Work it on out! (the physical training thread)

As a kid I had a McNugget, cake, and cola filled diet. Sure every now and then I'd have something green, but not often. However, I was such an active child that by some miracle I wasn't morbidly obese as I really should have been. I was never skinny, but you wouldn't have said I had a weight problem. My physical shape was geared for a football players build.

Well that lasted up until high school. My diet didn't change and I became increasingly less physically active. The internet really didn't help me. In the apartment I lived in, I didn't have any full length mirrors (not intentionally) and while my wardrobe size increased, I never truly noticed my weight gain. So 2 years removed from high school I finally noticed how big I had gotten after stepping on a scale and looking at 275lbs. I was now closer to 300lbs than 200lbs. This scared me.

So in the spring of 2003 I began walking. I also cut cola out of my daily diet and replaced it with water. By the spring of 2004 I had lost 75lbs. Naturally in my over-confidence I slowed my walking down and just kept up my new eating habits. Or at least for another year or two.

Then I went to college and the weight gain was once again off to the races. Not only this, but my drinking habit completely morphed from a casual beer to a party or two a week. The freedom of a 24/7 baskin robbins only 1 minute from my apartment is something I took full advantage of. Every 15lbs I gained I would say "its okay, you know you can lose it. Just start exercising again next week, but first enjoy this quesadilla from taco bell." By 2008 I was up to 285lbs. Not only had I gained all of my weight back, but I added 10 more pounds for good measure.

It literally crept back on me over years. However in March of this year I once again changed my diet and began exercising. But this time I've added more muscle building workouts into my routine. So right now I have some muscle mass and am about 250lbs. I hope to lose another 25lbs by the start of winter. Then if all goes well, by the start of next summer I'll be in the best shape of my life at around 200lbs including a more defined shape. I know I can do it. I now know what not to do when I finally lose it again.


p.s. The chase music in Midnight Express by Giorgio Moroder is great for treadmill work. lol


Also, one great motivator at the moment is watching my best friend, who was always in such great physical shape, now consistantly gaining weight. If he keeps packing on the pounds, by next summer I can be lighter and in better physical shape than him for the first time since junior high.

I jogged 5 km today. I thought I was going to die.

As I have the stamina of a 86-year-old geriatric, it took me appr. 40 minutes (including three brief walking stretches).

When jogging I can do about 4 miles in 40 minutes. I don't know if that's considered quick?

Hehe. It would take me that long too. My friend was trying to persuade me to take part in a 5km "race" (to raise money for charity) as a way of motivating me to keep on going to the gym. I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but I'm still going to the gym nearly every day. Pretty amazed by myself for keeping it up!

About 7.

It's very good indeed! Keep it up!

This weeks running totals: 18.33 miles in 3 hours 46 minutes.

I am in awe of anyone who can run 18 miles. That's amazing, Anthony!

My daughter (our second child) was born in June and the workouts I had been doing about 5 days a week just stopped for a while. It took a pretty intensive new weightlifting program that my brother got into to get me back to the gym. I've been doing that now for about 2 1/2 months, and it's been awesome. It's high weight/low rep, 6 days a week, and focuses on only one muscle group per day. I'm really gratified to see my strength improving, and muscle definition and size. I need to add some running into this now. Before my Madeleine was born I could run 2 miles somewhat comfortably, but I ran 1/2 a mile the other day and it nearly killed me.

Anthony, that's very impressive! How do you do it?

I don't know. The fat bastard that I was obviously has a slightly less-fat bastard inside of me.

The first two to three miles are usually the hardest. I'll often get cramps in my left leg (even after stretching beforehand) but they wear off over time. I keep a steady pace of 4-5mph and go slower on the hills.

The last couple of miles are always the easiest (I'm not sure why). You hit a point where you stop feeling worn out and I find I can keep going until my leg starts aching again or the souls of my feet are starting to hurt.

I just finished another 6.5 miles tonight but I feel could have kept going (the only reason I stopped was because I was going for an hour twenty minutes and started getting bored).

I don't stop during my runs and I only drink when I've finished. It's very weird to not feel out of breath after finishing, or even having an accelerated heart rate.

Afterwards however I get a huge craving for food so I'll often snack a little ( ) and if I go in the evenings I'll often feel worn out about an hour after stopping (I'm dead tired right now).

You're crazy. I couldn't run that much if my life depended on it. FAR too serious work-out for what I even ASPIRE to do once I get back in the groove. But good for you, Anthony.

Mon - Chest
Tues - Legs
Wed - Back
Thurs - Shoulders
Fri - Triceps
Sat - Biceps

It's a great little program. I got it from my brother, who got it by working out with one of the football players on BYU's football team, who says he got it from a professional football player. American football, that is.