your body your health

[0JSIMPS0N]

fair enough. but if you make a consistent effort, it doesnt take alot to maintain a good physique/health once you get there

[lionlimb]

I know this thread leans more towards fitness but was wondering if anyone on here is hip on the ayurvedic diet. Studying up on which dosha I am now.

thanks in advance!

Not the hippest, but it has helped me. My dosha is Vata, and tend to be rather extreme / unbalanced. I was already doing a lot of the dietary stuff intuitively, but the lifestyle side (keeping daily routines, daily almond oil massage) has been incredibly helpful.

[eat me]

kuriz, if you're not actually a bodybuilder, 3 times a week 30-40 min is all you need really to be in a great shape, just hit hard. I'm almost exactly like you in terms of stats, 183 cm 72kg and as long as I fit in size 48 I'm happy, don't really want to go bigger than that.

[lowrey]

Yes I most likely didn't make that clear enough: I do intend to keep working out 2-3 times a week until the busy schedule is over. Taking a total break would most likely be the end of me
Have you tried taking breaks for longer or shorter periods of time?

This is just my take, but 2-3 times a week sounds just fine for keeping up your physique. of course, everything varies by person.

I've taken breaks ranging from a week to over a year. the latter of course had some undesired effects

[LiveinblacK]

2-3x's a week would definitely help maintain your body while you have a busy schedule. And as soon as your schedule is lighter you can get back into working out 4-5x's.

The only thing i would suggest if you are not doing it already is your nutrition. You may not be able to work out as much as you like but at least you can monitor what you eat. 5-6 meals a day, portion control and plenty of water.

[theetruscan]

What you eat is much more important than how often. Most studies I've seen show no benefit, and the rest minimal benefit, from eating more than 3-4x/day. Eat precisely if you're scaling your work down, but I wouldn't stress about 5-6x/day.

[Resonkuken]

I went back to the gym after a month and half of being a lazy ass. Felt so good after I did my first pull up. I´m never stopping again. I had been going pretty steady for more than 2 years, and during that time of absence I started feeling skinny, like I was losing muscle... Now that I´m back I´m planning on sticking to 3 times per week.

[endersgame]

i'm very gym-phobic, but was so out of shape i enlisted a trainer last month. so far it's been the best thing i've done to my body. i'm still on calisthenics and getting my ass-kicked every session, but i could never do the reps on my own.

i use to just do running thinking it was enough, but i barely scratched the surface regarding my fitness. biggest challenge is going beyond my comfort zone. this is hard to do without coaching. also changed my nutrition, which now almost makes me a vegetarian.

+ burpees make me sick.

[Faust]

Isn't it amazing that we pay someone to discipline us, something we are technically capable to do on our own, but almost universally fail.

[kunk75]

a trainer makes sense for about a month to the uninitiated trainee but there are few things more frivolous than continued payment of someone to show you how to run and lift weights. any idiot can learn that...or teach it

[theetruscan]

I think it depends on your goals Kunk.

I rely on my trainer/coach for consistent feedback. I mean, I know what I'm supposed to do, but I still get a ton wrong after a few years. Maybe I'm just bad at it, but lifting weights is hard. I could just be dimmer than any idiot though.

[cowsareforeating]

^ every time i squat/deadlift i still practice with no weight first to make sure i'm not rounding/arching my lower back...

ill second that lifting is difficult



EDIT:

anybody here have a good workout to gain vertical leap? I hear plyometrics aren't as useful as actually gaining standard power FIRST -- then plyo.

I'm 5'6 and... well. figured i'd try to go for my lifelong goal of dunking at some point in my life. All for fun of course. My estimated vert right now is ~30"

[chandler]

You may also want to consider an on-line trainer. You'll get access to people that are near impossible to find unless you have access to the most muscle-headed gyms. They do provide a lot of feedback and especially if you have a partner who can video your lifts you'll get useful feedback. They won't be in the gym urging you on, but there are plenty who can walk the walk and talk the talk.

The worst are the in-gym trainers who look out of shape and way too young to have any real experience

[theetruscan]

cowsareforeating,

Everyone should start with the bar and work up, every time. If Ilya Ilin starts with the bar, you should too. He's plenty strong, last I checked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIi0Ysp9UlU

For vertical leap, the three things that jump out, for me, are:

Hang Power Cleans are fairly simple, and great for training hip explosion, which will help.

Also, jumping helps jumping. Do small sets of max height box jumps.

Finally, there are some good workouts for jump/explosive capability that use heavy resistance bands. I imagine they would help.

Is 30" standing, or with a running start? That's quite good.

[malevich]

Best trainer is having couple of good close friends with the same fitness goals to push and inspire each-other to do this and that. Great way to spend weekends, we train so explosively over the saturday afternoon and push each-other till the limits that our bodies hurt for at least 3-4 days, same happens every week. We train outdoors regardless weather, mostly calisthenic workouts and loads of elements practiced at boxing workouts. And in addition to that also running long distances every sunday evening to finish the week off, that monday feels the happiest day. ;)
Have been doing that for 3 years now, results are great, I feel great, gym budget zero; trainer budget zero. Everything depends on the goal really, and in the end, the gym is simply an illusion to make you go somewhere and do "alibi" stuff, If you really want results simply make 10 perfect pushups everyday before brushing teeth, just make it everyday and make it right.