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Additional Posts in Gym Buddies Daily Check-in
0 motivation to get out for a run today
Pro
Bowl Leader
4/1 check-in and announcement!
I’m excited to announce that in conjunction to the “Gym Buddies Daily Check-In”, we will be making a new bowl call “Rest Day Buddies Daily Check-In” for you all to compare notes and strategies for how to take a breather from the gym. Follow link below to learn more: https://tinyurl.com/3yv8rvx8
Ok, now that it’s done, what’s your workout for today? 😅
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Chief
Who’s working out Monday morning? 😤😤😤
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Rising Star
Chief
Upgraded the floors today 💪🏻
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I can't offer any special tricks, but I can share what 30+ years of experience in weight-training has taught me, which are fundamentals for progress.
#1 This is not revolutionary, but diet is far more important than many want to acknowledge, usually because it's much harder to stick to a healthy meal plan (unprocessed single-ingredient foods) than it is to follow a particular work-out schedule. Anyone who follows a well-balanced high-protein calorie-specific diet for an extended period of time will look and feel fantastic, regardless of their exercise plan. Conversely, you can be an avid weight-trainer who's been able to pack on muscle and strength, yet still carry a ton of body fat and look and feel overall meh (trust me, I know all about this one.)
#2 Intensity trumps higher weight and volume. As ironic as it is, ego has no place when it comes to deciding how much weight and how many reps. Rep count should be the result of one's ability to move a given weight with good form to true failure. Not getting close enough to failure won't elicit much, if any, of a growth stimulus, and cheating beyond failure to get to a particular rep count creates a nominal increase in stimulus, yet opens you up to unnecessary injury and strain. The likely long-term term impact of the latter is permanent injury to joints and ligaments with no added benefit, provided that you have trained long enough to get to your genetic limit. Cheating has a place in terms of motivation, but always trying to lift beyond what the body can do to impress your gym bros is a recipe for pain (the bad kind). Contrarily, stopping at 10 or 12 reps just because that's what was written is how you stay exactly the same size.
Pro
Following. Everything I do is common and new things I learn are from insta trainers, thereby making it instantly common
Meh - the basics work for a reason. Most of what you see on IG is influencers trying to grow their business.
Lift heavy 3-5 days per week. Do some cardio. Drink water. Eat protein. Repeat.
My hack is finally relaxing about my progress and giving myself a LOT of time to let it happen slowly instead of trying to hurry the process by making big drastic changes, and instead focusing on long term health.
I just had a DEXA scan done at a sports lab and found out that my bone density, muscle mass, and near lack of visceral fat are all excellent. The problem? My essential fat was way higher than I expected, but because I am carrying so much lean mass, it’s keeping the fat around my organs very low, and my bone density high. They told me that if I lose more than 10 pounds I will begin to sacrifice muscle, and that the fat I want to lose isn’t really a problem if it stays there.
This is all to say, and remind you, that the idealized aesthetics are not the markers of good health.
For too long we’ve promoted many ultra-lean men or super small women with very little actual muscle mass, and it’s getting in the way of our progress toward good strength and bone density.
Building lean mass is way easier to do if you’re not trying to also get diced. We’re not meant to be ultra cut. Eat good foods. Keep your protein and fiber up. Stop when you’re full. Eat when you’re hungry, and you’ll have the things you need to build and sustain lean mass, which will keep you out of a nursing home later.
Insta has projected this idea that we need to not be “bulky”, that we gotta be cut and stay that way. And it’s all under some pressure from society because people tend to treat you better if you look like a fitness model. And much of that isn’t sustainable for long term health.
💯 💯 💯
You’re right about the drugs, too. I’d be lying if I said seeing people progress so quickly didn’t make me feel like I’m behind, but I try to keep in mind that doing things the long, hard way is also the most sustainable.
Knowing that muscle growth takes so much time, and seeing constant progress is what keeps me going. Focusing on how much more I’m able to do each month, how capable I am of things I’ve never been able to do before, is really uplifting. It’s good to just be healthy, even if I don’t look like I have the dream physique. Enjoying life though good company, shared meals, and the culture that comes with it, is worth far more.
I do tai chi and it is a great balance to weight lifting. It really makes me think more about how I move my body and use energy.
"Ripped" for most people equates to lower levels of bodyfat, which is 100% dictated by calorie consumption. Choose whatever exercise modalities that you can do consistently 3-5 times a week, eat 300-500 calories less per day, factoring in that exercise, and do that consistently for 3-6 months.
Once your bodyfat level is where you want it, then decide if the amount of muscle you are carrying is adequate. If not, shift to eating 300-500 calories above maintenance (effectively 600-1000 more calories per day), and focus solely on a weight-training regimen. Do that for 3-6 months, and then reassess.
Making changes to one's body is slow and arduous, there is no magic formula, it's a matter if building good habits that you can stick with. You can bet that any physique that you admire took many months, more likely years of consistent effort to build, with tweaks and changes to the plan along the way.