Not sure if this goes in the Fitness 2012 thread, but what the hell.
So for the past year or so, I've been on a health kick, and it's shown a marked improvement. I can bench double what I used to (150, but hey, I'll take it), I can run 8 miles consistently, etc.
But, I've been told by a few people that if I want to "improve", I should gain some weight to acquire more muscle mass. My body fat percent is somewhere between 6 and 9%, so they're right that there's really a way to build muscle without gaining weight. But is there a point to doing it?
What makes you want to work out?
Quote from: Faeelin on October 10, 2012, 05:26:56 PM
But, I've been told by a few people that if I want to "improve", I should gain some weight to acquire more muscle mass. My body fat percent is somewhere between 6 and 9%, so they're right that there's really a way to build muscle without gaining weight. But is there a point to doing it?
Do what you feel comfortable with. You like the way you look? Keep it that way.
QuoteWhat makes you want to work out?
When I gave a shit and big into bodybuilding after high school and in college I was benching 400 when I weighed 190, but that was over 20 years and many, many pairs of Levis ago. :lol:
But I've lifted my last weight. I'm too tired now. Don't really give a shit anymore.
Besides, it totally fucks with my smoking.
I fought the battle of the Bulge with Paleo and won. Now I just want to do the bare minimum to look like I'm fit. :lol:
So I do heavy lifting twice a week and one day of sprints. Bam, I'm done.
I just got my yellow belt in karate a few weeks ago. :cool:
I've gone from Spartan tastes and concomitant thinness in my teens and early mid 20's to something of a lazy ass whose belly is starting to get noticeable. And I don't really give a fuck anymore - not sure why. Whether the status quo will continue, get worse or whether I'll eventually start caring, I can't say.
Until then, I'll have another beer and a large pepperoni pizza (for delivery, so I don't have to walk there).
Congrats on achieving such a low BF%. Pics plz :P
Depends what you want to improve. Building muscle mass won't help you run faster over distance but it'll make you look hotter in a tight t-shirt. My body building buddies say you need to do a bulk then cut. Increase calories and protein while bulking, and lift a bit heavier with reduced reps. You will build muscle alongside fat and water retention. Then do the cut by reducing calories to cut fat while continuing to retain muscle through heavy lifting. You can't build muscle while at a calorific deficit.
Me? I don't want to look or feel middle-aged.
Muscles aren't cool. I've never really wanted to be beefy. Just a little bit of muscle would do me. Wanting to be fit is far more about losing the gut and being able to do physical activities for however long I feel like.
Quote from: Tyr on October 11, 2012, 06:29:20 AM
Muscles aren't cool. I've never really wanted to be beefy. Just a little bit of muscle would do me. Wanting to be fit is far more about losing the gut and being able to do physical activities for however long I feel like.
This is why they need to reopen the mines, Josquius and his peers have gotten soft. :P
Quote from: Faeelin on October 10, 2012, 05:26:56 PM
But, I've been told by a few people that if I want to "improve", I should gain some weight to acquire more muscle mass. My body fat percent is somewhere between 6 and 9%, so they're right that there's really a way to build muscle without gaining weight. But is there a point to doing it?
What makes you want to work out?
Naw, you dont need to increase your body fat percentage to gain muscle mass. I stayed around 9% while gaining about 40lbs of muscle back in the day. You will of course gain weight as you gain muscle but you dont need to gain any fat. Just do more reps and keep the rest of your fitness regime intact.
@Brazen, my guess is your muscle building buddies are into building bulkier muscles. Might look good to some but doesnt really help with overall fitness or athletic ability - unless playing American Football as a Lineman. Also, once it is on they have to keep working at it or it will turn to flab pretty quickly. Better to work for the lean muscle definition over bulk.
@ Faeelin,
What keeps me working out now - fear of death or early incapacitation. :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 11, 2012, 10:52:29 AM
Also, once it is on they have to keep working at it or it will turn to flab pretty quickly.
I can attest to that.
I It's not so much of an image thing for me. I've had more success being sickly thin than fit.
It's about quality of life, basically. Mostly less back pain and less fatigue.
QuoteWhat makes you want to work out?
I am currently trying to get in shape for a two-week trekking tour in Nepal in November. Mainly running regularly. About 5-6 miles every other day.
I don't read physique magazines.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 11, 2012, 06:44:21 AM
Quote from: Tyr on October 11, 2012, 06:29:20 AM
Muscles aren't cool. I've never really wanted to be beefy. Just a little bit of muscle would do me. Wanting to be fit is far more about losing the gut and being able to do physical activities for however long I feel like.
This is why they need to reopen the mines, Josquius and his peers have gotten soft. :P
Yes, so that they don't have time to make bizarre pronouncements like "Muscles aren't cool." Or at least, if they do, they'll be somewhere that no one can hear them. :D
Power Yoger. But Im still fat and unattractive.
I don't work out, but do things that requires me to be relatively fit or more accurately, at my age not actually falling apart.
Never been bothered about 'looking' good for others, my body's the way it is as a result of what I get up to.
As CdM and others have mentioned, muscle for muscle own sake is a future problem, plus you have to carry the enhanced things around; personally I think that's a waste of effort.
I have no time to work out. But I really need to. I finally had my first week when I can wake up early and hit the gym before work/school but that involves getting up at 5:30 and so far it just ain't happening. But tommorow will be different!
I cannot even imagine have 7% body fat. I would be very happy to have twice that.
I'm too lazy to work out consistently.
Occasionally my wife will drag me to some sort of yoga or we'll go swimming. I do that because I think I need to exercise more, and because it's good to indulge my wife.
Mostly I walk the dog, because she needs walking and because I enjoy it.
I probably ought to do some core strengthening exercises from all the sitting-around-at-the-computer; my back is more sore more often than it ought to be.
Quote from: mongers on October 11, 2012, 04:59:43 PM
As CdM and others have mentioned, muscle for muscle own sake is a future problem, plus you have to carry the enhanced things around; personally I think that's a waste of effort.
Really? I am nothing more than an "and others"! :mad:
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 11, 2012, 05:19:36 PM
Quote from: mongers on October 11, 2012, 04:59:43 PM
As CdM and others have mentioned, muscle for muscle own sake is a future problem, plus you have to carry the enhanced things around; personally I think that's a waste of effort.
Really? I am nothing more than an "and others"! :mad:
:hug:
Well I meant "others" in a wider than languishit sense, it's only common sense, we only need to look at most former NFL players to know the meaning of pecs going south, stopping at the belt border.
Quote from: Faeelin on October 10, 2012, 05:26:56 PM
So for the past year or so, I've been on a health kick, and it's shown a marked improvement. I can bench double what I used to (150, but hey, I'll take it), I can run 8 miles consistently, etc.
But can you maintain that? Are you shooting for a lifestyle change or are you just on a kick?
Quote from: garbon on October 11, 2012, 02:24:15 PM
Yes, so that they don't have time to make bizarre pronouncements like "Muscles aren't cool." Or at least, if they do, they'll be somewhere that no one can hear them. :D
Its true. Fashionable body types these days are far more towards the slim and toned than the big and beefy. It isn't the 80s anymore.
:huh:
The 80s had tons of teen movies with stick figure protagonists with big hair, they epitomize the decade more than ahnold Imo.
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility. Muscle mass can decline if you stop exercising and body fat can increase if you eat more than you burn, simple as that.
"Toned" isn't really a valid fitness term either. You can have body fat low enough to show your muscles whatever size those muscles are.
As far as fashionable builds go, we need more Jason Statham body types and fewer Robert Pattinson IMHO, or everyone in our media will end up looking like this:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.tellymix.co.uk%2Ffiles%2F2012%2F10%2Frylan1-500x631.jpg&hash=9c0f66a2e777ec13bebdc52fb0138c986633692d)
I apologise for the pop culture reference with a very limited Languish audience. Mart, Google Rylan Clark, you'll enjoy him.
Quote
"Toned" isn't really a valid fitness term either. You can have body fat low enough to show your muscles whatever size those muscles are.
We're not speaking in terms of fitness magazine language though. In general practice toned is a perfectly valid term for somebody in good shape with only a bit of visible muscle.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 12, 2012, 03:43:56 AM
:huh:
The 80s had tons of teen movies with stick figure protagonists with big hair, they epitomize the decade more than ahnold Imo.
The 80s did of course have its fair share of girly men but they were fairly outside the mainstream. Its only really with the 90s that the thing to aim for moved away from super maculine, as much muscle as you can get, moustaches totally acceptable, etc... and towards guys who just look after themself and keep it all in proportion.
Of course, I can't speak for all women/gays. There are a lot of girls into beefy guys, hell, there's girls into chubby guys too, but the ideal body type these days seems to be pretty firmly more in the Christiano Ronaldo sort of direction than yeah, the 80s Arny sort of look that teenage boys dream of having.
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
As far as fashionable builds go, we need more Jason Statham body types and fewer Robert Pattinson IMHO, or everyone in our media will
You know that it is the sort of declaration that encourages bigorexia, right?
Quote from: Faeelin on October 10, 2012, 05:26:56 PM
Not sure if this goes in the Fitness 2012 thread, but what the hell.
So for the past year or so, I've been on a health kick, and it's shown a marked improvement. I can bench double what I used to (150, but hey, I'll take it), I can run 8 miles consistently, etc.
But, I've been told by a few people that if I want to "improve", I should gain some weight to acquire more muscle mass. My body fat percent is somewhere between 6 and 9%, so they're right that there's really a way to build muscle without gaining weight. But is there a point to doing it?
What makes you want to work out?
I work out pro-am because I'll need to be stronger to work on construction sites, I like the challenge, I want to improve myself and push my limits, and yes because I want to look the best I can physically. 99% of guys would be hypocritical if they said they never do it to impress the other gender - especially guys. We all do it, ultimately, because a lot of girls feel entitled to movie-star types of beefcakes (or Jason Statham body types).
You will gain fat if you seriously train for muscle mass and bulk, it's inescapable. You need that calorie surplus, and with it comes gaining (a little) fat. However you can minimize it by clean bulking, moderate cardio, and good sleeping habits. Been bulking since April and I've gain 15 pounds, 11 pounds of which are LBM and 4 pounds of fat, I'm now at 200 pounds for 16.7% body fat (from 185 pounds and 15.8% in April). Nothing to be alarmed of, the fat can be lost within a month of cutting, and at 10% body fat I would be between 181 and 185 pounds for 5' 11".
Finally, accept that if you are natty you are in for a VERY long haul. That's why most gym rats use the easy way out and take juice or growth hormones, to YOLO at 20 looking jacked, but at the expense of their health later in their life. If you eat, train, sleep/rest consistently you'll slowly see results.
Also, how did you get your BF readings? Hopefully not from an electronic weight machine. I get mine measures through calipers using ISAK, every three weeks, and even then it can be off by 1-2%. 6% body fat is bodybuilding-stage thin, your veins would pop out and your skin would be paper-thin.
Calipers gave me a low number of 6%, the electric machine gave me 8%.
Quote from: Faeelin on October 12, 2012, 07:17:43 AM
Calipers gave me a low number of 6%, the electric machine gave me 8%.
Then kudos. :)
That said, if you train for muscle mass/bulking you will kiss this 6% goodbye, at least for a while, but you'll still be looking great at 8-11%. If you keep it under control it won't be too hard to cut back to a lower body fat percentage when you are ready.
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
Quote from: Tyr on October 12, 2012, 03:35:11 AM
Quote from: garbon on October 11, 2012, 02:24:15 PM
Yes, so that they don't have time to make bizarre pronouncements like "Muscles aren't cool." Or at least, if they do, they'll be somewhere that no one can hear them. :D
Its true. Fashionable body types these days are far more towards the slim and toned than the big and beefy. It isn't the 80s anymore.
"Fashionable body types"? :huh:
What the fuck is wrong with you? How about you just get healthy and worry less about what's "fashionable"? I mean, Jesus, if girls went by that they'd never eat again!
Quote from: merithyn on October 12, 2012, 10:21:01 AM
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Do we even need to ask? :D
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 09:21:38 AM
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
What does that have to do with anything? Isn't it the case that they get fat if they stop working out/playing because they typically don't reduce their caloric intake at the same rate?
Quote from: garbon on October 12, 2012, 10:34:55 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 09:21:38 AM
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
What does that have to do with anything? Isn't it the case that they get fat if they stop working out/playing because they typically don't reduce their caloric intake at the same rate?
Yes. It's not that the muscles sag. It's that they get covered in fat that then sags.
Quote from: garbon on October 12, 2012, 10:34:55 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 09:21:38 AM
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
What does that have to do with anything? Isn't it the case that they get fat if they stop working out/playing because they typically don't reduce their caloric intake at the same rate?
I can personally attest to that. :lol:
Quote from: merithyn on October 12, 2012, 10:21:01 AM
"Fashionable body types"? :huh:
What the fuck is wrong with you? How about you just get healthy and worry less about what's "fashionable"? I mean, Jesus, if girls went by that they'd never eat again!
Aside from Tyr being a semi-pillock, it's undeniable that the male physical ideal has suffered (IMO) from the sixpack/bodybuilding craze. Every man has a bulging sixpack, only very low fat percentage allows it to become visible. Again, IMO, if you want to see male physiques a bit closer to the default genetic potential I'd look at declathons. That's a sport that takes "average" to the extreme.
Quote from: garbon on October 12, 2012, 10:34:55 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 09:21:38 AM
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
What does that have to do with anything? Isn't it the case that they get fat if they stop working out/playing because they typically don't reduce their caloric intake at the same rate?
You have a real problem with being way too literal this week dont you.
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 05:13:19 PM
Quote from: garbon on October 12, 2012, 10:34:55 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 12, 2012, 09:21:38 AM
Quote from: Brazen on October 12, 2012, 04:12:13 AM
Muscle doesn't "turn to fat", it's a physiological impossibility.
You dont have many American football players - or CFL types - do you :P
What does that have to do with anything? Isn't it the case that they get fat if they stop working out/playing because they typically don't reduce their caloric intake at the same rate?
You have a real problem with being way too literal this week dont you.
You mean when meri said nobody can afford to live alone and the trend actually shows more people living alone than ever before?
As to what you said I don't understand why you'd contradict B's statement with an untrue anecdote. Even if it is almost like their muscle turned to fat - not relevant to what she said.