FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[bork]

Decided it was time for my fat ass to get in shape.

Started doing DDP Yoga/YRG Yoga the other day.  It's been difficult for me to get exercise due to the back problems (sciatica) I have, but this stuff really works- it's already loosening me up to the point that I feel so much better and younger than I have in years.  It's amazing.    :'(   Looking forward to doing more when I get home today.  Never thought I'd say that about exercising!

[chronovore]

[Mupepe]

Hey Bork, have you tried any rehab for your sciatica? Good job on making the change though

[bork]

Hey Bork, have you tried any rehab for your sciatica? Good job on making the change though

Just some basic exercises that the doctor recommended and some stretching exercises I saw from others on Youtube.  I saw something else about yoga being good for sciatica, then saw the DDP stuff and decided to give it a try.  Seriously feels like a miracle cure after one night.  ONE NIGHT!!     No lie; no placebo effect or anything...my back felt so much better I couldn't believe it.

[Mupepe]

Yeah sciatica can be treated pretty well with some stretching and exercises.  High rep, good form squats worked wonders for me when I had a strain

[El Babua]

Yeah, the squats have done pretty well for me. Thanks Mups!

[Oblivion]

Well, I'm both relieved and disappointed.

After several weeks of putting it off, I FINALLY went to the doctor today (thanks OBAMA(care)) because my right wrist has been hurting something fierce for like two months now. I'm relieved cause it was nothing major, just a sprain, according to the doctor. I'm disappointed because he told me that despite it not being serious, I need to take a month off working out, MINIMUM (he suggested more like 6-8 weeks). Seriously gonna hurt my progress.  :'(

[Oblivion]

In other news, my mom actually complimented on my improved physique the other day.

Now don't get the wrong idea. It's easy to be dismissive at the idea of your own mother saying something nice to you, but the thing is, when it comes to my health, mi madre can be kind of a dick. Up until yesterday, she has never said anything positive to me regarding my body. She would bitch constantly (though perhaps fairly) that I was a skinny, little girly man. So this is somewhat of a big deal. Hell, now she's even trying to convince me not to overdo it.

But regardless, good to get some positive reinforcement wherever you can get it. 

[Oblivion]

That's bullshit. Doctors only say that to cover their asses. It's the equivalent of telling someone to stop watching TV if their picture is messed up. Yeah, it solves the problem, but in the dumbest way possible.

When athletes sprain a wrist do they take a month off from training? No. They rehabilitate it by exercising it. I once had a doctor tell me to stop overhead pressing if my shoulder hurt because it was "the least important thing in the world". The doctor was not the healthiest looking person I'd ever seen either. No, dummy, my body is the most important thing in my world. So I trained through it and now I can press 200 lbs.

So you're saying I should keep training?

[Oblivion]

You need to stop worrying about what women think and worry about pleasing yourself. This is rule #1 to working out. Motivation from within.

Oh fo sho. I was just mentioning it cause I thought it was amusing.

So you're saying I should keep training?

Let's think about exercise physiology here. Why do you lift weights? To build and strengthen your body. What happens when you don't lift weights? You become a weak sack of shit. Your wrist is weak. Should you:

A) Stop training your wrist

or


B) Continue training your wrist

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[close]

I get what you're saying, but isn't there a difference between working out a muscle that hurts cause it needs to be strengthened, and working out a muscle that hurts because it's injured?

[Oblivion]

Yeah, the weird thing about this is that I don't feel any pain when I'm doing bench presses, pull ups (I do neutral grip though), or deadlifts. The only time it hurts is when I do overhead presses or barbell curls.

[Mupepe]

Biz is right. If it was truly injured to the point that you shouldn't use it you wouldn't be able to. Rehab it by practicing good form and going light on weight for now. "Resting" it keeps the muscle from healing properly and make you more prone to injure yourself again. Rehab is what you need

[Mupepe]

I'm on a strict cut now. I am a lot stronger than I was last time I seriously tried to lose fat and I know I have a lot more mass. So I'm doing carb nite solution. I don't want to bulk again until I get back to a decent weight even if it's a clean bulk. I can't stand being this fat and I'm sure my belt hates it too. Wish me luck.

[Oblivion]

All right, you guys win. I'll continue lifting until something severely tears or gets broken.

I guess that means the doctor's visit was the worst $20 I've ever spent.

[chronovore]

All right, you guys win. I'll continue lifting until something severely tears or gets broken.

I guess that means the doctor's visit was the worst $20 I've ever spent.

In all fairness, that advice probably works for most people, for whom passivity is the, er, path of least resistance.

If you went to a physical therapist or a sports doctor, they'd give you different advice.

I herniated a disc a couple years ago, and the regular doctors were not any help. They told me everything that was wrong with my spine down to the last detail, but only prescribed painkillers, saying it was inoperable and MIGHT improve over time. I went to a sports clinic next, and they gave me rehab exercises specific to my problem, and I was feeling much better within 10 days.

[Mupepe]

You've got this, man. Make that distance your bitch!

[Smooth Groove]

How well do your treadmill times correlate to your track times?

[Boogie]

189.8 lbs on the scale post-workout this evening

Two months to get from the post-holidays high of 205 down to sub-190, which is where I was mid-October when I was sent on travel for work and started eating like crap for two months.

[Boogie]

Got it. Too easy.

I'd like to think it was the knowledge of the uber-shaming you would face here if you failed that propelled your speed to succeed.   

[Boogie]

I'm a midget.  5'8"

[chronovore]

That means I'm a GIANT at 5' 9", right?

[chronovore]

I've got hairy feet; I suspect there was a halfling in the woodshed.

[Smooth Groove]

189.8 lbs on the scale post-workout this evening

Two months to get from the post-holidays high of 205 down to sub-190, which is where I was mid-October when I was sent on travel for work and started eating like crap for two months.

Come on, bro, weighing post-workout is cheating.   You can easily lose 5 lbs of water weight. 

[Rufus]

I've got hairy feet; I suspect there was a halfling in the woodshed.

Do the hairs on your feet inexplicably itch sometimes?

[chronovore]

No, that's be my palms.

[Rufus]

Serious question. Because mine do.

[Boogie]

189.8 lbs on the scale post-workout this evening

Two months to get from the post-holidays high of 205 down to sub-190, which is where I was mid-October when I was sent on travel for work and started eating like crap for two months.

Come on, bro, weighing post-workout is cheating.   You can easily lose 5 lbs of water weight.

Sure, I know.  I also check weight first thing in the morning. (Was 191). Post-workout or not, it was still the first time since November I was sub-190 on a scale.

[Mupepe]

It's never cheating as long as you're consistent about when you weigh yourself.

Since I'm a special fellow about this shit I drink 32 oz of water and 8 oz of coffee in the morning before working working out (never eat) and I weigh myself right after working out.  So I know it's always apples to apples.

[chronovore]

Serious question. Because mine do.

Ah, if it's a serious question, then I'll be serious: Nope, they don't itch. There are days they get sore, though. Agitation from tight shoes.

[Rufus]

Hm, hm. Yes. That's probably why mine itch sometimes.

Anyway, good talk.

[chronovore]

Hm, hm. Yes. That's probably why mine itch sometimes.

Anyway, good talk.

Um, yeah. 

[El Babua]

After of about 3 weeks squatting light with incremental increases each session and feeling good (made it up to 105x15), I decided to try and start lifting to where I left off. Started at 140x5x3 with little to no problems, bumped it up to 150 on Thursday...

nope.gif

Just gonna have to swallow my pride and squat light until this goes away. Gonna still try and increase my deadlift and bench in the meantime since the competition has expanded to a free meal for the winning team (preferably at an Olive Garden).

[Smooth Groove]

For people that are just starting to squat, I suggest that you take it slowly and focus on form and mobility instead of moving a lot of weight. 

It would make everything much easier in the long run.

Here is a useful pic,




There has always been much debate about squatting high-bar vs low-bar but I've found that regardless of bar position, most people tend to be in the bottom position of figure B, which is much closer to a powerlifting squat.

The high-bar position helps to maintain an upright posture but it's certainly possible to bend the torso over with the butt pushed back.  In fact, that's how I used to do it.

While there's nothing wrong with doing a powerlifting squat, many experts, including powerlifters, believe that a full-depth Olympic squat is better at improving strength and has better translation to athleticism.  So unless you plan to join a powerlifting meet or just want to test out your powerlifting total, most of you are better off squatting like in figure A. 

[Oblivion]

It's never cheating as long as you're consistent about when you weigh yourself.

Since I'm a special fellow about this shit I drink 32 oz of water and 8 oz of coffee in the morning before working working out (never eat) and I weigh myself right after working out.  So I know it's always apples to apples.

Hey Mups, I thought I'd get your opinion on whether I should start doing the carb backloading thing. I don't have much flab, but it does feel like dat shit's building up. But I'm 5'10" and 150 lbs. so is carb backloading even designed for people like me? Can anyone do it, or is it only for people who already have lots of mass?

[Mupepe]

You can definitely do it. Its just designed so you can gain muscle with adding very little fat.

a few things though... Is your routine dialed in? If your routine is poor you will spin your wheels on your carb back loading (and almost any other diet).  And you have to be able to adjust your diet too which requires knowing yourself. You need to know when you ate too many carbs on the previous night or too little. Everyone is different and you have to be able to dial it in and listen to your body.

I highly suggest buying the book and reading the forums

[Oblivion]

Well, you talked me into it, so I went ahead and got the book. 

[Mupepe]

w00t w00t.  Both carb backloading and the carb nite solution and really great.  There's lots of information and both have worked really well for me.

[bork]

Lost six pounds

spoiler (click to show/hide)

...Hope that wasn't a water weight thing.   

[close]

[Boogie]

Hit a couple new personal best 1RMs today.  375 on deadlift and 265 on bench.

Think I could have gotten another 10-20 lbs out of my dl but I hurt my hand at jiu jitsu a week ago and it's still bugging me and messing with my grip.

In any case, looks like I'm within 25lbs of joining that "1000 club" with Biz.

[Mupepe]

I dont understand my body. In 2013 I was mostly bulking and I kept hitting snags and having to reset my weight. In February I started a strict cut and got back on the carb nite solution along with cardio everyday and now my lifts are steadily rising again. 

[Mupepe]

Kicking this cut into high gear today.  I've been running on a measly 200-300 calorie deficit for the last 4 weeks but today I cut it down another 410 calories.  awwwww snap.    boiled eggs without bacon sucks by the way

[Mupepe]

I'm still on my cut. Trying to improve my grip. It really hasn't kept up with my dead lift. I can see my top 4 abs again though. So I figure in a month I'll be to where I want to be and I'll do a clean bulk (lol or ill try) throughout the rest of the summer.

I had to buy size 38 pants for the thigh width though. 36s got ridiculously tight.

[Mupepe]

thanks for the advice, dude.

I'll definitely work on the paper one.  Seems like something i can do while at work.  Regarding the spring deal, I've seen those before but for some reason assumed they didn't accomplish anything.  Are they really effective?

My cut isn't too bad.  I don't like the way I feel on carbs anyways.  I get bloated and semi depressed when I eat large amounts

[Mupepe]

Nice. I'll go pick one of those up then. I hate having to switch grip on deadlifts.

regarding carbs, I think I am just physiologically better without them. My emotions are better and my results are better. Since I've cut them out I am making gains again, losing fat and I feel better. I've even added in cardio again at the end of my routine.

[chronovore]

The Business and Cormacaroni gone? Mups, hang in there! This thread is on you, now!

I joined a new gym last week. I'm enjoying feeling the burn again, and even liking that soreness which comes the following day. The new gym is about four times bigger than the last gym I attended, but still only half as big as the business campus' gym when I was working in America in 2012. This new place is only about 8 bucks more a month than the smaller gym, and has a much more robust set of free weights, several class rooms, and a sento-style bath in the shower area. It's also open until midnight, whereas the previous place closed at 17:30 in addition to being closed the last three days of any month.

tl;dr version: I'm back at a gym, working hard to get down under 90KG. Wish me luck!

[Mupepe]

Good luck, buddy!

[bork]

Lost 10 pounds so far

[Boogie]

RCMP charity hockey tournament tomorrow!

My team is reigning champions.  Must defend our title!

[chronovore]

It's never cheating as long as you're consistent about when you weigh yourself.

Since I'm a special fellow about this shit I drink 32 oz of water and 8 oz of coffee in the morning before working working out (never eat) and I weigh myself right after working out.  So I know it's always apples to apples.

Hey Mups, I thought I'd get your opinion on whether I should start doing the carb backloading thing. I don't have much flab, but it does feel like dat shit's building up. But I'm 5'10" and 150 lbs. so is carb backloading even designed for people like me? Can anyone do it, or is it only for people who already have lots of mass?

KICK SOME BUTT. Score homeruns or baskets or whatever's appropriate.

[Human Snorenado]

So, I think I've lost as much weight as I'm going to lose just by eating better and taking walks. I'm thinking about giving weight training a try, not just to lose weight but to be in better shape in general, sculpt my guns, etc etc. I figured asking you wankers for some beginner's resources would be a good idea.

I am, in general, averse to the idea of joining a gym. Would prefer to just buy some stuff and work out at home. Any tips would be welcome. Gracias.

[Mupepe]

Well you won't lose any weight probably without fine tuning your diet.  Weight loss is 80% diet.  But you can definitely gain muscle and if you're willing we can guide you on making your diet better.

how much are you willing to spend on home equipment? What kind of equipment are you open to? I would recommend a bench, rack and weight set. They can be found super cheap on Craigslist or still pretty damn cheap brand new. It does require some space though so if thats an issue dumbbells can work. A pull up bar is also always recommended.

[Human Snorenado]

I'll know more when I check out the place I'm renting in Atlanta next week, but dumb bells was what I was thinking. Bench may be a possibility, we'll see.

What would you guys recommend for diet? i'm eating relatively smart these days, minus the occasional taco bell fuck up. Eggs for breakfast, on a sandwich thin or just scrambled, salad for lunch, salad with grilled chicken for dinner is a typical day for me. I was an idiot vegetarian for like 28 years, so I still don't eat too much meat, but I know I need to consume lots of protein. [insert innuendo here]

[Beezy]

Your salads don't consist of iceberg lettuce, do they?

[Mupepe]

You can still do a modified starting strength program with dumbbells. I would definitely recommend a bench. And again ill say a pull up bar is easy to put away somewhere and is incredibly useful for developing the upper body.

regarding diet, most of us jumped on the paleo train (thank you cormac) and it works incredibly well for fat loss. More precisely I would recommend carb nite solution. Its basically very low carb, high protein and fats for 6.5 days a week. Starting mid afternoon one day a week you eat everything in sight. I lost about 50 lbs with it last year and I've lost about 15 lbs again with it this year (so far). Cutting out breads and pastas for the most part can go a long way. I initially lost 50 lbs on my journey by doing that and lifting. And I wasn't even super strict. I limited carbs to 50-100 grams a day and made tremendous progress.

[Mupepe]

Yep. Esch nailed the basics. You'll lose fat that way. For the love of god though lots of veggies. Dat fiber bro

[Mupepe]

By the way, I would nail the diet down now and make the most of your "noob gains" because you'll make crazy progress for the first 6 months and I would plan it right to get the most benefits.

[Human Snorenado]

Your salads don't consist of iceberg lettuce, do they?

No no no. Romaine and green leaf. Lots of spinach, too.

[TakingBackSunday]

Thought I'd give people a heads up in this thread, and thank god Biz is gone because fuck that asshole.

Down to 165 pounds.  This is mostly due to basketball (cardio) and diet.  I haven't followed a strict diet or anything, just haven't eaten many shitty foods any longer.  My regular day is veggie juice in the morning, salad for lunch, and a dinner with protein and veggies.  Haven't really altered anything honestly, just less of shitty things.

Gut's down, thank god.  Gotta get it down a bit more for me to be truly happy but I'm comfortably wearing 32 waists now.

Basketball has been such a huge confidence boost.  I play every day.  I know I'm not great at it, but it's been such a great use of my time and effort.  After every session, I'm in such a good mood, regardless of how poorly I'm shooting.  My legs can't keep up with it however.  I have three inches of fibula missing in my left leg due to my osteosarcoma from back in the day, so any awkward landing on that leg pretty much puts me out of commission for a few days.  It sucks, but its the hand I'm dealt with.


Trying to get to 160 even without much of a gut.  Then I'm gonna work on strength training.

[Rufus]

Woah, grats on getting rid of the cancer, first of all, but there's still a hole there, basically? They don't, I dunno, stick some sort of lattice on there for the bone to regrow around it?

[Beezy]

Thought I'd give people a heads up in this thread, and thank god Biz is gone because fuck that asshole.