November Q and A thread
Options
Replies
-
Hi SideSteel!
What do you think of the program Thinner Leaner Stronger? I've been considering the 5 day version as I wanted to jog/walk as well, but 4 days would work for me, too if it helps.
Stats:
Female, 34 (almost 35), 5'3.5", 170lbs (have been 'maintaining' for months on purpose-break after a 90lb loss). I just restarted a 250-500 cal deficit. My goals are to lose fat/get lean as well as improve my cardiovascular health. When I am at goal, I'd like to start bulk/cut cycles to increase muscle mass when I am ready.
So, my question is, if my week is as follows:
M Chest and Abs
T Back
W Shoulders
T Legs
F Arms
S Kickboing
S OFF
What days would be good for walk/jog intervals (or c25K)? I'd like to do 3 days of that but make sure it doesn't get in the way of leg day, or leg days doesn't get in the way of jogging. The jogging has been helping with my anxiety as well, and I am not too serious about it, but would like to be able to jog 5k eventually and keep the anxiety at bay and depression manageable.
Also, is my deficit okay? I weigh all foods and CICO. I still have quite a bit of weight to drop, and it needs to go. Actually, I would be happy if I mostly lost inches rather than weight. Had some recovery time after my mom passed away this year, and I feel as though I am ready to get back into this.
I am totally open to any suggestions, recommendations and feedback, or even change of plans.0 -
Hey cerise_noir,
Your workout focus seems a little skewed to me - I have not seen a program which splits days into shoulders and arms. Typically, programs tend to be full body, or an upper/ lower split of some format. You may need to identify the specific exercises you are doing to get more appropriate advice. In my opinion - and I work an upper/ lower split because that works for me - I rarely do ANY arm isolation exercises. I have added tricep work in lately to help my bench but generally, my arms are pretty well worked and defined by all my other lifts. Ditto shoulders & chest being worked on upper body day.
Juggling the cardio in with lifting is often a personal 'see how it goes'. You need to schedule your workouts on how well you recover and how you feel. This also changes over time. For example, I lift 4 days, cardio 2 days per week but sometimes I try to do cardio and lifting in one day if I feel I'll need 2 rest days to achieve my lifting goals. Jogging and walking may not impinge too much, particularly if you only have one 'leg day'. Though - as the bigger muscle group - I'd definitely aim to work the legs more than once per week.
0 -
cerise_noir wrote: »Hi SideSteel!
What do you think of the program Thinner Leaner Stronger? I've been considering the 5 day version as I wanted to jog/walk as well, but 4 days would work for me, too if it helps.
Stats:
Female, 34 (almost 35), 5'3.5", 170lbs (have been 'maintaining' for months on purpose-break after a 90lb loss). I just restarted a 250-500 cal deficit. My goals are to lose fat/get lean as well as improve my cardiovascular health. When I am at goal, I'd like to start bulk/cut cycles to increase muscle mass when I am ready.
So, my question is, if my week is as follows:
M Chest and Abs
T Back
W Shoulders
T Legs
F Arms
S Kickboing
S OFF
What days would be good for walk/jog intervals (or c25K)? I'd like to do 3 days of that but make sure it doesn't get in the way of leg day, or leg days doesn't get in the way of jogging. The jogging has been helping with my anxiety as well, and I am not too serious about it, but would like to be able to jog 5k eventually and keep the anxiety at bay and depression manageable.
Also, is my deficit okay? I weigh all foods and CICO. I still have quite a bit of weight to drop, and it needs to go. Actually, I would be happy if I mostly lost inches rather than weight. Had some recovery time after my mom passed away this year, and I feel as though I am ready to get back into this.
I am totally open to any suggestions, recommendations and feedback, or even change of plans.
https://youtu.be/2dsemkxL1Tc 1 -
Soo ... Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing yours (and others) thoughts about how to set fitness related goals that are both reasonable and specific enough to be useful.
As I'm transitioning into maitenance, it makes sense to have goals that are not scale related. But I feel like I don't really know where to start with that. In addition, I think I saw you say somewhere that for many people, it's not necessarily fruitful to set a goal like "lose xx lbs by xx date, or increase xx lift xx lbs by xx date" because the timeline is arbitrary and can lead to feelings of failure, even if some progress is made by that certain date. (Correct me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood)
But what does that leave? Things like "getting stronger" seem so nonspecific as to not be very useful (for me).
I feel like this is actually very obvious and I'm overthinking it to the max, but would be interested in hearing what others have to say.0 -
I like to have goals around my lifts but without a specific time. For example, I wanted to get a double body weight deadlift. Got that, so now I'm aiming to add another 20kg. I want to increase my max bench - so I've started a training program which aims to do that.
I hear what you are saying though - I too come from a weight loss background. The adjustment to non-scale targets can be pretty challenging to get your head around. Initially I had running goals also - did a 6k, 10k, 12k, 21k. Key is choosing a goal which you WANT to achieve, not something you think you SHOULD achieve.2 -
kathrynjean_ wrote: »Soo ... Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing yours (and others) thoughts about how to set fitness related goals that are both reasonable and specific enough to be useful.
As I'm transitioning into maitenance, it makes sense to have goals that are not scale related. But I feel like I don't really know where to start with that. In addition, I think I saw you say somewhere that for many people, it's not necessarily fruitful to set a goal like "lose xx lbs by xx date, or increase xx lift xx lbs by xx date" because the timeline is arbitrary and can lead to feelings of failure, even if some progress is made by that certain date. (Correct me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood)
But what does that leave? Things like "getting stronger" seem so nonspecific as to not be very useful (for me).
I feel like this is actually very obvious and I'm overthinking it to the max, but would be interested in hearing what others have to say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDYdGKkb5CQ&feature=youtu.be 2 -
Thank you so much for your advice. I can definitely see what you're saying. What I typed out was a program from "Thinner Leaner Stronger" by Michael Matthews, but SL5x5 would be a better option for me. I will also check out some upper/lower splits as well.Hey cerise_noir,
Your workout focus seems a little skewed to me - I have not seen a program which splits days into shoulders and arms. Typically, programs tend to be full body, or an upper/ lower split of some format. You may need to identify the specific exercises you are doing to get more appropriate advice. In my opinion - and I work an upper/ lower split because that works for me - I rarely do ANY arm isolation exercises. I have added tricep work in lately to help my bench but generally, my arms are pretty well worked and defined by all my other lifts. Ditto shoulders & chest being worked on upper body day.
Juggling the cardio in with lifting is often a personal 'see how it goes'. You need to schedule your workouts on how well you recover and how you feel. This also changes over time. For example, I lift 4 days, cardio 2 days per week but sometimes I try to do cardio and lifting in one day if I feel I'll need 2 rest days to achieve my lifting goals. Jogging and walking may not impinge too much, particularly if you only have one 'leg day'. Though - as the bigger muscle group - I'd definitely aim to work the legs more than once per week.
@SideSteel Thank you so much for your advice and for going into so much detail for a total noob like me (just 6 months of lifting). I can definitely see how the TLS program may actually work against what I want to achieve which is currently fat loss without the 'my legs cannot even' days which is something I wanted to minimize. I think I will go back to Stronglifts 5x5 (or even the upper/lower split..any recommendation?) and do as you suggested, and weigh every day to see where I am at with the deficit. I actually haven't been bothering with the scale, but I will now. I had the TLS book laying around and decided to read it and got curious.
By the way, bathrobe+hat+coffee is the trifecta for a perfect advice video! Nailed it.
1 -
Would you recommend a bulk for a 47 yr old woman who is a pretty dedicated lifter? I'm doing PHUL now & I like it. I'm thinking of bulking this Winter and cutting again in Spring. I've seen some new definition since maintaining but I'd like to see if I can gain a bit more muscle. At 120 lbs (5'2") & around 21% body fat per hydrostatic.0
-
Would you recommend a bulk for a 47 yr old woman who is a pretty dedicated lifter? I'm doing PHUL now & I like it. I'm thinking of bulking this Winter and cutting again in Spring. I've seen some new definition since maintaining but I'd like to see if I can gain a bit more muscle. At 120 lbs (5'2") & around 21% body fat per hydrostatic.
I think it's fine if that's what you prefer doing.
I do tend to favor less aggressive bulking for female clients partially for physiological reasons ( you won't be able to add muscle at the same rate as most males) but also for minimizing fat accumulation.
And so factors I would tend to look at would be how comfortable the person is with fat gaining and how they handle dieting when it comes time to lose that fat.
And I will tend to take all those factors into account when trying to determine a suitable rate of weight gain.
So for example if I have someone who is not bothered by gaining some fat, they tend to perform well in the gym during a deficit, and they exhibit good adherence to a deficit then I'm more likelly to be a bit more aggressive by my nonaggressive standards.
When those conditions are not met, which is typical, I will tend to be quite conservative.
Having said all of that, my answer is still yes it would be fine if that's what you choose to do.1 -
I've hit a lifting plateau that I just can't seem to break. I've been in a calorie deficit, on the order of 500-1000ish per day, depending on various factors, since I do have weight to lose. My first thought to dealing with the plateau is simply to increase calories.
My question is, to increase strength, is it sufficient to get my calories close to maintenance or do I really need to be in a surplus, even if it's small? Let's say, just to provide concrete numbers, that my TDEE is 2700 calories. Would I see similar gains at 2600 calories as 2800, or is a surplus required and it has to be 2800?
On re-reading this I'm not sure I've worded this well, but I'll hit "Post Reply" now anyway.0 -
I've hit a lifting plateau that I just can't seem to break. I've been in a calorie deficit, on the order of 500-1000ish per day, depending on various factors, since I do have weight to lose. My first thought to dealing with the plateau is simply to increase calories.
My question is, to increase strength, is it sufficient to get my calories close to maintenance or do I really need to be in a surplus, even if it's small? Let's say, just to provide concrete numbers, that my TDEE is 2700 calories. Would I see similar gains at 2600 calories as 2800, or is a surplus required and it has to be 2800?
On re-reading this I'm not sure I've worded this well, but I'll hit "Post Reply" now anyway.
Maybe.
I have a video coming shortly
0 -
I've hit a lifting plateau that I just can't seem to break. I've been in a calorie deficit, on the order of 500-1000ish per day, depending on various factors, since I do have weight to lose. My first thought to dealing with the plateau is simply to increase calories.
My question is, to increase strength, is it sufficient to get my calories close to maintenance or do I really need to be in a surplus, even if it's small? Let's say, just to provide concrete numbers, that my TDEE is 2700 calories. Would I see similar gains at 2600 calories as 2800, or is a surplus required and it has to be 2800?
On re-reading this I'm not sure I've worded this well, but I'll hit "Post Reply" now anyway.
Best of luck interpreting my ramblings.
Short answer: I don't know, also what does your program look like, also other questions
https://youtu.be/uog1rtilum0 0 -
Hi, again!
Would any of you know what this could:
A few months ago, I was about 2 months into stronglifts 5x5. Towards the middle of a workout, I became dizzy/light headed, weak/shaky and very nauseous. I could feel my heart beat harder and faster and very out of breath. I had eaten ~400-500 calories around 2 hours prior to the lifting. I managed to finish my workout without blacking out, but felt like even worse afterwards. I could barely make it up 2 sets of stairs and had to lay down for 40 minutes. After that, I started taking inderal (perscribed to me for for anxiety and migrains) which drastically deceased the above.
My question is, was it possible that I was having anxety, or could this have been a blood pressure issue known with lifting? I don't usually have blood pressure problems. Is this common for new lifters? I take a couple of large breaths before the major one that hold on the way down, then release slowly once I am out of the hole/towards the end of the lift.0 -
^^
Sounds like it could have been a low BP - often due to dehydration. Probably depends what your normal BP is though anyway.
Though honestly, could have been any number of things. Maybe you were sick? Probably not related to lifting IMO0 -
cerise_noir wrote: »Hi, again!
Would any of you know what this could:
A few months ago, I was about 2 months into stronglifts 5x5. Towards the middle of a workout, I became dizzy/light headed, weak/shaky and very nauseous. I could feel my heart beat harder and faster and very out of breath. I had eaten ~400-500 calories around 2 hours prior to the lifting. I managed to finish my workout without blacking out, but felt like even worse afterwards. I could barely make it up 2 sets of stairs and had to lay down for 40 minutes. After that, I started taking inderal (perscribed to me for for anxiety and migrains) which drastically deceased the above.
My question is, was it possible that I was having anxety, or could this have been a blood pressure issue known with lifting? I don't usually have blood pressure problems. Is this common for new lifters? I take a couple of large breaths before the major one that hold on the way down, then release slowly once I am out of the hole/towards the end of the lift.
I'll share an experience with you provided that I'm abundantly clear on something -- this is not medical advice, this is not me claiming what is going on with you, and I would really talk to your doctor if this is something that concerns you.
I had a similar circumstance post workout and one circumstance unrelated to working out where my vision would get all messed up (dark spots/auras) followed by periodic waves of racing heartbeat like I was having a panic attack. Heartbeat would spike randomly then come back down. Then intermittent intense nausea where I'd almost puke but not quite.
I went to my doctor thinking I was having panic attacks and it turned out to be a migraine.
For me it seems like these CAN happen if I train fasted for long durations (I can do a short workout fasted without much issue) probably due to blood sugar dropping too low, and I also seem to occasionally get them from intense light.
Totally sucked, bad. I no longer train fasted and I own lots of pairs of sunglasses, lol.1 -
One of these days I'll read this thread at home where I can watch the video responses with sound (not an option at the office, lol).0
-
-
kathrynjean_ wrote: »Soo ... Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing yours (and others) thoughts about how to set fitness related goals that are both reasonable and specific enough to be useful.
As I'm transitioning into maitenance, it makes sense to have goals that are not scale related. But I feel like I don't really know where to start with that. In addition, I think I saw you say somewhere that for many people, it's not necessarily fruitful to set a goal like "lose xx lbs by xx date, or increase xx lift xx lbs by xx date" because the timeline is arbitrary and can lead to feelings of failure, even if some progress is made by that certain date. (Correct me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood)
But what does that leave? Things like "getting stronger" seem so nonspecific as to not be very useful (for me).
I feel like this is actually very obvious and I'm overthinking it to the max, but would be interested in hearing what others have to say.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDYdGKkb5CQ&feature=youtu.be
Time for a new phone there, brother.
0 -
kathrynjean_ wrote: »Soo ... Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing yours (and others) thoughts about how to set fitness related goals that are both reasonable and specific enough to be useful.
As I'm transitioning into maitenance, it makes sense to have goals that are not scale related. But I feel like I don't really know where to start with that. In addition, I think I saw you say somewhere that for many people, it's not necessarily fruitful to set a goal like "lose xx lbs by xx date, or increase xx lift xx lbs by xx date" because the timeline is arbitrary and can lead to feelings of failure, even if some progress is made by that certain date. (Correct me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood)
But what does that leave? Things like "getting stronger" seem so nonspecific as to not be very useful (for me).
I feel like this is actually very obvious and I'm overthinking it to the max, but would be interested in hearing what others have to say.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDYdGKkb5CQ&feature=youtu.be
Time for a new phone there, brother.
Actually it's a fairly new laptop, I probably got the camera lens fogged up from all the HOT SKYPE ACTION with my clients.
3 -
kathrynjean_ wrote: »Soo ... Maybe this is a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing yours (and others) thoughts about how to set fitness related goals that are both reasonable and specific enough to be useful.
As I'm transitioning into maitenance, it makes sense to have goals that are not scale related. But I feel like I don't really know where to start with that. In addition, I think I saw you say somewhere that for many people, it's not necessarily fruitful to set a goal like "lose xx lbs by xx date, or increase xx lift xx lbs by xx date" because the timeline is arbitrary and can lead to feelings of failure, even if some progress is made by that certain date. (Correct me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood)
But what does that leave? Things like "getting stronger" seem so nonspecific as to not be very useful (for me).
I feel like this is actually very obvious and I'm overthinking it to the max, but would be interested in hearing what others have to say.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDYdGKkb5CQ&feature=youtu.be
Time for a new phone there, brother.
Actually it's a fairly new laptop, I probably got the camera lens fogged up from all the HOT SKYPE ACTION with my clients.
I saw that the videos are 240p so I figured you were using some ancient camera/webcam but maybe it's just the program/settings you are using to do the recording instead?0
This discussion has been closed.