Physical Fitness/Training Thread

My daughter's boyfriend is a big fan of Vikram yoga, and he's a college athlete.

Us older folks could all benefit much more from the core strength and flexibility work, aside from anything else.

40 miles on the bike today. We rode south of Greensboro (it's all cross-compartment that way) and even though it didn't feel like a hard ride, the hills must've taken it out of me. I'm whooped. Doing 100 miles in a few weeks (its a 2 day ride to raise money for MS research) - looking forward to that...

Rode 42 miles yesterday - should've been easy, but had to ride solo (my brother whom I usually ride with, was under the weather). Couple that with a cold, grey, damp day, and it wasn't much fun.

Was supposed to play soccer today in a 45 and up league (team name, the 'fossils' ), but I got stomped on during our opening game and am halfway through losing a big toenail (nasty). Figured I'd be smart to skip it today.

Next weekend is the 100 mile ride for MS research. Looking forward to that....

Finished the 'Tour to Tanglewood', about 100 miles on the road over 2 days. Rainy as hell Saturday, riding my nephews bike and hungover today (I broke a spoke at the end of yesterday's ride). A lot of fun hanging with my brother Jim

I lift 4 days a week. Legs one day and upper body the other three, focusing on one or two body parts each day. I do 5 circuits of 5 exercises plus some ab work each circuit. The circuits are pyramids. I.E. the first circuit I use a weight that I try to lift 12 times, the second circuit I increase the weight and try for 9 reps and the 3rd circuit more weight and a goal 6 reps, then back to the 9 and 12 weight for the last two circuits. When I can reach my goal on both the front and back side of the circuit (i.e. I can lift the weight 12 times on both the first and 5th circuits I increase that weight the next time.) The result is that for those last 3 circuits I am usually lifting to failure. But the first two circuits are usually pretty easy. That means that I am well warmed up before I get to the hard part. This has kept me injury free which is important at my age 56. The whole workout takes about an hour, so I’m moving between sets pretty quickly.

I also change up the workout every three months. Doing different exercises or changing grips from a wide to a narrow, etc. just to keep it fresh. I’m pretty happy with the results and actually look forward to going to the gym.

I don’t do enough aerobic work though, which is something I need to rectify. Especially since I love to eat. I have a treadmill and elliptical machine at home so I really have no excuse. Plus I have world class x-country skiing and mountain biking trails just a 10 minute drive from my home.

This really freaked me out. I was doing my Chest/Biceps workout and had just started my 5th and final circuit. I did the first exercise (dips) and I felt my heart racing. I wasn’t breathing hard and there was no pain but my heart was really going fast. I was having a hard time taking my own pulse so I hopped on an exercise bike and pedaling real slow I used the sensors and it gave my heart rate at 195. So I sat down for a few minutes and then tried it again and it was in the 140’s and I normally have to work hard on that bike to get it up to a target of 130.

Naturally being a dumb ass, I finished my workout although I didn’t push myself and went home and checked my blood pressure. It was 129/75 which is a little below normal for me and my heart rate was 85, which is a little high. My normal resting HR is in the 70’s.

Anybody else ever have something like this happen?

That almost sounds like a burst of atrial fibrillation Alaskan. That's where the top half of your heart (atria) go into a rapid rhythm. It's not uncommon. You might want to get checked out if you notice it happening again. A lot of things can contribute to it (low potassium from drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages is one potential cause)...

Thanks Boone. If it happens again I will get to a doctor. It could be caffeine as I do like my coffee.

Resurrecting this thread...pretty fitting since it's been quite awhile since I did much in the way of 'fitness'. Went from the best shape of my post-Marine life 2 years ago, to probably the worst shape since. Back on the horse now, albeit not without the well-deserved requisite pain and suffering. Rode 30 miles on Sunday, 2 days into P90X. It's going to be a tough month. I'd like to shed 20 lbs and THEN get exercising as it is so much easier without any excess weight, but the only way I'll get down to a more reasonable weight is to exercise. So for the next 30 days I'm embracing the pain.

Worst part is, although I'm only 5'9", I have very wide shoulders and a muscular build, so I can carry a lot of extra weight without anyone taking much notice. I think I'd be more motivated if I looked 'fat'. Still - not healthy carrying the weight I've had the past year and a half or more. My goal weight is 170 - believe it or not, that's pretty trim for me. 160 would be even better, but not sure I could sustain that even if I get there. Maybe I'll revisit when I make my goal. Changing my diet will be a big piece of it - cut out beef, starches, anything with significant sugar. Last time I did P90X I more or less ate chicken, fish, and vegetables and that was pretty effective.

Anyone else interested in diving in with P90X with me?

The 2 things i'm learning over the years is staying in shape all year round is so much easier than derby style fitness. That and getting/staying in shape is about 90% what you eat, atleast it is for me.

Congrats John! I know your pain, it sucks. I started seriously getting my butt back into shape a couple months ago. Right now I'm doing CrossFit and getting killed. I threw up and cried during the workout today, true story But damnit, I finished it! It's getting easier, but the last couple month's pain is something I'm never going to forget and will use those memories as inspiration for never letting myself get too slothy, ever again.

This will be a good thread to update progress...and any other involuntary crying spasms mid-workout, haha! Good luck with P90X!

I am trying to get my weight down before I tackle strenuous exercise. I stretch everyday and walk often now. I have taken it easy since the surgery last year as I work on getting my back in shape. I think the fear of re-injuring my back and the pain I deal with holds me back. I have only had one really good burn from a workout in the nearly 2 years since the injury and it felt great!

Now that I am down 30 through diet, I am about to hit the hills. There is a small river about 100 yards from my house that I like to hike up stream. There are some good hills to climb, but the very end before you get to the dam is an enormous hill that is very steep and about 80 yards up. By the time you get to this hill, you've already had a good 15-20 minute hike up and down some decent hills. Then it's about a mile and a half walk home after that huge hill.

I used to do this circle in about 20-26 minutes when I was in good shape and could run it. If I can get this down to 30-34 minutes by May I will be happy.

Ok, count me in.

I am currently in reasonably good shape. A few weeks ago, as some of you may know, I ran the DC Rock n' Roll Half Marathon at 10:24 a mile, which is blazing fast for me. I am now taking my focus off distance running and on to my 2nd Dan test, which if all goes well will be in late November. That means short, fast runs and a lot of cardio work. Lots of cardio.

I have P90X and I'll probably use the Cardio and Kempo disks, as well as the Ab Ripper, but I don't have time to do the whole program. Plus the last time I did it (last summer to gear up for the tough mudder) I developed tendinitis in my left shoulder which still hasn't gone away. I have almost no strength training experience and I just can't afford to hurt myself until the winter.

So, yesterday was a hour of sparring. Today, a 3 mile tempo run ... and if I'm feeling saucy I might do Ab Ripper X afterwards.

I got my 1st Degree Black Belt in 1986 with a marginally passing grade. It was my second attempt. I had failed the test six months earlier.

That's not happening this time. It's been 27 years. I'm gonna kick the crap out of this test. After an hour and a half of forms and push-ups and leg lifts and sit-ups in full gear, I have to spar six black belts, one after the other with no break. They'll probably all be 20 years younger than me. And I'm gonna beat the snot out of each one of them. I'm not going to get a 'pass' on this one. I'm gonna get a 'holy ****'.

That is all.

@Boone..You sound like we are in roughly the same boat in terms of current condition and goals! While I just dont have the extra time to squeeze in formal P90x, I'd be glad to track fitness goals along with you as a motivating tool. I just downloaded that Google app called "Myfitnesspal" and it seems pretty comprehensive as a tracking mechanism for both physical activity and nutrition, it also has a cool collaboration/social feature that you hare results with friends. Would a group of us all using the same app possibly work? Heck, maybe make it interesting with little competitions on the side?


Henry, Mucho respect for the MA accomplishments man! I know from first hand experience what awesome and difficult accomplishments they are! You sound like you are already mostly there in terms of condition, regardless of age. I'm more than a little jealous as I consider the tiny salad that I have for lunch today and the extreme shoulder and knee soreness I am feeling after a rough class last night!

Let me second the myfitnesspal endorsement. That's what I use and that's how I got my weight down. Not running or exercise, but dieting. Let me also add that even if you don't have a smartphone you can access it at www.myfitnesspal.com and just track your progress on your computer. If you do have the app it's linked with the site. Very helpful.

SS, thanks for the encouragement. I'm icing down my shoulder and popping Advil today. Now that I'm in my 40s I've come to accept that it's always going to be something, so I might as well just press onward.

Henry said:

SS, thanks for the encouragement. I'm icing down my shoulder and popping Advil today. Now that I'm in my 40s I've come to accept that it's always going to be something, so I might as well just press onward.

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This is what I am pushing through now. In my 40's now so there is going to be icing and such...


Press Onward should be our BGO mantra!

Good luck with P90X guys. Looking forward to seeing your progress on here! I think community support in getting active and living healthy lifestyles is a great tool to add in the big toolbox needed to maintain health. I'll definitely start posting my workouts on here in case anyone wants to use any of them

And here's to no one getting injured. Henry, what's up with your shoulder? I have a shoulder issue from years of tennis and softball and it's been flaring up lately. My dad just gave me another cortisone injection last night, 2nd injection in the past 6 months. Suck. However, I was joking with him that I'd take 20 more of those over yesterday's cardio workout, lol.

Does anyone here have the Nike Fuelband? That system is set up for competition, with yourself and if you want, other Nike Fuelband users. I've become a big advocate of these bands because it is a band you wear on your wrist and measures NikeFuel (I'm not sure how they calculate this, still haven't looked it up, but you set a goal for 3,000 for a sedentary person, 4,000 for a person who's pretty active, works out regularly or 5,000 for extremely active people). You can sync this to your phone or computer and check your profile, change goals, looked at your "best" records, compete with other people, etc. when you log on. The band also measures calories burned (although I don't know how accurate the measurement is and don't really care about that measurement), steps taken (something I do pay attention to) and works as a watch.

The drawback of the Nike Fuelband is the price (~ $150), but the reason I like it is that it just makes me cognizant of my daily activity level. Everything you do throughout the day counts. It motivates me to be more active: instead of sitting down at home watching the TV after a workout, I remain active. I don't think there are many other things that would motivate me to do jumping jacks at 10:30 pm just to keep a record going Anyway, just something I thought I'd throw out there for those who might not know about it. It's a fun supplement to an active lifestyle.

I agree with others in here saying how important diet is in dropping weight and leading a healthy lifestyle. I've used the MyFitnessPal app on my phone and computer and I like it. I would recommend it for those people who are technologically inclined. Personally, I've found more enjoyment in old-fashioned journaling because I just like to write

Anyway, yesterday's workout:

(8) 400m "sprints" uphill with 90 sec rests in between. They weren't sprints from about #2 on, more like slow, painful jogs. Wasn't a benchmark day, but a rare pure cardio day meant to help us with our benchmark test at the end of the month...or so the trainer said, likely to prevent mutiny.

Today is an active rest day, I'll walk or do low impact elliptical for 60 minutes.

I can't join you in the P90X stuff, I just can't do workouts with videos. They bore me.

I am trying to get back into good shape again. I'm 6'0-6'1ish, ~180lbs, i'm actually trying to gain weight - well, lose fat and gain muscle which should result in a gain of weight.

currently running, biking, and doing sits/pushups with some random dumb bells spread throughout. we'll see how it goes...

@ spec K. that Nike Fuelband sounds interesting! I'll have to check that out too. Impressive with the uphill sprints too! Rock it!!

@tshile, would you ever consider doing Martial Arts? your size and goals seem like they would match well with that style of training, and its really fun!!

@Henry, I even had ice on one shoulder during my lunch today! I've had issues for years, but add in drills and sparring plus lots of crazy style pushups and Im a mess at 41!

Snydershrugged said:

@tshile, would you ever consider doing Martial Arts? your size and goals seem like they would match well with that style of training, and its really fun!!

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I've thought about it, but i just don't have the desire or the time to commit to it. I'd half ass it and wouldn't use it fully. It's something I'd like to do when I have a kid(s?) that want to do it, just to participate with them.

I wrestled in highschool, I imagine I'd like martial arts. I had a coworker that was active and competed, he seemed to really enjoy it.

For right now I've chosen Golf as my activity for exercising... we'll see how it goes.