*Official* Work Out Thread

[StrangeSox]

Yup. If I don't actively try to put on weight/muscle, my body weight will be right around 150 lbs. I'm 6'3". My little brother is the exact same and so was my grandpa (until he got older and got a big gut, but he still has pencil legs). I have a friend with a very similar body type who bulked up to around 185, but that required him eating something like 4-5k calories a day and 10+ hours of exercise a week for a long time.

[Reddy]

As a person that has no issues adding muscle mass with minimal effort, I can tell you the secret is genetics and nothing more. I use no supplements, not even protein, and my muscle mass/definition just explodes while doing half as much work in the gym as my friends, who do supplement.

 

You are either an endomorph or you aren't, and if you aren't, you're battling your genetics instead of working with them. That's not to say it cannot be done, but it's very very hard to overcome.

 

Like someone above mentioned long/lean muscles...despite doing Yoga, that just doesn't happen for me, my body just isn't build that way.

 

i actually disagree with you pretty vehemently. do genetics make it easier or harder? sure. are they surmountable? yes.

 

and actually I do have a naturally muscular body, it's just that I also naturally burn 8,000,000 calories a day

[dasox24]

It's incredibly hard for me to put on weight too. I know it's a good problem to have, and I'll appreciate it as I get older.

 

There was a time in college where I was eating 3 peanut butter sandwiches before bed and two bowls of oatmeal mid-afternoon (along with my normal meals/snacking). But it was hard to keep up, and while it somewhat worked, I still didn't add enough mass to make it worth it.

Edited February 28, 2014 by dasox24

[RockRaines]

i actually disagree with you pretty vehemently. do genetics make it easier or harder? sure. are they surmountable? yes.

 

and actually I do have a naturally muscular body, it's just that I also naturally burn 8,000,000 calories a day

I think he is oversimplifying it quite a bit as well, and I do think supplements can play a role in changing your body.

[RockRaines]

It's incredibly hard for me to put on weight too. I know it's a good problem to have, and I'll appreciate it as I get older.

 

There was a time in college where I was eating 3 peanut butter sandwiches before bed and two bowls of oatmeal mid-afternoon (along with my normal meals/snacking). But it was hard to keep up, and while it somewhat worked, I still didn't add enough mass to make it worth it.

I was the same way but then mid 20's ish hit and it got harder to stay thin and now its totally different.

 

I was a bean pole until I was about 20 and then I grew 2 inches and became thicker.

[Y2HH]

I think he is oversimplifying it quite a bit as well, and I do think supplements can play a role in changing your body.

 

I am over simplifying, as everyone's body is different to a degree, but I'd put money on it that Reddy could never bulk up like I can, whether he supplements or not.

 

Now, if he cheats genetics and uses steroids, that's a bit of a different story.

 

Some people have a natural \/ shape (as I do), and some will NEVER get that shape no matter how hard they try. What I'm saying is it's best to work with your body than against it. If you're frame is slender and you don't have wideset shoulders, you can do all the shoulder presses you want, you're still not going to get wideset shoulders, yes, they'll be bigger, but they'll still match your frame.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Y2HH

[dasox24]

I was the same way but then mid 20's ish hit and it got harder to stay thin and now its totally different.

 

I was a bean pole until I was about 20 and then I grew 2 inches and became thicker.

I'm 25, so I'm hitting that point. So far, I've stayed about normal weight even though I was traveling for work almost every week the past 6 months (i.e. eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, usually with a nice dinner - e.g. steak, seafood, etc). It helps that I always stayed close to a LA Fitness, so I was able to maintain my workout schedule.

 

20 is late growth spurt. That had to be a pleasant surprise.

[Y2HH]

I'm 25, so I'm hitting that point. So far, I've stayed about normal weight even though I was traveling for work almost every week the past 6 months (i.e. eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, usually with a nice dinner - e.g. steak, seafood, etc). It helps that I always stayed close to a LA Fitness, so I was able to maintain my workout schedule.

 

20 is late growth spurt. That had to be a pleasant surprise.

 

Reddy took what I said and kind of blew it out of proportion.

 

I never said it's not insurmountable, but for most people, it's insurmountable because they will NOT be able to consume that many calories or work out enough to make it feasible.

 

Where as people like myself can eat nothing extra, use no supplements, and pack on muscle without much effort.

 

And yes, over the years, your genetics will change in that some aspects slow down, others speed up, etc...so while that may be impossible when you're in your 20's and burning 10k calories being awake, when in you're 30's that probably won't be the case.

[StrangeSox]

And yes, over the years, your genetics will change in that some aspects slow down, others speed up, etc...so while that may be impossible when you're in your 20's and burning 10k calories being awake, when in you're 30's that probably won't be the case.

 

FWIW I don't think your "genetics," i.e. your actual DNA is changing when your metabolism slows down. Body chemistry would be more accurate, but your genetics are going to at least partially determine your body chemistry.

[witesoxfan]

I was a skinny as hell until I hit 25. Beer and malaise have added 30 pounds to my frame very quickly. That's why I'm back in the gym now.

[RockRaines]

I'm 25, so I'm hitting that point. So far, I've stayed about normal weight even though I was traveling for work almost every week the past 6 months (i.e. eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, usually with a nice dinner - e.g. steak, seafood, etc). It helps that I always stayed close to a LA Fitness, so I was able to maintain my workout schedule.

 

20 is late growth spurt. That had to be a pleasant surprise.

I grew almost another inch at about 25. Weird right?

 

I was 5'10" or so going into college, about 6ft leaving and now I'm 6'1"

[Y2HH]

FWIW I don't think your "genetics," i.e. your actual DNA is changing when your metabolism slows down. Body chemistry would be more accurate, but your genetics are going to at least partially determine your body chemistry.

 

Probably more accurate.

[Reddy]

just signed up for a Spartan Sprint in June. Anyone ever done one? Or another obstacle course/mud run?

[Brian]

I'm blaming the weather for my laziness the past month. Only been playing ball two nights a week. I'll get motivated soon...I hope

[Rowand44]

I just finished pilates and wow, thats a different type of core workout. The thing I like about X3 so far is the focus on muscle groups that I didnt usually hit before. Lots of hip flexibility and joint strengthening. Something I believe I need for injury prevention.

 

I would recommend some of those for the muscle groups you may be ignoring. For me, back weakness at times could be general core and ab weakness being compensated by the back.

 

 

Thanks. I will definitely have to give that a look.

 

And I think that's exactly it regarding core/ab weakness. That's what it was attributed to when I first had my back issues.

Ya Pilates is something else, I really enjoy/hate it.

 

At the ripe old age of 21 when I was in Carbondale and basically drinking and doing nothing else I threw out my back pretty bad. My body was just a wreck back than and my core was insanely weak. One of the many reasons I started getting my s*** together once I got out of Cdale.

[dasox24]

I grew almost another inch at about 25. Weird right?

 

I was 5'10" or so going into college, about 6ft leaving and now I'm 6'1"

So you're telling me there's a chance...

 

But seriously, pretty crazy. That's awesome, though. When I turned 18, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to be 5'9".

[Reddy]

So you're telling me there's a chance...

 

But seriously, pretty crazy. That's awesome, though. When I turned 18, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to be 5'9".

shut your mouth I'm 5'7"

 

[RockRaines]

So you're telling me there's a chance...

 

But seriously, pretty crazy. That's awesome, though. When I turned 18, I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to be 5'9".

It was very strange for sure. I was always wondering why i wasnt taller since my dad is 6'3".

[Y2HH]

just signed up for a Spartan Sprint in June. Anyone ever done one? Or another obstacle course/mud run?

 

My friend is into this stuff, but I find it too unsafe to bother with. It'd be fine if it was people in mostly decent shape/athletic, but it's not, it's filled with people that shouldn't be there, and they tend to cause accidents and take others down with them. People ALWAYS get hurt at these events in mass numbers, and usually because some out of shape frat "bro" idiot causes a catastrophe. It's bad enough with the course conditions being varied and constantly changing because of weather, but those people make it worse.

[Y2HH]

Ya Pilates is something else, I really enjoy/hate it.

 

I've also done both the Yoga and Pilates routines, and for how short they are, there are just too many complex movements involved to the point I just can't enjoy either of them. It's like rapid fire movement changes where you barely get a second to learn proper form of a single move, and hold it for a minute to make sure you're using the right combination of muscles.

 

I also wish P90X would stop using professionals whose 9-5 job is basically to be in perfect shape and use regular people so they can tailor the workouts to regular people that can't do 5 minute handstands while doing the splits. I'm in pretty insane shape these days, but these overly flexible/in perfect shape models they use in these videos just get annoying. And yes, I know they claim they're just regular joes, but we all know they aren't.

[Reddy]

I've also done both the Yoga and Pilates routines, and for how short they are, there are just too many complex movements involved to the point I just can't enjoy either of them. It's like rapid fire movement changes where you barely get a second to learn proper form of a single move, and hold it for a minute to make sure you're using the right combination of muscles.

 

I also wish P90X would stop using professionals whose 9-5 job is basically to be in perfect shape and use regular people so they can tailor the workouts to regular people that can't do 5 minute handstands while doing the splits. I'm in pretty insane shape these days, but these overly flexible/in perfect shape models they use in these videos just get annoying. And yes, I know they claim they're just regular joes, but we all know they aren't.

In LA those ARE the regular joes.

[SoxAce]

shut your mouth I'm 5'7"

 

 

Hey, your not alone!

[dasox24]

I'm blaming the weather for my laziness the past month. Only been playing ball two nights a week. I'll get motivated soon...I hope

I think that's fair. The weather can play a large part in how active you are.

 

Now that the weather is getting pretty nice around here, I've been much more active. Yesterday, for example, I played 2 hours of 7v7 football and then went to the gym to lift. I just wanted to be outside, and even going over to the gym was a way to accomplish that. If it had been cold/rainy/etc, I probably would have been much more likely to stay at home.

[Y2HH]

In LA those ARE the regular joes.

 

Well for home fitness videos, I find them thoroughly annoying.

[RockRaines]

Well for home fitness videos, I find them thoroughly annoying.

Each on of those people has a pretty well documented transformation story. Its not like they got fat then fit to be in the videos.