Fitness & Martial Arts Thread

[TravelJug]

The best foods to have before and after a workout would be massively appriciated!

Honestly, I wouldn't change anything before and have a banana after. I always train after work, before my dinner. Traveljug is right when he says carbs before, protein after, but this isn't needed unless you are seriously gym mad. You don't need to change your diet massively to fit around the gym unless you're really serious about looking like a Men's Health Meathead from the covers.

Balanced diet. Don't drink too much. Don't smoke. Eat your vegetables.

I mean, the last diet I read in Men's Health was 6 meals a day and two workout sessions. Which is great isn't it? Sadly I have a job and a social life that doesn't fit in with 6 meals a day and two visits to the gym.

Probably the best piece of advice you'll read in this thread.

[JNR]

The best foods to have before and after a workout would be massively appriciated!

Honestly, I wouldn't change anything before and have a banana after. I always train after work, before my dinner. Traveljug is right when he says carbs before, protein after, but this isn't needed unless you are seriously gym mad. You don't need to change your diet massively to fit around the gym unless you're really serious about looking like a Men's Health Meathead from the covers.

Balanced diet. Don't drink too much. Don't smoke. Eat your vegetables.

I mean, the last diet I read in Men's Health was 6 meals a day and two workout sessions. Which is great isn't it? Sadly I have a job and a social life that doesn't fit in with 6 meals a day and two visits to the gym.

Probably the best piece of advice you'll read in this thread.

o/

[TravelJug]

The best foods to have before and after a workout would be massively appriciated!

Honestly, I wouldn't change anything before and have a banana after. I always train after work, before my dinner. Traveljug is right when he says carbs before, protein after, but this isn't needed unless you are seriously gym mad. You don't need to change your diet massively to fit around the gym unless you're really serious about looking like a Men's Health Meathead from the covers.

Balanced diet. Don't drink too much. Don't smoke. Eat your vegetables.

I mean, the last diet I read in Men's Health was 6 meals a day and two workout sessions. Which is great isn't it? Sadly I have a job and a social life that doesn't fit in with 6 meals a day and two visits to the gym.

Probably the best piece of advice you'll read in this thread.

o/

Fitness 5.

\o

[Loire]

I read that, the whole six meals a day thing, and it seems completely over whelming for the average person. Here's to good old common sense!

\o

[Dowbocop]

Beans, mate! Can't go wrong with beans. 20 grams of protein in one tin!

Risky business there. Beans do have loads of protein, but I try not to eat them before I have a period of heavy physical exertion if you know what I mean

I tend to eat a proper meal before I go to training, which will generally have rice or pasta in it, and be something like a chilli, curry or bolognese (homemade mostly, though sometimes I use the ready made curries). This will give me carbs from the rice/pasta, protein and a little fat from the meat, and vitamins from the tomato sauce and vegetables. I aim to eat about 2 hours before training, although sometimes it can be as late as 1 hour before if I'm really running late. Is that enough time to free up the carbs from the pasta and rice for training? If not there's not really much I can do, as I'll be in school until late come September, but it would be nice to know. I also don't habitually eat anything afterwards, so should I chug a pint of semi-skimmed afterwards for some protein-y goodness?

[TravelJug]

I read that, the whole six meals a day thing, and it seems completely over whelming for the average person. Here's to good old common sense!

\o

I eat about 5-6 times a day Small and meaningful and all that. Don't worry lads, it'll be back to the good ol' student 3 meal special when Uni starts.

TEAM!

\o

Beans, mate! Can't go wrong with beans. 20 grams of protein in one tin!

Risky business there. Beans do have loads of protein, but I try not to eat them before I have a period of heavy physical exertion if you know what I mean

I tend to eat a proper meal before I go to training, which will generally have rice or pasta in it, and be something like a chilli, curry or bolognese (homemade mostly, though sometimes I use the ready made curries). This will give me carbs from the rice/pasta, protein and a little fat from the meat, and vitamins from the tomato sauce and vegetables. I aim to eat about 2 hours before training, although sometimes it can be as late as 1 hour before if I'm really running late. Is that enough time to free up the carbs from the pasta and rice for training? If not there's not really much I can do, as I'll be in school until late come September, but it would be nice to know. I also don't habitually eat anything afterwards, so should I chug a pint of semi-skimmed afterwards for some protein-y goodness?

Ah don't worry about that lad. As long as you eat something half decent before your WO.

As for the milk. Why not eh? It can only help.

[JNR]

Oh yeah, TravelJug, you're right about the cutting down on drinking and stopping smoking lark. Just I love the pub too much and fags are really moreish.



By the way, where does everyone train? I generally road run a few times a week, and gym maybe 3 or 4. I go to my local JJB gym, it's nice and new, has every machine you could possibly want, pool, jacuzzis and a large steam room. When I go to the gym I generally try and start lifting some weights. I don't have a gym partner, so I used fixed weights. As much as I'd love to be disciplined in the gym, I fail, so rather than working on legs one day, chest the other, arms the next for example, I just blitz myself on every major muscle group. Then I do about between 30 mins cardio, on this weird machine that is like a treadmill but has two belts and they go up and down (it simulates hiking, apparently, and burns calories twice as fast as a treadmill, apparently), rowing or normal treadmill. Nothing severe, just keep myself at a nice pace.

If I'm hungry, banana before and/or after. Before, during and after I'm training I hydrate on a lucozade sport mix from Boots, even though I'm not even sure if hydrates better than water. 500ml over the course of the session, including before and afer does the job, sometimes with more water if I'm thirsty.

I'm probably going to knock the lucozade sport in the head as I reckon it's bollocks. What is also bollocks is the amount of water people are told to drink these days. 2.5 litres normally, rising to 4-5 litres when training is a lot of water. It makes me laugh, because the only place in any medical journal where this is stated is in a BMJ article from 1945 (before the golden age of medicine) where we are recommended to drink a ml of water for every calorie, so 2500 cals is 2.5L water. Thing is, straight after that, we are informed that the majority of this is took in as the food we eat.

[TravelJug]

Oh yeah, TravelJug, you're right about the cutting down on drinking and stopping smoking lark. Just I love the pub too much and fags are really moreish.

Here, you're preaching to the choir. I know where you're coming from in terms of drink. I can go off drink fine now because it's the summer. Just wait til I get back to Uni...

[Loire]

I smoke far too much when I drink. They are very moreish, and I tend to chain smoke on a Saturday night until I'm all out of smokes !

[TravelJug]

I'm not a lean mean muscle machine by any means. I'm about 17% Body Fat but you wouldn't really notice as much if you saw me. I look quite built more than anything when I have clothes on...I'm not too bad with them off either!

I'm working on it though...

[Dowbocop]

Oh yeah, TravelJug, you're right about the cutting down on drinking and stopping smoking lark. Just I love the pub too much and fags are really moreish.

Here, you're preaching to the choir. I know where you're coming from in terms of drink. I can go off drink fine now because it's the summer. Just wait til I get back to Uni...

I didn't drink for two months earlier this year when I was training for my black belt, it was interesting to see just how much better I felt for it. I hated it, but I didn't miss getting lashed and having the hangover, and I had enjoyable nights out off the sauce, I just love a good real ale, and I missed the local beer festival because I was training

Ta for the reply above as well

[JNR]

By the way, where does everyone train? I generally road run a few times a week, and gym maybe 3 or 4. I go to my local JJB gym, it's nice and new, has every machine you could possibly want, pool, jacuzzis and a large steam room. When I go to the gym I generally try and start lifting some weights. I don't have a gym partner, so I used fixed weights. As much as I'd love to be disciplined in the gym, I fail, so rather than working on legs one day, chest the other, arms the next for example, I just blitz myself on every major muscle group. Then I do about between 30 mins cardio, on this weird machine that is like a treadmill but has two belts and they go up and down (it simulates hiking, apparently, and burns calories twice as fast as a treadmill, apparently), rowing or normal treadmill. Nothing severe, just keep myself at a nice pace.

If I'm hungry, banana before and/or after. Before, during and after I'm training I hydrate on a lucozade sport mix from Boots, even though I'm not even sure if hydrates better than water. 500ml over the course of the session, including before and afer does the job, sometimes with more water if I'm thirsty.

I'm probably going to knock the lucozade sport in the head as I reckon it's bollocks. What is also bollocks is the amount of water people are told to drink these days. 2.5 litres normally, rising to 4-5 litres when training is a lot of water. It makes me laugh, because the only place in any medical journal where this is stated is in a BMJ article from 1945 (before the golden age of medicine) where we are recommended to drink a ml of water for every calorie, so 2500 cals is 2.5L water. Thing is, straight after that, we are informed that the majority of this is took in as the food we eat.



Just in case you missed it from my edit.

[TravelJug]

Oh yeah, TravelJug, you're right about the cutting down on drinking and stopping smoking lark. Just I love the pub too much and fags are really moreish.

Here, you're preaching to the choir. I know where you're coming from in terms of drink. I can go off drink fine now because it's the summer. Just wait til I get back to Uni...

I didn't drink for two months earlier this year when I was training for my black belt, it was interesting to see just how much better I felt for it. I hated it, but I didn't miss getting lashed and having the hangover, and I had enjoyable nights out off the sauce, I just love a good real ale, and I missed the local beer festival because I was training

Ta for the reply above as well

What're you a black belt in mate? I want to get my Judo one this year. That would require training about 3 nights a week though. 2 of which I have to cycle 3 mile there and back. I wouldn't be getting home til like 10.30 and therefore...no social life as a student. Not. Happening.

[Forest]

By the way, where does everyone train?

My bedroom. I've got two benches. One that has leg curl, preacher curl and lat pulldown fix'ns and the other is just a standard incline/decline bench. Got plenty of free weight plates and dumbells, a curly bar and a straight barbell. Now I've got w'self a Powerbar for chins ups and hanging leg raises.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I ran on the roads near me about 4 times a week. Got a bit leg/knee trouble and stopped. Should start getting back into though, but I've got an expensive mountain bike coming my way in the next couple of days so I might just give up on the running and replace it with cycling.

[JNR]

By the way, where does everyone train?

My bedroom. I've got two benches. One that has leg curl, preacher curl and lat pulldown fix'ns and the other is just a standard incline/decline bench. Got plenty of free weight plates and dumbells, a curly bar and a straight barbell. Now I've got w'self a Powerbar for chins ups and hanging leg raises.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I ran on the roads near me about 4 times a week. Got a bit leg/knee trouble and stopped. Should start getting back into though, but I've got an expensive mountain bike coming my way in the next couple of days so I might just give up on the running and replace it with cycling.

You want to get yourself down the gym mate. It's worth it for the perv potential alone.

[Forest]

By the way, where does everyone train?

My bedroom. I've got two benches. One that has leg curl, preacher curl and lat pulldown fix'ns and the other is just a standard incline/decline bench. Got plenty of free weight plates and dumbells, a curly bar and a straight barbell. Now I've got w'self a Powerbar for chins ups and hanging leg raises.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I ran on the roads near me about 4 times a week. Got a bit leg/knee trouble and stopped. Should start getting back into though, but I've got an expensive mountain bike coming my way in the next couple of days so I might just give up on the running and replace it with cycling.

You want to get yourself down the gym mate. It's worth it for the perv potential alone.

I used to go a gym but hated having to wait for other people to finish using the machines. it was as if they didn't realise I was in the middle of my strawberry floating routine. Some people, eh? But seriously I hate the general public so stopping at the gym just seemed like common sense once I realised I could manage at home. Obviously not paying the gym membership was a bonus as well.

There was only about 2 or 3 occasions at the gym when there was some skirt to look at. Having said that I'd go in the morning, can't imagine how busy it would've been on an evening. I expect there was more young ladies after work hours.

My mates all go to a gym and from what they've told me it's run and used by a bunch of villains. People with names like Dan 'The Daggerman' from Dagenham.

[Loire]

Free weights in the bed room with a bench I used for peck flys. I'd love to get a big set up, or foldout bench with a few more features on it. My current one only has arms to hold the bar, and the raise on the upper part for working different areas.

Used to be into my cycling quite heavily in the summer, but can't really be arsed with it at any other time - shame as I used to clock twelve miles in an hour for about six nights a week sometimes, last year.

Strange, I half considered going for a cycle at the local quarry earlier today.

[Dowbocop]

Oh yeah, TravelJug, you're right about the cutting down on drinking and stopping smoking lark. Just I love the pub too much and fags are really moreish.

Here, you're preaching to the choir. I know where you're coming from in terms of drink. I can go off drink fine now because it's the summer. Just wait til I get back to Uni...

I didn't drink for two months earlier this year when I was training for my black belt, it was interesting to see just how much better I felt for it. I hated it, but I didn't miss getting lashed and having the hangover, and I had enjoyable nights out off the sauce, I just love a good real ale, and I missed the local beer festival because I was training

Ta for the reply above as well

What're you a black belt in mate? I want to get my Judo one this year. That would require training about 3 nights a week though. 2 of which I have to cycle 3 mile there and back. I wouldn't be getting home til like 10.30 and therefore...no social life as a student. Not. Happening.

I'm a brown belt in Juko Ryu Ju-Jitsu. I didn't do my black belt in March like I was planning to because I couldn't fit in the sessions, the out of hours training and my dissertation (see which one I put last in that list!). That's not including the fact that my girlfriend quite reasonably wanted to spend time with me. I was training four times a week, twice at the uni club, and twice in other sessions the club runs. It. Was. Knackering! I'm feeling better about the March 09 ones already though, hopefully I can prepare better this time, and not royally strawberry float off the missus four nights a week

How do you get graded in Judo? Are there specific techniques you need to demonstrate in each belt, or do you just fight and see how well you do? I've heard people jumping up several belts or tags in one grading in Judo.

[Shime Waza]

Shime, your routine on the first page doesn't include any squats or deadlifts, what's up with that?

That's because I have a strawberry floated left knee and I was (and am) unable to squat with weights. I don't do deadlifts as a general rule. Anyway, my routine changes quite a bit but I haven't posted my new ones, I think they are in the old GR thread somewhere.

[TravelJug]

I'm a brown belt in Juko Ryu Ju-Jitsu. I didn't do my black belt in March like I was planning to because I couldn't fit in the sessions, the out of hours training and my dissertation (see which one I put last in that list!). That's not including the fact that my girlfriend quite reasonably wanted to spend time with me. I was training four times a week, twice at the uni club, and twice in other sessions the club runs. It. Was. Knackering! I'm feeling better about the March 09 ones already though, hopefully I can prepare better this time, and not royally strawberry float off the missus four nights a week

How do you get graded in Judo? Are there specific techniques you need to demonstrate in each belt, or do you just fight and see how well you do? I've heard people jumping up several belts or tags in one grading in Judo.

Nah, you don't need to show any specific techniques at the actual grading. You do however have to pass a theory test on techniques at your club before you're allowed to go for your next belt.

To get your belt in Judo you need to win a fight by wazari or Ippon (3/4 Score or Judo's equivilent of a KO - Landing your opponent on their back.) Yep, you sure can jump belts if you're good enough. I jumped 2 at my last grading and it probably should've been three. My 2nd match was a draw. Rage for me.

When you get to your brown, getting your black is a different story though