Since the first thread times out, I wanted to ressurect it based on Rodeo wanting to share his progress.

I'm reposting this from the other thread...

I am tracking my weight on Bodyspace.com - I initially started back in 2011 when I was really thin (my post-breakup-depression weight loss had be weighing 170lbs).

FIVE years later, I'm trying to get back down.

In May I weighed in at 196lbs - my heaviest ever. Today I weighed in at 183.2lbs, working towards my "ideal" weight (according to the website) of 168lbs. That's the "goal" assigned to me based on my height & composition.


Anyway, I have definitely seen improvememts. Most telling; my clothes are fitting better;



Those pants are relatively new (got them around January) and at the time they fit PERFECTLY. Today I had to really cinch the belt tightly to keep them from sagging.

There's still a decent amount of belly fat, but at least now I can fit into my size Medium shirts again. Will work on abs once my overall strength is better.

I'm not progressing as quickly as I should but it's all diet-related. I need to get consistent with eating RIGHT.

Summer of 2016, here I come!!!

^Awesome! I knew you'd be a banshee once you got going. You're killing it!

I did a benchpress challenge Saturday. The challenge is to see how many times you can bench your weight. This is called "relative strength".

I benched 186 pounds 25 times. Based on what I've seen other people post, that's really high! The guy that I got this idea from, Rich Piana, put up 285 24 times. So I guess my goal now is to put up 186 at least 30 times.

The other benchpress challenge is the NFL challenge - how many times can you put up 225 pounds? Here's the chart NFL teams use for reference:

• Linemen: 30-39
• Tight Ends and Linebackers: 25-30
• Running Backs: 20-25
• Defensive Backs and Receivers: 15-20

The last time I did this, I hit 16 reps. I'd like to get to 20.

I also put up 306 the other day, so that's good. My goal is to be able to bench 300 when I hit 60. In the meantime, I'd like to get back to the 331-pound press I did before I started getting those dang sciatic nerve injuries.

RodeoSchro said:

^Awesome! I knew you'd be a banshee once you got going. You're killing it!

I did a benchpress challenge Saturday. The challenge is to see how many times you can bench your weight. This is called "relative strength".

I benched 186 pounds 25 times. Based on what I've seen other people post, that's really high! The guy that I got this idea from, Rich Piana, put up 285 24 times. So I guess my goal now is to put up 186 at least 30 times.

The other benchpress challenge is the NFL challenge - how many times can you put up 225 pounds? Here's the chart NFL teams use for reference:

• Linemen: 30-39
• Tight Ends and Linebackers: 25-30
• Running Backs: 20-25
• Defensive Backs and Receivers: 15-20

The last time I did this, I hit 16 reps. I'd like to get to 20.

I also put up 306 the other day, so that's good. My goal is to be able to bench 300 when I hit 60. In the meantime, I'd like to get back to the 331-pound press I did before I started getting those dang sciatic nerve injuries.

I can't bench my own weight yet. Or at least...I don't think so. I haven't tried.

PurpleJedi said:

RodeoSchro said:

^Awesome! I knew you'd be a banshee once you got going. You're killing it!

I did a benchpress challenge Saturday. The challenge is to see how many times you can bench your weight. This is called "relative strength".

I benched 186 pounds 25 times. Based on what I've seen other people post, that's really high! The guy that I got this idea from, Rich Piana, put up 285 24 times. So I guess my goal now is to put up 186 at least 30 times.

The other benchpress challenge is the NFL challenge - how many times can you put up 225 pounds? Here's the chart NFL teams use for reference:

• Linemen: 30-39
• Tight Ends and Linebackers: 25-30
• Running Backs: 20-25
• Defensive Backs and Receivers: 15-20

The last time I did this, I hit 16 reps. I'd like to get to 20.

I also put up 306 the other day, so that's good. My goal is to be able to bench 300 when I hit 60. In the meantime, I'd like to get back to the 331-pound press I did before I started getting those dang sciatic nerve injuries.

I can't bench my own weight yet. Or at least...I don't think so. I haven't tried.

Here's my advice - try it right now! Have someone spot you and tell them that if you can't put it up all by yourself, to help you. Tell them that you are going to do five reps.

It might turn out that they do most of the work for those five reps but I doubt it. What will actually happen is........well, I'll let you do this yourself. Come back and tell me how it goes, and what affect it has on your perception of your benching ability!

RodeoSchro said:

PurpleJedi said:

I can't bench my own weight yet. Or at least...I don't think so. I haven't tried.

Here's my advice - try it right now! Have someone spot you and tell them that if you can't put it up all by yourself, to help you. Tell them that you are going to do five reps.

It might turn out that they do most of the work for those five reps but I doubt it. What will actually happen is........well, I'll let you do this yourself. Come back and tell me how it goes, and what affect it has on your perception of your benching ability!

BTW, I absolutely LOVE spotting for people. I scream, yell, cajole, and generally tell them they are a bad mother that is doing all the work theirself. I like having that kind of spotter, too.

keep posting pics like that, I just may leave my husband / family.

Good job, anything that help you and your health, is a good thing.

Been knocked down with a cold the last two days. So I can think of no better remedy than to sweat it out at the gym. I'm curious to see how much strength this thing has taken.

RodeoSchro said:

Been knocked down with a cold the last two days. So I can think of no better remedy than to sweat it out at the gym. I'm curious to see how much strength this thing has taken.

226 pounds 17 times. I can't believe that's the most I've ever done. My previous answer must be wrong. But I am dang sure satisfied with 17 reps after 2 days of cold medicine and bed rest!

PurpleJedi said:

RodeoSchro said:

^Awesome! I knew you'd be a banshee once you got going. You're killing it!

I did a benchpress challenge Saturday. The challenge is to see how many times you can bench your weight. This is called "relative strength".

I benched 186 pounds 25 times. Based on what I've seen other people post, that's really high! The guy that I got this idea from, Rich Piana, put up 285 24 times. So I guess my goal now is to put up 186 at least 30 times.

The other benchpress challenge is the NFL challenge - how many times can you put up 225 pounds? Here's the chart NFL teams use for reference:

• Linemen: 30-39
• Tight Ends and Linebackers: 25-30
• Running Backs: 20-25
• Defensive Backs and Receivers: 15-20

The last time I did this, I hit 16 reps. I'd like to get to 20.

I also put up 306 the other day, so that's good. My goal is to be able to bench 300 when I hit 60. In the meantime, I'd like to get back to the 331-pound press I did before I started getting those dang sciatic nerve injuries.

I can't bench my own weight yet. Or at least...I don't think so. I haven't tried.

That should be your main goal and work from there.

My bench took a little hit because of mild shoulder pain, but I'm working on get it back in the 275-315 range. Still hitting the leg press hard.

226 x 21 reps today. Now, if only I didn't run the 40 in about 12 seconds, I could be a running back!

I just need to concentrate on the mid section. I've got a little pudge there as most people

do as they age. I have been inconsistent in my workouts as of late. I generally like to

work out on my Urban Rebounder twice a week and walk twice a week. In between I like

doing leg lifts with barbells in my hand. I hope to get back into the routine and be more

consistent starting tomorrow. Work sometimes get in the way.

phunkdaddy said:

I just need to concentrate on the mid section. I've got a little pudge there as most people

do as they age. I have been inconsistent in my workouts as of late. I generally like to

work out on my Urban Rebounder twice a week and walk twice a week. In between I like

doing leg lifts with barbells in my hand. I hope to get back into the routine and be more

consistent starting tomorrow. Work sometimes get in the way.

Do kettlebell exercises for core training. It'll do wonders for you.

186 x 25. Dang it, I was thinking I'd done more last time and thought I had to get to 30 reps for a new record. Instead, I tied my record and I know I could have done at least one more today! Oh well....

TD3 said:

keep posting pics like that, I just may leave my husband / family.

Good job, anything that help you and your health, is a good thing.

uPtoWnNY said:

PurpleJedi said:

I can't bench my own weight yet. Or at least...I don't think so. I haven't tried.

That should be your main goal and work from there.

My bench took a little hit because of mild shoulder pain, but I'm working on get it back in the 275-315 range. Still hitting the leg press hard.

OK-!

missfee said:

Glad to see you progressing towards your goal! Great job. Now if only I could do it too....I have a real problem and I'm just tired of being fat. After I came back from vacation in late June, I discovered that I was back at my heaviest weight...again. So I joined a new gym and the great thing is that it's only 10 minutes from home. Started out great, was getting to the gym 3-4 days a week, was eating right, was doing weights and cardio and this went on fine until 3 weeks ago when I started having an enormous amount of stress from work. Slowly I was reverting back to old ways, fast food, chocolate, skipping the gym b/c I was so pissed off from dealing with mismanagement of my incompetent department. Now I feel like I'm back to the very beginning all over again and frustrated. How did I get here again? I've probably gained back the weight or inches I possibly lost during that period of time. Urgh, I'm just so tired of "starting over". I can't figure out why I keep falling off. Sorry for the rant...I'm just very frustrated with myself right now. [Edited 8/19/15 14:11pm]

Stick with it!!!!

226 x 21, dang it. Same as before.

But then I followed it with 176 x 21 and then 126 x 21. I really felt it after those sets!

Okay guys.

I've been back from vacation almost a week now.

Have not hit the gym once.

Nor did I go while on vacation (the resort had a small gym).

I´ve been to the gym three times since I got back from my vacation and I´m pretty surprised that I haven´t really lost much strength at all even though I didn´t really work out during my vacation....but I did swim a lot and ate more and healthier food, plus I slept much more than usual.

I´ve noticed that since I´ve been using more whey protein than usual, I look and feel much stronger than before. In the past, I only used it post workout with a bit of water.

Now I make sure I drink one whey protein shake with milk with my breakfast, and one DURING my workout, not after....and I also make sure I drink one slow release multicomponent shake late at night (whey-casein-albumin mix without added vitamins.....I never want to use protein powder with added vitamins again).

-

I´m not really into bench pressing because my pecs grow to quickly and look massive when I train them, so I only train them every once in a while with relatively light weights, and so far I´ve never used more than 120 lbs for bench presses.

-

Today I did a drop set or pyramid routine with pulldowns for triceps with maximum weight and then went all the way down from 80 lbs to a measly 10 lbs for the final reps, and biceps with 30 lbs per arm but sometimes I go for volume instead of heavy weights. You have to change what you are doing every now and then and try different approaches.

-

Do you take any supplements? Protein? Zinc? Vitamin D? Magnesium?

How´s your diet (and when I say diet, I don´t mean the kind of food you post so often on Facebook ).

KoolEaze said:

I´ve been to the gym three times since I got back from my vacation and I´m pretty surprised that I haven´t really lost much strength at all even though I didn´t really work out during my vacation....but I did swim a lot and ate more and healthier food, plus I slept much more than usual.

I´ve noticed that since I´ve been using more whey protein than usual, I look and feel much stronger than before. In the past, I only used it post workout with a bit of water.

Now I make sure I drink one whey protein shake with milk with my breakfast, and one DURING my workout, not after....and I also make sure I drink one slow release multicomponent shake late at night (whey-casein-albumin mix without added vitamins.....I never want to use protein powder with added vitamins again).

-

I´m not really into bench pressing because my pecs grow to quickly and look massive when I train them, so I only train them every once in a while with relatively light weights, and so far I´ve never used more than 120 lbs for bench presses.

-

Today I did a drop set or pyramid routine with pulldowns for triceps with maximum weight and then went all the way down from 80 lbs to a measly 10 lbs for the final reps, and biceps with 30 lbs per arm but sometimes I go for volume instead of heavy weights. You have to change what you are doing every now and then and try different approaches.

-

Do you take any supplements? Protein? Zinc? Vitamin D? Magnesium?

How´s your diet (and when I say diet, I don´t mean the kind of food you post so often on Facebook ).

I went to the gym Monday and Tuesday. Now it's Friday...WTF?!?!?

My diet is probably my #1 problem. I have every "intention" of cooking and making healthy meals...then I leave work late, have to run an errand, or maybe my coworkers want to grab a drink after work and my stressed-out mind says "sure"...so I wind up eating crap.

I took a "break" from the PT until mid-October (between vacation and back-to-school I'm financially tapped).

I need to buy some protein powder.

I've starting with my training again too.

I go to 2 lessons a week. It's great. Very intense training sessions.


Mornings I breakfast with fruit and veggies in my Nutrion Bullet.

Lunch is brown rice combined with beans (aduki, black eyed peas or what more), most often egg, and steamed chicken or fish. And some steamed veggies, avocado, seeds and nuts.

Evening diner is without carbs.

And snacks are nuts or dried fruit.

Today salad:

Rice, Aduki beans, raw herring, beetroot, basil, capers, and hempseeds. Really good.

dJJ said:

I've starting with my training again too.

I go to 2 lessons a week. It's great. Very intense training sessions.


Mornings I breakfast with fruit and veggies in my Nutrion Bullet.

Lunch is brown rice combined with beans (aduki, black eyed peas or what more), most often egg, and steamed chicken or fish. And some steamed veggies, avocado, seeds and nuts.

Evening diner is without carbs.

And snacks are nuts or dried fruit.

Today salad:

Rice, Aduki beans, raw herring, beetroot, basil, capers, and hempseeds. Really good.

Awesome

morningsong said:

Watch this you'll get back to the gym. [img:$uid]http://i267.pho.../img:$uid]

I love American Ninja Warrior!!!!

The athletes get better every year, but then the obstacles also get more difficult.

I can barely do one unassisted pullup...nevermind that Jacob's Ladder contraption!!!

PurpleJedi said:

morningsong said:

Watch this you'll get back to the gym. [img:$uid]http://i267.pho.../img:$uid]

I love American Ninja Warrior!!!!

The athletes get better every year, but then the obstacles also get more difficult.

I can barely do one unassisted pullup...nevermind that Jacob's Ladder contraption!!!

Let it inspire you. The amount of work those contestants do year after year even though they may fail on a part of the course takes nerve. You've got nerve.

morningsong said:

PurpleJedi said:

I love American Ninja Warrior!!!!

The athletes get better every year, but then the obstacles also get more difficult.

I can barely do one unassisted pullup...nevermind that Jacob's Ladder contraption!!!

Let it inspire you. The amount of work those contestants do year after year even though they may fail on a part of the course takes nerve. You've got nerve.

after a layoff due to an injury, i've been hitting the weights like a mothafucka... feels good ... everything in my life is better when i'm working out

MoBettaBliss said:

after a layoff due to an injury, i've been hitting the weights like a mothafucka... feels good ... everything in my life is better when i'm working out

Endorphins, baby! Let Arnold explain it: