The Fitness Thread !

Yeah, I hit squats heavy once a week. Lets see, hopefully calves will grow more soon with time.
I was pretty disappointed initially when i noticed that i wasn't increasing in weight (after few months of steady increase). But then I realised I was gaining muscle mass at the same time. Thankfully, my waist size is still the same as it was when i initially started working out, capped at 32 inches. :)

Whats the best and convenient way to measure body fat though?
Great :D There are too many ways to measure bodyfat. Simplest way is to pinch the skin and if the pinch is fat, that part has fat, if its not, then less fat.

There are formulas and then there are also devices that you measure pinch size with and then put it in a formula. There are other ways too, but mostly require a professional.
 
Thinking of measuring my body fat now (havent measured till now).

i use this as a reference:
dmp.jpg
 
I am stagnating on my weight. :(. Its always 82~83 nowadays. :(. 82.2KG today. :( :(.

Wanted to reach 78. My target was set 3 weeks back. :( :( :(

I am running for 55 minutes 4 days a weeks also. I guess I have to stop pigging out on fridays. :)
 
hi guys its been a while i have posted in this thread !! have been out of the forum thing for a while. good to see this thread is still is still alive :) i was also out from gymming scene for a while joined last dec and have been doing religiously since then !!!
started bulking in winters
stats
feb
5'7"ish
weighed 72
biceps 15.2"
waist 32.5
june (shredding)
weight : 67-68
biceps 15"
waist 30
in short doing well till now :)
 
hey guys i have extra 10lb bag of ON Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Isolate, Rocky road flavor
got it from dubai, in case if you guys interested, hit the pm route!!

PS sorry didn't know where to post it though
 
Guys need some help regarding my workout regime.

Height : 5'11"
Weight : 98 Kgs
Body fat : 25-28% (Making rough estimation based on the pics)

Goal : (6 months)

Implement healthy lifestyle.
Reduce my body fat to ~18%
Weight <90 kgs.

I have chucked out following from my diet since 2 months :
Sugar
Sweet
Carbonated beverages.
Fast food

And stick to following :
Starting the day with a lukewarm water along with honey and lemon.
Home made food. (Even if I go out I make it a point to eat something at home beforehand)
Whole Milk.
Green Tea
Fruits. (Excluding Banana and Mango)

Joined gym last week prior to which I used to do cycling only. Within the past week I am doing just Cardio (6 days a week - early morning):

Have a slice of brown bread with a bit of jam atleast 20 minutes before I hit the gym. ( I started with single banana but the instructor said a big no to them so just left it out)

25 min running. Avg speed ~10kmph.
20 min cross
10-15 min stationary cycling
Jumping jacks 20 by 3
Skip rope : 300-400 skips.

This whole regime takes around 1.5 hours. I am now more comfortable with running and hence have decided to start with strength training (As suggested by @Party Monger ). I just need to confirm if following changes would be beneficial for me.

Cardio same as before on 3 days.
Mild cardio + strength training on other 3 days (Alternate).

Strength training :

20 body weight squats
10 push ups
20 walking lunges
15 Dumbbell rows (using a gallon milk jug)
15 second plank
30 Jumping Jacks

All 3 reps.

Also since my joining date has been delayed, I am free for next 1.5 months. So is it possible that I can visit gym at evening too and go cardio along with interval training (HIIT) ??

Please let me know if this seems right or should I make any alterations to reach my health goal.
 
@aquaticbullet
if it's possible for you, then:

1) get rid of your instructor.
2) shorten your running time and engage HIIT. you may damage your knees with that much body weight. but if you still want to run, then do only inclines.
3) train for 45 mins. excessive training time will only break your body. things like, "2 times in a day" or "3 hours training" etc is meant for professionals, whose only job is to eat, sleep and workout. for the next 3 months, try to wrap up your training time in 45 mins, excluding warm-up/cool-down time. that means, you may have to decrease your rest intervals and the number of sets.
4) keep increasing the weights till you can do no more than 8 reps. i.e., 8 heavy reps for each exercise, except for calves and wrists.

All 3 reps.

what's that?
 
@aquaticbullet
if it's possible for you, then:

1) get rid of your instructor.

I know my instructor is not upto the level but I really can't afford the gyms nearby. BTW what made you say that ??

2) shorten your running time and engage HIIT. you may damage your knees with that much body weight. but if you still want to run, then do only inclines.

I obviously wouldn't want to have any long term damage. So I would just avoid HIIT till I am more comfortable with running. How does running on inclines help ??

3) train for 45 mins. excessive training time will only break your body. things like, "2 times in a day" or "3 hours training" etc is meant for professionals, whose only job is to eat, sleep and workout. for the next 3 months, try to wrap up your training time in 45 mins, excluding warm-up/cool-down time. that means, you may have to decrease your rest intervals and the number of sets.

Actually that's what I am doing Eat,Sleep,Surf and workout :D , hence I thought of spending more time at gym.And shouldn't be the training time vary as per the needs of an individual ?

For eg :A person who is maintaining his fitness would wrap it up sooner than 1 who is trying to build endurance or loose weight.

I am in splits here, so can you please enlighten.


4) keep increasing the weights till you can do no more than 8 reps. i.e., 8 heavy reps for each exercise, except for calves and wrists.

I have not yet started any exercises with weights. So which direction are you pointing me to here ? o_O


what's that?

Answers and more questions in bold. :p

I meant to say that I will do this the strength training part 3 times. like 10 * 3 push ups etc. Does that sound overkill ??
 
@aquaticbullet

Weight loss will happen only if you eat at a deficit, regardless of what you eat use a tracker keep a tab on your eating. Don´t overexecrise, or overdiet. A gradual ramp down of your eating is the best option. And don't deprive yourself of food you like, just don't overdo it.

As for the actual excercise - pick out any program available on the net for strength, and do cardio that you enjoy. If you do do cardio + strength together, the benifits from both will come slower (Discount noob gains for both).

If possible start doing light compound lifts, concentrating on your form (use your instructor here, if he does not know what good form is, get him to record your lifts and analyze it on the net). This way when you want to stop losing weight and build muscle, you are already 50% done.
 
@aquaticbullet

Weight loss will happen only if you eat at a deficit, regardless of what you eat use a tracker keep a tab on your eating. Don´t overexecrise, or overdiet. A gradual ramp down of your eating is the best option. And don't deprive yourself of food you like, just don't overdo it.

As for the actual excercise - pick out any program available on the net for strength, and do cardio that you enjoy. If you do do cardio + strength together, the benifits from both will come slower (Discount noob gains for both).

If possible start doing light compound lifts, concentrating on your form (use your instructor here, if he does not know what good form is, get him to record your lifts and analyze it on the net). This way when you want to stop losing weight and build muscle, you are already 50% done.

I am trying to log the food and make the calorie deficit. It's bit tough in starting. I have wiped down the consumption of sweets, beverages etc over a period of time only and now I really have no craving for them.

If you do do cardio + strength together, the benifits from both will come slower (Discount noob gains for both). : Can you please explain this part. I believe that cardio+Strength gives the best result for weight loss.

Light compound lifts for all the body parts ? i.e - Shoulders, legs, biceps etc ??
 
Answers and more questions in bold. :p
I know my instructor is not upto the level but I really can't afford the gyms nearby. BTW what made you say that ??

1) Only you know about your body well. Over-enthusiastic instructors can do more harm than you doing the exercises at your own pace. An instructor cannot tell you if the pain/soreness you experience is because of exercises you performed the right way or wrong.
2) And you wouldn't come here asking for opinions if your instructor was that good ;). But you may continue to use his services as a spotter. :D

I obviously wouldn't want to have any long term damage. So I would just avoid HIIT till I am more comfortable with running. How does running on inclines help ??

1) I was stressing on doing any type of cardio the HIIT way only. You'll be done in less time and burn more calories.
2) Running on inclined surfaces (roads, treadmill) avoids 'stomping', which in turn protects your feet/shins/spine etc. And of course, you'll burn more calories. just try running on 10~15 degrees inclination and you'll notice how smoothly your feet lands on the surface.

Actually that's what I am doing Eat,Sleep,Surf and workout :D , hence I thought of spending more time at gym.

Yes, you can utilize this time to train 'harder'. Only you can judge your body, so I am unable to say if you can train 'longer' as well.
1) My idea is that the body/muscles breakdown during training and need time to recuperate.
2) By training harder (and not longer) you'll build more muscles. More the muscles, faster the fat loss.
3) If you can ensure equal attention to training:rest:nutrition, then go ahead with longer exercise periods.
4) Muscles build only during resting periods and not on the gym floor.

And shouldn't be the training time vary as per the needs of an individual ?

Yes, it should be but there's only a small amount of time for which you can engage your muscles to the fullest. Muscles tear/breakdown during exercise (and body builds more muscles during rest/sleep). If you continue to over-exert your muscles then they'll take much longer to get back in shape... and you'll loose momentum/feel sore/less energetic etc.

Try the double-shift routine and see how your body behaves. It may prove beneficial for you if you do it for a month or two.

For eg :A person who is maintaining his fitness would wrap it up sooner than 1 who is trying to build endurance or loose weight.
There are two ways to lose fat:
1) do long cardios and only-body weight exercises: Lose some fat and lose muscles as well.
2) do heavy weight exercises and few minutes of HIIT cardio: Build muscles as well as lose fat.

Can't comment on the endurance training as it could be very focussed on one particular aspect such as, marathons or holding breath underwater. Other aspects (such as body fat) is ignored while training for sumo wrestling. I've no further knowledge on endurance training.

I have not yet started any exercises with weights. So which direction are you pointing me to here ?
Sorry, you were talking in terms of reps and numbers, so I assumed you'd be doing weight training as well. BTW, why are you paying for gym (and instructor) when you are not touching weights? Just using cardio machines?

I meant to say that I will do this the strength training part 3 times. like 10 * 3 push ups etc. Does that sound overkill ??

Overkill? Not really. Maybe your body is taking this regimen quite well. My logic is that doing more reps (or working out too long) increases overall stress/cortisol levels and may affect joints. And one starts to lose muscle-size if one's over-exerted.

- I am very much interested to see your exercise log.
- All of my ideas/logic are not based off just websites/books only. I read a lot and tried numerous combinations (food/exercise) to understand how my body behaves; and it took me around 2 years to arrive at anything concrete (as it's hard to see the benefits of one exercise regimen before 3-months' trial).
- I am out of gym for the last 2.5 years but not out of shape. All of these years (in and out of gym) my waist size remained the same. I've lost muscle definition without weight training but I am still energetic. Good part is that I managed to retain 3 out of those 6 packs. :D
 
I am trying to log the food and make the calorie deficit. It's bit tough in starting. I have wiped down the consumption of sweets, beverages etc over a period of time only and now I really have no craving for them.

If you do do cardio + strength together, the benifits from both will come slower (Discount noob gains for both). : Can you please explain this part. I believe that cardio+Strength gives the best result for weight loss.

Light compound lifts for all the body parts ? i.e - Shoulders, legs, biceps etc ??

If you do only cardio (and eat at a deficit) you will lose weight (which includes some muscle mass)

If you train for strength, ideally you are looking at adding muscle mass. (which would entail some fat addition also).

Individually they will work faster. but if you do both together, i.e. eating at a deficit/cardio + strength, you will not gain strength as fast or lose weight as fast.

This however is not 100% true if you are just starting out lifting, where your nervous system is adapting to a new style of workout (strength). In this case, you will gain strength as your nervous system adapts to lifting things, even though you might be eating at a deficit. Obviously the gains in strength will stop after a while and then your will need to take a call on whether you want to lose weight or gain more strength and replan your workouts accordingly.

Compound lifts = lifts that stress the entire body i.e. squats, deadlifts, bench press, ohp, barbell rows. These lifts are best for beginners as they raise overall strength uniformly and are less complicated to plan into workouts than a split workout. Newbs are recommended SS or SL because they are the best programs for beginners, once you stall for a decent bit on those programs, you can switch to a split workout depending on what your objective is.


If you want to lose weight, then concentrate on that, by all means do go ahead with strength training, but concentrate more on form as of now. Once you are below your target weight and are seeking body definition then go on bulking and cutting cycles to get to your desired goals.
 
Hey guys. Been a long time since i visited TE due to my exams. Bumped onto this thread. Decided to start going to gym. I need to first hunt for one. Basically a noob so what should i look for in a gym?
 
^^ If you are unfamiliar with various exercises then you'd need some assistance. Machines would be better to avoid injuries and perfect the form in the beginning. Look for gyms with more number of weight training machines. Separate machines for individual exercises would be better than all-in-one types. But using the former would be costlier. I hardly use cardio machines so can't provide much info on them; but I prefer elliptical (cross-trainer) and exer-cycles over treadmills because of lesser risk of injuries.

There are machine equivalents for each and every type of free-weight exercises but you may not find such a well equipped gym in India. Most of the gyms boast of treadmills and cross-trainers, which in my opinion are meant for offline social networking :p. If I were you, I would look out for a gym with at least a Smith Machine and dual pulley system.
 
^^ If you are unfamiliar with various exercises then you'd need some assistance. Machines would be better to avoid injuries and perfect the form in the beginning. Look for gyms with more number of weight training machines. Separate machines for individual exercises would be better than all-in-one types. But using the former would be costlier. I hardly use cardio machines so can't provide much info on them; but I prefer elliptical (cross-trainer) and exer-cycles over treadmills because of lesser risk of injuries.

There are machine equivalents for each and every type of free-weight exercises but you may not find such a well equipped gym in India. Most of the gyms boast of treadmills and cross-trainers, which in my opinion are meant for offline social networking :p. If I were you, I would look out for a gym with at least a Smith Machine and dual pulley system.

ROTFL.
 
^^ If you are unfamiliar with various exercises then you'd need some assistance. Machines would be better to avoid injuries and perfect the form in the beginning. Look for gyms with more number of weight training machines. Separate machines for individual exercises would be better than all-in-one types. But using the former would be costlier. I hardly use cardio machines so can't provide much info on them; but I prefer elliptical (cross-trainer) and exer-cycles over treadmills because of lesser risk of injuries.

There are machine equivalents for each and every type of free-weight exercises but you may not find such a well equipped gym in India. Most of the gyms boast of treadmills and cross-trainers, which in my opinion are meant for offline social networking :p. If I were you, I would look out for a gym with at least a Smith Machine and dual pulley system.
NO. Machines are bad as there is no balancing of weights etc. Smaller muscles that actually balance and help joints are left undeveloped. So you might gain muscle but it'l be very uneven development.

Go for free weights. Start with no weights , practice form for the exercises. Then go slowly with small weights. And when you reach higher weights always warm up first.
 
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