xstresedg's recent activity
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
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Comment on How Kurzgesagt cooks propaganda for billionaires in ~science
xstresedg Link ParentIt is a very bias video, but it's a good contravideo to Kurzgesagt's content. A video like this is more digestible compared to the nearly two hour long video another Youtube channel did, though...It is a very bias video, but it's a good contravideo to Kurzgesagt's content. A video like this is more digestible compared to the nearly two hour long video another Youtube channel did, though not as detailed I imagine. I can't fathom going through a two hour long video (at double speed, mind you, so only an hour long) in one sitting. The bite size content attention economy has me in its grasp.
Even though I don't necessarily like the video, it's something that is needed. If someone created a Coffeezilla channel but for Sciencetube, I think it could be successful, but likely challenging.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg LinkIntroduction This past week ended up also being a bust. I did a half session of martial arts on Tuesday but the rest of the days were lost. We'll try again this week, but with a modified layout....Introduction
This past week ended up also being a bust. I did a half session of martial arts on Tuesday but the rest of the days were lost. We'll try again this week, but with a modified layout.
Fitness
My martial arts session on Tuesday ended up only being a half session, as I was wearing out a little sooner. These things happen. I'm going to tweak my plan here a bit: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday will be mobility and training days, meaning that I work on warm-up, static and dynamic stretching, mobility, along with whatever else I feel like doing, whether that be martial arts or calisthenics, or just keeping it at the mobility work. Then on Wednesday and Friday, these will be my gym days. Alternatively, this can be flipped so that it's Monday and Thursday as gym days, and then the remaining weekdays as the mobility+ days, but we'll try the former plan first.
Nutrition
41 days without energy drinks, and this week the plan will start to slowly reduce my caffeine intake. I should have started that this last week but I didn't think of it until Friday. So this week, only buying large size coffees (because I don't give myself enough time in the morning to make coffee), then the following week switch to mediums, the week after that switch to smalls, and then remove them entirely after that. This should help peter out my caffeine "needs" and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Conclusion
New plan starting with mobility+ workouts on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with my gym days being Wednesday and Friday. Also,start reducing my caffeine over the course of three weeks and then cut out coffee entirely for 45 days. This will save me about 1500 kcal every week once they're cut off, as I get the ol' double-double (two cream, two sugar, for non-Canadians) in the mornings.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg LinkIntroduction This week didn't go as well as I had planned, but that's okay, just means I have next week to work better towards it. Part of it was not planning out my Wednesday correctly, plus my...Introduction
This week didn't go as well as I had planned, but that's okay, just means I have next week to work better towards it. Part of it was not planning out my Wednesday correctly, plus my car's dash lighting up with every error. I let that frustration dictate the next three evenings for me. Monday and Tuesday went swimmingly, so I just have to keep it up next week and apply that discipline harder.
Fitness
As I noted earlier, Monday and Tuesday went incredibly well. Monday was my first weightlifting day in a couple of weeks, and I didn't experience any issues during or in the following days (i.e. no DOMS). My Monday lifting days are Overhead Press, Bench Press, Squat for my compound movements, and then Triceps Press, Leg Press, and Calf Raises as my accessory exercises. However, I did not do Leg Press as I was finding my Squats to be a bit more taxing than expected. For Tuesday, it was my first martial arts practice day of the week, and specifically my first martial arts practice day in many years. It was really great to do those stretches again, as I hadn't done them in quite some time. Practice for my blocks went alright, though I'm questioning one of them so I'll have to do some more reading, as I don't entirely remember if I'm doing the movement right or not. My punches are fine, as they're fairly simple, but I did forget to do my kicks haha. I started working on my form but when it came to the second movement, I couldn't get into/hold the one position (a kneeling crouch but the back knee doesn't touch the floor), which is a residual issue due to strength, pain, and flexibility issues. So in the meantime, I'm resigning myself to Bulgarian Split Squats in place of forms. I finished off with stance work, and that went great as well.
The plan for Wednesday is a calisthenic and mobility day, so ideally I'd be working on my flexibility, mobility, and bodyweight control. While I had started it, I just couldn't really get into it past 10 minutes, if that. Thursday would have been another martial arts day, and Friday would have been the second half of my weightlifting, doing Deadlifts, Straight Leg or Romanian Deadlifts, Pull-ups or Lat Pull-downs, and Bent-over or Seated Rows as my compound movements, and then Bicep Curls and Lateral and Posterior Delt Raises as my accessories. Finally, Saturday and Sunday come in as my rest days (despite just having had two rest days haha).
Nutrition
Nothing really changed here, though I should be focusing on controlling this more in the future. This includes having more veggies in my diet and less processed snacks. So far though I'm 33 days into no energy drinks. Upon hitting 45 days, I will then be removing coffee for 45 days, and the final 45 day stretch will be all fizzy beverages. Small steps and all that.
Conclusion
I hope to do better next week and hit all my days proper. School is Tuesday to Friday for me, so hopefully the parts will be in on Monday to fix my car, and I won't have to keep taking my dad's truck. That stress off my shoulders will be nice.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
xstresedg LinkSchool, mainly. I'm back in college after 13 years away from it, taking my Fourth Class Power Engineering certificate. Started playing around with Notion last weekend for school organization. Not...School, mainly. I'm back in college after 13 years away from it, taking my Fourth Class Power Engineering certificate. Started playing around with Notion last weekend for school organization. Not a busy week but productive school-wise anyway.
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Comment on Semi-formal study of people trying a fad diet where you eat mostly potatoes for four weeks in ~health
xstresedg Link ParentHonestly thought you were a bot at first, before I read your comment.Honestly thought you were a bot at first, before I read your comment.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
xstresedg Link ParentI don't have a gaming rig, just a crappy i7 laptop with a midrange mobile graphics chip. It's already like 6 years old, so it runs roughly. Using a cheap headset wouldn't kill me haha.I don't have a gaming rig, just a crappy i7 laptop with a midrange mobile graphics chip. It's already like 6 years old, so it runs roughly. Using a cheap headset wouldn't kill me haha.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
xstresedg Link ParentGood to know about the mixed reality sets. But yeah the only reason I don't want a Quest 2 is because I don't want to give Facebook money.Good to know about the mixed reality sets. But yeah the only reason I don't want a Quest 2 is because I don't want to give Facebook money.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
xstresedg Link ParentI just don't want to give Facebook money. Otherwise the Quest 2 would be a great buy.I just don't want to give Facebook money. Otherwise the Quest 2 would be a great buy.
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Comment on Making sense of VRChat, the metaverse people actually like in ~tech
xstresedg Link ParentMy only barrier of entry is not wanting to use the desktop client and experience it as VR, but not being able to afford a non-Facebook headset.My only barrier of entry is not wanting to use the desktop client and experience it as VR, but not being able to afford a non-Facebook headset.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg Link ParentI hope you feel better soon! General hip pain sucks, so I imagine an injury is even more frustrating to deal with.I hope you feel better soon! General hip pain sucks, so I imagine an injury is even more frustrating to deal with.
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Comment on Why being anti-science is now part of many rural Americans’ identity in ~life
xstresedg Link ParentExactly. So many communities (my hometown especially) just do and decree things without taking the public into consideration. Or if they do take the public, they take a small subset and give them...Exactly. So many communities (my hometown especially) just do and decree things without taking the public into consideration. Or if they do take the public, they take a small subset and give them false expectations of what they're doing, and then being unable to follow through. That's how they ended up with a $26m+ stadium that wasn't needed and barely gets used compared to what they expected.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg LinkWeight update I'm back in the 233 lbs range (233.6 to be specific), so I'm hopeful for a loss on the 11th. Diet Cooked up some burgers (that need to be eaten as they've been in the freezer a...Weight update
I'm back in the 233 lbs range (233.6 to be specific), so I'm hopeful for a loss on the 11th.
Diet
Cooked up some burgers (that need to be eaten as they've been in the freezer a while) and the rest of my pasta shells, and split them between four meals. I just finished those today. After the gym today, I plan on cooking the rest of the burgers I have and cook up some spaghetti for meals. I really enjoy the burgers I bought, they're very juicy for being cheap frozen burgers.
Fitness
Since my last update, I've hit every workout day as intended. Last week I had started the program change, separating out my legs to their own day, leaving me with a chest/arms day on Monday, a leg day on Wednesday, and a back/shoulders day on Friday. The plan is to do this until mid-June, and then start a new program.
I am dropping the fourth set, I found that doing it last week left me feeling a bit too fried at the end and my final exercise of the day suffered.
Questions/Suggestions
Hit me up with any questions or suggestions, they're incredibly welcome. I'm always learning.
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Comment on Anyone can defeat Goku now in ~anime
xstresedg Link ParentI feel as if there are limits to what Toriyama and Toyotaro will have Goku do or not do, whereas American comic writers have proven time and again that they don't care to ground Supes in reality....I feel as if there are limits to what Toriyama and Toyotaro will have Goku do or not do, whereas American comic writers have proven time and again that they don't care to ground Supes in reality. As soon as they got to the point where they were making Kryptonians abel to exist outside of reality (and make it so they cannot be erased from it), punch reality and create a new continuity (Superboy Prime), and have them capable of holding a miniature black hole in their hand, they lost the plot. That's what I mean by Superman having no ceiling.
Canon Goku has a ceiling in that I don't think either Toyotaro or Toriyama are that insane lol
Neither would Goku, I suppose.Neither would Goku, I suppose.
Goku has been willing to sacrifice a planet for the sake of fighting strong people (Namek and Earth specifically. Earth numerous times, actually). That's the equivalent of being willing to destroy a planet or half the universe lol
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Comment on Anyone can defeat Goku now in ~anime
xstresedg Link ParentThere's no situation in which he would have chose to destroy a planet or part of the universe. Superman can survive outside of spacetime. Existence can be winked out, but Superman will survive...There's no situation in which he would have chose to destroy a planet or part of the universe. Superman can survive outside of spacetime. Existence can be winked out, but Superman will survive because. Superman is far more capable than Goku, and I'm more a fan of Dragon Ball than I am of Superman media.
Superman has no ceiling, Superman is infinity.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg Link ParentI'm not following AMRAP (as far as I know). I still treat it like a standard working set of 12 reps. If I don't successfully complete the final set, I'll go to the next weight down to finish the...Assuming you’re AMRAPing the last set
I'm not following AMRAP (as far as I know). I still treat it like a standard working set of 12 reps. If I don't successfully complete the final set, I'll go to the next weight down to finish the set, or pyramid my weight down so that I can complete 12 reps.
Fine as a beginner, but at some point you’ll overtax yourself doing that
I still consider myself a beginner. I didn't learn enough as a teenager, and I'm still fixing mistakes for myself now, as well as working through disorders haha.
The biggest thing that I'm realizing I need to focus on right now is form and flexing the muscle during the exercise. And doing so I've dropped the working weight considerably to do that. I realized that I should have focused on that more in the beginning but that's my fault. This is most prevalent in my bench press, pec flyes, and my lat pulldowns.
need to start implementing periodization
I'm sort of half-following periodization, I just don't usually reach the end of it before I realize what I'm doing can be improved upon.
*Also gonna add on that you should look to diversify rep schemes a bit down the road, but you’re probably aware of that.
Yup. Once I have my form down and I get to my nigh-final goal weight, I'll be starting a 5x5 strength plan again, at least assuming that I've also been able to figure out some medical issues with my knees.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg LinkWeight update My weight is bouncing a lot between 233 and 235 the last few weeks. Just slowing working my way back to a pattern of weight loss again. Diet Hasn't changes from previous updates:...Weight update
My weight is bouncing a lot between 233 and 235 the last few weeks. Just slowing working my way back to a pattern of weight loss again.
Diet
Hasn't changes from previous updates: more take out than cooking.
Fitness
I missed working out last week due to nausea on Monday, and then just not going (no excuses lol) for the other days. Back at it this week both Monday and Wednesday, and I should be good to get back tomorrow (Friday) as well. I expect I'm going to adjust my workout plan now again though, as I've changed my progression marker for myself.
My plan going forward is that if I successfully achieve 4 working sets on a specific weight, I move on to the next increment (2.5 or 5 lb increase starting at the next workout) until such a time that I can achieve a fourth complete working set of 12 reps. I also enjoy the four sets because some of the exercise, I'm able to get a decent pump out of it. However, with four working sets, and two warm up sets for each exercise, my current plan takes me to 1.75 hours and by the time I'm doing my last workout I'm mentally fried and just don't want to be there anymore. So I suspect I'll be adjusting it to have three workouts (A, B, and C) instead of two (A and B), and then it's an even split across three days every week. I just don't know how that will look yet.
Any comments or suggestions are welcome. I'm still only a beginner in terms of programming my routine.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg LinkWeight update This Monday, the scale graced me with a reading of 234 lbs, which marks my 50 lbs (50.6 lbs, technically) weight loss since May 2021. This is the lightest I've been since probably...Weight update
This Monday, the scale graced me with a reading of 234 lbs, which marks my 50 lbs (50.6 lbs, technically) weight loss since May 2021. This is the lightest I've been since probably 2012, as my previous lowest weight in 2017 or 2018 was 238 lbs. Only four more pounds until I've hit weight goal 2 of 230 lbs. I think at that point, I will focus a month or two on the gym and yoga to strengthen and mobilize my body a bit more, but we'll see.
Diet
Still stuck between a little bit of cooking with mostly eating take-out. M-W-F are usually a wash because after the gym I'm not interesting in cooking, so I'll try to cook regularly on Tuesday, Thursday, and on the weekend.
Fitness
Once I got back to the gym, I have disregarded yoga, so I need to start implementing that again. I'll start with my non-gym days, and try to transition into a daily routine with it: post-workout on my gym days, and otherwise just post-work on non-gym days or whenever on the weekend. Either that or keep the weekends for just rest, as my body still has a long way to go before it's functional again.
However, I did do some light jogging on Monday on the treadmill for like 20 seconds, so that's progress. My knee couldn't really keep up though so I had to slow down haha
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Comment on Is Firefox okay? in ~tech
xstresedg Link ParentMy only anecdotal experience with Vivaldi was that it was slower than Chrome and would constantly lock up any games I was running from Steam, IIRC. Once I uninstalled Vivaldi, the lockup games...My only anecdotal experience with Vivaldi was that it was slower than Chrome and would constantly lock up any games I was running from Steam, IIRC. Once I uninstalled Vivaldi, the lockup games issue stopped. I switched to Brave since (and Chrome for work).
Nothing against Firefox, other than that it felt clunky. I still use Firefox on Android though.
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Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health
xstresedg Link ParentI do lift weights (though I've been on a hiatus the last couple of months due to car trouble), and I do find that my hunger is reduced for about a half hour post-workout, but that's it. My body is...Not to be the "have you ever tried" guy, but for what its worth, increased levels of activity/fitness/sports will tend to reduce hunger.
I do lift weights (though I've been on a hiatus the last couple of months due to car trouble), and I do find that my hunger is reduced for about a half hour post-workout, but that's it. My body is too battered for high intensity activity like sports, so that's out of the picture unfortunately, because I always did enjoy basketball. And I'd do more cardio but I absolutely abhor stationary cardio, and outdoor cardio is boring.
I eat until I'm not hungry
Even when I'm "not hungry", which for me is just a neutral feeling, I still feel a pull toward eating, likely due to bad habits and also I really, really enjoy eating food. Like, the mastication part of it, and gum doesn't get me those same feels, unfortunately.
I do hope that when I get down to ~200 lbs (~90kg), that I'll be less hungry. The only real change I've noticed at 240 lbs vs 285 lbs is that the initial meal of the day is challenging to be a large meal, whereas back then I could eat 2000kcal in a sitting shortly after waking up. My stomach was expanded so drastically all the time because I ate so much all the time.
even more so when I do a lot of activity on a particular day.
I don't go to the gym until 5 pm (when I'm done work) so I don't get any real benefits of hunger reduction since I'm eating supper at around 7:30 and I go to bed at 10.
Introduction
Back with a classic E(x)tremely (stres)sed and on the (edg)e health and fitness comment! I've been away from the gym for over two months but this week I went back for Monday and Friday, with both days being good but Friday being the superior day.
Fitness
Monday was a combined Push/Legs day, though it ended up being cut kind of short. My nervous system was a bit taxed by the time I completed my big three of the day: Overhead Press, Bench Press, and Squat, so when I moved on to Triceps Pushdown, I was very shaky between sets. So I called it a day there. As for Friday, I had a very productive Pull day with Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Lat Pulldowns, Seated Rows, Bicep Curls, and Lateral Raise. My deadlifts I keep at low reps (5 per set), because I need more work on my hammies than my low back so I want the RDLs to shine, but I also want to get some back work in. Next week, I'll be transitioning into 3 days a week, so I may split out next weeks to be spread between Push, Pull, and Legs all separated. After next week, assuming all goes well, I'll be moving back into 4 days a week, and will further adapt the program, and hopefully roll with 4 days a week afterward. During my time off, I've improved a lot with my mobility and grip, so I hope to keep that up along with my gymtime.
Nutrition
Nothing really to report on this end, as I still haven't really taken control of my diet. Soon enough I should be back to complete control haha
Conclusion
Back at the gym, with some aspects of my strength improved (RDLs), and others being at baseline. I should be back living on my own again in a couple months, hopefully, so I'll have more control over diet as well. Life is a mess but we're coming to a head with school almost being over.