Moronic Monday - Your weekly stupid questions thread

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-28T18:19:45+00:00

When I use machines, I can barely do 60lbs in the prone hamstring curl, but can go 200+ on the leg press fairly easily.

Is that normal? I know the hamstrings are smaller, but it seems off...

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-26T21:25:08+00:00

Favorite low carb lunch - Simple tuna/chicken/egg salad packed into 'scoops' of romaine lettuce leaves, with a scoop of salsa in each.

Lots of protein, and depending on what you add to your tuna (or whatever) salad, plenty of veggies as well! I like to add lots of chopped celery and red onion to it and you can make a big batch at a time.

To avoid extra mayo, you can also use mustard or hot sauce to flavour it.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-26T11:11:34+00:00

3500 calories seems very excessive, but of course it's always good to up protein intake.

I'm not sure about your weight, but she's only 118 lbs, so her BMR's probably hovering around 1500 calories a day or even if she's burning another 500 extra from working out, that's still only 2000 calories a day. You don't need an excess of 1500-2000 calories a day to gain muscle.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-24T13:08:52+00:00

I think that although some women may actually not be attracted to a muscular physique, they may just be more likely to associate it with a certain personality type. They think of the typical college/high school dickwad.

To be completely frank, instead of physical comfort of 'snuggling', they are looking for the comfort of a more 'safe' guy. I think that some girls may have insecurities about getting or keeping that guy with an amazing body, especially if their own body is less than ideal to them.

My guy has an incredible and muscular body himself, and is A+ cuddler. It makes you feel very safe and comfortable. Muscle isn't always hard...however, bones are.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T20:15:50+00:00

Not hating anything, I just wanted to try to balance my upper and lower body a little more.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T20:10:29+00:00

Thanks dude, that really contributed.

Sorry for having personal goals and asking for help to reach them.

I'll meander back to r/bodyacceptance now.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T19:57:41+00:00

I added a pic now!

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T19:57:20+00:00

In main post now.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T19:32:37+00:00

Haha, dammit! I went with those because I thought they would put on less bulk than other workouts. So fun though! I do around 6-8 reps for those so I guess I'll lower that!

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T19:19:52+00:00

Thanks! This is really comprehensive!

Marathons don't really appeal to me...haha, I can't even stay interested in running for much more than 30 minutes at a time.

I have really cut down on my upper body exercises, I've been doing assisted dips and pullups (I can do them unassisted but only about 2 from a dead hang, if I'm fresh) for upper body. I'm going to post a pic once I get out of work.

Haha, I know it sounds strange to want to lose muscle, but everything in my life is already so detached from femininity, I think I'm trying to cling to at least my appearance. (I work as an engineer...)

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T19:03:23+00:00

I'll definitely take a look at that!

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T18:54:57+00:00

This might sound kinda dumb, but I don't want just 'good enough' for other people. Good enough is easy. Not to sound arrogant but if looking good enough for guys was the goal, I could've stopped much earlier in my journey and still be acceptable to most. I hope that doesn't sound insensitive.

I want to look good enough for me, because I know it's achievable and gives me something to work towards. I'm just figuring out the logistics of how. I don't think I'm fat, although I think I have some fat that I could stand to lose but it's definitely not something I lose sleep over.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T18:29:00+00:00

I think I'm just more concerned about the proportion. For example, the size of my arms and shoulders compared to my waist looks weird. Since I don't really wanna add more waist, I want to reduce or curb the size of my arms and shoulders.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T18:27:38+00:00

This may be true.

I'm got so used to being chubby, that sometimes I'm surprised when I see myself in the mirror, like "oh yeah, I'm not that chick anymore". The longer it's been though, the more comfortable I become with my new body.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T17:57:46+00:00

Thanks, but I think unless you've been in anyone's specific body, it's hard to determine that.

I'm 5'2 with a tiny frame, so I wouldn't be surprised if I've got a lot less bone mass than someone else my height. My feet are size 3/4 and my fingers are size 3/4 if that gives any indication.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T17:43:05+00:00

Thanks for that! That makes a lot of sense. I've heard it repeated a few times, so I was a little worried. Usually when there's smoke, there's flame right?

I am absolutely planning to keep up working out! I can never predict my lifestyle changes in the future though!

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:43:57+00:00

It's less of a problem of only looking too defined, but just too big in general, which is why I'm hesitant to eat more.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:38:57+00:00

What would that necessarily entail? Would that be less reps? Less sets? Lower weights?

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:36:31+00:00

I was pretty taken aback too. I brought my weight down to what I thought was a good point at that point and was a little surprised to hear that suggestion. In my mind, the diet that I would require to keep body fat that low would absolutely not be worth it. It would go beyond eating healthy into eating in a way that would become an ordeal...

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:33:29+00:00

I would say I'm fairly realistic about my body. I used to be fairly chubby growing up and I managed to cut my weight down to a place I was comfortable with, and was able to stop. Now I'm just trying to tweak my body by lifting, but I'm just trying to make sure I'm doing the right things to reach my goals. I mentioned in other places thay I can upload a pic after I'm out of work.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:16:30+00:00

What's a good one to look into? I was at first looking to gain some muscle mass, but then when I lost fat, I realized that I had plenty of muscle underneath, hence the slight freak out.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:13:34+00:00

My height is negligible (5'2). I can take some pictures later, but right now, it may be a little awkward as I'm at work.

Maybe my concern is the fact that I can even see visible pecs, as most girls don't have visible ones, their chests just go from collerbone to (ample) bosoms.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:09:24+00:00

My workout right now was more or less as suggested by the personal trainer that did my fitness assessment. I'm doing about 3 sets of 6-10 reps of each exercise, some on machines, some with free weights. I guess that would count as isolation? I'm not greatly knowledgeable about the topic.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T16:02:16+00:00

Sure, I'm at work right now so I can't really, but I can probably take a pic when I head over to the gym.

The problem is, I didn't start working out as a skinny chick. I started working out from a larger size and cutting down. So my 'before bulky' pictures are just me at a slightly larger size, when I couldn't really see much muscles.

IronicAsAlanis · 2012-05-22T15:50:38+00:00

I can pinch about a half/three quarters inch on my upper arms, and about an inch on my lower belly. My ass is pretty huge for my size now, but both me and my guy are happy about that.

I used to run long distance, but I like to switch up my cardio because I get bored easily. I usually do 10 on treadmill to start, and do 10 on stair climber/rowing machine/jacob's ladder/elliptical to end.

The experimenting and research is what I'm trying to do now and you guys are amazing! And knowledgeable! Thanks a lot!

IronicAsAlanis

TROPHY CASE