FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[Cormacaroni]

I may be wrong but i'm guessing Toxic Adam is in a different weight class from the majority of the nation's cardio fans

[ToxicAdam]

I just never enjoyed doing more than 10-15 minutes of jogging. Plus, I would get shin splints when I did run and usually couldn't even complete a mile w/o stopping. Back when I was into working out, there was that stigma that running too much would 'eat away your gains'. Which was pretty silly, but we all believed it.

I'm at 192 lbs now (5'11). I would like to get down to the 175-180 range, but everyone is telling me I'm 'too skinny' (lol) now. I think they are just reacting to my face/neck losing weight.

[Yoritomo]

Thought lower back pain was gone. (tweaked my back unloading the bar after a deadlift set... irony). Did back day yesterday and started warm up for dead lifts. Felt small twinges. Went for 175 and twinges were definitely there. I guess I need to wait another week at least before I get back to normal (last two sets are usually 275 then 325 )

[Groogrux]

I did the Tough Mudder in Kentucky yesterday.  I was the last to cross the finish line, but I crossed it.  12.1 miles of pain.  This was by-far the hardest thing that I've ever done physically.

It also showed me how bad I've let myself go since my wife died.  The team that I ran with and I are already planning to run it again next year.  And next time, I'll be ready!

[Eric P]

congrats!

[MyNameIsMethodis]

congras. I heard theres nothing much better than running one of those and the sense of placew you have at the end. i am jellous!

[Shaka Khan]

Allow me to tug one more time...

 I finally started cooking over the summer, and I've been going to the boxing gym 5-6 times a week (it's been 8 weeks), which has been yielding some unexpected positive results. I hit my first milestone ten days ago, and I'm 4 kilos away from my goal. But I'm planning on continuing since the program fits my daily routine pretty nicely.

Every time I step on the scale I praise Cormac's name.

[Cormacaroni]

every time i look at my Steam library i praise your name

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Ironman #2 is about 4 weeks away. This weekend is my last day for anything long I want do. I signed up for a 10 mile race, so I'll do that and maybe a good bike ride in. And then I start cycling my caffeine until race day.

[Groogrux]

So I've been working on changing my lifestyle around after seeing how poorly I did at the Tough Mudder.  Like I said (I think), it was a wake-up call that I've really let go of what I had built myself up to since my wife died.  After a year and a half, it's not an excuse anymore.

But Jesus Titty-Bangin' Christ, has it been hard...  Any suggestions for getting myself back on track?  I'm going through the Primal Blueprint and I even ordered that 90-Day Journal that they sell to help myself out.

[Cormacaroni]

I'm lovin' this carb backloading thing: www.carbbackloading.com

But still too early to say if it's just another entry in the the 'anything works, nothing works forever'.

I'd be really tempted to try his Carb Nite Solution for a couple of months if you just wanted to strip off fat fast. It's a fairly strict protocol though - basically ultra low carb at all times except for a once weekly nighttime blowout to keep the metabolism ramped up.

[Cormacaroni]

Basically though - what worked for you before should work again, if you've had a lengthy layoff from it.

[Fifstar]

I'm lovin' this carb backloading thing: www.carbbackloading.com

But still too early to say if it's just another entry in the the 'anything works, nothing works forever'.

I'd be really tempted to try his Carb Nite Solution for a couple of months if you just wanted to strip off fat fast. It's a fairly strict protocol though - basically ultra low carb at all times except for a once weekly nighttime blowout to keep the metabolism ramped up.

Did you order that book? That site looks like such an extreme sales pitch that it is hard to take it serious, it just looks like any get rich/famous/thin overnight scams you find on the web. But it seems to work for you (do you even need to loose weight, you don't look like it from the pictures, well expect around the neck ), so seems like there is something to it, even if it might be only on a short term.

I think Chris Kresser actually has a similar sales pitch site. I don't understand why people that actually have a good and seemingly legit product (like well presented and in depth advise on the paleo diet) still feel they have to resort to those kinda shady looking sites. I understand that writing a free blog won't pay any bills and many of those people seem deeply invested in it and are probably doing it full time. I guess it's just the most sucessful way for them but I wonder if this delegitimizes such authors (and the diet by extension ) to a point for a certain audience. Obviously there is a big wealth of free information both on the sites of the big bloggers as is the smaller ones + a extremly friendly community so there is no need to buy anything, I just don't like the overmonetization and cross advertising by and between some bloggers.

So I've been working on changing my lifestyle around after seeing how poorly I did at the Tough Mudder.  Like I said (I think), it was a wake-up call that I've really let go of what I had built myself up to since my wife died.  After a year and a half, it's not an excuse anymore.

But Jesus Titty-Bangin' Christ, has it been hard...  Any suggestions for getting myself back on track?  I'm going through the Primal Blueprint and I even ordered that 90-Day Journal that they sell to help myself out.

Any specific problems? DId you do the primal diet before? Do you do it right know and have problems loosing weight or more problems to do the diet like motivation, keeping the diet strict, not enough time to cook your own stuff etc.?

[Cormacaroni]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the sales pitch. Everyone is tainted by that to an extent, other than I dunno, random message board posters. But they have no accountability.

Sales pitch aside, Kiefer is uber-legit. Has the Robb Wolf stamp of approval, for one. He caters very specifically to the BB crowd that want to get hyoooge and bang lots of beach babes or whatever. A lot of those guys are on the bleeding edge of nutrition and training though, and if you can just point their programs in the direction you want, you can get a lot of good out of them. And the dude walks around at 230lbs, 6% body fat. That's kerrrazzzzy.

My buddy lent me the CBL book, then I bought the Carb Nite book. CBL is pretty crazy stuff but it is footnoted to DEATH. Literally thousands of research articles are cited, and most of it is stuff that I don't need to be sold on already. In fact, the most convincing thing about CBL is that it explains why all these other diets and training methods work, fail or half-work better than anything else i've encountered. I know why things like IF, post-workout carbs, ultra-low carb etc get great results for lots of people but also where they fall down now, I think. It's almost a Grand Unified Theory of diet and exercise

I'm doing CBL more to gain back some size and strength rather than lose BF, but every time i've done that in the past, I've blown up and felt horrible. This time I haven't. The experiment is still in progress though, and it's taken me a while to get it dialled in (I've had to cut out gluten and dairy entirely recently, which makes getting the carbs a lot tougher and less fun)

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I'm lovin' this carb backloading thing: www.carbbackloading.com

But still too early to say if it's just another entry in the the 'anything works, nothing works forever'.

I'd be really tempted to try his Carb Nite Solution for a couple of months if you just wanted to strip off fat fast. It's a fairly strict protocol though - basically ultra low carb at all times except for a once weekly nighttime blowout to keep the metabolism ramped up.

Where do I find this Carb Nite Solution, i'm getting really bored of my diet in a "yawn" kind of way not a "i miss food" kind of way and feel like trying it up for a little bit

[Cormacaroni]

http://carbnite.com/ns-buythebook.php

$20

It's a little overpriced in terms of page count per dollar I guess - it's padded out with some needless low carb recipes and such. But it's worth it if you actually intend to give it a shot for a while.

As a plan, it's not a million miles away from Tim Ferriss' Slow Carb (which features a blowout cheat day). Carb Nite seems a lot more fundamentally solid and logical than that though. There is nothing controversial to me (or most still reading this thread) about ultra low carb being the fastest way to lose fat in the short term. But in the longer term, it's hard to overcome dat homestasis....the carb blowout once a week helps prevent that. He has some convincing arguments for the timing of fasting/eating being important also (fast during the morning, eat most of your calories in the afternoon/evening, only eat carbs in the evening when you eat them at all).

The big problem is that as we all know, carbs and hyperpalatable junk food in particular is mega-addictive so you'd have to be careful not to eat that stuff other than at the scheduled times. If you can delay your gratification though, it's doable for a month or so at a time, I'd guess. I'm not keen to try it for that reason...especially when lifting heavy.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Hmm I usually do all my eating between 12 pm and 7 pm anyways so timing isn't a issue (i did stop the 24 hour fasting on fridays tho) I guess. Although i'd like to find something that woudl allow me to eat something small at like 12 am although I think thats just a wish. damn you marijuana

[MyNameIsMethodis]

that actually looks pretty similiar to what i do now actually, like try to limit myself to ~30 carbs a day and once a week eat a cheat meal. although as of late i've been cutting it up to about 80 to 100 carbs a day and losing weight but VERY SLOWLY

[Cormacaroni]

Kiefer is heavy on the protein shakes, with a bit of coconut milk...so long as there are zero carbs involved, you can eat a fair-sized meal. The goal is to avoid carbs for at least a few hours after waking...I usually go 'til 2pm before eating anything solid these days and it seems to take the fat right off.

[Groogrux]

I might give this stuff a shot if going back to the Primal Blueprint doesn't pan out for me.  I used it before and lost 60 lbs and gained a lot of muscle.  I used to look and feel a ton better than I do now. 

Yeah, my biggest problem has been motivation here lately.  Even hearing myself say it though sounds silly.  What motivation should I need more than extending my life, having a better quality of life, and providing a better life for my son.  Still though, it's like there's something battling me every step of the way.

I did do a pantry purge last night and cleaned most of the "shit" foods out of my cabinets and fridge.  Then I discovered that my eating options were pretty bare!  It's a good thing that I work in a grocery store, so I can restock on good stuff before I come home tonight.

Which brings a question to mind: For those of you who do the low-carb, paleo, primal blueprint style dieting stuff, do you make more frequent but smaller trips to the grocery now?  I feel that's where this is leading me.  I'm thinking from now on I'm just going to pick up a few things just to make meals for the next day or so instead of the next couple of weeks.

[Van Cruncheon]

yup, i usually hit the store every other day for meat and produce. hey, it's an excuse to get on the bike.

[Van Cruncheon]

Kiefer is heavy on the protein shakes, with a bit of coconut milk...so long as there are zero carbs involved, you can eat a fair-sized meal. The goal is to avoid carbs for at least a few hours after waking...I usually go 'til 2pm before eating anything solid these days and it seems to take the fat right off.

this. when i started going to JUST a protein bar in the morning and then nothing until 1, boom, fat started disappearin'. those bacon/egg breakfasts were just a bit too much for me in the morning -- so i have 'em at dinner instead.

[Van Cruncheon]

http://carbnite.com/ns-buythebook.php

$20

It's a little overpriced in terms of page count per dollar I guess - it's padded out with some needless low carb recipes and such. But it's worth it if you actually intend to give it a shot for a while.

As a plan, it's not a million miles away from Tim Ferriss' Slow Carb (which features a blowout cheat day). Carb Nite seems a lot more fundamentally solid and logical than that though. There is nothing controversial to me (or most still reading this thread) about ultra low carb being the fastest way to lose fat in the short term. But in the longer term, it's hard to overcome dat homestasis....the carb blowout once a week helps prevent that. He has some convincing arguments for the timing of fasting/eating being important also (fast during the morning, eat most of your calories in the afternoon/evening, only eat carbs in the evening when you eat them at all).

The big problem is that as we all know, carbs and hyperpalatable junk food in particular is mega-addictive so you'd have to be careful not to eat that stuff other than at the scheduled times. If you can delay your gratification though, it's doable for a month or so at a time, I'd guess. I'm not keen to try it for that reason...especially when lifting heavy.

geezus, who buys print books? i guess i can put the pdf on my kindle, but DUDE PUBLISH ON AMAZON

[Fifstar]

I might give this stuff a shot if going back to the Primal Blueprint doesn't pan out for me.  I used it before and lost 60 lbs and gained a lot of muscle.  I used to look and feel a ton better than I do now. 

Yeah, my biggest problem has been motivation here lately.  Even hearing myself say it though sounds silly.  What motivation should I need more than extending my life, having a better quality of life, and providing a better life for my son.  Still though, it's like there's something battling me every step of the way.

I did do a pantry purge last night and cleaned most of the "shit" foods out of my cabinets and fridge.  Then I discovered that my eating options were pretty bare!  It's a good thing that I work in a grocery store, so I can restock on good stuff before I come home tonight.

Which brings a question to mind: For those of you who do the low-carb, paleo, primal blueprint style dieting stuff, do you make more frequent but smaller trips to the grocery now?  I feel that's where this is leading me.  I'm thinking from now on I'm just going to pick up a few things just to make meals for the next day or so instead of the next couple of weeks.

Have you set yourself a clear goal? Maybe how much weight you want to loose or how long you want to do primal? I think a specific timeframe is a good way to keep oneself motivated. Set a point until which you cut all the crappy food. Not with the intention to start eating all the junk food again as soon as that point has come but as a opportunity for reassesment, does the diet work, do you feel you can do it any longer. Obviously long term weight loss needs a long term change in diet, but maybe it is easier to work with smaller goals at first. I'm probably not saying anything new too you here, just try to start it and keep the frustration as low as possible, you've already cleaned your home of the junk food that's good. When you're away from home try always to have some 'clean' food with you. Meat balls have been by favorite food for work lately, cheap, tasty and easy to prepare the day before.

Regarding food shopping, I go every two or three days. I mainly try to have a big option of food that I can combine, eg lots of vegetables, some meat&chicken, coconut milk and fresh herbs. Also some frozen vegetables and frozen fish like salmon. That way you have a lot of stuff that you can combine in many different ways and the cooking is mostly very quick.

[Cormacaroni]

Kiefer is heavy on the protein shakes, with a bit of coconut milk...so long as there are zero carbs involved, you can eat a fair-sized meal. The goal is to avoid carbs for at least a few hours after waking...I usually go 'til 2pm before eating anything solid these days and it seems to take the fat right off.

this. when i started going to JUST a protein bar in the morning and then nothing until 1, boom, fat started disappearin'. those bacon/egg breakfasts were just a bit too much for me in the morning -- so i have 'em at dinner instead.

In fairness, there are a LOT of very smart people who disagree with Kiefer and insist on a big breakfast. The biggest advocate is probably Charles Polinquin - he's like you must eat MEAT and NUTS every morning when you wake up or you will be PUNY and FAT and SICK. All I can say is that I never felt the need to eat first thing in the morning and never enjoyed cooking then either. I definitely feel a lot more alert if I don't eat then too.

Of course, this kind of advice shouldn't be taken in isolation. How someone recommends you eat in the morning is affected by how they think you should eat the rest of the time as well. If you are carb backloading the night before, you really won't feel very hungry the next morning.

Groogrux - Primal should be fine but of course if you want to lose a bunch of weight fast, you'll want to keep the carbs as low as possible. Carb Nite and CBL are just timing protocols for the macronutrients you eat as part of a Primal/Paleo diet really....they are totally compatible.

[Groogrux]

I plan to stay on a Primal/Paleo/Low Carb diet for the remainder of my life unless it's ever proven to be unhealthy.  I loved the way I felt when I was on that diet full-time, and from what I've read about it, it's available as a permanent lifestyle.

Cormac, the only thing that bothers me about CBL and Carb Nite is the whole "have whatever you want" parts of it.  It's good in theory, but for a guy like me, it's dangerous.  So what if I were to take the basic principal from both of them of no to low carb in the morning and more carbs in the evenings or one day a week?  How do you think I could work that out?

[Cormacaroni]

I plan to stay on a Primal/Paleo/Low Carb diet for the remainder of my life unless it's ever proven to be unhealthy.  I loved the way I felt when I was on that diet full-time, and from what I've read about it, it's available as a permanent lifestyle.

Cormac, the only thing that bothers me about CBL and Carb Nite is the whole "have whatever you want" parts of it.  It's good in theory, but for a guy like me, it's dangerous.  So what if I were to take the basic principal from both of them of no to low carb in the morning and more carbs in the evenings or one day a week?  How do you think I could work that out?

It would have some effect but as with any program, you kind of have to follow it. And also you need to be clear on why you are doing it. Fat loss? Strength? Health? Yes of course we all want all 3 at once but most of us will still pick one to prioritize.

Just stick to Paleo/Primal and stay as low carb as possible unless after workouts maybe. And don't go too crazy even then. You know that'll work out of the box.

[Cormacaroni]

Also - Paleo/Primal are also 'eat as much as you like' methods, ya know.  The unspoken proviso is that you don't drink entire bottles of olive oil in a sitting, or eat 10lbs of sweet potatoes

[Groogrux]

Yeah, it's one of the best parts of that lifestyle is I don't have to look at a plate and wonder where the rest of the food is.  But you are right, there are limitations to it.  For right now, I'm going pretty streamline with it and cutting out even stuff like sweet potatoes and the fruits.  The only sweets that will make it into my system will be my protein shake (8g carbs) after I work out.  I'm really going to try and keep my carbs under 70g regularly and shoot for 30-50g a couple days a week.  After I've gotten myself used to the lifestyle and routine again, I might try and incorporate IF again as well.

I plan to be going like that until I've had some significant fat loss.  My goal is to try and lose fat (and weight) for the next six months and then slowly work on building my strength.  I'll probably be logging some significant cardio hours with some basic compound strength training for a while.

[ToxicAdam]

Do you sit a lot, all day? One of the big things that helped me lose weight was ditching my chair and standing. They say you burn about 50 (more) calories/hr this way. Over the course of a day, that can really add up.

[Cormacaroni]

I stand for work these days, and go for a walk at lunchtime most days. Today I deadlifted around 5pm and my fucking legs were DEAD   Did 2 sets ok but the 3rd was like hitting a brick wall. Have you experienced this or this is exclusively an old man thing?

[ToxicAdam]

I usually do pyramid sets on compound exercises. Start with a warmup weight, scale up to a nice working weight,  then by the third set I am doing my max or near max. Then my fourth/fifth sets I am scaling back down.

My last set of deads went like this: 135 - 225 - 305 - 275 - 185 (reps of 7)

I'm sure if I were pushing myself in every set (in a typical three set workout), I would gas on that third set. Plus, I would probably be wiped for another 10 minutes afterword. lol

[Cormacaroni]

I'm pretty familiar with my capacity, and this was super low volume. My legs felt stiff and dead before I started though. The other factor is that I'd had no carbs whatsoever since Monday. The CBL thing is aimed more at traditional BB splits where you are in the gym 5x a week, after which you are carb refuelling. So basically almost every day is a carb load, meaning your muscle glycogen stores are usually full. I'm guessing I was running on empty today.

Aside - For deads and squats I usually do 5 or so reps with the bar and then 60kg just to check the form, then do one lift each time I add a plate until I get to the work sets, which are basically always 3x or 5x. I've never seen the point in tiring yourself out before the work sets, so I usually do the bare minimum needed to wake up the CNS and work out any kinks.

[Van Cruncheon]

I stand for work these days, and go for a walk at lunchtime most days. Today I deadlifted around 5pm and my fucking legs were DEAD   Did 2 sets ok but the 3rd was like hitting a brick wall. Have you experienced this or this is exclusively an old man thing?

I have this intermittently if I work out after work. Sucks. :-(

[Groogrux]

Do you sit a lot, all day? One of the big things that helped me lose weight was ditching my chair and standing. They say you burn about 50 (more) calories/hr this way. Over the course of a day, that can really add up.

Actually, I work in a grocery store now and walk 5-6 miles a shift.  I try to move around a lot when I have days off, but I'm not too sedentary.

[Boogie]

Played my first game of ice hockey in nearly 8 years ( )  this morning. 

It was great to be back on the ice, but HOLY CRAP was I out of skating shape.  Doing jiu-jitsu and gym work at my own pace just does not suffice when it comes to an hour on the ice.  I was one of the fastest out there for the first thirty seconds, and then I was just dead.  Hopefully I can get my skating legs back in a month or so. 

My positional sense and ability to anticipate the play was still surprisingly good.  Managed to get a few shots on net, and set up the better players for a couple of goals, too.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Damn must've felt good though. I'm fearing when I can start getting back into football again. My cardio is shit anyways and that will be a ...interesting experience 

[Mupepe]

Went to the doctor this morning.  I've been on pretty damn strict paleo for 11 months now without falling off.  All I hear from people is how bad my cholesterol must be from the diet and how it isn't healthy.  The doctor asked what I've been eating.  I told her about my standard breakfast of 6 eggs and two pieces of bacon and 12 ounces of red meat at night and I got some finger wagging from her about how it's not healthy to eat such fatty foods that often.

We ran my cholesterol and blood glucose and took my pulse and BP.  She was respectful enough to at least admit that my diet was working for me at least.  Everything was in the excellent range.  She has this little card that she writes her results on and there is a "Risk Factor" section where she writes what you need to work on.  She admitted that it had been a while since she left it blank.

Thanks, Cormac.

Edit: To add to it, I've been on a four day weight training split for 11 months too.  I also run/box/spar 5 days a week.  As of today I've lost 76 pounds in the last 11 months.  My BF is around 17% and dropping and all my lifts are the highest they've ever been. 

By the end of the year I should be at around 190-195 lbs with around 10-12% bf.

[Eric P]

aw yiss

congrats

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Went to the doctor this morning.  I've been on pretty damn strict paleo for 11 months now without falling off. 

You are amazing. I can go strict for like a week before I slowly break down. I'v just surrendered tot he fact that I can go about 80% paleo for the week. But I tend to do a lot of endurance stuff.

[Eric P]

aside from dairy and alcohol, i find paleo fairly easy to stick to.  Every once in a while (like once a month) I'll have something with rice or corn, but that's so rare for me.

[Mupepe]

gracias, senors. 

I just realized that I had been half assing it for a couple of years and it was obvious that paleo worked.  I also realized that I can't just break a little.  If I fall off, I fall off hard. 

I lost about 50 lbs last year doing paleo but I decided to let myself off the hook a bit and "lose weight more slowly".  By December I tried to wear some clothes that had fit 6 months earlier and at the time they fit I was so proud because of the weight I lost.  It hit me really hard and I realized I needed to get serious.  I created a list of recipes and a routine that I could integrate in not just my weight loss plan, but in my life.  I've stuck to it ever since with minor tweaks here and there. 

I also learned how to say fuck you to peer pressure from people.  I used to let it get to me when people would talk shit about my diet.  The snide remarks when I would say "Oh I can't eat that" used to get to me because I didn't want to be one of "those people."  I literally started telling people to fuck off when they would say it.  And as I lost more weight with my lifestyle it bugged me less and less and I would just tell myself (and sometimes them depending on their demeanor) that it's their lack of self control that makes them the way they are.  Even worse were the people born with ectomorph or mesomorph bodies who ate like shit but thought they had the answer to health because they didn't gain weight.  It was honestly just insecurity in my body.  Not anymore though.

Feels good, man.

Again... thank you, Cormac and everyone else in here for sharing their stories and ideas.  My wife's support for my lifestyle change was also amazing.  She would suffer and eat what I ate for me.  That made such a huge difference to know she was by my side with it. 

[VALIS]

I can barfely see my keybord over mu beer belli. Dios di mio! I don't know if that's spanish! Suicide!!!!

[VALIS]

Mupepe, I want to fuck your giggly titties a bunch.

Cheers,
VALIS

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Congrats on your success Mupepe.

The workplace is definitely tough.  During crunch times or day long meetings, my employer is generous in ordering food.  At first you just eat the meat, then you realize you're working a shitload and fuck it, why not.  Then you eat a bunch of carbohydrates and feel like shit for the rest of the day.

Now I do cooking at home and bring my food to work.  That way if people ask wtf I can just say that I'm trying to save money to pay off my student loans.  They will think about the outrageous sums of money they're paying for their sons and daughters' tuitions and will leave me alone about it.

A depressing thing happened this week.  I haven't lifted weights in about two years.  At my peak, I squatted 455 lbs for reps.  I went this week as a guest of a friend's at a gym and struggled getting one rep at 315 pounds.  All of that pain and struggle for 10+ years, gone.  I need to get my ass to a gym.  Due to work schedules, my only exercise is walking my dog before and after work.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

About 10 years ago I was obsessed with Boston College. I bought a heavy duty BC jacket that waso n sale for $40 pleading that some day I would be able to fit into it and wear it. It was like two sizes smaller than me then. Today I put it on and went outside and played in the snow like a fairy.

That made me pretty proud and feel good. Was nice cuz i've been losing slooooooooooooooooooowlllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyy lately because i've been getting depressed over a girl () and kinda not taking the diet seriously. Hopefully this realization will kick it back into top gear.

On that note, while getting back into p good shape is great and nice and boosts your confidence and makes you feel well, I had totally forgot how depressing the girl hunt can be and the toll that can have on ya but I guess thats for the relationship thread!

[MyNameIsMethodis]

oh and congrats mupepe

[demi]

I can barfely see my keybord over mu beer belli. Dios di mio! I don't know if that's spanish! Suicide!!!!

Hot <3

[Mupepe]

Mupepe, I want to fuck your giggly titties a bunch.

Cheers,
VALIS

oh em gee!! where the hell have you been??

Congrats on your success Mupepe.

The workplace is definitely tough.  During crunch times or day long meetings, my employer is generous in ordering food.  At first you just eat the meat, then you realize you're working a shitload and fuck it, why not.  Then you eat a bunch of carbohydrates and feel like shit for the rest of the day.

Now I do cooking at home and bring my food to work.  That way if people ask wtf I can just say that I'm trying to save money to pay off my student loans.  They will think about the outrageous sums of money they're paying for their sons and daughters' tuitions and will leave me alone about it.

A depressing thing happened this week.  I haven't lifted weights in about two years.  At my peak, I squatted 455 lbs for reps.  I went this week as a guest of a friend's at a gym and struggled getting one rep at 315 pounds.  All of that pain and struggle for 10+ years, gone.  I need to get my ass to a gym.  Due to work schedules, my only exercise is walking my dog before and after work.

Yeah that's what I don't want to experience.  I've fallen off so many times before and then had to retread territory.  It's depressing to watch your progress go down the toilet.  And yeah, the workplace used to be my worst enemy.  Everyone goes out to eat here and I had to be the guy who brought my food in every day.  It was either some light joking (although not mean spirited it does get to you if you let it) or flat out snide remarks.  Luckily my closest coworkers are very supportive and will even keep my in line if I start talking about falling off.  A good support system goes a long way.

oh and congrats mupepe

Thanks man.  Congrats to you as well.  Losing 100 lbs is pretty inspiring.

[Cormacaroni]

Congrats Mups! People who quit asking dumb questions and just go off and do it: THE BEST

[Cormacaroni]

I've been using this little iOS app (universal) called Day One for a while now to chronicle workouts, nutrition and progress pics. It's very handy...it's as easy as tweeting, and gives you a nicely-formatted timeline with embedded pics:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/day-one-journal/id421706526?mt=8

There are a gazillion other ways to do this for free of course (blogs, email, personal website etc) but this is super convenient I find. Haven't tried the separate desktop app yet - probably won't use it 'cause i only want it for very short bits of text really.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

cormac you ever ocnsider writing a book you give some real good advice and tips and I think you could put out a solid

[Cormacaroni]

Almost everything I say is recycled from other people's books or websites...I don't think I could actually charge money for other people's ideas

[Mupepe]

Congrats Mups! People who quit asking dumb questions and just go off and do it: THE BEST

Gracias, sir!  I think it was actually you a long time ago that so bluntly told me to stop being so damn neurotic and just do it.  I remember being a bit sphinctersore at the time but it's really what I needed.  I also stayed away from most fitness sites/threads because of my routine/diet ADD.  Reading threads/sites would make me neurotic that I wasn't doing as well as I really could and I would change it up and fall off/lose focus.  I already knew the basics so I stuck with what I knew worked and stopped sweating the small stuff.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Mens-Moab-GORE-TEX-Hiking/dp/B00114VBEI/ref=sr_1_5?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1352247557&sr=1-5&keywords=merrell

I bought a pair of these today. THey are so amazing. I'm really loving Vibrams, especially ones that don't look like toe shoes.

[Cormacaroni]

Did this KB workout yesterday, taken from Steve Cotter's Facebook (scaled down of course - he was working up to 2x32kg!)

2H = two hand swings with one KB, LH = left hand only, LH/RH = alternating left hand/right hand swings with one KB, 2KB = one KB in each hand

1 min on, 1 min off (total 25 mins):

2H swings 16kg,
LH/RH swings 16kg, 
LH swings 16kg,
RH swings 16kg,
2H swings 24kg,
LH / RH swings 24kg,
2KB swings 16kg,
LH/RH swings 24kg,
2H swings 24kg,
RH swings 16kg,
LH swings 16kg,
LH/RH Swings 16kg,
2H swings 16kg

It was pretty murderous on the grip near the end, especially the one hand rounds. Give it a shot!

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Yeah sorry I meant their soles, not the barefoot stuff.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I don't know, i've never had nice padded shoes so If theres something better then reccomend it 


The Vibram Minmus running shoes I have are great though. I love how light those are

[MyNameIsMethodis]

yes the vibram soled new balance minimus

[Groogrux]

TBH Vibram does make a good quality sole for any shoe, whether it's a pair of steel-toed boots, Merrell hiking shoes, or their own Five-Fingers.  I know a lot of guys that asked me about my Five-Fingers when I wore those and when I told them that they were made by Vibrams, a lot of them would tell me that the sole of their work boots were made by Vibrams and that they were still going strong.

http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Geomorph-Stretch-Hiking-Shoes/dp/B006ZBLCIM

These are the shoes I bought a couple of weeks ago.  I picked them up at my local shoe store for three reasons: They were Merrell brand, they had a Vibram sole, and they were $100 cheaper than regular retail price.  Most comfortable shoe that I've ever worn.