On August 17 2014 13:44 Demoninja wrote: This is a really broad question. How do you guys stay committed? I always clean up my act, hit the gym consistently, eat well but after a month or two I'll always start slipping and never really make progress. I record my workout sessions in a google docs but that's about it. Any suggestions to help me stay focused? I can't really get a friend to go with me because my schedule changes drastically from week to week.
Edit: Some steps I've taken diet wise, I filled my freezer up with frozen vegetables and I buy chicken or pork in bulk. I will always have access to sweets and white rice since I live at home but I'm just going to have to make myself stay strong. I think I'm going to keep drinking small amounts of soda/flavored drinks since I absolutely love those. Probably going to make my main drinks be water, barley tea, and green tea.
I'm becoming an annoying asshole to my friends by telling them when I go to the gym so I look like a punk bitch if I stop going.
On August 17 2014 18:51 Ahzz wrote: Clearly state your own goals, goals that matter to you and you feel have importance. If you go to the gym 'just because' or to 'get ripped', then it's no wonder if you take two steps back every now and then because ultimately those are not goals that make you have serious commitment if you don't feel that they are that important.
I think what Ahzz said is true, you need some sort of internal motivation to do it, it's very difficult to commit to anything if you're just trying to do it by sheer will alone. Finding that internal motivation is hard, I think sometime it's more of a case of it finding you. You might hear stories of a person who was unhappy and obese, and then they saw a picture of themselves in a very unflattering light, it disgusted them, and then they really got motivated to lose the weight - I know a friend whom this happened to, it seemed like an arbitrary thing to get so motivated by but what works, works.
On August 17 2014 13:44 Demoninja wrote: This is a really broad question. How do you guys stay committed? I always clean up my act, hit the gym consistently, eat well but after a month or two I'll always start slipping and never really make progress. I record my workout sessions in a google docs but that's about it. Any suggestions to help me stay focused? I can't really get a friend to go with me because my schedule changes drastically from week to week.
Edit: Some steps I've taken diet wise, I filled my freezer up with frozen vegetables and I buy chicken or pork in bulk. I will always have access to sweets and white rice since I live at home but I'm just going to have to make myself stay strong. I think I'm going to keep drinking small amounts of soda/flavored drinks since I absolutely love those. Probably going to make my main drinks be water, barley tea, and green tea.
I'm becoming an annoying asshole to my friends by telling them when I go to the gym so I look like a punk bitch if I stop going.
“It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.
It wasn’t until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain."
That and the loop of benefits is great. Work out -> feel better -> look better -> work out better -> repeat.
Looking for a bit of guidance. In the last 2 and a bit years I've lost nearly 60kg and have done a variety of exercise, some of it basic weight training. I want to be stronger. I'd never done a pull-up in my life and want to be able to just do plenty of press-ups, pull-ups, feel strong and look good, but I have no desire to become huge. In losing the weight I lost most of the (limited) muscle I had, so I've been starting from scratch.
For the last 10 weeks or so I've been using weight machines, attempting to do 3 sets of 8 on chest press, shoulder press, lat pulldowns and low-rows. I'm up to around 50kg, 30kg, 65kg and 82.5kg respectively. These are all over double my starting weights, in some cases nearer triple. For reference I'm 186cm and now around 80kg. I had some interest in free weights but I have an epic trip to Japan coming up and I wanted to limit my risk of injury by sticking to the machines. When I get back I have a solid 3 months to train before Christmas and achieve some solid results.
Given my fairly modest goals, would you recommend that I stick with the machines, add in press-ups, pull-ups and any other bodyweight exercises and I'll see acceptable improvement, look athletic and can then be pretty happy. Or would you say I should get onto the free weights with a routine like starting strength and see where I end up? I'm absolutely certain that if I was looking to add a lot of mass or be serious about bodybuilding that option 2 would be unanimous winner.
I'm a bit nervous of option 2 as I don't remotely trust the gym staff to give me advice or critique on my form and I don't want to get into bad habits that could screw my body up. That said, I'll give it my best if it seems the right option.
FYI I was successful at the weight loss because I educated myself via TL threads at the start of the process. It's nice to be on the other end and asking for lifting advice
On August 22 2014 05:43 Gurrgeh wrote: Looking for a bit of guidance. In the last 2 and a bit years I've lost nearly 60kg and have done a variety of exercise, some of it basic weight training. I want to be stronger. I'd never done a pull-up in my life and want to be able to just do plenty of press-ups, pull-ups, feel strong and look good, but I have no desire to become huge. In losing the weight I lost most of the (limited) muscle I had, so I've been starting from scratch.
For the last 10 weeks or so I've been using weight machines, attempting to do 3 sets of 8 on chest press, shoulder press, lat pulldowns and low-rows. I'm up to around 50kg, 30kg, 65kg and 82.5kg respectively. These are all over double my starting weights, in some cases nearer triple. For reference I'm 186cm and now around 80kg. I had some interest in free weights but I have an epic trip to Japan coming up and I wanted to limit my risk of injury by sticking to the machines. When I get back I have a solid 3 months to train before Christmas and achieve some solid results.
Given my fairly modest goals, would you recommend that I stick with the machines, add in press-ups, pull-ups and any other bodyweight exercises and I'll see acceptable improvement, look athletic and can then be pretty happy. Or would you say I should get onto the free weights with a routine like starting strength and see where I end up? I'm absolutely certain that if I was looking to add a lot of mass or be serious about bodybuilding that option 2 would be unanimous winner.
I'm a bit nervous of option 2 as I don't remotely trust the gym staff to give me advice or critique on my form and I don't want to get into bad habits that could screw my body up. That said, I'll give it my best if it seems the right option.
FYI I was successful at the weight loss because I educated myself via TL threads at the start of the process. It's nice to be on the other end and asking for lifting advice
Keep doing what you have been doing since it has worked for you, and start practicing the main lifts (squat/bench/deadlift/overhead press). Then you can decide if you want to switch over.
Don't be scared of free weights, you have already seen what your body is supposed to do and how quickly it adapts.
Avoid PT's like the plague since you can't tell who of them are qualified.
Stick with what you are doing right now, but go to the bench press and the squat rack and start practicing with just the bar (or the bar +10kg). Eventually you'll start understanding the benefits of using free weights and you may actually enjoy using it. If you are just trying to grow stronger - but not aiming to be very strong, machines aren't a problem.
I only recently started doing squats and bench with the bar instead of machines. I used to do the press machine and the smith machine for all those needs (and to be fair, I only started doing squats on the smith like 3 months ago). I have realized how enjoyable it is to do it with the bar, and I do a tremendous amount of research online to verify what is good form and what isn't. I'm content with being able to just do it in good form rather than trying to go for very heavy weights. Form will build weight.
Looking for a bit of guidance. In the last 2 and a bit years I've lost nearly 60kg and have done a variety of exercise, some of it basic weight training. I want to be stronger. I'd never done a pull-up in my life and want to be able to just do plenty of press-ups, pull-ups, feel strong and look good, but I have no desire to become huge. In losing the weight I lost most of the (limited) muscle I had, so I've been starting from scratch.
For the last 10 weeks or so I've been using weight machines, attempting to do 3 sets of 8 on chest press, shoulder press, lat pulldowns and low-rows. I'm up to around 50kg, 30kg, 65kg and 82.5kg respectively. These are all over double my starting weights, in some cases nearer triple. For reference I'm 186cm and now around 80kg. I had some interest in free weights but I have an epic trip to Japan coming up and I wanted to limit my risk of injury by sticking to the machines. When I get back I have a solid 3 months to train before Christmas and achieve some solid results.
Given my fairly modest goals, would you recommend that I stick with the machines, add in press-ups, pull-ups and any other bodyweight exercises and I'll see acceptable improvement, look athletic and can then be pretty happy. Or would you say I should get onto the free weights with a routine like starting strength and see where I end up? I'm absolutely certain that if I was looking to add a lot of mass or be serious about bodybuilding that option 2 would be unanimous winner.
I'm a bit nervous of option 2 as I don't remotely trust the gym staff to give me advice or critique on my form and I don't want to get into bad habits that could screw my body up. That said, I'll give it my best if it seems the right option.
FYI I was successful at the weight loss because I educated myself via TL threads at the start of the process. It's nice to be on the other end and asking for lifting advice
You really don't have to worry about getting huge, it's not something you get by accident, especially not in 3 months . Since you seem pretty new to weight lifting I'd advice you to try out free weights after your trip, and if you don't like it just stick to machines. Better to stay motivated with something you enjoy than do something boring and probably quit down the line. Free weights are definitely superior but the difference is not that big.
On August 22 2014 05:59 JinDesu wrote: I'm content with being able to just do it in good form rather than trying to go for very heavy weights. Form will build weight.
To an extent, sure, and you should always be striving for perfect form no matter how heavy the weight is... but at a certain point, you need to start pushing yourself beyond what you're comfortable doing with perfect form, in order to get progress.
235 doesn't get easier to move by moving 225.
Someone who squats an ugly 315x5 can do 265x5 with great form, providing their form issues are from the weight, not from mobility problems or just not knowing wtf they're doing. Someone who does 225x5 every day with perfect form isn't going to get to 265 unless they start going beyond what's comfortable.
Probably an odd question for this thread, but since those guys are crazy, I'd rather ask here: Does anybody know a label that provides suits for 'beefy' people? I mean something that's cut for broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a small waist... and ideally something that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg (below 500€ would be nice)?
On August 22 2014 05:59 JinDesu wrote: I'm content with being able to just do it in good form rather than trying to go for very heavy weights. Form will build weight.
To an extent, sure, and you should always be striving for perfect form no matter how heavy the weight is... but at a certain point, you need to start pushing yourself beyond what you're comfortable doing with perfect form, in order to get progress.
235 doesn't get easier to move by moving 225.
Someone who squats an ugly 315x5 can do 265x5 with great form, providing their form issues are from the weight, not from mobility problems or just not knowing wtf they're doing. Someone who does 225x5 every day with perfect form isn't going to get to 265 unless they start going beyond what's comfortable.
Perhaps I phrased it wrong. If you do 225 with good form, then you know what to look out for when doing 235. If you start by doing 235 with shitty form, you'll never learn what good form is.
On August 28 2014 10:12 Poffel wrote: Probably an odd question for this thread, but since those guys are crazy, I'd rather ask here: Does anybody know a label that provides suits for 'beefy' people? I mean something that's cut for broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a small waist... and ideally something that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg (below 500€ would be nice)?
I personally have no idea but you may want to state where you are from
On August 28 2014 10:12 Poffel wrote: Probably an odd question for this thread, but since those guys are crazy, I'd rather ask here: Does anybody know a label that provides suits for 'beefy' people? I mean something that's cut for broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a small waist... and ideally something that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg (below 500€ would be nice)?
I personally have no idea but you may want to state where you are from
What did they tell you :D Next time you go out, try asking the guy at the door of a night club where he buys his suits
On August 28 2014 10:12 Poffel wrote: Probably an odd question for this thread, but since those guys are crazy, I'd rather ask here: Does anybody know a label that provides suits for 'beefy' people? I mean something that's cut for broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a small waist... and ideally something that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg (below 500€ would be nice)?
"Those guys" are probably the best source of advice anyway.
In the end it might come down to: Have your suits tailored. I doubt you will find off the rack suits made for athletic builds. Try to go to a decent store and ask them to recommend a suit / cut that would be easy to adapt to your build. See here: http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/how-to-tailor-your-suit/
Oh yeah it will be more than 500EUR for anything really decent.
On August 28 2014 10:12 Poffel wrote: Probably an odd question for this thread, but since those guys are crazy, I'd rather ask here: Does anybody know a label that provides suits for 'beefy' people? I mean something that's cut for broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a small waist... and ideally something that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg (below 500€ would be nice)?
"Those guys" are probably the best source of advice anyway.
In the end it might come down to: Have your suits tailored. I doubt you will find off the rack suits made for athletic builds. Try to go to a decent store and ask them to recommend a suit / cut that would be easy to adapt to your build. See here: http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/how-to-tailor-your-suit/
Oh yeah it will be more than 500EUR for anything really decent.
This. I had to spend like a 125$ on tailoring my suit due to broad shoulders small waist and big legs. Depending on your build you may want to look into just getting a custom made. It doesn't have to be super high end and will still look better than a more expensive suit with a perfect fit.
My goal is to be able to do 18 chin-ups consistently.
What is the preferable method to practice this? Does one do as many chin-ups as possible in every set? Or, does one do something 3x7 chin ups over the course of a day? Or, something like 3x3 on day1, 3x4 next day and so on (with 30 second breaks between each set)?
The goal is to do the most amount of chin-ups possible in one set, is it better to do them slowly or is it better to do them slightly faster so the overall time you spend exerting strength is lower?
Any recommendations?
I'm also guessing that losing weight is a good idea for this exercise. "How do I lose weight" sounds like a dumb question, however I think I could "easily" shave off 4 to 5 kg (68-70 kg for 1m80 atm). Recommendations for that or am I just going to go jogging every day?
Do you have a chin up bar at home? Also, do you follow any other workout program?
If your goal is just to get better at chinups, do as many chinups as you can throughout the day. Take each set to failure and do as many of them as you can throughout the day. If you're following another workout program, tell us the program and we can help you structure it to help you get better at chin ups.
Also, this is a pretty good video to help increase pull ups.
I don't have a workout program, I do have a chin-up bar. The goal is really only chin-ups, there's also a running trial that I'm going to have to go through, it's called Luc-léger. I'll just practice that directly, I think.
However, if following a workout program can help with the goal of getting to 18 chin-ups easily, then I may do that. I know little about working out, however it seems to me that a "well-balanced" work out program would be better overall than just massing chin ups.
On September 03 2014 21:01 Incognoto wrote: I don't have a workout program, I do have a chin-up bar. The goal is really only chin-ups, there's also a running trial that I'm going to have to go through, it's called Luc-léger. I'll just practice that directly, I think.
However, if following a workout program can help with the goal of getting to 18 chin-ups easily, then I may do that. I know little about working out, however it seems to me that a "well-balanced" work out program would be better overall than just massing chin ups.
Hence me asking around in this thread.
Well... sort of. Doing lots of chin ups is the best thing to improve your chin up, but there are a few exercises that will help.
1.) Barbell Row 2.) Dumbbell row 3.) Lat pull down 4.) Deadlifts
If you have access to a gym, I'd recommend doing these. If not, just focus on doing more chin ups. The other exercises would make your progress faster, but there aren't many other bodyweight exercises with direct carry over. If your goal was to get in better shape overall, I'd say that you may want to look into a program like Starting Strength, but this sounds more like some kind of PE test for the military or some kind of job.
So my school has a free gym and I've decided to start working out again. The thing is I'm a vegan and a hard gainer so I don't think I can get buff but consequently I could probably get "skinny ripped" or "otter mode" really easily. Or is it not possible to me muscular really at all with very little protein in ones diet?
EPT
. Since you seem pretty new to weight lifting I'd advice you to try out free weights after your trip, and if you don't like it just stick to machines. Better to stay motivated with something you enjoy than do something boring and probably quit down the line. Free weights are definitely superior but the difference is not that big.
