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[bati]

Apologies in advance if a thread like this already exists, I couldn't find it (site navigation on mobile is a pain for me).

Anyway, I'll start - long story short, after a 10 year hiatus I got my ass back to the gym, following the standard 3 day per week full body workout routine which I love. My problem is that I would like to squeeze in two cardio days (my current primary goal is fat loss) on off days, but because I'm squatting or otherwise exercising my legs every two days the muscle fatigue quickly builds up over the week. I didn't have this problem when I was younger but now it's quite an issue.

I'm honestly not sure how to solve this problem except by switching to less intensive forms of cardio such as brisk uphill walking (On the treadmill). Stationary bike literally ruins me the next day after squatting.

Fwiw though, I have disproportionally strong legs (used to play soccer) so I squat quite a bit, and also try to go pretty hard on the bike the day after. I tried lowering the intensity but it felt like I only went to sit on the bike during those sessions.

Any advice?

 

[hargwood]

Getting severe DOMS after a long hiatus is normal mah dude. It may take a couple of months before your body adapts to the stresses you are putting on it. No pain, no gain in essence.

Mobility work and warm up sets are useful as you get older. Using resistance bands for your hip abductors is especially important for squats as they are a common area for tightness that can lead to snap city.

Warm up sets can be just the bar and then having maybe one more with lmao 1pl8 then moving into working weight. These will let you know how your body is behaving and will show up any areas that are tight and might need more mobility work without the calamity that can be busting out a 3pl8 squat with cold muscles.

Sorry if this is basic shit you know and you are a big beastly bear of a lifter that needs more expert advice.

As for me. I follow a PPLPPLR (Push, Pull, Legs x2, rest on 7th day). I like the short workouts (45 mins) that 6 days of volume gets you and the PPL allows for adequate recovery while still hitting all areas twice a week. I bulked from a skinnyfat 164 to a juicy 210. I've now cut to a lean-ish 185 and want to be a shredded 185 by next summer.

Will post routine and macros if the thread gains a bit of traction. Maybe even pics next summer for you boys

 

[bati]

Hey, any advice is welcome. If not to me, then someone who's just starting out. Fwiw, I used to lift a lot (was indeed a bear back in those days lol) so I'm familiar with the basic principles but things also change with age and advice or theories that didn't fully apply to me back then apply to me now, and vice versa.

But I probably also phrased my question wrong - I only have issues if I also fit in cardio on off days, and even then it's only my quads that are fatigued. It literally feels like I'm trying to drag a boulder when I'm on a bike, if you know what I mean. However, if I only lift every two days I can go all out (within reason ofc) on the next session. Fwiw my current squat is at 3x10 150kg (using cage with barbell guiders) every two days, after 1 month of training. Maybe I should drop the weight and combine it with less intensive biking on off days? As I said though, the problem then is that it feels like I'm just wasting time. I'm not really looking to increase my leg muscles because I already have naturally thick thighs but I love the feeling of being completely wiped out after a few good sets of squatting. Nothing like the exercise making you sit down, catch your breath and contemplate life between sets

 

[hargwood]

I'd probably suggest lowering squat volume to twice a week if you are also doing leg based cardio. How often do you deadlift?

I know the feel of contemplating existence between sets. My 5x5 Dealift on Saturdays gives me so much clarity in those 2 minute rest periods.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Go easy, take your time. Remember, gym training is a marathon, not a sprint. After 10 years of not training this is quite a challenge for your body. Give it time to adapt to the new situation. I'm always baffled when people start training and then expect to pull through it easily within a few weeks. That is not how it works my friend.

Lower your weights and the progressively up them again step by step, say 5 kgs per week. Eat lots of protein. 1g for every pound of bodyweight is minimum.

And most important: Take your time, take your time and take your time. Time and consistency are what's key here.

 

[bati]

I'd probably suggest lowering squat volume to twice a week if you are also doing leg based cardio. How often do you deadlift?

I know the feel of contemplating existence between sets. My 5x5 Dealift on Saturdays gives me so much clarity in those 2 minute rest periods.

DL twice per week, but much lower weight because my stabilising muscles haven't fully adjusted yet and the last thing I want now is to risk injury that puts me out of commission for a couple of weeks. I'll try lowering the weight on squats or even switch to low weight high rep mode for a while and see how that goes.

 

[Kenpachii]

Would totally advice low weight lots of reps if you just start again.

 

[Typhares]

So you want to work out 5 days a week? First get back into it at a reasonable pace with both weight and volume.
For cardio on the in between days I would suggest a 30min HIIT session to be more effective than anything else.
One exercise my coach used to recommend is running on a treadmill turned off. It's a killer!

 

[bati]

No, 3 days, in about 2 months I'll switch to 4 (upper lower split), after 2 months of that I'll do the 5 day split. Right now I'm just trying to squeeze some cardio in on the off days - partially because I want to shed weight faster but the other big reason is that I'm starting to feel restless on my off days.

 

[llien]

1g for every pound of bodyweight is minimum.

So, assuming 2 pounds are roughly 1 kg and an average dude would be about 180 pounds, that's 360g of protein per day... minimum???

bati
Given you don't even want to gain leg muscles and the main goal is weight loss, either not caring about fatigue or dropping one day of leg exercise per week sounds like a no-brainer from my rather limited experience.

I'd personally also go with lower weight but without guiders.

 

[JimmyRustler]

So, assuming 2 pounds are roughly 1 kg and an average dude would be about 180 pounds, that's 360g of protein per day... minimum???

Check your math mate. 1g for every pound. Average guy with 180 pounds that makes 180g of protein, which is easily doable. Especially if you add a protein shake here and there.

 

[hargwood]

So, assuming 2 pounds are roughly 1 kg and an average dude would be about 180 pounds, that's 360g of protein per day... minimum???

bati
Given you don't even want to gain leg muscles and the main goal is weight loss, either not caring about fatigue or dropping one day of leg exercise per week sounds like a no-brainer from my rather limited experience.

I'd personally also go with lower weight but without guiders.

1g for every pound of bodyweight is actually the maximum amount that shows any benefits. Anywhere from .6g per pound of bodyweight is sufficient.

I weigh 185lb's and try to aim for 140-160g protein a day.

 

[Typhares]

No, 3 days, in about 2 months I'll switch to 4 (upper lower split), after 2 months of that I'll do the 5 day split. Right now I'm just trying to squeeze some cardio in on the off days - partially because I want to shed weight faster but the other big reason is that I'm starting to feel restless on my off days.

But cardio on the off day is a workout. so yeah I stand by a 30min HIIT on off days.

 

[Anasta]

Glad to hear that people starts to go to the gym ! I go to the gym now for 8 years! I want to have my own gym one day and be a trainer of it )

 

[Fnord]

If your primary goal is really fat loss, you'll want to lift heavy weights and limit your cardio. Lean muscle mass consumes far more calories throughout the day than you burn doing cardio and steady state cardio is the enemy of muscle mass.

 

[bati]

But cardio on the off day is a workout. so yeah I stand by a 30min HIIT on off days.

Ok, semantics lol. Yes I do want to be active 5 days a week if that's what you were asking. As I mentioned in one of my posts, I'm starting to get restless on my days off and would like to fill in that void. As for HIIT, I used to do it on the treadmill and it's pretty good, but I hate running in general so I'll probably opt for a spinning bike method this time around.

 

[JimmyRustler]

1g for every pound of bodyweight is actually the maximum amount that shows any benefits. Anywhere from .6g per pound of bodyweight is sufficient.

I weigh 185lb's and try to aim for 140-160g protein a day.

Better aim for higher protein intake. It‘s not only the healthiest of the big 3 (protein, carbs, fat) but it‘s also the best if you want to loose weight because unlike carbs and fat your body does not store protein - which is, by the way, also the reason why it‘s recommended to get some protein into your body every 3-4 hours.

So OP, hit it with the brotein. Unlike with the other 2 you can‘t go wrong here.

 

[Uhtred]

I simply want to ad that skull crushers for older GAF can be very taxing on your elbows, I would advise to stop going heavy, if you feel discomfort. As we age, we have to adjust our routine.

 

[black_13]

I simply want to ad that skull crushers for older GAF can be very taxing on your elbows, I would advise to stop going heavy, if you feel discomfort. As we age, we have to adjust our routine.

Yea I don't go heavy on skull crushers anymore. Only on the cable push down now. Same with chin up's. They hurt my elbows so I do wide pull ups instead.
Most important thing is not everyone is the same and what works for someone won't work for everybody. Gotta listen to your body and adjust accordingly.

 

[Scopa]

Sorry to bump, seemed the most relevant thread.

I’ve been walking 5km a day, roughly 6 times a week for the past 5 months. I’ve slowly worked my way up to power walking.

Now, my question. There are tons of online calculators to measure pace and calories burned, but not a single one I can find lists my speed under the “walking” excercise (used to determine calculation). It seems that the highest walking speed listed is way below my actual speed and the only ones that match my speed are listed under “running”, which is not the excercise I am doing.

I want as accurate a calculation as I can get, so does anyone know of a calculator that is more comprehensive? Keep in mind, I am not interested in a Fitbit type fitness watch that tracks my movements. Just a calculator.

Hopefully someone can help me.

 

[bati]

What's your walking speed and how do you measure it?

Fwiw there are a lot of pedometer apps on mobile where you type in your weight, height and age and it then approximates your calorie burn.

 

[Scopa]

What's your walking speed and how do you measure it?

Fwiw there are a lot of pedometer apps on mobile where you type in your weight, height and age and it then approximates your calorie burn.

Current speed = 10.05 km/hr
1 km = 5m 58.2s
2.79 metres per second

167.5 metres per minute

I use a pace calculator. I type in my time and distance and it gives me my average speed, I guess. Not sure how accurate it is.

Cheers, I’ll look into pedometer apps.

 

[betrayal]

Current speed = 10.05 km/hr
1 km = 5m 58.2s
2.79 metres per second

167.5 metres per minute

I use a pace calculator. I type in my time and distance and it gives me my average speed, I guess. Not sure how accurate it is.

Cheers, I’ll look into pedometer apps.

I'm pretty sure you can compare power walking with running if the speed's about the same. So where is the problem?

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-does-running-burn-2911108

There's a tool offering different speeds for running. You're running/walking at a pace of ~6 miles per hour (which is ~10 min / mile offered by the calculator). You probably already found a lot of these calculators yourself, but like i said i think you'll be fine using this one.

 

[bati]

10kmh is already running speed, I'd double check your distance measurements to be sure.

Also, if coverage in your area is good I'd recommend you use GPS for distance tracking in pedometer apps instead of step length, especially if you're doing power walking.

One that I used in the past is MapMyHike, i liked it back then because it was very accurate (up to 20m on a 12km walk through the local hills) but I don't remember if it had a built in calorie calc. I do remember that you could choose type of exercise though (walking, running, hiking, cycling).

 

[Scopa]

I'm pretty sure you can compare power walking with running if the speed's about the same. So where is the problem?

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-does-running-burn-2911108

There's a tool offering different speeds for running. You're running/walking at a pace of ~6 miles per hour (which is ~10 min / mile offered by the calculator). You probably already found a lot of these calculators yourself, but like i said i think you'll be fine using this one.

Because I am not running, I’m walking. Everything I’ve read says running (even slowly) raises your heart rate more than walking. Therefore, more calories burned. I’m trying to get it as accurate as possible (whilst being fully aware these calories calcs are just estimations).

10kmh is already running speed, I'd double check your distance measurements to be sure.

Also, if coverage in your area is good I'd recommend you use GPS for distance tracking in pedometer apps instead of step length, especially if you're doing power walking.

One that I used in the past is MapMyHike, i liked it back then because it was very accurate (up to 20m on a 12km walk through the local hills) but I don't remember if it had a built in calorie calc. I do remember that you could choose type of exercise though (walking, running, hiking, cycling).

Call me “tinfoil”, but I really don’t want to add yet another tracker to my phone. I can’t trust those things. My phone already tracks me enough.

EDIT: I’ll look into pedometer apps, otherwise I might just have to buy a fitness watch and then bury it when I’m not walking, lol.

 

[betrayal]

Because I am not running, I’m walking. Everything I’ve read says running (even slowly) raises your heart rate more than walking. Therefore, more calories burned. I’m trying to get it as accurate as possible (whilst being fully aware these calories calcs are just estimations).

Don't overcomplicate this. When you walk or run at your speed then the only difference between walking and running is, that when walking at least one foot must always be in contact with the ground. Considerung calories burnt walking and running at ~10 km/h are equally efficient. Theres virtually no difference when we're talking about calories burnt.

 

[Scopa]

Don't overcomplicate this. When you walk or run at your speed then the only difference between walking and running is, that when walking at least one foot must always be in contact with the ground. Considerung calories burnt walking and running at ~10 km/h are equally efficient. Theres virtually no difference when we're talking about calories burnt.

Really? Everything I’ve read seems to say the opposite, but you are probably right. Thanks.

 

[bati]

Really? Everything I’ve read seems to say the opposite, but you are probably right. Thanks.

If you want to be conservative with estimations then just multiply values for running with 0.9 or 0.95.

 

[mcjmetroid]

Ben,I have a question!

My Issue:
I was a small enough guy but have gained a significant amount of bulk it by gyming it and changing my diet to go all out on protein and calories.
Problem is I may have gone too far with it.

I'm bigger but I'm struggling to get rid of my lower belly which I'm told is perfectly normal for what I was trying to do. It's not horrible by any means and you can still see I have a six pack buried under there.

I know the obvious solution is to do more cardio, go on a high protein low calorie diet but I'm terrified of losing my muscle gains if I do this.
Is there a good way to know a good balance and when you should start seeing the results of your new efforts?

 

[E-Cat]

Ben,I have a question!

My Issue:
I was a small enough guy but have gained a significant amount of bulk it by gyming it and changing my diet to go all out on protein and calories.
Problem is I may have gone too far with it.

I'm bigger but I'm struggling to get rid of my lower belly which I'm told is perfectly normal for what I was trying to do. It's not horrible by any means and you can still see I have a six pack buried under there.

I know the obvious solution is to do more cardio, go on a high protein low calorie diet but I'm terrified of losing my muscle gains if I do this.
Is there a good way to know a good balance and when you should start seeing the results of your new efforts?

Do switch to a high protein diet and cardio, but continue lifting the same weights as you currently are. As long as you can maintain this, logic would dictate you are not losing any muscle mass, as you would not be able to keep lifting the same weights if you were.

 

[mcjmetroid]

Do switch to a high protein diet and cardio, but continue lifting the same weights as you do currently. As long as you can maintain this, logic would dictate you are not losing muscle mass, as you would not be able to keep lifting the same weights if you were.

Ya I'll just keep doing what I'm doing anyway I guess. I think I'll axe the yoghurts from my diet as well and things like that.
I need to start calorie counting and all that jazz to see where I'm going wrong.

 

[bati]

Ok so I'll ask a question as well - has any of you had a pulled groin and how long did it take you to recover?

I got injured about 3 weeks ago and initially thought it was hernia because my testicle was tingling and felt like it was being pulled up left (injury on left side). Doctor could not find any bulge and said the tingling and pulling is likely caused by the inflammation that's pressing on the nerves. Thankfully that feeling went away after about 2 weeks but I still feel some pain where the thigh tendons attach to hip and public bone - the pain was almost completely gone last week so I did dealifts again and felt it the next morning.

It's fucking killing me right now that I cannot do deadlifts

 

[Scopa]

Has anyone here done an ACL before?

 

[Romulus]

I'd like to share a bit of advice on the longevity side. These are my thoughts from 21 years of consistent training, mostly bobybuilding/power lifting but I've always done cardio routinely. Never took prohormones or steroids ever.

Everyone is different so this is just me.

Consistency equaled longevity for me. I put a ton of strain on myself and never took off more than a few weeks due to injuries. Here some of the things that helped me. Much of it already known.

-Warm up at home before you go to the gym if possible. Your mind is free from distractions. It's literally the most important part of your workout and you need 100% concentration. I tell every young guy this. Buy a pair of bands, small dumbbells and you're set.
-Take vitamins consistently.
-Routinely rotate heavy lifts, barbell, dumbbells, machines, bands, chains, bodyweight, combos.
-Plenty of sleep
-Hydration is key. Don't ever complain about injuries if you can't do this
-Stay away from alcohol/smoking
-Stay consistent. I believe now my dedication prevented injury by keeping the ligaments and supportive tissue strong. Lots of fluctuations in tissue strength doesn't make sense to me long term.

I'm still enjoying it, even through lots of relationships, career, and family crises, it's always been my anchor. I think it can help anyone if we can stay mostly injury free.
I started at 6'4 200lbs and now I easily maintain 260lbs 14% bf with cardio 4x per week. It took years to reach this point, and I'm literally still gaining at near 40 years old. I think the focus on injury prevention from the start helped the long game.
My first workout partner was an older guy and I watched him suffer from injuries from the mistakes he made early on.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

-Warm up at home before you go to the gym if possible. Your mind is free from distractions. It's literally the most important part of your workout and you need 100% concentration. I tell every young guy this. Buy a pair of bands, small dumbbells and you're set.

You mean dynamic stretching right?

 

[Romulus]

You mean dynamic stretching right?

Thats part of what I do, but really what I'm saying is warm up alone with no distractions if possible.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I'd like to share a bit of advice on the longevity side. These are my thoughts from 21 years of consistent training, mostly bobybuilding/power lifting but I've always done cardio routinely. Never took prohormones or steroids ever.

Everyone is different so this is just me.

Consistency equaled longevity for me. I put a ton of strain on myself and never took off more than a few weeks due to injuries. Here some of the things that helped me. Much of it already known.

-Warm up at home before you go to the gym if possible. Your mind is free from distractions. It's literally the most important part of your workout and you need 100% concentration. I tell every young guy this. Buy a pair of bands, small dumbbells and you're set.
-Take vitamins consistently.
-Routinely rotate heavy lifts, barbell, dumbbells, machines, bands, chains, bodyweight, combos.
-Plenty of sleep
-Hydration is key. Don't ever complain about injuries if you can't do this
-Stay away from alcohol/smoking
-Stay consistent. I believe now my dedication prevented injury by keeping the ligaments and supportive tissue strong. Lots of fluctuations in tissue strength doesn't make sense to me long term.

I'm still enjoying it, even through lots of relationships, career, and family crises, it's always been my anchor. I think it can help anyone if we can stay mostly injury free.
I started at 6'4 200lbs and now I easily maintain 260lbs 14% bf with cardio 4x per week. It took years to reach this point, and I'm literally still gaining at near 40 years old. I think the focus on injury prevention from the start helped the long game.
My first workout partner was an older guy and I watched him suffer from injuries from the mistakes he made early on.

While I would not say your wrong I’d argue that most of your points aren’t that important. I’ve seen poeple getting injured despite paying attention to all of these.

If you ask me the two most important things are to have complete focus on your training and to know your limits. All the streching in the world would help you one bit if you overdo it. After all, it just takes one sloppy form and one bad day to cause an injury and none of your points will help you in such a case.

 

[Romulus]

While I would not say your wrong I’d argue that most of your points aren’t that important. I’ve seen poeple getting injured despite paying attention to all of these.

If you ask me the two most important things are to have complete focus on your training and to know your limits. All the streching in the world would help you one bit if you overdo it. After all, it just takes one sloppy form and one bad day to cause an injury and none of your points will help you in such a case.

What does "complete focus on your training" mean though? Everyone thinks they know their limit until they get hurt.

So that's not for me to tell anyone what "overdoing it" is though, outside of ridiculous things. I've seen guys kill themselves in gym with below average form rarely get hurt, but I've also seen guys with great form get get hurt constantly. Everyone is different. I can't control any if those things and there lots of different form styles. At some you have test those limits, right? At least somewhat.

In my experience, rarely anyone warms up properly though. I can control that. They say they do, but typically it's really quick afterthoughts.

Idk, no one I've trained has ever had a injury working out with me and I had over 200+ clients in 11 years personal training. I bore the fuck outta guys warming up supporting muscle groups 20min but they came back to me or stuck with it.

 

[Tesseract]

ratman has no limits

 

[bronk]

Anyone have experience with Anavar?

 

[dyergram]

Not sure wether you have access to a sauna but that can help with recovery also you could try Epsom salts in the bath. I would recomend creatine as well I find it helps me recover.

 

[bronk]

Not sure wether you have access to a sauna but that can help with recovery also you could try Epsom salts in the bath. I would recomend creatine as well I find it helps me recover.

Sauna is so fantastic i need to use it more. Both gyms I go to have them but im always rushing out when I'm done.