Well you need some sort of safety system and it's either bars or straps. Straps seem to be more versatile and let me touch my chest while also bench alone safely. They can also be used for squats, rack pulls, and I've heard of people putting them low so the weight just about touches the ground and doing deadlifts (technically a rack pull) that way so it's really easy to add and remove weight.

4/19/2017 12:30:04 PM

Quote :

"Why do you prefer the half rack to the full one?"

you can take as long a stride out of the rack as you want without hitting the rack behind you. You can also do good mornings and lunges with a half rack without having to be positioned perfectly. All it took was for me to bump the back of the rack with the plates while squatting to feel claustrophobic every time I stepped inside the cage. I ended up doing most of my lifts outside of the cage for simplicity, so my cage was nothing more than an oversized stand.

If you're not worried about doing squats and mainly want something to bench in, then a cage would be cheaper. You wouldn't have the mobility concerns that steered me away from a full cage.

4/19/2017 4:32:23 PM

That is what is making me think if I go cage I might want the R4 which is deeper. Of course I am looking to get bumpers too so I could always squat outside the cage and dump it if I feel too claustrophobic. First I need to clean my damn garage and measure to see how much room I have.

4/19/2017 5:40:50 PM

My breakfast today:

70 g fat, of which 31 g saturated
40 g protein
36 g carbs, of which 15 g fiber and 18 g sugar

945 calories

67% fat
17% protein
15% carbs

I have done a paleo/LCHF/ketogenic diet once before, for about 4 months in 2010, and had a good experience with it. Lost 11 pounds (8 pounds in first month), and massively improved my blood lipid profile. Total cholesterol did not drop much, but moderately lowered LDL and VLDL, and massively improved HDL, all of which significantly improved the total/HDL and HDL/LDL ratios. Most significantly, triglycerides fell through the floor.

Let's see how it goes now. I just have a morbid fear of constipation. As long as I don't constipated, I will battle through anything else.

Foods consumed:

3 eggs
1/3 cup cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp soy butter
1 cup soymilk
1 small orange
1.5 tbsp fiber (SupraFiber)

I was going to make my breakfast for the whole week last night, but was too tired. Will make it tonight, a massive egg frittata with a ton of veggies, cheese, and butter, baked in the oven. Plan to eat at least a pound of veggies daily.

4/24/2017 11:31:49 AM

Well my idea of building a home gym on the cheap was blown out of the water today. Got the Rogue RML-490 rack, Ohio bar, 320 lbs of bumpers, a few small steel plates, dip bar attachment, landmine, and a few other accessories. I still want to get an adjustable bench and some sort of adjustable dumbbell set but those will have to wait a bit.

4/25/2017 1:13:56 PM

man, you need a bench!

you could at least get a flat one for relatively cheap

4/25/2017 2:11:36 PM

My dad has a bunch of old workout equipment he doesn't use so I'll probably borrow one of his for a bit and my birthday is in May and I'm going to ask for a Rep Fitness adjustable one for that.

4/25/2017 2:35:27 PM

cool man, sounds like you're well on your way to having all that stuff pay for itself after a while by not paying for a gym membership

also, Rogue stuff holds good resale value---just in case you decide to upgrade to something else, move to smaller space, quit working out, etc

4/25/2017 2:41:49 PM

Play It Again Sports--or whatever it's called--should have a buncha stuff. eBay and whatnot, too... Lotsa failed exercise regimens means we don't really need to buy new.

[Edited on April 25, 2017 at 3:00 PM. Reason : Yeah]

4/25/2017 2:59:52 PM

Quote :

"Well my idea of building a home gym on the cheap was blown out of the water today."

Yeah, this can become an expensive hobby.



My half rack - it doesn't come very far out into the room, so you get a very open feeling lifting on the platform in front of if.



What my home gym has grown into - I'd like to get rid of the cage, the bench, and the cheap elliptical. Where the cage is now, I'd like to either add a leg press or an area to train with sand bags.

4/25/2017 3:39:59 PM

That is a pretty serious setup. My main future additions other than what I mentioned before are a GHD, concept2 rower, and some sort of cable machine. I am trying to fit all of this in my extra garage spot so I don't have much more space than for all that. I'm not kidding myself thinking it will save me a bunch of money, will take a few years to break even, but having nice equipment and not having to wait around for what I want to use is worth it to me. Combined with the convenience of not having to leave my house to workout will be really nice as well. Even though I'm in Texas I am lucky that my garage is insulated and air conditioned. It isn't as cool as my house because it isn't THAT sealed up but it beats the hell out of no AC.

4/25/2017 4:05:22 PM

^^

Life goals. Can we be friends?

4/25/2017 5:02:37 PM

When I had a gym in my garage in Cary, I never wanted to use it because it was either too hot or too cold. I've got the same issue now with all my sandbags being in the garage; I don't use them unless the weather's perfect.

The move to Maryland and having a kid drove my decision to pursue a home gym. Gyms are much more expensive up here, especially if you want one with daycare services. Combine that with how far I would have to drive to go to one, and it just made sense to build onto what I already had. We've got a baby monitor setup for when she's sleeping and an extra pack-n-play for when she's not. Entertaining an infant between sets has become a normal part of our workout routine.

The best part of my home gym can't be seen from the photo - the stair chair. Comes in handy after leg day.

My dad keeps telling me my home gym won't become serious until I get another set of 100lb plates.

4/25/2017 5:35:09 PM

That house gym setup is CRAZY AWESOME! That being said that could be one hell of a game room and spend the money and go to a really good gym. I always wonder and hope I will face that problem someday

4/26/2017 12:18:30 AM

did a solid bootcamp this morning after feeling like i had lost all of the progress i had made last year, in just the last few months. was pleasantly surprised that i am still strong and it won't take nearly as much to get back in solid shape

4/30/2017 12:20:24 PM

I struggle with this every year and always end up losing motivation. I have always had a hard time gaining muscle, so every time I consistently work out and watch my diet I feel like it's pointless and stop caring for a month or so.

I know I'm not going to look like a 21 year old Fitness model, but I also wish I wasn't embarrassed to take my shirt off at the beach. Just feel skinny all over except in my gut.

5/2/2017 10:42:54 PM

It's really not that hard to gain muscle. Pick a solid workout plan and stick to it. And eat. And sleep.

5/3/2017 9:43:53 AM

Crushed a 3-miler in 20:05 yesterday. I think I had a good bit left in the tank at the end as well. Feeling good about breaking 20 minutes in a 5K this year. Now that it's getting hot, I can run without my dog and pick up the pace. That 95lb beast holds me back.

5/3/2017 9:51:48 AM

^^^Ah, the life of an ectomorph. I know the struggle well. Personally, I had to shift my thinking and motivation from "how am I going to gain muscle" to "what are some sports/ exercise programs that are fun and I wont get bored of in six months". Going to Gold's was a chore for me. I hated the monotony of it. So i found something that was actually fun to do (for me it was crossfit. For others, it might be swimming or basketball).

^^For some ectomorphs, it's nearly impossible to gain muscle mass.

[Edited on May 3, 2017 at 9:57 AM. Reason : Congrats^]

5/3/2017 9:57:26 AM

It really isn't that hard to work around that. Reduce the time on cardio-based exercises, stick to strength training (heavy weight/low reps), and eat frequently.

5/3/2017 10:10:35 AM

Science tends to disagree.

5/3/2017 11:03:09 AM

what have you tried? have you ever calculated your TDEE & added 500 calories while on a consistent workout plan?

look, perhaps some people have that issue, but I bet there's more people who claim they are that really aren't, like fat people saying they have a thyroid issue

5/3/2017 11:21:17 AM

Quote :

"For some ectomorphs, it's nearly impossible to gain muscle mass."

If you eat like a bird then sure

5/3/2017 12:32:42 PM

Does your appetite change with the seasons? Man I want to fucking eat everything in the warmer months.

5/11/2017 9:00:27 PM

Holy mother fuck I signed myself up for the XTREME RIP GIRLFRIEND diet.

Starting Monday morning. Gonna try to lose ~10 lbs in a week. Aiming for 6-7 lbs fat loss and no real strength loss.

5/14/2017 2:37:03 AM

Im down another 10 lbs from when i posted that. 25 total

5/29/2017 12:00:19 PM

this dude is incredible!

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMail/videos/2357373864322348/

5/31/2017 6:18:09 AM

I fell off the diet/exercise wagon.

Back to it, damnit!

5/31/2017 10:04:30 AM

Hey y'all! Were a nutrition club close to NC State and a lot of the campus apartments on Tyron Rd. We are hosting a weight loss challenge this month and will teach you how to lose weight. Biggest losers will win cash!!! Check out the link below for more info.

http://www.pinnaclecary.com/weightlosschallenge

[Edited on June 15, 2017 at 9:01 AM. Reason : Typo]

6/15/2017 9:01:05 AM

this will surely work out for you

6/15/2017 1:46:58 PM

Started a new routine, well slight variation of a routine I've done for a few years, that incorporates front squats & sumo deadlifts. Never realized how weak my hip flexors were! And the DOMS...ugh.

6/15/2017 3:17:13 PM

This guy just downed 300+ g protein and 250+ g fat in 16 sec

(and 10+ g cholesterol)

https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeFitnessLifestyle/videos/1314282795334000/


These two women are fit as hell, fitter than almost everybody in the world (relatively), and I am referring to functional fitness:

https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeFitnessLifestyle/videos/1316059248489688
https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeFitnessLifestyle/videos/1314229272006019

Wish I was like them!

6/15/2017 10:41:54 PM

Hard to go running with all these thunderstorms about.

6/19/2017 3:49:55 PM

I did a Father's Day Bootcamp at a local brewery yesterday....ouch.

I crushed all of the upper body stuff..but I can barely walk today. I either need to do this stuff more often, or avoid it completely.

6/19/2017 4:21:12 PM

I recently started cycling on my non-run days, and it's great. I can't get too serious because roads around my house are too dangerous and there just isn't enough time to drive somewhere, but I'm getting about 50 miles/week in.

Man I wish I had been this healthy in college.

6/19/2017 9:45:40 PM

Anyone ever tried a roughly every day workout based on swimming? How'd it go?

6/23/2017 12:15:39 PM

Should be a good full-body workout, minus the joint aches and stresses of something like jogging. I haven't done daily swimming myself, though.

I have been slacking on my bike the last couple weeks, but partially due to rain

6/24/2017 11:08:48 PM

i have started swimming in the sea a few times a week (just started last week so only been 4x so far) -- i live at the beach so have easy access and the water finally warmed enough for me to get in comfortably in the evenings after work (i'm a serious wuss about cold water)

so far i've just been swimming out to a buoy and back, it takes me 15-20 min and i'm estimating it's 600m total (the buoy is marking a swimming/no boating area that i think extends 300m offshore)

i've never really been much of a proper lap swimmer (my form is shit and i've never mastered a good breathing technique), so for now i'm just doing the breaststroke for the most part -- it's not much but it's so far been nice on days i don't do any other workout, i'll probably try to extend the time/distance and mix things up intensity-wise but for now this is good for me

since it's the sea and not a pool there's some uncontrolled factors -- today there's quite a bit of wind/chop/surf so the trip out was tougher as i kept taking waves in the face (but then it was easier on the way back in); also it's the mediterranean which is super salty so i'm much more buoyant than in a pool... not having ever really swam laps for exercise in the past i can't distinguish any differences, but it's definitely much more pleasant than going for a run in humid 80+°F

6/25/2017 12:16:02 PM

A few years back I was swimming about twice a week and it was awesome. I'd try to get in at least a quarter mile...mostly half a mile...and if i wasn't doing any other workout that day, I'd try to get in a mile.

It was great, but don't have the time or access to a pool right now. I'd like to get back into it at some point. Although I couldn't imagine swimming every day.

6/26/2017 7:07:55 AM

How is calorie burn with swimming, compared with running?

6/26/2017 12:59:38 PM

It's not a crazy amount more...but you'll definitely burn more calories running than swimming. But you'll get a more full body workout and less wear and tear than running.

6/26/2017 2:00:44 PM

Swimming is less in part due to body being cooled by the water.

But its a form of light resistance training as well. Overall more beneficial. The calorie difference is fairly negligible.

Heck the calories burned by cardio period are practically negligible

6/29/2017 2:55:27 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/21/health/run-vs-swim-statistician-says-the-score-is-in.html

Pretty interesting take on the debate. The whole article is worth a skim but to answer the question:

Quote :

"Given the ratios he found for swimmers and runners, as well as measurements of oxygen consumption, Dr. Wainer deduced that champion swimmers burn 25 percent more calories than runners in a given time. This finding, Dr. Duncan said, is somewhat surprising because swimmers in general tend to have lower heart rates when they exercise than runners. Also, many people who take up swimming to lose weight are disappointed when the sport does little to burn off extra fat, perhaps because they do not exercise at extremely high intensity levels, Dr. Duncan said."

It's interesting to look at stats comparing champion-level athletes vs. average Joes. On a surface level, swimming may burn more, or they may even appear even but average people exercising to lose weight, etc. likely burn significantly more calories running because they're going to get their heart rate much higher rate and have a greater control of that rate and intensity.

If you just jump into a pool as a novice swimmer and start going balls to the wall, you're just gonna swallow a bunch of water and piddle out.

[Edited on June 30, 2017 at 11:12 AM. Reason : but the article does point out that swimmers are better conditioned all around ]

6/30/2017 11:10:12 AM

Well, I'm thinking about doing the next half IM, so I need to start swimming. I'll be taking lessons to get the form correct, but I was just curious if I'm still gonna get the same calorie burn.

It's hard for me to tell right now how intense my rides are compares to runs, because I don't wear a heart monitor.

If I'm going to get serious about this stuff, am I going to need to invest in a dedicated heart monitor? Not the wrist type, but the chest strap?

6/30/2017 1:09:21 PM

If I were to seriously train for a half IM, how critical would it be for me to have a HRM? If I get one it would be the chest strap type, but I just wonder how badly I need it.

7/7/2017 11:35:02 AM

http://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/52-year-old-sets-world-record-for-most-push-ups-in-an-hour-1725095

52 yo
1 hour
2,682 pushups


Dude broke his own record of 2,2XX.

How is that even possible... damn!

Full video in link above

7/16/2017 2:07:14 AM

Quote :

"If I were to seriously train for a half IM, how critical would it be for me to have a HRM? If I get one it would be the chest strap type, but I just wonder how badly I need it."

not critical. i winged my first half. i mean i trained, but no garmin, no special training other than distance run/ride/swim.

7/16/2017 8:21:38 PM

I ended up biting the bullet and got one, and it's great. I've been having trouble finding a slow (for me 10k pace right now). It's either 8:30 or nothing, because I just can't seem to slow my pace down. I strapped on that HRM and kept an eye on it, kept it around 160 BPM, and was able to maintain a 9:30 pace.

7/17/2017 8:48:36 AM

Anyone do low carb (keto)? I've been doing it since march and been successful. Though because of my recent workload, I haven't been able to meal prep / cook a lot... or at all really. 16-hr x 7-d kind of weeks... I rarely get tired of foods, but I've got to say, I'm getting tired of the fast food / sub shop low carb options (bunless burgers, chicken sandwiches, and sub-in-a-tubs). What else do you guys do for quick, on-the-go meals? When I have time, I do grocery shop and get prepared / no-cooking required foods.

[Edited on July 17, 2017 at 1:13 PM. Reason : .]

7/17/2017 1:12:52 PM

http://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/low-carb/

If you're looking for no-cooking required type foods, probably difficult to find a whole lot of low-carb options outside of what you're already eating. Because for restaurants, fast food or otherwise, carbs are a cheap way to make you feel full after a meal.

[Edited on July 17, 2017 at 1:33 PM. Reason : sdfs]

7/17/2017 1:32:44 PM