Fitness/Workout thread

the old man is back in the gym too. i started these mma classes, so im finally getting some well needed cardio. my shoulder is screwed up royally though, so i cant bench -press. i can close grip bench press, so i do that, but regular benching sends a shooting pain through my right deltoid...sucks.

and because of the martial arts, i started jogging to get into better shape for that. i hate jogging, but i need it. i lift, then run a 10 minute mile. i know, not much, but im kinda bulky and have aweful cardio and endurance. but i feel a difference just after 1 week of that. i cant wait to burn out and quit it all again. :(

"DonShula84 wrote:

I decided to start taking my cardio more seriously, so I'm going to train for a 5k, maybe a 10k if it goes well. I just came back from vacation where I was away from the gym for 2+ weeks but I started my training tonight by seeing how I'd do with a 5k. It wasnt great, but it didnt discourage me at all, so things could have gone a lot worse I suppose lol. Anyone have any advice for a beginning jogger?

Dont think about how far youve gone, or how far you have to go. Dont think about anything related to running. Works for me. :wink2:

"Sethdaddy8 wrote:

the old man is back in the gym too. i started these mma classes, so im finally getting some well needed cardio. my shoulder is screwed up royally though, so i cant bench -press. i can close grip bench press, so i do that, but regular benching sends a shooting pain through my right deltoid...sucks.

and because of the martial arts, i started jogging to get into better shape for that. i hate jogging, but i need it. i lift, then run a 10 minute mile. i know, not much, but im kinda bulky and have awful cardio and endurance. but i feel a difference just after 1 week of that. i cant wait to burn out and quit it all again. :(

Before you can run a mile you gotta take a few steps bro.

As far as that shoulder goes, be careful. I would definitely not bench or do anything related to using it until I get that shoulder checked out by a doc. Ill be the first to say I cant stand doctors especially when I know something hurt because I know only bad news is coming but its only going to get worse...

"Boik14 wrote:

Before you can run a mile you gotta take a few steps bro.

As far as that shoulder goes, be careful. I would definitely not bench or do anything related to using it until I get that shoulder checked out by a doc. Ill be the first to say I cant stand doctors especially when I know something hurt because I know only bad news is coming but its only going to get worse...

i hear ya...i have an orthopedic i went to years ago for minor pec tears. maybe i'll check it out. it is odd though, its only very certain movements that bother my shoulder, like that pressing motion. i can do shoulder presses and be fine, but bench presses are way painful.

and im actually kinda please i can do a 10 minute mile, basically out of the blue. for the way i work out, i probably wont go much over a mile, as a post workout jog, but if i can get it down to 8 or 9 minutes without a heart attack, i'll be happy.:lol:

"Boik14 wrote:

Dont think about how far youve gone, or how far you have to go. Dont think about anything related to running. Works for me. :wink2:

i hear that, now that im begining, with each thump of my foot my brain goes "pain, pain, pain, pain"...if i'm lucky, in the past, i could get into a good song, and forget about the "running" for a while, passes the time and exertion much more pleasantly.

Started to take creatine.....we;ll see how that goes. I can def. feel a diff. in energy levels.

"enforcerfin33 wrote:

Started to take creatine.....we;ll see how that goes. I can def. feel a diff. in energy levels.

you know, i should go back on that...it used to help with recovery pretty well for me. i just eat and diet so poorly, i never get around to taking my vitamins or supplements.:pity:

"enforcerfin33 wrote:

Started to take creatine.....we;ll see how that goes. I can def. feel a diff. in energy levels.

Let me know how that bloating feels. Take suger as a placebo lol

To all you guys considering or starting creatine:

If losing weight and burning calories is your primary goal, then I would wait to start the creatine.

Creatine is good for putting on weight and building muscle, but if your trying to lose weight then I would concentrate on that first without the creatine. Your not gonna see as much of a difference if your taking it bc it def puts some more weight on you. IMO its best to cut off whatever fat your trying to get rid of, then use the creatine to build muscle. Just my 2 cents.

got my mile down to 9:30. not bad for an old man who's been at it for a week. i was huffin and puffin big time though.

"Boik14 wrote:

Let me know how that bloating feels. Take suger as a placebo lol

is that whats causing this sheet? Might have to rethink this then...cause I feel like crap. I have noticed a higher energy level on me for my workouts, but I am not losing any wieght. Of course my eating habits are not helping but I still should be losing something. I need something to give me more energy and a better workout...but I'm starting to think the creatine isnt it.

And on another note. What about testosterone boosters, anyone tried those out before?

"enforcerfin33 wrote:

is that whats causing this sheet? Might have to rethink this then...cause I feel like crap. I have noticed a higher energy level on me for my workouts, but I am not losing any wieght. Of course my eating habits are not helping but I still should be losing something. I need something to give me more energy and a better workout...but I'm starting to think the creatine isnt it.

Bro, it's a simple question of calories in v. calories out. I suspect it's your eating (and sleeping) habits that are getting the best of you. If you don't get enough good sleep (6-8 hrs) than your body is in a constant state of stress and more likely to store fat.

As for the creatine, biochemically it's muscle fuel. That's it. So all it can do is allow you to work harder/longer and recover quicker. The 'bloated' feeling you may be getting is from more water being stored in the muscle, as a result of the creatine loading. It does this to easily store/gain acess to the excess creatine in your system. Once that is filled though, your body has to do something with it, and since most creatine comes prepackaged w/ sugar (I just looked at mine- 32g per serving:eek: ), it's like getting a sugar rush- complete w/ all the drawbacks.

My suggestion would be to cut back on the creatine dosage by half of whatever you're currently doing and see how that goes. But most of all, you're going to have to control what, how much and when you eat. That's the only way you're going to have real, lasting fat loss and better health. Honestly , that's been the hardest part for me, and I still am struggling w/ it.:sad: Having to cook all my meals has helped, but I still reach for that pint of ice cream at 9pm 3-4 nights a week. It's an ongoing process, but I'm confident if you (and I) stick to it, the rewards will be well worth it.:up::yes:

Anyone ever try Bill Starr's 5X5 routine?

Just started it this week, it's a strength building routine that's emphasizes squats. I'll let you know by the end of my summer how it works, I finished my bench set at 185 (5 reps) and squat set at 255 (5 reps) and I'm hoping to have my bench up to 225 lb (5 reps) and squat up to 315 (5 reps) by mid August. You workout warriors think that's realistic? 40 pounds to bench and 60 pounds to squat in 10 weeks?

Hopefully I can reach my goals.

"GridIronKing34 wrote:

Anyone ever try Bill Starr's 5X5 routine?

Just started it this week, it's a strength building routine that's emphasizes squats. I'll let you know by the end of my summer how it works, I finished my bench set at 185 (5 reps) and squat set at 255 (5 reps) and I'm hoping to have my bench up to 225 lb (5 reps) and squat up to 315 (5 reps) by mid August. You workout warriors think that's realistic? 40 pounds to bench and 60 pounds to squat in 10 weeks?

Hopefully I can reach my goals.

Good Luck bro :up:

"GridIronKing34 wrote:

Anyone ever try Bill Starr's 5X5 routine?

Just started it this week, it's a strength building routine that's emphasizes squats. I'll let you know by the end of my summer how it works, I finished my bench set at 185 (5 reps) and squat set at 255 (5 reps) and I'm hoping to have my bench up to 225 lb (5 reps) and squat up to 315 (5 reps) by mid August. You workout warriors think that's realistic? 40 pounds to bench and 60 pounds to squat in 10 weeks?

Hopefully I can reach my goals.

It's def. possible...personally I increased my squat 100lbs. in 2 weeks when I started (255-355 for 12 reps), but that was on a diff. routine...As long as you stimulate the muscle sufficiently and allow for enough rest to recover, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't reach your goals- even ahead of schedule.

I personally haven't tried it, but I've read up on it, and it's a pretty decent program. Are you going to be doing just those 2 exercises, or are there other compound movements that you'll be doing as well? Most on the 5x5 usually do 4-6 compound exercises, so I was wondering how you have your program set up. Good Luck!

"GridIronKing34 wrote:

Anyone ever try Bill Starr's 5X5 routine?

Just started it this week, it's a strength building routine that's emphasizes squats. I'll let you know by the end of my summer how it works, I finished my bench set at 185 (5 reps) and squat set at 255 (5 reps) and I'm hoping to have my bench up to 225 lb (5 reps) and squat up to 315 (5 reps) by mid August. You workout warriors think that's realistic? 40 pounds to bench and 60 pounds to squat in 10 weeks?

Hopefully I can reach my goals.

Hard to say. Most people who casually workout or just start again after a long period of time and go right into a pretty hardcore program see really rapid results for the first few months so its possible. Its the guys who lift constantly that see slower results a lot of the time.

BTW why is your team named the NIAGARA FALLS angry beavers?

"Sethdaddy8 wrote:

got my mile down to 9:30. not bad for an old man who's been at it for a week. i was huffin and puffin big time though.

As long as you keep going. I dont think anyone really runs for style lol. I look like warm death when Im out there after I just finished lifting. Keep up the good work man :up:

"enforcerfin33 wrote:

And on another note. What about testosterone boosters, anyone tried those out before?

Like JCOW said, cut out the creatine at least partially or completely right now if necessary and worry more about your diet. You can buy all the supplements and **** in the world but if your workout plan, diet and sleep patterns are bad then your going to have a really tough time. Also, drink a hell of a lot of water everyday.

"slickj101 wrote:

Hard to say. Most people who casually workout or just start again after a long period of time and go right into a pretty hardcore program see really rapid results for the first few months so its possible. Its the guys who lift constantly that see slower results a lot of the time.

BTW why is your team named the NIAGARA FALLS angry beavers?

Yeah, I've been lifting with a 3-4 days a week routine (during college I do 4 day routines because I have more time) for over a year... And the team name is from ThePhins.com Poster draft, which is in the contest forum here...

JCowScot wrote:

It's def. possible...personally I increased my squat 100lbs. in 2 weeks when I started (255-355 for 12 reps), but that was on a diff. routine...As long as you stimulate the muscle sufficiently and allow for enough rest to recover, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't reach your goals- even ahead of schedule.

I personally haven't tried it, but I've read up on it, and it's a pretty decent program. Are you going to be doing just those 2 exercises, or are there other compound movements that you'll be doing as well? Most on the 5x5 usually do 4-6 compound exercises, so I was wondering how you have your program set up. Good Luck!

Well it's a MWF routine so I get a days rest between each day and two days to recover for Monday. This is how mine works out.. I've done exactly what was the routine said to do, didn't modify it at all. Normally I would but I figured I better do the routine as it was intended:

Monday:
Bench: 5 X 5 racking
Squat: 5 X 5 racking
Barbell Row: 5 X 5 racking
Weighted Hyper-extensions: 2 X 12
Weighted Crunches: 4 X 25

Wednesday (this is the 'light day' according to Starr):
Squat: 4 X 5, first three sets same as Monday, forth set the same set as Monday's third set.
Military Press: 4 X 5 racking
Deadlift: 4 X 5 racking
Crunches: 4 X 25

Friday:
Bench: 4 X 5 (same as first four sets as Monday) 1 X 3 (minimum 2.5% increase from last set on Monday) 1 X 8 (third set on Monday)
Squat: 4 X 5 (same as first four sets as Monday) 1 X 3 (minimum 2.5% increase from last set on Monday) 1 X 8 (third set on Monday)
Barbell Row: 4 X 5 (same as first four sets as Monday) 1 X 3 (minimum 2.5% increase from last set on Monday) 1 X 8 (third set on Monday)
Dips: 3 X 6
Barbell Curls: 3 X 10
Tricep Extensions: 3 X 8

yea I think you have a decent shot at meeting those goals if you can keep at it consistantly. I know about the poster draft but my question is why did you choose Niagara Falls?

"slickj101 wrote:

yea I think you have a decent shot at meeting those goals if you can keep at it consistantly. I know about the poster draft but my question is why did you choose Niagara Falls?

I dunno...

I liked the name Angry Beavers because it sounded cool... and it has a sexual innuendo.

I thought, what would piss off beavers and then it came to me... living near Niagara Falls. So they became the Angry Beavers.

"GridIronKing34 wrote:

I dunno...

I liked the name Angry Beavers because it sounded cool... and it has a sexual innuendo.

I thought, what would piss off beavers and then it came to me... living near Niagara Falls. So they became the Angry Beavers.

Griddles is a virgin....the thought of beavers angers him....the name makes sense now huh?:wink2:

just started running again today for the 1st time in 8 months. cranked out a whopping 2.5 miles in 25 mins.

"GridIronKing34 wrote:

Anyone ever try Bill Starr's 5X5 routine?

Just started it this week, it's a strength building routine that's emphasizes squats. I'll let you know by the end of my summer how it works, I finished my bench set at 185 (5 reps) and squat set at 255 (5 reps) and I'm hoping to have my bench up to 225 lb (5 reps) and squat up to 315 (5 reps) by mid August. You workout warriors think that's realistic? 40 pounds to bench and 60 pounds to squat in 10 weeks?

Hopefully I can reach my goals.

strength training is usually up to one or two rep weight. that routine looks more powerlifting to me. I can't workout till my road rash heals. But I think I'm going to go sat and at least do some squats............ cant use my arms though till i heal. :cry: