ryan_86

I've been following a trainers program. Didn't discuss his reasoning, but it seems like his intent was to get me lifting and quickly transition me from machines for some compound lifts to free weights. Not doing leg extensions anymore anyway. Just the example I used.

Thanks for the advice.

OK, I am just getting some time to get back to this post. The routine you are describing is called a pyramid. I’ll quote the venerable Mark Rippetoe on this:

There is an old workout, known as "The Pyramid," still floating around weight rooms and gyms all over the world. For the bench press, this workout would go something like 135 x 10, 155 x 8, 175 x 6, 185 x 5, 195 x 4, 205 x 3, 215 x 2, and 225 x 1. By the time you finish the last set, you might feel like you've had a pretty good workout. The problem is that you have done 6390 pounds of work before getting to the last set at 225, so your chances of ever increasing this last single are slim. By the time you reach what should be a work set, you are all used up, since all of your warm-up sets have essentially been work sets, too. The warm-ups didn't prepare you to increase your work sets, so you will never lift any more weight than you did the last time you did this workout, and you are therefore quite thoroughly stuck. If the warm-up sets fatigue you instead of prepare you, they are not warm-ups and your strength cannot increase.

In this case, Coach Rippetoe is describing a traditional pyramid routine. Traditionally starting with a lower weight and higher reps then moving up in weight and down in reps believing you are going to hit a 1 rep max (1RM) lift. As he points out though, this routine does not enable you to make strength gains at the 1RM level. This trains the body for endurance. If this is what you are shooting for, by all means continue.

However, if you are trying to gain strength, you need to focus on higher weights for lower reps. Once again from coach Rippetoe:

Sets of 5 reps are optimal for learning barbell exercises. It is apparent from electromyography (EMG, a recording of neuromuscular electrical activity) and force plate data (a measure of muscular force generated) that there is a progressive loss of motor coordination as reps increase. In reps 1-5, the muscle is firing in a coordinated manner, with tight, uniform EMG waves and consistent force production. By reps 10-14, there is a loss of motor coordination, with erratic EMG wave and force continuity. By reps 25-29, EMG activity is highly random and force production has deteriorated. Using more than 5 reps per set during the learning phase of a new exercise will usually make correct technique harder to reproduce and master. Note that the peak level of force production is the same on rep 1 and rep 20, although control has begun to degrade; a 20-rep set is not really "heavy," but it sure is long and hard.

There is a picture associated with that last blurb, but it is in my book and I cannot put it in here. He describes it very well though.

Now, to address the leg extension machine. There are so many articles about why it is bad that I just went with the first result on my search: https://www.t-nation.com/training/truth-about-leg-extensions
Here is the summary without a lot of the medical jargon in the article. Don’t get me wrong, it is important that you read that article to fully understand the damage that hellspawn “exercise” machine does to knees.

Leg Extension Risks:

1. Increased patellofemoral joint reaction force, knee movement, and joint stress in the most commonly used range of motion.
2. Reduced hamstrings activity.
3. Reduced VMO activity and late onset of firing.
4. Non-existent hip adductor and abductor contribution.
5. Increased rectus femoris firing.
6. Constant ACL tension.
7. Higher patellar ligament, quadriceps tendon, and patellofemoral and tibiofemoral forces with the most commonly utilized loading parameters.
8. Increased lateral patellar deviation.
9. Insufficient involvement of surrounding joints to ensure optimal functioning.
10. Poor training economy (no carryover to closed-chain performance from open-chain exercises).

Leg Extension Benefits:

1. Will give you a good pump, but not even close to the benefits you'll get from squatting and single-leg movements.

Uh, wait, there's really only one benefit – and it's pretty weak.

Whether you're a patient or not, the take-home message is the same: if you want more bang for your training buck you should be squatting, not doing leg extensions. Factor in the additional loading that squatting allows, and it should come as no surprise that you'll see better gains in size, strength, and functional capacity.

Since I'm keeping the weight consistent, is that truly a pyramid? And I have been upping my weight week to week.

I still feel chubby, and while no one else may notice the muffin top, I do.

I think partly it takes time. For so long, we've seen our bodies and our selves as the same thing, and our bodies change faster than our conception of self.

I don't have advice, except to be charitable and patient with yourself. Do things or wear things you never would have before. Force yourself out of your comfort zone.

If you haven't yet, consider a support group or professional counseling.

So here's a question I've always had. When I lift, I tend to focus on volume. By this I mean picking a weight and sticking with it for a given number of reps, even if that means breaking sets into smaller pieces.

For example, I may start out doing leg extensions with 100 pounds intending to do 4 sets of 10. First two sets, no problem. Next set, I get to 8 before failure. Next set, 6. Next set 4, and finally 2. I got my 40 reps. It took six sets instead of four.

I don't think I've read about this technique anywhere. They all say, or the ones I've read say, to pick the weight you can complete every rep of every set on.

Personally, I like my method because it takes me to failure more often. I don't do this for every lift, but I do it for maybe half of them, and it depends entirely on the lift. It's not a plan - I up my weight from the last week by 5 or 10 pounds and go at it. If I can do 4 full sets, great. If I can eek out my total reps in smaller sets, great. If it's apparent I'm not ready for the weight increase, I go back to the lighter weight and try again next week to increase poundage. I do my best to keep my form consistent, but I know I'm not perfect on the last rep or two of a set.

Maybe there's a name for this. I think of it kind of like a reverse pyramid, but the reps drop rather than the poundage.

Maybe this is a terrible or counterproductive approach.

I'm curious what experienced lifters think.

Booked a flight with a bulkhead seat because I won't have a problem fitting behind the tray anymore.

I don't understand why doctors require pre-op diets. It's just unnecessary torture in my opinion. I'm sorry you feel so down. What other coping mechanism can you find besides food to cheer you up?

Obese people store fat in their liver, enlarging them (and causing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).

The pre-op diet shrinks the liver to give the surgeon more room to work and make it less likely they'll accidentally damage the liver, which could be life threatening.

This happened months ago, but I still get a kick out of it: collar bones. I have them. Hadn't seen them in years. Every morning in front of the mirror, there they are.

Remember, it's a temporary problem. You can get through it.

Deep breath and remember: you've done hard things before and succeeded, and you will succeed this time as well.

Regarding grehlin, it is one of four hormones responsible for hunger. Many people find themselves hungry a few months after surgery, but they are easily sated by the small stomach.

It's a package deal. Reducing some grehlin while leaving the stomach mostly intact will not stop hunger or keep you from overeating.

I'd wait ok ab work for a while longer.

Try switching up your Protein Drink for something new. I love Rockin' Refuel, and Unjury is pretty good too.

The average sleeve patient loses 50% of excess weight. Not sure how that plays out over time, but that's based on long term studies, keeping in mind that sleeve is still fairly new.

I'm 7 months out and have lost 80%.

Some people lose more, some less. I figure these are life long changes, so I don't worry much about when I'll hit milestones.

The average sleeve patient loses 50% of excess weight. Not sure how that plays out over time, but that's based on long term studies, keeping in mind that sleeve is still fairly new.

I'm 7 months out and have lost 80%.

Some people lose more, some less. I figure these are life long changes, so I don't worry much about when I'll hit milestones.

Just excited. 42 short in an extra slim cut. Sleeves need to be taken up a bit but doesn't need major alterations. That's a first.

A colleague said how good I looked yesterday. Naturally, I managed to make it awkward with my response.

Usually it's not us. Sometimes it is (or if not us, definitely me).

My nutritionist is happy with 1200-1400 calories daily, on the lower end on days I don't work out.

She was also happy with the 120 grams of Protein and the fact that Im eating Quest bars rather than another protein bar.

No recommendations on supplements.< br>

Stop and realize what you are saying: you are so addicted to food you would rather go on being obese than miss a few days of food.

Speaking only for myself, when I put the same issue into those terms, it made me even more determined to change.

Well, I need fuel for the workout and raw materials on recovery days. If you are lifting 5 rep max weights, I'd go every day same calorie goal. If you are still losing rapidly, workout day.

Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Thanks for the feedback.

If I were to increase calories, would that be on days when I work out only, or every day?

I'm meeting with my nutritionist tomorrow. I'm going to ask her a lot of this, too.

There is definitely a science to lifting/diet/sleeve. Wish I could say I have it figured out, but it is always being tweaked. You say you are lifting, what are you doing specifically? 1200 calories of what? When are you eating? If your surgery date is correct, you are only about 6 months post-op. Right now (only in my opinion) I would be focusing on losing the weight and trying to keep what muscle you have. You just cannot take in enough protein/calories to start building a lot of mass. Establishing the routine and habit is the most important thing.

I used to lift everyday, but once I started getting into heavier weights, I needed more recovery time. So now I am down to 3 times a week. The other days I just try to get my steps in to maintain my weight.

I'm getting about 110-120 grams of  Protein daily, and I've been eating 5 times a day, occasionally six. That's  Breakfast,  lunch,  dinner, and afternoon  Protein Bar around 3 and another Protein Bar around 8:30 or 9 in the evening. Sometimes I have some nuts mid-morning or in the evening. Most of my calories come from protein-dense foods: turkey breast,  Protein Bars, Protein   drinks. I don't eat many straight carbs and keep fat pretty low.

I'm at 162 right now, so I feel good about my loss so far, but I lost A LOT of muscle mass. My outdoor hobbies - hiking and kayaking - had gotten very difficult. That's what drove me back to the gym. I don't care so much about mass as functional strength, though a little more definition is a nice bonus.

I used to lift for a few months at a time before losing interest, so I'm not a complete beginner, but given my loss of strength, it feels like square one.

I had a trainer design a simple routine for me. 1 day a week each of chest/triceps, back/biceps, shoulders, and legs plus abdominal every other day. I add in some cardio when I want. Each lifting day is 4 to 6 exercises, 4 sets of 10 reps each. The routines take about 45 minutes, and I follow them up with 10 minutes of stretching. I keep cardio to around 20 minutes of jogging/walking, but I'm considering some HIIT.

I've been pretty successful so far in increasing the weight each week. I'm seeing the trainer again Saturday to re-evaluate the routine.

I lift after work, so typically around 6:30 and then have dinner right after. If it's a weekend, I typically have a meal scheduled right after a workout regardless of the time.

I've never believed in adding calories when exercising, but I've also never been eating this little. Im concerned that I'll trick myself into eating way more calories than I'm burning in the gym.

The thing with these kinds of products is that if the actually did work - if this invention could do what it promises for as little work as it claims - everyone would know about them and have them.

If you're asking the question, you probably know the answer.

I've been lifting 4 times a week for a month now and have made good progress, but I'm hungry often despite getting 1200 calories a day or more.

Any ideas on the best foods to control hunger while maintaining decent nutrition for a lifting routine?

Are any supplements, such as an amino acid complex, worth while? I'm generally distrustful of supplements and don't go info for more than basic Vitamins.< /p>

I have super wide feet, and losing 120 pounds didn't change that. Oh well

I jogged. I haven't jogged in years. I like doing it just for the novelty of being able to.

45 minutes of upper body weight lifting and the 45 minutes of HIIT with the butterfly stroke in the pool mixed in with free and breaststroke. Rarely do it but love the feeling of total exhaustion until just lifting my arms to shower is hard.