Get Fit IV: And This Time it Will Stick

[Tvtyrant]

Hi everyone! It's January 13th, time to start discussing fitness goals for this year! Last year's thread died in the fires of 2020 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?606008-Get-Fit-3-See-the-future-with-2020-Resolution!), let's see if this year treats our goals better!


Last time on my fitness journey I had gained weight up to 290 and was going to the gym and working a physical job. Once the gym closed I couldn't use it as an excuse so I changed diets and switched to a lot of cardio. I got to 249 again in September and have hovered around 255 since (winters in Oregon are hard.) I do band workouts as well as walk, cycle and do cardio tapes so I'm not doing badly but not spectacularly. This year I would like to get to 230, which with my loose skin puts me at a virtual 200 (IE finally a healthy BMI.) Cycling has proven a lot better for weight loss than other cardio, it's less exhausting then the running I was doing in 2019 and takes less time then the walking I did in 2018.

How is everyone else doing? What are people's goals?

[Bartmanhomer]

Hi everyone! It's January 13th, time to start discussing fitness goals for this year! Last year's thread died in the fires of 2020 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?606008-Get-Fit-3-See-the-future-with-2020-Resolution!), let's see if this year treats our goals better!


Last time on my fitness journey I had gained weight up to 290 and was going to the gym and working a physical job. Once the gym closed I couldn't use it as an excuse so I changed diets and switched to a lot of cardio. I got to 249 again in September and have hovered around 255 since (winters in Oregon are hard.) I do band workouts as well as walk, cycle and do cardio tapes so I'm not doing badly but not spectacularly. This year I would like to get to 230, which with my loose skin puts me at a virtual 200 (IE finally a healthy BMI.) Cycling has proven a lot better for weight loss than other cardio, it's less exhausting then the running I was doing in 2019 and takes less time then the walking I did in 2018.

How is everyone else doing? What are people's goals?
I'm still working out and I got muscles just like Vin Diesel. Although I do eat junk food now and then. :smile:

[Tvtyrant]

I'm still working out and I got muscles just like Vin Diesel. Although I do eat junk food now and then. :smile:

Nicely done! How long have you been working on it?

[Bartmanhomer]

Nicely done! How long have you been working on it?

I'm been working out since August 2019. I was overweight at the time (245 lbs.) and now I'm 196 lbs. :smile:

[Gravitron5000]

I had an initial weight loss of 10 lbs in early 2020, and have managed to keep myself close to that. I'm currently around 185, but with my build and preferred sport (rock climbing) I would like to get down to 175 lbs.

My plan is to do more cardio, as sitting all day for work is taking its toll on my health (and I'm no spring chicken), and manage my portion size to reduce caloric input. That should get me there nice and slow and be more sustainable than trying for a rapid weight drop.

My strength training has mostly consisted of a 5 minute circuit of body weight exercises multiple times a day. This has been good, mostly as it has helped stave off bouts of tendinitis that I get, but I could really use some supplemental strength training. I used to do a lot of weight lifting, so I know what to do, but sticking to a plan has been a challenge this past year. In the meantime, I'm in the process of building a small home bouldering gym, which should help with the motivation.

Good luck everyone with your fitness goals for the new year.

[Tvtyrant]

I had an initial weight loss of 10 lbs in early 2020, and have managed to keep myself close to that. I'm currently around 185, but with my build and preferred sport (rock climbing) I would like to get down to 175 lbs.

My plan is to do more cardio, as sitting all day for work is taking its toll on my health (and I'm no spring chicken), and manage my portion size to reduce caloric input. That should get me there nice and slow and be more sustainable than trying for a rapid weight drop.

My strength training has mostly consisted of a 5 minute circuit of body weight exercises multiple times a day. This has been good, mostly as it has helped stave off bouts of tendinitis that I get, but I could really use some supplemental strength training. I used to do a lot of weight lifting, so I know what to do, but sticking to a plan has been a challenge this past year. In the meantime, I'm in the process of building a small home bouldering gym, which should help with the motivation.

Good luck everyone with your fitness goals for the new year.

That seems like a great way to go about it! I don't know much about bouldering, it seems like a combination of a pullup bar and a grip trainer would be good for relevant muscle training. I do the latter because I don't like having noodle arms, but I'm too fat for pullups haha.

[Comrade]

Quarantine and all the gyms shutting down definitely wreaked havoc on my gains. At the same time, I was super frustrated to find myself losing weight and dropped down at one point to 150 pounds, which I hadn't been at in about a year. Fortunately I've managed to reverse the trend and am back to my post-COVID peak of 165, but the lack of access to a gym is still kind of a pain. Body weight exercises can only do so much-- push ups and pullups are better than nothing but I'd still rather be able to get in the gym and really push myself.

I'm hoping over the course of 2021 to get myself to a lean 175lb-- really, I'd like to get to 180, but considering how hard it is for me to put on weight and how rocky it's been the last year, I'd be happy with 175. As for hitting new PRs on lifts... Well, suffice it to say, there's no telling when I'll be able to get back to tracking that stuff.

[Tvtyrant]

Quarantine and all the gyms shutting down definitely wreaked havoc on my gains. At the same time, I was super frustrated to find myself losing weight and dropped down at one point to 150 pounds, which I hadn't been at in about a year. Fortunately I've managed to reverse the trend and am back to my post-COVID peak of 165, but the lack of access to a gym is still kind of a pain. Body weight exercises can only do so much-- push ups and pullups are better than nothing but I'd still rather be able to get in the gym and really push myself.

I'm hoping over the course of 2021 to get myself to a lean 175lb-- really, I'd like to get to 180, but considering how hard it is for me to put on weight and how rocky it's been the last year, I'd be happy with 175. As for hitting new PRs on lifts... Well, suffice it to say, there's no telling when I'll be able to get back to tracking that stuff.

I hear you on that. I finally bought a home gym to replace the actual gym, it isn't nearly as good but I already was frustrated trying to get to the gym at 5am every day before work so it's my future.

25lbs of muscle is a lot for one year, 10 is more likely for a seasoned lifter. Be careful you don't injure yourself by trying too hard to force it.

[Bartmanhomer]

I hear you on that. I finally bought a home gym to replace the actual gym, it isn't nearly as good but I already was frustrated trying to get to the gym at 5 am every day before work so it's my future.

25lbs of muscle is a lot for one year, 10 is more likely for a seasoned lifter. Be careful you don't injure yourself by trying too hard to force it.

Yes using too much weight can injure your muscle. I use two 5 lbs. Dumbells when I work out.

[Tvtyrant]

Yes using too much weight can injure your muscle. I use two 5 lbs. Dumbells when I work out.

That's not really what I am saying. Mammals build muscle via exercise because, as endothermic animals, our metabolism takes up a lot of calories. So the body releases hormones dictating how much of your caloric content can go to making new muscle, and exercise tells it to increase the amount as well as reduce the amount of hormones that tell your body to dismantle muscle to prevent you from starving. That's why crocodiles and snakes can lay around doing nothing 90% of the time and all mammals waste away if put in too small of cages.

Human hormones vary a bit, but the maximum amount of muscle you can build in a year without steroids is about 15lbs. As you add more muscle the amount you can gain goes down as well, so after 5 years 2-3 lbs of muscle a year becomes difficult (assuming you were working out optimally.) Because this process is so slow, like weight loss it leads people to overdo it and hurt themselves.

[Bartmanhomer]

That's not really what I am saying. Mammals build muscle via exercise because, as endothermic animals, our metabolism takes up a lot of calories. So the body releases hormones dictating how much of your caloric content can go to making new muscle, and exercise tells it to increase the amount as well as reduce the amount of hormones that tell your body to dismantle muscle to prevent you from starving. That's why crocodiles and snakes can lay around doing nothing 90% of the time and all mammals waste away if put in too small of cages.

Human hormones vary a bit, but the maximum amount of muscle you can build in a year without steroids is about 15lbs. As you add more muscle the amount you can gain goes down as well, so after 5 years 2-3 lbs of muscle a year becomes difficult (assuming you were working out optimally.) Because this process is so slow, like weight loss it leads people to overdo it and hurt themselves.

Ok. I thought that you were saying that muscle get sore and hurt. My bad. :smile:

[Comrade]

I hear you on that. I finally bought a home gym to replace the actual gym, it isn't nearly as good but I already was frustrated trying to get to the gym at 5am every day before work so it's my future.

25lbs of muscle is a lot for one year, 10 is more likely for a seasoned lifter. Be careful you don't injure yourself by trying too hard to force it.
Yeah, 25 would definitely be beyond the pale. I think shooting for 175 (maybe ten pounds) is pretty reasonable though. At that point I'll likely shift focus to doing cardio to get lean and cut down on fat, since for most of my time trying to gain weight I've just been trying to pack on calories without paying much attention to body fat %. I'll probably take a page out of your book and go with bicycling, it seems somehow much less grueling while still being a solid cardio workout.

[Tvtyrant]

Yeah, 25 would definitely be beyond the pale. I think shooting for 175 (maybe ten pounds) is pretty reasonable though. At that point I'll likely shift focus to doing cardio to get lean and cut down on fat, since for most of my time trying to gain weight I've just been trying to pack on calories without paying much attention to body fat %. I'll probably take a page out of your book and go with bicycling, it seems somehow much less grueling while still being a solid cardio workout.

It is way less grueling! Easier on the joints for one, and your heartbeat doesn't get so high as to get exhausting. Also not high enough to get a real runner's high though, so while I burn more calories it is less fun.

Basically I think the math works out to "whatever cardio you do the longest burns the most calories" and biking is in the sweet spot between needing to walk all day and running for an hour and then needing 2 hours to recover. You are in better shape then I am so running is probably easier on you, but that just means you can bike even longer :smallcool:

[Bartmanhomer]

I just love working out and eating food in moderation. :smile:

[Tvtyrant]

I found out today that blending an avocado and protein powder together makes for a pretty good shake texture wise. Close to a milkshake using almond milk as the base, although the taste is kind of bland. It's pretty filling as well, should be good for at the office (I can't eat my normal pile of chicken breast and greenbeans because of covid.)

[Comrade]

I found out today that blending an avocado and protein powder together makes for a pretty good shake texture wise. Close to a milkshake using almond milk as the base, although the taste is kind of bland. It's pretty filling as well, should be good for at the office (I can't eat my normal pile of chicken breast and greenbeans because of covid.)

I guess it depends on if you're using flavored protein powder... Something tells me avocado and 'cookies & cream' flavored powder won't go great together. I feel you though, protein shakes (and mass gainer if you're trying to gain) can be a godsend at work or when you're spending the day running around doing errands.

I rode a bike for the first time in almost ten years over the weekend! It was about 10% me bicycling and 90% my girlfriend (who bikes pretty much everywhere she goes) making fun of me for going so slow. I've also developed a newfound appreciation for my car's rear view mirror. It was fun though, nice to get on a bike again after all these years.

[Iruka]

Just noticed that I never participated in the last thread, so I'll start with a quick recap of 2020. I don't remember if I had any well defined goals, beyond participating in some running events. That obviously did not happen, with the exception of the sylvester run which had organised an online event. Shaved off about 5 minutes off compared to last year, pretty decent since I had to run alone.
Bouldering was also only possible a few times, but at least I got some friends interested and I am hopeful it will become a regular thing once the lockdown is over. Discovered a ledge in the staircase I can use for pull-ups and bought a grip trainer. My grip strength and endurace seems to have increased and my hands and forearms definitely got a lot veinier. Will see how much it is worth on the wall.
For more general fitness, in the first half of the year, I settled into a routine of alternating push-ups, core exercises and running. Managed a slow but steady increase in performance and decrease in weight. Motivation slacked a bit in autumn, put about 2 kgs back on before I got back into the game.
Did you know Cirque du Soleil has workout videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9RDgPtBc9alPUqmTFhJrbcmCT3Nxqmql&v=hbjq9_NER_k&feature=emb_title) with their artists on youtube? I like them because they feel really intense without overtaxing single muscles.

Plans for 2021 (mostly depending on the covid situation):


Make bouldering a regular thing, biweekly maybe. Getting a small group together will definitely help there, with the added benefit of diversifying my social contacts.

Participate in some running events, if any happen later in the year.


Go for a run twice per week, do some kind of short workout on the other days, including a daily stretch or yoga routine.

[Tvtyrant]

I guess it depends on if you're using flavored protein powder... Something tells me avocado and 'cookies & cream' flavored powder won't go great together. I feel you though, protein shakes (and mass gainer if you're trying to gain) can be a godsend at work or when you're spending the day running around doing errands.

I rode a bike for the first time in almost ten years over the weekend! It was about 10% me bicycling and 90% my girlfriend (who bikes pretty much everywhere she goes) making fun of me for going so slow. I've also developed a newfound appreciation for my car's rear view mirror. It was fun though, nice to get on a bike again after all these years.

I use Body Armor because it is cheap and has decent nutritional stats, but it tastes awful. The only acceptable flavor is strawberry, and strawberry avocado isn't too bad. Cookies and Cream guacamole would truly be awful haha.

Yay! That's where I was this time last spring. The speed will come, I started out at like 5 miles an hour and am about 10 now. Does your girlfriend bike a lot?


Just noticed that I never participated in the last thread, so I'll start with a quick recap of 2020. I don't remember if I had any well defined goals, beyond participating in some running events. That obviously did not happen, with the exception of the sylvester run which had organised an online event. Shaved off about 5 minutes off compared to last year, pretty decent since I had to run alone.
Bouldering was also only possible a few times, but at least I got some friends interested and I am hopeful it will become a regular thing once the lockdown is over. Discovered a ledge in the staircase I can use for pull-ups and bought a grip trainer. My grip strength and endurace seems to have increased and my hands and forearms definitely got a lot veinier. Will see how much it is worth on the wall.
For more general fitness, in the first half of the year, I settled into a routine of alternating push-ups, core exercises and running. Managed a slow but steady increase in performance and decrease in weight. Motivation slacked a bit in autumn, put about 2 kgs back on before I got back into the game.
Did you know Cirque du Soleil has workout videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9RDgPtBc9alPUqmTFhJrbcmCT3Nxqmql&v=hbjq9_NER_k&feature=emb_title) with their artists on youtube? I like them because they feel really intense without overtaxing single muscles.

Plans for 2021 (mostly depending on the covid situation):


Make bouldering a regular thing, biweekly maybe. Getting a small group together will definitely help there, with the added benefit of diversifying my social contacts.

Participate in some running events, if any happen later in the year.


Go for a run twice per week, do some kind of short workout on the other days, including a daily stretch or yoga routine.

2020 was rough for sure. Glad to hear you made gains despite the circumstances!

Is there a good way to do lockdown bouldering safely?

[Gravitron5000]

Is there a good way to do lockdown bouldering safely?


1) Outdoors - Iruka, are you close to Frankenjura or another place that you can climb outside? It's over an hour drive for me to get to the closest outdoor bouldering area. Being in North America, this isn't excessive, but still not a casual trip. It's also under a lot of snow right now.

2) Build a home bouldering cave. I'm in the process of doing this right now. You need space and more than a couple of dollars to do this, so may not be in the cards for most.

3) There are a few smaller workout tools that are specific to climbing that can be useful to train on if you can't do either of the above two. If you can get space to install a hangboard or rock rings, they can keep your hands in shape so that you are not starting from nothing when things get back to a semblance of normality.

4) Climbing gyms in my area have been open periodically. I haven't been to them since the before times. As much as they promote social distancing and hygiene/disinfecting, I just can't trust that it's being done with enough rigorousness, especially since my city isn't really doing a great job in keeping case numbers down.

[H_H_F_F]

Late 2020 has actually been the first time I took fitness seriously. I've always been in general good shape - I walk and adventure a lot, I eat healthy and I've been blessed by genetics. In Israel second quarantine, however, I decided to get fit.

I do bodyweight training mostly, at the park near my home. 3 sessions a weak, +1 day of "active recovery." I've recently added running to two of my 3 off-days, but I'm keeping it very low-effort - both because I still want my body to rest and build muscle in my off days, and because I'm recovering from a shin injury.

I'm in my best shape ever. My goals are kind of amorphous - I want to feel strong and tenacious and healthy.

A human flag would be nice.

[Tvtyrant]

1) Outdoors - Iruka, are you close to Frankenjura or another place that you can climb outside? It's over an hour drive for me to get to the closest outdoor bouldering area. Being in North America, this isn't excessive, but still not a casual trip. It's also under a lot of snow right now.

2) Build a home bouldering cave. I'm in the process of doing this right now. You need space and more than a couple of dollars to do this, so may not be in the cards for most.

3) There are a few smaller workout tools that are specific to climbing that can be useful to train on if you can't do either of the above two. If you can get space to install a hangboard or rock rings, they can keep your hands in shape so that you are not starting from nothing when things get back to a semblance of normality.

4) Climbing gyms in my area have been open periodically. I haven't been to them since the before times. As much as they promote social distancing and hygiene/disinfecting, I just can't trust that it's being done with enough rigorousness, especially since my city isn't really doing a great job in keeping case numbers down.

Interesting. Home bouldering sounds like a passion project for sure! I'm too heavy for rock climbing but I hold out hope that one day I won't be if I keep at it long enough.
How are you making your gym?


Late 2020 has actually been the first time I took fitness seriously. I've always been in general good shape - I walk and adventure a lot, I eat healthy and I've been blessed by genetics. In Israel second quarantine, however, I decided to get fit.

I do bodyweight training mostly, at the park near my home. 3 sessions a weak, +1 day of "active recovery." I've recently added running to two of my 3 off-days, but I'm keeping it very low-effort - both because I still want my body to rest and build muscle in my off days, and because I'm recovering from a shin injury.

I'm in my best shape ever. My goals are kind of amorphous - I want to feel strong and tenacious and healthy.

A human flag would be nice.

Sounds like a good plan! I have to set an exact goal or I lose interest, so I'm impressed by anyone who can do it the other way. What body fat percentage do you get a tree at?



Personally I'm in an odd place. My calorie counting suggests I lost 2 lbs of fat the last two weeks (average 600 calories deficit a day.) Visually this is true too, people have commented on my face getting thinner and I have lots of angry red stretch marks. But the scale says I'm exactly the same weight. I am supposed to eat maintenance for the next two weeks (two weeks on two off is supposed to help with losing weight long term without messing with the metabolism.) It's a little psychologically difficult to eat more when I haven't lost anything, but I'm going to trust the process.

[Bartmanhomer]

Well, I took a break yesterday and today I work on my upper body, then tomorrow my lower body, ten on Wednesday my upper body, and Thursday I take a break. :smile:

[Gravitron5000]

Interesting. Home bouldering sounds like a passion project for sure! I'm too heavy for rock climbing but I hold out hope that one day I won't be if I keep at it long enough.
How are you making your gym?


These two sites give a pretty good starting point on how to go about planning a climbing wall.

https://www.metoliusclimbing.com/pdf/How-to-Build-a-Home-Bouldering-Wall.pdf

https://www.atomikclimbingholds.com/how-to-build-a-rock-climbing-wall

I used sketchup to draw up some plans, which allowed me to count up all the materials I needed to get the build underway.

Although bouldering really favours the light weighted, I know plenty of heavier climbers. This holds especially true to roped climbing outdoors. I was still bouldering when I was over 200 lbs, so don't let weight be an excuse if you want to give it a try. It's a super fun way to keep active.

[Tvtyrant]

These two sites give a pretty good starting point on how to go about planning a climbing wall.

https://www.metoliusclimbing.com/pdf/How-to-Build-a-Home-Bouldering-Wall.pdf

https://www.atomikclimbingholds.com/how-to-build-a-rock-climbing-wall

I used sketchup to draw up some plans, which allowed me to count up all the materials I needed to get the build underway.

Although bouldering really favours the light weighted, I know plenty of heavier climbers. This holds especially true to roped climbing outdoors. I was still bouldering when I was over 200 lbs, so don't let weight be an excuse if you want to give it a try. It's a super fun way to keep active.

Wow! Those look hard to build haha! I'm super impressed you can put those together properly.

I probably will at some point. I can't really do pullups/chinups yet, just got my grip strength up to 100 per hand (which is still shy of what I need) and I am slowly adding to my lat pulldown trying to build up climbing strength.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Tvtyrant
I finally bought a home gym to replace the actual gym….

Which home gym did you get?


Originally Posted by Gravitron5000
These two sites give a pretty good starting point on how to go about planning a climbing wall.

That first link in particular is excellent. Reminds me of the climbing complex I used to spend time on, many years ago, and it would be great to have a wall in my home. But that is one hella project.

[Tvtyrant]

Which home gym did you get?



That first link in particular is excellent. Reminds me of the climbing complex I used to spend time on, many years ago, and it would be great to have a wall in my home. But that is one hella project.

A Body Solid G1 Select (https://www.ebay.com/itm/201589984404?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACMBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252 Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkZ%252F%252B%252BjiCUbgvzhyy of3jXZLL%252FaXkF1hoWS2q6Qm4%252BV%252FzRZowgflbBa BX2ewWRAtFDIUJxBcFOoWlxDpZAaA7J5cPKkvdScSXnocjTDHu NEQ9iZxep9w8YvBy6iJGGX0KWNXJHMkcLGI0gWIt%252FC5s1x jD1%252FLiJrjTtpN9B8Ep3J%252BRhFWU1XYtxf8IoJiUUcFu SVuMoEDdkqFIuMbIMUOu4hYOKrvGuerciWt2HUnWvsz%252FRb Ayu1PypnVAGkU%252FowFrmoTpgsYgCLt6iswAoQaeXIrs4f95 j8StITwMnOnJ2QX0oJkQxMc493wUCfxaKAm3tMj8HjGlyyu57f UPC1%252FXV0lMmszOzNOLNIpQ7sQVVoxqielWLoeCvW%252B9 KzvYnjHcKiIaL0dIRDr37n5D8z9NkpnNNmi75C2MG92TGAew5k 63%252F7UXcJO1h3FXEinTIEAQZO2NzIbfFQznfPCJM7O92uBx HyYT0Jaz6m49XGfIAieZsZb6k3ShAQxRcwHMmsc4uXHQ4ItWTd ZY%252FLesjrxv9iGyV3Sgvxm%252FdUYTrOh4%252BZwv8iXO S8Cztvp9UnT16Sn7stL%252BgTSQIy%252FtaKhsZbHJEFmS6k HfpyJVozPz3SHddJwM28OpfKZiuGQwibr0jpD0zmnIxXxEIQh1 WdxTUv%252BVSvYDw5cKAEaeC2J7MKT0fgDAAZwCzCRGJJELUS YJls%252B0y%7Ccksum%3A201589984404a9616b7b11d74663 8521569ab06da071%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A3268220&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=201589984404&targetid=1098102009964&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1024479&poi=&campaignid=11774733487&mkgroupid=113829509425&rlsatarget=pla-1098102009964&abcId=9300474&merchantid=102011055&gclid=CjwKCAiAjeSABhAPEiwAqfxURW6G9fEj2aajuGSqR02N IwPkBfH2sdS3bK7KO9fZ35Uw6GnY1lpEzRoCwFEQAvD_BwE). An old roommate of mine was getting rid of his, he offered it for free and I paid him $100 because it felt wrong to get if free.

Yeah that looks amazing!