Brmc72's log

[brmc72]

Hi all!

I stumbled across this site looking for some kind of structured workout that would fit well with my schedule and personality and Simplefit seems like a great idea! I'm not exactly in bad shape, but I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be or where I feel like I should be and this routine seems like something I could stick with. Here's where I'm coming from:

Age: 40
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 168 lbs
Other exercise: jujitsu a few times a week (which is a phenomenal workout, unfortunately it's countered by 40 hours a week sitting at a desk)

I just finished my first workout. I picked level 4 as my starting point and managed 38 rounds in 20 minutes. It's obvious that pull-ups are going to be my biggest issue...the push-ups weren't too big a deal and the squats were fine, but the pull-ups were just terrible

Anyhow, I'm really looking forward to day 2 and I'm having a great time reading everyone else's posts in this forum!

[brmc72]

Week 1, Level 4, Day 2:

Round 1: 00:48
Round 2: 00:55
Round 3: 00:54
Round 4: 00:51
Round 5: 00:50

Total Time: 04:18

All in all, a much easier day than day 1. Upper body exercises weren't too difficult but I was definitely feeling the squats towards the end of each set. I'm looking forward to seeing how I do on day 3.

[brmc72]

Ok, just finished L4D3 in 03:45...looks like I'll be giving level 5 a shot next week! Just like in day 1, my push-ups and squats felt strong, but I had a hard time getting through all 20 pull-ups. I had to rest several times before I was able to finish up.

I was feeling pretty good afterwards, so I decided to rest for a few minutes and then run through the day 1 workout again. I Managed to get in 30 rounds in 19 minutes, so I'm pretty happy with that. I'm really looking forward to level 5...I have a feeling that's going to be a level that I'm stuck on for a while, but we'll see!

[KTG]

Welcome! This is a really strong start. You've clearly got a great starting base. I expect you'll move through level five pretty quickly.

[brmc72]

Level 5

Day 1: 25 rounds in 17:51

Started on level 5 today. For some reason, I had a hard time getting into it mentally today and I'm sure that translated into more difficulty pushing through the sets. I had set a goal of 20 sets for today, but around the 12/13 mark I was really struggling with the pull-ups (I had to completely abandon the standard pull-ups and go for chin-ups instead) and my legs were getting pretty wobbly during the squats. I hit 20 rounds with about 5 minutes left on the clock and I re-set my goal to 25 sets...that seemed to give me the kick in the pants I needed to keep going.

[Beaver]

awesome job!!!!! 25 rounds in 17 minutes is great! You'll be on level 6 in no time.

[brmc72]

Level 5

Day2:

Round 1: 01:00
Round 2: 00:54
Round 3: 00:56
Round 4: 00:55
Round 5: ??:?? (thought I had my timer running, but didn't)

Total: 04:45

[brmc72]

Level 5

Day3: 04:48

Holy cow...today was way hard. My arms were toast by the end, but I made it! I did the pull-ups in sets of 8-8-6-2-2, the push-ups in 30-10-5-3-3 and the squats pretty much straight through (I think I stopped for a couple of seconds at one point).

I'm really looking forward to level 6 next week, but I have a feeling that that's going to be a level that I'm stuck at for a while.

[KTG]

That's fantastic progress! It's great that there is now a strong cohort on level 6. I hope to be there someday, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that progresses.

I'm particularly impressed with your banging out the 30 push-ups right after all those pull-ups.

[brmc72]

Level 6

Well, started level 6 today! I managed to get in 25 rounds in 19:21. Turns out it wasn't really all that more difficult than day 1 of level 5...pull-ups are where I really struggle and level 5 and 6 have the same number. There's only 1 extra push-up and 2 extra squats per round, so that wasn't too big a deal. I have a feeling that day 3 is going to be a killer though...32 pull-ups sounds miserable

[brmc72]

That's fantastic progress! It's great that there is now a strong cohort on level 6. I hope to be there someday, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that progresses.

I'm particularly impressed with your banging out the 30 push-ups right after all those pull-ups.

Thanks KTG! Initially, the push-ups weren't too hard right after the pull-ups...I'm guessing it was because they use different muscles. But after a while, my arms were a shaking mess...didn't matter if I was pushing or pulling

[brmc72]

Level 6

Day 2

Round 1: 1:10
Round 2: 1:05
Round 3: 1:04
Round 4: 1:02
Round 5: 1:02
Total: 5:23 (an increase of 38 seconds compared to level 5)

I felt strong today. In general, my pull-ups seem to be getting better...still my weakest exercise, but stronger nonetheless. Of the five rounds, I did three of them as standard pull-ups, one set of chin-ups and one set of...something else (gripping the bars that are perpendicular to the main bar, palms facing each other).

[brmc72]

Level 6

Day 3: 7:45

Pull-ups: 10 neutral grip, 10 chin-ups, 4 pull-ups, 4 neutral grip, 4 chin-ups
Push-ups: 30, 13, 10, 11
Squats: 64 straight through (really started struggling around 45)

So, I went into this workout not really expecting to get it done in under 5 minutes so I'm not disappointed in my time...I'm pretty happy to have gotten through it in under 10 minutes I'd imagine it will take me a few weeks to shave off those extra three minutes if I continue hitting the workouts hard. It's really amazing how much of a workout someone can get in 8 minutes...having the clock running as an extra incentive to keep pushing hard is a huge help!

[KTG]

Great job! I'm particularly impressed with the D2 times.

I agree about the clock. I hate the pressure, but it really motivates pushing hard and gives you a clear basis for week-to-week comparison.

[brmc72]

Level 6 (week #2)

Day 1: 27 rounds in 19:55

My goal for today was to increase my number of rounds by 1 from last week, and I managed to actually get in 2 extra rounds. I won't comment on my form for rounds 26 and 27, but they weren't too ugly.