OCR Fit Club

[Geoffrey Taucer]

SO my endurance has definitely been getting better, and I've been steadily adding difficulty to my floor routine.

I'll try to post a video in the near future.

[Monobrow]

I been workin' out religiously for about three weeks.

I do 12 weights/resistance exercises, two sets of 15 (a couple with a lot more reps) and 2 classes a week. 1 martial arts, another something random like yoga or pilates. And when I have the time, about half an hour of high intensity eliptical.

I also bike a couple times a week and have been actually watching my calorie intake for the first time in years haha.

I gained a lot of weight this winter, way more than I ever have, (guess being 27 has that downside) so I need to get it off. I'm starting to see some results so I am happy. I hope I stay on this horse for a long time. Working out is fun times.

Oh yeah and p.s. My goal is to lose 10-15 lbs by the end of the summer and be way more fit so I can hike up those mountains of Phoenix, AZ without losing my breath when things cool off, in style.

So far I have lost 5lbs. already, and I am not as tired with physical activities, however I am sore all the time, so to counter this, I get in the spa a lot and got a 30 minute massage last week *_*.

[Archaon]

One question I can think of, do you get a similar pain from pullups?

Couldn't tell you. There isn't really anything to do them on around here.

To add to this, if it's screaming in pain for a week, you might just have an injury there. does this happen with no weights?

What, you mean do I get any pain if I haven't been training? No, I don't.

If it's an injury, it seems a bit odd that I should have the same injury on both arms.

[Penfold]

Couldn't tell you. There isn't really anything to do them on around here.

You're working out with some dumbbells at home then, right? Cuz man, a gym without even a single pullup bar isn't a gym. Anyway, you can try doing pullups just on a door frame to test whether generally putting strain on the bicep results in pain.

[PJ]

especially among men, FLEXIBILITY is very, very underrated. Correctly done (that is not overstretching, or trying to stretch beyond your maximum level, will increase range of motion, muscular strength and endurance. Combined with weightlifting activities, you will have less risk of injury, stronger and more lean muscles, as well as greater endurance.

my friend recently picked up a book called 'Stretching anatomy' by Nelson and KIkkononen off amazon, and its been very helpful, very colorful and indepth without being overwhelming.

Flexibility doesn't take too long to develop done correctly, maximum flexibility takes about 2 months ,(lower body) 1 month (upper body) <source Synerstretch> to achieve, via PNF (google it, generally requires partner) and static stretching.

Flexibility is also helpful in lots of sports (sprinting is an exception because flexibility in that scenario can reduce muscular efficiency), because just doing weights can result in muscles that are too large to be practical, or are inefficient.

To conclude, dont neglect a structured sketching regimen as part of total fitness. Stretching is one of the reasons gymnasts have almost unparalleled strength to weight ratios (lighter boxers do come in mind as well). A guy in a gym may be able to bench press 300 pounds, but can he do a planche, suspending his entire body weight above the ground on his hands ,while his body is parralel to the floor.

[Archaon]

To conclude, dont neglect a structured sketching regimen as part of total fitness.

Right. Be sure to draw something for at least an hour a day. Keep those fingers nimble.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

especially among men, FLEXIBILITY is very, very underrated. Correctly done (that is not overstretching, or trying to stretch beyond your maximum level, will increase range of motion, muscular strength and endurance. Combined with weightlifting activities, you will have less risk of injury, stronger and more lean muscles, as well as greater endurance.

my friend recently picked up a book called 'Stretching anatomy' by Nelson and KIkkononen off amazon, and its been very helpful, very colorful and indepth without being overwhelming.

Flexibility doesn't take too long to develop done correctly, maximum flexibility takes about 2 months ,(lower body) 1 month (upper body) <source Synerstretch> to achieve, via PNF (google it, generally requires partner) and static stretching.

Flexibility is also helpful in lots of sports (sprinting is an exception because flexibility in that scenario can reduce muscular efficiency), because just doing weights can result in muscles that are too large to be practical, or are inefficient.

To conclude, dont neglect a structured sketching regimen as part of total fitness. Stretching is one of the reasons gymnasts have almost unparalleled strength to weight ratios (lighter boxers do come in mind as well). A guy in a gym may be able to bench press 300 pounds, but can he do a planche, suspending his entire body weight above the ground on his hands ,while his body is parralel to the floor.

Absolutely true, though I'll dissagree with the notion that you can attain you maximum flexibility in 1-2 months. You can no more attain your maximum level of flexibility in 2 months than you can attain your maximum level of strength in 2 months.

The thing to keep in mind while stretching: don't overdo it. You want to hold a stretch right around the threshhold of pain, but don't push far past it. Stretch far enough that it's just barely starting to hurt, and you'll generally get the best results.

I'll post some of my favorite stretches later.

[Penfold]

especially among men, FLEXIBILITY is very, very underrated. Correctly done (that is not overstretching, or trying to stretch beyond your maximum level, will increase range of motion, muscular strength and endurance. Combined with weightlifting activities, you will have less risk of injury, stronger and more lean muscles, as well as greater endurance.

my friend recently picked up a book called 'Stretching anatomy' by Nelson and KIkkononen off amazon, and its been very helpful, very colorful and indepth without being overwhelming.

Flexibility doesn't take too long to develop done correctly, maximum flexibility takes about 2 months ,(lower body) 1 month (upper body) <source Synerstretch> to achieve, via PNF (google it, generally requires partner) and static stretching.

Flexibility is also helpful in lots of sports (sprinting is an exception because flexibility in that scenario can reduce muscular efficiency), because just doing weights can result in muscles that are too large to be practical, or are inefficient.

To conclude, dont neglect a structured sketching regimen as part of total fitness. Stretching is one of the reasons gymnasts have almost unparalleled strength to weight ratios (lighter boxers do come in mind as well). A guy in a gym may be able to bench press 300 pounds, but can he do a planche, suspending his entire body weight above the ground on his hands ,while his body is parralel to the floor.

Flexibility is absolutely important, it being one of the 10 attributes of fitness (according to Greg Glassman). At the risk of sounding argumentative, though, I do take some exceptions to your post.

First, if doing power lifting and/or Olympic lifting, you're not going to see a reduction in flexibility, in fact the opposite is true. Getting comfortable with rack position, overhead squatting/snatching, deadlifting, or even an ordinary squat will elicit an increase in flexibility. This assumes, of course, that proper form is used, and range of motion is a component of that. Anyway, my main point is that flexibility will generally increase by training functional movements.

Second, to echo Geoffrey Taucer's post above, I'd argue that maximum flexibility is unattainable in 1-2 months. Take an ordinary joe, and get him flexible enough to do an overhead squat, using any training methods you wish, and I'm certain it'll take him more than 1-2 months. My example might be disputable on the basis that beyond only flexibility other factors are involved (balance, coordination), but what's the point of flexibility without application?

Third, why do you say flexibility is detrimental to sprinting? I'm not seeing the connection.

Finally, I'd suggest being careful with comparisons. In the example you provided I'd be inclined to agree, the inferrence that numbers like that on an isolated movement are likely at a cost to his general fitness...but I wouldn't recommend using a planche hold as your counter-example - given the relative difficulty of the movment, it might infer specific training at a cost to the general fitness of the individual (I might have chosen how many pullups can he do, or can he do a handstand/handstand pushup). The liklihood in the case of the planche is less (I know Crossfitters who can hold a planche, but none who aren't football players/foobtall player-sized who could even maybe bench in the mid- to upper-200s), but when general fitness is the concern, I'd still be compelled to ask questions like what does he run a 800m at, how long does it take him to do 30 135lb clean and jerks, or what is his max deadlift. To be clear, I personally hold bodyweight movements in a high regard, and I don't want to come off sounding like being sport-specialized is a bad thing, but this comparison read to me as talking about well-rounded or general fitness rather than specialization.

[PJ]

the 1-2 month thing is taken from the Synerstrech manual, a reputable document with some basis in science.

An average Joe will not reach his maximum flexibility in 1-2 months , without correct technique and a very well structured program featuring PNF and static stretching.

the 1-2 months i should clarify is not a guideline for all people, however it IS possible, although it is NOT recommended for growing people, or without a solid understanding of what you're doing - overstretching being a key concern.

The planche example was probably uneccesary in retrospect, however the point still stands that flexibility can boost your strength to bodyweight ratio or pound for pound strength. Its also highly practical for applicable strength in relation to sports performance, as being overly bulky is often undesirable.

If you're not in a hurry to build flexibility, then static/isometric sketching regimens are sufficient.

However if you were in a hurry to, say for a martial arts tournament or sports activity, then you may well wish to consider PNF stretching 3-4 times a week, with some light-moderate stretching on your off days.

i made the point about stretching, because stretching is NOT advisable for ALL physical activities, in certain cases the biomechanic changes brought about stretching can be of more detriment then benefit. In the case of running, being overly flexible can reduce the efficiency of joint motion.

Stretching combines well with activies like powerlifting and bodyweight exercises: planche development, pullups, handstand pushups, rings, because dynamic movement requires inherent strength to hold the agonist muscles, co-ordination, and balance as well.

Like most individual aspects of fitness, stretching is complemented by other activities.

Either way its advisable to invest in a book, it will help you with some stretches, formulating a schedule and reasonable goals, motivation e.t.c.

It is important to consider what KIND of flexibility you want. Being able to do the splits doesn't mean you can kick high and vice versa. Doing the splits doesn't mean you can do split-leaps.

I have to disagree with only doing stretches until you feel light pain. Research indicates that moderate-heavy stretches yield the greatest gains. HOWEVER when first stretching, you start with light stretches, and as time and flexibility increases, you increase the intensity of the stretch. After 6-8 weeks, you might start doing high intensity stretches, that is stretch until you feel moderate-heavy pain initially that SUBSIDES as you hold the stretch for more than a few seconds, NEVER MORE THAN THIS, beyond this point is OVER-STRETCHING which damages the connective tissue that binds your muscle to joints (this is what proper stretching lengthens, and improper/over stretching damages causing it to heal but shorter in length.

I hope this clarifies some matters as my initial post was composed in a hurry.

[Atomicfog]

Parkour has definitely been helping me keep up with my fitness. I had to put it off for a while and barely did it, but now I am getting back into it and it is great.

Met up with some people here in Sacramento that does it and been having a blast jamming with them. They have taught me a whole lot.

I plan on jamming every Sunday with them from here on out. I will be starting a picture log of myself to show my progress.

Here is to good times.

Parkour is great stuff. I love it though I'm not exactly great at it (I can mostly just jump extremely high onto/over any obstacle). I'd like to see some of what you're doing, though you should really get some video if you really want to show what's going down.

[Level 99]

I was about to start a thread about fitness stuff like this, but figured I'd actually be smart and searched first. After receiving some questions from people about what I've been doing for my fitness routines and eating habbits, I guess I'll just post what I can here for now.

The following is my tale of fitness from the last year+:

I'd always been a bit on the big side for most of my life. I love to eat, and always followed Mama's rule of cleaning your plate. I had many previous spurts of random workout enthusiasm, but never too it too seriously and always gave up or got too busy for it to stick. I knew something was up when, at age 22, I weighed as much as Homer Simpson does (239 lbs). It took a very big personal tragedy to snap me into proper thinking. So, starting with April last year, Homer-Simpson-Me started to get into shape.

I would much rather say my "shaping up" as opposed to calling it just my weight loss because now, even though I still have a few more pounds to go to get into my ideal weight and BMI, weight matters much less than shape, BMI, and all-around health. Believe me, you know the difference between being overweight and unfit and being overweight and in fantastic shape.

The biggest key factor is consistency. You have to stay consistent with your dedication to the changes, consistent with your gym visits and workouts, and consistent with your diet changes. Not everyone needs to cut down to an 1800-calorie diet, or bulk up to a 3000-calorie diet. It all depends on what you want your goals to be. For many MANY people out there, it is losing weight and dropping fat. For others, it could be losing fat and getting muscle tone. There are so many possibilities that, while there are a few universal rules you can follow, how you execute them as well as specifics should be related to the desired end result.

My personal regiment started pretty grueling and never really let up: cardio six days a week, with muscle training four days a week, one day to rest. On the two days where I do cardio and cardio only, I'll do between 45 and 75 minutes of work, usually switching between eliptical, arc trainer, bicycle, and stairmaster. I barely hit the treadmills because of my knees, but I do it once in a blue moon. Sometimes it's a steady pace, others use the "random" function, and occassionally I do interval training. Switching things up, like using the arms more than legs on eliptical, will keep things fresh and helped prevent me from plateauing too much. For muscle training, I do two days of my "A" muscles, and two days of "B", with a day of rest or day of just cardio in between. Example of a week: cardio, cardio+A, cardio+B, cardio, cardio+A, cardio+B, rest. A days are legs, biceps, and back. B days are chest, triceps, and shoulder. Both A and B include ab exercises, and will only do about 30-45 minutes of cardio. Occassionally switch it up with a spinning or BodyPump class.

I'm a pretty big calorie counter, and my current daily intake is between 2100-2400 calories. I try to keep my days relatively similar in eating, but the golden rule I follow is eating every three hours. I have 5-6 "meals" a day, with meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner being about 600-700 calories, and snacks being 100-200 calories. Every meal, I try to include a portion of protein, fiber, and calcium, but I've been switching it up a little lately. I do have an eating cheat day once a week, because you need to reward yourself but not go overboard. Here's a typical eating day for me:

Breakfast: Bowl of crispix in skim milk, protein shake, banana.

Snack 1: Apple and Fiber One yogurt.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich with BBQ sauce on whole grain bread, strawberries and blueberries.

Snack 2: Fiber one bar or nutrigrain bar, low-fat string cheese.

Dinner: Chicken breast with mixed veggies.

Late-night: PM protein shake or some sun chips.

I do take a number of supplements, but none are very extreme. I take the GNC mega men sport vitamins (2 pills in the morning), Fish Oil (two pills twice a day), Maximum CLA (one pill three times a day), and lately have been taking something called TriFlex for my joints, which contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM (one pill three times a day). I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep but that doesn't happen too much.

Some other helpful tips I have: learn to say no to eating out. Even if restaurants provide nutritional information, most of the things are made-to-order and do not follow the nutritional fact accuracy (see how they slober on sauces at places like Subway and Quiznos). While they taste great, most of those foods also contain ungodly amounts of sodium and preservatives. I eat out somewhat consistently, but I have taken a lot of time to research exactly what I order, and I order the same thing every time, with so many customizations that I feel bad for the other customers.

Oh, and watch the alcohol intake, as well as soda for that matter. Soda is pretty terrible for the body all-around, so if you do drink it, make it a reward for being good with your eating and workout routines, and not often. Beer is about the same as soda, but if you can, try hard liquor if you're aiming to just get smashed. You'll get drunk quicker, while hopefully taking in less calories. Drinking wine isn't terrible, but keep it to maximum one glass of red a day (see heart health for supposed red wine benefits).

Drink LOTS OF WATER! I drink over a gallon a day, occasionally putting some of that propel powder in there for flavor and nutrients. Your body will like you a lot better if you cut out almost every other liquid and drink primarily water.

Stick with it at least a month. If you're going to make a change, it doesn't have to be drastic, but you need to stick with it if you know it is a positive change. My switch from zero to insane-gym-goer was very hard to do, and I wouldn't easily recommend it to anyone. Make managable changes that wont affect the rest of your schedule too much at first. Go to the gym twice a week first, and start cutting out certain bad foods. Later on, once you have that down, switch your eating times to get better metabolic benefits and increase your visits/improve your routines. If you can't afford a gym, get some of the cheap equipment from Target/Wal Mart and find exercises online. Find a friend who's gym-knowledgable and have them help you. Get a motivator and hold on to it.

I hope this didn't come off as a rant but if my results are evidence of anything, it's that this is not an impossible thing to do for anyone. I now weigh 184 lbs, have dropped 5 inches off my waist, 1 1/2 inches off my neck, and feel better than I have during any other point in my life. As long as this helps one other person get in shape and reach their goals, then my large amount of typing has been worth it.