Well, look at us..we've grown to five members. Cool. I'm hoping we get a few more. I think this thread will make a great place for us to post our progress.

Here's my baseline: 8/18, 231lbs, ran 1.45 miles today (in my 20 minutes)

I'm thinking it would be great if we were to post where we're at today and then post our imporvements as they happen. Let me know what you think.

Sounds good to me. Day 1-3 is always the hardest for me. I'm already looking forward to Thursday...haha! It's tough when you cut *that* many calories, lol, it's like culture shock! My body is wondering what the heck is happening!! It's all good...
Okay, so on 8/18, 162.5 lbs (I am 5'10"), I did a crazy circuit this morning. I had planned on running outside, but it was storming. I previously decided I am not going to get up early and do my cardio upstairs on the treadmill, because I hate the fear of waking the girls up when they're trying to sleep. Instead, I grabbed a jump rope and alternated jumping rope, pushups, jumping rope, squats, jumping rope, crunches, jumping rope, boxing...you get the drift. It was a tough workout to say the least. And I got a good laugh too...I think it's been since Elementary since I have done that and it was awesome! I bought a new jump rope yesterday to incorporate into my workouts this time around. So far, so good...I'm still alive aren't I?

Great job! Sounds like you really know how to throw together a tough circuit! I'll bet you felt really good after you recovered from your workout. I recently bought a weighted jump rope. I'd previously never heard of such a thing. What a great workout! If you get to the point where jumping rope gets old, you may want to try a weighted jump rope to shake it up. It can be a real challenge. The weights are in the handles so believe it or not, it can be a killer shoulder workout as well as cardio. Congratulations on your progress!

Well, I saw the weighted, but had read not to get weighted because it causes strain on the wrists....but, I would agree, when the regular rope gets boring, I will probably try the weighted...and I bet it will be a good shoulder workout as well.
I'm already looking forward to tomorrow And happy Day 1 is almost successfully over. How did you do today? Did you have a great b-day? Doing anything special....of course, no cake right?

So glad to hear you had a successful day 1! I had a good birthday. No cake!! My 12 year old "step-daughter" came over bearing gifts. Seeing her was gift enough. Lots of well wishes from friends and family. I having dinner with my cousin and her family tonight. I told her it has to be healthy. It seems that chicken, rice & veggies are on the menu! Sort of a belated birthday dinner. I'm looking forward to getting this day 2 underway. I've got all my food prepared and will be working out this afternoon. Let me know how your day goes. Best, Paul

Chicken, rice, & veggies...what more could you ask for! Hope you enjoy your dinner tonight.

Up early again to do my workout...this morning it was chest, shoulders, and triceps for me. Feels so good to have it out of the way. From here, it's just clean eating. Tomorrow will be cardio, then Thurs I'll work legs, back, and biceps, then Fri & Sat cardio....hopefully outside some if it ever stops raining! I'm not complaining though, we definately need the rain and it's brought much needed cooler weather! YAY!

What is your workout plan for the week? Do you follow BFL or a different split?

Hi. This sounds like a good group to join since I have just started with the plan. I have signed up for a bootcamp class which starts next week and they recommend following EFL. I have reached a plateau in my working out and needed a little boost. It's been several months since I have been consistent with training and running. I am not doing this to loose weight, but to be more fit. My weight is 123 (I am 5'3"). I ran three miles this morning in 31 minutes.

Great sstevens023, we are thrilled to have you join us! We are definately here to help motivate and inspire you to reach your dreams of becoming more fit! It's nice to have you!

Hey Paul, I see you are going to run a 5K...what's the date, have you picked a race yet? I am running a 5K October 11th.

Thanks for the welcome HappyMom.

One of my goals is to lower my time on a 5k, but I haven't pick a race yet. I am actually training to do a 10 mile race on Oct 4. My goal there is to finish.

Well that is definately a good goal to have! I picked this Oct. 11th race because I knew it would give me a set date to work towards. I love to run, but just have to get back into it. I know I will be able to run a 5K by then, and I'm not that worried about time right now, just making sure I can finish the distance. This particular race event is actually called the Tyler Half. It's a 1/2 marathon or a 5K. Obviously I cannot be ready for a 1/2 marathon in that short of time. However, I am looking at possibly running a 1/2 in December....lol, like you, my goal then would be to finish!

I"m glad you're here...I know you'll be able to finish on Oct. 4th! Just work hard....until then....

Welcome sstevens 023! It's good to have you on board. Sounds lke your a little more experienced than us. That's good to know as maybe you'll be the team coach!! Of course, if there's anything you need from us, don't hesitate to ask!

As far as the 5K goes, I haven't picked one yet. I'm going to shoot for mid-late September. I'll find one today. There are plenty here in Nashua and the surrounding area. One of my closest friends is an athlete. She just did a mini triathalon and has been urging me to get back into running. There's no time like the present.

So today is day two! I lost a half a lb! Ha Ha. How funny is that? I'm going to post specifics in my blog tonight but here's my basic workout plan. Very similar to the BFL. Same basic premise, weight lifting alternating with cardio. 6 days total. Cardios are running on the treadmill exactly as prescribed in BFL. My weight training is similar. I do a modified upper/lower body split. I use the BFL 12,10,8,6,12,12 method exactly as perscribed but do Chest, shoulders, tris & bis on upper day and will do back, legs & abs on "lower" day. I took a page out of your book HappyMom, by introducing jumping rope to the lifting mix. I treat it like a circuit. Before my workout and Immidiately after each body part, I jump rope with a 9 lb rope! It really keeps the heart rate up and definitely compounds the workout. The heavy rope really does a number on the arms and shoulders during such a workout. It makes the workout very effective and intense!

So ladies, any advice for this relative newbie runner?

I'm planning on joining a boot camp as soon as I drop about 15lbs. I like to shake up the workouts every once in a while to keep the body guessing.

Workout sounds great. Glad I could help you incorporate jumping rope...haha! That's funny, hopefully you'll have as much fun with it as I did. And what a great idea. This morning when I was lifting I was thinking just that....how hard it was to get the heart rate up. I wasn't lifting too heavy since I'm just getting back into the swing of things and I'd like to be able to move tomorrow so I thought maybe that was why I didn't feel like I got a great workout in. But, I think I will try jumping rope or even jumping jacks in between sets possibly. Thanks for the idea.

Advice, well maybe sstevens will have more to offer for you. You know, I have always liked running. I used to run just on my treadmill. I started training for a 5K several (sev-er-al) months ago that I was going to run in May, but ended up being down in my back on race day so I was unable to run it. One morning I was set to go out and run 2 miles, but complete the 3.1 miles with additional walking...I ended up running the entire 3.1 miles....and honestly I felt like I could have kept running forever! I think taking it outside brought me to a whole new level. It is so peaceful and that fresh air and beautiful scenery (unlike running on the treadmill) just made me want to keep on going.
It's tough with my schedule for me to run outside a lot, but when I do get the chance, I certainly prefer it!
My advice would be to get a plan, set a race date, and work to get the distance down. Your first race should not necessarily be ran for speed, but more for accomplishing the fact that you completed it. That's my goal anyway. After that, then you can start trying to finish stronger, run faster, etc.

Thanks. I am sure that you will be ready for the 5k. Like you said - just stick to the plan.

Let me set the record straight - I am a SLOW runner. However, I think that setting a goal is key. I try to always have a race planned several months out so that I have a reason to train. I agree that you need to work up your endurance in small amounts until you get to your goal. That is the plan that I use for my long distance training - I add 1 mile to my long run each week until I reach my goal. You would just scale this down to a smaller amount like increasing distance by 1/10 mile or 1/4 mile each time you run.

I also agree with running outside. It is so much better to be out in nature. I usually only get to run outside one day a week and the rest is on the treadmill. Right now it is just too hot to run outside after work.

I like the info on the weight training. Thanks.

I'll keep you posted on the bootcamp. I expect it to kick my butt.

What is this bootcamp you are talking about...is it something held in your city?

(trumpets blaring in the background) Down to 228lbs today! I'll be doing my cardio shortly and will report back my distance.

Congrats on the weight loss Paul!!

I did my cardio this morning and shaved 30 seconds off of my time. Yea! I am going to go to the gym this evening after work to get some weight training in.

To answer the question about bootcamp. There are different versions, but the one that I am attending is Operation Boot Camp Home . It's a very intense 30 day program. I am so excited about it. : )

I did my cardio on the treadmill this morning and Abs afterwards. It's still raining here. We never have rain like this, it's crazy...and in August, but I LOVE it! Maybe that means we'll get a cold Winter...or maybe I'm wishful hoping...ha!

Paul that is awesome! Congrats to you!!!! Trumpets and all

sstevens023, that is great! Every second counts, right? Great job! I'll look at that link, thanks. That is pretty cool...you are sure to improve a lot in 30 days!

Alright...it's update time. As of today, i'm 228 and ran 1.55 miles on the treadmill. That's a .10mi increase in running distance. I was hoping for a liitle more distance increase but I'm VERY happy just to have improved!!! Things are going smoooooth. Sounds like you two are doing exceptional as well. Very glad to hear it. Keep up the great work!!! I'll check out the bootcamp a little later. I've got to get to my other job now. lol. Unfortunately, hanging around here doesn't pay the bills! Would be great if it did though!!!