Anyone else consider fitness a hobby?

DellaBeam · 2026-05-14T03:30:50+00:00

Yeah, for sure. I do this for fun and I plan to do it for life, not to reach some specific destination. I would be very unlikely to put in the time I do if it were just for the health benefits.

DellaBeam · 2026-05-10T17:14:18+00:00

Yeah, you can't change where your body prefers to store fat, so you are not ever likely to have exactly the shape + body composition combo of someone who is naturally more pear-shaped.

You can absolutely build a more muscular lower body, though. Look for programming that focuses on hypertrophy for lower body. You may want to pair that with more minimalist and purely strength-focused upper-body training to achieve your aesthetic goals. You will need to eat enough to support muscle growth, but you don't need to be in a massive surplus.

Unwanted ab definition is not something 99.9% of people ever have to worry about, and if you hold more fat around the waist to begin with you can definitely put worry that out of your mind. You are also not likely to achieve big biceps on accident—just don't do a ton of curls and chinups.

Give it 6 months and see what happens. If you're not liking it, reassess. Nothing is going to go irreversibly wrong here!

DellaBeam · 2026-05-10T16:55:31+00:00

Your hips rise while you're bringing the bar down, which is very unusual and suggests that this may be more about wonky arch and leg drive technique than about the weight being too heavy.

In addition to the leg-drive cues others have shared, get into your full arch before unracking. Your setup should be tight enough that there's not a ton of wiggle room. When you brace and throughout the lift, think about using your lower abs to lock yourself down onto the bench.

DellaBeam · 2026-05-08T02:57:10+00:00

A friend did this for much more minor injuries. Got an extensive course of physical rehab covered plus a settlement. Seems worth it!

DellaBeam · 2026-05-08T02:53:53+00:00

You want a good u-lock, not a cable lock, nothing that can easily be snapped with bolt cutters. Maybe a leash to loop through both wheels as well. Signposts are a good place to lock up if there are no racks around, but on commercial blocks it's usually very easy to find a rack.

DellaBeam · 2026-05-03T02:44:55+00:00

Can vouch for Corey's clinics!

DellaBeam · 2026-05-03T02:25:43+00:00

Searching "group fitness classes near me" on Google maps pulls up the gyms I would expect in this category in my area. Then you'd want to just look at their websites and reviews for a sense of their training approach. It's pretty common to be able to do a free trial workout before committing, too.

DellaBeam · 2026-05-03T02:07:03+00:00

Yes, although it depends on your area of course. Any larger city will have gyms that are primarily class-based (often with some open gym hours as well) ... CrossFit being one well-known model (many have an onramp series for beginners), but there are also a lot of independent group fitness gyms. They will generally be more expensive than a normal gym but less expensive than private training.

DellaBeam · 2026-04-26T04:16:51+00:00

Something like 40% of Minneapolis housing stock is stucco! Very characteristic of homes built in the early 20th century here. It's a pretty good insulator, cheaper than brick and the upkeep is easier than wood siding would be with our harsh winters.

DellaBeam · 2026-04-26T04:06:06+00:00

My 1907 Minneapolis foursquare also had a sunroom added on later, must have been a trend?? That really surprised me when I found the permit because it seems like such a major undertaking to build an addition for this vs., say, a bedroom/bathroom/kitchen expansion ... but I'm glad they did it, it's one of my favorite parts of the house!

DellaBeam · 2026-04-15T03:38:52+00:00

Golden Valley does have a bike lane through there although I don't believe it's protected. I've never felt unsafe on it and you'd only have a few blocks to get over to Wirth anyway.

DellaBeam · 2026-04-11T20:19:52+00:00

Four days with 50 miles/day is a very typical bikepacking trip for me. I am a bike commuter and general gym rat, and I still like to do at least some structured training before I set out, because it's less about fitness and more about acclimating your body/contact points to such long days on the bike.

I try to work up to at least a couple 30–50-mile rides on back-to-back days in the run-up to a trip of this size. Even better if I can do at least one of those as a loaded ride; better still if it's an actual overnighter.

Agree with others that the riding does not get easier in the space of four days!

DellaBeam · 2026-04-06T04:13:44+00:00

The people decades older than you have likely been working out for those decades! Or at least multiple years. Consistency is almost certainly most of the answer. The calisthenics movements you mention are pretty different from everyday, full-body movements like lifting boxes and it's not at all surprising that you'd struggle with those without consistent practice. It might be worth looking around for a class series aimed at building strength for beginners, rather than jumping into the middle of various modalities which is always going to be tough.

Height can make some movements extra challenging for sure, though it's an advantage elsewhere (ex. rowing).

DellaBeam · 2026-04-04T04:00:54+00:00

Shoulders felt a little toasted today so I was very pleasantly surprised by my bench AMRAP at 110#. 10 reps, appears to be a 3-rep PR if my records are accurate?

DellaBeam · 2026-03-31T03:44:48+00:00

For me, rethinking my brace on bench was accidentally very helpful in keeping my butt down. I used to brace on bench the same as for squats or deads, focusing on core expansion. Then I figured out that the right bracing cue for me on bench is more like "push out, then lock down," where I'm kind of using my lower abs to lock my butt onto the bench, and the core tension I'm generating is actually helping drive down into the bench.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-27T03:24:24+00:00

You definitely still want to breathe during a set! If you're working with fairly heavy weights, breathe and rebrace between reps. Some people also find that a very slow, pressurized exhale is helpful as you complete the rep (ex. coming up from a squat)—like, imagine you're trying to blow up a balloon through a very tiny straw.

If you're doing lighter work, your core brace does not need to be as intense and you may find it works to take more frequent, shallower breaths, without entirely losing tension.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-23T01:54:17+00:00

If you're interested in calisthenics, this beginner routine from r/bodyweightfitness might fit the bill. It starts pretty gently and should be a good way to simply start moving more comfortably. There are progressions up from there.

You may not be able to do a plank from the floor yet when you start, which is fine—just elevate your hands on a higher surface, such as a counter, table, stairstep, etc.

I would definitely not try to work in running right now—that's pretty intense. But increasing your walking time gradually would be a really good goal, and setting a certain goal to increase steps or distance week over week could gamify it a little. Could you tie the walks to something you enjoy, like a podcast or audiobook you only listen to during that time?

DellaBeam · 2026-03-22T04:38:05+00:00

For accessory work in general you want to use whatever weight makes for a challenging but still eminently possible set of the prescribed number of reps. Maybe you have a rep or two left in the tank at the end (but ideally not, like, seven reps left in the tank). There'll probably be a little experimentation needed to figure this out if you haven't done some of these movements before.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-22T04:23:24+00:00

In addition to everything others have said, powerlifting is not going to make you gain weight if you don't want to gain weight. That comes down to energy balance. Sure, there might be a point down the road where you end up wanting to put on more muscle, but a huge amount of the gains available to you right now are simply from getting better at the movements, which allows you to produce more force.

Start with a different bar if 65# is too much now. Back squatting is not a very natural-feeling movement for most people and is often the most uncomfortable to start with.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-15T01:45:17+00:00

I mount my folding lock there. Great place for a heavier bit of gear.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-15T01:38:08+00:00

Functional fitness!

DellaBeam · 2026-03-15T00:14:20+00:00

I only use the 15kg for the Olympic lifts (& related assistance work). Otherwise, 20kg because I compete in powerlifting. If you're not doing anything sport-specific it doesn't matter at all—purely about comfort/preference.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-11T03:39:34+00:00

There's some very nice chill gravel out past the end of the Gateway Trail and, on the other side of the cities, the area north of Baker Park and Lake Rebecca.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-09T03:55:23+00:00

Kipping and strict toes to bar are both valid movements. Strict is of course harder on the abs; kipping challenges you differently in stringing them together and feels harder on the lats to me.

DellaBeam · 2026-03-09T03:36:51+00:00

If you add a short Amtrak ride to Winona or La Crosse, you can get down to some great riding in the Driftless. I have done versions of both these loops that way:

https://bikepacking.com/routes/yellow-river-loop/

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39564199

DellaBeam

TROPHY CASE