mirthfuldragon Member

I usually log them as "calisthenics," and just manually adjust the calorie burn based on http://p90xcalories.com/ and perceived excretion level.

Try to enjoy the soreness - pain is weakness leaving the body. I say that as a partial jest, but it is the truth - if you are working the muscle hard, you will get sore, and the muscles will get stronger. Muscle is built and strengthened largely through controlled damage to the tissue. The techniques mentioned so far are…

Lifting heavy is never a bad thing. Check out New Rules of Lifting for Women; there's a MFP group for it too. The word "toned" is a joke; don't be afraid of lifting weights beyond the small 1, 2, and 5lb dumbbells - as a female, unless you are on steroids, you simply don't have the testosterone to build bulk. Most gyms…

This issue has already been resolved in Bioware's Knight of the Old Republic game, published by LucasArts (and therefore likely canon), Cortosis-weave weapons are able to withstand lightsaber blows. Phrik, Mandalorian Iron, and other items are also lightsaber resistant. Presuming adamantium is similar (or stronger), then…

I log mine as "Calisthenics" and then override the MFP default calorie count; then I note what I did, intensity, etc., in the Exercise Notes sections.

The P90x nutrition guide is a bit confusing - I'm currently on day 75 of classic program, and I'm throwing in doubles at the gym in swimming and spin class, along with the normal classic program. P90x calls the nutrition plans "phases," which in my mind is a misnomer. In the program guide, it states that you can use any…

Each beer is an experience, to be savored and enjoyed. If I never have the beer again, I still treasure it for the pleasure it provided. Favorites: Any Octoberfest or Marzen style. Bocks. Shiner Bock is probably my go-to "craft" beer. Dopplebocks. It's like getting kicked in the teeth by malt. Dunkelweise, and it's amber…

This recipe is full of win. I used ON Double Chocolate. The mix thinned a bit on the way to work, but it still came out tasty.

Your weight routine could use a nice change-up too. If your gym has a power rack / squat cage, it is possible to lift huge weight without a spotter. If financially feasible, you might want to invest in some personal training sessions to learn how to perform the "big 5" compound lifts safely and correctly - bench press,…

Breaking the food=reward habit is difficult if not impossible. Personally, I love to cook, and I'm good at it (and what good is cooking if you can't eat what you cook?), so it's a double whammy. As someone on a budget, I can't go out and splurge on a new watch or tie or what-have-you either. As you get fitter, ideally the…

Finnis makes a watch device that measures stroke counts and laps, etc., that has been on my wish list for a while now. Many Polar Heart Rate Monitors are, according to Polar, good for the pool. One thing to note is that, like anything, every heart rate monitor, calorie tracker, website formula, and pretty much every method…

I've used Alton Brown's fan method to make beef jerky - it works very well. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/beef-jerky-recipe/index.html

The general idea is that, if you take a good dose of protein within a window of an hour or so after working out, your body can put it to use in a more-efficient way. The nutritional value of protein powder is also pretty good, especially if you are having difficulties hitting your protein macro goals. Personally, I use the…

This bit is not so much a membership drive function, but rather a membership retention program: Every year (or 6 months, or whatever the period is), a free or reduced body assessment / personal training session or three. I would love to have that bonus. Most gyms have that type of bonus for new members, so I can always not…

I'm on day 70ish of P90x, and I do doubles three days a week - Tuesday are brutal with Plyo and my spin class, but I hammer it in spin class. I'm 6'2", 192lbs, 20% body fat, down from 296lbs. Ultimately, if you feel you can do the double, then do it. If you get really sore or you don't have the energy, then skip it. If…

Mix it up and do what feels right. I'm on day 70ish of the Classic program, and I'm enjoying it. At 280lbs, Plyo may give you trouble. Certainly try it, but watch your knees for the tweak and stop if you need to. For pullups, use the door+resistance band setup. Doing pushups on your knees is a solid way to build strength,…

I'm a fan of podcasts; Decoder Ring Theatre (http://decoderringtheatre.com/) has a ton of free, old time radio-style shows, which have long plot arcs. There's over 150 episodes, so it's a minimum of 75 hours to get through them, which can keep your mind occupied for a long while. If you're into detective stories or…

The key word is "effective." Effective can and often is *boring*. Ultimately, what's going to keep you active and fit is enjoyment. Weight loss is 95% nutrition; exercise speeds it along. It terms of numerical weight loss, doing cardio at your effective fat-burning heart rate is probably the most effective; it is also…

How are you riding - in the hoods, the drops, or on the bars? How much have you ridden? One possibility is that, in adjusting to riding in the hoods or drops, you've got a death-grip on the bars and that's the cause; with time your body will adjust to the new position. Also, any new neck pain is probably a result of going…

I'm down 104lbs so far, in about 2.5 years. My wife (then fiance) and I were both obese, and she started to lose weight for our wedding, so I followed along. I started with the elliptical, first five minutes, then ten, then eventually an hour. I added some weights here and there, building on what I had before in a…

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the belly flab. I've gone from 296lbs to 192lbs in about 2.5 years (I'm 6'2"). My legs have great definition (cycling), my back is getting nice, my arms are getting definition, and the belly if flabby like a shopping bag. I'm doing P90x, so between Ab Ripper X three times a week…

Compression gear helps. Another option is to change up your routine; I cycle a lot, which imparts much less torso movement. I've gone from 296lbs to 192lbs in about 2.5 years, and I still have some flappy belly flab.

I am a recent convert to the cult of cycling, and I logged about a thousand miles this summer. Fun times! Bike fit is important, the same way shoe fit is important, and until you have an operational knowledge of how a bike is supposed to fit, it can be difficult to buy a used bike. I would recommend you go to your local…

I'm finishing P90x right now, but my next program is to start training for an international-distance triathlon, so I've been planning my future workouts around that. In triathlon, one workout to emphasize is the "brick" workout - where you do a combo, such as swimming then biking, or biking then running. From what I've…

I'm on Day 65 of P90x. I decided to commit to the program fully, and I have been following the fat-burning program so far. My goals are 1,800 calories total, 50% from protein. I have found the protein number hard to hit, but I still try to get over 125g of protein. I'm 6'2", and I started the program at 207lbs and ~22%…

I'm on day 63 of the program - the final training block. I am happy with my results so far - I'm down right at 15 pounds, and it has helped me break a plateau that I had been on for several months (due to slacking, no paying attention to food, vacations, weddings, etc.). I am not seeing any huge, omg, mega results, but I…

I'm on day 63 here. No pictures yet (I keep forgetting to take them when the training block days end), but I'm very please with the results. I'm down about 15 lbs overall, all of which were very stubborn pounds, and the muscle definition, flexibility, and my overall fitness has improved noticeably. The yoga is rough for us…

I bought one last time the deal was up. It is okay, but I wouldn't call it a real heart rate monitor. As far as accuracy, it seems generally inline with my perceived exertion level. However, the biggest issue is that it only reads your heart rate when you are actually touching the contact pads, and it can take 5 to 20…

Whey protein, or soy protein if you skip dairy. It is surprisingly tasty. If you're cool with fish, it also has a great ratio of calories to protein.

Go for it. If you ultimately hate the program, they have a solid return policy, and you'll know after two weeks if the program is for you. P90x has lots of modifications in it; they will show you different ways to do the moves. For example, I use a pull-up bar with a chair. You can also vary the pullups by using resistance…