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Fantasy Football
Anybody else addicted to fantasy football? I was in six leagues this year (down from a high of 30 a few years ago...). Four of the six made the playoffs, all of them reaching the semi-finals. Unfortunately, I met the twin buzz-saws of Lamar Jackson and Kenyan Drake, knocking three of my four teams out. Just leaves me with…
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100,000 Pushups in 2018
I've given up my "Year of Reps" challenge as being too easy for me, so instead am challenging myself to something bigger: 100k pushups in the year. Averaged out, that's 274 per day. Anybody care to join me? The sooner you start, the easier the goal is to reach! Jan 1 - 274/day Feb 1 - 299/day Mar 1 - 327/day ...and so on.…
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A Year of Reps Challenge
--> What you need: a method to track the numbers 1-365 to avoid repeating in future days --> Exercises involved: your choice of bodyweight exercises (pushups, pullups, crunches, squats, etc) --> How it works: Some challenges tell you to start slow and increase reps every day, for example 1 Rep on Jan 1, 2 Reps on Jan 2,…
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Battling Ropes
I turn 40 this summer, so I've been researching advice for saving joints as a weightlifter gets older. One of the suggestions was to start your workout with the battling ropes, those super-long thick-handled ropes which you attach to something unmoving at one end, then you flick the other end up and down or side to side,…
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Lifting to Marathon Prep
Ok, so due to severe budget tightening (two kids in braces, AC died, new car) we're having to make some tough choices of what parts of our lives must be (temporarily) set aside. My contribution is my gym membership, which I've had for 8 years now. This means my access to all those nice heavy weights is cut off, and I don't…
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OTC Supplements
Ok Sidesteel et al, what OTC supplements do you take? And what's your opinion about OTC testosterone pills or Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)? Modern day snake oil or actually useful?
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Older doesn't have to equal weaker
Just wanted to crow a little among people who would understand. I still remember vividly the first time a couple years back when I was able to bench press 225 for a single shaky rep. I laughed then about "wouldn't it be really something to be able to do five sets of five at this weight!" Today I did just that: 5x5x225.…
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Foam Rolling Convert
I've been lifting now for over 7 years. In that time I observed the phenomenon of foam rolling take root and grow in popularity, yet I never once felt the need to actually try it. That is until I did something to my right hamstring last week where it meets the hip, causing severe flexibility and strength loss along with…
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NFL Challenge
Kickoff of the 2016 NFL season is this coming Thursday, 8 September. If you're like me, watching a game means sitting sedentary the entire time with drinks and snacks. Talk about working counter to any weight-loss goals. But there is a solution... I'm not a big college football fan, but several schools have a neat…
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Stop lying to myself
I've been lifting now for going on 7 years, completely self-taught from books, magazines and the internet. This entire time I've been bench pressing with my elbows pretty flared out. I worked my way up to a 285# bench, which I felt justifiably proud of, especially considering I was BW 185 at the time. Here's the rub,…
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Chest vs Back Strength Imbalance
Ever since I started lifting, I've been quite conscientious about balancing out back work with chest work, trying not to neglect my back muscles. (We'll ignore my lack of hamstring work on leg day, that's already been noted and corrected.) However, I've noticed a trend I somehow missed before. In my early days of lifting I…
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Possible shoulder tendinitis
My shoulders have been paining me for a couple months now. When the pain first flared up I took a couple weeks off from the gym, and the worst of the pain disappeared. But my range of motion remains restricted weeks later, with accompanying pain and occasional popping. My admittedly amateur research says I may have…
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VERY short lifting sessions
Between the holidays and working tons of overtime hours, I basically didn't walk into a gym at all in December. This month I wanted back in, but my work schedule still won't allow me to do multiple 60- to 90-minute sessions per week as I used to. (Well, I COULD, but between 12-hr shifts and commute time I only have one…
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Lifting on a budget
For the last six years I've been a member of the gym which got built literally a hundred yards from my front door, and I absolutely love it. However, you pay through the nose for a membership there, to the tune of over $200/mo for my family of six. My wife used to go but never does anymore, while my kids are only…
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Determining proper squat stance
I read a suggestion online about how to decide how wide to place your feet doing squats, wanted to get the opinion of the crew here. Sit down on a bench or box with height where your legs are at the bottom of your squat depth. Put your feet one inch apart, try to stand up. You'll automatically lean forward to shift your…
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Full-body vs Parts Training
For the past several months I've been doing full-body training, doing supersets with chest/back, legs/shoulders, alternating heavy and light days. I like being able to lift each body part twice per week despite only lifting twice per week, and the results have been good. This week I'm on vacation, so with extra days to hit…
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Measuring Rice
I love rice, and have it frequently. My question is about how MFP measures rice. The "standard serving" is 1/2 cup. Is that pre-cooked, or post-cooked when it's expanded to many times its original size? For the past year I've been basing my meals by pre-cook, because I guarantee I eat far more than 1/2 cup of post-cooked…