2020 Health & Fitness Thread

[Accumulator]

BMWWW- I`d be all about minimizing your potential exposure to the Virus (and those who might have it). So I`d lean towards movements that hit multiple muscle groups at once, trying to be as efficient about it as possible. Plenty of time for a more specific/targeted approach once things are back to normal.

You using the gym for RT, Cardio..or both?

Heh heh...you deem it "terrible", got me wondering ?why? it`s so bad. Some equipment is truly "worse than nothing", but other uhm...less than optimal...stuff can be fine with a little thought and planning.

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Pneumatic Resistance...anybody ever get a good RT workout on it?

C. Bass is all about their Hip-Belt Squat machine as it removes loading of the spine from the movement. OK...I like those (H-B Squats) too, do `em on a cable/pulley apparatus that I`ve tweaked to be pretty-OK (but it could sure be better ). But the pneumatic stuff I`ve tried was terrible, never worked for me in the least.

BTW, I noticed that Bass tried the Zane Leg Blaster that I use. He liked it for Legs/etc. but it was too hard on his back. OK, makes sense as I have to watch that myself. I just found it interesting that he had one available and found it effective. Don`t suppose anybody here has tried one of those....

(Last time I looked, they`re off the market, and I kinda expected somebody like Bass to consider it a, uhm.. "toy".)

[jrock645]

Starting back on the cutting train. Had a dexa scan on sunday. Shows ive put 9.5lbs of muscle on since mid june. Good chunk of process, but bodyfat is also up a bit- part of the game. Bf% came in at 18.6%. Getting a bit soft but not out of control. Easing into restriction this week. Calculated my calories needed for a 20% deficit at 3055 per day. Obviously wont maintain that large of a deficit through the process but can start a bit faster being over 15%.

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jrock645- Thanks for the update, I was just about to post Qs about how everybody`s doing.

I gather you`re OK with that increase in both lean/not weight, right?

What`s your BF goal for long-term? What`s it like having that 18.6%?

[Bill D]

Well I began my TG early this morning with my semi-daily walk. Just me and a few bicyclists around; not another soul around exercising. I find that sad or maybe folks just do thing later around here.

Any way, hope I don’t gain any pounds from today’s feast. If I do I’ll begin to walk them off Saturday and Monday.

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I`ve been able to increase both the frequency of my workouts and their volume, *probably* due to all the Polyphenols I`m getting these days.

Well, I`m *NOT* doing that for Upper Legs, I`m *DEcreasing* both frequency and volume for those. It`s getting kinda extreme: three sets for Quads, one set for Hams, and that`s so debilitating that I had to cut short my Cardio despite waiting five days in-between. Those workouts are going fine..reps/weight, making surprising progress...but it just takes forever for those muscle groups to fully recover, *probably* due to the work they get from the daily chores. I`d been going three weeks between workouts for them, went *four* this last time and still added reps on each of the movements.

The near-daily, sub-maximal, Core training is turning out to be a great idea. I`m doing *everything* better, far more reps with more control and a greater ROM on the days when I`m actually *working* them (two-three times/week). I`m seeing better definition too, especially the lowermost area of my torso. Haven`t noticed my waistline actually getting much, if any smaller, but it looks better.

I`ve added more Carbs to my bfasts with no apparent downside. Some are from cereal (Barry Sears wouldn`t approve!), some from fruit; this is *without* decreasing Carbs/calories to compensate.

Similarly, at least so far, adding Walnuts to my diet has also worked out great. After reading about the "they can often add bodyweight, but not bodyFAT" studies, I`ve given it a try (was already eating nuts daily) and my results seem to mirror that. I dunno if I`d try it unless everything else were dialed-in and the bf% were on-target, but if you`re already close to "magazine-ready" it could be worth experimenting with.

[Accumulator]

Wondering whether people on this thread make Thanksgiving/etc. real Cheat Days...nothing extreme here, but then I don`t get the "overeating as pleasure" thing anyhow.

Eh, either way, it`s not like a day or two oughta make a big diff. Though when we went away for TG and *really* indulged, those 4-5 days were enough to significantly change my bf%, to the point that it definitely showed.

[Bill D]

I eat maybe a little bit more than average on holidays but not like when I really indulge in my favorite meals which is quite seldom.

[jrock645]

jrock645- Thanks for the update, I was just about to post Qs about how everybody`s doing.

I gather you`re OK with that increase in both lean/not weight, right?

What`s your BF goal for long-term? What`s it like having that 18.6%?

Well, theres no way around gaining some fat when trying to put on a significant amount of muscle. Just no two ways about it, and 9.5lbs of muscle in about 5 months is a significant gain in lean mass. So, overall Im fine with it. The overall weight gain does take a toll, though. Just makes harder work of daily activity having to carry an extra ~25lbs around. That and im so over force feeding myself and having to choke down meals when i have no interest in eating. Im actually excited about going into restriction. We’ll see how long it takes for fatigue to set in.

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jrock645- As long as you`re enjoying the ride, that`s what counts. I guess I just wondered why you were going to the Cutting Phase right before the Holidays.

I sure don`t blame you for being.." so over force feeding myself and having to choke down meals". I mean, gee..I`d just never do anything like that, doesn`t sound fun at all, but I gather it`s what works for you. I do kinda wonder about the idea of "waiting for fatigue to set in" though, more of that just not sounding like enjoyment to me.

Are you back to training in a gym or still doing it at home? In my area, going to a gym would be like playing Russian Roulette with more than one round in the cylinder.

[Accumulator]

I eat maybe a little bit more than average on holidays but not like when I really indulge in my favorite meals which is quite seldom.

I`m trying to think of *any* meals where I eat a lot more/less than what I consider right...not coming up with much of anything. It`s just not as enjoyable for me, and hey...when it comes right down to it I consider myself a Hedonist; gotta *enjoy* myself or why bother...

[Bill D]

; gotta *enjoy* myself or why bother...

Yep I really do enjoy those seldom favorite food meals. That’s when I don’t worry about any consequences.

I checked and TG’s meal didn’t result in any more pounds being put on. I walked this morning and will again on Monday and Tuesday so I ought to be in fine shape.

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Bill D- Eh, it takes a *LOT* of excess calories to really make a diff, or at least it seems that way when I do the math. Even a few thousand extra really shouldn`t be any big deal as long as you don`t do it all the time. When I put on bodyfat during the Holidays, I was eating a *TON* of fattening foods for weeks on end, and even then it`s not like anybody else would notice those 3-5 lbs. (which would then take me a few months to burn off...no thanks, done with that).

I wonder what my dietary changes and different exercise frequency/volume will show on the scale, if anything. Dunno when I`ll get weighed since I`m postponing my Physical until the Pandemic is over. When they weighed me in during my Tick Bite Adventure it was just under the usual 165.

[Bill D]

Accumulator- You don`t have a scale at home? I weigh myself all the time even if mine may not be as accurate as one in a doctor`s office

[Accumulator]

Accumulator- You don`t have a scale at home? I weigh myself all the time even if mine may not be as accurate as one in a doctor`s office

Sure, we have two of `em, both highly accurate, one being a Tanita that`s supposed to calc. bodyfat (does *NOT* work right for me, like...weirdly not right...for some reason but the lbs. are spot-on).

I just don`t care to the point of never weighing myself. Don`t *WANT* to care or, more accurately "want to *NOT* care" and won`t set myself up for any kind of self-imposed performance anxiety over it. For me, it`s 100% 1) how I feel, 2) how I perform, 3) how I look. As for "then how do you know how fit/lean/etc. you really are?", as long as I can see *at least* a 6-pack (I`d have to gain a lot of fat to be down to only seeing that!) I`m OK, as long as I see more than that and have visible vascularity on my lower torso/abs then I`m happy.

There are just too many variables involved in "bodyweight" for me to ascribe any significance to it *FOR ME*. Mine never varies more than a few lbs. anyhow, last big diff being back in the `90s when I discovered Creatine and went from 150-something to 160-something. THAT was obvious! Looked like I`d cycled steroids or somesuch. Since then it`s been such minute fine-tuning that nobody but my wife can ever notice anything.

Now get training! As one ages, *without Resistance Training to ward off Sarcopenia*, a constant bodyweight indicates increased bodyfat. Always, it`s just how humans are. Muscle simply disappears after a certain age if you don`t train, so the natural progression in any untrained person *who`s not gaining fat* will be a drop in bodyweight. IF the lean weight decreases, but the overall weight stays the same, it`s because there`s more fat. I`d gladly wager the cost of some body composition testing on that one Do two tests a year apart, and the bodyfat will go up unless you`re exercising to preserve lean (muscle) weight. (y one`s mid-80s some muscle loss is simply inevitable, but it can be so minimal that it`s no big deal...IF the training/diet are right.) Heh heh, OK OK...end of lecture