Fitness and Exercise

[Ryllharu]

The major difference is the 5/3/1 Plan is that it is slow. It's not like the other popular ones, say...P90X, which claims to get you ripped in 13 weeks, 7 days a week of workouts. 5/3/1 isn't going to change much in 13 weeks, but the progress is constant and steady. Give it 6 months, and you'll notice you made substantial progress.

Slow changes are much longer lasting. It's also a lot more reasonable in terms of time spent in gym. Highly useful when you have a demanding job or a family (or both).

[Animeniax]

I think it's the level of energy and commitment required to follow such a plan that makes it unappealing. I have enough trouble getting to the gym, having to follow a regimen at the gym would make it even less likely I'd stick with it. Still, it's said that you get the max gains from following a plan and recording your progress, so I'm being foolish about it.

It's funny, but for me, it's a bit of a catch-22/symbiotic relationship. I have to get/stay in shape for my future profession, but one of the many reasons I'm going into that profession is that it will motivate/force me to stay in shape.

[Buffalobiian]

Worked out for the first time in ages. Feels sore, but productive.

I've heard people say that exercising late can interfere with your sleepiness. I can drop right this minute if I allowed myself to.

edit: and indeed I napped like a pig afterwards.

[Animeniax]

If you work out and then stop for a while, does it feel like wasted effort, or do you feel each workout is intrinsically beneficial in itself?

[Buffalobiian]

If you work out and then stop for a while, does it feel like wasted effort, or do you feel each workout is intrinsically beneficial in itself?

Hmm..

Well, each workout in intrinsically beneficial in that it burns whatever energy you expended at that time and also raises your metabolism for around 48hrs afterwards. That happens regardless of your regular workout regime, so in that sense it's intrinsically beneficial.

On the other hand though, whatever muscle mass you gain is hardly noticable if you do it just once, and your cardio fitness would slip backwards from lack of exercise with time anyway...

Is that what you mean? I'm not sure if I quite get the question. :p

[Animeniax]

Hmm..

Well, each workout in intrinsically beneficial in that it burns whatever energy you expended at that time and also raises your metabolism for around 48hrs afterwards. That happens regardless of your regular workout regime, so in that sense it's intrinsically beneficial.

On the other hand though, whatever muscle mass you gain is hardly noticable if you do it just once, and your cardio fitness would slip backwards from lack of exercise with time anyway...

Is that what you mean? I'm not sure if I quite get the question. :p

No you got it right. I've always felt that if you don't continue your workout routine, then the occasional workout is kind of pointless. Yes you work off what you ate that day and maybe the next day. But in the larger scheme you would have gained as much from working out that one time as if you hadn't worked out, ie zero gain.

I can see the benefit of it maybe waking up a hunger to want to continue to work out and get in shape.

[Assertn]

No you got it right. I've always felt that if you don't continue your workout routine, then the occasional workout is kind of pointless. Yes you work off what you ate that day and maybe the next day. But in the larger scheme you would have gained as much from working out that one time as if you hadn't worked out, ie zero gain.

I can see the benefit of it maybe waking up a hunger to want to continue to work out and get in shape.

If your body gets used to working out over an extended period of time, it becomes easier to regain that strength if you lose it.

[Animeniax]

If your body gets used to working out over an extended period of time, it becomes easier to regain that strength if you lose it.
Definitely, but you have to hit that stage with lean mass and long term muscle. I've flirted with hitting it a few times in recent attempts, but something always halts my regimen to prevent further growth (usually sickness or just being busy, sometimes injury or lack of motivation). But the one-off workout after a long time away doesn't contribute to any of this.

[Buffalobiian]

I can see the benefit of it maybe waking up a hunger to want to continue to work out and get in shape.

Decided to take a serious attempt at HIIT running for the first time (foot injury for the past 2 years or so had set it back, even if I had the dedication)

I thought this was easy when I read it, but since I was starting out I thought I might as well use a beginner setting:

Sprint: 15 seconds
Jog: 2 minutes

Perform: 11x

--------------------------------



By the 5th repeat I was already struggling to do well in the sprint and was walking for the first 90 seconds of the break.
I finished the last sprint and walked 300m to my house and stood/curled over a table for 5 minutes.

Heart rate after those 5 minutes: 180bpm
HR 30 mins post sprinting: 160bpm
45mins post: 106
60mins post: 84

What does that make it, like 30mins+ of free cardio?

I'm in!

[Animeniax]

I was going to try a HIIT running routine, but decided it's good enough that I just run at all. I did try it once and it sucked so I haven't tried it again. Having asthma sucks.

[shinta|hikari]

I injured my knee doing HIIT. All that running led to Runner's Knee. Be careful of overdoing it, and rest when your body is telling you too.

I have a bad habit of forcing myself when my adrenaline is pumping, which leads to injuries. I once injured my back doing ab exercises.

Why don't you try the Tabata workout? It is much more intense than the normal HIIT runs, and takes only 4 minutes.

[Buffalobiian]

Why don't you try the Tabata workout? It is much more intense than the normal HIIT runs, and takes only 4 minutes.p

Haha,, I don't think I can do 20sec sprints with 10sec cools just yet.. Maybe in a few weeks I can.

[Archangel]

Are you bitches made of glass? I've never injured myself in the gym, ever.

Train proper form.

[Buffalobiian]

Are you bitches made of glass? I've never injured myself in the gym, ever.

Train proper form.

I injured my feet at work due to congenital, overuse and footwear reasons.

My right wrist is also very prone to injury for reasons unknown. I should actually get that checked out now that it's healed.

I actually have been wondering if I've got some shitty connective tissue problem that is either genetic, diet or lifestyle related.

I could do with some form-training too. I was using the squat machine a few days ago and found it rather difficult to allign myself such that I was pushing with my heels instead of my toes/balls of feet. Probably better to use some sort of vertical squat instead of a machine that has you lying down on an incline.


-------------------------




Regardinc strength-training recovery.. if it aches/hurts, they're not healled, right? I've read on timing and shit, but logically pain should give you the best indication IMO. Lactic acid doesn't persist that long, especially if you cool down if I'm thinking about this correctly.

[Animeniax]

I injured my feet at work due to congenital, overuse and footwear reasons.

My right wrist is also very prone to injury for reasons unknown. I should actually get that checked out now that it's healed.

I actually have been wondering if I've got some shitty connective tissue problem that is either genetic, diet or lifestyle related.


I have the same problems. My wrists really limit what I can do with building up my arms and chest, and a nagging injury in my right arm affects how much I can incline bench. Plus my hip and back limit how much weight I can squat and deadlift.

I tried a HIIT running program today... asthma kicked in soon after and I was wheezing and coughing up mucus for half an hour after. Then we had a potluck dinner at work so I engorged myself on that.

[Ryllharu]

I'm going to put this here, because putting it in the Bitching Thread doesn't feel quite right.

Clearing my driveway:

[14:26] <%Ryllharu> fuck. Done.
[14:26] <%Ryllharu> No help at any point. [ed: corrected grammar]
[14:26] <%Ryllharu> Range: 8,000 - 24,000 lbs of snow, by hand.
[14:27] <%Ryllharu> Time: 11 hours across 2 days.
Weight estimate calculated for Wolfram Alpha, with the approximation that snow is anywhere from 5 -15% the density of water. Average depth of snow, 18 inches (but it was probably more).

My back, legs, and shoulders are incredibly sore.

[UChessmaster]

I started going to the gym this week, but i find myself with a small problem, i go and work out, and by the time i get back home, it`s as if i was never there, i don`t "feel" it, it`s a bit hard to explain. >.>

I don`t feel the slightest bit tired after a minuscule amount of rest.

[Buffalobiian]

I started going to the gym this week, but i find myself with a small problem, i go and work out, and by the time i get back home, it`s as if i was never there, i don`t "feel" it, it`s a bit hard to explain. >.>

I don`t feel the slightest bit tired after a minuscule amount of rest.

Did you feel you worked hard enough while you were at the gym?

Last week I felt the same way you did, but that was because I was only on the treadmill and stationary bike while I was recovering. I had a friend next to me and we were talking the whole time, so it meant I wasn't working very hard despite being there for over 1hr.

Normally I'm pooped though.

[rockmanj]

About 4-6 weeks ago I started using a couple of apps (bodbot & fitocracy) to exercise and it has been holding me to it. It makes it super easy since my workouts and activities are already scheduled for me and the only thing is to do them. I would look into those two sites/apps if you are looking to schedule and make sure you're sticking to it.

[Animeniax]

About 4-6 weeks ago I started using a couple of apps (bodbot & fitocracy) to exercise and it has been holding me to it. It makes it super easy since my workouts and activities are already scheduled for me and the only thing is to do them. I would look into those two sites/apps if you are looking to schedule and make sure you're sticking to it.

Sticking to it is the hard part, and I think it would take more than an app to make me follow a regimen. For me, my future profession requires being physically fit, so that helps with motivation.


I started going to the gym this week, but i find myself with a small problem, i go and work out, and by the time i get back home, it`s as if i was never there, i don`t "feel" it, it`s a bit hard to explain. >.>

I don`t feel the slightest bit tired after a minuscule amount of rest.I usually recover an hour after a workout before I feel like I didn't go at all, but I feel it the next day (sometimes another day after that). Or like Buff said, you could be taking it too easy at the gym. Soreness comes from tearing tissue.

[Buffalobiian]

I can be sore for up to a week. >_>

[Animeniax]

Sore in a muscle group or sore in a joint? If you're sore that long, you're probably not working out enough on those muscles. You could drink some kind of protein that helps your recovery so you can work out longer in one visit to the gym.

[UChessmaster]

Guys, scratch that, i`m dying now.

[Buffalobiian]

Sore in a muscle group or sore in a joint? If you're sore that long, you're probably not working out enough on those muscles. You could drink some kind of protein that helps your recovery so you can work out longer in one visit to the gym.

Muscle groups. Joints are pretty good.

Talking about joints, I need to fix up my squats. I'm using a machine at the moment (pads on shoulders, pushing with my body on a 50 degree incline), but I can't seem to push properly with my heels instead of the balls of my feet.

It's either my form, intrinsic foot problem or my shoes. Does anyone have experience squatting in running shoes while maintaining the weight on your heels? It's a likely problem since running shoes by design will try to aid you in your weight transition from the heel-strike to toe-off. Perhaps some flat shoes would work better in this case.

That, or I should try using balance-balls + wall to squat properly first.

I worked out on an empty stomach today (4 hours after previous meal), and didn't feel that I could work as hard as I did last time. Something just keeps failing me. Also, towards the end (5-6 hours post-meal) my stomach felt like it was digesting itself. Relief only came when I went home and ate stuff.


Guys, scratch that, i`m dying now. Good to hear ;)

[Animeniax]

Guys, scratch that, i`m dying now.

Is it normal post-workout soreness or DOMS? DOMS sucks, makes you feel like you've seriously damaged something.



Talking about joints, I need to fix up my squats. I'm using a machine at the moment (pads on shoulders, pushing with my body on a 50 degree incline), but I can't seem to push properly with my heels instead of the balls of my feet.

It's either my form, intrinsic foot problem or my shoes. Does anyone have experience squatting in running shoes while maintaining the weight on your heels? It's a likely problem since running shoes by design will try to aid you in your weight transition from the heel-strike to toe-off. Perhaps some flat shoes would work better in this case.

I worked out on an empty stomach today (4 hours after previous meal), and didn't feel that I could work as hard as I did last time. Something just keeps failing me. Also, towards the end (5-6 hours post-meal) my stomach felt like it was digesting itself. Relief only came when I went home and ate stuff.
Any reason to use a machine instead of a bar? Using the machine is basically cheating, as you no longer have to balance the bar.

I also do leg workouts in running shoes, never figured they'd factor into anything, but makes sense. I noticed recently on a leg press machine that my shoes would distort forward to back and not side to side. I've also noticed that I squat with my toes like you said, but I thought it was just because I had bad form. I'd hate to have to buy new shoes just to work out legs in.

I hate working out on an empty stomach, it feels terrible. I always eat a granola bar about an hour before I work out and I get a lot more from my workouts.

[UChessmaster]

Normal post-work soreness fosho.

[Buffalobiian]

Any reason to use a machine instead of a bar? Using the machine is basically cheating, as you no longer have to balance the bar.

I'm using it because:

1) I'm a noob at it
2) The machine's available

I've thought about using the bar (probably start with ball squats, then dumb bell squats etc and work my way up), but didn't like the thought of killing myself.. so I've defaulted to using the machine until I've learned properly.

[Animeniax]

We've discussed it before, but I used a smith machine for bench press when I first started and got a very inaccurate read of how much I could bench. It easily added 30 lbs to my bench just from using the machine instead of a bar.

The squat rack should have protection bars on the side that catch the bar if you drop it. At the weights you and I prob squat, there's not much danger of hurting yourself, though you might look foolish if you mess up.

[Inazuma]

I am le frenchman so my workout is mostly sex, rioting, shit ton of stairs in the metro and Shaun T Insanity Workout.

[UChessmaster]

So one of my main goals is to get ripped without bulking up, this includes getting well defined abs. Currently i`m 5'5" and weight 119 pounds, i`m going to the gym 4 days a week, increased my diet a fair amount, got some triglicerid acid fat thing and a protein shake, am i on the right path? i ask this because i heard many people saying that the secret to good abs is to have a low fat diet, but i`m skinny as hell, so i`m not sure if its right for me to take the triglicerid thing or not.

[Penner]

Man, i still can't get how little you weigh O.o

edit: I guess one upside to being that skinny is that any musclemass you put on should be that much more visible because of your low bodyfat.

[UChessmaster]

Yeah, i`m extra skinny, i even have curves o.o

[Archangel]

So one of my main goals is to get ripped without bulking up, this includes getting well defined abs. Currently i`m 5'5" and weight 119 pounds, i`m going to the gym 4 days a week, increased my diet a fair amount, got some triglicerid acid fat thing and a protein shake, am i on the right path? i ask this because i heard many people saying that the secret to good abs is to have a low fat diet, but i`m skinny as hell, so i`m not sure if its right for me to take the triglicerid thing or not.

xD

So what you're saying is that you're actually 12?

[Buffalobiian]

So one of my main goals is to get ripped without bulking up, this includes getting well defined abs. Currently i`m 5'5" and weight 119 pounds, i`m going to the gym 4 days a week, increased my diet a fair amount, got some triglicerid acid fat thing and a protein shake, am i on the right path? i ask this because i heard many people saying that the secret to good abs is to have a low fat diet, but i`m skinny as hell, so i`m not sure if its right for me to take the triglicerid thing or not.

You can be skinny, but still have a gut.

I've never tried this triglicerid (medium length fatty acid?) diet, but it doesn't look like something that'd cause harm. A quick google tells me it's an easily absorbed fatty acid that is supposedly good for weight loss because it promotes fatty oxidation (not unlike ketogenic diet and low carb diets, really). As for why a medium length fatty acid (which is digested without wasting energy) is preferred over long chain fatty acids (which require more energy to digest before you can actually use it), I have no idea.

[Animeniax]

Actually attempting to answer your question... taking the protein will add bulk, though it mostly depends on what you're doing at the gym. Low fat diet will help with getting ripped, but you'll have to get some mass in order to get that mass ripped, so the protein makes sense there. No idea about the triglyceride thing, though I'm not big on supplements beyond protein shakes.

[animus]

You won't gain mass without increasing your calorie intake. You might be able to get stronger (CNS gains), but for putting muscle on you need to eat more and have an adequate amount of protein.

[Animeniax]

You can be skinny, but still have a gut.

I've never tried this triglicerid (medium length fatty acid?) diet, but it doesn't look like something that'd cause harm. A quick google tells me it's an easily absorbed fatty acid that is supposedly good for weight loss because it promotes fatty oxidation (not unlike ketogenic diet and low carb diets, really). As for why a medium length fatty acid (which is digested without wasting energy) is preferred over long chain fatty acids (which require more energy to digest before you can actually use it), I have no idea.

Ok, found some info on triglycerides. They are actually bad for you in high amounts, so either what UChess is taking is supposed to remove them from your system, or in the case of someone as slim as he, add some fat to his diet.

Fish oil supplements are good for reducing triglyceride levels in your body:


High triglycerides are associated with heart disease and untreated diabetes. To reduce the risk of heart disease, doctors believe it is important to keep triglycerides below a certain level. Doctors usually recommend increasing physical activity and restricting dietary fat to lower triglycerides. Sometimes they also prescribe drugs such as gemfibrozil (Lopid) for use in addition to these lifestyle changes. Now researchers believe that fish oil, though not as effective as gemfibrozil, can reduce triglyceride levels by 20% to 50%.

Also this:

There are two forms of fat in the human body: triglycerides and fatty acids. Human fat/adipose tissue/love handles – whatever you call it – this is the fat stored as triglycerides. Fatty acids are burned for fuel. Triglycerides are three fatty acids joined together by something called glycerol. Fat enters and exits fat cells as fatty acids (triglycerides are too big to move across the cell membrane – think of a membrane as a cell ‘wall’).

When we talk about fat stored as human fat tissue, we are talking about triglycerides. Inside the fat cell, fatty acids continually ‘cycle’ across the cell membrane and back out again. Fatty acids can be used as fuel during this process (or recycled/stored if they are not used). If three fatty acids are joined by glycerol to form a triglyceride, they can’t get back out of the fat cell until the triglyceride is broken back down into glycerol and fatty acids.

[Animeniax]

Working out at the gym:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TBvHbnhl3M8

I'm guilty of the trick shot mirror check out, the scenic route, and the chase (though I enjoy cardio). The most realistic part is how the chick in the video isn't that hot, same as most of the chicks you see at the gym. It's just those leggings and boy shorts that drive me nuts.

Also like his dig on the Smith machine at 1:36.

[Penner]

Fuck that was hilarious :D

[Buffalobiian]

Animeniax, look up "medium chain triglicerides weight loss" instead. I believe that'll help you understand what UChess is talking about.

[Animeniax]

Oh ok, though that's kind of confusing then. If medium chain triglycerides aid in sports performance and weight loss, I wouldn't think UChess wants to use that, since he's trying to gain weight.

[enkoujin]

So one of my main goals is to get ripped without bulking up, this includes getting well defined abs. Currently i`m 5'5" and weight 119 pounds, i`m going to the gym 4 days a week, increased my diet a fair amount, got some triglicerid acid fat thing and a protein shake, am i on the right path? i ask this because i heard many people saying that the secret to good abs is to have a low fat diet, but i`m skinny as hell, so i`m not sure if its right for me to take the triglicerid thing or not.

http://www.simplyshredded.com/ultimate-ab-training-with-team-optimum-nutrition-athlete-wbff-pro-rob-riches-8-part-series.html

Hope that helps for ab workouts; however, I don't think there's anything on nutrition. To answer your problem, something tells me you shouldn't be taking triglycerides yet at your weight range assuming you have low body fat.

I recently started real bench pressing, squats, and deadlifts. I can't believe I didn't start them earlier, though, my form is pretty bad for deadlifts (arcing back).

[Animeniax]

What do you mean by "real"? As in with the olympic bar and not on a machine? I still use barbell presses for a chest workout since it doesn't require a spotter, doesn't hurt the wrists as much, and gives a better overall workout on your arms and shoulders as well as the chest.

Squats and deadlifts are pretty much essential to any real workout plan.

[enkoujin]

Well, I didn't mean anything negative when I meant "real", but yes, the olympic bar (barbell); however, it's interesting to note that machines have its merits. I've been told that machines didn't produce good results, which is why I've been using dumbbell benching the entire time.

[Animeniax]

I didn't take it as a negative comment, though we've been talking some shit about Smith machines. Any lifting/working out is better than nothing. I prefer dumbbell chest workouts for the reasons I mentioned.

[animus]

Yeah the machines just aren't as good. Free weight is just better since they work out your stabilizing muscles as well. A machine does that all for you already.

But yeah, squats and deadlifts are good. I love deadlifts especially, and it did take me a good long while of just tinkering around with low weight just so I could get the form properly of having your spine in a neutral position.

[KitKat]

So.... I'm not around here much anymore, but I've become totally addicted to Fitocracy. Any of you guys using it to log your workouts? I've all but stopped playing Guild Wars due to becoming more focused on leveling up in Fitocracy instead of leveling up a virtual character. My newest experiment is doing a Fitocracy to DnD conversion experiment. Currently, based on my PR for the overhead press, it puts my strength score at 6. Assuming that I add 1 to my ability score after 4 levels, I want to see how many Fitocracy points it takes me to increase my STR to 7.

[Raven]

I used to use Fitocracy, but stopped a while go; I just felt like there was too much double handling involved and ended up forgetting it too often. The DnD experiment sounds like fun though. :)
Incidentally KK, what are your fitness related goals, if you don't mind me asking?

[Sapphire]

I started Insanity workout a few weeks ago.

I AM SCARED OF IT.

Also, this is super motivating:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiKDa4ip_Q

The beginning speech is, anyway.

[Buffalobiian]

As far as arms go, I find that video demotivating. The speech is nice, and I'd like to apply that philosophy to my back muscles as well as my running ones. Arms.. can be bigger, but if I can't have proportioned goodness, I'd rather they be too small than too big. (yeah, those were too big)

[Animeniax]

"Everytime I went to the gym, I worked arms." Sounds like every meathead who goes to the gym and only works out their upper body. Usually they wear long pants to hide their little legs. I guess it's because they're posing for the video, but their form at everything they did is terrible.

I like his message though, you really do need to have the right mindset and work ethic to get the most out of your workout.

[Uchiha Barles]

Lets not miss the point people. It's a video containing a motivational speech, with the images there to accentuate the validity of the words. You can apply the wisdom of the principles it contains to any workout goal you desire. With some imagination, you can apply it to a number of things outside of working out as well.

[Animeniax]

Agreed to a point. I think some things are worth that kind of dedication and motivation, and others less so. It'll be funny if, after all that hard work, he gets shot because he struts around with his big arms.

[Buffalobiian]

I am of the belief that a statement must also be correct alongside having a point.

I'll agree with the dedication part of the message, but the guy also says "bullshit to theory, just go to the gym and work your arms every day". While dedication is necessary, you also need the knowledge to apply your dedication efficiently.

Applying dedication in a way that doesn't yield the proportional benefit will make you down yourself.. and in the end, demotivate yourself.

Not unlike willing to stop smoking and knowing how to stop smoking. Some might be able to do it cold turkey, but to tell everyone "quitting cold turkey is the way to go, you just don't have the will to do it" will just lead to people being demotivated eventually.

[Animeniax]

Yeah but I also think it matters if you're talking about gaining positive benefits or reducing negative factors. Motivation required to stop something is different from motivation to gain something. You could say not smoking is gaining health, but that's not how people see it, they see it as having to stop something to reduce negative effects.

[animus]

I've seen a couple of that dude's vids (CT Fletcher). He was a professional power lifter at one point, and he used to bulk like crazy until health reasons made him stop eating all them McDonalds and shit. Believe he had a stroke or two.

Anyways, I think he's completely right though. It's all about will power and motivation. You can say you can do all the things you want or know how to do everything, but without actually doing anything there's no point to any of that knowledge. I'm not trying to sound like an ass here, but I used to be one of those people. I used to have all this knowledge but was unmotivated as fuck. I was heavy for a long time, but I was always like "Psh, if I really wanted to lose all this weight and get into shape I could if I really wanted to."

I had that mindset for a long time, until I just had the motivation to just say fuck it. I'm going to do it for myself. Not for anyone else. You need to be stubborn and thick-skinned as fuck because if you're letting people de-motivate you, you might as well stop while you're ahead. You shouldn't be doing anything unless you really want to. Use what people say as fuel. I was lucky. I'm stubborn to begin with. So the reason I stayed heavy for so long, was because I didn't care what everyone else said to me. If and when they tried to give me shit about being a chubby it'd go in one ear and out the other. I only really got motivated when I really wanted to start bettering myself. Shit, if my 80 year old grandma who was a chronic smoker for 60 years could quit smoking cold turkey with no patches or gum, you can too.

And let's be honest here. Lifting weights isn't some crazy science. Sure you might see all these guys trying to sound smart by yelling out myofibril and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, anabolic and catabolic states, BCAAs, ectomorphs, endomorphs, and whatever the fuck else they say. But do you NEED to know these terms? Not really. Sure, it wouldn't hurt to know them, as you can never really have enough information. However, fuck all that. You take some heavy ass weight, and you either pull it towards yourself or push it away from yourself. The only burden of knowledge there is, range of motion and technique. The only wrong way of doing an exercise is one where you can injure yourself with poor form (like lack of a neutral spine). Maybe not stretching or warming up, but that stuff's like common sense anyways. You should've learned that stuff in your physical education classes in school anyways. Sure without the right angle you might not be isolating that muscle as much as you possibly could. But work, is work. You put in that effort, you will still get results. And it's not like working out the secondary muscles in that movement is somehow a bad thing anyways. Sure you might do something one day and you'll feel like you're not engaging it properly. You go back the next time and you fix it. That burden of knowledge can be fixed by yourself through experience. I mean, all the shit we know was from all the trial and error of people that put in the hard work. Anyways, to disclaimer this I'm not some jacked monster, and I don't plan to be but I'm getting decent gains, healthy and feel better (and on the way to look better). Once you get to a point where going to the gym is just routine it'll just be like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Some people hate it, but I've come to enjoy my time. It also helps that there's eye candy I can bounce my vision off of like 7 mirrors so I don't creeper stare.

Anddddddd, rant over. Not trying to sound like an asshole or anything, but I've just had an experience earlier kinda relevant to this. My cousin who's 14 years old and 300 pounds now has the mindset that I did when I was overweight. "I'm trying to, but it's just too hard." He'd then say I somehow had it easier because I was lighter when I started my weight loss. I started my weight loss when I was 280. He's just not motivated enough, honestly. Can't give up his previous eating habits. I even offered to help him and motivate him. I didn't have anyone else to help me, cause I did it through motivation.

[Animeniax]

Maybe if you could remember what exactly spurred you to finally lose the weight, you could use that same reason to motivate your cousin. Make him watch Animal House where the dean tells Flounder, "fat, lazy, and stupid is no way to go through life."

I needed an external motivator to get me in gear after years of wanting to lose weight and get in shape but never seriously working on it. My sister's destination wedding on the beach, attended by all her cute friends fro high school was what motivated me to finally take it serious. Now my future career goals are my primary motivation for getting in even better shape.

[Buffalobiian]

Shit, if my 80 year old grandma who was a chronic smoker for 60 years could quit smoking cold turkey with no patches or gum, you can too.

I don't agree with that statement where comes down to pure willpower, but I think you guys know why I disagree so I won't elaborate.

My main motivation these days is just wanting to look better in a shirt and being able to push or take a hit when things get a bit violent.

Being able to run after buses like it's nothing is a nice bonus. ;)

[KitKat]

Incidentally KK, what are your fitness related goals, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm focusing mostly on increasing strength, while trying to eat clean. I really like how much more energy I have, and how good I feel when I'm working out and fueling my body with stuff that's nutritious. My main motivation is that the more I train my body now, the less health problems I'll have when I'm old. I don't want to be one of those old ladies that falls and breaks a hip and then gets confined to a nursing home. Strength training is the best way to increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis. When I'm 80, I want to be healthier than I am now, fitter than I am now, and kicking all sorts of ass. Like the grandma in that movie 'Hoodwinked'.

Right now I'm working towards being able to do a real pushup (I know, it's kinda pathetic, but I'll get there soon) and will focus on doing a pullup after that. I'm hoping by the end of the year to be able to squat with the barbell at 1x bodyweight, and to deadlift 1.5x my bodyweight.

[Uchiha Barles]

My main motivation these days is just wanting to look better in a shirt and being able to push or take a hit when things get a bit violent.


Find a martial arts instructor with all haste! If you watch a demo and you don't see students sweating and trembling from strain, look elsewhere. Go go go!

[Buffalobiian]

Find a martial arts instructor with all haste! If you watch a demo and you don't see students sweating and trembling from strain, look elsewhere. Go go go!

I hope to get to that stage soon. In the meanwhile though, I'm trying to build on general fitness first.

My weight is pretty alright for my height, but my body fat percentage last measured was around 19%, which means that my lean body mass is probably subpar right now.

I'll remember that I'm looking for sweaty and hard-working people when I watch a demo though. ;)

[Animeniax]

Make sure that any dojo/academy you join preaches/allows sparring. Martial arts where you just practice forms means half the benefit. I'd suggest judo, as it teaches you balance and force, and improves core and base strength.

[Raven]

I'm focusing mostly on increasing strength, while trying to eat clean. I really like how much more energy I have, and how good I feel when I'm working out and fueling my body with stuff that's nutritious. My main motivation is that the more I train my body now, the less health problems I'll have when I'm old. I don't want to be one of those old ladies that falls and breaks a hip and then gets confined to a nursing home. Strength training is the best way to increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis. When I'm 80, I want to be healthier than I am now, fitter than I am now, and kicking all sorts of ass.
Sounds very much like me, and it's a great way to approach it.

I'll admit I have an interest in becoming more aesthetically pleasing, and it's certainly happening as a bonus side effect, but living a long, healthy life is at the top of my list.

I have no end in sight regarding this lifestyle. People often say to me "how long do you plan to do this for?" to which I answer "what, living my life?".

[Sapphire]

Week 4 of Insanity starts tomorrow. Now w/ added running!

Current: 1 mi/day.
Goal: 5 mi/day.

I hate running but I wanna be able to do ittt~

Whenever I get tired I just think of Rock Lee.

Do you guys use water or milk with your protein shakes? I just do the protein stuff with a shot of milk after workouts.

[Uchiha Barles]

Between daily jogging and Insanity (which is a daily program) you're knees are taking one hell of a pounding. Make sure to run with proper form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6x2cD6Y8Q), and make sure to do the techniques in Insanity with control, the jumps in particular. Also, consider getting some knee support.

edit: I use water for my supplements.

[Raven]

Sounds to me like you're over-training, Sapphire. Take entire days off to allow your body to recover. Plentiful rest is ridiculously important.

[Sapphire]

@Uchiha: Will do!

@Raven: Insanity works in rest days every 7th day and a recovery day (yoga & stretching) in the middle of the week.

I also don't show any symptoms of overtraining. Feels more like I found my sweet spot.

[Buffalobiian]

Between daily jogging and Insanity (which is a daily program) you're knees are taking one hell of a pounding. Make sure to run with proper form (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6x2cD6Y8Q), and make sure to do the techniques in Insanity with control, the jumps in particular. Also, consider getting some knee support.

I've been wondering myself about whether I should adopt more of a sprint form or a jogging form for HIIT on the road. While on one hand it makes sense to learn to sprint properly if I'm going to burst at full capacity, actual breaks between sprints should be between 3-5 minutes to restore the anaerobic capacity again for another run. If the breaks in my normal routine are only 1 minutes or so, it suggests that I wouldn't have the capacity to actually sprint in the traditional sense anyway - which would mean that a jogging/endurance form would be more suitable.

[Sapphire]

Maybe just do test runs (for 2 weeks) of each combination/style and see if you get any hard results?

[Edort4]

Ohh those sweet endorphins. Few things can beat the feeling I get after a good exercise or some manual labor paired with a good sweat, sometimes is frightening. I met a CEO that divorced cause he only stopped at home to sleep he started jogging more than 6 hours a day plus yoga, stretching and god knows what more.

[Buffalobiian]

I've never felt this endorphin stuff. :(

The only things I feel after exercise are:

1) heat
2) soreness
3) heart feeling like it wants to give up
4) wanting to die

More often than not, my gums and teeth feel really itchy during a jog. I have no idea what that feeling is supposed to reflect, but it's mighty uncomfortable.


edit: and occasionally, extreme hunger. I've had a few episodes where my stomach felt like it was digesting itself. It's a deep, gnawing pain that probably happened because I didn't eat enough that day before exercising (like, prolly more than 5 or 7 hours prior)

[Archangel]

4) wanting to die

What the actual fuck?

[Animeniax]

What the actual fuck?

That's the best feeling if you look at it the right way. Know that you just worked out and did something good for yourself, and turn that feeling into a positive. Though in Buff's case, it might be a serious underlying medical condition that he should get checked out.

Seriously, Buff, if your teeth/gums itch when you jog, that might be a sign of something you should see a doctor about. You can tell when dogs are having heart/circulatory system issues by looking at their gums.

[Uchiha Barles]

I've been wondering myself about whether I should adopt more of a sprint form or a jogging form for HIIT on the road. While on one hand it makes sense to learn to sprint properly if I'm going to burst at full capacity, actual breaks between sprints should be between 3-5 minutes to restore the anaerobic capacity again for another run. If the breaks in my normal routine are only 1 minutes or so, it suggests that I wouldn't have the capacity to actually sprint in the traditional sense anyway - which would mean that a jogging/endurance form would be more suitable.

Unless I'm missing something concerning HIIT, you're not doing HIIT if you're doing endurance running, and thus you'd be sacrificing HIIT's benefits to your resting metabolic rate. The intensity has to be high, like 90% peak oxygen or better. Jogging tends to get you to 70%. I don't know too much about the science of HIIT but 3 to 5 minute rests seems excessive. I've seen rests between 10s and 60s. My morning workout involves 60s rests.

[Buffalobiian]

You're right about HIIT.

I'll illustrate my point with some examples:

Background: jogging and running lands with either healstrike, midfoot or toe strike. It depends on the runner, if they wear shoes and the speed with which they run. Sprinting uses a toe (forefoot) strike due to the speed and the amount of lean you have when you run.

Your muscles also work on aerobic/anaerobic systems. The anaerobic one can be used for perhaps up to a 30 second burst of intense work. The fuel for that requires something like 5 minutes to rebuild in the body after you deplete it.

You require your anaerobic fuel if you wish to sprint at full speed.

Scenarios:

Sprint training with 5 minute breaks (like they do for track training):
I give my body enough time between sprints to rebuild my anaerobic capacity. I can utilise that system when I do my sprint, which will be as fast as my body can go. I will still accumulate muscle microtrauma, but I should not be hindered by a lack of anaerobic fuel. In this state, I can run in excess of 20km/hr at least for part of the track. This speed requires me to use a forefoot strike. It may be worth my while to use the sprinting form in order to increase my speed.

Someone training for track sprints would do this, but it doesn't mean they don't or can't choose to train with some aerobic capacity built in like below.

HIIT with 1 minute breaks
I will not have enough time to build my anaerobic capacity back up. During my run, I will be more tired and rely more on my aerobic capcity. Without the anaerobic fuel aid, I will probably only be able to run at 14km/hr. At that speed, I may comfortably run with a mid/heal stroke, especially when my speed drops lower by the 10th HIIT burst.

This is more in line with regular HIIT runs.



The above is HIIT, but by the latter stages you should be so tired that you're not even sprinting, but barely able to run hard. Even though you're running hard, you're not running all that fast. I was tossing up about which form would be ideal (both for performance and injury reduction) in this case.

[Uchiha Barles]

You're right about HIIT.

I'll illustrate my point with some examples:

Background: jogging and running lands with either healstrike, midfoot or toe strike. It depends on the runner, if they wear shoes and the speed with which they run. Sprinting uses a toe (forefoot) strike due to the speed and the amount of lean you have when you run.

Your muscles also work on aerobic/anaerobic systems. The anaerobic one can be used for perhaps up to a 30 second burst of intense work. The fuel for that requires something like 5 minutes to rebuild in the body after you deplete it.

You require your anaerobic fuel if you wish to sprint at full speed.

Scenarios:

Sprint training with 5 minute breaks (like they do for track training):
I give my body enough time between sprints to rebuild my anaerobic capacity. I can utilise that system when I do my sprint, which will be as fast as my body can go. I will still accumulate muscle microtrauma, but I should not be hindered by a lack of anaerobic fuel. In this state, I can run in excess of 20km/hr at least for part of the track. This speed requires me to use a forefoot strike. It may be worth my while to use the sprinting form in order to increase my speed.

Someone training for track sprints would do this, but it doesn't mean they don't or can't choose to train with some aerobic capacity built in like below.

HIIT with 1 minute breaks
I will not have enough time to build my anaerobic capacity back up. During my run, I will be more tired and rely more on my aerobic capcity. Without the anaerobic fuel aid, I will probably only be able to run at 14km/hr. At that speed, I may comfortably run with a mid/heal stroke, especially when my speed drops lower by the 10th HIIT burst.

This is more in line with regular HIIT runs.



The above is HIIT, but by the latter stages you should be so tired that you're not even sprinting, but barely able to run hard. Even though you're running hard, you're not running all that fast. I was tossing up about which form would be ideal (both for performance and injury reduction) in this case.

I misunderstood, like an idiot, what you meant by running form. My understanding is that the midfoot strike is best to avoid injury to the knees, shins, and Achilles tendon. As far as sprinting is concerned, I've seen people do it with what looks like a midfoot strike while others seem to be attacking the ground with the balls of their feet and a heavy forward lean. I just tried sprinting for a quarter mile and noticed that there's a very slight difference in the foot strike. It's still mostly a midfoot strike but slightly favoring the front. It isn't a toe strike or even the ball of my foot. I still need to roll on the ball of my foot before I can push off of it. If I were doing HIIT with sprinting, this is how I'd do it.

As far as performance is concerned, toe striking *might* help with the speed and it is good in reducing the impact to your knees and hips, but increases the strain on your calves and shin bones. If it is equally important for you to get the sprinting performance increase as well as the metabolic benefits of HIIT, you might want to do the toe strike, making sure you're eating in a way that is going to alleviate some of the strain you'll put on the aforementioned body parts when you start to kick it up a notch. A google search on this topic though shows a good number of sprinters using a midfoot strike. So I'm not entirely certain about the performance differences between the two foot strikes.

So, if improving your sprinting is important to you as much as the HIIT benefits, I'd suggest finding out for sure if the toe strike does improve your speed. If it does, use it. If it doesn't, use the midfoot strike. If the HIIT metabolic benefits are the main concern, use the midfoot strike. Avoid the heel strike like you avoid the HIV virus. Concerning the rest of the form, the forward lean is recommended for both jogging and sprinting, but its more pronounced in sprinting.

[UChessmaster]

Here`s a bit of an update on my workout. It`s been 2 months now and so far i`ve increased 6 pounds, there`s been a noticeable increase on my arms. However, i noticed that my left body is a bit bigger than my right one, is this normal?

[Animeniax]

Are you left handed or right handed? Do you notice you tend to favor one side or the other when lifting?

[Archangel]

Here`s a bit of an update on my workout. It`s been 2 months now and so far i`ve increased 6 pounds, there`s been a noticeable increase on my arms. However, i noticed that my left body is a bit bigger than my right one, is this normal?
Not really, no.

[UChessmaster]

Are you left handed or right handed? Do you notice you tend to favor one side or the other when lifting?

Right handed, can`t say i`ve noticed if i do.

[Buffalobiian]

I've been introduced to burpees.

Damn they're hard.

[Sapphire]

I've been seeing this burpees thing around. Having fun?

-

Working out on M&W is hella hard (nonstop stuff from 8a-6p). But if I skip, it totally throws me off.

My only resolution is to wake up at 5am?! T_T.

Also, defeating my cravings is a challenge. What do you guys to do stay on the straight and narrow and eat clean?

[Animeniax]

Right handed, can`t say i`ve noticed if i do.
Is your right side any denser than your left side? It may be smaller, but have more lean muscle since it's been used more throughout your life than the left side.


I work at an office with a bunch of overweight slobs. Meanwhile during breaks I go shadowbox and do pushups/situps and they think I'm weird for it. One such person who saw me eating mass quantities for lunch credited my metabolism, completely disregarding the work and effort I put into not being a fat slob. Fucking fatties suck.

[Sapphire]

Though, your metabolism probably IS better from exercising so much (compared to previously mentioned 'fat slob').

Just sayin'.

[Animeniax]

Yes but he attributes my metabolism to my supposed youth because I look/act young for my age, without giving credit for the work I put in to maintain a decent metabolism.

[Sapphire]

He was probably just trying to compliment you, and then you tore him down. :( :( :(

Shame on you!

PS—So you look/act 42?

[Animeniax]

Nope, he was definitely making excuses for his own lack of discipline, work ethic, and fat gut. I took it easy on him though when I explained to him how often I go to the gym and little ways I work out even at the office.

[Buffalobiian]

I've been seeing this burpees thing around. Having fun?


They're certainly not a "fun" exercise, but they're quick and don't require much space. Doing 1 min burpees and 1min break really kills me though. I was supposed to repeat 10x, but I took a shower after the 6th.

I think I might start doing lunges now instead of the leg raise machine for some free-weight exercise.



Also, defeating my cravings is a challenge. What do you guys to do stay on the straight and narrow and eat clean?

Chew gum, drink water, keep up the fibre (vegies).

Tell yourself you're a lesser person if you lose to the cravings.. and fuck the cravings. ;)

Or just sing a song.. like this:



http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/7725/bodyfatpercentagemen.jpg

I wanna be a twelve percent, so fucking bad
Grab all of the chicks I never had
I wanna be on the beaches of Los Angeles,
Smiling next to Trisha and Louise~

Oh, every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights
Yeah, a different girlfriend every night
Oh, I meant ya gals better consent
For when I'm a twelve percent~

[Animeniax]

Wow looking at that picture I'm definitely 20-25% body fat, same as what my bodycomp scale says. I'd like to get it down to 15-20% but in the absence of muscle gain to replace the fat mass I'd be way too small.

@Sapphire: I'm still of a mind that you can eat whatever you want, you just have to put in the work to get rid of it. Of course, that's why I'm at 20-25% body fat, but I just don't think life is worth living if you can't enjoy some delicious fatty foods whenever you want.

[Sapphire]

Mhm. I -could- technically eat what I want and just burn the calories, but it's much easier to just refrain. 160 cals is a cup of yogurt, or a couple miles on the treadmill.

It's amazing what cutting calories can do. I've already (supposedly) dropped 8 pounds (in a few weeks) since I started taking the calorie counter on My Fitness Pal seriously.

In combination with eating poorly, I think I know why I wasn't really losing weight for the first month of Insanity. From what I understand, when you begin a vigorous workout after living a life of laziness, your muscles respond by swelling with glycogen. Each gram of glycogen is attached to 3 grams worth of water, which is where the term "water weight" comes from.

This causes the initial weight gain when beginning a vigorous workout. You're still burning fat during this period, but the amount of weight you put on from glycogen/water swelling may overcome this at first. When your muscles have swelled to accommodate your level of fitness, the weight you lose through fat oxidation/burning starts to shine through.

I could be wrong on this but I'd have to refer to my Biochem textbook, and exercise science is sketchy anyway.

[Buffalobiian]

By the same logic, there's argument that a good percentage of the weight you lose when you go on a low carb diet is due to water, since you're depleting your body of glycogen stores.

It's not really something to worry about because you'll lose fat long term, but it does help contribute to the initial "wow, look at the weight loss" observation at first, as well as the "OMG, I gained 500g overnight" scare people get when the water returns due to the reintroduction of carbs when they're phasing out.

[Animeniax]

Mhm. I -could- technically eat what I want and just burn the calories, but it's much easier to just refrain. 160 cals is a cup of yogurt, or a couple miles on the treadmill.

Yes but the enjoyment of that nutritious, delicious yogurt and then the satisfaction of running on the treadmill are both worthwhile rewards. You shouldn't look at it like a zero-sum situation where it's one or the other. You still have your BMR to consider, in that you need to feed your body a certain amount to keep it functioning at peak.

Wouldn't you prefer to eat yogurt and run, than not eat yogurt and sit around some more?

[Buffalobiian]

Wouldn't you prefer to eat yogurt and run, than not eat yogurt and sit around some more?

I would prefer to eat a moderate amount of yoghurt and do a moderate amount of running to either of the following:

1) Eat shitloads of yoghurt and do shitloads of running
2) Eat no yoghurt and do no running.

If anything else, the latter option might be more appealing as long as no yoghurt doesn't mean no meal.

If I ran batshit crazy, I'd like to think that it did extra to reduce my weight, not that it's simply punishment for my gluttony 2hrs before.

[Sapphire]

I would prefer to eat a moderate amount of yoghurt and do a moderate amount of running to either of the following:

1) Eat shitloads of yoghurt and do shitloads of running
2) Eat no yoghurt and do no running.

If anything else, the latter option might be more appealing as long as no yoghurt doesn't mean no meal.

If I ran batshit crazy, I'd like to think that it did extra to reduce my weight, not that it's simply punishment for my gluttony 2hrs before.

This.

When I say a cup of yogurt vs. a couple miles, I mean an -extra- cup of yogurt that would either affect my daily caloric intake by going over it or otherwise wasting calories (perhaps I chose to eat yogurt because it's easy, rather than something more filling with the same calorie count and stayed hungry... thus being forced to eat something else and waste even more calories). Either one would cause having to run extra to compensate (like Buff said). I'd rather run to go into the negatives than to go back to zero.

Technically, yogurt, skittles, etc. is "fine" to eat for losing weight as long as it's under your daily caloric intake, but eating food with low calorie:volume ratios, more protein (filling), and/or less sugar (lower glycemic index to reduce insulin spikes) is more efficient.

Why is efficiency important/preferable? Because achieving results is also a game of time/energy management.

[Animeniax]

That's fine, but referring to it as "shitloads of running" says a bit about how you feel about exercise/fitness in general. You can do other things to work off calories/weight so that your workout isn't isolated to the 2 hours you spend at the gym a few times a week.

[Sapphire]

Not really. Running (perhaps rowing) is the most efficient way to burn calories.

I also do other stuff I previously mentioned in the thread (and some other stuff I'm not mentioning. SEX. Just kidding. :().

The 50 pushups and 40 leglifts (or whatever) you do during lunch burns... 20 calories? You should really invest in MFP.

[Animeniax]

Programs like MFP work for some, but I don't feel the need to use it.

I think discounting lunch hour workouts is a mistake, it all adds up to calories burned and endorphins released. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk instead of taking the bus (within reason), stand at your workstation and do calf raises... these little things add up and make fitness a part of your life instead of a chore you can skip. But different methods work for different folks, so whatever it takes, as long as you're trying.

[shinta|hikari]

I like to keep my workout time on a minimum. I laze around all day in the office and at home, then do a 5 minute warm up/stretching followed by 4 minutes of Tabata burpees and I am all set.

[Animeniax]

So where are you on your fitness goals? Keep in mind that being scrawny isn't the same as being fit.

I'm working a lot of OT right now so it's hard to maintain a workout schedule. Luckily I think I've made it past some threshold where I don't lose all my gains if I take a couple days off between workouts. My last leg workout left me limping for 4 days, since it had been 2 weeks since the previous leg workout.

[shinta|hikari]

Well, I don't really go to the gym and mainly work out at home. I am about 150 lbs right now at 5'7". My occasional muscle maintenance workout for my upper body is 50x6 pushups and 30x6 crunches. I also do 12x3 bicep curls with a bag filled with books and stone paperweights, but I am not sure how heavy it is. My personal best pushup record in one set is 100. I stick with the Tabata burpees for my lower body workout.

I was a bit lighter before, so I am lightly dieting to get to 146 lbs.

[Animeniax]

I did that for the longest time, working out at home. It's good for maintenance but not for building muscle or getting into shape, as far as my experience.

[shinta|hikari]

I was once 216 lbs before I hit 136 lbs, then gained 10 lbs of muscle to reach my ideal of 146 lbs. All that was just from working out at home (and eating right, of course). It might not be as efficient as going to the gym, but it is cheaper (free).

[Animeniax]

How long did that take you to achieve your goal? I like the atmosphere of sweat, effort, and hot girls that you find at the (university) gym. Actually I don't think going to the gym is all that efficient, as it's a bit of a chore to pack a change of clothes and protein, drive, park, walk to the gym, go to the locker room, then to the weight room to finally get to work out. It's what's kept me from reaching my goals tbh.

[shinta|hikari]

I did it in phases, but I guess it would total to around 1 year.

216 lbs to 156 lbs took 6 months, 156 to 136 took 3 months, and 136 to 146 took 3 months, I believe. I maintained each of the weights listed for several months before deciding to change again.

I actually hit 156 lbs again just 2 weeks ago due to alcoholism and indolence caused by despair, but I managed to get to 150 in a little over a week since then by not drinking and reducing my food intake while doing my usual workout regimen. Alcohol really adds way too many calories to my diet. I drink a minimum of 375ml of brandy almost daily (sometimes even more) which amounts to almost 900 calories. Simply stopping my alcohol intake is doing wonders for weight loss.

I think my upper body muscles have more or less stabilized throughout the years because I only experience a small decrease in strength (around 15% in reps) even if I completely stop working out for a month. I also get back to normal in about a week after resuming exercise.

EDIT: 6 being the last digit of all my weight stages is not really a coincidence because I always reduce or gain by 10 lbs. The only coincidence lies in the fact that my weight when I first decided to shape up and stop being a fat slob had 6 as the last digit. My obsessive compulsive traits show up in the oddest places.

EDIT2: While going to the gym to see hot girls is tempting, watching anime during bicep curls or rest periods is more enjoyable for me.

[Buffalobiian]

I can't watch anime and do exercise at the same time. I might be able to watch a movie or something, but not anime when it requires my attention to read the subtitles intently. BGMs also don't sound that good when I'm concentrating on exercising, which is why I've actually stopped listenning to music when I work out. There's simply no point. I'm too tired or preoccupied to care. Music is what comes after, not during.


Alcohol was never a big part of my diet, but I did really like my instant ramen. I can only look at them with a sad smile now. I only ever fluctuatted between 63kgs and 68kgs though, and I currently won't really budge from 65kgs with a casual attitude to kilojoule intake and protein inclusion.

[shinta|hikari]

Alcohol is mainly a remedy for my insomnia and depression, as well as a few other less pressing mental issues.

I can understand Japanese so I don't need subtitles, but I can understand how it would be a pain to focus on them while exercising.

Instant ramen is not bad as long as you factor its huge calorie count in your diet. I find that the best diet scheme is one that allows you to eat what you want but in limited amounts. I find that lessens the danger of binging and brings overall better results.

Which type of workout do you prefer? Slow and steady or short but intense? I have always been a fan of the latter.

[Buffalobiian]

Alcohol is mainly a remedy for my insomnia and depression, as well as a few other less pressing mental issues.

I see. I don't know the details, so I won't tell you to stop drinking, but I feel the urge to remind you (if only once) as an online friend that your liver won't last.



Instant ramen is not bad as long as you factor its huge calorie count in your diet. I find that the best diet scheme is one that allows you to eat what you want but in limited amounts. I find that lessens the danger of binging and brings overall better results.

True. I've limited myself to one packet per serve instead of 2, and to add in some fish as protein. I haven't actually had the instant ramen that I used to eat for ages though, but have some other noodles as substitute instead (the main reason is that they're around the house and is what family buy).



Which type of workout do you prefer? Slow and steady or short but intense? I have always been a fan of the latter.

For cardio, I prefer short/intense. I simply don't have the mental endurance to stand 1hr of slow torture. If I go for 10x sprints, I can convince myself to do the last couple. Once I do that, it's done. The feeling of extreme discomfort is more intense, but it doesn't make me give up half-way through.

As for muscle workouts I've ended up doing them more slowly. It allows me to focus and concentrate on contracting the correct muscles. That's particularly important when I do my ab curls using the pulley machine, since I can easily end up using my hip flexors instead.

Slower contractions also feels like it works my muscles more. My muscles are stronger during different parts of the contractions (mostly mid-motion), so the slower controlled reps seem to negate any momentum and work on my weaker areas (making the muscle contract the final part of the rep, instead of letting the weaker fibers ride on the momentum from the mid-swing)

I try to make up for the lost time by doing different workouts in succession instead of resting (leg press, butterfly machine, repeat - for example)

[Sapphire]

Oh dear god, I still lost some weight despite eating an ENTIRE box of biscoff (nyum nyum nyum) cookies yesterday. So far I've lost 10 lbs (since 4/1).

But that anticipation shit was enough to set me straight for a while.

Respect the calorie count.

[animus]

Been doing a Lean Gains type Intermittent Fasting program for my cut. Pretty good results so far.

[Sapphire]

Me: Man, I apparently lost 12 lbs this month. It seems to good to be true!
Buff: It probably is.

<3 my fitness friends.

[Animeniax]

He's probably right though. How much of that was water weight and did you weigh yourself on an empty stomach/bowels? Still, you should be proud of your progress and keep up the good work.

[Uchiha Barles]

<3 my fitness friends.

lol! Don't let it get you down. Steady wins it.

[Sapphire]

I have no idea if it's water weight or not, but judging how water weight works and what I've seen (previous posts), I don't think so.

I haven't bothered cutting carbs at all lolz. ~_~

[animus]

I always take my weight on an empty stomach and after I take a dookie.

[Buffalobiian]

I usually take mine in the morning after a pee.

[Raven]

Why are you guys paying so much attention to the scales? Worst thing you can do, because all it does is send mixed signals.

According to that picture on the previous page, I'm sitting at about 10-12%. Good times. Got the nice v-shape happening.

My (non-fitness) friend said to me the other day: "You look... bigger. Not fatter, just... bigger. In a good way". Decided to take that one as a compliment :D

[Animeniax]

There's some benefit to checking the scales, if you understand what you're seeing is limited and not absolute info on your gains/losses.

I've found looking at your body in different mirrors sends mixed signals. This one mirror in my house makes me look/feel huge when I flex in front of it. Then later when I flex in front of other mirrors, I feel let down because I look smaller.

[Buffalobiian]

Does anyone know of the significance (or lack thereof) regarding body types (ectomorph, mesomorph and so on)?

I just came across it, but it sounds like something trivially interesting but not worth considering too much about. The questionaires that are available for determining body type seem really subjective too. The best way would be to use your age/height to get your ideal weight, then compare that to your actual weight along with your fat% to see whether you're "okay-gross-weight but high % = skinny-fat" etc.

[Animeniax]

I don't want to jinx it, but I think I've hit that point where you have enough lean muscle that you don't lose it if you don't work out every day or every other day. Because of work, illness, and general laziness I've only worked out upper and lower body once a week each for the past 3-4 weeks, but I still have most of the mass I gained from the past few months.

I really want to get back into the gym, but now I'm going on a trip and still fighting this bug that's got me hurting. Hopefully next week I'll be able to start building again.

[Buffalobiian]

-I'm getting epigastric pain that is best described as hunger pain when I go to the gym.

-It feels like a deep pain where something is digesting itself.

-It happens around 2 to 2.5 hours into my workout (I'm still at the gym, though in the past it could have been as I was leaving). -When it comes on gradually, but can escalate quickly.

-When it first starts, it comes when I exert effort and goes away when I stop exercising.

-If I keep going though, it'll become constant.

-At its maximum intensity, I would probably rate the pain as a 7-8 out of 10.

I can imagine something causing me more pain, but this gets pretty close to the maximum I've ever felt. I've never suffered from many injuries though, so I can't compare to a broken bone etc. Visceral pain feels different from somatic pain anyway though, and I dislike its character more.

I eat afterwards and it goes away, but not always immediately. I also don't know whether or not it's simply a time issue, it's too painful to just sit and wait.

I do do abdominal exercises right at the beginning, but the pain doesn't feel anything like regular muscle soreness. I'm also not doing ab exercises at the time the pain comes on. I suppose I can try not doing ab workouts and see if it goes away.. but that would kinda suck :( It also doesn't explain why stopping the current exercise would make it go away either if it was ab-workout related.

I usually eat at least 3hrs before workout due to my timetabling not allowing me to eat sooner, and my hydration's pretty good.
It doesn't feel like the running stitch that can happen when I drink too much water before a run.

Anyone had something similar?

[Sapphire]

I've never had this, but why don't you take a protein shake before/during your workout? They're quick to prepare (~20 seconds) and it stimulates the release of ghrelin/PYY3-36 which suppresses hunger.

Wouldn't suggest carbohydrates due to insulin spikes or fats due to pesky atherosclerosis/ possibly developing a leptin resistance, etc.

[Buffalobiian]

Wouldn't suggest carbohydrates due to insulin spikes or fats due to pesky atherosclerosis/ possibly developing a leptin resistance, etc.

What about protein leading to decreased pH, using up my phosphate buffer and losing calcium? :p

Hunger decrease aye... that would be worth experimenting. I guess I'll bring a tin of tuna or something Protein shakes are expensive.

[Sapphire]

lul if anything Ketoacidosis will fuck up your PH and screw up your buffers, but you should be fine as long as you're not diabetic/on a weird ketogenic diet (more fat than anything). Your protein shake will have carbs anyway so you're still getting glycolysis at least~

I don't know if tuna is enough protein... I'd check the value. A tub of whey protein costs me $15 and lasts me a few months, so it might actually be cheaper than tuna assuming tuna is like 0.80 a day and you eat one every other day.

2 years later edit: weird ketogenic diet = awesome!

[Buffalobiian]

lul if anything Ketoacidosis will fuck up your PH and screw up your buffers, but you should be fine as long as you're not diabetic/on a weird ketogenic diet (more fat than anything).

I've gone on a ketogenic diet before, didn't screw me up, but I didn't have a complete protein source, so some of my muscle must have been used to compensate for the missing amino acid or two.

I've got to check out these cheap protein sources, all the ones I see are expensive as fuck, though I do know of a place that advertises themselves as being cheap. I eat more like.. 4 tins of tuna a day. (one per meal)

[Sapphire]

I mix a cup of fat-free milk with a scoop of this (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=super+advance+whey) and it works wonders. (fat-free to conserve calories)

[animus]

There's some cheap whey like Dymatize Elite XT, which is like $30 for a 5 pound tub. It's not the greatest quality but it's cheap. The one i use atm is Muscle Pharm Combat Powder, which is like $40 for a 4 lb tub however your mileage will vary since you're not in the States. I mix mine with water cause I'm on a cut atm (a scoop is like 25g of protein).

Also I don't know if you should be eating that much tuna. All that Mercury.

[Buffalobiian]

I switch it up with sardines every now and again, but I think I'm going to start back on my peanut butter diet soon enough. What's the meaning behind "quality" protein vs cheap protein? I saw a 3KG tub near my place that charges 100 dollars for it (and that's 40% off). I've know people who bought 2kgs for 111 dollars...

And then you have the offer Sapphi linked.

Do you guys use it to simply supplement your workouts, or pretty much rely on it as your only protein source?

[Sapphire]

I don't know the diff myself, but as far as suppressing hunger and making me feel satisfied with muscle gain, Super Advanced works for me lolz. T_T!~~

I sometimes use it as a meal replacement, and almost always chug it directly after workouts. It's tasty, too.

[animus]

I never use Whey Protein as a meal, only as a supplement for my macros. Whey Protein in bulk is cheaper than buying a bunch of meat, and lower in calories too (A 33g scoop of my Whey is 25g of protien and 130 calories mixed with water). Of course I still eat regularly but only use the Whey to hit my target protein goal on workout days (which is known popularly to either by .8 or 1.0 gram of protein per pound of body weight).

[Raven]

I switch it up with sardines every now and again, but I think I'm going to start back on my peanut butter diet soon enough. What's the meaning behind "quality" protein vs cheap protein? I saw a 3KG tub near my place that charges 100 dollars for it (and that's 40% off). I've know people who bought 2kgs for 111 dollars...

And then you have the offer Sapphi linked.

Do you guys use it to simply supplement your workouts, or pretty much rely on it as your only protein source?
Bill, as a fellow Aussie I can recommend Bulk Nutrients WPI. (http://www.bulknutrients.com.au/shop/wpi/wpi) It's a very pure product with very little in the way of additives. Their Cookies n Cream flavour is pretty good; I also have a big 5kg bag of standard vanilla sitting in my house which has lasted a fair while.

Personally I only use pure WPI to supplement my workouts (before and after) and the rest of the time I eat whole foods. But when I was first starting to lose weight I used to have a whey shake (just with water) and a piece of fruit, mid morning and mid afternoon. I got really good results from that for a long time. Eventually I had to go back to whole foods to keep improving.

[Sapphire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiPBmyLE_jM&list=FL_Pp9NiGSkKTkWLWxrRZGdg&feature=player_detailpage

Who else LOVES this girls body? Exercise motivation!

[Animeniax]

Too skinny. I like a girl with a little more meat on her.

[darkshadow]

She looks delicious.

[Abdula]

God Usher is annoying. Actually Ani she looks pretty good. That is my girlfriend's body type though so I might be prejudice. I think it is the heels that make her look so lanky and awkward, girls like her really shouldn't wear them. She seems pretty tall, Usher is rather short for a guy, only about 5'8" and she seems like she would be taller than him even without those ridiculous shoes.

[Animeniax]

She does look good but I'm a leg man and her legs are too skimpy. It means she probably doesn't work out.

[Abdula]

Oh I forgot about your weird perfect leg obsession. Not to dampen Sapphire's enthusiasm but my girlfriend doesn't work out either. That body type seems to be something you are born to. This is just weird though, I am not as obsessed with aesthetics as you are or at all for that matter.

[Sapphire]

Are you saying Ani's obsessed w/ aesthetics, or me?

[Abdula]

Animeniax of course.

[Buffalobiian]

Are you saying Ani's obsessed w/ aesthetics, or me?

I interpreted that at first as "Are you saying Ani's obsessed w/ aesthetics, or with me?"

-The answer was going to be "both".

[Animeniax]

Oh I forgot about your weird perfect leg obsession. Not to dampen Sapphire's enthusiasm but my girlfriend doesn't work out either. That body type seems to be something you are born to. This is just weird though, I am not as obsessed with aesthetics as you are or at all for that matter.

It's not about aesthetics, it's about indicators. If you have nice legs then most likely you put in the time and effort to work-out and shape those lovely legs which says a lot about your work ethic and dedication. That may not translate to all aspects of your life but I'd like to think it does. Meanwhile big titty bitches are either born with them or get implants, neither of which requires any effort, and even aesthetically breasts do less for me than nice legs.

[Sapphire]

Wow! I'm a big tittied bitch, Ani. I guess this means we will NEVER be together. :/

[Animeniax]

Wow! I'm a big tittied bitch, Ani. I guess this means we will NEVER be together. :/

I said breasts do less for me, not that I'm immune to them. As long as you work out your lovely gams as well, we can make it work.

[UChessmaster]

Maybe he was an Alien that`s part of an organization like Men in Black, and he just went back to his planet.

[Sapphire]

I said breasts do less for me, not that I'm immune to them. As long as you work out your lovely gams as well, we can make it work.

Wow, I have to work my ass off to come home to your pot belly?! Sounds like a terrible plan.

[Animeniax]

Wow, I have to work my ass off to come home to your pot belly?! Sounds like a terrible plan.

I'll work off my gut while you work on your cellulitic thighs.

[Abdula]

*sigh*

I guess I should have responded to Ani's ridiculous post when I first saw it this morning had a nice response in mind too but now I am just wondering if your posts are in jest or if you actually believe that nonsense(what you post in general not just that specific one). I had a friend who did track throughout high school and college and another who was a cheerleader, I would love to know what you think their physical traits indicate about their personalities. Seriously I am beginning to wonder if you would love to get to know a great pair of detached legs or simply a walking lower body a la Assy McGee. Ah whatever off topic nonsense anyway.

[Archangel]

Amazing how you can shit what was one of the few nice threads around here this badly.

[Animeniax]

Yeah let's try to keep this thread on topic. When I talk about legs I mean for your average female. Athletic chicks' legs tend to get too muscular or stringy, depending on their sport. That's usually only when they're actively training and competing. When you see them off-season, their legs look amazing, for example Alex Morgan (US soccer) and Marion Jones (T&F) though these are bad examples since they both have amazing legs pretty much all the time.

[Buffalobiian]

So, yeah. I was going to go on a ketogenic diet again starting last week, but I've decided not to. Bad breath doesn't really work, and I haven't identified anybody with diabetic ketoacidosis to figure out what this smell actually is. My books range from "sweet, fruity smell" to "rotten fruity smell".

I'll check out the WPI stuff too Raven. The 30KG seems to be the best value.. just have to wonder at how long it'll keep. Maybe I'll need to think about the cost of a few silicon absorbers to keep the stuff dry if I go that route.

Has anyone got any experience with the Pallof Press exercise? I feel the difficulty in it, but my abs don't feel shot after I finish. I could increase in weight, but I feel that my base (feet) would rip off the ground. Maybe it's finally time to get some flat shoes since my runners that put my feet on arch support kinda affect my static stability. (might have said this before, but never actually got around to it)

[Buffalobiian]

-I'm getting epigastric pain that is best described as hunger pain when I go to the gym.

-It feels like a deep pain where something is digesting itself.

It's midline pain below the sternum, probably 2cm above the umbilicus.


-It happens around 2 to 2.5 hours into my workout (I'm still at the gym, though in the past it could have been as I was leaving). -When it comes on gradually, but can escalate quickly.

-When it first starts, it comes when I exert effort and goes away when I stop exercising.

-If I keep going though, it'll become constant.

-At its maximum intensity, I would probably rate the pain as a 7-8 out of 10.

I can imagine something causing me more pain, but this gets pretty close to the maximum I've ever felt. I've never suffered from many injuries though, so I can't compare to a broken bone etc. Visceral pain feels different from somatic pain anyway though, and I dislike its character more.

The above description is mostly consistent (after a few weeks of experimenting now), but I've concluded that the pain doesn't have much to do with the 2hr exercise at all. It is best brought on by the pectoral fly machine, usually on my 3rd or 4th-plus set. When I put in effort to finish the motion, the pain will come on gradually and slowly escalate. If I keep doing more reps, it becomes more severe. Resting and discontinuing the exercise will alleviate the pain.

I can feel my abdominal muscles contracting when I do the pec-fly, so it can be argued that it's that pain. I haven't been able to relax my abs but contract my pecs forcefully, so I can't really test out whether the abdominal contraction has anything to do with it.

I haven't tried the protein-shake-before-workout yet, only some fruit. They don't seem to make a difference.

Push-ups by themselves don't seem to give me a problem. I haven't done pushups when the pain sets in from the pec-fly though, so perhaps I'll do that next time.

Overall it's pretty annoying and just limits how far I can exercise my chest. :S


edit: This link seems to suggest some reasons. The breathing one caught my eye because the chest press is definitely the slowest of my exercises, and I lengthen my exhalation in time with my contraction.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/276171-why-is-there-pain-in-the-stomach-after-a-strenuous-exercise/

edit2: or a hernia. :S

----------------------


Is there such thing as "too wide" a grip for the lat pull-down?

I eat afterwards and it goes away, but not always immediately. I also don't know whether or not it's simply a time issue, it's too painful to just sit and wait.

[animus]

At first when I was reading your description of your pain I was thinking about an abdominal stitch that I used to get when I did cardio but that's resolved by doing that standing stretch where you bend over and touch your toes then bounce a few times while inhaling/exhaling. But reading further along that doesn't seem to be the case.

And there's no too wide a grip for the lat-pull down really. They just work out two different areas primarily. They function like pull ups where the wider the grip the more they work out your lats and upper back, the closer the grip the more they end up working your arms, triceps and biceps.

[Sapphire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mp4EV1IRlbM

Great advice in this video! He uses the same brand of protein as me, too. :D

His protein vid:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZLyxBgQ2MQE

[Sapphire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fRKLLqZXfVs

[Animeniax]

I've been using a balance ball as an office chair at work and I think it's making a big difference. My main goal is to fix a slouching problem that is affecting my back, but the added benefit of the balance ball as a chair is that it gives your core and lower body a bit of a workout keeping you balanced and upright. While I've found you can still slouch by leaning your arms on the desk, I find myself not doing that very often.

1633

Stock photo but sadly I think both of these guys are doing it wrong.

[Animeniax]

Does anyone know if its true that protein shakes should be taken within 30 minutes of completing a workout? I don't see the sense in this, since we eat protein all the time and the body processes it. Is there really that much loss of benefit from a protein shake if you don't drink it soon after working out?

[enkoujin]

It's better because more effective protein synthesis. It's probably fine if you take it during the day to satisfy your macros, but most optimal is immediately before or after workout.

Source: broscience.

[Animeniax]

I just discovered pre-workout supplements and I think they work wonders. I took a sample of some pre-workout called Shock'd and breezed through a leg workout that usually sucks the life out of me. I don't look forward to having to buy more supplements, or having to rely on supplements when I'd rather go natural, but man this stuff really seems to work.

[Buffalobiian]

I just discovered pre-workout supplements and I think they work wonders. I took a sample of some pre-workout called Shock'd and breezed through a leg workout that usually sucks the life out of me. I don't look forward to having to buy more supplements, or having to rely on supplements when I'd rather go natural, but man this stuff really seems to work.

Have you tried looking into what in it actually works? I'm not sure how much caffeine forms the majority of the "kick".

[Animeniax]

Have you tried looking into what in it actually works? I'm not sure how much caffeine forms the majority of the "kick".

I imagine a lot of sugar is involved, which is probably why it tastes so much better than any protein powder I've ever tried. I don't think it's caffeine because I didn't feel jittery and I slept fine just 3-4 hours later.

[enkoujin]

Started to seriously lift in January. Here are my PRs so far:

Bench: 5x 125 lb :(:(:(
Squat: 5x 225 lb
Deadlift: 5x 315 lb

Didn't make much gains until last month when I switched to a new plan composed entirely of all compound exercises. Goal for the summer is to get to 200/300/400 lbs, hopefully, but it might take another year before I reach that.

[Animeniax]

Wow those are impressive squat and deadlift totals, time to focus a little more on the upper body. How many sets of each are you doing? Or do you mean 1 set of 5 reps (:()?

I wanted to improve my upper body strength so I do bicep curls to start every workout, whether it's a chest or leg day.

Also, about pre-workouts, I've found that eating some dark chocolate seems to give me the same boost as the pre-workout samples I used.

[Buffalobiian]

Pretty sure those are 5 rep maxes.

I can't do squats these days since my ankle injury left me incapable of bending my foot upwards much without pain. Hopefully it'll heal and not remain like that forever.

Two days ago we went for a hike. I either seam to be a beast at it (no significant backpack weight) or am just too eager to die.

[enkoujin]

Wow those are impressive squat and deadlift totals, time to focus a little more on the upper body. How many sets of each are you doing? Or do you mean 1 set of 5 reps (:()?

Four sets pyramiding up. Bench is 5 lbs; squat and deadlift are 10 lb increments. The last set are my PRs.


I wanted to improve my upper body strength so I do bicep curls to start every workout, whether it's a chest or leg day.

You might want to watch out for overtraining biceps if you work out a lot during the week. From reading articles, full body and compound exercises are the way to go to improve strength (pullups, BB row). I guess you could sneak in a bicep isolation regime after some compound exercises consisting of hammer, inclines, standing EZ bar curls, etc. a couple times a week to keep them growing.

EDIT: Don't forget to eat big. +200-400 calories over your BMR.


I can't do squats these days since my ankle injury left me incapable of bending my foot upwards much without pain. Hopefully it'll heal and not remain like that forever.

If you want to go back to training while your ankle is still a little sore, try stretching a lot. You can also try using ankle braces and going on the leg press for a bit before going back to squatting. For now, ice it a lot, let it rest a lot, and embrace the breaks from leg day.

I hate doing legs.

[Animeniax]

Ahhh, PR= personal record. Have you tried weight-lifting gloves and/or a spotter? I think you could easily get to 135 on your bench with those minor changes.

I alternate between preacher curl on the bench and free-standing full-range bicep curls with the curl bar. I've only recently been able to do 65lbs comfortably without pain in my wrists.

I eat over my BMR, but mostly the wrong kind of food (too much fat and carbs). I need to fix that but what's the point of being in shape if it means you can't eat delicious food?

[enkoujin]

Ahhh, PR= personal record. Have you tried weight-lifting gloves and/or a spotter? I think you could easily get to 135 on your bench with those minor changes.

I actually did bench 135 last week, but I needed a spotter. I don't report PRs I can't do by myself - just a personal thing.

EDIT: I also don't use gloves because they reduce your grip strength, can kill your technique, and don't prevent calluses. Embrace your calluses, man. Might use gym chalk later, though.


I alternate between preacher curl on the bench and free-standing full-range bicep curls with the curl bar. I've only recently been able to do 65lbs comfortably without pain in my wrists.

Did you see a doctor about pain in your wrists? That could be dangerous. Do you still have pain when doing dumbell alternatives?


I eat over my BMR, but mostly the wrong kind of food (too much fat and carbs). I need to fix that but what's the point of being in shape if it means you can't eat delicious food?

If you're dirty bulking, which I'm sure you are, just eat whatever as long as it fits your macros. I'd probably avoid bad foods like candy and whatnot. If you're clean bulking, try to drop down to 1-2x cheat meals a week.

[Animeniax]

I actually did bench 135 last week, but I needed a spotter. I don't report PRs I can't do by myself - just a personal thing.I don't think it's any less valid because you have a spotter. I tend to lift heavier and more successfully in a gym around other people because of the fear of failure and ridicule. When I work out at home, I tend to take it a little easier and have less motivation to push my boundaries.


I also don't use gloves because they reduce your grip strength, can kill your technique, and don't prevent calluses. Embrace your calluses, man. Might use gym chalk later, though.I don't see any issue with grip strength and most broscientists say you can lift heavier with good gloves on due to the padding. I can't use my bench bar without gloves because the knurling is too painful on my palms.


Did you see a doctor about pain in your wrists? That could be dangerous. Do you still have pain when doing dumbell alternatives?Nah I'm old school, only see a doctor when it's really serious or non-functioning. I only got the pain when lifting heavy weight. Now the pain is gone as my arms have gotten stronger. I imagine the pain will return when I start doing heavier bicep work.


If you're dirty bulking, which I'm sure you are, just eat whatever as long as it fits your macros. I'd probably avoid bad foods like candy and whatnot. If you're clean bulking, try to drop down to 1-2x cheat meals a week.Not really trying to bulk, just enjoy eating. I take protein to help with weight gain but I really hate managing a diet, even if it would help my weight goals.

[Buffalobiian]

If you want to go back to training while your ankle is still a little sore, try stretching a lot. You can also try using ankle braces and going on the leg press for a bit before going back to squatting. For now, ice it a lot, let it rest a lot, and embrace the breaks from leg day.

I don't think that would work since I go into pretty severe pain once the angle between my foot and leg is below 70 degrees or something. Ankle brace won't do that. I was playing basketball today actually, and my foot was forced into such a position from landing too hard, and it feels like a re-sprain each time (though it isn't, because the pain mostly resolves after another 2 minutes or so).

Just for the sake of correct definitions, base metabolic rate (BMR) is calculated using various weight and body size measurements to see how much your body burns when you're doing nothing but staying alive (hence base metabolic rate). What you guys are talking about is daily expenditure, which takes into account your exercise expenditure as well. Hence you want to eat (according to you guys) an extra 2-400 calories more than you're actually spending so that it can go towards muscle growth, not just 2-400 more than what it takes to live (BMR).

Granted, BMR does actually go up if you're exercising, but that's usually not taken into account and I don't believe that online calculators are estimating this when they're asking for activity levels either. I think they're just calculating energy expenditure.

[Animeniax]

@Buff: can you run without pain in the ankle? I imagine you'd achieve acuter angles than 70 degrees during a run. I get the best workout for my calves from running.

[Buffalobiian]

@Buff: can you run without pain in the ankle? I imagine you'd achieve acuter angles than 70 degrees during a run. I get the best workout for my calves from running.

You can get away with the angle problem by reducing stride distance and keeping a more stable ankle. I can sort of "run", but I can't sprint or change directions on my right foot very well. Keeping the foot planted while twisting the leg a little bit sets it off really badly.

Hmm... come to think of it I wonder if I should take an xray to rule out bony fragments from an avulsion or something.

[Animeniax]

Yeah I'd suggest you see a doctor to make sure it's not something that could get worse. I learned that lesson the hard way this week, finally going to the dentist after a tooth broke 3-4 months ago. Turns out all the pain was from the broken tooth getting infected. Now I need a root canal or extraction. Also have 8-10 cavities that need to be filled.

[Penner]

I'm also going in for a root canal at the end of the month. Never had one of those done before so i'm not sure what to expect lol


Also have 8-10 cavities that need to be filled.

Jesus man, most i've ever had at one time was three :P

[Animeniax]

I'm also going in for a root canal at the end of the month. Never had one of those done before so i'm not sure what to expect lol

Jesus man, most i've ever had at one time was three :P

Is extraction an option for you? For me it's the furthest back molar on the left side, so losing it would not affect my ability to eat as the lower tooth still catches half of the tooth next to the bad one. It would also not be a cosmetic issue, obviously. However I'd rather not lose a tooth (and getting it replaced isn't really an option financially) but I don't want the root canal operation either. I think the pain is overstated, but from what my genprac dentist said, it will take some work to clear out the tooth of calcium deposits, and of course it's more expensive than just having the tooth removed.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 9 years. So 8-10 cavities isn't so bad :p.

[enkoujin]

@ Buff: you're totally right about the incorrect terminology. My bad.


Nah I'm old school, only see a doctor when it's really serious or non-functioning.


I haven't been to the dentist in almost 9 years. So 8-10 cavities isn't so bad :p.

I'm probably not in the right to say this, but you need to take better care of your health, man. If you can go to the gym several times a week, you should be able to see the dentist at least once a year, and floss and brush properly every night.

[Animeniax]

I'm probably not in the right to say this, but you need to take better care of your health, man. If you can go to the gym several times a week, you should be able to see the dentist at least once a year, and floss and brush properly every night.

Well I was born behind the 8 ball so to speak, so taking care of my health is a bigger chore than it should be. I didn't go to the dentist because I didn't have proper dental insurance, not for lack of care for my well-being. I try to eat right and stay active, but yeah underneath I think I'm rotting away.

[LaZie]

I was bored and decided to try deadlifting for the first time. Now I've done romanian deadlifts before, but this is a first for regular deadlifts. How's my form? This is 225lbs/102kgs.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coGH40lfrd8

[Animeniax]

Wow 225lb is impressive. For the bad stuff: your butt is too high in the air. Your back should never go parallel to the ground like that at the start and at the end. I think the type of lift you're doing works the back and shoulders more than the legs and is not a deadlift. A personal trainer told me to start from the standing position, then lower the bar to the ground, then raise it to standing again and that's one rep. That will get you to bend the legs more and go lower, better working out the legs and less strain on the back. Also, you should pinch the shoulder blades together as you lift. To do the move correctly, you'll probably need to drop weight. I was comfortable doing 185 until I found out my form was all wrong so I dropped to a lot less weight. Keep it up though. Deadlifting is one of the best overall exercises.

[LaZie]

I'll definitely keep my hips lower and the bar closer to my shins next time around.

[LaZie]

Here's a new video. This time it's at 185 lbs.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mU_HfrothU

[Animeniax]

Much better. Keep those shoulders up and that butt down. Maybe spread the feet a little wider too. Otherwise looks good from this angle. Did you try doing the corrected form with 225lbs? Was it impossible?

[Penner]

I've only been back to training for a few months now since the new gym opened here (before that i gradually got lazier and lazier, which eventually led to me not training at all for over a year :() and i also have a habit of getting my hips/ass too high up when i deadlift, been working on keeping better form and using my legs more and not hitting the lower back so much lol, and as Ani said earlier, i also had to drop the weights down a bit for that :P

[Animeniax]

I'm in the same boat. I used to work out 2-3 times a week, then down to once a week. Now I'm back trying to go 2-3 times a week but find I'm not doing as strenuous a workout or covering all major muscle groups. I work out at the gym at the office during breaks in the day so I can't get too sweaty. It's been a few months since I ran regularly too, but that's probably because it's 95-100 F outside.

[LaZie]

Much better. Keep those shoulders up and that butt down. Maybe spread the feet a little wider too. Otherwise looks good from this angle. Did you try doing the corrected form with 225lbs? Was it impossible?

I haven't tried yet, was too exhausted by the end of it.

[Animeniax]

I haven't tried yet, was too exhausted by the end of it.

Did you feel a difference from doing it with the new form? When I started doing them correctly, even at lower weight, I was tired out a lot more noticeably than when I was doing it the wrong way.

[LaZie]

Did you feel a difference from doing it with the new form? When I started doing them correctly, even at lower weight, I was tired out a lot more noticeably than when I was doing it the wrong way.

I definitely feel less strain on my lower back. That also might be because the muscles involved have gotten used to being used.

[Animeniax]

I definitely feel less strain on my lower back. That also might be because the muscles involved have gotten used to being used.

You're definitely in much better shape than I am. When I did them incorrectly I was breezing through deadlifts. When I did them the correct way I felt like puking after 3 sets. Deadlifts tax your back, shoulders, and legs, so they wear you out pretty good. At least they did to me.

[LaZie]

You're definitely in much better shape than I am. When I did them incorrectly I was breezing through deadlifts. When I did them the correct way I felt like puking after 3 sets. Deadlifts tax your back, shoulders, and legs, so they wear you out pretty good. At least they did to me.

I gym about 5 days a week. 2 days on and 1 day off.

[LaZie]

Much better. Keep those shoulders up and that butt down. Maybe spread the feet a little wider too. Otherwise looks good from this angle. Did you try doing the corrected form with 225lbs? Was it impossible?

I did one rep of 225 lbs today. Felt good on the way up. The lightheadedness started to kick in on the way down. Felt like I could've went higher, but not risking to look like this guy here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8RcDb_wZfQ

[MFauli]

anybody here wearing a fitbit wristband?

[LaZie]

anybody here wearing a fitbit wristband?

I don't, but speaking of fitbit wristbands, here's an interesting post I found on reddit.

Wore my Fitbit heart rate monitor during sex. Beautiful./ (https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/3gk6un/wore_my_fitbit_heart_rate_monitor_during_sex/)

[enkoujin]

Hey, guys, how's everyone's goals so far?


Started to seriously lift in January. Here are my PRs so far:

Bench: 5x 125 lb :(:(:(
Squat: 5x 225 lb
Deadlift: 5x 315 lb

Didn't make much gains until last month when I switched to a new plan composed entirely of all compound exercises. Goal for the summer is to get to 200/300/400 lbs, hopefully, but it might take another year before I reach that.

Only reached one of my goals; here are my new #s (in lbs):

Bench: 5x170
Squat: 5x365
Sumo Deadlift: 5x335 (5x395 for conventional deadlift, but switched over to sumo)

[LaZie]

Just saw this video from Reddit. It's a parody of Drake's song Back to Back and it's about gym etiquette. Pretty hilarious.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiEa3NRNKpk