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Fitness |OT9|...You looked better before

JWiLL

Banned
If you make it out of bed Saturday, then you'll probably survive this one.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, the 2nd day is always the worst.

I generally don't mind the pain from workouts, but my upper legs are shot and I walk a bit hunched over before they warm up. Apparently it looks rather hilarious to my co-workers though, so at least I'm entertaining.
 

lenovox1

Member
I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, the 2nd day is always the worst.

I generally don't mind the pain from workouts, but my upper legs are shot and I walk a bit hunched over before they warm up. Apparently it looks rather hilarious to my co-workers though, so at least I'm entertaining.

Do you have a foam roller? That would end that.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Still figuring out how to walk away from the gym without being gassed for the rest of the day. Anyone have a good post-gym/recovery plan?
 

DOWN

Banned
So without a bench, am I better off doing dumbbells on the floor or doing presses on an incline chest press machine (similar motion but missing the free weight)?
 
So without a bench, am I better off doing dumbbells on the floor or doing presses on an incline chest press machine (similar motion but missing the free weight)?

Like for real, though, what's stopping you from joining an actual gym?

It doesn't sound like your apartment(?) community's fitness center has the resources you're going to need.
 

DOWN

Banned
Like for real, though, what's stopping you from joining an actual gym?

It doesn't sound like your apartment(?) community's fitness center has the resources you're going to need.
That’s the one thing missing that’s in the beginner programs I’ve found to try. The bench for bench press.

Convenience and cost make me not want to pay for a gym and drive to it if I am still in the habit forming phase. I wanna do what I can for at least this month and then I’ll look into it. Or just convince my leasing office there has to be a bench for safe bench press, arguably the most popular barbell exercise
 
That's the one thing missing that's in the beginner programs I've found to try. The bench for bench press.

Convenience and cost make me not want to pay for a gym and drive to it if I am still in the habit forming phase. I wanna do what I can for at least this month and then I'll look into it. Or just convince my leasing office there has to be a bench for safe bench press, arguably the most popular barbell exercise

I know you said there was a rack, but is it like a Smith machine (bar is locked on a rail) or is it truly free weight? (This is relevant to other exercises you might be doing. Squat, deadlift, OHP, rows.)
 
Just a bit of my journey with updated pictures. As of August 2016, I used to weigh 215 pounds. I am 5 11. So quite obese, and without any significant muscle mass. I kind of let my body go downhill. I am 35 years old, married with 2 children.

I decided that I had to change , since I was having some issues with my weight, like snoring at night and feeling tired. I used to lift in my 20s, but with life I just had "no time". However, you have to find time to get healthier for yourself and your family.

I started going to the gym in August 2016. I changed my diet, and I was lifting 5 to 6 days a week. My sessions usually last 60 min, and when I am working out, I do it the right away, focused with no chit chatting​.
This is how I look 12 months later. My weight is down to 180 pounds , and I put on a decent amount of muscle. I did no cardio, just changed the diet and lift heavy. I still drink alcohol once or twice a week, have one cheat day a week where I eat burgers, ice cream. I am feeling great , and now I enjoy working out.

In the beginning is hard guys, buy you can do it
Once you start seeing results , you​ keep going. No need for crazy diets ,just try to eat more protein, less sugar and candy, and do some activity.

Let's lift guys

PS: I am not looking for a 6 pack. It is so much work guys, not in the gym but in the kitchen lol. I like to eat and drink too much, so I accepted the fact that I might never have a decent 6 pack , and I ok with that.i am lifting more because I enjoy and to stay healthy. Do exercise for whatever reason, health, looks, etc, but do something . You only have one body, keep it healthy

T4vNhsu.jpg
 

Heysoos

Member
Potentially dumb question but for those that follow IF 16:8. I usually lift in the mornings fasted, but take my protein shake for breakfast right after. Should I completely move my protein shake to later that day during my feeding window?
 
Potentially dumb question but for those that follow IF 16:8. I usually lift in the mornings fasted, but take my protein shake for breakfast right after. Should I completely move my protein shake to later that day during my feeding window?

they have done a lot of studies on the time of protein intake and there is ABSOLUTELY NO difference when do you take the protein(whether is shake or meat).

You need to reach the daily goal of protein intake, that is it. If you want to divide that in several meals, or shakes, fine, if you want to take on small , larger meals, fine.

Also, working out fasting has no proven benefits, and can be dangerous due to dizziness. plus you need that food before lifting so your performance is better.
 

Sarek

Member
So I've started following this kettlebell workout for beginners. Can someone who knows more about kettlebells tell me if that looks good, and how many times per week should I try do it?

Edit: Read the OP.

Age: 35
Height: 186 cm (6.1")
Weight: 120 kg (265 lbs)
Goal: Lose weight and get in shape. Main reason for me starting with the kettlebells is to get myself some muscle. I am not trying to get ripped, just want to have a body with heathly amount of muscle. I've been doing 5+ hours of walking per week for about 3 months, and want to use the kettlebells to give the other parts of my body some excercise too.
Current Training Schedule: 5-6 hours of walking per week.
Current Training Equipment Available: 12kg and 16kg kettlebells.
Comments: Send help.
 

mdsfx

Member
Swimming the day after rows and pullups was a bad idea as expected. Lats were burning the entire swim and I had to stay focused to keep my form from breaking down.

Im getting by but I still struggle to balance lifting and cardio. There's never a time when one doesn't affect the other.
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
I bought an ab wheel yesterday because they seem fun. I did a few sets last night and it wasn't so hard. I try again this morning and it feels like my abs are ripping apart wtf.


You have to work up with an ab wheel. You can and will overdo it and injure yourself.
 

Brolic Gaoler

formerly Alienshogun
Alan Thrall made a video recently saying that a warmup routine was useless, and that simply warming up for squats by doing light squats was a perfectly good warmup.

Thoughts?


I thought this was common knowledge.

If I'm deadlifting 600lbs for working set my warmup looks like this.

135x3, 225x3, 315x3, 405x2, 495, 545, 600

Same way with other lifts
 

Tuorom

Neo Member
That’s the one thing missing that’s in the beginner programs I’ve found to try. The bench for bench press.

Convenience and cost make me not want to pay for a gym and drive to it if I am still in the habit forming phase. I wanna do what I can for at least this month and then I’ll look into it. Or just convince my leasing office there has to be a bench for safe bench press, arguably the most popular barbell exercise

Man just do push ups, or if there are parallel bars around (or the corner of a counter) do dips. Chesticles activated.

Or do dips on the barbell. So many better chest options than bench unless you're trying to powerlift.
 
Hello! My apologies if this is the wrong thread to ask this but I didn't seem to find any other community thread even tangibly related to weight loss/health that might be better to post in when I did a quick search.

Saying the above I seem to be in a frustrating situation that I can't seem to figure out. Some basic details

Age: 25 (26 in a couple weeks)
Height: Just a fraction over 5'8
Weight: Fluctuates between 155-160

I'm a healthy weight for my height and overall content with my body except for my stomach which still has a little bit of stubborn fat. For the past 3 months I have been trying to diet some more maybe just lose another 10 pounds at most but this is where the issue comes in. I store very little fat in my upper body already, my ribs and pretty prominent and arms scrawny, no issues there but it's my face which has become really gaunt during it and it causes me to get extremely self conscious as I hate my face looking gaunt. Due to that I end up trying to add a little weight and when I eat lots of carb filled foods my face rounds again and I'm very happy with that but my stomach doesn't get any smaller whatsoever. I also deal with hypotension daily, I require at least 3000mg of sodium a day just to not be dizzy every time I stand up, around 4000mg just to constantly maintain normal BP however most days I don't reach 4000mg.

To try and simply things I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to flatten my stomach but also not lose weight especially in my face which along with my upper body seems to be the first places I lose it. Could it be I'm losing too much water weight due to my hypotension if I don't eat a ton of sodium and it's artificially causing my face to be more gaunt then needed? I normally eat between 1400-1600 a day so I'm usually always in a small deficit so should I simply eat more while keeping my sodium intake high but watching my sugar intake? I just feel frustrated like I have to choose between having fuller cheeks or a flatter stomach =/

Any help would be appreciated and my apologies once again if this isn't the most appropriate place to ask this.
 

sam12

Member
Just a bit of my journey with updated pictures. As of August 2016, I used to weigh 215 pounds. I am 5 11. So quite obese, and without any significant muscle mass. I kind of let my body go downhill. I am 35 years old, married with 2 children.

I decided that I had to change , since I was having some issues with my weight, like snoring at night and feeling tired. I used to lift in my 20s, but with life I just had "no time". However, you have to find time to get healthier for yourself and your family.

I started going to the gym in August 2016. I changed my diet, and I was lifting 5 to 6 days a week. My sessions usually last 60 min, and when I am working out, I do it the right away, focused with no chit chatting​.
This is how I look 12 months later. My weight is down to 180 pounds , and I put on a decent amount of muscle. I did no cardio, just changed the diet and lift heavy. I still drink alcohol once or twice a week, have one cheat day a week where I eat burgers, ice cream. I am feeling great , and now I enjoy working out.

In the beginning is hard guys, buy you can do it
Once you start seeing results , you​ keep going. No need for crazy diets ,just try to eat more protein, less sugar and candy, and do some activity.

Let's lift guys

PS: I am not looking for a 6 pack. It is so much work guys, not in the gym but in the kitchen lol. I like to eat and drink too much, so I accepted the fact that I might never have a decent 6 pack , and I ok with that.i am lifting more because I enjoy and to stay healthy. Do exercise for whatever reason, health, looks, etc, but do something . You only have one body, keep it healthy

T4vNhsu.jpg

Looking great! Can you talk more about the diet aspect, like what you eat in a day?
 

Jokab

Member
Is it possible to put a ratio on how important the correct amount of protein vs the correct amount of calories is, provided that the goal is to build muscle? Like if you don't get enough protein, the amount of calories is wasted or the other way around? Or is it impossible to say with any confidence?

To put it differently, if you one day had to choose if you got enough protein or enough calories, which would you prioritize? Given that there would be no way for you to get the right amount of both.
 
Any help would be appreciated and my apologies once again if this isn't the most appropriate place to ask this.

Sounds like you're a fairly extreme example of skinny fat, and the only real think you can do is put on muscle so that when you're at lower body fat levels you look a bit better.

...and I feel for you with the face thing. I've literally had people ask me if I was dying when I've been at my lowest body fat levels. :(

(BTW, don't get hung up on the whole carb vs not thing. Water retention aside, you can still lose weight / fat just fine on a higher carb diet.)
 
Is it possible to put a ratio on how important the correct amount of protein vs the correct amount of calories is, provided that the goal is to build muscle? Like if you don't get enough protein, the amount of calories is wasted or the other way around? Or is it impossible to say with any confidence?

To put it differently, if you one day had to choose if you got enough protein or enough calories, which would you prioritize? Given that there would be no way for you to get the right amount of both.

I would say the bare minimum protein you need is half a gram per pound of body weight, i eat 1 gram per lb of body weight just to make sure im getting enough.
 
Sorry, you cant target body fat. Ive seen a few guys
In this thread who have the same problem.

That's what I figured, was curious if there might be a nutritional diet that might help target belly fat more while sparing my facial fat/water weight.

Sounds like you're a fairly extreme example of skinny fat, and the only real think you can do is put on muscle so that when you're at lower body fat levels you look a bit better.

...and I feel for you with the face thing. I've literally had people ask me if I was dying when I've been at my lowest body fat levels. :(

(BTW, don't get hung up on the whole carb vs not thing. Water retention aside, you can still lose weight / fat just fine on a higher carb diet.)

Skinny fat probably would probably describe my body fairy well. Last May I weighed close to 245 and since June of these year I've maintained between 155-160, all of that weight loss minus that last 15 or so pounds was lost during the first 7-8 months and my exercise was strictly cardio (walking 4-5 miles daily). I've never really had the intention to put on any muscle as for me personally, as a woman I prefer my upper body to be smaller. I don't know my body fat % but outside my stomach and thighs (the latter being where I personally store weight first and lose last as it's genetic from my mothers side as well as my gender) there aren't really any area's I feel are insecure about. My goal has been to try and lose just 8-10 pounds more to reach the upper 140's however I just get discouraged not even 2-3 days in due to my face losing it's fat first. I should probably look into exercises that even if you can't spot reduce might help tighten my stomach muscles as my gut while not overly huge is made worse by how flabby it is. Any easy/do at home/no real equipment needed exorcises you can think of? Sorry to hear about your struggles with this issue to :(

Yeah I don't really watch my carb intake, I tried a low carb diet early this year and on top of it being way too expensive for me (My food budget is around $100 a month) me not liking much dairy made it near impossible for me to eat over 1000 cal and combined with my hypotension/low sodium levels I blacked out one night after 2 weeks crashing head first into one of my walls and getting a concussion/sprained wrist and rushed to the ER will critically low sodium levels, not fun >_< My daily nutritional intake in the average day is usually about 1400-1600 cal, Fat 30ish, Sat Fat - 10ish, Carbs 125-150, Sodium 2500-3000, Fiber 25g-30, Protein 50-65ish, I eat a wall balanced diet for the most part, vegetables, some lean meat, usually a whole apple, whole grains, very limited dairy and stevia for my coffee needs while trying to keep my added sugar intake on the lower side. I'm in love with progresso minestrone soup as it's low cal (200 a can), 8g fiber, all vegatables, not too much sugar and lots of sodium which I need. Then lastly I drink12+ cups of plain water a day.

Thank you both for your replies of course!
 
Stomach vacuums. Also, I'd say anything that makes your thighs / glutes larger (optical illusion to make your waist appear smaller). For a guy I'd say oblique / lat work too, but you might not want to risk looking "wider".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDx1xfSobG4

(Funnily enough, I also suffer with low blood pressure. I have to remember to stand up in stages if I've been laying down or I flat out black out. I once passed out taking a leak in the night and destroyed a bathroom bin.)
 

GrizzNKev

Banned
That's what I figured, was curious if there might be a nutritional diet that might help target belly fat more while sparing my facial fat/water weight.



Skinny fat probably would probably describe my body fairy well. Last May I weighed close to 245 and since June of these year I've maintained between 155-160, all of that weight loss minus that last 15 or so pounds was lost during the first 7-8 months and my exercise was strictly cardio (walking 4-5 miles daily). I've never really had the intention to put on any muscle as for me personally, as a woman I prefer my upper body to be smaller. I don't know my body fat % but outside my stomach and thighs (the latter being where I personally store weight first and lose last as it's genetic from my mothers side as well as my gender) there aren't really any area's I feel are insecure about. My goal has been to try and lose just 8-10 pounds more to reach the upper 140's however I just get discouraged not even 2-3 days in due to my face losing it's fat first. I should probably look into exercises that even if you can't spot reduce might help tighten my stomach muscles as my gut while not overly huge is made worse by how flabby it is. Any easy/do at home/no real equipment needed exorcises you can think of? Sorry to hear about your struggles with this issue to :(

Yeah I don't really watch my carb intake, I tried a low carb diet early this year and on top of it being way too expensive for me (My food budget is around $100 a month) me not liking much dairy made it near impossible for me to eat over 1000 cal and combined with my hypotension/low sodium levels I blacked out one night after 2 weeks crashing head first into one of my walls and getting a concussion/sprained wrist and rushed to the ER will critically low sodium levels, not fun >_< My daily nutritional intake in the average day is usually about 1400-1600 cal, Fat 30ish, Sat Fat - 10ish, Carbs 125-150, Sodium 2500-3000, Fiber 25g-30, Protein 50-65ish, I eat a wall balanced diet for the most part, vegetables, some lean meat, usually a whole apple, whole grains, very limited dairy and stevia for my coffee needs while trying to keep my added sugar intake on the lower side. I'm in love with progresso minestrone soup as it's low cal (200 a can), 8g fiber, all vegatables, not too much sugar and lots of sodium which I need. Then lastly I drink12+ cups of plain water a day.

Thank you both for your replies of course!

As a fellow skinny fat person, I feel your pain.

I look great clothed at 6'1 160lbs but terrible shirtless. It seems to me the only way to break through that fat barrier is to lose as much weight as possible and deal with whatever the consequences are.
 

ExInferus

Member
I'm fucking done with bulking forever. My face just becomes so bloated it's disgusting, even with just 3 kgs more and I don't even weigh a lot to begin with.

Maintenance forever it is then...
 
I'm currently on recomp, but oddly I appear to be getting fatter. I think something I'm eating is causing water retention, but I'm not sure what.
 
During my early, ignorant lifting days, I put on 50 lbs in 5 months. Just terrible. I wasted a lot of early progress dealing with that.

lol, I did something similar. My weight right now is around 150lb and easily sustainable. People are shocked when I tell them a few years ago I hit 197lbs. I went nuts and took meal replacement shakes along with my regular meals.

I looked horrible though, never went that high again. That same year though, when i realized how fat I got, I dropped back down to like 155lb to "reboot."

Now I stop around 165-170lb when "bulking" and then drop to 145-155 during cut.
 
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