It's not really through velocity, there's other trainers there that kind of rent the space but use the facilities for one-on-one and group sessions. My trainer has an office there.

8/25/2010 3:41:54 PM

In Plaza-Midwood, you should check out the Fitness Factory. I love that place.

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 3:42 PM. Reason : ha, knew it. Wonder if that was one of the 2 I know.]

8/25/2010 3:42:25 PM

^i've heard of the Fitness Factory. I need to check it out.

Velocity sports is pretty cool. That big ass tire about killed me yesterday though. With two of us flipping it. I can't imagine one person. I've seen guys online flipping 1200 pound tires before by themselves. Crazy.

8/25/2010 3:48:26 PM

so is your trainer CF Certified or did he just feel like making you do Fran?

8/25/2010 4:27:54 PM

I'm not completely familier with all the certifications. I can ask him. I know he's a NASM certified personal trainer and NGA pro natural body builder. He has blackbelts in both Japanese-Okinawa and Korean Martial Arts. He just got kettlebell certified in Charlotte. Which is why we're doing so much kettlebell stuff. As far as crossfit I don't know. I had never heard of FRAN until he mentioned it but he's all about muscle confusion and crossfit work outs.

8/25/2010 4:46:36 PM

time to get back on the bandwagon. i dont think i've used my gym membership in 2 months. havent been home much and when i am i'm too tired to exercise. i have managed to keep my weight consistent despite lots of travel & 2 weeks of vacation.

i just need to recommit!

8/25/2010 6:31:15 PM

^^ I hope he's never actually used the phrase "muscle confusion"...

8/25/2010 7:50:04 PM

i don't know why i used that term. maybe because I associated it with crossfit stuff but i guess that isn't right. He didn't mention it.

-I've read different stuff on crossfit and muscle confusion claiming both are crap. I see good points in both arguments.

http://www.macssistance.com/2009/07/01/5-reasons-why-crossfit-is-crap/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/muscle-confusion-myth.html

I haven't really focused on either one. Mainly just weights, kettlebells, and medicine balls. What's your opinion on the matter? If you Google either one you'll get a slew of different opinions. I think it's more what works for each person.

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 8:25 PM. Reason : g]

8/25/2010 8:12:39 PM

I thought it was pretty hardcore until is saw what the pull up looked like. Plus it looks like a gigantic calorie burn which is not something i'm interested in. Ill dog H8R on the courts twice a week for that nonsense roy mate.

8/26/2010 8:04:36 AM

Yeah although I did notice a lot of the crossfit competitions are requiring clean/full pull ups now and not the half-assed ones.

8/26/2010 8:32:46 AM

that would be no joke at those quantities. like THEDUKE style.

8/26/2010 8:48:30 AM

Quote :

"So for those of you that still go to Lifestyle who would be interested in a 4 part "Movement" series of classes to learn proper technique on all the big lifts. I'm going to start asking my clients and some other people, but figured I'd mention it here as well. If there's enough interest it'll be pretty cheap. AT MOST it will be $25/class we'd cover: squat/front squat/overhead squat press/push press/push jerk deadlift/sumo deadlift high pull/med. ball cleans review + basic snatch technique"

I'd be interested in some of those classes, at least the deadlift one.

8/26/2010 12:42:30 PM

After only getting out to the gym 4 times in the last month I've finally got back on the horse! (for a limited time) Lower body lifting and cardio Monday, cardio Tuesday, upper body lifting and tennis yesterday and more of it all to come today annnnnnd tomorrow.

In the meantime, despite my misdeeds my weight has held steady at 201-202.

8/26/2010 12:59:25 PM

^^ I'd want to do that too, assuming it's dates I could actually make. Sooo make it Sundays.

8/26/2010 1:20:19 PM

http://www.macssistance.com/2009/07/01/5-reasons-why-crossfit-is-crap/

the reasoning in that article is completely stupid

The biggest point people tend to harp on is that "it's not for athletes"....well no shit

You have your pure strength athletes all the way on the fucking left
your pure endurance athletes all the way on the fucking right

CrossFitter's like to fall right in the middle of that balance.


As far as the whole Pull-up thing goes...

We do dead hangs too (usually with weight), kipping gets us from Point A to Point B faster, however, and is better for timed workouts.

8/26/2010 1:21:48 PM

That's a good way to put it. I have no dispute either way. I like the crossfit stuff. I just wish i were better at pull ups.

8/26/2010 1:27:21 PM

I've found VOLUME is best for pull-ups

how many can you do right now? I can give you a tip or two to increase them in the next month. Guaranteed. For free.

8/26/2010 1:29:15 PM

I do more push ups. I need to work on pull-ups. Full pull-ups I can't do 10 yet. Maybe 7? I can do more of the half-ass ones though (kipping?).

What's some advice on getting better at pull-ups?

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 2:23 PM. Reason : s]

8/26/2010 2:21:19 PM

7 is an AWESOME start.

I want you to set a goal for yourself. Let's start with 30 pull-ups. Do as many sets as it takes you to get 30 pull-ups. Your goal after that point will be to try and decrease the amount of sets it takes. That's pretty much the basic layout. How you decide to advance it after that point is up to. After 30 becomes easy within 2-3 sets you can bump up to 40...50. By the time you can get 50 pull-ups in like 4-5 sets you'll be ready to add weight and start doing lower reps again.

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 2:49 PM. Reason : ]

8/26/2010 2:48:37 PM

Quote :

"What's some advice on getting better at pull-ups?"

When you do different sets, also do different grips: wide grip, close grip, regular grip.

8/26/2010 3:05:54 PM

heavy barbell rows and losing weight are the fastest way to get stronger at pullups. Pullups are a difficult exercise to push yourself on, since there is no immediate threat of being crushed by the weight if you fail to complete a rep. It's the same reason why people can make great gains with bench presses and squats yet have dismal deadlift numbers.

8/26/2010 3:12:08 PM

pull ups with weights? ahhh! But my question is how many reps in the set? Should I like push myself until I can barely do the last one or do a reasonable number each time? I CAN do almost 75 push ups in a row but if I do then the next set is really tough. So 30-40 a set seems better to allow me to do another set. I guess this can be applied to any movement.

8/26/2010 3:35:56 PM

Quote :

"It's the same reason why people can make great gains with bench presses and squats yet have dismal deadlift numbers."

Hahaha that's funny considering I've basically experienced the exact opposite in regards to bench press vs. deadlift gains.

8/26/2010 3:43:27 PM

youre a trex tho

8/26/2010 4:04:16 PM

^^^ Keep it simple

just go see how many set it takes you to get 30 dead hang pull-ups with a full range of motion....then do that again the next week and try to do it in less sets. Don't over complicate it.

8/26/2010 8:15:40 PM

^i wanted to let you know. i've almost gotten my full pull up down. some days i c an do it, some days i cant (i know it has a lot to do with rest, food, and all that jazz, but im working on being able to do one pretty much regardless )
but i can do about 5-6 IN A ROW (AND like three sets too) on the smith machine!!!

its awesome b/c the gym im at mostly now is a little small town gym where all the girls run up front and all the boys grunt in the back.
i dont think they know what to do when im back there cause i'm deadlifting almost as much as they are! and someone told me he doesn't know another girl who can do a pull up (keep in mind i know me doing one pull up isnt a big deal to most people, but i am in dunn, north carolina )

its been a real confidence booster

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 8:26 PM. Reason : nk]

8/26/2010 8:24:15 PM

haha, AWESOME

8/26/2010 8:37:54 PM

pull ups 10, 10, 5
tricep pull downs 3x10x40
lat pulls 3x10x100
bicep curls 3x10x50
low rows 3x10x120
mts incline press 3x10x40
leg press 3x10x220

i feel like i'm leaving one exercise out too, but i can't think of it. maybe i'm not.

8/26/2010 8:53:41 PM

Got a blender, plain yogurt, some fruit and my first bottle of protein powder/shake mix. Let's see how this breakfast plan goes.

My PBJ for breakfast every morning has been working for the last year and half, but it has finally started to get old.

8/26/2010 10:46:37 PM

Quote :

"I'd want to do that too, assuming it's dates I could actually make. Sooo make it Sundays."

I'm thinking with my schedule it will HAVE to be either Saturday or Sunday....and since I already work on Sunday, that may be the day.

8/27/2010 5:53:26 AM

Holy crap I am so sore and so tired. I'm not sure what I've done differently but this is annoying and oddly satisfying at the same time

I also have an insatiable appetite

8/27/2010 8:41:28 AM

have you considered trying 5 small meals instead of 3 huge meals?

8/27/2010 8:54:29 AM

Man, ever since the last week at beach late July I've really gone downhill.

Probably lost weight overall, but also lost a lot of definition and my pecs have taken on a bitch tit like quality.

Since this is a beach body thread and its nearly September, I expect others to suffer similar setbacks as the pressure to look good shirtless subsides until next Spring Break.

8/27/2010 9:19:53 AM

That's why you schedule trips to warm places in the Fall/Winter!

8/27/2010 9:25:04 AM

i can't wait for the cold i LOVE running in the cold. Right around 45-50 is perfect.

8/27/2010 9:26:47 AM

^^^bullshit

you only have 9 months to get summerbod. better get on it


At least that is how i look at it.

8/27/2010 9:39:10 AM

Last year this time I could do 1-2 pull ups max. Now I regularly do 4-6 sets of 8 during a workout. If I'm just messing around without doing other stuff I have done as many as ~50 in 5-6 sets using various grips. Push ups have gotten easy for the most part, I usually do somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 during upper body days (again various styles: standard, wide, close, diamond, decline, etc).

Getting to that point on pull ups is no joke though. I used a chair behind me with my feet on it for the first few months just to get used to doing more than a couple at a time, then once I could do at least 3 without help I stopped cheating with my feet and started doing as many sets of 2-3 as I could.

8/27/2010 10:15:34 AM

So today was Back & Biceps day and after several sets of various curls and hammers my forearms get really tense. They aren't cramping, they just get really tight and my veins looks like they want to jump out. Is this a grip issue or is that just common?

8/27/2010 9:04:51 PM

Fundraiser through CrossFit for the Livestrong Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, and the CrossFit Foundation.

If you can donate (or know anyone who can) please send them this link. Even just $5 would be enough!

https://rapidgiving.com/fundraising/page/5390/mikes-fundraising-page

8/28/2010 7:57:54 PM

Played soccer today for my exercise.

8/28/2010 9:03:13 PM

alright the moment of truth.... i'm hoping since there's been some really good restraint on the part of tdub with women posting in this thread that i won't get a ton of shit for my before and after photos

if it does start to happen - then they'll just get deleted

anyways... feel free to direct yourself away from this thread if you feel like you can't stomach the before pictures

okay here goes nothing....




















June 8, 2010



yea, that was after a 25 pound weight loss

and this was yesterday



please forgive the underwear.... i honestly didn't think i'd make the progress worth posting in here

i still have another 15 pounds to go... but they're going to be the hardest to lose for sure.

8/29/2010 7:59:57 PM

^AWESOME

8/29/2010 8:02:26 PM

^^ wow good job

there is def. a noticeable difference

8/29/2010 8:14:15 PM

Good job LunaK

8/29/2010 8:24:40 PM

way to go!

i've gained about 4lbs recently so i'm a little discouraged, but those are very motivating!!

8/29/2010 8:37:58 PM

Awesome work, LunaK!

8/29/2010 9:05:28 PM

Amazing Luna! Keep it up. You look awesome

8/29/2010 9:21:44 PM

LunaK should win this thread, hands down

8/29/2010 9:45:11 PM

^I concur!

8/29/2010 9:47:29 PM

GG LunaK!

8/29/2010 9:53:55 PM