The Workout / Diet Thread

[Jack]

I’ve been hitting the peloton 3-4 days a week and skiing both days on the weekend. One thing I’ve done since last April is try to never eat before 1pm. My weight lifting has been pretty infrequent, I really have to start that up again.

I do want to get a rowing marching. I feel like that / peloton / running will keep me in a good spot for a 40 yr old.

[ggies]

Originally Posted by Jack I’ve been hitting the peloton 3-4 days a week and skiing both days on the weekend. One thing I’ve done since last April is try to never eat before 1pm. My weight lifting has been pretty infrequent, I really have to start that up again. I do want to get a rowing marching. I feel like that / peloton / running will keep me in a good spot for a 40 yr old.

Nice

[Josh.0]

Originally Posted by Jack I’ve been hitting the peloton 3-4 days a week and skiing both days on the weekend. One thing I’ve done since last April is try to never eat before 1pm. My weight lifting has been pretty infrequent, I really have to start that up again. I do want to get a rowing marching. I feel like that / peloton / running will keep me in a good spot for a 40 yr old.

If you’re interested, you should forget weight lifting and mix in hot yoga with the skiing, rowing, and cycling. The body weight work combined with all of the cardio variations will keep you strong, lean, flexible, and probably without all of the tendon issues that come with weight lifting as we age.

I’m 35 and my general plan is to completely ditch weight lifting around 40 and instead up my power yoga practice and continue with indoor cycling and outdoor cardio.

[dmb2much40]

I ended up getting the beach body on demand app to hold me over until the weather allows me to get back to outside running/biking. The app has a ton of different workouts, but skews more toward cardio than weight lifting. There’s enough variety that I haven’t gotten bored with it.

[Wildcats82]

I’ve started hitting the gym 4-5 days a week. But I don’t have much of a strength training routine

[Fan#41]

How is everyone working out these days? I mentioned in the personal covid thread I bought some gym equipment. I spent a little more than I would have liked to but since a lot of gyms in my area have closed, they sold all their equipment to retailers and I wanted heavy-duty gym equipment that would last. I had shopped around for a few weeks to find most fitness retailers sell cheap, chintzy, equipment. That peleton bike for example, you're really paying for the software and their operating system, not really how well the bike is made. Now granted being a hefty fella, my view of what's cheap and chintzy may not apply to someone who is in better shape and weighs less. I just wanted something sturdy that feels like it would last. Can't wait to start using the new bike and elliptical I bought.

Weather has climbed back up to mid-40's here so at least I'm able to get back out there for some fresh air with a few walks.

What's everyone else doing at the moment? Does anyone have any suggestions for weight benches?

[Josh.0]

Brandon I’m about to crash but I have all sorts of recommendations I’ll share tomorrow.

[Steveo Style]

A freaking dumbell set goes for like $250. I bought resistance bands for about $40 and a jump rope to go along with the Sole spin bike. Might go in for a kettle bell but for now this is keeping me going. Trying to work out 5x per week. I find it tough to do it in the morning since the kids are up by 7, and I usually just have to do it after dinner which probably isn’t the best.

[Wildcats82]

Because of covid I pretty much quit going to the gym. And I enjoyed it. But I lost the habit. It is open and I'm still paying for $10 a month for it but it's been forever since I have been.

However, with the exception of beer, I've pretty much cut out carbs. Last time I weighed myself I was 218. Actually less than before covid.

[Jack]

I’ve basically been doing exactly the same as I said above. Today was my 15th day skiing this year so far this season. I’m pretty happy about that. Big snow coming this weekend. I’ve tried to bump the peloton to :30 5 days a week. Also, my experience with it is how well it has held up. After hundreds of rides it hasn’t missed a beat. But, you certainly are laying for the software and screen. BUT, to me that is worth it. I am interested in something that makes it easy for me to actually do something and motivate me to do it.

I also try to do 100 pushups a day at 4 sets of 25. I am really going to try to buckle down and get in good shape over the next few months. I feel like as we get older it just gets so much more important to stay in shape and keep muscle. I don’t listen to Bill Burr podcast as much as I used to (he became a boring old man very quickly), but he said something the other day talking about staying in shape. Something like, “I’m in my mid 50’s now, and all my over weight friends are dead.” Life comes at you fast...

I still need to pull the trigger on a rowing machine. The concept 2 model d or whatever is what I want, but it is so expensive. I just can’t make myself buy it.

[Jack]

Originally Posted by Steveo Style A freaking dumbell set goes for like $250. I bought resistance bands for about $40 and a jump rope to go along with the Sole spin bike. Might go in for a kettle bell but for now this is keeping me going. Trying to work out 5x per week. I find it tough to do it in the morning since the kids are up by 7, and I usually just have to do it after dinner which probably isn’t the best.

Try craigslist of FB marketplace. That’s where I got most of mine. Walmart also has decent sales on occasion. If you buy them as you need them, it’s not so bad. You’re also spending money as you get results, so that at least makes it feel better

Yes, kids make everything 10x harder.

[Define Dancing]

Currently doing my annual January "cleanse". No alcohol, no meat, no cookies, pastries, or donuts, no candy, no social media, less than 1 hour of phone screen time per day, and at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. So far I've lost 6 pounds in 17 days with those simple lifestyle changes.

[Josh.0]

No meat though? I’ve got damn Butcher Box shipments coming to me every month.

[Wildcats82]

Originally Posted by Josh.0 No meat though? I’ve got damn Butcher Box shipments coming to me every month.

Yeah that was my thought. I had steak 2 days in a row.

[Josh.0]

I added goblet squats and jumping lunges back into my routine after not having done them for about a year, and hooooly fuck am I feeling every bit of 36 today.

[Fan#41]

Originally Posted by Define Dancing Currently doing my annual January "cleanse". No alcohol, no meat, no cookies, pastries, or donuts, no candy, no social media, less than 1 hour of phone screen time per day, and at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. So far I've lost 6 pounds in 17 days with those simple lifestyle changes.

How did the second half of the month go?

I've lost another 10lbs in the last 5 weeks (down from 300lbs a year ago to 241lbs right now) by simply eating better and smaller portions and doing 30 min of cardio everyday. I haven't felt this good in a very long time, though I am most certainly going to hit the classic "weight loss wall" which is why I need to incorporate lifting which I haven't done in years. Still searching for the right bench and weight sets that I'll be comfortable with, as there are so many options. Think I've narrowed down my search and will be purchasing in the next few weeks.

Still trying to get soda out of my diet completely. I've always been a soda hound. I remember a few years ago just stopped drinking soda completely one day, that lasted 6 months and then bam...I was back on the train. Slowly been weening myself off, down to just a few of the mini cans of diet ginger ale a week, and soon my cravings for the stuff should be well under control.

[Josh.0]

Brandon, have you tried an at-home band setup? A girl I dated was trained in the TB12 method and I’m surprised at how effective those bands are. It’s a KILLER workout when you have the full setup (various bands and a spine to mount them to).

You don’t even need the TB12 ones, just ones from Amazon. It’s all the same shit.

[Only registered users can see links.]

Here are the TB12 ones, which come with the door mount:

[Only registered users can see links.]

Then you can watch their YouTube videos for workout ideas. I’m 100% convinced that along with the cardio you’re doing this is all you need.

Also, of course, power yoga is another great option. Peloton and CorePower offer great online classes.

[Define Dancing]

Originally Posted by Josh.0 No meat though? I’ve got damn Butcher Box shipments coming to me every month.

This is going to sound cheesy, but going vegetarian is something I've wanted to do for a while (mostly for ethical reasons), but I never felt like I had the willpower to follow through.

But then I watched a film called Gunda, which is a 90 minute wordless, black and white documentary about a sow and her piglets (with a few intermittent portraits of some cows and chickens). It was a powerful experience that evoked an immense amount of empathy for the animals. I was watching with my cat, and the final scene of the film is her piglets being taken away from her. The grieving, desperate squeals she made when they were gone made my cat react in such a visceral way, he had such concern on his face for this fellow animal. It moved me and changed me. It's honestly probably one of the most memorable movie watching experiences of my life.

And that's what convinced me to stop eating meat. Haven't had any in over a month, and I haven't craved it once.

[Define Dancing]

Originally Posted by Fan#41 How did the second half of the month go? I've lost another 10lbs in the last 5 weeks (down from 300lbs a year ago to 241lbs right now) by simply eating better and smaller portions and doing 30 min of cardio everyday. I haven't felt this good in a very long time, though I am most certainly going to hit the classic "weight loss wall" which is why I need to incorporate lifting which I haven't done in years. Still searching for the right bench and weight sets that I'll be comfortable with, as there are so many options. Think I've narrowed down my search and will be purchasing in the next few weeks. Still trying to get soda out of my diet completely. I've always been a soda hound. I remember a few years ago just stopped drinking soda completely one day, that lasted 6 months and then bam...I was back on the train. Slowly been weening myself off, down to just a few of the mini cans of diet ginger ale a week, and soon my cravings for the stuff should be well under control.

Ended up losing almost 9 pounds. I'm almost back down to my "normal" weight range (171-173). I did a really good job staying in shape when the pandemic first started by committing to running/walking/hiking 100 miles outside each month, which I did for all of spring/summer. But once the school year started, I just stopped exercising regularly because I was so overwhelmed. Then the holidays came, and I completely let myself go. I ballooned to 184 by New Year's. Glad I've gotten things back under control.

Like you said, it's amazing what a few simple changes will do for your health. I've continued the 30 minutes of exercise and no meat this month, and I'm limiting phone time to 90 minutes per day, and only drinking on Friday and Saturday. That should get me through the winter, when I can start being more active outside.

Congrats on the weight loss and reduced soda intake!

[Josh.0]

Originally Posted by Define Dancing This is going to sound cheesy, but going vegetarian is something I've wanted to do for a while (mostly for ethical reasons), but I never felt like I had the willpower to follow through. But then I watched a film called Gunda, which is a 90 minute wordless, black and white documentary about a sow and her piglets (with a few intermittent portraits of some cows and chickens). It was a powerful experience that evoked an immense amount of empathy for the animals. I was watching with my cat, and the final scene of the film is her piglets being taken away from her. The grieving, desperate squeals she made when they were gone made my cat react in such a visceral way, he had such concern on his face for this fellow animal. It moved me and changed me. It's honestly probably one of the most memorable movie watching experiences of my life. And that's what convinced me to stop eating meat. Haven't had any in over a month, and I haven't craved it once.

Yeah I was a vegetarian for two years myself. I like a lot of vegan dishes/food and really didn’t miss meat. The only reasons I went back is 1) I love to travel and being a vegetarian in most countries is a buzzkill when it comes to everything you’re missing out on, and 2) I workout a lot and no matter how much I supplemented and carefully picked my calories and macronutrients, I lost a lot of strength as a vegetarian. I’d also always have stubborn weight that wouldn’t go anywhere because of all the carb consumption. I know I can be even more careful and work through these issues, but the level of food tracking to make (attempted) peak fitness happen as a vegetarian is very time consuming and draining.

I still don’t eat pork, sans 1-2 times in the last 8 years when I’ve been in, like, Portugal and a lot of dishes center around pork. In general pork doesn’t do it for me at all and eating pigs for whatever reason grosses me out. I really don’t like bacon, sausage, or pork chops whatsoever; I never crave this stuff at all.

Sometimes it’s tough for me, ethically, to eat beef. I feel empathy towards cows similar to what I feel towards pigs. I think they’re entirely aware of when they’re about to be slaughtered and that does fuck with me.

With that said, I feel no empathy towards chickens. They seems dumb and useless, and I know I’m an asshole and hypocrite for saying that. But....

I rarely eat seafood outside of scallops and occasional sushi.

But I “get” vegetarians for sure because I was once there as well. I’d still do it if it worked out better with the two issues I wrote above, but alas it’s always a problem. So now I always try to buy meat that’s raised humanely, fed clean grass/grains, and killed quickly and as painlessly as possible. It’s not perfect, and I’m still killing innocent animals because I like to eat well when I travel and supplement my workouts as best I can, but it’s the best I’ll do at this point in my life.