^ THE ANSWER IS TRY HARDER MAGGOT! (Actually, just keep trying little by little, you'll get better at it in time.
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And in not so ancient news, I did my old PT running course I had mastered before I shipped off to join the Army. It's 8 miles cross country up and down hills and over dirt road round trip. It's also at 6000 feet elevation. It's been at least 5 years since I last did it.
I ran the whole thing (though not without a few stops for catching wind and shaking the wet sand out of my shoes as it has rained today) in 1 hour and just under 7 minutes. I had the feeling come back today. That limitless running ability feeling where it's harder to stop than it is to keep going. I literally said out loud as I was going "Hey I missed you!" when it first set in.
If I keep that course up all summer I'd be in Army shape again in almost no time. That time and continuous factor will only get better as I do em.
I'm not sure if it's been posted before in this thread but I'll try to provide some information on how to start with fitness. The first thing to do is to check either or both of the following links:
Simple Science Fitness: http://ss.fitness/
Beginner's Health and Fitness Guide: http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html
Both of these sites will give you an explanation as to where to start if you want to get into better shape.
I've been lifting for well over a year now and I am by no means an expert. I consider myself still a novice, though I am currently on an intermediate level workout. I can however tell you a bit about my experience, what motivates me, my goals, what I do in the gym and how I control my diet. Hopefully by telling you about my own fitness journey I hope to encourage you to be fit.
The first thing to say: Custom, as David Hume put it, is the great guide of life. Fitness is all about building healthy habits and making physical exercise, regardless of the kind, a life-long habit or commitment. This is not to say that every day revolves around bench pressing, sprinting or Tom Cruise couch-jumping. I don't workout for more than an hour and a half and I make it a rule not to be in the gym for more than two hours tops. My workouts usually don't last longer than one hour. I go to the gym four days a week currently, though in a year or two that might change if I decide to alter my workout routine.
When I started to learn about fitness, don't imagine I had all the answers or that I was in great shape. Like some have posted I couldn't do a single chin-up, pull-up or dip. I got tired very quickly after doing some push ups or crunches. For a long time I had been easily discouraged to not go to the gym and, although I wasn't obese, I noticed that I was well on my way to being so given that several pants I used to wear were becoming tighter over time. I felt shame, embarassment and some self-loathing especially during summer whenever I went to the beach or wore less clothes to feel breezier.
It had to stop. I wanted to feel better about myself. So the first (seemingly unwise) thing I did was read a sticky on the 4chan /fit/ board... from which I got the links I copy-pasted above. Over a number of days I began planning and setting my goals. My diet wasn't too bad, but it was still very unbalanced (a lot of days I would undereat, other days overeat) both in terms of overall calories and macronutrients. I went to see a nutritionist and began using Myfitnesspal to track EVERYTHING I ate (which I continue to use even today). I signed up to a gym and began doing a beginners 5x5 routine (called Stronglifts, you can look it up in the previously mentioned links). I began learning form, technique and started light.
One of the things that surprised me was how over time I learned to enjoy my time at the gym. At first it seemed like a chore, but it became almost a pleasure. The feeling of lifting heavier weights, the feeling of tiredness of doing cardio on rest days, the delayed onset muscle soreness (which over time disappeared)... it felt good. It felt right. After a while I altered my fitness goal to be more precise: to get strong, build muscle and endurance.
I also learned a lot about nutrition, the purpose of carbohydrates, fats, protein, minerals... nowadays I eat a lot. I plan ahead on what I buy to eat. I cook meals and use tappers. I've learned how to cook more things than I ever have and how to use certain sauces, spices or cooking techniques that I never imagined using. I haven't really restricted myself in terms of what I can eat because there is no need to. On the contrary I eat a number of things I didn't include in my diet before. I did stop drinking soda though (only on social ocassions, otherwise it's only water for me).
I'm still a work-in-progress and it's my soft goal to at least being able to lift 200kg squatting, 100kg benching and 240kg deadlifting (my hard goal being to go beyond that). I'm also not that concerned with how I look, though I've packed some muscle since I began and lost a lot of fat (from 23% to 17% body fat) and I plan to continue that trend.
edited 4th Oct '16 10:09:11 AM by germi91
"It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few."Hmm.. is there a routine you guys can recommend for beginners? My goal for now is to lose a few pounds and stay fit, not necessarily gaining muscle. Problem is, gyms and nutritionists are kinda expensive and as a student on a tight budget I can only afford to carry textbooks rather than steel weights.
ACCOUNT NO LONGER USED. *straps on jetpack*To lose fat, which is what I imagine you want, you need to eat less calories than your total daily energy expenditure. Your TDEE is "...an estimation of how many calories you burn per day when exercise is taken into account. It is calculated by first figuring out your Basal Metabolic Rate, then multiplying that value by an activity multiplier". You can make the appropiate calculations here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
. This is pretty good calculator in my opinion.
A good beginner routine is one that can be found in the links from my previous post. I'll give you two examples of beginner routines: Strong Lifts 5x5 by Medhi (https://stronglifts.com/5x5/)
or Starting Strength (http://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs)
. Either routine will work if you're consistent. Remember though that you need to get your diet in order (as mentioned) and sleep enough. You can add cardio if you want on one or two rest days, or other bodyweight exercises, though your focus should be on the main lifts of the routine.
If your budget is tight, consider getting a membership to a gym anyways as the benefit of having equipment is inmense. Look up local gyms and their prices. Some gyms have student discounts, other gyms may be as inexpensive as 10 US dollars (Planet Fitness for instance, though I wouldn't call it a "gym" given their... attitude).
edited 8th Dec '16 8:03:11 AM by germi91
"It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few."
Yes. I like meat, but as an American, I believe we eat a lot more meat than we think we need.
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In addition to what has already been said, I strongly recommend establishing a numerical base for yourself relative to your goals. "Lose some weight" is a vague goal. A better, more reliable starting point would be "I currently weigh 185 pounds with 30 percent body fat. I'm a male and my height is 5'10". My athletic/medical history is X. I consume X number of calories per day/per week. My overhead press is 20 lbs. My squat is 60 lbs. My benchpress is 80 lbs. My deadlift is 85 lbs. I want to increase my lean muscle mass while reaching 18 percent body fat in X number of months. I want to be able to cover 3.1 kilometers is under 33 minutes within Y number of weeks."
Numbers are your friends. Make an Excel spreadsheet or download a meal journal. It makes progress checks much easier when you can just glance at the information and see where you stand.
edited 8th Dec '16 11:48:39 AM by Aprilla
Yes, for some people keeping a diary of some sort can be very useful, whether it's to measure how much you're lifting/how many reps per exercise, how many km/miles, how much you weigh, etc. Consider also taking a picture of yourself as you are at the moment, then continue doing so once every month to see your progress. It's also useful for the purpose of making an educated guess of your body fat percentage.
It can be very motivating to see how you slowly lose fat and your muscles become more defined.
edited 10th Dec '16 7:44:03 AM by germi91
"It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few."Hey, guys need some advice - So I'm 21 years old, I'm about 175cm tall and weight 70kg
I work out 4 days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are with weights and skipping rope sometimes some swimming. Tuesday is Krav Maga with a "fit to fight" style circuit training program.
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are rest days.
Any advice on how to maximise my gains and bulk up?
edited 24th Feb '17 11:01:29 AM by RevolverZen
I've trashed my lower back, hips, upper back, neck, both arms, left knee and right ankle. Walking hurts, running hurts, heck, even lying in my bed hurts. Yet since I got my new phone and activated the steps counter in the fitness app I've walked over 1,100,00 steps. I'm of the opinion that's not too bad for a fat old bastard like me.
Doing sit-ups and pull-ups at this point sounds unlikely. I've not even taken out my new bike for a real thrash yet, but I still do my walking thing.
I will have my first Army Physical Fitness Test in about a month so I've been working to prepare for it. Last week I did a diagnostic test, which I passed...just barely. My sergeant said I'm good, but that was less of "Man, you're good" but more of "Well, I guess you did pass." Well, I sure as hell don't want to just pass. I want to pass with flying colors. By the time I get discharged in a year and half, I'd like to get full 300 out of 300.
It's physically impossible to achieve 300 by next month. Since I got somewhere around 185 (the minimum passing score is 60 from all 3 categories), I'm aiming for somewhere around 210-240. Among the workouts are triceps kickback, squat, punching bag hitting (just to get my weight down and for the hell of it), push ups, planks, and running.
(Army Fitness Requirement, in case anybody's interested.
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Sup guys
So my twin and I have made a deal. We both have something we used to be really good at back in high school, but tapered off after we graduated. Now we're both kind of afraid to start up again because we're scared to see just how much skill we've lost over time.
For her, it's playing the euphonium. She used to be the best in our school, and made the all-state ensemble. She hasn't touched the thing in over a year.
For me, it's physical fitness, flexibility in particular. I used to be a competitive dancer and cheerleader, so I was really damn strong and flexible. I haven't worked out seriously in ages.
So we made a deal that we both start doing those things again. I'm lucky because she's really into fitness so she can train me in our apartment. (And I'm really into music so I can hold my end as well.) So I've been on a regime for about a week now. I forgot how good it feels to work out, and how satisfying it is. Wish me (or both of us) luck!
Hey, good luck. It's a very good and worthy challenge, so best of luck.
My current and in-construction routine:
- Dumbbell press: 30 reps
- Dumbbell row: 30 reps
- Dumbbell triceps kickback: 10 reps (I got a relatively weak triceps)
- Seated dumbbell press: 15 reps
- Two arm dumbbell row
- Bench press (95 lbs): 10 reps
- 10-15 mins of boxing practice, including drills, shadowboxing, and punching bag hitting.
- 5 min of jumproping.
I work out every other day, so that my muscles can get some rest. I also drink a lot of water and sleep.
I aim to eventually bench pressing my own weight.
edited 16th Mar '17 11:02:27 PM by dRoy
Continuously reading, studying, and (hopefully) growing.
Hell yeah you will. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't do a single pull-up. With the help of the assisted pull up machine, I'm now on 5x5 for pull-ups.
Are you still doing the same routine as previously mentioned by the way?
Speaking of which, as this is the fitness thread, might as well share my workout from yesterday. I generally do 2 compounds each session, followed by accessories. I was hitting shoulders, back and biceps yesterday.
- Deadlift: 5x60kg, 5x100kg, 3x110kg, 3x120kg, 3x130kg, 1x140kg, 1x155kg (new personal best! =D)
- Overhead Press: 10x20kg, 5x40kg, 5x45kg, 5x50kg, 3x52.5kg, 3x55kg, 8x40kg
- Pull-Up: 5x5 bodyweight
- Chin-Up: 8x3 bodyweight
- Single-Arm Row: 8x3 each side: 30kg
- Bicep Curl: 8x3 each side: 20kg
- Hammer Curl: 8x3 each side: 20kg
Wrestling training is tonight, cardio session on Wednesday, and next resistance training is on Thursday (Mainly Chest and Triceps, but with squats at the beginning too)
edited 4th Apr '17 5:45:10 AM by Cata
Thanks for your kind words on my last workout mate (=
Pull-ups and dips - honestly, you won't ever regret them at all! I maintain that dips are the best tricep exercise you can do, and they can also hit the chest very well depending on your angle.
I ask about the routine because I've noticed a few little things about it, to fine tune it a little - I don't want to just jump in with unwanted advice though, so wanted to ask if you were looking for any advice, or were just looking to share! Either way, that you're in the gym, doing the workouts, and have been sticking to it, is the best thing (=
As before, workout from yesterday. Mainly focusing on Chest and Triceps, but added Squats in so I'm doing them twice a week.
- Bench Press - 5x60kg, 5x70kg, 3x80kg, 1x90kg, 1x92.5kg, 1x95kg, 3x85kg, 3x82.5kg, 3x80kg, 3x77.5kg, 3x75kg, 5x72.5kg, 5x70kg
- Squat - 5x60kg, 5x80kg, 3x100kg, 1x120kg (attempted but failed!), 3x100kg, 3x95kg, 3x90kg, 5x85kg, 5x80kg
- Dips - 10x3, bodyweight
- Incline Dumbell Press - 8x3, 28kg dumbells
- Tricep Cable Pulldown - 10x3, 35kg
- Overhead Tricep Extension - 10x3, 20kg
Hate to double-post, but like to share incase if anyone has an input or advice for things I may be missing!

I cannot do a crunch. It just flat out does not work. I'm not really stressing over this but it does bother me some. Is there something I should try to do instead? I've been doing sets of what could charitably be called attempts on a weekly basis along with cable pulldowns for my core, which I can do at 90 pounds without a ton of trouble. My body weight is...well, bad.
The answer's gonna be see a doctor isn't it?
edited 10th Nov '15 7:51:03 PM by MrMatt