Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Shifting gears (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/)

-   -   Bodybuilding - Exercises and Supplements (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/1404-bodybuilding-exercises-supplements-309.html)

From lack of warm up to some slackness in form to going beyond one's capacity, reason could be anything. Personally, I do not the prefer traditional warm up methods. Instead, I start with very low weight (it could just be the barbell) for whatever is my first exercise of the day and go on gradually increasing weights until I reach the workout weight. Usually it spreads over 3-4 sets. Hope it helps.

Hi Guys, just looking to improve my health and start off with light exercise, starting off with good food first, to make sure I am healthy enough to continue exercising.

Have done some research and found the following to be of some help:
1.Seasme seeds, has good amount of much needed micro-nutrients.
2.Mutton(liver part alone), has lot of vitamin A, copper and healthy dose of B12.
3.Spiriluna(small quantity) : Probiotic, Anti-inflammatory, lot of antioxidants and the list goes on!

In addition to this, small dose of Vitamin D, little bit of breathing exercise, mindful meditation. Trying to avoid bad carbs, refined sugar and pasturised Dairy.

Any other tips to spike my energy level? Will update my progress whenever possible.

Any recommendations or feedback on budget weight lifting shoes ? Does anyone here use them ? I see RXN and ASE ligting shoes on amazon which cost about 2K.

- Deep Sleep: preferably getting up in the morning without alarm
- Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, nicotine: your body becomes dependent on these doses to stay alert, but when the effect wears off you will go low on energy
- Avoid eating large meals during the day: large meals lead to high blood sugar which leads to subsequent gushing of insulin which leads to low blood sugar. This see-saw contributes to the drowsy feeling during the day time
- Water: drinking water seems to lift my mood

I have been off workouts for a year now, Planning to restart.

I have 2 questions.

1. I am planning to start with Stretching and cardio then gradually move to weights, Basically no to failure workouts for the first 2 weeks.

2. I am diabetic(type 2) and the plan is to start going to the gym in the morning. Should I be eating anything before i go to the gym or is it advisable to goo to the gym and do a fasting workout?

I am planning to see a sport doctor and unfortunately there aren't many in my city.


Pramod

Until you are planning to go into professional "Squatting" or other Olympic lifts a Bata canvas shoes will be the best. I think it would cost you Rs. 200. Very thin rubber soles and absolutely no cushioning keep your feet stable.

BTW that's me at present. 48 years now. Training at home but very irregular. Stepped inside a gym for the first time in my life six months ago and not missing workouts.

Yes - even I kind of do the same. If I'm doing back I'll do lat pulldowns; shoulder is presses; chest is incline; and legs is squats. I've found this to be a better way to warm up. In fact, I typically do the first set of almost all exercises with light weights to get that particular muscle warmed up (15 counts) and then increase the weights to do 6-10 counts.

Somehow have incorporated all the above into daily routine :) last point is quiet interesting though! Its consistent 40 Degrees here, surely might have effect on my energy levels and mood.

Progress so far:
-Good, long, deep sleep.
-Much needed weight gain.
-Good stamina.
-Negligible stress, never though would hit this level of calmness given the nature of our modern life.

Progress to be made:
-More exercise
-Need to try weights training once the climate becomes better.
-More balanced meal every single day.

May I suggest to consider the below. I don’t know the level at which you are in terms of vintage on squats.

1. If you have been squatting for at least 6-8 months consistently and have built good ankle mobility and are reaching your limits in terms of performance on the back of good form and volume. Hopefully you are on flat shoes or bare foot and not use running shoes. If not IMMEDIATELY switch to those and see a big difference.

2. Try another 2 months at least of squatting with flat shoes with heel elevated via a 2.5kg rubber plate and get a feel of the depth you can reach and straightened torso

3. Once done above invest in Good shoes. I’ve seen those brands you mentioned in amazon but frankly I will invest in Adidas or Nike (assuming you’ve gone through above steps and are ready for the next leap in terms of performance)

4. A good starter shoe is Adidas Powerlift 3.1 or better still 4 or AdiPower. Pls check with any friends in USA or Singapore who can order it online and bring it along for you. They are pretty decently priced in these places and if you are ok with out of fashion colours, you can get it really cheap. (As Low as even INR 2500 )
I would suggest the below.

1. Warm up routine for every joint - start with neck rotation, work down to shoulders, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.
2. Do some jump squats or jumping jacks for cardio vascular warm up
3. Finish off with specific body part warm up based on what you plan to do that day
A. If squats, do some elaborate hip extension and mobility routine and kick backs to warm up glutes and hamstrings
B. If upper body, you can do push ups or as another member mentioned, very light weight sets of the work out you intent to do.

The key is cardio vascular warm up + specific muscle group warm ups + general full body joint activation.
Looks lengthy but can be done in 10mins if not 15

A different kind of buildbuilding, actually body conditioning. Checkout these grandfathers from Okinawa. The host of the video (red-shirt) is a Karate black belt himself. He discovers a master 3+ times his age, and shorter than him, who can still easily whip him.

Jump to 7:29 video position directly.

https://youtu.be/5fiMKm2axkU?t=446

I have written this short book on my experiences with "Squat Every Day." I am particularly grateful to this forum for steering me clear from "bro-science" and making me see weight training as it should be seen. This book at present is available free of cost on Amazon. Please do take a look, rate it and review. Thank you all. I owe a lot to everyone here. (https://amzn.to/2L1BKgR)



PS - Mods, if this in any way contravenes the rules here, please feel free to delete it.

I use RXN and they are good. There is no need to buy the really expensive brand. These get the job done. Go for it.

I had a quick look. I admit, I didn't read it fully. But appreciate your effort to pen down the thoughts. Less on the actual exercise and more on its effect on your life. well done.

Been through a similar phase-Last year. My main goal was muscle hypertrophy and weight gain. I had been stuck at around 60-62kgs most of my life. At 42, I built up enough strength to do a 6 month period of squat every day. Reached 70kgs body weight over a 1 year period along with a waist reduction from ~32.5" to 30.5" now.

Now I do more like 3-4times a week squat.

Also been through 2 hernia surgeries. So taking it a bit easy ( or so I try to tell myself ).

Health warning:The neuro-muscular feeling your body gets with squats is unmatched and squatting daily is prone to become an addiction !

Anyone here a cultfit member?
I have just taken six months of membership after a 15-day trial. So far alternating between boxing and HRX sessions. May try S&C soon. This Prowl thing is tiring even to watch :D

I moved to cult since last 3 months and have been a regular there. Of all the sessions that I do 50% is boxing and 25-25 HRX and S&C. Prior to joining cult I used to do strength training, cycling and cross-fit.
For the past year or a bit more my weight had plateaud off at about 78-80 kilos, but I'm now down to 76 with increasing muscle %age.
I don't exceed one session a day and from what I've observed even a one hour session a day leaves me completely drenched and tired. I don't cheat or cut corners. I hit hard, push the heaviest that I can and complete my reps, and I'm finding that to be sufficient. Earlier I used to spend over 2 hours in the gym with lesser benefits.
I'm enjoying Boxing as a workout so much that I'm considering enrolling into a boxing academy. It's such a huge stress reliever in addition to being an incredible workout. You can just imagine your boss, your client, your intransigent girlfriend etc on the bag and punch away to glory. :D