Board 8 > Fitness/Exercise/Health topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

Really pissed off at my building's gym the other day.

I'm doing other things, but notice one of the benchs was slanted oddly. I walked over and realized that a bolt had fallen out on one side near the seat area.I put the bolt back in but the nut to secure the other side was nowhere to be found. Meaning it'll be fucked up again in about 2 hours because no one seems to give a fuck. Not the residents who use it who can't be assed to wipe down and return equipment, nor management who don't care to fix broken equipment on any decent timescale.

Then, there was some woman in their with her kid or brother or whatever. Kid's probably about 10-12. Sits on the leg extension machine and CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG for about 40 seconds. Mom/sister not paying any mind. I REALLY wanted to walk over and say something but realized there was no good for me to come from it, so I just walked out.

The absolute obliviousness, carelessness, and laziness of other people is sometimes truly frightening to me. It shouldn't be at this point, and yet I continue to be reminded of it over and over again. I really which I had the ability to have a private, home gym.

^I get that feeling.

I hope one day I'm in the position where I can have my own private gym. Would be so nice. No more spending extra money a month, save time in my day because I don't have to drive back and fourth. One day!

Had a good bench day today, I upped my weight from last time even though at some point my strength is likely going to wan once I start losing more weight, but I hit 230 x 6, failed on the 7th rep. Tried for another PR of 285 since I hit 280 last time, that was a no go. Didn't fail instantly, but I pushed it up maybe an in inch?

I really wish my gym had a proper incline bench, I have to use a make shift one. Like one of the setups where you can adjust the rails, the bars, moving a bench over to use, ect. I mean it works, but there isn't a good position, not that I can find anyway because I'm either too far forward where I have to reach further back for the bar putting my shoulders in a bad starting position, but if I'm...Not even too far back, I still hit the goddamn bar holder, and that is just dangerous because it puts me off balance.

I can do dumbell incline, but it's harder with heavier weight because you gotta kick that shit up. Mild annoyance to say the least, frustrating at the most because I love incline bench. I have a good skeletal structure with my clavicles so it makes my upper chest pop a lot more.

Tough push day today. A lot of lifts were one to two reps short of what I was hoping for

bench 170x16 (wanted 17) 180x8 190x5 200x3
ohp 155x4 (wanted 5) 155x2 (wanted 3) 135x6 (didnt have an exact number programmed but definitely wanted more than that lol)
incline 135x16 145x7 155x7 165x3 (triceps were toast by this point lol)
weighted dips 90x1 75x3 60x5
my stupid ass lateral raise variation I do on push days now 20x3x14
overhead rope/cable Tricep extension 60x8 65x6 42x11
cable lateral raises 15x7 15x5
single arm rope/cable Tricep pulldowns 20x14 20x12 20x10

dips I definitely have reached my point to cycle back, not sure how I will program them this time but its time to drop the weight for sure

Finally getting close to my pre pinched nerve weight for deads and squats. Bench still a bit off but oh well. 565 dead for 2 today, gonna squat prob friday

Solid backday.

Deadlift is staying static, but my pullups are improving.

Weighing myself on Saturday. I definitely already look leaner, so I'm curious if I'm under 174.

Decent arm day I guess. A lot of these are starting to transition from challenging but not horrible to challenging and I hate it

barbell curl 80x15 75x15 70x15 65x15
cable pushdown 47.5x16 50x2x11
incline db curl 35x14, x12, x10
overhead cable Tricep extensions 45x15, x12x 10
spider curls 60x3x11
skull crushers 85x6 75x8 65x10
cross body hammer curls 25x18, x16, x14
reverse curls 45x2x10

Sorozone posted...

Weighing myself on Saturday. I definitely already look leaner, so I'm curious if I'm under 174.

173 was my weigh in, pleasantly surprised considering I haven't changed my diet all that much.

Good job, you got something you're shooting for?

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Good job, you got something you're shooting for?

Whenever I cut I try to go back from where I started, which is 150-155. When I bulk up I always try to not go over 190. However I always go based on look. I never want to be or look heavy, nor do I ever want to be super ripped. By super ripped I mean like under 7% body fat/body building physique. By my estimations and current weight to have around 8 to 10% body fight I need to be under or around 160, but that's always subject to change because with each cycle of bulking and cutting I'm adding more muscle everytime so my baseline of 150-155 is always going up a few pounds.

Ideally my ideal weight would be around 175-180 with 10-11% body fat, because at that point I think my strength numbers would be insane for my body weight.

Why are you cutting and gaining repetitively?

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Why are you cutting and gaining repetitively?

Main reason: Body weight to strength ratio.

Other reasons;
-I don't like bulking up forever, because I have to eat a lot, and eating a lot gets tiresome after a while.
-When I'm losing weight, after a certain point I start getting tired from the lack of eating.

It's also a metabolic booster because the increased muscle mass. So right now since I'm cutting after this 9 month bulk session, I can still eat a lot(not as much as when I'm bulking obviously) I don't have to make any big changes to my diet and still lose weight.
Once I'm down in weight, I'm going to loose a small portion of that muscle mass, but still maintain a great majority of it, so on my next bulk session, my muscle mass will grow more, compared to gaining more fat in each cycle moving forward because I'm staying within the same 30 to 40 pounds each time.

I don't recommend it for everyone, I do it because it works for me, and it fits my schedule.

I could always bulk upwards to 230 pounds, but like I said, I get tired of eating.

Alright fair enough.

IfGodCouldDie posted...

Why are you cutting and gaining repetitively?

For me, I like having a goal/challenge. I tend to...
3 months do nothing, overeat
3 months bulk up
1-2 months cut
3-6 months maintain

In theory I should just to the maintenance stuff every day forever. It just kinda gets boring and I feel like "I'm in pretty good shape" and stop doing it as often as I should, and then work travel or vacations come up, etc. When I was younger, it was just bulking/cutting/taking a month off. I just needed something to work towards.

Cutting and bulking are also somewhat different (some folks can kinda do both but...) and enjoyable to do.

Solid leg day, strength is starting to wan, but I was able to maintain everything, it was just harder.

However I did end up switching my workout up a bit and finished with squats instead of starting with them. Also belt squat machines are killer for quad improvements.

Good morning friends

workouts have been good lately. My body weight is right at 180 and been doing decent with avoiding injuries over the past few months. I retooled my leg day to where front squats are the primary lift, hitting the mid 200s. Does so much better in my back and knees. I also made hip thrusts the 1B lift, got 525 for 4 yesterday. I could power bottom a triceratops at this point. I also started doing zercher squats just as a way to increase/maintain my carrying strength, as thats one thing Ive noticed has gotten harder with age. Keeping it low weight low reps at the moment, like sets of 5 in the 115-155 range.

back is probably the most jacked its ever been which my girlfriend loves, but its just been from years of consistent progress. Havent done anything new or exciting with it

im seated overhead pressing 135 for 13 reps, standing for 11. Bench is still trash so we wont talk about that one

lastly Ive been doing a lot of boxing/bag work at the end of my lifts which has helped immensely. Even being super strong and muscular, you find out real quickly that you arent shit when you first try punching. But a few months of consistent training and those sorry ass butterfly kisses have now turned into absolute thunder. Great cardio too

Great arm day today. Gonne weigh myself on Monday, hoping to see a bit of progress. I've been really good about my diet the past couple weeks.

Haven't posted in a while. I made some significant adjustments to my routines after the lower back/hip issues a few months back. A bit less focus on the big 4 lifts and a lot more supplemental/isolation movements. It means an extra 10-20 minutes in the gym per workout but that's ultimately probably a good thing.

Unfortunately, those hip/back issues have not gone away, which I'm chalking up to getting older...and continuing to persist with much lower weight rather than stopping completely with the lower body stuff. Some weeks it's better and some weeks it's worse. Just before my week holiday break it was pretty bad, though really only with the squats. Then tweaked something in the "normal" lower back area a few days ago but have no idea how it happened! I did do a "welcome back" leg day tonight with lower weight and reps, and went back to the weight belt to give myself some support/confidence, and it went well enough.

Still hitting a wall with overhead press just a bit short of body weight.

Bench I actually did a new personal best, 1 rep at 220, which I was super happy about. The next week I tried 222.5 and failed but I was a little out of sync that day, so it wasn't unexpected. It's always been a long term goal of mine to do a 1.5x body weight bench, and I suddenly feel like it's actually possible (~150lbs, so 225 goal)!

Seanchan posted...

Unfortunately, those hip/back issues have not gone away, which I'm chalking up to getting older...

What's your age if you don't mind me asking?

Weighing myself tomorrow. Just did a cardio today, 3 miles on the treadmill with varying the incline throughout. Did 3.5 miles and 1800 vertical feet in about an hour. Hoping to be at 168, or around there. I haven't looked in the mirror much the past couple weeks at home so I my only indication of weight loss is through the mirror at the gym. My biceps are definitely more noticeable. Same with my leg definition. If I'm at 168 or around there hoping to be at 165ish by December 18th because that's when I go on a 2 week vacation for Christmas and I'm hoping to start bulking up after that, but I might still do a lot of cardio and walking while on vacation to lose an extra pound or two.

Gonna do a whole new workout plan after that to really maximize my bulk up session, but speaking of age. Also gonna throw in a day or two strictly for mobility and stretching exercises. Lots of new studies coming out about set ranges(you should be doing a lot of them) and half reps being really effective in muscle building so looking to incorporate more of that and hopefully really blast through my strength walls.

Sorozone posted...

What's your age if you don't mind me asking?

Dangerously close to 40. So, young relatively speaking but on the old range for GFaqs.

Oh gotcha, Im the lower end of the mid thirties. But I totally feel you on lingering issues. I mentioned it about a month ago but my groin has been pretty tender. Still is. Shit sucks.

Lower end of mid thirties is a bitch

Nice little lift today

Seated overhead press 145x4x5 145x9 finisher set

dumbbell incline work from 70-90

close grip Tricep bench work at 205

lateral raises 30x3x16

tricep isos

and then beat the piss out of the heavy bag

Legs were nice today

front squats 135x12 155x9 175x6 195x3 215x2 235x1

hip thrusts 375x12 425x8 515x4

zercher squats 155x3x10

some maintenance deadlifting

bag work

everything just felt easy and smooth and strong

iiaattgg posted...

zercher squats

Never seen that before...

Give them a shot man. Start light so your arms can get used to it, but once they are, dont be afraid to push the weight. Its helped a lot in many ways and they feel very smooth and natural to do

Okay day today I guess

pull-ups - 52.5x4 37x6 22.5x7
bent over rows - 195x7 x5 x3
db curls 35x3x20
lateral raises 25x3x20
lat pulldowns 180x3x8
barbell curl 65x3x15
lat push downs 65x3x10
hammer curls 35x12 30x14 25x16
rear delt fly machine 120x3x8
cable curls 70x2x12
seated cable row 100x2x20

heavy bag work and some grip training to finish it off

solid push day

bench 195x3x9
overhead press 130x12 135x9 140x6 145x4
incline bench 180x3x4
weighted dips from 20-60lbs
lat raises 30x2x17
other iso work

i ended with some grip training, with a goal of getting a dead hang on the bar for 5 minutes. Got to 2 minutes and 5 seconds today

Been under the weather. Throat is on fire so Ive been doing a walk after work to get some steps in. Anything too hard and I cant deal.

You know when you take a week off from the gym and you get back to it and your body's like "omfg, what the hell are you doing to me?!?" You lift less weight, still feel weak, and have awful DOMs. Just the worst!

But then, you get that 2nd week back lifting and your body's like "yo, we got this, back to normal, last week didn't happen!" Such a great feeling!

Got a solid back day in. Pullup game getting crazy. Deadlift is staying consistent and might actually be improving as a lose weight.

Looking forward to massive back gains when I bulk up.

Gonna just go a big walk tomorrow.

Did my big walk today. 11 miles in 2 hours.

Sorozone posted...

Did my big walk today. 11 miles in 2 hours.

...that's an 11 minute/mile pace...for walking?!?

Are you sure that's accurate? I can walk pretty fast for an hour long walk (15:30-16:00 minute/mile pace). And when I've tried, I was able to get close to a 14:00 minute/mile pace for 5-6 miles. 3 min/mile faster than that is so serious speed walking!

Seanchan posted...

...that's an 11 minute/mile pace...for walking?!?

Are you sure that's accurate? I can walk pretty fast for an hour long walk (15:30-16:00 minute/mile pace). And when I've tried, I was able to get close to a 14:00 minute/mile pace for 5-6 miles. 3 min/mile faster than that is so serious speed walking!

It wasn't just walking, lol.

I do intermittent sprinting, and jogging. Walking is just my cool down. So once I'm refreshed I start jogging, and when I'm feeling good I'll do full on sprints.

Going on a 'walk' is just easier to say.

Starting to hit the biceps hard by trying to keep it in the stretched position for longer periods of time. Throwing in some half reps for good measure, then full ROM to finish the set out.

Definitely getting more soreness and overall just a tighter feeling in my arms. Good day! Plan on weighing myself next Friday.

Walking is so much nicer in cold weather. I feel like I can just keep going and going and going.

They do say the ideal temperature for a run is actually in the 40s.

Destroyed my legs today. Decided on some high reps, lower weights on some elevated goblet squats, and did around 7 sets I think, along with 5 sets of lunges, then moved to some heavy weight hip thrusts and hip abductor exercises. Finished it off with my normal 5 set of squats, and cranked out as many reps as I could on leg press with 8 45 plates on each side.

Good day!

Had a great back day today. Gonna go to the gym one more time tomorrow- in addition to a walk probably. Gonna weigh myself then go on my vacation for 2 weeks. Gonna try to get some walking in while I'm gone but won't be hitting the weights. Hoping to actually lose some weight or at the very least stay the same.

Sorozone posted...

Gonna weigh myself

Lost 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks. Definitely the leanest I've been since cutting. Been up and down in weight because, I've mentioned before I smoke, get the munchies and just keep eating. Lol. Gotten it under control because of the long walks I've been doing, and honestly that's why I've been doing them so I can still eat a ton and still see progress.

Killed my arms today, definitely getting a pump in my triceps and biceps which I haven't felt in a awhile. Back is dead sore from yesterday too, so I'm doing those things right. Also noticed I got killer active stretch marks/hives/irritation just from my back workouts yesterday.

Just did a minute-long deadhang. Whether or not it's impressive to anyone else, it's my PB so it feels good to me.

Started back in the gym yesterday after a 10 day holiday break. Felt nice to feel fresh; I could really feel it in my joints. I need to do a better job of taking breaks like once a month to give my body a better chance of bouncing back.

Brace yourselves... the Jan 1sters are coming...

KateMarsh posted...

Brace yourselves... the Jan 1sters are coming...

98% of people who wait for Jan 1st to start something will quit/forget before the month is done. But hey, there's a least a small handful of people who stick with it!

I also find other "gym rushes" around the switch to Daylight Saving Time ("oh shit, sun, time to get in shape!") and Memorial Day ("oh shit, bathing suit season, time to get in shape!").

So I used to have a fitbit a few years ago, which is my one and only fitness tracker. I stopped using it years ago because I lost it after moving lol.

Anyway, got a smart watch over Christmas, and I'm a giant nerd who likes stats and tracking numbers. It's partly why I really like strength building because I love getting PR's. It's also why I'm into speedrunning because PR's rule no matter what it's in. Because I love this type of stuff I'm trying to incorporate it into all my goals. So I started tracking my times during my walks/runs and I'm aiming to improve my time each time I do that walk. I know when I first started doing these walks it took about an hour and 45 minutes or so to finish. Today it only took an hour and 15 minutes. I know my cardio is going through the roof with improvements, so it's going to be quite fun to track this. It helps I live in a high altitude/super clean air quality are too.

Excited for the first time I get under an hour. One of my goals is to run a marathon too at some point.

Also killed my bench day today! Starting to see some strength loss, but not too concerned because muscle memory is crazy, and I'll probably be back where I was within a couple weeks of bulking. Which I'm hoping to start to the bulk by February.

I've had an Apple Watch for over 2 years now. Super useful as a fitness tool. There's an odd satisfaction to closing my rings every day. Okay, not every day but like 90% of the time... But it still gets me up and moving more than I would otherwise.

Granted, I take the calories burned with a grain of salt, as I think it's just doing some simple math of age, sex, weight, and heart rate. That said, you'll still have an understanding of where you're at. This time of year, I'm usually at 700ish calories burned per day. During the peak of the summer, when I'm swimming a lot, it's closer to double that.

One down side of just deciding to take up running is shin splints. Absolutely awful.

https://collectpcs.com/coming-soon-1/

KateMarsh posted...

Just did a minute-long deadhang. Whether or not it's impressive to anyone else, it's my PB so it feels good to me.

Thats really good man! I used to do these a lot and have tried to get back into them recently as my grip has been a problem. I was able to progress on them a few seconds each time back in the day and got some great numbers (for me anyway), but now it seems like no matter what I cant past 45 seconds without giving in. Old age I guess, or Ive just turned into a total pussy which is completely plausible

RikkuAlmighty posted...

https://collectpcs.com/coming-soon-1/

Don't tempt me!

Arms starting to lose strength. Still hitting 160 on the over head press, but it's definitely getting harder. Also since I'm cutting, and sometimes I hate how my body looks in the mirror, I avoid looking in the mirror lol. I know progress, especially in the lifting world, either for strength, or trying to lose weight is a long journey so I know progress isn't going to happen over night. Weighing myself at the end of the month, and then I'll also look in the mirror at that time too.

I think it helps, keeps me from comparing myself constantly and makes me focus on just staying consistent. Been a lot better about my diet too. Lots of eggs, yogurt, beans. And I'll get something a bit messier like a burger or a sandwich(Philly cheesesteaks are my weakness), once or twice a week. Super excited to start on my bulk though, so hopefully the work being put in this month will pay off!

Sorozone posted...

Don't tempt me!

Arms starting to lose strength. Still hitting 160 on the over head press, but it's definitely getting harder. Also since I'm cutting, and sometimes I hate how my body looks in the mirror, I avoid looking in the mirror lol. I know progress, especially in the lifting world, either for strength, or trying to lose weight is a long journey so I know progress isn't going to happen over night. Weighing myself at the end of the month, and then I'll also look in the mirror at that time too.

I think it helps, keeps me from comparing myself constantly and makes me focus on just staying consistent. Been a lot better about my diet too. Lots of eggs, yogurt, beans. And I'll get something a bit messier like a burger or a sandwich(Philly cheesesteaks are my weakness), once or twice a week. Super excited to start on my bulk though, so hopefully the work being put in this month will pay off!

im sure you are already aware, but it if you are working out with the intensity and consistency that you have shown in these topics, 100% of the population looks at you and sees someone in great shape with a desirable physique, regardless of if you are on a cut, a bulk or maintaining. I know youve got goals for yourself and those are important, but while you feel stressed at the mirror or the scale, just know that that self imposed disappointment should always be chased with the envy of basically everyone you walk by