stitch. It was a success AND I increased my mileage to roughtly 5.5 miles tonight. I ran pretty fast the last half mile, gradually increasing my speed until I was sprinting. I was able to keep my breathing under control while sprinting for the most part. It was a really good run. It was really peaceful and I feel really great right now. I hope that if I continue to work on my breathing, I'll be able to avoid any side pains.


Dang, good job. Hopefully that will keep working for you.

5.5 miles is a really good distance too..I remember just a few months ago we were all running a mile or two :b


----------



## hiimnotcool

zomgz said:


> I usually just do 6.2mi every other day. I don't even know what that averages out to weekly haha. I go at a 10:00 min pace, not too slow not too fast .


That'd be about 25 miles a week!


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Dang, good job. Hopefully that will keep working for you.
> 
> 5.5 miles is a really good distance too..I remember just a few months ago we were all running a mile or two :b


Yup, we've all come very far, although Om has apparently run off a cliff or something. heh I wonder how his progress is coming along.

----

I completed my four mile run today. I had trouble keeping my breathing as controlled as my last run (I'm thinking it was because I brought my ipod with me this time and the music messed with my pacing), but I didn't get a side ache. It was a pretty good run. And I completed my back/bicep workout yesterday.


----------



## Omnium11

Argh the last 2 weeks have been pretty damn bad for me. I alternated between binging and starving myself and then finally binged for about 6 days straight, eating things like ice cream, mcdonalds etc. So far this is my 2nd day of eating clean and I'm at 173.2 now. Was pretty nasty because eat time I would succumb to binging I would get really depressed and it was like I had absolutely no willpower. I would always make excuses for why I wanted to eat and then I would make more excuses 'I just ate that so now I might as well eat this piece of pie' etc 'I'll just try again tomorrow' 'wth I might as well start bulking' etc. 

Well thank god that's over with (hopefully). I ended up going through rages where I would lash out and then intense depression when I was trying to go to sleep. The last night I binged something in me clicked I think though. I think I am over this for now. Feeling pretty good again. Still hanging in there! The good news is that I lifted weights during the 6 days of the binge and think I put on some muscle. Also My willpower seems to be really good again.

I haven't had time to catch up with everyone and am going running right now but hope everyone is doing well!!! Will check back in brb


----------



## Lithium4

Ugh! I haven't worked out in a week and I'm already starting to make excuses why I can wait one more day. The last time I did that, I stopped working out for about a year.

Tomorrow, at 5:30pm I'm hitting the gym. If anyone sees me on here, give me hell.


----------



## Cerberus

Omnium11 said:


> Argh the last 2 weeks have been pretty damn bad for me. I alternated between binging and starving myself and then finally binged for about 6 days straight, eating things like ice cream, mcdonalds etc. So far this is my 2nd day of eating clean and I'm at 173.2 now. Was pretty nasty because eat time I would succumb to binging I would get really depressed and it was like I had absolutely no willpower. I would always make excuses for why I wanted to eat and then I would make more excuses 'I just ate that so now I might as well eat this piece of pie' etc 'I'll just try again tomorrow' 'wth I might as well start bulking' etc.
> 
> Well thank god that's over with (hopefully). I ended up going through rages where I would lash out and then intense depression when I was trying to go to sleep. The last night I binged something in me clicked I think though. I think I am over this for now. Feeling pretty good again. Still hanging in there! The good news is that I lifted weights during the 6 days of the binge and think I put on some muscle. Also My willpower seems to be really good again.
> 
> I haven't had time to catch up with everyone and am going running right now but hope everyone is doing well!!! Will check back in brb


Maybe you should try to maintain what you have for a while. It would be easier psychologically, I would think. At your height, your BMI is about the same as mine right now. Also, if you do cheat or binge one day, it's better just to forget about it and move on, instead of beating yourself up about it. Starving yourself to compensate will just make matters worse, as you found out. Good luck on keeping your diet clean.

-------------

My weight was at 162 lbs today, but my abs are still showing, so maybe I gained some muscle. I ran four miles yesterday and I completed my chest/tri workout today.


----------



## hiimnotcool

I'm 153 now despite eating alot more unhealthy food and drinking alot of beer. I will probably go down even lower as I continue to run more. I think I'd be fine weighing 145-150 as long as I don't look like a stick. As far as working out, I've been doing push ups here and there and 5 pull ups/chin ups and 10-12hanging ab crunches everytime I take a piss. I figure that's actually probably enough strength work because I don't want any unneeded mass. 

I did 5 really easy miles today. Feelin good.

Cerb, that's good that your abs are showing even though your weight is going up. I had a suspicion that you might feel a bit better if you gained a little weight back.


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> I'm 153 now despite eating alot more unhealthy food and drinking alot of beer. I will probably go down even lower as I continue to run more. I think I'd be fine weighing 145-150 as long as I don't look like a stick. As far as working out, I've been doing push ups here and there and 5 pull ups/chin ups and 10-12hanging ab crunches everytime I take a piss. I figure that's actually probably enough strength work because I don't want any unneeded mass.
> 
> I did 5 really easy miles today. Feelin good.
> 
> Cerb, that's good that your abs are showing even though your weight is going up. I had a suspicion that you might feel a bit better if you gained a little weight back.


Well, I'm not entirely sure it isn't water weight. I need to get some bodyfat calipers so that I can keep close track of my bodyfat percentage.

Make sure you keep your protein intake up. Being a long distance runner can cause you to lose your muscle if you're not careful. However, if your goal is to be a really fast long distance runner, losing muscle probably wouldn't be such a bad thing. Marathon runners tend to look pretty thin.


----------



## Omnium11

Hello to all the new faces! Glad to see everyone still here as well



Cerberus said:


> Maybe you should try to maintain what you have for a while. It would be easier psychologically, I would think. At your height, your BMI is about the same as mine right now. Also, if you do cheat or binge one day, it's better just to forget about it and move on, instead of beating yourself up about it. Starving yourself to compensate will just make matters worse, as you found out. Good luck on keeping your diet clean.


Yeah I am definitely going a bit easier. No really long runs or anything and my calories are about 1700-2000 a day right now. So a bit below maintenance. My parents think I have an eating disorder they're probably right. I'm just real glad that I kept trying every day even if I failed I would get up the next and try again. This is the sort of thing that always used to kill my transformations. Woohoo proud of myself! That was a humbling and scary week or so. Was pretty bad off mentally. Felt like once again I was failing and was worried I was gonna slip back into those old bad habits and transformation would have ended. Just got to keep trying and never give up I guess! Just got to make room for more hard times in the future, work on my black and white thinking.

------------------------------------------------

STK: That's really awesome man I always wanted to get into RPG Maker. I like making games a lot more than I like playing them anymore. I am gonna get back into programming here shortly. One of my goals is to start up tomorrow. I found the old source code for my text based RPG I was making during my last transformation, was impressed with how much I learned and at some of the advanced stuff I was doing (relatively for me anyway). Hope I can remember it all again and pick it all back up.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright tomorrow I weigh myself again interested to see where I'm at and how much damage the binge did. I have done 3 or 4 applications so far so am progressing in that whole unemployment thing. Mentally I am doing good again. I think I really grew during the last couple weeks. Its the hard times in life where the breakthroughs come and you have the most growth. A lot of issues really came to the surface. I had a lot of thoughts like 'How much do I really want this? (To be free of my mental problems and social anxiety)' 'How far am I willing to go?' 'Am I willing to be completely humiliated and embarrassed?' 'Am I willing to completely fail?' 'Do I want this enough that I am willing to die?' etc etc. No more half a$$ing it, but when this all really clicked I just felt different hard to explain. Try it out though anyone next time you are going through some really hard stuff. Gives you a real sense of freedom, once you see that you really are willing to face anything.

I want this more than I want to be safe and comfortable. This used to not be true for me but now it is, I was never really willing to risk it all or to really put it all on the line. I feel now that I am really willing to risk it all and take whatever comes and whatever life throws at me. No more hiding, no more running away. This all came to me while I was in the midst of a real deep depression in a moment of real clarity and humbleness.

I actually feel like I have balls for the first time in my life. A deep feeling like I have nothing to lose and I am willing to face anything. There's a nice subtle peacefulness or freedom in the background.

Its hard to explain but I also have a strange feeling like life is giving me exactly what I need to wake me up. All a matter of perspective. Life provides the stimulus you provide the reaction. The deeper the crisis the larger the opportunity it seems. Too many weird things have happened at just the perfect moment it seems. Sometimes really nice experiences sometimes really harsh painful ones.


----------



## millenniumman75

It is good to see you back Omnium!


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## STKinTHEmud

Omnium: It's great to see you pushing through it! I dig your affirmations, man. You DO have the tools to be happy and confident. You sound to me like you're really are capable and that you're a pretty cool guy. Even though you feel bad at times, you are pushing through it and not giving up, which is more than most can say to recommend themselves. Really, the bad feelings are just challenges to test your resolve, opportunities for you to improve yourself by training yourself to get past those feelings. Eventually, I think, when you push past enough of those bad feelings, you'll be so expert at it, that you'll be able to stop most of those feelings before they even start.

A friend of mine is a computer programmer, and he got his first programming job by creating a little flash game based on his favorite anime and submitting it to his employer as an example of his abilities. Program me a flash strategy game, would you?


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## Omnium11

> It is good to see you back Omnium!


mil: Great to see you again buddy!

-----------------------
STK: Thanks man that means a lot to me, we have a real awesome group of people here in this thread

Think you hit the nail on the head with that as well^



> Program me a flash strategy game, would you?


haha hope you like ascii art

------------------------------------------
Well hot damn I just had the best run I've ever had! I loaded up my new mp3 player with some good tunes (Iron Maiden etc) and headed out to the more secluded lake near my house. There are lots of trees there and less people and it just has a cool atmosphere. Especially considering its pretty close to the foothills near Denver. Anyways I got there 45 minutes before sunset and started my run. First 3 miles or so were kind of hard, my side hurt, wasn't used to running because lately I have only done it sporadically since I've been depressed and usually for only a couple of miles. Then it just got real easy and I got in a really nice zone. There was a really nice cool breeze and the sun started setting and it was just a really cool atmosphere. Anyways I ended up going for about 9 miles or so which really blew me away because I was only initially thinking I'd do 3 or so. Miles 6-7.5 or so were really awesome because it was getting dark and I played a good really atmospheric sort of creepy black metal song all while in a really relaxed in the moment mental state.

Awesome, running really is the best therapy ever. This really cleared away the remnants of frustration and anger that still remained in me. Best I've felt in a month it seems

-------------------

Also had a pretty good back / bicep workout. My lats are definitely coming in. Tomorrow is leg day, going to start deadlifts here as well.


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## Cerberus

You should definitely include dead lifts in your lifting regime. I agree with you about running. It really helps clear my mind. Good job on your run. 

I got to six miles today, and I've had four runs in a row without a side ache!! I completed my leg/shoulder workout Friday, as well.


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## STKinTHEmud

Update and Question

2 months ago:









Now:









Current Stats: 6'1", 170 lbs, 12% BF (according to my scale)

Lost about 20 lbs in about 2 months. Looking better, but still no six pack.

I'm thinking of holding off on the six pack for now and going back to bulking. My target weight is 185 lbs and less than 10% BF, so eventually, I'll have to go back to bulking sooner or later anyway. The extra muscle would help me lose fat a bit faster since muscle burns more calories than fat. Besides, beach season is just about over (and I managed to avoid taking my shirt off in public all summer). But then again, I wouldn't be able to work on the six pack for at least 3 months.

What do you think? Should I go back to bulking or should I keep cutting and try for a six pack?

(Yes I trimmed the man-chest. It feels kinda funny.)


----------



## hiimnotcool

I'd definitely just bulk until you get to where you want to be weight/muscle wise. You probably won't be taking your shirt off in public from October-April anyway so might as well do it now. Plus, muscle burns more calories as you said, so when it comes time to getting your six pack it'll be a bit easier.


Keep that chest hair gone! I get rid of my chest hair too.


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## Cerberus

You're looking really good, STK. Big improvement. If you're going to bulk, I'd say you should work on a slow and clean bulk. If I were you, I'd keep cutting, but that's because I'd rather have less, rather than more, fat to lose after bulking. But, it's up to you. If you bulk very carefully, you could end up looking leaner. I guess it kind of depends on what would work best with your body. hiim makes a good point though, so I'm on the fence. Great job, though, and good luck with whatever you decide to do. 


--------


I just ran four miles today. I almost got a full blown side ache today, but I was able to keep it from developing by focusing on breathing right and alternating my breathing. It kept trying to creep up on me. That makes five runs down without any side aches getting the best of me. I also completed my back/bicep workout yesterday.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I just ran four miles today. I almost got a full blown side ache today, but I was able to keep it from developing by focusing on breathing right and alternating my breathing. It kept trying to creep up on me. That makes five runs down without any side aches getting the best of me. I also completed my back/bicep workout yesterday.


It's great that you finally figured out how to manipulate your body to allow you to run as far as you want. Congratulations on getting up to 6 miles earlier too! How are you guys measuring distance?

I weighed myself this morning and was at 152.2. I can't believe I've lost 18 pounds. The layer of fat on my lower stomach is slowly but surely melting away. I figure in another month or two it will be completely flat. I'm pretty happy with this transformation and I literally never would have done it without the start of this thread. It's amazing how just a simple post on a message board can be the catalyst to changing your entire life around.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Wow hiim. Looks like you're pretty much there already. I see no fat there.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm going to start bulking again next week.


----------



## Lithium4

I've been facing the same dilemna as you, bulking up vs. burning fat. I had been succesful at doing both for a little while but then I seemed to have plateaued in my lifting.

I've been upping my calorie intake, mostly with protein and I seem to be punching through. Anyway, like you , I figure I'll add some muscle first, which will in turn help me lose fat down the line.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> It's great that you finally figured out how to manipulate your body to allow you to run as far as you want. Congratulations on getting up to 6 miles earlier too! How are you guys measuring distance?
> 
> I weighed myself this morning and was at 152.2. I can't believe I've lost 18 pounds. The layer of fat on my lower stomach is slowly but surely melting away. I figure in another month or two it will be completely flat. I'm pretty happy with this transformation and I literally never would have done it without the start of this thread. It's amazing how just a simple post on a message board can be the catalyst to changing your entire life around.


Damn dude, that six-pack is rocking.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lithium: Sounds good. I think you and I will be the only ones bulking here. Quick questions: what's your calorie intake like (calories and % of calories from protein, etc.) and which mass gainer (if any) do you use? I've been looking for a mass gainer that's better and hopefully cheaper than the one I use now (Iso Mass Extreme).


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> It's great that you finally figured out how to manipulate your body to allow you to run as far as you want. Congratulations on getting up to 6 miles earlier too! How are you guys measuring distance?
> 
> I weighed myself this morning and was at 152.2. I can't believe I've lost 18 pounds. The layer of fat on my lower stomach is slowly but surely melting away. I figure in another month or two it will be completely flat. I'm pretty happy with this transformation and I literally never would have done it without the start of this thread. It's amazing how just a simple post on a message board can be the catalyst to changing your entire life around.


Nice work man, really looking good.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Thanks alot guys!!!!! 

Last night I did some Yoga and Pilates Ab work. I'm sore for the first time in awhile! Gonna take some advice I learned earlier in this thread and only do specicifc ab work twice a week since I'm convinced that's enough now. 

The other days will just be pull ups, push ups, and hanging ab/leg raises. Do you guys think that's enough to get a really lean sculpted body or is weight lifting pretty necessary?


----------



## Thomas Paine

hiimnotcool said:


> The other days will just be pull ups, push ups, and hanging ab/leg raises. Do you guys think that's enough to get a really lean sculpted body or is weight lifting pretty necessary?


When I used to work my abs (which was not very often because I hated that part the most) I would hug a single weight against my chest so that I didn't have to do so many sit ups. It also changes it from being a halfway cardio exercise into one that adds more muscle mass. Cardio is important for showing off your abs though. But personally I've always been more of a fan of the "muscle bound" look then the skinny, washboard ab look.

I do realize that most girls these days like the skinny look though. And at my peak I was somewhere in-between.


----------



## bowlingpins

Omnium11 said:


> (UPDATED WITH PICTURES ON PAGE 2)
> 
> Alright well this is the first day of my mental and physical transformation! I'm so excited! I had a couple of false starts earlier but this time I'm really doing it. I'm gonna drastically cut down on my internet usage and start meditating again. I have been smoke free for about a month now and now I'm getting rid of the caffeine as well. I'm going on a diet and get back in to running. I think I will sort of use this thread as a journal where I will post my progress.
> ....
> 
> Anyways very optimistic! Time to change my life and my self.


I have hadn't a chance to read the entire thread but I like how well thought out your plan is and from glancing through the thread it seems like you have been getting results too. So congrats.

When you first began running, were you able to keep up with it 5 times a week? I have tried running previously and recently started again. This time, after the first day, my legs were sore for about 4-5 days and I decided not to run and stress them further till they healed. I am wondering if it is ok to keep running even if the legs hurt. How much of a break between days is ideal for a beginning runner?


----------



## Thomas Paine

Here is as far as I got a few years ago (sorry from the small pic size, it's all I have left):










This only took about 3 months in a home, makeshift "gym", starting with a skinny "computer geek" look, using good, scientific advice I got on another forum. (NOT bodybuilding.com) No supplements other then wholesome food, vitamins, and whey protein.

I would like to get started again because I've lost a fair amount of that muscle mass setting at the computer.

I may join this club if a sexy girl motivates me to. 

Also, I don't have to shave my chest.  It's naturally that way. Up close you can see some hair though. And no, the rest of my body is not like that _at all_. It's a strange phenomena.


----------



## Lithium4

STKinTHEmud said:


> Lithium: Sounds good. I think you and I will be the only ones bulking here. Quick questions: what's your calorie intake like (calories and % of calories from protein, etc.) and which mass gainer (if any) do you use? I've been looking for a mass gainer that's better and hopefully cheaper than the one I use now (Iso Mass Extreme).


I aim for about 2500-2700 calories a day, and about my bodyweight in protein, so about 240-250 grams of protein. The only supplements I take are a basic Whey Protein shake. If I drink a couple (50-60 grams each) a day I can usually get the rest from meat.

I gotta confess I know very little about supplements/mass gainers. From what I've read, whey is the fasted working protein, which from what I understand with my limited technical knowledge, means a gram of whey protein will get "turned into" muscle tissue faster than other proteins. I dunno, you probably know more than me, am I at least partly right?


----------



## Thomas Paine

flyingspatula said:


> What kind of workouts would you suggest to someone who's around 5'8-9" and 145 pounds. Im not close to being overweight but im starting to get a bit of a gut since I don't do any exercise at all and most my muscle pretty much weak now.
> 
> Is there any kind of workouts I could do just inside my home. I only have some dumbbells and a curl bar and thats it. don't really expect to have any kind of visual six packs or biceps but i want to get some decent muscle all around in general so i don't start getting flabby. lol


I was almost exactly your size when I started.

FP's Dumbbell Only Workout - Clutch Fitness.com

Three Keys To Creating Muscle - Clutch Fitness.com
 
But you are going to have to eat a ton of protein, fiber, and some carbohydrates and vitamins (best if you get them from fresh, whole food) in order to maintain enough energy in a way that won't destroy your body.

I would also suggest joining that forum so you can get answers from those guys. Some of them are registered personal trainers.

That all might be a bit overkill, but most people never stick to the routine and diet as strictly as they are supposed to anyway.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lithium4 said:


> I aim for about 2500-2700 calories a day, and about my bodyweight in protein, so about 240-250 grams of protein. The only supplements I take are a basic Whey Protein shake. If I drink a couple (50-60 grams each) a day I can usually get the rest from meat.
> 
> I gotta confess I know very little about supplements/mass gainers. From what I've read, whey is the fasted working protein, which from what I understand with my limited technical knowledge, means a gram of whey protein will get "turned into" muscle tissue faster than other proteins. I dunno, you probably know more than me, am I at least partly right?


Yep, that's right from what I understand. Whey protein is absorbed quicker than any other protein. 2700 calories seems pretty low for a guy your size if you're gaining. I'll be doing about 3100 cals a day and I'm only 170.


----------



## rdrr

flyingspatula said:


> What kind of workouts would you suggest to someone who's around 5'8-9" and 145 pounds. Im not close to being overweight but im starting to get a bit of a gut since I don't do any exercise at all and most my muscle pretty much weak now.
> 
> Is there any kind of workouts I could do just inside my home. I only have some dumbbells and a curl bar and thats it. don't really expect to have any kind of visual six packs or biceps but i want to get some decent muscle all around in general so i don't start getting flabby. lol


Well I'd start running or doing some sort of cardio exercise. I suggest going to the park and running, or running stairs. Being sedentary is the worst for the body; you'll be surprised how much weight you can gain by not being active. With decent sized weights you will be able to get tone with basic exercises. And your probably a normal weight; your body mass is most likely more fat than muscle. I would cut out bad foods from your diet and lower the sugar intake and salt intake. Salt makes you bloated and gives you that gut, even if you appear fit.


----------



## Thomas Paine

rdrr said:


> Well I'd start running or doing some sort of cardio exercise. I suggest going to the park and running, or running stairs. Being sedentary is the worst for the body; you'll be surprised how much weight you can gain by not being active. With decent sized weights you will be able to get tone with basic exercises. And your probably a normal weight; your body mass is most likely more fat than muscle. I would cut out bad foods from your diet and lower the sugar intake and salt intake. Salt makes you bloated and gives you that gut, even if you appear fit.


Why suggest cardio to someone who is already skinny and then also suggest to lower sugar intake. People who do primarily cardio are supposed to eat lots of carbs. Also, you never want to do very much cardio _while_ you are strength training, and vice versa. You do the cardio _after_ you strength train for a couple of months. It's called "cutting".


----------



## rdrr

Thomas Paine said:


> Why suggest cardio to someone who is already skinny and then also suggest to lower sugar intake. People who do primarily cardio are supposed to eat lots of carbs. Also, you never want to do very much cardio _while_ you are strength training, and vice versa. You do the cardio _after_ you strength train for a couple of months. It's called "cutting".


Because they said they have a 'gut'. A way you get a gut is you eat poorly and dont do cardiovascular exercise. I don't think he wants to become a he-man; and cardio will not make you lose strength. It gets your heart healthy and helps you burn calories. Your just gonna have fat around muscles if you don't burn the fat with cardio.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> Thanks alot guys!!!!!
> 
> Last night I did some Yoga and Pilates Ab work. I'm sore for the first time in awhile! Gonna take some advice I learned earlier in this thread and only do specicifc ab work twice a week since I'm convinced that's enough now.
> 
> The other days will just be pull ups, push ups, and hanging ab/leg raises. Do you guys think that's enough to get a really lean sculpted body or is weight lifting pretty necessary?


Lifting weight isn't necessary. You have to do exercises you enjoy doing, but at the same time, continually challenge yourself. For instance, I took this class today in Parkour, which is similar to free-running, you jump off ledges, wall and over objects and do tricks in combination, I always messed around with us, but I got a true Parkour training regiment, I exercise like crazy and it kicked my ***. He first made us sprint across and back a basketball court, do 10 push-ups then, do 10 where you squat down, get in a plank, go back to a squat and jump up continuously. We had to do that 5 times with like 30 second rest in between, then we had to stand in a squat and do like 16 combinations of exercise formed from a squat for 15 minutes with 2 breaks. Then we had to crawl in like a beetle position where you had to bring your 1 leg to your elbow in the middle, and one leg and arm stretched far apart and walk across the basketball court there and back. We also did some jumping drills and landing in certain positions softly. Then we got training learning how to jump off walls, over something and onto something. It was really tight, I'm going to do some Parkour at a nearby park when there's more light out, I hope I don't freak someone out!

The point is there is so much to do in terms of fitness, it's endless and it requires no weight. Lifting weights is beneficial and I like to personally for acquiring and maintaining strength, but when I did the work-out above, I was friggin exhausted but it was definitely more free than lifting weights.


----------



## Thomas Paine

rdrr said:


> Because they said they have a 'gut'. A way you get a gut is you eat poorly and dont do cardiovascular exercise. I don't think he wants to become a he-man; and cardio will not make you lose strength. It gets your heart healthy and helps you burn calories. Your just gonna have fat around muscles if you don't burn the fat with cardio.


Hope you don't take this personally, but weight training burns calories as well, and it doesn't make you into a he-man unless you spend years at it or use steroids. It is even becoming more and more popular among women who want to firm up and have it last without bulking up.

The benefit of weight training is that the lean muscle mass you gain actually eats it's own calories from your fat stores. The benefit of cardio is that it strengthens your cardiovascular system, lungs, and also makes you lose fat quickly, but it's not as lasting as weight training, unless you develop an [over]eating disorder.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Regardless you want to do some cardio before you weight-train, you want to lift weights when your muscles are warm, otherwise you'll stifle your flexibility. It isn't like the two are mutually exclusive, you should train in a variety of ways. It just depends what your goals are. You can do all the cardio you want while you weight train, as long as you intake as many calories as you burn. If you want a functional body, cardio is essential. Weight training does bring efficiency to strength training, but it's not essential as body-weight exercise can produce the same effect.


----------



## Thomas Paine

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Regardless you want to do some cardio before you weight-train, you want to lift weights when your muscles are warm, otherwise you'll stifle your flexibility.


This is scientifically debatable.

Also If you do too much cardio while you are bulking, you will not gain as much for your effort with the weight training because your body will have to focus on repairing more parts of your body. The same as if you over-train with any type of exercise.


----------



## Lithium4

STKinTHEmud said:


> Yep, that's right from what I understand. Whey protein is absorbed quicker than any other protein. 2700 calories seems pretty low for a guy your size if you're gaining. I'll be doing about 3100 cals a day and I'm only 170.


I used to aim for not much more than 2000 and I was losing fat at a decent rate. I have found though now that I'm 6 months into my weight training that even around 2500 a day I can drop a pound every now and then. I'm sure I can afford to go up to about 3000.

I've been meaning to go back to keeping a log of my diet. I did that a few years ago when I was trying to lose weight and I found it very helpful.


----------



## rdrr

Nah man, I didnt take it personally. I guess everyone has their set thing which works for them. I know weight training burns calories. Just trying to give the guy advice on something general, that doesn't matter if your an athlete or a person just wanting to live a healthy lifestyle. Like brightpaperwolf said, there are many different ways you can get in 'shape'. Its what level of shape you want to get at is the question.


----------



## Thomas Paine

rdrr said:


> Its what level of shape you want to get at is the question.


True. And what speed you want to get to it at.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Thomas Paine said:


> This is scientifically debatable.
> 
> Also If you do too much cardio while you are bulking, you will gain as much for your effort with the weight training because your body will have to focus on repairing more parts of your body. The same as if you over-train with any type of exercise.


That is completely ridiculous. Doing cardio to get your muscles warm is simply not the same as overtraining. Overtraining is when you train beyond what your body can handle and not meeting the calorie in-take in order to gain bulk. For example if you run 26 miles, then do 1000 push-ups and 500 sits-up, then eat only 2500 calories one can speak of overtraining. But as long as you meet your calorie in-take, you'll gain muscle regardless of how much you do. Professional athletes like football players, basketball players do lots of cardio and strength train. Many of them are fast and huge, they train like 3-4 hours a day. Doing 15-30 minutes of cardio, whether it's running, hitting a bag, doing pylotechnics before you strength train is not overtraining. It's essential for a variety of factors if you want a functional body. From there it really depends on what your goals are.


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## Thomas Paine

Serious strength trainers do moderate cardio too. Just not while their muscles are being repaired or before a workout, and it's only for health until it's "cutting" time. Most do stretches though, which warm up your muscles pre-workout. Some Football players mix more cardio with weight training because half or more of their job requires cardio, but the linebackers stick _mostly_ to weight training.

Anyway, I think we are hi-jacking this thread, so we should probably drop it. The scientific research is out there, and it shows that you can either have quick strength gains, quick cardio gains, or a mixture/trade off of both.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Stretching is more effective after strength training when your muscles need to get opened, but some light stretching needs to be done before as well. If you stretch too much beforehand, strength training is simply not as effective because it increases your potential to injury because it can damage your muscles if they are overstretched. That's why cardio is much for effective for warming up. I agree you with in the sense, it has to be light on specifically the days you work out because you don't want to expend too much energy before you weight-train. But the guy you argued with is absolutely right, cardio simply doesn't make you lose weight as long as you intake the calories necessary. 

But it all depends on your goals, philosophy and what you prefer. Bulk isn't necessary for acquiring lots of strength. If your goal is to be a linebacker or fight in a heavyweight class or playing a position which requires large body composition, a focus on bulking makes more sense. But I know it's not his goal based upon I read about his workout philosophy and what he does and enjoys. Besides look at him, that is a genuine six-pack with not only in looks, but it's functional abs. He's doing a lot right.


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## STKinTHEmud

I want to gain a good bit of lean muscle. When I was cutting, I did 10 mins cardio, then stretched, 40 mins lifting weights (stretching periodically throughout), then 30 mins cardio three times a week. When I will be bulking again, I will do 10 mins cardio, stretching, then 45 mins weight lifting (stretching throughout) four time a week. I hope you can both agree that this suits my goals.

Really, it might help this debate if flyingspatula was a bit more specific about his long term goals. Flyingspatula, do you want to gain muscle or lose fat? In order to do either effectively, you should concentrate on one or the other. Most bodybuilders alternate between gaining muscle and losing fat. If you want to lose fat right now, go with brightpaperwolf's suggestions. If you want to gain muscle and strength, go with Thomas Paine's suggestions.


----------



## Cerberus

Mental health is also something to take into consideration. I simply do not experience the psychological benefits from weight lifting that I do from cardio, especially from running. I think cardio is important for mental health. Cardio can also make weight lifting easier. Thus, I think skipping out on cardio is skipping out on something very beneficial. 

-----

I completed my chest/tri workout for the week and I ran four miles yesterday.


----------



## millenniumman75

I like the metabolic effects of running, too. Paxil messes with that, though.
I am not getting any younger. The 30-year-bulkout may hit soon.


----------



## Cerberus

I picked up some creatine today. Do any of you guys know how much I should take? It says I should take one serving post workout, but do you think it would be better to take some before a workout as well? 

----

I completed my leg/shoulder workout today, but it wasn't a very good one because my muscles felt really tired. I find that working out earlier in the day is harder and I don't get as good of results as I do when working out later in the day.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I picked up some creatine today. Do any of you guys know how much I should take? It says I should take one serving post workout, but do you think it would be better to take some before a workout as well?
> 
> ----
> 
> I completed my leg/shoulder workout today, but it wasn't a very good one because my muscles felt really tired. I find that working out earlier in the day is harder and I don't get as good of results as I do when working out later in the day.


You're supposed to take 5 scoops a day for the first 5 days or so.

After that I'd take half a scoop before and then half a scoop after a workout. Though if you just wanted to add an extra scoop to a protein shake post-workout then that would be fine too.

I was taking creatine for a few weeks but stopped because I didn't want to gain any muscle weight anymore. It definitely works though! It always made me able to do more reps of every exercise .

________________________________________________

I did 6.3 miles this morning. 31 total for the week so far.


----------



## rdrr

Cerberus said:


> I picked up some creatine today. Do any of you guys know how much I should take? It says I should take one serving post workout, but do you think it would be better to take some before a workout as well?


When I took creatine I never did the loading phase. Creatine is expensive as it is, and by following the instructions you'll be going back to the store for more in 2 weeks. You get creatine from foods and stuff anyway. I just went online and found out how much creatine I need a day per my bodyweight and took 3g a day for a month; then didn't take anything for 2 weeks, then started again. It is also important to drink alot of water when your taking it because it makes you dehydrated.


----------



## Thomas Paine

Cerberus said:


> I picked up some creatine today. Do any of you guys know how much I should take? It says I should take one serving post workout, but do you think it would be better to take some before a workout as well?


If you want the fasted results with creatine, the "loading" phase is important.

Personally I would take it post-workout so you don't have any stomach problems from it during a hard workout. It absorbs fairly quickly from what I remember, and it's not the immediate affect that matters the most, but rather the consistent stores in your body by taking it on a daily basis. There is a little bit of an immediate stimulant affect though, unless that was placebo effect.

Think of it more like steroids then protein or caffeine, if that makes sense.

I never took it when I was training though. I used my brother's leftover to improve my mental performance. It acts sort of like a stimulant/mental endurance enhancer.



Cerberus said:


> I completed my leg/shoulder workout today, but it wasn't a very good one because my muscles felt really tired. I find that working out earlier in the day is harder and I don't get as good of results as I do when working out later in the day.


If you do a fair amount of other physical activity during the day, you might be better off working out in the even when you can rest your body afterwords. And make sure you are getting a good night's sleep. Rest is just as important as the work, because it is when the muscle rebuilding goes on. If you are busy with other things, your body won't focus on rebuilding your muscles as much.


----------



## Cerberus

I got to 7 miles tonight. I averaged about 10 minutes per mile, which I think is pretty good, especially seeing that that's the first time I've ran that far ever. 

I don't think I'll make that distance a regular part of my exercise. I don't want to start losing muscle. Maybe I'll run that distance once a week and do four miles the other two days I go running. I'll have to increase my caloric intake significantly though, and I'll need to make sure to keep my protein intake up. I don't know. Seven miles is pushing it. Maybe I'll get a stopwatch, scrap the longer distance runs, and just try to improve my time on my four mile runs.

----

Okay, I guess I'll do the loading phase for the creatine. Thanks.


----------



## Cerberus

My dead lift is going up. I completed my back/bi workout yesterday.

Today's run was lousy. I knew I was going to have trouble one mile in because my muscles felt dead. I made it to two miles before I stopped. I ran/walked the rest of my four mile route. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't persevere, but it's not that big of a deal. Mild setbacks are nothing to throw a fit over.


----------



## Omnium11

bowlingpins said:


> I have hadn't a chance to read the entire thread but I like how well thought out your plan is and from glancing through the thread it seems like you have been getting results too. So congrats.
> 
> When you first began running, were you able to keep up with it 5 times a week? I have tried running previously and recently started again. This time, after the first day, my legs were sore for about 4-5 days and I decided not to run and stress them further till they healed. I am wondering if it is ok to keep running even if the legs hurt. How much of a break between days is ideal for a beginning runner?


I would start off with only 3 days a week. You could push it higher than that but you could do some damage and get an injury. I would just focus on making those runs that you do do extra long. Also its pretty hard to run when you are sore. I think 3 days a week is fine. That is how much I have been doing lately.

-------------------

Great progress STK

-------------

Great job everyone!


----------



## huh

Still sticking with my diet and jogging. I was at 125lbs then I started to increase what I was eatting. I've been sticking around 128lbs for the past week or so. I just feel weird losing much more. 

I've been jogging/running pretty much every other day now. My normal route is 6 miles. On days when I have more time I've been hitting 8-9 miles. What amazes me is how fast I'm able to catch my breath after I'm done now. It barely takes anytime at all for me to fully catch my breath when I'm done. When I last timed myself I was doing my normal route in about 40-45 minutes.


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## Cerberus

Finished my leg workout today. Man, I don't think I'll ever enjoy leg day. heh


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Cerberus said:


> Finished my leg workout today. Man, I don't think I'll ever enjoy leg day. heh


I feel you, dude.


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## hiimnotcool

im 151 something now and my knee is messed up to run. im very angry!


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## huh

hiimnotcool said:


> im 151 something now and my knee is messed up to run. im very angry!


That sucks...same thing happened to me a while ago =/ I think it was from trying to run everyday instead of giving myself some breaks. I had to stay off it for nearly three weeks to a month before it completely healed. Hope yours heals faster than mine did!


----------



## Cerberus

I just ran about 6 miles today. It was a really good run and I feel great.


----------



## Cerberus

I ran on a trail today and it was much harder than running on the road. I made it to about two miles before stopping to walk. I walked/ran the rest of the four mile route. I completed my chest/tri workout today. I ran four miles on Tuesday, and I completed my back/bi workout Monday. 

My weight was at 165 today, which I think is the result of the creatine I'm taking. I've been feeling stronger and lifting more at the gym. I can still see my abs. I'll post an update pic soon.


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## strawberryjulius

I'll probably get in trouble for this but I'll say it anyway. I may or may not just come to this thread to perve, lol. xD

Hopefully everyone will take that as a compliment.


----------



## jim_morrison

Omnium11 said:


> Also my sisters boyfriend left one of those ab wheel things here because it didn't work for him so I gave that a try 2 days ago. I couldn't do it correctly because my lower back was too weak and i could only go forward a little bit but I am still definitely feeling it a lot, seems like it is a decent workout tool. Especially if you hate doing crunches and such like me. Seems you just need to build up a certain amount of strength to be able to use it correctly. Anyways they are cheap as hell like only 8$ might be worth a try.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Apparently the UFC guys like it .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------


Have you tried doing it on your knees, until your core becomes strong enough to perform it on your toes? I do this exercise sometimes with a swissball.


----------



## hiimnotcool

I weighed myself in the morning the other day and was at 149. I'm thinking it's muscle loss because I haven't lifted weights for a month. I haven't even done pull ups/leg raises for a week. I've been a little depressed because I haven't been able to run much so its taking away the rest of my motivation to do those things.

Anyways, here's a back picture from a couple days ago. I think I need to go back through this thread to get motivation back. I was thinking of joining the YMCA so I could use the elliptical/rowing machine plus lift weights there while my knee is recuperating.


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## Cerberus

Lifting weights helps with depression. Perhaps not as much as running, but it helps nonetheless. I hope your knee gets better soon, hiim.

----

I completed my leg workout today. My weight is back down to 161 lbs today, which I'm guessing was the result of shedding creatine water weight by running yesterday.

Oh, and I'm sure nobody will mind you, strawberryjulius, coming to this thread to maybe "perve."  heh


----------



## pollster

strawberryjulius said:


> I'll probably get in trouble for this but I'll say it anyway. I may or may not just come to this thread to perve, lol. xD
> 
> Hopefully everyone will take that as a compliment.


lol. I'm totally with you, strawberryjulius!! Hot. :b

But it's not just about the pictures... (I know, so cliché). In my 20s I'd exercise more (nothing hardcore, but was more fit, relatively speaking). As I've been getting older (and more stressful job) it's been harder to motivate myself, but the kicker came when I started taking SSRIs - unexpected weight gain and also constant fatigue and general laziness. Sucks! I need to lose weight, but just can't motivate myself to start exercising. And I even have a mid-range eliptical sitting right behind me! Which has now become an art sculpture. Maybe if I read this thread enough times though, something will kick in in my brain/body.

I'm also starting a nutritional supplement to help my adrenals and thyroid, so I'm hoping that helps with the energy as well. (And eventually hoping to get off the SSRI!)

Anyways, I digress. Great job guys! You look fantastic (nice abs hiimnotcool), but more importantly, you are healthy and motivated. That counts for so much.

Cheers.


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## pollster

... and nice abs to the other guys who had posted pics too. Cerbus. etc. I forget all the names!

I get jealous at how much easier it seems for men to transform their bodies. (stupid female body/hormones!)

lol.


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## STKinTHEmud

pollster: If you work out, handsome fairy-men in tuxedos will appear and magically create a chocolate-covered pile of happiness in which you can bury yourself up to the neck and spend your days grinning at passers-by. How's that for motivation?

It's easier for men to lose fat than it is for women, but only because we have more natural muscle mass, which burns calories better than body parts composed of not-muscle. If you want to lose fat like a dude, I would suggest you lift weights twice a week or so in addition to doing cardio. And try to grow a beard while you're at it (joking).

(I'd just like to point out that "fit" for a guy usually means a good bit of muscle, and to get to that point, many of us have to work really friggin' hard, especially the naturally skinnies among us.)


----------



## strawberryjulius

STKinTHEmud said:


> It's easier for men to lose fat than it is for women, but only because we have more natural muscle mass, which burns calories better than body parts composed of not-muscle. If you want to lose fat like a dude, I would suggest you lift weights twice a week or so in addition to doing cardio. And try to grow a beard while you're at it (joking).


too true. it's really hard for me to gain muscle though. :cry

growing a beard on the other hand, i could do that, being half-italian and all. :b


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## jim_morrison

Most girls don't have enough testosterone circulating in their system to gain much muscle mass, you can still achieve good tone and strength from lifting weights though.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

jim_morrison said:


> Most girls don't have enough testosterone circulating in their system to gain much muscle mass, you can still achieve good tone and strength from lifting weights though.


Agreed. A little more muscle is better than none. Besides, after you lose the fat, you can lose the muscle too (if you're worried about looking like She-Hulk, of course, a lot of people think She-Hulk looks great).


----------



## pollster

Yep, I've lost muscle (whatever I had) over the past few years from being utterly lazy and unmotived - which of course makes fat gain that much easier, as you point out. And desk jobs are the curse of the modern world. And now winter is coming...

Definitely have to do something...



STKinTHEmud said:


> pollster: If you work out, handsome fairy-men in tuxedos will appear and magically create a chocolate-covered pile of happiness in which you can bury yourself up to the neck and spend your days grinning at passers-by. How's that for motivation?


Hm. Can't say that really did it. Fairy-men?  Now chocolate on the other hand.... but that's kind of counter-productive.


----------



## Cerberus

I ran about 6.5 miles tonight. I averaged about nine minutes per mile.


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## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> I ran about 6.5 miles tonight. I averaged about nine minutes per mile.


hate you :b *nice job though*

Seriously, I'm going through withdrawal and my body composition is already changing just from not running for a week. Though that may be from the terrible food choices that have come from the boredom.

I DID run almost 4 miles today but it was laboring to do it. Every step was just a thought of being injured.

Alright, resolution made. I'm gonna pick back up tomorrow with atleast pull ups, abs, and push ups. Might as well do as much as possible while recuperating.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

hiimnotcool said:


> hate you :b *nice job though*
> 
> Seriously, I'm going through withdrawal and my body composition is already changing just from not running for a week. Though that may be from the terrible food choices that have come from the boredom.
> 
> I DID run almost 4 miles today but it was laboring to do it. Every step was just a thought of being injured.
> 
> Alright, resolution made. I'm gonna pick back up tomorrow with atleast pull ups, abs, and push ups. Might as well do as much as possible while recuperating.


You have to be careful and not reinjure yourself because that'll take you out of action for longer. I injured my hand from a punching bag and I tried to work through the pain, but it made it a lot worse and I'm still recovering after a month. Do not run until it gets better, do upper body and pilates, yoga exercises that do not affect the knee. Then when you are better, start off lightly to build strength in it again.


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> hate you :b *nice job though*
> 
> Seriously, I'm going through withdrawal and my body composition is already changing just from not running for a week. Though that may be from the terrible food choices that have come from the boredom.
> 
> I DID run almost 4 miles today but it was laboring to do it. Every step was just a thought of being injured.
> 
> Alright, resolution made. I'm gonna pick back up tomorrow with atleast pull ups, abs, and push ups. Might as well do as much as possible while recuperating.


That really sucks about you being injured. Perhaps now might be the time to get a gym membership and begin a weightlifting program that won't inflame your injury, since you really can't run at your peak currently anyway.

--------------------

I completed my back/bi workout and I ran around four miles today. I'm starting to see new stretchmarks. Sheesh. I know it's a sign of progress, but I seem to get them so easily. I already have a bunch of stretch marks that aren't very noticeable anymore because they're the same color as the rest my skin.


----------



## Cerberus

My abs are disappearing, perhaps because of all the drinking I've been doing. Or, it's the creatine (I do look a little soft, so it's probably water weight from the creatine). I dunno. I've been getting stronger.



















I ran an easy and relaxing four miles today, and I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday. I really need to vary up my routine.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i'm looking a little soft too. i had chinese last night though, so it's probably water retention from all the salt.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> My abs are disappearing, perhaps because of all the drinking I've been doing. Or, it's the creatine (I do look a little soft, so it's probably water weight from the creatine). I dunno. I've been getting stronger.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I ran an easy and relaxing four miles today, and I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday. I really need to vary up my routine.


well your ab's never got as good as mine cerb but its all good. i will be banned tonight because people are power hungry here. keep doing your thing and you will be good though bro. you are one of the few people i actually liked here


----------



## Cerberus

pfftt you had better lighting. heh I hope you're not banned, but even if you are, most bans are only temporary. Even so, I'm glad you participated in this thread (I hope you'll be able to participate further). I hope you are able to get out running again soon. It looks like the fellowship is breaking! heh Om is no where to be seen, and you might be banned. Lame. This was probably the only thread on this forum that actually helped me progress to a better place psychologically. It's a damn shame. 

I guess I'll just keep using this thread as a journal to help keep me motivated, and I hope others will join in. Me and STK will keep it going. Right, STK?!!


Anyway, I completed my leg workout today. My weight was at 164.5 lbs.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Cerberus said:


> My abs are disappearing, perhaps because of all the drinking I've been doing. Or, it's the creatine (I do look a little soft, so it's probably water weight from the creatine). I dunno. I've been getting stronger.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I ran an easy and relaxing four miles today, and I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday. I really need to vary up my routine.


You could always spit in a cup for a couple of hours and lose that water weight. But looking back at your past pictures, I think your abs are better now, they look more full. Really the most important measurement for your abs is not looks, but if you hit it as hard as you can, it should feel like a rock. If so, you are doing good.

And if you say you need to variety your routine, you should do so, don't worry about how you might "lose strength." You have to shock your muscles in order to make gains.


----------



## Cerberus

^thanks for commenting. I agree. All those hanging leg raises are paying off. I'll start a new weightlifting routine next week.


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## STKinTHEmud

I hope you're not leaving hiim. If it's any consolation, I think you're a pretty cool guy, and I hope you stay on with this thread. If the powers that be are reading this, I vote for hiim to stay.

Cerb: Yeah, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Keep the faith, brother!

Bright: After reading your post, I hit myself in the stomach. It hurt. A lot. Ow.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

lol! Sorry for making you hurting yourself!


----------



## strawberryjulius

Cerberus said:


> I guess I'll just keep using this thread as a journal to help keep me motivated, and I hope others will join in. Me and STK will keep it going. Right, STK?!!


maybe i should stop being a pervert and join in. haha. :yes

i weighed 37.1kg today, i want to weigh 39kg since that's my healthy weight. i didn't have the ribs on my chest sticking out at 39 either so i'd like that to go away. 

i have progress pictures, wanna see? haha. xD


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> maybe i should stop being a pervert and join in. haha. :yes
> 
> i weighed 37.1kg today, i want to weigh 39kg since that's my healthy weight. i didn't have the ribs on my chest sticking out at 39 either so i'd like that to go away.
> 
> i have progress pictures, wanna see? haha. xD


Post 'em!


----------



## strawberryjulius

deleted, perves.


----------



## Lateralus

You looked good enough in Sept. that there was hardly any room for improvement. Regardless, good work. Have you met all your goals?


----------



## Cerberus

You look really good, strawberryjulius. What are your goals exactly?


-------


I went for a four mile run tonight. I'm disappointed I didn't get to at least six miles. My body was feeling really sluggish. I might go for four runs, instead of my usual three, this week to compensate.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Oh, to be 18 again. Great work strawberry!

Bright: It's not your fault. I should've kept my knuckles out of the equation.

My butcher gave me the biggest boneless, skinless chicken I've ever seen. Cooking it right now. Protein city.


----------



## strawberryjulius

thanks everyone. 

i want to build up a bit more strength in my arms and tone up my legs/bottom. i'd love to be able to run but my asthma ruins that.


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> thanks everyone.
> 
> i want to build up a bit more strength in my arms and tone up my legs/bottom. i'd love to be able to run but my asthma ruins that.


What's your workout routine?

-----

I completed my chest/tri/shoulder workout today, followed by a quick two mile run. I used a treadmill seriously for the first time today. It was pretty damn boring. I think I prefer running outside to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. My weight was at 161.5 lbs today.


----------



## Lithium4

Ever since I started really focusing on my diet, my workouts have been fantastic. A couple of weeks ago I started an 8 meal a day diet, trying for an average of 400 calories per meal. I've also upped my protein intake from about 175 grams a day to 225-250. I'm also forcing myself to drink a few litres of water. Its actually hard to eat and drink more than you're used to. It seems to have made a big difference though.

I just added 10 pounds to my bench press for the 2nd time in 9 days. I added 5 lbs to my dumbell curls for the first time in 7 weeks and managed to throw on an additional 5 lbs for my last set today. Hopefully I can keep it up. My body fat hasn't changed and I've gained about 2 lbs (my weight tends to vary anyway, so its hard to say for sure).


----------



## 2Talkative

strawberryjulius said:


> had to do some editing since i was popping out. xD


Nice editing.

Anyways good work all of you.

I'm off to the gym in a few moments. Leg day...... yay squats :no


----------



## millenniumman75

Lithium4 said:


> Ever since I started really focusing on my diet, my workouts have been fantastic. A couple of weeks ago I started an 8 meal a day diet, trying for an average of 400 calories per meal. I've also upped my protein intake from about 175 grams a day to 225-250. I'm also forcing myself to drink a few litres of water. Its actually hard to eat and drink more than you're used to. It seems to have made a big difference though.
> 
> I just added 10 pounds to my bench press for the 2nd time in 9 days. I added 5 lbs to my dumbell curls for the first time in 7 weeks and managed to throw on an additional 5 lbs for my last set today. Hopefully I can keep it up. My body fat hasn't changed and I've gained about 2 lbs (my weight tends to vary anyway, so its hard to say for sure).


It could be a bit of muscle, too. It is still a little early, but keep going.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lithium4 said:


> Ever since I started really focusing on my diet, my workouts have been fantastic. A couple of weeks ago I started an 8 meal a day diet, trying for an average of 400 calories per meal. I've also upped my protein intake from about 175 grams a day to 225-250. I'm also forcing myself to drink a few litres of water. Its actually hard to eat and drink more than you're used to. It seems to have made a big difference though.
> 
> I just added 10 pounds to my bench press for the 2nd time in 9 days. I added 5 lbs to my dumbell curls for the first time in 7 weeks and managed to throw on an additional 5 lbs for my last set today. Hopefully I can keep it up. My body fat hasn't changed and I've gained about 2 lbs (my weight tends to vary anyway, so its hard to say for sure).


8 meals is amazing! The best I can manage is 6. But I've been drinking tons of water for years now, so much so, that I keep a big cup of water with me at all times. Good work on increased lifts. I'm right with you there. I've been bulking for the past 3 weeks now, and I've increased my big sets by 2 reps before failing. We doing great, apparently.


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## Cerberus

I got the flu. Lame.


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## 2Talkative

Cerberus said:


> I got the flu. Lame.


Brutal... hope you get well... is it the H1N1 ?


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I fell off the wagon in September but I've gotten back on this week. Surprisingly my cardio is still pretty good.


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## millenniumman75

Cerberus said:


> I got the flu. Lame.


I hope you feel better soon.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> I fell off the wagon in September but I've gotten back on this week. Surprisingly my cardio is still pretty good.


Good to see you're back on the wagon. Although, I would think it would be more healthy to walk beside the wagon than to just sit around on the wagon. Better yet, all of us wagoneers should just get out and push and give the donkeys pulling the wagon a break.


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks. I have no idea if it's swine flu or not. I'm feeling better though. I still have a bit of a cough. I haven't worked out since Monday. I'm thinking about going to the gym today. I'm full of energy.


----------



## millenniumman75

Go easy. If you work out too much, it could leave you vulnerable to get sick again.


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## Cerberus

Well, I completed my back/bicep workout today. I was going to go for a run, but I still have a cough and my throat bothered me while doing deadlifts. Nevertheless, it was nice to go to the gym.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

I have to throw myself in the ring here. I'm getting fat, I just measured myself at 8.4% Body Fat, weigh 171 currently 14.3 lbs of fat 156.07 lbs of muscle and water. 

A month earlier I was 6.5% at 168, 10.92 lbs of fat, 157.08 lbs of muscle & water. The fat is making some of the clothes I wear become tighter and I lost an entire pound of muscle. 

It's time to re transform myself before I become the pillsbury dough boy.


----------



## 2Talkative

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> I have to throw myself in the ring here. I'm getting fat, I just measured myself at 8.4% Body Fat, weigh 171 currently 14.3 lbs of fat 156.07 lbs of muscle and water.
> 
> A month earlier I was 6.5% at 168, 10.92 lbs of fat, 157.08 lbs of muscle & water. The fat is making some of the clothes I wear become tighter and I lost an entire pound of muscle.
> 
> It's time to re transform myself before I become the pillsbury dough boy.


I'm sitting here hoping this is internet sarcasm. 6-8% BF is amazing. Most people only dream of that BF %. I'm just trying to get 15% for now :um.

Cutting really sucks balls.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

2Talkative said:


> I'm sitting here hoping this is internet sarcasm. 6-8% BF is amazing. Most people only dream of that BF %. I'm just trying to get 15% for now :um.
> 
> Cutting really sucks balls.


Sadly, it's not. I'm real sensitive to changes with my body because I monitor it with such precision. With the 2% change, I have a little pudge of fat covering my six pack and developing some side handles. I'll take a picture at some point so you'd be able to see. At my weight though, it's not like it's hard to achieve. How much do you weight?


----------



## 2Talkative

5"11 239 I got a long way to go. I need to at least drop the 39lbs. My % right now is around 20 or so . These calipers are not that accurate though . I guess the sad part for me is I have a lot of muscle but I've never seen it and it pisses me off. :bash


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Calipers are pretty accurate, more accurate than an electronic fat loss monitor which I generally use because I'm lazy 

See if you get down to 200 and 15%, you'd have 30 pounds of fat and 170 pounds of muscle and water, which is pretty good. What are you doing to cut?


----------



## 2Talkative

Cutting is all new to me so it's a little trial and error. Currently eating 2500 cals a day. 40/40/20 Macro. I'm aware I will most likely have to lower my cals but for now I'm going to stick to this for a bit and see what happens. I lift 3 times a week and play hockey once a week I fit cardio in when I can.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Are you doing any squats and deadlifts? If you do a 10x3 of each, you'll burn a ****load while somewhat maintaining your mass. The other thing is when you are doing cardio, it should involve HITT since you'll want to cut, add a little more. If you hate running and **** like that, hit the bag, that's major calorie burn. In terms of calories, I think that's where you want to be, it may take longer, but so what, you'll be healthier in the process.


----------



## 2Talkative

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Are you doing any squats and deadlifts? If you do a 10x3 of each, you'll burn a ****load while somewhat maintaining your mass. The other thing is when you are doing cardio, it should involve HITT since you'll want to cut, add a little more. If you hate running and **** like that, hit the bag, that's major calorie burn. In terms of calories, I think that's where you want to be, it may take longer, but so what, you'll be healthier in the process.


I'm doing deads/squats. I love them nothing out there beats the feeling of doing them. I do HIIT on a recumbent bike for 30 mins.

Anyways I hope I can stick to the plan and lose the gut it's been with me too long.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

I once heard Bruce Lee was only 5% bodyfat. I've also once heard that bodyfat less than 6% is unhealthy...

You must have a lot of muscle mass, Talkative, to be that big and with only 20% bf! Nice.


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## millenniumman75

STKinTHEmud said:


> I once heard Bruce Lee was only 5% bodyfat. I've also once heard that bodyfat less than 6% is unhealthy...
> 
> You must have a lot of muscle mass, Talkative, to be that big and with only 20% bf! Nice.


For bodyfat, I always heard that for men, it should be 12-18% and 18-25% for women. :stu


----------



## JoshC

this sounds awesome. i work out alot, i think anyone with SA should. makes you feel freaking great and its something you can do solo as a hobby.


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## JoshC

haha cutting does suck! i lift alot of weights and im cutting right now. im so worried about losing muscle, and cardio is just no fun at all.


----------



## Your Crazy

JoshC said:


> this sounds awesome. i work out alot, i think anyone with SA should. makes you feel freaking great and its something you can do solo as a hobby.


Eh, I think I'll just stay fat and depressed.


----------



## 2Talkative

STKinTHEmud said:


> You must have a lot of muscle mass, Talkative, to be that big and with only 20% bf! Nice.


Very lucky to have good genetics and parents who put lots of food on the table every night. I will say though that a good chunk of my weight comes from my legs due to playing so much hockey.

I did box squats tonight.

Bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
245 x 10
245 x 8 Hips started failing looked like a wrecking ball coming out of the hole. I probably could have nailed two more.

135 x 20 focusing on speed for some reason :stu

Did Biceps as well.


----------



## 2Talkative

millenniumman75 said:


> For bodyfat, I always heard that for men, it should be 12-18% and 18-25% for women. :stu


Hang on here.... you calling me a woman ? :no

10-12 is pretty good.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

millenniumman75 said:


> For bodyfat, I always heard that for men, it should be 12-18% and 18-25% for women. :stu


It depends on age, fitness level and weight, being a higher weight, much harder to achieve a low body fat percentage.

But damn, talkative, that's pretty damn impressive squatting.


----------



## millenniumman75

2Talkative said:


> Hang on here.... you calling me a woman ? :no
> 
> 10-12 is pretty good.


No. That's the normal body fat percentage ranges for men and women. I knew you're a guy :yes.


----------



## 2Talkative

millenniumman75 said:


> No. That's the normal body fat percentage ranges for men and women. I knew you're a guy :yes.


I know I was just kidding around.....

Anyways tonight was back night.

Deadlifts

135 x 10
225 x 7 WTF....
225 x 10 This drained me.
275 x 4

I'm really looking forward to Friday when I can work shoulders/tri's since it will be less of a load sort of. Still have heavy shrugs.....


----------



## strawberryjulius

my scales used to say that i had 3% body fat, haha, they aren't accurate at all. now it comes up with "error." i think i'd be dead at 3% body fat. xD


----------



## Cerberus

After a week and a half without running, I decided to run along my four mile route. I still have a slight cough. I only made it to 1.5 miles before I stopped to walk. I ran/walked the rest of the way. And damnit, it was cold. I'm going to have to buy some winter running clothes or whatever. This cough is really pissing me off.

I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday.


----------



## millenniumman75

There is still an issue with your lungs that needs to clear up....that should happen pretty quickly. By this long after a cold, you should be okay with exercising. Don't push yourself too hard if the coughing gets bad.

I have winter running clothes (UnderArmour HeatGear long sleeve shirt and long leggings. I wear those underneath a sweatshirt and sweatpants - I have run in as cold as 2F/-16c. Sweat freezes, nostrils freeze, etc. I need a wicking scarf, though.


----------



## Cerberus

My legs are extremely sore. It hurts just to walk. I had a really good leg workout yesterday.


----------



## 2Talkative

Alright something new tonight. 

Deep Squats *** to grass oh no my safety box is gone :eek

Bar x 10 
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 5 Didn't feel as if I was going deep enough "form before ego"
185 x 10
185 x 10

Lying Leg Press Machine

270 x 10
450 x 3 :sus


----------



## Cerberus

^nice work. It can sometimes be difficult to keep the ego in check and keep proper form. I constantly scrutinize my form while lifting to make sure I'm doing the lift properly, rather than trying to boast my ego. 

------

My legs are still sore from my leg workout on Saturday. I ran two miles today.


----------



## 2Talkative

Form is so important it's not how much you lift it's how you lift it. 

Tonight Chest and Shoulders for a change.

It's funny my bench is going down hill but im making PR's in other exercises.


DB Press Flat 

40 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 10
80 x 4 

DB Flies Flat 

25 x 10
40 x 10
60 x 5 PR

Barbell Shrugs

135 x 10
225 x 10

DB Shrugs One Arm

80 x 10
100 x 10
120 x 5 PR

Lateral Raises
12 x 12
15 x 15
20 x 10

Front Raises

25lb Plate x 10 Good for finger strength
30 DB x 10

Did a few other machines for rear delt and chest then called it a night.

Oh ya and my glutes were toast after deep squats I almost considered bringing a pillow to sit on at work. Feeling pretty good now looking forward to deads on Friday.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I had a great run last night at the gym. I had ****ed off for a month and a half so I was down to 1 mile at a time but last night I got this second wind and ran 1.5. It doesn't sound like much but for me it was a lot. Anyway it felt great.


----------



## huh

Ugh...I really did it today. I tripped up when I was jogging and twisted my left knee in an odd way. I literally had to walk the rest of the way. It hurts really bad at the moment. I hate my body, I just can't keep from being injured =/ On the plus side, I did get 3.5 miles in before it happened.


----------



## 2Talkative

huh said:


> Ugh...I really did it today. I tripped up when I was jogging and twisted my left knee in an odd way. I literally had to walk the rest of the way. It hurts really bad at the moment. I hate my body, I just can't keep from being injured =/ On the plus side, I did get 3.5 miles in before it happened.


I hate knee trouble...hopefully it's nothing serious if it feels weak and is clicking head to the doctor.

I forgot to post up my deadlifts from last night.

135 x 10
225 x 10 
275 x 8 
295 x 8 PR 
295 x 4

For once someone else was doing deadlifts right next to me. So I didn't feel like everyone in the gym was watching me.:afr


----------



## millenniumman75

huh said:


> Ugh...I really did it today. I tripped up when I was jogging and twisted my left knee in an odd way. I literally had to walk the rest of the way. It hurts really bad at the moment. I hate my body, I just can't keep from being injured =/ On the plus side, I did get 3.5 miles in before it happened.


Oh wow, I hope you are okay .
I have been really lucky in this area. My knee does pop when I get up though. I have been running for nearly ten years now. It's probably related to that.

I bought shoe inserts to help with the cushioning.


----------



## Thomas Paine

huh said:


> Ugh...I really did it today. I tripped up when I was jogging and twisted my left knee in an odd way. I literally had to walk the rest of the way. It hurts really bad at the moment. I hate my body, I just can't keep from being injured =/ On the plus side, I did get 3.5 miles in before it happened.


Ouch. I bet that was a long walk home. Hope it heals quickly.



millenniumman75 said:


> Oh wow, I hope you are okay .
> I have been really lucky in this area. My knee does pop when I get up though. I have been running for nearly ten years now. It's probably related to that.
> 
> I bought shoe inserts to help with the cushioning.


This is why I ride a bike instead, but then again I have heard it's hard on the prostate. I guess I should go back to riding a bmx bike instead of a 10 speed since you have to stand up mostly.


----------



## Cerberus

I've been slacking off lately. I haven't been doing any running and I half assed my leg workout today. My diet hasn't been all that great either. I need some motivation.


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## IHeartSteveMcQueen

^^^^that was me last month, now I'm back on track.


----------



## Lithium4

I can't wait till it gets colder. I much prefer skating to running.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

I got a camera today and I took body shots of myself and man I look like ****. I been eating and drinking too much too much to the point it's all starting to come in as fat. Ever since I quit smoking weed, I gained 7 lbs in a month and a half, from 165 to 172, and my bf is up to 9% from 6%. That nice six pack I used to have is covered in fat. That nice back I used to have is covered in fat. The definition I used to have is gone due to fat. So I put it all on the line and show the world how crappy I become so I can motivate myself to do the following:

1. Space my meals out more instead of eating like a 300 pound fatman and eating everything I can.

2. Limit myself to 3-4 alcoholic drinks, 2 times a week.

3. Do more cardio and lift heavier, although I don't know how I'm going to fit more cardio in, I hit the weights 3 times a week, Karate almost everyday, learning Parkour, yoga, pylotechnics. I wish exercise is my job.

4. Get more sleep and shoot for 7-8 hours rather than 5-6. 

I'm sure some of you will think I'm crazy, perhaps I am, so I need you all to berate me for the sake of motivation.


----------



## Lithium4

All that excercise and you're still gaining weight? I guess the positive thing is you can probably easily cut some calories.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Yup. I usually exercise 2-2 1/2 hours a day, on weekends, 3-4 hours and based on what I eat, I probably consume around 4000 calories a day. It's hard to figure out how many I need because when I exercise, I go all out and afterwards, I just want to eat like an elephant.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Wow. It sounds to me that you're going too hard in both the workout and calorie departments. I heard that, when weightlifting, after about the 50 minute mark, our testosterone levels start to drop, so we should limit our exercise to 1 hr in one sitting (per day, unless you're massive). I'm attempting to gain mass (and I am at about 1-2 lbs a week) and I'm on 3000 cals a day. If you're looking to maintain a 6 pack, I can't see how you can with that diet.


----------



## 2Talkative

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Yup. I usually exercise 2-2 1/2 hours a day, on weekends, 3-4 hours and based on what I eat, I probably consume around 4000 calories a day. It's hard to figure out how many I need because when I exercise, I go all out and afterwards, I just want to eat like an elephant.


Slowly work your way down it's all trial and error I'm going to drop down to 2300 cals now that I've gone a few weeks @ 2500 with minimal loss(1/4lb per week after I lost the original junk weight right away I've only managed to lose 3 lbs :sus. I'll just keep going down until I'm losing 1.5lbs a week.

As usual Monday night Squats real deep again.

Bar x 10
135 x 10
185 x 10
205 x 8
205 x 10
205 x 6


----------



## Thomas Paine

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> *I need you all to berate me for the sake of motivation.*


Oooooooooh... just remember that you asked for it. 

You look like a slob! How could you just let yourself go like that????



Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> 1. Space my meals out more instead of eating like a 300 pound fatman and eating everything I can.


I just recently read that this does not have a very significant _direct_ affect. It does not "boost" your metabolism (which is one of the myths about it). If you have a busy schedule then you will probably do better just eating three meals/day since it's easier. However, if you don't have a job and stay home most of the time, there are other benefits to eating 5 small meals a day. You could probably cut your calories to 3,000 though if you want to get nice and cut. That would have the largest affect other then cardio.



Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> 2. Limit myself to 3-4 alcoholic drinks, 2 times a week.


You lush! :b Every time you drink more then one or two drinks, you lose all the work that you did that day.



Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> 3. Do more cardio and lift heavier, although I don't know how I'm going to fit more cardio in, I hit the weights 3 times a week, Karate almost everyday, learning Parkour, yoga, pylotechnics. I wish exercise is my job.


I would drop the lifting altogether for a while. You can always start back up again later, and it sounds like you are wanting to cut right now instead of bulk. Maybe once a week do some *light* squats, deadlifts, and bench, for maintenance.



Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> 4. Get more sleep and shoot for 7-8 hours rather than 5-6.


What are you thinking with 5 hours per night!!! :no Pathetic!

Sorry I didn't post my sources or credentials or anything, but it's the middle of the night and I just woke up for a while. Not that I'd come back to post them later for a slob like you.


----------



## 2Talkative

Thomas Paine said:


> I just recently read that this does not have a very significant _direct_ affect. It does not "boost" your metabolism (which is one of the myths about it).


Yes one of the biggest myths ever. Smaller meals are easier for digestion though and will allow your stomach to shrink(for fat people like me this is good) but as for "stoking the fire" it's all BS.


----------



## Lithium4

Hey, I got a question for you guys, since you all seem to be working on your abs. Do you work your abs the same way you would other muscles, every couple of days, increased resistance etc. Or do you just do a whole bunch of crunches every day.

I've always neglected abs since frankly, I'm kinda fat, but I figured I'd start and intuitively, I would workout those muscles the same way I do any other. Anyways, I think I'm gonna be sore tomorrow, I haven't worked a new muscle group in a long time.


----------



## JFmtl

I have started to exercice on my elliptical trainer and small weights last week (i have pretty much stopped that for almost 1-2 years). I really to take better habits as I gained close to 5 pounds a year for the last 2-3 years, and I have loads of cholesterol history in my family. Heck, I feel tired after walking 10 minutes. 

So now, i'm doing 30-35 mins of cardio, 4-5 times a week, series of push-up and sit-ups, and finally working with my weights.

Hopefully, I won't be exhausted at anyway physical efforts from now on....


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

you can drink more on the weekend.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Thomas Paine said:


> Oooooooooh... just remember that you asked for it.
> 
> You look like a slob! How could you just let yourself go like that????
> 
> I just recently read that this does not have a very significant _direct_ affect. It does not "boost" your metabolism (which is one of the myths about it). If you have a busy schedule then you will probably do better just eating three meals/day since it's easier. However, if you don't have a job and stay home most of the time, there are other benefits to eating 5 small meals a day. You could probably cut your calories to 3,000 though if you want to get nice and cut. That would have the largest affect other then cardio.
> 
> You lush! :b Every time you drink more then one or two drinks, you lose all the work that you did that day.
> 
> I would drop the lifting altogether for a while. You can always start back up again later, and it sounds like you are wanting to cut right now instead of bulk. Maybe once a week do some *light* squats, deadlifts, and bench, for maintenance.
> 
> What are you thinking with 5 hours per night!!! :no Pathetic!
> 
> Sorry I didn't post my sources or credentials or anything, but it's the middle of the night and I just woke up for a while. Not that I'd come back to post them later for a slob like you.


When I was smoking weed, I had no problem eating whatever, when the hell I want, I used to eat 6 full meals a day no problem, but now I'm starting to feel it and my body is starting to show it and I didn't drink alcohol all that much. Now that I stopped, I have to drink to maintain some level of sanity and that's basically what made me fat, plus the munchies you get some alcohol is far worse!!

I only want to cut a little bit, enough to get of the fat I have currently but I don't want to be totally skinny, just gain strength and keep at my current size minus the fat.

Btw, you were my inspiration to make this post lol! I saw you post your picture to get ridiculed and figured I'll do the same!


----------



## Thomas Paine

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Btw, you were my inspiration to make this post lol! I saw you post your picture to get ridiculed and figured I'll do the same!


Haha. Thanks a lot for reminding me how embarrassing that was. :b

I'm getting lean fairly quickly btw. You better hurry up unless you want sloppy seconds on the SAS ladies (To the ladies, this was 100% joke... there's no way I'm going to share you. You're *all* mine.).


----------



## JFmtl

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> you can drink more on the weekend.


yeah, but vroom vroom, I gotta drive lol, unless public transport (métro and Réseau de transport de Longueuil) extend their hours until 4 am


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Thomas Paine said:


> Haha. Thanks a lot for reminding me how embarrassing that was. :b
> 
> I'm getting lean fairly quickly btw. You better hurry up unless you want sloppy seconds on the SAS ladies (To the ladies, this was 100% joke... there's no way I'm going to share you. You're *all* mine.).


Now THAT'S motivation. Race ya


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lithium4 said:


> Hey, I got a question for you guys, since you all seem to be working on your abs. Do you work your abs the same way you would other muscles, every couple of days, increased resistance etc. Or do you just do a whole bunch of crunches every day.
> 
> I've always neglected abs since frankly, I'm kinda fat, but I figured I'd start and intuitively, I would workout those muscles the same way I do any other. Anyways, I think I'm gonna be sore tomorrow, I haven't worked a new muscle group in a long time.


I do my abs just like I do any other muscle group. I hit it hard and only once a week (9 sets in one workout with weights depending on the exercise). I'm pretty sure that when I get back to cutting, I'll have a pretty good 6 pack (I hope). Abs are just like any other muscle (though they can handle higher reps). Of course, I'm bulking right now, but even if I was cutting, I'd do the same.


----------



## Lithium4

Thanks STK, I think I'll try for 2-3 ab sessions a week and see how it goes.

So, tonight I decided to throw a leg day into my routine and opened up with some squats. Needless to say, I didn't get to try any other leg exercise. It's been an hour and my legs are still kinda shaky...heh, maybe I'll try them last next time.

Instead, I followed that with my new and improved arm/chest routine and I had one of my best workouts ever. I feel so damn motivated lately!


----------



## far310

just did a killer ab workout two days ago and my abs are still painfully sore haha

they are called weighted sit ups, take a barbell or plate, I did 25lbs and get into a decline ab bench..sit up and at the top raise the weight up above your head..works your arms, shoulders, upper back..I did 12X5, am planning on bumping up 10lbs and doing 3x12 Friday, 4x12 the next workout and 5x12 the following one..then bump up 5-10 more lbs and start at 3 again.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Lithium4 said:


> Thanks STK, I think I'll try for 2-3 ab sessions a week and see how it goes.
> 
> So, tonight I decided to throw a leg day into my routine and opened up with some squats. Needless to say, I didn't get to try any other leg exercise. It's been an hour and my legs are still kinda shaky...heh, maybe I'll try them last next time.
> 
> Instead, I followed that with my new and improved arm/chest routine and I had one of my best workouts ever. I feel so damn motivated lately!


geez, i really had to push myself through my leg workout yesterday, haha. my legs were shaking for about an hour afterwards. :blank
i'm really feeling it now, ouch and i'm meant to go on the treadmill today..oh well, it'd be better heal up first and i _guess _i can affort it, haha.

i'm glad you're feeling motivated!


----------



## Phibes

I discovered today that excessive energy drink consumption and I don't mix too well. Hmm, I feel terribly anxious right now. This is not pleasant.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Phibes said:


> I discovered today that excessive energy drink consumption and I don't mix too well. Hmm, I feel terribly anxious right now. This is not pleasant.


geez, what am i going to do with you? :whip


----------



## 2Talkative

Phibes said:


> I discovered today that excessive energy drink consumption and I don't mix too well. Hmm, I feel terribly anxious right now. This is not pleasant.


Been there and learned from it I only have one a day now or :afr


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

JFmtl said:


> yeah, but vroom vroom, I gotta drive lol, unless public transport (métro and Réseau de transport de Longueuil) extend their hours until 4 am


its ok, Josh has invited you to crash at Ryan's.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i did body fat tests today and came out with different results for most of them. 

16.3%
6.77%
29.6% what? hahaha.
16.3%
17.2%
and my scale says 3.7% :lol


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Scales don't work for testing body fat. The most accurate is to use calipers, followed by the electronic hand-held ones.


----------



## 2Talkative

strawberryjulius said:


> i did body fat tests today and came out with different results for most of them.
> 
> 16.3%
> 6.77%
> 29.6% what? hahaha.
> 16.3%
> 17.2%
> and my scale says 3.7% :lol


If you used calipers and got 16,16,17 then 16.5% is average. 29% probably means you hit some muscle with a caliper because i've seen your pics there is no way your close to 29%

I can't find my calipers. I'm just using the mirror, I'm avoiding measurements though because it usually depresses me to see my arm size shrinking. Sure it's mostly fat but it doesn't help with losing weight motivation I usually start to panic about muscle loss and over eat.

I've been sick all afternoon but i'm still going to do deadlifts tonight.

I think I might do heavy weight low reps tonight. Looking to hit 315.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

You shouldn't worry about muscle shrinkage, not when you have a dedicated program. It's not if you ignore muscles is when you worry about muscle shrinkage.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Scales don't work for testing body fat. The most accurate is to use calipers, followed by the electronic hand-held ones.


yep, i know. that's why i laughed at it.



2Talkative said:


> If you used calipers and got 16,16,17 then 16.5% is average. 29% probably means you hit some muscle with a caliper because i've seen your pics there is no way your close to 29%
> 
> I can't find my calipers. I'm just using the mirror, I'm avoiding measurements though because it usually depresses me to see my arm size shrinking. Sure it's mostly fat but it doesn't help with losing weight motivation I usually start to panic about muscle loss and over eat.


i don't have calipers. i was doing the ones wear you measure yourself. (and yes, i *know *those aren't accurate either, geez.) i'm not really bothered by my body fat percentage, i was just curious.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Ha, I've lost my abs and muscle that I worked towards for so long. Luckily I'm still at a low body weight. Haven't been able to run for a month with a knee injury so it's all good. It only took 3 months to get abs when I was 170 pounds but I'm at 148 now so it should only take a month to get it back!


----------



## 2Talkative

strawberryjulius said:


> i'm not really bothered by my body fat percentage, i was just curious.


I wouldn't be either if I was skinny.

I just had the worlds worst workout I almost walked out.

It felt like I was just going through the motions and unable to concentrate. Hope tomorrow is better. :sus


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ugh, handed midterms back (my first time grading), and now my students hate me. After handing them back, had an almost rebellion in class from a few students. I pulled the deer in the headlights bit a little. Now I'm thinking that maybe I did grade too hard. It feels terrible.

I know this isn't on topic, but I had to post it somewhere. I'm meeting with a few of them tomorrow in my office so they can yell at me. I figure I'd hit the gym to work out the feeling immediately after that.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Strict grader huh? lol.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Yep.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i hate water retention, but i like salt...ugh.


----------



## Cerberus

I finally got around to working out again. Modern Warfare 2 took up all my free time last week. BTW, the game is freaking awesome. I've had it just under a week and I've already put in 24 hours playing it. 

I weigh 165.5 lbs. I completed my chest/tri workout today.


----------



## Lithium4

That's why I've forbidden myself from buying any new games for a while. I'm off to do my arms/chest.


----------



## 2Talkative

I got hosed when I bought mw2.. no dedicated servers is garbage. :no


I've got to do squats tonight. That is if the Gym isn't flooded.

bar x 10
135 x10
185 x 10
205 x 10
215 x 6
215 x 5


----------



## Cerberus

I finally got off my *** and ran two miles today.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ugh, turns out that I was grading by the wrong standards. Prof asked me to recall the midterms to regrade them. I feel like crap, like a failure. Loss of appetite, no energy, all I want to do is sleep. Hoping I can get over it quickly, but time passes too slow when you feel so bad.


----------



## strawberryjulius

STKinTHEmud said:


> Ugh, turns out that I was grading by the wrong standards. Prof asked me to recall the midterms to regrade them. I feel like crap, like a failure. Loss of appetite, no energy, all I want to do is sleep. Hoping I can get over it quickly, but time passes too slow when you feel so bad.


:squeeze


----------



## bardown

STKinTHEmud said:


> Ugh, handed midterms back (my first time grading), and now my students hate me. After handing them back, had an almost rebellion in class from a few students. I pulled the deer in the headlights bit a little. Now I'm thinking that maybe I did grade too hard. It feels terrible.
> 
> I know this isn't on topic, but I had to post it somewhere. I'm meeting with a few of them tomorrow in my office so they can yell at me. I figure I'd hit the gym to work out the feeling immediately after that.


Since you're 27, I'm assuming you teach younger students? Try to remember that younger students don't look at teachers as human beings, so don't take whatever they said/will say, personally.

I've really gotta start eating right and working out. I'm glad I found this thread, I think I will start tomorrow.


----------



## Cerberus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Ugh, turns out that I was grading by the wrong standards. Prof asked me to recall the midterms to regrade them. I feel like crap, like a failure. Loss of appetite, no energy, all I want to do is sleep. Hoping I can get over it quickly, but time passes too slow when you feel so bad.


Damn. That sucks. I hope it blows over fast.


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my back/bi workout today.


----------



## strawberryjulius

..the dreaded lower body workout is tomorrow..ugh.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i noticed today that i've been recovering a lot faster after i've exercised than i used to. i'm pretty proud of that.


----------



## Lithium4

Yea, I hardly ever feel sore anymore. I've been wondering if that's a good or bad thing.


----------



## strawberryjulius

oh, i meant i wasn't huffing and puffing for as long afterwards. :b

i still get sore after leg workouts, that's why i've changed it to friday. now i can have two recovery days where i walk around like i'm a granny.


----------



## Thomas Paine

Lithium4 said:


> Yea, I hardly ever feel sore anymore. I've been wondering if that's a good or bad thing.


It's hard after a while, but I think possible with maybe some creatine, changing to different but similar lifts, and pushing yourself until you feel like you're gonna break, then pushing a little further.

Everybody hits a plateau eventually of course, but I don't think it means you're there unless you notice your gains getting less and less.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks everyone for the sympathy. I think I'm past the worst of it, so I'm feeling a bit better now. Just riding out the quarter.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

I have started bxing training again for the first time since i was 8 years old. It was so great to be back in the gym again. I hoped to get ripped to shreds; there's more than enough testosterone this time round!!


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Lithium4 said:


> Yea, I hardly ever feel sore anymore. I've been wondering if that's a good or bad thing.


Good for the most part, but if you work the same muscle group differently or more intensely you'll get sore.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i must say, i am pretty impressed with the way my arms are looking these days.


----------



## 2Talkative

Pulled a calf muscle tonight playing hockey pissed right now would be an understatement I also got speared the same shift right on my leg where my plate is..... :mum

Oh well..hopefully I can still do squats tomorrow night. Most likely going to be a light leg night.

Can't post all bad so the good news is im 227lbs now. So since last year I've come down 28 lbs. So far I've lost 0 muscle or strength this cutting and counting calories is way better than just crashing to to sub 1800 cals. Thats the mistake I kept making over an over I would cut way too many cals out.


----------



## pollster

strawberryjulius said:


> i must say, i am pretty impressed with the way my arms are looking these days.
> 
> View attachment 5438


Awesome! I love _lean_ muscle arms on women. My arms used to be better. Must work on that. Keep it up!


----------



## Thomas Paine

strawberryjulius said:


> i must say, i am pretty impressed with the way my arms are looking these days.
> View attachment 5438


Lookin' good! :yes


----------



## strawberryjulius

pollster said:


> Awesome! I love _lean_ muscle arms on women. My arms used to be better. Must work on that. Keep it up!


 thanks. haha, i love it too. i think more women should start using weights.



Thomas Paine said:


> Lookin' good! :yes


thank you! 

i weighed 38.4kg today! i'm 0.6 away from my goal weight of 39kg. i actually looked slim today too, i'm not sure if that's because i've gained muscle rather than fat or because my perception of myself is becoming more accurate. either way, i have no complaints! :b


----------



## Thomas Paine

strawberryjulius said:


> i actually looked slim today too, i'm not sure if that's because i've gained muscle rather than fat or because my perception of myself is becoming more accurate.


Probably both, as well as the muscles tightening up and making your posture even better.


----------



## pollster

strawberryjulius said:


> thanks. haha, i love it too. i think more women should start using weights.
> 
> thank you!
> 
> i weighed 38.4kg today! i'm 0.6 away from my goal weight of 39kg. i actually looked slim today too, i'm not sure if that's because i've gained muscle rather than fat or because my perception of myself is becoming more accurate. either way, i have no complaints! :b


Whoa! Wait a minute. You weigh less than 90 pounds? Did I calculate that right? How tall are you? Do you think you're too fat? Or too thin? I hope it's the latter.

Not at all that I'm trying to dismiss your feelings if you do have body image issues in thinking you're too fat. I have BI issues (with fat). But let me tell you, you are not! At one point I weighed twice as much as you - so I have reason. I'm only 5'3". I would reluctantly birth and give away a child to be 90 lbs. :b

Keep up the good work muscle building. And I hope you have more good body image days. :yes


----------



## strawberryjulius

oh, sorry, haha. i should've pointed out that i'm 4'8. i was under my healthy weight before and i looked really thin and strange so i'm trying to get back up to that.


----------



## Thomas Paine

^ Looks like you're doing really well too. :high5


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> i must say, i am pretty impressed with the way my arms are looking these days.
> 
> View attachment 5438


Great job! Looking good!

I had a great leg workout yesterday. I know it was good because I could barely walk afterwards and now my legs are incredibly sore. I love that feeling.


----------



## millenniumman75

Whoa - arm wrestler! :yes

I ran another six miles. I will be going out of town this holiday - I have already run twice this week....maybe another run on Friday, but I think I will only be able to run three times this week instead of four. The route at my stepmom's isn't exactly safe - no sidewalk, an overpass over a highway, and luckily a bike path.....it's not like here at home.


----------



## millenniumman75

Whoa - arm wrestler! :yes

I ran another six miles. I will be going out of town this holiday - I have already run twice this week....maybe another run on Friday, but I think I will only be able to run three times this week instead of four. The route at my stepmom's isn't exactly safe - no sidewalk, an overpass over a highway, and luckily a bike path.....it's not like here at home.


----------



## pollster

strawberryjulius said:


> oh, sorry, haha. i should've pointed out that i'm 4'8. i was under my healthy weight before and i looked really thin and strange so i'm trying to get back up to that.


That is super cute.

And good job working up to your desired weight. The muscles look great. I realized after I posted that previous one that I might have sounded insensitive to someone who has problems being _under_weight. Certainly was not my intent. (I have never known what that feels like so I get giddy at the thought sometimes!) In any case, I think you look great.

And I like reading everyone's progress here as well. I'm still at the voyeur stage - haven't actually started exercising again myself. I just keep coming back to see if anyone's posted any new hot bod pics. :b But seriously... I will start. Eventually. Must return to the habit. A new hot bod pic might certainly motivate me though.....


----------



## arrow77

Omnium11 said:


> (UPDATED WITH PICTURES ON PAGE 2)
> 
> Alright well this is the first day of my mental and physical transformation! I'm so excited! I had a couple of false starts earlier but this time I'm really doing it. I'm gonna drastically cut down on my internet usage and start meditating again. I have been smoke free for about a month now and now I'm getting rid of the caffeine as well. I'm going on a diet and get back in to running. I think I will sort of use this thread as a journal where I will post my progress.
> 
> The last time I did this did so good and was real proud of myself because I completely changed myself and made drastic improvements physically and mentally. I went from 220 pounds to about 175 or so and went from only being able to run 1 mile to running 10 miles (once 13 miles.) I was amazed at how fast the body is able to transform like this. It only took me like 2 months to get up to 10 miles. I also almost completely stopped using the internet and was meditating and like sitting outside just relaxing for hours. Getting rid of the internet was best thing for me because I've been completely addicted to it since I was like 13. I really noticed anxiety and depression go away for the most part. I was very relaxed and just calm and collected. I also noticed that my imagination was working very well and I had very good concentration, also didn't have the negative obsessive thoughts that I usually have. Also I would have really cool dreams. It seems the more relaxed you are the more you dream and the easier it is to remember them. I also wrote down my dreams, my calorie intake and exercise progress and especially my progress with meditation in a journal.
> 
> I really wish I hadn't stopped last time because it seems like it was all a bunch of wasted effort because I didn't stick with it. Oh well, just got to keep trying and not give up. The good news is that I am only 192 pounds now which is much better than what I thought I would be after 4 months or so of sitting on my *** everyday eating everything in site! Actually its pretty amazing. I seem to have a real good metabolism. I can lose weight very fast but it takes me a while to put it back on.
> 
> Initial Goals: (I plan to update these later, things like getting out of the house and stuff, just not ready for that now)
> 
> 1) Get back down to 170 pounds or so (2 months from here)
> 
> 2) Write down my progress in a journal everyday
> 
> 3) Run 5 times a week minimum
> 
> 4) Have at least one 10 mile run by August 15th (2 months from here)
> 
> 5) At least 7 hours a week of meditation
> 
> 6) Drastically cut down on the internet usage
> 
> I don't think I will be as intense as I was last time with the mental transformation but who knows. Physical I plan to really push myself to the limit again. I wont get in to the dieting aspect too much because its sort of controversial and want to avoid any arguments and lectures etc. I know what I am doing though and have done it many times before. I've read loads about safety hazards etc. (Bodybuilding used to be an obsession of mine when I was like 16 though you sure wouldn't know that now by looking at me cause I'm so flabby and weak lol :-D )
> 
> Anyways very optimistic! Time to change my life and my self.


Great post!

I started working out last December and have had great results. I'm starting to get more dedicated again and I have noticed that my mood increases each time I come back from the gym. We should all keep a log/progress journal to keep each other motivated.


----------



## Cerberus

I completed my chest/tri workout yesterday. I weigh 161.5 lbs.


----------



## strawberryjulius

i weighed 37.7kg this morning, back to where i started. x_x

today i ran 1.2k, i think that's the most i've ever ran in the last 10 years, haha. :b and mind you, i am not a runner and it wasn't flat - mostly uphill.


----------



## pollster

Cool. Congrats!

But wouldn't running be counterproductive to wanting to gain weight? Seems like it would really shed the pounds.


----------



## strawberryjulius

pollster said:


> Cool. Congrats!
> 
> But wouldn't running be counterproductive to wanting to gain weight? Seems like it would really shed the pounds.


haha yeah. but i'm also petrified of gaining weight. i know, pathetic.


----------



## sweetcakes

cool, i'm gonna start to run too =), though i've been saying it for the last days and havent been able to haha =)


----------



## Lithium4

I'm still waiting for it to fall below freezing so I can play outdoor hockey. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the BEST NOVEMBER EVER, but I'd like to be shedding some fat a bit faster.

Still, I've lost 7 LBS since the start of the month and my lifts haven't suffered at all.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^ Good work, Lithium!

I took a fat caliper to my folds, and finally got a reading I can depend on: 14% BF. I'm not proud of it, but it's not so much a problem, since I'm trying to gain weight right now. I've gained about 5 lbs (177 lbs right now) in the past two months and my lifts are getting close to what they were when I was 193 lbs.

Target: 185 lbs. and <10% BF by summer.


----------



## strawberryjulius

STKinTHEmud said:


> ^ Good work, Lithium!
> 
> I took a fat caliper to my folds, and finally got a reading I can depend on: 14% BF. I'm not proud of it, but it's not so much a problem, since I'm trying to gain weight right now. I've gained about 5 lbs (177 lbs right now) in the past two months and my lifts are getting close to what they were when I was 193 lbs.
> 
> Target: 185 lbs. and <10% BF by summer.


congrats on 14% even if you aren't proud of it. :b


----------



## Lithium4

Meh me and my 30% BF are jealous. I gotta get me some of these calipers, I don't trust my body fat scale.

Anyway, I dropped to 236 this morning. I was at 254 when I started my current round of strength training back in March and of course I've increased my strength considerably. My goal is to be down around 210 by the summer while adding just a bit more muscle mass in the right places (I think I got a decent amount already hiding under all this fat). Maybe then I'll post some pics...maybe.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Lithium4 said:


> Meh me and my 30% BF are jealous. I gotta get me some of these calipers, I don't trust my body fat scale.
> 
> Anyway, I dropped to 236 this morning. I was at 254 when I started my current round of strength training back in March and of course I've increased my strength considerably. My goal is to be down around 210 by the summer while adding just a bit more muscle mass in the right places (I think I got a decent amount already hiding under all this fat). Maybe then I'll post some pics...maybe.


you'd better post pics. :b


----------



## huh

Bleh...my left knee is still injured. I checked this thread to find out how long ago I did it....hah, my memory rocks. It seems like it gets better after a few days to the point where I can walk on it without feeling weird, but then it gets messed up again. I'm not running on it or doing anything out of the ordinary. I barely go on my walks anymore either.

I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when this heals. It's encouraging to see so many people improving though.


----------



## pollster

If you guys/gals do a lot of running and stuff, do you take any supplements to help with joint pain? MSM and Hyaluronic Acid are supposed to be very good for that. I'm sure there's others too. I am taking a supplement that has collagen/chondroitin sulfate/HA/MSM, and reviewers of it have indicated help with joint pain etc. from exercise. (That's not why I'm taking it though, so I'm not much help there.)


----------



## CupOCoffee

Wow, i've read through the whole thread now, and i have to say that it has really sparked my motivation. I'm going for a jog tomorrow.:boogie

Think i'm gonna post before/progress/after pictures too.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^Awesome. First we assimilate SAS, then the world!


----------



## Cerberus

chest/tri workout completed and I ran 2.5 miles


----------



## strawberryjulius

CupOCoffee said:


> Wow, i've read through the whole thread now, and i have to say that it has really sparked my motivation. I'm going for a jog tomorrow.:boogie
> 
> Think i'm gonna post before/progress/after pictures too.


Good luck.


----------



## ayyak

Okay Can the writer of the thread reupload the pics again


----------



## Duke of Prunes

I've been going to the gym a couple of times a week for the last couple of weeks, but I'm not sure if my routine is any good or not. Anyone care to critique it? I don't have enough time to go 4 times a week and split the routine up, so I try to make the most of the time and fit everything in.

Here's what I'm doing and how much I'm lifting:
15 mins cardio (varies, but I usually go on a bike or cross trainer)
3x10 leg extension (20 kg)
3x10 leg press (20 kg)
3x10 leg curl (20 kg)
3x10 seated calf raise (10 kg)
3x10 bench press (20 kg)
3x10 pull down (25 kg)
3x10 shoulder press (10 kg)
3x20 standing biceps curl (7.5 kg/arm)
3x10 pushdown (11 kg)
10 mins warm down (usually rowing machine) and some stretches

I often keep lifting until failure on the last set of each exercise, and I use machines for everything (except biceps curls, which I do with dumbbells).

Now, the exercises I keep having problems with are calf raises and shoulder presses. Calf raises absolutely KILL my feet. My shoes have plenty of support and I think I'm doing them correctly, but no matter what, by the last couple of reps in each set, it feels like I've just walked on burning coals and I have to wait a few minutes before doing the next set. It's not the normal burning sensation you feel when lifting, it actually HURTS, real bad, but I can easily lift the weight so it seems counter productive to lift less even if makes the pain stop.

As for shoulder presses, I can't seem to be able to do an entire set with more than 10 kg (I can lift 15-20 kg but tire out after a few reps), which seems worryingly low. By the last couple of reps of the set it feels like my arms are going to drop off. Should I just keep doing them like this and persist until it becomes a bit easier then try lifting more, or would it be better to just lift more, but do a few less reps and an extra set? Or could it simply be exhaustion, seeing as I'm doing them near the end of the routine; perhaps reordering it so the less tiring exercises are at the end would help?

On the plus side, I've improved a little bit in the last couple of weeks (I can lift 1-2 more weights on machines, etcetera). When I first went there I was even weaker than I am now (which is still "very"). I've got a little bit more muscle mass (I should really be taking progress pictures, but I've never gotten round to it) and best of all, I enjoy going there, and it seems to be helping with SA a little bit, doing a physical activity while being surrounded by other people. And it's doing wonders for my mood.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Duke of Prunes said:


> I've been going to the gym a couple of times a week for the last couple of weeks, but I'm not sure if my routine is any good or not. Anyone care to critique it? I don't have enough time to go 4 times a week and split the routine up, so I try to make the most of the time and fit everything in.
> 
> Here's what I'm doing and how much I'm lifting:
> 15 mins cardio (varies, but I usually go on a bike or cross trainer)
> 3x10 leg extension (20 kg)
> 3x10 leg press (20 kg)
> 3x10 leg curl (20 kg)
> 3x10 seated calf raise (10 kg)
> 3x10 bench press (20 kg)
> 3x10 pull down (25 kg)
> 3x10 shoulder press (10 kg)
> 3x20 standing biceps curl (7.5 kg/arm)
> 3x10 pushdown (11 kg)
> 10 mins warm down (usually rowing machine) and some stretches
> 
> I often keep lifting until failure on the last set of each exercise, and I use machines for everything (except biceps curls, which I do with dumbbells).
> 
> Now, the exercises I keep having problems with are calf raises and shoulder presses. Calf raises absolutely KILL my feet. My shoes have plenty of support and I think I'm doing them correctly, but no matter what, by the last couple of reps in each set, it feels like I've just walked on burning coals and I have to wait a few minutes before doing the next set. It's not the normal burning sensation you feel when lifting, it actually HURTS, real bad, but I can easily lift the weight so it seems counter productive to lift less even if makes the pain stop.
> 
> As for shoulder presses, I can't seem to be able to do an entire set with more than 10 kg (I can lift 15-20 kg but tire out after a few reps), which seems worryingly low. By the last couple of reps of the set it feels like my arms are going to drop off. Should I just keep doing them like this and persist until it becomes a bit easier then try lifting more, or would it be better to just lift more, but do a few less reps and an extra set? Or could it simply be exhaustion, seeing as I'm doing them near the end of the routine; perhaps reordering it so the less tiring exercises are at the end would help?
> 
> On the plus side, I've improved a little bit in the last couple of weeks (I can lift 1-2 more weights on machines, etcetera). When I first went there I was even weaker than I am now (which is still "very"). I've got a little bit more muscle mass (I should really be taking progress pictures, but I've never gotten round to it) and best of all, I enjoy going there, and it seems to be helping with SA a little bit, doing a physical activity while being surrounded by other people. And it's doing wonders for my mood.


Are you doing this routine each day that you go to the gym? Each of your muscles generally need 3-5 days to recover between workouts, so if you're going to the gym more than twice a week, you could be overworking. I have a (buff) friend who does a whole body routine like this, but he does it only twice a week. Otherwise, it seems pretty solid (lots of compounds are good). Not the way I like to workout, but it works, especially to make big strength gains. Though personally, I try to go to failure or near failure for every set, and adjust weight accordingly so that I do 6-12 reps. And I go with heavier weight on my biceps, since I have long, skinny arms. You also might want to try some dips instead of press downs. The more free weight and body exercises you do, the better (I try to avoid machines as much as possible). You also might want to try squats instead of leg presses and leg extensions, but be warned, even though it's generally hailed as the best exercise you can possibly do, it's hard to master and it wears you out FAST.

About your feet, I've never heard of something like that before. Perhaps you should try stand calf raises and see how those feel. But if you still get that burning sensation, you might want to ask a doctor about it.

About shoulder presses, keep in mind that when you bench press, you're working out your shoulders too. So you're going into your shoulder press a bit tired, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But just expect to lift a little less. It sounds like your shoulder presses are just about on par with the rest of what you're doing.

Good to hear you're improving. Take some pictures when you can. When you get really buff, you'll be able to brag about it on this thread.

Couple of questions to give us a better sense of where you are (standard questions a la guys-at-the-gym-talk): Are you trying to gain muscle mass or lose fat? What's your height/weight? How is your diet and are you taking any supplements? How long are you resting between sets? Are you getting 8+ hrs of sleep every night or napping to make it up? Are you new to weight lifting or are you coming back to it?

(Just gave a presentation that was not my best, but screw it, it wasn't my field anyway, so I don't have to care.)


----------



## Duke of Prunes

STKinTHEmud said:


> Are you doing this routine each day that you go to the gym?


I'm doing that routine every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first week I was aching so bad for 2-3 days that I couldn't go back on Thursday, but now I'm only aching for a day after and I'm good to go by Thursday.



> The more free weight and body exercises you do, the better (I try to avoid machines as much as possible).


I was thinking about doing more free weights, but they seem a bit more intimidating next to machines. I'm scared of doing something wrong and looking like an idiot or getting injured.



> About your feet, I've never heard of something like that before. Perhaps you should try stand calf raises and see how those feel. But if you still get that burning sensation, you might want to ask a doctor about it.


I'll try some standing ones next time I go. I think it might be because I've been wearing flat shoes with no support for years (the shoes I'm wearing now have plenty of support though) and I'm not used to putting loads of weight on my feet, I dunno.



> About shoulder presses, keep in mind that when you bench press, you're working out your shoulders too. So you're going into your shoulder press a bit tired, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But just expect to lift a little less. It sounds like your shoulder presses are just about on par with the rest of what you're doing.


Do you think it would be worth trying to do shoulder presses before bench presses and see if that reduces the fatigue a bit?



> Good to hear you're improving. Take some pictures when you can. When you get really buff, you'll be able to brag about it on this thread.


I'm a bit self-conscious to post pictures, but I'll see what I can do.



> Couple of questions to give us a better sense of where you are (standard questions a la guys-at-the-gym-talk): Are you trying to gain muscle mass or lose fat? What's your height/weight? How is your diet and are you taking any supplements? How long are you resting between sets? Are you getting 8+ hrs of sleep every night or napping to make it up? Are you new to weight lifting or are you coming back to it?


I'm trying to gain muscle mass, I've already got really low body fat (I can see most of my ribs and I've got really pointy elbows and knees!). I weigh around 120 lbs (putting on a couple of pounds a week) and my height is spot on 5'-7".

My diet consists mainly of 4 Weetabix for breakfast (I eat breakfast quite late, around 11-12AM), an apple for lunch/30 mins before I go to the gym, another 4 Weetabix after the gym, then usually something full of red meat like chilli (I know how unhealthy red meat is, but I'm addicted to it), or sometimes I just eat a massive bowl of pasta. So I don't eat particularly healthily, but I keep the junk food to a minimum. The only supplements I take are vitamins.

I usually rest for roughly 2 minutes between sets, it varies a bit cause I don't time it exactly. And I usually get 8-12 hours sleep a night, rarely less than that. Also, I'm completely new to weight lifting, and even exercising. I haven't stepped into a gym at all until a few weeks ago.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Duke of Prunes said:


> I'm doing that routine every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first week I was aching so bad for 2-3 days that I couldn't go back on Thursday, but now I'm only aching for a day after and I'm good to go by Thursday.


Might be a bit better to go Friday or Saturday instead of Thurs.



Duke of Prunes said:


> I was thinking about doing more free weights, but they seem a bit more intimidating next to machines. I'm scared of doing something wrong and looking like an idiot or getting injured.


Yeah, I understand. They were a bit intimidating to me at first too. Fortunately, when I first started, I went with my brother, and he showed me how to use that stuff and spotted me. If you have to go alone, try sticking to dumbbells, that way, when you fail, you won't hurt yourself. Even if you do look awkward/new, you don't have to worry. Most people at the gym are too focused on their own workouts and chilling on endorphins to care what you're doing. Besides, everyone has had to start somewhere, so they doubtlessly looked just like you at one point. Give it a shot, it will pump [clap] you up.



Duke of Prunes said:


> Do you think it would be worth trying to do shoulder presses before bench presses and see if that reduces the fatigue a bit?


It will help you increase your shoulder presses, but it will affect your bench press. Most people prefer to go hard on their bench presses because at some point in their exercise career, someone will ask them, "hey, how much do you bench?" and they'll want to respond with a big number. Of course, they're asking what your max is (2 reps) and only strength trainers do that regularly, so most people guesstimate anyway. Personally, I would keep things as they are, since your shoulders are a support muscle for the bench press, and if that support muscle fails before your chest does (the primary muscle), then you won't quite be getting the most bang for your buck from your bench press. Your shoulders don't really require your chest, so this doesn't apply the other way around.



Duke of Prunes said:


> I'm a bit self-conscious to post pictures, but I'll see what I can do.


No problem, no pressure. Post if you like, if not, it's cool. But you might want to take pictures for your own purposes (even without posting them). Of course, you can do what many of the rest of us do: take off your shirt, throw on your gym shorts, take a picture, then cut out your face and post it.



Duke of Prunes said:


> I'm trying to gain muscle mass, I've already got really low body fat (I can see most of my ribs and I've got really pointy elbows and knees!). I weigh around 120 lbs (putting on a couple of pounds a week) and my height is spot on 5'-7".
> 
> My diet consists mainly of 4 Weetabix for breakfast (I eat breakfast quite late, around 11-12AM), an apple for lunch/30 mins before I go to the gym, another 4 Weetabix after the gym, then usually something full of red meat like chilli (I know how unhealthy red meat is, but I'm addicted to it), or sometimes I just eat a massive bowl of pasta. So I don't eat particularly healthily, but I keep the junk food to a minimum. The only supplements I take are vitamins.


It sounds like you're an ectomorph, just like me. When I first started a decade ago, I was 6'0 and 135 lbs. Within less than a year, I got up to 160lbs, just by lifting weights (not changing my diet or anything). But I was still underweight. I didn't really improve past that until I changed my diet. Now, I eat approximately 3000 calories in 6 meals per day, and I get about 240 grams of protein a day. I take a multivitamin and one mass gain protein shake a day. I'm steadily gaining weight now, so much so that now my bmi is about normal. You'll gain a good bit of weight by simply working out, but you might hit a plateau somewhere down the line. I recommend you increase your calories asap to get the most out of your time and to get to where you want to be quicker. I found this site especially helpful when it comes to diet and general tips:

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/



Duke of Prunes said:


> I usually rest for roughly 2 minutes between sets, it varies a bit cause I don't time it exactly. And I usually get 8-12 hours sleep a night, rarely less than that. Also, I'm completely new to weight lifting, and even exercising. I haven't stepped into a gym at all until a few weeks ago.


Sounds good, but I hear that 30 seconds - 1 minute 30 seconds is best for muscle building.


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## Cerberus

I completed my back/bi workout, immediately followed by running/walking 3.7 miles in 35 minutes. I weighed 162.5 lbs. 

My strength is back up to where it was when I weighed 30 pounds more than I do now, so I'm pretty happy about that.


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## Duke of Prunes

Had a good session at the gym yesterday, added another 5kg to my leg extensions/presses/curls/calf raises (my feet didn't hurt as much this time either), bench/shoulder presses and pulldowns. My shoulders aren't fatiguing as quickly this week either.

Also, I have a quick question. Would switching to 5x5s give me any benefit over 3x10s, or are they more for building strength than building mass?


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## STKinTHEmud

From what I understand, 5x5s are a big part of Rippetoe's routine, which a lot of people say are excellent for beginners, partially because it's great for building strength, but also because it builds a great amount mass. Frankly, I would prefer 5x5s to 3x10 because a) it makes you go heavy, which is great for building muscle and b) you do a few more sets, which is great when it comes to compound exercises (bench, squats, shoulder press, etc.) to make full use of the awesomeness of those compound exercises. To really train for strength, you'd be doing something in the order of 3 reps. To train for muscle mass (looking good) it would be between 5 or 6-10 reps (I've heard 5 as the lowest you would go from some and 6 from others).


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## Duke of Prunes

Had another good session today, didn't bother trying the 5x5s though. I managed to do a couple of sets of benches at 25kg with no trouble (next week I'll give 30kg a try), and I had another go at doing 15kg shoulder presses, but I did even worse than I did on Tuesday and barely managed to do 1 set before switching to 10kg. I know my shoulders are going to be fatigued after doing benches but it feels like I'm falling behind on shoulder presses. I'm adding 5kg per week to everything but pushdowns, biceps and shoulder presses. Is this normal? I don't want to end up exercising certain muscles too much and not giving enough attention to the others.


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## STKinTHEmud

5kg a week sounds like some pretty insane progress (as in it's far too good progress), but considering that you've just started, it's certainly not implausible. Generally, the name of the game is to do as much weight as possible while still falling within your preferred rep range. If you find yourself able to do too many reps, increase weight, if too little, decrease it. But if you can manage to increase it, by all means, do it!

By increasing your benches, you put added strain on your shoulders. I think generally, your chest will get stronger faster than your shoulders since you just started. So I'm not surprised it seems like your shoulders are falling behind. Really, I think they're right on track, but trying to keep up with your chest is hard work. Besides, often, our diet, sleep, or what we happened to do earlier that day, will affect day-to-day workouts. Once your support muscles toughen up (you can make them toughen up faster if you use free-weights), your shoulder presses will increase significantly. Don't worry too much about it.


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## Cerberus

^heh I have the opposite problem. My chest has trouble keeping up with my shoulders. My shoulders want to do most of the work for a lot of my lifts. 

------

I heard somewhere that it is only possible to gain .5 lbs of muscle a week. I'm not sure if that's true. Hopefully someone else will check that for me. 

-------
Anyway, I completed my chest/tri workout, followed by running/walking 3.6 miles. 

Overall, I've been reaching my goals. I've done exactly what I wanted to do. I've gotten lean, stayed lean, and now I'm getting stronger while staying lean. I'm extremely happy with my progress this past year. 

However, my diet has been slipping a bit. I need to keep my diet in line.


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## Cerberus

chest/tri completed followed by running/walking four miles in 35 minutes. Leg day was completed Saturday.


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## jellybelly

Well done everyone for working out so hard! 

I'm still aching from doing weight machines on Monday. I finally found the weight to challenge me just right on the leg curl but I think I've upped the arm weights too much. 

Does anyone have any advice about whether I should do cardio the day after weights if my body is really aching? Will it make it worse and not let my body recover? I didn't go to the gym last night anyway but before when I went several days in a row after doing weights my body wasn't very pleased with me! And is twice a week enough using several weight machines? The fitness instructor told me to do more weights than cardio but I once tried doing weights after only 1 rest day and it was a struggle. Or is that the point?!

Keep up the good work everyone!


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## STKinTHEmud

^ I've heard that the best time to do cardio is not in the morning (as most people think), but immediately after lifting weights (also see http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek34.htm). Really, if you want to lose weight, it's not necessary to do cardio everyday. Actually, it's not necessary to do cardio at all, if your diet is right. (That doesn't mean you should cut out cardio though, just factor the calories you lose from cardio into your diet. For an estimation of calorie goals, see: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm.)

As far as aching when cardio goes, you might want to try cardio immediately after a workout, especially if aches are interfering with your workouts. Better yet, give yourself a day to rest after doing legs before cardio. Have you just started lifting within the past month? If so, then big aches are pretty common, but they will gradually go away after continued exercise.


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## jellybelly

Thanks for the tips stkinthemud 

I started doing weights about 6 weeks ago so pretty new to it still. I think I'll have to try and get to the gym earlier to give myself more time for cardio after. I haven'd done much cardio lately and my weight loss has come to a near enough halt but I know long term more muscle is good.


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## Cerberus

jellybelly said:


> Well done everyone for working out so hard!
> 
> I'm still aching from doing weight machines on Monday. I finally found the weight to challenge me just right on the leg curl but I think I've upped the arm weights too much.
> 
> Does anyone have any advice about whether I should do cardio the day after weights if my body is really aching? Will it make it worse and not let my body recover? I didn't go to the gym last night anyway but before when I went several days in a row after doing weights my body wasn't very pleased with me! And is twice a week enough using several weight machines? The fitness instructor told me to do more weights than cardio but I once tried doing weights after only 1 rest day and it was a struggle. Or is that the point?!
> 
> Keep up the good work everyone!


Actually doing cardio the day after weight lifting can help alleviate any soreness from the weight lifting. This is because getting your body moving can help get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in one's muscles after weight lifting.

I wouldn't recommend doing cardio after a good leg workout though. Walking and running should be hard after a good leg workout.

-----

I completed my back/bicep workout today, followed by running/walking 4.10 miles in 35 minutes.


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## millenniumman75

I might need that Calorie counter program :yes


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## Thomas Paine

I did squats and deadlifts yesterday. Thank god for hand rails on the crazy steep stairs in this house.


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## STKinTHEmud

Bump.

Squats AND deadlifts? Ju crazy, mang. I used to do that until I realized that after squats alone I was dead, and then after deadlifts I was ready to pass out.


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## 2Talkative

Your body will adapt to it though. When I fist started squats and deads on different days I thought I would have to stop because of the aches/pain/muscle soreness you name it but after a couple weeks it's all good now just getting stronger


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## STKinTHEmud

Different days I can understand, but the same day? Ouch.


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## jellybelly

I need to get back to the gym. I have been eating so much bad stuff this past week  

I bought a swim suit a few weeks ago and have yet to go swimming because I'm scared. I also need to book a new programme because I've done mine for 8 weeks (or should have if I'd actually done it all the time!) and I need to move on to free weights apparently. But the gym will be so busy whilst people are off work and then in January with all the New Year Resolutioners! Eek. My SA not so good right now but I know not exercising is partly contributing to my current drepressiveness. 

I really want to push myself now. I lost a lot of weight slowly over the last 16 months but it's been so slow recently. I want to be super fit but I'm too lazy haha. Have to force myself to go do something tomorrow.


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## STKinTHEmud

Jellybelly: The best first step you can make is a solid plan based on a good bit of research. Maybe you could read up a bit to get reaquainted with the mechanics of diet and exercise (on professional websites), plan out what exercises you will do and when and exactly what you will eat from meal to meal and how much and it might be easier to commit to getting where you want to be.


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## jellybelly

STKinTHEmud said:


> Jellybelly: The best first step you can make is a solid plan based on a good bit of research. Maybe you could read up a bit to get reaquainted with the mechanics of diet and exercise (on professional websites), plan out what exercises you will do and when and exactly what you will eat from meal to meal and how much and it might be easier to commit to getting where you want to be.


Thanks for the advice  I record the exercise I do, afterwards and sometimes what I plan to do but I don't really plan so that would be a good idea, to commit myself a bit more. I've been reading health and fitness magazines and websites and am also doing a distance learning course in exercise, health and nutrition but I've not studied much yet. Oops. Big problem I have now is I have the motivatin etc. but my bridesmaid's dress was way too big and if I lose more weight it will cost more money to adjust it again and it may ruin the very expensive dress. Why is nothing ever simple?!

I used weight machines again today and finally upped the weight slightly on the Chest press machine. Been so frusrated with that as I upped all the other machines ages ago but finally a bit stronger yay


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## JLP

I do squats every workout, MWF, and it kills me lol. I don't like squats at all, but they are so damn good for you.

On a side note...I hope I can find a gym that is open tomorrow >_<


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## STKinTHEmud

jellybelly said:


> Thanks for the advice  I record the exercise I do, afterwards and sometimes what I plan to do but I don't really plan so that would be a good idea, to commit myself a bit more. I've been reading health and fitness magazines and websites and am also doing a distance learning course in exercise, health and nutrition but I've not studied much yet. Oops. Big problem I have now is I have the motivatin etc. but my bridesmaid's dress was way too big and if I lose more weight it will cost more money to adjust it again and it may ruin the very expensive dress. Why is nothing ever simple?!
> 
> I used weight machines again today and finally upped the weight slightly on the Chest press machine. Been so frusrated with that as I upped all the other machines ages ago but finally a bit stronger yay


Good to hear that you're getting stronger. My motivator is that I'm hoping that having a bit more muscle will help me get and keep a relationship (like most guys that work out), not only because it actually makes me look better, but also because it helps me improve my self image, which makes me more confident. Every now and then, I look in the mirror and think that I look a bit better than I did before. Just remember that what is under the dress is more important than the dress itself.

Don't know if it will help, but I thought I'd share the way I plan my own diet and exercise. For exercise, I set up a weekly plan that goes on for 12 weeks, then change that plan a bit. For my diet, I essentially eat the same thing everyday (though I get two cheat meals per week) and all those things are easy to make and fairly tasty. I have two diets: bulking and cutting. So, I know exactly what I have to buy when I go to the grocery store, and I don't have to stress myself out planning what to eat day-to-day.


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## Cerberus

I've been getting most of my exercise from snowboarding lately, which probably won't cut it. I don't know. I'll try and get to the gym one or two times a week.


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## huh

*sigh* I've gained 6lbs since my injury because I haven't been able to run. I was actually a little surprised though...I thought I gained more. My knee feels fine, but I'm still afraid to run on it yet.


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## STKinTHEmud

Okay, what the crap. I miss a few meals in one day and I lose a full pound? 3200 calories a day, and not really gaining weight, but getting stronger. Is this still progress?


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## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Okay, what the crap. I miss a few meals in one day and I lose a full pound? 3200 calories a day, and not really gaining weight, but getting stronger. Is this still progress?


Sounds like me. Eating to gain muscle is such a chore. But yeah gaining strength and definition is always good even if it doesn't show up on the scale.


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## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> Sounds like me. Eating to gain muscle is such a chore. But yeah gaining strength and definition is always good even if it doesn't show up on the scale.


My friend, the prospect of hard work has always been the bane of that very same hard work. I'm upping my calorie intake by 200 calories/day and eating another serving of veggies. Must... maximize... muscle gain!


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## STKinTHEmud

Quick question for cool people.

Is it wrong of me to want to date someone who is as crazy about being fit as I am? I am really friggin' crazy by comparison to most, but I find thin women very attractive...


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## strawberryjulius

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, STK. Often I wish that my boyfriend were more motivated like myself. :b


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## Cerberus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Quick question for cool people.
> 
> Is it wrong of me to want to date someone who is as crazy about being fit as I am? I am really friggin' crazy by comparison to most, but I find thin women very attractive...


I don't think of myself as cool, but I'll give it a shot. I don't see anything wrong with it. Staying physically active and keeping fit is a sign of good character. It's by no means a guarantee but it is, at least, a good character trait. It's a sign of self respect. If she's into fitness and has been for a while, chances are she will be when she's older. I would think that would be pretty damn important for a long term relationship.


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## Cerberus

I haven't been updating much lately. I've been working out 2-3 times a week. I haven't had a leg day in a while though because I figured it would get in the way of snowboarding, but I figured I'd do a leg day today. I'm probably going to be really sore as a result.


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## Cerberus

sheesh

my diet has gone to hell. I've been drinking beer, eating pizza, eating microwavable chinese food, and just eating too much. I need to fix this and get my diet back on track. *smacks self*


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## STKinTHEmud

Thanks strawberry and Cerberus. I feel the same way. I wonder if I'll be able to bring it up in conversation sometime. I bet I can get her to lose 10-15 lbs by summer if she follows my plan without cheating. (Could be a bad sign that I'm thinking of changing her when I've only just started dating her.)

And Cerb, you are totally cool. Being really into working out and health is really cool. Interests other than work always are, and since coolness is often ascribed to those things that few people do and that not too many Americans are into working out as much as you are, you are cool.


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## strawberryjulius

Does she _need_ to lose 10-15lbs though? Just wondering.

I have been drinking too much lately..need to stop that.


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## STKinTHEmud

No, but I think I'd feel more attracted to her if she did. At this point, if i kiss anyone without a Y chromosome who has the requisite girl-parts, I feel attraction, but I have a tendency to fall head over heels for girls that are thin as well as smart. Frankly, at this point, I'm thinking that this probably won't last more than one or two months, since I don't really feel all that much for her. Perhaps that will change in the future, and I'm open to it if it does, but if it doesn't...

Regardless, one of the things I want from this is to get in her pants.


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## STKinTHEmud

*3 month regular progress report*

9/22/09 (end of cutting cycle):










Stats: 6'1", 170 lbs, 12% Body Fat.

1/18/2010 (Now, middle of bulking cycle):










Stats: 6'1", 178.8 lbs, 12% Body Fat

It seems that I put on a significant amount of muscle in the past three months (I'd estimate about 6-7 lbs muscle and 1-2 lbs fat). Judging by my strength gains, I'd say a good bit of that muscle found its way to my legs, but I have made significant gains in my upper body. It seems that the only abs that are noticeable are the ones resting on my ribs...

Current Goal: 185 lbs, >10% Body Fat. Need to gain 10-15 lbs muscle and lose 5-10 lbs fat. If I can gain another 6-8 lbs of muscle within the next three months (the second half of my bulking phase) and then lose 5 lbs of fat in the 3 months following (the first half of my cutting phase), I'll be happy.

(Did you notice? I got a new apartment! It's awesome.)


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## Cerberus

It looks like your abs developed a bit more. Perhaps your arms have too, but you're not in a similar pose so I'm having trouble seeing the difference. Nice work on gaining muscle and strength though, and congrats on the new apartment. Keep up the good work!


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## Lateralus

I kind of want to try the whole bulking approach sometime, but I really don't want my body fat to increase, I think it would start to bother me right away.

Lately I have been working on my relatively weaker back. Lots of pullups, rows, etc. Progress has been pretty good. I'll try to get a pic up soon.


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## mind_games

Lateralus said:


> I kind of want to try the whole bulking approach sometime, but I really don't want my body fat to increase, I think it would start to bother me right away.
> 
> Lately I have been working on my relatively weaker back. Lots of pullups, rows, etc. Progress has been pretty good. I'll try to get a pic up soon.


How do you measure the progress of your back workouts? Apart from visually.


----------



## millenniumman75

strawberryjulius said:


> Does she _need_ to lose 10-15lbs though? Just wondering.
> 
> I have been drinking too much lately..need to stop that.


There is a lot of hidden calories in drinks. I will drink calorie-free soda and water. There are tons of flavors out there. I even have some five-calorie drink mixes. Good stuff .

I still do my running, but the winter season is a mess. I gained a few pounds over the holidays. My running continues - 24 miles a week, even when the temperature is 15F/-11c and under!


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## millenniumman75

huh said:


> *sigh* I've gained 6lbs since my injury because I haven't been able to run. I was actually a little surprised though...I thought I gained more. My knee feels fine, but I'm still afraid to run on it yet.


Do you do any light work on the knee to build yourself up?
I am afraid at this point, you might want to see a sports doctor. :stu


----------



## Lateralus

mind_games said:


> How do you measure the progress of your back workouts? Apart from visually.


Well it is mostly visual, but I can do a lot more pullups now, and weight has gone up significantly in rows and reverse flys.


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## Lateralus

Trying this post again since I botched the last one.

Back - Still not where I want to be but making progress. Been doing pullups behind the head, rows, reverse flys, lat raises, and occasional military press.


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## strawberryjulius

millenniumman75 said:


> There is a lot of hidden calories in drinks. I will drink calorie-free soda and water. There are tons of flavors out there. I even have some five-calorie drink mixes. Good stuff .
> 
> I still do my running, but the winter season is a mess. I gained a few pounds over the holidays. My running continues - 24 miles a week, even when the temperature is 15F/-11c and under!


Hmm. Apparently one tequila shot is 100 calories..so when I have four of those...uh oh. :b I don't seem to put on any weight though.


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## hiimnotcool

Hmmm... time for me to jump back in the boat. My knee is fully healed to run again but now the problem is laziness. That's why I didn't want to quit in the first place! Will start doing push ups, pull ups, and ab work again starting tomorrow. I've missed all of my fellow fitness buddies! How long does it take to get abs back?!!?! Mine are completely gone but I only weigh 148 as opposed to the 168 I started at in the beginning of this thread.


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## hiimnotcool

Ha, well I did work out but it was SUPER pathetic.

Did the chest and back workouts from P90X
The push ups were 5-7 reps per variation..
The pull ups were 3-5 reps per variation...
8-10 different exercises and 2 sets of each.

Then I did 10 minutes of some simple ab work. Wanted to keep it easy and not jump in too hard. I'll probably do 3-5 pull ups and 5-10 hanging ab raises each time I walk back into the room as well.

Tonight I'll do some pilates or yoga.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> I kind of want to try the whole bulking approach sometime, but I really don't want my body fat to increase, I think it would start to bother me right away.
> 
> Lately I have been working on my relatively weaker back. Lots of pullups, rows, etc. Progress has been pretty good. I'll try to get a pic up soon.


It looks like you're good on muscle mass (depending on what you want to get to). If you do bulk, you might want to do it in the fall so you can be sure to keep your abs this summer.

I've been trying wide-grip pull-ups for my back, but I can only do five unassisted on my first set, then I have to switch to the assisted pull-up machine. I was thinking of going back to pull-downs until I build up enough muscle to do pull-ups with proper form. What do you think?


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> It looks like you're good on muscle mass (depending on what you want to get to). If you do bulk, you might want to do it in the fall so you can be sure to keep your abs this summer.
> 
> I've been trying wide-grip pull-ups for my back, but I can only do five unassisted on my first set, then I have to switch to the assisted pull-up machine. I was thinking of going back to pull-downs until I build up enough muscle to do pull-ups with proper form. What do you think?


Yes when I said pullups I meant with wide-grip. They are tough for sure, five isnt that bad really.

I did exactly what you're saying, I started with wide-grip pulldowns on a cable machine and worked up to my body weight, then moved up to wide-grip pullups after a few months.


----------



## Clax

quiet0lady said:


> Sorry to butt in , but have any of you guys or girls tried P90X and if so how effective is it? I ordered it a year ago and since then have only used the abs dvd. I'm thinking about canceling my gym membership, and instead just rely mostly on the P90X training routines as I'm just looking to tone up a bit. Good idea or bad idea?


As long as you're willing to pay the pain toll its an excellent program. The workouts will kick your butt.


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## hiimnotcool

quiet0lady said:


> Sorry to butt in , but have any of you guys or girls tried P90X and if so how effective is it? I ordered it a year ago and since then have only used the abs dvd. I'm thinking about canceling my gym membership, and instead just rely mostly on the P90X training routines as I'm just looking to tone up a bit. Good idea or bad idea?


Yes, P90X works alot!!! I started p90x right about the time this thread was started and posted pictures every few weeks to show the progress I was making on the program. I started out weighing 168 and ended up at about 145 pounds after 3-4 months.

I'll post the results since its easier than just going through the thread.


















to


















Then I got lazy and lost the results. I'm doing p90X again because it proved itself to be effective.


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## hiimnotcool

quiet0lady said:


> Clax- I know, the ab ripper x was pretty intense and I can definitely see a lot more definition from when I first started using it...
> 
> Hiimnotcool- Looking good. 20+ lbs is impressive. Did you follow the program pretty strictly? Miss any days? Did you do any additional cardio? Thanks for all the info  I've only had one friend who's used P90X and she started seeing a huge improvement around the 60 day mark, other than that I don't really know any one else that has done it so I'll take any advice I can get. I think I'm gonna start it on Sunday and be serious about doing it every day and following a better diet, looks like I better drink as much as I can this weekend then lol


lol I don't look like that anymore ..I don't remember missing any days when I was doing it. But...I didn't do the Legs, Plyometrics, or Yoga workouts because they bored me. I supplemented them with Yoga/Pilates and I was doing extra cardio. 15-25 miles a week of running. I also didn't follow the eating guide and pretty much just ate whatever but tried to make healthy choices. Also, hahaha...I still drank beer like 3-4 days a week and got drunkkkkk every weekend. So...I didn't find giving up alcohol too necessary. Might have gotten better results if I cut it out though..but that would be super boring.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Hiim: How tall are you? I'm asking because I want to compare your height to mine to gauge how much I would weigh when my 6 pack finally arrives in the mail this summer.


----------



## hiimnotcool

STKinTHEmud said:


> Hiim: How tall are you? I'm asking because I want to compare your height to mine to gauge how much I would weigh when my 6 pack finally arrives in the mail this summer.


I'm 6'1 my friend. LOL, a mail order 6 pack huh? I hope to have one arriving soon as well.


----------



## millenniumman75

Sign me up for one of those - I have PAXIL FAT .
24 miles a week and I STILL gained weight .


----------



## matty

you were 6'1 and 145? wow. What was your body fat percentage? Lowest?


----------



## Lateralus

millenniumman75 said:


> Sign me up for one of those - I have PAXIL FAT .
> 24 miles a week and I STILL gained weight .


Since you run so much, maybe you wouldn't mind giving this a shot:

Occasionally when I'm really (and I mean _really _lol) motivated, I jog over to the local high school stadium and use the track. But the catch is, I run up and down all the aisles of the bleachers on both sides of the track in between each lap. You've probably seen football players do this. Anyway, it burns some serious calories (and it does wonders for lung capacity/endurance in hockey).

Then again this is a huge HS so the bleachers are high and wide with a lot of aisles, so at a smaller school you may have to do each aisle twice or something.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

168? Jeez, hiim, you must have been all muscle, dude.

Check out myth #3 on this site, guys:

http://blog.okcupid.com/

This is why I (we) need abs. Hiim and Lat: if you guys post your ab pics on an online dating site, you might be able to do pretty damn well. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is.

I can't wait for the summer. If I can manage to get ripped like you guys, I figure I'll take a surfing class, just so I can have a reason to go shirtless more often than usual.


----------



## matty

As nice as it would be to have abs. I dont think I would want a girl which is only interested in my looks.


----------



## hiimnotcool

matty said:


> you were 6'1 and 145? wow. What was your body fat percentage? Lowest?


I never had my BF% measured to be honest. We speculated about that in this thread and I think Omni said it looked like I had 8-10%.


----------



## strawberryjulius

matty said:


> As nice as it would be to have abs. I dont think I would want a girl which is only interested in my looks.


That's exactly what I was going to say.


----------



## Game 7

I wanna get abs so that I think I look good, not so a girl does. :yes

..I mean, I wanna get my bodyfat % low enough to see my abs...everyone has them.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

matty said:


> As nice as it would be to have abs. I dont think I would want a girl which is only interested in my looks.


Well, no one wants someone who wants him or her for his or her looks alone, but it happens sometimes. The key is to have a large enough pool from which to draw potential partners to be able to weed out the good ones from the bad ones. Typically, we draw people with our looks and keep them with how well we click. Besides, if someone liked me for who I am AND found me irresistibly sexy, I wouldn't mind that one bit.


----------



## Game 7

People in shape are more likely to be confident. Confidence attracts people.


----------



## low

Good luck. Remember if youmiss a day or whatever, don't let it get you down. Keep going!


----------



## low

By the way I was a fitness Instructor for several years and used to train alot myself. Now I'm lazy and slothlike and eat pies and stuff but the knowledge is still there if you need any advice =)


----------



## matty

hiimnotcool said:


> I never had my BF% measured to be honest. We speculated about that in this thread and I think Omni said it looked like I had 8-10%.


Well no matter what it is you look great. I am currently looking into p90x. Sounds pretty tough but there is evidence that it works. Just have to stick with it, like any form of exercise.


----------



## matty

STKinTHEmud said:


> Well, no one wants someone who wants him or her for his or her looks alone, but it happens sometimes. The key is to have a large enough pool from which to draw potential partners to be able to weed out the good ones from the bad ones. Typically, we draw people with our looks and keep them with how well we click. Besides, if someone liked me for who I am AND found me irresistibly sexy, I wouldn't mind that one bit.


True, but I dont want to be in a loveless relationship and someone being with me for my looks will quickly turn into a loveless relationship. I am also more interested in the girl within not the pretty face on the outside.


----------



## Tristram

Might as well put this out there.

Back in high school I did a pretty hardcore crash diet that brought my weight down to something like 138 lbs. I stayed skinny fat for a couple of years, but since 2004 I've been bulking rigorously with fast food and candy, and now I'm just regular fat again. 200 lbs to be exact.

All prior attempts at cutting have failed miserably, but now I'm determined to pull it off. It's all about discipline after all. I know how to eat right, I know how to work out...it's only a question of not being a lazy f*** for a change.

So I started yesterday with some circuit training. I'm going to take it easy for the first few weeks. I've been crazy inactive for a long time, so for now I'll just be working on bringing up my basic activity level and maintaining a low-crap diet. Probably all it takes anyway.


----------



## jellybelly

Looking great you guys who recently posted pictures! 

And Good luck Tristram on starting training again. 

My eating habits have gone really bad again. But I have managed to use the weight machiens 3 times a week for the last two weks whereas before I only managed twice a week. There is slight hint of muscle under the huge layer of fat on my arms lol. Really got to step up my efforts so I'm not huge in comparison to everyone else at my best friend's wedding in May. 

Keep up the good work everyone


----------



## mrbojangles

so do any of you guys know of any good ab workout videos that i can watch online? i have a six pack, but it doesnt really pop unless i flex my stomach. i dont know if its because i have a little bit of extra weight or i need to gain muscle in that area.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Why yes I do.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

That guy was totally flexing in his intro. I say you should keep flexing when you take your shirt off at least a little bit, but keep working those abs.


----------



## hiimnotcool

So I'm one week into my workout routine after taking 4 months off. Man, my body is so sore. I literally just sat around on the internet for 4 months so I guess that shouldn't be a real surprise. 

Did chest and back plus that ab workout today. Will do some Yoga tonight.

I checked my weight also and I've gained. I'm at 150 now! Tomorrow I'm gonna do some High intensity intervals because my stomach has a layer of fat and abs are not visible at all even when flexing. 

something like 
4-5 minute warm up
1 minute HARD
1 minute easy
repeat about 6 times
4-5 minute cool down.

Do any of you guys do HIIT?


----------



## matty

I use to do HIIT on the exercise bike at the gym. My fitness skyrocketed. Should get back into that.


----------



## Lithium4

Yea, that's how I do it too. Usually 2 minute sprints and slow downs. I figure it's ideal for the kind of activity I want to get better at, like hockey where I need to go hard for a short stint then I get to rest. But really, I like that I can go for well over an hour and still feel great.


----------



## mrbojangles

hiimnotcool said:


> Why yes I do.


thanks man, i had to stop a few times because i couldnt keep up with how fast he was going lol.


----------



## matty

What was the video from youtube? I dont have youtube at work. Like does it have a title?


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ugh, I'm sick again. A little head cold has kept me out of the gym for the past week, and it shows no signs of letting up. It's so frustrating. 

Does anyone ever work out when a little sick? How long after you get sick do you decide to get back to the gym?


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Ugh, I'm sick again. A little head cold has kept me out of the gym for the past week, and it shows no signs of letting up. It's so frustrating.
> 
> Does anyone ever work out when a little sick? How long after you get sick do you decide to get back to the gym?


I'm sick also, but I do work out while sick until it gets too bad. If my sinuses are completely stopped up and I have a headache or swelling, increasing blood pressure is the last thing I want so I don't lift. If it's just a nagging mild cold it doesn't interfere. Unfortunately, my head feels like it's about to explode today so no lifting for me either.


----------



## millenniumman75

Go easy on sickness, guys - doing too much exercise can strain the immune system. Light activity is the only way to go. Let the body use most of its resource on removing the illness.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I don't ever really get sick. If I was feeling dizzy and tired I probably wouldn't exercise.


----------



## Game 7

HIIT is the best thing you can do for your fitness.
Steady state cardio, 30-40 minutes of jogging for example, will burn more fat than 15-20 minutes of HIIT, but that's only while the exercise is being performed.
The benefits of HIIT come after the exercise is over and for a day or two after.

There is a difference between interval training and HIIT, though. 
You can not do HIIT for much more than 20 minutes, including warmup/cooldown.


----------



## Cerberus

Between snowboarding, going to the gym, and apparently not eating enough, I've lost some muscle. I'm back down to 159 lbs. My strength has decreased. My abs are still showing though.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

*


----------



## STKinTHEmud

IrishK: Awesome! Nice to have you on the bandwagon!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ugh, still sick. I haven't been to the gym for two weeks because of it. I think the lack of exercise is making me a bit depressed now.


----------



## 2Talkative

I'm sick again as well....it's starting to get annoying being sick once a month now.


----------



## sberkley

I work out at home at least 5 days a week , if I am sick I will cut to 3 days .. One thing I discovered is that I need a few carbs before a work out or I get dizzy .


----------



## sberkley

good for u , after a few years you will crave a work out .. I have been working out for 6 years now and if I miss too many days I really crave a good workout ..


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Same here sberkley. I've been going for only a year recently, and I really miss working out since I've been sick for the past two weeks. I'm thinking I'll just go ahead and work out today.


----------



## Cerberus

Being sick sucks. I hope you guys get well soon. I know I'm more likely to get depressed if I'm not exercising regularly.


----------



## Lateralus

Yep I get that urge too guys. Usually if I go about a week without lifting it starts to bug me. I guess it's kind of addictive.


----------



## bowlingpins

My goals aren't as grand as some of your guys are but I am going to post them here, hopefully that is ok.

My goal is simple. To get back to be able to do 50 pushups in one go, to gain 10lbs of weight,mostly muscle.

I started 2 weeks ago doing 6-8 pushups at a time in sets of 3. Now I an do 15 at a time. My weight has essentially remained stable but that I attribute to my horrible diet.


----------



## pita

I was strong (for me) about a year ago, but I got sick for a few weeks and didn't feel like eating or working out. When I was well again, I discovered that my body had eaten all my muscle (but left the fat; how considerate of it). So I was kind of discouraged and I didn't feel like working out anymore.

However, I am finally back on the horse.

My goals:

- be able to do a full pull up, as opposed to just doing negatives
- look awesome

I know that's kind of vague, especially the "looking awesome" part. If I woke up and I looked like Jamie Eason, I'd consider that goal fulfilled, although I'm willing to settle with something less awesome.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

**


----------



## strawberryjulius

irishK said:


> As for abs, I have pretty good muscle memory there but I cant seem to get past just the 'flat tummy' look. It would be nice to actually see some definition like I used to have. Are there ab workouts specifically designed for girls or are abs just abs?


I've been wondering the same thing. I can't seem to improve my abs any more than the definition I have now and I still have a bit of fat at the bottom. Doesn't seem to want to shift.

And 8 pull ups is awesome, in my opinion. :b Then again, I'm not that strong so it impresses me. I don't think I'll be able to do a pull up for a while since I carry most of my weight on my lower half.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

pita said:


> My goals:
> 
> - be able to do a full pull up, as opposed to just doing negatives
> - look awesome


What a coincidence! I too want to look awesome! Sounds like you've got some good prospects. Welcome to the thread and good luck, pita and bowlingpins!



irishK said:


> I also want to be able to train somehow without a weight machine until I work on maybe (maybe) being able to go a gym in the far future. This seems very far off because I hate the gym. Too many people. Too many mirrors. I had a Weider home gym but when I moved I didnt have room for it so it is in storage. I know how to train my lower body without weight by using body weight and resistance but am pretty lame when it comes to upper body beside push ups and tricep dips. What else is there?


I'll do my best to answer your questions, but I'm not really experienced with women's fitness, or anything really besides pure muscle building and weight loss for men. I don't know too much about body weight exercises, but there was some buzz around here about a program called P90X. You might want to check out those threads. In my opinion, weight training is the best way to build muscle.



irishK said:


> I also wouldnt mind upping my body weight from 110 to 115 lbs but I am generally not wanting to gain much weight at all. How can I put on a bit of muscle and not gain alot of weight if muscle is heavier than fat?


Unless you replace the fat with muscle, you're not going to be able to keep your weight down. The thing is, it's much easier and quicker if you focus on gaining muscle then focus on losing fat than it is to do both at the same time. But does it really matter what your weight is so long as you look good? Muscle is more dense than fat, so you can put on muscle and look thin. Plus, muscle burns more calories than fat, so losing those last bits of fat will be easier when you have more muscle.



irishK said:


> As for abs, I have pretty good muscle memory there but I cant seem to get past just the 'flat tummy' look. It would be nice to actually see some definition like I used to have. Are there ab workouts specifically designed for girls or are abs just abs?


I think that by going heavy on your ab workouts (fewer reps, more weight), you put on more muscle. A lot of people think that by going with lots of reps, they end up losing fat, but really the best way to lose fat is with cardio. When you're doing your ab workouts, your goal should be to gain muscle, not lose fat, so exercise as you would any other muscle: go heavy. Also, be sure to maintain a high protein diet.



irishK said:


> I have really become bad with motivation so i am hoping reading more of your posts helps too. How do you stay accountable for your goals? Are you able to be that self disciplined or are you accountable to a friend or anyone to help you staying focused?


Really, the way I stay motivated is by telling myself that this is a great way to overcome SA, that is, to give myself a better self-image (and it works!) and to get myself a girlfriend (and it works!). My close friends don't really work out, but I talk to other friends about it, but not for motivation. It's more just something fun to talk about. (It's probably not a good idea to try to get information from them, especially if they don't look like they workout and diet constantly. There is a lot of bad advice floating out there. My advice is good, of course, since I'm awesome, but still...). Usually, what I look for is improvement from one week to the next: lifting more weight or putting up one more rep than I did last week. I keep a journal with me when I workout and record what exercises I do, how much I lift, how many reps for each set, my weight, and occasionally my body fat %. It's really encouraging to look bad and see how much improvement you've made. It feels more palpable that way, as if you're getting somewhere in a quantifiable way.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Actually, two of my close friends do workout, but I don't agree with the way they go about it. One thinks he can gain muscle and lose weight simultaneously easily (but he still just looks fat), and one thinks the same and yet refuses to drink protein shakes to get there (I even bought him a really expensive shake for his bday!).


----------



## pita

irishK said:


> I know how to train my lower body without weight by using body weight and resistance but am pretty lame when it comes to upper body beside push ups and tricep dips. What else is there?


Do you have room for a barbell or a couple dumbells? You can do so much with freeweights. exrx.net has tons of exercises listed on it, including body-weight exercises.


----------



## Game 7

^Excellent website. I found it a few weeks ago, it's really nice.


----------



## millenniumman75

Lateralus said:


> Since you run so much, maybe you wouldn't mind giving this a shot:
> 
> Occasionally when I'm really (and I mean _really _lol) motivated, I jog over to the local high school stadium and use the track. But the catch is, I run up and down all the aisles of the bleachers on both sides of the track in between each lap. You've probably seen football players do this. Anyway, it burns some serious calories (and it does wonders for lung capacity/endurance in hockey).
> 
> Then again this is a huge HS so the bleachers are high and wide with a lot of aisles, so at a smaller school you may have to do each aisle twice or something.


I could do this. Well, not today, there's almost a foot of snow on the ground this afternoon. :afr.

I run on snow-covered sidewalks. At 12F/-11c, I ran the six miles in snow that was ankle to shin deep at times - it's like doing the tire thing that you see Army guys doing - high leg lifts to get my feet out of the snow. I was also wearing heavy sweatpants over my leggings. I really worked it! :lol


----------



## Lateralus

millenniumman75 said:


> I could do this. Well, not today, there's almost a foot of snow on the ground this afternoon. :afr.
> 
> I run on snow-covered sidewalks. At 12F/-11c, I ran the six miles in snow that was ankle to shin deep at times - it's like doing the tire thing that you see Army guys doing - high leg lifts to get my feet out of the snow. I was also wearing heavy sweatpants over my leggings. I really worked it! :lol


I'm not going to lie, that sounds absolutely miserable lol.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Well, I think I'm gonna start posting pictures of the progress I make again. Been working out for 2 weeks now after that long break. I started P90X again yesterday after I sort of started a few weeks ago but was really lazy and only did 3 days a week.

I took this picture this morning for my Day 1. I'll post another picture at day 30.
Stats:
6'1 149



Obviously I lost my 6 pack but hopefully it will come back sooner than later! Good job guys!


----------



## VIncymon

Well, let me join the bandwagon too.
My friends and I have always talked about gymming in high schoool ,but S.A. always prevented us from keeping a steady program.

Now I hear, he's doing intense stuff for the past 3 weeks. I just can't imagine the most lethargic guy I know doing more exercise than me. That's my motivation LOL.

I am skinny, so my goals aren't about weight loss, they are about weight gain

to gain 3 pounds ( that would put me at 140 lbs ) of muscle by the years end.
to get back my body toned.
to be able to run up a hill.
to be more stable on my feet and less clumsy.


----------



## bowlingpins

bowlingpins said:


> I started 2 weeks ago doing 6-8 pushups at a time in sets of 3. Now I an do 15 at a time.


Sunday: 5 x 12 pushups
Monday: 3 x 15 pushups
Tuesday: 2 x 15 pushups
Wednesday: 1 x 15 in am, 1 x 14 in pm (now), 1 x 15 hopefully later tonight.

Not making much progress yet but it is early.


----------



## Cerberus

I'm still working out and all that. I did back/biceps on wednesday, I ran four miles on tuesday, and I completed chest/tri workout on monday, followed by running 2.5 miles. I completed my leg/ back workout last friday or saturday, and so on and so forth. 

I might post an update pic soon, but I don't think I look much different. I weight 159 lbs. and my abs are still showing. I'm pretty happy overall with my weight and how I look. 

I wouldn't mind being more muscular, but I'm afraid that if I bulk up, I'll lose interest and not cut thereafter. Thus, I'm afraid of gaining a bunch of fat back that I won't have the motivation to lose. Plus, it was such a ***** of a time to finally get these abs showing six months ago in the first place. I think that after maintaining my weight for a year after losing it will give me enough confidence over my body to try and put on some muscle. Consequently, I guess I'll wait until fall/late summer to seriously bulk


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Well, I think I'm gonna start posting pictures of the progress I make again. Been working out for 2 weeks now after that long break. I started P90X again yesterday after I sort of started a few weeks ago but was really lazy and only did 3 days a week.
> 
> I took this picture this morning for my Day 1. I'll post another picture at day 30.
> Stats:
> 6'1 149
> 
> 
> 
> Obviously I lost my 6 pack but hopefully it will come back sooner than later! Good job guys!


Six pack or not, you still look great. You probably just need to do a bunch of hanging leg raises or some good ab exercise and your abs will poke through. good luck!


----------



## hiimnotcool

Cerberus said:


> Six pack or not, you still look great. You probably just need to do a bunch of hanging leg raises or some good ab exercise and your abs will poke through. good luck!


Thanks bro! I should just be happy that I didn't gain 20 pounds of fat the last 4 months. I'm interested in seeing your updated pictures because it seems you're the only original member of this thread that has been working out consistently the last 8 months. That takes a ton of dedication so congratulations!


----------



## strawberryjulius

The other day I could see my abs poking through on my lower stomach. It didn't last long, haha.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

VIncymon said:


> Well, let me join the bandwagon too.
> My friends and I have always talked about gymming in high schoool ,but S.A. always prevented us from keeping a steady program.
> 
> Now I hear, he's doing intense stuff for the past 3 weeks. I just can't imagine the most lethargic guy I know doing more exercise than me. That's my motivation LOL.
> 
> I am skinny, so my goals aren't about weight loss, they are about weight gain
> 
> to gain 3 pounds ( that would put me at 140 lbs ) of muscle by the years end.
> to get back my body toned.
> to be able to run up a hill.
> to be more stable on my feet and less clumsy.


Awesome. You and I are in the same boat, man, what with trying to gain weight. If you're skinny and you're just starting out, you're going to gain a LOT more than 3 pounds of muscle by the end of the year, and even more if you stick with a good mass gain diet.

It's always fun to take before pictures to keep yourself motivated. I wish I had when I first started. Good luck!


----------



## bowlingpins

bowlingpins said:


> Sunday: 5 x 12 pushups
> Monday: 3 x 15 pushups
> Tuesday: 2 x 15 pushups
> Wednesday: 1 x 15 in am, 1 x 14 in pm (now), 1 x 15 hopefully later tonight.
> 
> Not making much progress yet but it is early.


Thu and Fri: 1 x 15
Sat: 7 x 15
Sun: 2 x 15, couldn't continue due to pain in the shoulders. I suppose it is time for a few days long break. On the plus side, I bought some high protein drinks, it should be easier to maintain a good diet now.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

bowlingpins said:


> Thu and Fri: 1 x 15
> Sat: 7 x 15
> Sun: 2 x 15, couldn't continue due to pain in the shoulders. I suppose it is time for a few days long break. On the plus side, I bought some high protein drinks, it should be easier to maintain a good diet now.


You might want to consider not doing push-ups two days in a row. Muscles take 3-5 days to adequately recuperate and build. You might be overworking your muscles by going 2 days in a row, and actually losing muscle as a result.


----------



## bowlingpins

^^ Yes, I was thinking about that. I do pushups every day because I like doing them. They make me feel more energetic and more focused. I agree with you though, working the same muscles every day is not good. I will look into adding other exercises and do pushups on alternate days.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Try doing crunches between the days you do pushups?


----------



## Thomas Paine

I think I'm just about satisfied with this round.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Um...


----------



## Thomas Paine

Forgot I had my albums set to friends only. The picture should show up now.


----------



## bowlingpins

STKinTHEmud said:


> Try doing crunches between the days you do pushups?


I tried but I like pushups best. Aren't they a low impact exercise anyway? I read it is not uncommon to do them 5 days a week.

I have been doing 1 x 20 a day for the past 3 days and am feeling fine. Moved up 5 count from 15 

My weight is scarily low though, I can't really eat well during work days :-/ 
Wgt. is only 135 lbs. Keep in my mind, I am 5'11. I think I am atleast a good 20-30lbs from where an average person would be but I wouldn't mind being lean-normal, around 145 lbs.:stu

Hope everyone is doing well with their workouts and goals.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^ It's not uncommon for people to do abs everyday, but it is certainly wrong from what I've read and from my own experience.

Back when I was a teenager, I stuck to doing a few sets of push ups and sit ups every night hoping I would get bigger and stronger, but even after months of doing that, I was still 6'0" and 135 lbs. It wasn't until I started lifting weights that my weight shot up by 30 lbs (even without a good diet). People complimented me quite a bit.

So, um... Best of luck!


----------



## hiimnotcool

bowlingpins, doing 1 set of 20 push ups each day is fine because that's really not a lot at all but i think you would get a lot more benefit (and bigger) by doing 3X20 (or something..even 5x20) 3 days a week instead.


----------



## bowlingpins

I am going to do a couple sets each day, 3-5 days a week instead of one set daily. I don't want to get big like bodybuilders, I am quite happy with being lean. I will be happy with another 10lbs. My goal is to get stronger and healthier (have lower blood pressure and resting heart rate). 

Also, are there any good leg exercises that don't require gym equipment to do on off days? Chickens have better legs than me, I def. could use some muscle on my legs. 

To STKinTHEmud, don't pushups already work abdominal muscles? I would rather not do crunches in addition to pushups. I am not looking for 6 pack abs at the moment, anyway.


----------



## shadowmask

I plan on doing the starting strength program very soon. I'll have the money to afford a bulking diet and be getting a membership at a local gym in a few weeks. I was on SS about a year and a half ago and had some great results but got lazy and quit working out. It should be awesome picking up the weights again though. I know I said in the other thread I'd do P90X, but I doubt it now.


----------



## rdrr

Im going to the gym now to start working out again after a 2 month layoff. Ill start posting here with results as to push myself. wish me luck.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

bowlingpins said:


> To STKinTHEmud, don't pushups already work abdominal muscles? I would rather not do crunches in addition to pushups. I am not looking for 6 pack abs at the moment, anyway.


They work your abs, but not really very well. If you're not looking to get a six pack, then you can just not do them. Although, I still think it will be hard (perhaps impossible) to increase your weight by 10 lbs. with just push ups.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

So today was a gym day for me, but I left my shorts and t-shirt at home, so I had to work out in my jeans (I skipped legs) and a tight, white t-shirt. On my way back to my car, I decided to wear only my undershirt (and keep my collared shirt in my bag) for fear of getting my shirt smelly.

I was the strangest thing: some (pretty cute) girl I passed literally stared at me, smiling. I tried to look back, but it was rough, since I wasn't prepared for it. Still, it made me feel pretty good about myself. This rarely (if ever) happens to me, so I though it might have something to do with my tight t-shirt. Anyone have similar experiences? Should I start strutting around in tight tees?


----------



## Lateralus

STKinTHEmud said:


> So today was a gym day for me, but I left my shorts and t-shirt at home, so I had to work out in my jeans (I skipped legs) and a tight, white t-shirt. On my way back to my car, I decided to wear only my undershirt (and keep my collared shirt in my bag) for fear of getting my shirt smelly.
> 
> I was the strangest thing: some (pretty cute) girl I passed literally stared at me, smiling. I tried to look back, but it was rough, since I wasn't prepared for it. Still, it made me feel pretty good about myself. This rarely (if ever) happens to me, so I though it might have something to do with my tight t-shirt. Anyone have similar experiences? Should I start strutting around in tight tees?


Yes. Tight tees get the females' attention for sure. Not like two-sizes-too-small tight cuz that just looks bad - but just enough that your muscle shows through. But the thing is, when I wear shirts like this I get teased by guys all the time. For some reason it's "gay" or "metro" etc. I think they're just jealous that they're out of shape. I don't know why I care what they think, I shouldn't.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Lateralus said:


> Yes. Tight tees get the females' attention for sure. Not like two-sizes-too-small tight cuz that just looks bad - but just enough that your muscle shows through. But the thing is, when I wear shirts like this I get teased by guys all the time. For some reason it's "gay" or "metro" etc. I think they're just jealous that they're out of shape. I don't know why I care what they think, I shouldn't.


Maybe it's just where you come from. My family from Toronto are kind of shocked at how tight guys' clothes are in LA. If it's any consolation, it's pretty common here to see totally straight guys wearing fitting shirts. In any case, don't let guys bother you about that. Next time they do, ask them, "so, where's YOUR 6 pack?" or, if they actually happen to have a six pack, say, "today a cute girl checked me out. Have a nice day, douche." Besides, would you rather impress a girl or a guy?


----------



## Lateralus

I've been working my shoulders a lot lately. I want Lebron James' build but that's not gonna happen.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Maybe you won't get precisely his build (since he has professional trainers, tons of money, etc.), but you can get close.

Here's a milestone for me. I'm approximately 2x as strong as I was when I first started working out again in January 2009. My big sets have just about doubled on average: I was squatting 95 lbs, now I'm squatting 205 lbs. I was benching 80lbs in dumbbells, now I'm up to 150 (soon to be 160).

But I'll be cutting in about 3 weeks, so I'll lose strength. On the plus side, I won't be so self-conscious about my belly when wearing t-shirts. I'm thinking of getting back into capoeira instead of using the stationary bike for cardio.


----------



## Lateralus

Yeah, I would love to have a personal trainer and all the money I needed for the right foods. The ideal diet is so damn expensive.


----------



## Lateralus

MichaelWesten said:


> The ideal diet is cheap if you know what to eat.
> 
> Chicken
> Oats
> Eggs
> Tuna
> Rice


Good protein sources there and I eat a lot of all of those, in fact I've had all of them at least once this week including oats every day. But that is not ideal for me. I would like to have lots of fresh fruits and veggies, mixed nuts, a half gallon of milk per day, unlimited whey protein mix, real fruit juice instead of water, and other things that would really run up the grocery bill.


----------



## bowlingpins

STKinTHEmud said:


> They work your abs, but not really very well. If you're not looking to get a six pack, then you can just not do them. Although, I still think it will be hard (perhaps impossible) to increase your weight by 10 lbs. with just push ups.


ok, thanks for the info. I have completely fallen off track the past 2 weeks. I have only done a single set of pushups in 2 weeks and last I checked I weighed 135lbs or so. I honestly don't know what to do. It's not lack of motivation, it is due to exhaustion and lack of time. I just got off a 30.5 hour work shift during which I couldn't find time to eat dinner never mind time for exercise. How the hell am I going to get to a reasonable weight with a routine like this?

It is frustrating, the ups and downs.


----------



## Lateralus

bowlingpins said:


> ok, thanks for the info. I have completely fallen off track the past 2 weeks. I have only done a single set of pushups in 2 weeks and last I checked I weighed 135lbs or so. I honestly don't know what to do. It's not lack of motivation, it is due to exhaustion and lack of time. I just got off a 30.5 hour work shift during which I couldn't find time to eat dinner never mind time for exercise. How the hell am I going to get to a reasonable weight with a routine like this?
> 
> It is frustrating, the ups and downs.


Wow, first and foremost you have to eat! A 30 hour shift and you didn't eat? Any amount of working out isn't going to do you any good if you keep that up. You have to find a way to eat more at work! Eat, eat, eat! lol


----------



## bowlingpins

Lateralus said:


> Wow, first and foremost you have to eat! A 30 hour shift and you didn't eat? Any amount of working out isn't going to do you any good if you keep that up. You have to find a way to eat more at work! Eat, eat, eat! lol


I had a few fruits, a bag of chips and few other snacks from the lounge. What sucked was when I tried to get a proper dinner, the cafeteria was long closed and the local Wendys which stay open till a little later was also closed. I was late by 35 minutes.
I know I should eat more. My weight is laughable right now (134ish, 5'11) So I am going to hoard up on these items michaelwestern mentioned and force myself to eat... 
Chicken
Oats
Eggs
Tuna
Rice


----------



## shadowmask

Peanut butter is good for building mass too. I always found drinking a gallon of milk of day really helped me buik up. It's expensive, but an easy way to get in those extra calories.


----------



## strawberryjulius

So uh, my stomach is nowhere near as flat as it was when I took pictures all that time ago, haha. I've been able to eat junk food again and have been over the past few months. It's good in a way because I'm not so crazy about it. I still feel guilty afterwards though. 

And I've hurt my back so I've had to take it easy which is also kind of stressful. x_x


----------



## STKinTHEmud

My daily diet (always the same, with 2 cheat meals):

Meal 1:
3 wheat toast
tea
2 whole eggs
1 bread with peanut butter
1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese blended with 1 cup V8 splash (full serving of fruits+veggies: my homemade protein shake- delicious)
Multivitamin

Meal 2:
1/2 cup oats (unflavored) + 1/2 cup non-fat lactose-free milk + 1 chopped banana
Handful of unsalted whole almonds
handful of baby carrots

Meal 3:
Weight gain protein shake (usually immediately after workout)

Meal 4:
1/3 lbs 4% fat hamburger on wheat bun with lettuce, ketchup, mustard, non-fat cheese.
Broccoli with 2 tbsp light balsamic vinaigrette
1 orange

Meal 5:
Protein bar (30g carbs, 30g protein, 6g fat)
handful of almonds

Meal 6:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast (unseasoned, pan fried, very bland)
salad (w/ baby spinach) and 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 cup milk

Totals: 240.5g Protein (30%), 368g carbs (45%), 108g fat (25%), 3406 calories (I also used to calculate salt, but I got lazy before I perfected this plan.)

This is my bulking diet. In a few weeks I'll switch over to a cutting plan and cut out about 1k calories.

And people say that a negative self image is unhealthy!


----------



## Cerberus

hiimnotcool said:


> Thanks bro! I should just be happy that I didn't gain 20 pounds of fat the last 4 months. I'm interested in seeing your updated pictures because it seems you're the only original member of this thread that has been working out consistently the last 8 months. That takes a ton of dedication so congratulations!


Thanks. I just took some update pics:



















My abs aren't all that defined, but that's okay, I guess. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to maintain what I acquired over the summer (time sure flies by when you're not doing anything of note. Blah!).


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Yeah, cerb, nice 8-pack!


----------



## hiimnotcool

Wow cerb you look great! I'm especially envious of your arms and chest. You look bigger than you did last year but you've cut quite a bit of body fat too it looks like. Very nice work. How much do you weigh now? I'm trying to get up to 165-170 to look like this guy:


----------



## millenniumman75

If I looked like that, my wife wouldn't let me leave the house. :no


----------



## CopadoMexicano

wow. whats the bodyfat percentage on that pic like five percent?


----------



## pita

Hooray! I have regained all the strength I lost during two years of total sloth. I am pleased.


----------



## rdrr

OK, since I last posted I have lost 5 lbs and im at about 8 percent body fat. I just have to stick to eating right and i'll be ok.


----------



## Cerberus

Thanks everyone! Those kinds of comments really help motivate me.



hiimnotcool said:


> Wow cerb you look great! I'm especially envious of your arms and chest. You look bigger than you did last year but you've cut quite a bit of body fat too it looks like. Very nice work. How much do you weigh now? I'm trying to get up to 165-170 to look like this guy:


Thanks. I weigh about the same as I did at the end of my cut. I was at 163 lbs when I took my update pics and I was at 161 lbs today.

Getting to where that guy is at would be a lot of work, but I'm sure you could do it.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

rdrr said:


> OK, since I last posted I have lost 5 lbs and im at about 8 percent body fat. I just have to stick to eating right and i'll be ok.


Holy crap. 8%? Awesome!


----------



## ju_pa

Cerberus said:


> Thanks everyone! Those kinds of comments really help motivate me.
> 
> Thanks. I weigh about the same as I did at the end of my cut. I was at 163 lbs when I took my update pics and I was at 161 lbs today.
> 
> Getting to where that guy is at would be a lot of work, but I'm sure you could do it.


If you laugh enough, you will get 6 pack. I used to have 6 pack without any workout but just laughing a lot (it was in my teens). It might be genetics but I don't have them anymore. Not laughing that much either.


----------



## ju_pa

STKinTHEmud said:


> Holy crap. 8%? Awesome!


If you eat ketogenic diet, you will burn your own body fat for energy. And if you restrict your calories, you will achieve this amount of body fat pretty soon.


----------



## Ambivert

ju_pa said:


> If you eat ketogenic diet, you will burn your own body fat for energy. And if you restrict your calories, you will achieve this amount of body fat pretty soon.


what are some examples of ketogenic diet foods?


----------



## ju_pa

counterfeit self said:


> what are some examples of ketogenic diet foods?


Meat, fish, butter, fat, creme for coffee, no carbs. Basically, high fat with adequate protein and minimal or no carbs.


----------



## pita

ju_pa said:


> Meat, fish, butter, fat, creme for coffee, no carbs. Basically, high fat with adequate protein and minimal or no carbs.


Out of curiosity, could you do this as a vegetarian? A lot of my protein foods are pretty high carb.


----------



## ju_pa

pita said:


> Out of curiosity, could you do this as a vegetarian? A lot of my protein foods are pretty high carb.


To get into "ketogenic state", you have to be producing ketones mainly from fat. To make this happen, carbs must be restricted. It varies from person to person but carbs must be under 50g.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Okay, now I want bigger delts. But I'm going to start cutting in about a week. Crap.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

MichaelWesten said:


> Can't do both, brother!


Yeah, I know. Abs for the summer come first though.


----------



## pita

DOMS from hell, oh my lord. DOMS from hell in my quads.

I wonder if I'll be able to walk tomorrow morning. I kind of doubt it.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Thomas Paine said:


> Feels soooo good to be in shape again.  *Picture* coming soon. Not quite finished.


:boogie

...What? :b


----------



## Phibes

I've lost 9kg in the last couple of months without doing any exercise, It's just because I quit drinking alcohol and unhealthy foods.

I was never really "fat", but you know how you stop having the washboard abs and stuff and it gets a little layer of fat over the top.

Now I'm going to start exercising on top of the healthy diet and zero alcohol so I should continue to lose weight; I want to become super skinny like those cute fashion models.

What is your advise for getting rid of muscle mass? Is it just a case of starving yourself or will things like long distance bike riding help?


----------



## STKinTHEmud

You don't necessarily have to starve yourself, but long distance cardio will go a long way to losing muscle, in my opinion. But hey, if you don't want your muscle, can I have it? I call dibs!


----------



## strawberryjulius

My back injury is now gone, woo!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

It's that time again. Time for my 3 month update. And time for me to post pictures. I just finished my bulking phase and am about to start cutting.

First, the near the end of my bulking phase last July, stats: 193 lbs, 20% body fat:









January of this year, end of my cutting phase, start of my bulking phase, 175 lbs, 12% body fat:









Now, 180 lbs., 15% body fat:

















A comparison of the big sets on some of my exercises:
End of bulking phase last year vs. end of my bulking phase this year.
May 2009: Now:
DB Bench Press 140lbs 160lbs
Pull down 150lbs 170lbs
Squat 175lbs 215lbs

Stead strength gains, but I've got a ways to go to get to my target, 185 lbs and >10% bf. Short term goal: a 6 pack by summer.


----------



## matty

MichaelWesten said:


> Why would you want to lose muscle mass?


I couldnt imagine wanting to lose muscle mass either. Its not like you worked out for years and have excessive muscles. But each to there own. I think I would be happy with my current muscle mass without the fat. I couldnt imagine wanting less then my current amount


----------



## pita

Nice progress, STKinTHEmud.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Yeah, your upper body is looking much larger/toned, STK. Well done. 

I think my arms are *slowly* getting bigger.








I'm sitting closer to a normal weight now and I don't feel fat or anything which is a good sign.

*Edited now. Please don't say things that make me feel uncomfortable.*


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Thanks pita and strawberry (I'm gonna go ahead and call you sbj). sbj: Your delts look pretty awesome. You've got some pretty good definition there!


----------



## millenniumman75

strawberryjulius said:


> Yeah, your upper body is looking much larger/toned, STK. Well done.
> 
> I think my arms are *slowly* getting bigger.
> View attachment 6390
> 
> 
> I'm sitting closer to a normal weight now and I don't feel fat or anything which is a good sign.
> 
> *Edited now. Please don't say things that make me feel uncomfortable.*


Whoa! a black box away from an infraction!


----------



## millenniumman75

STK, 

Doesn't your chest itch after shaving? :afr


----------



## strawberryjulius

millenniumman75 said:


> Whoa! a black box away from an infraction!


Uh, well, I was wearing a sports bra. I don't see why it's okay for men to post shirtless pictures while I can't be seen in my sports bra. >_<


----------



## strawberryjulius

It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm more worried about the fact that showing some skin is worthy of an infraction. o.0


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm more worried about the fact that showing some skin is worthy of an infraction. o.0


Yeah! Males should have the right to perv in this thread too! That said, you pulled an omnimium with your censorship. lol

Nice progress, sbj and STK. It looks like you got the muscle to look really defined and still big after your cut, STK. Nice work.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

millenniumman75 said:


> STK,
> 
> Doesn't your chest itch after shaving? :afr


Sometimes, a little. But not much.


----------



## Cerberus

Sheesh. I'm really starting to dislike working out with old people. Most of them seem to like working out in silence or listening to weak and soft music. I had the nerve to turn on the radio -- at the gym of all places -- and this old guy went on a rant about how he hates the radio. I wonder if he likes to chase kids off his lawn in his spare time.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Cerb: Try going in with headphones? My gym is full of young people (and hot chicks!), so the stereo is always on, but it's crappy stuff they play on pop stations. If I had to hear about "lovely lady lumps" all the time at the gym, I think I'd start chucking weights at people.

And thanks for the compliment, Cerb! I'm hoping this will be the summer that I'll want find excuses to take my shirt off.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I'm impressed that other people can go to gyms, I'd be way too scared. :b


----------



## 2Talkative

strawberryjulius said:


> I'm impressed that other people can go to gyms, I'd be way too scared. :b


Find a gym close and go at night. At least thats what I do. There is no way I'm going to the gym during peak hours... I used to years ago with no issue but now it's a different story I'd be too busy worrying.


----------



## millenniumman75

strawberryjulius said:


> Yeah, your upper body is looking much larger/toned, STK. Well done.
> 
> I think my arms are *slowly* getting bigger.
> View attachment 6390
> 
> 
> I'm sitting closer to a normal weight now and I don't feel fat or anything which is a good sign.
> 
> *Edited now. Please don't say things that make me feel uncomfortable.*





millenniumman75 said:


> *Whoa! a black box away from an infraction!*





strawberryjulius said:


> Uh, well, I was wearing a sports bra. I don't see why it's okay for men to post shirtless pictures while I can't be seen in my sports bra. >_<





strawberryjulius said:


> It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm more worried about the fact that showing some skin is worthy of an infraction. o.0


Now if this doesn't completely throw me for a loop. When I posted that, I was literally laughing out loud. Now you say you are male, but people in here say you are female, so I saw that picture and thought - if that black box wasn't there, you'd get an infraction - the fact that you were wearing a foundation garment would make it okay - but still funny because you boxed it out as if you weren't wearing anything underneath it. It had nothing to do with body issues, I was talking about _nudity_. :lol


----------



## millenniumman75

strawberryjulius said:


> I'm impressed that other people can go to gyms, I'd be way too scared. :b


I run around my city - it's free (well, the apparel I used is purchased). As of Saturday, I have been running for 10 years through all types of weather, and probably saved a bit of money.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

strawberryjulius said:


> I'm impressed that other people can go to gyms, I'd be way too scared. :b


I'm surprised you can have an SO. I'd have way to little confidence to interest a girl. I guess we all have our strengths.

IrishK: You look great! Whatever diet you are or aren't keeping, I'd say it's working.


----------



## Lateralus

IrishK seriously you look great there. If you work on anything I would say toning the arms a bit, but it's a reach to say you need to work on anything.

Also, we need to put in a request to allow sports bras to be shown.


----------



## strawberryjulius

STKinTHEmud said:


> I'm surprised you can have an SO. I'd have way to little confidence to interest a girl. I guess we all have our strengths.
> 
> IrishK: You look great! Whatever diet you are or aren't keeping, I'd say it's working.


Probably wouldn't have one if the internet and very patient men didn't exist. :b I don't really need to go to a gym though, I have everything I need right here.

irishK: I also think you look great.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

strawberryjulius said:


> Probably wouldn't have one if the internet and very patient men didn't exist. :b I don't really need to go to a gym though, I have everything I need right here.


I probably wouldn't be going to the gym in the first place if I were able to get a girlfriend without it. Yet you have a boyfriend but you avoid the gym. The universe has a bad sense of humor sometimes.

Crap, I'm out of cash for the rest of the month, and I've got almost no whole food anymore. Living on protein bars and shakes for 3 days should be interesting.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Wow. I just practiced capoeira on my own tonight for the first time in years, and with all this extra bulk, it was rough. My legs just felt really heavy. Oh well, I'll just have to re-learn how to do cartwheels.


----------



## strawberryjulius

1.5kg weights are feeling light to me now.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Here's where I am after 6 weeks of working out 3-4 days per week. 4 of those weeks I was using bands, but now I'm using weights so I should be able to get bigger. No cardio at all either and sporadic ab work...trying to gain weight but it's harder then expected. Will probably try to shed stomach fat once June hits though since it'll be lake/beach time!


----------



## millenniumman75

Don't stand sideways; we can see through you .


----------



## millenniumman75

Lateralus said:


> IrishK seriously you look great there. If you work on anything I would say toning the arms a bit, but it's a reach to say you need to work on anything.
> 
> Also, we need to put in a request to allow sports bras to be shown.


They're allowed! :lol

I had to chuckle at the black boxes again. It reminds me of the Price is Right episode with the lady's tube top coming off......Yolanda Bowsley...Come on Down!

She gave Bob her all.
She came on down and they came on out! :lol


----------



## Cerberus

Nice work, hiim! Looking good!


----------



## strawberryjulius

Geez, something keeps happening to me to stop me from exercising. I wish this cold would go away already!


----------



## millenniumman75

Go easy with the exercise with the cold. Your body should be fighting off the cold. :yes
Wait until the symptoms fade, and even then, build back up.


----------



## 2Talkative

millenniumman75 said:


> Go easy with the exercise with the cold. Your body should be fighting off the cold. :yes
> Wait until the symptoms fade, and even then, build back up.


Very good advice ! Your body is not capable of repairing and fighting at the same time. Working out with cold symptoms is pretty much sealing the deal on getting sick. REST is so important.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Hmm. A few weeks into cutting now and I got down to 174 lbs from 182 too quickly, but now it seems my weight is going up. I'm at 178. Might have to cut my calories a little.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ouch. Hurt my wrist on a heavy lift. I'll be out of action for the next few days. Crap.


----------



## Cerberus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Ouch. Hurt my wrist on a heavy lift. I'll be out of action for the next few days. Crap.


I feel ya. I strained my foot last week. It's still not healed. I'm not sure what happened, but the side of my lower leg is all bruised up. It's getting better now though. Still, it sucks that I haven't been able to go running in almost a week.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I hope you both heal up soon. 

This is the first week in a while where I'm not injured/sick, haha.


----------



## Cerberus

Well, I went running again. I went runnin with my shirt off, and I consider that a triumph over SA, especially seeing that I refused to be seen in public without my shirt on for years. 

Unfortunately, my foot started to hurt again. Looks like I won't be running much, if at all, for another week. Lame.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

I went running and hiking yesterday and just came back from the gym. I am running on such little sleep but I don't want to be waiting until I feel at my best to workout. I wonder if anyone else has does this, tries to workout no matter what... colds, lack of sleep, rain etc... I dont want to give myself too many excuses to not keep at it but I also need to get some rest.

At the gym today I actually did free weights. This is extremely nerve wracking for me because it means looking in the mirror. This is only my second time back at the gym after giving into fear for so long. It helped that there were only a couple of women, one guy and an old lady that bench pressed more than me lol.


----------



## Cerberus

Good job on going to the gym. What's so bad about looking in the mirror? You're pretty and look to be in good shape. Do you have body dysmorphic disorder?



irishK said:


> I wonder if anyone else has does this, tries to workout no matter what... colds, lack of sleep, rain etc...


Yup. I can be pretty stupid about it, too. I ran four miles one day last week even though my foot was killing me throughout. It was not a smart move on my part. Sometimes I feel as though I just have to exercise and not a damn thing is going to stop me. lol


----------



## Cerberus

irishK said:


> ^
> 
> I can be obsessed with working out and then also have times where I couldnt care less. Right now my left quad is hurting from trying to be a hero in a slow pitch practice but I also need to take advantage of times when my motivation is peaked to workout, because I hate the lazier times when I am not motivated.
> 
> I have also run with blisters on my toes from running so much and instead of just not going, I curled up my toes a bit inside my shoe and kept going.
> 
> You calling me stupid?


Well, everyone is stupid compared to me, a shining beacon of brilliance.


----------



## Lateralus

irishK said:


> I went running and hiking yesterday and just came back from the gym. I am running on such little sleep but I don't want to be waiting until I feel at my best to workout. I wonder if anyone else has does this, tries to workout no matter what... colds, lack of sleep, rain etc... I dont want to give myself too many excuses to not keep at it but I also need to get some rest.
> 
> At the gym today I actually did free weights. This is extremely nerve wracking for me because it means looking in the mirror. This is only my second time back at the gym after giving into fear for so long. It helped that there were only a couple of women, one guy and an old lady that bench pressed more than me lol.


I work out when I'm sick, and today for instance when I'm injured. It drives me crazy having to sit around and not be physically active. I'd rather deal with a prolonged cold or injury (as long as I don't make the injury worse, I stop if I feel that happening). It is probably stupid but exercise is one thing that keeps me sane and I really hate to skip it.

Nice going with the free weights, I wish more girls would use them.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I really really hate my legs. I mean, I really ****ing hate them. I have pooches of fat and it looks ****ing disgusting. I keep getting so upset about them and I don't know what to do about it. Whatever I try just doesn't work. x_x


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^ But I'm sure your boyfriend thinks your legs are amazing.

I just got a one handed tape measure in the mail and did some measurements. 
Waist: 35"
Chest: 38"
Bicep: 17"
Shoulders: 48"
Wikipedia says that a waist-to-shoulder ratio of .6 is most attractive, so I'm going for that (right now I'm .73; if my shoulders stay the same size, as they likely will now that I'm cutting, I'll get there when my waist drops 6 inches to about 29" - crap).

I also checked out this calculator (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calbs.htm), which determines your ideal measurements by your wrists. My wrists are very thin (7"), and it says my ideal waist is a little less than 32", but my ideal chest is 45.5". Wow.

I've got a ways to go.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Yes, please excuse my random outburst of anger. :lol


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Umm why?


----------



## strawberryjulius

Apparently my ideal chest size is 32 inches, haha, not gonna happen! :lol 17 inch thighs is also not going to happen. :b


----------



## STKinTHEmud

I played around with that calculator a bit. I've got very thin wrists (7"), and it said I should have a 32" waist. But if someone were to have wrists that were a little bigger (8"), he would want a 36" waist? That seems like a bit much. Maybe it would be a better calculator if it took height into account, too.

So I found this one: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/ideal-body-measurements.html, which takes other measurements into account. My ideal chest is 51.1" and my ideal waist is 30", and my ideal weight is 210lbs (I'm 175 right now). Ouch.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Just re-did my cutting diet plan and realized that my new plan reduced my carb intake, but increased my fat intake: 36% protein, 34% carbs, 30% fat. Think this would be a good way to go for a cutting diet?


----------



## Cerberus

I don't see your pics, thomas.


----------



## Cerberus

I'd bulk if I were you. Summer is upon us though, so you might want to cut.


----------



## Lateralus

Cerberus said:


> I'd bulk if I were you. Summer is upon us though, so you might want to cut.


That's what I was thinking haha. If it was October I'd say bulk.


----------



## millenniumman75

All this bulking and cutting.....I just want to stay thin! This Paxil fat is for the birds!


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Maybe cut for a month then bulk for a month and alternate till September? Yeah, maybe you should just cut.


----------



## shadowmask

I'd say as long as you're making significant gains in muscle mass, take advantage of it and keep bulking. That's what I would do anyways, I don't mind having some fat on me for the most part. But it all comes down to personal preference. 

Cutting = losing bodyfat
Bulking = building muscle mass


----------



## hiimnotcool

irishK said:


> I don't want to sound like an idiot but can someone explain what cutting is?


Basically when people are bulking they're eating everything in sight (clean foods) to aid in building lean muscle. The only problem is that you're bound to gain extra body fat during this process since you're consuming so many excess calories.

When you want to cut..you would just lower your caloric intake and start adding more cardiovascular exercise to your routine to get rid of all the extra fat you gained during the bulk all while retaining most of the muscle you gained as well.

It's a loooooooong journey to a nice body. Geesh.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Oh and to any hard gainers in this thread.....do any of you have experience with weight gainers? I'm thinking of getting some because I've only gained like 1 or 2 pounds in 2 months of working out and it's pretty annoying. I would LOVE to put on 5-10 in the next 3 months but that just seems like a stretch.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

I found some old photos I'd taken about 9 months ago when I was sitting at around 172-174lbs, I took another picture where I'm at 188lbs a couple of weeks ago to compare and I really can't see any difference! My lifts have gone up but I don't think I 
look any bigger, If anything I looked better 9 months ago. I'd been travelling for the summer so I was more tanned than I am now. Tell me what you think please!

I blanked out my face just because.

Pictures removed cause I felt a little uneasy keeping them up.


----------



## Glo

Great Thread. Hopefully all the Body Pictures will inspire others to workout! Here are some of mine. I am 6'2 160 pounds. Probably look like i'm really 140-150 pounds though. I used to be really insecure about my weight but w/e that's the past. All I can do nowadays is push-ups and pull-ups with my Iron Gym and Crunches and then Curls with my weights. Can't go to the Gym yet but I can't wait until I can. Btw, Jimmy, Nice pictures!



















ke ke ke I know, I know, I'm skinny. No secret there. lol... =)))


----------



## Glo

Thomas Paine said:


> with your body type you need to be eating 24/7, anything you want, even junk food if you have to, plus if I were you I'd buy some good whey protein.
> 
> With a tall frame like that, you have some awesome potential. But unless you're eating like a pig constantly, you won't see it.
> 
> Nice abs though, but remember - the more squats you do, the bigger everything else can become. The potential for every other part of your body come from your legs and back.
> 
> Hope I don't sound too preachy. It's just that I see a lot of potential there that I'll never have, so I want to help you out with some tips that I do have.  Maybe one day you can splice some of your tall genes into me as payback lol.


No I appreciate your advice... I remember some guy telling me that if you do a lot of squats and leg workouts it stimulates some gland in your body that helps you grow bigger? I can't remember the name of it but I'm sure he is right. I'll admit - haven't been doing any squats at all lately but I do enjoy them. I can't do any weighted squats just regular ones atm. but lol @ give you some tall genes... hahaha... =)))

Anyway, i'm off to eat supper now... ttyl.


----------



## Cerberus

nice pictures, guys. 

How tall are you, Jimmy? If you're tall, that could explain why your gains aren't showing up that much. That, or most of your muscle is on your legs.


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> Oh and to any hard gainers in this thread.....do any of you have experience with weight gainers? I'm thinking of getting some because I've only gained like 1 or 2 pounds in 2 months of working out and it's pretty annoying. I would LOVE to put on 5-10 in the next 3 months but that just seems like a stretch.


I'm in the same boat right now man. I just can't make myself eat enough, my body really wants me to stay at 175 I guess.


----------



## GnR

To himnotcool: best weight gainer ever is milk+protien powder+steelcut oats+peanut butter+whatever else. Steelcut oats are insanely calorie dense, not to mention one of the healthiest carb sources. I use a coffee grinder for em.


----------



## Glo

Okay back. Was a quick supper - 2 hamburgers - really just an appetizer.

Anyway, my mom bought me some " Creatine High Performance Muscle Mass and Strength Fuel " - was wondering your peoples thoughts on this ? Here are the Supplement Facts:

Amount Per Serving

Calories : 150

Total Carbohydrate : 33 g

Sugars : 33 g

Phosphorus : 186 mg

Magnesium : 69 mg

Chromium : 200 mcg

Sodium : 95 mg

Triple Creatine Mix ( Creatine Monohydrate; Creatine Ester; Phosphate; Creatine Ethyl Ester) : 6119 mg

BCAA Nitro Blend ( Taurine; Leucine; Isoleucine; Valine; N-Acetyl Cycsteine) : 2063 mg

NOS Xtreme Blend ( L-Arginine; L-Arginine Alpha Keto Glutarate ) : 1094 mg

Stevia Extract : 68 mg


Should I keep buying this stuff or find something else?

thxx


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

I wouldn't mind being able to achieve something more than just toned. It is pretty difficult for females I think. Or maybe that is just an excuse I use. This thread does inspire me I have to say. Working out is nearly impossible when you are depressed. What do you all do when you (or if you) got through depression or even times where you lack motivation? What makes you keep at it?


----------



## Cerberus

irishK said:


> maybe that is just an excuse I use. This thread does inspire me I have to say. Working out is nearly impossible when you are depressed. What do you all do when you (or if you) got through depression or even times where you lack motivation? What makes you keep at it?


I know that if I workout, especially if I go running, much of my depression will lift. Part of what keeps me working out is the mental health benefits. If I miss exercise sessions, I start to become much more anxious and thus more likely to become depressed. Sometimes, if I'm having a bad day, I'll go running, and despite how hard the workout is, I'll sometimes start smiling because of how nice it is to feel my depression or sadness melt away.

I know it can be difficult. However, once you fully realize how much working out can impact your mood, especially really difficult workouts, you'll realize (in more of a concrete way, rather than just an abstract way) how important exercise can be.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

^ I guess I know this already but it feels good to be reminded. I'm going to drag my *** out for a walk and hopefully it turns into a run. Thanks.


----------



## Lateralus

IrishK I would not mind looking like your brother. He must work pretty damn hard to keep up that physique.


----------



## pita

irishK said:


> What do you all do when you (or if you) got through depression or even times where you lack motivation? What makes you keep at it?


Most of the time, I guilt myself into it. Or I tell myself, "Just do a lighter version of your normal workout." Once I start the workout I can keep at it; it's just getting started that's difficult.

I find that looking at pictures of people with good physiques helps me a lot. Looking at my progress (or lack thereof) in a mirror also helps.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> I'm in the same boat right now man. I just can't make myself eat enough, my body really wants me to stay at 175 I guess.


Have you thought about weight gainer too? It's so tempting because it's an extra 1200-1500 calories in a single shake. It's hard to eat as much as it takes to get big. I'll eat breakfast and then 2 or 3 hours will pass and I'm still full so a snack just sounds like a chore. Then I'll eat lunch and won't be hungry until dinner. I've been drinking like 2 protein shakes per day but figured substituting that for a weight gainer would be the best idea. I'm gonna buy some on the 1st of the month and take it for a month and track results. I'll keep you skinny guys updated!

(hmmmm...GnR good idea. I'm sure making your own weight gainer would be cheaper. I'll just start adding an egg, peanut butter, oats and fruit to all my shakes. Genius!)


----------



## STKinTHEmud

hiimnotcool said:


> Oh and to any hard gainers in this thread.....do any of you have experience with weight gainers? I'm thinking of getting some because I've only gained like 1 or 2 pounds in 2 months of working out and it's pretty annoying. I would LOVE to put on 5-10 in the next 3 months but that just seems like a stretch.


5-10 lbs in 3 months isn't a stretch if you're as lean as you are. I highly recommend weight gainers for gaining weight, and to increase your caloric intake from regular foods as well. Most of the change that I make between my cutting and bulking diets is to simply swap out protein powder for a weight gainer. Here's the one I use (I get it from GNC): http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/un/isomass.html. It usually goes cheaper at the listed price. It tastes like crap, but it'll look good on you. I get the strawberry flavor.

Also, be careful: simply pigging out on anything might make you more fat than buff. I did that last year and put on 35 lbs, but I think most of that was fat.



JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> I found some old photos I'd taken about 9 months ago when I was sitting at around 172-174lbs, I took another picture where I'm at 188lbs a couple of weeks ago to compare and I really can't see any difference! My lifts have gone up but I don't think I
> look any bigger, If anything I looked better 9 months ago. I'd been travelling for the summer so I was more tanned than I am now. Tell me what you think please!


I think you do look a little bigger in the second photo. Your arms and chest look more defined and you've got a bit more fat on your belly there. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so moderate weight gain won't translate to a huge difference in appearance.



Glo said:


> No I appreciate your advice... I remember some guy telling me that if you do a lot of squats and leg workouts it stimulates some gland in your body that helps you grow bigger? I can't remember the name of it but I'm sure he is right. I'll admit - haven't been doing any squats at all lately but I do enjoy them. I can't do any weighted squats just regular ones atm. but lol @ give you some tall genes... hahaha... =)))
> 
> Anyway, i'm off to eat supper now... ttyl.


Yeah, I've read that our bodies want to gain muscle in proportion, so muscle in our legs translates to muscle in our upper bodies. Besides, the skinny legs, massive shoulders look is kind of ridiculous. You don't want to look like a lollipop.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

I have a feeling you are all extremely knowledgeable and seem like pros, but this is a channel on youtube that I like. It has some good ab workouts.

http://www.youtube.com/user/passion4profession


----------



## GnR

Speaking of abs, wellbutrin is a decent fat burner lol. I can see em all again.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Cerberus said:


> nice pictures, guys.
> 
> How tall are you, Jimmy? If you're tall, that could explain why your gains aren't showing up that much. That, or most of your muscle is on your legs.


I'm 6ft 2"-3" on a good day, and you're probably right on both calls, It's hard for me to look big with my frame until I start hitting 200 and up. My legs have been getting a more intense workout but they aren't 17lbs bigger! I want to hit 200 but that might have to wait till after summer, and I'm gaining too much fat atm.



STKinTHEmud said:


> I think you do look a little bigger in the second photo. Your arms and chest look more defined and you've got a bit more fat on your belly there. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so moderate weight gain won't translate to a huge difference in appearance.


Thanks for replying man, I do have a flabbier belly now but I sort of expected that after gaining 16-18lbs. I've upped the cardio and added some carpushing 100 metre sprints, they are kicking my *** in a major way but should take care of the excess bodyfat I'm carrying. Are you cutting, bulking or maintaining yourself then?


----------



## STKinTHEmud

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> Thanks for replying man, I do have a flabbier belly now but I sort of expected that after gaining 16-18lbs. I've upped the cardio and added some carpushing 100 metre sprints, they are kicking my *** in a major way but should take care of the excess bodyfat I'm carrying. Are you cutting, bulking or maintaining yourself then?


Yeah, a little fat is no big deal, and I'm sure you can lose it pretty well. I'm cutting right now for the summer. I lost almost 10 lbs in the past month (a bit too fast), but I'm naturally really skinny too. I've made excellent progress in the past year and a half, but still a bit more thin than I'd like. I'm 6'1" and 173 lbs with a little less than 13% body fat. I'd like to get to 185 lbs and 10% body fat.



irishK said:


> I have a feeling you are all extremely knowledgeable and seem like pros, but this is a channel on youtube that I like. It has some good ab workouts.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/user/passion4profession


Thanks for the video! But, um, is it just me or does that cg guy's pecks look kind of like boobs?


----------



## strawberryjulius

I think I'd like to be 45kg..but I don't know if I'd ever be able to weigh that much. It's the minimum weight you need to be to donate blood. :b


----------



## MindOverMood

strawberryjulius said:


> I think I'd like to be 45kg..but I don't know if I'd ever be able to weigh that much. It's the minimum weight you need to be to donate blood. :b


Do you get paid down there for donating?


----------



## strawberryjulius

No, we don't.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

We can get paid to donate blood now!? And here I've been giving it away for free!


----------



## MindOverMood

STKinTHEmud said:


> We can get paid to donate blood now!? And here I've been giving it away for free!


You forgot the sarcasm tags. But seriously, don't you get money for blood in the states?


----------



## Cerberus

No. You can get money for donating plasma, though.


----------



## Cerberus

I was able to run two miles today without my foot hurting, so I'm pretty happy about that. I might try for four tomorrow or the next day.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Yep, no money for blood/platelets here. But if you donate platelets, they let you watch a movie here.

Went to the gym despite my hurt wrist. Benching was really painful, but the rest of my workout went with only a little pain. Cerb and I are healing!


----------



## 2Talkative

Injuries suck i've been plagued with them this year. So far right shoulder/neck and oblique tear/floating rib this is the ****s I'm barely working out twice a week now. I've put on 15 lbs. :no

If life isn't depressing enough not being able to workout just makes it that much worse. At least when it's a big part of your life.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

irishK said:


> What do you all do when you (or if you) got through depression or even times where you lack motivation? What makes you keep at it?


I get that way sometimes. But then I remind myself that looking good will most likely make things easier for me. Working out actually makes me feel like I'm making progress. It's worse when I've already worked out or I'm on an off day; I feel like I'm standing still.

Thomas: Go for it dude.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Any of you guys shave your arms and legs? I want to do it, but I'm not sure if I have the requisite materials. I have an electric. Would it be a good idea to just buzz it off?


----------



## strawberryjulius

Waxing might be better for arms so it wouldn't leave any stubble-like hair. I first used an electric shaver for my legs back when I was 12, seemed to work pretty well.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

2Talkative said:


> Injuries suck i've been plagued with them this year. So far right shoulder/neck and oblique tear/floating rib this is the ****s I'm barely working out twice a week now. I've put on 15 lbs. :no
> 
> If life isn't depressing enough not being able to workout just makes it that much worse. At least when it's a big part of your life.


How much stretching do you do? You should dedicate 5-10 minutes to dynamic stretching before a workout and 5-10 of isometric stretching afterwards. It makes you workouts slightly longer, but you get greater range of motion and prevent injuries from occurring.

Especially when you do something you get banged up like playing hockey. It makes a huge difference.

Check out:

Lower body/Hips: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-10-03.html#question04

Upper Body: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-10-31.html#question02


----------



## millenniumman75

STKinTHEmud said:


> Any of you guys shave your arms and legs? I want to do it, but I'm not sure if I have the requisite materials. I have an electric. Would it be a good idea to just buzz it off?


I use depillatory cream on areas of my back. Yeah, I'm nearing 35 people! 
The only problem I have is ingrown hair. I don't think it would be as much of a problem on arms and legs, though.


----------



## shadowmask

STKinTHEmud said:


> Any of you guys shave your arms and legs? I want to do it, but I'm not sure if I have the requisite materials. I have an electric. Would it be a good idea to just buzz it off?


Not totally, I use an electric razor with a no.1 guard and buzz it. I don't really know why...I doubt anyone notices, and even if they did it wouldn't matter. :?


----------



## Lateralus

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> How much stretching do you do? You should dedicate 5-10 minutes to dynamic stretching before a workout and 5-10 of isometric stretching afterwards. It makes you workouts slightly longer, but you get greater range of motion and prevent injuries from occurring.
> 
> Especially when you do something you get banged up like playing hockey. It makes a huge difference.
> 
> Check out:
> 
> Lower body/Hips: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-10-03.html#question04
> 
> Upper Body: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-10-31.html#question02


Hmmm great tips, I have had several lifting injuries lately. I guess my body is getting past that invincible stage and I'm going to need to start stretching more. I also play hockey coincidentally.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Lateralus said:


> Hmmm great tips, I have had several lifting injuries lately. I guess my body is getting past that invincible stage and I'm going to need to start stretching more. I also play hockey coincidentally.


Oh yeah, I remember the days when you felt like you were indestructible! Damn, I wish I was younger again, like 21!

But when you do some of those stretches foam roller exercises, you'll never realize how sore you were in some of those spots because your body is so adaptable to strength training, any exercise really, you don't feel the soreness so much until you do it!


----------



## Cerberus

My left trap hurts when I lift. I'm going to need to start stretching it. 


well, I was able to run four miles today without my foot hurting, so that's good.


----------



## Thomasjs81

I want to get back into lifting, but at the moment I'm having problems with inflexibility in an old hamstring injury which is causing my lower back to round when squatting. I'm currently looking for a good deep tissue massage/remedial therapist who doesn't cost the earth.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Ugh. I'm getting impatient for my ideal body. You'd think after working and dieting like crazy for 1 1/2 years, I'd learn to be more patient.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Yeah, I just realised that I've been working out for a year now. Too bad that the same April-May feelings of last year are coming back. I think I'm skipping birthday cake.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

So I shaved my arms and legs for the first time in my life, and holy crap was it harder than I thought. That may have been the first time I looked at the back of my knees. I also didn't realize how bad the skin on my legs was. It took so long that the batteries ran out on my electric before I finished my other leg. I'm waiting for it to recharge as I write this. I also found a little blood on my hands. I looked around and couldn't find where I was bleeding. Oh well.










What do you think? Shaved or unshaved?


----------



## rdrr

OMG why did you shave your arms. Trim your leg hair if anything, not the arms... now your going to have to do it all the time.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

I've read that the whole idea that shaving makes it grow thicker and longer is a myth.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Yeah, the only reason it would appear so is because it hasn't seen much sun yet, that's what I've read anyway. My arm hair doesn't seem to get any lighter no matter how much sun I get, though. :b

I personally like men to have hairy bodies but if it's something that you dislike and bothers you then I have no qualms about a man wanting to get rid of it.


----------



## MindOverMood

Keep the hair on your arms mud.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

If this is the case, then why do all male models have no body hair?


----------



## rdrr

prob photoshop and waxing/hair removal, since their job as a model depends on it. also genetics, some people are less hirsuite than others.


----------



## 2Talkative

STKinTHEmud said:


> If this is the case, then why do all male models have no body hair?


 You need to watch Bigger Stronger Faster.....great example of the model/bb world and the extent they go to for photo shoots. Or do you mean real life they are all shaved ? I have no idea lol.

Anyways it doesn't look to creepy as long as you shave the other arm lol I shaved my chest once and I looked like a little kid lol it was funny I'm glad it's grown in again because it was pretty creepy.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

2Talkative said:


> You need to watch Bigger Stronger Faster.....great example of the model/bb world and the extent they go to for photo shoots. Or do you mean real life they are all shaved ? I have no idea lol.
> 
> Anyways it doesn't look to creepy as long as you shave the other arm lol I shaved my chest once and I looked like a little kid lol it was funny I'm glad it's grown in again because it was pretty creepy.


What I'm saying is that those men that are considered most physically attractive (male models) have no body hair. I shave my chest and belly regularly to accentuate the muskulls.


----------



## 2Talkative

STKinTHEmud said:


> What I'm saying is that those men that are considered most physically attractive (male models) have no body hair. I shave my chest and belly regularly to accentuate the muskulls.


I have a 24 pack so no need to shave anything there. I'd have a better chance at winning the lotto than seeing my abs. you might say I look more like a power lifter than a bber.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

STKinTHEmud said:


> What I'm saying is that those men that are considered most physically attractive (male models) have no body hair. I shave my chest and belly regularly to accentuate the muskulls.


Who sets the criteria for male models? Some whacked out fashion designers in Milan! I wouldn't be overly concerned with a standard that has little relevance to the world around you. Afterall there is more to life than being _really really ridiculously_ good looking. 

Seriously though I'm not trying to rip on you, do whatever makes you feel good. Just don't let the media set your standards, Modern media sets an ever changing set of unreachable standards designed to poke at your ego.

Anyways rant over.

Any of you guys ever get shin splints? I've developed some recently and am curious to see if any of you guys have had any treatment for them?


----------



## bowlingpins

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> Who sets the criteria for male models? Some whacked out fashion designers in Milan! I wouldn't be overly concerned with a standard that has little relevance to the world around you. *Afterall there is more to life than being really really ridiculously good looking.*


True, there is more to life than looks. But good looks still give you an advantage in life, in jobs, relationships, however small this advantage maybe. If something as simple as shaving improves your appearance, then go for it. You want to maximize your positive traits.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> Who sets the criteria for male models? Some whacked out fashion designers in Milan! I wouldn't be overly concerned with a standard that has little relevance to the world around you. Afterall there is more to life than being _really really ridiculously_ good looking.
> 
> Seriously though I'm not trying to rip on you, do whatever makes you feel good. Just don't let the media set your standards, Modern media sets an ever changing set of unreachable standards designed to poke at your ego.


Well, media may have created the standards for beauty (which is arguable, but I'll grant you that), but that image has become so ingrained in women's consciousnesses, that it has become most of their standards of beauty as well. Granted, not all women like the same thing, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a single woman who wouldn't respond to a guy who looks like Johnny Depp if he started a conversation with her.


----------



## Cerberus

If you think it will work for you, STK, then go for it. It seems like too much work to me. It doesn't seem like the cost would be worth the benefit, but maybe I'm wrong. Good luck.


----------



## millenniumman75

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> Who sets the criteria for male models? Some whacked out fashion designers in Milan! I wouldn't be overly concerned with a standard that has little relevance to the world around you. Afterall there is more to life than being _really really ridiculously_ good looking.
> 
> Seriously though I'm not trying to rip on you, do whatever makes you feel good. Just don't let the media set your standards, Modern media sets an ever changing set of unreachable standards designed to poke at your ego.
> 
> Anyways rant over.
> 
> Any of you guys ever get shin splints? I've developed some recently and am curious to see if any of you guys have had any treatment for them?


Are you kidding? The diet of most of these models is a snorted line and a lettuce leaf. That's it! They spend their runway money on tanning and waxing.

I would leave the arms alone - at most, trim, don't shave. By looking at your face, having hair would look better. You're not a bad looking guy.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

millenniumman75 said:


> Are you kidding? The diet of most of these models is a snorted line and a lettuce leaf. That's it! They spend their runway money on tanning and waxing.
> 
> I would leave the arms alone - at most, trim, don't shave. By looking at your face, having hair would look better. You're not a bad looking guy.


THANKS! Two compliments in one day? ....I'm pretty!


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

STKinTHEmud said:


> Well, media may have created the standards for beauty (which is arguable, but I'll grant you that), but that image has become so ingrained in women's consciousnesses, that it has become most of their standards of beauty as well. Granted, not all women like the same thing, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a single woman who wouldn't respond to a guy who looks like Johnny Depp if he started a conversation with her.


^ Sure the standard of beauty has an effect but not to the extent that it changes their real world views. I mean it's not really all that important what men look like, it's all about how you carry yourself and the way that you are.
That's my two cents and I'm stickin to it.

"there is more to life than being _really really ridiculously_ good looking. "
^
Nobody got the Zoolander reference damnit!


----------



## Lateralus

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> Nobody got the Zoolander reference damnit!


Hahaa I did, I was just too lazy to write anything at the time.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I broke one of my running shoes and using them has now hurt my knee, it's what I get for buying cheap shoes. :b I'm getting new ones for my birthday!


----------



## bowlingpins

Which are the best high calorie, easy and quick to eat foods? I am having major trouble with maintaining a high calorie diet (hard to do with an erratic schedule) and this is affecting my workouts. Any suggestions? 

I am already throwing money that I don't have at energy drinks such as Ensure plus. Any other options?


----------



## bowlingpins

ok, thanks that's a good idea.


----------



## Brit90

I'm totally going with this!

I've been pretty unhappy with my figure for a while now (though, I don't have anyone to blame but myself for the lack of activity over the years) and I really want to get back down to a healthy weight. And, you know, be happy with my body.

I started at 210 and lost 11 pounds, leaving me at 199. My ultimate goal is around 160-150. (I still want to keep a soft appearance. I think hard muscles on girls looks gross.)

Hopefully you guys could help in keeping me motivated? ​


----------



## fredbloggs02

"I'm totally going with this!

I've been pretty unhappy with my figure for a while now (though, I don't have anyone to blame but myself for the lack of activity over the years) and I really want to get back down to a healthy weight. And, you know, be happy with my body.

I started at 210 and lost 11 pounds, leaving me at 199. My ultimate goal is around 160-150. (I still want to keep a soft appearance. I think hard muscles on girls looks gross.)

Hopefully you guys could help in keeping me motivated? "

One thing I will suggest Brit90 is SET AN EXACT TIME for the unpleasant bodily morphosing- exercises. Lots of cardiovascular exercises to choose from like jogging, biking or swimming is a good one as that works the whole body! Maybe start a cardio kickboxing class, whatever you enjoy most is best: It gives excersise a purpose! Not just doing it to keep fitt but doing it to run a marathon, to learn to fight or be an olympic troathlonist. SET AN EXACT number of said exercises too, say lengths or laps of your town you're willing to do and increase it WHEN you feel stronger and IF you fail to acheive your goals when you grow into your present routine.

Good luck!


----------



## Brit90

I think that's probably one of my biggest downfalls! I've tried doing weight loss in the past, but it always ended up getting side tracked by something else, or just ended up procrastinating it to the point where I was completely unmotivated and just stopped all together.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

bowlingpins said:


> Which are the best high calorie, easy and quick to eat foods? I am having major trouble with maintaining a high calorie diet (hard to do with an erratic schedule) and this is affecting my workouts. Any suggestions?
> 
> I am already throwing money that I don't have at energy drinks such as Ensure plus. Any other options?


Energy drinks are usually high in sugar and have a lot of caffeine that you don't need. Steer clear, in my opinion. Get a good weight-gainer. Easy, quick calories. I second peanut butter, but also almonds (and other nuts) are really good, too.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Welcome aboard Brit09!

I got new shoes today. I am lucky that I can at least find these shoes in my size...and they don't look too childish.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Yeah, glad you can join us Brit90!

So I was trying to do the "iron cross" (gymnastics move where you suspend yourself on rings with arms straight out) at a party and I popped my shoulder in a bad way. Ouch. Hopefully it won't affect my lifts. My wrist is still recovering, too. Doh.


----------



## bowlingpins

STKinTHEmud said:


> Energy drinks are usually high in sugar and have a lot of caffeine that you don't need. Steer clear, in my opinion. Get a good weight-gainer. Easy, quick calories. I second peanut butter, but also almonds (and other nuts) are really good, too.


Yeah, that's a good point but since I am 140lbs at 5'11 I don't mind putting on some fat. Energy drinks are also good because it takes 2 minutes to down a can with 350 calories and good amount of protein. This is nice if you have little time to eat proper meals.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

STKinTHEmud said:


> Yeah, glad you can join us Brit90!
> 
> So I was trying to do the "iron cross" (gymnastics move where you suspend yourself on rings with arms straight out) at a party and I popped my shoulder in a bad way. Ouch. Hopefully it won't affect my lifts. My wrist is still recovering, too. Doh.


Now you are making me curious, lol!


----------



## Cerberus

I don't have access to a gym at the moment, since I moved. I'm relying on surfing, running, and now that 100 pushups site for exercise. I'm still trying to eat healthy, but food prices are a little ridiculous here in Hawaii, so it may get hard to do so.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Ordering Optimum Nutrition's Serious Mass (12lb bag) tonight. It's only 38 dollars and will last a month so I figure it's worth it to try. All the reviews I read were very positive and it seemed most people gained 10-20 pounds in the first few months, while quite a few gained 4-5 pounds within the first couple weeks. I kind of quit caring about having abs because they just aren't going to show while bulking. For now I am going to focus on chest/shoulders/arms and back because that seems to be what girs like most :b (yes I asked). I'll update in a couple weeks!


----------



## Lateralus

^Shoulders are underrated I think. I don't know how girls feel about them but when I see guys like Dwight Howard or LBJ with monstrous and well-defined shoulders, I feel a little jealous.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> ^Shoulders are underrated I think. I don't know how girls feel about them but when I see guys like Dwight Howard or LBJ with monstrous and well-defined shoulders, I feel a little jealous.


Actually strong shoulders were the number one thing women found attractive about a mans body. I was pretty surprised by that. I always assumed abs were but they are actually way down the list.

Shoulders
Chest
Back
Arms
Abs


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## jellybelly

Keep up the good work everyone and try to avoid injury! Hope everyone with injuries recover very soon 

Mmm shoulders.

I just went to the gym and came back and ate loads of cake


----------



## Cerberus

I get jealous of guys with broad shoulders. My shoulders aren't that broad. They're fairly defined, but they're certainly not broad, which is more genetic than fitness-related, so I guess I'm out of luck in that.


----------



## pita

hiimnotcool said:


> Actually strong shoulders were the number one thing women found attractive about a mans body. I was pretty surprised by that. I always assumed abs were but they are actually way down the list.
> 
> Shoulders
> Chest
> Back
> Arms
> Abs


I can't believe 'butt' is not on the list. Or maybe that's just me? I dunno.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

hiimnotcool said:


> Ordering Optimum Nutrition's Serious Mass (12lb bag) tonight. It's only 38 dollars and will last a month so I figure it's worth it to try. All the reviews I read were very positive and it seemed most people gained 10-20 pounds in the first few months, while quite a few gained 4-5 pounds within the first couple weeks. I kind of quit caring about having abs because they just aren't going to show while bulking. For now I am going to focus on chest/shoulders/arms and back because that seems to be what girs like most :b (yes I asked). I'll update in a couple weeks!


Yeah, I've got a 20 lb bag of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey: fairly cheap, great for cutting.

I think a lot of girls like a V shaped torso on a guy, so yeah, big shoulders and chest are good for that. I wish mine were bigger too, but despite not being wide, I'm fairly thick.

(Dude, hiim, did you cut your hair?)


----------



## 2Talkative

It's all about physique.

Looks don't matter to me anymore though because I could have a model body and still have SA and be hopeless with the ladies. :blank


----------



## hiimnotcool

STKinTHEmud said:


> Yeah, I've got a 20 lb bag of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey: fairly cheap, great for cutting.
> 
> I think a lot of girls like a V shaped torso on a guy, so yeah, big shoulders and chest are good for that. I wish mine were bigger too, but despite not being wide, I'm fairly thick.
> 
> (Dude, hiim, did you cut your hair?)


Yeah, ON is a great company. This Serious Mass stuff is no joke too. It says to take two scoops for 1250 calories!!! I'm just taking one scoop for 625 calories and then drinking regular protein shakes after my workouts. I figure that will save quite a bit of money.

And yeah, I cut my hair. Going for a whole new look this Summer.


----------



## Brit90

Sorry I missed everyone's welcomes! This forum is so huge that I keep missing out on things, haha.

But, I'm pretty happy with my physical progress. It's pretty obvious that I'm losing weight, especially around my waist, but it's very frustrating to see numbers going up, even if it's just by one. I realize that women gain muscle really fast...but bleh. I get very discouraged when I step on the scale. 

I'm considering cutting out the scale all together. As long as I can physically see the results, I am happy.


----------



## hiimnotcool

So I've been taking that Serious Mass shake for 3 days and surprisingly I've been eating more too. I've gained 5 pounds already. I usually weigh myself before I work out with shorts and shoes on and it's always around 153-155 and today I weighed 159. If I can get to 170 by July I'll be ecstatic!


----------



## Ambivert

STKinTHEmud said:


> Yeah, I've got a 20 lb bag of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey: fairly cheap, great for cutting.
> 
> I think a lot of girls like a V shaped torso on a guy, so yeah, big shoulders and chest are good for that. I wish mine were bigger too, but despite not being wide, I'm fairly thick.
> 
> (Dude, hiim, did you cut your hair?)


I'm taking that exact same protein supplement, except the non-aspartame sweetened natural version (extreme chocolate flavor).

I'm also taking it with animal pak vitamins and so far progress is good (I weigh 150 pounds atm)


----------



## bowlingpins

hiimnotcool said:


> So I've been taking that Serious Mass shake for 3 days and surprisingly I've been eating more too. I've gained 5 pounds already. I usually weigh myself before I work out with shorts and shoes on and it's always around 153-155 and today I weighed 159. If I can get to 170 by July I'll be ecstatic!


5lbs in 3 days? That's quite good. Part of that is possibly due to hydration but I would still be happy with that kind of weight gain.

Right now, I am following the program at hundredpushups.com 
After almost 3 weeks, I am on week 2 day 1 of the program. Completed 14, 14, 10, 10 pushups with a minute break in between each set before resting 3 minutes to do the final set of 20 pushups.


----------



## hiimnotcool

I was thinking it might be water weight also, but I actually drink 8-10 16 oz bottles a day regularly even before taking the supplement so I found it pretty weird.

I took some pictures just now to see if progress is noticeable.

This is where I was in mid February


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This is today


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Also, I noticed my shoulders are growing a lot faster than the rest of my body. When I flex them they just turn into a huge mound...is this normal??


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## Dark0

hiimnotcool said:


> Also, I noticed my shoulders are growing a lot faster than the rest of my body. When I flex them they just turn into a huge mound...is this normal??
> 
> 
> Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Those are not really shoulders. It's trapezius muscle, better known as traps and yeah it's normal.


----------



## Dub16

^^ totally off-topic so my apologies... Good to see ya posting Dark0 mate. You seem like a very likeable character on that chat thingy.


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## Dark0

Dub16 said:


> ^^ totally off-topic so my apologies... Good to see ya posting Dark0 mate. You seem like a very likeable character on that chat thingy.


Haha, well thanks mate.


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## hiimnotcool

Dark0 said:


> Those are not really shoulders. It's trapezius muscle, better known as traps and yeah it's normal.


Thank God! Are the traps worked when doing shoulder exercises? I don't think I've ever done anything specifically to work them out. Maybe pullups?


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## Dark0

hiimnotcool said:


> Thank God! Are the traps worked when doing shoulder exercises? I don't think I've ever done anything specifically to work them out. Maybe pullups?


Well I don't know what your shoulder workout consists of, but traps are mostly trained with shoulders or back. You can check what exercise migth work on them by checking here http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/muscle/id/11/muscle/traps


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Daaaaaanggg you're getting ripped man. I am working on shoulders now as well, since they are once again healthy enough to. Your abs are really getting defined too. Mine have lost a little definition below the belly button from the extra calories Ive been packing lately but soon I'm going to trim down again.

Here's a pic my friend took that just coincidentally shows some shoulder and back muscle I didn't even know I had lol. I'd like to get my traps about as big as yours though.


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## hiimnotcool

Hey thanks a lot bro. I'm really excited to see the progress I can make by mid July because that's peak lake/beach season haha. My ab definition is surprising me because I don't even work them directly very much but I can't complain. I'm really wanting my arms/chest to get bigger and your size is my ideal... Are you like 175-180? I'm going to start working biceps twice a week for a couple months just to see if that stimulates any extra growth.


From the picture you posted your shoulders are ridiculously defined. So is your back actually. Geez dude, how long did it take to get your physique? I'm a little limited because I don't have a gym membership. All I'm using is two 52.5 pound adjustable dumbbells and a stability ball for bench press/inclines.


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## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> Hey thanks a lot bro. I'm really excited to see the progress I can make by mid July because that's peak lake/beach season haha. My ab definition is surprising me because I don't even work them directly very much but I can't complain. I'm really wanting my arms/chest to get bigger and your size is my ideal... Are you like 175-180? I'm going to start working biceps twice a week for a couple months just to see if that stimulates any extra growth.
> 
> From the picture you posted your shoulders are ridiculously defined. So is your back actually. Geez dude, how long did it take to get your physique? I'm a little limited because I don't have a gym membership. All I'm using is two 52.5 pound adjustable dumbbells and a stability ball for bench press/inclines.


Yeah I've noticed that with abs as well. Things like pullups and leg curls and other misc. exercises use them and you dont necessarily have to isolate abs only.

Right now yeah I'm 175. I'd say youre doing really well with that equipment. I have almost everything except a squat rack at my disposal so that helps. But it has taken forever anyways, granted I havent really eaten enough protein nor given 100% every workout. Also stress can really set you back.


----------



## Cerberus

ack My foot is hurting again. I limp when I try to walk. I've been sitting on my *** all day hoping it heals. I really hate injuries.


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## STKinTHEmud

Looking good hiim and lat. Yeah, my traps look weird when I flex them too, but they make your shoulders bigger, so I do shrugs for them.


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## 2Talkative

Cerberus said:


> . I really hate injuries.


Ya it's the ****s man ! It's hard thats for sure I've felt like giving up latley but I 've managed to heal on most my injuries....

-Left shoulder partial labrum tear mended just clicks now no pain.

-Nerve damage left big toe and Plantar fasciitis healed took 3 months

-Right Shoulder/Neck undiagnosed need xrays with dye or mri argh...still going to attempt lifting this week just to see where I stand.

-Tear in left oblique healed but took close to 3 months.

The real kicker is none were lifting related all hockey. It's too bad I like hockey so much or I'd quit and just lift and do cardio.


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## Cerberus

2Talkative said:


> Ya it's the ****s man ! It's hard thats for sure I've felt like giving up latley but I 've managed to heal on most my injuries....
> 
> -Left shoulder partial labrum tear mended just clicks now no pain.
> 
> -Nerve damage left big toe and Plantar fasciitis healed took 3 months
> 
> -Right Shoulder/Neck undiagnosed need xrays with dye or mri argh...still going to attempt lifting this week just to see where I stand.
> 
> -Tear in left oblique healed but took close to 3 months.
> 
> The real kicker is none were lifting related all hockey. It's too bad I like hockey so much or I'd quit and just lift and do cardio.


Damn man. You've been tore up. Yeah, it really sucks. What i really hate about it is that I rely heavily on running to keep my depression and anxiety at bay, especially now that I don't have a gym membership anymore nor can I really afford one. blah.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

Looking good, Irishk! Nice tat.

Lost about 2% bodyfat since I started cutting, and I've got a pretty solid 4-pack, but I've still got a bit of belly fat to go through. I'm now 13% bf and 168 lbs. Hoping I can knock off that 3% very soon. Might cut back on calories again.


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## Lateralus

^Irish: Your arms look really big and strong, I would work on definition now. You don't need to bulk up for your waist to look better IMO....there appears to be not one ounce of fat there. You are in great shape.


----------



## Smitten

irishK said:


> So I have been working my arms a bit more in the past month, not a lot but I am noticing some changes. My upper arms are getting a bit bigger but not necessarily defined (if you know what I mean). I know if I bulk up a bit up top, my waist will look better. I am afraid of developing manly arms lol. Sometimes they look pretty thin and depending on what I am wearing, they don't. I haven't been doing any ab work at all for about a month or so now but want to get back at it after my holiday. I can't get a lot of definition in my abs either. Maybe I just don't put enough effort into it. I see the fitness magazines covers and would like to look like some of them but I may just give up the notion.
> 
> View attachment 6735


 *Very Jealous of the flat stomach and thin waist* :b


----------



## AussiePea

woo I can start posting here after joining the gym yesterday! Inspirational thread!


----------



## complex

Swam a half mile yester day thats 33 laps! Going again tonight I think I am on a pretty good diet and feeling ok about this!


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Joined a rowing club today! Good craic Wasn't as tiring as I expected tho, but I'm sure I'll feel different that about tomorrow!


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## Lateralus

complex said:


> Swam a half mile yester day thats 33 laps! Going again tonight I think I am on a pretty good diet and feeling ok about this!


Impressive!


----------



## hiimnotcool

A couple days ago I started doing weighted pushups (15-20 pounds in a backpack lol) to try and increase muscle gains. I'll probably start doing the same with pullups also. I dunno, I've been working out since February and I haven't really noticed much change at all. It's a little discouraging but I'll keep at it.


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## millenniumman75

irishK said:


> View attachment 6735


OMG! That's SASsy!


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## Cerberus

You don't need to get any leaner. And you look fine in a bathing suit.


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

Do you mean adding more protein? I think I also need to start working out more. Ive gotten pretty lazy not doing a lot but I have also been busy. I did finally do some upper body last night, like shoulders etc.. I have a bad habit of not sticking with it.


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## Lateralus

Irish you look to be in basically perfect shape already and you look great in that suit. Now go show it off at a beach or pool this weekend!


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## STKinTHEmud

I think you're good to go as is, Irishk. You've got a perfect body, and I think both guys and girls would recognize that. All that's left is to feel good about it (or become a supermodel).

I looked in a mirror when I was changing in my gym's locker room after a workout, and I saw the outline of the top of abs #5 and 6. The last time I looked, abs #3 and 4 just trailed off into fat. It seems I'm making progress, but I have been losing a lot of bulk, especially in my chest, it seems.


----------



## No-Sturm-und-Drang

Wow you guys are motivating me to get in shape. Starting tomorrow. :/


----------



## 2Talkative

STKinTHEmud said:


> It seems I'm making progress, but I have been losing a lot of bulk, especially in my chest, it seems.


One of the first places you notice fat falling off is at the face then chest your doing something right.

15 mins until cardio time...


----------



## Cerberus

irishK said:


> I just wanted to say that I faced a big fear today. I read a comment here and decided to face the music and go to a pool. It may seem like such a small thing to someone else, but to me, it is a near impossible thing to do and be okay with. All the people, lights, exposure... I did it. No one died. No one's eyes bled. No one screamed. The day carried on as usual. The biggest thing... no one cared. I am sure I looked like a 'deer in the headlights' and it was hard to fully enjoy it, but the point is, I went. Maybe next time I won't need to hide in the hot tub for so long lol.


Good job! :clap I'm sure you turned some heads to.


----------



## Cerberus

STKinTHEmud said:


> Looking good, Irishk! Nice tat.
> 
> Lost about 2% bodyfat since I started cutting, and I've got a pretty solid 4-pack, but I've still got a bit of belly fat to go through. I'm now 13% bf and 168 lbs. Hoping I can knock off that 3% very soon. Might cut back on calories again.


I'm looking forward to your update pics. Good job, man.


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## STKinTHEmud

Congrats Irishk! Great job facing your fears! Keep it up (go again next week)!

Thanks, Cerb. I'll post pics when I'm ripped.


----------



## jellybelly

Well done irishK for facing your fear


----------



## STKinTHEmud

^I very much doubt that they thought that. There really is no way to know what they thought (though, usually, when people look at you, it's because they like what they see) and thinking they thought poorly of you sounds like it's your SA trying to make you feel bad about yourself. Don't let it!

I just measured myself. 12% body fat and 31" waist.


----------



## Cerberus

I haven't lifted weights in over a month and I haven't gone running in over two weeks (no gym pass and I have a foot injury). As a result, my muscles are deflating and I'm worried my endurance is suffering. I've been doing burpees (did 200 of these a couple days ago), push ups, and air squats in an attempt to stay in shape.


----------



## BetaBoy90

Alot of dedicated lifters in here, it's good to see. I wish I was still pushing myself in the gym, maybe I'll start up again, thanks for the motivation!


----------



## AussiePea

Yeah I joined the gym this week and have been twice so far (go again tomorrow). Working on building some muscle (since I have none) and generally getting fit. Arms are sore today haha.

before pic taken! Looking forward to comparing it in a couple of months.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Cerberus said:


> I haven't lifted weights in over a month and I haven't gone running in over two weeks (no gym pass and I have a foot injury). As a result, my muscles are deflating and I'm worried my endurance is suffering. I've been doing burpees (did 200 of these a couple days ago), push ups, and air squats in an attempt to stay in shape.


You'll be fine if you are hitting 200 burpees, jesus christ, if that isn't a test of endurance, I don't know what is. Just doing a set of 30 in a row is a killer. Another type of burpee to try is the front burpee where you push your upper body forward after you squat down and push it back and jump back up. Or tuck jump burpees or long jump burpees if you get bored.

Do 1 minute down and 1 minute up push-ups. Or Super push-ups. There's a lot of **** you can do to maintain shape.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Just took some update pictures. It's hard to tell if you're making progress when you look in the mirror but when you take pictures things seem to show a little more...I can atleast tell that I'm gaining weight since I don't look so thin now. I'm noticing it most in the chest/arm area. Abs are pretty crappy but I haven't worked them at all and have been eating 3,000+ calories a day so I suppose that is to be expected.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

^ looking strong dude

What are you weighing in at?


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## STKinTHEmud

Looking good, hiim!

I just found myself looking forward to spinach as one of the less bland things I'm going to eat tonight. Yep, I'm well trained, diet-wise.


----------



## millenniumman75

STKinTHEmud said:


> Looking good, hiim!
> 
> I just found myself looking forward to *spinach* as one of the less bland things I'm going to eat tonight. Yep, I'm well trained, diet-wise.


Go, Popeye!


----------



## hiimnotcool

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> ^ looking strong dude
> 
> What are you weighing in at?


Thanks guys. I'm 160 at the moment. I was 145ish before I started working out so it's a pretty decent gain so far. Trying to get to 185 before cutting.


----------



## STKinTHEmud

millenniumman75 said:


> Go, Popeye!


I yams what I yams!


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

hiimnotcool said:


> Thanks guys. I'm 160 at the moment. I was 145ish before I started working out so it's a pretty decent gain so far. Trying to get to 185 before cutting.


You look bigger than 160 for sure, are you training specifically for anything? I started rowing two weeks ago and I already feel stronger. It's a _killer_ workout, my forearms wouldn't stop twitching on the drive home.

15 pounds of gains is a fair amount, how long since you started?

Don't forget to maintain for a couple of months once you get to 185, I made that mistake last year and lost a _ton_ of muscle. Right before I went on holidays too


----------



## hiimnotcool

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> You look bigger than 160 for sure, are you training specifically for anything? I started rowing two weeks ago and I already feel stronger. It's a _killer_ workout, my forearms wouldn't stop twitching on the drive home.
> 
> 15 pounds of gains is a fair amount, how long since you started?
> 
> Don't forget to maintain for a couple of months once you get to 185, I made that mistake last year and lost a _ton_ of muscle. Right before I went on holidays too


I'm not training for anything really. I was just getting tired of looking in the mirror and seeing how out of shape I was haha. Yeah, rowing is incredibly intense...I bet your back is going to get completely shredded from it.

I started around the end of February so its been a little over 3 months. I guess my gains fall in the normal range since 1 pound per week is generally considered good.

Thanks for the advice! I probably would have got to 185 then immediately started cutting so I'm glad you mentioned that. What's your height/weight?


----------



## Cerberus

Wow. Nice progress, hiim! Now you've got me thinking about trying to put on some muscle.

-----

agghh I'm going nuts not being able to run. I feel like I've lost a vital link to my sanity. I wanted to wait one more week before I tried running again, but I don't think I will. My foot has felt fine for the past two weeks, so I think I'm going to feel it out today. Hopefully it won't give me any trouble. I'm sick of burpees, jumping jacks, and body weight exercises!!


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> Thanks guys. I'm 160 at the moment. I was 145ish before I started working out so it's a pretty decent gain so far. Trying to get to 185 before cutting.


I want to be 185 lbs solid muscle and stay there. I have a long, hard 15 lbs to gain.

Mysteriously I've been getting great strength gains lately but I've LOST weight. I benched one rep at 308 lbs (my weight set is in kgs) today, and I weigh 170 lbs now. That puts my ratio at 1.81, which from what I gather is really good.

I guess the bottom line is I need more calories. I haven't been eating any less but I'm guessing my extra exercise in this nicer weather is cutting into my intake too much and possibly slowly dehydrating me by sweating a lot (even though I am drinking more water). The question is, why isn't it making me hungrier?

I swear my body wants to be 175 or less and it fights me whenever I try to go beyond. The only good part is I think I do look really defined.


----------



## millenniumman75

Dang! I would love to be 190 again. That's where I was before Paxil. Family complained that I wasn't eating enough. At that time, when I was not anxious, I could anything in sight and burn it off. I am fighting to stay at 215 with the meds.


----------



## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> I want to be 185 lbs solid muscle and stay there. I have a long, hard 15 lbs to gain.
> 
> Mysteriously I've been getting great strength gains lately but I've LOST weight. I benched one rep at 308 lbs (my weight set is in kgs) today, and I weigh 170 lbs now. That puts my ratio at 1.81, which from what I gather is really good.
> 
> I guess the bottom line is I need more calories. I haven't been eating any less but I'm guessing my extra exercise in this nicer weather is cutting into my intake too much and possibly slowly dehydrating me by sweating a lot (even though I am drinking more water). The question is, why isn't it making me hungrier?
> 
> I swear my body wants to be 175 or less and it fights me whenever I try to go beyond. The only good part is I think I do look really defined.


Wow, your lifts are impressive. I mean, I think having a target weight is definitely a great thing but atleast your lifts are still increasing. It's obviously not detrimental at this point to be losing weight...but with that said..

If you want to gain then it certainly sounds like you need more calories. I'm in the same position as you. It's really hard to eat when you're not hungry. I find myself thinking of tuna, salmon or chicken and thinking 'gahh I just ate 3 hours ago do I really have to eat again??'. I've been resorting a lot to shakes lately because it tastes good and it's really fast. I just add a couple of whole eggs, peanut butter, fruit, whole milk and whey protein and that's a solid 5-600 or so calories.

You're also really active with hockey and stuff right? That right there is probably burning off a ton of your daily calorie intake! Good luck though man. I feel your pain believe me. The women in my family are annoyed with me because they're like 'Omg you try so hard to gain weight while we're struggling to lose it!'...haha, oh women, how they amuse me.


----------



## hiimnotcool

millenniumman75 said:


> Dang! I would love to be 190 again. That's where I was before Paxil. Family complained that I wasn't eating enough. At that time, when I was not anxious, I could anything in sight and burn it off. I am fighting to stay at 215 with the meds.


A lot of your weight is in your sexy legs though MM! I bet the ladies love seeing you running around town 4 days a week :boogie


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

hiimnotcool said:


> I'm not training for anything really. I was just getting tired of looking in the mirror and seeing how out of shape I was haha. Yeah, rowing is incredibly intense...I bet your back is going to get completely shredded from it.
> 
> I started around the end of February so its been a little over 3 months. I guess my gains fall in the normal range since 1 pound per week is generally considered good.
> 
> Thanks for the advice! I probably would have got to 185 then immediately started cutting so I'm glad you mentioned that. What's your height/weight?


I'm 6ft 2" 187lbs at the moment, I started around 170ish but I was completely out of shape too, my body seems to like to keep itself at around 175lbs or thereabouts so gaining weight is tough once I've passed the "newbie gains".

Rowing is intense, both physically and socially. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while though and it's good exposure. Couple of cute girls there too 

Originally Posted by *Lateralus*  
Mysteriously I've been getting great strength gains lately but I've LOST weight. I benched one rep at 308 lbs (my weight set is in kgs) today, and I weigh 170 lbs now.

:clap that's really impressive man, I can just about bench my bodyweight. How long have you been lifting?


----------



## AussiePea

Trainer set out my gym program tonight, working on strength and cardio. I tell ya, it sure works you hard. Taken a before pic, look forward to comparing it in a couple of months!

Also need to work on my diet now as well.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

^Is the personal trainer expensive ospi?

Congrats on getting started Working out is _the_ best thing for staying positive imo.


----------



## AussiePea

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> ^Is the personal trainer expensive ospi?
> 
> Congrats on getting started Working out is _the_ best thing for staying positive imo.


Nah not a personal trainer, she just wrote me a plan (spent an hour or so with me tonight writing one up to suit my goals) so I will stick to that.


----------



## jellybelly

Looking good Hiim! 

Moar pictures of hot SAers' bodies plz thnx. Hehe 

I did my first full bodypump class tonight. Was slightly scary and it was rather busy. I used the lightest weights possible and that was still tough at times. I regularly do resistance training but it's so different doing stuff for longer. 

I still can't seem to budge any fat. I've cut down on eating bad stuff again though I do probably eat a bit too naughtily. I also should really do some running or I'll never be able to jog the 5k Race For Life I'm supposed to do at the end of next month. Oops.

Keep up the good work everyone!


----------



## Cerberus

Damn. I've always wanted to be able to bench 300 lbs. The closest I got was 275, but I weighed 215 lbs at the time. I'd like to be able to bench that at a fairly lean weight or not at all. 

I was finally able to run again. It was glorious.


----------



## Lateralus

hiimnotcool said:


> Wow, your lifts are impressive. I mean, I think having a target weight is definitely a great thing but atleast your lifts are still increasing. It's obviously not detrimental at this point to be losing weight...but with that said..
> 
> If you want to gain then it certainly sounds like you need more calories. I'm in the same position as you. It's really hard to eat when you're not hungry. I find myself thinking of tuna, salmon or chicken and thinking 'gahh I just ate 3 hours ago do I really have to eat again??'. I've been resorting a lot to shakes lately because it tastes good and it's really fast. I just add a couple of whole eggs, peanut butter, fruit, whole milk and whey protein and that's a solid 5-600 or so calories.
> 
> You're also really active with hockey and stuff right? That right there is probably burning off a ton of your daily calorie intake! Good luck though man. I feel your pain believe me. The women in my family are annoyed with me because they're like 'Omg you try so hard to gain weight while we're struggling to lose it!'...haha, oh women, how they amuse me.


Yeah I hate having to eat. Shakes are the way to go but theyre more expensive. I do the peanut butter or fruit thing too. Adding a couple eggs seems like a good idea, I've always kind of wanted to try that but you're supposed to avoid raw eggs and they also have a lot of cholesterol. Plus it seems like it could be gross. Do you like it ok? And yeah, my mom and sister are the same way haha.


----------



## Lateralus

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> :clap that's really impressive man, I can just about bench my bodyweight. How long have you been lifting?


Thanks - a longggggg time, 7 or 8 years (but there were a few injury breaks in there). I also have a really small skeletal frame and not very big legs so that helps with the body weight ratio.


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## hiimnotcool

Lateralus said:


> Yeah I hate having to eat. Shakes are the way to go but theyre more expensive. I do the peanut butter or fruit thing too. Adding a couple eggs seems like a good idea, I've always kind of wanted to try that but you're supposed to avoid raw eggs and they also have a lot of cholesterol. Plus it seems like it could be gross. Do you like it ok? And yeah, my mom and sister are the same way haha.


The egg's aren't bad at all. It just adds a little bit of a creamy texture. I read that salmonella is only found in 1 in 30,000 eggs and that's only on the shell so if you wash it off before you crack it you're generally going to be fine.

But...you can always just throw the eggs in the microwave for 30 seconds to sort of cook them and then just add them. I did that this morning just to test it and it wasn't too bad (it did sort of smell like eggs though). Throw in some quacker quick oats and you got a pretty good calorie boost. Also, putting olive oil on your veggies is a good way to add 100-200 more calories without having to do much.


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## STKinTHEmud

^ I just use a weight gainer. My favorite gives me like 700 calories without adding anything, which is, I think a good amount of calories to get in one meal. Too many in one meal and you might end up putting on more fat than muscle.

I just started taking prozac and realized that from now on, I'll be taking prozac with my morning multivitamin. Hah!


----------



## hiimnotcool

STKinTHEmud said:


> ^ I just use a weight gainer. My favorite gives me like 700 calories without adding anything, which is, I think a good amount of calories to get in one meal. Too many in one meal and you might end up putting on more fat than muscle.
> 
> I just started taking prozac and realized that from now on, I'll be taking prozac with my morning multivitamin. Hah!


Yeah, I was using Serious Mass for a month but decided to just start making my own weight gainer. I figure it's a bit cheaper and the stuff I was using had 150g of carbs in it. I eat alot of rice and wheat bread so I think that was way too many carbs...

On that note, I weighed 166.4 today (with shoes on..but with no shirt and a pair of shorts) so I'm pretty stoked.


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## Cerberus

Damn. Both of you are making fantastic progress. Keep it up!! This thread is still my favorite on SAS. Watching people set goals and reach them is very inspiring and enjoyable.


----------



## millenniumman75

Cerberus said:


> Damn. Both of you are making fantastic progress. Keep it up!! This thread is still my favorite on SAS. Watching people set goals and reach them is very inspiring and enjoyable.


....and looking at all the SASsy bodies comes in second?! :lol


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Anyone here have any experience with shoulder injuries? I've got some irritation to the acromion of my right shoulder (think it might be tendonitis but it's not my area of expertise). Benchpress irritates it and after surfing or swimming on top of a workout it feels weak even lifting a beer off the bar, Crisis people! 

I'm icing it and taking nsaids, I'm not actually sure there is much else I can do. Maybe switch to dumbell bench (less weight) and then working my way back up?


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

Do shoulder rotations without weight. Spin one arm forward as fast as you can, and then do it backwards. Shoulder circles as well, hold your arms perpendicular and make circles. Look at some yoga poses, like the chair pose and warrior II. Then if you can, go in a side angle pose and get in a bind, that'll strengthen your shoulder good. Those will improve shoulder stability.


----------



## bsd3355

Hm, I'm thinking I'm gonna join the bandwagon on this one...

Want to start exercising more and cutting fatty foods.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Do shoulder rotations without weight. Spin one arm forward as fast as you can, and then do it backwards. Shoulder circles as well, hold your arms perpendicular and make circles. Look at some yoga poses, like the chair pose and warrior II. Then if you can, go in a side angle pose and get in a bind, that'll strengthen your shoulder good. Those will improve shoulder stability.


Thanks man


----------



## jellybelly

After a week or so very off the wagon I'm back on tomorrow!

Though I won't be going to the gym too much until the world cup's over but I have a 5k race for life event in a month and I want to at least jog it so I shall be attempting to do lots of jogging/running. 

Hope everyone's training's going good


----------



## strawberryjulius

I haven't been here much but I'm still working out.

I estimate that I can pick up more than 5kg but less than 10kg. My ultimate goal would be 20kg but I'm not sure if it's possible. :b (I want to be stronger because my (future) career will require me to handle animals and they're a lot stronger than you think, haha.)

I'm weighing just over 39 or under 40kg these days, I'm not sure if I'll ever sit comfortably at 45 but I'll see how I go.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Bump. Don't let me kill this thread. :b

I did some skipping today. Oh boy, does that tire me out. o.0


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

I've been trying to eat right and exercise for 3 weeks now.
I've tried to lose weight and get into a healthy shape since my early teen's and I'm in my late 20's now.
In the past, I'd get very motivated after eating bad for a long time, and I'd immediately restrict my calories. After a week or so of this, I'd lose 4-5 pounds and I'd feel great. Then it would slow down to 1-2 pounds, at most, and some days I'd actually gain weight and that would discourage me because I was trying to do it so quickly.
Not this time!
On June 21st, I started a new life-changing plan, where I said I'd try to lose just 1 pound a week, and I'd stagger my calorie-intake. Out of 7 days, I'd eat between 1500 and 1800 calories on 5 of them, and the other 2 I'd allow myself to eat between 2000-3000 calories. I'm also doing cardio on an exercise bike, aiming for 5-6 sessions a week, 30 minutes of intervals.
I started this weighing 191 pounds and I'm at 189 now so if I'm 188 tomorrow morning, that will be 3 pounds in 3 weeks. I've also lost an inch around my waist, which started at 42.5"(ew) and is now 41.5", so I'm looking to lose around 10 inches there. 
I weigh/measure myself every morning, after I pee but before I eat or drink anything.
I'm looking to get down to 165 with a 32 inch waist so this is likely going to take 6 months. I'm just hoping my depression doesn't sabotage me and I think having 2 built in "cheat days" every week will allow me to eat my feelings away if I need to.

I have a question though, about lifting weights, too. I think it'd be dumb to do a serious weight lifting routine if I'm cutting calories but what about just a 20 minute workout 3 days a week to at least maintain muscle? 
I do have a lot of muscle, I have an athletic body but it's covered in fat(mostly just my upper body).
I was just thinking of maybe 3 sets of 10, of the following:
Push-ups
Squats, with a barbell and weights
Shoulder presses, with dumbbells
Upright rows, with a barbell and weights
Sit-ups


----------



## Cerberus

^ Good luck, man. Do deadlifts, squats, bench press, pull ups, and dips -- you'll be good to go. You should absolutely lift weights while trying to lose weight. If you don't, you could lose muscle and it will lower your metabolism, and you could very well rebound as a result. 

------


Well, I've been at a healthy weight for a little over a year now, and I've been jogging regularly for that year as well. *pats self on back* I've kept that fat off!


----------



## strawberryjulius

^Congrats. It'll be two years for me at the end of this year.


----------



## donavan

the cheat said:


> I've been trying to eat right and exercise for 3 weeks now.
> I've tried to lose weight and get into a healthy shape since my early teen's and I'm in my late 20's now.
> In the past, I'd get very motivated after eating bad for a long time, and I'd immediately restrict my calories. After a week or so of this, I'd lose 4-5 pounds and I'd feel great. Then it would slow down to 1-2 pounds, at most, and some days I'd actually gain weight and that would discourage me because I was trying to do it so quickly.
> Not this time!
> On June 21st, I started a new life-changing plan, where I said I'd try to lose just 1 pound a week, and I'd stagger my calorie-intake. Out of 7 days, I'd eat between 1500 and 1800 calories on 5 of them, and the other 2 I'd allow myself to eat between 2000-3000 calories. I'm also doing cardio on an exercise bike, aiming for 5-6 sessions a week, 30 minutes of intervals.
> I started this weighing 191 pounds and I'm at 189 now so if I'm 188 tomorrow morning, that will be 3 pounds in 3 weeks. I've also lost an inch around my waist, which started at 42.5"(ew) and is now 41.5", so I'm looking to lose around 10 inches there.
> I weigh/measure myself every morning, after I pee but before I eat or drink anything.
> I'm looking to get down to 165 with a 32 inch waist so this is likely going to take 6 months. I'm just hoping my depression doesn't sabotage me and I think having 2 built in "cheat days" every week will allow me to eat my feelings away if I need to.
> 
> I have a question though, about lifting weights, too. I think it'd be dumb to do a serious weight lifting routine if I'm cutting calories but what about just a 20 minute workout 3 days a week to at least maintain muscle?
> I do have a lot of muscle, I have an athletic body but it's covered in fat(mostly just my upper body).
> I was just thinking of maybe 3 sets of 10, of the following:
> Push-ups
> Squats, with a barbell and weights
> Shoulder presses, with dumbbells
> Upright rows, with a barbell and weights
> Sit-ups


its certainly not dumb to doa serious weight lifting routine if you are cutting calories. infact its very wise

anyway a 20min routine 3 times a week is better than nothing but i doubt that would be enough to maintain muscle


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> ^Congrats. It'll be two years for me at the end of this year.


Congrats to you as well. I hope to make it to two years, and more importantly, I hope to stay in shape the rest of my life.

-----------

Right now the only thing keeping me sane is running. I only ever feel at peace while I'm running and for a few hours or more after. I think I'm going to try bumping it up to two running sessions a day. I can't think of a better way to cope right now.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

the cheat said:


> I've been trying to eat right and exercise for 3 weeks now.
> I've tried to lose weight and get into a healthy shape since my early teen's and I'm in my late 20's now.
> In the past, I'd get very motivated after eating bad for a long time, and I'd immediately restrict my calories. After a week or so of this, I'd lose 4-5 pounds and I'd feel great. Then it would slow down to 1-2 pounds, at most, and some days I'd actually gain weight and that would discourage me because I was trying to do it so quickly.
> Not this time!
> On June 21st, I started a new life-changing plan, where I said I'd try to lose just 1 pound a week, and I'd stagger my calorie-intake. Out of 7 days, I'd eat between 1500 and 1800 calories on 5 of them, and the other 2 I'd allow myself to eat between 2000-3000 calories. I'm also doing cardio on an exercise bike, aiming for 5-6 sessions a week, 30 minutes of intervals.
> I started this weighing 191 pounds and I'm at 189 now so if I'm 188 tomorrow morning, that will be 3 pounds in 3 weeks. I've also lost an inch around my waist, which started at 42.5"(ew) and is now 41.5", so I'm looking to lose around 10 inches there.
> I weigh/measure myself every morning, after I pee but before I eat or drink anything.
> I'm looking to get down to 165 with a 32 inch waist so this is likely going to take 6 months. I'm just hoping my depression doesn't sabotage me and I think having 2 built in "cheat days" every week will allow me to eat my feelings away if I need to.
> 
> I have a question though, about lifting weights, too. I think it'd be dumb to do a serious weight lifting routine if I'm cutting calories but what about just a 20 minute workout 3 days a week to at least maintain muscle?
> I do have a lot of muscle, I have an athletic body but it's covered in fat(mostly just my upper body).
> I was just thinking of maybe 3 sets of 10, of the following:
> Push-ups
> Squats, with a barbell and weights
> Shoulder presses, with dumbbells
> Upright rows, with a barbell and weights
> Sit-ups


Some flaws in your plan you should be aware of.

1. *Calories are too inconsistent.* This will cause your body to store fat to make up for calories you didn't take in. If you are planning on doing a lot of cardio, it's beneficial to eat. The key is the quality of your calories, if you could eat healthy most of the time, you shouldn't feel you have to give up the foods you love. Simply have it once or twice a week as a reward. It's much more sustainable than starving yourself once or twice a week, 1500-1800 is not a healthy way to lose weight. You could sit there and spit out two pounds. Weight is only one measurement, but not absolute, it's more important that you realize you feel good doing this and not hold how much you weight as absolute.

2. *Scale back your goals.* Make them slight progressive and relatively easy to achieve. When you feel even a bit of success, it inspires you to continue. Example is when you are riding on your cardio, you are pushing for 30 minutes, add an extra minute. Or if you want to run 2 miles, add an extra .1 mile. This way, you know you are making progress, pushing yourself a little bit each time. This makes a difference in the long run.

3. *Weights are key!* It's sounds counter-intuitive, but weight-lifting 3 times a week is essential to fat loss. The more muscle you have, the more calories you need, therefore the need to store less fat. Weight-lifting is required to kick-start your metabolism in over-drive. I'm not the biggest fan of weight lifting so I know it feels like a drag, but try it out. Look up starting strength for a basic, bare-bones routine.

4. *Find something you enjoy* The key is to make exercise as fun as possible. If there's a sport you always wanted to play, or a way to dance that you wanted to do, do it!! It's exercise and it's fun. Use that as your main focus and use the "cardio" and "strength training" as supplements to that training to make you better at your passion.

Well that's all I have to say. Good luck man and train hard!


----------



## millenniumman75

I just ran in 80F/26c humid weather. It really tired me out. :lol Six miles.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Something is wrong with my foot.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> Some flaws in your plan you should be aware of.
> 
> 1. *Calories are too inconsistent.* This will cause your body to store fat to make up for calories you didn't take in. If you are planning on doing a lot of cardio, it's beneficial to eat. The key is the quality of your calories, if you could eat healthy most of the time, you shouldn't feel you have to give up the foods you love. Simply have it once or twice a week as a reward. It's much more sustainable than starving yourself once or twice a week, 1500-1800 is not a healthy way to lose weight. You could sit there and spit out two pounds. Weight is only one measurement, but not absolute, it's more important that you realize you feel good doing this and not hold how much you weight as absolute.
> 
> 2. *Scale back your goals.* Make them slight progressive and relatively easy to achieve. When you feel even a bit of success, it inspires you to continue. Example is when you are riding on your cardio, you are pushing for 30 minutes, add an extra minute. Or if you want to run 2 miles, add an extra .1 mile. This way, you know you are making progress, pushing yourself a little bit each time. This makes a difference in the long run.
> 
> 3. *Weights are key!* It's sounds counter-intuitive, but weight-lifting 3 times a week is essential to fat loss. The more muscle you have, the more calories you need, therefore the need to store less fat. Weight-lifting is required to kick-start your metabolism in over-drive. I'm not the biggest fan of weight lifting so I know it feels like a drag, but try it out. Look up starting strength for a basic, bare-bones routine.
> 
> 4. *Find something you enjoy* The key is to make exercise as fun as possible. If there's a sport you always wanted to play, or a way to dance that you wanted to do, do it!! It's exercise and it's fun. Use that as your main focus and use the "cardio" and "strength training" as supplements to that training to make you better at your passion.
> 
> Well that's all I have to say. Good luck man and train hard!


Thanks. 
Every site online that I check out says I need around 2400 calories to maintain my weight so I don't think cutting down to 1800, 5 times a week, is that bad. I should say I spent almost of my time at the computer or on the couch so I'm definitely sedentary, except for when I do cardio for 30 minutes. So far, in 4 weeks, I'm down 4 pounds so I think that's good cause it allows me to cheat 1 or 2 days a week.
I think I'll stick to basic exercises like squats, push-ups, rows and look into getting a pull-up bar...and I'll do them with a higher intensity.
Thanks again.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

the cheat said:


> Thanks.
> Every site online that I check out says I need around 2400 calories to maintain my weight so I don't think cutting down to 1800, 5 times a week, is that bad. I should say I spent almost of my time at the computer or on the couch so I'm definitely sedentary, except for when I do cardio for 30 minutes. So far, in 4 weeks, I'm down 4 pounds so I think that's good cause it allows me to cheat 1 or 2 days a week.
> I think I'll stick to basic exercises like squats, push-ups, rows and look into getting a pull-up bar...and I'll do them with a higher intensity.
> Thanks again.


You are welcome.  In regards to the calories, cutting from 2400 to 1800 is reducing your calorie intake by a quarter. Adding exercise would increase the amount needed to maintain your current weight. Essentially if you run and burn 200 calories, it'll take 2600 to maintain your current weight. You are going to slow down your metabolism because in response to a deficit, it'll store some of the calories you intake as fat and you'll burn muscle, which is counterproductive to your goals.


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## coldsorehighlighter

Yeah..but I still don't think having an overall calorie deficit of 800 a day is that bad. That's just over 1.5 pounds a week, and I'm trying to lose over 30 pounds.

Edit:And that's only on 5 of the 7 days. The other 2 days I eat whatever I want. I get high and eat. But it's still good food.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

It's doesn't seem so bad, but you don't want to reduce calories to the point where you feel lethargic and have low energy levels, which would induce cravings. Sustainability is the control you should have to your goals. Other than that, after you exercise, smoke a nice fatty. It's the best feeling in the world after all that hard work you put in. It's a better reward than food, it has zero calories!


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

I eat 300 calories right when I wake up, and then every 3 hours until I go to bed. I've been using a Jedi mind-trick on my stomach every time it says I'm hungry. I just ate an hour and a half ago, so I'm not _really_ hungry, plus, if I am actually hungry, it's just an hour and a half til I eat again. Works like a charm...except on the 2 days I smoke weed. Then my stomach says "Give me food, right now, or I'm gonna make you throw up."


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

lol @ munchie description. But that's a good plan to dole calories in small doses.


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## strawberryjulius

Yay! Foot is no longer being a butthead.


----------



## Cerberus

strawberryjulius said:


> Yay! Foot is no longer being a butthead.


That's good to hear. I know all about how annoying a foot injury can be.


----------



## AussiePea

Right so I have been out of action for 2 weeks cus I damaged my back but I am ready to rock and roll again. Thought i would post a pic for comparison later on. Not really wanting to build too much muscle, mainly just get some definition etc.

Anyway, before:



Let the gym fun begin!

**** I need a haircut.


----------



## Cerberus

welcome aboard, ospi


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## GojiraMadness

Here's my progress after 2.5 months of working out. I went from 205 to 172 with a strict diet and working out 6 days a week. My new goal is to add about 10 pounds of muscle.


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Yes I have a very bad farmers tan


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## hiimnotcool

you look great dude! your arms and chest are progressing insanely quick


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## CandySays

GojiraMadness said:


> Here's my progress after 2.5 months of working out. I went from 205 to 172 with a strict diet and working out 6 days a week. My new goal is to add about 10 pounds of muscle.
> 
> 
> __
> Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
> Show Content
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes I have a very bad farmers tan


Ooooh, wow. Incredible progress! Keep it up.


----------



## matty

GojiraMadness said:


> Here's my progress after 2.5 months of working out. I went from 205 to 172 with a strict diet and working out 6 days a week. My new goal is to add about 10 pounds of muscle.
> 
> Yes I have a very bad farmers tan


Wow dude, very impressive. Makes me want to start going to the gym.


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## Prodigal Son

Great progress GojiraMadness! Very nice cut, keep it up.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

^ You can do a lot of stuff at home to start off, and as you get more proficient you'll gain the confidence to go to the gym.

Running is really good but don't overdo it. 2-3 times a week I'd say, swimming is good too.

Basic calisthenics like pushups on your knees, squats (with no weight) google box squats, sit ups, burpees, jumping jacks, pullups etc.

Weights are the bomb for getting toned and fit, especially for ladies. 

Diet is probably the most important factor for getting fit, lots of protein, good carbs, drink water all day and you will notice your fitness level increase almost immeditately.


Good luck dude!


----------



## strawberryjulius

I miss my almost 4-pack but I love you, sugar, I love youuuuu. Okay, I'm an addict! Sue me.

Ha, I tried to do a pull-up the other day and it was just not happening. 

@Stilla: You can buy dumbbells pretty cheaply (at least here you can) if you want to weight train. Coming from another uterus-owner it's probably the best thing I've done for my body aesthetics-wise. It also feels good to be stronger.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

I started p90x tonight. Felt nautious at the "lawnmower" part of round two.

I made it though. WOO!


----------



## socialreject

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> I started p90x tonight. Felt nautious at the "lawnmower" part of round two.
> 
> I made it though. WOO!


Your a traitor, I thought I had inspired you to join Vince DelMonte


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

That fruit peddling business man,

You must be joking:b


----------



## Cerberus

thread revival! 

How's all y'all's progress coming along?


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## strawberryjulius

I'm also reviving. REVIVE. Hello? No one's there? That's a shame.


----------



## LatchKeyKid

GojiraMadness said:


> Here's my progress after 2.5 months of working out. I went from 205 to 172 with a strict diet and working out 6 days a week. My new goal is to add about 10 pounds of muscle.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes I have a very bad farmers tan


Holy ****! You are officially my hero. Flaunt that ****, bro. You deserve it.

This thread is awesome! I think it's time for my own total transformation. When I work up the courage, I'll be posting a pic of my flabby torso. :blush


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## Lateralus

Well I would update but I'm not undergoing any transformations. Just working on definition. Interestingly, strength is up in almost all exercises but I've not gained weight.


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## millenniumman75

I am up to 30mg so the Paxil fat will increase :afr for me. So far, after 2-3 weeks, it hasn't been bad. I am considering going back down to 20.


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## millenniumman75

millenniumman75 said:


> I am up to 30mg so the Paxil fat will increase :afr for me. So far, after 2-3 weeks, it hasn't been bad. I am considering going back down to 20.


Update: I am back down to 20mg.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

My weight hasn't really moved much over the summer, I think I've plateaued. I'm a little stronger and a little bit fitter though.

My overhead press has gone up the most, but little niggling injuries have been fairly prevalent these last few weeks and I haven't really been able to push it much.


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## melissa75

I don't want to start a new thread...so, I'm bumping this one as I thought it was inspiring. Anyone looking at 2011 with some new goals to get into shape/eat healthier? If so, what are you doing?


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## millenniumman75

I might eat a bit healthier - more salads. Other than that, I am in maintenance mode - 30mg of Paxil and watching how much I eat. I exercise three times a week due to the cold weather I have had here.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

I'm getting lazy and fat. I been only working out 2-3 times a week for the past 2 months. But I want to do it efficiently because for a while, I had it perfectly balanced, just 1 activity, once a day 5 times a week, which is pretty healthy without becoming totally obsessed with exercise like I once was. Need to throw myself here because I have to admit I been totally slacking.


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## Cerberus

Yeah, I'm getting lazy and fat as well. I've been eating a lot of junk food and haven't been bothering with eating healthy. I haven't gone running in a week. My strength declined rapidly due to a back injury that gave me a pinched nerve. I'm weak, lazy, and feeling old. ugh.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I think I might have to accept that I'm never going to look how I want to look. No matter how much exercise I do or how carefully I eat. So maybe I'll focus on fitness instead.


----------



## heroin

I just lost 10 kilos due to illness a couple months ago, and I wasn't bulky to begin with. Need to get back to good health.


----------



## Cheesecake

I exercise about 3 times a week. Thing is ... it's been a while since I've done. It's more like 1 or 2 times a week.

Since September I have lost about 6-7 pounds. Hopefully I can lose a bit more. Enough that I'm not considered overweight anymore.


----------



## jellybelly

As soon as I'm well again I am going back to the gym and back to healthyish eating habits. It's been a while and I've put on a lot of weight over Christmas.

Good luck to anyone just starting out on total transformations!


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## hiimnotcool

I haven't worked out at all really since July. That is about to change because I just bought a bench press with 205 pounds of weight and some Powerblock dumbbells. I need to get in shape for this coming Summer. I figure 6 months is quite a long time to gain 15-20 lbs and get ripped.


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## Omnium11

Wow can't believe this thread is still going haha. Anyways I've been up and down since I posted this. Faced a lot of fears. Got my first girlfriend, got therapy and group therapy. Went through a huge depression was very suicidal, got fat, then lost the weight again. Right now I'm at a toned 175 pounds. Looking pretty good. 

Therapy for me was great. I really opened up and had a huge emotional release.

As far as meditation and spiritualism I'm over all that now. Had an episode of psychosis while meditating. Think its dangerous now. Still think its great to face your fears as taught in Eckhart Tolle's book though. That works great. I avoid much of the rest of it now though

I've been going 4 months now with this new transformation. Doing good. In school now and making progress with my life. Broke up with girlfriend, now looking for new one. At least now I can approach girls and make small talk. Hard to be stuck with them where I have to make conversation for more than a couple minutes. I'm on a dating site but not having any luck. Most girls are completely avoiding me lol. I think I'm a little to open describing myself and my problems such as shyness. Girls aren't attracted to that apparently. Been going to social anxiety meet up groups and these free mental health classes where you do yoga and stuff like that, helping a lot. So making some progress. Wish I didn't have such huge emotional swings. Just destroys months of progress. Been diagnosed as bipolar now. Dunno if that's really what I have though.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

Good to hear from you! I'm glad you are doing well and you are sticking with the program!


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## linkII

I usually go for a bike ride every day and lately been doing some swimming. To the swimmers out there, I do around 20 laps in a residential pool and I'm already done from heavy puffing. What length is an average residential pool anyway?


----------



## Omnium11

Hey bright, good to see you again, good to see everyone, missed this place


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## bipolarbear

Omnium11 said:


> Wow can't believe this thread is still going haha. Anyways I've been up and down since I posted this. Faced a lot of fears. Got my first girlfriend, got therapy and group therapy. Went through a huge depression was very suicidal, got fat, then lost the weight again. Right now I'm at a toned 175 pounds. Looking pretty good.
> 
> Therapy for me was great. I really opened up and had a huge emotional release.
> 
> As far as meditation and spiritualism I'm over all that now. Had an episode of psychosis while meditating. Think its dangerous now. Still think its great to face your fears as taught in Eckhart Tolle's book though. That works great. I avoid much of the rest of it now though
> 
> I've been going 4 months now with this new transformation. Doing good. In school now and making progress with my life. Broke up with girlfriend, now looking for new one. At least now I can approach girls and make small talk. Hard to be stuck with them where I have to make conversation for more than a couple minutes. I'm on a dating site but not having any luck. Most girls are completely avoiding me lol. I think I'm a little to open describing myself and my problems such as shyness. Girls aren't attracted to that apparently. Been going to social anxiety meet up groups and these free mental health classes where you do yoga and stuff like that, helping a lot. So making some progress. Wish I didn't have such huge emotional swings. Just destroys months of progress. Been diagnosed as bipolar now. Dunno if that's really what I have though.


Hi there, haven't read this whole thread but you mentioned psychosis while doing meditation? I've been interested in trying to meditate more but I was also worried about psychosis especially since you're really in touch with yourself then.. for people with psychological problems it might bring up some really painful/weird stuff!

Is the psychosis what led you to being diagnosed bipolar? And can you say a bit more about what happened during that meditation? thanks! and good luck in your new program, hope it works


----------



## Omnium11

bipolarbear said:


> Hi there, haven't read this whole thread but you mentioned psychosis while doing meditation? I've been interested in trying to meditate more but I was also worried about psychosis especially since you're really in touch with yourself then.. for people with psychological problems it might bring up some really painful/weird stuff!
> 
> Is the psychosis what led you to being diagnosed bipolar? And can you say a bit more about what happened during that meditation? thanks! and good luck in your new program, hope it works


Hi bipolarbear

I had a very good experience with meditation and a very bad one.

A lot of people can go through life meditating and won't experience and psychotic episodes. After I had my episode though I did a lot of research and found psychotic breaks are far more common than you would think. In fact loads of meditation centers actually warn you that it is a risk, especially if you have a history of mental illness. Kind of dangerous because most people who meditate have issues and mental problems that they are trying to resolve, people who go into meditation practice usually aren't the poster boy for mental health. Neither was I. I have had hallucinogenic drug induced trauma, depersonalization, a psychotic break when I was doing meth *that one was quite fun though and very interesting* Of course I also have social anxiety and depression.

Here's a good article that you should definitely check out, describes some people's psychotic breaks.
http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/MaryGarden.html

I used to be obsessed with meditation. Would do it sometimes 8 hours a day. I would also listen to Adjashanti's audiobooks. He's considered the elite spritual guru amongst a lot of people so I assumed he was the best and really got swept up with his teachings about enlightenment. He uses a lot of "What am I? "What is really true?" "You are not your mind" sort of stuff etc. Anyways after spending so much time meditating all his little hints and clues that are supposed to help you reach enlightenment just sort of got conditioned into my mind. Everytime I'd be in a difficult situation I would immediately go to one of his teachings in an attempt to get out of it or reduce my anxiety. I became very dependent on it and far too obsessed. I started having dreams about enlightenment and such.

Anyways one day I was practicing my meditation and listening to one of his audiobooks while meditating. I was playing around with some of his clues / questions that are supposed to help you when all the sudden one of them clicked. I 'realized' that my mind was not really me and that I shouldn't believe my thoughts because they aren't really true. I all the sudden felt very excited and felt very good like I had just stumbled upon something great. The emotional impact of making this false realization gave it great power in my mind and it sort of became my new reality. I noticed all of these thoughts going through me head and all of them were immediately dismissed because I 'knew' (believed) that they weren't really true. I had a very powerful feeling like I had unlocked a great secret that would fix all my problems. This is really hard to describe what was going on in my mind but I'm trying to give it my best shot.

Anyways my reality started becoming pretty distorted at this point. My mind just started racing like crazy. Then all the sudden I started seeing conflicts and errors to my new belief system. I went from a very high and confident and excited state to shear panic. Each time I would make a thought that would try and get me out and try to calm me down would immediately be dismissed as false because I was under the assumption that I shouldn't believe my mind. So there was no way out. It was a lot like a bad trip on hallucinogenic drugs, very similar in fact to the general structure of the bad trips I used to get. It was pretty incredible how you can get completely stuck in your mind like that. Nothing you can think of can help you because it will immediately be dismissed. Your mind will keep trying to solve the problem though and it will become more and more frantic. At this point the atmosphere in my room became very dark and foreboding. My perceptions were also quite distorted. There was a broom or something with a blanket and a hat on it in the corner of my room. (Very similar thing happened during my meth induced psychosis) I was under the impression that it was a person or a demon or something, it kept turning its head very slowly and looked at me. I was very scared. I thought I had broken my mind and there was no hope in coming back. Seemed like I was hopelessly stuck. After a couple hours my mind seemed to slowly piece itself back together. Most of the panic was gone so I turned on the TV to try to distract myself and South Park was on. It seemed like Cartman and the rest of the kids were talking directly to me. Most everything they said was very cruel and stabbed me right where I was vulnerable. I took large amount of ambien and slept it off. Woke up feeling shaky and stayed that way for a week or so.

If you have a bad meditation session you can become incredibly frustrated and tense. This tension can last for days, bad for relationships with friends and family. A lot of the spiritual stuff makes you very passive and weak, quite the opposite of how someone with social anxiety should be. I think social anxiety is caused by assertiveness and dominance issues, courage and pushing your boundaries are what work best for SA imho, builds confidence. Also I can't help but notice on spiritual / buddhism forums the amount of people who suffer mild depersonalization episodes from meditation. Seems like they are getting fooled into believing that they are 'close to enlightenment'

Eckhart Tolle has some absolutely brilliant psychology I think though. The chapter about the "pain body" in his book power of now works great for panic attacks. Incredibly transformative. Also has very little to do with weird intellectual concepts. Its all about emotions and there is no thought involved.

"Stripping The Gurus" Is an excellent book that you can read online for free. It pretty much exposes all the 'great spiritual leaders' as crooks, narcissists, pedophiles and sexual predators. Highly recommended. If the gurus are really enlightened then I definitely don't want anything to do with enlightenment. The only ones who don't have any dirt or scandals on them are Eckhart Tolle and Adjashanti.

I still sometimes do things to try and manipulate my mind. Just sit back and relax with a bit of some meditation concept in there, no focusing on breath or your senses or anything like that, just relaxation. But as far as Buddhism and spirituality goes I'm pretty much done with it.


----------



## alte

Wow very impressive that this thread has been running for about a year and a half now. I am going to start as well, with the goal of increasing mostly upper body strength. Did about 95 pushups yesterday.



linkII said:


> I usually go for a bike ride every day and lately been doing some swimming. To the swimmers out there, I do around 20 laps in a residential pool and I'm already done from heavy puffing. What length is an average residential pool anyway?


30 feet.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_typical_dimensions_of_a_residential_swimming_pool


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## bipolarbear

Omnium11 said:


> Hi bipolarbear
> 
> I had a very good experience with meditation and a very bad one.
> 
> I still sometimes do things to try and manipulate my mind. Just sit back and relax with a bit of some meditation concept in there, no focusing on breath or your senses or anything like that, just relaxation. But as far as Buddhism and spirituality goes I'm pretty much done with it.


Thanks Ominum for taking the time to write that up. I find that incredibly fascinating... that you were able to enter into a state of psychosis that was triggered by your realization of 'enlightenment' or something close to it.

Actually the way you described it mimics my manic episodes, how at first you feel incredibly freed from pain or association with your mind, and then it degenerates into fear and paranoia.. which is probably the backlash of your mind rebelling against losing its power. It seems like you just went through a very accelerated version, induced only by meditation and your own thoughts.

Reminds me of a quote I heard recently misquoted and which applies to many of us on this forum... "The mind is a terrible thing.." :um

Anyways, I was curious about meditation as a way to relieve emotional pain but will definitely be more cautious about it now.. given my history, I think my mind is easier to 'break' into that state now that I've already been there a couple times. I was listening to parts of Tolle's book on audio lately (he has a great accent too, and soothing voice haha) and I did especially like what he said about the pain-body.


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## Omnium11

bipolarbear said:


> Thanks Ominum for taking the time to write that up. I find that incredibly fascinating... that you were able to enter into a state of psychosis that was triggered by your realization of 'enlightenment' or something close to it.
> 
> Actually the way you described it mimics my manic episodes, how at first you feel incredibly freed from pain or association with your mind, and then it degenerates into fear and paranoia.. which is probably the backlash of your mind rebelling against losing its power. It seems like you just went through a very accelerated version, induced only by meditation and your own thoughts.
> 
> Reminds me of a quote I heard recently misquoted and which applies to many of us on this forum... "The mind is a terrible thing.." :um
> 
> Anyways, I was curious about meditation as a way to relieve emotional pain but will definitely be more cautious about it now.. given my history, I think my mind is easier to 'break' into that state now that I've already been there a couple times. I was listening to parts of Tolle's book on audio lately (he has a great accent too, and soothing voice haha) and I did especially like what he said about the pain-body.


Can't stand my mind it almost seems like its flawed or theres something wrong with it. Used to love listening to Power of Now audiobook, he does have a soothing voice :-D


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## Adam Harris

way to go man keep at it


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## alte

I have been doing 100 regular pushups alternate days. Need to add variety. Which non-gym requiring exercises target muscle groups not already targeted by pushups i.e. triceps, pectorals, secondary benefits to deltoids, abdominal muscles?

I am thinking of getting a hand grip to work forearm muscles, otherwise don't know what else to do. Don't have access to a bar for pull-ups/chin-ups.


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## MindOverMood

No new pics of sbj? Bah..:b


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## ready

Def should invest in a pullup bar, will solve your forearm and back muscle probs. Can't neglect this. Try some variations of pushups too, narrow vs wide, divebombers, decline, the explosive/clap pushups. Look them up online if you don't know how. Diff pullups/diff pushups should be pretty solid for upper body. If you get reaaly strong, you can start trying an upside down shoulder press.

I'd suggest adding in bodyweight squats (most important, if have to pick 1 exercise for lower body, pick this), lunges, and toe rasies for lower body/core, just for overall fitness. Ab/core workout wise, I've found p90x Ab Ripper X to be most efficient time-wise.



alte said:


> I have been doing 100 regular pushups alternate days. Need to add variety. Which non-gym requiring exercises target muscle groups not already targeted by pushups i.e. triceps, pectorals, secondary benefits to deltoids, abdominal muscles?
> 
> I am thinking of getting a hand grip to work forearm muscles, otherwise don't know what else to do. Don't have access to a bar for pull-ups/chin-ups.


----------



## alte

^Ok, thanks. That is very helpful. I will look into the variations of pushups. I know pullups are important but for the time being I am going to have to do without them due to lack of access to equipment. The p90x Ab Ripper X looks really challenging going by a youtube video. But I guess this means it will produce faster results. So sounds good. Now to come up with a more definite plan.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

alte said:


> I have been doing 100 regular pushups alternate days. Need to add variety. Which non-gym requiring exercises target muscle groups not already targeted by pushups i.e. triceps, pectorals, secondary benefits to deltoids, abdominal muscles?
> 
> I am thinking of getting a hand grip to work forearm muscles, otherwise don't know what else to do. Don't have access to a bar for pull-ups/chin-ups.


In the push-up itself when you do a push-up, on the up-swing of the movement, push yourself off the ground, back down and up. It's pretty intense. There's also a super-push up that you use both arms and legs to push yourself off the ground. There's a reverse burpee where you squat, lunge forward into a push-up, push out and jump back up. That's one.

For triceps, there's ground dips, dipping yourself from the ground. It's like a dip position lying backwards. For deltoids, if you can muster it, do a handstand against a wall and do push-ups from that position.

Beast-crawl for practically your entire body. Quadrupedal movement is killer.

Look at parkour workouts for good bodyweight exercises. All you really need is your body.


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## Omnium11

I'd definitely get a pullup bar too. You can get one of the ones that mount into a door frame and they are pretty cheap. Pullups / chinups are my favorite exercise. Also I started curling my legs out and in during my chinups and it gets my abs much better than any other exercise I've ever done. I have very weak abs too so it probably should be easy for everyone. When I'm down and just hanging from the bar I stick my legs behind me and then when I pull up I curl my knees and raise them. I don't even raise them very high but they still make my abs really hurt in the morning.

I'm pretty much doing only 3 exercises right now. Just squats, benchpress and pull/chin ups. Seems to be keeping everything aesthetically pleasing and with good ratios. I look better now than I did with oversized arms in comparison to chest when I used to do bicep curls.


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## WTFnooooo

^ Those bars are not to be confused with something at a park or a gym. Doing what you want to do is asking for trouble.


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## Omnium11

WTFnooooo said:


> ^ Those bars are not to be confused with something at a park or a gym. Doing what you want to do is asking for trouble.


Apparently they are pretty sturdy. I don't see how it would be much if any worse than a regular pullup on one of those door mounted bars. Your legs just go up in a slow fluid motion at the same rate as your arms. I'm not any good with physics but I think the stress should be similar if not the same.


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## WTFnooooo

As you get close to failure you will try to swing your legs to get the knees to the top, this can unlock the bars from the molding. Also, when your legs come down it dramatically increases the downward force the molding is receiving and it can pop it off.
Make sure it fits on your molding, make sure it's strong and test it before. Me personally I would not risk it.


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## Omnium11

Gotcha, better safe than sorry.


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## alte

alte said:


> I am thinking of getting a hand grip to work forearm muscles


Ok, that took a while but I finally got some hand grips. Going to start again today. Pushups + handgrips + try rockclimbing.

I really need to see results by mid June.


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## alte

I have been continuing my little regimen of pushups and handgrips. While I have gained weight and people have begun to notice and have given compliments, I still don't feel my strength has increased substantially. I still can't do more than 25 proper form pushups, which is how many I could do 6 months ago. Somewhat disappointing.


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## WTFnooooo

alte said:


> I have been continuing my little regimen of pushups and handgrips. While I have gained weight and people have begun to notice and have given compliments, I still don't feel my strength has increased substantially. I still can't do more than 25 proper form pushups, which is how many I could do 6 months ago. Somewhat disappointing.


If you do the same exercises every time you workout you are wasting your time. You need to gradually increase weight and intensity.


----------



## alte

WTFnooooo said:


> If you do the same exercises every time you workout you are wasting your time. You need to gradually increase weight and intensity.


I am doing pushups to increase my endurance when giving chest compressions during resuscitation (same muscles involved both cases) and using hand grips to strengthen forearm stabilizer muscles to reduce hand tremor. I agree, as you said, it is not the ideal workout because it is very limited but it is specific to my needs.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

alte said:


> I am doing pushups to increase my endurance when giving chest compressions during resuscitation (same muscles involved both cases) and using hand grips to strengthen forearm stabilizer muscles to reduce hand tremor. I agree, as you said, it is not the ideal workout because it is very limited but it is specific to my needs.


If you do the same thing, your body adapts to the stresses. You need to cause muscle confusion to grow. You should be changing your routine after about 12 weeks or have a pool of exercises to select from.

For example with push-ups, you can do a super push-up which is a push-up but you are launching yourself off the ground or pinch plates for grip. Don't limit yourself.


----------



## paulyD

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> If you do the same thing, your body adapts to the stresses. You need to cause muscle confusion to grow. You should be changing your routine after about 12 weeks or have a pool of exercises to select from.
> 
> For example with push-ups, you can do a super push-up which is a push-up but you are launching yourself off the ground or pinch plates for grip. Don't limit yourself.


thats a myth. all you need to do is stick to progressive overload. you could use the exact same exercises for your whole life if you wanted to


----------



## Rixy

I had a thread for my exercises but I think I'll join this one instead to see everyone else's progress. I've been doing some normal workout routine and it's going good. I'd like to start to try and gain a bit of muscle. I don't expect to be RIPPED of course, but hey I wouldn't mind being a little buff. What kind of free weights would you guys recommend? I can't really go for anything that big due to limited space by the way. 

What would you guys recommend for diet too? I don't eat junk food, asides from pizza sometimes, and I don't drink or smoke either. The only time I'm not drinking water I'm drinking either fruit juice or milk and I try to have at least 4 pieces of fruit a day so I feel my diet is OK. But if my goal is to gain a bit of muscle I'm willing to alter my diet. I'm taking this slowly and keeping realistic expectations, as I'd rather gradually get into the habit of keeping up a healthy lifestyle rather than radically changing it.


----------



## paulyD

Rixy said:


> I had a thread for my exercises but I think I'll join this one instead to see everyone else's progress. I've been doing some normal workout routine and it's going good. I'd like to start to try and gain a bit of muscle. I don't expect to be RIPPED of course, but hey I wouldn't mind being a little buff. What kind of free weights would you guys recommend? I can't really go for anything that big due to limited space by the way.
> 
> What would you guys recommend for diet too? I don't eat junk food, asides from pizza sometimes, and I don't drink or smoke either. The only time I'm not drinking water I'm drinking either fruit juice or milk and I try to have at least 4 pieces of fruit a day so I feel my diet is OK. But if my goal is to gain a bit of muscle I'm willing to alter my diet. I'm taking this slowly and keeping realistic expectations, as I'd rather gradually get into the habit of keeping up a healthy lifestyle rather than radically changing it.


you can do dumbell squats, dumbell lunges, dumbell or barbell stiff leg deadlifts, dumbell one lef calf raises or dumbell 2 leg calf raises

for the upper body you can do bench press and incline press with either barbell or dumbells , flys, seated press , lateral raises , lying tricep extensions, one arm bent over dumbel rows, bent over barbell row, bicep curls

for your diet just try and get lots of wholegrains like potatoe, brown rice, wholegrain bread, oatmeal etc.... and also lots of vegtables. and then try and get a quality source of protein with each meal like chicken, eggs, fish , protein powders etc.....

and use udo's oil dailly plus a multivitamin and fidh oil supplement


----------



## Rixy

paulyD said:


> you can do dumbell squats, dumbell lunges, dumbell or barbell stiff leg deadlifts, dumbell one lef calf raises or dumbell 2 leg calf raises
> 
> for the upper body you can do bench press and incline press with either barbell or dumbells , flys, seated press , lateral raises , lying tricep extensions, one arm bent over dumbel rows, bent over barbell row, bicep curls
> 
> for your diet just try and get lots of wholegrains like potatoe, brown rice, wholegrain bread, oatmeal etc.... and also lots of vegtables. and then try and get a quality source of protein with each meal like chicken, eggs, fish , protein powders etc.....
> 
> and use udo's oil dailly plus a multivitamin and fidh oil supplement


Cheers, man. Although there's just no way I'm getting a barbell into the house, there's just no space. I'll have to just stick to dumbells for now. There's also the problem with my mum. My sister went through an excessive workout phase and was borderline anoerexic. She seems a bit concerned when I bring up the topic of me exercising. Although, I'll be paying for the dumbells anyway so...hopefully she won't have much of a problem :b


----------



## paulyD

Rixy said:


> Cheers, man. Although there's just no way I'm getting a barbell into the house, there's just no space. I'll have to just stick to dumbells for now. There's also the problem with my mum. My sister went through an excessive workout phase and was borderline anoerexic. She seems a bit concerned when I bring up the topic of me exercising. Although, I'll be paying for the dumbells anyway so...hopefully she won't have much of a problem :b


you can do a lot with dumbells especially if you are new to training with weights


----------



## alte

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> If you do the same thing, your body adapts to the stresses. You need to cause muscle confusion to grow. You should be changing your routine after about 12 weeks or have a pool of exercises to select from.
> 
> For example with push-ups, you can do a super push-up which is a push-up but you are launching yourself off the ground or pinch plates for grip. Don't limit yourself.


I still get spent doing regular pushups, I will look into variations once I reach the point when regular pushups become easy. Thanks for the idea of the super pushups. Right now I am not strong enough to catch myself on the way down and would probably fall on my face.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

paulyD said:


> thats a myth. all you need to do is stick to progressive overload. you could use the exact same exercises for your whole life if you wanted to


If you look at it from a solely bodybuilding perspective, yeah you can do the same thing. But if you want to push your body to the limit and see what the human body is capable of, you have to switch up. I'm not talking solely with weight-lifting, but in general. If you are doing sports, that's not enough. If this was true and you can do the same thing and then do something different without practice, everyone would be elite athletes.

In fact, I have a challenge for you to prove this very point. Bend down like you are putting your hands on the floor, palms flat. Push your knees against your armpits. Now lift your feet off the ground and balance your bodyweight on your arms using your abs.

If you can do this on ONE try and hold it for 30 seconds, I'll gladly say you won.


----------



## Brightpaperwarewolf

alte said:


> I still get spent doing regular pushups, I will look into variations once I reach the point when regular pushups become easy. Thanks for the idea of the super pushups. Right now I am not strong enough to catch myself on the way down and would probably fall on my face.


You are welcome. There is a progression where you just push your upper body and leave your feet on the ground.

Most of all, don't be afraid to fail.  Even if you can just do 1 or 2, it's better than zero. Know what I mean? Bit by bit.


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## paulyD

Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> If you look at it from a solely bodybuilding perspective, yeah you can do the same thing. But if you want to push your body to the limit and see what the human body is capable of, you have to switch up. I'm not talking solely with weight-lifting, but in general. If you are doing sports, that's not enough. If this was true and you can do the same thing and then do something different without practice, everyone would be elite athletes.
> 
> In fact, I have a challenge for you to prove this very point. Bend down like you are putting your hands on the floor, palms flat. Push your knees against your armpits. Now lift your feet off the ground and balance your bodyweight on your arms using your abs.
> 
> If you can do this on ONE try and hold it for 30 seconds, I'll gladly say you won.


if you want to continue making progress you DONT have to switch up. if you want to reach an entirely different goal i.e if youve been training for losing fat or building muscle or gaining strengh etc... but now your goal is to train for explosive power then yer you DO have to switch up. cos there are different exercises designed for that goal

but that wasnt the origional point you were making. you implied that if you dont switch up you wont continue to make progress. which is NOT true


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## Brightpaperwarewolf

paulyD said:


> if you want to continue making progress you DONT have to switch up. if you want to reach an entirely different goal i.e if youve been training for losing fat or building muscle or gaining strengh etc... but now your goal is to train for explosive power then yer you DO have to switch up. cos there are different exercises designed for that goal
> 
> but that wasnt the origional point you were making. you implied that if you dont switch up you wont continue to make progress. which is NOT true


Yes, those are components of fitness you have to work on and I'm giving you that involves strength and balance components to be able to support your body weight on your arms. If you what you say is true, you should be able to do this with ease and that any progress you made lifting is automatically transferable.

It depends on how you define progress. If your goal is to be a big statue, you are doing a good job.


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## Rixy

Had my first weight training today with dumbells. Went pretty fun, although I only did two sets for each body part. I'm aiming to be able to comfortably do three. That should keep me occupied for a while at least. Success of the day - I can do 5 or 6 comfortable pushups. Hey, that's a success. Two weeks ago I could barely do three without my arms shaking :b I feel some shape coming into my biceps and triceps too which is good. I guess my next goal is to comfortably do ten. I also noticed that my mum isn't really bothered by me weightlifting, so I guess it was all in my head. She even showed me some rice that's good for bodybuilding in the kitchen.

Any of you got good tips for losing belly fat? I'm not too fussed on having a six pack; I'm more interested on working on my shoulders, pecs and arms. Still though, I feel I could lose some weight down there.


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## WTFnooooo

Cardio gets rid of the fat, running, treadmill, bike, stationary bike, anything that keeps your heart beating faster than usual for a long time.

Eat well before and after lifting.

Increase weight with every time you lift, never decrease and never keep the same weight amount for more than 3 workouts consecutively.

If you go to *Bodybuilding.com* you will find tons of useful info on anything you need for this, read some articles from time to time, you'll be amazed how much you'll learn in just a few months.


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## Rixy

OK so are pushups really that necessary? The reason I'm asking is because I have severe joint pain in my wrist from playing music for so many years. It's OK, but I just can't strain it or else it'll flare up and I can barely twist it around. I know it's a good compound exercise but I already do two sets of dumbell flys and dumbell presses for my chest, and I'm willing to throw in another one to make up for the lack of pushups. I don't really have that much trouble with my current workout, but when I attempt pushups I get all this pain and I feel like a weakling. :b

I'm still working on the diet side of things. I'm putting in rice, porridge and starting to eat eggs again. I'm going to ALL cook my own meals now ('bout time I guess :b)

In terms of improvements I haven't seen much in a physical sense, except for a bit of pop in my biceps and forearms. We'll see what happens in a few months I guess :b


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## WTFnooooo

Rixy
Avoid doing pushups with your palms touching the floor, that puts too much stress on your wrists. You can buy something specific for holding on or do them holding on to dumbbells or fold a towel and do them on your fists.


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## Rixy

Thanks, man. Working out is really fun. The other day I felt really depressed, but after my workout I felt great. This is definately something I want to keep up. 

Does anybody have any ideas for good cardio? I walked about 5 miles a day going back and fourth to school. I was always pretty tired and sweating. I did the same thing today because I'm not working out. Same result, tired and sweating. I'm not sure if this is good cardio though. My SA isn't going to let me run or jump rope outside, there's just no way around that. There's also no space in the house to do proper HIIT or other exercises. I'm kind of stuck here. There is an old exercise bike in my house, although I've heard they're overrated. 

Also, does anybody have any free beginner guides to bodybuilding nutrition?


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## alte

Walking is good for the heart, particularly if are able to walk 5 miles every day or most days. For running, try it towards the evening/night when there are less people about. This should be more comfortable. Exercise bike's also good for cardio. It is not hard on your knees. What have you heard about it that makes it overrated?


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## jimbo00

exercise bike is great for HIIT. Espeacily if you can change the intensity on it.


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## alte

alte said:


> Ok, that took a while but I finally got some hand grips. Going to start again today. Pushups + handgrips + try rockclimbing.
> 
> I really need to see results by mid June.


I have been keeping up with the workout everyday. My weight has increased to 147ish lbs from mid 130s. BMI is about 21. I now finally feel comfortable wearing half sleeve shirts and shorts, which is great since summer is here


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## Rixy

alte said:


> I have been keeping up with the workout everyday. My weight has increased to 147ish lbs from mid 130s. BMI is about 21. I now finally feel comfortable wearing half sleeve shirts and shorts, which is great since summer is here


That's an awesome improvement.

I'm starting a recommended weightlifting workout because mine was awful. Targetting too much muscles + lack of compound exercises. I'm going to go on the exercise bike when I finish exams. I was afraid that when I started weightlifting I wouldn't keep it up. But now that I've stopped due to exams...I hate_ not_ lifting and want to get back into it as quick as possible. I think I've found me a new hobby :b

Even with my old crappy workout, my biceps, forearms and triceps were popping a little, even without proper nutrition. Starting next month I'm hoping to properly adopt the strict 5-6 meal routine with cardio and weightlifting. Now I've got to start writing a meal plan.

I'll let you guys know what the results are by the end of the summer 

P.S: I've heard exercise bikes don't workout well because you're just sat still or something? Now that I've done my research, it seems suitable if it gets your heart rate up, so I'll stick to that.


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## cmed

irishK said:


> I've stabilized my weight at 115 lbs with a bmi of 17.9, added muscle- I can see my abs (*I've hit pathetic mode and will lift my shirt in the morning to check if they are still there lol*). I'm just proud of how putting in hard work can pay off and actually seeing results. The thing I hate is how abs seem to disappear if I eat too many carbs even though I'm still working out. I guess it just proves that abs are like 80 % diet or something.


Abs have always been trouble to maintain for me, even in spite of eating well. I have to spend several weeks dieting hardcore and working out 4-5 days per week to get the desired definition. Even then, they fade after a week or two then I have to start all over again.

And the bold part... I do the same  Same with the scale as well, heh.


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## Classified

irishK said:


> ^
> 
> It's an obsessive thing I guess. If I feel like my body is actually okay, I'm like "Abs- hold that thought-Don't freaking move. I'm taking you to the beach today!" Then a few days later I feel like my physique isn't as defined and we're back to "oh ****". A bipolar body. What can I say.


I am the same way. I have been trying this year to see some abs, but it's just my legs and arms that are improving more than my abs.


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## nickcorona

Uhm, no offence.. But what does this at all have to do with social anxiety?


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## WTFnooooo

nickcorona said:


> Uhm, no offence.. But what does this at all have to do with social anxiety?


You mean, it should be on another part of the forum? I think you have a good point then.


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