The old Zone thread was getting too long (and old - over 3 years!). And I didn't have that much to say until recently. But now that I, Bells, Bone, and to a lesser extent, Fatty are all once again interested in fitness to varying degrees, I thought I would comment on my current state of affairs.
When Roche called me after having seen those bachelor party pics, his primary commentary was about how fat I am. Even though this makes him fully gay, it also makes him correct: I am at my fattest since the turn of the century. As of last week, I weighed in at 185lbs. Considering that when I moved to Chicago, I was in the 160-165 lb range, I have fallen pretty far. So between the harsh reality of those pictures and taking my measurements last night, I am rededicated to getting into some semblance of decent shape.
My current plan is basically the old tried and true: more or less Zone-style diet, combined with Body for Life workouts, 6 times a week. For me, the nutritional side of it has always been the easier of the two, though lately I've been such a fan of beer that it's been tough to wean myself off. The workouts are asskickers, though, and I got myself a cheap digital watch to make sure I don't cheat on the 30-sec-between-sets rule. I have gotten through my first upper and lower body workouts for the week and needless to say, my body is not pleased with me. Not only that, by the time I cycle back to 12 reps in the 12-10-8-6-12 chain, I'm using such incredibly girly weights that, well, some girls literally are using those same weights. It's not pretty.
But personally, unlike Heather, who is also embarking on this quest with me, I don't get depressed by this at all. Quite the contrary, I view it as an opportunity. The fact that I've slipped this far into slobdom will just make my gains seem that much more impressive. Think about it - if I return to my pre-Chicago weight of 160lbs (that goal is not currently in scope), I would have lost 25 lbs! So I plan to check in every so often to report progress, if for no other reason than to keep me honest. I can't compete with the likes of Bone by any stretch but perhaps Bells and I can motivate each other a bit even though our styles are decidedly different.
"But now that I, Bells, Bone, and to a lesser extent, Fatty are all once again interested in fitness to varying degrees..."
"a lesser extent, Fatty..."
Shit, Charles, you don't know what the fuck you are talking about! I've been rock solid working out for the past 2 months. Been keeping to the eating every 3 hours rather well, plus keeping the portions within the limits. Am I perfect - Hell No, but I am pretty good at it. My only downfall is the drinking as well. I like to have some drinks with friends (Cocktails with the ladies). Come to Fatty-town for a Fatty-style workout. (Shut up Bone - you are out of everyones league). I'll treat you to some style with some strength appropriate weights.
My bad, Fats. I was just going by past experience. I assumed your "burpees" were just what you did after eating your daily hamburger.
Seriously, that's cool that you're taking it seriously. Gotta look good for the wedding, right? Me, I'm just trying to make sure I can keep wearing my current wardrobe.
Yeah, I've worked out with the Fatty and he's no joke. His workout
style is formidable. I work heavier but do NOT claim to work harder. I
give Fatty full props, my man.
Dude, upon further review of your statements I noticed a flaw. It's
60-sec-between-sets, or at least that's how I remember it. I do tend to
rest about 3-min-between-sets as this favors power. It's hard to go
truly heavy with little rest. For legs however I think I will cut the
rest down so I can cut weight and still work hard. My back just can't
keep up with my leg strength. As Ross stated we have different styles,
I find heavylifting far more enjoyable than light. I know I can have my
cake and eat it too because the Bone has both power and condition. My
thought is if I can moderate my diet and add cardio, I can still lift
heavy and improve my conditioning and be sweet. I could use some Bert
like motivational speeches to help though. ;)
I'll be damned! You're right, Bells! Man, that's going to seriously impact the amount of weight I'm going to be lifting! I tell you, by the time I'm done doing "pullups", more than half my weight was being shaved off by the machine from sheer exhaustion! Whew... this is going to make things much better on me. Thanks for the reminder.
I happened to run across this quote on a message board that I think sums it up:
Q: Why will you devote yourself to working out and training?
A: What else is there to do?....work a 9-5...get fat...play golf...and go deep into debt buying crap that you don't need in order to make yourself feel like you are doing something with your life other than getting fat?
Amen brother! My man-nune concept is looking better all the time. Shared expenses, shared housing, and always someone to work out with or chill. Lets quit working so hard, live more simply, healthy, and enjoy more of life.
Well, I'll be heading to India and the UK a week from today, for two weeks. The workout may suffer a bit, and I'm sure my eating will as well (to say nothing of my sleeping). But I know my hotel in Bangalore has a gym, and the one in London does too, even claims to have free weights which is pretty rare for hotels in my experience. So I'm hoping not to add to the fat quotient while abroad.
Hmmmm, What's this 'Frat House' you speak of? It sounds intriguing. I must know more!
I think what I am looking for was chronicled in the movie 'Old School'.
We just watched '30 Days' where they look at outsourcing jobs to India. They had a displaced American worker go to Bangalore and get a job in a call center. All I can say is, Enjoy Bangalore! Bring your camera, I want full documentation. It looks F-ed up.
Yeah, we just watched it too. Heather was not left feeling good about the city. But I'm pretty sure it's way better than just about anywhere else in the country.
Dude, I'm so freaking jealous. Bangalore sounds exactly like the type of thirdworld shithole where you can have sweet adventures if you have the balls. I mean with a name like Bang Galore how can you not have fun. I'd be the mayor. I'd put the bang in Bangalore.
By the by, you should consider the burpee beatdown while you are on the road. It will keep you where you need to be. Supplement with some pushups and situps and you a full on sweet.
I agr ee with the Bone - the Burpee Beatdown is an excellent on-the-road supplement. You can do it in your hotel room. If you have a Timex watch, it has a sweet countdown timer that is perfect for the beatdown. I have to caution you, the first set of beatdowns is easy to do. The second time you do them is very difficult to start. You have full realization of the crappiness you are about to receive. The second time I did the beatdown, it took me a full half hour to actually start. Call me full bitch, but I knew what I was getting into then!
Yep, do a beatdown, recover and cry in the corner for 10 minutes, then finish with push-ups and some situps. A perfect ass-kicking workout for on the road.
I was thinking more about the subject. So I'm sitting here with bruised shins from kickboxing, mat and Gi burns all over my feet, knees, and hands from jiu jitsu. 95 percent of the muscles I own are fucking sore as hell but I feel great about it all. I'm physically stronger and metally tougher than ever. I do zero running or elliptical bullshit but my cardio is great. I'm fucking strongand I can bench well over 300lbs.
Fortunately I can train like a fool because I'm single and I live alone. I don't have any obligations other than work. My refrigerator is stocked only with shit that is healthy and nutrient dense.
I say the guy is bullshit. He frickin is mixing a little facts with a lot of his own opinions. Most of his arguements are based soley on his own personal experiences. There are no studies involving multiple subjects, just his experiences and his opinion. Of course there are valid points, but he goes way too far an relates his own experiences with absoulte facts. Just because you concentrate hard on the sets in weightlifting does not automatically relate to you concentrating on all other aspects of your life. Shit, most of life does not have 200 pounds of weight looking to crash down on your chest if you lose concentration. He relates all sorts of problems to lack of testosterone, but be all know there are other causes as well. Plus, weight lifting is not the only solutiong to fix these ills.
I like weightlifting and its benefits. But I am not about to let this guy be a spokesperson for the discipline based on his personal observations.
Even so, I can relate to the idea that harsh physical exercise makes one mentally tougher. I think the reasoning goes like this: if you can be getting your ass whupped physically and keep going and ask for more, you're just that much less of a pussy. And the more you do it, the better you get at it. I for one always feel like I'm more capable in day-to-day life and in my job when I'm on a regular weightlifting regime. Sure, it could be the placebo effect, but the effect is real nonetheless.
Regardless, I think there is plenty of evidence to support the idea that resistance training is beneficial. Of course, not just to men, but for everyone. Whether this guy is your spokesperson or not, he's only helping the cause - I don't see him spreading any dangerous or unhealthy ideas, so I think you're making too big a deal out of it, Fattay.
Alright, I have to say, I just found out about this site called Traineo and it's pretty sweet. It's kind of like the diet tracker I wrote a few years ago but of course much cooler. It allows you to upload pictures, enter workouts, body statistics, and diet info. I dunno if I'll end up using it or not, but it's worth a look if you're interested in tracking your fitness goals.
I all seriousness Fatty, weight lifting (particularly squating) has been shown to elevate testosterone levels. Testosterone is a powerful hormone. Women bodybuilders take it to develop muscles - as a by product the end up looking manly - to include an enlarged clit. You should start taking testosterone and maybe your clit will gorw as well.
I can't believe how high he gets and using only one leg to jump from a lot of the time. I recently watched another guy who is nearly as sweet, but not quite. The thing he did was throw a soccer ball up in the air, kick it in the middle of a backflip, then land. The impressive thing was how far the damn ball flew! It went clear across the field. He did it more than once, too. He did other sweet flipping around too. I'll see if I can find it again.
Ok, I found it. You know what? The guy in this video is sweet - that is until you watch the one Ross just posted. He doesn't even come close to the level of sweetest of Ross' guy.
Yeah, Heather was saying the same thing about Olympic gymnasts. They get some serious air - but then you realize that they're jumping around on trampoline-like floors that spring them up artificially. This dude is some kind of superhuman.
Both of those guys are fucking amazing. What I would love to see is a choreographed fight using some of their techniques.
I was just looking for the site that I found that video on, and I found this instead. Man, Roche used to talk
about Royce Gracie all the time and of course I was impressed, but this video complete with
narration leaves little doubt as to the guy's sweetness factor.
Okay, that dude's name is Anis Cheurfa and he's like 20 years old. Fucker. He's fucking amazing. He's part of some club called Loopkicks and they just do martial arts "tricks". That explains why his punches look a little sloppy to me - it seems like he's not primarily a martial artist, he's more interested in the tricks than anything else - which is still pretty sweet, IMO.
The Gracie viedo shows how you really don't know how to fight unless you can fight on the ground. In the little time I've been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I learned enough to demolish that kung fu guy. It's amazing how simple some o the moves are but the majority of people have no clue.
Bone and I had a discussion about BJJ and how it works well only in a one on one fight. His advice when asked about dealling with more than one opponent - You had better run! But, it is abundantly clear that BJJ is a must to know if you are serious about fighting. I think you still need to add kickboxing to the mix so you can keep the mothers at the end of your jab for a taste or kick a nigga out before you BJJ his partner on the ground. Bone is well into his training on multiple disciplines.
I still believe that a .45 is more effective and less strenous method than choking a fucker out. But I am sure there is more satisfaction in the latter.
The UFC and Pride events pretty much sorted out the most effective fighting style. In the first few years of the UFC, Royce Gracie was super dominant - taking guys out very quickly in matches consisting of very little rules. Black belts in karate, TKD, whatever, weighing 40 or more pounds more than Royce, got fucked. After a while, strikers started to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to either submit opponents themselves or to avoid being submitted long enough to get back off the ground and throw punches. Now the most dominant fighters are the guys that have well rounded stand up and ground skills, or have great striking and a solid wresting background which enables them to avoid the takedown.
Interstingly enough, punches and submissions are the biggest finishing moves with kicks being a rarity because it's easier to get a guy on the ground when he's kicking.
My 45 is great but I don't always have it with me. I'm definately not Johnny Barfighter but I'd like to be able to protect myself and loved ones if push ever came to shove. I'd rather have the skills and not need them than to need them and not have them.
You should take the free intro class and see how you like it. It looks like a good place. Plus it has a wieght room so you can kill 2 birds with one stone. If you go twice a week you'll learn tons of shit and get a good workout.
The hardest part is going the first time - at least for me. It's everyone's first day at some point.
Yeah, I think I'm going to do just that. Heather always remarks how I always linger if we walk past a martial arts studio, I've really wanted to do some ever since I moved here.
I had a blast doing karate in college but a lot of the reason was that the instructors were great, but strict at the same time. And there were no kids to gum up the works, being a college club. But then when I moved to Maryland, I found a school teaching the same style, but it suh-hucked: the instructors were fat and sloppy and the students' techniques were horrible. I high-tailed it out of there.
I actually took some "Judo" classes at the Y in Grand Rapids when I was in 6th grade or so... probably for a few months. I thought it was pretty cool but being a kid I was more interested in punching and kicking, which we got none of in that class. So I eventually stopped going. But I would really like to get into something like that again, both because it would be nice to mix up the workouts and get into something different that I can get excited about, and also because it certainly would help with not feeling like a pussy. :)
Had my introductory class last night. It was pretty sweet. Reminded me a lot of the Judo classes I took as a kid. The instructor was very competent and knowledgable, so I've signed my ass up for 3x a week. It was also a pretty good workout, I was sweating my balls off 15 minutes into it.
Bone, you're right - BJJ is a pretty sweet workout. I don't think I enjoy it quite as much as the karate classes I took in college, but it's definitely got a more serious element to it in that you are learning techniques that will fuck people up, including yourself, if you don't pay attention.
We practiced a few manuevers that ended in arm triangles, and I decided at one point to put up a bit of a fight compared to the normal ragdoll style. It was clear that the secret to not getting choked out is having a powerful neck.
Don't feel bad, you're going to get farmed up by more experienced guys for a while. I've already been choked 3 or 4 times. I'm just now cracking the code and learning to submit guys. Initially I was relying on my size, strength, and conditioning advantage to stay competative in matches but having very little offense, I could hold out for only so long before I got tired and was unable to prevent to submission. Now, I'm more comfortable moving around on the ground and I have a few submissions of my own to throw at my opponent. I've recently been choking guys out. I have to say it's pretty satisfying when you land your first submission.
Big Props to you Bert - Pretty much you are going in there knowing you are going to receive a full choke down and get your ass whooped. That takes some potatoes to do. I heard a guy say that your first month is crappy, but the learning curve is very steep. All of a sudden, you will be doing much better.
Well, they won't even let you take the grappling classes until you've had 30 "Self Defense" classes, where it's all practice, no sparring. Though I suppose you could still get hurt, especially if you're not paying attention. Once I complete them, I can start going to the true ass whupping classes. All I know is I was watching a bunch of UFC shit this weekend (including watching Royce Gracie get his ass whupped by Matt Hughes) and I know for a fact that that's not the life for me. I'm much more interested in simply getting in decent shape and adding a bit of grit to my style, but I'm not going to be hopping into any octogons... ever.
Yeah, we learn both, definitely. It's just drills though, not full-on sparring yet. You're still practicing the techniques, the difference is just that your partner is a willing victim of the technique.
Well, I spent the weekend at the Bert station and had a fun time. In
the mist of it I weighed myself on the Bert scale and was highly
incredulous of the results. In fact I believe I mentioned this to Bert.
At any rate I got back in the gym Monday and to my horror Bert's scale
was right. Upon viewing the results I stated in a loud shocked voice
"what the F......", I stopped just short of the uck. The people working
the counter chuckled and said, "not what you wanted to see?" to which I
replied, "yeah, I think I'll be keeping this to myself.
I had
been out of the gym for about a week and a half due to a pec injury.
The last time I weighed myself I was 240lbs, pretty shitty I know. I
however wasn't prepared for what I saw when I hopped on the scale, a
whopping 251lbs! I nearly shit myself right there, just so I could lose a
couple of pounds, I thought better of it though.
At any rate I've
decided right then and there this is bullshit. So for the past few days
I've cut back on consumption and dropped to 244lbs which I weighed today
in the gym.
I must say, even though I was out of the gym for more
than a week my fat power was in full effect. I completed 5 sets of 5
with 275lbs on the bench. I had to go slow because if I move the weight
too fast I tend to pull my right pec. There was no pain during my
workout and I felt great. Still I will continue to do slower reps for
the time being to make sure not to fuck my pec up again. In fact Mike,
a personal trainer and two time Mr. Grand Rapids had to stop and
mention how great my form was on the bench. He also said the same thing
about my squats.
On Wednesday when I did my squats I felt great
and did a set of 10 and then 8 with 315lbs. My legs can handle this
weight pretty well but my back doesn't love it. Still all in all not
too shabby but I think I may alternate squats with leg presses to rest
my back from week to week.
In conclusion I want to get my weight
down and keep my current strength levels as I believe I'm strong enough
but nowhere near lean enough. I'll keep you guy's posted of my progress
in the hopes this will motivate me to work hard towards these
goals.
I'm afraid to find out how much I weigh. Since I've been in St. Louis, I go out to eat every single day. When I left Spain a reckon I was around the 180 mark but I'm as certian of the tighness of the pants as I am of the fat roll hanging over them that my ass is getting fat!
Back in the day's I used to be Ab Man, I would literally do thousands of sit-ups a day and I was on the Fit for Life plan. I probably weighed in at 150 lbs. at the age of 19. Those were the days of the All Sport Cavelcade weekend.
Well, it's time to talk MAN! This week I decided to do incline bench
presses as I found they don't hurt my pec at all. The different angle
feels great and the fact that I've been blasting my shoulders has made
me stronger at the incline than I've ever been. I did 2 sets of 5 with
275lbs on incline, rating a full man status. I then did 2 sets of 5
with 205lbs on the shoulder press, once again full man status. Today I
did squats and maxed with 405lbs for 1, rating a barely man status.
After that I dropped the weight back to 315 and did 12 reps, barely man
status. I've decided that on the squat to achieve full man status you
must be able to do 500lbs. This is my goal and I expect to pull this
off in 6 months.
In the mean time I've been able to knock 11
pounds off my weight and my strength is going up. I've been drinking
muscle milk every day and this helps me to eat less plus I get the good
life protien to help keep me strong. I want to take my weightlifting to
a whole new level. I'm bigger and stronger than ever and I believe if I
continue to do incline bench and heavy squats I can finally hit
the 405lbs mark on the flat bench. Why 405lbs, because that's four
45lbs plates on each side of an olympic bar. It's going to take time
but I will do this.
I also want to mention that I saw a girl hit 135lbs for 8 reps on the
incline press. She used perfect form and did full reps. This blew me
away. I know there are girls way stronger than this but I've never seen
it in person. She was in good shape but I would never have thought she
would be putting that kind of iron up. I bet she could almost
give Bert a run for his money and Fatty too if he doesn't get back in
the gym.
Wow, that's impressive. I think since I never do barbell benches, I would find that it wouldn't be super easy for me to do 135 for 8. I'm pretty sure I could do it though.
Here is the latest Fatty report on my progress to sweetness. I am not working out anymore, not doing much of anything, drinking 2-4 beers 2-3 times a week, eating better and walking some. I am now down to 190 pounds - down from 210 4-5 months ago.
Soon as a job comes into play, a gym membership is in order. I might start some push-ups and sit-ups since I am motivated more now. I am still Fatty, just a Slimmer Fatty - SlimFatz.
Here is the latest Roche report on my progress to total bench
domination. Yesterday I hit 295lbs on incline for 6 reps with no help.
I had a spotter help me get the weight off the rack but did the reps on
my own. I will work with this weight till I can do it for 8 reps and
then move to 315lbs on incline and go from there. My squats kinda
sucked last week though, I did 405lbs for 2.5 reps. I did a full 3 the
week prior to this. When I went down to do the third rep I quickly
realized if I were to go parallel I wasn't coming back up, so I went
down halfway. Oh well, I squat again tomorrow and hopefully it will go
better.
One more thing, I saw strong girl hit 135lbs for 10 on
incline the other day. Then a couple of days later I saw her do 6 good
reps with 95lbs on the shoulder press. Not bad for a girl, plus she's
hot.
So Bert, have you been to going to your Chicago jiu jitsu place? What about physical training in general? I haven't been doing any type of fight training for the last couple of months due to my shitty schedule but as soon as I get back to Hawaii, I'm going to train with Royce Gracie's older brother Relson at his place in Honolulu. This video got me motivated again. I have been working out though. I can still bench 300 lbs and run 5 miles in 45 minutes with relative ease.
I haven't been in a while. I actually think it was a mistake to sign up. As much as I need routine physical training and enjoy the instruction, I made an error in choosing somewhere that is such a pain in the ass to get to, and I'm forced to travel there across town during rush hour. The best plans are those which allow you to follow a simple routine, and this just can't fit into that kind of plan. So I'm reevaluating some things - my diet first and foremost. I've cut out alcohol almost completely (which I give a lot of the blame for recent weight gain) and I am back to a zone-like eating style, though I'm not as strict as I have been in the past. Next is formulating the workout strategy, and it will minimally include running on the treadmill at home, which right now I only do on an ad-hoc basis which means I might as well not be doing it at all, without any goals. So that's in the works, probably tomorrow I will begin the new plan after a bit of research online.
I wish I had better options doing something sweet like jiu jitsu but I had to be honest with myself and realize it's just not likely to be regular enough to be worth my while.
Well Bone, could you beat this guy? He apparently has some magical skills that allow him to beat you in a fight without even touching you. I found this clip of him first fighting what appear to be his students, and then taking a $5000 challenge against an MMA fighter. I found it on James Randi's site with the following commentary:
I do not know if you have seen this video before, but it shows a Kiai
Master – one of those knock-you-over-without-touching-you kinda martial
artists – waging $5,000 that he could beat any MMA fighter who is a
knock-you-over-by-hitting-you-really-hard kinda martial artist... I
think the result speaks for itself...
That's great! I was expecting something unbelievable. Something that would have me question what was going on... like in the begining of the video. Nope - that went exactly as it should have. With an ass whoopin. Whats with all those retards buying into this nonsense and perpetuating it???
That was pretty good. My question is how do his students allow themselves to go out like bitches? Do thay have no integrity? Are they under some mass hypnosis?
Speaking of workouts, I've been doing the Sprint 8 just about every other day, followed by weight lifting and swimming. Soon to incoporate Brazilian Jiu JItsu. WHo wants some of my sweetness?
I love the Bone's commitment to excercise! He is always onto new training methods.... Is this style as crappy as the Burpy-Beatdown? I'm not sure of the running, but I'd try the sprints on a rower or bike. How are they working for you?
Good god... I dunno, I'd like to think I'm capable to doing harsh workouts, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't last long on those without a lot of training leading up to the attempt. These days I feel like a weak old man. It's enough for me if I can just get on the treadmill and walk/jog for 40 minutes or so.
I really feel the lack of weightlifting doing bad things for my body. This is one of the longest periods I've gone since being a teenager of not lifting on a semi-regular basis. It only reinforces the notion that when we move out to the burbs or wherever in probably a little over a year, I have to have a room or some basement space that I can convert into a gym. We obviously already have the treadmill, and we have some light dumbbells (5's up to 30's) but I need to get the whole deal - bench, a set of Olympic free weights, a pullup bar, maybe even a squat rack. People always say you never use home gyms but I know that's bullshit. We definitely use our treadmill and I'd definitely use weights more if I had the space to use them.
One workout I reall like is squats to overhead presses with the dumbells. You'll find in your current state, if you do maybe 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 30lbs, you'll get a great overall body workout, not to mention a great cardio workout as well. It will put you in a good position to attempt more strenous workouts in the burbs.
I can attest to that dumbbell workout. The Bone had me try it when I was visiting San Dog. I was in reasonable weightlifting shape, but that exercise was quite the challenge. I really like the concept of the 3x3 workouts - large, full body movements that exercise multiple muscles at once. It is very efficient. The more I think about it, doing the isolated muscle exercises is plain silly at our level. We have limited time, AND our muscularity is far from needing the time and attention of isolation exercises. Do we really have the time and need for an arm day? I did 2 rotations of the 3x3 last year and I got strong rather quickly. This is where I became a fan of the deadlift. My arms got pretty big without doing 1 single curl.
The Gym Jones site is pretty sweet for getting ideas. I watched some of their films. Those guys are sweet, but looking at them you wouldn't necessarily think they are. They don't train for sweet builds, but for pure functional strength. I am eager to try the front squat to over-head press with a straight bar in my next 3x3 rotation. Yes Bone, I am a fan of this routine. I only get 2 days a week in the gym and this works perfectly.
I am resigned to admit that my left shoulder is trashed. It started bothering me last year during bench presses and never healed. Even with 6-7 months off with no exercise. I've been benching for 3 weeks with pretty bad pain. It is not getting any better, just worse. I'll try to adjust the angle, like with incline presses, to see if that helps.
The more I think about it, I am really keen on trying those sprints. I have heard some of the talk on this subject. Ross, the article says that out of shape fuckers like us should do 3 weeks of medium intensity workouts to build ourselves up to the harder stuff. In our older state of life, this advice is well heeded.
Well, I just did it and you're right - it wasn't bad on my shoulders, but my thighs are killing me from not having done a squat-type movement in so long. Thanks for the tip.
So today I went back to the gym to see if I could do incline presses without pain. Well, it seemed to work. I used a fairly light weight, but felt no pain or anything. If I used the same light weight on flat, it would have hurt. The rest of the workout went real well, things are progressing nicely. This is week 3 of the 3x3 and my body is getting used to the routine. Resting 2 minutes between sets no longer kills me and sometime the rest is too long so I hop back to it! The weights are moving up according to schedule (except flat bench). I am excited because in a week I get to leave the pussy weights behind and start to use respectable weight.
Needless to say, after my great workout, I was in a fantastic mood. Until I walked into the sauna area. I just happend to walk in on a guy goofing around like a jackass. Right across from the entry door are the shower stalls (with doors too). Just as I walked through the door, this guy had stepped out, grabbed his crank, and was shaking it at his friends. Ha Ha Ha, ok no big deal......well, this fucker was packin. He grabbed his business with his whole hand, it only covered half. The other half, and I mean half was out and flopping around like crazy. This fucker was 10 inches on soft..... easy. Um ya, it was thick too. Shit, I was only 5 feet away from this spectacle! How could I not notice????
I was instantly demasculated. How could I feel manly after King Cock was shook at me?
But, I don't even care anymore, here. I am now naked in mixed company. After the sauna, I take off my towel in the common area, and hop in the cold pool, buck naked. Thats right, cold water to add insult to injury. Girls have been right there and I am in plain view - business and all! Whaddya gonna do, this what I was made with. I ain't gonna hide like a little (ahem) punk!
I don't like it either..... I was living a happy lifestyle until I joined a Hungarian Gym. It is now a totally different world. My perspective has changed. I want things to go back to the way they were. Where I could walk into a shower room and be amongst peers. Now I am but a Charlie Brown Xmas tree in a forest of Redwoods.
The worst thing is, I have to be reminded of it, twice-weekly. If it happend once, well, ok. But no, I have to re-live the trauma again and again. Bigcrankstories.com? No, this is Bigcranknightmare.com.
Ross said:
God dammit, Fatty, what is this? bigcrankstories.com? Is this what Europe has reduced you to?
Hahahahaha. I was laughing so hard, my mom, who'se visiting, had to ask me what was so funny. I was forced to kill her. But anyways, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Get it together Fatty.
Hmmm, I wonder if bigcrankstories.com is registered?
Actually, a person could make some ca$h with that domain. Have members pay a small posting fee to post a picture of their big crank, tell stories about their big crank, etc. You know people want a place to brag - this gives them the perfect forum. Plus we can tell them there is a place where women go to find men with big cranks - that section will cost more - losers! Sure it will be chock full of fags, but fags got credit cards too!
Ross, you should have an idea on how internet sites make their cash - Especially porn. That does not sound so good.... um, from your previous work with internet start ups. Is this a viable idea? Since it is posted here, how long do we have until some fucker steals it???
Yeah, we already have a place like that: it's called every other goddamn website on the planet. That's it, dude, you've gone full gay. This shit has to stop.
Only Fatty would continue going to a gym where giant, Sasquatchian cranks are flaunted about on a regular basis. Most of us would realize early on - "Hey, I don't think this is my scene" - and GET OUT! Not Fatty - He's gonna end up naked and unconscious on the gym floor: Knocked out by a debilitating mushroom stamping.
Hmmm, I wonder if bigcrankstories.com is registered?
Really? I can't believe you would even try to shift such a cry for gayness onto someone else. Read it again. Yes, Bone, you wrote this. I'm sure you will have some witty comeback, but the evidence is there.
Jack, well.... Sasquatchian cranks..... frickin hilarious. You know, I could go to another gym. But I think the naked hottie got me expecting more nude hotties. I feel the Sasquatchian cranks are just the price of admission. If there are no more naked hotties soon, the price will be too high to pay! I might as well join the other gym's belly dancing aerobic class. At least there I will see semi nude hotties gyrating their business around.
Sasquatchian cranks.... yep, that describes them perfectly.
My fatness has finally gotten to the point of being annoyingly disgusting (or disgustingly annoying, if you prefer). Months of general sloppiness, culminating in two weeks straight of overeating, overdrinking, and underexercising have finally inspired me to do something fairly serious about my situation.
My unique challenge this time is that I am unlikely to actually go to the gym. So the tools I have at my disposal are as follows: a decent treadmill, a Swiss ball, and dumbbell sets from 5 - 35 lbs (I could buy heavier ones if need be). I need to develop a plan for weight loss and general toning, not too interested in putting a ton of muscle on but I just want to be in decent overall shape. I like what Fatty was mentioning about doing more general exercises and not targeting areas, so I can get a more efficient workout.
Ah, the Bone isn't the only Pimp researching fitness. I am doing the same.... but Bone has found some great articles recently! I came across this article in T-Nation or Testosterone Nation's Blog talking just what you are interested in - Fat Loss and limited time to do so.
They got tons of shit on there, some seems really good - but I am sure there is a lot of crap on there too.
What I have been reading these days is intense circuit training - stuff that makes your body work hard recovering long after the workout is complete. The above article talks about this some too.
Bone clued me in on the Tabata Interval which we tried with the Burpee - Remember the Burpee Beatdown Discussion. It still is no joke! You can do Tabata Intervals with full body, weighted movements for the most efficient - and most shitty workouts of your live. Bone's Dumbbell presses done with the Tabata will kill a mother! The Tabata is similar in theory to Bone's article on sprinting. Bone involve intense bursts of activity followed by short recovery periods.
Sorry I haven't gotten back sooner, I've been busier than the proverbial one legged man in an ass kicking contast.
Here's are the essential elements for success:
1. Workouts need to be short (30 to 45 mins max) yet yield gains: with your current setup I reccomend:
- bodweight squats, pushups
- lunges with your weights, and squat to over head presses, and clean and jerks with your puny dumbells
- core exercises (I can't stress enough the importance)
- buy a pullup bar. it's cheap and other than squats, its the best exercise known to man.
- tabata workouts are in fact sweet. you probably won't follow through for the long term because they fuck you up psychologically
2. You must workout or do a fun yet vigorous activity at least 5 days a week. Not so much because it will yield better gains than say 3 or 4 days, but iif you do it for a month or so, you be less likely to skip workouts because you'll feel shitty about it.
3. Dont miss workouts unless your body legitimately needs a break. If I don't feel like working out, I ask myself if it's because my body is all banged up and I need it or if it's because I'm lazy. If its that my body needs it, I'll skip it without remorse, if I'm lazy, I think about the bullshit Bear Grylls goes through and I ask myslef if hed skip a workout because he's fucking lazy. I'm competative with myself that way so it motivates me. Find something that motivates you like your kid. He needs a strong healthy male role model. You owe it to him. You don't necessarily have to have a full blown rigorous workout if you can't psych yourself up mentally, going through the motions will still reinforce your routine in your mind forming habit.
By the way, T-Nation has decent articles but they hawk thier bullshit supplements.
Also, I lift for function and to be honest, my build actually looks sweeter IMO than when I lifted to get a sweet build. Wacky stuff, yet Roche won't abandon the same weightlifting protocols he's been using since high school.
Bert, Roche tells me your doing the 300 style workout program. How's it going? Last night, I went to Jiu Jitsu and fought The Kingpin. Dude, this guy was a solid, muscular 300 lbs. Since I'm usually one of the bigger guys in the gym, I got paired up with him although he dwarfed me. Jesus, he was strong and impossible to take down. I went into pitbull mode and latched on around is neck and drug his ass down on top of me, after a bunch of struggling I managed to armbar him. We fought twice and I armlocked him the other time. Today, I'm bruised and sore in muscles I didn't even know I had. That's what I call a total body workout.
Roche exaggerates things a bit. If by 300 style, he means I'm not doing traditional weightlifting, then that's true. But that's about the only interpretation I could see that could fit. I've been back on a strict diet for the past 2 weeks but I haven't even started in earnest yet with exercising, as I'm just getting over a heinous cold. And I just got back from picking up Fatty from the airport, so now it's full crazy eating and no working out for the next day or so. Come Monday, I'll be ready to get serious. I'll report back my progress then.
Well Bone (and anyone else interested), things have come to a head for me. I've finally come to grips with a harsh reality: I'm a fat ass. Perhaps self-induced public humiliation will help motivate me. Exhibit A:
I don't keep immaculate records of my body stats, but I record them often enough using my diet tracking web application to generate this awful picture. Even more disturbing is that my gut has grown immensely since the early days in 2003 by a whopping 6 inches! Now, it's not as bad as all that because I have still considered myself within tolerances while being more like 3" smaller than now. But 3" on the gut is still substantial.
So now that I'm over my cold, I'm ramping up my program, albeit slowly. I had my first home-gym workout yesterday and even though it was with wimpy dumbbells and a swiss ball, I'm still hurting today. What really sucks is that I can't find a place to do pullups, no matter how hard I try. So my back is not getting its due.
Anyway, with the home-based weights and cardio, combined with a strict diet (barring once-a-week cheat days, don't nobody give me no shit at Fatty's party, I aim to misbehave) I'm hoping to reach a weight loss pace of 2lbs per week for the next couple of months to at least dig myself out of this wretched hole that I'm finding myself in.
I never thought it would come to this, and maybe that was the problem. I used to fear it like the plague.
Only 7 or so more pounds and you'll be a real man. Seriously though, start slowly and ramp up. You'll be fine. I've always admired you for the fact that you went from serious chub to lean and mean before. You can do it again.
You know, I've had periods where I slack but my alarm goes off if I'm 10 lbs over what I consider my norm. At that point I kick it back in gear. It's so much easier to make small rudder corections than big giant ones. Guess that doesn't help you now.
You're absolutely right, and that's how I've traditionally been - constant feedback of weighing myself every day or so helped a lot. At some point I became either completely apathetic or a total pussy and stopped doing it for fear of what I'd see. Of course that's extremely foolish and only ends up making things worse. Anyway thanks for the words or encouragement.
Dude, I started doing over head push presses and it may be one of the best exercises I've ever done.
Shoulders are about the only bodypart I specifically target because it triggers a subliminal "fuck me" response in women. Until now, I've been doing seated dumbell presses but I've always felt like I wasn't makeing the most of my time.
I read an article on T-Nation that said the overhead press is the ne plus ultra for shoulders. I couldn't figure out why since it was essentially the same movement and with a barbell at that (which I think is easier than dunmbells)
Anyway, I added the push press (just a slight kicker to get the weight going) and my shoulders got so fucking pumped I was unrecognizable in the mirror. Plus it adds core stabilizing muscles in the routine.
All I do now are: clean and jerks, overhead push press, pullups, bodyweight squats and lunges, and an occasional bench. Best routine ever for me.
Interesting. But being that I'm still of the home gym style, I don't think I'm going to get a barbell in here anytime soon - I'm stuck with dumbbell overhead presses. And anyway, if I started triggering the "fuck me" response in too many women, I'd just be getting myself into trouble...
Have you checked out Rosstraining.com ? First of all, the name is appropriate. Second, Ross Enamait is pretty well regard in the field of functional stremght and fitness. He takes a low tech, low budget approach. He is a huge proponant of burpees. This video shows what true fitness is all about.
Another sweet link, Bone. Thanks for these. The more I read about this type of training, the more I am sold on it. Ross, I'll bet one of his books will be just the thing you are looking for.
I just broke down and bought his Infinite Intensity book. His shite looks pretty sweet and the testimonials said a lot. I get it in a week or so and I'll let you know.
I checked Amazon first too... and Amazon UK. Just hold off. I'll give the book a quick go over when I get it and let you know if it is worthy of ownership. You can wait a week or two. It was a hard decision to decide between the two books. The second one is newer and I like the idea of gymless workouts. I chose the first because it seems to deal with overall fitness and addresses weights and non-weighted exercise - plus it seemed to talk about putting the pieces of an overall fitness plan together.
Really, I am wondering if this stuff is too intense for me. Looking at my history, it does not seem to fit into what I do. More up the Bone's style, really. But, I know that it is all something that you must work up too. Even with small steps, you will get somewhere eventually. Something is better than nothing.
I've been out of the gym for a month cuz of all the travel (Plus I am sick and was supposed to go tomorrow). I've had some injuries from before that I hope have healed now. I couldn't bench OR squat. It makes a man feel kind of worthless! Can't wait to hit the deadlifts again. I just finished reading some posts on Testosterone Nation on Pullups. Everyone seems to be a huge fan of those. They might make an appearance in the routine too.
Infinite Intensity is well regarded in the circles I frequent. I've considered purchasing it as well, but like Ross, I can't be bothered unless it's on Amazon.
I don't think anything is too intense. Just start out slow. DOn't over do it. Just have a plan to up the intensity periodically. Set goals. I got abs with that approach bitches.
I broke down and ordered this guys book from his site. I've been going through the motions of working out lately and needed some inspiration.
The book is low production value but is packed with great info. Really the best workout book I've read. It really reinforces the absurdity of lifting like a bodybuilder.
He has a great 50 day workout plan. I have no doubt that you would be in great shape if you followed it. The only hitch I see is that the excercises do require some weight equipment and the sprinting parts require a track.
I'm going to give it a run for 50 days the week after next. Did I mention I'm going to Manila next Sunday? Yes, me and an Admiral will be hanging. We have a major mil to mil treaty to sign and I get to roll in suave style to a party at the US Embassy. I'm going to be sweet.
Also, I have a pimp room at the Mandarin Oriental. 1st class baby.
I am excited to get my book now! It should be here in a few days. Not to discourage you to stop working out harder, but I am curious on how much more can you improve? From what I can gather, you are in supreme shape now. Of course you can always improve your endurance, which is extremely helpful for MMA AND yes your strength too. But you are still pretty damn strong now. Are you at a point in life where small improvements come at high cost (a lot of work) compared to an out of shape nugget who has tons of improvement potential? Again, I am not saying stop? I am seriously curious about where you are in the fitness continuum. There really is no place you can slow down and maintain your style, because your damn body is always adjusting. To maintain, you still have to challange your body. So pretty much to be sweet and stay sweet, you have to work pretty hard. Are these the facts Bone?
Dude - you so better be sportin the cufflinks and the shull-shoes. Plus, you'd better hit a swanky casino in full gear. If you don't, you aren't not living up to your own fantasy.
Ya - I am starting to plan my bulk-up stage to prepare for couch sitting this winter. My glutes are aren't cushy enough for the many hours of stagnation. This season I should be fairly well rounded. I plan to enlarge my gut so beers rest easily on it. Watch out for some serious sitting!
Hello! Is there a broken record here?? Can we get some new material from the Fatty-haters?
You can pronounce 'Ya' like the Arnold or a UP'er, or you can pronounce it like yeah. I think 'yeah' looks like it should be pronouced yea-ah, but of course we will differ here. But I don't want it to be confused with 'yea' or 'yay' which 'yeah' could be mispronounced (yea-h).
Ya, dude - I like ya, ya know? It is short and sweet, ya? Ya can use it in a lot of places with different pronouncations. Plus - Boo-ya would not be the same without it.
Dude - I suppose you could pronounce "idiot" as "smart" but why would you?
Ya is not yeah. You don't want it to be confused with yay? That's a reason? WTF? Why not just write what you mean? If you mean "yeah" write "yeah". What happens if you really do mean "ya"?
Dude - I suppose you could pronounce "idiot" as "smart" but why would you?
This is just stupid.
Ya is not yeah. You don't want it to be confused with yay? That's a reason? WTF?
Ya is Ya - it means yes - look it up. I use it instead of yeah. My reason is purely because it is shorter. Also I don't like the look of the word yeah - Ok thats weird, but so what.
Why not just write what you mean? If you mean yeah, right yeah. What happens if you really do mean "ya"?
Don't even go there, Ninja. When I was looking up your old, tired argument, I found many instances of you using ya for you. Why not just write what YOU mean? Plus, you are still thinking that they are two different things. Dude, they are both slang for yes. Why is this so difficult for you to realize?
I am almost finished reading the Infinite Intensity book. Bone is right - it looks like an expensive Kinko's publishing job (wire binder) but with that said - the book is sweet. This guy does a great job at putting together a lot of the current knowledge and training techniques around today. He also brings back a lot of the 'old school' exercises that I've forgotten, or never even seen. This adds tremendous variety to the amount of exercises you can add to your routines.
But, the downside of this book (for me and you Rossburger)... it is really written for the already in shape, combat athlete. It still is a great book, but many of the exercises are for advanced athletes. A beginner could not and should not follow his program. I would (and should) spend a few weeks getting my soft body ready for the intense workouts. My muscles, joints, tendons, etc. are not ready.
But, his concepts are dead on. This book is valuable. I am working through what I need to concentrate on to get prepared for his programs. He gives you the knowledge to design a personal exercise program that is practical and efficient, not to mention highly effective.
This has been a nagging thought of mine for years... that diet sodas where bad for you and actually kept you fat. It came from seeing a lot of fat people drinking a lot of diet sodas. Well, this will be be big news for a while. It is interesting, but I am far from being convinced. I have read a little more on these studies and saw the GMA video. The news seems to be painting a different picture than reality... again. But, there are at least 2 large studies that are pointing to diet sodas are linked to obsesity.
One article is here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4271246&page=1
I've heard similar reports Fatty -- or people making other health claims about how bad artificial sweeteners are (usually pulling facts out of their ass) -- but the one known fact is: sugar pop definately is bad and I can't help but think Diet is better than Sugar. By the way, I notice lots of fat people working out at the YMCA, but I don't blame the eclyptical machines for making 'em fat.
But the obvious choice of beverage -- and I'll spread the gospel as much as I can -- is water. Ang & I have been sans pop (or soda for you west coasters) for about a year and a half. And it's fabulous! Water is cheap, easy, healthy, doesn't go flat, doesn't have to be cold (or hot) to taste good, and doesn't make a mess when you spill it. In fact, I love it so much I bathe in it! Plus you don't have to return your "empty"s to the store to get your deposit back!
-- but the one known fact is: sugar pop definately is bad and I can't help but think Diet is better than Sugar.
By the way, I notice lots of fat people working out at the YMCA, but I don't blame the eclyptical machines for making 'em fat.
I won't fully support your first statement. I will agree with you that sweetened pop with corn sweetner or other engineered sweeteners are bad news.... but I could not say that one is much better than the other. I am under the belief that natural sugar is high in calories, but not necessarily bad for you. Of course, you will not find real sugar in any commercial drink because it costs too much.
My belief in diet drinks being bad is surely not based on sound empirical evidence... and my example is admittedly poor. Your call is correct there. I remember this belief manifesting itself while watching one of my diabetic colleagues drink 1 2-liter of diet coke per shift. It was his 'water'. It was further reinforced by seeing this overweigh guy refering to Diet Coke as his 'water' (talking about drinking 8-10 glasses a day which we now know is bullshit). This dude drank about 4 2-liters a day.
I guess it was me thinking that if an overweight person just substituted a diet drink for a normal pop, they would slowly lose weight over time (too a point). I never experienced that myself, nor did I ever see anyone else change when they did this. But, again, this is poor science. With your water switch, I was hoping to see that you lost weight.... but that never happened - so that further blew holes in my belief. But it is still in my head still, much like the picture of Bone's crank!
Tis, true I drank shit loads of Diet Ruby Red Squirt with seemingly no ill effects. Since going to strictly water I've noticed no weight difference. But who knows, maybe I was on the cusp of becoming a fat hog!
I believe its also bad to drink lots of "natural" sugars like orange juice. I'll have a little juice here and there, but the calories in sugar far outweigh the nutritional benefits. We'll be pushing water and milk to the kid at our house.
This coming from a kid, by the way, that grew up on Kool-Aid (mom used 2 scoops of sugar!) and Capt'n Crunch with sugar poored on it. But then my ass was outside riding bike and playing unlike the kids of today who sit and kick my ass in Halo.
I think there are too many conclusions being drawn from this one study. The idea behind it bears some investigation, but let's be clear: no one study ever proves anything.
Furthermore, I think it's pretty safe to say that from a straight calorie level (which at the end of the day is what affects your weight gain/loss), sugared drinks will add to weight gain literally infinitely more than zero-calorie diet ones. Of course there could be subtle side effects from drinking lots of diet drinks, which is what I think this study may indicate, but I still feel pretty comfortable saying that if you're a big Coke drinker, switching to Diet Coke is going to do you more good than harm. The trick would be making that change in isolation and not making up those calories elsewhere.
But I'll still agree that you'd probably be best off with water, anyway.
Also, stop getting your fucking news from ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, or god forbid, Fox! Start reading the damn Economist, or the Guardian, and on science issues, read blogs over at scienceblogs.com. You'll get a far deeper and more nuanced understanding of science and medical issues there than you will from a lifetime of the craptastic journalism coming from the big name "science journalists."
I get headaches from diet soda. I know many other people who have the same problem. I just can't feature that something that gives you a headache is better for you. For me, it's regular soda (in moderation) and water.
One thing about artificial sweeteners is that the sugar industry hates them, obviously, and has gone to great lengths to malign them. For the longest time, I even believed the urban legend that Nutrasweet turns into formeldahyde in your bloodstream. Many websites still make this claim even though it has been thoroughly debunked. Similarly, Splenda has been targeted by the sugar industry, again with misleading studies/statistics or even outright lies. And of course we all know that saccarin supposedly causes cancer, never mind that it's in rats and in concentrations hundreds of times beyond what any human would ingest.
I'm no diet soda apologist (though I have recently started drinking diet Sierra Mist sometimes) but I would say that on the whole, artificial sweeteners are a very good thing.
It seems a lot of people automatically assume "natural" is better and "artificial" is bad when it comes to foods, and of course that's a simplistic and wrong idea.
What about organic foods? I overheard a couple people discussing this in the store just yesterday. No doubt, raising your own food is great if you have the time and means. But are organic foods really better or is it just affluent hippies spending more for food? Afterall, there are still plenty of starving people in the world so isn't making food cheaper and more efficiently a good thing?
I agree and what's funny is the natural thing cuts both ways, even with respect to sweeteners. Splenda claims that since it's "made from sugar", it tastes better. Well, that's very misleading. That link has the great quote "By this logic, Splenda might as well claim that their
product comes from salt and lettuce, so it tastes like salad."
Anyway, organic foods are a great topic that is very confusing because it means different things for different foods. Usually, it means fruits/vegetables grown pesticide free (hard to argue that's not better if you can pull it off), and animals that are hormone/antibiotic free and aren't penned up 24/7. There can be additional things as well but it's not like it's regulated in any real way. One of my favorite podcasts, The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, briefly addressed this very topic on a recent episode and they said they'd go into more detail later, which I'm very eager to hear more about, since like you, Zilla, I'm pretty skeptical of the whole "organic" movement.
OK, I know this is an old thread but I didn't want to create a new one. So let me start by saying I'm full on sick of my fat gut! I took some measurements today and was digusted by the size of my gut. Lets start from the top and head down.
1. Neck - 17.25 in.
2. Chest - 49 in.
3. Arms 17.50 in.
4. Forearm 13.25 in.
5. Gut 45 in. Sucks!
6. Quad 26.50 in.
7. Calf 15.50 in.
8. Weight 234 lbs.
It's time to make some serious changes to my eating and exercise regime. My gut has got to be trimmed down. Years ago I was able to trim my gut and keep my arms the same size and that is what I'm going to do now. I've been eating a little be better the past couple of days, mostly less volume. I'm going to get organized and start eating smaller meals 6 times a day and ramp up my cardio.
My goal is to be down to 200 lbs. by October. I'm using the trip to Las Vegas as motivation to get in better shape. I don't want to show up all fatass style. I needed something to motivate me and this will do. So, I'm going to pump iron, eat better, and hit the cardio to see what happens. Hopefully some weight loss.
Bells, I was just thinking that this morning. I have been eating like crap the last month and can feel it. Between vacation and work travel, I have been eating at too many restaurants.
It's time to hit the Pilates and the gym, as well as increasing the water intake. Vegas is only a few months away!
Thanks for posting on this thread. Ross' weight graph cracks me up for some reason everytime I see it!
I know it's early but so far I'm trying to cut the size of my meals down. I have Zone bars to help fill the gaps and hopefully stave off hunger. I know they're not "organic', but what the fuck can I do. Also, I allow myself one Muscle Milk a day to help with muscle recovery. I guess Bone says I shouldn't go overboard with the Muscle Milk. The next big step will be to cut the junk out.
My gut has got to go, I'm sick of looking at it and carrying it around. I'm hoping to find a way to eat healthy without feeling like I'm starving. Wish me luck, boys and girls.
I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. I highly reccomend it. It's not preachy at all, it just lays down the facts of our modern industrial food system and allows you to draw your own conclusion. It's a ery eye opening read about the fucked up nature of agribusiness. It's fucked up for farmers, fucked up for the enviromnent, and fucked up for you and your kids. Of course the big corporations make out like bandits with some highly dubious ethical practices. Enough to make me shy away from manufactured foods and go organic as much as possible.
Regarding my workout style - crossfit is the shit, however I've modified it to fit my brand. Instead of following 3 days on, one day off. I've picked 10 varied workouts that are equipment friendly and time friendly and I've put them in a 5 day rotation with weekends off.
Pretty impressive, Bone. It looked like there was more than 175 lbs. on the bar, I need a set like that so I can look super sweet. One way or another it was some hardcore shit.
Bells, you are not a big tease with the photos. I know you aren't afraid to post. I have seen your guns posted on here.
However, The Bone appears to be all talk, no action... He may have let himself go and be afraid to say anything. I have noticed all newer photos are from a great distance(ex: giant wave, little Bone). The Bone may have become The Blob....
I am just questioning his Bone credentials, that's all...
The truly funny thing about this, is that Jack, Bells and I were just joking around about photoshopping Bone's face onto my body and titling it, "The Bone has really let himself go." But alas, due to time constraints and Bone's sending of apparent "true" pics, it was not to be.
I stumbled upon this blog entry which really sums up my fitness goals and has links to other sweet blogs like Mark's Daily Apple. The first entry takes a shot at the Roche workout philosophy which I personally believe to be a nearly a complete waste of gym time. The second part shows how sweet Mark Sisson (of Mark's Daily Apple) is at age 54. And the last vid shows how mind bogglingly sweet Laird Hamilton is. If you watch the vid , note how high he launches out of the back of the wave around the 3 min mark. IMO Laird Hamilton is the Batman of the Ocean.
Very cool, Bone. that guy Mark Sisson is pretty sweet. I definitely agree that being too pumped up or even obviously have acquired a physique via the gym alone is less desirable than having a more balanced, naturally fit look.
I have personally been having trouble keeping to the gym more than about once a week, so I'm focusing more on doing what I can with my meager home gym - I have a treadmill which I'm getting more use out of, and I've also recently joined the hundred pushup challenge with a group of coworkers (we each bet $20 we can do 100 pushups 6 weeks from now, and whoever doesn't not only loses their $20 but pays $1 for each pushup less than 100 they complete. The winners split the pot). Pushups are no pullups, to be sure, but I am getting a bit more respect for them after having not done many for so long.
Good luck on your challenge. I have great respect for the pushup. I do more workouts that include pushups than I do benching by a large margin. If I were in your shoes, I'd follow the pushup program as prescribed. I'd also do a couple different treadmill workouts:
6X400 meter sprints (walking recovery for at least a half lap)
4X400 meter sprints with 50 body weight squats (it's one of my favorite crossfit workouts and its quick and painful)
Walk for an hour as fast as you can keep up the pace.
Jog a 5K
I'd mix these in randomly and throw in a Tabata Burpee session every once in a while.
What else you have in your gym? You show throw some Big Johnson cash on a Concept II rower. Between that, the treadmil and your body weight routine, you could get super sweet.
Much better but still fucked up. It seems the fluid has drfited down from the elbow into the forearm giving me the Popeye look. Hopefully it will figure it self out soon. The weird thing is the prescription says to take one pill twice daily for 10 days. Well they only gave me enough for 5 days.
It's not a question of money, but of space. Especially with the chitlin in the house, my pad is feeling more and more like Fatty's cardboard box. Heather is pressuring me to put the condo on the market and get our asses out to the burbs, but with the market the way that it is, selling my place is about as fun a prospect as getting my wang caught in a wood chipper.
Anyway, I have dumbells and a Swiss ball in the house as well, so there are other workouts I can do. It's a question of keeping myself interested, though, too, because if I suddenly work up some elaborate workout scheme, I think I'm less likely to stick to it.
If you price it realistically to move, you should be able to get a good enough deal on the new place to offset the "loss" on the old one, right?
Only if he's not upside-down on the value vs. equity. Nice round number example: He pays 100k for his house, puts 10k down. Let's call that 10k in equity. Now he goes to sell and his house appraises for 80k. Now, in order to 'break-even', he has to bring 10k to the closing. So yeah, he'll get a good deal on the new house, but paying off the old house is the trick. Mind you, he'll be buying a house from someone else who is likely in the same situation. (Not that I'm implying anything about Ross's situation.)
Make sure when you get your house appraised, that YOU pick the appraiser, if you can. Some banks let you, others don't. If the bank picks the appraiser, they will low-ball the hell out of it. In fact, this happened to us recently. According to what we put down initially and the principal we've paid down, our records show that we should have around $40k in equity. The most recent appraisal we had was 6 months ago, and according to their numbers, the house is worth 15k less than what we still owe. I know the market has gone shitty, but not 55k in 3 years shitty! At least not for houses in the same price range. My brother-in-law is a realtor, and he ran an 18 month report for our neighborhood. The appraised value of our house is $30k LOWER than what ever other house sold for in the last 18 months, and we've got 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bath... not the smallest house on the block. Moral of the story is, don't let the bank appraise you if you have a choice.
Man, Robo... don't tell a Fatty that shite!!!! I am looking at putting my house on the market aka The Treehouse. My renters have always been a little flakey, now they lost a roomate and are moving out. My thought is one of them SHOULD work more than part-time at a coffee shop... but hey... I am a realist. I have been following the GR market. It has not been hit as hard as the rest of the US, simply because house values in GR are reasonable. Prices have dropped 5-10% Your appraisal is crazy!!!
The banks are the ones that got hit hard! My Bank Macatawa stock (once a darling) is swirling around the pooper. That bank is covering its ass... but doing so is only suppressing the market. True, it was the banks and appraisers that got the US in such mess, greedy bastards. A healthy and growing real estate market is a key driver of the economy.
Soooo - if you want to live in a house with STYLE and lots of COOL... the Treehouse is FOR SALE or rent (to the right people). Act now and save BIG $$$ on real estate fees. I'll pass the savings onto YOU! It now boasts newly painted interior, new furnace and airconditioning, and much much more!
Soooo - if you want to live in a house with STYLE and lots of COOL... the Treehouse is FOR SALE or rent (to the right people). Act now and save BIG $$$ on real estate fees. I'll pass the savings onto YOU! It now boasts newly painted interior, new furnace and airconditioning, and much much more!
Fatty - Don't forget to mention the "badder flinging" that's gone down at your old pad.
If you price it realistically to move, you should be able to get a good enough deal on the new place to offset the "loss" on the old one, right?
Only if he's not upside-down on the value vs. equity. Nice round number example: He pays 100k for his house, puts 10k down. Let's call that 10k in equity. Now he goes to sell and his house appraises for 80k. Now, in order to 'break-even', he has to bring 10k to the closing. So yeah, he'll get a good deal on the new house, but paying off the old house is the trick. Mind you, he'll be buying a house from someone else who is likely in the same situation. (Not that I'm implying anything about Ross's situation.)
Make sure when you get your house appraised, that YOU pick the appraiser, if you can. Some banks let you, others don't. If the bank picks the appraiser, they will low-ball the hell out of it. In fact, this happened to us recently. According to what we put down initially and the principal we've paid down, our records show that we should have around $40k in equity. The most recent appraisal we had was 6 months ago, and according to their numbers, the house is worth 15k less than what we still owe. I know the market has gone shitty, but not 55k in 3 years shitty! At least not for houses in the same price range. My brother-in-law is a realtor, and he ran an 18 month report for our neighborhood. The appraised value of our house is $30k LOWER than what ever other house sold for in the last 18 months, and we've got 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bath... not the smallest house on the block. Moral of the story is, don't let the bank appraise you if you have a choice.
Spider - I know what you're saying, but it's a buyers market: It's a great time to buy a house (or sell and buy a bigger house). Ross can wait for his existing house to raise in value or buy bigger and gain greater equity on that house. With the cost of everything else going up, housing values will rise.
Move out to California. Everything is more expensive out here. Gas in Hawaii was cheaper than it is here and we have renfineries in my town, and oil fields all over. Bullshit I say!
If you price it realistically to move, you should be able to get a good enough deal on the new place to offset the "loss" on the old one, right?
This is largely true. Especially considering the new place will likely cost twice what I paid for this one. And yes, I won't actually be under water on the sale, my equity is too high for that, and prices aren't anywhere near low enough for me to worry about that kind of thing.
But what I'm mostly referring to is the hassle. The people above me have had their (identical) condo on the market for about 2 months now and it's not sold yet - and one of them is a realtor! And they don't even live there anymore - which you could argue that is hurting more than helping (no furnishings), but my point is that it's a huge hassle to have to have your primary residence ready to show at the drop of a hat for 2+ months, while you have a toddler and all his requisite shit laying around.
Spider - I know what you're saying, but it's a buyers market: It's a great time to buy a house (or sell and buy a bigger house). Ross can wait for his existing house to raise in value or buy bigger and gain greater equity on that house. With the cost of everything else going up, housing values will rise.
Oh, no question it's a buyer's market. But remember, just because everything is getting more expensive, doesn't mean the value is going up. Anyway, I don't disagree. Just sharing my pain. I was surprised that we were seeing that around here, because while housing prices have gone up steadily, we never saw the kind of increases that were seen on the coasts, and in larger cities. /shrug.
I've been poking around that Mark's Daily Apply site... it is very interesting. You've really cut out processed carbs Bone? What kind of difference did it make with you? I did that with Fatkins, but it was total elimination of carbs. The Loading Zone seemed better, but it was far too long to remember correctly. I do remember the sweetest/ healthiest time in my life where I was eating minimal carbs (it was pre-zone days). It was a good 2-3 months when I went into McD's for a small snack. All I got was a small cheeseburger and fries and that made me very sick. Somehow I forced mayself back into burgerworld.
Mark's blog had some info on stuff that I had though about earlier, but could not find much... like - what methods are best for cooking veggies. I heard that microwaving is very bad, but his blog says the opposite - at least for broccoli and such.
His food and receipe ideas are certainly tasty looking. Some of his explainations on the science of things is a little hoekey... more his opinion and take on current theories. None-the-less, good stuff is to be found.
Ross - how is the push-up program going? I bet it gets real hard around weeks 3-4.
I eat carbs in the form of oatmeal for breakfast then veggies and fruit for lunch and dinner. I've cut out dairy for the last month and things seem to be fine. I'm a little worried about calcium though.
The sweet thing is I have nearly a month off staring Aug 1. With that much free time I'm going to kick it into high gear and get ripped as fuck.
I happened to run across this quote on a message board that I think sums it up:
Q: Why will you devote yourself to working out and training?
A: What else is there to do?....work a 9-5...get fat...play golf...and go deep into debt buying crap that you don't need in order to make yourself feel like you are doing something with your life other than getting fat?
To my great shame, I recently joined facebook - a sight I previously felt was reserved for 15 yr old girls, but it turns out it's pretty cool. I've reconnected with tons of peple from high school that I would otherwise have not ever heard from. Unfortunately there is one serious drawback. I'm running into chicks I used to have crushes on that are now fatties. The ones that are still hot are married with babies. How depressing. It's giving me a peter pan complex. Still, it reminds me of this quote I found about which still holds true.
Wow. That quote drove me into full depression mode. I do like the fact that I'm married, have a steady income, and 2 beautiful girls. But I could certainly stand to lose a few pounds. If only there was a way to find a balance between Peter Banning and Peter Pan.
Did you find Emily on there Bone?
Don't be depressed. I actually respect the fact you are single living your life the way you want rather than getting married and having kids because it the thing to do.
Too many guys do that shit and then end up f'ing their wife and kid over because they can't get past living in their younger years.
My husband has a friend getting ready to do the same thing. I recommended getting a pair of balls first before even considering marriage.
Bone, have you sworn off beer? Just curious if you drink beer every now and then.
Mmmmmm Beer........... Swerb will like this - I remember from his bachelor party that he liked Chimay beer. Years later, I fell in love with this beer and it is my favorite. The problem is this Belgian beer is so damn expensive in Hungary. Last weekend in France, I saw it for about $2 a bottle (compared to about $8 here). Fatty happily carried a few bottles around France just so he could enjoy some at home.
Chimay Blue is like candy! One bottle left, and I don't think it will survive the night.
Say what you want about it... but I love me some France! It is THE place to go to get your eat on. They know how to do food right. Man, it was a tasty weekend. Food, wine, beer, and champaign.
I do enjoy the occassional beer. I keep it simple with my love of the Rolling Rock. It has been my brand since college.
Two beers and I am drunk. A six pack and you will have to carry me home.
Ahh Rolling Rock. It does ring of "College." Alcohol consumption, beer or other, is not an issue for me. I could probably have a six pack sit in my fridge for an entire year before finally consuming the last one. And that's only if a friend comes over and shares one or 2 with me.
Bone, have you sworn off beer? Just curious if you drink beer every now and then.
First, I love the "every now and then" line, Bells. That's what you do, right?
I think Bells is looking for confirmation that he can look sweet and drink beer.
Let me explain: A couple weeks ago -- after an explosive anti-gut rant from Bells -- we made a deal that I would give up chocolate (my favorite) and he would give up beer (his favorite). There was no defined time frame; it was just something to help cut down calorie intake for both of us.
We shook on it.
Bells didn't last a week (think "The Bet" Seinfeld episode where Kramer shows up the next day: "I'm out!").
I was disappointed in Bells -- "Did he even try?" -- and we had a mild argument over the issue. According to him his beer intake has nothing to do with his weight (he only has beer "twice a month" afterall). Apparently beer calories are different from food calories.
Now, no doubt moderation is the key, but when it comes to Bells and beer (or me and chocolate) "moderation" is a pretty vague concept. I find that complete elimination (as I've done with pop) is easier than "moderation."
It's a struggle, but I hope we both can show a little more resolve to keep the gut off and "get herny."
(By the way, I remain "chocolate-free" despite Bells hearing "rumors to the contrary")
I think I might join you two in swearing off a vice. All though, it sounds like Bells has already ruined it. I need to get away from the heroin/pop called Dew. Tried it before but now I have a bit of a deadline to look forward to.
Dude - Giving up pop is easy as pie! And I'm looooving it! Think of the money you'll save! Money that could be spent on comic books and seeing THE DARK KNIGHT!
I agree with you Zilla. Soda is my weakness. If I drink it, I pack on weight quickly. Like beer, it is just empty calories. I have to completely cut it out or I am screwed.
Hmm, I wonder where the term beer gut came from? Rolling Rock has 120 calories per 12 oz. beer.
A person who weighs 150 llbs. needs to walk 60 minutes at 3mph on a treadmill to burn those calories.
No but I have her number in my phone and we have polans to hang out in Atlanta in Sep. But even better, I found this hot girl that I went out with a few times - and was evident that we both liked each other but the timing wasn't right. Anyway, she's still hot and has both and engineering degree and a law degree and works for Nvidia as a corporate lawyer. And her dad is rich. Things are looking up for the bone.
I'm with you Bunky. I can't have a little bit here and there. I'm not aware of the meaning of moderation. So, it's got to be cold turkey for me or it doesn't work. One day sans pop so far.
I didn't know which thread to add this to. This probably isn't that exceptional of a jiu jitsu video but my old club just sent this video out for some reason. It's pretty entertaining.
.
Their email says the following:
Hey whats up Ross , Check out this video I came accross
This is a good example of how Gracie Jiu Jitsu can help someone
who is forced on the ground and has to defend them self while fighting
off their back.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the only combat system that addresses this
crucial posision we call the "guard" and other realistic posistions for
a real life encounter.
Keep in mind the person on top throwing punches in this video is a
professional mma fighter with over 35+ professional fights. The average
brawler on the street should go down alot easier!
I just saw this vid yesterday. I'm a big believer in the power of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for asswhuppery. I'm too old and it hurts too much to train hard at boxing and Muay Thai. I'm not ever going to be a mixed martial artist. But one day I might find myself in a situation where I'm being forced to defend myself and I've concluded that BJJ is the best way to prevail. It's given me a lot of confidence knowing that I'm trained in taking guys down and controlling them on the floor.
Now I don't think that you are invincible with Jiu Jitsu. A hard hitter could get a crack in before you get him down but it's the most practical defense system to better your odds. You spar full force with jiu jitsu you are battle tested to the greatest degree minus punching.
As a follow on to this video, the black guy, Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett later woke up and knocked out the jiu jitsu guy's teammate - Pride 205lbs champion, Wanderlei Silva.
What I found so interesting about the video is that the jiu jitsu dude was so incredibly calm in dealing with the punches. Not only that, at one point,when Crazy Horse got out of the initial leg lock, the jiu jitsu guy could have probably gotten up, but stayed on his back, inviting him back in for another round! His control was mind blowing.
Laying on your back is a fairly safe position if you are trained, even more so against someone who isn't. They can only really kick at your legs, If they want to get in and do something, they fall back into your guard and now they are susceptible to a triangle like in the vid or a sweep with them ending on the bottom.
One more reason to know jiu jitsu - when a naked man wearing a mask sneaks into your house with rope, a knife, and some condoms to rape your daughter, you can choke his ass out to the point of death like this guy did.
One more reason to know jiu jitsu - when a naked man wearing a mask sneaks into your house with rope, a knife, and some condoms to rape your daughter, you can choke his ass out to the point of death like this guy did.
One more reason to know jiu jitsu how to pull the trigger. I'm only mostly joking. While I'm not opposed to guns, I don't own one, and certainly wouldn't keep it accessible in the house if I did. That's why I keep a fencing foil next to my bed. Won't do much good against a gun, but knife or otherwise, and I can at least keep them at distance. Not to mention, without a proper fencing jacket, it'd be pretty easy to skewer someone with it. If you were robbing a house, wouldn't you think twice if you came across someone Gomez Addams style who yelled 'en guarde'? Come to think of it, I should put my mask/helmet up there too. They'd think I'd gone full-tilt. The best defense is instanity.
One more reason to know jiu jitsu - when a naked man wearing a mask sneaks into your house with rope, a knife, and some condoms to rape your daughter, you can choke his ass out to the point of death like this guy did.
Ok, I got a little off topic there... What you have to appreciate about this guy is, he had a plan. He'd thought things through:
Man to Himself: What should I wear?
Himself to Man: Come on, think man! Clothes will only slow us down!!
Man to Himself: Good thinking. I don't know what I'd do without us.
Bert - I remember you had gone to jiu jitsu at one time but gave up on it. I know that having a kid, a job, a wife, and computer toys takes a toll on your time reserves but if you ever decide to take it up again, get the Blue Belt requirements video from Roy Dean.
I recently purchased to supplement my training and give me a little direction. Man, I wish I got this when I first started. I have a couple videos that show techniques but this video systematically organizes the skillsets required to progress. It really unlocks the mystery of what you are progressing towards.
Maybe. But organic produce uses pesticides too, sometimes more
pesticides than non-organic. Anyway, I think this blog has a
good response. He basically says that it's a good study but is by no
means definitive, nor does it prove causation.
Me, I'm just
going to start washing fruit more thoroughly...
