The Official Exercise/Fitness Thread v. Run Forest, Run!

[jingle.boy]

I have some bowflex adjustable dumbbells that go from 5-52.5 lbs. They're awesome, and can replace an entire weight tree. Now i just have to convince my wife to let me get rid of our dumbbell weight tree

I'm so glad I invested in the 10-90s way back when.  52.5 isn't enough for lot of my lifts - bench press, shrugs, rows.  Heck, I'm even getting close to that limit for OHP.  My only two beefs with them are how bulky they are, and you can't drop them.  I accidentally put one down on an angle while doing a lying pullover, and cracked the end 'plate' off the bar.  Fortunately, that plate is only 2.5lbs, and I was able to slip it back into alignment, and Gorilla Glue it back in place.

Otherwise, no way I'd have the space or $$$ for a full set of DBs 10 thru 90.  I looked at Bowflex's website, and they're a grand/pair!!  Saw one on Amazon for $1,500 for ONE!

[SchecterShredder]

I think mine can be increased to 90 if need be, but I'm not sure. Most of the heavy lifting i do is done with the Olympic weights anyway, so i find the 50lbs enough

[The Walrus]

Jesus, how do y'all run in cold weather? I went out Friday for some cardio in the cool afternoon just before sunset but even then it was getting pretty chilly. Got off work yesterday and almost went out for a couple miles but... good lord the cold was biting and it was already dark. I'm going to try to muster the will to go out again tonight - I keep telling myself every year this will finally be the one I do cardio in the cold - but it's already looking difficult  Two layers of pants, two shirts and a hoodie + gloves and a hat should be enough, but still.... yikes

[Evermind]

Man I don't know. Might be that I'm fairly used to cold weather (love it actually) and love snow. I skied since I was 5 (or earlier, but my granddad would just pull me after him so I didn't have to do any physical activity before I was 5) until I was like 16 when I pretty much stopped exercising at all. It is more difficult to run in cold weather though. I'm currently in a city where we have -15°C and it's pretty cold, dunno if I could do a long run in these conditions. Hopefully I would be able to try that as the winter goes on, I'm curious about that.

[The Walrus]

Man I don't know. Might be that I'm fairly used to cold weather (love it actually) and love snow. I skied since I was 5 (or earlier, but my granddad would just pull me after him so I didn't have to do any physical activity before I was 5) until I was like 16 when I pretty much stopped exercising at all. It is more difficult to run in cold weather though. I'm currently in a city where we have -15°C and it's pretty cold, dunno if I could do a long run in these conditions. Hopefully I would be able to try that as the winter goes on, I'm curious about that.

Holy crap that's 5ºF. That's insane. This was just like 32ºF/0ºC weather when I was bitching and moaning about the cold! And I prefer the cold too! Then again I'm not surprised the resident Russian has better cold tolerance 

[Evermind]

Yeah my last run was in -2°C in Moscow and it went alright, 6.5km in about 37 minutes, felt good. I'm on a business trip now in Kazan and it's -15°C. Didn't bring my running gear with me obviously, but it feels pretty cold. I wonder what it feels like to run in this weather. We'll see, maybe I'll get to do it early next year!

[SchecterShredder]

Not gonna lie, -20C and below stings the lungs a bit. Like breathing glass if you're breathing hard. Otherwise, the cold isn't an issue so long as you dress for it.

[The Walrus]

I think that's what worries me the most, breathing in such frigid air with such force and so often. I'm not sure what that does to the lungs, if anything, but when it feels that bad that has me concerned.

[wolfking]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

[jingle.boy]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

Forgive the ignorance of seasons and the geography in Oz, but does it ever get close to 0C where you live, Kade?

[wolfking]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

Forgive the ignorance of seasons and the geography in Oz, but does it ever get close to 0C where you live, Kade?

No way mate.  During later stages of COVID when gyms were on hour bookings I was doing some early morning runs before work instead to fit my weights in and that was in the heart of our winter.  Now the lowest it was was maybe 6 or 7 degrees.  I was still running in shorts and a shirt.  It was a little tough to get going and the fingers get a little frosty but a few kms in and I was sweating like normal.  Couldn't imagine -20, that's next level.

[jingle.boy]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

Forgive the ignorance of seasons and the geography in Oz, but does it ever get close to 0C where you live, Kade?

No way mate.  During later stages of COVID when gyms were on hour bookings I was doing some early morning runs before work instead to fit my weights in and that was in the heart of our winter.  Now the lowest it was was maybe 6 or 7 degrees.  I was still running in shorts and a shirt.  It was a little tough to get going and the fingers get a little frosty but a few kms in and I was sweating like normal.  Couldn't imagine -20, that's next level.

That's kinda what I thought.  Waking up just now, it's a bit milder than things should be for the 1st week of December - 6C at the moment.  Last week it was -1C in the morning.  That's about normal for central Canada this time of year.  Where Schecter is (and jj), that can get colder than a witches cunt, that's for sure.  Our are can see parts of the winter where it drops to -15C or colder, but not for sustained periods.  Though, 3-4 years ago, there was a stretch where it didn't get above 0C for something like 33 straight days.  That was a bitchin winter.

[SchecterShredder]

In the winter 2017-2018 we set some stupid record with something like 230 consecutive days where the temperature dropped below freezing at some point. Our temp swing is crazy when you consider we can hit +40C in the summer and -40C in the winter. Also worth noting that I'm nowhere near a large body of water, so our cold is very dry. I'd take -25C in Edmonton over -10C in Toronto.

We're unseasonably warm right now, like Jingle out east. Hitting 3 or 4C some days. It's running my xc skiing, but it'll make for a nice long ride tomorrow. I've got a nice 50km route lined up

[wolfking]

Those temps I can't comprehend.  Never experienced anything near that.  I definitely do want to one day though.  I guess black metal is the closest thing I have. 

2km swim at 6am this morning and 8:30am now and it's already hitting 30 degrees.  Our summer is starting off strong.

[jingle.boy]

Just make your first trip to Canada in late January/early February.  Me, jj, or Schecter will take care of ya.

[jjrock88]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

Forgive the ignorance of seasons and the geography in Oz, but does it ever get close to 0C where you live, Kade?

No way mate.  During later stages of COVID when gyms were on hour bookings I was doing some early morning runs before work instead to fit my weights in and that was in the heart of our winter.  Now the lowest it was was maybe 6 or 7 degrees.  I was still running in shorts and a shirt.  It was a little tough to get going and the fingers get a little frosty but a few kms in and I was sweating like normal.  Couldn't imagine -20, that's next level.

That's kinda what I thought.  Waking up just now, it's a bit milder than things should be for the 1st week of December - 6C at the moment.  Last week it was -1C in the morning.  That's about normal for central Canada this time of year.  Where Schecter is (and jj), that can get colder than a witches cunt, that's for sure.  Our are can see parts of the winter where it drops to -15C or colder, but not for sustained periods.  Though, 3-4 years ago, there was a stretch where it didn't get above 0C for something like 33 straight days.  That was a bitchin winter.

Witches cunt lol

[wolfking]

Where I am, I can't even contemplate running in those sort of temperatures.  Wow.

Forgive the ignorance of seasons and the geography in Oz, but does it ever get close to 0C where you live, Kade?

No way mate.  During later stages of COVID when gyms were on hour bookings I was doing some early morning runs before work instead to fit my weights in and that was in the heart of our winter.  Now the lowest it was was maybe 6 or 7 degrees.  I was still running in shorts and a shirt.  It was a little tough to get going and the fingers get a little frosty but a few kms in and I was sweating like normal.  Couldn't imagine -20, that's next level.

That's kinda what I thought.  Waking up just now, it's a bit milder than things should be for the 1st week of December - 6C at the moment.  Last week it was -1C in the morning.  That's about normal for central Canada this time of year.  Where Schecter is (and jj), that can get colder than a witches cunt, that's for sure.  Our are can see parts of the winter where it drops to -15C or colder, but not for sustained periods.  Though, 3-4 years ago, there was a stretch where it didn't get above 0C for something like 33 straight days.  That was a bitchin winter.

Witches cunt lol

I must admit, that made me  also.

[The Walrus]

Got my first December run in tonight. Made it a half mile without stopping. Did half laps until I hit a mile. I'm fine with that considering my weight is on point and my clothes fit great. Good shit. Did my deck of cards, too. Now I'm choking down one beer and it's off to bed.

[H2]

Already back at 30lb weighted chins x 10. I was able to do like 45lb x 12 months ago. Then I stopped lifting to focus on cardio for 3 months, and had to start at 0lb x 8. One month later, I'm virtually back. Neurological adaptations are weird, guys.

[wolfking]

Already back at 30lb weighted chins x 10. I was able to do like 45lb x 12 months ago. Then I stopped lifting to focus on cardio for 3 months, and had to start at 0lb x 8. One month later, I'm virtually back. Neurological adaptations are weird, guys.

Impressive mate.

[wolfking]

Been doing speedwork on the treadmill the last couple of weeks and realised today I hadn't done a 10+K run since 8th of Feb.

On Friday I got up to 3km at 14:33, which I'm very happy with.  Decided to aim for 10K today but talking about weather, I went out at 8am and it was already at least 32 degrees.  10km in 55:10 (5:30/km pace).  Running in these temps is absolutely brutal.  Blazing sun and suffocating hot winds is not nice while running.  I was absolutely toasted, literally.  My feet and shoes were fucking burning afterwards.  The water I've consumed today was as much that was in the lake I was running around.  That time is a bit slower than what I was doing so the weather effects is immense.

[jingle.boy]

Already back at 30lb weighted chins x 10. I was able to do like 45lb x 12 months ago. Then I stopped lifting to focus on cardio for 3 months, and had to start at 0lb x 8. One month later, I'm virtually back. Neurological adaptations are weird, guys.

Impressive mate.

Yeah, that is pretty f'n impressive.

[H2]

Already back at 30lb weighted chins x 10. I was able to do like 45lb x 12 months ago. Then I stopped lifting to focus on cardio for 3 months, and had to start at 0lb x 8. One month later, I'm virtually back. Neurological adaptations are weird, guys.

Impressive mate.

Yeah, that is pretty f'n impressive.

Ah, you guys. But I'm also pretty light @ 150lb so that makes things easier. Chins are my best "lift" I would say.

Anyway, turns out Insanity for four months on a tight cut was a bad idea for me. I effed up my knee, started getting neck cricks on the reg, lost a lot of strength, and developed a lot of anxiety about working out. Two months max, next time, and not on such a severe cut! But I feel very close to back to my original strength after about a month.

[Nick]

Have definitely slowed as of late, but am still making slow progress, down to 238lbs now, 32 lost overall. Finally pulled the trigger on the lat pulldown attachment for my cage, which should help give me a few more options on what I can do easily at home.

[Evermind]

-5°C today, can confirm it's still fine to run. Did a leisurely 6.7km in 38:40, so a bit below my usual pace of 5:40 per km (5:46) but I wasn't pushing myself at all and really enjoyed it. I went harder for the last km and it was 4:45, feels really good to finish strong. Gearing up for another 10k this Saturday and hoping for good weather.

[H2]

Wow, Evermind, that is incredibly cold. Hats off to your for having the fortitude to train in such cold weather!

BTW, do our resident lifters have any tips regarding improving in squats? My squat is just about as strong as my bench right now (about 145lb x 10). I am able to go a lot higher if I stop above parallel, but of course that's cheating. But hitting parallel and even going slightly below parallel makes the lift so much more difficult. None of my other lifts are lagging so significantly far behind the others.

[wolfking]

-5°C today, can confirm it's still fine to run. Did a leisurely 6.7km in 38:40, so a bit below my usual pace of 5:40 per km (5:46) but I wasn't pushing myself at all and really enjoyed it. I went harder for the last km and it was 4:45, feels really good to finish strong. Gearing up for another 10k this Saturday and hoping for good weather.

Insane running in that temp.  I'd love to do that.

Today for me, totally the opposite of last Sunday.  Howling wind and heavy rain, but I still got out there and ran, I fucking loved it.  Finished up soaking wet but was worth it.  Quite casual and the strong wind made it hard.  12km at 5:29 average per km pace.

[wolfking]

Wow, Evermind, that is incredibly cold. Hats off to your for having the fortitude to train in such cold weather!

BTW, do our resident lifters have any tips regarding improving in squats? My squat is just about as strong as my bench right now (about 145lb x 10). I am able to go a lot higher if I stop above parallel, but of course that's cheating. But hitting parallel and even going slightly below parallel makes the lift so much more difficult. None of my other lifts are lagging so significantly far behind the others.

I'm not going to offer anything mate, my squats suck!!!  Probably my worst exercise.  I always just resort to smith machine or box squats if I want to go a little heavy.  Straight barbell squats I'm just fucking terrible at.

[jingle.boy]

Wow, Evermind, that is incredibly cold. Hats off to your for having the fortitude to train in such cold weather!

BTW, do our resident lifters have any tips regarding improving in squats? My squat is just about as strong as my bench right now (about 145lb x 10). I am able to go a lot higher if I stop above parallel, but of course that's cheating. But hitting parallel and even going slightly below parallel makes the lift so much more difficult. None of my other lifts are lagging so significantly far behind the others.

I'm not going to offer anything mate, my squats suck!!!  Probably my worst exercise.  I always just resort to smith machine or box squats if I want to go a little heavy.  Straight barbell squats I'm just fucking terrible at.

The phase of my routine right now is doing a total body stack in a 2-day cycle, with all reps on Day 1 being a lighter weight, 5-second concentric lift; and Day 2 being a heavy weight / 5-second eccentric movement.  Yesterday was db bench press, dips, db ohp, and bb squats.  Going deep on the squats, then taking 5 seconds to go up (5 sets of 10)... killer.  Later today, it's the opposite - a little heavier, 4 sets of 6-7, and taking 5 seconds on the way down.

Spaghetti legs for sure.

[wolfking]

Been keeping pretty active over the holiday period while work is a little quieter.  Did a crazy 20km run XMas morning and felt great.  My left leg is playing up again but 20km at 5:51 per km pace.  I really enjoyed it.  Lots of swimming happening too.

[jingle.boy]

Been keeping pretty active over the holiday period while work is a little quieter.  Did a crazy 20km run XMas morning and felt great.  My left leg is playing up again but 20km at 5:51 per km pace.  I really enjoyed it.  Lots of swimming happening too.

I just finished the Max Size program I was doing, and got a lot of good results on my lifts.  I just did a push/pull (pushups and pullups) sequence that I struggled thru a few months ago, and it was not overly challenging yesterday.  Been trying to do 2x/day exercise (just getting on the bike in the morning to burn some calories) this month to compensate for the increased junk and alcohol consumption this time of year.  It seems to be helping keep me at least 'level'.

[SchecterShredder]

I've also been keeping busy these holidays. I'm off work until January, so I've been XC skiing almost daily.

I just swapped out my classic XC skis for some skate skis this week. Super fun, but definitely a tough workout. I punched out 17km today for my first 'skate', and i can already tell I'll be in a world of hurt tomorrow

[wolfking]

Been keeping pretty active over the holiday period while work is a little quieter.  Did a crazy 20km run XMas morning and felt great.  My left leg is playing up again but 20km at 5:51 per km pace.  I really enjoyed it.  Lots of swimming happening too.

I just finished the Max Size program I was doing, and got a lot of good results on my lifts.  I just did a push/pull (pushups and pullups) sequence that I struggled thru a few months ago, and it was not overly challenging yesterday.  Been trying to do 2x/day exercise (just getting on the bike in the morning to burn some calories) this month to compensate for the increased junk and alcohol consumption this time of year.  It seems to be helping keep me at least 'level'.

This has been my mindset over the last couple weeks too.  Lots of shit food but managed to still keep level, even lose a small bit of weight with the increased activity.  I find it funny how people blow out over the holidays and then can't  figure out why simply struggle to get back to where they were.  It's so simple it's not funny.

[wolfking]

I've also been keeping busy these holidays. I'm off work until January, so I've been XC skiing almost daily.

I just swapped out my classic XC skis for some skate skis this week. Super fun, but definitely a tough workout. I punched out 17km today for my first 'skate', and i can already tell I'll be in a world of hurt tomorrow

That sounds like a lot for whatever 'skae skies' are.

[jingle.boy]

Much shorter skies, right Schecter?  I saw something like this on Shark Tank a couple months back.