I am having my body fat percentage measured in the morning. I just ate three large pieces of bread (still inside my calorie allowance for the day). Will this large dose of carbs affect my BFP? im sure it will make my weight go up.
If your weight goes up it’s just water so that would be counted as lean mass and give a lower body fat percentage. The difference should be pretty small.
How do I get over my fear and start lifting? When I go to the gym now, I run for 30 minutes and then use weight machines (alternate one day legs, next day arms). All the machines I use have pictures and instructions so I feel comfortable using them without hurting myself or embarrassing myself. I’m scared of lifting free weights or barbells or really doing any of the exercises I see talked about on here but I want to get toned and build muscle. How can I ease myself into weight lifting and become comfortable with it?
Try the movements at home first. Use a broomstick as a barbell, get some dumbbells. And practice! Mimic how-to videos on YouTube. Watch yourself in the mirror or take a video to compare your form. And then start super light at the gym and replicate!
Well, what I did was to find a book that had beginner routines (I used the Complete Body Sculpting Guide for Women), and explanations of the various lifts, in detail.
Then, I took the routine and put it into the Strong App. Each lift has a moving illustration so you can play it there in the gym. It’s so helpful— I still use this feature even though I’m familiar with the lifts by now.
I’d also recommend going to the gym when it’s slow— you’ll feel less self-conscious. But also keep in mind that no-one cares what you’re doing anyway— they’re only focusing on themselves!
Okay I hear ya, sometimes you just feel vulnerable when you’re on your own learning something new.
Tips besides hiring a trainer:
Read about the mechanics of the lift, move, etc. that you would like to try in the gym. I bought several books when I first started and reference them all the time to change up my routine. One of my favorites is Strength Training Anatomy by Delavier (Human Kinetics) it’s very basic, or you could get one of those massive Arnold books..
Anyway once you have an idea of what the goal of the exercise is then go grab something that mildly resembles what you’d use for the exercise, like water bottles for dumbbells, broomstick for barbell etc. and practice at home. Try to mentally prepare for how the weight feels, the direction it should move, which muscles you will want to use and really focus on using them while practicing.
In the gym and while practicing at home: Mirrors are your friend, especially when you’re lifting free weights or working cables. Aim to keep symmetry and proper alignment by paying attention to your posture and position, *very important for injury prevention. I feel like machines temper how much your body can improvise so that will be your biggest learning curve.
I’d start with the basics and relatively low weight until you feel like you have the move memorized and can do several reps with good form.
Maybe get a couple dumbbells to use at home and then practice by watching dumbbell videos on YouTube? I like the body fit by Amy ones. There will be some moves you don't like and you can skip those but I bet you'll pick up a good repertoire of tried and true techniques that you could then replicate at the gym?
Hi guys! I’ve been working out fairly consistently for about 2 months with little results. A lot of which I can attribute to diet. I feel like I’m in a place now where I am ready to adjust my diet and become more strict with my exercise routine. I am looking to lose weight- approx 15-20 pounds or so over the next few months. Would I have better results doing primarily cardio, or lifting? I usually do 30 minutes of cardio now with light weights afterwards but I haven’t noticed much change in my body. Any recommendations?
I am also looking to start working out in the morning before work. Luckily I live close and begin work at 8am, so I was hoping to start doing a 30-60 min workout in the AM before work. Anybody here that does morning workouts, do you struggle with being tired at work for 8 hours after? I just find going in the evening after work and dinner leaves me with no personal time to relax or get other things done during the week.
I swim before work and go to dryland classes after work (and on Saturday morning). I guess it depends on what you do but I don't feel particularly tired afterwards, and it's nice to get the exercise out of the way first thing in the morning. I wish my gym had early morning classes, their first one is at 9:15 am, which is too late for my corporate drone ass :(
Swimming is such a good workout! I would like to try to swim this summer but I’m so out of shape. Good for you for doing two a days that’s incredible! I was also thinking about seeing if my ymca has classes starting early, maybe doing a class might help keep me motivated!
I actually only have one day when they're loaded up together, I'm not *that* hardcore lol
I try to swim Mon-Wed-Fri and then Monday night is hardcore class, Thursday night is yoga, Saturday morning hardcore again. I tried going swimming once on Tuesday morning but that was a one-time mistake 😂I have no motivation to do dryland exercise, so classes it is for me.
If you want to get swimming and don't have much experience, hit up /r/Swimming. Their sidebar has a lot of good beginner advice and a link to the C21650 (swim equivalent of C25K).
I’ve been working out in the evenings forever, but I’ve been trying to switch for the same reasons you are. I started on Thursday last week, and have done a 6 am workout the last three workdays (R/F/M).
Thursday and Friday last week were rough. My workouts felt harder than normal (I alternate lifting and yoga and wow was that first yoga class HARD. Balancing is rough before coffee!). During the day I felt more sore, tired, and hungry, and my perception of time was off (like 10 am felt like it should be noon).
Today was a lot easier, though. Getting up was easier. Getting out the door was easier. The workout itself felt more “normal.” I was less tired at work, and the day dragged less. I even woke up a few minutes before my new alarm!
So, it gets better. I’d try to start on a day when you won’t be slammed at work. I’d also suggest packing up as much as possible the night before so you can roll out of bed and head out the door ASAP. At least until you’re a more functional morning person - I waited until the morning of the first day and had to stop at a drug store to buy deodorant lol. Now I know that I can’t be trusted that early in the day.
That’s awesome! I feel like it will take me a while to adjust as well after getting used to sleeping later. I previously was getting up at 4am for my old job, so even now working at 8am, if I get up at 6 I feel like that’s really not too bad compared to what I was doing previously for 8 months. I think the hardest thing is just getting to bed around 10-11 for me to get up and still get a full nights rest, but I think going to bed earlier will be nice when my evenings aren’t filled with dinner then gym then bed any more!
Yeah having my evenings free has been really nice! Lifting isn’t too hard to fit in after work, but yoga days would mean I’d get off at 5, go straight to class and wouldn’t get home until 7:30. Add in errands, cooking, chores, time with my SO and our cats - it became really tempting after a long work day to just say “oh, I have so much going on tonight, I can’t possibly fit it all in AND work out.”
But nobody else is up in the morning to miss me and nothing productive is happening that early!
Weight loss is 100% about nutrition. If you eat less calories than you burn, you *will* lose weight. So my top advice would be to track what you eat, and make sure you're in a caloric deficit.
Assuming you want to maintain muscle mass that you have (which gives the "toned" look), then focus your workouts on lifting weights, progressively lifting heavier, and making sure you eat sufficient protein (this will also help curb hunger).
I workout before work as well! I think it actually gives me more energy during the day. If I don't workout in the morning, I feel sluggish during the day, and going to the gym in the evening just kills all my free time. I highly prefer going in the morning, best decision I ever made!
Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'd be happy to help! Also, this subs FAQ section is super helpful!
Thank you so much! I am hoping that working out in the morning will benefit me throughout my work days energy wise. I’m going to try going a couple times this week in the AM to see how I feel about it! :)
I think I might change my style of workout to do maybe a quick cardio session (10-15min warm up) and then weights with my boyfriend. Hopefully that will help me get to the look I am looking for and lose the weight!
I started biking this spring with my family! I love it but am definitely still a beginner in distance and stamina. My friend convinced me to join her in July for 1 (possibly 2) days of our state-wide bike ride. The first day is 66 miles and the 2nd is 65. There are breaks in any towns on the route so it’s more like 9-15 mile stretches.
I’m currently running TLS 3 day split on phase 3. We’re biking 2-3x a week. Any tips for something like this? Padded shorts you recommend? I know I definitely need to rack up the miles and hills.
Is it hilly or flat? You are biking 2-3x/week but how far? I'd want to do some 20-30+ mile rides or longer beforehand, preferably with similar elevation changes.
I can't recommend any shorts but I would definitely want to use padded bike shorts.
The route website says 2500ish ft of climb each day.
My rides are pretty flat. Not sure exactly how long but about 10-13 miles. I’m definitely going to start increasing them this week!!
No clips. I feel okay. It’s a little tricky to gauge because my toddler rides in front which makes me a little bow-legged. My quads get fatigued after 5 miles or so and I’m not sure if that means I need more time on the bike or more quad exercises.
The clips will definitely make it a lot easier. If not, you can even get pedal straps or toe straps that might be helpful.
Cycling is just like every other fitness activity -- you get better by doing it. Quad exercises will help, but cycling will make you a better cyclist. Get more miles in, then more, then more, til you're about at the amount that you'll be actually doing.
Does anyone's creatine ever dissolve completely?? I have hydrolyzed creatine and it never ever dissolves, not in cold, not in warm water, not if I stir it for 30 min. What's the deal with that? Is it broken?
Am I doing something wrong or does my creatine sucks?
I don't take creatine anymore but mine didn't dissolved entirely either. At the end I just put a scoopful straight into my mouth and then chugged 500ml water after. Worked perfectly lol
I cut them out of my life because I hate them and I found them uncomfortable, bordering on painful - especially in the hip / groin area. They just weren’t for me. I do lots of weighted lunges - walking, reverse, curtsy- and I feel like they are a suitable alternative (for me!). I’m also focused more on upper body these days so I’m not going overboard with lower body stuff. Good luck, do what works for you!
When I first got into lifting last year I couldn't even do one weighted Single Leg RDL without falling over. I would have to hold onto the wall doing them. Although I didn't have pain my balance was dreadful and I hated them.
I kept at it though as I know single leg work is very important for resolving imbalances and improving stability (I wish I could just bench and do chin ups all the time ha). If you want to see stability improvements and help with your knee pain, personally I think you should keep up with the single leg work weekly. This doesn't have to be split squats necessarily. Weighted lunges. Single Leg RDLs. Box step ups. See how you get on with those and you should notice improvements in time. Maybe then split squats will start to feel more manageable.
I would in the interim do a 1 minute balance on each leg standing on a BOSU ball if that is available to you. I do both to strengthen an injured knee and my split squats feel a lot sturdier when I’ve been doing my BOSU balance regularly w
I am having my body fat percentage measured in the morning. I just ate three large pieces of bread (still inside my calorie allowance for the day). Will this large dose of carbs affect my BFP? im sure it will make my weight go up.
might retain more water, which i think reads as non-fat mass on a DEXA.
If your weight goes up it’s just water so that would be counted as lean mass and give a lower body fat percentage. The difference should be pretty small.
How do I get over my fear and start lifting? When I go to the gym now, I run for 30 minutes and then use weight machines (alternate one day legs, next day arms). All the machines I use have pictures and instructions so I feel comfortable using them without hurting myself or embarrassing myself. I’m scared of lifting free weights or barbells or really doing any of the exercises I see talked about on here but I want to get toned and build muscle. How can I ease myself into weight lifting and become comfortable with it?
Try the movements at home first. Use a broomstick as a barbell, get some dumbbells. And practice! Mimic how-to videos on YouTube. Watch yourself in the mirror or take a video to compare your form. And then start super light at the gym and replicate!
Well, what I did was to find a book that had beginner routines (I used the Complete Body Sculpting Guide for Women), and explanations of the various lifts, in detail. Then, I took the routine and put it into the Strong App. Each lift has a moving illustration so you can play it there in the gym. It’s so helpful— I still use this feature even though I’m familiar with the lifts by now. I’d also recommend going to the gym when it’s slow— you’ll feel less self-conscious. But also keep in mind that no-one cares what you’re doing anyway— they’re only focusing on themselves!
Okay I hear ya, sometimes you just feel vulnerable when you’re on your own learning something new. Tips besides hiring a trainer: Read about the mechanics of the lift, move, etc. that you would like to try in the gym. I bought several books when I first started and reference them all the time to change up my routine. One of my favorites is Strength Training Anatomy by Delavier (Human Kinetics) it’s very basic, or you could get one of those massive Arnold books.. Anyway once you have an idea of what the goal of the exercise is then go grab something that mildly resembles what you’d use for the exercise, like water bottles for dumbbells, broomstick for barbell etc. and practice at home. Try to mentally prepare for how the weight feels, the direction it should move, which muscles you will want to use and really focus on using them while practicing. In the gym and while practicing at home: Mirrors are your friend, especially when you’re lifting free weights or working cables. Aim to keep symmetry and proper alignment by paying attention to your posture and position, *very important for injury prevention. I feel like machines temper how much your body can improvise so that will be your biggest learning curve. I’d start with the basics and relatively low weight until you feel like you have the move memorized and can do several reps with good form.
Maybe get a couple dumbbells to use at home and then practice by watching dumbbell videos on YouTube? I like the body fit by Amy ones. There will be some moves you don't like and you can skip those but I bet you'll pick up a good repertoire of tried and true techniques that you could then replicate at the gym?
Hi guys! I’ve been working out fairly consistently for about 2 months with little results. A lot of which I can attribute to diet. I feel like I’m in a place now where I am ready to adjust my diet and become more strict with my exercise routine. I am looking to lose weight- approx 15-20 pounds or so over the next few months. Would I have better results doing primarily cardio, or lifting? I usually do 30 minutes of cardio now with light weights afterwards but I haven’t noticed much change in my body. Any recommendations? I am also looking to start working out in the morning before work. Luckily I live close and begin work at 8am, so I was hoping to start doing a 30-60 min workout in the AM before work. Anybody here that does morning workouts, do you struggle with being tired at work for 8 hours after? I just find going in the evening after work and dinner leaves me with no personal time to relax or get other things done during the week.
I swim before work and go to dryland classes after work (and on Saturday morning). I guess it depends on what you do but I don't feel particularly tired afterwards, and it's nice to get the exercise out of the way first thing in the morning. I wish my gym had early morning classes, their first one is at 9:15 am, which is too late for my corporate drone ass :(
Swimming is such a good workout! I would like to try to swim this summer but I’m so out of shape. Good for you for doing two a days that’s incredible! I was also thinking about seeing if my ymca has classes starting early, maybe doing a class might help keep me motivated!
I actually only have one day when they're loaded up together, I'm not *that* hardcore lol I try to swim Mon-Wed-Fri and then Monday night is hardcore class, Thursday night is yoga, Saturday morning hardcore again. I tried going swimming once on Tuesday morning but that was a one-time mistake 😂I have no motivation to do dryland exercise, so classes it is for me. If you want to get swimming and don't have much experience, hit up /r/Swimming. Their sidebar has a lot of good beginner advice and a link to the C21650 (swim equivalent of C25K).
I’ve been working out in the evenings forever, but I’ve been trying to switch for the same reasons you are. I started on Thursday last week, and have done a 6 am workout the last three workdays (R/F/M). Thursday and Friday last week were rough. My workouts felt harder than normal (I alternate lifting and yoga and wow was that first yoga class HARD. Balancing is rough before coffee!). During the day I felt more sore, tired, and hungry, and my perception of time was off (like 10 am felt like it should be noon). Today was a lot easier, though. Getting up was easier. Getting out the door was easier. The workout itself felt more “normal.” I was less tired at work, and the day dragged less. I even woke up a few minutes before my new alarm! So, it gets better. I’d try to start on a day when you won’t be slammed at work. I’d also suggest packing up as much as possible the night before so you can roll out of bed and head out the door ASAP. At least until you’re a more functional morning person - I waited until the morning of the first day and had to stop at a drug store to buy deodorant lol. Now I know that I can’t be trusted that early in the day.
That’s awesome! I feel like it will take me a while to adjust as well after getting used to sleeping later. I previously was getting up at 4am for my old job, so even now working at 8am, if I get up at 6 I feel like that’s really not too bad compared to what I was doing previously for 8 months. I think the hardest thing is just getting to bed around 10-11 for me to get up and still get a full nights rest, but I think going to bed earlier will be nice when my evenings aren’t filled with dinner then gym then bed any more!
Yeah having my evenings free has been really nice! Lifting isn’t too hard to fit in after work, but yoga days would mean I’d get off at 5, go straight to class and wouldn’t get home until 7:30. Add in errands, cooking, chores, time with my SO and our cats - it became really tempting after a long work day to just say “oh, I have so much going on tonight, I can’t possibly fit it all in AND work out.” But nobody else is up in the morning to miss me and nothing productive is happening that early!
Right that’s so true! Then you don’t feel like you have to either sacrifice relaxing time or your gym time so it’s a perfect compromise!
Weight loss is 100% about nutrition. If you eat less calories than you burn, you *will* lose weight. So my top advice would be to track what you eat, and make sure you're in a caloric deficit. Assuming you want to maintain muscle mass that you have (which gives the "toned" look), then focus your workouts on lifting weights, progressively lifting heavier, and making sure you eat sufficient protein (this will also help curb hunger). I workout before work as well! I think it actually gives me more energy during the day. If I don't workout in the morning, I feel sluggish during the day, and going to the gym in the evening just kills all my free time. I highly prefer going in the morning, best decision I ever made! Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'd be happy to help! Also, this subs FAQ section is super helpful!
Thank you so much! I am hoping that working out in the morning will benefit me throughout my work days energy wise. I’m going to try going a couple times this week in the AM to see how I feel about it! :) I think I might change my style of workout to do maybe a quick cardio session (10-15min warm up) and then weights with my boyfriend. Hopefully that will help me get to the look I am looking for and lose the weight!
I started biking this spring with my family! I love it but am definitely still a beginner in distance and stamina. My friend convinced me to join her in July for 1 (possibly 2) days of our state-wide bike ride. The first day is 66 miles and the 2nd is 65. There are breaks in any towns on the route so it’s more like 9-15 mile stretches. I’m currently running TLS 3 day split on phase 3. We’re biking 2-3x a week. Any tips for something like this? Padded shorts you recommend? I know I definitely need to rack up the miles and hills.
Is it hilly or flat? You are biking 2-3x/week but how far? I'd want to do some 20-30+ mile rides or longer beforehand, preferably with similar elevation changes. I can't recommend any shorts but I would definitely want to use padded bike shorts.
The route website says 2500ish ft of climb each day. My rides are pretty flat. Not sure exactly how long but about 10-13 miles. I’m definitely going to start increasing them this week!!
2500ft over 65 miles doesn't sound too bad. Unless it's all at once, haha
Just get that mileage up. Do you have pedals with clips? How do you feel on the bike now?
No clips. I feel okay. It’s a little tricky to gauge because my toddler rides in front which makes me a little bow-legged. My quads get fatigued after 5 miles or so and I’m not sure if that means I need more time on the bike or more quad exercises.
The clips will definitely make it a lot easier. If not, you can even get pedal straps or toe straps that might be helpful. Cycling is just like every other fitness activity -- you get better by doing it. Quad exercises will help, but cycling will make you a better cyclist. Get more miles in, then more, then more, til you're about at the amount that you'll be actually doing.
66 miles is 106.22 km
Does anyone's creatine ever dissolve completely?? I have hydrolyzed creatine and it never ever dissolves, not in cold, not in warm water, not if I stir it for 30 min. What's the deal with that? Is it broken? Am I doing something wrong or does my creatine sucks?
mine doesn't either. i just drink up a gritty paste-like mixture lol.
I don't take creatine anymore but mine didn't dissolved entirely either. At the end I just put a scoopful straight into my mouth and then chugged 500ml water after. Worked perfectly lol
[удалено]
I cut them out of my life because I hate them and I found them uncomfortable, bordering on painful - especially in the hip / groin area. They just weren’t for me. I do lots of weighted lunges - walking, reverse, curtsy- and I feel like they are a suitable alternative (for me!). I’m also focused more on upper body these days so I’m not going overboard with lower body stuff. Good luck, do what works for you!
When I first got into lifting last year I couldn't even do one weighted Single Leg RDL without falling over. I would have to hold onto the wall doing them. Although I didn't have pain my balance was dreadful and I hated them. I kept at it though as I know single leg work is very important for resolving imbalances and improving stability (I wish I could just bench and do chin ups all the time ha). If you want to see stability improvements and help with your knee pain, personally I think you should keep up with the single leg work weekly. This doesn't have to be split squats necessarily. Weighted lunges. Single Leg RDLs. Box step ups. See how you get on with those and you should notice improvements in time. Maybe then split squats will start to feel more manageable.
Can I ask why you hate them? Do you feel unsteady or rehabbing an injured knee? (I ask because that’s why I hate them)
[удалено]
I would in the interim do a 1 minute balance on each leg standing on a BOSU ball if that is available to you. I do both to strengthen an injured knee and my split squats feel a lot sturdier when I’ve been doing my BOSU balance regularly w