I used to lift regularly but injured my shoulder in March of 2012 and it took almost a year for it to get to the point that I could lift heavy stuff again. It didn't help that we had a new baby in March of 2012 and I didn't do my prescribed at home rehab. Add in shitty sleep schedule and diet and you get a fat tiktokman.

I'm 41 years old, 6' tall. I started this year at 213 lbs.

I use the myfitnesspal app on my iphone (started January 5th) to track my calories and started lifting again in February. My target is to lift 3 days a week in the early morning.

Typical workout (with olympic free weights) -

Bench - 5x5 (2 warm up sets, 3 work sets)

Sqaut - 3x8

Deadlift - 3x5

Chin ups - As many as I can do in a row until I get to 10. Once I get to where I can do 10 in a row I'll up the count to 20. I'm currently at 7. Pretty sure I could do more if I weren't doing them after benches and squats/deads.

Miscellaneous dumbbell work as time allows

When I started the weight was fairly light so I'd do squats and deads on the same day. Now that they've gotten heavier I squat Monday and Friday, deadlift on Wednesday.

I've now started doing some body-weight circuits 3 times a week as well. My wife wanted to start working out again so I do that with her MWF after the kids are in bed. We've just started week 2.

As of yesterday I'm down 23 lbs on the year, weighed in at 190.

My target weight is 185 but I may re-access that when get there and try for 180. After I lose the fat I want I'm going to start a bulk and try and pack on some more muscle. That should be fun.

13 for 13. I r smrt.

ISA II (Network Engineer) for the State of Illinois.

Holy SHIT! I'll be playing Roger Davis in our local Muni's production of 'Rent' this September.

I went through the initial audition a week ago Sunday, singing 'Your Eyes' from the show and the director called me over to their table right after and asked if I was available for a callback the following Sunday. Then I didn't hear anything more until Saturday night at 9:30. I was just about ready to write it off.

Callbacks were Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30. There was so much talent in the room, most of them with many years of theater experience. I've never done a play or musical in my life. I've been a rock band singer/guitarist off and on for the last 20 years. It was pretty intimidating. Thankfully most of them were pretty cool and very supportive.

I sang two solo tunes, 'Will I' and then 'One Song Glory', along with some ensemble stuff. I felt like I nailed them but you never know how other people hear it.

Last night was the casting night for all four of the Muni's shows. All the directors get together, decide who gets who and what over a few hours and then the calls begin. I had my phone right by my side and was checking it every few minutes to make sure it was on and the ringer was nice and loud. While chatting online with other hopefuls my phone beeped that I had a voicemail. THE FUCKER NEVER RANG! It was the director of Rent asking me to call him back. I had figured I'd maybe get a supporting role. I called him back, got his voicemail. GAH! Just after I hung up he called me back and asked if I wanted to play the part of Roger Davis, one of the leads. FUCK YES I DO!

I'm still in shock.

Overall, pretty awesome.  Work is predictably work, but everything else is awesome.  Like I am.

All you needed was a 'True story.' tacked on at the end and the Barney Stinson persona would have been complete.

Awesome video Ken.

Definitely get him with a good teacher. I've played for over 20 years and wish I had started with one when I was younger.

Best of luck to Ethan. You and yours are in my thoughts.

Sweet mother of god.  Yeah that's more than I want to spend.  LOL.

I didn't think that was possible.

Donezo!

This picture breaks my heart. RIP.

I'm back on the lifting train after a month off due to shoulder injury/new baby-dom. The shoulder is finally getting better but I scaled WAY back on the weights except for my deadlift which I kept at 250. Dropped the bench from 185 down to 75 and increased the reps. My squat I dropped down to 115 but will ramp it up fairly quickly. Wanted to make sure my shoulder wouldn't be an issue and so far it's not.

I have a Snugg case that is cheap and works great on the new ipad.

This one - http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007BZOGLG/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1335054958&sr=8-1

Heh...yeah, still alive. Went to the Dr. today. Got myself a nice 'impingement' with added possible bonus of a slight tear. He gave me a pamphlet with some rehab exercises in it and said if it isn't better in 3 weeks to come back in for a shot. Fun. He did clear me to lift with the caveat of dropping the weight on the benches. I'll probably drop the squat weight down some as well and up the reps.

Add in a nearly 4 week old baby and you can guess what my workout life is like. I go back to work a week from today. Hoping a return to a somewhat normal schedule will help me get back downstairs to the weights on a regular basis again.

Man, fuck deadlifts. 

Dear God, the pain...

Heh. I love deadlifts. Still waiting for my shoulder to heal so I can lift heavy again.

So very in.

Fired it up last night. It worked great. Streamed GoT in HD with 5.1 sound.

Right on!

This should meet your science fiction and time travel needs -



http://www.amazon.com/Safely-Science-Fictional-Universe-ebook/dp/B003V1WXIW/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2


I really enjoyed it.

Heavy shit continues to get heavier. Workout felt good this morning. Thought 190 was gonna be my wall for 5 reps on the bench press but I got through two sets. Hoping to make it two more weeks before hitting the wall. Then all 3 big lifts will be over 200lbs.

Very good read.

And another week in the books. I'm scared of the 5lb increase in my bench on Monday. I think I'm close to the wall for good form reps.

I've started doing this on Tuesday/Thursday now -




It definitely works the core muscles and will hopefully help me with my joint pain and flexibility.

32 gig/Wifi in black pre-ordered.

Missed my lifting this morning. Gonna hit it right after work.

I did try some benches at lunch to see if I could bench kratz. I put up 205 (my weight) without much warmup. Guessing I could hit 215 if I was fully prepped. I either gotta get stronger or kratz needs to lose more weight.

Most definitely getting an ipad 3. I've been lost since my ipad 2 got stolen. FUCKER!

[Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 373 – The Scapegoat Theory]

Here's a good essay by a forum member at Training Anarchy. Dude is 63 and his deadlift makes me look like a pussy. If I recall correctly he didn't get into lifting until he was in his 50's. Re-posted with his permission.

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 373 – The Scapegoat Theory

The Scapegoat Theory (02-27-12)

If you sit in front of the television for any period of time, you will surely be treated, sooner or later, to some sort of infomercial touting a product or program that will literally change your life. After all, if it doesn’t change your life, what good is it? When was the last time you heard an announcer say that a product would probably work, but not for everyone and you might end up wasting your money? No. Not this product. Never. It will change your life and possibly the universe as we know it. And the price is almost always $19.99. Just don’t plan on paying that. The shipping and handling is going to kill you.

I have this theory about fitness products, programs and, perhaps, about life in general. Granted, this theory brings out a little of my own negativity about human nature, so you can start by taking it with a grain of salt, or dismiss it as just one more rant from the grinch of the gym. My theory is that sometimes we begin programs, buy products and attempt changes only because somewhere down the road we can use those products, those experiences and encounters as a reason to justify our failures and our excuse for not trying again. It’s kind of a transference of blame.

How often have you heard someone say something like “oh, I’ve tried that diet and it didn’t work. Nothing works for me.” You may also have heard an even more common complaint such as “I bought that (insert product name here) and it was a piece of crap. It didn’t do anything for me.” Please, dear friends, tell me that you didn’t actually think that a cheap piece of metal or plastic was going to sculpt you into an Aphrodite or Adonis? A product with a name like Butt-Twister, Boob-Blaster or Thigh-Thinner is not, in this lifetime, likely to change anything but the balance in your bank account. These things have, however, provided one very important tool in the arsenal. Now we have an excuse to dismiss anything that comes along, and indeed, any fitness endeavor. After all, we’ve tried things and they didn’t work, so by extension of that line of reasoning, nothing works, at least for me that is. Now, push, push! Breathe! Push! There you go. We have given birth to our own spanking new, personal scapegoat. We have provided ourselves with a little bundle of joy that will excuse us from ever trying again.

Now, here’s a pleasant thought. We can save the $19.99 plus shipping and handling and create our own home grown scapegoat. All we need is a sprained ankle, a pulled muscle, or a sore back; any body part will do. Forget that there are any number of things we can do to overcome or work around these setbacks. We now have a scapegoat that we can use to eschew any and all strenuous physical activity. Yipee!

Quite frankly, if you are looking for an excuse to quit or perhaps not even start a fitness regimen, you are likely to find one somewhere. It’s not hard and can often be done at no cost to you. No cost, in dollars and cents that is, but the price for using that scapegoat can be very dear. Examine your motives. Is the reason you can’t make a change because nothing works, or because a lot of the things that work, you simply haven’t tried? And what can be even worse, is the reason nothing works for you because you don’t work for you?

___________________
Copyright 2004-2012 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

Right on rshetts. Yeah, 4 lbs a week is huge.


Upping the weights this morning wasn't as hard as I feared it would be. The first set of squats at 185 was a little scary but once I was in the groove everything felt great. The second set was butter. Last week my grip on the 235 deadlifts was weak but 240 this week was no problem.

And another week in the books. Had a hard time getting motivated to lift this morning. Had a couple beers at band practice last night and felt it this morning. I don't drink much at all anymore so it only takes a few to make me feel it.

I sucked it up and hit the basement. By the last set of chin-ups I was pretty shaky. Bumping everything up again by 5lbs on Monday.

Nicely done kathode. I haven't tested any of my maxes in a long time. Last time I did (2 years ago?) I pulled a 285 deadlift.

Bumped the weights up again yesterday. Doing 2 circuits of barbell squat (180x7), barbell bench (175x5), deadlift (235x5) and chins (2 chins, 6 negatives) with 1.5 minute rest between moves, 3 minutes between circuits. Up till last week the weight was fairly easy to move. Shit's starting to get real now. I'm looking forward to getting my squat and bench up above 200 for reps.

Another week of lifting in the books. Feeling good. We'll see how I feel next week when I up the weights again. Once the weather improves some I'm hoping to add in some biking on my off days.

Here's a good article on over-analyzing - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fundamental-principles-versus-minor-details.html

Had the day off yesterday so I had enough time to work in a 3rd set of everything. Bumped the weights up and it felt great. Heavy, but great. We'll see how it feels tomorrow morning when I am crunched for time and tired.

Fixed.

My home gym setup -

I need to do some clean up obviously. Somehow I've ended up with 3 benches.

Rack and pulley system I scored for free. I mainly just use it as a squat rack right now-



New bench, bar and weights I scored for cheap off a co-worker -



Dumbbell rack and old bench -



Treadmill and table I built for it -



Another shot of the rack -



And a shot of the ROCK! -
g]

Isgrimnur, you need to eat more real food. Ditch the pop tarts and cook some eggs for breakfast. Oatmeal is also good, but not the crap that comes in flavored bags. My current breakfast is a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal with one egg white, 1 tbsp of peanut butter and a 1/3rd scoop of chocolate whey protein powder. NOM NOM NOM! Other days I'll have a veggie omelet.

It's not hard to broil some chicken. Like Pete said, cook it on a Sunday night and eat it throughout the week.

Just got back from a 2.5 mile lunchtime run with my wife... which is what passes for a nooner these days... heh.

Yeah, I've got Starting Strength. I'm very limited in time so this is the best I have come up with. Right now I have usually about 20-25 minutes in the AM to get in my workout. Once kid #2 is here and our schedule falls in to place I *should* have more as I''ll no longer have to get my kid up and ready to go to daycare. Wife is going to be a stay-at-home mom for awhile.

I really like a good 5x5 routine and once time allows that's where I'll head.

I now have a fairly kick-ass olympic barbell set-up in my basement. I'm working out M-W-F with a circuit of barbell squats, barbell bench-press, barbell deadlifts and chin-ups. Fat loss is a big goal but my overall goal is to be around for and able to keep up with my kids as I get older. I'm an old dad (40) and my daughter is almost 2 and a half and my son will arrive in a month and a half.

I'm using Fitocracy as a log. I haven't kept up with the group status. Is our only choice a public group or is there a private option that people are using?

It really fucking pains me to say this but I agree with PeteRock.

 

When were we ever at odds?

None that I recall. I'm just being a dick.

It really fucking pains me to say this but I agree with PeteRock.

Our house got broken into last Thursday between 11:30 and 12:00 pm. I got home for lunch at around 12:10 to find my grill moved on the back porch and some other things out of place. That's when I noticed the broken window to the laundry room. I started unlocking and opening the back door when I saw that a window to the den had been smashed in. I stayed outside and called 911. While waiting for the police to show up I went over to the neighbors to check on them. The wife stays home with three young kids during the day and I wanted to make sure they were okay. The neighbor is pretty sure she heard the glass break at around 11:40 but thought it was a breaking branch on one of the many trees around our houses. Once the officer showed up (which seemed to take forever) we walked through the house. Pretty sure the thief was in the house when I started to open the back door. We have some Christmas bells on it and I'm guessing he heard them jingle. When the officer and I got upstairs our xbox that is in the bedroom was in the middle of the floor. He must have been unhooking it when I came home and then bolted out the front door (which we found partially opened) while I was over checking with the neighbor.

He got my wife's laptop, my Ipad 2, her Kindle Fire and our ipod touch. He went through every room in the house. All the bedroom and closet doors were open and the dresser drawers were ajar. The loss of the electronics stings but the worst loss is the journal we had kept on my wife's laptop. We started it when we were in the hospital waiting for Carmen to arrive and had been updating it ever since with milestones or just funny anecdotes of her life. I am kicking myself for not having a backup.

Once I took inventory I started changing passwords and removing devices from accounts. I was able to issue a 'remote lock and locate' command to the ipad via Apple's 'Find My Phone' feature. As soon as they signed online with it, which turned out to be midnight Thursday night, it was locked with a PIN that I set and I received an email with the general location. Unfortunately it only narrows it down to about a 2 block area so not really enough to hone in on the exact location. If they do manage to figure out the PIN the next time they sign online it will once again lock, once again email me with the location and this time it will also start emitting an annoying noise at full volume. Enjoy.

They did use the Kindle Fire to watch some movies on our Netflix account before I was able to get them locked out. Hope they enjoyed watching those Christmas movies with their kids on a stolen tablet.

Thankfully nobody was hurt and in the end the loss is mostly just stuff. We'll start a new journal (that will be backed up in 'The Cloud') and get new stuff. Eventually the creepiness factor of a stranger being in the house and going through our things will fade. I don't think I'll ever get over the anger at losing the journal of my daughter's first two years of life. I also know that we'll never feel as secure in our own home as we did before this. Thanks asshole.