Want to get in shape for summer? Join in...

[Lurker]

haha thanks man.... as u said' date=' it helped me in improving my selfconfidence a lot.. and i feel like as if I use my life or I say see my life more cuz I work out.. other than the fact that being a couch potato sucks.. and all the good stuff lately in my life([b']girls) is again cuz of better personality(thanks to workout) haha.. btw here is my progress in last 3 years...not eeven half as u but getting there

Liked the picture, specially of the scantily clothed dames that showed up :giggle: Seriously though looking good on shoulders and arms dude. Keep it up. By the by girls would probably give you more experiences in life and shape you as a person hereon. Just remember that everybody wants heaven but nobody wants to die. As in girls, or girlfriend if you are serious, would love your great body but hate it when you wouldnt go out too much on binge eating or stay late at bars :winky: Just be cautious is all.

[Serani]

Link to pron in picture, and I thought ICF was a family site.

[Chaos]

this guy is not shytting' date=' he got guns on him.:nervous:[/quote'] u got that right!

[f.b.m]

If Switzerland is anything like Austria (which it is) it should be amazing for running/hiking/cycling.

[CricketGirl]

Ok dudes! I need some help!! i've just got back into exercise after a 6 month break naturally have gained a few pounds through not being able to workout cuz of some surgery :(( Here's the problems i've been facing: Cardio: Suprisingly not so bad, i've lost a little stamina but apart from i've pretty much hit the ground running again so thats all cool - stamina i can work on Lat pull down: why can i no longer feel it working my torso the way it used to? i can feel it in my chest and shoulders and a little in my biceps but not my torso where am i going wrong?? Abs: any floor based ab exercise is causing my back to arch and it can get pretty painful, this never used to happen before but the having said that the surgery was around the lower ab area Core stabilty and balance: Has completely gone out of the window!! Foodwise i am generally pretty healthy although i could still do with making some minor healthy adjustments Paneer Vs Cheese: generally dont eat much of either but which option is healthier and how much?? Much appreciated guys!

[Yoda-esque]

Ok dudes! I need some help!! i've just got back into exercise after a 6 month break naturally have gained a few pounds through not being able to workout cuz of some surgery :(( Here's the problems i've been facing: Cardio: Suprisingly not so bad, i've lost a little stamina but apart from i've pretty much hit the ground running again so thats all cool - stamina i can work on Lat pull down: why can i no longer feel it working my torso the way it used to? i can feel it in my chest and shoulders and a little in my biceps but not my torso where am i going wrong?? Abs: any floor based ab exercise is causing my back to arch and it can get pretty painful, this never used to happen before but the having said that the surgery was around the lower ab area Core stabilty and balance: Has completely gone out of the window!! Foodwise i am generally pretty healthy although i could still do with making some minor healthy adjustments Paneer Vs Cheese: generally dont eat much of either but which option is healthier and how much?? Much appreciated guys!

A) The Lat pulldown is not for the torso or chest. The primary muscles it targets are the latissimus dorsi (lats) and biceps. To effectively target the lats,heres what you do : 1) Dont "wrap" your fingers around the bar.Rather keep all fingers( including the thumb) on top of the bar (more like a hook) 2)Take the widest grip possible 3) Keep your head straight and chest out. 4) When you pull down.dont bend your elbow right away.That will engage the biceps.Rather, imagine that there is a pencil that is between your back blades and pull down trying to hold it there. 5) Dont try and bring the bar all the way to your chest .Somewhere below the chin is fine. 6) When you pull hold still for 1-2 seconds B)You say ur back hurts while doing abs exercises.It means u are doing it wrong. Dont go all the way up.Once u crunch only raise ur shoulders off the mat , hold ur abs for a couple of seconds and then come down again.also exercise ur obliques and taverse abdominis by doing the plank (u can google all these exercises). Also,keep your palms under your lower back when you do some of the abs floor exercises. If you are still having problems, try doing doing squats and the plank (bridge). The main thing in doing these exercises is to keep ur core strong while doing them .Engage the core. C) Paneer Vs Cheese : Dont eat much either.But I believe that protein content is more in paneer.Best though would be low fat cottage cheese or fat free yoghurt. Hope this helps!

[akshayxyz]

Ok dudes! I need some help!! i've just got back into exercise after a 6 month break naturally have gained a few pounds through not being able to workout cuz of some surgery :(( Here's the problems i've been facing: Cardio: Suprisingly not so bad, i've lost a little stamina but apart from i've pretty much hit the ground running again so thats all cool - stamina i can work on Lat pull down: why can i no longer feel it working my torso the way it used to? i can feel it in my chest and shoulders and a little in my biceps but not my torso where am i going wrong?? Abs: any floor based ab exercise is causing my back to arch and it can get pretty painful, this never used to happen before but the having said that the surgery was around the lower ab area Core stabilty and balance: Has completely gone out of the window!! Foodwise i am generally pretty healthy although i could still do with making some minor healthy adjustments Paneer Vs Cheese: generally dont eat much of either but which option is healthier and how much?? Much appreciated guys!

Most important of all, if any particular exercise is hurting you, causing you pain/discomfort - then either you have some injury or problem with the technique or both. As you said, you have had surgery around that area.. then go easy on floor exercises you can even eliminate them for now. Do not waste too much time on them, they do help strengthen the core - but the weight/fat loss comes from diet management and cardio. Please check with your physician, and yourself do thorough research for the exercises that are strictly no-no after the particular surgery you have had. And find out the safe exercises that will help you strengthen the core after that particular operation. Good news - since you have started doing something, as opposed to nothing.. you will see the initial results. Bad news - pretty soon it will stagnate. To continue seeing consistent progress, you have to get combination of - increase intensity/duration of cardio and - manage your diet. In your case, since I am not sure how hard you can push in weights/cardio (esp post-surgery)... the diet part becomes even more important. I can give general tips for healthy lifestyle, but for the best and targeted results I will need more information... a) Currents stats (height/weight/waist) b) what you are doing these days and if possible - your regime when you were regular. c) How much time you want to spend daily/weekly...and favorite timing to workout. d) Immediate goal, what you want to achieve, and whether there is any time-frame you are looking at. You will get best results if you set time-bound goal. e) Your favorite exercises .. both for cardio and weights, the ones that you enjoy doing and like stepping up. f) If possible, your typical daily/weekly food log for next 2-3 weeks. Esp the staple meals that do stay the same over days/weeks and typical cheat meals & frequency. For now, just make sure you get regular at exercising over next 2-3 weeks, then you can think of stepping it up. Ideal case would be, if you can also record what you would be doing, and eating over next two weeks and stats to see whether current regime changes anything. The best part about it is - you can get good results w/o changing much about your current diet/food. For recording diet, you do not have to go too analytical. (i.e. no need of exact calorific value). a simple log of - meal and portion size is a good indicator of where and how much adjustment should be made to get best results. Esp the meals, that you repeat daily/weekly and the ones that are big in size. P.S. If you wish, I can share a simplistic food log xls that I suggested my sister to record and with that she was able to reduce about 2-3 kgs over 3-4 weeks by just making minor adjustments to diet and only one simple exercise of climbing up and down the stairs (only 20 minutes per day).

[CricketGirl]

A) The Lat pulldown is not for the torso or chest. The primary muscles it targets are the latissimus dorsi (lats) and biceps. To effectively target the lats,heres what you do : 1) Dont "wrap" your fingers around the bar.Rather keep all fingers( including the thumb) on top of the bar (more like a hook) 2)Take the widest grip possible 3) Keep your head straight and chest out. 4) When you pull down.dont bend your elbow right away.That will engage the biceps.Rather, imagine that there is a pencil that is between your back blades and pull down trying to hold it there. 5) Dont try and bring the bar all the way to your chest .Somewhere below the chin is fine. 6) When you pull hold still for 1-2 seconds B)You say ur back hurts while doing abs exercises.It means u are doing it wrong. Dont go all the way up.Once u crunch only raise ur shoulders off the mat , hold ur abs for a couple of seconds and then come down again.also exercise ur obliques and taverse abdominis by doing the plank (u can google all these exercises). Also,keep your palms under your lower back when you do some of the abs floor exercises. If you are still having problems, try doing doing squats and the plank (bridge). The main thing in doing these exercises is to keep ur core strong while doing them .Engage the core. C) Paneer Vs Cheese : Dont eat much either.But I believe that protein content is more in paneer.Best though would be low fat cottage cheese or fat free yoghurt. Hope this helps!

Thanks Yoda-esque will take your approach to the lat pull down and let you know how i get on maybe my body just feels different since the surgery... with my abs i'm doing side and front plank i can do that all day long!! the trouble i have is the lower ab exercises (lifting and lowering straight legs) thats when my back arches in the most apart from standard crunches feel ok ish towards the end of a set my might arch a little - apparently, according to one of the trainers in the gym my abs have lost their memory from the trauma of the surgery (makes no sense to me but ok) once again thx for your advice :icflove:

[akshayxyz]

C) Paneer Vs Cheese : Dont eat much either.But I believe that protein content is more in paneer.Best though would be low fat cottage cheese or fat free yoghurt. Hope this helps!

Paneer vs Cheese. Both are healthy, cheese has more protein ( per gram).. but it also has more calories overall. But it is easy to eat more cheese than more paneer (in terms of calories). Overall effect heavily depends on how much and with what you are eating. e.g. A portion of meat (or eggs/omlette) with cheese, with some green veggies on the side, is perfect meal - its important to avoid/limit carbs (like coke/pepsi, rice, too much bread...) around/with it. Butter paneer with rice/roti would be worse than that. and so would be lots of cheese with pizza and coke.

[CricketGirl]

Most important of all, if any particular exercise is hurting you, causing you pain/discomfort - then either you have some injury or problem with the technique or both. As you said, you have had surgery around that area.. then go easy on floor exercises you can even eliminate them for now. Do not waste too much time on them, they do help strengthen the core - but the weight/fat loss comes from diet management and cardio. Please check with your physician, and yourself do thorough research for the exercises that are strictly no-no after the particular surgery you have had. And find out the safe exercises that will help you strengthen the core after that particular operation. Good news - since you have started doing something, as opposed to nothing.. you will see the initial results. Bad news - pretty soon it will stagnate. To continue seeing consistent progress, you have to get combination of - increase intensity/duration of cardio and - manage your diet. In your case, since I am not sure how hard you can push in weights/cardio (esp post-surgery)... the diet part becomes even more important. I can give general tips for healthy lifestyle, but for the best and targeted results I will need more information... a) Currents stats (height/weight/waist) b) what you are doing these days and if possible - your regime when you were regular. c) How much time you want to spend daily/weekly...and favorite timing to workout. d) Immediate goal, what you want to achieve, and whether there is any time-frame you are looking at. You will get best results if you set time-bound goal. e) Your favorite exercises .. both for cardio and weights, the ones that you enjoy doing and like stepping up. f) If possible, your typical daily/weekly food log for next 2-3 weeks. Esp the staple meals that do stay the same over days/weeks and typical cheat meals & frequency. For now, just make sure you get regular at exercising over next 2-3 weeks, then you can think of stepping it up. Ideal case would be, if you can also record what you would be doing, and eating over next two weeks and stats to see whether current regime changes anything. The best part about it is - you can get good results w/o changing much about your current diet/food. For recording diet, you do not have to go too analytical. (i.e. no need of exact calorific value). a simple log of - meal and portion size is a good indicator of where and how much adjustment should be made to get best results. Esp the meals, that you repeat daily/weekly and the ones that are big in size. P.S. If you wish, I can share a simplistic food log xls that I suggested my sister to record and with that she was able to reduce about 2-3 kgs over 3-4 weeks by just making minor adjustments to diet and only one simple exercise of climbing up and down the stairs (only 20 minutes per day).

Thx Akshay Its mainly my abs that appear to be the weakest point at the moment so thats an area i either need to a) work on or b) stay away from? having said that its also where i have gained the most - maybe thats just a woman thing.... My cardio is going pretty well i can easily burn 500 cals in approx 45 mins through all the different machines, mainly running cross training spin etc thats 2-3 times a week plus i do cricket coaching twice a week plus matches so safe to say i'm getting more than enough cardio sessions for the week i do weights twice a week - average of about 18 22 kgs on lat pull downs, chest press, around 63 70 kgs on vertical leg press plus free weights anything between 2 - 6 kgs depending on which exercise it is i'll pm you some stats take a look and see what you think but basically between eating badly while recovering and not being able to exercise i've gained around 10 kgs that i need to shed!!

[CricketGirl]

Paneer vs Cheese. Both are healthy, cheese has more protein ( per gram).. but it also has more calories overall. But it is easy to eat more cheese than more paneer (in terms of calories). Overall effect heavily depends on how much and with what you are eating. e.g. A portion of meat (or eggs/omlette) with cheese, with some green veggies on the side, is perfect meal - its important to avoid/limit carbs (like coke/pepsi, rice, too much bread...) around/with it. Butter paneer with rice/roti would be worse than that. and so would be lots of cheese with pizza and coke.

I'm actually really good with carbs and generally tend to stick to complex and whole meal stuff dont really eat much pizza or roti as i have trouble digesting refined wheat products such as white bread pizza bases etc cheese i generally like to add mozzarella or feta to salads and omlettes, paneer i do enjoy but generally as a dish on its own with peppers and onion (standard chillie paneer type of dish) but i've always been sceptical as to how healthy that actually is

[akshayxyz]

Thx Akshay Its mainly my abs that appear to be the weakest point at the moment so thats an area i either need to a) work on or b) stay away from? having said that its also where i have gained the most - maybe thats just a woman thing....

In a way, you are a lucky woman, most females accumulate fat around hips/thighs. Yes you should work on abs, but keep it simple and short. I will repeat, fat/weight loss will come from cardio and diet management. To be on safer side, read about the post-operative physiotherapy/rehab exercises for your particular surgery and stick to those only. Also, since that leg raises ( from floor) is what causes you pain, you can replace by "hanging leg raises". Overall, 15 minutes in a given session is more than enough for abs. and you wont need more than couple of times a week. If you can do more, it is fine, but it wont reduce your weight/fat.

My cardio is going pretty well i can easily burn 500 cals in approx 45 mins through all the different machines, mainly running cross training spin etc thats 2-3 times a week plus i do cricket coaching twice a week plus matches so safe to say i'm getting more than enough cardio sessions for the week

You are already in good shape in terms of cardio. Its time to look at HIIT. Lets say you are having 4 sessions of cardio per week, then you can alternate between HIIT and regular cardio. i.e. One day HIIT, one day regular cardio.

i do weights twice a week - average of about 18 22 kgs on lat pull downs, chest press, around 63 70 kgs on vertical leg press plus free weights anything between 2 - 6 kgs depending on which exercise it is i'll pm you some stats take a look and see what you think but basically between eating badly while recovering and not being able to exercise i've gained around 10 kgs that i need to shed!!

If you are doing them - eliminate biceps/triceps kind of exercises. Stick to large muscles only back/chest/legs. Imp point - Since you are already used to decent weight training and cardio, it becomes even more important to look at diet. I will look forward for your current stats, diet and workout plan to make specific suggestions.

[CricketGirl]

In a way, you are a lucky woman, most females accumulate fat around hips/thighs. Yes you should work on abs, but keep it simple and short. I will repeat, fat/weight loss will come from cardio and diet management. To be on safer side, read about the post-operative physiotherapy/rehab exercises for your particular surgery and stick to those only. Also, since that leg raises ( from floor) is what causes you pain, you can replace by "hanging leg raises". Overall, 15 minutes in a given session is more than enough for abs. and you wont need more than couple of times a week. If you can do more, it is fine, but it wont reduce your weight/fat. You are already in good shape in terms of cardio. Its time to look at HIIT. Lets say you are having 4 sessions of cardio per week, then you can alternate between HIIT and regular cardio. i.e. One day HIIT, one day regular cardio. If you are doing them - eliminate biceps/triceps kind of exercises. Stick to large muscles only back/chest/legs. Imp point - Since you are already used to decent weight training and cardio, it becomes even more important to look at diet. I will look forward for your current stats, diet and workout plan to make specific suggestions.

HIIT = High intensity interval training?? i've heard of this but not sure how to impliment it, as part of treadmill running i'd do min of steady jogging followed by 1 min sprint and do that for anything between 12 to 20 mins should i make any further changes to this?? biceps triceps i stick to small weights high repetitions with free weights rather than push pull type of machines as i'm aiming to stay toned and not bulk, i tend to lat raises on one of those have balance ball things (bosu ball? i think thats what its called) so i'm engaging the core while working the smaller muscle groups. Back i am simply doing raises off the balance ball, Legs i particularly struggle with for ideas, at the gym we've got the vertical press, leg curl, leg extension and thats it!! could do with some fresh ideas there

[Yoda-esque]

HIIT = High intensity interval training?? i've heard of this but not sure how to impliment it' date=' as part of treadmill running i'd do min of [b']steady jogging followed by 1 min sprint and do that for anything between 12 to 20 mins should i make any further changes to this?? biceps triceps i stick to small weights high repetitions with free weights rather than push pull type of machines as i'm aiming to stay toned and not bulk, i tend to lat raises on one of those have balance ball things (bosu ball? i think thats what its called) so i'm engaging the core while working the smaller muscle groups. Back i am simply doing raises off the balance ball, Legs i particularly struggle with for ideas, at the gym we've got the vertical press, leg curl, leg extension and thats it!! could do with some fresh ideas there

When you say sprint, does it mean that you are running as fast as you can...? Because thats what you need to do. 3-4 mins of jogging , then run as fast as you can for 30secs-1 min, then revert back. The idea is to shock your system and burn more calories that way. For legs, try lunges.Great exercise.I prefer the stationary lunge rather than the travelling one since there is more stress on the legs that way.Also use weights for lunges (5-10 lbs). Also, as I mentioned before , do squats.Read up properly on the technique on this since a squat, when done the right way is very good for your legs,glutes and core.

[CricketGirl]

When you say sprint, does it mean that you are running as fast as you can...? Because thats what you need to do. 3-4 mins of jogging , then run as fast as you can for 30secs-1 min, then revert back. The idea is to shock your system and burn more calories that way. For legs, try lunges.Great exercise.I prefer the stationary lunge rather than the travelling one since there is more stress on the legs that way.Also use weights for lunges (5-10 lbs). Also, as I mentioned before , do squats.Read up properly on the technique on this since a squat, when done the right way is very good for your legs,glutes and core.

Pre weight gain the speed that felt faster than a jog but not fast enough to be a sprint now feels like a seriously hard sprint now but i guess it would for the obvious weight gain reason i probably could run a bit faster... infact i am pretty sure as part of cricket coaching i do sprint much faster so are you siggesting 4 min jog 1 min of hard sprinting?? what about squats with a bar bell what does that work??

[akshayxyz]

HIIT = High intensity interval training?? i've heard of this but not sure how to impliment it, as part of treadmill running i'd do min of steady jogging followed by 1 min sprint and do that for anything between 12 to 20 mins should i make any further changes to this??

Yes that is also HIIT, but ideally 30sec-30sec intervals are best. And from my experience, its easier to do more effective HIIT on cycle and elliptical than on treadmill. On treadmill it takes time to switch the speeds. Here is how to go about a typical HIIT. 0) pick a cardio machine of your choice 1) 2-3 minutes of normal pace, or 5-7 minutes ( if you are not warmed up) 2) repeat 10-15 one minute cycles of (a) and (b) a) 25-30 seconds of full throttle. You should not be able to do more than 30 seconds. Two ways to step the intensity up - increase the pace, increase the resistance (or inclination on treadmill) b) 30-35 seconds of relaxed pace. For first 2-3 'cycle's of high-low intensity, you can keep the high intensity part to medium intensity and later step it up 4th cycle onwards. Ideally you should not be able to do (and wont need either) it more than 20 minutes.., 2-3 cycles into the HIIT, your heart would be pounding at 85-90% of your maximum HR and would stay there about for rest of it.

biceps triceps i stick to small weights high repetitions with free weights rather than push pull type of machines as i'm aiming to stay toned and not bulk, i tend to lat raises on one of those have balance ball things (bosu ball? i think thats what its called) so i'm engaging the core while working the smaller muscle groups. Back i am simply doing raises off the balance ball, Legs i particularly struggle with for ideas, at the gym we've got the vertical press, leg curl, leg extension and thats it!! could do with some fresh ideas there

High reps with low weights for toning - is a myth. Even if you lift heavy ( you should) you can not bulk up. It takes much more than just lifting heavy to bulk up. One of the most important ingredient for bulking is - testosterone - and females simply lack it naturally. So - stop doing biceps/tricpes - the kind of strength you need for tone them is sufficient from chest and back exercises. For legs - get hold of trainer who can help you with squats - before that - check with your doctor whether it is safe for you to do squats (considering your surgery history).

[Yoda-esque]

Pre weight gain the speed that felt faster than a jog but not fast enough to be a sprint now feels like a seriously hard sprint now but i guess it would for the obvious weight gain reason i probably could run a bit faster... infact i am pretty sure as part of cricket coaching i do sprint much faster so are you siggesting 4 min jog 1 min of hard sprinting?? what about squats with a bar bell what does that work??

Yes - 4 mins : 1 min ratio works..though lesser time and more intensity is better (more like 30 seconds) Squats with Barbell works but if you are using barbells , do the hack squat ( where you hold the barbell behind you) ,since there is lesser strain on your back and shoulders (you mentioned you have back problems). I use dumbbells mostly.

[akshayxyz]

Important thing on cardio.. since you have gained about 10 kgs - amidst all the inactivity.. go easy on treadmill in the starting (it can impact knees).. move to cycle/elliptical/rowing for high intensity cardio.

[CricketGirl]

Yes that is also HIIT, but ideally 30sec-30sec intervals are best. And from my experience, its easier to do more effective HIIT on cycle and elliptical than on treadmill. On treadmill it takes time to switch the speeds. Here is how to go about a typical HIIT. 0) pick a cardio machine of your choice 1) 2-3 minutes of normal pace, or 5-7 minutes ( if you are not warmed up) 2) repeat 10-15 one minute cycles of (a) and (b) a) 25-30 seconds of full throttle. You should not be able to do more than 30 seconds. Two ways to step the intensity up - increase the pace, increase the resistance (or inclination on treadmill) b) 30-35 seconds of relaxed pace. For first 2-3 'cycle's of high-low intensity, you can keep the high intensity part to medium intensity and later step it up 4th cycle onwards. Ideally you should not be able to do (and wont need either) it more than 20 minutes.., 2-3 cycles into the HIIT, your heart would be pounding at 85-90% of your maximum HR and would stay there about for rest of it. High reps with low weights for toning - is a myth. Even if you lift heavy ( you should) you can not bulk up. It takes much more than just lifting heavy to bulk up. One of the most important ingredient for bulking is - testosterone - and females simply lack it naturally. So - stop doing biceps/tricpes - the kind of strength you need for tone them is sufficient from chest and back exercises. For legs - get hold of trainer who can help you with squats - before that - check with your doctor whether it is safe for you to do squats (considering your surgery history).

ok so with HIIT do i need to do anything with the resistence levels?? i'm quite happy to forego biceps triceps (hate doing them anyway i guess i do them out of habit) i've been given the all clear following an MRI scan and according to the Dr's i'm fully healed, thankfully it wasnt invasive surgery plus it was over 6 months ago squats i guess i could get some help with just to get the technique right

[CricketGirl]

Important thing on cardio.. since you have gained about 10 kgs - amidst all the inactivity.. go easy on treadmill in the starting (it can impact knees).. move to cycle/elliptical/rowing for high intensity cardio.

come to think of it my knees are feeling a bit stiff since i started running i thought that was cuz of the time i spent away from exercise! :((