The Fitness Thread

[kmay]

Originally Posted by Senip

Stop injuring your knees
.

horrible horrible genetics

[ssbmchamp]

Originally Posted by Reach

Planet Fitness is a joke within the fitness community. It's mostly for people that are 1. broke or 2. don't know anything about fitness

Lol! I go to planet fitness. I'm not the least bit offended, and actually for the most part, agree with you. I'm a member not because I'm broke but rather to save money. It only makes sense. Not trying to start an argument, but rather just stating my logic for going there: "Weight is weight". It's not something that has quality control, aka you can't pay for "better" weight. Hell you could go to a rock quarry and lift rocks in different ways to get a workout. Are the rules dumb? YES!!! They are at PF. I agree. However the only people it should affect are extreme body builders who can max everything out for multiple reps. Aside from that it has enough machines, dumbells, etc to get a full body workout for your average person and I'm almost 100% certain none of you are an extreme body builder that can do that so why pay more to lift something that is a constant no matter how much you pay for it? Again, not starting an argument, but rather offering a way to save you guys money lol. Just something to consider I suppose.

[Reach]

That was obviously a gross generalization and I personally know someone that is neither of the above that goes to PF but

generally speaking it's about as softcore as you get for a gym.

I have a feeling I am going to look completely silly for the first few months or so, squatting virtually no weight at all

don't worry about impressing anyone. If you go in there and set a personal best, it's a success. It doesn't matter where you are on the ladder of fitness.

I remember when I started squatting. It was like, 95 lbs. Some guy asked how many sets I had left and came on after me and did 225 like it was light. I felt pretty weak.

Whatever though. I squat more than him now. If you push yourself to where you want to be, you'll get there eventually.

[Senip]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

I have a feeling I am going to look completely silly for the first few months or so, squatting virtually no weight at all

You'll be surprised. Really focus on clinching the form and it'll skyrocket. Just dont get cocky and try to do too heavy weight, too soon.



Oh. If your gym has a pullover machine, I'd recommend you do that (a lot). It's great for building your back and chest, and is one of the few machines that you can't get a really good reproduction from free weights (DB pullovers just arent the same..)

[Reincarnate]

What would you recommend now that I have a gym in terms of exercises?

I know earlier you recommended:

Mon: Back
Tues: Shoulders/Tris
Wed: off (10 mins HIIT, abs, push ups)
Thurs: Chest/Bis
Friday: Off (10-15 mins HIIT)
Sat: legs
Sun: off. (10-15 mins HIIT, or walking, or whatever)

But curious what exercises you like doing for each

[Senip]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

What would you recommend now that I have a gym in terms of exercises?

I know earlier you recommended:

Mon: Back
Tues: Shoulders/Tris
Wed: off (10 mins HIIT, abs, push ups)
Thurs: Chest/Bis
Friday: Off (10-15 mins HIIT)
Sat: legs
Sun: off. (10-15 mins HIIT, or walking, or whatever)

But curious what exercises you like doing for each

Honestly, I wouldnt do what I do. Everyone's different in regards to how their body works. Full body workouts until you've got a few months under your belt will be the best for you.

Tried and true exercises, though:

Biceps: Preacher Curl (with or without ez bar), barbell curls (21s, heavy weight for 8-12, light weight for high volume), hammer curls (I like to do these on the machine station, put a rope at the bottom and brace my elbows against my obliques and curl up like lifting a hammer). I almost never do DB curls, although again, you might like them.

Back: Neutral (shoulder width, maybe a little bit further out) pull ups/chin ups (assisted pull up machine is great for this, make sure you imagine your hands as hooks and you're using your back to pull up, really pulls your lats out), close grip underhand lat pulldowns, close grip (or wide grip, to hit the rhomboids) low rows (stick your chest out and arch your back, then pull the grip into your pockets and squeeze), DB or bent over barbell rows (again, stick your chest out, then stick your ass out like you're inviting someone over), machine pullovers, deadlifts. With each back exercise (except deads), I recommend holding the bar/weight/whatever with your thumbs beside your fingers, rather than a normal grip. This helps negate the effect your biceps will have on it, and you'll work the back more than the bis.

Chest: Bench (I like Decline bench the most, but you have to have a low angle, if you have a high angle it puts more of an arch in your back and lessens the contraction you get.) Incline DBs, cable flyes, pec deck flyes, DB flyes. One thing I like to do is squeeze two dbs together (all 4 heads touching) like I was trying to smash them, then press them up on an incline bench.

Legs: Squats (make sure you nail the form on this!), high rep leg press (make sure you're only going till your knees are 90 degrees, any further and you can hurt your knees/hips etc), 1 legged leg extensions, lying leg curls (I dont like doing seated leg curls), Straight Leg Deadlifts (barely bend your knees, shove your ass out and lower the bar along your thighs until it's slightly below your knees, then squeeze your ass and pull it back up, should feel it in your hammies/glutes), adductor machine (my friend calls this the good girl/bad girl machine).

Shoulders: Military Press (be very strict, lower it to below your chin then push it up until you can't feel it anymore on your shoulders: then go to just before the tension fades, don't drive with your legs until the last part), DB presses/Arnie Presses, Front barbell/DB raises, Lateral Raises (lean forward slightly for this), bent over rear delts (basically lean over and then fly your arms out, squeeze at the top of the contraction), upright rows...

Triceps: Close Grip Bench Press (I like to put my hands right where the rough part of the bar starts, some people can go closer but not me), Skullcrushers, overhead DB extension/Rope Extension, rope pull aparts, V bar push downs.



The important thing is to find exercises that work for you. If you can, find someone bigger than you and ask if you can join in. Check your ego at the door, and don't worry about peeps laughing at you. You want to be a sponge, absorbing everything that goes on.

The big 3 (Bench, Deadlifts, and Squats) will all build a strong base for you. They all work every part of your body (if you do it right), and will do more for burning fat/building muscle than anything else (other than diet.)

[Wayward Vagabond]

Originally Posted by Senip

Congrats, what did you change up?

Cut soda drinking ice tea no sugar. Because of my work scheduled(11pm-7:30am) I really just sleep and work lol eating twice a day once after work and when I wake up. After work I eat some toast with eggs or cereal. Before work I eat beans and rice with whatever meat I have. My job gets pretty labor intensive and since I work with molding machines its always hot as hell which means I sweat like holy hell. I stopped eating fast food save for a cheat meal on payday. I plan on buying a bike and using it to get to and from work(16-20 miles total)

[Reincarnate]

Is a year + a few months enough time to go from 30-35% bodyfat (flab + absolutely pathetic muscle mass) to something worth showing publicly? (I ask because I have an idea for a video...) If I mention the number of days here it will give it away. XD

[infinity.]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Is a year + a few months enough time to go from 30-35% bodyfat (flab + absolutely pathetic muscle mass) to something worth showing off? (I ask because I have an idea for a video...) If I mention the number of days here it will give it away. XD

yes. more than enough time if you don't take days off/cheat

[Wayward Vagabond]

definitely doable if you keep your shit straight. you could probably do it in 6 months

[Reincarnate]

When do most people end cutting and begin bulking? Is it just purely in terms of aesthetics/bodyfat%/etc (need to gauge the math for this thing with some error).

[Senip]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

When do most people end cutting and begin bulking? Is it just purely in terms of aesthetics/bodyfat%/etc (need to gauge the math for this thing with some error).

I would say not to start "bulking" until you're already shredded up (i.e. 8% or so). When you already have a "high" bodyfat percentage, such as 15-20%, trying to pack muscle on will usually (usually!) only pack on fat, because you're predisposed to it.

[Reincarnate]

Senip: I am currently about 226 pounds according to the scale, so at 35% bodyfat that's 146.9 pounds lean mass.

If I am aiming for a target bodyfat of 8% (which means, ideally, no loss in lean mass):

(1-.08)*new weight = 146.9, new weight = about 160 pounds.

Is that a reasonable target? At 2 pounds a week, that's (226-160)/2 = 33 weeks or about 8 and a half months. Sound OK?

[kmay]

160 at our height is gross. you need more muscle.

[Senip]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Senip: I am currently about 226 pounds according to the scale, so at 35% bodyfat that's 146.9 pounds lean mass.

If I am aiming for a target bodyfat of 8% (which means, ideally, no loss in lean mass):

(1-.08)*new weight = 146.9, new weight = about 160 pounds.

Is that a reasonable target? At 2 pounds a week, that's (226-160)/2 = 33 weeks or about 8 and a half months. Sound OK?

Yup. You might lose faster, it's difficult to judge.

Should post up your diet, what do you eat every day (write it down for 2 days then post it up)

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by kmay

160 at our height is gross. you need more muscle.

Well that's the concern... because I'm not sure how to pinpoint the goals since apparently muscle gain isn't something to bank on on a cut


Senip: Yeah, will do -- starting Monday (assuming I can get a good lifting routine figured out by then) I am going to start documenting everything. Was doing it a few weeks back but stopped when I realized how shitty my gym workouts were. D:

[Wayward Vagabond]

im going to try to hit my goal weight of 230 in 6 months. i.am.determined.

currently 6'5 and 270.

also when doing pull ups whats proper technique. is it suppose to be a deadlift or can you use your body to thrust up a bit?

[Senip]

Originally Posted by Wayward Vagabond

im going to try to hit my goal weight of 230 in 6 months. i.am.determined.

currently 6'5 and 270.

also when doing pull ups whats proper technique. is it suppose to be a deadlift or can you use your body to thrust up a bit?

Full back movement. Cross Fit teaches people to kip, but really, you're not really doing anything but levering yourself up with biceps/legs.

If you have trouble doing them, do as many as you can, then, with straight arms, raise your chest up as high as you can. That's your back working the movement, do a bunch of those and you'll feel a crazy back pump.

[Wayward Vagabond]

alright cool thanks

[Reincarnate]

God there are like a billion lifting routines online

they need a "aggressive routine for untrained fatasses who want to eventually look like a buff christian bale" routine