I miss the fitness threads and the fitness Doms!

[Cattypuss]

It’s Not a Beauty Contest

And I have a fuckton more respect for a newbie who’s out of shape and overweight who actually comes to try and get fit than I do for the Barbie’s and Ken’s who come to do…whatever it is they come to do. )

Just one part of a very inspirational post - thanks K.

I may have told this story on this thread before so forgive me if I have, but this part of your post reminds me of the event in question.

I was at the gym this autumn, about three weeks after joining. While I have never been a total couch potato, I have a sedentary job and if it weren't for my dog I'd have spent years doing no exercise. However, my 13-inch-high, 13-pound doggy gets a MINIMUM of 4 miles' hilly off-leash walking from me every day and always has. More at weekends.

Anyway, I'm 43 and I'm very fat and flabby (BMI currently 31, and I'm not big-boned except in the pelvis). Always felt VERY self-conscious at the gym, as one of the oldest and usually by far the fattest. I have a (UK) size 16 top half and size 18 bottom half and I'm only 5'4".

And one day, just after joining the gym, I happened to get on an exercise bike at the same time as a young woman (probably at least 20 years younger than me). She was a (UK) size 8-10, looked just beautiful in her gym gear, really perfect body, you know? And I kept an eye on her digital readout on the bike-screen, next to mine.

Throughout the entire workout, she was working out at the same RPM as me, but at a significantly lower resistance. And throughout the entire workout her heart-rate was like 20-30 bpm higher than mine.

I left the gym that day with fewer body hang-ups than I had had in years, feeling strong and fit and as I recall saying to myself as I got into the car "not half bad for an old fat bird".

Keroin, I haven't been to the gym for a month because of various excuses (some valid and insurmountable, some not). I'm gonna try and go tonight. Thanks!

 

[Keroin]

Bandit, Hommy, CP...

Some days I love my fellow humans.

 

[Homburg]

I left the gym that day with fewer body hang-ups than I had had in years, feeling strong and fit and as I recall saying to myself as I got into the car "not half bad for an old fat bird".

Heh, I've done that. Like the bicep-kisser I mentioned. I could strict curl the weight he was using with one arm. And I used to feel bad about my shitty bench (275lb is feeble) until I went to big box gyms and paid attention. The majority of these yahoos claiming huge numbers are coming down all of halfway and their spotters are helping throughout the movement.

And whenever my friends and I do heavy labour, I'm the last guy to run outta gas. So tell me how I'm old and outta shape when you're sucking wind and I'm still toting bale.

Really, what has happened is that I had kids, and now have Dad Strength. I can't really take credit for it. Dad Strength rules.

 

[Keroin]

OK, gotta confess, funny Xmas-related moment tonight.

Did a spin class - in a mountain bike obsessed town, you get some amazing spin instructors - and the instructor decided to do a Xmas theme. Quite funny. At one point we were doing sets of stand up sprints with heavy tension, (very hard), and the music he chose for that portion was from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". So as we are grinding, sweating and dying, lungs bursting from our collective chests, while our instructor yells at us to crank up the tension one more notch...

"You're a mean one, Mister Grinch..."

...is blasting from the stereo. It was utterly appropriate and hilarious.

 

[ultramarineblue]

Good workout tonight. I want to work out Wednesday and hope I will be able to motivate myself enough to do it. I've lost a good bit of strength since I haven't been doing enough lately.

 

[YourCaptor]

Hey I got no problem with the mirror folk, as long as they do it in my general direction.

And please, like you've never kissed your caliente musculos.

Though I must confess today I was pretty ugly. About 20 minutes into my run I took a drink and my dry mouth started bubbling and weird sticky, stringy saliva spewing and it was nasty. I've been away for a while.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I'm pretty sore today.

 

[FloggingMolly]

I really need the motivation to stay on track, but I'm not good at this.

 

[YourCaptor]

I am sore as fuck.

It must have been a long, long time.

 

[Homburg]

And please, like you've never kissed your caliente musculos. .

Nope. I'm pretty hairy. I don't like kissing the hairy muscles, no.

 

[Keroin]

Buying that 3 month pass to the gym, for L, was the best idea ever. *pats self on back* He comes home in such a good mood and I don't have to feel any guilt for abandoning him, in the dark and gloom of winter, for two hours.

Added 20lbs onto the bar for squats last night. Yay. Up to tens laps in the pool at a good clip. After the holidays, now that my tendons and whatnot are up to speed, I'm really going to crank up the intensity.

And this week I pick up my X-country ski gear!

 

[Homburg]

Added 20lbs onto the bar for squats last night.

WooT!

And I'm totally imagining you doing back squats now.

Hawt.

 

[Keroin]

WooT!

And I'm totally imagining you doing back squats now.

Hawt.

LOL. You know how it goes...first month back, big gains and fast. I'll plateau soon.

My 1RM for squats was 175lbs. I don't reckon I'll ever get there again but I can do six reps at 85lbs right now and I hope to jack that up significantly.


And now let me vent a gym pet peeve...

Hey douchebag muscle pigs, howzabout you take your four 45lb plates off the bar when you're done and put them back where they came from. I am not your mother!

 

[Homburg]

LOL. You know how it goes...first month back, big gains and fast. I'll plateau soon.

My 1RM for squats was 175lbs. I don't reckon I'll ever get there again but I can do six reps at 85lbs right now and I hope to jack that up significantly.

85x6 is a rough 1rm of 100#. If you just restarted, you'll get back to that range. Well, was your bodyweight similar at that point?

And hows your dead?

And now let me vent a gym pet peeve...

Hey douchebag muscle pigs, howzabout you take your four 45lb plates off the bar when you're done and put them back where they came from. I am not your mother!

HATE! HATEHATEHATE

Did I mention I fucking hate it when douchewits do that? It's rude and thoughtless, and it doesn't matter if it is four plates or one or sixteen. It's dickheaded. Clean up your goddamned area after your done.

HATE.

 

[Keroin]

85x6 is a rough 1rm of 100#. If you just restarted, you'll get back to that range. Well, was your bodyweight similar at that point?

And hows your dead?

I haven't deaded in 10 years. Don't ask me what it was back then, either. LOL. I wouldn't try it now without someone working with me that I felt confident in. I do miss the Canada Games Pool and the awesome staff in that gym some days.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll latch onto someone soon enough. I have an uncanny knack for befriending the right folks.

ETA: My weight hasn't changed all that much over the years. I'm about 10lbs heavier than I was in my peak training days but it is, sadly, not solid muscle.

HATE! HATEHATEHATE

Did I mention I fucking hate it when douchewits do that? It's rude and thoughtless, and it doesn't matter if it is four plates or one or sixteen. It's dickheaded. Clean up your goddamned area after your done.

HATE.

I figured as much. I know. Yeesh. Rude.

 

[Keroin]

Another awesome gym tune.

 

[YourCaptor]

45s are usually considered standard. Why take them off if the next guy is just gonna put them right on again anyway. It's actually a thoughtful gesture.

 

[Keroin]

45s are usually considered standard. Why take them off if the next guy is just gonna put them right on again anyway. It's actually a thoughtful gesture.

Um, dude, because not everyone considers 45s "standard". Especially people that may be new to weights. As for me, I always do a warm up set with bar only, regardless of what I'm lifting.

It is standard gym protocol to take all plates off and put them away when you're done. It's far from thoughtful to leave your plates on the bar.

 

[Homburg]

I haven't deaded in 10 years. Don't ask me what it was back then, either. LOL. I wouldn't try it now without someone working with me that I felt confident in. I do miss the Canada Games Pool and the awesome staff in that gym some days.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll latch onto someone soon enough. I have an uncanny knack for befriending the right folks.

I tend to do the same thing.

Deads are one of those things where you either naturally dead like a pro, or you NEED somebody monitoring your form. For me, I'm a natural DL'er as long as the weight's serious. If it isn't, I straight-leg it every frikken time. Drives me crazy because I know that how ya get hurt. Treat heavy weights like they're light and light weights like they're heavy.

ETA: My weight hasn't changed all that much over the years. I'm about 10lbs heavier than I was in my peak training days but it is, sadly, not solid muscle.

Okay, then you shouldn't have too much trouble getting back. I know when I drop weight on a cutting cycle my strength goes to hell and there's fuck-all I can do about it until I bulk back up. And, sadly, even if I just lose fat, strength still goes down due to leverage and momentum.

It's counterintuitive, but fat can help put up bigger numbers past a certain point. It's not something to be shot for, but the extra mass is useful as a heavyweight, regardless of composition. Examples being the dead. You can use your own mass to help lever the bar off the ground, and that mass is just mass assuming you do it right.

I figured as much. I know. Yeesh. Rude.

Utterly.

--

45s are usually considered standard. Why take them off if the next guy is just gonna put them right on again anyway. It's actually a thoughtful gesture.

Do what? I've got a 465# max on the squat, and, like Keroin, I start my sets with an empty bar. Yeah, I may toss on plates quick, but starting with a proper light weight allows my joints and muscles to get where they need to be BEFORE I start loading them. It's not thoughtful in any way. It's thoughtless, selfish, and rude.

 

[WriterDom]

45s are usually considered standard. Why take them off if the next guy is just gonna put them right on again anyway. It's actually a thoughtful gesture.

If that were true they'd come welded with 45s.

 

[Cattypuss]

Another awesome gym tune.

Cool!

And if we're doing gym tunes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM

 

[Keroin]

If that were true they'd come welded with 45s.

Ooo. Perfectly put.

I tend to do the same thing.

Deads are one of those things where you either naturally dead like a pro, or you NEED somebody monitoring your form. For me, I'm a natural DL'er as long as the weight's serious. If it isn't, I straight-leg it every frikken time. Drives me crazy because I know that how ya get hurt. Treat heavy weights like they're light and light weights like they're heavy.

I was a natural. However, it's been sooooo long that I would really want someone supervising to start with. (Feel like a 4-6 week vacation in Nelson? ) For now, I'll be content with getting my squat back up to where I want it and working towards unassisted pull ups again.

Okay, then you shouldn't have too much trouble getting back. I know when I drop weight on a cutting cycle my strength goes to hell and there's fuck-all I can do about it until I bulk back up. And, sadly, even if I just lose fat, strength still goes down due to leverage and momentum.

It's counterintuitive, but fat can help put up bigger numbers past a certain point. It's not something to be shot for, but the extra mass is useful as a heavyweight, regardless of composition. Examples being the dead. You can use your own mass to help lever the bar off the ground, and that mass is just mass assuming you do it right.

Makes sense.

My goal, at this point, is to be ready to kill it on the bike this spring and summer. And since I live in the land of mountains, that means I have to kick start the leg muscles again. I'm doing a combo of weights and intense spin classes, (taught by hardcore mountain bikers - yay!).

Long term goal is to get back into triathlon and...Ironman (before the age of 50).

Cool!

And if we're doing gym tunes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM

Oh yeah, that one's on my playlist! Here's another good one I picked up recently...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhfXoRzMhg

And don't tell anyone but this one's one my playlist too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBcuN1TYiHs


"No one can hold you down if you really want it." Yep. Good stuff.

 

[Homburg]

I was a natural. However, it's been sooooo long that I would really want someone supervising to start with. (Feel like a 4-6 week vacation in Nelson? ) For now, I'll be content with getting my squat back up to where I want it and working towards unassisted pull ups again.

Have you looked outside lately? Ain't no way I'm coming up to somewhere that has weather like yours. That's crazy talk.

My goal, at this point, is to be ready to kill it on the bike this spring and summer. And since I live in the land of mountains, that means I have to kick start the leg muscles again. I'm doing a combo of weights and intense spin classes, (taught by hardcore mountain bikers - yay!).

Yeah, climbing is way easier with brute force strong legs. I downshift way less than I used to.

Long term goal is to get back into triathlon and...Ironman (before the age of 50).

You will make it.

Oh yeah, that one's on my playlist! Here's another good one I picked up recently...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbhfXoRzMhg

Wow, that's really good. "Out of Control" is awesome.

 

[Keroin]

Got up to 75lbs on pull down tonight!!!

 

[YourCaptor]

Um, dude, because not everyone considers 45s "standard". Especially people that may be new to weights. As for me, I always do a warm up set with bar only, regardless of what I'm lifting.

It is standard gym protocol to take all plates off and put them away when you're done. It's far from thoughtful to leave your plates on the bar.

Gym protocol, cause those are the perfect rules. Sir we only allow gray chalk, and not in this area. Also sir your water bottle is breaking up the continuity of our theme.

So lets all have the 99% cater to the the 1% and moves thousands of pounds of unnecessary weight every day.

Speaking of which, I always hate how I have to yield to traffic, why can't traffic just stop for me. Must be cause they are all thoughtless jerks.

If that were true they'd come welded with 45s.

And 2x4s would actually be 2x4s. OMG reality and Spock brain do not match.

Well, since we're all ok with pointing out people we hate based on superficial reasoning. I hate people who eat fast food, and people who walk in the rain, and people who say the book was better than the movie, and people who dare look into one of the hundreds of mirrors at the gym.