husseycd Member

I use one 45 and then smaller plates after that (even if I need two 45s. I'd use a 2nd 35 and a 10). However, using the fractional plate is a really good idea.

Make sure your low back isn't rounding at the bottom if you try to go deep. I had a personal trainer raise my squat depth up because of "butt wink", even at low weights. I can still feel it in my glutes if my stance is wide enough and I think about lifting with them. I also do other exercises to make sure I'm hitting the…

Do people really think women wear see-through leggings on purpose? Especially when those leggings tend to only be see-through in extremely stretched positions. I'm going to guess there are one or two in the world, but give me a break! I didn't even realize it was a thing until there was the whole Lululemon debacle. Now, I…

There's no reason you must work out in order to lose weight. And there's no reason you need to work out for an hour or even go to the gym. You are making this more complicated than it needs to be. Eat less than you burn. It really is that simple. The difference between a day when I'm sedentary and a day when I work out is…

Great job! Love all the data points. I'm a bit of numbers nerd myself but still had to quit logging so frequently because it was effing with my head.

We have reservations at a French bistro. It's an early dinner at 5:30 (which was all they had left). Hoping to catch the end of happy hour...

Yeah, I'm sure there is a bit of a wheel spinning involved here. I chose 0.25/week because everything I've read indicates women can only gain 0.5 to 1.0 lbs of muscle/month. I'm erring on the low side since I'm nearly 39. OTOH, I have made really good progress maintaining my weight and simply lifting heavy. I naturally…

I am seriously sucking at this bulking thing. I weighed myself yesterday and was 129.5 lbs. I guess that's good because it's up from Nov. 26th, but still. I think the worse part was I was considering a mini-cut because I was feeling "fluffy". Maybe I'm not mentally ready for this. My goal was to bulk until March 1st. If I…

Very interesting read, thanks! I perused some of the comments and as usual, found them somewhat disappointing (especially Marcy's comments). I'm the most fit I've been in my life with a pretty defined body, including abs, legs, back, and definitely arms (with a lovely shoulder vein now popping out). I also get more…

I'm into aerial circus arts, like aerial silks, lyra (a hoop thing), and pole (duh). I also like to mountain bike and bike around town when the weather is nice. I'm not an avid hiker, but I do like to hit the trails with a backpack.

These are great! And hard! I can't do a full one with total control yet. I have to fall onto my arms and push back up. But they seriously work your hamstrings even when you can only partially do the movement.

Okay I skipped the last 3 pages (and definitely skimmed the synthol stuff), but if you're pressed for time, I would definitely omit the curls and such. One exercise we do in aerial that is a great combo exercise are pull-up egg rolls. Do a pull-up and at the top egg-roll so you are inverted. Egg-rolls really hit the…

Try another hobby that is an art or skill. I love aerial circus arts, like silks, lyra, trapeze and even pole. As an ex-figure skater, I imagine it could be something that resonates with you. And as a bonus, I imagine you have the flexibility and core strength muscle memory to make for an easier transition.

I just listened to the video. It all makes so much sense and I'm shocked people tend to be deaf to the subject, or become very reactive to the idea of eliminating wheat/grains. I get it, he's promoting a book, but nothing in his arguments are over the top. I adopted a primal type diet 80-90% of the time in May 2013, and…

I agree with this completely. I'm not even in weight loss mode. In fact, I'm bulking at the moment. I still avoid bread/grains 90% of the time. I love good bread, and I love pasta. I think it and pasta used to make up a large % of my diet. It just doesn't do anything for me hunger-wise and tends to make me crave more…

Thanks, sardelsa! Well, my weight jumped about 5 lbs the last two weeks. Between Thanksgiving and a weekend in Texas for an author signing, it could be true weight. Measurements are up slightly as well, though I do have that problem when carrying extra water. I'm sure some of that is water. Because my bulking goal is so…

Can you lift heavier? Do you have access to a barbell/squat rack? Twenty pound weights don't seem heavy enough to build any type of muscle. I really didn't start seeing changes in my body until I picked up the heavy weights. Even though I'd been doing aerial work for four years, it wasn't until I started Strong Lifts last…

Great job! I'm with you on the rep range. I can barely stand 8 reps.

I have the same problem, so I don't eat breakfast until 9 or 10. As others say, it doesn't matter when you eat. In fact, there are some theories that will argue against breakfast. I don't have an opinion either way, but here is one such article by Martin Berkhan of Leangains (not for the easily offended):…

I'd also like to add that I was cutting for Halloween and eating 1600/day during the week. Three weeks later, I've actually lost weight even though I've been upping my calories each week. Now, it's possible I'm just consuming less during the weekend since I'm not as hungry come Friday/Saturday, when I purposefully cheat.…

I'm 5'5" and 128 lbs. I've been trying to bulk but failing, and I'm eating 1900 calories/day during the week and more on the weekends. Your TDEE definitely sounds right to me.

Eat all the food! Drink all the drinks! I will probably work out in the morning. I'll make it a heavy leg day so I can take advantage of all the extra food.

Well, my weigh in today has me at 127.9 lbs. Guess I need to up the calories. Eating more during the week means I eat less on the weekend. I have it all in a spreadsheet, so I know I was a little short on calories last week. Not enough to drop weight though. Unless my maintenance is higher, which is quite possible. I have…

Ha! Me too! It's pole on Monday, silks on Tuesday, Lyra on Thursday. Weights in the mornings on whatever days work for rest. I really need a flexibility class in there, but I might just settle for yoga. I'd also love to start working a little Corde Lisse into my training, but not sure when that will happen. I danced for a…

For one pot type recipes, I build my recipe and list it as one serving. Then weigh the final product and log a percentage of the total pot. I did this with a chili last night. The final product came out to 36.6 ounces. I measured out 12.2 ounces, so 1/3 of the recipe. I used to try and do it per ounce based on starting…

Jo, I don't share with my husband except for the house expenses. We've kept everything else separate. Now, we're both engineers, and we both graduated at the same time (actually met at the consulting firm where he still works), so everything is pretty equal between us. But as you can imagine, we're both very independent…

I wonder if people just consume less if they exercise first thing in the morning while fasted. Cardio kinda kills my appetite for a little while after doing it (if I hit it hard, which I rarely, rarely do). If I did something intense in the a.m., it would be several hours before I felt like eating. BTW, I never even…

Well you can build muscle under fat, so of course you would look more bulky. You gotta strip off the fat. That's why most recommend cutting to a lean body fat before trying to bulk. However you can do that while lifting, and it's actually recommended to help preserve the muscle you do have. OP, you look great! I'm a heavy…

I feel like I've answered this a million times, but all spirits-- vodka, whiskey, rum, gin... are pretty much the same calories at around 70 calories/ounce. I don't know why vodka has a reputation as being the "diet" alcohol.

Parallel is what I'd read everywhere too, but I can't get there without "butt-winking". A personal trainer I've been working with said not only is that dangerous, but your back ends up doing the work anyway instead of your glutes/hamstrings. Because I'd rather not injure my back, I've been squatting only to the depth right…