Fitness thread

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9 minutes ago, madmaltese said:

I have a friend who got into Power Lifting and his focus is practically solely on the 3 major compound lifts. Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift and will pretty much just hit those nearly every sesh at differing weights building up to new PRs at weeks end. It's definitely giving him great results. 

I mostly struggle with the diet part, just can't eat as much as I need to to make any truly meaningful gains. Thankfully I'm happy with a more lean, low body fat, ab physique lol

 

you can literally build like 95+% of your muscles with just those 3 moves. bench press hits the delts/triceps and deadlifts work your entire back. but yeah, you need to have your diet, sleep and periodized sets perfectly dialed in to do weekly PRs . unless you are a competitive lifter, your approach is better. it will be a more aesthetic one too. 

[Casual 726]

4 hours ago, -GD-X said:

anybody still do bro splits? man...i miss the pumps. but the lack of frequency kind of blows.

ive just been alternating on an A/B workout. I find it easier to keep consistent, especially when shit happens and you miss a day.

 

right now i'm doing:

 

Workout A

 

Squat

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Tricep pulldown

Calf raises

Flys

 

Workout B

 

Overhead press

Deadlift

Pulldowns

Curls

Lat raises

Lunges

 

 

Nothing crazy but I'm really just trying to stay in decent shape. Plus they're relatively short workouts so I can usually fit them in on my lunch assuming the gym ain't packed.

 

The main thing I'm focused on has been diet the last 6 months. Trying to stick at 1800 calories right now - 5 pounds to go and I can get back to 2400 or so.

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Casual

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6 minutes ago, Casual said:

ive just been alternating on an A/B workout. I find it easier to keep consistent, especially when shit happens and you miss a day.

 

right now i'm doing:

 

Workout A

 

Squat

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Tricep pulldown

Calf raises

Flys

 

Workout B

 

Overhead press

Deadlift

Pulldowns

Curls

Lat raises

Lunges

 

 

Nothing crazy but I'm really just trying to stay in decent shape. Plus they're relatively short workouts so I can usually fit them in on my lunch assuming the gym ain't packed.

 

The main thing I'm focused on has been diet the last 6 months. Trying to stick at 1800 calories right now - 5 pounds to go and I can get back to 2400 or so.

 

that's a very balanced routine!

[Tears of the Cows 1,204]

I have done the same routine for 15 years lol. 
 

m - chest

t - arms/fore arms

w - legs

t - shoulders/more legs

f - back 

 

also do 1-2 core workouts a day.

 

 

should change it up. Thinking of doing:

 

m - chest, triceps 

t - legs/shoulders/bis

w - cardio/core

t - same as Monday 

f - same as Tuesday 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Jerrys Hair Line

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11 minutes ago, Jerrys Hair Line said:

I have done the same routine for 15 years lol. 
 

m - chest

t - arms/fore arms

w - legs

t - shoulders/more legs

f - back 

 

also do 1-2 core workouts a day.

 

 

should change it up. Thinking of doing:

 

m - chest, triceps 

t - legs/shoulders/bis

w - cardio/core

t - same as Monday 

f - same as Tuesday 

 

 

i try to give 48 - 72 hours between chest and shoulders, mainly since bench works the anterior delts pretty hard. the same with chest/arms, since the triceps get hit hard with any kind of upper body press.

[Tears of the Cows 1,204]

25 minutes ago, -GD-X said:

i try to give 48 - 72 hours between chest and shoulders, mainly since bench works the anterior delts pretty hard. the same with chest/arms, since the triceps get hit hard with any kind of upper body press.

Yeah, def agree… I don’t do regular bench though any more. The workout I’m thinking of switching to was my old high school football workout, it did get great results (I was a teenager tho lol quicker recovery). I’ve been thinking of trying it again for the last few years, doubt I actually will

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38 minutes ago, Jerrys Hair Line said:

Yeah, def agree… I don’t do regular bench though any more. The workout I’m thinking of switching to was my old high school football workout, it did get great results (I was a teenager tho lol quicker recovery). I’ve been thinking of trying it again for the last few years, doubt I actually will

good luck. i can no longer do many routines i did when i was younger. i used to do drop sets, giant sets, forced sets, negatives, etc.

[madmaltese★ 2,548]

3 hours ago, Casual said:

 

 

The main thing I'm focused on has been diet the last 6 months. Trying to stick at 1800 calories right now - 5 pounds to go and I can get back to 2400 or so.

 

It's so tough to do a high protein, low calorie diet but so rewarding when you get one set and stick to it for a few months. The results are incredible if you do (in terms of getting lean and fit not building big muscle gains)

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55 minutes ago, madmaltese said:

It's so tough to do a high protein, low calorie diet but so rewarding when you get one set and stick to it for a few months. The results are incredible if you do (in terms of getting lean and fit not building big muscle gains)

The protein farts, though. Jfc. I try to keep protein at around 125 grams a day. 

[madmaltese★ 2,548]

19 hours ago, -GD-X said:

The protein farts, though. Jfc. I try to keep protein at around 125 grams a day. 

Broooo, its so bad. I was doing 175-200g daily for a couple months and it was deadly. 

[Voidler 1,675]

21 hours ago, -GD-X said:

The protein farts, though. Jfc. I try to keep protein at around 125 grams a day. 

Sniffing my screen rn

[Casual 726]

Alright, I think I'm done my cut.

 

Back down to 185 from 205 in September. Feel a lot better. Took longer than I wanted, I was pretty good at sticking to my diet when home but had a couple trips + holiday season that would set me back a bit when they happened. Was keeping it at ~18-1900 calories for the most part which in retrospect I think might have been a bit too much of a deficit - probably could have gained a bit more strength along the way if I kept it a bit higher. I'm back at 21-2200 now and gonna work my way up to my maintenance which I think will be ~2,600. Once I'm there and leaned out I'll probably try to add on 5-10 pounds but I'm gonna do a really gradual bulk.

 

The real question is where to add these calories lol. Yesterday was 2,184 calories, 187protein/169 carbs/78 fat. I change a couple things daily but it's usually pretty close. I don't think I need much more protein, I could probably use a bit more fats. figure I'll probably incorporate some red meat once in a while, maybe swap my egg whites for whole eggs (currently I do 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites), probably add a bit more cheese. Maybe some days I'll just do what I'm doing now but add in some more junk food, the dirtiest thing I've been eating is probably like one serving of peanut butter.

 

Already noticing differences in my golf game so that's been nice. Also notice it in the old bowel movements lol, quick and clean.

 

I do want to gain a bit more strength, thinking I might switch my program to 5x5 instead of 3x10 for a while.

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34 minutes ago, Casual said:

Alright, I think I'm done my cut.

 

Back down to 185 from 205 in September. Feel a lot better. Took longer than I wanted, I was pretty good at sticking to my diet when home but had a couple trips + holiday season that would set me back a bit when they happened. Was keeping it at ~18-1900 calories for the most part which in retrospect I think might have been a bit too much of a deficit - probably could have gained a bit more strength along the way if I kept it a bit higher. I'm back at 21-2200 now and gonna work my way up to my maintenance which I think will be ~2,600. Once I'm there and leaned out I'll probably try to add on 5-10 pounds but I'm gonna do a really gradual bulk.

 

The real question is where to add these calories lol. Yesterday was 2,184 calories, 187protein/169 carbs/78 fat. I change a couple things daily but it's usually pretty close. I don't think I need much more protein, I could probably use a bit more fats. figure I'll probably incorporate some red meat once in a while, maybe swap my egg whites for whole eggs (currently I do 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites), probably add a bit more cheese. Maybe some days I'll just do what I'm doing now but add in some more junk food, the dirtiest thing I've been eating is probably like one serving of peanut butter.

 

Already noticing differences in my golf game so that's been nice. Also notice it in the old bowel movements lol, quick and clean.

 

I do want to gain a bit more strength, thinking I might switch my program to 5x5 instead of 3x10 for a while.

5X5 (or just staying in the 4-6 rep range) is perfect for strength. look into good "ramp up" warmups. t nation had a great one i used regularly. it should be easy to find via google. also, avoid failure. since you are training for strength and not hypertrophy, you want to stimulate, not annihilate, the muscles. when 5x5 gets to be too easy, learn to program the big 5 lifts, so they are done 3 times a week. great job btw!

[Casual 726]

10 minutes ago, -GD-X said:

5X5 (or just staying in the 4-6 rep range) is perfect for strength. look into good "ramp up" warmups. t nation had a great one i used regularly. it should be easy to find via google. also, avoid failure. since you are training for strength and not hypertrophy, you want to stimulate, not annihilate, the muscles. when 5x5 gets to be too easy, learn to program the big 5 lifts, so they are done 3 times a week. great job btw!

 

Thanks man!

 

Think this is the one: https://www.t-nation.com/training/the-most-intelligent-way-to-warm-up/

 

Looks solid! My warmups are usually just one set at 50% weight lmao, so this is definitely better. I need to look into getting a home setup I think. I try to get my workout in at lunch, only time when the gym isn't slammed, but i don't have as much time as id like some days.

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11 minutes ago, Casual said:

 

Thanks man!

 

Think this is the one: https://www.t-nation.com/training/the-most-intelligent-way-to-warm-up/

 

Looks solid! My warmups are usually just one set at 50% weight lmao, so this is definitely better. I need to look into getting a home setup I think. I try to get my workout in at lunch, only time when the gym isn't slammed, but i don't have as much time as id like some days.

yup, that's it man! that ramp up is perfect for hitting new PRs.

[bhytre 2,753]

1 hour ago, Casual said:

Alright, I think I'm done my cut.

 

Back down to 185 from 205 in September. Feel a lot better. Took longer than I wanted, I was pretty good at sticking to my diet when home but had a couple trips + holiday season that would set me back a bit when they happened. Was keeping it at ~18-1900 calories for the most part which in retrospect I think might have been a bit too much of a deficit - probably could have gained a bit more strength along the way if I kept it a bit higher. I'm back at 21-2200 now and gonna work my way up to my maintenance which I think will be ~2,600. Once I'm there and leaned out I'll probably try to add on 5-10 pounds but I'm gonna do a really gradual bulk.

 

The real question is where to add these calories lol. Yesterday was 2,184 calories, 187protein/169 carbs/78 fat. I change a couple things daily but it's usually pretty close. I don't think I need much more protein, I could probably use a bit more fats. figure I'll probably incorporate some red meat once in a while, maybe swap my egg whites for whole eggs (currently I do 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites), probably add a bit more cheese. Maybe some days I'll just do what I'm doing now but add in some more junk food, the dirtiest thing I've been eating is probably like one serving of peanut butter.

 

Already noticing differences in my golf game so that's been nice. Also notice it in the old bowel movements lol, quick and clean.

 

I do want to gain a bit more strength, thinking I might switch my program to 5x5 instead of 3x10 for a while.

Congrats on the cut I did the same last year around 1800 kcal but I lost way too much muscle and strength, never again  

I always have some pistachio nuts and pumpkin seeds ready to eat when I have some calories left, you can fill whatever missing calories very easily lol

Or some dark chocolate which has some good nutrients too, two small squares are usually around 110 kcals

Frozen creamy spinach if you want to keep it cleaner and need something bigger and more filling, a pound is around 250 kcals

Using Myfitnesspal has a pretty funny side effect of letting you memorize exactly how many calories most food items have after a few months of use

 

[Casual 726]

31 minutes ago, bhytre said:

Congrats on the cut I did the same last year around 1800 kcal but I lost way too much muscle and strength, never again  

I always have some pistachio nuts and pumpkin seeds ready to eat when I have some calories left, you can fill whatever missing calories very easily lol

Or some dark chocolate which has some good nutrients too, two small squares are usually around 110 kcals

Frozen creamy spinach if you want to keep it cleaner and need something bigger and more filling, a pound is around 250 kcals

Using Myfitnesspal has a pretty funny side effect of letting you memorize exactly how many calories most food items have after a few months of use

 

 

thanks man! luckily i didn't have too much of either to lose lol, but definitely feel like i missed out on some gains. had to be done though, hoping now that im pumping up the calories i can make some good fast gains. ive been able to progress pretty well on squats/deadlifts but bench/overhead not as much.

 

good call on the nuts, those things got so many calories. im always sad when i portion out my almond snack and it's like 10 almonds for 100 calories. pasta too, before i started to weigh it out i vastly overestimated portion sizes.

 

and yep, agreed on myfitness. one thing that always throws me off is the number of options for meat...i never know if i should count my chicken when it's raw or after it's cooked for example. anything beef related is a crapshoot too, they got like 10 options per cut depending on the fat and such.

[Twinblade★ 3,889]

Still trying to treat my shoulder with PT but on the side im trying to slowly complement that with strength exercises for my arms, specifically biceps. I happened to compare my arms in the mirror the other day and was kind of shocked by how noticeably smaller my right arm was (the one connected to the shoulder that was operated on). I never had sizeable arms but the muscles atrophied quite a bit due to inactivity.

 

I started off just doing 3 sets of regular standing curls with lighter weights, making sure my form was correct and I wasn't putting undue stress on my shoulders. I think now im going to progress to combine that with another 3 sets of curls just using my right arm and slowly upping the weight over time. I might actually do preacher curls for that 2nd round, those really hit my biceps hard when I originally did them a while ago.

[Casual 726]

26 minutes ago, Twinblade said:

Still trying to treat my shoulder with PT but on the side im trying to slowly complement that with strength exercises for my arms, specifically biceps. I happened to compare my arms in the mirror the other day and was kind of shocked by how noticeably smaller my right arm was (the one connected to the shoulder that was operated on). I never had sizeable arms but the muscles atrophied quite a bit due to inactivity.

 

I started off just doing 3 sets of regular standing curls with lighter weights, making sure my form was correct and I wasn't putting undue stress on my shoulders. I think now im going to progress to combine that with another 3 sets of curls just using my right arm and slowly upping the weight over time. I might actually do preacher curls for that 2nd round, those really hit my biceps hard when I originally did them a while ago.

Damn man, good luck. Injuries suck to deal with when you're older. I'm terrified of a major injury at this point in my life.

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1 hour ago, Twinblade said:

Still trying to treat my shoulder with PT but on the side im trying to slowly complement that with strength exercises for my arms, specifically biceps. I happened to compare my arms in the mirror the other day and was kind of shocked by how noticeably smaller my right arm was (the one connected to the shoulder that was operated on). I never had sizeable arms but the muscles atrophied quite a bit due to inactivity.

 

I started off just doing 3 sets of regular standing curls with lighter weights, making sure my form was correct and I wasn't putting undue stress on my shoulders. I think now im going to progress to combine that with another 3 sets of curls just using my right arm and slowly upping the weight over time. I might actually do preacher curls for that 2nd round, those really hit my biceps hard when I originally did them a while ago.

i would consider using machines, but isometrically. for example, alternate arms when doing the bicep machines, instead of using both arms simultaneously.