New to MFP and it!

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strongdog68
strongdog68 Posts: 22
in Introduce Yourself
I have now been on MFP for a week and it is great. I lost my targeted two pounds the first week and should not have any problems losing two this week. I initially joined for the calorie tracker, but I am now starting to take advantage of all the additional features.

I was always active until a degenerative hip condition sidelined me at the age of 30. I am a former collegiate wrestler and avid martial artist. I also coached high school wrestling and football as well as middle school wrestling after college. I eventually had to give up all these pursuits when the pain and physical limitations became too much handle. I gained 50 pounds between that time and when I had bilateral hip replacement at the age of 38. In addition, just as I was recovering from the hip replacements, both of my parents became chronically ill. Caring for them put my efforts to get back into shape on hold for another two years.

For the last 6 months I have been focusing on regaining total body strength to the degree that I was formerly accustomed. I also have focused on increasing my stamina and range of motion in my lower body. I have had great success so far, and now my focus is on losing the weight that I need to get off.

I have become an avid kettlebell user. I have also gone back to body weight exercises and interval/circuit training. One of my favorite new toys in my Gym Boss. I am also interested in working with middle school and high school athletes again, so I am currently studying to get my CSCS. I have also recruited two coworkers to MFP in the last two days. It's a great place to find motivation, tools, and support to achieve your weight loss and fitness goals.

It would be great to hear from people who have similar interests and goals.

Replies

  • kerriBB37
    kerriBB37 Posts: 967 Member
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    I'm sorry I couldn't pay attention to your words because I was distracted by that adorable puppy picture!! It looks JUST LIKE my Buster :)

    Joking aside, I have similar goals. Strength training is a place I need to focus more attention to because I know its benefits! I was an athlete most of my life too. It's amazing where our body goes when we stop training and acting like an athlete! geesh!
  • strongdog68
    strongdog68 Posts: 22
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    So true! It's easy to get out of shape and tough to get back in it. I will have to say though, that I think it is easier for a former athlete to get it back than a non-athlete. I've been working out seriously for five weeks now, and I have made remarkable gains in strength and functional performance. It's not uncommon for people to make proportionally larger gains when starting a new exercise program, but I think that muscle memory in a former athlete leads to even larger gains in exercise efficiency when starting a new program after a long lay-off. So far I've lost my goal of 2 lbs. per week for the last three weeks. Being able to track my progress on here helps to motivate me and keep me accountable.

    Hope you are making progress meeting your goals too. BTW-I am having great success using kettlebells. It's a great way to get cardio and resistance training at the same time. Using an interval timer really helps to boost the metabolic effects even more. As a former athlete, you might like them too if you haven't tried working out with them.

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