After talking with a couple of bike shop guys, I ended up decided to go with a hybrid bike. I picked up one the Trek FX 3's and absolutely love it. It should fit my needs well. Just need to find a more comfortable seat, this thing is not comfortable.

5/15/2020 1:51:44 PM

Very nice bike. I started with an FX 3 when I was riding to lose weight. It would've been fine for my first sprint tri as well.

Be careful with seats. It's counterintuitive, but the big cushy seats that look comfortable can cause excessive friction. Get some good padded bike shorts instead.

5/15/2020 3:51:34 PM

Any of y'all do regular bike rides around Raleigh? Looking to ride with some other people. I've been exploring the greenways around Raleigh, regularly doing 12-15 mi rides (still building up).

Thanks for the tip about padded bike shorts. I did read about not going with super wide seats, so if I did replace the seat it would just be with narrow, more padded seat. But maybe i'll check out the bike shorts.

5/17/2020 4:54:39 PM

Used this pandemic to sell off some extra equipment and move everything around. Might squeeze in a functional trainer with the money I pulled in from selling so much stuff.

Rogue rack with a Squatmax MD in the back, 6-shooter plates, Powerblocks up to 90lbs, Ironmasters up to 120lbs, Powertec lat pulldown/low row, hyper extension I’m trying to flip, AB TGrip bar, Rep PowerSpeed bar, and a shitty Titan multigrip bar.

5/18/2020 5:48:19 PM

Nice! I love my powerblocks, also up to 90 pounds. Sold the squat rack I had, live in a small apartment and just totally killed the free space, especially with a rower too

5/18/2020 6:09:36 PM

I sold my rower for $1200 during this. Had it for over a year and paid $1000 shipped. Sold a squat stand, bar, bumpers, cheap curl bars, and two benches all at a profit. Replaced the benches with a Rep AB-5200 when it was in stock.

5/18/2020 6:52:26 PM

^Damn, sold my Concept 2 for $900, but I only had $500 in it. I also sold a trap bar, GHD, spring clips, Titan pull up bar, Atlantis T-bar row, and other assorted gym items for more than I paid new & used. Took that money to buy a new Rep PR-4000 rack w/ storage and accessories, some spotter arms for my Rogue HR-2, and a used Titan reverse hyper.

Would love some Ironmasters or Powerblocks, but that isn't happening anytime soon lol.

[Edited on May 19, 2020 at 8:22 AM. Reason : ]

5/19/2020 8:22:02 AM

Very nice, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to sell it all for what I did. Think I might throw it all, plus too much cash unfortunately, at the Prime Fitness functional trainer. That thing is badass and the moveable arms makes it so versatile.

5/19/2020 12:35:20 PM

Had personal best(at least recently) walking on treadmill today. 456 calories in 30 minutes. 15” incline 3.5mph. If I could quit smoking(again) I’d be able to run again...

5/19/2020 9:55:53 PM

You can do it!

5/27/2020 3:30:14 PM

My diet is going well. 1200 calories per day is not as bad as I thought. One thing I could improve on is exercising every day and taking in more protein.

5/27/2020 3:31:44 PM

Curious why those who had rowing machines sold them? I've been wanting a Concept 2 for a while to give the treadmill a break, but I only ever used to do short workouts with them back in the crossfit days. Worth the $1000 or so I'll prob spend on one, or should I just stick with the treadmill on cardio days inside?

5/27/2020 3:42:03 PM

^It's a great machine, and a worthy investment. But I got mine used at 500 bucks & decided to sell for a profit of 400 dollars for other equipment (been eyeing a new rack). That's really the only reason, as I may buy one later if/when the home gym hysteria subsides.

5/27/2020 3:50:51 PM

^^^check out http://www.reddit.com/r/volumeeating . they have a ton of ideas on how to stay satiated while on a calorie restriction.

protein is definitely important. my favorite low cal protein sources are canned chicken and nonfat greek yogurt. some whey protein powder is also good to put in other foods. whip some chocolate whey powder into some plain greek yogurt and you something like chocolate mousse.

[Edited on May 27, 2020 at 7:36 PM. Reason : daf]

5/27/2020 7:31:32 PM

this guy has insane control over his pecs being able to contract bundles of fibers separately and with that rhythm

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAxobK6jfd5iCSmcr9NmitSiddvDiPItIU7ou80/

never seen anything like that before

5/29/2020 2:24:38 PM

Well I was running really well doing 5k 2-3 times a week, got down to 28min or so, even did a 10k. Once I tried to up my weekly mileage I started getting pain in my arches (plantar fasciitis?), which is something I’ve never experienced. Gonna be sidelined a bit while that heals. I’m so injury prone with running it’s frustrating. Gained a few pounds without cardio and am now trying keto plus weight training 4-5 days a week.

Good news is that I ended up buying a road bike today. Went with a new one so I wouldn’t be risking more Craigslist fraud drama. Got a Specialized Allez Elite. I was thrilled they had my size, they’re backordered for several months right now. I have a lot of friends getting into riding so hopefully going to be doing the greenway loop soon. I’m sure they’ll be happy to add riders if anyone wants to join, I saw some posts about riding groups at the top of the page!

7/11/2020 5:36:56 PM

What kind of shoes do you wear? My podiatrist made me stop wearing nikes, i just got some Brooks.

7/11/2020 8:31:05 PM

^Nike Pegasus Turbo 1s. They’re shot, too. I’ll take a look at brooks. I need to go to a good running shop - maybe Bill City Running? and try some

7/11/2020 10:01:16 PM

Fleet Feet is usually pretty good.

But good call on the bike. A lot easier on the body as long as you don't get hit by a car.

7/11/2020 10:16:12 PM

Apple Fitness+ launching tomorrow. I am pretty excited for it. I think it will be quite successful.

12/13/2020 12:30:43 PM

2021 is going to be the year of waking up and doing short workouts before 6am because when the hell else do normal adults have time to exercise???

12/13/2020 9:50:09 PM

I have a 45 min commute and have to be at work before 7,but I've swapped to getting up super early and doing my trainer rides before work instead of in the evening. It sucks until I get started, but makes the rest of the day so much better since I know I've already got it behind me and can just cook supper and chill when I get home.

12/14/2020 8:30:21 AM

I gain a lot of weight due to working from home and less travelling. About 15 pounds, scary. My stomach hurts when I inhale. Need to work hard to lose it.

12/18/2020 10:27:42 AM

Any other options similar to huel hot and savory? Its basically like dehydrated beans/quinoa…add water and have a meal. The others I see are mostly like shakes. Want to try mexican chili flavor

[Edited on June 9, 2021 at 8:33 PM. Reason : Also my protein had the best prices I’ve seen yesterday with coupon code “BEAST”]

6/9/2021 8:33:01 PM

You could get a cheap dehydrator and make your own just-add-water meals. I dehydrate canned beans and such for camping meals.

6/12/2021 11:06:21 AM

Is it literally that simple? Like buy a few canned goods, dehydrate, add spices, and add water? What about meat? Say my chili had meat, does one dehydrate and then add? And how much water to “rehydrate”

6/17/2021 11:16:37 PM

My experience is with meals for backpacking, so I'm more focused on maximizing calories/oz and minimizing volume, but maybe this will give you some ideas.

The only things I dehydrate are canned beans and canned chicken. For the beans, I just rinse them and dehydrate overnight. The chicken gets broken up into shreds, rinsed under hot water to remove the fat (fat won't dehydrate and will spoil), and dehydrated overnight. The canned chicken works because it's cooked in a pressure cooker and rehydrates well. Dehydrating baked chicken or something results in something that won't rehydrate properly. You could cook chicken in a pressure cooker and save money, I think.

I've done dehydrated ground beef by simply boiling lean ground beef (it's done pretty much as soon as it hits the boiling water), rinsing off any fat, and dehydrating overnight. It worked fine, but wasn't worth the cost of beef to me.

Besides chicken, I'll just use different types of jerky or dried sausages for the meat component in a meal. Not cheap, but these are for backpacking trips, not my daily diet.

So for assembling the meals, I'll usually do some kind of carb base like couscous, instant rice, or noodles with whatever I want to add. Add the dehydrated beans or Santa Fe instant refried beans, the meat, some dried veggies I get off Amazon, seasonings, nuts, seeds, whatever.

6/18/2021 9:31:12 AM

Bttt. Did 3 sets of 10 dumbbell bench yesterday for first time in like 4 years. God feel like I have never been more sore

5/26/2023 3:53:50 PM

I think I tore my rotator cuff in Jan (or was it Feb?). I was hoping it would heal, but no such luck.

My shoulders have been a problem for a long time; I'm on Meloxicam for them and manage them OK as long as I'm careful, but I think the right one is finally done. Got an MRI scheduled.

As a silver lining, I've been doing more running, since I'm fairly limited in the gym (can do low/wide chest Hammer Strength machine with moderate weight, and cable crossovers with modest weight...not much beyond shrugs for shoulders. Back and legs I can do fine.). I'm running probably 3-5 days per week instead of my previous 1-2.

5/27/2023 2:06:18 PM