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Fitness |OT8| Dad Bods, Bulge Swelfies, and Wait...Do you even lift bro?

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ILoveBish

Member
So last night, I installed Flux on pc and twilight on phone. Went to bed at 1030pm, and I started yawning which is an improvement already. Only issue is I still couldn't sleep til about 130am. Pitch dark and turning for hours. I'll keep at it.

Woke up at 830 am and felt really good, didn't feel tired and felt really strong. I ate my lunch, hit the gym and hit every single rep clean. Got 420x1 on deadlift and that concludes this 1s week. That is the 5th session of 531 I've done this year and haven't missed a rep this whole year. Still on 1750 calories and 17g net carbs a day. No more gym till next Monday and next week is deload week.

lol!

Today's my birthday (awww, thanks guys!!) and my coworkers brought me breakfast, took me out to a thai restaurant and got me cake, cookies, donuts, etc. I tried to avoid the sweets and got the "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" so I went in.

4,000 calories or so before birthday dinner with the wife / family?

Happy bday!
 

grumble

Member
The OP tells us creatine adds 2-4 pounds of water weight. Does anyone here cut their creatine intake for the summer, and does it make a noticeable difference in muscle definition? I imagine it would, if it's a real thing.

If so, how long does it take to drop the extra water weight?

Less than you think since the water is in your muscle tissue. It makes your muscles swell, it doesn't add thickness to your skin. If I were you I'd never cycle off of it. It's cheap, works, no sides and it's easy to take.
 

grumble

Member
Hi all, long time no talk.

So say I wanted to start Starting Strength... Is it possible to do this with dumbbells or is it a barbell only sort of thing? If so, I guess I'd better go check out my little apartment gym and see what is in there... :(

And can my "start low" be like, 20lbs? I'm the weakest creature on the planet.

Finally...just looking at the wiki, you just alternate between A and B, so week 1 is A, B, A, week 2 is B, A, B, etc. Correct?

Great call! It works ridiculously well. You won't be 'the weakest on the planet' for long!

You will need to use a barbell. You may find that initially you can't use a full barbell for things like presses, so use a smaller barbell in the gym. You need the barbell for a few reasons: you can lift more, you can load it finely, and some of the movements can only be done properly with a barbell like squatting and dead lifting.

You are correct about the workout progression. I really really really recommend you grab the book on kindle, it's ten bucks and once you've read it you'll get it more than most people ever get fitness. It explains everything. I also recommend you buy some micro plates, a pair of 1.25 pound ones will be useful quickly. Start at a place where it's easy. It will get brutally hard later but that's where the magic happens. Enjoy the kickass fitness.
 
Oh god lol. 135? No sir haha. 45lbs is already probably too heavy for me. Gah. I guess I'll see when I get in there and check out the equipment.
You will probably be able to do the most weight on deadlift so 135 might be doable for you. If not yea like people have posted you can get lighter bumper plates or lighter plates with a block
 

Ventara

Member
So I just finished entering all the foods I've eaten today, and I think I did pretty well, and I'm not hungry like I thought I'd be. I had to eat a bit of chicken after dinner to meet the protein quota, though, and my calorie and fat intake was a little low, but I think the oil that I didn't account for should make up for it. I just have to be careful about what I eat. Stuff like instant noodles that I love so much seems like a no-no. Lots of calories without much carbs.

I'm just going through the food database on myfitnesspal and seeing what'll work for my diet. I think as long as I don't sweat the small stuff, I should be good.

Edit: Happy birthday, BumRush! Think of it as your cheat day to keep your metabolism up.
 

mdsfx

Member
Less than you think since the water is in your muscle tissue. It makes your muscles swell, it doesn't add thickness to your skin. If I were you I'd never cycle off of it. It's cheap, works, no sides and it's easy to take.
Only reason I'm not taking it now is I tend to get muscle cramping during "endurance" runs when I'm on it. Right at the 3-4 mile mark, BAM, my quads feel like they are turning to stone.

Otherwise I had no issues with it for interval training/ sprints.
 

Leeness

Member
Great call! It works ridiculously well. You won't be 'the weakest on the planet' for long!

You will need to use a barbell. You may find that initially you can't use a full barbell for things like presses, so use a smaller barbell in the gym. You need the barbell for a few reasons: you can lift more, you can load it finely, and some of the movements can only be done properly with a barbell like squatting and dead lifting.

You are correct about the workout progression. I really really really recommend you grab the book on kindle, it's ten bucks and once you've read it you'll get it more than most people ever get fitness. It explains everything. I also recommend you buy some micro plates, a pair of 1.25 pound ones will be useful quickly. Start at a place where it's easy. It will get brutally hard later but that's where the magic happens. Enjoy the kickass fitness.

Cool. Thank you for the advice.

This all kind of depends on my little apartment gym though... I just dropped a huge amount of cash recently and I'm recovering from it, so I can't join an actual gym haha. So hopefully my little gym at least has a bench press. I highly doubt it will have a squat rack but maybe I can improvise or something... Starting Strength on a budget lol.

If I can't, I'll just pick up some 25lbs dumbbells and just do that for a while until my money recovers. :)

You will probably be able to do the most weight on deadlift so 135 might be doable for you. If not yea like people have posted you can get lighter bumper plates or lighter plates with a block

Crying.

Guess I'll see what happens. Will talk to building manager and see if I can look at the apartment gym this weekend.

Wish me luck!

And happy birthday, BumRush!
 

BlackJace

Member
Super skinny guy, I weigh 143.5 lbs, and am 5'11''.

Apparently I only intake 1500 or so calories a day, when it's recommended that I do at least 2850. I dunno, I just feel like I eat enough. I eat till I'm full and just go along with my day.

I haven't stopped working out since I started when my classes got out (mid-April). I've stayed consistent to my 3 days a week routine, yet, I'm not sure I've seen any gains.

I take this to mean my diet is affecting things? Should I be making supplemental shakes throughout the day?
 
Happy birthday ya Bum!! Hehe

Super skinny guy, I weigh 143.5 lbs, and am 5'11''.

Apparently I only intake 1500 or so calories a day, when it's recommended that I do at least 2850. I dunno, I just feel like I eat enough. I eat till I'm full and just go along with my day.

I haven't stopped working out since I started when my classes got out (mid-April). I've stayed consistent to my 3 days a week routine, yet, I'm not sure I've seen any gains.

I take this to mean my diet is affecting things? Should I be making supplemental shakes throughout the day?

Yea 1500 calories a day isn't even near enough. You can try smaller portions and eat more frequently so that you can eat more calories. You may be eating foods that make you fuller with fewer food (fiber, etc). You can supplement with a high calorie protein shake (protein powder, reduced/whol milk, fruits, peanut butter) but don't be too reliant on this
 
Happy birthday bum!

----

don't know if you guys seen the latest broscience

4QSrWPQ.gif


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5GIJmCwchk

so fucking good
 

BlackJace

Member
Happy birthday ya Bum!! Hehe



Yea 1500 calories a day isn't even near enough. You can try smaller portions and eat more frequently so that you can eat more calories. You may be eating foods that make you fuller with fewer food (fiber, etc). You can supplement with a high calorie protein shake (protein powder, reduced/whol milk, fruits, peanut butter) but don't be too reliant on this

Sounds good, thanks!
 
Happy birthday Bum!

Finally back under 200! Give me a few more weeks and I should be looking pretty shredded.

EDIT: Slowly getting the leg cuts back. Also oof my legs look smaller from this angle, lol. Especially my calves.

l4BuRoO.jpg
 

mdsfx

Member
I HATE when my gym isn't cool/dry enough. So hot and humid in here this morning. It's like torture. I feel like I'm lifting in a hot tub.

And f*ck everyone who never puts their shit away. My warm-up this morning was cleaning up plates and barbells for 10 minutes.

Also... Happy Friday :)
 

Joey Fox

Self-Actualized Member
Less than you think since the water is in your muscle tissue. It makes your muscles swell, it doesn't add thickness to your skin. If I were you I'd never cycle off of it. It's cheap, works, no sides and it's easy to take.

That's the impression I was starting to get in this thread, but thanks for the confirmation!
 

bchamba

Member
Bish have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? On days that I take a preworkout I usually can't fall asleep until 1 am (workout at 630 pm) and then I started taking melatonin and it usually knocks me out within an hour of taking it.
 
Man, my squat is just so weak. Maybe this will sort itself out as I get stronger (I am still a novice) but I can deadlift twice as much as I squat. Also my squat is only barely stronger than my bench press, and actually weaker than my bent over rows.
 

Ventara

Member
So guys, is it better to go over your calorie intake and meet your protein/carb intake, or just meet your calorie intake and go with a little less protein/carbs today? I'm asking because I ate too much butter this morning, and now I only have 50 calories left for dinner, am over 30g of fat, but still need 35g of carbs and 50g of protein. Should I try to work off the calories tonight?
 
So guys, is it better to go over your calorie intake and meet your protein/carb intake, or just meet your calorie intake and go with a little less protein/carbs today? I'm asking because I ate too much butter this morning, and now I only have 50 calories left for dinner, am over 30g of fat, but still need 35g of carbs and 50g of protein. Should I try to work off the calories tonight?

Only if you're bulking. Otherwise don't go over your calorie limit
 

BumRush

Member
So guys, is it better to go over your calorie intake and meet your protein/carb intake, or just meet your calorie intake and go with a little less protein/carbs today? I'm asking because I ate too much butter this morning, and now I only have 50 calories left for dinner, am over 30g of fat, but still need 35g of carbs and 50g of protein. Should I try to work off the calories tonight?

God Dayumm nailed it. Spend more time just focusing on working out and caloric intake.
 

Gumbie

Member
Is there a rough conversion from barbell weight to dumbbell weight? I know you have to use more muscle to stabilize the dumbbells. I can't get to the gym for a while and will be using dumbbells exclusively for a few weeks.
 

BumRush

Member
Is there a rough conversion from barbell weight to dumbbell weight? I know you have to use more muscle to stabilize the dumbbells. I can't get to the gym for a while and will be using dumbbells exclusively for a few weeks.

Honestly, you probably don't have DBs big enough to equate to what you're doing with the bar.

e.g. if you can bench 185 X 5, you'd need something over 75 lbs per hand to even give you close to the same workout
 

Ventara

Member
Only if you're bulking. Otherwise don't go over your calorie limit

God Dayumm nailed it. Spend more time just focusing on working out and caloric intake.

Good to know. Thanks, guys! Btw, when calculating my daily calorie consumption, the IF calculator in the OP is telling me to eat 1650 calories, while myfitnesspal is telling me 2150 calories. which should I go with? I'm currently going with myfitnesspal, but a 500 calorie discrepancy is kinda big. I'm 5'10", male, 160lb, 25 y/o.

Edit: Oh, and I know I shouldn't currently worry about eating enough protein and macros, but currently, myfitnesspal has me at 50/30/20 for carbs/fat/protein. Should I switch it to 30/30/40? The amount of carbs I need becomes less than half if I do, but then I'll need way more protein, which I don't eat too much.
 

ILoveBish

Member
Up .6lbs this morning, usual fluctuations.

Bish have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? On days that I take a preworkout I usually can't fall asleep until 1 am (workout at 630 pm) and then I started taking melatonin and it usually knocks me out within an hour of taking it.

I've been taking melatonin for a while now, usually 1mg a night.
 
Good to know. Thanks, guys! Btw, when calculating my daily calorie consumption, the IF calculator in the OP is telling me to eat 1650 calories, while myfitnesspal is telling me 2150 calories. which should I go with? I'm currently going with myfitnesspal, but a 500 calorie discrepancy is kinda big. I'm 5'10", male, 160lb, 25 y/o.

Edit: Oh, and I know I shouldn't currently worry about eating enough protein and macros, but currently, myfitnesspal has me at 50/30/20 for carbs/fat/protein. Should I switch it to 30/30/40? The amount of carbs I need becomes less than half if I do, but then I'll need way more protein, which I don't eat too much.

1650 is most likely your basal metabolic rate. I wouldn't go that low unless you're obese or have a good reason to crash diet. 2150 looks like a more realistic calorie intake so start with that and lower it a bit if you are in a plateau.

As for macros percentages, I don't like them because they don't guarantee you're satisfying your requirements. Instead go with at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, at least 70 grams of fat and the rest in carbs, no processed sugar. So something like 150g protein, 80g fat, and 205 carbs would be an example for you, which results in a 39/33/28 split. You can add more fat for less carbs if you feel like going low-carb.
 

Gumbie

Member
Honestly, you probably don't have DBs big enough to equate to what you're doing with the bar.

e.g. if you can bench 185 X 5, you'd need something over 75 lbs per hand to even give you close to the same workout

Yeah the dumbbells only go up to 52.5lbs (120lb barbell equivalent?). I guess I'll just have to crank out more volume to make up for the weight difference until I can get back to the gym.
 

BumRush

Member
Yeah the dumbbells only go up to 52.5lbs (120lb barbell equivalent?). I guess I'll just have to crank out more volume to make up for the weight difference until I can get back to the gym.

To me they don't equate to a % percentage as different stabilizers may be stronger or weaker. There's really no substitute for BB so get back in the gym ASAP :)
 

Ventara

Member
1650 is most likely your basal metabolic rate. I wouldn't go that low unless you're obese or have a good reason to crash diet. 2150 looks like a more realistic calorie intake so start with that and lower it a bit if you are in a plateau.

As for macros percentages, I don't like them because they don't guarantee you're satisfying your requirements. Instead go with at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, at least 70 grams of fat and the rest in carbs, no processed sugar. So something like 150g protein, 80g fat, and 205 carbs would be an example for you, which results in a 39/33/28 split. You can add more fat for less carbs if you feel like going low-carb.

Alight. Thanks for the help!
 

Azulsky

Member
Yesterday was my back day and that video motivated the fuck out of me for no reason.

Gotta work your back till you can see it from the front.
 
OUCH!

Just got back from the physio and holy shit was it painful. I was expecting the IT band rolling / massage to be uncomfortable, and it was, but it was nothing compared to the agony of him working on the bit where it attaches. I ended up having to bite my hand. lol

Have to go back for more next week. :(
 

mdsfx

Member
OUCH!

Just got back from the physio and holy shit was it painful. I was expecting the IT band rolling / massage to be uncomfortable, and it was, but it was nothing compared to the agony of him working on the bit where it attaches. I ended up having to bite my hand. lol

Have to go back for more next week. :(

I know all about this. Hurts like hell. Was he working on the outside of your knee or your hip? I'm guessing knee...

Not fun
 
Bony feeling bit on the outside of my knee. Throbbing like a motherfucker now. Was going to do back tonight but I think I'm going to skip it.
 
Couldn't you just keep away from bent over rows and anything that requires legs?

Sure, but that's about half of my routine, and if I'm honest it's not just about avoiding the pressure, it's partly feeling sorry for myself because it's hurting. :p
 

mdsfx

Member
Sure, but that's about half of my routine, and if I'm honest it's not just about avoiding the pressure, it's partly feeling sorry for myself because it's hurting. :p
Lol

Did the PT mention anything about the fatty tissue between the it band and bone? Or was he focused on something else? Just curious.
 
It's overuse mostly. Mountain biking with the seat lower than it should be (can't have it at proper height as will stop me being able to deal with descents properly).

He did say a few things about the area he was working on, but I was too busy seeing bright flashes of light to pay much attention.
 

mdsfx

Member
It's overuse mostly. Mountain biking with the seat lower than it should be (can't have it at proper height as will stop me being able to deal with descents properly).

He did say a few things about the area he was working on, but I was too busy seeing bright flashes of light to pay much attention.

Seems to be similar to what happened to me. I was doing a crapload of circuits, 5-6 days a week, even on leg days, where I was running in between lifting sets.

My legs couldn't handle it and had almost no time to recover, especially since I would do a long run on the weekend.

Lesson learned I guess... Why can't I just be invincible?
 
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