I just ordered my own TRX suspension trainer. I should have it in a couple of days.

Huh, just looked it up. So what the **** do you really do with it that you couldn't already do?

Lots of body weight stuff more efficiently. I don't use them, but my gym has whole group classes utilizing them and trainers who only base their entire regimen on them.

My wife likes them.

You say more efficiently? Like holding on to this thing and squatting instead of just learning how to squat without it?

Pistols which are hard as **** to jump into without a bridge like TRX. But that's just one example. I'm not a huge fan, but they seem to be used by people wanting an aerobic circuit type workout, clearly not bodybuilders. Mountain climbers with feet in stirrups seem like they'd be good on it. Push ups with either feet or hands in stirrups. Works stabilizers as well or would seem to.

Well this definitely means that little girl Omaha will totally dig it!

Start pistols by getting your ass to a bench, then progress to a small stool, and then you've got it.

I do a trx workout once a week with a trainer at my gym. I can do a full body workout without a gym, but, you're right, i don't necessarily need trx for that. I really like doing core work with it. (Pikes, mountain climbers, and atomic pushups are pretty cool in the trx) Single leg squats and some balance exercises are some of my other favorites. I'm also going to be visiting my dad for a while and i won't have access to a gym. It will come in handy there.

Yeah. I discovered with pistols that there are some "tricks" to doing them, in engaging the raised leg. I had a tendency to tap the raised leg to the ground and do a slight push with it, which just makes the pistol harder. Thrust that bitch skywards and it helps activate everything and bring you back up.

I WILL DESTROY YOU!

Did you include the DVD collection of all the season of Trueblood and a pink steering wheel cover in you order as well?

Holy shit. I think I need to change my Amazon password.

****ERS.

Anyway, I'm excited to start a new cycle of the 531. I went away from it for a while while I was doing some knee and back rehab, but I'm back on it starting today. Accidentally deleted my old spreadsheet, but found this one that kicks ass.

http://www.allthingsgym.com/2012/01/...-poteto-v1-28/

I love the graphs and stats it tracks for you.

So, I'm only doing it 5 days a week, and I have modified it a little bit. Because of my spine issues, I can't do heavy squats anymore, and I have to start way over on the deadlift with super light weight to build up some deficiencies in strength. My schedule will be:
M - Military Press (Assistance: Military Press, BB Row, Tricep extension)
W - RFESS, Deadlifts (Assistance: Good Mornings, Crunches)
R - Bench (Assistance: DB Incline Bench, Weighted Pull-ups, Weighted Dips)

I love wendlers stuff. Been on 531 for a while now, using Tate's time under tension stuff for assistance & more bodybuilding movements.

Creatine question. I've not been taking this. How much should I take & when should I take it?

A scoop before workout and a scoop after. Mix it with grape juice.

Make sure you drink lots of water. If not you may experience cramping and/or headaches.

How big is the scoop?

Pure creatine monohydrate? A teaspoon, or 5 grams. If you're using some of that mixed, flavored crap, the scoop should be included.

So I need 10 grams every day?

I've read that I should take a week or two off every 6 weeks or so, but I thought I read on here that this wasn't necessary?

5g (1 teaspoon) every day. It doesn't matter when you take it. The only important thing is remembering to take it. Cycling isn't necessary. You can take it year-round. You don't *have* to load it, but doing so saturates the muscle more quickly. But if you don't load it, no big deal. You'll reach saturation in a few weeks, anyway.

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I've finally gotten a pretty good 6 pack. Will the extra water weight ruin that?

Totally possible. Just counter that with some dbol and HGH ;)

It shouldn't. It's not adding fat to you.

No. Creatine's water weight is simply the extra weight in your muscle from water. It doesn't cause water retention outside of muscles, so it should actually make your muscles slightly larger.

Thanks for the video... since buying the pills (CEE, IIRC), that's the 2nd time I've heard the powder is better. I used the powder in college and it worked well... I think the pills have worked, but the workouts are more intense these days, too.... I might switch just to see if there's a difference.

I don't think the powder is "better." It's just cheaper.

This is the article I found a few weeks ago...

Ah, I was thinking that you were talking about creatine caps by themselves as opposed to the same product in powder form.

That stuff about the insulin levels and creatine uptake isn't really necessary, though.

This is what I have now... it wasn't much more expensive, but I'll probably experiment with the less expensive powder next time.

http://store.ndsnutrition.com/produc...es/cr5-sf-.jpg

Yeah. I just use Optimum Nutrition's unflavored powder. I take a scoop with a few gulps of water because it has no taste whatsoever.

Where do you guys get your supplements? Complete Nutrition is getting expensive.

Amazon prime is usually cheapest. Dpsnutrition is good and bodybuilding.com sometimes has good coupon specials.

Amazon Prime is great. What's a good brand?

Ihttp://www.bodybuilding.com/store/as...ocreatine.html

I just ordered this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...AA280_SH20.jpg

I was registered to run in the All Star Game Charity 5k a few weeks ago, but I never received any information on any of the details or how to get my packet, so I missed it. I was bummed.

However, I will be running my first 5k this Saturday morning. Wish me luck!

Good luck!

Would pushups or bench press be more beneficial in losing chest fat

You can't make an area lose fat by just working on that area. Your body will loose it where ever it damn well pleases.

Always what I heard as well. Working an area will help build muscle though, which will help burn fat.

Yes.

You cannot spot reduce an area of fat on the body. Burn calories overall to lose fat. We all carry our fat differently as well.

Yeah. Lewdog, for example, has a 29 inch waist with huge banana-shaped moobs.

ROFL That got me good!

But in all honesty, I would ****ing tear your bitch ass apart while you watch Trublood, while doing a "full body" cleanse and using your 2.5 lb dumbbells.

I haven't been to the gym in almost a month. :sigh:

I have whooping cough and cracked ribs thanks to my game on Friday night. It's definitely slowing me down :(

Hopefully I'm back to full strength soon and can get back in the gym.

Haven't maxed in a while but I can now do sets with 255 on the bench. 21 reps over 4 sets (6,6,5,4). Probably try to bump the weight when I get closer to 25 reps. Hoping to be doing sets with 275 by October.

Son of a bitch. That sounds......awful.

Definitely unpleasant when I cough. I guess it's my own fault for playing while I was still sick, but that probably had nothing to do with getting hurt.

I've never broken a rib, but I've had a rib out before. As intolerable as that is, I can't imagine a broken rib.

So I bought The Rack. Not sure if it's been talked about in this thread. Just done 2 of the DVD's so far. I can't reach my hair to wash it today. These are short circuit training workouts that have kicked my ass so far.

Gonna take it slow at first but I plan to do the 12 week program the week my son leaves for the Marines...give me some incentive for when we go get him in November.

Alright, small brag time.

I sumo deadlifted 375 for an easy single today, which is the most I have done since my hip injuries I have had for the past 3 years from Olympic lifting. So back over 2x bodyweight deads (bw 185lbs)! Felt really strong and easy today too. I have been doing 5/3/1 for a few months now and love the simplicity of deads, squats, military press and bench for the main lifts.

Wish I could do the Oly lifts again but I guess being healthy in the gym is a bit more enjoyable.

Grats!

Nearly two months out of the gym for me :(. I'm getting fat and slow and weak. Fuuuuuuuuuck. Can't wait to get back to it.

EPIC FAIL

If you "leg day" does not contain a deadlift or squat variation, this is an epic fail!

Heh.

Hey,

Quick question for you workout guys. I'm thinking of joining a gym but here's my problem.

I travel for work nearly every week which means I can be anywhere in the US from Monday-Thursday while being home in Houston every weekend. I need to find something that is in Houston while being in as many cities around the country as possible. I was thinking of 24 hour fitness but I was hoping some of you might know of something I can find in more places. Anyone have any ideas or do you think 24 hour is my best choice?

Just got back from my family vacation to Kauai, HI. Pics of me are baaaaaad. Stepped on the scale this morning, don't like what I see. I'll lose some weight over the next few months as my activity level goes up coaching youth football, but it's time for me to do something. I turn 49 next month, and I'm 6'2", 310 as of this morning. Time to get right.

IMO...Your best bet is doing a bw routine in the motel, most motels have a small decent workout area, swim, run fire escapes, buy a set of resistance bands to pack in your luggage.

When I travel for work (maybe 2 weeks per month), I google the gyms in the area I'll be working, and find a hotel near the one that best suits me. My company reimburses for all expenses including the gym, so I'm pretty lucky in that regard. Been running Wendler's 5/3/1 since Jan, with really good strength gains and fat loss since I've been pushing a prowler for 'accessory work' on my deadlift & squat days.

24 Hours are everywhere plus if you have to go at odd hours because of travel, meetings, etc they are open.

I can probably only squat about 25-35 lbs more than I can bench. True story.

Also, I took a pre-workout shake for the first time last night. Some stuff called 1MR. My skin started tingling; I thought I was going to die. Went to the gym and had a workout on top of my workout. I'll probably never use it again though. I didn't like the feeling it gave me.

It's the niacin.

Probably had niacin in it.

And my squat is pathetic as well. I've started just doing pistols instead of traditional squats.

Also, that stuff has as much caffeine as 3 cups of coffee according to the warning label on it. The caffeine is most likely the only meaningful ingredient in it, so apparently their claim is that caffeine is a good preworkout supplement. What do people think about that? I often will have trouble getting into it at the gym and just have to force myself to work hard.

I drink so much freaking caffeine (coffee) in a day that I don't know what it's like to not have it as a preworkout "supplement."

I do know that doing deadlifts at 5am after one cup of coffee is a hell of a lot harder than doing them at 8am after half a pot.

Or beta-alanine.

Yeah, I had a friend bring me some to try and I took a look at the label. I remember Niacin had a ridiculously large number next to it and when I researched it later that night they said it had as much caffeine as three cups of coffee. I don't drink coffee and the only soda I drink is Sprite so my body isn't used to getting much caffeine at all. That's probably why it ****ed with me so much.

Plus I like to keep all that shit to a minimum. The only thing I like taking is a post-workout whey protein shake.

It's awesome. Most preworkouts these days combine caffeine and 1,3 dimeth.

I really like the C4 pre workout drinks. I don't hardly drink caffeine at all either. But once I found the right dosage to take, I'd much rather workout on that stuff. Makes me feel like ****ing Leonidas. Haha

I like the flushing feeling I get from Niacin or beta-alanine. I don't do a ton of stims but having a little in the system really does help my workout endurance for squat or deadlift days. I usually take .5-.75 of the recommended dosage for most pre workout products.

Alright, time for a little me time....I usually don't share personal stuff on here. I Olympic lifted for a few years before I really ****ed up my hip. Was easily the most enjoyable exercise I have ever done. Wasn't crazy strong by any means but it was just enjoyable to go in and know you have to bust ass everyday on the toughest lifts in the world. These vids are obviously a few years old since I don't O lift anymore but thought I would share them and would be glad to answer any questions about Olympic lifting if any of you do it. Do any of you do these lifts?

I want to get back into them although my current gym here doesn't have to setup for it. Someday I want to buy my own platform, bar and bumpers...even if it is just for some light work a few times a week.

My best lifts were
128kg C&J (280 lbs)
105kg snatch (230lbs)

bodyweight of 185lbs

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I'm pretty sure I'd hurt myself, and I do a lot of compound movement exercises.

You have a great snatch.

I have Achilles Tendonosis. No more soccer for quite some time.

Don't you get enough exercise juggling fat chicks? :D

I had that last spring. It sucked, but it didn't stick around as long as I expected.

The fatass is back. Since losing 185lbs and moving to MO, I've gained back probably 100lbs or more, and have turned into a mild alcoholic. I know this is incredibly attractive to people, particularly guys in this thread.

That said, I'm hoping to tap your brains, and get some support as I try and get back to who I loved the best, and that was the guy running 30-40 miles a week and living the dream. I've forgotten a lot of what I knew. Honestly, I'll need you guys and hope you'll look at it as charity work. :)

I want the 100 gone. So I'm really considering juicing for 3 months as I get back into an exercise routine. I know for fact that #1 calories in vs. calories out is the best way to go, but it's not an exact science. Definitely the route I'm taking. #2 fat people lose more weight the first 3 months than they do after their bodies adjust to their new regimen. Juicing makes good sense for someone who wants to drop a massive amount of weight quickly.

Anyone know anything about it? Any pointers on a good weight liftiing regimen for someone who has no clue what their doing regarding form would be great as well. I can't afford a trainer, but I'm dedicated to having a strength conditioning routine as well as my massive amounts of cardio. I can spend 2-3 or even 4 hours in a gym every day if that's what I need to do.

Thanks for reading my sob story, and any help you can give me along the way will be incredibly appreciated.

I have had it for almost 3 years. On aggressive PT and then more than likely surgery.

I seriously hope your kidding about considering juicing. At your weight & BF%, it would be a very expensive waste of money. There are no anabolic's that magically "strip" bodyfat.. what they do for cutting is help you keep whatever muscle you have in times of extreme caloric deficit. For your case, I'd read some of Jim Wendlers work and move, what he calls, "North of vag". Get your diet in check, lift heavy 3-4x per week, do some hill sprints 2-3x week and kick some ass.

Thanks man. I don't know anything about juicing, I just see people losing a metric **** ton of weight doing it. I need a long term plan, but I know you lose the most in the first 90 days while your body is in shock. I guess it doesn't really matter as far how the calories are ingested, I just need to cut to 800-1000 a day with enough protein.

If I'm ignorant in what I'm saying, let me know. I've done this before, and have seen morbidly obese people do it. I just want the most results in fat loss as quickly as possible. I'll figure the long term out once I'm under 300 again. In any case, I've got Wendler's blog up now. Thanks for the tip.

PM me you email, I'll send you his 5/3/1 training manual. I've went from 230 to 215 in 8 weeks while getting a lot stronger. Pulled 500 for a triple for the first time since college, and generally feel a lot more in shape than I every did.

Edit: If anyone else wants 5/3/1 pdf manual let me know. His second edition is up on scribd too.