2020 Workout Thread

[scs787]

Didn't see the 2020 edition of this thread so I thought I'd make a new one....This is essentially a home edition.

 

I've been going strong for a solid month now, down 22 pounds from an extremely large and sad 394 pounds. It's been straight diet and lifting thus far and I wanna mix in some cardio. My question to you as I'm shopping around for treadmills, are weight limits really a thing or more of a precaution? I'm 372 right now and that's going down. Most fairly prices treadmills have weight limits of 300 or under. There are more costly ones with higher limits but they may be out of my current price range. 

Do you think it'd be safe for me to use one of these 300 pounds weight limit treadmills? 

 

What's everyone else doing as you are without a gym?

[southsider2k5]

 

[Chisoxfn]

So figured I would bump this up. Got a goal of getting back to my mid 20’s weight by the holidays (15-20 lbs). Am almost five pounds down but boy is it a lot harder than I remember to cut down on the weight. 
 

Been running a lot more and have ate extremely healthy. Basically twice a day meals, low to no carb and clean (lean protein and veggies). Am almost two weeks in. 

 

[Two-Gun Pete]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:09 AM, Chisoxfn said:

So figured I would bump this up. Got a goal of getting back to my mid 20’s weight by the holidays (15-20 lbs). Am almost five pounds down but boy is it a lot harder than I remember to cut down on the weight. 
 

Been running a lot more and have ate extremely healthy. Basically twice a day meals, low to no carb and clean (lean protein and veggies). Am almost two weeks in. 

 

Any resistance/weight training?

The EPOC generated by that should help gin up more burn.

[Chisoxfn]

18 hours ago, Two-Gun Pete said:

Any resistance/weight training?

The EPOC generated by that should help gin up more burn.

Just basic - push-ups and sit-ups. I hate lifting weights - so that should tell you I do not have a muscular build haha. 
 

That said - did six cardio workouts last week - 3 runs and 3 bike rides. This week I’ve ran three times so far and a bike ride, with one day off. Feeling good. First week I was running about 10 min miles on avg but with reverse splits (so slow as shit - to slow to somewhat slow). 
 

This week I have 10 miles of running in - dropped my avg mile down a full minute (so all runs this week we’re sub 9 minute miles). Yesterday was my fastest overall mile which I did on final mile - just under 8:30 and i finished it with a sub 8 minute half mile. 
 

Have continued to eat very well. Down 7 lbs in last 2 weeks. 

[Tony]

10 minutes ago, Chisoxfn said:

Just basic - push-ups and sit-ups. I hate lifting weights - so that should tell you I do not have a muscular build haha. 
 

That said - did six cardio workouts last week - 3 runs and 3 bike rides. This week I’ve ran three times so far and a bike ride, with one day off. Feeling good. First week I was running about 10 min miles on avg but with reverse splits (so slow as shit - to slow to somewhat slow). 
 

This week I have 10 miles of running in - dropped my avg mile down a full minute (so all runs this week we’re sub 9 minute miles). Yesterday was my fastest overall mile which I did on final mile - just under 8:30 and i finished it with a sub 8 minute half mile. 
 

Have continued to eat very well. Down 7 lbs in last 2 weeks. 

Nice work Jas! 

[Balta1701]

Down something around 15 lbs over the past 10 weeks compared to the pandemic peak. First time I've been at a university that allows free consultations with trainers, so doing second meeting with a guy today to learn some free weight techniques rather than doing machines for the rest of my life.

Still terrified of everyone else in the room with me, but they're all vaccinated and masked by university rules and I can often find spots where I have a fan blowing directly in my face. 

[Chisoxfn]

1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

Down something around 15 lbs over the past 10 weeks compared to the pandemic peak. First time I've been at a university that allows free consultations with trainers, so doing second meeting with a guy today to learn some free weight techniques rather than doing machines for the rest of my life.

Still terrified of everyone else in the room with me, but they're all vaccinated and masked by university rules and I can often find spots where I have a fan blowing directly in my face. 

Nice - I'm hoping a month and a half from now I'm commenting on my 15 points and than from there at a good sustainable place.  Keep up the good work Balta!!! 

[Chisoxfn]

As an update - now down 11 lb's from my high....which was on 8/22.  Have upped my running to about 4 miles a few times a week, with biking (with the kids) and/or swimming occasionally replacing running to just keep things fresh.  Did a more accelerated run yesterday -> with every mile <8:30 and my last mile at 7:53.  

One thing I have noticed is -> my diligence on this front has paid off in other places in my life. In particular - my focus across the board is up (I'm usually a pretty focused individual -> however I'd say I have been hyper focused, both personally and professionally, since I started this).   I don't know if it is a bi-product of me making this a big deal that I've had to carve out time I didn't have and thus get more structured across the board or what.  

 

[ron883]

Well done folks, keep it up. I'm hoping to add significant weight (muscle) since I have hopefully fixed my back issues. Gotta stay consistent with legs and not neglect them. I think the weakness and imbalance is one of the causes of my back issues. Gotta keep them glutes strong. 

[Marqhead]

It’s always easy to skip leg day…

Im back on the workout wagon as well, trying to keep it simple and something I can stick with 2-3 times per week. 
 

Overall down 18 lbs from my post baby/quarantine high this time last year and managed to keep it there during a somewhat glutinous summer. 
 

Buckle down! Winter is coming!

[BigSqwert]

Does anyone here Zwift? My team is recruiting for season 4 of the ZRL race series.

Edited September 22, 2021 by BigSqwert

[ptatc]

On 9/15/2021 at 4:43 PM, ron883 said:

Well done folks, keep it up. I'm hoping to add significant weight (muscle) since I have hopefully fixed my back issues. Gotta stay consistent with legs and not neglect them. I think the weakness and imbalance is one of the causes of my back issues. Gotta keep them glutes strong. 

The gluteus maximus is by far the most important skeletal muscle (striated cardiac muscle not withstanding) in the body. It is the only significant muscle the connects the legs (your base) to your spine (your center and control). It controls how everything works together.

[scs787]

I made this thread in April of 2020, I was 372 pounds....I did not buy a treadmill. I reverted back to my old habits.

 

In October of 2020 I was 405 pounds. 

 

This morning I weighed in at 275. 

 

Keto can be hard, especially when you love food, but fuck man. That shit works.

[southsider2k5]

12 minutes ago, scs787 said:

I made this thread in April of 2020, I was 372 pounds....I did not buy a treadmill. I reverted back to my old habits.

 

In October of 2020 I was 405 pounds. 

 

This morning I weighed in at 275. 

 

Keto can be hard, especially when you love food, but fuck man. That shit works.

That's awesome!  Nice work.

[Bob Sacamano]

Been going on a lot of walks in the middle of the day since I work from home and the job I started in March’s workload isn’t overwhelming like my last job. It’s just not enough and decided that I need to start going on a bike ride every morning to start the day for at least 30/40 mins (at least to start) and hopefully build up to an hour. Today was day 1. Here’s to losing some weight!

[The Grinder]

I been in the gym biz since 1988 and have competed in bodybuilding since 1983 and can tell you your diet is HUGE, figure out if your more carb sensitive or fat sensitive and act accordingly. As a rule as we age we become more vernerable to carbs, which I personally crave but I always burn them off via cardio or w free weights. Calories are defined as a unit of energy so use them as such, low cal diets equate low energy which negatively effect yr training

 

But good work guys who have worked out, Kudos to all you, keep it up!

[The Beast]

So I have been debating this for a while now, ever since I cancelled my gym membership because of the pandemic and to keep our now almost one year old son safe. Is it better to get workout equipment for home and lift at home or is it better to just go back to the gym?

My routine was to workout 3 times a week, using the gym 1-2 times each week and running outside the other times. Now I am lucky to get two runs in. I sit working at a desk for a living and have noticed some weight gain (I haven’t weighed myself but I’m not as strong as I used to be) so I am trying to figure out what makes more sense, buying weights and lifting at home or going to the gym?

I should say that I haven’t found many gyms near me (northwest suburbs) with a swimming pool as I think I’d like to swim laps on cross training days, but I could just go to a gym like Planet Fitness to get my workout in. What gyms do people use? What do you like about the gym compared to working out at home and vice versa? Is it worth the money to invest in weights at home?

I’m case this matters, my goal is to shed some weight (let’s say I’m probably 10 pounds more than I’d like to be) and want to build up some muscle again. What are some suggestions for someone who never really figured out a schedule for lifting and just tried to mix cardio with upper body lifts and leg lifts (as in I have no schedule or routine and lift randomly)?

Edited October 16, 2021 by The Beast

[maggsmaggs]

Similar boat to you. I have a 15-month old and cancelled my gym membership when the pandemic hit. I bought the Bowflex select dumbells (https://www.bowflex.com/selecttech/552/100131.html) and some other gym equipment. 

I also found this woman's exercise videos on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/c/CarolineGirvan/videos). I only use her upper body workout videos because I run 5 days a week and I would be too sore from her lower body workouts. She's a terrific resource. 

But with the weights and her videos, I don't see a need to go back to the gym.

Edited October 16, 2021 by maggsmaggs

[The Grinder]

8 hours ago, The Beast said:

So I have been debating this for a while now, ever since I cancelled my gym membership because of the pandemic and to keep our now almost one year old son safe. Is it better to get workout equipment for home and lift at home or is it better to just go back to the gym?

My routine was to workout 3 times a week, using the gym 1-2 times each week and running outside the other times. Now I am lucky to get two runs in. I sit working at a desk for a living and have noticed some weight gain (I haven’t weighed myself but I’m not as strong as I used to be) so I am trying to figure out what makes more sense, buying weights and lifting at home or going to the gym?

I should say that I haven’t found many gyms near me (northwest suburbs) with a swimming pool as I think I’d like to swim laps on cross training days, but I could just go to a gym like Planet Fitness to get my workout in. What gyms do people use? What do you like about the gym compared to working out at home and vice versa? Is it worth the money to invest in weights at home?

I’m case this matters, my goal is to shed some weight (let’s say I’m probably 10 pounds more than I’d like to be) and want to build up some muscle again. What are some suggestions for someone who never really figured out a schedule for lifting and just tried to mix cardio with upper body lifts and leg lifts (as in I have no schedule or routine and lift randomly)?

Beast since I am in the gym biz, I'll try no to grind an ax by telling you of the advantages of a commercial gym v home gym, the bottom line is you would have a much larger selection of equipment w the former. That being said, if you have the discipline to ignore the inevitable distractions of lifting at home, (IE family needing something, phone rings,visitors etc) plus yr driving to a destination with the sole purpose of working out, then yes maybe a humble home gym would be in yr favor. Used equipment can be hard to find as many have turned to working out at home plus you can work out at any hour or day assuming yr gym isnt a 24 hr one

 

By adding various equipment peice by peice is a good way to build yr basement gym and not break the bank. My facility is an old school kind of hard core so I wont comment on planet fitness as they fall short in many categories albeit the price is right

 

Yr routine should be structured and include both resistance training and moderate cardio. I like the push/pull routine of pushing exercises chest, delts and tris where yr pushing the weights AWAY from you one day and the next yr pulling the weights TO you as in back and bis. Then legs for a complete session as they are half yr body. No longer than 60 seconds between sets and larger muscles need a few more sets to exhaust them as opposed to smaller muscles. W/O knowing yr soma type body type, CV at least 3=4 times per week for 20=30 minutes in yr zone

 

Good luck to you

[The Beast]

8 hours ago, The Grinder said:

Beast since I am in the gym biz, I'll try no to grind an ax by telling you of the advantages of a commercial gym v home gym, the bottom line is you would have a much larger selection of equipment w the former. That being said, if you have the discipline to ignore the inevitable distractions of lifting at home, (IE family needing something, phone rings,visitors etc) plus yr driving to a destination with the sole purpose of working out, then yes maybe a humble home gym would be in yr favor. Used equipment can be hard to find as many have turned to working out at home plus you can work out at any hour or day assuming yr gym isnt a 24 hr one

 

By adding various equipment peice by peice is a good way to build yr basement gym and not break the bank. My facility is an old school kind of hard core so I wont comment on planet fitness as they fall short in many categories albeit the price is right

 

Yr routine should be structured and include both resistance training and moderate cardio. I like the push/pull routine of pushing exercises chest, delts and tris where yr pushing the weights AWAY from you one day and the next yr pulling the weights TO you as in back and bis. Then legs for a complete session as they are half yr body. No longer than 60 seconds between sets and larger muscles need a few more sets to exhaust them as opposed to smaller muscles. W/O knowing yr soma type body type, CV at least 3=4 times per week for 20=30 minutes in yr zone

 

Good luck to you

Thanks Grinder. I agree that you would find more selection at the gym instead of a home gym but building up some weights at home would be a good thing.

I would agree that Planet Fitness falls short of expectations and I don’t like how their squat racks are really connected Smith machines. The price is right though. I used to go to a great small gym in Downers Grove at ATI Physical Therapy but it closed down. If I can get a treadmill, some hand weights, a bench press, a squat rack, something to push and pull and an area to do abs I’ll be okay since that was my workout. My body frame is basically 6’2 210-220 so I’m skinny fat.?

[The Grinder]

On 10/16/2021 at 6:08 PM, The Beast said:

Thanks Grinder. I agree that you would find more selection at the gym instead of a home gym but building up some weights at home would be a good thing.

I would agree that Planet Fitness falls short of expectations and I don’t like how their squat racks are really connected Smith machines. The price is right though. I used to go to a great small gym in Downers Grove at ATI Physical Therapy but it closed down. If I can get a treadmill, some hand weights, a bench press, a squat rack, something to push and pull and an area to do abs I’ll be okay since that was my workout. My body frame is basically 6’2 210-220 so I’m skinny fat.?

Sorry Beast took so long to reply, my GF is in ICU at hospital, very sick  so been preoccupied

Given yr body type, sounds like yr a endomorph, and yr big boned if you want to lose weight keep yr sessions speeded up short and breif and intense. No more than 60 seconds between sets and hit the cardio after OR if you want, get up early and do yr cardio on empty stomach then eat some meals and do yr weights later when u have more sustainable energy. Remember if yr doing cardio and weights same WO, bars before bikes 

 

Good luck! Keep it up, Ive been at this for 40 yrs and I still enjoy it

[The Beast]

17 hours ago, The Grinder said:

Sorry Beast took so long to reply, my GF is in ICU at hospital, very sick  so been preoccupied

Given yr body type, sounds like yr a endomorph, and yr big boned if you want to lose weight keep yr sessions speeded up short and breif and intense. No more than 60 seconds between sets and hit the cardio after OR if you want, get up early and do yr cardio on empty stomach then eat some meals and do yr weights later when u have more sustainable energy. Remember if yr doing cardio and weights same WO, bars before bikes 

 

Good luck! Keep it up, Ive been at this for 40 yrs and I still enjoy it

Sorry to hear that about your girlfriend. I am actually more of an ectomorph than endomorph, I just gained some weight during the pandemic. I think I just need to get back to the gym even if I have to work out with a mask on. Running can only do so much when weights and resistance is the missing piece.

[The Grinder]

Thank you for the well wishes, if yr an ectomorph overtraining can be a concern, so again dont do massive amts of sets or workout for 3 hrs like some of these knuckleheads do in my gym, Get in and get out, Yes you want to build muscle as muscle will speed up yr metabolism thusly assisting in weight loss. The 3 keys are resistance training, moderate cardio and a concern for feeding muscle diet wise. If yr training intensity  then 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is sufficient, reduce carbs towards bed time. Yr a trooper, I can tell. Good luck and keep me posted ok bro? 

[The Beast]

On 11/3/2021 at 3:57 PM, The Grinder said:

Thank you for the well wishes, if yr an ectomorph overtraining can be a concern, so again dont do massive amts of sets or workout for 3 hrs like some of these knuckleheads do in my gym, Get in and get out, Yes you want to build muscle as muscle will speed up yr metabolism thusly assisting in weight loss. The 3 keys are resistance training, moderate cardio and a concern for feeding muscle diet wise. If yr training intensity  then 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is sufficient, reduce carbs towards bed time. Yr a trooper, I can tell. Good luck and keep me posted ok bro? 

Will do, thanks!