Q and A Thread for all you awesome MFPeople.
Replies
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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.
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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 -
I'm 53 and perimenopausal, former smoker-quit 2.5 years ago. Before and after pic to the left, lol. Started working out 2 years ago and running , albeit slowly, a year ago. Doing my first half marathon this month, goal is 2.30. I have a trainer 2 times a week and do boot camp once a week, do a 4-6 mile jog 3 times a week. I can barely swim and have considered taking lessons. What should I try next? My trainer mixes it up and I'm seeing total results. I can do 30 pushups; first time IN MY LIFE I could even do any. Always looking for a fresh eye tho. TIA so much!!2
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k8andchr1smom wrote: »I'm 53 and perimenopausal, former smoker-quit 2.5 years ago. Before and after pic to the left, lol. Started working out 2 years ago and running , albeit slowly, a year ago. Doing my first half marathon this month, goal is 2.30. I have a trainer 2 times a week and do boot camp once a week, do a 4-6 mile jog 3 times a week. I can barely swim and have considered taking lessons. What should I try next? My trainer mixes it up and I'm seeing total results. I can do 30 pushups; first time IN MY LIFE I could even do any. Always looking for a fresh eye tho. TIA so much!!
Hey!
First of all congrats on your progress! Sounds like you've done A LOT of positive things to benefit your health and fitness and I think that's amazing.
My coaching philosophy involves taking someones goals and preferences and using those things to guide us towards programming decisions.
And so in order to apply that, we would first want to know:
1) What things do you want to accomplish with your athletic endeavors (performance goals) or your body composition?
2) What type of training do you enjoy?
These are vague questions, but these are things to look at when it comes to "what should I do".4 -
k8andchr1smom wrote: »I'm 53 and perimenopausal, former smoker-quit 2.5 years ago. Before and after pic to the left, lol. Started working out 2 years ago and running , albeit slowly, a year ago. Doing my first half marathon this month, goal is 2.30. I have a trainer 2 times a week and do boot camp once a week, do a 4-6 mile jog 3 times a week. I can barely swim and have considered taking lessons. What should I try next? My trainer mixes it up and I'm seeing total results. I can do 30 pushups; first time IN MY LIFE I could even do any. Always looking for a fresh eye tho. TIA so much!!
Hey!
First of all congrats on your progress! Sounds like you've done A LOT of positive things to benefit your health and fitness and I think that's amazing.
My coaching philosophy involves taking someones goals and preferences and using those things to guide us towards programming decisions.
And so in order to apply that, we would first want to know:
1) What things do you want to accomplish with your athletic endeavors (performance goals) or your body composition?
2) What type of training do you enjoy?
These are vague questions, but these are things to look at when it comes to "what should I do".
What do I want to accomplish? Well, I am honestly a "gold star" person, ie I like to see actual things occur, like the ability to do pushups. So something along those lines. I would love to be able to do chin ups because I think that's really bad *kitten*!! I would like to see my body fat change, but I know that's harder than anything. In fact I did bod pods and they showed zero change between the above pic, which I think is impossible. I'd like to slow down aging since I'm sure I did myself zero favors in that department as a smoker and d/t the fact this is the first time I've exercised ever.
As far as what I enjoy? I hate cardio, I do it only because I plateaued hardcore. I love to throw things- medicine balls are my favorite, and I love being "more" than yesterday.
Thank you so much!!0 -
k8andchr1smom wrote: »k8andchr1smom wrote: »I'm 53 and perimenopausal, former smoker-quit 2.5 years ago. Before and after pic to the left, lol. Started working out 2 years ago and running , albeit slowly, a year ago. Doing my first half marathon this month, goal is 2.30. I have a trainer 2 times a week and do boot camp once a week, do a 4-6 mile jog 3 times a week. I can barely swim and have considered taking lessons. What should I try next? My trainer mixes it up and I'm seeing total results. I can do 30 pushups; first time IN MY LIFE I could even do any. Always looking for a fresh eye tho. TIA so much!!
Hey!
First of all congrats on your progress! Sounds like you've done A LOT of positive things to benefit your health and fitness and I think that's amazing.
My coaching philosophy involves taking someones goals and preferences and using those things to guide us towards programming decisions.
And so in order to apply that, we would first want to know:
1) What things do you want to accomplish with your athletic endeavors (performance goals) or your body composition?
2) What type of training do you enjoy?
These are vague questions, but these are things to look at when it comes to "what should I do".
What do I want to accomplish? Well, I am honestly a "gold star" person, ie I like to see actual things occur, like the ability to do pushups. So something along those lines. I would love to be able to do chin ups because I think that's really bad *kitten*!! I would like to see my body fat change, but I know that's harder than anything. In fact I did bod pods and they showed zero change between the above pic, which I think is impossible. I'd like to slow down aging since I'm sure I did myself zero favors in that department as a smoker and d/t the fact this is the first time I've exercised ever.
As far as what I enjoy? I hate cardio, I do it only because I plateaued hardcore. I love to throw things- medicine balls are my favorite, and I love being "more" than yesterday.
Thank you so much!!
If I were coaching you I would probably have you try a strength training program to get you stronger at specific movements/lifts and I'd also put you on a chin up progression program to eventually get you doing bodyweight chin ups, and I'd track it and outline it in 4 week mesocycles so that from week to week and cycle to cycle you are able to clearly see progress in these goals which will satisfy the "gold-star" thing you mention. Push ups as one of the accessory movements.
So that's just sort of my initial thoughts and perhaps that's something you can casually run by your trainer.3 -
I don't lift heavy; I use dumbbells currently ranging from 8 to 20 lbs (x2), some other equipment, like a cardio step and stability ball, and body-weight exercises. I'm scheduled to have bladder surgery next week and it's going to necessitate a three-week break from lifting anything—during exercise or any other time—greater than three pounds. My doctor is a great uro-oncologist, but not great on exercise advice beyond "don't lift for three weeks; don't push too hard too fast". After the three weeks, I was told to avoid lifting more than 30lbs for the next little while—which wasn't an issue then, because I had only just starting phasing in a pair of 15s. I'll follow up this time with when it'll be safe to start back with the 20s.
Any advice on how to get back into lifting after several weeks off? Common sense tells me I should probably start off lifting a bit less than I did before the break, but I'm not sure how much less and how quickly I should be increasing.
ETA: Just to clarify, I'm not asking when it'll be safe to go back to lifting; I'm asking how to go back to lifting safely when I'm medically cleared to do so.3 -
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?
Thank you very much!
I enjoy some kinds of training, but not others. Distance running is good, if for no other reason than that it gets me outside, but I've never enjoyed lifting. I do it because it's necessary, not because it's fun. This makes it more than a little frustrating when I'm not seeing the results I really want.
My bulk cycle, such as it is, consists of aiming for a slight deficit during the week (but with attention to getting sufficient macros to fuel lean mass) but not tracking my intake at all on weekends. This seems naturally to lead to a small calorie surplus and allows that part of it to be reasonably fun. It's possible that this is only working as well as it is because of beginner gains, and it won't work well at all in the long run.
Certainly it couldn't hurt to try to repeat, and I was inclining in that direction anyway.0 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »I don't lift heavy; I use dumbbells currently ranging from 8 to 20 lbs (x2), some other equipment, like a cardio step and stability ball, and body-weight exercises. I'm scheduled to have bladder surgery next week and it's going to necessitate a three-week break from lifting anything—during exercise or any other time—greater than three pounds. My doctor is a great uro-oncologist, but not great on exercise advice beyond "don't lift for three weeks; don't push too hard too fast". After the three weeks, I was told to avoid lifting more than 30lbs for the next little while—which wasn't an issue then, because I had only just starting phasing in a pair of 15s. I'll follow up this time with when it'll be safe to start back with the 20s.
Any advice on how to get back into lifting after several weeks off? Common sense tells me I should probably start off lifting a bit less than I did before the break, but I'm not sure how much less and how quickly I should be increasing.
ETA: Just to clarify, I'm not asking when it'll be safe to go back to lifting; I'm asking how to go back to lifting safely when I'm medically cleared to do so.
ETA: Looks like I edited out one sentence where I mentioned I'd had this procedure once before, six month ago, when I wasn't lifting more than a pair of 15s. Sorry if I was confusing!0 -
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.
Thank you so much! That definitely made sense and was helpful!0 -
Hi, I am 60 years old, 202 lbs now. I just lost 50 lbs. since November 2017. I am off my blood pressure meds, just taking 1x a day pill for diabetes now instead of 2. Just had labs done. My ferritin is super high. I do have a hematologist appointment next week. Wondering if the protein I am eating caused this - Almost since November been having a Premier Protein drink (160 calories, 30 grams of protein). Also been eating usually eggs or tuna for lunch and some protein for dinner. But many times during these months I didn't always have protein for lunch or dinner. I have been exercising too. Thank you!0
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A quick note of thanks to
@SideSteel for the reps and intensity suggestions
@psuLemon for the link to the aworkoutroutine
@MegaMooseEsq for the link to Lyle McDonald's machine equivalencies
And last but not least to @middlehaitch for trying to find some of the same links others posted
The effort, links and help are all much appreciated!
And hey, even if dad doesn't benefit from them... maybe I will benefit a bit from them myself!!!
Cheers!4 -
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?
Thank you very much!
I enjoy some kinds of training, but not others. Distance running is good, if for no other reason than that it gets me outside, but I've never enjoyed lifting. I do it because it's necessary, not because it's fun. This makes it more than a little frustrating when I'm not seeing the results I really want.
My bulk cycle, such as it is, consists of aiming for a slight deficit during the week (but with attention to getting sufficient macros to fuel lean mass) but not tracking my intake at all on weekends. This seems naturally to lead to a small calorie surplus and allows that part of it to be reasonably fun. It's possible that this is only working as well as it is because of beginner gains, and it won't work well at all in the long run.
Certainly it couldn't hurt to try to repeat, and I was inclining in that direction anyway.
Even if you optimized everything to the best of your ability I suspect that you would need multiple cycles of bulking and cutting to arrive at the physique you see in your head. Obviously that's speculative on my part, but my main point is that if you're wanting to add muscle mass to your frame and end up lean afterwards, think in terms of years of training rather than weeks.
As far as your dietary methods, I suspect this is inefficient for muscle gains but if it's a good lifestyle fit you should definitely factor that in.
0 -
150poundsofme wrote: »Hi, I am 60 years old, 202 lbs now. I just lost 50 lbs. since November 2017. I am off my blood pressure meds, just taking 1x a day pill for diabetes now instead of 2. Just had labs done. My ferritin is super high. I do have a hematologist appointment next week. Wondering if the protein I am eating caused this - Almost since November been having a Premier Protein drink (160 calories, 30 grams of protein). Also been eating usually eggs or tuna for lunch and some protein for dinner. But many times during these months I didn't always have protein for lunch or dinner. I have been exercising too. Thank you!
Hey there!
I don't fault you for asking the question here so please take this with all the best of intent:
This is something that would be irresponsible for me to comment on for scope of practice reasons. Given your upcoming appointment with your hematologist, I would ask this and any other questions in that appointment, and hopefully you can get useful guidance.
Best of luck!1 -
I have no experience with lifting heavy, but want to as part of my trail running regimen. In theory I "get it," but am such a newbie I'll need a coach or trainer of some sort to make sure my form isn't whack. I have a YMCA membership, but I'm hesitant to hire one of their trainers because I have no ideas the qualities I'm looking for in a coach/trainer.
My main interests are:- Learning proper form for a program like SL 5x5 (I've (attempted to) read Starting Strength and NROLFW and frankly reading about lifting doesn't help my cause much.
- Body recomposition (I'm roughly 7-10lbs from my ultimate weight range goal).
- Preventing injury for my primary activity: Trail Running.
- Getting badass muscles.
- Increasing my maintenance calories.
I've had recommendations from other places to look into weightlifting clubs or CrossFit locations, but I live in an area where there are MANY of those, so I'm paralyzed by information.
Help.1 -
I think I'm doing this right, but I just want to run this by someone who knows what they're doing to make sure.
I... sort of made up my own program to suit my particular needs. I have no real goals other than to lift consistently every other day to help my joints and bones and overall conditioning. I have to keep progress very slow and measured because overexertion triggers migraines for me.
I have an adjustable dumbbell set and a light bar that I can load with the plates (it's 12 pounds) as well as a kettlebell sort of thingy that I can also use with the plates. I like this because I hate changing plates and I can keep the dumbells, kettlebell, and bar loaded for various lifts.
My current routine consists of lunges (I do these very badly, but mainly do them because they help the joints in my feet which are very sore and stiff from arthritis), goblet squats with the kettlebell, RDL's with the bar, bent over single rows with the dumbbells, shoulder press, bench press, and weighted glute bridges.
Now my question, which is about how I work things, is this progressive overload?
What I do, is I started at a low weight and around 8-10 reps, 3 sets. When that became easy, I added more reps to 10-15. When that became easy, I added another set. So 4 sets. When that became easy, I upped the weight and dropped the reps back. Lather, rinse repeat.
I'm moving this progression really slowly so I don't injure myself, trigger migraines, or trigger a flare of my autoimmune arthritis. In case you haven't guessed it, I'm also a little old lady (56 in a few months 5'1", 120 pounds).
Thanks for reading this rambling mess of a post!
ETA: Is there anything you'd recommend that I'd add to my routine? Is that a decent full body workout? I think I covered all the major moves you usually mention.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?
Thank you very much!
I enjoy some kinds of training, but not others. Distance running is good, if for no other reason than that it gets me outside, but I've never enjoyed lifting. I do it because it's necessary, not because it's fun. This makes it more than a little frustrating when I'm not seeing the results I really want.
My bulk cycle, such as it is, consists of aiming for a slight deficit during the week (but with attention to getting sufficient macros to fuel lean mass) but not tracking my intake at all on weekends. This seems naturally to lead to a small calorie surplus and allows that part of it to be reasonably fun. It's possible that this is only working as well as it is because of beginner gains, and it won't work well at all in the long run.
Certainly it couldn't hurt to try to repeat, and I was inclining in that direction anyway.
Even if you optimized everything to the best of your ability I suspect that you would need multiple cycles of bulking and cutting to arrive at the physique you see in your head. Obviously that's speculative on my part, but my main point is that if you're wanting to add muscle mass to your frame and end up lean afterwards, think in terms of years of training rather than weeks.
As far as your dietary methods, I suspect this is inefficient for muscle gains but if it's a good lifestyle fit you should definitely factor that in.
Oh, I'm aware my diet is inefficient. Mostly I really, really need to relax on weekends.
I think my difficulty has to do with taking the hydrostatic numbers at face value. Were they correct, I'd have to make a heroic effort to cut below 10% for results that would be mediocre-looking at best. More likely the bf% I was getting are incorrect as absolute numbers and are more useful for tracking, as relative measures.
I'm not expecting a lot of results from the lifting anyway. I've never gotten anything very impressive before, and it would be weird if it started now.0 -
Hi. I love the idea of this thread. I can’t keep creating posts as I feel people might get fed up of seeing my name!
So hopefully you can help.
I’m 30, 5ft2 and weigh 186. Currently doing 3 sessions a week with a PT on weights. Other 2 days I do cardio/belly workouts.
I squat 70kg, deadlift 50kg, leg press 90kg, walking lunges with 20kg dumbbells, shoulders/arms usually around 8-20kg (depending on if free weights or machine)
I’m starting to worry that lifting heavy isn’t dropping my fat. I was given 1680 cals by MFP and do stick to it. I know sometimes the scale doesn’t matter but I want IVF treatment and I need to be a certain weight to be accepted. At the same time I don’t want to stop lifting as I’ve finally found something I enjoy. I wake up everyday actually excited to go to the gym.
So my questions are: can I realistically lose fat while lifting? Should I incorporate anything else? Do I need to up my cardio more? I’m in a calorie deficit of 400 calories. I don’t eat back any of my workout calories. Should I? Thank you0 -
Hi. I love the idea of this thread. I can’t keep creating posts as I feel people might get fed up of seeing my name!
So hopefully you can help.
I’m 30, 5ft2 and weigh 186. Currently doing 3 sessions a week with a PT on weights. Other 2 days I do cardio/belly workouts.
I squat 70kg, deadlift 50kg, leg press 90kg, walking lunges with 20kg dumbbells, shoulders/arms usually around 8-20kg (depending on if free weights or machine)
I’m starting to worry that lifting heavy isn’t dropping my fat. I was given 1680 cals by MFP and do stick to it. I know sometimes the scale doesn’t matter but I want IVF treatment and I need to be a certain weight to be accepted. At the same time I don’t want to stop lifting as I’ve finally found something I enjoy. I wake up everyday actually excited to go to the gym.
So my questions are: can I realistically lose fat while lifting? Should I incorporate anything else? Do I need to up my cardio more? I’m in a calorie deficit of 400 calories. I don’t eat back any of my workout calories. Should I? Thank you
Hey there!
First and foremost best of luck with the IVF treatment. You obviously have a very powerful motivation for weight loss and I think that's awesome.
The very short answer is that resistance training will not prevent fat loss.
I do have more information to provide but I'm going to see if I can find a post I wrote recently which may help.
Can you tell me how long you've been lifting and can you tell me what your weight has done in the past month?0 -
Thank you.
I have been lifting properly about a month. And my weight hasn’t moved. Not even .5 of a lb.
*i do think there is always so much confusion around lifting and weightloss. I see accounts on Instagram that show girls lifting heavy and getting amazing results. Then I read blogs where you may have to up cardio. Then I hear as long as you’re in a calorie deficit. This week hasn’t been a great week food wise, I have stayed within my calories but it hasn’t been the best food. But if we follow the ‘a calorie is a calorie’ then I’ve done great.
I feel stronger, I feel happier. Again, something I read on here - find something you love, and stick to that. This is mine. But I also know I need to be a certain weight. They don’t care if I look good. Or what my arms/legs look like. They go by the scales.
Sorry to edit and make you read all of that ^^ I had just woke up before so was a quick message. I’ve had time to think and rewrite.
Thank you for getting back to me. Truly appreciate it.
** another edit. I forgot to mention. I have PCOS. That will probably change everything now! Usually does. But I want to prove everyone semi wrong. That you can still lose weight even with something like that. That it isn’t an excuse anymore.0 -
Thank you.
I have been lifting properly about a month. And my weight hasn’t moved. Not even .5 of a lb.
*i do think there is always so much confusion around lifting and weightloss. I see accounts on Instagram that show girls lifting heavy and getting amazing results. Then I read blogs where you may have to up cardio. Then I hear as long as you’re in a calorie deficit. This week hasn’t been a great week food wise, I have stayed within my calories but it hasn’t been the best food. But if we follow the ‘a calorie is a calorie’ then I’ve done great.
I feel stronger, I feel happier. Again, something I read on here - find something you love, and stick to that. This is mine. But I also know I need to be a certain weight. They don’t care if I look good. Or what my arms/legs look like. They go by the scales.
Sorry to edit and make you read all of that ^^ I had just woke up before so was a quick message. I’ve had time to think and rewrite.
Thank you for getting back to me. Truly appreciate it.
** another edit. I forgot to mention. I have PCOS. That will probably change everything now! Usually does. But I want to prove everyone semi wrong. That you can still lose weight even with something like that. That it isn’t an excuse anymore.
What are your stats?, How long have you been tracking calories? Do you use a food scale? Weight lifting will cause an increase in water weight, because you are breaking down muscle fibers. And weight lifting will change your body in ways that cardio never could. Also, since you have PCOS, do you control carbs any?0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I think I'm doing this right, but I just want to run this by someone who knows what they're doing to make sure.
I... sort of made up my own program to suit my particular needs. I have no real goals other than to lift consistently every other day to help my joints and bones and overall conditioning. I have to keep progress very slow and measured because overexertion triggers migraines for me.
I have an adjustable dumbbell set and a light bar that I can load with the plates (it's 12 pounds) as well as a kettlebell sort of thingy that I can also use with the plates. I like this because I hate changing plates and I can keep the dumbells, kettlebell, and bar loaded for various lifts.
My current routine consists of lunges (I do these very badly, but mainly do them because they help the joints in my feet which are very sore and stiff from arthritis), goblet squats with the kettlebell, RDL's with the bar, bent over single rows with the dumbbells, shoulder press, bench press, and weighted glute bridges.
Now my question, which is about how I work things, is this progressive overload?
What I do, is I started at a low weight and around 8-10 reps, 3 sets. When that became easy, I added more reps to 10-15. When that became easy, I added another set. So 4 sets. When that became easy, I upped the weight and dropped the reps back. Lather, rinse repeat.
I'm moving this progression really slowly so I don't injure myself, trigger migraines, or trigger a flare of my autoimmune arthritis. In case you haven't guessed it, I'm also a little old lady (56 in a few months 5'1", 120 pounds).
Thanks for reading this rambling mess of a post!
ETA: Is there anything you'd recommend that I'd add to my routine? Is that a decent full body workout? I think I covered all the major moves you usually mention.
No one answered me, I... guess I'm doing okay making this up on my own? My one concern was that I was actually following a progressive program that hit all the main moves because maybe, just maybe, over the years I'll slowly recomp.
As for why I'm not doing some other program? I've tried them. I've dropped out because of things I don't like. This is tailored to what I specifically like which means I'll stick with it.
I'm just really confused about all this stuff and hope I stumbled my way into something decent and wanted to know if I did.1
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