FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[Smooth Groove]

Cormac, is it possible to get to that chubby guy's level within 3 years?

[Cormacaroni]

ask him, not me!

[Smooth Groove]

Almost everything he shows for an exercise is near his max but I doubt that's how he trains. 

[Cormacaroni]

Almost all strongmen are chubby, you know...it's very tough for them to be ripped and maintain that level of raw strength. They eat like crazy and do very little or no conditioning.
The only exception I know of is a guy called Rob Orlando who took up Crossfit in a big way and slimmed down. His max strength is still awesomely high but his conditioning is also top notch. I don't think he still competes much in strongman events though.

[BamYouHaveAids]

I just recently managed to squat 4 wheels raw at the end of my set raw, nothing crazy but it definitely feels like a milestone every time you can add another 45, I also ran 5 miles the other day which is 2x further than I've ever ran in my life.

I need to stay consistent though I've only been to the gym a handful of times in the last month. Trying to burn as much as fat as possible before the fourth.

[Cormacaroni]

4 wheels, nice! I stopped 5kg short of that, not sure I'd ever get there.

[Smooth Groove]

XFE, what are you doing with the kettlebells?  Don't feel too bad about your small wrists because they are actually desired by many bodybuilders.  Supposedly, small wrists make your arm muscles look bigger once they are more developed. 

[Smooth Groove]

4 wheels, nice! I stopped 5kg short of that, not sure I'd ever get there.

What is 4 wheels?  Also, what's a "raw" squat?

[BamYouHaveAids]

A wheel is a 45 pound plate so that means 4 a side or 405 pounds, raw means no assistance (belts, kneewraps etc).

[TakingBackSunday]

I'm now up to 155 lbs after a month or so of trying to keep on that gomad plan skidmark did.  It's more like...hagomad for me, honestly, but it's working.

edit: oh and I bought new pants yesterday and my waist has gone up to 32.  I don't know if that's  or :usavich

[Cormacaroni]

I knew my math was wrong...I was thinking 3 wheels

[Smooth Groove]

405 squat is pretty awesome.  I've never tried more than 315 and that was a majot strain.  I think I'm gonna give my legs a week rest and focus on strength while temporarily stopping plyometrics.  Right now, my strength is quite a bit lacking behind my explosiveness.

[Cormacaroni]

I'm reverse Cormac

My legs are like trunks (from formative years of cycling, football, rugby i'd guess!) my shoulders and chest area are average/poor, my neck is nothing to write home about.

Big stubby legs + low center of gravity = ideal for Rugby. As i've said before, it always frustrated me that i was naturally a significantly better rugby player than a football player. I could knock players around all day and i'd put myself in the way of anything, but my wrists are shite and i can't lift for toffee - yet i could push knock much larger people around all day playing rugby.

Oh yeah, so the KettleBell - so far, shocking form and my girl wrists are struggling with 16kg *shameface*. Slow and steady i shall go.

before you break your arms patting yourself on the back about your treetrunk legs relative to mine, what do you squat then?

[Cormacaroni]

I shouldn't pick on you DC - it's just such fun!

The point here is that people often have these kind of opinions about their strength levels simply because they haven't ever really tested it in any kind of numerical fashion. I always thought I was relatively strong until I got under the bar for the first time and found I was unable to lift what pre-teen girls in China were warming up with. We really have no idea how strong, fast or fit we are until we measure it. These delusions tend to melt away mighty fast when confronted by the grim reality of an iron bar with lots of weight on it, or a stopwatch.

[Smooth Groove]

Maybe XFE has a ton of fast-twitch fibers?  Keep in mind that lifts aren't the only measures of power.

[Cormacaroni]

power isn't strength, it's strength plus speed

And the point is: maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Our little fantasies in adulthood based on our salad days in high school sports etc are just that. Sometimes thick legs are just a bunch of fat. Sometimes it's raw muscle, just waiting to be trained. The only way to find out is to measure it. Everything else is just bullshitting.

[Cormacaroni]

I don't even consider myself a Crossfitter anymore really. But yes, a bit of competition adds spice...

speaking of which, my door is of course always open if you want your KB form checked. You should have been over on Saturday - Shawn and I did kettlebells and such in the park, 'twas fun. He finally started Paleo and is down 10kg in 2 months...after several years of Crossfit and no Paleo.

[Cormacaroni]

Makes no sense to do it wrong repeatedly if you can get free coaching - you just drill incorrect movement patterns which you then have to unlearn.

Swings are not particularly complicated but TGUs and cleans etc are easy to fuck up. As you have apparently found out, you can quite literally kill yourself by doing a TGU wrong. The golden rule is Protect the Pumpkin.

[Smooth Groove]

But yes, a bit of competition adds spice...

Ha ha, hell yeah. Lately when I'm tired, I've psyched myself up by making things miserable for whoever had volunteered to guard me.  I might need to tone it down though.  Some of the other dudes look at me like I'm crazy, maybe because they know I'm an academic outside the gym.

[Smooth Groove]

Generally, what's a good ratio for max power clean to deadlift to squat to military bench?

I don't know about power clean since I only started doing it.  My maxes for thr others are about DL 375, S 315, MB 165.

[Cormacaroni]

1-1.5x bodyweight is pretty good (obviously in terms of dudes like us messing about in the gym, it's not going to get you a ticket to the Olympics...)

[Smooth Groove]

I was talking more about ratios between lifts, in terms of balanced athletic performance.  Most American gym members have crazy bench to squat ratios, which translates really poorly to real sports performance.

My current weight is about 185 to 190.  I can't tell for sure since recently it has been moving up and down quite rapidly.

[Cormacaroni]

Sorry to make you do all this hard math Smooth

[Smooth Groove]

 

I wish we could get those numbers about NBA players.  All we get are stupid bench numbers which tell almost nothing about their in-game strength.

[Cormacaroni]

It would be fun for sure. Then again, their trainers play it very very safe. I'd be surprised if many of them even squat or DL. I know Kobe does, because he takes any edge he can get. But from what I've seen, most trainers are petrified of hurting their clients and keep them well clear of barbells. Instead they seem to do leg presses, dumbells, resistance band training etc

[Smooth Groove]

Why do they let them bench then?  Benching is one of the easist ways to tear up a shoulder and thus screw up a shot. 

Also, I don't think those trainers always know what they're doing.  Plyos can easily be more dangerous than squatting.  My joints get way more sore from plyos than squatting heavy loads. 

Deadlifts or at least an equivalent substitute, like the kettlebell swing, should be essential for post players.  You get so much power on turnaround post moves from doing them. 

[Cormacaroni]

I don't know how many do bench big-time though, after they get done with those combine tests. Dwight Howard and Yao have a little competition going but there isn't a whole lot of info on how most people train, other than short little youtube clips that don't really tell you anything other than 'wow this guy is working really hard'.

The only legitimate reason to bench is to increase your ability to push the other guy away with your upper body, which is important I guess. In today's game I'd guess it's of decreasing importance.

I would really like to know more about this myself. Is the way Kobe trains really significantly different from the way, say, Vince Carter trains? What separates one from the other, and how much of that is their training?

[Smooth Groove]

Yeah, NBA trainers have no idea what they're doing.

You'd be surprised.  Grant Hill claims that his career was destroyed by inept NBA trainers and medical staff.  Having been through Med school, I know that even highly respected professionals with great credentials often are wrong or unsure about what they do.  You just have to do a good enough job of faking it so that the patients don't get worried.  The really good doctors would look things up behind the scenes, but many would just carry on until damage is done.

I would really like to know more about this myself. Is the way Kobe trains really significantly different from the way, say, Vince Carter trains? What separates one from the other, and how much of that is their training?

Pretty sure Vince hardly ever works out.  I remember an article which mentioned that the Raptors trainer pleaded with Vince to start lifting weights.  One day, Vince finally went into the weight room and did 10 reps with more weight than anyone else does.  The trainer laughed and conceded that Vince didn't really need to lift.  That story kinda tells all you need to know about the awesomeness and tragicness of VC's career. 

[Smooth Groove]

Dunnno if you're joking about me going to med school or me acting like a black dude in med school.  But there was a white classmate that talked ebonics and rapped in a talent contest.  LOL  He kinda looked like a smaller version of Chris Anderson.  Most of us thought he was a joke.  It's a really conservative field and stuff like that is generally frowned upon. 

[Cormacaroni]

Yeah, NBA trainers have no idea what they're doing.

You'd be surprised.  Grant Hill claims that his career was destroyed by inept NBA trainers and medical staff.  Having been through Med school, I know that even highly respected professionals with great credentials often are wrong or unsure about what they do.  You just have to do a good enough job of faking it so that the patients don't get worried.  The really good doctors would look things up behind the scenes, but many would just carry on until damage is done.

I would really like to know more about this myself. Is the way Kobe trains really significantly different from the way, say, Vince Carter trains? What separates one from the other, and how much of that is their training?

Pretty sure Vince hardly ever works out.  I remember an article which mentioned that the Raptors trainer pleaded with Vince to start lifting weights.  One day, Vince finally went into the weight room and did 10 reps with more weight than anyone else does.  The trainer laughed and conceded that Vince didn't really need to lift.  That story kinda tells all you need to know about the awesomeness and tragicness of VC's career. 

Grant Hill is an interesting example, given the way he has turned around his career at an age when most are well into their post-NBA life. The Phoenix training staff have seemingly worked wonders with Nash, Hill and Shaq (and Shaq obviously didn't do so well afterward). But what are they doing that others aren't?

I can see why you are fascinated with this, Smooth, because they very likely have exactly the information you need for your dunk quest. They could probably work you out for 10 mins and then tell you based on your current vertical and your training history whether it's gonna happen or not, and if so what's the best way to get there. But it's in their interests to keep their secrets of course.

[Himu]

Got back into martial arts after over a decade or so hiatus.

I'm taking kung fu and tai chi, well when I can because since I'm currently jobless ( ) I can't do it as much as I want.

It's a helluva a lot more fun than going to the gym. Gyms are boring.

[Himu]

Wait, did you go through med school like you are black? 

what in the fuck does this even mean

[Smooth Groove]

Yeah, NBA trainers have no idea what they're doing.

You'd be surprised.  Grant Hill claims that his career was destroyed by inept NBA trainers and medical staff.  Having been through Med school, I know that even highly respected professionals with great credentials often are wrong or unsure about what they do.  You just have to do a good enough job of faking it so that the patients don't get worried.  The really good doctors would look things up behind the scenes, but many would just carry on until damage is done.

I would really like to know more about this myself. Is the way Kobe trains really significantly different from the way, say, Vince Carter trains? What separates one from the other, and how much of that is their training?

Pretty sure Vince hardly ever works out.  I remember an article which mentioned that the Raptors trainer pleaded with Vince to start lifting weights.  One day, Vince finally went into the weight room and did 10 reps with more weight than anyone else does.  The trainer laughed and conceded that Vince didn't really need to lift.  That story kinda tells all you need to know about the awesomeness and tragicness of VC's career. 

Grant Hill is an interesting example, given the way he has turned around his career at an age when most are well into their post-NBA life. The Phoenix training staff have seemingly worked wonders with Nash, Hill and Shaq (and Shaq obviously didn't do so well afterward). But what are they doing that others aren't?

I can see why you are fascinated with this, Smooth, because they very likely have exactly the information you need for your dunk quest. They could probably work you out for 10 mins and then tell you based on your current vertical and your training history whether it's gonna happen or not, and if so what's the best way to get there. But it's in their interests to keep their secrets of course.

Yeah, I read somewhere that celeb and pro-sports trainers protect their custom exercises and routines like gold.  I don't really think it's necessary since not everyone would get the same results anyways and a trainer is most often needed for instructions on proper form. 

[Smooth Groove]

Got back into martial arts after over a decade or so hiatus.

I'm taking kung fu and tai chi, well when I can because since I'm currently jobless ( ) I can't do it as much as I want.

It's a helluva a lot more fun than going to the gym. Gyms are boring.

Are you training by yourself or with a group?  I wanna get some MMA lessons but they all cost about $100/month.  It's not bad but right now I don't have the time to go enough to pay that much. 

[Himu]

Group, of course. Northern Wushu Kung Fu, to be exact. In the past I was a Karate man, but these days I'm leaning on Kung Fu. I don't want to learn how to be an ass kicking machine or anything, so I'm not interested in MMA or Muay Thai or BJJ or whatever is popular these days. I just want something I can improve myself with, lose weight, do some exercises and meet cool people.

Right now in class I've been going through basic stances. The shit is tough. See here:

[youtube=560,345]lUnXSlxuZ1U[/youtube]

Tai Chi, too, I highly recommend.

And yeah, the place I'm going to costs 119 a month for 2-3 times a week. It's quite a steal to me, really. But there's also a 70 dollar per month once a week plan. Which I'm using for the time being until I'm in a better financial position.

[Cormacaroni]

One day he's going to post about wanting desperately to enlarge his cock and I will throw myself off a bridge

[Himu]

Well, I'd be proud to have Smooth as a brotha. Sheit, the man likes basketball more than me. Though I used to be a NBA fanatic in the 90's, if that counts for anything.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I finally got my ass into a Trader Joe's.  It's not bad but I prefer Whole Foods.

[lennedsay]

I finally got my ass into a Trader Joe's.  It's not bad but I prefer Whole Foods.

It is Whole Foods, but for poor people  :'(

There are some good finds there, but I can't get everything I need there. I'll go there when we run out of milk and go home with some cheese or frozen souffle balls or something else that tickles my fancy that I don't really need.

I love these though:

[Mr. Gundam]

I finally got my ass into a Trader Joe's.  It's not bad but I prefer Whole Foods.

It is Whole Foods, but for poor people  :'(

There are some good finds there, but I can't get everything I need there. I'll go there when we run out of milk and go home with some cheese or frozen souffle balls or something else that tickles my fancy that I don't really need.

TJ's is good for certain things (cheese, in particular), it's part of our regular grocery shopping regimen: farmer's market, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Safeway.

[etiolate]

Picked up some running shoes, starting jogging/running today. I just did some stretching and realized I've lost about half my flexibility in the past two years.

[CrystalGemini]

I finally got my ass into a Trader Joe's.  It's not bad but I prefer Whole Foods.

It is Whole Foods, but for poor people  :'(

There are some good finds there, but I can't get everything I need there. I'll go there when we run out of milk and go home with some cheese or frozen souffle balls or something else that tickles my fancy that I don't really need.

TJ's is good for certain things (cheese, in particular), it's part of our regular grocery shopping regimen: farmer's market, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and Safeway.

There's this little Russian grocery store called European Market I go to for my cured and smoked meats.  There's been a bunch of Russian markets etiolate and I visted in Sacramento that's had really decent meat and cheese selections also.  TJ and Safeway seriously does not even compare though I do go to both for quick and easy one stop shopping at 2am (24 hour Safeways only  ).

[Van Cruncheon]

yes, also exercise

[Cormacaroni]

Cutting out grains and starches isn't a big deal for me at all. However, it would be really tough to give up dairy. I've cut way down on drinking plain milk, but I still love cheese and yogurt. Are those foods actually unhealthy?

Depends on the type of cheese and yoghurt! If it's strawberry-flavored and 'zero calories', it's not going to help. Full-fat non-flavored/sweetened yoghurt/cheese seems to be fine for many if not most. I eat it. It isn't going to help with weight loss though - it is still pretty high in carbs, which combined with the huge number of calories can be bad news.

I am a believer in yoghurt as an aid to digestion. Really seems to make a diff with gut health. Being summer over here, I'm probably eating way too much of it though...almost a liter a day right now.

[Cormacaroni]

DC rollercoaster continues, insane thrills ahead

[Cormacaroni]

I used plain yogurt as the dressing on a big salad I made today. That was pretty nice. I'm assuming it's healthier than ranch.

With that said, is anyone here into eggplant? I really like it, but it seems that when you sautee it, it soaks up oil like nothing else. I salt it first and press it to get a lot of the water out, which I've found cuts down on the cooking time and gives it a better consistency. But still, I go through too much oil when I'm cooking it. I only use olive oil, but I'm looking for another option.

Eggplant is kind of a garbage food. Like a bunch of vegetables, it is basically just fiber and water in a difficult-to-digest wrapper. There is no real reason to go out of your way to eat it.

The way to get the water out, by the way, is to put them on a paper towel then cover them in salt. Leave them for about 10 mins and the salt will soak up most of the excess water. It's kind of a pain in the ass but worth doing...if you give a crap about eating eggplant.

[cool breeze]

random thought, but the least empathetic I can be towards people going on a diet is the distaste of water.

like, missing sugar and super sweet things? ok.  missing pasta and bread? ok.  missing whatever lifestyle/diet you choose? ok.  the one consistent thing is drinking water.  at least I'm not aware of a diet that says "bro, don't drink the essence of life.  it's cool.  drink that fizzy dark stuff and you'll be ok."

blind taste test between liquid aids and water, some people will prefer the aids.  because water...taste...bad 

[Cormacaroni]

random thought, but the least empathetic I can be towards people going on a diet is the distaste of water.

like, missing sugar and super sweet things? ok.  missing pasta and bread? ok.  missing whatever lifestyle/diet you choose? ok.  the one consistent thing is drinking water.  at least I'm not aware of a diet that says "bro, don't drink the essence of life.  it's cool.  drink that fizzy dark stuff and you'll be ok."

blind taste test between liquid aids and water, some people will prefer the aids.  because water...taste...bad 

I see an awful lot of 'Dieting is easy! All I did was cut out soda and snacks and I dropped 20lbs in a few weeks!!'

Yeah, it's easy if you're 250lbs and have an awful diet to begin with. Almost anything will work in that situation. Call me when you make it to a non-fattie weight. Not drinking sugar water all day long should be like the absolute fucking baseline - the kind of shit you do before you even consult a book or another person for advice.

I struggle with this 'cause my wife is always giving my kid apple juice etc to drink. I find she drinks water just fine if not given an alternative. Your body needs water! Who gives a fuck if they 'don't like it'. My daughter is 3 and only weighs like 18kg, she's not going to wrestle the fucking apple juice out of your hands, woman.

Actually, the situation IS getting better...she's at least getting all the protein she needs, in the form of eggs. And interestingly, when she eats eggs, she barely touches whatever carbs are also laid on (again by wifey, who thinks that no meal is complete without a bunch of rice)

[lennedsay]

I used to hate water, but now I drink it constantly. After the crazy health issues last year when I had Bell's Palsy and went on all these meds, I went from rarely drinking milk but loving chocolate milk to yucky...  and from water= to water= all in the same week.

I'll drink soy, almond, or chocolate regular milk sometimes now, but it took months. It was just such a disgusting feeling in my mouth, like it coated my mouth and wouldn't go away. Couldn't eat cereal, ice cream, cream sauce, anything milky/creamy. Weirdest few months of my life. I still drink water constantly and maybe drink 1-2 soda/koolaid/juice per week. Love water now. Don't understand how people hate it or drink diet soda constantly instead. eww

[Cormacaroni]

it's easy to understand - they're addicted to sugar (and usually caffeine)

anything they say about taste is just their brains attempting to rationalize the above.

[cool breeze]

skim milk is another thing I just don't get

[Van Cruncheon]

i adore unsweetened almond milk

[Van Cruncheon]

hemp milk, on the other hand, is almost as nasty as pale ale 

[Cormacaroni]

I think I got a sugar addiction when I quit smoking. Suddenly I started buying chocolate bars all the time. Took some effort to cut that out. I still have a caffeine addiction, but I think as long as you drink your coffee without sugar and cream, you'll be okay. AFAIK anyway.

Nothing wrong with cream, assuming you're talking about the real deal and not the stuff that comes in plastic containers from McDs.

There is no rationalizing any addiction. If you are compelled to consume something your body doesn't actually need multiple times a day...that cannot possibly be good for you. The fact that you are not taking on some additional calories that other folks habitually consume with their caffeine is neither here nor there. I drink coffee, but in moderate amounts (never more than 2 cups a day) and I don't attempt to rationalize it.

[lennedsay]

I've been making fresh homemade pasta and red sauce. Am I going to carby hell?

If so, wonderful.

[Cormacaroni]

You get a pass - you have boobs to maintain

[lennedsay]

Thanks boo 

I figured if we're going to eat spaghetti anyway, it's gotta be better to make it from scratch rather than from a jar and package. I can at least control some of the ingredients and add lots of fresh veggies to the sauce. Unbleached flour in the pasta instead of bleached.

I don't really like red sauce anymore because I always get heartburn so bad, and my husband has been complaining about the same recently (he's the one who always wants spaghetti, not me). Homemade sauce = no heartburn at all. 

[Cormacaroni]

yeah, if you're gonna smoke ANYWAY, you should totally use filters!

[Mupepe]

where the hell is the meat?

why not a few pieces of bacon and some eggs?  That breakfast seems... painful.  And just inadequate if you plan on weight lifting.

[Mupepe]

Okay, so that's about 900 calories, man.

But for all that you get 61 grams of fat, 86 (!!!!) grams of carbs and 31 grams of protein.

Your macros are all sorts of fucked there. 

My advice is to cut out the nuts, raisins and banana.  Get a few eggs and/or meats and if you want, that yogurt. 

Save the nuts for a snack if you get hungry or something.  Almonds have digestion issues and quite a bit of carbs, so walnuts are the better choice.  The raisins and banana are fairly worthless IMO.  They're essentially sugar and vitamins.  Better than a processed alternative?  Sure.  But not really good for weight loss.