FitTavern

[Dyne]

I'm ramping up my weekly regimen, because since last year I've tried running for 40 minutes every morning that I could, and I haven't seen ANY results, even with a drastic change in diet. No improvement in stamina or weight or anything, except meatier legs. I gave up last November due to school and started running again in April, harder and faster, STILL with no results, even though I can run without breaks (which I never even saw myself doing a few years ago). I heard so much about how exercising in the morning is good for you and how your metabolism benefits so much.

Anyways, it's July, and even though I've made major achievements in running, especially for a guy of my size, I have got to ramp it up. I started last week with DDR, which I used for a lot of the weight 4 years ago, and Bas Rutten's MMA workout. I'm doing it four nights a week, with Thursdays and weekends used for rest. As well, I'm running every morning (usually every second day) so that I'm able to to give myself that extra push for weight loss.

My goal is 180 pounds. I got there quite easily right after high school, but the weight has gone up in 10's since then. So, that leaves me with ~60 pounds to go, since I am currently 242, down from 250. I think 180 is a good benchmark because I started feeling freakishly skinny under 190 pounds, and the fact that it's just under the "overweight" category for my height at 5'11".

As well, I just finished week one of "One Hundred Pushups" which prides itself on the fact you'll be able to do 100 pushups in no time. I figure if I do this pushup plan after my DRR/stretching/MMA, I'll have the perfect workout. And who cares if I do it at night? Any exercise is excellent exercise, no matter the time of day.

http://www.hundredpushups.com/index.html

I usually do pushups anyways, and on my initial test, I scored a 32, which isn't too bad because I'm still above 240 pounds. I tried to do them on my knuckles like I used to, but I just can't do it on a concrete floor. But I'll try to find a pad or something, because it really improves your fists.

Anyways, who else wants to do this 100 pushups program with me? We can post our results every MWF and keep ourselves motivated to finish.

[Bond]

I'll do it. But is the goal to just do 100 push ups? Because I can already do that. :)

I'd recommend looking at doing some yoga, specifically weight loss yoga. There's a video podcast available on iTunes called "Yogamazing" which is free and the guy who hosts it is a very good instructor.

Also, have you thought of replacing running with biking?

[Dyne]

I'll do it. But is the goal to just do a 100 push ups? Because I can already do that. :)

I'd recommend looking at doing some yoga, specifically weight loss yoga. There's a video podcast available on iTunes called "Yogamazing" which is free and the guy who hosts it is a very good instructor.

Also, have you thought of replacing running with biking?

Awesome! But, 100 pushups straight? Then why do you need to do it. :lolz:

Yoga sounds great, I've always wanted to get into it since I consider myself flexible ever since karate. And I like that it's free!

I've thought of biking, but my bike is a piece of crap. I used to bike to school every day, though. I can probably borrow my brother's bike since we're the same height. That reminds me, on weekend nights, I've been going rollerblading, but only for half an hour at a time. I should probably put this all into a schedule. :)

[Combine 017]

I suppose ill give it a shot.

[Bond]

I've always found biking to be more effective than running, and it's easier on the knees. Also, if you're close to a pool try to take up swimming, it's quite possibly the ultimate workout.

But yeah, just search for "Yogamazing" on iTunes and it should come right up. He posts a new lesson each week, and they're around 28 minutes each.

[The Germanator]

I'm not too interested in doing push-ups at this point. I've mainly just been interested in slimming down over the last 4 months and I've been pretty successful. At first I would run about 3 miles a day, 6 days a week. This was when I was very out of shape and that's about all I could do. I would also burn 150 or so more calories on an exercise bike.

Eventually I could run 5 miles straight through, and that was encouraging. Then I could do 7 miles, and then one day I did 10. I've also increased the speed at which I can do this and now I can do 7.5 miles in 1 hour, or a 8:00 mile pace. It's not record-breaking speed by any means, but for someone who has always hated running and could barely run a 10:00 mile for three miles a few months ago, I'm pretty pleased. For a period of 4-5 weeks I would run 7.5 miles a day for all but one day a week, for a total of 45 miles a week. I've slowed this down a bit, and might do only 4-5 days a week, but it still gives me 30-40 miles of running at an 8:00-8:30 mile pace per week. I also still burn 150-200 calories on the exercise bike to cool down after the runs.

This regimine combined with eating way healthier has dropped my weight from 207 to 173. My original goal was 165, and it feels pretty crazy to be within 7-8 pounds of achieving that with a month of summer still to go. Part of me thinks I'll want to get all the way down to 157 just to say that I've lost 50 pounds, but I think I'll be pleased just to maintain 160-170 range as long as I can.

After I get down, I might focus on some more strength exercises rather than the cardio, but I'm kind of pleased just to be skinnier, I don't know how muscley I need to look.

[Dyne]

Yep, I just subscribed to Yogamazing. So I'm assuming I can jump in anywhere? This is great. :)

Also, combine: good choice! Pushups are totally awesome.

I do have a pool close to me. I should go swimming on weekends.

[Bond]

Yeah, you can pretty much jump in anywhere, although I'd recommend doing a flow first.

[Combine 017]

Ive got my own secret to staying slim. Not eating. Its not that im starving myself, its just that I dont need to eat. Cam and dylan are baffled as to why but it works for me.:) Push ups should do me good though.

[Fox 6]

Adam working out.................................:lolz:

[Swan]

My mind is blown Adam....

What the hell.

Just tested to see how many push ups I could do.



25. Woot

[Combine 017]

Ya know what else! I got an interview! Gwar har har!

[KillerGremlin]

I'm on a masturbation plan. Hopefully I can impress people with my massive forearms.

[Swan]

I'm on a masturbation plan. Hopefully I can impress people with my massive forearms.

You have to be ambidexterous.


Or else you will end uplike that guy from Lady in the Water

[KillerGremlin]

I'm ramping up my weekly regimen, because since last year I've tried running for 40 minutes every morning that I could, and I haven't seen ANY results, even with a drastic change in diet. No improvement in stamina or weight or anything, except meatier legs. I gave up last November due to school and started running again in April, harder and faster, STILL with no results, even though I can run without breaks (which I never even saw myself doing a few years ago). I heard so much about how exercising in the morning is good for you and how your metabolism benefits so much.

Anyways, it's July, and even though I've made major achievements in running, especially for a guy of my size, I have got to ramp it up. I started last week with DDR, which I used for a lot of the weight 4 years ago, and Bas Rutten's MMA workout. I'm doing it four nights a week, with Thursdays and weekends used for rest. As well, I'm running every morning (usually every second day) so that I'm able to to give myself that extra push for weight loss.

My goal is 180 pounds. I got there quite easily right after high school, but the weight has gone up in 10's since then. So, that leaves me with ~60 pounds to go, since I am currently 242, down from 250. I think 180 is a good benchmark because I started feeling freakishly skinny under 190 pounds, and the fact that it's just under the "overweight" category for my height at 5'11".

As well, I just finished week one of "One Hundred Pushups" which prides itself on the fact you'll be able to do 100 pushups in no time. I figure if I do this pushup plan after my DRR/stretching/MMA, I'll have the perfect workout. And who cares if I do it at night? Any exercise is excellent exercise, no matter the time of day.

http://www.hundredpushups.com/index.html

I usually do pushups anyways, and on my initial test, I scored a 32, which isn't too bad because I'm still above 240 pounds. I tried to do them on my knuckles like I used to, but I just can't do it on a concrete floor. But I'll try to find a pad or something, because it really improves your fists.

Anyways, who else wants to do this 100 pushups program with me? We can post our results every MWF and keep ourselves motivated to finish.

Some people just have bigger builds, like me. I went from 160 at age 16, to 180 or 190 around senior year of high school. I started lifting around senior year, and I put on muscle mass like crazy, and it hasn't gone away. I haven't lifted at all this summer, I've mostly done cardio or not worked out because I'm a lazy ass who works all day.

Anyway, my weight fluctuations between 220~230. I have a pot belly, so I'm trying my best to lose it. The bad news? Belly fat is apparently the hardest stuff to get rid of.

What type of diet are you on? I would say continue doing the cardio, but mix it up. Run 3 days a week, for the other 3 days do the stair master (trust me it will kick your ass), bike, swim...and, if you feel compelled to, on the 7th day either rest or do a light jog/power walk.

I would say do some weight training...do some light upper body stuff, bench, biceps, shoulders, back. Don't focus on upping the weight, up the reps. Really, at your point in life no one cares HOW much you can bench...you want to go for tone and endurance. Plus, more reps will tone you, more weight will build mass.

Finally, DO LEG LIFTS. These things are super valuable. Do squats....they are pretty much the most valuable lift. But, do them right...consult a trainer. Apparently I have horrible form, and so does 95% of everyone else at the gym. You can also use the leg press machine, but doing real squats requires you to use your balance which will better train the muscles.

Finally, high protein diets build mass.

Oh...and if you have a belly, don't waste your time doing sit-ups/crunches. Everyone has a six pack. If you have fat over it, you can do a billion sit-ups and it won't do anything. You need to get rid of the fat first.

Diet + Cardio + mild weight lifting = win?

Even if you don't see massive drops in weight, you should become healthier, you should look more tone, and you should feel better.

Oh, and drink lots and lots of water...and no beer or soda.

Edit: I don't think I ever went for 100 straight push-ups, but at one point I think I could do 50. I used to do 5 sets of 20 every night after I ran. Push ups are a great compliment to bench, you will tone your chest nicely.

[GameMaster]

A new 24 Fitness just opened 5 minutes from my house. All the cardio machines and treadmills have TVs in them! w00t!

[Seth]

I guess I'm in a different boat. I'm always trying to gain weight. I do pullups, pushups, situps....and play bball. I throw in slight variations to all my exercises though. Right now I'm more about conditioning my core strength. I'm 6'4 and 170 lbs so basically no fat on me. I have a bit of a goal, by the end of the summer I want to be doing around 60 slow move pushups and get my legs in shape. I was running for a while earlier this season but have got lazy as of late. And yes, biking is amazing cuz it's soooo much nicer on the knees. Dyne, if you want God's diet then go 90% raw vegan. You'll bulk like mad if you're eating right but you'll also lose extra shite.
some tips:
Don't eat 4-6 hours before you sleep. So if you're going to bed at 10 then 6 would be the absolute latest for a meal. The last meal of the day should be your smallest. Ideally I try to have only vegetables or fruit for my evening meal. If I'm ever wanting to throw on some quick fat then I just eat later but it really is hard on the body. Eating late ages you.
swimming!
http://www.thegardendiet.com/shannon.html

Read that guy's testimonial if you've got the time. After a couple months of not really sticking hard to raw food I started seeing results like he was saying. I'm not quite as bulked as he is but I'm also way lazy but i figure by the end of the summer I can bulk on another 10 lbs of muscle.

[Vampyr]

Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Run/Bike/(use a cardio machine) for a minute, as hard as you can, then either go slowly or rest for 30 seconds. Repeat over and over for as long as you can. It will kick your butt, but it's extremely effective. Much more so than just jogging or running for an hour.

Not eating late is sort of a myth. The reason that works so well is because you're eating less overall. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying that the time of day doesn't have as much to do with it as people think.

[Perfect Stu]

I'm a big fan of interval training...I'll hop on the stationary bike and do 1 minute of 100+ RPM on fairly high resistance, then cool down for 1 minute. I'll do that for 20-25 minutes or so. Also, I'll go walking/sprinting. Walk for a minute, sprint for 10 seconds. For all you athletes out there, it gives you a good burst along with improved stamina.

My biggest advice would be to mix up your exercises. Your body doesn't respond well to the same old routine. Play basketball a couple times a week, run a couple times a week, do weight training a couple times a week. Whatever works for you. Sports has always been key for me because it's not only fun and competitive, but the right ones really do work out your entire body.

Having said that, I need to exercise more and tone down on my beer consumption. 6'3" 260 pounds here. My goal is 230. I'm naturally a big guy (I can outrun a couple of my 160 pound friends), so I'd be looking and feeling mighty fine at that weight.

[Vampyr]

Does anyone know of a good, healthy dietary supplement to take? I don't want a miracle weight loss pill or anything, just something to slightly boost the metabolism, and contain some good antioxidants.

I've recently started drinking chocolate soy milk after my workouts, and I think I'm going to pick up some chocolate whey powder to add to it for a protein boost. I'm also considering creatine, to help catalyze the muscle building process. I already take a daily men's multivitamin.

[Angrist]

Don't eat 4-6 hours before you sleep. So if you're going to bed at 10 then 6 would be the absolute latest for a meal. The last meal of the day should be your smallest. Ideally I try to have only vegetables or fruit for my evening meal. If I'm ever wanting to throw on some quick fat then I just eat later but it really is hard on the body. Eating late ages you.
:( I just threw half a pizza in the oven, while it's almost 11PM here.

Luckily I rarely do that. :) But thanks for the advice.

[KillerGremlin]

I've read some conflicting stuff that says you should eat a small, healthy snack before bed so that your metabolism stays working while you sleep.

[Jason1]

Actually im going to try this 100 push ups thing. I just did the initial test, was able to manage 35. Not too shabby, although I do work out on the total gym almost daily. This could be fun actually. I'll start the monday - wed - friday plan tomorrow.

[Jonbo298]

My issue is that due to my back surgery years back, it's extremely difficult for me to do situps and push ups. I can do almost any other exercise that doesn't involve me pulling my body up or down (in regards to pull ups, push ups, situps, etc..).

Though at least so far even with my mild food addiction still there and me slowly overcoming it, I've so far dropped from 269 (at least highest weight when I weighed) to between 225-230 where it's kind of plateau'd right now but I think thats happening is I am gaining muscle again (being ill for about 4 or 5 days hit me hard) so its counteracting the fat loss.

I try to mix things up when I can. Running isn't my strongest due to the back either with the force of feet hitting ground while running, but I can in small intervals. Usually stick to the elliptical and its obviously working for me.

I don't subscribe to alot of the theories about when to eat, etc... I've been eating when I feel I want/need to, and its obviously not hindering me. I know to avoid pop, fast food as much as I can (still a struggle but I choose wiser now), and the obvious high caloric things I don't need.

I'd rather lose the weight slow and steady, then crash it quickly. If it takes me a year to lose the "last" 30 I want to for my "short term" goal, its better then losing it in 3-4 months and gaining it back. It lets my mind keep working towards breaking the addictions and keeping up the healthier food I should be eating in the first place.

[Angrist]

I scored 22 pushups on the initial test. Which is weird, because I often get 30. But then I have my legs on the couch (meant to make it harder, I assume it works) and with my hands a bit farther apart.

[Dyne]

What type of diet are you on? I would say continue doing the cardio, but mix it up. Run 3 days a week, for the other 3 days do the stair master (trust me it will kick your ass), bike, swim...and, if you feel compelled to, on the 7th day either rest or do a light jog/power walk.

Finally, high protein diets build mass.

Oh...and if you have a belly, don't waste your time doing sit-ups/crunches. Everyone has a six pack. If you have fat over it, you can do a billion sit-ups and it won't do anything. You need to get rid of the fat first.

Diet + Cardio + mild weight lifting = win?

Even if you don't see massive drops in weight, you should become healthier, you should look more tone, and you should feel better.

Oh, and drink lots and lots of water...and no beer or soda.

Edit: I don't think I ever went for 100 straight push-ups, but at one point I think I could do 50. I used to do 5 sets of 20 every night after I ran. Push ups are a great compliment to bench, you will tone your chest nicely.

Thanks for the advice, my diet's basically the same - I'm a pretty good eater, but I do love me some bread sometimes. I've avoided red meat successfully for a while. I also take alaska fish oil supplements and now I'm on to flax seed, soy protein powder, and hemp seed nut. It's hard to do a complete change of diet when you're still at home.

I do drink lots of water, I drink at least 3.5 liters a day. I have an excellent 1.5L bottle I fill with water twice a day.

I didn't mention this in the first post, but I did do a lot of weight training last year during july/august, because I discovered Propaganda's building had a gym downstairs. A month wasn't that long, but I did gain a lot of mass. I think my mistake was not picking it up again after I went back to school. I hate school - so inconvenient.

Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Run/Bike/(use a cardio machine) for a minute, as hard as you can, then either go slowly or rest for 30 seconds. Repeat over and over for as long as you can. It will kick your butt, but it's extremely effective. Much more so than just jogging or running for an hour.

Not eating late is sort of a myth. The reason that works so well is because you're eating less overall. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying that the time of day doesn't have as much to do with it as people think.

Hmm, I can only really do this for running, and it would kick the hell out of me. I usually do one hard run for the final stretch for 30 seconds and it kicks my ass completely. My MMA workout is 2 minute rounds and one minute rest, I guess that's the same idea too.

I guess I'm in a different boat. I'm always trying to gain weight. I do pullups, pushups, situps....and play bball. I throw in slight variations to all my exercises though. Right now I'm more about conditioning my core strength. I'm 6'4 and 170 lbs so basically no fat on me. I have a bit of a goal, by the end of the summer I want to be doing around 60 slow move pushups and get my legs in shape. I was running for a while earlier this season but have got lazy as of late. And yes, biking is amazing cuz it's soooo much nicer on the knees. Dyne, if you want God's diet then go 90% raw vegan. You'll bulk like mad if you're eating right but you'll also lose extra shite.
some tips:
Don't eat 4-6 hours before you sleep. So if you're going to bed at 10 then 6 would be the absolute latest for a meal. The last meal of the day should be your smallest. Ideally I try to have only vegetables or fruit for my evening meal. If I'm ever wanting to throw on some quick fat then I just eat later but it really is hard on the body. Eating late ages you.
swimming!
http://www.thegardendiet.com/shannon.html

Read that guy's testimonial if you've got the time. After a couple months of not really sticking hard to raw food I started seeing results like he was saying. I'm not quite as bulked as he is but I'm also way lazy but i figure by the end of the summer I can bulk on another 10 lbs of muscle.

Yeah, I don't like eating late anyways. :) And yeah, I would definitely do a change of diet, even just to vegetarian, if I didn't still have my mom cooking for me all the time. My girlfriend is house-sitting this summer and she's gone vegetarian.

Also, for gaining weight, you can work out really hard, but if you don't dial up your intake of proteins and fats dramatically from what you're used to, you will never gain mass. The measurement I've heard is 3500 - it takes 3500 calories of energy to burn off a pound, and likewise, takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound. :)

[Jason1]

Well after one week, im feeling pretty good about this. I think I can do this. Although it starts off extremely easy...

[Seth]

Just to add, if you're taking a protein dose before sleeping then you're redirecting your body's resources to digestion instead of muscle and ligament/tendon repair. The body should have 12 hours of uninterrupted recuperation if you want to reach full potential. Also, less digesting means better sleep which also helps rebuild tissue. And don't dial over 100 grams of protein. Even at a hundred the kidneys start to protest.

[Jason1]

Thats good to know, thanks.

[Jonbo298]

Just to add, if you're taking a protein dose before sleeping then you're redirecting your body's resources to digestion instead of muscle and ligament/tendon repair. The body should have 12 hours of uninterrupted recuperation if you want to reach full potential. Also, less digesting means better sleep which also helps rebuild tissue. And don't dial over 100 grams of protein. Even at a hundred the kidneys start to protest.

I still will not believe the whole "don't eat after 6pm". I've NEVER followed it, and I still have gained a good amount of muscle compared to what it used to be, and I don't feel like "Oh man, if only I starve myself for 4 hours before bedtime will I look better"

[Joeiss]

If you burn more calories than consume, you will lose weight. Don't bother looking at it day by day, but week to week. Eating after 6pm won't kill you.

I started doing this push up thing. It's groovy! I've always been able to lift heavy weights, but since I'm a big dude, situps, pullups and pushups have been hard for me. This is a cool resource to hit 100 pushups though. I'm mimicking it for situps also.

[Seth]

You're still going to bulk if you eat late. It's just hard on the body. The older you get the more you'll realize that waking up groggy isn't as fun. I've found after a couple weeks of following this I don't need as much sleep. No caffeine and I can wake up feeling awesome with only 5-6 hours sleep. My old english teacher was a rawfood vegan and he only needed 4-5 hours. As soon as you throw digestion into the mix the body needs more sleep to feel rested. If you're one of those(kinda like myself) who start to feel the starve around 9pm then just consume more liquids.

[Dyne]

I just got back from my weekend vacation. I consider it a victory because I did not gain any weight at all. I think that I built some muscle and I also lost fat this last week so it normalized. Normally on vacations I go up 5 or 10 pounds depending on the length of the trip, so I am still on track. :cool: I swam a hell of a lot, did paddleboating, and played basketball, as well as TRYING to wakeboard. I think I need to lose more weight to try wakeboarding because I've tried 18 times to get up.

I also missed yesterday's pushups and MMA workout but I think I can handle it. I'll just do the pushups tues/thurs/saturday and then get back on MWF.

[Dyne]

And here we go. Plateau #2 broken without a sweat. (Well, actually a lot of sweats, hahah.) Currently 238. I'm hoping to break down under 230 by next week. :D

[Seth]

How tall are you Dyne? That's dope you had a good vacation. I've noticed my more frequent swims in okanagan lake have already made a difference after 2 weeks. I jogged 6k today with variations in speed and intensity. What I like to do is to quick power steps on upward inclines. So, don't bring your heal down, just the toes and smaller strides but faster. It fucking kills but it's ideal for developing a more explosive/quicker muscle. I'm currently quitting my smoking habit so it's a bit hard jogging still but definately making progress. I haven't been smoking hard only like 2-4 stogies a day(haven't smoked in almost a week) but yeah...it creeps the asthma on me.
How's your guys' flexibility? I've been stretching more the last couple weeks and my back pain has been reduced dramatically.
Runnersworld.com has a lot of good workout tips.

[Joeiss]

Anybody doing the hundredpushups still? I just finished week one.

On to week 2 starting tuesday!

[Angrist]

I just started week 1. I have already been doing pushups for a year or so, but never this serious. I wonder if it works!

[Dyne]

How tall are you Dyne? That's dope you had a good vacation. I've noticed my more frequent swims in okanagan lake have already made a difference after 2 weeks. I jogged 6k today with variations in speed and intensity. What I like to do is to quick power steps on upward inclines. So, don't bring your heal down, just the toes and smaller strides but faster. It fucking kills but it's ideal for developing a more explosive/quicker muscle. I'm currently quitting my smoking habit so it's a bit hard jogging still but definately making progress. I haven't been smoking hard only like 2-4 stogies a day(haven't smoked in almost a week) but yeah...it creeps the asthma on me.
How's your guys' flexibility? I've been stretching more the last couple weeks and my back pain has been reduced dramatically.
Runnersworld.com has a lot of good workout tips.

I'm 5'11", average as average can be. Hahaha.

Actually, since I've taken Karate, I'm freakishly flexible. I am literally more flexible than my dad's girlfriend who is a Yoga instructor. We went to Science World here in Vancouver on the weekend and there's this flexibility measure - you sit down and put your feet flat on this bar, and there's a long ruler you reach on. My dad clocked in at 28 centimetres, my brother got 32, my dad's girlfriend got 36, and I got 38. :D I do a ton of leg-centered stretches 3 times a week and it's definitely helping.

Also, it's excellent there's other people doing the pushup challenge. :D I'm on week 4 and I just did 27, 20, 20, 17, and 30. I had to take longer than 60 seconds for the last one this time because I'm actually going all the way down now. Before I would just do the motions.

[Teuthida]

Hey Dyne, what is your leg stretching routine like?

I've been wanting to me more flexible for a long time but I can 't seem to stick to stretching often or I overstretch and injury myself setting myself back.

[Dyne]

Hmm, I'll describe it as best I can. Usually, I start up with 50 jumping jacks or running in place or DDR - whatever gets your blood pumping.

First, I stand normally, with feet shoulder-width apart, stretching way up, then go down as far as you can go without bending your knees. After, stretch side to side. Do this routine 3 times, holding the down position 15-20 seconds each time.

Next, I usually go into horse stance, which is the further apart my feet can go sideways while still standing. It's hard to explain without a qualified karate instructor. The next stretch consists of squatting on the right foot and stretching out the left, distributing weight between your hands and right foot. Copy this with the left side. Next, do the same, but put your stretching leg on to your heel, and copy that for the other side. To finish, perform side-splits. You'll notice that you'll get better and better every time.

Next, do butter-fly sitting. Simply touch the soles of your feet together and bring your feet as close as you can to your crotch while keeping your knees down. After, kick out your left leg on the floor with your toes pointing to the sky and reach for that mother as best as you can. You should aim to hold on to your toes, and your right foot should be touching your inner left thigh. Hold it for 15-20 seconds. Repeat with right.

Next, open your legs as wide as you can on the ground with your toes still pointing to the sky. With your legs still parted, reach for your left foot for 15-20 seconds, then repeat with your right foot. It hurts a lot more without that supporting leg, right? After you've done this, keep your legs open and try to touch your head to the floor straight down. This is a midsection and leg-heavy exercise that really helps, especially with the next one - bring your legs together and stretch forward to grab both your feet, and hold like every other exercise.

The next one is a little difficult to describe. You simply sit cross-legged, I guess, and bring your right foot to your inner thigh while your left foot sits under your right thigh, while keeping your knees down. After, put your right foot on the floor, heel and ball and toe, over your thigh. Then, stretch your torso to the right, using your left arm as leverage on your left knee and your right hand behind your back as you turn. When you're done, go back to your intial position and bring your right foot as high as you can up to your forehead. In karate, some people used to be able to put their foot behind their head but I could barely get it up on my head. :lolz: Then, repeat this section with your other foot.

After all that, I do a bit of bicycle/leg lifts to improve my midsection. Simply lay on the ground and put your hands under your lower back as leverage, and raise your legs up without bending them until you form a 90º angle with your body. Lower them back down, but don't let your feet touch the ground. Repeat as many reps until you feel the burn, and then go five more and you're done. You can do as many sets as you leg. As for the bicycle, simply do the same, but instead of leg lifting you act if you're riding a bicycle right-side-up, with your legs in the air. :)

[Teuthida]

Thanks much. I shall try to follow this.

[Angrist]

Ok, just did day 2. Hardest setting, it's going fine so far. But when I did the second day, I still wasn't fully recovered from day 1... which was 2 days earlier.

Maybe I shouldn't do my curls after the pushups...

[Jonbo298]

Gah..I'm one pound from hitting 220 and 2lbs from being below it for the first time in quite awhile..Must..push..harder >.>

[Dyne]

Ok, just did day 2. Hardest setting, it's going fine so far. But when I did the second day, I still wasn't fully recovered from day 1... which was 2 days earlier.

Maybe I shouldn't do my curls after the pushups...

Curls are fine, just make sure you're taking in plenty of protein to help you recover on your days off. :)

Jonbo: You should start spitting in to a bucket every time you have water in your mouth. Apparently it helps you lose 1-2 pounds before you weigh up. It's an old boxing trick, but I learned it off of Kenny Vs. Spenny, hahaha.

[The Germanator]

I just got to slightly under 170 in the last couple of days, down from 207. I'm only 5 pounds from my original goal of 165 which I should get to before we start touring in September. It's weird being this close and feeling this good when I felt so out of shape and overweight just in March.

Everyone trying to lose weight, I don't know what to say other than to just keep it up! Exercise makes you feel good and I don't think I've ever felt/looked better in my life and it's very rewarding. Though I worry a bit when I think about going on tour because I won't be able to keep up my routine. Plus, I'll be drinking a lot more beer, haha.

[Jonbo298]

Curls are fine, just make sure you're taking in plenty of protein to help you recover on your days off. :)

Jonbo: You should start spitting in to a bucket every time you have water in your mouth. Apparently it helps you lose 1-2 pounds before you weigh up. It's an old boxing trick, but I learned it off of Kenny Vs. Spenny, hahaha.

I'm not concerned with "trickery" because then it feels like I didn't truly do it ;) I'm content weighing myself in the mornings after waking up and hitting the pisser because its the most "stable" part of the day to do so.

Now granted, if it was a Biggest Loser type competition, hell yeah I'd be all over that 'trick'. But unfortunately I left the job that did it twice while there. First one really helped me initially finally get off my ass, join a gym, and at least try and did well even though I gained back most (not all thankfully) but second time around, I'm doing ALOT better.

One of these times I will have to email the person who did it because it was her who truly got me to start thinking about what I was eating and whatnot by doing the 'competition' (plus, the prize money was I believe $500 plus money put in the pot which honestly was worth trying for since it was only $5 to enter in the pot)

[Angrist]

Ok, I finished the first week. Not bad so far, I'm still in the hardest column. Today I had to finish with a max of at least 15. I did 19. Then I almost collapsed. :p

[Jonbo298]

Pushed hard and didn't starve myself like some people do (not referring to anyone on GT if it came across that way) and I finally hit 219 today. Now on to 209....

[Jason1]

Im into week 4 now. Still going pretty strong, although its not a total cakewalk like it was in weeks 1 and 2...

[Dyne]

Yeah, I just finished week 4 and my exhaustion test came in at 51. I'm going to have a hell of a time in this final column again, but I know I might be able to do 100 pushups. :) I don't look forward to 8 levels of it all, though, what the heck. :(

[Angrist]

Do you think this program would work for situps? I can already do about 40 successive of those, but I think my abs could use a boost.

My arms really look much better btw... of course I had already started using weights half a year ago.

[Dyne]

Yeah, I think Joeiss is using it for situps too.

You definitely notice a difference in your arms and everywhere else. It's almost a full upper-body workout. Sooo good.

I just did 8 freaking levels in week 5 day 2. That's just insane. That's what I get for doing 51 on my exhaustion test.. :( My arms actually hurt for once, but that might be because I also had a really good MMA workout tonight too. :D

[Angrist]

Ok, I'll do the situps too. I guess it's best to start in week 1?

Just finished day 3 of week 2. The last 5 extra pushups were hard, but I'm keeping up the extra 5.

[Angrist]

Did the test after week 2. I was afraid I wouldn't make it to column 3... I did 30 pushups, which is more than 25, so yay!

But seriously, I went from 20 to 30 in 2 weeks. How do they want me to go from 30 to 100 in 4 weeks???

[Jason1]

Did the test after week 2. I was afraid I wouldn't make it to column 3... I did 30 pushups, which is more than 25, so yay!

But seriously, I went from 20 to 30 in 2 weeks. How do they want me to go from 30 to 100 in 4 weeks???

yea, looking at this, the pacing is kinda strange...

that being said, I just did the exhaustion test after week 4, and managed 49.

[Angrist]

I found Xantar on youtube:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8ZOjNz6bjIs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8ZOjNz6bjIs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Bond]

That looked a lot like low-class gymnastics, haha.

[Angrist]

:( Week 3, day 1. First day I didn't meet my quotum.

Did the 25, 17, 17.... then couldn't get to 15 but had to stop at 12. Now they want me to finish with at least 25... impossible.

I'll finish the week as well as I can and I'll start this week over again.

[Perfect Stu]

I've started jogging a bit again...have run 1 mile 3 times per week for the past couple weeks. It's tough for us big guys but worth it...

[The Germanator]

I've just started slowing down my running. I was doing 45 miles a week consistently and now I'm down to 25-30 a week over the last few. I'm also not trying to lose 2 pounds a week like before either, so it makes sense. Plus my left hip started to hurt a lot. But I still ran 7.5 today, and my weight is down to 168, almost 40 pounds down...

[TheGame]

I never noticed this thread before. To me, the biggest tip I can give you guys is to slow down the eating. I know some people may disagree or downplay it, but calorie count is everything... seriously. It doesn't matter what you eat, it just matters what it adds up to in calories at the end of the day.

Now, what you eat is going to affect how you feel a lot more, and how healthy you are... but honestly as far as raw weight gain/loss its the biggest thing. Now if you want to lose weight and find a decently toned body under the fat, then yes working out helps too. Or if you can't just help but eat way too much, then you'll have to account for it with burning way too man calories working out.

I used to be an athlete, now I'm in a desk job where I sit on my ass 8 hours a day.. And I started off eating the same as if I was still running laps every day. I had put on quite a few pounds after about 6 months of being here, but then turned around and lost it all and more.

I ended up putting on 25 pounds, and dropped 30. Though to be honest I gained back close to 10 now lol. When I started back running it didn't make a difference cause I was eating too much still. I went on a very basic diet (Stu could probably use this since we're the same height and I have a large frame too)

Day to day I ate 2,200-2,400 calories. Completly took fast food out of my diet, took out sugar/sweets/pastries, and took out any liquid calories like Gatorade, soda, and juice. I didn't eat many veggies, cause I live alone and don't know how to cook any good :P Though I did get a decent amount of protien, and took my vitamans every day. I spread what I ate out to 4 meals.

In losing weight, my workout actually went down from going to the gym and lifting weights every day and jogging on the tred mill, to just spending 30 minutes a day at home on my bike. Pounds fell off way faster when I wasn't working as hard and wasn't eating as much.

[Angrist]

I barely had any motivation left after I 'failed' last time. But this morning (half a day late) I did the program anyway. I stuck with what I should have done last time. I managed alright. :) So I did an extra level.

[manasecret]

Updates anyone? I just decided to give this a try, and I wonder how you guys did in the final weeks.

Initial Test: 21

Week 1, Day 1: Finished with 12
Week 1, Day 2: (today)

I also started some of the interval training that someone mentioned here. I'm starting off slow, with only about 30 seconds of as-fast-as-I-can running, and then 60 seconds of jogging or walking about four or five times in a row. I've done two days of that, and my body wanted to kill me. But the first few days of getting into a workout are always the hardest, so I'll keep it going, and hopefully be able to switch to 60 seconds hard running, 30 seconds jogging.

P.S. Xantar is fucking insane! Is that legit? He'd be a killer rock climber.

[Angrist]

That's not really Xantar, you silly. :D Although he apparently is very strong and muscled. Oh and I bet that movie is real... but: you never see more than 5 or so chin-ups. Maybe the guy does 5 of those, rests for 2 days, does a few more, etc. And he just made it look like it's all in one training.

Edit:
Xantar zegt:
manasecret believed that I would post a video of myself?
Xantar zegt:
and actually, rock climbers mostly have strong forearms, not pull up muscles.

Last week saw myself in the mirror and suddenly thought: "I don't want to get any beefier." I like the way I look now. Well, the arms and chest. I plan to work on the abs and maybe back.

So..... I quit the training. :) I'll still do the exercises once in a while, to stay in shape, but I don't have to be stronger.

[manasecret]

That's not really Xantar, you silly. :D

Edit:
Xantar zegt:
manasecret believed that I would post a video of myself?
Xantar zegt:
and actually, rock climbers mostly have strong forearms, not pull up muscles.


Hahaha well, how would I know if it's Xantar or not? Unless I completely missed the joke somewhere in the thread.

As for rock climbers, yeah strong forearms are key, but pull up muscles are essential as well, plus the thousand or so other muscles that non-Xantar guy uses in that video are very very helpful. The holding the legs in the L form, pulling up, and holding in that position is just one good rock climbing exercise.

Climbing uses tons of muscles due to all the contortions of your body that you have to do. It's a great full body exercise. Fun, too.

[Jason1]

I finally failed week 6. It seemed like week 6 all of a sudden got a lot harder. Im going to take a week off, maybe do some lighter stuff on my total gym, then give week 6 a try again next week.

[Perfect Stu]

I also started some of the interval training that someone mentioned here. I'm starting off slow, with only about 30 seconds of as-fast-as-I-can running, and then 60 seconds of jogging or walking about four or five times in a row. I've done two days of that, and my body wanted to kill me. But the first few days of getting into a workout are always the hardest, so I'll keep it going, and hopefully be able to switch to 60 seconds hard running, 30 seconds jogging.

You're planning on sprinting 60/90 seconds? You're insane. First of all, very few people can run at even 80% for 60 seconds straight. That would be 400+ meters of sprinting. Not to mention do it multiple times. You could do it "running" but I highly doubt you'll be able to sprint for that long. But if you're able to do it, more power to you. I tried running 200m the other day, running at about 90%, and was absolutely gassed. I'm estimating it took me 32-34 seconds. Now, admittedly I'm not in very good shape. I ran about a mile and a half today...starting to go a little further each time. Hopefully before the snow starts to fall I'll be able to go 2.5+ miles.

[Jason1]

Bah, I used to run the 200 in like 28 seconds in 8th grade...

er, I think it was 28 seconds...

[manasecret]

You're planning on sprinting 60/90 seconds? You're insane. First of all, very few people can run at even 80% for 60 seconds straight. That would be 400+ meters of sprinting. Not to mention do it multiple times. You could do it "running" but I highly doubt you'll be able to sprint for that long. But if you're able to do it, more power to you. I tried running 200m the other day, running at about 90%, and was absolutely gassed. I'm estimating it took me 32-34 seconds. Now, admittedly I'm not in very good shape. I ran about a mile and a half today...starting to go a little further each time. Hopefully before the snow starts to fall I'll be able to go 2.5+ miles.

Isn't that what someone was saying they did earlier on in this thread? 60 seconds running, 30 seconds of rest, several times in a row? I think I need to go back and reread the thread..

[TheGame]

Running is one thing "Sprinting" is another.

"I'm starting off slow, with only about 30 seconds of as-fast-as-I-can running"

I got the same impression stu got. Speeding up and slowing down the pace is good, but you should probably be at the faster speed 1/3 or 1/4 of the workout. And it shouldn't be a hard sprint, just running at a bit faster pace.

[Perfect Stu]

Isn't that what someone was saying they did earlier on in this thread? 60 seconds running, 30 seconds of rest, several times in a row? I think I need to go back and reread the thread..

Running does not = sprinting. Running is a fast jog. You can try it yourself...try sprinting for 60 seconds. It's virtually impossible. If you're able to do it, rest 30 seconds and do it again. I probably won't be able to make your funeral.

And to Jason: First and foremost, 28 seconds I would imagine is a very impressive 200m time for an 8th grader. Secondly...265 pounds. Find another regular guy like me who looks like me and I'll be glad to take him on in a sprint. Finally, it was an estimate. I wasn't timing myself. It could have been less, could have been more.

[Angrist]

I think I'm a born sprinter. I always one of the (2, maybe 3) fastest kids at school.
It's just a shame that I never sprint anymore. I don't even run (I think I might have weak knees or something).

[manasecret]

Guess I misunderstood the interval training :)

100 hundreds pushups update:

Initial Test: 21

Week 1: 3rd column
Week 1, Day 1: Finished with 12
Week 1, Day 2: Finished (just barely) with 10

[Dyne]

Damn, I haven't worked out for a week and a half now. :( I was going to start this week and I got sick.

As for the hundred pushups, yeah, in week 6 it becomes a clusterfuck of pushups. I'm going to redo week 5 with excellent form to ready myself.