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This user story features Exercise.com PRO User Ikeman83, who currently has a site rank of 92! Awesome!
Tell us a little about your background and where you’re from.
I’m originally from San Diego, CA, but I have lived all over the US and am now living in Flensburg, Germany. My wife of 3 years, Angela, and I have a 5-month-old daughter, Brianna.
My wife is a US Navy Officer, which is why we’re living here in Germany. I’m currently an English teacher, although I went to the University of Illinois to study Politics and History. I just celebrated my 29th birthday June 3rd.
When did you first get into working out? How has your training been over time?
I first got started working out when I was 16 years old to improve my conditioning for throwing discus.
I was a pretty scrawny 6’2″, and maybe 160 lbs. I basically put on a solid 20 pounds a year from the beginning of track season sophomore year through graduating high school. I then stopped lifting for nine and a half years.
I’ve been working out consistently for the last six months, and it really feels amazing to get back under a squat bar, doing power clean and presses, and benching.
What are your current workout goals?
I have a lot of short-term goals along the lines of achieving various multiples of bodyweight on some of my core exercises, such as Squat, Bench Press, Push Press, Deadlift, and Power Clean and Press.
- Squat is currently very close to 1.5 BW.
- I just reached the 1 BW milestone on bench and deadlift, so 1.5 is a ways off.
- Push-Press and Power Clean and Press are both getting near the 1 BW milestone.
I also have two long-term goals that I’m working on, with the first being to achieve 10% body fat, and the second being to squat 515 lb. because at the time I made my goal, that was the squat site record on Exercise.com.
How often do you like to change up your workouts?
I don’t change up the exercises in my routine, but every few weeks I like to alternate between increasing my weight every set, or picking a medium weight and lifting that for all of my sets. The biggest changes I make are in my cardio.
Sometimes I’ll run a mile for time. Otherwise, I’ll do interval training on a treadmill or a stationary bike.
What’s your least-favorite way to exercise?
My least favorite way to exercise is by using a machine. There are two exercises in my plan, calf presses and leg curls that I do with a machine, and then only because I have no other way to hit those muscles conveniently.
What’s your favorite post-workout meal?
My favorite post-workout meal is a steak with a baked potato.
What’s your favorite non-healthy food?
My favorite non-healthy food is German Beer. If it’s running through your mind that beer is a drink and not a food, then you’re drinking the wrong beer.
What’s the best fitness advice you’ve been given?
The best fitness advice I’ve been given is to never be complacent. You can never say, “That’s good enough,” because the second you do, you’ve set your high water mark and will always be backsliding from there.
Finally, give us an interesting fact about yourself to remember you by!
I’m fluent in German! Ich kann Deutsch, und zwar fleisig!
Ikeman83, thanks so much for sharing your fitness journey with everyone at Exercise.com! You’ve got some awesome goals, and we wish you the best in safely conquering them all! Fighting off complacency is the way to go!