Do you work out?

[hobbsyoyo]

I haven't had much difficulty managing it, I just am angrier lately. Lots of other potential causes for that; I was just curious mostly.

 

[Kyriakos]

That is just the first stage of the metamorphosis, hobbs; soon you will be mr. Hyde permanently

 

[civvver]

Meh, I think I pulled again a muscle in the gym today. I thought one round of warm-up exercises are enough.

And I need to increase weight again, if I still want to be able to say that I deadlift above body weight .

I'm not one to really talk being how out of shape I am, but I don't think deadlifting your body weight is that big of a deal. Deadlift is all legs and lower back, they should naturally support a lot of weight. The chart says a beginning ought to do about 100-110% of their body weight. Compared to bench press where a beginner only does 60-70%, or squat which is like 80-90%.

https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/deadlift/lb

 

[The_J]

Does weight lifting increase testosterone levels in your body? I have been having some issues with anger lately and I'm not sure if it's related to my new workout routine.

I'm totally chilled , must be something else.

I'm not one to really talk being how out of shape I am, but I don't think deadlifting your body weight is that big of a deal. Deadlift is all legs and lower back, they should naturally support a lot of weight. The chart says a beginning ought to do about 100-110% of their body weight. Compared to bench press where a beginner only does 60-70%, or squat which is like 80-90%.

https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/deadlift/lb

That makes it even worse, so I should definitely keep it up .

For that website: Yes, I know it, I check these websites also sometimes, mainly to see what the averages and maxes are too.
But you need to consider that these are averages of persons, who are recording what they are lifting. So that means that it'll be people, who are doing weight lifting, and not your Average Joe. (EDIT: Also says 1 rep max. I guess I might be able to pull off 133% or so)
Deadlifting your body weight is not exceptional, but also not something which you'll be able to do after a week of training or so.
The point is: My goal is to at minimum stay above my body weight, which means I'll need to really start increasing my weights again, if I continue to gain weight.

 

[Leifmk]

Deadlifting your body weight is not exceptional, but also not something which you'll be able to do after a week of training or so.

Um, yes. For example I was able to pull more than my own bodyweight as soon as I figured out semi-proper technique. (Took about two weeks rather than one, but that was mostly because of faffing about with improper technique.) For working sets of five reps, too, and I was well above 100 kg at the time.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

i'm looking for some EASY barbell exercises, especially ones that help me improve my form

I do mostly squats, pls send some recommendations my way

I moved last week and don't have my bench yet, nor my other exercise gear

Yes it will increase testosterone levels provided you lift heavy enough weights regularly. However I haven't heard anyone having anger management issues due to lifting weights. In fact it is usually the opposite, people tend to feel better not worse when they exercise.

also, test doesn't necessarily mean angry. it's just too multifaceted an issue. someone getting angry from working out a lot sounds like honk tbh

 

[The_J]

Um, yes. For example I was able to pull more than my own bodyweight as soon as I figured out semi-proper technique. (Took about two weeks rather than one, but that was mostly because of faffing about with improper technique.) For working sets of five reps, too, and I was well above 100 kg at the time.

Well, in that case I a) was probably wrong and b) am impressed.

 

[Zelig]

I lifted regularly for about a decade, but haven't had a gym membership for a couple years now. Now I do bodyweight exercises, climb, run, play soccer/ultimate and snowboard.

 

[Bootstoots]

Urf - I never exercise, never have on a regular basis, and always hated it. But I'm overweight and feel tired and otherwise like crap most of the time. Exercise is supposed to be about the best thing I could do to fight that. No idea how to start in a way that wouldn't rapidly chew through all my limited willpower, but I'm going to need to figure it out. I want to finally start living as well as I realistically can, which is going to take some major changes.

Has anyone here started out hating exercise, but figured out a way to keep themselves working at it until they started feeling better? If so, how did you do it?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Urf - I never exercise, never have on a regular basis, and always hated it. But I'm overweight and feel tired and otherwise like crap most of the time. Exercise is supposed to be about the best thing I could do to fight that. No idea how to start in a way that wouldn't rapidly chew through all my limited willpower, but I'm going to need to figure it out. I want to finally start living as well as I realistically can, which is going to take some major changes.

Has anyone here started out hating exercise, but figured out a way to keep themselves working at it until they started feeling better? If so, how did you do it?

Yes.

The biggest obstacles were stress and money. When my stress went down, my tolerance for annoying crap like exercise went way up. When I started earning good income, my free time went up while stress fell further as well.

I like going for walks, so having dogs reinforced that. Moving close to school and work also forced me to walk a lot more than I normally do. All of that was 'easy' exercise. And bonus: I have a lot of curiosity about the world so I listen to podcasts, the news or audiobooks during all that walking and satisfy some of my entertainment needs at the same time.

Finally, not being broke let's you get properly fitting shoes, work out clothes, wireless head phones and other ammenitites that make exercise a tad bit less crappy. It lets you get a comfy bike or hiking boots or do other pricey outdoor activities.

There is no silver bullet, just a bunch of little things that make it overall less crappy. And once you've made it a habit, you start to enjoy it.


Also, I do not intend to be condescending. I am not saying to anyone 'stop being poor lol'. I am just answering how I managed to go from hating working out to liking it.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

I hate going to the gym. Most of them are just steroid dealer shops/hook-up joints/"hey look at me" platforms anyway. The exercise itself is boring, repetitive and just plain un-fun. Studying a martial art, on the other hand, gave me a reason to exercise. It's fun, I learn new things, and I'm learning self defense, which is something that every woman should know. Plus, you get the satisfaction of earning a new belt every now and then.

There is actually a point to it. That's how I got out of my rut and started exercising. It's not for everyone, but it works for me. I'm 48 years old and I'm in the best shape of my life.

 

[Moriarte]

Never liked gyms, they’re full of sweaty people and half-naked ladies distract me. So I walk 7km daily, often in random places, would walk more, but it’s time consuming. Work with body weight at home, do some basic stretching.

In the summer I like visiting the best gym in the world, which is 15km away, in the forest facing the beach, local life guards built it themselves and let anyone visit. It’s basically open air, only few rusty amenities, still, I value this place above any other gym.

 

[The_J]

The exercise itself is boring, repetitive and just plain un-fun. Studying a martial art, on the other hand, gave me a reason to exercise. It's fun, I learn new things, and I'm learning self defense

This all depends on what type of sporter you are. I am convinced that there are at least 4 different kind of sporters: gym rats, doing their stuff on their own; the people who need to sport with someone and who join all the classes; the competetive people, who e.g. do martial arts; and the team players, football, basketball, etc.
For each type, fun is something different. E.g. I dont like to compete. I want to relax in the evening, turn my brain off, no stress, and just see how i make some progress with my strength.
This is my fun. Your fun is different. It does not compare.

 

[wolfigor]

I don't work out. I just go to TaeKwon-do which is strenuous enough. My uniform is usually wringing wet with perspiration (women don't sweat -- rubbish, we do so) by the time class is over.

is it due to the effort of movement or because of the dobok (or both?)
I notice that when I do martial arts I sweat much more, but it's mostly do the clothes and absence of AC.
When I work out in the gym I have minimal sweat (as opposed to be drenched)

 

[Leifmk]

is it due to the effort of movement or because of the dobok (or both?)
I notice that when I do martial arts I sweat much more, but it's mostly do the clothes and absence of AC.
When I work out in the gym I have minimal sweat (as opposed to be drenched)

Back in my karate days things were sufficiently old school that we weren't allowed to take water breaks during class. Once I weighed myself before and after and noticed I'd lost over 3 kg in 90 minutes. That's three liters of sweat...

 

[Birdjaguar]

I have never joined a gym or even been in one since my sophomore year at college (except to watch some event). I do walk a mile or two infrequently when the weather is nice. I don't work out.

 

[777]

Back in my karate days things were sufficiently old school that we weren't allowed to take water breaks during class. Once I weighed myself before and after and noticed I'd lost over 3 kg in 90 minutes. That's three liters of sweat...

I am actually curious to know was the "no water during the class" rule because of the code or was there some practical reason for that? For example if you get hit to the stomach, you don't spill out the water.

 

[Kyriakos]

Walking with a reasonably fast pace (slightly over 5 kilometers/hour) should be enough for metabolism to remain in a good state. Eg 1 hour/day of such is doable and easy once you are used to it

 

[uppi]

Urf - I never exercise, never have on a regular basis, and always hated it. But I'm overweight and feel tired and otherwise like crap most of the time. Exercise is supposed to be about the best thing I could do to fight that. No idea how to start in a way that wouldn't rapidly chew through all my limited willpower, but I'm going to need to figure it out. I want to finally start living as well as I realistically can, which is going to take some major changes.

Has anyone here started out hating exercise, but figured out a way to keep themselves working at it until they started feeling better? If so, how did you do it?

Search for something that is fun and involves exercise. I don't like repetitive exercises, so I would never keep doing any exercise for a longer period until I started climbing. I have fun figuring out how to climb a route and the exercise and fitness gain comes along. It probably isn't as effective at training as repetitive exercises, but it is good enough for me.

Find people to exercise with. It's much easier to agree to come along when someone else proposes it or have a regular date for exercising with a group than having to motivate yourself to get off the couch and do something on your own.

 

[Akka]

I am actually curious to know was the "no water during the class" rule because of the code or was there some practical reason for that? For example if you get hit to the stomach, you don't spill out the water.

Let's be clear : there is no practical reason to forbid water while exercicing.
It's downright cretinous and harmful, period.
On the contrary, you should drink A LOT MORE during exercices.

I hate going to the gym. Most of them are just steroid dealer shops/hook-up joints/"hey look at me" platforms anyway. The exercise itself is boring, repetitive and just plain un-fun. Studying a martial art, on the other hand, gave me a reason to exercise. It's fun, I learn new things, and I'm learning self defense, which is something that every woman should know. Plus, you get the satisfaction of earning a new belt every now and then.

Until the black, which comes rather quickly when you're heavily invested
After that, no more new belt - and you might have to deal with the political side, which can be a huge turn-off when you're interested in the art and not the pointless power play of the behind scenes.

There is actually a point to it. That's how I got out of my rut and started exercising. It's not for everyone, but it works for me. I'm 48 years old and I'm in the best shape of my life.

Notice that if you're practicing martial arts, it can itself becomes a reason to lift weights and so on - it makes you better while training.

Has anyone here started out hating exercise, but figured out a way to keep themselves working at it until they started feeling better? If so, how did you do it?

I hated any kind of sport when I was young (used to weight 56 Kg for 1,75 m, let me tell you that ain't very stocky).
I forced myself to practice both to kill time and to become something else than a walking skeletton. Ended up liking it, and getting some sort of mild "addiction"- if I don't do sport for awhile, I start feeling antsy and to notice the muscles losing tonicity, and to feel like my belly is getting fatty and the like (in truth, I think it's not really an addiction, but more the habit of having the body in good shape and so being able to notice when the shape declines).

But the thing is, I did hate sport, and even if today I "need" it's still often a pain to start it, so I have to use some "tricks" to push myself to do it, that are rather easy to implement :

- It DOES feel GREAT afterward. Maybe not the first few times, because the body works long-term and requires regularity before it adapts, but if you stick to a good schedule it will happen. Motivating oneself by thinking how relaxed and energetic you'll feel once you do it might be efficient.

- Regularity. That isn't sport-specific, it's human-specific. Decide a frequency where you'll go to the gym, or maybe select a specific day and hour, and STICK WITH IT. You NEED to be RUTHLESS about it. Don't allow more than a single slip-up if you really can't make it the first time, no excuse.
The point is to make it an inevitability (so you can't unconsciously "get away with missing it") and to make it into an habit (once it's an habit, it becomes routine, so much less demanding, and it's integrated into your schedule, so neither energy spent trying to make it fit nor spending one hour deciding "should I go or not ?").

- Keep it realistic. As said above, you need to stick with your decision and to keep it regular. And that means you need to set a goal that is actually possible for you, NOT the "ideal" goal. Better to be conservative with what you can do, but do it, than to overshoot and fail - basic human psychology, again. It's better to start slow and improves than to start high and fail and dial back - and often it ends up not being "dialed back" but "stopping altogether" due to the feeling of having failed, again it's human psychology.
Even once a week is good if you can stick to it.

- If you're the kind of people who will never end up liking sport (it happens), then try to find a way to make it more palatable.
For example, I dislike endurance training, but I need it (I've a pathetically bad heart, not strictly speaking pathological but pretty much an edge case), so I have ways to deal with the boredom :
When I'm running on a treadmill, I can manage by basically entering "sleepwalking mode", letting my mind wander.
When I'm using my indoor bike, I simply put it in front of my computer and either play a pad-controlled game or launch a serie. This can be a rather efficient way be able to watch your favourite show while keeping in shape