The Fitness thread

^^^^ having been where you are, omens, I can't overstate how right Chris is about that.
 
Sadly not, this work crap has dragged on and I've managed to get a cold of some variety that's sitting heavy on my chest.
I tried running before it'd completely gone before and it was a definite mistake
 
VirtualAdept said:
Sadly not, this work crap has dragged on and I've managed to get a cold of some variety that's sitting heavy on my chest.
I tried running before it'd completely gone before and it was a definite mistake
Click to expand...

General advice is if symptoms are above the neck, ie bogies and sore throat then a gentle trot won't do any harm. If it is on the chest then rest...

Repeat you last couple sets when you start again, the fitness will soon rebound.
 
Didnt go today. Xmas shopping stuff.

I have already dropped my pace from 10kph to 7.5kph. Any less than that and it's more a fast walk than a jog or run. My warm up walking speed is 5kph and I usually drop to 4kph between runs.
 
omens said:
Didnt go today. Xmas shopping stuff.

I have already dropped my pace from 10kph to 7.5kph. Any less than that and it's more a fast walk than a jog or run. My warm up walking speed is 5kph and I usually drop to 4kph between runs.
Click to expand...

From the roundness of those numbers I'm guessing you are on a treadmill?

Ask yourself if you would be running at that pace if you were not on a treadmill, more likely you would would be running at a pace that felt ok to to you not what looked like a nice round number on a display in front of you.

There are only a few seconds a km between an aerobic pace and an anaerobic pace, at the minute you definitely want to be running aerobically. Don't worry about what the numbers say on the machine yet (or ever). As a starter, you should be aiming for a slow jog at most. Once your body adapts and the fitness improves the speed will come on rapidly.
 
I should be enjoying xmas eve with family but had to come on here and say that i managed 3 runs of 5 mins easily. No stitches. No tiredness.

The next session looks like two lots of 8 min runs.
 
Lesson learnt; never spar with amateurs!!!

2 weeks ago sparred with someone that is fairly new to kickboxing. It didn't even get to 30s before he low kicked me (really hard) in the quad (we don't kick below the waist and consequently, don't wear protection on the thighs). Another couple of weeks and I'll be back to 100% - hate these little injuries!
 
So went to the gym after work. Was there at 12pm. Couldn't. Understand why it was so packed given New Years resolutions are made on or after the new year. Then I realised most of them were probably still on Xmas hols.

Managed the second run of week 5. That's a five min warm up, eight min run, five min walk, another eight min run and cool down. No stitches or anything. Also improved in most of my weights. Went up 5kg on lat pull downs and on seated rows. Up 2.5kg on rope hammer curls too, and 5kg on shrugs.

Not sure why I was so energetic today but slept well and had breakfast which probably helped.
 
omens said:
Also improved in most of my weights. Went up 5kg on lat pull downs and on seated rows. Up 2.5kg on rope hammer curls too, and 5kg on shrugs.

Not sure why I was so energetic today but slept well and had breakfast which probably helped.
Click to expand...

How many times do you train a week? Do you have set routines and work on certain muscles certain days or do you have to train more than one body part because you can't get to the gym that often? I see you are training more than one body part in a workout. When I first started out training properly to build muscle mass, I just went Monday's Wednesday's and Friday's and performed one exercise of 4 sets for each body part, on each of those days. I now train 5 days a week, Mon-Fri break up the muscle groups and doing 3 exercises of 5 sets for each and this is when the big gains in muscle mass took off. As you are only really just starting I'd suggest no more than 3 sets.
Monday - Chest and Biceps.
Tuesday - Abs, Lower Back and Calves and maybe some light squats (body weight) just to get the heart pumping.
Wednesday - Back and Triceps.
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Shoulders.
Each workout takes 3/4-1hr.
Remember not to over train your muscles, they'll get smaller not bigger and you're likely to lose strength not increase it.
 
Realistically I cannot go to the gym that often. Long days at work are mentally shattering. I go to the gym on Tues/Thurs/Sat, and I do pull/push/legs.

Tues: Any three of pull ups, lat pull downs, seated rows, one arm DB row, bent over BB row. Any two biceps workouts (they're usuall well knackered anyway) eg hammer curls, concentration curls, cable curls with rope or bar. And barbell shrugs.

Thurs: at the mo, incline BB press, flat DB press and either DB or cable flyes. Dips, OH DB or BB press and then focus on delts (front and lat raises either DB or cable), or triceps (cable pushdown, DB OH extensions or kickbacks).

Sat: Squats, deadlifts, DB steps or lunges, seated leg press, cable leg curls, calf raises. Abs are just kneeling cable crunches.

This is what works for me. I tried whole body workouts incl Starting Strength, and Ice Cream Fitness but it usually took too long or the equipment wasn't available eg only one squat rack. At the mo, my workouts are 45-60 mins (push days are longest). Cardio is on top of that.

I now do cardio twice a week, before lifting otherwise I'm too knackered afterwards and can't be bothered. I don't do cardio on leg days at the mo.
 
Ooh hello hello. Just found this thread.

Ex national water polo player in my teens, qualified swimming teacher and personal trainer. Used to lift weights and did some powerlifting competitions in my early twenties and more recently I've decided that triathlon is (maybe) my thing.

Finding the triathlon training a challenge, I've never really been into land sports or cardio sports before. Plus I have a knackered shoulder from a year working as a photographer with the wrong desk and shoulder combo so I'm having lots of physio and sports massage to (try and) sort it out. Expensive though. I also cox for rowing because I'm 5ft tall, less than 50kgs and appear to be able to steer a boat. My goal is to do the Henley Triathlon the month after I graduate in Oxford, which is about two and a half years from now.
 
CharlotteM said:
Ooh hello hello. Just found this thread.

Ex national water polo player in my teens, qualified swimming teacher and personal trainer. Used to lift weights and did some powerlifting competitions in my early twenties and more recently I've decided that triathlon is (maybe) my thing.

Finding the triathlon training a challenge, I've never really been into land sports or cardio sports before. Plus I have a knackered shoulder from a year working as a photographer with the wrong desk and shoulder combo so I'm having lots of physio and sports massage to (try and) sort it out. Expensive though. I also cox for rowing because I'm 5ft tall, less than 50kgs and appear to be able to steer a boat. My goal is to do the Henley Triathlon the month after I graduate in Oxford, which is about two and a half years from now.
Click to expand...
What's the diagnosis on your shoulder??
 
Phil Young said:
What's the diagnosis on your shoulder??
Click to expand...

Overuse on the large muscles and underuse of the small stabilising muscles. Because of the position I used to be in with the graphics tablet and the low chair I rounded my back and pulled the top of my shoulder in, letting the bottom of my scapular wing out. I can be alright for weeks though (even months) and then something will aggravate it and I'll be in agony for ten days or two weeks until I've spent a fortune on sports massage and stuff.
 
CharlotteM said:
Overuse on the large muscles and underuse of the small stabilising muscles. Because of the position I used to be in with the graphics tablet and the low chair I rounded my back and pulled the top of my shoulder in, letting the bottom of my scapular wing out. I can be alright for weeks though (even months) and then something will aggravate it and I'll be in agony for ten days or two weeks until I've spent a fortune on sports massage and stuff.
Click to expand...
Best start working left handed ;) Probably be a case of chronic treating since I don't suppose you will stop shooting / editing in the way that promoted the development anyway...Do you know the muscles that are too strong (underdeveloped), or what kind of physio exercises do you do???
 
Phil Young said:
Best start working left handed ;) Probably be a case of chronic treating since I don't suppose you will stop shooting / editing in the way that promoted the development anyway...Do you know the muscles that are too strong (underdeveloped), or what kind of physio exercises do you do???
Click to expand...

Yes, I stopped working that way two years ago when I stopped working full time for a company who gave me an inadequate chair/desk combo!

It's basically every small muscle in the back of my shoulder girdle is underdeveloped or rather they're lazy and don't pull their weight (like me, haha). The worst offenders for pulling too much are my pectoralis major and minor and anterior deltoid. The bottom of my rhomboid isn't too hot either.

First we're just trying to get the muscles to gently relearn how to play nicely together. This involves much tugging on a stupid red elastic band as I rotate my arm in and out. For someone who used to throw around weights, this is more than frustrating and I quickly get irritated and annoyed with it. I have to do it in front of a mirror because my shoulder raises if I don't look at it, exactly what we're trying to stop happening. The problem is that when I start to make some ground, I get the pain again which just resets me almost back to the beginning and makes my muscles forget what we were trying to learn. But each time is a baby step forward overall, it's just going to be a looooooooong recovery.
 
So my year long addiction to all things Tony Horton continues. Tomorrow I start on his latest masterpiece: P90X3 ("it's like exercise but quicker!").

Did the fit test today and compared results with the fit test I did for P90X last February. Who would have thought that 10 months of doing pullups and pushups would make me better at pullups and pushups?
 
JonathanRyan said:
So my year long addiction to all things Tony Horton continues. Tomorrow I start on his latest masterpiece: P90X3 ("it's like exercise but quicker!").

Did the fit test today and compared results with the fit test I did for P90X last February. Who would have thought that 10 months of doing pullups and pushups would make me better at pullups and pushups?
Click to expand...
My wife loves P90x - her words: "the dude is like 50 something, he's amazing!" Lol.
 
Enjoying reading other peoples stories here. Keep it up folks. On a personal level, my lat strain is still niggling. Re tweaked it again doing cleans with a reasonably low weight (80kg) so need to continue to work around it and avoid pull-ups etc. Although I managed to do some high intensity body weight dead lifts the other day without irritating it. My fitness is on the way up for sure. Noticeably fitter on the ice last night (hockey) and my leg strength and power seems up (180kg squat - my most ever steroid free which is now over 5 years).
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Enjoying reading other peoples stories here. Keep it up folks. On a personal level, my lat strain is still niggling. Re tweaked it again doing cleans with a reasonably low weight (80kg) so need to continue to work around it and avoid pull-ups etc. Although I managed to do some high intensity body weight dead lifts the other day without irritating it. My fitness is on the way up for sure. Noticeably fitter on the ice last night (hockey) and my leg strength and power seems up (180kg squat - my most ever steroid free which is now over 5 years).
Click to expand...
I always wanted to try ice hockey - how do you get into it?? I can skate, but do you have to start at a young age???
 
Phil Young said:
I always wanted to try ice hockey - how do you get into it?? I can skate, but do you have to start at a young age???
Click to expand...

I wished I had started younger! I would be much better than I am now. Ha. Contact your local rink and ask them which rec teams train/play from there. I have only been playing going on 5 years now. I started when I was 28 and had never really skated before. I am still not as good as I want to be and obviously don't pick things up as quickly as much younger people but it's great fun.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
I wished I had started younger! I would be much better than I am now. Ha. Contact your local rink and ask them which rec teams train/play from there. I have only been playing going on 5 years now. I started when I was 28 and had never really skated before. I am still not as good as I want to be and obviously don't pick things up as quickly as much younger people but it's great fun.
Click to expand...
....I've never played before...think that means I can't play with a team?
 
Not at all. Rec teams are just that. Recreational. Just for fun and have all abilities from complete N00bs to older, ex higher level players. There are no proper leagues at that level except what some local team arrange themselves, and even then they have to be called 'cups with a league format' as it's not a proper league. Have a look here at the list of rec teams. http://www.eiharec.co.uk/ .Infact we had a lad train with us last night who had never played before. Hope that helps. :)
 
Well after stopping Insanity after 6 weeks sometime in September I have been REALLY REALLY bad.......

Tried to get going with Shaun T's Focus T25 but found it very fast paced and hard to replicate the actual moves and most probably looked like an embarrassing uncle with arthritus trying to dance at a wedding.

We went away for a week at Centre Parcs, spent 2-3 weeks with manflu which took about 6 weeks to clear completely.

Then had to clear the box room and redecorate it as we found out we were expecting our first child so all in all it's been a hectic 2-3 months...........

Now I know these are all poor excuses at best so today I'm trying to get back on the wagon.... especially as the scales are showing numbers frightening close to 16st!

Going to be seriously watching what I eat from now on, not ruling out the odd treat though.

Exercise wise I'm going to get back into the gym at lunchtimes for 30-40 mins of cardio and maybe a little bit of resistance too.

If I get time in the evenings I'm going to try and do the Insanity Fast & Furious workout for a week or two with a view of starting Insanity again in a few weeks time when I've got a little bit of fitness back.

At the moment I'm feeling fat, seriously unfit and very lathargic
 
Russ77 said:
Well after stopping Insanity after 6 weeks sometime in September I have been REALLY REALLY bad.......

Tried to get going with Shaun T's Focus T25 but found it very fast paced and hard to replicate the actual moves and most probably looked like an embarrassing uncle with arthritus trying to dance at a wedding.

We went away for a week at Centre Parcs, spent 2-3 weeks with manflu which took about 6 weeks to clear completely.

Then had to clear the box room and redecorate it as we found out we were expecting our first child so all in all it's been a hectic 2-3 months...........

Now I know these are all poor excuses at best so today I'm trying to get back on the wagon.... especially as the scales are showing numbers frightening close to 16st!

Going to be seriously watching what I eat from now on, not ruling out the odd treat though.

Exercise wise I'm going to get back into the gym at lunchtimes for 30-40 mins of cardio and maybe a little bit of resistance too.

If I get time in the evenings I'm going to try and do the Insanity Fast & Furious workout for a week or two with a view of starting Insanity again in a few weeks time when I've got a little bit of fitness back.

At the moment I'm feeling fat, seriously unfit and very lathargic
Click to expand...
Welcome back Russ, get yourself over to the slimming thread 2014 and join in with the fun ;)
 
Russ77 said:
Well after stopping Insanity after 6 weeks sometime in September I have been REALLY REALLY bad.......

Tried to get going with Shaun T's Focus T25 but found it very fast paced and hard to replicate the actual moves and most probably looked like an embarrassing uncle with arthritus trying to dance at a wedding. [ snip]
If I get time in the evenings I'm going to try and do the Insanity Fast & Furious workout for a week or two with a view of starting Insanity again in a few weeks time when I've got a little bit of fitness back.
Click to expand...

You know, if you're looking for a short workout then P90X3 is only 30 minutes a day. Unless you're stupid enough to do doubles, obvs.
 
JonathanRyan said:
You know, if you're looking for a short workout then P90X3 is only 30 minutes a day. Unless you're stupid enough to do doubles, obvs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Insanity fast & furious is about 20-25mins so I'm going to give that a stab for now and may look at P90X3 when I get bored of it :lol: (although there's a rather tasty young lady in the fast & furious sessions ;) )

Just going to see how it goes for the next few weeks and take it from there. I'm conscious of not over doing it too soon and getting hurt so I can't exercise at all.
 
Boo. I feel like I'm going backwards now. Another attempt at continuous 20 min run and could only manage 9 mins. Had to have a five min walk and managed six mins.
 
My new lifting shoes arrived yesterday (Christmas present from the missus). Just baked them for 3 mins at 200 degrees. Looking forward to trying them out later. :)
 
Weight training is a weird subject for me. Years ago I used to love it but now... Nothing. No desire for a structured regime there anymore. Strange.

Anyhow, is that to improve your stability for your squats/cleans/snatches etc? The wedge shoes I assume???
 
omens said:
Boo. I feel like I'm going backwards now. Another attempt at continuous 20 min run and could only manage 9 mins. Had to have a five min walk and managed six mins.
Click to expand...

When you are running, could you comfortably hold a conversation with somebody?

If not, then I'm going to say it again, lower your pace just a smidge. A few seconds per km will probably do it. If this doesn't help then repeat the previous step (2x 8min?) again and then try the 20 min run next time.

You'll get there, don't be discouraged.
 
That's right Phil. A more solid, slightly raised heel section to do just what you said. They are more crossfit orientated though so not as solid as pure lifting shoes. Kind of a hybrid. I'm new to the Olympic style lifts really (apart from squatting). Enjoying it and we have good coaches that focus on form as opposed to lifting heavy quickly. My snatch is terrible. My cleans are improving. A lot is hindered my the tightness around my chest and shoulders from years of bodybuilding training and lack of stretching.
 
If I look back at when i was first running, I would have been too out of breath even to think. Now I'd say i could have a reasonable chat. I recover really quickly. So looking at my progress over six months, it's been remarkable.

I just need to improve stamina. After my last failure at a continuous run, I had planned 2x8 min runs. Got to 8 mins and thought "keep going". I was gonna aim for 10 mins. Got to 9, and just couldn't carry on. So had to reduce to a walk. Once recovered after 5 mins, I restarted but could only cope for 6 mins.

Am gonna try just 2x8 mins next and see how things go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top