"Fitness Club" Thread

GWC Community GWC Fitness Club
#301

I used to use fitday.com, they have a free online program or you can purchase a program to put on your computer. I don’t know if they have phone apps. You can customize your entries from the labels of the foods you eat, which is nice. It breaks down your daily intake into a pie chart so you can see how much fat, protein, carbs you are getting and it will also let you print weekly and monthly reports. There is also an activity journal and it does the same kind of reports plus will show you how many calories in versus calories out. I thought it was really nice for a free program.

I recently start just using a journal in a binder. Too many computer problems and loosing data because my computer was a POS but I digress. Anyway, you can download free food and fitness pages from various places on line, just google it. I bought the journal my gym sold because they had some extra information in it. In the future I will just make my own blank sheets and print them out.

I also really like dailymile and they have an app that automatically posts your workout to twitter and/or facebook. So my workouts are twittered. Not that I have done anything this past week. I have been lazy, lazy, lazy. Now that it is starting to get warmer and there is more light hanging around I am feeling more motivated to walk and bike outside. I just need to do it.

#302

Oh I almost forgot, I am going to do the MDA muscle walk in March. It is just a 1 mile walk and it isn’t timed or anything. I have a friend who has MD and with new braces is able to walk and has been going to a gym to improve her strength. She is really excited to be able to walk and I want to support her so I joined her team. My daughter, who is 12 also joined her team because she likes to do charity walks. The extra cool thing is my husband is also going to participate in the walk. This is extra cool because he has spina bifida and walks with a cane, but he has been working on eating healthier, working out and bike riding after a heart attack last summer. He can’t really walk for long distances and he can’t run at all but he is excited about supporting our friend and has decided to walk in the spina bifida charity walk run or roll this October. I think we will to the rock run or roll as a family.

It’s just cool to me and I wanted to share. :slight_smile:

#303

To pick up on what Apollomy was saying… Going To The Gym can be overrated. Some of the best stuff you can do involves just exercising at home. After college, I dropped 25 pounds by buying a used exercise bike and riding it half an hour a night while watching Seinfeld re-runs.

Going to the gym is such a production, you know? Don’t get me wrong, it’s better to go than not go. But don’t let a gym membership stop you.

And pushups suck, but they rule. If you follow me.

Thanks for the food feedback, all. Great stuff.

#304

uuugh very burned out from work today, had to pop in here real quick to get some motivation to exercise now

and it worked, thanks gang! keep it up!

#305

I am at -12 now, too!

Aaaand, hooray for me, my doctor said I could go back to cardio because my foot is healed enough to give it a workout!

#306

I like the fact that this thread has started picking up! More and more we’re at least thinking about, and in many cases doing something about our health. That’s a good thing.

Chuck’s latest post (and his mention of chowing down on baby carrots) brings to mind this: the next time you hit the grocery store to shop, spend some time in the fresh produce section! Find your favorite apple or pear, check out the veggies, and pick out a few and bring them home! If there’s a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter and a few bags of something crunchy in the fridge, and if you can get in the habit of grabbing them instead of the bag of chips, you’re headed in the right direction. For instance when I pack my bag lunch for work I’ve started replacing the second sandwich and the baggie full of Ruffles with a bag of sliced apple, some grapes and a few strawberries, and it’s just as satisfying while being lots better for me I’m sure. I guess my point is, try to replace some food that you know is just no good for you with something healthy, and stick with it. Once it becomes habit you’ll hardly miss the old craaap.

#307

WOO! awesome news Starbuccaneer! take it slow and let us know how it goes!

agreed about the pick up of activity!

I’ve also found the old saying of never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry REALLY comes into effect when you’re trying to stock up on healthy stuff, also don’t discount your freezer section for veggies, those steamer bags are great and easy to make, they even have personal serving ones, perfect to bring for lunch to have some nice peas as a side with your lunch or whatever veggie you’d like!

little update on my end, got up at 4am today to do the Yoga so that I wouldn’t have to do it after work (got a REALLY stressful day ahead of me today so its nice to know I can just come home and relax tonight)

had a surreal moment while doing it this morning, at one point I was like “wait a second…my legs are behind my head WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE”

and another where I was actually stretching my hands OVER my toes with my legs actually flat to the ground which for someone who’s just not flexible like me is just frakkin’ awesome

would totally recommend yoga for anyone who wants to give it a shot

keep up the awesome work GWCers! I was on the verge of slacking and not exercising last night but I popped in here quick and read back a few pages and I got filled with motivation from everyone’s updates!

#308

I guess this is the right place for me to post this. :slight_smile:

I’m a long time lurker/fan of the cast, and now I need the community’s help! I am a complete idiot when it comes to fitness, and that’s how I got into the shape I’m in. I’m not obese, I’m not in very poor health, I’m just incredibly lazy! As I begin to get closer and closer to 30, it’s all catching up to me. I want to get into shape, before it becomes a problem.

I signed up for a gym membership at the beginning of the year, but it wasn’t for me. I have bad anxiety, and I just felt uncomfortable at the gym. Plus, it was expensive and not very close! I’m not trying to “bulk up”, I just want to get my belly flat again, and not be so weak. I’m looking at different DVD and other programs to work out from home. My place is TINY, so, a treadmill or big machine is out of the question. I’m not against old fashion push ups and crunches. I can handle my diet, I really need to eat MORE actually. Sorry for writing a novel here, but I’m trying to get myself finally motivated. I quit smoking recently, so I think working out will help take that edge off from that as well.

Do any of my GWC brethren (or sisters?) have suggestions for working out at home simply but effectively? I’ve seen P90X and yoga suggested here. When I joined the gym I had an assessment by a trainer, and they said my core was in really bad shape, so, I need to concentrate on that for sure. I did yoga years ago at home, but my cat would sit in the corner and judge me, and that was uncomfortable. This thread has been very helpful and motivational so far! Thanks everyone!

#309

had a surreal moment while doing it this morning, at one point I was like “wait a second…my legs are behind my head WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE”

and another where I was actually stretching my hands OVER my toes with my legs actually flat to the ground which for someone who’s just not flexible like me is just frakkin’ awesome

That’s great - It’s good when you do something without really meaning to or realising that you are doing it, my angel chorus moment was handstands (walking and free), cartwheels and bridges. I’m slowly working on pullups.

Get hooked on something zero calorie. Think of this as overeating (or being a dick to your friends) for people who’re quitting smoking. Sure, it’s not a long-term answer, but it can help you through the process. I sometimes drink tea or water when I’m just overcome with the physical desire to eat something when I’ve planned not to.

I do the same, from the moment I get into work, it’s hot water or tea/fruit tea. Luck has it that I don’t have to go to the loo every 5 minutes like I used to.

Going to the gym is such a production, you know? Don’t get me wrong, it’s better to go than not go. But don’t let a gym membership stop you.

I agree, for me it’s the process of going to the gym that is the hard part, once I’m there it’s all cool. Although yesterday I didn’t go as my son was bouncy when he went to bed so he took 1.5 hrs to go to sleep. I didn’t bother going but my diet was good so it was no biggie - plus I had gone for a 1.2mile run and a 30 minute swim (Frontcrawl) in the morning so its not like I hadn’t done any exercise.

#310

Well first, welcome to the thread, you’ll get tons of responses and I’m sure alot better than my own :)… As for exercise, it’s the multi joined movements that will get you going. So you’ll need at least some of the following:

Planks/Side Planks
Pushups/Aysmetrical pushups/Pushup where you do 10 wide, 10 normal hand placement and then 10 where your thumb and forefinger are touching (3 sets)
Hindu Pushups
Inchworm Push Ups
Prisoner Squats (do 3 rounds of 1 minute each)
Dips
Glute Raises (when at home, I just use the couch or bed)
Burpees - Ask Bkitty
V-Ups
Shadow Boxing (3 rounds of 3 minutes each should be good)
Want killer leg strength - Work on pistol progressions
Lunges
Wallwalks

What I did when I was more used to it was a pushup with my feet on the wall, and then lower myself and/or do a handstand on the wall and just lower myself. I never got to pushing myself back up but it’s still a valid technique.

These are the ones of the top of my head plus I do alot of capoeira based warmups/stretches so I’m a bit biased towards those.

#311

Wow, thanks Bishop! That’s a lot of great info. I’ll look into all of those and try to work on a routine. I’m glad YouTube is around to give step by step instructions on how to do different exercises. I’m very paranoid about doing them wrong, so it’s very helpful!

#312

Heya Mad’

Again, welcome to the thred!! OSSIM to have you here!. Bishop is right on track with the calesthenics he’s posted, and it’s a great list!! Here are a couple more:

Couple of additional push-up variants
Rebel rows
Spiderman pushups (c’mon - we’re geeks - how can we not love these :slight_smile: )
Scorpion pushups
Diamond pushups (hands together as Bishop indicated - just another name for 'em)

Legs
Another vote for prisoner squats and burpees :slight_smile:
“rising from the dead” - from kneeling position, cross hands on chest and lean back, then forward - carful if your knees are weak.
Sun-king lunges - add raising your hands above your head as you lunge “All hail”
Bulgarian Split Squats - no weights required
Lateral lunges
Mountain climbers
Running on the spot with high knee lifts

Shoulders
Dips (use a chair to support your arms. To make it harder, get your feet off the ground too)

Cardio
Jump-rope - pure cardio OSSIMNESS

Core
Another vote for plank and side plank!! :slight_smile:
Swiss-ball jack knives (if you have access to a ball)
Mason twists
Windshield wipers
Scissor kicks (legs straight, 8 inches off the ground)
Bicycle crunches (use a bicycle pedaling motion in a crunchie position, supporting your upper body off the ground. To pump it up, “pick cherries” from an imaginary overhead tree)
Fish flops
Table-top back arches

To optimize calisthenics, rotate muscle groups and keep the pace up. Try this if you have a timer (I use the free app for the iPhone “Timer”).
30 sec pushups - any variant
30 legs
30 sec core
30 sec pushups
30 sec legs
30 sec core
30 sec rest.
now do two more repeats.

This entire workout takes under 15 minutes. When you’re ripping through this, add additional sets, increase the interval length, whatever you want :slight_smile: Good luck dude!!

#313

I think the ending of the podcast should be…and thanks goes to techdrew, casilda and for the fitness thread…amberite

#314

:eek: Have to deny that and give credit where credit is due I’m afraid - Darth_Revan is your man. He resurrected this thread from obscurity, was the first to change his signature to redirect folks here, posts religiously and is seriously da man!

In actually fact, this thread is what is is because of everybody kicking ass and sharing their stories! Thought a lot about that at the gym this morning. Tons of different folks are in great shape: runners, MMA fighters, bowlers, golfers, footballers, and every day people. Everybody is different and will find what works for them, and there’s no way its going to be the same as anyone else. BUT, with everyone contributing and sharing their stories, it increases the chance for each of us to find what works for us, and to get inspired to try new things! Team GWC Fitness FTW!

#315

Ah - I have failed darth for the last time :stuck_out_tongue:

I sense a tshirt for the meetup :stuck_out_tongue:

#316

Thanks Amberite! But the thread is nothing without everyone posting, if people hadn’t started responding I would have just been that insane guy talking to himself in that obscure thread!

this has easily become my favorite thread on any forum to visit lately, it use to be when I would first open up my browser I’d go read some IGN boards or my old DAOC guild boards to chat with my old buds from there, but now its right to GWC --> Geek Hobbies --> Fitness Club Thread

enjoying my ‘night’ off (since I did my work out this morning)

thinking I might try and get up early again tomorrow to get it done, its nice coming home and hopping in the shower right away then relaxing, and look its only 6:43, if I had waited to do the Yoga until after work I would probably just be getting out of the shower right now!

#317

Managed to do a 1.2 mile run in about 15 minutes, it’s a lot of ups and downs and I get slowed right down from the start as I have to run up a hill as soon as I step outside the door. That was at 5:30 this morning. Then at 7:00, I went swimming and did 22 lengths frontcrawl.

Now I’m at work so tonight after I put the boy to bed, head to the gym for leg day.

#318

Darth, glad to see you’re joining the early morning workout crowd, and I only saw that because it makes me feel less insane. The same reasons that you gave were why I started working out early before work. After work I’m pretty tired, and it was initially nice to spend some time w/ Mrs. Amberite, play WoW, watch TV, walk dog etc. The only thing you have to be okay with is slightly less sleep :slight_smile:

Bishop - OSSIM regime dude - totally hardcore buddy! For a few months last year I managed to workout in the mornings, and do a double session of martial arts two nights a week, but eventually I found that I didn’t have it in the tank to do both. Kinda a shame, but the upside is that I get to spend more time at home, and don’t get beat up as much.

Being Friday, it’s also time for my BKitteh 10 minute pushup challenge report. Happy to report that it was a new personal best this morning. Did 40 minutes of spin intervals, then fired off 126 burpees. I did sets of 12/min for the first 9 minutes, and did 18 in the last minute. This is a great way to gage my weekly fitness level! In Bkitteh’s honor I tried recording a short video shout out right after, but then I watched and though “Wow, nobody needs to see that. Ever.” :eek:

How’s everybody else doing??

#319

ended up just going back to sleep this morning…just got home and changed, took my 5 hour energy…and preparing to run plays Eye of the Tiger wish me luck!

edit: ps you all are insane doing that many burpees :open_mouth:

#320

It should be a slightly chubby person on a couch, watching tv with a bag representing but legally distinct from cheesy poofs. with a caption

“I have failed Darth for the last time”

and on the back is “GWC Fitness Thread”