All Things Fitness/Gym/Aesthetics 2012: So Homoerotic!

[Valkyrie]

Do you do your lower back too?

I think I must do cos I have spondylolisthesis in my lumber spine and I haven't had much pain from it since I started doing crunches about 10 years ago. I was originally taught to do them at the gym so hopefully I'm still doing them properly.

I'm late 40s, I've had two kids but I have a flat stomach and a slightly visible 4-pack* so I'm happy with what I'm doing

*this may have something to do with the gbl I consume.

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

I just started doing those abs exercises above but am not sure what kind I can do for my lower back MSB. I dont want a hunch Can you recommend some please.

"Superman"'s should do the trick. They should improve your general posture even if your abs aren't pulling you forward, especially if you spend a lot of time on the PC like I do.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/superman

Blood pressure is down to 122/72 since I stopped with the heavy drug use

I think at the worst point it was 149/98.

Wow, that's a good improvement. It's pretty much bang on what it should be now isn't it?

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

I think I must do cos I have spondylolisthesis in my lumber spine and I haven't had much pain from it since I started doing crunches about 10 years ago. I was originally taught to do them at the gym so hopefully I'm still doing them properly.

I'm late 40s, I've had two kids but I have a flat stomach and a slightly visible 4-pack* so I'm happy with what I'm doing

*this may have something to do with the gbl I consume.

O I meant do you also do a specific exercise to target the lower back like the one above. I have some family members with spondylolisthesis (sp?) i think, that's where the spine fuses together isn't it?

 

[Furious George]

FG abs are 90% to do with how much fat you're carrying and 10% about what you do in the gym.

The appearance of abs, yes.

The functional part, which is what I really care about is 100% about what I do in the gym.

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

The appearance of abs, yes.

The functional part, which is what I really care about is 100% about what I do in the gym.

Yeah but your aim is to be able to flex them for extended periods of time, isn't it? Whereas most other people here would probably want primarily appearance, and wouldn't really benefit from greater functionality that much.

 

[Valkyrie]

O I meant do you also do a specific exercise to target the lower back like the one above. I have some family members with spondylolisthesis (sp?) i think, that's where the spine fuses together isn't it?

No, it's displacement of a vertebra. Probably caused by playing a lot of netball when I was younger. I used to be in agony with it. When it was bad I had trouble standing upright. The pain is caused by muscles cramping up around the area. It's fine now though.

I was taught to do crunches like this :-

Lay with your back flat on the floor, i.e. no arch. Tilt your pelvis up slightly and imagine there's a piece of string from the back of your navel attached to the floor. Knees slightly bent.

Rather than concentrate on lifting the shoulders, imagine there a pool of water on your stomach and you've got to get it into your belly button using your muscles . When you do this your shoulders will lift automatically.

I do 3 x 20 of these. Then 3 sets to the left , leg up and making sure the left shoulder stays pinned to the floor. Then 3 sets to the right. Then 3 sets with both legs up at right angles to the floor. Then 60 fast alternating left/right. Then 3 more sets of the first ones.

Is that ok?

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

No, it's displacement of a vertebra. Probably caused by playing a lot of netball when I was younger. I used to be in so much pain with it I had trouble standing upright. It's caused by muscles cramping up around the area. It's fine now though.

I was taught to do crunches like this :-

Lay with your lower back flat on the floor, i.e. no arch. Tilt your pelvis up slightly and imagine there's a piece of string from the back of your navel attached to the floor. Knees slightly bent.

Rather than concentrate on lifting the shoulders, imagine there a pool of water on your stomach and you've got to get it into your belly button using your muscles . When you do this your shoulders will lift automatically.

I do 3 x 20 sets of these. Then 3 sets to the left , leg up and making sure the left shoulder stays pinned to the floor. Then 3 sets to the right. Then 3 sets with both legs up at right angles to the floor. Then 60 fast alternating left/right. Then 3 more sets of the first ones.

Is that ok?

Yeah that sounds fine to me. I wouldn't go playing around with adding weight and things to your exercises if they have been working to help treat a medical condition. Your technique sounds perfect. Have you heard of planks and side planks? Encorporating those in would raise the difficulty of your routine a bit if that's what you're after. I think I got your condition confused with ankylosing spondilitus (spelt wrong).

Do you ever work out other parts of your body to build up strength there?

 

[Valkyrie]

Do you ever work out other parts of your body to build up strength there?

No, I'm not really interested in working out. I just want a flat stomach. If I do get back pain I stretch my spine by curling up on the floor hugging my knees. That's the extent of the hospital physiotherapy advice.

 

[dan88]

Phew yeah! Me and a friend just got back from a 30 mile-ish cycle up past Cramond. Saw the beautiful River Almond on the way back. Lush day! Absolutely shattered now.

Good stuff mate, and lovely views. I dunno if you do a lot of cycling, but cleats and clipless pedals REALLY help you pick your speed up. Best thing I ever did to my bike. They cost quite a bit though, so maybe not worth it if its just an every now and again thing

 

[Valkyrie]

Loving that picture of the weir

I would cycle more but we live at the top of a bloody great big hill.

 

[MrPorter]

^same problem here and my bike was put together by my uncle... :/

Haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks, nor done any athletics training and i have a competition in 9 days. I can feel the DOMS coming already

 

[Urbain]

Good stuff mate, and lovely views. I dunno if you do a lot of cycling, but cleats and clipless pedals REALLY help you pick your speed up. Best thing I ever did to my bike. They cost quite a bit though, so maybe not worth it if its just an every now and again thing

aye, i've got straps built on to the pedals.. couldnt do without them in my opinion, great to for traction and never slipping your feet off the pedal!

 

[Mailmonkey]

Anyone got any exercises that SPECIFICALLY target and stretch the psoas minor?

I do a sort of lunge and hold it, a leaning back and arching and hold it, a roll back on a flat surface and hold the other leg to my chest.

This is not about body building, I'm buff as fuck, and fit as a butcher's dog anyway, but just need to get the psoas minor stretched a tiny bit more.

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

I had a look about and the best thing I found was this:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/393783-exercise-that-targets-the-hip-flexor/

Maybe some side planks would also help?

 

[Furious George]

Interesting free pdf on intermittent fasting. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

I've been experimenting with these over the past 4 weeks with great results. Started with 24/36 hour fasts once a week, now trying 16 hour daily fasts. Recently got injured so haven't touched a weight or laced a glove in 5 weeks, but I'm looking better. has to be the diet.

 

[rockstar 69]

I've completely lost all my appetite and most of my gains from the last 6months in the space of a few weeks of no gym, crap diet and over seshing. What a shit feeling starting from scratch but I guess today is as good a day as any while I have 4 days off. Almost impossible to get a good diet in when working with lack of breaks and no meals at work. That coupled with drinking every night really has ruined all progress

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

Interesting free pdf on intermittent fasting. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

I've been experimenting with these over the past 4 weeks with great results. Started with 24/36 hour fasts once a week, now trying 16 hour daily fasts. Recently got injured so haven't touched a weight or laced a glove in 5 weeks, but I'm looking better. has to be the diet.

I've been doing IF for months now and it's brilliant. I think it's more to do with your macros being easier to hit because you aren't really hungry in the morning, then you can eat properly in the afternoon through to the night. Have you been on Lean Gains?

 

[TheSpade]

How long do you fast for? I've been not eating all day until dinner time quite regularly recently and it helped me lose about 10 pounds very quickly. Not sure if I could go 24hrs though.

 

[Mr Smokes Blunts.]

How long do you fast for? I've been not eating all day until dinner time quite regularly recently and it helped me lose about 10 pounds very quickly. Not sure if I could go 24hrs though.

Quite similar to how you described. I eat all my food between about 2-3 and 10. Eating about 1500-2000 calories of high protein in that time leaves me feeling reasonably full compared to trying to make that amount of food keep me full all day.

 

[TheSpade]

What I've been doing is just waiting until 5/6pm to eat and then having a normal dinner, seems to fill me up easily enough and I don't feel the need to eat again where as if I eat in the morning not long after getting up I'm stuffing my face every couple of hours.