Obligatory fitness thread

[Sifright]

So i've recently decided to get my fat ass in shape. *Since last monday*



I've been running 6km on eliptical trainers basically every working day and it's pretty awesome, it doesn't hurt my joints to run even at that length of distance.


Also, The post run high is fantastic just that alone is enough to want to continue doing it.

Any one else working towards getting fit? I've set my self a ridiculous goal of losing 10 kilograms of weight in three weeks. I don't think i'll manage it but it's nice to have something to work towards.

[Ryong]

Thanks to college I haven't been able to go to the gym as often as I did before, but I've been trying running more and more - I'm far from being fit - but I can't do much more than 1.7km in 12 minutes. My goal is to run 2km in the same time, at least.

I blame Pocheros showing me some fitness calculator thing.

[Token]

I want to get fit, but I'm honestly worried about losing weight. Between aspie stuff, my headaches, and my meds, I don't eat much, and I'm already pretty damn underweight. Still, I think it'd be good to get in better shape- build muscle and whatnot so I'm not such a stick. The issue is that basically every workout thing I've seen is all about LOSING weight.

[Aldurin]

Originally Posted by Token

I want to get fit, but I'm honestly worried about losing weight. Between aspie stuff, my headaches, and my meds, I don't eat much, and I'm already pretty damn underweight. Still, I think it'd be good to get in better shape- build muscle and whatnot so I'm not such a stick. The issue is that basically every workout thing I've seen is all about LOSING weight.

Chug protein shakes while you lift weights. Your biceps will grow before you eyes.

[Azisien]

I already am fit, so I get to sit back on my much less intense maintenance routines and eat nachos.

The key to getting fit is doing something you don't hate that fits into your schedule. You don't have to do hardcore 3-hour gym sessions, or bike a million kilometers. Just go for a walk, but do it every day.

If you don't have much time in the day, do an easy circuit or sprint. On my lazy days I do 15-minute bike sprints (30 seconds of sprinting, 60 seconds of lighter biking, repeat). It has the same benefit as biking for 45 minutes, if not better. You can do the same kind of quick circuit for almost any muscle group using bodyweight exercises. Abdominals (sit-ups, crunches, planks, do 3-5 cycles of each with no resting except to drink water), legs (squats, weighted squats, lunges, calf raises), a push-up bonanza where you do a set of 3 with only 25-35 second rests. How many you do in each set is basically up to how good you are at push-ups. On my good days I do 25 sets, but I know some of my buddies started by doing 6 when they were very out of shape. For upper body strength, some kind of weights do help. The cheapest addition you could make to your home is probably a pull-up/chin-up bar. Relatively cheap models can fit in doorways and are strong as fuck. I have heard good things about resistance band exercises too, though I have not tried them myself, they would be great for arm exercises.

Treat your body right. If you are exercising a lot, then you should also eat better. Basically, if you have to have one rule, avoid fructose and other ass sugars. Sleep is also important.

Originally Posted by Aldurin

Chug protein shakes while you lift weights. Your biceps will grow before you eyes.

Basically, yes. A good ballpark is about 150g of protein per day, every day, while lifting weights 3-6 times a week. Getting that much protein can be expensive, so protein shakes are indeed the cheapest method. I don't like making a huge part of my diet whey though, and I also like tasty things. Quality of life becomes an issue there. So do use shakes, but stock up on more milk, eggs, steak, chicken, etc. Beans, lentils, and quinoa are also amazing but for the formers try to avoid the canned variety because the salt content is fucking nuts.

Muscle is good. It looks good, when not taken to extremes (though some people like extremes!), and it also burns way more calories passively than fat. Once you put on muscle, you could actually lighten your workouts just enough to keep that muscle, and melt the fat off with your increased metabolism. Women in particular could stand to do more weightlifting. I've noticed gyms in particular seem to segregate genders into MEN = WEIGHTS, WOMEN = TREADMILL, which is stupid. Putting on some muscle will have the same positive benefits regardless of gender. In fact, depending on your personal fitness situation, weights are probably a better starting point than cardio. Of course, the two things should not be seen as separate. All routines would ideally have some of both.

[Seil]

I've been jogging for the last week or so. I run 'till I'm out of breath, wait a minute or two, then run again.

[Amake]

Originally Posted by Token

I want to get fit, but I'm honestly worried about losing weight. Between aspie stuff, my headaches, and my meds, I don't eat much, and I'm already pretty damn underweight. Still, I think it'd be good to get in better shape- build muscle and whatnot so I'm not such a stick. The issue is that basically every workout thing I've seen is all about LOSING weight.

I recommend watching Pumping Iron. In between Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about flexing himself into orgasms, there's so much muscle-building going on in this movie that you may actually gain muscle mass just from watching it.

[pochercoaster]

I'm pretty much already fit, though not as much as I used to be. Lifestyle completely changed when I moved to the US and didn't have a work permit because my job used to keep my on my feet 8 hours a day and I used to regularly go to this really nice gym that I lived near and take kickboxing and muay thai classes. Now I'm stuck at home and don't have the resources to get a regular gym membership, so I have to use the crappy gym in my apartment building and all the equipment is broken. Then I'm sitting around on my butt for the rest of that day because I'm unemployed.

I've gained a little bit of fat since then but it's stabilized and I don't seem to be gaining any more. My strength and runs have improved a lot since gaining fat, which makes sense because from what I've seen it's a bit difficult for women to build muscle mass without gaining some fat at the same time.

My workouts have been really inconsistent lately but they usually consist of running 2-6 miles and then doing some mix of chin ups/shoulder press/chest press/dips/leg press/squats/planks/rows. This has kept me in okay shape.

Women in particular could stand to do more weightlifting. I've noticed gyms in particular seem to segregate genders into MEN = WEIGHTS, WOMEN = TREADMILL, which is stupid. Putting on some muscle will have the same positive benefits regardless of gender. In fact, depending on your personal fitness situation, weights are probably a better starting point than cardio. Of course, the two things should not be seen as separate. All routines would ideally have some of both.

QFT. Most women want some kind of Hollywood body and don't realize that to get it you actually need to lift some damn weights. Muscle gives women such a nice body shape but they're afraid of turning into a bodybuilder, which is really an insult to the kind of ridiculous work bodybuilders do.

This is something that bugs me to no end because without fail I see women cycling oh so slowly for 2 hours on the eliptical. It's a completely ineffective way to get in shape. Appearance aside, it's sooo much healthier to do some weightlifting because women are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

Edit: And now for a slight rant, although this seems to affect women far more often than men. It's important to eat some damn food. Severely restricting calories (again, something women do more than men) while exercising is a fantastic way to crash your metabolism and lose your energy and motivation. People get confused over what's unhealthy and what isn't and start thinking fat = bad! or Carbs = bad! Without realizing that your body NEEDS fats and carbs and protein to function. Butter, olive oil, yogourt, fish, eggs, cheese = yes! KFC = no. Rice, moderate amounts of bread, potatoes = yes! Soda = no. And you can eat plenty of damn calories if it's what your body needs. I got bored one day when still had a job and added up all the calories I ate in a typical day and it came out to 4,500. And the majority of those calories weren't from vegetables- I ate plenty of bread and meat. I even drank sugary drinks! Gasp! And I was in excellent shape.

Basically you need to do what works for you, just don't starve yourself in the process.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I fight crabs

[Seil]

You should talk to a clinic about that.