Mission 101 Fitness List - Public Update

[alchemi]

December 7, 2010 - April 7, 2011:

OVERVIEW

The four months since my last update have been, on the whole, shocking unproductive. I’ve struggled with poor eating habits, lethargy, plateaus and eventually hospitalization. I left my exercise bag, with all of my training logs, on the trolley (also increasing the risk of identity theft as the bag contained confidential financial documents).

The bad is that I’ve rebounded a lot in weight - I’m up 10-12 lbs. from my low and am at about the same weight I was eleven months ago.

Fortunately a lot of that is probably muscle - as I had been doing a lot of heavy lifting. On August 10, 2010 I was deadlifting 190 lbs. During this period I was deadlifting 225 lbs. x 10 as a warmup for my max lift (295 lbs. was the most I ever locked out, although I could get pretty close at 315 lbs). Due to increased pec flexibility/lack of tightness, I was also able to do back squats for the first time and was able to progress to as high as 195 lbs. 5 x 5.

ACCOMPLISHMENT

While I did stall, and even reverse in terms of habits, I also did cross some things off the list, including:

Category 4 - Running

36. 9:30 mile

I thought I had done this well before, and I had. I discovered a 9:18 exercise log in my gym bag before it was stolen.

Category 7 - Lifting (Bent Over Row): (Example)

58. 140 lbs. 3 x 8
59. 150 lbs. 3 x 8
60. 160 lbs. 3 x 8

While I managed the 160 lbs. once, I am not sure I could repeat it. I can get close.

Category 8 - Lifting (Goblet Squat): (Example)
70. 100 lbs. 3 x 8

I did this once in mid-January when it felt like nothing was going right. It actually wasn’t that difficult. The hard part with the heavy Goblet Squats was getting the dumbbell to my chest and holding it in place through the squats. Once I started back squats, the load from the Goblets Squats was not as challenging on my lower body (still pretty rough on my arms, shoulders and core).

PROGRESS

• I suspect that even with my weight gain, I will be able to cross out at least one waist size goal once I do a full measure (Goal 15).
  
  
• I believe I have already benched 160 lbs 3 x 8, and if I have not, I should be able to soon (Goal 42).
  
  
• While I cannot yet do a tripod headstand (Goal 76), I can do a variant. Technically even the variant would fulfill Goal 95, but I think crediting it would not be in the spirit of No. 95, which is designed to be one of the more difficult challenges.
  
  
• My fitness test will be coming up in a month and I am pretty sure I will score “above average” (goal 81) or “excellent” (goal 85) on the strength portion of the test (it is based on pushups, and I have a decent idea of how many I can do).
  
  
• While I am less confident about it, I may also see improvements in flexibility.
  
  
• I’ve decided to spring annual Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing, which will ease my nerves about trouble accurately measuring body fat percentage. This will allow me to cross out Goals 1-14 with more confidence.