BoBandy69
Level 1 Valued Member
Hey everyone,
So after starting S&S on sep 1 2014, I met the Simple goal this afternoon for the first time, exactly one year later. I have felt like I could meet the simple goal for about a month now but have been patient and waited until I was 100% sure I could do it without pushing myself too hard. I felt totally under control and stable meeting the simple goal this afternoon. I have come up against many different obstacles over the last year, and I have one big tip for overcoming some of them that I want to share. First of all, I must say that I throughly enjoyed S&S, I have a calisthenics background and this is my first weight program and I couldn't recommend it more. This is my final review from a skinny/lanky guy who finally figured out how to own the 32.
Conditioning:
I have noticed a lot of improvement in my conditioning and heart rate in short burst efforts. I live on the fourth story of an apartment building and running up 4 flights of stairs used to almost kill me, but now I can do it without needing to breathe through my mouth at all. My heart rate returns to normal after exerting myself SO MUCH faster than when I began a year ago. The most noticeable change came when I started working exclusively with the 32 on swings.
Strength:
The most noticeable increases in strength have been in my grip strength and my shoulders which isn't surprising. I feel so much more secure when moving under load thanks to the get-ups, I helped my girlfriend move recently and I was able to carry awkward furniture up three flights of stairs and keep my body tight and totally knit together, without any leaks in the tension. When I tested my previous pull-up numbers they fell from 16 to 12, and my dips fell from 20 to 15, but considering I hardly did either of them at all over the last year I think that is very good, and I believe that I could easily get the numbers back up if I focused on those exercises.
Body Composition:
I have always been a very lean guy and unable to put on any weight. I started S&S at 142lbs at 5' 10" and weighed myself today and now weigh 150lbs. I would honestly say that it is probably 50-50 fat/muscle gain. My shoulders feel/look bigger, my forearms are definitely bigger, my legs are bigger, and the biggest gains were definitely in my glutes, which changed significantly. My chest got a tiny bit smaller, as did my lats, but it's so subtle that I don't think anyone would ever notice except for me.
My most significant obstacle came once I began working with the 32. I weighed 142lbs all the way up until I started working with the 32kg about eight months into the program and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the 32 to feel under control in either exercise. I felt like it was just too much weight for someone as skinny as me to "own." What was holding me back was that I was too afraid of gaining any fat, I kept track of everything I ate, tried to stay under 2,400 calories/day, and ate very clean all the time. Finally my progress started going backwards and the 32 got harder with each session, and at that point I decided to just listen to my body and eat what/when I wanted. I ate like a machine for months, eating everything in sight (easily topping 3,000 calories on many days) and gained 8lbs, which for someone who struggles putting on weight like me was amazing. Not fearing food and giving my body the energy it needed kept my progress going, and I have had steady increases in strength and conditioning over the last 2 months, culminating in me meeting the simple goal without pushing myself very hard at all. So anyone who is skinny and struggling with the 32, try eating more and be patient, it took me an entire year to meet the goal but it was well worth it!
So after starting S&S on sep 1 2014, I met the Simple goal this afternoon for the first time, exactly one year later. I have felt like I could meet the simple goal for about a month now but have been patient and waited until I was 100% sure I could do it without pushing myself too hard. I felt totally under control and stable meeting the simple goal this afternoon. I have come up against many different obstacles over the last year, and I have one big tip for overcoming some of them that I want to share. First of all, I must say that I throughly enjoyed S&S, I have a calisthenics background and this is my first weight program and I couldn't recommend it more. This is my final review from a skinny/lanky guy who finally figured out how to own the 32.
Conditioning:
I have noticed a lot of improvement in my conditioning and heart rate in short burst efforts. I live on the fourth story of an apartment building and running up 4 flights of stairs used to almost kill me, but now I can do it without needing to breathe through my mouth at all. My heart rate returns to normal after exerting myself SO MUCH faster than when I began a year ago. The most noticeable change came when I started working exclusively with the 32 on swings.
Strength:
The most noticeable increases in strength have been in my grip strength and my shoulders which isn't surprising. I feel so much more secure when moving under load thanks to the get-ups, I helped my girlfriend move recently and I was able to carry awkward furniture up three flights of stairs and keep my body tight and totally knit together, without any leaks in the tension. When I tested my previous pull-up numbers they fell from 16 to 12, and my dips fell from 20 to 15, but considering I hardly did either of them at all over the last year I think that is very good, and I believe that I could easily get the numbers back up if I focused on those exercises.
Body Composition:
I have always been a very lean guy and unable to put on any weight. I started S&S at 142lbs at 5' 10" and weighed myself today and now weigh 150lbs. I would honestly say that it is probably 50-50 fat/muscle gain. My shoulders feel/look bigger, my forearms are definitely bigger, my legs are bigger, and the biggest gains were definitely in my glutes, which changed significantly. My chest got a tiny bit smaller, as did my lats, but it's so subtle that I don't think anyone would ever notice except for me.
My most significant obstacle came once I began working with the 32. I weighed 142lbs all the way up until I started working with the 32kg about eight months into the program and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the 32 to feel under control in either exercise. I felt like it was just too much weight for someone as skinny as me to "own." What was holding me back was that I was too afraid of gaining any fat, I kept track of everything I ate, tried to stay under 2,400 calories/day, and ate very clean all the time. Finally my progress started going backwards and the 32 got harder with each session, and at that point I decided to just listen to my body and eat what/when I wanted. I ate like a machine for months, eating everything in sight (easily topping 3,000 calories on many days) and gained 8lbs, which for someone who struggles putting on weight like me was amazing. Not fearing food and giving my body the energy it needed kept my progress going, and I have had steady increases in strength and conditioning over the last 2 months, culminating in me meeting the simple goal without pushing myself very hard at all. So anyone who is skinny and struggling with the 32, try eating more and be patient, it took me an entire year to meet the goal but it was well worth it!
