Exercise

[VLC86]

1 hour ago, billyn88 said:

I hit the gym twice a week before work so it's not absolutely rammed and only weights, cardio happens outside the gym, only inside if I'm injured and need to do something lower impact like cross trainer etc.

 

One upper body day (chest, shoulders, back, arms), one lower body (legs, abs)

 

My general goal is to lean down without losing too much muscle mass and it's been happening very gradually over the last couple of years with small changes to diet and slowly increasing cardio intensity and taking up krav maga.

 

Big on time saving and efficiency so isolation exercises are few and far between and supersets are a winner.

 

For legs, after starting with squats I'd recommend the superset of Romanian deadlifts followed by hack squats - brutal.

 

Love normal deadlifts but my lower back is temperamental so very careful with them.

Same goal as me and it's becoming frustrating. I think my biggest problem is getting on the scales too often. 

 

I can see the physical changes in my body and think I'm making loads of progress and then I get in the scales and it says my fat has gone up which pisses me off.

 

I think overall If I keep this diet up I can't go far wrong but need to increase high intensity cardio sessions and focus on super sets as I spend most of my time focusing on chest/abs/biceps/back etc rather than doing compound exercises if that's the right wording.

 

On the back of that circuit training I did on Saturday morning my legs are still absolutely in bits.

[billyn88]

8 hours ago, Costock_Fox said:

Same goal as me and it's becoming frustrating. I think my biggest problem is getting on the scales too often. 

 

I can see the physical changes in my body and think I'm making loads of progress and then I get in the scales and it says my fat has gone up which pisses me off.

 

I think overall If I keep this diet up I can't go far wrong but need to increase high intensity cardio sessions and focus on super sets as I spend most of my time focusing on chest/abs/biceps/back etc rather than doing compound exercises if that's the right wording.

 

On the back of that circuit training I did on Saturday morning my legs are still absolutely in bits.

Your scales can measure body fat??  Very fancy, I'd be interested to see how it does that.  Point being if you see positive progress in the mirror then I wouldn't worry excessively about numbers, don't be discouraged.  You can tell yourself whether you're losing body fat and hence getting leaner or losing lots of muscle with it and getting "skinny fat", trust your instincts.

 

I think you've got the right idea that you need to prioritise compound movements - you're probably doing a lot already like bench press or pull ups or overhead press, still compound movements even if they accentuate your chest or shoulders in particular.

 

If you're not doing them already and your lower back or knees aren't in pieces, get into doing squats and deadlifts ASAP.  Your legs and arse are the biggest muscles in your body.  Build them up = more mass = higher metabolism = more fat you burn doing sod all!  I'm sure a PT on here can explain with more clarity but basically squats are awesome.  However, be prepared after the first big leg workout (or even after say a month away from the gym) prepare to be very sore the next day and particularly the day after and maybe longer than that.  But stick with it - gets much more bearable and you'll notice a difference very quickly.

[Nugent]

3 sets of 5 bench press @ 95kg this morning, getting close to the 100kg holy grail

[VLC86]

2 hours ago, billyn88 said:

Your scales can measure body fat??  Very fancy, I'd be interested to see how it does that.  Point being if you see positive progress in the mirror then I wouldn't worry excessively about numbers, don't be discouraged.  You can tell yourself whether you're losing body fat and hence getting leaner or losing lots of muscle with it and getting "skinny fat", trust your instincts.

 

I think you've got the right idea that you need to prioritise compound movements - you're probably doing a lot already like bench press or pull ups or overhead press, still compound movements even if they accentuate your chest or shoulders in particular.

 

If you're not doing them already and your lower back or knees aren't in pieces, get into doing squats and deadlifts ASAP.  Your legs and arse are the biggest muscles in your body.  Build them up = more mass = higher metabolism = more fat you burn doing sod all!  I'm sure a PT on here can explain with more clarity but basically squats are awesome.  However, be prepared after the first big leg workout (or even after say a month away from the gym) prepare to be very sore the next day and particularly the day after and maybe longer than that.  But stick with it - gets much more bearable and you'll notice a difference very quickly.

Yeah the gym I go to has a bodytrax machine which measures all sorts.

 

Ive just started doing squats and deadlifts. The circuit class I went to included loads of both and my hamstrings are still in bits 4 days later. Will make leg day interesting today .

[Nick]

I've been doing squats and press-ups during my 3 x weekly 3 mile run/jog in the mornings..... Last Saturday I ditched both for Burpese doing five sets of ten at iterative stages during the run.

 

Killer - different world to doing the separate squats and press-ups!

 

I have no idea what's going on with my pressing mind - some days I can struggle to lift  3 reps of 6 @70KG and other days I can bench 80KG doing 4 sets of 8.... I think its something to do with the warm up. If I do dumbbell rows intermittantly between each bench press set - the lifting seems to get easier as I go on for a while until fatigue sets in. I assumed my first couple of sets would be the strongest but thats not the case - learning the need to warm up properly, I guess. 

[VLC86]

1 hour ago, Swan Lesta said:

I've been doing squats and press-ups during my 3 x weekly 3 mile run/jog in the mornings..... Last Saturday I ditched both for Burpese doing five sets of ten at iterative stages during the run.

 

Killer - different world to doing the separate squats and press-ups!

 

I have no idea what's going on with my pressing mind - some days I can struggle to lift  3 reps of 6 @70KG and other days I can bench 80KG doing 4 sets of 8.... I think its something to do with the warm up. If I do dumbbell rows intermittantly between each bench press set - the lifting seems to get easier as I go on for a while until fatigue sets in. I assumed my first couple of sets would be the strongest but thats not the case - learning the need to warm up properly, I guess. 

Working out is a mystery, Some days I can do certain weights like shoulder press a piece of piss on heavy weights and the next time I feel like i've never done it in my life.

[Nick]

2 hours ago, Costock_Fox said:

Working out is a mystery, Some days I can do certain weights like shoulder press a piece of piss on heavy weights and the next time I feel like i've never done it in my life.

 

 

Glad its not just me!

 

[VLC86]

6 days after circuit training (yep, 6) and my hamstrings are still tight .

 

I've managed to do cardio and leg day yesterday but not a chance am I going to that same class tomorrow. I thought I was fit enough to play football the next day as well. What a loser.

[Buce]

 

Anybody on here supplement with Creatine?

[VLC86]

24 minutes ago, Buce said:

 

Anybody on here supplement with Creatine?

Nope, after taking fat burners and feeling like I had done an all nighters with Kerry Katona I darent touch anything like that.

[Libertine]

Used creatine for a bit (though I'm a total amateur), nothing to worry about. Hard to say whether it's a benefit, supposed to be for more advanced athletes.

[Buce]

10 minutes ago, Libertine said:

Used creatine for a bit (though I'm a total amateur), nothing to worry about. Hard to say whether it's a benefit, supposed to be for more advanced athletes.

 

I've been using it for about 3 months now and I've benefitted a lot from it. I had dropped out of training for about six months, and because of my age, I found it really difficult to get back to the same level of strength and intensity that I had previously. The only negative issue I have is with bloating in my stomach, but I'm not sure whether it's the Creatine or a dietary issue - I'm a vegetarian and get most of my protein from pulses and vegetables, so I'm naturally a bit 'gassy' . I've looked on the net but, as usual with these things, there are a lot of conflicting opinions. Hence my question on here. 

[VLC86]

15 hours ago, Buce said:

 

I've been using it for about 3 months now and I've benefitted a lot from it. I had dropped out of training for about six months, and because of my age, I found it really difficult to get back to the same level of strength and intensity that I had previously. The only negative issue I have is with bloating in my stomach, but I'm not sure whether it's the Creatine or a dietary issue - I'm a vegetarian and get most of my protein from pulses and vegetables, so I'm naturally a bit 'gassy' . I've looked on the net but, as usual with these things, there are a lot of conflicting opinions. Hence my question on here. 

Just man up and start eating meat, simple.

[Nick]

15 hours ago, Buce said:

 

I've been using it for about 3 months now and I've benefitted a lot from it. I had dropped out of training for about six months, and because of my age, I found it really difficult to get back to the same level of strength and intensity that I had previously. The only negative issue I have is with bloating in my stomach, but I'm not sure whether it's the Creatine or a dietary issue - I'm a vegetarian and get most of my protein from pulses and vegetables, so I'm naturally a bit 'gassy' . I've looked on the net but, as usual with these things, there are a lot of conflicting opinions. Hence my question on here. 

 

Protein powders (and creatine based products which I don't take since trying in my 20's) make me smell like I've had a daily intake of stuffing and real ale - I would advise caution and moderation unless going for divorce or an office of your own.

[Nick]

I'm recovering from a twisted ankle 3 weeks ago that had me on crutches for 3 days - running into potholes not a brilliant result.....

 

Still, I'm back on the bags as of today and that feels nice and lifting some bench, however still can't weight bear properly yet..... 3 weeks and i've put on belly weight - so demoralising after 4 months of hard graft!

[VLC86]

9 minutes ago, Swan Lesta said:

I'm recovering from a twisted ankle 3 weeks ago that had me on crutches for 3 days - running into potholes not a brilliant result.....

 

Still, I'm back on the bags as of today and that feels nice and lifting some bench, however still can't weight bear properly yet..... 3 weeks and i've put on belly weight - so demoralising after 4 months of hard graft!

Yep you go backwards so quickly compared to making progress.

 

I rolled my ankle last night while walking the dogs, hoping I can still go on the stepper of doom at the gym tonight.

[Nick]

1 minute ago, Costock_Fox said:

Yep you go backwards so quickly compared to making progress.

 

I rolled my ankle last night while walking the dogs, hoping I can still go on the stepper of doom at the gym tonight.

 

I don't go on gym machine steppers - like the machine itself, after 5 minutes it just seems to attract the attention of toned-butted talky-talky homosexual men....

[Buce]

25 minutes ago, Swan Lesta said:

 

Protein powders (and creatine based products which I don't take since trying in my 20's) make me smell like I've had a daily intake of stuffing and real ale - I would advise caution and moderation unless going for divorce or an office of your own.

 

Well, fortunately I work from home (and the Mrs is a vegan!).

 

I don't intend it to be a long term thing (taking Creatine, not working from home) but as you found yourself with just a short lay off, it's easy to lose fitness, and I was off for six months or so. I'm not sure of your age but I'm in my late fifties and found getting back into shape gets harder the older one gets, and Creatine has given me the boost I needed. I reckon another couple of months and I'll be able to drop it.

[Buce]

39 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Just man up and start eating meat, simple.

 

There are solid health reasons for not doing so, and it would cause more problems than it solved - my daughter is a vegetarian and my Mrs is a vegan.

[VLC86]

1 hour ago, Buce said:

 

There are solid health reasons for not doing so, and it would cause more problems than it solved - my daughter is a vegetarian and my Mrs is a vegan.

The poor ozone layer.

[VLC86]

1 hour ago, Swan Lesta said:

 

I don't go on gym machine steppers - like the machine itself, after 5 minutes it just seems to attract the attention of toned-butted talky-talky homosexual men....

Hahahaha accurate.

[m4DD0gg]

18 hours ago, Buce said:

 

Anybody on here supplement with Creatine?

It works quite well but depending on how you react to it you can end up retaining a lot of water around the neck and stomach and end up looking bloated as opposed to 'big'

[Guest]

I'd love to go to the gym, but I have no idea what i'm doing and I don't like crowded places. It's a poor excuse I know. 

 

I tend to start things at home and never finish them. I used to do Insanity and run loads and now I have just become lazy due to many injuries I seem to pickup

[FLAN]

2 hours ago, Swan Lesta said:

I'm recovering from a twisted ankle 3 weeks ago that had me on crutches for 3 days - running into potholes not a brilliant result.....

 

Still, I'm back on the bags as of today and that feels nice and lifting some bench, however still can't weight bear properly yet..... 3 weeks and i've put on belly weight - so demoralising after 4 months of hard graft!

I'm getting back after a broken ankle then a couple of months out due to wife being ill. No time for gym so started to play 5 a side for an hour twice a week. Want to get back to the gym asap

[Buce]

6 minutes ago, Shaneb said:

I'd love to go to the gym, but I have no idea what i'm doing and I don't like crowded places. It's a poor excuse I know. 

 

I tend to start things at home and never finish them. I used to do Insanity and run loads and now I have just become lazy due to many injuries I seem to pickup

 

You don't need to go to the gym (I don't). Just buy some weights and workout at home (loads of You Tube vids to teach you how).

 

If you can't run, you could walk. More time consuming, I know, but it's perfectly good exercise and puts less stress on your joints, so no issues with injuries.