Fitness Thread

[Walrus]

[Generic Username]

Has anyone thought about sacking the gym and just playing sports instead?

 

[Walrus]

Has anyone thought about sacking the gym and just playing sports instead?

 

[Ignoranus]

Just signed up for tough mudder this year. Looked like good fun and a bit of a challenge.

 

Anyone done this previously?

[BigC]

 

 

If you just purely want to lose weight. I wouldn't worry too much about lifting - if you want to do it then go for it - but it will make little difference what volume and rep scheme you are using.

 

For weight loss - get your diet sorted and do plenty of hard cardio.

 

Disagree with that.

 

The longer recovery period that comes with resistance training means that you'll burn more calories at rest if you lift weights.

 

3 x 12-15 reps is the optimum for weight loss.

 

I do 3 x 10 because I want to tone up a little too.

 

The best way is to combine cardio and weights, and if you can add in a bit of swimming then even better.

[Snake Plissken]

Disagree with that.

 

The longer recovery period that comes with resistance training means that you'll burn more calories at rest if you lift weights.

 

3 x 12-15 reps is the optimum for weight loss.

 

I do 3 x 10 because I want to tone up a little too.

 

The best way is to combine cardio and weights, and if you can add in a bit of swimming then even better.

 

This is the correct answer.

 

Weights and then cardio is the best way to burn calories, combined with a balanced diet and you're sorted.

[TheOak88]

Disagree with that.

 

The longer recovery period that comes with resistance training means that you'll burn more calories at rest if you lift weights.

 

3 x 12-15 reps is the optimum for weight loss.

 

I do 3 x 10 because I want to tone up a little too.

 

The best way is to combine cardio and weights, and if you can add in a bit of swimming then even better.

 

From what PaulHartley10 said he doesn't care about retaining muscle mass - his only goal is to lose weight (if I read his post correctly). Due to not caring about muscle retention he can get away with eating a huge calorie deficit if he wants - which will probably result in a decent weight loss even without the aid of cardio (although he will achieve results a bit faster if he does include it), far less the minimal addition of a few extra calories burned due to lifting weights. The further point being he doesn't even need to burn calories when he is resting as he is already going to be in a large deficit anyway due to the dieting.

 

IMO the stuff you have said about rep schemes is nonscense. Why is 12-15 reps optimal for fat loss? And why would 10 reps per set 'tone' the muscle?. You do realise you can't 'tone' a muscle - a muscle is just a muscle, you can make it bigger or smaller. Whether it has the appearence of being 'toned' or not is just a by-product of how high or low your bf% is.

[Creepy Lurker]

Imo, the type of exercise you do barely even matters if you want to lose weight. It's dependent on diet, so you can gain weight while training for a marathon (it'd be ******* difficult tbf) or lose weight without any kind of exercise at all. Most people want to improve body comp, so a smaller caloric deficit and resistance training (more to keep strength up than build muscle, as you won't build muscle on a deficit once you're past the noob gains stage anyway) makes sense. Cardio will help to burn more calories, speeding up the process, so if retaining muscle/strength isn't a priority and you aren't a complete beginner then it's more important. I don't think many people 'just' want to lose weight and don't care how they end up looking, though, so resistance training is also a good idea.

 

They usually just want to get 'toned' and 'not too big', as if becoming 'too big' is something that would happen by mistake after a couple of months lifting as opposed to something that people need to consciously put years of hard work into.

[Konrad von Carstein]

This is the correct answer.

 

Weights and then cardio is the best way to burn calories, combined with a balanced diet and you're sorted.

 

In my experience, the bold bit isn't necessarily correct, also we had this discussion during my college course and there are many (many) trains of thought on what is best..

I do cardio and then spend minimal time in the weights area.....did this a few years back and went from 14st+ down to <11st over the course of a year or so (was going to gym 4-5 times a week mind) not got the same commitment now sadly.

 

At the end of the day doing something either weights, cardio or a combination of both regularly and pushing yourself each time (and allowing stretches cooldowns etc) will show results over a period of time allied to sensible eating/drinking .

Edited February 24, 2013 by Bruce Willis

[Snake Plissken]

In my experience, the bold bit isn't necessarily correct, also we had this discussion during my college course and there are many (many) trains of thought on what is best..

I do cardio and then spend minimal time in the weights area.....did this a few years back and went from 14st+ down to <11st over the course of a year or so (was going to gym 4-5 times a week mind) not got the same commitment now sadly.

 

At the end of the day doing something either weights, cardio or a combination of both regularly and pushing yourself each time (and allowing stretches cooldowns etc) will show results over a period of time allied to sensible eating/drinking .

 

I don't claim to have the only answer but in my experience (two years as a trainer), doing resistance work and then cardio is an effective way to burn calories. I saw one client shift seven stones in a year under my tutelage, so I've seen firsthand how well it can work. The main thing, as you point out, is to create a calorie deficit through diet and activity.

[Boaby Ewing]

Well this has gone well.

 

I've managed one 5km run, one gym sessions, one game of seven aside' and one '**** it I don't have time before heading out' bout of 100 push ups (4 sets).

 

That's it so far as I'd forgotten I was heading away for the most unhealthiest weekend of the year with my mates. Two days of drinking, poker playing, and eating a shit ton of red meat off the barbecue, with only a short hike and a bit of snowboarding to split it up.

 

Back on it tomorrow. No football this week so aiming for 4 gym sessions and maybe a 5km run (probably tacked onto the end of a gym session) before she arrives Friday. Oh, and a haircut. That's worth at least 10lbs.

 

Operation Two-Week Smash Fest commences today. The burd is arriving in NYC in about 12 days, and having not seen her since January I need to get my shit together. I am aware this goes against most long-term fitness planning, but it's also what a lot of folk do a lot of the time if they're being honest.

 

I don't expect a six-pack at the end or to massively increase the amount I'm lifting, but want to tone up a bit/disguise the fact that our two months apart has seen the local restaurants and pubs report a significant rise in takings.

 

Despite not having done any structured training for about eight months I've done enough to maintain a reasonable level of fitness, lifting once or twice a week, running 5 or 10kms once a week, and playing fives.

 

To keep me motivated I will try and post up here what I'm doing each day + diet. Feel free to rip the pish/offer constructive advice/label me an alcoholic (Lawson) as we go.

[Hansel]

Just had a rest week and had my first session back yesterday.

 

It was like if never trained before in my puff. Absolute killer. Feeling the pain today.

[Generic Username]

If I feel this brutal from lifting the puny amounts I lift, then God only knows how the rest of you mange to get yourselves dressed in the morning! I feel like someone's put a couple of knives in my shoulders. Oooft.

[ellsbells]

If I feel this brutal from lifting the puny amounts I lift, then God only knows how the rest of you mange to get yourselves dressed in the morning! I feel like someone's put a couple of knives in my shoulders. Oooft.

 

Each time you lift something heavier or try something of greater intensity, you'll always get soreness. I've trained 4-5 years and if if i'm not slightly stiff in the following days then I know I could have gone a bit harder.

 

Puny amounts to you might be heavy to others, as long as you push your own limits. You can only work with the body you're given!

[Generic Username]

Each time you lift something heavier or try something of greater intensity, you'll always get soreness. I've trained 4-5 years and if if i'm not slightly stiff in the following days then I know I could have gone a bit harder.

 

Puny amounts to you might be heavy to others, as long as you push your own limits. You can only work with the body you're given!

 

I've started to keep a note of what I'm lifting and the weight I can manage with my legs has gone up about 20kg but my upper body is still burning out after a couple of sets. Should I be dropping the weight or dropping the number of sets or changing the order in which I'm doing certain exercises?

 

Someone's going to have to come and give me a shoulder rub. This is brutal!

[Lancashire_Lou]

I'm aching all over today after Roller Derby. Managed 22 & 3/4 laps of the track in 5 minutes and suffering for my efforts!

 

I'm going to start that 'Couch to 5k' NHS running course this week. Anyone else tried the podcasts?

[Hansel]

 

 

I've started to keep a note of what I'm lifting and the weight I can manage with my legs has gone up about 20kg but my upper body is still burning out after a couple of sets. Should I be dropping the weight or dropping the number of sets or changing the order in which I'm doing certain exercises?

 

Someone's going to have to come and give me a shoulder rub. This is brutal!

I've started all this fairly recently, so I'm no expert to say the least, but I try for between 8 and 12 reps at the highest weight I can manage. If I can't manage 8 reps then I need to drop the weight slightly. If I reach 12 then it's time to increase the weight slightly. I do 2 sets like this.

[BigC]

 

 

From what PaulHartley10 said he doesn't care about retaining muscle mass - his only goal is to lose weight (if I read his post correctly). Due to not caring about muscle retention he can get away with eating a huge calorie deficit if he wants - which will probably result in a decent weight loss even without the aid of cardio (although he will achieve results a bit faster if he does include it), far less the minimal addition of a few extra calories burned due to lifting weights. The further point being he doesn't even need to burn calories when he is resting as he is already going to be in a large deficit anyway due to the dieting.

 

IMO the stuff you have said about rep schemes is nonscense. Why is 12-15 reps optimal for fat loss? And why would 10 reps per set 'tone' the muscle?. You do realise you can't 'tone' a muscle - a muscle is just a muscle, you can make it bigger or smaller. Whether it has the appearence of being 'toned' or not is just a by-product of how high or low your bf% is.

 

Low reps is for muscle gain, high reps is for muscle endurance. The exact number of reps depends on lots of factors and is still up for debate in the fitness industry, but that is a basic rule.

 

People weight training for weight loss are told to go down the middle so they can get the benefits of both, but as I understand it, the main benefit is to keep their body working after the workout.

 

With cardio, you burn lots of calories while you do the exercise, but the recovery period is generally shorter.

 

When you do weights and tire your muscles, your body will take longer to repair the broken down muscle tissue so you burn more calories at rest for longer after you finish.

 

That's why cardio on top of weights is more beneficial than cardio alone.

 

Also, if you do weights at a high intensity it becomes similar to a circuit class because it gets your heart going but you are working muscles too.

 

Calorie intake v calories burned is the be all and end all for weight loss, that is of course true, but there are so many other benefits to weight training that I have no idea why you would suggest not doing it.

 

And I think you've misunderstood what I meant by tone.

 

I meant that I was primarily training for weight loss but also wanted to have some muscle gain to have a slightly better body shape (I'm naturally quite big from years of swimming anyway).

 

Don't disagree with anything you have said about toning, but I don't see why you felt the need to point it out.

[Sten Guns]

 

 

I've started to keep a note of what I'm lifting and the weight I can manage with my legs has gone up about 20kg but my upper body is still burning out after a couple of sets. Should I be dropping the weight or dropping the number of sets or changing the order in which I'm doing certain exercises?

 

Someone's going to have to come and give me a shoulder rub. This is brutal!

 

In my humble opinion..... (Well this works for me personally)

 

Order:

Compound movements first.

Isolation last.

 

Number of sets:

Compound 4 to 6 sets.

Isolation 3 to 4.

 

Weight:

Increase after each set.

Drop set the heavy set if reps are very low.

Last set light again, work to failure.

 

E.g a recent chest session, my bench would go as such.

 

70kg warm up. 8/10 reps then stop.

 

80,90,100,110

 

If 110 was too low, drop to 80 and do more.

 

Last set 70, go to failure.

 

Similar pattern on incline. (Albeit less weight)

 

Once compounds are done, move to isolation, e.g flies.

 

That's what works for me anyway

[Generic Username]

Cheers Sten. Makes sense. Although when taking about the weights being used, for me you're wanting to chop about 50/60 off the numbers mentioned!

 

Can anyone recommend a couple of different ideas for good back exercises apart from dead lifts/barbell rows?

[The People's Chimp]

I'm aching all over today after Roller Derby. Managed 22 & 3/4 laps of the track in 5 minutes and suffering for my efforts!

 

I'm going to start that 'Couch to 5k' NHS running course this week. Anyone else tried the podcasts?

 

So is the roller derby a bit violent?

[Sten Guns]

Cheers Sten. Makes sense. Although when taking about the weights being used, for me you're wanting to chop about 50/60 off the numbers mentioned!

 

Can anyone recommend a couple of different ideas for good back exercises apart from dead lifts/barbell rows?

 

No worries.

 

Single arm dumbbell rows

 

Two arm dumbbell row

 

Reverse flies

 

 

[Lancashire_Lou]

 

 

So is the roller derby a bit violent?

 

Full contact sport, aye!

 

Even without a proper bout it hurts the day after. We spend a lot of the time throwing ourself down on all fours at the minute just to get the perfect fall.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

 

I COMMAND you to grow motha ****a.

[The People's Chimp]

'Every day I was in the gym, banging arms...'

 

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

There is one bit where he goes 'it is actually upsetting me how easy this bitch is to lift' or something.

 

Pissing myself.

 

You get some bams lifting like.

[Guest GhostHunter]

In my humble opinion..... (Well this works for me personally)

 

Order:

Compound movements first.

Isolation last.

 

Number of sets:

Compound 4 to 6 sets.

Isolation 3 to 4.

 

Weight:

Increase after each set.

Drop set the heavy set if reps are very low.

Last set light again, work to failure.

 

E.g a recent chest session, my bench would go as such.

 

70kg warm up. 8/10 reps then stop.

 

80,90,100,110

 

If 110 was too low, drop to 80 and do more.

 

Last set 70, go to failure.

 

Similar pattern on incline. (Albeit less weight)

 

Once compounds are done, move to isolation, e.g flies.

 

That's what works for me anyway

 

I was about to go and cry in a corner until I realised you were on flat bench.

 

 

I went passed my previous best this morning - peak set at 100kg flat and 65kg on incline.

 

It's pissing me off how hard that bitch is to get passed 65

[Sten Guns]

 

 

I was about to go and cry in a corner until I realised you were on flat bench.

 

 

I went passed my previous best this morning - peak set at 100kg flat and 65kg on incline.

 

It's pissing me off how hard that bitch is to get passed 65

 

That's good going, dex.

 

I struggled with the same as you.

 

So I started making sure I done flat bench and incline bench twice a week. Reversing the order they were done.

 

When I was doing it once a week, flat was done first. When it came to incline I was fatigued a little and i found gains hard to non existent.

 

Once I gave incline a shot of going first, the gains came.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I'm nowhere near 100kg bench and i've been doing it fairly serious for about a year.

 

Something I really struggle with.

[Creepy Lurker]

My bench is shite and always has been. Seem to be making a bit of progress at the moment, but pressing in general doesn't seem to be my strong point. The squat, on the other hand, I was quite good at right from the first time I did it. Weird.

[Walrus]

I remember the first time I benched was when I was around 16, in the school gym during P.E, had the bar and 5kg on either side, so 30kg and I really struggled haha.

 

Don't often do barbell bench for either flat or incline anymore, prefer dumbbells. Maybe I should mix it up more.

 

Last time I did barbell was to see if I could manage 100kg and join the 100 club.

 

Managed fine.

[Sten Guns]

Where do you boys stand on women using the power rack.

 

Squatting ONLY the bar. No plates.

 

A woman done 6 sets of that & 6 sets of lunges. Whilst we waited to get on it.

 

Ridiculous IMO.

 

Use a 20kg barbell FFS.

 

Like a rollercoaster, there should be a set restriction in place.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Sten Guns

[Walrus]

Where do you boys stand on women using the power rack.

 

Squatting ONLY the bar. No plates.

 

A woman done 6 sets of that & 6 sets of lunges. Whilst we waited to get on it.

 

Ridiculous IMO.

 

Use a 20kg barbell FFS.

 

Like a rollercoaster, there should be a set restriction in place.

 

Depends if they're hot.

 

[Generic Username]

I'm going to moan about it again but honestly - see dames who go to the gym with a face caked in make up and walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes or stand and gab to their pals whilst sitting on a machine, no using it or try their hardest to rub their paps against a personal trainer;

 

Go and just **** off eh.

 

Give match.com a try if yer that desperate for your hole. You'll save yourself ?19 a month as well.

 

I hate, genuinely hate gym sluts.

 

Pure in Gorgie is rife with them on a Monday night and it's no like it's full of half decent ones either. Proper horrors with the corned beef arms and faces like an old cowboys belt. The gym's hard enough for me without having to weave in and out of you lot while I'm there.

[Jambo_Gaz]

I'm going to moan about it again but honestly - see dames who go to the gym with a face caked in make up and walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes or stand and gab to their pals whilst sitting on a machine, no using it or try their hardest to rub their paps against a personal trainer;

 

Go and just **** off eh.

 

Give match.com a try if yer that desperate for your hole. You'll save yourself ?19 a month as well.

 

I hate, genuinely hate gym sluts.

 

Pure in Gorgie is rife with them on a Monday night and it's no like it's full of half decent ones either. Proper horrors with the corned beef arms and faces like an old cowboys belt. The gym's hard enough for me without having to weave in and out of you lot while I'm there.

 

I find it bad at 7am there, never mind at night with all that going on!

[TheOak88]

Low reps is for muscle gain, high reps is for muscle endurance. The exact number of reps depends on lots of factors and is still up for debate in the fitness industry, but that is a basic rule.

 

People weight training for weight loss are told to go down the middle so they can get the benefits of both, but as I understand it, the main benefit is to keep their body working after the workout.

 

With cardio, you burn lots of calories while you do the exercise, but the recovery period is generally shorter.

 

When you do weights and tire your muscles, your body will take longer to repair the broken down muscle tissue so you burn more calories at rest for longer after you finish.

 

That's why cardio on top of weights is more beneficial than cardio alone.

 

Also, if you do weights at a high intensity it becomes similar to a circuit class because it gets your heart going but you are working muscles too.

 

Calorie intake v calories burned is the be all and end all for weight loss, that is of course true, but there are so many other benefits to weight training that I have no idea why you would suggest not doing it.

 

And I think you've misunderstood what I meant by tone.

 

I meant that I was primarily training for weight loss but also wanted to have some muscle gain to have a slightly better body shape (I'm naturally quite big from years of swimming anyway).

 

Don't disagree with anything you have said about toning, but I don't see why you felt the need to point it out.

 

I agree with you that weights burn calories even while at rest. However, the amount they do so is fairly minimal.

 

My main point was if the guy is training purely for fatloss his time is probably better spent doing cardio. Let's say he has 1 hour in the gym 3 times a week. Personally I think he would see more fatloss from 1 hour of very hard cardio. Than from say 40minutes of weights followed by a 20 minute cardio session - bearing in mind he will also be to an extent fatigued by the time he gets round to the cardio and his performance will probably not be as good.

 

My main point was just that the calories burned from 1 hour of hard cardio is greater than 40 minutes of weights and 20 minute cardio session (including the after effect of the weight session). If you re-read my OP I never said he shouldn't do weights. I said if he wants to do it go for it - but don't expect it to have a massive effect on fat loss.

 

With regards to why I pointed out that a certain rep scheme won't tone up the muscle - it was in response to you saying

 

"I do 3 x 10 because I want to tone up".

 

Obviously I mis-understood what you meant by the above quote.

[The People's Chimp]

Re the Gym Dames, I get what audioslave is saying about the jokers that go on a treadmill at snail's pace for 20 minutes and gab to their pals. But tbh the Pure at Glasgow has lately been pretty good for most people being there to just get on with it.

 

There were a couple of girls with a bit of make up in on tuesday, but they were tidy as **** and were doing a lot of different resistance work*, so I'm not going to complain about the fact they're tanned, made up and look fit while they're working out. It's not really for any of us to say what they can and can't wear when they do anything never mind go to the gym. And given half of them might have come straight from work, are they supposed to take their make up off before they start working out?

 

*They looked like they had more of a clue than I do.

[Generic Username]

Re the Gym Dames, I get what audioslave is saying about the jokers that go on a treadmill at snail's pace for 20 minutes and gab to their pals. But tbh the Pure at Glasgow has lately been pretty good for most people being there to just get on with it.

 

There were a couple of girls with a bit of make up in on tuesday, but they were tidy as **** and were doing a lot of different resistance work*, so I'm not going to complain about the fact they're tanned, made up and look fit while they're working out. It's not really for any of us to say what they can and can't wear when they do anything never mind go to the gym. And given half of them might have come straight from work, are they supposed to take their make up off before they start working out?

 

*They looked like they had more of a clue than I do.

 

Me and you both ken the difference between the "straight from work" betty and the "here to get my hole" betty, you little scamp.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I'm not usually one for motivational videos or any of that pish, but I thought this one was brilliant

 

 

Bit about drowning is so true!

[Sierra Delta]

I'm not usually one for motivational videos or any of that pish, but I thought this one was brilliant

 

 

Bit about drowning is so true!

Well, I feel really bad for having a long-lie and not going to the gym this morning now.

[Creepy Lurker]

Don't usually like to talk about what other people do in the gym, imo people should get on with their own workout and spend less time bitching about everyone else, but seriously...French people don't know how to squat. At all. Brb, too much weight and not even close to parallel.

[Nelly Terraces]

I ran 20miles yesterday morning, but still reckon I would've beaten Ryan Stevenson to every ball yesterday afternoon.

[Gershwin]

Can anyone recommend some decent core exercises that don't put too much strain on your lower back?

 

I have a dodgy back which flares up when I do sit ups. Plank exercises seem to be not too bad but I was wondering what else I could do.

[Vlad Knows.]

Think motivational videos are great, these oare decent

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97CysSbsoOA

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whCgcgF9n9M

[Chrambo]

Think motivational videos are great, these oare decent

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97CysSbsoOA

 

You mirin aesthetics brah?

[Generic Username]

Went to the gym early doors for the first time on a week day this morning. Light years better than going post work/late at night. The place had about 7 bodies in it. Nae farting about waiting on equipment. It was a joyous experience.

[Walrus]

Went to the gym early doors for the first time on a week day this morning. Light years better than going post work/late at night. The place had about 7 bodies in it. Nae farting about waiting on equipment. It was a joyous experience.

 

That feel of walking out the gym at 7.30 finished, when others half asleep are just walking in.

 

[The Brow]

I absolutely cannae be arsed getting up at 0630 to get to the gym before work. I've no idea how folk manage it, fair play to them.

 

I'll assume they hit their scratcher earlier than 12:30-0100 though. That could be where I go wrong.......

[The People's Chimp]

Went to the gym early doors for the first time on a week day this morning. Light years better than going post work/late at night. The place had about 7 bodies in it. Nae farting about waiting on equipment. It was a joyous experience.

 

Was in at 8am on Saturday and it was sweet. Didn't wait on a thing and got a solid 2 hours in which was bliss. Quite fancy going first thing in the morning but I'll need to change my night owl tendencies.

[Generic Username]

My usual routine was to get hame from work, have a scran and then head to the gym for just after 9. I'd usually miss the rush from the last class that was on and normally got on whatever I needed without any hassle but there was the odd occassion where it'd still be rammed and you couldn't get on a bench for love nor money.

 

Done an AM stint a couple of times on a Sunday at the PureGym in Gorgie and it's been dead as well. Didn't find it too difficult to get up and get along there this morning although I did make a point of trying to get to my scratcher at a reasonable hour. Definitely going to try and keep the early morning shifts up. Will be good to get home tonight and know I don't need to bother going out again in a few hours to the gym that could potentially be full of roasters.