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Dice Man said:
Yep, read up on it. Sadly, I drink bottled water and it's in there.
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Official Fitness Thread of Whipping Your Butt into Shape
- Thread starter Captain Glanton
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Yep, read up on it. Sadly, I drink bottled water and it's in there.
Captain Glanton
Banned
courage201 said:
Last night I had pizza, Texas toast with cheese, and a couple of cookies. Then look above for the workout I did today. One bad meal isn't the end of the world and it isn't going to impede you if you don't let it.
Captain Glanton said:
Exactly we all have out bad food days. The difference between those who make it and those who fail is how you deal with those bad days. Those that fail dwell on the bad day and get depressed leading to more bad food days it spins out of control until you quit. Those who make it can forget about those bad days and move on. I have a bad food day at least once a month. I just forget and move on the next day.
I've been doing the South Beach diet which is basically what the OP was talking about as far as dieting, cut most of the sugar out of my diet and radically reduced my carb intake for the day (normally 70 grams or even less). Since January 7th I have lost 14 pounds. I was original 249 lbs (I am 6'4) and now I am 235. It's a good feeling to be able to wear "large" shirts again instead of xlarge. The only problem is I have a closet full of xlarge shirts.
My goal is eventually 220.
My goal is eventually 220.
Joe said:holy shit. word of advice: don't eat corn!
1 cup of corn is 600 calories and 120g of carbs...i wish i would have known that before i ate it...
Soon you will know the curse of never being able to eat something without knowing its nutritional information.
Also you'll realize 99% of the crap at the grocery store is crap.
fitday also: http://fitday.com/WebFit/FoodFacts.asp?FoodID=20014&OwnerID=13&Amount=1&UnitsID=10205
"corn, yellow"
"corn, yellow"
once i know something isn't good for you i really don't mind not eating it. i don't have willpower at all but i guess i should i feel lucky that when it comes to food i do. it's kinda funny (but logical) how eating healthy is more expensive :lolDice Man said:
Captain Glanton
Banned
Not a personal best, but a personal best for the last nine months or so: back squats to parallel, 525 X 5. Feels good.
I also found something interesting, combining incline barbell press with barbell rows. It takes a second to get from one to the other, and I didn't get the weights quite right the first set, but I think it's worth checking out for those who are a little more advanced. I did three sets of five [each exercise].
I also found something interesting, combining incline barbell press with barbell rows. It takes a second to get from one to the other, and I didn't get the weights quite right the first set, but I think it's worth checking out for those who are a little more advanced. I did three sets of five [each exercise].
Captain Glanton
Banned
Slo said:
Knee wraps. No suit. I've unracked the type of weight I should be able to do with a suit [825] and I can't imagine lowering that.
I was using my new wraps, and the weight was [relatively speaking] very easy. I think I could gone to at least 545 X 5. I'd be fine doing 495 X 5 without the wraps, but 525 would definitely be a special effort without them.
BigGreenMat
Member
Not bad Capt. I probably am not quite as strong right now, but I was up around 500 in December, but never pushed to see where I could go (this is unassisted ie no wraps or belts).
Joe said:ahhh nice, thank you! that makes me feel a little bit better
can anyone recommend fish oil pills and a multivitamin? i'm also considering taking zma...yay or nay?
i know it's hard to tell, but generally speaking?
About any multivitamin that has NO iron is good enough now adam and GNC megaman are solid. I am personally using animal pak right now because I am working out 7 days a week around 1.5 hours a session. I am doing my normal days then helping a friend who just started. For fish oil I just bought a generic I don't use it to often as I am eating a ton of tuna right now.
ZMA helps me sleep and when I first took it I got some crazy vivid dreams. It really can't recommend it. I would put the money towards creatine or protein powder.
I really envy you guys who can squat a ton. My knees suck I got hit by a car as a teen and never fully recovered. Once the weight gets around 115 it feels like my knees are going to explode it sucks.
Captain Glanton
Banned
BigGreenMat said:
500 is very high without a belt, especially if you weren't pushing yourself. That's nothing to sneeze at.
Slo said:
I pulled a muscle in my lower back a few years ago--I rounded my back while deadlifting
. Damn thing still bothers me if I'm not careful. Back injuries never heal right. Take care of your back, kids!quest said:
My dad has bad knees from a car wreck. It sucks.
I actually got hit by a pickup a few years ago, but high school wrestling saved me. Turns out that I still knew how to fall down safely. :lol
Also, ZMA: It's not life-changing, but I've found that if you're under a lot of stress you can end up with mineral deficiencies, and it can help you and let you get better sleep. It's so cheap, too, that there's very little risk in trying it.
I'm setting up my workouts so I do 4 sets of 10 reps, however I notice that my muscles are getting too tired by the end of the second/beginning of the third set. If I remember correctly, when doing sets of 10 reps, you should use about 65 to 70% of how much weight you can lift in one rep.
Have I overestimated my max rep strength or should I adjust the weight I'm using since I'm doing four sets?
Have I overestimated my max rep strength or should I adjust the weight I'm using since I'm doing four sets?
Captain Glanton said:I pulled a muscle in my lower back a few years ago--I rounded my back while deadlifting
Same. Did anything help? I think my back is actually stronger than my confidence in it is.
DenogginizerOS
BenjaminBirdie's Thomas Jefferson
Mr.City said:
How much cardio are you doing before you start?
I would cut it back to 3 sets. If your max is 300 lbs on bench, I would start at 175 and then do 205 and then 235-245. Also, try eating a banana before your workout.
Hey guys, I was wondering if there is a good daily fitness routine for someone who doesn't have access to any equipment at all and has to do all of his exercise in a fairly small apartment. (Or if there is one that I could buy all the equipment for for around 75 - 100$) Any recommendations?
(Also, just for some background info, I haven't exercised in a while and I'm definitely quite a bit out of shape. Pretty much any exercise is guaranteed to have some effect. I just want a solid daily routine I can go by. I don't mind investing time; it just needs to fit the above parameters.)
(Also, just for some background info, I haven't exercised in a while and I'm definitely quite a bit out of shape. Pretty much any exercise is guaranteed to have some effect. I just want a solid daily routine I can go by. I don't mind investing time; it just needs to fit the above parameters.)
traveler said:
For that price, I'd try to buy some cheap running shoes if you don't have any and a door-way pullup bar. Look up some bodyweight routines on the internet and get started.
Honestly, if you're serious about it, you'll find a way to pony up the $30-40/month for a gym membership.
Captain Glanton
Banned
Mr.City said:
A friend of mine was working out in the school gym in college. Big dude comes over and asks for help with his bench because he "always loses track of his reps." My friend goes over and spots him on this huge weight. Dude does one, two reps, then gets up and asks, "how many was that?"
Try to get in the habit of saying each rep count aloud in your head. I find that imagining the sound of my own voice saying the number helps it stick in my head.
traveler said:
As Slo said, you're not really going to get effective equipment at that price range. I can recommend these, for legs:
20 reps each, go straight through from A) --> D); bodyweight for everything
A) 20 squats
B) 20 jump squats
C) 20 stationary lunges [10 each leg, alternating]
D) 20 of same lunges, but jumping
Do a couple of those, and come back when the whimpering stops.
OK, I'm going to step out on a limb here and reveal my gigantic lack of knowledge in this area- what is a squat? :lol
Honestly, push-ups and situps are about the full extent of my fitness related knowledge. (I assume rep is short for repitition, so perform the same action multiple times?)
This is the problem I have; every time I say I want to start exercising; people give me tons of advice that registers as nothing more than gibberish to me and, once they understand just how little I know, laugh it off and give up trying to help out. What should I do, GAF?
Honestly, push-ups and situps are about the full extent of my fitness related knowledge. (I assume rep is short for repitition, so perform the same action multiple times?)
This is the problem I have; every time I say I want to start exercising; people give me tons of advice that registers as nothing more than gibberish to me and, once they understand just how little I know, laugh it off and give up trying to help out. What should I do, GAF?
Captain Glanton
Banned
traveler said:OK, I'm going to step out on a limb here and reveal my gigantic lack of knowledge in this area- what is a squat? :lol
Honestly, push-ups and situps are about the full extent of my fitness related knowledge. (I assume rep is short for repitition, so perform the same action multiple times?)
This is the problem I have; every time I say I want to start exercising; people give me tons of advice that registers as nothing more than gibberish to me and, once they understand just how little I know, laugh it off and give up trying to help out. What should I do, GAF?
GOOGLE IMAGES!
1) Bodyweight squat: Feet shoulder width apart, arms held straight out in front. Now begin moving your hips back and then down, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Now stand back up. That's one.
2) Jump squat: Same as regular squat, except that as you come up you explode into the air. When you land you immediately drop into the squatting motion again.
3) Stationary lunge: Feet together, hands on hips. Take an exaggerated step forward and lower yourself down until your knee scrapes the ground. Push back up and return to the original position. Now do the same for the other leg. Both legs = one rep.
4) Jumping lunge: Same principal as the jump squat. Start out the same as the regular lunge, but as you come up you jump into the air and switch your legs, going right into another lunge with the opposite leg.
Erm, if you didn't know what a squat was, maybe you should master 1) and 3) before going to 2) and 4).
Edit: Yes, rep = repeition. '20 reps' means do it 20 times without pause.
Slo said:
Please don't post that sort of stuff. Bodyweight exercises are pretty damn amazing and are, arguably, just as good as using weights. The only difference is; you won't put on muscle mass. Instead, you end up with a leaner, more muscular physique (think Brad Pitt 'Fight Club' style).
traveler said:
Just gonna put a quick post in (I'm going to write a more indepth one later on the joys of the bodyweight later!), but what you should buy is a copy of 'Never Gymless' by Ross Enamait (probably the best book around for home exercise), a starter package of Iron Woody fitness bands (allows for all sorts of resistance training in a nice, small, convenient package) and a pull up bar. That should run you somewhere in the region of $120-ish at most.
'Never Gymless' has a short beginner routine (I'm running my bro through this at the moment) and a longer 50 day routine. Once you feel you can do the beginner routine in your sleep, you can progress onto the 50 day program and so on and so forth. There's a lot of squats, push ups, isometrics and conditioning work in the program (burpees, skipping), but it's certainly going to push you to the limit and get yourself in shape quick.
Naked Snake
Member
Captain Glanton said:
Better yet, just Google http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=squats&btnG=Google+Search
twofold said:
Really depends where you live. If I were in a hurry, I would certainly have joined a gym by now as my cardio has all but ceased thanks to the cold here. Also, bodyweight exercise progression doesn't make sense to me. Presumably, you're losing weight. Thus, every week you are pumping a LIGHTER weight than you were the week before. You can say that you're making up for it with extra reps, but then we're getting into the "LOL I'M TONING" realm. I just don't get it.
Well, I finally joined a gym (NYSC), but I need some advice:
- I have never really been to the gym before and haven't ever done heavy weightlifting... I ride my mountainbike and do quite a bit of walking but live a fairly sedentary lifestyle. What's the best way to ease into a workout routine?
- I am pretty thin (5'9", 150 lbs), but want to build muscle mass... I hear doing few repetitions of heavy weights is your best bet... true or not?
- How much cardio should I do? I'm not really too big on running.
- I eat mostly meat, vegetables, and carbs (lots of pasta and bread, we're Italian of course), I don't eat dairy/eggs and very little junk food aside from tortilla chips/salsa... will I need to make any adjustment to my diet?
- I have fairly mild Aortic Stenosis, my cardiologist says that I should be able to work out just fine, and that there are quite a number of weightlifters who have this condition. Will this be a limiting factor?
-How often should I go? I'm thinking going Thurs, Fri, and Sun... the gym is pretty close by to where I live, which is nice. Should I go before or after dinner? Does it matter?
- I have never really been to the gym before and haven't ever done heavy weightlifting... I ride my mountainbike and do quite a bit of walking but live a fairly sedentary lifestyle. What's the best way to ease into a workout routine?
- I am pretty thin (5'9", 150 lbs), but want to build muscle mass... I hear doing few repetitions of heavy weights is your best bet... true or not?
- How much cardio should I do? I'm not really too big on running.
- I eat mostly meat, vegetables, and carbs (lots of pasta and bread, we're Italian of course), I don't eat dairy/eggs and very little junk food aside from tortilla chips/salsa... will I need to make any adjustment to my diet?
- I have fairly mild Aortic Stenosis, my cardiologist says that I should be able to work out just fine, and that there are quite a number of weightlifters who have this condition. Will this be a limiting factor?
-How often should I go? I'm thinking going Thurs, Fri, and Sun... the gym is pretty close by to where I live, which is nice. Should I go before or after dinner? Does it matter?
You don't achieve progression with bodyweight by doing more reps. There's so much misinformation about bodyweight exercise being spread by people who have never even tried it. It's ridiculous.
How do you do it then? You start doing harder and harder exercises that push your body more. For example, how do you make a standard push up harder? Wear a weighted vest/belt or use a resistance band to make it more difficult. Or, you could graduate onto more difficult pushups. Explosive pushups, one armed pushups, explosive one armed push ups, front clap pushups, back clap pushups, double clap pushups, triple clap pushups, handstand pushups, one handed handstand pushups, one handed handstand pushups with a weighted vest/with two vests/three vests and so on and so forth. You could also add two cement blocks to either side of you, putting your hands on them and doing push ups in between the two, thereby increasing the distance you have to lower your body per rep. Then you can also do finger pushups and knuckle pushups or move onto divebomber pushups and so on and so forth.
I could probably go on here, naming another twenty or so types of pushups that gradually get harder and harder, but I should hope that you get the idea.
Wraith said:
That's a really weak excuse. In terms of cardio you can do at the home, a skipping rope costs next to nothing and gives an amazing cardio workout. An exercise bike would also be another alternative. As would some form of circuit training. 'When there's a will..' and all that.
twofold said:
So, according to you, without using weights you won't get as big or as strong (according to common sense), but otherwise it works just as good? Interesting...
Honestly, I'm not trying to be pompous or discouraging, but I think they variety of equipment and activities available at almost any gym will pay for itself. Working out with like minded people is also a great motivator, and you probably won't find that doing push ups on your living room floor.
Captain Glanton
Banned
First, if you haven't already, be sure to look over the OP. I have no idea if people are still reading it, but in my humble opinion it would answer a lot of people's questions.
djtiesto said:
Captain Glanton
Banned
twofold said:
I don't know what this means. It seems to say that burning fat is the only effect of bodyweight exercises, but doing pushups all day--no matter what type--isn't close to being the most efficient way to do that.
djtiesto said:
Stretch well, start light, and concentrate on form. Don't get discouraged when you get sore, the "newbie" soreness stops in a few weeks.
True. But as a beginner, you'll make pretty good gains no matter what you do, so long as you are consistent and work hard. Going heavy for 3-5 reps per set at your level will probably just get you injured. Start out in the 7-10 rep range and concentrate on controlling the weight and using a full range of motion.
2-3 times a week, 15-30 minutes per session.
Open an account at fitday.com and start tracking everything that you put in your mouth. My guess is that you probably need to eat more, and get more protein. See this article and calculate how much you should be eating a day to gain weight. It's probably more than you think.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460331
I'm totally not qualified to answer this. I say take the advice of your cardiologist over anything anybody else tells you.
Three times a week is fine. If it were me, I'd spread it out more over the week.
Anton Sugar
Member
twofold said:
Define "just as good as using weights".
Anton Sugar
Member
Slo said:
I wouldn't suggest he immediately start out heavy for 5 sets of 5 reps. I'd instead have him start with an empty bar for 5x5 reps and then add weight each work out.
5 reps is kind of a magic number and a good one to stick to. Once you know exactly what you want out of a workout, you can play with set and rep schemes and specific exercise selection.
Slo said:
Captain Glanton said:
I might have chosen my words poorly there.
What I meant was; you won't get huge (ie. bodybuilder big) doing bodyweight exercises. It is, however, possible to get very strong. Look at Bruce Lee. The guy was damn strong, and all he used was minimal freeweights, bodyweight and isometrics.
If you want to see some truly advanced exercises, check this guys Youtube profile. The guy is in incredible shape and he only trains with bodyweight/resistance stuff/isometrics.
Hell, if you only watch one video there, watch this one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8U-fI1C5sM. It's insane.
Look, the main point is. If you haven't got a gym nearby/equipment available, it does not mean fitness death. I'd be a hypocrit here if I didn't mention that I use kettlebells and dumbells in my training, but I've incorporated a great deal of bodyweight exercises too to create a well-rounded effective workout plan.
The guy earlier posted that he doesn't want to go to a gym for whatever reasons. I didn't want him to be met with an overwhelming amount of negativity and then to be put off from training when there are other effective options out there providing the individual is able to put in the hard work.
Captain Glanton said:
Again, excuse my poor choice of words earlier.
I picked this part out of the rest mainly to point out that pushups can be used to intensify cardio workouts greatly. For example, when doing HIIT, let's say you normally sprint for a minute before returning to resting pace for 90s or so. Doing 20 pushups before resting allows you to condition the upper body and overall improve the quality of your workout.
Mr. Snrub said:
Guys training with bodyweight obviously have different goals to guys training with weights. Would a bodybuilder be able to do the human flag in the youtube vid earlier? Probably not. Would a bodyweight guy be able to deadlift 500 lbs? Probably not.
If your goals are to look like Arnold and have huge, bulging muscles, then yeah, bodyweight training probably isn't the best way to go about it. But if your goal is for all round functional fitness for rock climbing, hiking, cycling, boxing and the like, then bodyweight is arguably better.
Slo said:
My personal experience of going to a few gyms in my life have been, overall, disappointingly negative. Most of the people there spent most of their time ridiculing others and standing around looking at themselves in the mirror than actually doing some work. Hm. I might have had some bad experiences though. Now that I have more than enough stuff at home to train effectively, I kinda gave up on the search for a good gym.
As for the motivation - all the motivation you need can be drawn from within. Pushing myself to go that little bit further each time and improve does more for me than drawing my motivation from the outside.
Naked Snake
Member
I've become addicted to the gym, I really enjoy working out there and the only thing that keeps me away are lack of time and the need to rest.
Captain Glanton
Banned
twofold said:
All I'll say is that my example of the athletes with the best conditioning are MMA fighters. They do enormous amounts of conditioning work without extra resistance--ab work, pushups, pullups--but they are also doing things like squatting heavy. Squatting 2.5 times your bodyweight is a standard for being 'strong' for elite MMA fighters, I think, and that's not something that you're going to get without squatting in a real gym. No one here thinks that weights are the only thing that get you 'fit'; but, many of us would say that getting extremely lean but unable to deadlift, say, twice your bodyweight doesn't mean 'fit' either. Similarly, while those 400lb powerlifters are extremely strong, I wouldn't exactly call them 'fit'. Weights are one part of the picture, but they are an important one. It's up to each person to decide if he or she wants to have it all or just have one side of it.
Arnold is just as iconic a figure for bodybuilders as Bruce Lee is for fighters. But, the sad fact is that no bodybuilder today trains the way Arnold did, and I kind of expect that fighters don't follow Bruce Lee word for word anymore, either. Progress has been made.
Captain Glanton
Banned
shintoki said:
Be aware, too, that paying extra attention in the gym to a 'trouble spot' will probably make it larger, not smaller, because you're building up the muscle there without burning off fat. That's why people smirk at the women who use that 'thigh squeezer' machine that every gym buys. If it really did work [and it doesn't, really] it would be making their inner thighs larger, not burning off the fat.
Seriously, folks, gyms buy a lot of worthless equipment. Its only purpose is to make people feel better for using it, not to help them make real gains. My gym has a machine whose sole function is 'assisted dips,' where the machine will aid you as you do dips, all the way up to your entire bodyweight, WHICH THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE MACHINE RECOMMEND YOU START WITH. Imagine me smacking my forehead while reading that.
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