Fit Club ahoy! Where men are bros and women are also bros!

[Cyril the Wolf]

@Zircon:

I have to find a more general way to count the calories than keeping track down to the single digit... or maybe handwrite it. I've found that what can make me backslide the most is when I am keeping track meticulously but something happens (usually a con appearance or something) that doesn't allow me to track very carefully.

I've just noticed that has caused me the most issues so I've not started that up (though my wife has) maybe I will soon, I have a myfitnesspal set up and everything I just get really discouraged when I find myself unable to keep track super precisely.

[kitty]

Forced myself to work out today after putting it off for a while. Feels good man. Also finally got myself to the beach after 6 months. Played some frisbee and went jogging. I hate running but the beach made it bearable.

[Modus]

I hate running but the beach made it bearable.

It took me three years to enjoy running. In three more years I won't have working kneecaps, but hey, it was a good run

The key is to have an athletic heart. Until your heart is healthy it just sucks.

[kitty]

I don't run correctly or something (which I've gotten some advice about from people in this thread a yearish ago). The impact wreaks havoc on my spine.

[RealFolkBlues]

It took me three years to enjoy running. In three more years I won't have working kneecaps, but hey, it was a good run

The key is to have an athletic heart. Until your heart is healthy it just sucks.

Meh. I've been athletic for most of my life, and I don't now and never have enjoyed running just to run. In the context of ultimate frisbee, basketball, or other sports, it can be alright, but even there that's not what I like about the sport. Everyone's different, and I don't think running is for everyone. There's so many good choices for cardio, I don't feel like anyone should feel obligated to actually get out there and run. If that's what you like, so be it. I may try it out years down the line, but for now, I'll stick to other stuff.

@kitty: Way to get back into it! Do you by chance have flat feet? I'm sure these guys explored all kinds of thoughts with you, but that's a big part of why running sucks for me. The main problem is an intellectual one, but mechanically I'm not well suited to it either.

@Soul Splint and zircon: Ok...sorry guys...I'll see ya <hangs head in shame, walks down street while the sad piano music from The Hulk TV show plays>

Lol, seriously though, I'm not gonna cut it out entirely, I just gotta go into this month's lifts with lowered expectations, which I am. Like I said, I'm losing weight and trying to make gains at the same time, which is very hard. I've been making it work, more or less, for a while now, but man, there are some bumps.

@Cyril: Haha, ok, that's a little more reasonable, though still ambitious. Good for you, though. To your question of how to track calories, yeah, it's super tough. I'm not great at tracking in general (not enough time,) but myfitnesspal is great if you can stick to it. I might advise just trying to keep a vague tally in your mind throughout the day. Not so much I ate this banana so that's blah blah calories, but try to cut out a little every meal. That way you won't feel as hungry throughout the day, but you'll still be cutting down on calories in the aggregate. Also, I know you're wanting to work on your upper body strength and appearance, but don't neglect that lower body. If I had to recommend just one lift for everyone, squats would be it. You activate those big leg muscles and they'll gobble up the fat.

[Cyril the Wolf]

@Cyril: Haha, ok, that's a little more reasonable, though still ambitious. Good for you, though. To your question of how to track calories, yeah, it's super tough. I'm not great at tracking in general (not enough time,) but myfitnesspal is great if you can stick to it. I might advise just trying to keep a vague tally in your mind throughout the day. Not so much I ate this banana so that's blah blah calories, but try to cut out a little every meal. That way you won't feel as hungry throughout the day, but you'll still be cutting down on calories in the aggregate. Also, I know you're wanting to work on your upper body strength and appearance, but don't neglect that lower body. If I had to recommend just one lift for everyone, squats would be it. You activate those big leg muscles and they'll gobble up the fat.

It's ambitious but I just tracked today's dietary plans with no changes to my overall diet (my fitness pal set to sedentary even though rehearsing for my live performances definitely is a work out in and of itself) and I'm actually still short like 600 calories (with my weightloss goals set to 180 and 1.5lbs per week)

Yea I think that's exactly what I am going to be doing, like just eating a little less, like 1/4 cup less here and a tablespoon there should be really helpful.

I think that explains why I haven't ballooned even in my most sedentary times.

I love squats, they're usually part of my mobile training cuz squats are squats even when you have no additional weight.

Edited February 11, 2015 by Cyril the Wolf

[Argle]

Forced myself to work out today after putting it off for a while. Feels good man. Also finally got myself to the beach after 6 months. Played some frisbee and went jogging. I hate running but the beach made it bearable.

I hate you so much

[OceansAndrew]

Good to see some new people in here, welcome bros!

I am in cut mode for awhile, but have a planned cheat meal for March 14 that I am already dreaming about. Currently on a 700cal deficit per day, and making good progress. My body composition and distribution of fat is such now that I can see a visible difference about every 3-4 days, which is pretty cool, but I am really ready for that pizza.

Only 31 days to go!

[RealFolkBlues]

It's ambitious but I just tracked today's dietary plans with no changes to my overall diet (my fitness pal set to sedentary even though rehearsing for my live performances definitely is a work out in and of itself) and I'm actually still short like 600 calories (with my weightloss goals set to 180 and 1.5lbs per week)

Yea I think that's exactly what I am going to be doing, like just eating a little less, like 1/4 cup less here and a tablespoon there should be really helpful.

I think that explains why I haven't ballooned even in my most sedentary times.

I love squats, they're usually part of my mobile training cuz squats are squats even when you have no additional weight.

Sounds like good calls, all. You've got a plan, just execute. Good luck!

@OA: Mister, you're a better man than I. I think I may do a hardcore cut here in spring or summer, but ugh, I don't know if I can hold myself back to that degree. We shall see. Orrrrr, I may try and do intermittent fasting or metabolism confusion. Anyone try these and have input?

[DKeddo]

Thanks so much for your replies, guys. Really appreciate you putting up with my noob questions.

1) It's very understandable that you are hesitant to eat more. There are two ways you can go about this. One, up your calories by 400-500 for a couple of weeks to a month, and rigidly track your progress to see how much you gain. You can then adjust accordingly. Two, you can start with upping your calories by 100-200 for a couple of weeks, then every other week bump them up another 100, tracking your progress all the while to determine your sweet spot. Don't be afraid to increase; you won't put on wait very quickly unless you're eating quite a bit above your TDEE (like 700 calories or more).

Yeah, I think I just need to get over it and give it a shot. For starters I will look to fit in one more meal a day. I already take whey protein shakes pre and post workout, but I'd like to work in a casein shake before bed as well.

2) I would heartily recommend graduating to some heavier weights with lower reps. If your goal is strength and size, you need to be topping out at no more than 10 reps or so on any exercise. Personally, I have a four-week cycle. For the first week I aim to fail within 8-10 reps. From there, it goes to 6-7, 4-5, and then 2-3 is the final week (meaning if I can lift the weight more than three times, it is too light). The kind of training you've been doing is great for endurance, but your muscle growth and strength will be more limited than they will with lower rep ranges.

Just another thing I'll have to get used to. So full disclosure, right now I'm using 8lb weights for almost all bicep/chest/shoulder exercises (I feel such shame in writing this!), but as I mentioned I go up to 20 reps with those. Setting an objective goal in bulking is a lot harder for me than in cutting, but if I were to do so, I'd like to be able to comfortably lift 15lb weights in 3 months.

The thing is, I recently bought 15lbers. When I use them I *can* make it to 10-15 reps, but in doing so I feel excessive strain in my back & neck starting around 3 reps, which is why I hesitate to continue with them. So I will probably just buy 12lbers to help me to bridge the gap.

5) Your break needs depend upon how hard you're pushing yourself. If you look at your workouts and can objectively say you're pushing yourself to your limits 4-5 times a week, it's probably best to take a deload week once every 1-2 months. (By limits, I would define this as lifting to failure 4-6 (or more) times per workout, while working out for 45 minutes or more). This is a bit of a grey area though, as it varies from person to person and really requires an objective self-evaluation. You'll also have weeks where your body just feels fatigued and ripe for injury, and that's another sign. By not taking these deload (or rest) weeks, you're also frying your Central Nervous System, which can lead to nastier results down the road than just strained muscles.

Well one thing to note is that while I'm extremely tired for about 30 min after my workout, I've never really felt sore past that point, even when I first started working out. So that tells me I *could* be lifting harder, and I think going for heavier weights will be a good step.

What exactly are your short and long-term goals? We'll be able to help you a bit more once we know those.

I think this was a good suggestion I hadn't even done for myself yet, so I'm going to use the 15lb lifting goal I mention above. I don't really have an associated weight goal; I'm not sure I need one given that being heavier is not what I'm directly looking to achieve.

A secondary goal would be to not exceed 10% body fat, but I should probably just view this as a potential side benefit for now.

Ectogemia had some great posts about this subject further back in the thread, if you can find them and want to learn a bit more.

Will definitely go back and track those down. Even outside of my own goals, nutrition has become a fascinating topic to me.

Thank you again guys. I'll admit that it's funny to me that the only post I've made about my progress with all this is on OCR, but given how great this community is, it's not a hard notion to get over.

[OceansAndrew]

intermittent fasting or metabolism confusion. Anyone try these and have input?

I am doing basically IF now and it's working fine. Metabolism confusion I have never heard of, but I am skeptical of any sort of 'confusion' when it comes to working out or nutrition. Muscles are basically binary, and metabolisms are easy to get predictable results out of, once you find out how yours works.

I say 'basically' IF because I will have a 100cal yogurt as a snack at 11am, two 100cal yogurts post workout at 2pm, and then 1200cal dinner, and 200cal evening protein shake.

so for example, last night for dinner was 19oz of ground beef, 2 cups of corn, and a banana for dessert. nommm

[RealFolkBlues]

Thanks so much for your replies, guys. Really appreciate you putting up with my noob questions.

Pretty good questions, from what I saw. Soul Splint pretty much said the same stuff as me, though (natch) more eloquently, so I feel ok continuing the conversation a bit.

Yeah, I think I just need to get over it and give it a shot. For starters I will look to fit in one more meal a day. I already take whey protein shakes pre and post workout, but I'd like to work in a casein shake before bed as well.

Having never done a hardcore change to my diet, I can imagine it's an unsettling prospect, so Soul Splint's suggestion of gradually increasing your caloric content should be a good bet. That way your digestive system gets to ramp up slowly as well, which is prob a good idea.

Just another thing I'll have to get used to. So full disclosure, right now I'm using 8lb weights for almost all bicep/chest/shoulder exercises (I feel such shame in writing this!), but as I mentioned I go up to 20 reps with those.

First and foremost, there's no shame but sitting sedentary. The fact that you're working out at all is proof positive you're doing something good for you and your's, and your routine is pretty intense, overall, even if there isn't a lot of weight involved right now. For that matter, what's your height and weight? Those are the biggest factors for determining what kind of numbers you might shoot for with lifts and weight loss.

Setting an objective goal in bulking is a lot harder for me than in cutting, but if I were to do so, I'd like to be able to comfortably lift 15lb weights in 3 months.

That's less of a bulk goal and more of a strength goal, but yeah, they are similar. As stated earlier, lower the reps and increase the weight. It's up to you what you want to do, but if you really want to have visible muscles, there's no substitute for some quick, hard work. That being said, if you're feeling unusual strain and pain when you use your 15's, my guess would be that there may be something wrong with your form. What kind of exercises are you doing with these? If you have access to a barbell, I would recommend trying some barbell exercises. You can engage more muscles at once typically, which will both help to develop the full muscle groups and compensate some for weaknesses you may have. Also, there's nothing wrong with working up your weight limits. 8 to 15 isn't numerically large, but it's almost doubling the weight lifted. If you really feel confident in your form and are still feeling these pains, 12's may be the weigh (sorry) to go. Either way it's probably a good call to drop weight for just a second and focus on form before moving up.

Well one thing to note is that while I'm extremely tired for about 30 min after my workout, I've never really felt sore past that point, even when I first started working out. So that tells me I *could* be lifting harder, and I think going for heavier weights will be a good step.

Your workout right now seems very endurance-based, so you would natch feel tired right afterwards and less so the next day. Strength-based workouts will feel real different. For instance, I did squats on Monday, with my last set being 5 reps. My quads still ache today.

Thank you again guys. I'll admit that it's funny to me that the only post I've made about my progress with all this is on OCR, but given how great this community is, it's not a hard notion to get over.

You're welcome! Yeah, it's kind of awesome that there's some real discussion and work on fitness among a community centered on our love of video game music. Full props to OA and Soul Splint for getting this going and keeping it going.

Speaking of OA, I'm more than likely going to do IF, as I've heard good reviews from pretty much everyone. Metabolism confusion also can work, take a look sometime, but it seems easy to mess up. Basically, the thought is that your metabolism gets used to a caloric deficit if you continue into perpetuity with it, but if you intentionally cheat every three days, your body is "fooled" and treats every caloric deficit like the first one. Like I say, I've heard some good buzz about it, if you stick to it, and the thought of cheating every three days sure sounds nice to me.

Also, 1000 posts! Only took me 10 years.

[Soul Splint]

Pretty good questions, from what I saw. Soul Splint pretty much said the same stuff as me, though (natch) more eloquently, so I feel ok continuing the conversation a bit.

That's less of a bulk goal and more of a strength goal, but yeah, they are similar. As stated earlier, lower the reps and increase the weight. It's up to you what you want to do, but if you really want to have visible muscles, there's no substitute for some quick, hard work. That being said, if you're feeling unusual strain and pain when you use your 15's, my guess would be that there may be something wrong with your form. What kind of exercises are you doing with these? If you have access to a barbell, I would recommend trying some barbell exercises. You can engage more muscles at once typically, which will both help to develop the full muscle groups and compensate some for weaknesses you may have. Also, there's nothing wrong with working up your weight limits. 8 to 15 isn't numerically large, but it's almost doubling the weight lifted. If you really feel confident in your form and are still feeling these pains, 12's may be the weigh (sorry) to go. Either way it's probably a good call to drop weight for just a second and focus on form before moving up.

Your workout right now seems very endurance-based, so you would natch feel tired right afterwards and less so the next day. Strength-based workouts will feel real different. For instance, I did squats on Monday, with my last set being 5 reps. My quads still ache today.

Also, 1000 posts! Only took me 10 years.

Lots of stuff here that I was going to post (of course). Thanks for the 'eloquent' compliment brah; I write for a living, so I appreciate it

But yes, I was definitely going to ask what exercises you are doing, DK.

By the way, I do IF as well. Great for appetite control and all-day energy, for me at least, which are both useful for cutting especially.

And welcome to the new Mega Man of 1k posts

[zircon]

I envy you guys that you can do IF. If I don't eat for awhile I get painfully hungry. But if I have a massive meal, I'm just as hungry as if I ate a small one. I feel like that has gotta come down to genetics; some people are just predisposed to eating too much. Like at the end of a 1600 calorie day I feel pretty much the same as at the end of a 3500 one... a 205 calorie breakfast feels about the same as a 1000 calorie one. But not in a good way. I just never feel that full unless I'm going WAY WAY WAY overboard.

My diet right now involves eating every few hours, but small quantities of food. No meal is more than 400 calories.

[kitty]

@kitty: Way to get back into it! Do you by chance have flat feet? I'm sure these guys explored all kinds of thoughts with you, but that's a big part of why running sucks for me. The main problem is an intellectual one, but mechanically I'm not well suited to it either.

I have quite the flat foot. The softer impact of the wet sand is probably what makes running on the beach better for me.

[Cyril the Wolf]

I envy you guys that you can do IF. If I don't eat for awhile I get painfully hungry. But if I have a massive meal, I'm just as hungry as if I ate a small one. I feel like that has gotta come down to genetics; some people are just predisposed to eating too much. Like at the end of a 1600 calorie day I feel pretty much the same as at the end of a 3500 one... a 205 calorie breakfast feels about the same as a 1000 calorie one. But not in a good way. I just never feel that full unless I'm going WAY WAY WAY overboard.

My diet right now involves eating every few hours, but small quantities of food. No meal is more than 400 calories.

I know that feeling.

I turn to carrots and broccoli as snacks. Keeps me from going overboard.

[RealFolkBlues]

Lots of stuff here that I was going to post (of course). Thanks for the 'eloquent' compliment brah; I write for a living, so I appreciate it

But yes, I was definitely going to ask what exercises you are doing, DK.

By the way, I do IF as well. Great for appetite control and all-day energy, for me at least, which are both useful for cutting especially.

And welcome to the new Mega Man of 1k posts

You're welcome! It was funny, though, because I pressed "Submit Reply," looked at your post right before mine that was clearly posted while I was writing, and saw that it said almost exactly the same answers, just with more, you know, facts and stuff. Show-off.

Like I said, I'll probably try IF, but I do worry I will be like zircon, and get like super duper hungry some time during my fast and hate life. If so, I'll probably do what he described above, small meals throughout the day. I tend to have very long days. That being said, I've been playing around with the idea of fasting workouts, which I've read can subdue hunger if you work hard/quick enough. Anyone got experience here?

I'm pretty ok with being Mega Man. I got really into The Megas last year and since MAG I've become a die-hard Mega Ran fan.

@kitty: Yup. I feel ya. I don't know if you've had a doctor give you the arch test (which felt really unscientific though probably effective,) but for me, the doc could just barely fit one knuckle in my arch. My dad's feet are even flatter. He looks like a caveman. Agreed, though, running on the beach is much preferable. If I'm gonna do standard cardio, I like to ride a bike or do the elliptical, to save my knees and shins. You?

[zircon]

I'll say that if I'm working out, or actively doing something else, I can live with being hungry or sometimes forget about it. The problem is that I work from home and even with a strong will, it's VERY VERY hard to avoid the temptation of eating something when I'm hungry and the kitchen is steps away.

[kitty]

@kitty: Yup. I feel ya. I don't know if you've had a doctor give you the arch test (which felt really unscientific though probably effective,) but for me, the doc could just barely fit one knuckle in my arch. My dad's feet are even flatter. He looks like a caveman. Agreed, though, running on the beach is much preferable. If I'm gonna do standard cardio, I like to ride a bike or do the elliptical, to save my knees and shins. You?

Bikes are definitely nice. I want to get an exercise bike so I can pedal while at my desk. Though my top preference for cardio is racquetball, ultimate frisbee, or tennis.

[Soul Splint]

Like I said, I'll probably try IF, but I do worry I will be like zircon, and get like super duper hungry some time during my fast and hate life. If so, I'll probably do what he described above, small meals throughout the day. I tend to have very long days. That being said, I've been playing around with the idea of fasting workouts, which I've read can subdue hunger if you work hard/quick enough. Anyone got experience here?

Yep. I train fasted. And I can speak to how your body responds when starting IF and doing it in a way that leads to fasted training.

I used to eat from about 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., usually six or seven 'meals.' I read about IF and liked the sound of its benefits (optimized hormone production, more energy and clarity, appetite control, etc.) So I gave it a shot, and began eating my first meal at noon and my last meal at about 7:40 p.m. or so, so as to be finished eating by 8 p.m., giving me an eight-hour feeding window.

With my job schedule this meant I would likely have to train fasted, as I usually train mid-morning. Honestly, the only physical effect I noticed was that I was hungry, but not 'weak' from lack of calories. The hunger part began to lessen after a week or two, and was pretty much gone by about a month in. Now it doesn't even faze me. I can walk past someone eating a full breakfast at 10 a.m., and my mouth may water a bit, but I don't get truly hungry until a bit before noon, now that my body is used to it.

This helps so much with appetite control, because my body knows when it's "okay to eat," and when it's not. So by only having eight hours a day where I can eat, it's much easier to cut calories, and easier to not go overboard when on a bulk.

Edit: So who else is bobbing their head to some 'Glacial Reflection' from the Fittest soundtrack in preparation for an awesome workout?

Edited February 12, 2015 by Soul Splint

[RealFolkBlues]

Yep. I train fasted. And I can speak to how your body responds when starting IF and doing it in a way that leads to fasted training.

I used to eat from about 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., usually six or seven 'meals.' I read about IF and liked the sound of its benefits (optimized hormone production, more energy and clarity, appetite control, etc.) So I gave it a shot, and began eating my first meal at noon and my last meal at about 7:40 p.m. or so, so as to be finished eating by 8 p.m., giving me an eight-hour feeding window.

With my job schedule this meant I would likely have to train fasted, as I usually train mid-morning. Honestly, the only physical effect I noticed was that I was hungry, but not 'weak' from lack of calories. The hunger part began to lessen after a week or two, and was pretty much gone by about a month in. Now it doesn't even faze me. I can walk past someone eating a full breakfast at 10 a.m., and my mouth may water a bit, but I don't get truly hungry until a bit before noon, now that my body is used to it.

This helps so much with appetite control, because my body knows when it's "okay to eat," and when it's not. So by only having eight hours a day where I can eat, it's much easier to cut calories, and easier to not go overboard when on a bulk.

Nice one. This pretty much seals it for me. Next step on that path will be adequate calorie tracking. Myfitnesspal, here we come.

[kitty]

Gonna get my exercise on today since I have no gal to serenade. :3

[Bejack]

Hi. So i started working out a few months ago back in mid October and have been doing so 3 times a week ever since. I don't go to the gym, i workout at home. I believe i am what is called a hard gainer but i'm not gonna quit just because results aren't there. I do feel a difference in my energy level and strength in general but my looks meh... not so much. I have started watching some AthleanX videos and i think the guy knows about what he is talking about. Any of you guys know or follow that guy or think that he doesn't make any sense?

Also i wanted to know if there was a difference between front raises to shoulder height and front raises to ceiling, both with dumbells. Is it useful to do both exercises or not?

Thanks

[zircon]

Hey Bejack, if you feel like you aren't gaining mass, there are a few possible issues.

1. You might not be eating enough calories. What is your daily activity level like? Height/weight? Try a TDEE calculator. If you want to see results you need to be at least 200-300 over your daily calorie expenditure. If you have a fast metabolism or an active lifestyle, you might be eating below what you need to gain.

2. You might not be eating enough protein. Sure, you can get gains with limited protein, but it will be slower and harder. I've heard a lot of numbers thrown around but the scientific consensus seems to be about 0.75g of protein per pound of body weight daily.

3. You might not be working out optimally. What exactly are you doing in terms of your workouts? What exercises, how many repetitions / sets, and how do you feel after each one?

4. You might not be sleeping enough. Optimally you want to be getting a solid 8 hours of rest.

--

Personal update: my cut is almost over. The end is in sight. I can't wait to post progress pics on Monday.

[OceansAndrew]

Personal update: my cut is almost over. The end is in sight. I can't wait to post progress pics on Monday.

I am hyped to see this