The Official Hype Fitness Thread 6.0 - Part 5

[Enriquespy]

I used to be able to carry up big people, but today I had trouble picking up the ground this short lady. I felt so embarrased, i need to get back in shape.

Any good exercices that I can do at home that you reccomend?

I mean, other than crunches and pushups, which I am allready doing.

 

[mrvlknight21]

why do you not like the ninja?

kohls had them on sale (they started their black friday sales yesterday) down to 39.99 and i got $15 in kohls cash back, and 15% off. so i'm only really out about 20 bucks if i don't like it.

if i can get a good deal on a nutri or magic bullet i will get one of those too

It didn't do what it was supposed to do. I can't remember exactly, as this was a while ago, but I think it didn't blend things up like I saw on the commercial. And this was one of the $125 models.

 

[mrvlknight21]

I used to be able to carry up big people, but today I had trouble picking up the ground this short lady. I felt so embarrased, i need to get back in shape.

Any good exercices that I can do at home that you reccomend?

I mean, other than crunches and pushups, which I am allready doing.

What are your goals? Please be specific, as different exercises and routines would need to be applied for different goals.

 

[Anita18]

ok this is important. there is only one thing i want to try and get on Black Friday. i NEED to know which is the best to get:

Magic Bullet
Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender & Food Processor
Nutri Bullet

there's some great deals starting now, and i need to know which is the best to get. i want to start making smoothies, possibly some soups etc as well.

You can make smoothies and soups with any old cheap hand blender, you know. I've made cakes using an old-as-dirt electric hand mixer (looks like it's from the 60s) that I got for free from my old roommate, and she got it for a dollar at a yard sale. I don't use it every day, but it certainly works.

Don't let not having the perfect blender stop you from making smoothies. All it does is pulverize things. How much you pay depends on what you want to pulverize and how quickly it does it, and any blender should be able to handle a banana and some frozen berries to a manageable drinking texture.

My husband was perfectly fine with his cheap blender that he inherited from his parents. My mom decided to give us a Vitamix as a splurge wedding gift and the only difference is that it takes 5 seconds to blend instead of 30, it comes out almost a juice texture, and he could make almond milk directly from almonds if he wanted to. But those are certainly not requirements for a simple smoothie blender.

I used to be able to carry up big people, but today I had trouble picking up the ground this short lady. I felt so embarrased, i need to get back in shape.

Any good exercices that I can do at home that you reccomend?

I mean, other than crunches and pushups, which I am allready doing.

Crunches and pushups won't help your legs and back get stronger, which is what you use when you lift things off the ground.

mrvlknight21 is right - you need to tell us your goals.

 

[NickSox]

For my smoothies I use the cheap $15 dollar personal blender from Wal Mart. I use it every day with frozen strawberries or assorted berries and it works like a champ. No need for an expensive blender just for smoothies

 

[Enriquespy]

Well, my goals are to be able tu lift, push, pull, manipulate heavy or large objects, and to get my atleticysm back.

 

[Warhammer]

Resistance or no resistance for ab training?

 

[Dark Raven]

Resistance is futile.

I do use resistance though. Well both actually. Why one or the other?

 

[Enriquespy]

What you mean resistance?

 

[gohei_]

Resistance or no resistance for ab training?

How are you planning on training them without resistance I assume you mean with or without weights? Personally I don't think it matters, just do the exercises you enjoy.

 

[Dark Raven]

How are you planning on training them without resistance I assume you mean with or without weights? Personally I don't think it matters, just do the exercises you enjoy.

That's what I assumed he meant.

Can't think of too many weighted exercises though - maybe the downhill skier one, or the those inclined flies/ crunches, or that ab crunch machine. Most ab exercises I do without weights generally.

I suppose wearing ankle weights could help if one were to do some reverse crunches.

 

[gohei_]

That's what I assumed he meant.

Can't think of too many weighted exercises though - maybe the downhill skier one, or the those inclined flies/ crunches, or that ab crunch machine. Most ab exercises I do without weights generally.

I suppose wearing ankle weights could help if one were to do some reverse crunches.

Yeah there are probably a few machines designed just for ab training and I've seen people do sitting cable crunches.
One could probably add weights to certain bw exercises too.

 

[Anita18]

Well, my goals are to be able tu lift, push, pull, manipulate heavy or large objects, and to get my atleticysm back.

Cardio will help but if you're thinking of getting better at a particular sport, you have to do that particular sport.

And you'll have to weightlift, and not just vanity lifts like bench press. (I mean, bench presses are not bad for you, but they won't help you lift things.) Squats and deadlifts. If you want to lift things off the ground, you'll have to mirror that same action in a training environment. I'm still doing Stronglifts 5x5 since I don't want to think about my routine too much. There's no good way to mirror the lifting of heavy objects unless you actually lift heavy objects. And you'll have to do way more than crunches and pushups.

In the past, I could pop off 30 pushups at a time easily (it's a bigger deal since I'm a tiny woman) but I was still pretty weak. Yesterday I helped a friend (physically like myself) move bookshelves heavier than we were. We couldn't carry them up the stairs because we were short and couldn't get a good grip angle, so we dragged them up, with her pulling at increments and me pushing up so it wouldn't fall back down. I was doing most of the work, and I would not have been able to do it had I not been weightlifting. And it helped to know that I was capable of easily deadlifting that weight, although at the time, it came in a very large, tall, and slippery package.

Another friend says body weight squats and things still work for him, but he's a husky tall guy, 220 lbs, so he has twice as much weight to work with than me.

If you ask some people here, they'll try to get you into Crossfit but Crossfit gyms are EXPENSIVE.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well, my goals are to be able tu lift, push, pull, manipulate heavy or large objects, and to get my atleticysm back.

Telekinesis is your friend.

 

[Enriquespy]

Thanks a lot Anita, you are golden.

 

[gohei_]

I really wish I had a heated garage, today it was on the freezing point and that was okay but it's gonna be rough to do my workouts out there when it creeps down to -10 celcius and below

 

[mrvlknight21]

Well, my goals are to be able tu lift, push, pull, manipulate heavy or large objects, and to get my atleticysm back.

I would recommend a basic strength program like a 5x5 program (plenty of free examples on the internet) or Starting Strength (an actual book and program). Please dont confuse "strength" program with "bodybuilding" program. (more on that below). Anita mentioned Stronglifts, which is a good one and can be found online for free.

For "athletic" improvement, since I dont know what specfic attributes that you want to improve on (speed, agility, quickness, hand-eye coordination), I would make the general suggestion that you try to do some "dot" drills (check you tube) or buy a cheap agility ladder ($20 will get you a decent one on ebay) and work some of those drills.

Because you said you want to improve strength and not size, I pointed out that you may not want to do a bodybuilding routine. Strength routines utilize a LOT of the same movements as a bodybuilding routine, but with a different amount of weight and rep/set scheme.

-Bodybuilding routines focus on myofibrllar growth and use about half of your maximum load for 8-12 reps per set. This obviously will allow you to imcrease strength to a point as well, but is also very much about muscular size.

-Strength training programs will have you use close to your maximal load for fewer reps (6 reps max) and focus on sarcoplasmic growth. Obviously, either of these routines require the use of resistance, typically barbells and dumbbells.

If you cannot join a gym or have no access to barbells/dumbbells, then I suggest that you make a sandbag or two. You can make these with very little cost, store them almost anywhere (anywhere a typical duffle bag can fit) and they are great for increasing strength. If you decide to go this route, PM me and I will send you a link with instructions to making one cheap (with various options for what to fill it with). The first one I ever made was with a duffle bag I got at Goodwill ($5), some strong contractor grade trash bags ($5) and dirt (free).

 

[the last son]

I run 4 miles a day 5 to 6 days a week, sometimes more for the past month and it seems the fat around the side of stomach still isn't leaving. My diet is mostly fish and broccoli. I do take about a spoonful of mass builder. The only thing I can think of is to run harder and just keep at it.

 

[Dark Raven]

I run 4 miles a day 5 to 6 days a week, sometimes more for the past month and it seems the fat around the side of stomach still isn't leaving. My diet is mostly fish and broccoli. I do take about a spoonful of mass builder. The only thing I can think of is to run harder and just keep at it.

Don't run every day but vary it with swimming several times a week. Swimming burns more calories per 5-10 minutes for the amount you do compared to other cardiovascular exercises like running.

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

TLS

Fat around the stomach is the hardest thing for us chaps to get rid of!

This becomes even more relevant as we lose fat in other areas with our ongoing training. The body realises what is going on and actively "fights" to hang on to what it has left.

The only way to lose these last wobbly bits is with a strict, but balanced diet, that has a sufficiency of everything that you need. This is more important than the training, believe me.
Lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, wholegrain rice, fish, chicken.
Perhaps see a nutritionist, so that they can work out a specific dietary plan suited exactly to you.

Mix up your training. Like the previous poster said, introduce some swimming here and there.
With your running, I don't know if you tend to keep at the same speed or not. If you do, then another way to "surprise" your body is to vary the speed.
For instance, I sometimes do 10-15 minutes of interval training on the treadmill. For one minute I take it easy at 3-4 mph, the next minute I do 10-11 mph and back down for the next minute, back up and so on.
Your body doesn't get a chance to adapt and you are more likely to start shifting that excess fat.

Other times I just bang out a constant 7 miler or more and aim for an average of 7 minute miles or better. But I hardly ever do these on the treadmill. I find it easier to do these kinds of runs on the road.
Don't just run on the treadmill, you burn more calories per mile if you run for real.

Other things I find good for calorie burning is to do, if your gym offers them, is a circuit training class and I also sometimes do an intense spinning (exercise bikes) class.

Good luck buddy!

 

[Dark Raven]

Stubborn belly fat can sometimes take a few months to shift. You need to do cardiovascular exercises that force your body to have to burn that last remaining fat for fuel. High intensity interval training workouts (such as when you are running) helps this. So does swimming.

Also check out various YouTube workout videos for abs and obliques or look at the abs videos on the workout section of www.fitnessmagazine.com.

 

[the last son]

My gym doesn't have any of that. It's basic. I do try to get in a 20 minute punching bag session.

 

[the last son]

I just started doing squats as well. Taking my legs serious now. Got to get rid of these chicken legs.

 

[Dark Raven]

Can anyone recommend a good exercise/ yoga mat (perhaps from Amazon or elsewhere)?

I want to use it mostly for floor exercises (eg abs exercises) at home. I'd like the following features:

- not really thin
- non slippery - either on the floor or beneath me (as I don't want to keep sliding off the mat)
- preferably foam - I don't want these materials like plastic which get sticky (especially in summer when it is hot)
- has a carry case or strap to roll it up
- not too expensive
- isn't in girly colours


I saw a potential mat which had nearly all of the above features, but it was in pink. If I were just planning to use it at home, I might go for that if there were absolutely no other colours, but since I might bring it to the gym or a class etc, I prefer it to be a manly colour or at least not too obviously girly colour.

I already have something like this:

and it's pretty terrible. It gets far too slippery and also sticky in summer or if I sweat.

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

I just started doing squats as well. Taking my legs serious now. Got to get rid of these chicken legs.

Good stuff...

Make sure the squats are deep so that you get the best range of muscle usage. If you need to, sacrifice weight over technique. Then gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.