Do women prefer the ottermode physique which is thin and muscular with defined abs and muscles and very little body fat or do they prefer bearmode which is the bigger, stronger physique with a little higher body fat percentage and less defined muscles.
So I'm interested in fencing and curious how I would go about just being faster. Arm speed, balance, body control, endurance, and explosive speed. What bodyweight workouts could increase these attributes?
So I have been lifting on and off the last 2 years, started going serious and with proper nutrition ever since October 2019.
I noticed that on some days I just happen to have a lot of strength, feeling good and all. Weight on the bars gets increased and this basically becomes my new working weight or increases again. It's weird to me because the session before I struggle with that weight very much, then it becomes easy "over night", is that normal and does it happen to you as well?
Here are my stats if needed
M25, 5'10" / 177cm, 176lbs / 80kg Body fat (guess) is 17% ? Bench press 8x176lbs / 80kg Squat 6x198lbs / 90kg Deadlift 6x265lbs / 120kg
Hi everyone,
I’m 5 months post partum and finally ready to start back on my fitness journey, I have beach body on demand and I am wondering which workouts are best to east back into things.
Thanks for any answers!
I am new to both running and weightlifting. At the moment I alternative days between running (for 30 minutes/3.5 miles) and upper body strength/conditioning (60 minutes). I have avoided lifting weights that make my legs do work (ie squats) to rest them. Should I just do these exercises?
I don't care about getting ripped or the idea of skipping leg day. My goal is to strengthen my core/arms while maintaining cardio.
Hi, I was wondering what happens to your body after you quit working out, does your gained muscle mass complety dissapear and turn into fat or does it just remain?
So as the title implies, I started this new full body routine which I do 3 times a week, you can see it in its entirety here - https://imgur.com/a/O7VdFtl
I found it on Reddit and it seemed really good. I have been trying to workout for a few years now but I always had shitty results even after a longer time. With this routine though, Im pretty sure this is the first time I ever actually started my newbie gain phase, because in about just 4 weeks of this routine and agressive progressive overloading I already surpassed all of my previous numbers, which often took me months to get to (again).
My problem right now is, that when I come home and the day after, I feel extremely exhausted and sleepy, pretty much constantly. I get enough sleep and try to eat as much protein as I can (I weigh 80kg so Im tring to hit around 100g per day). I eat quite a bit of carbohydrate shitty food, so I dont really know.
Is this lethargy normal? Will it go away, or do you just get used to it?
FitnessRx for Women presents 50 simple ideas that will place you among the small percentage of women who lose weight successfully and keep it off. Combining a few of these simple techniques will make weight loss easier than you thought possible. The secret of losing weight is not a magic pill or radical techniques that shock your body. Rather, it’s a combination of small, painless changes that help you eat less food and burn more calories. The weight-loss solution is easier than you think.
By themselves, none are miracle cures for losing fat or building a fitness model body. Taken together, they are powerful tools that will help you lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life.
Get Motivated
1. Weigh every day. The scale holds you accountable. Women who weigh themselves daily lose more weight and maintain lost weight better than women who weigh only occasionally.
2. Make a public announcement about your weight-loss plans. Tell people that you are on a diet and exercise program. This will create peer pressure and expectations that will motivate you to stay on your program
3. Believe you can lose weight. Be your own cheerleader and think positively about weight loss.
4. Read inspirational stories about women who successfully lost weight. They did it, and so can you.
5. Set realistic goals. Losing 20, 50 or 100 pounds is overwhelming. Start off small. Instead of trying to lose all that weight quickly, begin conservatively by losing 5 pounds. Small weight losses help your metabolism adjust gradually. Remember, yard-by-yard is hard; inch-by-inch is a cinch.
6. Follow a program. Weight-loss programs such as liquid diet replacements, Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet or the 10,000-step program promote weight loss because they help people reduce or expend calories systematically. Women enjoy personal trainers and exercise classes because they take the guesswork out of exercise. Most systematic programs are better than guesswork and wishful thinking.
7. Eat only when you’re hungry. Don’t eat a hearty meal just because the clock tells you it’s lunchtime or dinnertime.
8. Keep a weight-loss diary. Write down your daily weight, diet, exercise and energy level. The diary helps keep you on track. Free online diet and exercise logs are available at www.fitday.com, www.myfitnesspal.com, www.my-calorie-counter.com and www.download.com.
9. Diet with a friend. Misery loves company. Weight loss is more effective when you do it with a friend or group of friends. Online, pair up with other women trying to lose weight on www.weightlossbuddy.com.
10. Look in the mirror nude every day. Clothes can cover muffin tops and cellulite, but looking in the mirror sans clothes is the ultimate test. Place mirrors around the house so you can see the real you.
11. Take pictures. Take a nude or bikini photo with a digital camera. You can rationalize about your weight in your mind, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
12. Join a weight-loss support group. 66 percent of Americans are obese or overweight. Almost every community has weight-loss support groups that will provide motivation and teach you effective weight-loss methods.
13. Get the support of your significant others. Losing weight is extremely difficult if your spouse, friends and family don’t support you. Tell them about your commitment to weight loss and ask for their encouragement.
15. Watch TV shows about weight loss, diet and exercise. Shows like “The Biggest Loser” are sometimes over the top, but they do help motivate people to lose weight. Cable channels have entire sections dedicated to fitness and diet. Watch them for information and motivation.
16. Give your “fat clothes” to charity. You will lose weight and won’t fail, so there is no use holding on to clothes you won’t wear again. Once you throw away those clothes, it will cost too much money to gain weight.
Weight-Loss Methods
17. Lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. The body regulates fat storage in the brain with feedback from fat cells, the liver, blood chemicals and muscles. Rapid weight loss triggers fat controllers to slow metabolism and increase appetite. Lose weight gradually and give your body a chance to adapt to a lower weight.
18. Get a body composition test. Many universities and private health clubs offer body composition tests that measure fat-free weight and percent fat. The most accurate methods include DEXA, underwater weighing and Bod Pod (air displacement). Skinfolds and bioelectrical impedance are less accurate, but still give you valuable information. Body mass index (measure of proportion of weight-to-height) is used in population obesity studies but is less valuable for individuals.
19. Choose a diet plan and stick to it. People lose weight on almost all popular reduced-calorie diets. Low-carbohydrate diets help people lose weight best during the first six months of dieting. The long-term effects are less clear. Avoid extreme starvation diets.
20. Diet and exercise work best. The combination of diet and exercise work best for long-term weight control. Exercise helps preserve muscle mass and prevents the decrease in metabolic rate (caloric consumption) that occurs with weight loss.
21. Eat smaller meals in the afternoon and evening. Eating most of your calories in the morning promotes weight loss. Eat small dinners and avoid late-night snacks.
22. Watch less television. Fatter people watch more television. Watch 1 to 2 hours less television every day.
23. Eat five small meals per day. Eating many small meals increases metabolic rate and the energy cost of digestion. The effect is not great, but every calorie counts.
24. Eat breakfast. The body’s fuel stores empty after 6-9 hours of sleep. Skipping breakfast encourages overeating at lunchtime and dinner.
25. Eat protein foods for breakfast. The liver converts the amino acids in proteins into blood sugar, which helps prevent hunger.
26. Eat more low-fat yogurt. Eating three servings of low-fat yogurt per day helps cut hunger and promotes fat loss.
27. Don’t eat family style. People eat more when they can take all they want. Give each person a serving.
28. Understand the limitations of weight-loss drugs. Drugs such as orlistat (Xenical, alli), sibutramine (Meridia) and modafinil (Provigil) are somewhat beneficial, but people generally regain the lost weight when they stop taking the drugs. Following a healthy lifestyle is preferable to weight-loss drugs.
29. Read food labels. Many foods are surprisingly high in calories, saturated and trans fats, and simple sugars. Food labels help you make healthy choices.
Activities that Burn Fat
30. Walking. This is the mother of all exercises. Most people can walk safely. Walk for 1 hour a day if this is your main form of exercise. Pick up the pace if you want faster results.
31. Running. Running will burn two or more times more calories than walking. Build up gradually, because running can cause joint and muscle pains if you do too much.
32. Cycling. This is a wonderful way to exercise. Ride in a safe place and wear a helmet. Buy a good-quality bike that serves your needs.
33. Swimming. This activity is not as good as running or cycling for losing weight, but it builds muscles and makes you feel good.
34. In-line skating. This new type of exercise burns plenty of calories and is very sexy. Wear a helmet and pads to avoid road rash.
35. Skateboarding. This is a favorite sport of the Triple-X generation. Skateboarding is a good alternative activity when you can’t jump out of airplanes, bungee jump, hang glide or snowboard.
36. Rowing. This activity used to be the purview of wealthy preppies at Harvard, Oxford and Yale. Now, ordinary women can punt down the Thames or even the East River.
37. Wild sex. Long, passionate, wild sex resembling the floor exercise in women’s gymnastics at the Olympics is best for shaping and fat burning.
39. Hiking. Even large cities, such as L.A., Chicago and New York, have hiking trails that let you get some exercise in a tranquil setting. Bookstores have maps of local hiking trails that can make your outings varied and interesting.
40. Backpacking. Camping, for many women, is staying at the Hyatt Regency with the door open. If you like the great outdoors, backpacking is a great fat burner. Load your pack with a sleeping bag and food, and take off for a few days in the nearest wilderness area. A few days in the backcountry will leave you feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and thinner. With backpacking, anything you eat you have to carry, so there’s an incentive to travel light and eat less.
Burn More Fat at the Health Club
41. Train with weights. You look best in a bikini when you’re toned and lean. Weight training burns almost the same number of calories as aerobics, and it also builds muscle so you look fit and healthy.
42. Treadmill. The treadmill is the best health club machine for burning calories and increasing aerobic capacity. Exercising on a treadmill in an air-conditioned health club can be a lot better than training outside in the cold or on a hot, muggy day.
44. Elliptical trainer. These machines and next generation trainers like the Cybex Arc allow you to reach high heart rates while minimizing impact on the knees, hips and spine.
45. Cross-country ski machine. Ski machines let you work upper and lower body muscles at the same time. It will prepare you for outdoor cross-country skiing.
46. Supine bike. Many people like the supine bike because the seat is more comfortable than a conventional upright bike. It gives the illusion of exercising while lying down.
47. Rowing machine. Rowing machines build aerobic capacity and the large muscles of the upper and lower body. Some machines are hooked up to computers that allow you to compete against rowers from around the world.
48. Plyometrics. Plyometrics are bounce exercises that increase speed and power for sports like volleyball, soccer and basketball. These are fun and develop fitness you can use in your daily life.
49. Water aerobics. Many health clubs have pools for water aerobics. Why not combine time in the pool with running or resistive exercises. Most upper end clubs have water aerobics classes.
50. Exercise classes. Many women need the support of other people to exercise. Whether you enjoy step, yoga, spinning, kickboxing or Pilates— most gyms have classes that will interest almost everyone.
I'm currently using Integrated Supplements Whey Protein Isolate (Chocolate) and it's far and away the best protein I've tasted. It's not chalky, it blends super well, and the taste is amazing. I've gone about replacing my lunch by mixing it with a banana, kale, chia seeds, and a little peanut butter powder. It's the bees knees. But at the end of the day I'm drinking the shakes to build more muscle and have more stamina when lifting. So I'm curious if there's any real difference in performance between this one and some of the other brands that advertise more towards bodybuilders?
https://www.amazon.com/Integrated-Supplements-Protein-Supplement-Chocolate/dp/B00147ZOO0
Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.
Also, there's a handy-dandy search bar to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search fittit by using the limiter "site:reddit.com/r/fitness" after your search topic.
Other good resources to search are Exrx.net for exercise-related topics and Examine.com for nutrition and supplement science.
Be aware that the more relevant information you add, the more relevant the answers you receive will be. And if you are posting about your routine, please make sure you follow the guidelines.
(Please note: This is not a place for general small talk or chit-chat. Also, the community decided long ago that we keep jokes, trolling, and memes outside of the Daily Q&A threads. Please use the downvote / report button when necessary.)
Welcome to the Monthly Fitness Pro-Tips Megathread!
This thread is for sharing quick tips (don't you dare call them hacks, that word is stupid) about training, equipment use, nutrition, or other fitness connected topics that have improved your fitness experience.
Planning on buying some Versa Gripps and was wondering which version would you guys recommend? How are the Extremes compared to the Pros?
Sharing my thoughts on my very favorite Les Mills program, BODYPUMP! Take a class for FREE On Demand using my link and you’ll get 30 days of unlimited workouts from the Les Mills platform.
Hi friends! How’s the week going? It’s been kind of a doozy over here. I wrote everything up in a Thursday Thoughts post for tomorrow! The Pilot has been working and traveling quite a bit, I have a full-body rash that thankfully isn’t contagious but may not go away for weeks, and we’re hitting week 9 of this whole situation. If anyone else feels like you’re losing your marbles, please know you’re not alone.
Something that has helped me remarkably in the past couple of months: solid workouts. Even with everything going on, I’ve been dedicated to working out virtually every single day. It feels SO good to move my body, zone out, and almost feel like I’m alone for a little while. 
Something that I’ve brought back into my regular routine that I missed dearly: BODYPUMP! BODYPUMP feels like the quintessential Les Mills workout. It was the first one I tried, the first one that stole my heart, and something I find myself coming back to, again and again.
Pic from teaching a class in San Diego when it was a purple theme and I was pregnant with P. (It was the Pilot’s first… and only… BODYPUMP experience haha.)
For today’s post, I thought I’d break down the format and why I love BODYPUMP for those who haven’t been introduced to it yet.
Here’s what a typical class entails:
– It’s a 45-55 minute class (depending on if the instructor does the core section and how long it takes to transition between songs) focused on muscular endurance. (There are also shorter 30-minute express versions of the class.) It’s a high-rep workout, designed to completely fatigue each muscle group. The workout is based on “time under tension,” which can help to promote lean muscle and strength gains the same way as lifting much heavier weights for less repetitions.
You can check out this interesting study that suggests that a BODYPUMP class can burn more calories than typical cardiovascular training and positively impact metabolism. When I teach a BODYPUMP class, I easily burn 500+ calories (and feel strong and energized when it’s over).
– It’s music-derived. All of the movements match the songs, which is my favorite aspect of the class! You might do full-range singles for the chorus of the songs, and tempo variations of classic strength moves. Each release is always different and like the other Les Mills workouts, they’re science-backed for maximum benefits and safety. (For example, they study how many squats are safe to do in the squat track depending on the tempo variations and range of motion. It’s truly incredible.)
– It’s barbell-based. Most of the exercises are performed using a barbell, but there are also exercises using plates, a bench, and your own body weight.
– It’s designed to hit every muscle in your body. Instructors may shuffle around the order of tracks, but this is the standard format:
– Warm up
– Squats
– Chest
– Back
– Triceps
– Biceps
– Lunges
– Shoulders
– Core
– Cool down
– Bonus cardio potential. The movements are dynamic, will get your heart rate up, and keep it elevated for the tracks. I feel like it’s a solid combo of strength and cardio work.
Pros:
– BODYPUMP is an effective way to switch up traditional strength training. If you’re used to doing hypertrophy work (3 sets of 10-12 reps for most exercises) or max strength (like CrossFit), I absolutely recommend implementing an endurance day, like BODYPUMP, into the routine. It teaches the muscles to maintain strength for longer periods of time, instead of quick blasts, which can come in handy for cardio endurance workouts (like distance runs) or for LIFE (like when you need to carry 18 bags of groceries from the car into the house. No second trips.).
– It’s easy to modify. You can ditch the weights for the leg tracks, and modify the amount of weights for the barbell. It’s also pregnancy-friendly. I taught classes while I was pregnant with P and all I needed to do was angle the bench for the supine work and decrease the weight on the barbell.
– No need to worry about strength training and figuring out a workout/plan on your own. If you’re sick of puttering around the gym from the free weights to the machines (or even just trying to get motivated to work out at home), this is such a great way to switch it up. I feel like it’s difficult to find online or on demand strength workouts that are *fun.* This one is fun, challenging, and insanely effective. Even though I know what I need to do to hit specific muscle groups, it’s so nice to press play and have someone else plan the workout for me. 
– It can make strength training approachable for those who wouldn’t otherwise be lifting weights. It can be intimidating to venture into strength training on your own, and Les Mills takes a majority of that intimidation away.
Cons:
– Equipment. The workout is barbell-based, which many folks don’t have at home. You can get the full equipment set on their site, but I’ve done the workouts using dumbbells and kettlebells in a pinch. You can absolutely do the workout with what you have available!
– I think because of licensing, sometimes a song or two is overplayed by the time a release comes out. I feel like this is rare, but it does happen sometimes.
If you want to give BODYPUMP a try, use my link for 30 days of Les Mills On Demand for free! They have over 800 workouts taught by powerhouse instructors. Please let me know how you like it!
Have a great day, friends. Thank you for stopping by the blog today and I’ll see ya soon!
xo
Gina
More:
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