Daft Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Had a bit of a meh day at the gym. Benched... 100kg for 7 95kg for 7 92.5 kg for 7 90kg for 8 ...Which isn't too disappointing now that I write it out. Then proceeded to absolutely suck at pullups (@Fierce_LiNk – Karma for giving it the love last week, it seems Ha!). First two sets were strong but dropped lots of reps on the next two which tells me I haven't eaten enough. Then I did some OHP. Then did one-handed wallstand leg reaches, with reps of 6/8/8 (supersetted with Crow Pose holds for 20 seconds – I'm actually pleasantly comfortable on these now). The one-handed wallstand leg reaches were a little disappointing because I'd managed 10/12/12 last week but they are tough as nuts and I had just done some OHPs so I'll let that slide. Then I did dips and close-grip bench to finish off because I knew there was not a chance I could do L-sits because I think I slightly pulled my left obliques. So, having written that out it wasn't a terrible session, but it was a disappointing one. I hate feeling tired. I'm not too tired generally but I'm super susceptible to any changes in my diet it seems.
Goron_3 Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 You don't have to be a slave to the gym. I do full body workouts about 3 times a week, maximum of 4. I'd look into that personally. It means you can hit all of the big muscle groups multiple times a week without meaning you have to spend every hour in the gym. Since I've been on that, I've had more time to do other stuff. More time for games, more time to chill, more time to just enjoy life. If I were to give an example: Workout 1 - Squat, bench press, barbell row, shrugs, pull-ups, chin-ups, curls Then have at least one day's rest before doing: Workout 2 - Squat, overhead press, deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift, calf raises, dips. Then repeat to workout 1 after a day's rest. So, you're lifting about 3 times a week, sometimes four if you really want to. The bold ones are the ones I never change. I'll change over my accessory exercises occasionally or leave them out if pushed for time or do extra if I have the time. Legs have definitely come up looking decent, as have my chest and back. If legs aren't a priority for you, you could mix that routine up as you wish. StrongLift ftw!
Mr-Paul Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Just ran somewhere between 20 and 22 miles. My legs are dead! London Marathon in 13 days. Scared, but I've done it before, and it's only a little further than I did today, no traffic lights and pedestrians, more drinks, and a crowd and thousands of other runners to keep me going. Aaahahhhhhh.
Raining_again Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 I like your lifting plan @Fierce_LiNk I will probably adopt something similar, stronglifts is a brilliant brilliant workout. I did it for months and ended up squatting 75kg for 5x5 easily, got my deadlift up HUGELY, and just got seriously strong. I HATE bench though. With a passion. I think because I have shoulder instabilities. The most i've ever been able to bench is 45kg and I *think* that was assisted (one of those jumpy spotters that just want to help lol) But yeah I think Flink's advice is top notch. Also @Daft.... bro...... : peace: @Animal you are a gorgeous, gold hearted, big piece of chocolate. Why anyone wouldn't want you based on looks is BEYOND me. I know you've got confidence issues but just think about what you would say if it was a friend in your position. you would tell them they are awesome and to just go for it!
Fierce_LiNk Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 I prioritise my tennis over weights. I just can't play properly when my legs or lower back (from deadlifts) is a bit sore, I feel very sluggish and struggle to get any real power or spin on my shots. It's amazing how much of it comes from your lower body. I basically don't do lower body the day before tennis as it doesn't work. I used to play squash with @Eenuh but we had to stop due to it costing an absolute fuck-ton of money. I was the other way around, it was weights first for me and then squash second. I think once you get into a routine, your body adapts and it becomes less draining. I remember first starting out squatting and I'd be sore for days but now I can lift one day and play either football or squash the next with no real issues. Tennis and squash both rely on your back though, so I can see why deadlifting the day before would cause issues. I hope I see some results. Whenever I've done gym regimes before I see a lot of results in terms of being stronger and lifting more weight, but I don't really see results in term of looks (vain I know, but deep down it's important to us all). Not expecting to bulk up, but would like to look more toned. We're all vain. Part of the reason we exercise is so that we look better. Doing something will be better than nothing. You could start out at home doing press-ups and then benching when you get down to the gym. The more consistent you are with it, the better your results will be. It took a long, long time before I was reasonably happy with how certain parts of my body look. I remember @The Bard referred to it as a bit like grinding in a RPG and he's right, that's exactly what it is. You will see results though. If you eat right, train smart and stick with it, it'll improve. It can be fucking demoralising at times looking in the mirror and realising that you've got a way to go. Then proceeded to absolutely suck at pullups (@Fierce_LiNk – Karma for giving it the love last week, it seems Ha!). First two sets were strong but dropped lots of reps on the next two which tells me I haven't eaten enough. Unlucky! Fucking pullups. I'm going to have to work at them to get better. They're going in every workout now. StrongLift ftw! It really is the GOAT routine. You get EVERYTHING done and it just saves so much time. I like your lifting plan @Fierce_LiNk I will probably adopt something similar, stronglifts is a brilliant brilliant workout. I did it for months and ended up squatting 75kg for 5x5 easily, got my deadlift up HUGELY, and just got seriously strong. I HATE bench though. With a passion. I think because I have shoulder instabilities. The most i've ever been able to bench is 45kg and I *think* that was assisted (one of those jumpy spotters that just want to help lol) Cheeeeers. I've altered it slightly so I've fiddled with the rep ranges and now do sets of 8. I stuck with 5x5 for ages then switched it to 3x5 (with a few working sets thrown in here and there) and I'm now doing 3x8. Just fancied a change and it's going well so I'll keep on with that for now.
Beast Posted April 11, 2016 Author Posted April 11, 2016 I like your lifting plan @Fierce_LiNk I will probably adopt something similar, stronglifts is a brilliant brilliant workout. I did it for months and ended up squatting 75kg for 5x5 easily, got my deadlift up HUGELY, and just got seriously strong. I HATE bench though. With a passion. I think because I have shoulder instabilities. The most i've ever been able to bench is 45kg and I *think* that was assisted (one of those jumpy spotters that just want to help lol) But yeah I think Flink's advice is top notch. Also @Daft.... bro...... : peace: @Animal you are a gorgeous, gold hearted, big piece of chocolate. Why anyone wouldn't want you based on looks is BEYOND me. I know you've got confidence issues but just think about what you would say if it was a friend in your position. you would tell them they are awesome and to just go for it! Awww shucks! I'd be a big hunky piece of Dairy Milk, haha. But I would tell that to others to be fair. I just have this thing about my body though. I absolutely hate it. I know people are out there worse off than I am but still...I'm doing something about it now which is the main thing! You're all beautiful pieces of tempting, luscious chocolate in a Celebrations box xD I have major news. I'm gonna be getting a feature on a major Instagram weight loss account called Build ah Beast. So excited!!!!!
drahkon Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 London Marathon in 13 days. It appears you may know a bit about running. What's a good way to start building up stamina? Any particular running routines I should do? Or basically "just" run for a while?. I tried to google it but get so many different results...no idea what's "right" or "good" or "wrong".
Raining_again Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Awww shucks! I'd be a big hunky piece of Dairy Milk, haha. But I would tell that to others to be fair. I just have this thing about my body though. I absolutely hate it. I know people are out there worse off than I am but still...I'm doing something about it now which is the main thing! You're all beautiful pieces of tempting, luscious chocolate in a Celebrations box xD I have major news. I'm gonna be getting a feature on a major Instagram weight loss account called Build ah Beast. So excited!!!!! I'm a luscious big piece of the whitest of white chocolate hahah I know what you mean about the losing weight thing, there are some people end up even more self concious for losing the weight when they're left with loose skin, and a mindset that keeps thinking they are still fat etc. Its not just a battle with the lbs, its a battle with the mindset. One day at a time
Mr-Paul Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 It appears you may know a bit about running. What's a good way to start building up stamina? Any particular running routines I should do? Or basically "just" run for a while?. I tried to google it but get so many different results...no idea what's "right" or "good" or "wrong". I'm not the biggest expert on the proper way to train, as I'm personally really bad at sticking to training plans, and though this is the second marathon for me, neither have gone completely to plan for various reasons! Just running and seeing if you can go a little bit further over time, then consolidating it with shorter runs mixed in with the more endurance based runs is a good way to start. It really depends what your aim is, how far you want to run, and how bothered you are about speed. With this marathon training, I really haven't been bothered about speed at all, just covering the miles, so I do one main run a week which has increased in distance over the weeks, with a few more shorter runs on top of that. One of the things that really helps me actually, is having my fitbit tracker, which connected to the GPS on your phone tracks your run and can tell you through your headphones at selected intervals how far you've gone/what pace you're running at, so you have updates on how well you're doing and it can help you push yourself to the next milestone and know you're going at a sensible pace. Also find out the kind of places you like to run. Some people love running in the countryside/forests - I bloody hate it as it always feels aimless to me. I prefer running through the city as you can go "ok, i'm going to make it to the end of this road, then the next road, then reach that landmark" etc. I feel better when you can compartmentalise it like that - break it into small chunks and take them one at a time than think of it as one giant run. However, city running does have the problem of pedestrians/traffic lights that can throw you off your stride. As much as having roads to cross/traffic lights may sound like a good thing for rest it is better to keep moving if you can. So running in different environments all have their pros and cons. If you're looking for speed and stamina, a combination of endurance training and interval/fartlek training is the way to go. I could've given more advice on these a few years back when I did more competitive middle distance running, but I've kind of forgotten most of it now! A lot of people swear by this Couch to 5k programme, so although I've never done it myself, it seems like a good place to start. My biggest piece of advice is that you will have bad days running. I ran over 20 miles today, but sometimes even 5k feels absolutely horrible to me! Hell, today wasn't the greatest of runs because I had breakfast earlier than usual and didn't run at my usual time and my body didn't like it. Sometime you've gotta just push through it, and sometimes it's best to just write it off and try again next time. You don't want to injure yourself, it's important to listen to your body. And don't be afraid to mix running with walking. I can't say I've had the most ideal preparations for my marathon - March totally threw me off my training because I had a ridiculously busy month of work, with two weeks straight of being up working until about 4am, not good for the body! So the last week or so has really been a bit of a salvage job, but today's shown me I can do it - it's pretty amazing what the human body can do! One day I'll get around to training for a big race and actually stick to the plan and go for a decent time - this time I'm just looking to beat my time from last time, whereas I do feel if I trained in perfect conditions I could do it a lot quicker, but for now, I just really care about getting round the course as I'm doing it in memory of my best friend who passed away rather than as a personal challenge. I hope that helps a bit, rambled on for a while didn't I!? One last piece of advice - treadmills are fucking awful and should be avoided at all costs. So bad for your joints and you can't run naturally on them. If you're going to do cardio at the gym, use the bike or cross trainer or swim.
drahkon Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Thanks @Mr\-Paul: peace: I haven't run in a while but I think that the couch to 5k program won't do me any good. I think I'm able to run 5k without a break. Probably not as quickly as a year ago, though. I'd love to train for speed and distance, so I guess an interval run once per week combined with one main/long run and maybe one short run could work. I have done interval runs a couple of months ago (10 min warm-up, then alernate between 15 seconds almost sprint and 30 seconds almost walking for 8 sets, 5 minutes a very slow jog and then walk the way home) so I think I'll try this routine. Ultimately my main goal is losing weight (or rather fat) and gaining stamina (with the recent diet change this may speed things up). I hope I'll be able to keep doing my home body-weight work out while doing the running routine.
Mr-Paul Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Thanks @Mr\-Paul: peace: I haven't run in a while but I think that the couch to 5k program won't do me any good. I think I'm able to run 5k without a break. Probably not as quickly as a year ago, though. I'd love to train for speed and distance, so I guess an interval run once per week combined with one main/long run and maybe one short run could work. I have done interval runs a couple of months ago (10 min warm-up, then alernate between 15 seconds almost sprint and 30 seconds almost walking for 8 sets, 5 minutes a very slow jog and then walk the way home) so I think I'll try this routine. Ultimately my main goal is losing weight (or rather fat) and gaining stamina (with the recent diet change this may speed things up). I hope I'll be able to keep doing my home body-weight work out while doing the running routine. Seems like you know what you're doing to be honest! But yes, essentially to build up stamina just push yourself that little bit further each time, and the interval training will help you with increasing speed and more importantly, speed endurance, so you can go faster for longer! The longer, slower runs are important for fat burning as although high intensity stuff will burn more calories, low intensity aerobic activity will train your body more into using its fat stores as energy rather than the glycogen/carbohydrates.
Jon Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 There's also no substitute for getting solid miles under your belt. Can't cheat the conditioning of your leg muscles. In my experience once you reach a certain level, it's more about if your legs can handle it rather than the aerobic stresses.
bob Posted April 12, 2016 Posted April 12, 2016 I think I'm able to run 5k without a break. Probably not as quickly as a year ago, though. If you're taking longer than a year to run 5k, you might be a slug. Cut down on your salt intake and try and keep somewhere dark and wet.
Mr_Odwin Posted April 15, 2016 Posted April 15, 2016 Thanks @Mr\-Paul: peace: I haven't run in a while but I think that the couch to 5k program won't do me any good. I think I'm able to run 5k without a break. Probably not as quickly as a year ago, though. I'd love to train for speed and distance, so I guess an interval run once per week combined with one main/long run and maybe one short run could work. I have done interval runs a couple of months ago (10 min warm-up, then alernate between 15 seconds almost sprint and 30 seconds almost walking for 8 sets, 5 minutes a very slow jog and then walk the way home) so I think I'll try this routine. Ultimately my main goal is losing weight (or rather fat) and gaining stamina (with the recent diet change this may speed things up). I hope I'll be able to keep doing my home body-weight work out while doing the running routine. Great advice from people above. Instead of the sort of short high intensity interval training you describe you should run some longer intervals. They helped me loads. Your warm up and cool down sound great, but for the intervals do something like 10x500m, or 5x800m. get your body used to running at 5K pace for the distance, but broken up by rests. Some of these are fun too: http://blog.strava.com/run-weekly-workout/ Get yourself on Strava, get some kudos, break some segment records.
soag Posted April 15, 2016 Posted April 15, 2016 I'm down to 13 stone yays.... I'm celebrating this with a large pizza lol
Fierce_LiNk Posted April 15, 2016 Posted April 15, 2016 I'm down to 13 stone yays.... I'm celebrating this with a large pizza lol Woooooo. My deload has gone quite well. I'm trying to focus on working the muscle with the lighter weight and am upping it gradually. I've got myself into a good routine of weight and cardio. Hope school starting again doesn't affect it too much. I'm actually quite enjoying using the cross trainer/elliptical, it's not as boring as I imagined.
Beast Posted April 15, 2016 Author Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) https://www.instagram.com/p/BEOeACwjwWn/ WOOOOOOOOOOO! A weight loss motivation Instagram account has done a post for me. So overjoyed right now. This is what I wrote for it: The picture on the left is me at 20 stones and 7 pounds (287lb), no confidence, completely unfit and I believed I couldn't achieve anything. The picture on the right is me as of a few days ago, just over 3 months later at 17 stones and 7 pounds (245lb), fitting into clothes from the high street for the first time and growing in confidence while losing in weight. The moral of my story is that if you badly want something, you'll stop at nothing until it's yours! You'll fight with everything you have and you'll overcome any obstacles in your way. The only person that is in the way is you and it's taken me years to realise that. My goal is to have the body I've always dreamed of and even though I still have a long way to go, I won't stop until I get it. Your strength and weakness is both yourself but you need to make a stand and tell yourself that your weakness will not define you. You can do this, I truly do have faith in absolutely everyone. It's never too late to change your life and be happy! Edited April 15, 2016 by Animal
MindFreak Posted April 15, 2016 Posted April 15, 2016 One month left for my wedding. Due to studies and a busy period at work, my fitness level has gone down. Now is the time for a reboot, studies are going slower now due to exams getting nearer and work is just as busy (actually got advised to calculate with extra workloads for the next three weeks due to an extraordinary delivery and I got the main responsibility for the development of the program) so I might be able to squeeze in exercise four or five times a week which would be enough to look fit for the wedding May 21st....
Beast Posted April 18, 2016 Author Posted April 18, 2016 I did boxercise, a 5k run, a 5k cycle and a 5k row today and I'm done in but I'm loving it. I also FINALLY got my infuser bottle thanks to my friend at the gym who helped me get it! Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Mr-Paul Posted April 21, 2016 Posted April 21, 2016 Picked up my race number today for the marathon on Sunday. So ridiculously excited, despite knowing how hard it's gonna be!
Blade Posted April 22, 2016 Posted April 22, 2016 I've lost a further lb. i know its still losing weight but im feeling disappointed. I weigh myself every two weeks. Making progress albeit very slowly.
Beast Posted April 22, 2016 Author Posted April 22, 2016 I've lost a further lb. i know its still losing weight but im feeling disappointed. I weigh myself every two weeks. Making progress albeit very slowly. Mate, I've seen the photos and I KNOW it's muscle! I wouldn't sweat it! You're looking guuuuurd, son! Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Daft Posted April 22, 2016 Posted April 22, 2016 I've lost a further lb. i know its still losing weight but im feeling disappointed. I weigh myself every two weeks. Making progress albeit very slowly. I know we're in slightly different positions but we're both in the 'feels like slow progress' camp. What I would advise is to stop using your weight to mark progress (seriously, the more you analyse it, the slower it feels, it's the whole 'A watched pot never boils' – Also, you'll be putting on muscle while losing fat and muscles weighs much more than fat...so, weight is completely going to throw you off). Measuring your weight becomes pretty useless pretty quickly. Instead look at the progress you make in terms of the speed/distance you run and the weights that you lift. The most progress I made was when I made Bench my measure of progress. Now it's pull-ups and, while I don't really see much change physically, I know I can do a crap-load more now than I could a few weeks ago.
Mr_Odwin Posted April 22, 2016 Posted April 22, 2016 I've lost a further lb. i know its still losing weight but im feeling disappointed. I weigh myself every two weeks. Making progress albeit very slowly. I found your instagram feed and had a look around. You're doing super well. You look so much more healthy from Jan-April. Keep going!
Raining_again Posted April 22, 2016 Posted April 22, 2016 My weight just WOULD NOT shift when I jumped into serious weight training. My body cried for food and I fed it. Slowly but surely my body changed. Its maybe not as simple as "muscle growth br0" but along those lines. I'd say it takes a gooood 8-12 months for your body to settle from the initial gain stage into something more steady. You also lose your n00b lifting gains, and you struggle for every extra kilo on that bar.
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