Lofteren Member

My wife uses it with no problems and she's really small (like, midget kinda small), it is only slightly thicker than a high quality Olympic bar (29mm vs 31mm) Most gym bars you'll come in contact with are 31mm unless you are dropping a few hundred dollars so they can use cheaper steel and still have a somewhat high tensile…

The thread is titled "Can I Build Muscle Mass at Home" so that is the question that I answered. If the OP is asking the wrong question then that is the OP's problem, not mine. The only "assumption" that I made is that the OP would like the question that she asked to be answered; not some other question that she did not…

The bigger diameter is harder to grip. If you're getting a rogue bar, get the beater bar. It is super tough and not expensive. The only issue is it doesn't have a center knurl but you can just put some athletic tape on the center of the bar to stop it from slipping when you squat.

I use a scale. I know that it is pretty inaccurate but it is inaccurate in the same way with consistency so I am able to see trends in my body composition although the numbers themselves aren't spot on. This is a less precise but more affordable option for the OP. Or she could buy a pair of calipers and do a 7 site test.

What a compelling argument....

I wouldn't go around telling everyone this. There may be a few people who managed a fair amount of muscular hypertrophy without touching weights; however, you must understand that they are the exception, not the rule. The rest of us? Well, we're the rule, because we don't have outstanding genetics. Also, explosive…

lifting 4 days a week and doing cardio 2-3 days a week is good but doing it on 1200-1300 calories a day probably isn't optimal. You're likely to get burnt out or injured before too long if you lift with any level of intensity.

I understand that mentality but only under specific circumstances. When I train lifters I have them pick a goal, a very, very specific goal, and put together a training program that will help them to achieve that very, very specific goal. In this context, one way IS inherently better than another; one would not go jogging…

You might think this is a joke but I'm being completely serious: Have lots and lots of really vigorous sex with you on top. It's a great way to burn some extra calories and get some cardio in. I guarantee you won't get bored while you're doing it, either.

^This. Even my wife, at 4'11'' 115lbs and with a bunch of hip injuries, low back and shoulder problems, was squatting 135lbs after just a couple months of training. I got all of my weights off of Craigslist for almost nothing. A Craigslist bar will work for now and you can find them for $20 a lot of the time. Down the…

I have also seen gyms that taught wrestling and boxing which could be a good pair as well.

For self defense and fitness I would recommend either MMA or Krav Maga. If those aren't available, Sambo, Judo, Pancrase, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai are also very good styles. Check out several schools and watch to see which schools train the hardest and have the best students. Also remember that the practitioner is…

It's my cheat day so I'm going to "push" myself at the China Buffet and force feed myself like a foie gras goose. Then I'll go home and polish off a 6 pack of homebrewed IPA.

Just keep at it. The amount of strength required to do a push up is pretty low so if you keep at it you should get there before too long. One technique is to do 1 proper push up today, tomorrow do 2 proper push ups, the day after do 3, etc... etc....

Look up the Juggernaut Method

The MMA school I attend trains kids as young as 4. They start off with Judo and as they get older introduce Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling and Muay Thai. I started in Shotokan Karate when I was 4 years old and it really laid a solid foundation of fitness and ability to play other sports when I got older. I would recommend putting…

A good coach will have actual fighters that train under them and those fighters will have a decent fight history and be humble, hardworking athletes. A good coach will not be friendly all of the time, you'll see them yelling at people on occasion (not all the time, just when they need to) and they will get straight down to…

You cannot continuously train one body part every day without injuring yourself. You adapt by imposing a stimulus and then recovering from that stimulus. Without recovery, there is no adaptation. You should workout a more balanced approach to training (i.e. one that incorporates a day off here and there and some upper body…

Are you just trying to workout or are you trying to get better at kickboxing? Either way, it would suit you well to train like you intend to fight. There aren't many out of shape thai fighters :) I would recommend doing something like this: 3 rounds of 3 minutes shadow boxing w/ 1 min rest between rounds 3 rounds of 3…

What's wrong with testosterone?

Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5 or New Rules of Lifting for Women

If you eat in a slight deficit you will slowly gain a couple of pounds. I don't know what your training looks like but if you really want to gain some mass then you will want to lift really heavy weights for moderately high volume 3-4 days a week with a focus on squat, bench, ohp, deadlift, barbell rows and pull ups.…

This is a bad attitude to have. There is a lot of bs concluded from studies and a lot of valuable lessons to be learned from meatheads with no education and a lot of years under a barbell.

20 seconds on/1 min off is a good starting point. I prefer weighted intervals because they elevate your heart rate so quickly. Weighted carries, prowler pushes and sled drags are all really effective. You can also play with the weights. Use really heavy weights one week and the next use light weights but move them really…

Bodyweight exercises are definitely the way to go for now. You could use your dumbbells as well (if they are heavy enough, not little 5lb aerobic weights). If they are, just stick with bodyweight exercises for now.

You can't build muscle with 5lb handheld weights. If you don't have any equipment then you'd be better off doing bodyweight exercises for the time being.

Stronglifts 5x5 is a good place to start. If you feel that you have lost enough fat and would like to build some muscle then you should up your calories to (at least) maintenance. Slightly higher than maintenance would be ideal so you can build some muscle. You can and should still do some cardio along with stronglifts.…

I guess you missed where I said "arthritis GENERALLY isn't reason for loss of grip...." The instances you are bringing up are the exception, not the rule. You have also failed to take into consideration patient failure to accurately perceive. Patients tell me all the time that they are weak throughout a specific pattern of…

^This. Genetics are far more potent than any performance enhancing drug available today.

There are sports where steroid use isn't really a problem at all. By that I mean that, no one has a problem with it and everyone does it, like bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman (at the higher levels, the newbs usually aren't into using AAS yet). I really don't think that this is bad for the sport either because…