The “All Things Lifting/Gym Rat” Thread

#1

KnoxRealtorVOL

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#1
Anyone else in here an addicted lifter?

How often do you go? What are you currently working on? What motivates you? What do you absolutely hate working out?

4x/week for me, hour to an hour and a half sessions. Currently on a cut down… and I absolutely despise cut downs…

I’ve reached that wonderful point where motivation is no longer a factor, nor necessary. I’m just full on addicted. I hate skipping gym nights, I feel like a slob. I live for the stress relief.

I despise working legs. I‘ll pretty much do anything to avoid it.

What about y’all?
 
#2
#2
I wouldn't say I'm addicted, but I have stuck with it for the first month of this year. Last year, I lost 50 pounds doing only moderate cardio. I'm having trouble losing the last bit of lower belly fat that I'd like to get rid of. So I decided to change my workout habits. I'm lifting 3x a week now. My goal is to continue to lose the rest of that stubborn belly fat. I'm so close, yet it feels so far.
 
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#3
#3
I wouldn't say I'm addicted, but I have stuck with it for the first month of this year. Last year, I lost 50 pounds doing only moderate cardio. I'm having trouble losing the last bit of lower belly fat that I'd like to get rid of. So I decided to change my workout habits. I'm lifting 3x a week now. My goal is to continue to lose the rest of that stubborn belly fat. I'm so close, yet it feels so far.

“Vanity Fat” is so frustrating. You can drop 80% of your fat in half a year, then it takes years to get that last little bit off. It’s brutal.
 
#4
#4
Im 48 so I just want to maintain. Im trying to go six days a week right now but vary my workout:

3 mile run/chest/arms
5 mile run(outside hopefully)
1000 yd swim
3 mile run/back/shoulders
5 mile run
1000 yd swim

If I knock that out I feel good about it. Can't seem to really cut much weight but I also eat pretty much whatever I want. Maintain is the game.
 
#5
#5
Anyone else in here an addicted lifter?

How often do you go? What are you currently working on? What motivates you? What do you absolutely hate working out?

4x/week for me, hour to an hour and a half sessions. Currently on a cut down… and I absolutely despise cut downs…

I’ve reached that wonderful point where motivation is no longer a factor, nor necessary. I’m just full on addicted. I hate skipping gym nights, I feel like a slob. I live for the stress relief.

I despise working legs. I‘ll pretty much do anything to avoid it.

What about y’all?
I typically lift about 3 times a week and mix in those lift days when I jog. I jog around 25-30 miles in a week. Back & biceps, Triceps & chest, and legs. Core workouts are mixed in regardless of what I am doing as well as push ups & sit ups. I switched the bulk my of workouts to jogging around 2 years ago and I am absolutely hooked.
 
#6
#6
I typically lift about 3 times a week and mix in those lift days when I jog. I jog around 25-30 miles in a week. Back & biceps, Triceps & chest, and legs. Core workouts are mixed in regardless of what I am doing as well as push ups & sit ups. I switched the bulk my of workouts to jogging around 2 years ago and I am absolutely hooked.

What’s the end goal? Cut or gain? Or just maintain?
 
#7
#7
What’s the end goal? Cut or gain? Or just maintain?
Right now, the goal is to lose the winter weight I put on every year. I am 6’3” & 237 LBS. Put on 12 LBS since middle part of November. After that the goal will just be just to maintain between 220-225 lbs.
 
#8
#8
Right now, the goal is to lose the winter weight I put on every year. I am 6’3” & 237 LBS. Put on 12 LBS since middle part of November. After that the goal will just be just to maintain between 220-225 lbs.

I would really like to get under 190. I’m 6’0 and have a solid amount of muscle, but I’m flabby. Sitting at about 208 right now, started at 220 on this cut down, so I have a ways to go.

Cutting flab is frustrating
 
#9
#9
Anyone else in here an addicted lifter?

How often do you go? What are you currently working on? What motivates you? What do you absolutely hate working out?

4x/week for me, hour to an hour and a half sessions. Currently on a cut down… and I absolutely despise cut downs…

I’ve reached that wonderful point where motivation is no longer a factor, nor necessary. I’m just full on addicted. I hate skipping gym nights, I feel like a slob. I live for the stress relief.

I despise working legs. I‘ll pretty much do anything to avoid it.

What about y’all?
I go a lot, and cardio is my least favorite, followed by legs, but that's because I have a bad knee. I mostly did chest and arms, but recently started working on my back and shoulders. I can see a difference in just a couple of months, that's motivating to me. I do cardio first thing every night, except on leg day. I've learned it helps the soreness if I do my leg workout first, then do the treadmill. I rotate chest one day, back/shoulders, arms, and legs. I really enjoy it, and stronger now at 46 than I've ever been.
 
#10
#10
Anyone else in here an addicted lifter?

How often do you go? What are you currently working on? What motivates you? What do you absolutely hate working out?

4x/week for me, hour to an hour and a half sessions. Currently on a cut down… and I absolutely despise cut downs…

I’ve reached that wonderful point where motivation is no longer a factor, nor necessary. I’m just full on addicted. I hate skipping gym nights, I feel like a slob. I live for the stress relief.

I despise working legs. I‘ll pretty much do anything to avoid it.

What about y’all?

What do you do for your cut down workout? I have tried to look up good ideas for cut down workouts, but I find so much mixed info.
 
#11
#11
What do you do for your cut down workout? I have tried to look up good ideas for cut down workouts, but I find so much mixed info.

Honestly I just lift hard, just like I do with bulking. It’s all about what I’m eating.

I have a really good friend who is loaded out with health science degrees and certifications, he basically says just reduce calories, reduce carbs, and go lift. Lose weight with your nutrition, and lift hard. The only thing I will say I do differently from a gym perspective is I run sprints right after a good lift.

Google “Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)”, stuff really works. That’s the logic behind the post-workout sprints.
 
#12
#12
Honestly I just lift hard, just like I do with bulking. It’s all about what I’m eating.

I have a really good friend who is loaded out with health science degrees and certifications, he basically says just reduce calories, reduce carbs, and go lift. Lose weight with your nutrition, and lift hard. The only thing I will say I do differently from a gym perspective is I run sprints right after a good lift.

Google “Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)”, stuff really works. That’s the logic behind the post-workout sprints.

Cool. How many sprints do you do? And for how long?
 
#13
#13
Im 48 so I just want to maintain. Im trying to go six days a week right now but vary my workout:

3 mile run/chest/arms
5 mile run(outside hopefully)
1000 yd swim
3 mile run/back/shoulders
5 mile run
1000 yd swim

If I knock that out I feel good about it. Can't seem to really cut much weight but I also eat pretty much whatever I want. Maintain is the game.[/QUOTE/I dropped 90 pounds the last year and want to maintain a balance of strength training, running,swimming, bicycling, basketball etc. how many hours per week are you trying to maintain for total physical activity. I’m finding out to get the strength training in. I would like to strength train lower and upper body each 3 times per week but maybe two for each is easier to fit in.
 
#17
#17
About 10 years ago when I would go to the company fitness center this little girl who was about 100 lbs kept asking me to join one of her classes. I thought I was in pretty good shape doing my own weight lifting routine and cardio. I thought they were dancing in the classes so I told the trainer I would pass. One day she finally talked me into taking a class. I learned that 1) I wasn’t in good shape 2) they weren’t dancing in there. Her classes ended up being harder than anything I had ever done: burpees, push-ups to exhaustion, circuit weight training with minimal rest, heavy medicine ball slams and you name it. Eventually more and more guys started joining the classes to the point where there were more guys than gals. The classes eventually became a 10 year addiction and I actually same the progression of some of the fittest 40-50+ year old men I had ever witnessed. They would school 20-30 year olds all the time. Anyway, I know some of you are competitive lifters and bodybuilders who lift heavy but these workouts left me feeling better from head to toe than anything. Of course COVID ruined everything as my company laid of half its employees including me. However, they hired me back and the gym just reopened so the slow road back is starting.
 
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#18
#18
I asked in the other fitness thread, but I'll try here:

Anyone with experience using Bucked Up pre-workout supplements, or other beta alanine products?
 
#19
#19
Anyone else in here an addicted lifter?

How often do you go? What are you currently working on? What motivates you? What do you absolutely hate working out?

4x/week for me, hour to an hour and a half sessions. Currently on a cut down… and I absolutely despise cut downs…

I’ve reached that wonderful point where motivation is no longer a factor, nor necessary. I’m just full on addicted. I hate skipping gym nights, I feel like a slob. I live for the stress relief.

I despise working legs. I‘ll pretty much do anything to avoid it.

What about y’all?

I'm 40 and I've been dedicated lifting for 15 years. I was always really skinny with decent muscle quality but it was hard for me to get bigger until I got well into adulthood. I'm not "big" but I've done a lot with my narrow frame.

I've been out of the gym with a hernia since October. I had surgery last week and will get back in the gym next month. Can't wait. Besides intentional rest, shut downs, and vacation, I've been lifting at least 4x a week for these 15 years, and I stopped skipping leg day years ago. These few months have been really hard on me.

I graduated HS 6' 2" 155 lbs. When I started lifting I was a sloppy 180 lbs. Desk job helped things to get away from me. At my peak, I was a really lean 195 lbs, but that's too much work and diet discipline. Now I maintain a pretty lean 185 lbs with as little effort as possible. My workout sessions are 40 minutes, usually, a push, pull, legs, rest split. I found lots of diet hacks (please, ask me about them if you are looking for some). Etc.
 
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#20
#20
I'm 40 and I've been dedicated lifting for 15 years. I was always really skinny with decent muscle quality but it was hard for me to get bigger until I got well into adulthood. I'm not "big" but I've done a lot with my narrow frame.

I've been out of the gym with a hernia since October. I had surgery last week and will get back in the gym next month. Can't wait. Besides intentional rest, shut downs, and vacation, I've been lifting at least 4x a week for these 15 years, and I stopped skipping leg day years ago. These few months have been really hard on me.

I graduated HS 6' 2" 155 lbs. When I started lifting I was a sloppy 180 lbs. Desk job helped things to get away from me. At my peak, I was a really lean 195 lbs, but that's too much work and diet discipline. Now I maintain a pretty lean 185 lbs with as little effort as possible. My workout sessions are 40 minutes, usually, a push, pull, legs, rest split. I found lots of diet hacks (please, ask me about them if you are looking for some). Etc.

I am indeed asking for some diet hacks, do tell…
 
#21
#21
I am indeed asking for some diet hacks, do tell…

I'm not a big believer in crash/ultra disciplied dieting. I do it sometimes but I don't view it as a sustainable way to diet. I've tried paleo and atkins, etc. and saw good results but decided that's no way to live.

So with my diet, my goals are to maintain or lose weight while eating the variety of foods that I like, with little sacrfice. This is more like portion control. If you enjoy what you're eating and it's not too much trouble to prepare it, then dieting is a lot easier. The two biggest tips I can give anyone are:

Count your calories - it's so much easier to get a handle on your diet when you are fully aware of intake. I counted calories for a month and figured out that with my habits and normal diet, I can eat about 2200-2400 calories a day and not gain or lose weight. A lb of fat is 3500 calories. That means if I want to lose a lb of fat in a week, I need to run a calorie deficit of 500 per day. Knowing how the math shakes out for you allows you to plan your diet and also have a better idea of what that extra cheeseburger is really costing you.

Prioritize food items - There are several components to this.

Figure out what your favorite cheat desserts and meals are and don't have them in your house.

Give up a few of your favorite things. My sacrifices (when I'm dieting) are no drinks with calories, no cereal, and no chips. When I'm tempted to eat one of my kids stupid snacks, like Teddy Grahams, I think to myself "I didn't give up chips to stay fat on Teddy Grahams." and then I go and eat the **** out of CC cookies on cheat day.

This is the most important part of happy dieting, IMO, figure out where you can make smart substitutions. If you are clever, you will find all kinds of great opportunities to substitute. Instead of eating 4 eggs, eat 5 with the yellow removed from 3 of them. You won't notice much difference in flavor or how full you are, but it's about 100 calories less and the same amount of protein. I went from 120 calorie slices of bread to 60 (Sarah Lee whole wheat) and I can barely tell a difference in how full I feel and the bread tastes good. I'll eat one or two sandwiches a day when I'm dieting hard, so that little substitute saves me 120-240 calories a day. No mayo, just mustard.

So between the eggs and the bread substitution, I'm losing 1/2 lb a week and I feel like I sacrificed nothing. That shows you right there how powerful the right substitutions can be.

I do a trick where I'll put a slice of roast beef on the bottom piece of bread so it hits my tongue and then the other slices are turkey. You feel almost like you're eating a full roast beef but you cut out a lof calories.

Finding out that sweet potatos > regular potatos (for dieting purposes) was one of my favorite substitution discoveries.

I'll try to think of more.
 
#22
#22
And here is what my typical diet day is like:

Morning
black coffee x 2
maybe a banana

Late morning
protein bar

Early afternoon
sandwich
or fiber bar/protein shake

And by the time it's dinner, you've only had 500-600 calories, so you can have 3 big slices of pizza or a cheeseburger and fries, or whatever, and still run a 500 calorie deficit.
 
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#23
#23
I asked in the other fitness thread, but I'll try here:

Anyone with experience using Bucked Up pre-workout supplements, or other beta alanine products?

I have. O usually mix it up. I’ll go through an entire container of pre-workout, then take a week off, not using any. I also don’t use the same brand every time. I really like the bucked up brand. I workout early in the morning, so im all about the beta alanine.

If you do use a pre-workout, o wouldn’t use anything with a high beta alanine after like 6 pm. Especially if you’re not used to using it
 
#24
#24
I'm not a big believer in crash/ultra disciplied dieting. I do it sometimes but I don't view it as a sustainable way to diet. I've tried paleo and atkins, etc. and saw good results but decided that's no way to live.

So with my diet, my goals are to maintain or lose weight while eating the variety of foods that I like, with little sacrfice. This is more like portion control. If you enjoy what you're eating and it's not too much trouble to prepare it, then dieting is a lot easier. The two biggest tips I can give anyone are:

Count your calories - it's so much easier to get a handle on your diet when you are fully aware of intake. I counted calories for a month and figured out that with my habits and normal diet, I can eat about 2200-2400 calories a day and not gain or lose weight. A lb of fat is 3500 calories. That means if I want to lose a lb of fat in a week, I need to run a calorie deficit of 500 per day. Knowing how the math shakes out for you allows you to plan your diet and also have a better idea of what that extra cheeseburger is really costing you.

Prioritize food items - There are several components to this.

Figure out what your favorite cheat desserts and meals are and don't have them in your house.

Give up a few of your favorite things. My sacrifices (when I'm dieting) are no drinks with calories, no cereal, and no chips. When I'm tempted to eat one of my kids stupid snacks, like Teddy Grahams, I think to myself "I didn't give up chips to stay fat on Teddy Grahams." and then I go and eat the **** out of CC cookies on cheat day.

This is the most important part of happy dieting, IMO, figure out where you can make smart substitutions. If you are clever, you will find all kinds of great opportunities to substitute. Instead of eating 4 eggs, eat 5 with the yellow removed from 3 of them. You won't notice much difference in flavor or how full you are, but it's about 100 calories less and the same amount of protein. I went from 120 calorie slices of bread to 60 (Sarah Lee whole wheat) and I can barely tell a difference in how full I feel and the bread tastes good. I'll eat one or two sandwiches a day when I'm dieting hard, so that little substitute saves me 120-240 calories a day. No mayo, just mustard.

So between the eggs and the bread substitution, I'm losing 1/2 lb a week and I feel like I sacrificed nothing. That shows you right there how powerful the right substitutions can be.

I do a trick where I'll put a slice of roast beef on the bottom piece of bread so it hits my tongue and then the other slices are turkey. You feel almost like you're eating a full roast beef but you cut out a lof calories.

Finding out that sweet potatos > regular potatos (for dieting purposes) was one of my favorite substitution discoveries.

I'll try to think of more.

This is all great advice. You watching carbs at all?
 
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#25
#25
This is all great advice. You watching carbs at all?

Not really. I track protein, fiber, and total calories and try to hit certain numbers. The carbs just kinda take care of themselves. If too much of my diet comes from carbs, especially simple sugars, I'm going to be hungry all the time if I'm hitting my calorie goal. The motivation to use my calories to eat filling things kinda naturally directs me away from eating too many carbs
 

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