The General Fitness Thread ( Part 2 )

[LadyCrimson]

@TrueNeutral/Manifested - face exercises have been a secret of (some) women for ages. We always think to exercise our bodies ... faces are part of it and there are a lot of muscles in the face. Helps keep the face from sagging so much as you get older. At least that's the theory. I'm not quite old enough to truly test that one yet.

 

Also, one of my favorite biographical stories when I was a kid was the guy who "laughed himself" back to health. Not that it was that simple of course. But I loved the story. First forcing himself to laugh, then becoming more and more genuine with his attitude and perhaps his wellness improving with it. Smiling and laughter are great happiness/attitude tools, I think. I can't remember who that was, back in the early 80's maybe, someone my parents were familiar with.

 

Back to working out after about 3 weeks off

omg I'm dying.

[Woldan]

Working on my single arm dumbbell shoulder presses without leg drive or excessive leaning, one of the hardest exercises since you need a lot of core to keep your body straight and the weight is so far away from your center.

 

Working my way up to the 50kg / 133lbs mark. Currently I'm only doing about 47kg / 103lbs for a couple reps. 

 

Edited June 15, 2015 by Woldan

[Hurlshort]

I got a fitbit Charge HR last week, it is pretty awesome.  Doesn't really do a good job tracking hockey, but it is great for my daily runs and everything else.  It also tracks sleep, which is cool. 

[Woldan]

I got a fitbit Charge HR last week, it is pretty awesome.  Doesn't really do a good job tracking hockey, but it is great for my daily runs and everything else.  It also tracks sleep, which is cool. 

Not dissing your recent purchase in any way but is knowing your heart rate at the press of a button really worth 150 bucks?  I can do that manually. And while sleep tracking sounds kinda nice I usually know how much I sleep without using any devices monitoring me because my daily sleep schedule is extremely consistent - 7 hours +/- 30 minutes. And last but not least calories, there is a pretty accurate online calculator (which I never use because the amount of calories I burn during my cycling stints is not of interest to me)

 

Like I said, no offense, just some thoughts off the top of my head, I'm sure its a nice gadget but I'm having a hard time trying to evaluate its practical usefulness. 

Edited June 15, 2015 by Woldan

[Hurlshort]

It is definitely just a glorified pedometer.  I actually had no interest in tracking my runs or heart rate until my wife got one, and then I got tech envy.  

 

Still, it puts all the vital information in one easy to navigate app, so that's nice.  Plus I haven't owned a watch for years, and it is synced with my phone so the caller ID shows up on it when my phone rings.  So it's a fun little luxury.  

 

This isn't my dashboard, but this is an example of what it looks like:

 

 

It also lets you compare to your friends, so that scratches the competitive itch.  

[213374U]

Unless the device in question constantly requires you to wear a respirator mask to monitor gas exchanges, calorie counts aren't something I'd put much stock in, sorry. A VO₂max test-derived calorie expenditure estimation coupled with body fat % measurement is much more reliable, and even with that there is a non-negligible error margin. Counting calories is a self-imposed torment anyway, and nobody should be doing it. Train hard, train smart, and eat as much as you need. (and then some, if you are a skinny bastard like myself)

 

Then again, I have better things to spend $150 on, so I might just be rationalizing here.

 

edit: oh, great. ninja'd. I definitely need to type posts faster.

Edited June 15, 2015 by 213374U

[Hurlshort]

My metabolism has changed quite a bit since I hit my mid-thirties though, so I've started to pay a bit more attention to what I eat.  Not really calories, per se, but I do try and watch the fat and sugar.  Who am I kidding though, I am terrible and watching the sugar.  

 

But yeah, the fitbit just gives you an average idea of calories, it's not going to be terribly accurate.  Even the heart rate monitor can be a bit iffy.

[Woldan]

It also lets you compare to your friends, so that scratches the competitive itch.  

Ah, I guess that little gadget is totally worth it then if you're one of those who need motivation in form of competition. 

[213374U]

One of the newsletters I'm subscribed to had this: Is Obesity a Choice? (inb4 fit shaming)

 

Which leads me to another important question: Why Are Words Randomly Capitalised?

[Hurlshort]

One of the newsletters I'm subscribed to had this: Is Obesity a Choice? (inb4 fit shaming)

 

Which leads me to another important question: Why Are Words Randomly Capitalised?

 

If only there was some sort of place where we could educate young people about nutrition and physical exercise, so they can break free from the cycle.  Maybe even dedicate an entire class to such a thing.

[Woldan]

Seeing the majority of teens run around obese and unhealthy nowadays almost makes me want to become a physical education teacher, besides providing them with a good general fitness program I'd make them read some really important books from established athletes for homework. Required-reading books shouldn't be limited to history, religion and language classes. 

 

I remember my physical education class, it was a joke. 

Edited June 22, 2015 by Woldan

[Gfted1]

I wonder if general PE classes ae so "light" because the school could become responsible for any injuries. My daughters high school offers a dedicated weightlifting class (she took it) so they seem to offer more seriouse alternatives if the students want them.

 

That crooked bar is messin' with my OCD Woldan.

[Woldan]

That crooked bar is messin' with my OCD Woldan.

 

I know exactly how you feel, and knowing that it was just the stupid camera angle/tilt doesn't help either. Should I ever feel narcissistic enough again to make a still of myself doing a max lift I'll make sure the camera is set up properly. 

 

Speaking of narcissistic and avatars, a clean strict 90kg shoulder press.  Bar power cleaned and pressed off the chest, no leg drive, no leaning, no belt. 

 

Edited June 22, 2015 by Woldan

[Woldan]

Anyone need a motivational for squats and lunges?   

 

[213374U]

Hip thrusting is where it's at (skip to 0:48)

 

 

 

[Woldan]

Hm maybe not, I'd sure as hell get a stiff......back from that exercise. 

[Woldan]

Doing one of my favorite exercises, 78kg strict standing goblet shoulder presses. Most people don't even know this exercise, and those who do don't like them, they're harder than barbell presses because the arms are so close together. I think its a very functional exercise because outside of a gym you'll never pick up a heavy object perfectly shaped like a barbell. This exercise simulates picking up and pressing a heavy compact weight over your head. 

Oh, and the dumbbell is put on the ground each rep so you have to get it into position first before pressing it. 

 

Just don't do them with sweaty palms, I recommend using chalk and a strong grip to prevent your hands from slipping and crushing your head with 70-80 kilograms of steel. 

Edited August 2, 2015 by Woldan

[Raithe]

One that might appeal to a few people here..

 

The Art Of Manliness - Prisoner Workout

 

 

 

Besides a few brief stints of freedom, notorious British criminal and troublemaker Charles Salvador (better known as Charles Bronson) has been serving time since 1974. During these decades behind bars, and often confined to isolation, Bronson has become a fitness fanatic, creating workout programs that require only his bodyweight and a few odd objects. His extreme regimen has given him near-superhuman strength — he claims to be able to do 172 push-ups in 60 seconds, pick up a pool table by himself, and bend a steel prison cell door with his bare hands. He’s set many prison fitness records as well, including one for most push-ups in an hour: 1,727.

 

Now, it’d be easy to take Bronson’s claims with a grain of salt. The man is not only a convicted criminal, but his violent, loose-cannon behavior has earned him the label of “Britain’s most notorious prisoner.” But Bronson is hardly the only inmate who’s managed to gain impressive strength without access to barbells, nutritious food, or supplements. Prisoners all over the world have created highly effective strength-building routines they can perform in the tiny space of their cell or with limited equipment in the jail yard. For men who are locked up, being strong and looking strong isn’t just about aesthetics and personal development; the appearance of size and prowess acts as a deterrent to attack and can be necessary for survival. While most of us will thankfully never end up behind bars, I think we can all take a lesson from convicts on how to not let your circumstances be an excuse for your fitness goals. Below we highlight bodyweight exercises used by prisoners the world over to get strong and stay strong.

 

The Benefits of Bodyweight Workouts

You can do them anywhere. Don’t have time to make it to the gym? Travel a lot? Locked up for 5-10 years? Great! You can do the prisoner workout anywhere…bedroom, office, hotel room, or solitary confinement.

 

It’s free. Don’t have the money for a gym membership or purchasing your own equipment? That’s not an excuse for not exercising. With a few simple bodyweight exercises, you can create a full-body workout that’s completely free.

 

Strength+cardio in a single workout. By increasing the tempo and decreasing the rest between sets and exercises, you can turn a bodyweight workout into both a high-intensity cardio session and a strength workout. In 30 minutes, you’ll be done with your exercise for the day.

 

The Exercises

Below I’ve highlighted six main bodyweight exercises that work the entire body.

However, with a little tweaking of each exercise, you can create over 50 different exercises from just these six basic movements. If you’re locked up for life, I’m sure you could come up with another 50 variations.

 

Push-ups

According to the book he wrote in prison, Solitary Fitness, Bronson performs 2,000 push-ups a day. If you start doing 10 push-ups a day and add 5 more each day, in a little over a year, you can get up to that level. Push-up Variations The push-up works multiple muscle groups including the chest, anterior deltoid, and triceps. And the great thing about it is that the exercise can be easily modified to increase difficultly and work different muscle groups.

 

Narrow/Wide Hand Placement.

By simply adjusting the placement of your hands, you can emphasize different muscle groups. Narrow hand placement works the triceps, while a wider hand placement emphasizes the pecs

 

Hindu Push-up.

This is a dynamic full-body movement that will build strength and flexibility in your chest, shoulders, back, hips, and triceps. Get in position by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend down and place your hands on the floor while keeping your arms and legs straight. You should look like an upside down human “v” with your butt being the point of the “v” and your head pointing down to the ground. To perform the Hindu push-up, you’re going to make sort of a swooping motion with your body. Bring your head down and forward by bending your elbows. When your head gets close to the ground, continue moving your torso forward by arching your back and lowering your hips. Your hips will now be near your hands. Make sure to get a good stretch in your back. Return to the starting position and repeat.

 

Handstand Push-up.

Forget shoulder presses. If you want a killer shoulder workout, look no further than the handstand push-up. To perform the handstand push-up, assume a handstand position. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your inverted body towards the ground. In order to maintain balance, you’re going to have to call on your core and other smaller stabilizing muscles. If you can’t do a stand-alone handstand, use a wall to assist you.

 

One-Armed Push-up.

You’ll have achieved top-dog, alpha-male-prisoner, beast-mode status when you can perform multiple one-handed push-ups.

 

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are a highly effective exercise that works a whole host of muscle groups, including the latissimus dorsi (the “wing” muscles on your back), biceps, traps, pecs, and forearms. Better still, they can be done anywhere there’s a place to hang from. You can buy a pull-up bar that fits in your doorframe for $30. If you don’t have access to that, monkey bars or even a tree limb at a park will work. What if you’re in a hotel? If the doorframe is wide enough, you could do some pull-ups from there — though, they’ll be more like finger pull-ups. Prison? I’m sure you can find a bar somewhere to use. There are lots of bars in there, I hear, though I guess more of the vertical than horizontal variety.

 

Pull-up Variations

Just like the push-up, pull-ups can be modified to work different muscles groups or to make the exercise more difficult.

 

Chin-up.

Shift your hand into a chin-up position, and you’ll work your biceps more and train your lats in a different way.

 

Mixed Grip Pull-up.

One hand grips the bar overhand and the other underhand.

 

Commando Pull-up.

You may remember Rocky doing these babies during his epic training montage. Take an underhand grip with one hand and an overhand grip with the other. Pull your head to one side of the bar for one rep, and then to the other side of the bar on the next rep.

 

Narrow/Wide Grip.

You can adjust your grip width to focus on different muscle groups. Try doing pull-ups with your hands right next to each other or as far apart from each other as you can. Towel Pull-ups. Hang two towels from your bar and grip one in each hand. Pull yourself up. Great for grip strength.

 

Typewriter Pull-up.

Grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up until your sternum is at the bar. Now, move your body toward one hand, taking some of the weight off the opposite hand. Keep your sternum at the bar. Return your body to the center and repeat on the opposite side. Return to the center and lower your body under control. That is one rep.

 

One-handed Pull-up.

You’ll have achieved top-dog, alpha-male-prisoner, beast-mode status when you can perform multiple one-handed pull-ups.

 

Squats

The squat is one of the most basic yet effective athletic movements. In just one exercise, you work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and inner thighs.

Squat Variations

 

Prisoner Squat.

The traditional prisoner bodyweight squat is performed by placing your hands behind your head. Squat down until your thighs are below parallel. Come up. That’s one rep. Add Weight. While you might not have access to a barbell, you can find odd objects in your environment that you can hoist up on your shoulders or hold in front of your chest. Once you’ve got your desired weight, simply squat.

 

Squat Jumps.

A plyometric version of the squat to build explosiveness. Perform a prisoner squat as you normally would, but when you reach the bottom of the squat explode up and jump off the ground as high as you can. When your feet are back on the ground, immediately sink into another squat and jump again. Great for HIIT.

 

Pistol Squat.

You’ll have achieved top-dog, alpha-male-prisoner, beast-mode status when you can perform multiple pistol squats. A pistol squat is a one-legged full squat. The leg that you’re not squatting with sticks out right in front of you when you’re in the squat position. When you’re at the bottom of the squat, you sort of look like a pistol, hence the name. It’s a beast to do and will take months to work up to. There are entire routines to help you accomplish this Herculean feat (and perhaps we’ll hit on it in the future), but one of the best exercises to help you segue into a pistol squat is to perform the assisted variety. Simply grab a pole or some other sturdy object in front of you and lower yourself into a one-legged squat position and use the pole to help pull yourself up. Eventually, you can take off these training wheels and do a free-standing one.

 

Dips

Dips work the triceps, pecs, shoulders, forearms, and core, and you don’t need a fancy dip rig to do them. Prisoners will put their hands on a chair with their feet on the floor or propped up on the bed. You can make them more difficult by placing weighted objects in your lap.

 

Hanging Leg Raises

This is a core blaster. Not only does it hit the abs, obliques, and rib muscles, but it also works your quads, hips, forearms, and shoulder muscles.

Hanging Leg Raise Variations

 

Straight Leg Raises.

Grab and hang from a bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your knees straight, raise legs by flexing hips until they are completely flexed, or knees are well above hips. Return until hips are extended downward.

 

Bent Knee Leg Raises.

If you can’t do a straight leg raise, you can modify it by bending your knees and raising them into your chest.

 

Full Straight Leg Raise.

Perform a straight leg raise as you normally would, but instead of stopping when your feet rise above your hips, keep going until your toes touch the bar.

 

Towel Straight Leg Raises.

Place two towels over the bar and grip one in each hand. Perform a straight leg raise while holding onto the towels.

 

Hanging Windshield Wiper.

Perform a straight leg raise, but when your feet come to the top positions, brace your abs and rotate your legs to one side as far as you can. Rotate to the other side. That’s one rep.

 

One-Arm Straight Leg Raise.

You’ll have achieved top-dog, alpha-male-prisoner, beast-mode status when you can perform multiple one-armed straight leg raises and hold yourself in the top position for several seconds.

 

Burpees

The burpee is the ultimate full-body exercise. There’s a reason football teams, CrossFit practitioners, and elite military forces use the burpee in their workouts. Just one simple movement tests both your strength and aerobic capacities.

Burpee Variations Basic Burpee.

To perform a basic burpee, just follow these instructions: Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back to a push-up position. Immediately return your feet to the squat position. Leap up as high as possible from the squat position.

 

Burpee With Push-up.

Perform the burpee normally, but after you kick out your feet to a push-up position, go ahead and do a full push-up.

 

Burpee With Hindu Push-up.

Instead of just doing a full push-up, make it a Hindu push-up. Burpee+Pull-up. Stand underneath a pull-up bar or tree branch that is high enough that you have to leap to reach it. Perform a burpee normally, but when you leap up grab the bar and perform a pull-up. Repeat. Did you hear that? That was the sound of your soul dying.

 

Putting It Together:

Possible Prisoner Workouts As you can see above, you’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to exercises to create a bodyweight workout. Mix and match the exercises to your liking along with a set and rep scheme to create your bodyweight workout. If you’re looking for a little guidance, though, here are a few suggestions:

 

Deck of Pain

This is supposedly a favorite workout routine amongst prisoners because they usually have a deck of cards handy. Take a standard deck of 52 cards. Assign one of the above exercises (or one of their variations) to each of the four suits. So you could have something like: Clubs: Push-ups Spades: Pull-ups Diamonds: Squats Hearts: Hanging Leg Raises Start drawing cards from the top. The suit tells you what exercise you’re doing; the number tells you the reps. Face cards count as ten rep; aces 11. So if you drew the 5 of diamonds you would do five squats; if you drew the king of clubs, you do ten push-ups. Draw the cards and perform the corresponding exercise and reps until all the cards have been drawn. Finish it off with ten burpees for good measure.

 

Juarez Valley Method

According to the book Jailhouse Strong, the convicts inside Mexico’s Juarez Valley Prison — one of the world’s most dangerous prisons — use the following rep scheme for their bodyweight workout. Pick an exercise. You’re only going to be doing one during this circuit. Let’s say for this example, you’re going to do push-ups. This circuit consists of 20 sets. The rep scheme looks like this:

Set 1: 20 Reps

Set 2: 1 Rep

Set 3: 19 Reps

Set 4: 2 Reps

Set 5: 18 Reps

Set 6: 3 Reps

Set 7: 17 Reps

Set 8: 4 Reps

Set 9: 16 Reps

Set 10: 5 Reps

Set 11: 15 Reps

Set 12: 6 Reps

Set 13: 14 Reps

Set 14: 7 Reps

Set 15: 13 Reps

Set 16: 8 Reps

Set 17: 12 Reps

Set 18: 9 Reps

Set 19: 11 Reps

Set 20: 10 Reps

 

 

So on the odd sets, you’re starting from 20 reps, going down a rep every odd set, and on the even sets, you’re starting from 1 rep and going up a rep every even set. When it’s all said and done, you’ll have completed 210 reps. Between each set, walk 5-10 steps for a rest and then get back into it. The goal is to complete this circuit as fast as you can.

 

Mike Tyson Squat Workout

Tyson did this body squat routine while in prison; it doesn’t sound too hard but it’s a real killer: Line up ten cards facedown in a straight line on the ground with 4″ in-between each card. Begin by standing over the first card, squat down and pick up the first card. Holding the first card, take a step forward to the second card. Squat down and place the card you just picked up on top of the second card. At this point, you’ll have no cards in your hand, and 2 cards will be one on top of the other on the ground below you. Squat once and pick up the first card. Squat once and pick up the second card. Take a step forward to the third card, squat down, and place one of the two cards in your hand on top of the card on the ground. Now squat down and place the other card on top of the cards on the ground. Squat one time each to pick up the three cards one by one. Take a step forward to the fourth card, and repeat this process until you’ve made it through all ten cards.

 

Greasing the Groove

Instead of having a set time period where you try to crank out as many reps as you can, with greasing the groove, you’re performing reps throughout the day. You might set up a system where every half hour, you perform ten push-ups. Assuming you’re up for 12 hours a day, that’s 240 push-ups every day. I do greasing the groove with pull-ups. I’ve got a pull-up bar hung up in my closet’s doorframe. Anytime I walk by it, I crank out five pull-ups. The number of pull-up reps I’m able to accumulate during the day always surprises me.

 

Exercise to Failure

For hypertrophy and endurance, simply do one set of each exercise for as many reps as you can.

 

One Exercise a Day

When Ryan Ferguson was locked up in a Missouri jail from 2004 to 2013 after being wrongly convicted of murder, he started a routine where he focused on just one exercise a day. The goal is to work your way up so that you can complete 500 reps in an hour. It doesn’t matter how many sets you break this up into, just try to get to that 500 rep count before 60 minutes is up.

 

 

[Woldan]

How about some Viking fitness? I went to Iceland, visited the very remote Westfjörds and came across THE original lifting stones. But see for yourself: 

 

 

Of course I had to prove myself worthy and lifted them. I didn't want to drop them onto the original stone platform and potentially damage this holy site it so I just lifted them as high as I could.  The weight itself wasn't really a problem, of course they were heavy but getting a good grip on their perfectly smooth surface was the tough part. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also visited the Jakabol Strongman Gym where Hafthor Björnsson aka The Game of Thrones Mountain trains. I did not meet him because he was competing in Worlds Strongest man in Africa but I met his friends. The gym is a small underground cave in the suburbs of Reykjavik in the basement of a supermarket. Really hard to find and they were surprised to see visitors. But they were super nice people and allowed me to use their equipment which was really cool. Of course I did a few lifts there. 

 

 

Now THATS a proper gym. 

 

 

The ''cross''; built by the legendary Magnus ver Magnusson: 

 

 

Lifting stones: 

 

Edited September 5, 2016 by Woldan

[Hurlshort]

Those things hurt my back just looking at them.  

[Woldan]

Those things hurt my back just looking at them.  

 

Not a problem if you have a good core and you know how to brace it. Thats strongman 101.    The only real danger with lifting stones is tearing your biceps tendon because you are lifting very heavy stuff with bent arms, thats where you have to be careful. 

Edited September 5, 2016 by Woldan

[Hurlshort]

I'm sure my form is crap, but my scoliosis has always left me wary of such endeavors.  

[HoonDing]

[Hurlshort]

I dragged my kids out to a 2-mile trail today for a bit of exercise.  First quarter of a mile was complaining from them and terse words from me.  Next mile and a half was fun and they seemed to enjoy it.  Last quarter of a mile was back to complaining.  Kids are weird.  They are mad at me now but I am proud they finished.    

[Orogun01]

I dragged my kids out to a 2-mile trail today for a bit of exercise.  First quarter of a mile was complaining from them and terse words from me.  Next mile and a half was fun and they seemed to enjoy it.  Last quarter of a mile was back to complaining.  Kids are weird.  They are mad at me now but I am proud they finished.    

Hurlie; **** your children, get them to do 4 miles under 2 hours and intimidate them into shutting up. I used to do that back when I was a toddler and wouldn't complain, but maybe I was smart enough to know that I would get home otherwise.

 

Anyways, if your children are aggravating you is probably because they know it works. I used to do that and it usually ended when my mother threatened to beat the living **** out of me; I get that you can't  do that but maybe just throw a hint that you wouldn't mind leaving them behind on their own if they don't keep the pace. Stay strong, don't give them an inch.