Fitness Goals update

It's too soon to measure any real progress since last time, but I took a couple positive steps forward, so...

1) Bench press - With a morning body weight of 195.4 lbs. on 4/18, I pressed 185 for 16 reps. Probably could have done a 17th, but was a little disappointed that it wasn't going to be easy, so I bailed. I had previously done 195 for 16 reps, so it seemed like I regressed. Possible issues: it was later in the evening (energy was more sapped), I had played some basketball for over a half an hour prior to (perhaps expended energy), food consumption during the day, or something else.

I think what may be happening is I've been training with lighter weights for higher reps, but perhaps the best way to to train for benching my weight for a high amount of reps (24 is the goal), is to go back to higher weights, say 225, and improve the reps for that weight. I'll try that and see what happens.

2) Pull-ups - With a training-time weight of 196.4 (including attire, no shoes), I did 9 full pull-ups, hands-over-top style. A personal record. Feeling good about this. What my self-esteem would have been like in junior high school had I been able to do that then!

3) Dunking/vertical jump - I've been working on my two-footed jump, practicing technique from some Google searches. They don't seem to be BS; I've noticed some improvement. Still, at a workout-time body weight (including attire and shoes) of 198.4, I was able to do a running, one-foot jump and get just a tad higher than last time. Probably 3 1/2 inches or so above the rim.

Still guessing my ideal body weight for these goals is around 185, but it may be closer to 180. The question is whether I'll be able to get the weight down that low without losing too much lean mass and strength. It's possible, but perhaps not in the short time I've given myself.

Fitness Goals

Three years have passed since I blogged last. No, I'm not rapping, although my toes are tapping.

Anyway, I figured I'd post this here because I want to put it "out there" to help inspire myself, without putting it on Facebook so as to look like I'm fishing for likes, compliments, etc.

A couple of weeks ago, when I realized it was 12 weeks until summer, I posted on Facebook that I have three fitness goals to hit by summer. I didn't say what they were; I only gave a vague reference to the fact that if I do hit them, I'll be in good shape for the beach.

Not that I've let myself go since losing some 35 pounds two years ago, but I've been simply "maintaining" and not really inspiring myself.  So I set some new goals, and made them a little different because simply "losing x pounds" or "benching x pounds" not only isn't as inspiring, but ultimately, the end goal is to look good, and one can accomplish those types of goals without really looking (or being) any more fit.

So Here they are, with an update:

1) Bench press my weight for 24 reps.  Whether I weigh 225 or 175, I want 24 reps at that weight. When I first benched 315 for one rep, a lifetime goal, I was overweight. When the weight went down, so did the strength. That's what happens when you're not doing PEDs. You can try to keep as much of the strength as possible, but you simply aren't going to keep it all when losing weight.

2) Perform 12 pull-ups in good form. Over-the-top grip, just like they made you do in school, and I could never complete even one.

3) Dunk a basketball on a regulation-height rim, with a regulation-sized basketball, with nothing but a regulation floor and regular basketball shoes. No cheating, in other word.

The thing is with these goals, if I achieve them all, I'll be in the kind of shape I want to get do. You can't do them all without being both lean and strong.

So here's a progress report:

1) 4/14/18 - Benched 195 for 16 reps, with a morning weigh-in of 195.2
2) 4/15/18 - Performed 8 good pull-ups with a body weight (including clothing) of 196.8
3) 5/15/18 - Was able to grab the basketball rim just enough to tug, but not hang on. Probably about 3 inches or so above the rim, meaning I'm about 7 inches away from dunking

Goals 1 & 2 are on track. Goal #3 may never happen, but if they all are to happen, I figure I need to get my weight down to 185 while losing nearly no muscle. I could see myself getting strong enough at 195 to do the first 2, but I'm not sure my knees would allow me to spring enough at 195 to get high enough above the rim. So for now, I'm looking at 185 as the target weight.

Here's hopping...er, hoping.