Nutrition, Diet, and Exercise: Notes, Goals, and Resources (these people just keep talking about crossfit)

[Supe]

At the very least they could provide a volunteer to do the burpees for obstacles I fail. 

Oh, you're not going to do burpees for me?  Be a shame if someone in a position of power suddenly closed the roads to get out of here, wouldn't it?

 

[Supe]

Just prop your phone up and take a picture. 

X2.  My gym is mostly powerlifters, and everyone takes videos of their lifts from the side.  The gym owner even leaves out a cell phone tripod for everyone to share.  Not for vanity's sake, but because most of them are checking form and sending videos off to coaches.  It's almost a must for technical/compound lifts unless you have the luxury of an actual coach standing there watching you.

 

[Master slacker]

I actually want to try and track my progress (I've never done that before when working out).  I might take measurements.  Maybe even a picture?

Then that means I'd need to get a mirror...Ugh.  This is a horrible choice.

Taking before / after measurements and pictures can be mind blowing.  Don't do it every day or week, but only at the beginning and after an extended period of time.  Otherwise, very minor fluctuations from day-to-day may discourage further progress.  I don't do it anymore, but I did it years ago with P90X and it proved to me that progress is made gradually even though you may not constantly perceive it, like watching grass grow.  Take that picture, measure your body, get motivated and go kick your ass.  :thumbs:

 

[JayKay PE]

Taking before / after measurements and pictures can be mind blowing.  Don't do it every day or week, but only at the beginning and after an extended period of time.  Otherwise, very minor fluctuations from day-to-day may discourage further progress.  I don't do it anymore, but I did it years ago with P90X and it proved to me that progress is made gradually even though you may not constantly perceive it, like watching grass grow.  Take that picture, measure your body, get motivated and go kick your ass.  :thumbs:

I actually did find a cheapo mirror at Walmart and stuck it on my door.  I know there has been some progress from when I started in early 2019 (clothes def feel looser), but I didn't realize until I took a picture right before the whole covid shutdown.  Def wish I had taken measurements then!  It's just getting back into the swing of working out that I'm getting super nervous about.  I'm not fit, so it's really hard for me to get into a gym...I feel like I'm annoying people when I'm in class/trying, tbh.

@Supe, new gym is a very niche Olympic lifting gym?  Not sure what I've gotten myself into, but I'm worried I might have bitten off more than I can chew.  Also was never really good at selfies/taking video (I'm a horrible millennial who doesn't care about recording things to boast), so...yeah.

 

[Supe]

I wouldn't worry about it.  Oly lifting coaches are often used to teaching kids/brand new people, and often prefer people with no previous weight lifting background, as there are no bad habits to try and undo.  Just keep it light and have fun, everyone was brand new at one point.  Get ready to learn just how flexible your wrists are though, lol.

 

[mudpuppy]

total BS, - I know I paid more than $200 for the "race" - for two people - Im going to scream at them via email but I am not sure it matters...

Maybe I could get some satisfaction doing the race but being a total dick in the process? like walking, scuffing my feet, cutting on the rope climbs in half or something?

i know - 3rd world problems...

I would seriously consider filing in small claims court for this one.  You signed up, they didn't deliver and now want to charge you a fee to use the credit?  I don't think so.

I wonder what the likelihood of them even showing up in court is? Probably nil, so you'd probably get a default judgement.  Only takes the filing fee and some time to find out what happens.

 

[csb]

Never mind.  This whole exercise thing is a horrible idea.  Woke up today in pain from the assessment.  And I didn't even do that much?

It was 3 min bike + a couple different variations of squats (kettlebell, etc), and my legs already hurt.  On one hand, yay, getting back into things...on the other...I feel like I might have jumped into the deep end of the pool without looking.  God, I hope these people are nice.  The guy who did my assessment (and who I think is currently teaching the group classes), seemed nice...but I don't want to hold up people during the workout.  I really hope that everything is time based and not rep based because I might die...

My experience with gyms like this is that everyone is so focused on their own gains that they don't have time to watch anyone else. The bonus is that they are usually way more focused on form than numbers, so reps or weight may be lower for you at first. Don't let the fear of holding people up when you're new keep you away. Everyone started somewhere. 

True triple post: I want to be as cool as csb on insta.

*star eyes in amazement* 

I, uh, am kind of speechless. Thank you and I don't know what I did to deserve this. 

I wouldn't worry about it.  Oly lifting coaches are often used to teaching kids/brand new people, and often prefer people with no previous weight lifting background, as there are no bad habits to try and undo.  Just keep it light and have fun, everyone was brand new at one point.  Get ready to learn just how flexible your wrists are though, lol.

Yeah, this. They are super focused on helping everyone meet goals and be healthy. You will definitely feel your desk job. Ask your coach to show you some wrist stretches. We did a bear complex EMOM last Friday and I spent most of that rest time stretching out my Mr. Burns-like hands and forearms. 

 

[Road Guy]

JK - What others said- I took the fat guy selfie (Wife took it) and then I didn't look at it or weight myself for a while, I generally dont believe in weighing yourself more than once a month.  But I beleive taking that photo (for yourself) is very important.

CSB - This morning I disputed my credit card for Spartan Race - USAA has already credited me my money, I am sure Spartan will bitch but I am going to see how it shakes out!

 

[ChebyshevII PE PMP]

I do want to provide a counterpoint to weighing yourself only every so often...

I weigh myself pretty much every day, and have since December. I'm also doing CICO, and according to the app I'm using (and not a doctor's measurements and recommendation), I'm at about a daily 1000 calorie deficit. Weighing myself every day gives me two advantages: 1) I can see if my estimate of calorie deficit was effective, and 2) I can fine tune my habits based on previous days' measurements; in other words, if I knew I went over or if the scale says I'm a lot heavier than I was the previous day, I can take a day to fast, do extra exercise, etc. to get me back on track. If I were to weigh myself only every month, I think I'd have false hopes about my progress.

Of course, my argument may be moot if I were to actually see a doctor about what my caloric intake should be, but I digress.

I do agree with the "taking measurements/pictures of yourself only every so often" point, though.

 

[csb]

I'm a daily weigh-in person. I like data and the ability to see trends. I think I'd be destroyed if I weighed in on a heavy day, so I just check all of the days. 

I filled out the form for the merch credit. I'm not too upset since they did give me a "free" entry after Warrior Dash went belly up. I should have just disputed that charge and been done with this. I didn't realize how zen I'd feel about finally getting out from doing a OCR. 

 

[JayKay PE]

My experience with gyms like this is that everyone is so focused on their own gains that they don't have time to watch anyone else. The bonus is that they are usually way more focused on form than numbers, so reps or weight may be lower for you at first. Don't let the fear of holding people up when you're new keep you away. Everyone started somewhere. 

I, uh, am kind of speechless. Thank you and I don't know what I did to deserve this. 

Yeah, this. They are super focused on helping everyone meet goals and be healthy. You will definitely feel your desk job. Ask your coach to show you some wrist stretches. We did a bear complex EMOM last Friday and I spent most of that rest time stretching out my Mr. Burns-like hands and forearms. 

I think the main thing with me is that this is a super niche gym and I'll be in a class...but there will still be semi-private/other coaching going on around.  Idk, I'm overthinking it because it is costing a kinda good chunk of change and I don't want to be wasting it?  I did find another gym that is equally in walking distance of my apartment that has a main gym that does 'CrossFit', but then they have a non-barbell class that uses lighter weights combined with their yoga studio that they have next door.  Costs around $70 less per month for unlimited classes, versus the x3 per week I currently have. 

I want to obviously try out this first gym, to see if strength training is for me, and then if it doesn't work after a couple weeks, I might see what I need to do to cancel and then reach out to the other gym.  I can usually tell within a week or two if the reason I don't want to go to the gym is because I'm being a baby or because I genuinely don't like the gym/something about it is throwing me off.

@your insta = super inspiring to me.  LIKE YOU DO STUFF.  AND YOU'RE A NORMAL PERSON.  AND YOU'RE SO STRONG.  I wanna grow up to be csb one day!  

 

[Master slacker]

This morning's weigh-in has me at 0.6 lbf away from another milestone - breaking into the 180's.  We'll see how homemade bean burgers and coleslaw affect tomorrow's weigh-in. 

 

[csb]

I think the main thing with me is that this is a super niche gym and I'll be in a class...but there will still be semi-private/other coaching going on around.  Idk, I'm overthinking it because it is costing a kinda good chunk of change and I don't want to be wasting it?  I did find another gym that is equally in walking distance of my apartment that has a main gym that does 'CrossFit', but then they have a non-barbell class that uses lighter weights combined with their yoga studio that they have next door.  Costs around $70 less per month for unlimited classes, versus the x3 per week I currently have. 

I want to obviously try out this first gym, to see if strength training is for me, and then if it doesn't work after a couple weeks, I might see what I need to do to cancel and then reach out to the other gym.  I can usually tell within a week or two if the reason I don't want to go to the gym is because I'm being a baby or because I genuinely don't like the gym/something about it is throwing me off.

@your insta = super inspiring to me.  LIKE YOU DO STUFF.  AND YOU'RE A NORMAL PERSON.  AND YOU'RE SO STRONG.  I wanna grow up to be csb one day!  

I think the bonus to those classes is that they are still usually pretty small and you receive a lot of coaching even though it's a class. 

My favorite part is that muscles eat up a lot of calories just hanging around on your body. It's crazy how much easier it is to keep a lower weight with muscles versus grinding that out with cardio. I'm still easing into the part where I can drop my loaded barbell on the floor. "Sorry!" That's what happens in my head every time I drop the bar, even if everyone else is doing it as well. 

Aww! Well, thank you. It takes a lot to remember that my body can do things that it used to not be able to do. 

 

[csb]

This morning's weigh-in has me at 0.6 lbf away from another milestone - breaking into the 180's.  We'll see how homemade bean burgers and coleslaw affect tomorrow's weigh-in. 

Is this about poop again? 

 

[JayKay PE]

I think the bonus to those classes is that they are still usually pretty small and you receive a lot of coaching even though it's a class. 

My favorite part is that muscles eat up a lot of calories just hanging around on your body. It's crazy how much easier it is to keep a lower weight with muscles versus grinding that out with cardio. I'm still easing into the part where I can drop my loaded barbell on the floor. "Sorry!" That's what happens in my head every time I drop the bar, even if everyone else is doing it as well. 

Aww! Well, thank you. It takes a lot to remember that my body can do things that it used to not be able to do. 

Yeah, I def think that the classes held at the weightlifting facility are small.  I think a max of 12 people per class?  So I'm thinking the coaching will be more hands on (which would make the increased cost worth it to me since I know some of my forms are weird).  I want to try and do more cardio, but that's the thing with most other gyms is they're just like "Go run a half mile before we start strength!" and I'm severely non-runner body, so it totally wrecks me.

I'm so worried that if I ever start doing stuff with a bar I will constantly be like "sorry!"

As for @Master slacker...it's always about poop.

 

[Road Guy]

can you row instead of run?

 

[csb]

^Rowing has that fun part where you go, "Wheee!" before you have to work again. 

For the most part, most lifters don't have a ton of cardio fitness. I remember annihilating some giant muscle-y dudes at a gym a few years back when we had a part of the workout where we had to run. Then they lifted a car over their heads and I was put back into my place. 

 

[JayKay PE]

I def can row/I prefer rowing, but none of the gyms really have had that?  It's all been 'run outside and when you come back in, we'll begin'.  I think the lifting gym has bikes as their cardio, which is slightly more doable.  I just suck at running, my form is horrible and I really can't get into the 'groove', so I'd prefer any other cardio available.

 

[Master slacker]

... and I'm severely non-runner body, so it totally wrecks me.

I just suck at running, my form is horrible and I really can't get into the 'groove', so I'd prefer any other cardio available.

Compared to the gazelles who run past me with ease, I definitely do NOT have a runner's body.  I best resemble an out-of-shape swimmer (broad shoulders / chest and thick legs) because that's what I am.  

I've found running to be terribly convenient for cardio.  Unlike swimming, I can change, run, and shower in less than an hour.  For me, it's all about form (and good shoes), and once you get comfortable with the basic running form (I watched lots of youtube videos), endurance and speed will pick up.

 

[JayKay PE]

Compared to the gazelles who run past me with ease, I definitely do NOT have a runner's body.  I best resemble an out-of-shape swimmer (broad shoulders / chest and thick legs) because that's what I am.  

I've found running to be terribly convenient for cardio.  Unlike swimming, I can change, run, and shower in less than an hour.  For me, it's all about form (and good shoes), and once you get comfortable with the basic running form (I watched lots of youtube videos), endurance and speed will pick up.

I have fat horseback rider body = super thick legs from riding combined with stress eating upper half from competing. 

I do want to attempt running in the future, but I want to lose some more weight before I do?  I'd much rather spend an hour doing low-cardio around my neighborhood than a half hour of trying to force myself into running.  Again, horrible form (need to look at those youtube videos) and general laziness towards that type of cardio.