Health, Good Practises, and Exercise

[vkd]

Something to think about:

How many of us have thought outside the box at our greater health: health of the body, health of the mind, health of the emotions, health of the spirit?

We need health in all of these components in order to have general good health. If we focus on one (or more) but neglect others, the end result will not be satisfactory. For instance, we may see some guy who works out every day and has a good diet, his body looks great but he talks complete rubbish. Or he is introverted, depressed or highly strung, nervous, you get the point, right?

Following this line of reasoning it is imperative that we look after our spirit soul, for after all that is us. We are the soul, we are not the body. The body is a machine made of material energy and the soul is the driver, so just like you have to do car maintenance you do bodily maintenance. You have to take care of the driver too, if you don't you could easily have an accident, if he blacks out or makes a wrong turn or whatever. He has to know where he's going to, too. Like, how long will it take you to get there if the driver doesn't know where he's going?

So that's it for now. Just some food for thought for you guys. Have a nice day!

 

[trillionaire]

Indeed, health is a well-rounded word with many facets. However, maintaining that well-roundedness is not easy. There's so many things to think about in everyday life that it's not easy to concentrate on all aspects of the word health that you mention. It would be an ideal world if we had time to think about that every day.

 

[Gutwrench]

I plan to step up my training routine next week when (if...) the cardiologist gives me the green light. I guess you're not for intermittent fasting...

Not if you’re trying to grow. If you’re seeing a cardiologist then use good judgment.

 

[cyberlocke]

Depending on how muscular you are, 5'11" 173 is pretty small.

so my 5'10.5" at 145 lbs. would be . . .

 

[Gutwrench]

so my 5'10.5" at 145 lbs. would be . . .

In college we had a guy who was 6-1 and wrestled 118.

 

[44267547]

I plan to step up my training routine next week when (if...) the cardiologist gives me the green light. I guess you're not for intermittent fasting...

Good luck and hopefully you receive the ‘go’ from your doctor. Planning is one of my favorite things about training, I always like to have a strategic game plan knowing what my workout will be for the day before I start, that way I don’t waste very much time in the midst of my workouts.

As for intermittent fasting, if I attempted that right now, I would probably pass out. (Being I’m eating just under every two hours) But I’m in my ‘off-season’ right now (Where I’m not competing yet), I’m really trying to put on a lot of size with a high caloric intake.

On that note on fasting, bodybuilders actually do some fasting when they get close to a competition, to shred as much body fat as possible.

 

[Conutz]

Yup. At least I try to, I do admit, some days I do fall slightly short of all those meals due to work, ect, that I listed above, but I’m fairly consistent and I don’t like to stray away from my meal plan. (Other things that I add in the my diet is Greek yogurt, mixed nuts, Pineapple, Cereal, and oatmeal.)

The reason I’m so adamant about staying consistent with my meal plan, is if you start straying away from your meal plan if you don’t eat every two hours, you get very hungry quickly, because your metabolism is working at such a high rate and if you eventually fall off your plan completely, the muscles will fall ‘flat’, which is what you don’t want to have happen. (And I literally do eat every two hours on the clock.)

Where I really try to push the calories as hard as I can, is on my resting days, where I don’t have to worry about making up for calories that I burned in the gym, I also find personally on my resting days, that’s where I find I grow the most with muscle rejuvenation, and supplying it with the protein essentials is key.

It’s interesting how "aggressive" you are with the eating plan and it makes perfect sense. Having lost weight a number of years ago, I tend to err on the under-eating side, which does result in hitting the wall pretty quickly, and frequently. After your posts, I’ve decided to up my food intake somewhat and stick with that for a while.

Speaking of which, Next batch of chicken just finished cooking:

Nice and clean! Funny how appetising good, clean food is when you’re used to it - much more so than creamy, rich foods or desserts, etc.

So for my workout today was triceps and shoulders: [1.30 total].

For tricep training, I prefer cable work with the Rope pulldown, rope overhead (2 variations I perform with the overhead), V-Bar pushdown, single cable pulls. And I also train both arms either simultaneously or unilaterally to isolate each arm.

I trained shoulders with free weights and cables, Front and side lateral raises, dumbbell overhead, barbell raises, straight bar pull ups, and I train rear delt with the ‘Pec Deck’ machine and free weights.

[No matter what muscle group I’m training , I always go to failure, I don’t have a ‘set number’ of when I stop before I transition to the next set. However, my rule is, I _always_ start with a lighter weight to warm up the muscles before transitioning to a heavier weight with each set. (Too many times, I see guys who start with the heaviest weight with ego-lifting and they are begging for an injury or you can tell they already have an injury, because they will grab wherever the pain is). Bodybuilding is all about the state of progression, you work your way to a higher weight, and a smart bodybuilder will start with a lighter weight to efficiently warm the muscles before transitioning to progressive overload.]

Thanks for that detail. That’s quite a long workout and highlights again how necessary fuel is - there’s no way you could sustain that without high calorie intake. I agree 100% with the warming up and progression - guaranteed path to injury otherwise. To failure though, there are the rep ranges of course. Failure over 10 reps, sub-10 or sub-5 are quite different, but that can also go to volume...what do your sets look like? ATM, I’m trying for sub-5 reps for 5-6 working sets. This is at least two main exercises per group and then a couple of sets of supporting exercises such as flyes. For the latter, I tend to do 4 sets of 6-8. My approach is not scientific though...

 

[Dodgeman]

I plan to step up my training routine next week when (if...) the cardiologist gives me the green light. I guess you're not for intermittent fasting...

What up with the cardiologist?

so my 5'10.5" at 145 lbs. would be . . .

I mean that is pretty small. I think the 170 or so is around average weight

 

[44267547]

Failure over 10 reps, sub-10 or sub-5 are quite different, but that can also go to volume...what do your sets look like? ATM, I’m trying for sub-5 reps for 5-6 working sets. This is at least two main exercises per group and then a couple of sets of supporting exercises such as flyes. For the latter, I tend to do 4 sets of 6-8. My approach is not scientific though...

Long post ahead:

My sets vary for each exercise. It really depends, for chest for example, let’s say I am doing dumbbell flies or dumbbell press, once I start getting to the heavier weights, I might only do two sets with a specific weight, then move onto the next heaviest weight, that way I don’t over-fatigue my shoulders and spend too much time with the lower weights. The method behind that, is that too many times you see guys train with the same weight every single week and they never graduate to a higher weight, then you can _never_ grow if you’re consistently maxing your rep range out at the same weight week after week. (Or, they’re not strong enough to graduate past a certain weight, likely because they’re not eating enough/or pushing themselves hard enough.)

As another example, let’s say I’m training back, I might do more sets with the lower weight, but as I graduate to a higher weight with each set, I will lower my sets from five to three, but increase my rep range.

But my goal is not to over-exert myself with the lower weights too much, that way I can expel more energy into my higher weights, as I want to continue to graduate in my rep/weight goals.

Each week is a progression. When I reach a higher weight for lifting, I either try to increase my reps by at least one or two, and when I’m comfortable enough, then I will graduate to the next higher weight.

You mentioned something interesting in your post, and that there is no ‘scientific approach’ to your workout, and the same applies to me. I simply do what works for me and how my body responds to my training [Mind-muscle connection being part of this]. That’s one of the biggest contributors in bodybuilding, is that you have to find how your body responds to your specific type of training and what works and what doesn’t, and everyone will train differently and be stimulated with their muscle growth/development differently depending on how they train.

One of the biggest challenges for me, has not been lifting in the gym or my motivation, or not even just eating heavily outside the gym, but learning my body and how it responds to my training.

**************Slight rant *************

Lastly, one thing I want to touch on, and I can’t stress this enough, I know we all talk about being in the gym and lifting, etc. but it’s essentially crucial to give yourself a break outside the gym where you rest your joints and allow your body to fully recover with adequate rest/sleep. When I’m not in the gym and on my rest days, I spend time stretching and resting my joints, allow them to refresh/recover before my next work out. One of the reasons I’m able to go so ‘hard’ in the gym, is because I allow my body to recover properly. It’s logical fallacy for those who believe that rest days are not needed, when it’s absolutely imperative for muscle growth and joint recovery. That’s how a *smart* bodybuilder trains on their off days and allows them to have a healthy body to continue doing what they love.

 

[44267547]

Something else I forgot to mention that another member discussed above about ‘intermittent fasting’ above:

I actually use fasted cardio, where the first thing I do in the morning before I eat anything at all, is I will run ‘dead sprints’ outside. Doesn’t really matter the temperature/weather conditions, I will run in it. The other advantage to ‘fasted cardio’, is it spikes my metabolism for the day before I eat my first meal. Fasted cardio is actually the _only_ cardio that I do, but I find that works for my situation.

 

[Conutz]

Long post ahead:

My sets vary for each exercise. It really depends, for chest for example, let’s say I am doing dumbbell flies or dumbbell press, once I start getting to the heavier weights, I might only do two sets with a specific weight, then move onto the next heaviest weight, that way I don’t over-fatigue my shoulders and spend too much time with the lower weights. The method behind that, is that too many times you see guys train with the same weight every single week and they never graduate to a higher weight, then you can _never_ grow if you’re consistently maxing your rep range out at the same weight week after week. (Or, they’re not strong enough to graduate past a certain weight, likely because they’re not eating enough/or pushing themselves hard enough.)

Guilty of both. The same-weight training some time back, silly, but I think one gets into a kind of maintenance mode, just going through the motions. Of course with that approach, there will be no gains and just frustration. Nowadays I am trying hard to progressively increase...but have been paying tax for poor (insufficient) diet. After reading your posts, I’ve given it more of a go, but will need a few days to see how it progresses. I did notice that after a day of increased eating, the next day I started getting hungrier sooner!

As another example, let’s say I’m training back, I might do more sets with the lower weight, but as I graduate to a higher weight with each set, I will lower my sets from five to three, but increase my rep range.

But my goal is not to over-exert myself with the lower weights too much, that way I can expel more energy into my higher weights, as I want to continue to graduate in my rep/weight goals.

This one wasn’t obvious to me initially (duh!), but an ex-competition friend pointed this out . I personally had to get that the fact into my head that you need to feel some significant discomfort in order to progress. The initial feeling was that I wasn’t “fit” enough and needed time...but it was time in the wrong area, that never really delivered much.

Each week is a progression. When I reach a higher weight for lifting, I either try to increase my reps by at least one or two, and when I’m comfortable enough, then I will graduate to the next higher weight.

I share this...more out of genuine fear when I’m lifting heavy! Well, heavy in my book . When it’s not intimidating, I try and increase as soon as I can manage 4-5 reps on a couple of sets.

You mentioned something interesting in your post, and that there is no ‘scientific approach’ to your workout, and the same applies to me. I simply do what works for me and how my body responds to my training [Mind-muscle connection being part of this]. That’s one of the biggest contributors in bodybuilding, is that you have to find how your body responds to your specific type of training and what works and what doesn’t, and everyone will train differently and be stimulated with their muscle growth/development differently depending on how they train.

One of the biggest challenges for me, has not been lifting in the gym or my motivation, or not even just eating heavily outside the gym, but learning my body and how it responds to my training.

Agreed, this one is really hard and can result in loss of motivation due to lack of results. Certainly we’ve all got different genetics, etc., but I do feel that a good degree of it is down to understanding the science of it all - isn’t this then just the starting point? There are so many variables: weight, reps, sets, form, exercises, frequency, rest, diet...add external stresses, etc.: a person should receive an honorary PhD having figuring it all out! But that’s just my perception, I might just be a little slow in getting the lot to work together.

**************Slight rant *************

Lastly, one thing I want to touch on, and I can’t stress this enough, I know we all talk about being in the gym and lifting, etc. but it’s essentially crucial to give yourself a break outside the gym where you rest your joints and allow your body to fully recover with adequate rest/sleep. When I’m not in the gym and on my rest days, I spend time stretching and resting my joints, allow them to refresh/recover before my next work out. One of the reasons I’m able to go so ‘hard’ in the gym, is because I allow my body to recover properly. It’s logical fallacy for those who believe that rest days are not needed, when it’s absolutely imperative for muscle growth and joint recovery. That’s how a *smart* bodybuilder trains on their off days and allows them to have a healthy body to continue doing what they love.

Very true and guilty once more! I sometimes try and cram 3 or 4 heavy days consecutively...muscles and joints ache and complete sense of humour failure!

You’ve posted some really valuable insights - thanks for taking the time and sharing your knowledge!

 

[yaxomoxay]

Deciding on the training routine.
Was thinking something like:

Monday: AM Swim (1hr), PM Martial Arts (1hr)
Tuesday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim (45min), PM Martial arts (1.5hrs)
Wednesday, AM Swim (1hr), PM Martial Arts (1hr)
Thursday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim(45min), [PM Non-required light Light Cardio]
Friday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim(45min), PM Rest or light cardio.
Saturday: AM Martial Arts (1.5hrs).
Sunday: Rest Day (walk at the park, hiking, barbecue...)

Thursday and Friday PM can't do Martial Arts so I have to stack them M,T,W.
For the record my "swim" is relatively light, I don't even measure my time etc. It's just to get some low impact cardio in there.
I have got to figure out a diet to fuel all of that.

 

[0388631]

Deciding on the training routine.
Was thinking something like:

Monday: AM Swim (1hr), PM Martial Arts (1hr)
Tuesday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim (45min), PM Martial arts (1.5hrs)
Wednesday, AM Swim (1hr), PM Martial Arts (1hr)
Thursday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim(45min), [PM Non-required light Light Cardio]
Friday: AM Lifting, Lunch Swim(45min), PM Rest or light cardio.
Saturday: AM Martial Arts (1.5hrs).
Sunday: Rest Day (walk at the park, hiking, barbecue...)

Thursday and Friday PM can't do Martial Arts so I have to stack them M,T,W.
For the record my "swim" is relatively light, I don't even measure my time etc. It's just to get some low impact cardio in there.
I have got to figure out a diet to fuel all of that.

Yeah looks about like the schedule I had when I worked in big G. I think you do too? What form of martial arts are you studying? This would be a good time to wrangle your son and have a bonding experience and also keep an eye on him.

I did some judo in my "youth," fun but I enjoyed wrestling and boxing more.

 

[MisterSavage]

Lastly, one thing I want to touch on, and I can’t stress this enough, I know we all talk about being in the gym and lifting, etc. but it’s essentially crucial to give yourself a break outside the gym where you rest your joints and allow your body to fully recover with adequate rest/sleep.

This is by far what I screw up with the most. So often it seem like I blink and it's 2AM and I know I'm not going to get as much sleep as I need.

 

[44267547]

This is by far what I screw up with the most. So often it seem like I blink and it's 2AM and I know I'm not going to get as much sleep as I need.

I can relate. I have very obscure sleeping patterns because of my career path. But I’m used to that (And actually prefer it), as long as I can accrue eight hours, that’s usually my norm I can achieve.

But let me tell you, if there’s one thing that is equally imperative being outside the Gym, (especially for muscle growth) is sleep. It’s the one area I make priority, not just for my daily functions, but giving my muscles/joints the necessary time to rebuild/rejuvenate.

 

[MisterSavage]

But let me tell you, if there’s one thing that is equally imperative being outside the Gym, (especially for muscle growth) is sleep.

That's what doesn't make sense about what I do. If I'm going to bust my butt lifting it should be a priority to get sleep to help with that. Definitely working on changing that.

 

[0388631]

Down about 3 lb this week. Some of which I assume is water. Need to trim up about 12-15 lb to not feel tight in my good morning suit for a wedding in June we're due to attend. Blegh, my allergies will be killing me then.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Monday went up well. Woke up at 3-ish (blame my cats, not my alarm clock), I was at the gym at 4:45 and lifted until 6:15. Went to work, had a walk for lunch. Due to a scheduling conflict I couldn't go to my Martial Arts class, but I decided to do cardio nonetheless so I went back to the gym at 19:15 for a good 45 minutes. I am also trying to stretch three to four times a day.
Food: morning cappuccino, homemade breakfast tortilla (egg whites, small pieces of turkey sausage for flavor, a hint of mozzarella), tuna in water to ramp up proteins. Lunch: protein shake. Snack: 2% yogurt, a few pieces of beef jerky. Dinner: baby back ribs (prepared by yours truly, devoured by the entire family), a cup of brown rice, green salad. I am also back on creatine.
I am all sore at the moment.

 

[Lee_Bo]

During the summer of 2018 I was approaching 300 pounds. I'm also 50 and 5' 10". According to BMI I'm extremely obese but I've also been a "large / big boned / whatever" person. Always tired and no energy, which as a nature / landscape photographer really stinks. End of 2018 / beginning of 2019 I started using My Fitness Pal mainly to log and see what I was eating throughout the day. Can't believe how many calories in a slice of pizza. Anyway, just from using that and also using other apps I started walking more and really focusing on what I ate and as of this morning I'm 250 pounds with a short term goal of 225 and long term goal of 200.

 

[yaxomoxay]

During the summer of 2018 I was approaching 300 pounds. I'm also 50 and 5' 10". According to BMI I'm extremely obese but I've also been a "large / big boned / whatever" person. Always tired and no energy, which as a nature / landscape photographer really stinks. End of 2018 / beginning of 2019 I started using My Fitness Pal mainly to log and see what I was eating throughout the day. Can't believe how many calories in a slice of pizza. Anyway, just from using that and also using other apps I started walking more and really focusing on what I ate and as of this morning I'm 250 pounds with a short term goal of 225 and long term goal of 200.

Fantastic accomplishment! MyFitnessPal is a true lifesaver for people who count calories and nutritional elements in general; I am also on the verge of buying the Pro version... they kinda deserve their money.
If you go to the gym I strongly recommend the app Strong (I have the Pro version, but for many things the regular version is fine) which is another lifesaver.
Can't wait to read your post when you reach Onederland.

Edit: MyFitnessPal's forums are quite good too.

 

[0388631]

During the summer of 2018 I was approaching 300 pounds. I'm also 50 and 5' 10". According to BMI I'm extremely obese but I've also been a "large / big boned / whatever" person. Always tired and no energy, which as a nature / landscape photographer really stinks. End of 2018 / beginning of 2019 I started using My Fitness Pal mainly to log and see what I was eating throughout the day. Can't believe how many calories in a slice of pizza. Anyway, just from using that and also using other apps I started walking more and really focusing on what I ate and as of this morning I'm 250 pounds with a short term goal of 225 and long term goal of 200.

Good work! And, yes, pizza and some foods are an eye opener. I thank myself every day I'm still active. I'll admit I choked a bit when I realized how many calories were in a pesto turkey provolone sub from Costco. I'd always ask for extra cheese and pesto.

Then again I gained 20-25 lb from Belgian waffles 14 years ago that I then lost. So what the hell do I know?

Except that food tastes nice (usually) and we can't magically make the weight disappear. I think the biggest issue in the American/Canadian diet is the lack of fiber and consumption of food at the first feeling of hunger that may very well be a signal for wanting of fluid, in this case, water.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Fantastic accomplishment! MyFitnessPal is a true lifesaver for people who count calories and nutritional elements in general; I am also on the verge of buying the Pro version... they kinda deserve their money.
If you go to the gym I strongly recommend the app Strong (I have the Pro version, but for many things the regular version is fine) which is another lifesaver.
Can't wait to read your post when you reach Onederland.

Edit: MyFitnessPal's forums are quite good too.

Thanks. I spent the money and went Pro with MFP. Unlocked lots of features I use. Same for UA's Map My Fitness.

MFP's forums are ok, but (1) need a redesign and (2) need to be accessible from TapaTalk.
[doublepost=1556031548][/doublepost]

Good work! And, yes, pizza and some foods are an eye opener. I thank myself every day I'm still active. I'll admit I choked a bit when I realized how many calories were in a pesto turkey provolone sub from Costco. I'd always ask for extra cheese and pesto.

Then again I gained 20-25 lb from Belgian waffles 14 years ago that I then lost. So what the hell do I know?

Except that food tastes nice (usually) and we can't magically make the weight disappear. I think the biggest issue in the American/Canadian diet is the lack of fiber and consumption of food at the first feeling of hunger that may very well be a signal for wanting of fluid, in this case, water.

Thanks. Yes, the calories and pounds add up quick.

 

[44267547]

Something else Yaxomoxay mentioned I’d like to do more is swimming, it’s probably my favorite form of cardio, unfortunately I live in a state where I’m limited with seasonal changes, and then being in a weightlifting gym five days a week, they don’t offer any type of pool Amenities. I do have my cottage 45 minutes north west of my city that has a beautiful lake that I swim in during the summer months. I think the biggest advantage to a swimming aside from the cardio aspect, it really relaxes the muscles and the cooler water is therapeutic.

As far as creatine is concerned, I take it daily [I use Elite Gold CX5], I find that it’s important to find a quality creatine brand, as there are _a lot_ of brands that use ‘fillers’ that really have no tangible benefit for your body. Creatine when used over the course of time, (As you have to build it in the body), will saturate the muscles, even though your body does produce limited amounts of it naturally.

Something else I also make sure my protein powder has is ‘glutamine’, another essential amino acid that helps recovery with your muscles.

 

[jdechko]

Jumping back in here after some time away. This thread is really motivating. It's been a week and a half and I'm itching to get back to the gym. This week has been mostly riding bikes and teaching the kids to ride.

My oldest refused to learn for years. He picked it up in about 10 minutes... My youngest needs probably one more afternoon.

 

[0388631]

Mine are a little too young to ride a 2 wheelers.

I've been trying to hit the gym myself but I'll admit it's a pain in the butt when football season is afoot and we're nearing the final matches. Easier to be a potato and drink beer. That said I have taken a few swims this week in our pool. Even if the water was a bit colder than I prefer.