sorry grunching but I’m feeling the holiday weakness get to me. Drinking more, eating trashy. **** that. Tomorrow I am after it, I didn’t drink tonight and am getting solid 6-8 hours.

My back and legs are sore but I am gonna do chest/abs tomorrow which are really not good because I barely work on them. Russian twist makes me wanna kill myself. Yesterday trainer said crunches = bad because it’s not a natural body movement? But then suggest planking instead lol. Sounded like hippy bs to me but w/e crunches kinda hurt my neck anyway and there’s other stuff to do.

He is correcthorse.gif. Crunches are for donks. Planks better but mostly for skinnyfats and fats.

AthleanX a pro. You watch his videos, you surpass your trainer.

He is correct, planks >crunches. Planks are a safe way to work your core muscles and teach you how to brace your core (not just your abs, glutes and low back too). This is important to learn to do so you have spinal stability when you squat or deadlift. You should be progressing them over time…weighted planks, side planks, or increasing difficulty by removing a limb or doing them on an exercise ball.

Square should be progressed too. Normally it’s body weight, goblet, barbell. You prob don’t need the smith machine

Wait please explain like im an idiot.

Definitely agree with crunches being for donks.

What does Athlean think of the ab wheel?

I quite like Adidas Adipower shoes for squats. I recommend giving the barbell a whirl but it may be partially just to see if you mess up your back as often as I do (usually no more than once a week and almost never seriously!).

AthleanX would say that the ab wheel is one of the most overlooked and best ab exercises that you can do. IF you do them correctly. And then would go on to school you on how to do them correctly.

Which part is confusing you?

The plank variant I sometimes use as a warm down from climbing is a 5 minute variant:

1 minute front, 1 minute side, 1 minute front, 1 minute other side, and 1 minute front.

It is quite unpleasant.

Think i was just tired sorry

I was measured at 16.5% body fat on a fancy machine today. Thats a pretty good drop in like what 6 weeks? It’s definitely visible now.

I got a new trainer and this guy is much more intense on the workouts, I like it. I learned the skull crusher today

So ab wheel > planks?

Per AthleanX, yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JjwnkA3XJs

Clicking on URLs is actually killing your gains

Switch to barbell squats imo, range of motion is higher and muscle activation is much higher. You'll lift less weight at first but you'll progress. I'm sure you're fine to start with the empty barbell (at least) without having to worry about balance/injury and add weight each workout, just set the safeties up and watch videos if you have to.

How you're doing jmakin? Have you managed to put in some shifts since the start of the year?
Hope all is good.

thanks, kind of slowed down after my trainer gave me covid. Been doin light at-home workouts and have lately been focused the last month on eating very clean and lean (almost 100% vegetarian w/ occasional meat). Even though I've been slacking this month, I am pleased to report that my gut is almost completely gone when I stand at rest (without sucking it in at all). I still have a bit of a double chin but it's looking good enough now that I feel comfortable finally shaving my beard. I really like how I look right now, and I haven't been able to say that in a long time. My mental state has also been okay.

I'll pick it back up again full-bore soon

Man, that's Just great. Sounds like a lot of progress, even though you'd like to push yourself harder. Keep it up man!

been severely depressed so been working on mostly that

got sick again

down to 146, probably need to gain a few lbs

eating has been v clean though other than im always seemingly at a deficit.

activity level has been low like 1x a week, trying to motivate myself to keep it going

I did feel encouraged on sunday, I walked an 18 hole course and played out of my ****ing mind, my irons were going 20-30 yards farther than they usually do and I don't remember hitting very many bad shots. My swing feels very fluid and powerful right now and I think it might be some of the work I've been doing on flexibility and strength. Randoms compliment my swing these days which feels really good because I was ****ing terrible for a while. My 9 iron used to be a 110 club on a good day, ~100 on a bad one. Now my bad shots are 130 and my good ones are 150. The game is so much easier when you can hit a 9 iron 150 yards, holy ****. I know that might sound pretty long but trust me it's not as impressive as it might sound, my irons are a game improvement set that has everything lofted a club up from what it actually is - e.g., my 9 iron is lofted like a typical 8 iron would be.

Then, after 18, I wanted to play again so I did another 18. My body never could've walked 36 holes in a day a few months ago, I could barely do 18 without getting exhausted (in a golf cart!). Funny enough I shot a record low score for me in the 2nd round, so I'm pretty pleased with my endurance.

Still waiting on my surgery, no news there.