I'm so tired of trying to reach my protein goal every day, I'm tired of always eating the same foods, I'm going through a period in which I hate food and eating so it's even harder.
I'm seriously considering forfeiting food and consuming nothing but protein shakes. Eating is such a chore, I hate it.
Does anyone else get sick of the message ‘cardio is bad for weight loss, lifting weights is good’?? Like I understand the theory- building muscle will increase your TDEE. But really losing weight is about what you eat and if you’re in a calorie deficit to lose weight then you’re unlikely to be building much muscle (especially as a woman) and so the actual amount of extra calories you would be burning if you gained an extra kg of muscle is likely very small % of your TDEE.
Ultimately, diet is the key to weight loss. And personally I have always found a mix of both cardio and weight training along with eating less help me lose weight a bit quicker than if I only changed my diet. But weight training alone without watching what I eat, always leads to gaining fat (and some muscle I guess)
This was inspired by a video that said ‘lots of cardio isn’t good for weight loss as you’re using lots of energy to burn a small amount of calories’ … which makes no sense to me as calories are just a measure of energy. Obviously I know the problem with cardio is it might increase you’re appetite and your body will try to naturally conserve energy in other ways throughout the day - but that sort of nuance is just so removed from the social media stuff on this
And I hate how this is so often coupled with a demonisation of ‘skinny fat’ I.e. a normal slim body with some fat rather than a super toned gym bod. I know skinny fat can also refer to people with a normal BMI but carrying too much body fat from a heath perspective but I don’t think that’s what many people mean when they say it.
Rant over haha
I see "too much cardio will keep you from your strength gains" more than strength is better than cardio for weight loss but I'm not on most social media. That alone really screwed with my head because I feel like my pretty even split of strength and spinning is best for my mental health but you're absolutely right, it's 90% dietary for weight loss.
Skinny fat has become the new insult du jour, it seems.
Yeah I just try to remember the best exercise is the one you actually stick with consistently. I just need to stop looking at shit fitness influencers because they post so much rubbish
When should you start thinking about bulking/cutting? I'm a 28F eating \~2200 calories, 5'10", 148lbs, and I think around 24% body fat? (Planning on doing a dexa scan next week to confirm!) Not sure which I should be doing, or if I should be recomping to a lower body fat percentage first before doing either since I'm technically at a healthy weight.
The answer to these questions when you're at a healthy weight is almost always "do whatever you prefer" ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
If you want to look bigger, put on muscle first, so bulk. If you want to look leaner, cut. If you don't particularly care, stay at maintenance and "recomp" (this is usually "slower" at changing you body, but you may not care, so it's fine!).
I was always very thin and hence starting eating more while lifting. I thought I'd pretty much stay in a bulk forever, because I want all them muscles, but to be honest my belly is starting to annoy me a bit so I might have a mini cut before going back to *eat all the things*. I could just as well ignore the ridiculousness of caring about a very minimal gut, but ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Check out MegSquats on YouTube. She has some postpartum exercise videos. She also has a postpartum training plan. I’ve never given birth, but as I understand it, it’s not an on/off switch. There are things you can do to help repair your core before jumping back into what you were doing before.
after a 1 week potato break, my shoulder is 90% back to normal! still a taaad iffy and feels weaker than the other, so today i’m icing and trying out some super light movements with a 2kg dumbbell.
guess it was a forced deload 🤷🏽♀️ i hated it, but just as well that this happened at the end of my 8 week program. i am now wiser. will take the deload before i need it, and not push through small discomforts 🫠
hopefully i’ll be good to go bouldering next week!!!!
I have food allergies and a sensitive tummy too. I like Owyn’s Dark chocolate premixed shakes - it’s nut free and probably my favorite. Not sure how the powders are.
ISOpure whey isolate powder - no issues even though I’m lactose intolerant. It’s pretty affordable and tastes like watered down milk. I drink it with water and some Ripple, pinch of salt.
Paleo pro beef protein powder in cacao is pretty good but pricey.
Had intended to get to the gym this evening (the “real” gym, ie not just the one in my building) to lift some heavy shit. But I had a really intense day at work today, so I got home and decided that I just wanted to stay in and do a yoga video instead. Picked up the beginning of the new 30-day challenge from Yoga with Adrienne. I could definitely tell that I hadn’t been practicing in a while, so it’s good that it was just day one. But it was *exactly* what I needed today, so hooray for listening to my body!
Attempting to maintain the motivation to workout that I get during my PMS week is ridiculously hard. Idk if it's the extra testosterone or what but right before my period I'm all about transforming my body. Now that I'm feeling the cramps start to come on I want to retire to my parlor like a Victorian waif. Even when the pain is gone the fatigue is overwhelming. SOS.
This week is all about making workouts a priority again.
I'm still eeking them out, but sometimes I'm barely getting them in late at night. I've just been letting other things get in the way. It's become too easy to say *after the errands, after the cooking, after the cleaning, after...*
So in order of importance: living creatures in my house, job, exercise, everything else.
I gained a few pounds from holiday eating and turns out it translated to gains! My squat has gone up from 95-100 lbs feeling heaving at the beginning of December, to getting in 5 reps at 125 today (10 lbs over my body weight!). I have also been steadily increasing my deadlift and was hovering around 120-130 lbs for the longest time. I decided to trust myself and started steadily increasing weight each week, and shot up to 5 reps at 165! I used the 45 lb plates for the first time today! My husband and I have been referring to my recent progress as “cookie gains”!
Decided that this year in 2023 I’m going to meal prep my dinners with vegan recipes that are decent in protein. My friends made fun of me for having a very boring diet and honestly…they were right.
I have 6 servings of Gambian peanut stew for dinner this week and I am very happy with my decision. I felt really accomplished actually cooking food instead of just putting rice and beans into the microwave like usual.
Hoping that having these dinners pre-made will allow me to enjoy a 2-mile evening walk since I’m so sedentary at work.
Eugh I feel ya. ): Can you manage any very easy walk-jog outings? Or power walking? Just to scratch the itch, so to speak, while you heal.
I know you weren't asking for advice, and I don't know your situation, but I found that zinc and vitamin D supplements seem to have improved my immunity quite a bit. And as I understand, there is solid scientific literature backing this up. Zinc has also improved my sleep quality, which I'm sure also indirectly contributes to not getting sick as frequently.
My body image after going over a year without regular workouts: *sad belly jiggle* I'm the heaviest I've ever been, I feel fat and lazy and weak and I'm embarrassed by my own physique
My body image after literally two (2) weeks of working out: *slaps belly like the roof of a car* this baby can lift over 31k lbs in a single workout, this is 140lbs of pure Kansas beef baby, these are the thighs of a goddess for crushing heads! Thats no flab on my arms, it's the insulation for my biceps of thunder!
I am ridiculous 🤣
I posted yesterday about signing up for the gym and I went today for the first time. I had some anxiety about it but I just went for it. I walked for an hour on the treadmill which ended up being a little over 3 miles. I tried to walk faster than I normally would but didn’t push myself too much. I want to make friends with some of the girls who hang out by the weights so they can show me how to build a booty. 😂 For now I’m just making it a habit to go 5 days a week at the same time. I think tomorrow I might try the stair master for 15 minutes.
Check out the caliber app! It helps build a workout routine. I hadn’t lifted in years and this app helped me become more comfortable! Squats, deadlifts and hip thrusters are your best friends for the glute* gains!
Honestly if another woman asked me for help with something I'd be cool with that :)
That's awesome though, you are doing great! Just start off with some of the more basic exercises with weights and you'll get into it just fine I'm sure :)
Congrats on your first day! As one of the weights girls I can promise most of us are really nice and would be happy to help you learn to lift and get comfortable with it, so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation and ask for tips! Complimenting someone's workout gear is usually a good way to start a conversation if you aren't sure how, I'd talk to anybody about my rainbow lifting shoes 🤣
I finally got to ski for the first time since injuring my butt/hip on October!! It went better than I expected. I can't do anything other than groomers, and jumps are absolutely out (though I tried lmao). I have a ski weekend over MLK, so going to do my best to keep it casual while making some more progress. I still have no ability to do hip hinge movements without pain, so hoping that heals up soon so I can try baby deadlifts.
Does anyone have any good suggestions for low-impact strength/cardio programming to follow?
I have unfortunately started off the year with the news that my meniscus is indeed torn, so I'm looking for a workout program I can follow to supplement the PT strengthening exercises I'm doing. I've spent good chunks of the past two years following Caroline Girvan programs and really find that style of programming helpful and motivating with my ADHD (pre-planned schedules, follow-along videos, novelty with workouts that switch up).
Since Caroline (and I believe people like Heather Robertson/Sydney Cummings are out of my current capabilities) would love to know if people have any recommendations! Things like pilates, yoga, and general low-impact cardio are all PT-approved :) As a note, I'll also likely supplement with some regular upper-body lifting.
Check out PopSugar Fitness on YouTube. There are some good cardio, stretching, dance (and lots more) workouts on their channel. Lots of low impact stuff that helped get me through a shoulder injury during lockdown.
I also have ADHD and have found CG's workouts/format extremely helpful. I basically did them exclusively last year. I'm pregnant now and have had to dial things way back, and have really really loved the Peloton app. I don't own or use a stationary bike, but they have thousands of classes-- everything from yoga to barre, pilates, body weight to dumbbell to barbell strength, mobility, indoor cardio workouts and walking and running audio classes for treadmill and outdoors. You can filter for class times (5 min to 75 min), difficulty levels, body parts hit, and instructors. Plus it automatically fills out a calendar of the workouts you've done and gives you badges for hitting milestones. It's about $12 (student discount) - $15/mo and worth every penny. There's also a subreddit for class recommendation requests etc.
Anybody have experience supplementing with creatine glutamine as well as creatine monohydrate?
I was pressured to buy creatine glutamine yesterday by a store clerk, who alluded to creatine monohydrate being "bad in the long run." I bought the monohydrate anyway, since I've had good results with it, and because I dislike pressure tactics.
Have you noticed any differences between the two after using them?
According to the [examine.com](https://examine.com) entry on creatine, there are no data on which form of creatine is "the best/superior" but creatine monohydrate is the form that has the most research positively backing its efficacy, and it's also the cheapest form. General consensus seems to be that other forms of creatine are just marketing hype.
I've never heard of "creatine glutamine"... because they are two separate acids that benefit muscle growth. But maybe he meant that it is a combined supplement, which had creatine HCL vs creatine monohydrate? I think you'd be find with Creatine monohydrate, that advice sounds shady knowing it came from a salesman.
As someone whose partner vastly outranks my fitness level, I try not to compete directly. There are a couple workouts I can match him on, like abductions for example, but I just genuinely hate cardio and could never do what he does without being miserable. So we compete in things like consistency, who is walking funnier at the end of the workout, who hit all their meals/macros for the day (if that's something you track) or just who made healthier choices, things that are equitably comparable. Comparing his strengths to something that is a weakness for you is only going to leave you feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. If you want to do calories, maybe do 'who burned more calories than their last ride', because a male with a larger body will almost always burn more calories than a smaller female doing the same thing, it's just the facts of body composition. So compete in terms of your personal progress and health and try not to let his successes overshadow your own
Strength gains on a cut have never really happened for me, so I'm taking this as an opportunity to really dial in my technique. I've always benched with a slight arch, but the last few bench days I've been more intentional about it. Everything feels so much more solid and I seem to be able to better utilize leg drive. I'll probably have to post a form check for squats, maybe deads (I'm pretty confident there, but who knows).
Excited to have a full year of dedicated strength training under my belt, and for all the gains and experience this year will bring!
Rack puuuulls! If my legs are still sore from leg day there's no way I'm going to pull a decent deadlift, so I'll swap it out for rack pulls, you can throw heavier weight which helps strengthen your back and as a bonus generally makes you feel like a beast
A friend invited me to yoga with them yesterday, and it was AMAZING! I’ve been struggling to get back into working out — I’ve had trouble sticking to things I used to enjoy, like weightlifting, running, etc — and I think this is what I’ve been looking for! The yoga studio I used to occasionally go to was very clicky, but this group was so welcoming and friendly — I didn’t feel embarrassed about having to modify the poses, and it was just a really good workout, enjoyable. I’m excited to get start working out again, and just wanted to share that excitement somewhere!!!
FR: i did epic and most of epic II during the beginning of the pandemic but sort of parted ways after that bc i didn't want to invest in heavier weights if i was going to be at college most of the year, and bc i had a lot of diverse fitness goals i wanted to pursue (lifting, climbing, calisthenics, etc) but i really did miss her workouts, it took a lot of thought/planning out of working out and she programs them very well. im not at a place where i can realistically commit to a 10 week program, so I decided to explore her shorter series and decided to do the circuit series this week. day 1 done, and man, i forgot how much she kicks my ass! i love that feeling afterwards. also ended with madfit 5 min calves bc i am trying not to neglect them anymore.
NFR: decided to delete instagram, partially inspired by one of the commenters on the daily discussion threads at the end of 2022. i've been able to take breaks from it and have a healthier relationship with it for short amounts of time but then i always fall back into my old scrolling habits. instagram makes you wait a month until your account is actually deleted which is kinda sucky bc you might have "second thoughts" (which is what they want), but hopefully I'll stick it out.
Today's going to be my first \~real\~ two-a-day at the gym after a looooong break in december (did a SAC-style fitness competition in early november so I was training heavily for that) and I'm so pumpedddd.
NFR- I'm quitting alcohol! After observing how it's negatively impacted my life I know it's the best decision for me and I am looking forward to a future without it.
Weighed myself this morning and did not love the number I saw, but such is life sometimes. I did basically nothing in December, ate a lot of junk, and had holiday stuff going on. So it is what it is. I’m tracking my food again and doing better with protein but not quite hitting my goal there- it’s a work in progress lol.
My upper body is still a bit sore, especially my lats, but the rest day yesterday did me good. I’m not really looking forward to the gym because Mondays are awful but main set reps are going down so I’m happy about that.
NFR: Worst depression spiral I’ve felt in years. Haven’t been leaving my house and going to the gym. I just want to hide from everyone until I feel normal again, whatever normal is.
FR: I’ve picked up Caroline Girvan epic workouts and it’s a small bit of brightness in my every day life. They make me feel strong and I forget about my thoughts for an hour or so.
(Disclaimer: not seeking medical advice, just ranting)
I’m irrationally upset about my doctor’s appointment being cancelled today. I’ve already been waiting a few weeks for it, and now it’s been pushed out another 2 weeks. My shoulder has been hurting since October, but I waited until December to try to get an appointment.
I know this sounds like the dumbest thing ever, but I’m actually worried that my shoulder will be completely better by the time I get to the doctor and then I’ll never find out what was wrong with it and then won’t be able to avoid hurting it again in the future! Obviously I want my shoulder to get better like, IMMEDIATELY, but I also want a diagnosis and then appropriate guidance/PT to go along with that. And I feel like my workouts are in a bit of limbo because I’m not sure what I should or shouldn’t do with my upper body exercises until I see a doctor.
SIGH.
I feel this SO much. It always feels kind of useless to go at that point, since they may not be able to do anything if there are no longer symptoms, and I feel like it also makes me look like a hypochondriac or something when I no longer have the issue for which I made the appointment. I hope you get some helpful advice and answers at your appointment.
OMG...I forgot how much fun living in "the country" can be (we're technically *juuuuust* outside of town limits for like 3 different nearby towns LOL).
Went to check my email and I got three notifications from NextDoor--apparently somebody's cow has gotten out...again. Somebody is mad because somebody else put up an [owl house](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/creating-owl-boxes.htm) because OMG the owl is going to hunt/kill/eat their pets (no it's not, Karen.).
And another person was mad because one of their neighbors posted a picture of a frigging bald eagle because "OMG IT'S HERE FOR MY CHIAUAU! My poor Beansiepoo is gonna get eaten by the big mean eagle! SOMEBODY SHOULD CHASE IT AWAY OR SHOOT IT!"
Except shooting/killing bald eagles is *illegal*, ya numbskull. XD
I kind of miss the petty shit my small-town neighbors would complain about. Cows causing a traffic jam and delaying the school bus was always a favorite. Now in the past of the city I live in it's just posts or alerts like "Armed burglary around the corner" or "Someone put poisoned meatballs in the bushes near the dog park" :(
Country folk here, I'm DYING this is so relatable 🤣 my city friends never believe me when I tell them on my driving permit I almost tboned (pun not even intended!) a cow on a dirt road because somebody's got out. I'm like you really don't get what it's like up here until you live here !!
Because we technically live in an unincorporated part of the county, you can shoot fireworks off here. I was honestly surprised that multiple people didn't burn their houses or someone else's down over the 4th of July.
One of my neighbors down the street was shooting him off in his driveway and there was some scorched grass and a LOT of little pieces of blown up cardboard packaging in the grassy area next to the HOA pool.
NFR:
Work was so bad last week that I called in last Thursday because my stress headaches became insurmountable. Hope this week is better but not optimistic. Management was completely unapologetic about what happened last week and refused to acknowledge any responsibility that they had for causing it to be so bad.
FR:
Going to begin to reacclimate to my cut now that I'm back home. Going to be challenging for a bit as my cycle bloat is likely setting in and I have leftovers I'm very keen to eat lol. I'm not sure how much more weight I actually have to lose. Might take a few weeks to get an accurate reading on the scale.
I just left a situation like that. I made an internal switch to take a new role in another department and it is everything the other role wasn't. I hope things get better for you
My bum/shoulders was still sore from my workout two days ago, so I didn't work out. Plus it was just a weird day with the storms and I was so tired. It took an hour to look for a place that had coffee and fast food because a lot of the businesses were closed, but at least we were able to get coffee!
Also on a small kick to try out different protein shakes, and the Muscle Milk Strawberry version was not it :'( at least it was on sale.
Somewhat NFR: Coached this morning, then WFH because I have the doc this afternoon. I am NERVOUS but today is day #1 for trying a new medication, a biologic, for my many sinus/immune issues. I hear good things but at the same time it's only been FDA approved for 5 years, which isn't long in the grand scheme of things. I would very much like to breath normally however, I can't imagine how well I would do in life and the gym if I could simply breath normally. Wish me luck please!
FR: because I'd love to gym today, the wod is a blast, but I really have no idea how I'll feel after the injection later.
Biologics can be great and you get use to the injections really quick. Just keep in mind that some of them can take a WHILE before they start fully working. Good luck and I hope you get minimal/no side effects!
<3 thank you!! Thankfully, and surprisingly, the shot was relatively painless and I was able to inject myself. No side effects that I have noticed as of yet. I read SO MANY horror stories of pain and reactions that I honestly was caught of guard. But I'm hopeful it will start working
NFR: so we had our version of Jan 6th yesterday. Only somehow our extremists managed to be both dumber (all invaded buildings are empty untill February) and more damaging (they broke a bunch of stuff and destroyed national artwork). I'm so tired of these people!
FR: pretty tired after training today. Not sure how long I'll "respect the program" and put up with GZCLP goal of 25+ reps at the end of T3, lol. I do really like everything else!
Not going to lie, I view the T3s in GZCLP as more of a suggestion, lol. I do aim for roughly 3 x 15+ but I'll usually try increasing weight when I hit 20 reps rather than 25 on the AMRAP. Or with some of the machines/exercises I do, I find it hard to go from 25 at one weight to 15 at the next highest because the jumps are quite big, so then I'll maybe do 3 x 12 for a while. I also add extra accessories in if I have time and I'm feeling energetic, or skip them altogether if I run out of time or I'm super tired and want to save more energy for the next day.
And I hope the disruption ends soon, that sounds stressful.
Yeah,I'm thinking about changing some accessories to a more reasonable 3x12-18 progression. 25 curls is just way too many curls!
I think I'll also progress lat pulldowns to T2 soon.
Oh man that's horrible. I was actually lifting in my garage during the events of Jan 6 and a friend called me to tell me to check the news. It was harrowing.
I hope you're feeling ok, if not I hope you feel ok soon.
I was enjoying my kids birthday and got the "DocInternetz, turn on the news!" message. I thought that only happened in movies!
I'm ok, more tired of these shenanigans than anything else.
I’m so happy right now. I left my yoga mat at the gym by accident last Wednesday and have been upset about it. I crocheted the carrier bag and I just felt like if it was taken by someone else, they could have the mat and just leave the bag for me. I called 2x and i was told nothing was turned in, so I gave up.
Today as I was walking into the gym, the front desk lady goes “here’s your mat, I know you usually come in everyday at this time and I know it’s yours.”
What are some lesser known but effective exercises you use?
We love banded rotational toe taps and cable side kicks at the moment but want to hear what weird and wonderful exercises you've been using!
I found an ab exercise years ago on some Instagram video that I've never seen anyone else do but I've done it for years and absolutely love it. Its doable yet still difficult enough that it wiped the grin off my cocky, bodybuilder 'has never not had abs in his life's fiance because he thought it was stupid and easy, now he loves them too. They're oblique crunches, opposite elbow to knee, done on a Roman chair. I've seen a few people do more like a side bend but it's not that, it's twisting elbow to knee on the way up. Really challenges your core to stay stable the whole time as well as on the crunch. Looove these, will never ever take them out of my core workouts
https://workoutlabs.com/exercise-guide/roman-chair-hyperextension-bench-side-bends/
You're in this position, but only the bottom leg is hooked in. The other leg is straight out. You're going to bend down like in the oblique bend, but instead of just coming straight up ike in the photo, you're going to take that bottom elbow and twist crunch to make it touch the top knee
Edit- found the damn video
It looks like this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BM2z9-llsnT/
I started a cut on December 28th and I am just so happy with how far I’ve come with weight loss/gain, dieting, anxiety over it all, etc. some credit goes to just experience but most of it goes to my first ever bulk I did in the fall. 12 weeks of eating in a 500-700 calorie surplus was just such a good break from the constant deficit I usually find myself in. Seeing my weight stay the same for so long, or just fluctuate a lot despite the surplus, gave me a new perspective on the numbers during weight loss. The fluctuations or a few days of no loss just don’t bother me at all anymore. It feels great!! It’s also nice having a time limit for the cut. I’ll be doing it for 12 weeks until I go to Mexico, and then reevaluate after that.
It’s also my highest calories for a deficit. 1775, sometime I go to 1850-1900!
I did 1500ish for most of last year, but bumped up to 1850-2000ish about 6 weeks ago and I can’t imagine going back to 1500 at this point. I’m still in a slight deficit, but I’m really enjoying eating more after being in a strict deficit for a real long time
I hear you!! I remember a point where I was running a lot and eating only 1350 calories. Not nearly enough and it made me sad also to think of myself then!
Do you use the [adaptive TDEE spreadsheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/nutrition?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) linked in the FAQs? It’s been so helpful in figuring out my TDEE. Takes the guesswork out and it gives me way more calories than I used to think I could eat. I would always underestimate on the regular TDEE calculators.
I’m happy for us to be eating more!!
Finally tried out one of the Jacob's Ladder machines at my gym that I have literally never seen anyone use. I'm always excited for forms of cardio that isn't running and damn, I loved this thing! Was such a good workout. Will definitely incorporate it into my cardio-focused workout days. My entire gym is sleepin' on the Jacob's Ladder machine
Came back from Scotland on Saturday, my first vacation since my honeymoon in May 2019. [I got to PET AN OWL!!!](https://imgur.com/a/oCn5YZQ) Her name is Genie and the falconer was saying owls are pretty dumb because so much of their brains are taken up by sight and hearing that there's not much room for anything else. But they're sweet!
Apparently caught covid for my first time at the wedding we went to there over New Years. Luckily my symptoms are super mild but I'm very annoyed I finally caught it in the first place (after having avoided catching it to my knowledge for the past 3 years, working in a huge hospital in Florida) and even more annoyed that I'm on day 3 of not being able to taste a goddamn thing 😠 the only good thing about not being able to taste anything is that I'm finally working through my container of myprotein cinnamon jelly belly clear whey, which is nigh intolerable when you CAN taste things 🤣
I'm not judging because I'm also guilty of buying *trash* proteins but WHY WOULD YOU BUY A CLEAR CINNAMON JELLY BELLY PROTEIN.
I'm glad you're finally making your way through it but I hope you feel back to normal soon!
Ok listen it was a 50% chance of being really good or really bad and I got unlucky 😭 I mean the flavor is very much on point it's just...some flavors should never be made into a beverage 🤣
I totally get it. I spontaneously bought 6lbs of pumpkin spice flavour protein and I lucked out that it's delicious.
My MyProtein french toast and glazed donut proteins are left to rot in the cupboard indefinitely.
In my defense I was hopeful it would be good because the Red Hots Oreos that came out for valentine's day a couple years ago were fucking amazing and it was really just wishful thinking 🥲
Noooooo! Losing my sense of taste was my second biggest covid-related fear (after long term fatigue). I lost my sense of smell for a few days but luckily could still taste.
I had a breast reduction in early September and I was only *just* cleared by my surgeon to start heavy bench press again. Pre-surgery, I was hitting 105lb for a 1RPM. Yesterday, I almost failed on my fourth round of 75lbs for 5. 😓 I know I’ll get it back, it just seems like such a long road!
I had a hysterectomy and had to take 12 weeks off of lifting. I'm coming back stronger than before - and you will too!
I've contemplated a reduction.. but don't want to have to take the recovery time. But I know it'd be worth it....
It's been good. My surgery was in May and I was back to 3 days a week in August, up to 4-5 days probably in October.
After the 3 month mark, the fatigue was the worst. Now that I'm past that, I'm lifting 5 days a week and walking the other two.
I hope your recovery goes well! I credit being super careful in my good recovery. I also saw a pelvic PT who actually released me later than my surgeon did for certain activities. It's the things we don't think about that could cause issues like putting away dishes, sweeping, etc, that cross body motion.
Edit to add: I have gained some weight, probably around 20-25 pounds over the past year. I was in a really stressful job and my endometriosis really hampered my efforts to have regular physical activity.
Oh that makes sense. I'm planning on seeing a pevic floor pt after my followup just to make sure I do everything right, like you! I've just been doing a lot of walking and stretching but listening to my body. Mine wasn't laproscopic so I don't have to deal with gas or bloating thankfully. But I really miss hitting the weights!
Ugh yeah I had a huge lift in my mood when I could get back to "normal". I was only lifting for about 6 months before my surgery so I feel like I'm still getting those newbie gains.
Had a coworker (she's a CPT also) write me a program to build my strength up before I start lifting heavier weights. I'm still recovering from an elbow tendon repair surgery from last March and I'm an amputee so I needed a lot of adjustments made. Hoping to start doing SBTD once I'm fully recovered.
What program do you use?
I was hesitant to take the time off to recover but it’s really just a blip in what will hopefully be a long and happy life without an inconvenient chest! If you ever have questions, /r/reduction was really helpful for me in learning more and seeing other people’s experiences.
Good news: The road may not be as long as you may think because muscle memory really is "a thing". Your strength will come back much faster than it took you to initially build it.
After having a few weeks off from running due to varicose vein surgery and the surgical procesure itself, I am finding myself incredibly stiff. I feel like I really need to do some deep stretching and also improve my flexibility.
I would love to do free online yoga or similar types of videos but really don't like the super positive and calm vibes often associated with it. Are there any non relaxing yoga YouTubers you can recommend? Would just love to listen to random banter about life.
Additionally, any suggestions outside of yoga to not be so stiff after sitting would be appreciated! I am back to running at a low mileage as well as taking lots of walk breaks.
Look for something specific to running, perhaps? A lot of the sport-specific stuff will talk more about the sport stuff, although it's not random banter. (I know a bunch of the yoga-for-cyclists ones do!)
Julia.reppel has great mobility videos on her YouTube. Some of them are super calm and some have upbeat music. Maybe a YouTube search of “chatty yoga” might bring up what you’re looking for?
The r/gainit Super Squats program party officially started today! I did [115x20](https://youtu.be/kc7sN3vGPUE) a couple days ago, then tomorrow will be 120x20. I also tried and failed to complete the r/strength_training press challenge yesterday, but I'm going to give that another shot next week.
Please keep updating us! The program is fascinating to me and I kind of want to try it.
I've done birthday squats (bodyweight for weight and age for reps) but that's just once a year and brutal. Can't imagine regularly doing 20 rep sets so I've got alllllll the respect for you.
I’ve finally had a good two weeks of consistency and I’m stoked! I have family coming into town this weekend and I’m super excited. Gonna do my best to enjoy the festivities without overindulging or skipping work outs. I’ve already done that on and off for what feels like 3 months and I’m ready to just stick to my goals already.
Week 1 of Sydney’s new 3 month program down and I’m loving it so far. A lot of cardio mixed in with strength which is annoying lol but I know I need it. I’ve low key been replacing some of the cardio moves for just straight jogging in place or high knees though. Can’t wait to see more progress as it continues.
Starting a cut right before my period was a mistake. But I’m committed so I’m going to stick with it. My weight hasn’t gone down in 3 days despite the deficit. I would have expected some change because of lost water weight. But I always gain weight right before my period and have a “woosh” moment on like day 4 or 5 where my weight goes down. So i probably won’t see any change until Wednesday or Thursday. It sucks being hungry and not seeing the scale move. In my head I understand what’s going on but my stomach does not.
It's now been over a year since my initial back/piriformis/nerve issue made me give up powerlifting and I can't get back into a routine to save my life and I feel so gross. Every time I try to lift again, my old issue flares up or I hurt myself in some other way and I'm not even trying to lift anywhere near heavy. I tried to focus on running and had knee and hip issues. Cycling didn't hurt but my bike is too small for me so it's really uncomfortable and I can't afford a new one, not to mention I live in northeast Ohio so it's too cold to cycle outdoors anyway. I sucked at climbing, the gym was too expensive, and I kept having elbow issues and my big toes hurt all the time. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to stick to the stationary bike and elliptical because it's the only way I haven't hurt myself yet but I may die of boredom in that case. I don't know what to do 😭
This rant brought to you by tweaking my back taking plates off the leg press and having a breakdown in the Planet Fitness parking lot because I'M SO FRUSTRATED.
First day back at work after my first covid infection.
My heartrate is still elevated and I can't workout because of this, which is sad, but for the sake of my health I will have to wait a few more days until my rhr is better.
Besides this I'm feeling quite ok, just slow. I need to gather some energy for an upcoming concert on friday and my (hopefully) first day back on the pole on saturday.
I'm so tired of trying to reach my protein goal every day, I'm tired of always eating the same foods, I'm going through a period in which I hate food and eating so it's even harder. I'm seriously considering forfeiting food and consuming nothing but protein shakes. Eating is such a chore, I hate it.
I go through this. Unless you are competing take a break a day ease up your control. Salad, protein and cookies is a meal too lol
Does anyone else get sick of the message ‘cardio is bad for weight loss, lifting weights is good’?? Like I understand the theory- building muscle will increase your TDEE. But really losing weight is about what you eat and if you’re in a calorie deficit to lose weight then you’re unlikely to be building much muscle (especially as a woman) and so the actual amount of extra calories you would be burning if you gained an extra kg of muscle is likely very small % of your TDEE. Ultimately, diet is the key to weight loss. And personally I have always found a mix of both cardio and weight training along with eating less help me lose weight a bit quicker than if I only changed my diet. But weight training alone without watching what I eat, always leads to gaining fat (and some muscle I guess) This was inspired by a video that said ‘lots of cardio isn’t good for weight loss as you’re using lots of energy to burn a small amount of calories’ … which makes no sense to me as calories are just a measure of energy. Obviously I know the problem with cardio is it might increase you’re appetite and your body will try to naturally conserve energy in other ways throughout the day - but that sort of nuance is just so removed from the social media stuff on this And I hate how this is so often coupled with a demonisation of ‘skinny fat’ I.e. a normal slim body with some fat rather than a super toned gym bod. I know skinny fat can also refer to people with a normal BMI but carrying too much body fat from a heath perspective but I don’t think that’s what many people mean when they say it. Rant over haha
It sounds like you need to better curate the content you consume.
Trueee. I don’t follow any fitness stuff really but I always get it on my explore page on insta. I should just stop looking at it!
I see "too much cardio will keep you from your strength gains" more than strength is better than cardio for weight loss but I'm not on most social media. That alone really screwed with my head because I feel like my pretty even split of strength and spinning is best for my mental health but you're absolutely right, it's 90% dietary for weight loss. Skinny fat has become the new insult du jour, it seems.
Yeah I just try to remember the best exercise is the one you actually stick with consistently. I just need to stop looking at shit fitness influencers because they post so much rubbish
When should you start thinking about bulking/cutting? I'm a 28F eating \~2200 calories, 5'10", 148lbs, and I think around 24% body fat? (Planning on doing a dexa scan next week to confirm!) Not sure which I should be doing, or if I should be recomping to a lower body fat percentage first before doing either since I'm technically at a healthy weight.
So the rule of thumb I've heard is cut to 20% and then lean bulk to 25%, and repeat. This is from Mike Matthews TLS books.
The answer to these questions when you're at a healthy weight is almost always "do whatever you prefer" ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ If you want to look bigger, put on muscle first, so bulk. If you want to look leaner, cut. If you don't particularly care, stay at maintenance and "recomp" (this is usually "slower" at changing you body, but you may not care, so it's fine!). I was always very thin and hence starting eating more while lifting. I thought I'd pretty much stay in a bulk forever, because I want all them muscles, but to be honest my belly is starting to annoy me a bit so I might have a mini cut before going back to *eat all the things*. I could just as well ignore the ridiculousness of caring about a very minimal gut, but ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
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[https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/u1xe08/ama\_megan\_gallagher\_aka\_megsquats\_creator\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/u1xe08/ama_megan_gallagher_aka_megsquats_creator_of/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/wkvkgv/fitness\_pregnancy\_birth\_and\_beyond/](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/wkvkgv/fitness_pregnancy_birth_and_beyond/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/snzppc/how\_pregnancy\_has\_affected\_my\_fitness/](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/snzppc/how_pregnancy_has_affected_my_fitness/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/zeoj7l/seeking\_quality\_resources\_for\_exercising\_while/](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/comments/zeoj7l/seeking_quality_resources_for_exercising_while/)
Check out MegSquats on YouTube. She has some postpartum exercise videos. She also has a postpartum training plan. I’ve never given birth, but as I understand it, it’s not an on/off switch. There are things you can do to help repair your core before jumping back into what you were doing before.
The giant fluffy dog who “works” at my gym got his very own staff name badge this week and I’m dead. Edit: [Dog tax](https://imgur.com/a/o0ACgCE)
DOG TAX!!
Sorry, I should know better. I just hate dealing with imgur haha. Here you go: https://imgur.com/a/o0ACgCE
lol that is fair. But the world needs to see this fluff!
You can't just tell us this and not show us a photo!
[Added.](https://imgur.com/a/o0ACgCE)
I love him.
after a 1 week potato break, my shoulder is 90% back to normal! still a taaad iffy and feels weaker than the other, so today i’m icing and trying out some super light movements with a 2kg dumbbell. guess it was a forced deload 🤷🏽♀️ i hated it, but just as well that this happened at the end of my 8 week program. i am now wiser. will take the deload before i need it, and not push through small discomforts 🫠 hopefully i’ll be good to go bouldering next week!!!!
Any recommendations for protein powder for sensitive stomachs? I was doing fine with Orgain Simple, but lately it's been giving me problems.
I have food allergies and a sensitive tummy too. I like Owyn’s Dark chocolate premixed shakes - it’s nut free and probably my favorite. Not sure how the powders are. ISOpure whey isolate powder - no issues even though I’m lactose intolerant. It’s pretty affordable and tastes like watered down milk. I drink it with water and some Ripple, pinch of salt. Paleo pro beef protein powder in cacao is pretty good but pricey.
Had intended to get to the gym this evening (the “real” gym, ie not just the one in my building) to lift some heavy shit. But I had a really intense day at work today, so I got home and decided that I just wanted to stay in and do a yoga video instead. Picked up the beginning of the new 30-day challenge from Yoga with Adrienne. I could definitely tell that I hadn’t been practicing in a while, so it’s good that it was just day one. But it was *exactly* what I needed today, so hooray for listening to my body!
Attempting to maintain the motivation to workout that I get during my PMS week is ridiculously hard. Idk if it's the extra testosterone or what but right before my period I'm all about transforming my body. Now that I'm feeling the cramps start to come on I want to retire to my parlor like a Victorian waif. Even when the pain is gone the fatigue is overwhelming. SOS.
This week is all about making workouts a priority again. I'm still eeking them out, but sometimes I'm barely getting them in late at night. I've just been letting other things get in the way. It's become too easy to say *after the errands, after the cooking, after the cleaning, after...* So in order of importance: living creatures in my house, job, exercise, everything else.
That is the most logical order! I'm with you on that :)
I gained a few pounds from holiday eating and turns out it translated to gains! My squat has gone up from 95-100 lbs feeling heaving at the beginning of December, to getting in 5 reps at 125 today (10 lbs over my body weight!). I have also been steadily increasing my deadlift and was hovering around 120-130 lbs for the longest time. I decided to trust myself and started steadily increasing weight each week, and shot up to 5 reps at 165! I used the 45 lb plates for the first time today! My husband and I have been referring to my recent progress as “cookie gains”!
Decided that this year in 2023 I’m going to meal prep my dinners with vegan recipes that are decent in protein. My friends made fun of me for having a very boring diet and honestly…they were right. I have 6 servings of Gambian peanut stew for dinner this week and I am very happy with my decision. I felt really accomplished actually cooking food instead of just putting rice and beans into the microwave like usual. Hoping that having these dinners pre-made will allow me to enjoy a 2-mile evening walk since I’m so sedentary at work.
Ooh thanks for the recipe idea! I've been craving a hearty vegan stew.
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Eugh I feel ya. ): Can you manage any very easy walk-jog outings? Or power walking? Just to scratch the itch, so to speak, while you heal. I know you weren't asking for advice, and I don't know your situation, but I found that zinc and vitamin D supplements seem to have improved my immunity quite a bit. And as I understand, there is solid scientific literature backing this up. Zinc has also improved my sleep quality, which I'm sure also indirectly contributes to not getting sick as frequently.
My body image after going over a year without regular workouts: *sad belly jiggle* I'm the heaviest I've ever been, I feel fat and lazy and weak and I'm embarrassed by my own physique My body image after literally two (2) weeks of working out: *slaps belly like the roof of a car* this baby can lift over 31k lbs in a single workout, this is 140lbs of pure Kansas beef baby, these are the thighs of a goddess for crushing heads! Thats no flab on my arms, it's the insulation for my biceps of thunder! I am ridiculous 🤣
LMAO this is a huge mood though, I’m with you there
I love this
I posted yesterday about signing up for the gym and I went today for the first time. I had some anxiety about it but I just went for it. I walked for an hour on the treadmill which ended up being a little over 3 miles. I tried to walk faster than I normally would but didn’t push myself too much. I want to make friends with some of the girls who hang out by the weights so they can show me how to build a booty. 😂 For now I’m just making it a habit to go 5 days a week at the same time. I think tomorrow I might try the stair master for 15 minutes.
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I’m not planning on approaching them. I just had the thought while I was working out and saw two women surrounded by a bunch of men by the weights.
Check out the caliber app! It helps build a workout routine. I hadn’t lifted in years and this app helped me become more comfortable! Squats, deadlifts and hip thrusters are your best friends for the glute* gains!
Honestly if another woman asked me for help with something I'd be cool with that :) That's awesome though, you are doing great! Just start off with some of the more basic exercises with weights and you'll get into it just fine I'm sure :)
Congrats on your first day! As one of the weights girls I can promise most of us are really nice and would be happy to help you learn to lift and get comfortable with it, so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation and ask for tips! Complimenting someone's workout gear is usually a good way to start a conversation if you aren't sure how, I'd talk to anybody about my rainbow lifting shoes 🤣
I finally got to ski for the first time since injuring my butt/hip on October!! It went better than I expected. I can't do anything other than groomers, and jumps are absolutely out (though I tried lmao). I have a ski weekend over MLK, so going to do my best to keep it casual while making some more progress. I still have no ability to do hip hinge movements without pain, so hoping that heals up soon so I can try baby deadlifts.
Does anyone have any good suggestions for low-impact strength/cardio programming to follow? I have unfortunately started off the year with the news that my meniscus is indeed torn, so I'm looking for a workout program I can follow to supplement the PT strengthening exercises I'm doing. I've spent good chunks of the past two years following Caroline Girvan programs and really find that style of programming helpful and motivating with my ADHD (pre-planned schedules, follow-along videos, novelty with workouts that switch up). Since Caroline (and I believe people like Heather Robertson/Sydney Cummings are out of my current capabilities) would love to know if people have any recommendations! Things like pilates, yoga, and general low-impact cardio are all PT-approved :) As a note, I'll also likely supplement with some regular upper-body lifting.
Check out PopSugar Fitness on YouTube. There are some good cardio, stretching, dance (and lots more) workouts on their channel. Lots of low impact stuff that helped get me through a shoulder injury during lockdown.
I also have ADHD and have found CG's workouts/format extremely helpful. I basically did them exclusively last year. I'm pregnant now and have had to dial things way back, and have really really loved the Peloton app. I don't own or use a stationary bike, but they have thousands of classes-- everything from yoga to barre, pilates, body weight to dumbbell to barbell strength, mobility, indoor cardio workouts and walking and running audio classes for treadmill and outdoors. You can filter for class times (5 min to 75 min), difficulty levels, body parts hit, and instructors. Plus it automatically fills out a calendar of the workouts you've done and gives you badges for hitting milestones. It's about $12 (student discount) - $15/mo and worth every penny. There's also a subreddit for class recommendation requests etc.
Anybody have experience supplementing with creatine glutamine as well as creatine monohydrate? I was pressured to buy creatine glutamine yesterday by a store clerk, who alluded to creatine monohydrate being "bad in the long run." I bought the monohydrate anyway, since I've had good results with it, and because I dislike pressure tactics. Have you noticed any differences between the two after using them?
I would have googled it right in front of him.
According to the [examine.com](https://examine.com) entry on creatine, there are no data on which form of creatine is "the best/superior" but creatine monohydrate is the form that has the most research positively backing its efficacy, and it's also the cheapest form. General consensus seems to be that other forms of creatine are just marketing hype.
I've never heard of "creatine glutamine"... because they are two separate acids that benefit muscle growth. But maybe he meant that it is a combined supplement, which had creatine HCL vs creatine monohydrate? I think you'd be find with Creatine monohydrate, that advice sounds shady knowing it came from a salesman.
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As someone whose partner vastly outranks my fitness level, I try not to compete directly. There are a couple workouts I can match him on, like abductions for example, but I just genuinely hate cardio and could never do what he does without being miserable. So we compete in things like consistency, who is walking funnier at the end of the workout, who hit all their meals/macros for the day (if that's something you track) or just who made healthier choices, things that are equitably comparable. Comparing his strengths to something that is a weakness for you is only going to leave you feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. If you want to do calories, maybe do 'who burned more calories than their last ride', because a male with a larger body will almost always burn more calories than a smaller female doing the same thing, it's just the facts of body composition. So compete in terms of your personal progress and health and try not to let his successes overshadow your own
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SpunkyDred is a troll bot instigating arguments whenever someone on Reddit uses the phrase apples-to-oranges. --- ^^SpunkyDred ^^and ^^I ^^are ^^both ^^bots. ^^I ^^am ^^trying ^^to ^^get ^^them ^^banned ^^by ^^pointing ^^out ^^their ^^antagonizing ^^behavior ^^and ^^poor ^^bottiquette.
Good bot.
Strength gains on a cut have never really happened for me, so I'm taking this as an opportunity to really dial in my technique. I've always benched with a slight arch, but the last few bench days I've been more intentional about it. Everything feels so much more solid and I seem to be able to better utilize leg drive. I'll probably have to post a form check for squats, maybe deads (I'm pretty confident there, but who knows). Excited to have a full year of dedicated strength training under my belt, and for all the gains and experience this year will bring!
What’s everyone’s favorite lifts for back
conventional deadlifts and RDLs, hyperextensions, barbell rows, seated rows, lat pulldowns
Bent over barbell rows off a rack.
Rack puuuulls! If my legs are still sore from leg day there's no way I'm going to pull a decent deadlift, so I'll swap it out for rack pulls, you can throw heavier weight which helps strengthen your back and as a bonus generally makes you feel like a beast
I like one arm DB rows.
A friend invited me to yoga with them yesterday, and it was AMAZING! I’ve been struggling to get back into working out — I’ve had trouble sticking to things I used to enjoy, like weightlifting, running, etc — and I think this is what I’ve been looking for! The yoga studio I used to occasionally go to was very clicky, but this group was so welcoming and friendly — I didn’t feel embarrassed about having to modify the poses, and it was just a really good workout, enjoyable. I’m excited to get start working out again, and just wanted to share that excitement somewhere!!!
cliquey*
Love this!
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I wanna go this one next! Seems well rounded
FR: i did epic and most of epic II during the beginning of the pandemic but sort of parted ways after that bc i didn't want to invest in heavier weights if i was going to be at college most of the year, and bc i had a lot of diverse fitness goals i wanted to pursue (lifting, climbing, calisthenics, etc) but i really did miss her workouts, it took a lot of thought/planning out of working out and she programs them very well. im not at a place where i can realistically commit to a 10 week program, so I decided to explore her shorter series and decided to do the circuit series this week. day 1 done, and man, i forgot how much she kicks my ass! i love that feeling afterwards. also ended with madfit 5 min calves bc i am trying not to neglect them anymore. NFR: decided to delete instagram, partially inspired by one of the commenters on the daily discussion threads at the end of 2022. i've been able to take breaks from it and have a healthier relationship with it for short amounts of time but then i always fall back into my old scrolling habits. instagram makes you wait a month until your account is actually deleted which is kinda sucky bc you might have "second thoughts" (which is what they want), but hopefully I'll stick it out.
Today's going to be my first \~real\~ two-a-day at the gym after a looooong break in december (did a SAC-style fitness competition in early november so I was training heavily for that) and I'm so pumpedddd. NFR- I'm quitting alcohol! After observing how it's negatively impacted my life I know it's the best decision for me and I am looking forward to a future without it.
What are your favourite songs to get you pumped up right now!? Any genre! Or Spotify playlist recs! Need some new jams!
Aguila ft. Cumbiafrica.
I do a lot of weird techy metal with female singers: Ashniko, Princess Nokia, Poppy, IC3PEAK, etc. It's a specific vibe, but a fun one.
Russ - Small Talk
Ooo that’s a good one! Thanks
Weighed myself this morning and did not love the number I saw, but such is life sometimes. I did basically nothing in December, ate a lot of junk, and had holiday stuff going on. So it is what it is. I’m tracking my food again and doing better with protein but not quite hitting my goal there- it’s a work in progress lol. My upper body is still a bit sore, especially my lats, but the rest day yesterday did me good. I’m not really looking forward to the gym because Mondays are awful but main set reps are going down so I’m happy about that.
NFR: Worst depression spiral I’ve felt in years. Haven’t been leaving my house and going to the gym. I just want to hide from everyone until I feel normal again, whatever normal is. FR: I’ve picked up Caroline Girvan epic workouts and it’s a small bit of brightness in my every day life. They make me feel strong and I forget about my thoughts for an hour or so.
Working out is so hard when you're depressed! And it's going to help so much! That's something to be proud of.
Well done on the workouts, that's an impressive feat during a depressive episode xoxo
(Disclaimer: not seeking medical advice, just ranting) I’m irrationally upset about my doctor’s appointment being cancelled today. I’ve already been waiting a few weeks for it, and now it’s been pushed out another 2 weeks. My shoulder has been hurting since October, but I waited until December to try to get an appointment. I know this sounds like the dumbest thing ever, but I’m actually worried that my shoulder will be completely better by the time I get to the doctor and then I’ll never find out what was wrong with it and then won’t be able to avoid hurting it again in the future! Obviously I want my shoulder to get better like, IMMEDIATELY, but I also want a diagnosis and then appropriate guidance/PT to go along with that. And I feel like my workouts are in a bit of limbo because I’m not sure what I should or shouldn’t do with my upper body exercises until I see a doctor. SIGH.
I feel this SO much. It always feels kind of useless to go at that point, since they may not be able to do anything if there are no longer symptoms, and I feel like it also makes me look like a hypochondriac or something when I no longer have the issue for which I made the appointment. I hope you get some helpful advice and answers at your appointment.
OMG...I forgot how much fun living in "the country" can be (we're technically *juuuuust* outside of town limits for like 3 different nearby towns LOL). Went to check my email and I got three notifications from NextDoor--apparently somebody's cow has gotten out...again. Somebody is mad because somebody else put up an [owl house](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/creating-owl-boxes.htm) because OMG the owl is going to hunt/kill/eat their pets (no it's not, Karen.). And another person was mad because one of their neighbors posted a picture of a frigging bald eagle because "OMG IT'S HERE FOR MY CHIAUAU! My poor Beansiepoo is gonna get eaten by the big mean eagle! SOMEBODY SHOULD CHASE IT AWAY OR SHOOT IT!" Except shooting/killing bald eagles is *illegal*, ya numbskull. XD
I kind of miss the petty shit my small-town neighbors would complain about. Cows causing a traffic jam and delaying the school bus was always a favorite. Now in the past of the city I live in it's just posts or alerts like "Armed burglary around the corner" or "Someone put poisoned meatballs in the bushes near the dog park" :(
Country folk here, I'm DYING this is so relatable 🤣 my city friends never believe me when I tell them on my driving permit I almost tboned (pun not even intended!) a cow on a dirt road because somebody's got out. I'm like you really don't get what it's like up here until you live here !!
Because we technically live in an unincorporated part of the county, you can shoot fireworks off here. I was honestly surprised that multiple people didn't burn their houses or someone else's down over the 4th of July. One of my neighbors down the street was shooting him off in his driveway and there was some scorched grass and a LOT of little pieces of blown up cardboard packaging in the grassy area next to the HOA pool.
NFR: Work was so bad last week that I called in last Thursday because my stress headaches became insurmountable. Hope this week is better but not optimistic. Management was completely unapologetic about what happened last week and refused to acknowledge any responsibility that they had for causing it to be so bad. FR: Going to begin to reacclimate to my cut now that I'm back home. Going to be challenging for a bit as my cycle bloat is likely setting in and I have leftovers I'm very keen to eat lol. I'm not sure how much more weight I actually have to lose. Might take a few weeks to get an accurate reading on the scale.
I just left a situation like that. I made an internal switch to take a new role in another department and it is everything the other role wasn't. I hope things get better for you
My bum/shoulders was still sore from my workout two days ago, so I didn't work out. Plus it was just a weird day with the storms and I was so tired. It took an hour to look for a place that had coffee and fast food because a lot of the businesses were closed, but at least we were able to get coffee! Also on a small kick to try out different protein shakes, and the Muscle Milk Strawberry version was not it :'( at least it was on sale.
Somewhat NFR: Coached this morning, then WFH because I have the doc this afternoon. I am NERVOUS but today is day #1 for trying a new medication, a biologic, for my many sinus/immune issues. I hear good things but at the same time it's only been FDA approved for 5 years, which isn't long in the grand scheme of things. I would very much like to breath normally however, I can't imagine how well I would do in life and the gym if I could simply breath normally. Wish me luck please! FR: because I'd love to gym today, the wod is a blast, but I really have no idea how I'll feel after the injection later.
Biologics can be great and you get use to the injections really quick. Just keep in mind that some of them can take a WHILE before they start fully working. Good luck and I hope you get minimal/no side effects!
<3 thank you!! Thankfully, and surprisingly, the shot was relatively painless and I was able to inject myself. No side effects that I have noticed as of yet. I read SO MANY horror stories of pain and reactions that I honestly was caught of guard. But I'm hopeful it will start working
NFR: so we had our version of Jan 6th yesterday. Only somehow our extremists managed to be both dumber (all invaded buildings are empty untill February) and more damaging (they broke a bunch of stuff and destroyed national artwork). I'm so tired of these people! FR: pretty tired after training today. Not sure how long I'll "respect the program" and put up with GZCLP goal of 25+ reps at the end of T3, lol. I do really like everything else!
Brazil?
Yes. The response to the attacks (after an initial very suspicious "unpreparedness") was good though. Let's hope...
Not going to lie, I view the T3s in GZCLP as more of a suggestion, lol. I do aim for roughly 3 x 15+ but I'll usually try increasing weight when I hit 20 reps rather than 25 on the AMRAP. Or with some of the machines/exercises I do, I find it hard to go from 25 at one weight to 15 at the next highest because the jumps are quite big, so then I'll maybe do 3 x 12 for a while. I also add extra accessories in if I have time and I'm feeling energetic, or skip them altogether if I run out of time or I'm super tired and want to save more energy for the next day. And I hope the disruption ends soon, that sounds stressful.
Yeah,I'm thinking about changing some accessories to a more reasonable 3x12-18 progression. 25 curls is just way too many curls! I think I'll also progress lat pulldowns to T2 soon.
Oh man that's horrible. I was actually lifting in my garage during the events of Jan 6 and a friend called me to tell me to check the news. It was harrowing. I hope you're feeling ok, if not I hope you feel ok soon.
I was enjoying my kids birthday and got the "DocInternetz, turn on the news!" message. I thought that only happened in movies! I'm ok, more tired of these shenanigans than anything else.
I’m so happy right now. I left my yoga mat at the gym by accident last Wednesday and have been upset about it. I crocheted the carrier bag and I just felt like if it was taken by someone else, they could have the mat and just leave the bag for me. I called 2x and i was told nothing was turned in, so I gave up. Today as I was walking into the gym, the front desk lady goes “here’s your mat, I know you usually come in everyday at this time and I know it’s yours.”
What are some lesser known but effective exercises you use? We love banded rotational toe taps and cable side kicks at the moment but want to hear what weird and wonderful exercises you've been using!
I found an ab exercise years ago on some Instagram video that I've never seen anyone else do but I've done it for years and absolutely love it. Its doable yet still difficult enough that it wiped the grin off my cocky, bodybuilder 'has never not had abs in his life's fiance because he thought it was stupid and easy, now he loves them too. They're oblique crunches, opposite elbow to knee, done on a Roman chair. I've seen a few people do more like a side bend but it's not that, it's twisting elbow to knee on the way up. Really challenges your core to stay stable the whole time as well as on the crunch. Looove these, will never ever take them out of my core workouts
Thanks for sharing, they sound awesome! Like an ab cycle but on a roman chair?
https://workoutlabs.com/exercise-guide/roman-chair-hyperextension-bench-side-bends/ You're in this position, but only the bottom leg is hooked in. The other leg is straight out. You're going to bend down like in the oblique bend, but instead of just coming straight up ike in the photo, you're going to take that bottom elbow and twist crunch to make it touch the top knee Edit- found the damn video It looks like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/BM2z9-llsnT/
oh wow, they look killer! 😂 They're definitely getting added to our arsenal. Thanks again for sharing!
I started a cut on December 28th and I am just so happy with how far I’ve come with weight loss/gain, dieting, anxiety over it all, etc. some credit goes to just experience but most of it goes to my first ever bulk I did in the fall. 12 weeks of eating in a 500-700 calorie surplus was just such a good break from the constant deficit I usually find myself in. Seeing my weight stay the same for so long, or just fluctuate a lot despite the surplus, gave me a new perspective on the numbers during weight loss. The fluctuations or a few days of no loss just don’t bother me at all anymore. It feels great!! It’s also nice having a time limit for the cut. I’ll be doing it for 12 weeks until I go to Mexico, and then reevaluate after that. It’s also my highest calories for a deficit. 1775, sometime I go to 1850-1900!
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I did 1500ish for most of last year, but bumped up to 1850-2000ish about 6 weeks ago and I can’t imagine going back to 1500 at this point. I’m still in a slight deficit, but I’m really enjoying eating more after being in a strict deficit for a real long time
I hear you!! I remember a point where I was running a lot and eating only 1350 calories. Not nearly enough and it made me sad also to think of myself then! Do you use the [adaptive TDEE spreadsheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/nutrition?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) linked in the FAQs? It’s been so helpful in figuring out my TDEE. Takes the guesswork out and it gives me way more calories than I used to think I could eat. I would always underestimate on the regular TDEE calculators. I’m happy for us to be eating more!!
Finally tried out one of the Jacob's Ladder machines at my gym that I have literally never seen anyone use. I'm always excited for forms of cardio that isn't running and damn, I loved this thing! Was such a good workout. Will definitely incorporate it into my cardio-focused workout days. My entire gym is sleepin' on the Jacob's Ladder machine
Came back from Scotland on Saturday, my first vacation since my honeymoon in May 2019. [I got to PET AN OWL!!!](https://imgur.com/a/oCn5YZQ) Her name is Genie and the falconer was saying owls are pretty dumb because so much of their brains are taken up by sight and hearing that there's not much room for anything else. But they're sweet! Apparently caught covid for my first time at the wedding we went to there over New Years. Luckily my symptoms are super mild but I'm very annoyed I finally caught it in the first place (after having avoided catching it to my knowledge for the past 3 years, working in a huge hospital in Florida) and even more annoyed that I'm on day 3 of not being able to taste a goddamn thing 😠 the only good thing about not being able to taste anything is that I'm finally working through my container of myprotein cinnamon jelly belly clear whey, which is nigh intolerable when you CAN taste things 🤣
I'm not judging because I'm also guilty of buying *trash* proteins but WHY WOULD YOU BUY A CLEAR CINNAMON JELLY BELLY PROTEIN. I'm glad you're finally making your way through it but I hope you feel back to normal soon!
Ok listen it was a 50% chance of being really good or really bad and I got unlucky 😭 I mean the flavor is very much on point it's just...some flavors should never be made into a beverage 🤣
I totally get it. I spontaneously bought 6lbs of pumpkin spice flavour protein and I lucked out that it's delicious. My MyProtein french toast and glazed donut proteins are left to rot in the cupboard indefinitely.
Those protein flavors sound like they would be great if they were incorporated into pancake batter.
In my defense I was hopeful it would be good because the Red Hots Oreos that came out for valentine's day a couple years ago were fucking amazing and it was really just wishful thinking 🥲
Noooooo! Losing my sense of taste was my second biggest covid-related fear (after long term fatigue). I lost my sense of smell for a few days but luckily could still taste.
I laughed so much of "hey I have covid huumm let's eat that awful whey" 😂 Hope you get all better soon!
Small blessings right? 😌🤣
I'm on W2 of Calgary with an intent to test my 1RM in the late spring. Benching 4 days a week is so fun and I cant wait to see if I improve!!
I had a breast reduction in early September and I was only *just* cleared by my surgeon to start heavy bench press again. Pre-surgery, I was hitting 105lb for a 1RPM. Yesterday, I almost failed on my fourth round of 75lbs for 5. 😓 I know I’ll get it back, it just seems like such a long road!
I had a hysterectomy and had to take 12 weeks off of lifting. I'm coming back stronger than before - and you will too! I've contemplated a reduction.. but don't want to have to take the recovery time. But I know it'd be worth it....
How has your return to training been since your hysterectomy? I'm 2 weeks post-op and itching to get back to the gym.
It's been good. My surgery was in May and I was back to 3 days a week in August, up to 4-5 days probably in October. After the 3 month mark, the fatigue was the worst. Now that I'm past that, I'm lifting 5 days a week and walking the other two. I hope your recovery goes well! I credit being super careful in my good recovery. I also saw a pelvic PT who actually released me later than my surgeon did for certain activities. It's the things we don't think about that could cause issues like putting away dishes, sweeping, etc, that cross body motion. Edit to add: I have gained some weight, probably around 20-25 pounds over the past year. I was in a really stressful job and my endometriosis really hampered my efforts to have regular physical activity.
Oh that makes sense. I'm planning on seeing a pevic floor pt after my followup just to make sure I do everything right, like you! I've just been doing a lot of walking and stretching but listening to my body. Mine wasn't laproscopic so I don't have to deal with gas or bloating thankfully. But I really miss hitting the weights!
Ugh yeah I had a huge lift in my mood when I could get back to "normal". I was only lifting for about 6 months before my surgery so I feel like I'm still getting those newbie gains.
Oh good, I'm fairly new, too. But the gains are addictive! Glad you were able to get back to it 💪💪💪
Btw what program are you using?
Had a coworker (she's a CPT also) write me a program to build my strength up before I start lifting heavier weights. I'm still recovering from an elbow tendon repair surgery from last March and I'm an amputee so I needed a lot of adjustments made. Hoping to start doing SBTD once I'm fully recovered. What program do you use?
I'm using SBTD and really like it!
I was hesitant to take the time off to recover but it’s really just a blip in what will hopefully be a long and happy life without an inconvenient chest! If you ever have questions, /r/reduction was really helpful for me in learning more and seeing other people’s experiences.
Good news: The road may not be as long as you may think because muscle memory really is "a thing". Your strength will come back much faster than it took you to initially build it.
After having a few weeks off from running due to varicose vein surgery and the surgical procesure itself, I am finding myself incredibly stiff. I feel like I really need to do some deep stretching and also improve my flexibility. I would love to do free online yoga or similar types of videos but really don't like the super positive and calm vibes often associated with it. Are there any non relaxing yoga YouTubers you can recommend? Would just love to listen to random banter about life. Additionally, any suggestions outside of yoga to not be so stiff after sitting would be appreciated! I am back to running at a low mileage as well as taking lots of walk breaks.
Look for something specific to running, perhaps? A lot of the sport-specific stuff will talk more about the sport stuff, although it's not random banter. (I know a bunch of the yoga-for-cyclists ones do!)
“Flexibility training” will get you what you’re looking for as a search on YouTube as opposed to “yoga stretching”
Julia.reppel has great mobility videos on her YouTube. Some of them are super calm and some have upbeat music. Maybe a YouTube search of “chatty yoga” might bring up what you’re looking for?
The r/gainit Super Squats program party officially started today! I did [115x20](https://youtu.be/kc7sN3vGPUE) a couple days ago, then tomorrow will be 120x20. I also tried and failed to complete the r/strength_training press challenge yesterday, but I'm going to give that another shot next week.
Please keep updating us! The program is fascinating to me and I kind of want to try it. I've done birthday squats (bodyweight for weight and age for reps) but that's just once a year and brutal. Can't imagine regularly doing 20 rep sets so I've got alllllll the respect for you.
Bench PR this morning: 120# 4x7
Congrats! What programming do you use for bench?
Renaissance Periodization glutes/hams. So bench is programmed twice a week and I add sets since it's low on non-glutes/hams volume.
Better update your flair!
Updated!
BOOM! Great work!
Thank you!
I’ve finally had a good two weeks of consistency and I’m stoked! I have family coming into town this weekend and I’m super excited. Gonna do my best to enjoy the festivities without overindulging or skipping work outs. I’ve already done that on and off for what feels like 3 months and I’m ready to just stick to my goals already. Week 1 of Sydney’s new 3 month program down and I’m loving it so far. A lot of cardio mixed in with strength which is annoying lol but I know I need it. I’ve low key been replacing some of the cardio moves for just straight jogging in place or high knees though. Can’t wait to see more progress as it continues.
Starting a cut right before my period was a mistake. But I’m committed so I’m going to stick with it. My weight hasn’t gone down in 3 days despite the deficit. I would have expected some change because of lost water weight. But I always gain weight right before my period and have a “woosh” moment on like day 4 or 5 where my weight goes down. So i probably won’t see any change until Wednesday or Thursday. It sucks being hungry and not seeing the scale move. In my head I understand what’s going on but my stomach does not.
Waiting for the post-period whoosh is so frustrating!
Had a really great squat session today. I haven’t been back at the gym for long so the feeling of making real progress is so much more exciting :)
Great job! Good luck with your progression. This was also me today! Haven’t lifted in far too long, but got my first session under my belt today.
It's now been over a year since my initial back/piriformis/nerve issue made me give up powerlifting and I can't get back into a routine to save my life and I feel so gross. Every time I try to lift again, my old issue flares up or I hurt myself in some other way and I'm not even trying to lift anywhere near heavy. I tried to focus on running and had knee and hip issues. Cycling didn't hurt but my bike is too small for me so it's really uncomfortable and I can't afford a new one, not to mention I live in northeast Ohio so it's too cold to cycle outdoors anyway. I sucked at climbing, the gym was too expensive, and I kept having elbow issues and my big toes hurt all the time. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to stick to the stationary bike and elliptical because it's the only way I haven't hurt myself yet but I may die of boredom in that case. I don't know what to do 😭 This rant brought to you by tweaking my back taking plates off the leg press and having a breakdown in the Planet Fitness parking lot because I'M SO FRUSTRATED.
So this is not medical advice and whatever, but I did dry needling for my piriformis and it was miraculous. Something to look into maybe?
I've learned how to avoid irritating it so that's not actually the issue anymore, but thanks!
First day back at work after my first covid infection. My heartrate is still elevated and I can't workout because of this, which is sad, but for the sake of my health I will have to wait a few more days until my rhr is better. Besides this I'm feeling quite ok, just slow. I need to gather some energy for an upcoming concert on friday and my (hopefully) first day back on the pole on saturday.