Exercise and Fitness!

[ztemhead]

in which stego rips into various gym douches, further elevating the testosterone level of the thread

I agree with all that, and would add to rerack your fucking weights so I don't trip over them when I'm all rubbery legged and light headed after doing squats. My gym is in a very chi chi part of town where they all think they're entitled to have someone else clean up after them.

I'm ditching the ipod from now on except during cardio. it's distracts my focus.

[Liffguard]

Don't EVER come try to do curls on the power rack. This is for serious adult exercises, not your masturbation techniques. Besides, there's no mirror here for you to wank in!

Thank you so much for this, I was hoping it would get mentioned. Curls in the squat rack are my biggest pet peeve. Especially when the fuckers only put like 5kg either side! If you're only lifting little weights like that, what the fuck do you need an olympic bar for? I HATE curling in the squat rack.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I hit the weights too hard yesterday and now I'm sore as hell. I feel like I'm 90 years old and a gang of kids just beat me up with bamboo sticks. Moral of the story: Stretching is your friend kids!

I found a good warm up the next day really helped the soreness feel better too. I worked them out pretty good without any weights and nearly all the soreness was gone.

Today was the lower body and abs. In spite of how much flab there is hanging onto my belly, my abs really impressed me. I was sure I'd barely be able to do the exercises, but unstead, i found myself increasing the weight. Guess there are still a few muscles hiding deep inside. ;)

[Stego]

Guess there are still a few muscles hiding deep inside. ;)

My fitness model!! :love:

[ljkeane]

the doc already took the soldering iron to it a couple years ago. it was outpatient surgery, but still required a general anesthetic. since then he tells me that's all he can do. I met another D. O. about a month ago who told me pretty much the same thing, that he can shave down where the tear took place so that it doesn't get any worse, but there's no making it all as good as new.

All of which is academic anyway because I have no health insurance.

Can you not get a brace for your knee?, I know a guy who has a pretty badly damaged knee who is able to get by playing rugby by building up the muscles around his knee and by wearing a brace so I would think you might be ok with boxing (well you probably won't cripple yourself for life anyway :) )

[Minaku]

Sword, great news from you! I gotta tell you, if you like the elliptical, you are going to fucking LOVE the arc trainer. Try one. I have been elliptical free for a year. The arc trainer works me way harder.

To add to Stego's list of Shit That Pisses You Off At The Gym...

1. Don't ever wear short shorts to the gym. Seeing sack or crack when you go from standing to anything other than standing is going to kill just about everyone around you. WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN. Pants, people, pants! Pants! Shorts to the knee!

2. To Mr. Dude Who Grunts So Loud That It Sounds Like He's Coming in a Porno Flick: STFU, FOR GOD'S SAKE.

3. If you smell like a musk ox you are not wearing enough deodorant. There was a guy at my last gym that I'd nicknamed Musk Ox Sack because in addition to smelling like he just bathed in pure sweat, he was also the dude who wore tiny red running shorts to the gym. If runners don't even wear those shorts, don't wear the fucking shorts.

4. If you are a woman and you think running on the elliptical with the resistance set on 1 and your legs churning up and down like in a Looney Tunes cartoon is going to make you look 1. hot 2. buff 3. really cool, I have news for you. That is a no on all counts. Get on the fucking treadmill and walk uphill on an incline of 15% for half an hour instead. If you can carry on a conversation while doing that I'll let you pass.

Lany, good to hear on the core. The core muscles are so important! It's nice to know you're stronger than you think.

[lessthanluke]

Sword, great news from you! I gotta tell you, if you like the elliptical, you are going to fucking LOVE the arc trainer. Try one. I have been elliptical free for a year. The arc trainer works me way harder.

To add to Stego's list of Shit That Pisses You Off At The Gym...

1. Don't ever wear short shorts to the gym. Seeing sack or crack when you go from standing to anything other than standing is going to kill just about everyone around you. WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN. Pants, people, pants! Pants! Shorts to the knee!

2. To Mr. Dude Who Grunts So Loud That It Sounds Like He's Coming in a Porno Flick: STFU, FOR GOD'S SAKE.

3. If you smell like a musk ox you are not wearing enough deodorant. There was a guy at my last gym that I'd nicknamed Musk Ox Sack because in addition to smelling like he just bathed in pure sweat, he was also the dude who wore tiny red running shorts to the gym. If runners don't even wear those shorts, don't wear the fucking shorts.

4. If you are a woman and you think running on the elliptical with the resistance set on 1 and your legs churning up and down like in a Looney Tunes cartoon is going to make you look 1. hot 2. buff 3. really cool, I have news for you. That is a no on all counts. Get on the fucking treadmill and walk uphill on an incline of 15% for half an hour instead. If you can carry on a conversation while doing that I'll let you pass.

Lany, good to hear on the core. The core muscles are so important! It's nice to know you're stronger than you think.

Apart from the shorts thing I agree.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Lany, good to hear on the core. The core muscles are so important! It's nice to know you're stronger than you think.

Thanks. That was the one thing I was always proud of when I was younger. I was with all guys in the army and they would be pissed that although I did less pushups and ran ran slower than them I would have a higher PT score...then I'd ask how many situps they did...it was the only area I completely dominated. I could do nearly 100 in 2 minutes.

(I did 42 pushups in 2 minutes and ran 2 miles in 16.5minutes)

[Minaku]

Apart from the shorts thing I agree.

Like, shorts to the knee or shorts in general? When I wear shorts to the gym they have to pass the fingertip rule, no question.

I can't even do pushups anymore, my belly is in my way, and situps are so out. I think the only core exercise I can do on my back currently are stretches in which you shift your hipbones. Hurts but makes my back feel better in the end. Well, back to pushups, I was always shitty at pushups, and you don't even want to know my last clocked mile time.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Like, shorts to the knee or shorts in general? When I wear shorts to the gym they have to pass the fingertip rule, no question.

I can't even do pushups anymore, my belly is in my way, and situps are so out. I think the only core exercise I can do on my back currently are stretches in which you shift your hipbones. Hurts but makes my back feel better in the end. Well, back to pushups, I was always shitty at pushups, and you don't even want to know my last clocked mile time.

Pregnancy does change a lot. I could do sit ups until about 6 months (but only 50 total and a lot slower). After 6 months, I was a slug.

And I can't stress the importance of your kegal exercises!

[lessthanluke]

Like, shorts to the knee or shorts in general? When I wear shorts to the gym they have to pass the fingertip rule, no question.

I can't even do pushups anymore, my belly is in my way, and situps are so out. I think the only core exercise I can do on my back currently are stretches in which you shift your hipbones. Hurts but makes my back feel better in the end. Well, back to pushups, I was always shitty at pushups, and you don't even want to know my last clocked mile time.

Fingertip rule?

[Minaku]

Pregnancy does change a lot. I could do sit ups until about 6 months (but only 50 total and a lot slower). After 6 months, I was a slug.

And I can't stress the importance of your kegal exercises!

I actually had a dream about doing kegel exercises along with perineum stretching last night. Creepy, creepy... but I will do them! Incontinence and longer labor are not things I am interested in.

Luke, the fingertip rule for skirts that many women follow is that when standing, the hem of the skirt or shorts needs to be past the longest finger when the arms are pressed against the legs. Usually that is mid-thigh. If it doesn't pass the fingertip rule, it's too short. Short shorts/skirts are for little girls and hoochie mamas only.

[Eponine]

Eh, I don't like mid-thigh running shorts. They always seem excessive and in the way. I hope that I'll be going by too fast for anyone to notice or care if my shorts are short. I wear pants to the gym.

[lessthanluke]

I actually had a dream about doing kegel exercises along with perineum stretching last night. Creepy, creepy... but I will do them! Incontinence and longer labor are not things I am interested in.

Luke, the fingertip rule for skirts that many women follow is that when standing, the hem of the skirt or shorts needs to be past the longest finger when the arms are pressed against the legs. Usually that is mid-thigh. If it doesn't pass the fingertip rule, it's too short. Short shorts/skirts are for little girls and hoochie mamas only.

Oh right. My shorts are shorter than that. That length of shorts is not convienient for squatting imo. Rugby shorts ftw.

[Jacen]

:bow:

haha, Stego and Min hit it perfectly. Some of this shit, this horrible gym behavior, is almost too much to deal with some days. I mean sometimes I walk into the main room and I almost want to scream because I can already tell the situation in there is gonna piss me off.

Two more things I could add to the list

- "The old guy that is always there" I can go in at 8am, 5pm, 6pm, midnight, it doens't matter, this dude is always fucking there. And he's NEVER working out. He is always milling around, doing nothing, observing others working out. What is he doing?! Don't people know it's rude to stare at people working out? I'm sure all the females are totally skeeved out by this creep.

- The bros that think its a competition. I really hate this one. There's tons of these young dudes at the gym I go to and they think this is some sort of Olympic Weight-Lifting contest for who is the biggest bad ass. Sorry, I just came here to work out, fuck off now, kthx.

That's why its nice if one can find a club that is open 24 hours a day. That way you can kinda figure out when its not too busy. I miss college because one of the dorms had a nice fully stocked gym in it's basement. And somehow, not many people knew it even existed. So that was great, I could do a Rocky Balboa workout-montage... in peace and without worrying if I looked stupid, never had to wait for equipment, no posturing what so ever, etc. etc.

[Yagathai]

I'll add:

BATHE, YOU FUCKERS. Look, we're dudes. We smell bad when we sweat. But there's a difference between clean sweat workout smell and stale I-haven't-showered-in-five-days smell. This goes for your gym clothes too, pal.

[ztemhead]

2. To Mr. Dude Who Grunts So Loud That It Sounds Like He's Coming in a Porno Flick: STFU, FOR GOD'S SAKE.

iono; doing squats, bench, deadlifts it's kinda necessary.

...and I don't prance around the locker room naked, but I'm also not hung up on if a couple guys get a visual of my junk for a minute or two. I try not to be naked around the sink area though. No one needs a stray pube getting in the spot where they wash their hands.

[Stego]

Re: Shorts and Grunting:

Men's shorts should reach the knee. No exceptions. Basketball shorts do not impede squats in any way, shape, or form. I'm with Min; I don't want to see your chicken skin and it's not going to make me come talk to you as you stretch naked on the locker room sink. Think of the children. Think of my poor eyes. Thanks.

I think I'm sensitive over this because of the homoerotic nonsense they had us wear in boot camp. I saw more balls than a pitching machine.

Grunting bothers a lot of people. I understand that. But there are two types of grunting, and I'd like to make that perfectly clear. A grunt that escapes due to extreme exertion, somewhat involuntarily, is absolutely fine. In fact, I encourage working that hard. Good shit.

The jackhole grunting like it's a kiai on every curl or tricep extension or other vanity exercise is being an absolute tool. STFU.

[Stego]

I'm also not hung up on if a couple guys get a visual of my junk for a minute or two.

Change that to a second or two, and I'm fine with it. Unless in a communal shower, in which case, it's fine. But if you are in a public gym area, wear a fucking towel or clothes.

[Yagathai]

Grunting bothers a lot of people. I understand that. But there are two types of grunting, and I'd like to make that perfectly clear. A grunt that escapes due to extreme exertion, somewhat involuntarily, is absolutely fine. In fact, I encourage working that hard. Good shit.

The jackhole grunting like it's a kiai on every curl or tricep extension or other vanity exercise is being an absolute tool. STFU.

I have a very idiosyncratic kiai, more of a hiss than a traditional "spirit yell", but I use it on every squat, every bench press, every deadlift. If a vanity exercise is taxing, I'll do it too. I don't think that's being a tool. I think it's being a guy that's using every means available to him to help lift a heavy weight.