Fitness Catch-All

Heretk wrote:

Ditched the gym membership for a home gym stocked with kettlebells and full set of DDP yoga videos. About a month into it and definitely see an improvement in my conditioning.

Doing simple and sinister as the kettlebell program. Minor elbow pain has set in but hopefully that will improve as grip strength goes up. Also started daily mobility work on forearms which has helped.

If you like KBs, check out the 10k KB Challenge on t-nation. You'd have to sub something for the barbell movements but some friends and I had a great time with it a few years ago. I'm due for another round.

SallyNasty wrote:
boogle wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

2 days into whole30. This is gonna be tough.

Elimination diets are dumb my man.

Agree but marriage is fun and my wife is very keen on this so I will give it a go because a). A happy wife is a happy life and 2). I could do with drying out after holiday frivolities.

My wife did this last year as well. Mostly due to the fact that it is easier to support her and not buy my own separate groceries it was fine. A fun adventure and you're not worse the wear. Good luck hope you both have a good experience.

I also am on semi dry mode. Maybe some weekend drinks but just too much recently.

mindset.threat wrote:
Heretk wrote:

Ditched the gym membership for a home gym stocked with kettlebells and full set of DDP yoga videos. About a month into it and definitely see an improvement in my conditioning.

Doing simple and sinister as the kettlebell program. Minor elbow pain has set in but hopefully that will improve as grip strength goes up. Also started daily mobility work on forearms which has helped.

If you like KBs, check out the 10k KB Challenge on t-nation. You'd have to sub something for the barbell movements but some friends and I had a great time with it a few years ago. I'm due for another round.

I did that a few years ago. It's a good way to get in a LOT of swings but swings alone aren't full body. You'll have to supplement it with other KB stuff.

EvilHomer3k wrote:
mindset.threat wrote:
Heretk wrote:

Ditched the gym membership for a home gym stocked with kettlebells and full set of DDP yoga videos. About a month into it and definitely see an improvement in my conditioning.

Doing simple and sinister as the kettlebell program. Minor elbow pain has set in but hopefully that will improve as grip strength goes up. Also started daily mobility work on forearms which has helped.

If you like KBs, check out the 10k KB Challenge on t-nation. You'd have to sub something for the barbell movements but some friends and I had a great time with it a few years ago. I'm due for another round.

I did that a few years ago. It's a good way to get in a LOT of swings but swings alone aren't full body. You'll have to supplement it with other KB stuff.

Simple and sinister is a kb program consisting of swings and get ups. Once you can do 100 swings in 5 minutes and 10 get ups in 10 minutes, you move up in weight. Am familiar with the 10K challenge but don't feel ready for it quite yet.

The only thing I will miss from the old gym is barbell squats. Doing goblet squats now but it doesn't feel as good.

Hobear wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:
boogle wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

2 days into whole30. This is gonna be tough.

Elimination diets are dumb my man.

Agree but marriage is fun and my wife is very keen on this so I will give it a go because a). A happy wife is a happy life and 2). I could do with drying out after holiday frivolities.

My wife did this last year as well. Mostly due to the fact that it is easier to support her and not buy my own separate groceries it was fine. A fun adventure and you're not worse the wear. Good luck hope you both have a good experience.

I also am on semi dry mode. Maybe some weekend drinks but just too much recently.

I don't remember the last time I had alcohol. I'm not against it morally or anything. It's just that it triggers my gout and having severe, blinding pain for days after you have a drink does wonders for making you not want any more.

I read whole30 as well. It doesn't seem particularly hard or extreme. You eat salads and meat for 30 days. Seems very reasonable. Chicken pork adobo is in. Grilled pork chops are in. Steak is in. I can have that for 30 days, TYVM. And sashimi. Sashimi every day. That's a good plan in my book.

Hobear wrote:
mindset.threat wrote:

I strongly recommend against falling into the "bulking" / "cutting" cycle. Eat intelligently and according to your goals so you'll have no reason to cycle.

Grab a couple kettlebells, a pull up bar and multiple stretch cords. Should be able to cover a full body workout with those.

What they said. Be smart, go at an appropriate pace. Just finished a great 8 week whole body daily workout program through Fitness Blender. HIIT, Strength, Cardio, Yoga work the whole body. I am like you always been fit and my lifestyle caught up with me. Gained a belly from being less active and now fixing that. Starting round 2 of the program now, happy with the overall results and glad to be past the holiday feast, I was quite sick of them by the end.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your weekly routine like balancing HIIT, weights, cardio and yoga? Was it difficult to manage, time-wise?

g_Rm wrote:
Hobear wrote:
mindset.threat wrote:

I strongly recommend against falling into the "bulking" / "cutting" cycle. Eat intelligently and according to your goals so you'll have no reason to cycle.

Grab a couple kettlebells, a pull up bar and multiple stretch cords. Should be able to cover a full body workout with those.

What they said. Be smart, go at an appropriate pace. Just finished a great 8 week whole body daily workout program through Fitness Blender. HIIT, Strength, Cardio, Yoga work the whole body. I am like you always been fit and my lifestyle caught up with me. Gained a belly from being less active and now fixing that. Starting round 2 of the program now, happy with the overall results and glad to be past the holiday feast, I was quite sick of them by the end.

If you don't mind me asking, what was your weekly routine like balancing HIIT, weights, cardio and yoga? Was it difficult to manage, time-wise?

So the program rotates through each area of listed and some more. I really like it as it is a 30 minute a day program that includes warm up and cool downs. Usually $15 and once you own it you can do it anytime. Also all their videos are on YouTube for free buying the program just puts it in a calendar and makes it organized.

For our busy life it is great and challenging. Check out their website and you can sort videos and free week long programs to give it a try. The are no bullsh*t and we really like them.

LarryC wrote:
Hobear wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:
boogle wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

2 days into whole30. This is gonna be tough.

Elimination diets are dumb my man.

Agree but marriage is fun and my wife is very keen on this so I will give it a go because a). A happy wife is a happy life and 2). I could do with drying out after holiday frivolities.

My wife did this last year as well. Mostly due to the fact that it is easier to support her and not buy my own separate groceries it was fine. A fun adventure and you're not worse the wear. Good luck hope you both have a good experience.

I also am on semi dry mode. Maybe some weekend drinks but just too much recently.

I don't remember the last time I had alcohol. I'm not against it morally or anything. It's just that it triggers my gout and having severe, blinding pain for days after you have a drink does wonders for making you not want any more.

I read whole30 as well. It doesn't seem particularly hard or extreme. You eat salads and meat for 30 days. Seems very reasonable. Chicken pork adobo is in. Grilled pork chops are in. Steak is in. I can have that for 30 days, TYVM. And sashimi. Sashimi every day. That's a good plan in my book.

Whelp, there is always someone who tells you what you find difficult is actually easy...

For me, the alcohol socially is a hard one to give up - I work in exports, ha. The harder part is the no added sugar and avoiding rice and beans. And cheese. Oof.

I have been having horrendous pain in the bottom of my feet while exercising but only when I am doing a lot of movement with like jumping, high knees, etc. The moment I stop it settles down even if I am doing a slight jogging motion it doesn't bother it. We have a warm up and don't just jump into the program also my wife doesn't experience similar pain(lucky). I use shoes and sometimes shoes on a yoga mat as well.

I also noted when snowboarding over the weekend I had similar irritation while tow edging across large sections of hill. The heat/pain/irritation goes from toes down to heel across the whole foot. From reading it sounds like I just need better foot support. I have pretty high arches. Any other suggestions? No pain after resting which would indicate Plantar Fasciitis.

I also work at home and may just wear the athletic shoes all day for more support.

Any recommendations beyond this? Heat and cool through the day? Tennis Ball stretching?

My recommendation is to go see a podiatrist.

SallyNasty wrote:

Whelp, there is always someone who tells you what you find difficult is actually easy...

For me, the alcohol socially is a hard one to give up - I work in exports, ha. The harder part is the no added sugar and avoiding rice and beans. And cheese. Oof.

Well, we all have different circumstances and what we find easy or hard depends on that. My body inflict pain upon me every time I drink alcohol, so I'm not drinking any of that stuff, even socially. Anyone who disagrees can convince me to drink provided I can hammer their feet with a mallet - just a couple times.

But my real point there is that the diet is no special thing. I can achieve it relatively easily, and I'm neither extremely fit nor slim by any stretch of the imagination. It's telling you not to look at your weight because there's a pretty fair chance it won't affect your weight at all. But cutting sugar is good, regardless.

Any GWJers using any apps to give each other kudos on workouts or stuff like that?

jrralls wrote:

Any GWJers using any apps to give each other kudos on workouts or stuff like that?

There was a gang of us on Fitocracy a couple years ago, but they seem to have mostly moved on. I still use it, more as a database of historical data than for any of the social features.

jrralls wrote:

Any GWJers using any apps to give each other kudos on workouts or stuff like that?

TrainHeroic allows for this but I'm not sure if you have to follow a supported program to gain access to the app. Good question though.

Jonman wrote:
jrralls wrote:

Any GWJers using any apps to give each other kudos on workouts or stuff like that?

There was a gang of us on Fitocracy a couple years ago, but they seem to have mostly moved on. I still use it, more as a database of historical data than for any of the social features.

I returned there towards the end of last year, but it's not very active in general. Also the scoring is very tilted towards heavy lifting, rather than flexibility or endurance. Hence I'm currently looking for a new option.

Here's what I'm after:
1. Upload route/HR from GPS watch or phone.
2. Track strength work.
3. Track flexibility & PT exercises.
4. Wide range of redefined strength/flexibility/PT exercises.
5. iOS & Android.
6. Free, though I don't mind unobtrusive ads.
Social stuff, quests, gamification is nice-to-have on top of the essentials.

AFAIK most apps fall into either the endurance or lifting world...
Fitocracy - Fails for #1 & #2.
Trainheroic - Looks like pay only?
Strava - Doesn't care about anything that's not GPSified.

Any suggestions?

Thoughts on ketogenic dieting?

For the past year and a half or so I've been following a program that called for carb loading on my heavy days (Monday and Thursday) and a more balanced diet the rest of the week. It works...strength increased in all my lifts and I managed to put on more muscle. But around Thanksgiving of last year I ran into some stomach issues and started inadvertently experimenting with a drastically reduced carb intake as a result. So far I feel much better without all the carbs but feel a bit weaker during workouts.

The feeling of weakness is probably because you're not stockpiling enough glycogen in your muscles and that's to be expected from a low carb diet. You're a diesel engine running on fat. Not so spiky in power, but goes a long way. As far as I know, there's no finding or study saying that your glucose metabolism responds to ketogenic dieting, so it's always there waiting for a kick. If you're prepping for a race, you can carb load a couple days before and expect more power during your critical period.

Doubled up for strongest post!

Jonman wrote:
jrralls wrote:

Any GWJers using any apps to give each other kudos on workouts or stuff like that?

There was a gang of us on Fitocracy a couple years ago, but they seem to have mostly moved on. I still use it, more as a database of historical data than for any of the social features.

I was part of that group. I'd have still been on there, except they really broke the mobile browser tracking, and the mobile app never worked well either. I sent several unanswered emails to support or features, or something, and then moved on. I remember Jonman and I definitely remember Homer in there, too.

If you are looking for lifting tracking, please give http://weightxreps.net a look. Not for the social, but for the stats I like it a lot. Simple. Good lifting stats, including historic, INOL, individual lift records, etc.

I use a couple other sites for programming and for progress graphs, but spend most of my time trying to remember it is weight x reps, not weight x sets.

My favorite dumbbells the power block 24 lb adjustable down to 3 lbs are on sale for $100 on Amazon. Down $50

So I just realized I may have bit off more than I can chew. My son is taking snowboarding lessons and I decided to take adult lessons so we can go together. Now I’m panicked that I’m not in good enough shape. If I can do moderate level intensity exercise, will I be ok?

jdzappa wrote:

So I just realized I may have bit off more than I can chew. My son is taking snowboarding lessons and I decided to take adult lessons so we can go together. Now I’m panicked that I’m not in good enough shape. If I can do moderate level intensity exercise, will I be ok?

In the big picture, yeah, you'll be fine.

Snowboarding is mostly a go-at-your-own-pace sport. Getting out of breath? Stop, sit down and take a breather. If you can do moderate level intensity exercise, you'll be fine.

Honestly, I'd be more worried about doing yourself a mischief falling over than being able to keep up. Because, believe me, you're going to be doing a lot of falling over. Over my first few years snowboarding, I acquired more and more armor - first a helmet (after a nasty fall on an icy hill where I whacked my head), then knee-pads, and finally wrist guards (which also serve the dual function of keeping my hands warm). Helmet should be mandatory, and I suggest the wrist-guards, as you're going to be catching yourself on your hands when you fall a bunch as a newbie.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking to improve flexibility more than cardio fitness. Get thee to a yoga class. Can personally recommend Yoga With Adrienne on youtube- it's not serious enough for knit-your-own-granola yogis, but perfect for regular folk looking to improve flexibility.

Jonman wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

So I just realized I may have bit off more than I can chew. My son is taking snowboarding lessons and I decided to take adult lessons so we can go together. Now I’m panicked that I’m not in good enough shape. If I can do moderate level intensity exercise, will I be ok?

In the big picture, yeah, you'll be fine.

Snowboarding is mostly a go-at-your-own-pace sport. Getting out of breath? Stop, sit down and take a breather. If you can do moderate level intensity exercise, you'll be fine.

Honestly, I'd be more worried about doing yourself a mischief falling over than being able to keep up. Because, believe me, you're going to be doing a lot of falling over. Over my first few years snowboarding, I acquired more and more armor - first a helmet (after a nasty fall on an icy hill where I whacked my head), then knee-pads, and finally wrist guards (which also serve the dual function of keeping my hands warm). Helmet should be mandatory, and I suggest the wrist-guards, as you're going to be catching yourself on your hands when you fall a bunch as a newbie.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking to improve flexibility more than cardio fitness. Get thee to a yoga class. Can personally recommend Yoga With Adrienne on youtube- it's not serious enough for knit-your-own-granola yogis, but perfect for regular folk looking to improve flexibility.

As someone else who's taken up snowboarding a bit later in life, I highly recommend Jonman's suggestions for padding. In addition, I have a pair of padded hockey shorts which have hip/tailbone protection that I'm quite happy I use.

jdzappa wrote:

So I just realized I may have bit off more than I can chew. My son is taking snowboarding lessons and I decided to take adult lessons so we can go together. Now I’m panicked that I’m not in good enough shape. If I can do moderate level intensity exercise, will I be ok?

I agree with Jonman. You should be fine it is a sport you will take your time as you learn. Good on you for taking lessons! You'll be doing a lot of pushing up and rolling around. Get the helmet, just do it, save yourself agony I suffered years before. Definitely get knee pads if you will be doing anything on ice, here in MN the hills get packed down quick so they are a must. Also, ask how to fall so you don't break your wrists, you kinda tuck up and roll with the fall. I am sure they will cover it. Good luck and welcome to the rabbit hole that is snowboarding!

Cool - thanks guys. I’ve been doing Tae Kwan Do the past year so I think I’m decent on flexibility (we will find out I guess). Final question - I still have time to switch to skiing. Do you think that might be easier?

jdzappa wrote:

Cool - thanks guys. I’ve been doing Tae Kwan Do the past year so I think I’m decent on flexibility (we will find out I guess). Final question - I still have time to switch to skiing. Do you think that might be easier?

Caveat: I've never skied, but my understanding is that the learning curve on skis is less steep, but much longer.

My experience of learning to snowboard (in my mid-20's) was that you'll spend 2-3 days falling on your face, then you'll grok it. Those first couple of days are brutal, but once you get over the hump, it's great.

Skiing is less brutal to start with, but the point of grokking it takes a little longer to get to.

One thing is that each carries different injury risks as the dynamics of wiping out are different. If you've got bad knees, skiing may not be wise. If you have bad shoulders/ankles/wrists, snowboarding may not be wise.

I'm trying something new. DDP Yoga. Diamond Dallas Page has a yoga practice app. He renames moves to wrestling names. It's pretty cool so far.

Asterith wrote:
Jonman wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

So I just realized I may have bit off more than I can chew. My son is taking snowboarding lessons and I decided to take adult lessons so we can go together. Now I’m panicked that I’m not in good enough shape. If I can do moderate level intensity exercise, will I be ok?

Honestly, I'd be more worried about doing yourself a mischief falling over than being able to keep up.

As someone else who's taken up snowboarding a bit later in life, I highly recommend Jonman's suggestions for padding. In addition, I have a pair of padded hockey shorts which have hip/tailbone protection that I'm quite happy I use.

Yeah, padding and helmet is an excellent idea when you're young, and mandatory if you're anywhere north of your thirties, in my opinion. I recently took up longboarding and skateboarding. It's been a blast, but I've definitely taken some hits/spills of the type that I haven't had in a long time. Learning to ollie on concrete is a Female Doggo. I snowboarded a few times back in the day before an ankle injury kind of screwed it up for me, but I still have vivid memories of catching an edge and getting whipped down to the ground. It's a lot of fun though, and being hip deep in champagne snow, floating down a Colorado mountain was worth the occasional agonizing encounter with ice. Haha!

If you can survive the first days of falling to understand how to carve with a board the it is perfecting your balance and edge control. You can board almost anything. You can tackle as many technical items as you want from there but the base is very versatile. Skiing has that high technical component that scares my knees too much to even consider it. As you can tell I am biased.

Grenn wrote:

I'm trying something new. DDP Yoga. Diamond Dallas Page has a yoga practice app. He renames moves to wrestling names. It's pretty cool so far.

How about Diamond David Lee Roth yoga?