The Happy News thread

[Aquarius]

I've good news of my own: part of my internship thing involves learning to drive 18 wheelers (I know, right) and today I managed not only to back one up without hitting anything, but sit in the cab while someone else drove without having a panic attack. Well, not an actual panic attack, but you're supposed to drive those things in ways they distinctly tell you not to in regular driver's ed, taking up multiple lanes etc... So huzzah for me.

That's so cool!

[Distracted]

What are you training to do?

[aadarshinah]

It could end up being a number of different things, depending on how it goes, but at the moment it looks like I'd be running freight cross country for at least a year or two before it might turn into anything else. Definately not what I'd imagined even six weeks ago doing, but no one's hiring and, if I ever want to go back to school, or, well, eat, I need some kind of job. Hopefully it'll work out. I've got another two weeks after this of training before I know if I'm hired or not, but either way I come out of it with my CDL, so I'll be able to get hired elsewhere. They call it an internship, but it's turned out be more of a truck driving class than I was anticipating... but hey, at this point, I don't care.

[Dinah]

Congratulations, Rigil!

[Elessar]

I don't know where else to brag that I hit a benchpress max of 175 yesterday even though I only weigh 135 so uh, I guess it goes here!

[Distracted]

That's impressive, assuming you didn't rip something when you did it.

And...um... (I'm risking an eye roll here, I guess) you did have a spotter when you did that, right?

[Elessar]

That's impressive, assuming you didn't rip something when you did it.

And...um... (I'm risking an eye roll here, I guess) you did have a spotter when you did that, right?

I actually did! Yes. I can safely hit about 155-160 without a spotter.

Incidentally, another really cool feat I managed recently. I used to pack sets and sets and sets of pullups into my routines, an old throwback to the Marine Corps. Well I got tired of doing like 75 or 100 (or 234 in the case of the independence day workout I invented on July 5 lol) a day. I got to a point where even though the max on the USMC PFT is 20 for a perfect score on that section, I was able to do about 25 in one set. So instead of doing em free, I threw some ankle weights on to see how heavy I could go before I couldn't hardly do like 5. I expected to hit that threshold at about 20 lbs, but got up to 40 and I could still do sets of 12... for a total of about 60 or so that day. So tonight I'm gonna try 60 lbs and see if I can manage a few sets of 8. With the equipment there, I can only really get about 80 lbs because it's going to sit on my ankles. They don't have the belts you can hang plates from

I'm slipping into power lifter mode which I totally didn't wanna do. I was more into cardio in the last 8 weeks but the lifting has become more rewarding. Got to a point a few weeks ago, D, where I measured my neck/torso/thighs and got 9% body fat. But lately it's hard to get myself onto the damn bike/treadmill/elliptical b/c i've seen such gains in lifting it's just more rewarding.

[Distracted]

Rewarding is good. That means you'll keep it up. It's easy to hurt yourself if you advance too fast with lifting and cardio is better for you from a conditioning standpoint, though. If I were you I'd still be doing some cardio or you'll end up muscle bound but with no stamina. Are you working with a trainer who knows what they're doing?

[Pitseleh]

Well, after a week of much stress and no sleep, I've finished my work for the Design Workshop presentation tomorrow. Now, let's hope the professors like it as much as I do.

[Elessar]

Rewarding is good. That means you'll keep it up. It's easy to hurt yourself if you advance too fast with lifting and cardio is better for you from a conditioning standpoint, though. If I were you I'd still be doing some cardio or you'll end up muscle bound but with no stamina. Are you working with a trainer who knows what they're doing?

Oh I still DO cardio I just don't do nearly as much. My standard for about... 3 months was going to the gym 4-5 days a week for about 90 min, 30 min being devoted to lifting, about 1 hr to cardio. That "cardio" might be a Crossfit routine, 30-60 min on a bike and 20 on the treadmill or just about 30 on the treadmill (endurance run or interval sprints). Now I just do less. Now I go between 5 and 6 days a week and sometimes I won't do cardio for 2 days in a row, or I'll just do the bike or just run.

No but I don't feel that I need a trainer. I had 2 years of conditioning and weightlifting in HS, the last couple years of college training for OCS w/ Marines and martial arts guys with quite a bit of experience and then naturally, OCS itself. I'm pretty good on the principles and how to orient a regiment for certain results. I'm sure I could get some benefit from having a trainer (as anybody could) but I don't think I need one the way someone who's never had a healthclub or gym membership or spent any time in a competitive school sport would. Specifically, I've avoided getting hurt for 3 or 4 months now, and I think I know how to continue to avoid it. But yeah, I definitely don't want to put on like 15 lbs of muscle but get slow and lose stamina.

Incidentally I mentioned I wanted to try 60 lb pullups... I said F it and went to 80, and I could still do about 8, so I put on 100lb and was able to do 4, so I did 4 or 5 sets of 4. I'm gonna scale it back to about 70, though, and just work for volume again until I can do... idk... 12 or so. No idea how long it'll take. Only problem w/ that much weight is it starts to settle on your ankles. The GREAT thing about that much weight is, I leave it on throughout my lifting workout, even after the pullups are done, just to feel heavy, and then when I take em off I feel so light on my feet, I make sure I work up a good high HR and then spring over to the treadmill so that I'm warmed up AND I feel light. The other day I did a 2:30-800m sprint. I used to be able to hit almost ALMOST! sub-2 minute but I haven't been near there for ages so 2:30 still felt damn good.

[Distracted]

Sounds like you know what you're doing. Have fun! I sure wouldn't wanna work that hard.

[justTripn]

Yeah, it makes me tired just reading about all that work.

[Elessar]

Sounds like you know what you're doing. Have fun! I sure wouldn't wanna work that hard.

Hey D? Would you check this out:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/axis.html

Does it look safe? I drink a lotta water...It stacks with this:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/nitrix.html

What u think?

[aadarshinah]

So, after much effort (and some annoying questions with answers that didn't make any sense), I have finally, finally gotten my CDL permit. Which means I can now drive 18wheelers on the road... so be afraid. Be very afraid...

But no, this is a good thing, and I can now move the trucks straight without problem and can, usually, back them up in 30 degree angles... so, hopefully, in two or three weeks I'll have my proper licsence and a job...

[honeybee]

That's awesome, aadarshinah - you'll have to let everyone know where your travels take you - you can meet up with the denizens of this site as you roam across country!