The Official Gym & Fitness Thread

Just drink whiskey, vodka, rum, etc. 70 calories per oz. Fit that into your macros and you can drink all you want.

 

That's the spirit, quit 3 days in.

 

Just happened across this thread and looking for some advice, long story btw...

Up until about August 2016 I had never lifted, buddy of mine used to and wanted to again so I told him I'd go to the gym with him since at 22 I was 5'11" about 155. Job kinda changed started sitting in a desk more and I grew a bit of a belly which wasn't good because the rest of me was still skinny af.

Went to the gym about 3 times a week without really a clue what I was doing and trusting me friend. Hardly made any progress and just quit February 2017 partly because no progress was being made and the gyms around here are so packed I had to go around 11pm or 4am to be able to use anything which didn't work well for me.

Fast Forward to June started getting fat again so I bought some random stuff off craigslist... Adjustable dumbbells, small power tower thing, adjustable bench, and ez curl/straight bar. Didn't really use them until September when I was again getting too fat for how skinny I was.

I am now at the point that benching 52.5 pound dumbbells doesn't offer much for me anymore (yes I am weak af, but benching 40 pound dumbbells used to be hard) started doing 5 sets of 10-15 reps just to feel anything, but read somewhere that does not really help. I am now up around 175 and haven't really made any progress since beginning of December.

I workout 3-4 times a week arms, chest, back/shoulders, and 4th day is kinda whatever. Basically where do I go from here? I'm considering trying gyms again so I don't have to buy more equipment, but the convenience of working out at home makes everything so much easier. I also need to implement legs at some point, I don't look out of proportion yet, but I would like to avoid that.

Would simply buying a real rack and Olympic bar with weight be a good option to get me to the next level or should I just fight the crowds and go back to the gym for use of all equipment? I still don't really know what I'm doing so any advice would be awesome! Kinda self taught/google for the most part...

 

Not all I want...

Probs is just getting the macros right and having cals left over.

 

What is your ultimate goal?

Is it physique related? Strength related? Both?

Knowing where you want to be will help us show you how to get there.

 

Sounds like you need a trainer b/c you seem kind of lost. If you don't want to pay for a trainer, do a program. There are TONS of free programs out there. I always recommend Doug's 4 Day Split to newbs or people wanting to switch things up b/c it's a perfect program to build muscle and lose fat, it shows you how programs should be structured, and it can be used for beginners or experienced lifters.

Also, working out at home doesn't work for the majority of people because there's no motivation. Go to a gym. If it's packed, so be it.

Also, do legs. You DON'T want to be one of those d bags who looks like a bodybuilder riding a chicken. Once your legs get behind everything else, you'll never be able to catch them up. Plus, doing legs releases more testosterone than any other exercises, especially squats.

Lastly, you need to read up on dieting because if your only goal is to lose weight, you don't even need to exercise. You can lose weight by simply eating at a caloric deficit, but of course, exercise is going to help. If you want to gain muscle, you need to make sure you're eating enough calories to build new muscle and that you're getting enough macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat). Here is a good and simple explanation of how dieting works. Basically it's calories in vs. calories out. If you eat more than your body needs, you'll gain and if you eat less, you'll lose. I know the diet arena can be super overwhelming, but 99% of what your hear about dieting is bullshit. Eat what you know is good for you and eat enough of it to gain muscle or limit enough of it to lose fat...it's that simple.

And for the love of God, stay away from Crossfit...it's the AIDS of the fitness industry.

 

Physique for the most part, I could hardly fill out a small shirt + growing belly freaked me out lol. I guess I'd probably like to get around 180-185ish with less fat than I have now. Right now I'm just trying to eat a lot while keeping it sorta healthy because gaining weight has always been a difficult thing for me. The 175 I'm at now does come with a little bit of fat mostly belly/lower back.

 

Wait...you're cutting and still can't hit your calorie goals? What are you eating, celery and water for every meal? I bet I eat your calorie goal before my morning shit.

 

I just started going back to the gym and I wanna loose weight I do 30 mins of cardio. I would like to know the best way I can loose weight fast supplements, exercises. I also eat a healthy. Thanks guys

 

Best way to lose weight fast is to be at a caloric deficit. This can be done by eating less, working out to burn calories you consume, or a combination of the two. The only thing weight-loss supplement do is increase your heart rate, which causes you to burn more calories. Best thing to do is eat at a caloric deficit, continue doing cardio of any kind, and lift the weights.

 

Pretty much started consuming less calories and increasing the calories that I burn. So supplement like a thermogenic may increase my heart rate during the cardio which would result in more calories burn?

 

Supplements = magic beans. Save your money

 

Just read through that program I think I'll give it a shot. I looked at some when I started, but so many just seemed so gimmicky, ended up just piecing together what felt the best. Smith machine hurts my shoulders so I'd sub in free weights for that I guess. My brother started lifting about a year ago and recommended some sort of 5x5 program which he has seen a lot of progress with as far as weight goes however he doesn't really look any different mostly looks like fat gained...

The legs thing is what I'm afraid of, but I already have a bad knee that flares up sometimes and I was trying to avoid making that worse. At the moment I am trying to gain weight more than lose weight I think I'll try to cut around May.

I find myself better motivated at home because I can focus on what I'm doing instead of waiting for each thing I'm trying to do. Sometimes it would take me 2 hours to do what I can do at home in an hour... I have really been thinking about the gym again though because after my workouts now I don't really feel that much unless its arms.

Also trying to gain weight at the moment not lose weight.

 

CrossFit.

 

Missed this on the first one, no worries. Even though I'm tiny I still laughed at anyone attempting crossfit and screaming dead center in the gym...

 

After reading your description and struggles - Crossfit might be a viable solution. Classes are one hour. Group of people keeps you motivated and accountable. Cardio, strength, mobility endurance etc. There is some discussion of diet, but the Paleo religion is kind of silly.

Comparing CrossFit to AIDS is a stupid analogy. Explain that one to me.

 

I wouldn't waste money on weight-loss supplements. You'd be better off drinking coffee or green tea...anything with caffeine will increase your heart-rate, thus burning more calories; you shouldn't rely on that method to lose weight though because having a super high heart-rate all the time isn't the best for you. Just eat right, do cardio, and lift weights and the results will come. If your weight-loss stalls, lower the calories.

5x5 is focused more on strength, not size. If you're not lean and you gain muscle, you're still not going to be lean...you'll still be fat, but with more muscle.

There are plenty of leg workouts that you can do that are easy on the knees...just google it as I'm not sure what they are because I don't have bad knees lol.

Workout wherever you have the most motivation. I could never workout at home because I like having people around me when I workout.

Good man