Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Surly Horns

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

Featured Replies

#251
58 minutes ago, Parliament said:

I have a rotation but not a schedule. If today is back day, and my back is sore, I do light cardio. I'll do back tomorrow.

First, bravo for not being a dumdum and saying “it’s back day bygawwwdd, I’m doing back!”.

Second, investigate why you’re sore. Are you not giving yourself enough time to recover? If you are giving yourself enough time, are you not giving yourself the proper nutrients to recover?

Third, are you overdoing the wrong stimulus? Junk volume accomplishes fatigue but not stimulus. Tapping a window with a pencil eraser 10000x won’t break the window. Tapping it once with a hammer will. The appropriate stimulus is necessary for progress.

This next part isn’t directed at you (and neither was the above), rather an observation I want to share. The goal is to stimulate, not annihilate. If you can’t recover; you can’t progress. We all know those guys at the gym that look the exact same year round, year after year. But they’re in the gym every day, for an hour plus, and hitting a shit ton of movements! That’s most likely because they’ve committed one or all of the above mistakes.

#252

IMG_2503.jpeg

This will most likely be my dinner for the foreseeable future until I’m able to do cardio and train legs again. It’s also a good example of how it’s not hard to hit your protein intake for the day. Smoked turkey breast, leafy romaine, diced red onion, pepperoncini, pickled okra, smidge of tortilla strips and fat free Italian dressing.

Without doing the fine math, this should be around 400 calories. 60 P/ 8 F / 3 C

#253
33 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

This will most likely be my dinner for the foreseeable future until I’m able to do cardio and train legs again.

Some reason why you can't do cardio or legs right now that you can share? Hope everything's okay.

#254
4 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Some reason why you can't do cardio or legs right now that you can share? Hope everything's okay.

Did something to my knee, it’s the size of Armybrat’s prostate, but thanks to the dumbshit red tape of health insurance I won’t be getting any imaging done until next week. That will be two weeks post injury. I’m not trying to make it worse, so I figured I’ll lay off it until I can get a diagnosis.

#255
5 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

Did something to my knee, it’s the size of Armybrat’s prostate, but thanks to the dumbshit red tape of health insurance I won’t be getting any imaging done until next week. That will be two weeks post injury. I’m not trying to make it worse, so I figured I’ll lay off it until I can get a diagnosis.

That sucks. I've been so religiously (and probably neurotically) fixed on fitness over the past 10+ years that whenever I get the slightest tweak that might interrupt my routine, it really pisses me off. Hope you're back at it soon enough.

Edited by South Austin

#256

Appreciate it, and it is indeed very frustrating. I have goals, both for strength and appearance, and this is definitely a speed bump. I’m trying to keep an eye on the big picture in that I’ve been at this seriously for almost 20 years, and I want to do it for another 20. I was intending to begin reducing calories at the first of March, so I guess this is just going to accelerate that timeline.

#257
On 1/7/2026 at 8:07 AM, South Austin said:

Probably should take out the "2025" and make this a perennial thread, but here's the question of the day:

I'm 51, and am reading more about fitness for men in their 50s, particular weightlifting. A lot of internet sources I'm reading say that one of the keys to maintaining (and even building) lean muscle mass in your 50s and beyond is rest/recovery days. In terms of recovery, if I've lifted on consecutive days, it's never the same muscle group two days in a row, as I've generally stuck to the push/lower body/pull cycle. But I've read that since your ability to recover slows as you age, it's even more important to have at least one full recovery day following a lifting session, and maybe two full days as you get into your late 50s and 60s. The recovery day can include light cardio, stretching, yoga, walking, etc. But just not lifting, even if you're working a completely different muscle groups. In terms of new years resolutions/goals, I'm now thinking of incorporating more recovery days into my lifting cycle.

So, how often do you olds work in rest days for your fitness routines?

I’m on my third lifetime fitness stent, last two have been the last decade. So may not be as experienced as you or others but I’m pretty well committed to it and can’t see myself going back to an unfit lifestyle.

At 50, I have three kinds of rest - (1) take the day off from resistance - weight training (I do whole body, go hard, super setting, limited breaks work outs with weights not leg day or arm day) - on these days off from weights I may still play tennis rigorously, or I might only take a walk, (2) a total day off, and (3) a sustained 7-10 day down shift to less weight, less rigorous court time, and let my body be active but with significantly less load - like 60%-75% capacity and 2 sets instead of 3 or a similar reduction if you do more than 3. Tennis is not balls out it’s working on touch around the net and maybe breathing focus drills while hitting the ball or even more cerebral training - talking it through. But the point is - a sustained period of significantly less stress while staying active. It’s going to help recovery, tendon damage, joints, ligaments, all of it. And you won’t lose anything for a week of a lighter load.

My last downshift was about a month ago. I had gone way too long and was so tired, sore and fatigued I felt run down and my mental health was suffering. One week of downshifting and I felt great.

I just came off a 10 day 8 day work out schedule and felt great Wednesday after 2 hours straight but tired n Thursday so I’ve taken two full days off with just walks. I’ll hit the gym tomorrow or Sunday.

I never lift or HIIT two days in a row. At least once a week I’m likely to take a complete no activity / couch day - as long as I stretch twice those days it’s ok (I actually can’t lay on the couch for a full day). Trainer doesn’t like do nothing days and clued me in on the mandatory stretching. She would prefer a brisk walk at least. But I’m not her she lives for exercise. If taking a few days off doesn’t do it this time then in a week or two I’ll downshift again. Goal now is to maintain not build more mass - downshifting is great.

So there’s really a cycle to it of intensity then rest and sometimes (active) rest can last a week, sometimes a day or two completely off and sometimes just a shift in what I focus on with high intensity maintaining that feeling of getting after it on a sustained level. Then I repeat every 6-10 weeks.

That’s kinda my mishmash for rest. I talk to my trainer about it she likes the results and has coached me on some rest techniques especially the downshift and stretching

Edited by scramblyn

#258

I’m looking for information on fasting, I know someone on here was doing a bunch of fasting but can’t find it with the search function. I want to do a four day weight/cell regenerative fast. Is bone broth allowed for cell reset or just black coffee, electrolytes, water, lemon, cayenne? I want to lean up a bit with the fast then start a bulking phase after and hit the weights extra hard and add bcp 157 to my other supplements for a while. Is injections the way to go vs oral?

Edited by Hook1997

#259

I did it and a prior poster did it too. She went first and I followed her. I made it four complete days. I only had water and electrolytes. I love coffee with milk. Not black. When I came off of it I had steamed vegetables and broth the first day.

#260
21 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

I’m looking for information on fasting, I know someone on here was doing a bunch of fasting but can’t find it with the search function. I want to do a four day weight/cell regenerative fast. Is bone broth allowed for cell reset or just black coffee, electrolytes, water, lemon, cayenne? I want to lean up a bit with the fast then start a bulking phase after and hit the weights extra hard and add bcp 157 to my other supplements for a while. Is injections the way to go vs oral?

You couldn’t possibly have hit all of my trigger points in one post like this if you had tried. Only thing missing is essential oil talk. Congratulations on making my eye twitch for a solid three minutes, I hate youz

#261

@Hook1997 Plenty of resources out there on benefits of fasting, science and what not, and even the magical properties of fasting when combined with essential oils, particularly on auto repairs for pre-fuel injection models. Sounds like this isn’t the thread or place for it given the resident expert is religiously against it. There are a dozen things you can do that are more likely to produce results that fasting is supposed to do, so major on those and if you’ve got all that mastered then consider the fast. Be careful. And report back in the classic car thread if it worked.

Edited by scramblyn

#262
17 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

You couldn’t possibly have hit all of my trigger points in one post like this if you had tried. Only thing missing is essential oil talk. Congratulations on making my eye twitch for a solid three minutes, I hate youz

Please tell us about hemp protein. I'm hearing great things.

#264

Is this also the 2026 thread? If so:

I am finally over 2.5 weeks of flu / COVID / ???. Weighed in this morning at 216. This time last year, I was 242. My next goal is 200. I’ve figured out my diet and now I just need to stick to it.

Also - 3000 miles on the bike starts tomorrow. I’m looking forward to this goal.

#265
51 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:

Is this also the 2026 thread? If so:

I think it should be. I recommended taking out the year and making it a continuous thread. @F250 , as the thread creator, is that something you should do? Or do we need to ask imma to take a break from calling everyone retards in the recruiting forum?

Edited by South Austin

#266
1 hour ago, Goofyboy said:

Is this also the 2026 thread? If so:

I am finally over 2.5 weeks of flu / COVID / ???. Weighed in this morning at 216. This time last year, I was 242. My next goal is 200. I’ve figured out my diet and now I just need to stick to it.

Also - 3000 miles on the bike starts tomorrow. I’m looking forward to this goal.

Does your diet include the flu? 😁. Good job on the weight loss.

#268
10 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

For weight loss you really can’t beat norovirus

Emily Blunt Goal Weight GIF

#269

In for another year. Lots of progress building up muscle last year but really need to work on cutting some body fat this year.

Didn't slack off too much over the holidays as I only missed a handful of workouts while out of town Xmas week/New Years day...etc. Worked out every day this past Mon-Sat and am back in the groove. Also, on day 8 of Dry January (late start to due to an end-of-season hunting trip on the 2nd and 3rd.)

Good luck fellas.

Edited by Storm the Field

#270

I'm really appreciating some of the finer features of my shitty Samsung Watch5 (the Watch6-8 are all much, much better)... like an actual body fat percentage measurement rate accurate. Otherwise, stepping on the scale this morning might have fooled me into thinking I'd made positive progress, when actually I'd gone just a little bit backwards.

It's not disappointing; I know what my eating/drinking/sleeping habits were this weekend. This way, I'm not thinking I can cheat like that.

Edited by Rimbo

#271

Still about the same here, I did grab some pounds leading up to Christmas. So while in Temple visiting the inlaws I did 24 miles walk/run in 5 days (keeping it around 14:30-14:45) and it was gone again.

Also, side note, have yall tried the cobb salad at WAB? It is remarkably fresh and filling. I try to make my own but this is a great sub if in a hurry or traveling.

  • Author
#272
11 hours ago, South Austin said:

I think it should be. I recommended taking out the year and making it a continuous thread. @F250 , as the thread creator, is that something you should do? Or do we need to ask imma to take a break from calling everyone retards in the recruiting forum?

11 hours ago, South Austin said:

I think it should be. I recommended taking out the year and making it a continuous thread. @F250 , as the thread creator, is that something you should do? Or do we need to ask imma to take a break from calling everyone retards in the recruiting forum?

Sounds

12 hours ago, South Austin said:

I think it should be. I recommended taking out the year and making it a continuous thread. @F250 , as the thread creator, is that something you should do? Or do we need to ask imma to take a break from calling everyone retards in the recruiting forum?

I cant do it. I'm a retard.

@immamac

Could we get a thread title change to "The Weight Loss and Exercise Thread"?

  • immamac changed the title to Weight Loss and Exercise Thread
  • Author
#276
2 hours ago, South Austin said:

Probably because you’re skipping leg day.

sandlot-phillips-what-did-you-say-7wm7p0hlg7u100iv.gif

#277
On 12/3/2025 at 1:06 AM, Vegas64 said:

No matter how good I try to eat (mixed with the inevitable bad), I've been stuck in the 214-220 range for about 2 years now (I'm 6'1, but old so not very athletic or active).

It's like a stock in that when I hit that low mark, I hit a resistence that to break through I can't do it. I must have to do something fundamentally different and harder than what I'm doing in just generally trying to be mindful of how and what I eat.

That’s a very common problem, and because the goal is to get through a resistance level the only real way to solve it is to focus on your diet, with a very particular approach to exercise.

First- this is all about negative calories, so you need to focus on not eating unless you are actually hungry, as opposed to simply not-full. Every time you eat, you should have a palm sized portion of lean meat in front of you- chicken breast, fish, sirloin, etc. Eat that first. Salad second. Potato or whatever third. Make a discipline of NOT eating until you are full. Don’t go nuts avoiding carbs but do count calories. If you find that you are hungry between meals or cleaning your plate ravenously, make the meat portion bigger.

As for exercise, you need to walk around as much as you can. That’s the low hanging fruit at your age, not harder workouts.

#278
12 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

As for exercise, you need to walk around as much as you can. That’s the low hanging fruit at your age, not harder workouts.

I think that's what's hurt my dad in his later years. Granted, he's a 6'4" former career Marine who will be 82 in March, and was a two-sport athlete in high school and college, so a lot of years and a lot of wear and tear. But even in his early 70s, after two hip surgeries, he was active and had a pretty good gym routine. But then COVID hit, and (1) they shut down his gym for a while, and (2) he got bladder cancer, which was fairly manageable through remission, but a few rounds of chemo knocked him on his ass for chunks of time. Once those obstacles were cleared, though, he just never got around to resuming any significant physical activity. Not even walks around the neighborhood. He's stubbornly attended a UT football game in each of the last two seasons, and a friend and I had to almost carry him out of the stadium after the game.

So like Bozo said, the absolute minimum as you age should be significant level of daily movement for a good period of time. Get a Fitbit and aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day.

Edited by South Austin

#279

At some point balance training comes in as well. A very large share of folks going in to long term care do so because of a fall.

#280

If you’re doing everything right or mostly right and can’t drop a the last 5-10% of your body weight in fat (10-20 lbs) it’s really ok to get help. Low dose glp-1s (and 2s and coming 3s) are about as close to a miracle as you can get. they aren’t cheap but they help against the aging metabolic reality, losing all the weight, the last 5-10% -especially as you age even when you do all the things right or mostly right can be ridiculously hard. I’m on 1mg and dropped 11 lbs since October.

The constant fight to eat less is just gone. It shaved off some of my appetite and created some momentum to make better decisions. Even my alcohol intake has reduced another 10-15% without effort.

Now my discipline energy can go into more exercise, getting my to do list done, posting on surly more, etc etc.

I think those of us who think we are really healthy - and probably are - are doing ourselves a disservice if we are struggling some.

The metabolic benefits of these medicines are also mind blowing. Your blood work will improve even if it was already good.

Edited by scramblyn

#281
16 minutes ago, Parliament said:

At some point balance training comes in as well. A very large share of folks going in to long term care do so because of a fall.

Very true. I’ve been focusing more on lower body exercises lately because, in part, I’ve read they help with strength and balance in later years. Stuff like split squats, lunges, etc.

#282

I've seen homemade versions of this made for way cheaper. Would presume a bosu ball would work too.

I've seen a >65yo lady on the bike path riding a unicycle. Not sure I'd recommend THAT, but I understand it.

Screenshot_20260114_100358_Chrome.jpg

Edited by Parliament

  • Author
#284
2 hours ago, South Austin said:

I think that's what's hurt my dad in his later years. Granted, he's a 6'4" former career Marine who will be 82 in March, and was a two-sport athlete in high school and college, so a lot of years and a lot of wear and tear. But even in his early 70s, after two hip surgeries, he was active and had a pretty good gym routine. But then COVID hit, and (1) they shut down his gym for a while, and (2) he got bladder cancer, which was fairly manageable through remission, but a few rounds of chemo knocked him on his ass for chunks of time. Once those obstacles were cleared, though, he just never got around to resuming any significant physical activity. Not even walks around the neighborhood. He's stubbornly attended a UT football game in each of the last two seasons, and a friend and I had to almost carry him out of the stadium after the game.

So like Bozo said, the absolute minimum as you age should be significant level of daily movement for a good period of time. Get a Fitbit and aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day.

My dad is 86 and probably fitter than most men ten years younger than him. My grandfather was the same in his 80's both of them ranchers. Neither of them ever "exercised" or followed a nutrition plan but due to their lifestyle maintained their health late into their life.

Something I have kept in mind as I started to get older was that my dad never stops moving throughout the day and doesn't sit down very long. Plus he is constantly doing some kind of manual labor and has never been one to sit down and dine. Just eats something and goes back to working.

Now as someone that has gone down the career path that results in having lawyer hands, I try and replicate that physical exertion through workouts but I doubt it comes close to simply standing up, walking around and doing manual labor all day.

#285
4 hours ago, Parliament said:

I've seen homemade versions of this made for way cheaper. Would presume a bosu ball would work too.

I've seen a >65yo lady on the bike path riding a unicycle. Not sure I'd recommend THAT, but I understand it.

Screenshot_20260114_100358_Chrome.jpg

That some kinda sex contraption?

#286
4 hours ago, F250 said:

My dad is 86 and probably fitter than most men ten years younger than him. My grandfather was the same in his 80's both of them ranchers. Neither of them ever "exercised" or followed a nutrition plan but due to their lifestyle maintained their health late into their life.

Something I have kept in mind as I started to get older was that my dad never stops moving throughout the day and doesn't sit down very long. Plus he is constantly doing some kind of manual labor and has never been one to sit down and dine. Just eats something and goes back to working.

Now as someone that has gone down the career path that results in having lawyer hands, I try and replicate that physical exertion through workouts but I doubt it comes close to simply standing up, walking around and doing manual labor all day.

My granddad was a master plumber ran his own truck and company and had an assistant. Worked a hard day 6 days a week until he retired at age 70. From there he made sure the house was in pristine condition or he was fishing. He worked an honest day of work even puttering around the garage in retirement. Died suddenly if a heart attack in his mid 80s with no apparent health problems and in great physical shape. He didn’t work out ever. Never ran a mile or did a vo2 max test or anything. His diet was just okay, he never really worried about it. He just worked, every day except Sunday.

Edited by scramblyn

#287

I am shocked that older people who keep active by physically moving around live longer, healthier retirements than the ones who rot on the couch listening to Fox News!

#288
1 hour ago, Js1 said:

I am shocked that older people who keep active by physically moving around live longer, healthier retirements than the ones who rot on the couch listening to Fox News!

Don’t get me wrong the man loved him some Sean Hannity. Had pictures of Reagan and Trump on his fucking mantle. But he was a good man, simple, loved his family, loved others with actions and good deeds, loved his wife of sixty years, loved to fish with and tickle grand kids. He was one of the few you could tolerate Fox News in the background. But you know what? He spent most of his time in the yard or fixing something so yeah I guess he wasn’t Fox Rotting.

#290

For anybody looking for a workout routine to try in 2026, can highly recommend the stuff Don Saladino puts out. Did a couple rounds of his Deadpool 3 workout last year and it’s intense, but here I am doing dumbbell bench presses, 5 sets of 3, 100 lb dumbells. Never thought I would get there. What I appreciate about the workout routines of his that I’ve done already is he has a lot of emphasis on stability work as well so an unstable shoulder for example isn’t going to inhibit you from maximizing gains. This winter I’m going to try his hellboy routine. He publishes reasonable nutrition guides with his programs too if you need help there.

Edited by HiggyBaby

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.