Weight Loss & Fitness 2012

[pratty]

I've been slacking since I hurt my back and have had stop the heavy barbell lifts, so tonight I did some Dumbbell Presses, Goblet Lunges and Weight Plate Swings.

 

I also found my push up handles recently, I never use them for pushups so I was thinking of other things I could do with them. In the end I decided to have a go at the L-sit and surprisingly I managed to hold the postion for about 5 seconds at the first time of trying. I might continue to work on it and see how long I can hold it for.

[Raining_again]

Well done pratty keep at it!!!

 

I'm trying to will myself to add cardio work into my routine but I despise it like the devil.... Curse being a woman with hormones designed to hold onto fat :P

[pratty]

Well done pratty keep at it!!!

 

I'm trying to will myself to add cardio work into my routine but I despise it like the devil.... Curse being a woman with hormones designed to hold onto fat :P

 

Thanks.

 

Isn't your routine quite cardio-ish anyway?

 

Plus I keep reading people warning about hammering the cardio too much and incuring excess cortisol production, cortisol is a stress hormone which apparently encourages the storing of fat.

 

If you want to do more could walking be an option, on a treadmill if not outside? It is time consuming and pretty boring but it's low impact and if you have an mp3 player you could listen to a podcast or something to pass the time.

[Blade]

Im still recovering from doing heavy squats on my leg day on sat. The DOMS is unbearable to the fact that i think i need crutches. I can barely sit down on the crapper and have to hold tightly onto the hand rail to get down the stairs.

[Jon]

Im still recovering from doing heavy squats on my leg day on sat. The DOMS is unbearable to the fact that i think i need crutches. I can barely sit down on the crapper and have to hold tightly onto the hand rail to get down the stairs.

 

Use a foam roller after every workout. These things work wonders the following day.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Im still recovering from doing heavy squats on my leg day on sat. The DOMS is unbearable to the fact that i think i need crutches. I can barely sit down on the crapper and have to hold tightly onto the hand rail to get down the stairs.

 

Squats are the one exercise that I really, reeaaaaally have to psyche myself up beforehand prior to even getting into the gym. It takes so much out of you.

 

The new rack has arrived! Have to say that I'm quite impressed at just how decent it is. Only downside is that the feet at the base of the stands are a bit intrusive, but they do help keep it sturdy, so I guess it's just something you have to deal with.

 

Just tried it out. I can tell that I will be in slight agony for the rest of the week. Next thing to buy on my list: moar weight.

[Raining_again]

Mooooaaaaaarrrrrr weight doooo eeeeet!!!

[Raining_again]

Some fucking silly bitch hanging off the trx, doing a completely half assed row, looking all around her...

 

Bitch please, do something worth being here for, or get out of my way -_-

[Charlie]

I had a great work out today. Was squatting 60kg (not that much, but I've only just started them).

 

Finished off by doing some pull ups and chin ups completely unassisted. First time I've done them properly and been able to do a decent amount.

[Mr_Odwin]

Went for a run at lunch. The weather was horrendous, but I thought I'd be manly and run anyway. I have never been so cold and wet. I ran up a hill and on the top it was insanely windy and cold. So horrid. So good.

 

 

[Raining_again]

My work colleague did a pb squat, 155kg that's insane. He did 4 reps of that too. I don't really aim for high high weights and low low reps at the moment, I'm sorta in the middle, do 10,12 and 15 reps of 8 exercises in circuit style. Quite comfortable with that. Weight wise I'm trying to aim for as high as I can, within the boundaries of physically able to complete my fixed routine. I'm still a complete novice to lifting, so I'm not in any rush to start at competitive levels of weights, will get there when I get there. I'm happy when I'm pushing my weights up lil by lil, whilst still concentrating a little on the cardio aspect, by trying to get a reasonable time. I think being a particularly overweight woman I can't kid myself into thinking that i can completely forget about cardio, but I'm definitely working on a plan that's incredibly more weight orientated and I feel like I've had more success with this in the past month than in the 18 months of female cardio style training I was doing!

 

I'm burning the guts of 450 cals in 25/30 minutes so I think I'm pretty much pushing myself as hard as I can physically go. My hr monitor is always beeping cause I'm pretty much solidly maxing out my heart rate. I have seen 189 on it on more than one ocassion!

[Raining_again]

Got some bcaa's today and took them before and after workout. Wow is all I can say!! Definitely helps with muscle strength and stamina!

[Fierce_LiNk]

My body is sore and tired from yesterday's back workout. Definitely need more weight for the deadlifts, so have to get the wallet out once again.

 

I'm trying to find a suitable pull-up bar that can be used in my flat. I can't drill any holes, and I'm not sure how big the door-frame/how wide the frame needs to be to support these Iron Gym type of bars.

 

Also, it's likely I'll be cancelling my gym-membership at some point in the near future. Don't really have the time to keep visiting there and I seem to have the vast majority of everything I need at home now.

[pratty]

My body is sore and tired from yesterday's back workout. Definitely need more weight for the deadlifts, so have to get the wallet out once again.

 

I'm trying to find a suitable pull-up bar that can be used in my flat. I can't drill any holes, and I'm not sure how big the door-frame/how wide the frame needs to be to support these Iron Gym type of bars.

 

Also, it's likely I'll be cancelling my gym-membership at some point in the near future. Don't really have the time to keep visiting there and I seem to have the vast majority of everything I need at home now.

 

I'm lamenting the lack of a pull up bar myself. I recently looked into the inverted row as substitute, using a bar across two chairs. It isn't high enough off the ground to get a full range of motion but I can still do isometric holds at the top of the movement.

 

That said I'd still rather train at home than go to a gym. I actually think that unless you need a specific piece of equipment you can't afford or don't have the room for, then there's really little need to go to a gym, and if a person's goal is simply weight loss then there really is no need at all.

[MindFreak]

I think I just destroyed my lungs entirely! Did a workout called "Jackie" which is 1000 m row (@ level 7 of 10 for me), 50 thrusters @ 45 pounds (a thruster is a front squat and push press put together in one movement) and then 30 pull-ups. It hurt so much that I couldn't speak. Really not healthy at all, and I'll never do that again! I did it in 11 minutes, the rowing took about 3:30 of the time, the rest was basically breaks to cough.

 

Unfortunately, the training session itself was badly structured as we only had 5 rowing machines available for 26 people meaning that we had to spread out and wait for the first ones to do their 1000 m before starting the work-out. That meant that the ones who rowed first was done with the workout before the last had even started.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I'm lamenting the lack of a pull up bar myself. I recently looked into the inverted row as substitute, using a bar across two chairs. It isn't high enough off the ground to get a full range of motion but I can still do isometric holds at the top of the movement.

 

I believe I've found a solution, using my squat stands. I just simply put the barbell on it and perform pull ups on that. The downside is that you do have to start off almost kneeled down before pulling yourself up, but you get the full range of motion in, and actually you are forced to use your back and arm muscles, without really having to rely on momentum. I was slightly worried about the safety aspect, but unless I swing like a baboon, I should be ok with this.

 

Only gave it a quick go, so will see how it works out on the actual workout when I come around to it. May also give inverted rows a go.

 

That said I'd still rather train at home than go to a gym. I actually think that unless you need a specific piece of equipment you can't afford or don't have the room for, then there's really little need to go to a gym, and if a person's goal is simply weight loss then there really is no need at all.

 

Yeah, the majority of exercises (the important ones, anyway) can be done at home, provided you have the space and money. But then, you can save money in the longrun.

 

I'm totalling up the money and it sorta works out like this:

 

£90 for the bench (it's a york 13-in-1, I think. Can do incline, flat, decline bench, as well as a bunch of other cool stuff. Actually better than ALL of the benches in my current gym)

£50 for the squat stands...bargain.

£80 or so for the cast iron weight starter set, which features the barbell, dumbells and about 50kg of weight.

£64 for the additional cast iron weights (40kg altogether)

 

Altogether, that's £284. Plus, for the cardio I do hula-hooping, which cost me about £20 for the weighted hoop. Plus, about £5 for a skipping rope. Jogging and running you can do outside for free. There's a tonne of home-workouts you can do with the help of youtube at home for free, in your living room. So, cardio is no issue.

 

I'm going to look at getting some more weights, 25kg plates, which will cost me about £45 per plate. So, about 90 quid for the two of them.

 

If we round the whole lot up to, say, 400 quid, it may sound like a lot.

 

But, when you factor in the cost of an average gym, let's say 30 a month, it isn't that bad at all. That's about a year and 2 months of gym membership, including:

 

- The hassle of getting there and back, which could include the cost of petrol

- The hassle of time, so you go when you have finished work, for example.

- The busy aspect of a gym. If there's only one bench press and that's what you want to do, unless you hit the gym at exactly the right time, you're fucked, as I have been on numerous occasions.

- The annoyance of people or small groups who hog certain pieces of equipment that you want to use.

 

Quite a few others.

 

On the other hand, unless you have a LOT of space and a fuuuuck load of cash, there are some exercises that you will struggle to do at home, such as:

 

- Lateral pulldowns. That's the one and probably most important exercise I will miss the most. But, if the pull-ups work, then it's all fine. Plus, I'll have rows and deadlifts to focus on.

- Leg presses, but instead I'll be focusing on squatting, which is essentially the same exercise, in essence.

- Hip abductors

- Leg extensions/raises

- Calf raising equipment, but this can be done at home using dumbells, so it's still possible.

 

Although I LOVE the gym, there is a lot of sense in doing this stuff at home. It's only when I started to do the mathematics and looked at this option seriously that I realised just how easy it could be done. Just going to point out that all of these pieces of equipment are in my bedroom. It can be done.

[pratty]

Obviously the gym works for a lot of people, and I know some people who simply don't have the self discipline to excercise at home, but the act of actually going to the gym is what gets them to do something.

 

However I do think more people ought to consider training at home. Weights certainly aren't cheap and a barbell requires a certain amount of space, however if you go to a gym to do primarily kettlebell conditioning stuff for example, you could probably buy your own KB for the price of a month of two at the gym, and that KB will last a lifetime. There's also something to be said for DIY equipment, sandbags are a decent and cheap workout tool.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Obviously the gym works for a lot of people, and I know some people who simply don't have the self discipline to excercise at home, but the act of actually going to the gym is what gets them to do something.

 

However I do think more people ought to consider training at home. Weights certainly aren't cheap and a barbell requires a certain amount of space, however if you go to a gym to do primarily kettlebell conditioning stuff for example, you could probably buy your own KB for the price of a month of two at the gym, and that KB will last a lifetime. There's also something to be said for DIY equipment, sandbags are a decent and cheap workout tool.

 

Oh yeah, I'm not saying that everyone should go out and buy 200kg worth of weight plates. But, that there are ways of doing it at home and it can actually work out cheaper in the longrun. When you've got this stuff at home, you've got it for life. When you own that kettlebell, its yours. Same with a skipping rope or a cycle. Yes, it does require self-discipline, but once you've got that, you're laughing.

 

I went through a phase of going to the gym in the morning, early before work. At that point in time, it worked wonders. Looking back on it, I realise that I mostly did it before work because that was one of the quietest times, and where I could do whatever I wanted to do without having to wait around. You lose so much time waiting for a piece of equipment to become available/somebody to finish their set...it's staggering at times. It's only something you appreciate when you have an empty gym or if you can do it at home.

[MindFreak]

I would love to be able to work out at home but living in an urban apartment, I just don't have the space. And frankly, I don't have a problem with going to the gym. I do like it, and here there aren't really any waiting for the equipment as I have three different gyms within a 2 km radius - one for cardio, one for strength (there aren't so many people in that one) and one for crossfit. Furthermore, being a student I have the time during the day to go there so there aren't that many people. Also, I usually shop on my way home so I'll be out anyway.

 

The trick with doing pull-ups with the barbell in the squat rack works. I've done it several times in the gym.

Edited December 17, 2012 by MindFreak

[Fierce_LiNk]

I would love to be able to work out at home but living in an urban apartment, I just don't have the space. And frankly, I don't have a problem with going to the gym. I do like it, and here there aren't really any waiting for the equipment as I have three different gyms within a 2 km radius - one for cardio, one for strength (there aren't so many people in that one) and one for crossfit. Furthermore, being a student I have the time during the day to go there so there aren't that many people. Also, I usually shop on my way home so I'll be out anyway.

 

The trick with doing pull-ups with the barbell in the squat rack works. I've done it several times in the gym.

 

Cheers for the pull-ups confirmation. Means I can probably get by without a pull-up bar now, which will please the landlord as I won't be damaging his walls. :p

 

Not saying that everyone should abandon the gym. Just pointing out that actually, in the longrun, it is cheaper to get your own equipment and work out at home. Space is a big issue and if you haven't got the space for the equipment, then it's a no-go. But, if you can do it, it's definitely an avenue worth looking at.

[Raining_again]

I love the atmosphere of the gym, and I don't think I'd be motivated enough to work out at home.. Plus I get free tea and coffee in my gym lol :p

[Charlie]

- Lateral pulldowns. Dead lifts and pull-ups are far, far better than lat pulldowns.

- Leg presses, but instead I'll be focusing on squatting, which is essentially the same exercise, in essence. Squatting is better than everything.

- Leg extensions/raises Squats/Deadlifts

- Calf raising equipment, but this can be done at home using dumbells, so it's still possible. Squats/Deadlifts

 

See above.

 

Source: Random dudes on Reddit /r/fitness, Stronglifts.com.

 

The big compound exercises are absolutely fantastic. I'm loving my A/B workout of:

 

A

Squat

Bench Press

Bent over row

Pull-ups

 

B

Squat

Military Press

Deadlift

Barbell curls (only because I love the feeling of it)

 

That's all there is too it. I've seen big gains over the past few weeks. I'm currently trying to cut before holiday (end of January) and therefore stopping the weights and doing cardio instead. Not really working seeing as it's Christmas but I am definitely dropping a bit of weight.

 

After holiday my plan is a massive bulk. I've been reading up on 'galon of milk a day' (GOMAD). You can make some huge gains with that, some places say up to 11kg in weight within a month. Although you put on 2-3% bodyfat a month they say it isn't too hard to strip that after the bulk.

 

I think GOMAD for 2 months combined with Stronglifts 5x5 will put me in very good stead for the Summer.

[MindFreak]

Ah, had a nice workout today after a "catastrophal" run yesterday - my girlfriend wanted to tag along and while it's good that she wants to run again it's just inefficient for me. I was kind of angry with her for that the entire day - first she spend about 30 minutes getting ready for the run (while I was ready when she started...) and then we spend 30 minutes on 4.7 km! That is just about 10 minutes longer than I would have spend on it alone so I felt that I had wasted my time with that. However, I can't say that I don't want to run with her as she takes that as criticism even though it's just that we are utterly incompatible in this regard.

 

So I decided to go to the gym today. Did my typical 20 minutes of cycling to warm up and have the cardio done with (even though it's hard to compare, I get to about 10 km in that time and having an average of 257 watt) and then did 4x8 reps of backsquat @ 80 kg, with hips below parallel. After that I did my usual pull-up-routine of 5-4-3-2-1 pull-ups, dibs, chin-ups and 2 push-ups (so first 5 of each (10 push-ups), then 4 of each, etc., with resting between sets). So now I'm ready for Christmas shopping!

[Fierce_LiNk]

See above.

 

Source: Random dudes on Reddit /r/fitness, Stronglifts.com.

 

The big compound exercises are absolutely fantastic. I'm loving my A/B workout of:

A

Squat

Bench Press

Bent over row

Pull-ups

 

B

Squat

Military Press

Deadlift

Barbell curls (only because I love the feeling of it)

 

That's all there is too it. I've seen big gains over the past few weeks. I'm currently trying to cut before holiday (end of January) and therefore stopping the weights and doing cardio instead. Not really working seeing as it's Christmas but I am definitely dropping a bit of weight.

 

After holiday my plan is a massive bulk. I've been reading up on 'galon of milk a day' (GOMAD). You can make some huge gains with that, some places say up to 11kg in weight within a month. Although you put on 2-3% bodyfat a month they say it isn't too hard to strip that after the bulk.

 

I think GOMAD for 2 months combined with Stronglifts 5x5 will put me in very good stead for the Summer.

 

Yeah, the big 4 (Squat, deadlift, bench and shoulder/military press) are very important. But, you can't and shouldn't JUST stick to those 4 all of the time, at least not without variations in it. (incline bench press, arnold press) Eventually you'll plateau and will underdevelop in certain areas. I'd start off with one of the big 4 and then maybe a variant, and then work on the relevant muscles in a different exercise.

 

For example, for shoulders, I'd Military Press for 3-5 sets, then maybe Arnold Press, and one or two of up-right rows, front raises, side raises, shrugs. That's without doing any tricep work, which some like to do, although I prefer doing that on its own day.

 

Your workout is good and I've seen people do that. Personally, it's not for me and I couldn't keep it going to the maximum for a prolonged period of time.

[jayseven]

Ah, had a nice workout today after a "catastrophal" run yesterday

Just to let you know it's "catastrophic" -- I know english isn't your first language and I hope you don't mind me pointing it out : peace:

 

my girlfriend was all excited when I said I'd go on a run with her, but she quickly got frustrated with my ineptitude. I have to say that it did certainly contribute to me not bothering to go for another run :P