FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[Cormacaroni]

6 heavy lifting days a week? WTF

Doing less is bound to be an improvement. You must be thrashed.

[Smooth Groove]

Jacked up my right ankle today for the 2nd time in my life.  The left one, which is the "bad" one has been about 80%.  I messed up the right one by landing awkwardly after an acrobatic finger-roll around a defender.  At least, I got the basket but now I probably can't ball for at least 3-4 weeks.

I'm seriously considering whether I should change the way I play.  I'm not tall enough to play in the post against good competition so being Zebo-like is out of the question.  The other alternative is just shooting Js and keep myself out of the paint but that's awfully boring. 

[Fifstar]

So two days ago I tried a new personal best with the with chest press (not sure if that's the correct term), not much above the weight I did pretty constantly before when I was suddenly hit with massive headaches on the left. I could continue after 5 minutes with my old weight, although a light headache remained.

Today I got the same pain when I did my usal weight (which normally isn't that hard for me) with the lat-pull. Pain got away quickly again, but it definetly handicaped me in going to my maximum.

I had the same problem in the past when I did lots of push ups, also quick googling says that those types of headaches are somewhat common. Still sucks when your body feels like it can keep going but a seemingly unrelated pain stops you.

[Smooth Groove]

Braced up both ankles and played 3 games today.  I was the leading scorer in every single game.  Almost every made basket was a layup too. 

[Eric P]

7" off my waistline since August 1st.

Going keto for these past two weeks has gotten me out of my plateau and down a belt loop since Jan 2nd.  My guess is that I was eating too many carbs even though I was fairly strictly paleo.  I did basically two weeks of meat and more meat and in the past few days have been adding in more leafy vegetables.

my stomach was not a huge fan of the all meat and coconut oil diet.  That's settled down a bit, thankfully, as it made morning commutes horrible with the shaking of the train.

[Groogrux]

I've started running as part of my training for the TM event in October.  I'm pretty satisfied with my progress thus far, but I know there is more that I could be doing.  I'm going to start the Couch to 5k program this week.  Should be pretty good.

Also, I've lost over 8lbs in the last week!  And since I got over my sickness, I've started back hardcore into Primal Blueprint eating.

Now, the only problem I'm facing is that I think I landed on my foot wrong the other day at work and strained a muscle.  My foot makes a weird rubbing noise when I bend my toes upward and there is a little bit of discomfort.  Other than that, it's pain free.  It does make running a little difficult and discomforting though, so I may rest from that for a couple of days.

[Eric P]

c25K really works.  I downloaded a timer app and fire it up and run until it told me to walk.  I haven't run since November (thanks to leptin reset and now; winter) but I'm fairly confident I could jump right back it if needed.

[Robo]

Anybody got any Fitocracy invites?

[Madrun Badrun]

give me your email

[Robo]

Just promise not to send me any god damn youtube videos.

[Madrun Badrun]

naw I'll keep it to dailybreak stuff

[Fifstar]

The last two days I had this weird light metallic taste in my mouth while training. Went away quickly so I wasn't really bothered but still strange.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

The last two days I had this weird light metallic taste in my mouth while training. Went away quickly so I wasn't really bothered but still strange.

Thats blood.

[lennedsay]

I signed up for a gym today. lol Primarily for moral support for some co-workers trying to lose weight, but I've been wanting to walk and it's too cold out. They give everybody a personal training session to show you how to use all the machines and then work people out hardcore. Not sure how the poor guy is going to fill an hour for a pregnant lady. 

I've still been doing my Pilates class every week, and I have modifications my teacher/bestie has me do for the ab exercises. But so far, I haven't gained any weight and have slimmed down everywhere but my belly. And here I thought women were supposed to get all fatty fat when they get knocked up!

[Fifstar]

So I started this fitocracy thing. Kinda silly how many points you get for my cardio exercises, especially considering that I'm naturally much more of a cardio person. Anyway, the input of numbers pleases my inner assberger so I think I'm gonna use this a lot. I hate how it's missing some of the machines I'm using, might actually send them a mail to include them. Or maybe I should just start using more free weights instead.

[Fifstar]

I will sooner or latter. I started going to the gym 2 months ago, without any history of strength training so machines felt like a good point to start. I will probably make an appointment with a trainer in two or three weks and ask him about exchanging some machines with free weight exercises.

Is there any way to view possible quests and achievements on fitocracy? Or do they just show up when you eventually do them?

[Van Cruncheon]

free weights are MUCH better and work a lot of the smaller muscle groups, and often provide some core components. i only do machines on the days where fatigue is ruling me.

[Fifstar]

I don't know much about fitness, but I was in a similar situation 3 months ago.

I think the best tip I can give you is to make an appointment with a coach right away. Hopefully they have good coaches at your place. I would have been pretty lost if I had started to train just on my own (in my case, the gym membership included a 5 hour introductory course) and you can do more harm or at least slow down your progress significantly if you do the exercises wrong. Youtube videos can help, but if you have don't have the necessary feeling for your body, you still might not be able to execute the stuff without somebody in person showing you them.

Secondly, depending on your shape I would advise you to start with a full body workout and not to concentrate just on the especially visible muscles of the body. That might sound obvious, but training for show off is always tempting . Unless you're doing a lot of other sports, it's likely that some muscles are lacking, like the back or your shoulders, at least that was the case for my nerd ass.

Otherwise, just do it and do it regularly (I'd recommend 2-3 units of weight training per week). You'll be surprised how much difference you can see and feel in a couple of months.

[Cormacaroni]

I daresay there is some advice for a beginner SOMEWHERE in the preceding 88 pages

The question is can anyone be arsed to dig it all up or retype it again.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

So, I was given a gym membership by my dad who got it has a gift for doing someone a favor. Now, I wasn't going to use it but I think I could do to add some exercise to my life. Ive never been to a gym before and the only real working out Ive done is lift weights a few years back so I was wonder if you guys had any advice for a beginner.

Thanks.

Are you trying to lose weight or gain weight?

[Cormacaroni]

Have you seen pictures of Green Man?

[Groogrux]

I've always wondered whether it was the treadmill that was lying or the fact that we can change our pace more freely when we run without one.  Seeing a number on the treadmill would cause us to stay at that particular pace, whereas on pavement there is no "number" to look at therefor we can push our bodies as hard as we want to and may not be pushing to the fullest potential at all times.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

I'm 5'7 and weigh about 177-180lbs. I don't necessarily feel fat but I feel disgustingly out of shape and generally weak. I'm not interested in just looking fit (Although it wouldn't hurt), I want to able to run long distances and lift shit that weighs more than say, 60lbs, without feeling like my arms were just destroyed.

You're short.

Here is what I would do. Sign up for a few 5Ks and then graduate to 10Ks. Find a half marathon in your area during the fall and make it your goal tot rain for it.

Part of your training should be to lift weights 2-3 times a week. But if your goal is endurance than you need to run. Run 30-45 minutes 3 times a week and do a longer run on the weekend.

[Cormacaroni]

I realize this, I was just making a bit of a joke with my last sentence. Other considerations with treadmill vs road is uneven surface, wind, temperature, the fact that if you stop you don't shoot off, etc.

The big difference is physics - on a road, you are actually pushing your body forward through space. The treadmill does that for you - all you have to do is stay upright. It's a much easier movement to stay on the treadmill.

[Groogrux]

Fat people have a hard time staying on treadmills.

[Eric P]

found out what was causing my stomach issues for the past week or so.
my Now Foods Super Enzymes which had been no issue since August suddenly started giving me grief.  I've cut them out the past two days and now I don't feel nauseous all the time.  I was taking them at the same time I was taking meals so I thought that it was just the act of eating so it was somewhat freaking me out.

Another belt loop down.

Go, go, ketosis.

[Eric P]

They were fine for the longest time.  As I said I was taking them fairly regularly for the past 6 months with no ill effect.  I'm curious if there is a ceiling for how effective they will be over time.

edit: a quick bit of googling seems to confirm this to be the case in anecdotal circumstances.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread9514.html

Perhaps my body is finally used to the really radical change in diet I've been forcing onto it.

[Smooth Groove]

I don't know much about fitness, but I was in a similar situation 3 months ago.

I think the best tip I can give you is to make an appointment with a coach right away. Hopefully they have good coaches at your place. I would have been pretty lost if I had started to train just on my own (in my case, the gym membership included a 5 hour introductory course) and you can do more harm or at least slow down your progress significantly if you do the exercises wrong. Youtube videos can help, but if you have don't have the necessary feeling for your body, you still might not be able to execute the stuff without somebody in person showing you them.

Secondly, depending on your shape I would advise you to start with a full body workout and not to concentrate just on the especially visible muscles of the body. That might sound obvious, but training for show off is always tempting . Unless you're doing a lot of other sports, it's likely that some muscles are lacking, like the back or your shoulders, at least that was the case for my nerd ass.

Otherwise, just do it and do it regularly (I'd recommend 2-3 units of weight training per week). You'll be surprised how much difference you can see and feel in a couple of months.

Thanks. I'll look into what kind of services they offer, hopefully they do have courses and classes available.

So, I was given a gym membership by my dad who got it has a gift for doing someone a favor. Now, I wasn't going to use it but I think I could do to add some exercise to my life. Ive never been to a gym before and the only real working out Ive done is lift weights a few years back so I was wonder if you guys had any advice for a beginner.

Thanks.

Are you trying to lose weight or gain weight?

I dunno.

I'm 5'7 and weigh about 177-180lbs. I don't necessarily feel fat but I feel disgustingly out of shape and generally weak. I'm not interested in just looking fit (Although it wouldn't hurt), I want to able to run long distances and lift shit that weighs more than say, 60lbs, without feeling like my arms were just destroyed.

Have you seen pictures of Green Man?

I dunno what this means.

Just do several sets of bench and curl twice a day.  You're young and should be able to recover quick enough.  At night, do at least 300 pushups and 500 situps.  You'll look great in no time. 

[Smooth Groove]

found out what was causing my stomach issues for the past week or so.
my Now Foods Super Enzymes which had been no issue since August suddenly started giving me grief.  I've cut them out the past two days and now I don't feel nauseous all the time.  I was taking them at the same time I was taking meals so I thought that it was just the act of eating so it was somewhat freaking me out.

Another belt loop down.

Go, go, ketosis.

Do you look more muscular though?  Going from fat to skinny fat is pretty nice but lean and muscular would be even better. 

[Eric P]

yes but that's more an added bonus than my primary goal

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Just ran my first 5k with no walking breaks. I AM A GOD.

[Smooth Groove]

Gonna start lifting again tomorrow.  I've stopped for almost 3 weeks because all my joints were hurting.  I think it was mostly due to an overtraining session in which I bench, barbell snatched, squatted and deadlifted heavy weights with little rest.  In addition, I was dumb to enough to keep balling with two ankle braces which just caused the forces to be excessively absorbed by my knees and hips.  Furthermore, the lower body injuries caused me to rely much more on my upper body to get my shot off, which started to make my upper body hurt as well.  After a string of horrible games and feeling like shit, I finally learned that nobody is good enough to play with two sprained ankles. 

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Competed in my first crossfit competition today.

Did a 2K meter row in 6:51 beating an ex-NFL player by 2 seconds.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

It was a team competition. 6 people to a team.
 
1st workout workout was a team 1 rep max. Everyone took a lift and maxed on it and you added up the totals. Lifts were: Deadlift, Squat, Power Clean, Press, Overhead Squat, Bench Press.

I did the squat at 250. Not the best really.

2nd workout: do the following partitioned as a team however you want for time
200 deadlifts 135M/95F
200 Pushups
200 situps
200 squats

3rd workout was a combination of 3 mini workouts. You had to complete one before moving on
1 person does this 21-15-9 Thrusters at 135lbs and then pullups
4 people do 150 wallballs
1 person does a 2K row

4th workout was a 2 mile relay done by 4 members from your team. I did this about 20 minutes after my row which was pretty dismal.

5th workout was everyone on your team does as many burpees as you can in a minute
I got 23.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Beezy]

I'm slacking again!

I'll try to fix that when I get home later.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

  Here is a picture of me towards the end of my row on Saturday.





Me squatting

[Cormacaroni]

look mom, no hands! Can't see that ending well.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

look mom, no hands! Can't see that ending well.

 

Those aren't my hands. That's my spotter.

[Cormacaroni]

Spotters are a pretty bad idea for the squat. Far easier and safer just to dump the weight backwards if you get into trouble, rather than getting into some horrible position and struggling with it for a minute or two (you'll still have to do 90% the work since the spotter is in no real position to help). Worse, you risk dumping it on THEM.

[Groogrux]

It does look like your hands though! 

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Spotters are a pretty bad idea for the squat. Far easier and safer just to dump the weight backwards if you get into trouble, rather than getting into some horrible position and struggling with it for a minute or two (you'll still have to do 90% the work since the spotter is in no real position to help). Worse, you risk dumping it on THEM.

I see people spotting squats all the time. You can still bail with spotter. Can you imagine getting low with a  heavy bar and having your back go forward. You would be crushed.

[Cormacaroni]

People do fucking stupid things all the time...

You can bail but you risk hurting the other guy. It's far easier to bail without a spotter. What good does the spotter do if you have to bail? And what good does he do in any other hypothetical situation?

(it's also dumb to do it in a place as busy as that pic looks without a cage but I can only hope everyone was smart enough to keep away)

[Smooth Groove]

Crossfitters are fit but so much of the stuff they do seem unncessary or odd.  I was thinking of trying out Crossfit for 3 months to help out with strength imbalances but it's too damn expensive.  Every gym costs like $175 a month.  My new workout partner is a former NCAA division 1 track & field athlete so I don't really need someone to teach me how to do olympic lifts properly.  I just wanted access to stuff that aren't in my gym like the glute-ham raise machine, sled, wall balls, etc. 

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

People do fucking stupid things all the time...

You can bail but you risk hurting the other guy. It's far easier to bail without a spotter. What good does the spotter do if you have to bail? And what good does he do in any other hypothetical situation?

A spotter will grab your chest and take the load  off. It honestly helps out a lot.

[Cormacaroni]

ah, i'd forgotten that you are impossible to convince of anything. As you were!

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

ah, i'd forgotten that you are impossible to convince of anything. As you were!

 

I hear what your saying, but you're acting like I'm the first and only person to use a spotter while squatting.

[Cormacaroni]

Again, being a member of a big stupid club of people who do stupid things doesn't make anything better. It's dangerous for both you AND the spotter. Stop doing it and get used to dumping the weight. I don't care if you get pissed off at me, but please stop doing it.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Again, being a member of a big stupid club of people who do stupid things doesn't make anything better. It's dangerous for both you AND the spotter. Stop doing it and get used to dumping the weight. I don't care if you get pissed off at me, but please stop doing it.

Wut? I have no idea what you are stammering on about dude. I'm not pissed at you because I have no idea what you are even going on about.

Who knew that having a spotter was such a hot topic!

[Trent Dole]

So like the fuck is one's starting point with this fitness shit? I haven't a goddamn clue man.

[Smooth Groove]

So like the fuck is one's starting point with this fitness shit? I haven't a goddamn clue man.

Get strong enough to do at least 50 pushups in a row, 10 pullups in a row and be able to jump on a 30 inch box. 

[Smooth Groove]

Just bought a 20lb vest and my first kettlebell, 35lbs.  The vest is for plyometrics.  I was thinking of getting the 40lbs but there's no way I'll ever jump more than 1 foot with 40 inches on so that's pointless.
 
Cormac, do you think I should get another 35lb KB?  Are there any exercises that require two KBs?  These things are so damn expensive.  I'm pretty sure I'll progress pretty fast so that 35lbs don't feel that heavy in a month. 

[Cormacaroni]

The end goal of kettlebell training IS two KB work. It's probably 80%-plus of what I do. The balancing and coordination requirements are much higher with 2 vs 1, even assuming the same total weight.

But of course you can work for years with just one, especially if you are still doing lots of other stuff. No need to rush out and buy another one if money is tight. Get watching some Steve Cotter youtube vids!

[Smooth Groove]

Shit, I'll just get another one although money is a bit tight since I've been buying basketball shoes like crazy.  I'm too impatient to wait. 

I used to think core training is overrated but my track athlete buddy has gotten me to think otherwise.  I have some serious balancing issues which makes it hard to keep up with some of the stuff he does.  Dude is very competitive even though he doesn't admit it so I try to not fall behind in any exercise if I can help it. 

Btw, the Derrick Rose 2.5 is an excellent shoe. You should get a pair just to shoot around in. 

[Smooth Groove]

Is there a online guide for the kinda stuff you can do with KBs? 

[Cormacaroni]

like I said, Steve Cotter youtube videos!

[Smooth Groove]

I'll look at them for sure but I just wanted a list of different exercises and what bodyparts they emphasized. 

[Smooth Groove]

Do I need to get a wide handle kettlebell for two handed swings?  I'm thinking of getting a significantly heavier KB for that exercise. 

[Cormacaroni]

not really, since you only really grip it with thumb and forefinger. It's important to get one with a smooth handle though. Otherwise high reps will tear up your palms.

[Cormacaroni]

Here are mine. I use the green ones pretty much exclusively now. The rubber-handled ones are pretty shitty for anything but swings. It's all about the handle. For snatching, you'll want one with the smooth cornered handle. Non-painted/non-coated is best (although there is a bit more maintenance - you'll have to sand off light rusting now and again)

[Smooth Groove]

If I can one arm dumbell snatch from a hang position with 60 to 70 lbs for sets of 5 reps, what should I be getting for two handed KB swings? 

Btw, I'm returning the 35lb (heaviest at the local store).  It felt like nothing with the stuff that I was watching on youtube.