All-Purpose Health and Fitness Thread

[Shartnado]

As promised, Trapbar today. Starting with 3x390, 1 and 3x495,5 without Versas from the small platforms, then from the higher platforms 3x579, 3x633, 3x639, 3x623, 6x579 and 13x485. Then a few shrugs with 440 and actual sets with 346 and 295.

Good start for the week.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Random sighting of Brian Cage telling Mike Israetel to stop leaning on his leg press.

Edited February 9, 2023 by SprintingFromAmerica

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Lost an update to the DVDVR login gremlins. Shoulder is more like 64% I'd say, but I don't count my chickens. Seeing a physio next week.

Got a PR on the SSB Pin GM - 110kg x 3.

Reverse band machine hack squats tomorrow.

[Shartnado]

I don't know if it is the new bench or the psychological damage of realizing that none of your bench records for the past 5 or so years are real, but the bench press has been difficult as fuck. The best I managed was a few sets of 3 or 4 with 241 (which would have been lifted as "247" previously) and they felt rough. More pump sets with 220 and 139 and pump was not bad, but the reps were just not there. This was Tuesday. Bunch of standing dumbell curls and side delt work were also on the menu.

Wednesday we just carried a bunch of boards to reinforce the floor so we can finally do deadlift etc without the platforms if and when we want. Still no mirrors on the walls though.

Thursday was behind the neck OHP with EZ Bar, with 4x15 with 91 and 3x15 with 86, then lat pull down combos with resistance bands and push downs. 3 sets of dumbell curls on Scott bench with 57, 53 and 48,5 with 10 reps per arm and two sets of hammer curls (until the reps become so partial that you say that's it) with a pair of 70,5's and 75's.

I'm going today too, after I've watched Dynamite and I guess it should be calves and squat machine.

[Shartnado]

Yup, I got the calves and squats done on the machine. After a warm-up with 143, I did 10x160, 10x238, 12x330, 8x427, 10x330, as well as a set of calves with all those weights and smaller weights while unloading the plates. Also some one legged calf raises on a platform between all sets. I also some powerwheel and other ab stuff and three sets of dumbell OHP, two standing and one sitting down.

After this I will probably not do trapbar very early next week, but rather later on. And now for two days of eating everything in sight, starting...well, an hour ago!

[Shartnado]

Crazy week, 5 workouts. Working through the weekend, as well. This will probably affect next week's workouts.

Bench is slowly improving with some reps with legit 264, but nothing special.

Plenty of heavy dumbell stuff on a few different days. That's the most fun I have during these workouts.

Trapbar was on Thursday. I had my left lat all jammed up during the day, so I took an extra half an hour just to warm up and stretch and roll to loosen it up. During the workout I did the following: 456 lbs from a deficit without Versas (standing on a platform), 506,5lbs from close to a ground level without Versas. 572,5lbs from the same level with Versas. Then off the same platforms as previous few weeks, 4x579, two separate singles with 645, after failing the first attempt. 3x610, 6 and 5x516,5lbs and finally 15x494,5lbs. I didn't do any heavy shrugs, but did some light stuff to get the circulation going in that area. The next day the lat was feeling pretty fine, but the jam had moved up to the left trapezius. Very typical place, for me.

If this keeps up, I should be clearing a 660 lift some time soon, which is cool, I don't even give a shit about resorting to using the elevation in the form of the platforms, I just need to be able know I lifted it from somewhere. It probably won't be next week yet, however.

[twiztor]

tipped the scales at 199 lb yesterday (back to 201 today....darn weekend!). down from my max of 265lb. 199 is my ultimate target goal, so that feels really damn good. my plan is to get down to 185 and then let myself normalize from there with some leeway. 

[Contentious C]

Hey now, losing a leg in a freak accident doesn't count as weight loss!

[Contentious C]

On a mildly less absurd note, my attempt to regain the probably 25 pounds I've lost in the last 2 months is now up and running.  Just went through a pretty basic 5x5 routine and felt...great, actually.  It's so weird how my gut became as out of whack as it did and now it's normalizing again almost as quickly.  Fucking stupid red meat being delicious.

[The Natural]

Last week I stepped into the gym for the first time in 15 years. I joined a year long scheme in January of this year which gives people with long term mental/physical conditions reduced gym/swimming/exercise classes like Yoga/Pilates which I've fancied trying before. I was hoping to have my induction at the place 15 minutes away from where I live but I've to go further away - two buses there and back. I'm still not happy about that and I wasn't going to because travel is quite difficult with my Cerebral Palsy even before I get there/after I finish. The instructor who did my induction agreed with me that I shouldn't have to as I haven't had this health issue in over a decade which means I've got to go there to be monitored. In a couple of weeks I have a further induction there on different equipment. Right now it's cardio machines only which was my favourite thing to do when I went to the gym in 2003-2008. The machines are mainly the same, biggest difference is touchscreen TV/screens connected to the internet embedded into them. My trainer there has given me: 5 minutes bike warmup, 5 minutes treadmill, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes on a different bike, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes rowing machine and 3 minutes (Did I hear someone say...three minutes?!) on the first bike to cool down.

I think after the year is up, you can still get it at a reduced rate or a little more than the first year. Need to check. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon. Glad I did as I was in two minds whether to. I do ache the day after. My neurologist said my body works four times harder doing the same task as somebody who doesn't. That shocked me. I need to lose weight, this is the most unfit I've been in a long time through deterioration in the CP as I'm older, Depression kicking my ass, bad food choices and weight gain through antidepressants. I went really low, Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004). Need the right balance.

Thanks for reading.

[Shartnado]

Welcome to the dark side, @The Natural, we've been waiting for you! Well, we've been waiting for anyone, really. It's pretty lonely in here.

[The Natural]

17 minutes ago, Shartnado said:

Welcome to the dark side, @The Natural, we've been waiting for you! Well, we've been waiting for anyone, really. It's pretty lonely in here.

Cheers, mate. Appreciate it. Ditto, JL Sigman.

[Log]

Keep it up, @The Natural! I don't like to say what works for me will necessarily for anyone else, but I think working out will do you good.

The best advice I can give is to find a type of workout that you enjoy and go with that. The best workout is the one you'll actually do. I tried for too long to do whatever was trendy or what I thought would be best for me before I settled on the type of workouts that I actually enjoyed. So, whether it's weights or cardio or body weight stuff or machines or whatever, if you can stick with it, do that.

Keep us up on your progress. Posting in here can be beneficial as there are some knowledgeable folks here and it sort of keeps you accountable. That said, I've been slacking lately. Hope to get back to it today.

Best of luck!

[Technico Support]

11 hours ago, The Natural said:

Last week I stepped into the gym for the first time in 15 years. I joined a year long scheme in January of this year which gives people with long term mental/physical conditions reduced gym/swimming/exercise classes like Yoga/Pilates which I've fancied trying before. I was hoping to have my induction at the place 15 minutes away from where I live but I've to go further away - two buses there and back. I'm still not happy about that and I wasn't going to because travel is quite difficult with my Cerebral Palsy even before I get there/after I finish. The instructor who did my induction agreed with me that I shouldn't have to as I haven't had this health issue in over a decade which means I've got to go there to be monitored. In a couple of weeks I have a further induction there on different equipment. Right now it's cardio machines only which was my favourite thing to do when I went to the gym in 2003-2008. The machines are mainly the same, biggest difference is touchscreen TV/screens connected to the internet embedded into them. My trainer there has given me: 5 minutes bike warmup, 5 minutes treadmill, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes on a different bike, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes rowing machine and 3 minutes (Did I hear someone say...three minutes?!) on the first bike to cool down.

I think after the year is up, you can still get it at a reduced rate or a little more than the first year. Need to check. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon. Glad I did as I was in two minds whether to. I do ache the day after. My neurologist said my body works four times harder doing the same task as somebody who doesn't. That shocked me. I need to lose weight, this is the most unfit I've been in a long time through deterioration in the CP as I'm older, Depression kicking my ass, bad food choices and weight gain through antidepressants. I went really low, Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004). Need the right balance.

Thanks for reading.

Hell yeah buddy.

[Chaos]

I missed my mileage goal for February due to a stye in my eye derailing me for about a week. I was still happy to knock out 35 miles in the month, which puts me at a hair under 80 for the year. I also entered the NYC marathon lottery for the first time this year and did not get selected. I'm going to treat it like I did the Masters lottery and enter every year and know at some point I'll sneak into one. I still intend to knock out at least one 26.2 this year as that's been a goal for a long time. After having done 2 13.1s, I can say it's definitely a daunting challenge.

I also am still trying to figure out smart ways to include time for strength training and better dieting. 

[Shartnado]

19 hours ago, The Natural said:

Cheers, mate. Appreciate it. Ditto, JL Sigman.

You've explained before that due to CP, your body has to work four times as hard to perform everything. This means anything you do inside a gym is a monstrous accomplishment. Rememer to be proud of yourself with every single thing you are able to do while in there. I'm pretty sure the positive effects (both mental and physical) will be worth it, once you ease back into it and start getting more confortable doing it. Best of luck, man!

[Shartnado]

Last week was messed up due to working overtime during the weekend, but I managed to get three some kind of workouts in, Tuesday through Thrusday, nothing really heavy, though. The bench still sucks. This week, I worked 3 days of 12-hour shifts but will now have rest of the week off. I did get two workouts in, similar to those last week. After the first one, I felt much better than the day I didn't work out, but after the second one, not so much. And the bench continued to suck. We did get the mirrors installed in the gym this week, so that was a big plus.

The plan now is try and recover by eating and sleeping while pretending to watch AEW. Next week, I must atone by doing both trapbar and the squat machine, but on different days.

[The Natural]

On 3/1/2023 at 2:27 PM, Log said:

Keep it up, @The Natural! I don't like to say what works for me will necessarily for anyone else, but I think working out will do you good.

The best advice I can give is to find a type of workout that you enjoy and go with that. The best workout is the one you'll actually do. I tried for too long to do whatever was trendy or what I thought would be best for me before I settled on the type of workouts that I actually enjoyed. So, whether it's weights or cardio or body weight stuff or machines or whatever, if you can stick with it, do that.

Keep us up on your progress. Posting in here can be beneficial as there are some knowledgeable folks here and it sort of keeps you accountable. That said, I've been slacking lately. Hope to get back to it today.

Best of luck!

Thank you for your post and the advice. In 2003-2008 at my fittest, I tended to do an hour on the treadmill then a go on the weight machines. The bicep curl one, the one where you straighten your legs out. I think those I'll get to go on in the second part of my induction. Be better when I can start going to the one 15 minutes away than the two buses one I have to for now. With the CP/depression - have to be nicer to myself that i'm not in good nick and at the start things will probably be at their hardest but to keep on going. Doing something is better than doing nothing. I'm also 15 years older.

23 hours ago, Technico Support said:

Hell yeah buddy.

Lovely seeing you, my friend. Cheers.

7 hours ago, Shartnado said:

You've explained before that due to CP, your body has to work four times as hard to perform everything. This means anything you do inside a gym is a monstrous accomplishment. Rememer to be proud of yourself with every single thing you are able to do while in there. I'm pretty sure the positive effects (both mental and physical) will be worth it, once you ease back into it and start getting more confortable doing it. Best of luck, man!

So kind. Thank you for that, man!

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

On 3/1/2023 at 2:05 PM, The Natural said:

Last week I stepped into the gym for the first time in 15 years. I joined a year long scheme in January of this year which gives people with long term mental/physical conditions reduced gym/swimming/exercise classes like Yoga/Pilates which I've fancied trying before. I was hoping to have my induction at the place 15 minutes away from where I live but I've to go further away - two buses there and back. I'm still not happy about that and I wasn't going to because travel is quite difficult with my Cerebral Palsy even before I get there/after I finish. The instructor who did my induction agreed with me that I shouldn't have to as I haven't had this health issue in over a decade which means I've got to go there to be monitored. In a couple of weeks I have a further induction there on different equipment. Right now it's cardio machines only which was my favourite thing to do when I went to the gym in 2003-2008. The machines are mainly the same, biggest difference is touchscreen TV/screens connected to the internet embedded into them. My trainer there has given me: 5 minutes bike warmup, 5 minutes treadmill, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes on a different bike, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes rowing machine and 3 minutes (Did I hear someone say...three minutes?!) on the first bike to cool down.

I think after the year is up, you can still get it at a reduced rate or a little more than the first year. Need to check. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon. Glad I did as I was in two minds whether to. I do ache the day after. My neurologist said my body works four times harder doing the same task as somebody who doesn't. That shocked me. I need to lose weight, this is the most unfit I've been in a long time through deterioration in the CP as I'm older, Depression kicking my ass, bad food choices and weight gain through antidepressants. I went really low, Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004). Need the right balance.

Thanks for reading.

Good on ya, mate! Keep it up. Stick to it. Seriously, consistent,persistent effort is the absolute key. Going to the closer gym is definitely the right call. The best exercise is, always, the exercise that you actually do.

As a friend, please let me suggest that you also pay attention to what you eat. For most people, it is impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. Do the cardio for better health (heart and lungs) and the machines for muscle and strength. Diet for fat loss.

I personally ballooned way up in weight while training hard 3 or 4 times a week. I had to start counting calories to get my weight under control. Fat Secret or Fitness Pal, for example, are free and easy to use. Makes a HUGE difference to actually keep track of what you eat, in my experience.

Don't hesitate to ask for advice about diet or training! I am sure everyone here is pulling for you to succeed.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Gordlow

[The Natural]

14 minutes ago, Gordlow said:

Good on ya, mate! Keep it up. Stick to it. Seriously, consistent,persistent effort is the absolute key. Going to the closer gym is definitely the right call. The best exercise is, always, the exercise that you actually do.

As a friend, please let me suggest that you also pay attention to what you eat. For most people, it is impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. Do the cardio for better health (heart and lungs) and the machines for muscle and strength. Diet for fat loss.

I personally ballooned way up in weight while training hard 3 or 4 times a week. I had to start counting calories to get my weight under control. Fat Secret or Fitness Pal, for example, are free and easy to use. Makes a HUGE difference to actually keep track of what you eat, in my experience.

Don't hesitate to ask for advice about diet or training! I am sure everyone here is pulling for you to succeed.

Cheers, mate. You look good.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Good to see The Natural in the gym! Hope to see you chasing down Miles Taylor's deadlift records real soon.

Update from me: went to physio for my shoulder, turns out it's actually inflammation of the long-head of my right bicep (it connects to the collar-bone). Have started throwing in a little super-light barbell bench into my workouts and will build it up. Meanwhile reverse-grip db press and floes for chest - think it will be fine.

Haven't really tested my limits on much recently, though I hit a really fast painless 150kg deadlift 2 weeks ago after heavy RDLs that makes me think I could probably peak to a PR, though probably I wont risk it in the next 6 weeks. I might even go to a heavy single tomorrow, we'll see how well I sleep tonight.

Have actually been doing a lot of shrugs recently which has rarely been a thing for me. Trap Bar, DB and also now Kelso Shrugs (on a low row). Also giving curls more priority.

My gym is at work and I'm only in the office 3 days a week most of the time, so I have been experimenting with double workouts on Fridays. It's pretty brutal. I ate two fish suppers in between, and I was hungry again straight after the second workout.

[The Natural]

2 hours ago, SprintingFromAmerica said:

Good to see The Natural in the gym! Hope to see you chasing down Miles Taylor's deadlift records real soon.

Update from me: went to physio for my shoulder, turns out it's actually inflammation of the long-head of my right bicep (it connects to the collar-bone). Have started throwing in a little super-light barbell bench into my workouts and will build it up. Meanwhile reverse-grip db press and floes for chest - think it will be fine.

Haven't really tested my limits on much recently, though I hit a really fast painless 150kg deadlift 2 weeks ago after heavy RDLs that makes me think I could probably peak to a PR, though probably I wont risk it in the next 6 weeks. I might even go to a heavy single tomorrow, we'll see how well I sleep tonight.

Have actually been doing a lot of shrugs recently which has rarely been a thing for me. Trap Bar, DB and also now Kelso Shrugs (on a low row). Also giving curls more priority.

My gym is at work and I'm only in the office 3 days a week most of the time, so I have been experimenting with double workouts on Fridays. It's pretty brutal. I ate two fish suppers in between, and I was hungry again straight after the second workout.

Cheers, man.

[Contentious C]

My gym got a hip thrust machine

My gym got a hip thrust machine

My gym got a hip thrust machine

I'm so excited (they also got a belt squat rack which looks...interesting, I suppose)

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Belt squat might be cooler tbh. I do like hip thrust machines, though I think they still lack a bit of ROM in comparison to actual ATG squats.

On 3/5/2023 at 7:14 PM, SprintingFromAmerica said:

 

Haven't really tested my limits on much recently, though I hit a really fast painless 150kg deadlift 2 weeks ago after heavy RDLs that makes me think I could probably peak to a PR, though probably I wont risk it in the next 6 weeks. I might even go to a heavy single tomorrow, we'll see how well I sleep tonight.

 

I didn't sleep that great tbh, but I still hit a 167.5kg training max on conventional which felt challenging but not grindy - I'm pretty happy with that as I haven't been deadlifting that much, and I don't think the execution was that great. Definitely could use more trap on the lockout, and a bit more practice off the floor. Was able to walk the weight back onto the pins comfortably though. I think I'll try to hit a 175 in a few weeks, all things going well.

Put my heavier band on the pegs for my ghetto reverse-hypers for the first time - did sets of 12, they were nasty at first but I got used to them and did 4 sets. I am definitely a big believer in this movement and I do intend to buy a proper reverse-hyper someday.

More hack squats. Some ppl seem to be able to load these up to kingdom come. I can't, and definitely need the reverse band to stop my knees crumbling to dust. I guess I'm a pretty glute-dominant squatter.  But I still think I'm getting a lot of these, and hey maybe my sumo deadlift will be deadly when I train it again.

GHR is such an interesting exercise as there's a lot of nuance with things like foot movement. Today I really felt my tibialis anterior. It's one of those machines that I think we'll increasingly see in gyms (there's not actually meany moving parts, they shouldn't be too expensive), and a good thing too.

Edited March 6, 2023 by SprintingFromAmerica

[Log]

@SprintingFromAmerica, how do you do the reverse hypers with a band? I've seen one method with an incline bench and another with the band simply attached to the top of a squat rack.