Fitness and shit

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by derf

Well damn thats a huge transformation.

I've been going to the gym 3x a week, plus a modified version of crossfit 3x a week. Mon Wed Fri I do the modified crossfit, basically crossfit without the weights and more running. Then Tu Th and Sat I lift weights. I haven't made the progress that Josh has made, but I have seen a difference in my body.

For running I wear the reebok realflex shoes. I've probably got 200 miles on them now and they are great. Its like a minimalist shoe with extra padding on the sole. When I first bought them I made it a point to strike with the balls of my feet. I had a ton of pain in my shins, and read that it was because you use different set of muscles. I started to stand on a curb with my heels and lift my body by lifting my toes and rotating over the heels. After 2 weeks of doing that the pain went away. I am noticing that I have less knee and hip pain than I used to have with traditional running shoes.

Awesome man! There seems to be a big trend now going on of people taking responsiblity for their health and getting out to do something about it. It'd be a really nice reverse in the laziness trend if its happening. I wear the Nike Frees or Five Fingers when I run, you're right, its hard at first!!

Originally Posted by shmike

If you aren't flexing in the last pic (especially your neck), then HOLY SHIT! You are one vascular fucker.

Hahaha, I'm basically flexing my abs some in the last pic, like a half-flex. If I want to go crazy vascular I put my hands together and flex my arms and shoulders for a few seconds and everything pops out. My arms stay pretty vascular like that during the warm months. My son started laughing while we were getting groceries the other day and I asked him what's up. He said a kid was watching me pick up a bag of chickens, looked at my arm with all the veins popping out, got real big in the eyes and ran off.

I never had a single visible vein anywhere before I started Jiu Jitsu. After about 6 months new ones started popping up every day. Funny thing is, I'm still a small, skinny fuck, just really lean now. Beach body is 90% getting your diet dialed in right.

Great advice Turbo! Thanks man. I definitely have aches and pains in my shoulders, especially the right one, that weren't there before. Between the shoulder-submissions, weight lifting, and being a side-sleeper something is going to have to give.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

All carbs turn to sugar in your body and cause your body to release insulin to combat high blood sugar. Insulin forces that sugar into your fat cells and/or prevents your fat cells from releasing fat to use for energy. Before I changed diets all my carb sources were "clean" and the results were still shitty.

The point is that low-index carbs such as brown rice don't trigger an insulin release nearly as much as cheaper carbs.

Your body needs glucose for energy. Carbs are more easily converted to glucose than fats or proteins. Probably why endurance athletes (ultras, etc.) replenish themselves with mostly carbs.

Yes, your body can produce energy from fat, thru ketosis (breaking down triglycerides), but it isn't as efficient as getting energy from carbs. If you're training or competing for a long period of time and you deplete those two sources of energy, your body will then start breaking down hard-earned muscle.

I just don't think low-index carbs like brown rice, lentils, oats etc. are anything to worry about, in moderation. They are much less likely than cheap carbs to spike insulin & increase your bodyfat. If you eliminate cheap carbs and just eat low-index ones, you will be doing more than 99.99% of people out there. Beyond that, the only other thing that might benefit is avoiding carbs in your last meal before bed...... but only for appearance reasons (getting cut) rather than performance.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Awesome man! There seems to be a big trend now going on of people taking responsiblity for their health and getting out to do something about it. It'd be a really nice reverse in the laziness trend if its happening. I wear the Nike Frees or Five Fingers when I run, you're right, its hard at first!!

My wife started going to the gym hard, doin a class sometimes 2 or 3 in a day, plus after work sometimes we run a mile together

[Tsunami]

I can stick a foley catheter in those veins, Josh.

[Turbo Ghost]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

I definitely have aches and pains in my shoulders, especially the right one, that weren't there before. Between the shoulder-submissions, weight lifting, and being a side-sleeper something is going to have to give.

I'm a side-sleeper and once I started working-out, I started getting numbness in my arms when sleeping to the point the arm was basically cold, dead and blue! I got a waterbed and it hasn't bothered me near as much. I just wish I hadn't done all those straight-bar exercises for all those years. My doc refers to my shoulders as Gravel-Shoulders! Getting old sucks! It ain't for the young!

[Porkchop]

Wow, thats great results everybody! Now I feel like a pile of shit....

I need to get back at it really bad. I haven't played hockey in over a year due to financial reasons, and I have balooned out of control. Currently I am 320 and the biggest I have ever been. I told myself when I graduated college (which i did on Mothers day), that I would get back at it. Now I got promoted at work and am working 7 days a week, and am really just making excuses for myself. Tomorrow is my 24th birthday and I think it will be the end. Go out to eat, have cake, and then time to cut.....

I need to get back to a good schedule. I let my gym membership lapse because my best friend/lifting partner was down for open heart surgery. But he is back to work as of last week and ready to workout again. First step is morning cardio. As much of a NON morning person I am, I need to pick one of my three home cardio options 7 days a week. Option 1 is the obvious choice for getting back to hockey shape, speed blading. I recently bought a new pair of fitness/race blades and they are ready to go. Option 2 is a new found hobby of mine, cycling. My mother and her b/f do tandem cycle races and I recently went on a ride with them and loved it. They go 3-4 times a week and just rail off 30 miles for fun. Option 3 is something people may laugh at, but if it is raining, my other option inside is Insanity. If you havent done it before... that shit is hard.

Phase 2 on the agenda is getting back in a gym. It might be immediately, it might be a few weeks down the line after I start to cut. This will be mostly evening work. Early on we plan on some additional cardio, but eventually it will be mostly lifting.

Of course diet will play a major role in cutting. I can't lose weight sitting on a higher calorie intake like some people can. It seems like before a high protein/vegetable, extremely low sugar/carb diet has worked for me before. I have dabbled in South Beach and it seems to be ok. I mainly drink water, tea, or Gatorade. RARELY ever do I drink pop or eat fast food. My main problem will be night time snacking, either salty or sweet.

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

I can stick a foley catheter in those veins, Josh.

His neck sho is angry....

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

The point is that low-index carbs such as brown rice don't trigger an insulin release nearly as much as cheaper carbs.

Your body needs glucose for energy. Carbs are more easily converted to glucose than fats or proteins. Probably why endurance athletes (ultras, etc.) replenish themselves with mostly carbs.

Yes, your body can produce energy from fat, thru ketosis (breaking down triglycerides), but it isn't as efficient as getting energy from carbs. If you're training or competing for a long period of time and you deplete those two sources of energy, your body will then start breaking down hard-earned muscle.

I just don't think low-index carbs like brown rice, lentils, oats etc. are anything to worry about, in moderation. They are much less likely than cheap carbs to spike insulin & increase your bodyfat. If you eliminate cheap carbs and just eat low-index ones, you will be doing more than 99.99% of people out there. Beyond that, the only other thing that might benefit is avoiding carbs in your last meal before bed...... but only for appearance reasons (getting cut) rather than performance.

There are many endurance athletes that eat a primal/paleo/high-fat low carb type diet and do just fine actually. Jonas Colting is one well-known one. I think the truth is that some people's bodies use carbs better for energy and some people's bodies use fat better....its all about finding out what works for your genetics and what your individual goals are.

I workout around 15x a week, some moderate and some very high intensity and I've been eating this way for three weeks...don't you think my glucose stores should be exhausted by now? I'm definitely not breaking down muscle for energy or feeling fatigued...yet.

I stopped eating the "bad" carbs long, long ago and have been off nearly all processed foods for around a year now, still not getting the results I was looking for. For me, it appears the low-carb approach is much more effective and efficient.

Originally Posted by derf

My wife started going to the gym hard, doin a class sometimes 2 or 3 in a day, plus after work sometimes we run a mile together

Working out with your wife is the shit. Its awesome when you can motivate each other....and it sucks when the opposite happens, which is fairly common I think.

Originally Posted by Porkchop

Option 3 is something people may laugh at, but if it is raining, my other option inside is Insanity. If you havent done it before... that shit is hard.

Phase 2 on the agenda is getting back in a gym.

Of course diet will play a major role in cutting.

Don't knock the P90x, Insanity, Rushfit or any of the home fit systems. They all work and they work well. All you have to do is honestly give it your all and stay consistent. 1x a week prob won't do shit, 3x may give some results and 6x will boost everything into overdrive.

Diet will be 80-90% of what you're trying to accomplish. If you're carrying a large amount of body fat it is likely that your body is insulin resistant and you should be weary of sugar, and that includes Gatorade, Powerade and all the other ades. Don't spend an hour sweating your ass off and then wreck it by drinking 50g of sugar!

[tallywacker]

[Flexin]

Already posted in the running thread but I will post here too.

I hit the gym Friday for some arms and a leg workout. Then hit Citadel Hill for hill sprints.

Here is my run on Endomondo. http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/u52P9tuLLp0

Is anyone else using that app or any like it to track their runs?

James