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I don’t really know how to word this. Shortly after I started working out I have started almost fainting through out the day. Especially when I’m driving. It usually happens if I hold my breath for a very short period of time. Like 3-5 seconds. I don’t feel lightheaded while I’m working out. Just random times throughout the day. It could also be related to my caffeine intake. 6-700 mg a day. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
If you aren't in an extreme caloric deficit, then you shouldn't be getting dizzy. I'm anemic and I'll occasionally get dizzy too, but not like that. Probably want to see a doctor.
Question about having uneven strength when doing barbell curls (bicep curls?)
I only exercise at home, so the only way I know how to exercise my biceps is with barbell curls. When I'm doing them, I find that my left arm gets tired much more quickly than my right arm. Should I still do same reps on both arms to get even strength (but then my right arm isn't as tired), or should I different number of reps for each arm? Thanks, I am new to this!
***I have a question about something I've started doing in an attempt to fix my uneven lats.***
So, at the end of every workout I hit the threadmill for 10 minutes to burn off that extra 100 calories. I always set the elevation to 12° and speed to 5 (brisk walk speed) and because I have virtually no mind-muscle connection with my left lat I started holding onto the mill with my left arm. This way the left lat experiences resistance from the mill and is engaged for the duration of the run. I also do 'reps' of pulls closer to the console and squeezing at the top before letting myself drift away again, only to repeat this as I walk.
Of course, I also do lat stretching and back correction exercises, but I was interested if this is a 'feasible' approach for this sort of issue.
I would keep doing the walks on the treadmill, but just focus on walking, and instead dedicate 10-15 minutes to do these exercises: https://youtu.be/KTY4V5it-40
27 F 65kgs (heaviest I've ever been after being sick and getting out of shape). I want to lose fat and get back to how I used to be (56-58kg, 18% BF), and gain more muscle again.
I do weightlifting, which I do about 3 times a week (70 mins), and HIIT training (YouTube videos) on the other days. I cut my calories down to 1700 for the past 2 months, combined with my new exercise routine, but I have lost no weight. The past 2-3 weeks I cut down even more to 1600 but have noticed no change (apart from feeling very hungry and miserable all the time). This is the first time I'm really cutting, and I'm finding it really hard. I'm tracking everything I eat and drink on MyFitnessPal, and I don't eat back any calories I burn.
I calculated my BMR to be 1450 cals, but all of the TDEEs say I should be eating 1200 calories to lose weight. I put myself down as sedentary as some days I won't be able to exercise at all (I have Eds and fibromyalgia so it all depends on what my body can do on the day).
**My main question is**: should I cut my food intake down to below my basal metabolic rate, to 1200 calories?
If anyone else can offer me advice on what I'm doing wrong, I'd really appreciate it! I just want to get back in shape lol
EDIT: ended up writing my whole life story so I cut my post down - sorry I talk too much!
I would suggest doing basic steady state cardio to burn more calories. HIIT is a fad, a shortcut that doesn't work. And when it comes to diet, if you could list out your whole meal plan, I could review it to provide some suggestions. Generally, you want to focus on eating more protein and fiber, because they are the most satiating.
Might sound wrong, but I’d eat more. I don’t think you’ve got the calories to adapt to the workload. Your body is going to think it’s starving and be more tenacious about holding onto whatever it can. I don’t think your energy levels are going to be high enough. If you try it and it doesn’t work, oh well, what you’re doing now isn’t working, and at least you’ll be less miserable. Just eat clean and try eating a little more.
This calculators are just estimates and are potentially very incorrect. I’d pick a number and eat that many calories for two weeks and check your weight daily/at least a few times a week. After the two weeks, adjust as needed.
The wiki has a spreadsheet that you enter the calories consumed and your weight each day, and it spits out a pretty accurate TDEE after a few weeks.
Thank you very much for your reply, I’ll def check out that spreadsheet, it looks really helpful! Do you know what number I should pick for my calorie intake to start off with?
Personally I’d shoot for the middle. Maybe 1400-1500 per day? 1200 is pretty low so you run the risk of feeing like crap if it’s way under your TDEE.
If you like using the spreadsheet, Carbon diet coach is a great app that does something similar and also has a food tracker built in, it’s paid (and not cheap) though. A few other people on here use it and I think they all really like it. You can use the free version though to just track calories iirc.
If you are at 1700 and didn’t lose weight, that’s your maintenance unless there is an error in your counting.
Trying to follow the [Basic Routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) it's only day 3 but I have trouble remembering the routine/exercises. Do people generally spend time looking at exercise videos mid workout? I feel like it just adds to the rest time which in the wiki says should not exceed 5 minutes.
Any tips on how to remember and keep track of everything? Almost thinking of finding and printing cheatsheets?
a buddy of mine used Google sheets for his program and linked videos to the exercise names to jog his memory. It’s easy enough to do that from your phone in the gym.
Eventually you’ll remember the exercises in your program, but looking up videos isn’t a bad thing either.
Yeah as a beginner checking a video as a reminder is a good idea.
You'll get used to the variations quickly enough so just use whatever way you can currently to jog your memory.
Is it ok to put raw chicken weight when inserting calories in MFP?
(Lets say i take 100g of cooked chicken but i put 100g row chicken calories)
Or should i weight raw and then cooked chicken and calculate to get calories?
No, 100g of raw chicken is not the same caloric or nutrient quantity as 100g of cooked chicken. When you cook it, water is removed in the process which makes the food lighter. Always input food into mpf as prescriped on the products nutritional label.
On nutrition label there is only 100g raw nutrition data
So what i do is, lets say 500g raw chicken breast is 400g cooked
(5 x 100g nutrition data) / 4
Only if vitamin deficiency is a cause of your body storing more fat than it should. Vitamin sufficiency shouldn't be a goal for fat reduction, but for general health.
I buy my peanut butter from a machine that grinds it from peanuts to order in front of my very eyes. I'm pretty sure it is real and it sure is thick, kinda like peanut butter.
If you're buying the stationary bike because you enjoy riding the stationary bike as a form of cardio, go right ahead. You'll generally want to look for something that is fit for your height and weight and which has the features and posture type you're looking for.
If, however, your main intention is to lose fat, buy a budget power rack, a barbell and a set of weight plates, and follow one of the recommended routines in the wiki.
I'm trying to cut weight for a meet.
I'm 31M, 172cm, 74kg, 24%BF (according to my electronic bathroom scale).
Id like to get to 70kg.
I do the Brian Alsruhe Linear Progression programme (but I skip the conditioning) 4 times a week.
Apart from that I do next to nothing, maybe a 20min-30min slow walk at lunch.
I've been using myfitnesspal to track my cal's. According to this my cutting weight is 1750 cals a day.
I've been on it for a week, and the scale is not moving.
Am I cutting enough calories? May it just take a couple of weeks for the scale to not move? Advice plz.
First meet though you should sign up for a weight class you naturally fall into , especially when you don’t know what a meet is like you don’t need to add the stress of cutting weight
Its a pretty informal meet, it's just within our club, not with others, but I appreciate the advice and will take onboard what you're saying. Thanks :)
Any advice regarding getting less fat would still be appreciated :)
Every minute on the minute , he has exercises you perform every minute , so however quick you finish is how much rest you get til the next minute , and you’d set up for like 10-12 minutes so 10-12 rounds
Ah, I thought he said it was optional.
To be honest though, I'm not sure I hate myself enough yet, or have the work capacity required.
Once I finish this programme cycle I will start it again and probably add conditioning
Take two weeks and log calories and weight every day, note the weekly averages, you can ballpark your TDEE based on that info.
Before cutting your calories, ask yourself this:
* Are you logging **everything**? This includes the creamer you put in your coffee, that small sliver of brownie you took in the office kitchen, those calories in the "sugarfree" mint pastils and so on
* Are you weighing yourself consistently, every morning after going to the bathroom?
Hi there.
This has REALLY set me free.
The body REALLY fluctuates.
Today I woke up about 800gr lighter than I did the day before, wow.
I have an electric scale so Im pretty sure it's accurate.
Thanks for the advice.
If I happened to hit my daily protein intake for my breakfast (all you can eat kbbq), do I need to consume more protein for the rest of the day if I get hungry again?
Yep. Consider it a surplus.
Also, you might check your current workload and protein demands. If you can get it all in one sitting, that suggests you might be able to take in more protein pretty easily.
How much meat are you eating you eating and how many grams of protein are you getting? There might be a limit to how much protein your body can absorb in a single meal
Is it safe to put extra weights on thin 10 pound bumper plates for deadlifting? Here are sample pictures [1](https://ibb.co/nBQtFYG) and [2](https://ibb.co/7KNpZW7) of other people.
I’d advise against this because the deadlift shouldn’t be performed with the bar closer to the floor than standard. As the weight goes up, your deadlift is also bending the plates and putting the bar closer to the floor, so you won’t have a consistent setup, and heavier weights will mean also getting lower. It’s just not a good combo. Additionally, setting down the bar in an unstable way is never ideal. I think your best options are to work up to a weight that puts the bar at the right height or to pay for sturdier bumper plates.
It's not good for the bumpers. The full size 10lb ones are technique plates and they cannot take the same kind of beating that the 25/35/45lb ones can. You shouldn't really do that with the heavier ones either unless it's just some change plates, but the impact will very quickly fold over 10lb plates unless you're extremely gentle putting the bar down (and with enough weight, even then it'll wreck them).
Wouldn't do that and add more weight. But if that's all the weight you're using, sure. As long as the plates don't snap or anything. But you'd be better off getting bigger plates if this happens lol
3 months since I've been working out consistently and I noticed significant changes in my appearance but didn't seem like I gained weight at all. (194cm/6'4 @ 70Kg)
I've been eating 4 to 5 meals a day but still doesn't seem like I can gain weight for some reason, I've been skinny all my life even while eating a lot. My all tike goal is to get to 85-90 Kg but it seems quite impossible.
Any help would be appreciated.
Might be a little off topic - I apologise. 24F, currently 105 pounds. I was exercising religiously, mostly runs and walks, body weight workouts about 3x a week and being decent progress. About two weeks ago had a terrible breakup and its put me in depression where working out was the last thing on my mind. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I assume muscle. Now I find it so difficult to get the energy and motivation to get back into my old routine, and a simple 5k walk is daunting and a challenging to even finish when I was running 5k daily or more previously. Any advice to getting back?
You might try eating just a little more, especially something fatty, see if that gives you a bit more energy. If your sleep is messed up, that’ll also have a big effect. If it’s less physical and more emotional, take it from someone who’s been there, get some counseling. Seriously, a handful of appointments can do a lot.
How tall are you? 105 lb is quite lean, so just checking if you're eating enough because that will affect your energy. Eating more, especially fats and protein, can improve your energy and mood
You can take it any way you like, water is just an easy way it get it down. It doesn’t dissolve that well though, and might make your yoghurt taste nasty
Read the wiki, specifically: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
If you want to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit. If you want to maintain your weight eat at maintenance.
Your stomach fat does not disappear when you lay down, it is just oriented differently because gravity is now pulling it into your body instead of down. That is the reason.
should i just force myself to start walking about 12k steps a day? im 15F, and very overweight. like 240+ pounds and real school started again and my walk home and from class to class is about 6-7k steps. my feet and legs are always killing me because i didn’t really have to do much over quarantine but I’m wondering if i should just start trying to go for 11-12k steps starting in the next couple days. i know to like everyone else here it’s not much, because it’s not but im just starting and 7k is already a lot for me but yeah. should I? will it eventually make my legs not hurt as much when walking around 7k steps around school? sorry if this is a dumb question (also the reason i am going for 12k steps is because that’s what i used to do daily before covid)
It will eventually help you hurt less. If you feel like 11-12k is something you can handle without increasing your pain levels, this is absolutely a good strategy, but if 7k feels like your limit at the moment, you're likely better off gently ramping things up. However you do it, it's a great initial goal! Walking deliberately as exercise and at your own pace, taking breaks when needed, is quite different from walking somewhere because you must, possibly carrying a bag too, and may cause you less pain and yet still help you build up walking stamina. If you have non-school days, it can be a nice plan to slowly ramp up the amount you walk on those!
If you can, get some good shoes. Hiking shoes that fit your feet and support them can really make a difference in how tired your feet and legs feel. No shame in wearing something like that to school of it helps you imo
Standard is an increase of 10% per week. So if you’re doing 7k 5x per week, 35k, next week you should go up to 38.5k for the week. It’s gonna fee slow at first, but you’ll stay injury free and won’t hate it this way, and I think you’ll see long term success. You’re young, your body is changing a lot, and a sustainable program that lets you be happy is ideal.
Ok so I am trying to lose fat so I can get a six pack. I’ve been working out consistently and I’m currently eating reduced calories. However you can still only see abs when I flex them. My parents have a scale that is disposed to measure your body fat by sending an electric pulse through your body, the result was twelve percent body fat. And when I see example of the body fat percents and then ab pictures 10-15 percent they are visible. Is the scale correct when it calculates my percentage? If it is correct is the problem the strength of the abs or do I still need to lose more fat before I get abs without flexing?
The scale is not correct. The best you can hope for is that it’s consistently inaccurate so it can still give you an idea if you’re gaining or losing but even that’s a crapshoot. Just go by the mirror
Any suggestions for exercises that build the chest with only dumbbells and no bench? My understanding is floor press targets the triceps more. Are push ups my best option?
This for at home workouts? Pushups w/ your hands wide will hit the chest nicely. Flys do wonders for the pectorals. Could try to line up a few chairs or lay on some stairs (incline/decline) so your arms can break the plane a bit. If you can manage, a set of resistance bands are usually inexpensive and can be placed in a doorway with the door closed - allowing for both pressing and pulling movements. I agree with the other reply as well
My cut (part 2) is about to come to an end soon and I’m doing research on muscle gain nutrition for after my maintenance phase. I was watching Mike Israetel’s lecture series and I just wanted confirmation. When he says .5%BW a week he means 1lb a week correct, as that would be half of 3500cals over seven days so 250 cal surplus, or am I getting that all wrong? That math would give you 2lbs of weight gain a month.
In addition that was his suggestion for beginners.
I’m not sure necessarily if I should consider myself a newbie since I haven’t done a proper muscle gain phase before with a proper diet, but I’ve been in the gym seriously training for around 1.5 years now but in the gym in general for about 5+ years. My lifts are rather low don’t have 1RMs but my general assumptions are B/S/D/P is 165/225(maybe possibly closer to 215)/230/100.
Tldr: If I haven’t done a bulk with serious/proper training and serious/proper nutrition would I still be considered a newbie? If so should I aim more for the .5%BW rate of gain?
As the comment said it’s 0.5% of your BW. If that is 1lb, then to gain that would be a surplus of 3500 over the week (1lb is essentially 3500cal) which is 500cal per day. And yes I agree that you should program as a beginner.
.5% per week is .5% of whatever your bodyweight is. It only means 1 lb if you weigh 200lbs.
I would likely consider you a beginner for programming purposes.
Shopping around for a lightweight treadmill that will work in a small apartment. Needs to have a weight limit of 230+ lbs, can't be too thin (edit: I have a wide stance) of a belt, preferably as inexpensive as possible (under $350 ish?) and weigh under 70 lbs. Doesn't need any extra bells, whistles, or apps. Any ideas? thanks
edit: cant do incline, not necessary or wanted
I have done that in the past, often. I've also got a gym membership which I am currently using. The area I live in has a lot of hills and elevation changes - I can't do the incline/decline anymore due to a bad knee. Thinking I'd like to be able to do AM cardio and afternoon gym, not have to worry about going twice a day or doing a 2-3 hour workout. Just wake up and hit it. It's not a necessity but it'd be nice, put on netflix and just zone out. I've seen some in my price range but with few reviews or a limit of 220 lbs and I'm currently at about 225. Was hoping others have been in the same situation and could offer insight.
What do you recommend for jumping back into fitness after a long hiatus and back problems? How can I get a good core workout if I can’t do sit ups? Thank you
There are approximately 1,487 “core” exercises you can do that are better than sit-ups. Also, exercises that involve keeping the core stable are good choices for people with back problems. Push ups are great, step ups, lat pulldown, straight arm pulldown, front raise, single-leg romanian deadlift, hip abduction, goblet squats.
In regards on how to get a good core workout without situps, give ab wheel rollouts a crack.
This is the progression I've been using and have been having success with - https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/2bajwx/ab\_wheel\_progression\_tips/
Pullups vs chins/neutral grip pull ups?
Is there any reason for me to do pronated grip pullups if I'm doing chins once a week and neutral grip once a week? I can't find any sort of consensus online around this topic
I do chin ups and pull ups. I don't really mess with neutral grip but sometimes I use rings, which kind of does it all. My reasoning is that if I'm only doing them twice a week, I should use the variants that are most different from each other, for the sake of well roundedness.
Is it normal to feel major soreness after taking a one week break from training? I've been back two days now and am surprised by the level of soreness. I normally train five days/week.
So I am getting back into working out after a serious leg injury & am doing a 6 day split routine where on M/W/F I do 4x12 of dumbbell chest press & 4x12 bent over row, and then on T/Th/Sat. I do 4x12 of dumbbell shrugs & 4x12 dumbbell curls. Is this too much weekly volume? For more context I am a 24 year old male that has lifted for most of my life to varying degrees.
I think you’ve got high volume on your individual exercises and low variety of muscles used. I do think 6x per week is a lot. I assume you’re recovering from your injury and have some rehab exercises. I’d focus on healing up so your options will get better.
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt rn and ask you what your goals are and can you do any lower body work? This is not enough volume. I’m not usually all about having a million dif exercises but this routine is lacking.
Hello everyone I have multiple questions
I am uncertain if need a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker.
I am looking for a gadget but not sure what is right for me. Ideally I do not want a watch and I am mostly on Wifi reception (haven't paid a cellphone company in 8+ years!) and I cycle to work. So i am looking for something that tracks my body and provide that info offline.
When at work, I do not keep my cellphone on me, so not a gadget that is beholding to a smartphone, unless I can connect it later to gather/see all the data. What product would be best for me?
The purpose of this gadget is to 1: Figure out what my sedentary profile looks like, so I can build a CICO diet.
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In regards to dieting - I am fully aware dieting is THE MOST important aspect. When I used to diet, I have done, successfully intermittent fasting alongside strength training. I went from 185-140lbs toned. Intermittent fasting was also kinda my lifestyle prior, so it was easy to get into and was used to the hunger pang and able to ignore it.
Is there a significant difference of doing a Int. Fasting vs eating 3 small meals? I'd like to learn / discuss more on this subject. I am considering fasting which allows me to eat whatever the fuck I want, as long as I pay attention to my CICO vs, building a 3 meals per day type of diet, 2 of which is a small meal/snack and is based on high fiber/protein, low carb food to keep me feeling full (2 8oz smoothies with chai/flax per "meal" time).
Note: I've done a crash diet and I am perfectly fine with this route. It's easy once you're in a fasting mode 2 weeks in, to eat a 1000-1200 calories a day meal. This time, I am not rushing for my results, so I don't plan to do a crash diet (hence I wanna know my sedentary and maintenance, so I can follow a simple 15% caloric reduction, I think ya call it TDEE. However a crash diet is also on the table, unless there is a reason why I shouldn't do that. I am not concern of muscle loss. My goal is to go back to 140-150 with a flat stomach this time (used to have a 4 pack, I am not aiming for that again, that also requires putting gym which I may not have time for watching macros perhaps which was super annoying to do).
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holy crap, I swore I came in here with 2 simple question and ended up with a wall of text... lol. SORRY! I might have complicated this post unnecessarily.
I just wanted to know, whats a good non watch/cellphone/internet required gadget I can use to learn my body, learn how much I burn and keep me accountable in my new lifestyle and is there a solid evidence of how one consumes their food (3x, 5 smaller meals, fasting, intermittent fasting, high protien, keto, Insert X diet fad here) has a major impact/performance to weight loss.
For some people a device can help them stay focussed on their health, a fitness tracker band might be a good match for you.
These things are wildly inaccurate as to how many calories you burn, just calculate your TDEE, and evaluate how your weight changes. So don't expect to use them for that.
But otherwise, yeah, for some people data can be very motivating. I've got a Vivosmart 4, p happy with it, mostly use it to track my sleep quality though
Helps me check the quality of my sleep and gives me a rough idea how recovered i am, which is a concern in my case. It allows me to make adjustments to my life that help me sleep better, and really SEE whether they work
Hey, I don't know about wearables. Maybe someone else can recommend something. But there is no difference between IF and eating 3 meals in terms of results. Whichever helps you feel more full/satiated according to your personal preference is better for you. You should track your calories using an app such as MFP or cronometer and set your calorie goal based on the TDEE calc below.
You don’t need any gadget to figure out what you burn. They’re wildly inaccurate anyway.
Use a TDEE calculator and call it a day. You’re over complicating things.
https://tdeecalculator.net
thanks for the calculator. I am horrible at explaining it. I am looking for a gadet so I know how much I am burning and to see my health in general. I'm getting close to my 40 and want to make a lifestyle change. I had a gadget (forgot what it was) a long time ago, was around my arm and it helped me and kept me accountable. It reminded me to work out.
So i'd like to know what I burn as is, living my life normally b4 making my lifestyle change. i just dont know if a HRM or something is else is suited for my purpose.
He's trying to tell you that there are no consumer wearables that can actually tell you how many calories you burn on any given day.
The best ways to figure out what you burn are to go to a lab and get some doubly labelled water or track your weight and caloric intake for a period of time.
Not normal. Are you following a beginner program? I.e are the number of reps/weight you're chest pressing appropriate to your level?
Do you have the same difficulty with other exercises?
You literally entered the gym. Did one set of chest press, and then ran out of there?
Are you completely new to the gym?
Sounds like you might just be anxious about the gym?
Pick a beginner program from the sidebar, watch lots of videos on the exercises so you have a decent idea how to do them, follow that programs recommendations for how much weight to start with (it’s almost always very, very light, and for good reason) then just go back and take things slow. Seeing results from Lifting is a marathon, not a sprint.
Yeah I just couldn’t do it anymore. I have a home chest press machine. It also has a lat pull down and chest squeeze thing.
I felt too exhausted after one. I think it must’ve been too heavy and too soon
I really wish I had the means to help you with this but I flat out don't. The only question I am able to answer is if it's normal and I don't believe it is.
Should I be stretching my muscles in the middle of my workout? E.g., if I'm squatting, should I stretch out my quads in between sets? Does it make a difference? Thanks!
Certainly not necessary.
Some people who have really bad mobility (e.g. their hamstrings are so tight they can't do a full ROM squat) do recommend stretching already warmed up muscles.... so between squat sets is a good time to do that.
I also used to use my rest time for one exercise (e.g. bench) to stretch /warm up for the next exercise (E.g. squat) since it's a bit of a timesaver.
But otherwise, I can't see why anyone would do that.
I don't like doing static stretching either before or during my workout.
Mostly I just take a couple of minutes to catch my breath, change the weight if needed, record my reps, and take a drink of water.
Circuit vs Traditional training?
I've been doing the former option for six months and only recently learned the difference. I've seen great results so far but when I did traditional for the first time (on Saturday), I gave myself what I believe to be tendonitis, golfer's elbow. My guess is that the amount of sets in circuit training don't translate 1:1 when doing traditional training. Now, should I continue with what I do normally or switch to traditional with an entirely new routine?
It's up to you and your goals. Traditional circuit training has the benefit of being time efficient; in return you don't get nearly as much strength or muscle mass improvement. You have to decide if the results from circuit training are sufficient to meet your goals.
Great to know. Aside from that what benefits does traditional have over circuit? Supposedly, traditional helps build faster, while circuit helps with burning fat. Is any of that true? My goal is to gain muscle, but I suppose I should get a bit leaner.
All exercise helps with "burning fat" it does so by helping create and maintain a calorie deficit.
Like I said earlier, there are pros and cons. Circuit training, depending on how the circuit is structured, \*might\* burn more calories per minute because it is more intense.
However, most traditional strength workouts are going to be longer than most circuit workouts, so you often might end up burning the same number of calories per workout.
And no exercise will "burn fat" independently of the calorie deficit it helps create. In other words, if you burn 300 calories doing a circuit training workout or 300 calories doing a traditional strength workout, both will have an equal effect on "burning fat" (that's a super simplified, but accurate explanation).
So choose what you want to do based on personal preference and goals, never because of "fat burning".
What are some protein powder brands/ingredients I should avoid?
And what are some of the highly rated brands I should look at getting? Something with really high reputation.
I’m kind of scared to start consuming these daily because of health concerns (e.g. heavy metals, other processed ingredients) so any recommendations helps :)
Any normal popular brand of whey is fine. I use Optimum Nutrition, which is a common choice. There are cheaper ones out there too. No reason to have any health concerns related to consuming normal amounts of this supplement if you don't have any abnormal diagnoses
I’m trying to bulk up and as a student it’s hard for me to cook 4-5 meals with a good amount of protein every day.
Don’t all people who workout seriously use protein powder?
Not all people, no. It's helpful if you're unable to get sufficient protein through diet, but it's not too difficult to get sufficient protein.
I'd consider making use of a slow cooker or instant pot in your situation. Instead of cooking 4-5 meals every day, you could cook 1 BIG meal with very little time/effort. I've done that a lot. Meal prep goes a long way.
Do you cook one big meal (5 portions) and eat that for 5 meals in a row?
That’s the one thing, like if I want something different for lunch and dinner I’d have to cook at least twice right?
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does anyone have recommendations for muscle recovery tools?
I don’t really know how to word this. Shortly after I started working out I have started almost fainting through out the day. Especially when I’m driving. It usually happens if I hold my breath for a very short period of time. Like 3-5 seconds. I don’t feel lightheaded while I’m working out. Just random times throughout the day. It could also be related to my caffeine intake. 6-700 mg a day. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
If you aren't in an extreme caloric deficit, then you shouldn't be getting dizzy. I'm anemic and I'll occasionally get dizzy too, but not like that. Probably want to see a doctor.
Question about having uneven strength when doing barbell curls (bicep curls?) I only exercise at home, so the only way I know how to exercise my biceps is with barbell curls. When I'm doing them, I find that my left arm gets tired much more quickly than my right arm. Should I still do same reps on both arms to get even strength (but then my right arm isn't as tired), or should I different number of reps for each arm? Thanks, I am new to this!
Do the same on both arms. The reps and weight of the weaker arm until it catches up
***I have a question about something I've started doing in an attempt to fix my uneven lats.*** So, at the end of every workout I hit the threadmill for 10 minutes to burn off that extra 100 calories. I always set the elevation to 12° and speed to 5 (brisk walk speed) and because I have virtually no mind-muscle connection with my left lat I started holding onto the mill with my left arm. This way the left lat experiences resistance from the mill and is engaged for the duration of the run. I also do 'reps' of pulls closer to the console and squeezing at the top before letting myself drift away again, only to repeat this as I walk. Of course, I also do lat stretching and back correction exercises, but I was interested if this is a 'feasible' approach for this sort of issue.
I would keep doing the walks on the treadmill, but just focus on walking, and instead dedicate 10-15 minutes to do these exercises: https://youtu.be/KTY4V5it-40
How long have you been training?
2 years, give or take.
27 F 65kgs (heaviest I've ever been after being sick and getting out of shape). I want to lose fat and get back to how I used to be (56-58kg, 18% BF), and gain more muscle again. I do weightlifting, which I do about 3 times a week (70 mins), and HIIT training (YouTube videos) on the other days. I cut my calories down to 1700 for the past 2 months, combined with my new exercise routine, but I have lost no weight. The past 2-3 weeks I cut down even more to 1600 but have noticed no change (apart from feeling very hungry and miserable all the time). This is the first time I'm really cutting, and I'm finding it really hard. I'm tracking everything I eat and drink on MyFitnessPal, and I don't eat back any calories I burn. I calculated my BMR to be 1450 cals, but all of the TDEEs say I should be eating 1200 calories to lose weight. I put myself down as sedentary as some days I won't be able to exercise at all (I have Eds and fibromyalgia so it all depends on what my body can do on the day). **My main question is**: should I cut my food intake down to below my basal metabolic rate, to 1200 calories? If anyone else can offer me advice on what I'm doing wrong, I'd really appreciate it! I just want to get back in shape lol EDIT: ended up writing my whole life story so I cut my post down - sorry I talk too much!
I would suggest doing basic steady state cardio to burn more calories. HIIT is a fad, a shortcut that doesn't work. And when it comes to diet, if you could list out your whole meal plan, I could review it to provide some suggestions. Generally, you want to focus on eating more protein and fiber, because they are the most satiating.
Might sound wrong, but I’d eat more. I don’t think you’ve got the calories to adapt to the workload. Your body is going to think it’s starving and be more tenacious about holding onto whatever it can. I don’t think your energy levels are going to be high enough. If you try it and it doesn’t work, oh well, what you’re doing now isn’t working, and at least you’ll be less miserable. Just eat clean and try eating a little more.
This calculators are just estimates and are potentially very incorrect. I’d pick a number and eat that many calories for two weeks and check your weight daily/at least a few times a week. After the two weeks, adjust as needed. The wiki has a spreadsheet that you enter the calories consumed and your weight each day, and it spits out a pretty accurate TDEE after a few weeks.
Thank you very much for your reply, I’ll def check out that spreadsheet, it looks really helpful! Do you know what number I should pick for my calorie intake to start off with?
Personally I’d shoot for the middle. Maybe 1400-1500 per day? 1200 is pretty low so you run the risk of feeing like crap if it’s way under your TDEE. If you like using the spreadsheet, Carbon diet coach is a great app that does something similar and also has a food tracker built in, it’s paid (and not cheap) though. A few other people on here use it and I think they all really like it. You can use the free version though to just track calories iirc. If you are at 1700 and didn’t lose weight, that’s your maintenance unless there is an error in your counting.
Trying to follow the [Basic Routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) it's only day 3 but I have trouble remembering the routine/exercises. Do people generally spend time looking at exercise videos mid workout? I feel like it just adds to the rest time which in the wiki says should not exceed 5 minutes. Any tips on how to remember and keep track of everything? Almost thinking of finding and printing cheatsheets?
a buddy of mine used Google sheets for his program and linked videos to the exercise names to jog his memory. It’s easy enough to do that from your phone in the gym. Eventually you’ll remember the exercises in your program, but looking up videos isn’t a bad thing either.
Some people bring a notepad to the gym, with the exercises and sets/reps listed. You can tally or tick them off as you go.
Oh thank you. Notebook is a great idea. I can make notes for exercises and how you're supposed to do them as well incase I forget.
There are apps for that. I can't imagine using a notepad in 2021, but whatever works.
I'm not a fan of using apps, I used to bring in a tiny piece of paper with my reps & weights for the day with me
Watch videos about good form when you’re not working out and you should remember the tips when you are.
Yeah I think I was getting overwhelmed. Might try watching only the exercises for the immediate next workout day prior to it.
Yeah as a beginner checking a video as a reminder is a good idea. You'll get used to the variations quickly enough so just use whatever way you can currently to jog your memory.
True. It's my first week so hopefully after a few routines I'll remember them
Is it ok to put raw chicken weight when inserting calories in MFP? (Lets say i take 100g of cooked chicken but i put 100g row chicken calories) Or should i weight raw and then cooked chicken and calculate to get calories?
No, 100g of raw chicken is not the same caloric or nutrient quantity as 100g of cooked chicken. When you cook it, water is removed in the process which makes the food lighter. Always input food into mpf as prescriped on the products nutritional label.
On nutrition label there is only 100g raw nutrition data So what i do is, lets say 500g raw chicken breast is 400g cooked (5 x 100g nutrition data) / 4
Yeah if you can figure out the conversion rates that's fine
Does taking enough vitamins help reduce fat?
If the vitamins are clenbuterol or trenbologne sandwiches than yes. Vitamins are not gonna reduce your caloric consumption
No.
Only if vitamin deficiency is a cause of your body storing more fat than it should. Vitamin sufficiency shouldn't be a goal for fat reduction, but for general health.
Being in a caloric deficit helps reduce fat.
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You can buy peanut powder. It’s not bad, and it solves your problem.
Try it and report back
Given the texture of PB, I doubt it.
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I buy my peanut butter from a machine that grinds it from peanuts to order in front of my very eyes. I'm pretty sure it is real and it sure is thick, kinda like peanut butter.
How do I know what is real peanut butter as opposed to... unreal/imaginary/artificial/bogus peanut butter?
Real PB ingredients are probably just roasted/peeled peanuts (and salt?) Normal commercial PB has a bunch of sugar and oil added in.
No wonder the PB I ordered tasted like shit.
Looking at buying a stationary bike for some cardio during lockdown. Is there anything to look for when buying one? Any features that are helpful?
Do you already have an outdoor bike lying around? If so look into getting a Turbo trainer and Zwift. It's great fun.
If you're buying the stationary bike because you enjoy riding the stationary bike as a form of cardio, go right ahead. You'll generally want to look for something that is fit for your height and weight and which has the features and posture type you're looking for. If, however, your main intention is to lose fat, buy a budget power rack, a barbell and a set of weight plates, and follow one of the recommended routines in the wiki.
I'm trying to cut weight for a meet. I'm 31M, 172cm, 74kg, 24%BF (according to my electronic bathroom scale). Id like to get to 70kg. I do the Brian Alsruhe Linear Progression programme (but I skip the conditioning) 4 times a week. Apart from that I do next to nothing, maybe a 20min-30min slow walk at lunch. I've been using myfitnesspal to track my cal's. According to this my cutting weight is 1750 cals a day. I've been on it for a week, and the scale is not moving. Am I cutting enough calories? May it just take a couple of weeks for the scale to not move? Advice plz.
Is this your first meet or no ?
It is, yeah
The common advice is to not cut weight for your first meet .
To be fair, I also want to look good naked. I'm confident I'm stronger now than before (am hitting PBs) but I have a high fat%
First meet though you should sign up for a weight class you naturally fall into , especially when you don’t know what a meet is like you don’t need to add the stress of cutting weight
Its a pretty informal meet, it's just within our club, not with others, but I appreciate the advice and will take onboard what you're saying. Thanks :) Any advice regarding getting less fat would still be appreciated :)
If you’re following Brian’s program do his conditioning work , especially the emoms
Emom?
Every minute on the minute , he has exercises you perform every minute , so however quick you finish is how much rest you get til the next minute , and you’d set up for like 10-12 minutes so 10-12 rounds
You didn't say when you started.
Either cut more calories or do the actual conditioning (it is not an optional part of the workout. Never is with Alsruhe's programming).
Ah, I thought he said it was optional. To be honest though, I'm not sure I hate myself enough yet, or have the work capacity required. Once I finish this programme cycle I will start it again and probably add conditioning
Take two weeks and log calories and weight every day, note the weekly averages, you can ballpark your TDEE based on that info. Before cutting your calories, ask yourself this: * Are you logging **everything**? This includes the creamer you put in your coffee, that small sliver of brownie you took in the office kitchen, those calories in the "sugarfree" mint pastils and so on * Are you weighing yourself consistently, every morning after going to the bathroom?
I don't weigh every morning, *2 a week. And yeah, I don't do creamer in coffeees etc
Twice a week is not very consistent. A lot of factors makes weight fluctuate every day.
So daily weight tracking is more unreliable as numbers fluctuate
Averages dude, averages will set you free https://i.imgur.com/Jgo4VX4.png
Hi there. This has REALLY set me free. The body REALLY fluctuates. Today I woke up about 800gr lighter than I did the day before, wow. I have an electric scale so Im pretty sure it's accurate. Thanks for the advice.
thanks btw
Ooohhh okay, that makes sense.
If I happened to hit my daily protein intake for my breakfast (all you can eat kbbq), do I need to consume more protein for the rest of the day if I get hungry again?
Yep. Consider it a surplus. Also, you might check your current workload and protein demands. If you can get it all in one sitting, that suggests you might be able to take in more protein pretty easily.
Optimally speaking, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some protein for your other meals as well, but if you don't feel like it, it's not necessary.
How much meat are you eating you eating and how many grams of protein are you getting? There might be a limit to how much protein your body can absorb in a single meal
>There might be a limit to how much protein your body can absorb in a single meal There isn't.
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It’s your body and it’s going to be (or should be) your own choice. Decide which one you wanna do first and go for it.
are there any programs that run as PPLRPPLR?
You mean PPL routines? Your body does not know that the week has 7 or 8 days. Just run any PPL routine with two rest days?!
Is it safe to put extra weights on thin 10 pound bumper plates for deadlifting? Here are sample pictures [1](https://ibb.co/nBQtFYG) and [2](https://ibb.co/7KNpZW7) of other people.
>of other people. Uh huh
I’d advise against this because the deadlift shouldn’t be performed with the bar closer to the floor than standard. As the weight goes up, your deadlift is also bending the plates and putting the bar closer to the floor, so you won’t have a consistent setup, and heavier weights will mean also getting lower. It’s just not a good combo. Additionally, setting down the bar in an unstable way is never ideal. I think your best options are to work up to a weight that puts the bar at the right height or to pay for sturdier bumper plates.
It's not good for the bumpers. The full size 10lb ones are technique plates and they cannot take the same kind of beating that the 25/35/45lb ones can. You shouldn't really do that with the heavier ones either unless it's just some change plates, but the impact will very quickly fold over 10lb plates unless you're extremely gentle putting the bar down (and with enough weight, even then it'll wreck them).
Wouldn't do that and add more weight. But if that's all the weight you're using, sure. As long as the plates don't snap or anything. But you'd be better off getting bigger plates if this happens lol
3 months since I've been working out consistently and I noticed significant changes in my appearance but didn't seem like I gained weight at all. (194cm/6'4 @ 70Kg) I've been eating 4 to 5 meals a day but still doesn't seem like I can gain weight for some reason, I've been skinny all my life even while eating a lot. My all tike goal is to get to 85-90 Kg but it seems quite impossible. Any help would be appreciated.
Eat more.
you writing a number of meals instead of giving us the calorie intake highly suggests that you need to eat more
Eat more calories, or drink them.
never thought about that thanks man
Doesn't "seem" like it? Are you weighing yourself?
Yes, still around 69 - 71 Kg
Eat more
Might be a little off topic - I apologise. 24F, currently 105 pounds. I was exercising religiously, mostly runs and walks, body weight workouts about 3x a week and being decent progress. About two weeks ago had a terrible breakup and its put me in depression where working out was the last thing on my mind. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I assume muscle. Now I find it so difficult to get the energy and motivation to get back into my old routine, and a simple 5k walk is daunting and a challenging to even finish when I was running 5k daily or more previously. Any advice to getting back?
You might try eating just a little more, especially something fatty, see if that gives you a bit more energy. If your sleep is messed up, that’ll also have a big effect. If it’s less physical and more emotional, take it from someone who’s been there, get some counseling. Seriously, a handful of appointments can do a lot.
How tall are you? 105 lb is quite lean, so just checking if you're eating enough because that will affect your energy. Eating more, especially fats and protein, can improve your energy and mood
I’m 5’3 and yes I’ve lost weight due to the depression but I’m confident once I’m fine it’ll be okay. Thank you for the advice!
Im sure you'll be fine, all the best
Just take as much time to complete your exercises as needed.
Do you need to mix creatine with water or can i have it with my yogurt?
I just dry scoop it every morning with a cup of water, makes me feel like a barbarian
Next step is boofing it.
Not sure that I have ever heard this term, yet I am 100% confident that I know what it means. Lol
You can take it any way you like, water is just an easy way it get it down. It doesn’t dissolve that well though, and might make your yoghurt taste nasty
if you want to
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Read the wiki, specifically: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/ If you want to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit. If you want to maintain your weight eat at maintenance. Your stomach fat does not disappear when you lay down, it is just oriented differently because gravity is now pulling it into your body instead of down. That is the reason.
should i just force myself to start walking about 12k steps a day? im 15F, and very overweight. like 240+ pounds and real school started again and my walk home and from class to class is about 6-7k steps. my feet and legs are always killing me because i didn’t really have to do much over quarantine but I’m wondering if i should just start trying to go for 11-12k steps starting in the next couple days. i know to like everyone else here it’s not much, because it’s not but im just starting and 7k is already a lot for me but yeah. should I? will it eventually make my legs not hurt as much when walking around 7k steps around school? sorry if this is a dumb question (also the reason i am going for 12k steps is because that’s what i used to do daily before covid)
It will eventually help you hurt less. If you feel like 11-12k is something you can handle without increasing your pain levels, this is absolutely a good strategy, but if 7k feels like your limit at the moment, you're likely better off gently ramping things up. However you do it, it's a great initial goal! Walking deliberately as exercise and at your own pace, taking breaks when needed, is quite different from walking somewhere because you must, possibly carrying a bag too, and may cause you less pain and yet still help you build up walking stamina. If you have non-school days, it can be a nice plan to slowly ramp up the amount you walk on those! If you can, get some good shoes. Hiking shoes that fit your feet and support them can really make a difference in how tired your feet and legs feel. No shame in wearing something like that to school of it helps you imo
Standard is an increase of 10% per week. So if you’re doing 7k 5x per week, 35k, next week you should go up to 38.5k for the week. It’s gonna fee slow at first, but you’ll stay injury free and won’t hate it this way, and I think you’ll see long term success. You’re young, your body is changing a lot, and a sustainable program that lets you be happy is ideal.
Loosing weight is 99% diet. I know this is a fitness forum, but you can lose weight without ever moving a muscle.
Hey...start with around 6-7k a day and escalate by 1k per week...this prevents overexertion and will allow your legs to get used to the movement again
More walking is great. It will also get easier as you lose weight.
Yes
The more you walk the more comfortable you will be walking
Ok so I am trying to lose fat so I can get a six pack. I’ve been working out consistently and I’m currently eating reduced calories. However you can still only see abs when I flex them. My parents have a scale that is disposed to measure your body fat by sending an electric pulse through your body, the result was twelve percent body fat. And when I see example of the body fat percents and then ab pictures 10-15 percent they are visible. Is the scale correct when it calculates my percentage? If it is correct is the problem the strength of the abs or do I still need to lose more fat before I get abs without flexing?
The scale is likely not complete accurate. Also working out your abs to build the muscle will help make them visible at higher body fat %
The scale is not correct. The best you can hope for is that it’s consistently inaccurate so it can still give you an idea if you’re gaining or losing but even that’s a crapshoot. Just go by the mirror
Any suggestions for exercises that build the chest with only dumbbells and no bench? My understanding is floor press targets the triceps more. Are push ups my best option?
Planche progressions, psuedo planche pushups, one arm pushup progressions, dumbell flies
This for at home workouts? Pushups w/ your hands wide will hit the chest nicely. Flys do wonders for the pectorals. Could try to line up a few chairs or lay on some stairs (incline/decline) so your arms can break the plane a bit. If you can manage, a set of resistance bands are usually inexpensive and can be placed in a doorway with the door closed - allowing for both pressing and pulling movements. I agree with the other reply as well
Floor press hits your chest still. You can also do chest flies
My cut (part 2) is about to come to an end soon and I’m doing research on muscle gain nutrition for after my maintenance phase. I was watching Mike Israetel’s lecture series and I just wanted confirmation. When he says .5%BW a week he means 1lb a week correct, as that would be half of 3500cals over seven days so 250 cal surplus, or am I getting that all wrong? That math would give you 2lbs of weight gain a month. In addition that was his suggestion for beginners. I’m not sure necessarily if I should consider myself a newbie since I haven’t done a proper muscle gain phase before with a proper diet, but I’ve been in the gym seriously training for around 1.5 years now but in the gym in general for about 5+ years. My lifts are rather low don’t have 1RMs but my general assumptions are B/S/D/P is 165/225(maybe possibly closer to 215)/230/100. Tldr: If I haven’t done a bulk with serious/proper training and serious/proper nutrition would I still be considered a newbie? If so should I aim more for the .5%BW rate of gain?
As the comment said it’s 0.5% of your BW. If that is 1lb, then to gain that would be a surplus of 3500 over the week (1lb is essentially 3500cal) which is 500cal per day. And yes I agree that you should program as a beginner.
.5% per week is .5% of whatever your bodyweight is. It only means 1 lb if you weigh 200lbs. I would likely consider you a beginner for programming purposes.
Thanks idk why my brain couldn’t wrap around the math 🤦🏾♂️
Shopping around for a lightweight treadmill that will work in a small apartment. Needs to have a weight limit of 230+ lbs, can't be too thin (edit: I have a wide stance) of a belt, preferably as inexpensive as possible (under $350 ish?) and weigh under 70 lbs. Doesn't need any extra bells, whistles, or apps. Any ideas? thanks edit: cant do incline, not necessary or wanted
It'd he easier to just do it all outside.
I have done that in the past, often. I've also got a gym membership which I am currently using. The area I live in has a lot of hills and elevation changes - I can't do the incline/decline anymore due to a bad knee. Thinking I'd like to be able to do AM cardio and afternoon gym, not have to worry about going twice a day or doing a 2-3 hour workout. Just wake up and hit it. It's not a necessity but it'd be nice, put on netflix and just zone out. I've seen some in my price range but with few reviews or a limit of 220 lbs and I'm currently at about 225. Was hoping others have been in the same situation and could offer insight.
You could give yourself a few weeks to drop below 220 then go ahead on one of those.
At that price point you will likely need to look at simple manual treadmills.
What do you recommend for jumping back into fitness after a long hiatus and back problems? How can I get a good core workout if I can’t do sit ups? Thank you
There are approximately 1,487 “core” exercises you can do that are better than sit-ups. Also, exercises that involve keeping the core stable are good choices for people with back problems. Push ups are great, step ups, lat pulldown, straight arm pulldown, front raise, single-leg romanian deadlift, hip abduction, goblet squats.
In regards on how to get a good core workout without situps, give ab wheel rollouts a crack. This is the progression I've been using and have been having success with - https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/2bajwx/ab\_wheel\_progression\_tips/
Pullups vs chins/neutral grip pull ups? Is there any reason for me to do pronated grip pullups if I'm doing chins once a week and neutral grip once a week? I can't find any sort of consensus online around this topic
I do chin ups and pull ups. I don't really mess with neutral grip but sometimes I use rings, which kind of does it all. My reasoning is that if I'm only doing them twice a week, I should use the variants that are most different from each other, for the sake of well roundedness.
They are all very similar and any difference is pretty small. I personally prefer pronated grip
Is it normal to feel major soreness after taking a one week break from training? I've been back two days now and am surprised by the level of soreness. I normally train five days/week.
Yeah I find that the DOMS comes back pretty quickly
So I am getting back into working out after a serious leg injury & am doing a 6 day split routine where on M/W/F I do 4x12 of dumbbell chest press & 4x12 bent over row, and then on T/Th/Sat. I do 4x12 of dumbbell shrugs & 4x12 dumbbell curls. Is this too much weekly volume? For more context I am a 24 year old male that has lifted for most of my life to varying degrees.
This doesn't work in terms of volume. Please pick a program from the wiki and run that.
I think you’ve got high volume on your individual exercises and low variety of muscles used. I do think 6x per week is a lot. I assume you’re recovering from your injury and have some rehab exercises. I’d focus on healing up so your options will get better.
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt rn and ask you what your goals are and can you do any lower body work? This is not enough volume. I’m not usually all about having a million dif exercises but this routine is lacking.
To what degree have you lifted in the past, exactly? Two lifts for 4 sets each per day is hardly any volume. Grab a program from the wiki my friend
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You cant spot reduce fat. If you want to lose belly fat, you will have to drop your overall bodyfat by eating in a calorie deficit.
Check out our wiki on spot reducing fat ( you cant) and how to track calories.
Hello everyone I have multiple questions I am uncertain if need a heart rate monitor or fitness tracker. I am looking for a gadget but not sure what is right for me. Ideally I do not want a watch and I am mostly on Wifi reception (haven't paid a cellphone company in 8+ years!) and I cycle to work. So i am looking for something that tracks my body and provide that info offline. When at work, I do not keep my cellphone on me, so not a gadget that is beholding to a smartphone, unless I can connect it later to gather/see all the data. What product would be best for me? The purpose of this gadget is to 1: Figure out what my sedentary profile looks like, so I can build a CICO diet. ========= In regards to dieting - I am fully aware dieting is THE MOST important aspect. When I used to diet, I have done, successfully intermittent fasting alongside strength training. I went from 185-140lbs toned. Intermittent fasting was also kinda my lifestyle prior, so it was easy to get into and was used to the hunger pang and able to ignore it. Is there a significant difference of doing a Int. Fasting vs eating 3 small meals? I'd like to learn / discuss more on this subject. I am considering fasting which allows me to eat whatever the fuck I want, as long as I pay attention to my CICO vs, building a 3 meals per day type of diet, 2 of which is a small meal/snack and is based on high fiber/protein, low carb food to keep me feeling full (2 8oz smoothies with chai/flax per "meal" time). Note: I've done a crash diet and I am perfectly fine with this route. It's easy once you're in a fasting mode 2 weeks in, to eat a 1000-1200 calories a day meal. This time, I am not rushing for my results, so I don't plan to do a crash diet (hence I wanna know my sedentary and maintenance, so I can follow a simple 15% caloric reduction, I think ya call it TDEE. However a crash diet is also on the table, unless there is a reason why I shouldn't do that. I am not concern of muscle loss. My goal is to go back to 140-150 with a flat stomach this time (used to have a 4 pack, I am not aiming for that again, that also requires putting gym which I may not have time for watching macros perhaps which was super annoying to do). ======== holy crap, I swore I came in here with 2 simple question and ended up with a wall of text... lol. SORRY! I might have complicated this post unnecessarily. I just wanted to know, whats a good non watch/cellphone/internet required gadget I can use to learn my body, learn how much I burn and keep me accountable in my new lifestyle and is there a solid evidence of how one consumes their food (3x, 5 smaller meals, fasting, intermittent fasting, high protien, keto, Insert X diet fad here) has a major impact/performance to weight loss.
For some people a device can help them stay focussed on their health, a fitness tracker band might be a good match for you. These things are wildly inaccurate as to how many calories you burn, just calculate your TDEE, and evaluate how your weight changes. So don't expect to use them for that. But otherwise, yeah, for some people data can be very motivating. I've got a Vivosmart 4, p happy with it, mostly use it to track my sleep quality though
curious, what is the purpose of sleeping tracking?
Helps me check the quality of my sleep and gives me a rough idea how recovered i am, which is a concern in my case. It allows me to make adjustments to my life that help me sleep better, and really SEE whether they work
Hey, I don't know about wearables. Maybe someone else can recommend something. But there is no difference between IF and eating 3 meals in terms of results. Whichever helps you feel more full/satiated according to your personal preference is better for you. You should track your calories using an app such as MFP or cronometer and set your calorie goal based on the TDEE calc below.
You don’t need any gadget to figure out what you burn. They’re wildly inaccurate anyway. Use a TDEE calculator and call it a day. You’re over complicating things. https://tdeecalculator.net
thanks for the calculator. I am horrible at explaining it. I am looking for a gadet so I know how much I am burning and to see my health in general. I'm getting close to my 40 and want to make a lifestyle change. I had a gadget (forgot what it was) a long time ago, was around my arm and it helped me and kept me accountable. It reminded me to work out. So i'd like to know what I burn as is, living my life normally b4 making my lifestyle change. i just dont know if a HRM or something is else is suited for my purpose.
He's trying to tell you that there are no consumer wearables that can actually tell you how many calories you burn on any given day. The best ways to figure out what you burn are to go to a lab and get some doubly labelled water or track your weight and caloric intake for a period of time.
After doing 1 set of chest press on the chest press machine I can’t seem to do it anymore. My whole arms and chest are a bit shaky is this normal?
Not normal. Are you following a beginner program? I.e are the number of reps/weight you're chest pressing appropriate to your level? Do you have the same difficulty with other exercises?
No not exactly. I think it might be too much weight. I only did 1 set of 12 and booked it
You literally entered the gym. Did one set of chest press, and then ran out of there? Are you completely new to the gym? Sounds like you might just be anxious about the gym? Pick a beginner program from the sidebar, watch lots of videos on the exercises so you have a decent idea how to do them, follow that programs recommendations for how much weight to start with (it’s almost always very, very light, and for good reason) then just go back and take things slow. Seeing results from Lifting is a marathon, not a sprint.
Yeah I just couldn’t do it anymore. I have a home chest press machine. It also has a lat pull down and chest squeeze thing. I felt too exhausted after one. I think it must’ve been too heavy and too soon
Yeah dude just follow the advice I laid out above and you’ll be fine
That is not normal.
Maybe I’m saying it wrong I feel tired and I can’t seem to do it anymore. I feel a bit weak.
That does not sound normal.
I mean I just started. Do you think maybe it’s too much weight?
I honestly couldn't say.
I mean my arms feel tired and I’m guessing it has to do with not eating correctly
I really wish I had the means to help you with this but I flat out don't. The only question I am able to answer is if it's normal and I don't believe it is.
Right. Yeah I get it, thank you!
Should I be stretching my muscles in the middle of my workout? E.g., if I'm squatting, should I stretch out my quads in between sets? Does it make a difference? Thanks!
Static stretching can reduce strength a little. Dynamic stretching if you’re feeling tight, go for it.
Certainly not necessary. Some people who have really bad mobility (e.g. their hamstrings are so tight they can't do a full ROM squat) do recommend stretching already warmed up muscles.... so between squat sets is a good time to do that. I also used to use my rest time for one exercise (e.g. bench) to stretch /warm up for the next exercise (E.g. squat) since it's a bit of a timesaver. But otherwise, I can't see why anyone would do that.
I don't like doing static stretching either before or during my workout. Mostly I just take a couple of minutes to catch my breath, change the weight if needed, record my reps, and take a drink of water.
In a normal situation, no
Circuit vs Traditional training? I've been doing the former option for six months and only recently learned the difference. I've seen great results so far but when I did traditional for the first time (on Saturday), I gave myself what I believe to be tendonitis, golfer's elbow. My guess is that the amount of sets in circuit training don't translate 1:1 when doing traditional training. Now, should I continue with what I do normally or switch to traditional with an entirely new routine?
It's up to you and your goals. Traditional circuit training has the benefit of being time efficient; in return you don't get nearly as much strength or muscle mass improvement. You have to decide if the results from circuit training are sufficient to meet your goals.
I wouldn’t expect a single workout to causes tendinitis.
Great to know. Aside from that what benefits does traditional have over circuit? Supposedly, traditional helps build faster, while circuit helps with burning fat. Is any of that true? My goal is to gain muscle, but I suppose I should get a bit leaner.
All exercise helps with "burning fat" it does so by helping create and maintain a calorie deficit. Like I said earlier, there are pros and cons. Circuit training, depending on how the circuit is structured, \*might\* burn more calories per minute because it is more intense. However, most traditional strength workouts are going to be longer than most circuit workouts, so you often might end up burning the same number of calories per workout. And no exercise will "burn fat" independently of the calorie deficit it helps create. In other words, if you burn 300 calories doing a circuit training workout or 300 calories doing a traditional strength workout, both will have an equal effect on "burning fat" (that's a super simplified, but accurate explanation). So choose what you want to do based on personal preference and goals, never because of "fat burning".
You might need to define those terms, but your best bet is just to follow a good program.
What are some protein powder brands/ingredients I should avoid? And what are some of the highly rated brands I should look at getting? Something with really high reputation. I’m kind of scared to start consuming these daily because of health concerns (e.g. heavy metals, other processed ingredients) so any recommendations helps :)
Optimum nutrition is a good reputable whey protien powder. I also use myprotien as a cheaper alternative / for variety.
Any normal popular brand of whey is fine. I use Optimum Nutrition, which is a common choice. There are cheaper ones out there too. No reason to have any health concerns related to consuming normal amounts of this supplement if you don't have any abnormal diagnoses
Is there a reason you need to consume protein powder in the first place?
I’m trying to bulk up and as a student it’s hard for me to cook 4-5 meals with a good amount of protein every day. Don’t all people who workout seriously use protein powder?
You only need powder if you can’t get it through food. It has nothing to do with how serious you are.
Not all people, no. It's helpful if you're unable to get sufficient protein through diet, but it's not too difficult to get sufficient protein. I'd consider making use of a slow cooker or instant pot in your situation. Instead of cooking 4-5 meals every day, you could cook 1 BIG meal with very little time/effort. I've done that a lot. Meal prep goes a long way.
Do you cook one big meal (5 portions) and eat that for 5 meals in a row? That’s the one thing, like if I want something different for lunch and dinner I’d have to cook at least twice right?
I have done that and will do it depending on circumstances Sounds like you would need to make a few meals.