Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[nenjin]

You want my suggestion: skip the SSC. Buy some dumbbells. SSC just isn't good for burning calories and fat except while you're doing it. Resistance training, done properly, keeps your body burning calories for a couple days after your work out. Increasing lean muscle mass also increases your Basal Metabolic Rate. More lean muscle mass = more calories required to support said muscles = a natural caloric deficit if you change nothing else = weight and fat loss.

Also it's Tuesday and my abs are still killing me, after my Sunday workout. It's a good thing.

[Gentlefish]

Yer, you put it in words better than I could but I totally get what you're saying. I walk to and from work everyday (about 20 mins altogether) that I might start power walking for a little extra workout but it's going to be pushups and sit ups and weightlifting at home that's going to be the real effort. More muscle mass = more calories burned at rest to feed them.

[Yoink]

I often feel annoyed at the difficulties involved in gaining weight from being really skinny, as opposed to having excess mass to turn straight into muscle... but I suppose both ways have their pros and cons. I can just binge on carbs, protein etc and see what sticks, basically.
Still slow going, though. Had a bit of a lazy moment over New Year's, I aim to get back to work today!


@Nenjin: ooh, that thing does seem pretty handy. I would much rather make sit-ups harder than increase the number of them I do. One question, though: is it called an Ab Slab? Because it should totally be called an Ab Slab.

[nenjin]

Alas, Ab Mat is the name it currently enjoys. But yeah. I'm no stranger to sit ups and crunches, and this thing has given me the best ab workout I can feel to date. Of course, maybe it's just because I've been doing a shitload of planks for the last few months, I'm not used to more "functional" ab work anymore. Still. The only workout I've done that hurt this long or this good was when I dove straight into squats with no real prep work. That's about all I can compare it to.

I've kind of decided I'm not going to worry about gains until I hit the body fat % I want to. Even though that's counter to a lot of the advice I've been getting, the truth is you need to eat for growth and you need to stay with it if you want to grow as a skinny dude. And that's hard for me. I can eat well and fully during the week, but during the weekend my calorie count falls dramatically. It's not that I start eating garbage on the weekend, I just stop getting two square meals and snacking in because I stay up ridiculously late and sleep ridiculously late and it throws off my routine. In most bulking nutrition plans, you're putting away ~1600 calorie breakfast and dinner and like an 800 calorie lunch. If you're missing two to three whole days out of that eating plan....So while I've managed to become disciplined about workouts, and more disciplined with food, upsetting my weekend schedule of video games for the sake of being awake long enough to eat enough is kind of a bridge too far.

The way I see it, to have the figure I kind of have in my head of how I want to look.....I'd need to be eating 3k or more calories a day and 200g of protein pretty much the rest of my life. Not just to grow but to continue to stay large. And that sounds like a shit load of money and nutrition rigor to accomplish. Us skinny guys have to work 2x as hard and eat 2x as much to keep mass as other body types, and right now I'm just not ready to start eating with as much dedication as I'm working out. When my body fat gets low enough and I start running the risk of it getting too low, then I'm going to dramatically increase my calorie intake (bigger portions for starters), and maybe start in on protein supplements. See how far that goes and how fast I lose mass if I return to normal eating levels. Until then though, I'm going to continue to eat to hit my basal metabolic rate more or less, eat as many protein rich foods as I can and continue to cut weight. When I get down low enough, maybe I'll try a little bit of dirty bulking. Because it's certainly easier, and cheaper, to manage dirty bulking than clean bulking.

[Gentlefish]

I'm right there with you on the skinny-guy-getting-fat thing. I couldn't get any gains, no matter how hard I worked out and what I ate when I was in HS football. I toned out really well, but I didn't have any muscle growth even if I was gaining strength.

[Reelya]

As for dumbbells, you can get really cheap adjustable sets that use plastic-coated concrete weights. e.g. in Australia, you can get these for $29 for a 20kg set (2 x 1kg steel bars, 4 x 2.5 kg plates, 8 x 1 kg plates). Something like this is exceptionally good value to get started with, because just the pair of bars that are identical to the ones in these sets cost more than $20 by themselves. Metal plates cost about $3 per kilo here, so you're effectively getting $20 worth of dumbbell bars and $54 (18 kg * $3) worth of plates, for $29 in total. Hell, just buying a couple of 5 kg dumbbells would cost $30 in the shops. These concrete/plastic ones are a much better way to start a set up.

http://www.kmart.com.au/product/plastic-weight-set---20kg/719365


Grabbing a couple of these sets lets you up one of the pairs up to ~15 kg per hand (at which point there's no room on the bar for more stuff: the one downside of concrete weights is that they're more bulky than metal ones. However ... for most dumbbell lifts for average people, you don't need so much weight, for a very long time). To go further than that, you can add 5 kg metal plates, because these sets use standard bars.

EDIT: Actually, for aussies, this one on ebay is better than the kmart option. It's basically the same thing except they've stuck an extra couple of 2.5 kg plates on for the same price of $29, and it's free delivery. I might get one of these myself. I have several adjustable bars set at different weights, and gradually up the level on each of them, but now I'm running out of spare plates so have to cannibalize some of the smaller ones when I switch exercises, which kinda sucks.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-15KG-Dumbbell-Weight-Set-Home-Gym-Fitness-Adjustable-Exercise-Equipment/232374315690?epid=1140656222&hash=item361a96aaaa:g:VEEAAOSwa8dZzzJp

[JimboM12]

came for the exercise, left amazed kmart still exists. i havent seen one in forever.

[nenjin]

Yeah, I've only heard about them closing down about once a year for the last decade.

I've had bad experiences with the plastic coated weights. They were used and made in the early 90s so I'm sure a new pair would be better but.....I found the plastic sheathes cracked very easily and the stupid things would leak sand and crushed particulate everywhere. That and they wouldn't stay firmly attached to the bar and would regularly fall off or spin while trying to use them.

[Reelya]

Maybe they fixed that, or it could depend on the brand or what they make the shells out of now. I've had two sets for about 3 years, they've been beaten up and a few of them making crunchy sounds because they got beaten up too much and the stuff inside them particulated, but none of the plastic shells have weakened at all. One did have a tiny crack near the point where they seem to put the concrete in, a minute amount of sand that would come out when you hoisted them (enough to feel the particles on your skin, but not enough to be visible), but I just stuck some glue on that spot and it wasn't a problem anymore.

But, like I said, you're going to pay $20 for a pair of bars, and metal plates are much more expensive. If you bought 4 5kg plates and the bars new, you'd be looking at around $80 here. Getting the $29 set is better value for a beginner: you'll outgrow the plastic weights before they break, for sure, and you've still got the steel bars to swap metal weights onto. Just take care of the weights and don't slam them down needlessly. Sure, it's easier to damage them, but it's also easy to just be careful.

There are a lot of K-marts still in Australia. We don't have their natural predators here, such as Walmart.

[Icefire2314]

I want to get in shape, my biggest issues is my body fat(my weight by extension but I want to be slimmer). I think what I struggle with most is my eating habits because I get a fair amount of exercise just walking every day, even on the days where I don't then later actually go to the gym.

[JoshuaFH]

So, I'm likely to start going to the on-site gym once I'm back at uni, and I have a question for you lot.

When you exercise a lot, do you ever wind up with a chesty cough for about an hour afterwards? Seems to happen to me regardless of weather, and I was wondering if there would be any way anyone knows of to avoid having this happen.

Do you have asthma?

[nenjin]

I want to get in shape, my biggest issues is my body fat(my weight by extension but I want to be slimmer). I think what I struggle with most is my eating habits because I get a fair amount of exercise just walking every day, even on the days where I don't then later actually go to the gym.

Portion control is probably where you want to start. I have a cheat because I'm still a smoker, and I get the appetite suppressant benefit of it. (Not recommending you take up smoking for weight loss though.) So I don't suffer as much from hunger eating less.

Or rather than portion control, you could try doing just two big meals a day. But they need to be good, wholesome meals that hit all the macros in balanced proportions.

Also finding snacking vegetables you don't hate. Vegetables don't have much in the way of calories or macros, but they have plenty of micronutrients AND they fill you up. Carrots and spinach are my go-tos right now because they're veggies I can tolerate raw.

Another trick is just to chew your food twice as long as you are now. The act of chewing signals your body to release leptin, a hormone that tells your body its full. More chewing = more leptin = getting satiated faster. This is a really hard one for me. When I'm ready to eat, I want to fucking EAT. So slowing down to masticate my food more thoroughly is tough.

It also comes down to body type. Are you an ectomorph, an endomorph or a mesomorph? As an ectomorph, my metabolism is pretty high by default. As such, I haven't followed a super rigorous nutrition plan, but between my workout intensity and the quality of food I'm eating, I'm losing weight pretty consistently. I'm still getting a daily dose of sugar, probably about 80g a week total, and enjoying carbs at least twice a day, which if you take advice from fitness experts is a no-no. And yet I'm still consistently dropping weight because of MY body type. it works because my metabolism can compensate. If you're an endomorph though, with a slower metabolism, you may have to exercise way more discipline in your dieting.

And let's also be realistic: dropping more than 20 pounds in 3 months is pretty extreme if you're not horrendously overweight already. I've managed around that, and that comes out to 1.6 pnds a week. Often our desire to lose weight outstrips the realities of time and metabolism. As long as you're dropping weight consistently, even if it's not a huge drop, you're on the right path and just need to put in the time. I'd say around August I committed to getting a six pack and watching the months tick by without getting it has taken a toll on my motivation. But because I'm in for the long haul, as long as it takes, and I didn't sort out my nutrition until October, I view any weight loss as good weight loss and signs of improvement. I don't even want or need to be beach ready by summer; what is beach ready anyways? It's generally an unsustainable standard of physique that the people pushing it have to go to extremes to achieve. 48 or 72 hour fasts, intentional dehydration, taking all their photos after their workout so they've got a good pump going......all these are temporary illusions of shredness for the most part.

Consider also that people who are shredded and are coaching you to reach shred levels......had to get there first. They didn't just magically in one month go from 22% body fat to 10%. They had to work their way down just like everyone else, and instead of now playing the weight loss game, they're playing the maintenance game. Which according to a lot of sources I've read, maintaining is way easier and more flexible than slimming down.

So don't let the time frame stress you out. You've got a real life with actual responsibilities and don't have the luxury of making working out your job and nutrition your life, both of which are true for the people pitching many weight loss plans. So your results will be slower than someone who can dedicate all their energy to working out, and all their mental space to a rock solid nutrition plan. For them, being fit = money. That's their extra motivation to watch what they eat, get in all their workouts, and try crazy diets and metabolic hacks to get as shredded as possible as fast as possible. The rest of us? We have to rely on different sources of motivation and our timetables are vastly different. You CAN try to live the lifestyle they do, and it's doable. But probably you just run the risk of not being able to live up to that standard, getting demoralized and falling off the wagon.

If don't let the time required bother you, you will see consistent improvement over time. And as long as you don't plateau (which usually comes down to nutrition), you will continue to slim down until you've burned off most of your excess body fat and can go in to maintenance mode.

TLDR: You can get to where the fitness models are. It's just going to take more time, and more discipline, on your part.

Couple videos speaking to some of this you might find helpful

Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3OF-1HufEY
Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4WkS4tFQcY

[Gentlefish]

So, I'm likely to start going to the on-site gym once I'm back at uni, and I have a question for you lot.

When you exercise a lot, do you ever wind up with a chesty cough for about an hour afterwards? Seems to happen to me regardless of weather, and I was wondering if there would be any way anyone knows of to avoid having this happen.

Do you have asthma?

Basically, this. Is it harder to breath at all? Or is it more of a dry cough? I have (really mild) exercise-induced asthma. It could also be dehydration itching at your lungs. If you're drinking plenty of water before, during, and after it could be a mild asthma attack.

[nenjin]

When you exercise a lot, do you ever wind up with a chesty cough for about an hour afterwards?

As a smoker my answer would generally be.....yes? It was that way especially when I started. But after months of essentially high intensity cardio workouts 3 times a week, I get a lot less.

Perhaps it's just an immune response to inflammation of the lungs, which does happen especially when you're panting and your breath is ragged. Do you have allergies applicable to this season? I would keep at it at least until the seasons change and you can see if air temperature, humidity, etc...have any impact on your post workout phlegminess. If it persists through the warm and cold seasons AND after your body has acclimated to working out (assuming you're getting back in to it), then I'd see a doctor and get their take on it. The first month or so of a rigorous workout routine can manifest all sorts of torturous effects in your body, as it goes "holy shit, I'm not ready for this!" Has this been like, a chronic problem over your life?

[nenjin]

Just posting an observation I made about myself that I figure is probably applicable to a lot of Bay12ers.

But first....meet the shoulder.

It has three primary muscles: the front deltoid, the mid deltoid and the rear deltoid.

You're probably most familiar with the front and mid delts because, well, they're the ones you see in the mirror most often when you look.

And what I found out about myself lately is.....I have ridiculously over developed front delts.

Why? Simple. Computers. We tend to hunch our shoulders forward and in when we sit at a computer for a long time. The act of typing or resting our hands on a keyboard causes our shoulders to move forward, and we hunch our backs to compensate, causing the shoulders to draw in, instead of back and out like nature intended. It gets especially bad when playing video games and things get really spicy. I type with my keyboard in my lap, which is closer to the shoulder's preferred resting position, and even then they're still drawn forward and in.

No pictures but take my word for it....when I flex my front delt, it literally sits three inches higher than the rest of my shoulder. After nearly 20 years of computers and gaming, it's like I got a little mountain range at the front of my shoulder when I flex.

My mid delts....have the width but not the height. They're broad and flat, giving me broad looking shoulders, but are less developed than the front delts.

And my rear delts...heh....are pretty much non-existent. There's a little muscle there when I flex, but it's on the order of 90% less muscle than my front delts.

Not ONLY does this create weird postural and joint issues because there's such inequal muscle tension on the shoulder...it looks whack as fuck too.

If you listen to the fitness coaches, they will say that the key to bigger, fuller looking shoulders isn't the front delt or the mid delt (although the mids will make you shoulders look hella broad....)....if you want big meaty, manly looking shoulders, work on your rear delts. In profile it will give balance to your shoulders and improve your posture both visually and functionally, that our current overworked front delts and make look lopsided, and which leads to rounded, slumped shoulders.

So for me, January is rear delt month. Two days a week, three exercises per workout just purely for the rear delts. In Feburary I'll report back if my shoulders feel better and my posture is more centered.

If you're lifting weights and doing any shoulder work...I'd take a good long look in the mirror and see if you've got any glaring imbalances like the one I found. They're easiest to spot if you make a fist and extend your arm away from your body at 90 degrees. With the shoulder sitting flat you should be able to look over and see all three heads of the shoulder tensed, side by side on the same plane and see which head of the shoulder muscles has been getting the most work.

As an aside too, as my abs are starting to really come in I realize they're somewhat crooked. Not much to do about it unfortunately, that's mostly genetics and where the muscle fibers choose to attach. I'd be incredibly ironic to shred down only to find myself just as self-conscious about the muscles underneath as the fat on top.

I've always felt like my whole body is either crooked or lopsided. From my crooked nose to strength imbalances to weird postural offsets, I guess my abs are just one more place I can point to where things are and have always been off center.