Getting into shape

[JCShutout]

I've lost weight without really counting calories or anything, (in fact, I still eat pretty large portions whenever I'm hungry) just by eating paleo. Only meat, fruits and veggies, nuts, etc. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-b ... z3yJdtMBG3 has info on it.

The only downside is you do basically have to commit time to cook. Aside from Taekwondo, cooking is basically my second hobby, but then again, I'm able to enjoy the free time I do have because I can move and be active.

[Radbird]

[jim]

Difficult to look down, difficult to turn head to the right. Feels worse today. Doctors appt. Friday.

This absolutely sucks.

[Freed Roger]

Difficult to look down, difficult to turn head to the right. Feels worse today. Doctors appt. Friday.

This absolutely sucks.

That blows. Good luck. is the Cancun fitness challenge called off?

As I follow the exercise science [expletive] from the running angle -there are a lot of proponents of an annual scheduled break (1 month?) from your normal workout routine. You still aim to stay active in the non-workout sense - but explore other options mentally & physically. Schedule the break, or something will happen to make you take a break.

I should have heeded what I read. situation still improving.

[jim]

I'll do what I can - mile time and weight. Pullups and burpees are out for me.

Rest is good, I suck at incorporating that into my routine.

[JCShutout]

So, major breakthroughs. Are they normal in strength training? Because this shocked me in an awesome way.

One of the exercises I started with were knee tucks. (on a bench, lean back to 45 degrees, legs off the ground, lift up to 6-8" from chest, then lower back down - don't kick out like GIS indicates) Supposed to work the stomach and hip and all that. When I started in late Nov, I was barely able to do sets of 10, 8 and 7 reps. I actually joked with my wife that my whole life I had been walking around without actual stomach muscles. Just organs floating in jello. My stomach burned after each workout. Each week I was able to add 1-4 reps per set.

Last week, I was up to 29, 24 and 22. This week, I did 40, 40 and 34. (3 sets of 40 means I move onto another exercise) I wasn't even very tired after the first two sets, and only had to stop shy of 40 on the third because my hip wasn't quite up to par, not my stomach, which I could feel the muscles working, but was never overtaxed. I even had my wife watch youtube clips of proper form, and watch the 2nd half of my second set, and she said I was more stable than the guy in the video. Plus today, my stomach feels like it had a nice workout, but isn't overly sore or anything, despite something like 50% more taxing work.

So I don't know what the heck that was. I had been progressing slowly but steadily, but suddenly was able to make a pretty huge jump. Is that normal in a lot of strength training?

[jim]

At my age a major breaktrhough is waking up the next morning after a new workout without a new injury.

But yeah I think that happens. That's pretty extreme, but probably a combo of improved fitness + improved technique = everything clicks at once. It's like that saying about hitting a rock - you know you hit it a thousand times and it doesn't crack but then you swing again and the hammer breaks or something like that.

I'm seeing a little of that with my mile sprint times - I never trained for that and now that I am I'm shocked that I'm actually improving something. I thought maintenance was an accomplishment at my age.

Well done though. More motivation to keep at it.

[jim]

Tough week, dealing with a nasty cold and the neck injury continues. Despite having a lung full of snot, I shaved :03 off of my mile time this a.m. - 7:03. I'm certain I will break 7. I'm not a runner, never have been, and I'm actually shocked I'm going to pull this off. Weighed in at 199 today, which is really about where I want to be. 190 was my HS baseball playing weight.

Neck pain continues. It was so bad this week I couldn't move. There are two things going on - the new thing where if I droop my shoulder I feel a dull throbbing pain in the back of my skull. It's not a headache, because it goes away as soon as I readjust the muscle. I believe the pain I am feeling is in the occipital muscle of the skull. This has been going on to some degree for a couple of months now. Second thing is something I have been dealing with since my 20's - a sharp pain in the side of the neck that is damn near debilitating. I strained a muscle many years ago lifting one morning, and ever since then I get flare ups. Here is the weird thing - often, maybe even usually I would say, these flareups happen right before I get sick. Sure enough, last Friday I get this knife in the side of the neck pain and then Sunday the sniffles and by Tuesday I'm coughing and hacking and just completely on my ass. Now I'm on the backside of that, not feeling great but getting better, and that knife in the side of the neck pain has subsided. The good news I think is that it sure seems all muscular to me - no tingling sensation, no pain shooting down the arm or leg.

Going to the doctor this afternoon to see what the hell is happening with the neck.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Sprained the ever living [expletive] out of my ankle playing basketball on Wednesday. It hasn't even fully bruised yet, it's still getting purple in new places and it's at least twice the size of my other non-injured ankle. But, it's happened so many times it doesn't even hurt anymore. Tough to rest knowing that if I wanted....I could run/jump/whatever.

[haltz]

I'm at 210 from 225ish and I didn't do anything. I think I'm going slightly easy on portions in my old age because I was starting to feel like I was experiencing food hangovers or something.