FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[bork]

People are so enamored with abs that they think physiques like this are muscular:

(Image removed from quote.)

I know this is completely off-topic, but he looks so fucking stupid wtf 

[Mupepe]

I feel disgustingly fat after a week of being off my normal diet. I was able to train but had to improvise because the hotel gym had only machines and dumbbells up to 50 lbs. I did feel pretty boss maxing out all the machines for 10 reps though.

[Mupepe]

Let's be gross together bro. My family ordered pizza hut but I refuse to believe I have completely given up

[Oblivion]

I got a question I've been wondering for a while. Ice Cream Fitness is supposed to be a beginner's workout, but the volume is way more than other programs like Starting Strength or Strong Lifts. You have to workout for around 2 hours, as opposed to 45-60 mins for the latter two.

Now I thought the whole point of the low volume lifts for SS, and SL were because if you're a noob, it'd be counterproductive to work out too long (something about cortisol building up after about an hour or something). And the body can only build so much muscle per month, so such a discrepancy is pretty big, isn't it?

[Mupepe]

1. Muscle and Strength is generally trash.

2. The biggest reason for low volume on SS and SL is the quick increase of weight and focus on compounds will get really tiring really quickly for a beginner. Most people will burn out on the routine you posted.

3. Having said all that the routine you posted is actually not that bad. I believe the average person would do better on another program and would burn out but its not the worst thing I have seen on that site.  In my opinion you should start out as basic as possible to build a good base and add assistance work based on your weaknesses. Not just because. All those exercises can also be a recipe for injury for a beginner.

[Mupepe]

Gotta do what you gotta do when your gym is closed and the one that's open has no squat rack.  Fuck 'em...

[Mupepe]

Haha be careful. Alternatively you could clean the weight, press it over your head, then lower it onto your shoulders (AKA bear complex).

I'm not that awesome

I figured if the dip station could hold me at ~225 lbs it could handle 160 lbs.

[chronovore]

Sceneman going to the gym rebooted my need for an endorphin rush. I swear to god, I'm about 100x better mood when I get finished with a workout.

[Mupepe]

 

HIIT with weights, Crossfit, Bodyfit or whatever the hell you want to call it can definitely be done safely.  But it's not something I would personally recommend to a beginner.  That's just me erring on the side of caution by preferring slowly learning proper form before doing high rep sets for time.  Again, I'm sure there are places and people that could teach a beginner how to do it properly but I wouldn't be able to discern a good instructor from bad because I don't do anything in that scene.  So my personal recommendation would be to learn proper form and then go looking into one of those gyms so you can make your own judgment call on what's safe.

I do think the "LOL CROSSFIT" stuff (on GAF especially) is a bit annoying with its dogpile via some carefully chosen videos and gifs. 

[Mupepe]

well you just made me go look up autodidact.  Son of a... But you're right. 

[Flannel Boy]

During the NHL combine, the probable third pick of the draft, Sam Bennett, couldn't muster single pull-up.



He is 17, but still.

[Boogie]

During the NHL combine, the probable third pick of the draft, Sam Bennett, couldn't muster single pull-up.

(Image removed from quote.)

He is 17, but still.

Welp, there goes hockey fans being taken seriously in any "which sport requires the most athleticism" debate. 

[Mupepe]

damn.  I failed today on bench.  I got 2 reps at 275 (this was my 1 set this 5/3/1 cycle).  But on the 2nd rep I made a mistake of letting it come to a dead stop on my chest.  I got it up and I did it without any real struggle so I decided to go for a third.  Fuuuuuuuuuu  Got halfway up before it came back down on my chest.  Luckily I had a spot today.  I've been on a roll with getting 3 at 265 and 3 at 270 on my last two 5/3/1 cycles.  Bah.  I hope the gain train I've been on isn't stopping. 

[Mupepe]

Sleep I think I am okay on.  I tend to sleep at least 8 hours every night. 

My problem is days "off".  Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be my days off.  On Wednesday I end up boxing and doing pullups and curls.  Saturday I end up feeling fat/bored and usually end up boxing or doing some form of cardio.  I know I need to stop that, but I really just love going to the gym.  It makes the rest of my day feel better. 

And on top of that since I'm on 5/3/1 BBB I'm supposed to only do one assistance exercise but I usually end up doing at least 2.  I'm a stubborn little bastard. 

I think this is the same type of thing that usually stalls people on this program.  I see lots of guys thinking they don't need the "deload week" and then wonder why they don't make progress.  I'm doing the same type of thing 

Also my diet.  I keep rolling back to extremely low carb.  I hate the way carbing up makes me feel.  Not to mention my body dysmorphia and fear of getting fat.  5/3/1 BBB is fucking intense and I'm sure my body is stressed out trying to do this all without carbs.  I just really haven't found a diet involving carbs that I can make work for me and I definitely haven't really tried hard enough to find one.

[Mupepe]

Dammit Biz!  I'm not perfect!

Good pep talk though.  Time to make some changes

[Groogrux]

At a conundrum right now.

Started having gallbladder attacks about a year ago.  Didn't have another until about a month ago.  Went to see my MD about it, and we discussed why I had gallstones.  He asked me about my diet, and I let him know that up until recently, I had been on a low-carb diet that was a mix of carb nite and paleo.  He then explained to me (and I should mention that he is one of the most intelligent men I've ever met) about how a low-carb, high protein, high fat diet probably caused the gallstones (cholesterol was mentioned quite a bit, and I was inclined to believe him).

Then, he referred me to a bariatric weight-loss surgeon for a consultation, which I accepted.  The consultation was today, and that surgeon is recommending a low-carb, high protein diet...

I'm inclined to go with the diet that the surgeon gave me, even though it's not really detailed (it literally says "Begin a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, low-fat way of eating...").  Should I do any modifications to it though?  Or does that mean I pretty much just lost bacon and red meat?

[Groogrux]

I'm not going to pretend to know more than your doctor, but there's a lot of stuff on internet in the paleo community about gallstones and how it was the refined carbs and gut destroying gluten that may damage your gallbladder initially.  Then, when you switch to a high fat diet your damaged gallbladder is which wasn't used much before suddenly is overloaded and problems arise.

Interesting.  Makes sense.  My doctor said that part of the problem with paleo and some of these low-carb diets is that they introduce a high cholesterol diet.  I even remember a post from Mark Sisson saying that cholesterol would be higher and even skyrocket in some areas, but that it wouldn't have any effect on the body.  The cholesterol can harden into stones in the gallbladder, which causes the gallbladder attack.

I am curious if they mentioned anything about taking digestive enzymes.

They didn't.  They did say that all of their patients should be on a multivitamin and should also consider taking a Vitamin D supplement.

I'm also curious what the side effects of a low carb, low fat, high protein diet are. I know that when my wife was in ketosis if she didn't get enough fat in her diet she felt terrible—often she'd take a spoonful of olive oil or coconut oil to feel better. In any case, sorry to hear about our your health problems and good luck.

I never felt the effects of not having enough fat in my diet.  But I am curious how this will work out too.  I imagine my diet is going to mostly consist of green veggies with lots of chicken and fish.  Probably being going back on protein shakes too.

For the moment, I'm dealing with some other stuff that's turned me to doing a religious fast for the next 49 days.  I'm only going to be drinking water and eating chicken and veggies, and probably only eating once a day.  The funny thing is that I made this decision before going to the doctor, and it's going to pretty much fall in line with the diet.

[Mupepe]

low carb, low fat and high protein will make you feel like ass.  I'm not sure what it does on a biological level but I felt horrible when I tried to cut my fats down too much on a keto diet.  Lethargic, clouded thoughts, aches in my body, etc.  Fuck that shit. 

[Mupepe]

Hey Biz, what's your thoughts on the Iron Sport Method (link below)?

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/sports-training/strongman-training-the-iron-sport-method/

[Mupepe]

I took your advice and began fixing what I already knew was an issue.  I'm starting out slow but I ate like shit all last week.  I felt like my metabolism has been in a funk so I killed it every night.  Not necessarily junk food but fuck counting anything and fuck portion control.  I felt great afterwards.  I started Monday with 1.5 cups of rice post workout with my protein.  I'm going to see how this goes and probably continue increasing my carb intake. 

I think I just need a kick in the pants in regards to both my diet and routine.  I feel like I am in a rut

[Mupepe]

  Yeah, that's another thing.  I kept wanting the best of both worlds.  but in the end I realized getting stronger is what keeps me going to the gym and feeling good about my workouts.  My wife was (hopefully) attracted to me when I was much fatter so why the hell do I care about getting thinner?  Fucking ego.

[Mupepe]

Welp, I started the first day of that routine.  Squats was today 10 sets of 1 rep for 95% of my 1RM.  The first few sets you think you won't make it but then by set 5 or 6 it actually gets easier.  The e book recommends no more than a 1 minute break between sets and I kept thinking I wouldn't be able to make that for all ten reps.  After set 5 I just started doing a 30 second break.  It felt really good.

[Mupepe]

Did day 2 of the Iron Sport Method.  10 sets of 1 rep @ 280 lbs for bench press.  Shit was intense and I was surprised I was able to do it fairly easily with 1 minute breaks.

[Smooth Groove]

That's pretty beastly.

I've been squatting 4-5 times a week for the last month.  Most days I go to the max of 1-3 reps of whatever I'm capable of.  It was hard at first but I guess legs recover fast enough that it's possible to squat everyday, at least with a high bar squat.  Some lifters at my gym routinely squat 350-400 lbs for at least 2 reps after already lifting for more than an hour. 

I don't know if it's possible to overhead press or bench press like that but your max will probably go up fast if you can recover fast enough. 

[Mupepe]

I've seen programs that follow similar protocols but they require that you basically maintain or even lose strength on deads and squats. There's a hulk of a guy on GAF that follow this particular routine and vouches for it so imma try it. I want to eventually PL

[Smooth Groove]

Why don't you give weightlifting a try before powerlifting?

I've seen a significant improvement in my athleticism since switching from powerlifting programs to weightlifting.  Powerlifting got me stronger but I also got stiffer and slower. 


1)It's much easier to go from weightlifting to powerlifting than the other way around.

2)Age has much less impact on performance in PL.  Most weightlifters see their numbers go down around 30 or even late 20s because of decreasing flexibility and explosiveness.  The younger you start doing Olympic lifts, the easier it will be.  OTOH, you can be an elite powerlifter even in your 40s. 

Weightlifting definitely takes more patience but I really believe it is worthwhile.  Instead of training around my weaknesses, I have to work on having strength and full range of motion everywhere so that I can execute proper technique. 

[Mupepe]

I'm interested in O-lifting but it just really doesn't fit into my life.  It's not something I would teach myself (for obvious reasons) so then I'd pay for a trainer/O-lifting gym.  Even if I did try to teach myself I'd have to find a gym that allows O-lifting.  I can train for my power lifting at my cheap gym at work or at home.  Cheap, easy and convenient.  If I was to start paying to go to another gym I'd honestly rather go back to BJJ or Muay Thai.  In the end, I just really enjoy power lifting.  I love lifting heavy.  As my lifts go up I still learn techniques on how to stay flexible and balanced with my weaknesses.

But with that said I have started incorporating certain things to help on my flexibility.  For example, I do overhead squats in my routine because they have done wonders for my squat posture. 

[Mupepe]

10 sets of singles @ 170 lbs for Overhead Press with a 60 second break today.  Surprisingly easy here too.  I'd been focusing on higher reps the last 6 weeks or so.  So when I went to test my 1RM last week I only got 180 even though I'd previously gotten 190 on my last 5/3/1 cycle.  I probably just needed to get some heavy weight in my hands again because if 180 was truly my 1RM I would have struggled for sure with 170 at that pace.  Feels good though.  I followed it up with 3 sets of 10 pause reps @ 95 lbs and some accessory work after.  grow traps! grow!

[Kara]

Sorry for not reading the thread, but do any of y'all have suggestions for basic but OK jogging shoes? I have big ( ) wide feet so I was thinking maybe some New Balances?

[Rman]

Saucony's

[Himu]

Last year, I did paleo and lost 30 pounds in two months-ish.

Unfortunately things happened and I just couldn't stay on it. It's also very particular. Can't use vegetable oil, can't use a lot of things. And it feels limiting.

So now I'm on keto, and I'm losing weight probably more rapidly than paleo, and I'm on estrogen. That's pretty telling. I like keto more, because it's less demanding, it's more natural for the modern human (avoiding things like mayo is just...I can't, because it's in a lot of things), doesn't have a stupid idea on what ancestors ate thousands of years ago, and it's easier to manage. It's actually pretty fucking easy. Just eat high/medium fat and low carb. I can still use any oil I want, so long as they're low carb. Unlike paleo, I can use mayonaisse, because mayo is high fat with barely any carbs.

I also feel better than when I was on paleo too, which is a total shocker since I felt great on paleo.

Right now, my main goal is just 70 pounds of loss this year. I'd be satisfied with that for this year.

I'm still working on my lower body and I'm really starting to see a lot of benefits. May start a crunch challenge my friends on facebook are doing.

[Himu]

Another example of keto > paleo.

We're about to order dominos. I have no reason to feel left out. I'm ordering a specialty chicken. 230 calories, and 9g carbs per serving. 3 servings are in there. This will last me three days. It's got fried chicken and stuff in it. While breaded, it's still low carb enough to stay < 50g carb today. That's not paleo. But it's certainly keto.

[Kara]

Saucony's

Thanks, going to order a pair.

[Himu]

The paleo diet promotes a healthy lifestyle with a holistic approach aimed at preventing autoimmune reactions from your body, diabetes, other late-life diseases, etc. A side effect is body recomposition i.e. fat loss.

Ketosis is an effective way to burn fat.

Apples:oranges

I've read many people with diabetes not having issues on keto, and even going as far as not being diabetic anymore. I think keto has many of the same benefits you ascribe paleo to, but they're bonuses and not the main plan. Since keto and paleo both stress emphasis on meats and vegetables, they're pretty much the same thing, but presented in a different manner that's preferable to your own biology and willpower.

[Himu]

When I meet my goal I'm going to do both keto and paleo, though the paleo will be slightly modified because I end cheese dammit.

[Kara]

Jesus, that was an easy sell.

No one else had any suggestions and I'm a total fitness noob. 

[Momo]

God damn I wish I had one of these close by

[Mr. Gundam]

Ran my first sub-2 hour half marathon yesterday. Yes!!!!

[Kara]

Jogged for the first time in my new shoes. 

It's cold enough now at night when I jog that I wear a track jacket and that makes me feel very self-consciously Slavic. I half expect someone to call me Niko and tell me that they're my cousin when I'm out there in it.

On the plus side it would be an excuse to get some sick Russian prison tatts. 

[Himu]

Decided to get on paleo again because keto has too many weak points. The pounds are still coming off.

[Beezy]

smh

[Mupepe]

I'm on the See Food Diet.  Fuck it.  GET STRONG BABY

[Himu]

Need new scale. Went from 244 to 231 in one minute.

[Kara]

Down to the last notch on my belt. 

The Machinist 2 here I come.

Now I have to buy a new belt doe.

[Mupepe]

no, bro!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I took a week off lifting completely.  I think I needed it.  I know I've been in here bitching about my diet, gains and PR's.  I think beyond needing to rest physically, I needed it mentally.  I came back and finally broke my PR on bench and hit 300 easily.  I broke my PR on deadlift and tomorrow I'm going for OHP.  I was getting more and more reps at slightly lower weights but I think I had a mental mind fuckery that kept me from getting new 1RM's.  I feel really good this week and I'm reinvigorated. 

[Boogie]

In my renewed emphasis on quasi-cutting (am consistently in the 186-7lbs range, provided I don't completely gorge on the weekends), I was expecting my lifting numbers to have sewered as well.  But a week ago, after a few days' rest, I hit 365x3 on deadlift, which is right where I was in Jan/Feb when I was 203ish lbs.  I'm quite sure my squat is still up there too, though my bench feels a bit weaker.  (It always has, though, my legs are clearly my strong suit).

Not sure I'll ever be able to get to the point of grossing out Ruzbeh with my abs though.      I've got a decent bit of definition going, but that pronounced cheese-grater definition might just be beyond my ability to achieve naturally now that I am north of 30, because I would consider this, without question, the best shape of my life post-training academy, and maaaaaybe ever.  Ah well.

[Mupepe]

thanks, bro. 405 squat is next. Hopefully in the next year or so. 70 lbs to go. Might not be so bad since I gave up low carb finally. Goodbye what little definition I have!

I miss living through your accomplishments though, biz come back soon

[Mupepe]

My accomplishments will be in the mobility and cardio realms now. You can still live vicariously through me!

You'll do my cardio for me! 

[Mupepe]

Hit 195 on OHP today. Strict form and its 15 lbs heavier than my previous 1rm. I think 200 is doable if I went straight to it.

[Mupepe]

 

Pound for pound you are still da' man tho.  You lean mofo

[Boogie]

My accomplishments will be in the mobility and cardio realms now. You can still live vicariously through me!

I believe you mean that he can live vicariously through me, slowpoke.   

[Mupepe]

aw snap.  shots fired

[Boogie]

All the more reason to be ashamed that your runtimes aren't spanking me and my short, stubby legs.   

[Mupepe]

I want to clarify that when I liked your post I like that you're enjoying what you're doing but I dont like or approve of losing mass.

[Kara]

Doubled my jog Saturday night (6 miles).

Even got catcalled by some girls. 

Couldn't do it again tonight doe. Just my usual 3.

[CatsCatsCats]

I hurt my wrist and it bothers me doin push ups right now, is there any detriment to doing them on your fists? Doesn't seem to bother it as much

[Momo]

Had a week break from judo, back in class tonight. I didnt do shit for a week, I'm gonna get crushed today   

[Momo]

yup, got my ass kicked, but it sure felt good

[Mupepe]

but was the lazy week worth it?

I got 11 sets of 1 rep @ 285 on bench today with 60 second rests in between sets.  Shit was intense and felt great

[Momo]

but was the lazy week worth it?

I got 11 sets of 1 rep @ 285 on bench today with 60 second rests in between sets.  Shit was intense and felt great

was kinda a forced break, some of my partners are fasting and some were all out of town or on break