You should be drinking high fat milk, preferably raw. If you can't get raw try whole milk.

Best of luck!

I am deployed. The only milk available to me is low-fat UHT milk.

Given that my current shape is rather similar to your current shape, I'll follow this with interest. Let's see how far you can get and if it motivates me to do more excersises again.

Nice thread. I might make one of these once I get out of season.

*eyes the pictures*

No need to get in shape, you already are!



Good luck.

*eyes the pictures*

No need to get in shape, you already are!

Good luck.

Thanks but I'm not nearly as in shape as I was before the Marine Corps as paradoxical as that sounds. The pics speak for themselves.


Dec 17
barbell row 95x20 95x12 95x12 95x12
one-arm dumbbell row 40x12 40x12 40x12
overhand pullups (slow) 7 6 5
alternate dumbbell curls 20x20 25x9 25x7 25x6

Diet:
3 eggs w/ ham and cheese
diced mango
cottage cheese
low-fat milk

salad w/ tuna and cottage cheese
whey protein w/ water

salad w/ tuna and vinegarette dressing
low-fat milk

whey protein w/ water before bed

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

New Program

I hate to say it because it's usually the sign of a problem but I'm changing the exercise routine. I want to get back to basics to the type of training that got me in shape to begin with: HIIT and metabolic conditioning using simple, compound movements and calisthenics. Never been much a fan of the slow isolation movements with lots of rest in between sets. I found a simple 21-day program with only two workouts that fulfills what I want to accomplish and is only as hard as you make it.

Here's the schedule and workouts:

Day 1: Upper Body
Day 2: Lower Body
Day 3: Upper Body
Day 4: Rest/Active Rest
Day 5: Lower Body
Day 6: Rest/Active Rest
Day 7: Rest/Active Rest

Upper Body:
HIIT Intervals: 1 min walk, 1 min run, repeat for 20 min

Weightlifting Circuit (2 rounds):
Dumbbell bench press: 20 reps
One-arm dumbbell row: 20 reps per arm
Military press: 20 reps
Dumbbell curl: 20 reps
Tricep dumbbell kickbacks: 20 reps
(These can be dumbbell or barbell; I may do max set pullups instead of rows)

Cardio Intervals: 5 min steady, 5 min high intensity

Weightlifting Circuit (2 rounds):
Dumbbell bench press: 20 reps
One-arm dumbbell row: 20 reps per arm
Military press: 20 reps
Dumbbell curl: 20 reps
Tricep dumbbell kickbacks: 20 reps

Lower Body:
HIIT Intervals: 1 min walk, 1 min run, repeat for 20 min

Weightlifting Circuit (2 rounds):
Squats: 20-30 reps
Dumbbell lunges: 15 reps, per side
Calf raises: 30-50 reps
Crunches: 30-50 reps
Crunches Elbows to Knees: 30-50 reps

Cardio Intervals: 5 min steady, 5 min high intensity

Weightlifting Circuit (2 rounds):
Squats: 20-30 reps
Dumbbell lunges: 15 reps, per side
Calf raises: 30-50 reps
Crunches: 30-50 reps
Crunches Elbows to Knees: 30-50 reps

I look forward to it.

[This message has been edited by Al_Kharn the Great (edited 12-17-2014 @ 11:47 PM).]

Nice to see oldies posting. I'm also working out these days, nothing too serious. Just trying to cut back on the shit food and doing a 3 day a week workout routine for now. Really I'm just trying to build good habits.

I will be starting the new program tomorrow but still went for a run in the morning.

Dec 18
3 mile light run 24:47

Diet:
3 eggs w/ ham and cheese
cottage cheese

salad w/ tuna and vinegarette dressing
low-fat milk

salad w/ tuna, walnuts, and vinegarette dressing
pieces of cantaloupe
low-fat milk

The salads: a little bit of iceberg lettuce with green/red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers. If it's available, I'll throw in some red kidney beans, spinach, or anything else good. I prefer to use cottage cheese as a dressing; otherwise, the light vinegarette. I will add walnuts to add some fats.

[This message has been edited by Al_Kharn the Great (edited 12-18-2014 @ 11:02 AM).]

Dec 19

Did the first day of the program.

Covered 2.2 miles in the first run (outside) then did the 10 minute run on the treadmill, adding a little over another mile.

Underestimated the volume of the lifting portion and had to bring the weights way down. Wound up with:

Bench: 25lb dumbbells
Pullups: lowest max set was 8 reps
Press: 20lb dumbells
Curl: 15lb dumbells
Kickbacks: 10lb dumbbells

Took just over an hour to complete.

Diet was the same as always but with grilled chicken breast instead of tuna.

Dec 20

Ran another 2.2 miles for the intervals.

Did the lower body portion. Replaced the crunches with decline crunches and flutterkicks.

Squats: 20 reps per set w/ barbell
Dumbbell lunges: 15 reps, per side per set w/ barbell
Calf raises: 50 reps unweighted
Decline Crunches: 30 reps
4-count Flutterkicks: 30 reps

Exercise bike for cardio between weightlifting segments

Diet:
Missed breakfast

Salad w/ tuna, walnuts, and vinegarette dressing
low-fat milk
orange

Salad w/ walnuts and vinegarette dressing
Two turkey burger patties
low-fat milk
diced cantalope

I may eat a meal later today as well as whey protein

I eat pretty much the same thing everyday.

Instead of running for the cardio portion today, I used the stair climber and biked.

Man, I gotta get into a good routine.

Dec 23

Leg day. Ran for the 20 minutes cardio and biked for the 10 minutes.

Still on the same program. I haven't been documenting it because it's not really a program where you improve in weights or times. You just do it.

Just finished Week 2 of 3 (8 training sessions done). I haven't gotten the advertised results but they seemed a little unlikely for only about 8 hours of work spread over 2 weeks. Only 4 more hours to go next week and it's onto a different program.

I weigh the same (187lbs; 84.8kg) since I started:









What do you think?

I can give my thoughts on this program if anyone's interested.

The difference is not large, but noticeable. I'd say that you are on a good way.

Give your thoughts.

I agree with John. The program you are on seems to be working

I actually had to make a last minute trip to Bulgaria this week until the weekend so I haven't fleshed out my next routine but I can't afford to not PT while I figure out what I do.

The last 3 weeks were intense but not really anything you gain muscle doing so I did a foundation building session today. Light but getting back into the strength building.

7 JAN

All 1:30 rest except 2:00 rest for pullups:

Squat 135x5 155x5 175x5 195x5
Press 65x5 85x5 105x5
Wide pullups 12, 10, 8
Bench 115x5 135x5 155x5
Alternating curls 25x10 30x8 30x5 (failure)

8 Jan

Cindy
20 minutes as many rounds as possible: 5 (neutral-grip) pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats
20 rounds + 5 pullups + 10 pushups

Done in boots and utes.

10 JAN

All 1:30 rest except 2:00 rest for pullups:

Squat 155x5 155x5 155x5
Press 85x5 85x5 85x5
Bench 135x5 135x5 135x5
Wide pullups 20, 14, 10

Very easy but that's okay for building a foundation

I would add some rowing for cardio if you have access to a rowing machine. Just don't do it before any back or forearm workouts because if you row correctly those will be kinda jelly for an hour, due to the repetetive nature of the motion.

I am deployed and we don't have a rower. I will be running for cardio.

Honestly, I never had issues with the arms from the rower. The power in the row should come from the legs, especially the quadriceps. If your arms are jelly from rowing, you're not using your legs as the primary mover.

It depends on if you're doing a full sprint stroke or just a cardio workout. I spent some time with the UGA crew team, and they explained the different types of stroke they use. The sprint stroke is where you pull from the base of the back of the person in front of you, or the start of the rope/chain of the machine, and pull up to about three inches underneath your chin, and two inches from your neck/collarbone. In a crew mentality, this gives you a short burst of speed for a few hundred meters. I do sprints on a rowing machine, at about 1:50 per 500 meters at double water resistance, 10x with two minutes rest. I know this pull isn't standard, and the crew members I was talking to said they've only ever seen Texas a&m also use it.

The issue is that the last five inches of pull end up only using your forearms, and that when you use only your forearms, you end up unable to continue for very long. The crew captain here attributes more than a few of their lady minute wins to it.

13 Jan

3 mile easy run (24:10)

14 JAN

All 1:30 rest including pullups:

Squat 155x5 175x5 195x5
Press 85x5 95x5 105x5
Bench 135x5 145x5 155x5
Wide pullups (max sets) 21, 12, 9

Done in boots and utes

[This message has been edited by Al_Kharn the Great (edited 01-14-2015 @ 11:26 AM).]