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Fitness |OT8| Dad Bods, Bulge Swelfies, and Wait...Do you even lift bro?

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despire

Member
Naw, they're just trying to stand out with fancy buzzwords. Don't buy into the hype.

Yeah well I suggest you take a look into their business model and how/why they operate before making assumptions. I'd say they are as legit/honest as you can be in this business.

Not like I just stumbled on this company, I've been following the founder for a while and been reading his stuff. He's seems to be "one of the good guys".
 

theytookourjobz

Junior Member
Pumpkin Pie Quest bars are BOGO at Vitaminshoppe.com. If you use MONDAY20 as well you get another 20% off. I got 6 boxes (72 bars) for $60 shipped. Not my favorite flavor of Quest bars but that's as cheap as I've ever seen them.
 
re: legion

every page reads like those 90s penis pump ads. you could turn every mention of something being clinically or scientifically proven into a drinking game.

There are even testimonials/reviews on every product page.

He does post links to actual scientific journals for each ingredient in his products. That's a good thing I guess. Although it's only really possible because he's advertising using the internet. A store shelf, TV commercial, or fitness magazine won't really have that luxury, so it's a little disingenuous to criticize the lack of transparency from other supplement companies when you can't really provide that type of information in a standard ad or product label.

I don't think he's trying to rip anybody off or anything. But at the end of the day, they're still just supplements. They're not going to make or break your diet.

I just checked the ingredients... I make my own pre-workout (funnily enough, also based on scientifically backed numbers), and I wouldn't be comfortable with the amount of beta alanine that they use. At 3g I found the pins and needless to be fairly unpleasant, so I'd hate to think what 4.8g would feel like (obviously this varies on body weight etc)... and that's just a single serving, they reckon two servings for 45mins +... which would melt my face..

I still remember my first time taking beta alanine. I did the full 6g right before going to bed. "how bad this tingling thing be" I told myself lol.

Now a days I take about 2.5g at a time, and even that produces too much tingles some days.
 

despire

Member
re: legion

every page reads like those 90s penis pump ads. you could turn every mention of something being clinically or scientifically proven into a drinking game.

There are even testimonials/reviews on every product page.

He does post links to actual scientific journals for each ingredient in his products. That's a good thing I guess. Although it's only really possible because he's advertising using the internet. A store shelf, TV commercial, or fitness magazine won't really have that luxury, so it's a little disingenuous to criticize the lack of transparency from other supplement companies when you can't really provide that type of information in a standard ad or product label.

I don't think he's trying to rip anybody off or anything. But at the end of the day, they're still just supplements. They're not going to make or break your diet.

True but I still think they are pretty tame compared to other supplement companies which basically promise that you become a superman of you take their product. That's how marketing works I guess. Not the first time I've seen marketing like that from people who are legit and know their shit.

Regarding transparency, the problem with most supplements is that they don't have the dosages required to have any benefit. They may have all the right stuff but they are in so low dosages that they don't do anything. And that's something most companies wouldn't want you to know. Or worse, they just have a bunch of stuff that don't do anything, like raspberry ketones.

Anyway they don't sell at retail at all and their margins are much smaller (not 90% like with most companies) that they can get more of the good stuff in.


But like you said, you don't need that stuff of course. Just wanted to get the info out here because they don't advertise at all, relaying on word of mouth instead, but the products should be much better than most of their competition. And anyone can check for themselves that that the dosages in Legion's stuff are much higher and the ingredients are supposed by science.

Edit:
Obviously I'm not affliated with the company anyway of course so I don't care. Just wanted to a FYI in case someone is interested.
 
Higher dosages aren't necessarily a good thing. Value for money, sure, but there are many reasons why you wouldn't want to knock back 9g+ of Beta Alanine in one go.

I do fully support companies that actually list what they put in this shit though. The reason I started making my own is that at the time there was very little out there that was clear about what was in it.
 

BumRush

Member
Pumpkin Pie Quest bars are BOGO at Vitaminshoppe.com. If you use MONDAY20 as well you get another 20% off. I got 6 boxes (72 bars) for $60 shipped. Not my favorite flavor of Quest bars but that's as cheap as I've ever seen them.

Thanks for posting...unfortunately I can't stand the pumpkin ones lol
 

despire

Member
Higher dosages aren't necessarily a good thing. Value for money, sure, but there are many reasons why you wouldn't want to knock back 9g+ of Beta Alanine in one go.

I do fully support companies that actually list what they put in this shit though. The reason I started making my own is that at the time there was very little out there that was clear about what was in it.

Of course but we are not talking about overdosing because no one does that with these compounds. The problem is that the clinically effective dose (effective dosage proven in many studies) of said molecule is 4-5 grams but most pre workout supplements only have 1-3 grams. Legion uses 4,8 grams. That's the difference.
1-3 grams doesn't do shit.
 
Clinically effective dose is that... per day. You're supposed to split it into smaller dosages.

(and again, they suggest doing even more than that in one go, which is nuts)
 

despire

Member
Clinically effective dose is that... per day. You're supposed to split it into smaller dosages.

(and again, they suggest doing even more than that in one go, which is nuts)

I'm not sure you need to divide it unless you are afraid of the tingling. Tried checking Examine but the mobile site didn't show the "how to take" section (if there was any).

Where do they suggest taking more? It says two scoops of Pulse has 4,8 grams of BA?
 

Jokab

Member
Hey guys! If there's one thing I've gotten self-conscious about my body lately, it is my skinny wrists. My arms are very skinny too, but the wrists just look odd, even on my otherwise lanky body. I don't go to the gym and I'm not really planning to. What can I do other than that? Are there squeeze balls or similar that you can use at the computer or in the sofa to achieve some kind of results? Yes I know, the gym or body weight exercises are the best. But if we rule those out for any arbitrary reason, what are my options? Thankful for any advice.
 

despire

Member
Hey guys! If there's one thing I've gotten self-conscious about my body lately, it is my skinny wrists. My arms are very skinny too, but the wrists just look odd, even on my otherwise lanky body. I don't go to the gym and I'm not really planning to. What can I do other than that? Are there squeeze balls or similar that you can use at the computer or in the sofa to achieve some kind of results? Yes I know, the gym or body weight exercises are the best. But if we rule those out for any arbitrary reason, what are my options? Thankful for any advice.

Not really. Your wrists just below your hands are mostly just bone and tendons. Your forearms will grow but even they require some heavy lifting most of the time. Some ball squeezing isn't probably gonns help in either case.
 
Where do they suggest taking more? It says two scoops of Pulse has 4,8 grams of BA?
My mistake, I read it as 2 servings, not scoops. Not that I'd go anywhere near 4.8g either, would be horrible.

Hey guys! If there's one thing I've gotten self-conscious about my body lately, it is my skinny wrists. My arms are very skinny too, but the wrists just look odd, even on my otherwise lanky body.

Your wrists will never change in size, same story for your elbows and ankles (possibly knees too, but not too sure). For those, you get what you're given.

One of the posters made a good argument that tiny wrists are a good way of making decent forearms look huge, so that's something... and look on the bright side, I bet your wrists aren't as small as mine (6" circumference).
 

Jokab

Member
Not really. Your wrists just below your hands are mostly just bone and tendons. Your forearms will grow but even they require some heavy lifting most of the time. Some ball squeezing isn't probably gonns help in either case.

My mistake, I read it as 2 servings, not scoops. Not that I'd go anywhere near 4.8g either, would be horrible.



Your wrists will never change in size, same story for your elbows and ankles (possibly knees too, but not too sure). For those, you get what you're given.

One of the posters made a good argument that tiny wrists are a good way of making decent forearms look huge, so that's something... and look on the bright side, I bet your wrists aren't as small as mine (6" circumference).

I think what I meant more was the part just below the knuckle. Is that part also not able to grow at all? An yeah, mine are definitely smaller than 6". With just measuring with my other hand, I'd say it's around 5" or even smaller.

Say I still want to try something. Do I get a ball or one of those grippers?
 
You can feel where it begins to grow, it starts to feel like meat instead of bone. It's a good couple of inches past the "knuckle" for me.

Edit - I just measured for you. 5.25" exactly. lol

GAFs next competition... a wrist off, smallest and largest. ;)
 

Wulfric

Member
Argh, why is eating well so difficult? I was writing out some meal plans for the weekend and I reached only 1588 cals with what seems to me like a ton of food.

Breakfast: Whey + 2% milk +2 eggs
C 16, F 16, P 46, 400 cals
Lunch: 2 cans of tuna + greek yogurt
C 19, F 4, P 64, 360 cals
Dinner: Rice + grilled chicken + glass of OJ
C 73, F 4, P 29, 428 cals
Miscellaneous food (repeat breakfast)
C 16, F 16, P 46, 400 cals
Grand total: 126 carbs, 40 fat, 185 protein, 1588 calories.

Do I switch out some of the protein for fats which are more calorie dense, add carbs, or something else? Once I wrote it out I realized the calories were a bit low.
 

Wulfric

Member
Two things... what do you weigh, and what are you aiming for, calorie wise?

I weigh 163 lbs at 5'4 ft. I'm currently doing both Army ROTC (cardio/group based calisthenics) and Stronglifts 3x a week, so I estimate I'd need at least 2300-2500 per day. Basically I'm at the gym five days a week for no matter what.

I admit I've got a decent amount of pudge on my stomach and legs, but I'm honestly just focused on gaining muscle mass. The fat can be dealt with later.
 
Well, you sure as hell don't need any more protein, but you could definitely do with more fat. Beyond that... fill in the rest with carbs as appropriate, especially if you're doing a lot of cardio.
 

Wulfric

Member
Lol, that was fast. I guess I can take a tuna can out of there, haha. Peanut butter oatmeal should cover the carbs and fat nicely. Does having 140-150g sound better for protein?

It's been a while since I've evaluated my food needs. Now that I'm firmly entrenched in both programs it was a good idea to review them. Thank you! ^_^
 
I have questions for some small details I want to make sure is correct. For dead lifting, should you start with the 45 plates on each side and not any lower? I ask because if you use a 25 or 35 then your starting position will be effected since the plates are smaller therefore changing you positioning. Does that matter? My other question is about warm ups and mainly for the compound exercises since that is what I do. About how many sets and reps should your warmups be? And should you always start the first one with the bar only and add a certain weight afterwards? If so how much for the next set? I am doing starting strength so my working set is 3 sets of 5. Also my rests should be shorter for warm ups right? About how short?
 

ILoveBish

Member
If you're starting with 25 or 35lb plates for deadlift, then either use bumper plates or if using the standard smaller plates, stack the weights ontop of other weights to raise the height of the bar to be near what 45s would end up at.

So lay down flat a plate per side. And then put the barbell on the plates to raise the height to proper level.
 

Chocobro

Member
I have questions for some small details I want to make sure is correct. For dead lifting, should you start with the 45 plates on each side and not any lower? I ask because if you use a 25 or 35 then your starting position will be effected since the plates are smaller therefore changing you positioning. Does that matter? My other question is about warm ups and mainly for the compound exercises since that is what I do. About how many sets and reps should your warmups be? And should you always start the first one with the bar only and add a certain weight afterwards? If so how much for the next set? I am doing starting strength so my working set is 3 sets of 5. Also my rests should be shorter for warm ups right? About how short?

ILB covered the DL warm-up part.

The starting strength wikia has a link about warm-up set/reps you can follow; there's also a spreadsheet that can calculate everything for you: link. I personally used the Google spreadsheet and had it on my phone. That should answer several of your questions.

For rest time, just go by feeling. I don't overthink it anymore. The rest time are typically shorter for warm-ups, yes. You can probably take a short breather or just do the lift after loading the bar with the next warm-up weight.
 

J. Bravo

Member
Lifted at my old gym for the first time in a while...they have purchased 5 (!) power lifting platforms!! Signed up immediately. Deadlifting was the best.
 

despire

Member
You can feel where it begins to grow, it starts to feel like meat instead of bone. It's a good couple of inches past the "knuckle" for me.

Edit - I just measured for you. 5.25" exactly. lol

GAFs next competition... a wrist off, smallest and largest. ;)

Lol I'm around the same I think. Around 5-5,5" wrists. So small..
 
If you're starting with 25 or 35lb plates for deadlift, then either use bumper plates or if using the standard smaller plates, stack the weights ontop of other weights to raise the height of the bar to be near what 45s would end up at.

So lay down flat a plate per side. And then put the barbell on the plates to raise the height to proper level.


ILB covered the DL warm-up part.

The starting strength wikia has a link about warm-up set/reps you can follow; there's also a spreadsheet that can calculate everything for you: link. I personally used the Google spreadsheet and had it on my phone. That should answer several of your questions.

For rest time, just go by feeling. I don't overthink it anymore. The rest time are typically shorter for warm-ups, yes. You can probably take a short breather or just do the lift after loading the bar with the next warm-up weight.

thanks
 

despire

Member
Anyone here a fan of butternut squash? Thinking about how it would work as a replacement for sweet potato? Half the calories which means you can eat double portions. I haven't tasted it but I guess a lot of people like it very much.

Any tips on preparing? Can you boil it like a potato or does it need to be roasted?
 

Azulsky

Member
Anyone here a fan of butternut squash? Thinking about how it would work as a replacement for sweet potato? Half the calories which means you can eat double portions. I haven't tasted it but I guess a lot of people like it very much.

Any tips on preparing? Can you boil it like a potato or does it need to be roasted?

Cut in half
Remove Seeds and Pulp
Brush some Olive Oil on there.
Place face down on pan
Oven @ 350 deg F until soft. You can flip it at the end to brown it a bit more. You really cant overcook it unless you forget about it overnight.

You can also remove all the skin and then cube it, takes less time to roast that way

I do the cubes then mash them after roasting, dump a huge quantity of cinnamon and some butter on them before consuming. You can spoil yourself with brown sugar and maple syrup too.

Butternut Squash Soup is pretty rad. Just need a food processor.

Same thing applies to Acorn squash, the chosen one of Potassium.

Sorry i just like winter squashes
 

ldcommando

Banned
My progress:
R3BdK0I.png
 
Hey guys. I've been hitting the gym for three years, pretty much focused during that time. But since having moved to Berlin, I've never signed up again. I checked some gyms and they're all just super extremely crowded all the time and then I just wouldn't go, because I just hate to wait for exercises and feeling rushed by other people.

So the last year I've been starting with bodyweight exercises and some dumbbells at home, and I have to say that after some adjustments I think the results were pretty much as good as during the times I've been going to the gym. People usually do assume that I am a gym member, so I think it's working out for me (no pun intended).

here comes the BUT. My problem is that I feel that I don't have as much possibilities to shake up my routines. So far I only have dumbbells at home. I was thinking about a pull-up rack for my doorframe. Any experiences with these? Can you guys recommend some from Amazon or something? And maybe even a regular curl/straight bar and some heavier weights.

I'm also constantly considering rejoining a gym because of the equipment you have there, but since I'm working 9 to 6 I would only be able to go during the busiest times
and for those who'd suggest that I go before work: ain't never gonna happen ;-)
 
What dumbbells do you currently have?

I do pretty much everything I need to with a bunch of adjustable dumbbells (almost never adjust them, because I have them set to a range that work for me) and two bars (ez curl, standard) with a bunch of plates. However, I personally wouldn't be comfortable heavy squatting or bench pressing were it not for the squat rack I have (with spotter bars).
 
What dumbbells do you currently have?

I do pretty much everything I need to with a bunch of adjustable dumbbells (almost never adjust them, because I have them set to a range that work for me) and two bars (ez curl, standard) with a bunch of plates. However, I personally wouldn't be comfortable heavy squatting or bench pressing were it not for the squat rack I have (with spotter bars).

I have a set of adjustable dumbbells but right now the max weight I can achieve is about 16-17kg (around 37 pounds), but for a dumbbell that's fine for me and I rarely ever use that weight. I've also been thinking about a squat rack, but I don't have that much space in my apartment. Do you have a foldable one or do you just leave it standing around? (a private fitness room would be a dream one day...)
 
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