Get Fit, Stay Fit, Feel Good - 2026

[stangmx13]

Enjoy your wins!

This thread is here for your fitness journey and your path to feeling great. Post a workout. Talk about your goals. Share your successes and setbacks. Support others. Ask questions. And enjoy the likes!

Here's last year's thread:

More Time To Get Fit - 2025

Enjoy your wins. This thread is for posting anything and everything about your fitness journey, and supporting others in theirs. Post some goals. Share some wins. Chat about plans, workouts, data, anything. Show off your new fitness gadget. Cheer for others. And enjoy the likes. Here's the...

bayarearidersforum.com

Edit: link to my drink mix post

Get Fit, Stay Fit, Feel Good - 2026

Man work sucks I have to keep rescheduling gym days due to working late. Tuesday was able to finally go and got in a pretty good day skipped some lower back exercises as I must have tweaked mine over the weekend and it was feeling up to snuff. Did some bench presses to warm up then hit the...

www.bayarearidersforum.com

 

[Sharxfan]

Tagging. Dealing with some issues but should have them sorted out in the next couple of weeks and can start my hardcore 2026 plan. Only 11 months until my youngest's wedding and I don't want to be flabby for that event.

Here is to hard work and dedication that 2026 is my transformational year.

 

[Climber]

Always good to have a goal to work towards to keep you going!
I used to carry a 100lb pack up 3,500 feet over 5.5 miles to help my dad get to the top of a mountain that he had been going to since the 1960's so that he could study the caribou herds on top of the mountain.
I trained for 4 months, working up to running with 40lb weight vest on a 4 mile, 1200 vertical feet trail.
Has anybody else carried a 100lb pack up a steep trail? It's no joke, especially since the final 700 feet included a 5 fallon water bladder because he didn't have any water supply on top of the mountain in eastern Quebec.

 

[Sharxfan]

forgot to add that although I am not working out I am working on my eating habits so that I can be prepared when I hit the gym again. Trying to figure out how many ways I can cook chicken so I don't get sick of it. Too expensive to eat steak all the time. Although I got lucky yesterday and Walmart marked down tri-tip by 40% so I bought them all and vacuum sealed them for future meals. people here don't realize how good of a cut it is so they don't buy it and I snap it all up. Used to be one of the cheapest cuts here but it went up with all the other beef and now its about $14/lb on average when they mark it down it goes back to normal price of about $7 to $8/lb.I love just pan searing it in a cast iron crusted in seasoning and finishing in the oven to about 140 and then letting it rest and its a perfectly pink 150. then do some random sides.

sorry about derailing to cooking thread here.

 

[Climber]

My wife can't stand chicken breast, so all of our chicken is thighs (usually boneless, skinless that I stock up on and vacuum seal and freeze). Here are some of the things I make with chicken:
1. Stir fry
2. chicken burrito's
3. Chicken chilli
4. Orange Chicken
5. Barbeque chicken, my own spice mix from scratch, usually chicken thighs or leg quarters.

 

[ThumperX]

Time for me to get back to it. From size 6 to 10 since 2018.

So long wine you and my waist need to break up,

 

[two wheel tramp]

Enjoy your wins!

This thread is here for your fitness journey and your path to feeling great. Post a workout. Talk about your goals. Share your successes and setbacks. Support others. Ask questions. And enjoy the likes!

Here's last year's thread:

More Time To Get Fit - 2025

Enjoy your wins. This thread is for posting anything and everything about your fitness journey, and supporting others in theirs. Post some goals. Share some wins. Chat about plans, workouts, data, anything. Show off your new fitness gadget. Cheer for others. And enjoy the likes. Here's the...

bayarearidersforum.com

goals:
pedal 100 miles a month
get back up to a 4 mile continuous walk
continue rowing 3x a week
add strength training
at least one outdoor nordic skiing experience!!
pull VO2 max back up to above average range from current below average status. 23.5 currently. i was at 30.
drop 30 lbs of useless mass off my body (aka a bag of dog food)
continue to be annoying as ffff in this thread.

 

[stangmx13]

Oh I feel you on getting bored of chicken. I also mostly stick thighs. Breast is too dry. My fav prep is turmeric chicken and rice made in the dutch oven. But more often than not, it's just browned in the stainless pan with butter.

Animal protein is so expensive. Except cans of tuna, but we can't eat that often enough because of heavy metals. I've resigned myself to daily protein shakes to make sure my protein is topped up.

One thing about protein that hit me recently - so much of your body and cells are protein. Bones - up to 40% is collagen which is a protein. Muscle, skin, organs - all protein. Mitochondria, the thing I want way more of for cycling - protein. We probably shouldnt expect to function well and make fitness gains in any capacity without enough protein. Quick searches say the body is up to 20% protein, 2nd only to water.

 

[stangmx13]

pull VO2 max back up to above average range from current below average status. 23.5 currently. i was at 30.
drop 30 lbs of useless mass off my body (aka a bag of dog food)

continue to be annoying as ffff in this thread.

It's cool that these two go hand in hand. The VO2 Max metric is milliliters oxygen consumed per kg of body-mass. Massive gains are doable since you can improve both sides.

I appreciate you being "annoying"

 

[two wheel tramp]

It's cool that these two go hand in hand. The VO2 Max metric is milliliters oxygen consumed per kg of body-mass. Massive gains are doable since you can improve both sides.

I appreciate you being "annoying"

my friend said i should start drinking bone broth daily and told me how her mama makes it. that’ll help me get more collagen in me without too much salt if it’s homemade.

i also love tofu and beans as protein sources. i gotta get some kind of powder this year tho to support the work i'm doing with better nutrition.

 

[Ridley]

Always good to have a goal to work towards to keep you going!
I used to carry a 100lb pack up 3,500 feet over 5.5 miles to help my dad get to the top of a mountain that he had been going to since the 1960's so that he could study the caribou herds on top of the mountain.
I trained for 4 months, working up to running with 40lb weight vest on a 4 mile, 1200 vertical feet trail.
Has anybody else carried a 100lb pack up a steep trail? It's no joke, especially since the final 700 feet included a 5 fallon water bladder because he didn't have any water supply on top of the mountain in eastern Quebec.

I’ve carried a pack loaded with elk quarters up a steep hill with no trail, also carried all 4 quarters and loose meat from a mule deer out in one trip. Those kind of loads can be soul crushing.

 

[Cupid's Arrow]

My goal this year is just to get stronger I am pretty healthy with diet and get semi-regular exercise, but I want more muscle and strength. I'll be climbing more this year!

 

[Climber]

I’ve carried a pack loaded with elk quarters up a steep hill with no trail, also carried all 4 quarters and loose meat from a mule deer out in one trip. Those kind of loads can be soul crushing.

Wow! An elk can be really heavy!

That's why I trained for month leading up to going up to eastern Quebec with my dad, I was in my late 40's and early 50's when I did it. One year I injured my back a month before and couldn't train for 3 weeks. I now have arthritis in my shoulders from getting myself to the top of that mountain with mostly my arms, I was boxing and rock climbing a lot at that time so I had the power, but did a lot of damage.

 

[ThumperX]

What is a recommended protein supplement.

 

[stangmx13]

I use Orgain Plant-Based Protein and Orgain Collagen Peptides in my shakes. I have also used Orgain Whey, but it didnt seem to be worth the extra cost.

You get most of the collagen amino acids in a complete protein, just in lower quantities. So technically you don't "need" the collagen peptides in addition to the regular protein mix. I added the Collagen because I was hoping for some more bone density and healthier joints.

I Prime'd some of these to my mom and she hasn't complained about them

 

[Cupid's Arrow]

What is a recommended protein supplement.

My friend really likes this chocolate protein powder and adds it to her pudding and smoothies and things. I think it tastes okay. It's got a little bit of lead in it? But not too much

Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Double Rich Chocolate

 

[Bzwrthy]

I found this graham cracker flavor to mix it up. Looks like some other brands have added the flavor recently as well. It works with any fruit-based smoothie or 50/50 with chocolate

 

[Sharxfan]

I switched to the kirkland protein as it is whey based and the price per serving is about the cheapest I have found. I usually supplement with pure protein bars when they go on sale.

 

[Sharxfan]

Oh I feel you on getting bored of chicken. I also mostly stick thighs. Breast is too dry. My fav prep is turmeric chicken and rice made in the dutch oven. But more often than not, it's just browned in the stainless pan with butter.

Animal protein is so expensive. Except cans of tuna, but we can't eat that often enough because of heavy metals. I've resigned myself to daily protein shakes to make sure my protein is topped up.

One thing about protein that hit me recently - so much of your body and cells are protein. Bones - up to 40% is collagen which is a protein. Muscle, skin, organs - all protein. Mitochondria, the thing I want way more of for cycling - protein. We probably shouldnt expect to function well and make fitness gains in any capacity without enough protein. Quick searches say the body is up to 20% protein, 2nd only to water.

I feel you on the fish thing that is why I try to restrict my sushi intake otherwise I would turn into a salmon. Although I am not sure about the canned tuna I have heard the brighter the meat the more heavy metals so salmon and ahi tuna are pretty bad but then again the white tuna is also a predator fish so probably in the same ballpark so it was just an old wives tale about the color.

 

[budman]

My goals for the first 1/2 of the year are simple.
Keep losing weight. Goal is 210lbs.
Increase leg strength, eliminate the pain and walk without a limp. Ride without a limp too

Just starting some resistance training on the leg so hopefully that will get the process kick started. I need to build some muscle.
Doing basic Tai Chi too.

Second half TBD, but more strength training.