OCR Fit club (2010 edition)

[Penfold]

Muscle failure is fun. You think you can lift that weight but your arm is like "LOL I'M TIRED"

I'm starting a new diet today, but I figure it'll probably get murdered by Final Fantasy 13 tomorrow. That's the kind of game you want to order a pizza for. But we'll see. The specifics of the diet, it's going to be a BUTTLOAD (or should I say boatload... slightly less disgusting...) of water and one or two granola bars, roughly 100 - 200 calories. Why so extreme? Because I didn't lose any weight at all on my last diet and the only way to really eat less is to eat next to nothing. So wish me luck. I'll be taking ibuprofens too but I don't think they have a calorie amount, heh.

Also still going to the gym, I'm lifting heavier weights now.

Hmm.. instead of saying a buttload of water, I should have said a tubgirl of water.. maybe... not.

Like Gibbo said above, I wouldn't recommend it - not healthy dude.

If your plan is to lose weight solely by diet, research Zone diet and Paleo diet. They're healthy and sustainable, unlike what you've proposed. If you don't find results with Zone (especially Paleo Zone), you're doing something wrong somewhere.

[Gibbo]

One guy stupid/gifted enough to do an ultra with no prior training is not a good argument for anything, except the levels of stupidity that people can reach.

Part of my point is that there is no "one," definitive Crossfit. Another example is http://www.crossfitfootball.com/, run by NFL free agent John Welbourn not long after he started in Crossfit, wanting something to fit the needs of contact sport athletes. For those interested in getting bigger, stronger, and more powerful CF Football (especially with the combo of GOMAD plus an otherwise clean [preferably paleo] diet) will do the job, as well as increase your GPP (not to the extend other CF protocols might, as what they do is more specialized).

Except the fact that Joe DiFranco has put out more and better athletes than crossfit, you know. The idea of 'increasing general fitness' is ridiculous and should be put aside for the injured and chronically ill. Things targetting an increase in athleticism do the same thing, faster, with better results because they don't pull any punches.

Strader: Ignore stupid gimmicks like paleo. It's not sustainable at all. Do you enjoy rotting meat? Do you enjoy being able to eat more than 3 things? You don't need a stupid gimmick, just count your goddamn macros and stick to it.

Race weekend details:

Friday night; Worked at 9pm,

Saturday: got off at 5am. Biked home, biked to train station. 7am caught a train out to surrey, biked 30km from last train station to bike clinic. Did bike clinic (about 30km more biking), biked back to train station. Biked home: Total, a little over 100km

Sunday: Biked to the train station, 30km from station to race, 60km race, finished second, mooched a lift home from someone because it was rainy and I was cold as shit and I was exhausted.

Course was quite flat and very basic. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26480758

The guy who came in first was a good 100m ahead and not in the photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexpope/4418252676/sizes/o/in/pool-12983094@N00/

[Penfold]

One guy stupid/gifted enough to do an ultra with no prior training is not a good argument for anything, except the levels of stupidity that people can reach.

You can certainly have your opinions, but in the end you conveniently dismissed the example of CFE (thereby also dismissing further examples of individuals doing as I described in my last post) and decided to focus on the single person Vivi22 brought up. In addition to presenting nothing to disprove the claim, you've also presented nothing to support your assertion. I also don't agree with you calling a person doing something they've never done before to be stupid, but to that difference we can rightfully attribute personal opinions.

Except the fact that Joe DiFranco has put out more and better athletes than crossfit, you know. The idea of 'increasing general fitness' is ridiculous and should be put aside for the injured and chronically ill. Things targetting an increase in athleticism do the same thing, faster, with better results because they don't pull any punches.

I'm not sure where this is coming from, and I have no idea where you're getting this. I'm not even seeing how that was a direct response to the information I put forth about CF Football. So far you've brought forth some nice rhetoric, but nothing to back it up. You also fail to define what these "things targetting an increase in athleticism" are, but especially how these are different that the things Crossfit does: you leave me with no idea what you're trying to argue against. I've got a feeling that, just as in Crossfit, these "things" are multi-jointed movements, and not muscle groups/single joint exercises - I would otherwise question their legitimacy in increasing athleticism. I'd be interested to hear how you define "fitness" and "athleticism," and why these are apparently different for you, as I think that could bring to bear what your real argument is.

To be honest, I've never heard of Joe Difranco. Doing an admittedly quick google search, I was also able to find no information on his training methods, only the claims of what his program will do for you. I realize that due to his business model he doesn't seem to supply anything for free, but it's very hard to make an evaluative judgement about something without any info. If you know something I don't know, I'd like to hear about it.

In terms of data, the whole point of Crossfit is that it's observable, measurable, and repeatable, therefore trackable over time and able to provide objective data. This data capture is done at various levels, including the individual or group (e.g. Affiliate gym) level. Not to say there aren't other programs or comminities doing the same thing, but I haven't heard of them (and would love to hear about them). That also doesn't discount outright any programs or comminities that don't do this, but it becomes hard to assess their assertations of training the better athlete objectively.

I'll say it again, you're welcome to your opinions, but when you're presenting them as undisputed fact without attempting to provide any back-up, it hurts your argument.

Strader: Ignore stupid gimmicks like paleo. It's not sustainable at all. Do you enjoy rotting meat? Do you enjoy being able to eat more than 3 things? You don't need a stupid gimmick, just count your goddamn macros and stick to it.

Again, where are you getting your information? Rotting meat? 3 things? I'm not sure where you've come up with this - I'd love to see your sources.

Paleo can be characterized as eating lean meats, vegetables (with an emphasis on green, leafy and a de-emphasis on starchy veggies), fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, no processed food, no dairy products (this should be obvious but to clarify, eggs are meat), no complex carbs (pasta, bread, etc), no sugars, and no refined foods at all. There is generally a preference in communities that eat this way to go organic, as well as support local and small farm operations. Quick google search yields for paleo diet info: http://thepaleodiet.com/faqs/, http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/paleodietcavemandiet/a/paleodietfood.htm. Could you elaborate what is being presented here that isn't sustainable?

At least on the point of "count your macros," I'd agree. That's an essential part of Zone, and I think it's very effective. The irony of your statement above, though, is that counting macros/Zone has been seen by many as a "gimmicky" diet too, and people arguing that generally provide as much support as you did.

Race weekend details:

Friday night; Worked at 9pm,

Saturday: got off at 5am. Biked home, biked to train station. 7am caught a train out to surrey, biked 30km from last train station to bike clinic. Did bike clinic (about 30km more biking), biked back to train station. Biked home: Total, a little over 100km

Sunday: Biked to the train station, 30km from station to race, 60km race, finished second, mooched a lift home from someone because it was rainy and I was cold as shit and I was exhausted.

Course was quite flat and very basic. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26480758

The guy who came in first was a good 100m ahead and not in the photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexpope/4418252676/sizes/o/in/pool-12983094@N00/

I only ever trained and raced on the bicycle in late Spring and Summer solely to avoid the rain (also never doing anything that short outside of training), so I can only imagine how racing in those conditions would be haha. I imagine those conditions slow you down at least a bit huh? Congrats on the race.

[Vivi22]

I'll say it again, you're welcome to your opinions, but when you're presenting them as undisputed fact without attempting to provide any back-up, it hurts your argument.

Indeed. I'm willing to apologize if I came off as a little over zealous in recommending CrossFit, as that wasn't my intention, and I'm more than happy to admit that the differences in our views of effective training and Gibbo's views could easily be based on how we define fitness and differing priorities and values in that regard. But I would like him to back his opinions a little more, and explain in more detail where his belief in "better" methods comes from and how they're supposedly better. I'm all for learning about anything that works because there's always more to learn and it's fun to see if there's something new out there to implement in your own training.

Again, where are you getting your information? Rotting meat? 3 things? I'm not sure where you've come up with this - I'd love to see your sources.

Paleo can be characterized as eating lean meats, vegetables (with an emphasis on green, leafy and a de-emphasis on starchy veggies), fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, no processed food, no dairy products (this should be obvious but to clarify, eggs are meat), no complex carbs (pasta, bread, etc), no sugars, and no refined foods at all. There is generally a preference in communities that eat this way to go organic, as well as support local and small farm operations. Quick google search yields for paleo diet info: http://thepaleodiet.com/faqs/, http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/paleodietcavemandiet/a/paleodietfood.htm. Could you elaborate what is being presented here that isn't sustainable?

I think this may come from some misunderstanding of paleo on his part. I'm not sure where eating rotting meat or eating three different things would come in to the conversation otherwise unless it was just hyperboly on his part. For what it's worth, I pretty much eat paleo zone with the exception of still drinking milk, and not going out of my way to buy grass fed meat. I actually haven't lost much weight since starting CrossFit, but eating a mostly paleo zone diet certainly improves my performance a lot more than before I started, and I notice if I don't eat paleo, even when balancing my macro nutrients. On top of that I've cut fat and built quite a bit of muscle so I can't recommend it enough. It might take some work to dial in the diet just right but weighing and measuring, at least early on, make it a lot easier. My one caveat for anyone who has a history of eating disorder though would be to probably just go paleo and not worry about quantity so much. As long as you eat protein, carbs and fat with every meal and eat until your full you should be fine.

At least on the point of "count your macros," I'd agree. That's an essential part of Zone, and I think it's very effective. The irony of your statement above, though, is that counting macros/Zone has been seen by many as a "gimmicky" diet too, and people arguing that generally provide as much support as you did.

Even among CrossFitters there's some misunderstanding and controversy over the Zone diet. About the only decent argument I've seen is people saying that none of the top people at the games last year did the Zone and just ate Paleo, but just because they did well without Zoning doesn't mean they wouldn't have done better with it of course. Some people are thrown off by the fact that the Zone diet will tell you appropriate portion sizes of less than ideal food, ignoring that the ideal Zone diet is pretty close to Paleo, and those food quantities are only there because the goal of the Zone is controlling insulin levels. So if you're going to eat less than ideal food at least eat the right amount in combination with other foods. I'm probably preaching to the choir about this and you may even know it already, but I think it goes to show how much disagreement can rise up simply through misunderstanding, even when two people are saying pretty much the same thing. I'm pretty sure if anyone went to Dr. Sears saying a Zone diet that included a quarter pounder with cheese wasn't the best option for good health he'd agree with them.

All that aside though, cool stuff with all of the biking and coming in second Gibbo. You're making me wish it was a little warmer here so I could take the old bike out.

Funny enough though, we were put on notice at the gym that we should be prepared to be outside whenever we go from now on, so I expect some running in the WOD's soon. Figures the day after they tell us that I'm outside scraping frost off my windshield.

[Monobrow]

Man I am pretty sore from my workout. I worked upper body last night.

My only problem is, tonight a special martial arts instructor is coming to class and he focuses on upper body as well, with lots of pushups and such... Ahhhh! :U

[Gibbo]

To be honest, I've never heard of Joe Difranco. Doing an admittedly quick google search, I was also able to find no information on his training methods, only the claims of what his program will do for you.

I mis-spelled it. It's deFranco.

http://www.defrancostraining.com/index.php

The articles tab has some good reading.

When something like the NFL Combine has to set new rules to prevent people trained by one specific guy from being better than everyone else, I'd call that a degree of success.

Paleo can be characterized as eating lean meats, vegetables (with an emphasis on green, leafy and a de-emphasis on starchy veggies), fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, no processed food, no dairy products (this should be obvious but to clarify, eggs are meat), no complex carbs (pasta, bread, etc), no sugars, and no refined foods at all. There is generally a preference in communities that eat this way to go organic, as well as support local and small farm operations. Quick google search yields for paleo diet info: http://thepaleodiet.com/faqs/, http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/paleodietcavemandiet/a/paleodietfood.htm. Could you elaborate what is being presented here that isn't sustainable?

That's Paleo? I call that not eating like an idiot. I've always heard people describe it as 'eating only what was available to a paleolithic era survivalist' hence the name. Also funny; root vegetables were around long before leafy ones were cultivated to the point of being worth eating, and are more calorically dense. Plus most paleo people seem to gloss over the fact that a caveman finding a honey-trove was a caloric goldmine.

I consider it stupid and gimmicky because a) if you're lucky enough to be able to digest dairy, there's no reason in hell you should be neglecting it if you care about fitness, complex carbs are your friend and c) I've been up for 24 hours and forgot c.

At least on the point of "count your macros," I'd agree. That's an essential part of Zone, and I think it's very effective. The irony of your statement above, though, is that counting macros/Zone has been seen by many as a "gimmicky" diet too, and people arguing that generally provide as much support as you did.

I've never heard of this damn zone thing, but nutritionists, bodybuilders, and anyone who cares have been counting macros for as long as they realized it mattered. There's nothing gimmicky about tracking the percentage of calories from P/C/F/A. It's called common sense.

I only ever trained and raced on the bicycle in late Spring and Summer solely to avoid the rain (also never doing anything that short outside of training), so I can only imagine how racing in those conditions would be haha. I imagine those conditions slow you down at least a bit huh? Congrats on the race.

It increases drag quite a bit, and makes it miserable. Thanks though

Crossfit has not produced any worldclass athletes. Nobody setting records. Nobody doing anything of significant note. Look at large portions of the american military. Kinda flabby and out of shape. How about various police forces. A lot of these organizations subject their members to crossfit.

Westside Barbell methods have people squatting 3x their bodyweight.

Bodybuilders of old were some of the most attractive men to walk the planet. Modern bodybuilders are walking muscle charts (if a bit gross).

Taucer can probably deadlift at least 400 lbs if he got the form down, as could any other high calibre male gymnast.

Things like zone and paleo have resulted in some people losing some weight sure. But people listening to Dr. Berardi have done far more drastic things to their bodies. But why would you want to listen to someone who gives advice to bodybuilders. There can't possibly be any benefit to what they're saying. After all, bodybuilders are just meaty lumps full of HGH and anabolic steroids. What people who care about every last calorie and muscle fiber use couldn't be loosened up a little bit and used by a normal person. Not at all.

Results speak.

[Arcana]

Say, install a pull-up bar and do a few pull-ups every time you walk through that doorway. Do a few push-ups while you're waiting for water to boil. Feels like nothing, doesn't require any substantial change to your daily routine, but it gets you started and gets you regularly exercising.

I totally want one of these in my house, when I get a house.

They're boards with finger grips in them, so you basically hang off of them to build grip strength and finger strength.

Whenever I go climbing though I think, "Man, I bet Taucer would be totally kickass at this."

[Penfold]

I mis-spelled it. It's deFranco.

http://www.defrancostraining.com/index.php

The articles tab has some good reading.

When something like the NFL Combine has to set new rules to prevent people trained by one specific guy from being better than everyone else, I'd call that a degree of success.

I wasn't able to find anything that corroborates your statement that the rules for the combine have changed by training methods of Joe deFranco. Logically, I don't understand what the point would be of your assertion, since that would be the equivalent of saying "everyone has to train the same to level the playing field." Could you point out what I'm missing, or provide the source of your assertion?

I read the articles on his site, and can see he clearly favors the strength specialist, albeit perhaps with bias against Oly lifting and gymnastics based on what's there. Regardless, I'm sure you can become stronger (in this case, absolute strength with external load) and more powerful with his training, conditioning seems lacking but perhaps it can be argued that those specialists don't need much in that regard. He certainly has a few people he highlights to attest to their success with his training.

That's Paleo? I call that not eating like an idiot. I've always heard people describe it as 'eating only what was available to a paleolithic era survivalist' hence the name. Also funny; root vegetables were around long before leafy ones were cultivated to the point of being worth eating, and are more calorically dense. Plus most paleo people seem to gloss over the fact that a caveman finding a honey-trove was a caloric goldmine.

I consider it stupid and gimmicky because a) if you're lucky enough to be able to digest dairy, there's no reason in hell you should be neglecting it if you care about fitness, complex carbs are your friend and c) I've been up for 24 hours and forgot c.

While I don't disagree with you regarding the caloric density of certain foods, these preferences come down to their glycemic loads. With Zone, as Vivi22 said, it's primary goal is controlling insulin levels which can be (however, not ideally) accomplished with unhealthy foods, and while paleo isn't looking for that same hormonal balance it's still looking to avoid insulin spikes.

I understand the efficacy of dairy in hypertrophy (e.g. GOMAD) as well as one way to restore glycogen in the muscles post-workout, but I fail to see its efficacy in increasing fitness. This is probably just related to our different understandings of "fitness," but as of yet you haven't told me your definition. While I agree complex carbs are delicious, I assume you're implying there are other positives. I can't say as I know them, outside of the notion of "carbing up" prior to endurance events, which I don't subscribe to. No problem on "C," haha. When you remember it, I'd like to hear it.

I've never heard of this damn zone thing, but nutritionists, bodybuilders, and anyone who cares have been counting macros for as long as they realized it mattered. There's nothing gimmicky about tracking the percentage of calories from P/C/F/A. It's called common sense.

I hope it came across in my original post but I wasn't trying to disagree, just pointing out that agruments, if the basis is factual and not opinion, need support.

It increases drag quite a bit, and makes it miserable. Thanks though

Crossfit has not produced any worldclass athletes. Nobody setting records. Nobody doing anything of significant note. Look at large portions of the american military. Kinda flabby and out of shape. How about various police forces. A lot of these organizations subject their members to crossfit.

Westside Barbell methods have people squatting 3x their bodyweight.

Bodybuilders of old were some of the most attractive men to walk the planet. Modern bodybuilders are walking muscle charts (if a bit gross).

Taucer can probably deadlift at least 400 lbs if he got the form down, as could any other high calibre male gymnast.

Things like zone and paleo have resulted in some people losing some weight sure. But people listening to Dr. Berardi have done far more drastic things to their bodies. But why would you want to listen to someone who gives advice to bodybuilders. There can't possibly be any benefit to what they're saying. After all, bodybuilders are just meaty lumps full of HGH and anabolic steroids. What people who care about every last calorie and muscle fiber use couldn't be loosened up a little bit and used by a normal person. Not at all.

Results speak.

Yes, to say that by doing Crossfit solely, one will not develop the strength to become an Olympic gymnast or Oly lifter, will not break 100m sprint records, and not get Westside Barbell-level loads. The point of Crossfit is to increase fitness levels across as many time and modal domains as possible, and not to forge people into World-class specialists. Great at one thing or good at everything - Crossfitters strive toward the latter. Whether it can be used in addition to a specialist's sport-specific training to up their game, however, may be another case entirely.

Eva Twardokens (medalist in skiing), Chuck Liddell (MMA fighter), BJ Penn (BJJ/MMA fighter), Lorenzo Neil (NFL free agent), all Crossfitters, to name a few. The strength and conditioning coach for the Florida Marlins, Paul Fournier, is now introducing the team to Crossfit - let's see how they do compared to last year. In any of these cases, I don't have any data to show how they compare in their sport pre- and post-Crossfit, so to name these people without that data speaks as to the efficacy of their training as much as the names do on Joe deFranco's site of the training he provides.

I take offense to your disrespectful manner towards members of the armed forces and law enforcement. Furthermore, your logic is faulty: there are some in law enforcement who do Crossfit, and there are some in law enforcement who are "kinda flabby and out of shape, therefore LEO who do Crossfit are also "kinda flabby and out of shape?" The men and women of the military, law enforcement, or fire service who I've met personally who do Crossfit have all been highly fit, whether or not they have extra weight is irrelevant to their work capacity. That's not to say that there aren't men and women in uniform that are unfit, I just don't know any who Crossfit. In regards to formalized, institutional use of Crossfit, the only example I can think of offhand in the military is in the Marine Corps., as now integrated into PT. I don't know to what extend, and if evaluative methods have been modified with it (last I heard the PFT is still the same), nor do I have the data of the average test score pre- and post-CF, but I would remain skeptical of any Marine being worse off because of its implementation.

The man who introduced me to Crossfit, an Army Ranger-turned instructor, trains all of his students with Crossfit. Why? He knows first-hand the physical (not to mention psychological) strains that his students will eventually encounter, and that he has found this protocol to be the most effective preparation. He has very necessarily sought out as many methods and programs to illicit the highest level of fitness as possible, as for him in a very real sense fitness is survival, and the final result was Crossfit. Would you rather suggest that he follow Westside method followed by some cardio?

Your examples of Westide and bodybuilders are obvious - if your entire training is aimed for a specific event or purpose, then your training is a failure if you cannot acheive that. Your last example is interesting (high calibre gymnasts being able to lift a 400lb deadlift, presumably with otherwise no external load training of the posterior chain), but I don't know where you're going with it - could you elaborate? If you have a factual source as the basis, I'd be really interested to see it.

No doubt I agree with you that bodybuilding produces little to no transferability or fitness, though to our discussion to this point it's rather non-sequitor.

To clarify (I really hope that my posts haven't been reading to the contrary), my requests for elaboration/definition of terms/sources isn't in an attempt to be argumentative, rather so that as we discuss we can determine with certainty what we're talking about, and that we can distinguish heresay/opinion from factual basis. I'm engaging in this discussion to exchange information and learn, and not so much to force opinion or let ego get in the way of that (any who have any degree passionate about their training, I believe, will carry egos about it).

Also, in asking for your definition I realized I never provided my own. It may come as no suprise, but I subscribe to Greg Glassman's definition: increased work capacity across broad time

and modal domains. The following may be a bit of a longer read, but the following article elaborates on that concept: http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf In the same vein, I think the following article is worth a look as well: http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/70_08_capacity_standards_sport.pdf

[Meeting_Gman]

I am 108lbs and wanting to lose about 3 lbs. I bought a resistance band and also a little bike pedal exercise tool. I do squats primarily as I am trying to focus on the thighs and abdominal area, I am doing those as I have read that they are a really good exercise for the lower half of your body. I also use Wii Sports Resort for fun exercise. I'll also use the resistance band to strengthen my arms. I have weak arms it seems.

I try to eat well, I eat foods rich with fiber, don't drink soda, drink plenty of water, eat lots of salmon and I have excluded beef entirely from my diet for many years now. I will have a fast food item maybe once every week or two.

[Halt]

Hey, Halt is back again.

So I'm still a solid 120lb. Played some basketball last friday. I'm pretty out of shape.

I can't get into a gym, I use my high schools gym because my college doesn't have one, and I know the people that work it, so they let me in for free. Only problem is the schedules are so wonky I can't work around it and set a solid routine in.

What are my options? I've Talked to Lukas about this more then once.

Back then, my workouts didn't seem satisfying, I have a set of 20lbs dumbbells, and a jug of whey protein.

I guess I'll have to work from home. What can I do to get the best workout from home? (Maybe set up a routine too?)

[SoulinEther]

Hey, Halt is back again.

So I'm still a solid 120lb. Played some basketball last friday. I'm pretty out of shape.

I can't get into a gym, I use my high schools gym because my college doesn't have one, and I know the people that work it, so they let me in for free. Only problem is the schedules are so wonky I can't work around it and set a solid routine in.

What are my options? I've Talked to Lukas about this more then once.

Back then, my workouts didn't seem satisfying, I have a set of 20lbs dumbbells, and a jug of whey protein.

I guess I'll have to work from home. What can I do to get the best workout from home? (Maybe set up a routine too?)

See my first post along with gibbo's response(s).

things are going fairly smoothly for me, as long as i keep motivated. I can comfortably curl 35s now (up from ~22lbs about 2 months ago) and pushups aren't a thing of death anymore (I think the weight loss helped with this...though i won't say i'm not getting a stronger chest, I know I would get better results with a bench)

[Meteo Xavier]

When I get this house I'm trying to buy, I will have much more free room outside as well as two walking/running trails to enjoy. I plan to exercise without a gym for the first year.

What sort of exercises can I do to lose weight/fat from my torso area? I've been unable to do serious exercise for over a year now and I refuse to get fat before my time. Let me make use of my new area.

Thanks.

[Halt]

See my first post along with gibbo's response(s).

things are going fairly smoothly for me, as long as i keep motivated. I can comfortably curl 35s now (up from ~22lbs about 2 months ago) and pushups aren't a thing of death anymore (I think the weight loss helped with this...though i won't say i'm not getting a stronger chest, I know I would get better results with a bench)

are things progressing for you in that routine? and I only have a set of 20s and a jug of whey protein. And do you feel satisfied after your workouts? Thats my main problem. when I was in the gym. I left with a satisfied feeling, but at home its different.

[SoulinEther]

are things progressing for you in that routine? and I only have a set of 20s and a jug of whey protein. And do you feel satisfied after your workouts? Thats my main problem. when I was in the gym. I left with a satisfied feeling, but at home its different.

It's moderately satisfying. Per workout, maybe I'd be more satisfied if I could work myself a little harder (hard for me to do with free weights, especially without a spotter), but on the whole I definitely think it is worth my time, and every time I get the feeling to just quit, I remember that I wasn't in this shape just a few months back.

to meteo, there is no such thing as spot reduction. if you want to lose fat in one area, you need to lose fat everywhere. ....or get liposuction.

[The Xyco]

This is basic stuff that I often find overlooked. Just to spell it out:

In general, overall health and fitness requires a lifestyle that can support it. If you aren't fit, and want to get in shape, it will take an entire lifestyle shift.

In terms of importance, altering standard diet and making time for exercise come first and should come concurrently. But before that can happen, you need the confidence and commitment to stick with it.

A little bit of consistency in anything -- strength gain, weight loss, athletic training -- goes a long, long, long way.

Progress when training strength and muscle will come quickly, but will taper off if you don't change and alter the routine.

Muscle gain and fat loss are totally different ideas with completely different approaches. One is not the other, but metabolism relates to both.

Try at least one new exercise every time you go to the gym.

Make everyday changes to minimize sedentary time. If you work in an office or similar setting, find a way to spend some time stretching while at work -- you will notice the effects.

If you can, try to alter your lifestyle to accommodate biking/walking for transport.

Learn everything you can about the food you normally eat. If it is detestably unhealthy, don't quit cold-turkey, but pace yourself. One bad meal won't ruin you, but consistently fueling yourself with unhealthy things will reverse progress.

Always, always, always warm up your muscles and stretch before and after exercising (I personally jog one mile before doing weights and job one mile once I am finished).

Eat breakfast every day within 30min of waking up. Protein is key, but even a tiny meal of carbs will suffice if you are consistent.

If you are just starting, don't get caught up in the products and commercialization of exercise (protein drinks, bars, pills, energy drinks, etc.). Just focus on developing a consistent and committed lifestyle to fitness. $100 is better spent on a gym membership or some basic equipment than products -- you just have to use it. Eating/drinking something will always be easier than committing to a new a lifestyle, but it won't work in the long run (or even in the short run, really).

Time at the gym doesn't count unless you are spending it exercising. Work hard, work fast (pace yourself), but concentrate on what you are doing.

If you are intimidated by a gym, remember this: in the gym, everyone is probably too self-absorbed to notice you.

If you see someone in the kind of shape you would like to be in, watch what he/she is doing. Some of my favorite and most effective exercises came from observation and experimentation.

Personal tip: don't be afraid to dramatize exercise in your mind a bit. I find the gym is the one place I can exhibit true extremes of personality (lifting as HARD as I can, running as FAST as I can) and it is completely normal. You don't need to be Ronnie Coleman about it, but it adds to the stress relief factor, and makes the gym a place you WANT to be.

[Vivi22]

What sort of exercises can I do to lose weight/fat from my torso area? I've been unable to do serious exercise for over a year now and I refuse to get fat before my time. Let me make use of my new area.

Thanks.

There's no way to target fat loss to a specific area, but you can lose fat in the part of the body by changing some things about your diet and exercise to support fat loss.

On the diet side, make sure you get plenty of protein with every meal (just about any kind will do, but things like lean meat would be ideal), and reduce your carb intake. That doesn't mean you can't have carbs but try to make eat the right kind more often than not (mostly vegetables, some fruit), and reduce your intake of breads and grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes. It's all right to indulge in that stuff every now and then, but I wouldn't eat them everyday.

As for exercises you can do outside around home, interval sprints are one option. Pick some distance (you could measure out 100m, 400m, etc. or just pick some set of landmarks to sprint between) sprint it, then rest for a short period and sprint it again. Start off a little slow with this and build up to doing the sprints with less rest. You can also vary the distance regularly. Other options include biking, or finding a playground near by or even a decent tree that you can use for body weight exercises.

[Halt]

I'm doing home workouts again... I have no fucking choice. and I don't want to get in worse shape.

I always find my workouts don't last that long. no more then 30 minutes.

I may only weigh 120. but I'm getting a good layer of flab goin' Not cool. Probably will get burned off in the coming weeks with biking and such after school is over.

So, should I pace my self or what? I want to extend my workouts and get more out of them.

[Monobrow]

I'm 3 lbs from my goal!

[Harmonious Dissonance]

SO! I'm a dancer, Formerly in shape. After a period of being sick constantly for about two months in a row I have lost almost all my ab strength. It's gotten to the point where I have trouble doing 25 sit-ups in a row. I would like some suggestions on how to regain that strength without pushing myself past my current limits.

[SoulinEther]

I would like some suggestions on how to regain that strength without pushing myself past my current limits.

I think the best way to exceed your limits is to push them (so do more crunches/sit-ups, or maybe add resistance with a weight or something to your crunches and do fewer). It just seems contradictory to me otherwise; if you can do 25 of them easy, then do five more and push yourself so that 30 will become easy, then 40, etc.

[Mirby]

Hell, I'm not even really exercising... just walking every once in a while. I'm close to my goal.

[Harmonious Dissonance]

I meant I'm finding that I'm having trouble getting to 25 sit-ups. Not that they're easy up to then.

And the last time I pushed too far past my limits I lost use of my left arm for the better part of a week. (Too many curls) So I'm not too keen on something like that happening again, But I need to get back into shape.

[Vivi22]

Are you just looking to up the number of situps you can do or are you looking for more to get you back in shape. Because if you just want more situps then just do them every other day, or even every day after a week or two. Your body can adapt to them pretty fast and before long you'll barely feel 50+.

I'm 3 lbs from my goal!

Awesome job. I'm fitting into jeans that are two inches smaller in the waist now with no trouble. Even better is that my conditioning is a hell of a lot better, and I'm a lot stronger now. I'm just 25lbs. away from squatting my bodyweight, and already 75bs. past my pre-CrossFit squat numbers.

[Harmonious Dissonance]

Actually get back in shape. Being an out of shape dancer is kinda not a good thing..

[Geoffrey Taucer]

So I've been set back pretty far in my goals by having surgery on my left ankle.

However, I should be able to get off crutches and start PT monday, and hopefully return to full-blown training by the end of the summer.