contingencyplan Member

Just want to say: "Those stupid TRX exercises and bodyweight..." Bodyweight exercises and suspension training are GREAT. Not knocking barbells at all. Barbells are great too. But Suspension training and bodyweight training are absolutely amazing, and can get you amazing results. It's how I got into the best shape of my…

There aren't very many anime I can recommend that are toddler-friendly, but the best one that fits that stipulation I can think of is Naruto if you're looking for ongoing series. If you're looking for individual movies, I would recommend anything by Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki (Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away,…

I don't take rest days and I don't have days dedicated to doing cardio either. Because I jump rope, and I enjoy it, I usually end up doing it 7 days a week regardless. My jump rope sessions last between 10-20 minutes each, and sometimes there are multiple ones in a day.

I was born in a part of South Florida where we were actively discouraged as children in school from using any sort of regional specific slang, primarily because it was an extremely transient area with most of my fellow students being people who moved there from other parts of the country or other countries. Because we were…

Ceiling space is also an issue for doing anything jumping related. I am seeing a therapist but it's not for that issue specifically. I don't know if I would call it anxiety.

Yoga is very stressful to me. Slow, controlled movements make me feel like I'm trapped in my own skin and get panicky. What makes me feel relieved is anything that involves fast, explosive movements such as jumping, which require a lot of room. But my living situation has changed and I no longer have a place that gives me…

I'm sort of in the same situation. I lost nearly 150 pounds a few years ago. But I gained a portion of it back after an injury kept me from working out for about 6 months. When I finally got the medical okay to work out again, I was so discouraged by how much progress I lost (I was actually struggling with…

I understand that. However, the fact is that most strength training programs working on purely aesthetic goals (what you call "toning") have you following exercises and progressions that are a lot less safe and a lot more injury prone for people who have not yet already built up a good strong base of functional strength.…

Muscle weighs more than fat *BY VOLUME.* It's pretty much understood by anyone and everyone who says "muscle weighs more than fat" that is the case, just nobody bothers to specify "by volume" because it's understood and doesn't need to be said. Pointing out the obvious in that case accomplishes nothing but make you look…

It's a good program that I would happily recommend to anyone whose goals are muscle gain, not weight loss, and who has access to a large selection of equipment. The program cannot be adapted to using bands as a complete substitute for dumbbells (as opposed to other Beachbody programs, which allow you to), and you will need…

Your first time you will ALWAYS feel abnormally sore. Stick with a regular schedule and you'll never feel this degree of soreness again, even when you start upping the weight.

Your daily calorie goal seems awfully low for someone who exercises as rigorously as you say you do. In fact I've never really known anyone who really got by on less than ≈ 1800 at that kind of activity level regardless of their age, size, or gender. My recommendation would be to give yourself an extra 300 or so on lifting…

As big and filling as possible. The more full I get off breakfast the easier it is to keep satisfied on small amounts of food throughout the day. When I skip it or eat a small one it's so much harder to keep from eating a lot because it seems like no amount of food can satisfy me later on.

Interesting choosing Sasha over Mikasa. Great work though! More girls should follow this. If you take your cosplay seriously and really want to pull off the part, I think keeping fit is just as important as any piece of your costume for an action girl. EDIT: Cosplaying as Predator is something I plan to do when I do…

I was a member back when I first started exercising and the lunk alarm would routinely go off 1-2 times over the hour or so I was there 3 nights a week. It was... annoying.

Circuit training.

Generally speaking it doesn't matter. Realistically speaking, if you're MEETING your calorie goal (which is just as important as not exceeding it) you will be over in one and under in another because it's virtually impossible to micromanage everything to the point where you meet everything exactly. Unless you're some…

Strength gains while in a calorie deficit are a difficult thing to come by. If your primary goal is weight loss you just have to accept strength gains are going to be very slow in coming, if at all. If you want to see significant strength gains you need to up your calories and put weight loss on the back burner.

Most DVD workouts aren't structured in a format that follows traditional strength training because the workouts honestly just aren't varied enough from one exercise to the next to justify producing a video. Plus trying to keep looking at the TV screen during the exercises leads to poor form and injury. Most ideal weight…

Traditional kettlebell training follows a format that is similar to circuit training, which is cardio primarily but also works to build functional strength (although it's not ideal for building muscle mass).

It sounds like you really do have some sort of unhealthy addiction to exercise, taking it to levels that could be more self harm than good.

What works best for me is generally a mix of both. When I'm preparing my own meals I follow a philosophy that is similar to what the clean eating fanatics do. But when going out to eat (which isn't often) I throw the rules out the window. I also do enjoy Doritos now and then as well as pizza.

You need to be using free weights. The machines were designed purely as a supplement for free weights and can NOT replace them.

P90X is more challenging than P90X for people who have poor coordination. If you have poor coordination I would recommend doing the original rather than X3. Additionally, X3 is only really suitable for people whose primary goal is fat loss. The original X could be adapted for people whose primary goal was muscle gain, or…

There's no way of accurately gauging or even ball parking how many calories you burn in weight training. Anyway the strength training section of the exercise log exists solely to track your lifting progress. It is not there for calorie management purposes. Also, this question is asked at least twice daily on these forums.…

You could TECHNICALLY do some form of "exercise" everyday as long as it's of moderate intensity. But if performance gains in the way of strength and endurance are your goal and you're not just out to burn calories, it would be beneficial to take rest days. If your workouts are higher in intensity, then it would be best to…

Hip drive. Google the video on hip drive by Mark Rippetoe.

A heart rate monitor is totally useless when it comes to gauging calories burned in any form of exercise other than steady state cardio. Building a bodybuilder's physique will take years, so there's nothing you have to worry about if you honestly fear the prospect of bulking up from doing a 90 day program. That's…

It's a solid program if weight loss and improving functional fitness to a degree is your goal. Unlike regular P90X however it can't really be adapted to other goals though. If you want to see major strength gains or add substantial muscle mass it's not going to happen on this program as all the workouts are…

Got it. So anyone who isn't juicing and eating a 100% liquefied plant based diet is eating McDonald's and Taco Bell constantly and drinks heavily. Just had to clarify that.