S0LIDARITY wrote:Miashara wrote:S0LIDARITY wrote:Not really sure where else to ask this, but I've been getting some nasty blisters (1/2" diameter) on my feet. I've been using Body Glide to curb the friction and Bag Balm for relief. Anyone have better methods?
From what exercise?
Ultimate frisbee is giving my blisters on my big toes. Distance running is giving me blisters on the balls of my feet.
It sounds like your shoes don't fit correctly. Go to a running shoe store and get yourself sized professionally. Given the differences in motion, you may not be able to wear the same shoes for both exercises.
The distance sneakers were fitted professionally. I don't know of any place that fits cleats.
The distance sneakers were fitted professionally. I don't know of any place that fits cleats.
Just because you got them fitted professionally doesn't mean they did the job right. In any event BodyGlide isn't something you should be using on your feet. You want your feet to stay in place, not slide around on lubricant. Sliding around = blisters.
If you're really confident the shoes are as correct as they can be you have two options that immediately come to mind. First would be to change your socks. You want socks that are wicking the sweat away very well, and you may benefit from a sock that is extra thick in the problem area. There are a lot of socks out there that are made with a double thickness under the ball of the foot and on the heel. The second easy option is to get an off the shelf orthotic insole to replace the ones the shoe came with. I know a lot of people who swear by Superfeet insoles, which you can get at REI and undoubtedly through a large number of other retailers.
The distance sneakers were fitted professionally. I don't know of any place that fits cleats.
Wear on your toe are you getting the blisters? Are these studs or molded cleats?
Back to the main topic:
After doing bodyweight stuff (in reality because I've been lazy) I'm getting a damn gym membership and starting lifting again tomorrow.
A: Squat 3x5, [Alternating BP/OHP] 3x5, Pullups 3x8
B: Pendlay Rows 3x5, [alternating OHP/BP] 3x5, DL 1x5
AxBxAxx BxAxBxx
I want to get back to 2 plate squat and get my BP over 200 (max when in rugby was 190).
3 plate DL sounds like a good long term goal to round things out.
One last pull up tip: try negative pull ups as well. Grab the bar and use a stool or the footrests to push yourself in to the up positon of the pullup. Then hang there with your chin over the bar for as long as you can. You'll start slipping down, but stay up there as long as you can until you slowly sink all the way down. It'll work the same areas, and after a couple weeks you'll be able to pull yourself to the up position without a footrest for at least the first rep.
Just be careful not to let yourself suddenly slump all the way from fully up to limp, that can be bad for your shoulders. This may be a step two exercise after trying some of the other tips.
Pull ups are the best, and everyone should do them. They work areas that aren't normally worked out (swimming!), and those muscles are quite useful. Mufasa would still be alive if he'd done more pull ups.
Flutter kicks. They are evil. Oh, god, so many flutter kicks.
Today was very likely my last day in the weight room at work. School is finished on the 8th (and I'm on vacation until the 10th after today). I may get back in later but they usually go to it being open just 7-8am and 5-6pm over the summer. Anyway, I figured it was a good day to see how I was with my goals. Overall, I did well.
Bench Press: Goal- 250 - Did 250x3 and then 250x2
Squat: Goal - Improve form. Still needs work. My knee still hurts after squatting and I still lean too far forward.
Narrow bench press: Goal 185 - Did 190x2
Standing Overhead Press: Goal 150 - Did 160 2x Failed 165 (after doing 150x5 and 160x2)
Rows: Goal 200 - Did 205x3 - Very happy with this one.
Stiff Legged Dead Lift: Goal 200 - Did 225x2 (and did 200x5, 215x5)
Dead Lift: Goal 315 - Did 330x3 Didn't try more since my back was rounding badly on 330.
Over the summer I plan on doing dumbbell, sand bag, and body weight exercises along with running and biking. My goals from now to September 1 are:
Bike to work the equivalent of 2x each week (starting when I return to work). That can mean bike into work 4x and get a ride home or two nights per week ride in and ride home. It is about 11.5 miles to work.
Run 2x per week
Run in 1 obstacle event (tough mudder, warrior dash) and 2 other running events
Run in a triathlon (sprint)
100 push-ups in a set (currently can get 50-60/set)
20 chin-ups in a set (currently around 10)
10 pull-ups in a set (5-7/set)
Day of 3000 - Do 1000 push-ups, 1000 jumping jacks, and 1000 body weight squats in one day. This is throughout the entire day.
I did a day of 1000 push-ups last year (and several 500 days) so I think adding the other two on the same day will be a challenge. I got up to 75 push-ups last year and 15 chin-ups. I did only one running event last year so for this year I want to do an obstacle event and do two other events. I did a triathlon a few years ago and enjoyed it so I want to do another.
If you're looking to push yourself on the obstacle event, do a Tough Mudder or a Spartan. Warrior Dash will probably be too low-key based on where it looks like you're at. The other two, Spartan especially, are much more difficult. Actually, I'd probably recommend a Spartan over a Tough Mudder if that's an option.
Okay, after reading EvilHomer3k's goals, I feel somewhat subdued. My goal by the end of summer includes a pull-up. One pull-up. You're doing 50-60 in a SET?!
Shit.
Well, in any event, I'm in the third day of my workout routine. I put it together with the assistance of my fiancee's cousin, who is a ridiculously fit personal trainer. It's a combination of dumbbell work, kettlebells, and bodyweight exercises. Most I can do at home. The rest I will be doing at this park near my house.
I got a pair of pull-up assist body bands, and with their 110 lbs of assistance, managed two pull-ups. Trying not to be depressed about that. On the plus side, after leaving the park after doing 3 sets of assisted pull-ups, 3 sets of let-me-ups, 4 sets of pushups, and 4 sets of bench dips, my arms are shaking and I feel confident I will be worthless by Thursday. Yay?
Trichy, fitness, especially anything involving strength, is a marathon, not a sprint, to use a trite metaphor. Stop looking at EvilHomer's numbers and focus on your own first. I would point out that EvilHomer is one of the biggest points-getters among GWJers on Fitocracy. He's been at it for a WHILE.
Pick a modest program that has built-in progression. Something that you can take to the gym, look at, say, "This is what I'm going to do this time, and I'll progress a little next time," and keep progressing bit by bit, and before you know it, you'll be doing workouts you never thought you could. And the best part? You won't be satisfied because you know you made progress, and will want to try harder, and will feel odd, yes, odd if you miss a workout.
Okay, after reading EvilHomer3k's goals, I feel somewhat subdued. My goal by the end of summer includes a pull-up. One pull-up. You're doing 50-60 in a SET?!
I got a pair of pull-up assist body bands, and with their 110 lbs of assistance, managed two pull-ups. Trying not to be depressed about that. On the plus side, after leaving the park after doing 3 sets of assisted pull-ups, 3 sets of let-me-ups, 4 sets of pushups, and 4 sets of bench dips, my arms are shaking and I feel confident I will be worthless by Thursday. Yay?
I am absolutely not doing 50-60 pull-ups a set. My goal is 10 pull-ups. I do 50-60 push-ups. As NSMike said I have been at it for a while. I did machines for weights for years and started doing Stronglifts about two years ago. I have been in Taekwondo for over 5 years and we do a lot of push-ups (not that many in the regular class but in the sparring class we do a ton). Anyway, these are MY goals for MY fitness level. I don't compare myself to Jonman when I go out running. I should probably add a goal related to improving my mile time to less than 9 minutes (currently run a 10 minute mile) and a goal to run more than 5 miles at a time sometime. Use yourself as your benchmark and just try to get better every week.
Congrats on the park workout. Keep with it. You'll be very sore the next few days but try to work through it. That soreness will be less next time and will keep lessening. Also, you'll be surprised at your progress in a few weeks if you keep with it.
Any suggestions for killing off the nasty negative self-talk that I get going inside my head?
Not generally a problem if I have something to listen to, but I don't like blocking my ears when I'm out riding my bike on the roads. There's not much to do but live inside my head, and I tend to notice something and turn it around into a negative spiral. (E.g. my muscles start aching = "I thought this was supposed to be fun why am I doing this if it isn't fun I hate being uncomfortable"; somebody passes me = "I'm too slow he passed me like I was standing still I never seem to get any faster"...)
You get the idea. Ugh.
Any suggestions for killing off the nasty negative self-talk that I get going inside my head?
Not generally a problem if I have something to listen to, but I don't like blocking my ears when I'm out riding my bike on the roads. There's not much to do but live inside my head, and I tend to notice something and turn it around into a negative spiral. (E.g. my muscles start aching = "I thought this was supposed to be fun why am I doing this if it isn't fun I hate being uncomfortable"; somebody passes me = "I'm too slow he passed me like I was standing still I never seem to get any faster"...)
You get the idea. Ugh.
I tend to focus on what I'm accomplishing. Those bobble up from time to time, but it has become easier with time and results. I just look on what I have already accomplished and keep building on it. Doesn't matter if I'm slower, or if it's being painful. I set a (realistic) number before I started and I'll just focus on that. On clearing that number. Hope that helps! Just think less and enjoy more. If your inner voice starts rattling, just can it and hear your heart beating, or the sound of your breaths, just focus on some tiny, recurrent detail.
There's a popular phrase these days about how the mind gives up long before the body does, and I suspect this is where Nike's "just do it" campaign came from. Point being that the negative thoughts are something that everyone struggles with, even athletes. What works for me is to set small goals for myself and then track my progress.
Strava, for example, lets you create "segments" which are portions of a route that have a dedicated leaderboard which for a personal segment consists of just your own entries. There are a bunch of public segments on my bike commute, for example, and it's really encouraging when I finish a ride and see that I've earned medals on various segments for beating my old times.
Less formally, if there's some hill where you have to get off and walk your bike, make it a goal to bike to the top and pay attention to where you have to get off the bike and walk so you can note your progress. On later rides, work to stay on the bike past the point where you got off last time. Working to improve on just one small part of the workout in a measurable way makes it easy to make and to see progress.
Ultimately you're working towards a change in perspective, so that "I didn't make it to the top again" thought becomes "I made it further than last time." Once that starts to change, you'll naturally improve even more as your mind stops holding you back quite so much.
Any suggestions for killing off the nasty negative self-talk that I get going inside my head?
Not generally a problem if I have something to listen to, but I don't like blocking my ears when I'm out riding my bike on the roads. There's not much to do but live inside my head, and I tend to notice something and turn it around into a negative spiral. (E.g. my muscles start aching = "I thought this was supposed to be fun why am I doing this if it isn't fun I hate being uncomfortable"; somebody passes me = "I'm too slow he passed me like I was standing still I never seem to get any faster"...)
You get the idea. Ugh.
The mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness.
Any suggestions for killing off the nasty negative self-talk that I get going inside my head?
Not generally a problem if I have something to listen to, but I don't like blocking my ears when I'm out riding my bike on the roads. There's not much to do but live inside my head, and I tend to notice something and turn it around into a negative spiral. (E.g. my muscles start aching = "I thought this was supposed to be fun why am I doing this if it isn't fun I hate being uncomfortable"; somebody passes me = "I'm too slow he passed me like I was standing still I never seem to get any faster"...)
You get the idea. Ugh.
I usually listen to podcasts while working out and that typically drowns out the head thoughts 
I understand you are biking so may not be able to listen to headphones. Maybe a bike radio or something?
The most important thing in cycling (and in any activity) is to just log in the miles. If you're not enjoying the activity, my recommendation is to back off on the goal-setting a little. Life's too short for you not to enjoy it. So long as you're feeling some amount of tension in your legs, you don't need to feel pain or for your muscles to ache.
I'm afraid I have nothing for the negative spiral. I don't have that sort of thought pattern. I'd probably be dead already if I did. One of my friends can be prone to it. The way I deal with it is I just rudely tell him to shut it when he starts feeling sorry for himself~. Sometimes he takes offense and takes it out on me. I'm okay with that. In general, he pulls out of the funk and thanks me later. Being angry seems to be better than being depressed. I suppose you could tell yourself to shut it?
~ - not verbally. Sometimes he gets these looks where you know he's going off on an "I'm a worthless human," spiral. I tell him he's doing it and then I tell him to shut it.
Any suggestions for killing off the nasty negative self-talk that I get going inside my head?
One trick of the trade is to speak your negative thought out loud, then repeat it in a dramatic voice, then a funny voice, then a low voice, etc. Listen to yourself speak it several times in different ways.
It sounds silly but it can work wonders to interrupt that spiral. Just one possibility, of course.
Just remember that even for those of us who have been exercising regularly for years, we (I?) frequently don't love doing it while we're actually doing it. Let's face it, if you're doing exercise right, you're working hard, it's uncomfortable, and you're tired and sweaty. None of these are super duper awesome funtimes. For me, it's all about the good feeling I get about 10-30 minutes after I'm done. My body's recovered, heart rate's slowed down, and I feel like I've accomplished something.
This article at Cracked is actually really excellent, especially the first point. As someone who wasn't athletic, I definitely got discouraged watching all the athlete kids in my class blow me away in gym class. Now that I'm working out without that nonsense, I realize that it doesn't matter what anyone else can do, it just matters what I can do. If you push yourself, you may not get far at first, but you'll get farther next time. It's a process, and just showing up is 90%.
And yeah, there'll definitely be days where you just don't wanna. Those are okay to have from time to time. The most important thing is to let it be a one time deal, and not the start of a habit.
Looking to shed some body fat percentage points, I know the diet side but is any particular exercise methodology better for this purpose or will pretty much any sort of increased activity combined with diet do the trick?
Looking to shed some body fat percentage points, I know the diet side but is any particular exercise methodology better for this purpose or will pretty much any sort of increased activity combined with diet do the trick?
Pretty much. Unless you're already lean, then yeah, pretty much.
That said, lifting is most likely going to give you the most bang for your buck in terms of body-fat points. Swap the fat for muscle
Looking to shed some body fat percentage points, I know the diet side but is any particular exercise methodology better for this purpose or will pretty much any sort of increased activity combined with diet do the trick?
Isn't it net calories... low sugar and saturated fat... high protein.... to keep your energy up complex carbs are okay.
I am trying to lose weight, especially body fat around the midsection and doing it mostly by running plus the above type of diet. Also doing some pushups/situps because I hate the sterileness of the gym.
So I started my strength training routine in earnest a week ago. It's going well, except for one thing. After four months of losing weight steadily, my weight has jumped three pounds. I haven't changed my diet, and the only thing I'm doing differently is the strength training. Is this normal?
Totally normal. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat. Even before you can see any visible change or bulk, the scale knows!
So I started my strength training routine in earnest a week ago. It's going well, except for one thing. After four months of losing weight steadily, my weight has jumped three pounds. I haven't changed my diet, and the only thing I'm doing differently is the strength training. Is this normal?
Short answer. Yes.
EDIT: It's certainly nothing to panic about. Also, don't forget that at ~200 lbs your weight could easily fluctuate by 3 lbs in a week.
So I started my strength training routine in earnest a week ago. It's going well, except for one thing. After four months of losing weight steadily, my weight has jumped three pounds. I haven't changed my diet, and the only thing I'm doing differently is the strength training. Is this normal?
As others have said, yes. The best advice I ever got regarding this was basically to ignore your scale and pay attention to your measuring tape. When I first started working out in earnest I lost 40 pounds right off the bat but then stabilized. I've been the same weight for the last few years but lost a few more inches off my waist and gained a few more inches across my chest and shoulders. It's not about the weight, it's what you're doing with it. Think I've said it before. For a while there the Rock and I shared the same height and weight but he was definitely making better use of those pounds than I am.
What Kehama had happen happened to me too. I've been 160 for at least a year or more, but there's a huge difference in how I look between then and now. Your body sheds fat stores, builds muscle, and changes shape.
My brother and I are at this point as well. When we go heavy for 4-5 weeks the weight moves up. During time off (like this past week for me), my weight creeps down.
My issue now is deciding which is more beneficial: dropping the extra pounds or doing strength training. I've dropped from 282 in January down to 224 now, and I want to hit 205 to 210. That's where my doc thinks I need to be long-term. So do I pull back on the exercise until I hit the weight I want to be, or do I forget about my target weight and continue to work out?
I'd think that if you're replacing fat with muscle, that can only be good. You're probably also likely to shed more fat weight than you add back in muscle, down to a certain % body fat. Like, my weight's stabilized, and I'm basically to the muscle building point, but that has me down to around 12% body fat. I'd see about getting a body fat % measurement, and worry about reducing that, which can be done through strength training.
Related to this issue:
I live with my friend and his girlfriend. For the last 3-6 months they go to the gym about everyday, and are improving their eating habits. Her gym routine includes mostly eliptical type cardio, and a weight training circuit that involves both the circuit machines and some barbell lifting (your basic squat, bench, and all that). She is disappointed because she doesn't seem to be losing weight or getting smaller. I have never actually witnessed their workouts.
Any facts or comments I can bring up to be supportive and/or motivational?
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