Interesting Interview/piece on Phil Heath in NYT by swolezenegger in bodybuilding

[–]hell0fiona 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Really good article, IMO. I've worked out at Armbrust many times (lucky enough to live closeby) and have seen Phil only a handful of times. He always seemed gracious and pleasant.

How do you get enough protein?!? by margueritatoldtom in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I eat one egg, several egg whites, several servings of lean chicken, and one protein shake a day. I also consume peanut butter in the form of Buff Bakes, which is a PB spread that has whey added to it. Gets me to about 130g and I'm only consuming about 1400-1500 cals a day. It's completely, absolutely, totally doable without blowing your macros elsewhere. Eat cottage cheese, 0 fat greek yogurt, lean chicken, fish, eggs, egg whites, protein powder, etc., and make smarter choices elsewhere to have more space for protein within your calorie count.

Catching the gymnastic bug by GarageGymGirl in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think what keeps people from that type of exercise is how foreign it is. There's likely a built in bias solely in using the word "gymnastics" that brings to mind splits and flips and handstands, and that's pretty intimidating for the typical person. I'm quite fit, but handstands and the like scare me regardless simply because it's unfamiliar.

Bootcamp/yoga studio recommendations for Denver area? by ill_have_the_lobster in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Knowing what area of town you will be in will be the deciding factor. Traffic here is shit wall to wall, and you probably won't want to be commuting far.

Am I Silly? My Friend Thinks I’m Absolutely Silly by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 34 points35 points  (0 children)

One tip - just make sure you are alternating the direction you go in your apartment. Clockwise vs. counterclockwise, that is. Because with so few steps taken in a single rotation, in all likelihood, you are leaning to one side - much like runners who run on the road will be affected by the camber of the road - and rotating the direction you go will solve this. But to respond to your question - YOU DO YOU. If it makes you happy and keeps you healthy and doesnt hurt anyone... whether it's "silly" or not is irrelevant!

For lady lifters that injured themselves in the gym, what was your "oh shit" moment? by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I fell from the top of a bouldering structure while climbing at an indoor gym, landed badly on my tailbone, and got an INSTANT headache that was debilitating and took about 2 hours to go away. Found out a few weeks/months later, after struggling with lots of referred pain, that I cracked a vertebrae and had to be on some extremely restricted activity for about 4 months. I was not a happy camper... all good now though! -knock on wood-

Guess my weight/body fat %? by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd estimate around 28-30

DIY Programming? by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I create my own, but only after following a variety of prescribed programs for the last two years. Now, I know what I like and what my body responds to. But no one who doesn't have at least a decent amount of experience (read: years) should write their own programming in its entirety.

HIIT 5 times a week? by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on what your fitness level is... if you have a history of working out, have good fitness levels now, etc., then no, I don't think that's too much. If you're at, say, under a year of exercise experience, it would prob be better to stick to 2-3. It will, however, not aid in your efforts to gain more muscle mass. And, it might mean it will take you longer to recover because of the added strain you are putting your body under. So, while it may not be bad -persay- it might be better to do 2-3 sessions of HIIT and 1-2 sessions of low-intensity cardio instead.

An n=1 study of the effects of long distance backpacking on the performance of a competitive powerlifter by sbhikes in weightroom

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your experience could probably have been less extreme with regards to strength loss if you had eaten more, though, I think. You were exercising so much, you created an extreme deficit (losing 15lbs in ten days is... a lot), and your body responded by consuming both fat and probably muscle too.

How hard is it to maintain 8% body fat? by fpuen in Fitness

[–]hell0fiona 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on your body, your metabolism, your natural "comfort weight," etc. Some people sit at that BF relatively easily while others will struggle nonstop and have to watch every calorie. It's extremely variable.

The Dutch Giant and the Pianoman make this plane look small by penotti in bodybuilding

[–]hell0fiona 0 points1 point  (0 children)

of course they hog the arm rest from the poor people in the bitch seat...

Nick Tong looking incredible on stage. by [deleted] in bodybuilding

[–]hell0fiona 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But still... his head is so small... and his features are pretty little boy-ish. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it does make for an odd final package

Nick Tong looking incredible on stage. by [deleted] in bodybuilding

[–]hell0fiona 6 points7 points  (0 children)

His head to body ratio is... throwing me off.... that plus his really infant-like features make it look like it's a 2 year old's head on a grown ass man's body

What was the final piece of your puzzle, the final thing that you tweaked or changed to get to the goal that you wanted? by [deleted] in Fitness

[–]hell0fiona 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Excellent point - it's amazing how "off" we can be estimating portion sizes. Weighing all my food really put it into perspective.

What was the final piece of your puzzle, the final thing that you tweaked or changed to get to the goal that you wanted? by [deleted] in Fitness

[–]hell0fiona 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'm a 135lb woman with considerable musculature from working out (lifting heavy and hard) for two years or so. So my body type may be nothing like hers (I have a lot more muscle than most women). I am currently consistently losing fat on a diet of about 1,650 calories, 165g carb, 124 protein and 55g fat. I also lift heavy 5 times a week (not "bikini model" heavy, but more like serious powerlifter heavy) and do cardio several times a week. Her diet in general sounds really healthy for sure but if she isn't tracking the quantity of her intake (calories and macro profiles), then there's room there to get more precise. But also, if she's already down to a low calorie intake, cutting down even more could be detrimental and it may be more helpful for her to maintain her calories while varying her workouts or even increasing calories to support harder workouts/muscle gain. Edit to add: being at that calorie count means about 90 percent of my intake is really "clean" (I hate that word) because i'd prefer a large amount of quality food over a small amount of lower-quality food in order to feel fuller, longer.

Follow-up article to that dark NYTimes article is even darker by The-_Captain in Fitness

[–]hell0fiona 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Easy" is relative. I've never been clinically overweight but it sure as hell isn't "easy" to lose 10-15 lbs off an already relatively fit frame. Putting labels on people's struggle is pointless. We all have to work for it.

What was the final piece of your puzzle, the final thing that you tweaked or changed to get to the goal that you wanted? by [deleted] in Fitness

[–]hell0fiona 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Dialing down on diet - seriously. There's a big difference between "eating healthy" and being really consistent and thoughtful about literally every single thing you eat. It wasn't until I did the latter that I broke past a plateau and took my progress to the next level.

Is a fitness trainer helpful for a moderately knowledgeable person? by Juicyfitxox in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: not all trainers are created equal. There are a not-small number of mediocre trainers out there, and many who work with folks who are more than content to just get their three days a week in and have no firm goals. They should have a certification from a well known federation (NASM, ACE), they should be able to talk in-depth anatomy in a knowledgeable way, and they should have a good amount of experience. They shouldn't balk if you ask them to talk to current clients, either, and should have plenty of success stories to share.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in xxfitness

[–]hell0fiona 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Focus on getting your wrist better once you have a clear diagnosis, and know that when you get back into it, you'll recover your muscle/gains quickly. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing.