Working out?

[Raziaar]

Just position yourself under the bar and listen to me. Alright, here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna take all the weight on your neck. Then, you're gonna jam your legs down and hyperextend your ankles and then shoot back up and lock your knees in place.

need illustration.

 

[Dynasty]

Larger men tend to hold their stomachs in, relax them and then suck them in most of the day, which is apparently a good way of toning.

Crunches etc are the way to go of course, or raising your knees to your chest on the edge of a bench where only your ass is touching the bench.

But yeah, doing situps or crunches wont give you a 6 pack on the outside until you reduce the fat around your stomach to the muscle layer underneath. Its like hiding a 6-pack under a beanbag; its there, you just cant see it. Doesnt mean you shouldnt do situps or crunches, you just wont actually see the effects until youve lost weight.

And unfortunately you cant control where your weight gets lost. I tend to get a slimmer face and maybe legs/ass, but my lovehandles take forever to dissappear. Im the kind of guy that puts on weight sideways rather than a bulging barrel of a stomach like most men.

 

[jondy]

@ evilmilk - I have now!

Does anyone here climb at all? It's incredibly fun - you get lots of fresh air, meet loads of really interesting people, but most importantly for this thread, it shreds you up like you would not believe. Excellent for your flexibility, muscle tone, tendon strength, core strength etc. etc. So yeah, go climbing and look like Chris Sharma and things

If you're in a city of a reasonable size, you've got an indoor wall somewhere to have a bash at. Bouldering - climbing without ropes, generally somewhat closer to the ground - is another thing to try, as you don't need to hire or own lots of gear, which can be very expensive. I'm lucky in Bristol to have a whole indoor spot dedicated to indoor bouldering, TCA -

Finally, if you do fancy a bash, see if there's some Deep Water Soloing in your area. This is climbing, without ropes, over water (usually sea in the UK) and it's absolutely fantastic - all of the height and adrenaline of traditional roped climbing, without the formality and restrictions of ropes and harnesses.

So yeah, a really good way to get fit, and you'll be so busy getting better, having fun and solving harder problems that it's nothing like the chore I'm pretty sure going to the gym is.

 

[Raziaar]

Bodies are for hookers or fat people.

 

[<RJMC>]

I have been to the gym from time to time,but I get bored quickly so I keep quting though I do feel a bit is beneficies

so any one have other exercise that can fit for me? I have been thinking of buying a bicicle and runs circle around
sometimes I do push ups in my room when bored but allways forget to do it dayli

or maybe should go back to the gym

also they put a lot of lady gaga music and there isnt enough hot chicks :\

 

[RidleyRockets]

If I recall correctly, for your abs to be visible your body fat percentage must be at a level of around 6-8%. So while sit-ups and crunches may help in stimulating muscular growth, it really isn't until you're at that level that your abs really show.

Has anybody else wondered what the average volume of shit per bodybuilder is btw?

You can have abs at way over 6-8% body fat, 6% is really really lean.

 

[evil^milk]

@ evilmilk - I have now!

You can have abs at way over 6-8% body fat, 6% is really really lean.

Huh. It's what I had read in so many fitness articles. What BF% do abs start showing up then?

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

I started working out sometime in may or so and didnt feel like paying for a gym every month so I went and bout myself a pull up bar, some weights, and a bench.

You can do a whole variety of different routines with just that, and I mix it in with cardio every 2 days or so (Bout a 3 mile run) and I've pretty much been in the best shape I've been ever. Also I can now rip off my shirt and let hulkamania go wild on you etc etc

 

[RidleyRockets]

Huh. It's what I had read in so many fitness articles. What BF% do abs start showing up then?

You can get them at 12%. Most people aren't familiar with what body fat percentages look like, 6% is really lean and even 12% is still going to look good.

 

[Dynasty]

Is it true you're supposed to be able to have a slightly winded conversation when jogging?

Frigging impossible for me.

 

[StarBob]

Is it true you're supposed to be able to have a slightly winded conversation when jogging?

Frigging impossible for me.

Run slower. I can't run slow enough to do it though. I can walk quickly probably. Probably means I Should just be speed walking like a 60 year old menopausal woman. I've never really been exposed to aerobic workout though... all anaerobic workouts for football... which are still pretty good for you cardiovascularly. They just train your muscles to accept oxygen and burn energy differently.

edit: On body fat percentages - people also carry body fat differently. It builds at different rates at different points in the body for different people. Also if you're a larger person, because you have more area - a higher percentage of body fat doesn't look as bad as it would for a smaller person. Body fat percentage is also dependant on muscle density since it's a percentage of your overall mass. Then it becomes a density issue. It's hard to give specifics like "at this point you will start to see a lot of definition" or something like that.

 

[Raziaar]

If you're out running for calorie burning... walk instead.

If you're out for a good cardio workout to strengthen your lungs and heart, go ahead and run.

Running doesn't always burn more calories than talking, and for a large chunk of it, walking actually burns the same and more calories for distance traveled.

It's about how much time you're exercising, not necessarily how hard.

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

Is it true you're supposed to be able to have a slightly winded conversation when jogging?

Frigging impossible for me.

Keep jogging regularly and you'll find that it will start to be pretty easy to do so. I run fairly regularly, and on occasion I'll join a friend of mine who jogs and it usually ends up being a one sided conversation as I can talk and jog with her pretty good, but she can't say a few sentences before going out of breath.

 

[Raziaar]

Okay, I brought my weight bench in from outside. It had collected a billion spiders, inches of dust and grime and rust, but I have it all cleaned off now and in my room.

I don't really consume a lot of calcium... what are the chances my wrists will snap and I get crushed by the weights I'm holding up?

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

I don't really consume a lot of calcium... what are the chances my wrists will snap and I get crushed by the weights I'm holding up?

THE CHANCES ARE 100%

real talk: Unless you're lifting something ridiculous I wouldn't worry, although if you start experiencing some pain in your wrists and your technique is all good then I'd go down a bit from whatever you used to lift.

 

[Raziaar]

Well, I'm a little old lady in menopause, and my bone density is atrocious!

 

[StarBob]

Second time old ladies in menopause has been mentioned...

I'm going to get back to the gym soon... So I can bend steel bars and such... you know the drill.

 

[Raziaar]

Second time old ladies in menopause has been mentioned...

I'm going to get back to the gym soon... So I can bend steel bars and such... you know the drill.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Yes, everybody do the same thing.

 

[morgs]

I used to be fit enough in my old job, but since leaving I have withered down to my former weakling self. I might start an exercise routine. Don't know if I'd like the gym, too many posers etc.

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

I used to be fit enough in my old job, but since leaving I have withered down to my former weakling self. I might start an exercise routine. Don't know if I'd like the gym, too many posers etc.

Depending on your area, the local gyms are usually the ones where you can find people who are pretty serious about working out (although you'll get the summer GOTTA GET BUFF crew in any gym).

Local gyms usually have better deals too, although if all you have access too are the more popular chain ones (ballys, and Work out World over here in NJ) than you shouldn't let it stop you if you're serious about getting in shape.

 

[Raziaar]

I went to a gym once.

Some dudes looked like they wanted to bench me.

I left.

 

[morgs]

Depending on your area, the local gyms are usually the ones where you can find people who are pretty serious about working out (although you'll get the summer GOTTA GET BUFF crew in any gym).

Local gyms usually have better deals too, although if all you have access too are the more popular chain ones (ballys, and Work out World over here in NJ) than you shouldn't let it stop you if you're serious about getting in shape.

Yeah I might ask around for a reputable gym and maybe get on a plan or something.

Also Raz, that's my vision of going to the gym

 

[Adrik_Senturu]

I went to a gym once.

Some dudes looked like they wanted to bench me.

I left.

That was pretty much what I thought for the first month of working out in the gym I go too. It's a local gym so the deals are pretty sweet, but every one there looks like they participate in that WORLDS STRONGEST MAN contest (powerlifting cars and mountains and all that) so it was pretty intimidating.

 

[StarBob]

That was pretty much what I thought for the first month of working out in the gym I go too. It's a local gym so the deals are pretty sweet, but every one there looks like they participate in that WORLDS STRONGEST MAN contest (powerlifting cars and mountains and all that) so it was pretty intimidating.

I thought about training for that once... and I probably would have if I had kept power lifting from age 15... but I played football instead.

 

[Raziaar]

Ugh. I am so pitifully weak now, and it has me depressed. When I was younger, like 13-16, I was pretty fit and strong. I spent several of my summers working on a large retaining wall construction project my Uncle had for his house, which involved thousands of railroad ties, heavy rebar, and digging. Lots of lifting, lots of hammering thick pieces of rebar into tight holes(sexy) with sledgehammers, and lots of shoveling. I had a fairly respectable bench press weight for a kid who really didn't spend any time doing intentional weight training.



But now... after a decade(god, has it really been that long?), I've grown so weak and woefully out of shape... let myself go. Years and years of sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary habits.

<sigh>

 

[Dynasty]

In other words, you work in an office now?

Ever since I started my first job in an office, I started putting on a bit of weight each month. Which is always harder to get rid of than putting it on, naturally, its so fair...

Its not fair than chocolate makes you fat, but Ive had my fair share and guess what.

 

[thefiznut]

I ate horrible, horrible food and soda for years up until a few months ago.
Started eating medicinal mushrooms, astragalus, and fish oil and started losing weight some how.. even while eating pizza and fast food.
So then I got the idea to start running everyday and doing some workouts.
Now, about three months later I look and feel like an entirely different person, and I mean ENTIRELY different. Very, very healthy and my muscles are so responsive its unbelievable.
On my supplement regimin with solid fuel food I experience almost zero fatigue, muscle pain, or joint pain. My diet is very anti-inflammatory as well.
Good food and solid immune boosting supplements have accelerated this entire process for me in a way I didn't think possible.
Currently I can run indefinitely and still feel like running more an hour later, the only thing that keeps me from running more than 5 miles per day is my patience.. It's hard to run around a track repeatedly and not get bored of it.
On a bike however, because its not as monotone, I could easily go for extreme distances. In any kind of cardio workout I get into a controlled deep breath that I can sustain for very long periods of time without my heart aching and muscles giving in.

Worked for me.



Oh, forgot to mention.. If any of you are feeling inspired by this thread and are beginning your quest to good health, do not work against the grain.
Stop eating high saturated fat, trans fat, simple carb, refined sugar diets.. I mean just stop entirely. You will struggle and make the process far longer than necessary if you continue to do so. Switch to a vegatables, fruit, nuts, legumes, and fish diet. And don't bother with treating yourself to junk every once in a while, it does nothing but bog you down halfway through the week until you shit it all out, and then reinforce the idea that its actually okay to load up on garbage sometimes. This more often than not leads to cheating more than you thought you would, and if you're like me you won't be able to help yourself. Once you've been on a rock solid diet for a while, your tastes acclimate and nutritional food tastes better than it used to so you probably won't crave junk nearly as much anyways. Bouncing between good food and bad food throughout your week just isn't a good idea.

 

[Dynasty]

I dont think alot of people realise how hard it actually is to cut down on sugars and ''carbs'' etc. Like smokers. Actually ***k smokers, you have no addiction.

Once you get to a certain stage, you become either slightly diabetic or develop hypoglycemia (brain stretching back to A-levels here, correct me if im wrong), so without that sugar, at some point during the day your body crashes. You get the shakes, become weak, light headed etc, and its almost impossible to fight through. Yes there are natural sugars out there, but your instant reaction is to reach for a coke or a bar of some sort.

Your body has become addicted to the diet you currently have as it knows nothing else. Take sweets away from a kid, what happens?

Its too hard for some to just strip it all away and expect to see a change. It needs to be done slowly, every day shaving a small amount off. This is the problem, just getting used to the new diet isnt even half the battle and you feel like you can never win.

Plus, a change in diet wont do much, initially. Its too easy to eat a new diet and think ''yeah! the pounds will drop like flies now!'', because no, you have to go running. And running for someone that has never run before can be seriously daunting.

I for one cant stand running. Lungs burn like hell's fire, no matter what pace I set I can never get a comfortable rythm, so ***k it for now until I wake myself up. Im not THAT bad, Im the kind of guy that has always been naturally big, not obese, but big (hell, I was just over 11 pounds at birth, consider the average is about 7 or so), and I am actually big boned (scientifically).

What annoys me is that I KNOW I can lose a tonne of weight, as I did it in first year, but that was because I ate chicken stir-fries almost every night, wraps at lunch and small breakfasts, because I had limited money and didnt know what else to cook, or couldnt be bothered making anything fancy when I loved Chinese foods. And I was in the student clubs twice a week, walking everywhere, and it did come off, but I noticed it took a year to do, which is probably the reason why I cant be arsed;

Losing weight can take forever, and the idea of sticking with what needs to be done is a bit..meh.

 

[thefiznut]

Yeah, refined sugar is extremely addictive and does a lot of damage to the brain. Depriving your brain of glucose on a regular schedule will make it hard to stop.

I did it without scaling back though, so it can be done. I just had a lot of drive to do so.

 

[Raziaar]

In other words, you work in an office now?

Pretty much... an office environment.

 

[Raziaar]

I'm depressed as ****. I'm trying to get out and exercise more, by walking, instead of just lifting weights... but I can't get very far before my shin splints stop me.

I don't know how or why they crept up on me. I've maintained the some weight for a long time, the same sedentary lifestyle... but now all of a sudden I can't go for even a short walk. without my shins absolutely killing me. Used to enjoy going on walks for many miles, and the only thing that would hurt me is the bottom of my feet after a couple hours walking.

How the **** can you press on with exercising when faced with stupid shit like this. ****ing body.

I don't even feel any typical muscle pain from the damage and regrowth of muscle in the days after I experience this excruciating pain. So it feels to me like walking isn't going to help shit, and being sedentary isn't going to help either because that's probably how it got this way, somehow(even though I was very sedentary before, when I used to have the periodic long walks)

 

[15357]

Aspirin. It works wonders, I tell you.

 

[Raziaar]

Aspirin. It works wonders, I tell you.

That sounds like a very bad idea... working through that kind of pain. Bound to do long term damage.

 

[bam23]

sounds like you tried to do too much before your body could handle it

 

[Raziaar]

sounds like you tried to do too much before your body could handle it

I barely traveled any distance at all. Less than a third of a mile before the shin pain kicked in.

 

[evil^milk]

well how long had it been since you started walking again

 

[Raziaar]

well how long had it been since you started walking again

I dunno. Couple of years? I don't know why I stopped. Possibly something to do with the Texas weather. A ****ing uncomfortable experience to go walking in this heat.

Like I said, I've lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle for the past 7 or so years. Let myself go in that time. When I was 16-17 I was pretty damn fit.

 

[Uriel]

I dunno. Couple of years? I don't know why I stopped. Possibly something to do with the Texas weather. A ****ing uncomfortable experience to go walking in this heat.

Like I said, I've lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle for the past 7 or so years. Let myself go in that time. When I was 16-17 I was pretty damn fit.

You against taking any supplements? I can recommend you some stuff that'll help you get back on track and feeling better about yourself. No, it's not steroids and it's very common stuff to use.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Texas has the highest concentration of meat in the air or something like that. Heart attack walks.