I found out this morning that my meniscus might be damaged and that I might require surgery. I have been exercising a lot and am in better shape than I have been in years (I'm 36). My knee is swollen and I can't do much with it. Are there any exercises I can do to stay in shape while I'm waiting for this to get better? Thanks..
I love being active and working out, but I find that I get incredibly nervous in the gym, especially when it is more crowded. I go to a great place with a lot of young attractive people, and I am so intimidated and nervous sometimes. I have even left the gym before really getting in a good workout because I can't really focus. Does anyone have any helpful tips? I'm mostly struggling with feeling intimidated or judged, although rationally, I am sure most people do not even notice me haha. I'm not excessively overweight or out of shape, but still feel like I shouldn't be there for some reason.
So, I started P/P/L a few days ago after doing All Pro's for a few cycles. I only have a squatting cage, bench, barbell, and plates. Today was leg day... holy ****. I gave up since I couldn't even get the form right on a few exercises.
Squats - 4x5-6: Lower back felt like it was bending the wrong way, but managed to pull through even though my form was god awful. Hack Squat - 3x8-10: Yeah, no... my form and flexibility was BAD. Couldn't even do one set. on to the next. Deadlifts - 3x8-10: Decided to do deadlifts because I couldn't do hack squats. Friend said that's more of a lower back workout and has no business in my leg day... wish I would've known as it drained me the fck out and just gave up on the rest of leg day.
i then took like a 30 minute break and tried back squats like how I used to do in All Pro... energy and focus wasn't there anymore and just did one set. Couldn't even do Romanian Deadlifts like i used to as I just wasn't into it anymore.
Should I get a gym membership and try machines? the rest of my P/P/L, i've got it down cold. awesome form and everything... it's just leg days on my free weight system!
end rambling.
I'm talking about posters, trophy walls, desktop backgrounds, groups of people, etc. I purchased a cork board today to start hanging up some of my accomplishments, like a sticker from my first 5k I plan on running this Thursday and a flag of the University I was accepted into. Do any of you have things like this to look at and keep yourself motivated/positive?
I was just wondering wouldn't soups like chanko (what sumo wrestlers eat) be good for a cut as long as you don't consume rice and side dishes to it? I mean since all the ingredients are low calorie such as tofu/vegetables and as long as the protein (minced pork/chicken) is within reasonable amounts shouldn't it be ideal for a cut since it's filling but at the same time low calorie? I see a lot of recommendations for a diet of chicken/rice/brocoli but isn't this a good option too?
I'm thinking of dropping either $149 on either the Skulpt AIM or $129 on the Fitbit Aria so I can track BF % progress. I know accuracy is an issue and these things are only generally useful to track trends if you use them consistently.
I do not want to use calipers (I'm too lazy) and there are no Bod Pod-type things or DEXAs in my area.
Anyone have any personal experience/ recommendations? I hear the Skulpt AIM is still kinda proto-typish.
WILKS: 182.86 if you go by this
Height: 5'7
Weight:181-187 (compete between 174-180)
Age: 24
So as I'm preparing for my meet October 3rd, I had to recalculate my maxes. Today was deadlift day and I added 30lbs to my deadlift max over the last 10 weeks following a loose DUP based program:
Sweet strength block:
Day 1:
Squat 4x4 @ 80%
Deadlift 3x4 @ 80%
Day 2:
Bench 4x4 @ 80%
Pin press 3x6
Band rows 3x20
Day 3:
Squat 6x2@ 60%
Deadlift 6x2 @ 60%
Day 4:
Bench 6x2 @ 60%
Band tricep press down 100 as few sets as possible
Dead stop db rows 3x8
Band high rows 3x12
Day 5:
Squat 5x3 @ 87% +set
Deadlift 4x3 @ 87% +set
Day 6:
Bench 5x3 @ 87% +set
Day 7:rest
PEAK
Monday (Sunday): deadlift max
Wednesday: bench max
Friday: squat max
Testing squat and bench later this week then on to my last 6 week strength block. Hoping to have a 1450+ total @ 82kg/181lbs in October.
Hey guys! I started Starting Strength a month ago and was doing okay until I started getting some hip and lower spine pain from squatting. I tried fixing it on my own and got rid of the pain, but I feel my form is still unstable and shitty. And I just wanted some feedback on power cleans before I started adding weight.
Squat: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l_0JHVJxyxA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Power clean: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=rDkhYh8c30w
Thanks for the help!
I have been back in creatine mono for. Out a month now, and have made some pretty epic gains. About 2 days ago I started getting vertigo, and did some research. It turns out that creatine has caused vertigo in some people due to water retention and problems with the inner ear.
Wondered if any of you have ever had that problem?
Lets say you blew out both shoulders and couldn't put significant pressure on them anymore. What exercises could you do that work your upper body that don't involve the use of your arms?
I could move to free weights perhaps, but I'm not sure if I'm experienced enough. Wat do?
At the beginning of my fitness journey I was 168 lbs. and very unhappy with myself. After 2 years of learning and working out, I'm at 150 lbs. with a body fat percentage of 14% according to my scale. Even though it was only an 18 lb. weight loss, I know I replaced much of it with muscle.
I am leagues above where I was looks-wise, but I want to get to a point where my abs show, which is 10% body fat and below according to many sources. Is it safe for me at my height and weight to keep trying to lower my body fat?
Also, thanks to all who have answered my questions here in the past. This sub has been such a great resource for me.
How catabolic is alcohol? I understand that alcohol has calories that can mess up one's macros... but what if you're drinking Vodka which has about 70 calories per drink but is more alcoholic (80% proof)? I'm curious how it affects protein synthesis.
Over the last few months I've been eating like a hog and have been gymming it up real good. I've put on about 5 lbs and have been feeling really good about it. In the past I've done yoga and it's felt amazing. Has anyone had experience doing both? The yoga I've done hasn't been very cardio intensive, just mostly stretching. Will doing daily yoga impact my muscle repair in any way? I want to keep adding mass while staying fairly nimble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIkoqmXW__w He's saying you can build a good body and build strength with just four compound exercises. The exercises are chinups, deadlifts, dips, and front squats. Chinups hit your back and biceps. Deadlifts hit your hamstrings and back. Dips work your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Front squats work your quads. Four exercises and you've hit your entire body. He says that you can build an entire workout routine based off just those 4 exercises. I agree with him, there isn't a need for isolation if you do compounds right. I think isolation is necessary for bodybuilders who have already built a great physique and just need to bring up slight weak points, but for the normal guy or girl who is hitting the gym 3-5 times and just wants to look good without a shirt on, there isn't a need to have some ridiculous split with a ton of isolation exercises.
The standard time period for tracking macros is obviously from when you wake up, to when you go to sleep; 00.00 - 24.00.
However it is often the case, at least in my experience, that it becomes difficult to fit macros when going out for a meal in the evening.
To solve this I track my macros from evening - lunch time. So on my fitness pal I track my evening meal in the 'tomorrow' page, then when I wake up carry on tracking breakfast and lunch. Rinse and repeat.
Not only does this make it easier to fit macros when going out in the evening, it also ensures that you have as many macros in the evening as possible for when you get hungry.
Just my way of doing it, and I hope it helps others too. Sorry if this has been posted before, too. I haven't found anything on it although searching for it is hard.
Hey. 39/M/5'9/156lbs. I'm a classic skinnyfat. Thin everywhere, except for the mid section.
I really haven't been in good physical condition for 20 years now. I have a goal of being in great shape for my 40th birthday next year. :)
I've slowly been making changes. I've been doing long walks after work for over a year now. 1-2 miles at a fast pace. I've also finally gotten my diet on track and broken free of almost daily candy/sugar binges. These changes alone have brought my weight down 15 pounds since the start of the year.
Having climbed that small mountain of breaking my sugar addiction, I feel like it's time to take things to the next level.
I've got a gym that is tied into my neighborhood complex, so I've started going. Only one problem. The only free weights they have are dumbbells. I've seen a lot of people talk down machines. Is it really important to find a gym that has free weights?
I've begun working out several days a week. Curls with the dumbbells. Plank sets for my abs/core. Machines for everything else. I'm also doing 30 minutes of cardio on an elliptical, at least 5 days a week.
Just eating my normal 2,000 calorie diet I'm feeling more hungry more often. I've even noticed some mood swings. I'm assuming this is because of blood sugar drops, so I'm adjusting things to try and avoid those. Is there anything odd about any of this? I'm tracking my eating habits on the myfitnesspal app. I try to stick to the general macro splits it recommends. 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat.
I'm just looking for general advice. If you can think of something please tell me. I'd like to make corrections as soon as possible. :)
I'm also curious if someone like me can truly rid themselves of a pot belly like I have. There is a part of me that is skeptical that this is truly possible at nearly 40 years old, but that challenge is driving me forward. I'm tired of being embarrassed by my gut!
