I love planks... I think side planks are my favorite, followed by the ones bmel listed, followed by regular ones

6/22/2010 1:01:47 PM

i start shaking when i do side planks

6/22/2010 1:02:55 PM

I don't think my shoulder is strong enough or has the flexibility yet so do side planks. But one day... one day.

6/22/2010 1:08:43 PM

Quote :

"The squat is just one exercise I can think of that absolutely works more muscles, larger muscles, and works them more intensely than any abdominal exercise you could think of doing."

Power cleans work more.

6/22/2010 1:17:32 PM

I start shaking when I do the lateral planks on the dip bar (I think that is what they are called). I usually do them when I have exhausted all my muscles at the end of a workout. I like that feeling. Someone please let me know if that is damaging.

6/22/2010 1:21:39 PM

^^ I'll see your power cleans

and raise you full squat cleans

6/22/2010 1:22:15 PM

^Add a press at the end and we're done!

6/22/2010 1:25:16 PM

bmel the plank you described is the one i cant do on the left side because my hip cracks on every single motion and it HURTS

just finished my insanity work out, and i have shooting pains in my ankles & calves... better take it easy, i have a tri on sunday i have to do!

6/22/2010 1:28:12 PM

Quote :

"i have shooting pains in my ankles & calves"

Shin splints?

6/22/2010 1:31:05 PM

^^ you're doing a tri this weekend and you're still doing insanity


shouldn't you be lowering intensity/volume/something to prepare!?

6/22/2010 1:35:39 PM

Quote :

"As far as NOT squatting because you tore your ACL...silly. I completely tore my ACL 2 years ago...squatted pre-surgery and started again about 2-3 months post surgery. The only issue you have to address with ACL issues is to make sure your flexibility/ROM has returned (if not just warm up like crazy) before squatting...that and getting it out of your head that you're going to hurt yourself."

Packman, I have full ROM in my bad knee and from a physical point of view its 100% functional. Before I saw my physician one last time (6 months after surgery) I'd already been back in the gym working out (had to get ready for ski season). I was doing squats all the time, with no pain, swelling etc. My doctor said I can do them and be fine now, but will regret it laterin life. He's been in medicine longer than I've been alive and helped invent the procedure...so I'm listening to him

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 1:39 PM. Reason : later]

6/22/2010 1:38:29 PM

so kickass

6/22/2010 1:40:39 PM

^ he makes it look easy

6/22/2010 1:42:45 PM

^^^You tore a ligament

you're going to feel the effects of that later in life regardless of whether or not you squat now.

There are arguments for either side. If you want to squat, squat. If you want to listen to your doctor who's probably never put any sort of weight on his back and squatted, then go for it.

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 1:43 PM. Reason : ]

6/22/2010 1:42:56 PM

Quote :

"this thread is making my fucking head hurt Squats are the single MOST NATURAL movement you can perform I would NOT use a squat machine because it completely fucks with your biomechanics and can oftentimes put you in a terrible position for your lower body As far as NOT squatting because you tore your ACL...silly. I completely tore my ACL 2 years ago...squatted pre-surgery and started again about 2-3 months post surgery. The only issue you have to address with ACL issues is to make sure your flexibility/ROM has returned (if not just warm up like crazy) before squatting...that and getting it out of your head that you're going to hurt yourself. actually, properly completed squats can help you AVOID injury. The biggest thing to take away from this is PROPERLY...if squats are hurting you, then you're doing something wrong. Get help correcting form and then resume them."

Glad to see it took an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer to come in here and back me up to prove I was right, but I guess people still won't believe me for some reason that boggles my mind.

I'm done giving any advice to any of you, because it's clear that I'll get nothing but grief for even giving the slightest bit of criticism towards your precious workout routine that you hold true and dear.

So, stick to your gimmick workouts and your lazy exercises and don't ever change.

Hey, news flash, maybe the people who post in here who are in shape know what they're talking about most of the time. If you're upset with the way your body looks, did you ever think that you can't improve upon it because you have no idea what you're doing, and maybe, just maybe, someone has a better idea of what will work for you?

I'm sorry for lashing out here, but I've had one hell of a stressful week, and when I come into my own goddamn thread just trying to help people succeed in their goals, all I get is shit on and called an idiot and a troll by people who have no fucking idea what they're talking about because I have the audacity to say that maybe they might be doing the wrong thing.

I should have guessed that people who post in here who are out of shape would probably also have a low self-esteem and an inability to take any form of criticism which would cause them to ignore anyone's advice and stick to their own self-destructive downward spiral of continuous crash weight loss and gain, but I thought things might be different this time.

You know what? You won't have to deal with me trying to help you anymore. Stay fat and miserable.

EDIT: I was considering PMing a mod to delete this thread, but since it has helped some people, I'm just going to let it run it's course.

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 1:47 PM. Reason : ]

6/22/2010 1:46:07 PM

^LOL WHY YOU MAD THO?

6/22/2010 1:51:44 PM

Just don't take shit personally. This thread is certainly helping me (less for new information and more for a weird sort of accountability) and I'm sure it's helping others even more than me.

If people don't want to take your advice, right as it may be, they won't. Their loss. There are plenty of people who are taking the advice of the people like yourself and Packman and others...

6/22/2010 1:53:14 PM

i just came in here to post,

let it roll

don't take offense and don't try to argue


also, I personally appreciate the hell out of this thread

6/22/2010 1:53:35 PM

i am gonna try hit the gym today...i went twice last week

6/22/2010 1:56:36 PM

Question: After years of tennis and swimming, I basically have no cartilage in my shoulders. So when I do arm workouts, I experience slight pain and hear a lot of grinding and clicking in my shoulders. Are there any good workouts that will tone my arms without using my shoulders?

6/22/2010 1:56:57 PM

i didn't eat lunch today and went to the farmer's market instead...i know skipping meals is terrible. what do i doooooo?!?!

6/22/2010 1:57:58 PM

Eat?

6/22/2010 1:59:28 PM

^^^ I would suggest using lighter weights, higher reps

my knee has the same problem, so strengthening the surrounding muscles will help prevent injury


^^eating something every few hours, just a little bit, snack or something

small portions and take foods with you, nuts and fruits

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 2:01 PM. Reason : s]

6/22/2010 2:00:04 PM

i don't have anything at work...stupid me didn't pack a lunch. fail.

6/22/2010 2:00:54 PM

Pushups, crunches, leg raises, side planks.. quick 20 min. workout.

6/22/2010 2:01:38 PM

^^ can you run out and get something? someone bring something? snack machine?

6/22/2010 2:02:44 PM

H8R caters?

6/22/2010 2:04:09 PM

6/22/2010 2:05:25 PM

Quote :

"i don't have anything at work...stupid me didn't pack a lunch. fail."

You work in a prison? Run out and pick something up!

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 2:11 PM. Reason : quote fail]

6/22/2010 2:10:36 PM

heeyyyyy, boo boo!

we've got a vending machine. nabs, popcorn, your standard junk food.

i work right next to cameron village but there's no way i can leave now after taking an hour lunch to go to the farmer's mkt. it was just really poor planning on my end. at least i ate breakfast...

6/22/2010 2:11:41 PM

I am craving a coca-cola. I won't do it!

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 2:25 PM. Reason : I can't remember the last time I had one of those.]

6/22/2010 2:25:35 PM

Giving in to a craving every now and then isn't a bad thing.

6/22/2010 2:26:13 PM

^^ i can't drink regular coke anymore... doesn't taste right

6/22/2010 2:27:55 PM

I think I tend to back slide too much...I am also a type I diabetic and I don't really want to give myself that much insulin to cover it.

6/22/2010 2:28:51 PM

ah! i know...i caved and had a Sun Drop at the market today. Twas delicious but no more sweets for me today

6/22/2010 2:39:02 PM

Quote :

"Shin splints?"

hmm i dont think so. i am familiar with the pain of shin splints. this feels different

Quote :

"^^ you're doing a tri this weekend and you're still doing insanity shouldn't you be lowering intensity/volume/something to prepare!?"

i might should but ive been doing insanity for going on 4 weeks now & i've biked ran & swam every weekend without much of an issue. its just a sprint tri and i feel ok with continuing my insanity work outs. i know i can complete the race & i also want to stay on track with my work out plan.

however, given my performance the last 2 days, its prob not a bad idea to skip fri & sat work outs in favor of rest before sunday. i know i can do tomorrow & thursday is a recovery day anyway.


i also want to comment that i used to drink coffee 2-4 times a week and since i started insanity & the meal plan, i have not craved coffee once. i forget to even make it and i dont miss it. its a nice thing to have on a sunday morning while relaxing but its not something i find myself really wanting anymore... kind of by mistake haha


one more thing, how bad is it that im doing insanity on carpet? i dont have a hard surface to work out on & i know it makes the work out harder but is there anything i should be worried about?

6/22/2010 2:52:37 PM

Quote :

"Giving in to a craving every now and then isn't a bad thing."

How bad is a cheat day to have?

I'm not going to go nuts or anything and gorge myself with 5,000 cals, but it will be my day to have pizza and a few drinks around the house and maybe a real dessert.

I'm not trying to lose much weight at all but I know I need to cut down on sweets and eating half of a large pizza in one sitting

6/22/2010 2:53:08 PM

i used to do a cheat day once a week, but scaled back to 2 cheat meals during the week sometime to give myself some leeway

cheating is not bad, just don't make a habit and keep track of calories so you can see the damage

this encourages me not to cheat so much

6/22/2010 2:56:29 PM

How bad your cheat day is kind of varies with what your long term goals are.

If your goals are to build muscle, the grabbing a bunch of beers with friends is probably going to be more counter productive than just eating a pizza.

6/22/2010 3:16:36 PM

Can anyone recommend an easy snack that is high in protein?

I had been eating a tuna or salmon cup everyday around 2:30 but now I'm worried about Mercury. Making a protein shake every day at work would be more effort than I would like to exert.

I would get a box of protein bars but the ones I've had seem more like a gimmick sports product (like the way gatorade is marketed) instead of a real nutrion source.

6/22/2010 3:46:43 PM

PB

6/22/2010 3:52:38 PM

cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, hard-boiled egg

6/22/2010 3:54:06 PM

Quote :

"If your goals are to build muscle, the grabbing a bunch of beers with friends is probably going to be more counter productive than just eating a pizza."

alcohol is my nemesis...I've decided I'm gonna give myself a 2 day a week allowance...I don't think it's within my power to stop completely. I've pretty much dropped to the weight I want (~195 @ 6'4") and I've been trying to put muscle on for a couple months now...I can see a difference in body composition, but I still stay between 195 and 200. I'm pretty sure it's my affinity for booze that's holding me back

Quote :

"I had been eating a tuna or salmon cup everyday around 2:30 but now I'm worried about Mercury. "

I do the same thing, sometimes two cans/day...From what I've heard, unless you're a child or pregnant it's not that big of a deal. (you can't beat ~25 grams of protein for ~125 calories)

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

6/22/2010 3:56:12 PM

Quote :

"Making a protein shake every day at work would be more effort than I would like to exert. "

Put protein powder in a Rubbermaid drinking container and then fill it up with water in the afternoon.

::shake shake shake::

VOILA!

[Edited on June 22, 2010 at 4:02 PM. Reason : what I'm saying is, you're probably overcomplicating things without realizing it.]

6/22/2010 4:02:24 PM

just make sure to wash it out afterwards, don't want the shaker to get smelly.

6/22/2010 4:05:22 PM

^^^^^

I already eat a serving of almonds for breakfast and usually eat a serving of peanuts sometime during the day. I might just bring in a jar of peanut butter and eat straigh out of the jar if I can handle the fats

^^^^

I already eat a container of greek yogurt in the morning, but I really like it so bringing another every once in awhile sounds good. They also have the hard boiled eggs in the grocery store now which I didn't even think about.

^^^
I've still seen recommendations of only 2 servings per week for anyone. Heavy metals are not something i'm comfortable messing around with.

I've recently got into cooking salmon filets so on top of the work cups I've been eating 2-3 pounds of salmon/tuna the last 3 weeks.

^^ I currently bring my lunches in the disposable tupperware containers and only have to clean off my fork afterwards. Nothing to wash out and nothing to bring home. I'm definately lazy in this respect.

6/22/2010 4:13:48 PM

as far as protein shakes go. i get a case of these every so often to throw in with my normal shakes.
a little pricey but soooo worth it.

6/22/2010 4:15:48 PM

You know, I honestly didnt even consider getting a case of individual shakes and bringing them with my lunch. It wouldn't be something that I would want to pay for everyday but would be a great idea to mix in with some of the other suggestions.

6/22/2010 4:20:29 PM

nm

120 calories is pretty good for 30g of protein. But $4/bottle in a case ($48/12) seems a little steep.

6/22/2010 4:21:51 PM

I generally get these if I need a quick fix...17 grams of protein 110 calories. HT usually has them for around $6/4pack, so about $1.50 per shake, which isn't too bad.

6/22/2010 4:29:36 PM