# Get fit, friends.



## Xavier (Jan 30, 2019)

Basic fitness is commonly overlooked from some observations. If you're over 25% body fat(35% as a woman), please think about starting an exercise program. Aim for 18%/25% for a start. BF percentage is a more important metric than weight. The best way to get in shape is a combination of eating right and then lifting weights and HIIT(High intensity interval training) cardio.

Count calories. Use an online calculator to find your resting metabolic rate, and subtract 500 calories a day from that as a start. Be honest with yourself. Once you've got a handle on the overall amount of calories, start counting macros. Aim for a diet high in protein and fat, and fewer carbs if you're trying to lose weight. Message me if you want assistance with the ratios. A great program to help track these items is "myfitnesspal" available for android and IOS.

Cut out unnecessary calories. Alcohol, sweet snacks, soda.
Drink more water. Get more sleep.

Start a workout program. Use large compound lifts to target multiple muscle groups. Add weight when you can. Do cardio - both LISS (low intensity steady state) and HIIT if you can.
If you've never worked out before or it's been a while, stick to something simple:

Three days a week:
Leg Press
Bench Press
Lat Pulldowns
Situps (2 sets to failure)
Do a mile on the treadmill as fast as you can, walk if you have to.

Start with 3 sets of 8. If your final set you can reach 8, add weight next time 5lb at a time. You can do this in almost any gym - at a hotel or an apartment club gym, it doesn't require sophisticated equipment.

After 6 weeks, change it up based on your ability and gym capability. Three different workouts in a week for a hybrid PPL(push pull legs) routine: A B C
A)
Incline Bench Press
High Row
Lunges with weights
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Run 1 mile

B)
Flat Bench Press
Decline Bench Press
Overhead Press (OHP)
High Row
Leg Press or squats if you can
Situps
Run 1 mile

C)
Incline Bench Press
Flat Cable Row
Lat Pulldown
Back Extention/Rear Delt Fly
Leg Press or squats if you can
Situps
Run 1 mile.

Every other week, do a high intensity circuit/cardio routine.
I'm currently running ABC, still getting a good burn/soreness. I'm getting stronger and i'm down 20lbs. 

Three hours a week for a better lifestyle. Good luck, friends.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

This is the biggest gap I have in my preps.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I got this body lifting 12 oz at a time, Preferred OldStyle but they quit making it.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

If your work/normal day to day upkeep around the house doesn't keep you in shape then I guess a workout routine is in order.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

1skrewsloose said:


> I got this body lifting 12 oz at a time, Preferred OldStyle but they quit making it.


Back in the 70's went thru many cases of that while living on the south shore of the big lake up in Wi.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

1skrewsloose said:


> If your work/normal day to day upkeep around the house doesn't keep you in shape then I guess a workout routine is in order.


Yeah this whole work out squat bench press run stuff must be for the office chair type.

Where I come from we split wood, shoveled manure, mended fences and stacked hay in the barn.... and that was all done before 9 am on the same day.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

LaCrosse used to be home to the largest 6 pack of OldStyle, now I think its called City Brewery. Take a damn fine name like OldStyle and change it to something stupid.


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## Xavier (Jan 30, 2019)

hawgrider said:


> Yeah this whole work out squat bench press run stuff must be for the office chair type.
> 
> Where I come from we split wood, shoveled manure, mended fences and stacked hay in the barn.... and that was all done before 9 am on the same day.


Indeed. I sit at a desk ~10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Plus sitting an hour each way while commuting in traffic. It's torture. We all work within our limitations to improve.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I was almost in the same boat as you when I lived in NJ, road rage got the better of me and I moved. Not other folks road rage, mine. I swear I was ready to kill some people.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

hawgrider said:


> Yeah this whole work out squat bench press run stuff must be for the office chair type.
> 
> Where I come from we split wood, shoveled manure, mended fences and stacked hay in the barn.... and that was all done before 9 am on the same day.


Speaking as one of those office chair types, you're not wrong.
I have both perspectives. As a teenager, I had all the responsibilities you described, and then some, keeping our little place in shape. Always a fence needing fixing, a lawn needing cut, a horse stall needing shoveled, hay moved, hooves trimmed, logs stacked, and so on.
I worked one summer for an old man down the road stringing wire fence. I'd strung hundreds and hundreds of feet of it before, knew what to expect, and enjoyed the reward for the labor since he paid well. One day, while he had us take a break under a tree, he asked me if I wanted to do this my whole life. As a kid, my answer was plainly and frankly "NO!" He said, "Good, stay in school, get a degree, and get a good job."
That's just what I did.
I now sit in an office chair for hours on end behind a monitor and keyboard, making good money, and watching my waist expand.

I was 6' 175lbs when I was in high school, and didn't change much all the way until marriage.
15 years after our wedding, I'm 5' 11" and 281lbs.
I'm the poster-child for pre-diabetes and potential heart disease.

So, I've started making changes. I tried it last year, but had no good path. I'm doing it again this year.
I've changed my diet and set up a workout routine. I've failed too many times in the past, so I struggled to believe I can do it this time, but I'm going to give it a harder try than I ever have.
2 weeks in, down 8lbs.
So far, so good.
I have a trip planned for December in the tropics, so there's some motivation to fix myself, and give plenty of time to do it safely.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Xavier said:


> Basic fitness is commonly overlooked from some observations. If you're over 25% body fat(35% as a woman), please think about starting an exercise program. Aim for 18%/25% for a start. BF percentage is a more important metric than weight. The best way to get in shape is a combination of eating right and then lifting weights and HIIT(High intensity interval training) cardio.
> 
> Count calories. Use an online calculator to find your resting metabolic rate, and subtract 500 calories a day from that as a start. Be honest with yourself. Once you've got a handle on the overall amount of calories, start counting macros. Aim for a diet high in protein and fat, and fewer carbs if you're trying to lose weight. Message me if you want assistance with the ratios. A great program to help track these items is "myfitnesspal" available for android and IOS.
> 
> ...


BLASPHEME WITCH! Did Mrs Slippy put you up to this $&!#???? :vs_mad:


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

LOL Slippy!!! Like the old saying, spent most of my money on women, booze and fast cars, the rest I wasted.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Speaking as one of those office chair types, you're not wrong.
> I have both perspectives. As a teenager, I had all the responsibilities you described, and then some, keeping our little place in shape. Always a fence needing fixing, a lawn needing cut, a horse stall needing shoveled, hay moved, hooves trimmed, logs stacked, and so on.
> I worked one summer for an old man down the road stringing wire fence. I'd strung hundreds and hundreds of feet of it before, knew what to expect, and enjoyed the reward for the labor since he paid well. One day, while he had us take a break under a tree, he asked me if I wanted to do this my whole life. As a kid, my answer was plainly and frankly "NO!" He said, "Good, stay in school, get a degree, and get a good job."
> That's just what I did.
> ...


The best thing I ever did was to buy a blood glucose monitor and see for myself how some foods affect my body. Chips don't look as desirable when you know they'll send your blood glucose sky high, flooding your body with the fat storage hormone (insulin).


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Does running late to happy hour count as a workout?:devil:


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## Xavier (Jan 30, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Speaking as one of those office chair types, you're not wrong.
> I have both perspectives. As a teenager, I had all the responsibilities you described, and then some, keeping our little place in shape. Always a fence needing fixing, a lawn needing cut, a horse stall needing shoveled, hay moved, hooves trimmed, logs stacked, and so on.
> I worked one summer for an old man down the road stringing wire fence. I'd strung hundreds and hundreds of feet of it before, knew what to expect, and enjoyed the reward for the labor since he paid well. One day, while he had us take a break under a tree, he asked me if I wanted to do this my whole life. As a kid, my answer was plainly and frankly "NO!" He said, "Good, stay in school, get a degree, and get a good job."
> That's just what I did.
> ...


Small steps. It doesn't happen overnight. Play the long game - rule of averages. I was 6' 170 in HS and college, got a desk job, started drinking and went to 250. I'm back down to 210 with a goal of 190. 2 weeks and 8lb? recalculate every month for required calories as you lose weight. but hey congratulations, that's great! Using the app on my phone was an eye opener to how many calories i was eating in a day... WAY more than required. I was also getting most of my calories from carbs. Knowledge is power.

just like other preps, it doesn't go to 100% on day 1, a slow but consistent path will get you there.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Not doing to bad for my age. I can still wear the first Army dress uniform I was issued and pass an inspection in it. Taking care of Payton while her dad is gone gives me a pretty good work out. Few months back a suit I wore in High school was hanging in our closet.
I put it on and it fit. 
It was easy to stay in shape in the Army after that work kept me active. It does get harder as time goes on.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

Well....this is where my gender neutrality comes in. I'm a man, but when it comes to body fat I identify as a tall black woman.

After doing PT for 20 years I swore that the next time I run, there would have to be a truly vicious animal behind me and at least another person beside or ahead of me. If I'm with my kids, I will just walk along tripping them until either the animal is sated or I'm next.

Yes I know I could live many years longer if I continued to exercise...but thats purely hypothetical and can't be proven until after I no longer care. The point is I embrace the mysteries of life and death so therefore choose not to unravel the cosmic questions of longevity by means of suffrage. I chose to believe that you only have so many heartbeats before you die.....I don't know the number, I just choose to keep it idling as long as possible.

Finally I leave you with this statement...I'm in absolutely no shape to be working out and add that slave owners forced people to exercise and that was seen as a great enough evil that all of white Americans will pay for for many generations....so I will never force another person, especially myself, to exert themselves beyond that which they freely choose to do.....you damn racist evil bastards


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## Verba Bellum (Dec 8, 2019)

Slippy said:


> BLASPHEME WITCH! Did Mrs Slippy put you up to this $&!#???? :vs_mad:


Right there with you Slippy. Beer and liquor has been proven time and time again to extend your life and vitality, and clean out the arteries. OP must have never heard of Xanthohumol.


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## Verba Bellum (Dec 8, 2019)

Xavier said:


> Basic fitness is commonly overlooked from some observations. If you're over 25% body fat(35% as a woman), please think about starting an exercise program. Aim for 18%/25% for a start. BF percentage is a more important metric than weight.
> 
> Cut out unnecessary calories. Alcohol, sweet snacks, soda..


Great post, it's important to think about these things.

However, the way I've experienced it, MBI and BF is not a good metric for measuring overall health. Many studies have shown that people with a higher BMI are more likely to survive a heart attack... among other benefits. I can't count the number of times I've seen chubby dudes outperform skinny guys. That's because chubby guys can have better stamina and cardio health than skinny guys.. that's precisely why BMI is a bad metric.

But, You're 100% right about getting exercise and all that, cardio health is very important. And on top of that, many studies have shown that alcohol helps overall heart health. We're not talking about binge drinking here, we're talking about 3 - 4 drinks a week.

Don't forget, the number 1 culprit of heart disease in the world is cigarette use. Not pipe tobacco or cigars, but specifically cigarettes.

Check out this article https://www.health.com/weight-loss/5-surprising-myths-about-excess-weight


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## Xavier (Jan 30, 2019)

Verba Bellum said:


> Great post, it's important to think about these things.
> 
> However, the way I've experienced it, MBI and BF is not a good metric for measuring overall health. Many studies have shown that people with a higher BMI are more likely to survive a heart attack... among other benefits. I can't count the number of times I've seen chubby dudes outperform skinny guys. That's because chubby guys can have better stamina and cardio health than skinny guys.. that's precisely why BMI is a bad metric.
> 
> ...


Sure, using just weight, BMI, BF% in and of themselves don't indicate health, and skinny isn't better. As long as you're trending towards the middle and not an outlier one way or the other you're PROBABLY better off. And it depends on your goals. If you're an endurance runner vs a sprinter vs a weight lifter, etc... your ideal muscle tone or BF% may be different. *Train for the mission. * Regardless, i'm not sure i've ever met anyone who (given physical limitations) couldn't benefit from cardio + full body workouts. I think we can agree though, all other things being equal, a 200lb 5'9 man is PROBABLY in better shape than a 400lb 5'9 man. The same could be said vs a 100lb 5'9 man. Bell curves, happy mediums and all that.

If you're doing a bottle of red wine a week, you're fine, and as i've read it's beneficial in various aspects. If you're going through a bottle of russian water every night, it's excessive. :vs_no_no_no: All things in moderation.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Verba Bellum said:


> Great post, it's important to think about these things.
> 
> However, the way I've experienced it, MBI and BF is not a good metric for measuring overall health. Many studies have shown that people with a higher BMI are more likely to survive a heart attack... among other benefits. I can't count the number of times I've seen chubby dudes outperform skinny guys. That's because chubby guys can have better stamina and cardio health than skinny guys.. that's precisely why BMI is a bad metric.


BMI falls short as a measure of anything, because it doesn't differentiate between men and women. So if the metrics are based on male physiology, it will always miscalculate for women because men have greater bone mass than women of comparable height and weight . Conversely, if the metrics are based on female physiology, it will always miscalculate for men. If the metrics are based on some crazy average of male and female physiology, it's miscalculating for everyone. It also doesn't take ethnicity into account and should be ignored completely for people who are outside physical norms (for example, women with unusually dense or heavy bones, NFL linebackers and so on).


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Toward the end of my time in the Army if I had a fit soldier that was failing height weight requirements, testing body fat was an option and could save them. The Army also knew some very fit soldiers may even fail the body fat test. So there was a third much more involved test that would give them a pass.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Small update/brag...

Starting weight: 281.? lbs
Today's weight: 268.6 lbs
Difference thus far: -12.4 lbs

Sticking to my food regimen is working great. Getting in some cardio every 2-3 days. Focused on getting down to 220.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Small update/brag...
> 
> Starting weight: 281.? lbs
> Today's weight: 268.6 lbs
> ...


Congratulations! That's very good progress.


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## Marica (May 5, 2019)

My goal is to gain 10 lbs in the next 30 days. Against all better sense inclination, I got a Fitbit. Set it up and turned off all sharing I could except for between devise and app. Yeah yeah yeah. Info is still in the cloud. It’s a cost benefit analysis. Spent a couple of days working out how much protein I need to build muscle mass. 

It’s instructive.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Marica said:


> My goal is to gain 10 lbs in the next 30 days. Against all better sense inclination, I got a Fitbit. Set it up and turned off all sharing I could except for between devise and app. Yeah yeah yeah. Info is still in the cloud. It's a cost benefit analysis. Spent a couple of days working out how much protein I need to build muscle mass.
> 
> It's instructive.


Oh, I could easily gain 10 pounds in 30 days, but it wouldn't be muscle. LOL


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

My two goals for this year are #1 improved financial health #2 improved physical health. I can't say that I'm following a strict hardcore workout plan but I am doing what my doctor recommended at my last visit.


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## Limit Killer (Dec 6, 2017)

Back in my early 30's I decided I didn't want to be a skinny guy anymore. I was 6'3" 175lbs around 15% body fat. I was in good health, very active lifestyle but I just wanted to be bigger and stronger.

Picked up a squat rack, an Olympic bar and a few hundred pounds of plates as well as a flat bench and adjustable dumbbells up to 100lbs each.

6 months of 5 different lifts 3x per week on a linear progression starting with zero weight on the bar. Diet: more food than I wanted to eat every day.

After 6 months I was 30lbs up, still around 15% bf. Changed up the lifts/sets/reps to combat boredom. After one year, up 50 lbs at a measured 16% body fat. No weird supplements, no retarded diet plan, no ridiculous workout regimen. Whole foods, dedication, 45 min/day 3 to four days per week.

It doesn't need to be complicated to have huge payoffs.

Raise the limits.


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## Amelia (Apr 9, 2020)

Kauboy said:


> Small update/brag...
> 
> Starting weight: 281.? lbs
> Today's weight: 268.6 lbs
> ...


Where are you at with this now? Still on track? I'm focusing on getting in the food I know my body needs to run correctly (which automatically means I eat less junk) and doing my regular exercise regimen. Trying to do a little more every week, and eventually I'll start cutting out the sugar and oil again... but not there yet


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Amelia said:


> Where are you at with this now? Still on track? I'm focusing on getting in the food I know my body needs to run correctly (which automatically means I eat less junk) and doing my regular exercise regimen. Trying to do a little more every week, and eventually I'll start cutting out the sugar and oil again... but not there yet


It slowed quite a bit with the stay-at-home stuff going on.
But I'm down to 253 now. I can't seem to break that barrier. (I blame the Whoppers Robin Eggs that keep falling into my mouth.)

So, down 28lbs from when I started. I feel better. Clothes fit better. I'm actually paying attention to what I eat now.
Did you know a teeny tiny bag of Frito's Chili Cheese chips is 330 calories? And a tiny bag of Goldfish is only 120?
Small changes like that can satisfy my desire for a salty crunchy snack, but with just over 1/3 the calories.


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## Amelia (Apr 9, 2020)

Kauboy said:


> It slowed quite a bit with the stay-at-home stuff going on.
> But I'm down to 253 now. I can't seem to break that barrier. (I blame the Whoppers Robin Eggs that keep falling into my mouth.)
> 
> So, down 28lbs from when I started. I feel better. Clothes fit better. I'm actually paying attention to what I eat now.
> ...


Way to go! I can't imagine why Whoppers Eggs would be a problem though... :vs_laugh:


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Doing ok I guess. I can still wear a suit I wore in High school. And the first Dress uniform I was ever issued. Doc said on the last visit keep doing what you are doing


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have gained a few pounds in the last month or so. Time to get back to doing some laps in the pool after a beer.......or maybe after a couple....or a few.......:tango_face_wink:


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## SRU Viper (Mar 17, 2020)

Beware round people with guns... s all i'm saying.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

why does every new person want to post a thread about fitness sometime within their first 30 days on here

as far as I can tell everybody here is sleek slim and sex....


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## izzy95 (Apr 19, 2020)

Yes, getting fit is key! Good program tho


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