Be Excellent To Each Other

Worms?

Biscuits, mainly

'The truth about carbs' on the Beeb.

Blimey, that was interesting. I watched the prog tonight and if I can replicate the results of those people who tried the recommended foods and all of whom lost half a stone in two weeks, some also heading towards curing their diabetes, I’ll be very happy.

I did the 5:2 thing for a couple of years and lost 10 kilos, but I lost momentum last year and am sure I’ve put some of it back on, though I’ve been too scared to weigh myself for months. I’m going to give the good carb lifestyle a try.

IF is alright but the worst bit is when you want some cake and it's not time to break fast yet.

That's why I just eat/drink what I want; the only person who cares what I look like and weigh is myself.

And loads put on again, but then I've barely done any exercise this week due to my foot, and like Malia I've been really hungry this week and have eaten loads. I suspect it will be at least next weekend before I am able to do any serious walking. So I hope I can control my hunger, especially with the world cup starting in 5 days!

I reached 150lbs this week. I'm eating a teeny bit more sensibly but mostly it's just through the increased cardio I've been doing this year (lots of races).

I was hoping 150lbs would make my muscles more obvious, but it's not really done anything other than equal out that fatty hip I mentioned before (and depleted my generous boobage) so now not really sure what to do.

I guess I want to look like I work out. I'm not talking visible abs, because you have to lose crazy amounts of body fat to do that as a woman and I don't have the time/patience and I like burgers too much, but IDK... more obvious shoulders/upper back, bigger biceps? Not sure if losing another 10lbs would make a difference to that or if I just need to concentrate on hypertrophy.

Congrats on hitting your target weight, though!

Cheers dude

well done..

GJ on the weight loss; I know how difficult it can be to stick to a diet (as I never do)

Are you doing anything at the gym to specifically target your traps, lats and biceps?

Yeah, I was pre-move, and had seen some more definition but it's a relatively recent change in my workouts in the grand scheme of things, so need to get back on track and keep that consistent. Probably expecting too much too soon, as is the norm.

guess you should go do some more pull-ups then!

Working on it

I fucking hate pull-ups/chin-ups, they're one of a couple of exercises (the other being various types of press-up) that I never seem to get any better at even while everything else improves.

If you're struggling with pull-ups, do some reverse bicep curls; also wide grip pull up is easier (or is for me) than chip ups.

I found a video that explained it once, it'll try and dig it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfGNjYogpiE

Here it is.

Youtube is great in some ways but not in others. If anyone says something like "In Laos, for $20, you can shoot a cow with an RPG", previously we'd all go "cool" and consider the draconian bovine-centric hegemony we live udder which prevents entertainment such as this, or cow tipping where one pushes cows over when they sleep. If it can happen, it on youtube now, bookended by "don't forget to like and subscribe". Kills the imagination and dreams so it does.

O tempora o mores.

I always wondered if cow tipping was possible, I always heard stories about it but never considered either doing or looking it up lol

In fairness pulls-ups haven't been in my rotation for a long time now so I might be better at them than I used to be given all the other stuff I've done in the interim. I just do what my PT gives me though because I can't be arsed thinking about it.

That is fair; try doing some on your next gym session (you'll be more successful if you do them BEFORE you workout)

I find chin ups no problem at all, but I can't do a single wide grip pull up. Different strokes for different folks. Different pulls for different fools. Different ups for different pups.

When you're doing them are you cheesing it by swinging or just PURE MUSCLE!?!?!? (I can't even do proper ones yet, I have to use the machine that pushes me up with an extra 10-15kgs on the bottom)

Today I learned there are people that don't consider pull-ups working out. Like some fun pre-workout hobby or snack or something.

No swinging, pure muscle! My biceps are a lot stronger than my shoulders, which I assume is the difference. Like I say, I can't do a single wide grip pull up.

The one machine I really like is the the calf one, the one where you stick your toes on the edge and put the weight on your shoulders. I can pull some serious kg on that, makes me feel like superman . Everything else I feel like pewee Herman...

My upper body strength is laughable. I could pop your head off with my thighs though.

Common fantasy of mine.

Basically this.

I have real problems with pull-ups and they've long been my #1 goal. I've been actively working on them over the course of the last fortnight by doing these negative pull-up things and am able to hold for longer and get a slower descent, so am fairly sure it's doing something.

I have a strong back and shoulders, weak spindly arms and beer belly. Are we making a list?

I have little problem with pull-ups (although I probably can't do loads in succession) but I'm pathetically weak at almost everything else.

I can do 15+ push-ups on my knuckles though.

this is because you weigh like 3 stone or something

He's apparently only about 10lbs lighter than me, which I find hard to believe. And also I can squat him.

Are you a donkey?

Am I wrong in thinking that you’re tall? Pull-ups is all about the principle of moments so if you’ve got long arms you’re going to find it exponentially harder to do than someone say 5’4” with consequently shorter arms.

Jem, overhead press and bent over rows or inverted rows are great for back and shoulders. OHP is great for your core too, back, shoulders and waist were the first places I got some proper degree of muscle definition.

Those exercises, and the good old bench press, will really help your upper body strength and help you build towards pull ups, if you really want to do them.

I am 5' 8", but Gaz is over 6' tall so how come he can do them when he's a weed?

(As he quite rightly just pointed out, as I've lost weight, I am also now only 4lbs heavier than him, although unless his bones are made of osmium I don't see how that's possible.)


I can OHP til the cows come home, and that's been part of my workouts for years. Only recently added bench though.

One thing I do have that Gaz doesn't is weird elbows. I can't straighten my arms fully. I have often wondered how - if at all - that impacts upon various lifts and movements.

Gaz may be a beanpole, but he will still have greater muscle mass and that muscle mass will be concentrated more in the upper body, purely because he is a bloke, and being a beanpole goes in his favour. You may be a similar weight, but he will be a much greater percentage of muscle than you are.

I know, my disbelief is not entirely serious - I regularly moan at him that he has biology in his favour. It doesn't make it any less frustrating though when I'm shifting 50, 60 kilos above my head and still can't do a pull up whereas he can barely lift a bag of cat litter and still bloody knocks them out one after the other

Have you tried doing chin-ups instead of pull-ups Jem?

I can't do any "ups". I can't get my feet off the ground except by jumping.

I bet you can do Hicc-ups.

Yes, ok, I can do them. And I'm pretty great at fuck-ups too.

I have been sat trying to think of other -ups you can do.

Fry-ups; you definitely do a good fry-up

This is all I've got

I'll take that.

I've lost a stone.



Mostly from my waist and bottom. I'm down to a 44, from a 48+ on my wedding day.

Still 3 stone to go..



But it's hard because of the meds I am on. I cut 30% of my food intake and swapped out sugar for sweetener. I've been on this diet about two months, with a lot of exercise but I feel I should have lost more. Especially with all of the riding I have been doing.

Good work. Crazy stare!

That's really good!

I think I found it though...