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[Zozobra]

Hey guys, looking for some opinions.

Ive been training at home with dumbells, barbell and a bench for the past 5 months. Ive seen some great gains but I think Ive hit a plateau with the diversity of workouts im limited to so I am now considering joining a gym.

I also fell in love with cables machines after using a hotel gym when I went on vacation.

So, Im debating between the local YMCA or Goodlife Fitness (a Canadian chain of gyms). They both have their pro's and con's. I tried out the Y on a weekly pass and really liked it. Unfortunately because they close at 11PM on weekdays I couldnt get to it after work (I work shift work sometimes). I liked the affordability of the Y, the fact Im not "locked" into a contract per se, and I liked the general diversity of the crowds which ranges from level headed gym rats to old people. Some things I didnt like were the hours, the general upkeep (the weight room was a mess at 10 pm one night) and the distance from my home.

Theres a 24hours/7 days a week Goodlife a five min walk away which is really convenient. I signed up for a consultation and 3 day trial so Im eager to compare crowds and facility. Reading online about this particular location though worries me. Its located in the heart of condo development so apparently theres alot of yuppies and post-hipsters. I also read that there are many douche bags types grunting and showing off to the ladies in LuLu Lemon pants. I also read its a smaller facilitate and during peak times you may have to wait for a machine or even a bench.

Ive also read that they are very pressure oriented to get you to sign up for additional costs which Im not interested in. I just want access to the equipment. On the positive, reviews rave about the cleanliness and advanced equipment.

What do you guys think and what ha been your experiences?

Thanks in advance.

I was a member at Goodlife when I lived in Winnipeg and I was pleased with it. They do try and sign you up for towel service, personal training etc., but that's because they're a business. A simple "no thanks" to any of that stuff should suffice. If they push, just say exactly what you did in this thread - you just want access to the equipment. If you're planning on working out past 11pm, I don't think you need to worry too much about waiting for equipment as that's not really a peak time for gyms anyways.

I was kind of bummed when I moved to Vancouver and the only options downtown were the really nice (but extremely overcrowded) YMCA or Steve Nash Fitness Worlds, which kind of suck.

 

[SpaceBridge]

I was a member at Goodlife when I lived in Winnipeg and I was pleased with it. They do try and sign you up for towel service, personal training etc., but that's because they're a business. A simple "no thanks" to any of that stuff should suffice. If they push, just say exactly what you did in this thread - you just want access to the equipment. If you're planning on working out past 11pm, I don't think you need to worry too much about waiting for equipment as that's not really a peak time for gyms anyways.

I was kind of bummed when I moved to Vancouver and the only options downtown were the really nice (but extremely overcrowded) YMCA or Steve Nash Fitness Worlds, which kind of suck.

Thanks for the feedback. How did you find the crowd at GoodLife?

 

[thomaser]

Since we're posting dinners:

Chorizo sausage (135 grams) with pasta (100 grams), borlotti beans, tomato, Jerusalem artichoke, squash, garlic and onion, radish and some other things topped with shavings of Old Amsterdam cheese. Not the usual protein-bomb usually seen in this thread, but pretty good anyway

Earlier in the day:

Breakfast:
- Bowl with Greek yoghurt, oats, various chopped dried fruits and nuts
- Smoothie made with some melon, banana, orange juice, passionfruit, cultured milk and frozen cherries. Around 300 ml.
- One cappuccino and one macchiato

Then work, then gym, then a protein/creatine shake with milk (300 ml), and then lunch:

- Two pancakes with bacon and maple syrup
- One cappuccino and one macchiato

Then work again before going home and making the dinner.

I have no idea how many calories this is, or how much protein, carbohydrates and so on I get from it. It must be heavy on sugar with all the fruit. Today's meat was chorizo sausages (the real stuff with 92% pork), but other days it's usually one or two chicken breasts, half a side of salmon or trout or a tin of tuna.

Going to make my evening meal now. Another cappuccino and macchiato, and probably some CAKE. Yes, I'm trying to gain weight ;-) I also often drink half a liter of chocolate milk at work between lunch and dinner, but that would have been overkill today.

 

[WorldStar]

that feel when u tryin to lift heavy with only a few hours of sleep

man i hate working out when i am sleepy as fuck

 

[Deleted member 47027]

that feel when u tryin to lift heavy with only a few hours of sleep

man i hate working out when i am sleepy as fuck

I had to stop my EARLY Sunday Morning workouts. It made me like, really hurt. Like my bones hurt. I give myself an extra hour to ACTUALLY wake up now, makes a big difference.

 

[Zozobra]

Thanks for the feedback. How did you find the crowd at GoodLife?

Well, the location I went to was downtown and I'd always go during my lunch break, so the majority of the crowd was flabby business men/women who rarely used the same equipment I did.

I realize this may be your first experience joining a gym, but to be honest, I don't think you should be overly-concerned with the crowd as it doesn't really have that big of an impact on the experience. There are always going to be douchebags and idiots at any gym, in any city. Your main concern should be finding a spot that has the right equipment and hours that fit your goals/schedule.

 

[Host Samurai]

Been really bothered by some of the fitness community on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook with these guys like Joey Swoll promoting health, diet & meal plans while being juiced out of their minds. The worst part of it is that they all claim "natty" and their uneducated fans buy into it, giving them a false hope of ever attaining what these guys are at.

 

[Nelo Ice]

12 ounces of tuna, 4tbsp of mayo and 4 eggs

4 sausage links with onions and peppers

Ground beef stuffed into a pepper covered in provolone cheese

2 salmon fillets and a sweet potato cut and baked into fries.

Any particular way to prepare the latter 3 meals or recipes? They sound simple enough to make, just curious how they're made. Also guessing for the sausage links, any particular brand I should look for? Guessing next time I head to Costco I should pick up sausage links now too. Also I got cooked shrimp from Costco and what are some good recipes for that? Either way thanks for bringing up some more ideas, am always looking for more recipes to try out and vary up my meals.

 

[SeanR1221]

Any particular way to prepare the latter 3 meals or recipes? They sound simple enough to make, just curious how they're made. Also guessing for the sausage links, any particular brand I should look for? Guessing next time I head to Costco I should pick up sausage links now too. Also I got cooked shrimp from Costco and what are some good recipes for that? Either way thanks for bringing up some more ideas, am always looking for more recipes to try out and vary up my meals.

I grill 99% of my foods so that includes things like the sausage and salmon. Ground beef is super easy (just push it around in a pan until its golden brown). When in doubt I always google "how to cook/grill ______" and start scanning recipes

 

[WorldStar]

Been really bothered by some of the fitness community on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook with these guys like Joey Swoll promoting health, diet & meal plans while being juiced out of their minds. The worst part of it is that they all claim "natty" and their uneducated fans buy into it, giving them a false hope of ever attaining what these guys are at.

 

[Nelo Ice]

I grill 99% of my foods so that includes things like the sausage and salmon. Ground beef is super easy (just push it around in a pan until its golden brown). When in doubt I always google "how to cook/grill ______" and start scanning recipes

Yeah I googled those and some recipes came up , I'll check em out. Also I don't have a grill . Have a grill pan though and used it to make burgers a few times.

 

[SeanR1221]

Yeah I googled those and some recipes came up , I'll check em out. Also I don't have a grill . Have a grill pan though and used it to make burgers a few times.

Yeah grill pans are ok in a punch. You could also bake things like chicken and salmon. Salmon is delicious baked because of all the oil already inside it

 

[sphinx]

so, on the topic of food. what is a food or meal that is considerably high on calories but low on fat? is that possible? ...probably a silly question but yeah, I need to know or learn about this.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

so, on the topic of food. what is a food or meal that is considerably high on calories but low on fat? is that possible? ...probably a silly question but yeah, I need to know or learn about this.

Coca-Cola

 

[Petrie]

so, on the topic of food. what is a food or meal that is considerably high on calories but low on fat? is that possible? ...probably a silly question but yeah, I need to know or learn about this.

Mountain Dew

 

[sphinx]

but those are extremely high on sugar

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I was going to say cucumbers, but that's low on everything.
Legumes?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

but those are extremely high on sugar

hey you said no fats! Look at them shits, 0. Big ZEEEEEE

Don't drink soda sphinx.

 

[SeanR1221]

How low in fat? That meal I posted earlier has under 30g. 900 calories, 100g carbs, 65g protein.

 

[WorldStar]

so, on the topic of food. what is a food or meal that is considerably high on calories but low on fat? is that possible? ...probably a silly question but yeah, I need to know or learn about this.

rolled oats?

IIRC there is like 3 grams of fat per ~200 calories

and the fat it has is mostly polyunsaturated fat too

 

[blackflag]

How low fat you trying to go for your daily total?

 

[FallingEdge]

diet mountain dew is so good though.

my daily diet will soon consist of steel cut oats. im really excited for that.

 

[WorldStar]

when I was in bulk mode, I used oats daily in my protein shakes. oats and tons of other stuff. easy way to consume them, you hardly even notice you are drinking them.

my shakes were like 1k calories each.

good times.

 

[FallingEdge]

when I was in bulk mode, I used oats daily in my protein shakes. oats and tons of other stuff. easy way to consume them, you hardly even notice you are drinking them.

my shakes were like 1k calories each.

good times.

did you grind them up in a blender?

 

[sphinx]

How low in fat? That meal I posted earlier has under 30g. 900 calories, 100g carbs, 65g protein.

this one:

9oz of thighs, 2 cups rice/quinoa

?

o.k that's a good option but again, it seems like I'd have to eat a lot of it.

In my selection of meals, it's either high fat, high caloric and easy to eat or low fat, mid-caloric and eat a shitton of it :-/ I want to get calories and eat normally, not 5 portions of anything..

rolled oats?

IIRC there is like 3 grams of fat per ~200 calories

and the fat it has is mostly polyunsaturated fat too

you mean like Quaker? that has to be completely pure/raw, right? sound like a good fat<->calorie ratio. Will look into it.

How low fat you trying to go for your daily total?

I really can't tell, blackflag, I know I should hit 2500~3000 calories + 150~200 gr. Protein a day on workout days. As for fat and sugar, myfitnesspal recommends me a number that I go by because I don't know how much I need of those.

Do you know whether Fat and Sugar are important for the purpose of building muscle mass??...sorry, I still don't know what every macro is there for... I know I should read and educate myself about nutrition.

 

[WorldStar]

did you grind them up in a blender?

yes sir

IIRC its actually one of the best ways to consume oats, because the blender tears them to shreds which allows you to more easily get to all the goodness in them

the reason oats are cut/rolled to begin with is because the hard outer husk makes them hard to digest. so IMO the more you break them down, the better.

that and blending them in a shake allows you to consume a huge amount of oats in a very easy, convenient manner.

 

[WorldStar]

you mean like Quaker? that has to be completely pure/raw, right? sound like a good fat<->calorie ratio. Will look into it.

Yeah Quaker is what I bought. You can buy them in bulk at Costco, ends up being some really cheap calories.

They aren't exactly raw, I believe they are lightly toasted.

 

[blackflag]

I really can't tell, blackflag, I know I should hit 2500~3000 calories + 150~200 gr. Protein a day on workout days. As for fat and sugar, myfitnesspal recommends me a number that I go by because I don't know how much I need of those.

Do you know whether Fat and Sugar are important for the purpose of building muscle mass??...sorry, I still don't know what every macro is there for... I know I should read and educate myself about nutrition.

Yes, fat is very important for hormone production. A good rule is .4-.5g per lb of bodyweight

So the best way to do it is to calculate that calories from your protein, the calories from your necessary fat intake, then fill the remaining with whatever you prefer....usually carbs.

 

[sphinx]

Yes, fat is very important for hormone production. A good rule is .4-.5g per lb of bodyweight

So the best way to do it is to calculate that calories from your protein, the calories from your necessary fat intake, then fill the remaining with whatever you prefer....usually carbs.

interesting, MFP said I should get 92 gr. but by the rule you suggest, I should get only 75 gr. of fat... so I have to be even more careful than I thought.

thanks for explaining this.

MPF suggests 55 gr. of sugar, should I make that higher or lower or is it o.k as it is?

 

[deadbeef]

when I was in bulk mode, I used oats daily in my protein shakes. oats and tons of other stuff. easy way to consume them, you hardly even notice you are drinking them.

my shakes were like 1k calories each.

good times.

I used to do this too: natural pb + protein powder + skim milk + oats. So good. Mine were at or over 1K also.

 

[SeanR1221]

interesting, MFP said I should get 92 gr. but by the rule you suggest, I should get only 75 gr. of fat... so I have to be even more careful than I thought.

thanks for explaining this.

MPF suggests 55 gr. of sugar, should I make that higher or lower or is it o.k as it is?

I could be wrong but that seems WAY too high for sugar. I usually get 5-10g a day of it.

I wouldn't go by what MFP suggests for any macro to be honest.

 

[WorldStar]

interesting, MFP said I should get 92 gr. but by the rule you suggest, I should get only 75 gr. of fat... so I have to be even more careful than I thought.

thanks for explaining this.

MPF suggests 55 gr. of sugar, should I make that higher or lower or is it o.k as it is?

like blackflag kinda said, I don't aim at intentionally achieving my carb macro requirement. Instead, I make sure to get enough fat and protein, then I look at my total caloric requirement and satisfy the remainder with carbs (if I feel like it, for example I'll often eat beyond my protein or fat requirement and that in turn reduces the calories I get from carbs).

 

[WorldStar]

I used to do this too: natural pb + protein powder + skim milk + oats. So good. Mine were at or over 1K also.

very similar here, I usually do 1% milk, rolled oats, peanut butter, and sometimes throw in a banana if I want/need some carbs. my "cheat" meal would be throwing in a scoop of ice cream too. really boosts the total calories as well.

if you use chocolate protein powder, the chocolate + pb flavor is amazing.

 

[blackflag]

interesting, MFP said I should get 92 gr. but by the rule you suggest, I should get only 75 gr. of fat... so I have to be even more careful than I thought.

thanks for explaining this.

MPF suggests 55 gr. of sugar, should I make that higher or lower or is it o.k as it is?

Don't listen to anything mfp suggests to you for calories or macros. Use a calculator to figure it out, custom add the settings to mfp, and then just use it to track food.

You can eat more fat. It's not detrimental, it's just not really necessary if you prefer something else.

You don't need any sugar. Of course you'll get trace amounts from veges and stuff but you don't need it.

 

[blackflag]

very similar here, I usually do 1% milk, rolled oats, peanut butter, and sometimes throw in a banana if I want/need some carbs. my "cheat" meal would be throwing in a scoop of ice cream too. really boosts the total calories as well.

if you use chocolate protein powder, the chocolate + pb flavor is amazing.

Yep that's good. Another thing that is good is plain Greek yogurt, with protein powder, almond or peanut butter, and whatever else you want mixed in. Oats, M&Ms if you on that dirty bulk, whatever. Mix it real good, put it in the freezer, don't freeze it solid but get it real cold and somewhat stiff.....awwwww yeah.

 

[WorldStar]

Yep that's good. Another thing that is good is plain Greek yogurt, with protein powder, almond or peanut butter, and whatever else you want mixed in. Oats, M&Ms if you on that dirty bulk, whatever. Mix it real good, put it in the freezer, don't freeze it solid but get it real cold and somewhat stiff.....awwwww yeah.

at the time I didn't yet discover the amazingness of Greek yogurt. if I was still making the shakes I'd likely throw in some Greek yogurt.

and yeah throwing in the freezer makes it taste a lot better. the nice thing about the ice cream is that it instantly makes it cold. I guess you could use ice, but it might water it down pretty quickly.

 

[sphinx]

got it, thanks everybody.

 

[Hypereides]

I get this odd feeling that some of the gymbros at my gym use steroids. I dunno. Just a hunch going by them looking bigger and having trouble with weights that are lower than mine.

In other news! Aiming to seize a new PR on the bench on firday of 62,5 kg/137,7 lbs. I feel ready. Took me 2 sessions in the past week and monday to do 60 kg in good proper form.

Did 95 kg/210 squats yesterday, but in bad form. My ego may suffer because I'm thinking I may have to deload. back to 92,5, even when going ATG.

Also can't wait to begin 5/3/1 soon . Have to read up on that.

 

[deadbeef]

got it, thanks everybody.

Chicken and rice is good too, if you want an actual meal rather than a shake. You could make a real good chicken burrito (minus lots of cheese, sour cream, or guac)

 

[WorldStar]

Did 95 kg/210 squats yesterday, but in bad form. My ego may suffer because I'm thinking I may have to deload. back to 92,5, even when going ATG.

don't push yourself too hard bro, squat + bad form can lead to some devastating results.

just thought I'd throw out this warning because a good friend of mine was recently paralyzed while doing squats. he was far from a novice, dude is ripped and used to be a personal trainer. he was trying to break his old personal record and next thing I heard he was in the ER. he couldn't walk for months, and after that he need crutches for several more months. I don't even think the doctors were 100% sure what happened but I believe they ended up concluding he somehow fucked up a nerve in his back.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Warning Oats-Friends:

Do not consume only oats for 5 days. I did, and I could have lifted off of planet earth and gone into orbit when it was time for the bathroom. I had never had so much gas in my life.

 

[Hypereides]

don't push yourself too hard bro, squat + bad form can lead to some devastating results.

just thought I'd throw out this warning because a good friend of mine was recently paralyzed while doing squats. he was far from a novice, dude is ripped and used to be a personal trainer. he was trying to break his old personal record and next thing I heard he was in the ER. he couldn't walk for months, and after that he need crutches for several more months. I don't even think the doctors were 100% sure what happened but I believe they ended up concluding he somehow fucked up a nerve in his back.

Okay, so I guess I have to deload back to 92,5 kg? That blows. I mean I went ATG/parallel ROM at least. I lifted my heel once or twice.

Does that mean I have to take a step back?

EDIT: I just realised my hips were moving faster than my shoulders too.

I guess that's it. Gotta deload.

 

[WorldStar]

Okay, so I guess I have to deload back to 92,5 kg? That blows. I mean I went ATG/parallel ROM at least. I lifted my heel once or twice.

Does that mean I have to take a step back?

I'm not a fitness guru, but IMHO it is never a good idea to do an exercise if you will be doing it with bad form. If this requires you deload and take a step back, then that's just the way it is.

the risk obviously varies based on the exercise. there is a fairly minimal risk of injury in doing DB curls if you deviate from good form. but other exercises like squats, if the weight you are lifting is making you do the squat with bad form you should definitely decrease the weight.

if you think having to step back is depressing, think about how much it would suck to injure yourself and not be able to hit the gym for quite some time.

perfect form should always be a top priority.

 

[Petrie]

Okay, so I guess I have to deload back to 92,5 kg? That blows. I mean I went ATG/parallel ROM at least. I lifted my heel once or twice.

Does that mean I have to take a step back?

EDIT: I just realised my hips were moving faster than my shoulders too.

I guess that's it. Gotta deload.

A deload does not mean going back 2.5KG. If your form is bad with 95kg, you need to drop by a substantial amount, and perfect your form.

 

[Chittagong]

Oh crap, sounds like Kiefer is going the way of Berkhan. What's with these swole nutrition gurus making them unable to maintain their thing..?

 

[Hypereides]

I'm not a fitness guru, but IMHO it is never a good idea to do an exercise if you will be doing it with bad form. If this requires you deload and take a step back, then that's just the way it is.

the risk obviously varies based on the exercise. there is a fairly minimal risk of injury in doing DB curls if you deviate from good form. but other exercises like squats, if the weight you are lifting is making you do the squat with bad form you should definitely decrease the weight.

if you think having to step back is depressing, think about how much it would suck to injure yourself and not be able to hit the gym for quite some time.

perfect form should always be a top priority.

Don't worry dude. It doesn't bruise my ego. It just drains some fun. Oh well.

I guess it's almost time to bring the 5/3/1 method into the game!

A deload does not mean going back 2.5KG. If your form is bad with 95kg, you need to drop by a substantial amount, and perfect your form.

Roger that!

 

[BronzeWolf]

The last rep of a set of heavy squats will never be perfect, but damn right we must try

 

[WorldStar]

The last rep of a set of heavy squats will never be perfect

If I know for sure that I can't get that last rep, I'll just hold the negative for as long as I can instead of doing the exercise with bad form

 

[Hypereides]

The last rep of a set of heavy squats will never be perfect, but damn right we must try

If I know for sure that I can't get that last rep, I'll just hold the negative for as long as I can instead of doing the exercise with bad form

I'm kinda wandering back and forth about this. Obviously 95kg is starting to reach my limit for proper squatting, but without a proper video you guys could be overanalyzing.

Look I'm all for proper, correct and slow progression. But I'm gonna drop it by 5~7,5 Kg because I'm pretty sure I can handle that amount in acceptable form.

And like Bronzewolf pointed out it pretty much applied to the last reps of each set.

 

[BronzeWolf]

I'm kinda wandering back and forth about this. Obviously 95kg is starting to reach my limit for proper squatting, but without a proper video you guys could be overanalyzing.

Look I'm all for proper, correct and slow progression. But I'm gonna deload by 5~7,5 Kg because I'm pretty sure I can handle that amount in acceptable form.

And like Bronzewolf stated it pretty much concerned the last reps of each set.

It's my intuition that your are right at the threshold between being limited by technique and being limited by strength. You alone know if your form creep is big enough for a full deload or you need more time with the bar at the current weight.

In SS you are doing 75 squat reps per week including warmups. I read somewhere that you need about 200 to fix a small form creep to about 1000 for something HUGE. What is exactly your form problem? Some things can be fixed while putting weight on the bar and some can't.


Why don't you get a video?

My rule of thumb for reloading is that the first west must be perfect, while the last rep of the 2 other sets will suffer. I will even take 2 cheat reps on my last set. But if I do 4+1*/4+1*/4+1* or 5/3+2*/3+2* or worse, its a failure and I won't increase the weight.