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[O-N-E]

I've had an on and off relationship with exercise. Each time I start again, I do it for a longer period of time before petering out. Last time I reached a point where I was finding it difficult to increase reps.

I'm not particularly unfit, but I do look rather unthreatening, so I'd like to take up the task of improving my health and image once again, but this time with the support of GAF! Please join in if you feel you're not where you want to be with your fitness. I'll try to update the thread with my own stats once every week or two. You can do it as often as you like.

If you don't know how to check your body fat %, you can use a body fat caliper to get measurements and plug them in here for results. These videos show you how to use the calipers for measurements. If you'd like to use a different method of measurement, feel free. Of course, you can provide updates with whatever kind of stats you want, body fat or no.

Here are mine:

current body fat % = 14
target body fat % = 10
Lean Weight to add = 22 lbs (oh boy...)
Previous bodyfat% record = 10%

Preferred method of fitness: Calisthenics

Cue Tesseract calling me a wimp and asking me where my steroids at.

BTW, ideal protein intake is supposedly 0.8 grams per pound of body weight (though maybe less if you're severely overweight?).

 

[Mr Nash]

I'm skinny, so going in the opposite direction. 6'2 and currently hovering around 160-165lbs. Would like to get up to a solid 180-190. Not really doing body building isolation exercises outside of accessory work at the end of my workouts. Just focusing on compound lifts, so bench, deadlift, and squats. Then overhead press and weighted pull ups. Also lots of rowing variations to thicken my back. Tweaked my back a little while ago, though, so have to lay off the deadlifts until that recovers. So, for now, I'm focusing more on improving bench and overhead press. Would really like to get bench up to 205lbs and overhead press to 135lbs for reps by the end of the year.

 

[Bandit Messiah]

I finally decided to quick being a lazy cook, and start making my own meals. So I went on the carnivore diet, as I also dislike most vegetables. Lost 9 pounds so far, way more energy, and I am able to focus a lot better as well.

To hell with vegans. This is where it's at.

 

[Tesseract]

that's great dude, looking forward to your progress as the days march on

 

[Bandit Messiah]

that's great dude, looking forward to your progress as the days march forward

Thanks! The one thing that sucked for me was the first week, having to give up bread wasn't fun as it comprised a large portion of my diet. But once I got past that it got much simpler.

Like today, breakfast was 3 eggs and 3 strips of bacon. Lunch will be some beef I have had in the slow cooker overnight. And supper will be grilled chicken breast. Drink lots of water, throw in a bit of cheese here and there to mix it up, and it's an easy diet to follow.

 

[Tesseract]

Thanks! The one thing that sucked for me was the first week, having to give up bread wasn't fun as it comprised a large portion of my diet. But once I got past that it got much simpler.

Like today, breakfast was 3 eggs and 3 strips of bacon. Lunch will be some beef I have had in the slow cooker overnight. And supper will be grilled chicken breast. Drink lots of water, throw in a bit of cheese here and there to mix it up, and it's an easy diet to follow.

oh hell yeah, get that goodness into your gullet

i want all of neogaf to be shredded out of their minds before 2020, only then we will be rapture ready to fight the big tittie demons

 

[King of Foxes]

I have hit peak dad bod completely unintentionally.

Basically just cardio (treadmill, no incline) and bench both twice a week. Arms and chest are ok, stomach is building towards protruding.

 

[Bandit Messiah]

oh hell yeah, get that goodness into your gullet

i want all of neogaf to be shredded out of their minds before 2020, only then we will be rapture ready to fight the big tittie demons

Heh, I don't need to be shredded to fight them. Your guns come from working out, mine come from Smith & Wesson. Bang bang.

I mostly just want to get lean again, I used to be in decent shape but years of being an office putz ruined that.

 

[SurprisedPikachu]

I am 5'11 and currently weight 275lbs. I would like to be down to anywhere from 180 - 210lbs. I feel as though that is healthy range. I am a diagnosed Celiac - so I don't consume gluten. I've recently started cutting sugar almost completely from my diet - so no candy, ice cream, etc. I still eat fruits though. I drink mostly water and unsweetened tea and unsweetened coffee.

With that being said I have lost 10lbs in the past few weeks because I weighed in at 285~ before and recently weighed myself at 275. I do a daily 14 hour fast where I stop eating entirely after dinner (cut off at 7pm) and don't eat breakfast until 9am. So I basically just sleep through any hunger pains if there are any.

I am going on daily walks to the park with the wife and kids. It's a short distance but where we live is really hilly so that half mile walk is... rough.

Our goal is to keep the momentum for the summer and when winter comes we will sign up for the YMCA so we can exercise indoors. I don't know what a realistic weight goal is for the year - but if 230lbs by the end of the year is, then I'd be happy. I would also like to strengthen the lungs. I do not smoke but let me jog a short distance and my lungs feel like they want to collapse and my throat gets so dry it hurts. Honestly think it could be some form of asthma despite not having been diagnosed with it. I breathe fine otherwise.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

100% body fat
400lbs

When they come to cremate me I want to fuck the carbon footprint for the next decade. Fuck you nature for giving me such a short, shitty lifespan.

OT: I'm aiming to lose 3 stone, then hit the gym and get shredded again. Going from six pack to six inch of overhang is...depressing. The chicks don't look at me the same any more

 

[enfieldvball]

I've had an on and off relationship with exercise. Each time I start again, I do it for a longer period of time before petering out. Last time I reached a point where I was finding it difficult to increase reps.

I'm not particularly unfit, but I do look rather unthreatening, so I'd like to take up the task of improving my health and image once again, but this time with the support of GAF! Please join in if you feel you're not where you want to be with your fitness. I'll try to update the thread with my own stats once every week or two. You can do it as often as you like.

If you don't know how to check your body fat %, you can use a body fat caliper to get measurements and plug them in here for results. These videos show you how to use the calipers for measurements. If you'd like to use a different method of measurement, feel free. Of course, you can provide updates with whatever kind of stats you want, body fat or no.

Here are mine:

current body fat % = 14
target body fat % = 10
Lean Weight to add = 22 lbs (oh boy...)
Previous bodyfat% record = 10%

Preferred method of fitness: Calisthenics



BTW, ideal protein intake is supposedly 0.8 grams per pound of body weight (though maybe less if you're severely overweight?).

Hmm 14% BF is actually somewhat lean (depending on your body composition and all) but at that %BF you should have visible abs? 22lbs of muscle add? Not gonna lie, that's a lot of lean mass unless you're just starting out.

 

[O-N-E]

Hmm 14% BF is actually somewhat lean (depending on your body composition and all) but at that %BF you should have visible abs? 22lbs of muscle add? Not gonna lie, that's a lot of lean mass unless you're just starting out.

Could be measuring wrong, but either way, consistency is the important thing when it comes to measuring. As long as the percentage goes down, it's good. And yeah, I know, 22 lbs is a lot, but that's roughly the amount I need to be at an ideal state. Feel like enough of a weakling that the number is justified.

 

[xandaca]

No particular goal here other than 'get fitter'. I've been jogging around my local park for somewhere between one and two months, gradually adding distance over time. First time I ran I did a bit over 1 mile, two times a week, now I'm doing 1.75miles, three times a week as well as playing football on Saturdays. Every run still completely wipes me out and my times are bad (1.75miles takes about 16mins) but my recovery times are a lot faster and I'm feeling better, so that's a plus. Feels a long way away, but I know the route for the 5km run around my park so am hoping to get up to that eventually. Also eating a bit healthier and just started intermittent fasting (eating only between 1pm and 9pm) which will hopefully take in the waistline a little. I'd like to go to the gym and add a bit of muscle eventually, but have a longstanding problem with pain in my shoulders which has been there for years and despite going to physios and osteopaths have never been able to get rid of.

 

[enfieldvball]

Could be measuring wrong, but either way, consistency is the important thing when it comes to measuring. As long as the percentage goes down, it's good. And yeah, I know, 22 lbs is a lot, but that's roughly the amount I need to be at an ideal state. Feel like enough of a weakling that the number is justified.

Either, in terms of losing fat, getting healthier, and feeling better I found the thing that helped me the most was to ignore bodyweight and BF% altogether. Unless you competing in a BB competition those digits don't matter. Looks and how you feel are much more important imo.

 

[Redstarwater]

Height: 6 foot
Age: 32

Last October I decided to join a gym, I’ve barley worked out but know my way around dumbbells and stuff. I was 16% BF (according to the machine at the gym) at 186 lbs I think. 9 months later I’m at 174 lbs and if I had to make a guess 11 or 12% BF.
I’ve been going every other day or every other 2 days for about an hour. No cardio just weights.

I always eat healthy so I didn’t have to change my diet much. Added nonfat Greek yogurt to my diet for the protein. Everyone needs to do this.

Proteins- Chicken breast, ground turkey, fish

Sides- potatos or rice and vegetables

Ocassional energy drink and lots of legal weed.

If I can do it anyone can do it, I’m a former and future WoW addcict for god sake. Looking at a musclely body in the mirror is sexy even when it’s your own. You will feel good about yourself. It’s a free high AND you can still be a WoW addict. A few hours a week is easy. Enjoy it!

 

[Lukin1978]

I'm 6'3 around 210 pounds so not far off from my ideal weight of 200. Next thing I'm gonna try is quitting sugar it's like my cocaine right now.

 

[Redstarwater]

Sugar and salt are everywhere. Gatorade is so bad for you if you didn’t just finish working up a sweet. Don’t be tricked people.

 

[Redstarwater]

About to do my 1 hour at the gym. Where you all at?

 

[O-N-E]

About to do my 1 hour at the gym. Where you all at?

Completely out of it.

I honestly don't think I'll get seriously started until next week. Picked a weird time to start, but it needs to happen.

 

[Tesseract]

About to do my 1 hour at the gym. Where you all at?

i'm fucking exhausted, not doing shit today

 

[EverydayBeast]

Consistently is a difference maker, you can't put too much pressure on yourself either and trust your regimen.

 

[KillCleanEat]

5'8, around 175 lb. +/- 5lbs. Work out 3-4 times a week depending on what my body feels. As for body fat, the top and middle section of my abs are beginning to show. I think I can get a nice looking six pack by July. Not shredded, but I don't want to commit to that level either.

Right now my goal is to drop five lbs and hover around 170. Get bigger legs, weakest part of my body aesthetically. And work to get my mile to a sub 7 minute time. Mile and a half to sub 12.

Down the line I want to join a gym that will allow me to work on my farmer walks. I'd like to be able to carry my body weight in each hand at some point.

 

[Mr Nash]

Down the line I want to join a gym that will allow me to work on my farmer walks. I'd like to be able to carry my body weight in each hand at some point.

Even if you don't have access to heavy farmer's walks implements currently, you could always try doing what Ed Coan used to do. I've been doing this and it's helped a ton for grip and core. Granted, it doesn't work the stabilizers as much as an actual farmer's carry, but it should still help familiarize your CNS with some heavier weights.

 

[KillCleanEat]

Even if you don't have access to heavy farmer's walks implements currently, you could always try doing what Ed Coan used to do. I've been doing this and it's helped a ton for grip and core. Granted, it doesn't work the stabilizers as much as an actual farmer's carry, but it should still help familiarize your CNS with some heavier weights.

I'll absolutely try that. Looks like it'll murder muscles, aka fun. Should be able to work up to body weight. Kind of reminds me of a suit case carry.

 

[gela94]

I'm 1,64cm and 63kg and have some pretty chubby legs, thanx to the keto diet and fasting I lost 5kg, was before 68kg and now I'm trying out the carnivore diet because I'm curious what it does to you. One week in and feeling pretty great so far

 

[JimiNutz]

I spent a few years doing basic weight training in the mornings (5x5 along with basic bodyweight exercises such as pull ups, dips, push ups, jump squats) and then MMA training in the evenings (mix of boxing, Muay Thai and no Gi BJJ and wrestling).

Was easily in the best shape of my life - 88kg at 10% body fat (I'm 6 ft tall).

That was in my late 20s though and once I hit 30 things slowly went downhill. Firstly I suffered several injuries in a row which meant that I couldn't train for most of a year and then a new job and long hours at work meant that I didn't have the time or motivation to get back into it.

I started Muay Thai again last year but tore some ligaments in my ankle before Christmas and have had another 6 months off just as I was starting to get back into it.

I finally got my shit together and got myself back into the gym at the start of June. At 33 now and coming off a lot of injuries (mostly my knees, ankles and shoulders) I really can't hack the intense workout schedule that I used to do.

i started the month at 92kg no idea what my bodyfat % was I was the fattest I'd ever been. Nearly a month later and I'm down to 85kg but still carrying way too much fat (I'd guess I'm at about 15% bodyfat).

I've been doing 5x5 3 times a week and 90 mins of Muay Thai twice a week to begin with. It's not been fun... I'm incredibly weak and my cardio is shocking. Slowly making progress though and I want to step things up a bit.

Im definitely interested in trying some Calisthenics. Will look at some beginner routines on YouTube.

 

[NahaNago]

I'm a short guy at 5'5" but I weigh around 195lbs. I'm going to aim to be at least 175 by November. I'm still debating how I'm going to get there. I did like the talk of slowly increasing how much you jog/run over time since I'm terrible at it and I've always wanted to do a marathon.

No particular goal here other than 'get fitter'. I've been jogging around my local park for somewhere between one and two months, gradually adding distance over time. First time I ran I did a bit over 1 mile, two times a week, now I'm doing 1.75miles, three times a week as well as playing football on Saturdays. Every run still completely wipes me out and my times are bad (1.75miles takes about 16mins) but my recovery times are a lot faster and I'm feeling better, so that's a plus. Feels a long way away, but I know the route for the 5km run around my park so am hoping to get up to that eventually. Also eating a bit healthier and just started intermittent fasting (eating only between 1pm and 9pm) which will hopefully take in the waistline a little. I'd like to go to the gym and add a bit of muscle eventually, but have a longstanding problem with pain in my shoulders which has been there for years and despite going to physios and osteopaths have never been able to get rid of.

Your bad times were my times at my peak of fitness.

 

[Bluntman]

Slightly offtopic, but I have a problem. I wanted to something for my body for years. I'm not fat or anything I'm just terribly unfit and want to look good.

Now my friend just built a dojo and he has experience in jiu jitsu. He put together a team of friends to start train together, he as our teacher, and we had our first time 3 days ago.

My problem is that the exercises that we did in the first hour or so were great I can still feel every muscle in body 3 days later, even muscles I didn't know existed.

But I just can't get myself to do the actual jiu jitsu thing in it. You know wrestling other people, get them to the ground, wrestling some more, trying to choke and whatever to get them knocking on the ground. I just can't do it, I never had the agressivity or anything to harm other people (even if I know this is not really harming others, it's just sport), and I felt really uncomfortable.

So now I don't know what to do. The others could do it no problem, it's just me. It's seems like a great sport, it trains every single muscle in your body, and it's also teaches you self defense.

IDK, help please

 

[JimiNutz]

Slightly offtopic, but I have a problem. I wanted to something for my body for years. I'm not fat or anything I'm just terribly unfit and want to look good.

Now my friend just built a dojo and he has experience in jiu jitsu. He put together a team of friends to start train together, he as our teacher, and we had our first time 3 days ago.

My problem is that the exercises that we did in the first hour or so were great I can still feel every muscle in body 3 days later, even muscles I didn't know existed.

But I just can't get myself to do the actual jiu jitsu thing in it. You know wrestling other people, get them to the ground, wrestling some more, trying to choke and whatever to get them knocking on the ground. I just can't do it, I never had the agressivity or anything to harm other people (even if I know this is not really harming others, it's just sport), and I felt really uncomfortable.

So now I don't know what to do. The others could do it no problem, it's just me. It's seems like a great sport, it trains every single muscle in your body, and it's also teaches you self defense.

IDK, help please

To be honest dude BJJ is the least 'aggressive' of the main martial arts. Especially as a beginner you should be more focused on your positioning, keeping tight to your opponent so that there isn't a lot of space and getting your breathing right so that you don't gas out straight away. Training should be pretty relaxed and fun for a beginner, not extremely intense and daunting.

No disrespect to your friend but he probably shouldn't have complete beginners aggressively rolling and grappling, especially on your first couple of sessions. You should be drilling basic things like hip escapes and learning the fundamental positions, guard, half guard, mount etc. Just drill, drill, drill with some very light rolling.

There are a ton of good resources out there for BJJ. Both books and free YouTube videos and tutorials. So maybe take some time to familiarise yourself with the sport and do some learning outside the 'dojo'. You'll probably find that you get a lot more out of your training that way.

Even though it sounds like it's not really your natural kind of sport, stick with it because it will definitely get easier. All kinds of people train BJJ and because it's a very cerebral martial art it actually attracts a lot of 'geekier' people.

Also I believe EviLore is/was a BJJ practitioner so hit up our glorious leader via PM and I'm sure he'll have some tips for you. I wish I could give you some more tips but I always preferred striking and wrestling to BJJ.

 

[Bluntman]

To be honest dude BJJ is the least 'aggressive' of the main martial arts. Especially as a beginner you should be more focused on your positioning, keeping tight to your opponent so that there isn't a lot of space and getting your breathing right so that you don't gas out straight away. Training should be pretty relaxed and fun for a beginner, not extremely intense and daunting.

No disrespect to your friend but he probably shouldn't have complete beginners aggressively rolling and grappling, especially on your first couple of sessions. You should be drilling basic things like hip escapes and learning the fundamental positions, guard, half guard, mount etc. Just drill, drill, drill with some very light rolling.

There are a ton of good resources out there for BJJ. Both books and free YouTube videos and tutorials. So maybe take some time to familiarise yourself with the sport and do some learning outside the 'dojo'. You'll probably find that you get a lot more out of your training that way.

Even though it sounds like it's not really your natural kind of sport, stick with it because it will definitely get easier. All kinds of people train BJJ and because it's a very cerebral martial art it actually attracts a lot of 'geekier' people.

Also I believe EviLore is/was a BJJ practitioner so hit up our glorious leader via PM and I'm sure he'll have some tips for you. I wish I could give you some more tips but I always preferred striking and wrestling to BJJ.

Thanks man, it's nice to hear! So I should be eased into this whole thing slowly, and later on it wouldn't be so weird to actually "wrestle" guys, right?

To be honest, my other friends who were on the training have some (albeit little) experience with judo and other martial arts, so they aren't a complete newbie to this kind of stuff like I am.

I will talk to my friend about how to proceed further.

 

[EviLore]

Slightly offtopic, but I have a problem. I wanted to something for my body for years. I'm not fat or anything I'm just terribly unfit and want to look good.

Now my friend just built a dojo and he has experience in jiu jitsu. He put together a team of friends to start train together, he as our teacher, and we had our first time 3 days ago.

My problem is that the exercises that we did in the first hour or so were great I can still feel every muscle in body 3 days later, even muscles I didn't know existed.

But I just can't get myself to do the actual jiu jitsu thing in it. You know wrestling other people, get them to the ground, wrestling some more, trying to choke and whatever to get them knocking on the ground. I just can't do it, I never had the agressivity or anything to harm other people (even if I know this is not really harming others, it's just sport), and I felt really uncomfortable.

So now I don't know what to do. The others could do it no problem, it's just me. It's seems like a great sport, it trains every single muscle in your body, and it's also teaches you self defense.

IDK, help please

Heya Bluntman. The first part you're describing is DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness. It's totally normal to happen when you're starting new training and not used to exerting with certain muscle groups. It may feel really daunting when you're sore for several days after training like that, but after a few training sessions it will subside and you'll typically drop down to one day of moderate soreness. Take as much time as you need to recover starting out, but stick with it when you feel okay to train again and your body will absolutely adapt.

The second part, hrm, that's a little more tricky. For starters, keep in mind that when you're live sparring in jiu-jitsu, it may be a long time before you're actually able to hurt someone else with a properly applied submission. But, this is just training at the end of the day, and everyone on the mats knows what they've signed up for. Everyone is consenting to it, and everyone is there to get better. You're not strangling a puppy, you're developing yourself and helping those around you to develop. Being able to defend yourself and defend people you care about if need be is an extremely important part of being a man. I guarantee you'll feel better in life with combat sports skills in-hand. You'll have more confidence, more discipline, and you'll be able to avoid fights better in heated situations, too.

There is a fire in you that you may not think exists, but it does. It is not moral or immoral; how you shape it is entirely up to you. Find your fire.

 

[Bluntman]

Heya Bluntman. The first part you're describing is DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness. It's totally normal to happen when you're starting new training and not used to exerting with certain muscle groups. It may feel really daunting when you're sore for several days after training like that, but after a few training sessions it will subside and you'll typically drop down to one day of moderate soreness. Take as much time as you need to recover starting out, but stick with it when you feel okay to train again and your body will absolutely adapt.

Hey Evilore! I really appreciate your answer! It's good to know what it is, but just to be clear, I'm absolutely not bothered by it. It actually feels good, because I can feel that after many many years of not doing anything, I've actually done something to my body.

The second part, hrm, that's a little more tricky. For starters, keep in mind that when you're live sparring in jiu-jitsu, it may be a long time before you're actually able to hurt someone else with a properly applied submission. But, this is just training at the end of the day, and everyone on the mats knows what they've signed up for. Everyone is consenting to it, and everyone is there to get better. You're not strangling a puppy, you're developing yourself and helping those around you to develop.

I know this in my mind. It's not really that I think I would be able to hurt somebody, I'm weak and unfit as fuck. It's just that I felt uncomfortable doing it. It felt waaay outside my comfort zone (maybe that's as it should be?). But maybe the key is what NutJobJim said, that I need to be eased into this by many sessions, slowly drilling trough the basics. The more I think of this, the more it makes sense. So I will talk to my friend who trains us, how we can do this.

Being able to defend yourself and defend people you care about if need be is an extremely important part of being a man. I guarantee you'll feel better in life with combat sports skills in-hand. You'll have more confidence, more discipline, and you'll be able to avoid fights better in heated situations, too.

There is a fire in you that you may not think exists, but it does. It is not moral or immoral; how you shape it is entirely up to you. Find your fire.

This was very inspiring, thank you! I won't give up!

 

[JimiNutz]

Thanks man, it's nice to hear! So I should be eased into this whole thing slowly, and later on it wouldn't be so weird to actually "wrestle" guys, right?

To be honest, my other friends who were on the training have some (albeit little) experience with judo and other martial arts, so they aren't a complete newbie to this kind of stuff like I am.

I will talk to my friend about how to proceed further.

Yeah exactly that.
As you do a lot of drills and get comfortable with your partners you'll find that the sparing/rolling gets a lot easier and you'll feel more comfortable. Just build up to it.

As someone that primarily did striking (Boxing and Muay Thai) I really struggled in my first few BJJ sessions as well. I didn't like being on my back, having a big huge sweaty dude on top of me and I used to try and 'power' my way out of everything.

Eventually I got used to it, kept calm, controlled my breathing and just tried to focus on the techniques I'd been taught and my positioning. Eventually I became a lot more efficient with my movements, wasn't constantly trying to power my way out of everything and I actually found BBJ quite relaxing in comparison to Striking or Wrestling.

You'll get used to it. Just take it slowly and give it time.