Time to join the ranks of H&F with my very own log.

Got serious about working out a couple of years ago. Worked out with a personal trainer who was 100% into crossfit. I went from barely weighing 150 lbs to 170 over a year or so (5’11” fwiw). This alone happened quite rapidly, so much that some friends I hadn’t seen for months remarked “…I don’t remember you being this built…” Now you can see from the below videos that I'm far from roided out, but I began as a fairly skinny dude, so the difference was immediately apparent.

Then I got a new PT who was built like a ****ing tank, and he got me into a mix of crossfit and weight training. He showed me some new stuff, then I discontinued paying for a PT. Over the last year I've increased from 170 and now hover around 187.

I am looking into different strength training programs, but for now have my own routine where I frequent the gym four times a week. Two days are weight training, other two days are crossfit/bodyweight exercises. Sometimes a crossfit day means something as simple as me beating the **** out of the heavy punching bag with focus on endurance reps mixed with strength and form isolation.

I got onto a 5x5 routine with weights, adding 2.5 lbs every week and saw significant gains, but I recently reversed and restarted with lower weights after GGO gave me some much needed form corrections. Now building back up. Definitely see the temptation that overwhelms bros to increase weight at the cost of good form.

Bodyweight exercises include things like the following vids.



Yah, I am a scared man still lifting next to the wall, but I’m not yet stabilized enough to not fear falling in the wrong direction. As you can see on my first lift, I fall into the wall and use it to reposition myself. My goal is to get to where I can go from my elbows, lift into a handstand, drop back onto my elbows, lift, repeat.

I'm also practicing handstands in general, which is the main reason you see me holding the lift, though I've noticed how much of an arm workout holding the lift turns into.



I’m only now training for muscle-ups. Can’t do them at present. I am looking at tip videos. My goal with the rings is to transition from a muscle-up to the exercise in the video. Muscle-up, drop, ab rotation, return, muscle-up, repeat.

The gym rings in general are so ****ing fun that it’s no worry how hard the exercises are. I came across the below video and will slowly incorporate them into my usual routine. A lot of them are simple but add to my concentration on body control exercises.



I also recently found a sparring buddy so plan to occasionally post videos of him teaching me kickboxing and me teaching him weapons forms or kung fu. When I say teaching, I mean the post-session sparring where we go after each other Fight Club style.

All feedback is of course welcome.

3/14/13

Crossfit day. I assume even the bros here who despise crossfit know that in a crossfit routine you only stop between exercises/sets the amount of time it takes for you to set up the next exercise/stop puking.

Routine:
Run quarter mile at 10.0mph.
12 pull-ups
21 kettle bell swings (two-handed), or 11 each side (one-handed)
Repeat 3x

Then I did the exercises from the above videos.

Routine:
3 elbow-to-handstands
5 gym ring ab rotations
Repeat 3x

3/15/13
Another crossfit day.

Squatx20 holding weighted barbell above head (55 lbs for me)
30 pushups
Repeatx3

Switched to the heavy punching bag, a mixture of punches then dropping and doing ten pushups for five rounds.

Then weighted ball throws. Sit on a bouncy ball, hold a weighted ball over your head. Roll back, roll forward, use your abs to generate the throw, keep your arms still. 10 reps, 3 sets. Between each set, I practiced handstands.

3/16/12

Please forgive my puny squat and deadlift weight. It's my first time doing these exercises with free weights. Felt like I could do more weight, but I didn't want to hurt myself before I teach myself good form.

Warmed up on the heavy punching bag, a mixture of constant explosive forward punches and boxing jabs.

I also asked my old PT to show me tips on muscle-ups. This guy jumps on the gym rings and does them from a stationary position. WTF. He corrected my form, starting with false grips. Hopefully it won't take me a month to complete my first motion.

Workout

Bench
175x10
185x8
195x6
200x5
200x5

Curls
50x8
55x6
60x5
60x5
60x5

Squats
135x5x5

Deadlift
135x5x5

Dips
BW+45x5x5

Apologies for the confusion. I should have said first time consistently doing these exercises with heavy free weights. My cross fit routines regularly incorporate squats, sumo deadlifts, and the like, but the weights I use for those exercises are regularly 50-60% less than what I'd use for strength training.

As far as the tank training me, I worked out with him for a much shorter time before I discontinued services with his company. He showed me lots of exercises, but I have only incorporated compound movements into my crossfit routines until now. H&F has inspired me to take it to the next level.

Regarding my goals, I want significant strength and endurance gains, as well as mastery over body control exercises. I was anorexic for most of my teenage years, in and out of hospitals. I didn't get better until I began to focus on real fitness. I still experience absurd body dysmorphic issues and diet compulsions on rare occasions. This is in that sense my continuing rehabilitation.

Since you seem to be quite interested in body weight stuff like the handstand pushups and rings, you should visit http://www.beastskills.com/

More body weight site tips:

http://www.youtube.com/user/strengthproject
http://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessFAQs

Good luck with your progress!

nuclear and Rollinhand,

Awesome sites and videos. Thanks!

Coffee,

I'm a dude. That's me in the first two videos in the OP. I wrote about my experiences in an AMA, and I've written some personal essays about it. Got a nice personalized rejection letter from Men's Health saying the editor loved the essay but couldn't find a place for this kind of thing in the magazine. It's rooted in an OCD compulsion to be in tip top shape. I can only speculate about where that compulsion comes from, and as you will see if you read the AMA, I keep it in check with legitimate approaches to fitness. At that age, I thought the best way to get in tip top shape was to starve myself.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will check out this Dan John. Looking like this summer will be all fitness all the time.

nuclear,

The tips on this site were a huge help today developing my muscle-ups and handstands. For handstands, his tips to straighten your feet and look forward, not down, feel revolutionary. Today I gave a slight kick to rise into the handstand, realized I hadn't kicked hard enough, but I raised my feet, looked forward, and my hips instinctively shifted up, forward, and straight. I maintained my longest handstand ever.

Still didn't get dat muscle-up completed, but the site did help me correct my false grips, and gave me what felt like some effective conditioning routines.

3/18/13

Crossfit today

50 jump ropes (supposed to be 25 double jumps but LOL @that)
21 45lb kettle bell swings
10 frog leaps
5 handstand pushups
Repeat 5x

Practicing handstands has helped my handstand pushups tremendously. I still use the wall as a safety, but I'm now where I can perform a handstand pushup without touching the wall, then tap my foot to realign before I begin the next pushup.

Also did some ab rotations on the gym rings, but between all of the handstands and muscle-up attempts, I didn't complete my normal 5x3.

I was hoping for more holes kicked in the wall during the second video in OP.

Looks like a pretty sick log. Posting in it to follow more easily.

TY. There will be no videos of me kicking holes in the wall, but if I find the guy who did it there might be a video of someone gettin' his ass bate

Sounds good.

Btw, just so you have context. Coffee is a known 2p2 poster who kept getting other accounts banned. His posting style can be a bit off putting but he can give useful advice (and non useful advice or possibly trolling advice too so ymmv) - he's not actually a random who only has 30 posts.

LOL noted

cool log

3/20/13

Backwards rolling handspringsX5
Vertical freeze 12 seconds
Ground sweepsX10 (5 each side)
Repeat 3X

Here's a video of round one.



I have a second video of me doing advancing handsprings, so that as soon as you land you drop into a burpee, hop up and forward, roll back into the handspring. But this was the first time I attempted them, so they're uncoordinated as ****. Maybe best not to upload a video of those until I don't look so silly doing them.

I also did a bunch of the random things I always do at the gym. I warmed up by working on the heavy punching bag. My standard for this is 3 rounds of 50 punches, 5 side kicks each leg, then 5 hand stands while I recover.

I also practiced muscle-ups again. ALMOST GOT IT, but still couldn't get up. While recovering for muscle-up attempts, I practiced false grips by maintaining false grips and doing regular pull-ups on the gym rings, so this equaled something like BW pull-upsx5x5.

Afterwards I rolled onto the elliptical for half a mile at level 3 resistance, 220 watts, then half a mile on a treadmill at 7mph.

Tomorrow me and Mrs. Rhymes are planning to bust up into the weight room together. Bros better watch out!

Friday I have plans to meet with my sparring partner. He has an actual video camera, so I should be able to bring back some video of us sword fighting. Some caveats. He is new to swordplay but is catching on fast. Also, the handle broke off one of the practice swords, so I'll be using that one as a short sword by using the bottom of the blade as a handle. Should still be good as that forces me to engage him in close proximity if I want to make a killing strike.

Subscribing.

You'll always be busto to me.

Haha! Only calling myself Mr. Rhymes in this sub so that Busto from Hawaii doesn't invade my nightmares with his lats.

Good call. Okay we will let this log slide. I was going to ask for the banhammer but since you are respecting the one and only true Busto, we can make room for you.

3/21/13

A day at the gym with Mrs. Rhymes too!

Mr. Rhymes:
Bench
175x5
185x5
195x5
200x5
200x5

Squat
145x5x3
150x5x2

Deadlift
155x5x5

Weighted pullups
15x7
22.5x6
25x5x3

Mrs. Rhymes:
Bench
50x5x3
45x5x2

Squat
BWx5x5

Deadlift
35x5x5

She said she was worried about doing squats because I explained the importance of at least going to parallel. She said she felt like she was going to fall forward and was certain she couldn't get close to parallel. First try she went so low her butt almost touched the ground. MY GIRL.

Deadlifts she got frustrated after I gave her a couple of form corrections. She said, "I'm done with this," dropped the weight, and turned around. I said okay, shrugged, and went to finish my squats. I looked in the mirror and she was now doing deadlifts with the form corrections. MY GIRL!!!!!111412!!!!@@!!!

Mrs. Rhymes also let me know on the way home that when I'm benching, the yoga pants I'm wearing stretch and show the clear outline of my wang. Fortunately loco was not there, so I didn't have to face anyone making untoward advances.

Me and my sparring buddy are on for tomorrow. He says he will bring his video camera, so should be able to bring back some video of me getting my ass handed to me.

I am unfortunately stalled on bench increases the last two sessions, but hopefully now that I have a benching buddy I can increase the weight and damn the safety.

Encouraging body image problems is part of Men's Health magazine's business model. No way they'd publish something about how they're a bad thing.

Best market would probably be Harper's or The New Yorker. Can't be any mag with significant revenue off of supplement ads.

Any reason your Bench is so far ahead of your Squat and Deadlift?


I'm the opposite, with Bench less than 2/3 of my Squat.

Man, I just don't know. My crossfit routines incorporate weighted squats, weighted lunches, and box jumps, and for a while I used machines for a leg routine, including escalating weights on a squat machine (no lols at using the machine, please ). But then I joined H&F, got some much needed form corrections (eg wasn't going to parallel on squats, and they were getting higher every time I added weight :shock, and reset my weight on everything. Everything but my legs went back up quickly. I only started doing free weight squats and deadlifts with heavy weights in the last few weeks, though, and since then have seen steady increases (coming for you loco). Which means the problem was probably spending any time on the machines?

I suppose it could be also that my exercise is unbalanced towards my arms. I do some version of a pull-up or handstand pushup almost every day just by doing balance routines. I probably need to do at minimum bring back pistols into my morning wake-up routine.

He said the problem was that they tend to publish how-to articles. The idea is that the reader can then incorporate the article into their own life. In its current form, the article was too person and didn't contain any easily digested universal lesson. Good point about why the content in any form might not fit their magazine.

I need to get back into writing and submitting my own work. I've gotten so busy working on other people's books that I just know I'm going to wake up in ten years and wish I'd spent more time submitting.