thread of getting sw0le

no point in living if ur not sw0le tbh

I signed up for a New York Sports Club on a $20/month one-club-only deal -- I figured I only ever have time to go on my work lunchbreak so I might as well just have a club by work. It doesn't even include towels, but for $10 you get a ten-towel "towel card" and then half the time they're cool and just give you a towel without a punch. It's a nice clean gym with all the basics and a nice locker room, and it's never ridiculously crowded, which is probably why it had the deal.

It also does not include classes but I'm not much for classes -- I will push myself hard within my own program but I also like to stop when I feel like stopping.

I think it's probably the best gym deal in Manhattan. They probably offer it on the assumption that 80-90% of the people won't go regularly, and I go extremely regularly.

basically the business model for all gyms

yeah

it's interesting how every time I go I pretty much see the same 15-20 faces plus a small handful of randoms. I like that anonymous familiarity, like I start to see those same super-fit guys and feel like I am a journeyman in their path or something.

lol tru

gah travel, visitors, and sickness have completely derailed me from my sw0le plan --- been trying to do 2 weight sessions a week and a certain volume of cardio (as measured in total weekly hours) and it has been tough, my structure feels so fragile

i took a week off in september so i was doing good in august and september then i did bad again because i work way too much to the point i'm like ready to drive my car off a cliff. i'll start again after i finish this murder.

oh it just sounded like i'm literally killing someone i'm not don't worry

go murder some weights is what you need to do, stat

Brad--i do all that! but for real I have tiny wrists, almost avian bone syndrome type stuff. so maybe I'm in denial but I feel like I am dealing with a real physiological limitation.

plus it's just plain frustrating when your grip gives out when the rest of you is feeling great.

might try the "hook grip" tho.

I'm not really the guy to give advice since the heaviest things I pick up are boxes of cat litter

cld be wrong but grip strength seems like it shldnt have that much to do w wrist size, its more yr forarm muscles, grip strength seems like its generally a weak link which is why wrist straps exist, but also they seem pretty lame

needless to say a cursory surfing reveals youtube is full of grip strength workouts

http://deadspin.com/grip-it-good-633052708

def not planning on using them except as a means to finish off a set I wouldn't otherwise be able to do without risk of dropping the bar. they are def lame and possibly counterproductive, hence my hesitance.

of course, it seems like a good idea to also start on some grip stretch stuff as well.

http://i.imgur.com/rtsJBp1.gif

brooo

ha nolan on point as usual

i posted this before, but here's a good video of rippetoe talking about grip:

https://youtu.be/9OK-S3ZJZxQ

pushing and pulling grip are different things, is the short version

its sad hamilton nolan doesnt realize being sexy has more utility than lifting heavy things

it's a sad world that places value on other (weaker) abilities over lifting heavy things. i believe nietzsche wrote about this somewhere.

On a gut level I like the philosophy of not trying to lift more than you can naturally grip, feels "holistic" or something. Of course what a "natural" grip is is probably open to a lot of debate.

i do a lot of farmer carries . besides just grip strength help is a killer full body workout

ok you guys are convincing me. thanks for talking me off the ledge.

i do have to use a belt tho.

hard to find farmers to carry around here

any homeless will do

crustie carry (add dog for extra weight)

"its sad hamilton nolan doesnt realize being sexy has more utility than lifting heavy things"

Lol at this comment on that article:

My old football coach would say, "Curls? Curls will get you laid, but won't make your arms strong."

Everyone spent more time at the curling station than any other.

i'm a big fan of mixed grip for deadlifts.

omg lifting weights makes me so hungry

let's talk abt food

ok im readyw

protein shake directly after lifting and a protein rich meal soon after, all i got

fuck yeah

there's a really good $6 teriyaki cart that sometimes sets up btw my gym and office and I love getting a giant bowl of meat and rice after a workout.

otm

and I also usually eat a protein bar immediately in the locker room, partly just because it helps stave off feeling shaky.

shaky? man you're going pretty hard!

the other day after lifting* i drank a protein shake then ate a whole block of tofu and some chinese broccoli and my body was all u shd feed me a burrito too so i ate a burrito too i was powerless before this burrito desire, its weird tho i almost never get like that where i go into insane animal mode and must be fed

*tbf it was an extremely long workout that included lifting and i prob went into it underfueled

this is the whey powder i have, i saw it recommended in a few places:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DYIZH6?colid=21K24HK68J9XQ&coliid=I1UD56LTGYD2EX&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img

don't buy from amzn tho if you can help it

I actually find I get the hungriest if I do 2 or 3 lifting days back to back -- the NEXT day I wake up like I need to hunt and kill something immediately.

i never lift two days in a row, i usually run the next day

this summer i was routinely eating 4000-5000kcals a day (incl. abt ~0.5gal-1gal of milk a day) but it was pretty tough to keep up, gained a lot of weight tho. some fat inevitably but some lean weight also.

rival-us's "clean gainer" has v high cal content and tastes pretty decent imo

this is the protein powder i have cause its unsweetened/flavored, i buy it on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Protein-Natural-Pound/dp/B0013OVWHM/ref=sr_1_1

yeah rest days are important. it's one of those gym truisms that "you do damage at the gym, you build muscle while you sleep"

speaking of supplements, i draw the line at creatine, that's way over the bridge into obsessive juicer territory in my mind. even going to the vitamin store to get the whey was a mental leap for me tbh.

It's a matter of work schedule -- I only get to lift at work lunchtime because my gym is by work and because I have little kids at home so no time on weekends. I prefer to take days in between, but if I feel like I'm going to be crunched later in the week I go back to back and just make sure not to do back and legs on consecutive days (deadlifts / squats).

i used this stuff - https://www.pinksun.co.uk/whey-protein-grass-fed-hormone-free

i don't do shakes any more though cause i kinda reached my goals (i'm not supposed to say that right?) so now i just make sure the next meal has a lot of protein in it

18 year old cousin got testicular cancer because of 'roids

no amount of sw0le, however much it gets you laid, is worth it

staying healthy should be #1

creatine is totally ok you guys. not even remotely the same as roids. just saying.

i spend an hour making breakfast and packing food every weekday morning. :|