If you like working out and want to share exercise programs, tips, diets, equipment, etc. This thread is NOT a pissing contest. Nobody cares about how much more you can bench than somebody else. This is a serious thread.
P90X I actually wouldn't mind hearing if anybody has tried P90X. It seems like a good self-weight workout system to do from home, all the infomercial BS aside.
I was amazed when I saw how much one could add to a simple push up to make it a really cool exercise. Perfect is too extreme, but if you want to try new push ups, start adding instability. First try using a 10 lb medicine ball under one hand and alternating push ups. Another good one is using the Bosu ball which adds instability to both arms. Once you are feeling good with that, add a resistance ball under your feet so you have instability under your hands and feet! If you want to start getting hard, put some 30 lb dumbells in your hands, and when you push up, perform a one arm row while keeping the other arm stable. Another good variation is to use something lighter ( 15 lbs ), and when you push up, twist your body and lift the weight in the air. This one requires a lot of stamina and stability. Doing 15 of these in a row will work your core, shoulders, back and chest pretty well.
I'll be racing motorcycles next year and want to start bicycle training to work out the cardiovascular and legs. Any recommendations on what the proper way to begin training on a bicycle is? Things I should do? Things I shouldn't do? In that same vain what exercises can I do to gain strength without bulking up too much?
In my opinion If you want cardio, train like a triathlete. Lots and LOTS of swimming builds cardio like none other.
Re: P90X It is very good. I haven't done it but my father and my brother-in-law have. They are losing weight like crazy and look much more muscular. I highly recommend it. They will push their own brand of food on you though so be prepared for that. I stick to Starting Strength though because I can't get enough barbell exercises, but P90X is quite good.
As a collegiate swimmer, I can vouch for this. If you really want to be a cardio monster, don't go to the pool and do the normal, rec swimmer, float-down-and-back-thirty-times-at-easy-pace shit. HIIT transitions to the pool really well; do a lot of sprinting and mid-distance work with easy swimming for recovery in between. During the easy swims, focus on maintaining a breathing pattern, to keep your heartrate up and keep your body hypoxic. Swimming should also keep you from bulking up. So far this season, I've dropped about 15 pounds (a lot of it muscle) from this summer, while still increasing my strength. You'll probably develop bigger shoulders than you need for cycling, but that just comes with the territory.
This doesn't make sense to me. How can you gain strength while losing muscle? Could you explain what you mean?
I don't know if I'm actually stronger overall, what I mean to say was that I'm stronger in the muscle movements that I need to do for swimming. I lifted a lot over the summer without much swimming, so I built a lot of mass in muscles that aren't that critical for swimming, like pecs and calves. Once I started swimming more and lifting less, I lost some of this mass, but the important muscles like triceps and shoulders still got stronger because they were being used more.
I'm 27 years old, 6'1, 165 lbs. I just joined a gym because I want to put on at least 10 to 15 pounds. I've been eating a little more every day and working out (mostly upper body) every other day - lat pulldowns, seated row, bicep curls, dips, shoulder press, bench press with dumbells, cable crossovers, etc. I've put on about 5 pounds of muscle in two months. My changes in diet have been eating more for breakfast (egg and cheese sandwich and a donut every morning) and a protein bar after every workout. I've also been trying to eat more for dinner every night, whether that's just pasta with cheese and veggies or stir fry with some sort of meat. I find it's pretty hard to gain weight by eating clean, and I was told to start drinking milk every day, but that will probably hurt my stomach. I've also been eating more almonds and pistachio nuts for snacks, as they're quick calories. Do you guys have any other ideas? I've gotten much stronger in the past two months which is great, but I would like to put on more weight relatively quickly
My brother has P90X - it works. But it works because it's one hell of a hard workout. No gimmick there, it's just tough and high intensity.
I have the P90X system too and it is one hell of a workout. After the first week I was hurting in places that I didn't know existed. I haven't been able to work out with it the past week though, this stupid job thing is getting in the way. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on it when the year end flurry of last minute stuff ends.
I also vouch for P90X. However I only use it on the Chest/back, Arm, and leg days skipping the plyometric, yoga and kenpo days (because they bore me to tears). To compensate that I swim laps. Quick question. I'd like to participate in a triathlon how do I go about with the training? Do I swim, bike and run increasing the distance of each exercise over the course of time? Do I focus on one of those activities every day? Or do I start by 'indirectly' training the muscle groups (i.e. lifting weights, cardio, etc) Lastly, has anyone else (guys specifically) had success getting rid of that little bit of chub around your lower belly? Any advice? I got about 10lbs of fat standing between my goal of being able to do laundry on my stomach.
I'm doing P90X right now, and as everyone else said, it's legit. The key is, it's designed for people who are already in good/decent shape. It's incredibly intense, but it's done in a way where it's not frustrating. I started doing it at my buddy's place one night after work. We did shoulder/chest/triceps and the next morning while laying in bed, I was physically incapable of lifting my arms up. Not because they were sore (they were) but because I just couldn't do it.
Yeah most of what you said is good. I know you're trying to put on weight but maybe dropping the donut to 3 times a week or something like that would just make you healthier. Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches seem to also work well for gaining weight, if you go to Whole Foods they have organic* peanut butter that is pretty good. *No I'm not a health freak just thinking that if you are going to be adding weight to your body it is best to add muscle and not pack on fat with it.
Also, just throwing it out there I run in college and during my numerous hours of procrastination I have read a lot about training and other studies done in regards to increasing running capabilities. So if anyone has any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.
If it hurts your stomach then I guess it isn't an option, but 2% or whole milk is a quick and easy way to pack on calories. I was drinking a gallon of 2% every two days when I was going to the gym on a regular basis. A quick 1000 calories a day right there. Also, if you're making pasta, don't just make it with cheese and veggies. Make a sauce*** with some meat in it. In the end though, if you're putting on weight fairly quickly, it's probably fat. Muscle mass takes a while to accumulate. Also, for a tip with training itself: More reps, but less weight will increase your size, but less reps with more weight will increase your actual strength (I may have this backwards, but I'm about 90% sure). ***Super easy tomato sauce that can be made with pretty much any meat: Brown whatever meat you're using (ground turkey, beef and italian sausages work great) Add a can of crushed tomatoes and a touch of water Add few cloves of crushed garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
Less reps, more weight = more mass. Both in strength and size. If your trying to bulk up this is probably the way to go. But then again, everyone's body is different.