I want friends S2

[TheNewMe2.0]

I wanna make friends so please do comment and I’ll love to reply and checkout your diary 🙂 
 

I’ve tried to make friends by posting on others journals and stuff. It doesn’t tend to work that great but maybe I just need to try different journals to read. I dunno I try.

 

I guess I was off games for a couple years but I’ve played maybe 3 days this week trying to do it to socialize with people I met in person. It works and they’re texting me but. I don’t think games work for me honestly and I’m just gonna pull the plug again on the games. I’ll still try to hangout with the people in person tho as we all like anime and can bond over that. Yeah idk. Gamings just not good for me even in small doses it seems. I don’t mind it’s just kinda depressing to not have friends. And it to not work out with trying to moderate games to make friends. Makes me feel like I was really desperate. Not the best feel.

I do have some good news as I like to stay focused on the positive believing that’ll help it grow. The negative is only to be worked with to find solutions. This prevents rumination and getting stuck. 
 

the good news is my bodybuilding ikigai (passion or hobby) is thriving. I made a couple budding friendships there that I hope will turn into the real thing through consistent hangs. 
 

I’ve got a meetup to go to this Sunday so I’ll look forward to that as well. Some people there may have the same gym membership as me then we can train. I’m at LAF so that’s cool. It’s a good spot for me as I need the Roman chair for my back. Some were into anime too. That’s my main hobbies food anime workout. 
 

so common interests are key. Other than that

1 common interests 

2 nice 

3 consistent

4 fit 

 

that’s the ideal list for a friend for me. But if there are maybe just the first three I can probably be fine with that. Doesn’t have to be perfect just doable.

[TheNewMe2.0]

I stopped the experiment with lol. That stuff was just too tiring and just sort of too tiring for me. I don't want to do it.

I already agreed to spend time with a friend and play genshin with them so I'll experiment that like one hangout but I'm not feeling all that optimistic about it. If I can successfully moderate it for say 30 minutes today then I could maybe be ok trying to go forward. I'm just back on here as a safety net to prevent a relapse into uncontrolled bingeing.

So either I'll be able to moderate genshin or I won't and I'll just continue full sobriety instead of harm reduction. It is possible I'll have more friends or whatever. But I'm kind of the opinion that I should just not even play any games at all and stick with what's been working you know.

 

I can make friends through bodybuilding and anime. I don't need games to socialize. Even if it does make it easier sometimes.

 

Streaks are never perfect. and if they are it'll just make you feel anal.

 

[TheNewMe2.0]

Cool I figured it out

 

i don’t really feel that crazy with games anymore. Probably cause I took a four years complete abstinence.

And now. I feel like I went out on top.

I got to play a basic lol round with master yi. I got the highest score and all the objectives. With like 14 and 0 or at least 12 anyways.

 

it was fun. I won. I was the top player. That’s all good. And now I can happily go out on top I feel. I didn’t need to climb and all that again. The gaming hurts and tires my body unnecessarily. So. That’s fine. 

that is to say the experiment is concluded and I’m still abstaining completely from games. Friends aren’t really worth it and I don’t enjoy games much anyway. Never really did tbh. They’re just unhealthy imho. Yes in my opinion gaming is unhealthy. It makes you constantly click and do things fast with your hands which leads to repetitive stress on your body. It’s not worth doing and you’re just wasting your health on it.

 

my back doesn’t like it and neither does my wrist. It took seeing the gamer friends to realize, that crap isn’t worth it to me. And I won’t be swearing or saying HAH either. 

 

social news

I find that although I like people. I also find them terribly bothersome. Just so annoying. Lol. so annoying. Gosh . They all appreciate that I’m in good shape. But if I say a word about my workout stuff they throw a fit and just are totally shutting down. Then when they talk about their politics they feel entitled to talk non stop for thirty minutes. Where was the part where you listen to me talk about my workouts for thirty minutes? Where’s the reciprocation? 
 

I listen all day at work and I get paid well for it. You can tell me about your pet turtles bowel movements for $50 an hour buddy. I don’t mind at all just keep it respectful with me.

 

but as a friend in my personal life the standards are high. You need to be reciprocating with listening and such. 
 

yep

 

meh 

 

whatever 

 

gonna stick that laptop somewhere I can’t get it now. Like. In my sos closet under clothes.

 

or 

 

in the hard to reach cabinet. Until moms home. Then I’ll return to it her. Experiment complete.

 

it honestly felt good to end on a positive note with games. It’s like cam said that last hurrah is cool. Like he did with StarCraft. It was what I needed to realize. Gamings not worth it for me and no friend is worth putting in countless hours into some game. Not for me. Not for anyone. I wouldn’t do it. 
 

that’s cool with me.

 

and what’s the value of a friend anyways if they make me uncomfortable? I don’t feel comfortable or compatible often with others. I do hope that I’ll find three friends to be close and consistent with that meet those criteria. 
 

Yea I’ll find them eventually. I’m gonna take a break tomorrow likely. 
 

darn I’m kind of out of venues for making friends. BFF always stresses me out I don’t want to b in there

 

that only leaves meetup. And chatting with ppl at the gym which never happens well I guess it’s rare ?

 

meetups are exhausting of course. Not as bad as bff tho. So I will maybe go tomorrow for food with ppl. They kinda got into gossiping last time. Little sketchy there. But oh well. 
 

I just feel like people are so quick to not like what I have to say. When all I really do is talk about my hobbies. They’re basically upset if you do anything other than listen to them talk about themselves. Too selfish. I guess that means I should just start side conversations with people about common interests. Yeah. 
 

 

idk the anime club ppl aren’t even like talking about anime much. Or when they did they just wanna talk like not listen it kind of sucks. Meh meh meh 

 

ok put laptop in the cabinet 

 

Well I got the charger up in there it’s so high up above the fridge it’s the hardest to get spot in the house. So that should do it I’ll stick the rest in the closet and in like a drawer so it’s all over the place tomorrow.

 

 

then return to mom when she’s home.

 

cool 

 

good plan

 

maybe try to find a guy friend to go to laf with perhaps. On a Saturday morning idk. I really am not sure about it. I don’t want to do that actually. My aim is to just sit in on the meetup regularly and see if anyone’s like ripe friend material hah. 
 

goodl uck comfort and compatibility 

 

Saiyonara 

 

alright not what I pulled the plug

 

experiments over 

 

guess it’s back to nofap journaling haha 

 

I’ll probably go to that foodie meetup tomorrow. Even though it’s often awkward for me. That one seems best so far and I can checkout like some other one at some point. I didn’t see anything yet though that looks good aside from perhaps hiking

 

Well

 

 I’m really grateful for this site. Posting and reading here always makes me feel confident that I’ll be able to keep calm and game quit on 

 

[TheNewMe2.0]

Ommmm not totally sure I wanna hang with those three I spent all day with today. 
 

like ever again hahahahahah 

 

I have such high standards 

 

I don’t really mind Gough.

I dint mind posting and taking up a ton of space on here. No one really reads this anyways. I posted for a year daily. It worked it wasn’t fun or enjoyable though and I’m just posting now to make sure this experiment I did stays stopped.

 

How to go out on top at gq?

 

have a good experience

theres something magical about

this forum

these places people get sober 

they have a hold on us

a good energy that sinks into us

and changes us 

makes us able to abstain or moderate 

it’s a miracle

people are special people are miracles 

and I’m thankful for us 

even if I am an introvert with such high 

standards for friends I don’t have any 

but I will and you can bet they’ll be 

the best of friends if I let them in 🙂 

 

Good night gamequitters

goodnight moon 🌙 

Edited October 1, 2023 by TheNewMe2.0

[wheatbiscuit]

1 hour ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

How to go out on top at gq?

 

have a good experience

theres something magical about

this forum

these places people get sober 

they have a hold on us

a good energy that sinks into us

and changes us 

makes us able to abstain or moderate 

it’s a miracle

people are special people are miracles 

and I’m thankful for us 

even if I am an introvert with such high 

standards for friends I don’t have any 

Even with just ~20 active people journalling and stuff here, there's plenty of good to read about. 🙂 

I like talking about how workouts and interactions (even ones not involving me) go at the gym. What do you do habitually there? How long/many sessions does it take you to hit all your muscle groups? That's a bodybuilding question I guess. lol

[TheNewMe2.0]

It’s another day here 

I’m Probably gonna toss my old gaming mousepad and get a normal one just to generate more barriers to entry 

 

and put the mouse in the top corner of my sos closet

that should do the trick

today I’ll watch anime and go to a meetup hangout. I oddly need to ice my left foot to reduce a small bruise I got from, wait for it. Walking in flip flops ???? Whaaaat? How does that even happen? 
hah oh well. I could like in a padded cell and I’d probably bump my head somehow 🙂 

 

it’ll be fine and I’m doing good. I slept in a lot which isn’t great so I’ll get more disciplined and go after my early bedtime tonight. And every night . 
 

otherwise I’ll probably be okay all in all. Partners still away in France so I’m enjoying I suppose like. Reading the dharma and watching shows. Hanging with friends more. Just feels like not much going on. In a good way. My mind has time and space to settle.

[TheNewMe2.0]

8 hours ago, wheatbiscuit said:

Even with just ~20 active people journalling and stuff here, there's plenty of good to read about. 🙂 

I like talking about how workouts and interactions (even ones not involving me) go at the gym. What do you do habitually there? How long/many sessions does it take you to hit all your muscle groups? That's a bodybuilding question I guess. lol

Great question 🙂 

the long discourse is 

four days a week upper lower. 

Monday Tuesday Friday Saturday. 

 

upper: 

bench 

dip Superset with pullup

low row cable machine

military press

curl superset with skull crusher 

HIIT cardio eliptical as time allows 

 

Lower:

goblet squat 

db lunge db calf raise

roman chair back ext

situp or a plank 

if my upper isn’t sore I’ll superset push-up and lat pull down on this day but obviously I’m not going too heavy as I’m tired from the previous day 

 

HIIT eliptical 

 

it takes me around 1.5 hours to complete my workout. Maybe one hour each day for just the strength training part. As the weight goes up the time goes up as well. Which im completely okay with. However that means I need to start getting up at 645am instead of 7am. Thankfully my gym opens at 5am weekdays so I’m good time wise. And I’m so enthusiastic about training that there’s nothing I’d rather be doing with my time than sleeping early and getting up early to go exercise. Making progress is a wonderful thing. S2 

I do some yoga to stretch walk and foam roll just sort of regularly on rest days. Yoga is almost everyday but it’s 5-10 minutes. I’d like to fit a full yoga flow in but tend to not have time or energy. Like on Sunday would be good I just don’t want to do so much yoga that it hampers my strength gains heh. 
 

What’s your routine like and how long does it take you? What’re your goals right now and are there any exercises you’re excelling at? What about ones you’re working on and why they matter to you? 
 

For example my most advanced exercise is probably a 25lb weighted pull up 3x4 or bench 185lb 3x5. Lots of ppl do way more of course but I weight 180 about so I’m happy I’m over my body weight. 
 

I’m trying to work on my legs and core. Im hoping if I can do more sit-ups and heavier leg stuff it’ll give me better abs and legs heh. 
 

I have more questions but I already asked so many heh have a good day ^_^

[FDRx7]

1 hour ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

four days a week upper lower. 

Monday Tuesday Friday Saturday. 

This is my cadence too! Except I do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Each takes about 1.5 hours to complete. Right now I have it set as Lower A, Upper A, Lower B, Upper B. 

[BooksandTrees]

2 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

I’m Probably gonna toss my old gaming mousepad and get a normal one just to generate more barriers to entry 

Welcome back. I hope you're doing well. I hear you with making friends. It's tough on this forum because people come and go and although we want to talk to others, it's super important to work on yourself too. I took a break from here for about a year or two and have been posting more. It happens. I saw @MuMuMeloncame back as well. People fluctuate. It happens. No right or wrong. 

I ended up getting rid of my gaming computer and accessories. I had saved it for my animation goals but now I just write my book on a tablet. It was taking up space and kept serving as a reminder of my past. I don't need that anymore. 

[wheatbiscuit]

7 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

Great question 🙂 

the long discourse is 

four days a week upper lower. 

Monday Tuesday Friday Saturday. 

 

upper: 

bench 

dip Superset with pullup

low row cable machine

military press

curl superset with skull crusher 

HIIT cardio eliptical as time allows 

 

Lower:

goblet squat 

db lunge db calf raise

roman chair back ext

situp or a plank 

if my upper isn’t sore I’ll superset push-up and lat pull down on this day but obviously I’m not going too heavy as I’m tired from the previous day 

 

HIIT eliptical 

 

it takes me around 1.5 hours to complete my workout. Maybe one hour each day for just the strength training part. As the weight goes up the time goes up as well. Which im completely okay with. However that means I need to start getting up at 645am instead of 7am. Thankfully my gym opens at 5am weekdays so I’m good time wise. And I’m so enthusiastic about training that there’s nothing I’d rather be doing with my time than sleeping early and getting up early to go exercise. Making progress is a wonderful thing. S2 

I do some yoga to stretch walk and foam roll just sort of regularly on rest days. Yoga is almost everyday but it’s 5-10 minutes. I’d like to fit a full yoga flow in but tend to not have time or energy. Like on Sunday would be good I just don’t want to do so much yoga that it hampers my strength gains heh. 
 

What’s your routine like and how long does it take you? What’re your goals right now and are there any exercises you’re excelling at? What about ones you’re working on and why they matter to you? 
 

For example my most advanced exercise is probably a 25lb weighted pull up 3x4 or bench 185lb 3x5. Lots of ppl do way more of course but I weight 180 about so I’m happy I’m over my body weight. 
 

I’m trying to work on my legs and core. Im hoping if I can do more sit-ups and heavier leg stuff it’ll give me better abs and legs heh. 
 

I have more questions but I already asked so many heh have a good day ^_^

1) I've been 'for fun' lifting since 2011. In a good week nowadays, I'll go and lift 4 times. Like @FDRx7, I'd have 2 different upper-body days and 2 different lower-body days (the first one being deadlift variations, the second being leg press/squat variations - hamstrings and then quads, tbh; glutes get hit twice). In a good session, I really only do 2 or 3 compound movements mostly, but every 2-3 weeks, say, I do an extra calfs or abs session to make sure strength is still there. 

2) I like being active for a good cause, which used to be staying on my feet and darting around a local pizza kitchen for 5+ hours on top of recreational exercise - which kept my weight within ranges I was happy with - my sought-after goal is being under 100kg (220 lbs) on the scale, even if it's unrealistic at the moment. Otherwise, my strength has mostly kept up in my 20s (I'm 29 now), I just have to focus more to keep it. Yesterday, a row variation I did bent-over holding 70kg in plates for 5x10 kept me happy. Rows are an example of a strength that stays when I'm properly prepared. 

3) Pull-ups are a movement I want to keep up with, because a good, full-range repetition feels pretty good and natural here - and of course, for lat-growth. I should be doing them more whenever my shoulders and back are even slightly warm to keep my sets longer. 

_____

That was a lot of typing, but it was over breakfast oatmeal (and before the day's real workout, urgh!). I only just saw how solid a member of the forums you are - is Discord an option for gym-talk or is posting here maybe once a week or two about it still okay? I wonder because conversation on keeping un-addicted from games is still the main reason I'm here, at least. Call it how you see it 😮 

P.S. I liked your super-set choices on arms and bodyweight+ exercises, very feelgood!

[TheNewMe2.0]

17 hours ago, wheatbiscuit said:

1) I've been 'for fun' lifting since 2011. In a good week nowadays, I'll go and lift 4 times. Like @FDRx7, I'd have 2 different upper-body days and 2 different lower-body days (the first one being deadlift variations, the second being leg press/squat variations - hamstrings and then quads, tbh; glutes get hit twice). In a good session, I really only do 2 or 3 compound movements mostly, but every 2-3 weeks, say, I do an extra calfs or abs session to make sure strength is still there. 

2) I like being active for a good cause, which used to be staying on my feet and darting around a local pizza kitchen for 5+ hours on top of recreational exercise - which kept my weight within ranges I was happy with - my sought-after goal is being under 100kg (220 lbs) on the scale, even if it's unrealistic at the moment. Otherwise, my strength has mostly kept up in my 20s (I'm 29 now), I just have to focus more to keep it. Yesterday, a row variation I did bent-over holding 70kg in plates for 5x10 kept me happy. Rows are an example of a strength that stays when I'm properly prepared. 

3) Pull-ups are a movement I want to keep up with, because a good, full-range repetition feels pretty good and natural here - and of course, for lat-growth. I should be doing them more whenever my shoulders and back are even slightly warm to keep my sets longer. 

_____

That was a lot of typing, but it was over breakfast oatmeal (and before the day's real workout, urgh!). I only just saw how solid a member of the forums you are - is Discord an option for gym-talk or is posting here maybe once a week or two about it still okay? I wonder because conversation on keeping un-addicted from games is still the main reason I'm here, at least. Call it how you see it 😮 

P.S. I liked your super-set choices on arms and bodyweight+ exercises, very feelgood!

Oh gosh I don’t mess with discord. I’m kind of basic like that. Omm is there like a direct messaging system on this forum we can talk on I don’t mind keeping my posts to gaming addiction if that respects the rules. But I’m ok to post here or DM here if that can work. 
 

 

thanks for all the info and complimenting my superset choices! You sound like a big strong guy. Which is cool. I’m totally naturally small starting at 135lbs 6” when I was 21 then bulking to 185lbs now. Like everyone my newbie gains wore off. So I’m just grinding for a bit more strength every week hoping to make progress over the long term and reap the benefits. I want to have gains that are rare. To be aesthetic to the point where it’s very hard for even people with good genes to touch. Only those with long term dedication, effective application of knowledge and work ethic can achieve. Not better than the general population. But better than the general gym population.

 

sounds lofty but it’s really not that wild. I just take care of myself and lift four days a week like you. I want to take inspiration from you and lift legs better. Maybe I can do like the hamstring curl or quad ext machine. Really the barbell squat and leg press weren’t working for my body. 
 

220 is a high goal but maybe that’s common to dream big for us or I guess smaller haha. I want to cosplay Goku with my gains and other anime heroes. Anything fun you wanna do with yours? 
 

 

[TheNewMe2.0]

On 10/1/2023 at 12:05 PM, BooksandTrees said:

Welcome back. I hope you're doing well. I hear you with making friends. It's tough on this forum because people come and go and although we want to talk to others, it's super important to work on yourself too. I took a break from here for about a year or two and have been posting more. It happens. I saw @MuMuMeloncame back as well. People fluctuate. It happens. No right or wrong. 

I ended up getting rid of my gaming computer and accessories. I had saved it for my animation goals but now I just write my book on a tablet. It was taking up space and kept serving as a reminder of my past. I don't need that anymore. 

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the welcome back 🙂 

 

I was cool with a couple people on here before but they just kept relapsing and left heh. Yea I was keeping my mousepad but it’s time to toss it. I gave my gaming comp to my mom and she just uses it to check email and watch Chinese YouTube hahah. Oh well hopefully the powerful computer will last her a long time. I don’t like being around it tbh. 
 

What’s your book about?

[TheNewMe2.0]

On 10/1/2023 at 11:55 AM, FDRx7 said:

This is my cadence too! Except I do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Each takes about 1.5 hours to complete. Right now I have it set as Lower A, Upper A, Lower B, Upper B. 

Upper lower for the win lol! All three of us are into it 😄
 

Oh dang that’s fancy programming! Very cool you must be developing well sculpted muscles with attention to detail training like that. S2 also for a 1.5 hour workout how many exercises do you do? Are you doing good weight or rep numbers? I’d think so if you put in that kind of time but idk what your strategy is hehe 

 

I’m really hungry for more strength gains. It will bring more muscle if I can just lift more. Im trying to sleep earlier and meal prep every two days to be optimizing recovery. I’m planning to do a shirtless cosplay this Halloween. Not to be an eff boy but just because I’m hot, motivated to get cut up and like the attention lolllll. 
 

Oh gosh. How’s your progress or are you in a maintenance phase? Do you socialize at the gym and have tips to do so?

 

[TheNewMe2.0]

Wait I did something like for the first time in my life today.

 

I told someone I don’t game. And I didn’t back down from it. I was relentless in telling them I didn’t game. That it doesn’t work I won’t game. I won’t game but I’ll support you doing it. It was a lot and I’m not out spoken like that. But I guess I gained some courage today. It felt good. Usually I just sit quietly and say uh huh. While silently reminding myself not to game afterwards. That works to keep the streak going but actually saying it out loud to someone. Even like fifteen times ina row till they stopped telling me “you can game.” Was a victory for me. It was growth. It was scary, but good scary. :’) 

 

phew lol. 
 

it makes me feel like I can talk to people again without being afraid they’ll peer pressure me and I’ll get upset. Or even worse cave and relapse. Or try playing with them. That’s always a fail. Always leads back to relapse for me I won’t do it. No 

 

dang I’m saying no like out loud to people that’s crazy. Wow. Woah.

 

[wheatbiscuit]

4 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

Wait I did something like for the first time in my life today.

 

I told someone I don’t game. And I didn’t back down from it. I was relentless in telling them I didn’t game. That it doesn’t work I won’t game. I won’t game but I’ll support you doing it. It was a lot and I’m not out spoken like that. But I guess I gained some courage today. It felt good. Usually I just sit quietly and say uh huh. While silently reminding myself not to game afterwards. That works to keep the streak going but actually saying it out loud to someone. Even like fifteen times ina row till they stopped telling me “you can game.” Was a victory for me. It was growth. It was scary, but good scary. :’) 

 

phew lol. 
 

it makes me feel like I can talk to people again without being afraid they’ll peer pressure me and I’ll get upset. Or even worse cave and relapse. Or try playing with them. That’s always a fail. Always leads back to relapse for me I won’t do it. No 

 

dang I’m saying no like out loud to people that’s crazy. Wow. Woah.

 

I heard in a Youtube video, the theory behind what 'no' meant; that something the person doing the requesting/pushing wouldn't like to happen would happen - sort of like a threat. I simply replied 'no' (at first) a month ago to a hasty offer of a 'tag-along' from my dad in his car, on his way to deliver his friend's phone that they left behind. I'm okay with being told 'no' (as in, 'that's not a good idea/decision'), but even as I raced to explain myself in my next text message, knowing that he might go from 1 to 10 upset in seconds, he replied 'No?', then hastily gave a ❤️ reaction to my short explanation. 

Story aside, some of us seem to get so caught up in our endeavours that the slightest blip represents major antagonism. I wish that something other than time passing with the slowest reflections would serve as a healthy call back to this kind of shared reality for us when that happens. Like you guessed of me in your earlier reply, I'm a sort of hefty little soldier, but also social, which means there are a lot of trip-ups for me in my chosen paths of action.

Anyhow as you asked, the fun element in my lifting now is limited to seeing myself and others find that a once heavy weight is now easier, and giving ourselves permission to increase the weight. I used to lift to blow off steam and then relax afterwards, but I've since realised it means more than that, and I'm sort of doing it to stay healthy and strong for people who aren't and occasionally ask for help with labours and motivation. That said, some mirror time when I'm feeling low is also helpful.

Edited October 2, 2023 by wheatbiscuit

[TheNewMe2.0]

26 minutes ago, wheatbiscuit said:

I heard in a Youtube video, the theory behind what 'no' meant; that something the person doing the requesting/pushing wouldn't like to happen would happen - sort of like a threat. I simply replied 'no' (at first) a month ago to a hasty offer of a 'tag-along' from my dad in his car, on his way to deliver his friend's phone that they left behind. I'm okay with being told 'no' (as in, 'that's not a good idea/decision'), but even as I raced to explain myself in my next text message, knowing that he might go from 1 to 10 upset in seconds, he replied 'No?', then hastily gave a ❤️ reaction to my short explanation. 

Story aside, some of us seem to get so caught up in our endeavours that the slightest blip represents major antagonism. I wish that something other than time passing with the slowest reflections would serve as a healthy call back to this kind of shared reality for us when that happens. Like you guessed of me in your earlier reply, I'm a sort of hefty little soldier, but also social, which means there are a lot of trip-ups for me in my chosen paths of action.

Anyhow as you asked, the fun element in my lifting now is limited to seeing myself and others find that a once heavy weight is now easier, and giving ourselves permission to increase the weight. I used to lift to blow off steam and then relax afterwards, but I've since realised it means more than that, and I'm sort of doing it to stay healthy and strong for people who aren't and occasionally ask for help with labours and motivation. That said, some mirror time when I'm feeling low is also helpful.

hah that's an awesome story about your dad and your gym motivation  🙂 . I dunno I was just on one today lol. I really don't tell people no usually I just kind of hide. I feel like you're saying it's okay and most people can take a no. Which sounds true to me. How many reps do you do before you increase weight? 5, 10, 12? I think for compound for me it's like 5-7 but for smaller muscle group exercises it's 8-12.

I don't even know why I'm training today I'm too tired to think lol. It just keeps me happy and healthy. It's a passion for me and it can be really fun sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

[wheatbiscuit]

2 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

hah that's an awesome story about your dad and your gym motivation  🙂 . I dunno I was just on one today lol. I really don't tell people no usually I just kind of hide. I feel like you're saying it's okay and most people can take a no. Which sounds true to me. How many reps do you do before you increase weight? 5, 10, 12? I think for compound for me it's like 5-7 but for smaller muscle group exercises it's 8-12.

I don't even know why I'm training today I'm too tired to think lol. It just keeps me happy and healthy. It's a passion for me and it can be really fun sometimes.

Yeah, people outside of my family understand that enough of us have day plans of us our own to warrant an 'I'm sorry; I can't', which has an even more honest form of 'I think it's better if I only do X today'. I've tried what feels like all of them, with not enough success, so I'm on a kind of break. 

Reaching that rep range sounds about right to me if it feels like good form/activation as well. A trainer once told me that experienced lifters tend to remember what they 'need' to do, as opposed to that beginners should be taught what they feel excited to do at first, so it can become a moderately healthy habit and maybe turn into a very healthy one later. I've met several strong elderly folk in the gym and I wouldn't mind being at the same stage when I'm 50/60/70.

Good job turning up! I swapped out heavy RDLs for back extensions today, and both my system and my muscles were thanking me for those decisions. lol

Edited October 3, 2023 by wheatbiscuit

[TheNewMe2.0]

2 hours ago, wheatbiscuit said:

Yeah, people outside of my family understand that enough of us have day plans of us our own to warrant an 'I'm sorry; I can't', which has an even more honest form of 'I think it's better if I only do X today'. I've tried what feels like all of them, with not enough success, so I'm on a kind of break. 

Reaching that rep range sounds about right to me if it feels like good form/activation as well. A trainer once told me that experienced lifters tend to remember what they 'need' to do, as opposed to that beginners should be taught what they feel excited to do at first, so it can become a moderately healthy habit and maybe turn into a very healthy one later. I've met several strong elderly folk in the gym and I wouldn't mind being at the same stage when I'm 50/60/70.

Good job turning up! I swapped out heavy RDLs for back extensions today, and both my system and my muscles were thanking me for those decisions. lol

Haha yeah the barbells are so taxing. I saw a guy supersetting heavy bench with heavy deadlift and was like dang, that's about as taxing as it gets on your gas tank.

YEah I'm trying to make sure I just listen to my body and take it easy when needed like you did today. It's totally the flip side of balance.

 

It's cutting phase right now. Shoot let's get it. You're cutting too right? How's your food plan?

 

Mines just cut down sweets and white carbs as much as possible.

 

 

 

[TheNewMe2.0]

The Warrior

The most desirable archetype
For me
To each their own
We can only make approximations
Based on our upbringing and natural abilities
We aren't all born into a samurai clan with one purpose:
To become a hardened warrior and serve on the battlefield
To the death
So I do what I can
I workout
I don't fight anymore
I remember how though
I'll use it if I have to
To protect myself and others
What is a modern warrior?
Everything in our own lives is subjective we can define winning for ourselves
That's what a goal is:
It's a work around for the 99.999999% of the population that
Can't win a gold medal or a PGA tour
To be a warrior for me is to sustain abstinence
From Substances, Video games and PMO
This the crux of things
Then to build a good life on the bedrock of that sobriety
Why win at a game,
When you can win at life?
I stopped playing games and I made life into a game
There was no final boss to mark victory
So I made up my main quests:
Fitness
Spiritual practice
Girlfriend
Friends
Family
Hobbies
Career
Health and beauty
This is what matters

The Final Boss is to die well. Healthy, strong, having lived fully.

A fulfilling life I could be proud of as I breathe my last
They can sense it when I meet them
When they see me, how I shine, what my life is like
They know I have it figured out
The thing everyone is aiming for: the good life
I cut through the challenges of life like a sharpened blade
Because I sharpen myself every day
To overcome the challenges
It seemed simple enough to me
Take care of the main quests
Maintain those benefits
Then do the side quests for fun and extra benefits
I got addicted to winning at life
And I always win
Because I'm the one making the rules
I'm the game creator now
And you can't beat me =]
Suck a dick!!!!!!!
Hehehehe 😄

[wheatbiscuit]

3 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

Haha yeah the barbells are so taxing. I saw a guy supersetting heavy bench with heavy deadlift and was like dang, that's about as taxing as it gets on your gas tank.

YEah I'm trying to make sure I just listen to my body and take it easy when needed like you did today. It's totally the flip side of balance.

It's cutting phase right now. Shoot let's get it. You're cutting too right? How's your food plan?

Mines just cut down sweets and white carbs as much as possible.

I've been looking for work all year and only now is the process becoming more fruitful. I'm also trying to have healthier relationships with my family since giving up gaming. All that means limited dopamine hits I suppose, with less entertainment, so I'm not running around everywhere, enthusiastically flexing all day in my spare time. 😛 

-- Anyway, I haven't counted calories in awhile, or focused strictly on any P/C/F target. It would probably be like 150/150/100, but I figure it's the sustained physical and mental effort too I haven't been putting in that's upped my weight a bit. Yeah, cutting. 5 medium-sized meals a day + 6 servings of vegetables (which are what, 20/20/1?) --

This all seemed easier when responsibility to society felt like just a brief, daily hurdle - since I'm chasing a passion (employment in a gym or less intense kitchen locally again), it feels like my life focus at the moment.

If it's cutting phase for you, do you happen to be heading into Summer too? I am, here in Australia.

Edited October 3, 2023 by wheatbiscuit

[BooksandTrees]

18 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the welcome back 🙂 

 

I was cool with a couple people on here before but they just kept relapsing and left heh. Yea I was keeping my mousepad but it’s time to toss it. I gave my gaming comp to my mom and she just uses it to check email and watch Chinese YouTube hahah. Oh well hopefully the powerful computer will last her a long time. I don’t like being around it tbh. 
 

What’s your book about?

Lol she'll have that computer for 20 years. My book is about an engineer working on a space station. He doesn't like his job and has no friends in space. He plans to return to earth but has no friends there either. Through a crazy turn of events he gets abducted by aliens and becomes life long friends with them through a series of adventures. 

It's gonna be a bad book but I am enjoying writing at least lol.

[Amphibian220]

2 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

Lol she'll have that computer for 20 years. My book is about an engineer working on a space station. He doesn't like his job and has no friends in space. He plans to return to earth but has no friends there either. Through a crazy turn of events he gets abducted by aliens and becomes life long friends with them through a series of adventures. 

It's gonna be a bad book but I am enjoying writing at least lol.

Like those fiction books that were published in the 1980s or the 90s and then twenty years down the line people noticed their worth and they became bestsellers.

If that book is fun to read it will have better RoE than all the boilerplate time wasting video games.

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Amphibian220

[FDRx7]

23 hours ago, TheNewMe2.0 said:

Upper lower for the win lol! All three of us are into it 😄
 

Oh dang that’s fancy programming! Very cool you must be developing well sculpted muscles with attention to detail training like that. S2 also for a 1.5 hour workout how many exercises do you do? Are you doing good weight or rep numbers? I’d think so if you put in that kind of time but idk what your strategy is hehe 

I used to have rep ranges from somewhere between 6-15 depending on the exercise (i.e., 6-8, 8-10, 10-12, or 12-15) but I've been feeling lately I need more hypertrophy, that the lower rep range isn't fitting my current goals. So right now, everything is somewhere between 10-15 reps. 

This is:

Lower A

4x10-12 Front Squat

4x10-12 Hip Thrust

3x12-15 Lying Leg Curl

3x12-15 Leg Extension

4x12-15 Seated Barbell Calf Raise

2x12-15 Reverse Circle Step (Cable)

4x10-15 Cable Crunch

3x10-15 Cable Leg Raise

 

Upper A

4x10-12 Dumbbell Bench Press 

4x10-12 Seated Cable Row

3x12-15 Singe-arm Cable Press-around

3x12-15 Close-grip Lat Pulldown

2x12-15 Lateral Raise (Cable)

3x10-12 Tricep Cable Kickback

2x12-15 Reverse Curl (Cable)

2x12-15 Reverse Fly (Cable

2xMax Deficit Pushup

 

Lower B

4x10-12 Romanian Deadlift

3x12-15 Bulgarian Split Squat

3x12-15 Seated Leg Curl

4x12-15 Cable Calf Raise

4x12-15 Dumbbell Pullover (actually using as a core exercise, believe it or not)

3xMax Ab Wheel Rollouts

2x12-15 Glute Kickbacks

 

Upper B

4x10-12 Lat Pulldowns (these were pullups but taking a bit of a break from those)

4x10-12 Standing Overhead Barbell Press

3x12-15 Bent Over One Arm Dumbbell Row

4x10-12 Incline Bench Press (Barbell)

3x12-15 Cable Crossover

3x10 Gundill's Shrug (superset, essentially)

4x10-12 Bicep Barbell Curl

3x12-15 Tricep Rope Pushdown

3x12-15 Barbell Shrug

 

I'm 5'11" (1.8m) 180lbs. (82ish kg) right now. Would like to maybe put on another 20lbs and see how that looks/feels but I don't want to go too crazy. If your muscles become too big, they become form over function and your body is less agile (in my opinion). To me, it's about balance. So, it's fine that it's slow-going. That's how muscle is built anyways. My lowest weight ever was when I was studying abroad in 2014. I weighed about 135lbs. (61 kg). I made the biggest progress when I was eating right, but I've been stuck at my current weight for a long time because I haven't been eating as much. That's something I'm addressing in my daily journal, as I'm beginning to rectify it. But you can see that long term it works. I put on 45lbs. (20ish kg) over the years and could have done more if I paid better attention to my diet since 2020. Not all of that is muscle, but most of it is.
 

[TheNewMe2.0]

12 hours ago, wheatbiscuit said:

I've been looking for work all year and only now is the process becoming more fruitful. I'm also trying to have healthier relationships with my family since giving up gaming. All that means limited dopamine hits I suppose, with less entertainment, so I'm not running around everywhere, enthusiastically flexing all day in my spare time. 😛 

-- Anyway, I haven't counted calories in awhile, or focused strictly on any P/C/F target. It would probably be like 150/150/100, but I figure it's the sustained physical and mental effort too I haven't been putting in that's upped my weight a bit. Yeah, cutting. 5 medium-sized meals a day + 6 servings of vegetables (which are what, 20/20/1?) --

This all seemed easier when responsibility to society felt like just a brief, daily hurdle - since I'm chasing a passion (employment in a gym or less intense kitchen locally again), it feels like my life focus at the moment.

If it's cutting phase for you, do you happen to be heading into Summer too? I am, here in Australia.

Hahaha, I wish I had more time and energy to enthusiastically flex all the time. I'm too old for that now. 😛

I don't even know about counting calories, but that's awesome you listed those ratios out very interesting. Also dang 5 meals with 6 veggie servings a day. That's serious. Probably so healthy though.

Your description of the daily hurdle is so accurate for gaming addiction. Phew glad I'm out of it. Good luck in your passion pursuit! Seems like it would be a good fit for you either way. I wonder if you'd get bored of the gym or food? Probably not after you got used to it. I always wanted to be a personal trainer, but being a therapist just kind of fell into place for me and I love it so it's all good 🙂

We're in fall and I'm into dressing up as anime characters *ahem* shirtless if I can look good enough for it. So like that means everyone's dressing up at the end of this month for a party. And I just want to look my leanest for it. Todays my first day getting serious about the food plan. I'm like hunting for brown rice, whole wheat bread and zero sugar whenever I eat out. It makes me happy to be striving for something.

[TheNewMe2.0]

7 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

Lol she'll have that computer for 20 years. My book is about an engineer working on a space station. He doesn't like his job and has no friends in space. He plans to return to earth but has no friends there either. Through a crazy turn of events he gets abducted by aliens and becomes life long friends with them through a series of adventures. 

It's gonna be a bad book but I am enjoying writing at least lol.

Oh that sounds like a really fun concept. I like how his life is just so isolative and miserable. But then gets solved by getting abducted by aliens. Creative solution. Makes me feel like it's a good metaphor for finding a new group of people to belong to. Or maybe I literally need to get abducted by aliens. *Plans next vacation to Rosewell, NM*.

Yeah that thing is operating at like 10% capacity it probably thinks this is the easy life if it could think.