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[ { "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/40411", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3580/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40424, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The total muscle mass that you've built is THE determining factor in whether you are progressing in bodybuilding. The size of certain muscle groups is secondary to this, but also very important. <strong>Therefore, tracking your <a href=\"https://www.calculators.org/health/ffmi.php\" rel=\"noreferrer\">FFMI score</a> would be a quick way to track progress.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Lyle McDonald has a popular model of muscle growth which suggests the potential rate at which muscle may be built, and I've extrapolated that data in the chart below. My chart assumes an average height of 5'10\" (1.78m), and the expected potential will change with height.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CfHBV.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CfHBV.jpg\" alt=\"Extrapolation of The Lyle McDonald Model of Muscle Growth\"></a></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Another model by Alan Aragon suggests the following rates of growth...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Beginner: 1-1.5% total body weight/month</li>\n<li>Intermediate 0.5-1% total body weight/month</li>\n<li>Advanced 0.25-0.5% total body weight/month </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>(* <em>Both charts assume that a woman's potential is half of a man's.</em>)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40425, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>JustSnilloc's answer is good and quantifiable. My answer is going to be more qualifiable and subjective. </p>\n\n<p>Progress can be anything. If I weigh 350 lbs and I lose 100 lbs, that can be seen as progress. If I weigh 350 lbs and have 40% body fat but then lose 25 lbs and 10% body fat, that can also be seen as progress. Both are valid progressions and while one seems more drastic than the other (100 lbs <em>is</em> a bigger loss than 25 lbs) maybe reduced body fat is the goal vs reduce weight overall.</p>\n\n<p>Common metrics can be aesthetic: weight lost, body fat percentage lost, or muscle growth; which one looks in the mirror, steps on the scale, uses calipers, etc and determines if they're going in the right direction. In your second example, the person gained weight (which could be good or bad because that weight could be muscle) but nearly doubled body fat percentage. Sub 15% is still good, but that person probably doesn't look shredded like they probably did two years prior. </p>\n\n<p>Or they can be practical: Lifting more weight, more reps/sets. Typically the big goals I see online are to be able to bench 1.5x your weight, deadlift 2.5x your weight, and squat 2x your weight. If you are currently benching your bodyweight now, but several months ago you were benching only 75%, then there's progress (and you're now at about 3/4 of the way to meeting the big 1.5x). Your first example falls in line with this metric.</p>\n\n<p>In summary, determine what you want to get out of the gym and find benchmarks to help you determine if you're going in the right direction. Do you want to get stronger? Figure out how much you can lift. After some months, if you're lifting heavier than before, you've made progress. Do you want to look better? Figure out your body fat percentage and figure out what the percentages are of the people you want to look like and shoot for that. After some months, if the percentage is going down, you're progressing.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40423", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18088/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40429, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Number one is the Slam Your Fist into Sand Workout or SYFSW.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40438, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>1) Looks a lot like iron palm training found in kung fu. Sand is heated up and the person punches/palm strikes the sand to condition the hand and give a better beating. Bruce Lee's knuckles were massive from the conditioning he did, this helped with that.</p>\n\n<p>2) Not sure, but probably some form of isometric training for a compound push exercise. This <a href=\"https://www.pinterest.com/pin/241364861259030624/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Pinterest caption</a> suggests that Ali was indeed pushing on the boulder while training for a rematch fight with Ken Norton.</p>\n\n<p>3) Chopping at a tree with an axe may provide some kind of a workout. We learned in Rocky IV that farm work can be used for exercise though I doubt the efficacy.</p>\n\n<p>4) Reverse image search didn't really bring anything up either. Though this looks like some form of calisthenics. Back in my tai chi chuan days I did a lot of exercises where I just hold a position (usually a squat or stand on a block while arms stretched out and holding weights) for 5-10 minutes. The idea is to discipline and control the body.</p>\n\n<p>5) This is called a \"V-sit\" or a \"L-sit\" and here's a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbZeD4q_cSE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tutorial I found on YouTube</a> (I did not watch this as I am at work). It's also known as Jackknife Sit-ups and Pike Crunches. In short, it's an ab workout.</p>\n\n<p>6) And finally, as JohnP stated, is speed bag training. It's common in boxing, and if I understand it correctly it's more about getting your fists to move fast (and rhythmically even) than about hitting with power. This provides a good complement to hitting hard because what is the point of being able to punch hard enough to break bricks if you are too slow to hit your target (and likewise, what good is it to hit your opponent 100% of the time if your hits can't break rice paper)? </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40428", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31299/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40457, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Some common muscle pairings:</p>\n\n<p>Chest and triceps - Triceps are often paired with chest day. Do chest first with compound movements like presses. Then finishing with some isolation tricep work. Since the triceps get worked during most chest exercises, it just goes naturally to finish them off on the same day.</p>\n\n<p>Back and biceps - Same idea as chest/triceps, since biceps are worked with almost every back lift it makes sense to finish them off with some isolations on the same day.</p>\n\n<p>Legs - Legs include many muscles but are often just grouped in one \"leg day\". If you're only doing one leg day a week, then do only legs, but make sure you hit each muscle; glutes, hams, quads, calves, ...</p>\n\n<p>Arms and shoulders - arms and shoulder ares a good match up too, but it's a little specialized. If you're a beginner or only working out a few days a week you would be better off adding a little shoulder work to back and chest days, and split bicep/triceps as described above.</p>\n\n<p>There are a variety of ways to break up your lifts and the perfect split is constantly up for debate. Push-pull-legs is another popular split, maybe someone else will address that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40458, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>A singular ideal for physical fitness simply doesn’t exist.</p>\n\n<p>There are various viable strategies for the structure of a training program. Among the more popular are the Bro Split, Push/Pull/Legs, and Full Body routines. Exercise selection and timing within the week can vary drastically (even within the same split) as different goals will inevitably require different roads to get there.</p>\n\n<p>There are however certain constants which function as a sort of foundation for fitness routines. Those being stimuli and rest. By balancing how much stimuli is beneficial before it becomes detrimental along with how much recovery time is necessary without being excessive, a fitness routine can take many forms (including those already mentioned).</p>\n\n<p>You may find that you like and respond better to a certain way of doing things, but variety is important too. If your body completely adapts to something, then that something will no longer require your body to adapt. I’m not suggesting to do a different program every week or even every month, but switching things up a few times a year can help your body to continually improve. It’s perfectly fine to have a favorite that you always come back to, but don’t be afraid to try new things.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40456", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26737/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40466, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This is the first time I've heard someone wants to lose both fat and muscle mass.</p>\n\n<p>Of course there's a method to lose both fat and muscle: to be on a hypocaloric and low-protein diet (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507015\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Advanced Nutrition, 2017</a>). Such diet would very likely reduce fat and muscle in your body in general, not just in legs.</p>\n\n<p>You can spot-reduce muscle mass in your thighs by using your legs less. Or you can try different trousers. It is said that clothes with vertical lines make you look taller and slimmer.</p>\n\n<p>Spot reduction of body fat in your context does not make sense. Even if spot reduction of fat works, by training your thighs, you would lose fat but gain muscle in your thighs.</p>\n\n<p>Fat distribution is genetically determined (<a href=\"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101010133620.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Science Daily, 2010</a>), so you lose fat from where you have it. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28497942\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article</a> about spot reduction of body fat mentioned in the comments does not say what was the original fat distribution in 16 participants (all women, by the way). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40467, "author": "Rajender singh", "author_id": 31332, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31332", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you are patient of sugar and you should consult with a doctor for your body fitness and you should take light morning walk and morning exercise and you should away from oily and non - vegetarian food l</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40480, "author": "best fly", "author_id": 31213, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31213", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>well.i think i have same problem with you ,I am not very tall and of medium weight.I have a lot of fat around my waist.So I have to do a lot of weight loss training, such as flat support and so on.Specializing in waist training,If you want to lose your legs, you can search for videos about it on the Internet. Many yoga classes are also suitable for reducing leg muscles. You can also follow up several body exercises to achieve the plastic effect. After running, you must stretch your legs to relax your muscles and prevent leg muscles from accumulating.If you want to be effective, you still need to persevere, refuel and strive to be thin.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40459", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31258/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40482, "author": "JaktensTid", "author_id": 31346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31346", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I am a programmer myself and often spend about 10-13 hours a day in a chair and had similar problems.</p>\n\n<p>My solution - a full body 20 minute workout everyday, with emphasis on more 'active' physical activities for your back and legs. For example - no bench exercises - do a lot of reps of bur-pees, dead-lifts, upper push ups with lightweight dumbbells, and pull ups. Do a lot of core work - bicycle, plank - everything, that makes your body 'curl up'. Don't rest more than 30 secs. Take a look at cross-fit exercises. Be more active. Go for 15 min walks between your study activities.</p>\n\n<p>All of the above mentioned will take no more than 30 mins each a day, but it will help you to get rid of your back pain.</p>\n\n<p>Check it out\n<a href=\"https://wodtimecalculator.com/blog/201-crossfit-workouts-can-home-pdf/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://wodtimecalculator.com/blog/201-crossfit-workouts-can-home-pdf/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40483, "author": "Jens Schauder", "author_id": 6547, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6547", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First you need to realise that sitting all the time is not just bad for your back, but also bad for your learning. Break the learning into chunks of about 20min. Use the breaks for exercise.</p>\n\n<p>This should actually help you with learning, so don't even get the idea that you have to add the \"lost time\" at the end.</p>\n\n<p>Depending on your current fitness level a range of exercises might fit but I'm going to assume that you are rather unfit given the schedule you describe.</p>\n\n<p>I'd start with getting one of these <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_ball\" rel=\"noreferrer\">big exercise balls</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Balance on it on your knees and hands. \nIf you can hold that stable stretch one hand or foot out at a time and hold for 10s at a time\nIf you can do that stretch out a foot and the diagonal opposed hand and hold again.</p>\n\n<p>If you can do that get a body weight fitness app that allows to do and track single exercises.\nI like Freeletics but there are tons out there. \nThe free version of Freeletics should be fine so this doesn't have to cost money assuming you have a smart phone.\nDo one exercise each break and you'll see a tremendous change including less back problems.</p>\n\n<p>Additonaly consider a standing table. \nAnd an instable chair which forces you to balance your body yourself instead of slouching in a comfy chair. </p>\n\n<p>Finally possibly the hardest part:\nStop studying 13 hours a day. \nA brain needs rest to learn. \nLimit yourself to 8h a day weekends off.\nOr you will hate yourself in 1 or 2 decades.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40484, "author": "bvoyelr", "author_id": 31349, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31349", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This article from <a href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-take-a-break-every-hour-2014-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Business Insider</a> talks about a study that concluded that 52 minutes of work followed by a 17 minute break was the work cadence that the participants' best employees used. </p>\n\n<p>You can use whatever cadence you like, but the core principle -- from both a physical and mental fitness perspective -- is to get up and move every hour. If that's a 15 minute walk around the block, great! If it's 30 seconds of jumping jacks, it'll do. But whatever you do, take an hourly break and move your body around during that break!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40487, "author": "Peter M. - stands for Monica", "author_id": 15230, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15230", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yoga's <a href=\"https://www.yogicwayoflife.com/marjari-asana-the-cat-pose/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cat pose</a> is perfect for this. 2 minutes of it before going to sleep. And then 2 minutes of <a href=\"https://www.gaia.com/article/utthita-marjaryasana-extended-cat-pose\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">extended cat's pose</a> with stretching opposing arm and leg. </p>\n\n<p>Another exercise is pull-ups (or just hang from something by your hands), letting the weight of your lower body to stretch the space between the lumbar discs in your lower spine. Rotate and wiggle a bit. Just few minutes a day is enough. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.doyouyoga.com/5-yoga-poses-to-ease-lower-back-pain-30237/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">5 yoga poses for lower back pain</a>. <a href=\"https://www.pocketyoga.com/pose/supine_spinal_twist\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Supine spinal twist</a> is especially helpful to relieve the pain. Try different position of leg (slightly bent, fully bent) as the bent changes the curve of lower back (affects different lumbar discs). For a bonus point, do it while floating in a a swimming pool.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Start with supine spinal twist to relieve the pain immediately</strong>, and keep doing cat's pose for few minutes before sleep to maintain the pain-free spine.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, doing all those other exercises suggested in the other answers is even better for your body, but you have no excuse not to spend 5 minutes for simple exercises. :-)</p>\n\n<p>Your pain will go away, and you may forget doing the poses - and the pain will remind you to do them again.</p>\n\n<p>Be careful <em>which</em> exercises you are doing: some exercises (like skipping a rope, jogging) will <strong>increase</strong> the pressure between lumbar discs, especially if you are (as you said elsewhere) overweight.</p>\n\n<p>Source: personal experience, programmer doing cat's pose before sleep for many years now.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40488, "author": "Angela", "author_id": 31354, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31354", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You want a standing desk. Starting at about $150.</p>\n\n<p>You should aim to put those sitting hours below 8, not for your back but for general health, and it (probably) won't make your back pain worse.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40491, "author": "nick012000", "author_id": 31358, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31358", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to <a href=\"https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/83067/guide-ergo-comp-workstations.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">WorkSafe Queensland</a>, the government office responsible for regulating Workplace Health and Safety in the Australian state of Queensland, the following advice is given on how to set up the ergonomics of a computer workstation to prevent workplace injuries like the ones you're currently experiencing:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>An acceptable and well supported seated position means:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>sitting with the body close to the desk</li>\n <li>the head and neck are in a forward facing and midline position (i.e. no backward arching of the neck or forward extension of the\n chin)</li>\n <li>the shoulders are relaxed and symmetrical and elbows slightly closer to the side of the body</li>\n <li>using the preferred keying posture, depending on the style of keying used (i.e. traditional style or with forearm support – see\n ‘Preferred keying set styles’ on page 9 of this guide)</li>\n <li>the back is supported by the chair backrest. The curved lower part of the backrest should fit into the lower back or the lumbar curve</li>\n <li>having an open angle of 100-120 degrees (slightly more than a right angle) at the hip. This can be achieved by adjusting the seat pan tilt\n and the backrest</li>\n <li>having knees at a height lower or level with the hips</li>\n <li>ensuring a gap of 2-3 finger widths between the front of the chair and the back of the knees</li>\n <li>having feet flat on the floor or footrest.</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While the regulations in question likely wouldn't legally apply to your university, they do represent Best Practice on how to go about setting up an office workstation. The document I linked to above goes into more detail on how to set up the individual pieces of equipment like monitors, keyboards, or mice, and also includes recommendations on how to go about changing your posture during the day. They also have a <a href=\"https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/82729/factsheet-sedentary-work.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sedentary Work Factsheet</a> that includes suggestions you might find relevant, as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40496, "author": "Jason Rice", "author_id": 31363, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31363", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A standing desk is great but if you want to go study at the library then as others have suggested don't just study more than a few hours at a time. Break your day up with classes, lunch, and most importantly exercise. In college I used to exercise every day around 5 to 6pm. This allowed me to get an early dinner, rest a bit, go play some basketball or lift weights, shower, then head to the library were I'd study from 7-11pm. I studied a lot but made it work. I was able to get in at least 10 hours of studying a day along with classes and also keep my mental sanity this way and avoid any back pain. Sitting is not good for our health. Humans were not built to just sit all the time. In our day and age it's become the norm but not too long ago our ancestors were farmers and spent a lot of their time outdoors, so remember to take frequent back breaks or your back will literally break on you and so will your health.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40497, "author": "April Salutes Monica C.", "author_id": 31362, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31362", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Can you study using the \"pomodoro\" technique? This means WORK for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break. During your break, stand, do some of the exercises others have listed. Also, make sure to look at something in the distance to vary your eyes' focal point.</p>\n\n<p>It cuts down your 13 hours from 780 minutes to 650 minutes, but you will probably be able to stay more focused during the desk-time.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a> has more information about the history of it and more complex iterations (short vs. long breaks.). This is a simple web-timer you can use: <a href=\"https://tomato-timer.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://tomato-timer.com/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40499, "author": "Dwix", "author_id": 31369, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31369", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm a web developer, and I have to work for more than 10 hours a day. So in my opinion the best thing to do for any desk job or long periods of studying is taking small breaks, like 5 minutes every 1 hour or so to do some dynamic stretching or moving in general.</p>\n\n<p>For example in my case, I take a quick walk arround, a little stretching especially for my back, shoulders &amp; legs, and even climbing the stairs for about 1 minute and I'm back again.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40507, "author": "tln", "author_id": 31383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For a long time in my life I used to have back problems because of, what I thought at that time (because everyone was telling so), too much sitting.</p>\n\n<p>I was very surprised to learn from an enlightening experience (won't delve into details for brevity) that back pain is <strong>not</strong> because of too much sitting, it's because torso and in particular back muscles are weak. Of course they are also weak because of sitting around and not getting exercised, but the sitting is not the immediate reason for the pain.</p>\n\n<p>If torso/back muscles are weak, they can't or at least don't keep the spine in a posture that is good for it over several hours. The deviation from a natural and healthy alignment of the vertebrae is what you feel as pain sooner or later and it can also go into serious medical conditions such as herniated discs.</p>\n\n<p>The remedy/prophylaxis is strengthening the muscles. It's as simple as that <strong>in most cases</strong> (of course I can't give medical advice or advice for everyone here. Please consult your doctor to be sure.). Plain muscle workout (with a focus on strength) is perfect from my experience. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes a day if you need it quick and is <strong>very</strong> effective. I still do it every day and my back feels great even though I sit 13+ hours a day.</p>\n\n<p>I use an expander for my workout. What I realized to be the most effective exercise is to extend it in (almost) <em>vertical</em> direction in front of the chest with both arms being stretched out all the time. So the expander is far from the chest and then comes to touch the chest. Of course both hands should be the upper one for a while. It's important to move slowly.</p>\n\n<p>If you do that exercise until exhaustion of the muscles every day (Expander can be set really strong to lead to exhaustion faster, about 60 seconds per exercise are good. Don't make it too strong though or you risk injuries.), I guess you'll be pain-free in about a week.</p>\n\n<p>Update: It should be added that everything said also depends on your weight. If you're overweight, reducing that is also a strong piece of advice of mine. The less your weight, the less effort is needed to keep your spine straight.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40509, "author": "JimmyJames", "author_id": 31385, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31385", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>Lower Back</h1>\n<p>Having suffered severe sciatica to the point where I could only sleep on the floor and started dragging a foot, I can attest to Peter M's main point: get your spine moving.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.yogicwayoflife.com/bhujangasana-the-cobra-pose/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cobra pose</a> is also a really good one for this problem. You can actually read and work on a laptop while on the floor in a similar position using your elbows to support your upper body.</p>\n<p>The key is to stretch the lower spine <em>backwards</em> and open the spaces between the vertebrae. Curving forward squeezes the discs in the lower spine and can push them out of place and put pressure on nerves. One big mistake I was making was trying to do stretches where I leaned forward attempting to touch my toes without keeping the lower back flat. This can greatly exacerbate the problem.</p>\n<p>The next step is to improve strength in your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_abdominal_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">transverse abdominal muscle</a>. If you are like me, you were never taught about the existence of these really important muscles. As far as I knew, 'the abs' were the 'six-pack' vanity muscles in the front which you work by doing crunches. The transverse abdominal muscles are far more important. When tight, they hold your guts in and can help take pressure off of your spine.</p>\n<p>Imagine a basic round balloon that has a string inside of it that's attached at the top to the tied end from the the top running through the middle. When you squeeze the balloon, it lengthens and the string will be pulled taut. Here's an extremely professional diagram:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8OVXR.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8OVXR.jpg\" alt=\"ballons\" /></a></p>\n<p>When you tighten your transverse abdominal muscles, your abdomen is like the balloon and your spine is like the string. In this way, you can relieve pressure on the spine while sitting and standing. This is sometimes called &quot;holding your 'stomach' in&quot; and for some reason there's a negative connotation to doing this. Hold your 'stomach' in as much as possible: your back will thank you. It also has the benefit of making your actual stomach smaller which helps reduce appetite and overeating.</p>\n<p>There are various ways to strengthen the transverse abdominal muscles. Planks are my preference. There are lots of ways to do these just getting into a push up position and holding it is a good start. Crunches and sit-ups will not help at all with this and I would avoid doing these at all if you have back pain.</p>\n<h1>Shoulders</h1>\n<p>Pain in the shoulders often (unintuitively) originates from the chest. The problem is that we sit with our shoulders forward all the time. We typically don't exercise the complex set of muscles that pull the shoulders back. We then end up with weak back muscles trying to fight against strong chest muscles. If you do push-ups or other chest-strengthening exercises, you need to also train your back muscles such as with pulls.</p>\n<p>A good stretch for relief is to stand is a doorway with your palms on the frame. Lean in gently until you feel a stretch in your chest. Try different arm positions as there are various muscles in the chest. Swinging the arms backwards to attempt to clap the hands behind the back is a nice active stretch (check the space around you.)</p>\n<p>Good luck in your studies and resolving this problem. I hope this advice helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40513, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Walk! You can think at least as well walking as sitting down. Read for some time then take a break and walk and think about what you read. Walking is good for your brain. The increased blood flow transport more energy and materials for repairs to the brain. Walking is low impact and you can do a lot of it without hurting yourself. Walking is also good for your back. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40514, "author": "asmaier", "author_id": 1855, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1855", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can recommend something very simple: Try to do a handstand from time to time against a wall. Try to simply hold the handstand as long as possible. I usually do this once a day, three times in a row with some rest between each handstand. It really helps against back and neck pain. See also</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://backaholic.com/2015/02/01/handstands-scoliosis/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://backaholic.com/2015/02/01/handstands-scoliosis/</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3928/Handstands-Heal.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3928/Handstands-Heal.html</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.12minuteathlete.com/why-you-should-do-handstands/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.12minuteathlete.com/why-you-should-do-handstands/</a></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40519, "author": "George K", "author_id": 28663, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28663", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>What worked for me</strong></p>\n\n<p>I've had back pain throughout school, university and work for a year. Then, I started running, the pain eased. Then I started lifting, the pain stopped.</p>\n\n<p>No gym machines or any of that isolation machines, just simple full body workouts (deadlifts, squats, chin-ups cause pull-ups were too hard). Within 3 months of 3 workouts a week I hurt less and in 4-5 months I didn't hurt any more. Running helped as well (completed a half marathon last year and doing another in a month)</p>\n\n<p><strong>It's counter-intuitive, that full body will ease your pain since you put more stress on your back, but it works.</strong></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>Ideas</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Stretches that mobilize your back\n\n<ul>\n<li>Google is your friend</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Take a brake every 30 minutes or every hour for 1 minute and walk or stretch. Go for a coffee whatever, just MOVE</li>\n<li>Buy a better chair\n\n<ul>\n<li>Knee chair (kneeler) </li>\n<li>Yoga ball</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Start exercising every day. Every day. 1 hour, 30 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes. Doesn't matter just do it. \n\n<ul>\n<li>Run</li>\n<li>Cycle</li>\n<li>Hike </li>\n<li>Weight lift</li>\n<li>Football</li>\n<li>Basketball</li>\n<li>Volleyball</li>\n<li>Tennis</li>\n<li>Batminton</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40521, "author": "johnabrams7", "author_id": 29188, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29188", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would recommend practicing 10-20min+ core workouts about 4+ days a week. Bodyweight alone with an app is fine, starting at the very beginner is perfectly ok too - consistent practice of any kind of core is fantastic for reducing back issues in most cases. The core is often the culprit of man back problems but also tossing in some upper body/back/shoulder/neck exercises will help a lot as well. </p>\n\n<p>For weights, I recommend doing about half your maximum so you get can a good 10-20 reps in each set and try to aim for 4-6 sets. Do about 2-3 (or more) of different weight exercises (especially maybe just 2 in the beginning) and you'll have about a month of onset soreness but eventually a lot more strength and stability after this initial early acclimation begins to subside. </p>\n\n<p>For the back, doing weight lifts or weight machines that involve pulling weight towards your chest/shoulders/stomach are some good rules of thumb for the back - but practicing keeping the chest flexed out/shoulders back throughout the lifting and mentally putting effort into the back in important. When there's a great struggle/shaking/inability to go further in the beginning, ease off to prevent injury and lower the weight one increment. </p>\n\n<p>Consistency will help strengthen the back and core. For core, I really enjoy the 30 Days Fitness app's Core section with various 30-Day levels to conquer (also many other focuses on the body). Pay attention to the pain throughout the process, heavy soreness and stiffness is normal in the beginning but any strong pinching, razor sharp, burning, needles, etc are not normal for recovery and should be checked out by a specialist for sure. The mental boost usually takes a week or two to kick in from weights, that'll provide a nice confidence/emotional/comfort boost too. \nEveryone's body is different, we must do only what is sustainable and healthy for progress. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40481", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40500, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>AthleanX on YouTube has a (very old) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YcANO5d0nA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video on working out the inner pecs</a> which I haven't seen yet. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_oHWuQhyMY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This more recent video</a> (and one that I have seen) talks about cable flies. This part of the pec is quite challenging and one of the best ways is to use a cable fly (one at a time) and try to cross the mid-line of your chest. In other words, you want to pull the cable slightly across your chest. That little bit of extra movement is what builds the inner pecs.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40505, "author": "Reece Lawson", "author_id": 31382, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31382", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can't target the inner chest, this is just where the muscle fibres attach to the sternum. The fibres contract along their entire length not in one select area. You can emphasise which fibres get activated though. As you said the incline bench will work as it emphasises the clavicular (upper) head of the pec major. Another useful exercise is the low to high cable fly. Aim to touch your elbows together at the top rather than your hands and the contraction will be much better.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40517, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The easiest exercise to achieve this is a standing cable fly and making sure you achieve maximum/peak contraction. However, just as Lux Claridge mentioned, it's also vital that you extend beyond your center line.</p>\n\n<p>Because of this, I instead recommend that you practice a kind of incline compound dumbbell bench press, in where the first half of the press is the \"standard\" bench press, however, once your elbows reach a 120 degree angle, you then rotate the dumbbells inwardly 180 degrees so that by the time your arms are fully extended then the initial outer part of the dumbbells then touch inwardly. </p>\n\n<p>This is truly the most effective exercise to maximizing activation of your inner upper pectoralis major muscle. </p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Edit: Once you reach full extension of your arms, it's good to hold that position for 1-2 seconds before resetting.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40498", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31366/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40512, "author": "motosubatsu", "author_id": 31207, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31207", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First things first (and I cannot stress this enough) is you need to get your back pain evaluated - there can be many different causes for it and if there is an underlying medical issue you risk further damage. Speak to an appropriate medical professional - doctor or physiotherapist before undertaking any new fitness regime.</p>\n\n<p>If you get the OK from the medical people I would recommend swimming - the body's natural buoyancy means that you are going to be supported, and there's no impact on the joints such as you'll get with running or jumping rope.</p>\n\n<p>Breaststroke is a good starting point for someone with lower back pain - there's minimal trunk rotation and it's a good core workout. Backstroke is another one worth considering if you are confident with it - you have almost no risk of hyper-extending the spine in a backstroke.</p>\n\n<p>It's also key to address the <em>causes</em> of your lower back pain - if you need to study for 13 hours a day you need to address the ergonomics of how you are studying. If you're hunched over a desk/table for thirteen hours straight your back and shoulders are going to hurt! </p>\n\n<p>Ensure that you are sitting in a good posture, take frequent breaks to move around, try to ensure that your exercise includes flexibility work. It doesn't have to take long or require any special equipment - you can even do a seated Yoga <a href=\"https://www.tummee.com/yoga-poses/seated-cat-cow-pose/steps\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Cat-Cow</a> Pose at your desk/workspace! </p>\n\n<p>Source(s): <a href=\"https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/ask-well-swimming-to-ease-back-pain/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Swimming good for back pain</a>, <a href=\"https://bluebuoy.com/4-major-fitness-benefits-breaststroke-swimmers/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Breaststroke benefits</a>, and personal experience - my lower back and shoulders have been problem areas for <em>decades</em> but daily swimming (breaststroke) and yoga has made a huge difference.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40525, "author": "Caius Jard", "author_id": 31404, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31404", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In supplement to motobatsu's excellent answer:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>absolutely do not go off internet advice alone - take it as pointers, sure, but see a competent and suitably qualified medical professional </li>\n<li>a physiotherapist will have useful input on the types of exercise and recommended movements you should undertake to address both your back pain and weight loss concerns</li>\n<li>your physio should be able to give you a set of simple exercises to improve flexibility - make time to do them as often as advised, getting out of your chair and to a part of the office where you can move easily but still use something for support if required</li>\n<li>seek exercise activities with minimal skeletal impact; swimming (not all strokes; seek advice), rowing (you must use the correct technique; seek advice) and cycling (your cycle needs to be properly set up, supportive and terrain smooth; seek advice) are good bets, as are gym machines such as cross trainers, stair climbers and weight machines</li>\n<li>posture is key to good back health; seek advice on posture, consider buying (asking your company to buy) a rise and fall desk so you can work standing or sitting and vary between the two during the day</li>\n<li>consider having multiple chairs available at your desk and swap and change between them regularly during the day. Sitting on a wobble cushion may also help - I found that keeping my back moving slightly prevented the fatigue in the muscles and ligaments that left me in pain</li>\n<li>assess whether you need to replace your bed mattress with one that can support your weight suitably</li>\n<li>similarly, examine your footwear and clothing; are you wearing the same worn out pair of sneakers you've had for 3 years? Do your clothes fit well without digging in? Do they allow you to sit comfortably and bend?, are they light weight? New shoes in various styles will alter the stresses on your legs and skeleton compared to old footwear; comfortable clothes that don't weigh you down will help you move more naturally. A key aspect of recuperating is reducing the repetitive strain on this same area of your body; take any steps necessary to help alleviate it</li>\n<li><p>see if changing your working routine so you work on Saturday and have Wednesday off, for example, so that you haven't got a 5 day contiguous block of sitting at a desk. On your day off, keep moving </p></li>\n<li><p>expect it to take a really really long time to get better</p></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40510", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40531, "author": "Christian", "author_id": 18803, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18803", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you donate blood:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>No sport the day you are donating, neither before nor after</li>\n<li>You need to replace the lost fluids. Drink a lot before and after donating</li>\n<li>For replacing the blood cells you don't need so much energy but iron, keep that in mind especially if you are female or vegetarian</li>\n<li>Your stamina will suffer the most, keep endurance exercise on a lower level than usual for the first few days after donating</li>\n<li>Fully replacing the blood takes 6 to 10 weeks, don't go too often and give it some time before a competition.</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40537, "author": "Lux Claridge", "author_id": 30797, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30797", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Christian's answer is good for blood donations. While I haven't donated in over a decade, my understanding is that there hasn't been many changes in the taking of plasma.</p>\n\n<p>When one donates plasma, they filter out the plasma and return everything else so you aren't losing any red blood cells. Then in the end, they pump in a bag of saline to help replenish the fluids (at least that's how my center did it a decade ago). </p>\n\n<p>I was of average capacity in terms of running and lifting weights and I don't remember ever feeling any side effects, but I was young. When one donates blood there's usually a sitting period so that the staff can watch out for the donor passing out. With plasma, that is not the case so in theory exercising/competing can be same day.</p>\n\n<p>Also, since donating plasma is different one can donate twice a week as opposed to once every 8 weeks.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40529", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40540, "author": "Aviv", "author_id": 31424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The most important thing in getting your abs more visible is low body fat percentage. However, in order to get your abs more visible, you'll need to build a muscle mass in the abdominal muscles.\nI would suggest you to do the following:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Maintain a healthy diet. That a very large topic. You should research more about it. </li>\n<li><p>Train more on the abdominal muscles. I would suggest you to workout your abdominal muscles at least 4 times a week, 15-20 minutes each time, and consist 3-5 types of exercises that focus on the abdominal muscles. Here are a few examples of those exercises (you can always search on Google to find more):</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Arms-High Partial Situp.</li>\n<li>Dip/Leg Raise Combo.</li>\n<li>Flutter Kick.</li>\n<li>Medicine Ball Russian Twist.</li>\n<li>Medicine Ball Mountain Climber.</li>\n<li>Plank.</li>\n<li>Medicine Ball V-Up</li>\n</ol></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40542, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Like any other muscle, you build bigger abs by training and feeding them. The three primary mechanisms that stimulate muscle growth are first- Mechanical Tension, second- Metabolic Stress, and third- Muscle Damage. You should seek to apply each of these to your ab training. Also, because of the anatomy and function of the abs, it's possible to distinctly target the upper and lower abs when training.</p>\n\n<p>Also, when doing ANY exercise (not just abs) make sure to build and concentrate on your mind-muscle connection with the targeted muscle(s). This can be difficult when you are just getting started, but you should be able to feel and contract your muscles. Likewise, make sure that your form is as good as possible when doing an exercise to elicit the maximum benefit.</p>\n\n<p>So what are some examples of what this looks like in practice?</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>General Ab Training\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mechanical Tension Exercise: Cable Crunch / Ab Pulldown</li>\n<li>Metabolic Stress Exercise: Bicycle Crunch</li>\n<li>Muscle Damage Exercise: Ab Wheel Rollout</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Upper Ab Training\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mechanical Tension Exercise: Weighted Crunch</li>\n<li>Metabolic Stress Exercise: Physioball Crunch</li>\n<li>Muscle Damage Exercise: Ab Roll Up w/eccentric focus.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Lower Ab Training\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mechanical Tension Exercise: Hanging Leg Raise</li>\n<li>Metabolic Stress Exercise: Flutter Kicks or Scissors</li>\n<li>Muscle Damage Exercise: Dragon Flag</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><hr>\nNote: <em>The goal of each mechanism of muscle growth is as follows; Mechanical Tension seeks to maximize the resistance that a muscle can actively work against. Metabolic Stress seeks to create a pump/burn mid-exercise and to push through that as much as possible. Muscle Damage seeks to overload a muscle primarily through eccentric overload, but it can happen in other ways as well.</em></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42328, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Take a look at Eddie Hall (especially), Brian Shaw, Thor, or other strongmen. Their bellies look absolutely massive. The thing is, their bellies are almost entirely solid muscle and those guys carry far less body fat than most would expect. That said, sometimes they do carry a lot of extra body fat if they’re shooting for some sort of world record.</p>\n<p>I have never seen any of them do ab wheel rollouts or anything like it. They build massive abs by squatting and deadlifting heavy weights. The military press with a proper Valsalva maneuver will also put a tremendous amount of isometric pressure on your abs if done correctly.</p>\n<p>You can do 100,000 exercises for your abs, but heavy weights with a proper Valsalva maneuver will build abs like nothing else.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42329, "author": "Response to Frank", "author_id": 33511, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33511", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To build huge abdominal muscles train them as if they were your legs, sure push ups/bench presses use the legs but expecting to grow huge legs without training them just because one does heavy benches is ridiculous.</p>\n<p>Abdomen musculature is no different.</p>\n<p>In response to:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Take a look at Eddie Hall (especially), Brian Shaw, Thor, or other strongmen. Their bellies look absolutely massive. The thing is, their bellies are almost entirely solid muscle and those guys carry far less body fat than most would expect. That said, sometimes they do carry a lot of extra body fat if they’re shooting for some sort of world record.\nI have never seen any of them do ab wheel rollouts or anything like it. They build massive abs by squatting and deadlifting heavy weights. The military press with a proper Valsalva maneuver will also put a tremendous amount of isometric pressure on your abs if done correctly.\nYou can do 100,000 exercises for your abs, but heavy weights with a proper Valsalva maneuver will build abs like nothing else.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>One could argue that the reason strongmen have huge abdominal muscles without training them is just because of insulin and steroids which are common among sponsored athletes. Plus recently Eddie Hall posted videos showcasing him struggling with doing a few sit ups and crunches. Meaning the strength of his abdominal muscles are not on par with his size, typical of drug users.</p>\n<p>Not launching any accusations here, nothing wrong with using steroids, specially if allowed by the competitions and strongmen allows for use of drugs. Taking steroids is not a shame and it's fine as long as there is medical prescription and supervision. Steroids are like cigarettes or alcohol, dangerous and will kill you if abused but not a crime.</p>\n<p>Also valsava manouvre is about air pressure, at most it trains the diaphram and the deep breathing muscles of the abdomen, it does not train the six pack or external obliques which work only as flexors of the spine. It's like saying overhead press builds huge dorsal muscles because you have to keep your shoulder girdle thigh or that deadlifts build your calf muscles because it keeps you from falling.</p>\n<p>Holding air in your stomach,standing still or keeping a thight upper back has the same difficulty regardless if one does it with no weight at all or if they do it with 300 kilograms.</p>\n<p>Why don't we see everyone with abdominals as big as Eddie's or other professional athletes? People do the valsave every time they defecate... After 40 years of defecation one should have enormous abdominals... But this isn't the case. The valsava does not build abs <strong>PERIOD</strong></p>\n<p>That's also the same reason people with good posture don't have giant lats and people have small calves regardless of how much they squat or deadlift. Stop inventing excuses for not training a muscle, just admit you can't be bothered training your abs/calves or whatever.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40539", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27674/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40554, "author": "LShaver", "author_id": 21918, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21918", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<h3>Trail running challenges</h3>\n\n<p>Running on trails and hills is harder in a few ways:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mental challenge.</strong> You have to pay attention to each step to avoid rocks, roots, uneven ground, etc. This mental effort can be exhausting on longer events. You may also need to find your way on a new or poorly marked trail, which can be stressful.</li>\n<li><strong>Strategic challenge.</strong> On a flat road run, you can apply a gradually increasing pace throughout, and as long as you don't start too fast, you'll do well. On a trail run, you have to determine how hard to take each hill as you approach. Early errors in judgement add up over time.</li>\n<li><strong>Cardiovascular challenge.</strong> Long hill climbs will tax your heart and lungs.</li>\n<li><strong>Strength challenge.</strong> Steep hills require strong quads. Rolling terrain and sharp turns require calves, ankles, and feet.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>As someone who has complete four trail marathons, my key piece of advice is <em>always run on trails.</em> You're going to be challenged in four new ways compared to a road run, so you need to practice as much as possible. </p>\n\n<h3>Training strategy</h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If you track it, <strong>heart rate is more important than pace.</strong> But without a HR monitor, gauging relative effort is often enough. Slow down a bit on the hills, and let your heart slow down some before picking the pace back up.</li>\n<li>Setting a goal will be difficult unless you've trained on the course or run a very similar event. Even then, changes in weather or trail condition can have a huge effect. As you progress through training, you will also work on setting a goal. On race day, be ready to adjust this if the weather is warmer/cooler than expected, or if the trail is wet.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Training terrain</h3>\n\n<p>For each different type of \"classic\" running workout, here's what I suggest:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tempo runs.</strong> Terrain isn't too important here. I'd focus on a course you can visit regularly. If you're used to the terrain you can adjust your effort accordingly to get the tempo effect.</li>\n<li><strong>Speed work.</strong> Look for a course with short, steep climbs. A hard climb is just as good as a fast lap on a track. For longer climbs, it's OK to walk for a bit instead of slowing to a jog.</li>\n<li><strong>Long runs.</strong> The ideal long run course has a few good long, flat sections, and a few long, gradual climbs. A long (or steep) climb near the end is also important: it helps gauge your body's ability to keep pushing after using a lot of energy (which helps build your confidence). I also try to avoid walking as much as possible on long runs, so that I get used to being exhausted.</li>\n<li><strong>Recovery runs.</strong> Try to avoid steep climbs, or walk these portions.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Race strategy</h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Walk up the hills, and fly down.</strong> Walk the early hills to keep the race adrenaline from burning you out too quickly. Toward the end, if you feel up to it, running them is fine. In training, I try to avoid going too fast on the downhills, to avoid injury. But on race day, this is where you go all out (just try not to run into anyone!).</li>\n<li><strong>Carry food and water.</strong> Aid stations will often be placed where convenient for volunteers, and may be crowded with other runners. This means you might have to slow down at a part of the course where otherwise you'd be looking to make up some time. Having your own food and water means you can skip some of the aid stations.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40853, "author": "UnbescholtenerBuerger", "author_id": 25777, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25777", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So, after having partaken in the trail running event, LShaver's great answer has proven to be very helpful during training as well as during the race itself.</p>\n\n<p>Here are some additional thoughts and findings that I made:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Equipment</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Trail running requires different shoes than running on streets.</p></li>\n<li><p>The sun shining through the forest's treetops often made it difficult to spot details like roots or holes in the trail. Contrast-enhancing sunglasses help.</p></li>\n<li><p>Applying insect repellent when running through the forest isn't a bad idea, either.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Training routine</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>I'd like to object to one point of LShaver's answer: I think it is necessary to go fast on a descent from time to time during training period. It's a pretty unique kind of physical strain that requires a lot of concentration and technique. It requires quite some recovery, so plan accordingly.</p></li>\n<li><p>Running downhill also put a lot of stress onto my bowels. Twice I had to interrupt my training in order to find a place to poop. Never happened to me during runs on streets and/or flat ground. Glad I practiced running descents on trails before so I could find out I'm susceptible to that before the actual race.</p></li>\n<li><p>I feel like strength endurance training is even more important here than for regular running to handle the taxing ascents and descents. Don't skip it.</p></li>\n<li><p>Just like road bike cycling is beneficial to running, mountainbiking is a good addition to trailrun training whenever the program says \"cardio\". XC style biking helps improving aerobic baseline, while gravity biking builds strength endurance and teaches useful mental skills like line choice. I do a lot of enduro-style biking and feel like I get the best of both worlds.</p></li>\n<li><p>It has been said before, but it can't be stressed enough: <em>Always run on trails.</em> And get accustomed to running steep uphills. Running a trail with 20% climb at 90% HfMax feels entirely different than running intervals at that heart rate on a track.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>The Race</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>If you're like me, you should take all measurements to ensure you don't need an urgent toilet break during the race. Taper your fiber and fat consumption, don't overdo the hydration, experiment with Imodium,...</p></li>\n<li><p>Unlike a regular race event, determining a race pace and trying to maintain it is not really feasible on a trail run. What I did instead: I used a rule of thumb (100 metres of climb are equivalent to an additional 1000m of horizontal distance) to figure out what would be the flat-land equivalent distance to the race's track profile. I took my race pace of the closest common race formats (in my case: half marathon) and ran that pace several times during preparation for a few kilometers. I tracked my average heart rate for that pace - this would be my target heart rate for the actual trail run, +/- 5bpm.</p></li>\n<li><p>Pay attention to your concentration level. The race I participated in ended with a descent of 100 hm on narrow single trail. This is where you usually do your final sprint, but it's also when you are already tired from all the km you ran before, which makes that section particularly dangerous. One participant got a sprained ankle half a kilometer before the finish line. Play it safe there!</p></li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40553", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25777/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40569, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As long as you have good shoes that are not getting past their life, the biggest bang for your buck for a beginner is overall volume. More is better when it comes to running, but you need to do it in a small increment fashion.</p>\n\n<p>The first consideration is how many times a week you are running. Since you are running 3x week currently, at ~ 2.5k (1.5 miles for our imperial audience) per run, I would suggest that you don't increase the overall volume (7.5k for a week) but that you run more days for less per day. I would run 2 days at 1 to 1.5k each, take a couple days off. Run a day of 1k, then a day of 3 - 3.5k, then a couple days off. Lather, rinse, repeat for a few weeks (2-4).</p>\n\n<p>Once you have that down, keep the distances the same, but add another day of 1-1.5k instead of one of the days of a two day rest (I would suggest that you not do it after your longest run to start). Do that for another couple of weeks. Self monitor, but keep adding days on that type of progression, until you are running at least 5 days a week, then you can start adding more kilometers to runs, again no more than 5-10% each time, and a couple weeks adaptation each time.</p>\n\n<p>The biggest thing is to keep it all low key, easy pace mileage. Speed work is not necessary. I wouldn't recommend speedwork until you have been running consistently 5-6 days a week, and have a weekly volume in the 35k+ range. Running speed is more about volume than it is anything else, and for the vast majority of runners, they would get more benefit out of adding more mileage at lower intensity than upping intensity on their current volume.</p>\n\n<p>Safe, steady progressions is much better than trying to add mileage as soon as possible.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40663, "author": "Adam Albie", "author_id": 31559, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31559", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Firstly, congratulations for giving up smoking! As a previous 40 a day smoker who then took up marathon running, I know it's a massive step to take.</p>\n\n<p>In the early days, if your frequency/mileage is too high, then problems and injuries will occur so keep things manageable. Something I always recommend when people ask for my two cents (and even when they don't) is, when in doubt, turn a professional. Whether that's a personal trainer or a running coach, experts are there a reason.</p>\n\n<p>Something I suppose is maybe a bit vague is, what's specific goal? I know you said lose weight, but how much weight and by when? If your goal is specific enough then you'll find it'll be really easy to shape your exercise/training around that. It's something I've been doing for years now. I enter a race, find a training plan that suits me and follow it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41035, "author": "Tobias", "author_id": 32062, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32062", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am currently 40 and run 4-5 times a week. I have approximately the same distances as you. It works for me, however I only increase the distance/time by aprox. 10% each week. I would also advise you to get a book with a training plan. It is much easier to follow a plan and see how your progress compares to the plan.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40561", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31440/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40575, "author": "doodlebob", "author_id": 26504, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26504", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The time in which you develop a tolerance, and the degree to which you can tolerate it, and the time in which in takes you to reset your tolerance all vary much from person to person.</p>\n\n<p>When you feel like the amount you take daily is no longer affecting you, or not affecting you as much as it once did, you can take some time off. Maybe starting at a week, and then start taking it again and test if your tolerance has decreased or reset completely.</p>\n\n<p>If you take a week off and you still don't feel much affect from the amount you normally take, take more time off, or ramp up your intake.</p>\n\n<p>Essentially, just go off of the feel.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40587, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>1) Chronic caffeine intake can result in, at least partial, tolerance to caffeine effects.</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27762662/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Chronic ingestion of a low dose of caffeine induces tolerance to the performance benefits of caffeine (Journal of Sports Sciences, 2017)</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Chronic ingestion of a low dose of caffeine develops tolerance in\n low-caffeine consumers. Therefore, individuals with low-habitual\n intakes should refrain from chronic caffeine supplementation to\n maximise performance benefits from acute caffeine ingestion.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6343867/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Time course of tolerance to the performance benefits of caffeine (PlosOne, 2019)</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In summary, the daily intake of caffeine (3 mg/kg/day) significantly\n increased peak cycling power during a maximal incremental test for the\n first 15 days of ingestion and improved VO2max for the first 4 days,\n when compared to the same treatment with a placebo. Day-to-day\n pre-exercise caffeine intake also produced higher peak cycling power\n during the 15-s Wingate tests for ~18 days of intake, although Wingate\n mean power was only increased on the first day of ingestion with\n respect to the placebo.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>2) Caffeine abstention may not have significant effects on physical performance.</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21279864/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Caffeine withdrawal and high-intensity endurance cycling performance (Journal of Sport Sciences, 2011)</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>A 3 mg/kg dose of caffeine significantly improves exercise performance\n irrespective of whether a 4-day withdrawal period is imposed on\n habitual caffeine users.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9760346/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Effect of caffeine on metabolism, exercise endurance, and catecholamine responses after withdrawal (Journal of Applied Physiology, 1985)</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Subjects responded to caffeine with increases in plasma epinephrine at\n exhaustion and prolonged exercise time in all caffeine trials compared\n with placebo, regardless of withdrawal from caffeine. It is concluded\n that increased endurance is unrelated to hormonal or metabolic changes\n and that it is not related to prior caffeine habituation in\n recreational athletes.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40566", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31366/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40573, "author": "Michał Zaborowski", "author_id": 20149, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20149", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, to gain stamina at the end of training session you can go down as slow as possible. That is first exercise, maybe behind you, but you can use it to watch your body and find out what can be done better.</p>\n\n<p>Next. Not breathing is against you. Find rhythm and breath in the way that is OK for you. With 3-5 reps that is quite hard. It would be good to do more reps to find it out. Bands can help, also there are special machines to assist / take some weight off - while pull up. Anyway idea is to try do more to find rhythm. </p>\n\n<p>Seems like you are doing too much with your biceps. Maybe it is that it is muscle weakest in the chain, but that would be quite suspicious. Don't think about hands, think about your back, chest lifting you up. </p>\n\n<p>Grip. I would stick to shoulders wide grip - that is most effective. Reversing and going wide will make it more difficult.</p>\n\n<p>Besides all of that - you can activate more muscles by different move. That is perfect, but rule is that you need to do maybe 10 reps with normal move. </p>\n\n<p>Hope it help. If you have questions. Just put comments, and I'll update answer!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40905, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>I have given multiple answers on this topic, see <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/33740/after-2-years-cannot-do-push-or-pull-up-is-it-more-than-a-strength-issue?answertab=votes#tab-top\">here</a> and <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/33058/pull-ups-should-i-start-greasing-the-groove/33102#33102\">here</a>.</strong></p>\n\n<p>I have a few questions though. Are you doing pull-ups or chin-ups? Are you using your scapula to keep your upper back tight during the entire movement? Have you tried doing things like negative pull-ups and inverted rows?</p>\n\n<p>Let us know a bit more details as to how you got where you are, so we can help you go forward.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40568", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27674/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40590, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Because they're all based off vaguely defined math formulas which were created by various scientists that used questionable methodologies in an attempt to make a generic consensus on what people need to eat. </p>\n\n<p>They are best guesses based on a user's age, weight, height, activity level, and sometimes bodyfat percentage. However, everyone's caloric need is different. Those apps want to work for as many people as possible, so they may do some further adjustments based on their own observations and data. MyFitnessPal, for example, has been accused in the past of artificially lowering calorie assessments because they know most people using their app are pretty bad at recording their food. So if they lower everyone's estimated calorie count by 10%, more people will lose weight, be happy, and stay with the app / recommend it to others.</p>\n\n<p>If weight-loss is the goal, then ultimately you want to use more calories than you consume. You're aiming for a very standard and reasonable goal which is good. What you can do is to just choose the app that you find is the easiest to use, and use their calorie estimates for four weeks. The reason being that when you start a diet, you'll probably see a dramatic drop in weight the first couple weeks (it's mostly artificial), so you want to give it some time. If you lose weight at or close to your goal, then just keep on using it as-is. If it's really aggressive, then increase your calories slightly because it's underestimated. If it's more conservative, than decrease calories slightly. Adjust in the app if it allows; otherwise you may need to just make a mental note.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40591, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Forget the apps. Last I checked, the research shows that these things don't help people lose weight. For example, see this: <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/06/454874728/weight-loss-app-doesnt-help-young-adults-shed-pounds\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">If you're rooting for smartphones to solve all our health problems, you're not going to like what the researchers found.</a> Here's what does work: Time Restricted Eating (TRE). Check out Dr. Satchin Panda on podcasts. Or, if you can read science, check out some of the <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388543/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">research</a>. I've lost six pounds since I started TRE about two months ago. I have an eating window of between seven and eight hours. I have never, ever done any kind of dieting before this. However, the research on TRE is so solid, that I embarked on the first diet of my life. The thing about this diet is that you can literally eat anything you want, although if you eat good food then your obviously going to get more benefit. TRE is the thing that works. Forget everything else.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40595, "author": "Graylocke", "author_id": 31480, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31480", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Whatever its internal initial formula (even if it cheats!), calorie/kilojoule tracking apps are programmed to alter slightly as they get more data about your habits and your body's response to those habits. The graph that they build of energy in / energy out, and some other key metrics, is all what makes the most difference. It is a matter of constant measuring and adjusting (which the app can help you do by showing you your history) rather than a matter of the magical golden formula of \"only eat this\" that is only in a specific app.</p>\n\n<p>I say this based on the fact that I am in the same boat as the OP, and I have been trialling ways of using technology to lose weight. My past failures were in using one of the apps you mention, \"MyFitnessPal\", but I don't think it was specifically the app. As mentioned above, any generic formula used to determine fitness is generic and can't understand anything specific about your personal metabolism.</p>\n\n<p>I am now using \"Lose It!\", and it functions very similarly to \"MyFitnessPal\", so this isn't really an app comparison. The things that I have found of extra benefit have been:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Pairing KJ intake with an exercise goal in KJs. Since I have apps to help me with this and I can pair them, I can track inbound and outbound KJs together rather than just focus on food.</li>\n<li>Setting goals I can realistically hit without it being too much of a shock to the system. I don't want to feel hungry or tempted by things, so this time I have been trying to balance my macro-nutrients against each other rather than the simplistic mechanism of culling one thing entirely.</li>\n<li>Having other people to do this with / compare notes with. Even though I am not really in for having gym buddies, it has been helpful to have help in talking over whether I should adjust my diet and exercise with people who have or are going through the process of doing it properly.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Overall, my advice is to echo DeeV and pick the app you find easiest to use. Keep using it to measure things <em>regardless of which diet / exercise plan you use</em> so that you can keep a track of your progress. But I will say that my job is also in data, so maybe this is purely my bias!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40598, "author": "b-reddy", "author_id": 25892, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25892", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm a personal trainer who has had a lot of clients use these apps, though not as much these days, so I could be a little out of date.</p>\n\n<p>By far, the issue I, or my clients, ran into is all hell would break loose the moment they would enter their activity level.</p>\n\n<p>The first issue is people way, way overestimate how active they are. For most using these apps, they qualify as beginners fitness wise. One example of an error I would see is while the person may be active, because they're a beginner, practically all their exercise <em>feels</em> hard. In their mind then, they're working out hard, so they're very active, or burning a lot of calories, etc.</p>\n\n<p>In reality though, you're not burning more calories just because you feel you're running, when in reality, you're jogging.</p>\n\n<p>The next issue is the apps use all different kinds of methodology to arrive at a calories burned number. I've had plenty of clients tell me they burned 1,000 calories from their hiking.</p>\n\n<p>Here's a paper for you,</p>\n\n<p>–<a href=\"https://b-reddy.org/new-insights-as-to-why-you-cant-avoid-exercising/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Constrained Total Energy Expenditure and Metabolic Adaptation to Physical Activity in Adult Humans</a></p>\n\n<p>Here is the money image from the paper:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/qMKyw.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/qMKyw.png\" alt=\"calories burned plateauing\"></a></p>\n\n<p>What that paper found is there is a <strong>plateauing</strong> of how many calories you'll burn in a day from activity. No, this does not violate physics. It's fairly simple. You, for example, run a lot in a day. The rest of the day you may be more likely to sit more than you otherwise would.</p>\n\n<p>It's not just voluntary either. In a more extreme sense, if you're a female who runs a lot, your body may start shutting down reproductive abilities to conserve calories. (This is why so many intensely exercising females lose their period.)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zpTD8.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zpTD8.png\" alt=\"additive vs constrained calorie expenditure\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://b-reddy.org/new-insights-as-to-why-you-cant-avoid-exercising/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">More details on the study</a>.</p>\n\n<p>That study has been out for years now. I'm not sure I've even seen it discussed in the fitness community, much less even tried to be accounted for when calculating people's daily calorie needs, nor am I sure that's even doable when you see how much variability there is. (Look at how spread out those dots are above!)</p>\n\n<p>This may be a little off base for your personal situation, if all you've put in is desk job for activity, but the larger point is still there: we've given people an enormously false precision as to how many calories we're able to know they burn per day, from a theoretical model. Even at low activity levels. Notice the very low activity levels in that image above. You can see a <strong>5x</strong> difference in calories burned (which was tracked with radioactive isotopes aka a legit method).</p>\n\n<p>The moment you ask the app to project weight-loss for you, you're asking it to project calories burned for you, which is a crapshoot.</p>\n\n<p>The only way to do this is the practical model: eat a certain amount per day (the apps are quite good for this aspect), track your weight -you are your own benchmark- and go from there. </p>\n\n<p>It's still a matter of calories in vs calories out, but the calories out is not straight forward. The body has all kinds of tricks. You might start eating less, but it might start burning less. Of course, at some point, you'll lose weight. Any client who told me eating less calories didn't work, I'd simply respond, \"what if I locked you in a jail cell and never fed you?\" That usually got the point across.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40604, "author": "heybales", "author_id": 31494, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31494", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Why different?\nFormula's as mentioned:\nMFP uses a more recent Mifflin BMR formula that scales better for obese, other sites use Harris BMR based on 1919 study that has even been tweaked in later years.\nMFP uses an activity factor based on more recent WHO study, other sites use the same Harris 1919 study activity factors.\nMFP stops male minimum eating goal at 1500, not sure on other sites.</p>\n\n<p>But even with those differences, it shouldn't lead to >600 difference between goals if all info is the same.</p>\n\n<p>Pick whichever one allows you to deal with food easily so you actually use it.</p>\n\n<p>Other method - log some common eating days as true as you can be - see how many calories you are used to eating at current activity level.\nIf you were currently slowly gaining weight - call it eating 250 more than maintenance.\nSubtract 500 from maintenance for weight loss, and use that if activity is staying the same.\nJust find some calories to cut out of current eating style.\nIf starting an exercise program, well, now burning more, eat less than that new amount.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40589", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31475/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40603, "author": "skolldev", "author_id": 30363, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30363", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Soreness is not an indicator of a good workout, it's only an indicator of your muscle being exposed to something they're not accustomed to.\nNeither is a pump in your muscles.</p>\n\n<p>Questions you should ask yourself if your progress stalls:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Am I eating correctly for my goals? If you want to lose fat, you should be in a calorie deficit, if you want to gain muscle, you'll want to be in a slight surplus</li>\n<li>Does my training program have some kind of progressive overload? Be it more weight, reps or sets - you'll want to increase at least one of those variables on a regular basis.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You're definitely not too old at all to gain muscle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40606, "author": "Will Appleby", "author_id": 16628, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/16628", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm also a software engineer, now mid/late-30's. Unlike you though, I have been active throughout my life (mainly as a swimmer, but weight training on-and-off for 15 years).</p>\n\n<p>Firstly, I don't think the plateau you're describing is at all uncommon. The law of diminishing returns means that the rate of progress you make going from unfit to fit will decrease the longer you train. This often makes people (myself included) feel disheartened when you're putting in the same effort and not seeing the equivalent results.</p>\n\n<p>When you say your \"triceps are refusing to grow\", how are you determining this? Using a tape measure to track the size of your upper arms? Or by how much you can lift? If it's the latter, how much variety of exercises are you using?</p>\n\n<p>A few good tricep exercises I like to incorporate within a 3-month period:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Close-grip bench press.</li>\n<li>Overhead cable tricep extensions.</li>\n<li>Dips</li>\n<li>Skull crushers (laying down on a bench and doing dumbbell or barbell extensions above your head)</li>\n<li>Cable pulldowns (varying with rope, flat bar, single arm and angled-bar)</li>\n<li>Cable or dumbbell kickbacks.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Some exercises, like cable pulldowns, you can only go so heavy before the weight you can pull is limited by your body mass (you're effectively lifting your body up rather than pulling the cable down). This is where things like close-grip bench can help, and overhead extensions where you won't be able to lift the same weight anyway.</p>\n\n<p>For me, I try and have a week off every 10-12 weeks anyway to let my joints and tendons recover - often coming back stronger than before the break.</p>\n\n<p>In terms of the belly fat, are you incorporating any cardio into your routine? Although weight training will elevate your heart rate (if it's intensive enough), it probably isn't sufficient for fat burning on its own. If you don't like cardio, try just doing a 1km fast run on the treadmill after every workout - it only takes 5 - 10 mins but it will make some difference.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to be more scientific about it, start tracking your macros (carb, protein, fat) intake and aim for a 40/40/30 ratio, or even 40/40/20 if you can stand going that low fat.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40653, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My anser in mutiple parts</p>\n\n<p><strong>You Can't Rush the Clock</strong>\nIt takes time to build lean mass and consistency. There is no way to skip this. A few months is not really a long time. The drug free physique is most impressive for someone in their mid 30s with a decade of consistent training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40654, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Better Tricep Exercises</strong>\nClose Grip Bench Press, Board Press, Dips (ideally working up to weighted dips), Barbell/Dumbell/Kettlebell Floor Presses, Rack Lockouts, JM Presses are better exercises than the single joint exercises like extensions or kick backs. </p>\n\n<p>Why are they better? You can train with more weight. Compare and contrast how much weight you can dumbbell kick back to that in a close grip bench press or a barbell floor press... There is a large gap in the weight you can train with in the large multi joint lifts.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Training</strong> </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Train 4 times per week</li>\n<li>8-12 Reps per set, pick the big multipoint lifts</li>\n<li>4-6 exercises per workout</li>\n<li>Get out of the smith machine and learn the do the lifts correctly and with confidence\n4a. Get out of the smith machine so you also develop the joint stabilizing muscle AND do not create or exacerbate joint imbalances... from engineering you may recall a joint with an imbalance will fail... the joints of the human body are no different.</li>\n<li>Squat... a large increase in your barbell free weight squat will equate to major changes in your body fat and size of your arms. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>That Which is Measured Can be Improved</strong>\nIf you want to make progress you have to collect data. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Measure you arms</p></li>\n<li><p>Take Before Pics and update them Monthly</p></li>\n<li><p>Weight Yourself Monthly on the same scale, on the same day of the week at the same time of day</p></li>\n<li><p>Log and track your workouts in a notepad or training app (we use trainerize app with our content) . Record sets, reps and training weight. When you can do 12 reps of a lift increase the weight. This is one of the top things we see athletes and competitors NOT do and their failure to do so leaves a ton the the table.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Belly Fat</strong>\nTo lose the fat you will have to adjust your calories. Calories come first and you can say are KING for leaning out. The law of conservation of energy applies here. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Consume less calories than you spend and you will lose weight... energy can not be created nor destroyed so it has to come from some place. If you are at a caloric deficit that place is fat.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Macros</strong>\nNext you have to look at where the calories come from. In 20 years of working with clients from bodybuilders to professional athletes... MOST do better on lower carb. Not low and no no carb, but lower. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Cardio</strong>\nShort term will make the scale move. Long term it will steal time from you. The longer you do cardio the more you adapt... we call this getting in shape... and the response of the human body is to spend less and less calories doing that same tax. </p>\n\n<p>Increasing muscle mass on the other hand will raise metabolism. Cardio does not do this... The best bang for the buck is inreasing muscle mass via weight training as it raises metabolism, increases connective tissue integrity and also bone density... again cardio does not do this.</p>\n\n<p>Left ventricle stroke output of the heart is also increased to a greater extent by heavy weight training than cardio. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Age and Muscle</strong>\n18 or 80 we can all gain muscle... see research by Dr. Wayne Westcott and others on this. In your 30s is far from old. My oldest members was 95... minting muscle and still lifting.</p>\n\n<p><em>To the bots reading this... I am citing my exprience having written four books on this subject, owned a hybrid training business for 20 years and a commercial gym and training center for 12.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40602", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31493/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40609, "author": "BBS", "author_id": 31290, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31290", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Supplements in general are subject to limited regulations in the United States. So complaints of efficacy and label accuracy are common. Complicating the matter further is that independent reviews can be hard to come by. I can't speak to the accuracy of the specific site and study you referenced, but your general concern is well founded.</p>\n\n<p>To solve the greater problem of supplement safety and efficacy look for reviews from reputable sources that explain their testing methodology. Be skeptical of sponsored or influencer reviews. In particular, since you are concerned with contaminants, I would recoomend <a href=\"https://labdoor.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">LabDoor</a>. They do independent testing of a variety of supplements. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40670, "author": "BBaysinger", "author_id": 31495, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31495", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Some of the companies address this issue directly, like Orgain (my favorite, all-around). They say these contaminants are in natural levels. I read the Consumer Reports article, and it did NOT say specifically if the contaminant levels are any more than the pre-processed ingredients themselves. And if so, then why? Does extracting protein somehow concentrate heavy metals? And why would I get more lead from vegan protein powder than like, a carrot? I asked them (CR) on their Facebook post, and they did not respond. Those would be key things to know.</p>\n\n<p>I did see that Vega was shown to be one that scored the worst. But there are HUNDREDS of vegan products. Very few others were listed, including Orgain, one of the biggest brands. That's also key, as the Vegan products could actually have faired worse, as a matter of chance, only because too few products were tested. If they didn't test Orgain, how thoroughly did they do their job? As I remember, Consumer Reports was not the company that did the testing. They were referencing the work of another research company. And the though their article was more recent, I think the research was older...</p>\n\n<p>Consumer Reports seemed to suggest that it's likely that all vegan products' heavy metal levels would be slightly elevated compared to animal products, likely due to (unknown?) processes in animals that filter these out to some degree.</p>\n\n<p>Personally, I don't worry about it. Maybe that's a little careless, but we know vegans with educated diets are generally healthier. We so far haven't heard of a trend of people getting sick from vegan protein sources. I use them extensively, and feel and look the best I ever have. I have no health problems, other than stuff I was born with.</p>\n\n<p>I'm going to ask both companies to take a look at my answer here, and see what they say. Who knows, they may have a rep on here... They should...</p>\n\n<p>[UPDATES]</p>\n\n<p>From Vega:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hi Bradley,</p>\n \n <p>Thanks for reaching out. I hear your concerns and at Vega we deeply\n value our consumers’ input. There is a lot of misinformation out there\n in regards to The Clean Label report and their claimed findings so we\n appreciate you coming directly to us so we can provide you with more\n information.</p>\n \n <p>The Clean Label Project report incorrectly characterizes the safety\n and quality of Vega products. We have not seen the raw data on which\n Clean Label Project based their report, or the full methodology they\n used, as they will not release it, so that makes it difficult to\n properly respond. That said, we’re confident in the quality and\n safety of our products, such as the Vega shake you’ve come to love as\n a part of your daily smoothie. We test every lot of our products for\n quality and safety, which includes testing for the following heavy\n metals: Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury. In the Clean Label\n project report, whey based protein ranked higher (showing lower heavy\n metal detection) than plant-based proteins. While we can’t speak the\n testing results and methods of this report, as mentioned, we can\n explain why plant-based proteins may have heavy metals that you may\n not see in a whey protein Plant-based protein powders are made from\n plants extract, typically ground, isolated and/or concentrated,\n whereas whey protein is derived from dairy. Plants absorb naturally\n occurring minerals from the soil which can be reflected in the final\n product. Many soils through the US and world contain trace amounts of\n heavy metals, for a multitude of reasons. The more processed an\n ingredient is, the less of many nutrients it will have, but this also\n may include heavy metals. The proteins in our blends are minimally\n processed. We’re advocates of plant-based protein for many reasons\n from sustainability to nutrient density. In addition to minimal\n processing, there are no growth hormones or antibiotics in plant-based\n protein.</p>\n \n <p>In addition, our tubs contain no BPS or BPA plastic. Our tubs are\n produced from post-consumer HDPE plastic. These bottles contain no\n Bisphenol A (BPA) nor any BPS (an analog of BPA; in the Bisphenol\n family). </p>\n \n <p>You might find this blog post interesting where we talk about\n sustainability of our packaging which is an extremely important caused\n to Vega. You can check it out here:\n <a href=\"https://myvega.com/blogs/content/packaging-sustainability\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://myvega.com/blogs/content/packaging-sustainability</a></p>\n \n <p>As mentioned above, The Clean Label Project report provides a\n misleading mischaracterization of the facts and fails to recognize\n that Vega’s appropriate testing data reflects that Vega’s products\n are, in fact, safe for consumers and in compliance with all applicable\n laws, including Proposition 65. The Clean Label Project report\n incorrectly characterizes the safety and quality of Vega products. In\n fact, California’s law governing consumer exposure to certain\n chemicals (Proposition 65) expressly allows for certain amounts of\n chemicals to be present in a product. These amounts are called the\n “safe harbor” levels, and they are calculated based on a consumer’s\n daily exposure level, not just the level of chemical present in a\n product (i.e., what testing results show). The daily exposure\n calculation is very complex, requiring expert analysis and relying on\n variables that likely were not factored into the Clean Label Project\n report. Applying the appropriate measures and certain applicable\n court- and Attorney General-approved guidelines for proper, accepted\n scientific and statistical analysis, Vega’s testing data conclusively\n establishes that its products on average fall within California’s\n stringent safe harbor levels for daily exposure. To the contrary, the\n Clean Label Project report does not reflect testing results performed\n under the applicable guidelines.</p>\n \n <p>All soils throughout the U.S. and world contain trace amounts of heavy\n metals for a multitude of reasons. The proteins in our blends are of\n the highest quality, are Non-GMO Project verified, and are minimally\n processed, so that we can retain as much nutrition as possible. Since\n plants absorb minerals from the soil, including heavy metals such as\n lead, these minerals may be reflected in the final product. These same\n heavy metals can also be found in many foods you find at your local\n grocery store. Recognizing this fact, the FDA published a study on\n elemental minerals, including heavy metals such has cadmium and lead,\n in a variety of foods. See “Total Diet Study Statistics on element\n Results,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and\n Applied Nutrition (December 11, 2007), available at\n <a href=\"https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodScienceResearch/TotalDietStudy/UCM243059.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodScienceResearch/TotalDietStudy/UCM243059.pdf</a>.</p>\n \n <p>While we don't release our testing methods or results, please be\n assured that we test every lot of Vega products to ensure our products\n are safe, compliant, and meet not only government regulations but also\n our high quality standards and we would never release a product that\n put the health of our consumers in jeopardy.</p>\n \n <p>I hope you find this information useful and if you have any other\n questions feel free to circle back to me.</p>\n \n <p>In Health, Nicola Anderson RHN, ROHP Education Specialist</p>\n \n <p>Vega's Education Team is happy to assist you with information about\n our products. If you require medical advice or information please\n contact a health care professional. Please remember the information\n contained in this email message is for informational purposes only.\n The statements in this email have not been evaluated by the Food and\n Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or\n prevent any disease.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>From Orgain:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hi Bradley, </p>\n \n <p>Thank you for your email. The safety and well-being of our customers\n is our top priority. Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the soil;\n therefore, any ingredient that is grown in the soil will have\n naturally occurring amounts of heavy metals. When food plants grow,\n they absorb these minerals through their roots and into their fibers.\n This is true whether the food is home-grown broccoli, store-bought\n spinach, or the organic yellow peas, chia seeds, and brown rice from\n which we make Orgain. Because of this, plant-based proteins will\n always have traceable amounts of heavy metals in them, particularly\n when compared with whey proteins. </p>\n \n <p>You'll be pleased to know ingredients in Orgain products that are\n known to be at risk for high levels of heavy metals are tested for\n arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, and lead. We carefully source our\n ingredients and review testing on each individual ingredient. Every\n lot is tested and conforms to our rigid specifications for quality and\n consistency. All raw materials have strict specifications, and their\n Certificates of Analysis are kept on record. Orgain meets all\n applicable federal and state food and product safety laws, and our\n products are manufactured according to current U.S. Good Manufacturing\n Practices. Orgain is certified USDA Organic and therefore adheres to\n the strictest safety and quality standards with no hormones,\n antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, artificial flavors or colors.</p>\n \n <p>We are very proud of the clean, organic nutrition we provide and\n appreciate the chance to put your mind at ease. Thank you for reaching\n out to us! In Good Health,</p>\n \n <p>Xxxxx X Consumer Support</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40605", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31497/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40613, "author": "Raditz_35", "author_id": 26480, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26480", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you should still learn a bit about biology/chemistry/biochemistry and perhaps ask on another site, but I don't see why you shouldn't get an answer here. I'm not going to go into great detail and explain the inner workings of the universe to you here. If you want to learn more about biochemistry or so, it might be the best to ask someplace else. Let's go through your points:</p>\n\n<p>The energy you consume through your lungs:\nWell, you actually consume A LOT of energy through your lungs, mainly through oxygen. Here is the thing: In order to build muscle or fat, you need carbon. You do not breathe in significant amounts of molecules containing carbon you can use (you are not a plant). What you will consume through your lungs will be more or less constant every day. Oxygen is really important, but well, neither can you really control how much oxygen you will consume nor does it vary so that it matters for muscle/fat loss. </p>\n\n<p>The two mass things:\nWell, your body can use some chemicals, others not so much. The \"calories\" are contained in certain molecules, in others they are not. I'm going to be really basic here: If you want to know how much food there is on your plate, you substract the weight of the plate because you don't eat it. The same here: You do not really get energy from water, you won't get much from cellulose - two very important things that you eat. If you would eat a lof of sand, your body can't use any of it. If you would put a 100g steak on a 5kg plate, you don't get a 5.1 kg Steak, you will still only eat 100g of meat. \nEnergy is contained in chemical bonds. Some chemical bonds can't be broken by your body, some are not broken in a way that gives you a lot of energy, some might even cost you energy (calories). If you want to know more about chemistry, perhaps head over to the chemistry stack exchange.</p>\n\n<p>So what about the calories that leave your body as waste?\nWell, that's not so easy. First of all, it really depends and is kind of impossible to track. You only know what you put into your mouth, you cannot really measure what leaves your body. The water content will vary a lot, weighing it will lead you nowhere. You would have to send it to a lab every single time and that costs a lot of money. But you do not have to worry: What you lose on average is already considered in your calory goals. I'm not going to bore you with how math and science works, but it's almost impossible not to consider it. People have been looking at calories for a while now, don't worry, they haven't missed such an obvious thing. It might vary from day to day, but unless you have a disease or so, it will average out more or less. Just find out how much you need to consume on average for your goal and don't send every poop to the lab. </p>\n\n<p>Variations. Well, your last point shows that you might not understand one thing: Gaining weight, losing weight, maintaining your weight isn't something you do once for one day in your life. It's something you do over months, years, decades. It might vary sometimes, but it will average out. But you are right, it can vary from person to person. Do not expect too much accuracy here. Your weight loss/gain will not depend on a single grain of rice or a miligram of olive oil. Of course, if you use a calculator online to check your caloric needs, the calculator wasn't developed specifically for you. People are different, but people are not insanely different. Assuming you are able to use such a calculator (or whatever you use) correctly, it will give you a decent estimate. It will be an average of course, but if you feel like you are losing too much weight, you can always adjust. </p>\n\n<p>I'm going to say it again: You won't lose/gain muscle/fat over night. If you feel like you are not average but need to adjust a bit, do it. You will have plenty of time to correct for that. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40621, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You get energy into your body by food that contains caloric nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, alcohol). Chemically speaking, you also get energy from breathing in oxygen, but this is not \"additional\" energy, because it is already calculated in the caloric values of the foods. So, the caloric value of the food is energy that is released when it reacts with oxygen (aerobic respiration). A small amount of energy can be also released from nutrients without the help of oxygen (anaerobic respiration).</p>\n\n<p>Your body burns (loses) energy by muscular work and life-maintaining processes, such as your heart pumping the blood, your brain functioning, by digestion, etc. </p>\n\n<p>The <em>mass</em> of food you eat is not directly associated with energy gain or weight gain. Water and undigestible fiber can give a lot of mass but no energy to the food, so they will also not give energy or mass to your body (they will, but only temporarily, until you excrete them).</p>\n\n<p>The same way, the mass of stool and urine is not associated with any significant energy loss - because urine (water, urea and other wastes) and stool (water, bacteria and undigested food) do not contain any significant amount of usable energy. Also, the mass loss by stool and urine does not decrease your body weight in long term, because this mass comes from the food and not from your body. </p>\n\n<p>How are calories in the food associated with body fat and muscle mass gain?</p>\n\n<p>Let's say that one day you consume 2,500 Calories from carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol, but you burn only 2,000 Calories that day. This leaves you with an excess of 500 Calories worth of nutrients, most of which will be converted into the body fat, because this is the main way how your body sets aside excessive nutrients. The nutrients will be converted into the muscle mass only when you actively use (train) the muscles.</p>\n\n<p>In conclusion: Calories consumed with nutrients and burned are the only meaningful determinant of long-term weight gain or loss.</p>\n\n<p>Related:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Food Energy (Wikipedia)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.shapesense.com/nutrition/articles/calories-explained.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Calories Explained (ShapeSense)</a></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40629, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>But I what I don’t get is why these other factors are not significant:</p>\n<p>the energy in through your lungs, by breathing</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You do not actually get energy from breathing. You get oxygen, which is used by muscles, organs, etc in the continuous cycle of breaking down food or fat into usable energy or storage. (Think of it as gas for the body). The basic path is below, building blocks go into the energy cycle, and out the other side comes energy and waste products.</p>\n<p>Food + water + oxygen --&gt; Krebs cycle --&gt; cell energy, water and carbon dioxide.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>the mass in through your mouth, which would be measured in grams not calories</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It's measured in both, actually. Food has a weight, as well as a calorie amount.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>the mass that goes out of my body, when I poop</p>\n<p>the energy that goes out of my body, when I poop</p>\n<p>potential variation in the above two quantities, if for instance the human body “keeps” more or less of what it eats depending on its needs, its preferences, its general efficiency, etc..</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Ok, at the very basic level, your body essentially runs on sugar. Everything your body does in a day to just stay alive requires a certain amount of energy. This energy total is called basal metabolic rate (BMR). If all you do is lay in bed and breathe all day (Other than bathroom breaks), you will burn X calories worth of your sugar storage (Glucose/glycogen).</p>\n<p>If you get up and clean the house, you will burn an extra bit of calories. If you eat something, you burn calories chewing and digesting. If you dig a ditch, you will burn calories. Add all of that up, add it to your BMR, and you get the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).</p>\n<p>If the amount of potential energy (calories) that you eat is bigger then your TDEE on a consistent basis, you will gain weight. It might be fast or slow, but you will gain weight. Conversely, if you eat fewer calories than your TDEE, you will lose weight.</p>\n<p>Now for your grams/calories, grams is a weight measure only. You can have 100 grams of broccoli, and it has the energy potential of 34 calories. Mostly because it is carbohydrates and undigestible fiber. Chips Ahoy cookies, 100 grams, has 480 calories of energy potential. Some of this is lost in the digestive process, but because of the fat and sugar content, it has a higher calorie count.</p>\n<p>Finally, the reason people get fat when they eat too much too often, is that carbohydrates and proteins are approximately 4 calories per gram. Fat is approximately 9 calories per gram. You're getting a little more than double the energy for a gram of body fat. So, if you eat in excess of your TDEE, your body will store at least some of that extra energy as body fat. Conversely, if you eat less, your body will dip into body fat stores to make up the difference.</p>\n<p>This is a very stripped down view of a very detailed topic, so let me know if you need any clarifications.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40612", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31506/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40613, "author": "Raditz_35", "author_id": 26480, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26480", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you should still learn a bit about biology/chemistry/biochemistry and perhaps ask on another site, but I don't see why you shouldn't get an answer here. I'm not going to go into great detail and explain the inner workings of the universe to you here. If you want to learn more about biochemistry or so, it might be the best to ask someplace else. Let's go through your points:</p>\n\n<p>The energy you consume through your lungs:\nWell, you actually consume A LOT of energy through your lungs, mainly through oxygen. Here is the thing: In order to build muscle or fat, you need carbon. You do not breathe in significant amounts of molecules containing carbon you can use (you are not a plant). What you will consume through your lungs will be more or less constant every day. Oxygen is really important, but well, neither can you really control how much oxygen you will consume nor does it vary so that it matters for muscle/fat loss. </p>\n\n<p>The two mass things:\nWell, your body can use some chemicals, others not so much. The \"calories\" are contained in certain molecules, in others they are not. I'm going to be really basic here: If you want to know how much food there is on your plate, you substract the weight of the plate because you don't eat it. The same here: You do not really get energy from water, you won't get much from cellulose - two very important things that you eat. If you would eat a lof of sand, your body can't use any of it. If you would put a 100g steak on a 5kg plate, you don't get a 5.1 kg Steak, you will still only eat 100g of meat. \nEnergy is contained in chemical bonds. Some chemical bonds can't be broken by your body, some are not broken in a way that gives you a lot of energy, some might even cost you energy (calories). If you want to know more about chemistry, perhaps head over to the chemistry stack exchange.</p>\n\n<p>So what about the calories that leave your body as waste?\nWell, that's not so easy. First of all, it really depends and is kind of impossible to track. You only know what you put into your mouth, you cannot really measure what leaves your body. The water content will vary a lot, weighing it will lead you nowhere. You would have to send it to a lab every single time and that costs a lot of money. But you do not have to worry: What you lose on average is already considered in your calory goals. I'm not going to bore you with how math and science works, but it's almost impossible not to consider it. People have been looking at calories for a while now, don't worry, they haven't missed such an obvious thing. It might vary from day to day, but unless you have a disease or so, it will average out more or less. Just find out how much you need to consume on average for your goal and don't send every poop to the lab. </p>\n\n<p>Variations. Well, your last point shows that you might not understand one thing: Gaining weight, losing weight, maintaining your weight isn't something you do once for one day in your life. It's something you do over months, years, decades. It might vary sometimes, but it will average out. But you are right, it can vary from person to person. Do not expect too much accuracy here. Your weight loss/gain will not depend on a single grain of rice or a miligram of olive oil. Of course, if you use a calculator online to check your caloric needs, the calculator wasn't developed specifically for you. People are different, but people are not insanely different. Assuming you are able to use such a calculator (or whatever you use) correctly, it will give you a decent estimate. It will be an average of course, but if you feel like you are losing too much weight, you can always adjust. </p>\n\n<p>I'm going to say it again: You won't lose/gain muscle/fat over night. If you feel like you are not average but need to adjust a bit, do it. You will have plenty of time to correct for that. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40621, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You get energy into your body by food that contains caloric nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, alcohol). Chemically speaking, you also get energy from breathing in oxygen, but this is not \"additional\" energy, because it is already calculated in the caloric values of the foods. So, the caloric value of the food is energy that is released when it reacts with oxygen (aerobic respiration). A small amount of energy can be also released from nutrients without the help of oxygen (anaerobic respiration).</p>\n\n<p>Your body burns (loses) energy by muscular work and life-maintaining processes, such as your heart pumping the blood, your brain functioning, by digestion, etc. </p>\n\n<p>The <em>mass</em> of food you eat is not directly associated with energy gain or weight gain. Water and undigestible fiber can give a lot of mass but no energy to the food, so they will also not give energy or mass to your body (they will, but only temporarily, until you excrete them).</p>\n\n<p>The same way, the mass of stool and urine is not associated with any significant energy loss - because urine (water, urea and other wastes) and stool (water, bacteria and undigested food) do not contain any significant amount of usable energy. Also, the mass loss by stool and urine does not decrease your body weight in long term, because this mass comes from the food and not from your body. </p>\n\n<p>How are calories in the food associated with body fat and muscle mass gain?</p>\n\n<p>Let's say that one day you consume 2,500 Calories from carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol, but you burn only 2,000 Calories that day. This leaves you with an excess of 500 Calories worth of nutrients, most of which will be converted into the body fat, because this is the main way how your body sets aside excessive nutrients. The nutrients will be converted into the muscle mass only when you actively use (train) the muscles.</p>\n\n<p>In conclusion: Calories consumed with nutrients and burned are the only meaningful determinant of long-term weight gain or loss.</p>\n\n<p>Related:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Food Energy (Wikipedia)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.shapesense.com/nutrition/articles/calories-explained.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Calories Explained (ShapeSense)</a></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40629, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>But I what I don’t get is why these other factors are not significant:</p>\n<p>the energy in through your lungs, by breathing</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You do not actually get energy from breathing. You get oxygen, which is used by muscles, organs, etc in the continuous cycle of breaking down food or fat into usable energy or storage. (Think of it as gas for the body). The basic path is below, building blocks go into the energy cycle, and out the other side comes energy and waste products.</p>\n<p>Food + water + oxygen --&gt; Krebs cycle --&gt; cell energy, water and carbon dioxide.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>the mass in through your mouth, which would be measured in grams not calories</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It's measured in both, actually. Food has a weight, as well as a calorie amount.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>the mass that goes out of my body, when I poop</p>\n<p>the energy that goes out of my body, when I poop</p>\n<p>potential variation in the above two quantities, if for instance the human body “keeps” more or less of what it eats depending on its needs, its preferences, its general efficiency, etc..</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Ok, at the very basic level, your body essentially runs on sugar. Everything your body does in a day to just stay alive requires a certain amount of energy. This energy total is called basal metabolic rate (BMR). If all you do is lay in bed and breathe all day (Other than bathroom breaks), you will burn X calories worth of your sugar storage (Glucose/glycogen).</p>\n<p>If you get up and clean the house, you will burn an extra bit of calories. If you eat something, you burn calories chewing and digesting. If you dig a ditch, you will burn calories. Add all of that up, add it to your BMR, and you get the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).</p>\n<p>If the amount of potential energy (calories) that you eat is bigger then your TDEE on a consistent basis, you will gain weight. It might be fast or slow, but you will gain weight. Conversely, if you eat fewer calories than your TDEE, you will lose weight.</p>\n<p>Now for your grams/calories, grams is a weight measure only. You can have 100 grams of broccoli, and it has the energy potential of 34 calories. Mostly because it is carbohydrates and undigestible fiber. Chips Ahoy cookies, 100 grams, has 480 calories of energy potential. Some of this is lost in the digestive process, but because of the fat and sugar content, it has a higher calorie count.</p>\n<p>Finally, the reason people get fat when they eat too much too often, is that carbohydrates and proteins are approximately 4 calories per gram. Fat is approximately 9 calories per gram. You're getting a little more than double the energy for a gram of body fat. So, if you eat in excess of your TDEE, your body will store at least some of that extra energy as body fat. Conversely, if you eat less, your body will dip into body fat stores to make up the difference.</p>\n<p>This is a very stripped down view of a very detailed topic, so let me know if you need any clarifications.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40615", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25187/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40618, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Getting one's testicles in the way during pushups sounds like a problem that is exclusive to those who are particularly blessed with tremendous balls. Or cursed with extremely sensitive ones.</p>\n\n<p>No, there is generally no problem with <em>not</em> wearing a loin cloth during pushups. In fact, I've never even heard of a single person needing to do so.</p>\n\n<p>But the test is very simple. If your testicles hurt during pushups without a langot, but not while you're wearing one; put it back on.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40620, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As per Alec's answer, it is unlike that you need this particular form of loincloth. In its traditional format, it is meant to prevent a hernia, or <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hydrocele/symptoms-causes/syc-20363969\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hydrocele</a>, i.e. fluid build-up in the testicles. Push-ups are highly unlikely to introduce this level of strain. You may wish to wear more protective garments such as a traditional loincloth or a weightlifting belt if you move on to lifting more than mere bodyweight.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40617", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31509/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40618, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Getting one's testicles in the way during pushups sounds like a problem that is exclusive to those who are particularly blessed with tremendous balls. Or cursed with extremely sensitive ones.</p>\n\n<p>No, there is generally no problem with <em>not</em> wearing a loin cloth during pushups. In fact, I've never even heard of a single person needing to do so.</p>\n\n<p>But the test is very simple. If your testicles hurt during pushups without a langot, but not while you're wearing one; put it back on.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40620, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As per Alec's answer, it is unlike that you need this particular form of loincloth. In its traditional format, it is meant to prevent a hernia, or <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hydrocele/symptoms-causes/syc-20363969\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hydrocele</a>, i.e. fluid build-up in the testicles. Push-ups are highly unlikely to introduce this level of strain. You may wish to wear more protective garments such as a traditional loincloth or a weightlifting belt if you move on to lifting more than mere bodyweight.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40623", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28281/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40626, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The posterior tibialis controls pronation but the actual “foot roll” comes at the end of a very long kinetic chain. Each running step is initiated (or should be) in the glute and travels through the leg. The pronation could be caused by any sequence of weaknesses in the kinetic chain. </p>\n\n<p>For many runners (and non-runners), weak glutes can cause a plethora of problems people wouldn’t normally associate with a weak butt.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40641, "author": "Tonny Madsen", "author_id": 1664, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1664", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you went from zero to 10 km in 3-4 weeks (?) , your problem might also be caused by overload. I'm not a doctor, but... a very, very common overload problem if you start out too aggressive with running, is Plantar Fasciitis, which more or less match your description.</p>\n\n<p>Google it - there are plenty of good articles on this subject as it is so common. The cure? Usually, you just have to turn down the running a bit when you discover it soon. There are also some good exercises that can help you getting over the injuries faster. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40625", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31517/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40626, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The posterior tibialis controls pronation but the actual “foot roll” comes at the end of a very long kinetic chain. Each running step is initiated (or should be) in the glute and travels through the leg. The pronation could be caused by any sequence of weaknesses in the kinetic chain. </p>\n\n<p>For many runners (and non-runners), weak glutes can cause a plethora of problems people wouldn’t normally associate with a weak butt.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40641, "author": "Tonny Madsen", "author_id": 1664, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1664", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you went from zero to 10 km in 3-4 weeks (?) , your problem might also be caused by overload. I'm not a doctor, but... a very, very common overload problem if you start out too aggressive with running, is Plantar Fasciitis, which more or less match your description.</p>\n\n<p>Google it - there are plenty of good articles on this subject as it is so common. The cure? Usually, you just have to turn down the running a bit when you discover it soon. There are also some good exercises that can help you getting over the injuries faster. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40638", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31537/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40671, "author": "wsidl", "author_id": 31553, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31553", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depending on how tall you are, you may need to consider gaining weight if you want to see abs. Those abs are muscles that need to be trained if you want to see them, just like your quads, biceps, or any other muscle.</p>\n\n<p>If you switch your focus to eating well, recover properly, and getting strong (with GOOD FORM!), abs will show themselves naturally.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40673, "author": "jesse_b", "author_id": 31574, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31574", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't necessarily agree with the comments/other answer. Everyone has abs regardless of whether or not you have ever done a core workout. They will certainly look better if you train them but regardless of how muscular or not they are; The problem is men carry almost all their body fat in the gut, where women carry it in the arms/legs. This is why a man can have a \"beer gut\" and arms that look shredded, and women can have a little fat on their arms and legs but a skinny waist. In order to get them to really show you need to be around 8% body fat or lower. In order to do this I recommend cutting out as many carbs as you can. I can assure you though if you reduce your body fat enough your abs will be very prominent.</p>\n\n<p>Note: There is basically nothing healthy about this, and in my opinion having visible abs without a lot of muscle mass elsewhere just looks weird so I don't recommend this venture.</p>\n\n<p>Also as you are concerned about the six pack I should point out that what most people think of as ab workouts (crunches/sit ups) mostly only exercise your top 2 abdominal muscles, to work the lower ones you need to do leg lift type exercises.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Most importantly</strong>: Not that most people have the will required to do it, but in case you do: Absolutely <strong>do not</strong> cut out all carbs...you will die. I found that once I began to understand how easily carbs convert to fat in the body that knowledge alone fixed my diet as much as needed. Just understand that carbs are essentially extremely concentrated energy for your body, unless you are really depleting your bodies energy store on a regular basis through things like marathon running, long strenuous weight lifting sessions, long distance biking, etc. You need almost no carbs. The average person can probably get by with a single piece of fruit a day.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40676, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Given you age and weight consider the following</p>\n\n<p>You will have one window where you are going to make more hormones and be injury free. That time is now. Once this window starts to close and you get some miles on your joints things will change. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Train</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Learn how to properly train the big lifts</li>\n<li>The big lifts would be squat, deadlift, row, overhead press, pull up, dip, and because you are going to do it anyways bench press</li>\n<li>Master these lefts and get strong AF in them with good form.</li>\n<li>Shoot to squat 1.5-2X bodyweight, deadlift the same, bench over 200, 10-20 pull-ups, etc</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You can not squat or overhead press big numbers with out abs to support you. </p>\n\n<p>We had a 16 year old squat over 500... yes he had abs.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Nutrition</strong>\nGiven everything above... learn to eat enough... as some have already stated you are likely not eating enough. No diets. If you make better food decisions and train hard and focus on getting stronger you will have abs.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Carbs</strong>\n1 gram of glycogen (thanks to the reader that caught this error and suggested the correction) attracts 3.75 grams of water... or there about. Muscle is 70% water. If you completely cut carbs you will not look very lean and defined. Instead you will look flat or like I often tell clients like a fat swimmer.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Ab Training</strong>\nIf you read this far you are thinking... the question was about abs... and this answer makes no mention of having trained or training abs... what gives? </p>\n\n<p>The six pack muscle or rectus abdominus and the obliques will get plenty of work if you do the big lifts above. Why not direct work like crunches, side crunches, bicycles, Russian twists and the like (FYI I just listed most of the six pack exercises)... Data and in the field experience suggests that lots and lots of trunk flexion is bad for the low back. Research by Dr. Stuart McGill supports this, have not hear of him...Google him. My experience personally and with some... note I did not say all... mirrors that.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Better Ab Training</strong></p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Pallof Press 12 reps</li>\n<li>Plank 30-60 seconds</li>\n<li>McGill Curl Up 15 reps</li>\n<li>Bird Dog 15 reps</li>\n<li>Cat Camel 15 reps</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>3 sets of each in a super set, 3 times per week.</p>\n\n<p>Training core this way will make sure you are safe doing the big lifts. Safe doing the big lifts means you will be able to keep adding weight to the bar.</p>\n\n<p>More weight to the bar and the abs will have to get big (not I did not say fat) strong to support the load.</p>\n\n<p>Make better food choices...and you will be shocked at what you abs look like.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Sleep</strong>\nThis one is a freebie... get 7-9 hours per night.</p>\n\n<p>FYI... we had a 16 squat 5 bills... </p>\n\n<p>Keep your joints healthy and that window I mentioned that will slowly start closing just may stay open a bit longer in terms of injuries and what lifts you can or cannot do or have to modify.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40657", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31562/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42240, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What about endurance training? </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For that you will have to actually push your body further, it is a good way to lose weight, this is certain. But not great for building endurance.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Heart training? </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Again, higher intensities tend to be better. </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/types-cardio-metabolic-pathways\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"> Good news: The more you train in the glycolytic pathway, the more efficient you become at creating ATP, so you create less waste, says Dr. Bhuyan. Ultimately, that means you're able to exercise at that intensity for longer. \"You get a big bang for your buck here,\" adds Lipson. For example, burning fat and boosting your metabolism are just two of the benefits of HIIT.</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44453, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The World Health Organisation updated its physical activity guidelines in 2020 <a href=\"https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/24/1451\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">¹</a>, and one part of this update was a recognition that in order to reap the health benefits of physical activity, the total amount of physical activity performed per week is what matters, with the duration of individual bouts of physical activity being unimportant.<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001933\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">²</a></p>\n<p>So yes, 16 daily bouts of 5 minutes of exercise could reasonably be expected to be just as health-promoting as a single daily bout of 80 minutes of exercise at the same exercise intensity.</p>\n<p>I suspect that the biggest drawback of shorter exercise bouts would that they wouldn't be as effective for preparing you mentally or physically for longer bouts of exercise, if that matters to you. For instance, running a half mile every 30 minutes during the day probably wouldn't the most effective way of training for a half marathon.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40660", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31563/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40665, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you're doing is essentially a technique called <a href=\"https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/get-stronger-by-greasing-the-groove/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Greasing the Groove</a>. There have been a <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/search?q=grease%20the%20groove\">number of questions on here already about it</a>, but essentially it's a method of becoming stronger in a particular movement pattern by practicing it constantly throughout the day.</p>\n\n<p>Note the use of the word \"practice\" there. The idea is to do exactly what you're doing, about half your max reps at intervals throughout the day.</p>\n\n<p>The theory, as I understand it, is that by repeating a movement pattern with good reps (which they all should be if you're only at 50% of your rep max), you're teaching your body to become more efficient at that particular movement pattern.</p>\n\n<p>Stick with it for a few weeks, then test your rep max again, see if you've improved. If you have, you know it's working.</p>\n\n<p>(On a side note, I'm totally jealous of you having a pull up bar at work, I've repeatedly asked for one in the office, and my boss keeps looking at me like I'm insane...)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40669, "author": "ismail kartit", "author_id": 31571, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31571", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes it's really fine ! What I would like to add is that you should pay attention to when you are doing it. for example when you feel some sort of numbness on your shoulder it would be better to remove it so that you don't get shoulder injuries. it happened to me once</p>\n\n<p>Go for it! and be carefull</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40662", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31564/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40667, "author": "Grant Noe", "author_id": 31400, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31400", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You'll find that you can get <em>extremely</em> far with just bodyweight-- really it depends upon what your goals are. For powerlifting, for example, bodyweight exercises aren't going to cut it. If your goals are just general strength and mass gains, there are plenty of movements (and combos thereof) that you can do to target various locations on the pecs (with angles), or just make the moves more challenging. Your creativity is the limit. Below are some suggestions:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Angle Variations</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Incline pushups: prop your feet up on a bench (or any other stable, raised object) and perform the pushups at an angle to the ground. This will target your upper chest. The higher your feet, the greater the difficulty-- but note that it also starts moving the emphasis from your chest to your anterior deltoids (shoulders).</li>\n<li>Switch up hand positions: with a narrower hand placement, there is more tricep emphasis, but also a greater range of motion on the chest (which can add difficulty). Placing your arms at shoulder-width or slightly wider will offer a nice balance of range of motion and chest-emphasis.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Difficulty Variations</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Pause reps: stop the pushup for a few seconds at the bottom of the movement, without resting your chest on the ground.</li>\n<li>Slow reps: count out a 5-second negative to increase difficulty. A slow negative will do more for you than a slow positive since eccentric, rather than concentric, motions are where the most muscle damage is done to trigger growth.</li>\n<li>Deficit pushups: place your hands on two stable, equally-raised objects, and then lower your body all the way to the floor <em>between</em> the two objects. This will increase the stretch on the pecs. If your feet are not equally raised, then this is technically also an angle that would hit more of your lower chest.</li>\n<li>Clapping pushups: the clapping part is not even all that necessary-- in fact, skip the clap (which might have you on your face), and just try to get as much vertical distance off the ground as possible. The objective is to generate as much force as you can, as quickly as you can. This will always be challenging, since you're always using maximal effort with each rep.</li>\n<li>One-arm pushups: if you've achieved relative ease on everything with two arms, try it with one arm. I'm not a huge fan of traditional one-arm pushups since it's so easy to cheat them by tilting your torso. Instead, do a pushup with your arms staggered (one closer to the body, and one wider out, OR one more parallel with your shoulders, and one next to your ribs). This will allow you to add more load to one pec, reduce the chances of accidentally cheating the movement, and make it easier to scale strength into an actual, good form one-arm pushup. Just be sure to mirror the movement on both sides to grow each pec equally.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40674, "author": "jesse_b", "author_id": 31574, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31574", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Grant's answer contains a lot of great information/tips about improving your push up workouts, but I would like to add a few more:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Dips</strong><br>\nEnsure your body is leaning forward during the exercise, and that you completely lock out at the top (not just your arms but your shoulders) and focus on using your chest for this. This will exercise your pectoralis minor which is under your pectoralis major, this muscle won't add much strength but just a small amount of size increase on it will push out your pectoralis major and make a giant impact on chest size. Mind-muscle connection really does make a huge difference when building muscle.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Pec flies</strong><br>\nThis one may be unreasonable depending on your equipment but you can get some exercise rings or a trx setup relatively cheap and have the ability to do pec flies with virtually as much (body-weight) resistance as you will ever need. Pec flies are huge for building chest size as they are one of the only exercises you can do to stretch your pec through it's full range of motion, and that is key here, bring your arms back as far as you possibly can (don't be afraid to drop the resistance by increasing your incline). This exercise is all about the range of motion and not so much about the resistance. Again mind-muscle connection is key here. Additionally I know you asked for body weight exercises but you can also get some fairly inexpensive resistance bands to do these with that can also easily be done in your own home.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Explosive push up</strong><br>\nThis is covered by Grant's clapping pushup but the alternative to that that I use is to put some stacks of plates on the outside of my hands (can be substituted with boxes) and \"exploding\" off the ground high enough to catch myself on them. This type of training will really transfer to the bench press in a big way if you ever start weight training.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Isometric Chest Squeeze</strong><br>\nStand upright with both arms out in front of you, bent at a 90 degree angle. Lock your hands together and squeeze as hard as you can. Hold the contraction for 15-30 seconds then relax. Isometric exercises aren't great for increasing strength but I like them because you can basically get out of them what you put in, and no matter how strong you get this one will increase in difficulty with you as one side of your body will be able to resist the other with relatively equal strength.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I mentioned it a few times above but I want to re-stress the importance of mind-muscle. It's important to take a few minutes to really learn your anatomy, and how/when the muscles you are targeting are fired. You can do pushups using your shoulders and triceps almost exclusively and not really get a good chest workout. However if you understand how the chest comes into things and focus on using it, it will make a larger difference than almost anything else you could do.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40666", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28134/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40667, "author": "Grant Noe", "author_id": 31400, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31400", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You'll find that you can get <em>extremely</em> far with just bodyweight-- really it depends upon what your goals are. For powerlifting, for example, bodyweight exercises aren't going to cut it. If your goals are just general strength and mass gains, there are plenty of movements (and combos thereof) that you can do to target various locations on the pecs (with angles), or just make the moves more challenging. Your creativity is the limit. Below are some suggestions:</p>\n\n<p><strong>Angle Variations</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Incline pushups: prop your feet up on a bench (or any other stable, raised object) and perform the pushups at an angle to the ground. This will target your upper chest. The higher your feet, the greater the difficulty-- but note that it also starts moving the emphasis from your chest to your anterior deltoids (shoulders).</li>\n<li>Switch up hand positions: with a narrower hand placement, there is more tricep emphasis, but also a greater range of motion on the chest (which can add difficulty). Placing your arms at shoulder-width or slightly wider will offer a nice balance of range of motion and chest-emphasis.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Difficulty Variations</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Pause reps: stop the pushup for a few seconds at the bottom of the movement, without resting your chest on the ground.</li>\n<li>Slow reps: count out a 5-second negative to increase difficulty. A slow negative will do more for you than a slow positive since eccentric, rather than concentric, motions are where the most muscle damage is done to trigger growth.</li>\n<li>Deficit pushups: place your hands on two stable, equally-raised objects, and then lower your body all the way to the floor <em>between</em> the two objects. This will increase the stretch on the pecs. If your feet are not equally raised, then this is technically also an angle that would hit more of your lower chest.</li>\n<li>Clapping pushups: the clapping part is not even all that necessary-- in fact, skip the clap (which might have you on your face), and just try to get as much vertical distance off the ground as possible. The objective is to generate as much force as you can, as quickly as you can. This will always be challenging, since you're always using maximal effort with each rep.</li>\n<li>One-arm pushups: if you've achieved relative ease on everything with two arms, try it with one arm. I'm not a huge fan of traditional one-arm pushups since it's so easy to cheat them by tilting your torso. Instead, do a pushup with your arms staggered (one closer to the body, and one wider out, OR one more parallel with your shoulders, and one next to your ribs). This will allow you to add more load to one pec, reduce the chances of accidentally cheating the movement, and make it easier to scale strength into an actual, good form one-arm pushup. Just be sure to mirror the movement on both sides to grow each pec equally.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40674, "author": "jesse_b", "author_id": 31574, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31574", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Grant's answer contains a lot of great information/tips about improving your push up workouts, but I would like to add a few more:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><strong>Dips</strong><br>\nEnsure your body is leaning forward during the exercise, and that you completely lock out at the top (not just your arms but your shoulders) and focus on using your chest for this. This will exercise your pectoralis minor which is under your pectoralis major, this muscle won't add much strength but just a small amount of size increase on it will push out your pectoralis major and make a giant impact on chest size. Mind-muscle connection really does make a huge difference when building muscle.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Pec flies</strong><br>\nThis one may be unreasonable depending on your equipment but you can get some exercise rings or a trx setup relatively cheap and have the ability to do pec flies with virtually as much (body-weight) resistance as you will ever need. Pec flies are huge for building chest size as they are one of the only exercises you can do to stretch your pec through it's full range of motion, and that is key here, bring your arms back as far as you possibly can (don't be afraid to drop the resistance by increasing your incline). This exercise is all about the range of motion and not so much about the resistance. Again mind-muscle connection is key here. Additionally I know you asked for body weight exercises but you can also get some fairly inexpensive resistance bands to do these with that can also easily be done in your own home.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Explosive push up</strong><br>\nThis is covered by Grant's clapping pushup but the alternative to that that I use is to put some stacks of plates on the outside of my hands (can be substituted with boxes) and \"exploding\" off the ground high enough to catch myself on them. This type of training will really transfer to the bench press in a big way if you ever start weight training.</p></li>\n<li><p><strong>Isometric Chest Squeeze</strong><br>\nStand upright with both arms out in front of you, bent at a 90 degree angle. Lock your hands together and squeeze as hard as you can. Hold the contraction for 15-30 seconds then relax. Isometric exercises aren't great for increasing strength but I like them because you can basically get out of them what you put in, and no matter how strong you get this one will increase in difficulty with you as one side of your body will be able to resist the other with relatively equal strength.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I mentioned it a few times above but I want to re-stress the importance of mind-muscle. It's important to take a few minutes to really learn your anatomy, and how/when the muscles you are targeting are fired. You can do pushups using your shoulders and triceps almost exclusively and not really get a good chest workout. However if you understand how the chest comes into things and focus on using it, it will make a larger difference than almost anything else you could do.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40677", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40693, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Stay consistent enough and DOMs will start diminishing over time. I personally don't really get them anymore after years. They'll be a minor inconvenience at worst if I do get them. The exception being is if I took a couple weeks off. I'll get then the first workout but they'll go away by the second. </p>\n\n<p>Once you have them though, you just kind of have to deal with it. I've found the best way is to just move. Do some light dynamic stretching. If it's your legs, them simply walking helps. If it's in your arms, then some stretching can help. If it's <em>really</em> acute, you may have to take Ibuprofen or any NSAID painkiller. You should treat it as an injury at that point.</p>\n\n<p>You can still workout with DOMs. Though you may have to back off on some workouts depending on severity, and do something light and easy if anything at all.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40694, "author": "Adam Albie", "author_id": 31559, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31559", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I do still get DOMs from time to time, particularly after a long run (15kms and upwards). Walking and a proper cool down after a run always helps me, some light stretching also goes a long way. </p>\n\n<p>Also... ABFR (always be <a href=\"https://www.hfe.co.uk/blog/the-dos-and-donts-of-foam-rolling/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">foam rolling</a>)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40687", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28134/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40736, "author": "runlevel0", "author_id": 15535, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15535", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The rule of thumb is to minimize downhill running to 1% of your uphill running.\nThus, if you do <em>hill workouts</em> such as hill repeats or Jack Daniel's type R sessions on hills you are supposed to run up and walk or jog down. </p>\n\n<p>The idea is not that you do not run down the hills, but that instead of sprinting all out you \"ease\" down the hill. And this is meant for training not for a race. During a longer tempo training on the trail you can plan forward and study the terrain to see on which parts you can to the tempo repeats. And in any case you can ease a bit on the downhills instead of storming them all out. This will actually also help you on race day and you will be able to stay at your pace with less effort saving energy and avoiding sore legs.</p>\n\n<p>You will want to work on your general fitness first (prehab) and then do a few downhill workouts per month to \"season\" your legs.</p>\n\n<p>Cross-training exercises are strongly recommended</p>\n\n<p>There are a few techniques for downhills in the trail that depend on the footing and the inclination that can't be learned. The iRunfar.com website has a section called \"Your Ultra Running Bag of Tricks that covers many techniques that will be vital for your trail running, not only for ultras. Here a whole article spot on: </p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://runnersconnect.net/hill-running-training/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Science of Hill Running and How It Impacts Your Race Times</a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.irunfar.com/2014/03/your-ultra-training-bag-of-tricks-dont-let-downhills-be-your-downfall.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Your Ultra-Training Bag Of Tricks: Don’t Let Downhills Be Your Downfall</a></p>\n\n<p>See you on the trails ;)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40750, "author": "Thibaud Godon", "author_id": 31664, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31664", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are two main <strong>adaptations</strong> of the body to downhill effort: that of the <strong>muscles</strong> and that of the <strong>joints</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>A downhill effort is made of eccentric <strong>muscles</strong> contractions (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_contraction#Eccentric_contraction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">wikipedia link</a>) have a specific impact on muscles. These eccentric contractions result in muscle micro-tears, which are normal. During the rest after the effort, With the repetition of downhill efforts your muscles will be able to recover faster. The fiber will also become more resistant. It’s necessary to take enough time to recover from this efforts. Sleep time and protein intake as an impact on the quality of this recovery.</p>\n\n<p>The <strong>joints</strong> will strengthen over months and years of practice. Take a minute to warm up knees and ankles before a run is a good thing.</p>\n\n<p>Here is a list of exercises to improve downhill skills.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Abdominal muscles strength</li>\n<li>Balance training</li>\n<li>Proprioception training (<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OG4fYCnKD0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">youtube video</a>)</li>\n<li>Repetitions of 1 or 2 minutes in a downhill section you know well</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>These exercises will allow you to control more the gravity acceleration and to feel light and comfortable. For muscles strength you can introduce uphill/downhill activities in your training routine. Become a better downhill runner take time, it’s important to go slow and steady to avoid injury. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40688", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40690, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You’re using too much kick in your swim, and may be kicking off the wall incorrectly. Distance swimmers don’t need a tremendous amount of kick - especially triathletes. You’re just going to tire your legs out for the bike and run. Even 1500m specialists like Katie Ledecky use a 1 or 2 beat kick for most of their races. Generally, they don’t use a 6 or 8 beat kick but probably could given their elite status. </p>\n\n<p>You want to use your legs for balance - not for sprinting. </p>\n\n<p>Also, kicking off the wall poorly can put extra stress on your calves. The correct way is to push off the wall like you’re coming up from a squat (think feet flat on the wall).</p>\n\n<p>Finally, although your toes should be pointed as far back as you can get them to reduce drag, you do need to keep a little flexibility in them to allow them to work like flippers. </p>\n\n<p>At about 1 minute in the video you’ll see this swimmer (who has beautiful technique) utilizing a 2-beat kick. Notice how little kicking is actually going on. <a href=\"https://youtu.be/aMF24_H_6vQ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Two Beat Kick</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40695, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Work on the flexibility in your ankles. </p>\n\n<p>You should easily be able to make a straight line from your shin down the top of your foot to your toes. This is the ideal position to get the most propulsion from your feet in the flutter (backstroke/crawl) or dolphin kick (butterfly). If there is any arc/bend in that line, then you lose some effectiveness.</p>\n\n<p>Also, if you are not flexible enough to achieve this, then your calves have to work to hold the foot in that position, which makes a cascade effect. Your calves have to work harder to keep the pointed toe position (causing early cramping), and it also reduces the efficiency of your stroke as your lower leg is stiffer than it should be.</p>\n\n<p>Any stretch that points the toes (sitting on top of your feet for example) or laying on your back and having someone push the ends of your feet down towards the floor will help in achieving a toe point with less effort.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40689", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40692, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Honestly, there really is not a master flexibility course. It's whatever stretches you need to do for your particular problem. Stretch after your workout, when the muscles are warm, instead of at the beginning (when you just want to be warming up). Stretch to the point of mild discomfort (not pain), hold it about ten seconds, ease back to 90%, and then pulse the muscles you're stretching 10 times. Repeat that process twice, and switch to the next stretch</p>\n\n<p>Specifically for kicking upwards, do forward leg lifts, taking a step and swinging your stiff back leg up in a relaxed manner, set it down, do it with your next leg. 10-12 repetitions makes for a good dynamic stretch.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40780, "author": "kaanchan", "author_id": 31703, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31703", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are a series of practices called Pawanmuktasana Series from the <a href=\"http://biharyoga.net\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bihar Yoga</a> tradition, as systematized by Swami Satyananda. Similar practices were also known as \"sushma vyamas\" or subtle movements.</p>\n\n<p>Essentially, they are joint mobility exercises. When done with the recommended breathing and awareness, they can significantly increase flexibility and relaxed coordination between different body parts (a component of flexibility).</p>\n\n<p>The practices are outlined in detail in the book <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0949551147\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha</a>, also freely available for online viewing on <a href=\"https://satyamyogaprasad.net\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">satyamyogaprasad.net</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I was an athlete in high-school and did martial-arts independently, so I was aware of and practiced a number of stretching routines. But when I started a systematic course in yoga, my flexibility increased significantly, and with far less pain and injury than other sports-based systems. It's a science that is rarely taught in a progressive sequence.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40940, "author": "motosubatsu", "author_id": 31207, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31207", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Similarly to yourself I can't get anywhere <em>near</em> my toes when in a forward bend, and I have tight hamstrings etc.</p>\n\n<p>YMMV of course but personally I've found Yoga helpful in this regard (I specifically practice Hatha) - there are multiple poses that help stretch the hamstrings, hip flexors and other muscles that will be effecting your flexibility.</p>\n\n<p>Poses such as Downward dog particularly doing the variants such as with foot pedalling, \"hooking\" one foot behind the other ankle to deepen the stretch etc. work well but maximum benefit is gained from working <em>all</em> the muscle groups and areas of the body you wish to increase flexibility/strength in.</p>\n\n<p>Frustratingly there's a relative lack of good science-based studies in the effectiveness of yoga however which means I can't offer much more than my own subjective opinion and experience - which is that I've seen strength and flexibility benefits when I'm consistently practicing that go away again when I stop for a period of time. Not exactly what you'd call concrete scientific proof!</p>\n\n<p>Equally frustratingly there's a lot of woo and fluff attached to it with some Yoga schools/teachers which can be extremely off-putting. No, Yoga isn't going to turn you into Mr. Fantastic overnight, no it won't cure cancer, or detox your liver, and no it won't make you a better person. But I <em>have</em> found it to be a good way to improve flexibility and strength in various muscle groups and joints I found hard to access properly during my other exercising.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40691", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27147/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41546, "author": "JonathanG", "author_id": 31984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31984", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here we are 6 months later. I hope you are still training and maybe reached your goalweight. If not, let me help you.\nLosing fat is simply CICO (calories in, calories out) counting and some cardio. If you want definition, then hit the weights.\nI train personally like this:</p>\n\n<p>Monday: rest</p>\n\n<p>Tuesday: chest</p>\n\n<p>Wednesday: legs</p>\n\n<p>Thursday: rest</p>\n\n<p>Friday: shoulders</p>\n\n<p>Saturday: arms</p>\n\n<p>Sunday: back</p>\n\n<p>With every training 10 minutes cardio before, minimum of 20 after.</p>\n\n<p>In the end, just count calories. Eat 300 to 500 in deficit and you will lose weight without training. If you add cardio you will lose weight faster and possibly feel better.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41718, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li>“Should I continue with the same routine I had? o Should I change something?”</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I stand by some of the answers that you can do compounds lifts or even a full body work out to make it more efficient. Compound lifts burn more calories in a sense as it recruits more muscles more work. </p>\n\n<p>Progressive overload is an important principle in training and you can do so by altering sets and reps. You can look up for undulated periodisation to program your workout to make it more interesting. You will need to challenge your body for it to adapt and become stronger. I would also suggest some back training to counter the “push” exercises to prevent rounded shoulders from overdeveloped/tight chest muscles for example. And it can also help in postural management. I would recommend looking up Jeff Cavalier or Jeff Nippard on YouTube as they do cover these points. </p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>“Should I definitely stop drinking beer?”</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>We all still need to enjoy and it comes down to moderation - unless you’re looking at competing professionally! </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40696", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30692/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40703, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sorry to hear of your back issues.</p>\n\n<p>Have been there with similar issues on my own back.</p>\n\n<p>A solid approach might be the following.</p>\n\n<p>1). Use Nutrition to Lose Weight\n2). Learn what you CAN safely do and what you should do from a Rehab and Prehab stand point.</p>\n\n<p>Fat Loss\nNutrition is KING for losing fat. You do not need a crazy fad diet or to completely eliminate entire food groups. Start being mindful of what you eat, cut back on the bad stuff (and all of us know what the is), eat more vegetables and protein.</p>\n\n<p>As long as you are at a caloric deficit you will lose weight, you have to.</p>\n\n<p>Take your total bodyweight and multiply it by 10... this will be roughly how many calories you should be eating.</p>\n\n<p>1 Gram per total pound of bodyweight in protein (multiply by 4 to get calories) and the balance of calories split between carbs and fat. With out a ton more info it is hard for me to give you a target on carbs and fat... roughly 20% and 30% of each respectively will be close.</p>\n\n<p>Cardio and Fatloss\nYou do NOT need cardio to lose weight. This is coming from someone that has lost 60 lbs and kept if off for over 20 years now. I have also worked with thousands as a trainer and gym owner over the last 20 years.</p>\n\n<p>What? No cardio? The more you do cardio the better shape you get into. As you get in better and better shape you burn less and less calories for that activity. Again we call this getting in better shape. </p>\n\n<p>Forget the calorie read out on the cardio machine, ie treadmill. Unless you are wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor it is not likely and will not account for you getting in better shape and burning less and less calories.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise for Fatloss\nGaining muscle mass through weight training will increase metabolism. So yes you need to weight train. </p>\n\n<p>I would avoid anything that loads the spine, ie squats and deadlifts until you can see a therapist and get a professional recommendation. I do not see a reason you can not do these lifts and axially load the spine in the future but for now you have to get healthy and learn more about your injury... the Dr. seems to be able to assess injury and prescribe a solution but could not discuss the solution he prescribed...scratching my head.</p>\n\n<p>Rehab and Prehab \nI would look up Dr. Stu McGill. Read some of his namely</p>\n\n<p>1). Cat/Camel\n2). Contralateral or Birddog\n3). McGill Curl Up\n4). Plank, Side Plank, etc.</p>\n\n<p>The January/February issue of Men's Health did a story on McGill and including a workout for low back health similar to that detailed above. You can likely find it online as well as other great info by Dr. McGill.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40709, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Firstly, imaging, such as x-rays and MRIs, to determine the cause of lower back pain is problematic because asymptomatic people tend to have all kinds of spinal degenerations which don't actually cause any problems, with a prevalence of approximately 70% of individuals younger than 50 years of age to >90% of individuals older than 50 years of age.<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464797/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(1)</a> This means that you can't actually be certain that anything found through imaging is really the cause of the lower back pain, as it's quite likely that it was actually pre-existing, asymptomatic, and unrelated. A 2018 summary of various international clinical practice guidelines even explicitly recommended against routine imaging.<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29971708\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(2)</a></p>\n\n<p>Research strongly supports exercise as a treatment for chronic lower back pain, and in many cases specifically recommends strength training.</p>\n\n<p>Exercise in the Management of Chronic Back Pain, Thomas E. Dreisinger, 2014:\n\"The goal of therapeutic intervention is to return patients to the normal activities of daily living—sitting, rising, bending, twisting, lifting,\nwalking, and climbing—by enhancing strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance. Only resistance (strength) training has been shown to result in increases in all 4 of these at the same time.\"<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3963038/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(3)</a></p>\n\n<p>A 2015 study specifically investigated free-weight resistance training, and found that \"A free-weight-based resistance training intervention can be successfully utilised to improve pain, disability and quality of life in those with low back pain.\"<a href=\"https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000050\" rel=\"noreferrer\">(4)</a></p>\n\n<p>If I were in your position, I'd probably just go ahead with resistance training, but then I already regularly practice weight training, so I'm in a slightly different starting position. If you're worried I'd strongly recommend getting a second opinion from a doctor who does have knowledge about resistance training, and who does not use imaging as a tool for diagnosing lower back pain.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40702", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/22139/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40715, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It’s GPS. A proper breaststroke should have the same type of “catch” as a freestyle stroke (it’s actually similar on all strokes). This means your wrist is going to be submerged about a foot or two.</p>\n\n<p>GPS needs 3 satellites for a proper position acquisition, but really 4 for altitude above the ellipsoid and time. Most modern GPS capture 10-12 satellites in the open. </p>\n\n<p>The frequency, I believe is somewhere between 1.0 and 1.5 GHZ, giving you a wavelength of about 19-25cm. Meaning that you stand a good chance, especially underwater, of losing significant accuracy of your GPS position. This will result in squiggly tracking and incorrect distance tracking - even with a freestyle stroke.</p>\n\n<p>I own a Fenix 3 and experience the same results open water swimming with a freestyle stroke.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40739, "author": "mungflesh", "author_id": 30612, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30612", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I haven't tried it myself but you could try a swim buoy and place the device in there which would hopefully keep it above water level.</p>\n\n<p>You won't get swimming metrics but you might get the GPS track points OK.</p>\n\n<p>Also, I find that using \"Record Every Second\" in the Settings >> Data Recording helps accuracy too, for OWS.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41163, "author": "người Sàigòn", "author_id": 24550, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24550", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I paddle sprint vessels on the water; so a little more advantageous due to having something to attach the GPS devices. I'm adding an answer because the three devices I use have proven helpful in getting data and perhaps might be helpful to you with just a little adaptation.</p>\n\n<p>Device 1, Garmin Foretrex 410. \nThis is way cheaper than the Fenix but well proven on the battlefield. I once dropped in the water (3ft) after a paddling session &amp; didn't know until I found it again two days later upon returning to the river. It continued to work without any issues! I use this for speed &amp; distance feedback while paddling. Kind of real-time feedback. Yes, there is a lag but you get to know what it is and it works to give you a very good sense of your current status. It is very helpful during sprint pieces to allow you to see exactly where you peak. It is responsive and reasonably accurate.</p>\n\n<p>Device 2, Garmin Forerunner 235. \nI use this on my wrist mainly for tracking heart rates for intervals and for tracking data to review later. It also has audible cues for intervals. This device is also older &amp; cheaper, but very useful for both real-time heart rate &amp; for reviewing workout graphs.</p>\n\n<p>Device 3, smartphone.\nFor interval audible cues &amp; tracking apps to review after the session. I put the phone in a tight-fitting waterproof pouch with a floater. Always add some floater to your valuable, regardless if they're waterproof. They'd be useless lost on the bottom of the water.</p>\n\n<p>These three devices, plus a camera, have helped me train well with sufficient data for (almost) real-time, and for later review. I've been using them for many years (the Forerunner watch is more recent but the Foretrex 410 has been with me for 6-7 years, with the 301 before it, adding to nearly a decade of good use). </p>\n\n<p>How to apply to your case:</p>\n\n<p>Suggestion 1. Get an elastic strap from any fabric store the same size as the wrist band and loop on the watch to wear across either your back near shoulders or the back of your head. Since you swim head out of the water, this might work, or</p>\n\n<p>Suggestion 2. Wear a cap that has a bill (a baseball type cap). Maybe even get one with a clear visor/bill. You can attach your watch to the bill via some simple configuration. You can even cut two openings on the bill just far enough apart to loop the watch band around the middle of the bill that will allow you to see its face &amp; data. Attach the band through the slid-openings &amp; voilà, you've got a working solution. Be careful as the cap can sink fast if you hit a wave or the wind blows it far from your reach. I've lost a few through the years in rough water or wind conditions. My solution is add something to help it float. It doesn't need much, even a fishing bobber will keep it dangling near the surface. Of course, test it out first.</p>\n\n<p>Suggestion 3. Secure it to a small flat piece of wood or foam with a string and drag it behind you. It's a little awkward but I believe still better than changing your stroke techniques.</p>\n\n<p>Hope one of these can be helpful for you. Enjoy!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40714", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40717, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes.</p>\n\n<p>What? I need to write more than that? Hmm... ok...</p>\n\n<p>Generally speaking (I say generally speaking, because there's a part of me that rebels against the idea of breaking down our complex bodily metabolic processes to a simple mathematical formula), if you take in less calories than your body uses, you'll lose weight, if you take in more, you'll gain weight.</p>\n\n<p>Notice the use of the phrase \"take in\" there instead of \"eat\".</p>\n\n<p>One of the main causes of weight gain that people don't always think of is alcohol. Beer has calories. Wine has calories. Spirits have calories. That strange bottle of red syrupy liquid that your aunt gave you for your birthday, with a hand scrawled label that you can't quite make out (drink at your own peril!), that has calories.</p>\n\n<p>I used to make a smoothie concoction in my NutriBullet for breakfast and drink it on my way to work. After a little experimentation, I managed to pack around 1000 calories into it (pro tip: peanut butter is awesome for packing in additional calories). I used this to put on some extra muscle mass, and it worked really well.</p>\n\n<p>As long as you're getting the main bulk of your calories from real, whole foods (meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, plus beans and legumes if your body can handle them), then there's nothing wrong with adding in a protein drink to get the extra calories in.</p>\n\n<p>What I like to do is work out my rough maintenance caloric intake (last time I checked it was around 3300 calories), that being the amount of calories you can eat and maintain your bodyweight and composition, then up it by something like 250 to gain some mass, or drop it by the same amount to lose. If I'm looking to gain, I'll normally add a can of sardines and an avocado to my diet somewhere during the day, but there's nothing to say it couldn't be a protein shake instead.</p>\n\n<p>Long time ago, a pregnant friend of mine suffered from all day morning sickness, stopped eating and started losing weight at a worrying rate (not great for a pregnant lady). She was prescribed what were essentially protein drinks to try and gain back some of the weight she'd lost. They worked.</p>\n\n<p>So, long, wordy answer shortened, yes, increasing your daily caloric intake more than the required limit, solely by protein drinks, will help you put on weight.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40718, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To gain weight you have to consume more calories than you spend.</p>\n\n<p>As long as there is a surplus of calories you will see the scale tick up.</p>\n\n<p>As stated already by others demands for protein are greater when there is a caloric deficit, ie someone is trying to lose weight.</p>\n\n<p>So the extra calories can come from any of the macronutrient carbs, protein and fat.</p>\n\n<p>Protein shakes are convenient and portable. but you would be hard pressed to find shakes for sale but not healthy options.</p>\n\n<p>We have had clients turn hard gainers and collegiate athletes, that do not have more time to sit and eat another whole food meal. </p>\n\n<p>So in stead of a normal beverage with meals... we would have them consume a shake with a meal. This does not increase the number of meals they need to eat and allows them to get another 250-400 calories per day.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40716", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31608/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40720, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Bottoms-up kettlebell. It will definitely increase grip strength.</p>\n\n<p>For example, one exercise I do is that I start in a squat and swing the kettlebell from the floor to the bottoms-up position as I stand. I also do an exercise where I hold the kettlebell bottoms-up and step up and down onto a platform. A more standard type of exercise is just to carry the upside-down kettlebell across the length of your gym. The important thing is the kettlebell is upside down. </p>\n\n<p>Now, expect to go light on weight. The bottoms-up is an unstable position and you won't be able to execute the movement with the amount of weight you may be accustomed to. This isn't an exercise for maximum strength or power. It is an exercise for your grip, control, stability, and your core. Stuart Mcgill has studied the <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2012/01000/Kettlebell_Swing,_Snatch,_and_Bottoms_Up_Carry_.3.aspx#pdf-link\" rel=\"noreferrer\">exercise</a> and concludes that it activates your core more than most other exercises because it requires such fine-tuned control. </p>\n\n<p>Another aspect of this exercise is that it requires a highly tuned mind-body connection. What I mean by this is that in order to hold a kettlebell bottoms-up you must carefully monitor micromovements in your wrist. One wrong micromovement, and the kettlebell flips over. As you fatigue, the difficulty of holding the kettlebell bottoms-up increases exponentially. Try it, and you'll find out what I mean. Some people find this frustrating, but for me it is a challenge to my mental strength. </p>\n\n<p>If you looking for an exercise that works raw power, this isn't it. That's what squats and deadlifts are for. But if you are interested in a more fine-tuned type of movement it is great.</p>\n\n<p>As a final point, when you go to the gym you will probably not see anybody else doing bottoms-up kettlebells. In the last three years I've only seen two other people doing these exercises. So, you can be a sheep and follow the herd or you can try something different.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40743, "author": "Ryan Huggins", "author_id": 31644, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31644", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Wrist curls are good, as well as the reverse of them. Pushups on a clenched fist as well as do farmers walks.</p>\n\n<p>One of the best I've seen though, and one of my favorites, are the grip strength trainers from \"Captains of Crush\". </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40748, "author": "tymtam", "author_id": 4151, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4151", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not sure what a gripping match is but you should be able to improve your grip with two or one arm hanging. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40783, "author": "Manga gains", "author_id": 31705, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31705", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Start with push ups and then superman push ups over time they will get stronger </p>\n\n<p>Watch this video \n<a href=\"https://youtu.be/SeSUzyDBXWY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/SeSUzyDBXWY</a>!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rx8qk.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"> Wolf flybynature Superman Push ups </a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40799, "author": "Alpha Bar", "author_id": 31733, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31733", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've always found that my forearms/wrists/hands grow significantly when I'm deadlifting frequently. I've also found that my forearms/wrists/hands burn when I do straight-bar bicep curls. </p>\n\n<p>Try incorporating more deadlifts and straight-bar bicep curls into your workouts. If you've never deadlifted, it would be worthwhile to have an experienced friend/trainer show you how to do them, or do a lot of research, because you can injure yourself. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40804, "author": "Norman Potts", "author_id": 31741, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31741", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Do chin ups and pull ups on a bar with a larger than normal diameter. This will make it slightly difficult to grip the bar while you try to lift your body weight. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40719", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31610/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40720, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Bottoms-up kettlebell. It will definitely increase grip strength.</p>\n\n<p>For example, one exercise I do is that I start in a squat and swing the kettlebell from the floor to the bottoms-up position as I stand. I also do an exercise where I hold the kettlebell bottoms-up and step up and down onto a platform. A more standard type of exercise is just to carry the upside-down kettlebell across the length of your gym. The important thing is the kettlebell is upside down. </p>\n\n<p>Now, expect to go light on weight. The bottoms-up is an unstable position and you won't be able to execute the movement with the amount of weight you may be accustomed to. This isn't an exercise for maximum strength or power. It is an exercise for your grip, control, stability, and your core. Stuart Mcgill has studied the <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2012/01000/Kettlebell_Swing,_Snatch,_and_Bottoms_Up_Carry_.3.aspx#pdf-link\" rel=\"noreferrer\">exercise</a> and concludes that it activates your core more than most other exercises because it requires such fine-tuned control. </p>\n\n<p>Another aspect of this exercise is that it requires a highly tuned mind-body connection. What I mean by this is that in order to hold a kettlebell bottoms-up you must carefully monitor micromovements in your wrist. One wrong micromovement, and the kettlebell flips over. As you fatigue, the difficulty of holding the kettlebell bottoms-up increases exponentially. Try it, and you'll find out what I mean. Some people find this frustrating, but for me it is a challenge to my mental strength. </p>\n\n<p>If you looking for an exercise that works raw power, this isn't it. That's what squats and deadlifts are for. But if you are interested in a more fine-tuned type of movement it is great.</p>\n\n<p>As a final point, when you go to the gym you will probably not see anybody else doing bottoms-up kettlebells. In the last three years I've only seen two other people doing these exercises. So, you can be a sheep and follow the herd or you can try something different.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40743, "author": "Ryan Huggins", "author_id": 31644, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31644", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Wrist curls are good, as well as the reverse of them. Pushups on a clenched fist as well as do farmers walks.</p>\n\n<p>One of the best I've seen though, and one of my favorites, are the grip strength trainers from \"Captains of Crush\". </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40748, "author": "tymtam", "author_id": 4151, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4151", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not sure what a gripping match is but you should be able to improve your grip with two or one arm hanging. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40783, "author": "Manga gains", "author_id": 31705, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31705", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Start with push ups and then superman push ups over time they will get stronger </p>\n\n<p>Watch this video \n<a href=\"https://youtu.be/SeSUzyDBXWY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/SeSUzyDBXWY</a>!</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rx8qk.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"> Wolf flybynature Superman Push ups </a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40799, "author": "Alpha Bar", "author_id": 31733, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31733", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've always found that my forearms/wrists/hands grow significantly when I'm deadlifting frequently. I've also found that my forearms/wrists/hands burn when I do straight-bar bicep curls. </p>\n\n<p>Try incorporating more deadlifts and straight-bar bicep curls into your workouts. If you've never deadlifted, it would be worthwhile to have an experienced friend/trainer show you how to do them, or do a lot of research, because you can injure yourself. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40804, "author": "Norman Potts", "author_id": 31741, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31741", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Do chin ups and pull ups on a bar with a larger than normal diameter. This will make it slightly difficult to grip the bar while you try to lift your body weight. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40724", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40729, "author": "pawelek123", "author_id": 31630, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31630", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The best thing you can do is to educate yourself on the topic. Physical fitness is very very broad subject and it is impossible to answer your question because it's too simplistic. I encourage you to check out Joe Rogan episodes with people like Peter attia, chris chressser, Rhonda Patrick. Learn about endocrinology of this stuff. Learn about what to eat. Applying this knowledge will burn much more fat than any strategy on elliptical. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40730, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I assume your goal is to lose fat. For this you need to be in a long-term caloric deficit. This is studied <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025815\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. Keep in mind that these ladies only did aerobic training which does not significantly increase muscle mass, thus they found that between dieting heavily and exercising and dieting both led to the same amount of fat loss when the caloric deficit was same.</p>\n\n<p>It is definitely not true that calorically demanding exercises are only useful three times a week. If you can do it more often then do so. Keep in mind that the most important thing for health and weightloss is dieting and metabolism. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3696577/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This paper</a> covers the importance of a low-calorie for cardiovascular health, more so than just fat loss. These results should be taken with a grain of salt due to small sample of human trials, but it is some evidence nonetheless.</p>\n\n<p>If you really wanna lose weight, you're better off doing strength training and weight lifting. The added muscle will boost your metabolism causing you to burn more calories just being alive. To be totally honest, I couldn't find a paper giving evidence. I did however find <a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/get-more-burn-from-your-workout#\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this WebMD article</a> that isn't necessarily trustworthy. I want to say I believe it but that may just be confirmation bias so I'll leave it up to you to decide.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/3/738/4564609\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This paper</a> is just interesting.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40727", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30914/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40732, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, these amounts are very likely determined through what is just a \"best guess\". There's no consensus on what is an optimal macro split for any particular goal, only guidelines, and what is truly optimal is likely to vary from person to person, and will be very difficult to determine with any accuracy. So these calculators do the best they can, which is choosing an algorithm that gives results that are probably reasonable for most people.</p>\n\n<p>As for why the ratios change from gain to maintain phases, that's an artifact of their algorithm, which appears to work as follows:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Estimate the user's lean body weight from their total body weight\nand age.</li>\n<li>Estimate the user's total daily energy expenditure from\ntheir body weight, age and activity level.</li>\n<li>Add the desired caloric surplus or deficit to get their target daily caloric intake.</li>\n<li>Assign 30% of their daily caloric intake to fat.</li>\n<li>Determine their daily protein intake target as a proportion of either their lean body weight or total body weight, with a higher proportion used for when they're not in a caloric surplus, in order to minimise muscle loss. (E.g. Maybe you entered that you are 75kg, and it used 2g/kg protein during gaining or 2.2g/kg during maintenance, to get the 149g and 165g targets for those respectively.)</li>\n<li>Subtract the calories assigned to fat and protein from the target daily caloric intake, and assign carbohydrates to meet the remainder.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>So the reasons why the ratios change are that the amount of protein is calculated relative to your body weight rather than your TDEE (and the ratio changes in different phases), and carbohydrates are chosen last, resulting in there being no constant ratio of fat:carbs or carbs:TDEE.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40737, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Echoing some of what David already said, much of this is an educated guess and everyone is different.</p>\n\n<p>In regards to the ratios changing, dietary protein demands to maintain lean mass will decrease as total calories increase. So protein goes down (18% of calories) as calories go up in the gaining scenario you present above.</p>\n\n<p>Grams of fat and carbs go up in the gaining scenario as the total calories are increased and the extra calories have to come from somewhere. When calories are at or below maintenance protein demands will increase... So in the maintenance scenario grams of protein are increased (22% of calories) while grams of carbs and fat are decreased as the caloric intake needs to be reduced and the deficit has to come from someplace.</p>\n\n<p>You did not mention you weight or age (or if you did I missed it). However, this amount of protein seems a bit low as a percentage of total caloric intake. You are spot on in looking to gain quality weight. As stated above though, this is largely just educated guesses and based on the individual.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Log what you eat and take great notes. </li>\n<li>Measure progress on the scale.</li>\n<li>Measure your flexed bicep.</li>\n<li>Watch how denim/blue jeans fit out of the dryer.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Putting the info above to work for you to gain mostly lean mass.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If the scale is going up and your jeans fit out of the dryer you are gaining mostly lean mass. It is working. Consider bumping calories a bit higher. If the scale goes up and the jeans are getting tighter you are gaining fat and lean mass. Consider dropping calories a bit.</p>\n\n<p>When it comes time to lean out... if the scale is dropping the flexed bicep is remaining unchanged and the denim fit great you will be losing mostly fat mass and retaining lean mass.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40731", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28224/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40732, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, these amounts are very likely determined through what is just a \"best guess\". There's no consensus on what is an optimal macro split for any particular goal, only guidelines, and what is truly optimal is likely to vary from person to person, and will be very difficult to determine with any accuracy. So these calculators do the best they can, which is choosing an algorithm that gives results that are probably reasonable for most people.</p>\n\n<p>As for why the ratios change from gain to maintain phases, that's an artifact of their algorithm, which appears to work as follows:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Estimate the user's lean body weight from their total body weight\nand age.</li>\n<li>Estimate the user's total daily energy expenditure from\ntheir body weight, age and activity level.</li>\n<li>Add the desired caloric surplus or deficit to get their target daily caloric intake.</li>\n<li>Assign 30% of their daily caloric intake to fat.</li>\n<li>Determine their daily protein intake target as a proportion of either their lean body weight or total body weight, with a higher proportion used for when they're not in a caloric surplus, in order to minimise muscle loss. (E.g. Maybe you entered that you are 75kg, and it used 2g/kg protein during gaining or 2.2g/kg during maintenance, to get the 149g and 165g targets for those respectively.)</li>\n<li>Subtract the calories assigned to fat and protein from the target daily caloric intake, and assign carbohydrates to meet the remainder.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>So the reasons why the ratios change are that the amount of protein is calculated relative to your body weight rather than your TDEE (and the ratio changes in different phases), and carbohydrates are chosen last, resulting in there being no constant ratio of fat:carbs or carbs:TDEE.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40737, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Echoing some of what David already said, much of this is an educated guess and everyone is different.</p>\n\n<p>In regards to the ratios changing, dietary protein demands to maintain lean mass will decrease as total calories increase. So protein goes down (18% of calories) as calories go up in the gaining scenario you present above.</p>\n\n<p>Grams of fat and carbs go up in the gaining scenario as the total calories are increased and the extra calories have to come from somewhere. When calories are at or below maintenance protein demands will increase... So in the maintenance scenario grams of protein are increased (22% of calories) while grams of carbs and fat are decreased as the caloric intake needs to be reduced and the deficit has to come from someplace.</p>\n\n<p>You did not mention you weight or age (or if you did I missed it). However, this amount of protein seems a bit low as a percentage of total caloric intake. You are spot on in looking to gain quality weight. As stated above though, this is largely just educated guesses and based on the individual.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Log what you eat and take great notes. </li>\n<li>Measure progress on the scale.</li>\n<li>Measure your flexed bicep.</li>\n<li>Watch how denim/blue jeans fit out of the dryer.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Putting the info above to work for you to gain mostly lean mass.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If the scale is going up and your jeans fit out of the dryer you are gaining mostly lean mass. It is working. Consider bumping calories a bit higher. If the scale goes up and the jeans are getting tighter you are gaining fat and lean mass. Consider dropping calories a bit.</p>\n\n<p>When it comes time to lean out... if the scale is dropping the flexed bicep is remaining unchanged and the denim fit great you will be losing mostly fat mass and retaining lean mass.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40740", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31641/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40732, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, these amounts are very likely determined through what is just a \"best guess\". There's no consensus on what is an optimal macro split for any particular goal, only guidelines, and what is truly optimal is likely to vary from person to person, and will be very difficult to determine with any accuracy. So these calculators do the best they can, which is choosing an algorithm that gives results that are probably reasonable for most people.</p>\n\n<p>As for why the ratios change from gain to maintain phases, that's an artifact of their algorithm, which appears to work as follows:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Estimate the user's lean body weight from their total body weight\nand age.</li>\n<li>Estimate the user's total daily energy expenditure from\ntheir body weight, age and activity level.</li>\n<li>Add the desired caloric surplus or deficit to get their target daily caloric intake.</li>\n<li>Assign 30% of their daily caloric intake to fat.</li>\n<li>Determine their daily protein intake target as a proportion of either their lean body weight or total body weight, with a higher proportion used for when they're not in a caloric surplus, in order to minimise muscle loss. (E.g. Maybe you entered that you are 75kg, and it used 2g/kg protein during gaining or 2.2g/kg during maintenance, to get the 149g and 165g targets for those respectively.)</li>\n<li>Subtract the calories assigned to fat and protein from the target daily caloric intake, and assign carbohydrates to meet the remainder.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>So the reasons why the ratios change are that the amount of protein is calculated relative to your body weight rather than your TDEE (and the ratio changes in different phases), and carbohydrates are chosen last, resulting in there being no constant ratio of fat:carbs or carbs:TDEE.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40737, "author": "Ray", "author_id": 31554, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31554", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Echoing some of what David already said, much of this is an educated guess and everyone is different.</p>\n\n<p>In regards to the ratios changing, dietary protein demands to maintain lean mass will decrease as total calories increase. So protein goes down (18% of calories) as calories go up in the gaining scenario you present above.</p>\n\n<p>Grams of fat and carbs go up in the gaining scenario as the total calories are increased and the extra calories have to come from somewhere. When calories are at or below maintenance protein demands will increase... So in the maintenance scenario grams of protein are increased (22% of calories) while grams of carbs and fat are decreased as the caloric intake needs to be reduced and the deficit has to come from someplace.</p>\n\n<p>You did not mention you weight or age (or if you did I missed it). However, this amount of protein seems a bit low as a percentage of total caloric intake. You are spot on in looking to gain quality weight. As stated above though, this is largely just educated guesses and based on the individual.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Log what you eat and take great notes. </li>\n<li>Measure progress on the scale.</li>\n<li>Measure your flexed bicep.</li>\n<li>Watch how denim/blue jeans fit out of the dryer.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p><strong>Putting the info above to work for you to gain mostly lean mass.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If the scale is going up and your jeans fit out of the dryer you are gaining mostly lean mass. It is working. Consider bumping calories a bit higher. If the scale goes up and the jeans are getting tighter you are gaining fat and lean mass. Consider dropping calories a bit.</p>\n\n<p>When it comes time to lean out... if the scale is dropping the flexed bicep is remaining unchanged and the denim fit great you will be losing mostly fat mass and retaining lean mass.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40742", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6634/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40757, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Both your friend and wife are wrong.</p>\n\n<p>Your friend seems to believe that fasted cardio leads to greater fat loss, but it simply doesn’t. Your body might attempt to use more fuel from fat during such a session, but it makes up for it later in the day, thereby rendering the attempt neutral (neither good or bad). Whether you exercise fasted or fed should be determined based on how you feel as well as your body’s response. Your friend also seems to believe that intermittent fasting is important for fat loss, but this also isn’t true. Your net caloric balance matters more than anything else when it comes to this. For some people, intermittent fasting fits their lifestyle and compliments their goals. Other people are equally successful eating 5 or more times a day from morning to night. It’s your net caloric balance that matters most here, not the timing or specific size of each meal.</p>\n\n<p>Your wife’s claims are also wrong by simple observation. More than half of all Americans drink coffee, you’ll notice that far far fewer have stomach problems. Having food with your coffee doesn’t magically change how your body digests it either, there just isn’t anything in coffee that would cause such a problem. As for the heart issue, unless you have a personal or family history of heart problems, caffeine consumption within a safe range (under 400mg, about 4 cups of coffee) is going to be just fine.</p>\n\n<p>Can your friend’s advice help? It could, it just depends on how sustainable it seems for you. The caffeine can certainly help to motivate you through a workout, and intermittent fasting is useful for a lot of people too. Can your wife’s advice help? It’s good to be mindful of your current/potential medical conditions as well as what’s reasonable to consume. Ultimately however people are different and respond differently to things.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41014, "author": "Wenuka", "author_id": 32022, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32022", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since you are clearly asking about intermittent fasting. Let me give you some background first. I was obese since I was a little kid. It never bothered me anyway until I turned 21 and my friends calling me FATTY! So I tried any method I could and there never were a success. Anyway throughout this time I experienced one thing, that is you cannot lose weight without controlling the diet. And dieting is completely a mind game. </p>\n\n<p>Finally I came to a realization, the only thing you have to do is limit the calorie intake (simply the quantity of food) and let the excess fat in the body take care of the energy needs. </p>\n\n<p>I have written a few articles on my blog on this topic. Feel free to have a look at it yourself. I am copying the link below here.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://befitloseweight.blogspot.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://befitloseweight.blogspot.com/</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40755", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19244/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40766, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just to summarize what we went over in the comments, we recommend that you don't worry about the details of WHEN you consume the protein, but rather make sure that you DO consume the protein. </p>\n\n<p>The idea that you must consume the protein as close to the workout as possible is largely a myth propagated by those who try to sell protein shakes and bars. Intuitively, it's not like the muscles stop requiring protein after an hour.</p>\n\n<p>I should also mention that 120g of protein sounds like you're overdoing it. Remember that excess protein gets converted to fat.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577439/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This study</a> concludes, among other things, that</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>high-quality protein dosed at 0.4–0.5 g/kg of LBM at both pre- and post-exercise is a simple, relatively fail-safe general guideline that reflects the current evidence showing a maximal acute anabolic effect of 20–40 g [53,84,85]. For example, someone with 70 kg of LBM would consume roughly 28–35 g protein in both the pre- and post exercise meal. Exceeding this would be have minimal detriment if any, whereas significantly under-shooting or neglecting it altogether would not maximize the anabolic response.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For more guidelines, read the entire \"Practical applications\" section of the study I linked.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40772, "author": "Shahid Thaika", "author_id": 28635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What is your target body weight? You only need to eat 1.2-2.0 gram of protein per kilo of body weight, to gain muscle. 120g is required by someone who weighs 75-100kgs.</p>\n\n<p>Your body repairs and grows everyday and needs protein spread evenly throughout, else excess protein gets converted into fat.</p>\n\n<p>Drink 3-4 glasses of milk and eat eggs, if you can, they are pretty cheap. Peanuts are cheap as well in most parts of the world.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40784, "author": "Shira Ishikawa", "author_id": 31343, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31343", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Answering your question alone, it's logical to think eating more at Tuesday is the correct move, because body start repairing the muscle after you work it out.</p>\n\n<p>But I think it's better to spread the intake, so it will be more natural and less stressing to keep the schedules. You can get protein cheaply from Milk, Eggs and soy products (especially Tempeh(+-19g of Proteins per 100g) and Tofu(+-8g of Proteins per 100g)), which can be consumed as a snack or side dish for your heavy food. If you want to switch one of your heavy food, try to get chicken breast (+-31g of Proteins per 100g).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40758", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31465/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40766, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just to summarize what we went over in the comments, we recommend that you don't worry about the details of WHEN you consume the protein, but rather make sure that you DO consume the protein. </p>\n\n<p>The idea that you must consume the protein as close to the workout as possible is largely a myth propagated by those who try to sell protein shakes and bars. Intuitively, it's not like the muscles stop requiring protein after an hour.</p>\n\n<p>I should also mention that 120g of protein sounds like you're overdoing it. Remember that excess protein gets converted to fat.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577439/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This study</a> concludes, among other things, that</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>high-quality protein dosed at 0.4–0.5 g/kg of LBM at both pre- and post-exercise is a simple, relatively fail-safe general guideline that reflects the current evidence showing a maximal acute anabolic effect of 20–40 g [53,84,85]. For example, someone with 70 kg of LBM would consume roughly 28–35 g protein in both the pre- and post exercise meal. Exceeding this would be have minimal detriment if any, whereas significantly under-shooting or neglecting it altogether would not maximize the anabolic response.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For more guidelines, read the entire \"Practical applications\" section of the study I linked.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40772, "author": "Shahid Thaika", "author_id": 28635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What is your target body weight? You only need to eat 1.2-2.0 gram of protein per kilo of body weight, to gain muscle. 120g is required by someone who weighs 75-100kgs.</p>\n\n<p>Your body repairs and grows everyday and needs protein spread evenly throughout, else excess protein gets converted into fat.</p>\n\n<p>Drink 3-4 glasses of milk and eat eggs, if you can, they are pretty cheap. Peanuts are cheap as well in most parts of the world.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40784, "author": "Shira Ishikawa", "author_id": 31343, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31343", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Answering your question alone, it's logical to think eating more at Tuesday is the correct move, because body start repairing the muscle after you work it out.</p>\n\n<p>But I think it's better to spread the intake, so it will be more natural and less stressing to keep the schedules. You can get protein cheaply from Milk, Eggs and soy products (especially Tempeh(+-19g of Proteins per 100g) and Tofu(+-8g of Proteins per 100g)), which can be consumed as a snack or side dish for your heavy food. If you want to switch one of your heavy food, try to get chicken breast (+-31g of Proteins per 100g).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40762", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31670/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40766, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just to summarize what we went over in the comments, we recommend that you don't worry about the details of WHEN you consume the protein, but rather make sure that you DO consume the protein. </p>\n\n<p>The idea that you must consume the protein as close to the workout as possible is largely a myth propagated by those who try to sell protein shakes and bars. Intuitively, it's not like the muscles stop requiring protein after an hour.</p>\n\n<p>I should also mention that 120g of protein sounds like you're overdoing it. Remember that excess protein gets converted to fat.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577439/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This study</a> concludes, among other things, that</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>high-quality protein dosed at 0.4–0.5 g/kg of LBM at both pre- and post-exercise is a simple, relatively fail-safe general guideline that reflects the current evidence showing a maximal acute anabolic effect of 20–40 g [53,84,85]. For example, someone with 70 kg of LBM would consume roughly 28–35 g protein in both the pre- and post exercise meal. Exceeding this would be have minimal detriment if any, whereas significantly under-shooting or neglecting it altogether would not maximize the anabolic response.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For more guidelines, read the entire \"Practical applications\" section of the study I linked.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40772, "author": "Shahid Thaika", "author_id": 28635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28635", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What is your target body weight? You only need to eat 1.2-2.0 gram of protein per kilo of body weight, to gain muscle. 120g is required by someone who weighs 75-100kgs.</p>\n\n<p>Your body repairs and grows everyday and needs protein spread evenly throughout, else excess protein gets converted into fat.</p>\n\n<p>Drink 3-4 glasses of milk and eat eggs, if you can, they are pretty cheap. Peanuts are cheap as well in most parts of the world.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40784, "author": "Shira Ishikawa", "author_id": 31343, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31343", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Answering your question alone, it's logical to think eating more at Tuesday is the correct move, because body start repairing the muscle after you work it out.</p>\n\n<p>But I think it's better to spread the intake, so it will be more natural and less stressing to keep the schedules. You can get protein cheaply from Milk, Eggs and soy products (especially Tempeh(+-19g of Proteins per 100g) and Tofu(+-8g of Proteins per 100g)), which can be consumed as a snack or side dish for your heavy food. If you want to switch one of your heavy food, try to get chicken breast (+-31g of Proteins per 100g).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40769", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28635/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40816, "author": "Zarif", "author_id": 31760, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31760", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Same boat as you. Was into strength training for almost 10 years and recently picked up BJJ with the intent of competing. </p>\n\n<p>First I'm going to tell you, that something has to give. You can't go balls to the wall on your lifts, then work all day, then go balls to the wall in BJJ training. It'll burn you out quick. At least it did for me within the first month. You can't be the jack of all trades, and you have to decide what you value more, your total or your jui jitsu. But just because you choose one over the other, doesn't mean it's a life long decision. For example, when I was gearing up to compete, I thought of strength training as supplemental to my BJJ. So instead of trying to push for new PR's every week, I just focused on base building (working with 65-85% of 1rm). This helped keep fatigue down, gradually improved strength and maintained my shape. Once, I complete the last competition for the year, I'll get more aggressive with the strength training, and dial back the BJJ intensity. </p>\n\n<p>What helped is approaching training is to stop worrying about my total and focus more on just general strength and building the base. I also dropped deadlift in favor of squatting 3x a week as it is less taxing for me. My conditioning has improved as my muscular size and I'm confident with all the base building I am doing, when I up the intensity, I'll push past old PRs. So my best advice to you is to decide and focus on what's important and keep the other progressing at a more conservative rate.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41436, "author": "Dude", "author_id": 32346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32346", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It really depends on your goals for each area. If you are planning on being serious about bjj and competing in it then the bulk of your time will be spent on \"practice\" for bjj. That means training the skills which make you proficient in bjj. When it comes to strength training which will help your practice but keeping you strong and giving you the strength needed to do the practic of bjj for a prolonged period of time powerlifting is a great way to go as the big compound lifts of powerlifting add a significant amount of strength. If your goal is to somehow take both very seriously and to compete in both I personally don't see this as being great as to a certain extent powerlifting and sports strength don't compliment each other unless set up with a very specific programming that allows them to do so. Something to keep in mind is that one rep maxes of powerlifting don't necessarily translate into the strength needed for sports although the types of lifts and accessory exercises used in powerlifting can be used to produce that type of strength that is needed. All the best. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40788", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40792, "author": "Avatrin", "author_id": 18105, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18105", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming that you are right that your supporting muscles aren't too weak, the only reason I can think of that this may be the case is that you are not leaning backwards when performing the pull-up. It's a mostly unstated fact about pullups, but if your body is not diagonal, your head cannot clear the bar since your center of gravity is right underneath it. So, the only way you will find of doing that is using your chest and shoulders to rotate around the bar.</p>\n\n<p>Hanging from the bar, you should try holding a diagonal body position at the bottom to fix your alignment; Your chest should be right underneath the bar. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40793, "author": "Pullllllllluuppppppppsssss", "author_id": 31723, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31723", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a difficult topic of discussion, because it could be any number of reasons. </p>\n\n<p>Firstly, just because you don't 'feel' it in your back at the time or doing the rep, doesn't mean that your back is not 'activating properly'. If i'm being pedantic, if your back was not 'activating properly' your body would be incapable of doing a pull up. </p>\n\n<p>Most likely it's down to your technique. For example, How do you perform pull ups? is your grip close? shoudler width? wide?. Is your grip overhand? underhand? neutral? If you wanted to specifically target your lats, i would tell you to do a wide grip pullup(overhand).</p>\n\n<p>You stated that you 'feel it' more in your shoulders and chest, this doesn't mean that they are doing the bulk of the work, or any. It could be the case of them being tight, and you hanging causing these muscles to stretch. Which is where the sensation could be coming from.</p>\n\n<p>I wouldn't worry too much about what you can 'feel' during the reps themselves. In my opinion a better measurement would be something more tangible, like can you do 2 more reps than last month? If that's the case then you've gained some strength in your back, as that is the primary mover of the pull up. </p>\n\n<p>To give another example, if you were to perform a barbell squat, you'd most likely feel soreness in your quads the next day. But not so much soreness in your glutes or hamstrings. That doesn't mean that your glutes or hamstrings weren't activating properly. </p>\n\n<p>Another thing worth mentioning is what your rep and set scheme look like for pull ups in your workout and how often do you do this workout? For example, if you were to just do 10 pull ups once in between your tennis matches, one per week. It would not be surprising that you're not sore. Whereas if you were to do 10 sets of 10 reps twice a day i imagine your back would permanetly be sore. (please don't do that it was hyperbole).</p>\n\n<p>As an anecdotal note, i rarely feel a 'back pump' when i'm doing pullups. I usually feel it more the next day when i'm sore. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40794, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't have all the informatoin, and would need to see you do pull-ups before knowing for sure, but this sounds like a case of not properly (knowing how to) activating the back muscles during the pull-up movement.</p>\n\n<p>Is your scapula retracted for example? Do you go down all the way on each rep? Have you tried pulling your chest towards the bar rather than just pulling up in a straight line?</p>\n\n<p>These are key elements of a proper pull-up that I would recommend you try to focus on in order to get a better back activation.</p>\n\n<p>I have a moderately easy way to learn how to activate your back without doing a pull-up. Lay flat on the floor, with your back slightly arched so your head and chest are not touching the floor. Grab a towel like it is a barbell, and row/pull it towards your chest. </p>\n\n<p>See pictures below for reference:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40790", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40792, "author": "Avatrin", "author_id": 18105, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18105", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming that you are right that your supporting muscles aren't too weak, the only reason I can think of that this may be the case is that you are not leaning backwards when performing the pull-up. It's a mostly unstated fact about pullups, but if your body is not diagonal, your head cannot clear the bar since your center of gravity is right underneath it. So, the only way you will find of doing that is using your chest and shoulders to rotate around the bar.</p>\n\n<p>Hanging from the bar, you should try holding a diagonal body position at the bottom to fix your alignment; Your chest should be right underneath the bar. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40793, "author": "Pullllllllluuppppppppsssss", "author_id": 31723, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31723", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a difficult topic of discussion, because it could be any number of reasons. </p>\n\n<p>Firstly, just because you don't 'feel' it in your back at the time or doing the rep, doesn't mean that your back is not 'activating properly'. If i'm being pedantic, if your back was not 'activating properly' your body would be incapable of doing a pull up. </p>\n\n<p>Most likely it's down to your technique. For example, How do you perform pull ups? is your grip close? shoudler width? wide?. Is your grip overhand? underhand? neutral? If you wanted to specifically target your lats, i would tell you to do a wide grip pullup(overhand).</p>\n\n<p>You stated that you 'feel it' more in your shoulders and chest, this doesn't mean that they are doing the bulk of the work, or any. It could be the case of them being tight, and you hanging causing these muscles to stretch. Which is where the sensation could be coming from.</p>\n\n<p>I wouldn't worry too much about what you can 'feel' during the reps themselves. In my opinion a better measurement would be something more tangible, like can you do 2 more reps than last month? If that's the case then you've gained some strength in your back, as that is the primary mover of the pull up. </p>\n\n<p>To give another example, if you were to perform a barbell squat, you'd most likely feel soreness in your quads the next day. But not so much soreness in your glutes or hamstrings. That doesn't mean that your glutes or hamstrings weren't activating properly. </p>\n\n<p>Another thing worth mentioning is what your rep and set scheme look like for pull ups in your workout and how often do you do this workout? For example, if you were to just do 10 pull ups once in between your tennis matches, one per week. It would not be surprising that you're not sore. Whereas if you were to do 10 sets of 10 reps twice a day i imagine your back would permanetly be sore. (please don't do that it was hyperbole).</p>\n\n<p>As an anecdotal note, i rarely feel a 'back pump' when i'm doing pullups. I usually feel it more the next day when i'm sore. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40794, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't have all the informatoin, and would need to see you do pull-ups before knowing for sure, but this sounds like a case of not properly (knowing how to) activating the back muscles during the pull-up movement.</p>\n\n<p>Is your scapula retracted for example? Do you go down all the way on each rep? Have you tried pulling your chest towards the bar rather than just pulling up in a straight line?</p>\n\n<p>These are key elements of a proper pull-up that I would recommend you try to focus on in order to get a better back activation.</p>\n\n<p>I have a moderately easy way to learn how to activate your back without doing a pull-up. Lay flat on the floor, with your back slightly arched so your head and chest are not touching the floor. Grab a towel like it is a barbell, and row/pull it towards your chest. </p>\n\n<p>See pictures below for reference:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40800", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31670/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40792, "author": "Avatrin", "author_id": 18105, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18105", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming that you are right that your supporting muscles aren't too weak, the only reason I can think of that this may be the case is that you are not leaning backwards when performing the pull-up. It's a mostly unstated fact about pullups, but if your body is not diagonal, your head cannot clear the bar since your center of gravity is right underneath it. So, the only way you will find of doing that is using your chest and shoulders to rotate around the bar.</p>\n\n<p>Hanging from the bar, you should try holding a diagonal body position at the bottom to fix your alignment; Your chest should be right underneath the bar. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40793, "author": "Pullllllllluuppppppppsssss", "author_id": 31723, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31723", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a difficult topic of discussion, because it could be any number of reasons. </p>\n\n<p>Firstly, just because you don't 'feel' it in your back at the time or doing the rep, doesn't mean that your back is not 'activating properly'. If i'm being pedantic, if your back was not 'activating properly' your body would be incapable of doing a pull up. </p>\n\n<p>Most likely it's down to your technique. For example, How do you perform pull ups? is your grip close? shoudler width? wide?. Is your grip overhand? underhand? neutral? If you wanted to specifically target your lats, i would tell you to do a wide grip pullup(overhand).</p>\n\n<p>You stated that you 'feel it' more in your shoulders and chest, this doesn't mean that they are doing the bulk of the work, or any. It could be the case of them being tight, and you hanging causing these muscles to stretch. Which is where the sensation could be coming from.</p>\n\n<p>I wouldn't worry too much about what you can 'feel' during the reps themselves. In my opinion a better measurement would be something more tangible, like can you do 2 more reps than last month? If that's the case then you've gained some strength in your back, as that is the primary mover of the pull up. </p>\n\n<p>To give another example, if you were to perform a barbell squat, you'd most likely feel soreness in your quads the next day. But not so much soreness in your glutes or hamstrings. That doesn't mean that your glutes or hamstrings weren't activating properly. </p>\n\n<p>Another thing worth mentioning is what your rep and set scheme look like for pull ups in your workout and how often do you do this workout? For example, if you were to just do 10 pull ups once in between your tennis matches, one per week. It would not be surprising that you're not sore. Whereas if you were to do 10 sets of 10 reps twice a day i imagine your back would permanetly be sore. (please don't do that it was hyperbole).</p>\n\n<p>As an anecdotal note, i rarely feel a 'back pump' when i'm doing pullups. I usually feel it more the next day when i'm sore. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40794, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't have all the informatoin, and would need to see you do pull-ups before knowing for sure, but this sounds like a case of not properly (knowing how to) activating the back muscles during the pull-up movement.</p>\n\n<p>Is your scapula retracted for example? Do you go down all the way on each rep? Have you tried pulling your chest towards the bar rather than just pulling up in a straight line?</p>\n\n<p>These are key elements of a proper pull-up that I would recommend you try to focus on in order to get a better back activation.</p>\n\n<p>I have a moderately easy way to learn how to activate your back without doing a pull-up. Lay flat on the floor, with your back slightly arched so your head and chest are not touching the floor. Grab a towel like it is a barbell, and row/pull it towards your chest. </p>\n\n<p>See pictures below for reference:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/NqJA7.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9LIa1.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40806", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31742/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40821, "author": "Nav", "author_id": 27429, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27429", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would suggest the lack of sweat is related to the lack of airflow on a stationary bike. Assuming you are using the same HRM, your heart rate won't lie, but there could be many factors for the higher HR (eg. it could be the result of your body working harder to cool itself).</p>\n\n<p>There are many benefits to outdoor cycling; targeting more muscle groups by getting out of the saddle and flicking the bike around, pushing past your normal limits to finish a climb, learning bike control, focusing your eyes on distant objects, etc. </p>\n\n<p>I guess your main issue is the speed difference with your partner. You might be able to pick a loop with multiple options to reach the same point? (eg. one flat vs one hilly). Or you might push ahead and do some hill repeats while waiting for them to catchup?</p>\n\n<p>For the weight loss aim, I think it's purely subjective as our bodies have different requirements. My opinion is that lower intensity workouts over a longer period of time will burn more fat, and shorter/higher intensity workouts will burn more sugar. But I do not doubt that other people get better results with the opposite. </p>\n\n<p>I say go with what works for you =)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40827, "author": "Jan", "author_id": 10526, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10526", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Harvard Medical School</a>, a 155 lbs (70 kg) person during moderate <strong>stationary cycling</strong> for 30 minutes <strong>loses 260 Calories</strong> (cycling outside 12-14 mph or ~20 km/h = <strong>300 Calories</strong>). So, even if these values are not the same as in your routines, they seem to be similar. </p>\n\n<p>During cycling outside, the wind can blow off the sweat before you even notice it, so you may not be able to estimate the exercise effort by the extent of sweating.</p>\n\n<p>You can also <strong>avoid getting 260 Calories</strong> by not eating <strong>a single food item:</strong></p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/10081?fgcd=&amp;manu=&amp;format=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;offset=25&amp;sort=default&amp;order=asc&amp;qlookup=steak&amp;ds=SR&amp;qt=&amp;qp=&amp;qa=&amp;qn=&amp;q=&amp;ing=\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a pork steak (100 g)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/09443?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=apple%20juice&amp;offset=0&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=5.2&amp;Q326585=8.0&amp;Qv=5.1&amp;Q326585=8.0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fruit juice (520 mL)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/01079?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=milk%20cow%202&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=5.2&amp;Q322602=1&amp;Q322603=1&amp;Q322604=1&amp;Qv=5&amp;Q322602=1&amp;Q322603=1&amp;Q322604=1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">milk, 2% fat (520 mL)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/19093?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=chocolate%20bar&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=0.5&amp;Q333369=1&amp;Q333370=1&amp;Qv=1&amp;Q333369=1&amp;Q333370=1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">chocolate (50 g)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/19270?man=&amp;lfacet=&amp;count=&amp;max=25&amp;qlookup=ice%20cream&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=1.2&amp;Q333664=1&amp;Q337409=0.5&amp;Qv=1&amp;Q333664=1&amp;Q337409=0.5\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ice cream (120 g)</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>So, why not to try to lose weight in a relatively easy way by stopping eating a single food?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40828, "author": "Zarif", "author_id": 31760, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31760", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Weight loss is ultimately going to come down diet. It is very difficult to outwork a bad diet. So I'd dial that in first and then just enjoy the outdoor time with your wife as you melt fat from a calorie deficit.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40984, "author": "JAckBlack854", "author_id": 31996, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31996", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>IMO, you're comparing apples to oranges not the least because you've developed an efficient cardiovascular system that can sustain (I'm guessing a lower resting heart rate) higher loads. As far as exertion goes, you're right- you probably didn't sweat much or feel that 'burn'. I strongly believe you're working out 2 very different metabolic systems in your body when you do high intensity for shorter periods vs lower intensity over longer periods. The body has 3 primary metabolic systems that power you through various needs. Selecting exercise routines based on which metabolic system you want to target/train is a very popular way.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40818", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31770/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40836, "author": "user7761803", "author_id": 31455, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31455", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Question is what does extended period here mean? Does it mean 10 minutes or 30 minutes or 60 minutes?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Your specific question is answered within the article you link to in the sentence after the one where it says “exercise at a moderate level of intensity for an extended period”:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><em>A good routine is starting with a warm up of the muscles, followed by exercising at least 20 minutes and finishing with a cooling down period to return the heart to its resting rate.</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You also specifically ask:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Does it mean 10 minutes or 30 minutes or 60 minutes?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This changes as you get fitter.</p>\n\n<p>When a beginner starts running, even 10 minutes will improve fitness, and might be all that some people are able to do (depends on age, fitness, weight, etc). Even 10 minutes might be too much for some people.</p>\n\n<p>At the other end of the scale, experienced runners go for long runs of an hour, ninety minutes, or longer. See <a href=\"https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a774616/essential-guide-to-long-runs/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this article on long runs at Runner's World</a> for some discussion.</p>\n\n<p>Without knowing anything about you, it would not be sensible to suggest which end of the scale would be more appropriate.</p>\n\n<p>However, it’s worth being careful when increasing weekly mileage to not increase it by more than 10% each week. And it’s also sensible to periodise training, by having an easier week every 3-4 weeks.</p>\n\n<p>There are many sites that give running training programmes for people of all abilities - beginner, intermediate, advanced. Follow one of these, see how you do, and progress.</p>\n\n<p>Endurance is a long-term thing. By that I mean that it can take years to get to your peak capability. It's hard to see improvements in a week or two. The worst thing you can do is try to do too much, too soon, as it leads to injuries, and if you're injured, you can't train.</p>\n\n<p>So start at the low end of the scale, see how you do, and increase your time running gradually.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40837, "author": "Ayush", "author_id": 31791, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31791", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Cardio respiratory endurance, or CRE, is also known as aerobic fitness; it involves performing exercise at a moderate level of intensity for an extended period.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Lookup MAF <a href=\"https://philmaffetone.com/maf-test/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://philmaffetone.com/maf-test/</a></p>\n\n<p>This will help you avoid over-stressing your CNS and allow you to train day in day out w/o exhaustion.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40822", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13462/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41005, "author": "Mattias", "author_id": 32017, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32017", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Don't put so much weight in your head. Push down through the forearms and lift through the shoulders. Almost no weight should be on the head. My teachers have told me 90% in the forearms/shoulders and 10% in the head.</p>\n\n<p>It's usually easier to accomplish this if you hold elbows tighter together. In the beginning, they're usually to splayed apart. Other pointers that are generic, but usually apply are; pull lower ribs into towards the spine, to lessen any arch in the lower back. Push through the heels of the feet, to raise up.</p>\n\n<p>One good tip is to use a camera and film. Then you see the alignment.</p>\n\n<p>Regarding time, it's individual. Ease into it. Don't go to fast, and always counterpose afterwards. </p>\n\n<p>Hope this helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41021, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>\"..., I do feel something in the neck that annoys me, almost the beginning of a pain.\" </p>\n\n<p>Hello Stephanie, you should take seriously this \"almost\" pain. Your cervical spine is important to your health, and your body may be telling you something you should listen to.</p>\n\n<p>Whoever told you that \"...one can safely do [a headstand] 10 to 15 minutes\", is not correct. Perhaps some people can do a headstand for 15 minutes safely, but other people can not. For example, people with <a href=\"https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Soft-Tissue-and-Bony-Injuries-Attributed-to-the-of-Lee-Huntoon/5da5d1cf827393e6d3ce655ca831f72b35d7110a\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">osteopenia</a> should <a href=\"https://innerbreathyoga.com/2019/02/25/soft-tissue-and-bony-injuries-attributed-to-the-practice-of-yoga-a-biomechanical-analysis-and-implications-for-management/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">not</a> do headstands. Also, headstands should not be practices by people with <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3797727/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Glaucoma</a>.</p>\n\n<p>More fundamentally, I would recommend that you not time your headstands at all, and instead tune into your body. When your headstand doesn't feel absolutely right, that is when you stop. Let your body be the guide, not a stopwatch. The same thing applies to planks. People at the gym like to brag that they can do a two minute or five minute plank, but if you watch them, the last minute their body is badly contorted; their scapulas are winging, and their neck is in a forward head position. That extra minute isn't worth it in the long run, in my opinion.</p>\n\n<p>I come from the worlds of ballet and authentic pilates (i.e. reformer, tower, wunda chair), and in my years of doing these disciplines I have never once witnessed anyone timing how long they can do something. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40835", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4629/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40841, "author": "motosubatsu", "author_id": 31207, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31207", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Welcome to my world! Like you I'm in my thirties (okay so it's more <em>late</em> thirties these days) and I have osteoarthritis in my neck (C1 -> C7), and I know all too well the headaches that come with it!</p>\n\n<p>What has worked for me is Yoga - I do a \"full\" (1hr+) practice perhaps two-three times a week but do gentle neck rolls and side neck stretches at least daily - and especially before and after I do any other physical training (if I'm doing a long session I will also take a break to do them in the middle as well)</p>\n\n<p>I realise this is likely to sound a bit evangelical of me but it really has been like night and day and I can't recommend it enough!</p>\n\n<p>There's a wealth of guides (written and video) on the internet but I'd be wary of these (at least as a first step) - the neck is not an area to mess around with, so working with an experienced teacher (at least at first) who is aware of your condition is a must. That way you can ensure you aren't doing anything in a way that's likely to cause you problems and they can work with you to modify exercises around any mobility restrictions you have.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40847, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Late 30’s here too... I actually prescribe to the notion that while I have osteoarthritis and two herniated discs, motion is lotion. Swimming and weightlifting provide amazing relief time and again. It may only last 1-2 days, but it helps every time. </p>\n\n<p>I no longer suffer from the headaches, although I still have the stiffness from time to time. I attribute barbell overhead press, face pulls, and rows to alleviating those issues.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40857, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>@yake84 I experience neck pain myself, but not headaches. Gwendolene Jull is the expert on neck pain and cerviogenic headaches. Listen to her <a href=\"https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/professor-gwen-jull-part-1-assessment-and-management-of-neck-pain-first-of-two-conversations-1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. I encourage you to read her scholarly research articles.</p>\n\n<p>Now, I'm going to throw out a topic that is worth thinking about: There is quite a bit of interest in the relationship between <a href=\"https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12938-018-0443-2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">co-contraction</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3996427/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">neck pain</a>. As you probably know, you have opposing muscles around each joint (agonist and antagonist muscles). Your brain sometimes activates muscles that oppose each other because that can make you more stable. When two opposing muscles act at the same time, it is called co-contraction. Of course, if you want to move your body fast, your brain needs to tone down the antagonist muscle and ramp up the agonist muscle so that you can move easily and smoothly.</p>\n\n<p>If you are experiencing long term pain in your neck, then it almost a certainty that the muscles of your neck are co-contracting more than they should. Your nervous system is bracing (stiffening) your neck for extra stability (protection) because it is fearful that your neck might be weak or vulnerable. The downside of excessive co-contraction is three fold. 1) It fatigues your muscles 2) it makes movement less coordinated and 3) it puts extra pressure on your joints, which in the case of your neck would be your disks. Excessive co-contraction has been measured in the lumbar spine, <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jor.22176\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">knee</a> and neck.</p>\n\n<p>When I go to the gym, I see all the guys straining and tightening/stiffening their necks; they are co-contracting hard. You can see the manifestation of this in a prominent sternocleidomastoid (SCM). I don't know if there is any biomechanical advantage to co-contracting your neck while you are doing, for example, biceps curls; It seems to just be an automatic response of your nervous system when you are straining against any load.</p>\n\n<p>If you are getting cerviogenic headaches from going to the gym, it may help to deactivate this automatic neck co-contraction that happens when you strain. So, here is my own personal suggestion. First, become familiar with your SCM. Palpate it and relax it regularly during the day. Observe other people's SCM's at the gym. Now, when you exercise, try to keep your SCM relaxed. If your SCM is relaxed, then I believe you will have less co-contraction in your neck musculature. </p>\n\n<p>Notice, that the SCM is an accessory breathing muscle - meaning that the SCM can help your diaphragm during breathing. If you diligently keep your SCM relaxed, you are going to find that breathing becomes more challenging because you have to do all your breathing with your diaphragm. Nothing wrong with using your diaphragm. It is a good practice to master.</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, I practice SCM relaxation myself at the gym. Not necessarily in every lift, but in many of them. It may not solve your headaches, but I believe you'll find it an interesting discipline. Let me know what you find.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40839", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31794/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40852, "author": "Tomas", "author_id": 1974, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1974", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For a beginner and intermediate, I don't think so. The advanced body builder has a special plan and knows perfectly what he is doing, but for beginner and intermediate, the most effective way to gain weight is to do an intense heavy weight lifting (with low reps) and then allow for full recovery (muscles grow in sleep and when you are resting). So it is better to let these muscles rest and also get a day off. In my youth, I was training several times per day every day and it was too much (I could get the same results with much less training). If you feel like you could still do the same training again, just increase the intensity of your training by increasing weights or adding more sets (up to 5 I would say). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40879, "author": "Sofyan Sahrom", "author_id": 31846, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31846", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are a few considerations and are based on what you just described (and assuming you have no other medical conditions or anything affecting recovery be it hindrance etc.). These are just some comments based on your question and in no way constitute a consultation.</p>\n\n<p>The fatigue (from the to failure) could be from a multiple of reasons: e.g. neuromuscularly (brain-muscle) or there is too much lactate (not a bad thing - just not the best for this) or simply lack of energy. And if you can \"recover\" that fast simply means that the fatigue is more of the former and the load/intensity might not be as heavy as you think to trigger all the physiological process associated with hypertrophy.</p>\n\n<p>You should also check if you are able to produce the same level of force as before, which you suggested you are, because that is what fatigue is. You may not feel the DOMS immediately but still....</p>\n\n<p>What you alluding to is \"Time under tension\". It is one of the most important concepts in hypertrophy. While total volume (time) is important, the quality (intensity/load) is just as important (especially since you want it to trigger all the relevant physiological processes). Think about it, if volume or time under tension is the only important consideration, we will have huge power walkers/marathoners with huge legs, because their training volume and the appropriate time under tension is huge. </p>\n\n<p>My suggestion, see a qualified Coach, get proper training load/intensity calculations and always feedback to the coach so that you can get the best safe and optimal training load. instead of just \"burning calories\". </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40845", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31797/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40854, "author": "Tomas", "author_id": 1974, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1974", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had this problem too. Let it rest. I also didn't want to stop training, I had a big momentum, so I bought wrist hooks for deadlift, to be able to keep training and go around the wrist injury, but other people were more sane and they told me just to stop lifting for some time. <em>\"There is so much other exercise you can do in the meantime (legs, abdomen etc.)\"</em> they said. Very true :-)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40866, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>TL;DR: Try using proper wrist position, check your form, lift for technique, don't overwork an injury.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>My wrists started hurting when I started weightlifting (about eleven months ago) during bench press and overhead press. I got myself some wrist wraps in the beginning and they helped keep my wrists in the proper position. About two months ago I stopped using them and instead continued doing the lifts with the proper form I had learnt and I haven't had any pain. My wrists and grip strength have strengthened simply as a by-product of doing the workouts.</p>\n\n<p><strong>1. Wrist Position</strong></p>\n\n<p>The first thing I found was that I was doing the very novice thing and not keeping my wrists straight. When I was doing the overhead press, the bar sat closer toward the fingers and I let my wrist bend back to make a 90° between the top of my hand and my forearm (similar to the first of the three images below). During the push, you should aim to keep your wrist straight. If you push the bar with the form in the first picture, it strains your wrist</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRWKU.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/GRWKU.jpg\" alt=\"Wrist Positioning\"></a></p>\n\n<p><em>[1] Wrist Position via <a href=\"https://www.themusclemaster.com/why-does-my-wrist-hurt-during-shoulder-press/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.themusclemaster.com/</a></em></p>\n\n<p>If you are using wrist wraps it should be very difficult to bend your wrist. If you can still bend your wrist 90° when wearing the wraps they are likely too low on your forearm or not tight enough. This might be why your coach advised against it. During the rack, your wrists are usually bent.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2. Technique vs. Weight</strong></p>\n\n<p>Having just started weightlifting I really wanted to go heavy. I emphasized the weight I was lifting over the proper technique to lift the weight. I've since dialled back much of my weight and strive to do the sets with 100% proper form. I find that it works my muscles <em>more</em> and I hurt less the next day.</p>\n\n<p>The technique in Crossfit is very important. There are a lot of small nuances that beginners (myself included) don't key into. My advice would be to get your coach to check your form the next class you have and see if there are any improvements you can make. Look at things like elbow position, shoulder and wrist flexibility, and of course your wrist positioning.</p>\n\n<p><strong>3. Final thoughts</strong></p>\n\n<p>Working out shouldn't hurt and I was dumb when I started. Pain beyond muscle fatigue is usually a sign of bad technique or injury. If you have injured yourself, let it rest and don't be foolish. If you continue to workout with an injury you only risk hurting it more. As @Tomas said in his answer, there are other workouts you can do if you must.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40872, "author": "Robert Schwarz", "author_id": 31003, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31003", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Maybe you can add some wrist-specific strength exercises at the end of your workouts?</p>\n\n<p>For example, there are <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrist_curl\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">wrist curls</a>, but also finger curls, or farmer's walks.</p>\n\n<p>There's also a very nice <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGuVJAj96SE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video</a> that describes a whole routine.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41057, "author": "BKlassen", "author_id": 28950, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28950", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have occasional flare ups of discomfort in my wrists as well, here's what I have found: </p>\n\n<p>carpal tunnel syndrome<br>\nIf you suspect you have carpal tunnel syndrome you can try to test this using Phalen's test. To do this place the back of both hands together in front of your chest with your fingers pointing down. Maintain pressure through the back of your hands squeezing them together for 1 minute, if you experience tingling or numbness in your fingers at the end of this you may have carpal tunnel. Note carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve problem, not a muscular problem. </p>\n\n<p>tendonitis<br>\nTendonitis is the inflammation of tendons. As you gain muscle and increase your strength its good to note that muscles build much faster than tendons and yet your tendons are what anchor your muscles to your joints. Your tendons will naturally strengthen over time as you train, but when they are causing discomfort try to do simple wrist stretching in both flexing up and down as well as side to side. This can help to relieve some discomfort.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40850", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28281/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40868, "author": "LShaver", "author_id": 21918, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21918", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'd take a look at the free <a href=\"https://www.halhigdon.com/training/half-marathon-training/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">half marathon training plans</a> from Hal Higdon. Plans are available for all skill levels. The general formula for the beginner plans is as follows:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Monday: rest\nTuesday: 3 to 6 km run\nWednesday: half of long run distance\nThursday: 3 to 6 km run\nFriday: rest\nSaturday: long run (gradually increasing to 20 km)\nSunday: cross train\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Three elements of this plan are critical:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gradually increase your long run.</strong> It looks like you are already including this in your plan. It's important to increase your long runs so that your body adapts to spending that much time running.</li>\n<li><strong>Run half of your long run distance at least once a week.</strong> This accomplishes two goals -- increasing your total weekly mileage, and getting your body used to a longer run on more than just one day a week. Both of these are important for preventing injury.</li>\n<li><strong>Taper at the end.</strong> The week before the race, you'll want to decrease your mileage, and plan for at least two full rest days. This helps make sure you're fully rested on race day.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>All that said, it looks like the main change you'd want to make is having one of your runs during the week gradually increase in distance over the course of your training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40915, "author": "jomustech", "author_id": 27377, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27377", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could also use Nike Running app, it has plans like the distance you want to run, it uses also height, weight, distance to generate the plan according to your needs. No, I don't work at Nike, I'm just a fellow runner. There are other similar running apps you can check as well. Good luck.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40919, "author": "Lalit Bhola", "author_id": 31912, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31912", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The essential part of training for any marathon runner is endurance. You have to build the stamina required for the run you have selected; it can be a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or a full. For a beginner; I will suggest the following plan,</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkRvc.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zkRvc.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Always remember your capability and try to push it to make yourself better every day.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40867", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31838/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40884, "author": "Matt", "author_id": 31855, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31855", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So when you starve your muscles, due to a lack of Protein. Your body enters a Catabolic State. When you have low Protein intake or food in General, your body breaks down the muscle tissue to get its energy it is <strong>NOT</strong> getting from Food. Catabolism is the destructive state of Metabolism. This being the opposite of an Anabolic state which is the building process.</p>\n\n<p>This in-turn will reduce strength. If your body is using muscle to keep itself going you reduce the fibers you worked so hard to build. It breaks it down and oxidizes it for energy.\nWhen you have a High Protein Diet you can still maintain muscle while reducing body fat. Even under extreme workout conditions.\nThose extreme workouts will require you to up your Protein and/or Carb intake to provide the body with enough Energy.</p>\n\n<p>You want to try and avoid entering this Catabolic State by eating properly to avoid not only mental starvation but, the physical detriment to your muscle tissue.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40898, "author": "Zac", "author_id": 31867, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31867", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In my experience after experimenting with various diets and workout routines, I've discovered that it IS possible to lose strength while exercising, <strong>however</strong>, only temporarily.</p>\n\n<p>There will be a certain factor that will contribute to your weakness (lack of sleep, lack of proper nutrition etc.). Once that factor is removed, you'll naturally regain your old strength if you stick to the same program. </p>\n\n<p>In other words, if you're not getting enough rest, you'll notice your lifts getting harder and harder to perform in the gym. At one point, maybe you'll have to reduce the weights altogether. But once you get enough rest (deload week or a few days completely off), you'll be as strong, if not stronger than before. </p>\n\n<p>Nonetheless, it's not recommended to exercise like this (with some limiting factor), since it leads to much faster injuries and slows down progress too. It's not sustainable.</p>\n\n<p>So in short, yes, it is possible to lose strength from exercises, but regaining that strength is easy (excluding injuries of course)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40873", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8681/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40904, "author": "greezybacon", "author_id": 31894, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31894", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's possible the groin pain may indicate hip issues. Do you happen to spend a lot of time sitting? Is the pain one sided? If so, it could indicate asymmetry in your hip musculature. You might consider one-legged exercises that target the hip like the pretzel.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41102, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I actually think this is a fairly normal part of the adaptation process. Couch potato status is relative to running. With respect to running, you’re basically completely untrained.</p>\n\n<p>The hip adductors are one of the most untrained muscles, especially in males. The fact that you’re using them while running and they’re getting sore indicates that your body isn’t used to that sort of stress. </p>\n\n<p>I’d recommend only increasing total distance by about 10% each week. Give your body ample time to recover and don’t push through the pain too much. I suspect this will go away as your body gets used to running. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41104, "author": "Wood", "author_id": 31812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31812", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It sounds like you're running every day. You need to rest. Take a few days off until the pain goes away. If the pain lasts for more than a week without running, see a doctor. When you're good, start with your usual 3 miles, then take the next day off. Run about 3 times a week, always resting the day after. If you start feeling pain again, immediately stop. If all goes well, the next week you may increase your mileage. Most people recommend not increasing by more than 10% each week. In my opinion it's fine to increase your mileage faster for the first few weeks, as long as you're starting your runs fully recovered. It's also recommended to <em>decrease</em> your mileage from time to time, like once a month.</p>\n\n<p>As for the specific cause of your pain, it's hard to tell, but it's possible that the stretching is making it worse. I'd recommend not stretching at all before or after running.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41112, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's hard to say without seeing you run (or doing a postural assessment...) but this does seem to indicate some sort of postural dysfunction. \nThere are at least a couple of potential issues I can think of:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Tight hip flexors (caused by prolonged sitting) are often associated with tightness in the adductors.</li>\n<li>Adductor magnus is a stabiliser of the hip, working against internal rotation. It could be a sign that your external hip rotators (primarily glute medius) are weak.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>But as others have mentioned, it does sound like you're doing too much too quickly. Running is hard on the body, particularly if your alignment and posture aren't good. Take a break from the running before you consider anything else.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40894", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31882/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40943, "author": "Erwan Legrand", "author_id": 10641, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10641", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you are seeking the best return over investment, I would suggest full body workouts. I would also suggest investing in a suspension trainer and/or a pull-up bar. These should be available at a low price.</p>\n\n<p>For each training session select one exercise in each category.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Push</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Military press</li>\n<li>Push-ups</li>\n<li>Landmine presses</li>\n<li>Chair dips</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Pull</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Barbell rows</li>\n<li>Landmine rows</li>\n<li>Suspension rows</li>\n<li>Chin ups</li>\n<li>Pull ups</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Knee-dominant</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Front squat</li>\n<li>Split squat</li>\n<li>Lunge</li>\n<li>Reverse lunge</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Hip-dominant</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Conventional deadlift</li>\n<li>RDL</li>\n<li>Sumo deadlift</li>\n<li>Barbell glute bridge</li>\n<li>Barbell hip thrust</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>These are just the exercise that came from the top of my mind. Certainly there are others which you could use with only a minimal investment or no investment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41568, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here are a list of exercises you can do for each muscle group:</p>\n\n<p>Chest- floor press, chest press flys(take two weights, press them together with your palms, and raise your arms out in front of you 90 degrees. Use your chest to keep the weights together and raise them)</p>\n\n<p>Quads- squats, front squats, barbell lunges</p>\n\n<p>Hams -deadlift, hack lift</p>\n\n<p>Glutes -deadlift, hack lift, glute bridge</p>\n\n<p>Calves-if you have a step or 2x4 you can do calf raises</p>\n\n<p>Tibia-same as above, if you have a step you can do raises</p>\n\n<p>Shoulder -military press</p>\n\n<p>Biceps- barbell curl, drag curl</p>\n\n<p>Triceps-barbell kickback, close grip floor press(might be hard to kick off)</p>\n\n<p>Forearms -reverse curl, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, farmers walks</p>\n\n<p>Back-hack lift, rows(can change grip, grip width, angle, etc..), t bar rows(if you have a rope), one armed rows.</p>\n\n<p>Core(lateral)-farmers walks, suitcase deadlift, offweighted deadlift</p>\n\n<p>Core(rotation)-offweighted floor press (alternate sides), landmine</p>\n\n<p>Core (upper and lower abs)- barbell rollout, weighted floor \ncrunches(use the weight plate)</p>\n\n<p>The only thing you can't do is vertical pulling motions, such as pull ups or lat pulldown, which can be solved by getting a pull up bar or even using one at a local park. A high Fence or high wall could be used possibly too.</p>\n\n<p>I'd recommend a 3 day a week workout where you pick 4 exercises with pulling,pushing, posterior chain, and quads. Then pick 2 accessories such as core, arms, forearms, etc</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41570, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Taking a completely different tact from the other answers, I think your exercise selection is excellent. In fact, I'd drop the explosive press-ups and keep the others.</p>\n\n<p>I'd like to point you towards my favourite strength and conditioning author, Dan John.</p>\n\n<p>He talks about a program called \"<a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=dan+john+one+lift+a+day\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">One Lift a Day</a>\". </p>\n\n<p>Essentially, and for some reason a lot of people seem to get this wrong, you do one lift a day. On squat day, you squat (or front squat in your case). On press day, you press. On row day, you row. On deadlift day... you should get the idea by now.</p>\n\n<p>You want to gain weight and put on muscle? Dan John talks about the biggest transformation he ever underwent when training with Dick Notmeyer.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Actually, I'm a fairly good example of actual bulking. In a four-month\n period, without steroids (always a caveat), I put on forty pounds,\n going from 162 to 202. What's interesting about my four-month,\n forty-pound gain was what I was doing before I started to gain size.\n Why? Well, it's probably what you're doing now.</p>\n \n <p>At a bodyweight of 162 pounds, I benched heavy and hard nearly every\n day. At a bodyweight of 162 pounds, I did lat pulldowns, a variety of\n curls, lots of ab work, and I moved from machine to machine quickly.\n Then I met Dick Notmeyer and the scale began to move.</p>\n \n <p>At Dick's place, there was a bar on the floor and a squat rack. Three\n days a week I walked over to the bar on the floor and moved it\n overhead a bunch of different ways. Two days a week I squatted the\n bar.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(quote taken from his article <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/mass-made-simple\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mass Made Simple on T-Nation</a>)</p>\n\n<p>For yourself, if you don't have access to a bench for bench pressing, either substitute in the overhead press, or potentially the floor press (honestly, I'd just stick with the overhead press, I don't really get the bench press, but then I don't train for powerlifting, and never in life have I had to lay on my back on a bench and press a weight over my chest).</p>\n\n<p>Don't over complicate things. Your exercise selection is good, get strong in those exercises, eat well, and you should easily be able to put on a decent amount of mass.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40934", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31938/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40943, "author": "Erwan Legrand", "author_id": 10641, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10641", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you are seeking the best return over investment, I would suggest full body workouts. I would also suggest investing in a suspension trainer and/or a pull-up bar. These should be available at a low price.</p>\n\n<p>For each training session select one exercise in each category.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Push</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Military press</li>\n<li>Push-ups</li>\n<li>Landmine presses</li>\n<li>Chair dips</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Pull</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Barbell rows</li>\n<li>Landmine rows</li>\n<li>Suspension rows</li>\n<li>Chin ups</li>\n<li>Pull ups</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Knee-dominant</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Front squat</li>\n<li>Split squat</li>\n<li>Lunge</li>\n<li>Reverse lunge</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li><p>Hip-dominant</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Conventional deadlift</li>\n<li>RDL</li>\n<li>Sumo deadlift</li>\n<li>Barbell glute bridge</li>\n<li>Barbell hip thrust</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>These are just the exercise that came from the top of my mind. Certainly there are others which you could use with only a minimal investment or no investment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41568, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here are a list of exercises you can do for each muscle group:</p>\n\n<p>Chest- floor press, chest press flys(take two weights, press them together with your palms, and raise your arms out in front of you 90 degrees. Use your chest to keep the weights together and raise them)</p>\n\n<p>Quads- squats, front squats, barbell lunges</p>\n\n<p>Hams -deadlift, hack lift</p>\n\n<p>Glutes -deadlift, hack lift, glute bridge</p>\n\n<p>Calves-if you have a step or 2x4 you can do calf raises</p>\n\n<p>Tibia-same as above, if you have a step you can do raises</p>\n\n<p>Shoulder -military press</p>\n\n<p>Biceps- barbell curl, drag curl</p>\n\n<p>Triceps-barbell kickback, close grip floor press(might be hard to kick off)</p>\n\n<p>Forearms -reverse curl, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, farmers walks</p>\n\n<p>Back-hack lift, rows(can change grip, grip width, angle, etc..), t bar rows(if you have a rope), one armed rows.</p>\n\n<p>Core(lateral)-farmers walks, suitcase deadlift, offweighted deadlift</p>\n\n<p>Core(rotation)-offweighted floor press (alternate sides), landmine</p>\n\n<p>Core (upper and lower abs)- barbell rollout, weighted floor \ncrunches(use the weight plate)</p>\n\n<p>The only thing you can't do is vertical pulling motions, such as pull ups or lat pulldown, which can be solved by getting a pull up bar or even using one at a local park. A high Fence or high wall could be used possibly too.</p>\n\n<p>I'd recommend a 3 day a week workout where you pick 4 exercises with pulling,pushing, posterior chain, and quads. Then pick 2 accessories such as core, arms, forearms, etc</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41570, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Taking a completely different tact from the other answers, I think your exercise selection is excellent. In fact, I'd drop the explosive press-ups and keep the others.</p>\n\n<p>I'd like to point you towards my favourite strength and conditioning author, Dan John.</p>\n\n<p>He talks about a program called \"<a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=dan+john+one+lift+a+day\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">One Lift a Day</a>\". </p>\n\n<p>Essentially, and for some reason a lot of people seem to get this wrong, you do one lift a day. On squat day, you squat (or front squat in your case). On press day, you press. On row day, you row. On deadlift day... you should get the idea by now.</p>\n\n<p>You want to gain weight and put on muscle? Dan John talks about the biggest transformation he ever underwent when training with Dick Notmeyer.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Actually, I'm a fairly good example of actual bulking. In a four-month\n period, without steroids (always a caveat), I put on forty pounds,\n going from 162 to 202. What's interesting about my four-month,\n forty-pound gain was what I was doing before I started to gain size.\n Why? Well, it's probably what you're doing now.</p>\n \n <p>At a bodyweight of 162 pounds, I benched heavy and hard nearly every\n day. At a bodyweight of 162 pounds, I did lat pulldowns, a variety of\n curls, lots of ab work, and I moved from machine to machine quickly.\n Then I met Dick Notmeyer and the scale began to move.</p>\n \n <p>At Dick's place, there was a bar on the floor and a squat rack. Three\n days a week I walked over to the bar on the floor and moved it\n overhead a bunch of different ways. Two days a week I squatted the\n bar.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(quote taken from his article <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/mass-made-simple\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mass Made Simple on T-Nation</a>)</p>\n\n<p>For yourself, if you don't have access to a bench for bench pressing, either substitute in the overhead press, or potentially the floor press (honestly, I'd just stick with the overhead press, I don't really get the bench press, but then I don't train for powerlifting, and never in life have I had to lay on my back on a bench and press a weight over my chest).</p>\n\n<p>Don't over complicate things. Your exercise selection is good, get strong in those exercises, eat well, and you should easily be able to put on a decent amount of mass.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40953", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26345/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40965, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In the title you ask what failure feels like. I think what you describe sounds to me like failure.</p>\n\n<p>I guess more interesting would be to know how to overcome this plateau.</p>\n\n<p>Instead of doing 1 set and stopping after you did 7-8 reps you could try to just do 20-30 in a session. It does not matter how many 'sets' it takes. Just get the reps in. Do this 3-5 times a week and you'll see progress soon enough. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40966, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It depends on what sort of failure you're looking at. At a simplistic level, failure during exercise can result from <a href=\"https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a746408/muscle-failure-336358/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">muscle failure</a>, the muscle breaking down sufficiently that it can't exert sufficient effort anymore, the effect that generally leads to enlarged, hard muscles, and soreness either then or the next day. This is muscle tears, how your muscles get stronger, and generally requires a prolonged period of rest, 48 hours being the standard figure. </p>\n\n<p>Failure can also be a matter of not having sufficient energy to perform the action need. <a href=\"https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1920-energy-for-exercise\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Energy in your muscles</a> ultimately sources from adenosine triphosphate (ATP). There's a small amount already in the muscle that's good for a few seconds. There's creatine phosphate, which your muscle has a limited store of, which can be turned into ATP over the course of a few seconds. Glycogen is more plentiful, but it takes longer to process, and produces lactic acid in the process without oxygen. Lastly, aerobic respiration takes about two minutes to kick in, but can be maintained for a longer period of time, glucose being sourced from various parts of the body, and relatively easy to replenish on the go, the most obvious method being to consume glucose and other easily broken-down sugars.</p>\n\n<p>In your case, it's possible that your energy stores are running out before you actually hit muscle failure. Taking a brief break gives your body a chance to manufacture more ATP, allowing you to push out a few more repetitions, but you're not generating ATP fast enough to overcome the amount of energy you're using. As Dennis notes, one option is to go for an overall number to be performed, accepting that there will be breaks, but trying to keep those breaks short so that you keep yourself on the edge. Another is to just refuse to let the first few failures happen. Even if you're not making it all the way up, or even only managing to hold yourself a few inches off of the ground while straining to finish pushing up, you're forcing your muscles to perform work, and furthermore, you're breaking through some mental barriers that normally stop you before you actually start getting the muscle tears. Lastly, you can \"cheat\", putting your arms up on a higher incline to decrease the strain or allowing your core to relax a bit. While not generally good to break form, it shifts the muscle strain to different areas, sometimes allowing you to finish exercising a muscle that was not exercised to failure because another part of your body failed first.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly, DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is not a reliable way to determine whether you've had a good exercise session and/or exercised to exhaustion. Sometimes, it just manifests itself as a sort of fatigue and looseness of the muscle instead of pain, and that's perfectly alright.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40964", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31967/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40982, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want a power rack, then by all means build one. However, please keep in mind that there are many different ways to get in shape, and you don't necessarily need a squat rack. Currently, squats and deadlifts are fashionable. There is even, in my opinion, a bit of a cult surrounding them (which we will undoubtably hear from after I post this answer). Don't get me wrong, squats and deads are good exercises, but there are lots of other good exercises. The reason Starting Strength is popular now is because of marketing, because it is new, and because the people who do it spend a lot of time on social media. A few years from now, these people will get bored and start looking for the next new thing, and Starting Strength will be forgotten. If you dont' believe me, look up the Spartacus Workout. How many people remember that one? In summary, I'm just suggesting that you consider all your options before you settle on Starting Strong.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40983, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The simple answer is: No, you can't do SS without a power rack. In the beginning you can get away with cleaning the bar, but that stops soon enough.</p>\n\n<p>And this isn't even specific to SS. Every program should have some form of heavy squats. You just need a power rack or something for that.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40981", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30560/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40996, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, you have just left the stage of 'beginner gains'. Now is the time you will have to make a choice: build muscle <em>or</em> lose fat. You can't do both anymore.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41000, "author": "UnbescholtenerBuerger", "author_id": 25777, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First of all, congratulations to your efforts and the results you are seeing so far! The plateau you perceive is not uncommon, don't let that demotivate you.\nMuscle gain and fat loss simultaneously is actually not impossible: <a href=\"http://sciencedrivennutrition.com/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here's a discussion of two studies regarding this matter</a>. The tl;dr points for you to take home are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on a diet rich in proteins</li>\n<li>Maintain a caloric deficit above 0 and below 500 kcal.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Moderate aerobic activity (if you can perform it five consecutive days, it definitely counts as moderate in my book) does not prevent muscle growth (or even 'burn' muscles) in itself. Cardiovascular endurance training and muscular hypertrophy are two pretty different physiological processes that are not mutually exclusive as long as you <strong>provide your body with enough fuel</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Now, why can't you see your muscles increase any more? Here's my interpretation: Muscles grow very slowly. What you perceived as increase of muscle mass, was actually a process called '<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_adaptation#Weight_training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">neural adaption</a>'. Basically, after just a few sessions of training, the percentage of muscle tissue you can recruit at-will increases. A lot. So if you're looking in the mirror and your biceps looks massive when flexing compared to two months ago when you weren't training yet, it's because now you're flexing 97% of the muscle instead of 60% from before (Even when not actively flexing, exercising your muscles causes an increased resting tone, adding to the 'swole' appearance). This effect plateaus quite early and your body now needs to actually build new muscle tissue ('hypertrophy') to handle the increasing training load.</p>\n\n<p>So all in all, keep doing what you're doing, don't let yourself get demotivated by a perceived slow-down of progress, eat enough proteins and don't exaggerate with the calorie cutting!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/40992", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30692/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40996, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, you have just left the stage of 'beginner gains'. Now is the time you will have to make a choice: build muscle <em>or</em> lose fat. You can't do both anymore.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41000, "author": "UnbescholtenerBuerger", "author_id": 25777, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First of all, congratulations to your efforts and the results you are seeing so far! The plateau you perceive is not uncommon, don't let that demotivate you.\nMuscle gain and fat loss simultaneously is actually not impossible: <a href=\"http://sciencedrivennutrition.com/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here's a discussion of two studies regarding this matter</a>. The tl;dr points for you to take home are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Focus on a diet rich in proteins</li>\n<li>Maintain a caloric deficit above 0 and below 500 kcal.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Moderate aerobic activity (if you can perform it five consecutive days, it definitely counts as moderate in my book) does not prevent muscle growth (or even 'burn' muscles) in itself. Cardiovascular endurance training and muscular hypertrophy are two pretty different physiological processes that are not mutually exclusive as long as you <strong>provide your body with enough fuel</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Now, why can't you see your muscles increase any more? Here's my interpretation: Muscles grow very slowly. What you perceived as increase of muscle mass, was actually a process called '<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural_adaptation#Weight_training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">neural adaption</a>'. Basically, after just a few sessions of training, the percentage of muscle tissue you can recruit at-will increases. A lot. So if you're looking in the mirror and your biceps looks massive when flexing compared to two months ago when you weren't training yet, it's because now you're flexing 97% of the muscle instead of 60% from before (Even when not actively flexing, exercising your muscles causes an increased resting tone, adding to the 'swole' appearance). This effect plateaus quite early and your body now needs to actually build new muscle tissue ('hypertrophy') to handle the increasing training load.</p>\n\n<p>So all in all, keep doing what you're doing, don't let yourself get demotivated by a perceived slow-down of progress, eat enough proteins and don't exaggerate with the calorie cutting!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41003", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32015/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41009, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't have much experience with bouldering, it wasn't really a thing back then.</p>\n\n<p>But if you don't intend to compete, just do whatever you think is most fun.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41010, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This answer is about bouldering vs rock climbing in gyms. Outdoor variations may be different.</p>\n\n<p>Bouldering <em>usually</em> is more difficult and technical than rock climbing. The difficulty scales up much faster because climbs are quick and small. Plus you don't have to worry about harnesses. You just have to be brave enough to fall a few meters on a pad. </p>\n\n<p>Rock climbing requires more grip endurance than bouldering. The easiest rock wall may use the same holds as the easiest boulder wall, but you still have to hold on for much longer.</p>\n\n<p>Between the two, you may learn climbing technique a bit faster with bouldering. You also won't have to complicate your lesson with proper harness training. You can also assess your grip strength. If you can't hold on to a wall after a couple of climbs, then you probably wouldn't be able to complete a rock wall.</p>\n\n<p>But also it's up to you. It's about having fun. Some people just prefer rock climbing. They like the challenge of reaching the top of a very high wall. Others prefer the technical challenge of figuring out a really tough boulder. </p>\n\n<p>EDIT: One big advantage that others have stated is bouldering doesn't require a partner. Anytime after your lesson, you can just show up to the gym and practice.</p>\n\n<p>There are gyms these days that have auto belaying systems systems that kind of act like a seatbelt. You just hook up and if you fall too fast it'll catch you and slowly lower you down. These don't seem to be common yet.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41012, "author": "Wyrmwood", "author_id": 27476, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27476", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouldering\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bouldering</a> is rock climbing without ropes, so it's normally only done at limited elevations (unlike <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_solo_climbing\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">soloing</a>). People generally boulder to practice moves at a safe distance, build stamina and and finger strength. If you're interested in rock climbing, you should also boulder for practice. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41008", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32018/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41019, "author": "Wood", "author_id": 31812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31812", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>(...) it is an ergometer, designed to accurately measure work, which means energy, which means calories.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Trying to estimate the calories burned from the effective <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(physics)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">work</a> done is remarkably inaccurate. When walking or running, the effective work being done is zero, because the resulting horizontal force is <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion#Newton&#39;s_first_law\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">zero</a>. You can still get a rough estimate for some exercises like cycling by considering that the human body is roughly <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle#Efficiency\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">20% efficient</a>, but you can't extrapolate this result for other types of exercises. To get a more reliable estimate, people usually calculate the calories burned based on pre-measured <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent_of_task\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">MET values</a> for a particular exercise and adjust the result based on the subject's sex, age, height, and weight.</p>\n\n<p>Another complication is that the machine might be giving you 3 different kinds of calories burned: only the extra calories from the exercise; the total including your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">BMR</a>; or the total including the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excess_post-exercise_oxygen_consumption\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">afterburn</a>. I'm not sure how the Apple Watch works, but it's likely that it takes into account your heart rate (rest, max, and everything during the exercise) and a bunch of personal information. It might take a few days to learn your rest and max HRs.</p>\n\n<p>As to which one is more accurate, if your watch is set up correctly, I'd probably trust it more than the rower. But the difference is too big. It might be that both are slightly off. Try different types of exercises to see if the watch is consistently giving strange results. There are a bunch of calories calculators online for you to compare the results with.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41020, "author": "MWB", "author_id": 31546, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31546", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>@Wood gave a good answer, but I disagree with the conclusion: I'd trust the machine over the watch. It simply has more information, such as the resistance level and the amplitude of motion.</p>\n\n<p>I doubt that the machine uses your HR in its estimates. This is because your HR is not particularly useful in calorie estimation: a weaker guy may do the same exercise, and his HR will go up more, but that doesn't mean he's burning more calories.</p>\n\n<p>The watch, on the other hand, <em>has</em> to use HR (and an accelerometer) as a <strong>crude</strong> measure of intensity.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41017", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32026/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41027, "author": "Pete B.", "author_id": 25585, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25585", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here are some options:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Get a small MP3 player. Anything from an IPod nano to knockoffs that sell on Amazon. <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2nRI0hl\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This one has a screen and is less than $20.</a> While you will still have to carry it, you can probably fit it in one of the super secret pockets many running shorts have. Some of my shorts have a pocket near the waist band on the back. With that kind of setup you can use wireless or wired head phones.</li>\n<li>Get a watch that has music built in. This is a more expensive option and it will require wireless head phones.</li>\n<li>Get a pouch to carry your phone and water. <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2nO0mjf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">I use something like this because I run in the heat.</a> This will cost you around $20, and I have used wired and wireless headphones with this setup.</li>\n<li>Get a running belt. These tend to be less expensive than the previous option, but do not carry water.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41034, "author": "Tobias", "author_id": 32062, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32062", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I regularly listen to music while running. I am using spotify on my mobile phone. Even if your phone is big, I would use it and try to get either something like an arm holder for the phone or have it in my hands. Carrying even more devices would not solve it for me.</p>\n\n<p>In addition I am using wired headphones and locally synced music. Fiddeling with bluetooth or having no connection while running is not that pleasant. I have had that during a city run when my BT headset would not connect and I had to reboot the phone while running. In addition having thousands of runners around you limits your mobile connectivity. The best thing you can do in such a situation is go into flight mode (to force your streaming app to go offline) and continue running.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41049, "author": "Chris H", "author_id": 6482, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6482", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you have a phone (or music player) with a headphone socket use that, and put the phone in a water-resistant pouch. This can be an armband, a backpack if you run with one, or for a really big phone a waist pouch. My current phone doesn't fit any of my armbands so I sometimes carry it in my hand; this gets annoying after running a few km, especially as I always carry water. I use MP3s stored on my phone, because the signal isn't great where I live. </p>\n\n<p>Wired headphones are cheap for the same sound quality as wireless, as well as being available in a range of styles and fits, so getting something you like is easy. If one earbud falls out (IME more of an issue in the gym, but if you find yourself jumping over puddles this can happen running) it's still attached and you don't have to break stride to deal with it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41052, "author": "lukaszkups", "author_id": 8389, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8389", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've bought Bluetooth headphones + Samsung Gear Fit 2 - it enables me to track my route via GPS through endomondo app and listen to music via Spotify (you need to have premium account and download playlist to the watch via Wi-Fi at home first)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41055, "author": "Étienne Laneville", "author_id": 32091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32091", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've used and recommend headphones like the Sony Sports Walkman headphones that offer Bluetooth connectivity but also let you store music directly in the built-in memory (up to 4GB) so you can run without your phone and still have plenty of music. They sound great and are waterproof, you can even use them while swimming, so they lend themselves well to running. Battery life is about 8 hours.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41024", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10745/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41044, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It's two different types of training. If all you were doing was jogging back and forth on the field, then your fitness would be just as sustainable as the other players around you.</p>\n\n<p>However, soccer is also punctuated with short burst, high intensity dashes that require a different type of training. This is similar to many other sports that mix two different types of exercise (A great example is bicycle racing, a circuit/lap race is much different than a 200 km point to point race. Lots of short burst accelerations).</p>\n\n<p>Keep up your daily runs, but also have a day (or two) where you do a 1-2 mile warmup, then lots of sprints of various lengths from 100m to 400m, and a 1-2 mile warmdown. Also on one or two of your 5k runs, add in segments where you run very uptempo, higher speed for 20-30 seconds with 1 min recovery run (Fartlek type).</p>\n\n<p>It's not the overall fitness, it's the short burst, high intensity demands that are sapping your leg strength.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41046, "author": "Jon P", "author_id": 28841, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28841", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Getting a little more technical than <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/41044/28841\">JohnPs</a> answer, what it comes down to is Aerobic vs Anaerobic conditioning.</p>\n\n<p>With Aerobic exercise you are keeping within your \"oxygen budget\", your body has enough oxygen available to supply the requirements of your muscles. When you are exercising at a constant intensity over a long interval you are in the aerobic phase, jogging and distance running are classic examples of this.</p>\n\n<p>Conversely with Anaerobic exercise, you are outside your \"oxygen budget\". The oxygen demands of the muscles outweigh the amount of the oxygen freely available in the body. Activities which are short and intense are when you enter the anaerobic phase. Sprinting is the classical example here.</p>\n\n<p>Soccer contains both elements. There are periods of jogging around the field, accompanied by intense bursts in attack and defense.</p>\n\n<p>To improve your performance on the soccer field you need to condition both your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. You've got aerobic covered, but remember \"variety is the spice of life\". You need to incorporate some anaerobic conditioning.</p>\n\n<p>Look at incorporating : </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Flat Sprints</li>\n<li>Hill Sprints</li>\n<li>Stair Sprints</li>\n<li>Skipping</li>\n<li>Chin Ups</li>\n<li>Push Ups</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.anarchytrainingcentre.com.au/what-makes-boxing-such-a-great-workout/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Boxing training</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Also a good general article on some <a href=\"https://livehealthy.chron.com/bodyweight-anaerobic-workouts-2360.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">anaerobic exercises</a>. </p>\n\n<p>Don't forget to also include a rest day for your legs before a match. You really don't want to be doing anaerobic leg conditioning the day before the match.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41047, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's great that you're running every day, but if you want to improve stamina, then your running should be at a pace and distance that involve stamina. You're running a short distance at a slow pace, so there is no stamina involved.</p>\n\n<p>Your body will generally adapt to whatever you consistently have it do. If you practice every day by running for 5.6 km in 32 minutes, then you're practicing running for that amount of time and then stopping, so your body will adapt to being able to run for that amount of time and then stopping. This amount of time is a lot less than the length of a football game, so you're training your body to be tired before the game is over. If you want to build endurance, try extending the length of your runs gradually until you're running 10-20 km. It's probably not realistic to run that distance every day, so try doing a longer run once or twice a week.</p>\n\n<p>Same thing for pace. Running a kilometer in 5:40 is a gentle jog. Football is a sport that involves a lot of sprinting. So again, you're training your body not to be able to do what you actually want it to do. For someone who's athletic and runs a lot, a fairly athletic sprinting pace is to run a kilometer in more like 3:50 to 4:20.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41051, "author": "LML", "author_id": 32085, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32085", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What I find surprising, is that nobody seems to have mentioned your lack of sleep.\n5-7 hours per night implies that you sometimes only get 5 hours of sleep. When you are working out and practice, your body will become stronger and sleep is quite vital for that process. You want to regenerate and also replenish your energy.\nAs others have mentioned, you will also need to practice the short bursts of running. You will also require more sleep.\n5 hours is not just bad for regeneration, but it's overall way too little sleep. Generally sleeping 5-7 hours very likely has you on a constant sleep deprivation, which reduces your performance in every part of your day and poses a health risk.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41061, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>\"I run daily\" \"sleep around 5 to 7 hrs per night\"</p>\n\n<p>That's the issue.</p>\n\n<p>Your body needs some time to regain its full strength, and I don't mean 5 to 7 hrs per night, but more like 2-3 days, even a week depending on how intense your running is.</p>\n\n<p>Just run like 3 times the distance you do now once every 2-3 days like on monday and on friday, and go play on wednesday, also more sleep would help for sure(like 8-9 hrs).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41062, "author": "The Betpet", "author_id": 32109, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32109", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A lot of the suggestions made already are excellent and relevant but something that hasn't been mentioned is the distance you run and diet. I suggest you look at what happens with the professionals. They generally run closer to 12km per match! Here is an article that goes into some of the ways you can better prepare yourself:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.sisfootball.com/sports-nutrition/the-importance-of-carbohydrate-in-football-performance/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.sisfootball.com/sports-nutrition/the-importance-of-carbohydrate-in-football-performance/</a></p>\n\n<p>The key points are:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Football matches are a mixture of high-intensity and low-intensity activity. Players should therefore need to possess a well-developed anaerobic and aerobic energy system.</li>\n<li>Players typically cover between 10-13 km in total distance during a match, of which approximately 3 km is at a speed above 14.4 km/k and 250-500 m is classed as an all-out sprint.</li>\n<li>To fuel such high-intensity actions, carbohydrate is king and players should ensure they commence the match with full energy stores having consumed a high carbohydrate diet (e.g. 8g/kg body mass) the day before the match.</li>\n<li>To support the ability to perform repeated sprints during the match, players should also consume carbohydrate during exercise at a rate of 30-60 g per hour.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The site also has other related articles about preparing for matches as well as help on your fitness routine in general. This would be a great place to start: <a href=\"https://www.sisfootball.com/sports-nutrition/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.sisfootball.com/sports-nutrition/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41068, "author": "Faiz Hameed", "author_id": 32073, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32073", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes as per the suggestions I did the following things<br>\n<br>\n<em>1. I didnt run on the day I wanted to play soccer <br>\n2. when I run I used interval timer 30-sec normal jog and 30-sec max speed run alternatively.<br>\n3. I somehow slept for 8 hrs.<br>\n4. I purposefully eat more than what I used to.<br>\n5. I didnt eat any food before 2hrs of the game</em><br>\n<br></p>\n\n<h3>Result</h3>\n\n<p>I was able to perform way better than before, it really works well. And even after the game, I wasn't that tired at all. I was still having energy to spend. I now believe that running is actually paying off well.<br><br>\nBut unfortunately just before the ending the game I got my ankle twisted. Now I dont think so I can play for a month. But after a week I should get back to running anyway. Otherwise, I will lose fitness</p>\n\n<p>Big thanks for everyone who suggested me the right way.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41040", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32073/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41184, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From your post it is not obvious how do you measure your progress and the lack of your progress. But some general hints:</p>\n<p>About the size - check out some basic informations about how the hypertrophy works. For example:\n<a href=\"https://ioncardiff.com/the-3-mechanisms-of-hypertrophy/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://ioncardiff.com/the-3-mechanisms-of-hypertrophy/</a></p>\n<ul>\n<li>you can achieve hypertrophy with calisthenics, also with sets x reps approach, if you address any mechanisms of hypertrophy correctly of course (this could be a bit tricky). If you do so, and still not gaining weight, increase the food intake and rest (this part is not a rocket science). Idea of transforming fat into muscles is quite naive in most cases.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>About the strength - it is not necessarily related to size. It is a skill. And it is activity specific. With correct load + rest you will improve in any skill you practice. If you practice too many skills (exercises) you will most like not improve at all. To gain strength you should limit you selection of exercises (best would be to choose only one exercise/skill/move).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42661, "author": "Vocaloidas", "author_id": 33841, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33841", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I made really great gains via calisthenics. You don't need to be in surpluss. Make sure you eat a lot of protein (more is better to a degree); 140 grams seems good but like i said; more is better.</p>\n<p>If you feel comfortable with your routine, you must increase your volume to stay true to progressive overload. I personally workout 6 times a week. This will be hard, but once you adapt to it, that alone will make you great gains. After that, you truly need to focus on volume. Since you're not doing weighted calisthenics, the only form of progressive overload (at least if you're goal is hypertrophy) is increasing volume. Add reps, sets. Sometimes it will feel impossible to add reps, but what i'd advise is to then add another set but with less reps and then see if you're able to do more next week.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41063", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29792/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41073, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Assuming that you're talking about weight based exercises only, my answer would be no: there is not a single exercise that works every muscle.</p>\n\n<p>My reasoning for this is that your body is made up of agonist/antagonist muscle pairs. Think bicep and tricep. They work together but oppositely. If you flex your bicep and tricep at the same time, you stay static. For this reason, I believe it isn't possible to work out every muscle. At a minimum, I believe you'd need two ridiculous movements to cover every base.</p>\n\n<p>In practical gym workouts, I think the closest you'd get would be with <em>compound exercises</em>. These are multi-joint multi-muscle-group workouts. Things like deadlift, snatch, clean and press, bench press, etc.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41079, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes*, they're called <a href=\"https://danjohn.net/2017/02/changing-lives-with-one-piece-of-equipment/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">complexes</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Before I get into complexes, and the caveat, an argument could be made that pretty much any of the power lifts or olympic lifts engage almost all of your muscles (assuming you're training close to your max and using full body tension during the lift).</p>\n\n<p>Think, leg drive in the bench press, driving the elbows up in the front squat, grimacing while pulling a heavy deadlift (engaging the facial muscles). Want big arms? Work up to a 600lbs deadlift or squat.</p>\n\n<p>Now, complexes...</p>\n\n<p>A complex is a series of movements chained together to form a single rep. An example with a barbell would be:</p>\n\n<pre><code>deadlift &gt; bent over row &gt; clean &gt; front squat &gt; overhead press &gt; good morning &gt; behind neck press\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>A kettlebell complex (double kettlebells) could be: </p>\n\n<pre><code>bent over row &gt; clean &gt; front rack walk &gt; front squat &gt; overhead press &gt; waiter walk &gt; collapse\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Bodyweight? Slightly tougher but with a bit of imagination:</p>\n\n<pre><code>laying face down under a chin up bar &gt; press up &gt; burpee (grab the bar) &gt; leg raise &gt; muscle up\n</code></pre>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>*it depends on your definition of an exercise. If you want a single, recognisable movement, then I'd say the Olympic lifts are your best bet. Mind you, you could argue that <a href=\"https://wodwell.com/wod/bear-complex/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the bear</a> is a single, recognisable movement.</p>\n\n<p>Some <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/screw-cardio-four-complexes-for-a-shredded-physique\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">complexes</a> have you perform <a href=\"https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19522475/big-muscle-barbell-complex/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">multiple reps</a> of a movement before moving onto the next in the chain, being pedantic, I wouldn't say they count, but a single movement flowing into the next does. After all, what is a clean and jerk other than an explosive deadlift, front squat and overhead press into split squat :) </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41148, "author": "khomatech", "author_id": 32212, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32212", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sprinting will do it, and respects your biology - unlike purely sagittal, dysfunctional exercises like squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, pullups, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41070", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32131/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41074, "author": "dsffdhgsfjdfghjdfghj", "author_id": 32139, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32139", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would argue that this is a skill rather than a 'strength' exercise. For instance if you got an olympic weightlifter to kick a football as far as they could, i can't imagine it would be any futher than your typical sunday league football player. Actually i'd say the average sunday league player has a better chance of kicking it farther.</p>\n\n<p>Based on my own assumption that this is a skill, the only real way to improve is through repetition and mastery of technique. If you were to take the example of a professional kicker in Rugby or American Football, they spend a good portion of their training just kicking the ball.</p>\n\n<p>Never really been one for football myself but i'd suggest looking up some training videos for kicking technique, or maybe some popular drills.</p>\n\n<p>Just as a side note, the problem with the examples you gave is that they are \"non-specific\" to the skill you are trying to learn. Especially the punching bag example, This has very little similarity to actually kicking a football. You can't really have a follow through kicking a punching bag on the floor. As a result i would argue that this will have next to no carry-over to kicking a ball. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41078, "author": "Faiz Hameed", "author_id": 32073, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32073", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are many tutorials to learn how to kick the ball properly. As the above answer mentioned it mainly comes from the technique and slowly increasing power with the technique. Soccer players do weight training for their leg and body for increasing overall endurance, stamina and so on. Power in legs does help only if you have a good technique. </p>\n\n<p>you may not need much power if your technique is good.\nAlso, there are several kinds of kicks you could take \nBanana Kicks, Ping the ball, Knuckleball etc.. </p>\n\n<p>Try learning each technique and practice a lot doing more of it. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41071", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6634/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41084, "author": "JACK", "author_id": 32134, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32134", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not addressing the workout routine, but 3 to 4 weeks seems like a short amount of time to be looking for a real increase in reps. Your form will improve and that will take more strength and maybe cut down on additional reps.\nAlso, dropping 8.5 pounds is no big deal... you could have pushed yourself too much in a previous workout and not fully recovered.... \nQuit using all this energy worrying about numbers and just work your muscles to exhaustion. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41085, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>As has been pointed out, you have been coming up with routines that are of questionable quality, pursuing them for a very short time and then wondering why you are not getting results.</p>\n\n<p>Building muscle/fitness takes time, lots of time, with attention to rest, diet and consistency on a well thought out program.</p>\n\n<p>I would recommend you do the following things:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Scrap your current routine</li>\n<li>Pick an established routine such as <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Starting Strength</a>, <a href=\"https://stronglifts.com/5x5/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Stronglifts 5x5</a>, Wendler 5/3/1, etc. and start following it</li>\n<li>Keep a training diary to chart progress</li>\n<li>Keep a food diary to make sure you are eating enough of the right foods</li>\n<li>Rest when told to. Resist the urge to add more because you feel good today.</li>\n<li>Train for at least 4-6 months before assessing progress.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If you can follow those steps, you will progress. Especially for beginners, weightlifting and seeing improvements is not rocket science. It's all been done before, many times, and there are a lot of good programs that work if you pay attention to the details.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41089, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>FWIW: I think @JohnP's answer is likely the best advice you'll get. Start with a new and proven program and go from there. His recommendations are also spot on.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>This is my specific opinion on your current regime:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Monday: legs \nTuesday: chest &amp; calves &amp; lateral delts \nWednesday: Rest or abs(?) \nThursday: back &amp; calves &amp; back delts \nFriday: delts &amp; trapezes \nSaturday: arms &amp; calves \nSunday: Rest or abs(?)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Is this a bad program? No, but it has multiple flaws. I say that because it is incredibly similar to the layout I'm using for my own training right now, however, I'm seeing a continual increase in strength. I've been doing it for a year (read: 52 weeks) and although the progress has slowed, there is still progress.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Why are you working out calves three times a week?</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I would add one, <em>maybe</em> two, calve workouts onto your leg day and that's it. Calves are a small muscle that will contribute negligibly to your strength increase.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>You're working your deltoids in three separate workouts!</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I don't know your specifics but this also seems unnecessary. Work the deltoids on your one day and move on (same as calves).</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Where are the rest days?</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I like that you've got rest days on Wednesday and Sunday but you mention <em>only abs</em>. I do hope you realize that core strength plays a phenomenal role in many workouts. My suggestion is to put two days of rest between upper body workouts and two days of rest between lower body workouts. In other words, if you're squatting Monday, don't deadlift and earlier than Thursday (you can do upper body workouts between this).</p>\n\n<p>The delt workout after delt workout after delt workout is just going to get your muscles exhausted. Any delt workout is going to start targetting chest and arms. Then you work arms, and you're back to chest.</p>\n\n<p>Do abs on your arm day, put some good rest between it and any other compound lift.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Are you putting in the work outside of the gym?</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The food you eat, the quality of sleep you get, the stretching/warmups you do, and the lifestyle choices you make (smoking, drinking, career) will all play a role. In a previous post of yours mentioned a high-protein diet, but are you eating enough calories? I don't know your specifics but you probably want to be in the 3000 calorie range: day after day, not just for one day here or there. If you work a demanding job, eat even more.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>You can't climb forever.</em></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I purposely built de-loads into my workout. It is impossible to challenge your 1RM each week, every week. I run 12-week progressive overload where week 1 is a lightweight, high rep workout and week 12 is a low rep, high weight workout. After Week 12 I de-load and start back at week 1's light weights (although heavier than the previous Week 1).</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>So, my answer to <code>Unable to maintain weights and increase in reps from work out session to session, why?</code> is a combination of poor programming, likely lack of rest + overworked muscles, and potentially diet.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41077", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27959/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41083, "author": "JACK", "author_id": 32134, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32134", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A bench press is a heavy triceps user and chances are you're using heavier weights for the bench so yes, you'll get more impact. That's normal, and good. not sure what the rest of your workout entails but I'd be doing those dumbbell benches on the same day as my other triceps exercises.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41086, "author": "UnbescholtenerBuerger", "author_id": 25777, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25777", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When doing dumbbell bench press, you feel that your triceps is the weakest link among all muscles involved. So at first glance, attempting to strengthen your triceps with isolation workouts in order to get it up to par with the other muscles seems like the appropriate thing to do.</p>\n\n<p>It most probably is not. Judging from the numbers you gave in your other posts, I think it's safe to categorize you an 'Advanced Beginner'*. As such, dedicating an entire workout to triceps exercises is counterproductive. You're just not there yet, your body (the triceps specifically) can't handle the volume: you're overreaching. So when you do the dumbbell bench press on Tuesday, your arms are probably still struggling to recover from the unusually high load of saturday.</p>\n\n<p>Consider this: When you're doing dumbbell bench press, the triceps are the muscles that fail first. This means that from all muscles involved in the movement, the triceps received the highest training stimulus. So, instead of doing a dedicated arm day, just go for another chest session on Saturday. Maybe the triceps will eventually grow proportionally stronger until another muscle will be the weakest link, maybe it will always be the tricep that is lagging behind. Whatever it will be, it shouldn't matter to you until you have several years of structured training under your belt. If anything, it would be more sensible to do an isolation exercise for the pecs and front delts on the same day in order to have them receive a training stimulus equal in magnitude.</p>\n\n<p><strong>TL;DR</strong>: Yes, it is normal. In compound movements, there will always be a weakest muscle. Instead of isolating that weakest link, just continue doing the compound movement.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>*: 'Beginner' in terms of how your workout should be structured according to <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00IU8YETW\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mark Rippetoe's work</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41096, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree with UnbescholtenderBuerger, it's counterproductive to focus on the triceps solely right now. </p>\n\n<p>Barbell floor presses is a good movement for increasing tricep and elbow-lockout strength. You may also want to narrow your grip on the barbell to put a bit more focus on the triceps with all your chest movements.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41080", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27959/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41094, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should <em>definitely</em> pee during any race even a quarter of that length. The duration of a couple rounds in a bush is going to be negligible in the bigger picture anyway. </p>\n\n<p>One of the main reasons why you shouldn't be holding it in that long, is that your bladder will retain a lot of the bacteria that it is trying to flush, and it can end up giving you urinary tract infections, or even push it back into your kidneys.</p>\n\n<p>Another nasty side effect is urinary retention, which is a tensening up of the muscles used to hold urine in, making you <em>unable</em> to urinate when you need to.</p>\n\n<p>Now, combine this with the obvious fact that you will need to hydrate a lot on such a long run, and an adult bladder can typically only hold 2-3 cups of fluid.</p>\n\n<p>If you have any practical questions about the safety of such a run, I highly recommend a visit to your doctor, as they will know more about your body in particular, and can run tests for the uncertainties.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41116, "author": "Francky_V", "author_id": 31037, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31037", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I wouldn't be so definitive about it... I ran a few marathons at ~4hrs and I don't remember feeling like I needed to pee during all for them... I wouldn't say and made a point of not doing either - just not sure I needed it all that much.</p>\n\n<p>Depends partly how you plan things beforehand I would say... are you already well hydrated to start with, how often do you usually pee, et.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41093", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32158/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41107, "author": "hrthgrtrtyrty", "author_id": 32168, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32168", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>So the good thing about doing a 1RM is that you find out stuff like this. Without seeing the video it's a little hard to know for sure.</p>\n\n<p>Juggernaut Training Systems has a series of videos addressing weak points, which helped me personally. I had what I consider to be the same issue as you, however, it's always possible it could be caused by something different. My particular issue is that I have a relatively weak back. Which is outlined here: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKQWs-GJZa4\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Addressing Weak Points | Squat | Weak Back</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It might be worth watching these other two videos to see if they resonate with you more:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-nm8ry_C9Q\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Addressing Weak Points | Squat | Out of the Hole</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H61P_PXUs6k\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Addressing Weak Points | Squat | Weak Legs</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>As a side note, I would make sure you're breathing and bracing properly. I'm sure you're aware of the Valsalva maneuver but it's always good to bring it up. It's always going to be beneficial to make sure to remain tight for the full squat duration. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41111, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You might want to consider trying some box squats. It can help you to focus your technique at this point of the lift, making sure that you're really bracing your core, \n pushing your knees out and driving the hips forward. By adjusting the box height you can work on the exact stage of the lift that you're struggling with. There are plenty of <a href=\"https://www.westside-barbell.com/blogs/2005-articles/box-squatting-benefits\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">good articles</a> on box squatting.</p>\n\n<p>Some people also recommend good mornings to build posterior chain strength, although I would advise going easy with the weight and being mighty careful with the technique if you try these. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41101", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41156, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>are you asking for warming up or physical therapy reasons?</p>\n\n<p>for physical therapy reasons...\nDepends. sometimes one muscle is tight and needs stretched because the opposing muscle is weak.If you have weak back and workout your chest all the time then your chest will be very tight but your back will not be.. so there will be no need to stretch your back.</p>\n\n<p>Other than doing stretches to warm up, uch as dynamic stretches.. generally muscles have a reason they are tight and need to be stretched. tight hamstrings can be a result of lower crosseed syndrome, and to fix them you workout your hams, abs, and glutes, as stretching them can make them worse.</p>\n\n<p>for warming up:\nstretching before a workout to warmup is fine. and you only need to stretch the muscles being used during a workout. stretching your biceps before doing bicep curls is fine.. but your triceps do not have a heavy enough workload as antagonist muscles to need stretching or warming up</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41157, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This might answer your question: In my opinion, the five most important muscles and areas to stretch are: First, your hip flexors. Second, your Pectoralis Minor. Third is the extension of your Thoracic Spine. Fourth is your Piriformis. And number five is your suboccipitals. Other people might come up with a slightly different list. The reason for this list is, as @Ace says, these are the muscles that are typically tight on people. Three of these (Pec Minor, Suboccipitals, Thoracic Extension) get tight because of cell phone use. Your hip flexors get tight because of sitting. So, as @Ace says, you stretch things that are tight. </p>\n\n<p>However, I would disagree with @Ace when he says that you should stretch your biceps before doing bicep curls. There is loads of research which shows that stretching a muscle decreases the power and speed of that muscle for a period of time afterwards. Also, it is highly unlikely, in my experience that you have tight biceps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41124", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1975/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41128, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You want to look at rowing motions (horizontal pulling) in all it's forms rather than vertical. So...</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Bent over rows</li>\n<li>Gorilla rows</li>\n<li>Inverted rows (using the dip frames, if they're tall enough)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>You might also find that you get a surprising amount of upper back work from things like dips (if you pause at the top and keep a big chest), kettlebell swings (lats act to decelerate the 'bell at the top of the swing and initiate the downward motion), kettlebell windmills, and you can throw in things like L-sit progressions on the dip frames.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41182, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can do pullovers with kettlebell: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rV1aBNC2Bg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rV1aBNC2Bg</a> I have seen guys doing pullovers with 32+kg KB.</p>\n\n<p>Also you can buy and use ab wheel:\n<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqiTPdK1c_I\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqiTPdK1c_I</a></p>\n\n<p>As was mentioned before, you can do any kind of rows with KB (there are hundreds of them).</p>\n\n<p>And lastly, bsacially any exercise with KB done with strict hard style form is a upper back exercise (swing, snatch, press ...).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41127", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41150, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are branches of yoga with focus on different things. If we're going with the static, more relaxed yoga poses (see: yin yoga), then we're doing a lot of seated and laid down stretching.</p>\n<p><strong>Breath work</strong></p>\n<p>But then yoga adds some key elements, that sets it apart from just stretching. One of those elements is breath work. By focusing on deep, paced breathing, a lot of people (and to my surprise, I myself) experience deeper stretch, and a relief from the pain that is normally involved with going a bit deeper into a stretch.</p>\n<h1>Static yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Another element is meditation. Under the right circumstance, easing into a relaxed stretch in a silent and dark environment, can be conducive to a mental state where you either let your mind wander, or you focus on trying to &quot;push&quot; thoughts away in order to enjoy a sort of mental silence.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Letting the mind wander</strong></p>\n<p>Personally, I like the meditation aspect of letting my mind wander. After a whole day of almost constant stimulus from social niceties, work, computer/phone screens etc, it's nice to give your mind a moment to just sort the experiences into memory. I've found that it really helps me fall asleep in the evening, because one of the things that keep us awake in bed, is having your brain sort through a whole day of experiences while you're trying to sleep. It can be really &quot;loud&quot; in its own right.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Silent mind</strong></p>\n<p>I don't have any personal experience here, but from what I've learned, focusing solely on your breath while meditating can have a more immediate relaxing effect, more along the lines of a nap. In this practice, you will inevitably feel your mind start to glaze over some thoughts, but you actively try to push said thoughts away, and focus back on your breath.</p>\n<h1>Dynamic yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Often referred to as &quot;yang yoga&quot;. Here, I don't have much experience. But this involves more dynamic movements as well as standing poses. One of the benefits of this is an improvement in balance. Breath work is still an integral part here, and anecdotally, I've heard that people see an improvement in everyday movement, by learning to move in ways that are more balanced and less energy intensive.</p>\n<h1>Bottom line</h1>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Are there situations where yoga might be the best option, and are there situations where stretching might be the best option?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Stretching for its own benefits is something you can throw in anytime, anywhere. It doesn't require any particular focus, and can be initiated at the drop of a dime. And the physiological benefits of stretching speak for themselves.</p>\n<p>Yoga will give you the same physiological benefits as stretching, with the addition of some other benefits as discussed above, but at the cost of requiring a bit of concentration, and perhaps a more quiet location than you may have at your disposal.</p>\n<p>As is often the case, it's not really a case of one being better than the other. You have some tools at your disposal, and with a bit of reflection, you pick the tool you need there and then.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41173, "author": "SivaPrakash Testing", "author_id": 32239, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32239", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not able to say both are same, but we can able to come conclusion after reading below lines.</p>\n<p>History of Yoga ‍♀️ is taken from animal stretching _which is done by animals to recover energy and healing and refresh by its birth</p>\n<p>our Yogis watch their activities and check and compare with human body activity\nthen they filtered and then they give <strong>YOGA</strong> as an Extractions of 1000 years of Knowledge</p>\n<p>So my friend when you are stretching your body it maybe reduces your energy or some other, but I am sure when you do yoga it must give you energy and mind control and full of a positive attitude.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42363, "author": "rajat semwal", "author_id": 33546, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33546", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Similarities Between the Two</strong>\nTo understand the reason for the belief that stretching and yoga are virtually the same, let’s look at how they are similar. Both relieve tightness in muscles. Both can engage the entire body. They can have some of the same goals.</p>\n<p>Stretching involves holding a position. You work on lengthening the muscle until you are stretching to the maximum. You push your body to the point just before it becomes uncomfortable, often leading to a release in tension.</p>\n<p>A yoga workout, on the other hand, is made up of many poses. Some of these are similar (or even the same) as stretches, but a large number are quite distinct.</p>\n<p>Furthermore, a yoga workout can be in the form of a flow, moving from one pose to another. Sometimes you hold a pose for several breaths, sometimes you change from one to another quite rapidly. This means that, although yoga can be relaxing, in other cases it can cause your heart rate to rise. Power yoga and strength-building workouts are good examples of this.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41149", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41150, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are branches of yoga with focus on different things. If we're going with the static, more relaxed yoga poses (see: yin yoga), then we're doing a lot of seated and laid down stretching.</p>\n<p><strong>Breath work</strong></p>\n<p>But then yoga adds some key elements, that sets it apart from just stretching. One of those elements is breath work. By focusing on deep, paced breathing, a lot of people (and to my surprise, I myself) experience deeper stretch, and a relief from the pain that is normally involved with going a bit deeper into a stretch.</p>\n<h1>Static yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Another element is meditation. Under the right circumstance, easing into a relaxed stretch in a silent and dark environment, can be conducive to a mental state where you either let your mind wander, or you focus on trying to &quot;push&quot; thoughts away in order to enjoy a sort of mental silence.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Letting the mind wander</strong></p>\n<p>Personally, I like the meditation aspect of letting my mind wander. After a whole day of almost constant stimulus from social niceties, work, computer/phone screens etc, it's nice to give your mind a moment to just sort the experiences into memory. I've found that it really helps me fall asleep in the evening, because one of the things that keep us awake in bed, is having your brain sort through a whole day of experiences while you're trying to sleep. It can be really &quot;loud&quot; in its own right.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Silent mind</strong></p>\n<p>I don't have any personal experience here, but from what I've learned, focusing solely on your breath while meditating can have a more immediate relaxing effect, more along the lines of a nap. In this practice, you will inevitably feel your mind start to glaze over some thoughts, but you actively try to push said thoughts away, and focus back on your breath.</p>\n<h1>Dynamic yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Often referred to as &quot;yang yoga&quot;. Here, I don't have much experience. But this involves more dynamic movements as well as standing poses. One of the benefits of this is an improvement in balance. Breath work is still an integral part here, and anecdotally, I've heard that people see an improvement in everyday movement, by learning to move in ways that are more balanced and less energy intensive.</p>\n<h1>Bottom line</h1>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Are there situations where yoga might be the best option, and are there situations where stretching might be the best option?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Stretching for its own benefits is something you can throw in anytime, anywhere. It doesn't require any particular focus, and can be initiated at the drop of a dime. And the physiological benefits of stretching speak for themselves.</p>\n<p>Yoga will give you the same physiological benefits as stretching, with the addition of some other benefits as discussed above, but at the cost of requiring a bit of concentration, and perhaps a more quiet location than you may have at your disposal.</p>\n<p>As is often the case, it's not really a case of one being better than the other. You have some tools at your disposal, and with a bit of reflection, you pick the tool you need there and then.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41173, "author": "SivaPrakash Testing", "author_id": 32239, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32239", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not able to say both are same, but we can able to come conclusion after reading below lines.</p>\n<p>History of Yoga ‍♀️ is taken from animal stretching _which is done by animals to recover energy and healing and refresh by its birth</p>\n<p>our Yogis watch their activities and check and compare with human body activity\nthen they filtered and then they give <strong>YOGA</strong> as an Extractions of 1000 years of Knowledge</p>\n<p>So my friend when you are stretching your body it maybe reduces your energy or some other, but I am sure when you do yoga it must give you energy and mind control and full of a positive attitude.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42363, "author": "rajat semwal", "author_id": 33546, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33546", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Similarities Between the Two</strong>\nTo understand the reason for the belief that stretching and yoga are virtually the same, let’s look at how they are similar. Both relieve tightness in muscles. Both can engage the entire body. They can have some of the same goals.</p>\n<p>Stretching involves holding a position. You work on lengthening the muscle until you are stretching to the maximum. You push your body to the point just before it becomes uncomfortable, often leading to a release in tension.</p>\n<p>A yoga workout, on the other hand, is made up of many poses. Some of these are similar (or even the same) as stretches, but a large number are quite distinct.</p>\n<p>Furthermore, a yoga workout can be in the form of a flow, moving from one pose to another. Sometimes you hold a pose for several breaths, sometimes you change from one to another quite rapidly. This means that, although yoga can be relaxing, in other cases it can cause your heart rate to rise. Power yoga and strength-building workouts are good examples of this.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41151", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29792/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41150, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are branches of yoga with focus on different things. If we're going with the static, more relaxed yoga poses (see: yin yoga), then we're doing a lot of seated and laid down stretching.</p>\n<p><strong>Breath work</strong></p>\n<p>But then yoga adds some key elements, that sets it apart from just stretching. One of those elements is breath work. By focusing on deep, paced breathing, a lot of people (and to my surprise, I myself) experience deeper stretch, and a relief from the pain that is normally involved with going a bit deeper into a stretch.</p>\n<h1>Static yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Another element is meditation. Under the right circumstance, easing into a relaxed stretch in a silent and dark environment, can be conducive to a mental state where you either let your mind wander, or you focus on trying to &quot;push&quot; thoughts away in order to enjoy a sort of mental silence.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Letting the mind wander</strong></p>\n<p>Personally, I like the meditation aspect of letting my mind wander. After a whole day of almost constant stimulus from social niceties, work, computer/phone screens etc, it's nice to give your mind a moment to just sort the experiences into memory. I've found that it really helps me fall asleep in the evening, because one of the things that keep us awake in bed, is having your brain sort through a whole day of experiences while you're trying to sleep. It can be really &quot;loud&quot; in its own right.</p>\n<p><strong>Meditation: Silent mind</strong></p>\n<p>I don't have any personal experience here, but from what I've learned, focusing solely on your breath while meditating can have a more immediate relaxing effect, more along the lines of a nap. In this practice, you will inevitably feel your mind start to glaze over some thoughts, but you actively try to push said thoughts away, and focus back on your breath.</p>\n<h1>Dynamic yoga poses</h1>\n<p>Often referred to as &quot;yang yoga&quot;. Here, I don't have much experience. But this involves more dynamic movements as well as standing poses. One of the benefits of this is an improvement in balance. Breath work is still an integral part here, and anecdotally, I've heard that people see an improvement in everyday movement, by learning to move in ways that are more balanced and less energy intensive.</p>\n<h1>Bottom line</h1>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Are there situations where yoga might be the best option, and are there situations where stretching might be the best option?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Stretching for its own benefits is something you can throw in anytime, anywhere. It doesn't require any particular focus, and can be initiated at the drop of a dime. And the physiological benefits of stretching speak for themselves.</p>\n<p>Yoga will give you the same physiological benefits as stretching, with the addition of some other benefits as discussed above, but at the cost of requiring a bit of concentration, and perhaps a more quiet location than you may have at your disposal.</p>\n<p>As is often the case, it's not really a case of one being better than the other. You have some tools at your disposal, and with a bit of reflection, you pick the tool you need there and then.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41173, "author": "SivaPrakash Testing", "author_id": 32239, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32239", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not able to say both are same, but we can able to come conclusion after reading below lines.</p>\n<p>History of Yoga ‍♀️ is taken from animal stretching _which is done by animals to recover energy and healing and refresh by its birth</p>\n<p>our Yogis watch their activities and check and compare with human body activity\nthen they filtered and then they give <strong>YOGA</strong> as an Extractions of 1000 years of Knowledge</p>\n<p>So my friend when you are stretching your body it maybe reduces your energy or some other, but I am sure when you do yoga it must give you energy and mind control and full of a positive attitude.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42363, "author": "rajat semwal", "author_id": 33546, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33546", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Similarities Between the Two</strong>\nTo understand the reason for the belief that stretching and yoga are virtually the same, let’s look at how they are similar. Both relieve tightness in muscles. Both can engage the entire body. They can have some of the same goals.</p>\n<p>Stretching involves holding a position. You work on lengthening the muscle until you are stretching to the maximum. You push your body to the point just before it becomes uncomfortable, often leading to a release in tension.</p>\n<p>A yoga workout, on the other hand, is made up of many poses. Some of these are similar (or even the same) as stretches, but a large number are quite distinct.</p>\n<p>Furthermore, a yoga workout can be in the form of a flow, moving from one pose to another. Sometimes you hold a pose for several breaths, sometimes you change from one to another quite rapidly. This means that, although yoga can be relaxing, in other cases it can cause your heart rate to rise. Power yoga and strength-building workouts are good examples of this.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41154", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32131/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41169, "author": "MyGamebooks", "author_id": 30110, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30110", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you practice the pure Yoga as it is in some Ashrams, they take habit to wake up early to practice on an empty stomach.</p>\n\n<p>This is supposed to help to burn fat since our body hasn't eat since many hours, our organism has to use the storage... the fat</p>\n\n<p>In ashram they also pick a selection of vegatable and eat them fresh and cook (no ready-made processed food). This can also be a game-changer.</p>\n\n<p>I would advise you to calculate your daily needs (maybe with an online tool like in <a href=\"https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-do-i-burn-every-day-3495464\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-do-i-burn-every-day-3495464</a> )\nFrom then only you will know how much calories to target.\nYou have to be progressive otherwise the homeostatis will make you come back to your usual weight.\nOnly reduce your normal caloric intake from 200KCal, for some weeks, until you reach a plateau. Then reduce again around 200KCal, and so on.\nYou can do this for 3 months but after your body will need some rest and adapt\nEventually your appetite will shrinken and it will be easy to maintain</p>\n\n<p>Good luck !</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43020, "author": "Mattias", "author_id": 32017, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32017", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can do lots of sun- salutations. Try starting with 10 each morning, and increase with 5 each week, or similar -depending on where you are currently. After a few weeks you'll see some results. Remember to do them mindfully. This will according to the philosophy of yoga increase your agni- inner fire, and you'll digest and burn toxins in your body. It also goes with western philosophy in that you'll do fully body exercises that burn calories. With consistency results can be quite quick.</p>\n<p>As mentioned above, a clean diet is probably also a good idea. Another good idea could be to do what's called a <a href=\"https://arogyadham.in/shank-prakshalana/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">shank-prakshalana krya</a>. This can clean the walls of the intestine from plaque and stuff so that they can absorb food you eat better, meaning you'll not have to eat as much since more nutrients per food intake will be absorbed. In the link above, they have a little different &quot;after activities&quot; prescribed than the ones I learned. I learned and felt good when I was doing the krya in the morning, fasted the rest of the day and then ate only <a href=\"https://www.ayurveda.com/recipes/kitchari\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Kitchari</a> for three days.</p>\n<p>Good luck with your continued practice.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41164", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32225/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41197, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not a doctor, blah blah blah, but...</p>\n\n<p>Over the past several years of lifting weights, playing with strongman training and rock climbing, I've had numerous injuries including (but not limited to) a fractured thumb, popped finger tendons, severe shoulder trauma (can't remember exactly, but only narrowly avoided surgery), rotator cuff issues with both shoulders and more recently a dislocated ankle.</p>\n\n<p>Throughout all of this, I've never stopped training, I've just adapted what I do (upper body broken = train lower body and vice versa).</p>\n\n<p>Though I can't find a specific article, <a href=\"https://danjohnworkouts.com/podcast/19148666\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dan John talks, in some of his podcasts and interviews</a>, about the time that he fractured his wrist (or something very similar) and carried on training everything that he could, including his non-injured side. He found that <a href=\"https://barbend.com/rotator-cuff-injury/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">training the non-injured side actually had a surprising amount of carry over to the injured side</a>.</p>\n\n<p>I can't comment on your particular injury, but when I injured my right shoulder (by being an idiot and not letting go when my foot slipped on a bouldering problem) I started deadlifting every day using a program I read about in Easy Strength. Once I'd got a bit bored with that, I made a routine based around some machine work, lunges and split squats (dumbbells held at my side, didn't irritate my shoulder), dumbbell bench and overhead press with my left arm, lots of core work, deadlift variations (snatch grip pulled too much, so it was mainly conventional, sumo and Romanian), single arm pulldowns and cable rows, and once the injury had healed sufficiently, daily Turkish get-ups.</p>\n\n<p>I've never liked doctors for physical injuries like this. The only advice I've ever been given was \"rest it\", or at best, a print out of some general exercises that they seem to hand out to everyone who goes in with that particular injury (there was a pile for ankles, one for backs, one for knees, etc, etc). </p>\n\n<p>Go see a decent sports physiotherapist, or a personal trainer who has experience with sports injuries.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41199, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Bodybuilder with rotator cuff tear here.</p>\n\n<p>I have a shoulder injury as well in my rotator cuff although I'm very curious about yours because most tears heal. Either way, I'd suggest seeing a few different bone specialists or orthopedics or physiatrists and a well qualified physical therapist. Making sure they specialize in sports will help too.</p>\n\n<p>The treatment plan I had was to stop actually doing rotator cuff strengthening that involved bands and do static stretches for my rotator cuff internal, external, etc. and some very lightweight (1 lb) rotator cuff exercises. I was advised to do this and it should heal in 6 to 8 weeks enough to continue. Shoulder raises with no weight helped reduce the risk of a frozen shoulder. </p>\n\n<p>So here are things you can do or should avoid:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Focus on healing first! If you feel any pain exercising then stop. You can really permanently damage your shoulder. All that could be prevented.</p></li>\n<li><p>After 6 weeks of rest and physical therapy use a 20-30 rep plan with very lightweight and slowly increase your weight. After a few weeks, you can try lowering the rep range and adding weight, although I'd stay in the 20 to 30 rep range for a while, then stay in the 15 rep range. Use this as an opportunity to build muscular endurance. You can test the waters with heavier weights in a few weeks.</p></li>\n<li><p>Avoid lifting <em>ANYTHING</em> overhead until your shoulder is healed then start with light reps.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Be careful about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p><em>Horizontal pushing</em> such as barbell bench press should be very carefully approached. Try it with not letting your elbows go below parallel and retract your scapula. if this doesn't work you can try reverse grip bench press or even dumbbell bench press. This will work triceps.</p></li>\n<li><p>Bicep curls as these use your shoulders as stabilizers. Use dumbbells seated or even try preacher curls so your arm doesn't need a shoulder stabilizer.</p></li>\n<li><p>Triceps, avoid overhead exercises such as tricep extensions or skull-crushers. Use close grip bench press or tricep pushdowns.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Back exercises on a bench support, such as bat wings, scapular retractions, t-rows with dumbbells, cable exercises, etc should be ok.</p>\n\n<p>Your shoulders and lats can get indirectly targeted through bench, one arm db rows, and more.</p>\n\n<p>Your body will force you to use absolute correct form to do exercises now. If you feel pain instantly quit that exercise. Do not be a hero.</p>\n\n<p>Be sure to check with doctors first! If anything, use this as an opportunity to build your back and weak muscles.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41210, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't listen to your doctor on this (sorry for you guys). Traditional medicine tends to give over-conservative advices for those kind of issues. </p>\n\n<p>If you read through stories on the internet, you will find numerous people that were told to stop training by doctors. They did not listen and returned to high-level competition with dedicated and hard work (yes, you will have to work for that). For example, go read some Stuart McGill stories on how he fixed serious back issues for high-level competitors. This will ease your mind !</p>\n\n<p>So ... You can definitely come back from this. Even if you had a complete tear, you could probably compensate through other muscles. Again, this requires you to seek capable people to help you with this, provides you the right treatment and advices. And this will require you to work every day on this issue and probably to do maintenance work after that. And if you succeed in healing your torn tendons, you should understand what caused the issue (acute injury ? muscle imbalances ? improper mechanics/technique ?) to avoid it reappearing in the future.</p>\n\n<p>Now where to look for proper advice I don't really know. I could just direct you toward crossover symmetry which provides good program for overall shoulder health. But you need to find a person able to properly look at your issue as a whole and provide you proper training/recovery program. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41194", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25767/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41200, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>actually increasing your fat intake to about 1g per kg of bodyweight(for 200lb person roughly 90g) is recommended to keep hormone levels balanced during a cut, as well as getting a chunk of your calories from to replace the carbs you are cutting out. it also helps with other things but that's a story for another day. you still need a calorie deficit. just make sure its healthy fat. the world health recommendation for saturated fat is below 16g a day for a 200lb person. carbs are the main macro you'll be watching like a hawk.. along with an incredible amount of protein to reduce muscle breakdown or loss of strength. </p>\n\n<p>my suggested macros are below:</p>\n\n<p>cutting:\n1g or more protein per lb of bodyweight.. very important during a cut. 35 to 40%. </p>\n\n<p>fat 1 g for every kg of bodyweight(notice its kg not lb) roughly 30%</p>\n\n<p>carbs-..75 to 1g per lb of bodyweight. 30 to 35%</p>\n\n<p>bulking:\n.protein-75 to 1 or more grams per lb . 30%</p>\n\n<p>carbs -1.5 to 2g per lb. 50% </p>\n\n<p>fat-20% of diet&lt;-- this is the only time you want your fats to be lower. for a 3000 calorie diet this equates to 600 calories from fat or 67 g</p>\n\n<p>if you need to reduce your calories, start with carbs, but Try to stay in a healthy range to avoid loss of muscle which occurs from lack of glycogen in the muscles. then protein then fat can be reduced. after a while your metabolism will adapt and you'll have to cut more calories or try carb cycling to continue cutting. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41211, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want a non-conventional view about losing weight &amp; diet in general, I suggest you look at <a href=\"https://play.acast.com/s/strongfit/26a6ea4994ec4ed490c7322b4dd0de42\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> video from Julien Pineau. The study is <a href=\"https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(19)30569-8.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">there</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, the study shows that food does not matter as much as we think. Your nervous system matters a lot to lose fat. This also supports somehow the possibility to lose weight locally as advertised by some bodyduilders</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41215, "author": "user32293", "author_id": 32293, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32293", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>to lose body fat current science supports 2 parallel actions, intermittent fasting and high intensity intermittent exercise. Intermittent fasting works by first slowing and reducing the release of insulin, increasing thyroid and growth hormone. Slowing or decreasing insulin allows your body to burn fat for energy which will have the effect of decreasing body fat. Increasing thyroid and growth hormone will facilitate the building of muscle. I knowmof no randomised control study supporting calories as a way to regulate body fat. Body fat is regulated by hormones,mprimarily insulin.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41216, "author": "Goman", "author_id": 31775, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31775", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, see <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsZfhHLsEU\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsZfhHLsEU</a> for a much better explaination on why you can even eat cake and still lose eight</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41217, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Yes, being in a caloric deficit is what drives fat loss.</strong></p>\n\n<p>The proportion of calories coming from fat is unlikely to make any difference to your results, assuming similar protein intake, and assuming that fat intake is not so extremely low that it causes hormonal problems. Commonly recommended minimum fat intakes are around 0.6-0.8 grams per kilogram or bodyweight, per day. You can quite safely get more than 20% of your daily calories from fat.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1368980/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1368980/</a></p>\n\n<p>\"Isocaloric [very low carb] results in similar fat loss than [very low fat and high unsaturated fat] diets low in saturated fat\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/2/324/4564649\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/2/324/4564649</a></p>\n\n<p>\"The isocaloric [ketogenic diet] was not accompanied by increased body fat loss\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826354\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826354</a></p>\n\n<p>\"After 3 weeks, the isoenergetic [very low carb diet] and [low fat diet] fed [obese] mice showed similar weight loss.\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/105/1/85/4637481\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/105/1/85/4637481</a></p>\n\n<p>\"Consuming energy primarily as carbohydrate or fat for 3 mo did not differentially influence visceral fat and metabolic syndrome in a low-processed, lower-glycemic dietary context. Our data do not support the idea that dietary fat per se promotes ectopic adiposity and cardiometabolic syndrome in humans.\"</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41225, "author": "aymens", "author_id": 32314, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32314", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Imo the less calories you get from carbs the better it is for loosing fat. The extreme being keto diet or skipping a meal (provided you do not snack, not a single gram of a glucose providing food) or more extreme fasting.</p>\n\n<p>In addition to that, fats and carbs aren't digested the same way, at the same speed and do not impact insulin the same way. So it is unfair, probably unintentionally due to lack of infos, to compare fats calories and carbs calories as if they were the same.</p>\n\n<p>In simple words, the lesser the carbs in your meal (more fat at the same time) the greater chances to not have an insulin spike, fast, and start building fat. The faster your body would be in a state of fat burning as fuel, instead of glucose.</p>\n\n<p>Look at this article <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/theres-no-sugar-coating-it-all-calories-are-not-created-equal-2016110410602\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/theres-no-sugar-coating-it-all-calories-are-not-created-equal-2016110410602</a>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41198", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1626/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41200, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>actually increasing your fat intake to about 1g per kg of bodyweight(for 200lb person roughly 90g) is recommended to keep hormone levels balanced during a cut, as well as getting a chunk of your calories from to replace the carbs you are cutting out. it also helps with other things but that's a story for another day. you still need a calorie deficit. just make sure its healthy fat. the world health recommendation for saturated fat is below 16g a day for a 200lb person. carbs are the main macro you'll be watching like a hawk.. along with an incredible amount of protein to reduce muscle breakdown or loss of strength. </p>\n\n<p>my suggested macros are below:</p>\n\n<p>cutting:\n1g or more protein per lb of bodyweight.. very important during a cut. 35 to 40%. </p>\n\n<p>fat 1 g for every kg of bodyweight(notice its kg not lb) roughly 30%</p>\n\n<p>carbs-..75 to 1g per lb of bodyweight. 30 to 35%</p>\n\n<p>bulking:\n.protein-75 to 1 or more grams per lb . 30%</p>\n\n<p>carbs -1.5 to 2g per lb. 50% </p>\n\n<p>fat-20% of diet&lt;-- this is the only time you want your fats to be lower. for a 3000 calorie diet this equates to 600 calories from fat or 67 g</p>\n\n<p>if you need to reduce your calories, start with carbs, but Try to stay in a healthy range to avoid loss of muscle which occurs from lack of glycogen in the muscles. then protein then fat can be reduced. after a while your metabolism will adapt and you'll have to cut more calories or try carb cycling to continue cutting. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41211, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you want a non-conventional view about losing weight &amp; diet in general, I suggest you look at <a href=\"https://play.acast.com/s/strongfit/26a6ea4994ec4ed490c7322b4dd0de42\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> video from Julien Pineau. The study is <a href=\"https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(19)30569-8.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">there</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Basically, the study shows that food does not matter as much as we think. Your nervous system matters a lot to lose fat. This also supports somehow the possibility to lose weight locally as advertised by some bodyduilders</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41215, "author": "user32293", "author_id": 32293, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32293", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>to lose body fat current science supports 2 parallel actions, intermittent fasting and high intensity intermittent exercise. Intermittent fasting works by first slowing and reducing the release of insulin, increasing thyroid and growth hormone. Slowing or decreasing insulin allows your body to burn fat for energy which will have the effect of decreasing body fat. Increasing thyroid and growth hormone will facilitate the building of muscle. I knowmof no randomised control study supporting calories as a way to regulate body fat. Body fat is regulated by hormones,mprimarily insulin.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41216, "author": "Goman", "author_id": 31775, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31775", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, see <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsZfhHLsEU\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGsZfhHLsEU</a> for a much better explaination on why you can even eat cake and still lose eight</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41217, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Yes, being in a caloric deficit is what drives fat loss.</strong></p>\n\n<p>The proportion of calories coming from fat is unlikely to make any difference to your results, assuming similar protein intake, and assuming that fat intake is not so extremely low that it causes hormonal problems. Commonly recommended minimum fat intakes are around 0.6-0.8 grams per kilogram or bodyweight, per day. You can quite safely get more than 20% of your daily calories from fat.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1368980/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1368980/</a></p>\n\n<p>\"Isocaloric [very low carb] results in similar fat loss than [very low fat and high unsaturated fat] diets low in saturated fat\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/2/324/4564649\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/2/324/4564649</a></p>\n\n<p>\"The isocaloric [ketogenic diet] was not accompanied by increased body fat loss\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826354\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27826354</a></p>\n\n<p>\"After 3 weeks, the isoenergetic [very low carb diet] and [low fat diet] fed [obese] mice showed similar weight loss.\"</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/105/1/85/4637481\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/105/1/85/4637481</a></p>\n\n<p>\"Consuming energy primarily as carbohydrate or fat for 3 mo did not differentially influence visceral fat and metabolic syndrome in a low-processed, lower-glycemic dietary context. Our data do not support the idea that dietary fat per se promotes ectopic adiposity and cardiometabolic syndrome in humans.\"</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41225, "author": "aymens", "author_id": 32314, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32314", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Imo the less calories you get from carbs the better it is for loosing fat. The extreme being keto diet or skipping a meal (provided you do not snack, not a single gram of a glucose providing food) or more extreme fasting.</p>\n\n<p>In addition to that, fats and carbs aren't digested the same way, at the same speed and do not impact insulin the same way. So it is unfair, probably unintentionally due to lack of infos, to compare fats calories and carbs calories as if they were the same.</p>\n\n<p>In simple words, the lesser the carbs in your meal (more fat at the same time) the greater chances to not have an insulin spike, fast, and start building fat. The faster your body would be in a state of fat burning as fuel, instead of glucose.</p>\n\n<p>Look at this article <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/theres-no-sugar-coating-it-all-calories-are-not-created-equal-2016110410602\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/theres-no-sugar-coating-it-all-calories-are-not-created-equal-2016110410602</a>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41203", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32131/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41205, "author": "Yousend", "author_id": 18977, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18977", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I don't have confirmation of this being the reason, but my educated guess would be for the visuals.</p>\n\n<p>The weight is usually printed on the face of the plates, but sometimes on both sides. This rule would ensure that there is always a weight being displayed on both the inside and the outside of the barbell in the majority of cases. With the exception of a competitor only using one plate on each side, then they would always face on the inside.</p>\n\n<p>Most competitors will lift over two plates in all their lifts, there may be a few who lift less than two plates, but that is probably an exception. I don't really follow the sport, so I am not aware of the strength of amateur competitors at these events.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41206, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So that you can read the plate weight from the inside and the outside. Usually they're all color-coded as well so you don't technically need to do that, but they do it anyway for consistency. (AFAIK the colors are not standardized so a \"red\" plate could be 20kg, 25kg or whatever). Also you can still read the weight of the larger plates if there are smaller plates on the outside covering up the weight of the larger plates.</p>\n\n<p>For training, the only thing that matters is consistency. Some plates are heavily recessed so the weight is primarily on one side of the plate. If one is facing outward and the other is facing inward, then there is a small but noticeable difference in leverages. One side will feel slightly heavier than the other.</p>\n\n<p>Plates that are symmetrical, especially calibrated plates, can really be placed however you want.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41336, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I asked this at a powerlifting meet a few weekends ago and got a couple more ideas, still nothing definitive, and I've got no sources to link.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Advertising:</em> the company providing the weights probably wants their name advertised. Along with banners, t-shirts, and whatnot, flipping the first plate puts their name in all of the athletes' photos.</li>\n<li><em>Friction:</em> flipping the first plate causes the first and second plate to be touching completely. This increases the friction between the plates. Not sure about this one but it has merit.</li>\n<li><em>History:</em> plates weren't always colour-coded! When Olympic lifting started it was all iron plates, likely, with little standards in terms of size. As already mentioned, having the first plate turned around to see if it was 20 kg or 25 kg would be quite important (subsequent plate weights get covered as smaller loads are loaded on). It is more than likely that this rule stemmed from early competition and has simply been carried on.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41204", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41205, "author": "Yousend", "author_id": 18977, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/18977", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I don't have confirmation of this being the reason, but my educated guess would be for the visuals.</p>\n\n<p>The weight is usually printed on the face of the plates, but sometimes on both sides. This rule would ensure that there is always a weight being displayed on both the inside and the outside of the barbell in the majority of cases. With the exception of a competitor only using one plate on each side, then they would always face on the inside.</p>\n\n<p>Most competitors will lift over two plates in all their lifts, there may be a few who lift less than two plates, but that is probably an exception. I don't really follow the sport, so I am not aware of the strength of amateur competitors at these events.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41206, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So that you can read the plate weight from the inside and the outside. Usually they're all color-coded as well so you don't technically need to do that, but they do it anyway for consistency. (AFAIK the colors are not standardized so a \"red\" plate could be 20kg, 25kg or whatever). Also you can still read the weight of the larger plates if there are smaller plates on the outside covering up the weight of the larger plates.</p>\n\n<p>For training, the only thing that matters is consistency. Some plates are heavily recessed so the weight is primarily on one side of the plate. If one is facing outward and the other is facing inward, then there is a small but noticeable difference in leverages. One side will feel slightly heavier than the other.</p>\n\n<p>Plates that are symmetrical, especially calibrated plates, can really be placed however you want.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41336, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I asked this at a powerlifting meet a few weekends ago and got a couple more ideas, still nothing definitive, and I've got no sources to link.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Advertising:</em> the company providing the weights probably wants their name advertised. Along with banners, t-shirts, and whatnot, flipping the first plate puts their name in all of the athletes' photos.</li>\n<li><em>Friction:</em> flipping the first plate causes the first and second plate to be touching completely. This increases the friction between the plates. Not sure about this one but it has merit.</li>\n<li><em>History:</em> plates weren't always colour-coded! When Olympic lifting started it was all iron plates, likely, with little standards in terms of size. As already mentioned, having the first plate turned around to see if it was 20 kg or 25 kg would be quite important (subsequent plate weights get covered as smaller loads are loaded on). It is more than likely that this rule stemmed from early competition and has simply been carried on.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41219", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32300/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41253, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Slowly. Do hook grip on your first set for a week, and regular grip for your remaining sets. Then do hook grip on your first two sets for a week. Then your first three sets for a week, and so on. It helps if you have a ramp up routine (start with lower weights until you get to your working set) because you can do this scheme with lower weight and build up. </p>\n\n<p>Hook grip will initially feel really weird. It should feel more natural in every set after a few weeks.</p>\n\n<p>If your thumbs feel a little burnt, then simply don't do hook grip for one or two workouts then go back on the plan when they heal. There's no reason to torture yourself by pushing through pain.</p>\n\n<p>As far as the piano concern... I can't speak to that. Anecdotally, hook grip will create slight calluses on your thumbs. It might make your thumb a little stiffer and harder to move (very slightly). I wouldn't expect it to significantly impact playing piano (my typing speed hasn't gone down any). Initially, your thumbs may feel like they're burning or sore immediately following a workout which will impact playing. Though that shouldn't be a concern once you're acquainted with it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41495, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 31045, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31045", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition to the other answer I would just add: <strong>use tape!</strong></p>\n\n<p>You can employ this when getting used to hook grip, but I've also seen elite folks continuing to use it. For me it not only helps with comfort but I think it improves the strength of my hookgrip a bit.</p>\n\n<p>Not just any tape. Use stretchy, self-adhesive sports tape. This type of tape is flexible and sticks to itself, not you. Regular sports tape can actually make things much worse. Here is an example, but it's available in most any sporting good store. <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07TTGCZGC\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TTGCZGC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_HsBkEb8RAD373</a></p>\n\n<p>Use it sparingly. You don't want to overdue it and add bulk to your thumb. Get the 2inch roll and go around your thumb about 1.5 times.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41226", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32229/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41229, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I cannot find anywhere where there is research showing women have a stronger lower body than upper body. strength is hard to define when comparing it in general. How would one define the strength level of a group of muscles compared to multiple muscle groups(shoulders, chest, back, arms)?</p>\n\n<p>If you want to look at it from a stereotype.... \ngenerally women will workout their legs more to have nice legs and a nice butt.. while some think that doing bench presses, etc will make them somehow look like arnold Schwarzenegger. this is more misinformation though and doesnt apply to females as a whole</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41283, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I ignore the first sentence of your question because it does not make any sense to me in this context (correct me, if I am wrong).</p>\n\n<p>It is quite an interesting question, however, you should back it up with some evidence in the first place. Now, according to the old study (<a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00235103\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00235103</a>):</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The greater gender difference in upper body strength can probably be\n attributed to the fact that women tend to have a lower proportion of\n their lean tissue distributed in the upper body. It is difficult to\n determine the extent to which the larger fibers in men represent a\n true biological difference rather than a difference in physical\n activity, but these data suggest that it is largely an innate gender\n difference.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Answer to your questions was unclear about 30 years ago</strong>. And I do not know about any newer theory. But <strong>your question seems to be valid</strong> at least.</p>\n\n<p><em>I know this answer is not helping much, so if anyone provides better information, I would gladly delete this answer.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41228", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32321/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41231, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you're referring to energy produced in an environment, like when they did lab experiments having different rankings of cyclists pedal to see how much power they have over an hour, then no, there is no way to test this as a better cyclist may be born every year. Most people have a maximum genetic potential. Whether or not you're an athlete you are limited by what your body can do. This is why we all can't look like professional bodybuilders. In the lab experiment most elite cyclists had about 25 watts per kg while amateurs had about 5-6 watts per kg. These cyclists also don't account for other forms of producing power that don't involve pedaling, etc. I think we are also limited by our anatomy and how quick our body moves, etc., but I assume since the best of the best cyclists all managed to get roughly 25 watts per kg, then this is probably close to what a human cyclist could do at their maximum. Then again, 30 years from now there may be a cyclist that beats this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41316, "author": "user238853", "author_id": 32419, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32419", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>While there is not a hard, specific number for the maximum \"energy\" a human can exert, there are limitations due to the basic physics laws of the universe. Yes, over time, humans have pushed performance limits, but not to the levels portrayed by superheroes in fiction. As the body consists of organic components, each of those components has strength limits, as well as energy expenditure limits based on the conversion of nutrition into energy used to perform work.</p>\n\n<p>How is this maximum energy measured? Just take a look at sports metrics; the fastest mile, the longest jump, weightlifting records... Until a new record is set, the current recorded maximum energy is that specific record in that activity.</p>\n\n<p>Through science and evolution over the long term, humans will be able to perform at higher and higher levels.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41230", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41252, "author": "Sree Vishnu", "author_id": 32316, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32316", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm speaking from my personal experience , I used to train while being in caloric deficit for like 9 months during that period though I got stronger , I did not build muscle significantly in-spite of consuming 1g of protein/lb.\n<p>Now I have lost enough weight , I am in a maintenance level so I have started to gain muscle.\n<p>So , though hypertrophy does not happen as effectively as when you are in a caloric surplus or in maintenance calorie.\n<p>Your fat is basically cache reserve of energy which is saved for hardship , now when you're in a deficit your body starts to burn this but it might also accidentally burn some muscle too , So your workout protects this from happening but it is not 100% efficient.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41254, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In order to build muscle, your muscles need three things: <em>exertion</em>, <em>rest</em>, and <em>fuel</em>. <a href=\"https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[1]</a></p>\n\n<p>The exertion and rest portions come from a proper workout and rest routine. The point of concern for your question is the <em>fuel</em> aspect.</p>\n\n<p>A calorie surplus is recommended for muscle growth (hypertrophy) as most individuals don't eat enough to build the muscle mass they're looking for. However, the additional energy input doesn't need to come from a calorie surplus. If your body has energy stored in fat it can use that energy to build muscle mass as well, meaning, you can also build muscle in a caloric deficit if the circumstances are appropriate. <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/6-muscle-building-myths-debunked\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[2]</a></p>\n\n<p>This doesn't mean fat magically turns into muscle. It just means the energy is available.</p>\n\n<p>The process works best in a slight caloric deficit (500 to 750) with high protein intake. Research has shown that 1.4 - 2 g of protein/kg body weight (0.6-0.9 g/lb) is ideal for muscle growth. <a href=\"https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[3]</a> Further research has shown that 2.3 to 3.1 g of protein/kg of lean mass (1-1.4 g/lb lean mass) in a <em>hypocaloric diet</em> is required to maximize lean muscle retention. <a href=\"https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[4]</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Will muscle just build a lot slower while I'm trying to lean down?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The short answer is <strong>yes</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>While it is not impossible, building muscle and losing weight at the same time should be a slow and steady process. You're attempting to push your body into an energy-intensive change (build muscle) while restricting the energy available (calorie deficit).</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><em>Anecdote:</em> In the first half of this year I was working out with a protein intake of 1 g/lb but trying to lose some excess fat by doing a calorie deficit. I definitely saw strength increase, lost 10 pounds, but I can't say I noticed much in terms of muscle growth. In the second half (roughly July to now) I reevaluated my goals and priorities. I kept my protein intake the same but upped my calorie intake to a surplus. My strength has increased more, I am noticing muscular improvements, however, some stomach fat has returned. This time around though it doesn't bother me as much, I know I can lose it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41267, "author": "djamel eddine boucif", "author_id": 32371, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32371", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>speaking of building muscle has a lot of combined fact together nutrition rest and exercise and in your case the problem with caloric deficit is a lot of people miss understood it because they just goes lower on there calories intake but the truth is you star slowly to let your body adapt to your new diet and by lowering your calories you should rise you protein intake in the other hand to let your body to repair and build it self and also the protein your take will be divided to two portion the first one goes to build and repair and the extra amount your body will transform it to a source of energy and that what you need while your in your caloric deficit to gain extra muscle and to not let your your body break fro it own to use as a energy source </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41236", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1626/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41252, "author": "Sree Vishnu", "author_id": 32316, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32316", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm speaking from my personal experience , I used to train while being in caloric deficit for like 9 months during that period though I got stronger , I did not build muscle significantly in-spite of consuming 1g of protein/lb.\n<p>Now I have lost enough weight , I am in a maintenance level so I have started to gain muscle.\n<p>So , though hypertrophy does not happen as effectively as when you are in a caloric surplus or in maintenance calorie.\n<p>Your fat is basically cache reserve of energy which is saved for hardship , now when you're in a deficit your body starts to burn this but it might also accidentally burn some muscle too , So your workout protects this from happening but it is not 100% efficient.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41254, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In order to build muscle, your muscles need three things: <em>exertion</em>, <em>rest</em>, and <em>fuel</em>. <a href=\"https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[1]</a></p>\n\n<p>The exertion and rest portions come from a proper workout and rest routine. The point of concern for your question is the <em>fuel</em> aspect.</p>\n\n<p>A calorie surplus is recommended for muscle growth (hypertrophy) as most individuals don't eat enough to build the muscle mass they're looking for. However, the additional energy input doesn't need to come from a calorie surplus. If your body has energy stored in fat it can use that energy to build muscle mass as well, meaning, you can also build muscle in a caloric deficit if the circumstances are appropriate. <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/6-muscle-building-myths-debunked\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[2]</a></p>\n\n<p>This doesn't mean fat magically turns into muscle. It just means the energy is available.</p>\n\n<p>The process works best in a slight caloric deficit (500 to 750) with high protein intake. Research has shown that 1.4 - 2 g of protein/kg body weight (0.6-0.9 g/lb) is ideal for muscle growth. <a href=\"https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[3]</a> Further research has shown that 2.3 to 3.1 g of protein/kg of lean mass (1-1.4 g/lb lean mass) in a <em>hypocaloric diet</em> is required to maximize lean muscle retention. <a href=\"https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">[4]</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Will muscle just build a lot slower while I'm trying to lean down?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The short answer is <strong>yes</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>While it is not impossible, building muscle and losing weight at the same time should be a slow and steady process. You're attempting to push your body into an energy-intensive change (build muscle) while restricting the energy available (calorie deficit).</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><em>Anecdote:</em> In the first half of this year I was working out with a protein intake of 1 g/lb but trying to lose some excess fat by doing a calorie deficit. I definitely saw strength increase, lost 10 pounds, but I can't say I noticed much in terms of muscle growth. In the second half (roughly July to now) I reevaluated my goals and priorities. I kept my protein intake the same but upped my calorie intake to a surplus. My strength has increased more, I am noticing muscular improvements, however, some stomach fat has returned. This time around though it doesn't bother me as much, I know I can lose it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41267, "author": "djamel eddine boucif", "author_id": 32371, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32371", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>speaking of building muscle has a lot of combined fact together nutrition rest and exercise and in your case the problem with caloric deficit is a lot of people miss understood it because they just goes lower on there calories intake but the truth is you star slowly to let your body adapt to your new diet and by lowering your calories you should rise you protein intake in the other hand to let your body to repair and build it self and also the protein your take will be divided to two portion the first one goes to build and repair and the extra amount your body will transform it to a source of energy and that what you need while your in your caloric deficit to gain extra muscle and to not let your your body break fro it own to use as a energy source </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41243", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32302/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41251, "author": "Sree Vishnu", "author_id": 32316, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32316", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Have you gained any weight after gym ? \nIf yes , that could be one of the reason.\n<p>The main factor here will be \"Muscle soreness\" or <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">DOMS</a>. After your full body workouts your muscle needs time to repair itself and get stronger but while it is recovering it might not be as strong as it used to be.You don't have to squeeze out 100 push-ups every day just leave some time to recover and you will do fine.\n<p>You're in a beginner level program , just do push ups everyday before workout and once when your body gets adapted you could go back to your 100 push-ups a day routine. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41259, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>That's because in addition to doing pushups, you're now doing exercises that exhaust your chest, tricep, and deltoid muscles. Either you're muscles are recovering or just sore.</p>\n\n<p>Also are you doing sets of pushups? I know you said a max of 30 but a 100 a day.. like 3 sets of 30 and 1 set of 10.. or do you do 100 pushups throughout the day as you see fit?</p>\n\n<p>I will say there are a LOT of better chest exercises than pushups so if you are in a gym just do your chest workout there with weights, whether your goal is endurance or strength.</p>\n\n<p>After 30 pushups(funny how this is your maximum) your muscles quit getting a benefit far as getting bigger or stronger.. meaning doing 40 or 50 pushups wont build muscular endurance and this more goes into cardio.. Id say unless you are doing a cardio circuit to burn fat or condition, feel free to give up pushups altogether. They are great cardio but unless you are putting a plate on your back they are too easy for other goals like strength or endurance</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41286, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Because you cannot sit on two chairs with one ass. If you add exercise/skill to your practice, you sacrifice something else.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to be great at pushups, you should train only skills that assist the pushup. If you want to train full-body properly, be ready, your pushups will drop.</p>\n\n<p>Unrelated note 1: I have never seen anyone do more than 20 <strong>strict</strong> pushups. I am not saying that everyone should do them super strict, but do not fool yourself with fake improvements.</p>\n\n<p>Unrelated note 2: If you can do more than 10-20 pushups, it is not about the strength that much.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41250", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4816/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41543, "author": "JonathanG", "author_id": 31984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I always tighten my belt that I can stick 1 or 2 fingers between belt and body.\nAs commented opinions are divided about it, but all agree it works.</p>\n\n<p>As by the link in the comment, first few months dont use a belt, as your body wont train some muscles as it should (with deadlifting your back wont know how to keep itself steady if you ever lift without a belt).</p>\n\n<p>The most important point is, is that the belt shouldnt feel unpleasant if you are under tension. If you pull it too tight it might 'cut' into your gut. The best tactic is to try with a moderate weight you are familiar and try the different tightnesses.</p>\n\n<p>Research: my own, some friends from the gym and my bodybuilder coach.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41544, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The biggest factor to keep in mind is that <strong><em>a belt is for your abs to brace against, not to support your lower back.</em></strong> Your spine is kept stable by the additional intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) you can generate by bracing against the belt.</p>\n\n<p>My personal approach is to pull it just about as tight as it can comfortably go and then back it off another notch. This usually ends up with me being able to squeeze my hand in between my belt and abs; although, not comfortably. After that, I brace using a <a href=\"https://youtu.be/IZDVHVohtmE?t=260\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cue I learnt from Chris Duffin</a>, imagining the core as a cylinder.</p>\n\n<p>If the belt is too loose, it isn't going to add to the pressure I can already generate in my core. If the belt is too tight, I also can't expand my core as much as possible to create additional pressure; it is going to inhibit me. Again, <em>if the belt's tightness impedes your ability to brace your core, it is too tight.</em> I will usually be a bit tighter on squats than I will on deadlifts just so that I can get my body in a proper position.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>There are many individuals at gyms that use powerlifting belts without knowing about the concept of core bracing. These may be the individuals you've seen tightening the belt as tight as physically possible (to the point of interfering with proper breathing). My opinion is that at this point, the individual is using the belt as a crutch for a weak lower back.</p>\n\n<p>Conversely, there are individuals that crank the belt down as tight as possible, they have a fantastic knowledge of how to use it, and that is just the method that works best for them.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Belts seem to be a rather personal thing. Lots of people have their own methods. I would suggest playing around and seeing what works best for you. Again, @DeeV had some great points on my <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/40549/31284\">equipment question</a> and I highly suggest checking out the <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/the-belt-bible\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Belt Bible by Greg Nuckols</a>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41255", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32229/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41309, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Generally speaking the rule of thumb is just to avoid exercises that cause you pain and avoid the obvious ones like deadlift, rowing, and squatting . Otherwise what works for me..</p>\n\n<p>Rest and recover. use a few weeks as back pain and sciatica in many cases in as little as 6 weeks can heal with conservative treatment. If you have chronic pain despite this, then see a dr.</p>\n\n<p>Avoid deadlifting, rowing. or back squatting. Front squats might be ok. avoid standing shoulder presses as it requires too much lower back stabilization.\nFor biceps as long as you stand while focusing on a neutral back you generally wont have issues. If you do. then preacher curls might help as you have the weight supported by the chair or rest pad, and your back isnt being used.</p>\n\n<p>any chest-supported row is great for the upper back. and you can use supinated, pronated grips with a barbell or neutral dumbbells.</p>\n\n<p>abs-you can use anti exercises (either static or dynamic) such as vertical pallov press, lateral pallov press, and regular pallov press. You can also do cable rotations, deadbugs, and even hanging knee raises which you can do in a roman chair with back support.</p>\n\n<p>shoulders you can do front raises. lateral raises. and rear raises.</p>\n\n<p>chest-you can probably get away with doing a dumbbell or barbell bench press if you can keep your back neutral and avoid arching it. otherwise flyes or chest raises(pressing together two weights with your palms in front of you and raising them to in front of you)</p>\n\n<p>Legs- maybe front squats will work. otherwise bulgarian split squats, single leg romanian deadlifts. and single leg glute bridges work well. and allow you to reduce the weight.</p>\n\n<p>Ultimately just see what does and doesnt cause pain. Your back pain might be bad enough to where you might have to do the senior workout by using machines for a while. You can also use high rep schemes with low weight to be easy on your joints.</p>\n\n<p>You can also address the cause of the sciatica.. perhaps you have a curves spine or bad posture, sedentary lifestyle or job, etc..? you can see a sports physical therapist and an orthopedist to see if you can correct it and reduce the pain</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41310, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Avoiding using your back is a bad idea for managing low back pain and/or sciatica. You should continue to exercise.</strong></p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-018-5673-2\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-018-5673-2</a></p>\n\n<p>Clinical practice guidelines are in near complete agreement that remaining active is one of the most important means of treating lower back pain with or without sciatica, and bed rest is to be avoided.</p>\n\n<p>Exercising your back does not wear it down or damage it, rather it makes it stronger. So you just need to figure out what exercises you can tolerate, by gradually introducing them and testing whether they cause pain or exacerbate your symptoms. If an exercise is uncomfortable at first but that improves throughout the workout, I'd take that as a positive sign. If it only becomes more uncomfortable throughout the workout, or if it causes significantly worse symptoms afterwards, then you may need to make modifications such as reducing range of motion, or choosing different exercises, until you find a selection of exercises that don't worsen your condition.</p>\n\n<p>Basically just experiment and see what works for you, without deliberately trying to avoid using your back.</p>\n\n<p>This video on managing pain in the gym would also be well worth watching: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41284", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31772/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41298, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are a lot of functional \"caveman\" type ways to use rotation if youre not wanting to use dumbbells or bands.</p>\n\n<p>You can use clubs which are weighted differently and build balance.\nYou can use maces, thor's hammer, or sledgehammers. These are cheap and you can buy them yourself for after the gym.\nYou can also replicate a hammer by using a barbell or adjustable dumbbell with only one end with weights. Do not strike anything with these though. you only need to go through the motion to build rotation.. you are not working on your speed or power.</p>\n\n<p>There are a lot of workouts online that involve chopping movements(acting as if you are chopping wood and squatting as you do so)(or reverse where you go from low to high), as well as spinning. rotating etc.. Dumbbells are great for the chopping exercises as you hold a dumbbell straight up as you do it.. but if this doesnt fit your 10,000 year old school method you can use hammers or clubs.</p>\n\n<p>Swinging hammers(thors hammer, sledge hammer, war hammer) or a mace will replicate ancient ways of the body using a weapon to build rotational force. They all simulate hitting with rotation similar to a baseball bat. You do not actually need to strike an object to build rotation, just go through the motion.\nClubs originated in India a very long time ago and are also a great tool. They are balanced as well and easy on the joints.</p>\n\n<p>Also you can do bodyweight exercises.. such as hanging knee raises with rotating your legs to the side. Rock climbing would build your obliques as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41300, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 7091, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7091", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You mentioned the lunge not being in Starting Strength, but Rippetoe has certainly spoken about it before. I forget the context and just skimmed through my books to no avail. But I believe his basic thought was \"The only reason more men don't do lunges is because they see women doing them and think it's not a 'real' exercise. These men are wrong.\"</p>\n\n<p>There's also (Chapter 7, Starting Strength) an entire section devoted to ancillary exercises. Following a progressive overloading routine like SS, SL5x5, Mad Cow, etc, it's pretty normal for folks to burn ~15-30 minutes doing some less destructive ancillary moves. In particular I found use in these which may relate your desire for a bit more asymmetrical and twisting motions. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y61J0LnUlZE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Seated Dumbbell (or kb) twist</a>. Heels up, sit on your butt, move a weight side to side as shown, aiming for touchdown to be controlled and roughly inline or slightly above (towards your head) of your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliac_crest\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">iliac crest</a>. </li>\n<li><a href=\"https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/ASSingleLegSquatSelf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Assisted single leg squats</a>. I like to do them with a suspension trainer.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Beyond those, you might consider bouldering. Climbing tends to put you into just about every type of directional force situation available. That's across static, strength, and dynamic movements. </p>\n\n<p>Rippetoe's core thought process though is that there is so much work to be done and so many strength gains to be had via barbell training that straying too far off course will cause you to weaken accessory muscles needed for larger composite moves and ultimately will leave you worse off. </p>\n\n<p>Rippetoe was and is a professional athletic trainer, focusing on US football which requires a lot of movement and pulling/pushing across a lot of range. I'd be wary of trying to outsmart him too much, or thinking that your needs are more than a high end collegiate <a href=\"https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Good-Defensive-End\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">defensive end</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Like the lunge, Rippetoe is all about them, but you can't do all-of-the-above in lifting programs because that leads to lower progress in any particular movement or overuse injuries.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41306, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My own conclusion on this is;\nthe twist is not missing from Starting Strength since the same muscles are exercised by the other movements in the program.</p>\n\n<p>However it is beneficial to practice the twist as well as lunges occasionally.\nIndian clubs or sledgehammers may help in developing strength around the shoulder which is good for stability. \nLikewise lunges may be good for stability around the knee.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41364, "author": "Dude", "author_id": 32346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32346", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The starting strength program is for beginners to learn the most important basic lifts. At a certain point though you need to start including rotational special exercises. For example just continuing to deadlift will not advance your deadlift past a certain point. Other important accessory exercises for the deadlift include glute-ham raises, good mornings, and hyper extensions. At the point when you are ready to do so I would highly recommend reading through some of what louie simmons has written about the conjugate method. Best of success</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41367, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Answer: Half Kneeling Pallot Press. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41293", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41311, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p><strong>How should I train strength if I want to stay painfree and have good mobility?</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>You should engage in progressively overloaded resistance training, following a program designed to build strength. Strength training shouldn't cause pain or loss of mobility, so the fact that you want to stay pain-free and have good mobility isn't relevant to this.</strong></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can you both be very strong and still be weak?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Strength is application-specific, so yes. A paraplegic powerlifter will have incredible strength in the bench press, but zero strength in leg extension.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I would argue yes</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You're not supposed to be presenting arguments in a question.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Weak posterior deltoids relative to anterior deltoids cause rounded shoulders. The overhead press may cause such an imbalance.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is nonsense. The deltoids articulate the glenohumeral joint only, and cannot possibly affect the sternoclavicular/acromioclavicular joints, which is where rounding of the shoulders occurs.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I have done Yoga twice. The movements were performed slow and controlled. There were no momentum involved so a lot of stabilizing muscles had to work in addition to the stronger prime movers. There were also a lot of movements. In my opinion Yoga makes the weaker muscles stronger and does little for the stronger muscles.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This idea that yoga or yoga-like movements (apparently anything slow) train muscle in proportion and that (taken as implied) resistance training does not is also nonsense. Furthermore, momentum really does not play into resistance training with the exception of the sport of Olympic Weightlifting, and training modes derived from it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I do not want 90 % of my muscles to be very strong and 10% to be weak. I believe that is a recipie for pain and dysfunction. In particular the ball socket joints in the body, the shoulder and the hip, requires balanced musculature around them in order to have full range of motion (ROM).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>[citation needed]</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>However I find Yoga boring and believe that lifting weights can also be done in a \"Yoga\" manner. The effectiveness of Yoga does not stem from it use of indian names for postures nor from its use of only the body as weight. If you do the overhead press with a light weight and hold it at the top and gently swing the barbell back and forth slightly focusing on control instead of power and also focus on your breath; that is Yoga!</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's not yoga. That is wasting time for no likely benefit.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Programs like Starting Strength focus on a few most effective excercises in order to get say 90% of the muscles stronger as fast as possible. For same reason they also focuses on lifting heavy. I would argue that if you are not only interested in getting stronger but also enjoy being painfree and have good mobility; you are better served by using many variations of the main movements. One day you may backsquat, the next day you do lunges.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Exercise variation is not necessary to \"be painfree\", but it is a feature of almost all resistance training programs. Starting Strength only uses a limit number of lifts because it is a beginner program which isn't intended to be run for any more than about 3 months.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is what I suggest a feasible approach or must 90% strength training be kept separate from mobility work or Yoga?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No, it's not feasible, because waving light weights around over locked joints, with no significant vertical travel of the weights is not actually working any muscles.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to become stronger, do strength training. If you want to increase your mobility (as may be necessary if you participate in a sport that has high mobility demands, such as ballet, gymnastics, contortion, dance, or circus arts), then do mobility training. Either way, you should drop your baseless beliefs about strength training leading to pain, loss of mobility, not training \"stabilizer\" muscles, or muscular imbalances.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41312, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I have a similar approach to you regarding fitness. I want my fitness journey to lead to performance (from my point of view - I don't aim at winning against pro athlete) AND health (which includes being pain-free). I personally view mobility as a factor in both performance and health aspects. If I can't lift something from the ground (e.g. groceries) I would say I am not a healthy human. If I can't achieve correct position and tension in a desired movement (e.g. overhead squat) I would say I don't achieve performance.</p>\n\n<p>My approach to strength training for respecting these two constraints is not complicated regarding the \"pain-free\" aspect of your question : </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Train while listening to yourself. Training stress is added to other stresses (work, family, ...). Don't stick by the planning. Adapt the planning to your feelings and sensations. If the planning states you should bench heavy but you had a shit day and you are not able to output/tolerate such intensity today, adapt the planning. Maybe switch to something that will relax you such as a slow run/bike/whatever. Maybe just take a walk while focussing on your breathing</li>\n<li>Pay attention to imbalances arising from types of movements (push/pull) as well as from planes of movement (horizontal, vertical, rotation). Try to balance/vary your training so that you achieve a mix of these. Working one-arm and one-legged on classical movements already do a great deal. </li>\n<li>Pay attention to types of contraction to again vary your training i.e. concentric focussed, eccentric focussed, isometric.</li>\n<li>Add little tricks from time to time e.g. lift with bands to create instability (bamboo bar for example), work with odd objects (sandbags, ...)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Regarding the mobility point of view :</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Work on it regularly using \"advanced\" techniques such as PNF</li>\n<li>Breathing is paramount. Having a relaxed, controlled breathing when mobilizing is <strong>SUPER</strong> important. Being in a relaxed state while doing this tells your body and nervous system \"ok, I got this, I own this, let the restriction go\". Indeed, I believe that lack of mobility is not due to a lack of muscle length. It is due to a protective mechanism put in place by your body because it fears you would get injured if you go that far. Go under anaethesia and I am sure you can do a split. Because when you are in that state ... No more restriction from your system AND you actually have the mechanics (length, joint room) to achieve the position</li>\n<li>Link to point above, not only try to increase your mobility by stretching but also by working on weak muscles. Indeed, I believe that sometimes, one can't get into a position because some of the muscles within the chain are too weak and therefore your system prevents you from going there because of that weak muscle</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41317, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>@Andy I've done a fair amount of Yoga, but the worlds of yoga and weight training, in my experience, don't mix very well. I once went to a yoga class that incorporated weights, and the biomechanics of what they were doing made no sense. They don't know how to handle weights. So I would suggest, forget about Yoga unless you want to actually take a Yoga class. However, it appears that your main objective is that you are looking for more varied movement patterns in your weight training; That makes perfect sense. There is a limitless world of things you can do with wieghts, and it is tragic that so many people these days get stuck in the deadlift/squats/bench press rut. The list of possibilities is so long I can't really get it down in a message board. However, here are a couple exercises to round out your workout: woodchops and face pulls. Have you tried these? Or Turkish Getups. I don't see anyone doing <a href=\"https://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(18)30062-7/fulltext\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Turkish Getups</a> anymore. There is also a whole world of bodyweight exercises. For example, how about handstands? At my gym, I am the only one who practices handstands - I can not understand why more people aren't doing handstands. If you are looking for a challenge, try <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7IrGNmCt8Q\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Front Lever Pull Ups</a>. Again, the possibilities are far greater than I can go into here. If you visit Portland, OR, I could show you more. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41305", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41320, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The difference in flexibility vs mobility is flexibility stretching can keep your muscles flexible and elongated. For instance, if you do not stretch as a bodybuilder then you end up not being able to touch your toes or to reach behind your back, etc. Mobility training does not affect your flexibility but can help correct a curved spine, allow you to move your hips better or rotate them, rotate your shoulders fully and more. Stretching for mobility also benefits your flexibility.. but stretching for flexibility does not necessarily help your mobility. Note that specific to your question, there is also a difference between mobility stretching and mobility dynamic exercises where you are actively moving but it is not considered a stretch.</p>\n\n<p>Here are examples of stretching for flexibility:\nYoga poses such as downward dog, stretching your hamstrings, stretching your triceps, really any yoga poses you can think of.</p>\n\n<p>There is also dynamic stretching such as opening your hands wider and wider to stretch your chest, arm circles, jumping jacks.</p>\n\n<p>You can also foam roll a muscle to stretch it out or relieve tension in a tight muscle to some extent.</p>\n\n<p>Stretching for mobility:\nThoracic extension stretch on a foam roller, thoracic rotation with open book exercise, band pull aparts</p>\n\n<p>Dynamic mobility exercises:\nHip rotations, Cuban presses, external and internal band rotations, squats with a 90 degree rotation, clamshells</p>\n\n<p>Mobility training is just as important as stretching. If you are not playing a sport or doing much that trains your mobility naturally I would also add some mobility moves in with your stretches. Rotator cuff exercises are part of mobility training and deserve a place in your workout.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41321, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>\"I'm trying to find a daily stretching routine to incorporate in addition to my cardio and resistance training...\"</p>\n\n<p>Unfortunately, there are no decent stretching routines available to the public. Stretching has been terribly neglected in the fitness space. I stretch everyday for between one and two hours, and I had to develop my own routine. You will also have to develop your own routine. To help you get started, here are a few tips:</p>\n\n<p>1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZVHMbRo6rE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is an absolutely fantastic stretch for the external rotators of your hip (e.g. Obturator Internus). It is a shame nobody knows about this one.</p>\n\n<p>2) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcg4shTS0Sc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a fantastic stretch for your hip flexors. </p>\n\n<p>3) There is some <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5366891/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">scientific literature</a> on stretching the internal rotators of the shoulder for baseball players. Please note that the Cross-body stretch is now out of date and has been replaced by the Sleeper Stretch. </p>\n\n<p>A couple other points:</p>\n\n<p>1) The closest thing to a well rounded stretch program that I know of is \"Stretch Therapy\" by Kit Laughlin, who is out of Australia. I don't do his routine myself, so I can't tell you whether it is good or not, but it is worth a try. </p>\n\n<p>2) There are now some franchises that do nothing but stretch, such as Stretch Lab. It looks like Stretch Lab has about fifty locations around the US. The downside here is that they require a personal trainer and they are expensive. I haven't done Stretch Lab myself, but I intend to do this soon.</p>\n\n<p>3) Never take stretching instruction from someone who was flexible at an early age. These people have no idea how a stiff adult body works because they have never been in this situation. Kit Lauglin says this all the time. I can tell you first hand experience this is true.</p>\n\n<p>5) When you see pictures of people stretching on the internet, be aware that most of these people are genetically hyperflexible. What they are doing may look good in the pictures, but it probably won't work for you (unless you are also hyperflexible).</p>\n\n<p>6) If you mention \"stretching\" to most people, they think of Yoga. However, Yoga is not stretching. For example, the three stretches I referenced above (the Sleeper Stretch, external hip rotator stretch, Hip Flexor stretch) are not part of Yoga. Point is, that many great stretches aren't practiced in Yoga.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41319", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32229/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 41320, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The difference in flexibility vs mobility is flexibility stretching can keep your muscles flexible and elongated. For instance, if you do not stretch as a bodybuilder then you end up not being able to touch your toes or to reach behind your back, etc. Mobility training does not affect your flexibility but can help correct a curved spine, allow you to move your hips better or rotate them, rotate your shoulders fully and more. Stretching for mobility also benefits your flexibility.. but stretching for flexibility does not necessarily help your mobility. Note that specific to your question, there is also a difference between mobility stretching and mobility dynamic exercises where you are actively moving but it is not considered a stretch.</p>\n\n<p>Here are examples of stretching for flexibility:\nYoga poses such as downward dog, stretching your hamstrings, stretching your triceps, really any yoga poses you can think of.</p>\n\n<p>There is also dynamic stretching such as opening your hands wider and wider to stretch your chest, arm circles, jumping jacks.</p>\n\n<p>You can also foam roll a muscle to stretch it out or relieve tension in a tight muscle to some extent.</p>\n\n<p>Stretching for mobility:\nThoracic extension stretch on a foam roller, thoracic rotation with open book exercise, band pull aparts</p>\n\n<p>Dynamic mobility exercises:\nHip rotations, Cuban presses, external and internal band rotations, squats with a 90 degree rotation, clamshells</p>\n\n<p>Mobility training is just as important as stretching. If you are not playing a sport or doing much that trains your mobility naturally I would also add some mobility moves in with your stretches. Rotator cuff exercises are part of mobility training and deserve a place in your workout.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 41321, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>\"I'm trying to find a daily stretching routine to incorporate in addition to my cardio and resistance training...\"</p>\n\n<p>Unfortunately, there are no decent stretching routines available to the public. Stretching has been terribly neglected in the fitness space. I stretch everyday for between one and two hours, and I had to develop my own routine. You will also have to develop your own routine. To help you get started, here are a few tips:</p>\n\n<p>1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZVHMbRo6rE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is an absolutely fantastic stretch for the external rotators of your hip (e.g. Obturator Internus). It is a shame nobody knows about this one.</p>\n\n<p>2) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcg4shTS0Sc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a fantastic stretch for your hip flexors. </p>\n\n<p>3) There is some <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5366891/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">scientific literature</a> on stretching the internal rotators of the shoulder for baseball players. Please note that the Cross-body stretch is now out of date and has been replaced by the Sleeper Stretch. </p>\n\n<p>A couple other points:</p>\n\n<p>1) The closest thing to a well rounded stretch program that I know of is \"Stretch Therapy\" by Kit Laughlin, who is out of Australia. I don't do his routine myself, so I can't tell you whether it is good or not, but it is worth a try. </p>\n\n<p>2) There are now some franchises that do nothing but stretch, such as Stretch Lab. It looks like Stretch Lab has about fifty locations around the US. The downside here is that they require a personal trainer and they are expensive. I haven't done Stretch Lab myself, but I intend to do this soon.</p>\n\n<p>3) Never take stretching instruction from someone who was flexible at an early age. These people have no idea how a stiff adult body works because they have never been in this situation. Kit Lauglin says this all the time. I can tell you first hand experience this is true.</p>\n\n<p>5) When you see pictures of people stretching on the internet, be aware that most of these people are genetically hyperflexible. What they are doing may look good in the pictures, but it probably won't work for you (unless you are also hyperflexible).</p>\n\n<p>6) If you mention \"stretching\" to most people, they think of Yoga. However, Yoga is not stretching. For example, the three stretches I referenced above (the Sleeper Stretch, external hip rotator stretch, Hip Flexor stretch) are not part of Yoga. Point is, that many great stretches aren't practiced in Yoga.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41327", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32432/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42796, "author": "Felix Niedermann", "author_id": 33716, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33716", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you would perform better in running if you would concentrate on it. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be swimming, your body needs some variety that it won't get boring.</p>\n<p>But if your goal is just to run a marathon, not the fastest time possible for your Body. Then this is okey too, because you will still improve your Cardio either way and this will help in the opposite sport as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43568, "author": "Abraham", "author_id": 34897, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34897", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Given what you're asking, it probably boils down to your specific body, and can't really be answered in the general case. When I was training for my first triathlon, I had the least experience with swimming. When I started swimming, I put on surprising amounts of muscle in my arms and shoulders. It was enough that for longer runs, I felt the weight. The extra endurance exercise helped my conditioning so it was probably a wash for my running.</p>\n<p>If you're one of those people who can just glide through the water like a fish, and don't really put on muscle that quickly, then it's probably mostly additional conditioning, which is helpful right up until the point you overtrain.</p>\n<p>But if you're like me, or more so, it might get more complicated. Also, what would you be doing with your suddenly free time? Getting rest? Eating nachos?...</p>\n<p>I think that the answer for you is not going to be applicable to everyone, or even nearly everyone. Same for me. Try it and see.</p>\n<p>I will say that if you're training for a marathon, your mileage is lower than I used in my marathon training.</p>\n<p>Good luck with your races.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43687, "author": "Alex", "author_id": 35059, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35059", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Having tried it both ways, my experience has been that doing both is optimal as long as your diet and recovery supports the toll on your body taken by both activities. You might have to mix and match rates of exercise and rest days to get the right mix of time on the road / trail and time in the water to figure out what optimization looks and feels like. I wouldn't wall yourself into your current plan [I'm swimming 4 times a week with 15 km total, and running 3 times a week with 45 km total to train for both marathon swimming and marathon running at the same time] if it's generally arbitrary; be self aware and play with your training plan. The other important variable is how much time you have to prepare. I don't mean to insult your intelligence if you've competed before but the closer you get to game day the less risk you should take in over doing it. Lastly, only YOU know what you need work on... Take that into account in terms of the competition and apply the time and energy to what needs more work. If you're a phenomenal runner than swim a bit more, if you just glide through the water, spend a little more time on the road. Come game day it will less about training optimization and more about your times. Good luck out there!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41330", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27370/" ]