#weighted plyometrics

[ancientroyalblood]

Building Explosive Power with Plyometrics: Advanced Techniques

Plyometrics is a powerful training method designed to improve explosive power, speed, and agility by utilizing high-impact, high-intensity movements. Plyometric exercises target the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for rapid bursts of energy and strength. Whether you’re an athlete looking to improve performance on the field or a fitness enthusiast aiming to add explosive movements…

[eatclean-bewhole]

A little bit of “I’m gonna kick my ass today!” and a little “I think I’ll do yoga and meditate under the stars.” Sometimes we need physical release, and sometimes we need to go inwards. Mind-body health is a balance of both. Honor and cultivate your strength in all areas. #mindbodysoul

#balance #consciousliving #selfawareness #mindfulness #wellness #selfcare #mindbodyspirit #meditation #selflove #health #love #mentalhealth #yoga #mindset #plyometrics #healthylifestyle #motivation #fitness #inspiration #healthjourney #fitnessjourney #spirituality #weightlifting #workout #holistichealth #wellbeing #energy #growthmindset #athlete

[bcube]

A bit over a year ago I was cutting, when my body dysmorphia was at its peak. Quite a grindy set this was. Muscle fibers were prominent with my delts and pecs doing dips. I also lost 55 lbs in about 4 months, I felt like shit all day when I hit 145-155 lb range. Lessons learned for the next time. 190 has been much better, I hit 210 at my peak this bulk a few months ago. Gradually decreasing weight, but have added a lot to my regular training that I enjoy too much causing heavy fatigue. I can't win, so slowly building my work capacity to do all the havoc for myself.

The bullshit of knowing that I'm harming myself but seeing the fat go away and telling myself I need to eat was a struggle I wouldn't have out on my bingo card. Allowing myself to gain weight in a healthy way, but on my own terms wasn't easy. Nor was the glutton in a plant dominant (low animal product consumption) diet to gain weight. A 65 lb weight increase took me 13 months.

[justafoxhound]

I love starting a new type of training (physical) and discovering I suck at it. Means it's totally new. Never/barely have I ever done this type of action. My muscles are startled, confused, befuddled at what I am asking of them. And it means I am going to see so much improvement, and that will make me better at the other activities I already do. It's finding untapped potential. And when you get past the baby phase and become OK at a new skill, that's fun.

[velvetures]

omg I luv ur writing!!! is it possible to get a story thats like, ghost (or whomever) is stretching and training together but there’s alotttt of sexual tension, and ghost ends up hard and they notice it bc of the position they’re in? (Like he’s restraining reader and his bulge is right in their face😭)

Tension

A/N: I went kinda wild with this one... please excuse my filth. :)

Summary: You've always driven Ghost just short of losing his self-control. Some peeping, close combat training, and seeing you do yoga eventually snaps the fine line warding off the Lieutenant.

T/W's: NS/FW 18+ ONLY, fem reader, rough sex, overstimulation, tension, inappropriate horniness, p-in-v sex, unprotected sex/creampie (don't do that IRL), fingering, multiple orgasms, standing missionary?, a hint of rushed consent, big feelings, manhandling ofc, and I don't proofread well.

Ghost had watched your late-night training routine many times. A bit of a jog to get warmed up, some plyometrics on one of the mats, and then some light weights. It would leave you in a glittering sheen of sweat under the dim lights; jewel-encrusted as you’d wait until the last hour of your workout to pull out headphones and start doing yoga.

After looking up some of the things you did, the Lieutenant knew enough about it to understand that it wasn’t just some bullshit thing you felt worked. It held some actual merit on plenty of applicable skills. And fuck did you make it look good. From the simple stuff like laying on your back and just breathing, to the more mind-bending positions like the *Sirsa Padasana -*one of those Ghost needed to know the name of- after watching you stay almost entirely still like that for five minutes. He’d seen a lot of the different ways soldiers practiced not only strengthening their bodies but their minds while training. And the way you spent so much time in yoga practice… he felt like there wasn’t any question as to how you had such control over yourself in the field.

In the beginning, Ghost found himself unable to interrupt your… sessions? for the unfounded reason that his presence huffing and groaning while running or lifting would interrupt whatever silence or isolation you preferred. At least, the silence he assumed you wanted since he never saw you in the gym when the sun was still visible. Instead, he’d just come to the edge of the windows and peek to see if you were still there; Deciding how close you were to finishing up before going back to his quarters and waiting until he heard the sounds of your footsteps walking past his door. But he’d been caught after a while.

And it opened up and entirely different kind of training that Ghost wasn’t prepared for.

You had been more than happy to share the gym with him, almost begging that he join since you never had “company” this late at night. Not that his “company” was much more than his body just being in the same room, but it never failed him to see just how utterly calm you were at the thought of him lingering around you. Most people flinched or shied away, but you never did, and even when you twisted yourself into the most ridiculous looking shapes and put yourself into vulnerable positions, it didn’t effect you at all that he could walk right by you or possibly be watching.

He was always watching.

It made hand-to-hand combat drills more interesting too.

Gaz had been partnered up with you initially, seeing as he could be the most patient and actually give you clear pointers without sounding too harsh. He’d been quite happy with your progress over the span of a few months, and quickly gave Ghost a task that became his most challenging mission to date. Teaching you how to fight without losing his own mind being that fucking close to you for nearly two hours multiple times a week. As if personally viewing your workouts late at night wasn’t bad enough, he actually got to feel just how much the yoga strengthened you when he had to grapple your little body and try to pin you down. Teaching you to block fists without seeing them coming, locking knees with opponents three-times your size, avoiding handcuffs, knives, and other non-projection weapons came with a cost.

Ghost wouldn’t really be focused on your techniques or reaction time nearly as much as he’d be concerned about the way your hips ended up flush with his, or just how easy it was for him to just slip one arm between your thighs and effortlessly manhandle you onto the mats. It was hard keeping a clear head when you just made fighting feel a lot more like aggressive foreplay. Hell, you sounded a lot more like you were being fucked too. Nothing but little grunts and groans when he’d secure one arm behind your back, or little pants as you fought off his punches and forward drives to kick one of your feet out from under you. s

“Don’t let me holding anything in your house I your legs,” He felt himself growling out the order as you fought underneath him to pull your legs free from between his thighs.

“If I pin you, you’re dead.” The words were harsh… and it’s why everyone thought Gaz would be a better fit.

But that hadn’t been enough, and now here he was, half-sweating and half-hard, trying to make sure his cock didn’t brush up against you long enough for you to notice that you were playing more than just one game with him. While your strength didn’t match his own, it was your flexibility that made you competent enough to have even been thought to be put into a spar with him. You could twist yourself up and out of spaces most grown men would never think about, and it did give Ghost a bit more challenge trying to combat how hand-placements knowing you were about as slippery as fucking water. And without attempting a conventional tactic, you’d gotten yourself free of his legs and wrapped back around his back with one leg and an arm pulled in a headlock.

Ghost gave a frustrated sigh, feeling his air supply being hindered but not actually cut off. You’d misjudged his windpipe -probably due to the mask- and tightened down less than an inch away from perfect. It was a good counter move, but not lethal. And that was unacceptable. Hardly any force was needed to pry your arms from around your leg and literally throw you belly-down onto the mat, both arms pulled tight behind your back with his legs pinning yours down securely. You wiggled and jerked against him, ass brushing the base of his ever-present erection, and it forced him to let you go. For nothing more than the safety of his own pride and insurance that you would go another day without your Lieutenant’s perverse thoughts becoming known.

“I thought I had you that time,” You pant, coming up to sit on your knees across from him with a frustrated look pinching your eyebrows. “What did I do wrong?”

He had to give you credit, you were so damn teachable. Always asking questions and stopping in the middle of a fight to expect some kind of explanation instead of just learning through trial and error. Naturally, he’d been partial to ignoring you at first but when you wouldn’t engage after asking a question until he said something, he realized that there was no use. So, he did what he could do best. Teach by example.

Slow… example.

“Come here,” You got back up to your socked feet and walked right up to him, sweat clinging to the tip of your nose and dripping down the side of your neck. He had the insatiable urge to rip his mask up and lick that bead from your collarbone to the pulse point jumping under your skin.

With one hand he turned you around, your shoulders tight to his upper stomach and placed his forearm against your throat in the same way you’d done just a moment ago. It made things hard since his arm hardly fit in the gap to begin with, but he could feel you swallow easily, letting him know he’d found the correct angle.

“Your arm hit off to the side,” He tightened down just a little, feeling your body tense up as he began putting pressure over you. “When it should’ve been straight.” With the smallest adjustment, his left hand palmed the top of your head, holding you still while the bulk of his muscled, right forearm pressed flush against the right side of your throat, and his massive bicep flexing to apply pressure to the other side; forcing a hissing sound from your mouth.

Your little hands came up to grip his arms, not exactly pulling him away or fighting the pressure. Both hands curling around his And while he knew he shouldn’t actively be testing just how long you could go before passing out, Ghost found himself waiting patiently just to see what would happen under the stress. There for a split second, your muscles suddenly went slack and he honestly thought you’d already lost enough oxygen to faint. But when your fingers still pressing against the veins in his arm started slowly moving in a little wave of tapping motions, he was proved wrong.

Right away he remembered seeing you do it before. In the times your yoga practice was a little less than comfortable or you were actively trying to push yourself further than you’d gone before. Something like a little tell, or coping mechanism that allowed you to focus without exerting too much energy to something else outside of the main stimulus. Another little thing you did that Ghost found so much more interesting and downright strange about you. How clever you were doing things differently than everyone else.

“Alright, enough,” He let go and pushed his hand in the gap of your shoulders to put some pace between you.

You stumbled forwards, taking a gasp of breath and turning around to Ghost with a heavy flush settling in your cheeks and a bloodshot tint in the whites of your eyes. You brought a hand up to your neck where a faint outline of his own arm had pressed into you, your fingertips tracing the outline with a little bit of an embarrassed smile on your face.

“Any reason you didn’t fight back?” He questioned, flattening out his tone and looking at you with a pointed glare.

You shrug, looking down at the floor for a moment. “I… was trying to feel it. The pressure I mean, and see if I could resist you.”

Ghost rolled his eyes, trying to keep from barking out a laugh. He’d not even used his actual strength to apply pressure. It was nothing more than the literal bulk of his arm just fit against your throat. Hearing you think otherwise gave the Lieutenant a deep stroke to his ego, even giving his half-hard cock a good wave of stimulation as well. He couldn’t find it in himself to not give you correction though.

“You couldn’t resist it, kid.”

“Excuse me?” The offense you took surprised him. Ghost took a couple steps closer to you, settling his hands on his hips.

“You. Couldn’t. Stop. Me.” He punctuated his words with a flat, and uninterested tone to mask the sudden intrigue he had after actually managing to keep the thundering beat of his heart under control.

You, with your calm demeanor. Patience beyond humanity. Body from his own wet dreams… A better man would’ve known how to stay away from you and ignore the desires to bend you to his own will. A good man would be like Gaz. Train you with only your best interests in mind. Develop your weaknesses without thinking of all the ways he could use them against you in the most twisted and deprived ways. Learn your body and train it to be even more dangerous than it already was. Not spend every second during sparring using it as an opportunity to have you under him or wrapped up in his arms so tight you couldn’t get away.

“Looks like you can’t stop yourself, L.T.,” You answer with a confidence and direct stare directly at his belt.

The remembrance of his cock straining against his pants became much more significant that his own comfort and control in that moment. Halting all thoughts aside from the way your eyes swirled with unspoken questions and plenty of ideas forming that Ghost didn’t nearly have the ability to respond to. A cold rush of panic spread through his body, and he immediately turned his back to you, spitting out some kind of dismissal as soon as her could manage it.

“We’re done today, go get cleaned up.”

Later that day, you’d not seen a single glimpse of Ghost. You’d not really meant anything mean by the mention of his… excitement, while training. It was understandable, seeing as you’d both been quite close and in very vulnerable positions that could easily skew anyones mind past the straight and narrow. You’d be lying if there weren’t times that you thought about the different ways your body could be really manhandled by your Lieutenant. He was undeniably attractive with his gruff voice and often bitter character. It made Ghost who you knew, and while you knew most people wouldn’t understand, you felt comfortable and safe around him.

Even when you felt his erection pressing against you while teaching you how to defend yourself in close combat. That whole ordeal was in the forefront of your mind in such a significant way that even Soap noticed it while you were putting together some dinner for the pair of you. Nothing special, just some pasta and chicken, but you’d nearly boiled over the pot of spaghetti twice now, and the Sergeant wasn’t so oblivious to not notice.

“You good?” He nudged you, taking the spoon from your hand and scooting you out of the way politely as to take over the cooking while you had such a hard time focusing. You’re slow to respond, still a little stuck trying to sort through your own feelings and the attempts to sort through what had happened, if it was your fault, and how in hell you were going to try and make an apology for overstepping bounds.

“Um… I have a question,” You speak up, wrapping your arms around yourself and watching Soap stir the chicken in the skillet.

“If you were sparring with a girl… and you got hard, does that mean you’re into her?”

You felt like a high school girl gossiping with her friends about how to tell if guys were crushing on you. Such a stupid question would’ve gotten you in a lot of trouble if you’d asked anyone other than Soap. Johnny looks over at you, a smirk on his face and his eyes alight with mischief. He turns around and leans against the counter with his lower back resting there causally, glancing around the kitchen and living area to see if anyone was around before answering you.

“Well lass, I can’t be sure of nothin’ more than theory…” He rubs a hand over the short and scratchy stubble growing out on his cheek. “But, if I really liked her, yeah… I’d probably get a little excited doin’ somethin’ like that.”

The topic falls into a somewhat comfortable silence after that; Allowing you to eat you dinner on the couch, stewing over not just the sight of Ghost standing right in front of you, obviously turned on in some way or another as well as Soap’s -unknowing- confirmation. Therefore by the end of your pasta, after a long stint of attempting to read a book, and debating if you’d just fucked up a very important relationship within your squad, you found yourself getting changed into some comfortable clothes and heading back down to the gym.

You didn’t bother warming up with a jog, or any real kind of strength training. You needed some kind of way to focus, and yoga was the only surefire way to shut out any other thoughts. There was just enough dedication required to work through poses correctly, that after less than ten minutes of gentle flow you’d lost a lot of the edge cutting into your peace of mind over Ghost. You’d been working on extending your ability to remain in Kapila pose, and got almost two minutes over your record when you heard the door to the gym snick open, followed by heavy footsteps walking past you towards the weight rack.

It was nearly one in the morning. No one looked for a hard workout this late night other than your Lieutenant, and he was the last person you wanted to face right now. Fuck… he was the whole reason you were pushing your limits right now, nearly reaching into the painful edge of stretches just to force your breathing and mind onto the center of balance and exertion. With your face mere inches away from the ground, sweat drips off your nose onto the mat you’re sitting on and makes a quarter-sized puddle by the time you’ve finally felt like you’ve held to pose long enough. Your flow lead you into Compass pose next, beginning the opposite leg and physically guiding yourself into a position meant for nothing more than to release tension lingering in your body. It takes a while to feel your joints and tendons finally giving up to the stress in your mind, making the hold on your foot behind your head more manageable.

It’s around that time you begin hearing the sounds of squat plates clacking against each other alongside the rich and room-filling sounds of Ghost’s quiet grunts and groans. Resisting the strong desire to imagine what his legs look like, flexing under the weight of the bar. Using massive thighs and such explosive power to push the multiple hundred pounds he’s holding over his shoulders over twenty times for racking the weight. It’s all in the sounds you can’t ignore due to forgetting your headphones. Damning you to an onslaught of delicious sounds that would’ve fell on deaf ears anywhere else on base. Overshadowing the tinges of pain in your body with the commanding nature of the Lieutenant even when he wasn’t seeking it out.

You spent nearly an entire half hour trying not to put too much weight on Ghost’s presence, working at this point just to get through your flow without drawing too much attention to yourself, or giving any reason for Ghost to say anything to you. You’d not prepared anything in the way of an apology, and you couldn’t begin to formulate one with clanking metal and his suggestive sounds filling your ears. Maddening… downright sinful in nature. Enough to make any woman squirm. And fuck were you utterly terrified that you’d chosen to wear such light colored grey leggings, because if you’d move in just the right way, the dampness growing there would be painfully obvious.

In a headstand, choosing it for nothing more than your confidence in it, you’d closed your eyes and started tapping on the mat with your fingers. Picturing your own spine and tying a string to it, using that thin string to draw your vertebrae straight and tall, lengthening your entire body and deepening your breaths. You nearly fell flat on your face when you feel fingers graze the back of your knee and tease over your calf. The wiggle in your concentration stacks your weight over your head and forearms on the floor and pitches you towards the ground.

Right away, an arm wraps around your hips and swipes you off your own control and kept you from falling to the ground. Instead of hitting your mat or the concrete you had your eyes on, you feel nothing short of muscle and stocky build pressed against the entire backside of your body as Ghost holds you upside down not unlike a sack of flour or a sniper rifle. The back of your head hits against his lower leg and you grunt a little, taken by surprise and once again finding yourself at the mercy of Ghost’s strength alone. You’re about to speak up, and are cut short by the Lieutenant literally spinning you right-side up with his free arm, holding you eye-level with him.

“Distracted?” His eyebrow raises above the cut out of his -much thinner- almost athletic mask missing the trademark skull painted on it. His hand palming your ass felt like it was branding the skin under your leggings, leaving you speechless and hanging on nothing more than the sounds of his breaths hissing through the mask.

“You… you spooked me,” You mutter, one hand bracing on his shoulder and the other somewhere on his chest… you couldn’t quite gather enough spacial awareness to connect the dots. “Made me jump is all.”

Ghost chuckled, “Spooked you?” Even his tone was mocking of the ridiculous idea you knew was so full of holes, it wouldn’t hold water. “Touching you s’enough?”

Looking down at your body pressed against his; the direct contrast of your cream colored knit sweater and his tight-fitting black shirt, the embarrassingly long distance between your feet and the floor. Everything about this meeting with Ghost was so far different than when you met on level ground in the sparring room. Then, you both knew the intentions. How to work around each other and how to go about pushing the right buttons. But now… you weren’t even close to feeling like having any power, and you were certain that the Lieutenant could feel it radiating off of you.

“Maybe it is.” Replying back, you feel his fingers dig a little into the flesh of your ass a little harder.

“Maybe its not what I’ve done that’s bothering you… but what you’ve been thinking about,” He challenged you back, looking over at the mat you’d been using. “Why you came here, pushing so hard… Ignoring me.”

All the air in your lungs evacuated when he so accurately saw right through your skull and into the deep recesses of your head. Enough that you were nodding your head just enough for Ghost to let out something of and amused kind of sound. Short of real laugher, but not nearly enough to call it a breath. Either way, there was no hiding now. You admitted it right to his face, looking deep in those dark eyes with a level of intensity you had never seen from him before.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s in your little head?”

You hadn’t the slightest idea where to begin. Should you admit that you were hungry for more about his thoughts on you? Or just admit that you’d been struggling all even with the guilt of enjoying the thought of him lusting over you and having the power to call him out over it? So many ideas popped into your head, spinning it around so quickly that y the time you spit out an answer, you were already in the changing rooms in the back of the gym; Ghost carrying you towards the counter with a mirror. He sat you down on it, slotting his hips between your spread thighs and rubbing those massive hands up your thighs like he was savoring the feeling of your muscles tensing up under his touch.

“C’mon. That was an order, soldier.” He pressed, actually pinching at the creases of your thighs made all the more defined with you sitting. “D’you have somethin’ you want to ask me? About training earlier…”

You gasped softly, twitching when his fingertips traced over the indentions in your thighs marking dimples and other imperfections that you would’ve loved to go unnoticed by his wandering hands curling around your hips and back towards your ass again, sliding you flush against his chest. Forcing you to visualize the heavier rise and fall of his chest, shadows defining the valley between his pecs and the heartbreakingly gorgeous width of his shoulders caging you in. Masterfully, this man was drawing words out of you in such a confident and almost inescapable seduction. Yet the only question you’d been struggling with was answered with nothing more than the soothing voice and teasing touch of a man who had you wrapped around his finger.

“Hmm, no questions?” His head tilted a bit, seeing you so flustered over nothing than a couple little touches.

Enjoying nothing more than how you looked at him so surprised and innocent, despite knowing just how fucking turned on you were after spotting the totally soaked crotch of your leggings after approaching you during your headstand. Unable to resist you any longer, Ghost tipped your chin up a bit to meet his gaze and purposefully softened it. Wanting to ease you into this a little more, humming lowly when your pretty lips curled into a sweet smile. Letting your head rest in his hold with every ounce of trust you showed in the field and one the mats during conditioning.

“I have a question for you. Did you like it…? Seeing me standing there with a hard cock, knowing you were the sole reason for it.” He traced his finger down the bridge of your nose gently.

“How does it make you feel inside, knowing I want to feel every inch of you. Taste your screams of my name and the slick dripping out of your cunt onto those fucking leggings you’re wearing.”

“F-felt… good,” You sputter, face flaring brightly. “Liked it a lot.”

His hands kneading harshly at your ass quickly came up to the high waist of your leggings and tugged, hard. Breaking stitches and even tearing the material on one side as he pulled those skin-tight leggings off your legs; Growling deep in his chest when the sheen of your arousal spread on your skin under the florescent light. You held on to his shoulders, helping him just enough to make sure he didn’t totally ruin your bottoms.

“I knew you did,” He snarled, throwing your pants behind him and giving you a very clear smile from behind his mask. “Such a good solider, too bad she’s a dirty little slut for her Lieutenant’s cock.”

You could help the guttural moan you let out when his fingers dipped between the slick folds of your pussy and so very gently rubbed over your swollen clit. Using his hips to keep your thighs from locking his hand into place. Ghost was as calm and collected as ever, giving you an almost placating look as you squirmed and fought between the desire to back away from the sudden intense stimulation and the desire for more. His other hand held your chin steady, tutting at you like he was disappointed when you bit your lip to try and muffle the sounds of pleasure he was giving you.

“No, you’re not allowed to do that.” He pinched your clit, making you yelp loudly and squeeze your thighs against him until they shook. “You’ll sit there and let me play with you until i’m finished, okay?” Ghost actually nodded your head up and down for you. “That means I hear every fucking sound, because they’re all mine.”

You couldn’t remember how many times you came around Ghost’s fingers before the entire countertop you sat on was pooling with your cum. Feeling it stick to your skin and the wet sensation of his mask dragging over your body as he licked and bit at your skin until the pain melted into such overwhelming ecstasy that you couldn’t hold your upper body of your own strength. You’d slumped your forehead against his chest, blabbering utter nonsense and struggling to manage just how Ghost could expertly play your body to his own desires. With a swollen and exhausted cunt still clenching around his fingers, you were being lifted off the counter and up into Ghost’s arms with the hot and thick head of his dick teasing your dripping hole.

“G-Ghost… can’t take it. Can’t take more,” You groan, clawing at his shoulders and back as he gently rolls his hips just enough to give you a taste of what he was about to stretch you out with.

“Oh yeah you can…” His breathless chuckle made your stomach churn. “You can. And you will, because I need you to come around my dick.”

In one fatal movement, you were speared onto Ghost’s cock down to the base. Crying out his name as your walls spasmed to adjust in time. Adjusting his hold on your body, the flexibility he’d lusted over while watching you worked to his advantage as he held you by your thighs, dropping your pussy back down over him. Releasing the first of many wet, sucking sounds that earned you such a deep moan of your own name that you impossibly tightened around him.

“Thaaatt’s ittt,” His punched-out praise only urged you on, creating deeper and more unavoidable desire to please him. “Such a good fuckin’ slut. Dripping down my balls… fuucck. You’re gonna make me come.”

The idea of Ghost filling you with his hot release poured hot, honeyed feelings of pleasure. You couldn’t believe there was a feeling such as deeply effecting as this. The shocking weakness in which you felt completely absorbed in to the point that you saw past the rough exterior Ghost was presenting, and understood that he wasn’t taking with your physical self, but everything else that you could offer him. Closeness, support, trust beyond what others had given… maybe even love. Sex hadn’t felt like this before. Especially the filthy way Ghost was fucking his cock up into you so deeply your cervix was curving to mold around his tip. But the connection was there and so strong that your heart was burning in your chest.

“Doin’ so good…” He murmured, wet mask brushing against your cheek and fanning damp breaths over your sensitive skin. “God m’gonna keep you right here forever,” He groaned, biting at your cheek through his mask. “My little toy. Let me make you feel good…”

That wetness in your bright eyes as you nodded up at him, whimpering broken pleads and begs for him to do it. To claim you… fill you up over and over. Never spend another day without Ghost either right next to you, or his semen dripping out of you as a reminder that you’ve been possessed by such a powerful and commanding man that would stop at nothing to drive you out of your mind with pleasure. Such intense emotional and physical feelings that sent you careening over the edge of a earth-shattering orgasm that left you quite literally screaming out his name at the top of your lungs, feeling a heavy pressure in your lower stomach break. Clamping down on Ghost’s cock and feeling overwhelming wetness soaking his pelvis and dripping down onto the floor in a gush of splatters.

“Shhiitt!” Ghost shouted out your name, stuffing his cock as deeply inside you as he could.

Feeling jets of his release flooding your pussy and overflowing the tight space until it rolled down your inner thighs in thick pearl rivulets. His hips rocked against yours, stuttering as they grew weak and his cock overstimulating against the texture and tightness. Right away the bruising grip on your ass and thighs loosened, and on unsteady legs Ghost moved you both back towards the counter and reluctantly drew himself out of you with a hiss. Too fucked out to even respond in a noticeable way, you just kept your weakened legs and arms wrapped as tightly around him as you could. Shivering with aftershocks of nearly-fried nerves and overworked muscles.

You were cradled against Ghost’s chest, with both arms protecting your body. His head resting atop yours, listening to your breaths and feeling the way you began to slowly wind down, made that much easier by his fingers trailing up and down your spine and whispered praise scratching an itch deep in your heart and brain. He was taken by you, so small and made that much smaller with nothing but that soft sweater covering your form and the little hands you’d fisted into his shirt. So pretty, and if it wasn’t for seeing your skills as a soldier, he’d think you were as breakable as a hand painted, porcelain teacup.

Duty to protect and provide washed over Ghost. So strongly that even the small chills rising on your legs were distressing him beyond what would’ve felt acceptable. He wanted you warm and feeling safe with him after taking so much for so long that you could hardly hold your own head up. Moving you again to his quarters was his next task, and he very quickly had you gathered up in his arms and the large towel you’d brought to the gym draped over your bottom half so that neither of you would have to fuss with the wet leggings that had been unintentionally soaked by your final orgasm. Ghost didn’t even bother picking them up off the floor since the right side had been ripped apart beyond repair or wearing again. Mentally, he already had plans on replacing them.

But there would be a lot of things that changed sooner than later.

He’d done everything to stay away. Pretend that he didn’t want you deep in his very bones, and ignore how heavy of a struggle it became to deny simple closeness to another human being that meant more than a cooperating operator. You would be nothing less than his sole purpose in working for. Ensuring you had everything you needed and more than you could ever ask for. He’d take nothing you gave for granted, including the total control of your body for him tonight. And he’d be certain that the next time he touched you… he would do it the right way instead of allowing the desperate side of him to try and swallow you whole. You deserved more than a rough and dominating man. And he wasn’t sure how to even go about becoming something he’d long abandoned for no other reason than survival.

But fuck if he’d be damned if he didn’t dedicate the rest of his life trying.

Comments & Reblogs are Appreciated

[ryuzakemo128]

Headcanons of Colonel König dating a female Italian Olympic Gymnast and Fencer reader would be like

Pairing: Konig x female Italian Olympic Gymnast and Fencer turned operative

Content Warning: Implication of smut, mention of injuries needing physical therapy.

Masterlist

Credit for Dividers: @cafekitsune + @strangergraphics

Note: Descriptors used: Nationality, height and implication you that you have dimples.

(One) König meets you during a mission in Rome. You were exercising in the gym to maintain a physique that was always ready for combat.

Your Hip and ankle mobility drills included: Cossack squats with knee drops, deep squat with calf raises, narrow squat pistol to Cossack slide, ankle circles, Shrimps curtsy lunge, Quadruped hip drops, side lunge to curtsy lunge, and plyometric box jumps. You had been pushing your body to the limit, focusing on the task at hand, oblivious to the outside world.

Your other drills were: Sledge pulls, bear crawls, farmer's walk, HIIT training, body weight strength training, Push Press or Strict Press, and you had just finished a set of 100 pushups when you felt the presence of someone watching. You wiped the sweat from your brow and turned around to find Colonel König, impressed by your dedication. He had a stern look on his face, but his eyes held a hint of curiosity.

Sometimes you deadlifted and calisthenics, sometimes you sparred with the gym's punching bag until your knuckles were bruised and your breathing ragged.

(Two) König likes the height difference between the two of you. You're not exactly petite, standing at 5'11, but his towering 6'10 frame made you feel delicate in a way that was surprisingly comforting. His physique was imposing, a testament to the years of rigorous military training, yet there was a softness in his gaze that made you feel seen beyond the sweat and the grime of the gym.

A past incident left you injured, which sent König into a right frenzy at the time. You were in Milan when it happened. He was in Austria. Thousands of miles away from you. It was supposed to be a simple, routine mission, one that quickly went sour before you could scream the word 'extraction'. The intel was bad, shoddy at best, the enemy had anticipated your move, and suddenly you were caught in a crossfire, a bullet grazed your side and your left leg took the brunt of an explosion. The pain was sharp, the world spinning around you, and all you could think of was how you'd never get to see the Eiffel Tower again.

When you said, "Why do I have to get injured man. I was looking forward to seeing the Eiffel Tower. Chi vive sperando -- muore cantando. He who lives with hope dies singing. Thought you might need to hear that. My mother wouldn't stop bugging me until I did."

König's stern expression softened into a smile, a rare sight that seemed to warm the very air around you. He leaned in closer, his deep voice rumbling as he said, "And here I was, worried you'd forget your Italian after all that time in the field."

"I use it as much as I can." You remarked with a wide grin. "Ti sei fatta male cadendo dal Paradiso?" Meaning, Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

König's eyes narrowed, a hint of amusement playing on his lips. "I'm not an angel, bella," he said, his Italian a gruff contrast to the melodic rhythm of your words. "But I've had my share of bruises from the fall."

"Angel's are the lord's soliders, Konig. They are strong as well as beautiful. You are an angel of the lord to me." You said with a wink at him. "Angels aren't delicate. My mother believes they are the fiercest of creatures."

Konig chuckled, a sound that was surprisingly gentle for someone so intimidating. "Your mother is a wise woman," he said, his eyes lingering on your face for a moment longer than necessary.

"So, there, you are an angel, rough edges not withstanding. I must say, you are MY angel, though. I still don't have any intention of sharing you, by the way." You smirked, looking him up and down subtly liking what you saw.

Colonel König's cheeks flushed slightly, a rare occurrence, but one that you had learned to recognise. "I'm not here to be your knight in shining armour, you know," he said gruffly, trying to maintain his usual composure.

"I don't want that, though. I never asked you to be." you said, your face now inches from his. As you leaned over your bed to get closer to him without hurting yourself more. "I want something a little more…intimate than that. And I want that over and over again."

König's throat bobbed, and he took a step back, trying to regain his composure. "Now isn't the time for this," he murmured, his gaze lingering on your bruised and bandaged form.

“I’m asking you out on a date, silly.” You whined as he touched your cheek, instinctively leaning into his warm hand.

König’s eyes searched yours, looking for the usual playfulness, but all he found was sincerity. His hand hovered for a moment before he pulled it away, his expression unreadable. “When you’re well enough to walk without wincing, then we’ll talk about it,” he said, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down your spine.

“Really?” Your eyes lit up in excitement.

König nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. “If you can keep that mouth of yours shut and that flirty tongue in check until then, yes, really.”

“All the more reason to send you erotic poetry, then.” You said with a cheeky smile. “I’ll have you know, my tongue is quite… versatile.”

König’s smirk grew wider. “I’ll hold you to that promise,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. His cheeks flushed from the thought of the erotic poems you might send him.

(Three) König indeed received your poems through envelopes made from beige paper. Tinted with brown, as if it was drenched over with a tea bag. The poem itself is usually written on lavender scented paper. Written with a fountain pen, in metallic crimson ink and Italian cursive. Which curled and curved as if she waved a wand of seduction. Putting a spell of love and lust over him through a dance of words.

The page had a purple metallic border, painstakingly drawn onto the page to give it a feel of elegance, royalty, and timelessness. Imbued, bathed inside of eroticism, words flowed out of your heart and mind like a river of molten lava. One could burn through the page, breaking through the fabric of reality. A declaration of desire, testament to the passion you felt, and hoped to share with König.

The letters stuffed into a larger envelope disguised as normal military missives to prevent unwanted eyes on them. Each individual letter sealed with wax, pressed on with a griffon signet ring you picked up from a Flea Market when you visited your hometown in Florence. Hoping it would add another touch of romance to your lethal charm.

You described him as your angel, as yours, as someone you were not willing to share with anyone. The way you described him as a gemstone, rough around the edges and always holding value.

(Four) You also wrote him long form letters that you used the same method of writing your poems. Only difference between them was the scent on the paper. Instead of lavender it was Cherry Blossom and Jasmine. Written in matte crimson red ink instead of metallic.

‘I don’t want to live a fairy tale if it’s not with you.’

‘I want to make a home with you, next to you and hopefully, someday, on top of you.’

‘Your eyes are like the ocean, I always find myself drowning in them. Drifting off to sea without a care in the world. Without paddles unafraid of the circumstances of where I find myself heading towards. Flooded with a yearning to reach a destination where I might find you.’

‘I want to take your hands in mine and never let go. Your past isn’t your future, stop looking back, you’ll never be hurt again, not as long as I live on this planet.’

‘You will never be hurt again. I promise to shield you from harm. Even as you tower over me as easily as a redwood tree. I will protect your heart as someone should have long ago.’

‘You are not your mental health struggles. You are more than what you deem yourself worthy of. Like a gemstone, you are rough around the edges, always holding value, not matter the form you take.’

‘Lets build a cottage somewhere, a farm for you and me. A way to live with hurt or harm, a way to ease the hurt. A way to ease the soul. Let’s build a cottage somewhere, so I can build something for you come home to.’

‘I want to build you up with gold and make your cracks shine so bright. I want to hold each flaw with an embrace everlasting.’

‘I want to take the pain you feel from you. Leaving your soul unmarked and untainted from the horrors this world is capable of. Though I know it is not possible. We are not powerful gods as the ones the Greeks and Romans had prayed to. Even so, I will try anyway because you are worth it.’

‘I want to kiss you, softly, gently, passionately, with a fire burning brighter than the sun. A kiss to make you feel seen, a kiss making you feel alive. A kiss whispering endless promises of forever and ever after.’

Each letter signed off with, ‘We, Us, Together.’  

(Five) König loves bringing you with either Chamomile tea, Butterfly Pea Tea, Hibiscus Tea or Mulled wine. All of which you treasured deeply. Considering they were the ones you most likely went for if you could walk. During your physical therapy, he was a blessing covered in military gear. Even if he didn’t seem to think he was helping you.

“You’re here that matters more than you think it does.” You would remind him. A smile forming on your lips, your dimples on either side of your mouth giving you’re a gentle, youthful glow. It made his knees weak and wobbly at the sight of your smile.

Here you were hurt, and you fussed over his feelings, you were still making sure he knew he was appreciated. It was a strange role reversal he found oddly endearing. You were the one who had taken a bullet to your side and your leg had taken the explosive. Yet you were the one who was comforting him. He cleared his throat and nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Dankeschön," he murmured, the German word for 'thank you' rolling off his tongue.

You replied, "Prego." meaning You're welcome in Italian.

[the-henry-cavillian]

Unveiling Henry Cavill's Superhero Fitness: The Man Behind the Muscles

Henry Cavill's impressive physique has become synonymous with his portrayal of iconic superheroes, particularly Superman in the DC Extended Universe. Fans and fitness enthusiasts alike marvel at his chiseled muscles and extraordinary strength on screen. Behind his superhero shape lies a rigorous fitness regimen and dedicated training routine. In this article, we will take a closer look at Henry Cavill's physical fitness regimen, exploring the key components that contribute to his remarkable transformation.

Commitment to Training:

Henry Cavill's journey towards attaining his superhero physique is marked by unwavering commitment to training. He approaches his workouts with utmost dedication, maintaining a consistent routine that challenges his body and pushes his limits. Cavill's commitment to fitness is evident in the significant changes his physique undergoes between roles.

Intensive Strength Training:

To achieve his muscular and powerful look, Cavill incorporates intensive strength training into his regimen. His workouts include exercises such as deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and overhead presses, which target major muscle groups and promote overall strength and mass gain. Cavill focuses on progressive overload, gradually increasing the weights he lifts over time to continuously challenge his muscles.

Functional Training and Circuit Workouts:

In addition to traditional strength training, Cavill incorporates functional training and circuit workouts into his regimen. These exercises not only enhance his muscular development but also improve his agility, endurance, and overall athleticism. Functional movements like kettlebell swings, battle rope exercises, and plyometric drills contribute to his dynamic on-screen performances.

Nutrition and Diet:

Achieving a superhero physique is not only about intense workouts but also proper nutrition. Cavill follows a structured diet plan that supports his training goals. He emphasizes consuming lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats to fuel his workouts and aid in muscle recovery. He also adheres to portion control and ensures an adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals.

Adequate Rest and Recovery:

Rest and recovery play a vital role in Henry Cavill's fitness regimen. He recognizes the importance of allowing his body to recover and rebuild after intense workouts. Cavill incorporates sufficient rest days into his training schedule, providing his muscles with the time they need to repair and grow stronger. Quality sleep and stress management techniques are also essential components of his recovery routine.

[csykora]

g how do some professional hockey players get away with being so tragically bad at basic acceleration skating…… help i need to stop hating my own team’s captain

I don’t remember your team and I need the goss on who’s slow so I tried to check your blog and now somehow I've been kicked in the face with a football and I'm secondhand beer-drunk

Look, part of it is that hockey coaches are not, historically, good at teaching skating technique. They just aren't. They didn't do it for a long time. But setting technique aside, I think a huge part of it has to do with the muscular ability to accelerate. I would say that it’s because how hockey players train, and what they train for, is changing right now. There's a reason Connor McDavid exists now, and not just to haunt me.

Hockey is a strange sport to train for: it is, actually, notably different than other sports. The way the game is structured calls for different and often opposing physical qualities, and you could play it in ways that push it further in one direction or the other. Modern hockey is pushing in one particular direction right now.

Hockey could be like modern lacrosse. On the most basic level, the gameplay in both is about moving to cover and control a big, wide territory. Modern lacrosse is played in shifts of about fifteen minutes, much shorter than traditional stickball and running games, but it’s still a running game in spirit. You have to be able to run and run. You have to have that aerobic endurance, physical and mental endurance.

There's a reason running games have been around forever, and the sports we have today haven't.

Pro hockey could be played in fifteen minute shifts or more. It used to be. Pond hockey and pickup hockey still can be. For a long time, competitive hockey teams didn’t substitute players. It was an endurance game. 

As teams got bigger, shifts could get shorter. Coaches started carrying the now-standard 20ish players and sending out lines for a couple minutes at a time because they saw that players could go fastest and hardest for about that long. If they were out longer, they would settle into more of an endurance pace. That’s pretty much an innate, biological rule. Before we knew why there’s a change in muscular performance after one to two minutes of intense sustained activity, we could see that it happened. Choosing to prioritize a fast, hard game, pro coaches chose to shorten shifts. But other than the fact that people could go fastest in the first two minutes, and working on skating at top speed, they didn't really know how to improve on acceleration for a long time.

And, unlike figure skating, they kind of didn't have to, because the fundamental game of hockey doesn't require it. You don't have to launch yourself into the air, so you can play hockey in a way where the only races are on the long straightaways and breakaways where everyone has time to get up to speed--as long as everyone is accelerating at the same pace.

The reason I am, or at least the reason I became, obsessed with Soviet sports is that they really did change the whole game. That era was when we nailed down the differences between anaerobic and aerobic muscle metabolism and between fast and slow-twitch muscles, and they started targeting them. They took fucking muscle biopsies of potential players. Then they invented plyometrics and implemented weight training and cross-training in a way that the Euro and Anglo-North American athletic communities hadn't done before to increase the explosiveness of those players' movements.

The old description of the Russian machine was that they were a washing machine: they spun you around and left you wet. They weren't just fast on the straightaways, they could stop, spin around, and get back up to top speed in the other direction quickly, in a way that forced North Americans to the sweaty limits of their anaerobic metabolism.

Quickness is different than speed. Quickness is the ability to execute movements with maximum force at maximum speed. It's explosiveness, which is acceleration. You can be fast once you get going but take a really long time to get there, or be comparatively slow but able to accelerate quickly. (Elias Pettersson or Evgeny Kuznetsov move pretty fast if you give them space, but they accelerate like a Monday morning.) When you're playing against a league of people who aren't especially quick, the fastest person wins. Once someone is quicker than you, they win.

Mogilny and Federov made North Americans want to be not just fast, but quick. But honestly, it took another twenty years for that to happen. The way that Federov trained was...insane in the oldest sense: it wasn't well, it wasn't sound, you know? It took a really specific, really intense environment.

North American hockey players train with their coaches and, increasingly, at specialty summer camps. The amount that most coaches know about this area of athletic training isn't high (and I don't necessarily think it should be, except that know they've started doing it). It's taken this long for training techniques that emphasize quickness to really penetrate youth hockey, and for youth players to have the drive to do it. (Note that I am not saying that drive is a good thing).

Today, youth players can watch trending videos and read about exercises for explosive skating on the internet in a way that wasn't happening even ten years ago. More and more of them train year round at camps or on skating treadmills like the one Connor McDavid has been hooked up to since he was fifteen. They believe that the way to stand out is to be an explosive skater, because they're told that, and they have the tools to at least try to make that happen.

Basically, even a player in their thirties today was in a different class of physical training than the last few drafts, because of instagram.

[stiricidewrites]

The Damage You Do: ch 23, pt 4

CW: not child abuse, but just the unfortunate state of parenting

Previously

~

lwj’s hand squeezed his, and wwx’s attention shot back to him. “Uh? Oh! Oh, uh, lhr took A-Yuan for a play date with his kid? So, until they get sick of each other, I guess?”

The expression on lwj’s face grew dark, and wwx was torn between the urge to burst out laughing at the sudden shift in mood, and genuine concern that he shouldn’t have left his child with his dom’s cousins.

“Is… is there a problem with that?” he asked, trying not to sound like the quickly panicking parent he was.

lwj hummed, a sparkle of amusement crossing through his eyes as he explained that his cousin’s son was extremely annoying, so it was unlikely A-Yuan would last long in his company.

“He’s like, what? Four? All four-year-olds are annoying,” wwx pointed out, his concern quickly dissipating as he was hauled along, towards lwj’s bedroom and then to a room past it.

“Are they?” the other man asked as he led wwx into the room. “I know very few. Jingyi is by far the most annoying.”

“Why?” wwx asked as he looked around. It was an exercise room—a very fancy and complete one for a private home. Racks of weights lined a wall in every possibly variant, from free weights to dumbbells to kettle balls. Various machines lined another wall, along with bands and skipping ropes and punching bags. There were boxes and other items for plyometrics—he had always loved those—as well. The room was also huge, not just long and wide, but towering—almost as if someone had modified the shape of the room. Taken out walls and floors to make a gymnasium, which, expensive!

lwj sighed, long-suffering, and this time wwx did laugh, his attention dragging away from the odd looking floor near the far wall. “He is loud, impolite, nosy, impatient.”

“So… he’s a kid?”

His dom glared.

wwx smiled back. “Don’t look at me like that. Kids are an absolute pain in the ass. They’re always trying to hurt themselves… and you—that’s practically their main hobby. The number of times I’ve been nailed in the head by A-Yuan’s head? And, oh god, the messes? And the crying, and all the accidentally broken things. Honestly, I’m surprised anyone ever has kids.”

“You have a child, by choice,” his dom pointed out.

“Sure, but A-Yuan is special—and obviously,” he cheered, smiling probably a little crazily at his boss, “all parents think their kid is special. Helps them ignore that their kids are actually demons in human skin.”

lwj did not look convinced, not that wwx could blame him—or even correct him with more than joking words. He’d seen more than a few parents out and about, their seeming hatred for their kids not quite hidden behind their tight voices and dead eyes, burnt out and unable to find it in their hearts to love their children the way they deserved. He was lucky. He loved his kid and had the support system to help when he needed it, but he knew some parents just… realized too late that their lives weren’t better with kids. That broke his heart, a little, to think of parents stuck regretting their kids. To think of the children trying to survive in a household where their parents might not actively abuse them but they couldn’t quite hide that having kids was a mistake...

“So…” wwx sighed, biting his lip as he looked back to him dom, the man’s concerned eyes already—or still—on him. “You were exercising? I could sit and watch? Or leave! That’s still an option—kicking me out.”

His dom blinked slowly at him, and he wondered if the man had figured out how that blink affected him. How it made him squirm and sizzle.

[neeksnicoboytoy]

i love going to the gym so much. every gym day i wake up filled with glee and excitement like i'm about to go on a life changing journey. 🍀 it's just so fun!!! feels like a game how i just do like idk 8 x 3 squats and then my strenght stat increases and so does my body mass???? it's really mudane and normal i guess but i LOVE seeing how the body can change under certain circumstances. im always in awe by the little changes .

AND because im a little freak for haikyuu the whole thing become even better because i can imagine anything!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

doing plyometrics? hinata would eat that shit UP. god damn. everyone stands by and watches mouth agape.

anything leg related??? the manga panel of kenma squatting is my sole reason to go on and also bokuto would absolutely max out the weights

idk its just fun <3

[autogeneity]

grr. perhaps unsettled. trying to formulate a program and everyone seems to recommend a minimum 1.5 strength ratio before doing plyometrics. squat is attainable at some point maybe but I'm barely at 0.5 on bench!

although, at least one of the sources do mention that these guidelines were developed for athletes and one could do a lower volume of lower-intensity exercises if you don't meet them.

on the other hand it's like. well I am being required to jump and shit anyway. I am being tested on the height/distance. (some sport trainers raise this, like, "you want people to meet these criteria to do the training but you're not stopping them from doing the sport")

but maybe I should keep to the weights some more and just add a little bit of other stuff like sprinting or whatever?

gah I hate decisions

alright it is settled, I am switching to speed and power work for at least the next 6 weeks. tremendous suffering ahead

[fitnessnirvana]

CYCLING WORKOUT

The adaptability of HIIT exercise is among the factors contributing to its widespread popularity. You can convert any activity, whether it be low-impact, strength training, cardio, or plyometrics, into a HIIT workout by alternating bursts of intense action with rest intervals. The exercise bike is one piece of equipment that works very well for HIIT training. HIIT cycling may be the solution you've been searching for if you enjoy riding and want an efficient way to increase your fitness or if you're seeking a low-impact cardio option to burn fat and calories.

Is Cycling A HIIT Workout?

Although cycling cannot always be converted into a HIIT workout, it can be done so with ease. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is a type of exercise where brief bursts of vigorous activity are interspersed with slower or even rest intervals. Thus, just much any exercise that adheres to the interval-style framework can be classified as HIIT, including riding!

All you have to do to qualify for HIIT is switch between high- and low-intensity cycling intervals; constant cycling wouldn't qualify.

What Are The Benefits Of HIIT Cycling?

HIIT training is a great addition to any fitness regimen for a variety of reasons. You can actually accomplish all the advantages of a steady-state workout—such as fat burning, VO2 max increase, heart health benefits, and increased fitness—in a lot less time with this training method since it is so effective. In particular, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cycling is great since it's low-impact and easy on the joints, making it suitable for people of all fitness levels.

How To Do HIIT Cycling?

Because of the HIIT workout's adaptability, you can use the stationary bike at the gym or your own bicycle. But because you don't have to worry about traffic or people, static exercise bikes can be safer and offer more control over the intensity settings!

There are two methods you can use to adjust the intensity when practicing HIIT on a static bike:

a. Increasing the resistance at times of high intensity and decreasing it during times of rest

b. maintaining constant resistance throughout, but accelerating during times of high intensity and decelerating during times of rest

In this article, we've provided five HIIT cycling routines that you can try later. However, if you want to design your own routine, here are some ideas.

a. Begin with a five to ten-minute easy cycling warm-up.

b. Throughout your exercise, alternate between times of high intensity and rest.

c. After cooling down for around five minutes on a slow cycle, stretch your muscles to help avoid soreness.

You can experiment with many different timings and strategies, but as your fitness increases, we advise beginning with shorter bursts of high intensity and longer recovery intervals (for example, 10 seconds of maximal energy and 50 seconds of recuperation). The intervals should not last longer than twenty minutes in total.

Can You Do HIIT Cycling Training And Go To The Gym?

Yes, you can combine regular gym exercises with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cycling to increase your overall fitness and health. Although strength training exercises are great for gaining muscle and strength, you should also focus on improving your general endurance and cardiovascular fitness. HIIT cycling exercises are a great way to burn calories and achieve this.

One way is to finish your strength training session with a five- to ten-minute HIIT cycling workout. This way, you can utilize both the indoor cycle and the weight equipment at the gym in one visit. You can add one or two cycling HIIT sessions on days when you're not in the gym if you'd rather keep the two apart or prefer lengthier HIIT sessions. Just remember to schedule rest days so your body can heal.

Can You Do HIIT Cycling Every Day?

It's generally not advised to perform high-intensity, high-energy workouts (HIIT) daily due to the increased risk of injury, stress on the body, and potential for delayed recovery. Rather, schedule at least one day of active recovery or rest in between your HIIT cycling workouts (yoga is a great way for cyclists to unwind), or alternate your workouts with strength training (just remember to schedule at least one or two rest days per week).

[kemetic-dreams]

Are dips more effective than push-ups?

The debate between dips and push-ups often centers around their effectiveness in building upper body strength and muscle mass. Both exercises are valuable and offer unique benefits, but determining which is more effective depends on individual fitness goals and how each exercise is integrated into a workout routine. Here’s an in-depth comparison:

Understanding the Mechanics and Benefits of Dips

Dips are a compound exercise primarily targeting the triceps, chest, and shoulders. They can be performed using parallel bars, a dip station, or even the edge of a bench for bench dips. The vertical pushing motion of dips allows for a greater range of motion compared to horizontal pressing movements like push-ups, enabling deeper muscle activation. This increased range of motion can lead to more significant muscle growth, particularly in the chest and triceps.

Understanding the Mechanics and Benefits of Push-Ups

Push-Ups are a foundational bodyweight exercise that targets the chest, triceps, shoulders, and core. The horizontal pressing movement of push-ups requires stabilization from the entire body, making it a more comprehensive exercise for overall muscle endurance and core strength. Push-ups are highly versatile, with numerous variations that can target different muscle groups and increase difficulty.

Comparing Muscle Activation

Dips for Muscle Activation

Triceps: Dips are one of the most effective exercises for triceps development. The vertical pushing motion places a significant load on the triceps, particularly when the elbows are kept close to the body.

Chest: Leaning forward during dips can increase chest activation, making them an effective exercise for pectoral development.

Shoulders: The shoulders are engaged to stabilize the movement, particularly the anterior deltoids.

Push-Ups for Muscle Activation

Chest: Push-ups are excellent for targeting the pectoral muscles. Variations like wide-grip push-ups can emphasize chest engagement.

Triceps: Close-grip push-ups place more emphasis on the triceps, similar to the effect of dips.

Core: Push-ups require significant core stabilization to maintain proper body alignment, providing an additional workout for the abs and lower back.

Benefits of Dips for Strength and Muscle Building

Increased Range of Motion: The greater range of motion in dips can lead to enhanced muscle activation and growth, particularly in the chest and triceps.

Higher Load Potential: Dips allow for the addition of external weight (e.g., using a weight belt), making it possible to progressively overload the muscles more effectively than with bodyweight push-ups.

Muscle Hypertrophy: The ability to add weight and the deeper range of motion make dips particularly effective for muscle hypertrophy in the upper body.

Benefits of Push-Ups for Endurance and Stabilization

Core Engagement: Push-ups engage the core muscles to maintain stability and proper form, providing a more comprehensive workout that includes the abs and lower back.

Accessibility: Push-ups can be performed anywhere without any equipment, making them highly accessible and convenient for all fitness levels.

Joint Health: Push-ups place less stress on the shoulder joints compared to dips, which can be beneficial for those with shoulder issues or recovering from injuries.

Advanced Variations and Progressive Overload

Advanced Dip Variations

Weighted Dips: Adding a weight belt or wearing a weighted vest increases resistance, promoting greater muscle growth and strength.

Bench Dips: Using a bench for dips can be an excellent modification for beginners or those focusing on triceps isolation.

Advanced Push-Up Variations

Plyometric Push-Ups: Explosive push-ups that involve leaving the ground can enhance power and fast-twitch muscle fiber engagement.

Decline Push-Ups: Elevating the feet increases the intensity and shifts more focus to the upper chest and shoulders.

One-Arm Push-Ups: These push-ups challenge balance and significantly increase the load on each arm, promoting unilateral strength and muscle symmetry.

Combining Dips and Push-Ups for Optimal Results

For the best results, incorporating both dips and push-ups into your workout routine can provide a well-rounded upper body workout. Here are some strategies to combine these exercises effectively:

Supersetting: Perform dips followed immediately by push-ups to maximize muscle fatigue and growth.

Circuit Training: Include dips and push-ups in a circuit to improve cardiovascular endurance and overall muscle conditioning.

Balanced Routine: Alternate between dips and push-ups throughout the week to ensure balanced muscle development and prevent overuse injuries.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Improper Form: Using incorrect form in either exercise can lead to injuries and reduce their effectiveness. Focus on maintaining proper alignment and controlled movements.

Overtraining: Excessive frequency without adequate rest can lead to overtraining and muscle fatigue. Ensure balanced training and recovery.

Lack of Variation: Sticking to only one type of push-up or dip variation can lead to plateaus. Mix up your routine to continually challenge your muscles and promote growth.

Conclusion

Both dips and push-ups are highly effective exercises for building upper body strength and muscle. Dips offer a greater range of motion and higher load potential, making them excellent for building triceps and chest strength. Push-ups provide comprehensive muscle engagement and core stabilization, making them a versatile and accessible exercise. The best approach is to incorporate both exercises into your routine, leveraging their unique benefits to achieve a well-rounded upper body workout. By focusing on proper form, progressive overload, and balanced training, you can maximize the effectiveness of both dips and push-ups, leading to improved strength, muscle growth, and overall fitness.

[ovaruling]

today was 55lb overhead squat and then 3 rounds of 15 each OHS and hang snatch at same weight unbroken. i could’ve gone heavier but i wanted to work technique

so that is p decent considering i’m hypermobile and can windmill my shoulders completely around backwards. and also considering the spinal damage that catches me off guard a lot when anything is overhead

those were my main worries but they didn’t happen. i was surprised at how much stronger my back is now, def from all the plyometrics i’ve been doing in the jillian michaels workouts, lol

but yeah heavy overhead work is a challenge i desperately want to take on more bc it’s so incredible for functional fitness and stability. onward and upward. next time shooting for 65 OHS and 70-85 snatch

[gym-sesh-with-momo]

Tips for the gym

Many of us go to the gym for a number of reasons, whether it's to stay healthy, build muscle or look good. I go to the gym to build muscle, lose body fat and build strength. If you're looking to build muscle in an optimal fashion, I have some steps for you to take that can help you achieve your goals. I've used these steps to help me along my gym journey and I along with others, can personally attest to their effectiveness. Now that I'm finished with my yapping, here are my top tips to train optimally.

Tip #1: Find your goals

Ask yourself this question: “What am I hoping to achieve at the gym?” Do you want to get shredded with a 6-pack? Do you want to develop your athletic abilities? Do you just want to lift as heavy as possible? Ask yourself what you want to do at the gym so you can better achieve those results and better apply it in your training.

Tip #2: Know the different kinds of fitness

Many people go to the gym exclusively for weight training, but that's not all the world of fitness has to offer, there are many different kinds of fitness that you may benefit from such as: cardio to help burn excess calories, plyometrics for explosive power, powerlifting, which is all about lifting as much as possible, crossfit if you want to train poorly, etc. I enjoy just simply weight training with some cardio as I look to build muscle and build an aesthetic body, but you might enjoy power lifting so try ‘em out and find whichever one you like best.

Tip #3: Train till failure and rest

Studies show that training till failure will result in muscles with higher strength gains and better hypertrophy than not training till failure. It's also recommended that you aim for lower reps as to fatigue your muscles less and speed up your recovery. Speaking of recovery, make sure you take rest days because your muscles grow during recovery. Depending on the split you're using, I'd recommend taking a rest day once or twice a week to make sure your muscles have the proper time to recover.

Tip #4: Watch what you eat

Your nutrition is arguably the most important factor in the fitness world, making sure you're eating properly will help you make gains faster than otherwise not. If you're trying to build muscle like me, you can follow the steps that I follow, which is to take your BW (body weight) and eat around 1g-1.5g of protein per lbs of BW. Change up your protein intake depending on the training you're doing. You'll also want to make sure you set up your meals with the right macronutrients, macronutrients being protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugars, vitamins, etc. Supplementation can be an effective way of getting your vitamins and minerals if, let's say or a picky eater or have food allergies. Finally, one of the most important things about nutrition and I would know this more than anyone. It's okay to take a cheat day, taking a cheat day makes it much, much easier to actually stick to your diet. I always have a cheat day once a week because it makes my meals much more enjoyable. Also, when I can eat junk foods on my cheat day it feels like a reward for making it through the week.

Tip #5: Be Patient

This is the most important rule of working out, it requires patience and discipline. I remember when young Momo started working out for the first time and he was so frustrated that he'd been going to the gym for two weeks and hadn't seen any results. Imagine if I stopped then and didn't continue to the place I am now, don't make the mistake of being impatient. The results will be worth it, trust me.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you use some of these tips in your training.