Motivation /Tracking Thread

[Probie]

Right now you need to focus most of your PT on ruck marches and running. Idk what all ranger school entails but probably swimming too. You'll have plenty of time to get big once you hit the fleet.

Everyone I've talked to says Ranger school is just a fuck down no matter what. The rucking standards actually aren't that bad. RAP week (the first week) is what kills the most people because of the PT test. The rest of it is just passing patrols and embracing the suck.

Idk what you mean by the fleet, but I'm already at my first unit and have been for about a month now

[D. Lil]

Just got permission to start the Ranger School prep program in the mornings separate from group PT. So with that 6 days a week and lifting MWF I think I'll definitely start making noticeable progress

Right now you need to focus most of your PT on ruck marches and running. Idk what all ranger school entails but probably swimming too. You'll have plenty of time to get big once you hit the fleet.

[KBScobravert]

I hear that a lot about not using a bar. First shoulder injury I received was lifting heavy on incline with a BB and so I'm there with you. Only time I ever use a bar for pushing exercises is to bench. Seems far more muscles are engaged using DB's. IMO you are correct in doing reps with lower weight. IMO do your sets to muscle failure and your strength levels should remain about where they were. A lot of the older guys I talk to say they don't really lift heavy when it comes to shoulder press and just pick a weight to do 12 to 15 reps, but they're still monsters so they must be doing something right, and I never see anyone use the overhead bench at my gym.

I only go heavy and really push myself for growth and gains on one major exercise a day, roughly.

Overhead press day: I do roughly 7-8 sets starting with a 10 rep warm up of just the bar then sets of 15, 15, 12, 8, 8 as go from light weight to heavy. I try to move up the weight to where I can barely get that last rep in that set. Then I work back down from the heaviest I can do 15 reps followed by dropping the weight, or keeping it the same some days to another set of 15 and if I feel real froggy, add another set of 10-15 reps. Then I follow with close grip bench 3-4 sets of 15-10 reps, wide grip pull ups at 4 sets of max, bent over row with a wide grip pulled to the middle of the chest with the barbell 4-5 sets of 15-8 reps, t-bar row 3 sets of 15, overhead tricep extensions 3 sets 15-20 reps, tricep rope pull down 3 sets of 15-12 reps, incline seated DB curls with palms forward in the starting position 3 sets of 10, shrugs with DB 4 sets of 20, front raise and side raise 3 sets of 10 reps each.

I do the same style of sets/reps/weights on Deadlift day (more legs and lower back and abs/core), Bench press day (light upper back and heavy arms), and Squat day (more legs and lower back and abs/core).

I keep a spreadsheet of everything I do. Before I go into the gym, I print out that days routine that I base off the last week's same day. When I get in I make changes to my plan as I feel I need to but I document it and transfer it over to the spreadsheet to use for next week. Having a plan on paper helps me with my accountability. You can see the difference in folks in the gym here; those that go in with an endstate in mind and those that go in just to check the block. They know when they see me that I have goals and a plan every single day.

[KBScobravert]

Just got permission to start the Ranger School prep program in the mornings separate from group PT. So with that 6 days a week and lifting MWF I think I'll definitely start making noticeable progress

Great news. Now get in there and smash it

[Probie]

I hear that a lot about not using a bar. First shoulder injury I received was lifting heavy on incline with a BB and so I'm there with you. Only time I ever use a bar for pushing exercises is to bench. Seems far more muscles are engaged using DB's. IMO you are correct in doing reps with lower weight. IMO do your sets to muscle failure and your strength levels should remain about where they were. A lot of the older guys I talk to say they don't really lift heavy when it comes to shoulder press and just pick a weight to do 12 to 15 reps, but they're still monsters so they must be doing something right, and I never see anyone use the overhead bench at my gym.


Incorporating core exercises like you are doing could be changing your body shape without moving the scale, assholeface! Just keep at it. I have good faith you are eating right and burning a shit ton of calories therefore, with your current routine it's quite possible you won't reach 190, but stay where you are and become an even sexier killing machine.

Just got permission to start the Ranger School prep program in the mornings separate from group PT. So with that 6 days a week and lifting MWF I think I'll definitely start making noticeable progress

[SS Junk]

Our DBs only go to 55lbs. Which is probably where I need to be anyways. On my Overhead Press day (shoulders, upper back, upper chest, light day for bi/tri) is when I do my Inclined press. I can't use the bar, it seems to cause shoulder pain. So I settle for 3 sets of 10-12 @ 55lb DBs. I also do a bar stuffed into a corner with 60lbs on one end. Pick up the weighted end and lean in and do a incline press that works the middle of the chest more.

I hear that a lot about not using a bar. First shoulder injury I received was lifting heavy on incline with a BB and so I'm there with you. Only time I ever use a bar for pushing exercises is to bench. Seems far more muscles are engaged using DB's. IMO you are correct in doing reps with lower weight. IMO do your sets to muscle failure and your strength levels should remain about where they were. A lot of the older guys I talk to say they don't really lift heavy when it comes to shoulder press and just pick a weight to do 12 to 15 reps, but they're still monsters so they must be doing something right, and I never see anyone use the overhead bench at my gym.

I'm kinda frustrated because my weight isn't really changing, I'm stuck around 200 and I can't really tell if I'm slimming out at all.

Incorporating core exercises like you are doing could be changing your body shape without moving the scale, assholeface! Just keep at it. I have good faith you are eating right and burning a shit ton of calories therefore, with your current routine it's quite possible you won't reach 190, but stay where you are and become an even sexier killing machine.

[Probie]

I've started hitting it pretty hard since I've got here. I've been doing squats and deadlifts Monday Wednesday Friday. With bench press, push press, and other accessory exercises worked in. I've also been doing push ups and pull ups every day. I'm kinda frustrated because my weight isn't really changing, I'm stuck around 200 and I can't really tell if I'm slimming out at all. I definitely wouldn't care if it weren't for the stupid way the Army does their BMI scale BS. Hoping to get down to 190. I'm gonna go to the health center this week hopefully, they have some body composition walk in scanner thing as well as metabolic testing and I'm gonna give it a shot.


I've only been deadliftingfor about 2 weeks and I PR'd at 275 so that felt pretty good. Wanna hit 300 in the next week or two

[KBScobravert]

Haven't ever DB inclined anything over 100lbs in the past, but decided to try it out and was pleased. Did sets of:
70x10
80X10
90X7
105X4- Would have most likely set off the Lunk Alarm if I'd done this at PF.
70X7

My new favorite exercise.

Our DBs only go to 55lbs. Which is probably where I need to be anyways. On my Overhead Press day (shoulders, upper back, upper chest, light day for bi/tri) is when I do my Inclined press. I can't use the bar, it seems to cause shoulder pain. So I settle for 3 sets of 10-12 @ 55lb DBs. I also do a bar stuffed into a corner with 60lbs on one end. Pick up the weighted end and lean in and do a incline press that works the middle of the chest more. Got that one from Jeff Cavalier (AthleanX.com guy).

I took the entire month of April off when I was on R&R. 27 days between working out. Let myself recover from making a big push to the end before I left Africa. I probably only needed a week or two but 4 weeks later I didn't loose that much.

My weight has stayed pretty much the same in the past 6 weeks. I am hovering between 187-190 but trying to get down into the low 180s if not 180 even by mid July.

[SS Junk]

Haven't ever DB inclined anything over 100lbs in the past, but decided to try it out and was pleased. Did sets of:
70x10
80X10
90X7
105X4- Would have most likely set off the Lunk Alarm if I'd done this at PF.
70X7

My new favorite exercise.

[KBScobravert]

I think I'm slowly getting back into the groove. Having both trucks break down did not help my "G-A-F" level. On top of that, I was off the past two weeks with the intent of working out but ended up sleeping in, eating like shit, and staying up way too late...my wife is a real estate agent so she works from home. Hell I didn't even get on the treadmill at home

Over all I'm up 1.7% bf and 8 lbs. It's way easier to stay on track when I go to work. I pack my little 6pack fitness cooler and go.

Keep at it. Get back in and find your groove.

Falling out of routine does make it a little hard to keep yourself motivated and pushed into the gym.

I have been stuck at 190-192 for the past month. I weigh myself everyday at the same time and under the exact same circumstances. Yesterday, 192. Today 187 and bamm, just like that, I hope I broke through my plateau. This is loaded on creatine too. I can imagine a few days off creatine and I would be at my 185 goal. The great thing is, I have another 23 days left before I go on R&R. I am going to make a push for 185 on the scale which I believe is obtainable at my current rate. That way when i get home I will be slightly less than my goal.

A week plus ago, I started turning my off days of my 2on/1off/2on/1off week into light cardio. Typically running and sprints with some abs and stretching. So now I take zero days off because I just take my 6 day routine and repeat with no breaks.

I also ran a test week this week to see where I was at on my overhead press, deadlift, bench press and squats. My numbers were way up and I surprised myself with 145 deadlift for 1, 225 bench for 1 with zero assistance after doing a ton of weight numbers leading up to it, 345 on the deadlift (6 months ago I could barely hold onto 215) and 245 squat for 3 reps which I should have gone higher weight but I didn't want to injure myself.