Search the Community

Hey guys, So two days ago I tried doing the NF semi advanced bodyweight routine. I got through it, but as I had a party to attend imediatly afterwards, I don't think my stretches were all that they could be. My question is, should I be working out today? I feel the pain is mostly muscle soreness, and not an injury. I'm pretty sure I can workout if it's not due to injury, but I thought I'd ask experts. (Y'all say you're not experts, but you're a lot smarter about these things then me.

I am seeking help, from fellow nerds, as I start back on a new fitness journey. I am not wickedly out of shape but I am getting older and have a family history of bad backs, herniated discs and back surgeries, along with other heart related issues. So I feel I need to start changing course and moving in a more suitable direction for my health and hopefully steer clear of the problems of my ancestors. I don't want to lull you with a story but I am a very tall man who had the metabolism of the gods and I could eat everything and I did eat everything but it just wouldn't show. now I am closing in on 30 and I am starting to show a gut, my back is sore on a regular basis, and I am tired most of the time at work. Being tired and unable to focus has also taken a toll on my cognitive function and I feel like I have become less sharp as a result. All those eating habits from my early 20's have not slowed down. Now that I finally am in that job which I love, it's now the best time to turn this all around. But I need your help, your wisdom, because I have tried again and again to start something but always feel I fall short. I have gone to the gym and been unable to stick with it long term. I have rationalized not going to gym convincing myself that body weight exercises were the only pure form of exercise and then not following through with that. I have decide to not gym at all for fear the lifestyle would take away from (insert geeky activity here). I go through cycle and cycle of having bad back pain stretching solidly for a few week it going away then not stretching again until after a month of the back pain returning. So my one big ask is...will you help me?

Hey guys, I'm a 32-year-old male and was wondering is it fine to take testosterone specifically for when I work out?. Hope to hear from someone soon Thanks in advance

Hi there. Hope to receive some help. Will tell you my short story. I was a heavy smoker and one day I've decided to give up that habit. It was 2 weeks ago. I was doing my best to manage, but now I'm almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I became too nervous and too irritating. I started eating too much, but then I've realized that I didn't want to be fat and ugly. I decided to go to the gym to leave my energy and bad emotions somewhere. BUt guess what? I came to the gym with vape. One of my friends recommended it to me and I thought it would be a good alternative not to smoke cigarettes, and not being so aggressive. But the administration of this sport club made me leave this place. They didn't allow me to be there with vape. Is that forbidden? Then I started googling it and found this article - https://vapingdaily.com/health/ I've seen a lot of people vaping in public places, but why I was not allowed? Or maybe someone can recommend me another way of quitting smoking without vape? Would be grateful for any help.

Hi, I just started Nerd Fitness, and only have a brief basic fitness background from 8 years ago when I played Ultimate in college. I tested into level 2 workouts and am not sure how to modify them to be more even levels of difficulty. 2A I find an easy workout, and yesterday I completed an extra set of all the exercises, performing unassisted squats. However, 2B I actively struggle with. While I increased the difficulty of the bodyweight lunges by making them unassisted (which feels like a decent workout) I truly struggle to do the inchworms and wall slides, and I can barely do the side planks for 20 seconds from my knees, let alone normal side planks. So I'm looking for advice on how to rebalance the training so that both A and B days are challenging. And ideally focus more on my upper body and core to address my weaker areas. Thoughts I had on modifications: Modifying the workout plan into a 3 day rotation where there are 2 full A days with planks, and one of the other two exercises added, and a normal B day. Switch to always having 2 B days a week. Upping the difficulty of A days by doing progressively more difficult movements and just keep working towards the standard B workout. If it makes a difference, I'm interested in parkour as a general fitness goal. Thanks

Okay so I have put myself in a very bad situation as a 16 year old guy. I managed to cut down from 176 lbs to 130 lbs without noticing it very much (I didnt have a scale at home until now) and I now notice that I'm underweight. My height is 179 cm and my weight it around 59 kg. I lift 3-4 times a week on a program from David Laid and weight myself every morning (if I haven't increased in weight every day, my mother gets mad af). I always try to increase the maxes in each exercise but it's really hard to always reach new maxes. I want to bulk up and gain as little fat as possible, but still gain weight to a healthy weight ASAP. What would you suggest me? People say you can only can 0.2 lbs muscle in a week, which worries me a lot. Should I just dirty bulk until I reach around 150 lbs, and maybe follow a plan like Stronglifts 5x5 again? My maxes right now are: 1 REP: Bench 70 kg Deadlift 100 kg Squat 70 kg I could bench 95 kg, deadlift 130 kg and squat 100 kg when I weighted 80 kg, so I have lost a lot! :/

Hi Nerds, I just got back from an optometrists appointment, and brought up corrective surgery. My vision is currently 20/400. With glasses or contacts I have 20/15. There are 80% odds I'd get 20/20, and 98% I'd get 20/40 and not have to drive with glasses. I really like my current 20/15 vision, but doing things like wearing safety glasses, ski goggles, and sunglasses aren't options since I wear glasses most of the time! So, what would you do? For those of you who have had corrective surgery, are you glad you did or do you wish you wouldn't have?

Hokay folks. New challenge starts in a week! Let's get things rolling! Anybody got an interesting topic to start with? Otherwise I might just start gushing about the Switch and the new Zelda.

Good morning folks, As usual, I'm always looking for more things to do, things to tweak, things to add into my daily/weekly work out cycle. Since around September/October of last year I've been doing the "beginner's" body weight circuit 3-4 times a week. I've increased in stamina and strength significantly (adding in dumbells to many of the exercises). Circuit activity can be found at this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-HLwfvnIQTByiQnw7WjKWxbQ0oOZlQeKoOVoW58-POE/edit?usp=sharing After the Circuit, I run for around 10 minutes. Currently, on off days I tend to walk the dog for about 2-3 miles (depending on weather), or I do other odd things around the house the tend to get heart rate up (e.g. cleaning for long periods, yard work) so that I'm not just chillin on the couch. What I'm asking is what sorts of things would y'all recommend for my "off/non gym" days. On a side note, wife is a little peeved/jealous about the amount of time I spend at the gym (which is only about 3-4 hrs/week when she's sleeping). My current gym attendance days are: Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday Looking for ideas

After a few years without access to a pool, I've joined a gym with a wonderful lap pool and I'm excited to get back to swimming. One challenge I've always had with swimming that I want to overcome is breathing on both sides. I can breathe fine, with acceptable technique, to the right, but I absolutely cannot get the hang of breathing on my left side. It feels more difficult to turn my head far enough to the left, like my neck is a bit stuff turning that way. I can't seem to get comfortable, and as someone who came to swimming with a fear of the water/lack of oxygen, it's causing me anxiety in the water, enough so that sometimes, I end my swim early and exit the pool. I'm hoping someone can recommend some exercises I can do, or some way I can break down the process of learning to breathe to a side that doesn't come natural, but in small steps that won't kick up my anxiety. Thanks much!

Hey Nerds! I would like some suggestions for how to drop that last bit of body fat to get me from about 16-17% to 12-13% Background: Male, 5'-11'' (182cm), 162lbs. (73.5kg), 31 years old. I've been lifting weights 3-4 days a week for about a 1 1/2 years now with some very good results. I went from 185lbs (84kg) and 19% body fat to my current weight while clearly adding muscle (from a visual perspective.) Currently I fast from 9pm to 10am most days and eat about 80% paleo (I still eat some cheese, butter, and cream and have the occasional tortilla). I also skip breakfast. Problem: I would like to get my body fat down to 12% and continue adding muscle. I don't think I'm eating enough and that is something I struggle with. I feel satiated when eating paleo. Some numbers: BMR 1,766 calories, TDEE 2,664 (based on moderate exercise) Maybe I should adjust this to High? Actual daily caloric intake 2100-2400 What I think I need to do: Continue to eat clean but eat more! I think my calorie deficit is hampering my progress at this point and my body is stubbornly holding on to fat. I love to eat low carb (I just feel so much better) so I am going to adjust my Macros to better meet my TDEE like so: Protein: 264g Fat: 117g Carb: 132g What do you guys think?

Welcome to the new challenge! The Juice Bar is here again, with fresh new recipes, and is a place for fellow rebels to hang out, talk, ask and give advice, talk about interesting things and support each other! Talk about whether or not you will be moving to other guilds, or why you've come back, or why you've come to NerdFitness for the first time. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable in the Juice Bar, and welcome to the new challenge and this community! The challenge of the thread is : 1) Introduce yourself 2) Say why you're here on Nerd Fitness 3) Tell us the goal you're most excited to be working on 4) Share a gif (hi, or that best describes your favourite alternate reality) ** For any new people, don't hesitate to ask me or anyone for assistance. If you want specific Nerd Fitness advice, try and talk to someone with 500+ posts under their name. If you want their attention, ask in this thread (or their thread), PM them (click on their name and click message), or @ tag them in the thread.

Hullo all! I'm James Penhallurick, a games design graduate, and currently self employed illustrator! I'm not entirely new to fitness and health, just over 3 years ago I was quite active, going to the gym at least 3 times a week, generally being more active than I am now! I've been on and off routines for the last 2 years, and now that I'm less busy in life, I've decided enough is enough! I want to get back to doing it all properly as I really enjoyed it! I do have a gym membership but I'm totally open to trying out new things, I'm relatively average size, bulked up a bit, currently looking to lose a little bit of pudge to get some definition, but ultimately I would like to be bigger, muscle wise. I've taken a look at the main site and there's so many awesome resources to see but I have no idea where to start, so I figured I'd post here! I'm looking to ease myself back into it all, but keep it interesting so I don't lose that initial motivation burst! Would love some suggestions! Also I'll add a photo of my derpy self if it gives you an idea of my current size. Many thanks, James

Hi there everyone I am a female, age 24, height 154cm, weight 69kg. I am on the process of losing weight and am weight training. I wait train early morning before even having breakfast. I live in South Africa. Food is expensive so getting my right amount of protein from food alone is just so expensive! If there is anyone with knowledge on protein supplements I would like some advice please? I am considering supplements to help. I already use 100%whey post workout of 23g protein (I was advised this is the best way to drink it). I did some research and would like to find out if it would also be beneficial to drink casein protein of 32g protein pre-workout as well as the whey post workout? (This is what I found in research but I would like some straight advice considering that I am also trying to lose weight and not just build muscles. Also I obviously don't want to be bulky). If my diet makes any difference, I basically only eat meat and vegetables and only 1 - 2 eggs with some cottage cheese (maybe a Tbsp) every morning for breakfast. Please share advice if you are knowledgeable on this? Thanks

Hi there, I have just joined you guys. Yay! I am a female, height 154cm, weight 69kg. I am trying to lose weight. I started about 3 months ago. It has been a rocky road this far but I lost 3kgs in 3 months and only a few 8cms. It is a small amount over 3 months and the number on the scale refuses to dip below 68. I was doing resistance band routines in the morning and about 3 weeks ago started doing dumbbell (I think endurance) routines with a friend that was looking for a partner in the afternoons. I also do a 10-15 yoga (very beginning beginner, so nothing hectic) whenever possible. Next week I am starting with weight training in the mornings, and will still join m friend in the afternoons at least. I am hoping that this will boost me into losing more the inches. One thing that I am stuck on though is my calorie in take. I have been eating veg and meat and fruits and eggs at a deficit, and still my results are low. After reading a few articles on NerdFitness I have come to realise that this may have been a terrible idea. All in all, I am completely uncertain on how many calories I should be eating with my amount of exercise, especially for weight loss. I have been told over and over to eat 1000 - 1200 calories, but see no change. If anyone has the right type of advice for me, please send some light my way. Thanks a million!

Hi guys! I alternate a 3 day routine, 5-6 times a week, (never less than 3 on a bad week). Day One - Arms, Chest & Shoulders Flat bench 25kg (3 sets x 8) Incline bench 20kg (3 sets x 8) Pec Flys 5kg per arm on a flat bench (3 sets x 8) Dips with a resistance band (3 sets x 5-8, depending on strength) Superset: Shoulder Press (10kg) and Dumbell Lateral Raises (2kg on either arm) at (3 x 8) Push ups (3 sets of 8) (1 set being Diamond Variation) Day 2 - Back & Arms Dumbell Curls (5kg on each arm) (3 sets of 8) Reverse Fly (5kg on each arm) (3 sets of 8) Chin Ups (bodyweight resistance band on a bar) (3 sets of 8) Pull Ups (bodyweight resistance band on a bar) (3 sets of 8) T-bar row (20kg) (3 sets of 8) One-Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row (9kg) (3 sets of 8 both arms) Day Three - Legs Squats Smith Machine (30kg) (3 sets of 8) Lunge Smith Machine (30kg) (3 sets of 8) Leg Press (80-100kg) (3 sets of 8) Calf Raises (60kg) (3 sets of 8) (different variation: toe pointing inwards, outwards and forwards for each set) Deadlifts Trap Bar (36kg) (3 sets of 8) Hip Thrust (20kg) (3 x 8) I'm 5"5 and 9 stone 9 pounds. I used to be 8 stone 9 pounds. I followed the same routine, but also ran regularly (20 minutes 5 days a week) and ate better and was interested in calisthenics, so pursued that a lot too. I'm looking to lose weight but it's not as important to me for the moment as building strength. I'm on the brink of being able to do an unassisted chin up! I'm concerned my workout isn't what it could be...I would appreciate anyone's advice about how I could build on my strength and fitness. Thank you!

Good morning community! Haven't posted much but thought I'd launch with a request. I've been dieting for about 3-4 years and am fairly happy with what goes into my body (thank god for myfitnesspal). Last September, after seeing I'd flat-lined for awhile, I found the "basic" bodyweight circuit. I've been doing that regularly (and added some weight/reps) but am wondering if there are other things I could/should be doing (I've shared the circuit with some others and they refer to it as a cardio circuit). I'm looking for some more strength training options to add in. Below is my typical week's worth of activities. Body weight circuit (typically 3x per week): 20 body weight squats (I'd added a dumb bell but my knees started acting up) 20 pushup (sometimes I elevate my feet on an ottoman) 20 lunges (10 each leg, alternating) 15 second planks (left oblique, center, right, then leg lift) 15 "curl rows" (just upped to 40 lbs) 30 jumping jacks 15 one arm "military press" (just upped to 20 lbs) I can finish 3 sets of the circuit in about 20-25 minutes Typically (~60-75%) I'll take the dog on a quick 2-3 mile walk after On alternate days I try to go for a 3 mile run (average 9 minute mile the first mile then slightly longer on the second two miles) My equipment is an exercise mat (so I don't have to plank, push-up on hardwood floor) and bowflex select dumbbells (dial/select weight thingies) Any input is appreciated

I have just arrived in your city! I'm here for about a week and would like to meet some Italian nerds and maybe get some help. I'm staying in a hostel near Termini station and been told that the area is a bit dodgy to go out in after dark. I've also been following a running programme, I'm about half way through it and it's the best progress I've ever made so I don't want to give it up while I'm here. Any advice on good/better places to go for a run?

For those that didn't read my intro thread (although I'm sure all of you read it, because I'm such a fabulous writer; in fact, it's probably gone viral while I wasn't looking), here's where I'm at right now. I just turned 53 last month. I'm in recovery from alcohol and opiate addiction, and I take Suboxone (which causes constipation, sorry but that's important to know), along with Lexapro and Remeron for depression, Neurontin for anxiety (400 mg 3x a day), and Prilosec. The Remeron was supposed to be for sleep, but I find that it's not working, and I don't want to rely on a substance to put me to sleep on a daily basis anyway (even if it's non-narcotic), so I'm stopping that this week (gradually). I've had 3 children (sadly, my 7 year old was killed by a drunk driver while riding her bicycle last Labor Day), I'm a freelance writer so I sit at a computer pretty much all day, and I live in a house with 9 other adults. I have a very limited income. That's also important to know. Over the past year that I've been sober, I've gradually gone from 125 lbs. to 194. When I saw that number on the scale, I lost my mind (that was June 1, still haven't found it). I joined Planet Fitness and started going every day, along with restricting my calories. I've suffered from anorexia/bulimia in the past, and I was weighing myself every day, twice a day (once in the morning, once again after the gym), so I put the scale out of sight and decided to focus on how I looked and how I felt instead of the scale numbers. My workouts consisted of at least 60 minutes of cardio. After two weeks, I added the upper, lower and abdominal machines at the gym, alternating days between upper and lower/abs. I'd gotten down to 170 lbs. and was pretty freaking proud of myself, but then I weighed myself the other morning and it said 185. WUT??????? Apparently, you can't eat fatty snacks every night after starving all day and maintain weight loss. I've been getting a lot of conflicting information about what's the best way to go about losing fat and adding muscle. Obviously, since I'm like a delicate little hothouse flower, I don't want to get bulky. But I've gathered from everyone here that the best way to achieve my goal of fat loss, muscle addition and toning, is the do more weight work and maybe a little less cardio. I know that equipment like the weight machines at Planet Fitness are frowned upon in these here parts, but I don't have a clue what I'm doing with free weights and I don't want to hurt myself. My plan right now is to stack heavier weights on all the machines and do fewer reps at higher weight. I'm not cutting out my cardio, but I'm going to alternate the upper and lower/core workouts. Is that the right way to go about this? Should I be working my core every day? I'm struggling to do 10 reps with the majority of the machines stacked at 50-70 lbs., and I've been doing 3 sets of 10 reps on each machine. (Note: On the hip adductor/abductor machines I press 130 lbs.) I'd appreciate any advice you guys can give me. I dropped my cell phone in a pot of water and it's not working right now, so I can't bring video workouts with me to the gym at the moment (that's another $100 I don't have going to my phone company on the 1st of August to get a new phone. lol?) I want to really get moving here, but I'm scared of hurting myself by lifting the weights incorrectly. I already tore my left pectoral muscle just by putting too much weight on the fly machine. Thank you all for being here. This is an amazing site.

Greetings everyone, long time lurker, but never posted anything until TODAY! And you just had to know. Anyway, so lately i've been putting some more exercises in my routine (because i realised i wasn't really working my shoulders). I usually do it at home late at night, like 22 or 23 because it takes quite some time and i find that in the morning i really feel without energy. But after putting some new exercises and the workout taking like an hour, i find that i don't really have the motivation or energy to do it anymore, i have been postponing it for 5 days or so now, when usually i would have done it 4-5 times a week. As such, i was wondering if i could get some advice about how to change my workout, though i think working out in the morning and at night would be better than splitting the exercises in two days. So my routine idea that splits the exercises would be like this: 1. in the morning: - the plank for as long as i can hold it (not sure if i should do it several times or not - need some advice here) - seated bent over rear lateral dumbbell raise - shoulder presses - lateral raises (I usually only did lateral raises and adding those to my routine kinda made it too hard i think.) 2. in the night: - curls - an exercise for triceps but i forgot the name - squats - reverse crunches, but lifting my knees above my head - lateral leg lifts I usually only did these with the lateral raise from before and it took me around 40 mins. Did it for around 3 months pretty constantly. But after adding the point 1 exercises i didn't really feel like having the motivation to do it or the energy. Also, i didn't list how many i am doing because i usually do it until i can't anymore with small breaks and it changes from time to time. Now it isn't really what it was a month or two ago and it'll probably increase again if i keep at it, so i didn't really see a reason to list the sets and reps. So yeah was wondering if it's a good idea or not to split it like this. I think i could do it at least 4 times a week probably. i could also just split it in different days, but then it would kinda be like working out 3 days out of the whole week, since it would take 6 days for the routine to be split in two.

PROLOGUE Hello fellow adventurer! My name is Lisiera, but you may call me Lissy. I see you've found my battle log. I admit that it isn't too impressive in its current state. But that's okay! I'm working on changing that. And, as an optional side quest, my friend, you're free to help as well. You see, I have many dreams. I'd love to spar and hold my own against a warrior like Alistair or Sten (Dragon Age). I long to have the endurance to hike from Canifis to Yanille (Runescape). I'd love to have the agility and skill like Black Widow to take down my enemies in the blink of an eye. But these are just dreams. So many times I've started to try to make these a reality, but have just failed for one reason or another. Real life seemed to get in the way. Motivation got lost in the mail. I tried and failed, so I gave up. Not anymore. I've found my haven. I've found my true starting point. I found my fellow nerds So, here I go again. This is my last "start" because I'm committed to making life style changes. To training my body for the challenges I long to accomplish. To figure out immediate goals and eventual long term goals (I don't really have any long term goals right now other than "get fit," which I think needs a bit more detail). Come, friends. Join me by the fire and let me refill your tankard of mead (or, you know, that healthy flavorless stuff called water), and let me tell you tales of my small adventures at the gym, in the kitchen, in life in general.

This may be a dumb question, but... If I'm doing a dumbbell press with two 25 lb. dumbbells, is it considered 50 lbs. since I'm using two or 25 lbs. This has always confused me and I have never thought to ask before now. There it is, my dumb dumbbells question. Thank you.

Greetings all, I had a quick question. For the last couple months, I've been doing a lot of general fitness things, working out an hour 3 times a week, cleaning up my diet, trying to get a decent amount of sleep each night despite work, etc. Recently I've become engrossed in the masterpiece that is The Witcher 3 (I'm late to the party, I know), and I was wondering if any of you guys knew what NF class Geralt would fall under, if I wanted to point my plan in a direction that would get me as close to a Witcher as possible without the mutations haha. My guess was Ranger, cause of the endurance to track monsters and people over distance as well as the strength to take them on. Monk could also be a possibility because of his proficiency at hand to hand combat. What do you guys think, both about the class or advice on adjustments I can make to take steps towards that goal?

So I recently moved into a new house and apparently my door frames are too wide and my pull up bar cant fit over them in order to hook on. What is a good alternative so i can still do pull ups?

Hello, I'm Jess and I'm from the UK. I've tried many times to lose weight and get healthy with mixed results. I've had problems with my digestion for the past few years and I've recently reintroduced eating wheat based products to my diet that has helped me lose 3 lbs (which I think my be due to increased fiber in my diet.) I am 5'4.5" and I currently weigh 203 lbs. This is getting close to the most that I have weighed ever and I am between a UK 16 and UK 18 dress size. I have mild asthma which I think is due to my weight gain as it has only appeared in the past three years. I am 30 years old and I am sick of trying yo yo diets and being tired all the time. I want to get fit and lose weight. I am hoping that by signing up to this site I can achieve that. I started a food log on the 1st of December as I want a clear picture of what I'm eating so I know where to start making changes. I know that Christmas season is probably not the best time of year to start but I am really sick of putting things off. It has become next week and next month for the last time. I've read up on a lot of things regarding diets and eating plans and there is too much information out there. I really am at a loss of where to start. My GP told me I should look into swimming and just eat things that don't irritate my stomach, but there is no pool that I can get to where I am within walking distance. My boyfriend says he also wants to eat healthier but I think my odd eating plans in the past have made him skeptical and he wants to eat "normal food". We are students so we don't have the best budget but I do enjoy cooking and I'm not afraid to experiment. The plus side is that my University has a free Gym membership that I want to utilize but again I'm not sure how. It has machines and free weights but the people at the gym are not the most helpful and when I went there for a "personal assistant plan" they told me to just use the rowing machine for ten minutes three times a week. Which I only managed to keep up for a week before I quit. Is there any newbie advice or threads or topics I should look into? I really want to make real changes this time. Thanks for reading TLDR: Girl wants to get of the diet wheel and make real changes but doesn't know where to start