QuistixXx

Marionette you are a star! The cardio rehab research showed me a ton of useful info, including how to gauge effort, how to stay within my limits safely and a bunch of other tips for peeps like me that need to be a little careful in the gym. I even found a bunch of CV exercises a can do at home between gym sessions I also found out strengthening my CV ability DOES indeed improve my BP response, and lowers my BP both short and long term, even with the meds i need to take! Fantastic news, and it's given me the kick up the bum i needed *Throws virtual hugs through the interwebs to Marionette*

Hey guys, got a minor issue I could use some advice with. TBH I'm pretty sure I know the answer but no harm getting additional tips Due to an inherited kidney problem I have to take a cocktail of meds to keep my blood pressure down. Now they work great, and BP is totally normal with them, however I does give me issues at the gym I need to work through. The 2 main ones are; A. Rapid posture changes are a no go, my BP doesn't regulate quick enough to cope. Burpees are most deffo out! Unsure if I can improve my natural BP response with training tho? Either way it's easy to deal with most of the time. B. More difficult to deal with is light headedness. I need to slowly wind up the cardio to prevent it occurring, however its easy for me to overdo it, as I get no real warning it's about to happen until it's already too late. If it happens, then a few mins lying down returns it to normal, but it's frankly annoying and often nauseating. Changing meds is a no go, I need them and BP meds by their very nature will cause this problem. I do the body weight workout Mon, Wed, Fri with a 2k row as warm up and stretch as cool down each time. The cardio is the killer, 2k row (or really most cardio) is the deal breaker, if I make it through that without fuzzy head I'm fine, if I get fuzzy head early on that gym session is a write-off. I want to keep my BP as low as possible via natural means, and that means I need cardio training. However, the current program I'm using isn't working out too well (well the BW part is working great ), fuzzy head strikes more often than not. I guess I have a few choices; A. change the warm up. Ditch the row for something else that's less intense, bikes/cross trainer etc? B. Add extra cardio sessions to build up CV strength and adaptibility. Maybe chuck in a cardio only session Tue/Thurs between BW workouts? In most cases my workouts end not because of muscle soreness but because I'm completely knackered in a CV way . C. both of the above? D. something else? Any help or advice would be appreciated

Hi guys and girls, looking for a little help getting my head around dieting and healthy eating. I'll quickly describe my history and goals, then what I'm struggling with! I've never dieted at all, EVER. Until about 5 years ago I just could not add any weight, even though I was severely thin (140lb 6' 4" dude was bad times). Now I'm 210lb, still 6'4". I'm getting back into the gym and increasing my strength, stamina and agility (which haven't improved since the lightweight days ). One thing I'm having a hard time cracking is diet, never needed to worry about it until now! BF% is now 28%, could be a little higher. My target is to reduce BF% to <15%. Weight? Not concerned, if I sort the BF% out weight will take care of itself, and so will the inches round the waist I know this is gonna be 80% about diet, that's why I'm here I've looked at a lot of articles on here and other places, but I've totally confused myself with all the various options available. I'm looking to drop BF% while gaining muscular strength and stamina. Paleo and low carb diets look really tough, my current diet is heavy on the grains, rice and pasta. I could cut back on sugars fairly easy, but generally I don't have a lot anyway. More protein (from meats) will surely lead to more fat intake no? And if my goal is to reduce BF% isn't that a bit counter-intuitive? Or is the purpose of low carb/paleo to make my body use fat as a primary fuel source rather than carbs? I honestly think I'd really struggle with a full on carb reduction or paleo change. However, if it's the best idea then I'd have a shot. Anyone able to help a confused nooby dieter?

Gymming it up today, smashed my previous session Got all the meds sorted, can now push myself properly Warm Up - 2k row in 9:41 (19 sec quicker than before) Then; 20 Squats 15 Wall Push ups 16 Lunges (damn they're hard) 12 dumbell rows (per arm) (18lb weight) 20 sec plank 30 Jumping Jacks And even added the beginner stretching routine in at the end. Super happy with the progress today! Eating wise I've managed to avoid the majority of the big 3, only had a tiny bit of chocolate since it's easter (about the size of the end of my thumb haha, tasted great but didn't over do it ). Adding more in for breakfast (more protein) and less snacks before bed. I've increased protein intake and reduced carbs and grains. Even got the housework in! Happy days

Ugh, ran into my first hurdle quicker than I expected >.< Started at the gym this morning......... Warm Up - 2k row in 10mins dead Then started the beginner body weight workout, Managed...... 20 Squats 10 Wall Push ups 12 Lunges (damn they're hard) 10 dumbell rows (per arm) 15 sec plank However, as soon as I started to exert myself I'd get extremely light headed. After the push ups I needed a 5 min lie down to recalibrate my blood pressure. I take a selection of meds to keep my blood pressure down (I unfortunately inherited BP issues from birth), and I think one of them is keeping my heart rate down, leading to the light headedness. If I kept the pace down so I didn't get light headed, I wasn't even breaking sweat (and heart rate was only 100 bpm ). I'm pretty sure I know what med is the culprit (Atenolol, not long started that). Guess I better visit the old docs before I continue, otherwise I'll get nowhere. Still on the plus side, happy with the progress so far Legs feel like jelly just now though haha!

Good day so far, cleaned all my dishes (for once haha), tidied kitchen and got a bunch of clothes washed. So no exercise today but plenty of housework. Breakfast - 2 small bacon rolls (brown) (2 rashers total) Lunch - just water, wasn't hungry Dinner - Homemade meatballs + a little pasta No snacks - however I did cave and have 2 X 500ml bottles of soda. It's the last I had in the flat so no more from now! I'm rubbish at recording food, never done it before. Any tips where I can find a good way of recording food? I'm only going to do it for a week or 2 just to see what my intake is like, first step to weight loss I guess I'll use what remains of my carbs + grains, but not replace them. I'm hoping to switch to paleo by the time the next challenge comes around. Think I have 2-3 portions of pasta left and 2 brown rolls. No bread left which is good

Starting Stats Weight: 98.5kg Height: 6'4" Age: 30 :'( BF: 29% (booo ) Starting Measurements Bicep: 12" (fully relaxed) Shoulders: 51" Chest: 44" Waist: 44" Hips: 42" Thigh: 21"

First time challenge newbie here I know it's late, but I want to get stuck in asap so I've decided to throw together a shortened challenge to prep me for the next full one! I'll allocate 1/3 the points since it will only be for 2 weeks! Goal 1 - Reach the milestone of being able to do 1 full push up (not a cheaty one, a proper good form push up). +2 STR Might be a stretch to do it inside 2 weeks, as I'm only just about to start incline push ups, but if I don't push myself then I'll get nowhere Goal 2 - Do the beginners body weight program 3 times a week (M,W,F) and not to miss any out. +1 WIS This is down to discipline, so that's the specific goal. No more, no less. Goal 3 - Cut back the soda, sweet and crisps (crisps and Irn Bru are my kryptonite :/) +1CON I managed a whole month with no soda in Jan, so I'm going for 2 weeks with none of these. Goal 4 - carry out 15 mins of housework daily. +1 WIS Again a discipline issue. I've spent so long doing whatever I wanted (rather than what I needed to do lol) it's hard to get some structure. So first step is a little bit of housework daily, then I can work from there. There we have it! I guess these goals are a little modest, but this is a prep for the real thing in 2 weeks Bring it on!

Thanks! When I was super skinny my Body Fat% was about 6-7%, but my strength was super low too. Now I'm 75lb heavier, but my BF% has shot up to 28%. I am definately stronger than before so it's certainly a mix of fat and muscle I've added. The problem is while my weight has increased to "normal" levels, I feel a hell of a lot heavier, sluggish even. I know primarily it's my mind playing tricks on me, as I'm now stonger than before, but psychologically I feel weaker (if that makes sense?). I would go as far to say it's really affecting my confidence, and that's why I've decided to bite the bullet and come here. Time to tackle this head on

Sweet, they sound great! I'll give them a whirl this weekend

I'm looking to switch my brekky over to a paleo-friendly alternative, but I have a bit of an issue. I HATE EGGS As much as I'd like platefuls of bacon every morning, I would prefer more of a mix if possible. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Hey guys/girls, I've been lurking about the forums for a few days, reading and soaking in all the articles and success stories (zomg Staci!), so it's time to say hi, get in gear, and get moving! Until about 5 years ago I was massivley underweight, 140lb for a 6'4" bloke is pretty skinny:(. I've since added another 75lb, making me a healthier 215lb. However, the increased weight did not result in increased strength or fitness. Everyone around me says I look better now, but I don't FEEL better. If anything, I feel less fit than before. Rapid movements, lifting and pulling, and simply moving about feels like I'm shifting a huge weight. Having just turned 30, I feel like I'm using a body twice that age haha! Compounding this, having just played the new Tomb Raider (which is completely epic btw, deffo check it out), it is amazing to watch Lara's agility and strength (and the crazy mocap actress that would have modelled the moves). It probably sounds stupid as hell, but I want some of that agility and strength. I want the ability to move, vault, climb, run etc like I weigh nothing at all, just like she can! WELL TODAY IS D-DAY! I'm going on a expedition (not a real one, a psychological one:P), so I need to get prepped! The ground rules are; 1. "Tombs Raided" = goals completed. Eg getting my first full press up. I'll decide the "tomb" to be raided, and that will be the focus until completion. 2. "Area's completed" = a group of tombs/goals. eg Egypt might be 2/3 fitness or nutrition goals and 1 lifestyle change. I'm gonna keep the format as close to the challenges as possible in order to participate. 3. "Enemies encountered" = problems/barriers to goal completion. This is where I'll list anything troubling/slowing me down. I might need some assistance slaying these "enemies", that's where you guys can hopefully step in and give me ideas on bringing those bad boys down I'll use the first few weeks at "Croft Manor" getting myself ready for the expedition. I'll prep the system I'll use to track my progess, start making dietary changes, and generally de-clutter my life so when the next challenge starts I'll be ready to go! Time to get me some treasures