Since becoming single I've been going to the gym a lot more - even on the weekends which is a deep cut for me! Noticed a few pains in places like my elbows, which is a bit annoying as I know I need to build up my tricep/arm strength a bit. I also kind of want to work out a good way to lose weight around my chest. I've always had quite a broad chest which looks mooby if I don't exercise. I do the resistance machines, but I'm worried this is only going to make things more pronounced.
Really I'd like to move away from resistance machines and start learning how to do free-weights / full body exercises but I basically don't know where to begin and find the free weights area irrationally intimidating
― brand new universal harvester (dog latin), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 07:47 (six years ago) link
this is the thread for you! scroll up and see if anything strikes your fancy or if you would like a quick recap of free weight basics
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 07:50 (six years ago) link
waddup? stevie d is up that's what― you bet, nancy (map), Monday, April 30, 2018 11:05 PM (nine hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― you bet, nancy (map), Monday, April 30, 2018 11:05 PM (nine hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
awwww 💪👍
― the masseduction of lauryn hill (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 13:18 (six years ago) link
i can't recommend this site enough: https://exrx.net/ get lost in there
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 1 May 2018 13:23 (six years ago) link
it hit me recently that in my pursuit of GAINS I have gotten slightly fat, so I decided to freeze my GAINS, focus on maintaining strength, and use a calorie app to cut a bit.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 3 May 2018 14:11 (six years ago) link
this is hard. I think I need to reduce my calories a bit more to give myself room for error. I actually somehow gained a couple pounds since I started this.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 10 May 2018 17:59 (six years ago) link
give it a couple weeks before you start taking the scale seriously imo. tho honestly unless you have a specific number you are trying to hit like you are weighing in for a fight or something i suggest just trying to hit a rough caloric ballpark and judging by the mirror, which is what will drive satisfaction ultimately.
i spent like a year obsessively tracking and weighing and that level of microfocus just distracted me from the very real progress i was making both aesthetically and in strength.
― adam, Thursday, 10 May 2018 18:09 (six years ago) link
I mean it was definitely prompted by aesthetics and not just the scale -- otherwise I'd attribute it all to muscle weight gains. My trunk is noticeably a lot thicker and sort of boxy looking now, and I'm not really liking it, and there's a good sized layer of fat on my belly -- always a problem for me but the lifting has sort of pushed it out more. I don't look terrible and I definitely look fitter and stronger than I did, but I don't want to get any bigger until I get leaner.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 10 May 2018 18:13 (six years ago) link
are you still keeping up with reducing starchy carbs
― F# A# (∞), Thursday, 10 May 2018 18:20 (six years ago) link
yeah i'm in the same boat. when my daughter was born in november i was like fuck it and was like dipping oreos in peanut butter and stuff (tho still lifting). the gains were good but i def got a little soft.
my strategy for the last two months or so has been to set an unrealistically low caloric goal (ie 1000 or so below maintenance) and to hit it when i feel like it. if i go over it's not a big deal b/c there's no way i'm going 1000 calories over so i'm still on the right track. it's working, albeit slowly.
― adam, Thursday, 10 May 2018 18:23 (six years ago) link
eat real food mostly vegetables iirc
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:24 (six years ago) link
certain vegetables are good dipped in peanut butter it's true
― adam, Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:33 (six years ago) link
Weight’s a funny thing earlier last year I dropped 13 kilos by eliminating most carbs from my diet and eating one that was oriented towards green veggies and beans with some eggs, meat, fish and cheese. After about 6 months it levelled off but I’ve still been slimming around the waist, and getting new holes put in all my belts. These seems like a decent outcome. This Along with Pilates twice a week and I now have abs and core strength which is a pretty new experience for me.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:41 (six years ago) link
― F# A# (∞), Thursday, May 10, 2018 1:20 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I basically cut pasta which used to be a go-to lazy dinner for me a lot. I eat bread in the morning but it's high protein, high-fiber multigrain bread. I eat rice but I take a much smaller helping of it than I used to. I've increased my veggies. I rely on berries when I feel like I want sugar.
Work unfortunately has a snack stash and it's hard for me to consistently avoid the granola bars. I do think I look a little better so maybe the scale will eventually show it.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:53 (six years ago) link
ed otm
that's what i've been rooting for for quite a while
starchy carbs stick to your intestines, eating anything that makes you shit (eat fiber whenever you can, except weekends i would say) helps, as well
i love trader joe's bran cereal
some good steel cut oats, as well, but i was raised on porridge
― F# A# (∞), Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:56 (six years ago) link
man alive
ya man just give it some time
when you change yr diet, i would say it takes 2-3 weeks depending on yr body to show results
experiment w different amounts of granola bars, maybe you can zero in on a good balance
― F# A# (∞), Thursday, 10 May 2018 19:59 (six years ago) link
when i'm craving something sweet, i eat dark chocolate, sometimes ritter sport's hazelenut dark chocolate, but i only eat four little squares, and i do that maybe 2-3 times a week, but not every week
― F# A# (∞), Thursday, 10 May 2018 20:00 (six years ago) link
I found a 99% dark chocolate which is surprisingly good. Lately I’ve been allowing myself a chocolate croissant before frisbee on Saturday morning and a burger after. It’s also the only time during. The week I’ll drink beer. This seems to be okay. I’m also not too strict if someone else is cooking for me. Last Sunday our French friends made crepes for us - my insides weren’t right for days.Sometimes I crave something bready and make farinata which is a pancake made with chickpea flower water and olive oil, delicious and high in fibre and protein. https://goo.gl/images/4wjDw8
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, 10 May 2018 20:21 (six years ago) link
unfortunately even dark chocolate is something I tend to overeat. Sugar just begets more sugar for me. That's why I try to stick to berries, which you can really eat a surprising amount of without adding a lot of cals.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Thursday, 10 May 2018 20:39 (six years ago) link
So into my new routine, doing barbell benches and incline benches feels really great and I can’t wait to see how much weight I’m able to add over the next few months Still getting the hang of deadlifts, my lower back is less and less sore each week, I think it’s a combination of me getting the form right but also just those muscles strengthening?
― the masseduction of lauryn hill (Stevie D(eux)), Saturday, 12 May 2018 15:48 (six years ago) link
I thought I could do that with dark chocolate too but I just pigged out on it anyway. I quit processed sugar about two weeks ago. It was less painful than some make it out to be and I've been mostly successful in avoiding its hidden forms. It does get weird walking through the supermarket and looking at almost everything and thinking "I don't eat that now."
― how's life, Saturday, 12 May 2018 17:06 (six years ago) link
just read this, hope you all like it https://www.t-nation.com/training/you-dont-know-how-to-curl
― forensic plumber (harbl), Monday, 14 May 2018 00:29 (six years ago) link
i feel like i am getting very str0ng in 2018, doing a lot of reps & doing a good job
― forensic plumber (harbl), Saturday, 19 May 2018 18:05 (six years ago) link
nice
― sprout god (lag∞n), Saturday, 19 May 2018 18:15 (six years ago) link
Still getting the hang of deadlifts, my lower back is less and less sore each week, I think it’s a combination of me getting the form right but also just those muscles strengthening?
― the masseduction of lauryn hill (Stevie D(eux)), Saturday, May 12, 2018 11:48 AM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
rippetoe on soreness, pretty interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2OA9x9UcXU
― sprout god (lag∞n), Saturday, 19 May 2018 18:20 (six years ago) link
i tore my rotator cuff about 6 weeks ago and had to reset everything. i decided to try and get an inch or two lower on the squat and it's been eye-opening. it's hard working back through weights i would have breezed through earlier. i feel stronger now though, weirdly. i "sit down" more and feel it more in my core. the deadlift too, I've gone back to basics. i think basically no matter how awesome you think you are you can always improve your form.
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 19 May 2018 21:27 (six years ago) link
its all about the form baby!
― sprout god (lag∞n), Saturday, 19 May 2018 22:20 (six years ago) link
Recently was advised by a good lifting trainer that I'm actually squatting TOO deep now, which was weird to hear since I've struggled with depth for so long. It made sense though-- started to feel like I was losing power at the bottom of the squat.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Sunday, 20 May 2018 02:26 (six years ago) link
yeah power lifters go just below parallel, if what u care about is how much u can lift then just stop there, going lower is cool tho for other reasons, like an olympic lifter
https://i.imgur.com/uOVPCai.png
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:12 (six years ago) link
bro check out that shelf he made w his traps
https://i.imgur.com/MZ4daz6.png
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:25 (six years ago) link
thats liao hui u guys know the absolute unit lasha tho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss2de7kwcA8
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:27 (six years ago) link
siiiiiiiiiiiiick
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:37 (six years ago) link
ridiculous speed/explosiveness
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:39 (six years ago) link
def have decided against taking up olympic lifting at my age though, I'll stick to the basics
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:42 (six years ago) link
that guy prob has a 35 inch vert despite being pretty fat
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:43 (six years ago) link
yeah olympic lifts arent easy
good lord
― you bet, nancy (map), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:45 (six years ago) link
getting depth on a squat is cool tho imo u exercise a wider range of motion get flexible and so forth
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:45 (six years ago) link
like theres a bunch of technique stuff w a power squat that helps u get the weight up but it doesnt really mean yr getting stronger in a ~holistic~ sense, utilizing the bounce vs doing a pause squat and so forth
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 03:48 (six years ago) link
i took a break from weights for three weeks, just ran and did yoga, and my legs are feeling great - was having some knee issues. i did a few light front squats today and ehh i might just stick with long hold warrior poses + doing all those little adjustments getting good alignment etc for a while.
― you bet, nancy (map), Sunday, 20 May 2018 04:01 (six years ago) link
i like the combination of lifting and yoga i find them very complimentary
― sprout god (lag∞n), Sunday, 20 May 2018 04:03 (six years ago) link
+1 me too.
― you bet, nancy (map), Sunday, 20 May 2018 04:22 (six years ago) link
trainer tonight said that my speed is actually very good on deadlift, he said I'm "a natural athlete." This is the only sport where I have ever heard that, lol.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 22 May 2018 03:54 (six years ago) link
i literally just can't when it comes to anything involving a ball and i'm extremely clumsy in everyday life but i've had more than a few people compliment me about my form and flexibility with weghts and yoga. always nice to hear when you grow up thinking you aren't a physically talented person.
― you bet, nancy (map), Tuesday, 22 May 2018 04:04 (six years ago) link
Yeah p much me. I was klutzy and slow at processing, like I'd always fuck up drills or be unable to understand what the coach was yelling at me to do. I did become ok at baseball but that's a slower sport. The fact that there's this sport where all you have to do is pick up heavy shit with good form at your own pace is a revelation for me.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 22 May 2018 04:27 (six years ago) link
lagoon otm
― F# A# (∞), Tuesday, 22 May 2018 06:04 (six years ago) link
u guise im eating so mucf
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 22 May 2018 21:03 (six years ago) link
Yeah man, it makes you hungry. Still haven’t quite found the right balance between adequate protein/calories for strength gains and not growing my belly.
― Fedora Dostoyevsky (man alive), Tuesday, 22 May 2018 22:46 (six years ago) link
i find myself hungriest on heavy deadlift days. like yesterday at work i was seriously considering eating the tums from my desk drawer, on some ate-all-the-tarragon-drank-all-the-soy-sauce shit
― adam, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 11:42 (six years ago) link
i basically had to stop lifting cause it made me insanely fat, but i lost the weight and im back baby lol
― sprout god (lag∞n), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 15:31 (six years ago) link