Exercise enthusiasts and wannabees only !!!

[dwm74]

Yep, still using my PowerBlocks regularly since I got them in 2007. As long as you don't drop them, they're built to last.

I recently added an X-3 knock-off to my workout arsenal. It's the resistance bands with a bar, pictured below:
View attachment upload_2023-9-25_5-29-48.webp
It takes some getting used to, as it can be a little tricky to find just the right resistance for each exercise at first, and I've also improvised with most of the exercises to fit my needs. Getting some surprisingly good workouts with this apparatus... not as gimmicky as expected when I first saw this setup. There's a LOT of YouTube content discussing this equipment and system.

The real X-3 program says do one set of 15-40 reps of each exercise, and finish your workout in 10 minutes. I personally can't get enough muscle stimulation with only one set per muscle group so I'm doing more of a standard 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps. We'll see how it's working after a few weeks of giving it a fair shot.

 

[rtslinger]

Yep, still using my PowerBlocks regularly since I got them in 2007. As long as you don't drop them, they're built to last.

I recently added an X-3 knock-off to my workout arsenal. It's the resistance bands with a bar, pictured below:
View attachment 5200400
It takes some getting used to, as it can be a little tricky to find just the right resistance for each exercise at first, and I've also improvised with most of the exercises to fit my needs. Getting some surprisingly good workouts with this apparatus... not as gimmicky as expected when I first saw this setup. There's a LOT of YouTube content discussing this equipment and system.

The real X-3 program says do one set of 15-40 reps of each exercise, and finish your workout in 10 minutes. I personally can't get enough muscle stimulation with only one set per muscle group so I'm doing more of a standard 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps. We'll see how it's working after a few weeks of giving it a fair shot.

Nice I seen that but never tried one

 

[rtslinger]

Forearms were burning this morning

 

[rtslinger]

So recently went for my annual wellness check up weight 182
this mornings gun show ha ha ha

 

[rtslinger]

this AM

 

[CallMeAl]

My previously mentioned foot injury lingers on, but on an upward trend of improvement. Got PT scheduled in two weeks. Podiatrist suggested laying off squats and lunges, and most standing yoga. I’ve done that and it’s really helped the past few weeks.

He did suggest exercise bike, and low intensity walks, which I’m doing daily. I restarted my push up plan (3 days a week) and it’s going well. The most enthused I’ve been about exercise in quite a while

 

[rtslinger]

Still at it

 

[rtslinger]

while the world sleeps 5am

 

[Groove Doctor]

New baby 2 weeks old. I can’t get to the gym, so I need to workout at home. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration.

What your home exercise routine?

 

[dwm74]

New baby 2 weeks old. I can’t get to the gym, so I need to workout at home. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration.

What your home exercise routine?

Congrats on the little one!

Every other day, I use a power tower to do Pull-ups and Dips, 3-4 sets of each, however many reps I can manage, usually in the 12-15 range.

On the in-between days, I work out on my Gr8Flex (a Total Gym clone). Don't be so quick to dismiss these machines. I get one helluva good and intense workout on mine, and while I may not become Mr Bodybuilder using it, I have definitely seen results. And I rarely spend more than 15-20 minutes on it. Brief and intense.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I haven’t worked out in about 3 years. How do I lose my gut?

 

[CallMeAl]

I haven’t worked out in about 3 years. How do I lose my gut?

IMO/IME, losing weight is largely about diet. Whole food plant based works for me, but I don’t think it’s the only way to go. Just find a meal plan you think you can stick to and has some of your favorite foods included.

now exercise can support that weight loss, especially maintaining. Also it can impact your physique, and a myriad of other health benefits. After multiple failures and injuries, I really believe that at the beginning it’s all about building the habit. Pick an accessible, low impact/intensity movement (eg walking) and just get a groove going. Once you have some consistency (say 4-6 weeks) you can set some goals and find a more structured exercise to support those goals; possibly with the help of a coach or trainer.
Best of luck!

 

[CallMeAl]

In a personal note, my foot injury is largely recovered. I’ll get a flare up now and then, but I have a PT protocol now to implement and gets me back on track quickly.

daily exercise has been
30-60 min walks (including hills and rucking)
30 min yoga, calisthenics and mobility

exercise bike and rower have been immobilized; but that’s ok I really got them for the extreme weather and lots of yard work going on in the spring. I prefer to be outside when possible.

I’ve been pretty inspired by the blue zone outlook on movement. Lots of low-moderate activity, spread throughout and built into the day. My main goal with movement is aging gracefully and I think this outlook supports that!

some primer articles:
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[Jason Hollar]

If it’s not a thread derail, I’d love to hear more from those who have made successful transitions to more whole foods and plant based diets - while keeping energy up and living in a modern junk food world.

My “numbers” aren’t great and I’ve got to go Mediterranean / MIND diet, etc.

 

[CallMeAl]

If it’s not a thread derail, I’d love to hear more from those who have made successful transitions to more whole foods and plant based diets - while keeping energy up and living in a modern junk food world.

My “numbers” aren’t great and I’ve got to go Mediterranean / MIND diet, etc.

Well I’ve been doing WFPB on and off since about 2007. Mostly on, but with each fall of the wagon I got to restart, refining the process and learning more about it.

my energy and mood are always better when I follow the plan. Extra Weight falls off, and movement and general daily activities are just easier.

“Living in a modern junk filled world” is… complicated. Probably the hardest piece for me and took years to get a handle on. Between the sheer pervasiveness of the junk food, and its deep entwinement with culture, family and socialization (and gigging!) it can be tough. My top 2 pointers are 1) remember why you’re choosing to eat what you do, it gets easier with practice and 2) practically speaking, just get used to packing food and/or eating before events or travel. And just getting used to meal planning and prep cooking.

my numbers of trouble were always BP, which I am now in an acceptable range without meds- so yes it works. Dr Joel Fuhrman created his diet as a diabetes reversal plan, but found it also works for BP, cholesterol, even the big C.

specific resources: currently I’m following Dr Fuhrman and Dr Michael Greger (nutritionfacts.org). But I always recommend Forks Over Knives for a starting point; they’re the most focused on satiety, easy practical recipes and comfort foods turned healthy.

I could go on, feel free to PM if you want more specifics! and good luck!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

If it’s not a thread derail, I’d love to hear more from those who have made successful transitions to more whole foods and plant based diets - while keeping energy up and living in a modern junk food world.

My “numbers” aren’t great and I’ve got to go Mediterranean / MIND diet, etc.

I'm not completely plant based, but have been off red meat (read: "no mammals, but fish/poultry/dairy is OK) for several decades now. I'll be 60 in August, but at 6'1" am at the same 180 lbs as when I got married 25 years ago...although I can't say everything is still in the same place as it was back then...

For me the keys are a modified IF schedule (no food between 7 PM and 9 AM), preparing my own lunches and taking them to work (usually some sort of chicken/veggies/rice that i make a giant batch of every couple of weeks), dinners from whole food sources that I or Mrs. Ginger Cat makes at home. Also I'm on the IBS low-FODMAP diet, but that's more by necessity than anything.

Mostly it's about building a good habit and staying with it, then noticing the unpleasantness that ensues whenever I break it. As @CallMeAl mentions above, you only need willpower for a few weeks to build a habit, and after that it kind of runs itself in the background. Good luck, and here's hoping you can get those numbers where you need them!

 

[Tom Bomb]

​

This is nice and compact — the daily fifty. Should serve​

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New baby 2 weeks old. I can’t get to the gym, so I need to workout at home. I’m looking for ideas and inspiration.

 

[pcake]

after working out way toward the right fitness gear for us, we finally got a lightweight rack with a bunch of attachments. it's a bells of steel residential 4.1 rack that comes with j cups and pin pipe safeties, but we also got safety straps, spotter arms, a seal row pad, sandwich j cups. and it's a funny thing - a lot of people really don't care for lever arms, but it turns out we love 'em. they add versatility and slightly different angles and weight paths for a lot of exercises.

and we still have our bells of steel cable machine with a stack, which for me, is probably my all-time favorite piece of fitness gear i've owned and used.

between those, my exercise bike and walking pad, and a lot of guitars, basses and some amps, ariex's workbench and my art table, it's pretty tight in our small 2-bedroom condo. but it's awesome, too!

 

[MJ5150]

If it’s not a thread derail, I’d love to hear more from those who have made successful transitions to more whole foods and plant based diets - while keeping energy up and living in a modern junk food world.

My “numbers” aren’t great and I’ve got to go Mediterranean / MIND diet, etc.

What worked for me was not going on a diet. Rather, I took a transactional approach to food and started eating more of the foods that gave me a better return on my investment.
Big Mac and fries? Sure, but I'm going to feel bloated and grouchy later on after the dopamine high. Is it worth it to me? I used to say yes and deal with the fall out later.
Then I started trying salads with different greens and veggies. We made more food at home, and as @Chris Fitzgerald mentions, packing lunches. That may sound silly, but when I invested my money and time into preparing a meal, I was now motivated to eat it when I got hungry instead of giving in to the junk food high.
There's also a certain amount of joy the wife and I find in making food at home that is a more nutritious and natural knock off of something processed. For example, bread. We're haven't bought a loaf of bread, bagels, English muffins, etc since the pandemic. We still get to enjoy bread, without all the less nutritional value of mass produced stuff.
It won't take long for those cravings to go away because your mind and your body will reward you ten fold for treating it right.

-Mike

 

[pcake]

i'm a vegetarian, but i eat dairy, protein bars and other not-healthy foods. that being said, doing longer-duration, moderate - not vigorous - cardio normalized my cholesterol where dietary changes didn't.