Gym?

[Raining_again]

Yeah. normally I have a lot more fruit but we ran out of bananas this morning.

 

I stand by my recommendation for gym buddies. Force someone to join with you, do anything, it helps SO much. I really wanted to flake on the gym today but my friend texted me and I do what I usually do and thought, 'Why not?'.

 

Bananas are very good cause they have more sugar comparatively to almost any other fruit, but they have potassium in them and might make your stomach dodgy if you eat them on empty.

 

Yeah i might do that actually... since my mum is now disabled I can't drag her along anymore

[Fierce_LiNk]

My calves really hurt when I was working out tonight. I think I need to do more pre/post stretching. It's just so damned boring, I prefer the main event.

 

I remember I did some leg work not too long back, and my calves felt like they were on fire for the next too days. It felt incredible, but I was in agony. Haha.

 

My legs are probably the strongest part of my body at the moment. Mostly from the running work that I do there, and a little down to the time spent on lifting leg-weights. Although, I haven't had a great leg workout for a few weeks.

 

Woke up this morning, and I was definitely feeling a bit tired in my chest from the workout yesterday. Not a terrible "Oh my god, I'm dying" pain, but a nice "I did well yesterday" burn. My goal is to be able to lift my body weight, which is around 74/75 kilos.

[Daft]

Anyone got tips or a good exercise for doing the lower abs?

 

Did a good hour and a half at the gym today with an hour of cycling to and from. Feels good.

[EEVILMURRAY]

I'd like to know how to get the six pack functional. The exercises I do seem to focus on either arms/legs. Apart from crunches [which seem to have 100 different versions and I don't know what's the best] I can't think of any.

[Daft]

The upper abs are fine doing crunches with that massive bouncy ball thing (my technical term for it). The lower abs I'm currently doing this one where you lie down flat and lift a 5Kg weight from the top of your head and place it on your feet, then straighten up so that your legs are just off the ground and then crunching up again and putting the weight back in it's original position.

 

It's alright but I kind of feel it more on my back (not in a bad way), which is annoying.

 

I was just wondering if anyone knew any others.

[Gizmo]

Thats an interesting one actually. Theres a crunch machine at my gym which is really the only stomach exercise I do, but currently only my top abs are showing. Might be due to me still having excess stomach flab that hasn't shifted further down yet, might be due to the exercise concentrating on them. Not sure. I shall research it a little!

[Fierce_LiNk]

The great one that I see many people doing at the gym are "hanging leg raises."

 

 

You can also perform is by lying down on your back and raising your legs in the same motion. It's pretty awesome, I think.

 

http://www.workoutbox.com/exercises/ab-exercises/lower-ab-exercises/

 

There's quite a few nice ones there.

 

As for today, I did some shoulders and also some ab work. I wanted to die afterwards! My shoulders felt so...awesome. Still, I am weak and puny. One day, world. One day.

[EEVILMURRAY]

I'm currently doing this one where you lie down flat and lift a 5Kg weight from the top of your head and place it on your feet, then straighten up so that your legs are just off the ground and then crunching up again and putting the weight back in it's original position.

Can you show a picture/video of this, because the way I'm imagining this seems impossible.

[Daft]

Can you show a picture/video of this, because the way I'm imagining this seems impossible.

 

 

It's like that but you move the weight from you legs to behind your head and back again. And you don't really lift you back, just scrunch up.

 

It's hard to explain.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Bring back Christopher Lee.

 

lie down flat and lift a 5Kg weight from the top of your head and place it on your feet

This is where I'm getting confused. I'm not a contortionist!

Edited October 19, 2009 by EEVILMURRAY
Choppa

[Charlie]

For abs what I do is the 15 reps on the ab cruncher, then without a break 15 situps and then lying flat. Bending knees and bringing them up to your face then straightening your legs again. You'll find your arse coming off the floor if you really go for it (like you should).

 

Then take 2/3 minutes rest and do it again. Works all the parts of your abs.

[Wesley]

So where can I get a decent and cheap exercise mat? I want one for sit-ups and stuff when I'm at home... I don't like using the gym ones. When I'm at the gym I just like using the bikes, the leg... things, and the other machines where you sit and push stuff and stuff. Nice and fun. Will any of that actually help me get fit though? Or just build muscle? I want to just be... fit, and... stuff.

[Gizmo]

If by "fit" you mean cardio-vascular fitness, then the "pushing stuff and stuff" stuff probably won't help too much. The bikes, treadmills, rowing machines and cross trainers will be what you're after. If you've got access to a pool, swimming is the best form of exercise for CV fitness, and fitness in general actually, because it works your entire body (as opposed to legs only on a bike, or arms only on a rowing machine).

[Ten10]

Hey guys don't forget your ever important stretches

[Charlie]

So where can I get a decent and cheap exercise mat? I want one for sit-ups and stuff when I'm at home... I don't like using the gym ones. When I'm at the gym I just like using the bikes, the leg... things, and the other machines where you sit and push stuff and stuff. Nice and fun. Will any of that actually help me get fit though? Or just build muscle? I want to just be... fit, and... stuff.

 

My carpet works sufficiently for me... I wouldn't bother paying for one, just do it on the ground, of if that's too hard use a rug/duvet?

 

As Gizmo said resistance work (ie. weights) won't get you physically fit but will tone muscles.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I feel a bit tired from work today and also my shoulders feel tired from the workout yesterday. One of these days where I want to sit down and just take it a bit easy, so I am!

 

As for cardio work, I love using the rowing machine, the treadmill and (more recently) the exercise bike. I'm not a huge fan of the cross trainer. Some people there seem to love it though and go on for long periods of time, but I don't.

 

There's also this funny contraption there which includes a chair (where you sit...duuhhh) and a thing infront of you, with a handle at either side. It's like a hand-cycle, maybe it's meant to simulate swimming. Used that once or twice, but it felt a bit crap so I stopped. If my gym had a pool, I would swim. But alas, they don't, so I don't.

[Wesley]

My carpet works sufficiently for me... I wouldn't bother paying for one, just do it on the ground, of if that's too hard use a rug/duvet?

 

As Gizmo said resistance work (ie. weights) won't get you physically fit but will tone muscles.

 

Yeah, I have wooden floors in my flat.

 

I resent the quotation use Gizmo, you make it sound like I don't know what I'm on about.

 

When I clearly do.

 

Maybe I should just buy a few feet of carpet instead of a mat.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Yeah, I have wooden floors in my flat.

 

I resent the quotation use Gizmo, you make it sound like I don't know what I'm on about.

 

When I clearly do.

 

Maybe I should just buy a few feet of carpet instead of a mat.

 

If you're using it strictly for the purposes of exercising, then I'd say get a mat. Because, I'd imagine a sweaty mat is easier to clean than sweaty carpet?

 

It's quite funny sometimes when I've done some running or cardio stuff, then lay down on a mat to do some crunches and I get up again...then notice a wet pattern exactly where I was lying down. Nice. Thank God you can clean and wipe this stuff.

[Raining_again]

yoga mat sticks to the floor without moving and washes easily! And you can get em for 10/20 quid at nearly any sports store..

[Gizmo]

Yeah, I have wooden floors in my flat.

 

I resent the quotation use Gizmo, you make it sound like I don't know what I'm on about.

 

When I clearly do.

 

Maybe I should just buy a few feet of carpet instead of a mat.

 

Sorry. I quoted the fit to differentiate between the two types of fitness. The ""stuff and stuff" stuff" stuff just needed quotes to stop my brain imploding. :p

[EEVILMURRAY]

I could use the roll mat I use for my sleep bags.

[Molly]

I can now do 20 mins on the cross trainer on ''fat burn'' setting without falling apart. I'm actually getting fitter. Such a good feeling!

[Fierce_LiNk]

I had my last gym session for a week and a bit, as I'm visiting Ine. So, I made it a good one. Worked my back and did some arm work, which left me feeling "assaulted" or battered afterwards. :p

 

Molly, for some reason, I don't like the cross trainer. Well done, you, though. That's good work.

[EEVILMURRAY]

What do you do to fap around with your back Flink?

[Fierce_LiNk]

What do you do to fap around with your back Flink?

 

There's a fair bit you can do:

 

The nice and simple rowing machine. Great activity for Cardio and it works your arms and back, too.

 

Then, using this cable cradle:

 

 

I do "high cable rows." For this, you set the "arms" to the top or highest it will go on the cradle and you perform a rowing motion.

 

 

Not the best video, but you want to think about this motion. I also perform this with two of those plastic grip handles, as I find you get better leverage that way.

 

You can also do "low cable rows." So, same idea, but instead the arms are set towards the bottom of the cradle. I much prefer the high rows, but both are awesome.

 

Then, we have the lateral pulldown:

 

I'm not a huge fan of this, but it can be satisfying. So, give it a go.

 

Rear Deltoid Flys

 

This is the machine that can be found at many gyms. You usually see people performing Chest Flys on them, however you can also set them to perform "rear deltoid flys." So, for this, you will usually need to set the arms back as far as they will go (my machine at the gym has 1,2,3,4,5 and then another number 1, which is what you need to set it to for rear deltoid flys.) Then, facing the chest pad, you want to grip the handles and bring them around, in a motion as if you were stretching a long piece of string or cord. I personally like this exercise.

 

And, we have "bent over Rows."

 

 

For this, you want to position yourself on a gym bench, with one leg and arm positioned on the bench like so. Then, with a handweight and your other arm, you want to bring the dumbell from a "free" position and bring it towards you.

 

 

Sorry if I haven't explained these well enough, as I had a bit of a mindblock when I thought about trying to simplify this stuff. That's why I've tried to use pictures and videos as they will explain things better than I can right now, as I'm knackered.

 

But yeah, these are some of the exercises that I use. I find them effective, so give them a go.