Exercise

[Darth Wong]

Well, I finally decided to start working out again. My old, withered muscles aren't what they used to be. But after a couple of weeks, I've finally gotten to the point where I can put 200 lbs on the bar and deadlift for reps. Is this good? I have no frame of reference except that it's greater than my body weight and it's a round number in archaic units.

[Gandalf]

Sounds pretty good, 200 pounds is like 2 of me. Congratulations. Could you could challenge DarkStar to a fist fight sometime?

[Next of Kin]

Is this good?

If your goal was to deadlift 200lbs then it is a success. What do you want your workouts to lead to...bigger arms, 6-pack abs, more stamina, etc?

[weemadando]

Sounds good, but you need to work on aerobic fitness too. A few long walks leading to light jogging, leading to running (after about a month) and you'll be well on your way.

[aerius]

Sounds pretty good, 200 pounds is like 2 of me. Congratulations. Could you could challenge DarkStar to a fist fight sometime?

No no no, challenge him to a game of Roshombo, and make sure that you get the first turn.

[Gandalf]

Sounds pretty good, 200 pounds is like 2 of me. Congratulations. Could you could challenge DarkStar to a fist fight sometime?

No no no, challenge him to a game of Roshombo, and make sure that you get the first turn.

Much better , now if we could just integrate Wars and Trek into it.

[Ted]

Didn't you say that you could bench press like 300lbs?

[AdmiralKanos]

Didn't you say that you could bench press like 300lbs?

No. My brother can do that without difficulty, but I can't.

[TrailerParkJawa]

Didn't you say that you could bench press like 300lbs?

No. My brother can do that without difficulty, but I can't.

I think anytime you can lift more than your body weight is a good thing. But strength is only part of the to picture. Dont forget flexibility, and cardio.

Now I need to get of my ass and work out.

[J]

No no no, challenge him to a game of Roshombo, and make sure that you get the first turn.

And all this time I thought roshombo was just something the guys in your shop made up...

Anyways, being able to lift better than your weight is pretty good but as others have mentioned strength is only one aspect of fitness and it's important to have good cardio and flexibility to round things out. Retaining flexibility as you age helps greatly in preventing injuries, and having a good cardio system allows you to keep going longer and you'll feel more full of energy throughout the day. Running is great for cardio, but unfortunately it can be hard on leg and hip joints, especially if you run on pavement. Other cardio activities to consider would be swimming, cycling, and rollerblading or skating in the winter (you're Canadian, you MUST know how to skate ).

[Connor MacLeod]

Well, I finally decided to start working out again. My old, withered muscles aren't what they used to be. But after a couple of weeks, I've finally gotten to the point where I can put 200 lbs on the bar and deadlift for reps. Is this good? I have no frame of reference except that it's greater than my body weight and it's a round number in archaic units.

You should ask seanrobertson from Babtech. He's a big fitness/weightlifting buff, IIRC.

[Gandalf]

Well, I finally decided to start working out again. My old, withered muscles aren't what they used to be. But after a couple of weeks, I've finally gotten to the point where I can put 200 lbs on the bar and deadlift for reps. Is this good? I have no frame of reference except that it's greater than my body weight and it's a round number in archaic units.

You should ask seanrobertson from Babtech. He's a big fitness/weightlifting buff, IIRC.

I think there's Superman from this board.

[Nova Andromeda]

--I've always been under the impression that aerobic fitness is really what counts. Who cares how much you can lift or how strong your muscles are so long as they do the job and you don't get injuries from common tasks. In the end we use machines to do all the real work. That being said 200lbs is quite good I thought. I can only do ~70 (4 x 10 reps).

[EDIT]Somehow I think I don't know what a dead lift is. What I stated is a bench press.[/EDIT]

[EmperorChrostas the Cruel]

Finaly a subject I know more about than lord Wong!

First and foremost, do not go upwards in weight the first 60 days, if you are new to weight lifting. You are only a small amount stronger than you were when you started, but gains in coordination and lifting efficiencey will give the newbie a false sence of strength, and more importantly, resistance to injury!
This is especialy important when dead lifting. You hurt your back, and it is FOREVER!
This is also hard to do, as enthusiasm often gets the better of you, once the gains start.
If you are a new guy, you shouldn't up the weight you started on for 8/12 weeks, as that is when the real strength and toughness starts.
How long have you been working out?
What is your goal?
Cosmetic, (bodybuiding)strength, (power lifting)sport specific performance, (better skier, runner, boxer, ect...)health/longevity, (fitness, weight reduction) or work injury prevention?(see fitness/sport performance)
Every one of these has a diffenent methods of training. Tell us your goals, and workout routine, and let the critique begin!

Working out is like buying a car. Which one is best, depends on what you want it to do.
You can't haul freight in a Ferrari, and you can't haul ass in a dump truck.

The same way strength training and fitness are mostly polar opposites, in methods and achievments.(Aerobics and power lifting)

[Starscream]

Repetition, no shear weight, matters the most. I'd rather be able to jog 10 miles than sprint 100 yrds.

[Darth Wong]

Finaly a subject I know more about than lord Wong!

First and foremost, do not go upwards in weight the first 60 days, if you are new to weight lifting. You are only a small amount stronger than you were when you started, but gains in coordination and lifting efficiencey will give the newbie a false sence of strength, and more importantly, resistance to injury!

I actually deadlifted 250 lbs earlier on, but only for one rep, and I was told that trying to lift huge weights right away was a bad idea. So I backed off down to 150 lbs, which felt pretty easy, and worked my way up slowly.

This is especialy important when dead lifting. You hurt your back, and it is FOREVER!

Yeah, I have a spotter watching my posture as I do it.

This is also hard to do, as enthusiasm often gets the better of you, once the gains start.

True; I have a renewed feeling of power and I want to push it already.

If you are a new guy, you shouldn't up the weight you started on for 8/12 weeks, as that is when the real strength and toughness starts.
How long have you been working out?

Around 6 weeks.

What is your goal?
Cosmetic, (bodybuiding)strength, (power lifting)sport specific performance, (better skier, runner, boxer, ect...)health/longevity, (fitness, weight reduction) or work injury prevention?(see fitness/sport performance)
Every one of these has a diffenent methods of training. Tell us your goals, and workout routine, and let the critique begin!

I just want to be in better shape and build a bit of upper-body bulk. I have always had strong legs (when I was in grade 9, I pushed 300 lbs on a leg-press machine without difficulty and with no warm-up), and I can still run up four or five flights of stairs two steps at a time without much trouble. But my legs are bigger than my upper body, which is naturally somewhat broad-shouldered but could use better musculature.

When I was in university, I used to do 10-rep chinup sets just for the hell of it, where I would hang onto a block sticking out from a flat surface, by my fingertips only. I could sprint like the wind, too. I loved that feeling when you would get going so fast that you could barely feel your feet touching the ground and it seemed as if you were gliding. But now, in my thirties, I feel the impact of each footfall. It's as if my joints have all become brittle

Working out is like buying a car. Which one is best, depends on what you want it to do. You can't haul freight in a Ferrari, and you can't haul ass in a dump truck.

The same way strength training and fitness are mostly polar opposites, in methods and achievments.(Aerobics and power lifting)

True. My brother goes for strength, and will deadlift more than 500 lbs. I have no intention of reaching those kinds of levels. I'm looking just for a more well-balanced appearance, less flab, and more endurance (sort of a balanced situation). I guess I'm trying to return to the way I used to feel when I was in university, but in some respects, that's probably an impossible goal. Some things just don't stay the same over time.

[Howedar]

All I do is run. A lot.

I took a weight lifting class back in sophomore year and managed to bench an amazing 145lbs. I probably could do more now with a few weeks to reacclamate myself.

[jegs2]

I generally lift between 180 and 200. Ran to the gym tonight to work out some and then ran back home. I hate running, but since I'm in the Army, I have to be able to run, and we run a lot. Moreover, since I will take command of a company next fiscal year, I'm required to exceed the standard. Recommend that everyone conduct a regular regimen of aerobic exercises, including running, bicycling, swimming or some other combination of exercises that develop lung capacity and strengthen the heart.

[Alex Moon]

Well damn, now I'm all depressed about how out of shape I am.
Oh well, by next week I can start up running again and hopefully get my ass back into a gym.

[Alferd Packer]

I have about 4 cords of wood to split when finals are done.

I hope that'll help get me in shape.

[Joe]

It's depressing; I'm a very slim 138 pounds right now with almost no muscle mass, I've never lifted weights, and I rarely exercise. I just know my body is going to explode with fatness by my mid-30s if I don't take start exercising (I take care of myself otherwise).

I've never lifted weights, but I like to do sit-ups, leg lifts, squats, and crunches when I do exercise. Makes you absolutely fucking miserable for the first couple of days, but you get used to it. I could do up to about 120 leg lifts at one point; now, I can barely do 50 without nearly having an asthma attack. I also clean pools and lift lots of heavy shit as my summer job, which does me a bit of good.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I tend to exercise more to maintain my tone, keep my weight down, and improve my stamina. I might start seriously lifting weights in the near future, but for now, I'm quite happy where I'm at now.

[Dalton]

I almost threw up after taking 15 minutes to climb a 40 foot ladder. Last week.

[InnerBrat]

Chrostas, that's odd, because every personal trainer I've ever had has been big on increasing the weights fairly often.

Wong, cngrats, BTW. Here was me being proud of myself for being able to lift over my own body wieght using the power fo my arse alone!

[Faram]

Hmm found a training program for you:

The Gym

To others you appear to have reached the pinnacle of your chosen lifestyle; mastery of the dark programming arts, total memorisation of Sci-Fi scripts and the ability to fall apart completely in social situations. But you have a terrible dark side, which you need to express in sordid acts of exercise behind closed doors, that leave you glistening with sweat and gasping for air. Yes, secretly you want to get healthy; Even though it might shatter your nerd lifestyle into a thousand polygonal shards, as if rendered in glorious 3D. But there is hope! Now you can, whilst maintaining your trendy monitor worshipping life style, using the patented MeatJam.co.uk exercise techniques!