Thank you. Too late of course for the old stuff but will do that now for the new data.
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Health, Good Practises, and Exercise
- Thread starter Huntn
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Back to the topic, I'm becoming a gym rat. For now I stopped the weight training and am concentrating on cardiovascular. For the last few months, I average 6 days a week, work out about an hour on the elliptical (as it's non-impact). I have a regimented routing as I set a resistance level and target heart-rate for 45 minutes.
My diet has suffered a little with all of the exercise and I haven't yet found the balance between all the exercise and diet.
My diet has suffered a little with all of the exercise and I haven't yet found the balance between all the exercise and diet.
Good work. Six days a week is a strong commitment. I previously conducted all my workouts right at home for years, in which I converted a spare bedroom into a fitness room with all my weights/workout equipment. Most recently back in July, I started my first gym membership to develop my B.B routine, and I have absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. As you mentioned, being a ‘gym rat’, is something I find passion in, because I really do enjoy bettering myself and setting goals that I want to achieve long term.
Plus for me, I just enjoy the gym atmosphere where I have zero distractions, (I don’t carry my iPhone with me and I don’t even listen to music with headphones), I focus strictly on my work out for however long it takes. When I used to work out at home, one of the things that was a major annoyance , was being distracted with a phone call, A knock at the door, I didn’t even watch TV.
However, The caveat being more dedicated to Weight training, my cardio actually has deceased, and I was one that was running 4/5 days a week outside in any weather conditions, but the majority of my weightlifting has superseded that.
One of things that you mentioned was interesting how you said you haven’t found the ‘balance between exercise and diet’, I always find that I’m constantly making adjustments to my eating routine, because my body is experiencing physical changes with myself trying to add muscle, thus requiring a higher caloric intake, and there are days where I’m having to supplement additional calories where I didn’t think I needed too, or, I find myself becoming hungrier more often because of the amount of energy I’m exerting by burning through my glycogen fuel store in the body, which I’m having to increase my food intake. It really is a constant battle and an adjustment Phase throughout this entire process that is a challenge in its own, but rewarding when you see the results Over the course of time.
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So after reading your post, I decided to start my circuit training weight workouts again. I did that tonight, went light and didn't kill myself. Tomorrow is cardio again.
I found out that home exercise equipment doesn't motivate me. I like going to the gym. Get's me out of the house and away from distractions. When I do cardio I do binge on netflix and prime shows. It makes the hour on the equipment go like that. When I workout I listen to music. I have an old set of motorola s9 headphones, that serve me well.
Whatever one does, doing it is better than not doing it.
Awesome. That’s good that your interchanging your cardio between your weight training, where you have on/off days in between.
So what I have been transitioning to lately, is that I know I can lift a heavy amount of weight, but I have been focusing on high repetitions with a moderate weight focusing on exhausting the muscles, but the key is, I’m only taking 30 second breaks in between my sets, not allowing the Muscles having enough time to recover. The last two sets I go to failure. (Basically means until I can no longer lift the weight.)
Agree here. Aside from the distractions, I always felt like when I did my work outs at home, it seemed like it took an eternity. I always work hard during my workouts and that’s been my main theme for years, but when I go to the gym, at minimum I am they are usually two hours, and it feels like 20 minutes when I am through, mainly because I’m more concentrated and I don’t have any hesitation between my workouts. When I am currently in the midst of one work out, I’m already mentally planning what my next excercise will be. I think that really helps to stay busy.
So this might sound strange:
But when I actually do my workouts, one consideration I always do, I try to not look at the clock. And I own an Apple Watch, and I actually don’t even wear it to the gym (Which I use primarily for notifications), because I find if I look at the clock, it slows me down where I am concentrating on the time versus distracting me away from that mind-muscle connection.
I see quite a few gym members to bring an iPad, books, e-readers to the gym in the cardio area on treadmill or stair stepper. It’s a nice distraction to have where you can multitask and immerse themselves in media/reading over any fatigue.
The only thing that I don’t necessarily understand, you have some in the gym in the weight-lifting area, they sit on the bench on their smart phones for 8/9 minutes in between sets before lifting again, which really is pointless in terms of actually ‘working out’ when they are completely distracted by their phone. Now, I understand everyone has different goals and mindsets, but as a weightlifter, it’s _really_ important to have that muscle-mind connection and sometimes there has to be that disconnect away from social media in the Gym.
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I wish I could upvote this a 1,000 times. It actually pisses me off to see members sitting on the equipment immersed in their phones, hogging the equipment.
When I do my sets I am completely focused on that and spend the absolute minimum amount of time on the equipment that I need to based on the particular exercise. These workout machines are sometimes treated as chez lounges.
Lord, my Ashtanga teacher is in town. At least year out, 2 months more or less.
Soooo timely. I just wrote a long letter of complains to the gym about one of the instructors down there.
I have never done that before re instructors, but this idiot stepped over everything that people in that kind of position should do.
Wont tell any details. But it sure had me wondering if I should renew my subscription, that ends in a month, down there.
Obviously not. Yippee
My Ashtanga teacher is in town.
As I don't read the Facebook, nor hers where she probably announced it, I didn't know.
But there's some kind of sync, she just arrived, and I was searching the yoga possibilities in town just now.
After she left, I might do some Bikram, or it could be time for the Kung Fu.
Soooo timely. I just wrote a long letter of complains to the gym about one of the instructors down there.
I have never done that before re instructors, but this idiot stepped over everything that people in that kind of position should do.
Wont tell any details. But it sure had me wondering if I should renew my subscription, that ends in a month, down there.
Obviously not. Yippee
My Ashtanga teacher is in town.
As I don't read the Facebook, nor hers where she probably announced it, I didn't know.
But there's some kind of sync, she just arrived, and I was searching the yoga possibilities in town just now.
After she left, I might do some Bikram, or it could be time for the Kung Fu.
So there’s a new opened yoga studio, with many variations of yoga, in town too. Super.
Now it’s happening something in this town, that might get the fake Ashtanga teachers out of the picture eventually.
No, they don’t have any authorized Ashtanga teachers there either. Except mine that will be 'home' for awhile.
She’s from this town. See how long she stays this time.
At least they don’t call it Ashtanga at this studio but Vinyasa Yoga when they have no authorization.
Same concept in other cities in Sweden so it seems to go fine for them.
This I really like. Might sign up for a membership there.
Now it’s happening something in this town, that might get the fake Ashtanga teachers out of the picture eventually.
No, they don’t have any authorized Ashtanga teachers there either. Except mine that will be 'home' for awhile.
She’s from this town. See how long she stays this time.
At least they don’t call it Ashtanga at this studio but Vinyasa Yoga when they have no authorization.
Same concept in other cities in Sweden so it seems to go fine for them.
This I really like. Might sign up for a membership there.
It's kind of - pardon my language - ********. There are individuals who "codified" specific series/patterns of positions, effectively creating their own marketable programs and their own certification. Ashtanga is K. Pattabhi Jois, Bikram is Bikram Choudhury which is just hatha yoga, but when done in his 26 pose pattern, is basically copyrighted - do the same positions mixed in a different order, it's not Bikram, you don't pay his exorbitant fees to be "authorized" (a local studio did just this, no longer "official Bikram", but still hatha based hot yoga, using much of the same techniques and has come under some legal issues - Bikram I think is a bit of dirtbag, and not just for his business practices ...)
In the US there are Yoga organizations, that have competitions, etc., so there's some standardization for technique (and what's considered good/bad), but I don't know if they provide any regulatory oversight (and it's not like you couldn't open a Yoga studio and charge/teach without concern over the yoga police coming to get you).
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I think authorization is extremely important today. Yoga is exploding and the ethics behind it is many times questionable and there's people that don't have enough knowledge, experience and ethics to teach it. Check it up throughly if you're interested in some schools or teachers.
I can mainly speak for Ashtanga, as that is the kind of yoga I am doing today.
Lots of people teach it today without having any authorization. It's even dangerous.
Different kinds of yoga have their different authorization and teacher system.
If interested, check it up throughly.
And yes, it's true K. Pattabhi Jois is the founder of Ashtanga. Nowadays his grandson Sharath Jois is leading the Ashtanga forward and do the quality control through his authorization today. In ashtanga it's more then the postures in itself, it's about the understanding and the ethics in the assisting part of the students. That is a very important part in the Ashtanga. People who don't have authorization, is a no no for me totally today.
I'm sure there's good teachers that don't take advantage of students without authorization, but I've seen and experienced enough to not trust it today.
It's also a lot of money in the yoga industry today.
In youth I was also into Bihar School of yoga that was led of Swami Satyananda. It's where I learned meditation and the basics of yoga.
His successors run the thing today. He left his body pretty amazingly though. No ordinary death among highly developed yogis.
His body was found sitting in padmasana (lotus pose) when his soul had left. Still sitting up.
Bikram has its specific postures and the all warmed up room to not forget mentioning. As that is a big part of the Bikram. The heat.
It's hot in ashtanga too, when a lot of people practice and sweat like hell in one room. It's not pre-heated though.
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Don't get me wrong, I've practiced yoga on and off for 20+ years, including the aforementioned systems, other flavors of flow, strength, hot variants, etc., so I can totally appreciate the need for teachers who are qualified in some capacity, but having been friends with people who run some local studios, I can't believe the BS and business practices of some of the more well known founders.
I think the best takeaway is your point about "check it up thoroughly", if there's a studio and you're interested, do your research
I think the best takeaway is your point about "check it up thoroughly", if there's a studio and you're interested, do your research
Relentless Power’s meal replacement shake:
{I use this once a day as an ‘in between’ either Pre-(or) Post workout: But I promise, it tastes good, given some of the odd concoctions combined} :
~20 ounces of 2% milk (Or skim if desired)
~Two scoops Of Protein powder
~Two scoops of raw uncooked oatmeal
~One banana
~One tablespoon of Peanut Butter
~One Boiled Egg (Or Egg whites as a substitute)
~Six raw almonds
~Two ounces of organic baby spinach
[Blend for approximately for 45 seconds, if you want it thicker, you can add more raw oatmeal.]
Altogether, the banana overrides the taste of the protein powder and spinach, in which the egg and oatmeal provide the thickness with the protein and carbohydrate. The almonds provide the healthy fat, but also give that nutty flavor, but this really *is* an amazing shake.
End Result:
{I use this once a day as an ‘in between’ either Pre-(or) Post workout: But I promise, it tastes good, given some of the odd concoctions combined} :
~20 ounces of 2% milk (Or skim if desired)
~Two scoops Of Protein powder
~Two scoops of raw uncooked oatmeal
~One banana
~One tablespoon of Peanut Butter
~One Boiled Egg (Or Egg whites as a substitute)
~Six raw almonds
~Two ounces of organic baby spinach
[Blend for approximately for 45 seconds, if you want it thicker, you can add more raw oatmeal.]
Altogether, the banana overrides the taste of the protein powder and spinach, in which the egg and oatmeal provide the thickness with the protein and carbohydrate. The almonds provide the healthy fat, but also give that nutty flavor, but this really *is* an amazing shake.
End Result:
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90 Day Weigh in: (80 sessions in/165 Hours)
~Down 1% Body Fat
~Gained two pounds of muscle
My weight actually spiked, even though I have been ‘cutting’ and straying away from anything fatty, but I have been supplementing now with (two) weight gainer/meal shakes a day to continue to bulk that I make right at home [See above post].
The most surprising thing is actually that my chest has expanded a full inch since the start of my B.B. routine in July and my waistline has slimmed notably to achieve the ‘V’ Taper.
So the improvements are readily moving along as expected, but I still have a lot of work to do with my back, shoulders and legs as my weak points.
Six weeks until I transition in the new gym with all new equipment, which hopefully will open up even more diversity in terms of how I can expand my training. (From my understanding, I believe it will have a Push sled and rope station, which would be perfect for me.)
I figured this might be the best place to look for the following.
Is there an app available out there (preferably for an Ipad or Iphone) that tracks grams of carbs, protein and fats that one can just enter what they ate and the app does the calculations?
I did it manually for years and it’s a pain.
Surely we’ve got something that does it now.
Thanks.
S
Is there an app available out there (preferably for an Ipad or Iphone) that tracks grams of carbs, protein and fats that one can just enter what they ate and the app does the calculations?
I did it manually for years and it’s a pain.
Surely we’ve got something that does it now.
Thanks.
S
Lose It! does that. There are a bunch of already entered items, but you can add your own as needed.
My YMCA decided to close the pool for 45 days for maintenance. I’m going to figure out if I can use my Silver Sneakers membership (Medicare sponsored health program) at another gym. I know other gyms honor it, I just need to see if I can jump back and forth between gyms using it.
This is something Apple should promote more. If you’re someone that is competitive and you have a close group of core friends or family members that are into fitness, this is a great motivational tool competing using the ‘Point system’. From past experiences, ‘Closing the rings’ is really competing against yourself (Which has been a huge success closing the rings/earning the badges) . What I like most, is you can also see your competitors movement and exercise statistical data compared to your own. [Including stand rankings, steps and distance traveled.]
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It's a go! I found out that Silver Sneakers (Medicare Health Program, https://www.silversneakers.com) for gyms that honor this program, pay per visit, not per month, so if the gym honors the program, you can enroll in as many gyms as you like and jump around as needed.
I've not yet figured out who exactly is paying for this, if I am though my supplemental insurance or if Medicare just pays for it, but the gyms require no payment from me.