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** PEP TALK TIME **
You've got the bar loaded, gripped tight, your shoulders screwed into the bench, feet and butt planted firmly, your back is arched, chest is high... you lift the bar off the rack and lower it towards your chest... you struggle for all of 2 seconds before you realize it's not going up.
You let out a cry for help and a nearby lifter comes to your rescue.
You're as embarrassed as you've ever been that you've just failed your lift.
However, you didn't actually fail... you attempted and struggled. You still stressed your muscles which will cause them to eventually be able to move that weight. You didn't achieve what you set out to do this time, but just consider it practice... and get a spotter next time lol.
The point is, we find our "comfy weights" and our "comfy exercises" that we know we can crush and look great doing them... we don't want to change.
But if you wanna grow stronger and develop more, your muscles require a stimulus greater than the previous workout. They require a constant challenge! Their default is laziness. They wanna do the least work possible and let other muscles help out when they can. No, I'm not talking about that "muscle confusion" BS lol. More like:
You can't do an exercise? You hate doing that dreaded exercise? You feel like a wuss doing that exercise?
That's nice, dear.
NOW DO IT!
MASTER IT UNTIL YOU'RE A PRO AT IT!
Afraid that adding weight on an exercise will feel too challenging and hurt your numbers? Intimidated by adding weights to that lift? Happy just doing more reps?
That's nice, dear.
ADD THE FREAKING WEIGHT!
AND IN A LITTLE WHILE... ADD SOME MORE!
As the old saying goes, "you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable."
This is how we stop spinning our wheels and actually grow.
There's a reason everyone doesn't have a "beach body": it takes effort - A SH*TLOAD OF EFFORT! Oh, and patience... it doesn't happen overnight.
If you just wanna lose weight, you don't need exercise to do that. But once you begin to see you're literally "skin and bones" because you haven't got much muscle after "the big reveal" - you'll need to do some work (or just be content with your skinny physique...) when you could've been doing it all along.
Been there. Done that. 3 years of lifting later and I'm not even halfway to where I wanna end up.
It. Takes. A. Long. Time.
Just enjoy the ride and the extra calories! 😊
YOU CAN DO IT! 💪
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2949 kcal
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Fat: 94.26g | Prot: 155.35g | Carbs: 379.28g.
Breakfast: General Mills Lucky Charms Treats, Kellogg's Special K Protein Meal Bar - Strawberry, Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves, Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Maple Syrup, Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk & Maple Flapjack on The Go, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Milk, Dunkin' Donuts Caramel Macchiato Cereal, Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - Vanilla (150g). Second Breakfast: Coffee (Brewed From Grounds), Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder, BSN Amino X, Gatorade Zero Lemon-Lime. Elevenses: Tillamook Oregon Hazelnut & Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Skinless Chicken Breast, Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - Vanilla (150g), Stubb's Bar-B-Q Sauce Original. Dinner: Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce, Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce, Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves, Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - Vanilla (150g), John Soules Foods Chicken Nuggets, Better'n Eggs Better'n Eggs, Butter (Salted), Cooked Peas and Carrots (from Canned), Basmati Rice. Supper: Vitafusion MultiVites Gummy Vitamins, Vitafusion Energy B12 Gummy Vitamins. more...
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3051 kcal
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Exercise:
Grocery Shopping - 15 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours, Resting - 4 hours and 45 minutes, Housework - 1 hour, Cooking - 45 minutes, Weight Training (Bodybuilding) - 1 hour and 15 minutes, Yard Work (gardening) - 1 hour, Showering - 45 minutes, Driving - 1 hour and 15 minutes, Sitting - 5 hours. more...
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21 to 40 of 68
 Comments
It sounds like you guys have it covered and everything's good?
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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Except Shrew... you need help 😂 that is friggin hilarious, dude! 😁👍
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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And what if you don't really want to put on that much lean mass? Let's say you're happy with what you have and just want to maintain it. Is it necessary to do heavy compound lifts?
30 Jun 21 by member: LaughingChevre
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Actually, no need to answer that, I already know the answer. I know plenty of women who have never picked up a dumbbell, let alone a barbell, in their lives, have no idea of what a "heavy compound lift" is, and still look absolutely hot and lean (bikini body) at the beach, they just don't have especially large or pronounced muscles. Depends on the look one's going for I guess.
30 Jun 21 by member: LaughingChevre
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If your goal is strength as a woman, just remember: no testicles = limited testosterone/androgen. Aka: you're not gonna get huge muscles. You can lift really heavy, manage your calories, and you'll look like you do now... just stronger and slightly more defined 👌
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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Basically, your caloric intake controls your size as a woman. For dudes, muscle size is controlled more by testosterone (the hormone that controls how calories are processed - either stored as fat via insulin if not training or uses insulin to pump sugars into the muscles for energy and proteins to build/repair trained muscles).
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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In fact, you addressed it in the OP (weight loss doesn't require exercise), Chris, I just forgot that part. I really don't care about maximizing my strength and going far beyond being able to live my life without difficulty in daily activities which doesn't require me to carry or lift my body weight anyway.
30 Jun 21 by member: LaughingChevre
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It's just nice to know when you're 80, you won't require assistance to get off the toilet or have a hunched back. Also, it strengthens bones so you won't break a hip as easily or have joint issues because your muscles will do the work... better to have strong quadriceps than titanium knee replacements. There is always the practical side of lifting - GREAT point! 👌
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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I dont know why, but I thought this was gonna turn out to be an Eminem style rap. Do better next time please.
30 Jun 21 by member: mbd121
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Maintenance of upper body strength in your arms and legs and weight management as you get older will prevent you from having to call the paramedic lift team to get you off the toilet and keep you from laying on the floor for 2 days because you can’t scoot your own weight to the table where you left your phone. Happens all the time. Way too many times for my sister. Chris you are so right on.
30 Jun 21 by member: Kenna Morton
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@chris.I know that's right! Fear is the best motivator(for me). I've got a front row seat for Pop's relentless horrific decline (94). It's an interminable shit show which motivates to get up and under the bar, as he did not, like nothing else. Rogan made the comment the other day that his greatest fear is becoming weak; losing his ability to act in the world Yep. And physical strength is the foundation of that ability. Off to get that 4" DNR tattoo across my chest...
30 Jun 21 by member: jimmiepop
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I get it, resistance training is important for practical reasons. Just saying I'm not convinced I need to squat 150lbs or bench press 100lbs to maintain basic strength for daily chores.
30 Jun 21 by member: LaughingChevre
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@LC. You know you don't. Obv. Lifting's kinda like a perfect diet in that you discover it, you love it, you make a practice of it, it works for you, you transform your shit, you're enthusiastic, and then you proselytize. Those of us who love to lift, love to share that and talk it up. To me, that love piece is the crux of it. Find what YOU love, fitness wise. Do that. Dancers, runners, climbers, gymnasts, and down range navy seals DO NOT LIFT, are strong af, and develop physically as their specialty requires.
30 Jun 21 by member: jimmiepop
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Totally agree Jimmiepop. There is no denying the benefits of lifting for health and I respect people who do it. But...like you said, I tolerate some basic strength exercises, I'm just not bothered about being impressively strong and don't get any kick out of it. Being faster or having more endurance than others though, yeah, that makes me want to run and dance again and again.
30 Jun 21 by member: LaughingChevre
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Jackie Joyner Kersey... Carl Lewis... any athlete really - they all train in the gym outside their sport. It makes you faster and more able than just running or (insert your preferred sport here). It's not just building strength; it is also a performance enhancer for any segment of life! You don't need to lift a million pounds, true. But once you see what your body can do, it's almost addictive and you just keep wanting to do more. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone... you don't NEED to do more, no.
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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30 Jun 21 by member: love2educate
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I am not addicted to lifting... Not at all. I would rather run, BUT the speed and ease of running increased absolutely after I began lifting. Strength throughout your body makes every task easier and less prone to injury... Says me who can't run because I hurt my knee. 😁 But I didn't do it lifting! 😁 I had a real lull in my working out this winter and early spring. After being back at it for a couple months, I feel SO much better! I've only been doing deadlifts using dumbbells ever after going back to the gym, but last time I decided I'd try the "machine". " good gosh it felt so much easier toto lift big things!
30 Jun 21 by member: melissatwa
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Well said! And please use a spotter!
Now, not everyone can do this, I’m one of those. Due to disease and illness. But…that being said one should one should do what they can within their bodies capacity if possible push if it will cause harm, DON’T, if not DO!
If you see someone at the gym and you think they should be “doing more” please before you tell them, think of me. I look perfectly fine. LOL I’m not. I struggle to get out of bed. I relearned how to walk. I can barely lift my arms. So IF I go to a gym I walk on a treadmill, maybe do a few other things. People always want me to do this and do that. I want to cry. I want to tell them off. I want to ask them if they have to make one of their legs move to walk? Do they have to think about every step they take? I do. Can they turn around without falling down? Most days I can’t.
So, how about encouraging the overweight person. Who’s walking on the treadmill? Maybe just say “nice to see you! Hope you have a great day!” Make they smile. Not even hope to see you tomorrow. Why? Because tomorrow they may have to sleep all day because they made it to the gym to walk on the treadmill.
I’m not being snarky anyone. I am trying to educate. I hope everyone has a great day!
30 Jun 21 by member: OmaRanger2
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@LC There you go. Sounds like you'd love my next door neighbors. Cars plastered with shit like "Mad Dog Death Gultch 3000" and "Embrace the Suck." Bumped into the Mrs. on the porch a couple weekends back and asked about her run. She launched into an uncharacteristic tirade about how shit it was to run all day in the rain, which ended with "oh well, at least I got in 70...."
30 Jun 21 by member: jimmiepop
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Oma - ironic to read that as I'm on break now during an ADA training session at work lol. Compassion is always critical 👌
30 Jun 21 by member: chrisw77
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chrisw77's Weight History
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