- I’m 29, live in Toronto and work freelance in communications research.
- Since Fall 2010, this blog has been dedicated to my health and fitness, documenting day-to-day as I navigate my way through the hurdles and triumphs of living a balanced lifestyle. You'll find lots of food pics, along with reflections, milestones and updates on my weight training, spinning, and whatever else I incorporate in my quest to be as awesome as possible.
- MUSCLE GAIN!
- CW: 128 lbs
- Deadlift: 255 lbs
- Squat: 140 lbs
- Leg Press: 520 lbs
- 5K: 33:13
Home alone for a month means I don’t have to share my kale…!
is Gun Show Thursday still a thing?
:P
I swear you are all in love with the idea of endorphins but don’t actually understand what you’re saying.
Yes, when you exercise intensely (keyword: intensely), endorphins are released in order to reduce pain perception, because basically your body is exhausted and screaming, but you just won’t stop exercising, so it does the only thing it can do: dull the pain. This doesn’t happen until you’ve reached a certain pain/stress threshold, depending on your physical fitness and existing pain tolerance. Many people cannot push themselves far enough to experience the “rush” you incessantly talk about because they just aren’t physically able to (this can improve with training), and they leave the gym or park or wherever feeling like they must be doing something wrong because exercise isn’t making them feel as great as you said it would.
This is why I get angry when people insist to me that exercise ~makes you feel so good!~, assuming that everyone feels that way when they exercise, because for many people, it does not. Additionally, it is very often prescribed as a means to treat depression, but ends up making some people feel worse after it does not deliver the desired results.
Most of the studies that show a link between exercise and endorphin release purposely put their subjects through intensive and extended physical activity because there just isn’t a significant release before then. For example, the study that confirms this effect in runner’s high only looked at serious runners (not casual joggers) after a two hour run.
Several studies have found no definitive response to resistance exercise (I believe this includes strength training). A study on women running on treadmills at 60 and 90% VO2max (maximum oxygen intake) found a significant increase only in the latter group. Other studies have shown that the change in concentration of endorphins is small after 30-45 minutes of exercise but increases with time.
If you’re someone who has been exercising and find that it doesn’t make you feel good/better/whatever, please don’t think you’re doing something wrong, or that you’re “not trying hard enough.” If you are pushing yourself to just a little beyond your comfort zone each time you exercise, you are doing just fine. If you are staying within your comfort zone and just doing what you can, you are doing just fine.
This explains so much. I’ve always assumed there was something wrong with me!
100 Deadlifts.
Basically, whenever I’m in a hurry or too distracted / busy / tired to figure out how best to use my time at the gym, I just pick a big exercise and do 100 reps.
Usually takes about 30min, it’s surprisingly difficult, and it ensures that my body never knows what to expect.
Today, 100 deadlifts at 135lbs. Boom.
We’re always burning calories, no matter what our bodies are doing. That’s the entire reason why we need to eat - It takes energy in order to stay alive. So measuring out calories in terms of only exercise seems so silly. We’re going to use them at some point, even if we don’t exercise with the specific purpose of burning them off.
So I prefer to measure these calories in the time it takes me to sleep them off:
- Donut: 3.7 hours
- Egg McMuffin: 4.8 hours
- Cookie: 7 hours
- Pizza: 5.1 hours
- Rice: 4.3 hours
- Cinnamon Bun: 8 hours
- Burger: 12 hours
- Brownie: 6 hours
- Fries: 8.7 hours
- Burrito: 6.6 hours
A burger is much less intimidating once you realize that you can burn it off by just laying in bed all day. Literally.
Sleep times are assuming a BMR of 1,500.
Mine’s 1,400 - close enough :)
(via the-exercist)
Deadlift PR
255lbs.
Just one rep, and the trainer doing front squats next to me winced and commented that it looked “rough”, lol. I don’t quite remember (because 255lbs) but I think I replied “It’s fucking heavy!”
Whatever I said, he laughed, and then shared some really interesting insight about deadlifts as a hamstring/glute exercise with back muscles working only as stabilizers, and helped me do a couple of sets at my warm-up weight (135) with a focus on exploding up, using my hips for momentum. Apparently this will help train the higher weights.
New perspectives are always good.
So are 4-figure scores on fitocracy. just sayin’.
50lb Thrusters.
10x10
100.
100 Thrusters.
This is my go-to, no-brainer, 30min routine for when work is crushing me and my regularly scheduled workouts keep getting pushed back and back and back. Too tired to analyze anymore data, too tired to write anymore reports. Either watch TV before bed, or do goddamn thrusters. Tonight, I chose the latter.
“Do something today that you’ll thank yourself for tomorrow.”
Not gonna lie; I may have thanked myself for watching DWTS, too.
Going to post in detail about my squats sometime soon. Lots to tell.
But for now - huge deadlift PR today: 245lbs! Felt like I was going to pass out after 1 rep, but that’s enough for me :)
2,200 calories today - nice little surplus to refuel. Back to the 1,800 range tomorrow.
Great leg workout with a girl friend yesterday - lots of hard work and mutual support. wish so much that we lived closer so we could work out together regularly!
In any case, Tanita reading posted for reference and hardcore butt DOMs today.
Just reposting as we enter the weekend :)
As some of you know, I own a boutique research firm (translation: I work from home) and one of my start up clients is opening a gym. He’s got some pretty novel ideas about group fitness, functional training and the psychology behind working out with your significant other, and I’ve put together a survey to figure out who he should be targeting. If you’ve got 5-10min, and especially if you live in Canada (but anywhere’s fine!), please take the survey and pass it along to anyone else you think might be interested! You can also enter to win a $50 SportChek gift card.
(Side note: If you happen to be a firefighter, police officer, paramedic, in the military or a competitive athlete, I’m particularly interested in hearing from you)
Thank you :)
