The Physical Fitness Thread

[pmaitra]

Thread merged.

Thanks for informing me @A chauhan.

 

[A chauhan]

Re: Hindu Pushups v. Dive Bomber Pushups ... Which Is Better?

@A chauhan,

Any tips on using a mace? I am interested in knowing more about that.

I found only this, I hope it helps, I'll ask from my friends who do Gada exercise and tell you if they make some good points :-

Spoiler

Joris and Gadas

Joris and gadas are heavy clubs which wrestlers swing in order to strengthen their shoulders and arms. At Ragunath Maharaj Akhara, Akhara Morchal Bir and other gymnasia, jori swinging is both a competitive sport and a form of exercise.

Joris are always swung in pairs (see plate 3). Those used for exercise usually weigh between fifteen and twenty-five kilograms each. They are carved of heavy wood and are weighted with bands of metal. In order to make the joris more difficult to swing, blades and nails are sometimes hammered into them.

At the beginning of the exercise, the joris are held in an inverted position. Each jori is swung alternately behind the back in a long arch. At the end of the arch each jori is lifted or flipped back onto the shoulder as the opposite jori begins its pendulum swing. Timing is an important part of this exercise. The balanced weight of one jori must facilitate the movement of the other. Jori swinging exercises the arms, shoulders, chest, thighs, and lower back. Wrestlers tend to swing fairly lightweight joris because they say that the heavier clubs cause the upper body to become rigid.

In contrast to the intricately carved silver and gold symbolic gadas (macelike clubs) depicted in art and used as wrestling trophies, gadas used for everyday exercise are rather plain. An exercise gada is a heavy, round stone, weighing anywhere from ten to sixty kilograms, affixed to the end of a meter-long bamboo staff (see plate 4). The gada is swung in the same way as a jori except that only one gada is swung at a time. A gada may be swung with either hand or both hands at once.

The swing begins with the gada balanced on one shoulder. It is then lifted and shrugged off of the shoulder and swung in a long pendulum arch behind the back until it is flipped and lifted back onto the opposite shoulder. The gada is held erect for a split second before it is swung back in the opposite direction and onto the other shoulder.

Gada and jori exercises are counted in terms of the number of hath (hands) that one is able to do. One gada "hand" is counted as the movement from one shoulder to the other. One jori "hand" is counted as the combined swing of both right and left clubs. Unlike dands and bethaks, which number in the thousands, wrestlers tend to swing gadas and joris for sets of relatively few repetitions. Those who swing joris and gadas on a regular basis place a higher premium on the amount of weight lifted than on sheer number of hands swung. Source - The Wrestler's Body

 

[Kunal Biswas]

5kms Jog..

Sun, Wed & Sat..

--------------

Gym 4 days a Week.. ======>>

75kg x 9, each set has 6 rep : Beach Press
75kg x 9, each set has 6 rep : Chest Press
50kg x 9, each set has 6 rep : Shoulder Pull down

Mon & Thr

--------------

50kg for Biseps x 9, each set has 6 rep..
50kg for triceps x 9, each set has 6 rep..
25kg for forearms x 9, each set has 10 rep..

Tue & Fri..

 

[arnabmit]

Strength Training Anatomy
[This is freely available from the internet, however please delete if it infringes copyright]

This file is huge... Wait for it to load.

[pdf]http://ebooks.z0ro.com/ebooks/Collection-of-medical-books/Collection-of-medical-books-1/strength%20training%20anatomy.pdf[/pdf]

 

[Sakal Gharelu Ustad]

Just started rock climbing couple of months ago. I would say it is an awesome workout(sport)!

Best part is that it does not get boring.

 

[pmaitra]

I would like to point out one thing regarding the term "Hindu." This term was used to refer to anything that is of India origin, and not necessarily pertaining to any religion. Hence, the term "Hindu Pushup" essentially means "Indian Style Pushup." Today, the term "Hindu" refers to the religion "Hinduism." The context or sense is lost, but the term remains, so it causes a lot of confusion.

 

[hit&run]

New routine, at home ~ daily.

No weights.

Stretching

Running on treadmill Inclined 4 % Speed Level 5 for 2 minutes then level 7 for 2 mins 30 second break, repeat 15 times.

Push ups 30 then break of one minute repeat 3 times.

Stretching again

Swimming twice a week 50 meters freestyle two times, break 2 minutes repeat again. Breaststroke 50 meters one time break two minutes Backstroke 50 meters one time.

Hockey practice on turf with Kid ~ one hour before his match or once a week.

Vegetarian diet,

Multivatmins with B-12 twice or thrice a week.

Fit as a fiddle.

Want to reduce Tea and increase water intake but failing. Hate drinking water for unknown reason only when thirsty or with meals.

 

[Singh]

I was searching for the benefits of Dands as some of my friends were going to Akharas and Gyms together , and I found this article, hence I opened this thread to discuss and get some knowledge about Dands from members who have done it,

1. You admit you don't know much about exercise. From this I also infer that you have not really worked out in your life.

2. You wanted members to show you, the superiority of uthak baithaks over Squats. In effect you are inherently biased in favour of Uthak Baithak.

3. I presumed you were in favour of Uthak Baithak partly because of the word Hindu denoted to it by some foreigner. And my presumption turned out to be true.

====

but it seems some highly "intellect" and "knowledgeable " westernized members have pissed off at the term "Hindu", and I am pleased at their frustration.

Only two members have been patient enough to argue with you, on a subject which you admit is not your forte.

1. Don't you think it is rich, that you are coming off as a Mr. Know it all, when in fact you admit you don't know nothing about the subject, and further you have limited first hand knowledge of them.

2. It is therefore also proves to me, the only reasonable defence you have to show is to paint me as some kind of an anti-hindu, so that it shows that I have a bias against Uthak Baithak and I am defending Squats because it is not of "Hindu Origin".

3. While, in fact, I have tried my best to show from my understanding that Squats are superior because of the biomechanics

4. Uthak Baithak etc. is possibly of Persian Origin @civfanatic, Pehalwani, Varzish-e-Pehlwani, and even the tiles like Rustom-e-Hind are all Persian origin terms.

5. Lets stop worshipping White Westerners, and be pleased by their labels. Tomorrow, he might call an actually good exercise Islamic, forcing Hindus to stop doing them.
===

Hindu form of strength building is practiced for many centuries and is one of the oldest alive systems,

I assume you are referring to Uthak Baithak, as practiced by Pehalwans ?

There is nothing Hindu about Pehalwani.
1. Pehalwani itself is a Persian term
2. Pehalwani was popularised during the Mughal Times
3. Pehalwans have come from all religious backgrounds
4. Pehalwani has a strong foreign influence
5. Pehalwani was not a religious discipline.

still these intellect knows nothing about it.

You mean intellectuals. I am flattered.

These people think that they have became a "knowledgeable" person by merely joining a Gym and doing some exercises and they think that they are better/superior than the professional trainers and gym instructors.

1. By joining a gym, and actually doing an exercise, you do gain experiential knowledge.
2. Indian gym instructors, are some of the worst in the world. Their reputation precedes them. All Scientific literature, points to their stupidity.
3. Steroids help you in muscle acquisition not knowledge acquisition.

How many times I will have to explain it to you ?
From the OP to this post I didn't want to emphasize the "Hindu" term of these exercises but you and @Known_Unknown have specifically mentioned this term in "Inverted commas" and some have even used Buddhist, Sikh, Secular etc. terms to defend it being named as "Hindu xyz" but hard to their luck it is called so by the western world.

I don't care what an ignorant westerner thinks or believes.

I wanted to discuss the benefits of Dands (Hindu push-ups) and Dive bomber-push-ups but no one seems interested to remain On Topic, everyone is pissed off at the term "Hindu". So this will be my last post on this thread.

Sometimes, in life you don't get to hear what you want to hear.

==

Indeed, and you were just counting weight increase as progressive overload, now update yourself.

Thanks for the update, great Sir.

Now, for someone who wants to build muscle, what is the one thing he should do to increase progressive overload ?

Increase repetitions ? This will cause Type 1 fibers to proliferate.
Increase Weights ? This will cause Type 2 fibers to proliferate
Increase RoM ? This might cause injuries
Increase TuT ? This might cause lower amount of effort due to lactic acid build up ?

And just to show why lifting weights is the preferred form of progressive overload, look at a 100m runner vs a marathor runner.

A 100m runner, has huge muscles, he can lift more weight, but he cannot do as many repetitions as a marathon runner.
A marathon runner, has tiny muscles, he can't life much weight, but he can do huge number of repetitions.

And further progressive overload the concept was first practiced or documented by the Greeks. A guy used to lift a calf everyday. And over the years the calf grew into a bull, and he developed muscles.

===

How many Akhara pehalwans have you seen with injured knees ? none. While it is a thousands of years old technique. There are many Akharas in my city I didn't find a single Akhara pehalwan with injured knees.Great Gama and Dara Singh kept doing more than 500+ Hindu squats daily why didn't they get knee injury?

Good Question.

When did Dara Singh, and Gama Pehalwan (his female relative is married to Nawaz Sharif btw) join Akahras ?
What were their other practices like ?
Did they adopt a lifestyle or were they just weekend enthusiasts ?
So the advice that a young child entering Pehalwani also applies to a sedantry individual with a day job who just wants a bit of fitness ?

Assuming no Pehalwan has ever had ruined knees, that means jack shyt. You can't cherry pick stuff in isolation. And I am certain many of the wrestlers must have suffered debilitating injuries. My own friends father is a wrestler from your neighbouring state, and he has massive back problems because of wrestling injuries.

In fact one of the reasons I can see for the benefit of uthak baithak, is perhaps they stress your knee joints so much from childhood, so that when you actually wrestle or get beat up, they don't end up breaking.

However, literature also shows that doing Squats with weights strengthens the knee joint, core and posterior chain, this is far easier and superior to doing uthak baithaks.

===

Thanks for admitting that increasing the repetitions is also progressive overload.

Don't you want to thank me for introducing you to the concept of progressive overload ?

Albeit not a smart decision. It is a useful form when you want to carb deplete/deplete your glycogen stores. It can be a useful exercise if you want to go into ketosis for fat burning, or if you want to go in far super carb compensation by overfeeding for gaining mass.

===

And what a bodybuilder does when he gets satisfied with his strength and muscle buildup ? he doesn't keep increasing the weight after the point of his satisfaction, he just continues with the last weight he has used, so what will you say on this, is he injuring his joints ? or should he continuously keep increasing the weight throughout his life time until his dumbbells becomes barbells ?

What is the Key to maintaining muscle mass ? Resistance.

If you are able to provide a positive nitrogen balance, and able to lift heavy weight (just weight, not necessarily repetitions, or tut) you will maintain your muscle mass.

That is your problem. There are many Akharas in my city as well as Gyms, and many people join both of them for a good overall strength and muscle development. And I have found that Akhara pehalwans who have done there for 2-3 years have a better stamina, shape (not muscles) and energy than Gym bodybuilders I personally know some of pehalwans (one is my client) who do Hindu squats regularly but never had any knee injuries. I have also worked out at Gym as well as Akhara situated in my Muhalla.

Sample Size too small, and confirmation bias.

If you would have cared to read his article carefully, you could have seen that he is specifically talking about endurance, strength and combat conditioning

I distinctly remember, the portion that I have quoted, and wrote that person who wrote this was an idiot. I also distinctly remember saying I don't care what this foreigner says, that portion was absurd.

but you guys are easily taken away if someone uses the term "Hindu",

1. Quite clear you were the one touting Hindu origins. In fact you just trained to paint Varzish-e-Pehalwani as having Hindu religious connotations
2. Your aim was not to enquire, but tout or have people confirm the superiority of Uthak Baithak, which you wrongly presume to be of Hindu origin.

My point, was clear that Baithaks have screwed up biomechanics, and Squats are a far superior exercise. Baithaks can be used as a conditioning exercise
Secondly, I also pointed out the absurdity of your defence, because and I was right in presuming, because of the word Hindu.

and exposes the weakness of the people who belong to the minorities in India, they tend to jump in to denounce any thing labelled Hindu.

I think so this is statement, could only be made by a bigot.

1. Pehalwani and its associated exercises have no religious connotations else Dara Singh, a Sikh, and Great Gama, a muslim would not have practiced it. Two stalwarts you have mentioned
2. I also said that Squats have a superior biomechanics.

For the life of me I can't understand, how denouncing an exercise whatever its names for its bad biomechanics makes me anti-hindu, insecure, or weak ?

Do you want me to sing the Hanuman Chalisa to prove that I am not anti-hindu ? Or do you want me to go take a dip in the Ganges ?

Will critiquing Romanian Deadlift, make me anti-Romaninan ?

Will critiquing Good Mornings(another exercise), make me a night owl ?

f it shouldn't be seen with the communal point of view they do see so. :-

Pot calling Kettle Black. The irony.

From OP - ...Many, many athletes who changed from a routine of weight training to Hindu squats, Hindu pushups and bridging, soon found that they were able to trounce those who used to beat them - and in each and every case, the people state that they have far more functional strength than ever before. It was not just endurance. It was strength AND endurance - as well as a heightened sense of one's body and energy field - one of the unspoken benefits of Hindu pushups that no one but Matt Furey talks about...

Marketing gimmick.

Thanks for conforming my doubts that you are pissed off at the term "Hindu" and posting for the sake of denounce it.

Classic confirmation bias. Because Uthak Baithak biomechanically inferior to Squats, (imho), I am anti-Hindu, because some Gora calls it Hindu Squats.

How idiot I am and how intelligent you are !

Realizing one's idiocy is good. Working to change one's bigotry better.

You guys have derailed the thread to denounce the term "Hindu" and it's very sad.

In fact it was your aim always to show the superiority of Hindu Strenghtbuilding and Uthak Baithaks. Which I have tried to show, is neither Hindu nor biomechanically superior.

If this makes me anti-Hindu, anti-Indian, or pro-Westerner (which would be ironically, because it is a Westerner (misinformed) touting this exercise).

It is your Hinduphobia,

It is your non-Hindu Phobia and being slaves to the labels of a white man.

and you think that I am defending it because it has been called "Hindu", not mine. I opened the thread to know the benefits of Dands as I am doing Dands apart from my Gym schedule and I want to do it in a perfect manner to get a good benefit out of it,

So more worms of cans open.

Since, we are psycho-analyzing stuff. The reason you don't wish to agree with either me or @Known_Unknown is because you perceive them to be anti-Hindu or non-Hindu,

But some anti-Hindu people are pissed off

So I am now anti-Hindu ? And because you are disagreeing with me, you are anti-Delhite, anti-Science, anti-Intellect, anti-Sikh, anti-Equality, anti-good quality Single Malts, pro-Dowry, pro-Incest, pro-antibotics

See so easy to give labels and make ad hominem comments.

at the term "Hindu" which is not named so by me.

Absolutely. In fact you should mail that guy, tell him that.

@pmaitra , mate please merge this thread with the fitness thread or close it, it seems no one is interested to discuss On topic, everyone seems to be interested in trolling the term "Hindu". Hence this is my last post on this thread.

Pot.Kettle.Black Redux.


PS: The common term for Hindu Squats in Western World is either Deep Squats or Ass to Grass Squats or ATG. LOL.

 

[Known_Unknown]

@Singh You said it better than I could. I have neither the time nor the patience to argue with @A chauhan. To each his own. I am convinced what I'm saying is right because I have a few years of experience, and nothing is a better educator than practical experience.

============================

My current schedule:

Cycling 5 Miles Mon-Fri (after workout)

+

Monday: Chest

Flat Bench press 160-150 lbs x 5 sets, 6-7 reps each
Flyes 40-30 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 6-8 reps each
Incline Bench 55-45 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 6-7 reps each
Machine press 120 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps each
Dumbbell pullover 50 lb dumbbell x 5 sets 6-8 reps

Wednesday: Back
Deadlift 200-195 lbs x 5 sets 7-8 reps
Seated rows 150 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps
Lat pulldown 130-120 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps
Pull ups: As many as I can, usually 8-10
Standing overhead press: 100 lbs x 5 sets 6-7 reps

Friday: Arms
Bicep curls 45-35 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Hammer curls: same as above
Preacher curls 30 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Tricep pulldown 140-130 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Machine tricep pullover 130-120 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Forearm curls 130 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps

By the end of my workout, I'm usually so tired, I just go home, east something and sleep for 9-10 hours lol.....anything less and I'm drowsy and tired the whole of the next day.

 

[Singh]

@Singh You said it better than I could. I have neither the time nor the patience to argue with @A chauhan. To each his own. I am convinced what I'm saying is right because I have a few years of experience, and nothing is a better educator than practical experience.

============================

My current schedule:

Cycling 5 Miles Mon-Fri (after workout)

+

Monday: Chest

Flat Bench press 160-150 lbs x 5 sets, 6-7 reps each
Flyes 40-30 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 6-8 reps each
Incline Bench 55-45 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 6-7 reps each
Machine press 120 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps each
Dumbbell pullover 50 lb dumbbell x 5 sets 6-8 reps

Wednesday: Back
Deadlift 200-195 lbs x 5 sets 7-8 reps
Seated rows 150 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps
Lat pulldown 130-120 lbs x 5 sets 6-8 reps
Pull ups: As many as I can, usually 8-10
Standing overhead press: 100 lbs x 5 sets 6-7 reps

Friday: Arms
Bicep curls 45-35 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Hammer curls: same as above
Preacher curls 30 lb dumbbells x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Tricep pulldown 140-130 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Machine tricep pullover 130-120 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps
Forearm curls 130 lbs x 5 sets 5-7 reps

By the end of my workout, I'm usually so tired, I just go home, east something and sleep for 9-10 hours lol.....anything less and I'm drowsy and tired the whole of the next day.

Few Critiques.

1. Maybe do some OHPs instead of Incline Benches on Monday. Since you are already doing Push Exercies on Monday, then you can devote Wednesday to only Pull exercises (OHP is Push)

2. If you are doing compound exercises like Heavy Bench Press, Heavy Pullups and Lat Pulldowns, and Deadlifts, you need not devote full day on accessories like Bis and Tris. They can be done after your main exercises.

3. No Legs ? Legs make up more than a third of your muscle mass ! Start with some Squats, if you can't do squats, do leg press, leg curls and leg extensions.

Impressive poundages, though. :thumb:
I also remember your earlier story about your dedication, grit and focus in getting healthy.

 

[pmaitra]

@Known_Unknown,

You are doing a great job. You must be a very well built man. You lift far more weight than I do.

Keep it up and never lose sight. Working out is a lifestyle, and not a goal. You never stop.

 

[Known_Unknown]

Few Critiques.

1. Maybe do some OHPs instead of Incline Benches on Monday. Snce you are doing Push Exercies on Monday, then you can devote Pull exercises on Wednesday (OHP is Push)

2. If you are doing compound exercises like Heavy Bench Press, Heavy Pullups and Lat Pulldowns, and Deadlifts, you need not devote full day on accessories like Bis and Tris. They can be done after your main exercises.

3. No Legs ? Legs make up more than a third of your muscle mass ! Start with some Squats, if you can't do squats, do leg press, leg curls and leg extensions.

Impressive poundages, though. :thumb:
I also remember your earlier story about your dedication, grit and focus in getting healthy.

OHP if done seated targets mainly shoulders, and I really want to focus as much as I can on chest exercises. That's why I do the standing OHP on Wednesday because when done standing, it targets everything from shoulders to back to even legs. Some weeks I am so tired and sore after doing chest and back that I am unable to spend a day on arms. It's important to listen to and be in tune with your body....some weeks, it may take me longer to recover than some others, so I adjust my exercises accordingly.

As for legs, I used to have a leg day in the past, but I just found it impossible/too tiring to maintain and make it a regular part of my schedule. I was able to squat 165 lbs or so, but then I stopped. Can't do both the cardio and squats.....I feel cycling gives me more bang for my buck anyway in terms of both training my legs as well as my heart/lungs/aerobic system.

 

[Known_Unknown]

@Known_Unknown,

You are doing a great job. You must be a very well built man. You lift far more weight than I do.

Keep it up and never lose sight. Working out is a lifestyle, and not a goal. You never stop.

I used to be a weakling until a couple of years ago with a bit of a beer belly too lol. All one needs is hard work, consistency and the proper diet and slowly but surely, one will get bigger and stronger.

I am in a conundrum though, because I'm not sure when one should stop. As long as I keep seeing gains, I keep working out and if I hit a plateau, I just try to change things up a bit or work harder to get over it.....as I see it, one needs to be satisfied at *some* point. I don't think it would be practical to keep going to the gym my whole life....there needs to be a better way of maintaining my fitness level after I quit, and that is something I need to look into.

 

[pmaitra]

I used to be a weakling until a couple of years ago with a bit of a beer belly too lol. All one needs is hard work, consistency and the proper diet and slowly but surely, one will get bigger and stronger.

I am in a conundrum though, because I'm not sure when one should stop. As long as I keep seeing gains, I keep working out and if I hit a plateau, I just try to change things up a bit or work harder to get over it.....as I see it, one needs to be satisfied at *some* point. I don't think it would be practical to keep going to the gym my whole life....there needs to be a better way of maintaining my fitness level after I quit, and that is something I need to look into.

I have a different conundrum.

One day, while playing soccer, I hurt my tendon. Since then, I have a slight Achilles Heel. I have quit playing soccer since.

I do, however, run on the treadmill. I was very fat at one point. Now, I have a six pack. Let me tell you, it has been a torture to lose that fat belly. Right now, I am working on pull-ups with a wide grip. I can do 5 at a stretch, and I am trying to increase the count. Pushups, not a problem. I can keep going.

 

[Known_Unknown]

I have a different conundrum.

One day, while playing soccer, I hurt my tendon. Since then, I have a slight Achilles Heel. I have quit playing soccer since.

I do, however, run on the treadmill. I was very fat at one point. Now, I have a six pack. Let me tell you, it has been a torture to lose that fat belly. Right now, I am working on pull-ups with a wide grip. I can do 5 at a stretch, and I am trying to increase the count. Pushups, not a problem. I can keep going.

Nice, I don't have a six pack or even a four pack lol! Either you are very thin or you have massive abs from doing tons of crunches and sit ups. Pull ups are indeed very difficult to do...even the strongest bodybuilders can't manage more than 15-20 at a stretch. The key to improving your performance there is to have strong lats and biceps. Do wide-grip deadlifts for that.

One only needs to focus on a few basic exercises which have the most utility in everyday life to increase their "functional" strength. Among those are deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, squats and pull ups. These are most frequently used in real-life scenarios, the rest are just for increasing overall strength and aesthetic appeal.

 

[Singh]

@Known_Unknown De-conditioning. You taper off/stop lifting, you increase calories and rest for a few days, and then you again start increasing weights to push through the plateau.
For eg if you are stuck at 200lbs deadlift, take a break, pig out and then after a few days start at 170, then increase gradually till you are able to break your previous record.

 

[pmaitra]

Nice, I don't have a six pack or even a four pack lol! Either you are very thin or you have massive abs from doing tons of crunches and sit ups. Pull ups are indeed very difficult to do...even the strongest bodybuilders can't manage more than 15-20 at a stretch. The key to improving your performance there is to have strong lats and biceps. Do wide-grip deadlifts for that.

One only needs to focus on a few basic exercises which have the most utility in everyday life to increase their "functional" strength. Among those are deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, squats and pull ups. These are most frequently used in real-life scenarios, the rest are just for increasing overall strength and aesthetic appeal.

Crunches help strengthen your abdominal muscles, but they do not help drive out that fat layer covering those abdominal muscles.

The only thing that worked for me is running.

However, different people's bodies respond to different things.

 

[Known_Unknown]

@Known_Unknown De-conditioning. You taper off/stop lifting, you increase calories and rest for a few days, and then you again start increasing weights to push through the plateau.
For eg if you are stuck at 200lbs deadlift, take a break, pig out and then after a few days start at 170, then increase gradually till you are able to break your previous record.

Interesting. Never tried that. In the past, what's worked for me is taking multi-vitamin supplements, increasing my protein intake, increasing my total calories and even just sleeping longer! Another thing that worked was increasing the variety of my workout....for e.g I was stuck at bench-pressing 120 lbs for months, but then I switched completely from barbells to dumbbells and I started progressing again. That makes sense too because if you do the same exercises, only certain muscles will be worked out in a certain way, while the rest may remain weak. When you hit a plateau, its those weak muscles that are holding you back from progressing. Do you need to change your exercises so you target those weak muscles to make them stronger and hence improve your overall lift.

 

[Known_Unknown]

Crunches help strengthen your abdominal muscles, but they do not help drive out that fat layer covering those abdominal muscles.

The only thing that worked for me is running.

However, different people's bodies respond to different things.

LOL yep, you're right. But since I'm in my bulking phase (don't ever want to cut lol), I am putting on both muscle and fat. It's unavoidable. Only thing one can do is minimize the fat addition by doing a lot of cardio, and I am doing that.

 

[Singh]

LOL yep, you're right. But since I'm in my bulking phase (don't ever want to cut lol), I am putting on both muscle and fat. It's unavoidable. Only thing one can do is minimize the fat addition by doing a lot of cardio, and I am doing that.

If you are bulking, you must do legs.

Cardio is eating away at your muscles, unless you are doing it at a very low intensity. And the Post Workout Calories are going to refeed glycogen stores depleted by Cardio

Cardio should be done on off days, and it helps keep up aerobic capacity, and also keeps fat burning activated.

What you want to achieve is the Holy Grail of Bodybuilding, Bulking whilst Cutting.