The (Great?) Workout Thread.

[styx]

well I managed to hit new PRs today on the squat. Couldn't pull because of the finger and I probably won't be able to properly pull for a while. So I'll most likely be switching to Smolov squat program, or as it is called by most people crazy Russian killing you with squats program

[MadPlumbarian]

Ok, who’s used one?
I got one of these for like $2 at a tag sale last year and needless to say it sat in the corner ever since, I tried it once when I got it and loved it but I also didn’t like the outcome, especially since I just had them fishing in my kidney, so that feeling of stomach sourness didn’t feel right. Anyway, the Mrs has been after me to get at it to get rid of this non-beer gut.. so I started at it two days ago and the muscles are so soar, and that’s only from doing 100 twice a day. So I was curious if anyone else has used one or is a sit-ups everyday kinda person?
JR

[Syncop8r]

I have briefly used one but I am doing a whole raft of other core exercises to help with my back.
Doing ab exercises won't get rid of a beer-gut - diet (cut down on sugar and other carbs) and other exercise like cardio perhaps (others can probably explain better than me) will.
Exercising a certain muscle won't necessarily burn fat in that area. Your body decides where to store fat and also where to take it from when you burn it. You're probably better to exercise your body generally eg running will burn more fat off your gut than all the crunches in the world.

I lost a lot of fat in the last year or so, mostly off my gut by cutting down on sugar (eg stopped eating breakfast cereals high in sugar [marketed as "healthy" because they are low-fat"], stopped constantly eating biscuits throughout the day).

[MadPlumbarian]

Err,
I’ve cut more goodies even including soda, I only drink a non-sugar flavored water. Breakfast is a very odd item, maybe a bowl of cereal here and there but other then that forget it, and other meals are normally just a dinner, and normally nothing big, maybe a little snack here and there too.. as for running forget it, I’d pass out after the first 200ft, yet walking I can do all day, the cardio is waaaay out of shape, I carried three very heavy greocery bags(one over the shoulder and one in each hand)200ft, up a few steps and then in the door and had to sit down,, im only 185lbs but just so out of shape because I don’t do anything because of my medical..
I must say the back is very bad, but after a few days on that the backs feeling better!
JR

[Syncop8r]

I forgot to say everyone has abs, they are just hiding on most of us! Just gotta remove the layer on top.

The main thing is to move lots. Walkng is good. Sitting is the worst culprit and I believe the main cause of my back pain (shortens hip flexors which pulls spine out of shape). What I need to do (I believe) to fix my back is tighten (ie exercise) my abs and glutes and stretch out my hip flexors.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It kickstarts your metabolism - you may burn more calories throughout the day by having it than not.

[Aloha]

I've got bad news for you Mad P.  The food choice you make are what make you fat, its what make us all fat.  Portion size and lack of movement.  Its quite simple, the number of calories in vs out.  Then on a more detailed note its the quality of calories.  Diet and exercise are one of the hardest things to get hold of.  We all have to eat and many are limited in how much they can move.   What to do?  I tell everyone the bottom line is this, you are going to be hungry and you will have to give up a lot of what you once ate.  Its really that simple.  I've helped several people loose a tremendous amount of FAT.  I have a friend that lost 100lbs and has managed to keep a majority off.

Sorry buddy.  I know it sucks.  I love dessert and carbs myself.     

[Syncop8r]

The thing is, when you REALLY cut back on sugar, your tastes have altered and when you DO have it many sweet things you just won't crave any more. I still have treats but prefer only slightly sweet things - anything sweeter I immediately regret.

[MadPlumbarian]

I have cut on sugar, I mean really cut back on my sugar! Yeah every once and a while me and the Mrs will spit a little something but that’s it. But a normal day is just one simple meal and a mini snack, all under around 1500cal..
JR

[LoopCutter]

For me, besides cut out sugars, as I’m diabetic type 2, I found it was also better work on moderation, taking four smaller meals. 
Now back working these best 6 years and because of the real world, fell back into 3 meal rule, wish I found does not work for me.
Now breakfast, then late morning small sandwich and fruit, mid afternoon repeat, then after work a small meal, sometimes senior portion, others regular meal, just leave 1/3 or more on plate.
I also drink a lot water, at least 64 oz or more, I will add moo drops for flavor as some systems I visit have taste

All the best


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Aloha]

I have cut on sugar, I mean really cut back on my sugar! Yeah every once and a while me and the Mrs will spit a little something but that’s it. But a normal day is just one simple meal and a mini snack, all under around 1500cal..
JR

Keep at it.  As we age this all becomes a bit harder.  Remember when you could eat anything?  Try that now.  I was an athlete all my life then I hit a certain age.  Seemed no matter how hard I worked and how well I ate I was not physically the same.  Now 10 years later trying to build muscle and loose fat is harder than ever.  Keep at it.  Quality, variety, portions, and throughout the day.  One big meal or two big meals is not the way to go.  Its not easy thats for sure.  I always tell it like it is when it comes to nutrition.  You are going to have to go hard and hunger is going to be present.  At least thats how I see it.  Good luck you can do anything you put your mind to.   

[MadPlumbarian]

I have cut on sugar, I mean really cut back on my sugar! Yeah every once and a while me and the Mrs will spit a little something but that’s it. But a normal day is just one simple meal and a mini snack, all under around 1500cal..
JR

Keep at it.  As we age this all becomes a bit harder.  Remember when you could eat anything?  Try that now.  I was an athlete all my life then I hit a certain age.  Seemed no matter how hard I worked and how well I ate I was not physically the same.  Now 10 years later trying to build muscle and loose fat is harder than ever.  Keep at it.  Quality, variety, portions, and throughout the day.  One big meal or two big meals is not the way to go.  Its not easy thats for sure.  I always tell it like it is when it comes to nutrition.  You are going to have to go hard and hunger is going to be present.  At least thats how I see it.  Good luck you can do anything you put your mind to.   

Oh I remember those days, I couldn’t gain weight, I was a freaking toothpick and no matter what I ate I couldn’t put anything on, until I met a friendly family and I added 5lbs, I was sooo thrilled! Then I met my wife who got me to gain another 5lbs. But I swear the bad part all happened in a years time, I started hitting the gym 3-4 times a week, and then we had our first kid who was in the hospital for 7mo, and I guess everything went downhill, cause I stopped hitting the gym and everything I ate became weight! Maybe if i never started going to the gym, who know. But thanks
JR

[styx]

Actually you don't have to be hungry for the most part. Keeping track of calories isn't that hard any more. I've been using Myfitnesspal for about a month and a half now and the progression rate is at a sustainable maximum. Being obsessive and lazy helps too - you'll be obsessed with weighing food and too lazy to do it for those snacks that go unnoticed so you'll just skip 'em.

Also do note that situps and similar exercises could make your gut look bigger because the muscle will grow.
Cardio can be fun too. Farmer carries, front loaded carries, hiking, hill or stair sprints if you're in decent enough shape, pushing and pulling sleds/prowlers and similar implements, walking with a weighted backpack/vest. And these options give you an easy way to cycle between them in regards of intensity so your body has a harder time adapting to become efficient which means more calories burned. For instance you can front carry 150lbs for 20 walks/sprints of 50 yards and next day walk for 90 minutes with a 30lbs backpack at a moderate pace.
Pieces of home equipment people seem to have a lot of success with are rowers, stair machines (the kind that has steps, not those 2 foot plate ones), elliptical machines, stationary bikes and assault bikes. Most of these are heavy, cost a lot, take a good amount of space and are suited for either LISS cardio (low intensity steady state) or HIIT (high intensity interval training) but aren't that good at doing the other thing. Rowers and stationary bikes might be the best option which can do both. Actually I recall seeing some gizmo that turns an ordinary bike into a stationary bike so that could be worth looking into.

[lister]

The only two thing, besides the floor, for training abdominal muscles that make any sense are the ab wheel and a bar to hand off. All the rest are useless gimmicks. 

[MadPlumbarian]

The only two thing, besides the floor, for training abdominal muscles that make any sense are the ab wheel and a bar to hand off. All the rest are useless gimmicks. 

I’ll have to look into a wheel.
JR

[Syncop8r]

Do you have a Swiss Ball? You can use it in the same way and not as hard as a wheel.

[MadPlumbarian]

Do you have a Swiss Ball? You can use it in the same way and not as hard as a wheel.

Actually I do, where it went though idk, if it’s still here it’s got to be in the basement or it got thrown out..
JR

[Syncop8r]

Do you have a Swiss Ball? You can use it in the same way and not as hard as a wheel.

Actually I do, where it went though idk, if it’s still here it’s got to be in the basement or it got thrown out..
JR

They're not hard to lose. 

[styx]

[MadPlumbarian]

Do you have a Swiss Ball? You can use it in the same way and not as hard as a wheel.

Actually I do, where it went though idk, if it’s still here it’s got to be in the basement or it got thrown out..
JR

They're not hard to lose. 

If inflated, no! lol..
JR

[MadPlumbarian]

(Image removed from quote.)

lol, your bad..
JR

[styx]

(Image removed from quote.)

lol, your bad..
JR

yea

[lister]

WARNING: a rant ahead...

I never understood people who spend 30 minutes or more in one session. Why??? Are you preparing to enter in to a snake marathon or something? In most of activities you do not need that kind of an endurance in abdominal muscles. You do need them for stabilisation during heavy lifts but for that you need more strength not endurance. So why not train them as you would any other muscle when you want it to be strong. Do you run marathons when you want strong back and legs? Do you run marathon when you want big legs and back? I would wager that you don't.

If I add all the time I spend on abs in a week it would be less than 3 minutes. And yes I do have them. But I do the hard exercises not prolonged ones. Most weeks I literally do only 2x 15 reps of hanging leg raises (extended legs touching the bar) and 15 standing ab wheel rollouts. My abs are sore pretty much all of the time just from that. And I can spend the rest of the time on more important exercises like squats and dead lifts.

Granted, you cant just jump in and start doing just those two exercises form a get go. You should start with simple body weight exercises using only the floor. But use the harder ones, not the ones you can do for half an hour. The longest sessions I had was 2 times a week for 10 minutes. And if you ask me now that was to long. There are so many less annoying and more important exercises you could be doing in that time...

Also if you have any problems with back or shoulders (that applies to the hanging leg raises and ab wheel) you should be cautious in what you do as these exercises can make those problems worse.

Also I am not an professional instructor or anything remotely like that, so it is possible that what I suggest is not safe and/or might have worked only for me so feel free to ignore me completely. 

[styx]

Just count how many gym bros you see doing heavy crunches of some kind and then how many of them have a horrid form on heavy compound exercises because they go too heavy or refuse to invest 5 to 10 more minutes in static holds. Putting 220kg (485lbs) on the back did more for stability in my back squat than anything else. Similar thing with the front squat, although there I can't handle such a heavy load for the time being, but it nicely exposes the weakness in my back. There is a really interesting article on T-nation with the title Ugly ab training

[MadPlumbarian]

One step at a time, I’m so out of shape I can only go slow! To top it off my back is so bad I can do nothing and it goes out, but I must say starting on these supported sit-ups with that what ever you call it has made the back feel better, I’d like to get a wheel but we’re going through something right now, we used to have one of those balls but idk if we threw it out and I haven’t gone down stairs to see, the only other thing is we don’t have much room to use it or store it when done!

I’m in agreeance with lister, just a brief 5min here and then 5min there, not one of these 30min workouts is fine with me!
JR

[styx]

Well if you don't mind DIY equipment and working out at home then this might be something of interest as well

[MadPlumbarian]

Interesting, just got nowhere to attach to..
JR

[LoopCutter]

@JR - From what I am reading here, your are wanting to strengthen core muscles, which will include back muscles (lower) and abs?

I have some descriptive instructions from my doctor for this purpose, uses no equipment, just some floor space that can lay down and reach forward, about 7’. A hall way is perfect. 

I had a nerve issue, had to work it and he provided, due to fact I am on road and spend usually 4 nights away in hotels. 
In addition to these, I walk the hall ways and stairs, up and down for about 3 - 6 laps depending on how many flights of stairs. 

PM your email and I will scan the pages and then forward as a PDF. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[styx]

Interesting, just got nowhere to attach to..
JR

Damn. I know there are suspension trainers that allow for more versatility in where to attach them but those cost an arm and a leg

[styx]

49 days since I started counting calories and I messed up. I'm down from 108kg / 238lbs to 100.5kg / 221.56lbs because I managed to not account for the calories burned during workouts (well not entirely). while I'm a lot closer to my goal, this is about double the rate of weight loss

[MadPlumbarian]

Well that’s good, I do but don’t even want to step on that scale, cause if I find out that by doing these crunches and feeling the pain does nothing I’m going to want to just stop, yet if it has done something then I’m going to want to double down on the workout..
JR