Fat Ralphy's Health and Fitness Motivation Thread

[fat ralphy]

@mn1_fuckos @glorydays

 

I have basically done intermittent fasting everyday since June 2020 - between 13-16 hours.

 

Super helpful because it does allow you to eat most things within reason and lose weight. 

 

Did 30 mins cardio yesterday and jits today - weight room at work should be open soon too.

[ndv]

Other than three full meals a day and healthy snacks in between.  Here are the supplements I am taken.  Animal pak does give you results like crazy. The harder you train the better the pak results. 

[ndv]

Double post.  

 

I am looking at getting the bowflex bar.  This below.  Anyone here have an input on this?  Is it good for the long haul?

 

 

[Dark_Knight]

@ndv I’d ditch the serious mass. You need so much powder to even meet servings. If you want to put on weight, use regular protein powder and drink a double serving of this: (picture below)

 

Oatmeal is a good base for the morning. Essentially just pay attention to what you eat. You can use supplements, but food is what will make the real growth.

Also -

That  bowflex barbell is nice, but buying a bar and a few 5 -10lb plates will do the same thing for the fraction of the price. You can even get them used at a lot of resale stores.

 

When you’re first starting, it is nice having something shiny to get started, but my personal advice is to invest in the essentials and see if you want to make it a habit, then consider putting more money down of equipment.

 

 

[Dark_Knight]

[Dark_Knight]

Pulled a muscle doing shoulders yesterday. Neck is stiff to the point I can barely move it, and causing me to not get sleep. Sucks. That’s what I get for not stretching 

[fat ralphy]

The weight room at work has opened back up which is dope.

 

I pop in like 3 times a week and usually hit 4 or 5 different lifts. The time I go the place is empty and I can get in and out in like 20-30 minutes. 

[Dark_Knight]

I want to add or maintain size while I start to shred the next couple months. Obviously want to do it naturally, but I have ran across a few extracts that have me intrigued

 

ajuga turkestanica

ecdysterone
 

not going to consider trying either until I read extensively into them. My tum can’t handle anything that upsets it even in the most minor way. But from what I’ve read so far, they seem to be good supplements for my exact goal. Maintaining muscle while cutting fat/carbs. I’ll let y’all know if I decide to pick one of them up/if they are worth the investment.

[Dark_Knight]

The one I’m leaning towards

[morton]

I used some equipment at a fitness station at the park yesterday to do some push-ups, now my elbows are on fire.

 

For context, no weight based exercise for years but I work with my hands and get about a bit. mid 40's not obese

 

I was trying to not overdo it, it is old age and overdoing it or is it poor form inspired by the equipment? Two slanted paralel bars with bisected semi circle hand holds, instructions to stagger hand position. 

[metronome]

Ajuga turkestanica looks interesting. 

[Dark_Knight]

4 hours ago, morton said:

I used some equipment at a fitness station at the park yesterday to do some push-ups, now my elbows are on fire.

 

For context, no weight based exercise for years but I work with my hands and get about a bit. mid 40's not obese

 

I was trying to not overdo it, it is old age and overdoing it or is it poor form inspired by the equipment? Two slanted paralel bars with bisected semi circle hand holds, instructions to stagger hand position. 

Did you stretch before? Stretching out your tendons before putting stress on them is important. Otherwise they can get inflamed (tendonitis). I’d just ice it for now. Maybe pick up some fish oil if you want to make the workout a regular thing:

Curcumin too. :

 

 

but yeah, I’m assuming it’s because of joint stiffness rather than poor equipment. 

Stretching and proper supplementing will probably help.

[Dark_Knight]

44 minutes ago, metronome said:

Ajuga turkestanica looks interesting. 

I can’t seem to find a reliable source for this, unfortunately. Every supp I’ve came across say that the product is diluted in the reviews. Gonna head to an actual vitamin store and see if I have better luck.

 

I read up more on ecdysterone because of this. Says it’s the main compound in spinach. Probably where Popeye getting muscles from spinach came from back in the day.

 

So I picked up some spinach extract to take in the beginning and end of the day.

 

Hoping to see some results from it. If not, probably doesn’t hurt to have spinach in the system. 

 

 

[metronome]

Do you take spirulina? 

[Dark_Knight]

1 hour ago, metronome said:

Do you take spirulina? 

I don’t but I’ve considered grabbing some to throw into shakes. I don’t know too much about it to be honest.

[metronome]

@Dark_Knight I use it a little, great for shakes.  Easy to way to get a bunch of plant based protein especially if whey etc is hard on the stomach.

[morton]

I will add stretching the next time. Walked eighteen miles today. 

[ndv]

On 3/23/2021 at 5:12 PM, Dark_Knight said:

@ndv I’d ditch the serious mass. You need so much powder to even meet servings. If you want to put on weight, use regular protein powder and drink a double serving of this: (picture below)

 

Oatmeal is a good base for the morning. Essentially just pay attention to what you eat. You can use supplements, but food is what will make the real growth.

Also -

That  bowflex barbell is nice, but buying a bar and a few 5 -10lb plates will do the same thing for the fraction of the price. You can even get them used at a lot of resale stores.

 

When you’re first starting, it is nice having something shiny to get started, but my personal advice is to invest in the essentials and see if you want to make it a habit, then consider putting more money down of equipment.

 

 

 

 

I clearly agree, gotta have solid food.  And honestly I don't think the serious mass has been that serious really, that's why I wanted to mention it here.  I'll check out the karbolyn fuel and whey.  Any good wheys you recommend?  I want something that is healthy notwhey with artifical blends and flavors. 

[ndv]

@Dark_Knight I hear you on the barbell and weight separates but the bowflex IMO is more bang for the buck.  I like the convenience of rotating the dial on thr fly to increase or decrease weight. 

 

I mean come on! What's not to like? 

 

[Dark_Knight]

@ndvAny whey isolate will be good. I have sensitive intentional shit and I digest and process iso well. Even better than plant protein. I’ve wanted to try pea protein but have yet to do it. One day.

 

Those bow flex dumb bells look pretty decent. But that $350-450 price range is just unappealing to me. But it’s honestly whatever suits you. Definitely more compact and clean than having a bunch of different dumb bells laying around. 

[Schnitzel]

On 1/30/2021 at 12:18 PM, metronome said:

Made it below 80kg for the first time since being in high school I think.  IF and cutting out a bunch of beer really did wonders for that.

I can't do outdoor riding here, too much snow and no room on the roads etc.  Been Zwift riding 6-7 days a week, trying to up my volume so that when the outdoor riding season hits again I'll be in good fitness.  Want to see how close I can get to 10,000kms on my bike this year. 

@metronomewhats your kilometer tally looking like now?

 

 

[ndv]

4 minutes ago, Dark_Knight said:

@ndvAny whey isolate will be good. I have sensitive intentional shit and I digest and process iso well. Even better than plant protein. I’ve wanted to try pea protein but have yet to do it. One day.

 

Those bow flex dumb bells look pretty decent. But that $350-450 price range is just unappealing to me. But it’s honestly whatever suits you. Definitely more compact and clean than having a bunch of different dumb bells laying around. 

 

I agree with you on the price, I was kinda turned off as well, but it's the whole mechanical thing with them that excited me.

 

Is there a specific brand that is good healthy whey I should go with?  I am so out of touch with supplements and the industry improves rapidly its tough to keep up when one has been out of the game for 20years. 

[Dark_Knight]

17 minutes ago, ndv said:

 

I agree with you on the price, I was kinda turned off as well, but it's the whole mechanical thing with them that excited me.

 

Is there a specific brand that is good healthy whey I should go with?  I am so out of touch with supplements and the industry improves rapidly its tough to keep up when one has been out of the game for 20years. 

Optimum nutrition is always a safe bet when it comes to quality and taste. May cost a tad more than others, but you know what you’re getting. 
bcaas are good for intra workout supplementing too. Just gives you more umph to keep you going during your workout.  Xtend is my go to brand, but there’s plenty to choose from.

[metronome]

19 hours ago, Schnitzel said:

@metronomewhats your kilometer tally looking like now?

 

 

 

2500km, all indoor virtual clicks.

should finally be able to get the outdoor bike on the road again now that the snow is gone and some of the gravel has been swept up. 

[Schnitzel]

 that is literally 2493 kilometers more than I so hats off to you!

 

Assuming you're in canada snow would be hectic for cycling.

 

[metronome]

@Schnitzel yes!  I live in the prairies and we get some fucked deep freezes.  Fat (tyre) bikes have taken off big in the last few years but that’s just another bike to buy and a solid chance I’m staring down a divorce if I keep buying bikes 

[morton]

I had a good routine going with walking and hiking but got distracted by work and a change of scenery. Getting back into it now but still with new work hours my weekdays are restricted, I have been reduced to walking around a track like park adjacent my apartment complex. It is not too bad but definitely a step down from the high standard to which I had grown accustomed. 

 

There is however, the aforementioned bodyweight workout stations. I am thinking that if I start slow and keep it up that I may develop some strength, which I am lacking right now compared to when I was  swimming or doing more field work.

 

Jumping in and doing 50 pushups cold last Saturday was definitely not the thing to do, now I need to make some plan of what is the thing to do. The stations have progressive exercises so I think I will start with the easy only even if I can do the hard. Thinking three to five days a week, three stations a day stick with the easy and minimum frequency for  say six visits before adding more.

 

I still have the convict conditioning book on pdf that casek gave me, on a harddrive in a box in my closet. Maybe I should get a book from the library or something. All the online stuff and apps seems like a bummer to me.

[Dark_Knight]

@mortongood call on taking it slow. No sense in rushing. Especially if you’re walking and moving. It’ll keep your muscles moving at the very least, which is what’s most important. 
 

I’ve been walking to work the last two weeks, which is only a mile and a half or so. 3 miles total. But feels good. Nice variation from cycling. Can take in the environment a lot better too. I believe you’re familiar with the route I take Morton. Saw you post a few pics from the area a year back or so. Nice industrial scenery to take in. Wish the graff scene was what it used to be in Cleveland, so there was more to view on the way, but enjoyable nonetheless.

[morton]

Yea, I know the area, I figured a five mile circuit that crosses Center, Columbus, Carter, and 3rd St bridges and played with a couple walks that jumped up to Detroit-Superior and Carnegie. The Detroit Superior being the most boring but with some charm on the downtown side, cast iron ass Rockefeller building for example.

[Dark_Knight]

4 hours ago, morton said:

Yea, I know the area, I figured a five mile circuit that crosses Center, Columbus, Carter, and 3rd St bridges and played with a couple walks that jumped up to Detroit-Superior and Carnegie. The Detroit Superior being the most boring but with some charm on the downtown side, cast iron ass Rockefeller building for example.

There’s an entrance to Cleveland’s abandoned subway underneath the Detroit-superior bridge. Pretty awesome space. It’s closed off but there are ways to access it. A cool piece of history down there. Also good for a nice scenic walk. Bring a flashlight tho.