OT: Summer Fitness Thread

[Claxton]

Currently doing a 5x5 routine every other day and eating only after training, so 44-48 hour fasts in between. Hoping to have abs showing by the summer (currently 232lbs at 6'2"). Working well so far, energy levels surprisingly high when lifting after fasting for 40+ hours(mainly carnivore diet with some fruits and veggies).

 

[will1066]

Was actually thinking about this thread.

I believe that a good sweat can actually help with colds, etc.

Can't do the diets

I'm sure you're right. I just don't want to exacerbate my cough. Still doing that whenever my chest gets irritated for one reason or another, which I don't want to take a chance on when breathing hard.

 

[True Blue]

Currently doing a 5x5 routine every other day and eating only after training, so 44-48 hour fasts in between. Hoping to have abs showing by the summer (currently 232lbs at 6'2"). Working well so far, energy levels surprisingly high when lifting after fasting for 40+ hours(mainly carnivore diet with some fruits and veggies).

Starting Strength?

I used to only eat after training. My weight lifting coaches made it clear that I need to get protein in before training and after. Don't get me wrong, I am not preaching here. But I have noticed that a bit of fuel in system enhances what I can do.

 

[HFBS]

Summer is coming... I've been good all February. Gym 4 days a week and I'm down about 5 lbs while still building some muscle.. I'm a quarter of the way to the elusive lost 20 lbs threshold..

It may be 20 degrees and snowing, but summer is definitely here for this team.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Do you guys weigh yourself every day? Also, do you sometimes get weird results? For example, yesterday I cheated a little but dropped half a pound. Then there was a day I ate like every other day and gained a pound. Another day, I cheated but not too badly and gained 2 pounds (though that was on the heel of 2 days I ate poorly). The overall trend is more important but are these just random fluctuations or is there a reason behind it?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Do you guys weigh yourself every day? Also, do you sometimes get weird results? For example, yesterday I cheated a little but dropped half a pound. Then there was a day I ate like every other day and gained a pound. Another day, I cheated but not too badly and gained 2 pounds (though that was on the heel of 2 days I ate poorly). The overall trend is more important but are these just random fluctuations or is there a reason behind it?

You're going to drive yourself nuts by doing this.

Once, maybe twice a week is enough but no more than that. Water retention is usually the key reason behind weight fluctuations.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

You're going to drive yourself nuts by doing this.

Once, maybe twice a week is enough but no more than that. Water retention is usually the key reason behind weight fluctuations.

Yeah, I've been doing it for months now, haha. It motivates me to stay on the diet.

 

[True Blue]

Do you guys weigh yourself every day?

You will drive yourself crazy that way. I have learned that the scales are not an indication of what shape you are in. The same way your waist size can be radically different, depending on the brand of the slacks you are putting on.

And, depending on the training, one would expect to gain weight. More body mass and weight, does not necessarily mean you are putting on fat.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

You will drive yourself crazy that way. I have learned that the scales are not an indication of what shape you are in. The same way your waist size can be radically different, depending on the brand of the slacks you are putting on.

And, depending on the training, one would expect to gain weight. More body mass and weight, does not necessarily mean you are putting on fat.

Yeah, I want to get to a weight where I can lay off the scale. The problem is, the scale has become a large part of my life and a large part of my motivation. It's a little unhealthy. I mean, I don't have an eating disorder because of it. I had a cupcake just today. My eating habits aren't unhealthy, but I use it almost like one uses Facebook searching for likes. Anyway, the next step is to get down to a certain weight where I stop weighing myself but still keep the diet.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

You're going to drive yourself nuts by doing this.

Once, maybe twice a week is enough but no more than that. Water retention is usually the key reason behind weight fluctuations.

I used to weigh myself once a week but then I’d catch myself trying to cut water weight the night before I’d weigh myself...

I think I like what I do now. I weigh myself every weekday morning and just log it in MyFitnessPal. Then I’ll look at the overall trend at the end of the week.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Starting Strength?

I used to only eat after training. My weight lifting coaches made it clear that I need to get protein in before training and after. Don't get me wrong, I am not preaching here. But I have noticed that a bit of fuel in system enhances what I can do.

You don't need to. Plenty of people lift fasted. It's personal preference, meal timing is very low on the totem pole compared to say hitting your macros for the day which is key.

I have heard broscience like "If you lift on an empty stomach your body will eat your muscles..." but that's all it is, broscience.

 

[True Blue]

You don't need to. Plenty of people lift fasted. It's personal preference, meal timing is very low on the totem pole compared to say hitting your macros for the day which is key.

Different strokes.....The weight lifting coaches that I work with preach getting protien into your system 45 minutes before training, having a shake within half hour to 45 minutes after and then another source of protein as well.

I could be completely wrong, but it has worked for me. Or seems to. Nothing to do with your body eating your muscles. Everything to do with giving the body the fuel that it needs to perform. Again, just what I have experienced. If you find that training while in midst of a fast work for you, then keep going.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

What’s the best way to get more protein in your diet?

I’ve tracked everything I ate in February and I’m going over my limit for Fat a lot, and I’m usually a little under for Carbs and a lot under for protein

 

[Lion Hound]

Do you guys weigh yourself every day? Also, do you sometimes get weird results? For example, yesterday I cheated a little but dropped half a pound. Then there was a day I ate like every other day and gained a pound. Another day, I cheated but not too badly and gained 2 pounds (though that was on the heel of 2 days I ate poorly). The overall trend is more important but are these just random fluctuations or is there a reason behind it?

"Don't weight yourself everyday" was one of the first things that I was told from the person that introduced me to Keto. It was also the one piece of advice that i didn't listen to. I do it almost every morning, and while results are a lot slower it does still motivate me to get to the next level.

 

[Crease]

There are a million ways to skin this cat -- find what works for you and tune out the rest.

What works for me...

Lifting on an empty stomach -- I feel I have better energy at the gym during fasted workouts.

Cheat meals once a week -- I view it as a reward for being discipline, and because the blah feeling afterward motivates me to eat clean for the next week.

When cutting, weighing in every day -- I like to see that I'm trending in the right direction, even if only incrementally.

High protein, medium fat, low carb diet -- I feel better and more sated with this split. I balloon up on high carb diets, and I can't sustain zero carb diets.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

What’s the best way to get more protein in your diet?

I’ve tracked everything I ate in February and I’m going over my limit for Fat a lot, and I’m usually a little under for Carbs and a lot under for protein

I usually meal prep some boneless chicken breasts to have throughout the week. Adding 1-2 of those to your meals or having as a snack is a nice lean protein boost.

Although I don't eat it because i think it's f***ing nasty, Cottage Cheese is really high in protein and a protein dense food.

 

[Gardner McKay]

What’s the best way to get more protein in your diet?

I’ve tracked everything I ate in February and I’m going over my limit for Fat a lot, and I’m usually a little under for Carbs and a lot under for protein

Well, that depends. What do you like to eat? Chicken/Tuna salad is a great way to go. Instead of using regular mayo, use light mayo and use half the amount and add in a little bit of low fat sour cream.

I will often grill chicken on a Sunday night and eat it with some rice and veggies. I usually make enough to have for lunch on Monday and Tuesday.

If we make burgers, I will always buy the 90/10 or your burgers will be too dry. I buy enough meat to make 2 extra burgers and I will take one with me for lunch and throw it over some salad.

Yogurt first thing in the morning is a good way to get protein on the go. Be careful at what you buy though, some of those yogurts are deceptively high in sugar.

Not sure what you do for a living or if you're in school but I always keep a container of protein powder at my desk. Even on days where I don't work out, I still have a protein shake.

I usually meal prep some boneless chicken breasts to have throughout the week. Adding 1-2 of those to your meals or having as a snack is a nice lean protein boost.

Although I don't eat it because i think it's ****ing nasty, Cottage Cheese is really high in protein and a protein dense food.

Yeah... I've eaten some really funky stuff in my day but I just can't bring myself to try Cottage Cheese. I agree though that it is a fantastic way to get some protein.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

Well, that depends. What do you like to eat? Chicken/Tuna salad is a great way to go. Instead of using regular mayo, use light mayo and use half the amount and add in a little bit of low fat sour cream.

I will often grill chicken on a Sunday night and eat it with some rice and veggies. I usually make enough to have for lunch on Monday and Tuesday.

If we make burgers, I will always buy the 90/10 or your burgers will be too dry. I buy enough meat to make 2 extra burgers and I will take one with me for lunch and throw it over some salad.

Yogurt first thing in the morning is a good way to get protein on the go. Be careful at what you buy though, some of those yogurts are deceptively high in sugar.

Not sure what you do for a living or if you're in school but I always keep a container of protein powder at my desk. Even on days where I don't work out, I still have a protein shake.



Yeah... I've eaten some really funky stuff in my day but I just can't bring myself to try Cottage Cheese. I agree though that it is a fantastic way to get some protein.

I'm in the backoffice of a financial firm so I can definitely bring some protein powder in thats a great idea.

 

[True Blue]

What’s the best way to get more protein in your diet?

I’ve tracked everything I ate in February and I’m going over my limit for Fat a lot, and I’m usually a little under for Carbs and a lot under for protein

Many ways. I usually start with two hard boiled eggs pre-workout. Post, I have a shake and a yogurt with some fruit in it. Some sort of tuna or chicken with lunch. And dinner is dinner.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

"Don't weight yourself everyday" was one of the first things that I was told from the person that introduced me to Keto. It was also the one piece of advice that i didn't listen to. I do it almost every morning, and while results are a lot slower it does still motivate me to get to the next level.

Why are results slower? They may appear slower but wouldn't you weigh the same? Also, yeah it motivates me. Sometimes it does get inside my head, like today when I gained weight but overall it's kept me motivated. That said, I think once I hit a certain level I'll start doing it once a week.

 

[will1066]

Different strokes.....The weight lifting coaches that I work with preach getting protien into your system 45 minutes before training, having a shake within half hour to 45 minutes after and then another source of protein as well.

I could be completely wrong, but it has worked for me. Or seems to. Nothing to do with your body eating your muscles. Everything to do with giving the body the fuel that it needs to perform. Again, just what I have experienced. If you find that training while in midst of a fast work for you, then keep going.

There is some truth to the body eating muscles. I learned it from the magazine Bro's Health.

Just kidding. When the body is requested to do explosive exercise like lifting, the body taps the creatine and glycogen stored in muscle and glucose in blood that were produced from food. Short intense exercises like lifting use your anaerobic energy system, which is glycogen. Long continuous exercise like running use aerobic energy, i.e., oxygen and fatty acids from blood.

So if you intake protein before exercise, you might have built up some extra stores. If you don't intake, you probably still have enough stores if you hadn't done anything super physical earlier.

When you're new, you find yourself struggling and gasping. Your body is tapping your anaerobic system. As you exercise more regularly, your body becomes more efficient in switching from anaerobic to aerobic. The body taps into oxygen earlier, and your endurance improves. That's why marathon runners can go on forever. Their tapping oxygen and stored carbohydrates.

 

[darko]

What’s the best way to get more protein in your diet?

I’ve tracked everything I ate in February and I’m going over my limit for Fat a lot, and I’m usually a little under for Carbs and a lot under for protein

How much protein daily are you trying to consume?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Different strokes.....The weight lifting coaches that I work with preach getting protien into your system 45 minutes before training, having a shake within half hour to 45 minutes after and then another source of protein as well.

I could be completely wrong, but it has worked for me. Or seems to. Nothing to do with your body eating your muscles. Everything to do with giving the body the fuel that it needs to perform. Again, just what I have experienced. If you find that training while in midst of a fast work for you, then keep going.

Again, this is all that matters.

I will say that the barrier that most people have to get over when working out fasted is mental. Unless you're a savage and redlining your body for what ever reason, you'll be fine.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

How much protein daily are you trying to consume?

Well currently I’m anywhere between 80-120 Grams..

I currently weight 216lbs so I feel like I should be consistently in the 150-200 range

*important note* my diet is not really consistent. I like to eat good food. I’m just more conscious about how often I eat crap. I still stay below 2400 calories most days. I’ve managed to drop 7-8 lbs in February. I’m also putting on some “newbie” gains in the gym.

 

[darko]

Well currently I’m anywhere between 80-120 Grams..

I currently weight 216lbs so I feel like I should be consistently in the 150-200 range

*important note* my diet is not really consistent. I like to eat good food. I’m just more conscious about how often I eat crap. I still stay below 2400 calories most days. I’ve managed to drop 7-8 lbs in February. I’m also putting on some “newbie” gains in the gym.

Do you have protein shakes? 2 shakes a day will give you another 60-100 grams. The rest is easily made up by eating egg, chicken, fish etc. Turkey is rich in protein, more so than chicken.