Fitness, Weight Loss & Strength 2018

[Fierce_LiNk]

On ‎15‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 10:34 PM, Animal said:

Thank you for this useful information! Big fan of the cartoon so I guess the stationary bike in the gym will be getting some use

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It's still one of my favourite cartoons ever. I had it on again today and just love it. 

Getting a bit tired with how much space the old standard weights are taking up. I switched over to Olympic weights but never managed to flog the old standard set. Think it might be time. There's a fair bit of space in the garage gym that is being taken up, which could be used to store the Olympic set. Gumtree, here I come.

[Pestneb]

What weights do you have? Also... what's the advantage of olympic weights? (I'm guessing there is one...)

[Beast]

I'm currently on a weight loss mission. Doing http://www.eatingwell.com/article/288643/14-day-clean-eating-meal-plan-1200-calories/]this diet[/url], but adding a bit to make it around 1600-1700 calories as 1200 is not healthy for me. Started on 89kg, now down to below 87kg. Next month gonna join the gym as well.

I'm kind of on that. I'm doing the fast diet but I eat for 8 hours and fast for 16. Done it for two months now. It's great!

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[Raining_again]

@drahkon apologies dude i haven't been on here in an age

 

Let me start from the beginning, there are two parts to keto - being in a state of "ketosis" (using ketones) and being in a "fat burning state".   Former is when you first hit no carbs, hunger drops body begins to use fat as a soure of energy.  Latter is when your body adapts properly to fat burning (you get a huge surge of energy, suddenly feel 600 x better).  Keto happens within 24 hours.  Fat burning within 6 weeks (give or take).  

Once you're fat burning you can come out of ketosis for a short period of time (usually a meals worth, or an evening) and you will fall back into keto easily without the usual drain, and your body will continue to fat burn.  It doesn't do much to your appetite using that method.  Any longer than the above stated (ie an entire day) and the fat burning magic is gone.  

I would probably avoid drinking while in keto, have heard some awful horror stories inc people feeling so bad they feel like theyve been drugged.  Alcohol has carbs, and breaking keto with them makes them absorb into your energy source immediately and it fucks you up royally.  its not absorbed like it normally would be with other carbs in your system.  

 

Of course this is my experience and the parameters can vary but i always suggest going with extreme caution when keto and alcohol is concerned.  I'm not really a drinker or a social person in any way shape or form so I can deal with no alcohol 

 

 

 

 

[Raining_again]

Was at gym today, first set of squats with 20kg bar, bounced down into the hole and my knee cracked so hard i nearly fell over..... lol #arthritisgains

I did go on to fire out 70s for reps so... i guess my knee just wasn't tracking properly

Edited February 17, 2018 by Raining_again

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 hour ago, Pestneb said:

What weights do you have? Also... what's the advantage of olympic weights? (I'm guessing there is one...)

Originally, when we lived in the flat before we bought this house, we used to go to the gym fairly regularly. As time went by, it became tricky finding the minutes and hours to get to the gym after work and weekends and it was always too busy. So, I couldn't always do the workouts that I wanted within that timeframe because the equipment that I needed would be used. It was difficult to find the space to do Deadlifts for example, and there was only one squat rack, too. 

To ease some of the pressure off going to gym, we invested in a skipping rope to do some cardio and I also bought a small set of weight plates with dumbbell bars to go with it. The plan was to just pick up a small, cheap set, so I bought some York cast iron standard weight plates. Think they were 2.5 and 5kg plates.

The difference between standard and Olympic weights is that the standard weights have a 1inch hole for the bar to go through, whereas the Olympic weights have a 2inch hole. The Olympic weights are usually a bit more expensive, so I went for standard. 

Not an amazing picture, I'll try and find a better one.

Over time, I found it limiting to just use the dumbbells, so I bought a few more extra plates. Then, I bought a small 5 foot barbell. After that, I then purchased an adjustable weight bench and then a set of adjustable squat stands. Before I knew it, we had our own makeshift bedroom/home gym! We then cancelled our gym subscription and just worked out at home. @Eenuh bought a cross-trainer machine and I ended up buying a 7 foot barbell, as well as additional weight plates. I've got sets of 0.5, 1.25,2.5,5,10,15 and 25kg plates in standard weight.

The more I trained, the stronger I became. It was so much easier to work out at home and I was able to work out 5 or 6 times a week if I wanted (mixing cardio with weights. My squats and deadlifts improved massively and I managed to get up to 160kg for the deadlifts for reps. I could work out straight away when I got home from work, or I could do it early on the weekends and then have the rest of the day to myself. It made life so much easier. 

The issue is that the bar bent! Not even just a little, but a lot. A very noticeable bend, so it couldn't be used safely anymore. I had pretty much pushed that bar to the limits and I knew it was going to be impossible to find a strong enough bar to go beyond that. The issue with the barbells for standard weights is that they are limited hugely by how much weight they can hold. Due to standard weights only having a 1inch hole, the bars themselves are not particularly thick. Because Olympic weights have a 2inch hole, the bar tends to be thicker and it has a far greater maximum capacity. Most Olympic barbells can withstand up to 320kg and there is also a far lesser chance of them bending. I could buy another barbell, but the issue is that it might pretty much bend and be unusable within weeks due to how often I was using it and the amount of weight on it.

Not only that, but my 25kg weight plates are not very tall in height. So, when deadlifting, I was essentially doing this on a deficit. On many occasions, I had to prop up the plates to get it to the appropriate height. The Olympic bumper plates are bigger and so the bar is at the perfect height for deadlifts or barbell rows. It makes a difference because you don't want to be rounding your back trying to get to the bar to make up the height difference, as that could lead to injury. 

So, I ended up buying a set of Olympic bumper plates, along with a 7 foot barbell. We've also moved into our new house and have converted the garage into a home gym, complete with a proper power rack. There is absolutely no fear that the bar will bend and I don't need to prop any weights up to get everything to the appropriate height. I can deadlift normally, etc. The only issue is that I now still have my set of standard weights that I need to flog.

Looking back, we didn't really plan to go down the home gym route. If it was the original plan, I no doubt would have gone straight for Olympic bumper plates. 

[Raining_again]

oly kit is just a million times better quality. Even the cheapest stuff.   If you can deadlift 60kg and you aren't wanting to do cleans/snatches (weightlifting) movements, then a regular set of plates is probably fine.  Bumpers are designed to (in theory, on the right floor) be dropped from height without doing too much damage to the bar/plates/floor. 

 

if i had my time again I'd buy 5/10/15 bumpers and invest in ultra thin metal plates in the 20s. 

 

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/weights-bars/weight-plates/extra-thin-competition-style-steel-plates/20kg-olympic-extra-thin-steel-plate-2719.html 

not cheap at £80 per plate!!!

Edited February 17, 2018 by Raining_again

[drahkon]

57 minutes ago, Raining_again said:

I would probably avoid drinking while in keto, have heard some awful horror stories inc people feeling so bad they feel like theyve been drugged.  Alcohol has carbs, and breaking keto with them makes them absorb into your energy source immediately and it fucks you up royally.  its not absorbed like it normally would be with other carbs in your system. 

Well, I got horribly drunk last year during keto. The night itself wasn't bad, I was just drunk. The day after, though. Holy fuck...retch all day and the worst headache of my life...

Quote

I'm not really a drinker or a social person in any way shape or form so I can deal with no alcohol 

Well, I love drinking so stopping is no option

Think I'll just be cautious during drinking. Looks like alcohol tolerance is heavily reduced so I'll pace myself when I'm in the mood for booze.
Did some "research" and there are several ways people deal with/prevent the hangover. Pickle juice, broth (so basically electrolytes), for each glass of alcohol drink one glass of water and drink a lot of water before going to bed. A nice bacon and egg breakfast might help, too.

I'll probably start keto by Tuesday/Wednesday (depending on when the flu is gone; don't wanna put my body under a metabolic change while being ill) and drink with some friends on Friday. Gonna treat it like an experiment

[Raining_again]

4 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Well, I got horribly drunk last year during keto. The night itself wasn't bad, I was just drunk. The day after, though. Holy fuck...retch all day and the worst headache of my life...

Well, I love drinking so stopping is no option

Think I'll just be cautious during drinking. Looks like alcohol tolerance is heavily reduced so I'll pace myself when I'm in the mood for booze.
Did some "research" and there are several ways people deal with/prevent the hangover. Pickle juice, broth (so basically electrolytes), for each glass of alcohol drink one glass of water and drink a lot of water before going to bed. A nice bacon and egg breakfast might help, too.

I'll probably start keto by Tuesday/Wednesday (depending on when the flu is gone; don't wanna put my body under a metabolic change while being ill) and drink with some friends on Friday. Gonna treat it like an experiment

Oh no  i've heard bad tales of the keto hangover.  I'm too scared to try it to be honest!

I might give keto a try towards the summer.  I have a kitchen full of non keto safe foods so I really need to eat them first.  And also this wine i'm drinking is definitely not keto friendly lol 

 

also all the keto bbqs yesssss

Edited February 17, 2018 by Raining_again

[drahkon]

5 minutes ago, Raining_again said:

I might give keto a try towards the summer.  I have a kitchen full of non keto safe foods so I really need to eat them first.  And also this wine i'm drinking is definitely not keto friendly lol 

Thank God I don't like wine. I will definitely miss beer, though

Tomorrow I'll cook the last pasta dinner I'll have for months...gonna savour every last bit  

[Pestneb]

18 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

The more I trained, the stronger I became. It was so much easier to work out at home and I was able to work out 5 or 6 times a week if I wanted (mixing cardio with weights. My squats and deadlifts improved massively and I managed to get up to 160kg for the deadlifts for reps. I could work out straight away when I got home from work, or I could do it early on the weekends and then have the rest of the day to myself. It made life so much easier. 

The issue is that the bar bent! Not even just a little, but a lot. A very noticeable bend, so it couldn't be used safely anymore. I had pretty much pushed that bar to the limits and I knew it was going to be impossible to find a strong enough bar to go beyond that. The issue with the barbells for standard weights is that they are limited hugely by how much weight they can hold. Due to standard weights only having a 1inch hole, the bars themselves are not particularly thick. Because Olympic weights have a 2inch hole, the bar tends to be thicker and it has a far greater maximum capacity. Most Olympic barbells can withstand up to 320kg and there is also a far lesser chance of them bending. I could buy another barbell, but the issue is that it might pretty much bend and be unusable within weeks due to how often I was using it and the amount of weight on it.

Thanks for all the info!! I never thought about the bar bending, but that makes sense, I'm guessing regular barbells (depending on quality) would be able to withstand about a third of the load then, so around the 100kg mark, and after that be susceptible to bending?
When I work with weights I tend to use dumbells anyway so standard weights are probably a better match for me. If I was in the UK still I'd probably have been interested in taking some of them off your hands, as I need to get some heavier plates.

[Fierce_LiNk]

26 minutes ago, Pestneb said:

Thanks for all the info!! I never thought about the bar bending, but that makes sense, I'm guessing regular barbells (depending on quality) would be able to withstand about a third of the load then, so around the 100kg mark, and after that be susceptible to bending?
When I work with weights I tend to use dumbells anyway so standard weights are probably a better match for me. If I was in the UK still I'd probably have been interested in taking some of them off your hands, as I need to get some heavier plates.

Regular standard barbells should be able to handle 100kg with no problem at all. It's when you get to the 150kg mark that it'll start to feel the strain. Maybe even slightly less than that, depending on the quality of the barbell and how often it's put under that strain.

Dumbbells should be absolutely fine. Yeah, it's unlucky that you're not in the UK or fairly nearby because the quality and selection of plates is pretty good. It's a really good weight set, just not what I need anymore. The 25kg plates are excellent. Just need to get around to photographing it all and putting it on Gumtree or something. 

Saying that, I completely adore my bumper plates. I know that they're going to last me a veeeeery long time, which is very reassuring to know. 

[bob]

Thanks for all the info!! I never thought about the bar bending, but that makes sense, I'm guessing regular barbells (depending on quality) would be able to withstand about a third of the load then, so around the 100kg mark, and after that be susceptible to bending?
When I work with weights I tend to use dumbells anyway so standard weights are probably a better match for me. If I was in the UK still I'd probably have been interested in taking some of them off your hands, as I need to get some heavier plates.

A bar of the same length and material that is twice as thick should be able to withstand 8 times the load. The strength (and deflection) changes with a r^4 rate. So if the 1inch bar does about 150kg as Flink says, the Olympic bar should take 1200kg to get to know the same amount of bending.

[Fierce_LiNk]

10 minutes ago, bob said:

3 hours ago, Pestneb said:

Thanks for all the info!! I never thought about the bar bending, but that makes sense, I'm guessing regular barbells (depending on quality) would be able to withstand about a third of the load then, so around the 100kg mark, and after that be susceptible to bending?
When I work with weights I tend to use dumbells anyway so standard weights are probably a better match for me. If I was in the UK still I'd probably have been interested in taking some of them off your hands, as I need to get some heavier plates.

A bar of the same length and material that is twice as thick should be able to withstand 8 times the load. The strength (and deflection) changes with a r^4 rate. So if the 1inch bar does about 150kg as Flink says, the Olympic bar should take 1200kg to get to know the same amount of bending.

I'm probably being a bit thick here, but how come it is able to withstand 8 times the load? I think most Olympic bars are rated at 320-360kg. (although you might be able to get away with loading more onto it, but not for long)

[bob]

I'm probably being a bit thick here, but how come it is able to withstand 8 times the load? I think most Olympic bars are rated at 320-360kg. (although you might be able to get away with loading more onto it, but not for long)

I suspect Olympic bars can probably withstand far more than the load they are rated to, but they limit it just to be safe.

I don't have the equations to hand right now as I'm on my phone on holiday, but the strength does go up in a power law (its either cubed or fourth, I can't remember which).

[Fierce_LiNk]

19 minutes ago, bob said:

I suspect Olympic bars can probably withstand far more than the load they are rated to, but they limit it just to be safe.

I don't have the equations to hand right now as I'm on my phone on holiday, but the strength does go up in a power law (its either cubed or fourth, I can't remember which).

They probably can, you're right there. The bars are very sturdy and well built.

Impressive, Bob.

[MindFreak]

Once an olympic bar has 200 kg loaded, you'll find it hard to get room for more weight, though. Also, at 200 kg they are bending - I've seen it. It's not a permanent bend, though.

 

I went for a run yesterday. Ended up doing 5.54 km in 23:51 (5k at 21:34)- not a bad time but still quite far from my personal best. I think that once spring hits, I will be running more. I've also been considered going for the home gym option - I don't lift more than 100 kg very often so should be fine with doing lighter weights and more reps. Problem is, though, that my flat has very soft floor so I'm afraid to leave permanent marks on the floor. It's also very warm in the summer and on the second floor so I'll not be so inclined to take out the weights. 

[drahkon]

Started doing keto yesterday.

Today I made salmon-spinach gratin with a whole lot of cheese and for desert chocolate microwave "cake". Keto is awesome Some leftover gratin for later and tomorrow

Spent quite a lot of money today for cocoa powder, Erythritol (sugar substitute) and almond flour. Erythritol was by far the most expensive, 8€ for 700g. Should last me for a while, though.
It's always funny when people ask me "What the hell do you it during keto?" expecting a short answer and I respond with "Bacon, eggs, salmon, chicken wings, meatballs, peanuts, basically every kind of cheese, vegetables, ...". The looks I get

 

Still a little under the weather. Playing football last Monday wasn't the greatest idea...should be completely healthy by Saturday/Sunday. Then it's time to hit the gym again.

Edited February 21, 2018 by drahkon

[Jon]

Last year I ran two half marathons in a 3 week period. I trained for 12 weeks leading up the first one which I did in 1:33:34, finishing 180th overall. 3 week later I did the Amsterdam one and ran it in 1:39.01. Looking back on this I wouldn't go two so close to each other again, unless it was literally a week. You go from such a high to the low of going back to training for the 3 weeks between races and it's really hard to run the long run in between again.

So much of doing a good time is down to conditions. It was 30 degrees for the Amsterdam race and it was absolutely mind over matter. I saw people collapse on the course from exhaustion and the heat and personally it was the worst experience of my life, the last few miles in particular were brutal.

The reason I mention all this? Starting training for the Hackney Half Marathon on Monday. Hoping for a sub 1 hour 30 minutes time hopefully!

[Raining_again]

the rated weight is to prevent them being bent.... they'll still work but not very well.  And you're basing them on being the same thing, which they are not.  a cheap bar is a cheap piece of metal.  an olympic bar is more complex, it has mechanical parts that make it spin and rotate.   I've used bars that have been only very slightly bent, just barely visible with the eye, and they are mechanically fucked, and make it very difficult to do any rotational movement like cleans and bicep curls.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Raining_again

[nightwolf]

+1 on everything Raining has said to be honest! 

I did a PB of 60kg deadlift on Friday, which considering how much pain I was in this time two weeks ago made me feel really satisfied. I'm genuinely hoping for a PB of 100kg by the end of the year, but at this rate it'll be sooner than that.

I've now also added cardio back into my rountine, so it'll go cardio -> lifts -> cardio, every day, it's meaning I'm a little more worn out at the end of each session, but those extra 20 minutes or cardio really seems to be doing the trick. 

[Fierce_LiNk]

Thinking about putting stiff legged or Romanian deadlifts back into my routine. Did some stiff legged deadlifts yesterday and quite enjoyed them. Hamstrings are feeling it today.

[bob]

the rated weight is to prevent them being bent.... they'll still work but not very well.  And you're basing them on being the same thing, which they are not.  a cheap bar is a cheap piece of metal.  an olympic bar is more complex, it has mechanical parts that make it spin and rotate.   I've used bars that have been only very slightly bent, just barely visible with the eye, and they are mechanically fucked, and make it very difficult to do any rotational movement like cleans and bicep curls.

Yeah sorry I know nothing about weight lifting, I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than just a metal bar!

[Fierce_LiNk]

On ‎23‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 9:45 PM, Raining_again said:

the rated weight is to prevent them being bent.... they'll still work but not very well.  And you're basing them on being the same thing, which they are not.  a cheap bar is a cheap piece of metal.  an olympic bar is more complex, it has mechanical parts that make it spin and rotate.   I've used bars that have been only very slightly bent, just barely visible with the eye, and they are mechanically fucked, and make it very difficult to do any rotational movement like cleans and bicep curls.

I actually had no idea about the Olympic bar being able to rotate and spin until the first time that I used one. It's strange, but insanely useful. Hope it'll last me a long time! 

Looking at maybe getting some dip attachments for the cage. I miss having them in the routine and they're not too expensive. 

[drahkon]

Been to the gym for the first time in 5 months this morning. Feels good. Decided to make a slight chance to the Stronglift 5x5 program.

Will do 5x5 Deadlift, 5x5 Overhead Press and Biceps curls for one workout, the other one remains the same (Squats, Barbell Row, Bench Press). I started running recently and I think Squats for every workout would be too much stress for my legs.

I obviously have to start from scratch basically...5x5 Deadlift with 30kg (20 + 10) and Overhead Press just the bar (20kg) I feel weak. I may be able to use a little more weight for Squats, though.

 

Regarding Keto: 1 1/2 weeks in. My cravings for pasta/rice/etc are almost gone. I indulge my sweet tooth once in a while with almond flour chocolate microwave "cakes" and whipped cream with sugar substitute. It's awesome

Now that I've started working out again I need to increase my calorie intake...will be quite difficult as I can't eat as much now as before.

Edited March 1, 2018 by drahkon