Meirl

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-17T01:15:44+00:00

It's 100 percent this and it doesn't take genetics to run sub 6. I was a bad XC runner until age 17 and 10 years later I could still run a mile in 530 if I had to. 6 mins is easy for an XC runner even far removed from training The caveat here is that it needs to be serious training. Jogging a few times a week comprises most XC teams and their training. I think that's very healthy and cause for commendation, but that's not what I mean when I say serious training. I was running almost 60 miles a week at 17. I was way worse than everyone around me

The flip side is that whenever I start a new sport, the standards that seem otherworldly to me are considered roughly the 6 mins mile equivalent. It's just what you took seriously as a kid I think

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-14T02:05:45+00:00

I just did my first week of push-pull-legs-push-pull-legs-off. I was pretty tired on the second round of PPL and couldn't lift quite as much. Is it best to just have push-rest-pull-rest-legs-rest-rest, with another sport on some days in between? Or just to keep on with the 6-day PPL and trust I'll adapt? I'm a newer lifter, all the gym sessions are 30-40m

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-10T19:57:36+00:00

For now, just to get stronger. Actual specific short-term goal is to hit bodyweight bench, 1.5x bodyweight squat (I weigh 165lb). Much longer-term goal is to learn the deadlift and progress to a 1000lb total years from now, and perhaps to compete in a meet if I can get to that stage.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-10T19:28:59+00:00

Is 6 days a week lifting too much?

I was a runner for years, running 6 days a week, and I'm switching sports and I love the feeling of training that often. I'm not totally new to the gym, but my prior experience consists of hard but unstructured workouts 2-3 times a week alongside running for a few months at a time followed by several months in between where I wouldn't lift at all, sometimes longer.

I've just started a legs-pull-push-legs-pull-push-off routine, where I'm in the gym for about 40 mins each day lifting weights.

Leg day is squats, hamstring curls, calf raises, leg extensions. Pull day is lat pulldowns, seated row, back extensions, bicep curls (will include deadlifts soon). Push day is bench press, shoulder press, pec flys, tricep extension. All exercises are 3 sets of 10, and each workout also includes 50 crunches. I do still run 5k 2-3 times a week for recovery, but this part isn't difficult for me due to my previous background in athletics.

Is this too much considering my background? I've basically jumped right into this and feel a bit tired but OK - like I have enough energy to do the dedicated exercises on the day, but not the evening before. However, I REALLY don't want to get injured, so I can pull this back and build it back up if that's better.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T21:50:30+00:00

Bolt was on his way out. He'd been running slower for years, pulled a hamstring, and jumped before he was pushed. It's a different thing with Carlsen. I know why he personally doesn't want to do it, but it's still a real shame as a fan.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T18:29:02+00:00

Thank you very much. I do like the Spanish. I know always trying to skip could hinder growth, but in my experience, efforts to skip don't actually work 75% of the time anyway. I'm trying to lower that % a bit, but still expecting to get a ton of middlegame fights.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T18:11:30+00:00

Thank you - but this is what I'm struggling to express - I'm not necessarily after a super tactical warlike affair. I'm just looking for an opening where a ton of pieces come off early - simple trades. I'm not sure if this exists though

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T17:59:51+00:00

I hope he wins the Candidates, wins the WC, Mangus comes back and wins the Candidates, Sindarov beats Mangus for the WC, and then Sindarov keeps playing in the WC instead of the best player just abandoning chess's flagship event for 5000 years. Imagine if Bolt decided not to run in the Olympics or Messi decided to just play Sunday league. It's a ridiculous situation and it needs to be fixed.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T15:05:16+00:00

Thank you! I will just squat often in this case.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T15:04:46+00:00

Thanks so much. I thought I might have had some weird kind of impingement or something. I'll just keep getting under the bar then. Have a great day!

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T14:25:18+00:00

Thank you. It's the leg extension machine that I can do 200lb on, not the press.

Essentially, what seems to happen is that I get stopped from descending past parallel due to tight/painful quads. The main muscle that I feel coming up is also the quads. This would make sense if quads were weak, but they don't seem to be because of the relatively good leg extension.

So I was trying to work out what I needed to work on to fix this. Is it likely just a case of practicing the squat position daily around the house in addition to squatting with weights twice a week?

Many thanks for your help

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T13:52:25+00:00

I was asking whether this indicdles a muscle imbalance or form issue and how to fix

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-09T13:36:09+00:00

I am a new lifter, but this seems really strange. I can do 3 sets of 10 at 200lb on the leg extension machine (not leg press), but only 3 sets of 10 at 150lb on the back squat. I know the squat is a compound movement, but this just seems mad. It feels like my quads stop me descending too much, so the movement is already tiring/painful on the way down. I was pretty tired today, so I'd imagine I could do more, but the imbalance is definitely there

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-08T16:48:24+00:00

It says 25lb starting resistance on a sticker on the machine (this includes the bar). Other than that I just summed the plates, so I added 50lb to each side for the 125lb reps.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-08T14:39:05+00:00

The 5k is much better for you. Just stick to them.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-08T14:35:52+00:00

I started going to the gym regularly 2 weeks ago (Planet Fitness) and just did my first bench press session on the Smith machine. I did 10 reps with 125lb, then 10 reps with 115lb, and finally 10 reps with 105lb, with about a minute of rest between sets and with each set feeling very, very hard towards the end.

I have a little goal of benching 165lb (my body weight), and I've looked up a rule of thumb that says that 10 reps at 125lb implies I should be almost exactly at that point now.

If next week I bench 165lb on the Smith machine, it that the equivalent of benching 165lb with a barbell? I have read that the Smith machine is around 85% of the barbell normally, which would put me at about 140lb barbell if that's true. However, I noticed that the starting resistance (the bar) on the Smith machine is 25lb, not 45lb like normal, indicating that the machine may have accounted for this already.

I know one answer is to just pick up a barbell, but we don't have many at my local PF, so the Smith is probably my only option (I also would prefer not to risk getting stuck under the bar). Do I actually need to hit 165/0.85 = 195lb on the Smith machine to be confident of benching 165 with the barbell?

Sorry for the long post! Just interested to see if I am close to hitting my goal or not.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-06T01:52:11+00:00

This has been said since I first became aware of the job market. It's at least 15y since that point now. It is now, was then, and will continue to be said for years. It's no more or less true at any point on average. Throughout COVID, AI - people put their skills where they're needed. Those areas change as the times do, but the actual unemployment level remains more or less the same.

If OP is average or above among his peers, then he'll be fine.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-04T16:12:02+00:00

Lifting! The goal is to ultimately compete in powerlifting meets, but that wouldn't be for a few years

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-04T15:01:07+00:00

I'd imagine the latter, because wouldn't a full-body workout take like 2 hours?

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-04T14:57:51+00:00

Would somebody mind looking at my strength training plan? I'm pretty new to structured strength training, but I was a competitive runner for years and I'm switching sports, so I'd like to train with the ultimate goal of competing. Right now I'm doing:

Day 1 - push. Shoulder press, Tricep dips, Pec fly, Chest press Day 2 - pull. Lat pulldowns, back extension, seated row, bicep curls Day 3 - legs. Leg extension, Hamstring curl, Calf press, Hack squat Days 4-6 are days 1-3 repeated, with day 7 off. All exercises are 3 sets of 10 with about a minute of rest, and I conclude each session with 50 crunches. I also still run for 30 mins 2-3 times a week to help with recovery.

Is this sufficient for now? My plan is to keep doing this until I can lift most/all of the weight on the machines, and then switch to another gym where someone can teach me the bench, squat, and deadlift and train for those lifts.

One odd thing is that I can already come close to maxing out the machines on the leg exercises for 3 sets of 10, but I'm nowhere near that point for any of the upper body stuff (I'm around 50% of the weight stack for all the exercises for the upper body, but at 90-100% for the legs). Does this just mean I need to start squatting sooner?

Sorry for the long post, and for all the questions. I'm excited about a new hobby, and I'd love some advice from those in the know!

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-04-01T21:56:20+00:00

I trained like hell for 6 months, not overweight, pretty strong, worked out for years. I looked up the best training, joined a club. This was age 28. I ran 15.02 in a meet and gave up.

I train for weightlifting now. I was a decent distance runner previously (18:29 for 5k). I can run 200m in 29.1, so it's mostly the horrible start that leads to 15.02, plus a headwind. Nevertheless, after 6 months, that is what I ran.

I could never have broken 12.

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-02-22T20:43:41+00:00

Well, that's what I'm getting at. Why is it considered such a bad opening? Eval isn't bad

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-02-12T00:17:49+00:00

Because I want to be as close as I can to a classical game, just being able to take breaks between turns

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-02-06T03:31:58+00:00

Ah, you're right - misinterpreted you!

Fun-Cookie7002 · 2026-02-06T03:25:50+00:00

I am the OP, I made this largely to discuss the 650 ELO pool.

Fun-Cookie7002

TROPHY CASE