The Health and Fitness Thread

[Gus Mears]

Strange complaint,

 

I've developed a weak chin over the last few months. Need to adjust my posture at my desk.

 

Is there anything at the gym that could help ?

 

 

Also, I've a neck like a stack of dimes.

 

 

I swim a bit so my shoulders are developed but not my neck.

 

Anything I can do to improve it ??

I've found that regular weight training makes your neck muscles stronger/larger without having to resort to anything specific. I do a fair amount of work on my traps, so that might be something to look at?

[Mr_Danger]

Yeah, doing a bit extra on my traps broadened my neck too. Particularly doing shrugs with a couple of 20kg plates and holding for 5 seconds then lowering for five seconds making sure to pinch your shoulder blades together. Do about 8 of the slow ones then 8 without the pause back to back for one set. Its the pause and form that does the work so don't worry about the weight, if its too heavy try 10kg and if its too easy pause longer.

[FLips]

 

 

Since my doctor told me I was morbidly obese, I've lost just over 10lbs.

Partly through eating better and exercise, and partly through being ill and on antibiotics that wrecked my appetite. Still, whatever works.

After saying you're morbidly obese, what help did he give you? The weight would drop off you if you were onsomething like clenbuterol and if you are serious about it, you can buy that online for about £30 if you don't want to, or can't, get it through the NHS.

None, just to eat better. I'm fairly active anyway so I didn't need or want help.

[Chest Rockwell]

Well done in heeding the warning and taking action. If you have the willpower to do it yourself then that's loads better as you will form healthy habits as you go, so you are much less likely to backslide and put the weight back on. That said, if you do find you need a bit of help also no shame in that.

 

Good luck dude!

Edited May 4, 2016 by Chest Rockwell

[Smokin']

Strange complaint,

 

I've developed a weak chin over the last few months. Need to adjust my posture at my desk.

 

Is there anything at the gym that could help ?

 

 

Also, I've a neck like a stack of dimes.

 

 

I swim a bit so my shoulders are developed but not my neck.

 

Anything I can do to improve it ??

 

Neck exercises are great for jaw strength because you'll inevitably end up biting down and tensing those muscles hard. After a couple of sets of neck raises, your jaw will be aching so you'll fix both of those things. Some gyms have head harnesses that you can attach a weight onto but if not, just lie down on a bench with your neck over the end, put a plate on your forehead and use your neck to lift it up and down whilst holding onto the plate to stop it from falling off. The neck grows quickly too, so you'll end up with a thicker, stronger neck and a squarer, stronger jaw in no time.

 

The important thing with any neck exercises is form though. Just keep it on the muscle and be strict with it. As it's a muscle that responds quickly, you don't need to go to failure or really push yourself either.

[WyattSheepMask]

Is there any benefit to be gained from boiling chicken rather than grilling it?

[Gus Mears]

Is there any benefit to be gained from boiling chicken rather than grilling it?

 

It's healthy, but you lose a lot of flavour and it easily can end up as dry as a Communion wafer. Personally I would just use a minimal amount of rape seed/olive oil and do it in a pan. Plus this had the added advantage of herbs and spices staying on.

 

If you want to boil it and retain flavour, you'll need to cook for a relatively long time and with a decent amount of stock/wine/flavouring. By which point, it's not as healthy.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Gus Mears

[Mr_Danger]

If its skinless don't worry about how you cook it there's so little calorific difference you might as well go for the tastiest method. Boiled chicken is fucking rank and eating disatisfying versions of already healthy options will just make you more likely to crave the good stuff dipped in the colonels secret spices even more.

[Onyx2]

Is there any benefit to be gained from boiling chicken rather than grilling it?

One advantage to boiling a chicken* is a delicious stock you'll have afterwards. If you're looking for recipes Google "poached chicken" rather than "boiled chicken". Nigella has a bunch of decent Jewish inspired recipes on this line.

 

*note "a chicken". You need to have some bones in that liquid to impart meaty flavour and gelatin.

[The Cutting Edge]

Does anyone here if DDP Yoga do a free trial or anything or a link to where I could 'aquire' it?

[Slapnut]

Bit of a bizarre question here that may be difficult to answer.  I've had some lower back pain for the past few months after deadlifting a little too heavy.  I read online that stretching your hamstrings helps so I've been doing 20 minutes of stretching before bed and it has indeed helped.  However, I can only seem to successfully stretch my left hamstring.  When I try and stretch my right hamstring I can't feel the stretch but I do get quite a sharp pain behind my knee and all the way down the outside of my leg.  I don't get any pain in normal day to day activities or anything, only when I try and stretch that one hamstring.

 

Has anybody ever experienced this and know of a fix?

[CavemanLynn]

Is there a clicking or "pinging" sensation behind the painful knee?

 

Sounds like your posterior chain might've tightened up after tweaking your back. Both your symptoms sound like your hips and glutes need a good stretch. I've had similar things that got cleared up by starting my workouts with a couple of sets of slow squats and toe-touches, and a staggered box stretch on both legs in the evening (one foot on a box or stair, other knee on the ground, like a sprinter with front foot raised). Maybe switch to light Romanian deadlifts for a bit?

[Slapnut]

There doesn't seem to be any clicking or pinging.  I was able to manipulate my body into a position where I could feel the stretch more last night, so I think I just need to keep that up.  Thanks for the advice.

 

I feel like I'm falling apart at the moment.  I played ultimate frisbee last night and I got home with horrendous shin splits and my hip/groin area has been absolutely killing since.  It's been an underlying problem for the better part of 6 months and I've never been able to pin-point any particular part of the muscle where the pain is coming from, so I'm starting to think it's a stress fracture.

[patiirc]

Bit of a bizarre question here that may be difficult to answer.  I've had some lower back pain for the past few months after deadlifting a little too heavy.  I read online that stretching your hamstrings helps so I've been doing 20 minutes of stretching before bed and it has indeed helped.  However, I can only seem to successfully stretch my left hamstring.  When I try and stretch my right hamstring I can't feel the stretch but I do get quite a sharp pain behind my knee and all the way down the outside of my leg.  I don't get any pain in normal day to day activities or anything, only when I try and stretch that one hamstring.

 

Has anybody ever experienced this and know of a fix?

 

Gait probably has a lot to do with it as your lower back pain means your illiac joints and posture changes if it is in pain. Some low level pilates and stretches, focus on the core and the sub creats so they can redistribute the 'pain' and get your gait looked at at a sports shop could help. Also core excercises such as kettlebell halo's and figures of 8 may help.. 

[Kaz Hayashi]

I mentioned a while ago about knacking my knee whilst playing footy. After scans it turns out its ligament and cartilage damage. Key hole surgery booked in for mid June.

 

Along with some physio after it strengthens, can anyone advise some basic sports to get in too?

 

I'll have to give up footy and squash for a while if not for good. Also, I'm a crap runner.

 

Thinking of getting back in the gym, but it's been a good year and I'll obviously need to avoid heavy weights (I used to enjoy squats).

 

Ta