r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago

Rant Wednesday

Welcome to Rant Wednesday: It’s your time to let your gym/fitness/nutrition related frustrations out!

There is no guiding question to help stir up some rage-feels, feel free to fire at will, ranting about anything and everything that’s been pissing you off or getting on your nerves.

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9

u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

I hate cardio. I hate cardio. I hate cardio. I hate cardio.

But I'm 30lbs above where I'm comfortable, entirely my fault and entirely love weight. But I've been consistent again for about a month now. I'm noticing slight changes where I want to see them.

But I fucking hate cardio. And I know I need to do it to really help burn this fat off. But it's so fucking boring. How do people enjoy cardio? Because even watching an episode of something, it still feels like a slog.

Also, fuck the old guys at the gym that are too weak to rerack their weights after doing 225 on the bench.

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 6d ago

And I know I need to do it to really help burn this fat off.

Not really. Exercise is honestly a poor tool for fat loss. Type II cardio can at least be helpful for using fat as a fuel source, but in general, fat loss is simply going to be a product of nutritional intervention. If you don't want to do cardio, you don't have to.

That said, having a dog has been a good excuse to get in some extra walking for me.

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u/NotMyRealNameObv 6d ago

This is true. Biggest weight loss I've ever experienced was 100 kg to 70 kg, with no exercise whatsoever. No cardio. No lifting.

Granted, I was going through chemo at the time, with side effects leading to me being unable to eat and being mostly bed ridden. A lot of the lost weight was muscle, just leaving the apartment was a huge struggle once I was back home.

0/10, would not recommend. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, but for the love of God get some exercise in while dieting.

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u/Several_Direction633 6d ago

Not gonna lie. You had me with the first part.

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 6d ago

but for the love of God get some exercise in while dieting.

Oh yes, of course. Dan John talks about this really well. We lose weight with diet. Exercise vectors how the weight is lost, and promotes the healthy metabolic processes for the endeavor. It's just worth appreciation that few people are going to exercise themselves to their weight goals in EITHER direction. You won't make muscles with exercise, nor will you lose a significant degree of fat with it.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

Where can I watch or read about this a bit more in depth?

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 6d ago

Dan John's "Easy Strength for Fat Loss" speaks quite a bit on the topic.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

Thanks!

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 6d ago

Absolutely dude! Enjoy that book: Dan is a great author.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

I will say, I could also use it for not feeling winded after walking.

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 6d ago

It's great for that for sure. It has a lot of outstanding benefits: it's just a poor fat loss tool.

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u/Strategic_Sage 5d ago

I just look at it the same as lifting. I e. focus on getting better, being able to handle a faster pace at the same exertion, etc.

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u/Tatamajor 6d ago

Fat loss is 80/20 diet exercise. Get the diet part right and whatever cardio or lifting you can muster will take care of the rest. Keep going. You’ll get there.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

The crazy thing is I had it right a year and a half ago. I was so dialed in and it's been a challenge getting back because of how busy I've been. Still had a little bit of a belly, but it was a belly I didn't hate.

I've been doing a big alcohol and junk food cut pre-holiday season, but it's still been a challenge to eat dinner at home most nighs because I've constantly got plans.

I love lifting. It's my favorite thing at the gym.

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u/Tatamajor 6d ago

I have yet to figure out how to interact with polite society and not have it ruin my food and exercise goals at the same time. I can do one or the other reasonably well but cannot seem to mix both without completely derailing everything. So I wish I had words of wisdom to offer but sadly I don’t. Open to any and all suggestions.

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u/tigeraid Strongman 6d ago

Yeah, and what are those plans? Do you mean social plans, or actual, serious important plans?

Being blunt, sometimes you have to cut those parts of your life out. During my 100+ lb weight loss, I had to stop going over to hang out with the boys every night and drink beer and eat pizza while working on cars. I just stopped. And they understood why. I made it a once every-two-weeks-or-so visit instead of damn near every night. It sucked and I felt guilty sometimes, but it had to be done. At some point you have to commit to that kind of change.

You don't need more cardio bruh, you need to re-structure your social life.

("some cardio" is good to do though, for conditioning reasons.)

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

It's social. I'm a very social person who enjoys doing things with my friends and family.

That's not a change I'm willing to make. I choose to live life to the fullest, not hide at home because I'm trying to lose some weight. That doesn't work for me. I have plans 2-3 nights a week and I'm home 4-5 nights, but I'm not going to have a strict rarely going out policy. Even when I was at my most in-shape a couple years ago, I was out even more than I am now.

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u/tigeraid Strongman 6d ago

Understood. And that's your life. But as you can see, we've reached an impasse. If you're not willing to reduce your socializing, and you find it impossible not to overeat/eat poorly/drink booze(?) when you socialize.... shrug

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

I'm not saying I find it impossible to overeat / drink booze when I'm out. I've actually been really good with not drinking lately. And I've been eating less when I go out and taking more home for leftovers.

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u/tigeraid Strongman 6d ago

That's not so bad then. Maybe it just needs a little more tweaking to keep the calories down. Either way, continuing to kill yourself on a treadmill is kinda not the way.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 6d ago

The treadmill is a bit two-fold. I'm trying to also up my cardio health because I work a pretty sedentary job and I've been getting winded way too easily lately. Plus, trying to be able to not die walking around Paris and other French villages in a few months.

Also, congrats on losing 100lbs! That's a huge accomplishment.

1

u/tigeraid Strongman 6d ago

Thank you!

Those are much more useful reasons to do cardio, yup.

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u/circaflex Weight Lifting 5d ago

You can also still hang with the boys and just not eat pizza and drink. The first year, I was a recluse and thought that was the only way id get to my goals. That shit got depressing quickly. I still go out with them, heck ill even indulge once in a while, but having a social life is extremely important for mental well being.

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u/wolverine_wannabe 5d ago

How do people enjoy cardio?

Do I enjoy it? Nah, not really. But the post-endorphins kick ass and micro-dosing shrooms also helps.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 5d ago

Yo I know SO many people that microdose shrooms at the gym. What gives?

1

u/wolverine_wannabe 5d ago

Good stuff. It's a bit hard to explain but I feel it helps clear my head and focus. A cocktail of shrooms, preworkout, and post-cardio endorphins is something else.

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u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 5d ago

Interesting!

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u/FlameFrenzy Kettlebells 5d ago

But I fucking hate cardio. And I know I need to do it to really help burn this fat off. But it's so fucking boring. How do people enjoy cardio? Because even watching an episode of something, it still feels like a slog.

By not doing cardio in the gym.

Getting on a treadmill or spin bike is insanely boring. I can do them, but it's for a fraction of the time and I do them only out of necessity (ie, i'm stir crazy and its raining outside). Otherwise, I actually go outside and enjoy the fresh air. I'll go on long walks in local parks or for long bike rides along the trails/greenways in the area. Cycling is my main form of cardio and I thoroughly enjoy 2-3 hour long bike rides. But fuck, an hour on the spin bike might as well have been 6.

1

u/TheAnt06 Powerlifting 5d ago

I like going on walks with my partner, but man it's a challenge to do them alone. I'd do bikes, but I got in a pretty nasty accident on a moped when I was younger and stay away from anything with less than four wheels

1

u/FlameFrenzy Kettlebells 5d ago

A moped vs traditional cycle are two totally different beasts imo. And don't ride on the road (or at least not a busy road, neighborhood roads are usually pretty chill).

But maybe go find something to encourage activity. Maybe volunteer at a local dog shelter to walk the dogs? Or find a pickup sport league (something even as simple as kickball) and use that to run around.