Health & Exercise Thread! 2.0

[PeanutButterMunky]

A few clicks away from getting this off amazon. I love back extensions. When I used to go to the gym I was lifting 40kg on this exercise and the sensation in my back afterwards was reason enough to do it. It's my favorite lower back exercise (not that keen on dead lifts). Anyone else like it the exercise?

Why aren't you keen on deadlifts? Back extensions are hardly a replacement for deads.

Not sure if I posted this already but:

August 15, 2011: 212 lbs
April 21, 2012: 189 lbs

woot

Grats, bro.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Why aren't you keen on deadlifts? Back extensions are hardly a replacement for deads.

I do squats already, but sometimes I get discomfort in my knee (have had it for many many years) and I don't want to push it. I know that deads are one of the best exercises you can do, but it's also a risky exercise, and unlike deads, I actually enjoy doing extensions.

[podsaurus]

I've lost some weight which I'm pleased with. Since my foot is broken the weight has been lost from diet alone.

March 17 - 190lbs
May 6 - 182lbs

I'm pretty pleased and am shooting for 175 or there abouts. Then when my foot it fine I can get back to exercise.

[PeanutButterMunky]

I do squats already, but sometimes I get discomfort in my knee (have had it for many many years) and I don't want to push it. I know that deads are one of the best exercises you can do, but it's also a risky exercise, and unlike deads, I actually enjoy doing extensions.

If squats are causing discomfort in your knee or knees, you are doing them wrong. Squats are primarily a hamstring and glute movement and there should hardly be any pressure on your knees... with perfect form there shouldn't be ANY stress on the knees... even athletes with no ACL can do squats when done with perfect form. If you are feeling knee stress, your flexibility, especially in the hamstrings, could be to blame. Deads I can maybe understand, however, Deads are also a very technical lift. When done properly, you shouldn't feel pain in the knees. I see a lot of people dragging the weight up over their knees and down onto their knees again before touching it back to the ground. So wrong for so many reasons. Back extensions work barely any of the muscles that Deads do. It is one of the best exercises there is... when done with perfect form. If you are adamant about extensions, by all means do what you feel comfortable with. I would recommend getting a legit trainer (98% of trainers are, unfortunately, trash) to help you learn them properly. I can recommend an excellent book on the matter if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Stren...6370979&sr=8-1

Step by step instructions on proper compound lift technique grounded in 60 years of science and lifting experience. Anyone that touches weights should own this book.

Deads are only risky when done incorrectly. Any exercise that requires large muscle groups is dangerous when done wrong.

Anyway, best of luck to you with whatever you do. I do fit in extensions every once in a while myself. One thing for sure, just keep doing what you're doing. Staying activite is the best choice you can make for your health.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

If squats are causing discomfort in your knee or knees, you are doing them wrong. Squats are primarily a hamstring and glute movement and there should hardly be any pressure on your knees... with perfect form there shouldn't be ANY stress on the knees... even athletes with no ACL can do squats when done with perfect form. If you are feeling knee stress, your flexibility, especially in the hamstrings, could be to blame. Deads I can maybe understand, however, Deads are also a very technical lift. When done properly, you shouldn't feel pain in the knees. I see a lot of people dragging the weight up over their knees and down onto their knees again before touching it back to the ground. So wrong for so many reasons. Back extensions work barely any of the muscles that Deads do. It is one of the best exercises there is... when done with perfect form. If you are adamant about extensions, by all means do what you feel comfortable with. I would recommend getting a legit trainer (98% of trainers are, unfortunately, trash) to help you learn them properly. I can recommend an excellent book on the matter if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Stren...6370979&sr=8-1

Step by step instructions on proper compound lift technique grounded in 60 years of science and lifting experience. Anyone that touches weights should own this book.

Deads are only risky when done incorrectly. Any exercise that requires large muscle groups is dangerous when done wrong.

Anyway, best of luck to you with whatever you do. I do fit in extensions every once in a while myself. One thing for sure, just keep doing what you're doing. Staying activite is the best choice you can make for your health.

First and foremost, your contributions in this thread are awesome. There is so much great info over the last few pages, it's great having such knowledge around. Thanks!

Well I don't think it's anything to do with my form, I make sure I stick my ass out and dont allow my knees to drift forward much at all, let alone over my toes (which would be the usual reason for knee discomfort. I didn't have any issues yesterday on my legs & back day, I'll stick with the deads for now I think. Well, I will have a look at this book. Cheers.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Oops! I forgot to mention a book that has helped me a lot post knee surgery. I can't recommend it highly enough: http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Own...6373684&sr=8-1

As for Deads, I'd hold off on them until you are confident your technique is spot on. I'd rather you stay on the safe side of things.

[Sylar]

I've started doing some weights again, only using my basic dumbbells at the moment but I figure any bit of exercise is better than none at all!

I was doing sit ups a while back and I was doing 50 a day but I read that if you can do more than 20 then it's a waste of time unless you add weights to the routine? I'm not sure if the comments I read were from people who just do general exercises or were people who want to body build

[Ixion]

I hurt my lower back again doing squats, and it was without weight. Like PBM said, if you perform squats and deads correctly, there shouldn't be a problem. But this is the fourth time I've hurt my lower back, so I think I'm giving up. I'm going to rest for a period and then start a more conservative routine.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Sorry to hear that Ix. Well I was wondering, if I'm doing squats anyway, the same muscles are (more or less) getting used, so the omission of deads from my routine would be no major loss..or?

[PeanutButterMunky]

I hurt my lower back again doing squats, and it was without weight. Like PBM said, if you perform squats and deads correctly, there shouldn't be a problem. But this is the fourth time I've hurt my lower back, so I think I'm giving up. I'm going to rest for a period and then start a more conservative routine.

If you hurt your lower back using no weight on squats, you may have an underlying and rather severe flexibility issue. You might also have issues with your lower back musculature and various interconnecting components of your biomechanics. After your "rest period", I wouldn't do a conservative routine, I would see a physician. There's an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. If you can't even do just the bar on squats... I would do no-bar squats... as in... just using your body to squat down... no weights... just you. You'll be able to feel where some of the issues might be stemming from. It could be your hammies, it could be your hips or glutes... it could be something entirely unrelated. I would seriously set up an appointment with a physician before you engage in anymore physical activity. Your back... and especially your spine... are more important than anything, so please see to that first before doing anything else.

Sorry to hear that Ix. Well I was wondering, if I'm doing squats anyway, the same muscles are (more or less) getting used, so the omission of deads from my routine would be no major loss..or?

No, they don't work the same muscles. Having a strong back is important for just about everything you do in life. A healthy person should be able to deadlift their own weight. If you can't, you may be setting yourself up for a back injury by simply lifting something if you don't have strong enough supporting muscles to carry something. Deads, when done properly, give you a stronger back, a stronger core, and overall strength more than any other exercise (squats are pretty damned good as well). Unless you have a reason for not doing deadlifts... such as a slipped disc or any other spinal related injury or degenerative disease, I would include them in your routine at least once a week or every two weeks. Given the demand of the deadlift, you should also never go above 5 reps. I can't stress form and control enough. If... no matter what exercise you are doing... you do not have complete and utter control over a weight, you are using too much weight. Even something as simple as bicep curls... if you have to jerk up and bounce around just to get the weight up, it's too much weight. It's an arm exercise, not an ab, leg, hips, back, neck, shoulders, whatever the hell else you're using to get the weight up exercise. "Leave your ego at the door". Just remember, you're not at the gym to impress anyone. You're just trying to get fitter and stronger than YOU.

I can't recommend deadlifts without knowing the proper form though, so if you haven't properly read up on the exercise in its entirety, don't do it. You'll just end up injuring yourself. I again recommend getting the Starting Strength book if you plan on doing compound lifts (bench press, squats, deadlifts, power clean, etc.). Just stay away from compound lifts if you're just "winging it" in terms of how the exercise is executed. Many muscle groups, tendons, bones, ligaments, nervous system adaptation are involved. You don't wing it. It's complicated and requires practice. The bad thing about these lifts is your central nervous will adapt to frequent, repeated activity. So, if you do the exercise wrong, your body will adapt to the exercise done improperly, and the improper movement during the exercise becomes your body's normality... which if you can imagine can eventually lead to various problems and injury.

[three3-times]

Since i got my bike, i was doing 30 mins a day at a flat reguarly pace, now ive dropped it it to 4 x 20min interval sessions, i do 90secs at a good pace, then 30secs at flat out.

Till i get my stamina back, i will carry on doing that? or should i decrease my rest time?

i think ive lost weight. pretty sure i have!! just trying to lose weight, nothing more. Oh and i do 50 stomach crunches a night.

The hardest thing for is now what to eat and when?

[Ixion]

If you hurt your lower back using no weight on squats, you may have an underlying and rather severe flexibility issue. You might also have issues with your lower back musculature and various interconnecting components of your biomechanics. After your "rest period", I wouldn't do a conservative routine, I would see a physician. There's an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. If you can't even do just the bar on squats... I would do no-bar squats... as in... just using your body to squat down... no weights... just you. You'll be able to feel where some of the issues might be stemming from. It could be your hammies, it could be your hips or glutes... it could be something entirely unrelated. I would seriously set up an appointment with a physician before you engage in anymore physical activity. Your back... and especially your spine... are more important than anything, so please see to that first before doing anything else.

Yeah, I already set up two appointments with two different doctors. Over the past two years, I've been to one general practitioner and two chiropractors. The first one said I had an inflamed disc, the second said I had arthritis, and the third said I just had misalignments in my spine. So I never got a concrete answer. It's definitely a disc issue, but I wasn't having any issues for the past six months or so. I thought I was in the clear. Guess not!

And I hurt it while just doing body squats in my room. So I wasn't even using a bar. I seem to re-aggravate it once or twice a day since then when sitting down.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Yeah, I already set up two appointments with two different doctors. Over the past two years, I've been to one general practitioner and two chiropractors. The first one said I had an inflamed disc, the second said I had arthritis, and the third said I just had misalignments in my spine. So I never got a concrete answer. It's definitely a disc issue, but I wasn't having any issues for the past six months or so. I thought I was in the clear. Guess not!

And I hurt it while just doing body squats in my room. So I wasn't even using a bar. I seem to re-aggravate it once or twice a day since then when sitting down.

Did any of them have you get scans done? Or were they just giving you their opinion? It's very important that you know exactly what's wrong, especially in regards to your spine. 3 different opinions doesn't cut it. It's a sensitive issue. I went through 8 years of pain and surgeries until I finally found a surgeon with the skill to fix me and properly diagnose my royally f***ed up knee. I had part of my knee and surrounding cartilage grafted in and within 3 years... it's like my injury never happened. Truly amazing surgeon. Gnarly scar, though.

I would keep setting appointments until you get a definitive answer. Medical practitioners piss me off sometimes. One even had the gull to tell me "Those dreams of yours? You can forget about them." I'm glad that is no longer the case (my mom almost slapped the shit out of him when he said that... lol).

Since i got my bike, i was doing 30 mins a day at a flat reguarly pace, now ive dropped it it to 4 x 20min interval sessions, i do 90secs at a good pace, then 30secs at flat out.

Till i get my stamina back, i will carry on doing that? or should i decrease my rest time?

i think ive lost weight. pretty sure i have!! just trying to lose weight, nothing more. Oh and i do 50 stomach crunches a night.

The hardest thing for is now what to eat and when?

What are your goals? I gave a pretty hefty post regarding calories a little ways back. Nothing wrong with biking. Anything you do stay active is great.

[The Black Wolf]

I lost 4 pounds in one week. I need to slow it down, that's too fast.

[Sub-stance1]

I lost 4 pounds in one week. I need to slow it down, that's too fast.

That's actually pretty good and not too fast. Ive known people who've lost more in that time. That weight lost rate will slow down though. It's a normal thing.

[The Black Wolf]

Okay, thank you.

I'm happy that I am back to losing!

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Man, I'm able to do pull ups/chin ups again! In NZ I was able to do 10-12 on all variations, then I came to Austria and fucked my shoulder in martial arts training. My strength in pull ups waned to the point I couldn't even do one. My shoulder has been healed for about a year now but due to shift work I could never workout consistently. In the past 2 weeks or so I went from 0 pull ups to 2-3. I started with doing negatives and assisted variations. Now I can do a few, I will have my bar up and will knock some out whenever I pass the door. I can't wait to return to my former strength. This was a very uplifting victory for me.

[Nitey]

Nice one Ghost. I should really start doing pull-ups too, I struggle with them though lol. I've been told to try and to 10 sets of 1, and so on until I can string a few together. I'll have to give it a go

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Nice one Ghost. I should really start doing pull-ups too, I struggle with them though lol. I've been told to try and to 10 sets of 1, and so on until I can string a few together. I'll have to give it a go

Cheers, I recommend it. There is something about the pull up/chin up that is very satisfying for me. It's nice to know that if you needed to, in a life threatening situation, you could pull your own body weight up.

The 10 sets of 1 is a good idea. I had to use a foot on the edge of a chair to assist myrself up to the bar, then slowly (4 seconds) let myself down till my arms are straight, then put the foot back on the chair and repeat. I am sooooo chuffed to be able to do 3 or 4. I will train them during my legs and back day, and once or twice through the week.

[PeanutButterMunky]

I lost 4 pounds in one week. I need to slow it down, that's too fast.

You'll lose weight faster at your heaviest weight... and it'll taper down to a more consistent 1 pound a weak as you get closer and closer to your goal weight. However, if you're consistently losing 4 pounds a week, it might be good to time it down a wee bit. It may have also been water weight that you lost or a combination of things. Just keep doing what you're doing, but if you are consistently losing dramatic weight, you might want to increase your calories a little. Losing weight that fast isn't necessarily bad or anything, but like I said before, you want to give your skin time to readjust to your decreasing size. Loose skin often requires surgery to remove, so it's better to be safe with gradual weight loss instead of drastic weight loss. You're doing great though, keep it up. :]

[podsaurus]

Well I've unfortunately put all the weight I lost back on. It's only about 8lbs but that's annoying. If my stupid foot wasn't broken I could exercise normally. I go back to the doc's today. No matter what he says I must start working again. A month with no pay check is no good. It feels much better, doesn't hurt and I've been walking around a bit without the boot on and it hasn't hurt me. Also if I'm working I'll be outside and moving around quite a bit so that will be exercise in and of itself.

[Sub-stance1]

Well I've unfortunately put all the weight I lost back on. It's only about 8lbs but that's annoying. If my stupid foot wasn't broken I could exercise normally. I go back to the doc's today. No matter what he says I must start working again. A month with no pay check is no good. It feels much better, doesn't hurt and I've been walking around a bit without the boot on and it hasn't hurt me. Also if I'm working I'll be outside and moving around quite a bit so that will be exercise in and of itself.

Don't worry I'm sure once you get all healed up you can continue and those pounds will fall off again. Just stay motivated.

[Ixion]

Did any of them have you get scans done? Or were they just giving you their opinion? It's very important that you know exactly what's wrong, especially in regards to your spine. 3 different opinions doesn't cut it. It's a sensitive issue. I went through 8 years of pain and surgeries until I finally found a surgeon with the skill to fix me and properly diagnose my royally f***ed up knee. I had part of my knee and surrounding cartilage grafted in and within 3 years... it's like my injury never happened. Truly amazing surgeon. Gnarly scar, though.

I would keep setting appointments until you get a definitive answer. Medical practitioners piss me off sometimes. One even had the gull to tell me "Those dreams of yours? You can forget about them." I'm glad that is no longer the case (my mom almost slapped the shit out of him when he said that... lol).

Both of the chiropractors took X-rays. The first one said my two bottom vertebra were too close together and that I had arthritis due to my bottom disc being withered down. The second chiropractor said that the first chiropractor most likely misinterpreted the x-rays, as it could look like arthritis from certain angles. He said I just had misalignments and maybe a bulging disc, and said that arthritis at my age doesn't make sense.

By the way, my back seems to be back to normal now, simply from resting, icing, and doing the cat/camel movement.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Well I've unfortunately put all the weight I lost back on. It's only about 8lbs but that's annoying. If my stupid foot wasn't broken I could exercise normally. I go back to the doc's today. No matter what he says I must start working again. A month with no pay check is no good. It feels much better, doesn't hurt and I've been walking around a bit without the boot on and it hasn't hurt me. Also if I'm working I'll be outside and moving around quite a bit so that will be exercise in and of itself.

You didn't gain weight because you stopped working out or working in general. You gained weight because you were eating the same calories as you were when you were more active and didn't adjust your calories to compensate for the lack of activity. It's harder to deal with calories when you're injured, though. But it still has an affect on your body regardless.

Sucks about your foot. :/

Both of the chiropractors took X-rays. The first one said my two bottom vertebra were too close together and that I had arthritis due to my bottom disc being withered down. The second chiropractor said that the first chiropractor most likely misinterpreted the x-rays, as it could look like arthritis from certain angles. He said I just had misalignments and maybe a bulging disc, and said that arthritis at my age doesn't make sense.

By the way, my back seems to be back to normal now, simply from resting, icing, and doing the cat/camel movement.

Well seeming to be okay and actually being okay are two different things. Just be as careful as you can be. You might also consider supplementing with hyaluronic acid... helps your body create lubricating spinal fluid.

[[DT]]

You didn't gain weight because you stopped working out or working in general. You gained weight because you were eating the same calories as you were when you were more active and didn't adjust your calories to compensate for the lack of activity. It's harder to deal with calories when you're injured, though. But it still has an affect on your body regardless.

Yeah, and even worse, I’ve known a few people who actually ate worse during their injury downtime, kind of got a in a bad funk, it really reflected in their diets.

That’s one thing we’ve learned is to be very consistent with our diet, you know, we have moments of splurging when we’re out, or special occasions, but we keep it pretty reigned in. We’re going down to the condo for a week or so, and I’ll still be eating healthy, working out daily, even if it’s “vacation” ... might drink a little more ... OK, a LOT more