The get fit, stay fit thread

[sugna]

On 20/01/2021 at 17:10, Stellaboz said:

On 20/01/2021 at 12:37, Bairnardo said:

Speaking of which, a boxing gym I attended briefly used to throw in a one minute push up into the warm up. It was murder. 30s down 30s up.

Another popular one that iv not tried out of fear is the "Bring Sally up" one.
 

38 seconds. Need a bit of work!

Just had a clip posted on a training WhatsApp group for Masters (auld punters) in a sport I do.

56yo doing a perfect press-up, 2 minutes down, 2 minutes up.

We have been invited to try to beat it; but I immediately replied, running the white flag up the mast. Sometimes you have to accept that you're out-classed.

Same lad is leading the 100 press-ups challenge in the same group: they have to be videoed, and the chest has to hit a towel that's no higher than a fist. You can stop as many times as you like. His time is 73s, rattling out the first 90 on the bounce.

I'd reiterate he's 56yo.

[D.A.F.C]

Looking for a bit of advice from experienced weight training folk.

Have been adding weight as per 5x5 and hit my first fail after around six weeks. Shoulder press, really struggling to do a proper lift with correct form.

Went from bar plus x2 10kg. 40kg up to 25kg per side. If I go back a couple of kg to 22 or so it’s a struggle but form is good.

Question is how do I deal with this and how long should I plateau for? Perhaps add smallest weight per session? 
bench, squat, rows and deadlift all ok

[super_carson]

4 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

Looking for a bit of advice from experienced weight training folk.

Have been adding weight as per 5x5 and hit my first fail after around six weeks. Shoulder press, really struggling to do a proper lift with correct form.

Went from bar plus x2 10kg. 40kg up to 25kg per side. If I go back a couple of kg to 22 or so it’s a struggle but form is good.

Question is how do I deal with this and how long should I plateau for? Perhaps add smallest weight per session? 
bench, squat, rows and deadlift all ok

So I’d always say there a couple things to remember.  First of all, make sure you take a rest/de-load week.  When you are weight training, whether that be for strength or hypertrophy, you are essentially damaging the muscle so that it can grow back bigger or stronger.  If you see trying to push through week on week, you might need a small recovery week to let the muscles develop.  

Secondly, make sure you get some good nutrition in you.  Plenty of protein to aid recovery, and creatine is probably the only other supplement that makes a significant difference (certainly based on my experience in sport, anyway).  Good hydration and sleep will also help boost performance. 

Finally, and I think this is where a lot of people maybe concentrate too much, the weight on your bar is not the only indication of progress.  You may lift the same weight but do more reps, move the bar with more speed/power, reduce the rest period, add in isometric and eccentric variations etc.  The weight on the bar is not the be all and end all for success.  
 

 

[Ron Aldo]

Looking for a bit of advice from experienced weight training folk.
Have been adding weight as per 5x5 and hit my first fail after around six weeks. Shoulder press, really struggling to do a proper lift with correct form.
Went from bar plus x2 10kg. 40kg up to 25kg per side. If I go back a couple of kg to 22 or so it’s a struggle but form is good.
Question is how do I deal with this and how long should I plateau for? Perhaps add smallest weight per session? 
bench, squat, rows and deadlift all ok

Have you tried cluster sets?

Basically stick with the weight you're doing just now but do 1-2 reps and rack the bar for anywhere from 10-30 secs. Then do another 1-2 reps. Keep doing that until you hit 5 reps and thats 1 set.

Hopefully that makes sense. The idea is the short rest let's you get the reps in without sacrificing form or hitting failure. You should eventually be able to build up to hitting all 5 reps in one go.

[super_carson]

10 hours ago, ICTChris said:

Don't think I'll give up the gym membership just yet, although I'm a member of Xercise4Less so it's about £15 a month, which is nothing really.

I used to use the one at Wester Hailles, there was a good crowd of folk in the morning but the equipment was quite what I was looking for any more.  My other half didn’t enjoy the place in the evenings, thought it was a bit testosterone fuelled/creepy.  We went to Nuffield for a bit due to a friend being a manager but ended up down at Lift.  More expensive but a great range of weight lifting equipment, if you can get past the cross fitters.  
 

I’m hoping gyms reopen sooner rather than later.  I’m clinging to the hope that given they were open into tier 3 that they’ll reopen earlier than last time.  Certainly speaking to some gym owners I knew, there weren’t huge numbers of cases happening in gyms.  My dining room floor can only take so much punishment...

[D.A.F.C]

5 minutes ago, super_carson said:

So I’d always say there a couple things to remember.  First of all, make sure you take a rest/de-load week.  When you are weight training, whether that be for strength or hypertrophy, you are essentially damaging the muscle so that it can grow back bigger or stronger.  If you see trying to push through week on week, you might need a small recovery week to let the muscles develop.  

Secondly, make sure you get some good nutrition in you.  Plenty of protein to aid recovery, and creatine is probably the only other supplement that makes a significant difference (certainly based on my experience in sport, anyway).  Good hydration and sleep will also help boost performance. 

Finally, and I think this is where a lot of people maybe concentrate too much, the weight on your bar is not the only indication of progress.  You may lift the same weight but do more reps, move the bar with more speed/power, reduce the rest period, add in isometric and eccentric variations etc.  The weight on the bar is not the be all and end all for success.  
 

 

Good advice, I knew my form was off and don’t want to get into ego lifting. Nutrition, maybe I need to start eating a bit more? I use bcca and whey as supplements. Still have an old tub of creatine to try. 

3 minutes ago, Ron Aldo said:

Have you tried cluster sets?

Basically stick with the weight you're doing just now but do 1-2 reps and rack the bar for anywhere from 10-30 secs. Then do another 1-2 reps. Keep doing that until you hit 5 reps and thats 1 set.

Hopefully that makes sense. The idea is the short rest let's you get the reps in without sacrificing form or hitting failure. You should eventually be able to build up to hitting all 5 reps in one go.

Will definitely try that, sounds like a simple tweak. Thanks.

[ICTChris]

Looking for a bit of advice from experienced weight training folk.
Have been adding weight as per 5x5 and hit my first fail after around six weeks. Shoulder press, really struggling to do a proper lift with correct form.
Went from bar plus x2 10kg. 40kg up to 25kg per side. If I go back a couple of kg to 22 or so it’s a struggle but form is good.
Question is how do I deal with this and how long should I plateau for? Perhaps add smallest weight per session? 
bench, squat, rows and deadlift all ok

The press is the hardest exercise in 5x5. You are using the smallest group of muscles in the programme, it’s got s relatively strict range of motion. When I did the Stronglifts app it was the first one I had failures on and is now the lift I still get most failed reps on, although I don’t do a strict 5x5 programme.

There isn’t really a solution as such. If you need to drop back in weight then do that. If you need to go up in smaller increments then do that. If I recall correctly the 5x5 programme goes up 2.5kg per exercise and you do three a week, alternating between two different workouts, one of which contains the press. So if you’ve been doing it six weeks you should have done 18 workouts in total, nine of which have included the press. Going by these numbers you are maybe upping the weight too quickly. If you started at 20kg for the first workout then you should be at 42.5kg after six weeks not 50kg.

There’s also a balance between form and progression. You need to maintain proper form but not at the expense of going up in weight, safely. No point being able to perfectly press an empty bar.

[D.A.F.C]

29 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

 

The press is the hardest exercise in 5x5. You are using the smallest group of muscles in the programme, it’s got s relatively strict range of motion. When I did the Stronglifts app it was the first one I had failures on and is now the lift I still get most failed reps on, although I don’t do a strict 5x5 programme.

There isn’t really a solution as such. If you need to drop back in weight then do that. If you need to go up in smaller increments then do that. If I recall correctly the 5x5 programme goes up 2.5kg per exercise and you do three a week, alternating between two different workouts, one of which contains the press. So if you’ve been doing it six weeks you should have done 18 workouts in total, nine of which have included the press. Going by these numbers you are maybe upping the weight too quickly. If you started at 20kg for the first workout then you should be at 42.5kg after six weeks not 50kg.

There’s also a balance between form and progression. You need to maintain proper form but not at the expense of going up in weight, safely. No point being able to perfectly press an empty bar.

 

Heres screenshot of it showing the de-load from last time.

I guessed the numbers and its been a month, thought it was longer. I know in the bench I added more weight because I felt it started too light. I think I followed the sp as per 5x5.

Thanks for the advice.

[ICTChris]

2 hours ago, Xander Green said:

Wouldn't doing more reps be more effective for losing weight?

As always I’d have to defer to people who know more than me, of whom there are many in this thread and elsewhere but IMO 

It depends. Lifting heavier weights will build more muscle which will help with body composition and losing fat, if not necessarily weight. It will also burn more calories.

Really though, if you want to lose weight then high levels of light rep weight lifting probably isn’t a very effective way to do it.  You will need to get into a calorific deficit and activities like steady state cardio or HIIT will be more effective. 

[Guest bernardblack]

I’ve just shovelled the snow from the drive and path. Feels like I’ve done CrossFit 

[Erih Shtrep]

I've been step counting since the start of Jan raging from 10,000 on a poor day to 30,000 if I go two long walks.   

I was thinking about trying to set a challenge of 100,000 steps in a 24 hour period.   There's a few Youtube videos of folk trying to get to 100,000 in a 24 hour period.  

[D.A.F.C]

7 hours ago, bernardblack said:

I’ve just shovelled the snow from the drive and path. Feels like I’ve done CrossFit 

I nearly signed up for CrossFit but it seems like an expensive way to injure yourself tbh.

Lifting heavy weights after a run or losing all strength through exertion?  Nope.

[G51]

Me and the wife are looking at getting bikes, partly to get a bit fitter, partly to get us out the house more when the weather eventually turns nice.

Thing is, I'm a complete idiot and I didn't realise there were so many different kinds of bikes - road, mountain, some other fucking categories - it's mad.

Experienced bicyclists of P&B, what type of bike would you recommend for someone living near a big city and will likely use the bike for a mixture of roads and gravel paths? Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Boostin' Kev]

A hybrid.

[Dons_1988]

9 minutes ago, G51 said:

Me and the wife are looking at getting bikes, partly to get a bit fitter, partly to get us out the house more when the weather eventually turns nice.

Thing is, I'm a complete idiot and I didn't realise there were so many different kinds of bikes - road, mountain, some other fucking categories - it's mad.

Experienced bicyclists of P&B, what type of bike would you recommend for someone living near a big city and will likely use the bike for a mixture of roads and gravel paths? Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.

My advice is don't cycle on the pavement when I'm out running and don't cycle like a c**t on the road when I'm driving and you'll be just fine.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Dons_1988

[G51]

4 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

My advice is don't cycle on the pavement when I'm out running and don't cycle like a c**t on the road when I'm driving and you'll be just fine.

You wouldn't have the guts to run me over.

[Dons_1988]

1 minute ago, G51 said:

You wouldn't have the guts to run me over.

Maybe not but I'm perfectly comfortable with clipping your handlebars and sending you into a ditch.

[G51]

3 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Maybe not but I'm perfectly comfortable with clipping your handlebars and sending you into a ditch.

They still have open ditches in Aberdeen? Surely Chevron, Shell, TAQA and all the lads have sorted that by now.

[Aufc]

As always I’d have to defer to people who know more than me, of whom there are many in this thread and elsewhere but IMO 
It depends. Lifting heavier weights will build more muscle which will help with body composition and losing fat, if not necessarily weight. It will also burn more calories.
Really though, if you want to lose weight then high levels of light rep weight lifting probably isn’t a very effective way to do it.  You will need to get into a calorific deficit and activities like steady state cardio or HIIT will be more effective. 

High levels of light rep weight lifting is effective if done as part of a HIIT workout whereby you are essentially working out constantly for 30-40 minutes.

For anything other, you should use progressive overload. This can either be from more weight or more reps at same weight

*disclaimer - this is just my personal view. Could be shit*

[Shandon Par]

36 minutes ago, G51 said:

Me and the wife are looking at getting bikes, partly to get a bit fitter, partly to get us out the house more when the weather eventually turns nice.

Thing is, I'm a complete idiot and I didn't realise there were so many different kinds of bikes - road, mountain, some other fucking categories - it's mad.

Experienced bicyclists of P&B, what type of bike would you recommend for someone living near a big city and will likely use the bike for a mixture of roads and gravel paths? Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.

If you’re both quite sporty then a hybrid/cross but if you’re just taking steps to go from doing not much to doing something, then mountain bikes might be better. More relaxed riding positions and cope with any conditions/terrain. An experienced cyclist will feel frustrated in towns on a mountain bike as not fast enough but if you’ve nothing to compare it to it’s still a good buzz.

And I know not everyone is made of money but don’t go too cheap either as that can spoil (too heavy) your fun. A proper bike shop will likely have entry level mountain bikes for maybe £400ish?

Edited February 12, 2021 by Shandön Par