CoreCommit to Exercise - Round 5: Oct 29 to Dec 30

[Rumbas]

I'm deff up for round 5.

I'm also doing pretty good and seen some changes. Body weight slowly comming down and I've become better at controling my diet without it being everything I think off. I could've shredded a lot more fat but I like the slow way and to put on some muscle too.
I love to lift weights these days and really enjoy going to the gym with my training partner. The increase in strength is highly motivating.

[Drastic]

In again.

I have a lot of excuses for last round, but I've just been lazy. I seem to do better when there's cash riding on it.

Time to recommit.

[Chunkford]

Yep been flaking, can't be arse really, there's always something better to do, and with the dark night drawing in and the crap weather I would much rather be in front of the TV with a warm cup of coco.

So no excuse really apart from letting myself down

On the plus note I haven't gained any weight so the stone I lost has stayed off

I'm up for the next round, same as last time. Could do with a more coming off before xmas comes.
Will have to change my routine tho and try and do some exercise in the morning rather than in the evening.

Anyone seen this app, looks hilarious and one of those 'why didn't I think of that' moments - https://www.zombiesrungame.com/

EDIT: BTW, it's half price at the mo on Andriod, not sure about the App Store or Windows Phone

[ergophobe]

How you all doing?  ...  Tell us about your obstacles and victories. 

All right... more detail than anyone probably wants, but...

For me, this commitment and knowing I have to check in results in, on average, one extra day of exercise per week, but sometimes two. After coming in dead last in the first round, I was determined not to let that happen in the second round. Result: on Sunday night I was due to meet a friend for a drink and return his chalet key and I ran about 5-6 miles across Geneva in the dark at about 9-10 pm. It also means that if my wife wants to say watch a movie and I haven't met my 4 for the week, she accepts that this is a commitment, rather than something I sort of "feel" like doing. Even though, of course, I do feel like doing it.

It sounds like a little, but I think it's tipped the balance in a good way.


Biggest success: I ran the Mist Trail in 40:11. About a year ago this was taking me 50+

Second biggest success: I have *never* been able to do those damn ab wheel things. The other day, I popped of 12 reps like it was nothing. I think it's from doing overhead squats, but also just from being consistent.

Most of you would think of me as thin, but I had been watching percentage bodyfat creep up and muscle mass creep down. At my fittest, I was 148 pounds and 6% bodyfat. When this started, I was 145 pounds, but 17% bodyfat.

So now I'm down to about 133 pounds and maybe 12% bodyfat or so (this is measured with a handheld impedance measure). So I've lost a fair bit of fat, but the muscle mass is really slow to come back.

When we started all this, I remember walking by the mirror and thinking my arms looked like they belonged on a twelve year old girl. Now at least there's some definition there and I'm getting a decent six-pack. In truth though, I couldn't care less about that. If my arms looked like a twelve year old girl and I could do over 20 pullups as well as six pullups with 50% of my bodyweight on a weight belt (which I could do 25 years ago), I wouldn't give a damn what my arms looked like.

So like muscle mass, strength is still lacking. My back fracture in March set me back a bunch and I'm still only deadlifting 185# (so about 140% of bodyweight, which is about 60% less than I'd like). Part of the problem is that I love running and hiking and those are both muscle-wasting activities, but it's so hard to pass on them for the summer. I'm hoping to put on some weight/strength this winter, but we'll see. I'm always hoping for that.

[ergophobe]

I seem to do better when there's cash riding on it.

I found the cash just didn't make any difference to me - $20 isn't a big motivator.

What I have done in the rest of my life during some periods is make up a weekly list of things I want to do. It might be dinner and a movie with my wife. It might be a house project. It might be getting some "work" done. If I succeed, $50 goes into a fund for the current frivolous toy of my dreams - something I don't really need and won't really buy if I had to just pull money from my "general fund" as it were. If I fail, $250 comes out of my fun fund. I find the 5:1 penalty:reward ratio really focuses the mind.

The cool thing about this that I
1. get more done.
2. get the things that actually matter done
3. have more free time

1 and 2 are probably obvious, but 3 might be a surprise. The thing is, once I'm done with my list, I'm done. I'm free. It's free time, not guilt time. Works for me

The long version of this is here: http://raisedbyturtles.org/make-slacking-hurt/

[littleman]

Ergophobe, I could only dream of doing pullups with 50% of my bodyweight attached -- that's very impressive at any age.

>cash

Who wants in on betting this time?

Here's who we have so far for round 5:
Rumbas
Drastic
Chunkford
ergophobe
littleman

I'd like to start next week and go through the end of the year.

[Rumbas]

Agreed, let's kick off a new round next week.

> $20 isn't a big motivator

Same here, but coming last or only logging say 50% of my commit is highly motivating. However lifting heavier and seeing the scale go down does it for me. Furthermore I'm following a couple of trainers and strenght coaches online whom I think is pretty no-bs. That's motivating too.
Fx. I'm going to try and pull 160kg in deadlift this weekend and I'm pretty confident that I'll do it.

>pullups with 50% of my bodyweight attached

Hot damn, yes! I can do them.. with 30-40% body in assisted weight! Damn.

My main goal for 2012 was to go below 100kg in body weight and still increase strenght. I think I'll hit that before X-mas.

[Drastic]

> $20 isn't a big motivator

It's not the actual cash, but competition for winning it. But no big deal either way, I'm getting off my bum next round.

[nffc]

OK I'm in again if you will have me, can't do any worse. Where do we send the money?

[littleman]

There was no money on the line in the last round.  In the past we just had an optional pot for those who wanted to wager - $20/person.  In the event of a tie the pot is split.

[Drastic]

Yeah the money is no biggie, don't sweat it, let's just do it.

Starting back this week?

[littleman]

Lets go from Oct 29 to Dec 30, that will be 9 weeks and bring us right up against the new year.  Weeks start on Monday and end on Sunday, like we been doing.

[eljefe3]

6/6 for the week, taking today ( Sunday) off, heading to the beach and having sunset beers while admiring all the tourists visiting from Russia.

I'm in for the next round.

[Rumbas]

4/3
Great week, but tough on the old body.

[littleman]

Nice to see you all working out this week too, I did my usual 4/4.