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Fitness |OT| Pumpin' Iron and Spittin' Blood.

Cignus

Neo Member
Looking to get a little stronger on bench. Other than eating a crap ton of food is there any truth that low reps + high weight = strength. I usually just do 8-12 reps to failure which has built pretty decent muscle size (for my frame at least), but I'm not that strong.

I can basically bench my bodyweight (160 pounds) 8-10 times. Maybe do 165-170 pounds for 3-4 reps?

(Do as I say not as I do) I'm also pretty stuck here as well but I only bench like once a week. How often do you bench and where are you failing in the lift? More often than not, if you want to progress in a lift you should hit it with more volume/ what other chest work do you do?
 

God Enel

Member
every day is another opportunity, don't waste it

we welcome more people to this thread, everyone has to start somewhere


❤️

today i did legs and core.
3 sets:
1. pistol squats on a bosu ball (4x each leg)
2. Around the world 12
3. 15x weighted squats on the bosu ball (20kg)
4. Toes to bar 10x

1. Front lunges 20kg 16x
2. Leg raises on the floor
3. Nordic hamstring curls 8x (the worst exercise in history of mankind)
4. Windshield wipers on the floor 16x

1. sumo squats 30kg 15x
2. Russian twists 10kg plate 24x
3. Wallsit 35kg on legs 1minute
4. Cross (dunno whats called.. lying on your back and then touch the toes with your hands..)
5. Straight leg deadlift with barbells 15x 30kg

I did 4 exercises back to back 3 sets (as little rest as possible) and moved to the next 4. I’m kinda proud that I did so many pistol squats on the bosu ball as it was the first time I was trying it. Was a little bit shakey but it was kinda okay :)

The Nordic hamstring curls. I hate them.
next time I have to do 4-5 more exercises more.
 

Drake

Member
(Do as I say not as I do) I'm also pretty stuck here as well but I only bench like once a week. How often do you bench and where are you failing in the lift? More often than not, if you want to progress in a lift you should hit it with more volume/ what other chest work do you do?

I'm on a 3 day split, so most weeks I hit it 2 times. As far as what exercises I do. My routine is usually pretty much the same:

4 x 4 sets of flat bench for 8-10 reps
4 x 4 sets of decline bench or decline dumbbells for 8-10 reps
4 x 4 sets of incline dumbbells for 8-10 reps (I usually keep the weight on this pretty light because I don't want to tweak my shoulder again)
4 x 4 sets of machine flys. 10 reps.

I've completely eliminated incline bench from my routine as I can't do it comfortably without feeling it in my right shoulder.

I'm also kind of a pussy on the bench. I do it without a spotter, so if I'm close to failure I'll just rack it because I don't want to be stuck there with the bar on my chest.
 
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Cignus

Neo Member
I'm on a 3 day split, so most weeks I hit it 2 times. As far as what exercises I do. My routine is usually pretty much the same:
So everything looks pretty "in order" but where are you failing on the lift? could be due to tricep strength and your chest is fine. I noticed if I'm failing a round where my elbows hit parallel I need to do some more tricep work and it usually makes the weight easier next week.

I'm also kind of a pussy on the bench. I do it without a spotter, so if I'm close to failure I'll just rack it because I don't want to be stuck there with the bar on my chest.
I can completely relate with this except when I bench at home I've got safety bars so if I do fail I can just roll it off me. At the gym is another story though lol
 

Amory

Member
I had lost like 25 lbs, gained a lot of muscle and was feeling great, but then probably a month and a half or 2 months ago the backslide started. Work got busy, life got busy, and I've been eating like shit and drinking a lot.

I'm not completely back to square one, but it sucks to have lost progress. Idk why this always happens.

Guess I'll try to drag my ass to the gym today and start anew.
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Looking to get a little stronger on bench. Other than eating a crap ton of food is there any truth that low reps + high weight = strength. I usually just do 8-12 reps to failure which has built pretty decent muscle size (for my frame at least), but I'm not that strong.

I can basically bench my bodyweight (160 pounds) 8-10 times. Maybe do 165-170 pounds for 3-4 reps?

You need to increase the weight and do lower reps. I would also recommend mixing it up and benching with dumbells. You have to challenge your body and put it under stress. Ask someone to spot you if you're worried about the weight. I would say jack it up to at least 185 and shoot for 1 - 3 reps.

Make sure you're doing adequate tricep work as well. Dips, tricep pulldowns, narrow grip bench, etc. That will help.

Also, don't neglect the compound lifts. That's where strength is built.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Re: strength, Drake Drake , refer to the chart below.

twdoKBj.png


3-5 rep heavy sets will increase your strength, power, and functional muscle growth. Drop your reps to 5 and incrementally increase weight each session starting at around what you're currently doing at the higher reps (give yourself adequate recovery time). That should help you break through your plateau.
 

Drake

Member
Re: strength, Drake Drake , refer to the chart below.

twdoKBj.png


3-5 rep heavy sets will increase your strength, power, and functional muscle growth. Drop your reps to 5 and incrementally increase weight each session starting at around what you're currently doing at the higher reps (give yourself adequate recovery time). That should help you break through your plateau.


Yeah been doing high weight low reps for 3 workouts now. I've actually made really good progress on my bench in 3 workouts. Went from 165 at 3 reps on the 1st chest workout, 4 reps on the 2nd workout on 5 reps on the 3rd. 1 rep increase per workout is actually amazing progress for me. If I can get 165 to7 reps I'm upping it to 170 and starting over.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Yeah been doing high weight low reps for 3 workouts now. I've actually made really good progress on my bench in 3 workouts. Went from 165 at 3 reps on the 1st chest workout, 4 reps on the 2nd workout on 5 reps on the 3rd. 1 rep increase per workout is actually amazing progress for me. If I can get 165 to7 reps I'm upping it to 170 and starting over.

Cool, yeah, I use programming like that too, progressing up on rep counts from 3-7 or so and then upping the weight another increment. Glad to hear you're headed in the right direction.
 

God Enel

Member
Gonna hit the gym right now. After eating shit yesterday and playing the new Zelda on switch I have to have a good workout. Back and biceps today. Light weight baby!
 

God Enel

Member
Sorry for double post. Was deadlifting 100kg for the first time today 😊 even though only two reps.
Today’s training session:
1. Dead lifts (80kg x 8, 80kg x 8, 90kg x 6, 100kg x 2)
2. Weighted chin ups ( 5kg x 8, 10kg x 7, 15kg x5, 20kg x3!!)
3. standing bicep curls 15kg all 4 rounds with 16 reps
— 4 rounds exercises back to back

1.australian chin ups as many as you can do in 90 seconds
2. Swimmers / and hold 45 sec each
3. Halo 90 seconds
— 4 rounds exercises back to back

1. One arm rows 25kg 8 reps each
2. plate bice curls / basically hammer curls 20kg plate 12 reps
3. Uhmm.. forgot what it’s called. Neck raises?! (Holding dumbbells in hand and raise your neck?!) 12 with 25kg each hand
— 4 rounds exercises back to back

So .. great training for me at least. :) 100kg (I’m ~80kg for reference) for the first time is okay I guess. I’m always afraid to fuck myself up when I’m deadlifting. So that’s quite the achievement imho
And 3 chin ups with 20kg is quite nice too. (Last time I tried it, it was only one rep (and a pull up though))
 

Hypereides

Gold Member
Failed 70kg at 2x5, 1x5+ on the benchpress in two sessions, Gotta unload for a bit. At least I think I finally got how to bench right. Never managed to really feel soreness in my pecs after workout, but this time I do.
 
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God Enel

Member
lightly working the elliptical this morning, cannot sleep

Yo Tesseract don’t know if you’re reading this but wish you the best for your time off.

On topic: today I was just doing shit when I was at the gym. More of talking and Laughing with my friends than working out. But I did some ring dips and chest work. So it wasn’t that bad :/

did 10 ring dips on my first run and then kinda fall off to 4/3/3 on the following rounds 🤷🏻‍♂️ Still progress was made (did a set of 20 diamond push ups, max ring dips,8 pike presses and 10-12 Bench presses with 50kg back to back, 4 rounds)
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Back and shoulders today.

5 sets of pull ups
5 sets of dumbell shoulder presses starting at 40lbs and up to 60lbs
5 sets of front shoulder raises with plates, starting at 10lbs>25>35>45
Followed by 3 sets of lateral shoulder raises with a cable

5 sets of this lat/row machine at my gym
5 sets of lat pulldowns
4 sets of overhead press at 135lbs
5 sets of barbell trap raises 80-100lbs
Finished off with 5 sets trap/hex bar deadlifts at 315lbs. I don't do traditional deadlifts since my lower back is fucked up.
 

MaestroMike

Gold Member
Been going on a saturated fat deficit this whole week to burn off some of the belly fat. Ate a ton of dark chocolate last week. My fats right now are only almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds and egg yolks. This stuff is mainly monounsaturated fatty acids and omega 3/6s. Probably midway next week I'm going to start crushing dark chocolate again (in my smoothies) for like a week. Get hella hyped up when I do its pretty fun, but its harder to sleep cuz all the caffeine from the chocolate.

Today, I loaded up on carbs with a ton of white rice and some slices of bread. It was like over 300 grams. Ate it with an extra lean burger 96/4. Didn't eat too many carbs the past two days except for bread. Got a good nap in.
 
Just got a Ring Fit Adventure tonight and already did a warm up, one workout, and a cool down stretch session. Feels good man. Already broke a sweat and ready to jump back in tomorrow. Set alarms for an every other day routine to get my body kickstarted and primed! Pumped to feel the burn and jiggle!
 

Belmonte

Member
Dudes, what level of pain is acceptable when going to the gym? I usually need, at least, 3 days for the pain to go away. The second day is the worst. My last leg training was particularly painful, it almost felt like someone had hit them with a pipe. I don't know if I'm putting too much weight, doing something wrong or if this is normal.

Has been 5 months since I started training, but because of the pain, I do only 2 days per week. Any tips?
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Dudes, what level of pain is acceptable when going to the gym? I usually need, at least, 3 days for the pain to go away. The second day is the worst. My last leg training was particularly painful, it almost felt like someone had hit them with a pipe. I don't know if I'm putting too much weight, doing something wrong or if this is normal.

Has been 5 months since I started training, but because of the pain, I do only 2 days per week. Any tips?


Can you give me a breakdown of your workouts?
 

Belmonte

Member
Can you give me a breakdown of your workouts?

Sorry for the late response. It was harder than I expected to translate the exercises to english! I always do them with enough weight to be tired after the fourth series. It is rare for me to feel pain in the gym. The problem is the day after.

Training A:

Lat Pulldown 4 X 12
Seated Cable Rows 4 X 12
Leverage Iso Row 4 X 12
EZ-Bar Curl or Preacher Curl 3 X 12
Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl 3 X 12
Concentration Curls 3 X 12

Training B:

Barbell Bench Press 4 X 12
Barbell Incline Bench Press 4 X 12
Barbell Decline Bench Press 4 X 12
Triceps Pushdown 3 X 12
Triceps Pushdown -Rope Attachment 3 X 12
Cable One Arm Tricep Extension 3 X 12

Training C:

Squat 4 X 12
Leg Press 4 X 12
Leg Extensions 4 X 12
Leg Curl 4 X 12
Machine Shoulder (Military) Press 3 X 12
Side Lateral Raise 3 X 12
Front Dumbbell Raise 3 X 12
Shoulder Raise with Dumbbell* 4 X 12

*I could not find a good translation for this exercise. It is like this one, but with dumbbells:
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/shoulder-raise
 
Man, I’ve been a little down since Tesseract Tesseract decided to take a break. I miss you brother if you're checking in on here at all. Life has been crazy going in to the holidays and I've been backsliding on exercise.

Today I decided I'm going to do 100 push ups and squats a day minimum. I've done 60 of each so far in sets of 20 and 20.

Listening to some JRE (the episode with ultrarunner Zach Bitters) and getting some motivation and knowledge to continue growing.

It is great to seem so many folks getting in this thread and I love reading all of your posts. ❤ :messenger_fistbump:
 

God Enel

Member
Man, I’ve been a little down since Tesseract Tesseract decided to take a break. I miss you brother if you're checking in on here at all. Life has been crazy going in to the holidays and I've been backsliding on exercise.

Today I decided I'm going to do 100 push ups and squats a day minimum. I've done 60 of each so far in sets of 20 and 20.

Listening to some JRE (the episode with ultrarunner Zach Bitters) and getting some motivation and knowledge to continue growing.

It is great to seem so many folks getting in this thread and I love reading all of your posts. ❤ :messenger_fistbump:

I’m joining you brother @push up/squat challenge. I’ll try to do as many in one rep as possible. (Though the squats wont be a problem)

And I miss tesseract too. This thread isn’t the same without him. We have to keep this thread going for him.

today was a day off for me as I had a small Xmas party at the company I’m working at and i was working for 10 hours.
tomorrow I’m gonna kill it.
 
I’m joining you brother @push up/squat challenge. I’ll try to do as many in one rep as possible. (Though the squats wont be a problem)

And I miss tesseract too. This thread isn’t the same without him. We have to keep this thread going for him.

today was a day off for me as I had a small Xmas party at the company I’m working at and i was working for 10 hours.
tomorrow I’m gonna kill it.

Just finished my last 40 each and the rest of the day is focused on stretching and eating as clean as possible on the free food here in the office for lunch. :messenger_loudly_crying:
I'm looking at some string cheese, peanuts or mixed nuts and hopefully some kind of jerky or meat sticks. Maybe dig through the candy jar for the special dark chocolate nuggets if I need some sweets. Then I'll have a good dinner with my family tonight.

I like breaking mine up and taking a bit of rest between sets. I can probably do 35-40 pushups without stopping but I am too old to bother with constant muscle failure so the smaller sets with breaks between have been nice.

I was surprised how easy the last 20 pushups were just because of the time between sets. The squats are much easier for me than pushups due to a few years of running and exercise but my upper body needs some attention.

I'm going to try and make sure I am doing as many pullups as I can each day too. I couldn't do a pullup for most of my adult life even in the best shape. Just never did them. I got a pullup bar a couple of years back and got to work and got up to being able to do as many as 10 reps in 3 sets on certain grips. Now I can barely do 2 again due to the weight gain and strength loss.
 
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God Enel

Member
Pull ups are hard for me too. I can do about 12 and then it declines with each set. To get your numbers up is a pain in the ass, at least for me. Then you don’t do them for 2 weeks and a starting at 8 again.. always the same shit with pull ups :(
 
So I know Tesseract Tesseract said this thread was lacking content, so hopefully you guys like this. It's been almost a full year since I started getting back into fitness more seriously. I went from a disgusting 219 to a skinning 152 and now maintaining at 161. The end goal is to be a ripped 165 or 170. I documented all my weight loss, in a text document on my PC desktop. I hope you like the little notes I included when I hit certain milestones.

2018
11/2 218.8
11/8 213.8
11/10 211.8
11/12 211.4
11/13 210.4
11/15 208.6
11/17 208.6
11/20 207.8
11/23 206
11/26 205.8
11/28 203.6
12/1 203.6
12/8 199.6
12/16 197.2
12/22 196.2
12/30 191.6 size 34 jeans fit, but tight. Try again in 2 weeks.

2019
01/06 189.6
01/13 186.6 size 34 jeans fit perfectly.
01/20 183.8 size 34 jeans becoming a little big. Look for 32's around 175
01/27 178.4
02/03 178
02/17 173.6
02/24 173/174.7
03/03 171.8
03/10 166.8 wearing 32's now. Might need to go down to 30 waist in the 150's
03/17 166.8/168.8
03/23 165.8
03/31 163.6
04/07 163.6
04/09 161.4
04/17 160.2
04/22 159.6
04/30 158.8 60 pounds! Goal reached!
05/04 158.2
05/10 158.2
05/19 154.4
05/27 152.8 Time to put on some weight
06/03 152.8
06/14 152.8
06/27 154.4
07/04 154.4
07/12 153.8
07/17 158.2
07/20 154.4
07/27 157.2
07/31 156.8
08/16 158.4
08/18 160
8/27 156.8
09/13 161
09/21 163.8
09/24 159.0
09/30 161
10/07 159
10/13 162
10/20 161
10/26 161
Good work! I'm at disgusting 215 at the moment. I'm about to get back to it. Do you mention how you are eating in this thread somewhere?
 

Drake

Member
Good work! I'm at disgusting 215 at the moment. I'm about to get back to it. Do you mention how you are eating in this thread somewhere?

For me it was 2 basic things.
1. I ate like a pig, so I eliminated all snacking from my diet.
2. I did 18 hour fasts every single day and twice a month I did 48 to 72 hour fasts, usually from Thursday to Sunday, or Friday to Sunday. I'd lose like 5 pounds a fast too. It was incredible. Starvation mode in a 1st world country is a myth.

That's basically it. I just stuck to the above plan and the pounds literally melted off. I still do the 18 hours fasts now just because it keeps my calories in check.
 
For me it was 2 basic things.
1. I ate like a pig, so I eliminated all snacking from my diet.
2. I did 18 hour fasts every single day and twice a month I did 48 to 72 hour fasts, usually from Thursday to Sunday, or Friday to Sunday. I'd lose like 5 pounds a fast too. It was incredible. Starvation mode in a 1st world country is a myth.

That's basically it. I just stuck to the above plan and the pounds literally melted off. I still do the 18 hours fasts now just because it keeps my calories in check.
Gotcha, I'm planning on doing some fasting here as well with the wife. I can totally see how that works. My problem is my love for chocolate. I have to stop that right there.
 

Drake

Member
Gotcha, I'm planning on doing some fasting here as well with the wife. I can totally see how that works. My problem is my love for chocolate. I have to stop that right there.

yeah man, my weakness was tortilla chips. I would eat a bag of them every other day. You just gotta stop buying them. Once you hit your goal weight you can indulge every now and then though, but while I was in the process of losing weight I really tried to keep my diet in check.
 
Anyone got a good weight loss plan that doesn't involve weight lifting too much? My gym doesn't have a very good weight lifting selection, and I really need to lose some weight (I'm not that big, but I don't want to be 220lbs at 6'0").

I already do some cardio, but I feel like I need to do more.
 

bati

Member
You don't need to lift to lose weight, although it is certainly recommended to avoid muscle loss.

Aim for 0.5%.of body weight loss per week, figure out your maintenance TDEE and subtract around 500 calories, then just stick to the plan.
 

God Enel

Member
Today wasn’t a good day. I felt tired from yesterday’s workouts. Yesterday I did. weighted squats for the first time in a longass time. Worked my way up from 20kg-30kg-40kg-50kg-60kg (12x each) and the final one with 70kg x6 and today my legs are kinda stiff and I had a harder time doing the splits.
But I did my 100 push ups and 10 squats today as promised. So I was okay with it. No special training today. Did some pistol squats as well and that’s about it.
Tomorrow I’m gonna work my arms and core (and 100push up/squats)
 
I got 100 each in the first two days and day three I bonked. Only got 60. Day four I got my 100 and an extra 40 to make up for what I missed day three.

I’m sore today but I got in 2.5 miles this morning and 20 each so far today. I can tell the next 80 will be tense but I’ve got all day. It’s gonna happen.

Anyone got a good weight loss plan that doesn't involve weight lifting too much? My gym doesn't have a very good weight lifting selection, and I really need to lose some weight (I'm not that big, but I don't want to be 220lbs at 6'0").

I already do some cardio, but I feel like I need to do more.

I used my fitness pal for a couple of months to track calories and understand the nutrition And fuel that I’m putting into my body a bit better. For me I need to be eating 1300-1600 calories and exercising to lose weight at a pace that feels right for me.

Along with counting calories I ate as wholesome as I could. I would eat the same thing for lunch almost everyday and it would be my first meal of the day.

Some combination of a bowl of spinach, baby carrots, an apple, a banana, 2 slices of cheese, 4 slices of lunch meat, 3 hard boiled eggs, cup of cottage cheese 4%. I wouldn’t eat all that protein in one sitting, but rotate what I took to work based on what’s available.

Never buy low fat things because there’s added sugar. Find a wife who will want to cook you good, healthy meals. 🤑

I ran mostly for exercise along with simple body weight exercises. Running starts slow if you’ve never done it but use an app to track it. The data and feedback loop from your results is really awesome. At least it was for me. 3-4 times a week has been my sweet spot.

Big picture you need to find what works for you but the best way to do that is to dig in. Start with diet because you need to find something that is easy to maintain and scalable based on your fueling needs.

Getting a healthy diet tuned in and then working on calorie restriction will help a lot and then slowly start the exercise. Don’t over do it and listen to your body. It’s better to go a little easier and avoid injury than to push yourself and have constant issues.

That’s all* the info/advice I have for now. Make the time, take action, it will happen. There are no failures, only lessons. ❤👊


.
 
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God Enel

Member
I got 100 each in the first two days and day three I bonked. Only got 60. Day four I got my 100 and an extra 40 to make up for what I missed day three.

I’m sore today but I got in 2.5 miles this morning and 20 each so far today. I can tell the next 80 will be tense but I’ve got all day. It’s gonna happen.



I used my fitness pal for a couple of months to track calories and understand the nutrition And fuel that I’m putting into my body a bit better. For me I need to be eating 1300-1600 calories and exercising to lose weight at a pace that feels right for me.

Along with counting calories I ate as wholesome as I could. I would eat the same thing for lunch almost everyday and it would be my first meal of the day.

Some combination of a bowl of spinach, baby carrots, an apple, a banana, 2 slices of cheese, 4 slices of lunch meat, 3 hard boiled eggs, cup of cottage cheese 4%. I wouldn’t eat all that protein in one sitting, but rotate what I took to work based on what’s available.

Never buy low fat things because there’s added sugar. Find a wife who will want to cook you good, healthy meals. 🤑

I ran mostly for exercise along with simple body weight exercises. Running starts slow if you’ve never done it but use an app to track it. The data and feedback loop from your results is really awesome. At least it was for me. 3-4 times a week has been my sweet spot.

Big picture you need to find what works for you but the best way to do that is to dig in. Start with diet because you need to find something that is easy to maintain and scalable based on your fueling needs.

Getting a healthy diet tuned in and then working on calorie restriction will help a lot and then slowly start the exercise. Don’t over do it and listen to your body. It’s better to go a little easier and avoid injury than to push yourself and have constant issues.

That’s all* the info/advice I have for now. Make the time, take action, it will happen. There are no failures, only lessons. ❤👊

Yesterday I have to admit I missed the 100 because I was at work and afterwards went to the Christmas party. Today I’m gonna do the push ups but I have to go Christmas shopping today so no working out for me. Tomorrow I’m gonna crush it
 

Belmonte

Member
I got 100 each in the first two days and day three I bonked. Only got 60. Day four I got my 100 and an extra 40 to make up for what I missed day three.

I’m sore today but I got in 2.5 miles this morning and 20 each so far today. I can tell the next 80 will be tense but I’ve got all day. It’s gonna happen.



I used my fitness pal for a couple of months to track calories and understand the nutrition And fuel that I’m putting into my body a bit better. For me I need to be eating 1300-1600 calories and exercising to lose weight at a pace that feels right for me.

Along with counting calories I ate as wholesome as I could. I would eat the same thing for lunch almost everyday and it would be my first meal of the day.

Some combination of a bowl of spinach, baby carrots, an apple, a banana, 2 slices of cheese, 4 slices of lunch meat, 3 hard boiled eggs, cup of cottage cheese 4%. I wouldn’t eat all that protein in one sitting, but rotate what I took to work based on what’s available.

Never buy low fat things because there’s added sugar. Find a wife who will want to cook you good, healthy meals. 🤑

I ran mostly for exercise along with simple body weight exercises. Running starts slow if you’ve never done it but use an app to track it. The data and feedback loop from your results is really awesome. At least it was for me. 3-4 times a week has been my sweet spot.

Big picture you need to find what works for you but the best way to do that is to dig in. Start with diet because you need to find something that is easy to maintain and scalable based on your fueling needs.

Getting a healthy diet tuned in and then working on calorie restriction will help a lot and then slowly start the exercise. Don’t over do it and listen to your body. It’s better to go a little easier and avoid injury than to push yourself and have constant issues.

That’s all* the info/advice I have for now. Make the time, take action, it will happen. There are no failures, only lessons. ❤👊


.

Do you wait the soreness disappear completely before going to the gym again or is it ok to have a little bit of pain? I wish to increase how many times I train in the week but I'm worried I could injure myself.
 
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