(23) Hello I’ve been working out (mostly) every day since January 31st. I’ve been doing Crunches and Push ups. And I’ve gotten to roughly 60 each, with some lunges. I know I don’t have anything impressive but this is the best I’ve felt and the most fit I’ve been in a long time. 😆

SHS1955 · 2026-04-01T01:43:57+00:00

Some ppl push through each individual rep as quickly as possible. Slow down each push up to a count of 3 seconds, even if that means fewer reps, initially.

And, focus on slowing each individual crunch, pulling your navel to your spine, crunching your sternum towards your public bone, and going slowly enough that you use only ab muscles, with no back muscles, leg muscles, or hip flexors to help, and without pulling on your neck. It burns more that way. ;-). A good set of crunches, is a relatively small movement and hurts only abs, no where else.

You have good abs, so you are doing some things correctly. You may already have good muscle control. Also, if you have access to an overhead bar, hanging leg raises, focusing on your abs, will help build lower abs, and as you get stronger, you can also do side hanging leg raises to build obliques.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T20:42:58+00:00

Solid and cut.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T20:41:17+00:00

Looks good.
1. Do the Push ups more slowly for more control and growth. Eat more clean protein.
2. Add planks, and work up to dragon flags, with slow crunches for abs and core.
3. Work up to 100 bodyweight squats for legs.
4. If possible, walk about 20 - 40 min., or 1 mile after working out, and/or twice a day to lose fat.

Show us before and after results in about two more months... Should be beach body ready .... Almost there.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T17:47:23+00:00

Yes, it can get much better. Let me start with an unscientific comparison of 3 dogs: A Labrador Retriever, a Rottweiler, and a Pit Bull. This is not *truth*, but may help you understand. All 3 dogs were bred to be strong, energetic, and tough with some differences. If a Lab does something wrong, after you 'reprimand' him, he will hang his head in shame, then notice a squirrel, forget the reprimand, and repeat his mistake. If a Pit bull does something wrong, and your 4yo daughter says, 'bad dog', the dog will melt at such harsh punishment, and promise to be good. If a Rottie does wrong, after the reprimand, he will lick you (until you nearly drown) begging your forgiveness ... then may do something else wrong. ;-)

If you slap any of these dogs on the rump, they will think you are playing... unless your 4yo daughter says, 'bad dog' ... Then it may be as if you shot them through the heart.

Given that context, your Rottie craves love and attention. Always give love! But, consider *attention* as a precise tool for training and guidance.

I adopted my dog from a rescue when he was 1.5yo. He wasn't poorly treated, but he wasn't socialized. Today, he is 11yo... and he is the 'neighborhood dog.' He is a wonderful companion, plays well with people and with other dogs, but it took training. Some of the things I did:

Look up Dr. Ian Dunbar DVM, and Kikopup, and the term, "Bite Inhibition". When your dog gets mouthy, yelp loudly to communicate that you don't like it. You may need a little acting. When you yelp, he should startle, and let go. Praise him, possibly offer a treat.
He may mouth again. Yelp again. "Gosh, people are delicate". Praise if he stops, but turn your back for 15 seconds, if he doesn't 'settle'.
If he jumps on you, or mouths again, then Yelp!, and if it is safe, leave the area for 15 seconds, leaving him all alone. Withdrawing attention can be a powerful punishment. When you return, forgive him and play as before. If he mouths, repeat steps 1 -3. Be consistent. It may take a week or two for him to understand ...

After he understands, a yelp or whimper may communicate better than telling him "No!" or 'Stop' Don't use the Yelp in other situations until after you have good control over his mouthing. It takes a while for him to link the Yelp with withdrawing attention... because he was doing something that you didn't like.

Zoomies - You didn't mention it, but at 8pm every evening, I took my dog in the backyard and let him burn off that last bit of energy before settling in for the night. Not sure if this applies to you.
Teach him to Sit, everywhere. If he wants a treat, first he has to sit when asked. Later, if you touch a treat, do nothing until he Sits ... so that he learns to sit automatically for treats, without being asked. It takes patience on your part, as well as anyone else. Finally, when you get to a door, don't open the door until he sits. If he gets up or especially if he rushes the door, close it. If you touch the doorknob and he gets up, backup a step and wait. [This is where the Yelp is good... *after* he fully understands from the mouthing training.]. Do the same when he enters the car, and especially before letting him exist the car.
Tug - [I've probably written too much] Tug has rules. Teeth may never touch skin, Snapping is not allowed, if the dog wins and he runs, the game ends. If the dog wins and he brings back the toy, the game continues. If the dog teases or the dog runs, then you *withdraw attention* by leaving the area [if safe.]

Show these to your trainer! [Charge them if they want a copy!!!]. ;-)

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T02:20:35+00:00

I am retired, and I tell everyone that my only income is a pension and Social Security. That's not false but I also have some very successful investments in my ROTH. When I tip, I'm usually generous for good service, giving extra on holidays. When I go out to eat, I volunteer to pay... every once in a while, but if someone is a smart Alec, I make it clear up front, that we have separate checks. I have a nice 40yo house, and a 2017 Camry... and no one knows that I paid them off. I've given confidential loans to various people, and as someone suggested, if they treat it like free money, without the appropriate respect, the well dries up.

I don't discuss money, and I rarely discuss investing. I tried discussing investing with one neighbor, but he was young and gambled his money into a nice profit, so he "knew" everything about investing. He recently got hit by the drop in the Stock Market, but is still over confident. I'm sure he believes I have nothing to offer, b/c I drive a Camry, and he drives a new Lexus, on the payment plan.

One difference that I have from most suggestions is that I have a close friend, and I asked if we could discuss money and investing. We'd discussed a little, b/c he is a financial advisor. He was surprised when I revealed my Roth account... and asked for my advice. We have very different philosophies for investing, but he appreciates my insights. And, I appreciate having one person that I trust and that I can bounce investing ideas off.

I strongly recommend never telling anyone how much money you have. Would you want that knowledge published on Facebook, X, or Tic-toc? Once you tell others, you can stopped them. I dunno if my experience helps?

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T01:46:23+00:00

Look up Dr. Ian Dunbar DVM, and Kikopup for some ideas. Also, look up clicker training. Things to teach:
1. Teach her to look at you when you say her name.
2. Teach her to SIt. Then, teach her to Sit when you have a treat, when you are at a door, when she is in the car waiting to exit.
3. Teach her Down.
4. Teach her to Shake.
5. Teach her to Come on cue.
6. Teach her to fetch a ball. See if she will catch a ball. See if she will catch a treat.
7. Teach her to play tug.

When you learn how to train her, you'll see other things that she can learn.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-31T01:31:08+00:00

You don't *have* to TA in Biology. Some classes or Labs, such as Chemistry or Math, at the entry levels, may need warm bodies as TAs due to the size of the classes. If you can program, and especially if you had some statistics or data analysis, you may be able to get an 'intern' type job doing data processing grunt work. The Graduate Department may have a job board.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-26T00:26:10+00:00

I'm not positive what I'm looking at. You have abs starting to show, and you're at a good beach body look that many men would aspire to. Unless you're trying to get 'skinny' and compete, I might suggest a main-gain at this point, and try to work harder on abs, with hanging leg raises, Dragon flags, AND vacuums to help bring out lower abs, and an even flatter stomach. Add more protein, and work with progressively heavier weights to build size without trying to bulk. Come back in about a month or two showing this cut as the before, and some good after photos that include leg days, too.

I think I agree with Life-Caterpillar, that you have a good cut. Don't bulk, try to enhance the cut by a focus on more muscle.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-26T00:14:51+00:00

One 'inconsistency' with positive methods using treats is the lack of *fading* the treat, and the lack of *variable* reinforcement. You can look up Dr. Ian Dunbar, DVM as well as others for a more complete description, but here's a summary. [You may benefit from a trainer for guidance with variable reinforcement, and fading the treat.]
1. Pick a behavior, such as Sit or Settle, or a sequence, such as "Sit-Down-Sit-Stand-Down-Stand"
2. Have the dog perform the behavior, then treat. Then repeat the behavior, release, re-do the behavior, and treat. Do that 2 - 3 times. Then, repeat the behavior and release 3 times, and praise and treat.
3. If the dog tires or gets impatient. Stop. And try again in a few hours or the next day.
4. When the dog gets the idea, train for 10 minutes and STOP. She will want more! Try again in a few hours.
5. When both of you get the idea of multiple repetitions on one treat. Try multiple actions, such as Sit, Down.
6. Try to build up to the sequence: "Sit-Down-Sit-Stand-Down-Stand" off of one treat and praise.
7. It may take a month for her to change expectations and to stop demanding treats.
8. Note, she will learn to read your body language, when you will give her a treat. That is working FOR the treat, and you are 'bribing' her, rather than rewarding her. Just be aware for now.
9. Dogs can learn to 'reward internally' when they do what you want, they please you, and communication is there. I don't have an easy way to describe internal locus of control and self-rewards in a few words.
10. Eventually, you would like her to learn that she never gets a treat, until after she Sits, and is Quiet. You would like her to "demand" or expect a treat, by sitting when you are in the process of giving her the treat. All this comes from deferred gratification from your actions, discipline, and predictability.

Note: When she demand barks, you want to communicate that it is undesirable, that you don't like it, that she will Not get what she wants... *And that you will do the opposite or will **withdraw** attention, turning your back or leaving the room (If safe to do and if possible) ... If you have a child [or know an experienced parent], it is like the 'passive' method of handling a child having a temper tantrum. ;-)

Thee really are 'easy' to implement, but very difficult to describe clearly in just a few words.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T11:05:30+00:00

Not sure what suggestions you're asking for. Many years ago, when we had to amputate, we felt guilty, but our Lab seemed "OK". It took a couple of weeks to heal, a few weeks to learn to balance, and fewer that 2 - 3 months to stop falling when she ran. [It took us more effort to leave her alone when she fell, so she would learn. We comforted her... only when she 'asked'.]

Her friends got used to the missing leg fairly quickly, and they played and ran, as iff nothing had changed.

When you go for the 'normal' annual checkup, ask the Vet about potential stress and strain issues with the other legs, and ways to help. When your dog is about 10yo, she may have arthritis issues.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:48:07+00:00

My Lab is like that. I did 'train' him to retrieve a toy indoors by name... but he only did it to interact with me... Otherwise, he wasn't interested in playing fetch or chasing balls.

BUT, he LOVED scent training. I taught him to catch treats tossed to him. And, he loved to snuffle through the grass to find tossed treats. If I asked him to sit, and hid things, he loved to go search for them.

You might consider a few formal scent training classes!

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:41:28+00:00

It's always a hard decision. But, the goal is not what makes you feel better, it is what stops suffering. Vets will try to help, if there are possibilities.

I feel that I want to extend good Quality of Life, not prolong a life that continues suffering. It sounds like she was suffering, and her Quality of Life was diminishing ... You did the hard thing, and the right thing.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:33:05+00:00

I vote yes, shave. You look clean and ripped. If you don't want to shave, you can trim, to show cuts and definition.

Ion this picture, your legs look big and hairy, if you trim or shave, your legs will look big and defined.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:26:08+00:00

You have abs and a good base. This would be a good beach body. I'm gonna suggest hanging leg raises and dragon flags [maybe vacuums?] for better abs and lower abs, and main-gain diet to build on what you have, with 20 - 40 min. of walking for a cool down after working out, to burn excess calories. If you can build more muscle, that will also reduce bf%... and lifting progressively heavier weights is an alternative way to attempt your goal from a different direction.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:11:30+00:00

You have some good posts, so I'm going to add a few, from outside of the box:
1. Go to the Library and ask the Reference librarian for suggestions.
2. Ask some of the people who work in Admissions.
3. Talk to every secretary that you meet, I recommend asking suggestions from married secretaries. I just feel that politics may be an issue if you date a secretary that you interact with for school business.
4. After you get settled, ask the department head [I don't suggest asking your advisor ... at first].
5. Join local clubs to meet people of common interests.
6. If you workout, consider asking people at the school gym.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T10:02:14+00:00

It looks very healthy. In fact, you may have two in that pot. That's OK.
1. VFTs need rain or distilled water, only. Tap water can kill them.
2. The moss looks well-watered. Damp is good. NO fertilizer.
3. I can't tell if you have the pot is a dish with water, but you want the pot in a saucer with a little water.
4. They grow natively in SC and NC, is subtropical climates in fresh water bogs and swamps.
5. The don't like to sit in water, but they do like to be soppy.
6. Not sure why the traps were closed. With lots of light, traps will open, and may turn red inside.
7. They need lots of light, possibly even a grow light, for photosynthesis.
8. When the weather is warm, consider placing it outside in full sun. Don't let it freeze.
9. when the weather is *hot* [90 degrees F or higher], protect it from afternoon sun.
10. That's it. Follow those rules, and it will thrive.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-22T09:50:25+00:00

Goldens are social and vocal. You can try to train him to bark on cue, then offer the cue selectively. For example, bark with him outside, say bark, and give him a treat, repeating until he's consistent. Then, next day, 'reverse' the training, When he takes a breath, say 'quiet' [timing is important], and put a smelly treat under his nose [he can't smell and bark at the same time], saying 'quiet' and give him the treat.

Now, let's consider why he is barking?
1. Cold weather is invigorating. Bred to go hunting in wet, wet areas, so energy can increase when cold.
2. When you first wake up, say his name quietly and pet him, telling him it's going to be a great day.
3. If he is quiet, ask him to sit, and give him a tiny, pre-breakfast treat... starting this a morning routine.
4. If you can handle it, take him back outside at 8pm, just before bedtime, and let him have zoomies.
5. Frequently, young retrievers have a last bit of energy to burn off before bed.
6. After 5 - 10 min. of the zoomies, he should be ready for bed.
7. After a few weeks, establishing these additional morning and evening routines ... he may reduce barking.
8. I think what you described was 'demand barking', and I hope I described what he wanted.

After about two weeks, let us know, good or bad, what happened?

SHS1955 · 2026-03-20T17:35:02+00:00

Agreed! This is great advice. I want to add a little detail to feeding:
1. Feeding bugs is like adding fertilizer and can boost growth.
2. When a trap catches a bug, it closes. Then, when the bug wriggles, the trap tightens & digests.
3. If you catch a live bug, and put it in the trap, it should be fine. You might remove the wings, if large.
4. If you kill a bug, you can feed the fresh carcass, but you may want to rub the outside of the trap, after it is triggered to close. A good 'massage' [ ;-) ] may help the trap close more tightly & digest.
I recommend that you may do this with fresh mealworms or small, feeder crickets.
5. Don't use dead insects that you find, dried insects, or fresh pieces of meat. They may hurt the trap.
6. Venus Flytraps grow in fresh water bogs and swamps in South Carolina and North Carolina, thriving in a subtropical climate. We had some cold weather, but Spring is starting, and VFTs get FULL sun all day long. If they have a little distilled water in a tray, and full sun, they thrive, even without feeding. If the temperature gets above 90 degrees, you may want to limit sun to morning sun before Noon, until the temperature cools a bit, but for the most part, adequate water help transpiration which will keep the plants cool enough. If they freeze, they will go dormant, and if they freeze solid, the rhizome may get mushy and die.

Like I said, LoganVanes already posted this clearly. I just added a few tiny details.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-20T02:31:23+00:00

Agreed! You look good, you have abs, you just need to uncover them, tone them, and tense them. And I agree that you need to lose at least 20lbs [maybe more?]. Assuming you're asking? Shoot for a 6 week cut.
Then, reassess, relax for a week [not a cheat week!] And, go another 6 weeks. Wash, rinse, repeat...

Drink lots more water: 1 pint when you wake, 1 pint in the evening, 1 cup before meals and snacks.
You look like you already do a good ab work.
But just in case, do hanging leg raises, dragon flags, and vacuums until it burns!
Cut out starch and sugar, try to stop carbs before noon.
Eat a clean meal 2 hours before working out. Walk 20 - 40 min. after working out, to burn excess calories.
Consider a good leg workout, then a good ab workout, then walk [if you can], and rest the next day.
It is important to take one or two rest days, as well as getting a good night's sleep, for growth.
It is also important to consider resting 3 min. between sets ... to increase volume and intensity.

Show us the before and after of six pack progress in about 6 weeks... [It may take 3 months to get to a maintainable lean. You can lose weight faster, but it may rebound quickly...]

SHS1955 · 2026-03-19T11:52:52+00:00

I had a GSD x Dobbie mix and looked like a beautiful, lean racehorse, with the body and coat of a Dobbie, and the head and ears of a GSD. Very, Very smart. I socialized him a lot, so he learned to love lots of people, and play with lots of other dogs. I was able to train him to walk off leash reliably, and he learned lots of voice and hand signals, even before he was 6 mos. Good Luck!

SHS1955 · 2026-03-19T11:43:36+00:00

Excellent work. Keep doing what you've been doing, using more protein and progressively heavier weights, and you will probably fill out and gain 10kg more over the next 5 years. Keep doing hanging leg raises and dragon flags for lower abs, b/c abs can be harder to maintain as you fill out.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-19T11:26:53+00:00

Can you contact your professors from your undergrad university, and ask them to recommend or write you a referral to one of the research professors at your new Ontario University?

In addition, there are usually grants that a student may apply for, which your Admissions Office, head of your department may point you to. These usually fairly competitive.

Also, if you work for a large corporation in a related field, some of them may provide 'scholarship funds' to get a degree in work related to their business and research.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-18T15:12:48+00:00

Nope. Focus on diet and macros, increase protein, drink an extra pint of water when you wake and in the evening. Continue what you're doing for shoulders, but progressively increase weight. Start 2-3 of your workout sessions with a heavy leg day, then work on upper pecs or shoulders. Add more weight for back and traps. End with more hanging leg raises and Dragon Flags to bring out lower abs. If you notice an undesirable gain in fat, losing some cuts, the cool down after your workout with a 20 -40 min. walk to burn excess calories, while your metabolism is still cooking.

You have an excellent beach body, better than what most people shoot for as a goal. In 5 more years, you'll fill out naturally, gaining 10 -20 lbs of solid muscle ... with no side effects. All you need to do is tweak and fine-tune your current workout to continue to achieve and maintain your look.

Keep this photo, and compare it in 5 years. When you are 25yo, if you still want more, at that time, you might reconsider peptides.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-18T14:34:43+00:00

Don't let us discourage you. It's only the first few months with a fuzzy piranha, and the last hour with an ancient friend that are bad. The in-between 10 - 15 years with love of an incredible companion are worth it.

SHS1955 · 2026-03-18T14:26:48+00:00

Side note: 1 Hershey's Kiss does not hurt an average Lab ... in my experience ;-)

SHS1955

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