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Fitness |OT| A New Era Begins
- Thread starter EssBeeVee
- Start date
Bodyweight squats and goblet squats are good, so is pushing/pulling a sled if you have access to one.
Squats are very safe lol. Like outside of dumb shit all exercises are safe
Not for everyone - someone with mobility issues or whose joint cartilage is worn might be well advised to stay away from squats.
I'm mainly worried about unknowingly having a slightly bad form and I'm not sure I can trust random people at the gym with judging my form.
Let's assume my form isn't perfect. Maybe a bit bad even but not awful. What is the safest way to approach squats then? Would it be a lot safer to do dumbbell squats with low weights and higher reps (20+)?
If you get knee pain from squats it would probably be from too much total volume so it probably wouldn't make a difference.
Start with just the bar, or I guess dumbbells but even then I think starting with just the bar is fine. Watch lots of clips on youtube, (starting strength maybe with HIP DRAAAHVVE) And practice that low bar position across the back. If you barbell squat in a correctly set up squat rack with safety pins you have to try pretty hard to fuck yourself up.
I think low weight high reps is going to be less safe/more chance of injury then the opposite btw. Certainly harder on your joints.
It just sounds like you are intimidated or overthinking this. Unless you have like a specific pre-existing condition deadlifts and squats should be fine, just learn how to do them and take it slow.
What Mobius said. If your knees are too bad to squat with conservative reps and weight, then they are too bad to do anything for your legs. But don't miss out on the most effective exercises (squats and deadlifts) because you might get hurt.
Aside from deadlifts, bulgarian squats and the reverse leg curl machine, what are some great hamstring specific exercises. I feel that to be my weakest point.
Good Mornings and Romanian Deadlifts are my go to hamstring builders.
What I did to get good at squat form was to follow the Stronglifts plan exactly, which is to start with an empty bar for 5 sets of 5 reps, and focus on learning the form for weeks as the weight only goes up by 5 pounds a session. By the time you're squatting heavy enough for it to matter, you'll know how to squat properly. I've had my form checked by multiple physical therapists just to be sure, and I got it down just from reading their enormous essay on how to squat properly and revisiting it every month as I was getting more and more used to squats.
This plan also worked for me in terms of strength gains that plans based on 3x10-15 never delivered.
One tip: make sure if you're facing a mirror at the gym that you don't stare at yourself squatting the whole way down, you'll hurt your neck that way. You'll feel better if you are looking forward and down at the same angle of your back during the motion.
Squats fixed 95% of my knee problems; I had mysterious shooting pain that would almost knock me over, with no correlation to any activity, would happen if I was well rested, would happen if I had been walking miles, nothing made sense. Making my legs stronger made that go away and I never get the sudden surprise pain any more.
I skipped gym today. I feel good but I had bad razorburn lol... seems like a silly reason to skip but I am going tomorrow so I am maintaining my 3 days a week full body schedule. I feel really quite good today though. I have been doing a 100 push up a day challenge with friends for this entire month starting the 1st. Did my first 10 and felt great. I think it could be because I at a bit more than normal yesterday and even the day before (although I did more cardio this week than previously).
I have been thinking lately on stepping up my routine. I am about to hit 3 months of 3x weekly full body calisthenics resistance training. I am thinking about switching to something else, or incorporating a more advanced training regime like 6 days PPL. I may just continue as is because I still have progressions to make in pull ups and I have not tackled much skill work yet.
I have been thinking lately on stepping up my routine. I am about to hit 3 months of 3x weekly full body calisthenics resistance training. I am thinking about switching to something else, or incorporating a more advanced training regime like 6 days PPL. I may just continue as is because I still have progressions to make in pull ups and I have not tackled much skill work yet.
Things are going pretty badly for me at the mo. Recovery seems to be going in reverse, near constant hip pain.
Very nearly started taking painkillers again today, but managed to avoid it (definitely don't want to become dependant on them).
Very nearly started taking painkillers again today, but managed to avoid it (definitely don't want to become dependant on them).
- Age: 32
- Height: About six foot.
- Weight: 260
- Goal: Eventually lose 50-80 would be nice so my back doesn't feel like crap anymore, have more energy in my day to day life and so I don't feel as self conscious in public.
- Current Training Schedule: Walking my dog for live five to ten minutes I guess.
- Current Training Equipment Available: a bench press set with 20 lbs and this exercise bike thing that I got at a thrift store
- Comments:
So, I feel like getting serious about working out. Got my exercise bike and some weights to lift but was unsure of some things as a beginner:
Everybody tells me I should start out doing thirty minutes on the stationary bike (kind I'm using in spoilers) but should I do that all in one session? Ten minutes off and on through out the day?
Is 20 lbs good to start with? Should I try lower or higher first? Do like 30 a day?
Apologize if any of this comes out dumb, still just got a ton of information to go through. So much out there, sometimes it feels easier just to directly talk to people about it.
Tell me more about your diet . That is the most important part.
I'll usually just have just a normal ham and cheese sandwhich for breakfast, something canned like spaghettios (please don't laugh, being vulnerable here) for lunch. Dinner varies a lot, sometimes it could be something as simple as a sub sandwhich I picked up or something the rest of the family cooks like mashed potatoes and pork chops. I have a bad habit with sweets like cookies and kit kats. Very bad habit.
I snack way more than I should.
Advice for weight loss:
Diet is like 90-95% of the work. Exercise is secondary. I got a friend who does keto and is like 8-10% bodyfat and never does shit. He could use some muscle but as far as body fat goes he has none. In the past I believed calorie burn was the way to lose weight, via exercise. But I was wrong. This lie pushed onto me by people trying to sell me gym gear and exercise programs and food companies trying to make sure I keep eating. Truth is, your body burns more calories just keeping itself alive then you will burn in the gym. And while weight loss is not just calories in, calories out... that is a big part of it.
I am personally big fan of the ketogenic diet. I recommend checking out r/keto. This is not some fad diet, it is supported by tons of scientific data and studies. Very easy to stick to once you get used to it and has... so many health benefits beyond just weight loss.
Well, losing weight is a huge part of it for me but I wouldn't mind having a few muscles and some more energy either. Was hoping the equipment could help with that.
It's hard to do both at the same time it's possible but usually for experienced lifters. Focus on losing weight and then focus on building muscle
Your focus should probably be losing weight and maintaining muscle and later build muscle. It is possible to build and lose weight. And I am going to give contrary advice to above but it is actually easier for new trainers to gain muscle while losing fat and the science actually supports it. New trainers build muscle faster than experienced and body fat gives you excess calories you need to build muscle while you are on a caloric deficit. That said, you likely are not going to go from overweight to jacked. There are going to be steps in between.
My personal experience was going from aprox. 220-160 lbs. I did not start significant resistance training until I was around 170ish. I did some resistance training before that, but the goal is to maintain muscle. During weight loss, I did HIIT (high intensity interval training) and push ups (plus other calisthenics exercises) then once I started resistance training I did bodyweight training (still currently doing, 3 months in). A note about keto, keto is very good at maintaining muscle compared to other diets because ketones (what your body turns fat into for fuel on a keto diet) has hormone like properties which preserve muscle mass even when you are on a caloric deficit. I think that is a huge reason why I did not come out with thin ass arms and no muscle.
I think you have the right mindset though. Losing weight is great for your health, but so is having muscle (long term muscle drives our metabolism after we lose the weight so we do not gain it back). Some people just aim to lose weight and they do not care about muscle, so they crash diet and then realize later they do not have the look they want.
If you want to lose weight then the most important factor in that is how many calories you are eating. Looking at what you eat is also beneficial because those snacks (or other items you eat) may unfortunately comprise a lot of your daily calories. And things like spaghettios, though delicious, may also be high in calories but low in satiety meaning you will eat more (which is what you don't want).
Start doing exercises too. It will certainly help but exercise is not a huge contributor to weight loss.
Good for you Buckle!
I highly recommend a few things...
1) Download a calorie tracking app. Even if you dont do it precisely, it will help you understand how many calories you are consuming a day. In those apps, they can also help calculate how many calories you usually burn a day based off your standard activity (even if you just sit around at a desk all day). MyFitnessPal and LoseIt are great. They can even scan barcodes or have a database of tons of food you can just search and kinda guess/find.
2) Heromanz said it is hard to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. I kinda disagree. If you are a newbie to weighlifting, you will gain muscle if you do put in some strength training while eating at a caloric deficit. Science supports this but it doesn't last forever. Either way, I think maintaining your muscle and gaining a small bit is most def possible but don't expect much. I would prioritize losing the fat though. Diet/Calorie deficit will help. Exercise will help you increase a caloric deficit or allow you to at least eat a little bit more if you want.
I highly recommend a few things...
1) Download a calorie tracking app. Even if you dont do it precisely, it will help you understand how many calories you are consuming a day. In those apps, they can also help calculate how many calories you usually burn a day based off your standard activity (even if you just sit around at a desk all day). MyFitnessPal and LoseIt are great. They can even scan barcodes or have a database of tons of food you can just search and kinda guess/find.
2) Heromanz said it is hard to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. I kinda disagree. If you are a newbie to weighlifting, you will gain muscle if you do put in some strength training while eating at a caloric deficit. Science supports this but it doesn't last forever. Either way, I think maintaining your muscle and gaining a small bit is most def possible but don't expect much. I would prioritize losing the fat though. Diet/Calorie deficit will help. Exercise will help you increase a caloric deficit or allow you to at least eat a little bit more if you want.
This isn't true and it's actually the opposite. I spent the past year (january til Oct) lifting at a caloric deficit on a ketogenic diet and I lost 18KG and improved my lifts from just the bar to what they are now.
70KG bench
105KG squat
135KG dead
50KG ohp
It might not be amazing progress but I've literally never trained in my life. Since eating regularly/surplus since nov til now my progress isn't that much faster than it was on the keto deficit. I believe that this means that "recomp" isn't as hard as people think it is, and a lot of it just running off people's fear that they have to eat to maintain their gains or lose it. If you have any body fat at all, I can't imagine your body wanting to burn muscle to fuel itself instead of just burning fat after reading what I have about ketones and low calorie/fasting diets. I think a lot of the fitness industry runs on spreading FUD so people buy product (supps)
Alright Fitness-Era, anyone used an Inbody machine before? My company used to do tank tests, then DEXA but has now moved to InBody for our fitness challenges. I'm highly skeptical based on the little info I can find about the accuracy relative to the DEXA. In general I don't trust the impedance tests so I'm concerned this is a waste of time.
They aren't as accurate as DEXA but probably the next best along with bodpods
Multi-frequency segmental BIA is pretty good really, there's a world of difference between that and standard BIA.
There is no precise method to measure bodyfat. Even dexa scans, which can cost 100-200 dollars depending on location have been shown in studies to be up to 10% off and even up to 4% off even after repeated uses. So chances are your company just does not find the value in dexa scans which are often touted as the most accurate, but the price tag is just... excessive tbh. Impedance testing has its own set of issues too, of course.
I literally pay $40.
Dont make it seem like it is only $100-200 everywhere. InBody scans also have a cost as well. Maybe not as much but I've seen them higher than my DEXA ones at many places.
Then you are lucky cause I have never heard of it being that cheap. Still too much imo for what you get. And they are held up as a gold standard despite their flaws for bodyfat.
I have read even use over time can have an error up to 4%. I would drop the reddit post I read, that links to all the studies and analysis... if I could just find it again. That was the second time I read DEXA can have inaccuracy up to 10% and even 4% on repeated uses.
Maybe I am wrong about the pricing but every source I read says to expect up to 100 or even 200 dollars depending on location. I did forget to include up to in my original statement, but felt it was somewhat implied.
Sure, go for it. I know tons of people that get them and from guestimates they tend to be close to what we expect. I have no way of verifying the accuracy in any scientific method. I would say though that I'd a scan was 10% off we would notice. We are all sub 20% so 10% is quite huge.
Pretty sure it would be 4 -10% error on the absolute body fat measurement - which would make it approximately +/- 0.4 - 1% for body fat percentage.
I would say the opposite, and that for newbies it can be pretty easy to put on muscle while losing weight. By easy - I mean that you can make gains easier as your muscles are under utilized and you have a massive excess of calories stored on your body. Which means even at a dietary caloric deficit, you won't need to use ingested protein to provide energy and you won't be metabolizing skeletal muscle for energy.
I've done 4 scans in the last 4 months. If I saw 4-10% in bf% difference, it would be super noticeable. I think its more like .4 - 1.0% off the absolute as PoppaBK mentioned and you are just reading it wrong. Either way, I know you came into the thread new to fitness, but DEXA is used by many. I get that you keep wanting to dissuade people from using it.. It's pretty obvious.
And for those interested:
$45 at BodySpec (I have a coupon for my company for $5 off)
Available in SF, LA/Orange County, Seattle, Austin.
"I'm lucky"
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I just think it is largely a waste of money, especially if it costs 100-200 dollars, which is a real thing too. Not everyone gets it for 40.
I did not come into the thread new to fitness. I was an athlete in my younger years. Stop making this personal. It is not personal. Knock it off, please.
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And yes, you are lucky, I would have to drive 100 miles to get a 60 dollar scan. Try not living in a bubble. Pricing varies. The cheapest price for me is $125.
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And not everywhere is it $100-200 which was my point above.
Either way, you've already stated that we are wasting our money even at $40. If people want to do it, they can. Just see it constantly that it is a waste every time the damn topic comes up in this thread from you.
I already corrected myself in saying I meant up to 100-200 dollars. And so what if I bring it up? I am allowed to and I was explaining why his company may have decided to change to inbody scans so it is not like I randomly inserted it. Stop being toxic about contrary opinions and we will get along.
I see no toxicity above. Because I'm sick of you dissuading users from a specific scan despite others in this thread who use it just fine doesn't mean it is toxic.
You will live.
Alright admit it, which of y'all wear those corny ass shirts to the gym like "I don't go to the gym, I CRUSH it" and "Lift, eat, sleep, repeat" lmao. I swear each one I see is more awful than the previous.
Haha. I wear the most basic items. I do wear compression pants from time to time with some shorts over those. Mainly on leg days.
Well I don't put compression in the same category I'm just talking about those cheesy slogans on clothes. I have been somewhat interested in it actually. Does it feel like it makes a difference?
Claiming i am new to fitness and do not know what I am talking about is toxic af. You do not know me. And attacking my person as you did is pathetic. I am sorry my opinion undermines your confidence so much you feel the need to lash out. I hope it helps you, but I will not see it any longer.
I can pull up your posts in this thread where you literally ask questions where you asked some incredibly basic questions so that is what I assumed it on. Apologies if you took offense to that and apologies for assuming.
But I will reiterate, we get it... you hate DEXA scans. lol
Tough to say. I will note that it feels like my legs arent as crazy soar as they used to be w/o them but I think YMMV.
I'm struggling to see the point in the scans to be honest. Sure, it's nice to know you're progressing, but in reality it shouldn't be changing anything you do.