Fitness and Exercise

[masamuneehs]

Ok. So I don't know how this will play out, but I think it has potential.

I've recently read that one of the best ways to keep in shape is to talk about fitness with your peers. You can get lots of good tips, ideas for new exercises, insight into vices, diet recommendations, the whole kitten-kaboodle.

Starting with your personal fitness/diet plan is a pretty good base. I might as well go first.

1. Diet - That's my problem. I love eating. And I'm not talking salad. I'm talking pizza, fried chicken, ice cream. All those bad things. I also drink alcohol like a fish and can easily take 10 beers a night, maybe 15.

I do stick to only eating three meals a day, although they are lunch, dinner, late night snack. I hear the last one is especially bad because afterwards you just go to sleep and your body doesn't convert that food into anything good.

No soda. This is hard, but I try to stay away from soda and sweet drinks as much as possible. I drink lots of water, but I often wonder if too much water (i drink at least 15 glasses a day) might be part of the reason that I can eat so much, and drink so much booze. Does that kind of water consumption stretch out the stomach?

2. Exercise- Mixed bag here. I try to do 100 pushups everyday. I also recently started doing squats. Crunches are my bane, as my back absolutley hates them and I never see that much improvement. I also hate running (and living in a European city with small streets and idiot drivers also dissuades that), so I don't really have too many exercises to burn off fat.

Can anyone recommend a feasible workout plan that doesn't include weights? Cardio exercises besides running especially would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Terracosmo]

The choices:

"No, I could be skinnier" - Not because I'm overweight, but because all my idols are asian men who look like schoolgirls. However, since I'm swedish I'm "doomed" to have a muscular build. Most normal men would see this as a blessing, but since I'm.. well.. Terra, I really just want to be a skinny bastard [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] (though I can never be... and trust me, I've tried)

"Average, but out of shape" - I suppose would be the best answer.

This is a funny topic. Currently I don't do jack shit since I'm unemployed and overall full of lust to kill myself, but before I've sporadically engaged in bodybuilding. I used to have "washboard abs" (or at least very close to, I have a hard time getting there easily since I'm - as mentioned above - pretty muscular built, and therefore have more layers to break through before the washboard is visible) but nowadays I lay low. I remember that one of my goals was to benchpress my own weight which I eventually did, but that was a pretty long time ago now. I have quite a bit of experience, though I don't consider myself good enough to fix you up with a workout plan.

My absolutely best tip for you, since I get the image that you just want to "stay in shape" (i.e no grand plans of twisting your body to the limit) is to "take it easy". Yes, take it easy. There is a very easy way to just lose weight without even thinking about why you are doing that. Sure, your exercise helps, but if you just want to lose some unnecessary weight then just do the following:

Change your breakfast and lunch into something healthier. Now I don't necessarily mean "salad", but instead just butter/cheese whatever with a small amount of fat, and some nutritious (sp) bread to accompany it. If you do that, you'll see a change in just a few weeks even though you drink beer and so on. Take me as an example, I don't have that magical "no matter what I eat I don't gain weight" body, I just switched my unhealthy breakfast/lunch bread for a better one and voila, I've lost weight like a moron as of late (even though I didn't really need to lose any to begin with).

Also remember that when you are out drinking, you'll often have to go some distance to get to the club/bar and back (at least that's how it is here) - and that's more exercise then you might think, especially combined with alcohol which will make you forget your hunger [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] (though this might not be good for the body in the long run - but hey, who the hell wants to be 90 anyway).

So all in all, don't remove the stuff you love from your life - but remember, change always comes with a cost. It's just up to you how big that cost is going to be. Does any of this make sense? I hope so.

By the way, take the whole "it's bad to eat when it's late" thing with a grain of salt. Fucking fitness spouting, I hate it! I'm hungry at night and I want my goddamn ramen so there!!!

And finally (for real this time), do drink a LOT of water. It improves your body's ability to sort out food and stuff inside you (I don't know the word for it - metabolism?).

[RedX1z]

i love the idea of this thread, i could use some tips as well since i'm a beginner. anyways, masamuneehs, none of the things i say can help you, because most of them require equipment from the gym and such, sorry..

1. diet - that's not too big of a deal for me. as much as i love eating, i can control it. i stay away from fast food places. no soda? no problem, i just stick to energy drinks and water.

2. excercise - i really can't help you here, because i've joined the gym recently and i mostly use those giant equipments with names i can't remember, but the idea is to concentrate on something one day and concentrate something else on another day. for example, i concentrate on legs on monday, upper body on wedensday to give my legs rest from money, and last, but not least arms on friday. it's best not to do the same thing twice in a row, other wise it'll be pushing yourself too hard and in the end you're the only one getting hurt. when i'm not at the gym, i just do some weights and push ups at home.

[PSJ]

I voted "No, could be in better shape" and "Out of shape". If i compare to how i used to be i'm out of shape right now but everything is relative. I wanted to pick the first two of the first poll. When i'm not resting due to injury(like right now) i work out between 6-10 times a week.

Good cardio workouts exept running, swimming actually works great if you drive the tempo up a bit, you could also try power walking.

You probably shouldn't worry about the amount of food just what kind of food you eat. Pizza and ice cream aren't exactly fitness food. The water consumption is probably a good thing, water is good for you. Eating right before you go to sleep is bad since your body doesn't use the nutrition while you sleep.

As for your workout i would recommend weights but since you don't want that, the push ups are good so are the squats. The problem is the crunches, they only target the upper abs and not the lower abs which usually is the problem area. Try finding diffrent ab workouts, search online or something. I'll try to describe some.

Leg bend ab workout thingy
This one usually requires a bench of some sort. But can be done on flat ground to. I recommend the bench though.

1. Lie down on your back with your ass at one egde of the bench(or just lie down on the ground).
2. Lift your legs up so that it looks like a sitting position but remain on your back. Like an L, your legs should point straight up.
3. Move your legs back down without touching the ground then proceed up to the L position again.
4. Repeat for 10-15 times then rest for 1 minute or so before you go at it again. Do this 3 times.

sit ups with turns
This one is very similiar to sit ups but a lot better.

1. Set yourself in a sit up position.
2. Do the sit up.
3. When you are at the top(sitting up) do a turn to left or right, only turn your upper body, choose one direction.
4. This sit up you do the same as step 3 but in the other direction.
5. Repeat each direction about 15 times, making it a total of 30 sit ups then take a minute rest and do this 3 times.

These two are both good to target the lower abs but they target the upper abs to. The best would be to do both of these exercises after each other.

[Terracosmo]

I should add that while I do eat at night, I often stay awake an hour or two before actually going to bed because "Eating right before you go to sleep is bad since your body doesn't use the nutrition while you sleep." just like PSJ says.

It has become sort of a learned behavior [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[Honoko]

i voted "unhealthy vices" one because it's now been a year since i've started going to a gym and honestly my weight would be a lot lower if i actually gave up the potato chips and french fries. And why does fried food and beer go so well together? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

so as a result, the 2nd poll i chose "average but out of shape" considering that i've been going to the gym pretty regularly. i felt my best in the summer though because that was when i'd go to my old HS track and alternate sprints and jogging there in the mornings. I read somewhere that nothing'll get you in shape faster than actually doing sprints.

in the end though, just eating 3 meals a day with moderate portions plus some regular exercising (i do about 30 min cardio and then 30 min on various weight-lifting machines 2-3 times a week) should get you physically healthy. I'm just not content w/ the moderation part hehe [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

And eating out doesn't help either since nowhere do they actually sell you food in "moderate" portions. Most takeout or restaurant purchases give you enough food to feed 2-3 people. At least in America anyway. No wonder everyone hates our country.

[masamuneehs]

Sweet, this thread might really help me (and you, yes you!)

PSJ, I'm definitely ditching the old crunches after what you've told me. Both of those exercises sound alot better.
Terra, lol @ walking to the bar, to the next bar, to the club, then haystack dancing really CAN burn off the booze. I've been walking alot more since starting my semester in Italy but the food here in Bologna is so fucking good. I eat like a vaccuum cleaner, literally finishing everything around me.
Honoko, eating out is the devil. After I posted the initial post I went to the store and bought beans, rice, skim milk, hot sauce (of course!), lettuce, apples, and some spices. I'm going to try not to go out as often as I have been. Good for my body, my cooking skills (so I can be a trophy/stay-at-home dad) and my wallet!
Red, the gym is a great tool. I was in the best shape of my life when it was free in HS (and one year in college), but nowadays I really don't have the $ for monthly memberships and while I would get stronger I was also getting fatter.

Sorry if the choices for the poll weren't the best. I wasn't even going to have them at all but figured why the hell not?

[PSJ]

Glad i could help and that you actually understood my explanations. As for the polls, it's pretty interesting to see how people see themselves.

[Terracosmo]

Just always remember that you only live once, and even if you have a totally fit body you might get run over by a truck tomorrow.

Not saying that one should be a pig, but always remember... reality!

(This advice brought to you by Terra-is-a-lazy-son-of-a-bitch Inc)

[PSJ]

No if you are built enough the truck will get demolished instead of you.

Terra's right, allow yourself some of the fine parts of life once in a while.

A guy who lived until he was 90+ and was perfectly healthy used to say "If you train right, you can eat whatever you want". This is true, if you train enough you can eat the usual shit and you won't gain anything but you won't loose anything either, so if you want to loose weight stick to that diet.

[el_boss]

better diet / out of shape

I eat two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) which is extremely unhealthy, but I can't help it. I'm just to god damn lazy.

I was in pretty good shape before my military service, but damn if they didn't ruin that for me as well. During that time I lost all my muscles and treplaced it with fat. So I haven't actually gained any wait, I'm just extremely out of shape. I just recently found a good gym, so I'm starting train again.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I agree with Terra regarding the losing weight thing. Breakfast is one of the key meals to losing weight, since the body is famished after sleep and takes upp all the energy like a fucking sponge. Try skip butter and cheese as well. I don't know what it's called in english soft cheese, spreadable cheese, liquid cheese(?)... Well you probably get what I mean, this is a very good supplement since it's low in fat and high in protein.

If you have the dicipline you should eat like 5 meals a day. In this fashion, breakfast>snack>lunch>snack>dinner. The snacks should consist of something small like a fruit or a "healthy" sandwish. As for the lunch and dinner you can eat pretty much what you want just dont eat much of it. Also try to eat alot of protein as in milk, meat, cottage cheese, bean sprouts and protein drinks if you need it. Eat less carbohydrates like pasta, potatoe and rice.

If you are really serious about losing weight, you should take a walk every morning before breakfast. Just a normal walk no running, for about like 20 min or something, more if you want results faster. You will lose weight like a anorexic on crack.

It's to bad you don't like weight training, since this is an awesome way to lose weight and build muscles at the same time. After a heavy gym pass you will highten your metabolism for almost two days after.

Though there are alot of insanely effective exercises you can do at home with no appliances what so ever. Search for anything by Matt Furey, "combat conditioning" and "combat abs" are very good for beginners. You can probably find them on some torrent site or on dc. I can hook you up you don't find it anywhere.

Drink water like crazy. There is no such thing as "too much water" (within normal limits). You just piss out what you don't need. I don't think water makes any significant impact on your stomach.

[DB_Hunter]

OK guys a bit about myself.

I have a weird body. The following sizes are not talking about the general i.e. big means big for my body, not necessarily yours.

My shoulders are way to small for my body. Because I have a good sized chest this compunds the problem, so whenever I do weight training a big focus of mine is on getting bigger shoulders. I am pleased to say that when I do train, I am able to sort out my shoulders so that, dare I say it, I actually do start to look fit (note not buff... that means quite muscular in my books).

Another area I focus on is my arms. I find my arms are really weak, and until recently I wasn't working out my biceps properly. I kept using the flat barbell, until a friend of mine told me to use the EZ bar... I didn't use that before cos I thought it was uncomfortable to hold!

As for body fat... this is the most bizzare thing of all. I have quite a fat stomach, though being REALLY fat as a kid I have learnt to make it un-noticable as an adult, particularly since I am nowhere near as fat as I was before. Fat seems to deposit on my belly and chest.

What I am looking for from you guys is some advice on diet. Now for weight training I know you need A LOT of protein and you need carbohydrates for energy. I want to take in this stuff naturally, not via bars or supplements cos I have heard they can screw up you liver and body generally.

Can anyone tell me the most protein dense foods? I know the following contain protein and I try to eat them:

Red Meat
Chicken
Fish
Chick Peas
Lentils
Eggs
Milk

The thing is can someone clarify for my what kinds of fish I am supposed to eat? I generally eat Tuna and cod. I have heard oily fish is good for you, but what is an oily fish???

Also, carbohydrates. What do I need as a weight trainer? Do I need complex carbohydrates or simple carbohydrates? What are the sources of each?

As for meals I have an unhealthy lifetstyle I guess, though I agree with the statement somewhere above that as long as you train you can eat pretty much what you want, with some limits ofcourse (i.e. fry ups are not generally a good idea)

As for advice I can offer, well I think without going in to the detail I would say the best thing to bear in mind is when you do weight training focus on your technique and not how much you can lift. Its no good trying to lift heavy weights while you are not excercising properly, since not only will you not build the muscle properly you will also most likely damage yourself in a bad way. I lift far less weights than most weight lifters do but when I actually train properly you really can tell a physical difference. Remember, go for technique over EGO!

[Honoko]

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
The thing is can someone clarify for my what kinds of fish I am supposed to eat? I generally eat Tuna and cod. I have heard oily fish is good for you, but what is an oily fish???

Off the top of my head, mackerel is an oily fish. And just as an aside, wild salmon is preferable over farmgrown since the way the latter is raised induces mercury levels in the fish and that's not good to consume =P Oh, and your last paragraph-- I'm glad someone mentioned that. I happened to discover that on my own last year and it's always nice to hear some confirmation.

@PSJ-- those leg raises you mentioned really are effective (the first one). if you're bored of just raising them up and down you can also hold them up several inches off the ground and open and close them repeatedly or you could even do a bicycling motion with them. And then for the finale just lift up your legs a few inches and hold them and count to 10 or 20. At least, that's the routine I used to do back when I was into taekwondo.

[XanBcoo]

Not a lot of advice I can give, in fact I'm looking to take a lot of advice from this thread.

I'm a moderately skinny person. One of those "eat but never gain wait" people Terra mentioned. I do however go to the gym 3 times a week with my friends to lift weights (We're all sort of noobs at it though, so I've actually been looking for the most effective way to spend our time there). Like masamuneehs, I try to manage 100 pushups a day, but usually only manage 75 (I do sets of 25 <-- basically my limit XD), so I'm good as far as muscle. I also walk all over my goddamn campus, so I'm not too worried about Cardio stuff. I know I should improve in that area, but I can't really be bothered. For those reasons I chose that "yes" I was happy with my physique/health/fitness. My diet isn't great, but it's not terrible. and so I chose "Average, but out of shape."

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
Can anyone tell me the most protein dense foods? I know the following contain protein and I try to eat them:

Peanutbutter has A LOT of protein. Add that to your list. I've never heard testimony from people who ate a lot of it, but I learned in my Chemistry class that Peanutbutter actually has more protein in it than steak.

As for advice I can offer, well I think without going in to the detail I would say the best thing to bear in mind is when you do weight training focus on your technique and not how much you can lift. Its no good trying to lift heavy weights while you are not excercising properly, since not only will you not build the muscle properly you will also most likely damage yourself in a bad way. I lift far less weights than most weight lifters do but when I actually train properly you really can tell a physical difference. Remember, go for technique over EGO!

That's pretty good advice. I'll take it into account.

[ChaosK]

in great health but could be more muscular...i've lost the time to go to the gym and work out.

[Board of Command]

I'm just average and a little on the chubby side. My body's weird because my weight never changes. It doesn't matter how much I eat or how much I work out. In fact, I eat a lot of junk food and never work out, yet I never gain a single pound. Even as I'm typing this right now I'm sipping Coke and eating kettle chips. My weight never changes and my figure never changes. I guess I'll start going to the school gym when university starts, maybe shed some flab. If you see me on the street you'll never believe I consume 5 lbs of junk food a day.

[Board of Command]

Oily fish? I'd have the say the oiliest fish I've ever eaten is turbot. There's 2 mm of fat under the skin followed by 10 mm of nice meat. Very oily but delicious.

[Carnage]

Wow, Im suprised noone has made a Chuck Norris joke yet.

I play tennis, and my instructors are crazy ass Romanians, which is really awsome. They work you out so much youd do anything to just get a break. Ya, playing a sport really does help. Also, has anyone mentioned morning jogs? Personally I dont do it, but who k nows. Could do wonders.

[Board of Command]

The Titanic sank upon impact with Chuck Norris's abs of steel.

[masamuneehs]

Healthy protein filled foods:

Nuts (especially almonds) - MUST BE EATEN WITH SKIN! The skin on the nuts contains tons of protein. Also, as long as the nuts are roasted or salted they don't contain much fat at all!
Lean turkey - another low fat, high protein food. Turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread is a great lunch.
Eggs - eggs are great, especially hard boiled. The yoke has some fat in it, but the egg white is simply packed with protein. Egg beaters (if you can get em) have less calories and just as much protein.
Milk can also be a good one.

Just remember that you should check what you're buying. Just because you bought turkey, nuts, and milk you might be stuffing yourself with fatty ones. When in doubt go for the ones that seem to be as natural and without any extra ingredients.