The Running/Keeping Fit Thread

[Pablo]

April
Carra: 88.4km
Rowan: 65.7km
Pablo: 36.9km
canotmakeit:26.2km
Scarmanga: 21.7km
badpiggy: 15.7km
Rich: 14km
RoadEnd: 12.5km
Alex 10.02km
PTP: 5.96km
Slinky Skills: 4.7km

[cannotmakeit]

April
Carra: 88.4km
Rowan: 65.7km
Pablo: 36.9km
canotmakeit:32.7km
Scarmanga: 21.7km
badpiggy: 15.7km
Rich: 14km
RoadEnd: 12.5km
Alex 10.02km
PTP: 5.96km
Slinky Skills: 4.7km

[Fierce]

Well today is my final day of bulking/mass building, starting Monday is the dreaded "cut" Have to decrease my calorie intake by 200 a day so as to keep the size but lose the fat

I can't imagine 200 calories being enough of a differential between bulking and cutting?

Surely if building mass, you're increasing by 200 at the very, very least? And similarly, the opposite for reducing?

[Subby]

I was about 400-500 extra minimum sometimes more but now with a cut I need to gradually (over 4-6weeks) cut down without losing the mass ive built. Cutring 300 or 400 per day is too much and the body will go into starvation mode and actually store fat as opposed to burning it. Reducing gradually (200 a day each week) wont be as much of a shock to my body and it'll adjust easier than a hard diet. Week one and two is 200 less a day. Week three and four is 250 less a day and week five and six is 300 less a day, until ive got to the fat % I'm happy with.

[Subby]

Its about finding your maintenance level and reducing below that amount just enough to burn fat and not lose muscle.

[Fierce]

Aha, yeah that makes more sense. Carry on

[Pablo]

Nice work canotmakeit, you're going to smash your March total at this rate.

I've got another 10km planned in for tomorrow morning before work. Hoping for a season's best somewhere around the 50-51 minute mark.

[Rich]

April
Carra: 88.4km
Rowan: 65.7km
Pablo: 36.9km
canotmakeit:32.7km
Rich: 24.5km
Scarmanga: 21.7km
badpiggy: 15.7km
RoadEnd: 12.5km
Alex 10.02km
PTP: 5.96km
Slinky Skills: 4.7km

Cheeky 10.5km chug

[cannotmakeit]

Nice work canotmakeit, you're going to smash your March total at this rate.

I've got another 10km planned in for tomorrow morning before work. Hoping for a season's best somewhere around the 50-51 minute mark.

thanks, picking it up again after a year or so off. Was still running but not consistant enough.

Good times you have, i'm a plodder 10k around 1hr 4-10 mins mark.

[Rowan]

April
Carra: 88.4km
Rowan: 77.3km
Pablo: 36.9km
canotmakeit:32.7km
Rich: 24.5km
Scarmanga: 21.7km
badpiggy: 15.7km
RoadEnd: 12.5km
Alex 10.02km
PTP: 5.96km
Slinky Skills: 4.7km

Nice 7 miles last night and if the weather holds I might blast a few by the seaside today. Aprils looking like it might be a big month

[knockers]

I've got just over a month until my holiday and want to add a little muscle and shape to top end healthy BMI.

I cycle 2 x 50 minutes a day for over a year now so not interested in adding any more cardio. Not lost any weight doing this as I'm always hungry but do plan on cutting back on sweet thing which is my Achilles heel, aside from that I eat v.well.

So I need a gym/weight/home workout that I can do in no more than 20-30 minutes for my upper body as my legs are in v.good shape due to cycling. I also have a 7month old child hence why I need a short workout. Any ideas? Ideally I'd like to lose a stone but I'd be happy with half and some decent shape.

[Fierce]

To confirm, you want to lose half a stone in weight, yet gain muscle definition, in one month by committing 20-30 minutes of your time a day?

[knockers]

Yes, but aside of that I do just short of two hours cardio 5 days a week. Not gain muscle, just definition. Not doable?

[Subby]

Honestly....not in a month or else you'd need to be training basically every day. Different muscle group each day ridgid so you have at least 3 days rest between targeting each muscle group.

Heavy weights are the quickest way to gain size. Heavy weights and eating properly. You'd need to eat like a trooper and train like a trooper to get there. I think 4 weeks is too little time. I was in the same boat with my wedding and left it too late. 8 weeks is a minimum amount of time you need for really noticeable gains imo.

If you're determined to try it then I'd suggest you go buy some creatine and protein powder.

Each day training you'll take - protein shake in afternoon, about hour before workout and a shake again straight after a workout, mixing about 5g of creatine in with each protein shake.

For top body gains you'll be doing

Benchpress - targets chest, shoulder
Shoulder press - shoulder and back
Barbel curls - arms - bicep
Chin Pull ups - shoulders, arms and upper back
Tricep Dips - triceps and shoulders
Dumbel lateral raises - shoulders
Tricep kick backs extensions - Triceps
Concentration curls - Biceps

Wide shoulders gives your physique that "V" shape that you are looking for.

Doing heavy weights and lower reps for maximum gains.

To find your ideal starting weight to lift - Try a weight and if you can do 4 reps easily it's too light...add more.

Try again if you can do 4 easily then add more, but if you are pushed to do 4 reps but can just about do it then push on to do 6 reps. The 5th and 6th rep should be really hard to do. You've then found your ideal STARTING WEIGHT - you'll be adding weight as time goes on.

Basically when your body can lift a weight, it has no need to grow more muscle to lift the weight, why should it if it can already lift it?

If you strugggle to lift the weight then your body says, hang on, I'm struggling here, I need more size and muscle to lift this weight...more muscle size happens. But it only happens with HEAVY WEIGHTS.

None of this 12-16 reps sh1t...that's for definition not size. You want size you go heavy weights and fewer repetitions (reps)

Make sure you have proper form(correct execution of the exercise) when doing weights. No point flapping your arms about lifting weight when it's having no proper effect on your muscle. Proper form lets you target the muscles you are working for maximum gains.

^^HUGELY IMPORTANT^^

To put on mass you need to be eating more than you normally would. Your body needs more fuel to make muscle....hence buying protein powder IN ADDITION TO FOOD....NOT to replace food. It's not a fukcing slimfast diet shake where you skip breakfast for a shake. You take shakes to flood your body with nutrients on the day of training, as well as after training.

Your muscles are mostly water so Creatine helps drive nutrients to your muscles, all over, especially muscles that have been worked out. When you do heavy weights the muscle fibres break down and taking shakes helps flood the muscles with muscle building proteins and amino acids, aiding recovery and making your muscles that fraction bigger when they repair themselves. Over time all those "fractions bigger" will add up to decent gains for you.


STOP DOING SO MUCH CARDIO THEN

Cardio burns fuel that could be used to gain muscle. Limit your cardio to 20mins a day max. You want to be spending your time lifting heavy weights and letting your normal food intake fuel the muscle rebuilding, not being used to fuel running or cardio workouts. You actually need some "fat" to allow protein to be converted to muscle building fuel.

Your weight will stay the same but you'll lose "fat weight" and gain "muscle weight". If anything you'll actually gain weight on the scales as muscle is heavier than fat. Also bear in mind you'll REALLY need to smash it when doing the exercises so you'll be sore a couple of days later, hence giving each muscle time to recover before you assault them again (3 days rest between each muscle exercise) I.e. you can do arms on Monday and Thursday, back on Tuesday and Friday, Shoulders on Wednesday and Saturday - Then have Sunday as a down day to just rest.

STOP EATING CRAP SWEETS ETC - Spoils your workout with high suger rush followed by a crash and will leave you drained. If you want sweet things then get some natural yoghurt and throw in some fruits.

It's a bit more complicated than that but that's a starter for you

[Fierce]

I personally don't believe it's possible for the average person make any meaningful changes to his/her body in such a short space of time

Define definition! If you mean that you would like to be able to see more muscles under your skin, then you're looking at stripping fat

The most effective way to do that (IMO) is to cut out all form or sugars including carbohydrates, but a month isn't enough for your system to adjust to the change in emphasis; you'd be looking at around 6 weeks for any change to kick in