FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[BamYouHaveAids]

i need to get back into shape. ever since I left my BJJ and my Boxing gym 3 months ago i have done nothing but sit on my ass. i think i'll get back in the gym and get back into a semi-reasonable shape before starting either of them up again. went from 180 to 195 and probably lost strength despite that. time to hit the deadlifts!

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Bildi]

Ow.

I'm surprised that guy had a brain to deprive of oxygen in the first place.

[duckman2000]

Dude shouldn't have roared like that. I get dizzy after a heavy lift or many reps, but then I make damned sure that I lean against some support right after in case something stupid like this would happen. I sure as hell wouldn't be walking towards the weight rack.

[WrikaWrek]

Guys, how good are pilates for the abs? I'm going for the six pack, i already do abs in other sessions, and at home. Pilates will further help or should i concentrate on other kind of exercises?

[Cormacaroni]

Abs are made in the kitchen, but pilates is generally very useful from what I hear/my own experience. As is yoga.

I don't suppose you could just pick up a barbell? Would that be too much trouble?

[WrikaWrek]

Abs are made in the kitchen, but pilates is generally very useful from what I hear/my own experience. As is yoga.

I don't suppose you could just pick up a barbell? Would that be too much trouble?

I'm eating very well, my diet right now still needs a few kinks here and there, but i've noticed clear loss of body fat in 2 weeks. Everything is dryer. I'm gonna try pilates today!

Barbell? A metal bar?

I'm not much into that kind of weight lifting yet, i'm definitely shaping up but i don't feel quite ready to go into the huge guys space in the gym, and start lifting that kind of stuff. Sticking to machines for now.

[duckman2000]

i don't feel quite ready to go into the huge guys space in the gym, and start lifting that kind of stuff. Sticking to machines for now.

Uhm, why not? Just because you're using a barbell doesn't mean you need to lift ridiculous weights. You can put on the same load/reps as with the machines and get more out of it.

[Mupepe]

Damn I did 195 on deadlift on Wednesday and yesterday I felt it.

We're doing our backyard so we went to Home Depot and bought 104 limestone bricks and I was loading them off the pallet into the truck and goddamn I could fucking feel it.  I cut down to only doing 3 sets of deadlift now and only doing it once or twice a week.  But it's definitely starting to hit me hard.

[WrikaWrek]

i don't feel quite ready to go into the huge guys space in the gym, and start lifting that kind of stuff. Sticking to machines for now.

Uhm, why not? Just because you're using a barbell doesn't mean you need to lift ridiculous weights. You can put on the same load/reps as with the machines and get more out of it.

Going in there and start using the barbell when there's fucking Vin Diesels walking around waiting for you to be done with it is...i don't know man, it's stupid but it's weird and there's a lot of pressure to not look like a fool.

I'll end up doing it though. I already do it in Body Pump sessions.

[BlueTsunami]

Finally did some stair running with my Vibrams, definitely much better than sneakers. You can easily hit the balls of your feet and rocket up the stairs. My calves are really killing me now though but that was expected. I also love the "kissing the surface" analogy when talking about barefoot running, cause thats what it feels when running up stairs. You're able to plant your foot down gently which prevents strain in the ankles, knees and hip.

Not sure if the two are related but I've lost this ache I've had in my left knee and starting to lose the ache I had in my left heel since using the Vibrams. I guess that's what happens when you run in 5 year old sneakers.

[Mupepe]

i don't feel quite ready to go into the huge guys space in the gym, and start lifting that kind of stuff. Sticking to machines for now.

Uhm, why not? Just because you're using a barbell doesn't mean you need to lift ridiculous weights. You can put on the same load/reps as with the machines and get more out of it.

Going in there and start using the barbell when there's fucking Vin Diesels walking around waiting for you to be done with it is...i don't know man, it's stupid but it's weird and there's a lot of pressure to not look like a fool.

I'll end up doing it though. I already do it in Body Pump sessions.

Most people are really helpful.  I haven't really run into anyone that makes it a problem.  I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, right?  Trust me, you will see someone else working out who fits in less than you do.

[Mr. Gundam]

Running has done something strange to my metabolism. I'm eating like I normally do, but I'm down to 155. The only other change I've made was cutting out pop back in February.

[Mupepe]

Running drives my metabolism through the roof.  if you're doing it a lot then you're going to need to up your calorie intake if you don't want to lose more weight.

or you could wait til you plateau

[Groogrux]

Sad news.  I won't be able to use the money from my tax refund to buy new shoes and a bike.  Not as much money as I was expecting came back, so they both will get put on the back burner for a few days...  :'(

In other news, I started a nutrition and fitness log that looks pretty nice and organized.  It really helps me to keep up with my calorie intake.

[Cormacaroni]

i don't feel quite ready to go into the huge guys space in the gym, and start lifting that kind of stuff. Sticking to machines for now.

Uhm, why not? Just because you're using a barbell doesn't mean you need to lift ridiculous weights. You can put on the same load/reps as with the machines and get more out of it.

Going in there and start using the barbell when there's fucking Vin Diesels walking around waiting for you to be done with it is...i don't know man, it's stupid but it's weird and there's a lot of pressure to not look like a fool.

I'll end up doing it though. I already do it in Body Pump sessions.

I can understand how that can be intimidating or annoying. Barbells are cheap though. Get one from craigslist and practice at home with light weights until you know what you're doing, and you'll feel less intimidated at the gym. You can use 12 machines and take 2hrs doing a circuit or spend 30 mins with a barbell and get way better results, your choice.

[Cormacaroni]

Finally did some stair running with my Vibrams, definitely much better than sneakers. You can easily hit the balls of your feet and rocket up the stairs. My calves are really killing me now though but that was expected. I also love the "kissing the surface" analogy when talking about barefoot running, cause thats what it feels when running up stairs. You're able to plant your foot down gently which prevents strain in the ankles, knees and hip.

Not sure if the two are related but I've lost this ache I've had in my left knee and starting to lose the ache I had in my left heel since using the Vibrams. I guess that's what happens when you run in 5 year old sneakers.

Cool! I wore them to the park last week and it was a trip running around the place, climbing trees and such. It sounds weird but just the feeling of being connected to the ground makes you feel so much more agile. You don't NEED to wear them to do the stuff I was doing, obviously, but it makes it so much more fun. More sensory input. More tactile sensation, but no pain. I haven't tried any POSE running or anything yet though...that stuff takes months to drill and learn.

[Cormacaroni]

Damn I did 195 on deadlift on Wednesday and yesterday I felt it.

We're doing our backyard so we went to Home Depot and bought 104 limestone bricks and I was loading them off the pallet into the truck and goddamn I could fucking feel it.  I cut down to only doing 3 sets of deadlift now and only doing it once or twice a week.  But it's definitely starting to hit me hard.

As you ramp up the weight, you'll definitely want to cut down. Keep it to 3 or 5 reps a set and give your body a chance to recover in between sessions.

As an aside, I did some deadlifts myself for the first time in a while yesterday, and I think my problem is basically that my grip has weakened from not deadlifting regularly for the past 3-4months. My legs and back feel stronger from all the squatting, so I'm hoping that the deadlift will be back to the old PRs once the grip is restored, and will hopefully climb from there. It doesn't make any kind of sense that my squat could be 20-25% stronger and my deadlift weaker.

[Draft]

Rippetoe sez: heavy deadlift should be done in one set, and only one set. Don't do sets across, go as heavy as you can for 5 reps and then go home.

[Cormacaroni]

Absolutely, but Mups is not yet at weights heavy enough to necessitate that sort of recovery, even if they are PRs.

[Mupepe]

Rippetoe sez: heavy deadlift should be done in one set, and only one set. Don't do sets across, go as heavy as you can for 5 reps and then go home.

That's my plan. But I'm ramping up 5 pounds at a time to get to a heavy weight

[BamYouHaveAids]

Rippetoe sez: heavy deadlift should be done in one set, and only one set. Don't do sets across, go as heavy as you can for 5 reps and then go home.

i prefer 3x3 myself

my deadlift dropped 40 pounds, which honestly is better than i was expecting

[duckman2000]

I doubt my current lift qualifies as "heavy," but I haven't felt any inclination to throw in a second set after 5 reps. I tried a second set once, and I might as well have been trying to lift Jormungand. Even when going down in weight, I've opted for more reps in a single set. That's probably not the best option, but whatever. It leaves me feeling exhausted and exhilarated, so it can't be all bad.

[Cormacaroni]

Triples and singles have their uses, especially for getting unstuck when you plateau (or for restoring a bruised ego!), but fives should be the meat and potatoes of any strength-gain program. It's that fifth rep after barely finishing the 4th that makes you stronger.

"Heavy" is both relative and absolute. 195lbs feels heavy for Mups right now, but it is obviously not heavy in the absolute sense. It's a weight that is stressing him now, but will be easy to recover from. 2 days from now, he'll be stronger and 195lbs won't be stressing him as hard; he should be able to do 200lbs. If he were a more experienced lifter hitting a PR of 350lbs or 400lbs, he'd probably need most of a week before he was recovered enough to attempt a max effort lift again. It's incredibly difficult to figure out where anyone is on the curve at any given point though, especially with limited info over the internet. 

[Draft]

Bill Starr or someone of his caliber said something like "anything above 200 pounds is heavy", so there you go. Just get all your lifts above 200 pounds and you're A-OK.

[The Fake Shemp]

Hey, I just wanted to give you guys an update, since I know a couple are interested in my progress (probably just Cormac).

I just finished my Sunday workout, and I'm trembling (something about my "glycogen" (sp?) being all used up), but it was my best one yet. I've moved up to heavier dumbbells and today was the first day I was able to do a full plank without my knees touching the ground. I know that might seem pathetic, but that was kind of a big achievement for me.

The road to going below 320 has been slower than going below 330 (I'm somewhere between 324 and 325), but I think I'm having some significant muscle gains. My father - who does this for a living, mind you - was actually getting winded with our medicine ball routine. I am going to still keep with my goal of being 299 by June 7th.

Federman out.

[brawndolicious]

Hey, I just wanted to give you guys an update, since I know a couple are interested in my progress (probably just Cormac).

I just finished my Sunday workout, and I'm trembling (something about my "glycogen" (sp?) being all used up), but it was my best one yet. I've moved up to heavier dumbbells and today was the first day I was able to do a full plank without my knees touching the ground. I know that might seem pathetic, but that was kind of a big achievement for me.

The road to going below 320 has been slower than going below 330 (I'm somewhere between 324 and 325), but I think I'm having some significant muscle gains. My father - who does this for a living, mind you - was actually getting winded with our medicine ball routine. I am going to still keep with my goal of being 299 by June 7th.

Federman out.

good progress but I think you would need to burn thousands of calories to run out of glycogen.

[The Fake Shemp]

I lifted weights and do full strength condition for 90 minutes, on an empty stomach this morning. And I think I literally ate only 1,000 calories yesterday (I was out the house). It wouldn't really surprise me.

I'm going to go get some grub now.

We were going to push for 110 minutes, but I started getting light headed and a little dizzy.

[Groogrux]

You're burning it up, Wilco!  Keep up the good work.  I'm behind but picking up the slack as of late.

My wife bought a jumprope for me as a consolation prize for me not getting a bike (which it looks like I may not even need one for the time being).  I'm not very good at it yet, but it is hard-core for cardio!  Anyone have any opinions on pros/cons of using one?

Today, my wife and I had a very late - almost a month - anniversary dinner at Applebees.  I may not have been on my best eating behavior, but I at least did one of the >550 calorie dinners.  Also, I bought myself new running/jogging/walking shoes and some resistance bands today.  All in all, I'd say it was a good haul!

[The Fake Shemp]

The only thing I can say about jump rope is that I tried to do it a few weeks ago and the up-and-down jumping motion really, really hurt my abdomen for a few days because my stomach is so big. I mean, to the point where I thought I tore something. I was in awful pain.  I don't know if that'll be a problem for you.

But yeah, I'm down about 55 lbs. now, slowly working to 60 lbs. of loss. Want to hit 80 lbs. by that June 7th marker, though.

I don't even count calories on Sundays anymore after working out.

[Mr. Gundam]

I made a hula hoop with my Burning Man/fire hooper buddy the other day. Using one of those things does wonders for your core.

[demi]

because my stomach is so big.

[Groogrux]

I sometimes have that problem, but not often enough to deter me from doing it.

[Bildi]

My wife bought a jumprope for me as a consolation prize for me not getting a bike (which it looks like I may not even need one for the time being).  I'm not very good at it yet, but it is hard-core for cardio!  Anyone have any opinions on pros/cons of using one?

Jumpropes are great!  I don't do 1 jump = 1 revolution, I do 2 jumps = 1 revolution.  I'm not uber-hardcore enough yet.

[Bildi]

That reminds me, I bought an exercise band the other day for a couple of bucks from an instructor at the gym (one of these things: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/strengthening/resistancebands.php).  We've used them for the last few years in classes but I never had one for myself.

I find it especially good for stretching, core strength, and balance exercises.  It definitely rates highly in the bang-for-your-buck department and I'm loving it.

[The Fake Shemp]

I use resistance bands every week.

[Cormacaroni]

When you're done fucking around with the resistance bands, pick up a barbell and find out just how much 'core strength' you have developed

There is a dude in my gym who wraps one of those things to a rack of dumbells and just pulls it back and forth a bit, like he was stretching a condom. He'll do this for 20 mins, staring intently at his biceps the whole time. Presumably wondering why they're not growing.

ok, that's pretty condescending, I realize that not all problems can be solved with a barbell. Some require money or guns.

Good job on the weight loss, Willco. You're getting there fast.

[Bildi]

While I am far from an expert, the dude in the gym clearly doesn't know what he's doing with resistance bands.  If you don't see any value in them, I am not here to convert you!

[Cormacaroni]

Yes, but I am here to convert you away from them

I'm not saying they're useless but you used the word 'strength', which drew my ire. They build strength in the same way a magnifying glass cooks your pizza....very very slowly and inefficiently.

[duckman2000]

I've used them for push ups a few times, but at this point I'd rather load some plates in a backpack (not the best idea for decline push ups) or have the kid stand on my back. Keeps the weight on and it amuses the kid, not a bad deal. The added discomfort makes me more determined to push through and get the set done.

[Groogrux]

It's probably true that they slowly build muscle, but I like using them.  It's good for me because it's all I have and all I can afford at the moment.  Hopefully soon, I'll be able to buy some free weights.

Curious though, what about systems like Bowflex that combine the resistance and weight training?  They don't seem to be ineffective for the people that use them...

Also, started exercising today in my new shoes.  So much better.  I didn't feel like going out and walking today because it was cold and raining, but I did go back to the EA Active.  I haven't used it in nearly three weeks, and I went back to a setting harder than I was used to, so it kicked my butt a little, but it was worth it.

Weighed in today.  Down to 343 lbs!  That's good for not really working that hard at it the last few weeks.  

[Kestastrophe]

O Yay, Cormac leadeth thine flock unto the sinuous promise land

Seriously though, listen to the man. He and some others here know what they're talking about

[Cormacaroni]

Weight training IS resistance training...put a barbell with several hundred lbs on your back and you will feel resistance to the attempt to make even the slightest motion.

Bowflex effectiveness: most people are so deconditioned that literally anything works to improve their fitness. Likewise, there are some athletes whose genetics are so amazing that they'll get great results out of damn near anything they try. Do MOST people get GREAT results out of Bowflex though? No. Do MOST people get GREAT results out of something like Crossfit or Starting Strength or 5x5 or HIIT? YES. So why spend the money on Bowflex.

[Bildi]

Yes, but I am here to convert you away from them

I'm not saying they're useless but you used the word 'strength', which drew my ire. They build strength in the same way a magnifying glass cooks your pizza....very very slowly and inefficiently.

Without knowing the exercises I perform with a band, I don't think you can knock how I use a resistance band.  I only came to say I am enjoying having my own resistance band.  But I will say, no, I don't use a band as a substitute for free weights, and anyone who does or believes that is the only use of a band is obviously missing the point.

[Cormacaroni]

It's alright Bildi, it's ok to be gay on the Bore.

[duckman2000]

To be fair, Bildi was rocking the exercise talk eons ago, and it involved both spandex and aerobics. To this day, I can not read a Bildi post without thinking of some background stooge in a Jane Fonda training video.

[Bildi]

Mission accomplished

[Cormacaroni]

All joking aside, I would invite anyone who takes issue with any advice I dole out (in an admittedly condescending/patronizing manner) to attempt to quantify the results of their own programme first. I can prove with 3-plus years of data that what I do has been working for me continuously (i.e. past the first few months of newbie gains). If you are doing something that beats what I'm doing, in terms of body recomposition, strength and conditioning, I wanna know about it!

If you just say 'it works for me' or 'I like it, go away', don't expect me to take you seriously on this topic. I won't cry about it or anything; I'll just gradually stop listening when I see that you're not really adding anything to the discussion. Willco is drawing a very clear picture of what he's doing, and is showing how it's working; thus, he gets little flak and lots of encouragement from me. Other people who post stuff that makes no sense to me and post no results to illustrate WHY they're right and I'm wrong will probably get shorter shrift.

[Mupepe]

You guys are so mean.  

it doesn't seem like these guys are really focusing huge amounts on muscle mass gains so to each his own I guess.

But I am making alright gains. I'm staying steady at 205 bench. I'm making up with my incline and decline and i alternate with those. I'm moving up in my squat next session. I have been steady at 225 working on my form and I am finally content. Deadlift hit 200 today. Time to drop a set. The third set nearly killed me and it caused my grip to suffer. I was just too winded. Pullups are making great gains. I'm about to be completely free of assistance. Have been with dips for some time.

Creatine hasn't made me make any huge gains but it has kept my gains consistent and helped with recovery. It definitely helped with the 205 wall I hit earlier. It is making it easier though. The more used to it my body becomes and the better I get with coordinating my diet makes it more effective. So far, not bad for 7 bucks and only like two weeks in.

[Cormacaroni]

'it doesn't seem like these guys are really focusing huge amounts on muscle mass gains so to each his own I guess. '

I'm not focused on that either. I do a load of non-barbell stuff as well. It all has a purpose though, in my mind. I'd love to know what the purpose of those bands are, and whether anyone actually achieves those stated purposes by using them.

[Cormacaroni]

Do you ever do the shoulder press, Mups? It's tough for most people to pick it up, because it means dropping the weight quite a bit, but it's a more valuable exercise in the long run. The bench press typically leads to rotator cuff injuries and such because it's focusing on such small muscle groups. Also, I just have an intrinsic distrust of any exercise that you can only do sitting down.

Otherwise, everything is still looking good. The amount of silly bullshit has decreased markedly

[Groogrux]

Cormac, I hope you know that I take you seriously and I respect your opinion and imput on here.  I also hope you don't think that I'm saying anything to be condescending towards you.

My program isn't really set or easy to define, other than that I do a lot of cardio based stuff.  I don't have any equipment to do strength training, and there aren't any gyms in range of me that I can afford to go to.  Trying to lose weight when you're poor, have a shitty job, and live in a poverty stricken state isn't easy.  My diet is based on trying to stay below 2,000 calories daily and not eating any foods that have HFCS or a lot of empty calories in them.  I'm taking a flax-seed oil supplement now along with drinking lots of water.  

I've lost nearly 40 lbs since Christmas, which isn't the Holy Grail of miraculous weightloss (see: Wilco), but it is a lot for me and I'm proud of it.  I also don't plan on quitting.

The guy I was a year ago can't hold a candle to the guy I am today.  A year ago, I was smoking a pack a day, eating nearly 3,000+ calories worth of junkfood, addicted to coffee to keep me awake, and horrible looking in every manor.  Now, I don't smoke at all, I carefully watch what I eat and police it as much as I can (did I say that the best place I can afford to grocery shop at is Walmart?), I barely drink coffee unless it's for a reward, I have more energy than I ever did, and my appearance is still pretty horrid, but now I realize that I'm just an ugly guy.  But I feel great!  

[Mupepe]

Do you ever do the shoulder press, Mups? It's tough for most people to pick it up, because it means dropping the weight quite a bit, but it's a more valuable exercise in the long run. The bench press typically leads to rotator cuff injuries and such because it's focusing on such small muscle groups. Also, I just have an intrinsic distrust of any exercise that you can only do sitting down.

Otherwise, everything is still looking good. The amount of silly bullshit has decreased markedly

Ive been looking at working shoulder press in. Does it work chest as well?  As bad as it sounds I'm completely vain in that regard. my chest is starting to look great and is getting huge. Haha. I want to work it in somewhere though. Not sure where though. I'm usually pretty dead at the end of my routine already.

Oh and I really want a spotter so I can hit pof without any fear. I really think its holding me back. But I don't know anyone.

Oh and one more thing about the creatine... I am always swollen. I look fucking huge all the time. Too bad its accompanied by 10 pounds of waterweight around my gut. But everyone says that'll disappear within a few days of cycling off

[Cormacaroni]

You should be proud of it. It's a huge achievement

Still, the goal of pretty much any discussion of anything tends to veer towards a discussion of what is optimal. I recognize that 99.99% of humanity, myself included, will never approach optimal health or fitness. But as long as we're just shooting the shit, why not talk about what would be the best for you, not just what would be better-than-nothing or better-than-what-I-did-before? The closer you get yourself to that optimal state, the happier and healthier you will be. The better the tools (equipment and programming) you use, the more you can do with limited time and money. I would be willing to bet that I actually exercise less than most people posting ITT, but get better or at least equivalent results. I can't really see why anyone wouldn't want to be as efficient as possible in their exercise, because it all sucks! I'd be happiest doing none at all but our bodies don't work that way when confined to a 21st century lifestyle.

[Cormacaroni]

Ah, so THAT'S why everyone is hooked on creatine. Makes them look bigger than they are. I'm sure it helps recovery as well though

With the dips and push-ups you're doing, you can certainly afford to lose some of the benching I'd say. Shoulder press will not do much for your chest but it will do more for your shoulders. The main worry I have about the benching minus the shoulder press is injury. You need to have all those support muscles in your back and shoulders be as proportionately strong as the muscles you are using in the bench if you are to avoid injury. Rippetoe et all see the bench as an assistance exercise to the shoulder press, whereas most of the world sees it the other way around. This is mostly because the shoulder press is no longer performed in competition for weird reasons that have nothing to do with its effectiveness or inferiority to bench.

Having said all that, I'd just try swapping one set of shoulder press in for one set of bench a week and see how it goes. It'll be good for variety if nothing else. You'll need new challenges to keep you motivated once the lifts start to stall.

[duckman2000]

I've done shoulder presses since I started working out, but only with dumbbells. My balance still isn't 100%, so I just plain don't feel comfortable holding a loaded barbell above my head yet. I'll have to work on that. Still can't stand bench presses, so I'm just going heavier on the push ups instead.

[The Fake Shemp]

I think Cormac has developed a routine that works for him, but I am a proponent of the different strokes for different folks way of life. I appreciate his candid attitude and "tuff love", it's been genuinely helpful during some of my stretches. I think his goals and my goals are different, though - I just want to be Seth Rogen fat. He wants to be BODY BY JAKE. Still.

[Cormacaroni]

DB presses are awesome, but preferably standing up.

Just start with a low weight (i.e. the bar) and you'll be fine I'm sure. I don't think I've ever seen anyone drop a shoulder press or anything. If you can't press it out, it just sort of sits there and gradually gets lowered back on the rack.

Now, an overhead squat or a full snatch, THOSE take some serious balance and flexibility. I can't do those with any weight at all yet

[Bildi]

All joking aside, I would invite anyone who takes issue with any advice I dole out (in an admittedly condescending/patronizing manner) to attempt to quantify the results of their own programme first. I can prove with 3-plus years of data that what I do has been working for me continuously (i.e. past the first few months of newbie gains). If you are doing something that beats what I'm doing, in terms of body recomposition, strength and conditioning, I wanna know about it!

If you just say 'it works for me' or 'I like it, go away', don't expect me to take you seriously on this topic. I won't cry about it or anything; I'll just gradually stop listening when I see that you're not really adding anything to the discussion. Willco is drawing a very clear picture of what he's doing, and is showing how it's working; thus, he gets little flak and lots of encouragement from me. Other people who post stuff that makes no sense to me and post no results to illustrate WHY they're right and I'm wrong will probably get shorter shrift.

It's nice to know where you are coming from, clearly you have a totally different reason behind your fitness-related posts than I do.  I posted a bit about something that forms a fraction of my program because I am enjoying it and thought others may be either doing something similar, or doing something they enjoy, or have something they came upon recently or a long time ago that cost little or nothing but they found very useful like a fitball or whatever.

I have zero problem with the advice you give hence I've never offered up any of my own advice - my fitness posts carry no more weight or importance than any of my other posts, ie if they are not for dumb fun they are very close to it.  I'm not looking for a stamp of approval, nor looking to influence anyone's exercise regimen.

[Cormacaroni]

I think Cormac has developed a routine that works for him, but I am a proponent of the different strokes for different folks way of life. I appreciate his candid attitude and "tuff love", it's been genuinely helpful during some of my stretches. I think his goals and my goals are different, though - I just want to be Seth Rogen fat. He wants to be BODY BY JAKE. Still.

We may be at different points, but we're on the same curve. The most efficient methods are the most efficient methods. Since you appear to have motivation in spades, I don't see what is keeping you from exploring more efficient methods (other than social pressure from your father, which I guess is probably considerable?). But it's far from a tragedy in your case, because what you're doing is working at a great pace. You can treat everything i say as just something to bear in mind if/when you hit a rough patch.

[Mupepe]

You pretty much nailed the creatine part   it really makes me look huge. like 5 minutes after I take it in 20 oz of water my biceps are insane. Like I just finished pullups.

Ill do that with the shoulder press and report in. I'm not really too keen on incline bench anyways because the top of my chest is what is disproportionately bigger anyways. So I may eventually completely replace it

By the way, my plan after the creatine cycle was going to be to drop a day of lifting and replace it with a day of cardio. So 2 days lifting and 4 days cardio.  I wont move up in weight. Same amount, less volume. Ive heard its good for cutting fat and maintaining muscle after a creatine cycle. Thoughts?