EPTThe main goal of this thread is to focus on improving our bodies in two aspects:
1. Health -- Sleeping, eating, and destressing habits;
2. Fitness -- improving body composition and physical attributes (through exercise, training, athletics, and sports).
>> First, a quick reminder or lesson on how exercise and nutrition affect each other.
All links are underlined and clickable and highlighted with ">>"
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Goals
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Goals should be SMART goals:
Specific -- have numbers
Measurable -- so you can be encouraged by your progress
Attainable -- to develop the proper attitude and consistency
Realistic -- so that you are willing and able to work towards them
Timely -- to give a sense of urgency
This is the template we had last year. We will use it again.
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Name/nick
Age: XX || Height: X'X" or m/cm || Weight: lbs/kg
Starting Date: xx/xx/xx || Goal Date: xx/xx/xx
Weight goals -- [insert here]
Training goals -- [insert here]
Nutrition goals -- [insert here]
Misc goals -- [insert here]
Age: XX || Height: X'X" or m/cm || Weight: lbs/kg
Starting Date: xx/xx/xx || Goal Date: xx/xx/xx
Weight goals -- [insert here]
Training goals -- [insert here]
Nutrition goals -- [insert here]
Misc goals -- [insert here]
You can post your goals in this thread or keep your own training log.
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Information on working out and training
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A quick synopsis of exercise and training for beginners.
Exercise and training are two different things. Exercise is physical activity for its own sake, a workout done for the effect it produces today, during the workout or right after you're through.
Training is physical activity done with a longer-term goal in mind, the constituent workouts of which are specifically designed to produce that goal. If a program of physical activity isn't designed to get you stronger or faster or better conditioned by producing a specific stress to which a specific desirable adaptation can occur, you don't get to call it training. It's just exercise. For most people, exercise is perfectly adequate – it's certainly better than sitting on your ass channel-surfing.
[...]
For a novice, any program is better than no program at all, so all of them work with varying degrees of efficiency. This is why everybody thinks their program works, and why you'll always find perfectly honest testimonials for every new exercise program on TV or the Internet. But nothing works as well as a moderate mathematical increase in some loading parameter each time, for as long as an adaptation to the increase continues to occur, because it's specifically designed to produce both stress and adaptation.
Strength is the basis of athletic ability.
-Mark Rippetoe in this article
Training is physical activity done with a longer-term goal in mind, the constituent workouts of which are specifically designed to produce that goal. If a program of physical activity isn't designed to get you stronger or faster or better conditioned by producing a specific stress to which a specific desirable adaptation can occur, you don't get to call it training. It's just exercise. For most people, exercise is perfectly adequate – it's certainly better than sitting on your ass channel-surfing.
[...]
For a novice, any program is better than no program at all, so all of them work with varying degrees of efficiency. This is why everybody thinks their program works, and why you'll always find perfectly honest testimonials for every new exercise program on TV or the Internet. But nothing works as well as a moderate mathematical increase in some loading parameter each time, for as long as an adaptation to the increase continues to occur, because it's specifically designed to produce both stress and adaptation.
Strength is the basis of athletic ability.
-Mark Rippetoe in this article
Thus,
1a. Weights for the beginner (those looking to gain muscle and/or strength)
If you are new to working out and your goal is muscle mass and strength, Starting Strength is one of the best routines you can do. I would strongly suggest purchasing the book because it has at least 40-50 pages on squat technique alone along with the other technical aspects of the lifts that will help you make optimal progress. The writeup, however, is online in the link below.
>> Buy Starting Strength -- great on basic lifting technique & gaining mass and strength.
>> Starting Strength wiki
>> Starting Strength 2nd edition PDF
>> Why Starting Strength? -- the novice effect
The Stronglifts 5x5 program is a classic alternative to Starting Strength if desired. Another helpful writeup on this program.
TL member testimonials on above programs:
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On June 19 2011 07:41 Malinor wrote:
I decided that I am done with Starting Strength after todays workout. I only resetted my squat once, but the frequency of missed lifts got pretty high lately. The day after tomorrow I will also visit my parents for one week, and I don't have the best training environment there. And finally, I believe one deloading week in between is probably a very smart thing to do. I am not 18 anymore
And what better time to start a new programm after a deloading week.
Therefore, I decided to max out on squat and deadlift today:
squat: 190x1 200x1 205x1 210x1 215x1 and 220kgx1 (150x6 afterwards)
Bench: 80kg 5-5-5 (still easy)
deadlift: 210x1 220kgx1 and finally failed 227,5kg, which would have been 502lb.
Maybe I am maxing out on overhead press tomorrow if I find the time. So next week is gonna be deload. Then I will start with Texas Method and work my way up to my actual 5RMs within four weeks, to acclimate myself with the new programm. So I won't hit new PRs for the next six weeks.
Final SS numbers (5RM):
Squat: 185kg
Press: 78,5kg
Deadlift: 190kg
BO-Row: 91kg (stopped 2 weeks ago)
Bench: 80kg (obviously not my max, didn't bench much because of my shoulder injury)
Power Clean: 72,5kg (3RM, also not my max, since I only started two weeks ago)
Starting Strength log
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All in all, I never expected the past four months to be that productive.
To be continued....
I decided that I am done with Starting Strength after todays workout. I only resetted my squat once, but the frequency of missed lifts got pretty high lately. The day after tomorrow I will also visit my parents for one week, and I don't have the best training environment there. And finally, I believe one deloading week in between is probably a very smart thing to do. I am not 18 anymore
And what better time to start a new programm after a deloading week.
Therefore, I decided to max out on squat and deadlift today:
squat: 190x1 200x1 205x1 210x1 215x1 and 220kgx1 (150x6 afterwards)
Bench: 80kg 5-5-5 (still easy)
deadlift: 210x1 220kgx1 and finally failed 227,5kg, which would have been 502lb.
Maybe I am maxing out on overhead press tomorrow if I find the time. So next week is gonna be deload. Then I will start with Texas Method and work my way up to my actual 5RMs within four weeks, to acclimate myself with the new programm. So I won't hit new PRs for the next six weeks.
Final SS numbers (5RM):
Squat: 185kg
Press: 78,5kg
Deadlift: 190kg
BO-Row: 91kg (stopped 2 weeks ago)
Bench: 80kg (obviously not my max, didn't bench much because of my shoulder injury)
Power Clean: 72,5kg (3RM, also not my max, since I only started two weeks ago)
Starting Strength log
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Date Squat Bench Press Dead BO-Row
26.Feb 90 x x 90 x
01.Mar 95 x 40 x 50
03.Mar 100 40 x 100 x
05.Mar 102,5 x 42,5 x 55
07.Mar 105 x x 105 x
09.Mar 107,5 x 45 x 60
11.Mar 110 50 x 110 x
13.Mar 112,5 x 50 x 62,5
15.Mar 115 55 x 115 x
17.Mar 117,5 x 52,5 x 65
19.Mar 120 60 x 125 x
22.Mar 122,5 x 55 x 67,5
24.Mar 125 i x 130 x
26.Mar 127,5 x 57,5 x 70
30.Mar 130 i x 135 x
01.Apr 132,5 x 60 x 72,5
03.Apr 135 i x 140 x
05.Apr 137,5 x 62,5 x 75
08.Apr 140 i x 145 x
11.Apr 142,5 x 63,5 x 77,5
13.Apr 145 i x 150 x
16.Apr 147,5 x 65 x 80
19.Apr 150 i x 155 x
21.Apr 152,5 x 66 x 81
23.Apr 155 i x 160 x
26.Apr 157,5 x 67,5 x 82,5
28.Apr 160 i x 165 x
30.Apr 162,5 x 68,5 x 83,5
03.Mai 165 i x 170 x
05.Mai 166 x 70 x 85
07.Mai 167,5 i x 175 x
10.Mai 168,5f x 71 x 86
12.Mai 168,5f 60 x 177,5 x
14.Mai 152,5 x 72,5 x 87,5
17.Mai 155 62,5 x 180 x
19.Mai 157,5 x 73,5f x 88,5
21.Mai 160 65 x 182,5f x
24.Mai 162,5 x 73,5 x 90s
26.Mai 165 67,5 x 182,5 x
28.Mai 167,5 x 75 x 90
31.Mai 170 70 x 185f x
02.Jun 172,5 x 76 x 91
04.Jun 175 72,5 x 185 x
P.Clean
07.Jun 177,5f x 77,5 x 67,5
09.Jun 177,5 75 x 187,5 x
11.Jun 180 x 78,5f x 70
14.Jun 182,5 77,5 x 190 x
16.Jun 185f x 78,5f x 72,5
18.Jun 1RM 80 x 1RM x
(220) (220)
_____________________________________________
Squat, Press, Bench and BO-Row: 3(Sets)x5(Reps)
Deadlift: 1(Set)x5(Reps)
Power Clean: 5(Sets)x3(Reps)
i=injury
f=fail
s=same weight next session (i.e. form issues)
all weights in kilogram
All in all, I never expected the past four months to be that productive.
To be continued....
1b. Weights for the beginner (looking to lose weight)
See the above section.
Why not cardio? Why not lots of reps for toning?
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Good questions.
If you skipped over the link in the beginning read it now:
>> First, a quick reminder or lesson on how exercise and nutrition affect each other.
Cardio
Cardio at its heart is a very weak at best at stimulating fat loss. For newer people to exercise, especially those looking to burn fat, cardio is very ineffective. You'll burn maybe 200-300 kcals per mile of exercise at best. Compare this to 3600 kcals in 1 lbs of fat we see at best you'll have to be running 12-18 miles just to burn one pound of fat. As a beginner even a couple miles is daunting, and people are expected to do at least this much for 1 lbs of fat?
This is why losing weight is done in the kitchen. There's a lot of pervasive myths in the fitness industry but when they say that "abs are made in the kitchen" that is actually true.
Weight training provides a stimulus for building muscle. Muscle is very hard to build because it requires lots of calories to actually build the muscle. If diet is strictly controlled, the body derives its energy from burning your fat mass to build the muscle. So in effect, you can "build muscle" and "lose fat" at the same time. (The caveat is that there is diminishing returns the leaner you get).
Therefore, for newer people looking to lose fat it is advisable to lift heavy weights and make sure your nutrition is in order. Weights are superior over cardio (which is about 15-20% of the equation), and nutrition makes up the rest (which is about 80-85% of the equation) in losing weight.
Don't get me wrong, cardio can be used effectively in some populations. However, for the average person looking to lose fat and/or gain muscle this is not one of them.
Light weights and high repetitions for toning
Toning is bullshit. What does it mean anyway to look more toned or defined?
Light weights high repetitions for toning is a huge myth that is pervasive in the fitness industry.
When you boil it down to the facts, "toning" just means you want to lose fat (to see your muscles) and/or make your muscles bigger. So basically when you say you want to "tone" you want to gain muscle and/or lose fat.
1. High repetitions works endurance. It does not put on muscle mass. Strike one.
2. High repetitions does not burn much fat. Just like cardio doesn't. Strike two.
3. There is no such thing as spot reduction. That is to say that doing endless amounts of situps does not make your abs more defined.
You have to put sufficient stress on a muscle to get it to grow. That is much easier done with heavy weights in the 5-8 repetition range (which, incidentally, is about the best repetition range for hypertrophy).
If you thought light weights and high repetitions was going to lose you fat mass you're sorely mistaken. If an hours or two of cardio burns less than a pound of fat mass, how do you think that a 30 minute workout of light weights and high repetitions (which is essentially what cardio is for the legs) is going to burn any significant amount of fat mass?
Therefore, for newer people looking to lose fat it is advisable to lift heavy weights and make sure your nutrition is in order. Weights are superior over cardio (which is about 15-20% of the equation), and nutrition makes up the rest (which is about 80-85% of the equation) in losing weight.
If you skipped over the link in the beginning read it now:
>> First, a quick reminder or lesson on how exercise and nutrition affect each other.
Cardio
Cardio at its heart is a very weak at best at stimulating fat loss. For newer people to exercise, especially those looking to burn fat, cardio is very ineffective. You'll burn maybe 200-300 kcals per mile of exercise at best. Compare this to 3600 kcals in 1 lbs of fat we see at best you'll have to be running 12-18 miles just to burn one pound of fat. As a beginner even a couple miles is daunting, and people are expected to do at least this much for 1 lbs of fat?
This is why losing weight is done in the kitchen. There's a lot of pervasive myths in the fitness industry but when they say that "abs are made in the kitchen" that is actually true.
Weight training provides a stimulus for building muscle. Muscle is very hard to build because it requires lots of calories to actually build the muscle. If diet is strictly controlled, the body derives its energy from burning your fat mass to build the muscle. So in effect, you can "build muscle" and "lose fat" at the same time. (The caveat is that there is diminishing returns the leaner you get).
Therefore, for newer people looking to lose fat it is advisable to lift heavy weights and make sure your nutrition is in order. Weights are superior over cardio (which is about 15-20% of the equation), and nutrition makes up the rest (which is about 80-85% of the equation) in losing weight.
Don't get me wrong, cardio can be used effectively in some populations. However, for the average person looking to lose fat and/or gain muscle this is not one of them.
Light weights and high repetitions for toning
Toning is bullshit. What does it mean anyway to look more toned or defined?
Light weights high repetitions for toning is a huge myth that is pervasive in the fitness industry.
When you boil it down to the facts, "toning" just means you want to lose fat (to see your muscles) and/or make your muscles bigger. So basically when you say you want to "tone" you want to gain muscle and/or lose fat.
1. High repetitions works endurance. It does not put on muscle mass. Strike one.
2. High repetitions does not burn much fat. Just like cardio doesn't. Strike two.
3. There is no such thing as spot reduction. That is to say that doing endless amounts of situps does not make your abs more defined.
You have to put sufficient stress on a muscle to get it to grow. That is much easier done with heavy weights in the 5-8 repetition range (which, incidentally, is about the best repetition range for hypertrophy).
If you thought light weights and high repetitions was going to lose you fat mass you're sorely mistaken. If an hours or two of cardio burns less than a pound of fat mass, how do you think that a 30 minute workout of light weights and high repetitions (which is essentially what cardio is for the legs) is going to burn any significant amount of fat mass?
Therefore, for newer people looking to lose fat it is advisable to lift heavy weights and make sure your nutrition is in order. Weights are superior over cardio (which is about 15-20% of the equation), and nutrition makes up the rest (which is about 80-85% of the equation) in losing weight.
Testimonials of eliminating cardio from TL members:
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DimmuKlok:
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On June 18 2011 05:52 DimmuKlok wrote:
Hello everyone!
I reached my weight loss goal that I set for myself when I originally posted in this thread(Although I forgot to be specific). My goal was to reach 250lbs by June and I'm at 247lbs as of today. That's 33lbs lost since I started posting here and 63lbs lost total.
Since I've reached my initial goal and I'm still not satisfied yet, I'm going to make my next goal to be 220lbs before September.
On August 13 2011 02:29 DimmuKlok wrote:
Hello everyone, I'm back again with another update.
I quoted my last update for convenience. As of today I am 219.5lbs, meaning I reached my goal of hitting 220 by September! I'm very happy about this achievement. That's 90.5lbs lost so far from when I started in mid December at 310lbs.
I'm still not quite done, though. My next goal is to be 200lbs by Jan 1st of 2012. This goal I wasn't even sure could happen. When I first started losing weight I really only wanted to see if I could get to 250lbs, and if I could, then try to get to 230. Here I am at 219.5 and I'm looking at 200 being the ultimate goal. I have no idea what I'll look like when I do reach 200 because I've been overweight for so many years, but I'm eager to find out.
As for pictures, I don't have any right this moment but I do plan on uploading some. I will probably upload some before my next update (200 lbs) and for sure by Nov when everyone's supposed to post pictures. ^^
Thanks for reading everyone, and good luck with your own goals!
On August 13 2011 16:01 DimmuKlok wrote:
I started off just eating less than I normally ate, although not changing what I ate, and going to the gym daily to use an elliptical for an hour. This was before I found this thread and before I did much research on getting fit. I lost 30lbs doing this but it started to get really hard to lose additional weight. I was convinced that all I needed to do to lose additional weight was to do even more cardio.
Then I found TL H&F. I received tons of helpful information from the OP and from asking question in the thread. I eventually came to the conclusion that what I was doing was inferior. I started SS and eating as Paleo as possible, all the while watching my caloric intake. I was worried at first because up until then I thought cardio was the only way to lose weight and the more cardio you did the more weight you lost. But I was wrong.
I stopped doing cardio completely and relied on my diet to lose weight. I was happily surprised to find that I was losing weight even faster than I was before, and it was a lot easier than doing cardio for a couple hours everyday. SS helped with the weight loss too, but I mostly love SS for all the strength gain. I've been doing SS and eating Paleo(ish) ever since and have lost 90.5lbs so far, with 110lbs as my goal.
I strongly recommend anyone that wants to lose weight to try out the Paleo diet. There's a lot of helpful information about it in the OP and I've had nothing but success with it.
Hello everyone!
I reached my weight loss goal that I set for myself when I originally posted in this thread(Although I forgot to be specific). My goal was to reach 250lbs by June and I'm at 247lbs as of today. That's 33lbs lost since I started posting here and 63lbs lost total.
Since I've reached my initial goal and I'm still not satisfied yet, I'm going to make my next goal to be 220lbs before September.
On August 13 2011 02:29 DimmuKlok wrote:
Hello everyone, I'm back again with another update.
I quoted my last update for convenience. As of today I am 219.5lbs, meaning I reached my goal of hitting 220 by September! I'm very happy about this achievement. That's 90.5lbs lost so far from when I started in mid December at 310lbs.
I'm still not quite done, though. My next goal is to be 200lbs by Jan 1st of 2012. This goal I wasn't even sure could happen. When I first started losing weight I really only wanted to see if I could get to 250lbs, and if I could, then try to get to 230. Here I am at 219.5 and I'm looking at 200 being the ultimate goal. I have no idea what I'll look like when I do reach 200 because I've been overweight for so many years, but I'm eager to find out.
As for pictures, I don't have any right this moment but I do plan on uploading some. I will probably upload some before my next update (200 lbs) and for sure by Nov when everyone's supposed to post pictures. ^^
Thanks for reading everyone, and good luck with your own goals!
On August 13 2011 16:01 DimmuKlok wrote:
I started off just eating less than I normally ate, although not changing what I ate, and going to the gym daily to use an elliptical for an hour. This was before I found this thread and before I did much research on getting fit. I lost 30lbs doing this but it started to get really hard to lose additional weight. I was convinced that all I needed to do to lose additional weight was to do even more cardio.
Then I found TL H&F. I received tons of helpful information from the OP and from asking question in the thread. I eventually came to the conclusion that what I was doing was inferior. I started SS and eating as Paleo as possible, all the while watching my caloric intake. I was worried at first because up until then I thought cardio was the only way to lose weight and the more cardio you did the more weight you lost. But I was wrong.
I stopped doing cardio completely and relied on my diet to lose weight. I was happily surprised to find that I was losing weight even faster than I was before, and it was a lot easier than doing cardio for a couple hours everyday. SS helped with the weight loss too, but I mostly love SS for all the strength gain. I've been doing SS and eating Paleo(ish) ever since and have lost 90.5lbs so far, with 110lbs as my goal.
I strongly recommend anyone that wants to lose weight to try out the Paleo diet. There's a lot of helpful information about it in the OP and I've had nothing but success with it.
Rest in progress...
2. Weights for the intermediate (those looking to gain mass and/or strength):
Why is there no weight loss section?
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This is because losing fat and getting into shape are all part of the beginner phase of training.
As long as you have significant amounts of fat mass, you can generally make extremely good gains in both losing fat, gaining strength, and gaining muscle at the same time. Thus, having any appreciable amounts of body fat still makes you a "beginner" in training.
If you are offended at being called a beginner or novice this is not something you should be worried about! You should be able to make very good progress. This is not something to be "upset" about over being labeled into such a category.
And yes, people that have been in the gym for 10+ years can still be beginners. It's not how long you've been training, it's how effective your training has been in regards to your overall results.
As long as you have significant amounts of fat mass, you can generally make extremely good gains in both losing fat, gaining strength, and gaining muscle at the same time. Thus, having any appreciable amounts of body fat still makes you a "beginner" in training.
If you are offended at being called a beginner or novice this is not something you should be worried about! You should be able to make very good progress. This is not something to be "upset" about over being labeled into such a category.
And yes, people that have been in the gym for 10+ years can still be beginners. It's not how long you've been training, it's how effective your training has been in regards to your overall results.
If you have been training a while and your lifts in the basic compounds such as squat, deadlift, power cleans, do not exceed 2x bodyweight you can try some of the classic advanced novice or intermediate programs listed in the spoiler and link below.
>> After Starting Strength Programs
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Practical Programming Novice Program:
Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Press/bench press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Witchita Falls Novice Program:
Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Press/Bench press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pendlay rows 3x5
(some information has pullups instead of pendlay rows)
Practical Programming Advanced Novice Program:
Week 1
Day 1
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps
Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (more sets may be added due to reduced frequency)
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Week 2
Day 1
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Power clean 5x3
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps
(Credit to Tim Donahey writing this up as well as the SS wiki)
Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Press/bench press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Witchita Falls Novice Program:
Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Press/Bench press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench press/press 3x5
Pendlay rows 3x5
(some information has pullups instead of pendlay rows)
Practical Programming Advanced Novice Program:
Week 1
Day 1
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps
Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (more sets may be added due to reduced frequency)
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Week 2
Day 1
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure, unweighted
Day 2
Front squats 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Power clean 5x3
Day 3
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Pull-ups: 3 sets, weight added so failure occurs at 5 to 7 reps
(Credit to Tim Donahey writing this up as well as the SS wiki)
3. Bodyweight exercising for the beginner and intermediate
>> Fundamentals of bodyweight strength training.
Many more resources are located in the spoiler below.
+ Show Spoiler +
Setting and Achieving Goals -- Multitude of good goals and potential exercises
DrillsAndSkills lists many good exercises. Roger's articles are also a gold mine for some of the particular techniques and nuances that need to be developed as well.
Jim's Beast Skills site has many skills that people want to strive for as well.
Coach Sommer's Building the gymnastic body has 100+ pages of picture demonstrated exercise progressions. I would recommend this if you are serious about bodyweight training.
In addition, he has put out various lists including his selection of top 5 gymnastics exercises that he recommends developing as well as a multitude of essays and videos.
Levski's the gym press is a great technical resource for coaches and athletes.
Gymnastics Coaching is a blog about all things gymnastics, sports acro, etc.
Lots of information about the circus arts -- more in the realm of hand balancing, trapeze, tight rope walking, etc.
Gymnastics FIG code of points -- tells you the skill ratings for all of the technical skills on all apparatus in mens gymnastics.
Equipments
As always we strongly recommend that you obtain a pullup bar and a set of rings. For most people, the things that work best are a doorway pullup bar and a good pair of rings. Cheaper set of rings
Wood rings: http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-wood-rings.php
The rings may be hung off of the pullup bar, so you do not need to find somewhere outside to hang them unless you so desire.
DrillsAndSkills lists many good exercises. Roger's articles are also a gold mine for some of the particular techniques and nuances that need to be developed as well.
Jim's Beast Skills site has many skills that people want to strive for as well.
Coach Sommer's Building the gymnastic body has 100+ pages of picture demonstrated exercise progressions. I would recommend this if you are serious about bodyweight training.
In addition, he has put out various lists including his selection of top 5 gymnastics exercises that he recommends developing as well as a multitude of essays and videos.
Levski's the gym press is a great technical resource for coaches and athletes.
Gymnastics Coaching is a blog about all things gymnastics, sports acro, etc.
Lots of information about the circus arts -- more in the realm of hand balancing, trapeze, tight rope walking, etc.
Gymnastics FIG code of points -- tells you the skill ratings for all of the technical skills on all apparatus in mens gymnastics.
Equipments
As always we strongly recommend that you obtain a pullup bar and a set of rings. For most people, the things that work best are a doorway pullup bar and a good pair of rings. Cheaper set of rings
Wood rings: http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-wood-rings.php
The rings may be hung off of the pullup bar, so you do not need to find somewhere outside to hang them unless you so desire.
4. For the women
For the few women on our site, you should know that lifting weight is actually good for you. Well, I'll let some videos do the talking for me.
>> + Show Spoiler +
>> + Show Spoiler +
>> + Show Spoiler +
Heck, do searches for yourself like this:
>> + Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=female+strength+high+school
Remember, form (e.g. physique) follows function (e.g. training for sports/athetics). If you train an a female athlete in the weight room you will start to look like one. And I would sincerely hope that you would rather be fit and athletic than super skinny/anorexic like society wants you to be.
Read section 1b above for reasons on why cardio and low weight with high repetitions are ineffective for losing fat or other weight loss goals.
5. Other fitness/health resources
+ Show Spoiler +
Specific questions about athletics and sports may be asked to our resident experts from the TeamLiquid Manpower thread:
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Sports
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Martial arts
+ Show Spoiler +
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (BBT) - r.Evo
Dutch style kickboxing - statix
Goju-Ryu karate - GW.Methos
Jeet kune do - statix (basic)
Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian) - CommanderFluffy, iPF[Div], Priapus, statix
Kali - statix (basic)
MMA
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Conditioning - statix
Nutritional supplements - statix
Muay thai - never_toss, statix
Mixed Martial Arts - iPF[Div]
Ninjutsu - r.Evo
Qi gong - r.Evo
Tae Kwon Do - iPF[Div]
Tai chi - r.Evo
Solo sports
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Archery - Lamentations, laikomg
Badminton - Kau, exalted
Billiards (Pool) - deverlight
Boxing - never_toss
Climbing
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Bouldering - travis
Fencing - MisteR, tree.hugger
Golf - thedeadhaji, Lemonwalrus, Sadist, FaCE_1
Gymnastics - eshlow, fanatacist
Sailing
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Dinghy - sRapers_ValkS
Olympic weightlifting - aon.dimsum
Skateboarding - larjarse
Skating - WillOw
Skiing (cross-country) - CDRdude, Mykill
Swimming - CommanderFluffy
Tennis - ZaplinG
Wrestling - Priapus
Nutrition and athletics - Foucault
Team sports
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American football - SweeTLemonS[TPR]
Baseball - rekluce, Unbelievable237
Basketball - rekluce
Cricket - GTR-2-Go
Cross country - vx70GTOJudgexv
Dragon Boat - CommanderFluffy
Floorball - LemOn
Hockey - FaCE_1
Paintball - krazymunky
Sailing
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Monohull - sRapers_ValkS
Soccer - CommanderFluffy, never_toss, Lenwe, fanatacist
Ultimate frisbee - Hot_Bid, ZaplinG, icystorage, vx70GTOJudgexv, larjarse
Workout
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Bodyweight exercises - eshlow
Strenth and muscular exercises - larjarse
Long distance running - Titusmaster6, vx70GTOJudgexv
Cardiovascular excercises - larjarse
Weightlifting - Yogurt, decafchicken, eshlow
Weightlifting especially in football - DeathByMonkeys
Supplements - eshlow
Injuries - eshlow, OOl
OOI:
"I'm a physical therapy student with some decent knowledge of weight-training, MMA, brazillian jiu jitsu, sports-related injuries, posture-related issues, some computer-health issues and weightloss. (such as my carpal tunnel thread, see here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=113336"
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Martial arts
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Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (BBT) - r.Evo
Dutch style kickboxing - statix
Goju-Ryu karate - GW.Methos
Jeet kune do - statix (basic)
Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian) - CommanderFluffy, iPF[Div], Priapus, statix
Kali - statix (basic)
MMA
+ Show Spoiler +
Conditioning - statix
Nutritional supplements - statix
Muay thai - never_toss, statix
Mixed Martial Arts - iPF[Div]
Ninjutsu - r.Evo
Qi gong - r.Evo
Tae Kwon Do - iPF[Div]
Tai chi - r.Evo
Solo sports
+ Show Spoiler +
Archery - Lamentations, laikomg
Badminton - Kau, exalted
Billiards (Pool) - deverlight
Boxing - never_toss
Climbing
+ Show Spoiler +
Bouldering - travis
Fencing - MisteR, tree.hugger
Golf - thedeadhaji, Lemonwalrus, Sadist, FaCE_1
Gymnastics - eshlow, fanatacist
Sailing
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Dinghy - sRapers_ValkS
Olympic weightlifting - aon.dimsum
Skateboarding - larjarse
Skating - WillOw
Skiing (cross-country) - CDRdude, Mykill
Swimming - CommanderFluffy
Tennis - ZaplinG
Wrestling - Priapus
Nutrition and athletics - Foucault
Team sports
+ Show Spoiler +
American football - SweeTLemonS[TPR]
Baseball - rekluce, Unbelievable237
Basketball - rekluce
Cricket - GTR-2-Go
Cross country - vx70GTOJudgexv
Dragon Boat - CommanderFluffy
Floorball - LemOn
Hockey - FaCE_1
Paintball - krazymunky
Sailing
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Monohull - sRapers_ValkS
Soccer - CommanderFluffy, never_toss, Lenwe, fanatacist
Ultimate frisbee - Hot_Bid, ZaplinG, icystorage, vx70GTOJudgexv, larjarse
Workout
+ Show Spoiler +
Bodyweight exercises - eshlow
Strenth and muscular exercises - larjarse
Long distance running - Titusmaster6, vx70GTOJudgexv
Cardiovascular excercises - larjarse
Weightlifting - Yogurt, decafchicken, eshlow
Weightlifting especially in football - DeathByMonkeys
Supplements - eshlow
Injuries - eshlow, OOl
OOI:
"I'm a physical therapy student with some decent knowledge of weight-training, MMA, brazillian jiu jitsu, sports-related injuries, posture-related issues, some computer-health issues and weightloss. (such as my carpal tunnel thread, see here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=113336"
--------------------------------------
Nutrition and eating well
--------------------------------------
Nutrition and health is variable in general. Everyone has different genetics and thus what works well for someone else may not work well for you. Include allergies and all of the junk foods in our culture into the mix and you have to be very careful what you are eating especially if you want to be healthy.
1. Nutritional guidelines
Recommended book on nutrition:
>> The Paleo Solution -- Robb Wolf
A couple quick reads on how to eat healthy
>> Eat real food is the key to being healthy.
>> Here's something a bit more specific.
2. Practically, here are two good shopping lists
>> Shopping list 1
>> Shopping list 2
+ How to
>> Quick Start guide
>> Food matrix
3. Keeping track of your eating habits
>> Logging your food is one of the better ways analyze the quality and quantity of your nutrition.
If you are having a hard time gaining or losing weight in particular, or poor health and looking to eat healthier then doing this is a very good idea.
It doesn't matter when you eat so much as what you eat.
4. Other recommend nutrition sites
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http://robbwolf.com
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://whole9life.com/
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/
http://freetheanimal.com/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/
http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/
http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/
http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/
http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/
http://ryan-koch.blogspot.com/
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/cholesterol-blog.html
>> http://www.leangains.com/ >> is a poster in this thread
>> Another useful user recommend thread
5. Other supplemental recommendations
Supplements beneficial for overall health -- fish oil, Vitamin D.
Supplements beneficial for mass gain -- creatine, whey & casein, BCAAs, glutamine, carnitine, eating a lot of food, sleeping well
Supplements beneficial for losing weight -- proper weight training and eating well; there are no short cuts. Eating right is 80-90% of the equation!!
-----------------------
Miscellaneous
-----------------------
1. Sleep is extremely important for overall health as well as improving gains in body composition and sports. Get at least 7-8 hours if not more in a pitch black room with no noise and cool ambient temperature.
2. Destress. Massages are great. Be disciplined in your daily life. Don't procrastinate. Don't let little things bother you. Again, get into a daily routine.
3. For those of us who use the computer a lot, the blue screen glow interrupts our circadian rhythm a lot leading to insomnia, anxiety, and other sleep related disorders.
There are certain programs that can tint the screen to mimic the sun going down and lead to better sleep. F.lux is one of them.... if you're on the computer a lot and not outside using something like this would be recommended.
>> F.lux
>> More on better sleep
>> + Show Spoiler +
~elimination of sounds
~elimination of electronic devices / outlets / plugins near body
~pitch black room
~cool, dry room (60-65 or so degrees is good if possible)
~stay away from artificial light sources (e.g. computer) at least 1 hr before sleep
~eat a meal, preferably with healthy fats and a decent amount of carbs, before sleeping (e.g. NO JUNK FOOD).
~single leg stand to exhaustion with both legs (it actually works really well)
~spine lengthening before sleep (see Esther Gokhale's stuff)
~general exhaustion from physical activity like hiking, pickup games of stuff, lifting, etc.
~Deep breathing exercises
~Deep tissue massage
~magnesium may help (via ZMA or natural calm)
~melatonin helps some people
~phosphatidylserine (anti-cortisol)
~5-HTP (tryptophan deriv)
~L-theonine
~Vitamin D (taken during the day..)
~valerian root
~elimination of electronic devices / outlets / plugins near body
~pitch black room
~cool, dry room (60-65 or so degrees is good if possible)
~stay away from artificial light sources (e.g. computer) at least 1 hr before sleep
~eat a meal, preferably with healthy fats and a decent amount of carbs, before sleeping (e.g. NO JUNK FOOD).
~single leg stand to exhaustion with both legs (it actually works really well)
~spine lengthening before sleep (see Esther Gokhale's stuff)
~general exhaustion from physical activity like hiking, pickup games of stuff, lifting, etc.
~Deep breathing exercises
~Deep tissue massage
~magnesium may help (via ZMA or natural calm)
~melatonin helps some people
~phosphatidylserine (anti-cortisol)
~5-HTP (tryptophan deriv)
~L-theonine
~Vitamin D (taken during the day..)
~valerian root
Thank you for reading, good luck with your goals. Feel free to ask questions and get motivation in this thread!!
Some specific debate(s) that have occurred in this thread:
+ Show Spoiler +
Multi post on gluten, saturated fats, milk, vitamin D, and cholesterol:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9382380
relationship of diabetes with alzheimer's (type 3 diabetes) plus lecture on neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and a bit about auto-immunity:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9929243
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9929851
efficacy of low carbohydrate vs low fat diets... why low carbohydrate diets are superior for weight loss and correcting metabolic dysfunction (diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease, infertility, etc.):
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=11185776
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=11187342
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9382380
relationship of diabetes with alzheimer's (type 3 diabetes) plus lecture on neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and a bit about auto-immunity:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9929243
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=9929851
efficacy of low carbohydrate vs low fat diets... why low carbohydrate diets are superior for weight loss and correcting metabolic dysfunction (diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease, infertility, etc.):
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=11185776
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=11187342
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