Health, Good Practises, and Exercise

[44267547]

Try lifting fasted. Much better. Also, oatmeal is a porridge. Porridge is just a name for a type of cooked grain. The one I bought years ago didn't have oatmeal, but it had barley, rye, buckwheat, millet, etc.

I’m afraid I’d pass out if I tried lifted fasting, I usually like to have two meals in me before I start lifting. The problem is, my body is used to eating every two hours, if I don’t hit that benchmark, I slow way down as like a ‘reserve mode’.

Great, Now I want a big bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and almonds in it, thanks a lot Zenithal.

 

[0388631]

Great, Now I want a big bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and almonds in it, thanks a lot Zenithal.

Think I'll be sick. I was never a fan of that flavor combination. On the other hand, try it with cheese and loose egg. It's amazing. Also, I'd have to dig through my bookmarks to find what I remember buying, but it looks like Quaker makes an organic multigrain cereal that's similar to what I remember buying. Find it in a store is going to be difficult.

 

[jdechko]

Another new product I’m trying. I finished off the Elite Gold Mass gainer, not bad for what it had to offer.

I switched over to this brand, Dymatize. Highly rated and probably one of the best on the market, but the real benefit aside from the BCAAs/glutamine/leucine, is this 100% hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, A lot of protein-based powders do not offer ‘hydrolyzed solutions’.

It’s peanut-butter flavored, Post-workout-I mix two full scoops with 20 ounces of 2% milk/7 almonds/ 5G of creatine/3 ounces of oats and one banana= Pure Awesomeness.

RP, how has this been working for you? I'm thinking I probably should switch to protein powder as the pre-mixed shakes I've been doing are really expensive.

I'm not really looking to gain mass, but just to rebuild/ replenish after workouts. Most of my strength training is with bodyweight and lower weight (~20-25 lb) dumbbells.

 

[44267547]

RP, how has this been working for you? I'm thinking I probably should switch to protein powder as the pre-mixed shakes I've been doing are really expensive.

I'm not really looking to gain mass, but just to rebuild/ replenish after workouts. Most of my strength training is with bodyweight and lower weight (~20-25 lb) dumbbells.

In your your situation, you don’t need a ‘Product’ mass gainer. I was using mass gainer specifically to try to put as much weight as I can in addition to my
Meals. If you really want a true ‘mass gainer’, you can build your own shake with your own ingredients, like using oatmeal/almonds/a banana/milk/a tablespoon of peanut butter/ quinoa, ect. It’s cheaper this way and more tailored for your regiment.

That said, the best form of any mass gainer, is _real_ food. Try adding another meal into your diet throughout your day, you would be surprised how that would make a difference with the added calories if you stay consistent.

Speaking of mass gainer, I actually don’t take a mass gainer anymore, I actually switched back to Elite gold protein powder, which I also added my own ingredients that I listed above for additional calories.

 

[Gutwrench]

RP, how has this been working for you? I'm thinking I probably should switch to protein powder as the pre-mixed shakes I've been doing are really expensive.

I'm not really looking to gain mass, but just to rebuild/ replenish after workouts. Most of my strength training is with bodyweight and lower weight (~20-25 lb) dumbbells.

Avoid the common misconception that a protein supplement is a mass gainer.

It merely supplements your current protein intake.

If you already have a high protein intake you probably don’t need it. But if your diet, age, lifestyle or goals leaves you borderline deficient or more then it’s a good consideration.

I agree whey is probably the best post exercise supplement because it starts to digest in the stomach. But within whey there are three basic types (of which isolate is one) but none of are better except for how your body reacts to them.

Use caution taking advice. The lifting hobbyist community is filled with misinformation and myths. Alcohol magically transforms men into charismatic handsome Kung Fu artists; likewise, moving some iron around suddenly transforms them into nutrition and physiology gurus.

 

[jdechko]

@Gutwrench got it. I have been drinking the pre-made shakes after working out (Muscle Milk, pure protein, etc) but the pre-made shakes are really expensive. I should probably just get the powder form of what I’m already doing.

 

[44267547]

Good story:

So, I mentioned a while back I wanted to go to ‘Mr. Olympia’ in Las Vegas in September (Which I’ve never been to that event and/or state), but with work related conflicts, it wasn’t going to happen initially.

It just so happens that I found a L.E.O conference on the *same* week as Mr. Olympia occurring (I need re-cert hours anyways for my profession) , let’s just say I got it approved to attend the training and I’ll be spectating the Olympia. Really excited. Not so much ‘excited’ to watch a bunch of muscular men at a glorified beauty pageant wearing very little clothing , but more to meet/talk to these guys who are hugely inspirational with the some of the most Elite bodybuilders in the word (i.e Arash Rahbar, Breon Ansley, ect,)

Oh, Bonus: It’s a direct flight from my state to Las Vegas, no-layover.

 

[0388631]

Stay at the Aria if it's within your budget.

 

[44267547]

Stay at the Aria if it's within your budget.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to choose where I stay, since my training is paid by the government (They pay for my Airfare/Hotel/rental/other accommodations). I’m not complaining though, it won’t cost me anything for the work-related tasks [But the Mini-vacation is paid in cash to leave no trace of my personal-doings.]

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I recently realized I had hit a BMI of 28,5 after almost 4 years after dropping regular exercise (Having a child that also turns out to be a really bad sleeper takes a big toll on ones free time), so now it is time to do something about it. My work contract also ran out, so now I am unemployed and also have time to do something about it.

So I started out eating much more focused (And less!), and signed up at the local gym. 14 days in, and I am down 3,8 kilos, so that's pretty encouraging! If I can get a kilo a week after that, I'll be very satisfied. I am going for loosing around 8-10 kilos, depending on how I end up looking, and how my exercises turn out.

The local gym also has a large outside area with "strong man exercises" which is completely new to me (Essentially just working with extra heavy things; logs, boulders, concrete blocks, iron bars, tractor tires, etc.), so that's fun to try out, and it really hits my muscles in ways I haven't been used to before.

Fantastic!!! Keep us updated please! just be careful, don't overdo The gym is now my happy place

Ask and thou shall receive. 2 months in, and I am down 8 kilos and with clear muscle build up, so I am quite happy. This week I am taking a break from everything. I hit 85 kilos, which was my first part goal, so I awarded myself to a visit to Burger King.. And I've eaten quite a bit the last two days on top. Also, we are going away for 4 days to visit a good friend, so I won't be keeping to the strict diet. But you also have to live, so a week of not thinking calories will be nice!

I've set my next goal to be 82 kilos, and then I will take a new decision as to wether I should continue down to 80 kilos. I've always wanted to have clear abs just for once in life, and since it is going well, I might actually make it this time around. But I am realistically shooting for 82 kilos at the end of September.

And a small anecdote.. I spoke to our neighbor across the road today. She mentioned that when I waved hello to her the other day, she was with her mom, and her mom asked who she was waving to. She had replied that she was waving to me, and her mom had replied "Him? No, that can't be it, otherwise he lost a lot of weight!" - Well, either it was time for me to REALLY loose weight, or else I did a really good job, since it was so visible at a 50 meters distance..

 

[44267547]

Outstanding results to lose the weight Kelch. Never lose sight of your initial goal. In my case, I just eat and eat to put the weight on for muscle mass. But hey, we’re all trying to to be the best version of ourselves that we can be in the end.

Side note:

Trying to stay consistent with the Cardio post work outs, usually light walking/ mainly after I replenish with a meal, but it definitely makes a difference, as I don’t do any cardio in the gym, Just weight training.

 

[jdechko]

And a small anecdote.. I spoke to our neighbor across the road today. She mentioned that when I waved hello to her the other day, she was with her mom, and her mom asked who she was waving to. She had replied that she was waving to me, and her mom had replied "Him? No, that can't be it, otherwise he lost a lot of weight!" - Well, either it was time for me to REALLY loose weight, or else I did a really good job, since it was so visible at a 50 meters distance..

over the past 18 months I’ve lost 35 pounds (16 kg for the rest of you) and kept it off. Kelch, what you said about people noticing is true, especially when you haven’t seen them in a while and it’s really encouraging.
Keep up the hard work!

 

[jdechko]

Did a warm-up triathlon at the lake this morning just to check preparedness and get used to all of the transitions. I did a 500 yard lake swim, 15.6 mile bike ride and 3 mile run in just over 1:39.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Ask and thou shall receive. 2 months in, and I am down 8 kilos and with clear muscle build up, so I am quite happy. This week I am taking a break from everything. I hit 85 kilos, which was my first part goal, so I awarded myself to a visit to Burger King.. And I've eaten quite a bit the last two days on top. Also, we are going away for 4 days to visit a good friend, so I won't be keeping to the strict diet. But you also have to live, so a week of not thinking calories will be nice!

I've set my next goal to be 82 kilos, and then I will take a new decision as to wether I should continue down to 80 kilos. I've always wanted to have clear abs just for once in life, and since it is going well, I might actually make it this time around. But I am realistically shooting for 82 kilos at the end of September.

And a small anecdote.. I spoke to our neighbor across the road today. She mentioned that when I waved hello to her the other day, she was with her mom, and her mom asked who she was waving to. She had replied that she was waving to me, and her mom had replied "Him? No, that can't be it, otherwise he lost a lot of weight!" - Well, either it was time for me to REALLY loose weight, or else I did a really good job, since it was so visible at a 50 meters distance..

Fantastic results!!! Thanks for sharing.
NSVs are the best !

 

[44267547]

Ok, switching gears for a bit from Bodybuilding to cardio (Which is my absolutely least favorite exercise to do.)

Now, you can’t put a price on comfort when it comes to any type of cardio, rather it be walking/running/a combination of both, hiking, ect. Anyways, I’m fairly picky when it comes to shoes, but I Purchased two new types of running shoes worth sharing that are outstanding from my personal preference.

The first ones pictured below are Brooks Ascend. Probably the most comfortable running shoe I’ve ever worn. Honestly, I think they’re ugly, but that’s not really a priority here, but in terms of actual stability/construction and overall comfort, these shoes seriously have exceeded my expectations. But it doesn’t come without a cost, these run just over $170, but you definitely get exactly ‘what you pay for.’

The Second Pair I purchased was Asics Gel Venture 7’s. Also very comfortable, the gel insert is a little bit ‘stiffer’ in these shoes, and not nearly as soft as the Brooks are as pictured above, but another great alternative for about half the price of the Brooks shoes. The big Takeaway for the Asics, these are a bit _more_ ‘structured’ for longer standing periods.

 

[Strelok]

For those looking for a decent breakfast, I just eat about a cup of Kashi Go Lean (half Original, half flavored like honey or berries), 1/4 cup walnuts and 8oz milk + 1 scoop protein powder. Tastes fantastic, decent macros and about 620 calories.

 

[0388631]

Ok, switching gears for a bit from Bodybuilding to cardio (Which is my absolutely least favorite exercise to do.)

Now, you can’t put a price on comfort when it comes to any type of cardio, rather it be walking/running/a combination of both, hiking, ect. Anyways, I’m fairly picky when it comes to shoes, but I Purchased two new types of running shoes worth sharing that are outstanding from my personal preference.

The first ones pictured below are Brooks Ascend. Probably the most comfortable running shoe I’ve ever worn. Honestly, I think they’re ugly, but that’s not really a priority here, but in terms of actual stability/construction and overall comfort, these shoes seriously have exceeded my expectations. But it doesn’t come without a cost, these run just over $170, but you definitely get exactly ‘what you pay for.’
View attachment 855972

The Second Pair I purchased was Asics Gel Venture 7’s. Also very comfortable, the gel insert is a little bit ‘stiffer’ in these shoes, and not nearly as soft as the Brooks are as pictured above, but another great alternative for about half the price of the Brooks shoes. The big Takeaway for the Asics, these are a bit _more_ ‘structured’ for longer standing periods.

View attachment 855973

361 are comfortable, too. They run from $99 to $300.

 

[Gutwrench]

361 are comfortable, too. They run from $99 to $300.

Edward Allen’s and flip flops from Amazon here.

 

[Huntn]

Ok, switching gears for a bit from Bodybuilding to cardio (Which is my absolutely least favorite exercise to do.)

Now, you can’t put a price on comfort when it comes to any type of cardio, rather it be walking/running/a combination of both, hiking, ect. Anyways, I’m fairly picky when it comes to shoes, but I Purchased two new types of running shoes worth sharing that are outstanding from my personal preference.

The first ones pictured below are Brooks Ascend. Probably the most comfortable running shoe I’ve ever worn. Honestly, I think they’re ugly, but that’s not really a priority here, but in terms of actual stability/construction and overall comfort, these shoes seriously have exceeded my expectations. But it doesn’t come without a cost, these run just over $170, but you definitely get exactly ‘what you pay for.’
View attachment 855972

The Second Pair I purchased was Asics Gel Venture 7’s. Also very comfortable, the gel insert is a little bit ‘stiffer’ in these shoes, and not nearly as soft as the Brooks are as pictured above, but another great alternative for about half the price of the Brooks shoes. The big Takeaway for the Asics, these are a bit _more_ ‘structured’ for longer standing periods.

View attachment 855973

I like Asics Gels. I’m not running anymore but I switched to these from Nike.

 

[jdechko]

Ok, switching gears for a bit from Bodybuilding to cardio (Which is my absolutely least favorite exercise to do.)

I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but I bought a pair of On Cloudflow running shoes several months and a couple hundred miles ago.

They look a little weird, but they’re comfortable enough for me.

 

[44267547]

I like Asics Gels. I’m not running anymore but I switched to these from Nike.

The Gel Venture 7’s pictured above is an outstanding shoe for the price (~$70ish in price) See the thing is, running shoes can quickly get expensive [<— Pun intended ], depending on which model you’re looking for. You can’t really put a price on comfort as I mentioned before, but you don’t have to buy the most expensive shoe to have comfort, that’s the great thing about Asics gel venture series, they’re affordable, comfortable and well structured.

Oh, and I don’t really run that much either, but I enjoy walking quite a bit post workout.

I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but I bought a pair of On Cloudflow running shoes several months and a couple hundred miles ago.

They look a little weird, but they’re comfortable enough for me.

Not familiar with Cloudflow. But the Brooks shoes that I own above, they’re a little weird looking, they have a strange ‘stance’ to them, but once you wear them, you don’t care what they look like.

 

[jdechko]

Not familiar with Cloudflow. But the Brooks shoes that I own above, they’re a little weird looking, they have a strange ‘stance’ to them, but once you wear them, you don’t care what they look like.

Agreed. It’s not how they look but how they feel.

 

[44267547]

Agreed. It’s not how they look but how they feel.

I looked these up. The reviews are solid, interesting that they have Swiss engineering behind them. We have some fairly large shoe retailers in my area and we don’t actually carry this brand. Looking online, They’re around $130.00, but customers are mentioning the comfort and virtually zero break-in, which is actually impressive (And Unheard of in most scenarios), considering most athletic shoes have that temporary ‘wear-in’ period. I’ll keep these in mind next time.

 

[jdechko]

I finished my first triathlon today! Final time 3:48:27.

Swim went pretty well, other than a few big hiccups. First, being an open water swim it’s was difficult to stay on course and I ended up swimming nearly 1800m instead of 1500. Also on the leg back into the beach, I was swimming directly into the rising sun. My goggles fogged up and I tried to fix them but made it worse. So naturally I panicked and sent my heart rate from a flat 150bpm up to 170. I struggled to stay above water and ended up having to chill on a buoy for a minute or so. But I finally got back to the beach for a 41 minute swim time (2:18/100m pace). I was hoping to finish in under 40, so close enough.

I had to reset myself mentally for the bike so I lost a couple of minutes in transition and started out a little slower on the bike. Finally got going and found my cadence after a few miles. Ended up finishing the bike leg in 1:41 (15.5mph average), under my 1:45 goal.

The run was not great, but I was tired and ended up walking for a couple of miles throughout. It started getting hotter and I was starting to cramp. Ended up finishing in 1:19.

 

[44267547]

‘Flight food’ for the Olympia. Just a few pounds of chicken to keep the machine running.