Student Fitness Thread to end all fitness threads

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members don't see this ad.
DaWeasel said:
I've never used straps or belts for anything. I've always worked on form or grip, try to avoid using the equipment as a crutch. For 1RM it's alright, but that weakness is still there in the technique.

I've done some 1 leg step ups and leg curls and extensions but really heavy squats and deadlifts are the only leg work I do and I've gotten great results from that. Front squatting is a great way to build flexibility which will improve your back squat but I'm not sure if that's what you were looking for as far as an assistant exercise
Click to expand...

Wendler suggests that you do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps for assistance exercises. You're supposed to pick 2-4 exercises to complement your main lifts. Just something to round out leg day so it's not just me doing 5/3/1 squats and then leaving the gym after 30 minutes.

I'll probably add romanian DLs or back extensions, then maybe some calf work.
 
Front squats, high bar squats, and paused squats are your friends
 
Any exercises/stretches for lower back pain (might be a SI joint issue)?

Started after kettleball swings and sometimes is aggravated by leg workouts. It isn't extreme pain. Just a nagging "pain." Usually resolves on its own but I have to be careful when performing leg exercises which prevents max lifts. My overall flexibility isn't great either so I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem.
 
Willigetin? said:
Any exercises/stretches for lower back pain (might be a SI joint issue)?

Started after kettleball swings and sometimes is aggravated by leg workouts. It isn't extreme pain. Just a nagging "pain." Usually resolves on its own but I have to be careful when performing leg exercises which prevents max lifts. My overall flexibility isn't great either so I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem.
Click to expand...

Could be pelvic tilt. I would have to actually asses your ROM and posture to know for sure.
Try doing hip flexor stretches for a week or two.

Also check your form on your lifts. Bad form could be tweaking your back.
 
RogueBanana said:
Could be pelvic tilt. I would have to actually asses your ROM and posture to know for sure.
Try doing hip flexor stretches for a week or two.

Also check your form on your lifts. Bad form could be tweaking your back.
Click to expand...

Just the generic hip flexor stretches found online?
 
RogueBanana said:
Wendler suggests that you do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps for assistance exercises. You're supposed to pick 2-4 exercises to complement your main lifts. Just something to round out leg day so it's not just me doing 5/3/1 squats and then leaving the gym after 30 minutes.

I'll probably add romanian DLs or back extensions, then maybe some calf work.
Click to expand...

Those would be good assistance exercises, especially back extensions after squats... Just watch out of for the cramps :dead: back extensions always get me
 
I've been working on ankle flexibility for high bar squats. Knees can barely come over my toes when I'm in squat position and it makes me fall backwards. Thing is, whenever I try to stretch my ankles, I start getting pain right around the talus. I'm hoping that doing it daily will help but this impingement is pissing me off lol. I don't do low bar squats really because I prefer just deadlifting.
 
Gurkhali said:
I've been working on ankle flexibility for high bar squats. Knees can barely come over my toes when I'm in squat position and it makes me fall backwards. Thing is, whenever I try to stretch my ankles, I start getting pain right around the talus. I'm hoping that doing it daily will help but this impingement is pissing me off lol. I don't do low bar squats really because I prefer just deadlifting.
Click to expand...
get squat shoes before you hurt yourself.

Work on ankle mobility, but until then just use squat shoes to make up for your lack of flexibility. I recommend the Nike Romaleos II, I have them.

I have great ankle mobility and I still use them because they're a much more secure and solid base to squat from.
 
RogueBanana said:
get squat shoes before you hurt yourself.

Work on ankle mobility, but until then just use squat shoes to make up for your lack of flexibility. I recommend the Nike Romaleos II, I have them.

I have great ankle mobility and I still use them because they're a much more secure and solid base to squat from.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I've pretty much just been avoiding squats for the most part and trying other exercises but nothing really compares. Got any good ankle mobility exercises that you know of? I've been looking around youtube and found some decent ones but little progress.
 
Gurkhali said:
Thanks, I've pretty much just been avoiding squats for the most part and trying other exercises but nothing really compares. Got any good ankle mobility exercises that you know of? I've been looking around youtube and found some decent ones but little progress.
Click to expand...
I have a sneaking suspicion that it's based more on ankle bone structure than muscular tightness. Any kind of Gastrocnemius stretch would theoretically help if it were a muscular tightness issue.
 
RogueBanana said:
I have a sneaking suspicion that it's based more on ankle bone structure than muscular tightness. Any kind of Gastrocnemius stretch would theoretically help if it were a muscular tightness issue.
Click to expand...
@Gurkhali has weird ankle bones! @Gurkhali has weird ankle bones! Nanny nanny boo boo!
 
You know what? I just remembered I sprained my right ankle in high school and it's the one that hurts the most when I work on it. It's probably the cause of this annoying impingement. Guess I'll have to devote extra time to mobility since I never knew I was neglecting it.
 
Gurkhali said:
You know what? I just remembered I sprained my right ankle in high school and it's the one that hurts the most when I work on it. It's probably the cause of this annoying impingement. Guess I'll have to devote extra time to mobility since I never knew I was neglecting it.
Click to expand...
I recommend doing the stretch in your avatar.
 
Update: down 15 pounds since middle of January

@freak7 I have been using MyFitnessPal and enjoy it a lot.. it helps keep me accountable. I set my calories at 1500 a day, but honestly I stay under that even without including calories burned.

Everyone else keep up the good work. I had years of excuses that kept me out of the gym, finally decided no more excuses. I told myself "if I can't even make myself go to the gym, how am I going to be able to accomplish anything in med school!?!" Keeps me motivated to get in the best shape of my life before school starts
 
Frogger27 said:
Update: down 15 pounds since middle of January

@freak7 I have been using MyFitnessPal and enjoy it a lot.. it helps keep me accountable. I set my calories at 1500 a day, but honestly I stay under that even without including calories burned.

Everyone else keep up the good work. I had years of excuses that kept me out of the gym, finally decided no more excuses. I told myself "if I can't even make myself go to the gym, how am I going to be able to accomplish anything in med school!?!" Keeps me motivated to get in the best shape of my life before school starts
Click to expand...
That's fantastic!! Congrats! I enjoy the app a ton too. Makes it easy since you can scan barcodes most of the time. I also like the meal feature so you can cook up a huge batch of something, save it as one serving, divide it into even parts, and enter the portions as fractions of the total.
 
My update: Crossed the 5lb-off mark since Valentine's day! Knee and Achilles are sloooowly taking their time healing, but the good news is that I ran into a doc I shadowed and asked him if I should see my PCP about it and he said it was fine unless it felt it was getting worse. Should be 100% in a few weeks.
 
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
 
Lollygag said:
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
Click to expand...
Unless you have some serious agenda/plans (training for a competition, marathon, etc), if you're spending that much time in the gym it's probably just inefficiency. I have a hard cap at 1.5 hours- anything more than that and the chances of getting quality reps in diminishes exponentially. I could maybe sit on the bike after a 90 min workout, but I'm not about to bang out some overhead press at that point.

I shoot for anywhere from 50-75 min depending on how much time I have (usually depends on if I'm in the gym before work or after work).
 
Lollygag said:
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
Click to expand...

I usually go to the gym for 45 to 75 minutes. If I workout longer than 75 minutes, I usually get really hungry and am not productive.
 
Lollygag said:
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
Click to expand...

I spend up to 2 hours some days. Once you get in the zone and have a great pump going, it's one of the best feelings in the world and you just want to keep on cranking out sets. (My 2 hours includes warm up and cool down, but still). Yea the exercises are tough, but those endorphins are pretty powerful haha. It's usually not until 30 minutes after my workout until I feel totally drained.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Lollygag said:
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
Click to expand...

With rest times >3 minutes on my 85% working sets my main movement lifts take about 50 minutes and then accessories take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.
 
Down 2 lbs from yesterday... Didn't drink alcohol, didn't starve, and I had my usual ton of water so I'm not dehydrated. Bodies are weird.
 
Lollygag said:
This question is just completely out of curiosity, how long do you guys typically spend at the gym?

I was talking to a couple people I met last week, they both said they spend an hour and a half to two hours at the gym when they go. I felt like such a scrub when they said that lol I usually workout everyday, I stretch for 5 mins, run 2 miles which takes about 15 mins, and then I might spend 20-30 mins just using various machines or doing sit ups/push-ups/lunges. The longest I'll spend there is 45 mins.

Is it normal for people to be there 1.5-2 hours? I just don't think I could workout that long unless I was doing something really really easy.
Click to expand...
It depends, but it's usually close to 2 hours. Chest day is short (45 mins max) and legs day is the longest.
 
This is interesting haha, So seems like most of you spending that much time at the gym are lifters right? So you're doing sets and taking ~3 min breaks in between each set and that's probably why you're at the gym for a while. BUT, you could just not take 3 minute breaks, what if you only took a 1 minute break in between sets? Yes you're gonna burn out much faster and you're probably going to do a lot less because you're getting tired faster, but taking shorter breaks means you'll be pushing through while you're fatigued which should increase your endurance and eventually make you stronger (at least that's what I thought). That's personally why I'm done after 30 mins because I'm pushing till I'm at muscle failure.

Am I right or totally off?
 
I went to the gym everyday, until orgo. DAMMNED ORGANIC CHEM MAKING ME LOSE MY GAINZ!
 
Been heading back to the gym preparing for my orthopaedic rotations in two years. I got time.
 
Lollygag said:
This is interesting haha, So seems like most of you spending that much time at the gym are lifters right? So you're doing sets and taking ~3 min breaks in between each set and that's probably why you're at the gym for a while. BUT, you could just not take 3 minute breaks, what if you only took a 1 minute break in between sets? Yes you're gonna burn out much faster and you're probably going to do a lot less because you're getting tired faster, but taking shorter breaks means you'll be pushing through while you're fatigued which should increase your endurance and eventually make you stronger (at least that's what I thought). That's personally why I'm done after 30 mins because I'm pushing till I'm at muscle failure.

Am I right or totally off?
Click to expand...
You're totally off (jk). I'm jacked (not srs) and I take 30 seconds between sets. 3 minutes is way too long between sets. I personally like the burn of short rest because I don't really get sore anymore after workouts. I do a program where I do about 12 exercises, 2 sets of 15, 2 sets of 10, or 3 sets of 5, and I get done in about 45 minutes. It's a full body workout.
 
Lollygag said:
This is interesting haha, So seems like most of you spending that much time at the gym are lifters right? So you're doing sets and taking ~3 min breaks in between each set and that's probably why you're at the gym for a while. BUT, you could just not take 3 minute breaks, what if you only took a 1 minute break in between sets? Yes you're gonna burn out much faster and you're probably going to do a lot less because you're getting tired faster, but taking shorter breaks means you'll be pushing through while you're fatigued which should increase your endurance and eventually make you stronger (at least that's what I thought). That's personally why I'm done after 30 mins because I'm pushing till I'm at muscle failure.

Am I right or totally off?
Click to expand...

Shorter rest helps for muscle endurance. But muscle endurance != muscle strength. Longer rests allow me to hit all my reps in a set if i had taken a shorter rest that wouldn't have been possible. So if you are training for endurance higher reps with shorter rests are better. For strength lower reps with longer rests are better.
 
Studies are somewhat conflicting on what is ideal for muscle hypertrophy and strength. I've read studies that have shown 3 minute rest is better for both hypertrophy and strength training at high intensity, but also a study that showed that at 40% of 1RM 30second rest times between sets is better for strength gains without sacrificing hypertrophy. What I take from all of it is that you should adapt rest times that are ideal for your training load and for me that just happens to be longer most of the time.
 
I wish gym memberships weren't so expensive. I'm going to be losing my school's gym membership after this semester and don't really want to dish out 40-50 bucks a month to work out. I might buy some weights instead but an in-home gym would be expensive too and pointless if I move in june.
 
Gurkhali said:
I wish gym memberships weren't so expensive. I'm going to be losing my school's gym membership after this semester and don't really want to dish out 40-50 bucks a month to work out. I might buy some weights instead but an in-home gym would be expensive too and pointless if I move in june.
Click to expand...
It's robbery.
 
Lollygag said:
This is interesting haha, So seems like most of you spending that much time at the gym are lifters right? So you're doing sets and taking ~3 min breaks in between each set and that's probably why you're at the gym for a while. BUT, you could just not take 3 minute breaks, what if you only took a 1 minute break in between sets? Yes you're gonna burn out much faster and you're probably going to do a lot less because you're getting tired faster, but taking shorter breaks means you'll be pushing through while you're fatigued which should increase your endurance and eventually make you stronger (at least that's what I thought). That's personally why I'm done after 30 mins because I'm pushing till I'm at muscle failure.

Am I right or totally off?
Click to expand...

My recovery time between sets varies pretty widely depending on the lift. If I'm doing heavy squats, I'll rest 4 minutes between sets. I usually do 3x5 at 80-85%. This may sound like a lot of rest, but by the end I'm exhausted. Major lifts like the squat are much more taxing on the body and the longer rest time allows me to do multiple sets of heavy weight correctly. If your entire workout was 3x5 squats at a sufficiently heavy weight, that would be more than enough.

I usually take a minute rest between sets of the "easier" lifts like curls, cable rows, non-weighted pull-ups, ect. My routine is basically 2-4 minutes of rest as needed between my core lifts, and then 1 minute on accessory lifts.
 
Gurkhali said:
I wish gym memberships weren't so expensive. I'm going to be losing my school's gym membership after this semester and don't really want to dish out 40-50 bucks a month to work out. I might buy some weights instead but an in-home gym would be expensive too and pointless if I move in june.
Click to expand...
I you sign up at the end of sprine (while you're still a student with an active ID) a lot of gyms have a "summer" program that gives students a discounted rate for the months of june-august. If you time it right you may be able to get on the plan before your ID expires
 
Lollygag said:
This is interesting haha, So seems like most of you spending that much time at the gym are lifters right? So you're doing sets and taking ~3 min breaks in between each set and that's probably why you're at the gym for a while. BUT, you could just not take 3 minute breaks, what if you only took a 1 minute break in between sets? Yes you're gonna burn out much faster and you're probably going to do a lot less because you're getting tired faster, but taking shorter breaks means you'll be pushing through while you're fatigued which should increase your endurance and eventually make you stronger (at least that's what I thought). That's personally why I'm done after 30 mins because I'm pushing till I'm at muscle failure.

Am I right or totally off?
Click to expand...
I forgot to add this, the 2 hours I'm at the gym it includes cardio time. I usually workout with my brothers so my breaks between sets are around 2 minutes.
 
Hip flexor stretches for APT and low back pain is like putting lipstick on a pig. Highly suggest checking out
-Dr. Stu McGill's work, especially the McGill big 3
-Quinn Henoch's YouTube videos, especially on breathing techniques
-if you really want to go down the rabbit hole, check out the Postural Rehabilitation Institute. Some of what they teach can be found on this PT named Zac Cupples' blog. I'm lucky and a friend of mine has their book which they only give at seminars I believe

I'm not a PT and I don't play one on the internet, but I've helped a lot of people with back pain including myself. Variations of this sequence work quite well
-Breathing techniques to reset position (90/90 and hip shift resets)
-Bird Dogs, dead bugs, and side planks done properly (bird dogs and dead bugs take a lot of coaching for most people)
-loaded carry variations to strengthen position (suitcase, overhead, 1 arm overhead, contrast, front rack, etc etc)
-bear crawls/baby crawls and lunge variations to train proper mechanics and further challenge position
This can be done stepwise as someone's rehab progresses. Or, for a healthy athlete, pieces of all of these can and should be part of a daily warm up.

For example, I had one guy last week do: (high level wrestler)
90/90 and left hip reset, 7 breaths each
2 rounds not for time
-Bird dog x5 each side 5s pauses
-1 arm overhead carry 53lbs 30s each side
-15m bear crawl forward and back
-suitcase lunges 53 lbs 10/side
 
I enjoy plyos and sprints. Squats and cleans are fun for leg day. At one point I had my vertical jump at 36 inches. Working my way back up and I'm losing weight. Right now I'm at 213. Looking to get back down to 190 maybe 185.
 
Gurkhali said:
I wish gym memberships weren't so expensive. I'm going to be losing my school's gym membership after this semester and don't really want to dish out 40-50 bucks a month to work out. I might buy some weights instead but an in-home gym would be expensive too and pointless if I move in june.
Click to expand...

Damn where are these places? I've always spent 18-30 a month. LA Fitness is good. Or Planet Fitness if you want really cheap.
 
On_The_Way_Up said:
Damn where are these places? I've always spent 18-30 a month. LA Fitness is good. Or Planet Fitness if you want really cheap.
Click to expand...

My last gym was at Gold's, 45 a month on top of the 200 I initially had to put down. Now I go to the YMCA and it's still 45 a month but there was no initial down payment and it has a basketball court, indoor track (I hate treadmills), and a pool. But planet fitness is known for being really cheap. 45+ for a gym with newer equipment and that includes all the classes and extra stuff is the average where I'm from.
 
Lollygag said:
My last gym was at Gold's, 45 a month on top of the 200 I initially had to put down. Now I go to the YMCA and it's still 45 a month but there was no initial down payment and it has a basketball court, indoor track (I hate treadmills), and a pool. But planet fitness is known for being really cheap. 45+ for a gym with newer equipment and that includes all the classes and extra stuff is the average where I'm from.
Click to expand...

LA Fitness is $30 a month with basketball court and pool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wysdoc
  • Sticky
*~*~*~* Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*~*
2 3
Replies
126
Views
7K
wysdoc
wysdoc
chilly_md
  • Sticky
*~*~*~* Official AMCAS Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*
2
Replies
82
Views
9K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
M
  • Locked
Thank you for your help - deleting all my posts and locking thread
Replies
4
Views
861
LizzyM
LizzyM
chilly_md
~*~*~*~*~* Official Letters of Evaluation Questions Thread 2025-2026 *~*~*~*~*~
2
Replies
70
Views
4K
chilly_md
chilly_md
D
Looking for a thread with interview tips
Replies
5
Views
1K
atriablack
atriablack
Top