u/Ok-Tone-663

On back days, I do a rowing variation, then a pulldown variation, then another variation of each of them.
3 sets each.

And it feels like overkill.
After the first, let’s say 3 sets of chest supported bent over rows, then the next 3 sets of the other row variation feels like I’m just going through the motion without the same focus.
The first row and first pull-down is solid.
The next two are not.

I was wondering if I should do like 5-6 sets on each of the two exercises, and maybe drop the weight a bit between some of the sets to stay locked in and actually getting something out of it, and call it a day.
Then in my next back day, I can do the other 2 variations.

What do you guys think?

I think back days are hard to feel like I’ve actually given my all, and I’m not sure if this is the way to go or not.

I have a theory that because of the pussy beeing a rat situation, Tony was looking at life in prison no matter what happened in the show.
It became clear that they suspected him of beeing a rat since 95’ and I think this is the basis for Tony’s panic attacks.
The gut feeling telling you something is off. Tony’s subconscious tried telling him that something wasn’t right, and Tony definitely saw signs over the years, but he chose to ignore it.
And when they took care of pussy, the feeling never left. How long had he worked with the police? What did they know?

TLDR:

1: Lower carbs is helpful to some.

2: Intermittent fasting is helpful.

3: Skip breakfast (if you feel like it).

4: Protein shakes x2 a day.

5: Go to the gym. But have fun.

6: Eat clean, but somewhat enjoyable.

7: 10k steps each day.

8: Have a sleep schedule.

9: You can never eat junk again.

10: Working out - diet - sleep (balance)

Since I was a kid, junk food has been my ultimate comfort. Growing up in Norway, I found most of our food boring and not satisfying at all.

Back in the late 90s/early 00s, everything was cheaper and I had a couple favourite kebab spots where I loved the burgers and kebab. I didn’t really gain as much weight, it was very satisfying and cheap.

As an adult, I didn’t enjoy most of the fast food I ate. The places I liked had shut down and the new kebab places are average at best. And it’s way too much McDonald’s which is expensive and extremely calorie dense.

But it’s still tastier than what I make at home. And sometimes it really hits the spot.

I have tried all kinds of diets over the years, and what worked very well for me was during covid. I couldn’t go to the gym so I started going out for walks. Many may walks.

And I lost a lot of weight.

Then, when I got back to the gym, I felt hungrier and gained it all back.

I have done low carb, intermittent fasting etc.

and after years of finding what works, I want to share what got the weight down in a way I could keep it down over time.

1: Lower carbs help, but might not be worth it if it makes you crave carbs all the time, or if it affects your energy.

Some people function fine in lower carb. Some don’t.

2: intermittent fasting helps a lot as a cut-off point in the evening.

Find a timeframe that works for you, and you might not even feel hungry, but it can save you from eating before bed.

3: If you’re not a breakfast person. Skip it.

If you’re also doing intermittent fasting, you get an even long window and in the morning you don’t have to wait to eat. You control it, so it’s easier to “push an hour longer”. And if you’re not hungry, then perfect.

4: take a protein shake twice a day.

I hate them, and I don’t feel the helping much on hunger, but you get more protein, and taking them makes you feel like you’re on the right path, and you might get more motivated to stick to your diet and go to the gym.

5: go to the gym.

BUT. Make it fun!

Push yourself until your muscles are tired, then youre done. Keep it under an hour and push yourself while you’re there.

You don’t need much more structure than that. It might get overwhelming if you start writing things down. Specific number of sets, exercises, too long workouts etc.

keep it simple but you need to push yourself while there.

The only structure you need is 3 days on. 1 day off. Or whatever you like. But you need to have days off.

6: Make as clean food as possible, which is enjoyable enough that you don’t dread eating it or making it.

Personally, this is my day:

Wake up: vitamins, fish oils and creatine.

1 glass of probiotic drinking yoghurt.

Before gym: protein shake.

After gym: protein shake.

Lunch: 2 slices of bread with eggs and avocado.

Dinner: minced meat with spices, some broccoli and rice. And so low cal sauce.

Evening: 1 glass of probiotic drinking yoghurt.

Only thing I change up is the types of meals at dinner and the topping for lunch.

Things like protein shakes, I do hate, but they are easy to make and I drink them quickly.

7: get a step counter, and get 10k steps each day. It’s easily obtainable and you can be very flexible on how to reach your goal.

8: get a healthy sleep schedule and wake up the same time every day. It’s very important as it’s the cornerstone of everything. If you don’t struggle with this, just ignore it, but if you’re like me, you need to get up the same time every day and if I fall asleep an hour later, then my body is still tired when I’m supposed to be up and I have a hard time forcing myself to wake up before my body feels like it.

So you need to be stricter with relaxing before bed, and it’s better waking up an hour or two before your alarm than to sleep 30 mins over.

9: if you have problems with some types of food, you need to realise, youre never eating that again. This is one of the main ways we trick ourselves into sticking to a diet as we see it as temporary. Then rewarding ourselves with food.

You need to actually understand that it’s not an option. Youre making a lifestyle change that lasts forever.

Me for example: I’m addicted to fast food.

I can still enjoy a restaurant every now and then, but not a fast food place.

And when I make food at home, I can make a burger, but I need to make it so healthy that it’s not as good, but on purpose. I can’t have the same enjoyment that I used to. 1 meal can set me into a spiral. It only takes one meal.

10: the perfect balance between working out - diet - sleep.

You can work out all you want, but without the diet, you won’t see results.

You can have a great diet, but you might find motivation lacking if you skip the gym or if you’re sleep schedule is totally off.

The most important one is the diet, as that alone will get you results.

Then it’s the sleep schedule.

And the least important one is working out.

But all of them affect each other.

If you’re too tired to get your 10k steps or going to the gym, then you might skip it.

If you skip it, you might not see a reason of having your protein shakes.

And then you might think about swapping those calories with something else, and then you might swap dinner calories with fast food.

And suddenly, the food you eat at home tastes really bad compared to the fast food, and you see where I’m going.

That’s why you need to be strict enough to get things done, but flexible enough to take advantage of random spikes of energy during the day.

You might feel like going for a 15 min walk during the day to work on your 10k.

Maybe you want to do 1 chest- and 1 back exercise at the gym. Then do that. Add more sets and find ways of pushing yourself. Do 20 reps. 4 sec on the way down. Push yourself for 30 minutes.

If you’re too tired go to the gym for 2 hours, then you might not feel like going to the gym two days later.