Fitness Thread

[Snake Plissken]

Any you guys have a period of not being able to get yourself to the gym?

 

Since I've been back from my holiday I was seem to have a reason to not go.

 

Having to work or just generally laziness.

 

Any advice on what you guys have done.

 

Not able to get yourself to the gym?

 

Does not compute.

 

If you make it a habit and enjoy what you do, you'll struggle NOT to go. Have a look at what you're doing, focus on what you want to do and you'll kick on just fine.

[Jambo_Gaz]

Deffo having a goal helps motivate. First was last months Tough Mudder, next is my beach holiday at the end of this month and that survival of the fittest in October after that. Once they're all done ill need a new goal though!

[Creepy Lurker]

I tend to think that people who lack motivation to go to the gym probably either don't have a decent programme and aren't seeing any results because of that or maybe just don't like the gym and should try to keep fit a different way. It isn't for everyone and if you're struggling that much to do it then maybe you should just find something you enjoy.

[Guest GhostHunter]

Having OCD helps...

[Sten Guns]

First session yesterday after a week off.

 

Had a cold / bug.

 

Was absolutely floored for about 5 days. Barely eating or drinking.

 

Lost 9lbs.

 

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Pure gym is great because the motivation is to go and stare at tidy bursds arses.

 

Been feeling pretty pish since Inverness at the weekend but an hours cycle yesterday done the trick.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

Thanks for the input.

 

It's not a criticism. I just read through your food list there and thought:

 

1) How on earth do you know if that's a good diet for your gym work?

 

2) How much gym work are you actually having to do to burn that off?

 

3) Is it healthy to be eating that amount a day, regardless of whether you're burning it off or not?

 

4) How the **** do you find time to plan all this and then stick to the plan?

[Creepy Lurker]

 

 

It's not a criticism. I just read through your food list there and thought:

 

1) How on earth do you know if that's a good diet for your gym work?

 

2) How much gym work are you actually having to do to burn that off?

 

3) Is it healthy to be eating that amount a day, regardless of whether you're burning it off or not?

 

4) How the **** do you find time to plan all this and then stick to the plan?

 

1) I don't even understand this question.

2) 5 hours' Muay Thai 2?2 hours, 1?1 hour) plus three lifting sessions. One rest day/week. Also working full time.

3) Why wouldn't it be? Eating less would at best mean maintaining and at worst losing weight. I want to gain weight. If anything, at my current body fat level losing weight would be more likely to impact negatively on my health than gaining. I started my bulk on 3100 calories per day and have adjusted intake based on results. In this instance, I bumped my intake from 3600 to 3700 as I'd slightly lost weight on the former.

4) I don't do that much planning in advance beyond cooking meals in bulk to take to work. If I can't eat something I was planning to, I eat something else.

 

If you knew anything about nutrition, you'd have asked none of those questions. You seem to have assumed that a healthy diet = a weight loss diet for some reason.

 

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

1) I don't even understand this question.

2) 5 hours' Muay Thai 2?2 hours, 1?1 hour) plus three lifting sessions. One rest day/week. Also working full time.

3) Why wouldn't it be? Eating less would at best mean maintaining and at worst losing weight. I want to gain weight. If anything, at my current body fat level losing weight would be more likely to impact negatively on my health than gaining. I started my bulk on 3100 calories per day and have adjusted intake based on results. In this instance, I bumped my intake from 3600 to 3700 as I'd slightly lost weight on the former.

4) I don't do that much planning in advance beyond cooking meals in bulk to take to work. If I can't eat something I was planning to, I eat something else.

 

If you knew anything about nutrition, you'd have asked none of those questions. You seem to have assumed that a healthy diet = a weight loss diet for some reason.

 

Trust me, I know **** all about nutrition. I'm just staggered to see the lengths you go to for your fitness work. As I said, it's not a criticism although you've taken it that way so I apologise.

 

Either way, you win because I'll die before you.

[The People's Chimp]

Trust me, I know **** all about nutrition. I'm just staggered to see the lengths you go to for your fitness work. As I said, it's not a criticism although you've taken it that way so I apologise.

 

Either way, you win because I'll die before you.

 

Roid rage IMO.

[Creepy Lurker]

 

 

Trust me, I know **** all about nutrition. I'm just staggered to see the lengths you go to for your fitness work. As I said, it's not a criticism although you've taken it that way so I apologise.

 

Either way, you win because I'll die before you.

 

Fair enough, I just thought that 'that's crazy, but each to their own' was a bit patronising.

 

I don't see this as all that extreme tbh; I love food, so getting to eat a lot's a good thing. I'm actually a lot less rigid than a lot of people in terms of food avoidance, planning in advance, eating a set amount of meals etc.

 

It seems like you've looked at the high number and thought 'that's mental', but I've reached it through trial and error. It's a pretty small caloric surplus. Weight loss diets are only healthy for people who need to lose weight.

 

As far as the Chimp's comment goes, I'd just like to make it clear that my dong's small enough as it is.

[Jambo_Gaz]

Pure gym is great because the motivation is to go and stare at tidy bursds arses.

 

Been feeling pretty pish since Inverness at the weekend but an hours cycle yesterday done the trick.

 

Excellent thing happened at Virgin in omni over lunch today where a blonde burd started to do flyes on a bench wearing a tshirt and just bikini bottoms.

 

Didn't want to go back to work after that...

[Snake Plissken]

At the risk of sounding gayer than two men having sex on top of another two men having sex, I honestly don't take any notice of bursd in the gym. I couldn't care less if the gym has tidy bursd or a herd of wildebeest, I only care if the squat rack is free.

 

Anyway, I'm on day five of my bulk. Unlike last year's gluttony, I'm paying more attention to my intake, getting my macros and training hard but also training smart. At the moment I'm shooting for 2700 calories a day, about 400 calories over maintenance, I'm going to take another look at the end of the month. So long as the body fat stays low (c.9-11%) and the weight increases, I'll be happy.

[Guest GhostHunter]

At the risk of sounding gayer than two men having sex on top of another two men having sex, I honestly don't take any notice of bursd in the gym. I couldn't care less if the gym has tidy bursd or a herd of wildebeest, I only care if the squat rack is free.

 

 

 

Weirdo.

 

Bursds on the squat rack...hmmmm

[Jambo_Gaz]

At the risk of sounding gayer than two men having sex on top of another two men having sex, I honestly don't take any notice of bursd in the gym. I couldn't care less if the gym has tidy bursd or a herd of wildebeest, I only care if the squat rack is free.

 

 

 

I get what you're saying and kind of agree. To an extent...

 

However, this was a first and pretty darn off putting I have to say :whistles:

[The People's Chimp]

Bursds in the gym definitely brighten up my day. It's not like they ever stop you using whatever equipment you want, and yet they give you something nice to look at.

[The Mighty JTs]

Got a question for those who count calories etc and plan every meal based on protein intake etc. How long does this take to do and then cook your meals? I would love to do it but find myself unable to.

 

Also do you cut out anything remotely bad for you? e.g Pizza (which I cant live without)

[Creepy Lurker]

Got a question for those who count calories etc and plan every meal based on protein intake etc. How long does this take to do and then cook your meals? I would love to do it but find myself unable to.

 

Also do you cut out anything remotely bad for you? e.g Pizza (which I cant live without)

 

I aim for at least 1g protein/lb bodyweight and at least 0.4g fat/lb, then fill remaining calories with a mixture of protein, carbs and fat (mainly carbs).

 

I don't plan in advance all that much, and when I'm cooking meals I work out the calories as I go along and adjust the rest of my foods for the day based on what it ends up at.

 

No food is bad for you in moderation. You can have an unhealthy or healthy diet, but foods aren't good or bad outside of that context (with the possible exception of artificial trans fats).

 

Tracking my calories/macronutrients takes no more than 10 minutes of my day and usually 5 or less.

[Stuart McNeill]

 

I aim for at least 1g protein/lb bodyweight and at least 0.4g fat/lb, then fill remaining calories with a mixture of protein, carbs and fat (mainly carbs).

 

I don't plan in advance all that much, and when I'm cooking meals I work out the calories as I go along and adjust the rest of my foods for the day based on what it ends up at.

 

No food is bad for you in moderation. You can have an unhealthy or healthy diet, but foods aren't good or bad outside of that context (with the possible exception of artificial trans fats).

 

Tracking my calories/macronutrients takes no more than 10 minutes of my day and usually 5 or less.

 

It seems to get near 100 percent correct macros you need to weight your food etc?

 

 

Also to my previous post I actually used to go to the gym with a mate and that's why I went before however without having a 'partner' it seems meh.

 

I'll see if anyone wants to go with me, will definitely encourage me.

[Snake Plissken]

Got a question for those who count calories etc and plan every meal based on protein intake etc. How long does this take to do and then cook your meals? I would love to do it but find myself unable to.

 

Also do you cut out anything remotely bad for you? e.g Pizza (which I cant live without)

 

I have pizza on Sundays, I like to have a treat at the end of the week and letting go a little bit on the diet (without going mental) is quite cathartic as it puts me right back in the mood to work out and eat well the following day. People need to stop thinking about food in terms of 'good' and 'bad' and more 'does this meal help me meet/exceed my calorie intake/macronutrients?'

 

Pizza is generally high in calories and fat and so doesn't leave a lot of room for much else in the day, at least for me, there's no way I'd just have one or two slices in one sitting, I want at least half of the ######. For me, Sunday is the day I let myself have the things I've been craving. Because I'm bulking right now, there is some wiggle room for the odd ice cream through the week but most of my calories come from nutritious, unprocessed food.

 

Paying attention to what you eat and aligning it with your goals is the first step towards getting some serious results. I've seen more progress since February than I have in the last five years.

[Creepy Lurker]

 

 

It seems to get near 100 percent correct macros you need to weight your food etc?

 

 

Also to my previous post I actually used to go to the gym with a mate and that's why I went before however without having a 'partner' it seems meh.

 

I'll see if anyone wants to go with me, will definitely encourage me.

 

I weigh the calorie dense stuff but normally eyeball lower calorie items like most vegetables. I think that most people would benefit from weighing most things at least to start out with as in my experience people normally underestimate with stuff like carb sources, oils etc.

 

As far as being 100 per cent accurate goes you'll never be 100 per cent accurate, but weighing lets you get as close as possible.

[The Mighty JTs]

Cheers for the advice, seen good results since I changed to targeting specific muscles on different days a few months ago. Feel like I have just slowed down a bit so think giving more thought to my diet might help me on the way again. Not that my diet is terrible but it could be a little better!!

[BigC]

I still eat pizza, but I get it with 1/4 the normal amount of cheese, and load it with sauce and vegetables.

 

It's still a fair amount if carbs and a lot if salt (even if you don't add any) but it's not the end of the world unless you load it with cheese and fatty meat.

 

I try and have it after a work out as well. Never feel guilty if I have it straight after a 100 length swim.

[Creepy Lurker]

 

Wednesday. Salad for breakfast, deal with it.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

What app is that? How do you get it down o the gram? I'm hopeless at that.

[Creepy Lurker]

It's Myfitnesspal. I eyeball most of the less calorie dense stuff, for instance I'm not sitting weighing out 40g spinach or 85g cucumber, and weigh the stuff which might matter like protein sources and higher calorie items like the cereal etc. I've been tracking macros for long enough now that I'm able to eyeball most stuff pretty accurately anyway..

 

That's actually six meals there, but MFP only gives space for the four. The cottage cheese and banana were between breakfast and lunch and the fruit and sweets that are listed as part of lunch and dinner were actually after work/before training. All the stuff under snacks was one really big meal I had before going to bed.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Nice wan cl, I need to get on that. I'm at a crossroads now where I'm not sure what the **** I'm doing!

 

Completely lost any routine over the summer due to midweek bevvying and all that, found myself doing endurance stuff like cycling for an hour four times a week and maybe a half arsed chest workout somewhere in between.

 

Need to decide what way in going now. Not sure If I should bulk or cut, I'm not overweight but at the same time in nowhere near as muscular as I want to be, just not seeing many gaaaaaaaiiiiinnzzzzz.

 

What do folk do in that situation? What I eat in general is fine (well a massie improvement from a couple of years ago), but I know to progress I need to measure it better.

 

A start would be deciding how many calories I need per day - just no idea if I should cut or bulk

 

Thoughts people?

[Creepy Lurker]

Sounds to me like you should be bulking. If you're not overweight and don't have as much muscle as you'd like then I don't see any benefit to cutting.

 

A good starting point for working out how much you should eat is to use the Harris Benedict equation (you can find it easily enough online), then for a bulk add 10-20% to that. After that you really need to adjust based on how your body actually reacts in the real world, as obviously any equation's only going to give you an estimate.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Think that's the way to go. Never done a proper bulk though and out on weight easily so need to watch. Will miss my cardio sorts me right out.

[Snake Plissken]

You could still factor in the cardio, just means you'll have to eat even more.

 

I used to do a lot of cardio until I ran a marathon last year, it was a thoroughly miserable experience that put me off running long distances. I went on a massive bulk right after that and put on nearly 10kg, but half of that was fat as I was stuffing my face from sunrise to sunset for three months. After January, I realised that I was starting to get a little bit of a gut on me so I scaled it right back and after a couple of months I whittled off the excess, I then kept it up over the summer and got leaner than I was when I started.

 

My body fat is now under 10% so I've went back on a bulk, but this time I'm watching my calories and macros. So far I'm up just under a kilo, I'm hoping to add about 3kg of lean mass by the end of the year. A tough goal, but possible if I stick to it.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Right going completely against that last post, I've decided to try a proper cut for a month or so, just to test how much control I have over my body. Trial and error and all that. So looking to drop around 8lb in that time and then bulk through winter.

 

Downloaded that app, don't even think I'm going to be able to hit the lower target I've set of 2200

 

My breakfast of porridge and an orange came to about 230 calories for example. I would only usually eat another two meals so something feels wrong here.

 

It's all so confusing

[Snake Plissken]

Depends how much porridge you have and whether or not that's with water or milk.

 

I end the day with a cup of porridge (90g) with half a cup of blueberries (45g) and a tablespoon and a half of honey - that's 360 cals from the porridge and 90 from the honey, the blueberries are only about 20 so I'm a kick in the arse off 500 calories. I'd be over 700 if I made mine with milk.

 

At it's most basic level, a cut is going 500 calories under maintenance, get that right first and then work on the macros - protein needs to be higher to avoid muscle loss. Dropping 8lbs shouldn't take much more than a month.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

It was one of the wee boxes of porridge you stick in the microwave and that tells you the exact amount of calories, the app seemed to agree with it.

 

Anyway tea done an I've still got 700 calories to find makes me wonder if I've been under eating or if I'm measuring this wrong.

[BigC]

Took another second off my PB for the 2000m row.

 

Down to 7.09.

 

I've now lost a stone since new year, but I think that the actual fat loss is about 19lb with a 4-5lb gain in muscle, based on body fat %.

 

Might have a look at my fitness pal as so far I've just been following general healthy eating rules, like cutting out sugar, reducing carbs and eating less processed food and more vegetables.

 

Although it's working I have a feeling I'll get to a plateau fairly soon.

[BigC]

Had a shot of MFP.

 

Good calorie counter. I reckon I'm consuming well over what they tell me I need to, to lose weight, yet I'm still losing it. Will need to work that out for myself I guess!

 

Not sure about the fitness tracker...

 

Has push up's under cardio.

 

Doesn't have a lot of exercises so you have to pick the most similar ones. (Can't be arsed adding new ones in).

 

Doesn't seem to be logging any weights I've done in terms of calories.

 

Question.... If I log say that I've lost 2kg in 6 weeks time, will it realise that I'm below my maintenance amount then readjust the maintenance amount accordingly?

Edited September 10, 2013 by BigC

[The People's Chimp]

Have been taking a reading on one of those machines at the gym that measures weight/BF to just keep an eye on overall trend. I know they're pretty inaccurate etc but have just wanted a general guide to how I'm getting on. Have taken one a month from June till tonight. Have apparently dropped from 18.7% BF to 14.1 but have give or take maintained my weight at around 76kg. That probably feels about right I imagine I'd be able to drop BF more quickly if I seriously cut but then I don't want to lose muscle mass.

 

Would you guys suggest I keep on doing what I've been doing? I'm quite happy at losing 1% bf a month while increasing lifts (a bit) and maintaining weight, but I have nothing to gauge that against. This is all subject to the caveat that these machines might be so wildly full of shit that all of the above is crap.

[Snake Plissken]

Had a shot of MFP.

 

Good calorie counter. I reckon I'm consuming well over what they tell me I need to, to lose weight, yet I'm still losing it. Will need to work that out for myself I guess!

 

Not sure about the fitness tracker...

 

Has push up's under cardio.

 

Doesn't have a lot of exercises so you have to pick the most similar ones. (Can't be arsed adding new ones in).

 

Doesn't seem to be logging any weights I've done in terms of calories.

 

Question.... If I log say that I've lost 2kg in 6 weeks time, will it realise that I'm below my maintenance amount then readjust the maintenance amount accordingly?

 

I don't bother with the fitness tracker part, I really just use it to keep track of my calories.

 

You can customise it to suit your own goals but I'd just think of it as something to log what you eat and bear in mind that it's not going to be 100% accurate.

 

 

 

Have been taking a reading on one of those machines at the gym that measures weight/BF to just keep an eye on overall trend. I know they're pretty inaccurate etc but have just wanted a general guide to how I'm getting on. Have taken one a month from June till tonight. Have apparently dropped from 18.7% BF to 14.1 but have give or take maintained my weight at around 76kg. That probably feels about right I imagine I'd be able to drop BF more quickly if I seriously cut but then I don't want to lose muscle mass.

 

Would you guys suggest I keep on doing what I've been doing? I'm quite happy at losing 1% bf a month while increasing lifts (a bit) and maintaining weight, but I have nothing to gauge that against. This is all subject to the caveat that these machines might be so wildly full of shit that all of the above is crap.

 

There's a video a few pages back that covers that question but the main point to take from it is that you should increase your protein intake to prevent the loss of muscle mass during a cut.

 

Good going on the shift in body fat, while things like that can have a fair margin for error, a 4.6% reduction is good going. Muscle weighs more than fat so it's entirely possible your weight hasn't changed because you've put on muscle.

[Guest GhostHunter]

My rough and ready BF is 13.6% with a weight of 85kg...

 

Not sure if good or not ?

[Sten Guns]

My rough and ready BF is 13.6% with a weight of 85kg...

 

Not sure if good or not ?

 

The mirror is the judge of the my man.

[The People's Chimp]

There's a video a few pages back that covers that question but the main point to take from it is that you should increase your protein intake to prevent the loss of muscle mass during a cut.

 

Good going on the shift in body fat, while things like that can have a fair margin for error, a 4.6% reduction is good going. Muscle weighs more than fat so it's entirely possible your weight hasn't changed because you've put on muscle.

 

I'll need to check the video. I have significantly upped my protein intake over the last few months, after some wise words on here. I've also realised that it's (allegedly) 4.6% over 3 months and not 4 - late night posting = difficulty with simple thinking.

 

Quite happy my weight is constant for that very reason as I'm definitely adding muscle and strength.

[DougieHMFC]

Any one a member of Greens? Just moved to Gorgie and looking for a new gym, the reviews online aren't that impressive but they're all quite old. Any info would be appreciated

[Sten Guns]

Any one a member of Greens? Just moved to Gorgie and looking for a new gym, the reviews online aren't that impressive but they're all quite old. Any info would be appreciated

 

Pure on Gorgie Road is worth a look if all your after is a gym

[DougieHMFC]

 

 

Pure on Gorgie Road is worth a look if all your after is a gym

 

I want a gym with a pool. The bird uses Pure as well, no wanting to end up going same time as her

Edited September 12, 2013 by DougieHMFC

[BigC]

 

 

I want a gym with a pool. The bird uses Pure as well, no wanting to end up going same time as her

 

I worked there when it first opened 12 years ago.

 

It's called Nuffield now and it's more focused on health... they'll try and get you sign up for private heth care too.

 

Has plenty of cardio equipment and some free weights.

 

Pool is a bit small. They have jacuzzis and a sauna and steam room.

 

Not been for a year or two, so can't comment on latest info, if you try and search for reviews under the new name you might get a better idea.

[Guest GhostHunter]

Anybody know of any gyms near the Rosyth area ?

[Kennedy Bakircioglu]

Anybody know of any gyms near the Rosyth area ?

 

http://www.gym64.com/

 

This is fairly close and being 24 hours might suit your night owl tendencies!

[Guest GhostHunter]

http://www.gym64.com/

 

This is fairly close and being 24 hours might suit your night owl tendencies!

 

Top man - that works for me

 

Thanks !

[Walrus]

Any one a member of Greens? Just moved to Gorgie and looking for a new gym, the reviews online aren't that impressive but they're all quite old. Any info would be appreciated

 

I am, they've invested a fair bit of money into the place in the last year. I quite like it, can be a bit too busy between 6-8pm.

 

I'm sure if you go in and ask for a trial day they will let you go in.

[Jeff]

3/4 push ups with a weight is the way forward. Walked out the gym feeling like Arnie.

[Franklin Delano Bluth]

3/4 push ups with a weight is the way forward. Walked out the gym feeling like Arnie.

 

Similarily: When doing Dumbbell Bench Presses, lift the weight a 1/3 of the way up, back down to beginning position and then extend fully. That is sore. Nice gainzzzzzzz though.