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Post by nerdthenord on Aug 14, 2019 23:40:59 GMT
Howdy folks. I’m trying to break the cycle of negativity that seems to have infected the forum recently by sharing relevant positive experiences and stories.
So for the vast majority of my almost 26 years I was a super skinny 90 lbs five foot five nerd. I had major stomach surgery back in January ‘18, and gained almost 40 lbs in a year after 😜. It left a badass scar shaped like a cross that I call my Templar mark, but also made me legitimately at risk of getting fat for the first time. I also finally decided to learn how to use my swords instead of just displaying them, and that required more muscle than I had. To fix both issues, I joined a local gym back in March, and instantly fell in love with working out! I have gained a large amount of strength and muscle in this time by my standards, and am in a cut diet right now to get my body fat percentage down from 18 percent or so to 10% so I can achieve my goal of having ripped definition. Is anyone else here involved in the gym or fitness in general?
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Post by Cos on Aug 15, 2019 0:52:47 GMT
I have a difficult relationship with the gym. I really enjoy working out when I'm there but I have a hard time actually getting up and going. It really is the worst excuse. I do get to coast a bit having been a wrestler and kept up with gralling sports after the fact and I work construction, which keeps me reasonably fit and strong. That being said, I do need to start paying more attention to cardio and wrist strengthening work outs and maybe actually learn to use these damned blades HAHAHA! I'm glad you've gotten in to working out and are happy with your progress! Keep at it!
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Post by nerdthenord on Aug 15, 2019 1:55:28 GMT
Navy method. Hardly clinical but gives a good start. So I just got done consulting some fitness forums and every one there agreed I should lean bulk, not cut. So I will be doing that.
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Post by markus313 on Aug 15, 2019 8:02:00 GMT
Was heavily into weight lifting in my later teenage years and early twenties. Used to weigh around 230 lb into my earlier thirties, keeping up a rather basic routine. Since I quit my activities in the security sector, I felt I didn’t need any more heavy work (and weight) and didn’t enjoy it much anyways. Nowadays I stick to bodyweight exercises and light stuff which I can do at home, which spares my joints and is enough to play with the blades amongst other sports.
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Aug 15, 2019 9:00:10 GMT
I was very lazy for over 10 years until I bought my first sword 2012. Then I started to train with 2,5 kg dumbbells because they feel like a sword in the hand and that motivated me. And I can train at home in the morning before work without loosing too much time. I changed slowly to 5 kg later. After a few month of little health problems and the darn heat I try to train again 3-4 days a week for ca. 45 min. including warming up. I had no training plan but I tried carefully not to hurt my joints. At least swords are the reason I didn't transform into Jabba the Hutt yet!
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Post by SandStormZA on Aug 15, 2019 12:01:55 GMT
When I was a teen I was ultra skinny. Then my metabolism died down and I got pretty chubby. Then I took action, lost 60 pounds/ 30kg and was a rake again. Then I got chubby again. And then I watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and decided "Enough. I want to look like a superhero"
That kicked off my first serious gym phase. I'd always loved exercise, and had been practising martial arts for years, but now I wanted to be muscular. The first time I could deadlift my bodyweight, I was so proud. Gym fixed some pretty bad back injuries that had retired me from MMA training, and all the lifting took away my pain (this is not medical advice, consult your doctor).
Now I'm working in Vietnam, and I'm going to gym every day. I've fallen off the wagon a few times, but I always get back up and make the best go of gym that I can.
And these days, I lug my Black Fencer wasters (brought all the way with me from my native South Africa) to the gym and practise in there.
So yeah, I love going to the gym too, and being able to train HEMA there.
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Post by whitefeathers on Aug 19, 2019 2:08:43 GMT
Swords/ martial arts occurred simultaneously for me. I ive always been an active person but hate the gym. I do blame swords kinda for my recent interests because i dated a classmate for a short time that got me into them. Swords are evil. (In a good way)
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Aug 19, 2019 3:00:21 GMT
I never really liked going to the gym. These days all I really use is a freestanding 7' pullup bar, a set of gymnastic ringss, and an app called Thenics. 30 minutes in the morning and some pell work.
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Post by pvsampson on Aug 19, 2019 6:32:25 GMT
I was a lifter for a while a few years ago and still have 420lb standard weight plates,custom black nitride 500kg rated seven ft standard bar,vintage York bench,lat pull down machine plus db handles and curl bar.Got too painful as I have a major right elbow injury from early childhood,technically still broken and surgeons can't do anything but I persevere. Martial arts,MMA and boxing training and instructing keeps me reasonably fit yet I miss having more muscle size.I have noticed a bit more upper body size since adding regular boxing to my routine around 4 months ago.
Elbow and back pain dictate my activity level on any day and now I am learning Iaido my amount of practise is dependant on how well the elbow feels.
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Post by bebut on Aug 19, 2019 13:11:03 GMT
I would suggest to anyone long in the tooth to go gentle. Tai chi or similar arts and full body calisthenics offer the most reward/least risk. Use weights sparingly to target specific muscle groups. You Tube is full of videos for over 40, over 50, etc. Those of us in the etc. category need to be especially careful to avoid injuries.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 22, 2019 21:45:53 GMT
Honestly I been the same way. Ever since I got my Sword of Danu, I felt that while I could swing it, it wasn't a very effective weapon for myself, as many other swords of mine were just easier to move fast
So I been working out really hard so that I can build the strength so it can become a breeze to use. And honesty, it is. I can do the helicopter false edge cut thing easily (vormhow? I don't know any language other than English lol). It's become a lot easier to do the maneuvers you see in I.33 as well.
And lately I been working in some cardio as well to up my response time. It's all in the name of swords, for me.
Also, I realize the weight in Danu is actually an advantage when performing push cuts, as it makes it a breeze to apply that torque to my strikes. The sword does the work
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 22, 2019 22:03:41 GMT
Honestly I been the same way. Ever since I got my Sword of Danu, I felt that while I could swing it, it wasn't a very effective weapon for myself, as many other swords of mine were just easier to move fast So I been working out really hard so that I can build the strength so it can become a breeze to use. And honesty, it is. I can do the helicopter false edge cut thing easily (vormhow? I don't know any language other than English lol). It's become a lot easier to do the maneuvers you see in I.33 as well. And lately I been working in some cardio as well to up my response time. It's all in the name of swords, for me. Also, I realize the weight in Danu is actually an advantage when performing push cuts, as it makes it a breeze to apply that torque to my strikes. The sword does the work Good to see you back! Thank you very much
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Post by pvsampson on Aug 22, 2019 23:16:27 GMT
I would suggest to anyone long in the tooth to go gentle. Tai chi or similar arts and full body calisthenics offer the most reward/least risk. Use weights sparingly to target specific muscle groups. You Tube is full of videos for over 40, over 50, etc. Those of us in the etc. category need to be especially careful to avoid injuries. I know plenty of guys that started training well into their 40's and 50's,even older.Yes they may have some limiting physical factors but calisthenics and Tai Chi is no substitute or equivalent to lifting.One of the strongest guys I know is 52,and if you visit the Over 35 section of the biggest bodybuilding forum then you will see plenty of lifters in their 50's lifting heavy. I had a 345lb deadlift,for a single, with a broken arm.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 22, 2019 23:36:09 GMT
I would suggest to anyone long in the tooth to go gentle. Tai chi or similar arts and full body calisthenics offer the most reward/least risk. Use weights sparingly to target specific muscle groups. You Tube is full of videos for over 40, over 50, etc. Those of us in the etc. category need to be especially careful to avoid injuries. I know plenty of guys that started training well into their 40's and 50's,even older.Yes they may have some limiting physical factors but calisthenics and Tai Chi is no substitute or equivalent to lifting.One of the strongest guys I know is 52,and if you visit the Over 35 section of the biggest bodybuilding forum then you will see plenty of lifters in their 50's lifting heavy. I had a 345lb deadlift,for a single, with a broken arm. I gotta second this. I used to have horrible back problems and a knee that was so bad that I couldn't walk very far distances. Weight lifting has changed that for me, and I now am even able to do stuff I haven't done since I was 20
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 29, 2019 3:40:17 GMT
To revive this thread, what weight lifting exercises do you guys find most useful for sword use?
I been favouring shoulders, and surprisingly, my chest and biceps been quite contributing.
Of course I've always had an okay core, however.. And my legs are OP for my size 😎
No I didn't come here to brag. Just saying what is useful for me
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Post by nerdthenord on Aug 29, 2019 10:44:25 GMT
I would say the most important for me would be, in no particular order, wrists, shoulders, back, biceps, and chest. I work on my triceps of course but I have to say they are one of the upper body muscles that require the least training for sword techniques for me since I like moderately blade heavy stuff like viking swords and the sword does most of the forward force in the swing instead of the triceps. I need to do more leg and ab exercises but I have been doing hypertrophy training mostly for my chest, arms, shoulders, and back, and found it very helpful for sword usage.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Aug 29, 2019 20:08:42 GMT
I would say the most important for me would be, in no particular order, wrists, shoulders, back, biceps, and chest. I work on my triceps of course but I have to say they are one of the upper body muscles that require the least training for sword techniques for me since I like moderately blade heavy stuff like viking swords and the sword does most of the forward force in the swing instead of the triceps. I need to do more leg and ab exercises but I have been doing hypertrophy training mostly for my chest, arms, shoulders, and back, and found it very helpful for sword usage. I gotta add more triceps into my training. I find that weights are not heavy enough or they are too heavy for training that I can get a lot out of. You have any recommendations for ones that worked for you?
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Post by nerdthenord on Sept 2, 2019 14:33:06 GMT
I would say the most important for me would be, in no particular order, wrists, shoulders, back, biceps, and chest. I work on my triceps of course but I have to say they are one of the upper body muscles that require the least training for sword techniques for me since I like moderately blade heavy stuff like viking swords and the sword does most of the forward force in the swing instead of the triceps. I need to do more leg and ab exercises but I have been doing hypertrophy training mostly for my chest, arms, shoulders, and back, and found it very helpful for sword usage. I gotta add more triceps into my training. I find that weights are not heavy enough or they are too heavy for training that I can get a lot out of. You have any recommendations for ones that worked for you? I strongly recommend machines instead of free weights for beginners. That's what I use. Sorry about the late reply. I was out of town at a convention all weekend.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Sept 2, 2019 22:44:56 GMT
I gotta add more triceps into my training. I find that weights are not heavy enough or they are too heavy for training that I can get a lot out of. You have any recommendations for ones that worked for you? I strongly recommend machines instead of free weights for beginners. That's what I use. Sorry about the late reply. I was out of town at a convention all weekend. I love using the machines. Free weights are nice too, but the risk of dropping them on myself is too high haha
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Post by pvsampson on Sept 3, 2019 0:39:47 GMT
I strongly recommend machines instead of free weights for beginners. That's what I use. Sorry about the late reply. I was out of town at a convention all weekend. I love using the machines. Free weights are nice too, but the risk of dropping them on myself is too high haha Try reverse curls for triceps.Activates the wrists,forearms,biceps and triceps and increases grip strength.Push downs on a machine too.
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