Are you leveling up outside of EQ? (fitness thread)

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by Canelek [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Definitely not in extraordinary shape! Hiking poles and a relatively gentle grade (this was along Opal Creek in western Oregon) were extremely helpful. The longest stretch was 8 miles, but we took a few breaks. The other advantage was excellent spring weather, plenty of cold water and a bit of bourbon. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Luckily, I didn't do any harm to myself, but in retrospect I should have been packing much lighter for a single overnight on the trail. I went on a bit of gear spending spree and brought way too much crap. WTB Tink bag?

Next time I'll try to find good deals on ultralight equipment as well as get better at packing essentials.

My time "hiking" was while in the military doing road marches, so what we packed was very organized and we didn't have a lot of options to over-pack. We were timed, and our packs weighed to ensure everyone was carrying the same amount of weight.

I had the unfortunacy of being attached to an airborn betallion, and so my own non-airborn battery had to march and be tested under the same requirements of the airborn units we were part of. That 12 mile road march was one of their physical requirements.

Come to think of it, it's the same with packing for vacation too. If you never been to a place you tend to overpack and take lots of things you really don't need... But after you been to a certain place a couple times you master exactly what you need and what you do not need. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Kushie]

This message is hidden because Swish is on your ignore list.

[maskedmelonpai]

I've made it up to about 21% body fat and gotta say, i am pretty fricken happy with my shape. would like to lose 5-10lb of muscle though. thought about implementing some length unfed cardio sessions in a protein deficit, but worried I might lose lower body mass and don't want that. mostly just want smaller shoulders, arms, chest. got a bit a imbalance between chest and back and it; combine with desk work assaultin my posture. thinking about tackling these separately. liek maybe first I work on the chest/arms by doing liek super high reps to exhaustion with insufficient protein and lotta stretching to break down and limber up my chest/shoulders/arms and THEN finish balancing it out by building up my back a bit with liek proper routine and okay good protein intake. any suggestions?

[skarlorn]

Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I've made it up to about 21% body fat and gotta say, i am pretty fricken happy with my shape. would like to lose 5-10lb of muscle though. thought about implementing some length unfed cardio sessions in a protein deficit, but worried I might lose lower body mass and don't want that. mostly just want smaller shoulders, arms, chest. got a bit a imbalance between chest and back and it; combine with desk work assaultin my posture. thinking about tackling these separately. liek maybe first I work on the chest/arms by doing liek super high reps to exhaustion with insufficient protein and lotta stretching to break down and limber up my chest/shoulders/arms and THEN finish balancing it out by building up my back a bit with liek proper routine and okay good protein intake. any suggestions?

awesome

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I've made it up to about 21% body fat and gotta say, i am pretty fricken happy with my shape. would like to lose 5-10lb of muscle though. thought about implementing some length unfed cardio sessions in a protein deficit, but worried I might lose lower body mass and don't want that. mostly just want smaller shoulders, arms, chest. got a bit a imbalance between chest and back and it; combine with desk work assaultin my posture. thinking about tackling these separately. liek maybe first I work on the chest/arms by doing liek super high reps to exhaustion with insufficient protein and lotta stretching to break down and limber up my chest/shoulders/arms and THEN finish balancing it out by building up my back a bit with liek proper routine and okay good protein intake. any suggestions?

Why not just do more cardio, and light weight/higher reps for toning? Keep protein intake at normal range no need to take in tons of protein, just enough to sustain body healthily. main thing is also not to eat/drink protein supplements unless you ensure the caloric intake is not high. Most of these types of supplements are packed full of calories and you will grow stronger but also bulkier.

If you trying to lose the bulkiness to your muscles, then do more cardio and do not do heavy weight training/lifting and that should do it. Higher reps will burn more calories alongside the cardio.

You could do calisthenics too, instead of lighter weight training... do floor braces, pushups, pullups, floor lunges, body squats, etc. So many exercises that you can do with zero equipment and these exercises not only sculpt your body well but give you practical strength, not just muscles that are big when you flex them.

That's what I would do if I was trying to lose bulkiness and yet still keep my strength. I honestly feel calisthenics are by far better for you than any weight lifting that involves exercise weights.

There are some really impressive books out there too, that go really deep into the science of calisthenics, my favorite is this one:

[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I realize the book appears gimmicky, but once you open it up and read the information inside, it blows you away! It goes into the history of past strongmen, how they exercised, has pictures of them, and also goes into detail of the history of how modern weight training evolved. The author is a big proponent of using calisthenics to gain strength, and basically explains why in great detail. It starts you out with very basic exercises to get your feet wet slowly before it progresses you into the harder exercises. I highly recommend this book.

[Ella`Ella]

Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I've made it up to about 21% body fat and gotta say, i am pretty fricken happy with my shape. would like to lose 5-10lb of muscle though. thought about implementing some length unfed cardio sessions in a protein deficit, but worried I might lose lower body mass and don't want that. mostly just want smaller shoulders, arms, chest. got a bit a imbalance between chest and back and it; combine with desk work assaultin my posture. thinking about tackling these separately. liek maybe first I work on the chest/arms by doing liek super high reps to exhaustion with insufficient protein and lotta stretching to break down and limber up my chest/shoulders/arms and THEN finish balancing it out by building up my back a bit with liek proper routine and okay good protein intake. any suggestions?

Jump rope in between high rep/low weight sets of whatever. Just kee your heart rate up. Running sucks and is inefficient. You can also use a rowing machine; very efficient expenditure of calories and full body.

Don't focus on single muscle groups, it's ineffective. Target each group and mix in full body workouts like deadlifts/squats.

If you're looking to keep muscle on while losing fat, keep your protein intake to about 1g per lb of body weight (you definitely don't want a "protein deficit"...ever - you want an overall "calorie deficit"), keep your carbs low and focus on only healthy fats. Also, cut out any unnecessary sugars - alcohol, sweets, soda.

Also, no one here can tell you what's best for you. The best way to hit goals is to browse some real forums and educate yourself on weightlifting, weight loss ,and general nutrition. You need to know why you're doing certain excercises or eating/avoiding certain foods.

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by Ella`Ella [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Jump rope in between high rep/low weight sets of whatever. Just kee your heart rate up. Running sucks and is inefficient. You can also use a rowing machine; very efficient expenditure of calories and full body.

Don't focus on single muscle groups, it's ineffective. Target each group and mix in full body workouts like deadlifts/squats.

If you're looking to keep muscle on while losing fat, keep your protein intake to about 1g per lb of body weight (you definitely don't want a "protein deficit"...ever - you want an overall "calorie deficit"), keep your carbs low and focus on only healthy fats. Also, cut out any unnecessary sugars - alcohol, sweets, soda.

Also, no one here can tell you what's best for you. The best way to hit goals is to browse some real forums and educate yourself on weightlifting, weight loss ,and general nutrition. You need to know why you're doing certain excercises or eating/avoiding certain foods.

Also everyone's body reacts differently to certain forms of exercise. You can gain knowledge from reading books, but you also will have to follow what works best for your own body.

[Mead]

Originally Posted by loramin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm not swole like Raavak and Mead probably are, but I'm healthier, have strength, and look good with my shirt off. Definitely recommend it for all the non-gym rats: everyone can do < 5 min/weekday and stick to it if they try, and if you give it a year it will make a real difference (and then if you combine it with a healthy diet and lose some weight on top of it you'll get a huge difference).

I have a very non judgmental attitude when it comes to diet and exercise. I'm very pro eating healthy and exercise of whatever type. It all depends on what the person's goals. If your goal is to just eat healthy and stay lean/some tone then your focus is going to be on what you eat with a little help from exercise just as you're doing. If that's what works for you then great man keep doing it.

Originally Posted by Lhancelot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Unfortunacy of being attached to an airborn betallion, and so my own non-airborn battery had to march and be tested under the same requirements of the airborn units we were part of. That 12 mile road march was one of their physical requirements.

Nice man. I did my 20k at Fort Knox. D troop 5-15 Cav. Marched all night into the morning. One of the biggest and most rewarding challenges of my early adulthood. My previous military life still benefits me in the gym when I train hard. Muscle failure = no problem. I remember doing p90x a few years back to lean down a bit and I was picking my body off the mat with my head because my arms weren't working anymore. And I can push through a last rep like a boss.

Originally Posted by Lhancelot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Also everyone's body reacts differently to certain forms of exercise. You can gain knowledge from reading books, but you also will have to follow what works best for your own body.

I don't believe this is true unless you have a medical condition. For the healthy individual there's a formula for everything. One of the most important things to understand is weight loss = cal surplus vs deficit. If you fully understand how that works with the foods you're eating and calories you're burning a day, you can work towards whichever goal you're trying to achieve.

[Swish]

Originally Posted by Ella`Ella [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Jump rope in between high rep/low weight sets of whatever. Just kee your heart rate up. Running sucks and is inefficient. You can also use a rowing machine; very efficient expenditure of calories and full body.

Don't focus on single muscle groups, it's ineffective. Target each group and mix in full body workouts like deadlifts/squats.

If you're looking to keep muscle on while losing fat, keep your protein intake to about 1g per lb of body weight (you definitely don't want a "protein deficit"...ever - you want an overall "calorie deficit"), keep your carbs low and focus on only healthy fats. Also, cut out any unnecessary sugars - alcohol, sweets, soda.

Also, no one here can tell you what's best for you. The best way to hit goals is to browse some real forums and educate yourself on weightlifting, weight loss ,and general nutrition. You need to know why you're doing certain excercises or eating/avoiding certain foods.

Now I like this post except for the part in bold! In terms of burning calories there's nothing more intensive than running. Sure you can do some circuit training and incorporate other muscle groups but in terms of getting body fat percentage down I've found running to be an integral part of it.

I usually mix in some cycling and then some eliptical/cross trainer after the treadmill but I couldn't imagine not getting on the treadmill and sweating it out. Set it to do interval training if you really want to do the best workout in the shortest time. I'm a creature of habit though and set it to one speed and see if I can hit it for 35 minutes. If I make it, it gets harder on my next trip...and the motivation that comes from hitting targets or striving to hit the next one is what keeps the gym going routine alive <3

Also going to start incorporating some more outdoor running as well, can't beat the fresh(ish) air and the sun ^^


Some good motivational posts in this thread so far, great to see!

[Jimjam]

Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I've made it up to about 21% body fat and gotta say, i am pretty fricken happy with my shape. would like to lose 5-10lb of muscle though. thought about implementing some length unfed cardio sessions in a protein deficit, but worried I might lose lower body mass and don't want that. mostly just want smaller shoulders, arms, chest. got a bit a imbalance between chest and back and it; combine with desk work assaultin my posture. thinking about tackling these separately. liek maybe first I work on the chest/arms by doing liek super high reps to exhaustion with insufficient protein and lotta stretching to break down and limber up my chest/shoulders/arms and THEN finish balancing it out by building up my back a bit with liek proper routine and okay good protein intake. any suggestions?

It's a bit too late now, but if stretch off thoroughly after strength exercises it reduces how much your muscles bloat. Good if you want that ropey irish fist fighter look instead of being a bubbleman.