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Bodybuilders: Need Advice - $$ At Stake
I am down to the last month of a competition at work that takes into account % weight loss, % BF loss and % lean muscle gain (I work with a lot of engineers). This competition has been going on for almost a year and we are down to the wire, with the final weigh in/caliper measurements on September 27th. This is serious…
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Dizzy Trying Power Cleans
I've been sticking with the Stronglift lifts since April but looking to add power cleans to the mix. I've been trying to get the form down with just the bar so far and trying to make the lift as explosive as possible (or at least as explosive as the bar will let me). I've never experienced this with other lifts but I am…
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Back Squat Accessory Exercises
Wondering what recommendations people have. Weighted walking lunges come to mind. Anything else? Thanks.
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DL Warm-up Set Progression?
I had my first DL fail earlier this week (not even at my working set weight) and wondering if it may have been because of my warm-up sets. If memory serves, this was the progression: Oly bar: 1X10 135 lbs: 2X5 165 lbs: 2X5 185 lbs: 2X5, 1X4 (fail) I was shooting for 3X5 at 185 before going to working set of 225 lbs 1X5. PR…
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Eating Eggs As Dangerous As Smoking?
Don't shoot the messenger... From the LA Times today: Just as you were ready to tuck into a nice three-egg omelet again, comforted by the reassuring news that eggs are not so bad for you, here comes a study warning that for those over 40, the number of egg yolks consumed per week accelerates the thickening of arteries…
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If You Can't Spot Reduce Why Can We Spot GAIN?
We are all well aware of the mantra "You Can't Spot Reduce" but here's the thing; we seem to be able to spot gain so why not spot reduce? Case in point, my wife is in great shape; 5'11", 130 lbs, great upper body muscle definition, virtually no fat above the waist. Yet, and it frustrates her to no end, she has the dreaded…
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So you think YOU have a Brazilian Butt
Meet samba queen Gracyanne Barbosa... http://thechive.com/2012/07/18/is-this-samba-queen-hot-or-a-little-too-much-27-photos/
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Deviating From The Stronglifts Formula - Thoughts?
Up until now I've been sticking with the strict 5X5, two workout regimen from Stronglifts but I've found that doing this Mon, Wed, Fri is proving challenging from a recovery standpoint. I tend to get a couple of bike rides in on the weekend which tends to add to the recovery "issue". I've been thinking of sticking with SL…
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As Cyclists Are We Kidding Ourselves?
I am beginning to think that longer rides (3-4 hours) at moderate intensity (no problem conversing while riding sort of intensity), while the norm for many cyclists, don't provide as much aerobic benefit as a shorter (1-1.5 hours) ride at high intensity (make it stop, this hurts!). Thoughts?
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Now I've Seen Everything
FOSTER CITY, Calif. (CBS Sacramento) – A new fitness trend appears to be sweeping the nation – one that expressly excludes those on the more slender side of the scale. Multiple reports have surfaced recently about gyms that cater exclusively to zaftig clients looking to lose weight in a place free of potential judgment…
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Calorie dense healthy foods - suggestions?
I am 48, male, 6'2 and 170lbs. 6 weeks into Stronglifts 5X5 and eating 2800 to 3300 calories per day. I also walk 30 minutes most days and get one spin class in per week. If I were to guess I would be at 15% BF. Classic ectomorph. I am definitely getting stronger but I would like to gain 5 lbs of (mostly) muscle by…
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Be Careful Out There! - Strained Quad
Oh the irony. I was thinking that my hamstrings and glutes weren't developing properly, possibly due to my squat form. Went back and re-read the squat chapter in SS last night. I was all gung ho to use the cues Rippetoe recommends to maintain form when I got to the gym today. Warmed up properly and then on the first rep of…
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Rest Times Between Warm Up Sets/Number of Warmup Sets
I have found that as the weight goes up in my SL 5X5 program I am needing a fair amount of rest between working sets. Besides being boring (you can only walk around the gym so many times!) my workouts were almost 90 minutes long. I only do about 5 minutes of warmups (skipping, walking lunges) and 5 minutes of static…
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Tweaked my lower back, advice on lifting when not 100%?
So after several months of successfully lifting heavy things I tweaked my lower back on a rowing machine on Saturday. Not as feeble as it sounds, I was interval training so I was generating some significant watts at times. I decided to skip my Monday workout to give it a rest. It is really quite minor, just a bit awkward…
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Calories over maintenance to gain muscle mass?
Guys and gals, I am 48, 6'2", 170lbs. Eating 500 calories over maintenance and not gaining weight. I have been at this weight for 6 weeks and strength train (early stages of Stronglifts 5X5) 3X per week, spin for an hour once a week, and walk briskly to and from the train station (15 minutes each way) 5X per week. I would…
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Started 5X5 Stronglifts today
After having gotten some great advice from MFP members and reading Mehdi's Stronglifts book, I have decided to take the plunge. First workout was today. Really looking forward to progressing through the next 12 weeks and to see if this really is a "better way" to build strength. If you are a Stronglifts advocate, I'd love…
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Shooting for a 6-Pack: Losing That "Stubborn" Belly Fat
Hi, I am 48, 6'2" tall, 170 lbs. Recently lost 25 lbs. Happy with the outcome. Went from skinny fat to skinny fit. Have been weight training in an effort to gain back some of the lean muscle recently lost so upped my calories (2,600/day) and I've been strength training 3X/week along with cardio (spinning) 1X/week. Strength…
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The Ravages of Aging and Heavy Lifting
Okay maybe the title of this thread is a bit over the top but hopefully it got your attention. I have started Stronglifts 5X5 (really enjoying the emphasis on form and linear progression) and I have also been reading Starting Strength. In the book, Rippetoe suggests that for back squats, that an overhand grip with the…
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New To Group - First Post - Heavy Lifting - Footwear
Hi all, I embarked on 5X5 Stronglifts yesterday and I'm really looking forward to the challenge. My question is one I haven't seen posted and won't be relevant for some time for me (say, until after 5X5 is finished in 12 weeks) but I have noticed in videos that heavy lifters often wear running shoes with no real thickness…
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Smith Rack Using Higher Weight vs. Free Weight Squats But Lo
I don't have a spotter but there is a squat rack along with a Smith machine in our gym. I like the fact that the Smith machine helps keep my form and I don't need a spotter. In a perfect world I imagine most of you would recommend free weights over the Smith rack but I would be interested in starting up a discussion. I am…
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How many calories OVER if trying to add muscle
If you are at your target weight but would not mind being a bit heavier as long as that increase in weight came from adding muscle, how many calories over your maintainence calories should you be targeting? I am currently at 2,150 calories for maintainence excluding "earned" calories through exercise. Thanks!
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Old School HIIT - FARTLEK!
It's great that interval training has become so popular. I first started doing it 35 years ago when I was a kid running competitive track. There was a MUCH more humorous name (especially to a 13-yr old) for it though back then: FARTLEK! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek It's a Swedish term that means "Speed Play". We…
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A Not So Funny Funny Story
I'd be interested to see if anybody else has experienced this. I've managed over the past 4 months to drop 25 lbs to 170 (I am 6'2"). Unfortunately my clothes haven't kept up with my weight loss (I've lost about 3 inches of waistline) and most of my work clothes (mostly suits) now make me look like Floppy the Clown. I met…
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How do YOU define "lifting heavy"?
I see this phrase a lot on MFP but a quick search didn't make the term any clearer. The reason I ask is that I am a tall (6'2") skinny guy (at least now I am, after dropping 25 lbs to my current weight of 170). Age 48. I strength train 3X weekly using a program set up by a trainer and I do cardio (cycling, spinning) 1-2X…
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Protein Powder After Spinning Class?
Most people view spinning as a cardio workout but it is really anerobic given where your heart rate is during the class (if you are doing it right). My question then is, does is make sense to take protein powder after the workout, just as one does after a strength workout?
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Reached Target Weight, Now What?
Over the past two months through a combination of eating right, cardio and weight training I have managed to drop from 195lbs to 173lbs and I am thinking about the next steps after hitting my target weight of 170lbs. I am tall (6'2") and would be considered an ectomorph (translation - tall and skinny, building upper body…
