Poker Media Mid Life Crisis

[DaveShoelace]

And just so I have even more accountability, here are my starting stats from yesterday:

Weight - 94kg (I'm 5ft 10" btw)

Stomach  - 43.5"

Belt line 43.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 20.3% - 21.8%

The aim is to lose 6lbs and three inches (combined across the three measurements in any order) by October 7th.  

Weight - 92kg

Stomach  - 40.5"

Belt line 41.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 18.5% - 20.3%

90kg atm. Doing my next big weigh-in/measurement around the 16th.

I haven't eaten bread for over a month. It has (almost) stopped me from being hungry in the evening. I have a mate who essentially stopped being 'our fat mate' by doing this so I had to do the same because that title is now mine. I'm amazed how easy it has been actually, the only thing is that it has taken a bit of planning at lunchtimes. Now I have either this nice mixed bean salad thing or an omelete. Simples.

Out of interest how have you been measuring your body fat %%% was interested in doing this the other day and didnt know how to go about it

My personal trainer does it using calipers, wouldnt have a sdooby doo what to do myself

[AndrewT]

My personal trainer does it using calipers

Sounds like a car bumper sticker.

[DaveShoelace]

I can't currently do a single pull-up at the gym. I'm going to try and be able to do 10 good clean pull-ups by the end of January. That's my lil gym goal, just posting it here so I feel the pressure to do it.

Probably going to use the assisted pull-up machine to start off with, seems to make sense. My personal trainer suggests slowing down the eccentric (lowering)/negative reps part of the movement to build strength there, does that make sense to anyone gym-y?

[DaveShoelace]

I can't currently do a single pull-up at the gym. I'm going to try and be able to do 10 good clean pull-ups by the end of January. That's my lil gym goal, just posting it here so I feel the pressure to do it.

Probably going to use the assisted pull-up machine to start off with, seems to make sense. My personal trainer suggests slowing down the eccentric (lowering)/negative reps part of the movement to build strength there, does that make sense to anyone gym-y?

A very kind chappy who is also a personal trainer PM'd me with some advice for this and I think I'd prefer him to share his good advice with my big fan base (ie. Tal).

So question for iRaise and anyone else:

As pull ups are a 'heavy lifting' type of exercise, should I be having rest days between sessions, or can I do them two days in a row?

[iRaise]

Ha, for the pull up fans amongst blonde it is. Well I would slightly disagree with pull ups being a 'heavy lifting' exercise. (They are in the sense that you body is a heavy weight, but most bodyweight exercises aren't in the heavy lifting bracket, on a side note heavy lifting in general is totally goal dependant). Body exercises are essential for core strength and functional mobility/strength so should definitely be done at least once a week. Regarding whether you should/could do them two days in a row, that really goal dependant. If you want to be a gymnast you want to do them everyday, if you want to be functionally fit you can do them 2/3 times a week. If you want to complete a challenge whereby you can do x amount of unassisted pull ups by x date I would say do 1 or 2 sets everyday with one day where you focus on 3 to 4 sets and try to do as many unassisted as possible. Rest is obviously when the muscle rebuilds and grows, but if you aren't looking for growth but functional strength, then I would say doing them on back to back days is perfectly fine. In reality you might not need to, could you do two sessions a week with 3 days apart? Also the most important thing is, if you have had a good session you are going to get a good amount of DOMS (stiffness) so you probably wont be able to do two back to back sometimes. Somewhere in there the might/hopefully be an answer.

[DaveShoelace]

It is indeed thanks, one thing that has always held me back a little is I have always thought that resting between resistant work days is more important than it is. I tend to do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, so I probably am getting enough rest anyway. Cool, I'll start to do them every gym day - cheers fella!

[iRaise]

It is indeed thanks, one thing that has always held me back a little is I have always thought that resting between resistant work days is more important than it is. I tend to do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, so I probably am getting enough rest anyway. Cool, I'll start to do them every gym day - cheers fella!

Rest is huge for certain aspects. Rest for growth is essential, a few training bodybuilders for example train 3 times a week. On the flip side, for beginners a good workout schedule is always going to be 1 day on 1 day off. Your schedule looks pretty good, and if you want to work that extra bit of body fat, cardio on a wed and sat will fit in perfectly. Its all about balance though and what feels best for you. Habit is a pretty awesome tool once you succumb to endorphins. GL with the pull ups, let the fans know how it goes.

[Tal]

Less of the "big", thank you. I prefer "enthusiastic".

[DaveShoelace]

And just so I have even more accountability, here are my starting stats from yesterday:

Weight - 94kg (I'm 5ft 10" btw)

Stomach  - 43.5"

Belt line 43.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 20.3% - 21.8%

The aim is to lose 6lbs and three inches (combined across the three measurements in any order) by October 7th.  

Weight - 92kg

Stomach  - 40.5"

Belt line 41.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 18.5% - 20.3%

I was a bit down on motivation the last two or three weeks because although I have been working hard, look and feel better, the weight loss just has not seemed to happen. I lost about 4-5lbs early and then it stayed that way for a whole month.

Finally had my weigh in today and officially lost 4.4lbs, 5 inches, and I have gone down a whole bracket for bodyfat %. It wasn't the 6lb loss I had planned, but he told me the inches lost and bodyfat% more than made up for it. Chuffed to bits.

Then the sod made me do some excercises that nearly made me throw up.

Weight - 89kg

Stomach  - 40"

Belt line 41"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 16.2% - 18.4%

Another successful weigh in, chuffed to bits. Lost 6.6lbs, 1 inch and gone down another bodyfat % since the last weigh in. And 11lbs, 6 inches and down two bodyfat % brackets since I started.

The big changes thus far have been:

High intensity resistance work instead of cardio
Stopped eating bread entirely
Recently started standing at my desk instead of sitting

I guess the other big change is that this is the first time I haven't had an aesthetic target, I am simply doing it to be healthier and improve my energy levels for my working day.

I now want to go somewhere posh as I nicely fit into my fancy suit again.

[iRaise]

And just so I have even more accountability, here are my starting stats from yesterday:

Weight - 94kg (I'm 5ft 10" btw)

Stomach  - 43.5"

Belt line 43.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 20.3% - 21.8%

The aim is to lose 6lbs and three inches (combined across the three measurements in any order) by October 7th.  

Weight - 92kg

Stomach  - 40.5"

Belt line 41.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 18.5% - 20.3%

I was a bit down on motivation the last two or three weeks because although I have been working hard, look and feel better, the weight loss just has not seemed to happen. I lost about 4-5lbs early and then it stayed that way for a whole month.

Finally had my weigh in today and officially lost 4.4lbs, 5 inches, and I have gone down a whole bracket for bodyfat %. It wasn't the 6lb loss I had planned, but he told me the inches lost and bodyfat% more than made up for it. Chuffed to bits.

Then the sod made me do some excercises that nearly made me throw up.

Weight - 89kg

Stomach  - 40"

Belt line 41"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 16.2% - 18.4%

Another successful weigh in, chuffed to bits. Lost 6.6lbs, 1 inch and gone down another bodyfat % since the last weigh in. And 11lbs, 6 inches and down two bodyfat % brackets since I started.

The big changes thus far have been:

High intensity resistance work instead of cardio
Stopped eating bread entirely
Recently started standing at my desk instead of sitting

I guess the other big change is that this is the first time I haven't had an aesthetic target, I am simply doing it to be healthier and improve my energy levels for my working day.

I now want to go somewhere posh as I nicely fit into my fancy suit again.

Lots of fitness wisdom there, you've done awesome. One quick point, High Intense cardio is body fats worst enemy. As an example, 5x150metre sprint with a 2 min rest. Do that 3 times a week and your BF% will go down very quick. And if your sceptical about losing muscle mass, HIIT (high intensity interval training) triggers the same muscle response as resistance training, so we allllll good there. Keep up the good work over Xmas.

[DaveShoelace]

Lots of fitness wisdom there, you've done awesome. One quick point, High Intense cardio is body fats worst enemy. As an example, 5x150metre sprint with a 2 min rest. Do that 3 times a week and your BF% will go down very quick. And if your sceptical about losing muscle mass, HIIT (high intensity interval training) triggers the same muscle response as resistance training, so we allllll good there. Keep up the good work over Xmas.

Thanks dude. I may be getting my terminology wrong, basically everything I am doing is both resistance work and intense cardio, a minute or two at a time with a minutes rest. For example today I was running with a medicine ball above my head and then smashing it into a punch bag for a minute, with a minutes rest, many times.

TBH one of the reasons I have stuck to it is I have adopted a policy of doing what I am told by my PT. When he asked me what my goal was I simply said "just do whatever you would do if you woke up in this body".

[iRaise]

Haha, thats a fantastic response. Yeah put your faith in him, from what he is doing he seems to be working with you really well. And the kind of exercises you are dong will shed BF so quickly, as long as you stay focussed with the nutritional side. Running with the ball is a really good one, works your body so well, and most people would think it to be nice and easy. How many sessions do you have with and without your PT?

[DaveShoelace]

Haha, thats a fantastic response. Yeah put your faith in him, from what he is doing he seems to be working with you really well. And the kind of exercises you are dong will shed BF so quickly, as long as you stay focussed with the nutritional side. Running with the ball is a really good one, works your body so well, and most people would think it to be nice and easy. How many sessions do you have with and without your PT?

I go to the gym about four times a week, and I probably go to my PT 3 times a month for 30 minutes. For me it's not about getting more reps or giving another 10% with him, it is simply to have someone to hold me accountable to go. Plus when he makes me do something hard, I have to practice it on my own otherwise it will really hurt the next time.

[iRaise]

Pretty good way to look at it all. Accountability is key, too many people think the trainer/coach is responsible. One question, how tall are you if you don't mind me asking? Puts the measurements into some context.

[DaveShoelace]

Pretty good way to look at it all. Accountability is key, too many people think the trainer/coach is responsible. One question, how tall are you if you don't mind me asking? Puts the measurements into some context.

About 5foot 10inches