FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[Oblivion]

So I weighed myself after a long time today, and it seems that since I started my diet and weight training regiment about 3-4 months ago (2 months for the latter), I've gained 15 lbs.

Now, while I would be happy to see that I made that much progress, my body doesn't appear any different at all. At least, not in any way that I can tell. One of my friend's said that my chest looks a lot bigger, but that could just be due to me standing up straight and not being all hunchbacked like usual .

So...uh, what the hell is going on? Sorcery?

[Boogie]

So I weighed myself after a long time today, and it seems that since I started my diet and weight training regiment about 3-4 months ago (2 months for the latter), I've gained 15 lbs.

Now, while I would be happy to see that I made that much progress, my body doesn't appear any different at all. At least, not in any way that I can tell. One of my friend's said that my chest looks a lot bigger, but that could just be due to me standing up straight and not being all hunchbacked like usual .

So...uh, what the hell is going on? Sorcery?

1)  You posted your "DAY 1" workout (the one that actually includes, y'know, squats and bench press 'n stuff) on August 24.  That's not even 2 months yet.

2) Have you bothered to take before and after shots?

[El Babua]

Hurt my back. Doc diagnosed it as a lumbar strain and told me to lift lighter for the time being. I was like "fuck that". So I fucked up my back even more. 

I'll take a week break. Gonna actually lift light, take another break and see how it goes.

[Mupepe]

So I weighed myself after a long time today, and it seems that since I started my diet and weight training regiment about 3-4 months ago (2 months for the latter), I've gained 15 lbs.

Now, while I would be happy to see that I made that much progress, my body doesn't appear any different at all. At least, not in any way that I can tell. One of my friend's said that my chest looks a lot bigger, but that could just be due to me standing up straight and not being all hunchbacked like usual .

So...uh, what the hell is going on? Sorcery?

8-10 lbs of water weight
The rest is a mix of fat and muscle.

If you're doing the major compounds that's probably 5-7 lbs of muscle and fat distributed throughout your body. That'll make it hard to really see a difference. Plus, changing the way you see your body is a bitch. You'll be so used to seeing your body and the changes happen so slowly that its hard to quantify without taking periodic pictures.

[Mupepe]

The Olympic events at my job was yesterday. Shit was exhausting. A few of the events were really exhausting.

Weight Run: Me and 2 other guys moved 5000 lbs of weight equipment 25 yards. Dummbbells, plates, bars, kettlebells. Basically doing a lot of deadlifts and then running 25 yards and dropping it and running back to get more.

Pullups: 20,000 lbs worth. We all had to weigh ourselves before the event. One standard pull up station and one assisted. If you use assisted you have to subtract the assisted weight. Palms forward, arms fully extended. I did 30 in 1:40 @ 222 lbs. I'm usually 210-215 but I had a sweat soaked shirt, ate a huge breakfast and I was drinking a ton of water all day.

Water Transfer: you get two one gallon buckets of water. You start out 100 yards away from a ten gallon trough. You have to fill it until it overflows. That shit was exhausting.

Logistical Run: You and your entire team work to do the following for 1.5 miles. Carry a 200 lb wooden log. Cannot lift the log above your waist. So no hoisting it on the shoulders. The log can't touch the ground.  3 people inside a hula hoop carrying a 25 lb weight. All 3 people must touch the weight at all times.  Transport a beach ball the whole time. Can't touch it with your hands, can't bring the ball above the waist.

[Mupepe]

Yes, sir. I was pretty proud. I've been focusing A LOT on pullups. I do about 35-40 every day in sets of 3-4 at a time except on Wednesdays when I do three sets of as many reps as I can get. I did 14 on my first go. Then I got tired and my teammate jumped in. When he got tired I got ten more. Switched out again. I got in again and got 6 more before my team captain said we had gotten it. My goal is to be able to do 20 dead hang pullups and eventually a full muscle up.

[Mupepe]

Oh no. I would be happy as shit if I could do thirty consecutively.

[Mr. Gundam]

Did the half in 2 hours 10 minutes. I hadn't really trained much since my last half in June, and I hit this massive wall at mile 11 where my hips started hurting and I wanted to puke. Totally slowed down at that point but kept on running. Still had a good run, as I'm not competing against anyone but myself. Rock on.

Just realized that this was my fifth half marathon. Feels good, man.

[Mr. Gundam]

Nice, Gundam. Have you done a full?

Nope, I don't think my body could handle it, and I don't have the free time to train for one.

[Human Snorenado]

Ok, fitness-bore: time to lose my gut.  I've improved my general overall fitness level from "the biblical representation of sloth" to "average lazy American" and lost some weight in the process, in addition to cutting out sugary drinks and eating a little bit healthier.

I know there are some people on here who have had pretty marked transformations in physical appearance, and that's honestly my end goal.  I'm willing to completely change my eating habits if that's what it takes (would prefer to not eat red meat if possible, however) and work out more often and strenuously.  If at all possible, any workout related suggestions should be of the cheap to do variety, as I'm currently pinched for money and can't reasonably afford to join a gym or buy a bunch of workout equipment.  I do own some pussy ass 6 pound weights and a large punching bag and some gloves, and have been mostly walking for 45 minutes or so a day at a brisk pace. (haven't really been using the bag the way I should, which I plan on changing starting tomorrow.)

So, your tips and suggestions, plz.  Let's make me less of a fat ass.

[Oblivion]

8-10 lbs of water weight
The rest is a mix of fat and muscle.

If you're doing the major compounds that's probably 5-7 lbs of muscle and fat distributed throughout your body. That'll make it hard to really see a difference. Plus, changing the way you see your body is a bitch. You'll be so used to seeing your body and the changes happen so slowly that its hard to quantify without taking periodic pictures.

Ack, forgot about the water weight component. 

1)  You posted your "DAY 1" workout (the one that actually includes, y'know, squats and bench press 'n stuff) on August 24.  That's not even 2 months yet.

2) Have you bothered to take before and after shots?

1) I meant about 2 months.

2) I probably should have but I didn't have a camera until recently.

[Mupepe]

Nutrition: most of us follow a paleo style diet. Basically lots of leafy greens, meats and poultry. High in fat and proteins, low in carb. Lots of good sources of information have been posted in here.

my personal advice, start with changes you can live with. Read this thread and learn the basic science behind it all and then evaluate how you can steer your life in that direction.

As far as working out, hit that bag. Google for heavy bag drills. Do them foe 30-60 minutes 3-5 times a week. I lost about 100 lbs of fat using a heavy bag. But I love weight lifting so maybe scope out Craigslist for a discounted/free set of weights. Tons can be found because people buy them, never use them and say fuck packing them when its time to move.

[Human Snorenado]

Nice.  I was hitting the heavy bag more frequently earlier in the year and had couple of routines down, I just need to get back in the habit of doing it.

I'm also probably just going to say fuck it and start jogging, even though I hate it with a goddamn passion.

You used to have a bit of a gut, right mups?  Did it just melt off as you were exercising or did you have to do some weird targeted exercise insanity?  (keep in mind I probably have negative exercise knowledge base)

[Mupepe]

Nice.  I was hitting the heavy bag more frequently earlier in the year and had couple of routines down, I just need to get back in the habit of doing it.

I'm also probably just going to say fuck it and start jogging, even though I hate it with a goddamn passion.

You used to have a bit of a gut, right mups?  Did it just melt off as you were exercising or did you have to do some weird targeted exercise insanity?  (keep in mind I probably have negative exercise knowledge base)

I had a huge belly.  Haha  My belly was one of the last things to go.  You can't spot reduce fat so you just have to exercise and eat good.  You'll lose fat wherever your body/genetics determine you need to lose it.  Good luck, dude!  Any questions you have we will try to answer.

[Mupepe]

A few pics from my event Saturday.

[Flannel Boy]

8.95k
45:09

[Smooth Groove]

Ok, fitness-bore: time to lose my gut.  I've improved my general overall fitness level from "the biblical representation of sloth" to "average lazy American" and lost some weight in the process, in addition to cutting out sugary drinks and eating a little bit healthier.

I know there are some people on here who have had pretty marked transformations in physical appearance, and that's honestly my end goal.  I'm willing to completely change my eating habits if that's what it takes (would prefer to not eat red meat if possible, however) and work out more often and strenuously.  If at all possible, any workout related suggestions should be of the cheap to do variety, as I'm currently pinched for money and can't reasonably afford to join a gym or buy a bunch of workout equipment.  I do own some pussy ass 6 pound weights and a large punching bag and some gloves, and have been mostly walking for 45 minutes or so a day at a brisk pace. (haven't really been using the bag the way I should, which I plan on changing starting tomorrow.)

So, your tips and suggestions, plz.  Let's make me less of a fat ass.

Have you tried the school gym?  Even if you've graduated, your student id might still work for awhile.

Also, check out this gym,

http://www.planetfitness.com/

It's not great but it's much cheaper than everywhere else.  I got a friend who joined for about $10 a month. 

[Smooth Groove]

A few pics from my event Saturday.

Looks fun

Any prizes?

[Mupepe]

Just bragging rights in the company and choosing which charity receives $25k. I found out that we got 7th (out of 26) and we completely missed one event. We could have placed twelfth in that event and still gotten 2nd place. Damn!

[Mupepe]

Welp, learned something else today that shouldn't have ever been a problem, but I'm a stubborn son of a bitch.  Squatting barefoot.  I've been squatting in sneakers mostly for the last 4 years or so.  The ones I use don't have much of a cushion so I thought it was good enough.  Today I decided to go barefoot since the gym was empty and fuck, it was a night and day difference.  5x275 was fucking cake.  I just felt much sturdier.  Not to mention I felt less pressure on my lower back (so it was easier to keep it straight) and less pressure on my hips. 

[Flannel Boy]

10.07 km
49:57

[Mupepe]

Welp, learned something else today that shouldn't have ever been a problem, but I'm a stubborn son of a bitch.  Squatting barefoot.  I've been squatting in sneakers mostly for the last 4 years or so.  The ones I use don't have much of a cushion so I thought it was good enough.  Today I decided to go barefoot since the gym was empty and fuck, it was a night and day difference.  5x275 was fucking cake.  I just felt much sturdier.  Not to mention I felt less pressure on my lower back (so it was easier to keep it straight) and less pressure on my hips. 

Your old shoes probably sucked, because real powerlifting shoes are even better. Barefoot is not optimal—you actually want a bit of lift in the heel for squats. Try the difference by putting your heel on a 5lb weight and see how much easier it is to get ATG.

Will do.  Thanks.  I guess I should probably invest in real lifting shoes too.

[Mupepe]

Shiiiiit.  Deadlifting on Thursday is going to be sweet barefoot.  The "driving your heel into the ground" part of it should be fucking cake now.

[Smooth Groove]

I've been squatting and snatching in these, 

http://shop.reebok.com/us/product/Men-Mens-Reebok-CrossFit-Lifter-Shoes/EF580?cid=J99456&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=886396622367&cm_mmc=Google-_-CSE-_-Shopping-_-Shopping

I think they're pretty good, especially for the price.  You can get them for around $100 if you look around for coupons on Finishline or Footlocker. 

They are easy to put on but you might want to go 1/2 size up if you have wide feet. 

You can really feel the difference if you're squatting heavy or doing Olympic lifts.  Before getting these,  I had difficulty maintaining stability once I start snatching 135lbs and higher but now I can maintain good form much easier. 

On squats, the elevated heels make it much easier to go ATG on every rep.   Also, the stiff bottoms seem to increase stability over running/basketball shoes when going heavy. 

[Mupepe]

awesome.  thanks for the recommendation! 

[Smooth Groove]

I'm trying this program for squats and bench- http://www.seriouspowerlifting.com/2362/articles/smolov-jr

For my max, I took off 20lbs for squat and 10lbs for bench just to make sure I can finish the program

At first, it feels kinda weird to do nothing but squat/bench and with so little rest but I'm getting used to it

It's pretty challenging, everyday it feels like I'm just at my limit by the last set

Hopefully, it works, I'll be happy if I can add 10-15 lbs to my bench and 20-30 lbs to my squat

[Smooth Groove]

I'm not deadlifting until I finished this cycle

I don't think I could squat 4 times a week with this much volume if I'm deadlifting as well

The people who have ran the full Smolov program all insist that no deadlifts should be done during the program, except maybe light sets for warmups

Smolov Jr is shorter but is almost as intense so it will probably be better for me to skip deadlifts for now

[Mupepe]

I had a friend that went to that one I think, Biz.  He goes to all of those in these areas.  He always tries to get me to go but I always feel like I wouldn't be able to do it.

I tried doing squats with my heel on 5 lb plates.  I think my heels are just bitch heels because they fucking hurt.  I did it on my warm up sets.  I can't imagine if I had done them on my work sets.  I think I'll just get some weight lifting shoes and call it a day.

[Smooth Groove]

Biz, u should be doing Ninja Warrior

[Smooth Groove]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/cellmass-2.html

I got this when it was on discount.  I thought glutamine was placebo BS but apparently some new studies have shown it to help with recovery when working out hard. 

I didn't expect much but surprisingly it made my DOMS felt much better.  The first time I took it was after  I did 10x3 210 benchpress and 285 squat. 

The next day, I actually felt good enough to play some basketball with my friends.  Usually after so much volume, I'd feel too stiff to do anything beyond walking slowly. 


Anyone else taking something like this?  I know Mupepe used to take glutamine too.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I used to take Glutamine 10 years ago.  Then studies came out showing that you pretty much had to inject it (or take a shitload of it) to get any kind of value out of it.  That pretty much killed Glutamine right then and there.  Seems crazy that it is coming back.

[Smooth Groove]

this study seems to suggest that Glutamine has some positive effects on recovery

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/Suppl_1/i43.2.abstract

[Mupepe]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bsn/cellmass-2.html

I got this when it was on discount.  I thought glutamine was placebo BS but apparently some new studies have shown it to help with recovery when working out hard. 

I didn't expect much but surprisingly it made my DOMS felt much better.  The first time I took it was after  I did 10x3 210 benchpress and 285 squat. 

The next day, I actually felt good enough to play some basketball with my friends.  Usually after so much volume, I'd feel too stiff to do anything beyond walking slowly. 


Anyone else taking something like this?  I know Mupepe used to take glutamine too.

Yep.  I used to take it.  I always felt like it helped me recover as well.  I dropped it after I started reading more studies on it and other supplements.  I dropped all supplements at that time.  It's cheap as hell.  Maybe I should try it again.

[Groogrux]

Mups, I'm fat as hell and I did a Tough Mudder last year.  You can definitely do it.

A friend of mine ran the course in Kentucky again this year and said it was more difficult than the last time. 

I think terrain plays a big part of it.  After the event was over last year, a couple of us were standing and talking with a girl that worked for Tough Mudder.  She told us that this was one of the more challenging courses because of the location. 

I would imagine that 12 miles through the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky is going to be slightly more difficult than the plains area that surrounds Dallas.

[Mupepe]

Mups, I'm fat as hell and I did a Tough Mudder last year.  You can definitely do it.

A friend of mine ran the course in Kentucky again this year and said it was more difficult than the last time. 

I think terrain plays a big part of it.  After the event was over last year, a couple of us were standing and talking with a girl that worked for Tough Mudder.  She told us that this was one of the more challenging courses because of the location. 

I would imagine that 12 miles through the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky is going to be slightly more difficult than the plains area that surrounds Dallas.

Well shit.  Everyone I know who has done one made it seems like it was the hardest thing they've ever done.  I'll probably give the next one I see a shot.

If I do another one I'm going to make sure it's somewhere beautiful. My wife basically summed it up, though. She said that while it was fun being outside and challenging yourself, it would be more fun if it wasn't just a weekend escape but your actual life. That's what these things are: weekend escapes for cubicle drones who want to remember what being human feels like.

Sounds like what I'm looking for.  I like to imagine scenarios when I lift weights too (yeah I'm dumb that way).  Doing pullups? Pulling myself up a ledge.  Bench press?  Pushing a boulder off of myself.  Yeah I'm an idiot.  Makes it fun though.

[Mupepe]

I'm glad I'm not the only one then.  My favorite is doing heavy rows like I'm pulling someone up from a helicopter. 

[Smooth Groove]

When I get tired, I imagine that the weight is taunting me

Then I get pissed and psych myself up to move that POS

[Mupepe]

Put on some loud ass angry music and tell the bar you're gonna make it your bitch.  Yep yep.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Most of my workout music is Michael Jackson

[close]

[Smooth Groove]

I tested my vertical today and easily grabbed rim off just two steps.

That's the highest I've jumped at 200lbs.  My goal now is to reach about 455lbs squat then cut back to 180lbs.  If I can squat around 430 at 180, I think I'll have a decent shot at dunking.

[Mupepe]

Damn. What is your squat at now?

[Smooth Groove]

355 about a month ago

It should be higher after this cycle since I should be repping 315 like nothing

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I just signed up for a gym but all they have is weight machines and cardio machines. Do any of you guys know of a routine I can use for the weight machines?

[Mupepe]

Same principles apply really. Its not optimal but you can apply the same stuff posted in this thread for the corresponding machines.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Cool thanks.

[Shadow Mod]

Getting into a routine. My weight is so low for everything though 

[Mupepe]

That's okay. What routine? A good program will have you adding weight pretty quick

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Actually yeah im interested in programs also; all I can find is information on Starting Strength; but I don't know how to adapt a barbell program over hah. What do you guys use?

[Mupepe]

I use 5/3/1. You're not going to be able to take it exactly obviously. But just apply the principles. For example, find a bench press machine and do it on the same bench press day as you would starting strength. Start extremely low and add one increment of weight every session on the machine. Do the same reps and sets as starting strength. Thatd be my suggestion at least. Machines suck pretty bad. There's probably programming out there specifically for machines but that won't stop machines from sucking.

[Smooth Groove]

Just wondering how you guys squat

I do high bar cuz it seems to correlate better to speed and jumping ability

[Smooth Groove]

Do you drop the weights for overhead squat or put it back on the rack?

I used to do low-bar for squats but found that it didn't do much for on court athleticism.  It took awhile for me to do with high bar what I used to do with low bar. 

225 on high bar felt about the same as 275 on low bar when I first start switched

[El Babua]

I'm doing front squats at the moment because any excess stretching of my lower back gives me lotsa pain.

[Mupepe]

I do low bar. I used to do high bar but my progression stalled and I switched to low bar and it picked up again. I couldn't go back now though. Low bar just feels more natural for me now.

[Smooth Groove]

Isn't low bar harder on the shoulders? 

It's kinda surprising that you both find low bar more natural

[Smooth Groove]

Biz, how much you snatching right now?

Do you drop much or just catch it high?

[Mupepe]

Isn't low bar harder on the shoulders? 

It's kinda surprising that you both find low bar more natural

It used to feel like it would rip my shoulders off but after a while they began to feel like a shelf to rest them on. High bar feels like its tearing up my traps now.

[El Babua]

Likewise. I suck at doing high bar. It always feels like my traps/neck are getting crushed. Low bar feels very comfortable to me. Front squats are just a means to an end for me, the heavy weight is real tough on my upper back/shoulders since I'm weak as fuck.

[Smooth Groove]

You could get a bar pad until you're used to it

If your upper body is weak, you'll add weight much slower with front squats

[Smooth Groove]

You're just working on technique?

Your shoulders are so strong, I bet you can move 100lbs overhead slowly with pure strength

[Smooth Groove]

Yeah, I hate bar pad too but many beginners seem to feel much better with it

[El Babua]

I'm not above using the pad. I just don't want to...

Once my back fully heals up, I'll start practicing high bar for real. It took me 2 months to fully get the low bar down and I'm still learning the intricacies of the front squat (at 140 for 5 reps now). A positive from doing fronts is that its given me some technique in doing a clean and jerk.