scott2462's log

scott2462 · #1 May 24th, 2006, 09:04 PM

Hey, guys. Been lurking on the board for awhile, but about a month ago I got motivated by what i've been seeing here to get off my ass and get serious about not only getting back in shape, but gettin' in the best damn shape of my life. At 43 it'll take a while but seeing some of the older guys on the board is very encouraging to me. I've been training a few days a week, doing some cardio, and trying to watch my diet to get enough protein with moderate carbs and fat...though sometimes the hectic pace of my life gets the better of me , my diet and my training regimen. But I'm working on that.

A month ago, I was 5' 8", 170#, 44 chest (but flabby), 32+" waist and about 18.5% bodyfat (ouch). (had my guns and triceps measured but don't have the other measurements here right now near this computer). My avatar was taken about 10 days ago, and shows a little progress but still a long ways to go. Will measure again in a couple weeks and post more complete 'before' and 'after' stats then and see if the progress I think I'm starting to make will show. At this point I say I at least *feel* less flabby and my jeans are not as tight as they were at the waist. Won't mind having to go buy new jeans to take advantage of that development, that's for sure!

Anyway, I thought I'd start this thread to keep motivating my progress, and to introduce myself after lurking for awhile.

omelissokomos · #2 May 24th, 2006, 09:19 PM

Hi Scott and welcome. Always nice to see someone bitten by the bodybuilding bug and starting the road the buffness. Good luck and have fun while you're doing it.

scott2462 · #3 May 25th, 2006, 04:50 AM

Thanks, man, for the welcome. So far, so good!

Notbigenuff · #4 May 25th, 2006, 07:34 PM

Scott - even given the relatively small size of your avatar I can still clearly see the bulge of your bicep. Good start and I look forward to seeing your progress!

scott2462 · #5 May 27th, 2006, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notbigenuff

Scott - even given the relatively small size of your avatar I can still clearly see the bulge of your bicep. Good start and I look forward to seeing your progress!

Thanks for the encouragement, N! I've been hitting the biceps with a variety of routines (hammer curls, barbell curl, pushups,concentration curls, cable curls) and they've responded nicely.

scott2462 · #6 June 2nd, 2006, 05:24 AM

About six weeks into this current phase now and upper body strength is continuing to improve though the trainer I'm working with hasn't taken me through much in the way of chest workouts the last 10 days...big focus has been on arms, shoulders and legs. The focus on legs has good reason...I tended to neglect legs for a long time. There's definitely improving strength-wise, which is great, but it's definitely the toughest workout to get through.

scott2462 · #7 June 13th, 2006, 06:16 AM

Well...I was crusing along nicely, and then last week somehow...either because of something I did wrong when training, or in moving my household...I did a real number on my lower back, left side. Did some cardio only on Friday but then Saturday re-aggravated it to the point where tying my shoes was painful and difficult. So I've layed off since then. The back has improved somewhat the past 3 days but I can tell it's not fully recovered...there is still residual tightness and mild pain when stretched a certain way. The question is how do I proceed from here? Any and all advice is appreciated.

brent · #8 June 13th, 2006, 11:29 AM

Quote:

The question is how do I proceed from here?

I'm not a doctor, and maybe you should consider seeing one if you're insured (for muscle relaxer pills). However, what I'd do is lay off of core until the back is better. You only have one back, and once it's messed-up, that's it. So baby it until it's 100% better.

scott2462 · #9 June 13th, 2006, 07:57 PM

I did get to see a doctor this afternoon...and now I do have the muscle relaxers and advice from him as well to take it easy on any workouts...as you suggested. So..maybe you're not a doctor..but you could play one on TV!

Thanks, Brent!

scott2462 · #10 June 28th, 2006, 09:20 PM

Been an interesting couple of weeks...with the back injury flaring up like hell early last week and settling back down. Trying to get some working out in led to the discovery that crunches and other ab work lead to the back really flaring up; also found out I need to be careful with leg work but at least I can still do a decent upper body routine (chest/arms/shoulders and even a bit of upper back) without sending me to back hell. And cardio causes no trouble as long as i stay off the stationary bike.

So I'm sort of back in the saddle. Will be interesting as I temporarily relocate to the Twin Cities for a few weeks and try to find a good gym there. And try to keep the recovery going.

omelissokomos · #11 June 29th, 2006, 02:43 AM

I remember when I hurt my lower back a few months ago, and, like you, I skipped the stuff that would've sent it spasming again. Heat application helped it heal more quickly, though I played it safe for a month in the gym. (Didn't want to skip any workout days. Hehe...) One thing I did get out of the ordeal was a 15-20 min. stretching routine which I've been doing regularly ever since and helps keep my back loose .

In any case, it's good to hear you're doing better.

CelticMuscle · #12 June 29th, 2006, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott2462

Been an interesting couple of weeks...with the back injury flaring up like hell early last week and settling back down. Trying to get some working out in led to the discovery that crunches and other ab work lead to the back really flaring up; also found out I need to be careful with leg work but at least I can still do a decent upper body routine (chest/arms/shoulders and even a bit of upper back) without sending me to back hell. And cardio causes no trouble as long as i stay off the stationary bike. So I'm sort of back in the saddle. Will be interesting as I temporarily relocate to the Twin Cities for a few weeks and try to find a good gym there. And try to keep the recovery going.

For those of us not quite as informed as we should be, the Twin Cities are?

scott2462 · #13 June 29th, 2006, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omelissokomos

I remember when I hurt my lower back a few months ago, and, like you, I skipped the stuff that would've sent it spasming again. Heat application helped it heal more quickly, though I played it safe for a month in the gym. (Didn't want to skip any workout days. Hehe...) One thing I did get out of the ordeal was a 15-20 min. stretching routine which I've been doing regularly ever since and helps keep my back loose .

In any case, it's good to hear you're doing better.

Heat seems to help a little; I do a little bit of stretching then cardio which seems to keep me fairly warm and loose at the start of a session. I did a little more intense workout yesterday followed by some new stretches at the end which seems to also help. Keeping my fingers crossed.

scott2462 · #14 June 29th, 2006, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CelticMuscle

For those of us not quite as informed as we should be, the Twin Cities are?

Oops. Sorry about that. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

scott2462 · #15 September 3rd, 2006, 12:03 PM

Well, it's been a couple months since my back injury, and thought an update here was overdue. For most of the past two months I've been able to keep doing some form of working out. In the beginning after the injury it was limited to low-impact cardio, then gradually I've been able to add first upper body, then lower body, then midsection training back into my routine. In general my intensity on cardio is greater than before while my lifting intensity is still less than it was in June. But at least the whole body is getting worked out and I'm averaging 6 days a week at the gym.

A side benefit of this approach is that I've lost almost 10 pounds since June and I'm happy to say it's gotta mostly be fat; while my muscle size hasn't changed much, the definition is showing some improvement..and my jeans are starting to get little on the big side. One of these days I'll try to get an updated photo back in this thread. (Please, no "this thread is worthless without pics messages!)

That's it for now...