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Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread
- Thread starter Ninahaza
- Start date
How is this motivation????for those of you having issues with motivation, I found a vid of myself cutting an infected blister off my foot with a kitchen knife, from when I was running 85 mile weeks. Here are some stills
where there's a will, there's a way. where there's not, there's an excuse.
I perhaps wouldn't have let it get infected and maybe drained it BEFORE that happened, lol. But, what is of interest was how did it happen? My money is on a 10km + run...
DHR-107 - it would count as motivation if we had the full video to watch...
because for every excuse you make to not go lift / run / etc, someone else is finding a workaround rather than giving up, even if it's disgusting
I got the blister because I went on vacation in Greece and didn't have any running shoes, so I ran barefoot. I was running ~20km/day at the time. If I remember correctly, it didn't bother me until the next morning, so I think it went from normal to that nice green color as I slept (was also sleeping 12+ hours / day).
It's nice because that blister not only had water, but also a mixture of that nice green stuff, puss, some blood, and sand from the beach. good stuff
it's motivation because it's an example of somebody being hard as fuck and if you don't find that motivating then maybe the problem is yours?
related and not as impressive but this is a blood blister i developed two days before a big race:
it hurt like hell...like pressing down hard on a wound everytime i took a step. i bathed it in surgical spirits, went through a whole roll of bandages, doped myself up on caffiene and painkillers and somehow managed to win the race. could barely walk once the adrenaline wore off though but post-race alcohol soon sorted that little problem out.
related and not as impressive but this is a blood blister i developed two days before a big race:
it hurt like hell...like pressing down hard on a wound everytime i took a step. i bathed it in surgical spirits, went through a whole roll of bandages, doped myself up on caffiene and painkillers and somehow managed to win the race. could barely walk once the adrenaline wore off though but post-race alcohol soon sorted that little problem out.
aight so while I was dumbbell shoulder pressing today, something crunched a little bit in my neck, almost as though i were cracking my neck (similar feeling) but now the entire left side of my trap hurts and it especially hurts where the crunch happend right up at my neck, has this happened to anybody before and if so how did you deal with it because i literally can't look upwards without pain pls help ;_;
I'd be very careful given it could be a back related issue. Try a heat pack, some voltaren/deep heat gel and just don't aggrevate it.
If you're concerned, see a doctor...safest thing to do. If it is just muscular and nothing serious it should help.
Since this thread is also about nutrition, here we go.
I went to the local market today (I'm studying in the Netherlands in a very small town that has an awesome market with local stuff every Wednesday and Saturday).
Amongst other things, I bought 2 Sweet Potatoes because I read somewhere in this thread long ago that they're probably the ultimate pre-workout food. So I thoght I'd give them a shot, never had them before. The ones I bought are fucking huge, as in, almost as big as my head.
The thing is, I don't know how to prepare them and what to eat them with (althought one of those things already looks like it will fill me up for 5 days). So I need some advice from you guys, how do I Sweet Potato? How long do I cook them, do I leave the "skin" on, what can I eat them with (that tastes good), and most importantly, why are they so awesome? What do they contain? My guess is lots of complex carbs, along with probaby a healthy dose of protein, maybe some short-chain sugars as well? Enlighten me!
I went to the local market today (I'm studying in the Netherlands in a very small town that has an awesome market with local stuff every Wednesday and Saturday).
Amongst other things, I bought 2 Sweet Potatoes because I read somewhere in this thread long ago that they're probably the ultimate pre-workout food. So I thoght I'd give them a shot, never had them before. The ones I bought are fucking huge, as in, almost as big as my head.
The thing is, I don't know how to prepare them and what to eat them with (althought one of those things already looks like it will fill me up for 5 days). So I need some advice from you guys, how do I Sweet Potato? How long do I cook them, do I leave the "skin" on, what can I eat them with (that tastes good), and most importantly, why are they so awesome? What do they contain? My guess is lots of complex carbs, along with probaby a healthy dose of protein, maybe some short-chain sugars as well? Enlighten me!
1. How to cook them? You can bake them on a tray with a little bit of a 'good' type of oil (macadamia or almond I quite like). I literally mean like a like drizzle/brush, just stops the outside trying out. Once a week i'll cut them in to thick chips and use the little bit of oil and bake them in the oven as a treat. Other than that, when I prepare lunch I just steam it with some broccoli -- you know in one of those pots that sits on top of boiling pot? Also, you can boil them and then mash -- they're extremely flexible with how you want to cook them. As far as determining when their ready, whichever way you cook them, if you can put a fork in to it and it fees soft, its ready.
I take the skin off, unless I am baking them as 'fried' -- not really the same thing if you aren't frying them but it's a much healthier alternative.
2. Why are they awesome, what do they contain, etc?
Without opening a debate, there is a lot you can read in to and there are hundres of pages and forums where people argue it out. A few things to consider, the sweet variety has a lower GI and lower carbohydrate per gram (when nothing is added to either). I prefer them for this and they really make you feel full and I believe they have a little more fibre. I'm a little like yourself, a lot of people rave about them, and a few of my friends are very disciplined with their exercising/food and all. I'll ask them about it
Hope some of that helped :P
On the left is me when I was 18, before I started lifting. On the right is me yesterday, 4 years later. The angle in the second photo makes my arms look quite a bit smaller than they actually are but this is more to show off the change in abs/chest/shoulders/back. And no, I haven't hit the juice yet and don't plan to for awhile, the timing isn't right at the moment.
Good to hear from you Windsong and good to see you're still fighting the good fight. Injuries are the bane of runners, other athletes don't know how lucky they are.
So I'm still in the process of losing weight, I think I mentioned that at some point in this thread. Just trying to cut weight for the new season, I'm too heavy to compete at anything above 10k and I'd kinda like to get into half marathons and maybe even ultras someday! So this first pic is from summer 2013 when I was very nearly 190lbs (I'm 5 foot 6 inches for the record)
And this pic is now, at an impossibly teeny 160lbs.
My final goal is 150lbs (still a little on the heavy side for a distance runner of my height but the line had to be drawn somewhere and there are lots of successful 'heavier' endurance athletes out there). The weight loss has stagnated in the last week or two and is coming off agonisingly slowly but weight loss of this ilk has to be quite slow to avoid unacceptable strength loss (my lifts are roughly the same now as they were in the first pic). Will keep y'all posted.
So I'm still in the process of losing weight, I think I mentioned that at some point in this thread. Just trying to cut weight for the new season, I'm too heavy to compete at anything above 10k and I'd kinda like to get into half marathons and maybe even ultras someday! So this first pic is from summer 2013 when I was very nearly 190lbs (I'm 5 foot 6 inches for the record)
And this pic is now, at an impossibly teeny 160lbs.
My final goal is 150lbs (still a little on the heavy side for a distance runner of my height but the line had to be drawn somewhere and there are lots of successful 'heavier' endurance athletes out there). The weight loss has stagnated in the last week or two and is coming off agonisingly slowly but weight loss of this ilk has to be quite slow to avoid unacceptable strength loss (my lifts are roughly the same now as they were in the first pic). Will keep y'all posted.
How much inches are your arms bro, just curious after 4 years how much you put on from the start? And you looking good as fuck haha bro, defo mirin no homo
Just one question man, those ...quads, did you use to do lifting before running or something man? goddamn lolGood to hear from you Windsong and good to see you're still fighting the good fight. Injuries are the bane of runners, other athletes don't know how lucky they are.
So I'm still in the process of losing weight, I think I mentioned that at some point in this thread. Just trying to cut weight for the new season, I'm too heavy to compete at anything above 10k and I'd kinda like to get into half marathons and maybe even ultras someday! So this first pic is from summer 2013 when I was very nearly 190lbs (I'm 5 foot 6 inches for the record)
And this pic is now, at an impossibly teeny 160lbs.
My final goal is 150lbs (still a little on the heavy side for a distance runner of my height but the line had to be drawn somewhere and there are lots of successful 'heavier' endurance athletes out there). The weight loss has stagnated in the last week or two and is coming off agonisingly slowly but weight loss of this ilk has to be quite slow to avoid unacceptable strength loss (my lifts are roughly the same now as they were in the first pic). Will keep y'all posted.
SOMALIA this progress photo is months old and my arms look quite a bit bigger now that I've cut 6 kilos since then. People actually accuse me of flexing in every day life which I take as a huge compliment lol.Progress photo reposted from the Photo Album, been focusing on eating at a constant surplus so that I can continue to grow!!
I'll measure and take a new pic tonight. Flexed or unflexed?
Flexed man and yeah those are looking mighty huge, I'm guessing about 16.5-17 flexed, solid af!
been a little while since i last posted here, getting some advice about getting back in shape. since then i've taken the advice of the people here and started going to the gym 3 times a week, and lost a little less than 15 pounds in the last month (currently 5"9 and 171lbs) and feeling a lot better about myself and increased confidence. will try to keep updating if i can remember
Hey guys. I'm looking to improve my jumping form and ability -- as a basketball player, I want to be able to leap as high as I can, but I find the results on my jumps are inconsistent. I'm sure a lot of this is simple problems with my form, but in HS I had a lot of issues with my knee and ankles that restrict my range of motion. So my question is twofold:
1) What are your tips on achieving proper jumping form consistently? Specifically, do you have any tips on jumping off of two feet?
2) What is a good way to increase the range of motion in my knees?
As a side note, I recently got over a bout of mono that led to me dropping 20 lbs in 2 months -- while also growing an inch and a half during the same time span. My upper-body strength is completely shot, but after dropping the weight, I'm quicker than I've ever been. Hooray for mono!
1) What are your tips on achieving proper jumping form consistently? Specifically, do you have any tips on jumping off of two feet?
2) What is a good way to increase the range of motion in my knees?
As a side note, I recently got over a bout of mono that led to me dropping 20 lbs in 2 months -- while also growing an inch and a half during the same time span. My upper-body strength is completely shot, but after dropping the weight, I'm quicker than I've ever been. Hooray for mono!
Hi guys posting after a long time. Some of you might recall me posting my massive weight loss a little over a year back (100kgs - 66kgs].
Since then I've been affected by compounded health problems including a bad bout of pox, then consistent leg/back issues, and general IRL load in particular, as I'm in college but at the same time interning and engaged in voluntary community work while also heavily in extracurricular stuff that keeps me rather busy, not allowing me to really get back and establish a routine.
In between given the very small fragmented free time I had, I tried whipping up a self-made exercise plan following general cardio foundation. Around July I tried to get into a regular evening running habit (~3-3.5km) into running to stay in shape and possibly try getting toned by mixing it up with basic non weightlifting exercises like pushups/crunches/pulls etc, the whole thing took 45-ish minutes net (20 minutes of running and 20 minutes rest). But the returns were close to none with me barely cutting mere grams (guess my body is used to the exertion from my old gymming days), so I gave it up after a month, increased IRL commitments didn't help.
So I would rather not wait till the New Year to make a resolution and start afresh. My December is suprisingly light and I figure it's the best time for me to get into a routine and possibly maintain it.
====
Where I stand currently:
I HAVE gained weight over these 15~ months, which was unavoidable after basically stopping all focus exercise. I am currently at 72 kgs (up from 66), which is still very acceptable for my BMI. I'm kinda glad because I stopped in this weird stage where you resemble a skeleton after all the weight loss (the realization of just how much of your body was just FAT) and I mostly put on weight in the right places filling me out in an appropriately.
My arms are lanky, and I have a woman's wrist (I have basically stopped wearing watches lol, it's that bony) whatever little upper body muscle mass I had gained has mostly faded away. Problematic obstinate fat pouches on my pecs and abdomen remain but otherwise still sporting good shape. Legs are in better shape, and there's still a shadow of the awesome quads and calves I built from all the lower body training.
====
What Are my Goals and what I'm looking to gain:
So basically I'm looking for a lean look that easy to maintain with an acceptable amount of muscle mass. My studenty hectic-sporadic lifestyle (plus lack of disposable money) doesn't allow me to aim for Mr. Olympia goals, and frankly I don't care enough, nor have the time (or resources) to go for that. I'm looking to build a routine and aim for something that's sustainable. Whatever gains I'm looking to get I'm looking to get completely naturally (not even protein shakes), and maintain with a regular schedule and minimal dietary requirements, beyond the usual shit of low fat/carbs etc. At this point of my life, living off mostly what I can get my hands on, that's not just possible. It'll be possible to the high protein/energy thing. Dairy and junk is cheap and easily accessible. But again no to dirty bulking because I can't be super consistent. Stamina and fitness is my main goal. Though I won't mind a fair amount of shredding ;)
Time isn't a factor, but I like my returns to be visible and tangible, like it was when I stuck out on my weightloss regimen.
====
So it's rather open ended. IDK if should go a personal fitness routine based around running like before, or go join a gym, again something that I can only do after a lot of consideration. yay for broke and inconsistent college life. But I really don't have a clue where to start. I have currently been without any exercise for the past few months. So any help in crafting a personal routine/diet will be great.
OH, I also guess tagging main men, Stallion and Lee
Since then I've been affected by compounded health problems including a bad bout of pox, then consistent leg/back issues, and general IRL load in particular, as I'm in college but at the same time interning and engaged in voluntary community work while also heavily in extracurricular stuff that keeps me rather busy, not allowing me to really get back and establish a routine.
In between given the very small fragmented free time I had, I tried whipping up a self-made exercise plan following general cardio foundation. Around July I tried to get into a regular evening running habit (~3-3.5km) into running to stay in shape and possibly try getting toned by mixing it up with basic non weightlifting exercises like pushups/crunches/pulls etc, the whole thing took 45-ish minutes net (20 minutes of running and 20 minutes rest). But the returns were close to none with me barely cutting mere grams (guess my body is used to the exertion from my old gymming days), so I gave it up after a month, increased IRL commitments didn't help.
So I would rather not wait till the New Year to make a resolution and start afresh. My December is suprisingly light and I figure it's the best time for me to get into a routine and possibly maintain it.
====
Where I stand currently:
I HAVE gained weight over these 15~ months, which was unavoidable after basically stopping all focus exercise. I am currently at 72 kgs (up from 66), which is still very acceptable for my BMI. I'm kinda glad because I stopped in this weird stage where you resemble a skeleton after all the weight loss (the realization of just how much of your body was just FAT) and I mostly put on weight in the right places filling me out in an appropriately.
My arms are lanky, and I have a woman's wrist (I have basically stopped wearing watches lol, it's that bony) whatever little upper body muscle mass I had gained has mostly faded away. Problematic obstinate fat pouches on my pecs and abdomen remain but otherwise still sporting good shape. Legs are in better shape, and there's still a shadow of the awesome quads and calves I built from all the lower body training.
====
What Are my Goals and what I'm looking to gain:
So basically I'm looking for a lean look that easy to maintain with an acceptable amount of muscle mass. My studenty hectic-sporadic lifestyle (plus lack of disposable money) doesn't allow me to aim for Mr. Olympia goals, and frankly I don't care enough, nor have the time (or resources) to go for that. I'm looking to build a routine and aim for something that's sustainable. Whatever gains I'm looking to get I'm looking to get completely naturally (not even protein shakes), and maintain with a regular schedule and minimal dietary requirements, beyond the usual shit of low fat/carbs etc. At this point of my life, living off mostly what I can get my hands on, that's not just possible. It'll be possible to the high protein/energy thing. Dairy and junk is cheap and easily accessible. But again no to dirty bulking because I can't be super consistent. Stamina and fitness is my main goal. Though I won't mind a fair amount of shredding ;)
Time isn't a factor, but I like my returns to be visible and tangible, like it was when I stuck out on my weightloss regimen.
====
So it's rather open ended. IDK if should go a personal fitness routine based around running like before, or go join a gym, again something that I can only do after a lot of consideration. yay for broke and inconsistent college life. But I really don't have a clue where to start. I have currently been without any exercise for the past few months. So any help in crafting a personal routine/diet will be great.
OH, I also guess tagging main men, Stallion and Lee
I'm no personal trainer so I can only say what I would do based on what you've told me.
My first thought was to suggest StrongLifts. It takes very little time, just three short training sessions a week and will give good gains, both aesthetic and functional. Check it out: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
If that route doesn't appeal, I'd consider investing in some dumbbells and devising some sort of HIIT circuit that you can do in your own room at your own leisure. One of my 'secret weapons' over the years has been a circuit I do a few times a week with a set of 6kg dumbbells consisting of high-rep sets of front raises, side raises, punches, hammer curls and a bunch of other exercises. With minimal rest and maximum intensity you can get a really good full-body workout in in like 30 minutes and you can customise the exercises involved to suit your goals. Combine that with running 3~ times a week and you'll get into pretty good shape but there's always going to be a relatively low ceiling when your pre-requisites are 'I can't train that much and I can't eat especially well.' And don't take that as a dig, I totally understand that real-life takes priority, I'm just reminding you to be realistic with your expectations.
My first thought was to suggest StrongLifts. It takes very little time, just three short training sessions a week and will give good gains, both aesthetic and functional. Check it out: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
If that route doesn't appeal, I'd consider investing in some dumbbells and devising some sort of HIIT circuit that you can do in your own room at your own leisure. One of my 'secret weapons' over the years has been a circuit I do a few times a week with a set of 6kg dumbbells consisting of high-rep sets of front raises, side raises, punches, hammer curls and a bunch of other exercises. With minimal rest and maximum intensity you can get a really good full-body workout in in like 30 minutes and you can customise the exercises involved to suit your goals. Combine that with running 3~ times a week and you'll get into pretty good shape but there's always going to be a relatively low ceiling when your pre-requisites are 'I can't train that much and I can't eat especially well.' And don't take that as a dig, I totally understand that real-life takes priority, I'm just reminding you to be realistic with your expectations.
On the dietary side, I'd say go for the cheapest proteins you can find, and load up on those; my college life has basically been a straight diet of red beans (they go for $1.09 a can down here) mixed with a bit of whatever meat I have at the time. You can also buy meat in mass quantities and cook it/eat it over a period of a few days. I can usually find a beef/pork roast at around $15 for 4-5 lbs.
Eating on a budget doesn't mean you have to eat like shit. Find whatever proteins and produce are cheapest in your are, and build a diet around that, though I know it's easier said than done.
Eating on a budget doesn't mean you have to eat like shit. Find whatever proteins and produce are cheapest in your are, and build a diet around that, though I know it's easier said than done.
^ I've tried man. That's how I've partially managed to maintain my weight (somewhat) despite being really sedentary except travel and work. It's just that you end up with Ramen noodles for dinner more often than you care to admit.
On that note what kind of running routine do you suggest? Currently I can pull off 3kms in 15-18 minutes. Which I realize is sort of slow, but I was never into speed that much, since I mainly did it for weightloss cardio. What speed/distance should I be aiming to hit for a reasonable workout? I can't do climbs and all since the area I live has limited elevation variation.
No I mean I can do a reasonable amount of dieting, but it's just hard to go for custom foods and count every last calorie going in or follow a strict custom diet, when you spend most of your time in a college cafeteria. Plus I was being modest compared to what some users are aiming in this thread, yeah I acknowledged I simply don't have the amount of time and effort to dedicate to that. I'm just looking for whatever reasonable gains I can afford in the restrictions I have. I don't mind the time but whatever I develop should have a solid foundation and should be realistic to maintain for extended periods of time.
On that note what kind of running routine do you suggest? Currently I can pull off 3kms in 15-18 minutes. Which I realize is sort of slow, but I was never into speed that much, since I mainly did it for weightloss cardio. What speed/distance should I be aiming to hit for a reasonable workout? I can't do climbs and all since the area I live has limited elevation variation.
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I was also chatting to one of my IRL friends about this, he recommended a "completely equipment free" regimen called One Hundred Pushups Programme (You can actually go beyond 100 to maintain) for core strength coupled with running and lower body once I get used to the program. An thoughts on that? Sounds rather fantastic for a simple exercise.
Again, personally I'd be happy to stick at that sort of 3km distance and just work on trying to get it down as low as possible. Your goals don't seem to lend themselves to hammering out long, slow miles so some shorter, intense stuff seems the way to go. Just to lend a bit of personal experience to this suggestion; when I was in China, working long hours and very mindful of doing long miles in the polluted air, I would just go out 3 or 4 evenings a week and blast out either 3k or 5k at high intensity on a course that was as flat as a pancake. My body fat plummeted, my stamina went up and I felt strong. I've always been an advocate of running faster rather than running further, especially in people who are physique-focused. Don't worry that you're 'only' running x km in x minutes...just try to keep bringing it down.
And 100 push ups is good but I'd consider it more of a supplementary routine rather than a core routine in and of itself.
It's a bit annoying because my Garmin has a cool Calendar feature that shows you those China runs in a nice format but apparently I can't make it publically viewable. But here's my run data from a standard week.
18th Nov 2013 3k run
19th Nov 2013 5k run
22nd Nov 2013 5k run
18th Nov 2013 3k run
19th Nov 2013 5k run
22nd Nov 2013 5k run
And 100 push ups is good but I'd consider it more of a supplementary routine rather than a core routine in and of itself.
This thread makes me so depressed.
To me, being healthy is not using ranch sauce with my fries and using ketchup instead lol.
I've always been 'that guy' that can eat anything he wanted and not get fat but now that I'm 23 that's starting to change. I can notice my body aging.
I think smoking is a huge problem. I used to beast it on the treadmill but now that I smoke at least half a pack a day I get breathless so quickly and my chest starts hurting, it's horrible.
I was always a big fan of bodyweight exercises > weights, because I found them more fun and engaging, but I haven't done those in a while either. *sigh*
I have something big coming in a couple of months and I wish I could look my best, but I have no motivation. I guess I'm just fine being 'average,' as much as I hate myself for it.
I'm guessing this wasn't a ranty sort of thread, so I'm sorry if I brought anyone down, but some of the people here really do have some great stories.
To me, being healthy is not using ranch sauce with my fries and using ketchup instead lol.
I've always been 'that guy' that can eat anything he wanted and not get fat but now that I'm 23 that's starting to change. I can notice my body aging.
I think smoking is a huge problem. I used to beast it on the treadmill but now that I smoke at least half a pack a day I get breathless so quickly and my chest starts hurting, it's horrible.
I was always a big fan of bodyweight exercises > weights, because I found them more fun and engaging, but I haven't done those in a while either. *sigh*
I have something big coming in a couple of months and I wish I could look my best, but I have no motivation. I guess I'm just fine being 'average,' as much as I hate myself for it.
I'm guessing this wasn't a ranty sort of thread, so I'm sorry if I brought anyone down, but some of the people here really do have some great stories.