Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread

have any of you guys experiences DOMS in your core/abs after squats? just did a day with pretty high volume of squats and some deadlifts and my lower abs are hella sore. I'd think it's probably due to me never really training core and the volume being a good amount higher than what I usually do but was wondering if anyone else has felt this
I've been there, basic pull ups destroyed my untrained abs a while ago. That was some of the best DOMS I've gotten in that area.
 
i'm trying my hardest to eat clean (i've cut out most junk food and it's fucking killing me) though i will have diet sodas like almost every day and blah blah i need my fix man. i can't monk my diet i just can't. plus i don't have the time atm to consistently go grocery shopping every week (b/c we have no local grocery store and i don't have a car) so most of my food is frozen / canned / keeps well and the only thing i get consistently is milk (skim) and eggs. i go through a gallon of milk like every three days. i eat out a lot and while i try to keep things healthy when i do so (subway w/ no sauce/cheese, soups and vegetables, etc) i am not perfect.

so i need help with exercises. i have access to a set of adjustable dumb bells (max 20 lbs if using both, up to 40 lbs on a single). no bench :(. i have access to gyms but i genuinely do not have the time / ability to go to them and would rather focus on getting something i can consistently do at home. i can't exercise monday or wednesday since i'm out of the house from 7:30am-9:30 pm those days and am too exhausted / don't have enough time to do anything. anyone willing to help a guy out? the internet is confusing the fuck out of me and quite frankly i can't tell what i should be doing at ALL.

so basically, i'm trying but definitely have to make some accommodations to make things fit in my life style (college campus) and need HELP. pls help me figure out what to do in terms of dumb bell exercises or what would also be super helpful is a recommendation of foods that keep for an extraordinarily long time. i'm going to costco saturday and would be chill buying some recommendations (i'm allergic to nut products). atm i have frozen chicken breasts / hot dogs, cans of green beans, corn, tuna, and black beans (i don't really like them that much), pasta, bread, deli meats etc but it's kind of boring and i would definitely appreciate good recommendations!
 
blarajan

at costco get cottage cheese, salsa, and tortilla chips (find ones that arent too salty). mix salsa and cottage cheese at a 1:3 or so ratio and dip your chips in that. overall this new mixed salsa has much more body due to being basically a bunch of cottage cheese but overall keeps the flavor of the salsa. reasonably healthy, but more importantly delicious and cheap which means you'll more consistently snack on that than on doritos or w/e else. I can eat entire tubs of cottage cheese this way without noticing.

you've imposed some pretty tough conditions on what to work out with. if you have somewhere you can do pull-ups and dips, that would be a great start. some heavier dumbbells would also help. you honestly should really just be getting to the gym and doing barbell work i.e. something like stronglifts.


otherwise, you'll basically be relegated to doing pistol squats, dips, pullups, and hanging leg raises for all eternity and just adding weight to those until you progress beyond the meager amount of weight that you have. just do something like

A
pull-up progress 3x8reps and progressively add weight once u can reach 3x8 (hold a dumbbell between ur legs)
dip 3x8reps and add weight
pistol squat progression -> add weight once u can reach 3x5 on each leg
some planks or make yourself a homemade ab wheel

B
pull-up progress 3x8reps and add weight
handstand pushup variation, make yourself some homemade parallette bars out of PVC pipe
pistol squat
abs


i.e. both days are the same but change your pressing exercise. you could also do a 1-handed pushup progression or something instead of dips if your shoulders don't like having a vertical push every time you train


just go to your school's gym dude, it's free
 
Stathakis I appreciate that post and am going to look through it in more detail when I can. I'm just clarifying why I can't consistently go to the gym. I work 19 hours a week with hour each way commutes and am involved with several activities which makes it so I can't actually take the 20 minutes to get to the gym and back and find the time to work out. Yeah we are all busy and I'd love to go to the gym but I can't get that time so I'd rather get something consistent at home than something incredibly sporadic at the gym. I do have a pull up bar though my roommate has one so I can use that.

Thanks!!
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
Stathakis I appreciate that post and am going to look through it in more detail when I can. I'm just clarifying why I can't consistently go to the gym. I work 19 hours a week with hour each way commutes and am involved with several activities which makes it so I can't actually take the 20 minutes to get to the gym and back and find the time to work out. Yeah we are all busy and I'd love to go to the gym but I can't get that time so I'd rather get something consistent at home than something incredibly sporadic at the gym. I do have a pull up bar though my roommate has one so I can use that.

Thanks!!
I understand how busy you are, must be tough to try and juggle that many things at once. However, and I'm not saying this to be a douche, but if fitness were really a top priority for you, you'd be able to find 3 hours in your 168 hour week to at least be able to get 3 1 hour workouts in. It's a matter of how much a priority training is and how much you're willing to sacrifice to do it. Last year at one stage, I was working 3 jobs, doing a full time degree and playing in three sports teams and I still managed to find the time to work out consistently. You've just gotta take a look deep inside you and ask yourself how badly you want it.
 
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It's not enough of one for me to dig deep and find time I don't have when I understand what I'm willing to do consistently, which is work at home. If I'm not allowed to ask for assistance unless I'm able to go to the gym in the quantities you described because you were able to then I'm sorry for posting. I just wanted ideas or assistance with what I have and am able to consistently do, and do not wish to justify why I'm only able to do that in order to receive said ideas or assistance. Thank you Stathakis for your response.
 
it's a question of priority and I understand it, it's a lot simpler to be consistent in your fitness when it's convenient. understand that you're sacrificing quality in your workout for convenience, but it's better to lift sub-optimally than not at all. there are a few changes you can make will make it much easier for you to work out at home. in order of priority/importance I guess this is what you would want to acquire:

a pull-up bar ($30)
a set of bars or tables to do dips (you should already have this)
a set of heavier dumbbells or extra weights to put on the dumbbells you have (going up to, say, 60-80 lbs in each dumbbell will keep you busy for a while). ($200 based on a quick google search)
a set of parallettes if you want to work on handstand pushups (<$10 to make them out of PVC pipe)
an ab wheel (<$10)


the dumbbells stick out as the most expensive thing so I guess you can drop them but they really are useful because it's a lot easier to progress on DB bench and DB overhead press than one-hand pushup and handstand pushup. if you have a pull-up bar and 2 tables (you can set up the 2 tables such that instead of 2 parallel dipping bars you just put one hand on each table) then you have most of the battle won. you can do most barbell strength programs dropping rows for pull-ups, barbell bench for DB bench or one-hand pushup progressions, military press for DP press or handstand pushup variation, squat for pistol squat, etc. you can't really replace heavy deadlifts so that's just a concession you'll have to make.


is there any chance you can go to the gym once a week and have the rest of the days at home? that would make things a lot simpler
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
It's not enough of one for me to dig deep and find time I don't have when I understand what I'm willing to do consistently, which is work at home. If I'm not allowed to ask for assistance unless I'm able to go to the gym in the quantities you described because you were able to then I'm sorry for posting. I just wanted ideas or assistance with what I have and am able to consistently do, and do not wish to justify why I'm only able to do that in order to receive said ideas or assistance. Thank you Stathakis for your response.
Sorry if I sounded harsh. As stathakis said, it's just a lot tougher to do without at least dumbbells as a minimum. You can definitely see results doing what he described above, but you've just gotta make sure you know that you're not gonna see the same progression as you would in the gym. If you're cool with that, then I'm happy to come up with some exercises that you can do at home. Most body parts have an exercise you can do with just dumbbells and a pull up bar.
 
I have dumb bells! and my roommate has a pullup bar! I talked things over with Stathakis :) and we decided on alternating between:

[01:26] <blarajan> A: 3x8 pull ups, 3x10 one arm push ups, 3x10 squat pistols, 3x10 ab roller thing, 3x10 dumbbell curls if i want
[01:26] <blarajan> B: 3x8 pull ups, 3x10 dumbbell shoulder press, 3x10 squat pistols, 3x10 ab roller thing, 3x10 overhead tricep extension if i want

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

until i'm able to do all of those things, i definitely can't now and would work towards them

I would be able to go to the gym like on weekend just not during the week, just would not be able to do so throughout the week so if it's a supplement to the in week home workout that would be fine

yeah i'm not expecting like big results or anything @ stallion, just stronger/healthier, i care way more about strength and being lean than i do about muscle progression so as long as i can get results at all it's way better than doing nothing right?
 
Sorry if I sounded harsh. As stathakis said, it's just a lot tougher to do without at least dumbbells as a minimum. You can definitely see results doing what he described above, but you've just gotta make sure you know that you're not gonna see the same progression as you would in the gym. If you're cool with that, then I'm happy to come up with some exercises that you can do at home. Most body parts have an exercise you can do with just dumbbells and a pull up bar.
You've raised some valid points in your posts above -- you can manage your workout without a gym per se, however it is a lot harder. Personally, I find it hard to exercise where i live, like i just get more motivation getting out of the house and down to the gym.

Don't write off the benefit of home exercise. Some times when its been a public holiday and i've wanted to exercise and the gym is close i've done sqauts/lunges/crunches with a bag of potatoes. Where there is a will, there's a way.

The one thing I will say against home exercising is technique and form! Do not suffer form for a heavier weight. Build your strength up with correct form and then progress heavier. Prime example, at the gym this morning I was doing bench and one of my friends came in and was doing squats and saying it didn't 'feel right' there were a number of things wrong, leg positioning, not using core, not getting down far enough (i know that sounds bad, but with squats its about getting right down low). If you do it properly they are probably an all body workout!

Still technically not allowed to squat as stitches have only just come out but i did a couple to show technique lol.

Been doing some good upper body and core stuff mixed in with running. Got out of the gym this morning at 7AM and it was empty and my shirt was soaked so i wrung it out and it was soaking. Felt like such a fool but kinda laughing too about it :P

Can't wait -- another week or two then its gonna be leg WEEK!
 
I have dumb bells! and my roommate has a pullup bar! I talked things over with Stathakis :) and we decided on alternating between:

[01:26] <blarajan> A: 3x8 pull ups, 3x10 one arm push ups, 3x10 squat pistols, 3x10 ab roller thing, 3x10 dumbbell curls if i want
[01:26] <blarajan> B: 3x8 pull ups, 3x10 dumbbell shoulder press, 3x10 squat pistols, 3x10 ab roller thing, 3x10 overhead tricep extension if i want

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

until i'm able to do all of those things, i definitely can't now and would work towards them

I would be able to go to the gym like on weekend just not during the week, just would not be able to do so throughout the week so if it's a supplement to the in week home workout that would be fine

yeah i'm not expecting like big results or anything @ stallion, just stronger/healthier, i care way more about strength and being lean than i do about muscle progression so as long as i can get results at all it's way better than doing nothing right?
Very solid program that Stathakis gave you. Only thing I don't really agree with is doing one arm pushups if your goal is to become bigger and leaner, unless you already know or are close to mastering it. The truth is if you cant do 30 pushups in a set then try something with a more immediate effect. Normal pushups allow you to do several variations which are more effective. You can do alot more repetitions (which in turn gets you more muscle development) and there are a shitload of variations with the two hand pushup that will benefit alot more muscles than the former. The thing is there is no substitute for the heavy compound lifts so I dont see the point of doing one arm pushups over two. It takes ages for one to be able to do a single one arm pushup so perhaps doing one day of close width (for triceps) pushups and then another for wide width pushups you now have something to aid with your tricep and chest development. To add to what Stathakis said, you can perform leg raises on your pullup bar, very useful exercise and if you have something like a bench you can use it to perform dumbell rows to give thickness to your back.
 
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Stratos

Banned deucer.
just bought my first gallon of milk, going to do my first day of GOMAD + first day of stronglifts tomorrow, it's happening boys o.o I've only got enough money on my meal plan to get like 45ish days worth of milk so hopefully i am p big by that point

when i bought it tbh all i could think was "how the flying fuck am i supposed to drink this all in one day oh god"
 
just bought my first gallon of milk, going to do my first day of GOMAD + first day of stronglifts tomorrow, it's happening boys o.o I've only got enough money on my meal plan to get like 45ish days worth of milk so hopefully i am p big by that point

when i bought it tbh all i could think was "how the flying fuck am i supposed to drink this all in one day oh god"
Sounds pretty scary hahaha.
I've been drinking half a gallon a day for the past 3 weeks or so and I've definitely gained some weight. For me half a gallon isn't even hard to drink casually over the course of a day. A whole gallon could be tough though, good luck!
I also started stronglifts at that time but I quickly switched over to 4x8 instead of 5x5 because you get 7 more reps overall and it takes a little less time changing weights on the bar all the time.
 

Lee

@ Thick Club
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
Sets of 8 will be better for hypertrophy whereas sets of 5 have a better predisposition to strength gains (disclaimer: 5 is still a good hypertrophy amount in it's own right though). Anybody just beginning to work-out should be prioritising strength as, even if hypertrophy is their ultimate goal, a solid foundation of strength will make it far easier to build big muscles later down the line. Remember; Arnold Schwarzanegger was a champion powerlifter before he took up bodybuilding.
 
Sets of 8 will be better for hypertrophy whereas sets of 5 have a better predisposition to strength gains (disclaimer: 5 is still a good hypertrophy amount in it's own right though). Anybody just beginning to work-out should be prioritising strength as, even if hypertrophy is their ultimate goal, a solid foundation of strength will make it far easier to build big muscles later down the line. Remember; Arnold Schwarzanegger was a champion powerlifter before he took up bodybuilding.
Thanks Lee, any info is helpful. I'm also thinking about squatting twice a week instead of three times, and possibly going down to three sets as well. I've read squatting can be pretty harsh on your body three times a week as you approach heavier weight (body weight) and I don't really want to get injured. Any advice?
 

Lee

@ Thick Club
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
I can't advise you on that as I have never squatted three times a week - it was always too difficult to juggle that with my running commitments. I know there are some people here who have though so maybe they'll have some input.

So here's an update on me as it's been a little while.

So as I've alluded to in earlier posts, I've been struggling a lot lately as to whether I should gain weight or lose weight. I rather enjoy being big and lifting heavy but I do love to run as well and would like to be competitive in it. I was hoping I may be able to live in both worlds.

Me last month in this thread said:
At the moment I feel like my philosophy for this year is 'Lift heavy and often, run fast and often and whatever will be will be. Fuck the scales.' It may be naïve but I'd like to try and do things on my terms. We'll see what happens.
Guess what? I was so fucking naïve. I had my first race for quite some time yesterday and I was utterly dreadful. I felt slow and heavy and like I had no business being there. For the first time in my life I experienced how it felt to be a mediocre, back of the field runner. Ladies and old men were coming past me and I had to let them go because I just couldn't go any faster. I could see the crowd looking at me in that sort of admiring 'He's a muscular fellow' sort of way that I normally quite enjoy but this time I just wanted them to stop looking at me because I felt nothing but shame.

Anybody who runs often will probably understand or have experienced the heightened sense of self and awareness that accompanies difficult running, it's like an almost meditative state wherein you can just about hear your brain's subconscious thoughts. And all I could hear was a quote from (strangely enough) Dragonball Z bouncing around in my head. It's what Future Trunks says after losing to Cell, when he realises his super-muscular form rendered him too slow to compete with Cell.

'Of course...that's why father stopped getting stronger. He could have, but he knew about this form's limits. And I just kept ploughing forward...like a stupid child. You can kill me if you want. I've failed.'

And this was exactly how I felt at that moment, right down to the 'you can kill me if you want' because I was completely furious with myself. Over the past few months I have recklessly piled on weight, seemingly oblivious to the repercussions. Stupid. Naïve. Blinded by vanity.



The picture on the left is from late December, standing at 160lbs. The picture on the right was from mid March, at 180lbs. 20lbs, 9kg or 1.4 stone...whichever you prefer. Yes, it's mostly lean tissue but it doesn't matter whether you're carrying an additional 20lbs of muscle, 20lbs of fat or 20lbs of potatoes; gravity simply doesn't give a shit and I was reminded of that in the most excruciating, humbling way yesterday.

You can probably guess what my course of action is now...

The diet began today...I am eating at quite an extreme deficit, aiming to lose about 1.5 to 2lbs per week. I am still doing weight training to preserve my strength. If I can get back down to 160~ while still having the strength I currently have at 180 then this whole debacle could work out very nicely indeed as I will have radically improved my power-to-weight ratio.

With the exception of a short stint last year (where I basically just removed a few bad foods from my diet and started cycling more), I have never really attempted anything like this so it's a big learning experience for me. I am literally calorie-counting (gasp!). My findings so far are that when we're in that 'weightlifting mentality' we get into this habit of eating simply because we haven't eaten in a little while or eating because 'I think I just felt my stomach do something, maybe I'm catabolic?' and I'm constantly having to override those instincts. I'm not hungry...I just think I should be hungry and that is what I'm struggling with right now. Oh well, only another 5 hours until Day 1 is over...
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
did my first gallon + first day at the gym today! gallon was hard but honestly not as hard as i thought it was but ive been fartin up a storm since so sorry to my roommates :( good thing it's warm enough to leave the window open comfortably!!

at the gym i did my first day of reps, it was super fuking packed so i couldn't take video of myself but that's something i plan to do when i go on friday since my schedule mandates i go around noon when it will hopefully be less busy. one question i had is that apparently we're not allowed to squat barefoot (~_~) and the only pair of shoes i have other than my running ones is sperrys should i squat in sperrys or asics
 
did my first gallon + first day at the gym today! gallon was hard but honestly not as hard as i thought it was but ive been fartin up a storm since so sorry to my roommates :( good thing it's warm enough to leave the window open comfortably!!

at the gym i did my first day of reps, it was super fuking packed so i couldn't take video of myself but that's something i plan to do when i go on friday since my schedule mandates i go around noon when it will hopefully be less busy. one question i had is that apparently we're not allowed to squat barefoot (~_~) and the only pair of shoes i have other than my running ones is sperrys should i squat in sperrys or asics
Good for you man, I never did GOMAD but it will definitely get you dat mass, and congrats on the first day of lifting! Don't know how it felt for you but it will only get easier regardless.

As for your other question, if you're trying to choose a shoe in which to squat you generally want one that's fairly flat, with a thin (and firm) base. Running shoes aren't ideal - I'm pretty sure the compression messes with you a little bit. Hard to tell without seeing the sperrys, but if all else fails I know there are plenty of shoes good for lifting you can pick up for around thirty bucks.
 

idiotfrommars

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Just a quick update

So far things have been going well. Just finished a day B today and I'm loving the improvement I have been having especially in squats. I had knee pain a while ago that would come back every few weeks and I haven't noticed it at all since I started squatting. Just finished doing 315 on squat, 335 on deadlift, and 135 on OHP. OHP was stalling a bit since I needed to get my form down. My bench was 205 on Wednesday and my barbell row was 175 with nowhere to go but up. I have also been incorporating dips and curls on day A's and extra deadlifts with a lighter weight and a focus on power on day B's. Intermural soccer also started up, so I have been using that to get cardio on my off days. I'm really happy with my progress, even though my weight hasn't been dropping at all. I still feel much better and I think I'm still burning fat, just gaining muscle too.
 
been ravaged by illness since last sunday with no sign of letting up. Have already lost at least 12 lbs. I pray that this senseless destruction stops soon

update: lost over 15 lbs. currently weighing in at 130 and feeling depressed about the fact that months of gains just went down the toilet in 2 weeks. going into the gym for the first time since getting sick tomorrow, gonna drop all my lifts by 30 lbs and work back up as i feel this is the most prudent move.


don't get sick boys, take care of your bodies AND TAKE UR FUCKING MULTI EVERY DAY
 
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Soul Fly

IMMA TEACH YOU WHAT SPLASHIN' MEANS
is a Contributor Alumnus
Hi guys. Have been absent due to some massive injury issues.

But here. Cheers for the day. Bodybuilding goals.

 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
anyone with good/personal tips on how to gain more muscles while increasing flexibility?
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
update: so far my routine has been going well. i've kept to GOMAD every day (except when i went home for easter last weekend, but im back in the saddle today) and have gone to the gym 3x per week. I'm on day 7 of stronglifts which means: 75lb squat 60lb bench 80lb barbell row. Already hit failure on the 55lb shoulder press Friday and just hit failure on the barbell row today, gotta say it's kind of rough on the ego to prove that im that weak so early (but then again it's rough on the ego to go to the gym when ur a skinny bitch motherfucker at all). i expected to hit failure on the shoulder press early but the barbell row caught me by surprise. Breezing through the other three still but i expect the bench and deadlift will catch me pretty quickly. I haven't put on noticeable weight yet despite GOMAD so im hopin to look better by the year's end. I'm thinking i might need to force myself to eat more alongside the GOMAD stuff, even tho i often feel sluggish and miserable by day's end. Ugh :(
 
anyone with good/personal tips on how to gain more muscles while increasing flexibility?
Just some thoughts, I find that on the flexibility side, doing more body weighted circuits and stuff really helps. Kettle bells, rope climbs, etc. All that stuff that stops you being in the one position should help.

Additionally, how much are you stretching? I found that 2x45min sessions a week, in addition to some quick stretching pre and post exercise helps a lot. It really helps. You could also consider yoga, I personally have thought about it but never made the effort to go lol.
 

junior

jet fuel can't melt steel beams
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
Just some thoughts, I find that on the flexibility side, doing more body weighted circuits and stuff really helps. Kettle bells, rope climbs, etc. All that stuff that stops you being in the one position should help.

Additionally, how much are you stretching? I found that 2x45min sessions a week, in addition to some quick stretching pre and post exercise helps a lot. It really helps. You could also consider yoga, I personally have thought about it but never made the effort to go lol.
I'm doing stretches on the daily because I'm trying to teach myself how to do splits and just increase my flexibility in general. I notice that I have not improved much, if at all, over the past couple of months and I feel like my weight training is compromising it somehow? I must be doing something wrong but I dunno how or where or what.
 

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