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Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
I hit a dumb but personally motivating milestone. I probably passed it a while back but only just recently noticed it.
Shoulder straps actually stay on my shoulders now.
That's really cool, I love practical milestones! Glad to hear it's going well!
So you're telling me you have swole delts?
Ha, I wish! But it's more like I have less of an oval shape now.
I looked up what I do on the rear delt machine and it looks like I am currently on 65 Lbs. No idea if that's a lot or not.
I suppose it depends on your size.
I highly recommend doing pull ups if you’re not already. And if not find an assisted pull up machine. Once you can do them unassisted it’s 10x easier to find time for them because you just need a door frame pull up bar at home.
I like to do L pull ups (pull ups with legs out at 90 degrees) as my ultimate single motion back saver. It’s such a good compound exercise. You work your abs, lats, delts, biceps, and forearm flexors at once. And you can do that every day from home!
I have access to an assisted pull up machine. Let’s just say that being able to use it is a long term goal of mine. 😮💨
In the meanwhile pulldowns are the exercises I have been putting the most effort into, among other pull exercises.
I’ve kept up with my new routine of using Apple Fitness+ workouts. I think it was sometime in June that I was getting back into it, with 20 minute woorkouts and 10 minute Mindful Cooldown. Now I am at 30 minutes as follows:
This so far feels like a better balance than I had before. Thank you to those who responded here in the thread a few weeks back. The changes were based on ideas from those conversations.
Going to 30 minutes was a big change. I feel stronger already and it definitely feels like I’m getting more out of my workouts. Feels good!
I see you added some Yoga in. Nice! :) Are you actually going to a studio once a week to do it, or are you just doing it at home while watching a Yoga Youtuber like I do?
Yes! I noticed that with the 30 minute workouts they throw in more exercises so I was more sore. Made sense to add a lighter day in the middle for recovery, while still staying active. I’m doing videos at home.
Makes sense... it's great for in between lifting days. That's when I do it too, right before my HIIT cardio so I'm nice and limbered up beforehand. What yoga videos are you watching, if you don't mind my asking? I think I mentioned it to you before, but I usually do one of Yoga With Adriene's videos.
Right now I’m using Apple fitness, so I’m using the yoga videos from the app. Specifically, the ones with Jessica Skye. I tried some of the other instructors and she’s my favourite so far. In the past, I was using some videos from Rodney Yee. I remember having a DVD from this guy. He’s been doing this for a while. I think his videos are everywhere not.
Thanks for the recommendation. Do you happen to know if, on YouTube, if you don’t have a premium account, do they interrupt the yoga videos with ads?
Sorry, I don't know. I have YT Premium, and even before that I used uBlock so have pretty much never seen ads on YouTube (except on my iPad, before I got Premium).
p.s. I looked up Jessica Skye and Rodney Yee, and sadly neither of them seem to have a YouTube presence or free yoga videos anywhere. :(
No worries, I tested it out just now. Adriene had a very calming voice / presence. The videos are more natural than what's on Apple Fitness+, where it feels a bit more scripted.
Sorry those two didn't have any free materials. I think Rodney Yee is part of the Gaiam brand. So maybe through that? I have not used his videos in a long time so I lost track. I'm not too surprised Jessica Skye doesn't have much. I am sure Apple signed her on full time.
Yeah, I like Adriene's videos a lot. There are hundreds and hundreds of them too, so whenever I get bored of one after doing it a bunch of times I just find another. :P
Ah, nice. I actually have an old hand-me-down Gaiam mat that my sister gave me ages ago... although I stopped using it in favor of my new Manduka mat instead. And sweet, its looks like Rodney actually does have quite a few videos available on Gaiam's YouTube channel, so I will have to check some of those out.
https://www.youtube.com/@gaiam/search?query=rodney%20yee
I remember picking up 2 gaiam yoga mats on sale at Winners (one of those outlet stores) along with a DVD from Rodney, back in… 2011? It was right after my partner and I started living together. We thought we’d give yoga a shot. I never got deep into it, but I’ve always liked it and used it as a good way to stretch, breathe and pause.
How's the rower attachment working out for you? Still happy with the setup in general?
Yep, the rower attachment is still working great! I've used it 5 times so far, and I'm still really enjoying it. It's nice to be able to mix it up instead of only ever using the elliptical. Although I actually just finished a leg day a few min ago (drinking my post-workout protein shake as I type this) since starting this week I decided to switch up my routine to a more standard 4 days a week Upper-Lower one instead of 3 days U-U-L. So now I'm doing:
Mon & Thurs = 1hr Upper body strength training
Tues & Fri = 1hr Lower body strength training
Wed & Sat = 25min Flexibility focused Yoga & 35min HIIT on rower or elliptical.
Sun = Rest day
I might have to switch the order around, swapping the Upper & Lower days, depending on how bad the two leg days a week fry me before the HIIT sessions. I will find out if that is the case tomorrow morning. :P
Sounds like a good plan. HIIT might be “fun” tomorrow. Today I remember why I put yoga on Wednesdays. My legs are so sore from yesterday. Today was upper body strength. Not a bad idea to schedule something for Saturday. Right now I don’t have anything. There is always the less scheduled stuff like a long dog walk or bike ride, at least while it’s summer. But it depends on the day and what else is going on that weekend.
Glad you are still happy with the setup. I remain jealous of the rower option. I might have to rethink my space and somehow fit it in because I do really enjoy it. It’s the one thing I miss the most from the gym. I don’t think it would sit there gathering dust. I know some of them can be stored vertically. Might look into a low profile option.
Yeah, that's why I was doing legs on Fri, so I had the entire weekend to recover. And I should have taken that into account when planning this new schedule, since I am struggling to even stand up after sitting down today. :P So there is no way I can row or use the elliptical, and I will definitely have to switch the upper and lower days from now on if I want to continue the HIIT, which I absolutely do.
Yup. The rower attachment for my Gym Monster 2 stores vertically, and so does the Concept2 RowErg which I was originally considering getting before I decided on getting the GM2 with the rower attachment. The RowErg is generally considered the gold standard for rowers though, so if you do decide to get a standalone one I would definitely recommend checking it out.
On Tuesday I felt the same with my legs. Monday's workout was a non stop assault on my legs.
Today was really good. Lots of shoulders, with some exercises I have not seen much of in the videos I've done so far. It felt good. Seemed to loosen up some stiffness. I've had on and off issues with my left shoulder over the years. Too many years of sitting in front of a computer and in front of a gaming console clenching the controller, coupled with not enough focus on fitness. It's much better the past few years, but prevention remains key, and the pain returns if I stop paying attention to physical health. Anyway, all that to say, good shoulder workout today. Legs tomorrow (via HIIT).
Thanks for the link. I think that's the one they have at the gym I used to go to. I liked it. Simple design and good performance. And it's less expensive than I thought it would be.
May I ask you something else? For nutrition, do you have protein powder, creatine? I'm mindful of nutrition but feeling like the shake I usually have is "too much". What I mean is that it feels "heavy", and I think it's contributing to feeling kind of drowsy in the afternoon. I say that because on a lighter diet I do not feel that drowsiness. Ideally, I should prepare better food, pack more from home (I work from the office almost daily). But time is tight. The shake is a good option for that extra food I feel I need when working out 5 days a week.
Right now I'm using Ghost protein powder, vegan (I avoid dairy as much as possible). Not crazy about the brand, but the powder does mix far better than all the others I tried so far (not grainy). I also use Ghost Size (creatine). I have trouble gaining mass, and I find this helps. It's still very slow compared to most guys I know (and girls - my wife for example sees results a lot faster). I'm not crazy about size, not trying to become Arnold, but it's nice to see some results. What's your opinion on this stuff?
Yep, both.
I take 5g of creatine per day every day too, along with a multi-vitamin and magnesium supplement. Creatine is super super cheap, an all-around good supplement with no major downsides (AFAIK), and actually has some potential cognitive benefits besides the muscle growth ones so I highly recommend it. And I take the micro-nutrient supplements because I've been meticulously tracking my food intake for the last 6+ months using cronometer, and especially on my calorie restricted diet I was struggling to hit anywhere near RDA on many vitamins/minerals. RDA is not exactly the best indicator for those things, I know, but there also isn't much harm in taking a multivitamin and some extra magnesium either, so having that as an extra buffer against any potential deficiencies makes me feel safer.
I also have a whey-based protein shake (with 7-10g metamucil mixed into it, for added dietary fiber) every day after working out, and often even on days when I don't. And I sometimes have a protein bar before bed too, but only if I've fallen short of my 125g protein per day target. FYI, for maximizing muscle growth and preserving existing muscle mass, consuming 0.7-1.2g of protein per 1lbs of body weight is shown to be most effective.
I don't get a "heavy" feeling from consuming my protein shake though, in fact the opposite, it makes me feel refreshed and re-energized. It's possible that's because I intermittent fast every day (and have for years), and the shake is usually the first thing I consume after I break that fast at noon every day. Or maybe it's because my shake is whey based rather than vegan protein, or it's possibly the added extra fiber I put into mine that makes the difference. You could try experimenting with the timing, composition, and such of your shake to see if that helps you feel differently, but it unfortunately might just be the way your body naturally responds to consuming large volumes of high protein liquids no matter what. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
p.s. It could also be the sweetener used in your protein powder that's causing the problem for you. There are many types of sweeteners used in protein powders these days, and everyone's body responds differently to them. E.g. Mine (Pure Protein) has sucralose in it, which I seem to tolerate fine, but my mother can't touch the stuff or it makes her feel nauseous.
Thank you, this is very thorough and helpful. I did a quick calculation and on an average week day I don't think I usually hit the recommended amount for my body weight. This may explain some things. I think I simply need to pack a bigger lunch and be more consistent with dinner. I do prefer a lighter dinner as I sleep better, so lunch and breakfast will be the 2 meals I can increase.
The shake, I never thought about the sweetener. I prefer it did not have so much of it, but it's been tough finding a tasty one that is not grainy when mixed. I'll experiment with that. I do have a different one that has 1 ingredient, and see if I still get that effect when the sweetener and other ingredients are out of the equation. Sadly it is grainy and tastes awful. I have to drink it like medicine, but maybe my body will thank me even if my taste buds will stage a revolution.
NP. :) I am kind of obsessive when it comes to researching this stuff (if you couldn't tell already? LOL). When I get into a new hobby, like nutrition/fitness/weightlifting in this case, I tend to go all-in or not go at all. And it's always gratifying to see that my obsessions can help others in some small ways too.
As for improving the taste/texture of that other protein powder, you could try throwing it in a blender with some extra ingredients (e.g. soy/almond milk, fruit, nut butter, etc) to make it more of a full-on smoothie instead of just a protein shake.
Not a bad thing to be thorough with hobbies and everything else really. Thanks for sharing the knowledge :D
I'm back on the wagon. Did my half hour on the elliptical every day since Tuesday (4 days in a row). I'm going to take a rest day today since we're taking the baby to the Renn Faire, and tomorrow will be some heavy yard work. Then I'm hoping I can maintain my momentum during the week next week before we leave for vacation on Thursday. I am generally pretty active on vacation though, so hopefully it won't set me back too much.
Really it's the eating I need to get under control. I am trying to be more mindful of my portion sizes. I have found it difficult not to gain weight since quitting weed and the baby being born. I know it seems counterintuitive but I was a regular smoker, to the point where I didn't really get the munchies but it would help me ignore food cravings while I was busy. I gotta lock myself in before she is old enough to learn eating and activity habits from me - she's almost two so I think we're closer to that than I'd like to be, but I'm trying to use that "fear" as motivation.
Good streak, and that's good to hear you have good vacation active habits :)
Some of it is just the nature of being dad to a toddler - she wants to run everywhere!
Today is the end of my 4th week with a new routine that incorporates barbell strength work. It honestly was/is a fairly ambitious program, but I am glad I am still getting it done.
The strength program has A day with barbell squat, bench press, and deadlift. B day with goblet squat, push ups, and Romanian deadlifts.
While it’s nice to see the progress of what I can lift going up, I really find the strength days a drag and once I finish 8 weeks of this I will probably reorganize those days.
But overall I am very proud that I am 4 weeks down.
That's a lot of exercises in a week! That's fantastic determination and stamina gain
I have discovered the magic of zone 2 running.
I didn't hate running before, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. Didn't think the day would come where I would actually genuinely like running, but now here we are. Turns out if you go slow as hell you can run a lot longer and it doesn't feel like death. I've been running 3x/week for the past month, and now with these easier runs as of last week I'm at 4.5 miles at a time at like 13 min/mi, all while blasting 2010s EDM and thinking about things like what I'll have for dinner today, or "I really have to pee", or just generally going "lalalalalala" in my head. It's great.
I've been better about gym 4x/week too over the last like month or so. RDL is up to 405x10, DB bench is at 90x5, DB OHP 65x7, leg press is at 5 plates + 20 + whatever the sled is x8. Combined with the running I'm pleasantly surprised at how maintainable this routine is. Recovery feels fine. I'm not in a rush to up the volume of either modality, at least until I decide to gain a bunch of weight again at some point later.
Heh, total opposite for me. I get really really bored doing Zone 2 cardio... but HIIT (2min of Zone 2, 2min of Zone 4-5, repeat for 36min) gets my endorphins going like crazy, and I love it. :P But to each their own.
Lol yeah, HIIT and intervals are my worst nightmare. After a certain point I feel like I'm flailing instead of sprinting or whatever the movement is. Props to you for liking that style of training. I'm happy to continue staying as far away from it as possible though. 🌞
Likewise, props to you on 405x10 RDLs and the rest! I can only do 3 sets of 150x8 RDLs. :P
The fact that you're that strong, and presumably pretty damn muscularly big too probably explains why you don't enjoy HIIT though. Moving around all that extra muscle mass definitely makes high intensity cardio way way harder.
Just installed a couple of gravel tires on my road bike. I'd been doing a little bit of gravel on my old tires (32mm, so just wide enough for that stuff). I noticed an old puncture had re-opened and the tire was bulging so when I got something new I picked up 35mm gravel tires. Also tuned it up in general so my rides can be more comfortable. I'll report back with how that goes.
Update:
The ride went well! Definitely more comfy than before and handles gravel better. I think I can notice the extra weight but I'll just have to get stronger legs.
The other day I was tempted to express my jealousy of someone's progress with cardio exercise and today I managed to find a cardio victory of sorts. After going to the gym my husband treated me to a lavish early dinner I had combined with lunch. The area is going through a major heatwave right now, but when we got home it was fairly cool, and thanks to carb-loading, I had energy to do more exercise, so I took the bike out. It's an ebike that I have talked about a few times. Admittedly it's been a while since I've last taken a ride.
I know my stamina has been slowly increasing and letting me do more on the bike, but this isn't really about that. The thing I'm writing about is that I've finally "understood" how to ride it without exhausting myself. I've finally realized that a constant cadence with lower resistance is key. And on top of that, I've finally figured out how to actually pedal in concert with the powered assistance instead of just relying on it when I'm exhausted.
Normally I have two to three daily walks but my schedule has been trash lately so I've adapted my routine.
Morning - Yoga 30 minutes. I hate watching YouTube videos because they just power through all the yoga names for everything but I'm knowledgeable enough on positions and muscle groups that I just do a freeform workout. Mostly core focus usually.
During the day - I've been doing hourly sets of 10 for push-ups and squats with 50 calf raises thrown in. Enough that I can do them near my desk and quick enough that I won't look crazy if my boss walks in.
My evening walks have been cut for the time being, which left me way too much time that I cleaned and reorganized my kitchen.
I've been running on and off casually since high school.
One of the first things I did to cope with the grief of my mom passing last year was to start running again. I kept it up until the funeral was over and I had to go back to the country I live in. The heat/humidity was just too much.
It's been a year and I started back running again. Also inspired by general anxiety and stress and grief. This time I started right in the smack dab of summer. I'm week 6 into my 5k training plan and by golly is it hot and humid, but I'm sure as shit doing it. And fall is on the horizon! ...In probably another two months.
And even if it only lasts a couple more months, then it's still worth it. I'm really trying to focus on how exercise helps me mentally rather than just physically this time around.
I’m going to be doing something potentially stupid.
I’ve learned about the world of peptides. Specifically Ipamorelin and CJC. They’re not steroids but they are a type of growth hormone. They should help with building muscle and losing fat.
At the end of last year I unfortunately started binge eating (after I did a bulk) and I’ve been having trouble getting back to being as lean as I was. I had initially gained 25 pounds and have fluctuated the past few months, but I’m still 10 pounds over what I would like to be. My face isn’t as puffy or as bloated as it was in the beginning of the year but I’d still like for it to slim down to give me back the hollow cheeks I had attained. So I’m hoping these peptides give me the edge to do so and to get in even better shape than I was last year during the summer.
I mean, you do you, I guess. But rather than messing around with potentially harmful, over-hyped, unproven peptides, why not just talk to your doctor and get on a GLP-1 agonist (e.g. Ozempic) or dual GIP/GLP agonist (e.g. Tirzepatide), which actually have well-proven weight loss and appetite suppressant effects?
p.s. 5mg/day of Creatine is well worth taking too if you're not doing so already since it's totally safe to take, and actually has well studied, proven effects on muscle-gain. See: Dr. Mike Israetel's video on The Best Supplements For Muscle Growth And Health.
Oh I’ve been on creatine for two years now. But I did discuss with my doctor using Ozempic or its equivalents and they didn’t really wanna do it since I’m not in the obese category. I’m sure I could go to another doctor and ask (I was trying to go through ro but that shit is expensive).
Ipamorelin did catch my eye since it’s also an anti aging medicine, and apparently helps hair and skin health. I haven't read anything seriously harmful happen from anyone yet.
This is the most dangerous thing I’ve done, I would usually wait until there’s more studies but a lot of the fitness guys I follow seem to be on board for it so I figured ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I suppose it depends on which "fitness guys" you're referring to, but IMO a lot of influencers in the fitness space really aren't worth listening to or following the example of. And, for what it's worth, none of the evidence/science-based lifters/bodybuilders I watch (Jeff Nippard, Dr. Mike Israetel, Menno Henselmans, Dr. Milo Wolf, etc) have ever recommended any of those grey-market peptides. So, personally, I wouldn't risk taking any until there are more studies that prove their safety and efficacy. But like I said before, you do you. It's your body, your choice, and you're the one who will have to live with any potential consequences of that choice. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would 100% do steroids before I did grey-market peptides. There's a lot to be said for doing something with a ton of knowledge - and even clinical research - behind it.
Ditto. I would never actually do steroids, but I'd do them before I did any of these new grey-market peptides too. At least with steroids we know all the side effects so can more easily mitigate/manage them, and after decades of professional bodybuilders and athletes using them, the dosages, cycling periods, and everything else has been fully figured out.
Exactly.