• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fitness |OT9|...You looked better before

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Thanks for sharing! I've done keto before and am fully aware of our body's addiction to carbs. A lot of things I used to blame on dairy like sinus congestion, increased allergy symptoms, colds more often, etc. I realized were from carbs and not dairy once I was deep in ketosis. I never got sick or even really noticed my seasonal allergies.

I'd really like to try a multi day fast. Currently I am fighting the cravings during my intermittent fasting because I really let that slide and was binging on ALL the sugar. :messenger_tears_of_joy: Once I'm adjusted back to 16:8 I'll try scaling my hours back until I can do a full 24 hours.
It's the carbs, man. I am not anti-carb but I consider them a dessert (even if it's a slice of bread). It'll be easy for you since you're already exercising. Don't scale back. Just go for the 24 hours. 💪 Folks are unreasonably skittish about longer fasting.

In regards to the cold and breathing training, are there any good resources online? I've heard of the wim hof stuff but if you're familiar with some good youtube channels, blogs or podcasts on the subject I would really love to learn more. I want to increase my oxygen capacity too!
I've been doing the Wim Hof method for about 2 years. He explains it here but honestly it's so stupid-simple that you don't need much in the way of instruction.

1. 20-30 lung-filling breaths in quick succession
2. Begin timer on your last exhale and make sure to push out as much air as you can.
3. Hold out as long as you can.
4. Hold your first inhale for about 15 seconds.
5. Stretch your limbs.
6. Repeat once or twice, or more if you wish.

I don't keep a journal, but make a mental note of how long you can hold the exhale. You'll see rapid improvement. The next level up is to attempt no-breathing pushups, sit-ups, etc. and to measure how many you can do. I highly recommend a round of breathing before and after any exercise session to pump up your blood/cellular oxygen. The difference will be obvious.

As far as cold training, push yourself until you shiver. Again, it's pretty stupid-simple. After a week of cold showers and some lighter clothing (plus the breathing), I was walking outside shirtless in 20F/-6C without any issue. I never pushed myself. When I shivered (a symptom that your brown fat can't keep up w the drop of temperature), I put on layers since I'm not trying to injure myself. Look up brown adipose fat and the role it plays if you want more info on the cold training. Heat-training works on the same principle: increase core body temp so that your body has to sweat (and burn calories) to cool off.

EDIT: to add to the cold training anecdote, I got down to -10F/-22C shirtless and my "routine" was a walk around a 1 mile loop, about 20m or so. My joints would begin to ache about halfway through but it was bearable. The more surprising thing was that I would get hit by wind and it wouldn't really sting or burn. It's kind of surreal when you experience how low you can go without shivering once you've built up that brown fat.
 
Last edited:
It's the carbs, man. I am not anti-carb but I consider them a dessert (even if it's a slice of bread). It'll be easy for you since you're already exercising. Don't scale back. Just go for the 24 hours. 💪 Folks are unreasonably skittish about longer fasting.


I've been doing the Wim Hof method for about 2 years. He explains it here but honestly it's so stupid-simple that you don't need much in the way of instruction.

1. 20-30 lung-filling breaths in quick succession
2. Begin timer on your last exhale and make sure to push out as much air as you can.
3. Hold out as long as you can.
4. Hold your first inhale for about 15 seconds.
5. Stretch your limbs.
6. Repeat once or twice, or more if you wish.

I don't keep a journal, but make a mental note of how long you can hold the exhale. You'll see rapid improvement. The next level up is to attempt no-breathing pushups, sit-ups, etc. and to measure how many you can do. I highly recommend a round of breathing before and after any exercise session to pump up your blood/cellular oxygen. The difference will be obvious.

As far as cold training, push yourself until you shiver. Again, it's pretty stupid-simple. After a week of cold showers and some lighter clothing (plus the breathing), I was walking outside shirtless in 20F/-6C without any issue. I never pushed myself. When I shivered (a symptom that your brown fat can't keep up w the drop of temperature), I put on layers since I'm not trying to injure myself. Look up brown adipose fat and the role it plays if you want more info on the cold training. Heat-training works on the same principle: increase core body temp so that your body has to sweat (and burn calories) to cool off.

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info here! You've given me a lot to review and think about. I have had issues in the past with uncontrollable shivering at weird times and I would love to be able to control that. I read some of David Goggin's autobiography Can't Hurt Me and he talked about being able to mentally push through it during seal training but it's something I haven't been able to do when it kicks in strong. I'm going to read what you linked about the brown adipose fat to see if that might be related to my shivering issues too. I think I will begin these breathing exercises on my next break. 💪

I might try to jump right into a 24 hr fast soon too but my wife is weird about me fasting during family meal time. I get why but I wish she'd be a little more understanding.
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Awesome! Thanks so much for the info here! You've given me a lot to review and think about. I have had issues in the past with uncontrollable shivering at weird times and I would love to be able to control that. I read some of David Goggin's biography Can't Hurt Me and he talked about being able to mentally push through it but it's something I haven't been able to do when it kicks in strong. I'm going to read what you linked about the brown adipose fat to see if that might be related to my shivering issues too. I think I will begin these breathing exercises on my next break. 💪

I might try to jump right into a 24 hr fast soon too but my wife is weird about me fasting during family meal time. I get why but I wish she'd be a little more understanding.
I hope it ends up being useful to you and helps with the shivering. I added an EDIT in my post above in case you didn't see it. I would encourage you to see how far you can push your body in terms of temperature and breathing. It is a force multiplier.

I only stuck with the method because it worked. I've never been a strong believer in any sort of "correct" exercise regimen or strict diet outside of the basics of proper form and avoiding injury, yet I stuck with this. I guess take that for what it's worth.

(peak fatness was around 300 lbs/136kg a few years ago and I'm 100 lbs lighter now)
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
So for the last half a year, I have gone for this hypertrophy program. No need to be stronger, just bigger. Four 1h sessions a week, 15 reps x 3-4 sets for everything. I have done 4 sessions a week every single week since March, haven’t missed a single week. Plus one or two HIIT run/swim sessions a week.

On nutrition side, I have tracked everything, averaging about 2,500kcal / day (mostly alcohol).

Amazingly, haven’t lost a single pound since March. Still BMI 31.4 (Obese). The only positive indicator is body fat, down from 31% to 27.8%.


CMgCdIZ.jpg
 
Last edited:
I hope it ends up being useful to you and helps with the shivering. I added an EDIT in my post above in case you didn't see it. I would encourage you to see how far you can push your body in terms of temperature and breathing. It is a force multiplier.

I only stuck with the method because it worked. I've never been a strong believer in any sort of "correct" exercise regimen or strict diet outside of the basics of proper form and avoiding injury, yet I stuck with this. I guess take that for what it's worth.

(peak fatness was around 300 lbs/136kg a few years ago and I'm 100 lbs lighter now)

I did 3 sets of the breathing exercise this morning after watching his video. It is really straight forward. During the first set my arms and hands were tingling and numb. It felt like I couldn't move my hands but I think it was just numbness. I actually get that feeling sometimes when I get anxiety driving which was interesting. I was able to hold for about a minute the first set. After the second set I was able to hold for 1 minute and 47 seconds. During the third set I had a bad coughing fit after 25 breaths which threw me off but I just waited until it was over and my throat was clear enough to continue and went from 25 to 40. This time I couldn't really hold it very long at all but I am pretty sure the coughing fit messed the process up.

This was HUGE for me as I have been having a stress related issues causing my blood pressure to increase and my fight or flight instinct to be triggered by small things. That has been dissipating since our son was placed in a group home but these last two days its been climbing again. I barely slept last night as I was tossing and turning, getting triggered over and over by our asshole, drunken neighbors upstairs. My head was throbbing and I just felt exhausted.

After this exercise it was almost as if all those symptoms had vanished and I just felt a very surreal calm. I am absolutely going to do this every morning going forward. It has been 5 hours now since I did this exercise and I am still feeling relaxed and was even able to get some work done that my anxiety had been causing me to procrastinate on.

The best part is that I have been trying to meditate but lately my brain has been too active and the anxiety just stops me in my tracks. This tool here I can do without worrying about what I am thinking about and get major relaxation benefits. Thank you DunDunDunpachi DunDunDunpachi !
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
I did 3 sets of the breathing exercise this morning after watching his video. It is really straight forward. During the first set my arms and hands were tingling and numb. It felt like I couldn't move my hands but I think it was just numbness. I actually get that feeling sometimes when I get anxiety driving which was interesting. I was able to hold for about a minute the first set. After the second set I was able to hold for 1 minute and 47 seconds. During the third set I had a bad coughing fit after 25 breaths which threw me off but I just waited until it was over and my throat was clear enough to continue and went from 25 to 40. This time I couldn't really hold it very long at all but I am pretty sure the coughing fit messed the process up.

This was HUGE for me as I have been having a stress related issues causing my blood pressure to increase and my fight or flight instinct to be triggered by small things. That has been dissipating since our son was placed in a group home but these last two days its been climbing again. I barely slept last night as I was tossing and turning, getting triggered over and over by our asshole, drunken neighbors upstairs. My head was throbbing and I just felt exhausted.

After this exercise it was almost as if all those symptoms had vanished and I just felt a very surreal calm. I am absolutely going to do this every morning going forward. It has been 5 hours now since I did this exercise and I am still feeling relaxed and was even able to get some work done that my anxiety had been causing me to procrastinate on.

The best part is that I have been trying to meditate but lately my brain has been too active and the anxiety just stops me in my tracks. This tool here I can do without worrying about what I am thinking about and get major relaxation benefits. Thank you DunDunDunpachi DunDunDunpachi !
Glad it helped! It's so simple, isn't it? I don't know about you, but I was initially weirded out by how noticeable and how beneficial the effects were. I was like "it's just breathing though...." but the effects were undeniable.
 
Glad it helped! It's so simple, isn't it? I don't know about you, but I was initially weirded out by how noticeable and how beneficial the effects were. I was like "it's just breathing though...." but the effects were undeniable.

It really is! I just went out to my car before eating for the first time today and did 3 more sets. It felt like it was much more controlled and I remembered to expel all my breath on the last out breath. Not forcing anything I slowly increased the length of time I could hold my breath from 1 minute to about 1:45 over the 3 sets. I think I am going to try to do this twice a day going forward.

What is really funny to me is that in high school me and my friends would play this game (this is why women live longer .gif) where we'd stand next to a wall and hyperventilate for 30 seconds or so and then hold our breath on the in breath and a fried would push on our chest (not sure why this worked so well) until you passed out. We called these "wall hits". We would gently let the person to the ground and then when they woke up we'd have some kind of fiction going on like a wartime scenario or something and due to their lack of cognition as they awoke they would eat it up. Hilariously dumb but it is the exact feeling I get from this without the forced pass out.

EDIT: About the wall hits. The only thing that is similar is the physical sensation of the body tingling and such as you get closer to passing out. I didn't get any perceived benefit from the wall hits that I recall. I enjoyed it enough to do it multiple times though so maybe I was getting some of the similar "high on your own supply" feelings. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
Last edited:
Went for a 2.5 mile dusk run and finished with a nice cold shower. My pace is slowly getting better and my body feels great.

Uq14PFP.jpg


While researching the Wim Hof Method I found there is a great app on iOS that’s completely free and includes the basic instructions, tracking tools, a custom timer designed for the method along with video and written tutorials. For 1.99 more you can unlock a few additional exercises which seemed like a good deal so I got those too. It’s a very thorough app for a free one. I didn’t see any of the tools locked behind a pay gate.

Here’s the link for iOS for anybody interested. I love this kind of tech for being able to track improvements. I believe there is an android version too.

Wim Hof Method by Innerfire B.V.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wim-hof-method/id890471578

Good night y’all, see you bright and early tomorrow! 💪👊
 
Just finished my morning breathing exercises. Fucked up the first round but I probably held for 1:30. I bumped the button on my phone and stopped it early. Time for a cold shower and to start the day!


qxwg8SC.jpg


I wanted to try the share feature out on the app but apparently its basic. The tracking is really nice though! My rounds were as follows:

Round 1: 1:30 approximately
Round 2: 1:36
Round 3: 1:55

I had a bit of soreness in my left calf and general tightness throughout my bod when I woke up. 42 is an achy age I find. After the breathing exercises the tightness in my calf is almost gone as well as all my aches. Really digging this stuff.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I had my 5 week post op follow up from my torn bicep tendon repair yesterday. Recovering is going great. Range of motion is better than expected, but not changes in plan. Still in brace and and no lifting over a pound. Usually don’t start PT for regaining strength until 12 weeks and the tendon and bone have to heal.

Also had bloodwork done for the liver area discomfort I’d been having and the slightly high blood sugar. All labs came back normal and the blood sugar isn’t high enough to worry about. Abdominal discomfort likely just some inflammation from all the Naproxen first month post op.

Gym wise I made it in twice this week and will hit it tomorrow again.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Tesseract

Banned
i've had like 30 surgeries for injuries and stuff, what i've noticed about tendon repair is the scar tissue demands lots of stretching to break down

otherwise it's gonna get knotted up, swell, and cause lots of pain after activity
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
i've had like 30 surgeries for injuries and stuff, what i've noticed about tendon repair is the scar tissue demands lots of stretching to break down

otherwise it's gonna get knotted up, swell, and cause lots of pain after activity

I should mostly be ok on that. It’s like a 1.5 inch incision and mostly healed already. I’m massaging the little scar area though.

The main thing that takes time with this one healing is having the half inch or so hole drilled in the bone and the tendon put through it with a button in the other side to keep it there. Takes a while for the bone to fill back on and secure the tendon, which is why no lifting over a pound for so long and usually a year until no lifting restrictions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
Hello everyone. I am roughly between 260-270 lbs and am restarting my weight loss journey. I was urged by a few folks (such as Yoshi Yoshi ) to post here. As I am moving, I do not currently have a scale to weigh myself, but once I fully move to my new place, I will try to post weekly updates on my progression.

My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week on average as to not get too much loose skin with a goal weight of 170 by this time next year.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Hello everyone. I am roughly between 260-270 lbs and am restarting my weight loss journey. I was urged by a few folks (such as Yoshi Yoshi ) to post here. As I am moving, I do not currently have a scale to weigh myself, but once I fully move to my new place, I will try to post weekly updates on my progression.

My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week on average as to not get too much loose skin with a goal weight of 170 by this time next year.
Great to see you here and good success on your journey. And even more importantly: Fun :).
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Alright, you've got to report back here or the fitgaf thread and let me know what you think! I'd probably try one if someone had a bag lying around but I can't bring myself to spend money on them.
Broke my fast today with a snack of crickets, mealworms, and some milk kefir. I read that chitin is prebiotic so it makes sense to pair it with a probiotic like kefir.

Utterly normal food. I think if they were wriggling around or if they were fresh (and therefore chewy) I might've been more squeamish about them. However, dried and salted? They just takes like... food.
 
Broke my fast today with a snack of crickets, mealworms, and some milk kefir. I read that chitin is prebiotic so it makes sense to pair it with a probiotic like kefir.

Utterly normal food. I think if they were wriggling around or if they were fresh (and therefore chewy) I might've been more squeamish about them. However, dried and salted? They just takes like... food.

So was it just like munching on some bugles or something crunchy like that? It doesn’t sound nearly as bad as it seems in my head. 😂

I’ll have to learn more about pre vs probiotics one of these days. We take probiotics sometimes but I’ve read studies that taking random probiotics can have a negative effect too so I’ve kind of slowed on them.

Personally I think our bodies are as complex as the universe and we probably know as much about how they work too. I love the journey of understanding my body as best I can though.

Faust Faust Good luck!! You can do it and it sounds like you have a sensible plan on the weight loss.

For me what worked best was a combination of eating better (and less) along with a sustainable exercise program. I’ve found for myself when I stop exercising I also have an increased appetite for garbage. I think they go hand in hand whether it’s physiological or psychological.

This is just me though and if there is one thing that losing weight and getting fit has taught me is that we are all different and we need to find what works for us individually.

I’m excited to see the updates!! Seeing others progress is always helpful and inspiring!! You’ve got this. ❤️💪👊
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
So was it just like munching on some bugles or something crunchy like that? It doesn’t sound nearly as bad as it seems in my head. 😂

I’ll have to learn more about pre vs probiotics one of these days. We take probiotics sometimes but I’ve read studies that taking random probiotics can have a negative effect too so I’ve kind of slowed on them.

Personally I think our bodies are as complex as the universe and we probably know as much about how they work too. I love the journey of understanding my body as best I can though.
Both terms are just modern buzzwords. Prebiotics are loosely defined as fibrous foods that nourish gut bacteria. Pretty much all food is "prebiotic" by this definition, even refined sugar. Probiotics are foods that deliver beneficial gut bacteria to your digestive tract.

Eat probiotic foods and don't bother with probiotic pills. Milk kefir (aerobic fermentation) and sauerkraut (anaerobic lactofermentation) are my go-to probiotics. They are easy to make and inexpensive, yet they are both considered two of the most beneficial probiotic foods available.

Once I solved how I could lose weight at will, I turned my attention to how I can maximize the nutritional content of my meals. Eating one meal a day -- or once every few days -- really forces you to consider the "value" of the food you're eating during that meal.

After I solved that, I turned my attention to how can I maximize the absorption of that nutrition in my body. This last piece is often omitted but I think it may be the most important one, especially in our modern era of supplements and packaged food and imbalanced diets. Probiotics appear to be the key to proper nutrient absorption, since it is mostly our gut bacteria breaking down those compounds into usable nutrients.
 

Tesseract

Banned
i don't touch gut flora stuff, science isn't there i don't think and i never get sick

but i got irish and viking and german blood in me so who knows
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
i don't touch gut flora stuff, science isn't there i don't think and i never get sick

but i got irish and viking and german blood in me so who knows
I think the science to bottle it and wrap it into an effective pill isn't there.

However, the science on the value of fermented foods is so exhaustive it's almost boring. It's rather simple: a not-zero amount of the food you eat gets pooped out. The amount of nutrition you can extract from that lump of food is dependent on the health of your guts. The term "bioavailable" should be familiar to anyone who takes supplements, since we know that just because it says 1,000mg on the bottle doesn't mean your body will absorb all that. Example: the absorption of magnesium oxide versus magnesium citrate.

Your guts do their best to break down the food and extract nutrition before it exits your butthole. If your guts are full of symbiotic bacteria, then your guts will be more effective at that role. A healthy gut = improved ability to absorb nutrition from anything you eat. That is aside from the fact that fermented foods are already semi-"digested" i.e. slightly broken down and more "bioavailable" compared to the raw form.
 

Tesseract

Banned
I think the science to bottle it and wrap it into an effective pill isn't there.

However, the science on the value of fermented foods is so exhaustive it's almost boring. It's rather simple: a not-zero amount of the food you eat gets pooped out. The amount of nutrition you can extract from that lump of food is dependent on the health of your guts. The term "bioavailable" should be familiar to anyone who takes supplements, since we know that just because it says 1,000mg on the bottle doesn't mean your body will absorb all that. Example: the absorption of magnesium oxide versus magnesium citrate.

Your guts do their best to break down the food and extract nutrition before it exits your butthole. If your guts are full of symbiotic bacteria, then your guts will be more effective at that role. A healthy gut = improved ability to absorb nutrition from anything you eat. That is aside from the fact that fermented foods are already semi-"digested" i.e. slightly broken down and more "bioavailable" compared to the raw form.

aren't most guts already healthy enough to extract whatever is needed, folic supples if your doctor says you gotta deficiency

seems you are better off eating more enriched food, maybe some granulate powder caffeine pills

there are diminishing returns with nutrient absorption
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
aren't most guts already healthy enough to extract whatever is needed, folic supples if your doctor says you gotta deficiency

seems you are better off eating more enriched food, maybe some granulate powder caffeine pills

there are diminishing returns with nutrient absorption
You tell me: are the increasing rates of Crohn's, IBS, food allergies, and other digestive conditions a sign of "healthy guts"?

It's something worth looking into. We're not talking about an overhaul of lifestyle. Fermented foods are cheap and easy to make.
 

Tesseract

Banned
You tell me: are the increasing rates of Crohn's, IBS, food allergies, and other digestive conditions a sign of "healthy guts"?

It's something worth looking into. We're not talking about an overhaul of lifestyle. Fermented foods are cheap and easy to make.

those seem like disorders activated by horrendous diets, faulty genes, other

flora health science is kinda junk, and there's plenty of unwanted side effects to go with the foods

to be blunt, all microorganism research i've read indicates it's a step removed from homeopathic quackery
 
Last edited:
I just got back from a short run. 1.5 miles. I feel like the breathing exercises are taking a small toll initially on my run because I’m overworking the diaphragm with the addition of the new exercise. I’m sure overall it will help my runs improve as the diaphragm strengthens.

In regards to the probiotics I heard a Rogan podcast with Dr. Rhonda Patrick and she is heavy into the gut studies. She recently tweeted about a report that probiotics are very personal and what works for one might actually be detrimental to another and that these pills can actually perpetuate bad gut biomes.

If I remember correctly she suggested sticking with food sources until the science improves as well. I can’t keep up with it all though.

EDIT: I have pretty severe gut issues but I’ve also had a shit diet for the first 3/4 of my life. I’ve only worked on eating better over the last 8-9 years really. Foods high in processed carbs and sugars seem to cause me most of the issues.
 
Last edited:
After a rough week last week mentally I am starting to get back at it again. Ran 3.05 miles in 31:32. I haven't done the breathing exercises in a few days and I was still feeling a subtle strain on my diaphragm that I am not used to. I want to incorporate the Wim Hof stuff back in or do the breathing exercises on non run days.

Right now establishing my routine is the most important thing and running is the exercise that is the core of that routine for me. I hope the rest of fitgaf is doing well.
 
Got a 2.3 mile run in before 6 am today. My pace is down to 9:45 per mile which felt good. I am going to focus on getting my mile pace down to around 8 minutes per mile I think before I start increasing my distance much more. Once there I want to increase my distance to about 10k and reassess.

The longest I've ran in one go is about 15 miles while training for the Portland Marathon back in 2011. I bonked hard after that run and stopped training about 3 months before the marathon. Since I was registered for it I decided to go and do it anyways. I managed to run for about 10 miles before needing to walk. It took me about 7.5 hours to complete it but I finished that motherfucker. Limping and half dead. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

I'd like to do it again but properly and finish under 4 hours at least. The 50th anniversary is coming up in a couple years I think (if it is still around) so I think I will try to make that my goal.

I kept the map that I printed of the route from the year I ran it and have had it pinned up on the wall of my cubicle at work for motivation:


Oz6sDY7.jpg
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Got a 2.3 mile run in before 6 am today. My pace is down to 9:45 per mile which felt good. I am going to focus on getting my mile pace down to around 8 minutes per mile I think before I start increasing my distance much more. Once there I want to increase my distance to about 10k and reassess.

Just FYI, it's generally advised to do the opposite. Work on distance, and then pace. Reason being going faster generates more impact so going to fast too soon is a good way to get shin splints, knee pain, foot pain etc. So is going to far, but that's harder to do when working into shape.

I've always been a fan of couch to 5k or similar run/walk plans when getting back into running after long layoffs. It can be boring/frustrating (especially if trying to lose weight), but it beats having an injury set back being able to run at all for a month or longer. To each their own though, you guys posting in here are into some pretty hard core shit and I tore my biceps tendon in my third week back in the gym in May so I'm sensitive to doing to much too soon and overtraining. :D
 
Just FYI, it's generally advised to do the opposite. Work on distance, and then pace. Reason being going faster generates more impact so going to fast too soon is a good way to get shin splints, knee pain, foot pain etc. So is going to far, but that's harder to do when working into shape.

I've always been a fan of couch to 5k or similar run/walk plans when getting back into running after long layoffs. It can be boring/frustrating (especially if trying to lose weight), but it beats having an injury set back being able to run at all for a month or longer. To each their own though, you guys posting in here are into some pretty hard core shit and I tore my biceps tendon in my third week back in the gym in May so I'm sensitive to doing to much too soon and overtraining. :D

I've heard both philosophies regarding distance vs. speed but one thing that stuck out to me was a coach that said you need to be able to run the pace you want before you can run the distance. So for example if you want to run a marathon with an 8 minute pace, you first need to be able to run a 5k at that pace, then a 10k and so on.

My base seems to be pretty good still, I've just put on about 20 pounds and am having trouble getting my diet tightened back up. I tend to listen to my body during exercise and have been pretty successful at avoiding injury over the last few years aside from a bad big toe joint that is either a bone spur or arthritic and a recurring shoulder issue that seems like inflammation.

I definitely appreciate you looking out though because it is really discouraging (as you know right now) to have an avoidable injury slow you down.
 

Ornlu

Banned
I've heard both philosophies regarding distance vs. speed but one thing that stuck out to me was a coach that said you need to be able to run the pace you want before you can run the distance. So for example if you want to run a marathon with an 8 minute pace, you first need to be able to run a 5k at that pace, then a 10k and so on.

My base seems to be pretty good still, I've just put on about 20 pounds and am having trouble getting my diet tightened back up. I tend to listen to my body during exercise and have been pretty successful at avoiding injury over the last few years aside from a bad big toe joint that is either a bone spur or arthritic and a recurring shoulder issue that seems like inflammation.

I definitely appreciate you looking out though because it is really discouraging (as you know right now) to have an avoidable injury slow you down.

I have always felt for folks who seem prone to injury; for some reason there are people who can look at a warmup wrong and tear a meniscus, and there are others who can go 0 to 100 at any time and never have an issue. I definitely agree with the bolded; taking others' advice will only get you so far. It's ultimately your body.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I've heard both philosophies regarding distance vs. speed but one thing that stuck out to me was a coach that said you need to be able to run the pace you want before you can run the distance. So for example if you want to run a marathon with an 8 minute pace, you first need to be able to run a 5k at that pace, then a 10k and so on.

My base seems to be pretty good still, I've just put on about 20 pounds and am having trouble getting my diet tightened back up. I tend to listen to my body during exercise and have been pretty successful at avoiding injury over the last few years aside from a bad big toe joint that is either a bone spur or arthritic and a recurring shoulder issue that seems like inflammation.

I definitely appreciate you looking out though because it is really discouraging (as you know right now) to have an avoidable injury slow you down.

Listening to your body is definitely key. I didn't and that's how I tore the biceps tendon. It was on the third set and I knew after the first I'd upped weight too soon and was just lazy about taking the two 25s off on lugging them across the gym to lug back four 10s (no racks by the preacher curl bench). Figured I'd just do fewer reps and pushed it too far.

In terms of pace/vs. distance, be mindful that it's different for people worrying about pace on a half or full marathon vs. people getting into/back into running. Someone worrying about time in long distance races is usually already a runner and have build up their muscles, joints etc. for running. Someone that's new/returning and can't do a 5k without walk breaks hasn't built that up yet and is more likely to have problems flare up if they push either pace or distance too soon. But you'll probably be fine if you listen to your body--though I had a pretty bad knee flair up last year when I was trying to get back into it and got bored with Couch to 5K and just ran 2 miles at around a 9 minute pace. Swelled up and couldn't run for about a month. Everyone is different as Ornlu notes though. I'm not too heavy (could lose 15lbs or so to get back in the 150s after too much beer and too little exercise the past couple of years) but being 40 my body just doesn't hold up and recover as well as it used to.
 
Listening to your body is definitely key. I didn't and that's how I tore the biceps tendon. It was on the third set and I knew after the first I'd upped weight too soon and was just lazy about taking the two 25s off on lugging them across the gym to lug back four 10s (no racks by the preacher curl bench). Figured I'd just do fewer reps and pushed it too far.

In terms of pace/vs. distance, be mindful that it's different for people worrying about pace on a half or full marathon vs. people getting into/back into running. Someone worrying about time in long distance races is usually already a runner and have build up their muscles, joints etc. for running. Someone that's new/returning and can't do a 5k without walk breaks hasn't built that up yet and is more likely to have problems flare up if they push either pace or distance too soon. But you'll probably be fine if you listen to your body--though I had a pretty bad knee flair up last year when I was trying to get back into it and got bored with Couch to 5K and just ran 2 miles at around a 9 minute pace. Swelled up and couldn't run for about a month. Everyone is different as Ornlu notes though. I'm not too heavy (could lose 15lbs or so to get back in the 150s after too much beer and too little exercise the past couple of years) but being 40 my body just doesn't hold up and recover as well as it used to.

I think I am blessed with a pretty great lower half. I have trouble with overexerting myself when I do upper body work but running and 20-30 body weight squats a day has really helped me avoid any similar issues with my lower body. I took a couple of months off from running but I still found time to squat and such.

On the flip side if I do 15 push ups sometimes it will cause my shoulder to flare up and I will have to avoid shoulder exercise for a week or two to let it heal. The human body is a weird, crazy beautiful thing. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Ornlu

Banned
I think I am blessed with a pretty great lower half. I have trouble with overexerting myself when I do upper body work but running and 20-30 body weight squats a day has really helped me avoid any similar issues with my lower body. I took a couple of months off from running but I still found time to squat and such.

On the flip side if I do 15 push ups sometimes it will cause my shoulder to flare up and I will have to avoid shoulder exercise for a week or two to let it heal. The human body is a weird, crazy beautiful thing. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

For sure! I almost never work out my legs, as I put on muscle so fast there that I can literally have pants that don't fit after 1 week of getting back into leg workouts. Upper body I put on mass in the chest/torso basically instantly, but my arms take a long time. So I feel like if I consistently did whole body workouts, I would have skinny arms and an odd looking ripped torso with tree trunk legs. Oh, and my neck is 2 sizes too big for my body size no matter what. The only real reason I keep up with weights at all these days is basically to keep a decent body image, and to try and keep everything proportional.
 
For sure! I almost never work out my legs, as I put on muscle so fast there that I can literally have pants that don't fit after 1 week of getting back into leg workouts. Upper body I put on mass in the chest/torso basically instantly, but my arms take a long time. So I feel like if I consistently did whole body workouts, I would have skinny arms and an odd looking ripped torso with tree trunk legs. Oh, and my neck is 2 sizes too big for my body size no matter what. The only real reason I keep up with weights at all these days is basically to keep a decent body image, and to try and keep everything proportional.

I am sure a part of this is due to our more sedentary lifestyle in the last 150 or so years. We just don't use our arms as much as our legs in life since we aren't fighting and hunting to survive these days. I feel the same way about my arms too! My forearms are pretty nice but I don't really have defined biceps. When I am feeling especially self conscious my arms are usually what causes it along with the ever present gut.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
On the flip side if I do 15 push ups sometimes it will cause my shoulder to flare up and I will have to avoid shoulder exercise for a week or two to let it heal. The human body is a weird, crazy beautiful thing. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Same here, I have various things I just can't do due to past injuries/flair ups.

Can't do barbell bench press due to a shoulder injury years ago, so I stick with dumbbell bench press that for some reason doesn't bother it. Can't do skull curshers, overhead dumbell extensions or dips due to a left tricep injury (must have tore something doing overhead press, MRI was fine when they checked my arm for the bicep though), so I stick with rope pull downs and kickbacks that don't bother it.

Now preacher curls will be out after the tear. I'm going to stay away from barbells/ez curl bars for anything outside of big muscle things like squats and deadlifts. Just too much risk of tearing something on your weaker side for things like bicep curls and tricep extensions etc. I'm not trying to get swole or anything anyway. Just add a little muscle mass once I'm able to lift again and then maintain it in effort to up the metabolism a bit as I move further into my 40s. I'd like to keep drinking some beer and wine (though less than the past couple of years) and not have the 15ish extra pounds around the mid-section that crept up over the past 5 years or so. Need to be down around 150-155 and not 170ish.
 
Same here, I have various things I just can't do due to past injuries/flair ups.

Can't do barbell bench press due to a shoulder injury years ago, so I stick with dumbbell bench press that for some reason doesn't bother it. Can't do skull curshers, overhead dumbell extensions or dips due to a left tricep injury (must have tore something doing overhead press, MRI was fine when they checked my arm for the bicep though), so I stick with rope pull downs and kickbacks that don't bother it.

Now preacher curls will be out after the tear. I'm going to stay away from barbells/ez curl bars for anything outside of big muscle things like squats and deadlifts. Just too much risk of tearing something on your weaker side for things like bicep curls and tricep extensions etc. I'm not trying to get swole or anything anyway. Just add a little muscle mass once I'm able to lift again and then maintain it in effort to up the metabolism a bit as I move further into my 40s. I'd like to keep drinking some beer and wine (though less than the past couple of years) and not have the 15ish extra pounds around the mid-section that crept up over the past 5 years or so. Need to be down around 150-155 and not 170ish.

I have never really done any weight lifting myself. I've always been fairly naturally competitive as an athlete without doing much strength training or conditioning. This had a detrimental affect as I grew up though because I thought I could skate by in life without putting in much effort. I served in the Army but instead of taking care of myself I shot myself in the foot at every turn. Smoked a pack a day, had pizza delivered 3-4 nights a week or more and drank essentially every night. Somehow I was still able to pass my fitness tests but it was a constant struggle because of all the self sabotage.

At 42 my perspective has completely flipped and while I wish it had happened sooner, I am glad it did. I still avoid weight lifting mainly due to access and not having IRL folks to workout with. I believe that our bodies (and a good pair of running shoes) are all we really need. I would really like to see what benefits weight lifting would bring me though so if the opportunity arises I will definitely do so.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I would really like to see what benefits weight lifting would bring me though so if the opportunity arises I will definitely do so.

The main things you'd gain there vs. just running and body weight stuff is:

1. Strengthening muscle and connective tissue which can reduce injury risk for the cardio stuff and help with muscle endurance.

2. Putting on a bit of muscle and looking better (to most people anyway).

3. Upping the metabolism by putting on muscle as you burn more calories at rest maintaining more muscle. It's something like putting on 10lbs of muscle (admittedly not easy to do, especially for a small framed, already high metabolism person like myself) burns an extra 3,000+ calories a week at rest.

I wouldn't let not having others to work out with bother you unless you just hate not having a partner for social reasons. Unless you're wanting to get into powerlifting or whatever you don't need a spotter to achieve gains. You just have to avoid/be careful with going to close to failure on things like barbell bench press where you can get stuck if you can't complete a rep. And even if you want to do that, it's super common for people in the gym to ask for spots from strangers if they're going heavy or feel shaky going into a last set. Totally normal and dudes are always willing to help out.

I was pretty into hitting the gym regularly from my early 20s through early 30s. I fell off it after moving to Atlanta for work after grad school (was just busier etc.) and then got into jogging for a few years from 30-35 or so. I mostly fell off after meeting my now wife. Got busier, didn't have that find someone pressure to look good, end up drinking more as she's a drinker too and I was doing a lot more social stuff.

I opted to join the gym as I kept failing to get back into running as it's just so damn hard to do it here from April to October or so. It's so hot and humid and I'm not a morning person at all so I'm not getting up before 8 or so at the earliest. Obviously that got off to a bad start with the bicep tear, and I've struggled to get motivated for cardio as I can't do anything intensive yet and walking on the treadmill or using the recumbant bikes gets boring--and my new gym is pretty hot in the summer as well which sucks. Plan on sucking it up and getting back to that light cardio, some leg and ab machine stuff next week and do that until I get the clear in a month or so to start PT/rehab on my arm and will go from there. Will work in some jogging/biking outside in fall/winter when it cools down.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Drake

Member
So I like setting little goals for myself. Been having issues with dumbell bench press and shoulder pain. If I'm completely honest it's probably due to bad form. So I started doing barbell bench again using perfect form. No issues with shoulder pain anymore, so I'm gonna stick with barbell for now. Anyways as for goals I'm shooting for benching my body weight 10 times. I'm 155 right now and I was able to bench 155 6 times on my 4th set, so I feel like this goal should be attainable within the next few months.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Man, my right knee is killing me. Every time I almost fix my issues I sure as fuck immediatly fuck it up again. I just cannot accept that leg press is doing some shit with my knee. Every time I go below a certain agle I feel a light crack in my knee joint and then my knee hurts for a day or two. I hate this shit.

Funny thing is that I know the very moment my knee is halfway there again I'm going to try it one more time. I CANNOT ACCEPT IT. I already fixed it for an extend period of time a few years ago and I'm going to do it again.
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Getting back on the wagon this week. Hit the gym yesterday and today. Leg machines yesterday, ab stuff today (still can't do upper body stuff while my arm heals) and then did week 1 couch to 5k session on the treadmill. I was bored of walking for 30 minutes on it and my arm seems fine with light jogging. Burns a few more calories and will help me get back into shape for some 3-5 mile outdoor runs this fall/winter when the weather cools. Wife and I made a "no booze at home on weeknights" pact to try and cut back calories and spending on beer--we'll see if we can stick to it this time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
those seem like disorders activated by horrendous diets, faulty genes, other

flora health science is kinda junk, and there's plenty of unwanted side effects to go with the foods

to be blunt, all microorganism research i've read indicates it's a step removed from homeopathic quackery

This couldn't be more wrong. Gut health is the most overlooked part of a healthy body
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
Man, my right knee is killing me. Every time I almost fix my issues I sure as fuck immediatly fuck it up again. I just cannot accept that leg press is doing some shit with my knee. Every time I go below a certain agle I feel a light crack in my knee joint and then my knee hurts for a day or two. I hate this shit.

Funny thing is that I know the very moment my knee is halfway there again I'm going to try it one more time. I CANNOT ACCEPT IT. I already fixed it for an extend period of time a few years ago and I'm going to do it again.

You need to be careful as you are going to cause some permanent damage. Are you foam rolling all the muscles that support that knee?
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
Just because we have a very early understand of gut health does not mean it is quakery like homeopathy

obviously I'm talking about the science, not the people selling you shit like ONNIT. You don't need to buy any products to built a healthy gut microbiome. Unless of course, you are sick or have an impairment
 
Last edited:

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
You need to be careful as you are going to cause some permanent damage. Are you foam rolling all the muscles that support that knee?
I’m pretty sure the damage is already there. I’m just trying to make the best of it. Also I am pretty sure it’s going to get better once I gain weight again. However, since I’m doing it so slowly, it takes a lot of time.

But I did notice something interesting. After my knee what bothering me quite a lot yesterday I cooled it a bit after work. It didn’t help a lot at first but curiously it got a lot better once I additionally started to cool my ankle. You know, the funny thing is that I never had an injury on my knee, however I did have one on my ankle a few years ago. Could the injury from my ankle be the reason I have the knee issues in the first place? Hmmm... :pie_thinking:
I think I’ll have to test that.
 

Tesseract

Banned
Just because we have a very early understand of gut health does not mean it is quakery like homeopathy

obviously I'm talking about the science, not the people selling you shit like ONNIT. You don't need to buy any products to built a healthy gut microbiome. Unless of course, you are sick or have an impairment

it's early so we shouldn't say one way or the other, but lean towards 'ah fuck no' to things that target gut flora with health promises, which may not even be possible outside of transplants
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom