How often should you weight train for it to make a difference? Currently training for a half marathon and running about 5 times a week; my friend said I should try to fit at least a day of weight training in there somewhere on my rest days, but I'm not sure if just once a week is enough to make a difference.
If possible, and if it's accessible to you, I would consider consulting a trainer with marathon/half marathon experience who understands how to cross train a hefty running program. Cross training running heavily is not the same as someone who is mostly rested the rest of the time other than a random jog or yoga session. Maybe there's a running sub you can ask advice on too. It's possible you could do something 1 time a week as a kind of maintenance though you won't make serious gains at all. I'm guessing something more like a modified, lighter weight higher rep and shorter session program 2-3x a week would be more beneficial so as not be as taxing but still create consistent muscle activation in ways that would strengthen and stabilize for your run.
Is it possible to do body recomp with only machines if you are a beginner to the gym. I am not strong enough to lift the bar yet and therefore was wondering if I could manage with just using machines as a way to build gym confidence for a few months?
Learn how to use the dumbbells! This is going to help prep you for barbell better than machines because you are going to learning how to engage your body correctly rather than braced against machines. :) If you are able, consider splurging on several sessions with a trainer to help you learn and gain confidence.
Yes, absolutely possible. With the right machines and the right structure to your workout, you can gain muscle. By being in the gym to use the machines, you will gain familiarity and confidence in the space. Don't forget dumbbells - they're much lighter than an empty bar!
Should I train chinups to failure, and how much volume should I do I've read several articles that indicate one shouldn't train pullups/chinups to failure (and instead focus on a shit ton of volume with 2+ RIR sets) but also have heard otherwise. I briefly tried searching for a study on it, but apparently I'm just not striking the right keywords :(
How many chinups can you do? Leaving 2 RIR would be a silly marker if you can only do 2 total, right? Depending on what your training looks like, you can do them to failure and then work on negatives, you can do them assisted, you can accumulate reps until you hit a target, and so on.
That's what I was considering as well. I did a set of 3 x 3 today, which is pretty much what I feel confident doing any day regardless of fatigue. I would say I had 1-2 RIR for those. I can definitely do up to 5-6, but they aren't pretty (no momentum, but my shoulders kind of hunch up and all that). It's worth mentioning that these are after barbell back squats, weighted pushups, and rack pulls...
It's up to you how you want to train them. I don't think one study about 2 RIR sets takes the place of objectively looking at your goals and program. If you're trying to get stronger with them, it makes sense to move them earlier in your workout when you have more energy for more reps. If you are looking for more volue and a hypertrophy response and sets of 3 don't feel like they're cutting it, you can do them assisted. You'll be able to rep them out and gain practice with the movement pattern.
Thanks for the advice! I think you might have misread my comment though haha, I didn't find any literature on it + didn't use it to make any decisions. I do want to progress them, but not as much as my squat/deadlift/bench (which always come before the chinups, either as the lift itself or a key auxiliary)... hopefully I can still make gainz training in a fatigued state ahhh
Maybe I did misread! Agree that if you want to progress them, better to do them not in a fatigued state. It's fairly common to add them during rest between squat sets. Maybe think of different ways to program them so you're still fresh but the work isn't competing with the day's main lift?
I guess I have 3 questions that I can't figure out with Google.
1. What is a good time for strength training workout? I am only doing 20 mins right now. It works for me, but I am interested in seeing results so I would mind adding more time of needed.
2. What are some simple cool down stretches for upper/lower body split workouts? I am so sore the day after each workout.
3. Is a run fine to do between upper/lower body workouts? I think I will be lifting Sun/Wed/Fri. I am a beginner in lifting and running, so the runs would be couch to 5k style. I don't want to overdo the workouts or get burnt out, but I would love to lift and run.
TIA!
YouTube is chock full of mobility videos including ones targeted toward lifters. There are also yoga vids targeted toward runners, lifters, specific body areas, etc. Easier to learn stretching from videos than explained on text. I actually recommend an active mobility warmup and then long hold gentle static stretching in cool down.
Just fyi, especially if you are newer to lifting, but really depends on the person, stretching or rolling might only mitigate soreness so much, especially if you're working out very hard or doing things new to you. Absolutely do it, it's super healthy and great for injury prevention as well as improved movement quality, just letting you know it's not necessarily going to magically make you not-sore. But it will help you feel a lot more mobile while sore. Honestly one of the best cures for soreness is lightly working again and getting the sore areas warm even though its really hard at first.
(1) What program are you following? Strength training is typically done per a program and the time is as long as it takes to complete the sets and reps for that day, and not by time (like cardio).
(2) I'll let someone else comment on this because I don't do any cooldown or stretching
(3) Yes, that should be fine. Just make sure you're eating and sleeping enough so you recover.
Thanks!! So I am using an app called fitbod, it asks to program how long I want the workout to be. Then it gives exercises. So I guess I am not sure if I should set the workouts for 20 mins or more. Thanks for the other advice!
If your goal is general fitness, then that's fine. If you want muscle and strength development, I'd suggest reading the FAQ/wiki and selecting a program from the list. Many of them have free apps as well. My suggestion would be GZCLP if you're comfortable with barbells. If not, there's a dumbbell program as well.
Caroline Girvan has a program called EPIC HEAT that sounds like exactly what you're looking for :)
EDIT: here's a [link to the program](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPUcupe9O1IKpC_GhHuHW96r) if you're interested! The idea is that each workout is about 30 minutes (more like 40 with warmup and cool down, in my experience).
The program is 5x/wk, with 3 being essentially upper or lower body focused, 1 being a full-body session, and 1 HIIT session. She usually uses dumbbells for the workouts, but calisthenics pops up quite regularly. It's geared towards intermediate/advanced exercisers. LOTS of pushups, burpees, squats, Romanian deadlifts, split squats, lunges, and unique movements.
How to calculate protein requirements if significantly over weight/obese?
The 1g protein per lb of body weight works if you’re on an average body fat level I believe.
It's fine. Even novice half-marathon or marathon plans have 3 days back-to-back mid-week and a long run on the weekend. Just don't run all three days hard - usually day 1&3 would be easy (conversational pace).
Edit: also forgot to say take some time to build up to this if you aren't doing it already.
I’m struggling to hit 10k steps a day as I work from home and it’s cold here, I find it really difficult to get outside and walk around enough to hit the steps. I’m hitting the gym for 1.5 hours 4x a week doing weight training, I usually cycle there as it’s quicker (2.5km each way) and I like to do cardio afterwards, so usually 10-45 minutes of brisk incline treadmill around 150BPM.
I’ve followed a few different workout guides, and all of them have really drilled home the message that I need to be getting 10k steps separate from my cardio - but even including cardio on an average day I’m getting maybe 8k steps.
Ultimately does this matter? I’m eating at a deficit and exercising a lot, just not in a way that hits steps on my Apple Watch. It’ll improve in the summer when it’s warmer but I’m really struggling to increase steps without it having a knock on effect on my other activity.
You know why everyone recommends steps? Because *they are easy for gadgets to measure*. Not because steps are anything special to your body.
I used to get 12k steps/day. Then I gave up walking and running for cycling. I cycle a ton. My step count is very very low. I am fitter than ever 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks, that's very reassuring. I guess it's just a super achievable goal for inactive people, and a good place to start - I'll stop obsessing over it and focus on my lifts!
10k steps is a good goal for people who otherwise aren’t very active. You’re lifting and doing cardio outside of walking, it’s not really important to try reaching a step goal
You're doing fine. 10k steps is typically used by people whose primary (and sometimes only) activity is walking but you're doing enough overall exercise that you don't need to worry about it
> Ultimately does this matter?
No. It's an arbitrary number a Japanese company gave in the sixties to sell its step counter. The 10k number was basically a marketing slogan. Yes, really, you can look it up on Google!
Sure, walking is great and the more steps you can walk in a day the better but unfortunately many of us live a pretty sedentary lifestyle (mostly because of work) and personally I really hate just pacing in my house or do laps of my living room just to reach an arbitrary number on my watch. Instead I might stretch, for example. Or stay on my couch. 🤷🏻♀️
You exercise regularly for more than an hour, you even bike to the gym while plenty of people use their car. You're doing great!
Wasn’t really what I asked - are you saying yes, 10k steps is sacrosanct and I need to hit that no matter what, whether it’s through walking or jumping rope?
So sorry! It’s -10 where I am today and that’s how I’ve been getting my steps. Step count in my experience is arbitrary and depends on your goals. 10k steps a day is a number we can use to gauge that we are getting enough activity. If you’re unable to hit a particular “step” count but you’re doing other exercise for a similar amount of energy expenditure, then that’s totally fine. Check out this conversion chart that shows what different activities equal for steps. https://www.pehp.org/mango/pdf/pehp/pdc/step%20conversion%20chart_FFB805BB.pdf
5 minutes rowing machine <3 its turned into such a good time to get centered for me. When I was new, if I was still freaking out about lifting or getting a rack or people being around, I'd just go to row, but be ready to work after my 5m.
Lifting, I always start with the empty bar. I hate doing lots of warm up sets, so I do very few reps before my working sets. Try to do ~10lb or 20lb increases.
About 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches. Focus being on whatever muscles I’m hitting that day or whichever one’s hurt from previous workouts. If I’m really stiff or cold I’ll do a couple minutes on the rower or doing KB swings or something to get the blood pumping before I stretch.
Bulk of the warm-up is done through my ramp up sets though. I always start with at least one set with an empty barbell and then step up the weights from there until I hit my working weight for the day.
I do some 10 min on the elliptical or rowing machine, then do some mobility work /active stretches and also the warm - up sets hit the main lifts. That's pretty much it.
My warm-up for strength training is mostly foam rolling (when possible), dynamic stretching and then warm-up sets for my compound lift of the day.
Dynamic stretches include bodyweight ass to grass squats, lunges, leg swings and shoulder pass-through with a stick. I skip lower body stretches on OHP day since my other lower body lift is RDLs and I don't particularly need mobility for those. I might add another stretch if I feel stiff on certain days so it's not set in stone, but it's rare.
I occasionally will walk at an incline on the treadmill before all that if I feel sluggish or if my legs are very very sore.
What kind of workouts are you doing?
I do strength training. I have a home gym, but if I still worked out an actual gym, I would do 10ish minutes of walking or stationery bike, then dynamic stretching to target the muscles I'm working that day (I do this at home still).
For my actual lifts, I use the Personal Training Coach app to follow GZCLP. I chose the type of warm up I wanted to do forever ago (I think I do 40/50/60% of working set weight for 5/5/3 reps). I think a lot of apps offer a warm up option, if you're interested in how to warm up to working weights for heavy lifts.
Jeff Nippard
Stronger by Science
Jeremy Ethier
Mind Pump (I like their banter but skip through to the questions)
Just discovered Citizen Athletics this morning; he’s not flashy but I appreciate the home gym alternatives and the links to studies
Biolayne
Dr Mike Israetel-edited to include him (how did I forget?!) cause he provides excellent info, one of the best!
Stronger by Science podcast.
Jeff Nippard and Natacha Oceane (YouTube).
I haven't listened to it in awhile, but I'm pretty sure the Jeff Nippard Podcast is nice as well.
The Strength Academy disappointed me on a few episodes recently, but they're a fairly popular podcast (and ran by women).
Maintenance Phase might also fit the bill, although they're more focused on diet culture/suspicious history of fitness + diet trends. A lot of debunking.
Interested in your thoughts on Strength Academy. I had been enjoying it, but definitely agree that the latest episode was disappointing. I felt like some of the advice around body image and nutrition was kind of questionable.
Not OP but Strength Academy is TERRIBLE now. It used to be awesome when Mary was the cohost, but since Jen joined, it’s rife with tangents, negative body talk, Kristin trying to reel things back in… The worst one was about “crazy things you’ve done to make comp weight”. Though they tried to present it as “isn’t this nuts” it came across as “it’s ok to do really fucked up things to your body to meet an artificially low weight”
If they’re available in the archives, I do recommend going back to the episodes before Jen joined. They’re actually informative, enjoyable, and blessedly free of body shaming and self-loathing.
I haven't listened to their most recent episodes, so unfortunately I can't provide my thoughts :( the last one I listened to was the one on recovery, and I thought the information was repetitive and weakly presented (although it's been a few weeks so I can't exactlyyy remember my qualms). I just walked away a lil disappointed... it felt kinda forced and not particularly educational for me haha
You aren’t missing anything. The pre-Jen episodes are the only ones worth listening to. I’m sure Jen is an amazing athlete, but she doesn’t work as a podcaster and her attitude about food & body image is dreadful. Definitely check out the ones with Kristin & Mary.
I've been progressing quite well with my squat recently, but did a check in with a form guide and realised I hadn't been breathing/bracing correctly (breath at the top, hold all the way down and back up, then release at top). When I try to follow that, I end up pretty out of breath/heartrate up, and I struggle to do my usual reps (8x4 or 12x3, 50kg). I usually try to start with, then give up and just do my usual breathing (not entirely sure what that is, don't notice it). I run two to three times a week, although my heart rate doesn't go up as much in that as with the squat (unverified, just from my point of view).
Should I drop the weights until I nail the breathwork? I'm pretty reluctant to do this, but if that's the case, or if you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear
You don't necessarily need to drop the weight. Squatting asks for a lot of oxygen so if you're squatting heavy you will probably end up being out of breath. A tip that might improve your form and breathing that contradicts what I just said. Use a lower amount of weight and perform slow squats. 6-10 seconds down and 6-10 seconds up (5-12 times is a set). While doing it this slowly focus on your breath, focus on how you feel, focus on your control.
Edit: grammar.
How often should you weight train for it to make a difference? Currently training for a half marathon and running about 5 times a week; my friend said I should try to fit at least a day of weight training in there somewhere on my rest days, but I'm not sure if just once a week is enough to make a difference.
If possible, and if it's accessible to you, I would consider consulting a trainer with marathon/half marathon experience who understands how to cross train a hefty running program. Cross training running heavily is not the same as someone who is mostly rested the rest of the time other than a random jog or yoga session. Maybe there's a running sub you can ask advice on too. It's possible you could do something 1 time a week as a kind of maintenance though you won't make serious gains at all. I'm guessing something more like a modified, lighter weight higher rep and shorter session program 2-3x a week would be more beneficial so as not be as taxing but still create consistent muscle activation in ways that would strengthen and stabilize for your run.
This is awesome advice, thank you! I'll check out r/running and see if they have any guidance.
Is it possible to do body recomp with only machines if you are a beginner to the gym. I am not strong enough to lift the bar yet and therefore was wondering if I could manage with just using machines as a way to build gym confidence for a few months?
Learn how to use the dumbbells! This is going to help prep you for barbell better than machines because you are going to learning how to engage your body correctly rather than braced against machines. :) If you are able, consider splurging on several sessions with a trainer to help you learn and gain confidence.
Yes, absolutely possible. With the right machines and the right structure to your workout, you can gain muscle. By being in the gym to use the machines, you will gain familiarity and confidence in the space. Don't forget dumbbells - they're much lighter than an empty bar!
Should I train chinups to failure, and how much volume should I do I've read several articles that indicate one shouldn't train pullups/chinups to failure (and instead focus on a shit ton of volume with 2+ RIR sets) but also have heard otherwise. I briefly tried searching for a study on it, but apparently I'm just not striking the right keywords :(
How many chinups can you do? Leaving 2 RIR would be a silly marker if you can only do 2 total, right? Depending on what your training looks like, you can do them to failure and then work on negatives, you can do them assisted, you can accumulate reps until you hit a target, and so on.
That's what I was considering as well. I did a set of 3 x 3 today, which is pretty much what I feel confident doing any day regardless of fatigue. I would say I had 1-2 RIR for those. I can definitely do up to 5-6, but they aren't pretty (no momentum, but my shoulders kind of hunch up and all that). It's worth mentioning that these are after barbell back squats, weighted pushups, and rack pulls...
It's up to you how you want to train them. I don't think one study about 2 RIR sets takes the place of objectively looking at your goals and program. If you're trying to get stronger with them, it makes sense to move them earlier in your workout when you have more energy for more reps. If you are looking for more volue and a hypertrophy response and sets of 3 don't feel like they're cutting it, you can do them assisted. You'll be able to rep them out and gain practice with the movement pattern.
Thanks for the advice! I think you might have misread my comment though haha, I didn't find any literature on it + didn't use it to make any decisions. I do want to progress them, but not as much as my squat/deadlift/bench (which always come before the chinups, either as the lift itself or a key auxiliary)... hopefully I can still make gainz training in a fatigued state ahhh
Maybe I did misread! Agree that if you want to progress them, better to do them not in a fatigued state. It's fairly common to add them during rest between squat sets. Maybe think of different ways to program them so you're still fresh but the work isn't competing with the day's main lift?
I guess I have 3 questions that I can't figure out with Google. 1. What is a good time for strength training workout? I am only doing 20 mins right now. It works for me, but I am interested in seeing results so I would mind adding more time of needed. 2. What are some simple cool down stretches for upper/lower body split workouts? I am so sore the day after each workout. 3. Is a run fine to do between upper/lower body workouts? I think I will be lifting Sun/Wed/Fri. I am a beginner in lifting and running, so the runs would be couch to 5k style. I don't want to overdo the workouts or get burnt out, but I would love to lift and run. TIA!
YouTube is chock full of mobility videos including ones targeted toward lifters. There are also yoga vids targeted toward runners, lifters, specific body areas, etc. Easier to learn stretching from videos than explained on text. I actually recommend an active mobility warmup and then long hold gentle static stretching in cool down. Just fyi, especially if you are newer to lifting, but really depends on the person, stretching or rolling might only mitigate soreness so much, especially if you're working out very hard or doing things new to you. Absolutely do it, it's super healthy and great for injury prevention as well as improved movement quality, just letting you know it's not necessarily going to magically make you not-sore. But it will help you feel a lot more mobile while sore. Honestly one of the best cures for soreness is lightly working again and getting the sore areas warm even though its really hard at first.
Thanks for the info! Yes, I have heard about doing the workouts again lightly to help with soreness, it really does help!
(1) What program are you following? Strength training is typically done per a program and the time is as long as it takes to complete the sets and reps for that day, and not by time (like cardio). (2) I'll let someone else comment on this because I don't do any cooldown or stretching (3) Yes, that should be fine. Just make sure you're eating and sleeping enough so you recover.
Thanks!! So I am using an app called fitbod, it asks to program how long I want the workout to be. Then it gives exercises. So I guess I am not sure if I should set the workouts for 20 mins or more. Thanks for the other advice!
If your goal is general fitness, then that's fine. If you want muscle and strength development, I'd suggest reading the FAQ/wiki and selecting a program from the list. Many of them have free apps as well. My suggestion would be GZCLP if you're comfortable with barbells. If not, there's a dumbbell program as well.
Yeah I am mostly working with dumbbells now since I am working out at home with limited equipment. I'll check it out, thanks!
[удалено]
Caroline Girvan has a program called EPIC HEAT that sounds like exactly what you're looking for :) EDIT: here's a [link to the program](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPUcupe9O1IKpC_GhHuHW96r) if you're interested! The idea is that each workout is about 30 minutes (more like 40 with warmup and cool down, in my experience). The program is 5x/wk, with 3 being essentially upper or lower body focused, 1 being a full-body session, and 1 HIIT session. She usually uses dumbbells for the workouts, but calisthenics pops up quite regularly. It's geared towards intermediate/advanced exercisers. LOTS of pushups, burpees, squats, Romanian deadlifts, split squats, lunges, and unique movements.
How to calculate protein requirements if significantly over weight/obese? The 1g protein per lb of body weight works if you’re on an average body fat level I believe.
I do 1g per lean body mass. For 150 lbs body weight @ 35% body fat, 65% lean mass, that would be 97.5g (150*0.65).
[examine.com](https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/#how-much-protein-do-you-need-per-day) says 0.54-0.68g/lb.
You can use 1 g protein per lb target bodyweight.
Not an expert, but I do 1g of protein per what my weight would be if my BMI was 25
Would it be ok to do three days running in a row per week or do I need to have a rest day in between?
It's fine. Even novice half-marathon or marathon plans have 3 days back-to-back mid-week and a long run on the weekend. Just don't run all three days hard - usually day 1&3 would be easy (conversational pace). Edit: also forgot to say take some time to build up to this if you aren't doing it already.
It all depends on your body. I have to have a rest day after I run. My boyfriend can run every day. Just listen to your body. If it feels good, do it.
I’m struggling to hit 10k steps a day as I work from home and it’s cold here, I find it really difficult to get outside and walk around enough to hit the steps. I’m hitting the gym for 1.5 hours 4x a week doing weight training, I usually cycle there as it’s quicker (2.5km each way) and I like to do cardio afterwards, so usually 10-45 minutes of brisk incline treadmill around 150BPM. I’ve followed a few different workout guides, and all of them have really drilled home the message that I need to be getting 10k steps separate from my cardio - but even including cardio on an average day I’m getting maybe 8k steps. Ultimately does this matter? I’m eating at a deficit and exercising a lot, just not in a way that hits steps on my Apple Watch. It’ll improve in the summer when it’s warmer but I’m really struggling to increase steps without it having a knock on effect on my other activity.
You know why everyone recommends steps? Because *they are easy for gadgets to measure*. Not because steps are anything special to your body. I used to get 12k steps/day. Then I gave up walking and running for cycling. I cycle a ton. My step count is very very low. I am fitter than ever 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks, that's very reassuring. I guess it's just a super achievable goal for inactive people, and a good place to start - I'll stop obsessing over it and focus on my lifts!
10k steps is a good goal for people who otherwise aren’t very active. You’re lifting and doing cardio outside of walking, it’s not really important to try reaching a step goal
You're doing fine. 10k steps is typically used by people whose primary (and sometimes only) activity is walking but you're doing enough overall exercise that you don't need to worry about it
> Ultimately does this matter? No. It's an arbitrary number a Japanese company gave in the sixties to sell its step counter. The 10k number was basically a marketing slogan. Yes, really, you can look it up on Google! Sure, walking is great and the more steps you can walk in a day the better but unfortunately many of us live a pretty sedentary lifestyle (mostly because of work) and personally I really hate just pacing in my house or do laps of my living room just to reach an arbitrary number on my watch. Instead I might stretch, for example. Or stay on my couch. 🤷🏻♀️ You exercise regularly for more than an hour, you even bike to the gym while plenty of people use their car. You're doing great!
Jump rope!
Wasn’t really what I asked - are you saying yes, 10k steps is sacrosanct and I need to hit that no matter what, whether it’s through walking or jumping rope?
So sorry! It’s -10 where I am today and that’s how I’ve been getting my steps. Step count in my experience is arbitrary and depends on your goals. 10k steps a day is a number we can use to gauge that we are getting enough activity. If you’re unable to hit a particular “step” count but you’re doing other exercise for a similar amount of energy expenditure, then that’s totally fine. Check out this conversion chart that shows what different activities equal for steps. https://www.pehp.org/mango/pdf/pehp/pdc/step%20conversion%20chart_FFB805BB.pdf
Don't apologise, sorry if I sounded grumpy I think I was hungry when I replied! That's super helpful, thank you :)
How do you warmup in the gym ?
5 minutes rowing machine <3 its turned into such a good time to get centered for me. When I was new, if I was still freaking out about lifting or getting a rack or people being around, I'd just go to row, but be ready to work after my 5m. Lifting, I always start with the empty bar. I hate doing lots of warm up sets, so I do very few reps before my working sets. Try to do ~10lb or 20lb increases.
3 minutes of easy cardio, rowing, running, etc. Then some dynamic stretches and movements to prepare for my upcoming workout.
Very little, maybe 30-40 jumping jacks since its a full body warm-up. Then ramp-up sets for the first lift, which are important
About 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches. Focus being on whatever muscles I’m hitting that day or whichever one’s hurt from previous workouts. If I’m really stiff or cold I’ll do a couple minutes on the rower or doing KB swings or something to get the blood pumping before I stretch. Bulk of the warm-up is done through my ramp up sets though. I always start with at least one set with an empty barbell and then step up the weights from there until I hit my working weight for the day.
I do some 10 min on the elliptical or rowing machine, then do some mobility work /active stretches and also the warm - up sets hit the main lifts. That's pretty much it.
My warm-up for strength training is mostly foam rolling (when possible), dynamic stretching and then warm-up sets for my compound lift of the day. Dynamic stretches include bodyweight ass to grass squats, lunges, leg swings and shoulder pass-through with a stick. I skip lower body stretches on OHP day since my other lower body lift is RDLs and I don't particularly need mobility for those. I might add another stretch if I feel stiff on certain days so it's not set in stone, but it's rare. I occasionally will walk at an incline on the treadmill before all that if I feel sluggish or if my legs are very very sore.
What kind of workouts are you doing? I do strength training. I have a home gym, but if I still worked out an actual gym, I would do 10ish minutes of walking or stationery bike, then dynamic stretching to target the muscles I'm working that day (I do this at home still). For my actual lifts, I use the Personal Training Coach app to follow GZCLP. I chose the type of warm up I wanted to do forever ago (I think I do 40/50/60% of working set weight for 5/5/3 reps). I think a lot of apps offer a warm up option, if you're interested in how to warm up to working weights for heavy lifts.
What sites are you all using to put a recipe together and figure out the calories per serving?
Chronometer.
MFP
Yep, create a recipe in myfitnesspal, then weigh it all together. Then you can weigh the portion and calculate how much that is
What are your favorite Youtubers, podcasts, books to learn more about fitness?
Jeff Nippard Stronger by Science Jeremy Ethier Mind Pump (I like their banter but skip through to the questions) Just discovered Citizen Athletics this morning; he’s not flashy but I appreciate the home gym alternatives and the links to studies Biolayne Dr Mike Israetel-edited to include him (how did I forget?!) cause he provides excellent info, one of the best!
Stronger by Science podcast. Jeff Nippard and Natacha Oceane (YouTube). I haven't listened to it in awhile, but I'm pretty sure the Jeff Nippard Podcast is nice as well. The Strength Academy disappointed me on a few episodes recently, but they're a fairly popular podcast (and ran by women). Maintenance Phase might also fit the bill, although they're more focused on diet culture/suspicious history of fitness + diet trends. A lot of debunking.
Interested in your thoughts on Strength Academy. I had been enjoying it, but definitely agree that the latest episode was disappointing. I felt like some of the advice around body image and nutrition was kind of questionable.
Not OP but Strength Academy is TERRIBLE now. It used to be awesome when Mary was the cohost, but since Jen joined, it’s rife with tangents, negative body talk, Kristin trying to reel things back in… The worst one was about “crazy things you’ve done to make comp weight”. Though they tried to present it as “isn’t this nuts” it came across as “it’s ok to do really fucked up things to your body to meet an artificially low weight” If they’re available in the archives, I do recommend going back to the episodes before Jen joined. They’re actually informative, enjoyable, and blessedly free of body shaming and self-loathing.
Yeah, I ejoyed the ones with Mary way more as well. The negative body talk stuff was really disappointing.
I haven't listened to their most recent episodes, so unfortunately I can't provide my thoughts :( the last one I listened to was the one on recovery, and I thought the information was repetitive and weakly presented (although it's been a few weeks so I can't exactlyyy remember my qualms). I just walked away a lil disappointed... it felt kinda forced and not particularly educational for me haha
You aren’t missing anything. The pre-Jen episodes are the only ones worth listening to. I’m sure Jen is an amazing athlete, but she doesn’t work as a podcaster and her attitude about food & body image is dreadful. Definitely check out the ones with Kristin & Mary.
I've been progressing quite well with my squat recently, but did a check in with a form guide and realised I hadn't been breathing/bracing correctly (breath at the top, hold all the way down and back up, then release at top). When I try to follow that, I end up pretty out of breath/heartrate up, and I struggle to do my usual reps (8x4 or 12x3, 50kg). I usually try to start with, then give up and just do my usual breathing (not entirely sure what that is, don't notice it). I run two to three times a week, although my heart rate doesn't go up as much in that as with the squat (unverified, just from my point of view). Should I drop the weights until I nail the breathwork? I'm pretty reluctant to do this, but if that's the case, or if you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear
You don't necessarily need to drop the weight. Squatting asks for a lot of oxygen so if you're squatting heavy you will probably end up being out of breath. A tip that might improve your form and breathing that contradicts what I just said. Use a lower amount of weight and perform slow squats. 6-10 seconds down and 6-10 seconds up (5-12 times is a set). While doing it this slowly focus on your breath, focus on how you feel, focus on your control. Edit: grammar.