The Official Gym & Fitness Thread

Hit us with your best vacuum pose brah! Seriously, vacuums are an easy way to hit the transverse abs. Start lying on your back work up to standing. Keep fighting man.

 

Anyone here ever dealt with diastasis recti?

 

Lately, I keep forgetting to set my alarm on my phone before going to bed. Work up at 5:45 (slept 9 hours though). I should have been on the TM by now. So I got up, got my coffee and walked on the TM while I drank it and only had enough time left to do 2.25 miles.

I am 8 miles away from achieving my 2020 mileage goal. So close I can taste it.

 

Well thanks!

 

This did get me thinking. I would actually like to see an EEG study on the intra abdominal force created during labor and @Travish325 when squatting his max (in other words a well trained male who can lift substantial weight).

I would be very much interested in seeing that comparison. Women primarily deal with this injury, while men don't. Because @Travish325 is probably less than 1% of men who actually lifts and trains the way he does (most people are fucking lazy) whereas most women end up having a child at some point, most men probably don't even bench their body weight in their lives. So I feel like this injury really is an injury of those who actually lift heavy vs. those who don't. It's just lifting heavy seems to be pregnancy for women, which again I'd be curious to what labor contractions equate to for something like squatting or DL.

I have recently read some literature on sex differences in lifting. Women are disadvantaged when it comes to physical size and bone length, as well as with actual hormonal differences, but they also have advantages over men when it comes to certain things like reduced inflammatory response (which is both good and bad), better recovery, and can handle larger amounts of volume.

I'm obviously interested in the ultra endurance world, and there, the longer the distance of the event, the narrower the gap between men and women, and it's actually hypothesized that there is a point at which women will consistently out perform men in endurance sports (where this point is, is up for debate). Courtney Dauwalter can wipe the floor with men in 100-200 mile races. And I've mentioned before, when it comes to 100 mile events, almost all women who start, finish. Most men drop out and DNF. Why this is probably has far more reasons than biological but it's worth noting.

Back to the original point, I do see more women encouraged to lift heavy nowadays. I've said before, there is a gal at my gym who regularly benches 225. I also see women at my gym bridging 405 and DL 315.

What is interesting is I used to live in a county where the median household income was over $150k a year (national median household income is around $69k/yr for reference). Now I live in a co. where the median household income is closer to the national average at $68k/yr.

Never saw women lift like that in the higher income gym. I just think that's interesting. It's just personal observation and not anything scientific but I think the older wealthier women are not encouraged to lift heavy for that "aesthetic athletic look", whereas the women more my age (30) are saying fuck it to that. And I do think age is probably more of a factor than obviously income (because higher income folks tend to be older).

I'm probably the only person here who thinks of this shit between sets at the gym.

I see a lot of young women pushing the envelope and it's really nice. Id really like to be apart of a future where I see as many women in the gym as men, as many women lifting over their body weight as men, and toeing the line at trail runs as much as men.

If I was going to get my PhD in Sports Physiology sex differences would be the subject of my dissertation. We need to find ways to equalize athletics for women.

 

Cleaned out the basement over the weekend so I was finally able to get my rack out from under the heat ducts. Now I can press without having to walk backwards with the weight for 10 steps first to clear the ductwork.

Completely unrelated, new pr on my press today

 

I would suggest that there are class differences in what is deemed “acceptable” forms of exercise. Specifically, strength sports and bodybuilding are generally seen to be the pursuits of the working class while wealthy professionals tend to run and bike more (with minimal weights).

I think about how the body is a site that locates one in all sorts of ways, including class and if we think of the assumptions we might make about big, strong looking folks (outside of professional sports) the assumptions we all make will tell you what you need to know about how health/fitness becomes a marker of class.

No one in my white collar world looks like me, and occasionally I have had to deal with “funny” assumptions about me. One of the reasons I train is to make sure my hands don’t get too soft from my desk job; it’s something that connects me to the people in my family who came before me and traded the labour of their bodies for their incomes.

 

I think with the help of crossfit and IG, everybody realizes that lifting heavy makes some amazing bodies.
And with popularity comes the 130lb beiber bois that can’t decide their gender for the week, strong confident women bother them for some reason.

 

Lots of women lift heavy. I don't know why the rules would be different. Develop consistent good form, then add weight.

 

This is very true. I had a guy at work ask if I was doing a 5K downtown, and I said I'm not a runner. His response was "I thought you said you workout a lot".

 

When I look at my family, and my proximate relationships/associations, being a regular gym goer is strongly associated with both wealth and education.

The blue collar folks in my family don't have a gym membership. Those people that I know who compete in any lifting sport, physique sport, or who compete in any endurance events tend to have college educations and/or above average incomes.

I think it's unfortunate that access to facilities as well as access to information that allows one to get into and be successful with these individual sports (team sports are different) have such a strong association to those two things.

It's interesting you say there have been some assumptions made about you in your white collar job.

The guys I know in physique actually have higher educations, MDs, PhDs, DPTs, or JDs.

It will be nice one day when socioeconomic factors really don't influence these things.

I try to be more mindful of my environment now and notice differences I see around me, and try to make sure any of my behavior, thoughts, or actions don't perpetuate those discrepancies I see around me.
When I go to an ultra, I see a lot of white dudes everywhere. Some women sprinkled in. I saw a black guy at my last ultra and I had to do a double take for a second because my body didn't know how to process what I just saw.
A few years ago I wouldn't have even noticed the lack of diversity around me. Now I try to notice just to make sure I'm not part of the problem.

 

I am not 100% certain it is about a gym membership but rather the look of being big and strong being associated with being working class. Gym memberships are certainly the purview of people with disposable income and fitness/health is positively associated with education as you note. I think there’s a level of size/muscularity that is “acceptable” to wealthy folks (who often say shit like “toned”) but pass that threshold and it’s a different set of assumptions. I think this becomes even more prevalent as you get a little older...it’s sort of the modern day equivalent of the white powdered makeup of the French court; only working class people tan/get huge because they have to.

And yeah, marathons, ultra endurance stuff, those spandex bike dudes, all that stuff is dominated by straight white dudes with cash.

Edit to note that I am not talking about who participates in strength/physique sports but rather the perceptions of those who do not...clearly rich dudes strongman train...I know of one dude on here who like has a new M class BMW every other week.

 

This is true.

They also have done a lot of research that shows people who do ultra endurance sports have a very high prevalence of substance abuse and mental disorders.

Big shocker to anyone? HAHA
No one in their right mind does this shit.

 

I’ve told my wife to lift heavy. She was making noob strength gains while losing weight. She’ll never be a real heavy lifter, but we had added quite a bit to her DL and Squat from when she first started. Then she was trying to pick a patient up off the floor a few weeks ago just before our wedding and hurt her back...and hasn’t really lifted in like 4 weeks. It’s driving her crazy.

 

Really well said man. I would agree that regular gym goers are generally more educated and potentially more wealthy than others. Ive seen all types of people at the gym though, and obviously location does play a big role on the demographic you see.

 

Finally going to start building up the home gym now that I live in the boonies and cancelled my membership. It’s been almost 10 months since I have stepped foot in a gym or lifted .

I’m going to start with a treadmill this Christmas. Does anyone have experience with the Horizon 7.0 AT or T303 treadmill? I’d prefer to try one in person but that’s not going to happen.

Any recommendations here? I’m 210lbs and most of the time I will be using it for walking and light jogging. My wife will use it mainly for walking and the occasional run. I like to jump on to quickly walk a mile a few times a day. It will be used often but not what I would consider “heavy use”.

O and before someone suggests to just get one on Craigslist...there really isn’t anything my worth it within a 3 hour drive.

Weights to come shortly after .

 

I do not have experience with this brand but looking at the specs I would go with the AT because it's heavier and has more incline.

The heavier a treadmill the more it absorbs the impact from you running on it, which can be important if the TM is going to be put on a second floor. Should also handle a 210lb guy more quietly.

If I was ever going to buy another TM I would buy a commercial TM. I am 5'9'' and normally 150-155 when I'm not getting fat recovering from an injury. Even I will beat up a TM over time. I've had mine for a year and I can tell the poor thing needs some TLC. And I have probably put 500 miles on it and I got it used (3 years old). Most of those miles have been walking miles or a few miles of jogging here and there.

I would say buy a used commercial TM for something more durable but I think we are in a climate where finding something used is difficult. This probably suits just fine.

 

I have to make a correction. I have put 500 milesish miles on my TM. I forget I share it with a 180lb 6’ brah. Who has also put some miles on it.
So 2 people, about 750 miles in a year, most of those are walking miles.

I avoid HIIT on it or any speed sessions because I want to put that abuse on the gym machine.

If you will use it that much or more get a higher end machine.

Make sure you get one with good fans, cup holders, and a holder for ipad/phone etc that you plan on using while running/walking.

 

I feel like I’d do a power rack/weights/bench before a treadmill. I know you’re in Wyoming and it’s winter but id just run/walk outside for cardio.

 

Sell me the taco and I’ll buy you a treadmill.