All-Purpose Health and Fitness Thread

[Shartnado]

@Contentious C Yes, swimming is a survival skill we all may need sooner than later. At the very least we all need to learn to FLOAT and slowly swim long distances lying on our backs in the water.

Anyway, I'm back home after a long-ass travel day yesterday. Last leg of the flight was delayed and this was after a longer than usual layover (for Finland) so we missed the airport bus by a couple of minutes and had to call a cab which was like 6 times more expensive, but I guess eventually faster, even with the wait.

Despite getting up at 4:45 AM (doing some push-ups bright and early) I did do a half-decent pump workout at home, before watching last week's Collision and Rampage. Same thing should continue today.

...it did continue. Push-ups, resistance band, a pair of 26,5 lb kettlebells and an Ab-roller for 40 minutes in total. Weight was up to 183 lbs this morning. Looking ridiculously jacked when pumped, but definition has very much taken a hit in a week. Glad I took the pictures when I did and not any later.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Shartnado
Got a workout in...

[Contentious C]

Aaaaaaand I hurt my hip flexor today (or maybe yesterday was the start of it, and today it wasn't workable).  At least I got my squats in before I had to tap out.

[Shartnado]

Yesterday evening I did a similar workout to the morning one minus the resistance band. This morning I went running and did the stairs for about half an hour again. An hour and 15 minutes overall. After the run, the weight was at 178,5 lbs, but it kinda looked visually worse than the 183 yesterday. I'll get a workout in later on, but now it's breakfast and then I need to mow the lawn.

As an anecdotal sidenote, in the store from which I bought my new gym gloves, there were a brand called Super Hero gloves which had DC character logos on them. Yes, they included Batman. During my run this morning, I thought I need to mention this to @The Natural, if there is ever a time you are in need of new gym gloves, maybe browse the internet to see if they are available.

[The Natural]

4 hours ago, Shartnado said:

Yesterday evening I did a similar workout to the morning one minus the resistance band. This morning I went running and did the stairs for about half an hour again. An hour and 15 minutes overall. After the run, the weight was at 178,5 lbs, but it kinda looked visually worse than the 183 yesterday. I'll get a workout in later on, but now it's breakfast and then I need to mow the lawn.

As an anecdotal sidenote, in the store from which I bought my new gym gloves, there were a brand called Super Hero gloves which had DC character logos on them. Yes, they included Batman. During my run this morning, I thought I need to mention this to @The Natural, if there is ever a time you are in need of new gym gloves, maybe browse the internet to see if they are available.

Cheers, mate!

[The Natural]

On 7/12/2023 at 5:13 PM, The Natural said:

Fourth swim yesterday. Did the most lengths so far in my little section, granted nearly all with a noodle float. Last length I went forward and back without which felt good. Swimming is bloody tough. I felt bad halfway through as everyone else makes it look effortless and I'm the only one with floats but I did a reality check, this is only my fourth swim in 25 years and my CP making it four times harder too so cut myself some slack. Bloody ache today, though.

 

On 7/12/2023 at 6:24 PM, The Natural said:

Cheers, mate. Learned to swim as a kid and stopped until this year. Originally with the BEEP scheme this year, I was just going to do the Gym and Yoga/Pilates but Julie from the Hope Team talked me into Swimming or I wouldn't have. Looking forward to seeing Julie this Tuesday. I haven't seen her since the 2nd of May when two days later I needed my emergency surgery.

Fifth swim today. I don't like a woman there making snide remarks. "Still with your float?" Yes, to build my confidence up as I can swim and mind your own business. Piss off. Everyone else is so supportive particularly Julie, Jill and Graham. What was cool today is how Graham and Jill faced me as I swam towards them without flotation device and Julie behind me. I did the length of the pool when they did that. Get in. Been a crappy day today besides that.

Edited July 18, 2023 by The Natural

[Technico Support]

26 minutes ago, The Natural said:

 

Fifth swim today. I don't like a woman there making snide remarks. "Still with your float?" Yes, to build my confidence up as I can swim and mind your own business. Piss off. Everyone else is so supportive particularly Julie, Jill and Graham. What was cool today is how Graham and Jill faced me as I swam towards them and Julie behind me. I did the length of the pool when they did that. Get in. Been a crappy day today besides that.

That's some bullshit!  Are you allowed to tell them to fuck off and mind their own business without losing pool privileges? 

[The Natural]

16 minutes ago, Technico Support said:

That's some bullshit!  Are you allowed to tell them to fuck off and mind their own business without losing pool privileges? 

I'm way too nice for my own good or I would. At least two weeks running now. She's a bitch.

[Contentious C]

You could always tell her, "see you next Tuesday" when you see her again, especially if you're going to the pool Friday.  You're British, you're allowed.

[Shartnado]

17 hours ago, The Natural said:

Fifth swim today. I don't like a woman there making snide remarks. "Still with your float?"

What in the blue hell would possess someone to go out and comment on something like that out loud? Your thoughts to yourself, lady! Very bad manners, not cool.

[The Natural]

20 hours ago, The Natural said:

 

Fifth swim today. I don't like a woman there making snide remarks. "Still with your float?" Yes, to build my confidence up as I can swim and mind your own business. Piss off. Everyone else is so supportive particularly Julie, Jill and Graham. What was cool today is how Graham and Jill faced me as I swam towards them without flotation device and Julie behind me. I did the length of the pool when they did that. Get in. Been a crappy day today besides that.

 

19 hours ago, Technico Support said:

That's some bullshit!  Are you allowed to tell them to fuck off and mind their own business without losing pool privileges? 

 

16 hours ago, Contentious C said:

You could always tell her, "see you next Tuesday" when you see her again, especially if you're going to the pool Friday.  You're British, you're allowed.

 

2 hours ago, Shartnado said:

What in the blue hell would possess someone to go out and comment on something like that out loud? Your thoughts to yourself, lady! Very bad manners, not cool.

Thanks, lads. Don't understand how people can act that way, it's a Steady Swim Session and not to stoop to her level (Julie physically bumped into her in the pool and had words). See you next Tuesday is very tempting. Thankfully there's Julie, Jill, Graham, Ellie my BEEP contact and y'all here. Can't let that cow stop me.

[Log]

An unfortunate reality of any sort of gym-going experience is that there's always one of "those" people.

The good news is that, usually, everyone else thinks they're an asshole, too. Sounds like you've got one of those things happening, Natural.

Keep focusing on your work and making yourself feel better. She can continue to be a miserable piece of shit.

[The Natural]

20 minutes ago, Log said:

An unfortunate reality of any sort of gym-going experience is that there's always one of "those" people.

The good news is that, usually, everyone else thinks they're an asshole, too. Sounds like you've got one of those things happening, Natural.

Keep focusing on your work and making yourself feel better. She can continue to be a miserable piece of shit.

Cheers, mate.

[Contentious C]

Well, got through deadlifts at 185x3x12, which is what I usually try to aim for when I program them last and want to murder my back, and no twinge from the low back/hip flexor crap the other day.  At least it only cost me one workout.  My T-bar rows are getting close to the point where I can't keep using 25s because the bar is running out of room, so once I bump it to 125, I guess I'll switch to the 35s as the base/warm-up.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

RIP Justyn Vicky, the Indonesian bodybulder who died in a squat accident this week.

A reminder to be fucking careful. Truthfully, I think a lot of gym guys have had a near fuck-up at some point - first time I barbell squatted properly I ego-lifted my bodyweight and yeah I got it up eventually, but it wasn't pretty and you wouldn't catch me doing something dumb like that now

(I mean I can squat my bodyweight, but I have never failed a squat or come close to it, and I set pins - and I rarely good morning these days except off pins).

[Contentious C]

Fuck-ups of that nature are why I'm sticking to dumbbell inclines from now on.  Having to roll, unload, and re-rack a bar after you fail to lift it is a special kind of embarrassment.  And yet I've done it probably 3 times.

Team "Less Is More" continues to win for me.  Went back up to a full wheel on bent-over rows today and got 3x12 pretty easy.  I only capped out around 145 prior to feeling shitty/getting sick, but I was also 195 at my heaviest instead of 185 now.  And even that 145 moved a lot harder than the 135 is moving now, I think for sets of 10 where my form got pretty cruddy on the last 2 reps of the last 2 sets.  Inclines were 60s at 12/10/8, which is a good step up from a few weeks ago of only getting sets of 8. 

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

I am haha inclined to agree. I failed on a max incline bench once and the roll-off was very annoying. I think I prefer Smith for incline work, though I don't think I'd ever max out on the lift again outside of a power rack with good pin-setup.

Tbh I don't really like dumbbell presses either though. Actually I quite like declines where I can lock-in the legs, but that's about it. I'll do them, sometimes, but I don't really enjoy them.

I wasn't feeling great today, but I did some heavyish benching today for the first time in a couple of months and unlike last time I didn't feel anything in my right bicep. 90kg did feel noticeably heavier than 85kg, but I haven't even done 60kg recently so is to be somewhat expected. I'm not in a hurry to get it way heavier, I am quite happy to keep my focus on hypertrophy but I think I'll start following Wendler principles, take 85kg as training max and do some rep work based on that and move it up from there. If I do that for 18 months going up 2.5kg every few weeks, then I'll hit 130kg for a solid 5 and then I basically know I can 140kg for a single. Maybe that's just what I need to do.

Although nothing that impressive, I did a Pendlay Row topset of 6 at 90kg which is a PR of sorts and it was an off-day so I was happy with that.

I also did some bent-over rows myself earlier in the week, only 50kg (which is the max fixed barbell at my gym) for sets of 15 but it was a secondary pull. I haven't done a lot of these in recent times, and tbh I felt them in my lower-back quite a lot on the first-set...but they do feel very satisfying in the lower and mid-traps.

Today, I actually did single-arm machine chest and back work. Very bro no doubt, but I was inspired by this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSMdyHk6gaE

(for some reason, vids won't embed for me)

The lat stretch was indeed a new feeling, and it will definitely help me get more juice out of the machine row at my gym. 

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

I was the world's worst swimmer as a child. We had a swimming baths near my primary and so we received a lot of lessons and I was all kinds of useless. I did somehow, someway, learn eventually and I wouldn't say I'm a super strong swimmer or anything but yeah I can do it. Makes you hungry af though.

[Contentious C]

OMG, Guzman reminds me so much of the idiot co-worker I had in grad school.  Just SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR FIVE SECONDS OF YOUR LIFE and maybe when you quit talking over the person, you will actually learn things!  What a fucking dolt.  How do fucking dolts have a million subscribers??

Edited July 23, 2023 by Contentious C

[Technico Support]

Saw a guy benching 255 today with a back arch so deep he looked like an amateur wrestler doing a neck bridge.  I know arching has its proponents but it looked like his spine was fixing to shoot out of his asshole.  YMMV but I feel like if you can’t control the weight with good form and not cheat, just lower the fucking weight.  Nobody cares.

[Contentious C]

He'll probably wish his spine had shot out of his asshole, compared to what that will probably end up doing to him.

I just wonder where that even came from; the only remotely logical place for it is *purely* in the realm of powerlifters going for records, since it shortens the pressing motion itself.  Everyone else...uh...you dumb motherfuckers do know that the best hypertrophic stimulus for your pecs is in the *stretched* position of the lift that you've completely cut out, right?  I see that or variations on it nearly every day.  I feel bad on the days where my feet reposition themselves mid-press, but that's not as bad as the doofus I've seen getting up on tiptoes, or lifting their ass clear off the bench.  Sometimes I want to correct them, but injuring themselves is a closer-to-100% certain way to learn they're the asshole, instead of thinking I'm the asshole for saying anything and then continuing to fuck it up.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

The bridging thing is indeed pretty dumb. I remember when I first saw Jeff Nipples arch & thinking he was taking the piss (and that perhaps answers your question Contentious C), but I have seen far worse since. It's interesting that he is pushing stretch-mediated hypertrophy now because, as you suggest, zero-benching is indeed the complete opposite of that.

They have changed the rules in some feds to reduce arching now; don't know how that's going but good to see them try. Personally I think all of the hand should be inside the rings, but probably that won't happen. And yes, they should ban f'n sumo too lol.
------

So today was technically supposed to be leg day lol, but tbh I did some leg extensions and hyperextension on Saturday and I could still feel them a bit....and I wasn't feeling that energetic. So I decided to bench again lol.

So I have decided to go with an adjusted 'Beyond 531' template, with an 85kg training max.In practice, this was: 20kg x 10, 40kg x 8, 50kg x 3, 60kg x 3, 70kg x 1, 80kg x 1, 85kg x 1, 80kg x 5. And then 3 x 8 t-shirt touch pause bench with nice controlled eccentrics at 60kg. I wasn't timing precisely, but basically no more than 2 minutes between sets.

It felt stimulating enough. I'll probably up the weight on the back-off sets by 2.5kg next time, and go for a double at 85kg next time, and then probably a triple the week after that - then (all things going well) I'll raise the training max.

Having said I don't like DB presses very much, I thought I would do a couple of sets as a chest finish. So I did 15° barrel presses (though I do like to twist into a semi-neutral position at the top), 2 sets of 20 with 22kg....and tbh I think maybe I hate DB presses atm because our main dumbbells at the work gym have ridiculously fat grips. Anyway, I did get that stretch-mediated hypertrophy most likely but I don't think I'll bump up the weight on these anytime soon.

I did some high-rep narrow-grip pulldowns, bicep curls, pushdowns and facepulls to finish (vaguely as Wendler might prescribe)- I have one of these new-fangled tricep-straps (e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09V148JKW/ref=twister_B08M3WGXMN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) and so should you.

Hopefully tomorrow will be leg day 

 

[Technico Support]

Like @Contentious C said, arching is good for those in powerlifting competition because it lessens the ROM for benching a lot of weight.  But for my suburban-ass gym, and not one but TWO different dudes doing it this morning while working out by themselves?  My mind was blown.  And the one guy looked older than me.  I'm like dude, the injuries will come faster now.  It's all downhill from here.  No need to help it along.  Fuck.  But I understand getting in your own head and constantly pushing for more.  Buuuuut as a guy who has suffered a back injury and strains his back too often for comfort, that shit just horrified me

On the plus side, I ran six miles yesterday, which is damn close to a personal best.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Technico Support

[Contentious C]

Oooh, those look like what I've wanted for doing cable crunches.  Though I'm sure they would help my grip, the problem is I can crunch the entire stack on a standard cable setup easily, and my shoulders are the thing that give out if I use ropes + lifting straps as I do now.  I don't know how much gentler, if at all, those would end up being on my crabby, stupid joints.  My alternative method is to do the standing crunches out of the Freemotion machine by attaching both stacks to a smaller straight bar.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Contentious C

[Shartnado]

@Technico Support Way to go man! 6 miles is a good distance! My workouts have been on hold for more than a few days, just so I can recover my central nervous system better. I did do more than a hundred push-ups this morning over a few sets, but that was first time in maybe five days.

I have bought a few new accessories for training looking forward to Fall-season, but I still probably need a new pair of running shoes for next year. I mean, I may continue running further into the latter parts of the year, but I'm pretty sure I'll really need them on regular basis next spring.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

I am not sure I've been under the SSB in the last two months, but today it happened. I had some of my younger colleagues squatting in the rack next to me - and whilst their squats aren't that heavy and they play their edge depth-wise (tbh they're not that bad, you've seen worse) they're still annoyingly proficient for relative newbs to the platform.

So it definitely made me push myself, and I went to 110kg x 5 - which is probably actually not bad and compares quite favourably to my 146kg single with wraps from May, especially given I am more or less doing them ATG. Tbh it was a tough set, but I suspect I could have ground out 2 more reps if really needed.

I think I'm going to take a similar approach as I'm using for bench and use a TM of 100kg , & work up from there with good bar speed. You're allowed to push squat up by 5kg a mesocycle so it won't take long to get the numbers higher.

Back-off work was 2 sets of 8 with 80kg, and then 2 sets of 12 with 50kg using a close stance and heel elevation.

Trying to do a superset of bent-over rows and hyperextensions was probably a mistake...but spamming hyperextension is definitely not a mistake. I've sort of been neglecting these as reverse-hypers and GHD are 'cooler', but I definitely think they are something that one should be able to do 5 sets of 20 on as an accessory and I intend to build towards that over the next few weeks.