Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread

Layne is awesome and i love his phat routine but be careful not to listen too much to him

He gives awesome advice but sometimes he spouts bs he doesn't even believe in just to please his sponsors. Since its prob his main source of income i kind of understand though
 
My tip is going to go along the lines of what Blackblas said. I mean, especially with your university situation, you'll have to spend money. Thank God i am once again financially stable. I dont mean that you have to spend alot of money, no, but do expect to spend money in general. If your meal plan is anything like what college meal plans typically are, then i suggest you look for a job/some source of income if you hope to follow a good clean bulk. also keep in mind that just because you cannot get the diet part down to the level you wanted, it doesnt mean you still cant move ahead with your original goals. yeah you would have had a huge advantage if you could have gotten the foods you needed, and yeah your results will be affected, but exercise itself doesnt require money (excluding gym fees), just time and dedication.

also Lee's mini update reminded me of a post i wanted to make myself. It has now been a month since i officially started my bulk, and i have already put on 10 pounds..... also yeah that muscle gain equation from scoobys workshop is very flawed. i mean, 10 pounds in a month, that right there should tell you that its wrong. Also please dont take that as me bragging. I am actually concerned. i mean, i have been taking this bulk very slow. i started out at a 250 cal surplus, and i've been at that for more than half of the 1 month that has gone by. i should not even be close to a 10 pound gain. also no its not mostly fat, just the small surplus i mention, plus what i see in the mirror, tells me that its not mostly fat. this cannot be genetics related as i have shit genetics. all i need to do is look at my past and at my family. my metabolism isnt anything special either, and i'm well past noob gains. we'll see how i do in another month. if i gain 5 pounds or more at the end of month 2, well i really wont know what the fuck is going on and my concern levels will increase. i like being able to explain what is happening, and at the moment i cannot so this bothers me
its probably just water weight, if you were on a cut before your bulk you will have been quite dry probably and so going on a bulk straight after will lead to significant gains of water,
 
Yeah, I'm looking into a source of income on campus but at least I get free gym access while I'm here. And the food isn't that bad compared to other colleges I've been to, it just is incredibly inconsistent and I can't always count on there being an option with a ton of protein.

Second day of starting strength today. Thursday I benched 75 and squatted 85, today squatted 105, pressed 55, and deadlifted 105. so not completely terrible for someone my size, I feel like the dead lift and press should have been higher but it was my first time doing them so I'm happy with that, lol. And the squat gain seems crazy for two days but I don't think I was lifting enough weight on the first day anyways. Just doing 3x5 for all of these except 1x5 for deadlifts, essentially.
 

Chill Murray

get well soon jacoby..
Speaking of deadlifts, does anyone have tips on form during them? I did deadlifts for the first time the other day, and immediately after the workout (and a bit today) I felt soreness in my back. I don't know if that's due to poor form or if I'm just not used to exercising my back, but if it's the former I'd rather not throw out my back.
 

DM

Ce soir, on va danser.
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
I had another checkup/x-ray on my hip Wednesday. Nothing has gone wrong/gotten worse or anything, so I asked if I could start running again, even a light jog.

"Well, I wouldn't do it if it were MY hip... I mean, I have no scientific evidence to back that up, but I wouldn't do it."

Oh. Thanks Doc. Says I should wait until the one-year mark (March)
 
As someone who doesn't really care about getting bigger, is there any reason not to just do low rep/more sets training? Like, does muscle size have much of an impact on strength? Or does that kind of training promote muscular endurance as well?
The difference between reps ranges is overstated. Training with lower reps will still build muscle and higher reps will still build strength.

Like, does muscle size have much of an impact on strength?
Obviously muscle size has a huge impact on strength, however building muscle is not the only way to gain strength. At the beginning you will see large strength gains even if you are not gaining muscle. This is from nervous system adaptations.
 

Ninahaza

You'll always be a part of me
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
its probably just water weight, if you were on a cut before your bulk you will have been quite dry probably and so going on a bulk straight after will lead to significant gains of water,
I do not know much when it comes to water weight/retention, but i thought about that and It only led to more questions than answers.

For example: how much water retention can one actually hold? Lets say i gained 5 pounds at best, so that means i'm carrying an extra 5 pounds of water weight. That sounds excessive, especially for someone my size.

Also i have been weighing myself on a weekly basis. Its not like i weighed myself at the end of that first month without previous records to reflect on. From the first week, i have been putting on weight with no instance of ever being at the same weight or even a decrease. The weight gain has been gradual and at a rapid increasing rate for the entire month. So my other question then is, how long can one keep water weight? I've always been under the impression that when your weigh in results are greatly impacted by water weight, you'd see it in your next couple of weigh ins as your weight will fluctuate. The scale would be moving up and down all over the place, not have a steady increase.

Anyways, like i said, i know little about the mechanics of water retention, so maybe it really is just water weight.

Also wer, it sounds to me like a bit of both. You should have expected soreness, but the deadlift isnt strictly a back exercise, but its a GREAT one to throw out your back on. Even those that have been doing it for a while now will struggle with good form. I know although my form is good on the deadlift, i'm still working on perfecting it. Sometimes you just have to accept that you need to decrease the weight in favor of building better form. There are a few exercises i really need to do that on. My advice is to just remember to do your stretches before attempting your next set of deadlifts, never underestimate the importance of streches. Also watch a good video on deadlift good form and attempt to better your form without being afraid to deload if its needed
 
when i first started bulking my weight went up pretty rapidly and it fluctuated on a day to day basis, but if i had done weekly weighings it would have always been increasing, maybe if you tried daily weighings when you wake up you might find some fluctuations in your weight.
 
Speaking of deadlifts, does anyone have tips on form during them? I did deadlifts for the first time the other day, and immediately after the workout (and a bit today) I felt soreness in my back. I don't know if that's due to poor form or if I'm just not used to exercising my back, but if it's the former I'd rather not throw out my back.
if you're a guy, here is a cue that worked for me:

tuck your dick between your legs

like, you don't have to do it literally (i do sometimes for singles, actually really helps to do it literally) but it helps tremendously even doing it just thinking like you're tucking it. keeps your back in line and everything.

the way i set it up is the following:

1. get shoelaces under bar at shoulder width, maybe slightly outside and point toes about 10 degrees out (varies but i like mine that way)
2. bend over grab bar without bending knees
3. bend knees until shins touch
4. dick between legs part here
5. look about 15-20 feet in front of me
6. lift

hard part for me was learning to reset when i came down. takes a lot of practice and sometimes a spotter. you have a grip you like? i prefer mixed cos it makes it easier but i didn't change until i broke 2 plates.

if you feel like you don't have a down in a while just post a form video. i mean we got delta over here doing 4 plate deadlifts (maybe not but it feels like he's that far ahead of me), nos i'm sure is dl'ing heavy, hell we gotta lot of people who deadlift heavy so a lot of people can comment on your form if you need help with it. vids on r/fit are the way i learned form when i struggled with cleans, it'll help you here too
 

Lee

@ Thick Club
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
nonsense; ectomorphs are designed for running, they are perfectly adapted for it. Long limbs, low body weight and characteristically high endurance mean that basically every accomplished distance runner ever is a posterboy for ectomorphism.
 
Update on goals and a few questions-

Endurance- Doing 20 solid push-ups on the first set and almost making it through 5 sets on knee push-ups. I'd estimate about a month or two before I move to the semi final phase where I alternate between weighted pushup workouts and going for 100 on my knees if I have to. For the trolls here let me remind you I'm not going for making my chest bulge out I'm trying to gain endurance.

Lats- From here on out I am still going for raw strength. I found a lat pull down machine at my school's gym I'm using so I'm doing my normal workout with that and pull-ups to complete drop sets. For now going to see how many comfortable reps of 100 lbs I can do and work my lats enough that they'll be able to do as many of 110 next time.

Abs- Found a cool machine that will help me work up to leg raises and greater things.

Legs- I have a leg curl and leg press machine at my school's gym and feel comfortable working my way up with the leg press and lunges. When I'm not doing squats, how should I mix leg press / lunges etc. to form a coherent plan that hits every important leg muscle?

Cardio- A treadmill told me after I had run on it for an hour that my heartrate was 190, is this dangerous? The pain signal I got from my body was "ok you can keep going for a little bit but if you do this for another minute you'll have to slow down". This is the main reason I wanted to post because the chart from the AHA tops the target heart rate zone for a 20 year old's cardio workout at 170 (I'm 18).
 
nonsense; ectomorphs are designed for running, they are perfectly adapted for it. Long limbs, low body weight and characteristically high endurance mean that basically every accomplished distance runner ever is a posterboy for ectomorphism.
he meant to say that running is bad for an ectomorph for bodybuilding purposes/bulking
 
nonsense; ectomorphs are designed for running, they are perfectly adapted for it. Long limbs, low body weight and characteristically high endurance mean that basically every accomplished distance runner ever is a posterboy for ectomorphism.
Thank you very much. I thought it might be like that, but I greatly appreciate your confirming it.

he meant to say that running is bad for an ectomorph for bodybuilding purposes/bulking
I didn't mean that, I just read in an article about ectomorphs that they shouldn't run... but is it true? Is endurance exercise bad for bulking up/bodybuilding?
 
So, marathon was today, time was 2:50:45 which I'm pretty happy with. I was on pace for around 2:38 for the first 15 miles then I cramped up pretty bad which took its toll. Still it was a good experience and I can't wait to train for another this spring. Gonna take 1-2 weeks off and do some cycling in the mean time to recover. And thanks for the strength advice, should be helpful.
 
I didn't mean that, I just read in an article about ectomorphs that they shouldn't run... but is it true? Is endurance exercise bad for bulking up/bodybuilding?
at the end of the day it's still calories in vs. calories out. If you do cardio while having trouble gaining weight, it's going to be even tougher for you to build muscle. That said, if you compensate for the extra calories that you burn then there's no real difference.
 

Lee

@ Thick Club
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
yeah, pope nailed it...there's no harm provided you're getting the calories in - people seem to juxtapose bodybuilding and cardio but they've been going hand-in-hand forever. Arnold Schwarzenegger . was a big advocate of doing cardio all year-round and once famously asked "How well can you perform if your muscles have tremendous endurance ability but your circulatory system cant deliver the oxygen they need?" Frank Zane and many other classic bodybuilders were also big believers in running.

yee said:
Cardio- A treadmill told me after I had run on it for an hour that my heartrate was 190, is this dangerous? The pain signal I got from my body was "ok you can keep going for a little bit but if you do this for another minute you'll have to slow down". This is the main reason I wanted to post because the chart from the AHA tops the target heart rate zone for a 20 year old's cardio workout at 170 (I'm 18).
sounds fine to me - you just worked your arse off. the only way i'd raise an eyebrow is if your resting heart rate was alarmingly high too

edit: also yee, try and grab a pair of push up bars like these. if you're doing a lot of push ups then you may as well squeeze as much out of them as possible and these things are the shizzle. you can get much lower and activate the chest and back of the deltoid much more.
 
cosmetic question

for the past few years i've dabbled in working out, nothing even remotely serious though. recently i started using those roller weight things, and they're doing wonders for my abs. i noticed, though, that the area just below my right pectoral is really defined and pronounced, while the area below my left isn't at all. my lower abs are all symmetrical but the top 2 are weirdly out of sync.

is this a result of leaning when doing my roller thing? can i fix this by just working my left side for a while? i know it sounds minor but it's actually quite a jarring difference, i was shocked when i noticed

edit: or is it from pushups? i do weighted pushups, do they work your upper abs in a significant way? apologies for such novice questions, i know so little about what exercises target what areas
 
You should probably wait for someone else to answer, but from what I've read, not everyone is perfectly symmetrical. I have the same issue with my calfs, the left calf appears much leaner and larger.
So, as with pretty much everything in bodybuilding it might be due to genetics.
 

DM

Ce soir, on va danser.
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
What do you mean by asymmetrical? Is one higher than the other? That's incredibly common, none of my 6 line up with each other. If you mean one is noticeably bigger than the one next to it... then you must be favoring one side during those rolls. (I've seen them in person. :naughty:) I dunno, maybe your floor is tilted.
 
I was born ten weeks early, so you could/should say I'm a weakling. I do exercise rarely, although sports daily. I also eat too much, yet I'm still thin and small.

I don't know if uber-high metabolism is a good thing...
 
I don't have much of a post count, but I read this whole thread after coming inside from the second run I've done in awhile, so I wanted to share some thoughts. Also, I've visited the website as a whole every day for almost 2 years, but I'm definitely shy about forum posting.

@Lee- I'm really happy that you're focused on repairing your knee injury back to 100%, even after years of setbacks and pain. Based on some of the photos, you obviously made great use of what you hoped would be a short-term setback.

@Jesus- that's a really great time for a first marathon. By the description of your training regimen, it seems you were well prepared. Did you run XC for your university, or do you still?

@Ninahaza- thanks for starting up such a thread, I really hope it can be a source of encouragement for everyone. I really believe in the value of strong community support when seeking a healthier lifestyle. I am preaching to the converted, I'm sure, but I read this article yesterday (http://boingboing.net/2012/10/26/the-infrastructure-of-longevit.html). Also, congrats and good luck to you with your continued fitness goals, your before and after shots are very inspiring.

@BlakBlastoise- I haven't spoken to you before, but I'm actually a subscriber of your youtube channel, mostly watched it at the end of 4th gen and early 5th gen. Your video "Soul Silver Wi-Fi Battle: I make RAIN" is probably my favorite battle narration I've ever seen, very funny. I didn't know about your general health problems, and struggling with mood as well, so it's truly inspiring to see you write about your success so far. I, myself, have some mood issues that I'm hoping I'll be able to help with much greater attention to my physical fitness.

So at 6'4" and 195lbs (193cm 86 kg), I'm not the unhealthiest person on the planet at first glance. However, I'm 23 years old, having graduated high school in 2007, and I haven't been on any form of rigorous training program since then. In HS, I ran cross country and track, with my best 5k at 17:42, my best 2-mile at 10:28 and best mile at 4:58, but I weighed 165 pounds after a big dinner. Tonight was the second day in row that I've gone on a run, and it's disgusting how far I've fallen. I've gained over 30 pounds in the last five years, smoked cigarettes on and off in the last 18 months, and I'm finally starting to notice the effects. In my personal belief system, my body is the only thing that is truly "mine" and it serves my best interests to preserve and better it. Also, I know that my brain is part of my body, and improving my physical fitness and nutrition will improve the functioning of my brain. I have moderate depression and pretty crazy ADD, and I'm wondering if they'd be as strong as they are if I were maintaining my body and earning the satisfaction from that pursuit.

So enough with the frustration. I merely wanted to put that there as a record of how I feel now as a baseline to reflect on.

I do not know much about physical fitness (just the calorie in, calorie out body mass thing/ physical training affecting your body composition), but I do know about the importance of both long-term and short-term goals. Though I described my running career from high school, I am not seeking to lose thirty pounds and resume my former glory as the decidedly middle-of-the-pack runner I was. I want to be strong, flexible, and fast, to use my body in ways that I haven't ever truly been able to do. I want to be my best self, and I really believe that person is not someone who stays up playing video games 4 hours nightly. I want to begin training with weights to build my strength, run 30 minutes 3x a week to rebuild my cardiovascular ability (thank goodness I've kicked the cigs), and I don't have any good benchmarks at this moment for what "strong" would mean to me, but I believe in the intangible values of being a strong individual. Better energy, mood, libido, ability to perform difficult chores (wood chopping). Who knows, kayaking, rock climbing, basketball, and hiking are all activities that I enjoy but could enjoy a great deal more if I had more strength. (I'm 6'4" and I can't dunk. This will be first on my list.)

Those were all more personal goals, but things that I'd want to be able to look back at as far as motivation. For now, I just need to build habits. Running every other day will be easy for me. I saw a few pages back a link to StrongLifts 5x5, but the front page is covered in testimonial garbage. Is this legit or should I just start with whatever split routine I find on the internet?
 
Those were all more personal goals, but things that I'd want to be able to look back at as far as motivation. For now, I just need to build habits. Running every other day will be easy for me. I saw a few pages back a link to StrongLifts 5x5, but the front page is covered in testimonial garbage. Is this legit or should I just start with whatever split routine I find on the internet?
Stronglifts is a legit routine and its probably better to start with than a split routine because you can make faster progress.
 
I'm trying to make my school's basketball team this year after getting back into it freshman year two years ago, so I've been getting into fitness.

Monday/Thursday
- Incline Bench Press (5x10)
- Decline bench press (3x10)
- Upright (sitting) bench press (4x10)
- Tricep extension (4x10)
- Chest fly (3x10)
- One leg squats (5x10 on each leg, alternating)
- Leg extension (3x8)
- Calf raise (1x40)
- Decline crunch (1x40)
- Oblique crunches (1x20)

Tuesday/Friday:
- Pullups (4x10)
- Dumbell Row (5x10 on each arm)
- Bicep curls (5x10, on each arm, alternating)
- Hammer curls (3x10)
- Dumbell shrug (3x10)
- Hyperextensions (3x12)
- Lying leg curls (3x10)
- Decline crunch (1x40)
- Oblique crunches (1x20)


this is what i've been doing for the past two months or so. I'm 16, 5'9" and weigh a waaaay underweight 130 lbs (which does mean I'm up 5 lbs from this summer, progress is progress, right?) but not looking to make big, quick gains, so I don't screw up my shot. If anyone can recommend any changes to what I'm doing I will hear them out gladly, being that I'm such a beginner when it comes to fitness.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!
 

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