Bode

Thanks Veggie I managed to FINALLY get back in the gym on Saturday but it was more a "blow out the cobwebs" type workout than anything serious. "Mega-burpees": Well, they might have a real name... but that's what I call them. I guess they're just burpees with dumbells. 8x15lbs 8x15lbs 8x15lbs Supine Pull Ups: The gym at my apartment doesn't have an actual pull up bar so I used the smith and supersetted these with the burpees 3 sets of 8 Incline DB Press: 8x30lbs 8x30lbs 8x30lbs 8x30lbs 8x25lbs 8x25lbs 8x25lbs 8x25lbs One-Arm Dumbell Swings: Got pretty light-headed after the second set of these - had to increase my rest, but it felt good to hit a wall and know that I was working hard. 10(each arm)x25lbs 10(each arm)x25lbs 10(each arm)x25lbs Treadmill: 5 minute cooldown walk/run It's frustrating to come back after being unwell and not be able to do as much as I want. But, gotta get back on those horse (figuratively of course - I think horse riding is meannnN!).

It's been 2 weeks and I'm almost back to normal - going to start back in the gym later this week. It's a total bummer though, I hate having to stop training when I feel like I was making good progress. My extremeties didn't feel like they were falling asleep or losing any function. It's just like 'pins & needles'.

Thanks Meech, appreciate a response I'm feeling a little better today. Went and got a B12 shot yesterday just to be safe - it was weird though, the only place that I could find was a freakin' beauty spa. I guess botox is big in Orange County! So embarrassing going in there... I think they got the message though. "No, I do not want any of your messed up procedures. Just stick me with some B12 and I'll be on my way."

I've had an issue with 'numbness and tingling' in my extremeties and this is the second time its happened. I'm so frustrated because my training was going so well! Now I need to get through this before hitting the gym again. I've had blood tests and everything came back normal but I had been supplementing B-12 aggresively just before the test since the symptoms had started. Has anyone else had this issue? Or does anyone know more about it? I'm frustrated with conventional doctors just telling me "it'll work out" or "here are some drugs". For now, I'll keep a daily B-12 supplement in my regimen and I guess I really should continue that regardless! Any doctors/pharmacists/experts (I'm looking at Michelle here... ) that could speak to this would be awesome.

Hey Veg - hope your back is ok! Don't touch the rowing machine if your back is giving you grief. Rowing is all about legs and back. Rowing with good form will work your back, rowing with poor form will absolutely wreck it. Go for the cross trainer I reckon. The amount of people I see in the gym with crazy rowing form is ridiculous - although, the machine gives you no indication of the movement like a cross trainer/stepper does so I understand why people would have difficulty.

I used to row at school which definitely taught me how far I can push myself. Played cricket and soccer as a kid and now I work in 'eSports' which I understand isn't what you're asking - but, it's a bit left of field. Starcraft II, while not a physical sport, is truly a crazy strategic beast. I suck at it, but it's amazing how complex the pros are. Had some fun with Archery one afternoon back in New Zealand, maybe I'll try and find a club in Orange County...

Thanks Dylan - I've noticed a lot of improvement on this kind of routine! Unfortunately, I've run into a bit of an issue. There has been a slight tingling in my feet and extremeties... this has happened before and I had all the blood tests done and all the doctor can tell me is that I'm perfectly healthy. All I know is that it's most likely a B-12 issue which I'm supplementing now. I feel stupid that I haven't kept up with my B-12 since this happened some months ago, but I only have myself to blame. I guess I'll take a few days off and get this issue sorted so I can hit the gym hard when I'm back at 100%. Frustrated.

Didn't get enough sleep last night but had a surprisingly good workout today! Just had a light jog to warm up and got straight into it... Goblet Squats: 5lbs increase on each set today. More volume, higher max. Progress. 5x70lbs 5x75lbs 5x80lbs 5x85lbs 5x90lbs DB Chest Press: Managed to get a spotter for these. Felt stronger on these than last week. 5x45lbs 5x50lbs 5x55lbs 5x60lbs 5x65lbs (spotted) DB Bent Over Row: Started heavier for more volume. Same max as last week though. 5x50lbs 5x55lbs 5x60lbs 5x65lbs 5x70lbs Military Press: Too light at the start but felt like I reached a good weight for the last 3 sets. 10x50lbs 8x60lbs 5x80lbs 5x80lbs 5x80lbs

Had to work out in my apartment complex gym today No good freeweight/barbell setup here... the dumbells only go up to 50lbs! Increased reps to make sure my volume didn't lag behind. DB Curls into Arnold Press: 8x30lbs 8x30lbs 8x30lbs Leg Press Machine: No good freeweights for squats/RDLs but managed to get a nice burn on these... 12x100lbs 10x140lbs 8x180lbs 6x210lbs (machine max ) Double DB Bent Over Row: 12x45lbs 12x45lbs 12x45lbs Incline DB Press: Started with a really high incline and gradually decreased it to hit all angles. 5 sets of 8x45lbs Shoulder Lat Raise: 7 sets of 12x15lbs

Thursday cardio day... I keep telling myself to just take it easy so I can recover better. Was just planning on a brisk 30 minute walk or something but ended up doing more since I sometimes slip into the "go hard, or go home" mentality. Do you think pushing myself on cardio days will make recovering harder? Am I hurting myself by not taking it SUPER easy on my "off" days. Treadmill: 3 miles 29:58

My girlfriend went to the gym for some cardio last night so I decided to join her. Elliptical: 30 minutes 410 calories Resistance 10 More cardio later on today. I'll probably keep it on the lighter side.

Cleans: An improvement on last week and it actually felt easier. Strength gains.. yay! Feelin like a 167lbs big man... 5x95lbs 5x105lbs 5x115lbs 5x125lbs 5x135lbs Incline DB Chest Press: Was lucky enough to have my buddy to spot me and managed to reach a new PR on the last set. Feelin' strong today. 5x45lbs 5x50lbs 5x55lbs 5x60lbs (spotted) 5x65lbs (spotted) One Arm DB Row: 5x60lbs 5x65lbs 5x70lbs 5x75lbs 5x80lbs (grip and form starting to fade!) Deadlifts: Almost getting up to my max on the final set which I'm stoked with. After 4 weeks on this I'll probably just test out my 1 rep max and see how that goes. Heavier than last week on the last 2 sets - stoked! 5x135lbs 5x155lbs 5x175lbs 5x195lbs 5x215lbs Wasn't optimistic heading into the gym today but I realised that the weights were feeling lighter this week which was a huge boost. Gotta keep up with lots of protein this week so I can keep the intensity for this routine. I get what Derek says about using this workout for 4-6 weeks at a time, so I'll stop at 4 weeks just to be safe for my first go around. Luckily, the cafeteria at work has a salad bar where I pack a box full of veges (mostly based around broccoli and fresh edamame beans/chickpeas). We also have a great program where if you walk/bike/carpool to work you get money to go on your account. So, since I bike to work every day, I pretty much get free lunches. Yeaaah!

Haylee, the best thing you can do is start small. Push ups from your knees are a great way to start! If you can't do that, or just want to build up some strength you can do 'negatives'. Negatives really helped me with my pull ups/chins. What you'll want to do is have a platform, or jump, up to the top position and lower yourself as slowly as possible. I think if you look up Scooby and Pull Ups on YouTube he has a really good explanation for it. I'm definitely not a beast when it comes to this stuff, but from what people tell me and from what I've found the only good way to get better at push ups and pull ups is to do push ups and pulls ups

Cardio after work today. More fake hills! Treadmill HIIT: 30 minutes (1 up, 1 down) 6mph & 2mph 10 degree incline 7.5 minute medium pace to cooldown/watch the end of the Celtics/Heat game.

New Zealand is beautiful. I'm a born and raised kiwi and just moved to California last year. Like Mini Forklift said, the earthquake was horrendous and I had a lot of family there that were affected by it. I'm from Auckland, so I can probably speak to the North Island more... Milford Sound/Fjordland is amazing so definitely get down there as well as Queenstown. The far north isn't to be overlooked either especially up around Doubtless Bay/Karikari Peninsula. There are heaps of amazing beaches, and I appreciate them so much more now that I don't see them! California beaches have been very different so far. Vegan food is much cheaper and easier to find here though, so I'm enjoying CA heaps. The absence of rain doesn't hurt either! Let us know when you're planning out your NZ trip and I'm sure we can help you out! We talk funny too, so I'm sure we can help translate as well.

Today's workout was pretty good - still sore from the previous one though so I'm feeling that I'm going to have to increase my protein consumption if I want to keep on Derek's routine. The barbell was also in use so I had to go with dumbells unfortunately. It was a good opportunity to stretch out and work on depth/form though. Goblet Squats: Same weight on the last set as last week but the previous sets were heavier. More volume overall so I'll call that a step in the right direction. 5x65lbs 5x70lbs 5x75lbs 5x80lbs 5x85lbs DB Chest Press: This weight was feeling great and without a spotter it's difficult for me to go any heavier. Slow, with good form but definitely want to go heavier on these. 5x55lbs 5x55lbs 5x55lbs 5x55lbs 5x55lbs DB Bent Over Row: Went heavier on the last two and they were super hard for me. 5x40lbs 5x45lbs 5x50lbs 5x60lbs 5x70lbs DB Shrugs: Grips were definitely going on the last set. 5x65lbs 5x70lbs 5x75lbs 5x80lbs 5x85lbs

Grats! That's an awesome prize pool

Managed to get some cardio in on a Sunday - just steady state since I'm feeling sore from the week and need to get ready for tomorrow's weight day Elliptical: 30 minutes 422 calories Resistance 10

I do! I actually play a rogue on Tich I also work there, so that's a bonus!

You've definitely come to the right place! I'll let someone with more cred give you advice on what you need but just wanted to wish you luck. Personally, going vegan was an ethical decision for me and all the other benefits came after. I've never been healthier, stronger and fitter in my life and I'm sure you'll see the benefits too

Feeling good today! Had a great workout and I'm definitely noticing improvements. Chin Up: Form was better than last week - going slower and lower. Will switch to pull ups once I'm really happy with form. 5x5xBodyweight Decline DB Pullover: Got some serious fatigue on the 4th set. 5x20lbs 5x22.5lbs 5x25lbs 5x30lbs (failure!) 5x25lbs Barbell Push-press: Had the gym pretty much to myself today which was awesome! Went heavier on these than I thought I would and was surprised I managed to get through all of it. Having to do a power clean for the first rep only added that little bit extra. 5x65lbs 5x75lbs 5x85lbs 5x95lbs 5x105lbs Romanian Deadlifts: Yes, I did do regular deads on Wednesday when according to Derek's plan I should've done them today. But, I hadn't looked at the proper form for them yet; hence the switch. 5x135lbs 5x145lbs 5x155lbs 5x165lbs 5x175lbs Incline DB Chest Press (FST-7): Ouch! This made lifting half my max feel like it was sooooo heavy towards the end. I'm always so suprised. First set... "this weight is too light.. pssssh". Last set... "$^&!@%#^&!!!!" 12x30lbs 12x30lbs 12x30lbs 12x30lbs 12x25lbs 12x25lbs 12x25lbs Felt good about the workout today. It definitely feels good to notice some gains in strength. Even though my weight has stayed around 167-169lbs I'm confident that some bf% has dropped and there's some extra muscle. Going to have a relaxing weekend and get some light cardio in. Ready to hit it hard next week!

Undead rogue? Nice! Good luck for your renewed renewed focus - train hard

Definitely feeling 'good sore' from yesterday - those deads and cleans really sorted out my back. More cardio today! Treadmill HIIT: 30 minutes (1 up, 1 down) 6mph & 2mph 10 degree incline

Ahh yes! Keep that in mind. For me, I need more calories so it's not a problem.

I've started juicing these past two weeks and my energy levels have definitely improved (mostly feel more alert in the mornings). In terms of snacks it can be pretty tempting when you hit the wall to eat some processed crap just because it's there! My girlfriend and I went about reverse engineering our favourite snack from back in New Zealand which is something we used to buy all the time called "Frooze Balls". Basically, it's a raw vegan mash up of dates, apricots, almonds and cashews rolled in coconut - so delicious! All you need to do is put everything in a food processor until it turns into a sticky mess and just roll them into small tablespoon sized balls then roll them in coconut (unsweetened of course!). 1/2 cup of dates 1/2 cup of dried apricots 1/3 cup of combined almonds and cashews It works out a whole lot cheaper than buying processed snacks anyway. We're going to make a huge batch of these this weekend after we track down some bulk bins Raw vegan snacks!