• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fitness |OT8| Dad Bods, Bulge Swelfies, and Wait...Do you even lift bro?

Status
Not open for further replies.
mdsfx

mdsfx

Member
Oblivion said:
Thanks a lot! But are you sure you're not confusing me with someone else?
Click to expand...
Absolutely. I used to be 125lb. I'm 155 now but it took me a LONG time and I would love to be 185 with a stronger core and lower body. Your progress is amazing. I hope to emulate that as much as possible!

And thanks for the kind words.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
ILoveBish said:
Gym was awesome today. Hit 5x335 then 4x380 on deadlift. I possibly could have gotten the 5th rep, but didn't want to risk a rep with bad form. The 4 I got went up clean and really smooth. Super happy. Last time I tried for 5x380 was months ago and I got 1 or 2 reps, so to weigh so much less and lift even heavier is awesome.

Also while I was changing, I noticed that when I push out my abs and tighten up, I can see the top 2 rows of my abs! Didn't have my phone with me lol, but I'll take a pic next time.



Water is essential to success. If I don't drink at least a gallon a day, I pay for it the next day.



Yes, which is why my initial goal is to hit 210, then evaluate from there. What I want to look like and what I will are likely to be very different.



Many people fully keto adapted stay sub 10% year round. I might have a chance.



If it's too good to be true, it usually is.
Click to expand...
For men, 10 percent isn't too bad.

But that commonly quoted BF% pic that probably has its origins from BB.com has show ready body builders.

That's not sustainable year round even with drugs! Even pro BB have an offseason.

The mirror is good enough for judging your goals.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
Man my light DL day of 365x4x8 is getting real hard at 183! Reps 5-8 are a mental test.
 
G

grumble

Member
entrement said:
For men, 10 percent isn't too bad.

But that commonly quoted BF% pic that probably has its origins from BB.com has show ready body builders.

That's not sustainable year round even with drugs! Even pro BB have an offseason.

The mirror is good enough for judging your goals.
Click to expand...

Yeah 10% is pretty much the minimum that's sustainable year round and even then you have to work to keep it. Any lower and you have issues with starvation sensations, hormones out of whack, etc.
 
mdsfx

mdsfx

Member
DAMMIT. I love my kids but I having a family sure makes this hard. Supposed to be with a group running 13 miles this morning, but the little one was up all night and I couldn't bring myself to wake up my wife who was finally getting some sleep.

Gah!
 
M

MrToughPants

Brian Burke punched my mom
mdsfx said:
Uh oh... How bad?? Deadlifts?
Click to expand...

I think wearing a belt for squats tweaked it because I always have a sore back when wearing one. I went and did snatch grip DLs last night thinking it would be fine...dead wrong... it exacerbated the tweak. Form was on point too, usually I have no issues doing sgdl. May just skip all DL and hip hinge movements forever.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
It's hot in northern Nevada! Not bad hot but perfect. I hear Lake Tahoe calling my name!
 
A

Azulsky

Member
Did the opposite of a drop set for Biceps today.

20 reps at a weight that gives a good burn then immediately jump up 10-15lbs and knock out 5-7 reps.

4 sets of that and Pump was so good arms were gonna explode.

Then i went and did cardio afterwards and blood is back safely home in the quads again.
 
3

3phemeral

Member
Trying out this IFasting and while it's getting easier the second day, I don't know how anyone can consume so many calories during their eating period while maintaining their macros. I was so stuffed and I still needed to eat more to reach my protein goal. Tonight I'll try getting through my protein shakes first and primarily hitting that mark before deciding what else I need to make up. I normally have smaller meals throughout the day so having such a small period of time to eat without resorting to pure junk food is trying, to say the least. lol
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
3phemeral said:
Trying out this IFasting and while it's getting easier the second day, I don't know how anyone can consume so many calories during their eating period while maintaining their macros. I was so stuffed and I still needed to eat more to reach my protein goal. Tonight I'll try getting through my protein shakes first and primarily hitting that mark before deciding what else I need to make up. I normally have smaller meals throughout the day so having such a small period of time to eat without resorting to pure junk food is trying, to say the least. lol
Click to expand...

5:30-shake and Red Bull=250 calories and 30 protein
6:30-Quest bar=200c, 20p
8:30-chicken, broccoli, and sauce= 650c, 85p
9:30-Greek yogurt, bran cereal, splenda= 300c, 35p
10:30-PB&J in bowl=500c, 15p

1900 calories and 185gs of protein
 
3

3phemeral

Member
Cooter said:
5:30-shake and Red Bull=250 calories and 30 protein
6:30-Quest bar=200c, 20p
8:30-chicken, broccoli, and sauce= 650c, 85p
9:30-Greek yogurt, bran cereal, splenda= 300c, 35p
10:30-PB&J in bowl=500c, 15p

1900 calories and 185gs of protein
Click to expand...

Thank you, I will try a variation of this. I just need more stomach space. lol

I took creatine + psyllium husk and that pretty much expanded in my stomach, so eating a meal after that was not bad, but I was very stuffed. Had chicken + rice, some fruits and nuts, protein shake + banana + flax seeds. I should have done the PB&J though, I've gotten used to just having a spoonful of PB and Marmalade without bread and don't know why I didn't think of it last night.
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
3phemeral said:
Thank you, I will try a variation of this. I just need more stomach space. lol

I took creatine + psyllium husk and that pretty much expanded in my stomach, so eating a meal after that was not bad, but I was very stuffed. Had chicken + rice, some fruits and nuts, protein shake + banana + flax seeds. I should have done the PB&J though, I've gotten used to just having a spoonful of PB and Marmalade without bread and don't know why I didn't think of it last night.
Click to expand...
No problem. Yeah, PB is the ultimate calorie bump if you need one. Plus you get a ton of good fats so its a win-win.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
3phemeral said:
Thank you, I will try a variation of this. I just need more stomach space. lol

I took creatine + psyllium husk and that pretty much expanded in my stomach, so eating a meal after that was not bad, but I was very stuffed. Had chicken + rice, some fruits and nuts, protein shake + banana + flax seeds. I should have done the PB&J though, I've gotten used to just having a spoonful of PB and Marmalade without bread and don't know why I didn't think of it last night.
Click to expand...

How big are you? You sound like a small dude, so you may just need to increase your calories slowly since your hunger set point could be low.

As your training ramps up, your appetite will increase naturally.

Especially if you're doing one of the beginner full body programs, which will leave you very hungry since you're hitting big muscles 3x per week.
 
stn

stn

Member
Question for you folks. I wanted to burn off a small beer gut I got during my do-nothing-but-eat-and-study sessions recently. I've been hitting the bike every day for about 30 minutes and eating better. My plan is to trim my gut and then start working on adding muscle. The reason why I'm not just going straight to adding muscle is because I'll have a better opportunity to get the right food in about 3 weeks time.

Does hitting the bike every day make sense for burning fat? I know its a prime exercise for burning fat, I just want to know if it physically makes sense to do it every day. Thanks.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
stn said:
Question for you folks. I wanted to burn off a small beer gut I got during my do-nothing-but-eat-and-study sessions recently. I've been hitting the bike every day for about 30 minutes and eating better. My plan is to trim my gut and then start working on adding muscle. The reason why I'm not just going straight to adding muscle is because I'll have a better opportunity to get the right food in about 3 weeks time.

Does hitting the bike every day make sense for burning fat? I know its a prime exercise for burning fat, I just want to know if it physically makes sense to do it every day. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Exercise will just help create calorie deficit. Getting the deficit is the important part.

Track your food intake and figure out your BMR--basal metabolic rate--and create a deficit.

I like using MyFitnessPal due to its huge food database.

If cycling is fun and you can continue to do it, go for it. Cycling is very low impact, so you should be able to do it daily.

Just remember your BMR will increase due to the increased activity, so you'll feel hungrier.

But it's all about the calories, barring any hormonal issues like thyroid issues or any other abnormal hindrance.
 
3

3phemeral

Member
entrement said:
How big are you? You sound like a small dude, so you may just need to increase your calories slowly since your hunger set point could be low.

As your training ramps up, your appetite will increase naturally.

Especially if you're doing one of the beginner full body programs, which will leave you very hungry since you're hitting big muscles 3x per week.
Click to expand...
5'11, currently 170lbs.

I've been off and on at gym but because I've been moving too and from places, it's been difficult to get into a rhythm. Only have been consistently going to the gym for the past several months now, experimenting with routines and finally experiencing some quantifiable strength gains.

After that, I actually had a bad month around April-May when I got sick and then sick again to the point where I was pretty much bedridden the entire time. Didn't go to the gym and went a little crazy with all those pizza deals and shot up from 160 to 180. Tried to maintain my former routine and very slowly got down to where I now hover around 170-175. When I got back to the gym, I didn't have to start from scratch but I wasn't able to continue back on my routine and had to build strength back up again.

I'm currently using Jefit with a "Building lean muscle" Monday/Wednesday/Friday program where muscles are grouped with some muscle-group overlap between days (e.g. heavy focus on dumbbell shoulder press one day, light focus the third). I can barely finish a full routine, which takes about 1.5 hours if I'm speeding through all the different workouts so I sometimes split it in half and perform the second half of the routine the next day. Only started using creatine the past two weeks and figured recently I could combine it with psyllium husk to get it out of the way because I can't stand the flavor on its own (the creatine flavor actually goes great with the orange psyllium). That stuff coagulates quick.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
3phemeral said:
5'11, currently 170lbs.

I've been off and on at gym but because I've been moving too and from places, it's been difficult to get into a rhythm. Only have been consistently going to the gym for the past several months now, experimenting with routines and finally experiencing some quantifiable strength gains.

After that, I actually had a bad month around April-May when I got sick and then sick again to the point where I was pretty much bedridden the entire time. Didn't go to the gym and went a little crazy with all those pizza deals and shot up from 160 to 180. Tried to maintain my former routine and very slowly got down to where I now hover around 170-175. When I got back to the gym, I didn't have to start from scratch but I wasn't able to continue back on my routine and had to build strength back up again.

I'm currently using Jefit with a "Building lean muscle" Monday/Wednesday/Friday program where muscles are grouped with some muscle-group overlap between days (e.g. heavy focus on dumbbell shoulder press one day, light focus the third). I can barely finish a full routine, which takes about 1.5 hours if I'm speeding through all the different workouts so I sometimes split it in half and perform the second half of the routine the next day. Only started using creatine the past two weeks and figured recently I could combine it with psyllium husk to get it out of the way because I can't stand the flavor on its own (the creatine flavor actually goes great with the orange psyllium). That stuff coagulates quick.
Click to expand...

I looked up the routine.

I'd recommend one of the routines in the OP.

The one you're running is unnecessarily complex for a novice trainee.

Plus it's easier to do progressive overload with barbells than dumbbells.

I do like dumbbells for assistant work though.

Do you have have access to barbells?

In the end, most routines work if you put in effort and do progressive overload, but I just find many have you spinning your wheels. The routine your using doesn't seem very efficient and you're not able to finish your workouts, which is not a good sign.

It also says the routine is pretty advanced.

The beginner routines in the OP will help you build work capacity.
 
3

3phemeral

Member
entrement said:
I looked up the routine.

I'd recommend one of the routines in the OP.

The one you're running is unnecessarily complex for a novice trainee.

Plus it's easier to do progressive overload with barbells than dumbbells.

I do like dumbbells for assistant work though.

Do you have have access to barbells?

In the end, most routines work if you put in effort and do progressive overload, but I just find many have you spinning your wheels. The routine your using doesn't seem very efficient and you're not able to finish your workouts, which is not a good sign.

It also says the routine is pretty advanced.

The beginner routines in the OP will help you build work capacity.
Click to expand...

Ah, I'll check those out then. It is pretty complicated compared to other ones I've tried, like Train Until Muscle Fatigue. And I do have access to dumbbells. I primarily use dumbbells/barbells now because I've noticed I've been able to gain a lot more overall strength than what I did with isolation machines.

I used to have a difficult time balancing 10 lbs dumbbells for chest presses when I started and I can now do 60/65 (which I'm having difficulty getting passed because I can't seem to easily get the weights at the starting point without squirming by whole body to achieve it). I wanted to lose a bit of the fat I gained first before moving further because 1) summer time/pool/beach reasons 2) I kinda want to see what the progress looks like.
 
I

ILoveBish

Member
Cooter said:
I bet you can taste the 220s Bish!
Click to expand...

I'm really excited. I tried out several size medium shirts and they all fit, albeit a tad tight. For what I weigh, it's pretty snazzy.

3phemeral said:
Trying out this IFasting and while it's getting easier the second day, I don't know how anyone can consume so many calories during their eating period while maintaining their macros. I was so stuffed and I still needed to eat more to reach my protein goal. Tonight I'll try getting through my protein shakes first and primarily hitting that mark before deciding what else I need to make up. I normally have smaller meals throughout the day so having such a small period of time to eat without resorting to pure junk food is trying, to say the least. lol
Click to expand...

I eat 1750 calories in a single sitting. Easy. The protein portion is the longest process, my 500 calorie, fat rich cake goes down quick and easy.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
3phemeral said:
Ah, I'll check those out then. It is pretty complicated compared to other ones I've tried, like Train Until Muscle Fatigue. And I do have access to dumbbells. I primarily use dumbbells/barbells now because I've noticed I've been able to gain a lot more overall strength than what I did with isolation machines.

I used to have a difficult time balancing 10 lbs dumbbells for chest presses when I started and I can now do 60/65 (which I'm having difficulty getting passed because I can't seem to easily get the weights at the starting point without squirming by whole body to achieve it). I wanted to lose a bit of the fat I gained first before moving further because 1) summer time/pool/beach reasons 2) I kinda want to see what the progress looks like.
Click to expand...

I see.

You wanted to lose fat before doing a more serious program?

The actual program doesn't matter, just focus on getting calorie deficits.

But the program you were using seemed more advanced as evidenced by your fatigue.

The beginner programs will help you build work capacity since they hit the big muscle groups.

Add some fasted cardio or walks and you'll start shredding fast.
 
3

3phemeral

Member
ILoveBish said:
I'm really excited. I tried out several size medium shirts and they all fit, albeit a tad tight. For what I weigh, it's pretty snazzy.



I eat 1750 calories in a single sitting. Easy. The protein portion is the longest process, my 500 calorie, fat rich cake goes down quick and easy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I looked at my protein intake and was like "Oh dear lord, please, I need a second stomach for this extra protein I need to eat." Granted, it was my first night and I hugely underestimated what it would take to reach those macros. I naively thought, "This will be easy!"

entrement said:
I see.

You wanted to lose fat before doing a more serious program?

The actual program doesn't matter, just focus on getting calorie deficits.

But the program you were using seemed more advanced as evidenced by your fatigue.

The beginner programs will help you build work capacity since they hit the big muscle groups.

Add some fasted cardio or walks and you'll start shredding fast.
Click to expand...

I'll definitely check those out then. I don't want to lose a ton of weight, but I do want to be able to see a little bit of progress. Plus, the fact that I'm down to being able to only wear two of my ~ten pairs of jeans means that it'd be nice to have some options again. :p
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
ILoveBish said:
I'm really excited. I tried out several size medium shirts and they all fit, albeit a tad tight. For what I weigh, it's pretty snazzy.
Click to expand...
Medium?? I wear a large! So when are we getting a progress pic? 229? 225? 200? 215?
 
mdsfx

mdsfx

Member
Cooter said:
5:30-shake and Red Bull=250 calories and 30 protein
6:30-Quest bar=200c, 20p
8:30-chicken, broccoli, and sauce= 650c, 85p
9:30-Greek yogurt, bran cereal, splenda= 300c, 35p
10:30-PB&J in bowl=500c, 15p

1900 calories and 185gs of protein
Click to expand...
The only thing I noticed here is there isn't much fat. I usually aim for about 80g. Maybe it depends on your goal...?
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
mdsfx said:
The only thing I noticed here is there isn't much fat. I usually aim for about 80g. Maybe it depends on your goal...?
Click to expand...
I don't really worry about fat. This particular list was chicken breast and the total fat for the day is around 50. Some days are flank steak or fried chicken or pork where that number jumps up closer to 80.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Cooter said:
I don't really worry about fat. This particular list was chicken breast and the total fat for the day is around 50. Some days are flank steak or fried chicken or pork where that number jumps up closer to 80.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Fat takes care of itself from dairy and meat.
 
eot

eot

Banned
Is bench press using dumbbells more or less the same as using a bar? My fear of looking like an idiot getting stuck with the bar on my chin is one of the reasons I've been putting off getting a gym card (I don't want to ask a random stranger to watch me while I'm benching something pathetically light).
 
C

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
eot said:
Is bench press using dumbbells more or less the same as using a bar? My fear of looking like an idiot getting stuck with the bar on my chin is one of the reasons I've been putting off getting a gym card (I don't want to ask a random stranger to watch me while I'm benching something pathetically light).
Click to expand...
They are not the same but DB bench will work just fine. My bigger concern is the bar traveling above your chin during a barbell bench press.
 
S

Spiritreaver

Member
Oh yeah, you know that cut is getting serious when you see veins snaking all around your legs. <3 Leg vascularity.

Also MTP :(, get better soon man.
 
A

Azulsky

Member
eot said:
Is bench press using dumbbells more or less the same as using a bar? My fear of looking like an idiot getting stuck with the bar on my chin is one of the reasons I've been putting off getting a gym card (I don't want to ask a random stranger to watch me while I'm benching something pathetically light).
Click to expand...

The pros of using dumbbells are that you can hold them(angle of your hands) in ways that puts less stress on your shoulders, and you get more stabilizer work. Barbell Bench is what people seem to overdo the most often and they swear it off and go to dumbbell.

Barbell removes a bit of the lateral stabilization requirements so you theoretically get a bit more tricep isolation.

Its whatever. You shouldn't be afraid to ask someone for a spot. Everybody started with the bar.
 
mdsfx

mdsfx

Member
Brolic Gaoler said:
Training multiple events in one day is brutal. No video of farmers since forearm still giving me shit, cut them short.

Circus DB 85x5. And atlas stones, no tacky to 46" 160lbs x 5 and to 54" same weight x5.

http://youtu.be/PcPg3puaurU[url][/Q...just don't know how you do that man. Awesome.
Click to expand...
 
S

SeanR1221

Member
Killed deadlifts today. I smoked 325 banded for 3 then did unbanded for 6 and then 8 reps. Everything felt strong.

Normally on a day like today with my wife working, a good workout under my belt and video games ready to play I'd get Taco Bell or Chinese. Tonight? Chicken, rice, veggies. The quest to 200lbs
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Lifters need to start treating their bodies, particularly while they're young; specialty bars and being open to new things are a great way to do that.
Opinion 2
59
4K
Punished Miku replied
The exercise pill: How exercise keeps your brain healthy and protects it against depression and anxiety
Science 2
56
5K
Maiden Voyage replied
I have something really Non-PC to say about COVID 19 (weight loss during a pandemic and you)
2
64
5K
Stouffers replied
I'm wasting time in the gym. Help me out guys!
21
3K
Russo replied
My journey taught me how dangerous high weight/barbell exercises are
3 4 5 6 7
321
44K
captainraincoat replied
Top Bottom