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Fitness |OT9|...You looked better before

Repost from Weight loss pic thread:

So I've been lurking around this and Fitness thread for almost a year, I guess it's time to show my results after 1 year of your tips and inspiration:

180cm (5.9ft), went from 131kg (288lbs) to 84kg (185lbs)



Still have some work to do, but currently I am happier than ever with myself.

Yeah, this is awesome. Keep it up!
 
lets say I stay around 15% bodyfat

Unless you're into wearing seriously tight clothes now, it's very unlikely you'll need a new wardrobe.

I went from large, to medium, to small, and then when I bulk, I go back up to medium... but my journey would be very different to yours most likely. :)
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Do any of you have any issues with muscle tightness? I've been using my right arm more because my left arm had that injury from a while back and I think it may have been overcompensating it. Now it's been really tight and stiff around the elbow.

Advice?
 
Thanks for the tips. I am trying to carb a bit in the morning and then try not to have any for the rest of the day.

Any tips on having more energy for lifts etc? Sometimes don't feel I have enough to work my little sets. 😃

Make sure you're getting enough sleep. The difference between how I feel and how I perform when I've had a good night's sleep vs not a lot is huge.

You could buy some pre-workout mix, it's packed with caffeine and will give you a lot of focus and drive. I've had to stop taking mine though because it sets off my anxiety something fierce when the caffeine wears off. I'm gonna stick to making my own instead: milk, water, oats, peanut butter, and either a banana or blueberries and hour or 2 before I lift.
 
Do any of you have any issues with muscle tightness? I've been using my right arm more because my left arm had that injury from a while back and I think it may have been overcompensating it. Now it's been really tight and stiff around the elbow.

Advice?

What exercises are you doing?

Are you warming up properly for the exercises that make you feel tight?
 

Tater Tot

"My God... it's full of Starch!"
my guys did my very first ring workout today.

Had bought the rings years ago and completely forgot. Started watching some youtube vids of my favorite fighters and they wre all training with rings.

Downloaded a workout and went to my local park and hooked them up on a tree branch

HOLY MOLY, this is pure power my forearms are on fire.

I look forward to doing a muscle up on rings
 
Repost from Weight loss pic thread:

So I've been lurking around this and Fitness thread for almost a year, I guess it's time to show my results after 1 year of your tips and inspiration:

180cm (5.9ft), went from 131kg (288lbs) to 84kg (185lbs)



Still have some work to do, but currently I am happier than ever with myself.

Congrats man. That's great work. Enjoy the feeling.
 
Repost from Weight loss pic thread:

So I've been lurking around this and Fitness thread for almost a year, I guess it's time to show my results after 1 year of your tips and inspiration:

180cm (5.9ft), went from 131kg (288lbs) to 84kg (185lbs)



Still have some work to do, but currently I am happier than ever with myself.
Great job, keep it up!
 
Are planks effective? What muscles does it work? Also, how long should one do it since it's just holding a static position?

I want to supplement my exercise by working out after I wake up, and I want to mostly put in exercises for the abs. So far I just have 3x10 of twisted hip raises because they're fun to do. Not sure if I'm doing it right, I feel a sensation like my stomach aches when I do them.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
C25K on treadmill
1392509307543.jpg

C25K on pavement
bret_89injury.jpg
 
Barbell curls, chin ups, overhead press, really anything that requires using your arms.

Your form doing the overhead press could be contributing to your elbow pain. I know sometimes as one get towards the last reps of a set of the press the bar can drift a bit away from your body and the bar path is no longer over the middle of the foot. You got to make sure you get under the bar when this happens. I would definitely recommend looking into your form for these exercises especially for the overhead press and make sure it is good for every rep for all your sets.
 

ColdPizza

Banned
Anyone else get muscle twitches or flutters? Been experience this in my right pec/shoulder area. No pain, just spasming. Not sure if it's related to my chest workout on Friday.
 
These past few weeks I've been having some tightness (that may not be the right word, but I don't know how else to describe it) right at the outside of my chest right where it meets my armpit and into my bicep. I can't feel it when I stretch, only when I'm benching. I've tried building up the weight slowly but I can even feel it with just the bar. For reference, I'm currently doing work sets of 205. Could it have something to do with my form? I'm even feeling it now with push-ups. Any thoughts are welcome, thanks!
 
These past few weeks I've been having some tightness (that may not be the right word, but I don't know how else to describe it) right at the outside of my chest right where it meets my armpit and into my bicep. I can't feel it when I stretch, only when I'm benching. I've tried building up the weight slowly but I can even feel it with just the bar. For reference, I'm currently doing work sets of 205. Could it have something to do with my form? I'm even feeling it now with push-ups. Any thoughts are welcome, thanks!

I'd urge real caution. There's a chance, maybe a good one, that you're close to tearing something. If it is really bothering you with just the bar, I would really urge you to stop benching for a while and let it heal.

When you start benching again, I might recommend bringing your elbows closer to your torso. But hold off on that for a while.
 

lenovox1

Member
Anyone else get muscle twitches or flutters? Been experience this in my right pec/shoulder area. No pain, just spasming. Not sure if it's related to my chest workout on Friday.

Your magnesium levels are probably low. Eat more greens, nuts, and beans or try a magnesium supplement.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
Free donuts at work and I have to say no due to this cut ;_;. There's already a free coffee, hot chocolate etc machine that would perfect with it too. Instead I'm drinking black coffee and waiting till lunch to eat.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
There's a fancy piece of equipment that's like a half tire you can flip back and forth in one place at my gym in Santa Clara. Do you guys think that (or any kind of strongman training such as the prowler, sled, etc.) can be useful for conditioning purposes while not interfering with my strength training program? Or would that end up being too much volume/intensity to recover from?
 
^ It really depends. I attempted to integrate some conditioning to my strength training but it really negatively affected my strength. Then again, I am lifting heavy 4-5 times a week. If you're lifting less frequently (i.e. 1-2 times a week) it should work and could definitely be beneficial. You'll learn how it affects you within 1 week of doing it - fatigue catches up with you fast.
 
Free donuts at work and I have to say no due to this cut ;_;. There's already a free coffee, hot chocolate etc machine that would perfect with it too. Instead I'm drinking black coffee and waiting till lunch to eat.

This is a really bad culture problem, my work does it alot too. Would be alot better if they brought a bag of apples and oranges instead of donuts.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Relaxation?

Stress can be a big player when it comes to overtraining. Life stresses, mental ones. Its why its hard to gauge if one is over training since theyre a myriad of factors beyond how much time you spend in the gym.
 

Poison-

Neo Member
I can finally row more than I can bench. Worked really hard on that

A lot of people I see neglect their back. Get rowing people!
 

KillerBEA

Member
I can finally row more than I can bench. Worked really hard on that

A lot of people I see neglect their back. Get rowing people!
My Rowing strength recently blew up and skyrocketed passed my Bench. Did 205 lbs for 15 today which is probably pretty close to my Bench 1rm.
 

vypek

Member
Does anyone do meal prep for a week and then freeze their food by any chance? Looking for some ideas/recipes. I've been trying to do it with chicken thighs by cooking them early in the week and then freezing them and reheat them to eat them during the week. But I'm not a great cook and feel like they are really bad and overcooked once I heat them up. I can't seem to get the sweet spot for having them be good after I reheat them from frozen. Need to be able to grab something to eat as soon as I walk in from work.

Been hearing some stuff about sous-vide. I don't know if that will be better or not
 

Poison-

Neo Member
Does anyone do meal prep for a week and then freeze their food by any chance? Looking for some ideas/recipes. I've been trying to do it with chicken thighs by cooking them early in the week and then freezing them and reheat them to eat them during the week. But I'm not a great cook and feel like they are really bad and overcooked once I heat them up. I can't seem to get the sweet spot for having them be good after I reheat them from frozen. Need to be able to grab something to eat as soon as I walk in from work.

Been hearing some stuff about sous-vide. I don't know if that will be better or not

The Youtube channel "Tasty" has some pretty good stuff for people that aren't great cooks. Quick videos with easy to follow instructions. A friend of mine gets a lot of her recipes from there
 
I'd urge real caution. There's a chance, maybe a good one, that you're close to tearing something. If it is really bothering you with just the bar, I would really urge you to stop benching for a while and let it heal.

When you start benching again, I might recommend bringing your elbows closer to your torso. But hold off on that for a while.

Thanks, I'll try giving it a break for a while and see if better form down the road helps
 
That's the physique of someone that has been training with proper nutrition and sleep for many, many years. Most people don't come close to a physique like his
I guess I just don't want to get accidentally ripped. I accidentally got thin, so anything is possible. Thanks for the heads-up though!
 

Szu

Member
I could see it happening. I mean I get accidentally fat every year.

It sucks when I'm just walking, then trip and stumble into a all-you-can eat buffet restaurant.
 

Greedings

Member
My student gave me a box of chocolates for coming in over the weekend for her.

Why couldn't she given me a good fillet steak instead?
 

Ledsen

Member
Hi fitness-GAF. I'm an on-again off-again overweight gym avoider who has ostensibly been going to the gym for years... only it's usually in periods and sporadically, so only rarely have I managed to get any gains out of it. It was almost six months since I went to the gym and my weight is higher than ever. Now I actually want to get fit, and I feel more motivated than I've done in a long time. I need to lose weight, I need to gain muscle and I crucially need to become more flexible (I physically can't do a deadlift because I can't lift the bar with my back straight) and gain some energy to avoid being so tired all the time and keep my anxiety and depression at bay. So many questions are:

1. How do I become flexible enough so I can actually do normal-ass exercises like deadlifts?

2. Any tips for apps? At the moment I'm using Jefit at the gym, RunKeeper for running and MyFitnessPal for food... so many apps to juggle. I especially would like an app that also has a motivational aspect to it, not just sterile numbers.

3. Also been pondering a personal coach. Should I try one at my gym or is there some kind of app where I can get one cheaper and do the job just as well?

4. Any general advice for me? Considering my goals below... where do I start?

Age: 32
Height: 192 cm/6"3'
Weight: ~105kg/232 lbs, could be more by now
Goal: lose weight and waist, eat better, sleep more (I'm usually at 6-7 hours and I need a solid 8), become happier (I suffer from a lot of anxiety and stress), gain muscle to stay healthy and have more energy in general. I'm a parent to a three-year old and always tired, I want to be able to play with him more and also have energy to do productive things in my own time, not just surf the web and procrastinate
Current Training Schedule: none
Current Training Equipment Available: gym card
 
Friend who is a physical therapist came over and we shot the shit about food for a while. She told me to stop counting calories and "listen to my body." -_- What kind of jedi-foolishness?
Definitely still counting calories.
 
Well, back to it. A few weeks into Stronglifts 5x5 after a drop in exercise and attention to eating correctly and having a bit too much alcohol, and I'm feeling better. My goal here is to lose that belly fat that booze and food truck lunches put on, so I'm clocking it down to 1500 on/1200 off, with some wiggle room and one allowed cheat meal per week (and I already know what that'll be).

I've got a cage in my garage, and I'm able to do lots with it, however I'm trying to stick religiously to 5x5. Thing is, I might sweat a little bit, but I didn't lose what I thought I'd lost in terms of strength, and sometimes the workouts feel not that tough.

Anyway, I'm at 180 now, still wearing 32 waist jeans comfortably. I really don't like cardio at all, but I'm conflicted since it DOES crop the weight quickly. I'm considering a few options, and any insight that can be provided will be read and considered.

1) Just some interval between sets - sprint to the other side of my driveway and back, or run out of the garage, jump in the pool, swim a lap, and then come do another set.

2) Cardio on off days - Hit the damn treadmill and try to move off as many calories as I can.

3) Fuck cardio - Just stick to low calorie and lifting 3x per week.

Whatever shakes down, I'm happy to be back to it. Having a setup at home is really great.
 
Friend who is a physical therapist came over and we shot the shit about food for a while. She told me to stop counting calories and "listen to my body." -_- What kind of jedi-foolishness?
Definitely still counting calories.

If I listened to my body I'd be twice the weight I am now.

I'd be fucking strong, but I'd also be fucking fat. lol
 
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