2026-01-25
1000 Calf Raises - Day 25 / 30
Daily Cardio - Day 25 / 30
Better Core - Day 25 / 30
Yoga Abs - Day 25 / 30
Roll Day!
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3

These are tough - not the most tiring by themselves, but it takes concentrated effort to make sure I'm moving all of the needed body parts in a coordinated effort. As a result, these are also a slower variant for me.

Happy Sunday!
 
MangoTux said:
# Overview
## Introduction
Hello everybody! I'm Mango, a 30-year-old software engineer. I've been using DAREBEE's resources for a bit over a year, and have really enjoyed the things I've been able to accomplish so far.

I'm a 30-year-old software engineer living with my wife in Iowa. I got into running back in college, but didn't really find any approachable ways to focus on strength until I found this site. I've enjoyed trying out all sorts of different workouts, and have found a few I've really latched on to.

Thanks for having me here! I'm open to any questions/suggestions that people may offer. Have a great day!

## Motivation
I've never been great at writing, much less doing it consistently. However, I've been thinking about setting this up the entire time I've been here. I like trying new things, but will often find myself floating aimlessly after a certain amount of time; unsure of what I should be doing. It's a frustrating pattern, and hopefully recording things can help build some accountability.

I'm also not exactly sure what I should be including, so for this post I've opted for verbosity. Apologies in advance, both for this and for the lack of consistency in future posts.

# Goals
## Exercise
Cardio
For a few years, I was running a route through my town that was about 2 miles, with a stretch of walking in the middle. I've been trying to work back up to running a 5k (or maybe attain a 10k?), and have been running about 3 times per week. I've also been getting into birdwatching this year, and will occasionally replace a run day with hiking some local trails.

Strength
General Strength: Lifting heavy things is really satisfying. This is more of an abstract goal.

Pushups: At the start of 2023, I set a minimum goal of 10 consecutive pushups per day. I've slowly been increasing that count, and have been doing 30/day since the beginning of August. I think I'd eventually like to do one-handed pushups, so I've been considering trading pure quantity for some specific variants.

Pullups: I got a pullup bar earlier this year, and I can barely manage a single pullup right now. I'd like to increase the quantity of that, to the point of being able to do workouts on here that call for a pullup bar.

## Diet and Nutrition
Historically, my main goal for fitness has always been to get my weight a bit more under control. The main issue has generally been making impulsive decisions when I don't have anything lined up (the old "shopping while hungry" issue). To fix that, I've been trying to find a rotation of dishes that meet most of the following criteria:
  • Vegetarian
  • Nutritionally complete and filling
  • Easy to make
  • Can be prepped/stored for 5-6 days of meals
  • I won't get tired of eating it all week
I've got a few recipes "locked in" right now, and I'm hoping to build on that to the point where I can roll some dice and have meal planning for the week taken care of. It's an ongoing process, but one I'm hoping to steadily improve over time.
Click to expand...
I am new here & still reading everything & navigating my way around. Anyways, I am also from Iowa, with my husband & 4 boys ages, 24, 20, 9 & 5.
 
@Sprinklesyo Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to comment! I hope you've all been keeping warm these past few days!
2026-01-26
1000 Calf Raises - Day 26 / 30
Daily Cardio - Day 26 / 30
Better Core - Day 26 / 30
Yoga Abs - Day 26 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3
Touch The Bar: Negative Pull-Up, 6+4

Starting the week off on a slightly-sappy sentiment, but seeing some other posts here have motivated me to say this. I try to avoid writing long-winded send-off messages, because (to me) doing it too often causes it to lose a bit of the gravitas/impact. However, I want you all to know that when I say things like "Happy Monday!", it's really a shorthand for something like:
"Even if things don't go your way today, I hope you're able to find small pieces of joy, comfort, and contentedness that can stay with you through the tougher times. You're all great people, and I'm thankful for the opportunities to interact with you on here. I'm wishing you the best of luck today and on the path forward!"

So that being said, Happy Monday!
 
MangoTux said:
Starting the week off on a slightly-sappy sentiment, but seeing some other posts here have motivated me to say this. I try to avoid writing long-winded send-off messages, because (to me) doing it too often causes it to lose a bit of the gravitas/impact. However, I want you all to know that when I say things like "Happy Monday!", it's really a shorthand for something like:
"Even if things don't go your way today, I hope you're able to find small pieces of joy, comfort, and contentedness that can stay with you through the tougher times. You're all great people, and I'm thankful for the opportunities to interact with you on here. I'm wishing you the best of luck today and on the path forward!"

So that being said, Happy Monday!
Click to expand...

I think people could use some more sappy from time to time, and that's very sweet. I hope your week is filled with this positive energy ✨

(also oh my goodness that's many challenges to do at once, good luck with these last couple of days! almost at the finish line)
 
@Joi Thank you! The challenges have been fairly kind to me so far; I picked some things that target different parts of the body so nothing is over-stressed.
2026-01-27
1000 Calf Raises - Day 27 / 30
Daily Cardio - Day 27 / 30
Better Core - Day 27 / 30
Yoga Abs - Day 27 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3
Touch The Bar: Control
I'm gonna need to find a good rhythm for Control days. I started with two 15-second negative pull-ups, and knew I wouldn't be able to get much more than that from the bar. I then grabbed some resistance bands (with a total weight about equal to half of my weight), and used them to perform slow rows for 10 reps while laying on my back. It's certainly less strain, but I'll need to experiment with some other options that allow for more reps on these days.

I hope you all have a happy Tuesday!
 
2026-01-28
1000 Calf Raises - Day 28 / 30
Daily Cardio - Day 28 / 30
Better Core - Day 28 / 30
Yoga Abs - Day 28 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3
Touch The Bar: Mix
I'm giving this a fair shot, but I feel like I might need more concrete structure to make progress. I did 10 scapular pull-ups, but couldn't think of much else to do at the time and just sorta finished. I want to do multiple pull-ups in a row by the end of the year, and I know the limiting factor right now is arm strength. I'm close to wrapping up these challenges, and then I'll be switching over to some programs/workouts that include dumbbell work. Depending on how I'm doing at the end of those (time-wise and energy-wise) each day, I'll try to have specific exercises to tack on with some sort of marked progression. I'll try to touch *a* bar, whether that's a pull-up bar or a barbell.

Happy Wednesday!
 
2026-01-29
1000 Calf Raises - Day 29 / 30
Daily Cardio - Day 29 / 30
Better Core - Day 29 / 30
Yoga Abs - Day 29 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3
Touch The Bar: Dead Hang
Continuing from my musings yesterday, Dead Hang is easy to track in terms of progress. I went through a month of dead hangs, so I've built up my ability decently enough. Any self-developed plan will surely have this for one or two days per week, since it's a nice endurance-focused component of the exercise.

Happy Thursday! I'll need to be up earlier tomorrow morning, so the exercises probably won't occur until the afternoon or evening. Still, I feel like the hardest things this month has been the hollow hold/boat pose, so it's nice that I've finished that exercise!
 
@graoumia @Princess Fancy @Princess Sarena Rose @agc @lou @CODawn @lizita @Rissa @TopNotch @Anek @Fremen @Laura Rainbow Dragon Thank you all so much!
2026-01-31
Daily Push-Up Variants: Cross-Body 10 x 3
Touch The Bar: Control x 2, Negative Pull-Ups
Went for a hike after the wind died down; in the sunlight 15F feels practically balmy! A lot of birds seemed to have the same idea, as the forest was bustling with activity while I was there. The weather has kept me from getting out and about recently, so this was time well-spent.

Tomorrow is a new month, and with that new plans, challenges, and/or programs! I'll be looking at the following:
Push Pull Legs
Five Minute Plank Challenge
Stamina Upgrade Challenge
Happy Saturday!
 
MangoTux said:
# Overview
## Introduction
Hello everybody, I'm Mango! I've been using DAREBEE's resources for a bit over a year, and have really enjoyed the things I've been able to accomplish so far.

I'm a 30-year-old software engineer living with my wife in Iowa. I got into running back in college, but didn't really find any approachable ways to focus on strength until I found this site. I've enjoyed trying out all sorts of different workouts, and have found a few I've really latched on to.

Thanks for having me here! I'm open to any questions/suggestions that people may offer. Have a great day!

## Motivation
I've never been great at writing, much less doing it consistently. However, I've been thinking about setting this up the entire time I've been here. I like trying new things, but will often find myself floating aimlessly after a certain amount of time; unsure of what I should be doing. It's a frustrating pattern, and hopefully recording things can help build some accountability.

I'm also not exactly sure what I should be including, so for this post I've opted for verbosity. Apologies in advance, both for this and for the lack of consistency in future posts.

# Goals
## Exercise
Cardio
For a few years, I was running a route through my town that was about 2 miles, with a stretch of walking in the middle. I've been trying to work back up to running a 5k (or maybe attain a 10k?), and have been running about 3 times per week. I've also been getting into birdwatching this year, and will occasionally replace a run day with hiking some local trails.

Strength
General Strength: Lifting heavy things is really satisfying. This is more of an abstract goal.

Pushups: At the start of 2023, I set a minimum goal of 10 consecutive pushups per day. I've slowly been increasing that count, and have been doing 30/day since the beginning of August. I think I'd eventually like to do one-handed pushups, so I've been considering trading pure quantity for some specific variants.

Pullups: I got a pullup bar earlier this year, and I can barely manage a single pullup right now. I'd like to increase the quantity of that, to the point of being able to do workouts on here that call for a pullup bar.

## Diet and Nutrition
Historically, my main goal for fitness has always been to get my weight a bit more under control. The main issue has generally been making impulsive decisions when I don't have anything lined up (the old "shopping while hungry" issue). To fix that, I've been trying to find a rotation of dishes that meet most of the following criteria:
  • Vegetarian
  • Nutritionally complete and filling
  • Easy to make
  • Can be prepped/stored for 5-6 days of meals
  • I won't get tired of eating it all week
I've got a few recipes "locked in" right now, and I'm hoping to build on that to the point where I can roll some dice and have meal planning for the week taken care of. It's an ongoing process, but one I'm hoping to steadily improve over time.
Click to expand...
What's your tech stack?
 
@ajkrouse Most of the work I do is in JS, PHP, and MongoDB, but I like tinkering with other things when hobby projects strike my interest!
2026-02-02
Push Pull Legs - Day 2 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 2 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 2 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Wide Grip 30 x 3
Touch The Bar: Negative Pull-Ups

This is the first time in about a month that I've woken up with muscle soreness. A lot of what I was doing in January was core/cardio, and I honestly missed this feeling a bit. It's nice to get back into routines that use dumbbells.
Happy Monday!
 
2026-02-10
Push Pull Legs - Day 10 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 10 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 10 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Raised Leg 30 x 3
Touch The Bar: Barbell touched as part of PPL

Thanks for the support! 1:40 was just as rough, but now I can say I'm exactly a third of the way to the target!

We've had some incredible sunrises the past few days, and the weather is still chilly in a way that coats are comfortable and the air doesn't sting as you breathe in. I really like this time of winter, since it gives us a glimpse of spring coming back around.
Happy Tuesday!
 
2026-02-11
Push Pull Legs - Day 11 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 11 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 11 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Raised Leg 30 x 3
Touch The Bar: Dead hang

🙃 I did it again. Yesterday, I ended the day with a thought of "I think this was the last plank day for the rotation. It'll be nice to have a break!"
Then, I looked at the PPL to see there were two 1:30 planks. And then, I saw that the 5-minute plank bumped one of them up to 1:45! Managed to make it through everything, but this is my lesson to look ahead before getting ideas about hope. I slept in a bit this morning, so I didn't get to these exercises until later in the day.

Happy Wednesday!
 
2026-02-12
Push Pull Legs - Day 12 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 12 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 12 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Raised Leg 30 x 3
Touch The Bar: Active hang

Today felt like a lighter day compared to yesterday, which is always nice! Also, the starlings have returned to our feeders! I know they're an invasive species (though it's hardly their fault), but seeing them is a nice herald of warmer weather coming up. Plus, I feel like they're little advertisers for the feeders - I've noticed more visitors come to a specific feeder after a flock of starlings have visited/dispersed, which makes it seem like they're relying on the starlings to figure out which food sources are well-rated.

Happy Thursday!
 
2026-02-16
Push Pull Legs - Day 16 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 16 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 16 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Staggered 25 x 3
Touch The Bar: Negative pull-ups

I got to 10:00 AM and acknowledged this week will be death by a thousand cuts. Managed to get through the day, but energy tanks are low (and, sadly, a new recipe I tried was disappointing so I've got that to look forward to for lunches...)
Still, my wife and I went on a walk and enjoyed the weather, and I was able to decompress for the evening.

Happy Monday, and because it's so late I hope Tuesday starts off well for you all!
 
Thanks for the support, everybody! Things have become a bit more manageable for work today, and I decided to have a black bean burger instead of the disappointing meal prep. Overall, a better outlook today!
2026-02-17
Push Pull Legs - Day 17 / 28
Five Minute Plank Challenge - Day 17 / 30
Stamina Upgrade Challenge - Day 17 / 30
Daily Push-Up Variants: Staggered 25 x 3
Touch The Bar: Controlled negative pull-ups

Things lined up well enough that today almost felt like a rest day. Lunges are done during breaks in PPL, so things all end around the same time. Feeling good!

Have a happy Tuesday!
 
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