[the chef]

work on qigong more often. stretch daily. put in more miles for road work (fucking shin splints smh).

[The Lizard of Oz]

(12-29-2013 04:36 PM)the chef Wrote:  

work on qigong more often. stretch daily. put in more miles for road work (fucking shin splints smh).

If you want to prevent shin splints, you should start doing shin curls, an underused exercise. The guy in the video is using a dumbbell, but in this case it's even better to use a machine. Get on the machine that is used for hamstring curls, but instead of lying face down, sit straight facing the other direction, get your feet under the lever, and curl using your anterior tibialis muscles (your shins). Go for long sets (20-30 reps) with light weight and very strict form. It's going to burn the hell out of the muscle and it will leave you with healthy and supple shins. People never train the anterior tibialis muscle and that's one of the reasons it tends to get injured in other activities (like running).

Here's the demo with a dumbbell:

[Combored]

(12-22-2013 06:06 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

I thought it would be good to make a thread in which guys can post their #1, top priority fitness goal for the coming year. Then you can check on progress towards the goal as the year goes on and report back at the end of the year or whenever you achieve it.

Two rules:

1. This is just for a single goal -- the one that you consider most important. We all have a number of goals in mind but I think it's useful to force yourself to reflect for a bit and decide which one is the #1 priority. Then you can make sure that if nothing else, you will do what it takes to achieve that one goal. I often see guys say they want to accomplish ten different things, then get overwhelmed or discouraged halfway through and end up not getting anything done.

2. The goal should be difficult but doable. There's no point in saying that you want to do a set of 10 below parallel squats with 600 lbs because it's probably not going to happen. There's also no point in saying that your goal for the year is something you can achieve in a week. It should be something that you can do but that will take some real effort and discipline. And it should be the thing that takes effort and discipline that you think you can gain the most benefit from.

I'll start:

My #1 fitness goal for 2014 is to become much more flexible.

I'm reasonably strong for a weekend warrior, but what is preventing me from getting even stronger is that I have very little flexibility. My musculature is dense and tight. So as I try to break through various barriers, the main thing that's stopping me is little tweaks and minor injuries I get from not having enough flexibility.

This is something I can definitely achieve, but it will take some discipline, because unlike weightlifting, stretching is not something I naturally enjoy -- I find it pretty dull and boring, and it's always annoying to have to add one more thing to your day when it's not something that you are very into (at least initially). But I believe that the benefits of gaining greater flexibility will be disproportionate for me, and in time I might also learn to enjoy the process. So I'm committed to it as my #1 fitness goal for 2014.

Your turn.

If you have the time and money, you could try gimnastic classes? is a good way to make it less boring also you can meet girls on the way, the plus is that girls attending those classes are not fat and the ratio male-female is on your favor.

[The Lizard of Oz]

That's a good suggestion, thanks. Probably wouldn't work out time-wise but I'll consider it. Nice pic...

[bacan]

http://dangerandplay.com/2013/12/23/from-fit-to-big/

This is making me think I should try and just get more and more muscular.

[Combored]

(12-30-2013 10:17 PM)bacan Wrote:  

http://dangerandplay.com/2013/12/23/from-fit-to-big/

This is making me think I should try and just get more and more muscular.

http://www.returnofkings.com/2166/all-gi...cular-guys

[artur jedi]

1 hand pullup. 4 reps each hand.
good level in Muay Thai + learn how to disarm violent opponent with a knife/broken bottle etc.

[ElJefe]

I really get Danger & Play's Post. I agree totally.

I've got some size, and am now back at benching 265 for reps, but I've got 3-5 months more work before I reach my strength goals.

Goal as of this moment:

5 reps for

225 OH-Press
315 Bench
405 Squat
495 Deadlift

Abs of granite
Improve form in all exercises.
Improve cardiovascular fitness.
Improve mobility.

[theking]

recomp from 210 at approx. 15% body fat to around 200 at 8% (height 6'2). Gonna kickstart it with some tren ace in several days and throw in some t3 if things are stalling after a couple months. Would really like this to be the year I achieve a really solid physique as I've been kinda off and on the last several years.

I'm also going to be focusing on improving my posture as I believe that plays a very large part in how one looks

[Maciano]

3x5 muscle-ups, clean

I'm not happy with my form yet.

[tbone46]

Get down to a hydro-measured body fat of 11% and stay there without losing any strength in my lifts. Right now I am at 13,7% so definitely doable but I find dropping BF to be very hard.

[redpillrage33]

Get a score of 100 points in the US Marine Corps. fitness test (I'm not actually in any military).

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marines/l/blfitmale.htm

This is going to be HARD. I can already do the 100 crunches in 2 min, but before the end of December I'll have to pick up 15 more pull-ups. That will be challenging.

Also, I can do one 6 minute mile, but you have to be able to do three back-to-back-to-back to get the 3 miles in 18 min. Also quite challenging for me.

Probably won't get there, but I wanted to pick an overly ambitious goal. Also any gains made will be to my overall improved fitness.

[Remington]

(01-02-2014 03:21 PM)redpillrage33 Wrote:  

This is going to be HARD. I can already do the 100 crunches in 2 min, but before the end of December I'll have to pick up 15 more pull-ups. That will be challenging.

Also, I can do one 6 minute mile, but you have to be able to do three back-to-back-to-back to get the 3 miles in 18 min. Also quite challenging for me.

Probably won't get there, but I wanted to pick an overly ambitious goal. Also any gains made will be to my overall improved fitness.

Not with that attitude. Your goals are ambitious, BUT, they are attainable. Just need to maintain discipline and keep a positive attitude. Hell, you may accomplish those goals quicker than you think.

My lifting goals for 2014 is to bench press at least 1.5x my body weight, Front squat (with proper technique) 1.5x my body weight, and put on 20lbs.

[redpillrage33]

^ Your faith is appreciated Remington. God knows I'm going to try very hard.

Also, looking into the matter, the USMC allows either pull-ups OR chin-ups for the "pull-up" segment. This is a bit strange to me as 99 out of 100 people will find chin-ups easier. For example, I can do 9 chin-ups with proper form vs. 5 pull-ups. I will continue to train both, but for the end of the year I suspect I will do chin-ups to get my maximum score. Makes things a bit easier too.

[Kid Strangelove]

two goals:

1. I want to be able to do every Crossfit movement

2. I want to get my powerlifting total over 1000 lbs. It's currently at 965. My bench press is my biggest weakness

[Remington]

(01-03-2014 07:45 PM)Kid Strangelove Wrote:  

two goals:

1. I want to be able to do every Crossfit movement

2. I want to get my powerlifting total over 1000 lbs. It's currently at 965. My bench press is my biggest weakness

Strengthen your rotator cuff and watch your bench skyrocket.

[BasketBounce]

Despite atypical jumping ability, I can't do a pistol. I struggle with squatting past a certain point.

So my goal this year is to be able to do a fucking pistol.

I'm travelling for the first half of this year, and I won't be in countries that have weights. Gonna try and go ham with calisthenics. My goal at this point is to do full body calisthenics 3-4 times a week for a full month.

I've made a decent amount of changes this year already. The shift to really working out and pushing myself is one I have always struggled with; hopefully my success in other areas will allow me to finally carry out the changes I have wanted to make.

Good luck everyone.

[Hannibal]

Open a door and grab onto the doorhandle, using it to guide you down into the hole for a one legged squat and to assist you in completing the one legged squat. Once you get a feel for the balance aspect, practice descending on one leg and ascending on two. You should get a pistol after a month or so of doing those if you have a good base of leg strength.

[BasketBounce]

Hannibal - thanks for the advice.

Tried to do the pistol again today; i was able to do one, but only using my dominant leg. I guess I was just bullshitin last night. It really is a killer exercise!

[Shooter]

Deadlift: 400lbs (1RM)
Current: 365lbs (1RM)

Gain Weight: 135-140 <10% BF
Current: 132 <15% BF

Need to stay consistent in the gym and pick the right foods at all times. Delay instant gratification for the long term.

[MidniteSpecial]

To fix my current aerobic deficiency.

Will be jogging 5 times a week at a heart rate of 130-140 beats per minutes and get tested in a month. Also going to take a break from lifting in that time.

Went way to long in an anaerobic surplus and it was causing me all types of problems.

[Statsi]

My goal is to do 25 pull ups in a row, they are by far my weakest exercise.

For those guys aiming for lowering their body fat, I cannot recommend becoming paleo and taking up social dance as a hobby enough. The difference in motivation between doing cardio to look good so you can get girls, and doing cardio while hitting on girls is incredible. I'm actually looking to gain weight this year due to the fat I've lost over the last 6 months being paleo.

[Iceberg]

Goals by Jan 2015:

Deadlift: 315x1
Squat: 275x1
Bench: 225x1

Sub-6 minute mile.
8 weighted dips.
8 weighted pullups.

Make it through this routine for 20 days:
http://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-s...ll-workout

[WanderingSoul]

(01-04-2014 11:57 PM)Iceberg Wrote:  

Goals by Jan 2015:

Deadlift: 315x1
Squat: 275x1
Bench: 225x1

Sub-6 minute mile.
8 weighted dips.
8 weighted pullups.

Make it through this routine for 20 days:
http://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-s...ll-workout

Just blew my fuckin mind that next year will be 2015. Didn't even realize until I saw this.

[RockHard]

(12-22-2013 07:26 PM)bigxxx Wrote:  

Get rid of belly fat!

Body fat % is low 20's right now....would like to be around 15. I think at the point the mid section would be flat.

It's going in the right direction, just have to keep at it.

You and me both. I'm probably more like 25 BMI. I've always been skinny, over the last year I started Stronglifts / Starting Strength and gained 15 lbs. Mostly in the legs - jeans are tough to fit now. I still have a 34 waist but most jeans bind in the legs. But I have that damn middle aged belly fat and I've decided this is the year it goes. I've got a good nutrition tracker and I'm going to try first to stick to a 2K cal diet and then work on my macros if that doesn't show results. Anybody have success losing the spare tire? Any tips are appreciated.

6' tall, 200 lbs. Think that if I get back to 185 while retaining my current strength I'll be looking much better.

Lifting goals (I'm currently working at lower weights than my PR because I lost some ground over the holidays due to schedule and an injury)
Lifting current PR (5 reps) / 2014 goal
Squat: 265 / 315
Bench: 190 / 225
Deadlift: 285 / 405
OH Press: 115 / 145