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All-pro woes
I started the All-pro routine last week. I have no criticism of the routine - it seems great, and well thought out. I love the idea of dual progression, and the programmed steady gains - I am in no hurry. But I have a problem. The problem is I'm just so damn weak. For squats in particular, the four sets by eight reps are…
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Dynamic stretching routine
Can you guys recommend a dynamic stretching routine for pre-workout?
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Shoes for lifting - no nonsense advice sought
Thus far I've just worn my running shoes for lifting, since I've been doing isolation exercises on a machine, it seemed to make little or no difference. But now I'm moving to free weights, I can see how the extra cushioning would be counter productive, and could even result in injury. So, where should I start? I'm not…
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NSV fitness assessment
Had my first ever fitness assessment today. Absolutely thrilled with the results given my starting point this time last year (220lb couch potato with 40%+ body fat, high cholesterol and borderline hypertension, who got out of breath climbing the stairs) - Weight - 160lb Bodyfat - 13% (Jackson-Pollock method) Resting…
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A question on personal trainer etiquette
I'll be starting the 'all-pro' routine soon, and was considering hiring a PT for a couple of months to help me dial my form in. Is it poor etiquette to have already chosen my workout plan, and only use the PT for teaching form? I'd obviously be upfront about it before they took the job.
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Running NSV
Just ran my first sub-27 minute 5k this morning. I'd like to thank the C25k program, my doctor, and New Balance shoes for making this possible :laugh:
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A question on personal trainer etiquette
I'll be starting a beginner strength training routine soon. It's taken me a long time and a lot of careful consideration to choose the plan but I was considering hiring a PT for a couple of months to help me dial my form in. Is it poor etiquette to have already chosen my workout plan, and only use the PT for teaching form?…
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Comparison between TRX and reformers pilates
Doing some research for the wife, since she loves reformers pilates, but it's hard to get classes near us. We can, however, get her some TRX classes. I thought it may be a viable alternative. Anyone have experience with both? How do they compare?
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I would pay good money...
...to see an all-are-invited MFP dinner party.
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To bulk, or keep cutting?
I am closing in on my goal of 155lbs. I am somewhat dismayed by my still obvious spare tire, however. I thought at first 155 was quite a low goal, but I guess I'm realizing now how depressingly little lean mass I have. So now the question is, what to do when I hit 155? Would bulking a little aid me in getting to lower body…
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Bodyweight routine for 12 year - zero equipment!
*title edit - Bodyweight routine for 12 year old - zero equipment! My 12 year old step son is starting to workout with me. I want to give him a plan that he can continue at home in his bedroom with zero equipment, since the chances of his dad putting his hand in his pocket for a chin up bar, bench and dumbbells are…
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Dumbbells and stablizer muscles
Allow me to spew some uneducated guess work, and please do correct me as needed. I was traveling this last week, and rather than workout the fiendishly complicated pulley machine the hotel fitness center had, I used the dumbbells. This got me thinking about free weights in general, and dumbbells vs. barbells in particular.…
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Squat progression
I'm starting to plan my move from machines and body weight to free weight compound lifts. I'm gravitating towards Starting Strength as my beginner program . Since I'm too much of a miser to spring for a personal trainer, I want to prepare well, and where possible learn good form before I even touch a barbell. The article…
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The genetic limit to muscle building
We've all heard by now that the amount of muscle you can achieve is limited by your genetics. I'd never really looked into that any deeper, but today stumbled across a video that explains this in a little more detail. http://gizmodo.com/why-is-there-a-limit-to-human-strength-513152631 Forgive me if this is a repost, or if…
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How old is too old for a decent physique?
I turned 35 this year. I find myself wondering if a good physique is out of reach to someone only now starting to care about such things. Is there an age past which you just can't turn that spare tire into ripped abs?
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Newbie gains
I've been doing isolation exercises for about 6 months now, and I've seen a massive difference. Newbie gains in strength, and in visible muscle (though of course much of the latter has to do with weight loss). The plan is to switch to compound lifts in a couple of months. Can I expect another round of newbie gains?
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Is there an explanation for this?
This has happened three times in the last four months, this morning included. I'll out of no where have a complete beast of a session at the gym. I'll be lifting the same 8 rep max weight as two days previous, but literally feel like I'm throwing the weight around. I'll be putting real slack on the cables (still on that…
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Training for strength:weight ratio
I've been trying to decide what I ultimately want from my lifting. To start with it was all about maintaining lean muscle mass, so I didn't overthink things, just went with a moderate 3 x 8 reps plan since it seemed as good a place to land as any. But I've decided now that I want to get back into martial arts. As a martial…
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Why the hate for MFP and machine calorie burn estimates?
I see a lot of hate for the MFP calorie burn estimates, and for the estimates given by ellipticals/treadmills etc... What's that all about? People proclaim it as some sort of universal truth that they are inaccurate. I presume that I'm not the only one that's never been part of a clinical study of calories burned during…
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Food scale recommendations
Can someone recommend a good food scale? Digital or analog is fine - so long as it's accurate. I have a digital scale that is mostly ok, until measuring out smaller quantities, anything under about 10g. I can put 8g of coconut oil on it, and it still says 0g...
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Sudden weight gain with warmer weather
Check out this article from Scientific American which explains why you may notice a sudden gain (I packed on four pounds) when the weather improves - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-body-wieght-ambient-temperature
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If you're feeling old and fat, just remember -
...in the grand scheme of things, you are a statistically irrelevant amount of matter, in existence (at least in the form that you call 'you') for a statistically irrelevant amount of time. http://scaleofuniverse.com/ http://hereistoday.com/
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Today marks my 50th pound lost...
...and re-induction into the 160s. I haven't been in the 160s since I was back in England. Of course, back then, it was '11 stone something'.
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Hungrier when I don't workout?
If I skip or delay a workout, I find I am much hungrier for the rest of the day, even if I eat the same amount. Anyone else notice this, or is it just me? ETA : It really seems to be a psychological thing, because I don't suffer from this issue on planned rest days.
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Next step after c25k, if I don't want to increase distance?
I'm 'graduating' from C25k soon, and I'm looking for my next step to continue incremental improvement. I've discounted going to the 10k program for now - I just don't want to commit that much time to cardio, to be honest. Now I've reached a nice baseline calorie burn, the primary goal of my cardio is to increase my heart…
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NSV : cholesterol
I received my cholesterol results this morning. Back in September I was at nearly 250. This morning's result - 144. Kicking cholesterol's *kitten*.
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Get disciplined, not motivated
http://joelrunyon.com/two3/get-disciplined-not-motivated This is a great read. TL; DR: You won't always be motivated, so learn to work toward your goals even when you don't want to.
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Samoan airline now charges passengers by body weight
http://gizmodo.com/5993258/a-samoan-airline-now-charges-passengers-by-body-weight No, this is not an April fools gag, best I can tell. I thought this may trigger some interesting debate since we're most of us here either fatties or ex-fatties. Discuss.
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Fun motivational exercise
Make your own weight-loss and fitness montage in your head. Give it a sound track. It's quite good fun. Share a transcript of yours with us, and let us know your sound track!
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Alternative resistance training
I'm going to don my flame proof suit for this post, since I'm sure many will vehemently disagree. But a variety of viewpoints is necessary for a vibrant community, so I'll say my piece anyway. I hear so much assertion that you *must* lift heavy while dieting to protect your lean muscle mass.I don't agree. I think this is a…