-
Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
The Fysical Phitness Thread
- Thread starter Psycho
- Start date
- Status
I started going back to the gym, and after having after workout protein, I found that the results were much better. After a month and a half of going to the gym, I can see visible changes in myself. I'm not lifting too much right now (Benching 130, Curling 25) but i'm hoping to see progression as the months go by.
Ok so i got down my initial goal of building muscle and getting defined abs, and did a lot of research and found this workout here to be beneficial since it doesn't use barbell squats, and seeing as my gym doesn't have a squat rack I thought I could use this: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html in conjunction with the 45 minute swimming sessions i am forced to do twice a week.
my question is, is this workout alone (alongside a good diet and rest, of course) enough to get to my goal. if not, are there other workouts you guys are aware of (not ones which require the possession of a squat rack) that can help achieve this goal.
thanks in advance
my question is, is this workout alone (alongside a good diet and rest, of course) enough to get to my goal. if not, are there other workouts you guys are aware of (not ones which require the possession of a squat rack) that can help achieve this goal.
thanks in advance
You might be able to build some decent upper body, but overall probably not what you're looking for. Your definition of "building muscle" also counts here, the amount of muscle I'm thinking is probably not the same. I have nothing against dumbbells, I use them for biceps, but dumbbells alone won't be getting you the results you want. Unless you can pick up 90 pound dumbbells, let alone if your gym has any. To get bigger you need to lift big. I can't imagine going to a gym with no type of barbells...sounds like Planet Fitness to me.
Abs are made in the kitchen. No type of exercise will give you defined abs if you stuff yourself. You need to have a low body fat or a body fat that suits your weight and height to get defined abs. This is were it gets tricky though, because you want abs and muscle at the same time, you will be having to do 2 very different things. If you want abs, you have to cut back on your calories. If you want muscle, you need to increase your calories.
Only thing I can think of in your situation is to bulk up a good 40 pounds and start cutting till you see the body you want.
Abs are made in the kitchen. No type of exercise will give you defined abs if you stuff yourself. You need to have a low body fat or a body fat that suits your weight and height to get defined abs. This is were it gets tricky though, because you want abs and muscle at the same time, you will be having to do 2 very different things. If you want abs, you have to cut back on your calories. If you want muscle, you need to increase your calories.
Only thing I can think of in your situation is to bulk up a good 40 pounds and start cutting till you see the body you want.
my bad, I forgot to specify; what I meant was, there are no olympic barbells in the gym which I thought were the must-have tools to bulk (squat and stuff), but there are EZ-curl barbells and standard barbells I noticed as I went there today after my post, also no squat racks. (it doesn't have a lot of equipment as other fancy gyms, but what can I expect it is free and 2 mins walking distance in my compound).
So is it possible to do all those workouts that require squats and such with the standard and ez-curl barbells as opposed to the olympic ones? I really wanted to try the stronglift 5x5: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ been hearing a lot of praise, but i was unsure if the ez-curl and standard were acceptable since the example videos show the guys using olympic barbells =/
So is it possible to do all those workouts that require squats and such with the standard and ez-curl barbells as opposed to the olympic ones? I really wanted to try the stronglift 5x5: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ been hearing a lot of praise, but i was unsure if the ez-curl and standard were acceptable since the example videos show the guys using olympic barbells =/
standard barbells are different from olympic barbells...? is it like a weight difference?
you could always replace regular squatting with hack squatting / leg press if you can.
disclaimer: i have no experience with replacing squatting
you could always replace regular squatting with hack squatting / leg press if you can.
disclaimer: i have no experience with replacing squatting
You cannot replace a Squat, the thing that comes close to it, dumbbell squats (lol) aren't even worth trying. Leg presses are shit. They don't even work out every part of your upper leg, and it doesn't work the calf at all. On the other hand, the squat works out every single part of you leg, from your calf to the smallest tendons in your tights.
And no, 5x5 cannot be done without a Olympic barbell. Is it possible to switch gyms or something? I know the feeling of being broke, but I used to do it in my school's gym while I was in the athletics department. School gyms almost always have good barbells, because it's what wrestlers and football players use to develop themselves with.
And no, 5x5 cannot be done without a Olympic barbell. Is it possible to switch gyms or something? I know the feeling of being broke, but I used to do it in my school's gym while I was in the athletics department. School gyms almost always have good barbells, because it's what wrestlers and football players use to develop themselves with.
your gym sounds awful and I recommend you do everything in your power to get a membership at a new one
A quick google search tells me the standard barbell is just a 22 pound bar. I don't know if this is true, but if it is, what's stopping you from working with it? You just have to add more plates to get up to a starting weight. If I'm wrong, everything I say after this should be disregarded.
I'd say if you cannot afford to switch gyms, go ahead and do the regular SL routine, replacing back squats with hack squats. From reading a shit ton about hack squats, I see that they are mostly used as assistance work, but it can still build your back squat numbers. Your quads are still going to get work, as is your butt, the only problem will be your abs and back will have a small lack of practice stabilizing heavy weight. There is no reason to not work your legs if you have the means to do so, and if it's either "do nothing" or "do something", then do something.
If money is the issue, I strongly reccomend saving to move to another gym. Some probably offer Christmas / New Year specials, where if you buy a one-month membership you get one free or something. So if money is the issue, save up and wait for one of those to roll around. When you get to where you can do full squats, drop the weight of your hack squat by 10-20% and start full squatting, paying extra careful attention to form.
I honestly do not see a problem in working with a "standard" barbell and replacing squats with hack squats until you can get to another gym. But it's important to get somewhere that has an olympic barbell and a squat rack.
And do you go to a college / university? If so, don't they usually have a gym you can workout at for free, equipped with most of the standard equipment? I know that the schools here do (UK and Transy), but I don't know about others. Anyway, look at other options for sure. But do something rather than nothing; SL / SS > Something > Nothing.
bout to get torn up, i can feel it.
quick edit: seriously look for another gym
I'd say if you cannot afford to switch gyms, go ahead and do the regular SL routine, replacing back squats with hack squats. From reading a shit ton about hack squats, I see that they are mostly used as assistance work, but it can still build your back squat numbers. Your quads are still going to get work, as is your butt, the only problem will be your abs and back will have a small lack of practice stabilizing heavy weight. There is no reason to not work your legs if you have the means to do so, and if it's either "do nothing" or "do something", then do something.
If money is the issue, I strongly reccomend saving to move to another gym. Some probably offer Christmas / New Year specials, where if you buy a one-month membership you get one free or something. So if money is the issue, save up and wait for one of those to roll around. When you get to where you can do full squats, drop the weight of your hack squat by 10-20% and start full squatting, paying extra careful attention to form.
I honestly do not see a problem in working with a "standard" barbell and replacing squats with hack squats until you can get to another gym. But it's important to get somewhere that has an olympic barbell and a squat rack.
And do you go to a college / university? If so, don't they usually have a gym you can workout at for free, equipped with most of the standard equipment? I know that the schools here do (UK and Transy), but I don't know about others. Anyway, look at other options for sure. But do something rather than nothing; SL / SS > Something > Nothing.
bout to get torn up, i can feel it.
quick edit: seriously look for another gym
Probably the wrong place to ask where everyone is concerned with weights, but does anyone run? As of current I'm slow as shit (22:33 5k, 5:59 mile) and I was wondering if anyone had tips for getting faster outside of the workout itself (I trust my school's coaches when it comes to the running part)
maybe someday, venom.....:(
Pwnemon, if you're adamant about just doing your coach's workouts, then the only other thing you can do is eat and sleep sufficiently.
however, what I did to get faster, and what I suggest you do if you're serious, is start adding morning runs to whatever your coach has you doing. don't time them at first, just get out and run. build up the distance until you can handle 5 miles per morning comfortably and still perform the coach's workouts. once you hit that point, then you can start paying attention to pace, but never force it--just watch it as it drops gradually.
that's really about all I can offer. most coaches in the USA don't have their kids running enough. if you want to run better, run more.
Pwnemon, if you're adamant about just doing your coach's workouts, then the only other thing you can do is eat and sleep sufficiently.
however, what I did to get faster, and what I suggest you do if you're serious, is start adding morning runs to whatever your coach has you doing. don't time them at first, just get out and run. build up the distance until you can handle 5 miles per morning comfortably and still perform the coach's workouts. once you hit that point, then you can start paying attention to pace, but never force it--just watch it as it drops gradually.
that's really about all I can offer. most coaches in the USA don't have their kids running enough. if you want to run better, run more.
How much time do you have until your next race/racing season? The high school cross country season just ended in my state but it might be different in other places. What kind of running do you usually do in the off season? I think one of the most important things is to run year-round (except for like a week or two after each competitive season). I'm not sure what kind of mileage you do but for me in high school I ran 40-45 miles per week during the off seasons. I usually did 2 tempo runs per week and then the rest was just easy-moderate effort running.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
read it and weep
yeah, thought the same kind of stuff. still, glad someone is at least showing this is fact and not something people spew out for nothing kind of thing
read it and weep
yeah, thought the same kind of stuff. still, glad someone is at least showing this is fact and not something people spew out for nothing kind of thing
calories in < calories out = weight loss. not rocket science here
there are a whole lot more factors that go into losing weight, though. I've seen that article before, and I've written up a few paragraphs on reasons why it's misleading (such as protein's thermic effect and fats satiating effect). But still, burn more than you eat and you lose weight, done and done.
there are a whole lot more factors that go into losing weight, though. I've seen that article before, and I've written up a few paragraphs on reasons why it's misleading (such as protein's thermic effect and fats satiating effect). But still, burn more than you eat and you lose weight, done and done.
ugh, after making some good progress on deadlifts I figure I'm gonna have to drop down to like 95 to work on not rounding lower back and activating glutes/hamstrings better, does anybody have any advice on this other than to keep back straight and push from the legs and practice shit more?
focus on bringing your hips forward, rather than bringing your back up. If you bring your hips forward, the rest of your body will follow.
I'm no expert on deadlifts though so I don't really have all that much advice
I'm no expert on deadlifts though so I don't really have all that much advice
DO NOT eat so little that your body goes into starvation. Go to a calorie calculator and find out how many calories you need simply to maintain your current weight, then eat 500-1000 less than that every day. Also, it depends on HOW you intake those calories, don't just load up on X and Y and ignore Z. I use www.myfitnesspal.com, it's a great website that tracks all the important categories for you.
For those that don't know, I am now a coach for Beachbody (the company that makes P90x, Insanity, Turbofire, Shakeology, etc.). Check out my website, and if you have any questions about anything, let me know:
http://www.beachbodycoach.com/albojak
Even if you aren't interested in the product, I would strongly recommend you sign up at Team Beachbody (or click "Join" from my site) to track your daily workouts. They give away cash prizes every day just for working out, so there's no reason not to.
or just wing it and eat a lot of fat/protein and you'll be fine
impossible, you can't lose weight that way! if that were true someone would have gone on some sort of twinkies diet to prove it or something
twinkies have too many carbs and no protein. terrible diet food
I've been meaning to tell you, you give some pretty shitty advice
Eating a bunch of processed shit like twinkies and having your blood sugar levels sky-rocketing every couple hours seems like a sure way to get Diabetes.
Seriously, the pancreas is what produces insulin in the body and messing with your body on a fad twinkie diet is absurb and eventually your at risk for high tryglycerides and high cholesterol. Sugar gets stored as glycogen for fast release, and converted to fat if not burned off and there is caloric excess. You can obviously lose weight on a twinkie diet with proper caloric maintenance and being in a calorie deficit but in the long run your body and health will be paying a huge consequence.
Seriously, the pancreas is what produces insulin in the body and messing with your body on a fad twinkie diet is absurb and eventually your at risk for high tryglycerides and high cholesterol. Sugar gets stored as glycogen for fast release, and converted to fat if not burned off and there is caloric excess. You can obviously lose weight on a twinkie diet with proper caloric maintenance and being in a calorie deficit but in the long run your body and health will be paying a huge consequence.
- Status