Where do the images come from?
I want to let everybody know, the most all of the images you will find on this site come from various sources, just found doing an image search with Google, should anyone find a picture offensive, or maybe it is a copyrighted image that we have unknowingly found and used, just use the contact form and let us know, and it will either be removed, or the appropriate copyright information will be added, whichever is the appropriate way to go.
As for the images like this one.
These images are created at an interesting website that I found, Wordl.net, there, you can create images like this of your own. I have to admit, before I found this site, I tried to manually create them myself, but they just never came out right, so, take a look at the site, you may come up with something special!
Over Weight or Over Fat? Running vs Weight Training?
If you served in the military, before 1983, you may not have experienced the first changes that I know of, about weight restrictions. I joined the Army in 1982, and for my height, 5′ 7″, the limit was 205 pounds, I know this, because that is what I weighed and was told that I was at the limit for my height. This was of course after basic, and AIT, was after passing my PT test at my unit in Germany, and was just part of their physical requirement check-up. I was not fat, not even close, but, I was at the max for my height. Within 6 months, when the next evaluation came along, I of course passed my PT test again, but this time, 205 pounds was over weight! The chart used at that time said I was to be no more than 176 pounds, that is now, 29 pounds over weight! I hadn’t changed, the chart did!
From what I have read, the Army is using body fat along with the height/weight/age chart now, that is good news, because I would not wish what I have been through on anybody! (Read This, Click Here)
After being told that I was now fat (over-weight), I was shocked, but that was just the beginning of the embarrassment, they put me in an extra-PT group and we had to do PT twice a day! This by itself was fine, it got me out of the boring, motor pool and do maintainance routine, but there I was, with a bunch of fatties from the head shed, like clerks, secretaries, and such. The spec-5 that was in charge of our PT was so fat he breathed hard just standing there! All of my fellow platoon members, were rolling on the ground laughing, it was awful! We went on a run, around the block, not even a mile, and I was one of maybe four or five that made it all the way, and, it was my first time to be the one calling cadence, because the spec-5 was the firt to fall out, he didn’t make it out of the gate!
The next day, Top called me into his office and put me in charge of the Fat Platoon, that is what they called us, made up of the over weight and failed PT test group, and I was instructed to get everybody in the group Fit! I said, “Yes!, First Sargent” and walked out to the group. I was an E3, but now, I was in charge of getting about 20 tubbies in shape, so, I marched everybody to the gym! Now, I am loving this extra PT, I get to go to the gym on Army time, not mine! I started the group off with a sort of circuit training, using the limited equipment we had, an old Universal Machine, a stationary bike, a jump-rope or two, and of course Free Weights and a basketball court. We were a bit disorganized at first, but, it worked out pretty good.
After about 2 weeks, my CO, an arrogant, skinny, pencil-neck, geek, was mad, because he never saw us do anything, he wanted to see us running, so, I got called into Top’s office again, where he informed me what the CO wanted, again, I said, “Yes, First Sargent” and walked out to my “trainees” and told them we had to go for a run at least once a week, and I fibbed a bit, and told them that we had to do at least two miles or I was getting replaced, and that the extra PT was going to just be running from now on, when we marched out the gate, I have never heard such a loud group of but maybe 20 soldiers, something was different about them, and me, I was actually proud, not embarrassed!
Once we were about 5 minutes underway, we still had a tight formation, no one was lagging or falling out, we were actually picking up speed! Here we are, the “Fat Platoon”, and we are running! Where we ran, there were only a few options, places where the sidewalk was wide enough, or a street that was not too busy, even to just turn around and go back the way we had come, without stopping, which kills momentum. Since around the block was not allowed this time, we had to do at least a mile, according to Top. Our options on this road were, around the block, one mile, two miles, or the next was just over three. As we got close to the cut-off for one mile, the squad was going strong, and something strange happened, the whole squad wanted to do 2 miles! So, we passed that first turn, there was no turning back, it was either two miles or failure!
As we ran, all the way through the gate, it was now time for the afternoon formation, and everybody, every platoon, every battery, every single soldier at Bismark Kaserne was outside, watching us, all of us, not even one had fallen out, so, instead of just stopping, we make a victory lap, all around the inside of the Kaserne, about a quarter mile rectangle, past every single formation, and all the way back to our unit, which is right at the front gate. As we stopped, I didn’t have to tell them that they had done a great job, they knew it, you could see the look on every single face. I dismissed the squad to their platoons, we were about 5 minutes late to formation.
The next morning was our “Brigade Run”, which meant that everyone from the Kaserne went on one big group run, before formation, Top called me aside and told me to go the Headquarters building and get the Brigade colors, which is a big flag, I was thinking that I was just supposed to bring the flag back to Top, but,as I get there, the harness to help support the thing, was strapped on me, I knew what that meant, I had to run 7 miles with about a 50 pound flag! Whats worse, is that it meant I was running in front of the entire brigade!
The next day, the “Fat Platoon” was given 6 weeks to train as we pleased, then those that had not passed the previous PT test were to take it over, everyone passed! Then came the weigh in, guess what, each one of us had gained weight! Now I am guessing, but I would say that the average for the group, we had lost at least 3-5 inches in the waist, some were a lot more, some were less, but, everyone was in better shape.
After all of this, those of us that were the “over weight” group, had to get a fat test, if we passed great, but, if we failed, we would be barred from re-enlistment, awards, or anything positive, then, would be given another 2 months to lose the rest of the “weight” or get kicked out of the Army, NO ONE FAILED! All of us had room to spare, we were over weight, but not over fat!
By using weight training, we had all gotten stronger, this had made it easier for us to run, do push-ups, and the fat loss had made sit-ups a breeze, so, get in the gym, push some iron, ignore the scale, and get fit!
Sick Call:The Sick, Lame, and the Lazy!
January 22, 2010 by CarpetGuy · 2 Comments
Do you remember what sick call was like? For me, it was a nightmare that I lived through too many times. In Basic Training, the Drill Sargent would always refer to anyone that was hurt or sick, and went on sick call, as the Sick, Lame and the Lazy, and now, society still looks at it that way, if you miss a day of work, get hurt, or anything else, everyone still talks about you.
As much as I hate to, I have to say it, there are a lot of people who do fit in the Lazy group, and, it is probably the same in the VA, but as of yet, I don’t think I have met anyone like that. Military people in general are the hardest working, most team oriented people in the country, but yes, we do tend to party a bit too much, and that has added to our problems later in life, but, if anyone can overcome it, we can.
Anyone that thinks the government should control health Care in this country, needs to go ask a veteran at the VA how it is working for them, the one asking would quickly change their minds, but, I do not blame the doctors, nurses, or most of the people who work there, it is simply the size of the bureaucracy, the red tape, rules and regulations. I know that I appreciate what I get, even if it takes a long time, I am unable to work, have no income, but do not qualify for, nor would I accept, Medicaid, being able to go to the VA is something every veteran has earned, we bought and paid for it by giving our time, and for many, our body parts in service to our country.
Now that I am older, and in the VA system, I see first hand how many of us there must be, that have gotten old and out of shape, but I believe than almost anyone can get healthier with better eating habits, and some form of excersize, even if it is just moving a few feet at a time, yes, age, and health conditions do prohibit many from any serious activity, myself included, but, we can get better. Getting fit, does not mean that you have to pass a PT test, but, losing body fat will help anyone that is “over weight”, I hate that term, because weight is not what matters, it is that we are “over fat”! Remember that, lose fat, which is actually very light in actual weight compared to muscle, but, it adds weight in places that cause our posture to get bad, which by itself can cause injuries to feel worse than they actually are, I am hoping that is the case for me and that by losing fat, and exercising, I will once again be able to walk and stand for extended periods of time, which will add even more fat burning power to what I am able to do now.
If you are considering starting any type of activity, and you have health concerns, always talk to your doctor first, and if you experience any physical problems during exercise, go back and tell your doctor, he or she may be able to give you information that can help prevent injury, so just be safe, but get off your butts and move something!
Which is your favorite gym or fitness center?
I have trained at so many different gyms, I could not even begin to list them, I think there were three where I lived in Germany, and probably twenty to thirty, maybe more, here in Texas, and two in Tampa Florida, needless to say, I am an Iron Head, I believe in heavy weights, and sadly, many gyms no longer offer such a thing and have replaced iron with treadmills and stair steppers and such, which are all useful, but way down on the scale of importance to me, I would rather have 150-200 pound dumbbells!
I am now training (working out) at Gold’s Gym, College Station, Texas, and I have to say, in today’s world of “Fitness Centers”, Gold’s is right at the top, they have dumbbells up to 120 pounds, I think, It will be a while before I am using the heavy ones any way, probably six months or so. Gold’s in College Station, does not have a pool or racquet ball or any of that stuff, and I have no use for that anyway, and it keeps the kids off of my squat rack! Really, those “Fitness Centers” have so many people just going there to play, get a date, or kill time hanging out with friends, they are a distraction, when I am in the Gym, it is me and the iron, nothing else matters.
When it comes to my favorite gym, I would have to say Costa’s, in Houston, before they closed the location where I was training and I had to go to the main one. That gym was tiny, but, had plenty of weight, in racks all over the place, and very few of the “girly” machines that are no good for anything but taking up space, and dumbbells up to 200 pounds. I also trained at a ruthlessly brutal gym in Germany, where almost everybody was so “roided out” it was scary, but I loved it.
I have to drive 45 minutes just to get to a town that has a Gym of any kind, and there are but two choices, Gold’s and Aerofit, and about ten years ago, I got kicked out of Aerofit for breaking the ancient leg press they had then, and probably still do now, by putting too much weight on it, all I did was load it up with maybe 800 pounds and it derailed! Golds has an awesome leg press, back in the day, it was a “Neptune 2000″, I think it is the same machine, but the sticker is gone, anyway, it has four spindles on the sides for weight and in a year or so, I will see if it can still hold 2000 pounds. All of the people who I have talked to there seem very nice and helpful, and the way they have the workout areas set up, it is divided into sections, “girly” machines, circuit training, some kind of aerobics class room (or whatever they call it now), then dumbbells along one wall, with the heavy ones on the end, which is also the area where the good stuff is located, like the squat racks, deadlift platform and leg press and such. I am very happy there, and, they just opened a “Smoothie Bar”, if you like that kind of stuff.
If you are in my area, and need a training partner, let me know, and I will be glad to share what I know and love, Iron!
Where are you and where are you going?
Where you are is only important as long as you let it be, just get off the couch and do something, only then will you will be able to see where you are going!
I have been much like the guy in this picture, proud of the past, feeling like I was still on top, while pushing myself further and further away from it, by guzzling beer and eating anything and everything. I threw my trophies away years ago, and I had boxes of them, I had been the best, and a great baseball player when I was a kid, all the way up to High School, but I quit, because I “grew up” , drinking and girls were more fun than baseball, and getting paid to play a game, never crossed my mind, baseball was for kids, and I was a man.
By the time reality caught up with me, I had stopped working out, and I had my first weight set when I was eleven, weight training was very important to me, baseball wasn’t, but, I had quit both of them! Since I wasn’t a baseball star anymore, the girls went away too, I was too busy working, and really needed a change, so, I joined the Army. Why? Because I knew I needed a good kick in the butt and felt that the Army could give it to me! History repeats itself, if you let it, and I did.
This time, it was not all my fault, I got hurt, to the point I couldn’t stand for more than about five minutes, the pain was and is incredible, I tried to train through it, I was not about to let myself get fat again, but, I did. Now, after signing up with the VA to get some help, and 4 years of CT scans, X-rays, and doctor visits, after being informed that my problem was permanent and would never go away, I had earned it, the neurologist told me. I had raced Mountain Bikes, downhill was my event, I had been a runner, trained at more than marathon distances, and now, I have the spikes growing out of my spine to prove it! The doctor told me that all the crashes, and pounding from running, not to mention the tonnage I had lifted in my life, had given me a spine that normally takes over seventy years to get, and that is a very active, almost crazy like Evil Knievel, kind of active, and had gotten fat on top of it all.
Once I knew my pain would never go away, I gave up hope that I would ever get back in the gym, or compete at anything ever again, I felt like the world had come to an end, all I had left was the glory days, pain pills, my computer, TV, beer and food. When I got hurt, it was stupid, I stubbed my toe, and in the jerking to keep my balance, I had done something, that still is with me, proof that you just never know. At that time, I was in pretty good shape, I am 5′ 7″ and then weighed 275 pounds with a 36″ waist, bench pressing up to 495 pounds, squatting up to 705 pounds, and doing dead-lifts of about 405 pounds, but, that was over, and I now weigh 282 pounds with a 50″ waist.
My biggest frustration, is now, my biggest motivation, every time someone tells me that if I lost weight, my back would feel better, I felt like punching them, because I was really trying, had cut my beer consumption down to almost nothing, a 12 pack a month, eating soup and vegetables and hardly ever any junk, but, I was totally inactive, pain was winning, and I knew that I needed more activity, but walking is my biggest enemy, so, what could I do?
I have decided to just suck it up, and get my fat self back in the gym, no matter how bad it hurts, and how many people look at me funny when I walk in the door! Walking, or even standing for more than a few minutes is out of the question, but, I can sit, and squats only take a couple of minutes per set, then I can sit and wait for the pain to subside before my next set. My doctor had used my anger, and embarrassment to motivate me, and I signed up for the MOVE program, I need to thank him. Now, I know where I am going! I don’t care about weight, I need to lose fat, and I know how to do that, get back to the iron!
Motivation: Where does it come from?
Motivation is one of those things that can come from different places, sometimes, it comes from others, but it is best when it comes from within. Motivation is an energy that is both positive and negative, sometimes at the same time.
Remember when the Drill Sargent got on your case? I do, and in the beginning, getting dropped for 20 push ups was like being told to pick up a car! Then, something happened, it got easier, and I was doing push ups in my spare time to get better!
What happened, was it simply that I was getting in better shape? No, I was motivated! I did not want to look weak in front of the rest of the platoon! I know, some people strive to be the best, some, just don’t want to be embarrassed. I was the latter.
What motivated me? Where did it come from? Initially, from the Drill Sargent, he forged the need to succeed, and the fear of failure within my mind, both were negative energies. Once I no longer was afraid of failing, I wanted to be the best! Now, the energy was coming from me, it was now positive and that is when it is the most powerful.
This website is an instrument to create this positive energy within me, it too is starting as a negative, I am afraid of failing, I do not want to stop my training and stay fat! By writing, and sharing with others, I will get beyond this fear, and be once again motivated by success. I love my workouts, I always have, and during these last 6 years of pain, I wanted more than anything to be the old me again, and I will! Not only will I get stronger and leaner, but I will do everything I can to help others do the same, both here, and within my new group of friends at the VA MOVE program. I look forward to others joining the cause and helping, together, we can do it!
What can MyFitVet do for you?
What do you want this site to do for you?
First and foremost, we can bring like-minded veterans together, for a common cause, getting in better shape, and staying that way. Together, we can share our experiences, our stories, the good, the bad, and the ugly, which can possibly help another veteran learn something from another.
By sharing, we can motivate each other, we can help each other get past those sticking points and plateaus in our training. It does not matter what you are doing to get in shape, from a five-minute walk, to a 500 pound bench press, it all involves training, and not just physical, but mental as well. It doesn’t matter how long you have tried or how many times you have failed, you can achieve your goals, one step at a time, one rep at a time, one less bite at a time.
MyFitVet.com What is it? Who is it” Why is it?
January 20, 2010 by CarpetGuy · Leave a Comment
MyFitVet.com is a site dedicated to helping my fellow veterans to either get in shape, or avoid getting out of shape. It is so much easier to just stay fit, than to get soft and flabby, and try to get healthy again.
Just so you know, I am a loudmouth class clown type. I am not a combat veteran, I served during peacetime, but, things happen and luckily the VA was there for me. I have the utmost respect for the doctors, nurses, and other people who work there, but, just as anything having to do with Government, it is too big to do, what all veterans wish it could do. In some cases, there is nothing anybody could do, except for us vets.
I served in the 80′s, Ronald Reagan was President, and at that time in my life, I had no plans on relying on the VA for anything, I just knew I would be indestructible and young forever. I was wrong. Now at 47, with over three decades of weight training experience, I find myself having to start all over again, and have joined the MOVE Weight Management Program for Veterans. After the initial questionnaire, a brief orientation, and my first monthly meeting, I found out just how limited the staff is by the rules of Government. The sad part is that it is understandable.
I was expecting some sort of fitness program, fitness evaluation, bodyweight analysis, or something, in fact, anything, but, I was again wrong. Here is what we did.
- We took turns reading a cute story about the holidays and all the food we couldn’t eat.
- We took turns reading a story about a woman who weighed 680 pounds and lost weight.
- The nutritionist asked us a few questions about the stories we had read.
- We asked a few questions, about various medications and their interactions with certain foods, and discussed it.
- Us newbies were given a pedometer.
- We left.
I think I was expecting it to at least be a bit like an AA meeting where we newbies had to stand up and say, “Hi, I am David and I am a Fat-Ass!”, or something, and then the others would comfort us saying that they were fat too, but nope, nothing. Before the group broke up and left, I couldn’t hold back, I had to ask! “Why is all the emphasis on weight, and not body fat?” “What about measuring us?” I mean after all, just because we are heavy, doesn’t mean we are solid fat, right? If we had a body fat measurement, we would know if our various excercise programs, which are up to us to come up with, were actually reducing fat, or burning muscle instead!
I was basically told that an electronic body fat measuring device had previously been requested, but, that was as far as it went, none was ever received. To this, I was almost ready to explode, and said, “Hey, a caliper is cheap, just a few bucks, I’ll buy one if it will help!” I was then informed that a caliper test was inaccurate. I said, “This is true, but, something is better than nothing, right?” To this, the nutritionist said, “The VA does not have software to track this information” Again, I said, “I’ll buy it and bring in my laptop, if someone here will do the measuring, I will record it and print it out”, by now, our MOVE class doctor had already left, and the group was gone. Was it that no one in the class had an interest? I don’t think so, they just saw that my line of questions went nowhere and that the point was obviously mute! Again, I do not blame the staff, their hands tied, kept in check by the big bureaucracy of the Federal Government. You remember the $700 hammer?
With this, you can bet, by the next meeting, not only will I bring the caliper, software and laptop, but, my camera, tape measure and the instructions on how to do it as well! In fact, I have already found the ideal application, complete with instructions, it will cost me like 40 bucks!
Now you know what MyFitVet.com is, who it is, and why it is!