Forums → The Tavern → [REQUESTED] Health and fitness
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I've been contemplating making this thread for quite some time, because I'm not sure how many people here aside from myself actively go to the gym or workout.
Well, here's a topic where you can talk about a wide range of topics relating to health and fitness. What you do when you workout, your gym experiences, when you started working out, how much you can lift, what you did today while working out/at the gym, etc.
It's always good to be healthy and physically fit, so if you don't currently workout and are lazy, I'd recommend getting into a routine. It does wonders for your body and you'll feel amazing. If you're worried about time or money, don't be. A gym membership only costs around 20 dollars at a local gym and if you have time to be on the internet, you should have time to go to the gym.
As I talk about these topics, at the bottom of some of them I'll be posting some links to reading material on the subject.
Some starting topics:
What supplements are good to use?
I personally only use creatine monohydrate. Whey protein and some other types of protein supplements are good, but I only see those as necessary if you're not intaking enough protein from food.
What creatine monohydrate does is it improves performance and makes you heal more quickly by retaining water in the muscles. Creatine is naturally found in the body, this just enhances it. The only real con to using creatine is having problems with your kidneys, but that's only if you don't drink enough water. You're supposed to drink around a gallon of water a day while on it.
When using creatine, expect to gain 5-10 pounds in water weight and look more swole. Why? Because it retains water in your muscles.
There's been some discussion regarding if you should cycle creatine or not. What that means is if you take it for let's say three months, some people think you should stop taking it for a few weeks, around two weeks. It's not necessary. What you're basically doing is just taking all that creatine that improves performance and heals you more quickly out of your body.
No, creatine is not steroids. When I usually tell people who don't workout that I use creatine, they think it's steroids.
Creatine
Creatine monohydrate
What exercises are good to do at home/that don't involve weights?
Pushups, dips, pullups, squats, planks, crunches, and calve raises. Those are exercises that'll workout your whole body without weights.
Pushups for chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. Dips specifically target triceps. It depends on how you do pullups, certain ways will target muscles more than others, but they usually work the back and biceps. By certain ways, I mean underhand and overhand grip. The underhand grip (palms facing you) and having your hands close together will work the biceps more, while overhand and having your hands around shoulder width or wider will do more back action.
Those are good if you don't currently have a gym membership, but most of them are only good for so long. Pullups and dips are the best because they measure your true strength; pulling your entire body up and with dips lowering yourself and pushing up. If you can't already do a reasonable amount (I'd say 10 reps each) of pullups and dips, there's something wrong.
A good schedule for home exercises:
Sunday - Rest
Monday - Pushups and dips
Tuesday - Squats and calve raises
Wednesday - Pullups
Thursday - Dips and pushups
Friday - Squats and calve raises
Saturday - Pullups
You'll see a slight difference from Monday and Thursday. On Monday pushups is the primary, as in you do it first, and dips the secondary. And on Thursday it's the other way around. You also get a few rest days for those muscles alone with that schedule. Once you do a great pushup and dip workout, you don't want to do them again the next day. Your muscles require time to rest and grow.
Again, this will only get you so far. After about a month of doing this stuff it'll seem easy, which is why investing in a gym membership is excellent. It's around twenty dollars a month at most local gyms.
How many days of the week and how long should I workout?
Six days a week with one rest day is what I usually do and recommend. Gives you enough time to target specific muscles and you have a day where you don't do anything.
I also weight train for about an hour and a half then do twenty-thirty minutes of cardio. I don't think I'll increase either of those times, but if you're a beginner at the gym you may want to start lower. I'd say around forty-five minutes of weight training then fifteen minutes of cardio, then work your way up.
Believe me, the first week is very difficult. Halfway through the workout you'll probably feel very tired and sore, and the next day will be even worse. Once you wake up you'll wish that you hadn't worked out, but it pays off. Just stick with a solid schedule and you'll see.
What's good to do at the gym?
It depends on what you're doing there, as in what muscle(s) you're working out that day.
My schedule:
Sunday - Rest
Monday - Chest and shoulders
Tuesday - Biceps and legs
Wednesday - Back and traps
Thursday - Triceps and shoulders
Friday - Legs and biceps
Saturday - Back and traps
I do around 30 sets in total by the time I'm done, depends on the day. It's usually more sets on the days I do legs and biceps. I usually try to do three-four sets on most of the machines that will target those muslces and other things.
Chest and shoulders - 7 sets of flat or incline bench press, 3 sets of flies, 3 sets of seated chest press, 3 sets of seated chest press on another machine, and 3 sets of dumbbell press.
4 sets of shoulder press, 4 sets of seated incline shoulder press, and 4 sets of lateral raises.
Do as many pushups as you can do when you're done.
Biceps and legs - 3 sets of seated preacher curls, 3 sets of standing wide grip curls, 3 sets of standing close grip curls, 3 sets of regular dumbbell curls, 3 sets of hammer curls, and 3 sets of concentration curls.
5 sets of leg press, 5 sets of squats, 5 sets of quad curls, 10 sets of hamstring curls, and 5 sets of calve raises.
Back and traps - 3 sets of regular cable rows, 3 sets of wide cable rows, 3 sets of wide lat pulldowns, 3 sets of regular lat pulldowns, 3 sets of lat rows on machine, 3 sets of dumbbell rows, and 5 sets of deadlifts.
5-10 sets of shrugs and 5 sets of upright rows.
Do as many pullups as you can do when you're done.
Triceps and shoulders - 6 sets of close grip flat bench press, 4 sets of skullcrushers, 4 sets of tricep extensions, and 4 sets of tricep pulldowns.
4 sets of shoulder press, 4 sets of seated incline shoulder press, and 4 sets of lateral raises.
Do as many dips as you can do when you're done.
Legs and biceps - Legs is first and biceps is second, same exercises, but in a different order.
Back and traps - Same exercises, but in a different order.
I may have to do deadlifts on leg day though. I tried to do them earlier and was very tired. It was probably because I did legs yesterday and when doing deadlifts they require leg muscles.
Also, sometimes on back day I'll do extensions. Some people consider it an exercise, but I just use it loosen up my lower back. More of a stretch for me.
Image of back extensions
I'd also like to talk about the subject of traps. They don't help you that much with lifting, it's more of an aesthetic thing. Most people probably don't want to be walking around with a box body. Doing trap exercises makes a big difference in how your body will look.
Just take a look at these two photos:
No traps.
Big traps.
Does the 1 rep max matter?
Well, only on these three exercises: Bench press, deadlift, and squat. Otherwise, no, it doesn't matter. And on those exercises, don't go for your 1 rep max often. It tears a lot of muscle fibers and if you do that weekly you're bound to get injured. I personally only do it once or twice a month.
Anyway, mine are:
Bench press - 290 pounds
Deadlift - 315 pounds
Squat - 250 pounds
Those were the numbers last time I did went for my 1 rep max, which was a week or two ago. I just got back into squats, which is the reason why it's so low. Your squat should be somewhere around your deadlift, never lower than your bench, because your legs are supposed to be stronger than your upper body. But I'll probably get it there in a few weeks.
They say you're not truly strong with weights unless you can lift your body weight on those three exercises. I somewhat agree with that. You should be able to lift up your body weight on those exercises. You're using many muscles with them. I'd also consider being able to do a good amount of pullups and dips a good measure of strength.
What is good form?
It's not using your other muscles when you are trying to work a certain one. For instance, bicep curls. For the love of Talos don't jerk them around; don't use your back, legs, and keep your elbows in the starting position. The only thing that should be moving up is your arm.
Another is bench press. You want to go down and up nice and slow. Control the weight. Don't bounce if off of your chest, don't have a huge arch in your back, don't use your legs, and don't lift your butt off the bench. You're not even working chest anymore if you do those, and the only thing that'll happen over time is that you'll injure yourself. It's okay to have a small arch and pin your shoulders back slightly, but that's it.
It doesn't matter how much people can lift unless they do it with good form. You're not getting proper gains unless it's with good form.
Demonstration video for bicep curls
After that video, look at the featured videos list with her in them and watch.
Demonstration video for bench press
Breathing:
It's important to breathe when working out. I know you guys already breathe, but I mean properly breathing. Such as with bench press. Before you take the weight off the rack, take a deep breath, as you go down keep it in, then release as you go up, repeat. Exhale on the hard parts and inhale on the easy parts. The bench press video above shows how to breathe properly.
How often should I run?
Not that often. Running often will cause muscle atrophy. If you have some excess fat and want to get rid of it, I'd say run for around fifteen minutes a day or every other day. Otherwise you should only walk at a good speed at an angle to keep the blood flowing after weight training or jogging. I personally set the treadmill at an angle so it's like I'm walking up stairs, and I do it for twenty minutes. I tried running last week, and it takes too much out of me. I'm also worried that it'll mess up my gains, because prolonged running will damage your muscles over time.
Marathon runner and sprinter
The importance of stretching, core training, and resting:
I've found that stretching once you wake up and before you sleep helps loosens up your muscles, and when you do this you'll be able to lift weights without pain. I also think that it'll reduce the chances of you injuring yourself. I just do some basic stretches when I wake up and before I sleep for around ten-fifteen minutes.
Core training. This doesn't mean that you need to work for washboard abs. Just stregnthening your core. A strong core will allow you to lift weights easier and reduce the chances of getting a hernia. I do some core training every other day when it's night. I like to do a few sets of crunches and planks. I aim for 100-200 crunches and a few sets of 1-3 minute planks.
It's imperative to have at least one rest day, where you don't work out any of your muscles. It'll repair them and such. It's also good to get at least 8 hours of sleep. That's mostly when they'll repair.
Some people like to have a deload week, and those are good, but I wouldn't do them often. It's a week where you don't workout or do less than what you currently are. It's a solid week of resting and letting your muscle fibers repair themselves. I usually do it after a month of working out, the beginning of next month I'll have a deload week.
The deload week and why you should use it
Bodybuilding or powerlifting?
Well, I like to do both. I mix them in a month together. Such as one week I'll do bodybuilding and one week powerlifting, or sometimes I'll even do a few sets for reps only and a few for power, etc. Bodybuilding is when you go for reps and try to build more muscle.
While with powerlifting you're simply aiming for power. It'll get you stronger, but you won't see as much muscle growth as with bodybuilding. However I like both, mixing in high reps for muscle growth and low reps for power works wonders. Though if you just do one you'll see more results with them. Such as if you just bodybuild you'll build more muscle, and if you'll just build strength.
Bodybuilding
Powerlifting
Intermittent fasting:
Intermittent fasting is when you tell your body when to eat. Such as you eat 2-8 and fast/only drink water for the rest of the time. It's good for getting rid of stubborn fat. I did it for around three weeks before stopping, because I started going to the gym and I workout around noon, so if I were to do what I am now on an empty stomach, I'd probably puke.
How it works:
When you workout on an empty stomach, your body isn't going to use the food as resources, instead it'll use the fat. Then on your fasting period and you drink water, your body will retain it and you won't feel as hungry.
For the first few days you'll probably feel a little sick in your stomach, but that's natural. Your body has to adjust. My first week it felt like I was gonna puke after I ate my first meal, but I didn't and my body soon adjusted.
Note:
Intermittent fasting isn't a diet. You're just telling your body when to eat. It's imperative that you intake all your calories and protein in that eating window.
Intermittent fasting
What should I eat?
I keep my diet high protein and low fat. I'd suggest the same for everyone.
What I normally eat:
Breakfast: Oatmeal or cereal with tuna sandwich, cashews, and orange juice
Lunch: Turkey burger or lean ham/turkey sandwich, tuna, beans, rice, and fruit shake/smoothie
Dinner: Rice, chicken or steak, beans, vegetables, and tea
What I put in the shake/smoothie:
A cup or two of skim milk, 1 frozen banana, 2 strawberries, 2-4 blackberries, and 2 spoons of chocolate nesquik
Excellent health and fitness YouTube channels:
TwinMuscleWorkout
FastingTwins
Scooby1961
There are some others if you look, but those are the only ones I keep track of.
So, today at the gym my dad (workout partner) accidentally broke the cable row machine. He usually does the whole stack on the machines, but it seems like this one couldn't handle it and/or the wire was worn out. It was hilarious, because as it broke he fell backwards. It was around the start of our workout.
- 429 Replies
Barbell shoulder press x 5
Dumbbell shoulder press x 5
Side lateral raise x 4
Incline machine shoulder press x 4
Upright rows x 4
Shrugs x 6
The bolded ones, especially if the barbell shoulder press is sitting, are pretty much the same. So you're doing nearly the same thing for fourteen sets. You should making the barbell one standing (if it's not already) and change the machine to an exercise that targets the posterior deltoids.
I'll probably do that after my deload week. As for rear delts, I only know of two exercises that I can do for them: You know the machine where you can do chest flies, it can be adjusted to work the rear delts. And rear delt dumbbell raises.
I'll probably do that after my deload week. As for rear delts, I only know of two exercises that I can do for them: You know the machine where you can do chest flies, it can be adjusted to work the rear delts. And rear delt dumbbell raises.
I do the rear delt flies, but there are several. I'll be switching to a compound movement like these in one or two weeks.
Arrived at the gym at 5:45pm, guy told me they close at 6pm, so I worked out at home.
Deadlifts:
250 - 4
260 - 4
280 - 4
300 - 1
320 - 1
340 - 1 (failed it last week, got it this week)
320 - 1
300 - 1
280 - 2
280 - 2
This is basically what I'm gonna start doing for deadlifts: heavier weight, less reps. Of course I could get all of those for 2-4 more reps (except the 340), but the point isn't to exhaust myself or build endurance. The point is to build strength.
This day was to get a feel for the heavy weights/low reps. After my deload week I'll most likely cut out anything under 280 into the working sets.
Barbell curls x 5
Couldn't do hamstrings and I didn't want to only do deadlifts, so I fit in some curls.
I'll be posting my deload schedule tomorrow and the regular schedule next Saturday or Sunday. I want to make sure it's good enough.
It's probably from poor stretching/warming up. Before running/weightlifting/etc you'll want to do dynamic stretches and warm up properly so you don't get cramps or injuries. As for the stomach, probably the same, or you ate too much/drank something with a lot of sugar before you started running.
I will try to stretch more before doing these things.
Don't run after eating. If you have a light snack, wait about 20 minutes. If you've had a lot to eat, like dinner, wait at least an hour. Going along with what Matrix said, make sure you do a lot of stretches or it'll get a lot worse. If you run every day without stretching, it'l progressively get worse and worse, perhaps to he point where your muscles won't expand any further and you have constant cramps.
Okay, I wanted to answer GoM's and your solutions to the stomach cramp. My stomach cramp has happened lots of times when I was young. (I stretched somewhat back then). Even when I didn't eat/drink anything for 1 hour to 3 hours. Nevertheless I would get the cramp.
My stomach cramp has happened lots of times when I was young. (I stretched somewhat back then). Even when I didn't eat/drink anything for 1 hour to 3 hours. Nevertheless I would get the cramp.
Then you're not being properly nourished. Try eating lots of fruits, dairies, and vegetables for a week and see if that helps. Grains and meats generally cause me to cramp up if I eat a lot even an entire day before running. Make sure you drink tons of water too. To make sure it isn't being caused b something else, I wouldn't eat any meats, grains, or snack foods for a week and I'd only drink water. Try to run at the end of the week and see if it helps. If it doesn't talk to your doctor.
The schedule:
Sunday - Rest
Monday - Chest/triceps / Cardio
Tuesday - Back/biceps / Core
Wednesday - Legs / Cardio
Thursday - Shoulders/traps / Core
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Back/legs
Same as last time, but want to keep track.
---
The exercises:
Chest/triceps:
A:
Flat bench press x 6
Flat dumbbell press x 4
Flat dumbbell flies x 4
Flat close grip bench press x 4
Skull crushers x 4
Cable push downs x 4
B:
Incline bench press x 6
Incline dumbbell press x 4
Incline dumbbell flies x 4
Incline close grip bench press x 4
Skull crushers x 4
Cable push downs x 4
Deload:
Flat bench press x 4
Flat dumbbell press x 4
Flat dumbbell flies x 4
Flat close grip bench press x 4
Skull crushers x 3
Cable push downs x 3
---
Back/biceps:
A:
Bent over rows x 6
T-bar rows x 6
Dumbbell rows x 4
Ez-bar curls x 4
Dumbbell curls x 4
Cable curls x 4
B:
Lat pulldowns x 6
Lat rows x 6
Dumbbell rows x 4
Barbell curls x 4
Dumbbell curls x 4
Cable curls x 4
Deload:
Bent over rows x 3
T-bar rows x 3
Lat pulldowns x 3
Lat rows x 3
Ez-bar curls x 4
Barbell curls x 4
---
Legs:
A:
Squats x 6
Leg press x 6
Leg extensions x 4
Hamstring curls x 4
Calves x 6
B:
Leg press x 6
Squats x 6
Hamstring curls x 4
Leg extensions x 4
Calves x 6
Deload:
Squats x 4
Leg press x 4
Leg extensions x 4
Hamstring curls x 4
Calves x 4
---
Shoulders/traps:
A:
Standing shoulder press x 6
Seated dumbbell shoulder press x 4
Lateral raise x 4
Rear delts x 4
Upright rows x 4
Shrugs x 6
B:
Seated dumbbell shoulder press x 6
Standing shoulder press x 4
Lateral raise x 4
Rear delts x 4
Upright rows x 4
Shrugs x 6
Deload:
Standing shoulder press x 4
Seated dumbbell shoulder press x 4
Lateral raise x 4
Rear delts x 4
Upright rows x 4
Shrugs x 6
---
Back/legs:
A:
Deadlifts x 8
Back extensions x 4
Leg press x 4
Hamstring curls x 6
Calves x 4
B:
Deadlifts x 8
Back extensions x 4
Hamstring curls x 4
Leg press x 6
Calves x 4
Deload:
Deadlifts x 4
Back extensions x 4
Hamstring curls x 4
Leg press x 4
Calves x 4
---
The deload exercises will be done this week. What A and B means is that I may or may not alternate every week/few weeks. Let's say I do A for chest/triceps next Monday (15th). I may do that again next time or change it to B, and so on.
The deload will also happen every 4-8 weeks. How I'm approaching this and future deload weeks will be by using less weight (20-50%, depends on the exercise), doing less reps (stick within 6-8, depends on the exerise), and resting longer in between sets.
I also didn't specify on many of the exercises. For example, squats. I have it down for 6 sets, I may do all back squats, all front squats, or mix them in together.
A thought: People buy a gym membership to a local gym and drive there, then run on a treadmill.? Why not just go for a walk/run.
Then you're not being properly nourished. Try eating lots of fruits, dairies, and vegetables for a week and see if that helps. Grains and meats generally cause me to cramp up if I eat a lot even an entire day before running. Make sure you drink tons of water too. To make sure it isn't being caused b something else, I wouldn't eat any meats, grains, or snack foods for a week and I'd only drink water. Try to run at the end of the week and see if it helps. If it doesn't talk to your doctor.
Okay, I will go for more fruits, water, and vegetables, but believe me I get more than one daily serving of milk everyday. I will go and run then and inform what happens.
Not to toot my balloon, but since we moved we got access to a gym. Pretty nice standard things.
GoM, most of your posts regarding your schedule confuse me a lot. What exactly is a deload? A back extension? (That sounds painful)...? Wait, how about starting from the beginning? What exactly constitutes a rep?
What exactly is a deload?
Basically, a week where my muscles can rest and repair. You can take a whole week off or just do less things at the gym. I'm doing less things at the gym; less weight, reps, etc.
A back extension?
Strengthens lower back.
What exactly constitutes a rep?
How many times you can move the weight in an exercise; repetitions. For example, bench press: going down and up is 1 rep. Curls, curling up then going back down is 1 rep. Deadlifts, picking the weight all the way up is 1 rep. Pull ups, pulling yourself all the way up is 1 rep, etc.
So if someone tells you they did a set of pullups for 10 reps, that means they pulled themselves up 10 times.
So if someone tells you they did a set of pullups for 10 reps, that means they pulled themselves up 10 times.
This is an ironic example. Where the **** are your pullups?
Where the **** are your pullups?
I don't do things like pushups, pullups, dips, etc, unless I don't have access to weights. Usually when I do those before the workout with weights I can't lift as much, and I'm not able to do them after I'm done weight training because I've exhausted all my resources.
I've been thinking about incorporating some pullups though. Just 3-4 sets of 6-10 before my main back workout, like a warmup.
I don't do things like pushups, pullups, dips, etc, unless I don't have access to weights.
Pushups are understandable, but pullups and dips, you're lifting your entire weight. Are you really able to do three sets of ten? Last time you estimated you were only able to do eight. And even if you can, why not put it after one or two of your back exercises? Or better yet, stick a dumbbell between your feet and do weighted ones. Pullups are way better than lat pulldowns.
Last time you estimated you were only able to do eight.
Wasn't that around mid summer? I'm sure I've gotten stronger since then, even if I haven't regularly done pullups.
But I'll try to fit them in the beginning of my back workout. I don't think they'll be as effective in the middle of the workout, when my forearms and biceps are pre-exhausted.
I probably won't be going to failure on pullups though. Since I haven't done them in a while, I'll do a set to get a feel. If I can do around 8 of them and feel like I got more in me, I'll stop there to conserve that energy.
As for dips, I'll try to do those either after close grip or at the end.
I'll actually do both of those this week so I can get a feel for them and brush up on form, been a while.
Oh man, I've never had such an easy gym day. I barely broke a sweat and my heart rate stayed relatively low through the workout, though I did get some stimulation in the areas worked so that's good. I'm sure my muscles and CNS will appreciate this week of rest.
Flat bench press:
185 x 4 - 6
Flat dumbbell press:
50 x 4 - 8
Flat dumbbell flies:
30 x 4 - 8
Flat close grip bench press:
185 x 4 - 6
Skull crushers:
75 x 3 - 8
I usually do these seated with the ez-bar. Best way in my opinion.
Cable push downs:
100 x 3 - 10
Stayed at 10 reps with light weight because I usually use 40+ pounds more for 12-15 reps. Doing 8 on these wouldn't cut it.
Overall, very easy day, cut all the weight down by 20-40%. I focused a lot on my form because I've been getting loose with it, heavy weight tends to do that.
Oh, and as I said yesterday, I did fit in dips. At the end of the workout I did a set to get a feel for them. Nice slow reps and did them to failure, got 15 reps. At 250 pounds body weight, I think that's decent. Next week when I'm using heavier weight and stuff, if I'm able to get 10 at the end of the workout pretty easily, I'll put a decent sized dumbbell between my feet/legs.
This guy approached me and asked why I was using such light weight, I explained to him about the deload and he said he may start doing it as well every month or two. I showed him my notebook with my schedule and walked him through it.
And this other guy was complaining to his friend that he isn't getting any gains in his chest. Well, when you strictly use the smith machine for bench press and cables for everything else chest related, no **** you won't get gains. They may work a little, but it's not advised to strictly stick to cables. Your stabilizer muscles aren't being used and cables generally aren't as effective as free weights. Throwing them in here and there is fine when most of your workout is free weights.
Tomorrow is back/biceps and I'll do pullups in the beginning. May be 1 set to failure like dips, or 3-4 and staying between a range.
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