Health & Exercise Thread! 2.0

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Originally Posted by Cybertox

Man its not like im just starting right now exercising. I exercise already 1 and a half year and i was able to see progress so i have a realistic vision. And dont tell me about soccer players as i really dont respect them that much. Most soccer players are small and have an awful body structure, i mean look at messi and compare him to a guy like dwayne wade, it looks like a small boy standing next to a beast.

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Well judging by your comments you have a really strange view on exercising; training at home and being afraid of becoming ''big'' kind of shows that you're not really familiar with all of these things. Trust me I've been in your position, thinking crunches and push-ups would tone my body into looking muscular. Truth is, you'll get a realistic vision on what you can really achieve after you've trained for years with many different styles, aswell as done thorough research on the subject.

Also soccer players body structures have really nothing to do with the subject, I merely used it as an example. The amount of calories they would need to maintain muscle mass would be crazy since running around the pitch for 90 minutes is fairly taxing. I'm not that active with soccer though, so my muscle mass is just a big advantage. That's what I was trying to say.

Im not afraidof becoming big, I only said that im not trying to achieve a bodybuilder body cause i dont need that kind of stuff. And i know what i am talking about as i play basketball for like 5 years already and i do a lot of sport, i am familiar with progression and with different workouts. I just need afvices on how to efficiently gain weight and develop a better chest.

You're not going to accidentally wake up "big" one morning. That's an insult to dedicated bodybuilders everywhere. It takes years of grueling hard work to achieve that kind of physique, so you have nothing to be afraid of. Getting big has to be a genuine goal that requires utter dedication to both training and diet.

As has been previously stated, strength training will significantly aid you when playing basketball. Things such as squats, for instance, will improve your sport dramatically.

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Originally Posted by Cybertox

Im not afraidof becoming big, I only said that im not trying to achieve a bodybuilder body cause i dont need that kind of stuff. And i know what i am talking about as i play basketball for like 5 years already and i do a lot of sport, i am familiar with progression and with different workouts. I just need afvices on how to efficiently gain weight and develop a better chest.

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Playing basketball and progressive strength training are two very different things, knowledge on the first one doesn't mean knowledge on the latter.

If you want to gain weight and get a nice chest you will get the fastest results with a good gym and nutrition program. How unfortunate that you'll have to do the same things as the ''bodybuilders''.

It's also important to note all the factors in developing a bigger chest... such as... a wider back helps support the load during heavy bench press. Pull ups/deadlifts help with this. A strong core is also important... for basically every activity imaginable. You have to have balanced strength because the body works together as a whole. If one area is significantly weaker than another, it can lead to injury when performing your sport. You should look to not only be getting a bigger chest, but increasing your overall level of fitness.

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Originally Posted by PeanutButterMunky

It's also important to note all the factors in developing a bigger chest... such as... a wider back helps support the load during heavy bench press. Pull ups/deadlifts help with this. A strong core is also important... for basically every activity imaginable. You have to have balanced strength because the body works together as a whole. If one area is significantly weaker than another, it can lead to injury when performing your sport. You should look to not only be getting a bigger chest, but increasing your overall level of fitness.

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Thats what i also mentioned in one of my previous posts. I am going to focus on the chest however i will still exercise my other muscles as well. I think the main thing which i really have to do is gain weight. Because its very hard to do some certain exercises when you are low weight.

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Originally Posted by Cybertox

Thats what i also mentioned in one of my previous posts. I am going to focus on the chest however i will still exercise my other muscles as well. I think the main thing which i really have to do is gain weight. Because its very hard to do some certain exercises when you are low weight.

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What's your diet like?

I dont have a diet. I eat everything i like, mostly i try to eat a lot of meat and beans, i also eat a lot of other stuff.

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Originally Posted by Cybertox

I dont have a diet. I eat everything i like, mostly i try to eat a lot of meat and beans, i also eat a lot of other stuff.

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You're going to need to starting knowing what you eat instead of just guessing if you have any hope of putting on muscle mass.

Here's a little project for you:

Go sign up for a free account @ www.MyFitnessPal.com.

Starting tomorrow, or whenever is convenient... start tracking the calories of everything you eat. Don't eat differently or anything... just eat as you normally would, but log everything. Do this for seven days in a row... and then find the average calories that you consume every day. This will give you an idea of where you're at and will help you to understand where you need to go from there in order to put on some muscle weight.

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Originally Posted by PeanutButterMunky

You're going to need to starting knowing what you eat instead of just guessing if you have any hope of putting on muscle mass.

Here's a little project for you:

Go sign up for a free account @ www.MyFitnessPal.com.

Starting tomorrow, or whenever is convenient... start tracking the calories of everything you eat. Don't eat differently or anything... just eat as you normally would, but log everything. Do this for seven days in a row... and then find the average calories that you consume every day. This will give you an idea of where you're at and will help you to understand where you need to go from there in order to put on some muscle weight.

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How can i know the amount of calories of every dish i eat? Its too hard to keep track and know every dish calories.

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Originally Posted by Cybertox

How can i know the amount of calories of every dish i eat? Its too hard to keep track and know every dish calories.

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Read the nutrition labels... search the nutrition facts online... it doesn't have to be exact, you're just ball-parking your average calorie intake. That website also has millions of different types of food in their database already.

Ok i will give it a try. Will let you know the results.

Cool. :]

New deadlift PR: 415 :cool:

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

New deadlift PR: 415 :cool:

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Noice, congrats! Very impressive!

It'll take some time before I even hit the 400s, gotta swim and run so much to prepare myself for the army that I really don't have the energy to do full gym sessions too often anymore.

Whoa nice, Daywalker.

I recently started strength training again after spending over a month doing mainly cardio as my shoulder was messed up. I think I went unnecessarily hard on squats last Friday, my legs are still kind of sore almost a week later :/

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Originally Posted by Nitey

Whoa nice, Daywalker.

I recently started strength training again after spending over a month doing mainly cardio as my shoulder was messed up. I think I went unnecessarily hard on squats last Friday, my legs are still kind of sore almost a week later :/

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That means you did 'em properly ;)

Thanks guys... pretty excited about it. It felt pretty "easy" too so I think I could do 425 ish the next time I max.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get your core strong enough to do L-pullups?
i.e.- your hips make a right angle with your torso and you do a pullup.

I know how to get better at the pullup part... basically- do pullups.
But my core is not strong enough toeven hold my legs are the proper angle...

tips appreciated

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

Thanks guys... pretty excited about it. It felt pretty "easy" too so I think I could do 425 ish the next time I max.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get your core strong enough to do L-pullups?
i.e.- your hips make a right angle with your torso and you do a pullup.

I know how to get better at the pullup part... basically- do pullups.
But my core is not strong enough toeven hold my legs are the proper angle...

tips appreciated

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Well I'd usually say that heavy deadlifts and squats are the best for your core but since youre already doing them.....:lol:

I suggest static core work, maybe with weights to strengthen that middle section. One great move I've found that really strengthened my core was that I went to the incline bench, held my body parallel to the floor, held a barbell weight on my chest, and started turning my upper body from one side to the other. Moves similar to this such as weighted leg raises (can be held static aswell) really strengthen your core better than anything.

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

New deadlift PR: 415 :cool:

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nice man

whats your goals?

meh- just to get better/healthier...

I wasn't feeling like myself... tired, no energy, unhappy, and I was gaining weight like it was my job. I won't say that I was fat... but I was soft... and my normal lifting routine that I had been doing pretty much since HS football was not doing the job anymore. I was strong enough... but weight was increasing and I was no longer lean.


since starting xfit I've went from 212 to 188#... feel much better all around...

Squat was 330# now 360#
DL 330# now 415#
and then a whole bunch of other lifts and movements have improved too

and I look way better naked :lol: And isn't that what its ultimately all about?

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get your core strong enough to do L-pullups?
i.e.- your hips make a right angle with your torso and you do a pullup.

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Look for Pavel Tsatsouline's "Bullet Proof Abs". If you can't "find it", send me a PM.

I would think with 300-400 pound squats and deads you wouldn't have a core strength issue...

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Originally Posted by PeanutButterMunky

Look for Pavel Tsatsouline's "Bullet Proof Abs". If you can't "find it", send me a PM.

I would think with 300-400 pound squats and deads you wouldn't have a core strength issue...

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Hmmm... I would disagree that squats or DL require "that much" core strength...

I don't think I have ever have a particularly strong core- planks have always been difficult, and just holding myself in the L position is pretty difficult...

...part of me suspects its a flexibility issue, which I have always been terrible at.

I'll take a look at that suggestion

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

Hmmm... I would disagree that squats or DL require "that much" core strength...

I don't think I have ever have a particularly strong core- planks have always been difficult, and just holding myself in the L position is pretty difficult...

...part of me suspects its a flexibility issue, which I have always been terrible at.

I'll take a look at that suggestion

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The core is absolutely involved in squats and deads and not having a strong core can dramatically increase your risk of injury during these movements. You're mistaken.

A strong core is a foundation for the rest of your entire body.

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Originally Posted by DayWalker

Hmmm... I would disagree that squats or DL require "that much" core strength...

I don't think I have ever have a particularly strong core- planks have always been difficult, and just holding myself in the L position is pretty difficult...

...part of me suspects its a flexibility issue, which I have always been terrible at.

I'll take a look at that suggestion

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remember man the core ins't just abs. it's your spine, ass, hips, back, obliques also

you might not know it but deadlifting 400+ and squatting 300+ safely would almost be impossible for something with a weak core