Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread

Stratos

Banned deucer.
5x5 (success) numbers:
  • 155 lb squat
  • 95 lb bench
  • 105 lb barbell row
  • 145 lb deadlift
  • 60 lb shoulder press
I took the summer off from the gym because I got a 40 hour a week construction job and like fuck i was going to the gym after 8 hours of manual labor. Ended up losing like 10 lb this summer because of undereating. But I got back in the saddle today and went back to the gym! I used these numbers as a guide, fudging them around a little since it'd been so long since I last lifted. Today I successfully completed 5x5 of:
  • 135 lb squat
  • 95 lb bench
  • 95 lb barbell row
Funnily enough, though it was the one I gave myself most leeway on, the squat's the one that's really kicking my ass as I lay in bed right now. But I don't mind, I love that feeling, it's the feeling of progress. I also picked GOMAD back up starting yesterday. Here's hoping that I'll achieve my goal by the end of the semester. I'm not sure how much maintenance the muscle takes but ideally I'd like to drop lifting and get back into rock climbing come spring.
 
Hi fitness team, I am going to post here so I can log my progress and get advice on various things that I could probably get from other places on the internet but I like Smogon so

I was living in Japan for three years (08/2011 to 09/2014) and became really health-conscious just before I left. I went from 90 kilos (about 200 lbs) to about 80-85 with some solid general exercise, and then when I went to Japan I dropped down to and stayed at 70-75 kilos due to my diet and having to bike everywhere. In my final 10 months I started working out (albeit inefficiently) at a gym and came close to benching my body weight (I think I was capable of 40 kilos+whatever the bar was) and was feeling pretty good about my fitness level in general.

Cue coming back to live with my parents in Canada and I've become fat and washed up. I kind of wasted a year doing fuck all since I saved so much money from my job, but over the course of the year I have steadily become fatter and fatter and as of weighing myself 5 minutes ago, I am now back up to 85 and no longer fitting into my largest pairs of pants (size 33) was a wake-up call that I need to do something about this. I don't look bad by any means (yet...), but I am carrying some serious weight in my thighs, ass, and stomach/abdominal area especially.

Besides being a couch potato, this was mostly caused by my parents having a horrible, horrible diet, and me being unable to get my own food due to a variety of reasons. Tons of pre-prepared frozen meals high in saturated and trans fats, way too much milk and dairy in general, not enough veggies, and I simply consume too much. This needs to change.


That felt good to write out. Sorry-- TL;DR is that I was heavier (90 kilos/200 lbs), got thin in Japan (70-75 kilos), and am getting fatter again back in Canada (85 kilos) and want to do something about it because my pants don't fit anymore.

The good news? I'm moving out to Toronto in a month to go to grad school. Immediate priorities are figuring out how to access my university's gym and I will be focusing on improving my diet immediately. Will stick to high vegetable/lean meat diet like I had in Japan with little in the way of carbs (I'll probably just have rice if anything) and will likely be using whey protein isolate to get some immediate muscle gain without the needless calories.

My question is this: given that I want to burn off fat, is my best option simply lifting weights and getting bulky? Right now I know my weight is predominantly fat deposits. I realise that building muscle will technically make me heavier, but I want it to be a good type of weight from muscle as long as it trims down my muffin top stomach/makes me leaner. Should I do any sort of cardio beyond my daily commute to my university, or will that eat my muscle mass and generally be counter-productive? Did I forget to specify any important information here that you guys would need to answer my question(s)?

Thanks all. Here's to getting healthy again.
 

Adaam

إسمي جف
is a Community Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis the 8th Grand Slam Winner
Hi fitness team, I am going to post here so I can log my progress and get advice on various things that I could probably get from other places on the internet but I like Smogon so

I was living in Japan for three years (08/2011 to 09/2014) and became really health-conscious just before I left. I went from 90 kilos (about 200 lbs) to about 80-85 with some solid general exercise, and then when I went to Japan I dropped down to and stayed at 70-75 kilos due to my diet and having to bike everywhere. In my final 10 months I started working out (albeit inefficiently) at a gym and came close to benching my body weight (I think I was capable of 40 kilos+whatever the bar was) and was feeling pretty good about my fitness level in general.

Cue coming back to live with my parents in Canada and I've become fat and washed up. I kind of wasted a year doing fuck all since I saved so much money from my job, but over the course of the year I have steadily become fatter and fatter and as of weighing myself 5 minutes ago, I am now back up to 85 and no longer fitting into my largest pairs of pants (size 33) was a wake-up call that I need to do something about this. I don't look bad by any means (yet...), but I am carrying some serious weight in my thighs, ass, and stomach/abdominal area especially.

Besides being a couch potato, this was mostly caused by my parents having a horrible, horrible diet, and me being unable to get my own food due to a variety of reasons. Tons of pre-prepared frozen meals high in saturated and trans fats, way too much milk and dairy in general, not enough veggies, and I simply consume too much. This needs to change.


That felt good to write out. Sorry-- TL;DR is that I was heavier (90 kilos/200 lbs), got thin in Japan (70-75 kilos), and am getting fatter again back in Canada (85 kilos) and want to do something about it because my pants don't fit anymore.

The good news? I'm moving out to Toronto in a month to go to grad school. Immediate priorities are figuring out how to access my university's gym and I will be focusing on improving my diet immediately. Will stick to high vegetable/lean meat diet like I had in Japan with little in the way of carbs (I'll probably just have rice if anything) and will likely be using whey protein isolate to get some immediate muscle gain without the needless calories.

My question is this: given that I want to burn off fat, is my best option simply lifting weights and getting bulky? Right now I know my weight is predominantly fat deposits. I realise that building muscle will technically make me heavier, but I want it to be a good type of weight from muscle as long as it trims down my muffin top stomach/makes me leaner. Should I do any sort of cardio beyond my daily commute to my university, or will that eat my muscle mass and generally be counter-productive? Did I forget to specify any important information here that you guys would need to answer my question(s)?

Thanks all. Here's to getting healthy again.
Disclaimer: I'm just an 18 year old dude, so if you so desire take my advice with a grain of salt

Your main goal is to lose weight (correct me if I'm wrong). Lifting weights is always an amazing thing to do, but it will not help you achieve your goal. The #1 and only way to cut down is to lower your caloric intake. They said a pound of fat = 3500 calories, so in theory eating 3500 less calories than you eat in a week will lose one pound of fat. If you haven't yet, calculate your TDEE, which can be found on numerous calculators online. Note: these will be a rough estimation, not a perfect calc. It is up to you to monitor your weight and determine your true TDEE. After calculating it, eat 500 or so less calories than that number every day (so if it's 2300, eat ~1800).

Doing Cardio is also an awesome thing to do, but that alone isn't going to do anything for you unless you maintain a proper diet. Cardio simply burns calories, making it easier for you to eat under your TDEE. When you lose weight, you feel hungry, so by doing cardio, you burn more calories so you can eat more. Running off 200 calories allows you to eat 200 more. Or at least, that's why I do cardio when I cut lol. Despite it being a popular meme, cardio DOES NOT kill gains. It's just that if you try bulking and do cardio, you have to eat the lost calories to maximize your bulk. You need to eat a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, so by doing cardio, you just have to eat more.

One last thing, it's pretty tough to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. At beginner stages it's possible, but once you reach higher lifting weights it becomes nearly impossible without PEDs. But that does not mean you shouldn't lift when you cut, it's still a great thing to do. I hope I helped
 
Disclaimer: I'm just an 18 year old dude, so if you so desire take my advice with a grain of salt
Duly noted; your advice certainly isn't worth any less though. Content (quality) comes first!

Your main goal is to lose weight (correct me if I'm wrong).
You're not exactly wrong: I'm okay with gaining weight as long as my fat disappears. I think if I'm being precise, I want to cut down my fat deposits. I don't want to become a stick, either. I'm 178 cm (5'11") so at 85 kg I have some serious pudginess and a gut that I am not proud of. I don't have a clue if what I'm talking about is even possible though. Specifically, I don't know if I should suck it up and be fat while I build up muscle (bear mode), or if I should lose weight and then have a "swimmer's build" after weightlifting/swimming.

Lifting weights is always an amazing thing to do, but it will not help you achieve your goal. The #1 and only way to cut down is to lower your caloric intake. They said a pound of fat = 3500 calories, so in theory eating 3500 less calories than you eat in a week will lose one pound of fat. If you haven't yet, calculate your TDEE, which can be found on numerous calculators online. Note: these will be a rough estimation, not a perfect calc. It is up to you to monitor your weight and determine your true TDEE. After calculating it, eat 500 or so less calories than that number every day (so if it's 2300, eat ~1800).
Doing Cardio is also an awesome thing to do, but that alone isn't going to do anything for you unless you maintain a proper diet. Cardio simply burns calories, making it easier for you to eat under your TDEE. When you lose weight, you feel hungry, so by doing cardio, you burn more calories so you can eat more. Running off 200 calories allows you to eat 200 more. Or at least, that's why I do cardio when I cut lol. Despite it being a popular meme, cardio DOES NOT kill gains. It's just that if you try bulking and do cardio, you have to eat the lost calories to maximize your bulk. You need to eat a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, so by doing cardio, you just have to eat more.
One last thing, it's pretty tough to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. At beginner stages it's possible, but once you reach higher lifting weights it becomes nearly impossible without PEDs. But that does not mean you shouldn't lift when you cut, it's still a great thing to do. I hope I helped
So, based on my desire to get rid of my fat first and foremost, it sounds like I should be doing mostly cardio exercises with toning (more reps per set+more sets, right?) lifts. However, based on the bolded info, it sounds like even if I were to be doing more serious weightlifting... all I would be doing is just being inefficient. I'm not completely focused on muscle gain just yet, so is the former of these two options better for simple weight loss?
 

Adaam

إسمي جف
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Duly noted; your advice certainly isn't worth any less though. Content (quality) comes first!



You're not exactly wrong: I'm okay with gaining weight as long as my fat disappears. I think if I'm being precise, I want to cut down my fat deposits. I don't want to become a stick, either. I'm 178 cm (5'11") so at 85 kg I have some serious pudginess and a gut that I am not proud of. I don't have a clue if what I'm talking about is even possible though. Specifically, I don't know if I should suck it up and be fat while I build up muscle (bear mode), or if I should lose weight and then have a "swimmer's build" after weightlifting/swimming.



So, based on my desire to get rid of my fat first and foremost, it sounds like I should be doing mostly cardio exercises with toning (more reps per set+more sets, right?) lifts. However, based on the bolded info, it sounds like even if I were to be doing more serious weightlifting... all I would be doing is just being inefficient. I'm not completely focused on muscle gain just yet, so is the former of these two options better for simple weight loss?

If I were you I would primarily focus on losing weight first without worrying about lifting. Lifting is great, but I fear that by focusing on both you will get discouraged because you aren't losing weight or gaining muscle fast enough. By toning I assume you mean hypertrophy over strength, and yes, high volume, lower weight yields stronger muscle growth than low reps high weight. If you want to build muscle, then that is the way to go but the problem is it is really really hard to both lose fat and gain muscle unless you are a beginner. Read this article for more info: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/

Unfortunately, if you currently have little muscle mass, there is nothing you can do that will let you lose weight and gain significant muscle. You will probably notice a some increase in strength/muscle but it will peter out eventually and fat loss will become the dominant reaction. What you can do, though, is focus on losing the fat until you are satisfied and then bulk up and gain the muscle you want. It may seem daunting at first but I can assure you, your future self in a few years will be thanking you for starting now
 
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Stallion

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If I were you I would primarily focus on losing weight first without worrying about lifting. Lifting is great, but I fear that by focusing on both you will get discouraged because you aren't losing weight or gaining muscle fast enough. By toning I assume you mean hypertrophy over strength, and yes, high volume, lower weight yields stronger muscle growth than low reps high weight. If you want to build muscle, then that is the way to go but the problem is it is really really hard to both lose fat and gain muscle unless you are a beginner. Read this article for more info: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/

Unfortunately, if you currently have little muscle mass, there is nothing you can do that will let you lose weight and gain significant muscle. You will probably notice a some increase in strength/muscle but it will peter out eventually and fat loss will become the dominant reaction. What you can do, though, is focus on losing the fat until you are satisfied and then bulk up and gain the muscle you want. It may seem daunting at first but I can assure you, your future self in a few years will be thanking you for starting now
Sorry, but you are wrong on a few counts and right on some others.

Yoshi King its never too early to start lifting. As a beginner, lifting weights is the best possible way to gain muscle and lose fat - its possible to do both from just weight lifting alone (although cardio can help that process, true).

Do A Bibarel You're spot on about needing to be in a deficit to lose fat. This doesn't need to happen off the bat though. Once Yoshi King has worn out his newbie games, then he can make an assessment as to where he wants to go with his body from there (cut or bulk). I remember just purely from lifting weights, I lost fat and gained muscle while i was a newbie, no calorie counting needed.

Different body parts respond better to different kinds of training. This is something I've been experimenting with more recently and will definitely be playing with more the next time I bulk, but saying that "high reps, low weight" is all thatll help you gain muscle is a horrible misconception that you need to not tell people. How many scrawny power lifters do you see, compared to scrawny guys who think that benching 40 kilos for a million reps is the best way to go? Exactly. It's impossible not to grow if you lift heavy. I trained my chest exclusively in the 5-7 rep range for awhile and it's probably one of my best body parts. The chest has more fast twitch muscle fibers (responding better to less reps and higher weight) than a body part like calves which is predominantly slow twitch muscle fiber dominant (responding best to high reps). Everyone has a different ratio of these, so the best way to figure out what works for you is to experiment with a bunch of rep ranges to cover all your bases. Humans don't differ THAT much physiologically though, so some rep ranges work better than others for different body parts. If anyone is interested in learning more on the subject, I'm happy to provide some articles!
 

brightobject

there like moonlight
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I really do love lifting--everything about it just feels so fun to me. Simple (well, not really but you know) and refreshing, and of course finally getting that PR after a few sessions of trying is always the best.

The problem is I only lifted at my school's gym when I was taking a weight lifting class a few years back (I did pretty well if I may say so myself: bench PR was ~135-145 if that means anything), and now that I don't take the class anymore I'm finding it hard to fit into my schedule.

I'm thinking of getting a gym subscription because my community gym only has barbells and one of those weird multi-function machines and I prefer the bar. So does anyone have any recommendations for gyms? I guess in terms of price vs quality, perks, etc. I know there's a Gold's Gym and an LA Fitness, and some small place called Orange works or something or other in my neighbourhood, but any good gyms you can think of are fine. Or, I guess, any advice on choosing a gym.
 

Stallion

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I really do love lifting--everything about it just feels so fun to me. Simple (well, not really but you know) and refreshing, and of course finally getting that PR after a few sessions of trying is always the best.

The problem is I only lifted at my school's gym when I was taking a weight lifting class a few years back (I did pretty well if I may say so myself: bench PR was ~135-145 if that means anything), and now that I don't take the class anymore I'm finding it hard to fit into my schedule.

I'm thinking of getting a gym subscription because my community gym only has barbells and one of those weird multi-function machines and I prefer the bar. So does anyone have any recommendations for gyms? I guess in terms of price vs quality, perks, etc. I know there's a Gold's Gym and an LA Fitness, and some small place called Orange works or something or other in my neighbourhood, but any good gyms you can think of are fine. Or, I guess, any advice on choosing a gym.
I train at a Golds, for me there's no other choice: a combination of convenience (<10 min drive), 24 hour access, competitive pricing and the best set of equipment in my city. Helps that the music is good too. There's no right or wrong answer, pick your gym based on your own personal needs. Some 24 hour gyms are slightly cheaper but they lock up anything heavier than 30 kg dumbbells after hours, so for me that was a big factor in choosing the gym I chose. We have dumbbells that reach 160 pounds and they're available all hours, so I won't be outgrowing this gym any time soon.
 

idiotfrommars

HODOR HODOR HODOR
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Got a really clean toss qp on video today! I know this is the physical fitness thread but im super happy about this!!!


Also personally I dont think their is a problem with trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Ive been trying to do that over the last half a year and ive seen my lifts improve derastically while at the same time cutting a lot of weight. All you need to do is hit your calorie limit to lose weight and over eat a bit on protein and i feel like it is definitely possible to lose weight and gain muscle mass or at least that approach has worked for me.
 
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So, it's been a while -- and i've missed a lot here! Great to see a few new-comers and also some regulars having great success meeting their goals!

I've been travelling across Europe for 6 weeks and ironically, lost between 8.5 and 8.9kg in 6 weeks -- not a bad effort. Surprisingly it was through eating well, walking ~30,000 steps a day and partially getting sick. Long-story short, for a while i've suspected and so does my doctor, that I have issues processing what I now know to wheat, not 'bread'. At home I never really ate it as it gave me a sore stomach, long-story short, ate pizza/pasta for each meal for a few days not drawing the distinction that those have effectively the same ingredients as bread... oops. Basically ended up bathroom bound for 3 days. Plus side is, i've lost 9cm (nearly 4") off my waist and probably have my weight close to where I want it, 88kg. Naturally, i'd like to lose a few more (fat), which with weight training will eventually creep up but that is to be expected!

So i've done some re-evaluating of my diet, exercise habits and goals and I hope to lose a few more kg, however I know that moving from what was a fairly 'cardio' based exercise back to functional movements with kettlebells and some quite heavy lifting, squats etc. Looking at before and after the trip, I am nearly unrecognisable and i've found that although my arms, legs are smaller I haven't lost too much strength. Yesterday I was squatting 90kg, down from 100 before I left. Although, I feel most of it will come back quickly as it didn't feel that I didn't have the strength -- was more of a fatigue? (Could be just exhaustion from the trip).

Stallion - sounds like you've been smashing some goals and really getting on well. Keep it up!

Around the grounds, how is everyone else goin?
 
After about 6 months of sticking to starting strength (mostly bulking but with a little bit of cutting as well) i've finally reached a point where I feel good about my body rather than completely hating it like I did before I really started lifting. I've put on about 15 pounds of muscle and lost about 5-8 pounds of fat in this time which has made quite a difference to me (I was only 5'4" 140lbs to start, now I'm around 148) even if I know there's still plenty of room to improve and it's a pretty small change in the grand scheme of things. Just wanted to thank everyone in this thread for the inspiration to actually start lifting two years ago and to finally push through this last attempt to start for as long as I have.

Current lifts are (weights are all most recently completed 3x5s, 1x5 for deadlift):
Bench: 150
Squat: 235
Deadlift: 245
Overhead Press: 105

my progress has slowed over the last two months, but everything's also been a little messed up with having to move twice and start back up with school, so my gym time has been less consistent and I haven't been eating as much as necessary. I'm trying to decide whether this means to switch off starting strength into a more intermediate plan (i've been considering PHUL lately) or if I should just keep trying it more with a greater calorie intake.
 

S0MALIA

Banned deucer.
What's the bros progress these days, thread been quiet for sometime ya know? Nothing new my side besides more injuries and slightly more weight but things are going up smoothly nevertheless (deadlift hit 3 plates a half before re-injuring my back lol) and bench is almost 2 plates now. I've avoided deadlifts / rows / squats for past month to let me back heal and just focus on isolation works for now.
 

Unlucky Desperado

Banned deucer.
I did 145 squat recently but I feel like I could 165 maybe 175. I know my legs/butt can take it but sometimes it hurts my back/shoulder doing the squats. Any advice for going up weights for back squat?
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
If you're hurting your shoulders or back doing a back squat, especially with a relatively low weight (less than body weight) like that, then I'm betting dollars to donuts you're not holding the bar right on your back. Tense your shoulders up real the fuck tight, then reach over your shoulder and feel around. You should find like a pad of muscle at the top of your shoulder blades. that's where the bar goes (tense shoulders like that when you squat too).

As for my progress:



I have a lot of trouble w/ overhead and bench press because my shoulders are massively uneven since birth, progress is very slow but steady on shoulder and seems stagnant on bench unfortunately :(. Slow but steady progress on squat as well, i think ive about maxed my super noob gains: after my next successful 5x5 i'll be working to get two plates! Also finally graduated to barbell rowing a whole plate so I don't have to deal with all that shit anymore which is so nice. still never once failed a 1x5 deadlift.

unfortunately i haven't been eating/sleeping enough for going to the gym to work as much as it should. fml right. everything at my university is the antithesis of tasty.
 
Wow it's been pretty quiet on here lately... Where's everyone gone? Stallion Lee DHR-107?

Been on fire since coming back from Europe and (unfortunately) getting sick. I'm net - 7.5kg since June, which is really good as I had to lose some excess. Been going great, gymming at 5am before work and doing shorter sessions each morning. Mix between 'heavy' sessions of squats/ deads, finished up with a row or run. Then the next day some kettlebell based circuits etc. Only about 50minutes due to having to travel into city for work, but put in 110 per cent to get the most out.

All measurements are tracking the right way, arms chest and legs increasing, waist decreasing. Funny story, last week I kinda hunched/squatted down to get laptop out of bag at work and I felt my pants rip on the inside part of the leg lol. They fitted fine but apparently not. Kinda awkward having to wait 2 hours until stores opened to run down and buy a new pair.

Heading in to simmer, it's great at the moment. Warm in the mornings and evenings and I find much easier to train.

How's everyone else going?
 

Stallion

Tree Young
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Net -7 since I started dieting 16 weeks ago. Today is my first refeed day to try and kick start my metabolism (high carbs, almost no fat) and the sugar I've eaten makes me feel like shit. I know its for a purpose and all, but still. My body is used to eating better these days so was kind of a shock that sugar would have this negative an effect on me.
 

Lee

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Winter has struck northern England with an icy vengeance which works quite well for me as I like to live by the mantra, 'Medals are won in the Winter but collected in the Summer.' Have refocused my training accordingly.

Have a minor niggle that is making it difficult to run on flat ground or downhill but mercifully, it is painless when running up-hill so I'm using this as justification to work hard on my ascending. By happy coincidence, my next race is an up-hill time trial in early January. Between now and then I intend to have ascended, at speed, the equivalent height of Mt. Everest. And like Everest, it's probably going to be done mostly in snowy conditions. Fucking Aussies. >:(
 
Winter has struck northern England with an icy vengeance which works quite well for me as I like to live by the mantra, 'Medals are won in the Winter but collected in the Summer.' Have refocused my training accordingly.

Have a minor niggle that is making it difficult to run on flat ground or downhill but mercifully, it is painless when running up-hill so I'm using this as justification to work hard on my ascending. By happy coincidence, my next race is an up-hill time trial in early January. Between now and then I intend to have ascended, at speed, the equivalent height of Mt. Everest. And like Everest, it's probably going to be done mostly in snowy conditions. Fucking Aussies. >:(
We've been having wonderful summer weather here of late. I do not miss the winter, at all.

Had a great few months in the lead up to Christmas -- my challenge will be over the break --enjoying christmas day whilst not going oveboard and getting back n track quickly. I do have a question perhaps for yourself of Stallion. What are some good exercises to get better definition between your pecs -- I mean is there a particular weight exercise that works on this or will just an increase in size be sufficient?

Next year, i've decided i'm competing in 3 'formal' competition events and working out what they are -- one of them will be a triathlon -- nothing competitive serious but not casual either. I'm looking in to the corporate triathlons which happen in early/late summer.
 

Stallion

Tree Young
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We've been having wonderful summer weather here of late. I do not miss the winter, at all.

Had a great few months in the lead up to Christmas -- my challenge will be over the break --enjoying christmas day whilst not going oveboard and getting back n track quickly. I do have a question perhaps for yourself of Stallion. What are some good exercises to get better definition between your pecs -- I mean is there a particular weight exercise that works on this or will just an increase in size be sufficient?

Next year, i've decided i'm competing in 3 'formal' competition events and working out what they are -- one of them will be a triathlon -- nothing competitive serious but not casual either. I'm looking in to the corporate triathlons which happen in early/late summer.
I've found that the best way to increase them has been actually losing body fat. Having less adipose tissue makes the muscle you have really stand out. Barring that, a mix of your usual comtheynds with an accessory finisher - such as holding a light dumbbell in one hand and doing standing cross body scoops or some other form of fly exercise, should help.

My fat loss has kind of stagnated and my diet hasn't been the greatest the past week due to all the work related travel I've done, so I'm going to try and do some hill sprints every second day to get to that next level of leanness and have some nice abs on me.

Also deadlifted for the first time in over a year. The lift has dropped quite a bit as expected, managing to do only 3 x 130 kgs but hey, it didn't hurt my hips to do it so I call that a win for me.
 
I've found that the best way to increase them has been actually losing body fat. Having less adipose tissue makes the muscle you have really stand out. Barring that, a mix of your usual comtheynds with an accessory finisher - such as holding a light dumbbell in one hand and doing standing cross body scoops or some other form of fly exercise, should help.

My fat loss has kind of stagnated and my diet hasn't been the greatest the past week due to all the work related travel I've done, so I'm going to try and do some hill sprints every second day to get to that next level of leanness and have some nice abs on me.

Also deadlifted for the first time in over a year. The lift has dropped quite a bit as expected, managing to do only 3 x 130 kgs but hey, it didn't hurt my hips to do it so I call that a win for me.
That's great you were able to do it.. Deads are great fun probably one of the best all-rounders too.

I feel you re food. It is the hardest thing for me, I don't always get time to take a break and I work like 7am to 6pm most days then travel over an hour to me. So I'm starting to take more food with me to work, wrap, Greek yoghurt with some berries, etc. It's really hard

Glad you have the energy to do Hill sprints, at the moment I don't and just can't motivate myself to. But I've been doing two spin classes each week and find its really good. Especially after doing weights before hand.
 

Lee

@ Thick Club
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me on the 23rd Nov said:
By happy coincidence, my next race is an up-hill time trial in early January. Between now and then I intend to have ascended, at speed, the equivalent height of Mt. Everest.




total = 32,198 ft
Everest = 29,029ft

and I've done it with nearly 2 weeks to spare on my original target. If anybody wants a no-bullshit true fitness challenge that will completely change you in terms of both aesthetics and performance, here it is; run the height of Everest in a month~.

(as an aside, I also cycled over 300 miles and 16,000ft of elevation and rattled out some 400lb deadlifts during that time period. December was fun)

pics and shit to follow maybe
 

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