Pantlegz's Workout Journal

[Pantlegz]

getting back into this again, but going to try this based on others suggestions to keep myself going and to clearly define my goals.

Currently I'm a poor college student, unemployed so going to the gym is out of the question at the moment so for starters I'm doing all body weight exercises and running. I'm going to attempt to do any crossfit WOD's I can, of course only the body weight ones.

Goals for the end of the year(2010):
Get down to 210lbs
Bench 225x5x5
Squat 315x5x5

Goals for 2011:
Maintain 215-220
Bench: 315x5
Squat: 495x5
Dead Lift: 575x5 - I'm going to say my back is going to be the limiting factor here.

Goals for 2012:
Bench press 1x405
Squat 1x600(may have to do 585 depending on bar length)
Get my blue belt
6 pack without flexing @ no less than 220

Goals for 2013
mid year goal update, since I apparently forgot.
Bench press: 1x385 - down considerably from last year but I think it may be manageable as long as my elbow holds up.
Squat 1x585, 600 wont work unless they get a longer bar at the gym.
Deadlift 625 - this is doable without collars on the bar which for one rep should be ok. Probably not the most safe thing though, we'll see.
Weight/physique are up in the air, I feel I look good enough even though I'm at 245-255. My stomach is flat and I have enough ab definition that you can tell I lift when I take my shirt off. I do still have a bit of my love handles, which doesn't make sense considering how lean the rest of me is, that I would like to get rid of but I'm more concerned with getting stronger for at least another year.

2014 Goals:
Weight: doesn't matter, stay fairly lean. I might change my mind and decide it's a good year for a cut but we'll see.
Sqaut: 1x585
Deadlift: 1x625
Bench: 1x405

2015 Goals:
Take gold at Pan Am's in March (update: failed, took second)
Take gold in Gi Worlds in November-ish
Maintain my weight, I got on the scale at 275 after Thanksgiving. Still in size 34 pants
Squat:600
Deadlift:650
Bench:400
Abs would be nice but they're way down here...




here are the pics... try not to laugh, at least if you do be nice and don't post about it

upper body not flexed http://img7.imageshack.us/i/frontnotflexing.jpg/
upper body, arms mostly http://img3.imageshack.us/i/armsflexed.jpg/
upper body flexed http://img34.imageshack.us/i/frontflexeds.jpg/
chest flexed (mostly) http://img34.imageshack.us/i/upperflexed.jpg/
Legs http://img34.imageshack.us/i/legsm.jpg/


Just to put the pics into perspective here are my stats
(7/1/09)
Bicep 18"
Neck 18"
Thighs(each) 24"
Calves 16.5"
Chest 41.5"
Waist 38"

(9/10/11)
Bicep 17"
Neck 17"
Thighs(each) 28"
Calves 17"
Chest 46"
Waist 36" -- I'll update this in a few days, my diet this week has been horrid and I'm sure this number is inflated just a little.

Updated pics after ~ a month in the gym
http://yfrog.com/671monthunflexed2p - front unflexed
http://yfrog.com/671monthunflexedp - and again

7/8/10 pics









10/15/11 :



1/26/12:




1/5/12: Squat 3x495 http://*********/owZMDmgHm0o

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I'm Still trying to find a good pace to run at, right now I think I'm running too fast as I am fairly winded at about 10 min in. Any suggestions? Also this week my legs don't have the spring they had last week, my quad by my knee is pretty sore as well as my calves. Do I just need to stretch more I spend a good 10 min or so stretching before I run? Or more rest?

Well, if you're running hard, you need to increase the rest. If you run for 30sec-1min, you should give yourself 2x the rest. So if you run for 1 minute, walk for two.

Also, soreness just happens. Your body is adapting. However, walking for 5 minutes and then starting to run isn't really sufficient for warming up. I would walk for 2-3 minutes, jog for 3-4 minutes, and do some dynamic stretches (buttkicks, high knees, a-skips, hurdle kicks at the least). That should help with the warm up. Also, stretching after will help you be a bit more limber and will decrease your chance of injury so I would do that at least every other time.

Welcome to the journal group. I've been in the same situation as you as did bodyweight exercises as well. If you can get a cheap dumbbell, it will really help. You can use it for dumbbell swings, weighted pullups, snatch, press, cleans, etc. Or you could just buy a heavy canvas bag and fill it with sand to your liking and do workouts with that.

 

[SlitheryDee]

When I started running I found that my pace was much too fast as well. After a few sessions my body seemed to automatically find a rhythm that I could run comfortably at for longer stretches of time and distance. I think your pacing problem will largely fix itself if you keep up the running at regular intervals.

10 minutes of stretching should be sufficient IMO so long as you're doing effective stretches. The tightness and soreness you feel is probably an unavoidable result of your muscles adapting to the new stress you're putting them through. Personally I'd just stretch normally and run through it so long as the pain wasn't bad enough to hobble me.

If you don't already have one, try and get yourself some means of doing chinups and pullups. Those door-mounted jobs are pretty cheap online.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
When I started running I found that my pace was much too fast as well. After a few sessions my body seemed to automatically find a rhythm that I could run comfortably at for longer stretches of time and distance. I think your pacing problem will largely fix itself if you keep up the running at regular intervals.

10 minutes of stretching should be sufficient IMO so long as you're doing effective stretches. The tightness and soreness you feel is probably an unavoidable result of your muscles adapting to the new stress you're putting them through. Personally I'd just stretch normally and run through it so long as the pain wasn't bad enough to hobble me.

If you don't already have one, try and get yourself some means of doing chinups and pullups. Those door-mounted jobs are pretty cheap online.

However, you do not want to do static stretches before running. It reduces the natural elasticity of the muscle, makes you produce less force, and increases your risk of injury. Dynamic stretches beforehand. Static stretches afterward.

 

[brikis98]

Welcome and congrats on starting a journal.

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
Goals:
Weigh less than 220lbs by Aug 10, currently ~240 (week before the semester starts)

How's your diet?

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
do 100 consecutive burpees, push ups, reverse crunches, and pull ups.(may change this to 10x10 if it's too much)
Run 3k in less than 30 min

100 conescutive push-ups and crunches, sure. 100 consecutive burpees and pull-ups? No way. Assuming you are talking about real burpees (squat down, kick into a push-up stance, do a push-up, jump back to a squat, jump up and clap hands over head while in the air), I'd be incredibly impressed if you worked up to even 50 burpees non-stop. And if you did, running 3k in under 30 minutes would be trivially easy. As for 100 consecutive pull-ups, few people can do more than 20 in a row dead hang and the most I've heard for kipping is Speal's 96. If you accomplish either, I'd once again be incredibly impressed. However, realistically, I'd recommend setting some slightly easier goals for those two exercises.

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I'm Still trying to find a good pace to run at, right now I think I'm running too fast as I am fairly winded at about 10 min in. Any suggestions?

Run at the fastest pace you can that allows you to achieve the goals of the workout. If the goal of the workout is to run 1 mile, you'll run at a faster pace than if the goal of the workout is to run 5 miles. What exactly that pace is you'll figure out pretty quickly through trial and error.

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
Also this week my legs don't have the spring they had last week, my quad by my knee is pretty sore as well as my calves. Do I just need to stretch more I spend a good 10 min or so stretching before I run? Or more rest?

Rest is incredibly important, especially when starting out, so if you are starting to feel worn out, taking an extra day off is probably a good idea. In general though, you know you need extra rest (on top of the normal rest that should be built into your routine) when your performance on your workouts starts to drop. As for stretching, the only things you should be doing before a workout are dynamic stretches (google them if you need to) and something to get your heart rate and body temperature up, such as a light walk/jog, bike ride, bodyweight exercises, etc. Save the static stretches for after your workout.

 

[Pantlegz]

@SC - I was trying to walk more than I run but it's boring and I normally have caught my breath and my heart rate is down quite a bit after 90 seconds, and today running and walking 60 seconds was good I think I could have gone another 10 min but it was way to humid, my shirt was drenched. I've also got a cheap dumbbell set so I can do some stuff, I guess I didn't think about them.

@SlitheryDee - I think I kinda got my rhythm down this last time, but I wasn't sure if there was something else I could do to help it along. I plan on getting some sort of pull up bar.

@brikis98 - My diet is ok, I stopped eating fast food and going out to eat in general a few weeks ago. I limit my processed food intake as much as I can. But honestly I don't count calories or anything like that, I get lots of water eat lots of whole food and taking in a ton of protein I'm having a hard time getting 1g per pound of lean body mass. Oh and no soda either, just milk and water mostly, a little juice here and there. How is Koolaid? I know it's not super healthy but water gets old need some sort of flavor.

I was kind of thinking that 100 pull ups would be hell, my personal max was 25 back in the day but I didn't really push myself I just did a few more than my friends and stopped.

All of the exercises listed above were sets of 10, and the 50 burpees was hell I almost gave up. that kind of why I was thinking about changing the goal to 10x10 and taking a little rest between sets.

As far as the rest goes, if I feel ok to go should I skip the rest day? But If I need more rest I'll be sure to take it, don't wanna over work or get hurt. I'll look up some dynamic stretches and see what I can come up with. How long/much should I stretch after I run?


Thanks everyone for the input and advice I'll keep you posted.

 

[conorvansmack]

10 x 10 is a great start for the burpees. You can try increasing the number of reps as you get better at them (sets of 15, then sets of 20). I have trouble doing sets higher than 20, but it's definitely possible.

Instead of skipping the rest day, you could do a reduced workout. Even if you're not tired or sore, your body still needs to be able to recover.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
My diet is ok, I stopped eating fast food and going out to eat in general a few weeks ago. I limit my processed food intake as much as I can. But honestly I don't count calories or anything like that, I get lots of water eat lots of whole food and taking in a ton of protein I'm having a hard time getting 1g per pound of lean body mass. Oh and no soda either, just milk and water mostly, a little juice here and there. How is Koolaid? I know it's not super healthy but water gets old need some sort of flavor.

Well, your attempt at weight loss will be MUCH more successful if you focus your diet a bit more. See the fat loss sticky for lots of good info. Eating mostly whole foods and minimizing processed junk is an excellent start. Tracking calories would be a good next step to ensure weight loss. Koolaid is highly processed, so I'd stay away. If you really get bored of water & milk, try tea or 100% fruit juice (ie, no added sugar, HFCS, etc).

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I was kind of thinking that 100 pull ups would be hell, my personal max was 25 back in the day but I didn't really push myself I just did a few more than my friends and stopped.

All of the exercises listed above were sets of 10, and the 50 burpees was hell I almost gave up. that kind of why I was thinking about changing the goal to 10x10 and taking a little rest between sets.

Doing things in sets of 10 is much more realistic than trying for 100 consecutive reps. Start slow and work your way up gradually and you should be fine. You can also try a "Grease the Groove" approach (google it).

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
As far as the rest goes, if I feel ok to go should I skip the rest day?

No, not really, especially in the early stages. Let your body have its rest so it can adapt to your increased activity levels. Later on, once your body is better at recovery and more used to your exercise load, you can consider increasing the intensity or volume of your workouts or increasing how often you workout. For example, you might start out working out 3 days per week. After a few months, you might change to a 1 on, 1 off schedule. After a few more months, you could do a 2 on, 1 off schedule. Eventually, you could work up to a Crossfit style 3 on, 1 off schedule. I wouldn't go much beyond that, as it's hard to maintain high intensity for more than 3 consecutive days.

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
How long/much should I stretch after I run?

~10 minutes of static stretching after a workout is usually enough to hit all the major body parts.

 

[Pantlegz]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Well, your attempt at weight loss will be MUCH more successful if you focus your diet a bit more. See the fat loss sticky for lots of good info. Eating mostly whole foods and minimizing processed junk is an excellent start. Tracking calories would be a good next step to ensure weight loss. Koolaid is highly processed, so I'd stay away. If you really get bored of water & milk, try tea or 100% fruit juice (ie, no added sugar, HFCS, etc).

I did read the sticky and kinda looked over other suggestions you guys have given. I am focusing on my diet, just not counting every calorie. I try to get about 2400 cal split into 3 600 cal meals and 3 200 cal 'snacks'. Working myself off the koolaid, it just taste so good lol. I take in at least 2 gallons of liquid daily which seems like a lot but water is much better than eating something and getting fat, right?

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions and input I really appreciate all the help.

Oh and today was a rest day, my calves are still a little sore but nothing too bad. can't wait to get back into it tomorrow

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1

Originally posted by: brikis98

Well, your attempt at weight loss will be MUCH more successful if you focus your diet a bit more. See the fat loss sticky for lots of good info. Eating mostly whole foods and minimizing processed junk is an excellent start. Tracking calories would be a good next step to ensure weight loss. Koolaid is highly processed, so I'd stay away. If you really get bored of water & milk, try tea or 100% fruit juice (ie, no added sugar, HFCS, etc).

I did read the sticky and kinda looked over other suggestions you guys have given. I am focusing on my diet, just not counting every calorie. I try to get about 2400 cal split into 3 600 cal meals and 3 200 cal 'snacks'. Working myself off the koolaid, it just taste so good lol. I take in at least 2 gallons of liquid daily which seems like a lot but water is much better than eating something and getting fat, right?

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions and input I really appreciate all the help.

Oh and today was a rest day, my calves are still a little sore but nothing too bad. can't wait to get back into it tomorrow

If you don't track calories, you will have a much harder time losing weight than you think. What you think might be 600 calories will probably be closer to 800 on some days and that will royally ruin your plan. Don't be lazy It's never fun to log stuff, but it will keep everything in check.

 

[Pantlegz]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1

Originally posted by: brikis98

Well, your attempt at weight loss will be MUCH more successful if you focus your diet a bit more. See the fat loss sticky for lots of good info. Eating mostly whole foods and minimizing processed junk is an excellent start. Tracking calories would be a good next step to ensure weight loss. Koolaid is highly processed, so I'd stay away. If you really get bored of water & milk, try tea or 100% fruit juice (ie, no added sugar, HFCS, etc).

I did read the sticky and kinda looked over other suggestions you guys have given. I am focusing on my diet, just not counting every calorie. I try to get about 2400 cal split into 3 600 cal meals and 3 200 cal 'snacks'. Working myself off the koolaid, it just taste so good lol. I take in at least 2 gallons of liquid daily which seems like a lot but water is much better than eating something and getting fat, right?

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions and input I really appreciate all the help.

Oh and today was a rest day, my calves are still a little sore but nothing too bad. can't wait to get back into it tomorrow

If you don't track calories, you will have a much harder time losing weight than you think. What you think might be 600 calories will probably be closer to 800 on some days and that will royally ruin your plan. Don't be lazy It's never fun to log stuff, but it will keep everything in check.

I think we have a misunderstanding of what I mean when I say I'm not counting calories. I don't weigh out my food or get a measuring cup when I pour a glass of milk. but I have a good idea of what I'm eating and how many calories I'm taking in. But I will take your advise and start tracking them on fitday just to make sure i'm doing ok for a little while.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
I think we have a misunderstanding of what I mean when I say I'm not counting calories. I don't weigh out my food or get a measuring cup when I pour a glass of milk. but I have a good idea of what I'm eating and how many calories I'm taking in. But I will take your advise and start tracking them on fitday just to make sure i'm doing ok for a little while.

It's ok to more or less eyeball things, especially if you take conservative estimates, but writing down these estimates and adding them up (or using a free website to do it for you) is still very necessary. People always tend to under-estimate how much they eat and forcing yourself to be accountable for every single thing you put in your mouth is often very eye opening. For example, when I was cutting a year ago and started tracking calories, I learned that I consistently ate ~800 more calories than I would've guessed and, even more surprisingly, I was getting far less protein than I thought. The small tweaks I made to my diet to fix these issues were essential to allow me to lose a lot of weight pretty quickly.

 

[Pantlegz]

6/19: 5 min walk and 60 sec run/60 sec walk 20 min

Got the full 20 min in today and 2 miles!!! felt great my cardio wasn't holding me back but my legs got sore. If I can get my legs to keep up I think I can get the 5k way sooner than I thought, I plan on taking it slow though I don't want to get hurt and not be able to do anything.

started using fitday today, it's pretty cool and it actually looks like I was way under estimating what I was eating, only at 600 cal today after breakfast and a snack after running. I'll make it up with lunch and dinner I'm sure.

felt like a little more so I did 50 push-ups and 50 reverse crunches

 

[Pantlegz]

6/20 - rest
6/21 - rest again, didn't really need it just busy fathers day.

6/22 - 50 burpees 20, 10, 20
60 reverse crunches 3x20
60 bw squats 1x60

 

[Pantlegz]

6/23 - 5 min walk, 60 sec run/60 sec walk 18 min. First mile was just over 8 min

I was damn proud of myself for getting out today, 101 degrees @ 55% humidity is insane to run in. It was killer but got it done.

update on the weight 235.5 I might get some pics up just so you guys can make fun of me

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Damn, I don't know if I could've convinced myself to go outside and run. Kudos to your resilience, man. Just be careful not to get too hot and make sure to call it quits when ya do. Oh, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

 

[Pantlegz]

It was hell but in the end I think it was worth it. I definitely should have brought some water with me I was dieing at the end of the run. But since I did 2 days in a row decided to rest today because it was hot as hell again, 96 with 61% humidity. Fuck Kansas in the summer time the only place I've lived worse was Houston.

 

[Pantlegz]

6/25 - 5 min walk, 60 sec run/60 sec walk 20 min

The first 1/2 mile was really bad I don't think I stretched enough or something but got it done nonetheless. Thinking about going out tonight for another run just to see how bad I can't beat up my legs

 

[Pantlegz]

Did another 2 miles ~20 min tonight. my quads and calves(well the bottom frontish part of my shin) started cramping REALLY bad I had a hard time walking for about 20 min afterwards... Is there anyway to tell my muscles to stop being pussies and let me run? It really sucks they're holding me back like this

 

[Pantlegz]

6/27 - 60 burpess 3x20
60 reverse crunches 3x20
60 lunges 3x20 (10 with each leg)
40 pushups 2x10 1x20
60 bw squats
60 jumping jacks

I still need to get some sort of pull up bar but I think the other exercises are moving right along any thoughts on other bw exercises I could add?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

You could add hand stand pushups, which are significantly more difficult than the other exercises.

 

[Pantlegz]

I'll give those a try, and on an unrelated note oatmeal is filling it's crazy I don't see how people can eat a cup at a time I had a hard time getting 1/2 a cup down... looks like I found a new breakfast

 

[zebano]

I like to chop up either bananas or strawberries on my oatmeal. It's less gruel-like and more tasty then so I can eat a little more of it. =)The instant packets that many companies sell also taste better than steel-cut oats (but are less healthy or course).

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
6/27 - 60 burpess 3x20
60 reverse crunches 3x20
60 lunges 3x20 (10 with each leg)
40 pushups 2x10 1x20
60 bw squats
60 jumping jacks

I still need to get some sort of pull up bar but I think the other exercises are moving right along any thoughts on other bw exercises I could add?

Try googling bodyweight exercises or gymnastics exercises and you get tons of results. For example:

handstand push-ups
one armed push-ups
dips
pull-ups
chin-ups
muscle-ups
one armed pull-ups
clapping pull-ups
one legged squat
burpee
inverted burpee
kip-up
elbow lever
front lever
back lever
dragon flags
planche
sit-ups
supermans
hollow rock
arch rock
knees to elbows
leg raises
l-sits

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1
6/27 - 60 burpess 3x20
60 reverse crunches 3x20
60 lunges 3x20 (10 with each leg)
40 pushups 2x10 1x20
60 bw squats
60 jumping jacks

I still need to get some sort of pull up bar but I think the other exercises are moving right along any thoughts on other bw exercises I could add?

Try googling bodyweight exercises or gymnastics exercises and you get tons of results. For example:

handstand push-ups
one armed push-ups
dips
pull-ups
chin-ups
muscle-ups
one armed pull-ups
clapping pull-ups
one legged squat
burpee
inverted burpee
kip-up
elbow lever
front lever
back lever
dragon flags
planche
sit-ups
supermans
hollow rock
arch rock
knees to elbows
leg raises
l-sits

This list is so much win. I'm gonna copy/paste it right now for eventual gymnastics goals. I think I'm gonna start working on my planche. I can still tuck planche for almost a minute, I think.