Sure we got /nofap/ and /relationship/ threads but there are not threads for workout, recommended reading and self-improvement related stuff.
How are you guys doing/what are you reading right now and what's your recommended reading list?
Post anything SIG(Self-improvement general) related.
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My kingdom is not of this world.
That’s a good one, Leo Tolstoy is a great writer. I’m reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky right now
As for working out, I’m taking a break for the next few days as I prepare for college, then I’m going to start PHAT training
t. slovenly gnostic
I'm doing alright. Been having some trouble with quitting porn and masturbation, but it's better than it used to be. I've been doing pretty good with lifting recently, got some proper lifting shoes last week and have been working on my low bar squat form, seeing good bench gains and solid gains overall. I'm currently reading the Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky and the Bible (just started Numbers in the OT). I've also been watching a few videos on the YouTube channel Sensus Fidelium, some good stuff there.
I loved Crime and Punishment, there's just something really comfy about the setting and the characters have a certain charm to them. The orthodox theme is really nice too, even as a catholic.
How can you improve yourself when you don't even know your Bible?
Still, I don't think self improvement has to be worldly. If you are too focused on vanity, looking swole or /fa/, etc., then yes, he has a point. But building character, discipline, making art and reading edifying literature and so forth are good things.
Get used to it, and getting banned for it.
I'm glad to see someone saved my challenge list, it's the project I'm most proud to have undertaken.
It is really good. I'm not sure about setting defined quantity to everything, but that's all personality.
Does anybody else have recommendation for guided reading? More based on topic than bulk.
I've been working through the old testament in sequence lately, and wandering the new as it comes. Keeping thoughts and prayer on an objective of study.
I've learnt a great deal, but I'd like to put in more effort.
I'm skeptical of Christian bodybuilding, or whatever they call themselves. Yeah, yeah, concern about vanity and worldly gain. But I've done something similar working a labor job. Calling upon The Spirit each day, to provide strength and good council for my teammates.
Switching to a less strenuous job, I'm interested in prescription for maintaining the temple. Reading through history, I saw consistency in the ritual used each time the building was rebuilt; and the story of (Tobit and Ruth, I think) showed parallels, on a different scale.
Is there a bodybuilder in the house? Have some scholarly or spiritual backing to share?
For my part, I've been finding time to be silent with The Lord. I initially took to riding a motorcycle for fuel savings, but years in I found it a good technique for quieting my mind. On longer trips, I shut off my headset and pray or meditate, and for daily commuting it gives me quiet space with which to find the beauty of creation—even in my urban setting.
Also, it's easier to be a good Samaritan when you can pull over in a 4 foot space. Being without a cabin, you feel more connected to the plight of everyone around you.
Well I'm glad you made it. I haven't gotten around to doing it too much but one of these days I will. I've been growing in my faith a lot over the past year or so and I still have a lot of room to improve. Just the other day I started praying the rosary every night before I go to bed, it helps me quiet my mind down a bit.
But we do have to live in this world for a pretty damn long time, might as well make the best use of our God-given attributes, improve them and use them to serve God and his children. Not bury our talents.
I see now there are two threads but most guys are here so I'll copy the stuff I posted in the other thread.
When starting with working out it is best to start slowly
There are calculators online that can establish amount of calories and protein ideal for you to build mass/cut weight.
But first of all get your attention to being regular in your exercises rather than thinking too much about food. That comes with time.
That being said, for reading I recommend St Augustine's "Confessions". It talks about his path from great sinner to saint in depth, philosophically explaining what was wrong with his previous lifestyle. Also contains a lot of theology and speaks about God in a beautiful way. I haven't finished it yet, but it's really good.
For exercise I recommend running. It's free and easy to get into, improves your stamina and cardio health. Also has a lot of mental benefits, which I can attest personally.
There was a splendid reading chart out here on christian. I cannot find on my hard drive though I downloaded it. Perhaps somebody could post it? thanks a lot.
The challenge list looks great, downloaded.
I am done with porn and fapping it seems to be gone for good so I am very grateful to the Lord for giving me the strength to purge this out of my life. I concentrate on regular church attendance - even on workdays, going to confession about twice a month, I keep my training schedule and read reagularly. However sometimes I have issues keeping the schedule of scripture study and morning/evening prayer so it's rather irregular. Also my room should be cleaner. I get it tidied up but in two days it becomes a mess again so there's a lot to do in this regard.
Current reading - St. John Chrysostom, Bible
Crime and Punishment is a great book.
Self improvement involves a regular scripture study. Who implies we're just focused on looking swole? I am not. I am not a body builder at all. lol I am not obsessed with looks but it's natural not to want to look like a weakling.
What I mean by working out is getting into shape so I am able to do work around the house, able to defend those who I love. It's not about getting swole. It's about not being too weak….just being a regular guy
Fun fact about your boy marcus persecuted Christians, A LOT!
Anyone know a schedule for pure bodyweight exercises with NO tools like weights, chairs, etc? I'm fat, and I want to lose weight before my baptism. I was losing weight but then I fell back into my old habits of eating honeybuns and other sweets, and I feel like an addict now. I have until Easter for this, and want to make myself better for God, though I can't access a gym at the moment.
Also, other than cutting out what is obviously killing me (I don't need to eat sweets or extremely savory food obviously), what does a good diet consist of? I've thought of going pescetarian.
Check out /fit/ for some good diet advice. The biggest thing you need to worry about isn't what you eat but how much you eat, and even when you eat. Intermittent fasting can be used to cut fat without losing muscle, which will be the best of both worlds for your situation. I don't know of a good bodyweight routine, but I hope you can find one. Good luck user!
During school, when I pretty much have to sit al day, I'll have a big thermos of tea for lunch, maybe a handful of nuts. No need for big meals when I'm mostly sedentary. That said, cardio is important.
Even though I'm protestant, I tried fasting for Lent, and it kind of reset my appetite and eating habits.
Check out /fit/ for some schedule. But basically to cut the weight include cardio at least 2 times a week. Body weights: squats, sit ups, pull ups, push ups. Either doing a number of reps or going for time ( push ups for 1 or two mins, measure that, and so on.)
To lose weight include more protein, less carbohydrates. Diet recommendations can be found everywhere online too
Why not? What's so wrong about doing actually useful exercices and using weights? If you're serious about losing weight then you should be ready to pay some price for it. Why can't you access a gym until easter?
A while ago I saved a post from /fit/ about it. Don't have the screencap, but I'll paste it below. Hope it helps user, because it's helped me.
I'll add my personal experienced counsel on the issue.
I was raised as a competitive rower, competing at international level all through my teens.
Pic related is Pete Reed, who rowed at elite level with my coaches. He recently won gold in Rio.
I then went on to be trained by the Royal Marines. Right now I don't know (or care) how much I weigh but I look ripped,
my muscles are very strong and dense and I have a good sex drive/energy level etc.
Anyway, here's the two key points I have to make;
I think a big problem people find is they think they have to make it so damn complex to get /fit/.
Pay a gym, do a million types of lifts to target each muscle group, take classes, buy weights, what if I'm doing the form wrong, etc.
The problem with a complex approach is a) It takes a long time to see results if you're only doing each muscle group once a week and b) It's just too hard to keep track of if you have a life.
Bodyweight- only exercises are a great way to start anyway, because of the way they naturally make your form optimal,
and build your core strength really well. Good press ups and chin ups make your back muscles stretch and align.
This, combined with running properly, will give you a body far superior to any gym rat, both in appearance and strength, flexibility and speed.
Those weird, inflated-looking bodybuilders are NOT fit, they are freaks who ONLY have strength, not flexibility, endurance or speed.
Look up videos of bodybuilders arm wrestling people. Often their arms look twice the size of the guy who destroys them. Do not make the mistake of trying to copy their methods.
The reason the guy with smaller arms can win is MUSCLE DENSITY. This is true strength. In fact, the size of your arms is a very bad indicator of your arm strength, and it's the same for any muscle.
You want to build as much muscle fibre as possible, within as small a space as possible, and over time make that space expand, instead of going for the big aesthetic gains straight away.
The exercises; Chin ups
Grab a bar (literally any horizontal thing, I use a tree branch if I can't find anything else), and pull like winnie the pooh until your chin goes over it.
Cross your legs under you in a comfortable way. Do as many as you can in a minute, even if you have to keep stopping or only get to 1 the first time.
Don't worry, the first gains are the hardest and you'll be shocked at how quickly you gain the strength.
Grips; vary your grips between palms in and palms out, wide and narrow grips, whatever you like.
When you get good and want to increase the difficulty, try one-handed chin ups. You'll find you naturally get into the literal swing of it.
I knew a guy who had gorilla arms and all he did was one-handed chin ups, he could climb a ladder with just his arms.
EASY VERSION- if you're weak to start, do chin-downs. Basically hold the bar and jump, and lower yourself as slowly as you can until you gain the strength to do a proper chin-up.
With just a minute of this a day, your muscles will grow enormously strong. But obviously do more if you can.
This will improve your; neck, shoulders, biceps, forearms, wrists, lats, abs and hip flexors.
As your muscles grow stronger, they will get heavier, so the next time you do the exercise you'll be lifting more weight.
Cue gains ad infinitum, but at a reasonable (but initially VERY fast) pace that will give you huge muscle density.
Thank you kek for granting me dubs of truth, anons heed my advice and you will grow huge.
The exercises; Push ups
Lie on the floor, push yourself up. A lot. It is difficult at first but keep your heels, ass and shoulders in a straight line by tensing your abs.
Again, do as many as you can in a minute, even if at first it's only 1. Like chin ups the early progression of strength is very fast,
just keep pushing yourself for a couple of minutes every day and you'll get up to sets of 20+ in no time.
Grips; vary between thumbs together underneath you, to under your nipples, to under your shoulders, to wide-grip press ups.
All these variations just make sure you get all the different muscles, and they can be mentally refreshing to a tough workout.
EASY VERSION- push- downs, quite self-explanatory, just lower yourself in a pressup position as slowly as you can and you'll feel the burn.
Continue until you have the strength to do your first real push up and you're away on the curve.
Again just a minute per day will get you results, to do more have a minute or two's rest then do another intense minute. Listen to your body.
This will improve your; neck, shoulders, back, chest, triceps, forearms, wrists, lats, abs, and hip flexors.
Note that between this and chin ups you are covering all major upper body muscle groups with just two body weight exercises.
Again, the infinite gains rule applies because all the muscle you pile on will be contributing to your weight, and thus the weight you make yourself lift.
Final post, running.
Run on your toes. ALWAYS.
If you're going on your first ever run, I don't care how slow you are, YOU KEEP ON THOSE TOES AS A PRIORITY.
This forces your calf muscles to make massive gains because they're taking all your weight and springing it back upwards.
This is insanely good for them, mine now get noticed by girls as a thing. We're built to run this way.
(Fun fact, in medieval-industrial revolution Britain calf muscles were considered the sexy muscles, over biceps and abs. That's why they wore those weird white calf socks to show off)
As long as you follow the toes rule you can't go too wrong with running, as long as you push yourself to come back from every run sweating and panting.
As you get fitter you'll feel the wind under your wings and start to enjoy running, it gives one a good sense of freedom.
At this point you'll want to start running with more power and speed, which is when you'll start building up your quads (massive thighs inbound).
Running will also de-fat you, before too long you'll see those abs shining through- they get worked by running too, as well as the hip flexors.
After a good bit of running your whole body will feel like a coiled spring ready to catapult you over the ground. You'll marvel at your biology for sure, after all humans are the best running species.
For completion, running improves your; ankles, calfs, quads, glutes (ass), hip flexors, abs, neck, shoulders and forearms.
To conclude, with these three exercises anyone can get /fit/ as winnie the pooh. Just keep pushing yourself at them and the gains will come sooner than you think.
My favourite routine is; run every other day, and do 3 minutes of both chin ups and press ups every day. The beauty is that it's so adaptable.
And finally the most important point
LITTLE and OFTEN is BEST. There's no point thrashing yourself at the gym or anywhere if you can't move for 3 days afterwards (I've made this mistake so you don't have to).
You don't have to workout every day, but 10 minutes 5 days a week is better than half an hour 3 days a week. You've got to keep the ball rolling.
Last post from a /fit/ user who shared this:
Diet to grow huge, grow body hair, grow testosterone
This is basically my shopping list. But I'm huge so whatever, follow me
If you buy your own food, it's easiest to buy a balanced diet and then eat whatever you feel like over the week. That way you can't help but eat a balanced diet, without really thinking about it.
Calorific measures are too vague and they change per person too much. Just try to eat MORE. Think of your body as a furnace you're feeding. The more you feed it, the hotter it will burn, and your metabolism will speed up. So you can eat more. Any excess energy should be burnt off with exercise, rather than avoided being eaten in the first place.
A skinny low-test guy has a little campfire. Your aim is to build it into a roaring bonfire. This way you can eat more, but you will burn more, so you won't get fat.
Base diet
Go to your supermarket, figure out a shopping list that gives you the following ratios;
30% Carbohydrates
- Oats
-Bread
-Potatoes
-Rice
Are all good and flexible to cook with.
30% Vegetables
I don't know all the details of vitamins, but I know if you eat all different coloured veg you'll get them all.
-Spinach (Iron)
-Kale (Iron)
-Sweetcorn (Fibre)
-Peas
-Onions
-Carrots
-Tomatoes
-Lettuce
-etc
20% Protein
-Fish (Omega 3, oil strengthens joints)
-Fish
-Fish
-Chicken (Careful it's not pumped full of hormones)
-Red meat (sparingly, has high fat and causes diseases)
-Eggs
20% Beans and extras
-Baked beans
-Kidney beans
-Mixed beans (all beans are high in protein and fibre)
-Sauces like ketchup and mayo
-Butter (vegetable oil spread is better)
-Comfy foods like soup and chocolate
-Fruit and nuts are the best snacks
-Salt and spices (salt is needed often because it's lost in sweat)
A human can survive and thrive on only the above. Notice how everything is in its raw/original form, no ready meals or shit with a million weird sounding ingredients.
To increase your intake for lifting, eat more carbs and protein, to taste. Listen to your body. I eat shit all the time, pizzas and ice cream and stuff (but as optional extras, not replacing the diet). As long as it's in moderation and you are aware of the high fat content, it shouldn't do you any harm.
WATER
Trees need water to grow and so do heart of oak men.
My advice is to carry a bottle of water around with you, you'll sip it all the time without even realising.
Your piss is the indicator. It should be nearly clear, all the time. If it's not, drink more until it is.
Hydration is KEY so this is potentially the most important point.
Water allows your muscles to use the energy stored in them. It also keeps your skin clear.
Apart from that, have fun learning to cook with fresh ingredients, it's fun :)
Bonus; This kind of food is always the cheapest.
bump
All right there are seveeral /SIG/ threads now so I repost the stuff from other threads here.
Early church fathers books:
Awesome. Thanks
Lifting is good, combat sports are better in my opinion. Good exercise, less vanity, excellent for self-confidence and will actually make you less violent.
t.boxer