Q and A Thread for all you awesome MFPeople.
Options
Replies
-
Idontcareyoupick wrote: »Are the 30 minute circuit machines worth anything at the gym? Mine has an express circuit and I do it since I founder around the gym but unsure if it's worth anything. Thanks
I think a few sessions with a personal trainer would help you feel a lot more comfortable in the gym. If you're new to that gym it may have even been included in your membership. Also, many gyms also have small group classes with a PT that are very cheap or even free. I have found these very useful for myself.
My mother finds one-on-one personal training well worth the cost for her. After her last gym closed, she wasn't happy with her PT at the new gym and, while it made her uncomfortable, asked for a new one, and is so happy she did, cuz she thinks the new guy is the best.
Watching all the youtube videos in the world isn't the same as having someone right there giving you feedback. (Not that you mentioned YT; just saying.)1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I'd be curious how fast you cut early on and how you are concluding you lost muscle?
32 pounds in 65 days; from 223 to 191. Been yoyoing for years doing crash diets without really knowing better. My wife mentioned that she thinks my chest and shoulders are smaller than when I was last in reasonably good shape; I looked at it with a more critical eye and I think she is right. I know that does happen to people as they age and I turn 60 late this year, but I think I can still improve them. I don't want to bulk up like a body builder, just have a little more definition. I am looser just above the waist than I would like; there isn't much fat there but more than I would like.
Have you historically struggled to maintain a healthy bodyweight?
Yes, but this time I am trying to be smarter about it. I am tracking and have no plans to stop. In the past, I would crash diet until I hit my goal and then try to be a natural eater and yoyo a few times trying to keep the weight by losing back to it every time I gained more than a few pounds and then I would let it slide too far. I lost about 60 this time. I lost about 55 4 or 5 years ago. Most of my cycles were more in the 20 to 30 pound range. This is the first time in about 35 years that I have made to normal BMI range. I have stayed within a couple of pounds for 4 weeks, which I never did before once I made goal. I am pretty determined to stay with it this time; I don't want to go into my 60s overweight.
Respectfully, I would not recommend bulking.
I would celebrate the fact that you have accomplished what you've accomplished and I would make a continual effort to maintain bodyweight within a few lbs for quite a while.
I was leaning toward slow recomp. If I were to bulk, it would be by dropping to 155 and then stopping when i got back over 160. But I guess even a purposeful goal driven yoyo is still a yoyo and I have bad history with that.
Thanks for the responses!
This is exactly why I am suggesting the recomp, basically your last sentence.
You've struggled with losing and then maintaining and right now you have lost and are now maintaining.
Don't change a damn thing. Keep maintaining.
I agree with @sidesteel about maintaining.
I would love to hear his opinion though about how maintaining your weight while recomping looks like!
I personally think that a 3 - 5 lb swing for a day or two or three is not a big deal because it is predominantly water weight, not fat.
A 3+lb swing on a trending weight app, which represents an actual change to your base weight level over time, WOULD indicate a real change in weight, I would think
If recomping and eating at maintenance, presumably you would want to allow for as optimal muscle growth as possible without allowing for fat gain.
At how much extra weight would you pull the trigger to make a -250 change to your target food intake?
How can you tell if you're @carvedtones that you're achieving results and allow them to continue vs that you're allowing for fat regain?
In a previous thread I think I read that the OP weighs every other day or 3 times per week if I recall correctly. In his case I would average those values and I'd probably want to stay within about 1.5% to 2% of BW. So for someone who weighs 200lbs I think a 3-4lb swing in AVERAGE weight is a decent tolerance.
You obviously want to allow SOME wiggle room but you also have to draw a line somewhere and decide "hey I'm actually not eating the right amount of calories here" to prevent weight regain.
I have tended to have pretty small swings during the last few months of losing (at a more sane rate) and learning to maintain. I think I am averaging a very slight deficit right now. I don't log most of my exercise. I walk at a decent clip (around 3 mph) about 90 minutes a day recently and do some dumbbell work (which I will be increasing). My numbers versus calculators make me think I have experienced some adaptive thermogenesis; maybe 200 calories. My watch/app says I burn over 400 each day. I figure about 100 is stuff that is in my sedentary baseline, but I seem to be burning just below 2000 a day. That would mean sedentary is around 1700, while the calculator figures 1910.
It sounds to me like you're doing really well based on all of this.
Keep in mind that SOME amount of AT is pretty normal, but also keep in mind that there is a lot of individual variability at play when comparing yourself to a calculator.3 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I'd be curious how fast you cut early on and how you are concluding you lost muscle?
32 pounds in 65 days; from 223 to 191. Been yoyoing for years doing crash diets without really knowing better. My wife mentioned that she thinks my chest and shoulders are smaller than when I was last in reasonably good shape; I looked at it with a more critical eye and I think she is right. I know that does happen to people as they age and I turn 60 late this year, but I think I can still improve them. I don't want to bulk up like a body builder, just have a little more definition. I am looser just above the waist than I would like; there isn't much fat there but more than I would like.
Have you historically struggled to maintain a healthy bodyweight?
Yes, but this time I am trying to be smarter about it. I am tracking and have no plans to stop. In the past, I would crash diet until I hit my goal and then try to be a natural eater and yoyo a few times trying to keep the weight by losing back to it every time I gained more than a few pounds and then I would let it slide too far. I lost about 60 this time. I lost about 55 4 or 5 years ago. Most of my cycles were more in the 20 to 30 pound range. This is the first time in about 35 years that I have made to normal BMI range. I have stayed within a couple of pounds for 4 weeks, which I never did before once I made goal. I am pretty determined to stay with it this time; I don't want to go into my 60s overweight.
Respectfully, I would not recommend bulking.
I would celebrate the fact that you have accomplished what you've accomplished and I would make a continual effort to maintain bodyweight within a few lbs for quite a while.
I was leaning toward slow recomp. If I were to bulk, it would be by dropping to 155 and then stopping when i got back over 160. But I guess even a purposeful goal driven yoyo is still a yoyo and I have bad history with that.
Thanks for the responses!
This is exactly why I am suggesting the recomp, basically your last sentence.
You've struggled with losing and then maintaining and right now you have lost and are now maintaining.
Don't change a damn thing. Keep maintaining.
I agree with @sidesteel about maintaining.
I would love to hear his opinion though about how maintaining your weight while recomping looks like!
I personally think that a 3 - 5 lb swing for a day or two or three is not a big deal because it is predominantly water weight, not fat.
A 3+lb swing on a trending weight app, which represents an actual change to your base weight level over time, WOULD indicate a real change in weight, I would think
If recomping and eating at maintenance, presumably you would want to allow for as optimal muscle growth as possible without allowing for fat gain.
At how much extra weight would you pull the trigger to make a -250 change to your target food intake?
How can you tell if you're @carvedtones that you're achieving results and allow them to continue vs that you're allowing for fat regain?
In a previous thread I think I read that the OP weighs every other day or 3 times per week if I recall correctly. In his case I would average those values and I'd probably want to stay within about 1.5% to 2% of BW. So for someone who weighs 200lbs I think a 3-4lb swing in AVERAGE weight is a decent tolerance.
You obviously want to allow SOME wiggle room but you also have to draw a line somewhere and decide "hey I'm actually not eating the right amount of calories here" to prevent weight regain.
I have tended to have pretty small swings during the last few months of losing (at a more sane rate) and learning to maintain. I think I am averaging a very slight deficit right now. I don't log most of my exercise. I walk at a decent clip (around 3 mph) about 90 minutes a day recently and do some dumbbell work (which I will be increasing). My numbers versus calculators make me think I have experienced some adaptive thermogenesis; maybe 200 calories. My watch/app says I burn over 400 each day. I figure about 100 is stuff that is in my sedentary baseline, but I seem to be burning just below 2000 a day. That would mean sedentary is around 1700, while the calculator figures 1910.
It sounds to me like you're doing really well based on all of this.
Keep in mind that SOME amount of AT is pretty normal, but also keep in mind that there is a lot of individual variability at play when comparing yourself to a calculator.
Thanks. I still keep hoping there are extenuating circumstances (a couple, for sure) and other complications that make me think I am not still in a slight deficit and that my maintenance will be a little higher; if I drop just a little lower I will up the calories slightly. I am very protective of the weight loss and will not just jump to a higher number and see what happens. If I don't get to increase up to or past 2000, well then I don't. Eating whatever I want again after losing weight never ended well.
I have one more for you. I was talking to a coworker about exercise, mentioning I was starting to do the dumbbell work for arms and chest and he asked me of I could do 100 push ups. I can't right now. He said until I can, just doing push ups is probably the most effective thing I can do. Is this more water cooler BS or does that make sense?
0 -
CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »I'd be curious how fast you cut early on and how you are concluding you lost muscle?
32 pounds in 65 days; from 223 to 191. Been yoyoing for years doing crash diets without really knowing better. My wife mentioned that she thinks my chest and shoulders are smaller than when I was last in reasonably good shape; I looked at it with a more critical eye and I think she is right. I know that does happen to people as they age and I turn 60 late this year, but I think I can still improve them. I don't want to bulk up like a body builder, just have a little more definition. I am looser just above the waist than I would like; there isn't much fat there but more than I would like.
Have you historically struggled to maintain a healthy bodyweight?
Yes, but this time I am trying to be smarter about it. I am tracking and have no plans to stop. In the past, I would crash diet until I hit my goal and then try to be a natural eater and yoyo a few times trying to keep the weight by losing back to it every time I gained more than a few pounds and then I would let it slide too far. I lost about 60 this time. I lost about 55 4 or 5 years ago. Most of my cycles were more in the 20 to 30 pound range. This is the first time in about 35 years that I have made to normal BMI range. I have stayed within a couple of pounds for 4 weeks, which I never did before once I made goal. I am pretty determined to stay with it this time; I don't want to go into my 60s overweight.
Respectfully, I would not recommend bulking.
I would celebrate the fact that you have accomplished what you've accomplished and I would make a continual effort to maintain bodyweight within a few lbs for quite a while.
I was leaning toward slow recomp. If I were to bulk, it would be by dropping to 155 and then stopping when i got back over 160. But I guess even a purposeful goal driven yoyo is still a yoyo and I have bad history with that.
Thanks for the responses!
This is exactly why I am suggesting the recomp, basically your last sentence.
You've struggled with losing and then maintaining and right now you have lost and are now maintaining.
Don't change a damn thing. Keep maintaining.
I agree with @sidesteel about maintaining.
I would love to hear his opinion though about how maintaining your weight while recomping looks like!
I personally think that a 3 - 5 lb swing for a day or two or three is not a big deal because it is predominantly water weight, not fat.
A 3+lb swing on a trending weight app, which represents an actual change to your base weight level over time, WOULD indicate a real change in weight, I would think
If recomping and eating at maintenance, presumably you would want to allow for as optimal muscle growth as possible without allowing for fat gain.
At how much extra weight would you pull the trigger to make a -250 change to your target food intake?
How can you tell if you're @carvedtones that you're achieving results and allow them to continue vs that you're allowing for fat regain?
In a previous thread I think I read that the OP weighs every other day or 3 times per week if I recall correctly. In his case I would average those values and I'd probably want to stay within about 1.5% to 2% of BW. So for someone who weighs 200lbs I think a 3-4lb swing in AVERAGE weight is a decent tolerance.
You obviously want to allow SOME wiggle room but you also have to draw a line somewhere and decide "hey I'm actually not eating the right amount of calories here" to prevent weight regain.
I have tended to have pretty small swings during the last few months of losing (at a more sane rate) and learning to maintain. I think I am averaging a very slight deficit right now. I don't log most of my exercise. I walk at a decent clip (around 3 mph) about 90 minutes a day recently and do some dumbbell work (which I will be increasing). My numbers versus calculators make me think I have experienced some adaptive thermogenesis; maybe 200 calories. My watch/app says I burn over 400 each day. I figure about 100 is stuff that is in my sedentary baseline, but I seem to be burning just below 2000 a day. That would mean sedentary is around 1700, while the calculator figures 1910.
It sounds to me like you're doing really well based on all of this.
Keep in mind that SOME amount of AT is pretty normal, but also keep in mind that there is a lot of individual variability at play when comparing yourself to a calculator.
Thanks. I still keep hoping there are extenuating circumstances (a couple, for sure) and other complications that make me think I am not still in a slight deficit and that my maintenance will be a little higher; if I drop just a little lower I will up the calories slightly. I am very protective of the weight loss and will not just jump to a higher number and see what happens. If I don't get to increase up to or past 2000, well then I don't. Eating whatever I want again after losing weight never ended well.
I have one more for you. I was talking to a coworker about exercise, mentioning I was starting to do the dumbbell work for arms and chest and he asked me of I could do 100 push ups. I can't right now. He said until I can, just doing push ups is probably the most effective thing I can do. Is this more water cooler BS or does that make sense?
The only circumstance where I could see ANY logic in your coworkers recommendations would be if you had the MAIN goal of being able to do a lot of pushups. For example if you were training for a push-up contest.
Since you're not, I disagree with your coworker.13 -
Hi Patrick
.
I've been struggling lately with laziness and it has shown on the scale. I do like weight lifting and running, in a perfect world I'd love to be able to do both a day but I know I can't sustain that (been there, tried that - failed miserably). I've been leaning more towards outside activities as the weather is getting nicer but would like to keep the muscle I have built. I had been doing the PHUL program. which is a lot of fun but takes a long tim. I feel like if I am only doing it two days a week that I am not getting the benefits of the program which calls for it to be done 4 days a week. Am I just wasting my time at the gym if I only do that program 1-2 days a week and spend the rest of my week running/walking? Should I switch from PHUL to something more total body for those two days? I tend to like the days that are hypertrophy (8-12 reps) over the strength days. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!0 -
What is recomp? I've never heard that word before?1
-
Pipsqueak1965 wrote: »What is recomp? I've never heard that word before?
Gain muscle and lose fat while maintaining the same weight. Recomposition.0 -
Thank you for doing this! So I've recently taken up bouldering, do it 1-2x per week, 60-90 minutes at a time. I also have a rowing machine that I love, and a set of free weights in the basement that I need to reintroduce myself to (just dreading the DOMS after being away for so long!). I was formerly doing Stronglifts and am comfortable with those moves, so that's the program I'd head back to.
So my question is, how should I set up my workouts? If I climb 2x a week, row 2x a week, and lift maybe 2x a week, would that be good? If I do one workout per day, what order should I do them in? I know that climbing and rowing use a lot of the same muscles. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
If it matters, my goal is strength and fitness, not losing weight (even though I'm chunky and do need to lose weight). I guess I should say my other goal is having fun while moving my body and learning what it's capable of.
ETA: I also horseback ride 2-3 times a week. Not sure where everything is going to fit in! My priorities are riding and bouldering. I really like rowing and hate to not do it, so maybe I could it for 10-20 hard minutes on a day I do something else. Good lord, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.1 -
Hey Patrick, dad just hit his 78th birthday and is obese.
Has been hitting the Y for some treadmill walking and random let's use this machine for 5 reps sort of thing.
Has been resisting engaging a staff member for tips or programming. Cause he don't need **kitten** like this!
Any of the programs listed in psuLemon's FAQ that I should be looking at for him?
I actually haven't given that thread a detailed look. I'm sure @psuLemon would give excellent advice in that regard so I'll tag him and see if he has an opinion.
However, I'll also give you some criteria that I think would be good things to keep in mind.
I'm going to make the assumption that he is training for similar reasons to most people in his demographic? (Increase his overall fitness levels, improvements to bone density, lean mass, etc)
I'd probably want to make sure he's selecting exercises that are well within his limitations as far as technical complexity, mobility limitations, etc. So for example you're probably not putting him on stronglifts
I'd probably want him training every muscle group 2 times per week if it's realistic for his schedule.
I'd probably stay in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 reps per set, start at 1 set per exercise for the first few weeks and increase it to two after a couple of weeks.
Keep the relative intensity low (leave a few reps in the tank) to start, once he's able to complete 2x15, add weight the next session.
Anyway these are just really vague generalizations.
I realize this isn't a great answer, but I've not looked at the entirety of the programs on the thread you're referring to.
I was talking about @psuLemon 's strength training program thread. Not handy atm due to phone... but stronglifts, starting strength, strong curves, NRLFW, etc.
But thank you for the general tips... I'll apply them to me!
I am pretty much on the same page as @SideSteel . Based on his age and his general goals, I would look at a program like: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/
It's a very basic routine, of which, he could build upon as his body adapts and as he defines more specific goals (if he so desires). Additionally, he would be able to utilize this in a fashion that if he does want to progress to a barbell, it's easily substituted. And if he outgrows this program, he can certainly move onto a program like TLS; TLS is very similar to BLS but tends to run higher rep ranges and lower loads (65% 1RM vs 85% 1RM), and has a 3-4-5 day program for adaptability.
I've been doing the AWR for about five weeks and really enjoy it. If you think your dad won't be into free weights, @PAV8888, Lyle McDonald's training post has a machine program - I think it's the only one on the list. He notes that the program was designed for older folks with little (or bad) exercise experience.0 -
Ooh @MegaMooseEsq thank you for posting that link. I use to have it bookmarked and spent ages looking for it yesterday for pav8888's dad to no avail. It is now re bookmarked.
Cheers, h.4 -
Hi Patrick.
I've been struggling lately with laziness and it has shown on the scale. I do like weight lifting and running, in a perfect world I'd love to be able to do both a day but I know I can't sustain that (been there, tried that - failed miserably). I've been leaning more towards outside activities as the weather is getting nicer but would like to keep the muscle I have built. I had been doing the PHUL program. which is a lot of fun but takes a long tim. I feel like if I am only doing it two days a week that I am not getting the benefits of the program which calls for it to be done 4 days a week. Am I just wasting my time at the gym if I only do that program 1-2 days a week and spend the rest of my week running/walking? Should I switch from PHUL to something more total body for those two days? I tend to like the days that are hypertrophy (8-12 reps) over the strength days. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Assuming the goal is to attempt to maintain muscle on two days per week of training I would probably structure two days of full body training.
There's nothing wrong with staying around the 8 to 12 rep range if that's your preference.
I would make sure you're able to hit the entire body in each session to the best of your ability.
Probably something like
A squat type of movement
A press type of movement
A pull type of movement
A hinge type of movement
And if any time remains you'd round out the program with accessories
Training twice per week is massively better than zero.
I haven't looked at PHUL in a while (I know it's a power/hypertrophy upper/lower) and so I don't know the details about exercise selection to comment specifically on that program.0 -
pitbullmamaliz wrote: »Thank you for doing this! So I've recently taken up bouldering, do it 1-2x per week, 60-90 minutes at a time. I also have a rowing machine that I love, and a set of free weights in the basement that I need to reintroduce myself to (just dreading the DOMS after being away for so long!). I was formerly doing Stronglifts and am comfortable with those moves, so that's the program I'd head back to.
So my question is, how should I set up my workouts? If I climb 2x a week, row 2x a week, and lift maybe 2x a week, would that be good? If I do one workout per day, what order should I do them in? I know that climbing and rowing use a lot of the same muscles. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
If it matters, my goal is strength and fitness, not losing weight (even though I'm chunky and do need to lose weight). I guess I should say my other goal is having fun while moving my body and learning what it's capable of.
ETA: I also horseback ride 2-3 times a week. Not sure where everything is going to fit in! My priorities are riding and bouldering. I really like rowing and hate to not do it, so maybe I could it for 10-20 hard minutes on a day I do something else. Good lord, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.
So I'll be blunt-- my answer won't be very specific here since I don't know the recovery demands of these activities terribly well. But hopefully I can provide some criteria to help you decide:
If your PRIMARY goals are riding and bouldering I would prioritize those things as far as your performance and recovery are concerned and I would try to fit the resistance training into that schedule in a way to least-interfere with those things.
I would probably position the weight training where it will allow the greatest recovery time between the end of the lifting session and the start of the next rowing or climbing session. One example COULD be that you row or climb in the AM and lift either the next morning OR even that evening. It may be a slightly sub-par lifting session but you would then maximize the time between the end of that lifting session and the start of the following rowing or climbing session.
I would also pay close attention to how much recovery you NEED in order to do each activity to an appropriate performance level.
A simple thing to ask yourself is this:
"Did this session suffer because I'm still fatigued from the previous session?" "Session" would mean whatever athletic activity you did previously.
If the answer is "YES" then you either need additional recovery time between those two events, or you need to reduce the volume of one or both of those events to accommodate recovery.
4 -
I have found it difficult to improve on certain lifts. I’ve been told that some of the essential lifts (squats, bench, deads) are tougher for taller people; I’m a female, 5’9”, 49 yrs old. Been lifting for ~8 yrs; following Layne Norton’s PHAT for about 2 months now.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!1 -
I've seen multiple techniques for 'stiff legged' deadlifts. Some say it's fine to lock out your legs for it because it allows for greater hamstring stress/growth, but others say to have a slight bend. Either way I do it, I find my left knee feeling strained. I'm keeping the weight light due to this. I know I can physically handle more though. I'm currently doing 2 sets of 5 of 55lbs, then 2 sets of 5 of 65 lbs, then 2 sets of 5 of 75 lbs. I am worried about going beyond this because of my knee. It doesn't hurt. I'm definitely not doing something right though. Long story short, do you have a favorite guide for deadlifts, or perhaps a general reason for my knee strain? I plan to consult my doctor at my next appointment as well.
Thanks for this q+a!1 -
In June of last year I got myself dunked, and found I had 10.54% body fat. This surprised me, because I had expected if I were that low that I wouldn't still be jiggling around the middle and would have at least one ab showing. Or something. I'm 54, 6'1", and began to lose weight in June, 2016 starting at about 205-210 lbs. I hit a low of about 160 lbs without really intending to go that far (I was aiming for 165), and that's when I did the hydrostatic weighing.
Round about September-October, I began working on a very slow lean bulk and added some weight training, when up until that point my main exercise had been running. (Which it largely still is. I run about 10km 5x/week.) It's not a program designed by a trainer; I just work on major muscle groups, mostly with dumbbells because they're easier on my shoulders than a fixed bar. (I'm dealing with a labrum tear.) In February I got dunked again. I'd put on around 10 lbs, of which 7 lbs were lean mass, raising my bf to 11.85%. So while that's probably about as lean a bulk as you can get, this has not improved my overall appearance. There's some improvement in strength, but not so you'd notice to look at me.
The reason I'm going so slow here, and why I haven't cut back on the running, is that I really hate being fat. I'm kind of scrawny. That's how I've always been and I'm used to it. But fat is just not me and I'd rather not go back in that direction if I can avoid it. (I'm aware I wasn't obese at 210, but it was bad enough.)
So I'm still loose around the gut. If the hydrostatic weighing is accurate, it's probably counterproductive to try and cut. Even if getting below 10% were in the cards for me at my age, the muscle loss that comes with that would be a bad idea anyway. Any suggestions?0 -
Hi Patrick.
I've been struggling lately with laziness and it has shown on the scale. I do like weight lifting and running, in a perfect world I'd love to be able to do both a day but I know I can't sustain that (been there, tried that - failed miserably). I've been leaning more towards outside activities as the weather is getting nicer but would like to keep the muscle I have built. I had been doing the PHUL program. which is a lot of fun but takes a long tim. I feel like if I am only doing it two days a week that I am not getting the benefits of the program which calls for it to be done 4 days a week. Am I just wasting my time at the gym if I only do that program 1-2 days a week and spend the rest of my week running/walking? Should I switch from PHUL to something more total body for those two days? I tend to like the days that are hypertrophy (8-12 reps) over the strength days. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Assuming the goal is to attempt to maintain muscle on two days per week of training I would probably structure two days of full body training.
There's nothing wrong with staying around the 8 to 12 rep range if that's your preference.
I would make sure you're able to hit the entire body in each session to the best of your ability.
Probably something like
A squat type of movement
A press type of movement
A pull type of movement
A hinge type of movement
And if any time remains you'd round out the program with accessories
Training twice per week is massively better than zero.
I haven't looked at PHUL in a while (I know it's a power/hypertrophy upper/lower) and so I don't know the details about exercise selection to comment specifically on that program.
I would agree with this. PHUL is a great program. I have done it and loved it, even at full volume. But if a person only has 2x a week to lift, full body is the best way to go and possibly have 2 days of separation in between. It seems its probably more beneficial to train body parts at least 2-3x a week. So if you can't lift 4-6x a week, than full body will cover that.
I will note, there is nothing wrong with sticking with 8-12, but you might see greater benefit over the long haul, if you work within a variety of rep ranges. If you want to follow the "structure" of PHUL, you could do one day at 8-12, and then the other day at 5-7 or even 4-6. This way, the heavy days will improve your ability to increase volume on the high volume days.0 -
Hi Patrick.
I've been struggling lately with laziness and it has shown on the scale. I do like weight lifting and running, in a perfect world I'd love to be able to do both a day but I know I can't sustain that (been there, tried that - failed miserably). I've been leaning more towards outside activities as the weather is getting nicer but would like to keep the muscle I have built. I had been doing the PHUL program. which is a lot of fun but takes a long time. I feel like if I am only doing it two days a week that I am not getting the benefits of the program which calls for it to be done 4 days a week. Am I just wasting my time at the gym if I only do that program 1-2 days a week and spend the rest of my week running/walking? Should I switch from PHUL to something more total body for those two days? I tend to like the days that are hypertrophy (8-12 reps) over the strength days. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Assuming the goal is to attempt to maintain muscle on two days per week of training I would probably structure two days of full body training.
There's nothing wrong with staying around the 8 to 12 rep range if that's your preference.
I would make sure you're able to hit the entire body in each session to the best of your ability.
Probably something like
A squat type of movement
A press type of movement
A pull type of movement
A hinge type of movement
And if any time remains you'd round out the program with accessories
Training twice per week is massively better than zero.
I haven't looked at PHUL in a while (I know it's a power/hypertrophy upper/lower) and so I don't know the details about exercise selection to comment specifically on that program.
I would agree with this. PHUL is a great program. I have done it and loved it, even at full volume. But if a person only has 2x a week to lift, full body is the best way to go and possibly have 2 days of separation in between. It seems its probably more beneficial to train body parts at least 2-3x a week. So if you can't lift 4-6x a week, than full body will cover that.
I will note, there is nothing wrong with sticking with 8-12, but you might see greater benefit over the long haul, if you work within a variety of rep ranges. If you want to follow the "structure" of PHUL, you could do one day at 8-12, and then the other day at 5-7 or even 4-6. This way, the heavy days will improve your ability to increase volume on the high volume days.
Great advice by both of you, thank you for your replies. I like the idea of switching up reps, that's something I never even considered to be honest. I am going to have a closer look at the program that was mentioned earlier in the thread, might be something I can work with and tweak to my needs.
Thanks,
Susan0 -
LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »I have found it difficult to improve on certain lifts. I’ve been told that some of the essential lifts (squats, bench, deads) are tougher for taller people; I’m a female, 5’9”, 49 yrs old. Been lifting for ~8 yrs; following Layne Norton’s PHAT for about 2 months now.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
How you are built plays a significant role in which lifts naturally suit you and which ones don't.
So just for example someone with very long arms might be better at deadlifting and worse at benching. And it's not just individual segment lengths but in some cases the ratio of several segment lengths.
How you are built will (SHOULD) play a big role in how you perform the techniques as well.
If you are not progressing in a given lift, I would generally look at programming and technique primarily.1 -
In June of last year I got myself dunked, and found I had 10.54% body fat. This surprised me, because I had expected if I were that low that I wouldn't still be jiggling around the middle and would have at least one ab showing. Or something. I'm 54, 6'1", and began to lose weight in June, 2016 starting at about 205-210 lbs. I hit a low of about 160 lbs without really intending to go that far (I was aiming for 165), and that's when I did the hydrostatic weighing.
Round about September-October, I began working on a very slow lean bulk and added some weight training, when up until that point my main exercise had been running. (Which it largely still is. I run about 10km 5x/week.) It's not a program designed by a trainer; I just work on major muscle groups, mostly with dumbbells because they're easier on my shoulders than a fixed bar. (I'm dealing with a labrum tear.) In February I got dunked again. I'd put on around 10 lbs, of which 7 lbs were lean mass, raising my bf to 11.85%. So while that's probably about as lean a bulk as you can get, this has not improved my overall appearance. There's some improvement in strength, but not so you'd notice to look at me.
The reason I'm going so slow here, and why I haven't cut back on the running, is that I really hate being fat. I'm kind of scrawny. That's how I've always been and I'm used to it. But fat is just not me and I'd rather not go back in that direction if I can avoid it. (I'm aware I wasn't obese at 210, but it was bad enough.)
So I'm still loose around the gut. If the hydrostatic weighing is accurate, it's probably counterproductive to try and cut. Even if getting below 10% were in the cards for me at my age, the muscle loss that comes with that would be a bad idea anyway. Any suggestions?
Worth noting that all methods of body fat analysis have error rates associated with them. None of the available methods actually measure body fat -- they measure something other than body fat and they estimate body fat based on this.
Having said that, it sounds to me like you are currently doing well and by that I mean, you've been able to add mass without adding a disproportionate amount of fat in the process.
Do you enjoy training?
Did you enjoy running the bulk cycle?
It's possible that you just need to rinse and repeat?2
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions