Fitness Thread

p0nder

Starter
37, you can build off that, I'd say in 4 weeks you can get to 30:00

Try This

HIIT - 15 minutes on the treadmill
2 Minutes of Walking (3.0-4.0)

1 Min of Running (6.0 - 8.8)
30 Sec of Sprinting (9.0 - 12.0)
30 Sec of Walking (3.0-4.0)

Repeat 7 times

Monday - HIIT
Tuesday - Long Distance Run (5K)
Weds - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Thursday - HIIT
Friday - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Saturday - Long Distance Run (5K)
Sunday - Off


Try that two weeks...let me know if it helps improve your speed on the 5K.

Thanks metro! I'll implement this and see how it goes. One thing i'm worried about is how i'm performing in ball on Tuesdays and Sundays. I'm glad that Sunday is an "off" day but I think I need to take one on Tuesday as well because I was fried for my game last night and played awful. Aside from that I think this program is great. Do you think i'll be fine with this modification? :

Monday - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Tuesday - Off (basketball)
Weds - Long Distance Run (5K)
Thursday - HIIT
Friday - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Saturday - Long Distance Run (5K)
Sunday - Off (basketball)

Just as a note I also do Leg Workouts on Monday (back squats, extentions, calf raises) and Friday (front squat, box jumps, glute ham raises). I like the idea of jumprope on these days as extra "plyo" work.
 

metrocard

Legend
Crossfit takes so much on the central nervous system, is a randomized non-system of training. It?s basically a set of random workouts that are high intensity circuit based workouts.

I'm not trying to bash it, but as a trainer my job to care for the health and wellness of my clients.
Injuries happen so I have to examine the dangers and the benefits of the exercise or program. If the dangers outweighs the benefits, we're not doing it.

Crossfit marketers promise better results with less time commitment, which in today?s ?busy? world is probably the number one selling point for many products or ideas, I do this also. If you?ve ever watched late night infomercials, you might start to see some similarities?crossfit training creates an acidic environment in the body that actually leads to the degradation of coordination.

Training isn?t a random collection of hard workouts. Logical sequence and progression is training. If there?s no periodization, then you can expect to get exactly what you trained for, random results. Different training methods for different goals. Individualization.

If you?ve been in the coaching business long enough you know that hard stupid work doesn?t get you anywhere. You can?t just do work that is painful just because it hurts and expect to get better. The trained athletes are pretty good at recruiting more and more fibers as they get closer to fatigue. The untrained, not so much.

I've been injured before (a concussion), it's a terrible setback and anyone who recovers from an injury back to full shape is a hero.

I still try Cross Fit because it's fun, but beyond that, if I'm training seriously...CrossFit isn't apart of my gameplan.

I come to find out one of the CrossFit fanatics on my facebook hurt his back badly and has to resort to the leg press machine for 3 months. Ouch.

As for road work, it's a must for me.
Why? I'm a boxer, so my goal to have a strong aerobic system.
Some of the most successful boxers of history always had great roadwork routins, 5-8 miles, even 12 miles sometimes.
I run 5 miles in the morning because I need energy throughout the day to bike to work, train clients, instruct classes, train myself, bike to boxing, boxing for 2-3 hours, then bike to work and do the same thing at work and then bike home to finally rest. Doing 8+ miles on the road would leave my legs stringy throughout the day.

I feel like sprints are an essential part of a routine, if you are running and you pace yourself; the benefits of adding a sprint every 2-3 minutes is great.

Sprinters have excellent physiques but also excellent body movements, their movements are beautiful and their coordination is great at changing paces and turning up the gear. That's a great skill to have, I try to work on it bit and bit; I'm not elite but I try to give it my best.

With all the stuff I do, I earned a nickname "Mr. Stamina". Sometimes I feel surprised when I'm tired, I've built my endurance to a high level. Now only if I can build my boxing skills to that same level I'll be a happy guy :lol:


Sorry for the delayed response my man.

This workout is a great example. I'm honestly not sure what it is accomplishing. I believe you should only do things that have a clear purpose for WHY you are doing them as part of your fitness program. It seems you take the same approach and have the ability to apply it to people, individually, from exercise to recovery to nutrition.

Personally, I would only do that type of workout occasionally. And I view it more as a mental toughening routine. It's good to sometimes push yourself mentally and fight through extreme fatigue. It helps especially in a combat sport. But I think there are easier and better ways to achieve this, vs cns burning killers.

For a guy like yourself, already a high level athlete, or the dude in the video, I think it's a fine workout. However! :) I still wouldn't do it if I was playing sports actively, or my overall program already had built in mechanisms that already accomplish what this workout seeks to (minus the risks).

You can just imagine the majority of people who perform "bad ass" workouts like this from cross fit, and how poor they likely look doing it, and the high injury and recovery killing elements that they get smacked with.

To many people who even survive cf, just become good at cf. Hence it gets cult like. And I know some ppl like this who legit get gassed playing a random game of pickup ball bx their cns is so perpetually fried.

You mentioned performance and peak performance in your last sentence. And that's exactly it. From a true athlete, to a normal dude who wants the energy to bang his girl all night and feel constant vitality in day to day living and be able to rise to challenges.

On subject of cf style routines like what u did, I love them conceptually. To me nothing is more fun for cardio and strength-endurance than two things:

Hitting the heavy bag, and doing cross fit style combination routines...But i keep them to ten minutes maximum, and building them around exercises that I know are useful to my goals, and that won't rape my cns and recovery.

But it's crazy how cf workouts can destroy a cns. And the better the athlete the more risk too. Can destroy weeks if not many months of progression and planning.

What's ur take on road work metro? Traditional long duration running, vs sprinting, vs sport specific stuff (heavy bag or shadow boxing routines for cardiovascular benefits) etc.

Wtf are those lunatic swings on the pull up bar?


Core activation.

Thanks metro! I'll implement this and see how it goes. One thing i'm worried about is how i'm performing in ball on Tuesdays and Sundays. I'm glad that Sunday is an "off" day but I think I need to take one on Tuesday as well because I was fried for my game last night and played awful. Aside from that I think this program is great. Do you think i'll be fine with this modification? :

Monday - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Tuesday - Off (basketball)
Weds - Long Distance Run (5K)
Thursday - HIIT
Friday - Jumprope (15 minutes)
Saturday - Long Distance Run (5K)
Sunday - Off (basketball)

Just as a note I also do Leg Workouts on Monday (back squats, extentions, calf raises) and Friday (front squat, box jumps, glute ham raises). I like the idea of jumprope on these days as extra "plyo" work.


I think for you since you're basically on the athlete level and you play ball 2-3 times a week, jumproping is an excellent addition to your program.

Nate Archibald use to jumprope for 45mins to 60 mins before a game. Jump roping is great for the body and heres why:
The Jumprope teaches you how to use your legs efficiently: movement, coordination, timing, agility and speed. More efficient movements save you energy and you get less tired. When you play your games of basketball, you feel your stamina is timeless and you'll be able to preform at a higher level with an increase of stamina. I cannot run without using my arms and I cannot punch without using my legs, just like you can't shoot without using your legs and you can't run and shuffle without using your arms. Once you get a feel for how body movements works, you'll see why there is no "upper body" or "lower body", there is simply one "body" The lower body is not a separate entity from your upper body. When we walk, our arms naturally move. Does that make sense?
The jump rope is fast and constant which is very similar to how you would use your legs during a fight. For fighters, Jumprope > Squat. Doing squats will never be as good; squats aren?t done fast enough & never get to hundreds of repetitions.

These are just my thoughts, not facts or researched enough to claimed this as the truth. I just try my best to make it logical as possible. I feel we'll be better in all components of fitness if we treat the body as one piece instead of cut it down into different parts.
 

metrocard

Legend
Some awesome videos holmes.

I like the thick bar training one a lot. Speaking of thick bar training, I worked out a lot in Russia past month. Lots of school yard style workouts. Low tech, but high effect. I've noticed a lot of similarities between these eastern euro style training modalities, and the growing phenomena of like...urban bodyweight/playground/prison style workouts. It's getting hyped up too much, and too much race being injected into the discussion, but the power of true body science can be profound even when applied in basic, low tech ways.

You just need to know the fundamentals of exercise and be already well trained yourself and have great body awareness (verrrrrry underrated) , or have someone with the expertise and talent to coach and train the right way, on an individual level while still applying overall principles and logic into individual situations.

Imo, the best trainers and coaches operate somewhat like that. I consider myself very knowledgeable and experienced with exercise, but i would also call myself a hack trainer. A great workout partner and gym buddy to ppl already well trained, but a poor trainer myself. (compared to legit ones....many trainers are just horrible, and regurgitate Muscle Mag bull****).


Yea, as a trainer I've met a lot of trainers. I'd say over a thousand, especially living in NYC.

I get discriminated against because I'm young and these guys assume I know only to what I've been exposed to.

I'm an avid researcher and a critical thinker, I've reformed my methods so many times I don't really have a base or style, kinda like to keep my methods well rounded to answer and fit every component of fitness. I found the best results that way with my clients, plus clients become more involved when you give them a series of multiple exercises that differentiate but progress one's fitness. If a person learns a new skill such as jumproping or throwing a boxing combination, they're more engaged as oppose to a trainer watching them and counting repetitions of a man-made exercise machine and doing simplistic exercises such as the bench press or bicep curl(not dissing these exercises but they're very common)

I can't hate on these trainers because I understand they're just trying to do two things. Make money and feed their ego. Sometimes it's one or the other.

You meet a lot of guys at gyms who can't wait to go up to someone and blab away pseudofacts they hold strongly to and think their methods are the best to date. Ballooning the ego is a priority for these guys, especially if they don't get much results from their clients.

I'm a results guy. I can't talk about it until I see it happen. I'm proud to help a lot of people not only change their physique but their attitude and lifestyle; more positivity and blocking out the bull**** that interferes with their progress. I've reached out to a lot of people beyond my sessions where I'm not paid for once the hour is over, but it's not about the money or the ego. When you help someone get something they want so bad and you made a difference in that progress; it's a priceless feeling. It doesn't boost my ego or fill up my wallet, it's just makes my environment a healthier place for me. It does give me a warm feeling inside (as faggotity as that may sound), but that's why I been doing this since I was 19 and I'm 24 now.

I feel like you become a good trainer when you put all the bull**** in the toliet and flush it, you have a clear mind open to new ideas and hungry for research and logic, and you naturally care for your client's health and well being, not just their physique and weight loss.





Now that is how a gym is suppose to look like and how a trainer is suppose to be.

All components of fitness answered! Yes!
 

metrocard

Legend
Today I was running at 12 miles per hour. Not bad since I haven't ran since September. 5K run through Pelham Pkwy/Williamsbridge Rd in the Boogie. Duration: 25:39(2:34PM-300PM) Calories burned: 386. My next goal is try to get 5K in 20 minutes by March/April.
 

orangeblobman

Rotation player
That's a nice 5k time.

Started doing dumbbell snatches!!

MyersDBSnatch.jpg


Finally found a lift for that power component, and it's easy to learn and fun to do!!

Plan is to be dunking by February.

I started touching rim from squats and deadlifts and other strength work, now with the snatches, I'll be throwing them down.

Love the snatch.

power-lifting-6.jpg


I'll tell you what, Metro, I'm gonna do a 5K after two months of snatching and see what it did for my time. My guess is that I'm gonna get 28 at least, just from snatching and squats and deadlifts, without any running training.

That's the challenge.
 

metrocard

Legend
Well, I haven't squated or done any olympic lifts as religiously I did them in the past. Maybe once a week at most and not even heavy stuff because I spend a lot of time on my coordination, agility, and flexibility at boxing. I basically do a 5K sprint twice a week and do HIIT on the treatmill 2-3 times a week.
 

metrocard

Legend
lol, why did you delete your comment?

orange, I was maxed out running...it's not a literally sprint, but me running at 75% of my max. I run a 5K in 24-25 mins.

Do you have to be a troll about everything?

My high snatch? What does that mean?

Are you trying to ask me what's my maximal amount of weight that I snatched? It's unclear what you're presenting here.

For snatching, I only snatch with a kettlebell. Never maxed out before, no need to.
 
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smokes

Huge Member
I'd love some advice from our fitness experts how to go about gaining strength/muscle.

I can't weigh myself right now but last time I did I weighed around 65kg, yes I'm a skinny dude, with a slightly unsightly belly :lol:

I posted my diet in the diet thread but I may as well reiterate everything here.

Breakfast - Banana, Protein shake (skimmed milk)
Mid morning - Protein shake (skimmed)
Lunch - Tuna + light mayo (sometimes in a sandwich)
Mid afternoon - Protein shake (skimmed)
Dinner - Chicken and boiled vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cabbage, pumpkin)
Late night - Protein shake (skimmed)

The protein I use is a 100% whey. Sometimes I mix in a scoop of weight gainer supplement which is more carb based.

I'm doing workouts 3-4 days per week. I workout with dumbbells.

3 sets bicep curls x 10
3 sets bench press x 10
3 sets explosive press up x 5
3 sets press up x 10
3 sets squats x 10
3 sets dumbbell lunges x 10

Something like that, it's kinda improvised.

Also every day I spent 30min-1hr outside my house shooting hoops, running around a bit (light cardio).

My aim is to gain upper body strength/muscle and lose fat... I constantly hear mixed feedback about whether these two goals can be achieved at the same time.

I'm confident in all my exercise form apart from the squat which I have a very hard time with, especially due to my knees being creaky.

I'd love feedback and critique from you guys about where to change things in my diet/fitness routine.

I think I might also be lactose intolerant/milk allergy which ****ing sucks...
 

metrocard

Legend
4 X 12 with 30-45 seconds of rest in between.
Try it for 4 weeks.
I will change it up for you.

Snack on smuckers peanut butter throughout the day, I will come back to this thread and post some foods that will help you in your strength gains.


I'd love some advice from our fitness experts how to go about gaining strength/muscle.

I can't weigh myself right now but last time I did I weighed around 65kg, yes I'm a skinny dude, with a slightly unsightly belly :lol:

I posted my diet in the diet thread but I may as well reiterate everything here.

Breakfast - Banana, Protein shake (skimmed milk)
Mid morning - Protein shake (skimmed)
Lunch - Tuna + light mayo (sometimes in a sandwich)
Mid afternoon - Protein shake (skimmed)
Dinner - Chicken and boiled vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cabbage, pumpkin)
Late night - Protein shake (skimmed)

The protein I use is a 100% whey. Sometimes I mix in a scoop of weight gainer supplement which is more carb based.

I'm doing workouts 3-4 days per week. I workout with dumbbells.

3 sets bicep curls x 10
3 sets bench press x 10
3 sets explosive press up x 5
3 sets press up x 10
3 sets squats x 10
3 sets dumbbell lunges x 10

Something like that, it's kinda improvised.

Also every day I spent 30min-1hr outside my house shooting hoops, running around a bit (light cardio).

My aim is to gain upper body strength/muscle and lose fat... I constantly hear mixed feedback about whether these two goals can be achieved at the same time.

I'm confident in all my exercise form apart from the squat which I have a very hard time with, especially due to my knees being creaky.

I'd love feedback and critique from you guys about where to change things in my diet/fitness routine.

I think I might also be lactose intolerant/milk allergy which ****ing sucks...
 

smokes

Huge Member
Got me some Sanitarium PB with no added salt or sugar, or any crap. Ingredients: Fresh roasted peanuts 96%, vegetable oils and stabiliser.

I should just eat it straight out the jar?
 
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metrocard

Legend
You may add some strawberry perserve jam for a little more taste. But yea, just take a couple spoonfulls or even help yourself to a sandwich everyday.

Since you're working out 4 times a week, you will gain weight but the added muscle will be the majority of it, thanks to the vitamins, good fats and protein in peanut butter.

I was going to recommend cotton cheese, but peanut butter is a little easier to eat.



Here's why Im saying this.

My ex-roommate was Pakistani, and dudes from India, Pakistan tend to be very skinny and have a hard time bulking up to their desire sized.

He was 5"11 and 135 lbs.

Within 6 months I helped him get up to 180lbs, and within a year he was at 190(which I thought was too much)

He worked out in a weird fashion which actually slowed the process and made his body looked distorted. He had flabby abs and a stronger upper body than lower body. He didn't follow my workout advice because he was into building strength in bench pressing and dumbbell curls...amateur type stuff.

Well, he did make changes on his diet (he drank too much milk, made his abs flabby and body soft).

What I want for you is just consistency for now.

Once your comfortable with controlling your decisions and being loyal to a routine, you can add some things in there because you now have a foundation of fitness in respect to your body and your gains.

From there, I'll present a new plan for you to continue increasing and gaining more results because doing the same thing over and over doesn't work forever as we know well...so, just enjoy what you're doing now.

A lot of good awaits in the future.
 

smokes

Huge Member
Yeah, I'm not bothered with just having arms and chest. I wanna improve those areas but I want a strong core, back and lower body also. It bugs me that squats and deadlifts are out of my comfort zone because I don't know any other effective exercises for those areas, with dumbbells anyway.

Thanks for the advice, if you can suggest any exercises that can substitute for the above that would be sweet. Other than that I'll stick with this for the next month.

Only thing I'm thinking of changing is my supplements, the protein stuff I have now is pretty average I think. We have a company here that does a lot of NZ made supplements which cut out all the crap, like literally everything.

In NZ we are not allowed to use hormones on our cows to make them produce more milk like in other countries, so these supplements are free of those hormones. They also have no artificial ingredients whatsoever and have an extremely high protein to carb to fat ratio.

I believe it's in the region of 26g protein to 2g carb 1g fat per serve. The only other things it contains is L-Glutamine and amino acids.

These supplements sound awesome, the only drawback is having such a low carb rate is unusual so I suppose I will have to increase my carb intake.

Apart from the protein supplements, are there any other supplements you recommend? When I look around it seems everyone is taking half a dozen different things... Pre Workout formulas... Fat burners... Is all this stuff actually necessary?
 

smokes

Huge Member
Damn that looks like it could go so wrong :lol:

Are you suggesting those for back/core replacement exercises? I could try it with my dumbbells.... Extremely carefully haha...

BTW, do you think 30min-1hr playing basketball 1 on 1 or just solo is suitable cardio? I'm not a big fan of running (knees again).
 
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