Man Cave - Any Guys on MFP?

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  • wonk1968
    wonk1968 Posts: 30
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    1. While Strength Training - Is there a creative or unusual exercise you do for strength training your Chest, Back, or Arms besides the traditional presses, rows, and curls? I've heard about kettleballs and seen some odd exercises at the gym.

    Ive only got back into getting fit last couple of weeks, i have begun using EA Sports Active 2 on Xbox 360 & find it is quite for an overall workout, I will start walk/jog/running in the next few weeks to aid the weight loss, fitness boost.

    2. Beer, Brats, and Football - One advantage I see that guys have is we will occasionally treat ourselves with wings and beer, etc every once in a while. Do you do this, if so - what’s your standing rule? (i.e. got to be good 5 days before I can loosen up on a Saturday for the game). Does it harm you or hurt you?

    Not really a drinker so if i have a few jars whilst out shouldnt be to bad.

    Nice to see there are plenty of men on the site

    Nigel
  • benitocereno
    benitocereno Posts: 101 Member
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    Great article chrisdavey, so, so true. I'm waiting until I'm at my "ideal" weight to really ramp up the training, cutting calories makes it impossible to really build muscle.

    Here's something I watched Friday night that knocked my socks off- the "300" exercise plan:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/03/13/the-300-workout/

    Read the article and watch the video; INSANITY! I can't even imagine the box jumps and floor wipers, I think I'd die :sick:. Mark Twight, the guy who trained all of the 300ers, has this as a slogan:

    "Appearance is a consequence of fitness."

    Wise words for all of us!
  • runningneo122
    runningneo122 Posts: 6,962 Member
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    Wow, sunbug... that looks pretty intense. Need to WORK UP to that 300 workout. If the actors got that ripped doing it then it sounds like a winner. Thanks for the link.
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
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    First off, thanks for this thread.

    1: I tend to do a variety of things. I typically change up my workouts every three weeks. Type, weight, volume, and so on. Bompa's "Periodization Training for Sports" is pretty much my fitness bible. But I also grab bits from other books and sites. Like a salad bar.

    2: I've been counciled to not drink beer. A friend of mine is adamant that it makes you more puffy than other forms of booze. So, I've followed that. I've probably had two, maybe three beers in the past year. I prefer the hard stuff, anyhow.

    As far as splurge days, Sundays are our splurge days. Damned Big Sunday Breakfast and ice cream are musts! Keeps us sane, and keeps our metabolisms from grounding to a complete halt. We also will partake in birthday celebrations and whatnot, and without guilt, but with some level of reserve.

    Oh, and we don't watch TV. Apart from Netflix, that is.

    3: I've mostly done various forms of martial arts through the years. In general, I haven't seen them make all that much of a difference in my "body comp", though I've not been as disciplined in my diet as I have been as of late. The exception is MMA. I trained in that for a few years, and my instructor did the impossible and got me running. I got my endurance to the point where I'd go through an entire two-hour class and barely ever even breathe hard. I could do just about anything for hours. Felt good, but I also felt weak. I wasn't doing any lifting. All endurance work. And I looked like an emaciated little boy.

    My goal is to get back a portion of that endurance, get to around that level of bodyfat, with some healthy muscle in there.

    I'm also planning on taking up Aikido soon. I'm getting more grey hairs, and the ground-and-pound game doesn't work forever.

    4: I'm at the point where being hungry isn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, it's a sign your digestive system is working well. So, I don't really have a staple that I use to fill myself up. But I do treat myself to a bag of popcorn on Popcorn Fridays. Veggies tend to be filling for me.

    I'll now thumb through this thread. Thanks again for it, mkrafick.
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
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    Ok, a PS after going through the thread:

    mkrafick: I've not done any kettlebell work, but there's a ton of resources online, free and unfree. If memory serves, Dragon Door publishing has almost a kettlebell fetish. There's nothing wrong with them, they're challenging and can be a fun new tool. However, there are people that injure themselves by not controlling the 'bell properly. So, go slow, and stay mindful. In the end, a weight is pretty much a weight. It depends a lot on marketing.

    yotatoy/rileysowner: Rileysowner is spot-on. IMO, I'd do more weightlifting and less cardio.

    chrisdavey: D00d. Awesome knowledge-bomb! Perhaps the biggest, best info-dump I've seen on this site. I think shakes aren't a good idea, and I personally disagree with the absolute-ness of paragraph 7. But other than that, thanks for taking time to share all that. Kickass.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    No probs :)

    I have had a go at a slightly modified 300 workout and just about died...in a good way :P

    For people interested in kettlebells, check out this website. Heaps of good stuff.
    http://www.kettlebell-athletics.com/2010/12/17/kettlebell-flow-for-your-weekend-workout/
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,238 Member
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    I do cardio to strengthen my heart and lungs and help with my Blood Pressure. I do weight training to lose weight. Either way they both help, but my experience is that the resistance training expecially done fairly quickly and intensely, will take off my fat that cardio ever does.

    Having said that, I keep it very simple and straightforward. Squats/Push-ups super sets, Deadlift/Pull-ups supersets. I will probably come up with some other superset combinations in the future, but for now this works well for me. 4 or so supersets with 30-60 seconds rest between them and I am beat.
  • wdugger
    wdugger Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks for starting this thread. I hadn't really posted on the forums because of the lack of testosterone. To answer your questions I just stick with the basics, push ups sit ups, etc; but I hope to start Insanity in the next month or so.. I'm usually at work for most games but I do allow myself a cheat day every now and again. The only sports that I partake in right now are running and circuit training because it's all I can afford at this time. I don't really have any staples and i try to eat every 2-3 hours (After thinking about it a staple of mine is peanut butter and jelly sandwich that usually tides me over)
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
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    Don't get me wrong, I think women are great! Matter of fact, I married one and love her dearly - I even have two little girls. (I'm out numbered - send help).

    But on MFP - if I read one more post about what bra works best, how to lift my butt, recover from pregnancy, or how to stop weight gain while on your period - I may very well bang my head against the desk.

    ....................

    4. What is a staple in your new diet that works well and keeps you full.


    Feel free to answer one above or ask one of your own. Also, feel free to add me as a friend, I am looking for some more guys to link up to for accountability.

    My favorite snack is 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 packet Splenda, 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt, 3/4 cup Malto-o-Meal Golden Puffs.
    I like to mix the first three and sprinkle the cereal on top. This is good stuff and comes in under 200 calories. Sometimes I use peaches, cherries or blackberries.

    I gotta say that this is so good that I would eat it on plan or not!
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
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    Wow.. Chrisdavey makes me feel like a small 6'4" man.
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
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    BUMP!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    Wow.. Chrisdavey makes me feel like a small 6'4" man.

    LOL, I'm only 5'8" 165lbs. Yes I'm a midget :P
  • KokomoJoe
    KokomoJoe Posts: 435
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    I'm glad you made this thread, there aren't very many guys on here.


    It appears there are more guys than I thought.

    I work out at home so whatever I can do with my weights is what I do.

    I used to love beer, gave it up and lost 20lbs this month.

    If golf is a sport then yes I incorporate sports during the summer, I need to ride my bike more once the snow goes.

    Staple is lentil soup. I love it. and Sweet potatoes.
  • kevinbc
    kevinbc Posts: 34 Member
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    I just found this thread and it's great!!!


    For my workouts I do power90

    Sundays tend to be my "free day" for eating what I want but I still don't go crazy

    I play in a basketball leage that just finished up. Besides golf thats the only sport I still play, I'm to busy the rest of the time coaching soccer and baseball for my son.

    The staple of my diet is chicken and fish and turkey
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
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    Hey Guys:

    I need a hand on how to count the calories in a big "donkey" potato. It was one of those giant spuds, 6" or so long, tapered, 2 1/2" in diameter. I checked on the food guide and I'm guessing 360 calories, before any toppings.

    Does that sound about right?
  • runningneo122
    runningneo122 Posts: 6,962 Member
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    Not sure on that one. I prefer red potatoes and they're in the database.
  • markja
    markja Posts: 270 Member
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    Ya, I saw the same thing. Trying to be accurate.

    I'm shut in today. Roads are iced so there is no going in to the office. Part of my old mind is saying, "Well, time to start munching on something." I'll be using stuff like chicken broth and hot tea to change that gut feeling. Come to think of it, I may just be thirsty..
  • yotatoy
    yotatoy Posts: 3 Member
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    I guess I wasnt really clear in my initial post, when I do alot of strength work I tend to remain about the same in weight but I see substantial measurement differences. Which is good, however I am required to be under 175 for work, I am currently at 178, I plan to hit back to hard weights as soon as i get to 170, I agree with all the above posted because muscle burns calories constantly, however I also know that muscle adds weight, and as stated above, I tend to remain about the same (weight wise, not fitness wise) during lifting (had the same problem in football training). I haven't cut strength training I have just started doing MORE cardio for a few weeks.

    Good reading none the less from all, my target weight once I start lifting AND watching my food intake is 160, so I dont plan on cutting much more weight, just want to cut fat and add muscle. Of course the best way to do this is strength training because it does both of these.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,238 Member
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    Yotatoy, thanks for the clarification.

    Markja, check out http://nutritiondata.self.com/ I can often find nutrition information there on some obscure foods. Also, the best bet for figuring out calories is a kitchen scale. They are pretty cheap. I got a nice digital one that is accurate to +/- 1 gram for about $10 here in Canada. I weigh almost everything and use that as my measure. I use grams because they are a small unit of weight, and the math is easy as long a I know how many calories in 100 grams of something I can figure out the grams in the serving I have. I rarely eat potatoes, so I can't even guess at the calories.
  • joshiesdad
    joshiesdad Posts: 80
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    Getting in here a little late.

    Fitness- I have not done anything for a long time. Started the 30 Day shred with my wife. It is my get back into it before I start p90x. So far so good.

    Beer and Wings. I love wings. have not had any since I started in january. I will eventually start a cheat day. Just want to see sme progress before I start. Have not had a Beer since I started. I guess I will switch to MGD 64.

    I play softball. Could play 7 days a week if I wanted. My big fat but can't take it anymore. I am taking thee year off to get back to 225 so I can come back and show them dam 20 year olds that I still got something left.

    Love football. I am sure you can see that from the pic. And no I am not a Bandwagon Saints fan. I suffered a long time. How I became a Saints fan in PA is a mystery to me too. Just kind of happened. But I have the photos of me in my Saints jersey when I was a teen and I had the posters on the wall too.

    I am basically doing this for my son. My dad was heavy and passed at 34 (Cancer). I never want my son to feel that pain that I felt as a 13 year old. I will get in shape and I will live a long healthy life. I was there before and I can do it again.

    Thanks for letting me ramble.

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