The Official Gym & Fitness Thread

5'7" around 4% body fat in the photo

 

Dang. I'm 5'11" and around 14-16% right now. Trying to get to single-digits for my wedding in Sept. I've been low before, but never single-digit low. I was 209 in Dec and I was super-strong, but I let my bf% go up too high from dirty bulking. Trying to get it low and then lean bulk up to about 200 over time. Down to 184 right now with a goal of around 172-173 and to maintain sub-10% year-round

 

I had about 8% when I was 17-18. Then I bulked up for strength and I've never gotten back down below probably 12%. I'm guessing I'm 15-18% now.

 

Farkin' reeped!

 

I have that bathing suit in Pink...you'd probably look better in it than I

 

Hi everyone. I do a ton of leg work each week because I'm an avid hiker and I'm training for the John Muir Trial in August. My cardio consists of strictly stair work and occasionally recumbent bike work for my cardio. So, on my 2 leg days a week (sometimes 3), I want to make sure I'm recovering properly but my goals are to have the structure and cardio in my legs to put on the miles on the trail.

I'm 6'1" and 235#. My daily workout warmup is a 20 minute circuit on the stairs, doing 30 second intervals of an almost uphill jog followed by a slow 30 second uphill for a rest between the intervals. I jump off of that and start my daily workouts. My legs feel great and I've continued to have great gains on the weights even though I do this daily. My knees and ankles have really progressed over the past 4 months, and my legs are machines with virtually no knee pain and my ankles no longer are weak. Big toned calves and quads, and my hamstrings are so big it's almost uncomfortable to sit down too long. I did a 10 miler through a nasty canyon of boulders and deadfall last weekend and I was amazed at how I kept going with a 30# pack.

Am I doing harm here, considering my goal for doing 10 miles per day on the trail with 40# of pack weight? My front squats 2 days a week consist of 280-310, 3 sets of 10 reps each. I do nothing for calves because they're so built from the stairmaster. I'm doing hamstring curls at 60# per leg, 3 sets of 10 reps. I also do 3 sets of 10 reps of leg extensions, 130# per leg at a time. Is this combination of daily leg cardio and the 2-3 day a week weights being destructive to anything?

 

Day 3 of Body Beast - Back and Bis. This one took me the longest so far (aside from yesterday when I put 2 together...)

Deadlifts 15 reps
60 second rest
Deadlifts 12 reps
60 second rest
Deadlifts 8 reps -drop set, drop weight and do 8 more reps
90 seconds rest

DB Pullover superset with Pull ups 15 reps (10 pull ups)
60 second rest
DB Pullover superset with Pull ups 12 reps (10 pull ups)
60 second rest
DB Pullover superset with Pull ups 8 reps -drop set, drop weight do 8 more reps(just on Pullover) (10 pull ups)
90 second rest

Bar Row triple set with One-Arm Row and Reverse DB Fly 15 reps
60 second rest
Bar Row triple set with One-Arm Row and Reverse DB Fly 12 reps
60 second rest
Bar Row triple set with One-Arm Row and Reverse DB Fly 8 reps
90 second rest

Close Grip Chinups 30 seconds max reps
60 second rest
Close Grip Chinups 30 seconds max reps
60 second rest
Close Grip Chinups 8 seconds max reps
90 second rest

Seated Bicep Curls 15reps
60 second rest
Seated Bicep Curls 12reps
60 second rest
Seated Bicep Curls 8reps -drop set, drop weight and do 8 more reps
90 second rest

1,1,2, Hammer Curls (left arm, right arm, both arms = 1 rep) 15 reps
60 second rest
1,1,2, Hammer Curls 12 reps
60 second rest
1,1,2, Hammer Curls 8 reps (I think I died here and was revived. Hurt so good....)
90 second rest

Straight Bar Curl (or Standing DB Curl) 15 reps
60 second rest
Straight Bar Curl (or Standing DB Curl) 12 reps
60 second rest
Straight Bar Curl (or Standing DB Curl) 8 reps
90 second rest

Airplane Cobra 30 seconds max reps
60 second rest
Airplane Cobra 30 seconds max reps

Finished!

Took me 36:31 to complete this one. About 10 minutes longer than the previous ones. Tomorrow is Chest/Tri day 2.

 

Man, doing that trail would be awesome. I'm definitely jelly.

I'm basing my response on my previous training for trail ultras which is a different beast from what you're doing but I think there is some carryover. Honestly, absolute leg strength is going to be more important for you than it was for me doing ultras since you will be self supported. I think you're training is on point from the sounds of it. For the sort of hiking you're talking about, I'm thinking volume is good as long as you're not hurting yourself.

If I was you, I'd get some more long hikes in sort of like when I would train "long runs." I would do a lot more 10+ mile hikes. It's all about time on feet so get used to it. Maybe consider back to back long hikes on Saturday/Sunday with your pack. A few times I went out and did a 20-25 mile run on Saturday and then would turn around and do it again Sunday (so maybe a 10-12 mile hike each day). Like I said, the goal was a bit different but I think this concept would transfer well.

 

Jk....this would be a good question for @BabyTaco to answer; he hikes. Seems to me like your cardio and hiking is being supported by your leg days. As long as you're not too sore to hike, I guess you're doing well

 

There is no substitute for the long endurance.
However if your goals are to loose weight 12-25 mins of Hight Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio is Best.

Personal opinion on the extended same pace cardio is "it's not good unless that's what you're training to do, like run in a marathon"

 

I've always kinda done a program similar to you, with a lot of cardio worked into a normal lifting routine
as long as you eat good and allow proper recovery time, I'd say you're good. cardio is cardio and not much can replace LISS work

 

I also add in, at least a couple days a week, a 3 mile hike up a 700' altitude change on a desert trail. It's a good burn, and in the 110 degree heat, is a hell of a good sweat. I'm amazed at how well heat conditioning really adds to the gains. I've done quite a few longer distance hikes in the past few months (4200' elevation change over 14 miles at over 12,000' summit) and I'll be doing a couple more before the big trip.

Actually I'm never muscularly sore. It's the tendons in my knees that sometimes need a break, especially after long hikes with big downhills. I'm just trying to make the most out of my cardio improvement without doing damage to my existing muscle or trying to add too much muscle mass so I don't burn out on those long hike days.

That's why I do the HIIT intervals on the stairmaster as my gym cardio when I'm not actually out on the trail. I'm usually doing exactly 20 minutes of HIIT (30 second burn, 30 second rest pace) but I'm constantly going uphill. I do 90 flights of stairs in that 20 minutes, daily. I only get the rubber legs when I actually do front squats with high weight.

I'm thinking that I need to mix up my routine a bit differently and break apart my muscle groups into more specific days. Right now it's 20 min of cardio M-F, and I alternate "upper body day" and "leg/ab day" every other day. I'm going to try splitting up my upper body work into 2 days, so everything has a good 48 hour recovery time before hitting weights again. Cardio-only on the weekends.

My diet is good, but could be better. I don't supplement, I just eat lots of lean proteins (mainly chicken breast, lots of shrimp/fish, turkey, and almost no red meat) and I love vegetables. Carbs are my downfall, and why I'm having so much energy but not losing body fat. I've recently cut carbs down to no more than 20% of my nutrition, and I've already started losing weight again. I'm also watching my daily caloric intake again, which always really helps me cut lbs. I want to be down from 237 to 210 before August, and my body can do it, but I'm also battling trying to not sacrifice muscle mass. Hence the insane protein.

 

How's your timing of your carb intake? What's your breakfast look like?

 

My carb intake used to be primarily in evenings. I'm trying to spread it out more throughout the mid to later day. I've all but eliminated breads and pastas, so my carbs are almost all from vegetables, nuts and fruits for now.

Breakfast consists of high protein. 2-3 eggs, either whole fried or a 3 eggwhite omelette with vegetables. Both cooked in coconut oil. Occasionally there's some sausage links or a couple strips of bacon. I work out from 7:30-8:30am every day, and don't eat breakfast until 9am. Takes me a little while after the gym to get my appetite back, and I've cut my caloric intake down to 1200 net calories (exercise calories offset that, so it's more like 1800 actual calories intake). Consider my diet very in line with Atkins parameters, which has worked well for me.

Let me also mention that I was diagnosed with deadly high blood pressure 2 years ago, and that has now come down to completely normal healthy levels as of January. 21 years of smoking and weighing over 260 lbs at 40 years old, and a sedentary lifestyle kills, folks. So I completely quit 2 years ago. Was also diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes, but my A1C is now down in healthy non-diabetic levels and I've never had to take insulin. Exercise works, and I know that good diet and adding muscle mass helps stabilize glucose levels better. I train extra, because I know I'll have to consume high carbs on my JMT long distance hike.

 

I knew it was too easy for a reason...

would LOVE another gym but their are cheap and close so that's why im there...

 

Only 2 times to u should be eating good complex carbs is in the morning, and right after the gym!
Try to not eat carbs before bed

 

No local gyms or anything? Those are the best to me.

Upper-A this afternoon:

incline dumbbell flys: 2 sets of 15 w/ 55, 50 lb dumbbells
decline bench press: 3 sets of 15, 10, 8 @ 185, 225, 225
v-grip rows: 3 sets of 12 @ 205, 195, 195
lat-pulldowns: 2 sets of 10, 8 @ 205, 195
standing dumbbell overhead press: 3 sets of 10 @ w/ 60, 55, 50 lb dumbbells
dumbbell shrugs: 3 sets of 15, 10, 9 w/ 95, 100, 105 lb dumbbells w/ no straps
strict incline hammer curls: 2 sets of 10 w/ 35, 30 lb dumbbells
concentration curls: 2 sets of 10 w/ 35, 30 lb dumbbells
seated overhead triceps dumbbell press: 2 sets of 15, 12 w/ 70 lb dumbbell
close-grip bench press: 2 sets of 16, 14 @ 135
forearms

I started doing two exercises per arm muscle @ 2 sets each, opposed to my old 1 exercise @ 3 sets each. I like it this way mo' bettah'

Eh, I don't buy into that. I eat carbs all 5 meals of the day and lose fat just fine. My last meal is around 8-9pm and I eat 6 oz chicken or salmon and a bagel w/ grape jelly and am asleep by 11. It's been proven over and over that meal timing has no effect on body composition.

That being said, carbing up before and after a workout has its benefits with glycogen and all that shit.

Greater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner.

Carbs At Night: Fat Loss Killer Or Imaginary Boogeyman? Written by Layne Norton

Is Late Night Eating Better for Fat Loss and Health?

Best line in the above: "This association can solely be attributed to lifestyle-related factors and eating behaviors; snacking in front of the TV in the evening, making poor food choices in general, and so forth. People who eat more in the evening simply eat more calories, which explains why they weigh more."

 

Love me a pb and j when I get off work at 10 before bed haha

 

not really. I need it cheap and with a shower... so far PF is the only one around. I could tell you what I don't like, but for 10 bux its about what id expect.