The Fitness Thread!

[Guest The Architect]

I'm surprised you got more than a page of replies on a site full of nerds.

[Fish Of Doom]

oh, you should see the one i started on relicnews. there's a surprisingly big amount of us nerds who work out.

[BruceVC]

I rejoined the gym 2 weeks go and I have been doing 40 minutes of Cardio 3-4 times a week

I also have a road running route which is 3 km which I want to do twice a week. I am unfit so I am not pushing myself but I am already feeling fitter

Edited November 13, 2012 by BruceVC

[Nepenthe]

I'm looking at shedding 40 kilos (well, it's 38,5 after the ~first week), ie. get back to my army/karate days weight and shape. Obviously gonna need to do a mass (no pun intended) of different things to get there, but am enjoying the initial stage where just eating better is working wonders. Exercise and more sleep are coming next...

[BruceVC]

I'm looking at shedding 40 kilos (well, it's 38,5 after the ~first week), ie. get back to my army/karate days weight and shape. Obviously gonna need to do a mass (no pun intended) of different things to get there, but am enjoying the initial stage where just eating better is working wonders. Exercise and more sleep are coming next...

 

Holy Smoke, 40 kg is a lot, my g-friend weighs 54 kg If you don't mind me asking how much do you weigh?

[Nepenthe]

I'm looking at shedding 40 kilos (well, it's 38,5 after the ~first week), ie. get back to my army/karate days weight and shape. Obviously gonna need to do a mass (no pun intended) of different things to get there, but am enjoying the initial stage where just eating better is working wonders. Exercise and more sleep are coming next...

 

Holy Smoke, 40 kg is a lot, my g-friend weighs 54 kg If you don't mind me asking how much do you weigh?

More than your girlfriend. Let's just say that I'm a big guy, and even with my target weight they wouldn't allow more than three of me in a four person elevator.

 

In fact, I almost got there three years ago (in 8 months), but it was too fast, and when my gf ditched me (short version is that she was engaged a week later, which ****ed me up quite a bit) I ate it all back in the same period of time.

 

I'm now not using a single chick with the flattest stomach on the planet as my motivator, and am taking a slower approach to make sure that it lasts this time.

[BruceVC]

I'm looking at shedding 40 kilos (well, it's 38,5 after the ~first week), ie. get back to my army/karate days weight and shape. Obviously gonna need to do a mass (no pun intended) of different things to get there, but am enjoying the initial stage where just eating better is working wonders. Exercise and more sleep are coming next...

 

Holy Smoke, 40 kg is a lot, my g-friend weighs 54 kg If you don't mind me asking how much do you weigh?

More than your girlfriend. Let's just say that I'm a big guy, and even with my target weight they wouldn't allow more than three of me in a four person elevator.

 

In fact, I almost got there three years ago (in 8 months), but it was too fast, and when my gf ditched me (short version is that she was engaged a week later, which ****ed me up quite a bit) I ate it all back in the same period of time.

 

I'm now not using a single chick with the flattest stomach on the planet as my motivator, and am taking a slower approach to make sure that it lasts this time.

 

 

Thank for sharing

 

Its not good to be motivated by a very slim person, I find it makes the journey to get into shape harder. Personally I prefer to follow my own path, of course you need to have discipline

 

I have this super hot 21 year old gym instructor friend who wants to take me on as one of her clients. And I not exaggerating when I say she is "super hot". I have been avoiding her offer because for me it will be too embarrassing suffering under her orders until I am at a certain fitness level.

 

Keep us updated about your progress on the weight loss

[Nepenthe]

Its not good to be motivated by a very slim person, I find it makes the journey to get into shape harder.

It wasn't so much that she was slim, it was that she was mind-blowingly sexy (and a phd student like me, one of the smart ones - not necessarily like me). The One that Got Away.

 

Or, as it's starting to look now, one of the two that got away. FML. ;D

 

In fact, I'm also in a somewhat similar situation re your other problem, the awesome girl here from work keeps dropping suggestions about going to the gym together, but huffing and puffing on a crosstrainer is about the last thing I want to show her at the moment. In a few months, sure, but not now...

[Malcador]

I should join a gym, these dire prognostications from my doctors are getting old. Really miss the old condo, had a tiny gym downstairs. Can't even walk very far with this busted foot too, but that's temporary.

[Fish Of Doom]

good luck, nep!

 

also, you should all lift weights :D

[Solonik]

alternatively, you could simply hit the gym every day (and eventually, BOTH daily gym going AND manual labor :D)

 

I recommend that you also cut sleep back to 6 hours, cut all protein from your diet, and do ballistic stretches before warming up. You know, for maximum effect. Oh, and run with 20 pound weights on your ankles.

 

Also, any of you guys active on fitocracy?

 

Yea bro, imo everyone should have a fitness blog. "Today I did 5 push ups and ran a mile, I want you all to know."

 

---

 

I should join a gym, these dire prognostications from my doctors are getting old. Really miss the old condo, had a tiny gym downstairs. Can't even walk very far with this busted foot too, but that's temporary.

 

What happened?

Edited November 14, 2012 by Solonik

[Fish Of Doom]

alternatively, you could simply hit the gym every day (and eventually, BOTH daily gym going AND manual labor :D)

 

I recommend that you also cut sleep back to 6 hours, cut all protein from your diet, and do ballistic stretches before warming up. You know, for maximum effect. Oh, and run with 20 pound weights on your ankles.

 

Also, any of you guys active on fitocracy?

 

Yea bro, imo everyone should have a fitness blog. "Today I did 5 push ups and ran a mile, I want you all to know."

 

my, my, someone is cranky.

[Solonik]

my, my, someone is cranky.

 

 

 

That's what I say when I disagree with someone for emotional reason but know they are right.

[Fish Of Doom]

might i ask what exactly your problem is? my comments were mostly tongue in cheek, as indicated by the use of smileys, as per standard internet communication guidelines. you, on the other hand, employed hyperbole to attack what i said. and i'll have you know that it's perfectly possible to work out 7 days a week, if one's intensity, volume and exercise selection are regulated accordingly. of course if you go high-volume, high-intensity and high-frequency at the same time, you're going to burn out eventually (and potentially very quickly), but that is what deloads, rest days or even rest weeks are for, as well as, given enough time and money, recovery amplifiers such as deep-tissue massages, uninterrupted natural sleep and supplementation such as creatine (or, in places where they are legal, and given knowledge on how to use them safely, anabolic steroids, if one were so inclined for whatever reason).

 

as far as training logs go, i find them useful, the community in fitocracy has resulted in me making new friends, and i have both helped other people and been helped by other people as regarding workouts, therefore i have found it both fun and useful. if you have a personal vendetta against people who spam their workouts everywhere (and yes, i agree, that does get annoying), that is an entirely separate matter.

 

feel up to a civilized discussion on the subject?

Edited November 15, 2012 by Fish Of Doom

[Solonik]

feel up to a civilized discussion on the subject?

 

There is nothing to add to what I said originally.

 

Seven days a week is only realistic for a pure bw routine, usually with one day off anyway. Or, if you are doing a 4-day+ split, which applies to very few people.

 

As far as training logs - you are welcome to keep one, but as far as fitocracy goes - it's a waste of time, a way to pat yourself on the back, publicly, for something that becomes a habit over time anyway, and generally just a way for people to feel they are a part of a community. In most cases, it becomes counter-productive, if anything - kind of like study groups. This isn't a personal vendetta, this is just a statement which has a logical foundation. As far as helping each other - read a book. I am not saying you didn't, I am saying that there is a lot of crap posted around fitness forums, and especially fitocracy and the board where you got your keyword ideas.

 

I think none of that needed to be said though, as it's fairly self-explanatory.

Edited November 15, 2012 by Solonik

[Hurlshort]

This is a thread about encouraging physical activity, it could do without the attacks Solonik.

 

 

With kids and a job, getting to the gym can be pretty tough, but I've found since I changed my diet recently that I'm feeling lighter and more able when I do get in some hockey or other activities. My work schedule clears up a lot during the winter, so hopefully I can do some strength building stuff for the next few months.

[Solonik]

This is a thread about encouraging physical activity, it could do without the attacks Solonik.

 

I personally think my tone is warranted in terms of stressing point. Obviously you and OP disagree, and it can be safely assumed that most do, since otherwise you wouldn't stick up for OP despite me not addressing you specifically. So, technically I should apologize to OP, but I shan't.

 

With kids and a job, getting to the gym can be pretty tough, but I've found since I changed my diet recently that I'm feeling lighter and more able when I do get in some hockey or other activities.

 

Fitness is generally mostly about free time and money (as well as current fitness level, genetics, and number of pre-existing injuries), so I agree with you there. I find it hilarious when people try to make it out to be some huge accomplishment and challenge of will when given those few factors.

 

I had a job about an hour away from my house with 10 hour shifts for a while. It was pretty much work and gym for a year. I can't imagine how it would look if I had kids, so props.

Edited November 15, 2012 by Solonik

[Fish Of Doom]

not really, squat one day, deadlift or do farmer's walks another, press and pull (rows or chins) the third day, repeat, and you have a perfectly sustainable routine for a few weeks. even if you're a newbie, if you actually start light, progress in small increments, and eat and sleep correctly like one is supposed to do, you could probably keep it up for a month or two and take advantage of the low loads (which for a while will be lower than in a BW routine*) to groove technique for the lifts and build up work capacity, until you need to reduce training volume and/or frequency to deal with the increased intensity. this does not however mean that i'm saying that anyone should do this (i might get on it myself if i stall too badly in the near future, though); i'm simply saying that it's not impossible.

 

*not that there's any difference between weight training and bodyweight training, physiologically speaking.

 

re: fitocracy:

 

1- "it's a waste of time, a way to pat yourself on the back for something that becomes a habit over time anyway, and generally just a way for people to feel they are a part of a community" applies just as readily to video-gaming forums such as this one (or probably most kinds of forums, for that matter).

 

2- if it helped me, and has helped other people, it's not a waste of time. if it has brought me friends, it's definitely not a waste of time either.

 

3- why the anti-gravitational fornication would reading a book (which i do a fair amount of, thank you very much, in fact i have a backlog of training books that i need to buy, many of which are from recommendations found on fitocracy, by the way) be mutually exclusive with having other people help me/helping others myself? i do both, and i'm perfectly happy this way.

 

re: keyword ideas: if you're referring to the tags, i put them in simply because i find them funny. i see no point in you bringing something as tangential as that into this discussion, unless it is meant as some sort of attack on my person and/or what i wrote (btw, the board i got them from? not sure which you're referring to. i learned about the DYEL? meme from fito, knew about curls in the squat rack from pretty much every fitness source ever way before i joined, and the protein for the protein god one is just a mutation of a wh40k meme applied to protein).

[Solonik]

not really, squat one day, deadlift or do farmer's walks another, press and pull (rows or chins) the third day, repeat, and you have a perfectly sustainable routine for a few weeks.

 

There is also that whole practicality thing, where you are driving to the gym and warming up for 3 exercises.

 

unless it is meant as some sort of attack on my person and/or what i wrote

 

That was the intention, though you might be overestimating how much I care about insulting you. You made sarcastic remarks, I did in response, etc.

 

Anyway, I am going to stop arguing with you now. Note that I don't say that in the sense of "I am the adult, I am going to stop, kid." Obviously I started this, so I am stopping. I will post in the thread if anything interesting comes up.

[Fish Of Doom]

fair enough

[BruceVC]

not really, squat one day, deadlift or do farmer's walks another, press and pull (rows or chins) the third day, repeat, and you have a perfectly sustainable routine for a few weeks.

 

There is also that whole practicality thing, where you are driving to the gym and warming up for 3 exercises.

 

unless it is meant as some sort of attack on my person and/or what i wrote

 

That was the intention, though you might be overestimating how much I care about insulting you. You made sarcastic remarks, I did in response, etc.

 

Anyway, I am going to stop arguing with you now. Note that I don't say that in the sense of "I am the adult, I am going to stop, kid." Obviously I started this, so I am stopping. I will post in the thread if anything interesting comes up.

 

Generally I am finding your advice irritating, arrogant and unhelpful.

 

Also if you are going to apologize or walk away from a debate, because you are wrong, learn to do it gracefully. But a belligerent and snide explanation of why you are leaving is almost as bad as not apologizing at all

[Azure79]

I spend about two hours total going to the gym, working out, coming back and showering. I have one within walking distance from where I live that is open 24 hours, so it is very convenient.

 

I split my exercise into strength and endurance.

 

For strength I have a three day split going with an alternating push/pull. On push days I do back squat, overhead press, standing calf raises and bench press in that order. On pull days, I do Olympic lifts working up to my max in clean and jerk and snatch first, then I do front squats followed by some accessory work for my back and glutes like rows, lat pulls, reverse hypers etc. I'll throw in one set of heavy deadlifts for 5 reps after my O-lifts.

 

On weekday mornings when I don't lift, I ride my bike on a 12 mile trail with a massive hill at the end. I have a Raleigh Revenio 3.0 which I think is a great starter bike and it only cost me $800 at REI. I have a biking buddy that I ride with who I also lift with. I pretty much hate running but love the feel of speed when biking.

 

On weekdays I'll usually go on longer rides all over the city or I'll work on my O-lift forms with light weight practicing my form for about 100 reps total.

 

I think the two complement each other well. After cycling, my legs feel incredibly invigorated and I think it loosens them up because I always squat better the next day after a long ride.

 

Anywho, I've been lifting seriously for about a year. It's really enjoyable and I find that most of the pain I had in my right shoulder and hip have totally disappeared, I eat better because it directly improves my lifting and I sleep better.

[Guard Dog]

I used to work out at LA Fitness (great place to meet women) regularly until I had a bad car accident a few years ago. Since then I have a little extra hardware in me and just can't take the pounding. So now I rely on working around my place to keep me in shape. Plus I'm smart about what I eat and have really cut back on the booze. Other than that my chainsaw, splitting axe, fence tools, and shovel/rake are my only work out equipment.

[Nepenthe]

I used to work out at LA Fitness (great place to meet women)

My cousin's American husband always teases me about how stupid Finns are. We think that gyms are actually for working out, and bars actually for drinking and don't understand that both exist primarily for meeting people of the opposite sex.

 

I've been to a gym that existed primarily for meeting people of the same sex, though... Unaware

Edited November 19, 2012 by Nepenthe

[Guard Dog]

Now I bet THAT was awkward!