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On April 28 2013 12:12 lannisport wrote:Okay I have a question. I want hot sexy gay abs and I'm just wondering what the best direct ab exercise is? This guy seems to like feet elevated bosu ball push ups (At least for "core training"): http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1705159&cr=performanceTraining I'm interested in working them directly no more than twice a week. I was thinking something simple like weighted crunches and side bridges. Any suggestions? (And yes I already do starting strength stuff and take care of myself in the kitchen).
Abs are made in the kitchen. I don't do any ab exercises and I got abs. Lift heavy, eat lean.
Edit: missed what you wrote in the end, but really that's all you need (well that, and patience). You can do ab exercises to make the abs bigger, but I don't really see the point in that. Cardio can speed up the fat loss, but that's optional too.
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On April 28 2013 21:12 Thor.Rush wrote:
Abs are made in the kitchen.
I read this a lot but I am a voracious eater. Not so much a lot in one sitting but ample portions several times a day. Out of a sort of sadistic curiosity a couple of months back I decided to submit my meals to a spreadsheet to find out my caloric intake as well as total up other nutritional facts. I must admit I was not surprised at the results when I averaged 4000 some odd calories a day for that week with an extra 1800 tacked on because I ate a medium pizza by myself one lonely Friday evening...
I decided to take the opportunity to put myself on a diet and after two weeks went from 215 pounds (97.5 kg) even to approximately 200 pounds (90.7 kg) and after that I simply stopped losing anything over the course of the next three weeks. Eventually I just tapered off and went back to my normal eating habits.
I eat fairly healthy. A lot, but healthy save for the seldom In & Out double double or Domino's pizza. In reflection it wasn't really the weight stabilization (which I attest most of my loss to water weight since I cut those damned oreos out) or that I didn't like the food I made. It was that I was always hungry.
How do I keep myself feeling full and energetic throughout the day on a significant deficit?
I work in a fast paced environment that involves heavy lifting of up to 75 pounds (34kg) and my shift ranges from eight to ten hours a day six days a week with additional overtime as needed. I can't afford to be hungry and tired because I have a quota I have to meet and I found it extremely difficult to reach the bare minimum while I was on my diet.
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Gradually lowering the amount of calories, rather than an immediate radical change, will probably help you maintain your energy as your body can slowly adjust to what it's being fed. In turn, it will probably also make it easier to be consistent in doing what it takes to achieve your goal.
If you can avoid all junk food, that's great. If not, that's fine as long as you're not overdoing it. Think of every lean healthy meal as being just another little step towards reaching the physique you want. It's long grind, but every bit helps. I would highly recommend only drinking water though (and lots of it to feel more full).
Another tip..if you're brave enough..is to get use to eating lots and lots of veggies. They fill you up and provide good energy while being very low in calories. It will also reduce your cravings for junk (except in the beginning when all you're thinking is how annoying it is to eat it).
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Another alternative is carb cycling such as on the Anabolic diet instead of just maintaining a caloric deficit.
It does require more planning for the nutrition though
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On April 28 2013 21:12 Thor.Rush wrote:Show nested quote +On April 28 2013 12:12 lannisport wrote:Okay I have a question. I want hot sexy gay abs and I'm just wondering what the best direct ab exercise is? This guy seems to like feet elevated bosu ball push ups (At least for "core training"): http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1705159&cr=performanceTraining I'm interested in working them directly no more than twice a week. I was thinking something simple like weighted crunches and side bridges. Any suggestions? (And yes I already do starting strength stuff and take care of myself in the kitchen). Abs are made in the kitchen. I don't do any ab exercises and I got abs. Lift heavy, eat lean. Edit: missed what you wrote in the end, but really that's all you need (well that, and patience). You can do ab exercises to make the abs bigger, but I don't really see the point in that. Cardio can speed up the fat loss, but that's optional too.
I'm on a semi leans gains diet so hopefully my lifts will improve despite my losing fat. I stopped lifting for about one year now but even when I was lifting and skinnier I don't think I had abs (My BF might've been still too high at around 8-9%, and I stopped exercising just as I was losing a crazy amount of fat). Speaking of cardio, I've been reading a lot about standing desks and the potential benefits of standing vs sitting. Apparently, even if you run or exercise an hour a day it doesn't make that much of a difference if you sit 14 hours the rest of the day. Sitting really slows down your metabolism. Now, I'd like to wait until some really solid metastudies are done to support this before completely jumping on the bandwagon but in my experience it's absolutely true. I've never lost as much fat as easily in my life as when I worked at a retail store where I had to stand 7-8 hours a day. I also just maintained my lifts twice a week during that time period. In 2.5 months I went from 195 to 165. So now I've fastened a make shift standing desk in my kitchen (Because I work from home now) out of boxes and I'll be standing around 5 hours a day 5 times per week. I'll see how much I'm losing on a weekly basis and maybe I'll add running once or twice a week in my routine once I plateau or something.
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On April 29 2013 00:54 Thor.Rush wrote:
Gradually lowering the amount of calories, rather than an immediate radical change, will probably help you maintain your energy as your body can slowly adjust to what it's being fed. In turn, it will probably also make it easier to be consistent in doing what it takes to achieve your goal.
If you can avoid all junk food, that's great. If not, that's fine as long as you're not overdoing it. Think of every lean healthy meal as being just another little step towards reaching the physique you want. It's long grind, but every bit helps. I would highly recommend only drinking water though (and lots of it to feel more full).
Another tip..if you're brave enough..is to get use to eating lots and lots of veggies. They fill you up and provide good energy while being very low in calories. It will also reduce your cravings for junk (except in the beginning when all you're thinking is how annoying it is to eat it).
Too add to this, I'd recommend drinking a lot of water and eating fruits that are high in volume of water. Cut out all sugary drinks and try to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day.
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currently i deadlift 155, which is about how much i weigh but like i said earlier, my form is probably really bad because I have a hard time straightening my back when I'm about to start. When i deadlift, I feel it mainly on my lower back and my triceps and I feel like I'm doing it wrong and I'll fuck up everything if i continue.
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if you mean 155lbs then you need to a) work on your mobility - ankles and hips - to let you lower yourself into a better position b) remove your shoes which also helps with this (no raised heels) c) focus on activating your abs to push up (you will need to do this in squats too)
if you have shit mobility (ankles and hips) then you wont realise how bad your mobility is until you improve it and see what a difference it makes. same with weak muscles like your abs; as they get stronger you will suddenly realise how to use them better.
its okay to lift lighter if you feel unsafe. just work on the weakness (mobility , abs) by stretching for agggges every single day without fail, and waiting for your abs to catch up/extra work/extra reps. i only squatting at 80kg recently because my mobility died and my abs died after a short time off. i could push 90kg but form would be bad so not worth it. just done 5x5 sets instead, stretch ankles and hips for 10-20 mins a day, and wont take long (1 week) for everything to fix again
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how bad is salt? I never use much salt to season my food. my girlfriend on the other hand pours tons of that shit over everything even if i've already used a lot of salt during cooking.. I always tell her to cut it back but she won't listen :p so, how bad is it really to each that much salt?
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On May 03 2013 21:54 Zafrumi wrote:
how bad is salt? I never use much salt to season my food. my girlfriend on the other hand pours tons of that shit over everything even if i've already used a lot of salt during cooking.. I always tell her to cut it back but she won't listen :p so, how bad is it really to each that much salt?
It really is not as horrible as everyone thinks it is. It gets a bad name from a lot of conjecture similarly to dairy, MSG, and complex carbohydrates. There are exceptions, of course. If you are prone to heart conditions or are a very sedentary person then it is a good idea to minimize salt intake.
That being said, most people do eat way too much salt. Everything, including water, is bad in excessive quantities, and the same is true with salt. If you are a person who sweats a lot/does a lot of endurance work, it may not be a bad idea to up salt intake a little (if it is very low)--so long as you keep yourself hydrated.
Edit: as far as using a ton of it goes, it is generally a good idea to cut back especially if you are not drinking a ton of water with it.
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you could try to get her to cut back gradually. most people who like eating salty foods hate eating foods without salt, and they think it's totally bland, so it's hard to simply stop using it on your food. maybe get her to measure the amount of salt she uses in meals (like 1 tspn every meal, or whatever amount she currently uses), and reduce it by 5-10% of the original amount every week. it's much harder to notice the difference in the taste of your food if you do this.
you can also get her to start using other things to flavor her food. there are just so many different spices and herbs out there that you can use to complement foods while gradually cutting back on the salt, making the process a lot easier.
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Get her to stop for two weeks and she'll stop craving it. way easier said than done.
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On May 03 2013 21:54 Zafrumi wrote:
how bad is salt? I never use much salt to season my food. my girlfriend on the other hand pours tons of that shit over everything even if i've already used a lot of salt during cooking.. I always tell her to cut it back but she won't listen :p so, how bad is it really to each that much salt?
If you want an opinion on the relationship side of this instead of the nutritional, see spoiler.
+ Show Spoiler +Your girlfriend is presumably an adult. You have already made her aware that you think she might benefit from cutting back on the salt. It's her choice whether to take the advice or not.
If you think she might be exposing herself to a serious health risk, then you can offer to show her some actual statistics and evidence. If she isn't interested, then respect her autonomy instead of always telling her and expecting her to obey.
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On May 02 2013 19:33 FFGenerations wrote:
if you mean 155lbs then you need to a) work on your mobility - ankles and hips - to let you lower yourself into a better position b) remove your shoes which also helps with this (no raised heels) c) focus on activating your abs to push up (you will need to do this in squats too)
if you have shit mobility (ankles and hips) then you wont realise how bad your mobility is until you improve it and see what a difference it makes. same with weak muscles like your abs; as they get stronger you will suddenly realise how to use them better.
its okay to lift lighter if you feel unsafe. just work on the weakness (mobility , abs) by stretching for agggges every single day without fail, and waiting for your abs to catch up/extra work/extra reps. i only squatting at 80kg recently because my mobility died and my abs died after a short time off. i could push 90kg but form would be bad so not worth it. just done 5x5 sets instead, stretch ankles and hips for 10-20 mins a day, and wont take long (1 week) for everything to fix again
how could i work on my mobility on ankles and hips?
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On May 04 2013 07:07 Kenpachi wrote:Show nested quote +On May 02 2013 19:33 FFGenerations wrote:
if you mean 155lbs then you need to a) work on your mobility - ankles and hips - to let you lower yourself into a better position b) remove your shoes which also helps with this (no raised heels) c) focus on activating your abs to push up (you will need to do this in squats too)
if you have shit mobility (ankles and hips) then you wont realise how bad your mobility is until you improve it and see what a difference it makes. same with weak muscles like your abs; as they get stronger you will suddenly realise how to use them better.
its okay to lift lighter if you feel unsafe. just work on the weakness (mobility , abs) by stretching for agggges every single day without fail, and waiting for your abs to catch up/extra work/extra reps. i only squatting at 80kg recently because my mobility died and my abs died after a short time off. i could push 90kg but form would be bad so not worth it. just done 5x5 sets instead, stretch ankles and hips for 10-20 mins a day, and wont take long (1 week) for everything to fix again how could i work on my mobility on ankles and hips?
I doubt your mobility is the problem. As far as I have seen, the problem most people have with deadlifting is trying to find their proper form while working with too little weight. I know this sounds completely backwards, but when lifting light weights, it is easy to get incredibly confused about what you are trying to do and it's hard to tell why the bar needs to travel this or that line during the lift. Heavy weight automatically corrects some of the mistakes you can make while deadlifting, because nearly everything you can do wrong will make the lift harder.
The problem with going heavy is that you will be very tempted to start to arching your back to sort of cheat the weight up. This has some of the same effect as driving with your legs when overhead pressing, or kicking with your legs when doing pull-ups, or pushing with your hips when curling. The problem is, arching your back stresses it more than regular deadlifts, which are already meant to tax your back, and increases the risk of injury.
If I could stand right next to you and make sure you aren't doing anything completely crazy, I would have you do gradually heavier one-rep max lifts until you start arching your back. This way, most people I have seen almost automatically settle into proper form, which is the least strenuous way to do the lifting. From there on, you just need to be careful about using your lumbar arch as a lever. The temptation grows the heavier the weight and more tired you get. Some people use belts for this, which I personally wouldn't recommend.
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I'm with Darkwhite, except on the part of stopping when ur back rounds. Whenever you max deadlift your upperback (at least) WILL round. Provided you don't have aids hurting yourself pulling less than 200 pounds seems flat out impossible to me, just make sure you keep your abs tight and build up gradually. I cannot concieve someone doing both of those things and getting any injury before a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift.
@ Safrumi. I think i'ts been mentioned multiple times somewhere by eshlow here that salt consumption its a non-issue for healthy people. I think you shouldn't give a damn about how much salt your gf eats (or yourself for that matter).
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Salt is only discouraged for people with hypertension as it raises blood pressure, which can do damage to the kidneys... the #2 factor that does damage to kidneys aside from diabetes.
As long as your kidneys aren't jacked and your renin-angiotensin system is working well it's a non issue.
If your blood pressure is fine and no kidney issues no big deal. If it's starting to inch over 130-140 I'd probably cut back some if you're eating a lot.
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I'm kind of in a dilemma here.
I go to the gym with my friend 3 times a week, our workout consist of squats, bench press, military press straight into push ups then ab workout to finish off.
I listen to my friend because he was with a trainer for a couple months so I believe that whatever he was doing was correct.
The thing that confuses me is that when we do squats or any sort of exercise he always wants to do 15 reps for the first set then increase weight for the second and third set while trying to do 15 reps. This is basically how it is for every exercise we try to do. Now I personally like the 5x5 stronglift program, why is doing 5 reps x 5 sets more ideal than what I'm currently doing. Should I be doing 5x5? And also shouldn't I be increasing the weights every week and not every set?
My friend said the reason why we increase weights every set and try do do 15 reps is so that we get stronger/bigger muscles.
tldr/sum up: Should I be doing the 5 reps 5 sets and increase weights every week or should I continue what I've been doing - 15 reps 3 sets and increase weights every set while trying to do 15 reps.
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Definitely hit the 5x5 imo.. I don't see the point in doing anything more than 8 reps but that's just my opinion.
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It's not that your friend is wrong, because if you follow such a program diligently you WILL see results. He probably did too, and thus he suggests using his 15 rep program.
However, what is different is that his goals when training may very well be different from yours. He knows how he reached HIS goals, he may think that his goals are good for everyone. And he's probably not wrong with it, but you must know what you want from working out.
If you don't care and you're having fun with your current program, you should probably stick to it. However, if your goals are aligned with most people in this forum which is strength training through squats, bench and deadlift then you should definately switch up your program a bit. Basically my goal is strength and a little bit less on aesthetics. I want to be strong as a bull, and I want to create a solid foundation for any sport (except marathon running or something). Strength training will give you this, while still giving you a kickass body over time. Just months after starting I realized I could run faster than ever, jump higher than ever, and lift things I couldnt imagine being possible to me.
If you want to be strong in many aspects, and have strong, dense muscles, then go for 3x5 or 5x5 IMO.
HOWEVER, if your goal is only to have fun, or to have a sixpack or something, then realize there are better programs for that. Perhaps your friends program is better for it than 5x5.
Just remember that in the end it doesn't matter exactly which program you use, if you follow it diligently. In other words, don't use a program that doesn't motivate you.
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EPT
