I kind of forgot to make a thread after the last one expired and then when I remembered, it was so late that I figured I'd wait until today, so the new thread wouldn't die before the end of the year.

I hope your fitness program has been better planned than my threads!

But here we are - the home stretch! Two months to accomplish your goals, or get close to your goals, or even start working on your goals. The past is past and all that matters is that you're in better shape today than you were yesterday!

My goal was six-pack abs. I haven't quite reached them but from time to time, I have had some definition. I'll take it!

Otherwise, it's been a hold-your-ground kind of year so far. I can still benchpress 306 pounds on a good day - hoping to keep that up until at least my 60th birthday. I do 100 push-ups on most days, but not all days. I don't get to hit the gym as much as I'd like and I'm sure my 2018 resoultion is going to be a more regular gym schedule. Kind of hard to get any gains when you don't work out consistently.

So how is your year going? Have you made improvements? Reached your goal? Are you feeling good? Let us know, and keep up the good work!

Stickyfied

luv4u said:

Stickyfied

Thanks! Believe it or not, that's motivatng!

I believe it was the wine, but I lost my shirt last night at the open mic event. It felt great!

Anything particular your doing for abs?

Phishanga said:

Anything particular your doing for abs?

Watching my diet is the main thing. As I once rad, "You can't outtrain a bad diet".

My only ab exercise is sit-ups on a big rubber ball. My chiropractor suggested that to me after my 2nd or 3rd sciatic nerve episode a couple years ago. I really like them, and they are DEFINITELY easy on the back. You can roll around on the ball and find different positions that target your abs in different ways - all without putting any stress on your back.

RodeoSchro said:

Phishanga said:

Anything particular your doing for abs?

Watching my diet is the main thing. As I once rad, "You can't outtrain a bad diet".

My only ab exercise is sit-ups on a big rubber ball. My chiropractor suggested that to me after my 2nd or 3rd sciatic nerve episode a couple years ago. I really like them, and they are DEFINITELY easy on the back. You can roll around on the ball and find different positions that target your abs in different ways - all without putting any stress on your back.

Yes, diet is key. And also yes, if you don't pay attention, ab training can be really bad for the back...

RodeoSchro said:

luv4u said:

Stickyfied

Thanks! Believe it or not, that's motivatng!

Awesome!

Well I'm in pretty good shape, but I'm now tweaking my diet. I don't need more size, just to sharpen the definition.

[Edited 11/13/17 11:19am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

Well I'm in pretty good shape, but I'm not tweaking my diet. I don't need more size, just to sharpen the definition.

A good diet will do that better and quicker than anything else. Especially as we age.

One Simple Trick Guaranteed To Make You Look Better, Thinner And Stronger!

No, seriously. It's posture.

Good posture will take pounds off your appearance. It will make you look younger. With good posture, you'll command respect every time you walk in a room. You'll feel like $1,000,000 when you walk. Good posture is so important! And easy!

All you have to do is spend about 1 minute walking back and forth with a book on your head. Hold your head upright, stand up tall and straight, and keep that book steady on your head. Then, take it off and replicate that walk. That's all there is to it!

If you do nothing else this year, perfect your posture. It's free, it's easy and it provides immediate benefits. Good luck!

RodeoSchro said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Well I'm in pretty good shape, but I'm not tweaking my diet. I don't need more size, just to sharpen the definition.

A good diet will do that better and quicker than anything else. Especially as we age.

I meant to say 'I'm now tweaking my diet' lol

OldFriends4Sale said:

RodeoSchro said:

A good diet will do that better and quicker than anything else. Especially as we age.

I meant to say 'I'm now tweaking my diet' lol

RodeoSchro said:

One Simple Trick Guaranteed To Make You Look Better, Thinner And Stronger!

No, seriously. It's posture.

Good posture will take pounds off your appearance. It will make you look younger. With good posture, you'll command respect every time you walk in a room. You'll feel like $1,000,000 when you walk. Good posture is so important! And easy!

All you have to do is spend about 1 minute walking back and forth with a book on your head. Hold your head upright, stand up tall and straight, and keep that book steady on your head. Then, take it off and replicate that walk. That's all there is to it!

If you do nothing else this year, perfect your posture. It's free, it's easy and it provides immediate benefits. Good luck!

and I've learned that investing some time in working on my core and abs has done great service to improving my posture...which in turnhas eased a lot of my back pain

I'm going for a flatter, toned as a rubber-band tummy so my back will stop b%t&*$=g at me for 2018 I'm almost there!

RodeoSchro said:

I kind of forgot to make a thread after the last one expired and then when I remembered, it was so late that I figured I'd wait until today, so the new thread wouldn't die before the end of the year.

I hope your fitness program has been better planned than my threads!

But here we are - the home stretch! Two months to accomplish your goals, or get close to your goals, or even start working on your goals. The past is past and all that matters is that you're in better shape today than you were yesterday!

My goal was six-pack abs. I haven't quite reached them but from time to time, I have had some definition. I'll take it!

Otherwise, it's been a hold-your-ground kind of year so far. I can still benchpress 306 pounds on a good day - hoping to keep that up until at least my 60th birthday. I do 100 push-ups on most days, but not all days. I don't get to hit the gym as much as I'd like and I'm sure my 2018 resoultion is going to be a more regular gym schedule. Kind of hard to get any gains when you don't work out consistently.

So how is your year going? Have you made improvements? Reached your goal? Are you feeling good? Let us know, and keep up the good work!

Hitting the iron as heavy as I can, but I can't go max on squats & deadlifts like I used to because of lower back issues. Leg press I can still hit hard - 16 45lb plates. Not bad for an old man of 56. My goal is to get my bench back to the 300-plus lb. range.

Ottensen said:

RodeoSchro said:

One Simple Trick Guaranteed To Make You Look Better, Thinner And Stronger!

No, seriously. It's posture.

Good posture will take pounds off your appearance. It will make you look younger. With good posture, you'll command respect every time you walk in a room. You'll feel like $1,000,000 when you walk. Good posture is so important! And easy!

All you have to do is spend about 1 minute walking back and forth with a book on your head. Hold your head upright, stand up tall and straight, and keep that book steady on your head. Then, take it off and replicate that walk. That's all there is to it!

If you do nothing else this year, perfect your posture. It's free, it's easy and it provides immediate benefits. Good luck!

and I've learned that investing some time in working on my core and abs has done great service to improving my posture...which in turnhas eased a lot of my back pain

I'm going for a flatter, toned as a rubber-band tummy so my back will stop b%t&*$=g at me for 2018 I'm almost there!

uPtoWnNY said:

RodeoSchro said:

I kind of forgot to make a thread after the last one expired and then when I remembered, it was so late that I figured I'd wait until today, so the new thread wouldn't die before the end of the year.

I hope your fitness program has been better planned than my threads!

But here we are - the home stretch! Two months to accomplish your goals, or get close to your goals, or even start working on your goals. The past is past and all that matters is that you're in better shape today than you were yesterday!

My goal was six-pack abs. I haven't quite reached them but from time to time, I have had some definition. I'll take it!

Otherwise, it's been a hold-your-ground kind of year so far. I can still benchpress 306 pounds on a good day - hoping to keep that up until at least my 60th birthday. I do 100 push-ups on most days, but not all days. I don't get to hit the gym as much as I'd like and I'm sure my 2018 resoultion is going to be a more regular gym schedule. Kind of hard to get any gains when you don't work out consistently.

So how is your year going? Have you made improvements? Reached your goal? Are you feeling good? Let us know, and keep up the good work!

Hitting the iron as heavy as I can, but I can't go max on squats & deadlifts like I used to because of lower back issues. Leg press I can still hit hard - 16 45lb plates. Not bad for an old man of 56. My goal is to get my bench back to the 300-plus lb. range.

56? You youngster!

I have the same goal re: bench. I put up 306 this summer but lately I've only been able to get it half way up (insert whatever joke you want here). But I'm hitting it hard and hope/expect to do 306 again soon.

I turn 59 in February and my long-term goal is to be able to bench 306 when I hit 60. I don't know what I'll do after that.

But I DO know I'll never get within 50 miles of the incredible leg press you can do!

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Hitting the iron as heavy as I can, but I can't go max on squats & deadlifts like I used to because of lower back issues. Leg press I can still hit hard - 16 45lb plates. Not bad for an old man of 56. My goal is to get my bench back to the 300-plus lb. range.

56? You youngster!

I have the same goal re: bench. I put up 306 this summer but lately I've only been able to get it half way up (insert whatever joke you want here). But I'm hitting it hard and hope/expect to do 306 again soon.

I turn 59 in February and my long-term goal is to be able to bench 306 when I hit 60. I don't know what I'll do after that.

But I DO know I'll never get within 50 miles of the incredible leg press you can do!

Shoulder pain has had an effect on my bench. I have to be careful when pushing it....same with weighted chin-ups & dips. It's just hard to accept the fact that I can't do certain exercises like I used to.

uPtoWnNY said:

RodeoSchro said:

56? You youngster!

I have the same goal re: bench. I put up 306 this summer but lately I've only been able to get it half way up (insert whatever joke you want here). But I'm hitting it hard and hope/expect to do 306 again soon.

I turn 59 in February and my long-term goal is to be able to bench 306 when I hit 60. I don't know what I'll do after that.

But I DO know I'll never get within 50 miles of the incredible leg press you can do!

Shoulder pain has had an effect on my bench. I have to be careful when pushing it....same with weighted chin-ups & dips. It's just hard to accept the fact that I can't do certain exercises like I used to.

I hope it gets better! I jacked my shoulder up a few years ago. It didn't hurt too much while lifting but if I turned over on it while it bed...yikes!

I went to an orthodedic sports doctor and he took some x-rays. "Hmmm, might be something there. Let's schedule a procedure". So I called their office to do so and they asked me who was driving me home. Driving me home?!? Why? The nurse said, "Because you're scheduled for shoulder surgery". No, I'm not. I'm only having a "procedure"! She said, "That's what a 'procedure' is".



I told them my shoulder suddenly felt a lot better! The good news is that after a few months, it really DID feel a lot better. I hope yours does, too!

RodeoSchro said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Shoulder pain has had an effect on my bench. I have to be careful when pushing it....same with weighted chin-ups & dips. It's just hard to accept the fact that I can't do certain exercises like I used to.

I hope it gets better! I jacked my shoulder up a few years ago. It didn't hurt too much while lifting but if I turned over on it while it bed...yikes!

I went to an orthodedic sports doctor and he took some x-rays. "Hmmm, might be something there. Let's schedule a procedure". So I called their office to do so and they asked me who was driving me home. Driving me home?!? Why? The nurse said, "Because you're scheduled for shoulder surgery". No, I'm not. I'm only having a "procedure"! She said, "That's what a 'procedure' is".



I told them my shoulder suddenly felt a lot better! The good news is that after a few months, it really DID feel a lot better. I hope yours does, too!

There were some articles here in Germany recently that a HUGE number of shoulder surgeries are unnecessary. I didn't read it all in detail, but apparently it's not (always) on purpose but also due to a lack of knowledge.

Good day today! After a few times failing, I got up 306 again on the bench and could have done a little more.

Then I got inspired by uPtoWnNY's incredible leglift weight, and decided to see what I could do on the leg press machine. I did half as much as he does, LOL. Actually, I maxed out at 410 pounds. I bow to you, uPtoWnNY!

RodeoSchro said:

Good day today! After a few times failing, I got up 306 again on the bench and could have done a little more.

Then I got inspired by uPtoWnNY's incredible leglift weight, and decided to see what I could do on the leg press machine. I did half as much as he does, LOL. Actually, I maxed out at 410 pounds. I bow to you, uPtoWnNY!

Had to take my leg press down to 14 plates last week because of knee soreness. I feel better this week, but damn, what's up with all these little aches & pains? Shit.

uPtoWnNY said:

RodeoSchro said:

Good day today! After a few times failing, I got up 306 again on the bench and could have done a little more.

Then I got inspired by uPtoWnNY's incredible leglift weight, and decided to see what I could do on the leg press machine. I did half as much as he does, LOL. Actually, I maxed out at 410 pounds. I bow to you, uPtoWnNY!

Had to take my leg press down to 14 plates last week because of knee soreness. I feel better this week, but damn, what's up with all these little aches & pains? Shit.

I now know what it is! Moving all those dang plates on and off the machine!

I'm still sore from Sunday's adventure and all I moved were 8 plates. Now I know why I quit that machine - I'm too lazy!

I am realizing I made a mistake with this year's resolution to have six-pack abs by 12/31. The problem is, as I now know, that during the year I was subconsciously telling myself, "Don't work too hard now, it only matters what you have on 12/31".

So, I just kind of took care of my core throughout the year, and a couple days ago finally made the decision to eat right and do more ab work - but only because 12/31 is now less than 30 days away.

I have to figure out a better resolution for 2018; one that works for the whole year. NOTE TO SELF - Don't do the push-ups thing again!

Hey, how's it going? I hope well!

But in case it isn't, remember - TODAY is still a good day to work on your fitness! We have about 10 days until the holidays and it's amazing what you can do in 10 days!

I've started doing 100 crunches every morning, in addition to the push-ups. After just three days of crunches, I can feel definite improvement in my tummy. Who knows, those six-pack abs might come after all! (Porobably shouldn't have had those two donuts for breakfast but hey! It's Friday!).

RodeoSchro said:

Hey, how's it going? I hope well!

But in case it isn't, remember - TODAY is still a good day to work on your fitness! We have about 10 days until the holidays and it's amazing what you can do in 10 days!

I've started doing 100 crunches every morning, in addition to the push-ups. After just three days of crunches, I can feel definite improvement in my tummy. Who knows, those six-pack abs might come after all! (Porobably shouldn't have had those two donuts for breakfast but hey! It's Friday!).

Still hooping, walking, and doing at least 10-15 flights of stairs daily. I'll be out for a couple of weeks seeing family in FL but taking a hoop and walking shoes! Best thing I can say is, the weight has stayed off all year--keeping it 110-115lbs at 5'2". And if I want cake, yeah I'm going to have cake. I'll do an extra 2-3 miles for that.

Keep going all!

LadyLayla said:

RodeoSchro said:

Hey, how's it going? I hope well!

But in case it isn't, remember - TODAY is still a good day to work on your fitness! We have about 10 days until the holidays and it's amazing what you can do in 10 days!

I've started doing 100 crunches every morning, in addition to the push-ups. After just three days of crunches, I can feel definite improvement in my tummy. Who knows, those six-pack abs might come after all! (Porobably shouldn't have had those two donuts for breakfast but hey! It's Friday!).

Still hooping, walking, and doing at least 10-15 flights of stairs daily. I'll be out for a couple of weeks seeing family in FL but taking a hoop and walking shoes! Best thing I can say is, the weight has stayed off all year--keeping it 110-115lbs at 5'2". And if I want cake, yeah I'm going to have cake. I'll do an extra 2-3 miles for that.

Keep going all!

Awesome!

It's the Final Countdown! Four days left in this year. I will say that I have not and may not actually reach my goal of six-pack abs. We'll see. Maybe I shouldn't have had all that Stouffer's lasagna for lunch, and I definitely should stop eating these Peanut Butter M&Ms.

Last night I went to the gym, figuring I'd get in one or two more workouts before (a) I leave for a 2-week vacation/work-away-from-home; and (b) the gym is overrun by all the New Years Resolutions Short-Timers, who clog up the gym for about 3 weeks, over-doing everything, and then quitting because they're sore.

But I saw my number one pet peeve: Dudes who look at their phones the whole time they're "working out".

Z.O.M.G. it was all I could do to not go up to this one Millenial dude and tell him, "Hey man. I noticed all you do is look at your phone. In fact, I started timing the gap between your six-rep sets. It's five minutes. That's right - you push 30 pounds around for about 15 seconds and then you look at your phone for five minutes. And then you repeat that process. YOU'RE KILLING ME. Why are you here? Why did you dress up in gym clothes, drive all the way here, just to sit on your ass and look at whatever the hell is so interesting on your phone? You should have just gone to Starbucks."

But since I am an adult, I did none of that. I simply worked out extra hard, grunted extra loud, and flexed an extra amount, hoping that my Arnold Awesomeness would inspire him to look up from his phone.

It didn't.

But I must say - six-pack abs or not, I am really ending 2017 on a physically high note. The strength is still there; the definition is great; and I can still maintain good posture. I am inspiring the hell out of myself right now. I'm calling this year a success even if I don't get those washboard abs in the next four days.

In fact, I think I'll have the last handful of those M&Ms!

I found an after-workout photo of myself from 2015... the goal is to get there again and further in 2018! Actually, I think the muscles are there, maybe even more, but there's too much fat. No sugar, more sleep, more water, more cardio in January!