Datasets:

ChuGyouk

/

StackExchange-Medical

like 1

[ { "answer_id": 39392, "author": "whakawaehere", "author_id": 30148, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30148", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A few years ago my brother and I decided to do 300 push-ups for time competition. I used this app (roughly) and it’s program to train. </p>\n\n<p>It tests your current max, and adjusts the plan accordingly. </p>\n\n<p>Runtastic Push-Ups PRO Trainer by runtastic <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39554, "author": "PmanAce", "author_id": 6625, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6625", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>C: max, max, max, max</p>\n\n<p>Seriously, if you want to be able to do 100 straight push-ups, just max out on every set. Eventually you will increase the number of reps per set you can do until you reach your desired amount.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40455, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want to do 100 pushups in one set, your total of 4 sets should be more (quite a bit) than 100.</p>\n\n<p>You should do as many as you can on your first set (say 50). Then the target for each subsequent set should be the same (50). Do as many as you can until you're just about at failure, then drop your knees down and keep going until you get to 50.\nIf you do this for 4 sets then you've done about 200 pushups, plus you've trained your muscles past failure. It will be hard and you'll feel the burn in your chest, but you will progress much faster.</p>\n\n<p>It will also help to mix up different variations, close hands, wide hands, triangle, isometric holds, slow reps, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39397", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30100/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39392, "author": "whakawaehere", "author_id": 30148, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30148", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A few years ago my brother and I decided to do 300 push-ups for time competition. I used this app (roughly) and it’s program to train. </p>\n\n<p>It tests your current max, and adjusts the plan accordingly. </p>\n\n<p>Runtastic Push-Ups PRO Trainer by runtastic <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39554, "author": "PmanAce", "author_id": 6625, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6625", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>C: max, max, max, max</p>\n\n<p>Seriously, if you want to be able to do 100 straight push-ups, just max out on every set. Eventually you will increase the number of reps per set you can do until you reach your desired amount.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40455, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want to do 100 pushups in one set, your total of 4 sets should be more (quite a bit) than 100.</p>\n\n<p>You should do as many as you can on your first set (say 50). Then the target for each subsequent set should be the same (50). Do as many as you can until you're just about at failure, then drop your knees down and keep going until you get to 50.\nIf you do this for 4 sets then you've done about 200 pushups, plus you've trained your muscles past failure. It will be hard and you'll feel the burn in your chest, but you will progress much faster.</p>\n\n<p>It will also help to mix up different variations, close hands, wide hands, triangle, isometric holds, slow reps, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39403", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30159/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39392, "author": "whakawaehere", "author_id": 30148, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30148", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A few years ago my brother and I decided to do 300 push-ups for time competition. I used this app (roughly) and it’s program to train. </p>\n\n<p>It tests your current max, and adjusts the plan accordingly. </p>\n\n<p>Runtastic Push-Ups PRO Trainer by runtastic <a href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/runtastic-push-ups-pro-trainer/id570180361?mt=8</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39554, "author": "PmanAce", "author_id": 6625, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6625", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>C: max, max, max, max</p>\n\n<p>Seriously, if you want to be able to do 100 straight push-ups, just max out on every set. Eventually you will increase the number of reps per set you can do until you reach your desired amount.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40455, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want to do 100 pushups in one set, your total of 4 sets should be more (quite a bit) than 100.</p>\n\n<p>You should do as many as you can on your first set (say 50). Then the target for each subsequent set should be the same (50). Do as many as you can until you're just about at failure, then drop your knees down and keep going until you get to 50.\nIf you do this for 4 sets then you've done about 200 pushups, plus you've trained your muscles past failure. It will be hard and you'll feel the burn in your chest, but you will progress much faster.</p>\n\n<p>It will also help to mix up different variations, close hands, wide hands, triangle, isometric holds, slow reps, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39416", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29898/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39439, "author": "Val", "author_id": 30202, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30202", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In our area, the cheapest protein that isn't in powder form and from an animal source is cottage cheese. Eggs are cheaper until you factor in the protein in a serving of either versus the calories and cost per ounce. Dried pinto beans are perhaps the cheapest source of protein but some athletes prefer animal protein for building muscle mass. If you can handle lactose or beans either option would be a good protein source. However, because they are not pre-digested or overly processed your body will take longer to digest them and so may cause some discomfort if exercising immediately after a meal. Arguably, if you have access to hunting in your area, wild game would be hands down the cheapest source of protein. Before hunting be sure to check with your country's laws and updated information on viruses infecting local animals that may affect your health.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39444, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would start of with the fact that it can (most likely) only be 2 of your 3 variables at a time. If it's cheap and healthy, it might not be natural (protein powder for example). If it's healthy and natural, it's most likely not going to be the cheapest and if its both cheap and natural, it might not be the healthiest.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, I'd say the most natural and healthy is going to be plant based protein. Different types of beans, nuts, seeds and vegetables for example. This might cost you a bit more though.</p>\n\n<p>The most natural and cheap is probably going to be animal based protein like eggs, cheese and meat. This might not be as healthy as plant based protein if you consume loads.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39436", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30199/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39439, "author": "Val", "author_id": 30202, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30202", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In our area, the cheapest protein that isn't in powder form and from an animal source is cottage cheese. Eggs are cheaper until you factor in the protein in a serving of either versus the calories and cost per ounce. Dried pinto beans are perhaps the cheapest source of protein but some athletes prefer animal protein for building muscle mass. If you can handle lactose or beans either option would be a good protein source. However, because they are not pre-digested or overly processed your body will take longer to digest them and so may cause some discomfort if exercising immediately after a meal. Arguably, if you have access to hunting in your area, wild game would be hands down the cheapest source of protein. Before hunting be sure to check with your country's laws and updated information on viruses infecting local animals that may affect your health.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39444, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would start of with the fact that it can (most likely) only be 2 of your 3 variables at a time. If it's cheap and healthy, it might not be natural (protein powder for example). If it's healthy and natural, it's most likely not going to be the cheapest and if its both cheap and natural, it might not be the healthiest.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, I'd say the most natural and healthy is going to be plant based protein. Different types of beans, nuts, seeds and vegetables for example. This might cost you a bit more though.</p>\n\n<p>The most natural and cheap is probably going to be animal based protein like eggs, cheese and meat. This might not be as healthy as plant based protein if you consume loads.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39475", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29170/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39501, "author": "Twyxz", "author_id": 28799, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The back lever is such a good and difficult exercise to perform because it requires strength and balance combined. It optimises a lot more muscles than you may imagine.</p>\n\n<p>Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms and of course abs. It puts the majority of your upper body to work hence why a lot of people who can perform it have put in the training to be able to perform it perfectly which includes a lot of callisthenics hence they all have lean strong upper bodies </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39519, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Both front and back levers require a very strong core. By core I mean your entire midsection, not just abs. Your lower back especially needs to be very strong for both these exercises.</p>\n\n<p>In addition to this you'll need very strong lats, shoulders, chest and grip strength for both. A front lever will require a lot more power in your lats than a back lever because you have to keep your entire body up with mostly your lats.</p>\n\n<p>In a back lever your arms are somewhat locked into position because of the way you shoulders work, because of this the back lever is the easier of the two for most people. During a back lever you mainly use your chest and shoulders to keep your upper body in position while using your core to keep your body straight.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to do either of these two exercises you're going to need to do exercises to train different parts of the movement and try to combine them once you've mastered them. For instance, if you can't hold an L-sit for atleast 10 seconds, there is no point in trying a front lever, so train L-sits first. You'll also need to train your upper body (lats/shoulders/chest) to get the upper part of the movement right.</p>\n\n<p>If you have good basic strength from push-ups and pull-ups, you might already be able to to tuck versions of the front and back lever. From there you can transition into advanced tuck, 1-leg-front/back levers, stradle front/back levers. The most important part of this is to keep your upper body straight while holding it. You'll need to record yourself while doing this and look at it afterwards unless you have someone with you who can already do a front/back lever, because it might feel like you're doing it correctly, or it might look cool to by standers who have no idea, but you might be doing it incorrectly without knowing.</p>\n\n<p>Another small tip I can give you, which seems stupid but can really help at the start, is doing training for them without shoes on. The reason for this is because shoes add weight very far from the center point, which makes it harder to keep your body straight. Learning handstands is also easier without shoes because of this reason.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Sorry this kind of turned into a mini tutorial. I hope this answer helps, if you need more information feel free to ask, I've mastered both movements over the years and have also taught many people how to do them.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39479", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20124/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39779, "author": "Examine Fitness", "author_id": 30628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>CMK,</p>\n\n<p>I'm assuming you can perform a decent number of push-ups, so it may feel like you are using your triceps and deltoids more than your chest but it may because they are smaller muscles and fatigue quicker than the larger chest muscles. The chest is still doing the majority of the work but here are some techniques you can try.</p>\n\n<h2>How To Engage The Chest More Performing Push-Ups</h2>\n\n<p><strong>Push Up Technique</strong></p>\n\n<p>Set Up:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Place hands shoulder width apart with the crease between your thumb\nand first finger pointing straight ahead.</p></li>\n<li><p>Screw your hands into the ground to create torque throughout your<br>\narms and shoulders. **to do this imagine holding a barbell and as<br>\nhard as possible try to snap the bar in half and pull it apart<br>\nsimultaneously.*</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your elbows about 45 degrees away from your torso, <em>not</em> flared \nout up by your shoulders or tucked close to your torso</p></li>\n<li><p>During the eccentric portion of the push-up think about pulling your \nbody into the floor and allow your scapula to retract (pulling your<br>\nshoulder blades together).</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your shoulders over your hands during the entire movement and<br>\nkeep your forearms in a vertical position, perpendicular to the<br>\nfloor.</p></li>\n<li><p>During the concentric phase, continue to keep the torque throughout<br>\nyour arms and think about pushing your elbows together and squeeze<br>\nyour chest together.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h1>Push Up Variations To Engage The Chest</h1>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Elevate your feet</strong>- put your feet on a bench</li>\n<li><strong>Elevate an arm</strong>- use a medicine ball or yoga block to elevate a single arm, which will result in stressing the opposing arm</li>\n<li><strong>Use a slider on one side</strong>- keeping a slider on one hand slowly slide one arm directly out the side of the body while performing the eccentric phase of pull up. As you perform the concentric phase pull the arm back into the body</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a slow eccentric push-up</strong>- lower your body as slow as possible on the eccentric phase of the push, aim for 30 seconds on the eccentric phase and when you hit 0 at the bottom of the movement push up as fast as possible</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a plyometric push-up or clapping push up</strong>- push up during the concentric phase as fast and explosive as possible, as the hands reach the ground absorb the impact and slowly perform the eccentric phase of the push-up</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39785, "author": "tnsaturday", "author_id": 30635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Push ups is a complex exercise that engages lots of muscles (it actually engages ALMOST every muscle in your upper body). You won't be able to exclude your triceps and deltoids from involvement in this exercise. But don't hurry up to the gym - neither bench press nor fly would be of any help.</p>\n\n<p>Chest just can't be trained in an isolated manner at all.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39482", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27597/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39779, "author": "Examine Fitness", "author_id": 30628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>CMK,</p>\n\n<p>I'm assuming you can perform a decent number of push-ups, so it may feel like you are using your triceps and deltoids more than your chest but it may because they are smaller muscles and fatigue quicker than the larger chest muscles. The chest is still doing the majority of the work but here are some techniques you can try.</p>\n\n<h2>How To Engage The Chest More Performing Push-Ups</h2>\n\n<p><strong>Push Up Technique</strong></p>\n\n<p>Set Up:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Place hands shoulder width apart with the crease between your thumb\nand first finger pointing straight ahead.</p></li>\n<li><p>Screw your hands into the ground to create torque throughout your<br>\narms and shoulders. **to do this imagine holding a barbell and as<br>\nhard as possible try to snap the bar in half and pull it apart<br>\nsimultaneously.*</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your elbows about 45 degrees away from your torso, <em>not</em> flared \nout up by your shoulders or tucked close to your torso</p></li>\n<li><p>During the eccentric portion of the push-up think about pulling your \nbody into the floor and allow your scapula to retract (pulling your<br>\nshoulder blades together).</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your shoulders over your hands during the entire movement and<br>\nkeep your forearms in a vertical position, perpendicular to the<br>\nfloor.</p></li>\n<li><p>During the concentric phase, continue to keep the torque throughout<br>\nyour arms and think about pushing your elbows together and squeeze<br>\nyour chest together.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h1>Push Up Variations To Engage The Chest</h1>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Elevate your feet</strong>- put your feet on a bench</li>\n<li><strong>Elevate an arm</strong>- use a medicine ball or yoga block to elevate a single arm, which will result in stressing the opposing arm</li>\n<li><strong>Use a slider on one side</strong>- keeping a slider on one hand slowly slide one arm directly out the side of the body while performing the eccentric phase of pull up. As you perform the concentric phase pull the arm back into the body</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a slow eccentric push-up</strong>- lower your body as slow as possible on the eccentric phase of the push, aim for 30 seconds on the eccentric phase and when you hit 0 at the bottom of the movement push up as fast as possible</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a plyometric push-up or clapping push up</strong>- push up during the concentric phase as fast and explosive as possible, as the hands reach the ground absorb the impact and slowly perform the eccentric phase of the push-up</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39785, "author": "tnsaturday", "author_id": 30635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Push ups is a complex exercise that engages lots of muscles (it actually engages ALMOST every muscle in your upper body). You won't be able to exclude your triceps and deltoids from involvement in this exercise. But don't hurry up to the gym - neither bench press nor fly would be of any help.</p>\n\n<p>Chest just can't be trained in an isolated manner at all.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39486", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10692/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39779, "author": "Examine Fitness", "author_id": 30628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>CMK,</p>\n\n<p>I'm assuming you can perform a decent number of push-ups, so it may feel like you are using your triceps and deltoids more than your chest but it may because they are smaller muscles and fatigue quicker than the larger chest muscles. The chest is still doing the majority of the work but here are some techniques you can try.</p>\n\n<h2>How To Engage The Chest More Performing Push-Ups</h2>\n\n<p><strong>Push Up Technique</strong></p>\n\n<p>Set Up:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Place hands shoulder width apart with the crease between your thumb\nand first finger pointing straight ahead.</p></li>\n<li><p>Screw your hands into the ground to create torque throughout your<br>\narms and shoulders. **to do this imagine holding a barbell and as<br>\nhard as possible try to snap the bar in half and pull it apart<br>\nsimultaneously.*</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your elbows about 45 degrees away from your torso, <em>not</em> flared \nout up by your shoulders or tucked close to your torso</p></li>\n<li><p>During the eccentric portion of the push-up think about pulling your \nbody into the floor and allow your scapula to retract (pulling your<br>\nshoulder blades together).</p></li>\n<li><p>Keep your shoulders over your hands during the entire movement and<br>\nkeep your forearms in a vertical position, perpendicular to the<br>\nfloor.</p></li>\n<li><p>During the concentric phase, continue to keep the torque throughout<br>\nyour arms and think about pushing your elbows together and squeeze<br>\nyour chest together.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h1>Push Up Variations To Engage The Chest</h1>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Elevate your feet</strong>- put your feet on a bench</li>\n<li><strong>Elevate an arm</strong>- use a medicine ball or yoga block to elevate a single arm, which will result in stressing the opposing arm</li>\n<li><strong>Use a slider on one side</strong>- keeping a slider on one hand slowly slide one arm directly out the side of the body while performing the eccentric phase of pull up. As you perform the concentric phase pull the arm back into the body</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a slow eccentric push-up</strong>- lower your body as slow as possible on the eccentric phase of the push, aim for 30 seconds on the eccentric phase and when you hit 0 at the bottom of the movement push up as fast as possible</li>\n<li><strong>Perform a plyometric push-up or clapping push up</strong>- push up during the concentric phase as fast and explosive as possible, as the hands reach the ground absorb the impact and slowly perform the eccentric phase of the push-up</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39785, "author": "tnsaturday", "author_id": 30635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Push ups is a complex exercise that engages lots of muscles (it actually engages ALMOST every muscle in your upper body). You won't be able to exclude your triceps and deltoids from involvement in this exercise. But don't hurry up to the gym - neither bench press nor fly would be of any help.</p>\n\n<p>Chest just can't be trained in an isolated manner at all.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39518", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27219/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39530, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Heart rate monitors are pretty new to the world of running. People have been running without them for decades, even hundreds of years (although the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheidippides\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">first person to run a marathon died</a>, but that's only a legend.... maybe).</p>\n\n<p>They did this by, as you stated, listening to their body. You know the distance that you need to run, and you know that you can make that distance at a more leisurely pace. Though if you push too hard, you'll exhaust yourself out. Through training and experience, you know what you need to do to reach the goal.</p>\n\n<p>Also, the human body has certain safety factors in place to ensure you won't go too hard. Under normal circumstances (i.e, not being chased by bears or something), it'll simply be too painful to continue. There will be so much lactic acid buildup and the muscles will be too exhausted. You might sprain a muscle by pushing through that, but that's a small injury compared to the heart giving out.</p>\n\n<p>What a heart rate monitor does give you is a visual representation of the stresses you put on your body. It can show the amount of effort you're doing to run. This can be useful to show potential overreaching or undertraining. </p>\n\n<p>For example, let's say you typically run a 10 km at a 4 min/km pace, and your heart rate averages 140. If you run the same pace and it's 170, then you are most likely pushing too hard or there is something that is adding more stress than usual (lack of sleep, food, etc.). If you run the same pace and it's 130, then it may be time to speed up.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39537, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The thing is, if you want to take running a bit more serious and want to improve, you want to train in different heartrate zones. Training without one will often result in training too hard, which will be detrimental to ones progress.</p>\n\n<p>So if you are simply running for the sake of running because you want to stay in shape, or enjoy running as a hobby, there is no need to use a heartrate monitor.</p>\n\n<p>If you are training for any competitive event, you might want to use a heartrate monitor to train in certain zones for certain amounts of time, to improve. In this case you want to meassure your max heartrate, calculate different heartrate zones and start training accordingly.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39538, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you really want to get better, you need a lot more consistency than what you have outlined in your post. Endurance running improvements (For the most part) are simply a matter of putting in the miles, day after day. Doesn't have to be astounding mileage, but just more of the same rather than huge bursts every now and again.</p>\n\n<p>You don't even necessarily need to run fast, most recreational runners make the mistake of going too hard on easy days, and not hard enough on hard days.</p>\n\n<p>I personally am not a fan of HR based training, for a couple of reasons. It's a metric that tells you what is happening 30 seconds - 1 minute ago, it will naturally rise with fatigue and workout duration, and it can be affected by many outside vectors that would not impact your workout or have minimal effect (Such as sleep, caffeine, work stress, etc). Additionally, even the best HR sensors can be affected by sweat rates, contact with skin, etc.</p>\n\n<p>So in short, I would ignore the HR monitor, and train by pace and feel. Stick to the pace on the easy days, even if you could go harder, and kill yourself on the hard days. Put in consistent days, not sporadic, and you will improve over your current level.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39573, "author": "KathyWeb", "author_id": 29984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The main risk of training without HR is going to hard. The cardiovascular system can be damaged when constanty pushing it too far. \nBut if you know yourself well and have no ambition to do structured training but only go out when you fell like it, it is more unlikely. Also knowing your HR does not always mean you are on the safeside since HR between indiviuals can vary and general assuptions on which HR Zone you should be training in without personalizing could cause damage aswell. \nHR can help you get a bit extra out of your trainig, but consistency is more important</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39616, "author": "Pathfinder", "author_id": 29017, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29017", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To monitor your heart rate has multiple useful aspects that you'll be missing if you don't measure it. I could think of three, they mainly differ in the time when you use them:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>While You Are Running<br>\nTo throttle your running speed</li>\n<li>Immediately After Running<br>\nIn order get to know your own body and the signs it sends you better. </li>\n<li>Long Term After Running<br>\nTo have a long-term log of your fitness</li>\n</ol>\n\n<h1>While You Are Running</h1>\n\n<p>Watch your heart rate while running to <strong>throttle your running speed</strong> so your heart rate stays in a specific range. \nAs a beginner in order not to overdo things, you could say e.g. \"I don't want my heart rate to go above 170 bpm\"<br>\nMore advanced runners use specific heart rate ranges, measured as percentage of the individual maximum heart rate, e.g. 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Different ranges train different aspects of your physical fitness.<br>\nProblems with this: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Your heart rate has a lag of maybe 30 seconds to the actual stress.<br>\nIf you are running on the streets or in the woods, the hill that pushed your rate beyond limits may already lie behind you.<br>\nThis probably is not a problem when your track is even, like a tartan track or even a tread mill at the gym.</li>\n<li>Knowing your maximum heart rate requires a test assisted by professionals.<br>\nRules-of-thumb (\"220 minus age\") or self assessments (doing intervals or run-up-that-hill-three-times) do not produce viable results. </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Personally, I found this really frustrating, because I never found the right speed because of these problems, so I wouldn't recommend it to a hobby runner. I found that using my breath is better to assess my strain while running: I count the steps for breathing in and out, a quite common habit among runners.<br>\nFor Example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>breathe-in 3 steps, breathe-out 3 steps equals normal strain I can endure for hours</li>\n<li>breathe-in 2 steps, breathe-out 2 steps equals very high strain I can endure for minutes</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>But please note that these steps-per-breathe values are individual and just meant as an example, your breathing cycles may be completely different.</p>\n\n<h1>Immediately After Running</h1>\n\n<p>If you have measured and logged your heart rate while running, it can help you <strong>get to know your own body better</strong>.<br>\nUsually, even as a hobby runner, you do runs of varying intensity, e.g. long slow runs, sometimes (what the heck!) blazingly fast but shorter runs etc.<br>\nWhen you measured your heart rate, you can check afterwards if your subjective level of stress resembles your heart rate. If it does not, then what could be the cause? High temperatures? A yet undetected infect? (Btw never run willingly with an infect, seriously!) Is it possible that you somehow did not notice signs your body sent?<br>\nAll this helps you to better assess and adjust your level of stress on the next run.<br>\nI found that getting to know your own body is of tremendous importance for beginners (such as I am) : To learn to interpret the subtle signs of your body, see when you were pushing too hard, or, on the opposite, you did not challenge it enough.</p>\n\n<h1>Long Term After Running</h1>\n\n<p>If you are consistently monitoring and logging your heart rate, you have a <strong>long-term log of your fitness</strong>. It helps motivating yourself (\"yeah, I ran the same distance at higher speed <em>but with lower heart rate</em> than 2 months ago!\") or detect flaws in your training (\"boy did not running on christmas kick me down, now the heart rate's through the roof after the holidays, didn't used to be like that before\")</p>\n\n<h1>Other</h1>\n\n<p>If you are healthy, I would consider it highly unlikely to actually damage your cardio vascular system when running at high / excessive strains. Long before that can happen your body will just refuse to go further. It's like trying to suffocate yourself just by holding your breath.<br>\nBut what may happen if you overdo things, is that it is becoming more likely that you start having injuries due to overload - actually the cardio vascular system will adapt quite fast to your training, but the bones, senews etc. will take much longer. </p>\n\n<p>I am a laymen and not a professional runner, nor do I have a medical profession.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39529", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27070/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39536, "author": "Twyxz", "author_id": 28799, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By workout I assume you mean weight training</p>\n\n<p>I would recommend running after your workout as your muscles will be tired. Your body is resorting to fat supply for energy as long as you had enough calories before your workout with the correct macros. Otherwise you may be losing muscular gains also.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39540, "author": "johnabrams7", "author_id": 29188, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29188", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since muscles are more stiff and less flexible after rigorous weight training, I would recommend running first if you're going to immediately switch to weight training after. Your muscles will be more warmed up and loose without static stretching before the weight training (heavy stretching before weights is not healthy while no warm-up also raises the risk of an injury). Be mindful of any running injuries or pain before weight training to prevent injuries as well. I've tried both routes many times and running before weights always works out most efficiently in the long-run. I've noticed there is a high boost in running immediately after weights, but that is short lived before the reality of stiffness and added pain (and a sense of higher risk of injury) kicks in. Perhaps a short mile after the weights is still safe, but if you're running several miles, I'd stick to knocking those out before pumping the iron. As far as energy is concerned, running before weights surprisingly doesn't seem to take away <em>that much</em> fuel for pumping iron.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39542, "author": "Daniel Bailey", "author_id": 30233, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30233", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Even though you have selected an answer the more info the better I think. I would say what would work the best and what has worked the best in the past for me is to split up my cardio and weight training days just to get the most out of my workouts. Otherwise if that is not possible and you want to train optimally when you do your main muscle building exercises then do your cardio after you workout.</p>\n\n<p>If your muscles are already fatigued then I know personally it can result in a lack of good form and slow steady push or pull movements. When it comes to fat burning then as with most things to do with physical fitness diet is key.So the honest truth is if you are eating poorly then it no matter how much exercise you do it's not going to help. Perhaps try working out your daily calorie needs and then seeing if your food intake is correct.</p>\n\n<p>What I do as cardio is high intensity interval training for about 20min. There's lots of programs out there that can provide you with an interval plan but just out of interest that's what I use. But I would say for fat loss which it sounds like you are focused on, focus on your diet first.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39570, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Ideally you should train weights and run on different days.</p>\n\n<p>Also you should do shorter: 30-45 minutes but intense runs. \nRunning slow for a long time is an outdated way of loosing fat. The problem with this approach is that you only look at what happens during the workout. Yes maybe you loose say 600 calories by jogging for 1 1/2 hour. If you instead run fast for 1/2 hour you burn maybe 300 calories, but then you also burn 200 calories after the workout since the intensity of the workout has increased your metabolic rate. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39534", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30355/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39545, "author": "Gyrfalcon", "author_id": 19117, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19117", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, your leg muscles are general bigger than those of your upper body. Only Latissimus dorsi and Pectoralis major are comparable to your leg muscles in strength and endurance.</p>\n\n<p>Your leg muscles are mainly used for walking, running and climbing in that natural life, your body is genetically optimized for. This means they are prepared for an endless number of repetitions - many more than your upper body.</p>\n\n<p>Whether you do back squat or bulgarian split squat wont make any big <a href=\"https://theprehabguys.com/bulgarian-split-squat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">difference</a>. However, mixing two exercises in one day often help you to do a higher volume simply because other parts of your body than the target muscles are subject to a different load. When you feel like you can not do any more repetitions, then it is not just because of the limits of your quads and glutes. Stabilising muscles and tissue gets tired too.</p>\n\n<p>If your overall goal is generally gaining muscles mass (weight) then it would be advisable to include as many <em>different</em> exercises as possible like you do in Crossfit, Calisthenics, Parkour etc to target the largest possible number of auxiliary muscles as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39547, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>\"As far as I see, this would result in a lot higher volume for the\n Legs (in this case Quads) than for Chest or Shoulders.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That really depends on how you want to look at it.</p>\n\n<p>Let's assume each exercise you listed the same sets and reps. For simplicity, we'll say 10 reps each.</p>\n\n<p>In that case, we have 20 reps of quads (squat and split squat).</p>\n\n<p>But for the shoulders, broadly speaking, we have 30 reps. (bench press, overhead press, lateral raise). Note I say broadly because you could get more technical and try to break this down by specific parts of the shoulder, but for most, saying these all work the shoulders is good enough.</p>\n\n<p>It is true the chest doesn't get as much work though, as really only the bench press would be classified as a chest exercise.</p>\n\n<p>In general, it is accepted the legs can handle, and thus end up needing, more volume than the upper body in order to grow. If you've ever been on a crutches for an extended period, where you are more or less walking with your arms instead of your legs, you quickly appreciate how much of a beating your legs get from daily life. This is at least the common rationale given behind why the legs need more volume.</p>\n\n<p>It's a bit of a rabbit hole. Many think they don't actually need more volume, rather people need to actually do the volume harder. For instance, people tend to get after it more with a bench press than a squat, because, well, squats hurt.</p>\n\n<p>Still, you go all the way back to Arnold's days, you'll see those guys doing 20 rep squats. They even have a bit of a mystique in the bodybuilding world (primarily because they're so terrible to do!)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39535", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29170/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39747, "author": "Benjamin Röhling", "author_id": 30597, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30597", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Why don't you try it yourself and be aware of your lower back and abdominal muscles while doing the mentioned exercise. This way you will get a strategy instead of only an answer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39763, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's helpful to take a look at the anatomy of your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoas_major_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">psoas major</a> muscle, which will be heavily recruited during straight leg raises. You can see that it attaches to the lumbar vertebrae, the result being a compression of your lumbar spine when it is under tension. So even if you can maintain a neutral spine position the compression could still result in pain if you have a bulging disc.</p>\n\n<p>You allude to the other possible issue of people being unable to control their pelvic tilt when performing this exercise, this results in the lumbar spine going into extreme extension and potentially irritating the facet joints.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39559", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39574, "author": "KathyWeb", "author_id": 29984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Working out one leg at a time in the stated way does not shorten your workout time.</p>\n<p>If your assumption is correct it says: 1h per leg equals a workout of 2h normal training, but you have to do 2h to get both legs trained. In the end, you get a 2h workout in 2h.</p>\n<p>If you want to push harder, it would be easier to just choose a harder gear.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44441, "author": "Chris H", "author_id": 6482, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6482", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's an assumption in the question that one legged cycling can be almost as hard work as two-legged, and in the same way - <em>&quot;With single leg cycling, one leg VO2 max is close to that of two legs.&quot;</em> I've done a little one-leg cycling myself and think that's harder than it sounds.</p>\n<p>The sensors on the WattBikes at my gym showed my left leg was contributing less than my right when tired when I'd had a couple of months off with a broken shoulder and was still not cleared to ride outdoors though I was encouraged to exercise. So I tried using my weak leg alone for some intervals.</p>\n<p>I'd say there are a couple of problems with this. I'll assume an indoor trainer. These points will also be true on a moving bike, where there would be other problems as well.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Bikes aren't really set up for riding with one leg idle so you need to work round that.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>You can keep the idle foot (clipped) on the pedal and carry it round, but you'll tend to use it a bit.</li>\n<li>You can find somewhere to put it out of the way, which changes your position on the saddle and ability to deliver power or high cadence.</li>\n<li>Even if you take a pedal off (extra time lost to fiddling around, and only possible if you own the kit) the crank still swings around.</li>\n<li>It's probably easier on a recumbent trainer, but have you got access to one, and is it suitable for hard efforts? The ones I've seen in gyms aren't.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>Standing up on one pedal is very different to standing up on two, e.g. for high power, high force training. That's not to say it wouldn't be beneficial, but getting over top dead centre is awkward and pulling up at the back of the stroke both necessary and almost impossible without sitting down (completely impossible when I tried it as I couldn't pull up on the bars). A trainer with more inertia would help a lot, like riding a flat road instead of uphill.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Even seated (good for high cadence work at least), you have to pull up on the pedal, and most of us aren't very good at that*. <a href=\"https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01247.2010\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This study</a> (well worth a look) added a counterweight to the other pedal - helpful if that's an option, i.e. on a trainer you own, rather harder on a gym bike or one that needs to be fit. The counterweight would need to be correct, and the paper credits it with a lot of the training benefit. While that paper doesn't say how it was selected, it references <a href=\"https://oce.ovid.com/article/00005768-200905001-01765/PDF\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this poster, of which only the text is available</a>, but that says 20lbs was optimal.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Looking at the study linked in the comments under the than most of us would consider training other answer (COPD patients), this was at far lower intensity and duration (15 minutes per leg 3 times per week as their main aerobic exercise). We should be very wary of extrapolating from that to people who are starting well-trained.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The first two points (backed up by my own experience) suggest that it would take some time to get used to it and find a way of working. That's an investment in training time that might not lead to returns. If you stick with it through these steps, you might get some benefit, but even then Power meters that give independent readings for each foot will increase your options. Once you've overcome the initial hurdles and got a decent setup, there might be some benefit to interval training, according to the paper I linked.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>* Pedalling by pulling up at the back of the stroke <em>instead of</em> pushing down is interesting training in its own right, and a relief on long rides after a climb flattens out. That would be a better fit for a stronger rider in outdoor group rides than anything involving fiddling with kit (though carrying the idle foot round is also an option there).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39572", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27483/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39583, "author": "elia ", "author_id": 30404, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30404", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>start with a dead hang( grab the bar plus eyes to the bar ),hang as long as you can do it 3 times a day(3 sets) for one week,next week jump up on the bar and hang on the bar as long as u can 3 times(3 sets)...next week u will be able to perform pull up</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39585, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are multiple exercises you can do to learn how to do a pull-up and you don't need a machine to do this.</p>\n\n<p>You can start with things like negative pull-ups, in which you jump upto the bar and slowly lower yourself back down, this will also get your body used to the movement of a pull-up.</p>\n\n<p>You can also do inverted rows. This is where you have a bar lower to the ground and basically do a rowing movement with your bodyweight. The easiest way (if you have no equipment) is to setup two chairs next to each other and lay a broomstick on them to use as a bar.</p>\n\n<p>Once you've done these things you should be able to start doing assisted pull-ups, using a resistance band to help you perform your first pull-ups.</p>\n\n<p>I don't know if you have access to any other equipment but if you do you can also do bent over rows with either a barbell of dumbells, hell you can even do it using bags filled with sand or bottles of water.</p>\n\n<p>Training your arms will also help you, especially if you want to do a chin-ups.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39615, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could buy a barbell and some plates.\nThen you start doing romanian deadlifts (RDL) and bent over rows. Study youtube videos on how to do RDL. Make sure you feel them in the hamstring and glutes and not just lower back.<br>\nWhen you get strong at these you should be able to do pull-ups.\nHowever it is more important to train deadlift and bent over rows than pull-ups.\nIn order for the shoulders to function properly you should do more horizontal pulling than vertical pulling. \nWith the bar you can also do overhead press (if you have the overhead space for it). Which trains your chest and shoulders and is better for your shoulders than the bench press. </p>\n\n<p>Alternatively you can do australian pull-ups with the bar you bought.\nWhen you can do ca. 12 of these you should be able to do a pull-up. </p>\n\n<p>A strong back is really great but even more so is a strong posterior chain. For that you need exercises like the deadlift or the kettlebell swing.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39582", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30402/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39609, "author": "user30433", "author_id": 30433, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30433", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Comparing both options the 5 km one will probably benefit you more if you are trying to get in shape. The reason for this is that the distances are, as you said, the same on a yearly basis. However because the 5 km is shorter you will be able to run at a higer speed than when you would be running 7.5 km. This way you will not only burn more calories a year, but you will also be able to increase the intensity for your muscles resulting in more muscle growth. Also beacause the 5 km run will become easier over time when pushing yourself hard enough, you might find yourself able to increase the distance you run whilst still running for as long as the 5 km used to take you to finish.</p>\n\n<p>Also recovering after a cardio workout should not take more than at most a day or so. It is true that the second day you could experience some muscle pain, but when you stay consistent with doing the same cardio exercise regularly eventually the muscle pain after a workout decreases even for the first day after.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39614, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Do you train strength? When you are in your late 30s you should really dial back on the running and train more strength. I am 45 and wished somebody told me this when I was at your age. Having a job where one sit all day plus only running which involves movement in the sagital plane only is a bad combination. It may cause weak abs, glutes, hip abductors and upper back muscles which can result in reduced mobility and pain in hip and shoulder.<br>\nIf I were you I would run only twice a week and then do strength training twice a week.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding which strength training exercises to do:\nthe minimum is:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Romanian deadlift (RDL): trains entire back of the body but hamstrings and glutes in particular.</p></li>\n<li><p>Plank: trains abs and most importantly the deep abs.</p></li>\n<li><p>Sideplank: should ensure flexible hips and keep you from getting pain in knee or hip.</p></li>\n<li><p>Bent over rows or seated row for upper back.</p></li>\n<li>Push-ups: less important than the others. Your horizontal pull should be stronger than your horizontal push. When your back starts getting strong from RDL and rows you can make sure your push is also getting stronger by doing push-ups.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>As you see the most important muscles to strengthen are:\nthe muscles around your hip (core) and the entire backside of the body (posterior chain).</p>\n\n<p>Another alternative is to follow the starting strength program and add in plank and sideplank. I have followed this for a 1/2 year and am stronger and have lost centimeters around my waist. </p>\n\n<p>The hamstrings tend to be especially weak in runners:\n<a href=\"http://www.fleetfeethartford.com/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-corner/hamstrings-strength-flexibility\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://www.fleetfeethartford.com/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-corner/hamstrings-strength-flexibility</a></p>\n\n<p>Also runners tend to have strong hip adductors but weak hip abductors and poor external rotation in hip:\n<a href=\"https://runnersconnect.net/hip-strength-and-running-form-the-role-of-hip-drop-in-running-injuries/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://runnersconnect.net/hip-strength-and-running-form-the-role-of-hip-drop-in-running-injuries/</a></p>\n\n<p>The sideplank is supposed to be the solution for this:\n<a href=\"https://deansomerset.com/planks-are-the-magic-bullet-for-hip-mobility/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://deansomerset.com/planks-are-the-magic-bullet-for-hip-mobility/</a>\nI have personally experienced poor external rotation in hip when doing kickboxing and back squat. Currently I am doing sideplanks and seem to be doing good progress but have only been doing this for a few weeks. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39600", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30428/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39663, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As you're alluding to, there are many answers to this, but they can get vague and debatable. Let me give you a concrete one though.</p>\n\n<h2>Drafting</h2>\n\n<p>There's a great runner's movie called Without Limits about Steve Prefontaine. This is the most relevant scene, but the theme is throughout the movie: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLefVdWUzbE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLefVdWUzbE</a></p>\n\n<p>When Pre was in high school, he didn't need to even consider drafting because he was so far ahead of everyone. But when he got to college and he can't just lap everybody, the whole element of running with a group becomes important.</p>\n\n<p>Not too complicated from there. If you're in front of everybody, you're taking the brunt of the wind. If you're behind someone, you can conserve yourself, which you can't, or are at least very unlikely to, do in training.</p>\n\n<p>Even in a recreational 5k, one is likely to do some drafting, even accidentally, which can give a boost compared to running by yourself in training.</p>\n\n<p>I realize you may also be referring to a more general case, say, why do powerlifters lift more in competition than training, and you could get into tapering / peaking, but again it's not necessarily ironclad. After all, could someone peak and lift the same, but without the crowd around them? (Not many bother to even attempt that.) It gets rather subjective. </p>\n\n<p>Hey, some do worse when the lights get brighter. Not just because of psychology. The Olympics are often <strong>not</strong> a good time for world records, because of all the heats one has to do to qualify, where fatigue becomes a factor. Then again, when you're Usain Bolt and <em>that</em> much faster than everyone, to where you can jog the prelims, and you clearly love the crowd, the Olympics might be perfect for you.</p>\n\n<p>But drafting is physics.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39664, "author": "user3742898", "author_id": 28221, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28221", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another thing, alluded to by @brian-reddy <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/39663/28221\">above</a>, is tapering.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>When you're training, you're not recovering <em>completely</em> from the previous run. This is because:\n\n<ol>\n<li>You would only train once a week.</li>\n<li>There's value in training a little bit tired.</li>\n</ol></li>\n<li>When you're training you're not typically running as fast as you can very often.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>But when there's a race, you taper before it. You run less (not the same as \"don't run\"), and some of what you do is train running fast. Like everything else, the more you do \"run really fast\" the better you get at it.</p>\n\n<p>Most of my training year round is done <em>well</em> below my fastest speed. Maybe the occasional fartlek, but no sustained 5k, 10k, ... top speed runs. When I have a race coming up, about two months out I'll do a mile as fast as I can (and give myself more recovery time afterwards than usual). I'll swap out two miles of normal running for one that's fast every few days. Just before the race I'm not running that much, but what I am running is fast.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck with whatever you end up doing.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39604", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23370/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42209, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Many exercises such as upright row cause painful injuries on the shoulders due to poor shoulder mobility. </p>\n\n<p>However this test of mobility you showed in the pictures doesn't require just good shoulders but also good thoracic mobility. </p>\n\n<p>I'm across the internet therefore I can not know if the problem is shoulder is thoracic mobility. </p>\n\n<p>I can only suggest to improve both with front squats for the thorax and face pulls for the shoulder girdle </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42756, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The first thing to recognise is that our mobility in this exercise is governed by two distinct movements: the overhead reach behind the neck, and the underhand reach behind the back. And our mobility is therefore limited by two distinct sets of muscles.</p>\n<p>The overhead reach is less commonly the greater limiting factor, being restricted primarily by the elbow extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triceps\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">triceps brachii</a>), the shoulder extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latissimus_dorsi_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">latissimus dorsi</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teres_major_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">teres major</a>), shoulder girdle protractors (particularly the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_minor\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis minor</a>)—as well as the glenohumeral joint capsule itself.</p>\n<p>The underhand reach is more commonly the cause of difficulty in linking the hands, as it is for the individual in the images posted. (Notice that the arm in the overhanded position is in a very similar position in each photo, whilst the right arm in the first photo is significantly abducted and shoulder slightly protracted.) The source of the restriction is most commonly the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supraspinatus_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">supraspinatus</a>, whose primary role is to stabilise the head of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humerus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">humerus</a> in the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenoid_cavity\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">glenoid cavity</a> during arm movement, and which passes through a small gap known as the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_impingement_syndrome\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">subacromial space</a>. The supraspinatus is consequently susceptible to impingement, injury, and hence scarring.</p>\n<p>Regardless of the cause, the solution is identical: stretching. And two distinct stretches, corresponding with the overhead and underhand movements, can both be performed using any vertical pole that is narrow enough to grip comfortably (e.g. the frame of a machine in the gym). Try these:</p>\n<p>Overhead stretch: <em>Stand with your back to the pole. Bend your knees slightly to lower your weight. Reach overhead behind your neck, and grip the pole as you would a hammer. Gently stand up until you feel a strong stretch in the structures of the arm and shoulder.</em></p>\n<p>Underhand stretch: <em>Standing in the same position, with your back to the pole, tiptoe to raise your body. Reach underhand and grip the pole as you would a hammer. Gently lower your weight until you feel a strong stretch in the structures of the shoulder.</em></p>\n<p>You can encourage <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocal_inhibition\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">reciprocal inhibition</a> by actively trying to force your elbow and shoulder backward, whether overhead or underhand. And you further increase the intensity of the stretch by leaning away from the pole. As with all stretches, the three key criteria to increase mobility are <strong>time</strong>, <strong>tension</strong>, and <strong>temperature</strong>. The longer and stronger the stretch, and the warmer the environment, the more rapidly your mobility will improve.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39606", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30432/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41227, "author": "Suzy", "author_id": 32018, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32018", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think first you should really focus on \"your strength\" point. Are you more confident in collective or individual fingers gives you more freedom? \nBased on that your regime should be followed. \nI am personally in favor of Collective fingers, because it grips me right and helps me in the pull !\nBut really you should do, what suits you best ! There's no hard and fast rules . </p>\n\n<p>Check this <a href=\"https://www.climbfit.com.au/training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Training</a> video, I guess it will help in making up your mind.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43299, "author": "Wave and Matter", "author_id": 34602, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34602", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am only repeating what appears to me to be kind of a consensus of articles and videos on the internet (see the research and blog of Eva Lopez for example):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most people claim that 4 finger half crimp has the most carry-over to other grip types and to actual climbing</li>\n<li>To also train open-handed grip most people suggest the three-finger drag</li>\n<li>Benefit of using 4 or at least 3 fingers: Less injury prone for example because of redundancy between fingers. This fits my personal experience.</li>\n<li>Benefit of using 2 finger or mono grips explicitly (instead of indirectly by using weight/smaller holds in the other grips) in training: Training of motor skills and confidence in these grip types. This might be relevant if you climb on pocketed rock types where you are forced to hold tweaky finger pockets frequently and therefore have to get used to them in a controlled way.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44429, "author": "theonlygusti", "author_id": 28178, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28178", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Finger strength doesn't have much to do with muscles at all. It's almost entirely tendon strength.</p>\n<p>Tendons gain strength very slowly through consistent and gradual, low-intensity training. Any intense tendon training will injure you. I think training fingers individually is not a good idea for your goals.</p>\n<p>Of course, if you're aiming to get stronger at monos for example, then sure you can train one finger — just remember to do it safely and don't treat it like a powerlifter's one rep max. Less than full-fingered finger training is notorious for injuries.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39607", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30132/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41227, "author": "Suzy", "author_id": 32018, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32018", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think first you should really focus on \"your strength\" point. Are you more confident in collective or individual fingers gives you more freedom? \nBased on that your regime should be followed. \nI am personally in favor of Collective fingers, because it grips me right and helps me in the pull !\nBut really you should do, what suits you best ! There's no hard and fast rules . </p>\n\n<p>Check this <a href=\"https://www.climbfit.com.au/training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Training</a> video, I guess it will help in making up your mind.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43299, "author": "Wave and Matter", "author_id": 34602, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34602", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am only repeating what appears to me to be kind of a consensus of articles and videos on the internet (see the research and blog of Eva Lopez for example):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most people claim that 4 finger half crimp has the most carry-over to other grip types and to actual climbing</li>\n<li>To also train open-handed grip most people suggest the three-finger drag</li>\n<li>Benefit of using 4 or at least 3 fingers: Less injury prone for example because of redundancy between fingers. This fits my personal experience.</li>\n<li>Benefit of using 2 finger or mono grips explicitly (instead of indirectly by using weight/smaller holds in the other grips) in training: Training of motor skills and confidence in these grip types. This might be relevant if you climb on pocketed rock types where you are forced to hold tweaky finger pockets frequently and therefore have to get used to them in a controlled way.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44429, "author": "theonlygusti", "author_id": 28178, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28178", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Finger strength doesn't have much to do with muscles at all. It's almost entirely tendon strength.</p>\n<p>Tendons gain strength very slowly through consistent and gradual, low-intensity training. Any intense tendon training will injure you. I think training fingers individually is not a good idea for your goals.</p>\n<p>Of course, if you're aiming to get stronger at monos for example, then sure you can train one finger — just remember to do it safely and don't treat it like a powerlifter's one rep max. Less than full-fingered finger training is notorious for injuries.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39611", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30435/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39659, "author": "Roger", "author_id": 29693, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29693", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Okay, two things:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Eating schedules and plans have almost no effect on anyone at the beginner or intermediate levels. Citations left as an exercise for the reader.</p></li>\n<li><p>Not getting enough calories in total is much more likely to be a bigger deal, but even then, a few lean days won't impede anyone. But chronically not eating enough is probably the single biggest reason why people (beginners, intermediates) don't gain as much as they want.</p></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40559, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Yes</strong></p>\n\n<p>There's progress and optimal progress. You may get faster results if you follow a strict, regimented schedule of eating vs training. There may be an ideal time to eat which will maximize muscle growth. You may calculate each macro of food down to the gram, even taking in to account <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_dynamic_action\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">TEF</a> of the food.</p>\n\n<p>But, we're human. We have jobs. We have social lives. It would be impossible to follow such a strict routine forever.</p>\n\n<p>Ultimately, training is exploiting our adaptive capabilities for survival. Your body doesn't build muscle because you go to the gym. Your body builds muscle because, for some reason, you live in a world that involves a lot of heavy lifting. It builds muscle to adapt to this world to improve your chances of survival. </p>\n\n<p>Humans didn't have the knowledge or ability to follow such schedules or diets until very recently. We ate what we had when we wanted. It would be an extremely inefficient survival mechanism if we completely lost progress because we didn't eat a whey shake after a workout. </p>\n\n<p>There are, of course, limitations. Being 300 lbs. of pure muscle has its drawbacks, so it's going to be more resistant the heavier you go. So as you advance, you'll have to become more and more strict. For example, if you don't eat enough calories, muscle won't be built because muscle takes a lot of energy to exist, so you need energy to build it. If you don't eat enough protein, your body won't have the building blocks to create muscle. Once the basic things are mastered (which can take years), THEN meal timing can be helpful to really optimize progress. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39655", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42250, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Pull with your shoulders and scapulae. Even if the movement looks the same it doesn't mean it happens the same way. You are probably bending your arms at the same time you try to pull back your shoulders. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to isolate the rotator cuffs,let your arms loose like ropes and just use tour scapulae.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43815, "author": "Definition", "author_id": 35227, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35227", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can see I am late to the party, but at the same time this topic is very important. I hope you already found an answer on your own, but if not, here are some ideas that might help you or others.</p>\n<p>I would advise to start the exercise(?) with your weaker arm, this way you will not gain any more imbalances. The way you describe this situation you are indeed compensating with other muscles, and to avoid this you could lower the weight, make less reps or mitigate the risks by making some small adjustments. You could also bend your legs slightly for example, this way you can’t use your lower body.</p>\n<p>Try to keep in mind what you are trying to achieve with the movements, during the exercise, and try to establish a strong mind muscle connection. For me, this really helps me isolate the muscle as much as I can. In my case it means that I put a light tension on the muscle I am training, so I can really feel what I am doing. In your case it would translate to focus on the shoulder and approach your arm like it was an opening and closing door. Think of it in a sense that your upper arm is a hinge, and your lower arm is the door itself.</p>\n<p>Furthermore, it is advisable to reflect on your movement and ask for feedback, like you are doing now, however keep in mind that your buddy must have a great eye for detail and make sure you aren't wearing any clothes that could obscure his judgement. It would be best to let him record you every once in a while, so he can give his feedback and at the same time provide you with visual feedback that you can interpret yourself.</p>\n<p>In addition I would advise you to look online for this specific exercise combined with something like “avoid mistakes” and try to find experts in this specific area of training like. Athlean-X, who talks allot about internal and external rotation and he dedicated allot of his videos to this topic. With this information you can reflect on a training and also interpret any video footage I talked about earlier in a better way.</p>\n<p>Regards from Holland</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43816, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Like mentioned above, you may want to try a lower weight and work on “feeling” the muscles working. Which shoulder external rotation are you doing? The one where your elbow is beside your body or shoulder flexed to 90?</p>\n<p>Minimise any movement of your biceps and triceps in terms of the angle your elbow forms. Keep it as 90. Biceps and triceps comes into play if you straighten or bend your elbow.</p>\n<p>You can try this variation: <a href=\"https://youtu.be/v5bPOsQbq7g\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/v5bPOsQbq7g</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43829, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Forget about strengthening small muscles like the rotator cuff. Do you really believe that when lifting heavy loads, be it overhead or during bench pressing, your small muscles will save you ?</p>\n<p>It's the other way around. Build strong, effective big muscles (chest, lats) so that they take the load and avoid the other small structures to get injured because they have to take the slack for weak and/or wrongly functioning main muscles.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39661", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29170/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39750, "author": "user3163495", "author_id": 30567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30567", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Find a workout routine that focuses on the following compound lifts:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>heavy squats</li>\n<li>barbell or dumbbell bench press</li>\n<li>pull-ups/chin-ups</li>\n<li>deadlifts</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Do 3-4 sets of these exercises the <strong>6-10 rep range</strong> at least once every 2 weeks (or as long as your body needs time to recover between workouts, this might be once per week if you’re in shape). Try to go jogging a mile or two once or twice a week on your off days to keep your heart strong, this makes a <strong>huge</strong> difference in lifting performance.\nTry to increase the weight you lift when you think you are ready. This might be every time you lift, or it might be every 5 times you lift. The longer you lift weights, however, the less frequent you’ll be increasing, as newbie gains usually plateau off after a few months.</p>\n\n<p>Avoid garbage exercises that make you swing around kettlebells or 5lb plates, these are weak muscle builders compared to the ones I listed above and just waste your time.</p>\n\n<p>Eat mainly rich, nutritious foods, such as chicken breast, pasta, broccoli, orange juice, oatmeal. Nothing wrong with white bread/pizza/ice cream/candy bars as long as you don’t overdo it.</p>\n\n<p>Do this <strong>every 1 or 2 weeks</strong> for a year and you will get great results. Do it for two years for even better results. Don’t expect drastic changes overnight, or even after a few months. Persistence is key.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Most importantly, don’t overtrain and get burned out. There’s no reason to spend more than 30-60mins in the gym each workout.</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39937, "author": "nicolasns96", "author_id": 29301, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29301", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd say that you are focusing too much on the incorrect exercises or the incorrect execution of your workouts. You mentioned, you have gotten stronger, but that doesn't correlate entirely to a dramatic changes in your body, specially when trying to build an aesthetic look with the objective of increasing volume. </p>\n\n<p>I might not be a physical therapist but I can tell you this, focus more on hypertrophy exercises than on sessions that can build your strength but won't target muscle size, specially on the glutes. If you want a better rounded glute aspect you'll have to do exercises that lift it up and this size is also accompanied by a very well rounded nutrition plan. As for the intake of food, maybe you have increased the ammount of meals but are not eating a proper ratio of carbs to protein for example (which when tryin to build up mass is the first the one that needs to be more significant in your meals), so make sure you are not making this mistake. Don't focus necessarily on calorie counting but on your macros and their proportions, \"how much grams of protein per lb of bodyweight how much fat\", etc. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40650, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Consider that everything having to do with the body is highly variable and unpredictable. I personally have gone through many periods lasting multiple months where I either gain a lot of muscle or maintain or even lose weight despite maintaining a large caloric intake the entire time. It all depends on a number of variables, and it's impossible to be aware of them all.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend that you continue to maintain a large caloric intake and continue well-programmed resistance training if your goal is to gain mass in general. I personally have followed these practices and despite fluctuations, I have gained muscle and weight over the long term despite having similar issues and periods of stagnation.</p>\n\n<p>Side note: Check out Bret Contreras (skip to the glutes section). You will not be disappointed.\n<a href=\"https://bretcontreras.com/articles/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://bretcontreras.com/articles/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40652, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A year is not really a long time, especially if you have spent most of that time trying to lose fat.</p>\n\n<p>More muscle mass will give you that lifted, toned, sculpted and athletic look. Many are surprised but getting leaner often gives the appearance or illusion of being larger.</p>\n\n<p>How do you get there will be a combination of both the right nutrition and training... for an extended period of time.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Nutrition</strong>\nAt 54 kilos you are about 120 pounds. </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Calories 10-12 times bodyweight in pounds... so convert your Kilos\nto Pounds first</li>\n<li>Protein at least 1 gram per total pound of bodyweight (about 40% of total calories) in pounds... convert Kilos to Pounds first... 120 grams.</li>\n<li>Carbs about 35% of total calories... 120 grams.</li>\n<li>Fat about 25% of total calories... about 40 grams.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Start here with nutrition. Get the free version of My Fitness Pal or something similar. Set the total calories in My Fitness Pal to the numbers above and then adjust the percentages of the macros to those above. Log what you eat in the free version of My Fitness Pal or something similar. </p>\n\n<p>Measure your bodyweight today and do so every week. Weight inn the same day of the week, at the same time of day on the same scale.</p>\n\n<p>Use a tailor/seamstress tape measure and measure your flexed biceps and hips. Repeat measurements monthly. If the scale is going down and both measurements are staying the same OR even better going up you are getting leaner while losing fat. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Training</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Large Multijoint lifts like the squat, deadlift, overhead press, row, bench press. </li>\n<li>Use the double progressive with reps in the 8-12 range. If you can not do 8 reps it is too heavy. When you can do all set of 12 reps increase weight.</li>\n<li>Sets on the big lifts above 3-4 sets</li>\n<li>Train 4 times per week. Push Pull is fine.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Gaining mass takes consistency overtime. Your current reps are on the lower side for maximizing hypertrophy.</p>\n\n<p>Always consult a doctor before beginning any exercise program. I am not a dietician or licensed nutritionist... and am referencing my printed work for the nutrition info above. </p>\n\n<p>Get after it, train hard and remember consistency over time will yield the results you are looking for.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43218, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If your weight stays the same and you're eating a surplus of calories then you are possibly losing fat and gaining muscle, or gaining fat and losing muscle. But if you're gaining strength I would say it's gaining muscle and losing fat. Before cutting weight off to show muscle, I would try to gain muscle (like you are doing). Muscle gains for people that are new to weightlifting can be as high as 6.8 kgs or greater in the first year. According to Schwarzeneggar in his book &quot;the encyclopedia of bodybuilding&quot;, after newbie gains are gone, He says about 2.2kg max a year is standard after that. I think for your goals, I would focus more on the following during your workout routine:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Work on glute medius more, such as split squats or lunges, which will build the side of the butt more</li>\n<li>work on upper back muscles more by doing different variations of rows. If you dont want to look too muscular or wide you can stick to neutral grip landmine rows, supinated grip rows, dumbbell rows, etc.. and avoid wide grip rows and wide grip lat pulls.</li>\n<li>work on your core. It helps the posterior chain muscles do its job.</li>\n<li>See a physical therapist.. Sometimes back curves or bad posture can make your body look entirely different, including back and glutes! This will help you the most.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I good tip is to work on strength, muscle, and endurance. A reverse linear periodization plan using blocks is a great strategy, as is linear periodization. for 4 week blocks, do 12-15 reps, 8-10 reps, and 4-6 reps working your way down. Some people prefer reverse and working backwards but there isnt enough evidence I can find online that one works better than the other. A great tip for adding muscle is adding volume every so often, so adding more and more sets each block, than reverting to a normal amount of sets once you get down to the 4-6 rep strategy.</p>\n<p>For cutting, I would use a strength day to maintain your strength, and surround it with endurance days, and cardio. It's pretty detailed to get into the entirety of gaining muscle but you should use a year or so to work on muscle and then cut down depending on what your goals are (I am guessing just to have a good body?)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43563, "author": "Abraham", "author_id": 34897, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34897", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I like a number of the answers above (in particular the one from @user31548). One other thing that I'd like to add is that some people get stronger more than they get bigger.</p>\n<p>I look reasonably fit, but not like the guy you call to move a fridge. I can lift more than you'd think by looking at me. Using more or less the same programs, intensity,... other people get bigger than I do, while I get stronger than them.</p>\n<p>It was a common joke at the gym I went to (in the before times...) that trainers would bring big guys who were being annoying over to me so they could work in with me. When they noticed that I was doing their PR for reps they frequently started to listen to their trainers.</p>\n<p>You may be one of those types who just doesn't get that big. I wouldn't stress it unless you have your heart set on a bodybuilding competition. So long as things are moving in the right direction, then they're moving in the right direction.</p>\n<p>Good luck with whatever you do.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39669", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29730/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39750, "author": "user3163495", "author_id": 30567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30567", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Find a workout routine that focuses on the following compound lifts:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>heavy squats</li>\n<li>barbell or dumbbell bench press</li>\n<li>pull-ups/chin-ups</li>\n<li>deadlifts</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Do 3-4 sets of these exercises the <strong>6-10 rep range</strong> at least once every 2 weeks (or as long as your body needs time to recover between workouts, this might be once per week if you’re in shape). Try to go jogging a mile or two once or twice a week on your off days to keep your heart strong, this makes a <strong>huge</strong> difference in lifting performance.\nTry to increase the weight you lift when you think you are ready. This might be every time you lift, or it might be every 5 times you lift. The longer you lift weights, however, the less frequent you’ll be increasing, as newbie gains usually plateau off after a few months.</p>\n\n<p>Avoid garbage exercises that make you swing around kettlebells or 5lb plates, these are weak muscle builders compared to the ones I listed above and just waste your time.</p>\n\n<p>Eat mainly rich, nutritious foods, such as chicken breast, pasta, broccoli, orange juice, oatmeal. Nothing wrong with white bread/pizza/ice cream/candy bars as long as you don’t overdo it.</p>\n\n<p>Do this <strong>every 1 or 2 weeks</strong> for a year and you will get great results. Do it for two years for even better results. Don’t expect drastic changes overnight, or even after a few months. Persistence is key.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Most importantly, don’t overtrain and get burned out. There’s no reason to spend more than 30-60mins in the gym each workout.</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39937, "author": "nicolasns96", "author_id": 29301, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29301", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd say that you are focusing too much on the incorrect exercises or the incorrect execution of your workouts. You mentioned, you have gotten stronger, but that doesn't correlate entirely to a dramatic changes in your body, specially when trying to build an aesthetic look with the objective of increasing volume. </p>\n\n<p>I might not be a physical therapist but I can tell you this, focus more on hypertrophy exercises than on sessions that can build your strength but won't target muscle size, specially on the glutes. If you want a better rounded glute aspect you'll have to do exercises that lift it up and this size is also accompanied by a very well rounded nutrition plan. As for the intake of food, maybe you have increased the ammount of meals but are not eating a proper ratio of carbs to protein for example (which when tryin to build up mass is the first the one that needs to be more significant in your meals), so make sure you are not making this mistake. Don't focus necessarily on calorie counting but on your macros and their proportions, \"how much grams of protein per lb of bodyweight how much fat\", etc. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40650, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Consider that everything having to do with the body is highly variable and unpredictable. I personally have gone through many periods lasting multiple months where I either gain a lot of muscle or maintain or even lose weight despite maintaining a large caloric intake the entire time. It all depends on a number of variables, and it's impossible to be aware of them all.</p>\n\n<p>I recommend that you continue to maintain a large caloric intake and continue well-programmed resistance training if your goal is to gain mass in general. I personally have followed these practices and despite fluctuations, I have gained muscle and weight over the long term despite having similar issues and periods of stagnation.</p>\n\n<p>Side note: Check out Bret Contreras (skip to the glutes section). You will not be disappointed.\n<a href=\"https://bretcontreras.com/articles/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://bretcontreras.com/articles/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40652, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A year is not really a long time, especially if you have spent most of that time trying to lose fat.</p>\n\n<p>More muscle mass will give you that lifted, toned, sculpted and athletic look. Many are surprised but getting leaner often gives the appearance or illusion of being larger.</p>\n\n<p>How do you get there will be a combination of both the right nutrition and training... for an extended period of time.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Nutrition</strong>\nAt 54 kilos you are about 120 pounds. </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Calories 10-12 times bodyweight in pounds... so convert your Kilos\nto Pounds first</li>\n<li>Protein at least 1 gram per total pound of bodyweight (about 40% of total calories) in pounds... convert Kilos to Pounds first... 120 grams.</li>\n<li>Carbs about 35% of total calories... 120 grams.</li>\n<li>Fat about 25% of total calories... about 40 grams.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Start here with nutrition. Get the free version of My Fitness Pal or something similar. Set the total calories in My Fitness Pal to the numbers above and then adjust the percentages of the macros to those above. Log what you eat in the free version of My Fitness Pal or something similar. </p>\n\n<p>Measure your bodyweight today and do so every week. Weight inn the same day of the week, at the same time of day on the same scale.</p>\n\n<p>Use a tailor/seamstress tape measure and measure your flexed biceps and hips. Repeat measurements monthly. If the scale is going down and both measurements are staying the same OR even better going up you are getting leaner while losing fat. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Training</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Large Multijoint lifts like the squat, deadlift, overhead press, row, bench press. </li>\n<li>Use the double progressive with reps in the 8-12 range. If you can not do 8 reps it is too heavy. When you can do all set of 12 reps increase weight.</li>\n<li>Sets on the big lifts above 3-4 sets</li>\n<li>Train 4 times per week. Push Pull is fine.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Gaining mass takes consistency overtime. Your current reps are on the lower side for maximizing hypertrophy.</p>\n\n<p>Always consult a doctor before beginning any exercise program. I am not a dietician or licensed nutritionist... and am referencing my printed work for the nutrition info above. </p>\n\n<p>Get after it, train hard and remember consistency over time will yield the results you are looking for.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43218, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If your weight stays the same and you're eating a surplus of calories then you are possibly losing fat and gaining muscle, or gaining fat and losing muscle. But if you're gaining strength I would say it's gaining muscle and losing fat. Before cutting weight off to show muscle, I would try to gain muscle (like you are doing). Muscle gains for people that are new to weightlifting can be as high as 6.8 kgs or greater in the first year. According to Schwarzeneggar in his book &quot;the encyclopedia of bodybuilding&quot;, after newbie gains are gone, He says about 2.2kg max a year is standard after that. I think for your goals, I would focus more on the following during your workout routine:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Work on glute medius more, such as split squats or lunges, which will build the side of the butt more</li>\n<li>work on upper back muscles more by doing different variations of rows. If you dont want to look too muscular or wide you can stick to neutral grip landmine rows, supinated grip rows, dumbbell rows, etc.. and avoid wide grip rows and wide grip lat pulls.</li>\n<li>work on your core. It helps the posterior chain muscles do its job.</li>\n<li>See a physical therapist.. Sometimes back curves or bad posture can make your body look entirely different, including back and glutes! This will help you the most.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I good tip is to work on strength, muscle, and endurance. A reverse linear periodization plan using blocks is a great strategy, as is linear periodization. for 4 week blocks, do 12-15 reps, 8-10 reps, and 4-6 reps working your way down. Some people prefer reverse and working backwards but there isnt enough evidence I can find online that one works better than the other. A great tip for adding muscle is adding volume every so often, so adding more and more sets each block, than reverting to a normal amount of sets once you get down to the 4-6 rep strategy.</p>\n<p>For cutting, I would use a strength day to maintain your strength, and surround it with endurance days, and cardio. It's pretty detailed to get into the entirety of gaining muscle but you should use a year or so to work on muscle and then cut down depending on what your goals are (I am guessing just to have a good body?)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43563, "author": "Abraham", "author_id": 34897, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34897", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I like a number of the answers above (in particular the one from @user31548). One other thing that I'd like to add is that some people get stronger more than they get bigger.</p>\n<p>I look reasonably fit, but not like the guy you call to move a fridge. I can lift more than you'd think by looking at me. Using more or less the same programs, intensity,... other people get bigger than I do, while I get stronger than them.</p>\n<p>It was a common joke at the gym I went to (in the before times...) that trainers would bring big guys who were being annoying over to me so they could work in with me. When they noticed that I was doing their PR for reps they frequently started to listen to their trainers.</p>\n<p>You may be one of those types who just doesn't get that big. I wouldn't stress it unless you have your heart set on a bodybuilding competition. So long as things are moving in the right direction, then they're moving in the right direction.</p>\n<p>Good luck with whatever you do.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39671", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29079/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39684, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You are spot on, George. The fitness industry pushes people in two directions: Either it is \"stuff you'd recommend to a 60 yo obese person\", or it is the hardcore boot camp class that wears down your joints and body. The fitness industry does not do a good job of filling in the middle between the two extremes. </p>\n\n<p>You are also right to be concerned about kyphosis. Most people at the gym are doing exercises which will only exacerbate their kyphosis. Try this: go the gym and just watch people. In almost every exercise, you will see people are rounding forward in their upper spine. For example, watch people doing Burpees.</p>\n\n<p>I wish I had a good solution for you, but I don't. I have been working out daily for over thirty years. As I grew older, I knew I wanted to conserve my joints and I wanted to do absolutely everything I could to avoid kyphosis (because I find it so unattractive). So over the many years I have gradually created my own workout that is between the two extremes mentioned above. However, in a comment like this, I can't communicate to you the numerous exercises I do. If we met in person, I could show you (I live in Portland, OR). </p>\n\n<p>Perhaps my best advise for you, is look for a personal trainer. I'm not talking about the 23 yo at your gym who is getting paid minimum wage. I'm talking about the people who charge $70 an hour. Before you pay them money, ask them questions about Kyphosis. Make sure they know more about the topic than you do (most will not). Ask them if they have read any recent research papers on the topic, and then ask what journal the papers were published in. If they can't give you solid answers, move on to the next trainer. I wish you luck finding qualified help.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39685, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Pretty much all exercise is safe, and the notion that exercise wears away your joints is a myth. Exercise, even vigorous exercise, has been found to have either <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8496869\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">no effect</a> or <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/art.22990\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a positive effect</a> on joint health. Those people doing \"hardcore\" exercise will be far healthier at age 40 than the average person.</p>\n\n<p>As for kyphosis and lordosis, while there isn't much evidence on the effects of exercise on these conditions, it seems that <a href=\"http://www.luzimarteixeira.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/a-review-of-resistance-exercise-and-posture1.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">exercise most likely will not cure but also will not cause or exacerbate such static postural deviations</a>. However <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4934575/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">exercise is very likely to improve chronic back pain</a>.</p>\n\n<p>So just get some exercise, of whatever type you're most likely to stick with, and stop worrying that it's going to harm you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39688, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>An earlier comment states, <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11710670\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">\"exercise most likely will not cure but also will not cause or exacerbate such static postural deviations\".</a> However, the paper cited is from 2001 and is out of date, at least as far as the first part of the comment. Exercise may not \"cure\" postural deviations, but appropriate exercises can help reduce these deviations. If you google \"kyphosis, exercise, scholar\" you will see that there has been significant research since 2001. Here are a few examples:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-008-0690-3\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Spinal extension exercises prevent natural progression of kyphosis</a> (2009)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28689306\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Targeted spine strengthening exercise and posture training program to reduce hyperkyphosis...</a> (2017)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4434000/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Effect of thorax correction exercises on flexed posture and...</a> (2015)</p>\n\n<p>These papers studied populations over 60 years, simply because that is where the research funding is, but younger people would likely respond even more positively to the protocols. </p>\n\n<p>From what I observe, this research is not yet impacting what goes on in gyms. In my opinion, there is great potential for gyms to incorporate postural exercises into their group class offerings and personal training services.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39683", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30518/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39692, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Yes, the static back extensor exercises are perfectly adequate, in fact they are preferable. The back extensors are primarily stabilizer muscles, not movers. Because of this, they do quite well with static exercises. </p>\n\n<p>However, at the gym you will see many people doing flexion/extension exercises with a large range of movement, and sometimes under load. As an example, you will see people lie face down on a big exercise ball and wrap their torso over the ball, then they pick up into a swan dive position and hyperextend their back. They will often do this for repetitions. They might do it holding a plate to their chest. It looks very cool, but this activity is a risk factor for disk herniation, and more importantly, it isn't necessary because static exercises are every bit as effective at building back strength.</p>\n\n<p>I'm just telling you stuff I have learned by listening to Stuart McGill, the leading expert on this subject. Here is a podcast that goes into some detail:\n<a href=\"https://themovementfix.com/podcast-ep-13-with-dr-stuart-mcgill/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Stuart Mcgill on Jefferson Curl Ups.</a> This podcast is kind of interesting because the interviewer, it seems, is a fan of Jefferson Curl Ups, and he pushes McGill to acknowledge the benefits of Jefferson Curl Ups. McGill finally gets tired of the discussion by saying \"It is just not justifiable.\"</p>\n\n<p>One last note: The above was a discussion about extension exercises under load. The cat/cow type of movement from yoga is a different thing because your back is supported at both ends. Stuart McGill approves of the cat/cow movement. It can bring nutrition to your disks, but please keep it gentle. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39696, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>\"Can you explain why excactly it is not necessary to train the lower back through a full range of motion like other muscles? \"</p>\n\n<p>I found this paper <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9617724\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Relationship between muscle fiber composition and functional capacity of back muscles...</a> which says \"A high percentage of type I fibers has been found in back muscles at the thoracic and lumbar levels. This is in accordance with the postural function of these muscles.\" \"Type I fibers are slow twitch fibers that...are relatively resistant to fatigue.\" \"Muscles with predominantly type I fibers...will be more involved in postural stability, sustained contraction, and endurance activities\". </p>\n\n<p>When they say \"endurance activities\", they mean holding your torso upright for hours at a time, with no rest. This is very different from how you use your biceps, for example. The argument is that, if the erector spinae are \"designed\" to provide stability and to have high endurance, then this is a good way to train them. </p>\n\n<p>If you also consider that your disks are safer when your spine is in a stable, neutral position, then I arrive at the conclusion that the best approach is to train your back isometrically and in the neutral position.</p>\n\n<p>Here is a caveat: I am addressing someone who just wants to be healthy and fit. However, if your goal is to be a trapeze artist, then that is a different matter. I once saw a video of trapeze artists warming up, and they go through a full range of motion. If your goal is hypertrophy in the back area, then that also is a different matter; consult a bodybuilder. </p>\n\n<p>Hope that answers your question. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39690", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29170/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39717, "author": "user3163495", "author_id": 30567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30567", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Short answer:</strong> the line on such a diagram would just be a straight horizontal line. Running faster does not significantly increase calories burned.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Long answer:</strong> A \"calorie\" in the context of food and exercise is actually short for \"kilocalorie\", which is a unit of energy (or \"work\", as some people say).</p>\n\n<p>Just like 1 mile is equal to 5,280 feet, 1 kilocalorie is equal to 4,184 Joules, which is the same amount of energy/work required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1° Celsius.</p>\n\n<p>Let's say you dragged a 100lbs boulder 20 feet across the ground. No matter how fast you dragged that boulder, it will always be the same amount of work done: 100lbs moved 20 feet.</p>\n\n<p>So, based on how much you weigh, the amount of calories you burn running a mile will roughly be the same no matter how fast you run. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, since running fast is harder than running slow, but that's science.</p>\n\n<p>You might burn a few more calories in the wind since wind resistance increases the faster you go, but it's not very significant unless you are absolutely sprinting.</p>\n\n<p><strong>That is the reason the calculator on this site will always give you the same number of calories burned, no matter how fast a time you put for the \"How long you ran\" box:</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20801301/calories-burned-running-calculator/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20801301/calories-burned-running-calculator/</a></p>\n\n<p><strong>Caveat: calories burned while running will always be the same, but there might be some increased after-burn of calories if you ran the mile super fast as opposed to normal speed, since your body has to work harder to catch its breath, cool off, etc.</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40877, "author": "Wood", "author_id": 31812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31812", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It would look like this:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pa4Yj.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pa4Yj.png\" alt=\"chart\"></a></p>\n\n<p>It's basically a straight line. Don't take the variations from the straight line too seriously. There are so many other factors involved (wind, distance, running form, etc.) that it doesn't make sense to try to measure it too precisely. The graph above is for a 30 year-old male with 70 kg and 1.75 m, calculated with the corrected <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent_of_task\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">MET</a> values taken from the <a href=\"https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/running\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Compendium of Physical Activities</a>. You can make your own graph with your personal parameters with <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTTGbVul8WXfkbCo9CstwQegSQgX3lpM2AS5XdJum5ktR-3Mx0I4lZxQ9eNare1hG_eu6SiRJFOUNqf/pub?output=xlsx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this spreadsheet</a>.</p>\n\n<p>It is well-known that you burn approximately the same calories per km independently of speed. A fortunate numerical coincidence allows us to simplify the formula and <strong>simply take the speed in km/h to get how many calories you burn per kg per hour</strong>. For example: a 100 kg person running at 12 km/h burns about 1200 kcal per hour and a 50 kg person running at 20 km/h burns about 1000 kcal/h.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39699", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30543/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39716, "author": "user3163495", "author_id": 30567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30567", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's better to breathe with <strong>both</strong> the mouth and the nose to increase the airflow to your lungs. Your lungs have to work extra hard when air is only allowed to flow through the nostrils. This applies to all forms of running.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40856, "author": "Wood", "author_id": 31812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31812", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You should definitely breathe the way that feels most comfortable.</p>\n\n<p>At slow paces, breathing through your nose will help filter out dust particles and other impurities in the air that might irritate your lungs. Your nose also helps humidify and heat up the air before it reaches your lungs. Cold and dry air can further irritate your airways, especially on people with asthma or bronchitis.</p>\n\n<p>At moderate paces, it starts to feel uncomfortable to breathe only through your nose. Most people recommend inhaling through the nose and exhaling through your mouth. Personally, I don't find that it helps at all, so I do it the other way around. Using both your nose and your mouth at the same time will definitely help increase the airflow, but some people find it hard to get used to.</p>\n\n<p>At fast paces it becomes impossible to use only your nose. Breathing at a fast rate through your mouth significantly increases the risk of getting a sore throat or other respiratory problem, but there's no way around it.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39705", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3476/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39710, "author": "Kaiser", "author_id": 30511, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30511", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The reason for this is the workout itself. You trained so hard that your muscles \nget very weak for the moment. \nThe only way I see to avoid this is to train less. Maybe start by doing one set less on each exercise or even leave one out.\nWith time you should get used to working out more, which means this feeling of soreness should be less intense after the working, but it depends on your body.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39711, "author": "MadDev", "author_id": 28392, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28392", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Once a week, 4 sets 5-8 reps and 3-5 exercises depending on if I'm\n fatigued or not</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If you are doing this on the same day was as when your training your chest, then this is too much volume in a single session. \nTriceps are involved in most compound chest exercises (E.G. Bench Press, Pushups etc.).\nSo you are probably actually hitting your triceps in 5+ exercises in a single session.</p>\n\n<p>Try changing to max 2/3 exercises which specifically isolate the triceps. (E.G. Cable Tricep Pulldowns, Cable Overhead Extension)</p>\n\n<p>In addition, the 5-8 rep range would be considered a 'strength' rep range. This rep range can be more taxing on the body than your traditonal 'hypertrophy' 8-12 rep range.\nBut, if your goal is to increase strength, then it's fine to stick to the 5-8 rep range.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39709", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39718, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There are many ways to answer this. </p>\n\n<p>One, if a person buys a package of sessions from a personal trainer, and has scheduled an appointment and paid in advance, then that person has much greater motivation to actually get to the gym. </p>\n\n<p>Two, maybe someone wants company while they work out. At the gym I go to, I listen to the personal trainers interact with their clients, and most of it consists of banter about the weather, sports, children, pets, movies, and such. These personal trainers provide a little distraction and pleasant company. Nothing wrong with that.</p>\n\n<p>A third reason might be, that they hope a personal trainer will help them with technique and form. Having somebody watch you and give feedback about what your body is really doing can be extremely beneficial. Sometimes a trainer needs to physically manipulate a client's body to correct their movement pattern. However, from what I see at the gym, most personal trainers don't do enough of this. I've see lots of terrible form on display while personal trainers are chatting about the weather. So, some trainers are more diligent than others about giving clients useful feedback. </p>\n\n<p>Fourth, even with the internet, there is work involved in putting together a itinerary of exercises. When I lead an exercise class, I compile exercises from a multitude of sources. A list of my sources would require a small book and I'm adding new sources every week. Some of my exercises come from scholarly research and aren't found on youtube. The average person is not going to invest this kind of time into compiling a workout itinerary. On the other hand, many personal trainers these days just copy their workouts from youtube videos. Again, what you get from a personal trainer depends on exactly who you hire and how much you are willing to pay.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39719, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>We know a lot about the human body in general, such as how</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>weight training tears down muscle fibres</li>\n<li>the body builds muscle fibres back up, better and stronger</li>\n<li>the body needs adequate food and rest for rebuilding muscle</li>\n<li>the shoulder joint is easily damaged from anterior internal rotation</li>\n<li>deadlifts place a lot of strain on the spine if the back muscles are not properly engaged</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>etc. This is information one can learn from reading books and studies online.</p>\n\n<p>However, we also differ in a lot of areas, such as how</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>some people have short tendons, and need to deadlift differently</li>\n<li>some people have shortened hip flexors</li>\n<li>some people sit a lot</li>\n<li>some people have an anterior pelvic tilt</li>\n<li>some people have a posterior pelvic tilt</li>\n<li>some people have weak hip flexors</li>\n<li>some people respond better to high volume training</li>\n<li>some people respond better to high intensity training</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>etc. This is information that trainers are educated on diagnosing and helping you treat, by creating workout plans specifically designed for your body in particular. Not only to get you started, but also to appropriately adjust the plan as you progress, and as you plateau.</p>\n\n<p>A lot of this can be diagnosed and treated and planned for by yourself, but you would have to do a LOT more reading and studying to get there, and there's less of a guarantee of success, because you can't always trust what you read on the Internet.</p>\n\n<p>So, to sum up: Hiring a personal trainer is something we do to either get help getting started, or to get a second opinion on what we're already doing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39724, "author": "DRF", "author_id": 28212, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28212", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I will respond from my personal experience as I have started working out about a year and a half ago and I've used a personal trainer throughout and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.</p>\n\n<p>My reasons are in order from most important:</p>\n\n<p>Motivation - If I have an appointment with my trainer I'm sure to go because someone is waiting for me. I will go on my own sometime but it's rare because there is always some work that needs to be done.</p>\n\n<p>Correct technique and exercise choice - even if I read up online or watched videos I wouldn't be able to properly judge my technique and I probably would have trouble figuring out what exactly I should be exercising. Also I would never consider trying weights he gives me believing I couldn't manage them. And for many it would be true without a spotter anyway.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise modification on the fly - One of the reasons I started exercising were shoulder pains which didn't want to go away for a couple years. My trainer was able to come up with exercises which worked around them and eventually managed to get rid of them completely. I don't have great mobility in general though so often when I get pain from some exercise which is unhealthy and related to mobility rather than the exercise my trainer comes up with a different exercise for the same muscle (group) where my lack of mobility is not a problem.</p>\n\n<p>Time &amp; variety - My trainer has a bachelor's in physical education and is working on his masters. I don't know how long it takes him to set up a session for me but I would certainly take a fair amount of extra time for each session probably half an hour or more. This way I just go to the gym say hi and than go through the exercises he prepared. Saves me time and also gives me more variety. I would certainly never consider that doing squats on a medicine ball or an exercise ball would even be a possibility and now I'm able to climb on one without using my hands.</p>\n\n<p>All of these are very important for me and I'm sure without a sparring partner of some kind I wouldn't be exercising nearly as diligently or as well. So the cost of the Trainer is well covered by the results he brings.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39734, "author": "Megha", "author_id": 30581, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30581", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition to the very good answers already present, which deal with motivation, specialized adjustments and feedback, I would also like to add that having access to an abundance of information about exercise on the internet, is not the same thing as having access to an abundance of exclusively good, complete, or unproblematic exercise information on the internet. </p>\n\n<p>There is information on the internet that is really good, and will help the reader, and there is information that is a bit helpful (but often less then it seems), or that is sometimes helpful and sometimes not, or helpful in suspiciously-specific circumstances. And then there's information that might cause problems if wrongfully applied, or just be unproven or even be wrong information, or otherwise not be fit for the one researching or the suspiciously-specific circumstances that might apply to the one researching.</p>\n\n<p>This isn't, by the way, me picking on the abundance of exercise information on the internets, it is true of any abundance of information on the internets, from cooking to crafting to academic analysis to career development to personal comportment. People <em>believe</em> things, and the act of believing doesn't come with a fact checker - and then they write down their actual beliefs and assumptions, whether the underlying cause works as they think it does, or whether these beliefs or advice work for anyone else or not.</p>\n\n<p>So it does take still, and research, and prior knowledge to pick the really useful bits of information out of the minorly useful, situational, not useful, or outright wrong bits of information. Anyone can do it, sure, but it can be a nontrivial effort to do so correctly. So some people will prefer to look for someone who has the answers... like a personal trainer, who they will trust to know the actual truth and to offer them helpful knowledge. </p>\n\n<p>And anyone can do it incorrectly, too, even those who are employed as personal trainers... to have that job title isn't actually a guarantee of knowledge or correctness. The choice to hire a personal trainer is about belief and confidence and assumption, as much as it is about training and research and knowledge and social factors.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39737, "author": "Artelius", "author_id": 30583, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30583", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Probably the most common reason is that many people <em>simply don't care</em> about how fitness works, but would like to get/stay fit. Or, they have a lot on their plate and don't have the headspace to construct fitness routines or reflect on their progress.</p>\n\n<p>A decent analogy is tech support. Many people <em>simply don't care</em> about how computers work, or don't have time to waste researching their problem on the web. They may be intelligent people (like a doctor, say) but they would rather pay someone to solve their computer problem (indeed sometimes being given instructions over the phone/screenshare).</p>\n\n<p>I have chronic illnesses and have spent a vast amount of time researching their management. But I simply don't care about analysing blood test results. I'm quite happy to pay a doctor to interpret my cell counts, thyroid function, antibodies, triglycerides, drug concentrations, liver and kidney function, etc. etc.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39738, "author": "Jared Smith", "author_id": 30584, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30584", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>there is such an abundance of exercise knowledge on the internet</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That is confusing different things.</p>\n<p>Back in the day, like Aristotle back in the day, the word &quot;knowledge&quot; was (at least) <em>two</em> words:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Episteme</strong>: scientific knowledge, or know-what</li>\n<li><strong>Techne</strong>: craftsmanship, or know-<em>how</em></li>\n</ul>\n<p>You can get the former for free on the internet. The internet is not really an ideal medium for the second kind of knowledge. If you already have a firm base you may be able to score some pointers on Techne, but you won't be able to really get there just by e.g. watching youtube videos, no matter how well-produced.</p>\n<p>People who hire personal trainers are angling for the second type of knowledge.</p>\n<p>To add a personal anecdote: I can power clean/push jerk my body weight, which while not very impressive by competitive lifting standards isn't bad for a hobbyist pushing 40. I am <em>extremely</em> skeptical that a normal unfit person can get to that point without in-person expert help.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39715", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30567/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42268, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>inflexibility is caused by weak muscles. Such as not being able to touch one's toes or finding it hard to hold an L-Sit is the cause if hip flexor weakness in comparison to hip extensors. </p>\n\n<p>And hip flexors are rarely trained, often completely excluded from strength programs, and every exercise that trains the hip flexors is deemed demonic. </p>\n\n<p>The same thing happens with shoulder flexibility and therefore lack of it is not caused by pectorals being too strong as commonly believed but by rear Delta being too weak and under-trained. </p>\n\n<p>Lack of flexibility in exercises like dips or deep cambered bar bench pressing is often the result of an underdeveloped sub-scapularis. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43577, "author": "user3742898", "author_id": 28221, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28221", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I do not believe in static stretching.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>So I believe that lack of flexibility is in fact really always a lack of strength. If I had really strong groin musculature my nervous system would allow me to do a full split.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I mean, I'm not saying that static stretching is the only thing, but I've known several contortionists, and some of them were surprisingly strong, and some of them just were <em>not</em>. They stretched and they were able to do things that hurt to just look at. And then there were a couple who just didn't stretch, exercise, anything, they could just bend.</p>\n<p>Also, most of the people that I've heard complain about static stretching are fighting a strawman extreme position and oversimplification that no one actually thinks is true. Yoga for instance has been getting people to exert their muscles in a stretched state for at least 120 years now (probably much more, but I can't read Sanskrit).</p>\n<p>Re: &quot;Am I wrong?&quot;\nWell, your first two references are mostly about how stretching isn't helpful in injury prevention (which is itself somewhat oversimplified), not about how stretching doesn't help you bend further. The second one even says &quot;(re: stretching) it does actually increase flexibility. Even just plain old “static” stretching, and not even that much of it.&quot;.</p>\n<p>Your third reference says what you're saying, the fourth one seems (aside from the abstract &amp; graphs it's behind a paywall) to be about what happens once your muscle has gotten longer, and Rippetoe, aside from just generally being Rippetoe, seems to be advocating one way to get force delivered to a set of muscles in order to stretch them. Kinda vaguely to your point?</p>\n<p>As to your title question &quot;Can I increase flexibility by strengthening muscles?&quot; possibly yes. You can also <em>decrease</em> flexibility by strengthening muscles. Doing things in a stretched state usually makes a body get used to that, and usually lets it stretch further next time. Exercising a muscle in that state will generally make it stretch faster than simply sitting in that stretched state, but does increase the risk of injury.</p>\n<p>I'd be careful of words like &quot;always&quot;, &quot;everyone&quot;,... Try things, see what works for you right now, do more of that until it stops helping.</p>\n<p>Good luck and stay safe.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43584, "author": "Peter Jonsson", "author_id": 34077, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34077", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Yes You can! I would recommend checking out precision movement, they introduce mobility: Range of motion produced by muscles when going to end range. This in addition to your concept of flexibility. They have a lot of theory and a very clear curriculum for increasing both flexibility and mobility. There is also some free material on Youtube as well as courses (15 to 50 USD) that target different areas of your body.</p>\n<p>You could check out the following link as a starting point:\n<a href=\"https://www.precisionmovement.coach/front-splits-mobility-technique/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.precisionmovement.coach/front-splits-mobility-technique/</a></p>\n<p>I have gone from a very stiff left hip to a much more flexible and mobile state. At the moment i am doing the Lower Limb Control and Hip flexibility Solution and feel very hopeful after 8 weeks of studying with them.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43603, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It has been a while since I asked this question and meanwhile my views on this has become somewhat more nuanced (or so I like to think).</p>\n<p>I now believe that foamrolling and static stretching opens up a 30 minutes window of opportunity for gaining a larger range of motion (ROM). This new larger ROM has to be solidified by acquiring strength in end range of motion.\nHowever it is also as much a matter of reprogramming the motor programs.\nWhen a full ROM was not possible, compensatory movement patterns took place.\nThe central nervous system now have to relearn to use the full ROM to do the movement in the correct way. (1)</p>\n<p>Another gripe I had with static stretching was that it seemed unnatural.\nI would read about balletdancers who would watch tv sitting in a split position, and this just seemed wrong.\nHowever 10 000 years ago people did not have chairs so they would spend a lot of time sitting on the ground. Some of it maybe in a butterfly pose and some maybe in a 90/90 stretch position. So in fact they were static stretching :-).</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QZSdtXSeZs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Gray Cook How to improve hip mobility?</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39723", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39746, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't think too much about this, just do it. That is how you learn. When I was younger, in the prime of life, I would run to the gym, lift weights, swim, and run home. Oh, those were the days. </p>\n\n<p>ps. My opinion would be weights before the swimming. When you are handling weights, you want the ligaments of your shoulder joint capsule to be a little stiff, in order to protect the joint. When you swim, these ligaments will relax a bit because of the wide range of motion. So weights first, in my experience. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39751, "author": "MadDev", "author_id": 28392, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28392", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Swimming is intense cardio, while weight lifting is intense resistance training. \nIt is good to do both but I wouldn't advise to do them on the same days, unless you're prepared to compromise on the intensity of either.</p>\n\n<p>Swimming is a sport that uses most of the bodies muscles.\nIf you swim directly before/after weight lifting, you may overtrain some muscles (Quads, Pecks and Shoulders in particular), because you will be working them twice on the same day.</p>\n\n<p>If your schedule allows, I would advise you to do your cardio on separate days to your weight training. </p>\n\n<p><em>Your muscles recover and grow when they are at rest, not when you are training them.</em></p>\n\n<p>It is also important to note that cardio isn't everything when its comes to losing belly fat. The key to losing belly fat is to operate in a calorie deficit.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Here is an example of a simple 5 day split which you could implement.\nNote that there is 2 upper body workouts, but only 1 lower body workout. You can switch this up week to week depending on your goals.\nAlso you could remove one of the upper body workouts to turn it into a 4 day split.</p>\n\n<p>Monday:\nSwimming</p>\n\n<p>Tuesday:\nUpper</p>\n\n<p>Wednesday:\nRest</p>\n\n<p>Thursday:\nLower</p>\n\n<p>Friday:\nSwimming</p>\n\n<p>Saturday:\nUpper</p>\n\n<p>Sunday:\nRest</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39939, "author": "Will Appleby", "author_id": 16628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/16628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm a competitive swimmer and also do a lot of weight training. I can certainly recommend doing cardio alongside a resistance routine - not only will it help burn additional calories to reduce body fat (assuming a sensible diet), but the improved cardiovascular fitness will enable you to push yourself harder in the gym, thus benefitting your weight sessions.</p>\n\n<p>As for when to swim, avoid doing it before your weight sessions - all this will do is consume your muscle glycogen stores, meaning you will be tired in the gym and unable to maximize your weight routines. </p>\n\n<p>It's far better to do weights before cardio.</p>\n\n<p>In fact, the benefits of swimming after the gym are:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You will already be warmed up, so less chance of injury.</li>\n<li>Your glycogen stores will be depleted so you are more likely to start tapping into your fat stores for energy in the pool.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The only issue with point 2 is that you will be more fatigued in the pool, so yes it will feel more difficult to swim, but unless you are swimming to achieve specific times/distances, this isn't really a negative. Just push through the fatigue and know it's helping burn calories and improve your fitness.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39745", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30596/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39837, "author": "Pendor Bound", "author_id": 30685, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30685", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Would you consider an experimental approach to answering your own question? </p>\n\n<p>Get some ketone test strips, and confirm you're in ketosis at your target carb intake. With that baseline established, vary your carb intake and exercise burn while keeping accurate records. Confirm whether or not you're in ketosis daily with the ketone test strips.</p>\n\n<p>My hypothesis would be that you can eat somewhat less than your total exercise burn in carbs before you begin to burn the carbs directly (kicked out) for at least part of the day. I further hypothesize that the timing of when you eat versus exercise, composition of the carbs, and individual metabolism will make it highly variable.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40713, "author": "PJNoes", "author_id": 31607, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31607", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have read research by Dr. Peter Attia that suggests that intake of carbohydrates immediately after exercise (within 1 hour) will mostly be used to restore glycogen stores and will not trigger the usual insulin response. Since everyone's metabolism is slightly different, you would have to test yourself using a ketone monitor and test strips to verify this.</p>\n\n<p>The bigger question is why would you do this? My own response to exercise while in ketosis shows no adverse affects, no matter how strenuous my workouts. I often go several hours after exercise without eating. Clearly, being in ketosis doesn't adversely affect recovery from exercise. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39749", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5296/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39759, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your imagination is your only limitation here. I'm not a hardcore yoga guy, but here are some videos of clients of mine doing movements that have some replication in yoga.</p>\n\n<p>Weighted Bridge: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEzW_bs0jA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEzW_bs0jA</a></p>\n\n<p>Crawling Downward Dog with Push-up: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWwDXiQ3ss\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWwDXiQ3ss</a></p>\n\n<p>Single Leg Lean Over: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n8pmUCZr-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n8pmUCZr-8</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39793, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What is your motivation is for adding resistance to yoga poses? I think of it this way: Asana yoga is a wonderful tradition going back a couple hundred years. The poses you see today have been selected organically over the passage of time, with the input and collective wisdom of countless practitioners. The practice fits together in a cohesive way.</p>\n\n<p>Weight lifting probably doesn't go back as far as yoga, but it goes back to at least the fifties. The lifts people do in the gyms have also been selected by the input of countless people in gyms around the world. Of course, you will see some people doing stupid stuff at the gym, but if you are intelligent, then you can put together a well designed program from the classic lifts.</p>\n\n<p>My view is that yoga and weight lifting are each valid systems on their own, but they don't mix very well, like Thai food and Italian food don't go together. When you try to combine yoga and weight lifting, you will end up with a whole that is less than the parts. </p>\n\n<p>For example, I once went to a yoga class where we did stuff like the warrior pose II with a dumbell in each hand. What muscle were they trying to strengthen? Is it the middle delt? If so, there are classic lifts that are vastly more effective at working the middle delt. In my opinion, the class would have been better if we had done an hour of yoga, and followed it with a half hour of weight lifting. They would get better results.</p>\n\n<p>In other words, if you want to do yoga, then do it for the spiritual, communal, mental reasons that it was created. If you want to get stronger, then learn from the people who have been doing it for years: weight lifters. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39756", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29152/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39781, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My shop teacher used to say, \"There is more than one way to skin a cat.\" </p>\n\n<p>If you lack the mobility to do a specific lift, such as overhead shoulder press, I would suggest that you step away from the lift for a month or two. Find an alternative lift. When you go to the gym, do lifts that don't exceed your safe range of motion. Meanwhile, in each workout, after you are done lifting, walk over to the stretching area of your gym (if it has one) and focus specifically on your mobility for at least twenty minutes. I would expect that if you work diligently, then in a couple months you will have the range of motion you need and you can go back to the original lift.</p>\n\n<p>What I'm suggesting here is that, in my opinion, the most efficient path to your goal is to take two separate paths that converge down the road. One path is creating strength. The other path is creating mobility. My suggestion is, don't mix them together, until the time has come.</p>\n\n<p>For example, in a former life, I wanted to be able to do front splits. I tried and tried but didn't make progress. Then I stopped trying, and I instead worked on hamstring flexibility and hip flexor flexibility separately. A year later, I was just curious whether I could do front splits, and viola, it was relatively easy. </p>\n\n<p>Moral to the story is, instead of tackling a big challenge head on, sometimes you have to be creative and find smaller challenges, and then if you are patient, you will find the bigger challenge just works itself out.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39782, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I do not think that whole body mobility is the best way to approach this. I would argue there is no such thing. Your total mobility is simply the sum of the mobility over all your joints and muscles.\nInstead I think you should try to identify exactly which joints and muscles are causing you problems and work on these. The other joints and muscles are probably fine and I think it is somewhat a waste of time to work on these also.</p>\n\n<p>It seems you are having problems with the deadlift and the squat.\nYes the deadlift is potentially dangerous. Be extra careful with this lift. I think lack of flexibility may cause you to round your back in the bottom of the deadlift which is bad. In this case the problem is tight hamstrings.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding the squat I understand you are having trouble reaching full depth. The problem may be lack of flexibility in the ankles. It may also be lack of flexibility in the hips. In is not dangerous not reaching full depth in the squat but it is less beneficial to squat shallow.</p>\n\n<p>An important principle that goes for all lifts that you should follow is:\nIf you can not perform the lift with full range of motion; lower the weigth until you can. Do not perform partial lifts.</p>\n\n<p>You should perform the motion that causes you problem gently, but as often as you can.\nThat is in the case of the squat; do some bodyweights squats every day. Pause in the bottom position for a few seconds and shift your weight back and forth gently between the ankles a bit. </p>\n\n<p>In the case of problems with taking a wide stance due to tight hips I also think you should strengthen the gluteus medius by eg. Side Lying Leg Raises. </p>\n\n<p><strong>References</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuNhcwNwyPg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">MOBILITY: What works?</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFydcAts408\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Jujimufu 4 rules for flexibility exercises</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://themovementfix.com/better-way-stretch-hamstrings/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">A Better Way to 'Stretch' Your Hamstrings</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39766", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29170/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39803, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>No.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I'm kinda lazy and just wanna do 1 set of push-ups a day</p>\n<p>Will such minimal exercise help build muscle?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If such minimal exercise built muscle, everyone would be in fantastic shape.</p>\n<p>Additionally, if you do only push-ups, how do you expect to develop back muscles and leg muscles? I know you're not thinking of those, because you want to get a big chest and look good, but training only certain parts of your body will make you develop muscular imbalances and chronic injury.</p>\n<p>Bottom line: Put in <em>actual</em> work, or don't bother. There's no shortcut to getting in shape.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39806, "author": "Eren", "author_id": 28990, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28990", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you are not accustomed to exercise -- and it sounds like you aren't -- then yes, such minimal activity will build muscle. </p>\n\n<p>Up to a point.</p>\n\n<p>At that point, doing 20 pushups will not make you stronger; it will make you good at doing 20 pushups.</p>\n\n<p>To get stronger, you will need to add more weight (like switching to one arm pushups). That will make you stronger.</p>\n\n<p>Up to a point.</p>\n\n<p>At that point, you will need to continue increasing the weight. This trend will continue as your body adapts to each new weight load.</p>\n\n<p>Pushups can only take you so far. Eventually you'll need to start benchpressing (unless you are content to stay with the strength pushups have given you).</p>\n\n<p>P.S. Increasing the number of reps will also build a little strength, but progressive overload (adding a little weight each workout) is much more effective at building muscle.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39799", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30645/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39803, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>No.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I'm kinda lazy and just wanna do 1 set of push-ups a day</p>\n<p>Will such minimal exercise help build muscle?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If such minimal exercise built muscle, everyone would be in fantastic shape.</p>\n<p>Additionally, if you do only push-ups, how do you expect to develop back muscles and leg muscles? I know you're not thinking of those, because you want to get a big chest and look good, but training only certain parts of your body will make you develop muscular imbalances and chronic injury.</p>\n<p>Bottom line: Put in <em>actual</em> work, or don't bother. There's no shortcut to getting in shape.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39806, "author": "Eren", "author_id": 28990, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28990", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you are not accustomed to exercise -- and it sounds like you aren't -- then yes, such minimal activity will build muscle. </p>\n\n<p>Up to a point.</p>\n\n<p>At that point, doing 20 pushups will not make you stronger; it will make you good at doing 20 pushups.</p>\n\n<p>To get stronger, you will need to add more weight (like switching to one arm pushups). That will make you stronger.</p>\n\n<p>Up to a point.</p>\n\n<p>At that point, you will need to continue increasing the weight. This trend will continue as your body adapts to each new weight load.</p>\n\n<p>Pushups can only take you so far. Eventually you'll need to start benchpressing (unless you are content to stay with the strength pushups have given you).</p>\n\n<p>P.S. Increasing the number of reps will also build a little strength, but progressive overload (adding a little weight each workout) is much more effective at building muscle.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39801", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29152/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39811, "author": "Paul K", "author_id": 18395, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18395", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since building a sixpack will require some muscle growth, <em>I'd argue that neither are effective</em>. You'll be at a point where you can do dozens of sit-ups very quickly, which might be fine for the endurance of your abs, but won't help growth very much. Same for holding 3 mins of planck. Fine, but not <em>very</em> helpful on your way towards a sixpack. </p>\n\n<p>While not having a sixpack myself, I'd think that you'll have to implement some kind progressive overload for a sixpack, while staying in the range of 8-12 reps (hypertrophy). If you're in a gym, you might look at cable crunches, which is a loaded version of crunches, which you'll be able to adapt to your abilities. If you have access to weight plates, you could also do weighted sit-ups. </p>\n\n<p>To some extent, standing barbell presses might have an effect, too, since they require a strong core to stabilize.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39813, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The main function of the rectus abdominus is to curl the torso forward. Contrary to popular belief and method, bending at the hips works hip/leg flexors, with minimal involvement to the abdominal muscle.</p>\n\n<p>For growth, you need to stress the muscle as you would any other, with progressive overload in the hypertrophy range for sets/reps. To start, you can do bodyweight exercises such as traditional crunches and hanging leg curls. (For the curls, the initial part will work the hip flexors, then the final curl up works the abs.)</p>\n\n<p>You need to maintain a fairly neutral spine, and avoid curling your neck or putting your hands behind your neck/head to \"pull\" yourself up. These will lead to the neck pains you are describing.</p>\n\n<p>Also, do not neglect the other core muscles. Obliques are the muscles responsible for rotation of the torso, and the lower back muscles are worked by extension type exercises. All of these together need to be worked, or you risk imbalance that causes back pain as other muscles try to compensate.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39807", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30645/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39819, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Don’t expect drastic results.</p>\n\n<p>The bottom line is that you want to be thinner, let’s focus on that. The only way to accomplish this is by being in a caloric deficit. You should first estimate your TDEE with an online calculator, and second, subtract 10-20% of that from the total for the amount you should be eating to lose weight at a healthy rate. What is a healthy rate? Losing 0.5-1% of your total bodyweight each week is healthy in that it’s safe for lean mass retention and hormonal balance. Low carb and/or low fat diets are often problematic in that they are hard to maintain long term, they also don’t produce any additional weight loss, so I would recommend to avoid those.</p>\n\n<p>Moving on from your nutrition, let’s consider your activities. Activities consume calories (something that is factored in when calculating TDEE), and as such increase the potential for being in a caloric deficit. Activities also have the potential to stimulate the growth of muscle tissue which is more metabolically active (burns more calories by its mere existence) than fatty tissue does. The best kind of activity for fat loss (not to be confused with weight loss) is therefore strength training, by which muscle mass is added to the body. The process of building muscle requires extra calories in and of itself, but a strength training session is also similar to a cardio training session in how many calories are consumed during the activity. This isn’t to say that you should only do strength training and you should avoid cardio, since both are beneficial and in different ways, it’s simply to highlight the value of strength training.</p>\n\n<p>So now that you have nutrition and strength training down, that’s all you need right? Wrong. You’d be missing a critical component if that’s all you did. Rest and recovery are vital to this whole process. It’s why you can’t stay at the gym for hours on end and expect results. Your body’s capacity to grow and recover is limited, so you have to make sure to respect that. Get adequate sleep every night, don’t over train, and eat properly so that your body can recover properly.</p>\n\n<p>What can you expect? If you are currently 85 kg, then the following is very much possible if you are doing everything right. By the end of week six, you could be 82.5-80kg. </p>\n\n<p>Bonus, here is a useful little infographic you can refer to...\n<a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5iPihBg80/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5iPihBg80/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39821, "author": "Janac Meena", "author_id": 30667, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30667", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Personally, I lost 20lb in 45 days when I went vegan. It got to the point where I decided to quit because I became underweight. </p>\n\n<p>If your sole goal is to lose weight, I would suggest a plant-based diet. Whether or not this is the healthiest diet is a different discussion however. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39810", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/16297/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39907, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It is normal to reset for every rep if you are deadlifting for reps below 5. I would not bother myself with overloading muscles with this exercise, because this is not an isolation exercise like a biceps curl, so you don't have to (I actually think you should not) go to failure. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40125, "author": "Guest10290931234", "author_id": 30999, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30999", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think the weight is too high first of all.</p>\n\n<p>As for breathing i think you should continue to practice proper bracing technique. A quick youtube search of valsalva maneuver or proper bracing technique will help clarify.</p>\n\n<p>Also as a someone who had trouble with headaches while deadlifting i would say make sure you're breathing in through your nose. Also try either 'resetting' after each rep or (what i do) take another breath before i brace, example below.</p>\n\n<p>set up\nbreathe and brace\nfull rep while braced\nbreath normally once or twice\nget into good position again \nbreathe and brace\nfull rep while braced\netc</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40280, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, they are different breathing patterns. However It is hard to say if your problem is related to breathing.</p>\n\n<p>Some introduction in breathing for different activities can be found in this podcast:\n<a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/podcast-episode-21-dr-stu-mcgill/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.strongfirst.com/podcast-episode-21-dr-stu-mcgill/</a> with famous dr. Stu Mcgill.</p>\n\n<p>Few general deadlift recommendations that could actually help with your problem:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>do not do more than 5 reps </li>\n<li>do every rep of deadlift with new setup - stand tall and make a few full breaths before you start new rep (instead of set of 5, do five sets of 1 with few seconds pause) - this approach does not seem cool on video, but as far as I have seen, a lot of strong guys do that</li>\n<li>use only weights that you can manage with perfect technique</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I said general recommendations, because there are more reasons why to apply those rules in deadlift training, but it is not related to your question.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> If you are new to deadlifting (less than one year), I would not worry too much. There is a chance that the problem disappears. Just use weight that is comfortable for you and take your time.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39812", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30656/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39979, "author": "johnabrams7", "author_id": 29188, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29188", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Try out some Wim Hof breathing to expand the lung capacity.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43930, "author": "Danubian Sailor", "author_id": 4097, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Those devices are designed to increase the strength and endurance of the muscles used by breathing by providing a resistance to the air flow. Your body must work against the increased resistance. It simulates the situation, when you need to breathe quickly, like by extreme cardio (fast running/cycling) or by swimming (where you have to inhale in a very short time period).</p>\n<p>However, just like hyperventilation (a'la Wim Hof), they do not necessarily contribute to increasing air capacity. Because you can breathe strong, fast, and nevertheless flat. In worst case, it can even worsen your lungs capacity because of bad habits.</p>\n<p>To increase lungs capacity, you should do deep breathing exercises, like those for freediving. They are designed to increase your lungs capacity and overall breathing performance.</p>\n<p>Please be aware that air resistance devices can lead to the sour muscles. I've got this when I was starting mountain running, and I was waking middle in the night with pain and problems with breathing. Those were sore muscles. This is temporary, but because of your lung problems history, it could be a miserable experience that could make you give up, so it's better to go slowly, and be careful with such training devices.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39826", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8074/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39836, "author": "Twyxz", "author_id": 28799, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Looking up gets the arch in your back when hanging and engaging your lats and core more. If your head is forwards it's easy to tilt your body with it and engaging your biceps more.</p>\n\n<p>There are some examples <a href=\"https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/wide-grip-pull-up\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39841, "author": "BKE", "author_id": 5752, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5752", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Extension in the neck is naturally associated with extension in the back (the opposite way - back extension and neck flexion, or vice versa - is also possible, it just feels unnatural).</p>\n\n<p>So usually, when people extend the neck (ie. look up), they also extend the spine.</p>\n\n<p>As far as the spine and body position is concerned, there are two main ways you can do a pull-up:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Hollow body: the spine neutral or even a bit flexed, emphasizing muscles in the front. It has the advantage, that the abs are more engaged. </li>\n<li>Arched back: the spine extended and the back muscles are emphasized. This has the advantage of engaging the posterior chain more, which is why you feel more energy in the pull-up.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Both are correct ways to do pull-ups, it's a matter of preference.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39835", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30645/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39849, "author": "Mast", "author_id": 18880, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18880", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How I should adjust her portions and foods to help her make the weight loss she wants?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>4kg reduction just by changing diet is not easy and could take a long while. So for starters, cut your goal in half and see whether you're satisfied with the speed of progress after that. Keep that in mind.</p>\n\n<p>Before taking a look at evening meals, make sure this isn't a matter of unhealthy snacking habits first. While snacking can in part be compensated by an active lifestyle, alcohol, candy bars and other chocolates can absolutely wreck a diet.</p>\n\n<p>After that, start replacing fat meat for leaner food. Pork is notoriously bad for your diet and just by replacing that for chicken, especially chicken breast, you could make a start.</p>\n\n<p>There's an even simpler approach you may have overlooked. Have you tried what happened if you simply put less food on her plate, in small steps at a time? Just, don't try to starve her. It's not constructive and school can take a lot of energy. That energy has to come from somewhere.</p>\n\n<p>At the end though, you appear to be mainly interested in bodyfat percentage. Exercising more (burning fat and acquiring muscle) does that quite well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40404, "author": "dortje", "author_id": 31268, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31268", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>no agitation, but integration</strong></p>\n\n<p>Congratulations for integrating physical activities in your daily life! In my opinion, this is one of the key factors for health and fitness. My (rhetorical) question would be: Is commuting by bike more than just a physical activity to both of you? Does it brings joy and do you feel better afterwards? If so, I would like to suggest to transfer this mindset when it comes to food. food brings joy, tastes good and nourishes us. It often brings people together at a table and nourishes them socially and mentally. When food is no theory but enjoyment, it can result in a more healthy eating habit. My personal explanation from random research over the years: hard feelings that result in feelings of hunger should not appear; the body takes what it needs eventually and you will eat more at the end when he does not get what he wants in the first place. (I will look for some studies and edit this answer as soon as I am succesful. Thanks for your patience.)</p>\n\n<p><strong>conscious eating: ask your body</strong></p>\n\n<p>We are all individuals with different bodies and different needs. What is good for one does not mean it is good for another. We have to ask our body what it needs in the current situation. Our body actually knows what we need and we need to hear and feel that. We need to trust him by that ;) However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Emotions (anger, fear, stress, lust (because the food looks/smells so good)) tend to express themselves in feelings of hunger. In these situations it is helpful to take a break, breathe and ask ourselves: Am I hungry? Really? </p>\n\n<p><strong>the handful method</strong></p>\n\n<p>I have recently seen an experiment where a couple is trying the handful method for some weeks. According to popular media, the method was created by Suzy Wengel. The whole concept is based on the idea that our hand size is linked to our height and build. The rules are simple: each meal is made up of up to four handfuls, one or two of vegetables, one of protein and one of starch/carbs or fruit.\nWhen the couple began to experiment, they thought that the portions were quite small, hers smaller than his. However, they experienced that the portions are actually sufficient to satisfy their hunger. \nIf you search the web for \"handful diet\" you will find some more information as well as a book by Suzy Wengel.</p>\n\n<p>I hope that these three rather soft factors will please your needs in terms of food. I am curious whether the handful method works for you :) </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39848", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26605/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39856, "author": "David Spector", "author_id": 30711, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30711", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you have seen a doctor to rule out vertigo-related and other diagnoses, yes, you could try working out at a gym regularly. Find a personal trainer with whom you resonate, at least to set up an initial set of exercises, if you can't afford a long-term relationship.</p>\n\n<p>Do a variety of exercises, including stretching, balancing, arm resistance, core resistance (belly and back), leg resistance, and aerobics (walking, running, or bicycling).</p>\n\n<p>Start with few repetitions, low resistance (weight/elastic), and short times, then increase only very gradually. Don't increase so quickly that you get discouraged or you have pain, but do increase if additional challenge makes you feel a sense of accomplishment.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise this way no more often than every other day, so your muscles can rebuild. This is vital!</p>\n\n<p>Be patient and regular, and give yourself enough time to see real results in daily life before deciding to quit.</p>\n\n<p>I never exercised for most of my life (totally sedentary), and I started noticing some bad symptoms in my life (but not falling down). I worked with a great personal trainer for about a year, then continued on my own for several years. I find my workouts indispensable for having a healthy and flexible body, along with a ketogenic diet to control my diabetes.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39871, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As alluded to in the comments, you should look at your core strength and go see a good physiotherapist or personal trainer to get an assessment and see if they can recommend some strengthening exercises.</p>\n\n<p>Also, it sounds like you're suffering from pretty severed anterior pelvic tilt (that's a guess based on reading a sentence you posted on the internet, don't read too much into it, it's not a diagnosis, you need to go see someone in person for that). If you are, then that would explain the sticking out belly, why it feels like you're constantly leaning back and have a curved thoracic spine so you can see in front of you. Do you also get knee / hip / back / shoulder issues? If so, that's another possible sign.</p>\n\n<p>You say you're good at sit-ups, but depending on how you're doing them, you could be relying heavily on your hip flexors to pull yourself up, causing them to tighten and shorten, which would only exacerbate the problem.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>I started out my answer by writing this, but realised it was more of a story than an answer, but I'm leaving it in because I always think personal stories are often more impactful than a series of facts.</p>\n\n<p><em>A long time ago a friend of mine had something short circuit in her brain which resulted in a rather more rapid than planned descent of a staircase. She spent a little while in hospital and then in a wheelchair, and once she came out of the wheelchair was deemed to be more or less fixed and told to carry on with the hospital physio just to make sure everything was ok.</em></p>\n\n<p><em>The problem was, the way she walked akin to swinging one leg forward, throwing her weight over that leg, doing the same with the other leg, and hopefully making it where she was aiming to go without stumbling into anything.</em></p>\n\n<p><em>Her legs were strong, rehab had seen to that, but she still couldn't walk properly. The sessions with her hospital physio consisted of some leg strengthening on a pressing machine device, and walking on a treadmill for time. This went on for months before she finally got fed up and found a different physiotherapist to try and help her.</em></p>\n\n<p><em>The second physio did a few tests and pointed out that she had \"forgotten\" how to engage her core when she walked, meaning there was no balance there and very little control, which is why she had to throw herself, do or die style, into walking across the room.</em></p>\n\n<p><em>Once she started working on her core strength, everything improved dramatically; walking became easier, she no longer stumbled around. She could take the dog for a walk without worrying it was going to pull her over, go out in snowy weather and not worry about slipping and falling. Fast forward several years and not only can she move normally, she's also a pole fitness instructor, teaching other people how to get stronger and improve the way they move.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39851", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30705/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39868, "author": "Twyxz", "author_id": 28799, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Judging by the picture it's just starting position. The hand on the left of the picture is further out and the hand on the right is positioned a lot closer to your body. You can see this from your feet too, one foot is hanging a lot lower than the other meaning you're leaning to that side because of your hand positioning</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39957, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Look at the last picture and observe that even though Your hands are held together the right elbow is pointing outward. </p>\n\n<p>This means that You're not using muscles evenly. In that case I would try doing some exercise targeting the muscles that are perceived to be weaker which results in such compensation. </p>\n\n<p>One of the other ways would be also to enchance Your sense of the body. Most of the gyms have mirros not for showing off that big muscles but exactly for the purpose of performing perfect technique why observing how our body reacts to a stimulus provide.</p>\n\n<p>Ask someone to record the pullup from behind without a shirt.</p>\n\n<p>Also I have bold prediction that it might mess up with Your shoulders in the future as this continues.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40809, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>The problem lies in the position of your shoulders.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You can clearly see on both pictures that your right shoulder (left in the picture) is slightly higher and more opened up (as in your arm is rotated further out) than the left shoulder. This causes the rest of the body from that point on (so arms, elbows, hands) to act different from each other.</p>\n\n<p>I wonder, do you do any shoulder work? And by shoulder work I don't mean your typical fitness exercises like shoulder pressing with dumbbells. I mean stretching the shoulders in multiple ways, doing scapular pull-ups, scapular push-ups and scapular dips. This is all very important to do if you want to do a proper pull-up. You need to strengthen the muscles that support the upper back while doing a pull-up.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I've seen many answers about the back and those are correct in some way, but the problem lies earlier in the body/posture. The fact that there is imbalance in the hands isn't the main problem here. That's what it looks like in my opinion anyway.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40814, "author": "Zarif", "author_id": 31760, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31760", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not sure how long you've been doing pullups, but you have some faulty movement patterns ingrained and no matter how much weak point training you do, you'll always revert to that faulty movement patter.</p>\n\n<p>I'll give you two methods in fixing these faulty movement patterns.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Method 1</strong> Greasing the Groove:\nThis works great if you have a pullup bar at home or near you. Essentially what you want to do is lift as a submaximal level but with perfect form. So for example, if you can do a total of 5 pullups in a row, do 1 pullup. You read that right 1 perfect pullup. And do that every hour. Once one pullup becomes too easy, do 2 pullups every hour. And keep building from there. This may seem like it's extremely low volume, but over time it builds up <strong>QUICK</strong>. Say for example for 8 hours out of the day you do 1 perfect pullup. That's 8 pullups a day and by the end of the week that's 56 total pullups. PERFECT pullups might i add. And as you get stronger the total weekly workload will increase. </p>\n\n<p>So why the submaximal reps? Well it allows you to ingrain perfect movement patterns and you stop before fatigue settles. This is the quickest way to ingrain proper technique.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Method 2</strong> Dynamic Effort Pullups:\nSimilar to the previous method, dynamic effort does the same thing but within a workout. So for example, say you can do 5 clean pullups. Great! Now do something like 10 x 1. That's 10 sets of 1 rep. Rest 30-60 seconds and do another set. The point here is to practice a <strong>perfect pullup</strong> every rep without fatigue becoming a factor. Once 10 x 1 is easy; Not when you can do 10 x 1, but when 10 x 1 is really easy, the reps are fast and the form is good, progress to 10 x 2, then 10 x 3; hell even 20 x 1. Essentially higher sets lower reps.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Technique</strong> When doing pullups, your first contact are your hands. So when you do each rep, make sure you <strong>squeeze</strong> the bar. This will engage your forearms more and you'll be blown away how much more stable you feel with just this simple tip. Next, when you pull, imagine pulling using only your two ring fingers (this is the finger between the middle and pinky). Idk why, but I've found that people can engage the proper muscles more with this cue. Finally, I really think you should checkout Brian Alsruhe's channel on pullups. He has a pullup technique guide that is stupid simple.</p>\n\n<p>To summarize, you practice perfect technique and stop before fatigue hits. Keep doing this for months and watch as your form, strength and size explode with each week you do this. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39863", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30719/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39867, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>You start by adjusting your nutrition and also with finding a reputable training program.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Both of these things should be done in keeping with YOUR goals. Now there might be things that you want to do and things that you don't want to do, but the work necessary to reach your goals will guide what you SHOULD be doing. Keeping that in mind, let's look at these two categories separately.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Nutrition, what should you be eating?</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Stay hydrated, drink enough <strong>water</strong>.</li>\n <li>A caloric surplus to gain weight, and a caloric deficit to lose weight. <a href=\"https://tdeecalculator.net/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Check your TDEE.</a></li>\n <li>Protein - Target of 0.8 grams per pound or 1.76 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.</li>\n <li>Fat - Minimum of 0.5 grams per pound or 1.1 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.\n \n <ul>\n <li>Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats are the good fats. Saturated fats lean towards being neutral. Trans fats are just plain\n bad.</li>\n <li>Omega 3 Fatty Acids - Try to get 2-3 grams per day, from food or supplements.</li>\n </ul></li>\n <li>Carbs - The rest of your calories can come from here.\n \n <ul>\n <li>Fiber - Men should get 30-40 grams per day and women should get 25 grams.</li>\n <li>Sugar - Try to do less than 100 grams per day.</li>\n </ul></li>\n <li>Micronutrients - These all have clear recommendations, just try to reach 100%.</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>... EVERYTHING else is your preference. Do you have to count calories\n and measure macro and micronutrients? No, but it's the most accurate\n method of getting it right. What about intermittent fasting or eating\n six times a day? That's almost entirely a matter of preference. What\n about the [blank] diet? You should be eating in a way that is\n sustainable for you, if [blank] diet is sustainable for you then try\n it out, but the above remains true regardless.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Exercise, how should you be working out?</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Strength Training - This is useful for basically everyone. Building lean mass increases the metabolism, helps the body to look and perform\n better, as well as many less obvious benefits.</li>\n <li>Cardio Training - This typically comes in two different forms, LISS and HIIT. LIIS (Low Intensity Steady State) Cardio is like a brisk\n walk, and for the purpose of this question it's primary benefit would\n be to burn extra calories. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)\n Cardio is like sprinting sessions, and for the purpose of this\n question it's primary benefit is cardiovascular endurance.</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>... what you should do is find a program that matches your goals here.\n Are you looking to be like a bodybuilder? Find a bodybuilding program.\n Are you looking to be like an athlete? Find a general athletic\n program. Are you looking to be like a specific kind of athlete (like a\n swimmer)? Find a specific (swimmer) program. If you don't have any\n specific goals, any beginner program should be fine. The most\n important part here is to find a REPUTABLE program that matches your\n goals. Unless you have many years of experience, making up your own\n program is suboptimal at best.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Rest is also important, critical even, but there is something else that is too important to not mention. And that particular something is your expectations with regards to a timeline of progress. An untrained/detrained individual might expect to build 1-2 lbs of muscle per month (half of that for the ladies). <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5iPihBg80/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Losing 0.5-1% of your total weight each week is also reasonable for both goals and the content of that lost weight being primarily fat</a>. It's entirely possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously, but it also <a href=\"https://youtu.be/CK9vxsN7vc8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">depends on the individual</a>. Regardless, this is probably a lot of information to take in, especially for someone just getting started. So I'll repeat the most important part - <strong>You start by adjusting your nutrition and also with finding a reputable training program.</strong> The most beneficial thing would be to do everything right starting now. The best thing however would be to incorporate these things in manageable steps, in a way that you can slowly normalize.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39870, "author": "Dafydd Rees", "author_id": 900, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/900", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Getting rid of excess weight is often made overcomplicated.</p>\n\n<p>Here's what worked for me:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get up early and go for a walk every day.</strong> You need good footwear and rainproof (or at least appropriate for your local climate) clothes for walking outside. Do this for 30-60 minutes. </li>\n<li><strong>Walking every day is all the exercise you need to start with.</strong> HIIT is dangerous for overweight people due to the stress on joints and the danger of injury leading to immobility which further sets back weight loss... and to be frank, why stress yourself out and complicate things? There are other forms of exercise that would help but consistent wins over something clever done only once. Initially just more activity to burn calories is fine.</li>\n<li>To loose excess fat you need to be in a calorie deficit. i.e. burn more energy than you consume. A simple starting point is to look honestly at your diet and find out what you can cut back on without too much stress. Some foods have far more calories than others. <strong>If you can identify some terrible junk food habits, try tackling the worst ones. Here it's better to make gradual, consistent wins rather than go \"balls to the wall\" for a few days and fail.</strong> Keeping a food diary for a few days should help. </li>\n<li><strong>Don't allow \"nutritional garbage foods\" in your residence.</strong> You only have so much willpower and you need to rely on it as a last resort. If girlfriends or flatmates like eating garbage - it would be better if they didn't eat crap around you for a few months while you work on reprogramming your habits. If they insist and continuing to eat crap - insist that they hide it away you. A girlfriend or wife that's not prepared to give up shit foods for a little while is one that's not being supportive enough.</li>\n<li>Once you've beaten your one or two worst junk food habits - try to find the next one or two to tackle... and <strong>over time gradually clean up your diet.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Learn to cook. Look for really healthy, simple recipies.</strong> This is a good start: <a href=\"https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/healthy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/category/healthy</a> Getting pleasure from good food will make it easier to stay on the path.</li>\n<li><strong>Substitute more low-calorie protein rich foods in the place of high calorie ones</strong> e.g. lean chicken breasts, white fish, lean beef mince. This will help reduce cravings and help you to keep muscle.</li>\n<li><strong>Avoid drinks that have a lot of calories</strong> such as whole milk, fruit juices and of course alcohol - because it's too easy to comsume lots of calories that way. You can substitue almond milk if you need a milk substitute with super-low calories.</li>\n<li><strong>Eat plenty of fibrous vegetables</strong> such as broccoli and cauliflower. These are super-high volume foods that will make you feel full - apart from having a great micronutrient content. </li>\n<li><strong>Weighing yourself once a week is enough to measure progress.</strong> Don't get all hung up over water weight changes that happen from day to day.</li>\n<li><strong>How many meals a day? Studies show that nutrient timing has very little effect.</strong> You're not shaving 0.25% off some track time for the Olympics so do whatever combination of meal times and sizes you can sustain. So long as you're not eating too many calories the effect will be the same.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This will take about a month to make an initial impact. This is a game of consistent progress over the weeks and months - so you need to find things in this that you like doing because you're going to be doing it for a long time. Healthy foods you like and places you like to walk are a good thing.</p>\n\n<p>Longer term getting ripped will mean tracking your macros with something like \"If it fits your macros\" - which is a lot more hassle. The above should be fine to get results over the first few months.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39865", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30722/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39876, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The general consensus is that muscle building is a slow process better measured in months rather than weeks. According to <a href=\"https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Lyle McDonald's model</a>, you have the following rates of growth at different stages of training...</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjC1u.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjC1u.png\" alt=\"Muscle Building Rates\"></a></p>\n\n<p>So basically with each year of <strong><em>proper</em></strong> training, your potential to build muscle is halved. Starting with approximately 25 lbs or 12 kg total in the first year and calculated from there.</p>\n\n<p>Admittedly though, this doesn't technically answer your question. This is simply the expected upper limit as opposed to an absolute. I'm unaware of any studies that explore an absolute limit, I'm not even sure how such a thing would even be conducted. Regardless, this is accurate to most people. Keep in mind however that this is the expected upper limit, not necessarily how much will be built on average.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39900, "author": "Ajacmac", "author_id": 30764, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30764", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can't provide any kind of concrete answer, but I can imagine there's probably a rather hard limit imposed by your testosterone levels. It's my understanding this is the largest differentiator between men and women specific to muscle development, and it's the primary thing being modified when people take steroids.</p>\n\n<p>Those are both strong indicators that increased testosterone levels can, without requiring any other <strong>proportional</strong> changes, cause an enormous increase in your capacity for gaining and retaining muscle. I specify proportional changes to account for increases in caloric intake, weight sizes, etc. that clearly need to scale up as muscle size increases, but are still being <strong>scaled</strong> up instead of being materially altered in some way.</p>\n\n<p>I guess the useless and obvious answer to \"Is there an upper limit\" is \"Yes,\" but as to what that limit actually is...</p>\n\n<p>Honestly we don't even understand our own nutritional needs as well as we'd like to think. This becomes very clear when you start to look at bizarre, entirely-unrecommended-for-most-everyone diets like the all meat diet. If you listen to what most people tell you something like that should cause crazy problems and maybe even kill you...but that doesn't seem to be the case. Your digestive system hates you for the first few weeks though.</p>\n\n<p>Until we understand our bodies far better than we currently do I'm not sure a specific limit for a given person can be rigorously determined.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39874", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15999/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39876, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The general consensus is that muscle building is a slow process better measured in months rather than weeks. According to <a href=\"https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Lyle McDonald's model</a>, you have the following rates of growth at different stages of training...</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjC1u.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tjC1u.png\" alt=\"Muscle Building Rates\"></a></p>\n\n<p>So basically with each year of <strong><em>proper</em></strong> training, your potential to build muscle is halved. Starting with approximately 25 lbs or 12 kg total in the first year and calculated from there.</p>\n\n<p>Admittedly though, this doesn't technically answer your question. This is simply the expected upper limit as opposed to an absolute. I'm unaware of any studies that explore an absolute limit, I'm not even sure how such a thing would even be conducted. Regardless, this is accurate to most people. Keep in mind however that this is the expected upper limit, not necessarily how much will be built on average.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39900, "author": "Ajacmac", "author_id": 30764, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30764", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can't provide any kind of concrete answer, but I can imagine there's probably a rather hard limit imposed by your testosterone levels. It's my understanding this is the largest differentiator between men and women specific to muscle development, and it's the primary thing being modified when people take steroids.</p>\n\n<p>Those are both strong indicators that increased testosterone levels can, without requiring any other <strong>proportional</strong> changes, cause an enormous increase in your capacity for gaining and retaining muscle. I specify proportional changes to account for increases in caloric intake, weight sizes, etc. that clearly need to scale up as muscle size increases, but are still being <strong>scaled</strong> up instead of being materially altered in some way.</p>\n\n<p>I guess the useless and obvious answer to \"Is there an upper limit\" is \"Yes,\" but as to what that limit actually is...</p>\n\n<p>Honestly we don't even understand our own nutritional needs as well as we'd like to think. This becomes very clear when you start to look at bizarre, entirely-unrecommended-for-most-everyone diets like the all meat diet. If you listen to what most people tell you something like that should cause crazy problems and maybe even kill you...but that doesn't seem to be the case. Your digestive system hates you for the first few weeks though.</p>\n\n<p>Until we understand our bodies far better than we currently do I'm not sure a specific limit for a given person can be rigorously determined.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39877", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30739/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39888, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Ability to hold a plank is determined mainly by the strength and endurance of your abdominal muscles. Having a protruding stomach is determined mainly by your level of body fat. The two are not related, so you can have strong abdominal muscles with a high body fat level, and you can have a low body fat level with weak abdominal muscles.</p>\n\n<p>Additionally, muscles do not specifically burn fat from the area around them (this is known as the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_reduction\" rel=\"noreferrer\">\"spot reduction\" myth</a>), and so planks are not useful for burning belly fat.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39893, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It sounds like you are putting too much emphasis on Planks. Planks are a good exercise, but it is just one exercise. A well-rounded workout should include dozens of exercises. Also, Planks are a stability exercise for your lumbar spine, but they are not an effective way to burn carbohydrates (or fat). To burn carbohydrates, you should do exercises with more movement.</p>\n\n<p>On a separate topic, if you are doing a plank for three minutes, then I can almost guarantee that your form is horrible by the last minute. If I were your coach, I would cut the time back and focus on excellent form. Can you take a picture of what you form looks like 150 seconds into your plank? I'd be curious.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40211, "author": "ozmichka", "author_id": 31084, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31084", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you have good form, if you can hold planks for 3 minutes it has probably become less efficient as an exercise for your abdominal muscles. It's a good exercise for beginners but for a strong core you may want to introduce exercises with movement. They challenge your core muscles better as you need to use the muscles to stabilise your body.</p>\n\n<p>You could try some variations that will introduce movement to the static plank, like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>(side) plank dips</li>\n<li>(side) plank knee tucks</li>\n<li>plank hip dips, or </li>\n<li>grab small weights for some one-arm rows while holding the plank.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39887", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30750/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39890, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are plenty of options, you can do...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Slower Rep Cadence.</li>\n<li>Low rest drop sets.</li>\n<li>Occlusion Training.</li>\n<li>Unilateral Training for Legs.</li>\n<li>etc.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Your best bet is probably going to be to find heavier dumbbells though. There are only three ways to build muscle, Mechanical Tension (Resistance), Metabolic Stress (The Pump/Burn), and Muscle Damage (Not to be confused with injury). You can only be so creative in creating more Mechanical Tension with the same weight, this leaves only Metabolic Stress and Muscle Damage as your means of building muscle. And the thing about that is Muscle Damage will be less and less likely the more your muscles become accustomed to the load. So really the only thing you're left with is Metabolic Stress - that's only going to take you so far.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40029, "author": "Avinit Dutta", "author_id": 30870, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30870", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you have reached your max dumbbell size, the best thing you can do is increase time under tension. The longer you are able to hold the muscle under tension, the more will be the damage to the muscle fibres. Progressive overload not only means adding weight, but increasing the volume. You can increase volume by either adding weight or adding up repetitions. Slow reps, Negative holds, supersets, drop sets, giant sets, etc. all won't require you to reach your max dumbbell size sooner.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39889", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30751/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39895, "author": "Christian", "author_id": 18803, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18803", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes you need lots of other things, minerals, vitamins, essential fats, carbohydrates.\nThese are needed to build muscle and also to stay alive, while the muscle building happens.</p>\n\n<p>That's why should keep a proper healthy diet, and with healthy I mean what's very commonly healthy: veggies, fruits, whole grain, then you can add additional protein to your diet.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39927, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, protein is clear and needed. No question about it. However, we need fats too. If we don't take enough fat in, our hormones will not work properly <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6298507\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>. As far as I know tho, there are no essential carbohydrates. Therefore, I believe one can build muscle without eating any carbs. However, it would not be feasible, and one would need to eat the adequate amount of calories needed to build muscle without carbs. But theoretically, eating protein and fat (healthy ones) would be enough to build muscle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39928, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Think of it this way:</p>\n\n<p>Picture your muscle as a brick wall. The muscle fibers are the bricks, and the connective tissue the mortar. Now near the wall, you have a huge lump of clay, which is the equivalent of protein.</p>\n\n<p>For the protein to be of any use, it has to be turned into a brick. This is what your body does with proteins, is it denatures them, breaks them apart into amino acids, which get routed via the liver to the muscles that need repair. Once it gets there, structures in the muscle cells take the amino acids and weave them into muscle fibers (Bricks) that they then use to rebuild the wall (Muscle). All of this takes energy (glucose), and the other elements (vitamins, minerals, etc) are also used to help build/maintain the connective tissue.</p>\n\n<p>So in the strictest, most elemental sense, yes, protein is what is used to fix/repair/build muscle itself. However none of that will happen without the other elements as well.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39891", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15999/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39899, "author": "Ajacmac", "author_id": 30764, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30764", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>I'm a layman and further I think this is still fairly new research</strong>, but it's my understanding that <strong>it is aerobic, not anaerobic</strong>, exercise that <strong>provides the cognitive benefits you're after.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Aerobic exercise uses oxygen to convert glucose into energy, but when the body consumes more energy than can be produced this way (you can only breathe so hard) it resorts to a different process which does not have the same oxygen demands but also produces lactic acid and causes your muscles to burn and become stiff (though I think there is still some theory competition around the exact role/s lactic acid has).</p>\n\n<p>I'm not certain whether the mechanism of action is understood, but I think it's perhaps possible that the neurogenesis (the forming of new neurons) observed in people that regularly engage in aerobic exercise is due to improved blood flow into the narrowest blood vessels in the brain due to the temporary increase in blood pressure. Medication intended to reduce blood pressure is apparently a potential cause or exacerbator of dementia in some people because there simply isn't enough pressure to continue forcing blood into these blood vessels as one ages.</p>\n\n<p>Research has been done comparing cognitive activity to 15 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 times per week with both being excellent, cardio being a statistically significant improvement over cognitive activity, and only a tiny potential further improvement when the two are combined.</p>\n\n<p>I'm still planning on keeping both in my schedule, though.</p>\n\n<p>Morale of the story? <strong>If you're feeling a burn in your muscles instead of your lungs you're probably not going to get the results you're looking for,</strong> but clearly you can do both aerobic and anaerobic exercise if you're so inclined.</p>\n\n<p>Edit: Here's an article that explains there's more to it than I covered in my answer.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://medium.com/@drbradysalcido/the-best-type-of-workout-for-your-brain-9aa466754c1c\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://medium.com/@drbradysalcido/the-best-type-of-workout-for-your-brain-9aa466754c1c</a></p>\n\n<p>And here's a research paper comparing high intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance training to aerobic exercise.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199726/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199726/</a></p>\n\n<p>Happy reading!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39904, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Research has shown that strength training has cognitive benefits. \nI believe the mechanism underlying this has not been established.\nI guess that it is hormonal and/or the act of getting muscle fibers firing: central nervous system stress. </p>\n\n<p>I therefore think the more weight (intensity) the better.</p>\n\n<p>It is well known that the deadlift, which usually is the exercise in which one can lift the most weight, causes central nervous system fatigue and one can therefore only do little volume of this exercise. </p>\n\n<p>The squat is also a psychological taxing exercise.</p>\n\n<p>Both the squat and the deadlift has been shown to have large hormonal responses.\nIn particular the squat can also be done in volume and is used in strength training programs to trigger this response. That is probably why it is the main lift in Starting Strength. \"The squat drives up everything.\" </p>\n\n<p>Therefore I think you should deadlift and squat.\nTo make the program well rounded you add in overhead press, bench press and chin-ups and voila you have the Starting Strength/Stronglifts program. </p>\n\n<p>Finally I think walking preferably every day and for at least 30 minutes preferably 1 hour is the best thing you can do for your brain since the increased blood flow helps repair the brain. I got this from a book on brain health: \"The brain always wins\". In this case volume is key and not intensity, but I believe this is another mechanism than for strength training. </p>\n\n<p><strong>References</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/resistance-training-boosts-memory-study-says/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Resistance Training Boosts Memory</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/memory/best-exercise-type-to-prevent-memory-loss-and-mild-cognitive-impairment/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Best Type of Exercise to Prevent Memory Loss and Mild Cognitive Impairment?</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39894", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28224/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42207, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can't, unless you find something strongly anchored to the ground you can't. </p>\n\n<p>Find a pole and use it to do band pull throughs instead, or band deadlifts. </p>\n\n<p>They are not the best substitute for the glute bridge, but they are decent.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43896, "author": "N.b..", "author_id": 35410, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35410", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Actually, you can anchor the band with your heels. This is the best way I have found:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/h3wRW2jBJc0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Functional Integrated Training-Resistance Band Glute Bridge</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39916", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29152/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39932, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There was a <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2010/02000/Time_Course_of_Changes_in_Muscle_and_Tendon.5.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study done along these lines</a> in the <em>Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research</em> in 2010, where they did strength training for 3 months and then detraining for 3 months to measure the adaptations.</p>\n\n<p>The basics were that strength was measurably increased after 2 months, size didn't start changing until near the three month mark, and the tendons did not start responding to training until near three months as well. It happened in reverse as well, muscle size reverted within a month, tendons in two months, but strength persisted for another 3 months.</p>\n\n<p>The unfortunate thing is that you can't really specifically train a tendon, you just have to wait for them to catch up to the muscular training. I don't have any direct climbing experience, so I can't really advise you on the training progression you should follow, other than be aware that your tendons will somewhat lag behind your muscle development (At least until you plateau your training). I wasn't able to find any studies indicating if the tendons ever \"catch up\" to your muscular development cycle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39933, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Note: This answer pulls from a variety of sources, books, observations and personal experience and opinion, none of which are cited scientific studies</strong></p>\n\n<p>I'm going to address this in two parts, how beginners tend to / should progress at climbing (from personal experience and observation) and tendon strength / training (mainly from books and a bit of personal experience).</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Everybody knows you should not increase your performance to rapdily in climbing, because your strength grows a lot faster than your tendons and you risk injury.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I'll try and keep this succinct because honestly I could talk for hours about this, and I'm going to assume that you're a beginner, or just not very experienced (if I'm wrong about this, my apologies, feel free to skip to the next part)</p>\n\n<p>The natural instinct for most beginners is to want to climb the hardest thing possible and so attempt to advance through the grades as quickly as possible; the problem with this approach is that they very quickly hit a skill ceiling and assume that they need to get stronger to improve, training to do more pull ups, or even chasing the oft sought after one arm chin. This is particularly true with males, whose natural instinct when climbing is to mimic a gorilla, grabbing and pulling on everything in sight.</p>\n\n<p>This is a mistake.</p>\n\n<p>As your climbing technique improves, as you learn how to position your body to better take advantage of the shape and position of holds, and learn how to take smaller steps and move your feet more instead of throwing for holds, you'll find that you naturally grip less and put less strain on your fingers, joints and tendons.</p>\n\n<p>Before worrying about tendon strength, look at your technique. If you're into slab climbing, learn how to shift your bodyweight so you can get up routes just using holds to assist your balance instead of relying on them to pull yourself up the wall. If you're into climbing overhands or roofs, learn how to toe hook and twist to keep your hips close to the wall and maintain tension instead of treating the route and holds like odd shaped monkey bars.</p>\n\n<p>If you're tall, really work on your core strength (I'm 6' 5\" and 220+lbs, an unpopular truth is that shorter climbers have it a bit easier than taller ones, shorter climbers can always get stronger, taller ones cannot decrease limb length, well, maybe if your name's <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Aron Ralston</a>...), being able to control your body and hold it in certain positions will greatly improve your climbing ability.</p>\n\n<p>I had a break of almost 2 years from climbing, and when I went back to it, I knew my body wouldn't be conditioned to the point it was when I stopped, so I went with the intention of enjoying the movement of climbing, finding ways to send routes with a minimum of effort, placing my feet delicately and climbing as quietly as possible. By doing this I was able to immediate go back to climbing 3 - 4 times a week without suffering any joint or tendon issues at all.</p>\n\n<p>Everyone I teach to climb or boulder, I advise to do the same. Don't be in a hurry to chase grades, learn to move better, enjoy the nuances of each route; if you climb a route and there's a particular part where you feel off balance and have to snatch at a hold, work at it and find a way to make a smooth transition. For me, climbing is a type of moving meditation, by focusing on a boulder problem and searching for the ideal way to climb it, it's very easy to lose a sense of time and your surroundings, to enter a flow state.</p>\n\n<p>It's not always easy to get this across to someone who's just started and wants to send the hardest problem possible, but if they do understand it, I've found that they actually improve much faster and enjoy their sessions a lot more that those who go away and look at the fastest way to max out their pull ups.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>So how should I train to let my tendons keep up?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I enjoy reading about old time strongman training, and one of the things that I understand they used to do, that very few people seem to talk about now-a-days, is train for tendon strength.</p>\n\n<p>I'll admit I haven't exhaustively searched around for information on tendon strength training routines, but my understanding is that there are two specific elements to it, <a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/community/threads/tendon-ligament-training.410/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">heavy weight and high reps</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I remember reading how old time strongmen would do heavy supports as part of their training, getting under a bar loaded with 150% of their squat 1 rep max, and just standing up and holding it for time, or pushing or pulling against a non-moving bar, isometric style (I think this is something that <a href=\"https://www.westside-barbell.com/blogs/2015-articles/isometric-training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Louis Simmons does with the Westside lifters</a>, though not specifically for tendon strength (with a quick search, I actually couldn't find any information from sources I know about isometrics for tendon strength, but it does lead nicely onto...)</p>\n\n<p>For climbers, there's fingerboard training. Fingerboard training is literally hanging from your fingers from a board made to mimic various climbing hold positions <a href=\"https://trainingforclimbing.com/4-fingerboard-strength-protocols-that-work/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">in order to strengthen your fingers and tendons in general</a>. This is the heavy weight part of tendon training for finger strength.</p>\n\n<p>I first heard about high rep training for tendon strength when I read through <a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Survival-Strength/dp/0938045768\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade</a>. Assuming you don't want to spend money to read the program, in order to progress from one exercise to another, he suggests you meet a minimum number of reps, for press ups, to move from exercise 1 (wall press ups) to exercise 2 (hand elevated press ups), he recommends being about to perform 3 sets of 50 reps (he also recommends using this as a warm up as you get stronger and progress). The belief that this was to train the tendons was confirmed in a blog post by Jason Ferruggia on bodyweight training (no link, it's probably been taken down by now).</p>\n\n<p>More recently, <a href=\"https://thibarmy.com/missing-key-strength-power/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Christian Thibaudeau wrote a very interesting article on the topic of tendon training</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Something that I know a few fellow climbers have had great success with is finger extension for high reps using something like <a href=\"https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ripper-Bands-calisthenics-strengthens-powerlifting/dp/6042454021\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ripper bands</a>, or even just elastic bands, wrapped around the fingers throughout the day, to help with suspected tendon issues. Along the same vein, one of the warm up exercises I put people through before climbing is repeated tiger claw finger / hand movements, which I've found to help with warming up the fingers, and to prevent \"finger ache\" following climbing sessions.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Hopefully within my essay of an answer you'll find something helpful. </p>\n\n<p>As a slight aside, recently at the Oscar's, where Free Solo won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature (if you haven't seen it, you should), someone <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjFw-CXFby4\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">handed Alex Honnold a device for measuring grip strength</a>, he pulled 75lbs with his right hand, 95lbs with his left. I recently tried one of these in a sports science experiment for climbers and pulled 180lbs with my right, 165lbs with my left.</p>\n\n<p>I found this interesting because there is no way I could pull on half the holds he can during his free solo of Freerider up El Cap, and yet it would appear my grip strength is far in excess of his. Makes you wonder just how tightly he grips holds while climbing...</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39917", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18803/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39921, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Dropping weights is basically an acknowledgement that you either can't slowly lower the weights due to fatigue or that you want to avoid unnecessary risk of injury in slowly lowering them. It's only acceptable on a surface where this won't result in damage to the floor and weights, and it's more accepted with heavier weights and if you're clearly lifting to exhaustion.</p>\n\n<p>Slamming the weights down is generally considered to be bad etiquette.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39922, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If your aim is to just improve your concentric portion, then it may be meaningful to not tire yourself by doing the eccentric part. However, there is no benefit to it. \nIn addition, if you are doing deadlifts, I do not recommend you ever go to failure with that lift. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39920", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20490/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39925, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Anything that requires you to grip something and hold on, is a forearm exercise. Could be as simple as hanging from a bar (or a branch), or picking things up off the ground. Doesn't need to be weights like in the gym. Could be thick branches, could be rocks. Could be a suitcase full of... rocks.</p>\n\n<p>As far as sports go, I would highly recommend climbing and/or bouldering. It's pretty much a be-all end-all of forearm-builders. Gymnastics, pole dancing, horse racing, baseball to name a few others.</p>\n\n<p>Really, carrying anything in your hands is a forearm exercise. I don't know how gung-ho you are about it being bodyweight based, but I take it to mean you don't have gym equipment at your disposal.</p>\n\n<p>As far as bodyweight goes, it's hard to come up with much other than climbing and hanging from things.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39942, "author": "coockoo", "author_id": 30796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30796", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is a piece of equipment that is called expander. Just google it like \"expander wrists\". It helps strengthening your grip and forearms and can be easily used on the go. It can be in different forms. I prefer doughnut rubber one. They can be in different hardness and sizes.</p>\n\n<p>Also, there is a thing called Powerball. It looks like a ball inside of a doughnut. You spin the ball to it's maximum and then try to hold it. Due to asymmetric muscle contractions and trying to keep ball straight forearms get stronger (kinda' like planking does for your core).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39943, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>While it's \"minimal equipment\" versus \"no equipment\", Indian club drills involving the wrists are good for developing your wrists and forearm. Without the formal clubs, any stick will do. I used to do Escrima, and when I didn't have the actual sticks, I'd go for any somewhat weighty cylindrical object I could wrap my hand around and work my rotations. I suspect you'd get most of the same benefits with a more flexible tool, like a weight at the end of a rope.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39924", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29612/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39925, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Anything that requires you to grip something and hold on, is a forearm exercise. Could be as simple as hanging from a bar (or a branch), or picking things up off the ground. Doesn't need to be weights like in the gym. Could be thick branches, could be rocks. Could be a suitcase full of... rocks.</p>\n\n<p>As far as sports go, I would highly recommend climbing and/or bouldering. It's pretty much a be-all end-all of forearm-builders. Gymnastics, pole dancing, horse racing, baseball to name a few others.</p>\n\n<p>Really, carrying anything in your hands is a forearm exercise. I don't know how gung-ho you are about it being bodyweight based, but I take it to mean you don't have gym equipment at your disposal.</p>\n\n<p>As far as bodyweight goes, it's hard to come up with much other than climbing and hanging from things.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39942, "author": "coockoo", "author_id": 30796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30796", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is a piece of equipment that is called expander. Just google it like \"expander wrists\". It helps strengthening your grip and forearms and can be easily used on the go. It can be in different forms. I prefer doughnut rubber one. They can be in different hardness and sizes.</p>\n\n<p>Also, there is a thing called Powerball. It looks like a ball inside of a doughnut. You spin the ball to it's maximum and then try to hold it. Due to asymmetric muscle contractions and trying to keep ball straight forearms get stronger (kinda' like planking does for your core).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39943, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>While it's \"minimal equipment\" versus \"no equipment\", Indian club drills involving the wrists are good for developing your wrists and forearm. Without the formal clubs, any stick will do. I used to do Escrima, and when I didn't have the actual sticks, I'd go for any somewhat weighty cylindrical object I could wrap my hand around and work my rotations. I suspect you'd get most of the same benefits with a more flexible tool, like a weight at the end of a rope.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39935", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29301/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39950, "author": "Brian", "author_id": 27483, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27483", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Is it possible that your heart rate monitor isn't working properly? Try making sure that the battery is good, the contacts are moist enough (or moisten it with salt water), and that you're wearing it properly. I have an issue with its electrodes drying out so I try to use one that uses LEDs. The arm bands tend to be more accurate. When it's too dry, it can still display a reading but may update too slowly.</p>\n\n<p>If you can't fix it, you can try another heart rate monitor.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40139, "author": "Andy P", "author_id": 19096, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19096", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are many factors that can effect heart rate response. Including, but not limited to:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Tiredness</li>\n<li>Time of day</li>\n<li>Hydration level</li>\n<li>Caffeine intake</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This is why in the cycling world the power meter has become the device of choice as it gives much more reliable measurements.\nI believe foot pods are now available to give similar metrics for running, but I do not know much about them.</p>\n\n<p>To try and rule out fatigue as the cause you could try tracking your resting heart rate (when you wake up in the morning), and if it is elevated above your normal baseline you may need more rest.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40356, "author": "MikeDTech", "author_id": 31226, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31226", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>So these are Clinical Concerns with Aerobic Activity:</strong></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>HR doesn’t rise in proportion to exercise intensity</em></strong> </li>\n<li>When SBP doesn’t rise during exercise or exceeds 200 mmHg </li>\n<li>↓in SBP of 20 mmHg during exercise</li>\n<li>↑in DBP of 15 mmHg during exercise or if it goes above 110 mmHg</li>\n<li>Angina: Chest pain SOB, dizzy, fainting, excess sweat, angina, LE pain, cyanotic, change mental status, cough/weeze…</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It's likely nothing but to be safe I'd have your primary care doc check it out -- a quick ECG can keep you safe in the off chance it is something you can take care of it now. </p>\n\n<p>IMO I'd see what your doc recommends after talking with you and auscultation.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39945", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29258/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39975, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I also heard and there is a book about hanging for shoulder health. However, the answer to your question depends on your goal. If you are looking for pull-up power, forget about the hanging (for shoulders). You can do that after your training :)</p>\n\n<p>I would not \"completely\" let myself loose if my goal is strength and/or hypertrophy because the time under tension would be increased compared to total deadhang. </p>\n\n<p>But if you are going for maximum number of pull-ups for example, maybe hanging will give you time to rest. So, it depends.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40151, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It's a bit of both, you want to use the combination of your skeletal and muscular system. Climber in particular find themselves frequently needing to rest one forearm, or simply use one arm while the other hand is moving to a new location. In either case there is a lot of load being supported by a single hand, occasionally fully body weight (plus gear) if your feet break loose and you \"barn door\" out a bit before getting your feet back on the rock.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Your muscles need to be engaged</strong>. Most people get this right when they're just carrying a bag of heavy groceries. The arm is straight: any attempt to bend the arm will quickly fatigue. But the muscles are engaged as well: you're not drooping to one side because you're allowing your loose shoulder to pull your hand down towards your knee. Your abs are tense, keeping you upright as well and your obliques are also isometrically locked keeping you from tipping over. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Your muscles need to be engaged</strong>. Keep your skeleton in an anatomically neutral position, with those engaged muscles. The \"dead hang\" position is relatively easy for people to understand. You should have sufficient muscle recruitment that you can lengthen out your shoulders a bit if you wanted to. If they're fully lengthened, your muscles are insufficiently recruited. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/esther-smith-shoulder-maintenance-for-climbers.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Esther Smith did a pretty thorough discussion of this for Black Diamond a few years ago</a>, and then there was <a href=\"https://theclimbingdoctor.com/hang-right-for-shoulder-health/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a secondary review of it</a>. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40155, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For a 'dead hang' the elbows are 'locked out.' Just as they are in an 'active hang.'</p>\n\n<p>Some people are for some reason concerned about locking their joints out but it's perfectly safe. You have to do it in powerlifting and olympic lifting for the lifts to count.</p>\n\n<p>The only main consideration is that there is a difference between straight locked out and hyper-extended locked out. Some people naturally present hyper-extended and this may not be ideal. Look up the Beighton Laxity Test, the ability to hyper extend the elbow (or knee) is an indication of joint laxity. </p>\n\n<p>Everyone should have some range of motion beyond 180º (maybe max 10-15º at the knee, less in the elbow) but excessive range is the concern.</p>\n\n<p>You can still carry active muscle tension while the elbow is locked out if you want, but you want to consider where that tension is. </p>\n\n<p>It's important to remember that in this context, the dead hang is more of a stretch as compared to an active hang. So while you can keep some muscle tension (your grip obviously has to maintain tension) the arguable benefit of the dead hang is the space it frees up in the shoulder. Meaning you want to feel a stretch. You don't want the muscles you're trying to stretch to be too active (unless you are using a PNF stretching strategy perhaps), or they won't stretch. However, some supportive muscles like the upper traps, levator scapulae or serratus anterior (they won't be stretched in this position) could be active to provide support. In addition to actively elevating and upwardly rotating the shoulder.</p>\n\n<p>I've seen this idea online quite a bit as a cure all to shoulder issues, but it really only works for specific issues. For instance, it's possible your issue isn't space, it's timing. Or your shoulder is already lifting too far off your rib cage. There are plenty of other things to consider when it comes to shoulder health. Certainly no harm in experimenting with it though, see if it works for you.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39947", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27070/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39956, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>While You're using the muscles and they're loaded the same neural pathways responsible for sensing discomfort are used to stimulate the muscles (or so I've read in Becoming Supple Leopard by Kelly Starret). </p>\n\n<p>I think it also depends on the ratio of different fiber types that were used in the movement.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Research has suggested that postural and phasic\n muscles respond differently to stress, with postural\n muscles responding by shortening, but phasic muscles\n becoming inhibited neurologically and thence weakening. This behaviour will have structural outcomes in\n the longer term. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(Smith J. 2005, The Muscular System. Structural Bodywork)</p>\n\n<p>I strongly suggest checking this paper.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40022, "author": "Ryan Mortensen", "author_id": 20490, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20490", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I think I have determined what this sensation is. It is definitely declining as I continue to train, even with more weight, and was likely a result of me being new to this type of lift.</p>\n\n<p>In the same way that runners get pain in the connective tissues of their leg muscles, known as 'shin splints', I was getting this in my glutes' tendons from the tensions I was not used to.</p>\n\n<p>This is probably normal for beginners, but even at higher weights, not experienced by intermediate lifters.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39951", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20490/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39959, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can't escape getting older. And as You will be getting older the bones will start to weaken so are the joints.</p>\n\n<p>The way to preserve healthy bones is to put them under stress (not major one). To stay healthy I would say that following WHO guideliness will be the most beneficial. And if I recall correctly right now the recommendation is to have minimum 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. </p>\n\n<p>Apart from that some tailored strength trainig would allow You to build muscles which are meant to stabilize the joints eg. rotator cuff stabilizing shoulder joint.</p>\n\n<p>That being said it is better to rather be active than not:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Moreover, physical inactivity is estimated to be the main cause for approximately 21–25% of breast and colon cancers, 27% of diabetes and approximately 30% of ischaemic heart disease burden. ~WHO</p>\n</blockquote>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39961, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, if you really want to get the maximum possible longevity out of your body, avoid contact sports. If you don't believe me, look up Joe Montana and his current health problems. His body is a mess. Joe Namath had arthritis at the age of twenty three and has had both his knees replaced.</p>\n\n<p>Second, avoid extreme stuff. A five mile run is great, but twenty six miles is a completely different matter. If you need a challenge, in my opinion, you would be better off focusing on running for speed rather than distance. It is the distance that gets your joints, not speed. So challenge yourself with running three miles as fast as you can, and forget the marathon.</p>\n\n<p>Third, cross-train. I dont' mean Crossfit. I mean crosstrain. For example, take a run to the gym and lift weights and run home. Or lift weights and then swim. Or do Pilates (at an authentic Pilates studio) and then swim. This kind of cross training \"spreads\" the wear and tear more evenly over your joints. In other words, anything you can do to make your \"movement-diet\" less repetitive will help extend the lifetime of your joints. </p>\n\n<p>Fourth, in your question you dont' mention weight training. Start weight training. Strong muscles will help protect your joints. </p>\n\n<p>Fifth, if you can keep your weight down, then this reduces the wear and tear on your hips and knees. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40038, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>As your question implies, running is where this question often revolves. Let's start with that and work from there.</p>\n\n<h2>Runners often have <em>healthier</em> knees</h2>\n\n<p>A study,</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/acr.22939\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Is There an Association Between a History of Running and Symptomatic\nKnee Osteoarthritis?</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Two notable results. First, runners had <em>less</em> prevalence of arthritis:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyoNK.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/AyoNK.png\" alt=\"runners and arthritis\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Next, runners had less incidence of knee pain too:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca8LH.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ca8LH.png\" alt=\"runners and knee pain\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Now this isn't exactly as straightforward as running is the cause for the benefit. For instance, runners are probably going to be lighter, less likely to smoke, all in all take better care of themselves. That's why you'll see above the adjusted numbers are much higher than the non-adjusted. The researchers tried to control for these kind of variables. Still though, running maintained a benefit. </p>\n\n<p>You can go down a rabbit hole with this, but suffice to say, the general idea out there that running, or loading your joints, is bad, is wrong. It matters how they're loaded.</p>\n\n<p>Take things to a professional level? Yeah, that can be too much.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.jospt.org/doi/abs/10.2519/jospt.2017.7137\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Association of Recreational and Competitive Running With Hip and\nKnee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Recreational runners had less chance of arthritis, but competitive had greater.</p>\n\n<h2>Invert the problem</h2>\n\n<p>The fastest way to destroy a joint? Completely <strong>immobilize</strong> it. Check out a Google Scholar search for <a href=\"https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C5&amp;q=joint%20immobilization%20joint%20degradation&amp;btnG=&amp;oq=joint%20im\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">\"joint immobilization joint degradation\"</a> if you want more details on how bad it is for a joint. It's basically the fastest way to <em>cause</em> arthritis / destroy cartilage. The phrase \"motion is lotion\" is literally true for the human body.</p>\n\n<h2>Exercise can overcome <em>a lot</em></h2>\n\n<p>I want to further emphasize how beneficial activity can be. If there was one sport in 2019 we'd say do not do for your health, it would probably be American football, right?</p>\n\n<p>Well, American football players live longer than the average person. </p>\n\n<p>Yes, they do have more risk of neurological problems, but they have less risk of heart disease, cancer (and even violence). For all of us, including football players, those are way more likely to kill us than a brain disease, so that's why they end up living longer. (Notice below while the numbers for say, Parkinson's are alarming on a relative basis -2x greater risk- on an absolute basis they're still very small -only 2 deaths.)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vhENQ.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vhENQ.png\" alt=\"football players heart disease cancer\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sKHvl.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/sKHvl.png\" alt=\"football players violence\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Study,</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23530154\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Neurodegenerative causes of death among retired National Football League players</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(Here's a <a href=\"https://b-reddy.org/wait-former-nfl-players-are-healthier-than-most-people/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">more in depth write up on that</a>, and another <a href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/2/1/168/htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study</a> backing up the general increase in life expectancy.)</p>\n\n<p>I'm a personal trainer who has worked with a lot of older clients. It is extremely rare I get one who, because of their injury history with sports when they were younger, has genuine issues in their e.g. 60s and 70s.</p>\n\n<p>What's way, way, more common, is the person did play sports, but then their 30s came, kids came, they basically became sedentary for 25 years, everything started to hurt, and they blame it on sports from three decades ago.</p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, it provides a nice excuse for the person to continue to avoid becoming active again. They fall into this downward spiral. \"I can't exercise because my knees hurt\" never considering maybe their knees hurt because they don't exercise. (Not just their fault. The medical community hasn't done a great job on this front either.)</p>\n\n<p>Fact is, few people ever push themselves to where activity harms their health. Even fewer do it to where they will have, relative to being sedentary, a forever physical impairment. </p>\n\n<p>Not to mention the body has all kinds of defense mechanisms against this, like pain. Did you know there is not one single documented case of dehydration death in a marathon? None! Many of the deaths are from people drinking too much water.</p>\n\n<p>All that said, to get back to your specific question, doing one or two marathons, <strong>provided you properly train for it</strong>, is not a recipe for crippling senior years. Doing marathons for years on end? That's where people tend to cross the line into too much :).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39958", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30814/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39969, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Meal timing is generally going to be important for sport competitors, but not so much for everyone else. For everyone else, only daily values matter. Individuals will find that certain eating patterns are more useful for them in reaching their goals.</p>\n\n<p>Eating six times a day isn’t problematic for the digestive system, nor is eating once a day. Your food choices have the potential to cause problems though (for example too much sugar, spice, volume, or something else all at once). Something else to keep in mind is how strenuous activity impacts a full stomach, most people don’t perform well on a full stomach as it usually takes an hour or so to settle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39970, "author": "Will Appleby", "author_id": 16628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/16628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I believe there are two main reasons in favour of more regular, smaller meals:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>There's less chance that at any point you are starving your body of nutrients that it needs for growth and recovery. </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>For example, suppose you ate just one meal in the morning containing all your daily calories. Even if the meal has a good balance of macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs), your body can only hold onto this for a few hours, before converting it to fat or excreting it. If you don't train until the evening, you won't feel the energy benefits of that meal when you train and it will be hard to get the most from your workout.</p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>Eating small, healthy meals regularly will keep you feeling full and helps to avoid snacking on bad foods. </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I know if I skip my mid-morning protein shake, by 11 am I'm craving food and might resort to crisps or chocolate as a snack. This unbalances my macros and makes my diet less healthy. Of course, with willpower you can avoid snacking, but if your body tells you its hungry, then better to provide it with some small amount of good calories than nothing at all.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39972, "author": "Samuel Hulla", "author_id": 30828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The short answer is, <strong>no it's not strictly better</strong>, <em>but...</em></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>While eating 6 meals over 3 meals is technically not a requirement, it's all about the nutritional value you actually consume. What I mean under that:</p>\n\n<p>It is all about the amount of micros and macros that you actually consume within the 3 meals as opposed to the proposed 6. However, with an <strong>average human</strong>, who recently started regularly working out and is living off 3 meals, chances are, he/she is usually <strong>under-eating</strong> in terms of calories and other nutrients, so you need to start eating more, that however proposes an issue to most people, even thought they won't initially realize.</p>\n\n<p>Why it's recommended to eat 6 meals as opposed to 3:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You will not be used, to eating that much food. If you simply <strong>increase portion size, you will often feel sick and even nauseous</strong> from eating a meal, that is often twice the size you would regularly eat prior. On the other hand, if you eat 6 meals a day, your portion sizes will be relatively small, <strong>making it much easier to digest</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Your body will crave more food</strong>, given you recently started working out, your body will need more fuel. If you even accidentally under-eat with 3 meals, you will often crave more food - not large enough for another full meal, just something the right size - oh right... unhealthy <strong>snacks</strong>!!</li>\n<li>Being new to dieting, you often will miscalculate portion sizes, micros and macros early on. Nothing to be ashamed of, it happens, issue is, if you increase portion sizes rather than eat more often, this can cause <strong>spikes in your blood sugar levels</strong> given you've over-eaten a certain condiment. </li>\n<li><strong>Energy levels</strong> - given your body has more constant intake throughout the day, it gets better at distributing the consumed energy throughout the day, rather than having to store and save what you hoard from the 3 meals. In result, <strong>you will feel more energized</strong> and potentially even happier throughout the day.</li>\n<li><strong>Motivation</strong> - this last point is subjective - but at least personally speaking, when I used to wing it and eat 3 meals, I often could keep up with my diet plan and daily calory intake, however after a month or two, I had trouble keeping up and slowly but surely gave up on diet plan altogether. At least personally speaking, I find it much easier to stick to a diet if you have strict eating times (for example I even set alarms) - this way I always make sure to eat the right portion, without craving food throughout the day and can easily stick to my goals.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>That being said, if you feel like you are disciplined enough to eat 3 meals a day and successfully stick to your diet plan, then there's no reason for 6 meals. But to a novice athlete, it usually helps a lot to divide your meals into a more realistic/achievable plan.</p>\n\n<p>Also one last note, <strong>6 is not some magical optimal number</strong>.<br>\nIt can be 5, it can be 7. depending on how often you have time to eat or even feel like eating. In the end, it's all about what you consume <em>(nutritional quality)</em> and in which quantity <em>(calories, protein, carbs, etc.)</em>!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39966", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30820/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39974, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For starters, you can do a certain number of air squats / push-ups every hour!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40150, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This question might get closed because it's a bit of a \"how long is a piece of string?\" position, I'll let others decide if they think so. But since it's been a month and hasn't gotten any close votes, and since I have a stand-up-able desk myself, anecdotally here's what I'd tell you.</p>\n\n<p>There's a decent amount of literature stating that <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-truth-behind-standing-desks-2016092310264\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">standing desks aren't really that good for you</a>. This seems to fly in the face of other data that suggests that <a href=\"https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/sitting-time-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death-from-all-causes.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">more sitting = shorter lifespans</a>. That latter point was a major reason that stand up desks became so popular, but if you cut into the data a bit it's more nuanced. Time spent sitting around watching television for 8 hours on a Saturday also has all the lack fitness and assumed poor eating habits, which might really be the culprit. Certainly we can't decouple the lifestyle behaviors of those who sit a lot with the time of how long they sit. </p>\n\n<p>Put another way, an otherwise extremely health person who sits 8 hours a day can be safely assumed to live a longer and healthier life than an otherwise unhealthy person who sits 8 hours a day. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Directly Answering Your Question</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/goblet-squats-101\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Goblet squats</a>. This requires a not-overly-large kettlebell or dumbbell and the benefits of the squat exercise in general gives you a lot of bang for your buck.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/dumbbell-squat-to-shoulder-press\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dumbbell Squat Press (aka Thruster)</a>. You can generally do this with a duplicate of whatever weight you used for your goblet squat. If you used a 25lb dumbbell for your goblet, used a 25lb dumbbell in each hand for this. </li>\n<li><a href=\"https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/DBBentOverRow\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dumbbell row</a>. Again, you can use the same weight as you did for your goblet squat. You don't really need to have your leg up, and instead can just keep your back straight and put the non weight-hand on something sturdy like a waist-high-ish office cabinet. </li>\n<li><a href=\"https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/BWFrontPlank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Planks</a>. There are <a href=\"https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/BWSidePlank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">variations</a> as well, but in general you really just need you and a floor. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>One of the things I like about my standing desk is that it encourages me to move. If you're already standing it's no big deal to walk across the room, grab a lighter dumbbell, and knock out 10 squats. Your legs are already a bit warmed up because you've been standing and fidgeting around for a while. Conversely, if you're in a seated position there's just a big more of a barrier between where you're at and doing something physical. </p>\n\n<p>Another note is that you'll want to wear flexible clothes. If you're allowed to wear shorts or prana style pants, you're set. But if you're wearing more traditional office setting clothes you probably won't have the flexibility to do most of the exercises listed, especially the squats.</p>\n\n<p>A couple of ~25lb dumbbells (or whatever number works for you, there is no \"right\" number other than that) takes up little space, are cheap, and can allow you to do a lot.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39973", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30678/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39981, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Following a linear periodization protocol will help you the most if this is your goal. However, I definitely not suggest you to do \"anything\" fast, this is a marathon and you should be in for the long haul.</p>\n\n<p>Unfortunately, there is no formula to give you the answer you are looking for. There are many variables. So, choose a good linear progression and stick with it, see where it gets you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39982, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>My current bench press 1-RM is close to 170 lbs. Is it possible to\n bring my 1-RM to around 225 lbs in just six weeks?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As with everything, the answer is somewhere between \"yes\" and \"no\", or, as I like to constantly put it (stealing from Dan John), it depends.</p>\n\n<p>If you're a 110lbs female who's been benching for years, then I'd say no. If you're a 220lbs guy who's only started benching a year ago, then maybe. How're your shoulders? If you've got niggling shoulder injuries when you bench, but you've been ignoring them, no. If they're completely healthy and you already do a lot of back work, then maybe.</p>\n\n<p>The below is how I'd approach this, on the assumption that a) 225lbs isn't a stupidly massive weight considering your body (as above), b) your shoulders are healthy, c) your bench form is good, d) you can accept that your other lifts are going to take a bit of a back seat.</p>\n\n<p>First, bench at least 4 times a week. This doesn't mean you're going to be going balls to the wall every day until your arms shake, what you're going to do is use a weight you're confident with (read as: 6RM), and do sets of 3 or so reps, resting fully between sets. Try doing 5 or 6 sets and see how it feels day to day.</p>\n\n<p>The idea behind this is you're essentially practicing the movement, getting your body more efficient at it. The movement should be smooth and crisp. It probably won't feel like you're training very hard, if you're not ok with that and would rather leave the gym a quivering wreck (there's honestly nothing wrong with that), then this isn't for you.</p>\n\n<p>Second, train your back. Your back should be able to handle a fair amount of volume, and a strong back is needed for a strong bench press. I like sets of 8 - 12 reps for back work, and I mainly stick to horizontal pulling exercises over vertical. I also like face pulls and rear delt flyes, as well as bat wings to help strengthen the rhomboids.</p>\n\n<p>Third, look after your shoulders. If you get <em>any</em> shoulder pain, stop. I can't bench with a standard bar anymore because of an accumulation of rock climbing accidents, gym stupidity and a couple of \"hold my beer and watch this\" moments. I'm ok with this as I never really liked benching anyway, it doesn't mean I'm ok with anyone else following in my footsteps.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly, don't completely neglect other lifts. Feel free to squat every day that you bench. Like with the benching, you're not going to be doing 20 rep squats every day, do it to practice the movement. Deadlift a couple of times a week, likewise, don't kill yourself, view it as practice rather than a test of mental and physical fortitude.</p>\n\n<p>Yes, you can increase the weight over time, but reps should always feel smooth and crisp. After 4 weeks or so, rest a day or two then test your 1RM to see if it's improved.</p>\n\n<p>Over time, I've used methods very similar to the above, training every day (or close to it) to dramatically improve my squat (tall guys hate squats), my deadlift (you can still pull with a shoulder injury) and my overhead press (needed to buy new work shirts after this one). I haven't tried it with bench pressing, but I've read about powerlifters having great success with this kind of approach.</p>\n\n<p>If you feel so inclined, pick up Pavel Tsatsouline's Power To The People (he does have a specific powerlifting one, which I think is called Power To The People Professional, which might also be of interest).</p>\n\n<p>All of the above does assume a certain training maturity, if you're not confident with the basic power lifts in the gym, then I'd just stick with a basic program for a while and enjoy the process.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40798, "author": "Marcello Miorelli", "author_id": 18296, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18296", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't know lbs, I know kg. that is 30 kg in 6 weeks. \nNo way!!!</p>\n\n<p>even 3 months it would be a challenge. that would be 10 kg a month.</p>\n\n<p>do yourself a favour and get a good plan, to get this done in 6 months.\nthat is 5 kg extra every month.</p>\n\n<p>plus what is your body weight?</p>\n\n<p>I can do 200 kg when I am 110kg body mass.</p>\n\n<p>If I am 100kg I am happy when I do 185kg.</p>\n\n<p>in other words it all depends.</p>\n\n<p>training bench 2x week, constancy is the key. \nlife will throw lots of things at you, but you keep going, and eventually you will reach your limits. there is when the real training starts.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39980", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30834/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39988, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There are various options, in order of least difficult to most you might try the following...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Lat Pulldowns (Can be scaled to any difficulty)</li>\n<li>Dead Hang (30-60 seconds)</li>\n<li>Scapular Pull-ups</li>\n<li>Inverted Rows, Bent Legs</li>\n<li>Negative (Eccentric) Pull-ups</li>\n<li>Pull-ups, Band Assisted.</li>\n<li>Inverted Rows, Straight Legs</li>\n<li>Pull-ups</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Additionally, these are all lat dominant exercises. The latissimus dorsi (“lats”) are muscles on the mid back that are involved in many pulling motions. They are also the primary muscle group responsible for completing good pull-ups. The rest of the upper back, the biceps, and forearms are also involved in this exercise.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Latissimus_dorsi.PNG\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Latissimus_dorsi.PNG</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39994, "author": "S.D", "author_id": 27147, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27147", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Pull up is quite a challenge for beginners be it boys or girls, compared to other basic bodyweight movements.Even for lifters who've been training for years several pull-up sets of 10 with full ROM and clean form is quite enough to be a challenge.\nWhen I do a pull-up,I feel that the first set is usually easy,it then gets difficult as you go on,and the thing which I wanted to say is when I struggle to do pull-ups then,it's not my lats that give out first,it's usually my grip on the bar.\nSo here are a few tips which you can try:</p>\n\n<p>1.Do dead hangs and scapular retraction while hanging, would strengthen your arms for the grip.</p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>Practice the movement by doing negative pull-ups.Go use any platform or jump if you can to be in the top most position of a pull-up.Then try your best to complete the negative movement as slow and controlled as possible.\nIf you have access to bands or some friend use the assistance to try the first half of movement.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>3.Lats&amp;core strengthening: Do some lat pulldown and straight arm pull downs.For core work on leg raises and planks.\nHave patience and good luck!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40015, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This a good video on how to do this:\n<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB3X4TjTIes\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How To Start Calisthenics - PULL UPS | THENX</a></p>\n\n<p>Some of the recommendations on how to achieve one pull-up can be a bit detailed for my taste. They involve different grips, negatives etc.\nI do not doubt it is effective, but it is also a lot of work and tedious.</p>\n\n<p>Here is more or less how I achieved one pull-up (with some improvements in hindsight):\nStart by doing Australian pull-ups (inverted rows): <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJe5xLbxaxg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJe5xLbxaxg</a></p>\n\n<p>Say you manage to do 3 of these. Then pause for 3 minutes and do 3 more.\nRepeat until you have done 10-15 in total.\n2 or 3 days later you repeat this workout.</p>\n\n<p>When you can do 8-10 Australian pull-ups in a row; move on to warming up with Australian pull-ups and then do chin-ups.</p>\n\n<p>When you can do 3 chin-ups in row; you should be able to do 1 pull-up.\nLack of volume is a practical problem when it comes to strength training. It means that you are probably better off sticking to chin-ups until you can do 3 pull-ups.</p>\n\n<p>Regardless of how strong you become it is always good to do a combination of Australian and ordinary pull-ups.\nThat is because Australian pull-ups are better for posture, whereas pull-ups are more useful (functional). </p>\n\n<p>Also remember to eat enough protein and also some carbs and fat.\nIt is better to gain a little bit of extra fat when gaining muscle.\nThis fat will be easy to loose again later, since your slightly larger muscles will consume more energy. </p>\n\n<p>Finally;\nwhile doing one pull-up is a great goal, I also think you should train the rest of the body.\nI recommend you check out the Starting Strength program.\nAlternatively you could also do push-ups + squats.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40068, "author": "David Jercinovic", "author_id": 30915, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30915", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>the technique i am using -- i'm trying to get better at strict pull ups myself is:</p>\n\n<p>practice, practice, practice:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>banded pull ups (you can buy bands at roguefitness.com -- they'll make it easier to start with)</li>\n<li>jumping pull ups</li>\n<li>negative pull ups (i think this is the correct name, or reverse pullups) ( u basically jump off a box(carefully) into the chin over the bar position, and constrict your muscles, and against gravity, SLOWLY let yourself down to the hang position. so, youre resisting the fall as much as possible</li>\n<li>box pull ups (find a box and a bar) place box in such a way as knees are bent and the box is effectively reducing the load on the pull up to make you lighter.</li>\n<li>ring rows (at varying angles)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>voodoo flossing the muscles around the elbow helps</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39987", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30842/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39992, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My guess is that something is not right. When I do an intense workout (lifting weights), I sleep more that night, not less. That is one of the benefits of exercise. If you search the internet for \"overtraining\", you will find that disturbed sleep is one sign of overtraining. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435910/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a reference. On the other hand, you say you wake up rested. I don't think that is typical over overtraining. It seems like you have two contradictory symptoms. Maybe you need to keep going with what you are doing until you figure out what is happening. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39993, "author": "David G.", "author_id": 30841, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30841", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately, as is often the case in heath sciences there is never an <em>exact</em> answer, as such an answer would require a rather large collection of information about the individual which is functional nonpragmatic. However, that doesn't mean there aren't answers to different questions that can be asked. One such question could be </p>\n\n<p><em>If I was getting too little sleep, how would that affect me mentally or physically?</em></p>\n\n<p>In a rather in-depth report published in Clinical Review by M. Chennaoui et al. (<a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pierrick_Arnal/publication/264085860_Sleep_and_exercise_A_reciprocal_issue/links/59e6931aaca2721fc227ae16/Sleep-and-exercise-A-reciprocal-issue.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">found here</a>), they looked into the various links weekly exercise had on sleep and how sleep would then affect different aspects of their physical health. Much of what was reported was that exercise (less intense but similar to that of yours) seemed to increased total sleep time, which is something that you seem to be in contradiction with. However, they also assert that acute sleep loss will affect your metabolism and inflammation which in turn affect things like alertness, mood, heat tolerance, and some other proposed connections. This can all be overwhelming but the point is to ask yourself if the change in you average night sleep have been affecting aspects of your daily life. There's a lot of unknown in this area of science and still room for outliers in typical physical behavior. It could be the case that your conditions you're putting your body through are such that 4-5 hours of healthy sleep are optimizing. I'd highly recommend combing through this research and seeing if it answers any of your own questions. Also if the concern is high enough always consider consulting a physician or a physical therapist. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42738, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A thought--an increase in cortisol decreases sleep. If you feel well rested, your cortisol could be high in the morning or some other reason.. but working out/stress/ going to work increase cortisol. Most people need up to 2 extra hours of sleep when working out to recover, so if anything you should be at least sleeping 8 hours. I sleep 10 on training days.</p>\n<p>You could also have a sleep disorder or some type of sleep insomnia</p>\n<p>This is a medical question in my opinion and warrants a visit to the Doctor as it is not healthy to sleep so little and will cause you to be sleep deprived</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44312, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Disturbances in sleep patterns from training are (sometimes) a sign of overtraining. It can be the starting point of a slow descent to hell. You don't really feel it, you keep going. You start deteriorating but you muscle through because, hey you are a man and you need to perform right. And at the end you are left with sleep disorders, anxiety, injuries, ...</p>\n<p>So don't panic. But don't let it go without thinking about it either. Monitor other variables (HRV) as well as listen to yourself (what is your anxiety level compared to before? Are you more susceptible to bad moods, ...).</p>\n<p>Finally, educate yourself on everything sleep related. How to modulate your sleeping patterns, ... To my knowledge, the best entry point is the Andrew Huberman podcast. He made an entire month on sleep so you will definitely find everything you need there and references are provided also if you want to dig deeper.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39990", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30845/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39992, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My guess is that something is not right. When I do an intense workout (lifting weights), I sleep more that night, not less. That is one of the benefits of exercise. If you search the internet for \"overtraining\", you will find that disturbed sleep is one sign of overtraining. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435910/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a reference. On the other hand, you say you wake up rested. I don't think that is typical over overtraining. It seems like you have two contradictory symptoms. Maybe you need to keep going with what you are doing until you figure out what is happening. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39993, "author": "David G.", "author_id": 30841, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30841", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately, as is often the case in heath sciences there is never an <em>exact</em> answer, as such an answer would require a rather large collection of information about the individual which is functional nonpragmatic. However, that doesn't mean there aren't answers to different questions that can be asked. One such question could be </p>\n\n<p><em>If I was getting too little sleep, how would that affect me mentally or physically?</em></p>\n\n<p>In a rather in-depth report published in Clinical Review by M. Chennaoui et al. (<a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pierrick_Arnal/publication/264085860_Sleep_and_exercise_A_reciprocal_issue/links/59e6931aaca2721fc227ae16/Sleep-and-exercise-A-reciprocal-issue.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">found here</a>), they looked into the various links weekly exercise had on sleep and how sleep would then affect different aspects of their physical health. Much of what was reported was that exercise (less intense but similar to that of yours) seemed to increased total sleep time, which is something that you seem to be in contradiction with. However, they also assert that acute sleep loss will affect your metabolism and inflammation which in turn affect things like alertness, mood, heat tolerance, and some other proposed connections. This can all be overwhelming but the point is to ask yourself if the change in you average night sleep have been affecting aspects of your daily life. There's a lot of unknown in this area of science and still room for outliers in typical physical behavior. It could be the case that your conditions you're putting your body through are such that 4-5 hours of healthy sleep are optimizing. I'd highly recommend combing through this research and seeing if it answers any of your own questions. Also if the concern is high enough always consider consulting a physician or a physical therapist. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42738, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A thought--an increase in cortisol decreases sleep. If you feel well rested, your cortisol could be high in the morning or some other reason.. but working out/stress/ going to work increase cortisol. Most people need up to 2 extra hours of sleep when working out to recover, so if anything you should be at least sleeping 8 hours. I sleep 10 on training days.</p>\n<p>You could also have a sleep disorder or some type of sleep insomnia</p>\n<p>This is a medical question in my opinion and warrants a visit to the Doctor as it is not healthy to sleep so little and will cause you to be sleep deprived</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44312, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Disturbances in sleep patterns from training are (sometimes) a sign of overtraining. It can be the starting point of a slow descent to hell. You don't really feel it, you keep going. You start deteriorating but you muscle through because, hey you are a man and you need to perform right. And at the end you are left with sleep disorders, anxiety, injuries, ...</p>\n<p>So don't panic. But don't let it go without thinking about it either. Monitor other variables (HRV) as well as listen to yourself (what is your anxiety level compared to before? Are you more susceptible to bad moods, ...).</p>\n<p>Finally, educate yourself on everything sleep related. How to modulate your sleeping patterns, ... To my knowledge, the best entry point is the Andrew Huberman podcast. He made an entire month on sleep so you will definitely find everything you need there and references are provided also if you want to dig deeper.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/39998", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30848/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40006, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, two injuries in one month means your current approach is seriously wrong. Before I give you my suggestion, let's back up with a tiny bit of theory. A pull-up is a full body weight exercise. By definition, the resistance or load of this exercise cannot be modified. By contrast, if you go to the gym, they have equipment that lets you do the same movement, but which also allows you to modify the load. </p>\n\n<p>What you should do, in my opinion, is to regress the load, i.e. go down to a weight less than your body weight. Which means you need to go the gym to get access to the appropriate equipment. Find a load that doesn't hurt you (maybe half your body weight). Over a period of months, you can progressively increase the load and your connective tissue will hopefully adapt. </p>\n\n<p>In regards to whether bad form contributes to your injury. You might be doing a pull up with bad form. But again, the only way you are going to improve your form is to regress to a lower load and improve your form there. Then, with luck, you will be able to progress back to higher loads and maintain the good form. In summary, you are only going to learn better form by regressing down to a lower load. </p>\n\n<p>If you continue with your current method of full body weight resistance, then you will almost certainly continue to injure yourself. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40179, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I noticed that when I stretch my neck to the left side, I can feel the\n stretch in my right-rhomboid (where the pain is). when I do push- or\n pull-ups now, I don't feel the pain.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Are you sure it's your rhomboids? And not your traps or levator scapula or something else? You shouldn't feel much of a stretch on your rhomboids simply by pulling your neck to your opposite side. Rhomboid minor does attach to C7 but that's the start of your neck and you typically need to have (pro)traction on the shoulder blade to stretch the rhomboids. They are pretty deep between the shoulder blades and the spine, difficult to stretch.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>So I've been doing push-ups for over six years and the first five\n years it was quite simple 6x20 sets of push-ups, without any pull-ups.\n Now, for the past half year I have increased sets and amount, and\n added pull-ups to my training routine.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Without knowing much about your overall routine currently, if you're doing more than 6x20 now (and even 120 reps a day is a little excessive most of the time) it's possible you simply have too much reoccurring volume on the push ups. Regularly doing hundreds of reps of the same movement over and over again with little variety appears to increase the potential for overuse injury.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I usually do a warm-up jog of 5 to 8km, but yesterday, I finished only\n 4km and walked-out for the remaining 2km. Yet, I completed my full\n push-up training. So I presume it's from the push-ups.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>See my point above. You don't really have to know what exercise 'caused' it, it doesn't matter what caused it, you have to figure out why it's being cranky so you can fix it. A lot of those muscles are involved in both the push up and pull up anyway, so regardless of cause, both could continue to create pain for a variety of reasons.</p>\n\n<p>But also, a warm up of 5-8 km running? Why? That's not a warm up, that's a training session in and of itself. A warm up for resistance training is like 5-15 minutes and I'd say you probably want something more specific to your training as a warm up, not just running. </p>\n\n<p>Unless the training goal is specifically running and push ups/pull ups are an afterthought. In which case, the push ups are definitely excessive volume. That being said, fatigue always hurts performance. There is no way you're not a little tired after even a 4km run. So it could very easily also be a technique issue as the result of too much fatigue.</p>\n\n<p>It's possible that either exercise could lead to such an injury or at least pain. Pain doesn't always correlate with an actual injury and actual injuries don't always yield pain. Pain is more of a warning system and it's prone to faulty wiring sometimes.</p>\n\n<p>For the time being you should take some time off from anything that aggravates it and likely see a physical therapist to determine what's actually going on. They can help you formulate a plan of action for return to your routine.</p>\n\n<p>Now that the rhomboid (assuming it's the rhomboid) is cranky both exercises will likely aggravate it anyway. It needs time to heal. </p>\n\n<p>When it's healed then consider some of the points above. Your routine lacks movement variability, clear progressive overload (6x20 is pretty static), likely a good warm up, there <em>may be</em> some technique issues and more than likely you're simply doing too much inefficiently. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40003", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30852/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40006, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, two injuries in one month means your current approach is seriously wrong. Before I give you my suggestion, let's back up with a tiny bit of theory. A pull-up is a full body weight exercise. By definition, the resistance or load of this exercise cannot be modified. By contrast, if you go to the gym, they have equipment that lets you do the same movement, but which also allows you to modify the load. </p>\n\n<p>What you should do, in my opinion, is to regress the load, i.e. go down to a weight less than your body weight. Which means you need to go the gym to get access to the appropriate equipment. Find a load that doesn't hurt you (maybe half your body weight). Over a period of months, you can progressively increase the load and your connective tissue will hopefully adapt. </p>\n\n<p>In regards to whether bad form contributes to your injury. You might be doing a pull up with bad form. But again, the only way you are going to improve your form is to regress to a lower load and improve your form there. Then, with luck, you will be able to progress back to higher loads and maintain the good form. In summary, you are only going to learn better form by regressing down to a lower load. </p>\n\n<p>If you continue with your current method of full body weight resistance, then you will almost certainly continue to injure yourself. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40179, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I noticed that when I stretch my neck to the left side, I can feel the\n stretch in my right-rhomboid (where the pain is). when I do push- or\n pull-ups now, I don't feel the pain.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Are you sure it's your rhomboids? And not your traps or levator scapula or something else? You shouldn't feel much of a stretch on your rhomboids simply by pulling your neck to your opposite side. Rhomboid minor does attach to C7 but that's the start of your neck and you typically need to have (pro)traction on the shoulder blade to stretch the rhomboids. They are pretty deep between the shoulder blades and the spine, difficult to stretch.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>So I've been doing push-ups for over six years and the first five\n years it was quite simple 6x20 sets of push-ups, without any pull-ups.\n Now, for the past half year I have increased sets and amount, and\n added pull-ups to my training routine.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Without knowing much about your overall routine currently, if you're doing more than 6x20 now (and even 120 reps a day is a little excessive most of the time) it's possible you simply have too much reoccurring volume on the push ups. Regularly doing hundreds of reps of the same movement over and over again with little variety appears to increase the potential for overuse injury.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I usually do a warm-up jog of 5 to 8km, but yesterday, I finished only\n 4km and walked-out for the remaining 2km. Yet, I completed my full\n push-up training. So I presume it's from the push-ups.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>See my point above. You don't really have to know what exercise 'caused' it, it doesn't matter what caused it, you have to figure out why it's being cranky so you can fix it. A lot of those muscles are involved in both the push up and pull up anyway, so regardless of cause, both could continue to create pain for a variety of reasons.</p>\n\n<p>But also, a warm up of 5-8 km running? Why? That's not a warm up, that's a training session in and of itself. A warm up for resistance training is like 5-15 minutes and I'd say you probably want something more specific to your training as a warm up, not just running. </p>\n\n<p>Unless the training goal is specifically running and push ups/pull ups are an afterthought. In which case, the push ups are definitely excessive volume. That being said, fatigue always hurts performance. There is no way you're not a little tired after even a 4km run. So it could very easily also be a technique issue as the result of too much fatigue.</p>\n\n<p>It's possible that either exercise could lead to such an injury or at least pain. Pain doesn't always correlate with an actual injury and actual injuries don't always yield pain. Pain is more of a warning system and it's prone to faulty wiring sometimes.</p>\n\n<p>For the time being you should take some time off from anything that aggravates it and likely see a physical therapist to determine what's actually going on. They can help you formulate a plan of action for return to your routine.</p>\n\n<p>Now that the rhomboid (assuming it's the rhomboid) is cranky both exercises will likely aggravate it anyway. It needs time to heal. </p>\n\n<p>When it's healed then consider some of the points above. Your routine lacks movement variability, clear progressive overload (6x20 is pretty static), likely a good warm up, there <em>may be</em> some technique issues and more than likely you're simply doing too much inefficiently. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40011", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30862/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40158, "author": "Franck Dernoncourt", "author_id": 3806, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3806", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to <a href=\"https://sportsrehab.ucsf.edu/hip\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://sportsrehab.ucsf.edu/hip</a>:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>if one pushes then it stretches the piriformis. Demo: <a href=\"https://youtu.be/XI8gbfMKNnk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/XI8gbfMKNnk</a></li>\n<li>if one pulls then it stretches the gluteus (I don't know which one). Demo: <a href=\"https://youtu.be/wMxV1O2UCG8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/wMxV1O2UCG8</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Note that <a href=\"https://sportsrehab.ucsf.edu/hip\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://sportsrehab.ucsf.edu/hip</a> is only mentioning the seated piriformis stretch and not the supine piriformis stretch, but I am assuming it is stretching the same muscles (<a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/q/40010/3806\">Is the seated piriformis stretch complementary or redundant with the supine piriformis stretch?</a>).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40358, "author": "MikeDTech", "author_id": 31226, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31226", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The Piriformis is a bit different than most muscles. It changes from EXT RO to a INT RO when you Flex your Hip above 90 degrees.</p>\n\n<p>There are quite a few ways to stretch this, and a ton of images on google that are backwards or just confusing. Stick to the basics.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pwDub.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pwDub.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40024", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3806/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40028, "author": "Avinit Dutta", "author_id": 30870, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30870", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Counting repetition should not be your priority. Fatiguing the muscles and using the to the fullest is something you should be looking forward to. You are done not when you finish counting, but choose appropriate weight and stop when just can't do next rep. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40034, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You should be following training protocols specific to your goals or to that of whatever program you are following. Within any strength training set, you should be working to (or close to) failure as this will sufficiently challenge your muscles to produce the best stimulus for growth (size and strength). When you are given a certain number of reps as a goal for each set, you should adjust the resistance accordingly.</p>\n\n<p>If your goal is purely strength, then you should give your body enough rest between sets to be able to reproduce that first set again.</p>\n\n<p>If your goal is purely stamina, then you should give your body minimal rest (60 seconds as a general upper limit) between sets and continually drop the weight for each successive set.</p>\n\n<p>If your goal is somewhere in between, then your training protocols will lie somewhere in between. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40027", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20490/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40037, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Forget the goals. Just get yourself to the gym. Start with baby steps. Look up five exercises on YouTube. Can you remember five exercises? (I suggest five below) Study these five exercises in multiple youtube videos until you know them. Then go to the gym and do those five exercises, two sets each, with light weights. Your done. Leave the gym and go home. Don't make this a big deal. Also, turn your cell phone off at the gym; don't waste time; take care of your business, and then get the hell out there. Your goal is to finish your workout so you can enjoy the rest of your day. </p>\n\n<p>(I see too many people just lounging around gyms these days as the do facebook and twitter and whatever on their cell phone.)</p>\n\n<p>If you keep the weight light, then you don't need to worry about hurting yourself. If you need to, you can write down the five exercises on a piece of paper, but I would advise that you memorize them. Start with twice a week just to get started. </p>\n\n<p>As far as four simple exercises, how about 1) bicept curls, 2) McGill Curl ups 3) Lateral shoulder raise 4) Back Lunges with dumbells 5) Goblet squat. All the exercise can be found on Youtube. I suggest fifteen reps in each set. These are simple (non-technical) exercises. The Goblet squat is slightly technical, but if you keep the weight light and you don't try to go too deep, then you won't get hurt. You can do the Goblet squat with a dumbell if you don't have a kettlebell. </p>\n\n<p>Some people will say this is not an optimal workout. I agree. It isn't an optimal workout. I'm just giving you something simple and concrete so you can stop thinking about it, and get started. I'm not going to tell you that this simple workout is going to get you great results. It won't. But don't worry about results yet. First, you need to gain some confidence around weights and exercise, and you need to feel comfortable in a gym environment. If you enjoy the experience, you can move on heavier weights and more technical exercises, and maybe hire a personal trainer. But don't think about all that yet. For now, keep it five exercises, keep the weight light, do your business at the gym, don't waste time, then get the hell out of there and enjoy the rest of your day.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40044, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In short, following a competent fitness program is the single best thing that you can do.</p>\n\n<p>But let's explore your question more and extrapolate on why that is. First and foremost I want to point out that this isn't a stupid question, it's entirely valid. The stupid thing to do would be to NOT ask questions and pretend to know what you're doing, in that scenario you're wasting A LOT of time. Both your time in the gym and timeline of progress would suffer. Why? Even if you look at a bunch of popular exercises and put together a list of ones you plan on doing, how do you make the most of it? How do things like reps, sets, supersets, progressive overload, and more all work together? A competent fitness program gives you a strategy to make the most of your time at the gym while also providing you with the best stimulus for progress towards whatever goal is central to the program.</p>\n\n<p>Which leads me to the next point, goals. You mentioned that you were confused when the topic of goals was brought up in the past. You seem to have a clearer idea now with mention of \"a healthy body, maybe work out on my arms and belly fat\", and that's a good starting point. But I think the source of confusion is in understanding the idea of fitness goals in the first place. Here are some common broad fitness goals; fat loss, hypertrophy, athleticism, strength/power, and flexibility. Here are some common specific fitness goals; \"get a six pack\", \"feel better\", \"do good in a competition\", \"pass a physical\", \"play with kids without running out of breath\", etc. When determining what sort of program you should follow, you should find something that matches your broad goals (and yes, you can have and pursue more than one). With regards to exercise selection, this is why a person would be asking about your goals.</p>\n\n<p>Another goal you mentioned was to learn about different exercises and equipment. Guess what a competent program does? It gives you the names of everything and sometimes even demonstrates how best to perform the exercises. It will teach you a variety of things and you'll soon know your way around the gym.</p>\n\n<p>As an untrained individual you will benefit greatly from building a solid foundation. The definition of which will vary from endeavor to endeavor, but the point is to not worry about more intermediate or advanced goals like chasing numbers. Whatever sort of foundation you pursue, your biggest goal should be learning good form for the exercises you perform and mastering that. Make sure that you are challenging the muscles that you are supposed to be working, feeling and engaging them, and you'll make progress. When choosing a program, if you have no specific goal, then any beginner friendly program will work. </p>\n\n<p>One last thing, nutrition. Some fitness plans will offer nutrition advice while others don't. This actually doesn't matter. There are constants that you should keep in mind, and everything else is up to you. Your total daily calories (see TDEE) will determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight. It's entirely possible and probable as an untrained individual with extra bodyfat to maintain total body weight while building muscle and losing fat. Your total daily protein intake will determine how much muscle will be built (in conjunction with your training stimulus), 1.8 grams per kilogram is generally the maximum that your muscles can use. There are other things to consider as well, but calories and protein are the two most important concepts to remember. You don't have to count calories if you don't want to, but they exist whether you count them or not. The important thing is to find an eating strategy that works for you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40052, "author": "Pete McKinney", "author_id": 30899, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30899", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you are interested in building strength, I think <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Starting Strength</a> and <a href=\"https://stronglifts.com/5x5/#Quick_Overview\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strong Lifts 5x5</a> both are a great starting point. The lifts they suggest are pretty technical, so time spent with a trainer or youtube will be important to make sure you get the technique right. </p>\n\n<p>Some good videos:\n<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGjCuohHIIU&amp;t=0s&amp;list=PLIVyGQC-E9gBRQrgaT-j8z-iAYbnmW2Da&amp;index=11\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">squats</a>\n<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzFDzWHPiWA&amp;t=0s&amp;list=PLIVyGQC-E9gBRQrgaT-j8z-iAYbnmW2Da&amp;index=10\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">deadlift</a></p>\n\n<p>In general, look for <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhoikoUEI8U\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mark Rippetoe</a>. He's got lots of great, no nonsense advice.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40078, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would suggest that you train compound lifts with barbells: squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press.\nThis is the most efficient and practical way of getting stronger and more muscular.\nUsing these exercise you can train your whole body each workout and 2-3 workouts a week will be enough. \nFull body workout also makes you strong in a functional way. You will not have to worry about straining your back eg. if you have to lift a washing machine any more.</p>\n\n<p>It is however important to do these lifts with good technique or you may hurt yourself.\nI suggest you start by following the Starting Strength (SS) program for a few months.\nThat way you will learn the lifts and probably get a lot stronger.\nWatch the Starting Strength videos on how to perform the lifts. You may want to buy the Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training book.\nIt is a hard read though, but is at least useful as a reference.\nIt is a good idea to join the Starting Strength forum. There you can post videos of yourself performing the lifts and get feedback from actual coaches :-).\nYou can also ask questions. However bear in mind that Starting Strength unfortunately is very dogmatic. The Starting Strength book is its bible.\nEverything in the book must be followed to the letter. Don't ask why.\nAlso do not follow Starting Strength advice on nutrition unless you are skinny. This is very bad and may make you really fat. Instead eat a lot of protein, some carbs and some fat.\nIf you have a lot of body fat you will start to loose this. </p>\n\n<p>If you can afford it; is a really good idea to take a course or pay a good trainer for some hours of instruction so you make sure that you perform the lifts correctly.</p>\n\n<p>Do not stay on the Starting Strength basic program for more than 2-4 months. Once you are certain you master the lifts you should start adding some assistance exercises at the end of each workout.\nThe SS program focuses a lot on the legs. Likely you want to add some assistance exercises that targets your arms.\nI suggest chin-ups for biceps every workout and lying triceps extensions for triceps on bench press day.</p>\n\n<p>To keep your shoulders healthy is also a good idea to add facepulls. You can do them in between sets of benchpress. Use lighter load and more reps (10 ca.) than other exercises.</p>\n\n<p>Also the volume in SS is a bit low for muscle growth. Instead of only doing sets of 5 you should start doing more reps per set. One easy way you can do this and also get some periodization is this: every other week you do 3x5 and 3x10.\nEg. week 1: 3x5, week 2: 3x10, week 3: 3x5 etc. </p>\n\n<p><strong>References</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://globalnews.ca/news/3513498/8-reasons-why-weight-training-is-incredible-for-your-health/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">8 reasons why weight training is incredible for your health</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATySpohWQBg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">FULL BODY Training vs BRO SPLIT Routines | Which Workout is Better?</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndKd1ftCkc0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Barbells vs. Machines vs. Everything Else</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJKwoc7Rb8o\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Case for The Starting Strength Model</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqu3scZhamo&amp;t=916s\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">GreySkull LP Isn't Good, It's Great</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rigzbHWbllM\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Get BIG Biceps By Doing Chin-Ups!</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rh3MHnRI_I\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Lying Triceps Extension with Mark Rippetoe</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40036", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30877/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40047, "author": "Christian", "author_id": 18803, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18803", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Heart Rate is an individual measure.\nI have 60. My colleague, who is much fitter than me has 80.\nSome ultra marathon runner I know has 30.</p>\n\n<p>The range is unhelpful huge because RHR is an unhelpful measure.\nWhat you can watch out for is changes. You have 80 now, if it changes to 60 without you training much? it's time to see a doctor. It changes to 120? Time to see a doctor faster.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40256, "author": "SironaDen", "author_id": 31133, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31133", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have heart problem where my heart would sometimes skip a beat. With that being said I also asked my doctor about something similar to your question once and he said if you're in normal condition (without doing exercise or anything) it's should usually be around 70-80 BPM. \nI'm not sure if everyone is different but mine's like that. So hope that helps :D </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40257, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Short answer:</strong></p>\n\n<p>If you care about your health, you should be worried.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Long answer:</strong></p>\n\n<p>Based on:</p>\n\n<p><em>Maffetone P. The big book of endurance training and racing. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.; 2010 Sep 22.</em></p>\n\n<p>RHR is an important measure of overall health. It is a indicator of your aerobic function level.</p>\n\n<p>In general, the lower RHR the better. As a healthy RHR could be considered lower than 60. The world standards are higher, because it is based on sample of people where are a lot of unhealthy people (Note the difference between \"healthy\" and \"able to work\").</p>\n\n<p>A lot of people are fit (can finish marathon or deadlift 3xBW), but they are not healthy. Some people are also exceptions. If you care about health, do not listen exceptions or unhealthy but fit people.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> Make sure you measure your RHR correctly. Best is at the morning, directly in the bed before you get up. Repeat at least 10 days and make an average. Also It is negatively influenced by any stress in previous days (training, work stress, junk food...). It could be also influenced (in any direction) by some serious health issue.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40046", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30890/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40075, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately the answer to your question seems to be: NO.\nLayne Norton knows more about this topic than most and here is an article he wrote about it: <a href=\"https://www.biolayne.com/articles/contest-prep/best-form-of-cardio-for-bodybuilding/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">BEST FORM OF CARDIO FOR BODYBUILDING?</a> As you can see walking falls into the same category as endurance running. Interestingly cycling seems to be far better than walking or running.</p>\n\n<p>It seems the only cardio that does not impact muscle mass is HIIT eg. sprinting.\nThe sledge push or burpees can be done as a HIIT exercises and are gentle on the joints compared to sprinting.</p>\n\n<p>I train strength and walk for at least 30 minutes every day. It is a trade-off. Walking may not be the best for muscle gains but is excellent for general health. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41968, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Schwarzenegger even quotes that walking is absolutely fine from his book as well as many in the medical world. I'd trust health experts over bodybuilders or random fitness articles as walking is absolutely fine if you keep it moderated and don't walk more than an hour at a time...</p>\n\n<p>Walking at a moderate to high pace(at least 2.5mph) after ten minutes will start to burn pure fat. Walking more than 60 minutes and your body will start to use carbs. The higher intensity the more carbs/glycogen your body uses. HIIT burns a lot of carbs, but your body recovering later will burn fat in EPOC. </p>\n\n<p>According to Schwarzenegger, our bodies were made to walk long distances everyday, due to hunter/gatherer instincts or to conserve energy to fight. There is no harm in walking, and you can walk frequently.. it's so low intensity that it doesn't really affect you.</p>\n\n<p>The argument is if it's efficient. Walking burns about ~100 calories an hour so to lose a pound of fat that's 35 walks you have to take. It's great to walk as a hobby or at lunchtime at work but it's not going to be your biggest motivator.</p>\n\n<p>Walking-low intensity, burns pure fat(not most efficient way, but you can walk as much as you want)</p>\n\n<p>Jogging-moderate intensity, burns mix of fat and carbs(best for heart health but not fat loss)</p>\n\n<p>Running, jump roping,etc-high intensity, burns carbs.</p>\n\n<p>HIIT-burns carbs, burns fat in EPOC.</p>\n\n<p>Combine different cardio intensities and exercises from above to get best results coupled with weightlifting and a calorie deficit. You can either exercise less and eat less, or exercise more and eat more. \"Burn the fat, or starve the fat\" trust the medical experts that say walking won't affect muscle mass. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40055", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30902/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40062, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is actually a interesting question. Someone who has thought about this is Jules Mitchell, who just put out a book out on stretching. If I recall correctly, in a podcast, she said that \"tight\" is not a meaningful term in the world of anatomy or biomechanics. The reason is that there is no way to measure whether a muscle is \"tight\" or not. A muscle might be perceived as \"tight\" by an individual, but there is no way for a medical practitioner to confirm or validate that perception. The medical/biomechanical world deals with things that can be measured, so \"tightness\" just doesn't have place in that world.</p>\n\n<p>At the same time, if someone perceives a muscle as being \"tight\", this must be an indication that something is going on. Mitchel suggests that when someone perceives that a muscle is tight, there might be some kind of microscopic tissue damage, and the nervous system is trying to protect the tissue by preventing the person from moving that part of their body. Tightness, then, is a protective perception created by your nervous system in order to prevent you from moving some part of your body.</p>\n\n<p>You can put this in the box marked, \"interesting idea\".</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40073, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A strong and healthy muscle has no neural activity when you are not using it. Also your nervous system lets you stretch it far. It knows that the muscle is strong and can easily shorten against external forces if needed. A tight muscle is constantly receiving a small electrical signal from the nervous system telling it to keep some tension. This is because the nervous system knows that the muscle is weak and may have problems opposing an external lengthening force.\nIt may also be that the nervous system keeps the muscle tight to compensate for other weak muscles in the critical task of keeping the spine stable when walking. </p>\n\n<p><strong>References</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgL8GkzpNsw\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mobility Myths with Dr. Quinn Henoch | Static Stretching</a> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://chadwaterbury.com/strengthen-your-core-and-loosen-your-hamstrings/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strengthen Your Core and Loosen Your Hamstrings</a> </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/stretching-doesnt-work\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Stretching Doesn't Work</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.painscience.com/articles/stretching.php\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Quite a Stretch</a> </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40074, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'll approach this from two angles. For lack of betters terms, let's call one the microscopic angle and the other the eye test.</p>\n\n<h2>Microscopic</h2>\n\n<p>Without going into the weeds on this, muscle contracts using filaments. \"The Sliding Filament Theory of muscle contraction.\" Or, \"certain things latch onto to other things\":</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/fyX8k.gif\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/fyX8k.gif\" alt=\"sliding filaments\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Above GIF made from this video: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kFmbrRJq4w\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kFmbrRJq4w</a>.</p>\n\n<p>A tight muscle can simply mean the filaments are already maximally latched onto one another:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/84SEt.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/84SEt.png\" alt=\"filaments contracted\"></a></p>\n\n<p>The muscle can't contract any more, because there's nothing left to latch onto.</p>\n\n<p>Or, you could say a tight muscle means the muscle is at a place where the amount of tension it can produce is less than it's peak. There is a length-tension relationship. If the muscle is too stretched, it can't produce as much tension. Same goes for if it's too tight.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ea2lA.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ea2lA.png\" alt=\"length tension relationship muscle\"></a></p>\n\n<p>A chronically tightened muscle is a muscle which chronically cannot produce as much tension as it otherwise would. This means a tight muscle <em>can</em> become a weaker muscle. Someone held in a cast would be one way of showing this.</p>\n\n<h2>Eye-Test</h2>\n\n<p>Florence Kendall wrote a seminal physical therapy textbook, Muscles: Testing and Function, with Posture and Pain.</p>\n\n<p>She broke down <em>a lot</em> of muscles, and conceived specific tests to assess the length of each one.</p>\n\n<p>Basically she took the actions of a muscle, say the hamstrings, which flex the knee and extend the hip, then came up with an assessment which extends the knee and flexes the hip (the opposite) to assess whether the hamstrings are \"tight.\"</p>\n\n<p>This is where tight can be rather subjective. In her world, if you couldn't fully straighten your knee while your hip was flexed a certain degree, then she'd categorize you as tight. However, directly correlating this tightness with, well, much of anything, is where you won't find much.</p>\n\n<p>You will find certain people with certain kinds of lower back pain have that tightness, and they feel better when it is corrected, but you'll also find plenty of people who have that tightness and are fine.</p>\n\n<p>This is true of virtually any kind of pain you can think of. What causes one person's pain does not cause another.</p>\n\n<p>In certain areas though you can find that say, a certain amount of lacking shoulder range of motion correlates with pitching injuries. So, for them, that's tightness. If you don't pitch though? You're not more likely to have an injury...so are you tight then?</p>\n\n<p>This can become a colloquial or language question as much as anything else. I'm a personal trainer. When people tell me they feel tight, my first thought is not the sliding filament theory! Many say they're tight when really they're just sore and consequently averse to movement. (They don't need to be stretched; they need a few days off and they won't feel tight anymore.) Tight tends to have a negative connotation; loose or flexible a positive connotation, but as the length-tension relationship indicates, you don't want muscles which are too stretched either.</p>\n\n<p>Some more about the above-</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://b-reddy.org/a-short-muscle-doesnt-equal-a-strong-muscle/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">A short muscle doesn't equal a strong muscle</a></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40058", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15999/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40077, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The primary function of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_minimus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteus minimus</a> is hip abduction, similar to the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_medius\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteus medius</a>. The gluteus minimus is deep to the gluteus medius. The different muscles provide different attachment points in the hip, which provides them with more leverage during certain angles. Through a full range of motion, all hip abductors are used.</p>\n\n<p>Since in a <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899915/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">concentric</a> move the gluteus minimus performs hip <a href=\"https://www.machinedesign.com/medical/what-s-difference-between-abduction-and-adduction-biomechanics\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">abduction</a> (swinging your leg away from your body, hinging at the hip), the <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899915/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">eccentric</a> activity would be in resisting hip <a href=\"https://www.machinedesign.com/medical/what-s-difference-between-abduction-and-adduction-biomechanics\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">adduction</a>. </p>\n\n<p>You could accomplish this with bands. Put a band around your ankle, with the banded-ankle winged out. Slowly pull your leg back into anatomical neutral. Your gluteus minimus will lengthen under tension, counteracting the abduction. </p>\n\n<p>The more typical way of doing this is the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wUk8wQNUT8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">lateral band walk</a>. You'll be activating the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius concentrically when you abduct (move your leg away) and eccentrically when you adduct (bring the leg back in).</p>\n\n<p>Just looking at this part of your question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I don't want any concentric load to the gluteus minimus/medius.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then you wouldn't do the lateral band walks and would just focus on adduction, which would put all of the hip abductors into eccentric mode. I'll skip past the part about asking if this is a good or bad idea, but this is how you'd do it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40475, "author": "Franck Dernoncourt", "author_id": 3806, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3806", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>{1} studied the activation of the gluteus medius (GMed) and gluteus minimus (GMin) for 7 gluteal rehabilitation exercises, viz. (A) hip hitch, (B) hip hitch with toe tap, (C) hip hitch with hip swing, (D) isometric hip abduction, (E) sit-to-stand, (F) dip test, (G) clam.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise description:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXUrt.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXUrt.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/KC31N.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/KC31N.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5uVKo.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5uVKo.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZZIPv.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZZIPv.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Muscle activation:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9P3Uw.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9P3Uw.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>According to the study:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Numerous studies have reported on the ability of exercises to elicit high levels of GMed activity; however, few studies have differentiated between the portions of the GMed, and none have examined the GMin.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>References:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>{1} Ganderton, Charlotte, Tania Pizzari, Jill Cook, and Adam Semciw. \"Gluteus minimus and gluteus medius muscle activity during common rehabilitation exercises in healthy postmenopausal women.\" journal of orthopaedic &amp; sports physical therapy 47, no. 12 (2017): 914-922. <a href=\"https://dx.doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2017.7229\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://dx.doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2017.7229</a></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40070", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3806/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40077, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The primary function of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_minimus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteus minimus</a> is hip abduction, similar to the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_medius\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteus medius</a>. The gluteus minimus is deep to the gluteus medius. The different muscles provide different attachment points in the hip, which provides them with more leverage during certain angles. Through a full range of motion, all hip abductors are used.</p>\n\n<p>Since in a <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899915/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">concentric</a> move the gluteus minimus performs hip <a href=\"https://www.machinedesign.com/medical/what-s-difference-between-abduction-and-adduction-biomechanics\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">abduction</a> (swinging your leg away from your body, hinging at the hip), the <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899915/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">eccentric</a> activity would be in resisting hip <a href=\"https://www.machinedesign.com/medical/what-s-difference-between-abduction-and-adduction-biomechanics\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">adduction</a>. </p>\n\n<p>You could accomplish this with bands. Put a band around your ankle, with the banded-ankle winged out. Slowly pull your leg back into anatomical neutral. Your gluteus minimus will lengthen under tension, counteracting the abduction. </p>\n\n<p>The more typical way of doing this is the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wUk8wQNUT8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">lateral band walk</a>. You'll be activating the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius concentrically when you abduct (move your leg away) and eccentrically when you adduct (bring the leg back in).</p>\n\n<p>Just looking at this part of your question:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I don't want any concentric load to the gluteus minimus/medius.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then you wouldn't do the lateral band walks and would just focus on adduction, which would put all of the hip abductors into eccentric mode. I'll skip past the part about asking if this is a good or bad idea, but this is how you'd do it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40475, "author": "Franck Dernoncourt", "author_id": 3806, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3806", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>{1} studied the activation of the gluteus medius (GMed) and gluteus minimus (GMin) for 7 gluteal rehabilitation exercises, viz. (A) hip hitch, (B) hip hitch with toe tap, (C) hip hitch with hip swing, (D) isometric hip abduction, (E) sit-to-stand, (F) dip test, (G) clam.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise description:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXUrt.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/eXUrt.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/KC31N.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/KC31N.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5uVKo.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/5uVKo.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZZIPv.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZZIPv.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Muscle activation:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9P3Uw.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9P3Uw.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>According to the study:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Numerous studies have reported on the ability of exercises to elicit high levels of GMed activity; however, few studies have differentiated between the portions of the GMed, and none have examined the GMin.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>References:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>{1} Ganderton, Charlotte, Tania Pizzari, Jill Cook, and Adam Semciw. \"Gluteus minimus and gluteus medius muscle activity during common rehabilitation exercises in healthy postmenopausal women.\" journal of orthopaedic &amp; sports physical therapy 47, no. 12 (2017): 914-922. <a href=\"https://dx.doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2017.7229\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://dx.doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2017.7229</a></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40099", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18955/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40290, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I experience a lot of various problems with distance walking. As far as I have seen, fancy shoes or insoles do not make much of a difference. In some cases, this aid can help, but in some cases, it just reduces the symptoms of deeper issues.</p>\n\n<p>The first thing to check - have you build the walking volume gradually? Maybe you just need more time to adapt via smaller walking volumes.</p>\n\n<p>Else the chances are, that you do not have a perfect walking technique (to much impact of friction). You can make research on this topic on google and/or youtube. However, the best would be to hire a professional who can investigate this and advise. If you start investigating this topic, you will find out that almost nobody walks with \"good\" walking mechanics. However, walking is the most fundamental and important movement, so it is really worth to invest time into learning it correctly.</p>\n\n<p>Some things you can try:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>if you walk barefoot in an office building, can you hear your steps? If you hear impact or \"friction\" you probably have space to improve.</p></li>\n<li><p>if you walk barefoot on fine sharp gravel a few hundreds of meters (or few kilometers), does it pain? If yes, you probably can practice that (not to get used to it!, but to learn how to reduce the friction and/or impact).</p></li>\n<li><p>the same like 2., but on a hard smooth surface (concrete).</p></li>\n<li><p>quite a nice tool could be some walking/running treadmill (they should have it in every gym). The treadmills tend to make every hard step very loud (like a hallway in an empty office building), however, on a treadmill you can safely walk barefoot for a long time (that is not possible in the most of places).</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>A good related article is this one: <a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/how-to-ruck/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.strongfirst.com/how-to-ruck/</a> - it is about rucking, but there is a part about footwear and \"rucking technique\" that apply for this topic also. Walking can be considered as a special case of rucking (0 weight rucksack).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40295, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To prevent blisters and the feeling that your feet are damaged after few hours of walking, get some shoes with thick and hard to bend soles. More like light hiking shoes. Don't think to get some soft and \"comfortable\" but something robust. I'm speaking from the experience.</p>\n\n<p>Blisters can occur do to shoes being too tight or too loose - which makes the feet move back and forth during walking.</p>\n\n<p>I agree with putting some protection, like moleskin, on your feet before walking, as suggested in one comment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42322, "author": "Anita Taylor", "author_id": 33460, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33460", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As someone who has walked five marathons, I have the following advice:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Go to a running store where the staff will actually watch you walk and observe whether you are pronating, etc.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>You should have a shoe that is about 1/2 size bigger than what you normally wear for everyday use because your feet swell during distance walking. You are supposed to have a thumbwidth between your pinky toe and the side of the shoe, your big toe and the front of the shoe, etc.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Make sure you are not wearing cotton socks. This can contribute to blistering. You should wear moisture-wicking socks.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Body Glide is something that can help with blisters. It is like a deodorant stick that you rub all over your feet.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42324, "author": "drg", "author_id": 26933, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26933", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another simple thing you can try is to use thicker socks or running socks. I use to run in thin socks and I would almost always end up with blisters. There are running socks out there that are designed to prevent blistering.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40100", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30956/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40288, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It depends. Read thoroughly the invitation for <a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/special-events/second-wind-pavel/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this seminar</a>; there is some information about research on this topic.</p>\n<p>It seems that what you are doing can be really beneficial, but also it can be pretty dangerous. It depends on lots of factors, some of them strongly individual. I do not think anybody can advise you with this over internet.</p>\n<p>If you want to do it correctly, you probably need to be examined by an expert.</p>\n<p>Or you can try to continue, very carefully, and measure if this approach helps or not. Or even more carefully — practice it if you do not exercise — try to inhale and exhale reasonably slow for few minutes every day. This exercise should be safe for the most people.</p>\n<p>However, do not expect that such an exercises do magic with your &quot;lousy endurance&quot;. It would probably need more direct approach. I would suggest this book as a good place to start:</p>\n<p><em>Maffetone, Philip. The big book of endurance training and racing. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2010.</em></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40291, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One thing I was taught during my martial arts tenure growing up was to slowly breathe in through the nose (like two or three seconds) and breathe out the mouth (again two or three seconds). This is something that my personal trainer encourages as I exercise nowadays.</p>\n\n<p>However, my fitness level and cardiovascular health are not as good as they were when I was younger. Every time I exercise I at one point feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen doing the slow breathes so I take some \"cheater\" breathes to get my mind calm down. Then I return to controlled breathing to return to my body to a more normal state or homeostasis. (Bear in mind that this is all anecdotal so take with a grain of salt)</p>\n\n<p>After some time of consistent exercising, your endurance should get better and this feeling of out of breath will decrease more and more. If after several weeks to a couple of months of no improvement, there may be a medical issue and consulting a doctor would be good. Until then, keep hitting the pavement/gym. :)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40108", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40148, "author": "nicolasns96", "author_id": 29301, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29301", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not as efficiently depending on the presentation or arrangement of the glucose molecules, they might be assembled in a more complex form in certain food types (i.e: in larger chains known as polysaccharides).</p>\n\n<p>Generally speaking leafy and cruciferous vegetables are not the #1 way to go when it comes to this carbohydrate since simple glucose (a monosaccharide) also known as \"dextrose\" is found in fast digesting carb food sources that have a high GI or \"Glycemic Index\".</p>\n\n<p>Foods types that mostly belong to the \"grains and cereals\" realm such as white: bread, pasta, and even tubers such as white potatoes, others include highly sweet fruits such as watermelons, pineapples and dates, and finally to be more extreme all the fast food junk such as pretzels, sodas, doughnuts and cupcakes . You can also find fast shooting glucose in other forms for example as candy, and its been said that gummy bears in particular are one of the quickest ways to replenish muscle glycogen, as used by many bodybuilders for post workout recovery.</p>\n\n<p>Also, and since you mentioned a survival situation in the example that requires you probably to stay fed for a long period of time, and adding to that a demanding activity such as calisthenics or physical activity that compares to it, you might want to consider SLOW digesting carbs that keep you fuel for longer since they have a low GI. </p>\n\n<p>Sources of the above mentioned? Black beans, whole wheat everything (pasta, rice, etc), oats, sweet potatoes, legumes and nuts, quinoa, amongst others.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40152, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, it's a process called <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycogenesis\" rel=\"noreferrer\">glycogenesis</a>. Your larger issue is simply about calories. While your body can produce glycogen from spinach (as an example), <a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/spinach\" rel=\"noreferrer\">there's only 105 calories in a pound of spinach</a>. Spinach actually has some protein in it as well, and your body will use <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis\" rel=\"noreferrer\">gluconeogenesis</a> to convert some of that protein into glucose. </p>\n\n<p>So while from a pure bio-chemistry standpoint your body does this every day, to get ~2,500 calories you would need to eat roughly 24 pounds of spinach. And walking long distances daily is going to consume a lot more than 2,500 calories. </p>\n\n<p>The primary realistic pathway towards what you're thinking here is the aforementioned gluconeogenesis, converting from stored fat to glycogen then glycogenesis to glucose. Back of the envelope math says that 1 pound of stored fat in a human is about ~3,500 calories.</p>\n\n<p>A 180 pound person, averaging 20% body fat, has 36 pounds of fat on them. Once you get under ~4% things can get pretty horrible since fat does other things like insulation and vitamin storage. So leave 4% (7 pounds) of someone's fat in place.</p>\n\n<p>That still leaves you with 29 pounds of fat-energy, or 101,500 calories. At 5,000 calorie days, that's nearly three weeks. It would be an absolutely horrible 3 weeks I wouldn't want to participate in, but I'd rather do that than eat 48 pounds of spinach every day.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40154, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In theory, provided you consume <em>enough</em> of something containing carbohydrates then yes, you can replenish muscle glycogen <em>eventually</em>.</p>\n\n<p>It's a little more complicated than that in practice. </p>\n\n<p>For example, 100 grams of raw dandelion provides only 5.7 grams of carbohydrates (<em>when you remove the fiber</em>). Assuming total muscle glycogen depletion (<em>which never completely happens</em>) of 400 grams and assuming that all of those carbs end up as glucose (<em>and they won't</em>). Then you'd have to eat ~7kg of dandelion to restore glycogen.</p>\n\n<p>That's <strong><em>a lot</em></strong> of leafy greens!</p>\n\n<p>If you boiled the dandelion, you actually get less carbs per 100 g (only 3.5 g). Presumably because you lose a bunch to the water (which you might be able to drink).</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, what I'm getting at is that practically speaking leafy greens suck at restoring glycogen. There are many foods that would simply require too much quantity of that food to make it practical.</p>\n\n<p>And yes, it would depend to some degree how much glycogen you utilize doing whatever you're doing. It would also depend on how much of those carbs end up as glucose in the blood to be converted to glycogen in the muscle. Also how much glycogen is in the liver.</p>\n\n<p>About 400 grams of glycogen are stored in muscles and about 100 grams are stored in the liver. All carbs are eventually broken down into glucose, fructose or galactose, but only glucose makes it past the liver without the need for conversion in the liver.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40967, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By long distance walking plus callisthenics, you could burn ~5,000 calories per day. To prevent glycogen breakdown (and consequently ketosis), you would probably need to consume at least 10-15% of calories as carbohydrates, that is <em>125-190 g carbohydrates per day</em> (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29619799\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study 1</a> ; <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4113752/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study 2 - table 2</a>).</p>\n\n<p>The amount of digestible carbohydrates (total carb - fiber) and calories in various foods that can be found in wilderness:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2441/2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dandelion</a>, 100 g = 5.7 g carbs; 45 kcal</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1851/2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Blueberries</a>, 1,000 g = 121 g carbs; 570 kcal</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2053/2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Raspberries</a>, 1,000 g = 54 g carbs; 520 kcal</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/12167?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=chestnut&amp;offset=&amp;sort=default&amp;format=Abridged&amp;reportfmt=other&amp;rptfrm=&amp;ndbno=&amp;nutrient1=&amp;nutrient2=&amp;nutrient3=&amp;subset=&amp;totCount=&amp;measureby=&amp;Qv=4&amp;Q328909=1&amp;Q328910=1&amp;Q328911=10.0&amp;Qv=400&amp;Q328909=1&amp;Q328910=1&amp;Q328911=10.0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Chestnuts</a>, 400 g, roasted = 192 g carbs; 980 kcal</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/12120?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=hazelnuts&amp;offset=&amp;sort=default&amp;format=Abridged&amp;reportfmt=other&amp;rptfrm=&amp;ndbno=&amp;nutrient1=&amp;nutrient2=&amp;nutrient3=&amp;subset=&amp;totCount=&amp;measureby=&amp;Qv=2&amp;Q328845=1&amp;Q328846=1&amp;Q328847=1&amp;Q328848=1&amp;Q328849=10.0&amp;Qv=1&amp;Q328845=1&amp;Q328846=1&amp;Q328847=1&amp;Q328848=1&amp;Q328849=10.0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Hazelnuts</a>, 200 g = 34 g carbs, 1256 kcal</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>From foods you can find in wilderness, berries and chestnuts are high in carbohydrates, and nuts and animal foods are high in calories. Green vegetables are not high in carbohydrates or calories.</p>\n\n<p>In conclusion, to prevent glycogen depletion during a period of heavy physical activity, you may need to consume more than 100 grams of digestible carbohydrates per day. Saying that, you do not need to have glycogen stores or consume carbohydrates to survive and remain active. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40113", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30488/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40608, "author": "brentwpeterson", "author_id": 10532, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10532", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, you really need some long runs under your belt to know you are ready for 42k. If you feel you can do you 10K x 3 at 44 minutes then I would say YES to the 3:45.</p>\n\n<p>It sounds like your speed is there but you are not sure about distance. I would recommend adding a Saturday long run to what you are already doing. Your runs will range from 17k-35k and should be 30-60 seconds slower than your marathon pace. </p>\n\n<p>If you feel good at 32k and you have covered the distance in less than 3 hours then you are ready for 42k!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40656, "author": "Adam Albie", "author_id": 31559, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31559", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It sounds like overall you're on the right track. I'm a marathon runner myself and I was actually pretty taken aback a few weeks ago when I interviewed an <a href=\"https://www.hfe.co.uk/blog/the-ironman-coach/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Ironman coach</a> and he spoke about the importance of 80/20 training (something I've never actually done)… yet I've run a marathon is 3:13. </p>\n\n<p>Your marathon time will be as good as your training, nutrition, rest and pre-event preparation. You can also never discount the power of self belief, as fanciful as that sounds. </p>\n\n<p>When in doubt, and if articles on the internet fail or mislead you (as they so often do), try and find a local running club or online coach willing to just give you a bit of advice for free. The most important thing is that you don't injure yourself with overtraining because that can derail everything.</p>\n\n<p>Hope that helps!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40165", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31037/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40170, "author": "BlueTrin", "author_id": 6714, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6714", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think your question is too general as you didn’t state what weight you want to end up with.</p>\n\n<p>So I will give you a general guideline that worked for mewhich you should tweak:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>you can start with 2g of protein per kg of your own weight if your goal is to bulk up and you exercise with weights. There is only a certain amount of protein one can process in a day but this varies from person to person</p></li>\n<li><p>your first step is to determine your breakeven number of calories with the protein above and enough healthy fat to sustain a stable weight while exercising</p></li>\n<li><p>I recommend you to bulk up then get lean only when you have reached a muscle mass you are happy with. It is ehard to build muscle if you are low on body fat</p></li>\n<li><p>when I try to get lean, I train twice a day for three days then have a day of recovery with only light cardio and have a deficit of around 300 cals compared to breakeven levels but keep the protein at the same level (when you need to tweak the total number of calories, you usually only change the carbs)</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>You should experiment for a few weeks with a particular diet/program then see if you are doing progress and then keep doing it or tweaking. The biggest challenge is consistency: in particular when you try to get lean, you cannot have more than a cheat meal every few weeks.</p>\n\n<p>I am sure plenty of other people will have different things that work for them. Just try and experiment safely.</p>\n\n<p>(About your comment for protein not working, protein powder is not a miracle food: it is just a replacement for meat to use, for example, when you cannot eat a proper meal)</p>\n\n<p>Edit2: you need to be aware that bodybuilding is not healthy and is not helping you to get in shape, it is actually different from strength and cardio training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40172, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your macros should be calculated by your bodyweight, not by an arbitrary percentage of total calories. A good target for protein is going to be 0.8 grams per pound or 1.75 grams per kilogram. A good target for fats is going to be 0.5 grams per pound or 1.1 grams per kilogram. And a good target for carbs is going to simply be the rest of your calories. Fiber is a type of carb, and you should aim for a minimum of 20-30 grams per day.</p>\n\n<p>To estimate how many calories you should be consuming, simply utilize a TDEE Calculator. Your TDEE is how many calories you need to maintain weight, and adding or subtracting 200-500 calories will always result in weight loss or gain respectively (assuming that your TDEE is accurate).</p>\n\n<p>Exercise is very important in achieving something like 9% bodyfat because if you are in a caloric deficit and not maintaining or building muscle mass, then you are losing it. If you lose fat and muscle at an even pace, your bodyfat percentage will drop very slowly. If you lose only fat however, your bodyfat percentage will drop much more quickly. Remember that weight loss is indiscriminate, the goal of most is fat loss, and both fat and muscle have weight. On the other hand if you are gaining weight and not exercising, you can guarantee that you are gaining fat almost exclusively.</p>\n\n<p>Other Notes...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Finding a good training program will help you to continually progress.</li>\n<li>Your nutrition should be tailored to something sustainable for you (keeping in mind macro and calorie targets).</li>\n<li>Protein powder is just one potential source of protein, it isn’t special.</li>\n<li>The ceiling for muscle growth is approximately 2 lbs or 1 kg per month. This gradually gets smaller and smaller as you add more muscle to your body.</li>\n<li>Losing between 0.5% and 2% of your total weight each week is a good range to keep in mind. A lean person should aim for the bottom of that range while a heavily overweight person could aim for the upper end of that range.</li>\n<li>It’s entirely possible to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously, the main requirements are having extra bodyfat (15% and up, sometimes possible when lower) and having little muscular development. You would achieve this by eating at your TDEE maintenance.</li>\n<li>Bodyfat percentage is important in understanding body composition. Playing with an FFMI Calculator can help you to understand what it will take to reach your goals. (Losing X Fat, Gaining Y Muscle)</li>\n<li>“MyFitnessPal” is a popular app that makes tracking food, calories, etc super easy.</li>\n<li>TDEE Calculator, <a href=\"https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator</a></li>\n<li>FFMI Calculator, <a href=\"https://www.calculators.org/health/ffmi.php\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.calculators.org/health/ffmi.php</a></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40346, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>As you might have possible guessed, I'm looking to get lean, add some\n muscle, reach a 9% body fat and get to 155 lbs.</p>\n \n <p>If I can keep my body fat and add more weight, I'd like to get to 160\n lbs.</p>\n \n <p>I have decided to try out intermittent fasting (possibly with calories deficit) to lose body fat because I've never really been a fan of eating and it seems like something that'd work because the logic makes sense to me .</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cognitive dissonance</a> much?</p>\n\n<p><em>\"He who chases two hares leaves one and loses the other\"</em> ~ Ancient Chinese Proverb</p>\n\n<p>You need to pick one goal, then come back and ask for advice.</p>\n\n<p>Macros would change if you want to get to 9% body fat versus get to 160 lbs.</p>\n\n<p>Macros would also change as your body changes (biggest mistake people make with macro/calorie counting is keeping them static or as a constant).</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">You need to start by finding maintenance calories</a> (more or less). <a href=\"https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/the-baseline-diet-part-1.html/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Then you can determine macros</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Then you have to tweak based on your actual goal. So far you have a whole bunch of ideas, but nothing concrete. Trying to do two things at once will only frustrate the crap out of you.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/fiber-its-natures-broom.html/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fiber</a> is a relative constant so the baseline recommendation won't really change. Males should get ~35g a day. Females ~25g.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I have decided to try out intermittent fasting (possibly with calories\n deficit) to lose body fat because I've never really been a fan of\n eating and it seems like something that'd work because the logic makes\n sense to me.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>What logic? You can't even seem to determine what you're trying to accomplish, let alone what or how you should be eating?</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The problem is this: I don't know what to eat, how to eat, when to eat\n it. I've done lots of research before coming here but I couldn't find\n anything that actually explained how to calculate macros. All I found\n where videos that were 8-10 business days long and articles that had\n almost nothing.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Let's start there. Why do you feel it's relevant to calculate macros as a starting point? Why not start with one simple thing? Like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Eat lean protein with every meal</li>\n<li>or Eat veggies with every meal</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If you don't know what to eat, how to eat, or when to eat it, why do you feel counting macros of all things should be your starting point? Maybe you should start by learning what to eat, how to eat it, or when to eat it?</p>\n\n<p>How would you learn math? Would you dive right into calculus or would you start with addition/subtraction?</p>\n\n<p>Frankly, I'd say you're not ready for macros and you're spinning your wheels trying to do too many things that are currently too advanced for you.</p>\n\n<p>You're bouncing all over the place, unable to make a decision. It's called information overload. You have all these ideas, but no idea how to take the first step.</p>\n\n<p>The first step is to <a href=\"https://www.skillbasedfitness.com/get-started/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">just get started already</a>. You don't have to keep doing any more research. You need to:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Make a (singular) change to your eating or training</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.skillbasedfitness.com/measuring-whats-important/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Track the result</a> to see if it's moving you in the right direction</li>\n<li>If you're getting the desired result, keep doing what you're doing</li>\n<li>If you're not getting the desired result, make another single change, or tweak what you're doing, and track that impact</li>\n</ul>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I plan to start with a 16:8 ratio of IF and eat half the calories I\n need in my first 2 hours of the 8 hour eating window and the remaining\n within the late 2 hours.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Good go, start there, see if it works. If it doesn't then you're doing something wrong, you need to tweak something, or you need to layer something else in.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Getting in shape is actually the only thing I'm this committed to and\n I'm really hoping it works out (pun intended). I always get scared of\n commitments (even relationships) cos I feel they aren't gonna workout\n but I really want this to work!</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Or start here by just trying to consistently lift for a while. Pick something simple and easy to follow, slowly build your confidence up. Then add complexity.</p>\n\n<p>I feel like this lack of committment is more of your problem. So commit to something small and actionable already. Something you're actually confident you can commit to, no matter how small. You don't have to do everything perfectly out of the gate. The results will be slow, but steady and you have a lot of learning left to do. Embrace learning.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>So here's the question: How can I calculate how much Macros(Protein,\n fats, carbs), fiber and calories I need per day. I understand that\n I'll have to increase or decrease it depending on how much my body is\n changing so it might be helpful to leave a formula or an explanation.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Frankly, I think calories/macros are too damn complicated for you at this point in your journey. Focus on smaller things. Figure out what a good serving of protein is, try to consume one at every meal. Or try to focus on lifting regularly until it's a routine (consistency in training is key). Something small, easy to do and most of all something you're confident you can practice each and every day.</p>\n\n<p>However, if you still insist on going this route: You'd always start with calories. </p>\n\n<p>Then you determine protein based on goals and your plan of attack. If you're lifting and in a big deficit, you need more protein. If you're not lifting and in a big deficit you need slightly less. If you're in a surplus and not lifting (you're crazy) and if you're in a surplus and lifting you likely need a minimum 1.8g/kg. </p>\n\n<p>Then you'd likely determine carbs based on goals and your plan of attack. If you're lifting and in big deficit, you may want to moderately reduce them (~100-120g/day). If you're in a smaller deficit, maybe it's lower or higher than that depending on your tolerance or desires. If you're lifting and in a big surplus trying to gain, it could be anywhere from 2.2-6.6g/kg a day. </p>\n\n<p>Fat usually rounds out the equation (based on calorie intake). Except if you're an individual who is less carb tolerance or you find a low carb diet works better for you. Generally I find if you're lifting, ≥100g of carbs a day is ideal for most but there are no hard rules.</p>\n\n<p>The thing is, context matters a lot more than absolute numbers. These are all estimates, it's up to you to figure out what actually works for you. </p>\n\n<p>You're going to find a million different recommendations online. All recommendations need to be taken with a grain of salt. Even the calorie estimations will likely be wrong at first and you'll need to tweak them based on the actual outcomes. </p>\n\n<p>You need to choose one approach, stick with it, and track the result (every week or every two weeks, pinch or do girth/weight) to know if it's right for you.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40168", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31033/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40174, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you're talking about is essentially Pavel's Grease the Groove training. The idea being that you take about half your max reps, and do lots of sets throughout the day in order to train the body to be more efficient with the movement.</p>\n\n<p>When you say \"will it be as good as a normal workout\", that depends entirely on your goals.</p>\n\n<p>For strength, it should be better than a normal workout, you should see your weighted pull up strength increase quite nicely.</p>\n\n<p>For muscle gain, there's likely to be some, but not as much as if you were clustering the sets together to do something like 3 x 5 with a few minutes rest between (this is what all the training literature tells us, I haven't personally measured the difference in muscle gain between the two).</p>\n\n<p>For fat loss, again, there may be a little compared to doing nothing, but it's not going to have anywhere near the effect of a more exhausting training session.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40176, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depends on your goal. I'd generally say that GtG (Grease the Groove) is only practical if those weighted pull ups are rather low RPE (rate of perceived exertion) or you have many reps in reserve (RIR) and you only use the technique for relatively short bursts of time (&lt;2 months) for any given lift.</p>\n\n<p>As Dark Hippo pointed out, typically you'd take about half the number of reps you could do and focus on executing them with excellent technique. The reps should be very clean looking with no grinding. Grinding reps will hurt your progress with GtG. Going to failure won't work with the technique, you'll burn out pretty fast.</p>\n\n<p>For example: If you can do 6 weighted pull ups with 25 lbs, you'd do sets of 3 with that weight (3-4 RIR). Or less than that if you start to get fatigued after multiple sets. You really have to pay attention to how cleanly your reps are executed and ensure you don't grind. Long rest intervals would be advisable here. Which is often what happens if you spread the sets out over the course of the day. </p>\n\n<p>It's more often used with calisthenics when spread throughout the day (i.e. 20 reps of pushups several times a day, when your max is 40), but that's only because working up to heavy loads on say a squat/deadlift without warming up comes with risks. It's also more typically done at a higher frequency, but lower volume (i.e. 2 sets of 3 or 2 sets of 5) when you do use heavy weights. For instance Pavel's 2x5 program.</p>\n\n<p>The former is an excellent way to improve technique in calisthenics and the latter improve strength quickly. Generally the believed benefits are tied to improved technique. However, low volume ~4 RIR training will reduce fatigue, improve recovery and let you train more frequently as a result too.</p>\n\n<p>It is generally not a great way to build muscle mind you, because you want to get more mechanical tension and GtG is a way to avoid too much mechanical tension/fatigue.</p>\n\n<p>When used at higher reps, it can be effective for fat loss so long as an energy deficit is present but I wouldn't say <em>ideal</em>. Heavy weight training will help preserve muscle mass better but using a technique with more mechanical tension and fatigue every other day or 2x a week would likely be more effective overall for that goal too.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40173", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31048/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40188, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Calories burnt during exercise:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Running 7 mph (11.2 km/h) for an hour (a 155 lbs or 70 kg person): 809 Calories (<a href=\"https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p40109.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wisconsin.gov</a>)</li>\n<li>Sprinting for 10 minutes (no more details revealed): 800 Calories (<a href=\"https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/aps-moh101112.php\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">EurekAlert</a>)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Anyway, the simplest tactic to lose excessive body fat is to <strong>consume less calories than you spend.</strong> This can help you <strong>decrease appetite:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed: sugary foods (cola, fruit juices, sweets, deserts) and foods with plain starch (potatoes, white rice, white pasta)</li>\n<li>Avoid foods made mainly from fat + carbs (chocolate, chips)</li>\n<li>Eat foods high in fiber, such as whole grain bread or other cereals and low-calorie vegetables</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40189, "author": "Peter", "author_id": 31061, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31061", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>it depends upon your current physical condition. If you are at the verge of obese, your heart is the first muscle you should begin conditioning! lots of interval marching. The same is true if your a sedentary with some fat beginning to develop. if you are active, and have a few thick spots, progressive plyometrics can ramp off fat fairly quickly. yes, sprints. Jogging, is a test for, or the maintenance of, a healthy heart. Goal of to feel capable of a short marathon.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40182", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31053/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40187, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are charts that show how much calories you burn during a certain physical activity, for example, this one from <a href=\"https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p40109.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wisconsin Department of Health And Family Services</a>:</p>\n\n<p>A 155 lbs or 70 kg person (the middle column in the chart), Calories burnt per hour: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Weight lifting, light or moderate effort: 211 Cal; vigorous effort: 422 Cal</li>\n<li>Running 7 mph (11.2 km/h): 809 Cal</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Running is a sustained effort, but weightlifting is exercise, rest, exercise..., so you do much more actual work during running.</p>\n\n<p>It is true that with increased muscle mass, the baseline calorie usage rises, but a muscular guy would still likely burn less calories during weightlifting than a skinny guy during runnig (assuming about the same intensity of both activities).</p>\n\n<p>Muscle growth and reparation <em>after</em> exercise are relatively slow processes and do not burn much more calories per hour than other processes in the body (digestion, heart pumping, etc.).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40193, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It seems counterintuitive but <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/19114/aerobic-vs-anaerobic-for-better-fat-loss/19117#19117\">strength training is (almost always) a more effective way of controlling body fat than cardio exercises</a>. Diet trumps both of them, by far.</p>\n\n<p>A person with a basal metabolism of 1800 will burn an extra 144 calories (8%) per day just sitting on the couch, if they are strength training properly. This does not include the actual calories consumed while training, which would be additive to that. </p>\n\n<p>Anecdotally, I find that most distance runners and cyclists have terrible diets. Their caloric needs are so high that they can nearly eat pizzas every day and be okay. But eventually (during injuries, during the off season, etc) those terrible habits catch up with them. And as where a person with sufficient muscle mass will continue to burn extra calories if injured for a week, a runner not running for a week is just someone eating too much food. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40195, "author": "Francky_V", "author_id": 31037, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31037", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Althought previous 2 answers are not wrong, I think it's more complex than that.</p>\n\n<p>1 - Cardio is great at fat burning\n2 - Muscles are great at fat burning.</p>\n\n<p>It mostly depends what approach you want to take and, more importantly, implement it correctly for your own metabolism.</p>\n\n<p>Cardio</p>\n\n<p>So, cardio. The lower the exercise level (in terms of your maximum heart rate, max HR) the more fat you burn. But, the lower the HR, the fewer calories per minute you burn. So there's a bit of a balance to maintain there. But as you crank up the HR during exercise, your body starts to need to use faster fuels (e.g. carbs/glucose stored in your body) to allow you to maintain the higher exercise level. So it \"switches\" from fat burning to other energy sources.</p>\n\n<p>Generally speaking you would want an exercise that allows you to maintain your HR at ~60% of your max HR. Truly knowing your max HR isn't that easy - there's the famous \"220 minus your age\" and variants of it, but it's a very generic approximation. However for your purpose, your could be satisfied with that as an approximation, completed with the following observations:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If you're doing it right, you should be able to speak in complete sentences while performing the exercise. Your may have to stop in between sentences to catch a breath, but a normal conversation would still be doable without cutting every few words for air.</li>\n<li>You should still feel an increased need to breath deeper and more rapidly than usual (otherwise you're not really maximizing the exercise).</li>\n<li>If you find yourself having to cut mid-sentence frequently, you're going too hard. (hold an imaginary conversation if you're going it alone).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Depending on your fitness level, this may correspond to fast walking, or very light running (5-6 mph). The mentioned 7 mph isn't wrong but doesn't really show the whole picture. For me, that level of exertion is about the top-end of my so-called fat-burning. However I run ~40 miles per week with good running form, so someone relatively untrained would be way past the beneficial for fat burning. On my watch (I do have a cardio watch), I would be at around 130-140 beat per minute at that running speed. If you're not that used to walking/running/cycling, I would suggest to not rely too heavily on specific speed figures. What's accurate for others may not be for you. They will also change overtime, assuming you stick to it. Using a cardio watch and getting to know how your body reacts is a much better way to do it imo. It will also change from day to day - for example, on days where I'm well rested, the 7 mph feels easy and slow and I can see that my HR is lower than usual at that speed. Things like temperature, how much sleep you got, wind, hills, etc... will also factor big time into that.</p>\n\n<p>Ideally, you need at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise to really get fat burning effects. Also, you would get more out of your bucks if you do it first thing in the morning (before breakfast) than after a full meal. It may sound brutal, but it's actually not - a moderate exercise will tend to lower your (immediate) appetite after 10-15 min because your body is getting busy increase your HR and not all that interested anymore in using its abilities to process food just now.</p>\n\n<p>For a complete and critical perspective on the relation between cardio &amp; fat-burning:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/the-fat-burning-heart-rate-zone-is-a-myth-how-exercise-and-weight-loss-really-work/2018/12/17/548ea93a-fc8e-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html?utm_term=.498614be6a07\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/the-fat-burning-heart-rate-zone-is-a-myth-how-exercise-and-weight-loss-really-work/2018/12/17/548ea93a-fc8e-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html?utm_term=.498614be6a07</a></p>\n\n<p>Muscles</p>\n\n<p>I'm not that much of a metal-pusher, so I know less about that. Eric is right when saying that strength training will increase your muscle mass, and that muscle (even at rest) consumes more calories than other stuff. Your can see it as money in some investment paying interests. However it's not that easy because:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Training to increase muscle mass is overall an harder exercise than the one you would need using cardio. This is somewhat debatable (how hard things are is subjective). However if you really want to gain muscle mass, doing 20 reps of some exercise at a charge that is pretty easy for you won't do that much. Increasing the charge and lowering the number of reps will be better - but then it'll feel harder as well. While fast walking/running or cycling, by definition, is supposed to be done at low intensity and thus not be that hard.</li>\n<li>It depends how you want to measure progress. You may very not loose weight, or even GAIN weight with strength training. This is because muscle is much denser than body fat. You would be leaner, but just don't obsess on weight as your metric to measure success.</li>\n<li>If you do cardio, you may just have one activity to \"master\", like cycling or running, and if you stick to low intensity your lack of proper tech may not matter that much. However strength training can get you injured if not done properly, and each exercise you do may be done wrong in different ways, leading to injuries. Of course you can get injured doing any exercise - my point being that \"getting it right\" for cardio fat burning is also going to be easier than strength training, and thus the risks of getting injured at less imo.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Diet &amp; other remarks</p>\n\n<p>As Eric mentioned, diet is an important part of that. I'm not a nutritionist so will refrain from commenting, but it's a safe bet to say that if the bulk of your nutrition is vedgetables, fruits and whole food you'll be better off than getting lots of process/prepared meals, white flour bread etc. Trying to restrict your eating window (e.g. meals are to be between say 8am up to 7 pm, but not late-night snaking etc.) can also help.</p>\n\n<p>I would say the \"ideal\" approach would be a combination for all that - cardio, strength/muscles &amp; diet. You will get great benefits from cardio activites (<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0&amp;list=LLf4GzXneGCWaWqF3kKOcDZA&amp;index=86&amp;t=0s\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6U728AZnV0&amp;list=LLf4GzXneGCWaWqF3kKOcDZA&amp;index=86&amp;t=0s</a>), and also from strength training, and also from a better diet.</p>\n\n<p>The crux of the matter however is staying motivated. If you can find a way to include the activities in your life (cycle/run commute for example, be it for work or for going to town or whatever) it would be ideal. Or finding an activity you actually like to practice and want to practice for its own sake, not just for the benefits you get. I find that most people are motivated by activity for health's sake during a time, but if there isn't more than that attaching them to it, they tend to let it slide after a time. Or finding a group of people doing that activity - it's easier to stay on the couch if it's just you you're letting down than if it's a friend/acquintance you've told you would be there, and then have to call to say \"yeah I'm not gonna go today because <em>insert here some bs for not going</em>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40206, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Less to do with calorie burning and more to do with how often it can be done. </p>\n\n<p>Calorie deficit is king, but that doesn't mean that certain types of physical activity don't offer certain <em>other</em> benefits.</p>\n\n<p>For instance, 'aerobic training' (<em>which contrary to popular opinion, doesn't need to be slow and steady</em>) oxidizes fatty acids better than resistance training does. Doing some even if resistance training is your focus for fat loss, doing <strong><em>some</em></strong> aerobic training is likely a good idea taking advantage of this metabolic pathway.</p>\n\n<p>Having a 'decent' aerobic system (Resting Heart Rate ~60 BPM) improves recoverability. Done in the appropriate dosage (<em>2-3x a week for 20-30 minutes on a non-weight bearing tool like a bike</em>) it still leaves plenty of time available for resistance training, while improving your ability to do resistance training regularly. The aerobic energy system is what helps you recover between sets of resistance training, AND between days of resistance training.</p>\n\n<p>But ultimately it still comes down to frequencies and durations you can do cardio. If you're smart and you're chasing fat loss you're likely either resistance training every other day full body or you're using a 4x a week split (for instance upper/lower). Likely that's no more than an hour per training session.</p>\n\n<p>So yes, still a fair bit of time relatively speaking but if you can free up 3-4 hours a week, you can likely free up 3-4 more (or at least 1-2). You can't fill those with more resistance training and you'd be unwise to fill them in HIIT or SIT too. You just can't recover from that much resistance training or high intensity exercise effectively in a given week. </p>\n\n<p>The main goal of resistance training during a fat loss phase of programming is to <strong><em>preserve muscle mass</em></strong>, not burn calories. So you can actually get away with even less than you think, it's maintenance programming. 2-3 sets of a few key lifts, then switch gears.</p>\n\n<p>Enter cardio. It's what you can use to fill in the gaps and add a boost to any 'fat loss phase' of programming you happen to be doing. If you have the time available. </p>\n\n<p>It's not about replacing resistance training with cardio, it's about adding a little bit (that 'edge') to your routine. There is a limit to how much resistance training you can really do in any given week (and other higher intensity forms of exercise). </p>\n\n<p>It's like the brain exercise about filling a jar with big rocks (<em>resistance training in this case</em>). Is it full? No, of course not, you can still fill in the gaps with gravel or sand (<em>the 'cardio' and/or the mobility training</em>).</p>\n\n<p>Lastly of course, there is the issue of health. Specifically heart health. Do you want to get lean at the expense of that? Resistance training doesn't train the heart as well as aerobic activities do and aerobic activities maintain ventricle elasticity far better than high intensity exercise (which tends to thicken the heart more).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40186", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31060/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40207, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm 57 years old and know what middle age is like. I'm a firm believer in change and adapting to the aging process. My workouts today are completely different from what I was doing ten years ago, or even five years ago. If you are doing the same workout now that you were doing ten years ago (squats), this is a problem. </p>\n\n<p>As I have aged, I have minimized repetitive movement at the gym. Let me explain: I go to the gym three days a week and stretch one day a week at home. At the gym, I typically do twenty five different movements (exercises) in an hour. With a few exceptions, I don't repeat movements. (Many of my exercises are unilateral, so I have a set for the left and right side.) The point is that I have a highly varied exercise \"diet\", and I avoid repetitive movement as much as I can. This spreads the wear and tear of exercise evenly over my joints. For the most part, each of my three days at the gym consists of different movements. At 57 yrs, I have almost no joint discomfort, so I think this theory of spreading wear and tear really works. </p>\n\n<p>If you are doing only squats when you go to the gym, I would suggest you are creating your problem. It is time to branch out. Go to youtube and look up random exercises, and make it your goal to try one new exercise every time you are in the gym. If you enjoy an exercise, put it in your routine. If you don't enjoy it, forget it. Over the period of a year, you will be able to create a routine that minimizes repetitive movement. Gradually, squats will become a smaller component of your exercise diet. </p>\n\n<p>To help you get started, one of my favorite new exercises is in this video at 5:57. Watch carefully because it is quick:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWqKjte2hoc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWqKjte2hoc</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40208, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Many people experience more aches and pains as they age. However, it's not a guarantee. Knees don't just 'go bad' most of the time and pain doesn't automatically mean there is damage either. </p>\n\n<p>Sure there are some disorders like osgood schlatters and osteoarthritis and so on and so forth, but even for these staying active usually helps dramatically with the symptoms. Exercise is still one of the most common recommendations for pretty much any health issue, including musculoskeletal. </p>\n\n<p>It's possible the knee pain is because you just started running again after some time off. It's also possible the knee pain is because your routine sounds overly repetitive (i.e. overuse injury). It's possible a shoe change or a sock change or a route change is the issue too. </p>\n\n<p>The internet sadly cannot help you here.</p>\n\n<p>You should go and see a physical therapist to address the knee(s). Figure out what the problem is, devise a plan to fix it with your therapist and return to sport.</p>\n\n<p>Contrary to the internet belief that squats cure all, movement variability is important. When you get back into a routine, do keep in mind that you likely need some variety beyond squats (especially if running is your true passion here) unless you want to compete in powerlifting. If you're not a competitive powerlifter, then lunge, deadlift, single leg hinge, step up, side lunge, single leg squat, etc...etc... make sure you have some variety in your routine. Some variety is important, but I wouldn't mix things up every time you train either (<em>you need a few weeks to adapt to any given routine</em>). </p>\n\n<p>I'd discuss this further either with your therapist, or a strength and conditioning coach of some sort.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40203", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8480/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40207, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm 57 years old and know what middle age is like. I'm a firm believer in change and adapting to the aging process. My workouts today are completely different from what I was doing ten years ago, or even five years ago. If you are doing the same workout now that you were doing ten years ago (squats), this is a problem. </p>\n\n<p>As I have aged, I have minimized repetitive movement at the gym. Let me explain: I go to the gym three days a week and stretch one day a week at home. At the gym, I typically do twenty five different movements (exercises) in an hour. With a few exceptions, I don't repeat movements. (Many of my exercises are unilateral, so I have a set for the left and right side.) The point is that I have a highly varied exercise \"diet\", and I avoid repetitive movement as much as I can. This spreads the wear and tear of exercise evenly over my joints. For the most part, each of my three days at the gym consists of different movements. At 57 yrs, I have almost no joint discomfort, so I think this theory of spreading wear and tear really works. </p>\n\n<p>If you are doing only squats when you go to the gym, I would suggest you are creating your problem. It is time to branch out. Go to youtube and look up random exercises, and make it your goal to try one new exercise every time you are in the gym. If you enjoy an exercise, put it in your routine. If you don't enjoy it, forget it. Over the period of a year, you will be able to create a routine that minimizes repetitive movement. Gradually, squats will become a smaller component of your exercise diet. </p>\n\n<p>To help you get started, one of my favorite new exercises is in this video at 5:57. Watch carefully because it is quick:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWqKjte2hoc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWqKjte2hoc</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40208, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Many people experience more aches and pains as they age. However, it's not a guarantee. Knees don't just 'go bad' most of the time and pain doesn't automatically mean there is damage either. </p>\n\n<p>Sure there are some disorders like osgood schlatters and osteoarthritis and so on and so forth, but even for these staying active usually helps dramatically with the symptoms. Exercise is still one of the most common recommendations for pretty much any health issue, including musculoskeletal. </p>\n\n<p>It's possible the knee pain is because you just started running again after some time off. It's also possible the knee pain is because your routine sounds overly repetitive (i.e. overuse injury). It's possible a shoe change or a sock change or a route change is the issue too. </p>\n\n<p>The internet sadly cannot help you here.</p>\n\n<p>You should go and see a physical therapist to address the knee(s). Figure out what the problem is, devise a plan to fix it with your therapist and return to sport.</p>\n\n<p>Contrary to the internet belief that squats cure all, movement variability is important. When you get back into a routine, do keep in mind that you likely need some variety beyond squats (especially if running is your true passion here) unless you want to compete in powerlifting. If you're not a competitive powerlifter, then lunge, deadlift, single leg hinge, step up, side lunge, single leg squat, etc...etc... make sure you have some variety in your routine. Some variety is important, but I wouldn't mix things up every time you train either (<em>you need a few weeks to adapt to any given routine</em>). </p>\n\n<p>I'd discuss this further either with your therapist, or a strength and conditioning coach of some sort.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40209", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31087/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40229, "author": "Samuel Hulla", "author_id": 30828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30828", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This question is very broad, almost too broad.</p>\n\n<p>It very much depends on how much you exercise and afterall, only you can really judge how exhausted you feel and whether you should exercise.</p>\n\n<p>It's okay to go running with during some muscle soreness, in fact it's a good thing to do as it helps to get the blood flow going. As long as it doesn't physically hurt so much that it causes you pain, then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to run. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40243, "author": "ColonelFazackerley", "author_id": 28625, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28625", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Getting a feel for what is normal soreness, and what is an injury developing is a difficult and important skill for a runner. If you are new to this, then build up distance slowly.</p>\n\n<p>A few general notes that may help to tell the difference between soreness that's part of normal muscle (etc) development as part of exercise, and what is an injury developing:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If the pain is extremely sharp, stop immediately</li>\n<li>If the pain fades as you warm up, it may be fine to continue</li>\n<li>If the pain is in the same place every time you run, and gets worse each time, then it's worth trying a longer gap between runs.</li>\n<li>If the pain is in the same place after each run, and gets worse each time, then it's worth trying a longer gap between runs.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40432, "author": "MikeDTech", "author_id": 31226, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31226", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Nothing to be ashamed of at all, your body simply isn't used to it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Here is a reason you can tell your teacher.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>You have shin splints and let him know about the pain that's been\ngetting worse when you run.</p></li>\n<li><p>Have a parent write a note saying the this and stop by the your gym teachers office or you can drop it off in the morning at the principals office and ask them to give it to your teacher.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<hr>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>If the kids ask why you're not running say you have a \"bone bruise\"\n and your doctor said not to.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Below is a good article you can show your patients that talks about what can cause that. You can even print and bring it your next\n doctor visit if you want.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/242169.php\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/242169.php</a></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40228", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31099/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40249, "author": "guest1665422435635758989933333", "author_id": 31127, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31127", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all, movements like squats and deadlifts are much more taxing on the body than pretty much any upper body movement. In short, they utilise the whole body and they tax your central nervous system. Secondly, the first 4 exercises train the exact same muscles, Would you do 4 different variations of bench press followed by 4 different variations of tricep extension on push day? probably not. </p>\n\n<p>If you're insistent on doing lots of variation (I'm not sure where you got this number 6 from) then you will have to lower the weight of all the exercises until you can get through them all. I'd suggest not going to failure on your 'regular squats' at all, always have 1-4 reps in reserve. Although after years of squatting Squat + 2 variations is more than enough volume for me.</p>\n\n<p>This last bit is just my opinion. I would say there is no point in you doing leg adduction &amp; abduction if you're doing regular squats. I'm also not a huge believer in calf raises so i would drop either seated or standing. doing both is a waste of time. (again it's my personal opinion that any calf raises are a waste of time for anyone not competing in bodybuilding). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40250, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Is there a reason for training volume you use? I would ask you two questions:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>are you world class pro (in your goal)?</p></li>\n<li><p>do you take performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)?</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>If your answer is NO for both questions, then you are probably doing just a little bit much. What I would suggest:</p>\n\n<p>Train twice per week for 30 minutes. Every second-week evaluate how you progress with your goals and adjust the volume:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>progress + no sore/pain: great! continue!</li>\n<li>no progress + no sore/pain: add a little bit more (more training or use longer training)</li>\n<li>progress or no progress + sore/pain: do less!</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It is not that difficult. Do not be the guy \"things working well, help me to screw it up!\".</p>\n\n<p><strong>Additional info:</strong>\nThere are two main approaches to how to set volume.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>find a minimal volume that delivers results</li>\n<li>find a maximal volume that is possible to survive</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Most people should go with the 1. approach. The exception is If you are genetic freak sport professional high on PEDs with ten years of full-time training experience. The reason are simple:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The second approach is a direct way to get injured or at least tired</li>\n<li>The second approach does not necessarily deliver any progress (however it consume much more time)</li>\n<li>If you are a beginner (~6 months), you can do just the barest basics with the minimal volume and you will still gain great results.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> There is one more exception when to use the second approach: If you want to get wasted by training without reaching any goal, then go wild with the second approach. But be ready to sacrifice your health.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40248", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31125/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40260, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>The amount of calories you burn in a given time</strong> depends on how much <strong>actual physical work you do in that time,</strong> not on what type of exercise you do or how fast you do it.</p>\n\n<p>When on hypocaloric diet, <strong>you can lose some <em>muscle mass</em> during endurance training,</strong> but less likely during resistance exercise (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421125/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Table 1, PubMed, 2017</a>). High-protein diet can help you prevent muscle mass loss (see the same article).</p>\n\n<p>I'm not sure if having breaks during endurance exercise can help you prevent muscle mass loss.</p>\n\n<p><strong>In conclusion,</strong> you lose body fat when you are on a hypocaloric diet and do endurance or resistance exercise or no exercise at all. The best plan is the one you can stick with long term; no need to overthink all the numbers.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40261, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>You should run a calculation to determine your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).</strong> This calculation will estimate how many calories you need every day in order to maintain weight, and thus going over will result in your weight increasing while going under will result in your weight decreasing. A TDEE Calculation works by factoring in your activity level on top of other individual factors that constitute your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). While this is often quite accurate, it's important to remember that TDEE Calculations are estimates based on averages. The more accurately you provide information to the calculator, the more likely your calculation is to be accurate for you (bf% and activity level especially).</p>\n\n<p>I would caution you against overestimating the value of dancing with regards to your overall fitness though. It certainly has benefits, but it is unlikely to build much if any muscle, and while you are in a caloric deficit it may not be enough stimulus to even maintain muscle mass. Muscle mass is important because it's a direct factor in your bodyfat percentage as well as being more metabolically active than fatty tissue (it burns more calories just by existing). Oh, and your comparison of DDR sessions being comparable to sprinting 400 meters <em>multiple times</em> seems incredibly wrong btw.</p>\n\n<p>So how do you plan your workout sessions in order to lose weight and drop your bodyfat percentage? You factor them into your TDEE and eat a couple hundred fewer calories each day than the number it gives you. <a href=\"https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here is one such calculator.</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40255", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7866/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40296, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I would agree with your trainer. Partial reps are a tool, and every tool has its pros and cons.</p>\n\n<p>The pros of partial reps include the fact that you can carry on with an exercise when you can no longer do full ROM with good form, and you still want to push it a bit further to exert a smaller subset of the muscle group more.</p>\n\n<p>You should of course not be replacing full ROM reps with partial reps all together, because full ROM allows greater hypertrophy and exertion, and will work the muscles more in tandem, which they respond to to a greater extent than partial reps. But from what you wrote, I doubt there's any danger of you going so far as to replace full ROM movements.</p>\n\n<p>On a personal note, I like to do partial reps on chinups after I've finished what I can using full ROM. By repeating the middle ~30% of the rep until complete failure, I get a more profound pump in my biceps, and I feel the effects for days.</p>\n\n<p>It's good to pinpoint exactly where in the ROM you're at your biggest weakness lies, and do partial reps there to improve it. For me, it would be the bottom portion of a bench press, and the top portion of a pullup, for example. It helps you analyze which muscle is the \"bottle neck\" keeping your performance down, and by making note of this, you can focus your auxiliary work (such as partial reps) to getting them up to speed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41554, "author": "Dude", "author_id": 32346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32346", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>partial reps can only give partial results at best and in some cases such as with squats can cause damage by putting stress on the knees without engaging the muscles that a full range of motion (just below parallel) squat is meant to strengthen. Rather than doing partial reps it would be best to focus on proper form with lower weights. </p>\n\n<p>When following a good strength building program you will rebuild strength that you lost and possible more if you stick to a good beginner program until you a ready to move on.</p>\n\n<p>I highly recommend starting strength as an excellent program for building up a baseline of strength. </p>\n\n<p>All the best with your training</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40292", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40363, "author": "T. M.", "author_id": 31233, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31233", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Endurance is being able to do an activity longer, so to increase endurance you need to do the activity longer. You're talking about endurance on the rather low end of the endurance scale. In other words, not on the doing an activity for several hours continuously (such as cycling or marathon running) where the word endurance is most often used. What you're looking for is sometimes called power endurance.</p>\n\n<p>Also there's always a trade off with higher weight and the reps you can do. For example your 1 rep max is your max because you can only do it one time. You can do a lower weight more times. So it's possible your endurance isn't the problem and it's just that your expectations with what weight you can do for your whole set is wrong. But it is also possible with the same 1RM to be able to do more reps at 80 or 90% or whatever of your 1RM. Again to train to do that means you need to do more reps.</p>\n\n<p>Some options to increase endurance:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Lower weight and more reps. If you can't complete your sets at full reps try dropping by 2-5kg until you can. Then progress adding weight from there as you can but still completing your sets.</li>\n<li>Add additional sets with lower weight and higher reps. For example try putting 70-80% of the weight you normally workout at and try aiming for maximum reps.</li>\n<li>Add 1-2 negatives at the end of your last set or alternately at the end of each set. Have your partner give the minimum assistance to keep the weight moving as you tire out. These can be extremely challenging and if done at the end of each set will tire you quickly meaning you will not be able to complete as many sets.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You may need to vary between these options to increase your endurance.</p>\n\n<p>As with increasing any exercise program, monitor carefully for signs of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">overtraining</a> where your body is not recovering properly.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40546, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My simple answer would be:\n- Try working in the area of the anaerobic threshold for as long as possible.</p>\n\n<p>There is also couple of aspects of endurance:\n- Physiological / structural\n- Psychological</p>\n\n<p>The case is really not that simple.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41818, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I consider content by Matt Wenning as gold, and study it in great detail.\nIf you watch this video and jump to 9:32:\n<a href=\"https://www.nsca.com/education/videos/potentiation-warm-ups-for-lifting/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Potentiation Warm-Ups for Lifting at the High School Level and Beyond</a>\nyou can hear how he struggled with fatigue after performing squats in powerlifting competitions, resulting in a poor benchpress result.</p>\n\n<p>His solution was to increase work capacity by performing sets of 25 repetitions as a part of warm-up. However he did not perform such long sets on the lifts themselves. \nInstead he mostly used isolation exercises targeting muscles he had identified as weak or lagging.\nIn the case of benchpress that was his triceps and lats, which he targeted with 4 sets of 25 of dumbell benchpress, lat pulldown and triceps pulldown. </p>\n\n<p>At 18:10 he mentions that his warm-up for lower body consists of: 4x25 belt squats, 4x25 45 degrees back extensions and 1 minutes planks. None of these exercises involve loading the spine with a barbell and are therefore easier on the back.\nThis seem to be a very important point. \"You want strength without mileage\".\nTherefore you should try to incorporate as much as possible exercises that do not load the spine with a barbell. </p>\n\n<p>Another point that he mentions (21:30) is that the benchpress should be treated as a triceps exercise (not a pec exercise) for healthy shoulders. And that the warm-up exercises should be rotated (23:45). </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40293", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40314, "author": "Randomusersquat1232342345", "author_id": 31194, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31194", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>\"For example I always feel my quads after squatting and hardly ever feel my hamstrings.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is because squatting is a quad dominant exercise, this is normal. Yes squats use your whole leg but you wouldn't 'feel it' in your hamstrings as much (if at all) than your quads.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"I can go to parallel but an attempt to go below results in form degradation \"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Why do you want to go below parallel? Going to parallel is perfectly acceptable for squat form and if it's detrimental for you to go lower i don't understand why you want to.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"bar tends to track forwards and up instead of straight up as it should\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Can't tell 100% without seeing your squat, but this <em>could</em> be indicative of a weak back. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU2gjpPcs_Y\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU2gjpPcs_Y</a> Video addressing the topic. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\" My quads also have quite bad static flexibility, I identify this because I find it painful to sit on my knees.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>How do you know this is a good test? Also there is no way that 'Quad flexibilty' would stop you from squatting. If you can sit on your knees at all even with pain then your quads obviously have the range of motion to do a squat as that is practically half that range of motion of sitting on your knees.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"Firstly is there some sort of standard test I could take (ideally at home) where I could identify what imbalances I have?\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are tests that professionals use to identify imbalances, there is not a 'one test to rule them all' that you can take that will tell you about the 10,000s of possible muscular imbalances a person could have. I'd suggest researching/googling specific issues you are having, and what the test would be.</p>\n\n<p>I'll address some of the other questions in a blanket statement here. I personally think you're overthinking everything a little. A lot of this knowledge comes from time and experience. There won't be a general program(such as 5 3 1) that will address YOUR imbalances because then it wouldn't work for the general public. Everyone has imbalances, if you think you have X imbalnce then you can either hire a good coach or physio (even if it's just for one session) and have them assess you, or you can google/youtube \"X imbalance, how to correct\" or \"Common muscular imbalances for weightlifters\" etc.</p>\n\n<p>In general if you have, or think you have, an imbalance then generally what you want to do is train the weak muscle/muscle group. This would be very easy to do ontop of any program. If you have a weak back, put in more sets of back exercises per week. It's also likely that if one muscle is weak that the antagonistic muscle is tight. e.g. weak back and tight chest. So you might have to work on loosening up muscles as well. </p>\n\n<p>Another thing worth noting is that you could be wrong about your imbalances, and end up making them worse. So it really would be worth seeing a personal trainer or physio. </p>\n\n<p>A point about the squat is that theres no real benefit to going below parallel unless you're training for the specific purpose of squatting really heavy below parallel. If you're having depth issues it's more likely hip/ankle mobility. Have you considered a weightlifting shoe? </p>\n\n<p>Now to the answer you probably wanted instead of all this i wrote above. Just because you can't feel something as strongly, or at all, doesn't mean it's not being worked. A good way to engage the glutes properly is to have the feet slighty angled out and to make sure the knees do not cave in. Search for this video: \"How to squat: layne norton squat tutorial\" My favourite lifting channels on youtube are Alan thrall/omar isuf/juggernaut training systems. These channels all have great squat tutorials. In terms of strengthening the glutes/hamstrings/lowerback i would recommend deadlifts or any deadlift variation. I think you would specifically find value from Romain dead lifts. This might help with your mind muscle connection. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40335, "author": "Randomusersquats1232342345", "author_id": 31216, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31216", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Hello it's Randomusersquat1232342345 again. I logged out before creating an account so i'll reply from this comment.</p>\n\n<p>First and foremost if you are unable to safely squat to parallel then do not squat to parallel. Squat as low as you can comfortably and safely go. As your mobility gets better then you can squat lower until hopeuflly you get mobile enough to go parallel. If you squat to parallel and get injured then you won't be squatting at all, and it'll likely make even less mobile. So work on your mobility.</p>\n\n<p>I just want to add again, if you're really worried see a professional. Even if you're not worried it could save you a lot of trouble shooting time, potentially.</p>\n\n<p>If you are unable to get to parallel then yes you will have do some mobility work, as you said below parallel in the initial comment i answered perhaps in a less helpful way. That being said for ankle mobility there is a very easy screen. (<a href=\"https://squatuniversity.com/2015/11/05/the-squat-fix-ankle-mobility-pt-1/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://squatuniversity.com/2015/11/05/the-squat-fix-ankle-mobility-pt-1/</a>) You mentioned that you use a weightlifting shoe so this will be unlikely to affect your ability to squat to parallel when in the werightlifting shoe. The reason being the heel in the weightlifting shoe will require less range of motion(RoM) to perform the movement. Here is a good video on ankle mobility if you'd like to try some exercises <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XISJxsccN1E\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XISJxsccN1E</a></p>\n\n<p>Hip mobility is a little harder to screen, in my opinion. I am not a professional so i don't know many tests for this. (<a href=\"https://squatuniversity.com/2015/12/01/the-squat-fix-hip-mobility-pt-1/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://squatuniversity.com/2015/12/01/the-squat-fix-hip-mobility-pt-1/</a>) The same website as the ankle mobililty screen has this page. However it might be safe to assume that if you can't go to parallel in weightlifting shoes it's probably hip mobility as this is common. As an office worker your hip flexor is probably going to be the most affected specific muscle. This lower body flexibilty routine <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSSDLDhbacc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSSDLDhbacc</a> i have personally used as is pretty well known. It worked wonders for me when i started. If you don't have a foam roller or a lacrosse ball then i'd suggest getting one, they are very cheap. Don't bother buying any fancy massage balls instead of a normal lacrosse ball, they function exactly the same. I would suggest trying this routine in full every day for at least a month, that sounds like a lot i know, and monitoring the progress. After that, if it helps, you can drop any of the movements you feel aren't really helping you. I'd also suggest rolling your quads.</p>\n\n<p>Another thing i can suggest is to come up with a good warmup routine before each squat session. You should be already warmed up and have a mild sweat before you start. I'd suggest something like a stationary bike for 5-10 mins. Then a short 'flexibilty' routine consisting of dynamic stretching. lasting again about 5-10 minutes. As you linked Alan thrall before i'll show you this lower body warmup example <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6vD-FtdPk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6vD-FtdPk</a> . This is what i mean by dynamic, this part should be tailored to what you have issues with. For example you say your quads are tight, so maybe as well as the 'Heel to bum run' in the video you could add in something like this <a href=\"https://youtu.be/qdxERHoRcJE?t=38\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/qdxERHoRcJE?t=38</a>. You want to avoid static stretching before lifting weights. Another topic of discussion on warming up is to start with the bar, and then work your way up to whatever your working weight is. Even olympic werightlifters and powerlifters do this so we have no excuse. To give an example lets say you squat 60kg. Start with the bar (20kg) and do 10 or so reps, then put 5kg plates on (30kg) and do maybe 4 or so. Then add more weight (40kg) do 3 or so reps. Then maybe 50kg for 1 and then start your working set at 60kg. If you squat a lot more you can take bigger jumps and if you squat a lot less i'd take smaller jumps. Make sure you're noting how you feel/what feels tight as you warm up. Maybe if you're having a hard time with 40kg compared to what it normally feels like, have a light session that day. </p>\n\n<p>Based on what you've been writing i would suggest trying romanian deadlifts. Once again here is Alan thrall <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy_czb3RKA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy_czb3RKA</a> . This exercise is great for the posterior chain (hamstring/glute). Any deadlift/deadlift variation will help with the posterior chain. You could follow this up with a hamtring curl or something similar. Useful website (<a href=\"https://exrx.net/Lists/Directory\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://exrx.net/Lists/Directory</a>). I think you might also benefit from a hip circle. You can use a hip circle in either a squat or a deadlift, this will help engage the glutes. A hip circle 'crab walk' might also be useful for your warmup. </p>\n\n<p>Hips are the most common issue so i'd start with what i've said above first. Other things to explore would be Thorasic spine/Thorasic mobility However i would try the hip stuff first because that's more likely.</p>\n\n<p>The best way, in my opinion, to address weaknesses is to add them onto a pre existing program. To give an example, lets say i have weak hamstrings and strong quads. My program on leg day is this: Squat 3x10/ quad exercise 3x10/ hamstring exercsie 3x10. I would add another hamstring exercise ontop of that so then the new adapted program would be: Squat 3x10/ quad exercise 3x10/ hamstring exercsie 3x10 / different hamstring exercise 3x10. This is a failry simple way of doing it. You should also have a look at your program and count how many sets of each body part you do per week. If you're doing 20 sets of chest but only 15 sets of back, then it would be wise to add in another 5 sets of back work to make sure things are even. Obviously this is somewhat simplified and exercises can't be compared 1-1 but you get the point. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>To stick with this example, if my quads are tight does it mean my hamstrings are weak, is there a link or could I also have strong hamstrings and tight quads?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I've rambled enough so i'll try to be short. Not necessarily, it could mean your quads are weak. It could be from an injury you had 3 years ago in your left foot that is causing a knock on effect. It's pretty much impossible to tell without personally assessing you. The only real way is trial and error.Keep looking up common causes of quad tightness and just keep trying things and hopefully something will click and it will improve. (Or you could see a professional, not sure if i've mentioned this yet).</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is there a definition for Parallel?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Technically yes. But simply put it's when the femur is parallel to the floor. Crease of the hips below the knee is a good cue. Best advice is to video yourself and have a look or maybe even ask a trainer/gym goer at your gym if they think it's low enough.</p>\n\n<p>Hope you found at least one thing useful in this. General advice is to just keep trying stuff. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40400, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I share your opinion;\nprograms like Starting Strength are balanced but they are difficult to follow if you already have muscle imbalances. Their business strategy is to teach people the big lifts. So they can not really say to people that attend their courses: \"Sorry but you are too inflexible due to muscular imbalances to take this course. Please come back in a few months time.\" Instead they fervently claim that they can get anyone squatting. And maybe they can but probably with a really low weight and a weird stance that should be corrected once the mobility improves. I do not think this is not the most productive way to do things. </p>\n\n<p>Myself I have been following SS and struggling with squats for about one year without much progress (good progress in the other lifts thankfully). \nI have poor mobility in hips and ankles. My glutes are weak relative to my quads; when I struggle with getting up from the bottom position of the squat I lean forward so that the weight is shifted on to my stronger quads. This in turn causes me to fall forward and hurts my lower back.\nWeak glutes in turn cause poor hip mobility. A downward spiral that is hard to break out off.</p>\n\n<p>I think that if you have muscle imbalances: poor posture, poor mobility in hips you should spend a few months on fixing this before starting SS or similar programs. I would recommend strengthening glutes, hamstrings and abs before starting squatting. </p>\n\n<p>I believe the goblet squat is a great exercise for glutes and abs and to improve hip and ankle mobility. Its inventor Dan John is one of the most experienced and respected strength coaches in the industry. It is also much easier to do correctly than the backsquat. The weight is pulling you forward so you have to really sit back. So I do this with a 16 kg kettlebell now instead of squatting with 50-60 kg which seemed to get me nowhere. I focus on going deep (below parallel) and very controlled down and up. I also pause a bit in the bottom position to get a good stretch. The weight is too low to get stronger quads but this is fine since I am trying to break out off quad dominance. I am sure it works the glutes and abs though since I can really feel \"the burn\". Planning to progress to 32 kg for many reps before probably switching back to backsquats in a few months time. </p>\n\n<p>Also I notice that Dr. John Rusin recommend using the goblet squat until you can do 25 reps with 50% of bodyweight: <a href=\"https://drjohnrusin.com/relative-strength-goblet-squat-challenge/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Have You Earned The Right To Squat With The Barbell?</a></p>\n\n<p>In addition you need some other exercise to strengthen your hamstrings.\nI do kettlebell swings. (Weighted) back extensions may be a safer choice.</p>\n\n<p>Also to counter rounded back it is important to do a lot of work that involves pulling your shoulders back and your shoulderblades together; eg. seated rows or standing barbell/dumbell rows. Otherwise the benchpress may cause your shoulders to hurt and your deadlift form to be bad. </p>\n\n<p>If I were to design a Pre Starting Strength program to fix muscular imbalances from prolonged sitting this is what it would look like:</p>\n\n<p>2-3 x a week for 3 months (?):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>goblet squats (glutes and abs)</li>\n<li>(weighted) back extensions (hamstrings) </li>\n<li>seated rows (corrects rounded back)</li>\n<li>trx face-pulls (corrects rounded/slumped shoulders)</li>\n<li>push-ups (triceps, chest and abs)</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40310", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1975/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40313, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I, like most doctors, believe that the chiropractic practice is a sham. (I had one shoot a flashing laser at different parts of my body to treat my heart arrhythmia, among other things.) There are probably some good chiropractors out there that can do great work and there are those that are basically homeopathy healers, but mostly fall in between. Those are not good odds to gamble imo.</p>\n\n<p>My advice is to forget that route and get a second opinion from a doctor, which should be done when invasive surgery is recommended anyway. Another option is to visit a physical therapist and get their opinion. Especially a therapist who works with elderly patients since they're familiar with people who have underwent huge surgeries and see the before/after. I'd like to think that they would still recommend surgery if the injury is that severe.</p>\n\n<p>I thought that I would need hip replacements and shoulder surgeries in my late 30s or early 40s. I went to a therapist and they found that some of my muscles are just atrophied to compensate my injuries and that the joints are fine. They hooked me up with some resistance bands and told me to do some specific exercises and stretches. Now that I am more active and in the gym, I find that pain is much less, suggesting that they were correct about surgery being too extreme. Though, this is all anecdotal so take my experience with a grain of salt.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40318, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After a knee injury, the first thing you need is an exact diagnosis, which should have a name of an already known condition, for example: \"a complete tear of anterior cruciate ligament\" or \"a tear of the medial meniscus.\"</p>\n\n<p>Now, whom would you trust more to get an exact diagnosis - a doctor or chiropractor?</p>\n\n<p>A diagnosis can be made, for example, after an MRI or arthroscopy. It is a radiologist who usually describes the MR image first. A doctor and chiropractor should be both able to read the MR image or at least understand what a radiologist has said. On the other hand, a doctor can perform arthroscopy (as another diagnostic procedure), but chiropractors usually can't.</p>\n\n<p>Not all knee injuries require surgical treatment, so it's not that a doctor will always or \"usually\" recommend it.</p>\n\n<p>Also, \"a chiropractor\" can mean very different things, so you need to judge this on a personal basis.</p>\n\n<p>A \"neutral observation\" is probably not possible. The closest to this idea would be a systematic review of studies of the effectiveness of a certain treatment for a certain knee injury. </p>\n\n<p>For example, the authors of <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23068905\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">A review of systematic reviews on anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction rehabilitation</a> have concluded:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>There was moderate evidence of equal effectiveness of closed versus\n open kinetic chain exercise and home versus clinic based\n rehabilitation, on a range of short term outcomes. There was\n inconsistent or limited evidence for some interventions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40311", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31193/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40325, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I believe you can get all the mentioned nutrients with food.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA)</strong> include leucine, isoleucine and valine, all of which can be found in common protein foods (meat, milk, beans...). The effects and possible disadvantages of taking BCAAs as supplements are described in <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/2458/10526\">another answer</a>.</p>\n\n<p>The <strong>protein</strong> in protein supplements is more or less the same as natural protein in foods. Protein supplements often contain lactose, which can contribute to stinky gas.</p>\n\n<p>There is insufficient evidence to claim that <strong>omega-3</strong> <em>supplements</em> or even <em>oily fish,</em> which naturally contain omega-3 fatty acids, are protective against heart or other diseases (<a href=\"https://www.cochrane.org/news/new-cochrane-health-evidence-challenges-belief-omega-3-supplements-reduce-risk-heart-disease\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cochrane, 2018</a>). The effect of omega-3 on the muscle function is also not convincing (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986432/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed, 2018</a>).</p>\n\n<p><strong>Multivitamin supplements</strong> have no overall benefits for the majority of population (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309636/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed, 2012</a>). One could argue that your vitamin and mineral needs increase with calories spent. That's true, but your micronutrients intake automatically increases with increased <em>food</em> intake.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Creatine</strong> may help you increase muscle strength (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25946994\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed, 2015</a>) but I'm not sure if there is sufficient evidence about this (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed, 2012</a>). Creatine also causes water retention and thus water weight (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14636103\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">PubMed, 2003</a>).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40334, "author": "Ed Johnson", "author_id": 29608, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29608", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here's the truth and my view on BCAA's. </p>\n\n<p>Unless you don’t get enough BCAAs through your diet or you work out on an empty stomach, supplementing with the amino acids won’t help you achieve your goals faster or easier.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, if you already have your diet in check, the only thing that BCAA supplementation achieves is separating you from your hard-earned money.</p>\n\n<p>So, instead of ordering another shiny tube of BCAAs, focus on getting enough protein instead. Do this by consuming at least 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. (<a href=\"https://www.anabolicbodies.com/bcaas-science/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a>)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40321", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40336, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Weight lifters can switch things up by replacing exercises. Instead of doing a barbell bench press, do a dumbbell bench press. Do hammer curls instead of preacher curls. Swap out the handle for a tricep push down for a rope.</p>\n\n<p>Essentially, switch an exercise for a similar exercise that has a small tweak so that the body gets something different while still exercising the same muscle group. Athlean-X on YouTube has been doing a series of videos that showcase several different exercises for each muscle group. (The name of the series is slipping my mind at the moment, will try to edit question once I can look it up.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40360, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your caloric intake has come to match your caloric expenditure. You might have started eating more, or doing less when you aren’t exercising. You can remedy this weight loss plateau by creating opportunities for a caloric deficit.</p>\n\n<p>This can be accomplished by...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Eating fewer calories.</li>\n<li>Getting proper rest.</li>\n<li>Exercise in its various forms.\n\n<ul>\n<li>Notably, resistance training will provide the greatest stimulus for muscle growth. Muscle tissue will burn more calories by simply existing and it’s development also requires adding calories.</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40379, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To quote Dan John, which I'm very fond of doing, \"efficiency is the enemy of fat loss\".</p>\n\n<p>We humans are highly adaptive creatures, it's what has allowed us to thrive in such a wide variety of climates and conditions. Part of this adaptability is the body's ability to train itself to become more efficient at tasks we put it through. Ever learnt a new skill and noticed how it becomes easier over time as you practice more? That's your body becoming more efficient at that skill.</p>\n\n<p>The problem with efficiency is that it's, well, <em>efficient</em>.</p>\n\n<p>The more efficiently you do something, the less effort you have to put into it. The less effort you put into something, the less energy it takes and the less calories it burns.</p>\n\n<p>The good news is that it usually only takes a small change to get things moving, or a slightly bigger change to get things moving faster.</p>\n\n<p>You don't say what your current routine is, but whatever it is, change it up!</p>\n\n<p>If you usually just do cardio, throw in some weight lifting or bodyweight exercises, change the type of cardio (swap running for swimming or rowing, cycling for using the cross trainer, etc) or introduce some sprints.</p>\n\n<p>If you lift, then change the exercises for different variations (back squats for front squats, barbell bench press for incline bench press, etc) or go for the bigger change (if you run a powerlifting program, then do 10 weeks of calisthenics; if you do bodybuilding, switch to a powerlifting program; if you do CrossFit, then just take a week off and go for a walk). </p>\n\n<p>One of the biggest body composition changes I made was went I went from a 3 day a week powerlifting based program to running a 4 day a week bodyweight training program. First couple of weeks exhausted me, but I dropped a lot of body fat and put on some muscle to boot.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40326", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31019/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40338, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What your instructor is saying is quackery. However, why not make her happy? You might not need to drink water during the class. I think there is a bit of paranoia about hydrating that says you need to constantly be drinking water, and I'm not sure there is scientific evidence for this. I do an hour and ten minute weight lifting workout without drinking water and I never have a problem. I find drinking water slows me down. I start gradually hydrating a few hours before my workout, so I go into the workout appropriately hydrated when I start. Do you think you can figure out how to do the class without drinking water? Here are two caveats: if the room is hot and you are sweating profusely, then that is a different matter. Second, if the class is an hour and a half, then in my experience that starts to get close to the point where water is required. Maybe you can wait until an hour and fifteen minutes in before you drink. Would you burp then?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40339, "author": "Jesse Amano", "author_id": 30925, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30925", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Disclaimer: I am not a professional of any kind in this or any related field. I am not in fantastic shape, either. All I can really say for my cred is that I exercise regularly and I've completed a handful of races without dying.</strong></p>\n\n<p>For the purposes of this Q&amp;A, I am going to assume that the reason this sounds like quackery is because you are interested in practicing yoga exercise, but not <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_(philosophy)\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Yoga philosophy</a>. (Just trying to stay as neutral as possible here — I'm not into the philosophy either.)</p>\n\n<p>Although yoga as an exercise program can of course be secular, a lot of the justifications for certain practices within it are still at least loosely related to the mystic tradition(s) from which it originates. Even if the reasons given for certain things sound a bit goofy, the practices themselves (motions, breathing patterns, etc.) seem to work. Since you're enrolled in the class and you're enjoying it, you probably don't need much further convincing, but this seems like as good a place as any to point out that <a href=\"https://nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm#hed12\" rel=\"noreferrer\">wide survey results</a> and at least a handful of Web-searchable <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23375926\" rel=\"noreferrer\">studies</a> indicate with reasonable confidence that yoga seems to improve overall health in various ways. If yoga can get the right answer for the wrong reasons when it comes to exercise, why not hydration?</p>\n\n<p>But wait, we can do better than \"why not\". Articles like <a href=\"https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-dont-need-sports-drinks-to-stay-hydrated/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this one</a> cite actual <em>evidence</em> that hydration during exercise is over-hyped:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>There’s never been a case of a runner dying of dehydration on a marathon course, but since 1993, at least five marathoners have died from hyponatremia they developed during a race... German researchers similarly took blood samples from more than a thousand finishers of the Ironman European Championship over multiple years and found that 10.6 percent of them had hyponatremia.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>And it provides a non-quacky-sounding justification:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>When you sweat, your brain senses the corresponding rise in plasma osmolality and directs the release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which prods the kidneys to activate aquaporins... As your body reabsorbs water, your plasma osmolality returns to normal, your brain senses the change, and it shuts down ADH. This feedback loop is finely tuned to keep plasma osmolality in a safe range.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>What I find sort of interesting here is that if you ignore the stuff about \"digesting emotions\" from your instructor's description of <em>agni</em>, it begins to look, in a magic-eye sort of way, at least a little bit like this researcher's explanation: drinking water during exercise interrupts the water-retaining process your body has naturally started, and, in the case of over-hydration, shifts it into a diuretic mode instead in an effort to lose the excess water.</p>\n\n<p>Personally (anecdotally), I find that if I drink 1 glass of water in the morning and head straight to the gym, that's plenty; if I go in the evening after work instead, 3 glasses of water throughout the day are also plenty. The usual routine is 35 minutes jogging/running various speeds on a treadmill, then one sip of water from a fountain, then 35-45 minutes of weight-lifting. The \"eight glasses of water\" rule I keep hearing about is <em>at least</em> twice as much as I ever realistically drink (unless you count a mug of black coffee as though it were 3 glasses of water, which seems wrong on many levels).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40347, "author": "Darren Beattie", "author_id": 31032, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31032", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Anytime someone quotes Ayurvedic alternative medicine, it should instantly raise your spider sense. There are yoga instructors that have a good grounding science/reality but there are also plenty that just regurgitate the dumb crap they learn in their certifications. </p>\n\n<p>Your instructors justification is horseshit but maybe they are just hoping to convince you to stop drinking, so you stop burping, and they don't really care about the rationale. I wouldn't blame them, burping all the time can be a distraction to the class.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, plenty of people over-hydrate and don't need to be drinking as much water as they think they do. It's something the media has been overhyping for years:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.skillbasedfitness.com/fluids-hydration-and-fitness/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fluids, Hydration and Fitness</a></p>\n\n<p>However, you burping in class all the time is likely the real issue for your instructor. Sounds like they'd just prefer you not to be burping all the time, and by not drinking, hopefully that gets accomplished.</p>\n\n<p>The simple thing to do is make sure you're hydrated going into class. Then rather than sipping all class, simply weigh yourself after yoga and consume the amount of water that you lost. You're not going to put yourself in any great risk by doing this.</p>\n\n<p>If your exercise isn't lasting longer than 60-90 minutes and it isn't that high intensity, you likely don't need to be drinking water during yoga. Unless it's a very hot room and you're sweating buckets (in which case, pick an interval sequence to reduce burping for your classmates sake, i.e. every 10 minutes, or every 15, or every 20).</p>\n\n<p>Dehydration does reduce performance, but that's more relevant to high intensity exercise, as opposed to yoga. There is a very simple easy way for you to assess your hydration levels:</p>\n\n<p>Look at your urine. If it's off-clear, with a slight yellow hue to it. You're hydrated. Be that way going into yoga.</p>\n\n<p>If you can't weigh yourself soon after yoga (1 kg lost = 1 liter to drink), then simply look at your urine again. If it's yellow, you need to drink more than usual. If it's dark yellow, double that.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>There's also the matter that I've otherwise enjoyed her yoga classes,\n and I fear that a teacher-student relationship is untenable if I don't\n trust her advice.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Having a healthy skepticism is different from a lack of trust. She's a yoga instructor, not a dietician, so trust her when it comes to yoga. </p>\n\n<p>If you're medical doctor gave you advice on your pet, would you take it, just because they are a doctor? What the hell do they know about your pet? They aren't a vet. </p>\n\n<p>Same thing here...nutrition, isn't your yoga instructors scope of practice really.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40781, "author": "kaanchan", "author_id": 31703, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31703", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In yoga meta-physiology, burping is controlled by a specific prana, one of five major ones. An excess of burping would be considered an imbalance of the prana controlling that specific bodily function. Yoga practices, when presented in a balanced manner, would balance the five mjor pranas in the body resulting in overall health and possible addressing of the excessive burping.</p>\n\n<p>Aside from extreme aerobic yoga sessions, I've never been in or taught (in last twenty years) a class that requires students to drink water during an hour and a half class, of which 40-60 minutes are dedicated to asanas, 10-20 minutes to pranayama, and the remainder to relaxation and or preparatory meditation practices.</p>\n\n<p>Having suffered from constipation on and off during my early life, I did try to drink a lot of water as a remedy, but had mixed results. When I came across an ayurvedic suggestion to refrain from drinking water an hour before meals and an hour after meals, I noticed positive changes in my digestion. The suggestion relates to what your yoga teacher cited about the digestive fire. Drinking water is also a process more than just swallowing. I read in a yoga book once that water should be eaten and food should be drink. It highlights the awareness with which we take elements into our body such that the body can actually integrate them rather than passing them straight through.</p>\n\n<p>Yoga is a science. You don't have to trust anyone's advice. Try it; test the claim. See if it is repeatable. If it brings sustainable, positive changes, integrate it into your lifestyle. If not, share that feedback with your teacher. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40337", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31218/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40372, "author": "Will", "author_id": 31243, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31243", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Lifting is still important to people later on in life as it provides the strength required to support the body as is becomes increasingly fragile. Not all weightlifting is beneficial however. As a more senior lifter with a potential heart-risk, definitely do not train for strength (heavy 1rp or similar exercises). Instead, focus on low weight with an emphasis on technique and repetition. This will ensure the muscles are doing the required movements without the stress on your body involved with heavier more compound lifts. Heart risk is significantly reduced in these less-strenuous, but still beneficial exercises.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40386, "author": "J. Heller", "author_id": 28838, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28838", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Both strength and endurance are absolutely essential for survival. Every species of animal requires both strength and endurance to survive. Of course, in the unnatural environment in which we currently live, modern humans can survive without either strength or endurance. But there is no reason to believe that things will always be this way.</p>\n\n<p>I wouldn't consider quitting either strength training or endurance training any more than I would consider quitting eating or drinking water.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40388, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You say family history of heart disease, what is <em>your</em> history? Just because there is family history doesn't mean you have it. I would definitely recommend a doctor's exam first, and discuss your training plans with him/her.</p>\n\n<p>That being said, the science is heavily in favor of weightlifting in the elderly, as it helps preserve and/or restart muscle mass retention (And yes, elderly can build muscle, just not the mass that you can get when younger), keeps or increases mobility, and allows normal functions of daily living.</p>\n\n<p>Just going through some of the studies on Google Scholar, here are a few items:</p>\n\n<p>Protein synthesis and muscle adaptive response maintained <a href=\"https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/ijsnem.11.s1.s111\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">even in frail elderly populations</a>.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://rd.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200030040-00002\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strength training in the elderly</a> builds muscle, normalizes blood pressure, increases metabolism but does not increase O2 uptake, flexibility or improve lipid profiles.</p>\n\n<p>S<a href=\"https://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1990.69.5.1725\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ingle arm training resulted in large gains</a> in the main arm, as well as corollary gains in the non training arm (Which also gives corroboration to the crossover training theory for injuries at all levels).</p>\n\n<p>That is just a <a href=\"https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0%2C3&amp;q=elderly%20weightlifting&amp;btnG=\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">quick sample of what's available on Google Scholar</a>, there are many more in the same vein. Suffice to say that science is heavily in favor of weightlifting, although the type of training may be dictated by your own personal health.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40401, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since I do not know the details of your family history of heart disease I answer with general recommendations. You should consult with your your doctor to make sure they are appropriate for you. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">According to the WHO</a> heart disease and stroke are (by far) the biggest cause of death. </p>\n\n<p>In the book on brain health \"The Brain Always Wins\" Dr. John Sullivan states that \"anything that is good for your heart is great for your brain.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/11/16/15/33/research-shows-static-physical-activity-more-beneficial-than-dynamic\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Recent research</a> seems to indicate that strength training is better for the heart than cardio, but the best is a combination. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2max\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The HUNT Fitness Study</a> concluded that waist circumference or body mass index (BMI), leisure-time physical activity and resting heart rate are the most important factors for longevity. \nThey also found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 21 % lower for each increase of 3.5 mL/kg/min.</p>\n\n<p>BMI is much simpler to measure than body fat. However <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3854278/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this study</a> concluded that percent body fat is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk factors than body mass index.</p>\n\n<p>Another <a href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/muscle-mass-beats-bmi-as-longevity-predictor1/?redirect=1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study</a> concluded that muscle mass is a better predictor of longevity than BMI. </p>\n\n<p><strong>So for longevity you want to have a low percent body fat, high muscle mass and a high VO2 max.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Endurance training can ensure a low percent body fat but at the cost of muscle mass. A combination of endurance training and strength training can both ensure a low percent body fat and a high muscle mass.<br>\nAlso <a href=\"https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/chronic-low-testosterone-levels-in-endurancetrained-men-the-exercise-hypogonadal-male-condition-t8Ya.php?article_id=7397\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">long distance running may cause low testosterone</a>, which in turn have negative health effects, whereas <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0047637489900997\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">weight training increases testosterone and growth hormone levels</a>. </p>\n\n<p>I think it is little known that <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/nrendo.2012.49\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">skeletal muscle has been identified as a secretory organ.</a> This may have wide ranging implications. I am guessing that the healthiest in this regard is to have medium amount of musclemass. </p>\n\n<p>The Cooper test was devised in 1968 by MD Kenneth H. Cooper as a simpler way for the US army to measure VO2 max of its members.\nIt consist of running as long as possible for only 12 minutes. This tells us that the focus of the cardio training should be to be able to run very fast for 12 minutes, not how long you can run.</p>\n\n<p>Science is great. I think it is a good idea to also use common sense and caution. The golden mean dictates that you should do a bit of both cardio and strength training, but not too much of either. </p>\n\n<p>Finally the <a href=\"https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/PAG_ExecutiveSummary.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans</a> specifically states that adults should do strength training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40431, "author": "MikeDTech", "author_id": 31226, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31226", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is no way you can get this answered correctly on these forums. See your doctor and if appropriate ask for a referral to a physical therapist <em>(not to be confused with a personal trainer).</em> </p>\n\n<p>They'd be able to assess your situation, answer your questions and give you an exercise program to help get you on track and mitigate your risks.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40367", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1833/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40380, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>I think your main problem is that you don't really focus on anything with your current program.</strong> You do many different things at once and as a beginner that is fine but if you want to take it more serious you'll need to start focussing on different body parts or exercises you want to master.</p>\n\n<p>The most important thing to know about calisthenics is that it takes years to learn the different movements. This is because <strong>even the easiest calisthenics movements require more technique</strong> than most people think. Because of this you need to focus on a few movements at a given time, don't try to learn everything on the same day. Focus on your back one day and on your shoulders the next. I'll use the chin-up as an example as this seem to be an issue for you.</p>\n\n<p>To do a successful chin-up, you need to have a retracted scapula. So before you even try to pull yourself up to the bar, you want to learn how to retract your scapula and strengthen this before going into actual chin-ups. You can do this by doing scapular pull-ups. Once you've gained enough power and control over these muscles you can move into the next part which could be underhand inverted rows or negative chin-ups. </p>\n\n<p>While doing these underhand inverted rows or negative chin-ups the focus should be to keep the scapula fully retracted throughout the movement, don't focus yet on doing as many reps as you can. Once you start feeling confident taht you can do multiple reps, you can try to move towards actual chin-ups. Do a few, and once your power starts to fade, don't do slopping chin-ups, go back to underhand inverted rows and finish the workout there with proper form.</p>\n\n<p><strong>If you do a full body workout everytime, you won't be able to focus on all these different stages of the movement.</strong></p>\n\n<p><strong>Being vegan isn't a problem.</strong> I'm vegan myself (a few years now) and I'm very muscular and can do many advanced calisthenics movements (check my bio if interested). If you have any questions feel free to ask them.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40385, "author": "J. Heller", "author_id": 28838, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28838", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Three suggestions:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Gain about 20 pounds. At your height and weight, it would be very hard to gain strength. Even a climber like Magnus Midtbo (who really needs to avoid any unnecessary weight) has a larger weight-to-height value than you at 5'9\" and 152 pounds. This would be like 6'0\" (your height) and 180 pounds. You could gain 20 pounds in just a few months by eating more carbs and fats. Then once you reach about 180 pounds, reduce carbs down to the level where your weight stays constant. Some of the weight you gain will be fat. Don't worry too much about that. As you get stronger, your body composition will get better.</p></li>\n<li><p>Use 5g of creatine a day. This should be especially beneficial for gaining strength since you use a strictly plant-based diet (meaning there is no creatine in your food). This is something that made it much easier for me to gain strength (I use a mostly plant-based diet, so I get very little creatine from my food).</p></li>\n<li><p>Join a gym. Since you can only do 2 pullups, it would be easier to make progress using something like a lat pulldown machine or assisted pullup/dip machine. Also, the resistance for belt squat or back squat and deadlift is much more easily adjusted than the resistance for shrimp squat.</p></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41162, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I took a look at the diet and it is good. Don't stop it. 144 g of protein with a ~500 calorie surplus. Keep this up for the muscle gain. Each day, every day. Consistency is key. Muscles need calories to build. If you're challenging them, it won't be fat gain.</p>\n\n<p>I think your workout numbers are <em>lacking</em> in volume.</p>\n\n<pre><code>negative chin ups, 1 full, 10sec 5x4x3\nbeginner shrimp squat(means knee isn't going to ground but lands higher on something) 10x12x8\ndips negative, 6sec 4x6x5\ninverted rows, 6x9x6x4\nincline pushup, 7x5x6x5\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>I'd like this to look more like so:</p>\n\n<pre><code>negative chin-ups 3 sets, 8 reps (24 total)\nnormal squats 5 sets, 20 reps (100 total)\nnegative dips 3 sets, 8 reps (24 total)\ninverted rows 5 sets, 15 reps (75 total)\nnormal pushup 5 sets, 15 reps (75 total)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>You've got a lot of times in there and personally, they're too long. For the negatives and dips, I'd look at doing 3 seconds on the eccentric portion, and then explosive on the concentric. For the squats, rows, pushups, 1 second down, 1 second up.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to try to add in a progressive overload, aside from more reps/sets, try to see if you can get a hold of a weighted vest.</p>\n\n<p>Try it out and see if you can complete this. If yes, and you've still got energy left, let's look at how we can make it harder. If not, and it was exhausting, or you failed, let's see how we can adjust it so it is challenging enough. As was said to you, in order to gain strength and promote muscle growth, you need to challenge your body. It isn't supposed to be easy.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Aside: for the purpose of this site, it is much easier for you to update the main question than to keep making new questions. If you haven't received a good enough answer, edit you question with <em>pertinent</em> details and/or explain why it isn't good enough. I see you've received a lot of advice so far in the last 5 months. What have you done with it?</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40375", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29792/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40416, "author": "MadDev", "author_id": 28392, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28392", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li>Taxing on the body\n\n<ul>\n<li>Doing all your compound lifts in one day is a lot of volume for your body to contend with, especially if your lifting heavy weight.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Compound lifts predominantly target the upper/front body parts \n\n<ul>\n<li>E.G. bench press, military press and dips. It's only pull-ups, bent over rows (and deadlifts to an extent) that work the upper back.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Time consuming\n\n<ul>\n<li>It can take quite a lot of time to setup some compound lifts E.G To setup the squat rack you might have to find a bar, add the weights, add clasps, adjust safety pins.</li>\n<li>As compound lifts are quite taxing on the body, you may tend to take longer rest periods</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>In my opinion, I would just put the bench press and dips in your Chest/Tris day, pull-ups in Back/Biceps day and then squats and overhead press in Legs/Shoulders day. </p>\n\n<p>In regards to deadlifts, I would advise to put them in your Back/Biceps day, simply to avoid doing them on the same day as your squats.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40419, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I think this could be a really good split, if approached properly. It's actually similar to what I do and I like it.</p>\n\n<p>Some considerations:\nYour split days should be heavy and high volume, whereas you full body day should be lighter weight and lower volume per lift.\ne.g.\nChest day - maybe on chest day your doing 4 sets of flat bench 4 sets of incline and some dumbbell work, with heavy weight about 8-12 reps. Thats going to be your high volume day. Similar for leg and back, more sets and high intensity.</p>\n\n<p>Full body day - I would do a single compound movement for each body part, and only do about 3-4 sets (probably still 8-12 reps). This gives you the opportunity to hit each body part twice a week, which is often recommended. Your full body day will have about the same volume and intensity as your split days, just spread out over the whole body. Just be smart about the exercises you pick and the order. e.g. deadlifts exhaust my lower back so I wouldn't do deadlifts and squats back to back, maybe deads, bench, pulldowns, squat...</p>\n\n<p>If you could do 6 days a week, then just doing another round of your body part splits could work, but you could also get some unique benefits from this full body day. There is nothing inherently bad with the plan you proposed, just use common sense, don't overtax your body on that friday, if your splits have left you too tired. Depending on you body you may need to switch up the order (e.g. I would do legs on Monday, because if I did legs on Wed. they would still be shot by Friday).</p>\n\n<p>Some other benefits.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You probably have more time on Friday to hit the full body workout. It will most likely take more time.</li>\n<li>The gym is probably more empty on Friday so you'll be able to switch between equipment more easily.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40410", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28799/" ]