Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread

[omgocd]

fellas, how do you manage your cardio?

I do 3x 45-60 minute sessions of high intensity strength training, with 30 minutes of moderate-high intensity (roughly 70-80% of max heart rate) cardio. I get around 10k steps daily too

I don't know if that's enough. I can run up to 8km, jog another 5km after, that doesn't seem very fit. And I don't really have any zone 2 cardio

I think I will stay with the 3 sessions and tack on a moderate one hour cardio workout with a 5 minute high intensity sprint

I'd say the best way is to find a sport you like and train for it. Running is an obvious one because it doesn't really require any special equipment and you can just go out and do it, but other endurance sports or even things like soccer/basketball are good too.

For me, my training is highly periodized so it varies a lot throughout the year, but a typical training cycle usually starts off with a few weeks of everything pretty easy, then a period where I mix in some higher quality aerobic work (roughly heart rate zone 3) and keep increasing the volume, then a period where the intensities become more diversified, but eventually tend towards workouts more specific to whatever race I'm training for.

 

[Krockodile]

I'm struggling out on finding the best kind of foods (mainly Lunch and Dinner) that would be healthy and give sufficient protein on a weekly basis.

I think it can come down to a few problems:

• I don't know on how to keep track of the amount of calories and protein I intake. I believe I know how much calories and protein I have to intake regularly from the TDEE and Protein calculator, but not every food I intake will mention on how much calories and proteins it has. It also doesn't help that I find too many sources about what to eat that I don't know where to start.
• Another problem could be that when I work from home, whilst I usually have white wraps with chicken, sometimes it can be a problem when I don't have enough chicken or pita bread. This ends up me having sausages or ramen for lunch, the former might not be great due to the amount of oil. I have been thinking to just buy more supplies, but I am wondering if there are more reliable backup plans.

I have slightly changed my habits compared to before. When I have raisin toast, I now use strawberry jam instead of butter, which helps since it has has no fat. I would love to have eggs, but my family is worried that I would take in too much cholesterol (even though I think it's fine). I've also found a pathway that would help me walk at least 7000 steps per day, and also may plan to climb up the stairs to my work office.

I only have my dumbbells at home as "gym equipment", so I can't do much exercise outside of dumbells and pushups.

 

[Sijih]

sometimes it can be a problem when I don't have enough chicken or pita bread

just buy chicken in very large quantities and keep it in the freezer, it's cheaper anyways. for most brands you don't have to bother with defrosting as long as it's not clumped together, you can put it directly in the oven.
pita bread you can also buy in bulk, but unless you buy lots of small packs or the stuff with lots of preservatives it will go bad. some decent alternatives are lettuce wraps or seaweed wraps.

if you want stuff that you know will always be good then you can also get canned tuna and seaweed, which both basically never expire. rice is also incredible but I'd recommend a rice cooker.

and also may plan to climb up the stairs to my work office.

sounds like a good idea

so I can't do much exercise outside of dumbells and pushups.

I think you are underestimating the amount of exercises that can be done with just body weight, and also the amount that can be done with just dumbbells. there are many calisthenics youtube channels that can show you new stuff to try.

if you get a very cheap bench (just make sure you're not too tall for it) the number of exercises you can do will go up exponentially, so you can look at that as the next piece of equipment to get.

 

[Local Dog]

I don't know on how to keep track of the amount of calories and protein I intake. I believe I know how much calories and protein I have to intake regularly from the TDEE and Protein calculator, but not every food I intake will mention on how much calories and proteins it has. It also doesn't help that I find too many sources about what to eat that I don't know where to start.

Protein intake is actually vastly overrated. There is no significant benefit in any aspect of muscle building, strength or general health in consuming more than 60g of protein daily, 80g is probably the best amount to aim at when wanting to grow muscle

Mind you, muscles grow incredibly slow and your body doesn't need much protein for regular function. Also, don't sweat about bioavailability too much, anything above 70 is good enough

Just eat healthy. Swap out white carbs for dark ones, don't consume added sugar, nothing deepfriend, not too many saturated fats, lots of fiber... Like, just remember that any fruit, vegetable, legume, grains, milks, eggs and lean cuts of meat are healthy in their "unaltered" state, and that some processed foods like dark bread or soy milk are also very healthy

Another problem could be that when I work from home, whilst I usually have white wraps with chicken, sometimes it can be a problem when I don't have enough chicken or pita bread. This ends up me having sausages or ramen for lunch, the former might not be great due to the amount of oil. I have been thinking to just buy more supplies, but I am wondering if there are more reliable backup plans.

Just keep some trail mix or joghurt with oats. Satiates very well and is very healthy

have slightly changed my habits compared to before. When I have raisin toast, I now use strawberry jam instead of butter, which helps since it has has no fat.

Butter is prolly better in this case. Sugar is a lot more damaging than most fats, and butter is quite high in good nutrients. But the best replacement would be peanut butter without added sugar and without hardened oils. It's expensive but lasts very long and is very very healthy

I would love to have eggs, but my family is worried that I would take in too much cholesterol (even though I think it's fine).

Eggs don't raise blood cholesterol levels. I don't even know if dietary cholesterol is straight absorbed, sea fruits have cholesterol too but I've never heard of a person that got high cholesterol from shrimps. Saturated and trans fats, sugar and overconsumption of salt raise cholesterol, and just having a bunch of body fat around the waist raises it too. If you're lean, you can eat 2-3 eggs daily, no worries about it.

only have my dumbbells at home as "gym equipment", so I can't do much exercise outside of dumbells and pushups.

That's fine actually. I go to the gym and most of my exercises are body weight and dumbbells these days. Deficit push ups for chest and triceps, romanian deadlifts for hamstrings and glutes, Nordic reverse curls for quads, dragon flags for abs, pull overs for lats, rows and kelso shrugs for upper and mid back...

 

[Krockodile]

Butter is prolly better in this case. Sugar is a lot more damaging than most fats, and butter is quite high in good nutrients. But the best replacement would be peanut butter without added sugar and without hardened oils. It's expensive but lasts very long and is very very healthy

I realised that I don't put butter on my toast, it's Margarine, which is different.
That being said, you are right, the butter does have less sugar compared to strawberrry jam.

I also forgot to mention that I may consider replacing my hot chocolate (when I work from the office) with a berry crush smoothie from Boost Juice.

Eggs don't raise blood cholesterol levels. I don't even know if dietary cholesterol is straight absorbed, sea fruits have cholesterol too but I've never heard of a person that got high cholesterol from shrimps. Saturated and trans fats, sugar and overconsumption of salt raise cholesterol, and just having a bunch of body fat around the waist raises it too. If you're lean, you can eat 2-3 eggs daily, no worries about it.

I agree, tbf I think my fam can be exaggerating over the risk of eggs, even though as you say it doesn't rise it that much. Gotta find a way to hide me eating eggs daily lol.

Just eat healthy. Swap out white carbs for dark ones, don't consume added sugar, nothing deepfriend, not too many saturated fats, lots of fiber...

just buy chicken in very large quantities and keep it in the freezer, it's cheaper anyways. for most brands you don't have to bother with defrosting as long as it's not clumped together, you can put it directly in the oven.

I think i know the ingredients, it's more on what recipes/dishes to make using these healthy ingredients, which is more usually a problem for dinner. I am happy to meal prep if really necessary.

There is chicken, fish, maybe steak (which does have protein) for dinner so that could work?

 

[Local Dog]

realised that I don't put butter on my toast, it's Margarine, which is different.

Yeah margarine is pretty nasty. Any hardened oils are pretty bad

also forgot to mention that I may consider replacing my hot chocolate (when I work from the office) with a berry crush smoothie from Boost Juice.

Look fruits are very healthy, but fruit juices destroy all the fiber and concentrate the sugar massively. Hot chocolate can be healthy if it's made from dark (70%+ cocoa) chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. Dark chocolate is expensive, but good high quality cocoa powder is usually inexpensive. Alternatively, you can drink berry tea from dried berries

There is chicken, fish, maybe steak (which does have protein) for dinner so that could work?

It could all work but tbh I'd consider vegetarian alternatives too. Lentils and beans are less expensive than meat and have the added benefit of fibre, they also usually satiate better and their shelf life is basically unlimited. Don't neglect fiber, it's the nutrient that is most relevant to long-term health. Tofu is a very good alternative too, it's less expensive than meat where I live, maybe it's that case for you too

Also, don't be scared of soy. I eat soy daily and I had 1010ng/dl test levels on my last blood work. Soy beans, unsweetened soy milk, tofu and most soy based spreads are healthy

 

[Local Dog]

Eat a balanced diet with a little extra protein if you want to build muscle. There is scientific research that shows 0.8-1 g/lb is a good amount to eat.

There are new studies that show otherwise: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8978023/

The added benefits of more proteins came rather from the added calories. There are other studies that had one group that consumed excess carbs, and the other excess protein, and they had the exact same results in muscle growth

Like, if I need 40-60g of protein for my bodily functions, why would I need 150g of extra protein on top? I don't grow 150g of muscles daily and my body can't save protein

I didn't take a protein shake in half a year and still gained a lot of lean mass, had 1010ng/dl test on my blood work and got stronger every week. I went down from 170g of protein to 80-90g and it had no impact on my progress. Literally every other person I have met or read up on that did the same had these results too.

The pro bodybuilders/powerlifters know how important protein is. You think they are making it up?

Yes. Of course they are

IFBB pros will tell you that they have three protein shakes and 8 steaks daily whilst going to the gym twice in a day and taking some esoteric supplements so that no one can replicate their lifestyle and figure out that their secret is juice and genetics

And even if we take the very few honest bodybuilders and powerlifters, they most likely never went down in their protein intake and their rules are different due to PEDs. If I hadn't stumbled upon these studies, I wouldn't know that lower protein intake is legitimate

Mike Mentzer never took much protein and he looked tremendous. Alex Leonidas too. The others just never tried it

 

[Local Dog]

In conclusion, increasing daily protein ingestion results in small additional gains in LBM and lower body muscle strength gains in healthy adults enrolled in resistance exercise training" - directly from the abstract. ??? They do 1.6 g / kg, slightly lower than what I said, but regardless: they are comparing more vs less protein. This study corroborates what I said, numbers aside. lol.

If you actually read the study, you'd see that the differences were relatively small, which is why the language in the very abstract you're citing is passive. And 1.6g per kg is significantly less than what you're recommending, like it makes a difference if around 25g to 50g of protein daily for me

The exact opposite phenomenon you just wrote here has occurred 1000s of times over. Gym bro lifts weights 2 years, becomes somewhat trained, progress stalls, then they change their diet and recovery to include more protein/sleep, they make more gains. By your own writing: "got stronger every week". If this is the case, you are a beginner.

I've been trying for 3.5 years+. If you don't get marginal strength gains week by week through some extra weight, extra rep or additional ROM, you do something wrong before the 8-10 year mark

Furthermore, the question is if it's really the extra protein or the excess calories or the food quality or placebo... The majority of people don't train to failure but 1-3 reps short of it. The rating of this point is difficult even for some professionals. If you tweak a certain point and expect it to make a difference, it will just because you allow it to go further.

ou are pushing a totally bizarre agenda. There are in fact other benefits to eating protein even outside of the context of strictly building muscle. Also, you're fixated on 'taking' protein. I'm talking about food and diet. Nobody needs to take whey supplements it's just a bonus.

If you actually read the posts I made before (the ones you replied to) you'd see that I advocate for a diet that's high in fiber, replaces simple carbs and sugar with complex carbs, is low on processed foods and added fats and increases the protein intake to a reasonable amount. How is that unbalanced exactly?

None of them are eating fucking 60-80g of protein. If I ate that, I would wake up sore and achy and unrecovered all over. Again, when you actually train for 10+ years these details matter.

No you wouldn't. I feared that too and it never happened. You never even tried it

As for some specific references to athletes who experimented with lower protein. Well, different things work for different people - and guess what - The vast, vast majority of athletes in that space are eating good amounts of protein and benefitting from it. If lower protein works for a specific person, so be it. Everyones body is different.

The vast majority of athletes 100 years ago also took supplements that are completely unused nowadays, trained in a way that looks strange to us now and ate differently. They still did tremendous. Almost no strength athlete tried out lower protein intake, except for the ones that did who all made a positive experience with it. If you always do the same thing and never try the alternative, then the alternative will appear foolish until it has proven itself

I'm not engaging in this anymore by the way because I've realized I'm talking to somebody who probably just started and maybe found something that works for them. If eating very little protein works for you and has you feeling good, then please by all means keep doing that. But don't spread nonsense like that. It's not much different from pushing keto on people and I don't think you would be in favor of something like that.

Why do you assume that I am less experienced just because I think different from you?

Also, why do you make the statement that you need to be careful about what you read online, when you try with all your rage to proof a point that's on the internet since decades and has been coming into question? And why do you portray me as the pushy one when you throw a fit just because someone follows current day information?

 

[Oglemi]

Just don't do any protein supplements until they're regulated by the FDA, turns out, most contain lead.... (in the U.S., found in an independent study)

 

[Krockodile]

..also may plan to climb up the stairs to my work office.

Update: I realise that taking stairs up to the 11th floor is much tougher than I imagined to be.

I walked up to the 5th or 6th floor and my legs were about to give in. And this was hours after my lunch, without carrying my backpack.

I was thinking to just take the stairs halfway and then take the lift from there, but unfortunately I can't access the 11th floor from Floors 1-10 with the lift. I would have to go down to the Ground floor and then take the lift to the 11th floor.

 

[bello figo]

little update about my workouts

got back to swimming races last month, got a meet this weekend, 50 free and 50 fly (i don’t wanna bother doing 100 and 200 yet lol)
im swimming about 4/5 times a week, swimming around 4km every time with my swimming team, while im hitting the gym 3 or 4 times doing the following workout (i dont really enjoy it but its working lol)

Day 1: Lower Body - Biceps

· Squat: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
· Bulgarian Split Squats (Dumbbells): 4 sets x 8 reps (1-sec pause at the bottom)
· Romanian Deadlift (Smith Machine): 3 sets x 12 reps
· Leg Curl: 3 sets x 10 reps (Drop Set)
· EZ-Bar Curl: 3 sets x 8 reps
· Hammer Curl: 3 sets x 12 reps

Day 2: Chest - Shoulders - Triceps

· Bench Press: 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps (Pyramid)
· Low Cable Fly: 3 sets x 12 reps (1-sec squeeze)
· Dips: 3 sets to failure
· French Press (Rope): 4 sets x 8 reps
· Shoulder Press: 4 sets x 6 reps
· Cable Lateral Raise superset with Reverse Cable Fly: 3 sets x 12 reps each
· Abs (choice): 4 sets to failure

Day 3: Lower Body Recall - Back

· Leg Press (45°): 4 sets x 8-10 reps
· Dumbbell Deadlift: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
· Leg Extension: 3 sets x 12 reps
· Calves at multipower: 3 sets to failure
· Pull-Ups (Band): 4 sets x 8 reps
· Bent-Over Barbell Row: 4 sets x 6 reps
· Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 sets x 10 reps (Rest-Pause)

if i do a day 4 usually i repeat day one earlier so i start the following week with day 2 and basically continue doing the following workout in the schedule

 

[Biaxact]

i lost 36 pounds treadmilling everyday, we on that grind!! and having a good relationship with both food and body image is stellar :))

 

[Biaxact]

protein powder is also cool, sometimes I have it if i am lifting weights and whatnot but i mainly do cardio right now

 

[des121]

I walked up 2 flights of stairs and I also yesterday I did aerobics and I lifted 4 bags of groceries

 

[PKMNSyndicate]

I don't know if that's enough. I can run up to 8km, jog another 5km after, that doesn't seem very fit. And I don't really have any zone 2 cardio

You're fitter than the average if you ever need to remember if you don't "seem" very fit. Regardless I workout every other day. Some level of fitness is being done. If it's walking while carrying heavy things or an organized workout lifting with progressive overload, movement of some kind will be done.

What did you do today

I've been on a massive decline in health because I'm destitute. 2025 is my worse financial year ever and it's affected all facets of my life. It is what it is.

 

[bello figo]

wishing a great 2025 for everyone. may we all accomplish our 2026 fitness goals

 

[Loven]

Let us practice the fitness in 2026! Let us get it!

 

[Stallion]

Completely forgot to mention that about a month ago, I hit a 230kg / 507lb squat while weighing a touch under 200lb (90kg / 198lb).

I need to find a better way to share videos than continuously doxxing myself via Instagram lol, so if anyone has any suggestions I'll share the squat video.

Also happy 2026 everyone, I hope you all hit your fitness and health goals!

I want to get a 250kg squat (realistic) and a 300kg deadlift (deliberately ambitious) by the end of the year, while slowly gaining muscle to better facilitate these numbers.

 

[Delta 2777]

Completely forgot to mention that about a month ago, I hit a 230kg / 507lb squat while weighing a touch under 200lb (90kg / 198lb).

I need to find a better way to share videos than continuously doxxing myself via Instagram lol, so if anyone has any suggestions I'll share the squat video.

Also happy 2026 everyone, I hope you all hit your fitness and health goals!

I want to get a 250kg squat (realistic) and a 300kg deadlift (deliberately ambitious) by the end of the year, while slowly gaining muscle to better facilitate these numbers.

Awesome pics. Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation.

 

[des121]

I kinda of have a question about push-ups. Also update I did 30 situps and I ran because I do martial arts I haven't gone to the gym for almost a year

 

[Dollyartasia8800]

I'd say the best way is to find a sport you like and train for it. Running is an obvious one because it doesn't really require any special equipment and you can just go out and do it, but other endurance sports or even things like soccer/basketball are good too.

For me, my training is highly periodized so it varies a lot throughout the year, but a typical training cycle usually starts off with a few weeks of everything pretty easy, then a period where I mix in some higher quality aerobic work (roughly heart rate zone 3) and keep increasing the volume, then a period where the intensities become more diversified, but eventually tend towards workouts more specific to whatever race I'm training for.

Yes, I support that strategy. Cardio is far more fun and easy to maintain when you have a sport or goal to train for. It also seems like a better idea to periodize it that way rather of continuously pressing aggressively.