This thread is for /fit/izens asking questions to /lit/ards and

>>11631
Amphetamines.

They are the Creatine of /lit/.

>>11631
>How to concentrate while reading /lit/?

Go sit on your own in a very quiet place, or a place that isn't distracting, like a garden.

Keep your phone away from you, put it in another room.

>>11631
Build it up slowly bro. Try some nice short stories. Then go onto longer ones. Like progressive overload.

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>>11710
>Build it up slowly bro. Try some nice short stories. Then go onto longer ones. Like progressive overload.

Shit, that makes fucking sense.

try active reading techniques as well, things like annotating, rereading lines, even reading outloud have all helped me become a better reader

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>>11631
People talking about concentration has always made me curious. Do you really find it hard to read? What is it like? Can you describe it? Do your eyes unfocus while you read? Are you distracted by other thoughts? Do you have to struggle to put together a word or stop to remember what something means?

What is it that makes reading hard for people?
To be fair and answer the question you asked in exchange, I don't know HOW to concentrate, but when I pick up a book, open it, and start reading, I'm reading. Nothing else exists and it's seamless. I don't care about what other shit is happening, I'm having fun and doing what I want to do. Have you ever played a video game and said, "Man, I just can NOT stay focused on this game"? Probably not. Reading is that easy. A snap of the fingers, whenever I want. I'm surrounded by books, I keep a mental list of my favorites so I can recommend them, I can recall characters and situations, tiny details and overarching plot structure, and the order everything happened in. It's not eidetic or magical, it's as effortless as breathing. Trying to imagine anything different is like trying to imagine how you would have lived your life if you couldn't walk.

>>11840
I simply start daydreaming and lose track of what I'm reading.

How do I deadlift properly?

>>11840
this is because of your whyte privilege

try concentrating on reading some bullshit made up story when you don't actually know if you will have food / shelter next week

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>>11974

>>11974
>>12016
Remember to try various feet/hand width to find what fits you best.

/fit/, is cross-fit valuable? I have no access to a gym, due to reclusion in countryside. How to stay fit?

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>>12016
>>12061
Thanks

>>11873
Same guy here, that makes it sound like your brain is very active and wants to imagine the scene but you're not reading fast enough to provide it the dream-fuel.

You should be engrossed in whatever you're reading like it's a portal to another world, a flood that you can't stop that flushes away all distractions and drowns you in the event.

When I'm reading I still think, but I'm thinking about the places like I'm there, thinking about the people like they're right next to me. I'm wondering what they're going to do, or laughing at the situation, or remembering what it feels like to be in the described situation.

A sunny afternoon in a quiet car on a roadtrip you know is going to last another 5 hours and everyone ran out of things to say. It's just peaceful in the car. Have you ever been there? Do you remember what it felt like?

Remember what sunlight feels like on your skin on a late winter morning when the wind is cold but the sky is clear and the sun is blazing?

I'm always naturally filling the empty spaces in with those feelings and thoughts while I read. It isn't a conscious effort but something I naturally want to do and I don't get in my own way. You should try it just to see if it helps you. Take a second at the beginning of a story when the setting or character is being introduced and just think for a little bit.

What kind of awful April fools prank is this

>>12165
>implying
Pls let it stay this way 5ever.

>>12126
>Same guy here, that makes it sound like your brain is very active and wants to imagine the scene but you're not reading fast enough to provide it the dream-fuel.

I'm laughing but I sincerly appreciate the help. Going to try next time I read something.

>>12165
Fuck off, it's nice to make new friends.

>>11999
Your assumption doesn't work when applied to me, I lived without food and in danger of being homeless for 5 years straight from 13 to 18 and I probably never read more in my life than I did then. I turned to books constantly during that period and it certainly wasn't hard to get lost in them then.

If you think that reading is something that is fragile enough to be interrupted by hunger instead of recognizing it as something powerful enough to help you overcome hunger, then you have a very weak relationship with literacy. You should read a lot more, try to find stories that are more interesting to you, non-fiction is fine! I loved reading about Bo Jackson when I got his auto-biography at like 16, it doesn't matter if it's "real" or "fake".

i lost loads of weight by going on a diet and getting an exercise bike, and now i'm 170 pounds which seems about right considering that i'm over 6 foot, but i still have a small beer belly
can i get rid of this by further dieting/cardio or do i need to do some exercises?

i literally don't care about getting strong, i just want a flat stomach

>>12066
Run

>>11840
I just start thinking about something else when I read. And yes it happens in video games too, not when I was younger though, I'll play for 30min and go back to shitposting on 4chan,

>>12213
You can't "target" fat storages. Just lose 2-3kg more and you will have no belly.

>>12066

Crossfit is for fags. Just buy (or improvise) a bench and some free weights.

>>12066
this >>12234 + bodyweight exercises at home.

>>12234
Is it enough? I already run a lot, and it does little so far, except I'm getting thicker and thicker thighs, something I don't especially look for.

>>12299
Where can I get a related work-out? I take it my exercises would be limited.

>>12342
Which exercises?

>>12213
Yes, it will vanish eventually if you keep at it. Keep up the good work anon.

>>12213
>i literally don't care about getting strong
Pls no Mr Skellington

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>>12357

>>12066
Do some bodyweight exercises and cardio, there's endless amounts of routines on the web. You can always try a crossfit routine that usually combines a bit of both to see if you like it.

>>11840
i might have adhd
i cant read for a long time. im preparing for medschool and i know in the future i will have to study 10 hours a day. i force myself to study every day but i get distracted so easily. and its not just the reading part.
every time i die in csgo i tab out to check something. i check the clock very often. if i go out alone, i have to check my phone unless i dont know what to do. even when i read just an article online, i keep making stops and browsing something instead
maybe its just a bad habit but its fucking annoying

>>12357
M8 if you want minimalist work outs try Tsatsouline (pretty much one kettlebell and something to do pullups is what you need for his stuff), calisthenics with gym rings, also read Soltiary Fitness by Charlie Bronson (to get psyched).

You cannot easily do squats and deads without a bar and weight however. Steinborn squats are possible sans rack, deads are possible with minimal equipment. You can also clean into front squat reps. Whether this is something you want to do is up to you, but it makes it possible to do a 5x5 program with subbing dips for bench.

I would NOT ADVISE improvising a bench. If you must imitate benching without a bench do a floor press.

/lit/ please, how do i study ? I cannot for some reason. After 5 minutes of reading i start thinking of some other shit and my concentration is over.

>>11701
a garden is usually colorful and that's pretty distracting, anon :/

>>11631

I actually had to get rid of my computer and internet etc. to get seriously into reading again. Mindless surfing/gaming wrecks your attention span, but you get it back quickly (like a week or two).

/fit/ what are the "meme" weights everyone buys for home usage?

I used to own a 110 cement barbell set, but it ended up cracking, weights and bar.

>>11840
>And to the concentration question

Vocabulary. If you don't know the words in a book, it's very easy to lose concentration.

>>12628
Unless you plan to invest in a decent squat rack/cage, you can buy adjustable dumbbells and bench and get a decent workout.
I have some dumbbells at home and I can do pull ups and chin ups on the stair rails.

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>>12559
Same here, pls help /lit/

>>11631
which common books you have readed that piss off you the most?

>>12066
crossfit is meme shit, if you have anywhere where you ca do pullups you can stay in good shape with bodyweight exercise and cardio.

>>12748
>readed

>>12625
t. 4chan poster

how do i book ?

>>12789
got problem nerd?
*push*

>>12853
*corrects glasses*
Get away from me, brute.

Books are for losers. I am glad I can bench 2 pl8 and fuck whoever I want anywhere. Books suck.

>>12869
*leaps on you*
got problem with me pal?

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Does working out increase penis size?

I'm dead serious here.

paper books or ebooks?
what do you use to read your ebooks

>>12910
Nope... unless you do kegels.

>>12910
if you have bad cardiovascular health, I suppose it can make your erections stronger

but increasing the actual size of the tissue, no

>>12910
If you're fat, then getting skinny will make your penis bigger or at least look bigger

>>12910
yes it does

>>11840

>>12518
this

even 8 sek between death in overwatch are long enough to tab out,
also i play in window mode and watch stuff like documentaries.

reading is kind of tedious because you mostly can only read and do nothing else at the same time. so it's hard to not get distracted or bored. though reading while on the cross machine or stationary bike is fine but limits time.

podcasts /audio books tend to spoil you a lot too.

>>12994
I knew it

>>12437
I don't use YouTube, which text sources do you have?

Also, why are you checking depression symptoms and advices on getting women?

>>12525
Thanks a lot. I'll check all three of them. What is a floor press?

>>12559
You must train your attention. Try to study on a desk without a computer. Shut off any screen thirty minutes before, and don't play music. I read that noise—white noise or brown noise—might help, but I've never tried. You need to leave out everything that could break your concentration. Attention is trained this way. Reading more and more increase your attention span and your retention rate. Getting used to vocabulary and syntax could also make it easier to stick with a textbook. Read challenging articles, identify words you're unfamiliar with and look it up in a physical dictionary whenever it's possible. Library is a good place to focus.

>>11631
Have someone to teach what you've learned, impart the wisdom onto for. Your unborn son perhaps.

modafinil will help you to concetrate

>>12066
Get planet fitness for a few months, it's the cheapest option and you can start your first workout routine there.

Whats the best way to lose the small amount of chubb I've gained around my waist? I've been skinny all my life and now I'm turnning skinnyfat, help.

>>13089
Eat less
Exert yourself more
Spot reduction is a MYTH

>>13082
I have no access to such a place.

>>13118
I eat almost nothing. I've never been a big eater.

What sort of exertion?

>>13089
there is no way target weight loss (aside from liposuction) so just lose weight in general.
>how?
read the sticky

>>13129
Any kind of physical exercise, walking, running, swimming, lifting weights, etc

>>11701
i fall asleep when reading, what do

>>11840
>Are you distracted by other thoughts?
This

Also, sometimes i forget what i read completely
it's like i didn't even read

>>12743
Youre probably just bored on the material, reading is easy af. We read what we like to read, I read about cars all the time and I have laser focus on that and school. Read books about your hobbies. I'm /fit/ BTW lol

I used to be able to spend hours reading, but now I get distracted much more easily than before. Is it because of the new books I've been reading or what?

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>>12910
yes but nothing crazy, if your cardiovascular health improves it might get a tiny bit bigger. as the penis is kind of a sponge for blood, pumped into shape.

also if you lose fat in general a part of the lost fat will come from the subcutaneous fat tissue. fat gets stored everywhere not only belly and butt, fat people have often even fatty fingers. just like you abbs get covered by a few cm your penis will too. so if you lose the fat a bigger part of it will be visible even though the size might be the same.

>>13050
>What is a floor press?
You lie on the floor with dumbells and do some of the movement of a real bench press. It's a little like a box squat in that the movement is constrained.

I personally would recommend just doing weighted dips and pushup variations though. Strictly speaking the push up is superior to bench due to not having the shoulderblades stuck against a surface, but it's harder to add weight to easily.

>>13050
>Also, why are you checking depression symptoms and advices on getting women?
everyone on /fit/ is dead inside

/lit/, how many books do you read at the same time? I am currently reading about 5 different books and it isn't working at all

>>13144
>>13170
Sticky says lifting weights is better for losing fat than cardio, huh. I thought it was the other way around.

Can I do this stuff without going to the gym. I've got a pull-up bar in my room but that's about it, but fuck going to a gym in this town, not worth it for what I want.

>>13271
One at a time out of fiction/non fiction, so a maximum of two. Any more and you're not really focusing/losing yourself in the book.

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>>13213
How do I lose crotch fat?

>>13271
I'm currently into three history books, one of them already read. I also slowly progress in a Roman law textbook. It depends on what you expect. Do you read a non-fiction work, and want to retain as much as possible? It certainly is a good bet to focus on a single reading, then.

>>13321
eat less move more, spot reduction isnt real

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>>13287
just do both on different days, or if you have to do it the same day, lift before cardio.
Also i dont knwo your diet but you probably should eat less refined carbs and more proteins

Give it to me straight /fit/, as someone with mild scoliosis, just what kind of exercises should I stay away from?

>>13403
Do you have this picture in higher resolution? I'm interested.

>>13408
You should rather consult a physician.

>>13400
>spot reduction isnt real

wtf i hate exercise now

>>13403
Thats a great image thanks anon, but yeah do you have a version not for ants? Looks like exactly what I need.

>>13350
I read mostly fiction. Now that I think about it I almost never 'quit' reading a book that I have difficulty getting through, so I end up with a pile of books I don't even enjoy that much. Should probably stop doing that.

>>13408
>mild
you can probably do everything, just practise your form a lot. You should still consult your doctor, expecially If you notice strange pains (sharp, not soreness)
>>13459
>>13440
http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/start-bodyweight-basic-routine.html

>>13321
you need to lose overall body fat,
there is no real spot reduction,
only thing that might help with looks (not fat) is work on the adonis belt / Apollo's Belt, also known as Iliac Furrow.

>>13450
yeah there is no magic bullet. it's not about trendy diets. permanent lifestyle change is the goal.

I haven't read anything in a long time and have just become a vidyatard because of my chronic pain but it might be alleviated soon

I've been learning some french and am quite good with languages, who are some essential french authors other than camus/cioran/dumas

>>11840
I'm not autistic and can't picture everything happening anon

>>12748
this post annoyed me a lot, but jasper jones is called "the australian 'to kill a mocking bird'" yet it's awful. I never really liked the harry potter series nor do i go that much on the hunger games.

>>13572
The Harry Potter books are amazing children's stories, the first few in particular, but the later ones are only interesting if you read the early ones as a child and are invested in growing up with Harry and co. There's no reason to read them otherwise, you shouldn't compare them with adult literature.

/fit/,

I made the mistake a long time ago of cutting off milk completely in order to lose weight, it worked, but without getting any alternative to calcium. My teeth's enamel had weakened. The damage is done, but is there something you guys would have recommended to avoid that from happening?

>>13617
why do people hate on harry potter books so much? my lit teacher in secondary school did that, it was annoying

>>13188
What are you typically trying to read? Maybe its just not the right sort of book for you, longer books are generally harder to get into for those that aren't avid readers. if you haven't already i recommend William Golding's "Lord of the flies" its not very long and its a pretty good read.

>>13643
you cant rebuild enamel as i understand it so you just can whiten your teeth and brush as often as possible

>>13523
>>13523
>>13523
>>13523
>>13523
respond

>>13523
It depends on your proficiency. You may be interested in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I recommend “Le petit prince”, then “Terre des hommes”. Provided you're inclined to mysticism, Catholicism and graver spirituality, “Citadelle” is also an awesome work. François Mauriac, “Le mal”, André Gide's “The Fruits of the Earth” or Jean Echenoz “Des éclairs”, which is an excellent book on Nikola Tesla. I also strongly suggest Georges Bernanos, Anatole France, Georges Duhamel, Paul Claudel, Henri Barbusse, Maurice Genevoix. Marcel Proust isn't an author you should read without a strong experience with French realism. Honoré de Balzac and Émile Zola are essential requirements to get him. Louis-Ferdinand Céline is amongst the greatest French writers, but along with Stéphane Mallarmé, it requires a fluency that exceeds native skills.

If this is too old, check modern Lebanese, Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan French-speaking authors. Tahar ben Jelloun is a great author who has some magical realism vibes, tainted with nostalgia, Arab poetry and mysticism. It's easy to get in. Mohamed Choukri, Kateb Yacine, nationwide famous Yasmina Khadra, Algeria's best French writer, Abdelkebir Khatibi. Alexandre Najjar and Salah Stétié are typical Lebanese writers, much more intellectual and representative of the cultural elite of old Lebanese families, who held ties with French upper education for decades.

>>13617
>>13710
I suppose its probably because it wasn't really my sort of thing when i was younger. But I dont think that they're bad at all. it's more so just an example of something that is widely popular that i never really cared much about.

>>13790
I heard great things about celine. And I wanted to postpone tackling proust until I became more proficient.

Thank you for the recommendations, I will check them out. My french isn't too good at the moment, but I can understand a lot of words since I natively speak some of a latin language poorly (italian, from my family, but it's not anywhere near fluency)

thoughts on houellebecq? is he a meme author or no

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>>12959
I think you mean Hegels.

>>13050
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine

/fit/zens I am currently at 18 bmi, how do I put on more weight without fattening up? I don't care about gains.

>>13790
le petit prince is my favourite book
from /fit/bro

>>11631
Concentrating while reading is a meme. Read at your own pace. If your reading is boring you, then find something else to read.

>>13710
A number of reasons. Due to their amazing popularity, some fags decided to try and look at them as actual literature, which they are not - you can even get adult editions with moody looking covers and not colourful drawings.

The other reason is grumpy people who grew up reading different children's books who feel that Harry Potter doesn't deserve a place next to those "classics". That's silly too, considering how many people Harry Potter got into reading,and how good the books are at igniting the imaginations of kids. Yeah the prose is pretty bad and the plot isn't that good, but it's full of little interesting ideas and fun things and has some nice morals to take out too. It's not my favourite children's series but I wouldn't feel bad giving it to my kids.

/fit/ people, I have a kink in my neck, is that from bad form or bad general posture? The most I do is benchpress and deadlift.
Also read Faust you swine.

>>13922
Replace water with whole milk.
Eat more.
Lift weights for added mass.

>>13089
>>13129
Planking and other core exercises plus stomach vacuums won't get rid of fat but might help you suck the gut in naturally and improve posture, lordosis often results in a protruding belly.

Also cut out high sodium food, as the weight might be water retention.

>>14068
Bad form.
Keep your neck and head still while squatting and deadlifting. Looking to the left or right or even up or down can result in a serious injury

>>13833
His literary value is controversial. He has been accused of plagiarism when publishing “The Map and the Territory”, which he ended up to recognize and assume. I think he was a worthless author. His style has been described as “vulgar”, but I'd rather say he writes in a dull, talentless way. It is nothing like Louis-Ferdinand Céline who deftly worked and managed to erase the action of writing in his novel. Michel Houellebecq just couldn't write properly and it read like an administrative form. I recommend Marc-Édouard Nabe's infamous “Au régal des vermines”, which is jazzesque, living, brilliantly arrogant, and equally horrible. He got accused of antisemitism because he was delightly rude and rough—“LICRA [a Jewish organization], do you know what it is? People who just use bunch of Auschwitz corpses like a manure heap to get their fortune to grow quicker”—and has been forbidden from appearing on television for a long time. Note that, the last book by Michel Houellebecq, his controversial “Soumission” is really a decent novel. It describes what would happen to a society deprived of spiritualism, and how an authoritarian theocracy would fill people with simple happiness, the ease of fixing his life with rules. It got accused of racism but it really wasn't the point. It's a nice book.

>>13909
Thanks a lot, I'll check it out.

>>13947
I'm glad to hear it, he's my favourite writer. I prefer “Terre des hommes”, though.

>>14036
“Harry Potter” has been described as getting people into reading, yes, but into reading similar or worse series. To be honest I wouldn't give it to my children. I know too much better books to let them used to average prose and weak, oriented plots.

>>11710
Bunch of bullshit, the first time I was in the library I read lmao2books

>>13536
Sounds like you're autistic, then.

>>13922 eat more than your TDEE, low carb/ fat & high protein but it would require a certain level of exercise, you cant just gain muscle mass through diet

>>14135
I read one of houellebecq's books translated (extension du domain de la lutte) and I got that impression as well about his prose seeming rather prosaic (lol) and mundane, but I assumed it was the translation at fault.

Thank you for the recommendations mon ami. Much appreciated.

Are you a frenchman yourself or a francophile?

so when i read in bed i usually prop myself up on some pillows so that i can read properly. however after some period of time, i lose track of how long it is really. i get a painful ache in my left shoulder. is there any form of exercise or stretch that could relive the pain or avoid it altogether?

>>14241
You're welcome. I'm a native French speaker, but I come from Luxembourg.

>>14246
I'd recommend strengthening your rotator cuffs, try using resistance bands and doing pull aparts and internal rotations- in addition to strengthening your deltoids

>>14135
You are discounting what makes the books great: they offer a really vibrant, funny and interesting world of magic for kids to get into. There is so much packed into the first book alone it's insane. Also full of really good values. Obviously you'd want them to move onto something better like His Dark Materials, but Harry Potter is a great series for getting kids hooked on just losing yourself in a book.

>>13643
sardines and any other small boney fish are great for calcium, just remember to eat the small bones.

k2 supplementation is used in acute dosages for osteoporosis (the mk-4 form) and anecdotally it has improved the teeth and bones of people without osteoporosis you can buy an mk-4 and mk-7 form, I believe mk-4 has the greatest evidence for efficacy iirc.

Also avoid whitening toothpaste it contains rough particles and avoid acidic food, they will degrade your enamel even more, go for protective toothpaste like pro-namel and brush before you eat to form a protective coating.

>>14264
I am assuming you are also a native german speaker as well? Are you rich? Isn't the luxembourgish dialect of german quite different from any other?

>>14100
>>14214
Yeah, I know that exercise is necessary, unfortunately right now I'm on medication and working out (straining my muscles and joints) is not recommended. When I finish though in around 2 months I think about starting to hit the gym.
Any recommendations on the type of exercise or just lifting?

>>14279
>>13643
backing up vitamin k2, but make sure it's the mk4 form and not mk7

>>11631
Anything that updates, be it something on the internet, on your PC or something in reality like something in the oven if absolute cancer for concentration. Just remove everything that can evoke interest trough changing its own state and charging your novelty with it.

To those who say they can't concentrate: I recommend reading "The Shallows" and/or "Deep Work". Yes, they're both pop books and as such they are rambly and tedious reads, but they have an important message: we should not let the internet take control of our lives and weaken our attention spans.

Ultimately, the concentration issue is about intolerance to perceived boredom that has been built up and reinforced through bad habits. The use of the internet to curb boredom is a major example of such habits. If you get frustrated at the first sign of boredom, or if you feel you always have to be doing two things at once, then you need to make some changes if you want to be able to concentrate on reading.

I was a skellington in high school, I've since worked out and filled out a bunch of areas, but my forearms are still disproportionately small. Is that just the bone structure and there's nothing I can do, or are there specific exercises for that?

>>14403
i've got to ask. are you reverse popeye?

>>14466
Yes

>>14273
That makes the experience great, but that's still a poor book. It doesn't lead to better material. Furthermore there are countless stories with excellent prose and still a catching plot so I don't feel the need to indulge in a weaker series. According to a source I stepped on, “Harry Potter” has 3,407 pages, all tomes put together. It's insane I would allocate such an amount of time to an average book which is simply there to hook up. I've been fed with tales, in books roughly 250-pages long, from all over the world and usually published circa 1960. They are exciting, attractive, open the mind—it's euphemism to say Russian or Japanese tales are foreign to our culture—and I assure you that, translators back then weren't keen on spoon-feeding children so it was equally a great challenge. I just don't see any reason to opt for lesser.

>>14290
Yes, and yes. I don't speak the latter fluently, but it's mostly German framework with French vocabulary. Very unpleasant to listen to.

>>14319
start with reading the sticky, after that, arguably the quickest way to gain muscle mass with the right diet is push/pull

>>14511
>That makes the experience great, but that's still a poor book

You sound like you'd be an amazing parent.

>>14403
Reverse curls, hammer curls, forearm curls, deadlifts, farmers walks, pullups (not chinups) and generally anything that trains grip strength (such as those spring things you squeeze) all work your forearms.

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>>11974
Like this mate

>>14543
Oh? Thanks, I guess!

>>14624
>Doesn't understand sarcasm either

Autistics shouldn't breed desu senpai.

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>>14643
>Doesn't understand sarcasm

>>14643
I guess you should try to be better, then, shouldn't you?

>>14273
i'd prefer to start them on books like rowan of rin rather than harry potter honestly. something about harry potter being the chosen one irks me for a children's story, as if those who succeed are predetermined by destiny and i would instead love to inspire them with tales of ordinary and even somewhat weaker characters rising to the occasion and inspiring the readers with acts of heroism that come from humanity rather than acts of heroism that are influenced by fate.

>>14821
Yeah I feel you there. Just as much though you could say Harry Potter is about turning tragedy into something positive and working through hardships.

>implying anyone on /fitlit/ will ever have children.

How does /lit/ complete reading books ?
1.I sometimes pick up books but seeing those page numbers for each chapter I tend to get nervous and other times I can't even understand some paragraph I end up rereading it.

2.How much content am I supposed to retain in my first read,how many times do you read the same book.

>>14938
It may be a matter of concentration, thus refer to the advices I provided above, else simply read without checking the number of pages per chapter. You shouldn't watch over the retention rate—which can be improved as well, with proper concentration, vocabulary and ease with complex syntax—unless you read non-fiction. In such a case, assumed you have to memorize the content, read it straight then read again with notes, synthesis, summaries and common study methods. I usually read a book once, save for the series I like. I have a lengthy history book I'm reading for the third time, just because it caught my interest. Are you French? What are you reading?

>>14938
Nothing wrong with rereading a paragraph if you get distracted or don't understand it, that's normal.

Look at books in terms of chapters, don't worry about finishing the whole thing, it's just your companion for however long it takes you to read it. There's no hurry.

>>14135
i just ordered it on ebay, excited for a moment that we shared this. will let you know what i think of it in another thread another day. cheers

>>14938
>I tend to get nervous
Nothing to be nervous about. It's just a book. It can't hurt you.

>How much content am I supposed to retain in my first read,how many times do you read the same book.
Check out "How to Read a Book" by Adler. Rereading is to be expected if you want to fully understand the book, but not necessarily front-to-back each time. Adler suggests that you 1. Skim the book 2. Read cover-to-cover without concern for understanding and finally 3. Reread, this time with an "analytical eye," making sure you fully understand everything the author is trying to communicate. But you don't necessarily need to follow this strictly, and you especially shouldn't do it with every book. As you read more you'll gain an intuition for which books are worth your time to fully understand, and which ones can just be read once superficially. Also, keep in mind that if you're reading a dense text, expect reading to be very slow. You need time to mull over complicated ideas. Don't think you can "speed read" through that.

>>15161
Oh, I'm pleased to hear. I hope I'll see it, I don't go on 4chan a lot. See you!

>>14135
me again. what do you think of john steinbeck?

expury, steinbeck and orwell are probably my favourite 3 writers, but i also love burroughs and oscar wilde - but ive only read dorian gray.

what are your 3 favourite writers anon

>>12016
Is this right? I feel like my ass should be lower and my shoulders would be higher.

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When I try to read I zone out. 10 pages later I realize I don't know what I just read. What do?

>>15302
Try it some more, you'll get the hang of it. Dont think about other things when you are reading, just read.

>>11669
Unfortunately, they kill your gains.

>taking amphetamines
>becoming hooked on math and philosophy
>regularly spend 3 hours reading at a time
>forget to eat breakfast, forget to eat lunch
>have to force down dinner because it tastes like cardboard
If I was trying to lose weight, this would be ideal.

But I'm not, I'm a skelly. It has made bodyweight lifts a lot easier though. Muscle-ups are fucking easy modu.

>>11840
I've had both.

Usually I'll be reading the book while thinking about something else. It's a side-effect of a life of multi-tasking. Imagine using each of your eyes to look at something independent of each other.

When I need to focus on a book, I read more and read faster. As in, I "open up" my eyes and instead of reading one sentence at a time, I start reading a chunk of the page at a time (if that makes sense).

My current theory is that I have brain problems and unless I'm consciously using 100% of my concentration on something, it'll wander off.

>>15255
I read few authors in English, and I had troubles getting to appreciate literature in the United States, however I like John Steinbeck. I even had a companion book with comments and a contextual analysis of “The Grapes of Wrath” by scholar Marie-Christine Lemardeley-Cunci. I'm sensitive to T. S. Eliott, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby” as well. I admire J. D. Salinger, especially “Nine Stories”. “The Catcher in the Rye” wasn't my favourite read. I never bought anything by Herman Melville, Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace. I value Cormac McCarthy and strongly dislike Mark Twain, Henry Miller, William S. Burroughs and the “beat generation”. I tolerate George Orwell but I feel little recognition. I was disappointed with “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and I'm quickly fed up with the utterly common Orwellian reference we hear twice a week in the news.

Besides my long-time favourite Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, I don't really have a clear ranking. I guess it would be François Mauriac or Jean Echenoz. I love Charles Baudelaire, Jean Genet and Arthur Rimbaud, too. I used younger to read mostly 17th century poets and playwrights, Jean Racine, Pierre Corneille, Théophile de Viau, Charles Perrault, Jean de la Fontaine, François de Malherbe. I'm also done with this. I would fit there Marguerite Yourcenar, one of the very few women writers I value. Outside the French speaking sphere, I'm deeply admirative of Japanese literature. My favourite author, Motojirō Kajii, his “Lemon”, Kafū Nagai and the great “Fireworks”, Yasunari Kawabata, Naoya Shiga, mysteries and noire short stories by Edogawa Ranpo, “The Fly” by Richii Yokomitsu, Kunio Ogawa, Yasushi Inoue. I never read Kenzaburō Ōe, Kōbō Abe, Yukio Mishima or Haruki Murakami, though. Takashi Hiraide's “The Guest Cat” is also a novel I read multiple times. I'm currently making my way into Latin American literature.

I want to check out some classic literature. Are The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Aeneid worth a read or are they just memes?

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>>11631
What do you think of Peter V. Bretts' Demon Cycle ?

>>16076
They are ordinary tales, translated. Unless you read it in Greek and Latin, it will have little to no literary value so you should better stick with stories inspired by mythology, or a decent textbook—Edith Hamilton is the reference—to get to learn Greek and Roman myths and deities.

>>13050
starting strength by mark rippetoe

>>16225
Ignore this anon. Because they are some of the central works in western civilization there have been more translations than anything other than the bible, including some really high quality poetical ones.

Start with the Odyssey probably its the easiest to read.

>>15386
When I had to take Adderall I would just force myself to eat. I'd chew up the food and wash down with water. Every bite. Was able to eat 3500-4000 cal a day

Not sure if /fit/ would know this but: it seems like no matter how much i eat during the day im always extremely hungry during the night to the point it keeps me up and/or wakes me up unless I go down and eat something, which obviously isnt good and is ruining my sleep too.

Am i just not eating as much as i think i am during the day? How do i stop from being hungry every night without pigging out all day.

>>16286
Much more than a poet, Homer has attained a high degree of literary perfection, a perfection of prose, composition and versification. His style is sweet, harmonious, characterized by a higher vowel/consonant ratio than in Attic Greek, yet specific. A translation cannot do anything good but fail to render properly his hexameters, the disposition of caesurae, the proportion of dactyls and spondees, the softness and the variety of his metrics. A mere translation, whatever the quality of the restitution, is a simple work of fantasy, stripped of what makes it valuable and marvellous. It's convient to think all you have to know is English, and mysteries of Western canon reveal up to the reader; it doesn't work this way. Classics require attention and dedication, and in all likelihood could beget a lifetime task.

>>16286
>Start with the Odyssey probably its the easiest to read.
Thanks anon. But isn't the Odyssey a sequel the the Iliad? Won't I get confused?

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>>11840
It's just literally words on a page on me. There is no stream of conciousness for me. I normally read about 100 pages a day if i pick up a book.
I don't have a problem with concentrating, but there just literally is nothing beyond the syntactical deductions for me.

I play a bunch of vidyas a year, but just because of the mechanics. I can not get immersed to the point in which a fantasy becomes reality for me.

I still get most of the meaning and concepts introduced in books and movies. The philosophical implications and thought constructions don't get lost on me, which is why my favourite books are
>the art of war
>Tao Te King
>Romeo and Juliet (last one solely for the language, which just sounds amazing)

Reading remains a chore for me, which is why i lift.
When i am lifting there is only me and an iron bar. Nothing else.
All the girls in the gym, who want to get stared at, don't exist.
All the problems, all those dreamdancers don't exist.
All the little movements, every single detail of my form, every little push, every fluke of mind, every bit of improvement and every single piece of the future planning based of my current performance exists for me.

Given, i just wrote that in a way, which makes it sound more important then it is.
But, well, i don't really know it differently.

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>>16419
More fiber, more water and less sugar. Especially more fiber.

>>16511
I stumbled across this problem when I read Paradise Lost translated into Spanish, my native language. The story was good, but the writing did seem a bit tedious because it lacked the dexterity of the original work. Still, even if it's just to develop my culture, are Homer and Virgil's works worth it despite not being able to enjoy their masterful verbiage?

>>11631
I am 5'10 and 150lbs. Whats the best plan to get toned?
I recommend good books I swear!

>>16511
No shit you won't be able to get everything out of it. That doesn't mean they aren't worth reading in translation. Homer isn't something you read once, you come back to it all your life.

>>16514
The Odyssey is Odysseus' journey on the way back, yeah. But don't worry about spoilers or anything, it's all taking from the same big body of myth, order isn't important. The Greeks won, fuckin wooden horse, etc. But you already knew that right?

A better idea might be to start with some of the tragedies, as they are much shorter. Can't go wrong with Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus.

>>16614
Homer moreso than Virgil desu senpai. It doesn't matter if you have a full grasp of what you are reading, it's all good food for your cultural understanding/soul.

>>16576
Ok . so whats the best way to get fiber without sugar?

>>16680
Whole grain stuff. Whole grain bread, cereal and rice. Beans and lentils. Eating fruit and lots of veggies also helps.

>>16659
>Can't go wrong with Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus.
I've read that one a few times; good stuff. Curious how back then you could take your kids to watch that story in a theater play but couldn't bring them in for most comedies.
>>16659
>Homer moreso than Virgil desu senpai. It doesn't matter if you have a full grasp of what you are reading, it's all good food for your cultural understanding/soul.

In which ways do their works analyze the human condition or any other kind of enriching knowledge that makes those stand out among other famous stories?

>>15386
>>16404

How do you convince doctor to prescribe this to me ?

>>16779
Comedies were more political, often making light of certain then living people. Tragedies like Oedipus were just known by everyone.

>>16614
It's fine, but in this case you should rather read books on Homer. You would learn much more, get familiar with his stories and the Greek mythology without having to through 15,000-verses poetry. The only downside I can think of is that you cannot tell people you “read it”. I don't think you should ever read any book for such a purpose, though.

>>16659
It's equivalent to getting back to the corresponding Wikipedia article, which is rather pointless. You could allocate bit of this time to learning Greek, and getting why is Homer remembered for. The reason we aren't thinking of Hesiod, the Epic Cycle, Cercops of Miletus or any contemporaries isn't that Homer was assumed to be the first one to write up the story.

>>16626
how about loosing weight ?

>>16626
Toned is a meme. You can lose weight (fat) and/or gain muscle. I would recommend both.

>>16769
k i love apples and carrots but they never seem to fill me up at all.

>>16824
Good to know; thanks for the info anon.

>>16831
>It's fine, but in this case you should rather read books on Homer. You would learn much more, get familiar with his stories and the Greek mythology without having to through 15,000-verses poetry. The only downside I can think of is that you cannot tell people you “read it”. I don't think you should ever read any book for such a purpose, though.
You know what, maybe I should do that. It doesn't sound as exciting as the epic tales he related, but learning more of the author could be very interesting.

>>16911
>k i love apples and carrots but they never seem to fill me up at all.

They have fiber, but in low quantities. Eat more beans and whole grains anon. Also you can buy drinkable fiber if you wish so.

>>16886
I don't have a lot of fat, what would be the best way to gain muscles?

>>16990
>buy drinkable fiber
Huh. can i get that at the grocery store? Isnt that just metamucil or whatever its called

>>16961
You should do it, if you have a genuine interest. The tales aren't so exciting it justifies reading the original work. Would it be just for the story, you could have it told by better authors in countless subsequent work, even by watching a movie. What makes Homer unique cannot be translated, that's his very, exceptional command of Greek. Once you're decided, I suggest you “A Grammar of the Homeric Dialect” by David B. Monro and Denys Page's “History and the Homeric Iliad” as companion books. I'm more interested in Latin culture so won't go too far in recommendations.

>>16831
>reading a single bookin translation takes the same amount of time as learning homeric greek

Really fires up the neurons.

>>17140
“Homer isn't something you read once, you come back to it all your life”. You're fortunate “strawman” isn't written up in Latin, aren't you? There should be a term to call the point of discussion people are getting low on arguments and start to greentext.

>>17064
http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/inulin.html

>>16779
>In which ways do their works analyze the human condition or any other kind of enriching knowledge that makes those stand out among other famous stories?

That's a really strange way of looking at it. Homers' central place in the history of western literature should be reason enough to at least be slightly acquainted with him.

As for the human condition, we get plenty of meditations on pride, heroic virtue, loss/grief, how it is dealt with, the relationship between mortals and the divine. Homer is fascinating just if you are interested in how virtues were looked at back in those times.

>>17126
>"A Grammar of the Homeric Dialect” by David B. Monro and Denys Page's “History and the Homeric Iliad”

Very well, I'll write those two down. Thank you very much for taking the time to explaining everything so thoroughly to me, Anon. You've been of great help. I heard that /lit/ was full of pretentious assholes who pushed out everyone who didn't have a degree in literature. Either I was lied to or you're the exception, so I am grateful for the patience you'd had with me.

>>17211
Ah that is what you were on about. I meant as you go on to learn the language. Reading The Iliad in english at a young age made me fall in love with the ancient greeks and I went on from there.

>>12518
You're a product of the internet where everything and anything is available. It isn't adhd it's just convenience.

>>14143
Then the question was not for (You), retarded.

>>17273
>I heard that /lit/ was full of pretentious assholes who pushed out everyone who didn't have a degree in literature.
I'd say /lit/ is generally chill. The seriousness:bantz ratio is much larger than, say, /pol/.

>>17273
You're welcome, I'm glad you will tackle this. It may seem pretentious to call on reading classics in Greek, but I think the arrogance is to read it for the sake of telling it is read. Such a work has value in its story, its characters, but the reason we still talk of Homer, instead of modern authors who wrote in countless languages on the Trojan wars and the events Homer described, the reason we aren't satisfied with movies and documentaries, which are as exciting and as complete as Homer is, resides precisely in the literary value of his prose. It isn't what he told—after all, it isn't written down in the first place—but how he did it. I wholeheartedly support any initiative to learn classics better.

>>17296
Mea culpa, then. I'm glad you were caught in, but you should move on and consider Homer as the literary figure he is; a poet, with particular literary features than fail to be rendered in another language. Although English still share bits of metrics with Greek, a Spanish poster would be completely alien to Homeric style.

>>11840

After reading a few pages my head gets filled with completely random thoughts, which makes continuing impossible.

>>12066
It's alright if you plan to kys at 45 before the artrithis sets in.

>>17493
Sounds like the problem isnt reading its the fact you dont know how to concentrate. If you want to get better at it look into guided meditation videos on youtube.

You can also take a coin or something that weighs about as much as a quarter, lie down in the dark, put the coin on your forhead right between your eye brows, close your eyes and only focus on the coin. Any time your head starts to wander just keep bringing it back to the coin. Do this for like 10 minutes a day and you will be able to concentrate much easier.

Is Stephen King based?
I wanna start reading again, and one of the few books I read in my life (outside of school), were Misery and Running man (or something like that).

I'd be curious to read the Shining since it's my favorite movie

>>17834
he's pretty good, /lit/ doesn't like him though because they're "muh literary canon" faglords who don't actually read books they didn't read in high school

>>14273
And they are great fanfic material

>>17834
No, he's considered a mediocre author on /lit/ and rarely praised. His style is terrible, his characters often mundane and drearily banal—his archetype is a failure of a male writer getting through his 30's, atypical father, on the verge of alcoholism who witnesses the struggle of some town in Vermont or Maine—and the way he writes up dialogs annoying. I read many—I'm flagged “literary” so my uncle kept buying me Stephen King for the past decade—and the plot is usually very nice. I loved “The Shining”, “Cujo”, “Firestarter” and “Under the Dome”. “Skeleton Crew” had amazing idea and “Cell” was my first one and my favourite from Stephen King.

Still a terrible writer.

>>17834
other than the shining, all his books are terrible

Harry Potter level author

>>17855
This doesn't make any sense, by the way. All these flavours and you chose to be salty. That's unhealthy, mate.

>>18087
Name five books you've read that came out in the last five years

>>17834
he's lacking in some literary aspects, but i feel like there's something essential about him, like he's an integral american writer who taps into something and is responsible for so much genuinely iconic literature

i wouldn't rate him as a better writer than gass, but he's probably a more relevant one tbqh

>>15302
train ur brain to not do that shit.

read a paragraph or 2
write a short summary, just a sentence or 2.
read another paragraph.
write another summary.

write a summary for every chapter

works best with non-fiction, though.

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>>11631
Finally a reason to post it again

>>18114
Emmanuel Carrère's “The Kingdom”, Frédéric Mitterand's “The Bad Life”, Philippe Djian's “Love Song”. Fabrice Luchini biography, although it doesn't really qualify for literature. What's your point, anyway? I mostly read post-war literature published between 1960 and 1980, and history books on Roman Empire. What does it change?

>>18196
/lit/ doesn't read current literature, they're stuck in the past. it's like if /a/ did nothing but talk about how great Cowboy Bebop is.

>>15481
> Imagine using each of your eyes to look at something independent of each other.

Got a killer sci-fi book for you bro. "Signal to Noise". Fucking awesome book.

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>>17855
>>18026
>>18038
>>18129

So which authors would you recommend in the "horror-suspense" genre?

>>11669
Amphetamines are overrated desu. You tiptoe the line between "legitimate benefit" and "serious addiction" with every dose you take. It gets worse the longer you're on it.

>>18271
R.L. Stine

>>18217
As far as I remember, “Cowboy Bebop” is a great series. Anyway, what's the matter? I don't browse often but I recall names like William H. Gass, Karl Knausgård, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, Haruki Murakami, Tao Lin, David Foster Wallace—yes, I know he's dead—Don DeLillo and Philip Roth are still widely read and discussed. Would it change anything, though? I once was reading nothing but 17th century French poetry and it was alright. There's nothing pretentious in the appreciation of older literatures. Technically speaking, I noticed the older, the better. Attention given to metrics in classics has nothing in common with looser rules that now govern.

>>18271
It isn't really horror but I love Gustav Meyrink and Jean Ray.

>>11840
My eyes follow the text while my mind has flown through the window and I find myself not remembering the last two paragraphs

>>18271
I really liked the Horla by Guy de Maupassant. Short story so you can read it quickly.

>>14068
Jesus christ I tried to read goethes faust in english (not my primary) by john williams and I was bored to death

>>14362
Thank you. I'll take your recommendation into consideration

>>15302
Mindful meditation

>>11840
my mind wanders, I'll think about something that needs to get done (there is always something) or a shitty past experience, rarely I might have a happy thought that distracts me. Then I can't even remember the last paragraph of what I read so I have to reread and my mind drifts by the end of the page.

What do i do about it?

>>18278
This

Amphetamines really are for cramming a week ahead of an exam

If you're not studying for long term retention, you're a brainlet and you're gonna be shit outside of school

>>18278
>>18849

WHERE do you buy this shit !

>>12066
>I have no access to a gym
See if it has weights

Literally the purpose of a gym is for weights and fancy machines

If it only has yoga balls, yoga mats, rubber bands, and things like that, it's worthless.

You need things that can progressively get harder, and weights are about as basic as that concept gets. Bodyweight is fine, as well, PROGRESSION is key

>>11631
>How to concentrate while reading /lit/?
That's easy, pick a book that interests you and that you want to read

>>12213
do weight training, do the lightest you can do comfortably and work your way up

do 20 mins on the bike right after, at a pace where you're panting involuntarily

>>12559
Meditation (mindfulness) and developing good habits

Youtube the POMODO technique

>>12628
>what are the "meme" weights
you might get snarky posts, but nothing is a meme so long as they are weights

if you can rig up sandbags on the fly, you might even be a hero if you can post before and after pics

>>18897
I mean, I have no access to any gym. I live recluse in a small village surrounded with a forest. I'll acquire weights, eventually a bench and follow a work-out amongst the aforementioned ones.

How do I stop wasting my time on a chinese cartoon forum and playing video games?

>>12944
bibliophiles and ebookfags threads are one of the cornerstones of /li/ autism

>>13408
depending on what it is, exercising might even help

start light, and proper form will strengthen your core, which will protect your spine

anyone with any joint or bone issue, I'd suggest investing on some copious amounts of hydrolyzed collagen, with some D3 and K2 to keep the bones growing and healthy

>>18152
kek, nice. Here's your dots.

>>11999
>I'm too retarded to read
>reading must be retarded

>>19019
Close down accounts, disconnect from online communities, store away games, uninstall softwares. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away, for it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

>>14362
>we should not let the internet take control of our lives and weaken our attention spans.
I would've scoffed at this a day ago but all these posts asking about attention and concentration really shines light on this issue

>>17834
>Is Stephen King based?
The guy pops out too many books too quickly and it shows in depth

But on the other hand, he has a book ON writing, and it's pretty great

>>17834
Misery is a legitimately good book

>>18877
ask your local druggy
literally ask around in campus

but it's not really good

>>19228
Attention is something that must be trained, and screen-related activities like videogames, television, smartphones and computers usually don't help and elude the issue. People who cannot focus on a task generally cannot stand absence of stimuli, thus they get impatient, fail to stay silent and ultimately lack to ability to gather the required concentration to give oneself onto the pages of a book. The first step is to fix boundaries to these activities, keep away from multitasking and slowly getting to like attention-friendly pastimes. Reading, playing an instrument, walking outside and so on.

>>11669
Speak for yourself, junkie fuck.

>>17417
That's how I look at Homer desu senpai. I just fell in love with the mythos at a young age, and I found it's put me in good stead considering how much it is shared about and referenced in literature as a whole. I just think it's wrong to say you should completely avoid translations of the classics. Maybe you just never got much out of Homer other than through the language? That's certainly how I felt about Virgil, whereas the Iliad in particular has always struck a chord with me.

>>19019
What you really need is a fixed daily routine where you dedicate certain time periods to thing you want to to that will improve your life with like lifting weights , learning an instrument etc. Dont go cold turkey, just keep pushing things that will provide no long term use more and more into the background until they disappear completely.

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My knees crack when I squat.
Would more squatting help with this, or destroy my knees?

>>20359
Harmless.

>>20359
Cracking without pain isn't something to worry about.

If you feel pain see a proper phiso - or at least don't educate yourself on a Mongolian horsemanship forum for the gay and mentally ill.

>>20359

>squatting

What're you a faggot?

Will doing curls and front raises make me able to hold a book in front of my face when in bed for longer?

>>19908
Wow, an actual useful response on 4chan

>>20359
jesus this is a vintage fucking meme

i have this same problem, good to know it's not harmful

>>20552

Gotta hit the triceps for lighter weight and more reps. What you need is endurance so up those reps.

>>20575
And yet you just had to come here and average it out with a useless one.

>>17834
He's okay. His best book is actually about writing books though, so that's kind of weird.
His son, Joe Hill, writes horror too. He's pretty good.

>>11710
what short stories are good and interesting? whenever I try to start reading, the only titles that catch my eye are scifi and high fantasy and they always turn out to be thousand page epics that I cant get past the first few chapters. Do short fantasy/scifi even exist?

>>21346
I honestly think they're the only ones worth reading. Try some Phil K Dick or Vonnegut.

McElroy's PLUS if you are up for the /lit/ experience

/lit/ here. Should I take anything besides test while on my first cycle? And do I need to exercise at all or can I just shoot up and let my body do all the work?

>>12126
>Same guy here, that makes it sound like your brain is very active and wants to imagine the scene but you're not reading fast enough to provide it the dream-fuel.
then you see a word you don't know and have to bring up the dict.
sad fate

>>21442
>And do I need to exercise at all
How do you honestly think /fit/ is going to answer this?

How do /fit/itzens find the time/energy to go to a gym and regularly exercise? Why do you want to be so muscular?

Honestly so long as I don't get fat I don't really care about my body. I do some exercise at home (bodyweight stuff) but that's about it.

>>21346
Don't know what definition of "short" you want but I aimed at something that can be read in one sitting by an average reader

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll & Mr Hyde
Flatland
Animal Farm
Cyberiad and Fables for Robots by Lem are collections of short stories
The first two Witcher books can be read as stand-alone and are collections of short stories

for something slightly longer I'd recommend
Solaris (well anything by Lem but Solaris is well known I'd recommend Return from the Stars or Eden - they're my favorites)
The Mist
Flowers for Algernon

>>21346
Any sherlock holmes story

>>21532
Apotheosis mostly. I look at paintings or sculptures of gods and think I would like to look like that.

Plus it's a feedback mechanism for motivation - exercise makes you feel better, sleep better and think better.

Last one is important to me because I'm a programmer. I couldn't belove how much better I was at learning and working when I started working out, that shit is almost like magic.

>>13715
Reading it and it has tons of difficult words in it. But granted English is not my first language. Also what annoys me the most is here i'm 2 clicks away from google dictionary. When reading a real book I have to check the dictionary for every page.

>>21828
Why don't you read books in your native language?

>>21394
thanks, next time I have a break I'll haul do androids dream of electric sheep

>>21624
I'll pick up the witcher novels actually, I imagine they're some kind of cultural cornerstone to polish /lit/ because of how much money money polands put into the games and movies

>>21624
What, exactly, do you mean by "one sitting"? How long would that be? An hour? A few hours? Half a day?

>>22136
About 2 hrs

>>22168
That only applies to the first three, the books with collections of stories are longer but a single story can be read in one sitting

>>22226
>>22257
Hm, guess I'm a brainlet then. Those books took me multiple sittings each.

>>22366
Some people read faster than others. Generally the more you read you'll increase in pace, but naturally reading speedily doesn't mean anything. Whatever pace it takes for you to take it in is fine.

It's the same as all those cocks you like so much.

>>21532

My main motivation is hate. Being a NEET also helps.

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>>22475
>My main motivation is hate.

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>>21532
>How do /fit/itzens find the time/energy to go to a gym and regularly exercise?
Being a 20 year old male + caffeine pills

>Why do you want to be so muscular?
It looks good, feels good, and is objectively better than being skinny/fat. See pic related (ignore the grammar)

>>22366
Those books are about 100 pages. I doubt the problem is your reading ability - the problem might be in your ability to concentrate. Stop multi-tasking, when you do one task try to concentrate 100% on it. No fb, no mobile phone. The same with books.

Coffee helps with concentration, as well as some other stimulants.

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>>11631
Eliminate all distractions and (here's a concept /fit/izens should be familiar with) power through it.

Set goals for how much you're going to read and don't quit until you hit it - no matter what.

Over time, your ability to focus will improve, as well as your reading speed and retention.

I also like to do sudoku and play games like chess and igo to stay mentally /fit/. Sometimes I do a sudoku puzzle before sitting down to read as a "warm-up."

They key to developing the mind is to treat it like a muscle. You must be willing to exhaust yourself mentally, just as you would physically, in order to meet goals, gain comprehension, and explore potentialities.

Now, for my question.

What are the best workouts for sculpting your back muscles (preferably, body weight or dumbbell workouts).

>>11999
Loser

>>21346
If you don't mind "young adults'"a.k.a kids' books, try artemis fowl and/or harry potter. I have fond memories of both. As they're directed to younger people, they get to the point quickly and keep the story flowing. Expect a cute but nonetheless pretty interesting story, don't go in expecting anything too intelligent, and you'll have fun reading them.

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>>22787
>body weight
Pull-ups and Chin-ups are king. Do negatives if you can't complete >3 reps in a set.

>dumbell
Bent-over rows, shrugs, bent-over flyes, and dumbell deadlifts are alright, but you will likely reach a point very quickly where the weight of your average home dumbell set becomes too easy to see further progress. The back is best trained with a combination of pull-ups/chin-ups and heavy barbell lifts like deadlifts, barbell rows, and barbell shrugs.

Where does /lit/ read? Do you have a dedicated spot of just pick a random place?

>>23236
I usually read on train, on my desk, sitting on a bench outside. Light is important to determine if the spot is convenient.

>>23236
i read on the train or in bed

>>23559

Do you get sleepy when reading away from bed? I exclusively read before falling asleep and in the rare cases where I pick up a book on my couch I get drowsy 15 minutes in.

>>23597
You must rest against the head, or the wall, otherwise you have to hold the book over your head, which doesn't favour concentration and quickly tires your forearms.