Fierce_LiNk

HNNNNNNG at that cage. I can't do that as I would really be pushing it for space. If you have the space, go for that, absolutely. It's going to be far sturdier than the separate stands. But, it will take up more space, since you can't take it down and put it away, nor would you want to after every use. I don't use any mats, but it's worth looking into to. Also, are you on the ground floor? Deadlifting on the first floor/second floor would probably be a bit difficult...100KG+ coming down on the floor hard. I'd be worried about tearing a hole in the floor/ceiling. See, even just with the parking and getting to and from the gym, you'll be making a saving. Once you get your own home gym stuff, you'll never ever want to go to another one again. When I finally get my own house, one of the rooms is going to be an exercise room. I'll keep the squat stands and find some use for it, but I'd love to get a cage like you're looking at there, @Jon. The only two things I can say that I miss are the lat pulldown machine and probably the leg press, too. But, you can substitute that with pullups/weighted pullups and squats and lunges.

I've really enjoyed this and have just finished the story mode.

Ordered from ShopTo. I was trying to work out when to order it, and whether I'd have time for it. In the end, I just went for it anyway.

That is a benefit, but you can also get the dumbbells that can be used with olympic weights. They might be a bit more expensive, though. But, they are out there. If you're on a budget, standard is the king. But, if you really think you are going to lift heavy, (160kg+), then I'd go for olympic, personally. Also, check out the weight limits on things such as squat stands and any racks that you buy. It often gets overlooked, but they'll have a recommended maximum load. It's tough starting from scratch, which is what you doing. But, long term, you'll reap the benefits. You'll never have to pay a gym subscription ever again. If you think about how much the average gym costs, say £30, you'll be paying around £360 a year for just that. For that price, you can get yourself started up and you'll save year on year. Plus, those weights will be yours and will be yours for life. One other thing, check out Bodybuilding.com's forums. I believe that they have their own section for home gyms. Have a browse on there and see if you can find any bargains, although it will mostly be American-focused.

They do need to speed up and they need to do it quickly. They should have seen the Wii U as their "restart", but it's almost a continuation of some of the problems that they've been having for years. What I hate about them is that you feel you have to compromise. If a game comes to the system, you almost feel like you should be thankful that it's coming at all. Even then, it's not got all the features you'd expect in 2013. Pikmin is a fucking fantastic game. But, why no online modes? Nintendoland was genius, in my opinion. But, why wasn't Nintendoland built into every system and why wasn't that integrated with the plaza you see on the Wii U home screen? It seemed like such an obvious thing to me. You would have a theme park where you play the games (Nintendoland) but you also see what other gamers are up to and what your friends are thinking. Again, why no online there? On a Sony console, we know that there will be a WipeOut at some point. We don't know if there will be a Metroid or an F Zero. I wouldn't put it past them to just HD-re-release the Prime Trilogy or upgrade GX or something. Also, lead by example. It's your fucking console, Nintendo. Plough it with games and MAKE the third parties see that there are audiences there. Pointing the finger at others is wrong and gets you nowhere. We shouldn't be be speculating about EA and stuff, but merely asking the question "why?" Third parties won't cut off support for the hell of it, they'll do it for a reason. I'm done! Back to Arkham City, I go. Edit: Actually, Arkham City is a good thing that they've done and they need to do more of it. It's important to have those games there, the likes of this and Need for Speed. Do more of THAT, Nintendo.

Something like this would be a start. I'm sure York will do something like this but I can't seem to find one atm. Will look properly tomorrow. These are decent. Sets of 10KG weight plates. 4 x 2.5kg 4 x 5kg 2 x 20kg So, you could get some of those dumbbells and add a 10kg plate either side. Maybe get some spring collars, too. They are cheap as fuck, so you're alright there. Ideally, you'll want a mixture of different weights. You could probably get away with having 4 x 2.5 (in case you want to use them for dumbbells, so 2 2.5kgs per dumbbell), 4 x 5kg and then make up the rest with 10s, 20s and maybe even above that. 25kg plate for £35 quid. You'll need two of those. So, doing a bit of math: 2 x 25kg will be about 70 quid. We'll say 2 lots of 20 for 53quid. They've also got 2 x 15kg for £43 Then maybe some 10s which are about 15 on Amazon each. So, four of those is 60 quid. 4 x 5kg is £30 4 x 2.5kg is £15 and we'll say some 1.25s, too. 8 x 1.25kg for about £15 All together you'll have about 190-200kg of weight, you'll have variation (everything from 1.25kg all the way up to 25kg plates) and you'll have a lot of weight to get you through most things. Price wise, that's about £280 for all of that. My advice, prioritise. Build it up slowly. Also, it's worth bearing in mind that you could find this stuff cheaper elsewhere and that you may or may not like this particular brand. But, as a ballpark number, it's roughly what you're looking at, probably at a minimum, too.

That's probably the best thing you've ever typed. It's completely true, too. A lot of gamers don't see it as a fad. It sticks with them for life. It's important to go after new crowds, but you should always think about your core fans who have been there from the beginning, too. In a way, it reminds me of a band who you love as a child, grow up with through your teenage years, but you can't help but notice that they change. They keep changing. The music is different to what it was at the start and you find that they don't quite sound the same to you any more. I imagine a lot of people feel this way. Miiverse is great and Nintendo need to do more of that. But, they also need to get the basic stuff right, like actually adding online modes to their important titles. Not everyone can do splitscreen or invite mates around who do like videogames.

60 quid seems like a good price for that. Yeah, you'll end up needing more plates for the standard. Also, it's worth bearing in mind how heavy you're likely to go. If you're going to go above 180 for anything, you might want to look at just going for the Olympic set. Standard bars are good up until a point, but their capacity will be much lower than that of an Olympic. The last thing you want is the bar breaking or bending within a few months of use.

This is where you'll need to make a hard decision between standard and Olympic. Standard is not bad at all, especially if you get some kind of starter kit that will come with a barbell and dumbbells (the bars for that, anyway). What you leaning towards? I'll do the pictures tomorrow for you.

Good luck, Raineeng. *hugs of togetherness*

Nani got sent off last year against Madrid for a lesser tackle. I said at the time that there was no consistency.

LIVE THE DREAM, BRAH. If you want, I can post a picture of the space that I work in at home. Give you a rough idea of what you can achieve. I bought pretty much everything of mine from Amazon. I did buy my original starter set from Argos, but that was literally just a cast iron York set, with light weight. Altogether it's about 70KG, but it's a combination of 1.25kg, 2.5kg, 5kg and I believe a few 10s. Everything else is from Amazon. I have got standard weights, but you might want to think about Olympic. I didn't really think at the time that I'd be doing my own home gym stuff, so the weights were really just to supplement the stuff I was already doing at the gym. It was only after I bought a bench and the squat stands that I thought, "hmm, could have gone Olympic." There's also the likes of Powerhouse-fitness, fitness-superstore, you could probably find some odd bits and bobs off gumtree and ebay if you fancied going down that route. I managed to get this bench for cheaper, but I swear by it. It's a lovely bit of kit. You could spend more and get a better one if you fancied it, but if you're on a budget you'll love it. The only downside is that it won't go completely 90degrees. This is the squat stand that I have. Pretty cheap, so it has served me well. You might want to look at others, but I like this as it saves space and it's affordable. If you've got the space and money, you could go for a better set, but I'm a fan of it. There's tons of weights you can get from Amazon, so you're set there. You could even use Flubit to get your products from Amazon at a slightly cheaper rate, saving a few quid. I love my cast iron set.

Deciding to have my own equipment at home was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It doesn't cost a great deal either aaand you don't really need that much space/room. I do all of my weight exercises in the bedroom. Like you said, you'd only really need a bench, a barbell/dumbbell bars and some weight plates. The squat rack/stand I bought didn't cost me a great deal, either. What's also brilliant is that you can keep building it up over time, buying mats and foam rollers and more plates, that sorta thing. I'd really recommend it if you can. The benefits far outweigh the downsides. No having to wait around for equipment, no having to walk/run/cycle/drive to the nearest gym, no having to hog dumbbells when you wanted to super-set and have guys look at you awkwardly, being able to take as much or as little time as you needed. In short, I'm a massive fan of the idea. Do eet, brah.

That's my kind of Wii U crisis right there.

I don't know what's going on, but I'm slowly going off this. I can't quite place my finger on it, but it just doesn't look as exciting or vibrant as Colours. It's looking a bit washed out, imo. Hmm.

I know people are talking about United not strengthening and there are several arguments either way. New manager, new executive, so things will taking time to work as opposed to before, and even then it's a squad that finished first last year and has some promising young players who do need game time (Lingard, Januzaj, Zaha, Jones, De Gea, Welbeck). So, whilst I dislike our lack of activity, I can forgive it and know that it's not the end of the world. Arsenal, on the other hand, have no fucking excuse. They didn't come anywhere near to challenging for the league or challenging for anything for that matter. They've needed a keeper for such a long time and there are more than worthy candidates that are either in the Premier League or within reach. Why weren't they in for Mignolet or Cesar? Even a bid for Begovic would have been worth it. You can forgive somebody if they make a mistake in the transfer window and don't bring in players immediately. We know Wenger can do it as he's done it before, but...too many mistakes and a lack of action. Arsenal are falling short behind their rivals and Tottenham are continually spending money to try to close that gap, as are Liverpool. I'm not sure what Arsenal are trying to prove, or what Arsene is doing. They're meant to be a well run club and, as is evident with the likes of Chelsea, City, Spurs and Liverpool going out and spending money (even United with Zaha earlier this year), there's plenty of talent out there. I heard Ian Wright the other day talking about Luis Suarez and saying that if Arsenal wanted him, they should have been serious and not trolled with that 40 million plus a pound deal, which is just fucking retarded. I have a lot of time and respect for Wenger, because of what he has done for Arsenal and I love the battles that we have against him. But, it's painful to watch this all take place and it's been going on for too long. His mantra is out of date and doesn't even make sense any more. When we destroyed them 8-2 a few years back, our starting age/line-up average age was only half a year more than theirs.

Weight loss is going well. I'm hovering around the 70/71kg mark. Couldn't decide which photo I preferred more, so added both. I also got a hair cut last week and think I prefer having it shorter. Might keep it this way for a while now. Also also, I forgot I had this t-shirt and was delighted to see it fitting nicely. It used to be a bit tight before hand around the stomach, but it's great atm. Will also need to get a new phone as the camera on this one is baaaad.

I'd recommend giving the demo a quick go if you're unsure about the controls and/or the craziness of it all. Sometimes there can be quite a few things going on at once. If anything, the demo is good at getting you used to the controls and layout of the game, without really spoiling much.

Kondogbia or somebody like Gundogan would have been my first choices. I would love to see Gundogan at United but Dortmund would have to be absolute mugs to let him go, unless we put in a stupid bid for him to which they can't say no. Basically, if you're playing a midfield three, you need a defensive mid/destroyer, somebody to play the passes and find people, and the final one is the attacker who can support the striker. Using the players we have: Defensive mid: ? Passer: Carrick Attacker: Kagawa You could argue that Carrick could be defensive mid and Cleverley could be the pass-finder. Basically, if (massive if) we actually use Kagawa properly and like he was meant to be used, we only really need one midfielder, somebody to break teams down. Gundogan or Kondogbia would do it for me. Not sure if Fellaini could do it as well as those two. All of this hinges on whether or not we use Kagawa, because if we don't, then we really need 2 midfielders. Maybe even another winger.

The Arsenal midfield is light, but they potentially just need a defensive midfielder in there, a destroyer in the mould of Vieira who can break up the play and bully teams in midfield. We still need one of those at United, too. They're rare. It's also probably why both teams are in for Kondogbia.

Get every monkey that they have at Nintendo working on Mario Kart and Smash Bros and get those two out ASAP. Then, create an ultimate Nintendo bundle of Mario World, Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Hnggggggggg! Or, this will do. I, guess, er...

Yes, we're all going to die. We can't escape that, no matter how much or how little we want to. You may or may not believe in an afterlife or reincarnation or that there is something else that happens once you go. But, there are many forms of immortality. Once you do go, people will be affected, in some way. Not everyone, but some will. If you're doing it right, you'll leave something behind. Maybe it'll be the memory for a loved one. Maybe you'll have accomplished wonders. Maybe you will just be remembered as being a good person who was kind to others. It's not the same as having all aspects of your existence erased. This doesn't happen. When you have gone, there will be some mark that you were here. This forum is a start. You were here and you had thoughts and feelings. You were a person, somebody who did most of the things that regular people do; go to school, work, take care of others, but nobody will have led the same life as you. What gives my life meaning? I don't honestly know, but I'm not sure I need it. You just need to feel it from within, feel that you are doing things right and making the most of it. I can't stand being miserable any more and so I won't be. I never think of it like I'm not going to be here in 80 years time, it's not the right way of thinking. What you should be thinking is that you are here now and you must and should do what you think is right.

You wouldn't be using HIIT to become conditioned for long distance events, though. (I know you touch on this a little, but still). What it does though is help for much shorter bursts. I have zero to no interest in jogging or running for a prolonged period of time, but doing HIIT for 20 mins or so would make much more sense to me. (as it is, I get most of my cardio from the likes of squash and skipping) Different exercises and training methods have their usages, though. Some things work better than others for certain people. If you were training for a marathon, although HIIT may help in some way, you'd really benefit more from running longer distances or for a prolonged period of time. I'd say do a sport of some kind, like football and then you could always supplement it with some additional running if you wanted. Best of both worlds. (unless you're playing in goal)

I'd also imagine that the clue is in the name. High intensity, so you're working the body more as it's more taxing/requires more power.