The Gym Thread...

[TrialsIsHard]

I like it, it tells me that I've definitely nailed the workout.

[Muel]

I had that for ages, then I started eating a diet heavy in chicken protein and it soon stopped.

Eat more!

[isitafox]

I was more referring to the fact that I went to the gym late and was up for work at 5:10am so expected my legs to still be tired but if anything I had more energy!

Best ways to beat DOMS is a freezing cold shower on the muscles you've worked afterwards and/or using those foam rollers. They really hurt at the time but do such a great job of easing the aches!

[TrialsIsHard]

I had that for ages, then I started eating a diet heavy in chicken protein and it soon stopped.

Eat more!

I've had 104 grams of protein today predominantly from tuna steak. Is this the ballpark protein intake that helped you?

Felt great in the gym today and did a 2 hour chest workout, I still think this will be a painful one.

[Davetrials]

Muel you not using any specific supplements?

[Muel]

I've had 104 grams of protein today predominantly from tuna steak. Is this the ballpark protein intake that helped you?

Felt great in the gym today and did a 2 hour chest workout, I still think this will be a painful one.

No I had that problem when I was getting around 100g, now getting over 200g per day. Wouldn't instantly start eating that much, just need to find what works for you.

I wouldn't eat that much tuna in a day though... Presume that's 2 tins? I found 2 tins made me go all silly (mercury does weird stuff to your brain) so limit it to 1 tin and only on gym days.

Muel you not using any specific supplements?

Other than a multivitamin, cod liver oil and vitamin C tablets, nope nothing at all. I tried protein shakes before but don't think I can absorb them very well because they didn't do much for the soreness in the following few days. It just sorted itself out when I decided to get more serious about weightlifting and sorted my diet out.

[TrialsIsHard]

No I had that problem when I was getting around 100g, now getting over 200g per day. Wouldn't instantly start eating that much, just need to find what works for you.

I wouldn't eat that much tuna in a day though... Presume that's 2 tins? I found 2 tins made me go all silly (mercury does weird stuff to your brain) so limit it to 1 tin and only on gym days.

That was tuna steak, not tinned (but still the same amount of mercury I imagine)? I didn't feel anything odd, but then again it was fairly late and I went to sleep shortly after. What kind of 'silly' effect did it give you?

I've had 85 grams today which feels like the limit I can intake through real food without spending lots of money/ eating food for the sake of it, as I'm currently trying to lose fat. Probably time for the shakes..

[Muel]

That was tuna steak, not tinned (but still the same amount of mercury I imagine)? I didn't feel anything odd, but then again it was fairly late and I went to sleep shortly after. What kind of 'silly' effect did it give you?

I've had 85 grams today which feels like the limit I can intake through real food without spending lots of money/ eating food for the sake of it, as I'm currently trying to lose fat. Probably time for the shakes..

Yeh the mercury gets into the tuna when it's still swimming about. It has an extremely long half life, so if your levels get too high they take months to come down. I mean silly like fits of rage or hyperactivity way beyond what I normally had, was pretty grim. Only last about a week because I cut it out as soon as I worked out what was happening, then gave it a month or so and then start having 1 tin a day and only on gym days.

It does get expensive, and to be honest it's only worth it when you feel that your diet isn't giving you enough protein. If you feel ~100g works fine then stick to it.

Shakes work for some people, I just don't get on with them. I know a lot of people who swear by them though who struggle with the physical quantity of food needed to eat 3000cal a day from clean food. I'm a big fat twat though so I don't struggle.

[TrialsIsHard]

I've just done some research into mercury poisoning and tuna, bodybuilding.com does a pretty in-depth article on it and what it's actually doing in the body.

You're absolutely right about one can a day only on gym days; they said a 90kg male can eat approximately one can a day without mercury build up in the kidneys. Being 73kg I should probably cut back a little, it's quite worrying that it stays for approximately 90 days in the body tissue. I've been eating one can a day for around 3 weeks and not noticed any side-effects, but I'll definitely be aware of it now!

Protein shakes are good, as it allows you to eat what you like rather than eating for its protein content. I'll be using them lightly, on days where my protein intake isn't high enough not for caloric intake reasons. Unlike my housemate who has a metabolism like I've never seen before and is drinking 2 mutant mass shakes a day (1,060 cals a shake) on top of a heavy bulking diet.

[Muel]

I've just done some research into mercury poisoning and tuna, bodybuilding.com does a pretty in-depth article on it and what it's actually doing in the body.

You're absolutely right about one can a day only on gym days; they said a 90kg male can eat approximately one can a day without mercury build up in the kidneys. Being 73kg I should probably cut back a little, it's quite worrying that it stays for approximately 90 days in the body tissue. I've been eating one can a day for around 3 weeks and not noticed any side-effects, but I'll definitely be aware of it now!

Protein shakes are good, as it allows you to eat what you like rather than eating for its protein content. I'll be using them lightly, on days where my protein intake isn't high enough not for caloric intake reasons. Unlike my housemate who has a metabolism like I've never seen before and is drinking 2 mutant mass shakes a day (1,060 cals a shake) on top of a heavy bulking diet.

Yeh well luckily I weigh nearly 100kg so 1 a day for 5 days a week seems OK.

Protein shakes are a supplement and need to be used as such IMO. It's important to remember that "protein" is actually a family of many things and it's a very complicated subject. Whey simply doesn't have the protein quality of meat/fish/eggs IMO.

Depends what your goals are. If you want to look a bit prettier for summer then you're right, eat a normal diet and have a couple of shakes here and there and you'll be fine. If you want to put some proper size and strength on though you need to eat the right stuff before supplementing it IMO.

[TrialsIsHard]

I'm trying to become more lean rather than put on a load of mass, I'm eating a low fat low cal diet consisting of tuna, sweet potato, steak, chicken breast, brown rice and eggs predominantly. I'm currently eating around sub 2000 cals a day, but that being said I am relatively new to lifting properly and am around 18% body fat (a guess, never had it measured) which means for the first part I can lose fat and gain muscle right? The shakes are intended to keep protein up, whilst keeping cals down.

What would you say consists of the right stuff? I thought I was more or less on the right lines!

Anyone else want to join this thread?

[Muel]

I'm trying to become more lean rather than put on a load of mass, I'm eating a low fat low cal diet consisting of tuna, sweet potato, steak, chicken breast, brown rice and eggs predominantly. I'm currently eating around sub 2000 cals a day, but that being said I am relatively new to lifting properly and am around 18% body fat (a guess, never had it measured) which means for the first part I can lose fat and gain muscle right? The shakes are intended to keep protein up, whilst keeping cals down.

What would you say consists of the right stuff? I thought I was more or less on the right lines!

Anyone else want to join this thread?

Sounds like the right stuff to me haha. I eat pretty similar stuff but a lot of green veg with it.

I think most people can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time to be honest. If you train hard enough to force growth whilst burning more energy than you take in it's going to happen.

I don't know much about fat loss to be honest. I just want to lift heavy things.

[TrialsIsHard]

That's my thinking, there's no way my muscles aren't being overloaded or that I'm in surplus calories..

I want to start lifting heavy things, this week I'm going to start deadlifting. Tips?! Apart from not trying to be 'big dick' and putting 150kg on there and killing myself

[Muel]

Yeh take your time with deadlifts. They require a lot of core strength to support your spine. I wouldn't start doing heavy stuff for several months, and stick to 8-12 rep sets and concentrate on form instead.

With deadlifts and squats, foot placement and support is super important. Start with light weights and watch your form in a mirror or get someone to watch you, and read online about different methods. There's no perfect form, it's different for everyone. Some people suit having their knees spaced a bit wider than others, or heels a bit higher (different lifting shoes have different height heel lifts). It's all a case of working out how your joints behave and stuff.

I'm still not that big or strong though so don't take my word as read.

[TrialsIsHard]

I think form has to be the focus, I've done a few before and struggle to keep my back straight. Luckily in my uni gym the attendants are super helpful and will happily give you advice if you're doing stuff wrong, so I'll talk to one of them.

I can squat with pretty reasonable form, but have always focussed on getting low and doing as many as I can with approximately my bodyweight. That always gives me enough overload in my legs that I can't walk out of the gym! I see a lot of people deadlifting and squatting with no shoes on, is this a common thing or just a 'trend' for want of a better word. It just looks to me like less support and more room for injury.

[LukasMcNeal]

Some trainers have big heel such as nike roshes and they make you lean forward which is bad for squatting and your overall balance of the movement. Try it with and without shoes and see what you prefer, without shoes you can feel more stable sometimes.

[chimpanzyyyy]

I think form has to be the focus, I've done a few before and struggle to keep my back straight. Luckily in my uni gym the attendants are super helpful and will happily give you advice if you're doing stuff wrong, so I'll talk to one of them.

I can squat with pretty reasonable form, but have always focussed on getting low and doing as many as I can with approximately my bodyweight. That always gives me enough overload in my legs that I can't walk out of the gym! I see a lot of people deadlifting and squatting with no shoes on, is this a common thing or just a 'trend' for want of a better word. It just looks to me like less support and more room for injury.

for the deadlifts, whatever form you use, just keep four back straight

it's so f**king hard, but if not, you ll just f**k your back for a long time

it's obvious you ll have a lot stability if you do lifts without shoes

as you optimize the contact between the floor and your feet

someone told me lifting with regular shoes is like lifting while standing on a mattress

a lot of your strenght will be lost in the softness of the sole (specially at the heel section)

I use shoes with super thin soles and it works really well

[Muel]

I can squat with pretty reasonable form, but have always focussed on getting low and doing as many as I can with approximately my bodyweight. That always gives me enough overload in my legs that I can't walk out of the gym! I see a lot of people deadlifting and squatting with no shoes on, is this a common thing or just a 'trend' for want of a better word. It just looks to me like less support and more room for injury.

Depends entirely on your foot shape and how stable your ankles are. I can't do anything barefoot as I require a fair bit of arch support.

Some trainers have big heel such as nike roshes and they make you lean forward which is bad for squatting and your overall balance of the movement. Try it with and without shoes and see what you prefer, without shoes you can feel more stable sometimes.

You're thinking deadlifts there mate. When squatting a heel lift means your ankle can rotate further forward and bring your knees forward, so your torso is more upright. That's why all deadlift slippers are flat and all Olympic lift shoes have a huge heel lift.

for the deadlifts, whatever form you use, just keep four back straight

it's so f**king hard, but if not, you ll just f**k your back for a long time

it's obvious you ll have a lot stability if you do lifts without shoes

as you optimize the contact between the floor and your feet

someone told me lifting with regular shoes is like lifting while standing on a mattress

a lot of your strenght will be lost in the softness of the sole (specially at the heel section)

I use shoes with super thin soles and it works really well

Without shoes can be far more unstable. What's flatter, a lifting shoe or the base of your foot?

Regular trainers are like standing on a mattress but I squat in snug fitting running shoes because it feels way better than barefoot. Need to get some proper shoes though as I'm going fairly heavy now.

[chimpanzyyyy]

Without shoes can be far more unstable. What's flatter, a lifting shoe or the base of your foot?

Regular trainers are like standing on a mattress but I squat in snug fitting running shoes because it feels way better than barefoot. Need to get some proper shoes though as I'm going fairly heavy now.

personal preference I guess

was quite happy with myself yesterday

did 70kg on shoulder press for one rep

my best ever and it was brutal(for my tiny frame body)

give it a try

(that's not me with the boobs)

[TrialsIsHard]

did 70kg on shoulder press for one rep

my best ever and it was brutal(for my tiny frame body)

That's big for the shoulder press! Free weight olympic bar I presume? I'm only using 45kg as a training weight [5x10 reps], no idea what my one rep max is.

[chimpanzyyyy]

That's big for the shoulder press! Free weight olympic bar I presume? I'm only using 45kg as a training weight [5x10 reps], no idea what my one rep max is.

yes

I do crossfit

and my fav part is just working on rep max, so fun

10 reps of 45 kg seems a lot to me

I ll give it a try next time

[TrialsIsHard]

yes

I do crossfit

and my fav part is just working on rep max, so fun

10 reps of 45 kg seems a lot to me

I ll give it a try next time

Crossfit looks SO good, but there's no centres around me that do it Haha give it a go, if you do cross fit you'll probably piss it!

In related news, I did deadlifts today was doing sets with 80kg which seemed like a reasonable weight for a n00b but was having real trouble keeping my shoulders back- I guess that comes with practice. I haven't got the trials riders hands that I used to a few years back, and my hands are TORN UP. Used a bit of chalk but didn't help a whole lot. Tips?!

[chimpanzyyyy]

Crossfit looks SO good, but there's no centres around me that do it Haha give it a go, if you do cross fit you'll probably piss it!

In related news, I did deadlifts today was doing sets with 80kg which seemed like a reasonable weight for a n00b but was having real trouble keeping my shoulders back- I guess that comes with practice. I haven't got the trials riders hands that I used to a few years back, and my hands are TORN UP. Used a bit of chalk but didn't help a whole lot. Tips?!

I ll try today if I can

about the shoulders. Just lift a weight which is light enough that you can keep perfect form. 80kg is quite a lot already if you re new to it

the big problem with the deadlift is that you can lift A LOT without proper form and don't notice right away that you injure yourself in the process.

and if you really want to lift heavy, then don't do long reps

better have 2 perfect heavy reps, than 8 with bad form

about the hands. same as trials riding, it gets stronger with time.

I do use cream on my hands when the skin is too thick and dry.

dealfits hurt hands, they a re a grip killer.

the worst is mixing deadlifts with pull ups.

just not nice

[TrialsIsHard]

I ll try today if I can

about the shoulders. Just lift a weight which is light enough that you can keep perfect form. 80kg is quite a lot already if you re new to it

the big problem with the deadlift is that you can lift A LOT without proper form and don't notice right away that you injure yourself in the process.

dealfits hurt hands, they a re a grip killer.

the worst is mixing deadlifts with pull ups.

just not nice

Give it a go!

Yeah that's what I felt, like I could pick up 100+kg but the more weight I added to the bar (started at around 50kg) the more I couldn't hold my shoulders back. I feel absolutely fine this morning so my form can't have been too bad, definitely something I need to work on though.

This is what I did, hello bruised palms

Out of interest, what are your stats body wise having done cross fit? Everyone I've seen that does it are like 90 kg and 10%bf!

[MadManMike]

This may be answered somewhere in this thread, but I don't have time to read all 85 pages!

I'm joining a gym with a friend for two reasons:

1) I'd like to shift my ridiculous pot belly - I'm not a big guy, I'm 6ft2 and fairly skinny in most places, so having a big gut is just stupid looking.

2) I'd like to build up my stamina for running, riding etc... Generally just be fitter.

Any pointers on a good routine that'll help?

I'm not looking to bulk up massively or anything like that, just shift a little weight and tone up a bit.

I'm posting here as I bet someone is doing a weekly routine for the same reasons.

Cheers!