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[Psychotext]

I started exercising at home and it's so much better than going to a gym. But from what I can see weights are way too expensive, especially considering I will have to be buying havier ones often. Damn, guess I will have to go back to suffering in public.

I collected my old cast iron weights over years, they would have cost me a fortune if I bought them all new. That said, for barbell stuff you can get quite cheap sets of olympic weights for a fairly reasonable price if you shop around.

Bumper plates are expensive, but then most people don't need bumpers.

 

[Pachimari]

I want to get into fitness. I have wanted to for a long time but could never get myself to the gym. Now I'm gonna do a real attempt, and I'll start looking at the food I intake. Right now, I have chocolate milk, eggs, chicken, pasta and dark bread in there. I'm a rather slim guy with a belly, and my goal would be to get rid of that belly (eventually into a somewhat six-pack, nothing special), and to gain muscles and mass. I would also like to run in the park.

Anyway, I'm gonna read through the OP, there seems to be tons of information, which is overwhelming to be frank.

What I hope to gain from being part of this community is guidance, tips and support. I'm new, so don't throw weights at me!

PS: I'm gonna share something personal to me. I suffer from social anxiety disorder which can be extremely hard, but I have improved a lot over the last five years. I have heard that training will release endorphins in my brain though, which will help making me feel better about myself and give me more confidence, so I partly hope, that this will also be something I can gain from training and exercising.

 

[BumRush]

I started exercising at home and it's so much better than going to a gym. But from what I can see weights are way too expensive, especially considering I will have to be buying havier ones often. Damn, guess I will have to go back to suffering in public.

It's an investment. Gyms cost money but they also cost time. Home gym equipment is expensive but for some, the cost is greatly outweighed by the convenience.

*Emergency Cheat Night Alert*

176.2 today. :O

Lol

 

[Faiz]

It's an investment. Gyms cost money but they also cost time. Home gym equipment is expensive but for some, the cost is greatly outweighed by the convenience.



Lol

Absolutely. Best investment I ever made in myself outside of university. Wish I could have done it sooner.

 

[Psychotext]

I'm still waiting for that damn rack to come back in stock.

 

[velociraptor]

I started exercising at home and it's so much better than going to a gym. But from what I can see weights are way too expensive, especially considering I will have to be buying havier ones often. Damn, guess I will have to go back to suffering in public.

My home gym - olympic weights, power rack, bench, lat pulldown combo cost me about £1.5k

The only thing I'm missing are dumbbells but they're hella expensive.

What I'd like are those switcheroo dumbbells and I'll be set.

I think the home gym is an awesome investment. When I'm at home, I never miss a single session.

 

[SeanR1221]

After being 187 the past few days, I was hoping I could pull it off this morning, eat un restricted today, and probbaly get to like 190 on Monday morning.

Instead. I woke up 189 :-/

I'll chalk it up to the 5 yellow tail rolls I had last night and/or the shit ton of Brussels sprouts.

 

[Joey Fox]

After being 187 the past few days, I was hoping I could pull it off this morning, eat un restricted today, and probbaly get to like 190 on Monday morning.

Instead. I woke up 189 :-/

I'll chalk it up to the 5 yellow tail rolls I had last night and/or the shit ton of Brussels sprouts.

I had a yellowtail roll last night. Soooo good.

 

[entremet]

Got injured pulling.

Going to the doctor tomorrow. Feels like a lower back sprain. A bad one.

First training injury in 7 years of consistent training. Sucks, but get we all get our battle scars lol.

Getting up from sitting is horrendously painful. Been downing over the counter pain killers.

 

[Psychotext]

What I'd like are those switcheroo dumbbells and I'll be set.

These are easily the best you can get, but not cheap: http://www.valleyfitness.co.uk/quick-lock-dumbbells/quick-lock-dumbbell-set-75-lbs-34-kg.html

Vaguely related, can anyone here assist me on bars? I'm looking to get an olympic setup to replace my old standard set, but I don't really understand the difference on bars. It seems that of the sort I'm looking at, they either come with the central knurl (I figured this might be good for squatting?) and a single ring mark, or no central knurl, and two ring marks.

What are the ring marks all about? I assume they're just for reference for hand placement? What advantages / disadvantages are there to the central knurl? For info, these are the bars I was looking at:

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/the-ohio-bar-eu

vs

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/rogue-ohio-power-bar-20-kg-eu

I could buy both... but I'm already spending the best part of 3500 USD so I'd rather not. Am also considering the Texas Power Bar and the Texas Deadlift Bar.

First training injury in 7 years of consistent training. Sucks, but get we all get our battle scars lol.

You've been extremely lucky, but yeah, sorry to hear that bro. Get yourself in a bath or something for now, it'll help.

 

[SeanR1221]

Got injured pulling.

Going to the doctor tomorrow. Feels like a lower back sprain. A bad one.

First training injury in 7 years of consistent training. Sucks, but get we all get our battle scars lol.

Getting up from sitting is horrendously painful. Been downing over the counter pain killers.

Ah man that sucks. How do you think you did it? Bad set up? Form fell apart while pulling?

Keep us updated.

 

[entremet]

These are easily the best you can get, but not cheap: http://www.valleyfitness.co.uk/quick-lock-dumbbells/quick-lock-dumbbell-set-75-lbs-34-kg.html

Vaguely related, can anyone here assist me on bars? I'm looking to get an olympic setup to replace my old standard set, but I don't really understand the difference on bars. It seems that of the sort I'm looking at, they either come with the central knurl (I figured this might be good for squatting?) and a single ring mark, or no central knurl, and two ring marks.

What are the ring marks all about? I assume they're just for reference for hand placement? What advantages / disadvantages are there to the central knurl? For info, these are the bars I was looking at:

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/the-ohio-bar-eu

vs

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/rogue-ohio-power-bar-20-kg-eu

I could buy both... but I'm already spending the best part of 3500 USD so I'd rather not.



You've been extremely lucky, but yeah, sorry to hear that bro. Get yourself in a bath or something for now, it'll help.

Ah man that sucks. How do you think you did it? Bad set up? Form fell apart while pulling?

Keep us updated.

No idea lol.

I wish I knew. i wasn't going for a 1RP max. I never do actually. I'm not big into doing those.

I was just doing worksets ramping up to my highest pull set.

I did felt my CNS fatiguing more than usual, but I thought I should pull through.

I then went and summoned an explosive pull from the floor and then I felt the strain halfway through. Hurt like a mofo!

The pain cleared up after a minute, otherwise I would've went to the doctor immediately.

I should've listened to my body lol. I might switch to the RPE system.

 

[JCX]

My home gym - olympic weights, power rack, bench, lat pulldown combo cost me about £1.5k

The only thing I'm missing are dumbbells but they're hella expensive.

What I'd like are those switcheroo dumbbells and I'll be set.

I think the home gym is an awesome investment. When I'm at home, I never miss a single session.

Just got a pair of the bowflex ones. They work pretty well. The weight limit (55 lbs on each) is good for me since I'm still a beginner. Only negative is that they are longer than most dumbbells, so that takes some getting used to.

 

[Faiz]

These are easily the best you can get, but not cheap: http://www.valleyfitness.co.uk/quick-lock-dumbbells/quick-lock-dumbbell-set-75-lbs-34-kg.html

Vaguely related, can anyone here assist me on bars? I'm looking to get an olympic setup to replace my old standard set, but I don't really understand the difference on bars. It seems that of the sort I'm looking at, they either come with the central knurl (I figured this might be good for squatting?) and a single ring mark, or no central knurl, and two ring marks.

What are the ring marks all about? I assume they're just for reference for hand placement? What advantages / disadvantages are there to the central knurl? For info, these are the bars I was looking at:

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/the-ohio-bar-eu

vs

http://www.rogueeurope.eu/rogue-ohio-power-bar-20-kg-eu

I could buy both... but I'm already spending the best part of 3500 USD so I'd rather not. Am also considering the Texas Power Bar and the Texas Deadlift Bar.



You've been extremely lucky, but yeah, sorry to hear that bro. Get yourself in a bath or something for now, it'll help.

Yeah center knurling is mainly there for back squats. For front squats it can be extremely annoying, so it's left off of bars meant for dual use or Olympic weightlifting generally. The hand marks on the Ohio bar are dual use marks. The inside is powerlifting, the outside is weightlifting. Incidentally the regular Ohio bar is the one I have and I'm perfectly pleased with it.

 

[Psychotext]

The hand marks on the Ohio bar are dual use marks. The inside is powerlifting, the outside is weightlifting.

Not sure I follow so much on that. Surely hand placement is largely individual? I mean, for say, bench, I'm likely to grip the bar far narrower than someone that's a good foot wider than me.

 

[mdsfx]

Trail run today. Thought I would push it just a little. Hit 6:45 on my first mile. Couldn't believe it. I don't run that fast lol

 

[SeanR1221]

Trail run today. Thought I would push it just a little. Hit 6:45 on my first mile. Couldn't believe it. I don't run that fast lol

Maybe all the bad weather running made clear weather running easier

 

[Jacksinthe]

Not sure I follow so much on that. Surely hand placement is largely individual? I mean, for say, bench, I'm likely to grip the bar far narrower than someone that's a good foot wider than me.

Yup. Just like with any exercise, position of hands, feet, hinge angles, rotaries, etc - vary with overall height, width, limb lengh, etc. Its why there are rules of thumb for follow through on movements and not "place hands 23.8673 inches apart".

Any markings on bars are meant purely for reference. "I put my thumb here. I place my middle finger here" etc - based on the above metrics used to guage best position for body type.

 

[BumRush]

Got injured pulling.

Going to the doctor tomorrow. Feels like a lower back sprain. A bad one.

First training injury in 7 years of consistent training. Sucks, but get we all get our battle scars lol.

Getting up from sitting is horrendously painful. Been downing over the counter pain killers.

Sorry to hear that bud. Lower backs are tricky though...hopefully it's not as bad as you think

 

[mdsfx]

Maybe all the bad weather running made clear weather running easier

That's definitely a possibility. Also wonder if my squat progress helped. I feel like I can exert more force with each stride compared to before my bulk.

 

[SeanR1221]

Sorry to hear that bud. Lower backs are tricky though...hopefully it's not as bad as you think

Good point. I've definitely had times where I'm like fuck this is it for a while.

And then a good massage, stretch, foam roll later and it goes away.

That's definitely a possibility. Also wonder if my squat progress helped. I feel like I can exert more force with each stride compared to before my bulk.

Great possibility.

 

[Faiz]

Not sure I follow so much on that. Surely hand placement is largely individual? I mean, for say, bench, I'm likely to grip the bar far narrower than someone that's a good foot wider than me.

With regards to the powerlifting marks, my understanding is that it's the distance for max legal grip width in competition for bench press.

As for the outer marks.. Honestly never seen reasoning for where they are placed.

 

[Psychotext]

Ahh, interesting. Cheers.

 

[velociraptor]

After being 187 the past few days, I was hoping I could pull it off this morning, eat un restricted today, and probbaly get to like 190 on Monday morning.

Instead. I woke up 189 :-/

I'll chalk it up to the 5 yellow tail rolls I had last night and/or the shit ton of Brussels sprouts.

I'm cutting and my weight seems to be so random. That, or the scales at my gym are borked.

One day I'm 74kg. The other I'm 73kg. The next I'm 74.5kg, and today? 72.6kg.

 

[Fox318]

Trick to weighing in is to not eat anything for 3 weeks and sit in the sauna a good 24 hours in sweats and a garbage bag.

"Look ma I lost 78 lbs!!"

 

[Psychotext]

I'm cutting and my weight seems to be so random. That, or the scales at my gym are borked.

One day I'm 74kg. The other I'm 73kg. The next I'm 74.5kg, and today? 72.6kg.

No, that sounds completely normal to me. Over the course of the last week I've varied between 64kg and 67kg.

That's why looking at longer term trends / averages is important.

 

[Jacksinthe]

With regards to the powerlifting marks, my understanding is that it's the distance for max legal grip width in competition for bench press.

As for the outer marks.. Honestly never seen reasoning for where they are placed.

Ohhh I didn't know. For a minute I thought you meant regular training XD

 

[SeanR1221]

I'm cutting and my weight seems to be so random. That, or the scales at my gym are borked.

One day I'm 74kg. The other I'm 73kg. The next I'm 74.5kg, and today? 72.6kg.

Yeah I can usually pinpoint what caused a weight increase. A huge amount of veggies can do it to me. Let's say if the ...ahem...flood gates don't fully open until later that day/the next day my weight will be higher.

 

[Faiz]

Ohhh I didn't know. For a minute I thought you meant regular training XD

Yeah that was my bad I should have been more specific the first time.

 

[Psychotext]

Can I ask a favour Faiz? Next time you're lifting / whenever, can you measure the distance between the knurls on your Ohio bar? I've looked around but I can't seem to find the info anywhere.

No rush though, whenever you remember / get a chance.

 

[goober]

So I was watching a couple videos as well as reading articles earlier to see what could be causing my hip pain. I thought maybe weakness in other muscles, hip impingement, weird bony structure or lack of hip flexibility.

I've taken time off heavy squats which sucks cause I think they're my favorite exercise next to deadlifts. I was doing lighter weight trying different squat stances - narrow, normal, wide with toes pointed forward. I noticed the pain is in my left hip more than my right.

Also, watching you guys working on deadlift form made me want to work on mine too. So I watched this video from Alan Thrall about possible weakness in my hamstrings. I did RDLs with just the bar, and could feel the stretch on my left hammy more than my right.

Could that have anything to do with my hip pain?

 

[velociraptor]

Yeah I can usually pinpoint what caused a weight increase. A huge amount of veggies can do it to me. Let's say if the ...ahem...flood gates don't fully open until later that day/the next day my weight will be higher.

The weird thing is when I was 74.5kg, it was after emptying my bowels. Now I haven't emptied them, and I'm 72.6kg. Weird. You'd expect it to be the opposite.

Tbh I'm basing my cut primarily on how I look, and I'm tracking calories on MFP.

 

[Psychotext]

Could that have anything to do with my hip pain?

Answer could easily be yes... or it could be the reverse (your hip issue could be affecting your hamstring tension).

In reality though your best bet is going for an appointment with a decent physio.

 

[SeanR1221]

Here's what I'm bringing for Super Bowl.

I live near one of the best Italian bakeries in the Philly area. Tomato pie, hoagie dip, broccoli rabe and an italian split loaf

 

[Jacksinthe]

Here's what I'm bringing for Super Bowl.

I live near one of the best Italian bakeries in the Philly area. Tomato pie, hoagie dip, broccoli rabe and an italian split loaf

My house, right?

 

[velociraptor]

Here's what I'm bringing for Super Bowl.

I live near one of the best Italian bakeries in the Philly area. Tomato pie, hoagie dip, broccoli rabe and an italian split loaf

o shit that pizza/pie looks incredible.

 

[BumRush]

Here's what I'm bringing for Super Bowl.

I live near one of the best Italian bakeries in the Philly area. Tomato pie, hoagie dip, broccoli rabe and an italian split loaf

*drool*

 

[SeanR1221]

My house, right?

Sure! I also grabbed some dogfish 90min and not your fathers root beer

o shit that pizza/pie looks incredible.

That's because it is

http://www.phillymag.com/best-of-philly/awards/tomato-pie/

Corropolese bakery is amazing.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Sure! I also grabbed some dogfish 90min and not your fathers root beer


That's because it is

http://www.phillymag.com/best-of-philly/awards/tomato-pie/

Corropolese bakery is amazing.

Not your father's is so good :O

 

[Dany]

Sure! I also grabbed some dogfish 90min and not your fathers root beer

woah. same haha.

 

[velociraptor]

I'm constantly thinking about food.

Always.

Help.

 

[Teggy]

Took in about 5000 calories today. None was liquid, but too much was snacks. I'm sorry, I'll do better next time.

 

[goober]

Beyonce almost fell trying to get back up from a squat.

Gotta step her squat game up

 

[Psychotext]

Clearly needs a spotter.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Over-estimated a few carbs and over-medicated. Ran my glucose stupid low. Looks like I'll just have to eat more food to compensate. I'd say "damn" but I still have a vat of ice cream in front of me. Time to start digging in!

 

[Psychotext]

On the subject of... just ate 900kcal of ice cream. lol

 

[mdsfx]

Ugh. I ate... Everything. Hating food right now. I'm going for my squat 1RM tomorrow. May the fitGAF be with me.

Also, "Omaha!"

 

[Fox318]

Well I blew my diet today.

 

[ILoveBish]

Wedding date is set, early September this year. Got the hall and church down payments made today.

We ate like beasts this weekend, just topped it all off with Pho and egg rolls. I'll see if I decide to eat tomorrow or just fast till Wednesday. Then comes strict PSMF for 2-3 weeks at a time. I have 7 months till the wedding, I want to be as lean as possible for it. My fiance is down 8lbs just doing keto, she's literally the most perfect match for me. Keep the faith bros, it can happen.

Deloading 30lbs and going to do 531 with emphasis on volume. Heck I might go back down 40. I don't care, I'll just do more reps on the plus sets. So ready for this next big step.

 

[Psychotext]

Wedding date is set, early September this year. Got the hall and church down payments made today.

Hope you have more fun planning it than I did. Missus got severe depression from doing low carb and couldn't give a fuck about anything. She looked great for the wedding, but I'm glad we stopped her diet a few weeks earlier as we'd have probably not made it to the altar.

Stupid bodies.