2020 Health & Fitness Thread

[jrock645]

jrock645- What`s your Diet consist of these days? You`re off the Keto, right?

Yeah no more keto.

So i usually have 25g of carbs from karbolyn intraworkout in the AM. PWO meal is 3 eggs with half a cup of crumbled turkey sausage, 1 cup diced potatoes and some roasted bell peppers- delicious! Lunch is usually 8oz of sirloin prepared in a few different ways. Might just be a steak, could be seared steak tips. This week i ground it into burgers with just a little liver ground in. Ate it with a bun, a single serve guacamole and a cup or so of squash. Sometimes i do rice or a sweet potato. For my other meal i alternate between a piece of cod or pulled rotisserie chicken. I might take the chicken and roll up a couple enchiladas and top with salsa and peppers. Ive made a rice noodle salad out of it. Or tacos. With the fish ill usually just do roasted sweet potato, maybe rice, and spinach or more squash. In the afternoon ill have an orange, an apple and a 1oz serving of nuts. At some point, ill usually just eat it with my pwo meal cause im hungriest then, ill have a cup of greek yogurt with blueberries and granola. I vary this up a little on my days off from work, but on work days this is efficient, easy to prep and pack and i like eating it well enough. Biggest thing has just been learning to cook with no or additional oil.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- Gee, that sounds like Gourmet Fare to me!

What did you want to tweak compared to what you were doing pre-wedding? I thought you were really happy with your results from that..I`m thinking how you got clothes altered/etc.

Guess this came to mind as I`m finally wearing out my khakis from the `90s...just the first signs of fraying in places and a bit of fading..and will soon get the replacements altered.

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- Gee, that sounds like Gourmet Fare to me!

What did you want to tweak compared to what you were doing pre-wedding? I thought you were really happy with your results from that..I`m thinking how you got clothes altered/etc.

Guess this came to mind as I`m finally wearing out my khakis from the `90s...just the first signs of fraying in places and a bit of fading..and will soon get the replacements altered.

Just wanted to optimize everything. I made progress leading up to the wedding but still couldn’t get as lean as I wanted. And the result/effort ratio was just not where it should have been.

 

[BMWWW]

jrock645- Eh, I realize how I probably come across but I simply don`t buy it that somebody can life a long, healthy life without the kind of cardio that countless studies say is required for cardiovascular health over a full lifetime. Like the way they can`t maintain arterial flexibility in the elderly without some degree of Endurance work (which was sad news for Yours Truly).

Same ol` same ol`...studies over the last few years have rewritten the book(s).

And as I keep posting, an absence of Isolation Work (e.g., abs/core in this case) simply doesn`t work for me. Period, obviously.

Interesting about the Squats/Pullups working the core, that never happened for me even when doing the latter with a *LOT* of added weight.

Eh, maybe I`m all revved up about the Core topic as I`ve really reworked the appearance of my Core by doing stuff that I`d disdained for decades. I mean, I`ve always had good abs for a regular person who eats whatever he wants, never been unable to see `em, same waistline as I`ve had for decades. But it looks a *LOT* better now after just a few months of the new routine. Only slightly smaller, but *that* much better...I`m onto something, but maybe that`s just me again.

If you enjoy squats and loading up the weight, one switch I made was to do front squats more frequently than back squats.
Loading it up in front of you utilizes a lot more "core muscles". I also found it more efficient in tiring me out compared to backsquats. Unless you intend to compete in power lifting competitions, big back squat numbers are just for bragging rights while I believe front squats are more functional.

Yeah the trt has def made a difference. Ive been extremely happy about my progress the last couple months. Things are finally coming together and working. Waist measurement is down to 34”. Abs are starting to show a bit and even those serratus muscles are starting to come out. Lowest waist measurement ive had in about 10 years i think. So having established some momentum lately, im excited about supercharging things.

Definitely ride out the momentum if your body is keeping up!
Just remember, this is a long game. 90% for the next 30 years is better than 101% for 6 months.
I`m not a fan of social media, but when I see people like Jocko Willink posting timestamps of completed workouts at like 4am in the morning, I find another gear.

Personally, I took the last 45 days "off" because of an impending move across town and because I strained my lower back prior to the holidays. Swimming laps 4-6 days/week + sauna work. One day/week of barbell lifting during this so I don`t lose too much of my gains. Feeling really good, couldn`t swim more than 100m without being out of breath starting out, up to 250m in one go. My main purpose to lift weights is to deal with stress and not bringing it back home/work--surprisingly, swimming + sauna work filled in that void admirably. Back to the weight room I go--no real alternative to picking stuff up and putting it back down.

 

[Accumulator]

BMWWW- Hey, good to see you posting on this thread

I do indeed have Front Squats in the rotation, using a Manta Ray to make `em a little more comfortable. Kinda prefer Zercher Squats though as they`re more comfortable and I can use a weighted vest to redistribute the resistance.

Although I`m kinda focusing most of my squatting on work with a hipbelt and cable setup as it keeps the load off my spine.

Plus, there are only so many ways I can figure out how to add the Elastic Bands to make the squats get harder during the final 1/3 of the movement. (No I don`t use a Smith Machine, which would make that easier.) That`s pretty easy to do with the cable setup I`m using, although it`s a process of endless tweaking even after so many decades.

And I agree 100% about it being a Long Game! I myself find it much more satisfying to stay in peak condition as a Senior than I ever did as a younger guy.

..My main purpose to lift weights is to deal with stress..

Heh heh, and on that one I`m 100% *different* from you! Noting that today is Upper Leg Day...that *is* maybe the greatest stress in my life! Those few sets (I`m planning on maybe six total for quads and hams) every ~3 weeks (takes me that long to recover) will absolutely trash me and it`s sure not something I can look forward to. I know that some people just *love* it, but I`m not that guy I sure do love the results and the sense of accomplishment though, and I`d dread the mere thought of how my life would be if I didn`t go through with those workouts.

Gee, that`s a long layoff, similar to what I`ve had to do over surgical recoveries (nothing life/death serious). Hope your back strain is all sorted out now...that got my attention as my absolute #1 priority is avoiding injury; I simply *cannot* be out-of-action (hence the hipbelt squats). Still trying to catch up from the time I lost over the last eye surgery, and that was way back ~10 months ago.

 

[Accumulator]

Just wanted to optimize everything. I made progress leading up to the wedding but still couldn’t get as lean as I wanted. And the result/effort ratio was just not where it should have been.

I guess I`d thought the TRT would take care of that. I bet your wife likes the new diet better though, huh?

I still wonder how many people stay full-keto indefinitely, like...for decades.

Heh heh, it occurs to me that my wife and I very seldom eat the exact same things for the meals we have together (usually just dinner). Even if the meat/fish/poultry is the same, for the rest of it we eat different things.

 

[Accumulator]

... today is Upper Leg Day...that *is* maybe the greatest stress in my life!

No, no.."maybe" but not really. The Big Stress would probably be AirDyne Cardio Day, those few brief intervals are simply awful...just as Dr. Tabata admitted. But those are brief and infrequent.

 

[jrock645]

I guess I`d thought the TRT would take care of that. I bet your wife likes the new diet better though, huh?

I still wonder how many people stay full-keto indefinitely, like...for decades.

Heh heh, it occurs to me that my wife and I very seldom eat the exact same things for the meals we have together (usually just dinner). Even if the meat/fish/poultry is the same, for the rest of it we eat different things.

me and my wife are about the same. Glad to know it’s not that weird. She does her thing, I do mine.

And yeah, the trt is fixing a lot. But I’m determined to look like an underwear model. As an update, I lost 9lbs this past week eating more calories than I was before. Astonishing. And no cardio!

As for keto, I actually do think keto makes a ton of sense for sedentary people that don’t exercise and for people with certain health conditions. I just really don’t think it’s optimal at all for an athlete. And if you’re trying to eat pizza or whatever on the weekends but still be keto, you’re wasting your time. Same goes for all these keto muffins and whatnot. He commercialization of keto is ruining it and has many people on a seriously misguided effort.

 

[Accumulator]

me and my wife are about the same. Glad to know it’s not that weird. She does her thing, I do mine...

Yeah, Accumulatorette and I often have different stuff...she cooks hers, I cook mine.

And yeah, the trt is fixing a lot. But I’m determined to look like an underwear model. As an update, I lost 9lbs this past week eating more calories than I was before. Astonishing. And no cardio!

Gee, that`s really something! I`m so glad to hear that you`re responding so well.

I hear you on the "underwear model", that`s the kind of goal I set for my abs/etc. too, while still eating whatever I want. Even though I`m old enough to be the grandpa of the people in those ads

As for keto, I actually do think keto makes a ton of sense for sedentary people that don’t exercise and for people with certain health conditions. I just really don’t think it’s optimal at all for an athlete. And if you’re trying to eat pizza or whatever on the weekends but still be keto, you’re wasting your time. Same goes for all these keto muffins and whatnot. He commercialization of keto is ruining it and has many people on a seriously misguided effort.

I`m willing to say "OK whatever works for ya" regarding Keto, but yeah...and heh heh, IMO most people`s whole approach to diet/exercise is a seriously misguided effort

Speaking of eating [crap] on weekends.. ..I`m still getting away with it OK. Sure not recommending that others try it, but it`s part of my "do this forever" approach; I`m not denying myself things that I really like unless I have a very good reason to. Those 3-4 meals/week equate to thousands of the wrong calories, but I`m confident they won`t matter and so far they haven`t.

 

[BMWWW]

jrock645- Eh, I realize how I probably come across but I simply don`t buy it that somebody can life a long, healthy life without the kind of cardio that countless studies say is required for cardiovascular health over a full lifetime. Like the way they can`t maintain arterial flexibility in the elderly without some degree of Endurance work (which was sad news for Yours Truly).

Same ol` same ol`...studies over the last few years have rewritten the book(s).

And as I keep posting, an absence of Isolation Work (e.g., abs/core in this case) simply doesn`t work for me. Period, obviously.

Interesting about the Squats/Pullups working the core, that never happened for me even when doing the latter with a *LOT* of added weight.

Eh, maybe I`m all revved up about the Core topic as I`ve really reworked the appearance of my Core by doing stuff that I`d disdained for decades. I mean, I`ve always had good abs for a regular person who eats whatever he wants, never been unable to see `em, same waistline as I`ve had for decades. But it looks a *LOT* better now after just a few months of the new routine. Only slightly smaller, but *that* much better...I`m onto something, but maybe that`s just me again.

No, no.."maybe" but not really. The Big Stress would probably be AirDyne Cardio Day, those few brief intervals are simply awful...just as Dr. Tabata admitted. But those are brief and infrequent.

Hah, good ole airdyne, I have one in the basement for days that I absolutely cannot find an hour to hit the gym for a quick 20-30mins of torture. No need to buy new, I grabbed mine off the local classifieds for $50? Gave her a good ole detail and lube the chain up, and it has been smoothe as glass since.

While I`m sure I`ve lost some muscle gain (which in winter = bulk time = happy stomach time), the 45 days (and counting) of swimming has netted bigger shoulders and a bit more "tone" in the abs and core. Again, another unexpected byproduct of changing up the routine.

Ya`ll like foam rolling? I bloody love that thing so much that I have a hollow and stiff one that I bring with me on all my vacations--even when I`m travelling light with carry-on only. Barely takes up any space since I can stuff the inside with socks and crap. Ain`t NOTHING better after a long day than just rolling out my back--simply divine and akin to having your very own, on-demand-masseuse 24/7. Trouble falling asleep, foam roll for 2 minutes and be instantly relaxed.

 

[Accumulator]

Hah, good ole airdyne, I have one in the basement for days that I absolutely cannot find an hour to hit the gym for a quick 20-30mins of torture. No need to buy new, I grabbed mine off the local classifieds for $50? Gave her a good ole detail and lube the chain up, and it has been smoothe as glass since...

Yeah, used Airs are one of the best fitness bargains out there IMO; they simply don`t wear out (my dad`s from the ?`70s? is still working fine for a friend of mine, though she doesn`t use it the way he did or I do). Wow, only $50! That`s simply great.

Does yours have the "drilled seat post" or the "continuously variable one" with no holes? I have the former, wish I had the latter. Oh, is yours white (like mine) or coppery-metallic like my dad`s (I simply love the latter)? What seat are you using for that long a ride on it? I`ve gone through a *scad* of different seats, finally found one that`s not unbearably uncomfortable.

Heh heh.."a quick 20-30.." and you mean *minutes* I do a quick *90 seconds* for the "working" part of my Airdyne cardio (20 seconds hard as I can, ten seconds rest, three-four of those per workout), and that`ll sometimes leave me literally lying on the floor trying to breathe. Psychologically, I can`t go longer/easier on it lest those Sprint Intervals seem even worse than they already do when I go back to them. That`s just me...I have "not too awful" cardio and "pure torture, "just live through this..."" cardio with zero in-between, and the two are done on different machines. I just can`t "go easy now and then" lest getting back to "not easy" seem harder than it already does. Yeah, that was a challenge when recovering from surgery...

BUT...good on you for doing some more endurance-oriented work on yours! That upper-body involvement it provides benefits the arteries in those bodyparts in ways I`m not achieving

Ya`ll like foam rolling?

Never did anything like that, but I`m not needing it either. My wife, OTOH, does do it along with The Ball stuff and finds it helpful (she`s had *MAJOR* spinal surgery and will always have to go above/beyond to avoid issues). Hey, if it makes your life better then it`s great IMO. With any back issues it pays to not let `em get any worse.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- Hope I`m not bugging you, but I`m really curious about how you`re doing between the TRT and the new training regimen!

I`ve resigned myself to, sigh... doing longer Work intervals on the Stair...only way I can keep it demanding.

My biggest challenge remains balancing recovery from Leg Day with my Cardio. Even with just 7 Work Sets for upper + lower legs, I simply can`t go
cardio again for longer than I like.

I`m still not walking as much as Bill D, but I did get 3.81 miles in an hour the other day, with most of that at an incline (including 7 minutes as steep as it`ll get).

 

[Bill D]

I`m still not walking as much as Bill D, but I did get 3.81 miles in an hour the other day, with most of that at an incline (including 7 minutes as steep as it`ll get).

Well that’s still quite good! I walked yesterday. Today I take the day off from heavier walking although I did walk about 3 miles round trip this morning to go to the barber. Now I’m just on my “normal” work schedule. Time for lunch ....

 

[Accumulator]

Bill D- The older Beauceron`s mobility issues are really cramping my Normal Walking; other than the yardwork (which does equate to several hours of near constant deep-knee bends) I feel like I`m doing most of my low-demand work on the treadmill. Unlike with some people that`s OK by me, but it`s still weird to not be walking outdoors all the time.

I think it`s good that you can incorporate regular walking into your regular daily life. We simply must drive everywhere, and parking at the fringes of parking lots doesn`t really add much IMO.

 

[Accumulator]

I`m wrapping up Barry Sears` latest book The Resolution Zone, which of course makes a strong case for spending even more $ with him (yeah, *slight* cynicism there, and/but hey, what did I expect?!?). Good stuff in it per usual, BUT..

I suspect his late wife (gee, why`d she die at her age if benefiting as I`d expect from all his stuff?) was his copy-editor as this book simply *SCREAMS* for one...not just punctuation, but even subject/verb agreement and stuff like that. I [freakin`] hate it when such books are poorly written...and this is so bad it makes some sections hard to interpret precisely. Makes me wonder whether he really expects his readers to be Critical Thinkers as opposed to just letting him spoon-feed supposed knowledge.

 

[Accumulator]

Well [3.81mi/hour is] still quite good!

Two benefit of the Tread are that I can do so much at steep inclines (and pick my own declines) and I can walk at a pace that`d be pretty unnatural to do outdoors. I had to do a lot at 4.2mph to do that, and that`s awfully brisk.

I`ve started pumping my arms "Heavy Hands style" during parts of the highest inclines..well, as best I can with the low ceiling height in that room. Just doing it bare-handed, but it does add a little bit of effort. Might eventually add my wife`s actual HH at some point.

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- Hope I`m not bugging you, but I`m really curious about how you`re doing between the TRT and the new training regimen!

I`ve resigned myself to, sigh... doing longer Work intervals on the Stair...only way I can keep it demanding.

My biggest challenge remains balancing recovery from Leg Day with my Cardio. Even with just 7 Work Sets for upper + lower legs, I simply can`t go
cardio again for longer than I like.

I`m still not walking as much as Bill D, but I did get 3.81 miles in an hour the other day, with most of that at an incline (including 7 minutes as steep as it`ll get).

All is still going well. Most lifts are still progressing workout to workout- up to 450lbs for my sets of v squats, and 425 for my calf raises. Slow, slow, slow progress on bench and pull-ups.

Weight bottomed out at 186 about 9 days ago, but then I went out of town for a conference and just that couple days of eating dinners out- I managed to stay on plan for breakfast and lunch- put 10lbs on me. Granted, that was mostly water and glycogen and I’ve pissed about half of that 10lbs off in 5 days. I trained in the hotel gym while away, so at least gave those carbs somewhere to go.

Waist measurement is at 32.5”, wondering how much lower were gonna go.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- Wow, those are some poundages you`re doing on the squats/calf work!

I`m surprised that you put on 10lbs in *any* way over just a few days! I mean..I`ve just never had my weight go up by that much in my life, even with extended lay-off that included bed-rest/hospitalization/anything. Goes to show how different people can be (and it makes me count my lucky stars ).

Is the Benchpress, uhm...right for you? Just wondering as I basically don`t do barbell Benches at all, and don`t do much pressing movements period these days (no, my Pecs/etc. haven`t suffered any from that). I`m wondering if the slow progress is trying to tell you something.

Are you doing the Pullups with bodyweight or with additional? I`m only doing those maybe every third back workout these days, I think they just got...stale...for me. I actually get better Lat results doing single-arm Pulldowns, better ROM for one thing. In my case, the much lower weight that I use for those does me more good than the much heavier weight when I do weighted Pullups even though I`m good and strict (fine MMC and all) on the latter. Not that I plant to ever really quit doing Pullups though...(and I`m still doing the palms-up/supinated ones for Bis every time but those don`t hit my back).

Do you have an actual, concrete, goal for your waistline measurement, or just "as small as it`ll get"?

 

[Bill D]

I just got back from my annual physical. My weight and bloodwork are even better than last year! My doctor said my lungs were absolutely clear. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I like an occasional cigar though. Now, if I only I could get over this pesky eye infection permanently....

 

[BMWWW]

Does yours have the "drilled seat post" or the "continuously variable one" with no holes? I have the former, wish I had the latter. Oh, is yours white (like mine) or coppery-metallic like my dad`s (I simply love the latter)? What seat are you using for that long a ride on it? I`ve gone through a *scad* of different seats, finally found one that`s not unbearably uncomfortable.

Heh heh.."a quick 20-30.." and you mean *minutes* I do a quick *90 seconds* for the "working" part of my Airdyne cardio (20 seconds hard as I can, ten seconds rest, three-four of those per workout), and that`ll sometimes leave me literally lying on the floor trying to breathe. Psychologically, I can`t go longer/easier on it lest those Sprint Intervals seem even worse than they already do when I go back to them. That`s just me...I have "not too awful" cardio and "pure torture, "just live through this..."" cardio with zero in-between, and the two are done on different machines. I just can`t "go easy now and then" lest getting back to "not easy" seem harder than it already does. Yeah, that was a challenge when recovering from surgery...

BUT...good on you for doing some more endurance-oriented work on yours! That upper-body involvement it provides benefits the arteries in those bodyparts in ways I`m not achieving

Drilled seat as well, don`t really notice butt pain over the whole body pain from interval sprints.. 45s on, 45-120s off towards the end of the session. Ours is not white, but a rather dull brown/grey with metallic cage for the "airdyne" bits.

I`m ending my "deload months" this week, and back into lifting weights more than cardio. Not being sore from weights has been nice, but mentally, I have been craving the pain and suffering that is not found in swimming+sauna.

Just my luck, corona this and that has me second guessing my old routine at the local Goodlife gym.

At least with the pool, I feel better about salt water and chlorine(?) sanitizing... whatever.
Keep at it everyone!