2020 Health & Fitness Thread

[Accumulator]

Re: 2020 Health & Fitness Thread

My grandfather, whom I never knew,died of a similar situation at 58 so yeah, better get serious. The younger the better.

My Paternal Grand was a little bit older, but he went young of a heartattack too; playing handball one minute, Game Over the next. Eh, at least it was nice and quick...My father could`ve lived a long, *long* time had he only eaten right and exercised better, but at least he did *something* and lived decades longer. I gotta give him some credit there, he`s the only octogenarian I`ve known IRL who did *any* cardio/RT at all on a regular basis.

 

[Accumulator]

Dental Health:

Flossing:

Recent Conventional Wisdom (oughta put in scare-quotes ) is that flossing is utterly over-rated and not beneficial.

BUT...

When my wife switched to a different floss the Dental Tech could tell right away, and asked her about it out of concern it could be a problem.

I figure most people just don`t floss correctly, with the right kind of floss, hence the "it doesn`t matter" results.

I use a WaterPick and Listerine Gum Care floss and the various little between-teeth brushes.

Brushing:

Oral B electric with their Precision Clean heads. The two-minute cycles are a good time to practice standing on one leg.

Other:

Mouthwash: TopCare Tarter Control Plus (or pricey Listerine equivalent) and Lavoris. For some reason those work *infinitely* better for me than any others I`ve tried.

Plus, I scrape (copper thing) and brush (soft bristle toothbrush) my tongue whenever I brush.

Yeah, it takes a little time, but the alternative isn`t right for me.

 

[Bill D]

I use an Oral B electric brush and Reach manual brushes. I also use Oral B floss since that’s the kind my dental office uses on me. For mouth wash, I need something with fluoride, so I go with ACT. Usually the one for dry mouth since it also contain xylitol.

 

[Accumulator]

I use an Oral B electric brush and Reach manual brushes. I also use Oral B floss since that’s the kind my dental office uses on me...

I *think* that`s the brand my dentist uses/gives out too (I give it to my pal Hakoum, who gives it to the homeless).

For mouth wash, I need something with fluoride, so I go with ACT. Usually the one for dry mouth since it also contain xylitol.

Yeah, that need for fluoride makes the ACT perfect.

There was *some* mouthwash that my dentist cautioned against...can`t remember what it was, some version of Crest perhaps..man, he acted like that stuff`s the Devil.

 

[Bill D]

I will ask about that when I see my dentist. He’s the one who warned about bottled water and acidity.

 

[JustJesus]

Jan 03, 2019 - 186.5 lbs
Jan 03, 2020 - 172.5 lbs

Ending January 2019 with a low of 168 lbs. Easy does it.

Congrats, Jesus on your results !!! You did great !!! I am proud of you !!
Dan F

Thanks, Dan!

JustJesus- Hey, that`s progress all right!

IMO there`s *ZERO* chance that you`re gonna end up looking sickly, especially if you focus on losing *bodyfat* (as opposed to "weight") while also working on building muscle.

I forget..how tall are you? IIRC you`re a little shorter than I am at 5` 9", and at 165 I look lean and muscular (that`s right around the weight I always gravitate to, not that I ever step on a scale outside the Dr. office).

Slow progress, but progress. I`m actually quite alright with the current rate. Seems to be easier to keep the weight off that way. At my highest weight, I was 196.

Your recollection is right, Accumulator! I`m 5` 6" - So at 165, I won`t look lean yet, but better. I`ll shoot for 155-158, and start adding more muscle building to the agenda.

 

[Accumulator]

JustJesus- That`s very good progress!

Good on you for going slow on the weight loss, IMO that`s the best way and the most likely to work long-term.

Note that adding muscle will help decease fat, sometime dramatically. Metabolic rate is directly related to how much muscle you have. Point being I wouldn`t wait to add the muscle building.

 

[Accumulator]

Well, I *almost* did a Bill D-level walk this morning on the Tread Went an hour (up/down inclines) at speeds ranging from 3.2-4.0mph (calves too sore from Monday to go faster), and/but even with ~16min. at that 4.0 I only got 3.69miles. Pleasant enough, and pretty crappy, self-improvement-themed) videotape I was watching.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- Have you started the new Training Program yet?

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- Have you started the new Training Program yet?

started with Menno yesterday. First 3 workouts are test sessions to evaluate and establish baselines for max strength and work capacity. Last of those sessions is tomorrow, then a day or two off and then I should have the actual program built from the test session results. I’m really sore from the first two sessions.

What I can tell you so far is it will be full body lifting 5 days per week with no cardio. Initial goal is fat loss/recomposition. He set my calories at 2500 on training days, and about 1600 on non training days with a protein sparing modified fast approach on those two days- high protein, lots of veggies to stay full and a minimal amount of fats and carbs(the weeks deficit for fat loss is primarily achieved on these two days).

Im already really impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. He started with a 35 page pdf document covering the basics of the program- nutrition, food choices, when to eat, training objectives, notes on each individual exercise in the test sessions, personal health issues(such as my back injury and trt), as well as supplements(which he advocates very little).

The workouts are all tracked on a google docs spreadsheet, so he can see the results of each workout. I’ll also be sending him my food logs from mynetdiary.com for his review. Diet I feel like I have very under control, but we’ll see what he says. He’s optimized my trt protocol(and simplified it), and this is something I didn’t realize he was very into as I’ve never heard him discuss it in any interview or write anything about it in his articles. My initial impression is that the dude really is class of the industry. He’s expensive, but there’s guys I know of that cost more and I can guarantee they’re not this detailed, this personalized and professional and even 1/10th as well backed up with scientific data.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- It sure sounds like he`s giving you something for your $! I`ll be interested to hear how it goes for you, hope it gets things sorted out....IMO you`ve been dissatisfied with your results for an awfully long time and I`m hoping that`s about to change.

Predictably, I`m really scratching my head about how that level of frequency will work, and about the lack of cardio, but if it works for *you* that`s what counts!

Has the TRT made any discernible diffs yet?

 

[Accumulator]

Topics that`ve piqued my interest lately:

- The whole "Hybrid Muscle Fibers" thing...which really complicates the Fast/Slow-twitch subject
- The discoveries regarding Mitochondrial Activity being primarily related to slow-twitch fibers

I suspect the above factor into how a (very limited) degree of spot-reduction is indeed possible, and I`ve changed my ab/core work accordingly (doing far more, and more frequent, high-rep work) with good results. Much less pleasant though, I`m just not an Endurance guy and doing any one thing for ages on end is a real drag for me. But hey, I don`t have to like it, I just have to do it.

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- It sure sounds like he`s giving you something for your $! I`ll be interested to hear how it goes for you, hope it gets things sorted out....IMO you`ve been dissatisfied with your results for an awfully long time and I`m hoping that`s about to change.

Predictably, I`m really scratching my head about how that level of frequency will work, and about the lack of cardio, but if it works for *you* that`s what counts!

Has the TRT made any discernible diffs yet?

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.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- So glad to hear that! You`re off to a good start this year, huh?!?

Do you target the Serratus directly? I don`t as they`re somehow great without it...kinda surprising since I don`t do pull-overs. Guess the straight-arm press downs work `em OK.

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- So glad to hear that! You`re off to a good start this year, huh?!?

Do you target the Serratus directly? I don`t as they`re somehow great without it...kinda surprising since I don`t do pull-overs. Guess the straight-arm press downs work `em OK.

No, i dont. And i do very little core work in general. A set or two after each workout. Though I dont think Menno will have me doing any at all, as I know he doesnt do any ab training whatsoever in his own training.

 

[Accumulator]

jrock645- Huh, again..that`s interesting to me even if it wouldn`t work *for* me.

I`ve changed up my Ab/Core routine and I`m *VERY* glad I did. What I "was sure wouldn`t work well for me" is actually working great although it took nearly 6 months for me to be able to determine that. Heh heh, I`m deliberately not thinking about whether I was off-track for the last 40-some years

..he doesnt do any ab training whatsoever in his own training.

Huh, how does he keep his Core well-developed if he doesn`t work it? I can`t get *anything* beyond a basic six-pack without really working at it, and my lower back is *infinitely* more resistant to strain now compared to a year ago (I never even thought I had any shortcoming there, although it landed me in the hospital back in the `90s, until I achieved a much stronger core and found myself doing stuff I`d thought "people probably shouldn`t do anyhow").

Maybe it`s more of my "old guy" concerns..the idea that as we get older our innards start to move downward/outward unless the various Core muscles (esp. the Transversus...?sp?) are kept very strong. That and the way I can`t see the lower two parts of my Abs (a "eight or ten-pack") unless I really isolate `em and do more reps that I ever expected to do. I could get lean enough to see vascularity there, but I couldn`t actually see all the muscles (or flex them at will) before. Not that I can see them all that clearly now, but I`m sure getting better

 

[jrock645]

jrock645- Huh, again..that`s interesting to me even if it wouldn`t work *for* me.

I`ve changed up my Ab/Core routine and I`m *VERY* glad I did. What I "was sure wouldn`t work well for me" is actually working great although it took nearly 6 months for me to be able to determine that. Heh heh, I`m deliberately not thinking about whether I was off-track for the last 40-some years



Huh, how does he keep his Core well-developed if he doesn`t work it? I can`t get *anything* beyond a basic six-pack without really working at it, and my lower back is *infinitely* more resistant to strain now compared to a year ago (I never even thought I had any shortcoming there, although it landed me in the hospital back in the `90s, until I achieved a much stronger core and found myself doing stuff I`d thought "people probably shouldn`t do anyhow").

Maybe it`s more of my "old guy" concerns..the idea that as we get older our innards start to move downward/outward unless the various Core muscles (esp. the Transversus...?sp?) are kept very strong. That and the way I can`t see the lower two parts of my Abs (a "eight or ten-pack") unless I really isolate `em and do more reps that I ever expected to do. I could get lean enough to see vascularity there, but I couldn`t actually see all the muscles (or flex them at will) before. Not that I can see them all that clearly now, but I`m sure getting better

There’s more of these guys than you realize that don’t do cardio or ab work. Even the HIT guys like Mentzer, Baye and Reinhardt are all anti cardio. And they’re not big on ab work, with baye in particular saying it’s not necessary at all. Key is heavy compound movements. Pull-ups, squats, etc all work your core intensely when done with heavy weight.

My weight has dropped every day this week and I’ve looked leaner each day. Not bad for just getting started. Just got skinfold calipers, ready to see how this unfolds.

 

[Accumulator]

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.

 

[Accumulator]

I want to see how people giving Fitness Advice are when they get the age of, say...Clarence Bass (not that I think he walks on water either). Once you get to a certain age, you can`t get away with not doing the right stuff in sustainable ways. People who stay in-shape all the time forever, while spending their lives doing stuff other than exercising, are pretty rare but IMO that`s what it`s all about.

 

[Accumulator]

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