What DOESN'T work, for you?
Discussion
I quite enjoy the discussions about what works, and what others argue doesn't work. Some quite entrenched, dogmatic opinions on all sides. 
In my (limited) experience, pretty much everything I've tried has 'worked' for my goals at the time. The most important part being to stick to whatever my chosen method/lifestyle is at the time.
TLDR; Most popular training/keep fit/ diets work for me. The one that doesn't work is 'no plan'; i.e. leaving everything to chance and eating/drinking on the fly. Rubbish choices produce rubbish results.
In my (limited) experience, pretty much everything I've tried has 'worked' for my goals at the time. The most important part being to stick to whatever my chosen method/lifestyle is at the time.
- When I was 'bodybuilding' and doing lots of typical isolation exercises, 5-6 meals a day (mostly porridge & shake for breakfast, chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli), strict calorie counting, etc. Did pretty well for a forty-something with no experience. Lean, good definition and some decent mass. Worked for me.
- Went a bit caveman/paleo for a while; exercise was more body-weight work with lots of squats, pushups, chins, dips, etc. Lots of meat, fish and veg - no grains. Also pretty good for me.
- Full-on, card carrying veganism next. More what is known as 'whole food plant based'. We all know/heard of vegans who live on biscuits, coke and tofu - my preference was still for no junk. Over time, I found weights to be more challenging with slow progress, if any. Whether I was being a 'strachivore' consuming copious amounts of potatoes, or veggie & beans hippy I felt great and remained lean - just lacked energy after 18-20 months.
- LCHF is my current weapon of choice and thoroughly enjoying it. I have no 'need' to be ketogenic as I believe my insulin resistance is 'normal', but nonetheless - I remain fit and healthy, regaining strength and power, and looking better than I have for a while (so I'm told
). Weight training is loosely 5x5, but not by any book - just what I feel like on the day, plus I've added in some cardio, which I've never really done before. I seem to have extra energy at the moment, so why not use it?
TLDR; Most popular training/keep fit/ diets work for me. The one that doesn't work is 'no plan'; i.e. leaving everything to chance and eating/drinking on the fly. Rubbish choices produce rubbish results.
A decade of good cooking but mucho lager and takeaways. Somewhat chubby and miserable. not working
Since then Keto/Paleo/IF has worked very well for me for six years. Thinner without effort and with so much spare energy I took up running.
Currently trying Carnivore, meat and water 30 days. Early days. Could murder some cheese.
Edit for readability now I'm back on a proper screen.
Since then Keto/Paleo/IF has worked very well for me for six years. Thinner without effort and with so much spare energy I took up running.
Currently trying Carnivore, meat and water 30 days. Early days. Could murder some cheese.
Edit for readability now I'm back on a proper screen.
Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 3rd August 18:32
LordGrover said:
TLDR; Most popular training/keep fit/ diets work for me. The one that doesn't work is 'no plan'; i.e. leaving everything to chance and eating/drinking on the fly. Rubbish choices produce rubbish results.
That's the biggest thing for me too. If I batch cook and keep a supply I do well.didelydoo said:
Training without intensity- waste of time IMO. To make significant changes, you need significant effort- It should be tough, unpleasant even. I don't think most people push nearly as hard as they can.
I agree in the main but it is not for everyone. I know that if I have three heavy workouts in the space of about 9 days then I am already on road to going stale and I have to back off. Age and individual factors need to be taken into account.All subjective though. one persons 'intense' workout I would consider to be merely a warm up whilst another I would consider madness and flogging a dead horse.
272BHP said:
didelydoo said:
Training without intensity- waste of time IMO. To make significant changes, you need significant effort- It should be tough, unpleasant even. I don't think most people push nearly as hard as they can.
I agree in the main but it is not for everyone. I know that if I have three heavy workouts in the space of about 9 days then I am already on road to going stale and I have to back off. Age and individual factors need to be taken into account.All subjective though. one persons 'intense' workout I would consider to be merely a warm up whilst another I would consider madness and flogging a dead horse.
[/quoteNot everyone wants to train to "bodybuilder" levels- in fact, most people don't want that look or train to that level.
You can exercise muscles at a less intense level and still reap benefits.
I , myself, train harder than that but, for athletic muscularity/fitness- I've no desire to be a heavy lump and anyway, as a lighter build, I would be wasting my time- even on the favoured juice!
oceanview said:
272BHP said:
didelydoo said:
Training without intensity- waste of time IMO. To make significant changes, you need significant effort- It should be tough, unpleasant even. I don't think most people push nearly as hard as they can.
I agree in the main but it is not for everyone. I know that if I have three heavy workouts in the space of about 9 days then I am already on road to going stale and I have to back off. Age and individual factors need to be taken into account.All subjective though. one persons 'intense' workout I would consider to be merely a warm up whilst another I would consider madness and flogging a dead horse.
[/quoteNot everyone wants to train to "bodybuilder" levels- in fact, most people don't want that look or train to that level.
You can exercise muscles at a less intense level and still reap benefits.
I , myself, train harder than that but, for athletic muscularity/fitness- I've no desire to be a heavy lump and anyway, as a lighter build, I would be wasting my time- even on the favoured juice!
But you don’t just become a big lump, it takes many, many years of hard training. The same rules apply to everyone- train smart and hard, and you’ll reach your goals quicker.
Making it easier, makes the process longer.
I guess most just don’t have the drive or ambition, and view it as a fun way to get fit and have hobby. My view is somewhat tunnel vision compared to most I guess!
However- effort reaps rewards faster.
Making it easier, makes the process longer.
I guess most just don’t have the drive or ambition, and view it as a fun way to get fit and have hobby. My view is somewhat tunnel vision compared to most I guess!
However- effort reaps rewards faster.
I admire those who are committed to their choice of 'self improvement' - it takes dedication and commitment, but it's not for me.
I have no desire to be ripped, but like to be lean with some defined muscle. This still requires 'moderately' heavy weights, but I only need to do five exercises once or twice a week to achieve this.
I have no desire to be ripped, but like to be lean with some defined muscle. This still requires 'moderately' heavy weights, but I only need to do five exercises once or twice a week to achieve this.
Isolation exercises: curls, pushdowns, etc. All they ever do is irritate my joints. No gains in strength or muscle mass.
BUT that is probably because I do them so rarely, am bad at them and give up quickly once I see no results. I think those kind of exercises probably just require more dedication than I can give to something boring, unpleasant and time-consuming. I expect that even I would see gains if I did curls every other day for 3 months...assuming my elbows and shoulders did not disintegrate.
I think we are all biased in favour of exercises and diets that we enjoy. I don't think I have ever taken even an ounce of pleasure or satisfaction from an isolation curl or tricep extension. Running is more enjoyable for me, and I really don't like running.
Diets don't work for me because I cannot be bothered living an unpleasant life. I eat pretty much whatever I want and am just lucky that I like healthy food more than junk food (with the exception of cake...cake is good...must resist cake).
BUT that is probably because I do them so rarely, am bad at them and give up quickly once I see no results. I think those kind of exercises probably just require more dedication than I can give to something boring, unpleasant and time-consuming. I expect that even I would see gains if I did curls every other day for 3 months...assuming my elbows and shoulders did not disintegrate.
I think we are all biased in favour of exercises and diets that we enjoy. I don't think I have ever taken even an ounce of pleasure or satisfaction from an isolation curl or tricep extension. Running is more enjoyable for me, and I really don't like running.
Diets don't work for me because I cannot be bothered living an unpleasant life. I eat pretty much whatever I want and am just lucky that I like healthy food more than junk food (with the exception of cake...cake is good...must resist cake).
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