So. P90X anyone? (Misery loves company)

[01101010]

Wife just bought me parkour lessons. I may actually be more intimated by this than running a marathon.

You definitely should post updated after each lesson. I'd love to hear how they give lessons.

[Der Helm]

Wife just bought me parkour lessons. I may actually be more intimated by this than running a marathon.

What I see of parcour on youtube, you should be terrified, not intimidated.

[Cyrrex]

I have recently done some some beginner level parkour stuff with my son.  If they ease you into it in any sane manner, it is a lot of tumbling and gymnastics kind of stuff.  You will probably have to force yourself out of your comfort zone every now and again, depending on how you feel about jumping on/off/over stuff and flipping forwards and backwards.  I suppose it also depends on what kind of equipment your instructors have access to.

Fairly hard on the knees, too.  Really fun, though, I wish this stuff existed when I was a kid. 

[DraconianOne]

Can't think where else to post this so this will have to do. I have no idea what to say about this article about Gatorade's ridiculous app and stupid marketing campaign. 

Leaving now before I rant about "sponsored" research and hydration myths.

[Cyrrex]

What utter puke. Pepsi can go eat a wang.

[Nebu]

I give a lecture in my biochemistry class on how Gatorade is shit for rehydration.  It has WAY too much sugar and way to little sodium.  Pedialyte is a much better choice.

[Nebu]

On a side note, just made a little purchase to help me get fit for this summer. 



A 2011 specialized roubaix sl2 apex. 

I don't have any experience with SRAM grouppos, but am looking forward to riding a nice road bike again.  My ankles/knees just aren't doing well with running the past 6 months.

[satael]

Winter is great time for buying a bike (atleast here). Just got one for a good price since it was a 2013 model 

[Chimpy]

On a side note, just made a little purchase to help me get fit for this summer. 



A 2011 specialized roubaix sl2 apex. 

I don't have any experience with SRAM grouppos, but am looking forward to riding a nice road bike again.  My ankles/knees just aren't doing well with running the past 6 months.

Nice bike. The bike shop guys (and forum stuff I have read) say that the double-tap from the SRAM is kinda nifty. How much did it set you back?

I am most likely going to be buying a Trek Domane 4.3 in the spring unless I find a super deal for a used Roubaix (or one of the many other comparable frames) on eBay before then.

[Nebu]

How much did it set you back?

Picked it up used (note the 2011) from a shop in South Carolina for $900.  I was pretty excited.  It has about 500 miles on it and only the chain showed any wear. 

[JWIV]

Took two months basically off from focused running, and did some lifting and spinning for the most part.  A few runs here and there, but no serious weekly mileage. Started knocking off the rust and ramping things back up in January. God, I forgot how much this sucks.

[Nebu]

Anyone here a cycle enthusiast?  I'm thinking about moving to speedplay pedals from shimano on my road bike.  Wonder if anyone has any opinions.

[CmdrSlack]

I am in week 4 of an 8 week triathlon training program. I plan to do the Chicago tri in August. This gives me 4 cycles through. Hopefully I will be somewhat competitive by then.

[Nebu]

I am in week 4 of an 8 week triathlon training program. I plan to do the Chicago tri in August. This gives me 4 cycles through. Hopefully I will be somewhat competitive by then.

Is that a ful tri or a sprint tri?  If it's full, you have my deepest respect.

[Jimbo]

I give a lecture in my biochemistry class on how Gatorade is shit for rehydration.  It has WAY too much sugar and way to little sodium.  Pedialyte is a much better choice.

Pedialyte grape is quite tasty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P1hNs94tG0

I keep thinking you're talking about Rondo Cola, since you know were old :) http://pattyinglishms.hubpages.com/hub/The-Phantom-That-Was-Rondo-Cola

Hey I'm getting back into working out again, ugh everything hurts big time. I joined the local YMCA, so my cardio is pretty varied, swimming, elliptical, and on nice days I can walk/jog. The Y does have a great weight room, so I'm slowly working that in too. I know building my muscles will help with my weight and will eventually lower my A1C.

I've used Shimano clipless on my mountain bike, have held up since great. I have an older pair of Specialized shoes that were nice (and no velcro) but my feed keep getting bigger. Shimano XT pedals are pretty strong and dependable.

edit...
Oh I've been thinking of doing a 1200 calorie or 1000 calorie diet. They worked great when I was younger, could really kick the metabolism up, but now it seems so sluggish, and for some reason food really tastes awesome when I make it. Cooking turned into one of my favorite hobbies along with video games...which has fucked up my waist line. Plus I work nights, so trying to figure out exactly how to squeeze in small meals and a 15 to 30 minute cardio at work, I know I can go do some push ups or sit ups in the break room too.

Wtf is planking and why are all the people who are working out doing them? Maybe I'm old and think that push ups, sit ups, and pull ups are the better way to get into shape...ugh.

Anyway, good luck to everyone else, I'm doing it for my health and tired of being sluggish. And the medicines my doc wanted to put me on cost way to much, so back into shape I must get...or my wallet will be hurting (and I don't want to end up in DKA either).

[Nebu]

Maybe I'm old and think that push ups, sit ups, and pull ups are the better way to get into shape...ugh.

I used to spend 6 days a week in a high tech gym doing a combination of machines and free weights.  Now, I do predominantly naturals (push ups, pull ups, dips, stairs, squats, etc) and find that I feel better and have much less downtime to injury.  Still... my metabolism seems to be taking a nosedive.  I hate getting old!

[Cyrrex]

Planks are overrated, by the way.  Unless you can't do them at all, in which case you should consider doing them until you get reasonably proficient.  There are way better ways to attack that area.

Anyway Jimbo, "getting in shape" really means different things to different people, so it depends a great deal on what you want to get out of it.

We haven't really done a New Year's thing in this thread this year.  Not that people need to make resolutions, but I think it can be valuable to reassess once in a while.  I look back in this thread all the time for things I have said I wanted to do, or for advice and general motivation.  I haven't really decided where I want to go this year.

[Ingmar]

Jimbo: Dude, do not do that 1000-1200 calorie thing. Diets that extreme should really be done only under medical supervision. I find for me 1700 is the magic number where I lose weight but I'm not putting my health at risk.

[K9]

1000-1200 calories is starvation-level nutrition; you won't be able to function normally at that level, let alone train. Do a moderate cut (I find 1900-2100 to be acceptable with training) and suffer through that if you want. Don't go crazy though.

[CmdrSlack]

I am in week 4 of an 8 week triathlon training program. I plan to do the Chicago tri in August. This gives me 4 cycles through. Hopefully I will be somewhat competitive by then.

Is that a ful tri or a sprint tri?  If it's full, you have my deepest respect.

There's a full tri and a sprint (also a super sprint). As this is my first tri, I decided to shoot for the sprint tri and be competitive at it as opposed to "managing to finish" the full.

As a lead-in to the tri, I'm also highly considering (as in 99% most likely) signing up for the Soldier Field 10 Mile. The finish line is the 50 yard line at Soldier. Also, lakefront run.

[Chimpy]

My plans for doing the 10K at the local marathon weekend in late April may have been dashed.

I have a possible fracture of my left patella from slipping and landing on it on my vacation :(

[Chimpy]

Well, no 10K for me. New X-Ray and doctor confirmed that I fractured my left patella when I fell on vacation. I now get to wear a brace that stops my knee from moving past 90 degrees and won't be able to run/bike or swim for at least 2-3 weeks and probably longer (at least for the running).

The fracture is vertical and near the outside edge so surgery would do little good according to the doctor.

Sucks though because I was really itching to do something, getting tired of sitting around.

[Jimbo]

Sorry to hear Chimpy, those knee immobilizers are a bear to wear. Are you on crutches too? When you start back up, the elliptical machines are easier on your knees (they hurt my knees less than the treadmill).

As to why I'm starting back up and wanting to loose weight, I've gotten fat, I'm Diabetes mellitus type 2 (formerly noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes) (oh yeah I still want to call it NIDDM vs IDDM...since how it is treated) A1C has been 8.2 to 9.2 lately with blood sugar in the 350's, hypertension-my blood pressure was like 148/98 around that range, and my resting pulse was 120's bpm. Yes a ticking time bomb, it has been getting worse the past three years, and I've been working too much, eating crap food, and not hitting the gym. My son turned 18 last month and I turned 45, we both are going to the YMCA (he is still in great shape from swimming but is setting some strength training goals and cross fit stuff... to be young). I've dropped from 272 lbs down to 252 since December. It is a start, I'm happy if I can keep up working out and dropping pounds (like 5 pounds a month or 2.5 a month). It went on slowly, and will come off slowly.

Oh my doctor is helping, but she keeps prescribing meds that are not covered and expensive. But she is awesome and helps with the work out and diet planning too. Oh she is a D.O. so she likes the "whole person" aspect of it, plus she takes her time with each patient. She drives me crazy when she pulls ER time, but she is awesome for family practice.

Anyway, the low cal diet was to jump start, oh I also forgot, yeah cholesterol was high too. So I ended up on 5 meds and 3 are expensive!

Fitness goals are to get back some of the "fighting" spirit and abilities I had before. It is pretty cool that most of us in my circle of friends are supportive, as we all know that getting back in to shape helps out everywhere. Oh, fighting spirit, means being able to do CPR effectively for hours (leading it, doing it, making sure others are doing it, when you are in shape it is easier to do that), able to run stairs w/o sucking mud, be able to run three miles again, be able to fireman's carry rescue randy w/o killing myself, so a combination of strength, endurance, and flexibility, is what I'm shooting for, and probably a decent height to weight ratio too...I'm 5' 6", so about 150 lbs would be awesome in a couple of years or less.

Long long term goal would be to run the half marathon on January 1st down at Disney World.

[Chimpy]

The fracture is vertical and near the edge and thus pretty stable so the doc did not give me an immobilizer, just a brace with stops at 90 degrees. But it is frustrating to not be able to do anything.

[DraconianOne]

Wow, that sucks Chimpy. Sorry to hear and totally sympathise.

[01101010]

Been there after a car accident - dashboard went into my kneecap. I feel for ya. I only had my brace for 3 weeks though and was back in the gym after 4 weeks of physical therapy. Good luck.

[MrHat]

I'm stlll recovering from hip arthoscopy.

PT was going amazing, was up to jogging and doing cones and stuff, then a couple weeks ago I woke up and was limping again.  Combined that with sitting for 16 hours a day during a surge of production at work and I was in bad condition.

Super frustrating couple weeks of basic stretching, but I'm feeling good again.  Doc follow up on Monday to declare me 'fit', we'll see what happens.  I just want to be able to do anything active again.

[climbjtree]

Do we have any Oly lifters in here? I am in need of some coaching, specifically getting my hips fully extended.

I was previously pretty into powerlifting. At my best, I was 205 lbs, squatting 490, deadlifting 435 and benching 335. I was however slower than a turtle, and decided I'd rather be more athletic and started to get into weightlifting.

At that weight and strength level, with horrible/non-existent form, I was able to power snatch/generally muscle up 180-ish.

Since then was involved in some training where I lost about 20 pounds and a significant amount of strength. Bummer right? Yeah, but at least I can start from the beginning and really focus on form.

Without further ado, form vids:

Snatch form, 65kg and about 90% of max.

C&J form, 80kg, also about 90%.

[Cyrrex]

Links not working for me (?).  That said, I suspect you are the most proficient OLY lifter around here, so I am not sure how well we would be able to judge the small nuances of your form.

Based on what you are saying, however, I gotta ask:  why do C&J and Snatches at all?  The risk/reward for them seems too high to me, and unless your specific goal is to be very good at those lifts for the sake of being good at them, I don't get it.  I think the Clean and Press is both safer and overall superior to both of those lifts.  The only reason C&P isn't an OLY lift anymore (it used to be THE lift) is because it was too easy to cheat form during competition (by leaning way the fuck backwards and involving the chest more).  It wasn't scrapped because the other lifts were better, it is just that the other lifts are easier to judge.  Anyway, just food for thought.  If I was stranded on a desert island and was forced by the local chimpanzee population to only perform one lift for the rest of my life, it would be Cs and Ps.

[climbjtree]

Fixed the links, I suck at BB code. Had some superfluous quotation marks in there.

As far as doing those specific lifts, I feel like they are a great metric of power and explosiveness and that's specifically what I'm interested in cultivating. Furthermore, I really would like to get to a level where I was able to go to meets and actually be a competitor instead of just pushing myself.

ninja edit: Also, if you haven't downloaded Coach's Eye for your smartphone, you're missing out. Regardless of what sport you're into, the ability to slow motion scrub your videos is really a game changer.

[Cyrrex]

If you are going to compete, well then that changes everything obviously.  What is your bodyweight at right now?  You look way different, especially sans the beard.

Again, I don't do either of those lifts myself.  I should probably remind you that my opinions are colored by the fact that I am 40 years old and am increasingly aware potential knee and back injuries.  I would love to do these lifts, but I don't think it is worth it for me.  Clean and Presses are still explosive lifts, though a bit less so than either of the other two...but I feel it makes up for it with a significant added emphasis on shoulder and general upper body work.  Different strokes and whatnot.

Anyway, I watched your vids.  Keeping in mind my zero experience in performing these lifts personally, here is what I see:

Snatch:  You could probably get more pop from your hips, but easier said than done at 90% of max.  Also, the guys I see at the gym who are good at this lift tend to get down a bit below parallel when catching the bar overhead...you appear from the camera angle to be just above.  Which is only to say that you still have untapped potential if you can figure out how to throw yourself under the bar even more.

Clean and Jerk:  Again, hard to tell if you need to "fuck the bar" with a bit more vigor.  As long as you are getting the clean up, no big deal.  Overall the clean looks really nice.  I wish my form was as good (my body does not like front squatting).  For the jerk portion, it is the same as above...I think you could throw yourself under it and get quite a bit lower.  It looks like you are waaay above parallel when you look at the still frame at 28 seconds.   You are actually pressing quite a bit, it appears.  I bet you can get up quite a bit more, provided you can clean it in the first place.

How does that Coach's Eye work?  Does it automatically synch online so that you can go back and view it? 

[Cyrrex]

I tried some snatches the other day for laughs.  On the one hand, I can totally see why these would be worthwhile.  Needs good explosiveness from the floor.  On the other hand, and not surprisingly, I suck at them and will probably always suck at them.  For starters, I use more brute strength from the floor than speed...this is partly a mental hurdle for me, due to my previous L5 injury.  And to cap it off, I think my back and hip mobility makes it near impossible for me to really throw myself under the bar when the weight gets heavy.  Kinda the same reason I can't front squat for a damn.  Just not built for them.  For the record, I managed to do 65kg a few times.  I'm not sure I'd ever manage more than 70 or 75 even with some work.

That said, it seems a great way for me to warm up prior to heavy C&Ps.  I like the different angle the snatch grip forces you into from the floor (even if it made me bleed on my stupid shins), and to my surprise I found that the snatch grip also made "fucking the bar" a great deal more effective, which is something that has alluded me during normal cleans.  Hoping to learn from that movement and incorporate it, so that I can finally start cleaning more than 100kg.

[Cyrrex]

Triple post!

I tried something I read in an article the other day.  30 minute challenge:  how many times can you deadlift 315 lbs in 30 minutes?  Doesn't sound that hard, amirite.

Um it was fucking hard.  Technically used 145 kg (about 320 lbs).  I was regretting my decision to try this after about the first 8 minutes or so.  After 20 minutes, my totally unbreakable callouses (I mean, they are like clam shell hardness) totally broke open anyway.  The last many reps had to be done using only my fingers for the most part.  After the final second ticked off the clock I had to sorta lay down for a bit and rethink my life.  I managed 71 lifts (no bump-and-go, I literally set the bar down and reset every time).  Really, really tough test. 

I actually felt great the next day, no residual soreness at all.  So I must be doing something right somewhere.  I probably have to let the skin on my hands regenerate before I can pick shit off the floor again, which is annoying.

[climbjtree]

So there are 3 distinct pulls in a snatch or a clean. 1 is off the floor, 2 is from above the knees (think hang clean), and 3 is pulling yourself under the as soon as it's feasible.

That said, 1 is slow, like a deadlift. Then you shift gears and explode once you clear your knees. Be super careful about yanking things off the floor!

PS my technique is where I'm lacking the most, so take it with a grain of salt.

Also, I feel like I'm going to have to try the 315 test, and I feel like I'm going to hate you the following day!

[NowhereMan]

So I've figured out that the reason my squat has made fuck all progress is basically down to poor technique due to super tight hip/glutes. What are some good stretches I can do to actually get proper depth on my squat without turning it into a good morning?