The get fit, stay fit thread

[Dee Man]

These two posts have explained a fair bit as to why certain things are (aren't) happening in the gym. Not being able to do as many reps as before in some sessions, for one.

[Al B]

You can actually use that realisation to your advantage as a training technique though.

For example if you're doing bench press, for the most part you're actually lifting until your triceps fatigue, as opposed to your chest...which means your chest isn't always being pushed to it's full potential. What you can do though is "pre-fatigue" your chest by doing a movement that doesn't involve the triceps...bench-fly's or machine fly's for example. Then when you move on to bench press your actually working your chest a lot harder within the capability of your triceps.

You won't be able to push as much weight....but the actual weight doesn't matter in the gym, it's just the way used to reference the ratio between reps and muscle capability, and keep that balanced. Effectively about how hard you work the muscle as opposed to how much you can lift; there's so many ways to work a muscle harder that don't involve adding weight.

[The Minertaur]

Have been cutting back on all the crap I eat and doing some cardio stuff at the gym.  In February I was 15 stone 3 but when I weighed myself last night it was down to 14 stone 7.  Delighted but haven't noticed that much of a difference in the mirror.  Will keep doing the cardio stuff for a little while before moving on to weights.

Biggest thing for me is cutting back on alcohol.  Been out for tea a few times and I would almost always have a beer or two with dinner.  Been out for tea a few times since February and have stuck to water or diet coke.  Haven't missed it but know when I do finally cave and have a beer (next Friday) that I'll enjoy it all the more!

[mjw]

Have been cutting back on all the crap I eat and doing some cardio stuff at the gym.  In February I was 15 stone 3 but when I weighed myself last night it was down to 14 stone 7.  Delighted but haven't noticed that much of a difference in the mirror.  Will keep doing the cardio stuff for a little while before moving on to weights.
Biggest thing for me is cutting back on alcohol.  Been out for tea a few times and I would almost always have a beer or two with dinner.  Been out for tea a few times since February and have stuck to water or diet coke.  Haven't missed it but know when I do finally cave and have a beer (next Friday) that I'll enjoy it all the more!

Are you noticing a difference in your clothes?
Belt a little looser or a T-shirt that fits better?
That's always my guide when I'm at the cardio.

[The Minertaur]

2 minutes ago, mjw said:

Are you noticing a difference in your clothes?
Belt a little looser or a T-shirt that fits better?
That's always my guide when I'm at the cardio.

Slightly. I've just bought a new belt so haven't noticed a difference with that but at the gym yesterday I noticed my top was fitting better.  I'm delighted anyway as that's basically half a stone in a few months with the gym only being used in the last 10 days.

[Boostin' Kev]

That routine posted by Dee Man does look like overkill.

[Mr Hahn]

I'm inclined to agree, how do you manage 5 x 12 back squats with only 30 secs rest?! Even for my warm up sets for squats I take at least a minute and the highest reps I ever do on it is 8 (though I'm passed that point of the training cycle).

Squats are becoming increasingly tough for me as they come after my olympic lift practice and my quads are generally quite burned after that. Did manage a 5 rep front squat PR the other day though.

[DigOutYourSoul]

What are people's thoughts on supersets?

I don't use them at all as part of the programme I've been following but yesterday I was a bit short on time so to cut down rest periods I supersetted part of my back/bi routine.

Barbell row/ez bar curl
Single arm pull down/preacher curl
Seated row/seated curl

This morning I noticed a big difference in how I felt, guessing this is as much to do with shock as anything else? Didn't change weights at all from last weeks routine.

Might add super sets in occasionally just to change things up. On this programme until the end of April so might mix it up a little.

[Diamonds are Forever]

On 30/03/2017 at 21:24, Unleash The Nade said:

Been overdoing it lately tbh.

Been going to gym almost every day for the last 3 weeks doing cardio ( mainly Wattbike) and low weights with high reps, plus all my cycling.

Despite being given advice to do so  , not been taking enough rest days to let my body recover, so feel totally fucked now .

Lesson learnt !

 

 

 

I've had this issue before, I find going to the gym far easier if it's part of my daily routine, as soon as I start going 4-5 days a week I find end up with the 'I'll go tomorrow' attitude and quickly tail off. Now I go more or less every day but will have 'recovery days' where I do very little, some light cardio or a swim.

[The Chlamydia Kid]

Agree with the above. I seldom lack motivation to go but when I train 6 days a week- which I have all year then I just he's to the gym automatically when I finish work. If I had the luxury of more than one day off I would use my rest days on unplanned off days.

I'm down from 17-5 at new year to 15st dead on Saturday. I am going to diet till I get to my old fighting weight of 14-4......for a day and then I will eat myself into a oblivion and undo it all.

[Unleash The Nade]

2 hours ago, Diamonds are Forever said:

 

I've had this issue before, I find going to the gym far easier if it's part of my daily routine, as soon as I start going 4-5 days a week I find end up with the 'I'll go tomorrow' attitude and quickly tail off. Now I go more or less every day but will have 'recovery days' where I do very little, some light cardio or a swim.

Yup, I've decided to start doing " recovery" days too

Went for an hour today and just did lots of stretching and a 10 minute gentle Wattbike spin the  sauna and swim 

[Dee Man]

19 hours ago, Mr Hahn said:

I'm inclined to agree, how do you manage 5 x 12 back squats with only 30 secs rest?! Even for my warm up sets for squats I take at least a minute and the highest reps I ever do on it is 8 (though I'm passed that point of the training cycle).

Squats are becoming increasingly tough for me as they come after my olympic lift practice and my quads are generally quite burned after that. Did manage a 5 rep front squat PR the other day though.

Do you take a minute rest because you have to or just because it's what you've always done? If you struggled to do that you would just drop the weight until you could do it for the 5 sets. I've been training on this program for 2 months now and they have structured it in a way that all the challengers are primed for this final 4 week push.

Two days in and I'm really enjoying the intensity of the 5 sets and 30 secs rest. I'll be back to dropping the sets and reps and upping the weights once this is over but the idea of this is to get shredded to within an inch of your life. We'll see.

[Mr Hahn]

On 4/5/2017 at 08:23, Dee Man said:

Do you take a minute rest because you have to or just because it's what you've always done? If you struggled to do that you would just drop the weight until you could do it for the 5 sets. I've been training on this program for 2 months now and they have structured it in a way that all the challengers are primed for this final 4 week push.

Two days in and I'm really enjoying the intensity of the 5 sets and 30 secs rest. I'll be back to dropping the sets and reps and upping the weights once this is over but the idea of this is to get shredded to within an inch of your life. We'll see.

I don't have to, but it's just warming up. For my working sets of squats I take 2.5-3 minutes of rest between sets but our programs are obviously aimed at entirely different training styles. I squat for leg strength for the snatch and clean and jerk while yours is, I'm guessing, aimed at taxing the cardio system and burning out the muscle.

Will be interested to hear your results after your program, that's a training style I've never really tried.

[Shandon Par]

On ‎30‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 17:45, Dee Man said:

This is my gym program for the next 4 weeks. One body area per day with a rest on 4th day. 

Too easy.

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Having been a slob for a month I was able to get back to my usual vain gym-dwelling self yesterday and remembered reading this regime. Probably not the exact same exercises but going for 8 exercises per body area, 5x12 with a short rest between with cardio first and cardio and abs. After. Did chest & triceps yesterday and can feel a difference already. Been doing some running and swimming too and should be able to get a wee bit of boxing in at some point too. Hadn't realised that having a young puppy would eat into my free time so much but now he's a lazy wee sod who just wants to sleep all the time I can get back into a regime.

[Dee Man]

50 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

Having been a slob for a month I was able to get back to my usual vain gym-dwelling self yesterday and remembered reading this regime. Probably not the exact same exercises but going for 8 exercises per body area, 5x12 with a short rest between with cardio first and cardio and abs. After. Did chest & triceps yesterday and can feel a difference already. Been doing some running and swimming too and should be able to get a wee bit of boxing in at some point too. Hadn't realised that having a young puppy would eat into my free time so much but now he's a lazy wee sod who just wants to sleep all the time I can get back into a regime.

I'm loving this 5 x 12 with 30 secs rest program. I fully expected not to be recovered enough in 30 seconds to be ready to go again but that's not the case plus it feels a lot more productive rather than pacing about for 1-2 mins with my hands on my hips waiting to start the next set.

I think someone mentioned Jim Stoppani before; I've downloaded his shortcut to shred app and going to do his 6 week challenge next. I was watching his video earlier and rather than resting between sets, he's got you doing cardio for a minute. Piece of piss.

Eta: Sissy squats - I hadn't heard of them before never mind done them. I feel as though my quads have been battered multiple times with a baseball bat.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Dee Man

[Stellaboz]

The only thing I hate is my belly. Everytime I do a plank i have this horrible small bag of fat hanging down and I need some help getting rid of it. Is diet the biggest answer and if so, can someone please point me in the direction of good advice? A lot of it will be obvious but it'll be inspiration.

[mjw]

The only thing I hate is my belly. Everytime I do a plank i have this horrible small bag of fat hanging down and I need some help getting rid of it. Is diet the biggest answer and if so, can someone please point me in the direction of good advice? A lot of it will be obvious but it'll be inspiration.

Diet and cardio.HIIT cardio especially.
Its a bummer that there's not an exercise that targets a specific area of fat as most men would be the same as you.

[Boostin' Kev]

Tbh I'd rather do high reps/lower weights/lower rest between sets these days rather than the opposite. I just do the big compound work these days though rarely spend longer than 45 minutes in the gym but swim on days in between. 

[ICTChris]

Started back lifting weights to help with my running. I've been doing two sessions a week, starting with squats then deadlifts, followed by squats then bench press. I used to do 5x5 but found that doing that three times a week and running was too much.

[Flybhoy]

I've lost a stone since Christmas, mainly through going swimming 5/6 days a week and the odd gym session, another stone by the end of the year would see me at a relatively healthy weight for a 40 year old man.

I want to stop smoking too, vowed id do it when I became a father, my eldest is 14...! Then it was by the time I was 30 ..then 40 and so on.

Really serious about doing it this time..honest, but I am a bit concerned I will do what many do and put the weight back on.

Any serious tips on how to chuck the tabs and NOT pile on the beef?

Are the E-cigs/Vapes an effective intermediate help and/or less deadly than cigarettes?