Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Something I was taught in high school, but I need to know if it's bullshit:
Somatotypes.
Ectomorph (skinny), mesomorph (muscular), endomorph (fat).
Are they complete BS, or just genetic predispositions that can be overcome?
There is a skeletal basis for the classifications. For example, ectos have long limb bones but short clavicles.
That could explain why, as overweight as I was before I started my current regimen, I've somehow always had skinny, nearly-bony fingers.
Real, genetics can't really be completely ruled out. They are all screwed in their own way though. In a primitive survival based world, meso and endo have the advantage hands down. Unfortunately, in an aesthetic focused world, ecto has the advantage. Most women prefer untrained ectos to mesos and endos, and trained ectos over everyone.
I am eagerly awaiting 10-20 years from now when the entire book on fitness has to be rewritten once we start seeing prognosis of people and current fitness culture.
Women like meso.
Especially ones with wide shoulders and large biceps and a solid chest.
This is fact.
Media can spin the everyone ones beautiful and dad bod lies all they want. Certainly some women will lie and be brainwashed by that.
There is no denying it though.
I think for most people, while looks are great, no amount of great body will offset a shitty personality.
Meh, I was never attracted to the "beefcake". Of course I've been married for 33 years so I'm only attracted to my husband (mmkay?). But to me, there are 2 kinds of beefcake. One is the accidental beefcake, he works with his hands and his muscles are a result of his work. Maybe he's a firefighter or something. The on-purpose beefcake is a gym rat that spends hours in the gym admiring himself in the mirrored walls, popping his pecs. Blech.
Well, I have been out of the game for a very long time, at 73 I do admire a man in good health, but I guess for body type I've always been attracted to what used to be called "wiry" type men, not too skinny, not overly "ripped", wiry muscles and agile. I am tiny, 4'11", always under 120, the big guys don't do a thing for me, I like em little and tough. Banty roosters i guess.
I am not terribly certain that genetic predisposition is really as prevalent as is accepted. There are biological defects that can cause obesity through misregulation or defective hormones and biological processes, however I believe that most cases of obesity are the result of post birth circumstances. Diet and lifestyle are the most common reasons for obesity and contribute the greatest amount to impacting body weight. There are some researchers state that metabolism rates vary from person to person (which is undoubtedly true), but the simple fact that obesity is on the rise and quite significantly within the last few generations points to a more environmental cause. Lack of physical excercise, processed foods with extreme imbalance of nutrition, over prescribed anti biotics without restoring healthy gut flora, non-traditional eating styles. Throughout history, humans have had relatively localized food sources. I believe that each group of people had specific gut bacteria that developed into a specific balance of flora to extract nutrients, eliminate non-beneficial bacteria, and provide symbiosis with the host. As we have a wider variety of food sources, we are not exposed to the gut bacteria that helps process and support our digestion of these foods. In addition, most normal gut bacteria is not longer found in any of our foods because of pasteurization. There are virtually no beneficial bacteria remaining in our processed food supply. Dairy products in particular have suffered sterilization from pasteurization which has a significant effect on the health benefits of dairy products. There is also one additional factor that needs to be researched far more and that relates to specific protein and molecular compatibility between individuals and their specific foods they are eating. There is a practice of Blood Type compatibility that could be significant and requires far more research to determine validity or magnitude of impact.