New fitness plans

[GS1150Pilot]

How many of you folks take fitness seriously?

In junior high, I got into karate and competed with minor local successes.

During high school and undergrad days, I was a competitive powerlifter. Once upon a time, I benched 400, squatted 650 and deadlifted 675 in competition. I was never a serious contender, because, due to my bodyweight of 200, the Schwarz formula pretty much established that I'd always be a minor league player in that arena.

At one point, after going vegetarian and getting full tilt into mountain bikes, I raced for two seasons in the novice category. I was never last, but never top three.

I was an alternate to my university's saber team for fencing.

Fast forward to post-50, back injuries from powerlifting and from working as a bouncer for half a decade, two torn ACLs, a pretty much trashed left rotator cuff, and I have set up my fitness plan for the next five years at least.

I do a 20 minute stretching routine three days a week.

I ride a geared cruiser bicycle 5-10 miles twice a week and a fat bike off road or a long hike each weekend.

I do a kettlebell workout three days a week.

I stay low carb but not insane (under 50 grams during the week, under 100 on Saturdays)

I've dropped 10 pounds since starting this routine, but my goal is to drop another 25 and to become capable of the following.

20 bodyweight chins
55 push-ups without pause
Capable of riding 20 miles without issue at 15 mph
Capable of hiking 10 miles in 5 hours without issue
Zero injuries and reasonable recovery from workouts

What are you all doing for fitness, and how well are you succeeding?

[trent]

Works usually good enough workout.

According to app on my phone, I walk between two to six miles a day?
Just depends on day I have.
According to walking app on my phone I walk 12 miles around town once, but I stopped by my house several times to refill my container with mixture of O.J. and vodka. Ear buds jamming to some music.
That's was several hours.
That particular phone app also has a map so you can review the trip.

That and cutting back on and watching the intake I've been able to go from 245lb to 228lb in a relatively short time.
Some old chart stated for my height my idea weight should be 190lb? I'd have to think that would be to low personally?
But I would be happy to be around 215-220.

And that would probably be easily achievable if I did better diet and exercised more...besides just walking

I have a co worker who has enquired about my little weight loss, and wanted to do the same.
Think he was really proud he was walking around d his block a few times.

I congratulated him and encourage him to keep going..

Then one day he said he didn't think it's was going to pay off for him to walk.
I ask why, he was informed by his wife that to walk off calories from a big mac, he'd have to walk ten miles.

Kinda broke his spirit?
I told him a little exercise is better than nine regardless.

[bonanzadave]

I do a 20 minute stretching routine three days a week.

I would like to start there. The rest of your routine is just too over the top for me. At 60, ten hours a day at work is getting really tiring. 8-6 I never sit down. I do have a bike and weekends I move around the yard mowing and mending. I need some cardio and stretching motivation.

[GS1150Pilot]

I would like to start there. The rest of your routine is just too over the top for me. At 60, ten hours a day at work is getting really tiring. 8-6 I never sit down. I do have a bike and weekends I move around the yard mowing and mending. I need some cardio and stretching motivation.

This is the stretching routine I do. None of it is crazy, it is pretty pleasant to do, and I feel better.

[steve murdoch]

Played recreational sports my whole life...golf, hockey, slo-pitch, squash, rowing, etc.
10 years ago started taking Group Fitness classes at the local Y and got hooked on them. Ended up addicted, then volunteering and teaching 4 classes a week.
Unfortunately with Covid the Y has been closed for 16 months and will not reopen. To feed my addiction i rediscovered cycling and spend 3? hours a day out on the old Gary Fisher. Cold weather in a couple months means the dreadful bike trainer might have to come out of mothballs. Yuck.

[GS1150Pilot]

Bicycles have been a love of mine forever, and I love being outside, either riding or hiking (or just walking). I had been down to just the fat bike, with a set of street tires on an extra set of wheels, but I ended up wanting more dirt options, so I swapped the street tires for a second set of offroad monsters and bought a Sixthreezero 7 spd cruiser. What a great reminder of how much fun simple bicycles can be! That said, I am already eyeing brake upgrades.

[trevor]

Before my accident last year, I had been seeing a personal trainer twice a week for 20 months....then the accident...doctors all said that the fact that I was in good shape it saved me in worse injuries and would help me recover quicker too. Which I think is true.
Since October of last year I have been going to physio twice a week and a kinesiologist once a week...where I'm in the gym with both of them. Lots of stretching and weight work to get my strength back. I'm amazed at how much strength I lost. Just before the accident I was deadlifting 375lbs (Mason...675? Wow...that's impressive!)
I go to the pool after my physio appointment to do stretching in the hot tub and walk against the current in the "lazy river".
I also work out at home a couple of times a week and walk my dog 2-3 kms a day...all she can take these days
Before going to my personal trainer I had high cholesterol and weighed 208lbs...I now have below average bad cholesterol and weigh 187lbs.
It's all about the routine becoming habit...for me anyway. Now if I don't do something for my health each day I feel guilty...lol

[dpep]

My physical training consists of jumping at conclusions daily.

I try to compensate somewhat for my lack of exercise with pretty strict adherence to the best nutrition I can research which is almost entirely plant based--fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes. I avoid added sugar, added sodium, and white flour like the plague because they are.

My nutrition journals even blare out to me the value of regular exercise; but each time I set up a routine something comes along--crisis, injury, family obligation, medical issue, something--that results in it getting dropped. The injuries I've incurred over my lifetime--back, both wrists, both feet, both shoulders, two artificial hips among others--doom me to an immobile, arthritic old(er) age if I don't keep the bad parts moving. At the same time I have to worry about making things worse if I overdo or wrongdo something.

Next month I will get started again and stick with it; I really mean it this time.
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[Spiff]

I do bodyweight training for the most part, circle training and high intensity. I use an app called freeletics. I used to work out with weights but I never managed to keep it up, seemed to always either be to busy at the workout room at work or me and the spouses shifts overlapped so had to stay home with the kids.
So after letting my self go after covid closed everything and a hefty winter depression this spring I got back at it, working out at home, on the mat. Three sessions a week.
And I can happily say I'm getting close to the best shape I've ever been in.
So I think I've found what works for me.
Managed 25 pushups in a row the other day, and after progressing little by little I've done a couple of 60 second handstand holds, also did 20 pistol squats today which I've never would have thought possible a couple of years ago with my knees but here I am!
One of my long term goals is the one arm pushup

[dorkburger]

For the last 20 years or so, I’ve relied on youth, a physical job, and after we got a dog, 15 - 20 miles a week of walking to stay in shape.
At 49 that math has changed and I need to change with it. Since our dog’s health began declining 5 years ago and his passing this summer, the walks have slowly dwindled. Work has gone from more physical to more technical, and at this point, when all of the heavy tools have to come out of the van I’m pretty wiped out at days end. I haven’t put on weight and still need to lean into a stiff wind being in the low 150 lb range, but I’ve definitely lost some strength and stamina.

Last year I did a lot of bike riding with my younger son. By the end of the summer I could easily climb the 72 steps to the roof of one of our accounts. This summer he was more interested in hanging out with friends then his old man and those steps kill me now.

I have been walking town at night a few times a week, occasionally in the fashion that Trent mentioned, but with a camera added to the mix. It probably doesn’t help the overall situation

Diet wise, it’s not great, but I’ve always made it a habit to keep sugar to a minimum, but I can’t say the same about salt.

Thanks for bringing this up. The subject has been on my mind, but I keep procrastinating.

[cowboyup3371]

I try to go to the YMCA in the mornings and either hit the weight machines (do arms/shoulders on Mondays, Chest/Back on Wednesday, and legs on Fridays) or the Elliptical on Tue/Thur. Sadly some other responsibilities at home mean I haven't gone for a couple of weeks but I'll turn that back around this week I hope.

[phydeauxmutt]

Last time I helped my grandson pick up his toys, I snagged one of his building blocks. Now I leave it in the middle of the floor and do occasional circles around it so I can tell people that I "took a walk around the block."

[dpep]

This is a good topic. There is something related to fitness for which I am making great effort. And that is good posture--spine straight, stomach flat, head and shoulders back.

My dear mother recently passed away at age 97. She was in reasonably good health almost to the very end except that in her later years she had become very stooped. Knowing I had a lot of the same genes I began taking notice of people's posture generally and trying to be proactive myself.

It really has been a challenge for me. Exercise routines take up a few hours a week; maintaining correct posture is essentially a full time job. Too often during the day, sitting or standing, I catch myself in my default 'slouch' position and have to force the old bod to straighten up. My hope is that eventually body straight will become my natural state won't require a conscious effort on my part.

A bonus benefit I have noticed is that my various skeletal aches and pains, particularly in the back, are lessened considerably when I am standing as I should.
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[Redman]

I need to improve my exercize routine.

At present my exercise routine is one sit up a day.
Yep. In then morning, I wake up and sit up, that is one half sit up. At night, I sit in bed and then lay back, that is the other half.

I am joking, but that is pretty much the truth.
Do go for doggie walks with wife (and doggie) a couple times a week. But I need something more regular, and more taxing (wife walks slow, and doggie stops alot).

A few years ago I did have something of a daily routine of stretching then leg-lifts, and planking, and push up, and sittups. The improvemnt over time was quite noticable. (and didnt take long to loose it).

[GS1150Pilot]

I did a 9 mile ride on a hilly bike path down in Tucson with my sister today. The new cruiser's gearing showed its limitations, but I got a great workout.

Don, I agree that you are onto something there regarding posture. I tend to tense up over the course of the day, bunching up my traps, and it definitely affects my general levels of pain via tension.