Fitness Update April 2025

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 20:57:06 -0700

It’s been (almost exactly) one year since my last fitness update. I wanted to look back at my goals and see how I’ve progressed.

Body Weight: 210lbs(ish) my weight has fluctuated a bit but it has stayed in the 210-215 range. Not quite where I wanted to be but it is an improvement.

Lifts: My lifting has pretty much stagnated. I’m still only able to hit 115lbs maximum on squat/deadlifts. My bench press and barbell row are both at 105lbs. My overhead press has progressed the most to 85lbs. Again, not where I wanted to be but it is still progress. Last year I had to take a few months off of lifting to recover from surgery, which set me back quite a bit. I think the main thing holding me back is lifting form, so I’ve been focusing on that in my recent workouts.

Cardio: My running has improved a lot. It still takes me a long time to run a mile (about 12 minutes), but I don’t feel like I’m dying while doing it.

Diet: My diet has also improved a lot. I’ve started intermittent fasting, eating only between 11am and 7pm, which has helped a lot with controlling my calorie intake.

My focus for the foreseeable future will be improving my lifts. It’s disappointing seeing how little progress I’ve made overall, but I’m back to having consistent gym time so I’m optimistic that I will progress a lot over the next few months.

Fitness Update 2024

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 15:00:28 -0700

One of my goals for 2024 was to focus on my physical health. This included two sub-goals: a) exercise at the gym 3 times per week and b) weigh under 200lbs at the end of the year. This page is intended to track my progress.

Last Updated 2024-04-02 15:00:28 -0700 -0700

Body Weight

Weighed on 01/04/2024: 227lbs
Current Weight: 222lbs

I had a doctor appointment recently and the post-visit summary included obesity as a discussion topic, despite neither me or my doctor ever bringing it up. I don’t know how realistic my weight goals in the given timeframe are, but as long as I’m trending downward at the end of the year, I’ll be happy.

Lifts

Squats: 115lbs
Deadlift: 115lbs
Bench Press: 90lbs
Barbell Row: 90lbs
Overhead Press: 65lbs

Currently, squats are my best lift, but I’ve stopped adding weight for now while I train up my shoulders, which are my weakest lift. Weightlifting is really enjoyable to me, it is a great feeling to become stronger.

Cardio

God cardio is a struggle. I’ve been walking on the treadmill before doing my weight lifting. I tried running today but it was rough, I ended up on a stationary bike which felt a lot better, but I want to get good at running.

Dieting Rules

My intention with these rules is to be stricter with my diet and incentivize healthier choices, while avoiding detailed calorie counting and being miserable. I figure if I write them down it’s easier to hold myself accountable rather than keeping only the vague idea of them in my mind. Most of my bad eating comes from sweets and sugary drinks, so I am reducing my intake of those. So far these rules have been working well for me, I am down a few pounds and also not miserable or craving junk food, which I will consider a win. These rules will be adjusted based on how things are going in a few months.

Chips and similar carb-heavy snack foods are allowed, but in a limited amount and eaten alongside a meal, never eaten alone.
Dinner is the final food of the day, no snacking afterward
Fast food (usually Taco Bell) is allowed once per week, but be mindful of caloric intake
Zero-sugar sodas only
Prefer zero-sugar beverages in general, but the occasional lemonade/juice/milkshake as a treat is ok
Avoid caffeine after 3pm

Focus Areas

Improving my max weight on overhead press
Improve cardio, ideally this means improving my mile time to under 10 mins
Continue with dieting rules