So. P90X anyone? (Misery loves company)

[bhodi]

.but that Figure 8 thing looks like a terrible idea.  KBs in general seem like a bad idea to me, I don't know.

Just to make sure we're on the same page, This is what I'm talking about. Half squat, I guess that the weight is really just shifting around making you use the different stabilizer muscles. Whatever it does, it works. Try 30-45 seconds with 30lbs.

I just wear gym shorts & tshirts that got accidentally splashed with bleach / have holes / used when I painted. There are tons of people with form-fitting underarmor or other, worse, 'dress up' style tshirts with no arms and what not. I'm not there to flirt or strut, I'm there to get stronger.

I guess another part of it is self-delusion.   "I can do 75# one-hand curls!"  No.  No, you can't.

This reminds me of The Iron, by Henry Rollins. Truer words have never been spoken:

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

[Cyrrex]

Ah, okay.  I was only looking at pics, so I imagined something more horrifying going on.  That actually looks okay.

[NowhereMan]

Finally got back into the gym, spent the previous two weeks not lifting because I managed to horribly burn my hand grabbing a red hot pan. I never imagined I'd be happy to have somewhere to go at 6 in the morning, starting to think I need to switch up my routine a bit though, I've been doing more or less the same thing for 6 months but have had a couple of weeks off her and there for various reasons, so I'm not sure if I need to' shock my body' or whatever for more gains but it might be nice to shake things up a bit.

[Chimpy]

So I went and got the membership to the nearby club on friday, it is a no-frills at all kind of place so I don't think I will have to worry about the meat market types. The clientele seems to be mostly middle aged office workers. Have not had a chance to get in to work out yet as their weekend hours are shorter and I had to work yesterday and today I was super busy.

Probably will start going on Tuesday as tomorrow is my first day at the new job and I don't think I will have any time.

Diet is still going well, though weight loss has slowed a bit. Am down between 25-30lbs from my heaviest, and probably 20-25 from where I was at when I started the diet the first week of January.

[Cyrrex]

Nowhereman:  Want to shock your system?  Try out that German Volume Training we have talked about in the recent past.  Whether or not it leads to improvement is something we can discuss, but it will no doubt "shock" you.

For me, I am going back and doing Starting Strength, even though it is technically for novices.  I have realized that my squats are going terribly, in large part because my form is SHIT.  I don't think I have been going down to parallel and lower, and it has meant that I don't believe I have actually been getting any stronger.  So I am resetting things a bit and starting over..  I think it will improve my other lifts (my bench form has always been shit, too, so I will work on that), and will make me do Power Cleans as well, which I have never really tried.  Turns out I suck at them.

Chimpy:  good on you, dude.  Keep plugging away at it.  And make sure you are lifting weights.  Cardio is for your heart and lungs, not for your weight loss.

[Nebu]

Chimpy:  good on you, dude.  Keep plugging away at it.  And make sure you are lifting weights.  Cardio is for your heart and lungs, not for your weight loss.

I agree. 

Chart of Cal/hr burned by a variety of activities.

Building muscle mass is the fastest way to increase your base metabolic rate.  More muscle, the more you can eat without gaining weight.  This is one of the biggest drawbacks to my new physique.  I love to eat.  Having dropped 30 lbs, about 70% of which was muscle mass, has forced me to eat a lot less to maintain my new weight.  I miss being able to eat until full.  Now I just eat until I'm satiated... and drink water to fill up.  Meh.

[Merusk]

That chart has never, ever made sense to me when looking at the swimming numbers.  Never.   Somehow swimming laps is ~= to running an 11.5 min mile?

Funny. Very funny.

[Nebu]

That chart has never, ever made sense to me when looking at the swimming numbers.  Never.   Somehow swimming laps is ~= to running an 11.5 min mile?

Funny. Very funny.

It's certainly not a one-size-fits-all thing.  I'm sure some of the approximations are terribly wrong.  It was more to show that you have to do a lot of aerobic work to get any serious calorie loss from it.

[Cyrrex]

That chart has never, ever made sense to me when looking at the swimming numbers.  Never.   Somehow swimming laps is ~= to running an 11.5 min mile?

Funny. Very funny.

Have you seen how most people swim laps?   

[Merusk]

You have a very good point. 

I'd be less dissatisfied if - like they do with running - they'd break it down to speeds or ability.   My 200yard warmup kick is not someone else's.

[Cyrrex]

Yes, and MY 200m warmup kick - whatever that is - would take even greater amounts of energy, as I would be in a titanic struggle just to complete it.  I swim like a sack of rocks.

[JWIV]

My gym has a pool, so occasionally I'll swim laps in it.  Me swimming laps isn't even fucking close to the swim team practice going on in the next lane.   

[RhyssaFireheart]

My gym has a pool, so occasionally I'll swim laps in it.  Me swimming laps isn't even fucking close to the swim team practice going on in the next lane.   

Ugh, this is why I don't care for swimming laps with the husband.  He was on the swim team in HS and it shows.  Makes me feel like I'm flailing around while he's just gliding through the water, the bastard.

[Der Helm]

Anyway, good you on Chimpy.  You should join our Fitocracy group. 

I am not Chimpy, but I just got my invite to Fitocracy, I need some peer presure, so how do I join ?

[Nebu]

If there's some kind of motivational support fitness group here, count me in as well.  As much of a psycho as I am about diet and fitness I still have my moments of weakness.

[JWIV]

http://www.fitocracy.com/group/2781/ is the group link.  It looks like we need one more person before we're able to send out group invites proper.

[Mosesandstick]

Now you have enough! I'm kind of like Nebu, except the complete opposite where I'm weak with the odd moment about diet and fitness.

[Der Helm]

Joined.

Also, Ding/gratz level 3. Wohooo... 

[Chimpy]

Someone send me an invite plz. I guess this is like the old school Gmail where you have to know someone on the inside?

(No I am not using my facebook login).

[JWIV]

Don't think I want to put the group invite and code publically, but Chimpy, check your PM

[Cyrrex]

Awesome, we seem to be a legitimate group now. 

Nebu, I'll PM you the code.  Anyone else wants one, just say so.

[Nebu]

Thanks.  I'm in.  I'll try to log my workout today. 

I've gone to a strange floating schedule to maximize recovery time and minimize injury.  I seem to be getting strength gains, but it almost feels like I'm not doing enough. 

Been lifting for 30 years and I'm still learning.

[Chimpy]

So I had my "complementary" session with the trainer that came with my gym membership. It was not bad, but I realized just how out of shape/inflexible I am these days. Was all body weight/balance/core kind of things. I definitely need to work on my flexibility and basic cardio stuff before I really dig deep into the resistance stuff. But at least I crossed the "got in there and did SOMETHING" threshold. I was unable to go all week because my sinuses were so plugged I could barely breathe.

Think this week is going to be me focusing on doing 30 minutes on the bike each morning.

[Cyrrex]

I am trying out something new.  Had started back on a Starting Strength program, but because I broke the shit out of my barbell at home, I had to ditch it (because the weights at my gym only go down to 2.5 kg, which makes that kind of linear progression almost impossible).  So I am doing a variation on the German Volume Training program, where instead of doing many sets at about 60% for 10 reps, I am doing many sets at about 80-90% for 3 reps.  So a few warmup sets, and then 7 sets of 3 reps at heavy weight.  Then top it off with a final set of 10 to 20 reps at a 50-70% max.  So would look something like this (lifted from my Fitocracy stats):

Barbell Squat:

    60 kg x 8 reps (+64 pts)
    80 kg x 5 reps (+76 pts)
    100 kg x 5 reps (+102 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    110 kg x 3 reps (+95 pts)
    60 kg x 20 reps (+74 pts) - 74 points...hah!  I wanted to die by number 17.

Then adding some complementary stuff after doing the main compound lift (e.g. leg presses and calf raises after the squats).  I rather like it so far.  Kinda tough like GVT, but no so psychologically challenging that I want to cut myself.  Getting some nice DOMS...deadlift day hit my traps like that haven't been hit in a long time (with help of the heavier-than-shit rack pulls).  Downside is that it takes a long time.  That above example took like 50 minutes, or something close to that.  In terms of progression, I am trying to figure out if I should attempt 115kg x3 next week, or if it should be 110kg x 4 for the 7 working sets.  

Anyway, for the first time in a while (since GVT, really), I feel like I have really upped the intensity.

[Chimpy]

Update:

Haven't been able to make it to the gym much at all, though I did make it yesterday morning and rode the bike for a while and kept my heart rate pretty much in the cardio target zone the whole time which is good.

Weighed myself this morning, 247.

I am almost at the point where my 36 waist khakis might even fit!

[Chimpy]

So I am down to 245. Did some weight machine work at the gym today instead of just riding the bike. Realized just how much my muscles have atrophied since I stopped working manual labor. 

FYI for you fitocracy folks, they have an iOS app now.

[Nebu]

Keep at it.  2 lbs a week is a solid rate of loss.  I recommend doing weight work.  It will do far more for your weight loss and fitness than riding the bike will.

Updates:

1) I have stopped posting on Fitocracy.  Thanks for all of the support there, but I just didn't have the time to update now that I'm working out 4-6 times a week and running more in the evenings.

2) I've found a really interesting new program that some of you may like to try.  It's called a 7-4-7 system.

You do 3 sets of an exercise, each set containing 7-4-7 reps.  You do 7 reps at a weight where the last rep is a challenge, add weight so that you can barely do 4 more reps, and then remove weight to a few pounds less than your original weight and crank out 7 more reps.  Repeat this for 3 sets. 

It's HARSH, but in a good way.  Like GVT only takes less time. 

[JWIV]

Keep at it.  2 lbs a week is a solid rate of loss.  I recommend doing weight work.  It will do far more for your weight loss and fitness than riding the bike will.

Updates:

1) I have stopped posting on Fitocracy.  Thanks for all of the support there, but I just didn't have the time to update now that I'm working out 4-6 times a week and running more in the evenings.

2) I've found a really interesting new program that some of you may like to try.  It's called a 7-4-7 system.

You do 3 sets of an exercise, each set containing 7-4-7 reps.  You do 7 reps at a weight where the last rep is a challenge, add weight so that you can barely do 4 more reps, and then remove weight to a few pounds less than your original weight and crank out 7 more reps.  Repeat this for 3 sets. 

It's HARSH, but in a good way.  Like GVT only takes less time. 

7/4/7 sounds pretty good and a bit more saner for me to attempt than full on GVT.

[Nebu]

It's from the May 2012 issue of Men's Fitness if you want to find the source.  I'll see if I can find more about it on the web.

Here's a blurb, but it's full of popup ads.

[Cyrrex]

To be honest, GVT probably isn't something one should be doing anyway unless you really need to shake things up.

I'm doing a different sort of volume training at the moment, that I actually think is more effective, though it is probably not a very good beginner program (too much work).  First, I focus almost soley on the proven compound lifts.  Deadlifts, Squats, Bench, Chins, One armed rows, Power Cleans and Overhand presses (sometimes just clean and presses).  Not really much else.  I try to maximize my volume for a minimum of 70% of my 1 rep max.  So if my max weight for one rep for a give exercise is 200 lbs, then I will try to max out my volume for 140 lbs and up...as much of that as possible up to 180 to 190 lbs of 3 to 5 rep sets.  And then just do as many god damn sets as I can manage.  When it starts to get too hard repping 180, then I back off to 170 and increase the reps.  Whatever keeps me working above that 70% threshold.  It seems to be really effective so far.  Lots of work with heavy weights.

[DraconianOne]

Arise!

Someone was talking to me about Insanity the other day (from the makers of P90X) saying that it involved a lot of plyometrics (which I love doing as a hangover from my competitive days). Has anyone tried the workout? Thoughts, opinions? Pros, cons?

I should add that I'm not actually thinking of doing it, I'm just curious to find out more and peoples opinions.

[JWIV]

To take this completely full circle - my wife wanted to get herself on something really structured in terms of both a diet plan and exercise routine - so I'm doing P90X with her for a bit.  Honestly, there's nothing really new here.  With the exception of yoga, it's different muscle groups for 60 minutes a day 6 days a week with a 50/30/20 (protein/carb/fats) diet.  I swapped out Kenpo to a 4-5 mile run to at least get some running in (also transitioning to a minimal shoe and recovering from a calf/ankle injury still).  

So we'll see how this goes.  So far, into the second week of workouts (first week of doing the diet), and it's not too bad at all.  Nothing really new here, and some of it is a bit silly because it's geared towards home as opposed to having access to a gym, but overall, I've certainly seen stupidier shit come across in the monthly men's mags.

[bhodi]

Oh, Hi thread. Update time!

Still getting stronger, healthier, looking better, though haven't gained a whole lot of weight. At ~140. Haven't been eating enough or enough of the right things. Still. Several friends commented independently on my biceps which are visibly larger. Not a ton of change in my chest, abs. I am still working out Mon-Thur, though I end up generally missing at least a day. I missed the entirety of last week due the 4th and backslid two weeks. I recently had two PT sessions to get a routine for my lower back which is still giving me trouble from a years-old old climbing injury. This is what I'm doing 1-2x a week for it:

The bosu transfer is the absolute worst, so of course it's last. Plank on a bosu (half ball) and then go left, center, right, center on your elbows/arms. That's one. I did that on Tuesday.

The biggest change for the last month or two is that I've started tracking rest periods and scaling them down to keep the heart rate up.

[DraconianOne]

To take this completely full circle - my wife wanted to get herself on something really structured in terms of both a diet plan and exercise routine - so I'm doing this with her for a bit. 

Ah... come to think of it, it may well have been one of your Fitocracy updates that made me think about this again too. 

Can you give an example of what one of the workouts looks like?

Oh, Hi thread. Update time!

Well done. Had to look up what "Inch Worms" - interesting exercise. Not enough room in my gym for those (and I already get enough funny looks for doing dynamic stretching.) Might have a try of that Bosu plank with cross-transfer though.

My own update:

Lost a stack load of weight and am the lightest I've been in about 15 years (195lbs). Running's going well (knocked 2 mins off my 5km pb, nearly broke the 20 minute mark) and am currently in taper before a 100 mile race in two weeks.  Looking beyond that, I'm going to be taking most of August off and then going back to strength, speed and power work and learn how to lift heavy weights properly (deadlift, snatch, power clean).

[JWIV]

To take this completely full circle - my wife wanted to get herself on something really structured in terms of both a diet plan and exercise routine - so I'm doing this with her for a bit.  

Ah... come to think of it, it may well have been one of your Fitocracy updates that made me think about this again too.  

Can you give an example of what one of the workouts looks like?

I actually have found myself in fair agreement with this girl and her reviews.  Here's her take on one of them.
http://azahorik.hubpages.com/hub/A-Review-of-P90X-Chest-and-Back