How tall are you and what weight are you, Sugartits?

[Jill 0]

Has she not just taken her high heels off?

[Meenzer 15755]

Have you not just put her high heels on?

[Dr Gloom 22228]

I've come to the conclusion that pull ups are the best total body exercise. I just started a new challenge with my training partner to 200 pull ups a week. Strength has improved massively in a month of doing it and I feel really lean despite not doing that much cardio lately.

 

It's such a powerful exercise, if you do enough of them you don't really need to worry about too many other exercises.

 

A good one actually is a pull up/squat/push up/burpee. all you need is a bar and your body weight and you can nail every muscle group and your cardio in one movement

[Dr Gloom 22228]

Just chip away at them. But drop the help from the machine straight away for quicker gains. Start doing them unassisted, even if you can only manage one or two, then try to add a rep each new session. Even if you don't bust it out with perfect form straight away, or even just concentrate on the negs, it doesn't matter. Just as long as you're going to failure. Before you know it you'll be busting out sets of 5, then 10.

 

I doing 40 a day at the moment, unassisted in two 20 rep bundles. Start with a set of 10 then two sets of 5. Never felt stronger. It's the king of exercises. Very satisfying when you nail them.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Dr Gloom

[Dr Gloom 22228]

Honest opinion of that programme mate, you're trying to fit too many isolation exercises in and spending way too long at the gym. None of those exercises will do you any harm but if your times stretched - it sounds like it is - I'd recommend stripping it right back. I rarely train for more than 30-40 minutes. Only focus on compound moves, like pull ups, squats, dead lift, clean and press. But more often than not now I'm doing plyometric moves - jumps etc.

 

Another top tip: ditch the machines and use free weights instead. You'll engage way more stabiliser muscles, engage core more and burn more calories performing the same moves with dumb bells or bar bells as you will on the machines.

[Dr Gloom 22228]

Fair play. You've got to do whatever works for you. For me personally, I like to be in and out of the gym in less than an hour. So I ditched isolation exercises like bicep curls, lat pull downs, triceps pull downs et al a while back. No need for them if you're doing pull ups or bench press. You can hit all the muscle groups you're targeting in that lengthy workout in 6 exercises - pull ups, bench press, standing shoulder press, bent over row, squats, dead lifts.

 

That said, these days I barely lift weights at all other than kettle bells. All you really need is your body weight and a bar.

[Gejon 2]

what age are ya? can't still be growing lol

 

still shorter than me shortarse

31, she's always worn flats due to her dwarf like family making her paranoid about being 'so tall'.

 

Make the most of it, I'll be 6ft 8 by October.

[Christmas Tree 4869]

12-12 last night.

 

Nearly 13 stone!

 

I'm never going back, never going back I tell ya.

[Dr Gloom 22228]

[Gemmill 46325]

12-12 is huge for 5ft 5.

[Christmas Tree 4869]

12-12 is huge for 5ft 5.

5-8.5 you Cath

[Kid Dynamite 7207]

5ft8 and 13clem. Unlucky

[Meenzer 15755]

Crikey, that means my BMI is almost back to CT levels and I'm still a blubbery mess. The cherry tomato-fuelled race is on.

[Christmas Tree 4869]

12-12 last night.

 

Nearly 13 stone!

 

I'm never going back, never going back I tell ya.

12-8

 

:-)

[Meenzer 15755]

 

Aye - I'm down another 3kg or so since then, so not exactly Biggest Loser territory. Been exercising here and there but my feet keep giving me trouble, which I assume is a factor of having been a fat alkie for so long. Hopefully that'll clear up a bit as the pounds gradually disappear, but I'll go and see someone about it if not (...they'll probably tell me to lose some weight).

 

Lost another 3.5kg or so since this post, mainly because my body's actually playing nice and letting me exercise at long last.

 

Knocked out a 5k run today, which might sound like nowt (even I used to do far longer pre-booze, and lord knows I'm no athlete), but it's been a right slog getting back to this point tbh. I was so out of shape I ended up starting from scratch and following the Couch To 5K plan, which I can definitely recommend for anyone who's sedentary and scared shitless of actually moving their body. Builds you up nice and slowly from the early steps to a point where you're jogging fairly easily. Still not necessarily enjoying it, but still.

[Christmas Tree 4869]

Well done you

[ChezGiven 0]

Well done that man! Is the plan to do a couple of those per week? One at the weekend, one during the week and you'll be flying in no time.

[Meenzer 15755]

And yeah, the fella does Parkrun on a Saturday so I'm going to try and start getting along to that. A slower but gradually longer (erk) midweek run then a good bash at a 5K Parkrun at the weekend should be a decent combo. As much as anything, I want to get onto doing some weights as well, but building up the jogging stamina has basically taken up all my time so far. Not complaining though.

[Jill 0]

Good stuff, Meenz. Cracking effort.

[Gemmill 46325]

Nice one mister!

[Jill 0]

I've been meaning to do a parkrun for ages like, got the barcodes printed out but on the off chance I fancy a Saturday morning run I just end up going somewhere near home rather than having to head into town on the bus. I'm not one for wishing I drove but it'd be handy for that at least.

[Kid Dynamite 7207]

5k is no mean feat Meenz. Took me nigh on a year to build up to that

[Howmanheyman 34034]

I'm going the other way. Used to do an hour and ten mins run, was ill for a while a few weeks ago, had a month off work in Feb with an accident now I'm trying to do two 45 mins a week but seem to be struggling a little more than I used to. I packed in after half an hour on friday which is something I've never done before and I've felt a worse and carried on in the past. Not sure what the matter is but my inspiration has completely evaporated.

[The Fish 10978]

 

Lost another 3.5kg or so since this post, mainly because my body's actually playing nice and letting me exercise at long last.

 

Knocked out a 5k run today, which might sound like nowt (even I used to do far longer pre-booze, and lord knows I'm no athlete), but it's been a right slog getting back to this point tbh. I was so out of shape I ended up starting from scratch and following the Couch To 5K plan, which I can definitely recommend for anyone who's sedentary and scared shitless of actually moving their body. Builds you up nice and slowly from the early steps to a point where you're jogging fairly easily. Still not necessarily enjoying it, but still.

So, this stag do we're going on, are you going to be dodging the burgers and fajitas and what not?

[Gemmill 46325]

I'm going the other way. Used to do an hour and ten mins run, was ill for a while a few weeks ago, had a month off work in Feb with an accident now I'm trying to do two 45 mins a week but seem to be struggling a little more than I used to. I packed in after half an hour on friday which is something I've never done before and I've felt a worse and carried on in the past. Not sure what the matter is but my inspiration has completely evaporated.

It's crazy how much of running or any other endurance sport is in your head. Once it gets in your head that you can't keep going or you need to stop, it's hard to shake. If you can get past that thought and keep going for another minute, you'll find yourself still going 20 minutes later and wondering what the fuck your problem was earlier. Not saying you don't know all this btw, it's just something I find bizarre when it happens to me.