Student Fitness Thread to end all fitness threads

[flapjack3d]

This is good. Start small, folks. If you're really overweight, try swimming/elliptical/biking instead of running in case you're tryna **** up your knees. I'm a big fan of meal prepping so I don't have to cook throughout the week and can make sure I get healthy foods ready

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[RogueBanana]

@The Buff OP Recently got Oly shoes and they help a bunch. No wrist wraps, I go low bar with a false grip. I tend to look around when I squat

 

[aalamruad]

Honest question: what's the point of getting huge?

 

[RogueBanana]

Honest question: what's the point of getting huge?

So you can't fit through normal doors. Duh. What kind of question even is that.

 

[mistafab]

To fight the natural feeling that you are rotting away.

Honest question: what's the point of getting huge?

 

[RogueBanana]

Serious though, if by huge you mean the freakish pro bodybuilders you see on the internet;

literally none of us want to look like that. They destroy their bodies to look like that.

Most of us want to get strong and be fit because we feel healthier and more confident. It's soothing to have a goal to push for and have real progress to see every workout. Plus man, the chicks....

 

[aalamruad]

So you can't fit through normal doors. Duh. What kind of question even is that.

Haha I'm serious, I mean aren't there more fun ways to stay in great shape than by lifting a ridiculous amount of weight?

To fight the natural feeling that you are rotting away.

Well that's a depressing motivation

 

[RogueBanana]

Haha I'm serious, I mean aren't there more fun ways to stay in great shape than by lifting a ridiculous amount of weight?

Well that's a depressing motivation

I mean, I enjoy lifting heavy weights. If you think that yoga or swimming is more fun, then by all means do it! The point of the post is to encourage people to pursue their own preferred avenue of fitness!

 

[mistafab]

You gotta understand that if you are into it, then it is really fun.

Edit: It is like an RPG - except instead of a stupid character with dragons and potions and crap, you are becoming a more powerful person. Instead of getting rare items, you are making gains and slowly slowly achieving things you never thought you could do.

Edit 2: Also, you can look really cool instead of like a sack of potatoes all the time.

Haha I'm serious, I mean aren't there more fun ways to stay in great shape than by lifting a ridiculous amount of weight?

Well that's a depressing motivation

 

[aalamruad]

I mean, I enjoy lifting heavy weights. If you think that yoga or swimming is more fun, then by all means do it! The point of the post is to encourage people to pursue their own preferred avenue of fitness!

I suppose it's just that I'm partial to the "everything in moderation" philosophy; lifting a few times a week, running/swimming/cycling a few times a week, playing one or two sports competitively and a few more recreationally, so I have a hard time understanding the intense focus on getting big without branching out to participate in all the other enjoyable ways that fitness can be attained/maintained. I don't mean to belittle lifting at all, I'm just genuinely trying to understand what value people see in having huge muscles.

 

[RogueBanana]

I suppose it's just that I'm partial to the "everything in moderation" philosophy; lifting a few times a week, running/swimming/cycling a few times a week, playing one or two sports competitively and a few more recreationally, so I have a hard time understanding the intense focus on getting big without branching out to participate in all the other enjoyable ways that fitness can be attained/maintained. I don't mean to belittle lifting at all, I'm just genuinely trying to understand what value people see in having huge muscles.

Huge is a relative term, I don't want to look like a bodybuilder, i want to look strong and fit, capable of anything. Lifting heavy weights is a sport for me, a way to push myself against a solid numerical metric. I enjoy swimming and beach volleyball and a lot of team sports purely for the "fun" of it. But lifting is more of a personal obsession for me.

 

[Mclovin0351]

Any squat tips for me? I can't seem to find a groove the same way I can with bench and deadlifts. I think I'm not bracing hard enough...

Watch Chris Duffins' series on how to squat and how to deadlift for IMO the definitive guide to proper bracing. The man's deadlifted 1000x2.5.
For myself, as a 181 I hit 440/290/510

 

[Mclovin0351]

Huge is a relative term, I don't want to look like a bodybuilder, i want to look strong and fit, capable of anything. Lifting heavy weights is a sport for me, a way to push myself against a solid numerical metric. I enjoy swimming and beach volleyball and a lot of team sports purely for the "fun" of it. But lifting is more of a personal obsession for me.

Did you get inside my brain?

 

[RogueBanana]

Did you get inside my brain?

You and about 40 million other humans..

I should be completing the assimilation pretty soon.

 

[RogueBanana]

Watch Chris Duffins' series on how to squat and how to deadlift for IMO the definitive guide to proper bracing. The man's deadlifted 1000x2.5.
For myself, as a 181 I hit 440/290/510

Dude this video is gold. I can't wait to try this when I squat next monday.

 

[787593]

Serious though, if by huge you mean the freakish pro bodybuilders you see on the internet;

literally none of us want to look like that. They destroy their bodies to look like that.

Most of us want to get strong and be fit because we feel healthier and more confident. It's soothing to have a goal to push for and have real progress to see every workout. Plus man, the chicks....

True story

 

[787593]

Honest question: what's the point of getting huge?

Picture says it all.

 

[Scrizzy]

View attachment 213852
Picture says it all.

I gotta admit. I do enjoy it when people hold me down for my monthly haircut.

 

[Levrone]

you're the guy that played the smallest violin for me.. cmon we are lifters, we are supposed to be buddies

 

[RogueBanana]

you're the guy that played the smallest violin for me.. cmon we are lifters, we are supposed to be buddies

we are buddies, it's tough love. Nobody is gonna feel bad for you for ONLY having 11 interviews

 

[The Buff OP]

@The Buff OP I tend to look around when I squat

I know that gym bootay is awesome, but focusing helps a lot in squats. I like to just focus on pretending I'm sitting down, keeping my heels to the ground, and neck straight (looking forward or looking up a bit). Are you doing a wider stance? I know them power dudes like doing a wider stance.

 

[The Buff OP]

Honest question: what's the point of getting huge?

Crossfitter alert ^
A lot of guys are going to have different motivations on why. Most common ones are they were bullied before, wanted to feel strong, and they wanted to look like a superhero.

Honestly getting big sucks after a while.

 

[aalamruad]

Huge is a relative term, I don't want to look like a bodybuilder, i want to look strong and fit, capable of anything. Lifting heavy weights is a sport for me, a way to push myself against a solid numerical metric. I enjoy swimming and beach volleyball and a lot of team sports purely for the "fun" of it. But lifting is more of a personal obsession for me.

Yeah I get that, I guess it's just that my friends who got super into lifting all eventually abandoned the "fitness" aspect of it and it became a pretty unhealthy obsession, which seems to be very common. And relative to other sports, I can't for the life of me figure out what's so fun about repeatedly lifting up and setting down a chunk of metal. I mean I enjoy lifting for a lot of the same reasons you've mentioned, but I wouldn't really consider it "fun" and I think a lot of people need to reevaluate their commitment to it when it becomes an obsession.

View attachment 213852
Picture says it all.

Let's be real, there are quite a few other body types that girls consider way more attractive than that..

Crossfitter alert ^

Haha no thanks I'd rather not snap my spine by flailing around while doing "pull-ups"

A lot of guys are going to have different motivations on why. Most common ones are they were bullied before, wanted to feel strong, and they wanted to look like a superhero.

Honestly getting big sucks after a while.

Sounds like a lot of insecurity

 

[freak7]

Sounds like a lot of insecurity

Wasn't that kind of the point?

 

[Holmwood]

You do you boo.

All bodies are beautiful, even the beautifully chiseled functionally useless ones.

 

[freak7]

You do you boo.

All bodies are beautiful, even the beautifully chiseled functionally useless ones.

I wouldn't exactly call sexual selection "functionally useless". Maybe I just spent too much time in the molecular evolution lab.

 

[Holmwood]

I wouldn't exactly call sexual selection "functionally useless". Maybe I just spent too much time in the molecular evolution lab.

I will agree with you. But there's still a point where it can become functionally useless even for the purpose you mentioned.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

ss+gomad = big gains

 

[787593]

You do you boo.

All bodies are beautiful, even the beautifully chiseled functionally useless ones.

False

 

[Atom612]

I will agree with you. But there's still a point where it can become functionally useless even for the purpose you mentioned.

That's straight synthol right there. I would guess that there's a wide chasm between SDNers who wanna get fit and people who would inject this stuff into themselves just to "look" more swole.

 

[partypantss]

Yeah I get that, I guess it's just that my friends who got super into lifting all eventually abandoned the "fitness" aspect of it and it became a pretty unhealthy obsession, which seems to be very common. And relative to other sports, I can't for the life of me figure out what's so fun about repeatedly lifting up and setting down a chunk of metal. I mean I enjoy lifting for a lot of the same reasons you've mentioned, but I wouldn't really consider it "fun" and I think a lot of people need to reevaluate their commitment to it when it becomes an obsession.

Let's be real, there are quite a few other body types that girls consider way more attractive than that..

Haha no thanks I'd rather not snap my spine by flailing around while doing "pull-ups"

Sounds like a lot of insecurity

First, you can devolve any sport or activity to sound as simple and dumb as that. Baseball is hitting a ball with a piece of wood, video games are hitting a few buttons while you stare at a screen, etc. I'm sure you know there is more to lifting than that, so no reason to try and make it sound like less than it is just because YOU don't enjoy it. I find that counterproductive and frankly immature.

Second, Different people can enjoy it for different reasons. Some simply love pushing themselves and seeing the progress overtime as they become stronger, they see those numbers go up, see the changes in the mirror and feel the changes in their everyday lives. It's like how Some people ENJOY obsessively saving their money so they can see those numbers increasing overtime, some might consider that fun, others not so much. Neither person is right or wrong. Some people enjoy lifting because they like being able to keep trying out different/new routines and techniques and supplements (safely and after ample background research) and seeing the results (my electrical engineering friend LOVES lifting largely for this reason.) Some like how lifting makes them feel (brain chemistry wise.) Some like perfecting the harder, more complex exercises like olympic lifts which take a combination of coordination, balance, speed and power (this would be your more "classically sport-like" area.) Some people like to compete, either in actual competitions or more often simply with their friends (me and my lifting buddy had a great back and forth going throughout college.) Some people want to pack on as much mass as they can so that they can eat more food without getting fat. Most people have more than one reason for why they enjoy lifting (for example, most of these apply to me personally.)

Third, my most important point is that different people are entitled to enjoy different things. What I can't understand is how you can't understand how different people may enjoy different things from you. Never met anyone who disliked a food you like or vice-versa? Everyone you know enjoy all of the same things as you? There are plenty of activities I can't imagine myself ever enjoying but that doesn't mean I feel the need to go around questioning the people who DO enjoy and act like it's dumb to like the activity just because I don't. There's nothing wrong with you not liking lifting, just go do what you DO like and let people who like lifting continue lifting.

 

[Sheiko]

Squat: 350 pretty crap tbh, I'm tall as heck but I'm working on it)

Bench: 315

Team chest

 

[RogueBanana]

Team chest

worst part is I squat 3x a week. I'm desperately trying to not be on #teamchest

 

[Espressso]

Good threat, good post! I'm going to go against the grain here in terms of dieting and in particular, diet before workouts. I prefer to workout on an empty stomach, myself. I'm more of an AM workout guy and I get better lifts in basically lifting on just water after a night of sleep. But then again, I mess around with slow-carb, keto, modified keto too, as well as intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding. So I'm a little whacko when it comes to diet.

I think it's just important to try different things and see which works best for you!

worst part is I squat 3x a week. I'm desperately trying to not be on #teamchest

I personally wouldn't squat three times a week! You need your rest, my friend! The 5x5 for squats is good. But I think squatting more than twice a week is overload for me.

 

[RogueBanana]

I personally wouldn't squat three times a week! You need your rest, my friend! The 5x5 for squats is good. But I think squatting more than twice a week is overload for me.

I followed the heavy-moderate-light weekly rotation. So the recovery wasn't awful.
I started a 5x5 modification recently, and the problem is definitely my ability to stay tight under the bar. @Mclovin0351 's post on chris duffin's breathng technique actually helped me a lot with this! I'm hoping it'll translate to a significant increase in poundage next time I hit heavy squats.

I can leg press nearly 700, so the hip/hamstring strength is there, it's just my ability to transfer that force to the squat bar...

 

[partypantss]

Good threat, good post! I'm going to go against the grain here in terms of dieting and in particular, diet before workouts. I prefer to workout on an empty stomach, myself. I'm more of an AM workout guy and I get better lifts in basically lifting on just water after a night of sleep. But then again, I mess around with slow-carb, keto, modified keto too, as well as intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding. So I'm a little whacko when it comes to diet.

I think it's just important to try different things and see which works best for you!





I personally wouldn't squat three times a week! You need your rest, my friend! The 5x5 for squats is good. But I think squatting more than twice a week is overload for me.

I'm the same when it comes to working out on an empty stomach. I drink some pre workout usually but yeah I've never been able to workout with any food in my stomach, I get cramps really easily. Plus eating generally makes me feel a bit more sleepy so I feel like I lose my "edge."

 

[Espressso]

I'm the same when it comes to working out on an empty stomach. I drink some pre workout usually but yeah I've never been able to workout with any food in my stomach, I get cramps really easily. Plus eating generally makes me feel a bit more sleepy so I feel like I lose my "edge."

100% agreed.

 

[slippydubloons]

I love this damn thread thank you
@RogueBanana

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Crossfitter alert ^
A lot of guys are going to have different motivations on why. Most common ones are they were bullied before, wanted to feel strong, and they wanted to look like a superhero.

Honestly getting big sucks after a while.

Have you ever watched the Games or the Open? The serious CF athletes are in amazing shape with really good stats.

Haha no thanks I'd rather not snap my spine by flailing around while doing "pull-ups"

If you snap your spine doing a kipping or butterfly pull-up, you have a serious medical condition. Those kind of comments just show a lack of knowledge on what CF really is about. It's just oly lifts with body weight stuff thrown in. No reputable box has anyone doing anything with poor form. The only people hurting themselves with poor form are the idiots who do **** on their own with no guidance or coaching (or common sense) and then call it crossfit.

 

[Frogger27]

anyone have experience using coconut oil in their diet? One of my friends recommended it.

 

[RogueBanana]

Have you ever watched the Games or the Open? The serious CF athletes are in amazing shape with really good stats.



If you snap your spine doing a kipping or butterfly pull-up, you have a serious medical condition. Those kind of comments just show a lack of knowledge on what CF really is about. It's just oly lifts with body weight stuff thrown in. No reputable box has anyone doing anything with poor form. The only people hurting themselves with poor form are the idiots who do **** on their own with no guidance or coaching (or common sense) and then call it crossfit.

not to detract from these awesome athletes, but most of the professional crossfitters didn't reach that level of performance by doing crossfit. Many of them were olympic and strength athletes beforehand, and many of them train like powerlifters and oly lifters with planned progression. They obviously do a lot of their own conditioning work to be able to finish the WODS competitively, but they don't do FRAN 3x per week to get good at it.

also most of them don't follow the paleo diet.

*Edit*

I also disagree with the fact a "coach" can get a level 1 cert in a single weekend.

I've been squatting for 7 years and I still don't have the form down 100%. To be able to say you can coach it after 48 hours is kinda ridiculous, and that's just one of the many lifts you need to learn to coach within that 2 day period.

 

[RogueBanana]

anyone have experience using coconut oil in their diet? One of my friends recommended it.

It's supposed to be good for brain function with the Medium Chain Triglycerides, (some evidence to back this)

If you like the taste of coconut and need some extra calories it could be good. Depends what you're hoping to get out of using it.

 

[Espressso]

anyone have experience using coconut oil in their diet? One of my friends recommended it.

I use it in the kitchen religiously. Just a really good source of healthy fats.

 

[Frogger27]

It's supposed to be good for brain function with the Medium Chain Triglycerides, (some evidence to back this)

If you like the taste of coconut and need some extra calories it could be good. Depends what you're hoping to get out of using it.

I use it in the kitchen religiously. Just a really good source of healthy fats.

I heard its really good to include in your diet, especially if you are trying to cut a little bit. CLA was also recommended

 

[Espressso]

I heard its really good to include in your diet, especially if you are trying to cut a little bit. CLA was also recommended

I don't have experience with CLA but I've had amazing experience with increasing my dietary fat intake. And using coconut oil is an easy way to do it. Just using it as a grease instead of Pam on the stove top, or sauteing veggies with it, etc. etc.

 

[RogueBanana]

I don't have experience with CLA but I've had amazing experience with increasing my dietary fat intake. And using coconut oil is an easy way to do it. Just using it as a grease instead of Pam on the stove top, or sauteing veggies with it, etc. etc.

I've heard good things about CLA, but I can't swallow the horse pills that it comes in at GNC.
Until they get it into a powder I'm stuck, but I can't wait to try it!

 

[Frogger27]

I don't have experience with CLA but I've had amazing experience with increasing my dietary fat intake. And using coconut oil is an easy way to do it. Just using it as a grease instead of Pam on the stove top, or sauteing veggies with it, etc. etc.

my friend said he literally just takes a table spoon of it and eats it straight up lol lol lol.... I'll probably cook my veggies in it

 

[RogueBanana]

my friend said he literally just takes a table spoon of it and eats it straight up lol lol lol.... I'll probably cook my veggies in it

It does have a high saturated fat content, though if I remember correctly it contains mostly the "good" saturated fat that doesn't raise cholesterol. I can't remember the actual chemical names, but I read an interesting article on it. I'll try to find it and post it here.

 

[Espressso]

my friend said he literally just takes a table spoon of it and eats it straight up lol lol lol.... I'll probably cook my veggies in it

Yeah, that's a little excessive. If you just use it in your cooking, that will be a solid (even significant) increase in your consumption. Another option, is to try emulsified MCT oil (I get it off Amazon or Onnit Labs). This is already in a state where you can mix it with drinks like coffee and tea or even cold drinks like protein shakes. But this is big in the keto circles. I honestly think using coconut oil in cooking is good enough.

I've heard good things about CLA, but I can't swallow the horse pills that it comes in at GNC.
Until they get it into a powder I'm stuck, but I can't wait to try it!

No thanks for the horse pills lol.

 

[Espressso]

It does have a high saturated fat content, though if I remember correctly it contains mostly the "good" saturated fat that doesn't raise cholesterol. I can't remember the actual chemical names, but I read an interesting article on it. I'll try to find it and post it here.

If I remember correctly med chain tri (MCTs) are one of those good saturated fats.