Brett's Group - FULL

Brett-

Like to join your group.  The attraction was the original and clever screen name.  That and the comments you made about strength training...that is where I need the most help in advice and motivation.  Well, maybe the running and biking and swimming things as well....

My name is Jim.  I am a 46 year old Texan who moved to Northern California when I was 7.  Never got over the fact that kids can be so cruel to someone with an accent.  Anyway, I am a newbie of the highest order.  I joined BT in September after I signed up for my first sprint triathlon in May 2007.  I have always wanted to experience this type of racing (after watching the IM when I was much younger) but I am not much of a runner, or a swimmer or a biker....hence my hesitance.  I ran my first 3-mile organized race last Saturday and had a blast.  Ready for more.  I have signed up for a variety of 5K and a duathalon in February as training races for the May tri.  I am currently following the duathalon training program offered on BT and then plan to switch to one of the 12-week tri programs once i finish in February.  I took the TI workshop just before Thanksgiving and haven't gotten back in the pool since (which I find very weird).  Another thing I haven't been doing is strength training.  Here is where i need some help.  I just know that I would be much better off, training wise and weight wise if I had a stronger core and more muscle mass.  advice on weight training routines and MOST IMPORTANTLY gentle to harsh motivational input to help me accomplish my goal of making strength training a regular part of my routine would be most appreciated.

As for weight, it has been a struggle for the past 25 years.  I love to eat.  I am 5'7" and at my top weight on August 15, 2006 I was 211.6.  Scared me to death.  I am now at 190.4 and have lost weight by regular exercise (supported by the BT training programs) and slowly moving to a better diet.

I am ex-married with two great kids (9 and 13-year old girls) and work as a geologist in the environmental field.  That's me in a nutshell.

Thanks in advance if you choose to team up.  BTW, I am pretty good with constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to tell me the cold hard truth.

Jim 

Welcome to my first two members in what I'm sure if nothing else will be the physically strongest mentor-group.  Sounds like both of you are off to good starts (and after my own heart in the strength training department).

Currently I'm on the road and won't be on quite as often as I like, but I'll be back in force right after the new year and we'll get going like gangbusters then.  For now, make sure you're starting to get in the habit of logging all your physical activities (I've been terrible about it over the last month or so since it's the off season) so that we can cheer on/harass each other as necessary.

I'll try and shoot you each PMs in the next week to get better aquainted.  Welcome again and I'm looking forward to an exciting, productive year.

bts 

As seems to be the trend here, the weight lifting aspect of this group caught my attention. Anyway, here's a little bit about me:

As you might imagine, my name is Dan. I'm 27 years old, married with a black lab and no kids (yet). About a year ago, on a routine doctor's appointment (one I had put off for about 5 years), I found out my blood pressure was in the higher region, as was my weight - I was about 260lbs then. Not too high to be of super concern, but high enough that the doc wanted me to pay attention to it. Given my family's propensity for heart disease, I decided to do something about it. I started running and biking and found that I really liked it. Just a little filler here - I grew up playing football, a lineman infact. So, I'm no stranger to weightlifting. Actually, I've been lifting in some form or another for the last 12 years or so. Up until about a year ago (when I got the news about my blood pressure), I was really big into powerlifting. I was benching 300+, squatting in the 400s and deadlifting almost 500. And, I was eating accordingly - tons of protein, green-leafy vegetables, low-GI carbs...the whole nine yards. I put on 20 lbs of muscle in roughly a two year span while maintaining about a 12% BF level.

Long story short, after my visitit to the doc, I cut down on the heavy lifting, started eating a bit cleaner (less red meat, less sodium, a bit higher carb intake for my training regime needs) and I trained to the point where I ran a 5K and a off-road duathlon last spring. I started a new job in May and that, along with some knee issues made me get off my running/biking kick. I have, however, been hitting the gym pretty regularly (2-3x per week) with some coworkers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, I've gotten back into that heavy lifting mentality. My diet, however, has gone into the gutter as I've been using the excuse that I'm too busy with "life." I really need to get my butt back in gear and start doing more cardio work as well as eating better.

My current stats are:

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 260 lbs (yep, I crept back up there, but I'm not nearly as 'fat' as I was before - there's more muscle here now)

I'm pretty consistent at logging here and have found that I work best when I have to be accountable to someone. My goals are to get back down to the 225lbs range and to compete in a few 5K races this coming year. I might try and do that off-road race again that I did last year, however, that was a real ballbuster (excuse my French). I'm moving to an area that is more prone to having races, so I'll be better off!

I'm closing on a new home this Friday and moving during Christmas week, so I intend to start back on my road to fitness the first week of the New Year. I look forward to helping this working within this group!  Also, you'll notice that I do a few off-par activities...I'm a huge snowboarder and surfer (and tend to log my time doing those activities) and have also been getting more into geocaching (www.geocaching.com), so my walking/hiking times may start to rise...

Hey everyone, Jim here....

Looking for a good starting strength program to build core and extremities.  Is it possible to do the core thing without doing crunches or sit ups or any of those awful exercises that work your gut? (just kidding).  Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer was trying to get into shape so he had one of his kids hold a donut at the top of his sit-up motion...do a sit-up, take a bite, fall back to the floor.  My kind of core training but with pizza instead.....ummmm, pizza.

Feedback welcome and encouraged!

If you've got the room, I'd like to join yer group.  Me: 36 yr old dude, 165lbs, very active.  Been athletic all my life but have within the past 4 or 5 years I've turned it up quite a bit and feel that I'm in the best shape of my life.  I play volleyball and do yoga as well as lifting and getting back to tris  [the ex got me into them after she did the Danskin, did 3 the summer of '05].

Goals:

• bulk up a bit [used to lift weights a lot but haven't been to the gym in a year to lift]
• gain some weight
• complete several sprints this summer finishing with an oly
• use this forum as peer pressure motivation to get my lazy butt up and running

Weaknesses:

• the run

Thanks, Adam

Jim, I'm not quite sure if you are looking for a total workout or just a core workout. I'll go with the former as I'm sure a complete workout program doesn't hurt. Whenever I've been out of the gym for a while, I like to start with a 3-day/week program that I use for about 4 weeks. Basically, it goes like this:

Day 1 (Monday) - Push Day
Bench Press - 15, 12, 10, 8 (that's 15 reps in the 1st set, 12 reps in the 2nd set, etc...)
Incline Bench - 15, 12, 10
Cable Crossovers or Pec Deck - 15, 12, 10
Arnold Presses - 12, 10, 8
Front Raises - 12, 10, 8 --- I alternate these on a weekly basis with Side Raises
Tricep Rope Pushdowns - 15, 12, 10
Overhead Extensions - 15, 12, 10

Day 2 (Wednesday) - Pull Day
WG Pulldowns (or WG Pull-ups) - 15, 12, 10, 8
Seated Rows (handle type can vary) - 12, 10, 8
Deadlifts or Hyperextensions - 12, 10, 8
Standing Alternating DB Curls - 12, 10, 8
Preacher BB Curls - 12, 10, 8
Shrugs - 15, 12, 10 (personal preference)

Day 3 (Friday) - Legs
Squats - 15, 12, 10, 8
Leg Extension / Leg Curl Superset - 15, 12, 10
Calf Raises - 20, 20, 20, 20 (toes straight, in, out, straight)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 15, 12, 10

As far as abs go, I try to treat them as vegetable meaning that I try to use them in warm-ups (I have not been doing this lately, however). I'll usually walk on the treadmill or bike for 10 minutes and then do 3-5 different ab exercises making sure I hit my upper, lower, middle abs and my obliques.

If you've got any questions, let me know. You'll notice my rep scheme is pretty high...like I mentioned, it's a workout I use when I'm getting back into things. Sometimes I'll bring the reps down and the weight up or vice-versa.

Well poo, I hope I am not too late but I think I might be.  Just in case I will give it a shot.  I too was attracted by the weightlifting and the Cincy Connection.  In case Brett is making exceptions I will give my info and wait to hear back.

I am 35 years old and completing my first full year of tri's.  I did 4 tri's this year, 1 du, and three run races.  I have been a BT member for a little over a year now.  In the past 19 months I have dropped 77 pounds and am alsways working towards better health.  I do some kind of workout 6 days a week and sometimes 7.  This will vary between weights, bike, run, swim, or other cardio exercise.  I feel like crap if I do not do something in a day and have to force myself to take days off.  My backgroud has been in physical sports and mainly football.  I played at Ohio State and was an offensive lineman.  So the transition to endurance sports has been tough, educational, humbling, and incredible all at the same time.  I live on the north side of Cincy so I felt like this group would be a natural fit since we could meet up at a few races and support each other.  Looking forward to hearing back, and if I do nto make it then that is the brakes for being slow on the uptake. 

 Good luck to all and have a great holiday.

Big Dan-

Thanks!  Where can I get some info on what some of these exercises look like.  Never heard of some but thought I might just google them and see what I get. 

I actually changed the group status to 'full' as there has been a lot of action here and I noticed that he posted earlier that he won't be on a lot till the new year.  If he wants to take everyone, that's totally fine.

"Currently I'm on the road and won't be on quite as often as I like, but I'll be back in force right after the new year and we'll get going like gangbusters then." - Brett

Wow, this got full in a hurry.  Anyone who got in before Ron posted I'll be happy to take on and support to the fullest. 

I'm just popped my head in (I'm at the in-laws), but I'll be back come this weekend to help with NY resolutions and starting to wind down the off-season (depending on the latitude you're at).

Remember, start putting your workouts in the logs to get in that habit.

bts

Okay group-

I am going to implement Big Dan's push-pull-legs routine starting today.  Being a Wednesday, I assume that starting in the middle is no big deal.  I give everyone permission to glance at my log tomorrow and give me total royal sh*t if there isn 't a log for strength training today.

Cheers!

Jim