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Working Out – And Suffering


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Working Out – And Suffering
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2020-11-19, 15:21

So, about the end of March I decided to make a change in my life regarding physical activity. I'm 51, 5'9", and [was] 200 pounds, couldn't touch my toes, had too much belly fat, flabby arms and pecks, and was in poor overall physical condition.

I decided to get myself going with a morning workout.

And I hate it!

But!

I've been faithful to it (mostly) for the last 6 months and have dropped 20 pounds on my way to 170 (that last ten pounds is a real bugger to kill off). My pecks are hard (for the first time since I was 20-ish), my arms are gaining definition, and I can almost see a six pack where the case used to be … almost!

Anyway, I thought I would share this and my routine for anyone who is interested in slimming/trimming/bulking/whatevering. It has not been easy, is not getting any easier, and I suspect it never will. Between a massive dietary change, calisthenics, and (finally) weight training, the morning pain is wearing me down, but I am persevering (I think).

I'd like to say that "I love working out! It's the best! Gimme more!", but my Arnold Schwarzenegger impression isn't very good.

When I first started out, I couldn't do a single pushup in the classical sense, i.e. knees off the floor boy-style. Not a one! Five sit-ups was hard work, and the other odd things I tried were crushing, painful, and as un-fun as the dentist!

Just to get myself into a rhythm and get some conditioning for my muscles, I started with 3 sets of 10 sissy pushups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats, and 10 lunges. I did this for about a month before I sat myself in front of Youtube and started asking questions, especially dietary ones. I learned about calories, how the body burns fat, and what exercises were best, as well as what foods I should be concentrating on. Rather than all that pizza and fried this-and-that, I shifted to veggies, salads, lean meats, and healthy snacks, and the sugary-sweet temptations were pushed aside.

Prior to this change, almost every meal included something deep fried, something bread, something sweet, and at least 2 beers. Now, my weekdays look like this:

Pre-workout: 1 Optimum Nutrition chocolate protein shake, 2 slices whole wheat toast, 4oz glass OJ, multi-vitamins.

M/W/F: 15min stretching; then 5 rotating sets of 10 pushups over pushup-bars, 10 leg lifts, 25 core-fusion crunches, 20 squats with 50lbs (Bowflex SelectTech barbells @ 25lbs each), 20 lunges with same, (repeat); then weight training for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

T/Th: 15min stretching; then 5 rotating sets of 10 pushups over pushup-bars, 10 leg lifts, 25 core-fusion crunches, 40 free squats, 40 free lunges, 10 squat-jumps, (repeat); then as many sets as I can in 20 minutes, in order, of 20 wide pushups, 40 crunches, 10 core-windmills, and 20 what I call camel stretches.

Post-workout Breakfast: .2 pounds lean ground beef sautéed with two eggs and some peppers

When I get to work I use the counters to do 5 sets of 25 sissy dips (feet well behind me touching the ground, using my arms and shoulders to lift my upper body).

Lunch: Salmon or tuna, banana, apple, piece of cheese

Dinner: Grilled chicken salad of some sort

Dessert: None!

Tuesday night is date night and I get what my belly craves. Friday night-Saturday breakfast is cheat day. I am down to drinking beer really only on Friday evening, and maybe 1 or 2 throughout the week. This is my biggest weakness, followed by anything that even remotely looks like a doughnut!

None of it has been easy at all. In fact, I think it sucks beans! But nothing worth doing is truly easy. It takes a lot of work and patience. So far, I'm making progress and can see/feel the difference in some cases. But my body hurts all the time (although it's a different kind of hurt). I feel stronger, more confident, and less wheezy. I'm hungry pretty much all the time and never feel like I get enough to eat, although I am watching lots of dietary videos and am always on the lookout for more filling foods.

I don't do vegetarian or vegan, nor do I follow trendy foods or diets. I won't go near Keto, South Beach, Weight Watchers, or tofu. I eat real food and build my diet around it (other than the protein powder, which I take because getting 100+ grams of protein/day is way harder than it sounds).

Anyway, thought I'd share.


For reference, this thread is for us to share workout advice, diet advice, and general old-guys-getting-in-shape advice. And, yes, it's very march harder to do at 50 than 20.

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)

Last edited by kscherer : 2020-11-19 at 16:24.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2020-11-19, 16:44

I started my routine again Monday July 6th. I have since gained 7 pounds and then descended do to now 4 pounds less than I started.

I haven't change my diet much, though I did cut out refined sugar for the most part.

My routine is different but conceptually the same. M/W/F I do strength training with Tu/Th being run days with at least 30 minutes on the treadmill. I do some form of cardio on the weekends which is normally a fast walk with Mrs T for at least 30 minutes. I'll share my strength training routing later in more detail.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2020-12-30, 19:29

I keep adjusting my routine and diet. Man, it is just hard to get 120g of protein in any given day. You practically have to eat a whole cow by lunch!

Or, you can add protein shakes to your diet. I'm now on two/day along with the reasonably healthy diet I've been on. Although that has changed, too. More veggies, less fruit, extra protein. Sheesh. I feel like a health nerd.

And, oh, by the way: That last 10 pounds of belly fat is a bitch. Apparently men store fat in the belly 1st, and burn it last. Something about donuts and blood flow.

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2020-12-30, 22:09

I have been doing the same workout since July until this week. I started a stay-cation Thursday for Christmas break and have other week of it starting tomorrow. In this off time, I've started doing workout from Fitness+. It is a nice change up and some are REALLY challenging for me. While I've been working my strength, I've been feeling the workout more. Clearly I've got muscle memory from my standard weight routine.

I have been using the Apple Watch as my measurement/metrics because I have one and it is convenient. I know you don't Ken, but I do because it work for me. Anyway, I've closed my rings every day since November 2nd. I really wish I had done it on the first, but I was taking weekends off at that point and that was a Sunday.

I really should work on my diet. High protein, low sugars is my only real goal. I do have something "bad" every now and then, more so given the holidays and my mom lives near us.

I'm now at 189 and 5' 9". I can touch my toes, but my hamstrings are what stop me more than my gut. Don't get me wrong, I have the dad bod, but the legs are tight! I had physical therapy for an injury years ago and the therapist commented on my "ungodly tight" hamstrings. Been that way my whole life.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2020-12-31, 00:17

I have a spare room in my new place and I've made it my workout room.

- Schwinn IC4 spin bike hooked up to Peloton
- Bowflex kettlebell
- Yoga mat
- Resistance bands
- 32" Wally World el cheapo screen for streaming Peloton classes

Time to work off this quarantine gut.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2020-12-31, 00:31

I've learned so much in the last 8 months, and I still feel lost most days. But I'll keep at it. Something is burning inside of me, telling me that it's time to complete a thing I started 30 years ago but never finished. It told me, "Get in shape, you lazy butt!"

I've always had the proper physique for a good work-out bod, but have never done anything with it. Now, the dad bod is succumbing to the workout bod, and the difference has been fun to watch (and feel), although I pretty much just hurt all the time now. Youthful workouts and old-dude workouts are a lot different.

But old-dude-good-bod is a goal I ain't letting go of.

Now if I could just shake off the gut thing and let the 6-pack come out …

I look in the mirror and there's all these muscles peaking out from beneath my skin, and then oh yeah there's that hang-over that's still an inch too thick.

Jerk!

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2020-12-31, 12:30

I have to admit I'm hurting from last night's workout. I went ahead and did a new Strength workout following Fitness+ and it used muscles I'm not used to. Yep, I'm much more sore now over what my body was at 30.

I'm going to keep at it though. My "cheat" days (no more than twice a week but normally less) for working out is still 30 minutes is low impact cardio. It has to have my heart rate up but doesn't mean I'm sweating puddles like normal.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2020-12-31, 17:14

We just got Fitbits (I know the man is now watching my health metrics, but phuck it, I'm getting too old to care). Who ever thought up that 10,0000 steps and 10 flights of stairs constitutes a healthy amount of movement. I do that just chasing my kids and doing daily crap around the house, and I'm not in any kind of shape, unless soft and doughy count. Luckily I'm still plenty strong from lots of weight training over the years, but I'm an aerobic mess. Recovery time is in the toilet, and if any area is suffering from general laziness and poor habits, it's my lower back and legs, precisely where you don't want to be losing strength as you get older, and also the shittiest part of a work out. I don't like it , but a he-man grip is sort of worthless if I can't haul myself up the stairs. Still, I hate leg days. I'm wondering if I can maybe get what I need out of an airbike and a rower. Just alternately get on either one for 6-20 minutes and go all out every couple of hours, every day. I'm probably working from home until the fall, it seems, so, it's doable... I can lift weights and try some yoga for all the rest

.........................................
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2020-12-31, 17:53

This thread is fantastic. Good going, Ken, T, Ryan, and Matsu!!

This is also a perfect reminder to put my butt back into action after sitting on it for far too much the last couple of weeks. I also kind of fell into "staycation" mode a week or two ago, and I've been slacking hard. Your posts have inspired me to get back into it tonight.

I've been trying to push myself into regular exercising throughout 2020. In January, I started walking around my neighborhood, aiming for 10,000 steps for at least three days a week. This was a huge change compared to my ~2,000 steps in a normal work day spent mostly sedentary at my desk. No kids to chase around the house here; just lots of hunching by a screen and chasing lines of code with my eyeballs. I was pretty good with those walks until spring and summer hit, and the weather turned hot and humid. I started skipping unpleasant days, and before I knew it, I had totally given up some time in July. But for a while, the charts on my phone were glorious!

Over the summer, I tried picking up more bodyweight exercises, mostly squats, push-ups, dips, and handstand progressions. We used to have a pull-up bar in one of our doorways, but I had to take it down last year because it was visibly damaging the door frame. I have on my long wishlist the idea of building a free-standing pull-up bar using a bunch of steel pipes from the local hardware store. Maybe in 2021 I'll finally do that and share some pics of the process.

FWIW, if you're ever looking for some inspiration for bodyweight activities, I totally recommend the /r/bodyweightfitness wiki. They cover lots of routines for different goals and fitness levels.

Since August, I've transitioned to using some adjustable dumbbells that I've had for about 20 years. I got these in either my first or second year at university, and every few years I flirt with the idea of seriously sticking to a routine with them. This time I actually set up myself a spreadsheet in Google Docs to track dates, moves, sets, and weights, and for the first time ever, it feels like I'm almost being consistent with exercise since I have this document to keep myself accountable.

I maintain three sheets, one each for for Mondays (push), Wednesdays (pull), and Fridays (legs). In each cell, I record how much weight I moved on each dumbbell for each set. I have a column with the header "One arm DB row (12,10,10,8,6)", and on a given day, I might put in its cell "30,30,30,30,30" to record that I actually completed all of the sets of 12, 10, 10, 8, and 6 with the same 30 lbs weight. If I see the same values for the last few weeks, the next time I'll add a small 2.5 lbs plate to each dumbbell and try to progress. If I can't complete all the sets, I'll put a note in the document to reduce next week.

I definitely need to see numbers to recognize progress (and when I should make changes), and I can also totally recommend doing something like this if you want to stick with it for a long haul. I have a very data-driven mind for all things, though, and I'm sure that for many others, the very notion of maintaining spreadsheets in the cloud must seem crazy.

Okay, now I must go make up for lost time and move some heavy stuff...

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2020-12-31, 18:19

I'm 8 calories away from closing my fitness ring for the day on my Apple Watch. Other two are already closed so I'm prematurely claiming a two-day streak.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2020-12-31, 18:38

I'm close to a 2 year ring streak. Last time I didn't close it was when I was in the hospital overnight in early 2019.

Just finished out 12k minutes of cycling on my Peloton for 2020. Goal for 2021 is to hit 15k.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2020-12-31, 23:07

Do it!

I still haven't made it through a full week of workouts. Trying like an SOB to make it happen, but man it's hard.

This damned gut, and those damned treats!

But, I'm going to challenge myself, and it has nothing to do with it being 2021. It has to do with being a man, and sucking it the hell up! I have set a goal, and I'm striking toward it. A healthy, consistent diet, 170 pounds, a six-pack, and something like muscles where I once had flab. I AM DOING THIS!

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
  quote
Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2021-01-01, 01:10

I saw you mention calories, protein grams, and treats in a couple places now, kscherer. Are you using a food/meal calorie tracker on your i-Device? On my iPhone, I use FatSecret, though I know MyFitnessPal is a far more popular option (which I also used to use when a previous employer sponsored a free subscription for all of us). I went with FatSecret because it's not as naggy about paying to use a subscription service, the data entry catalog is good enough for my needs, and I'm willing to key in a few unique or new items that aren't recognized yet by its catalog.

Aaanyway, calorie counting (and macro counting) is a wildly underestimated essential skill for losing or gaining weight. After all, you can't fight the laws of thermodynamics! In my case, I'm actually trying to gain because I'm marginally underweight for my goals, and I realized that under normal conditions, I don't instinctively eat enough for any muscle growth no matter how hard I work them. I'm currently on a slow growth plan, but it's better than nothing, and if I wasn't tracking relatively closely, I'd definitely be under-eating most days for my long-term goals. When we went into quarantine starting back in March/April, I ended up losing a bunch of weight in the following couple of months because I wasn't out eating calorie-dense meals any more, I wasn't tracking what I ate at home, and in hindsight the difference was huge.

My wife is trying to lose a few pounds, and she was so frustrated not seeing any progress by just doing a bunch of extra cardio until she also realized that she needed to count her calories to really understand what was going on. It's all too easy to "reward" yourself after an intense workout and completely negate any possible gains you had, and I'm pretty sure that she was experiencing that more than just occasionally. She uses yet another different tracking app. I can't remember which one, but I'll try to sneak on to her phone to check later; I think it's LoseIt. They're all pretty much the same, though, with just slightly different interfaces emphasizing different goals and features.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2021-01-01, 06:50

The last time I dropped a bunch of weight and got into really good fighting shape, I carb counted. I ate proteins (probably a bit too much, or a lot too much) and virtually anything that came off a plant. Leafy greens, salads, and vegetables in unlimited quantity. I didn’t count those. Some fruits and carbs, but carbs were limited to 30 to 60 grams a day. One problem was that at times my body couldn’t quite take the intensity of the work outs - definitely had to target chest, back, and legs to different days, and recovery was slow. There were times when I was full of bruises without getting hit at all, just from the strain of over training. I’m almost certain the missing carbs were part of that. But I also went too far at times. I cracked a tooth clenching my teeth on some fairly massive lifts - was impacted already because I never got my wisdom teeth out. I tore a shoulder, mostly because of bad technique. The whole time I was dropping weight and never looked muscle bound. While that makes me wonder what certain folks in the gym are ingesting, it wasn’t the point. I just wanted to see how strong I could get while looking like a better version of myself. I was totally addicted for a while and didn’t focus as much as I needed on balanced overall health, at all. Ultimately I slid back into where I’m at when life and responsibilities took over. I will add that during that time I made a pretty much permanent change to my physique, or at least it feels like it. As a kid I was not blessed with great upper body strength. I had a lot of endurance for sports with high strain over moderately long periods of exertion. I swam and played soccer at a semi competitive level and had legs like tree trunks, but I was a relative upper body weakling even compared to less athletic kids. That changed significantly when I just forced myself to pick up the damned weights, for real.

.........................................
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2021-01-01, 11:23

I did a 20 minute lightweight workout yesterday and hoo boy I am sore today.

But that's the first step to getting in shape.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2021-01-01, 14:00

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan View Post
I did a 20 minute lightweight workout yesterday and hoo boy I am sore today.

But that's the first step to getting in shape.
Nice man!!! Stretch and do another 20 minutes today. It’ll help with recovery.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2021-01-01, 15:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yontsey View Post
Nice man!!! Stretch and do another 20 minutes today. It’ll help with recovery.
Just did 10 minutes of stretching and about to go on a long walk.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2021-01-01, 18:48

Yeah, that stretching bit really helps. I have a compressed disc in my back, and the fool thing will cause a hernia every year year or so. But, I've been stretching as part of my routine since I started. 15 minutes before each workout, and when I'm lifting I throw in some stretching while resting between sets, especially my hamstrings, since that also helps to stretch those back muscles. Been helping a lot, and I have had a lot less back trouble this year.

I'm considering replacing my cardio days (Tue/Thu) with some long, vigorous walking instead. An hour on foot might be better than the gyrating BS I'm doing right now, and I might feel more rested. Gonna give it a shot, but it's #%$! cold outside, man!

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
  quote
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-01-02, 11:21

Last month was the first full month I've "closed my rings". November I missed the 1st but closed all the others. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm not winded as fast and certainly in far better shape. I've also not burned the fat I want to yet.

Still pushing it though. This month I'm supposed to burn 25,300 calories or 816 a day. That feel like such a stretch for me... but I'm going to pursue the goal. Better than sitting/standing at my desk.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2021-01-02, 13:46

Biggest lessons I've learned so far:

1) If you are lifting and trying to put on muscle, then getting enough protein the "natural" way (by eating lots and lots of kittens and puppies) is really hard without supplements. It's also expensive, hard to find time for, difficult to find belly room for, and then really hard to burn off such that it doesn't land back on your gut. I'm now taking two protein shakes/day. Never thought I'd hear myself say that! But it is way cheaper and easier on the stomach than eating 5 pounds of chicken breast for lunch.

2) Calories are a bear. But you need them, and finding the right balance while avoiding "empty" calories (soda pop and such) is harder than it sounds. I'm constantly looking toward 25% fat, 40% carbs, and 35% protein. Not as easy as it sounds. And that fat number is constantly messing me up. I've been trying to get more nuts into the diet, but 2 cashews have as much fat as the entire dairy section of the grocery store.

3) Vegetables suck! Gotta eat the entire output of a good-sized garden every day just to feel full.

4) I'm becoming a health nerd, and I don't like that. Not at all!

5) If your family isn't on board with you then meal planning becomes another source of contention, which is making me bananas. I don't like seeing food go to waste, and that is having a downward pull on my diet.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Or something.

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
  quote
Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2021-01-02, 14:31

I live by myself so meal planning isn't too complicated, but this year I'm trying a local meal delivery service. 12 low-carb meals a week delivered every Wednesday. Fresh, not frozen. A bit expensive but less than all the junk food delivery I've been doing over the past year.
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Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2021-01-02, 17:43

Family meal time is a whole other mine field. My boys are carb eating little beasts. That’s all they want. Pasta, pizza, bread, rice, potatoes, repeat. And their favourite “vegetable” is corn.

Last edited by Matsu : 2021-01-02 at 18:40.
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2021-01-03, 17:36

Apple recently added Cardio Fitness ratings, and… let's just say mine isn't good, albeit apparently improving slightly. The measurement is interesting, but not really actionable?

I'm guessing I'm supposed to do something like HIIT, which raises the question: in these pandemic days, what can I do that can be indoors in a relatively small apartment, so without the ability to have large gear nearby? Dumbbells?
  quote
Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2021-01-03, 19:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Apple recently added Cardio Fitness ratings, and… let's just say mine isn't good, albeit apparently improving slightly. The measurement is interesting, but not really actionable?

I'm guessing I'm supposed to do something like HIIT, which raises the question: in these pandemic days, what can I do that can be indoors in a relatively small apartment, so without the ability to have large gear nearby? Dumbbells?
Resistance bands might be a good option.

How do you find the fitness rating?
  quote
chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
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2021-01-03, 19:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan View Post
Resistance bands might be a good option.
Interesting. Wouldn’t have thought of those.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan View Post
How do you find the fitness rating?
iOS 14.2-ish + watchOS 7.2-ish, then Health app, Browse, Heart, Cardio Fitness.

The first time you use it, it asks a few things like age and relevant medication (such as beta blockers).

It then makes a daily graph of how your VO2max compares to people with the same parameters.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2021-01-03, 20:15

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Interesting. Wouldn’t have thought of those.



iOS 14.2-ish + watchOS 7.2-ish, then Health app, Browse, Heart, Cardio Fitness.

The first time you use it, it asks a few things like age and relevant medication (such as beta blockers).

It then makes a daily graph of how your VO2max compares to people with the same parameters.
Interesting, I'm on those versions but I don't see it.
  quote
kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2021-01-03, 22:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
Dumbbells?
For strength training? Yes. I recommend Bowflex SelectTech 552 ($349 for a set of 2). Not terribly cheap, but you get a lot in a small space.

Add in pushups, crunches, free squats, etc., and do a bunch of them*. Once you can do 50+ pushups, 100+ crunches, and 100+ squats in less than 30 minutes, you'll know you are making serious progress. (I now interlace mine inside weight-lifting rest periods. So, in an hour and a half I get in my entire weight program, plus all that other stuff.

Remember to stretch for 10-15 minutes before you start.

15 minutes of stretching, 1/2 hour of weight training, and 1/2 hour of them other bits, and you can get in a solid workout. Do that M/W/F and take a nice, long walk or a brisk run T/TH. Rest on Saturday, do chores on Sunday.

Wash, rinse, repeat. And get an app like Lose It** to track your intake/output. That has helped me a lot just to sort out where the calories are coming from, and where they might be going.

* Don't be afraid to start with sissy-stuff if your body isn't strong enough for the real thing. Pushups from the knees are no joke if your upper body is out of shape. You won't make any gains unless you can go through the entire range of motion. Learn good technique and concentrate on that rather than rep-count.

** I use the free version. $25/month is just too much otherwise.

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Matsu
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2021-01-04, 09:54

TRX looks like a good option too. You can make a cheap DIY with webbing, a couple a carabiners, a sturdy screw in anchor and some hollow handles.

I might buy one. I don’t trust the door anchors - like chin up bars, if you’re a bit heavier you will eventually do damage to the wall or the door. But, if you know how to locate a stud or joist, a screw in anchor point is cheap, easy and strong. You can even put one outside for when the weather improves.
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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2021-01-04, 10:13

I'm using "Lose It" to calorie count at the moment. I can't bring myself to pay the outrageous "Pro" upgrade pricing, though. It's OK, but I will admit to declaring calorie bankruptcy on Christmas Day...

Then treadmill + 90s sci-fi (Space: Above & Beyond) for 45mins a day if it's too icy for a walk outside. (Which, in suburban Ontario, is pretty often these days.) I'm getting faster on the treadmill and even managed to lose a tiny amount of weight over the Christmas Break.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-01-04, 12:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by kscherer View Post
For strength training? Yes. I recommend Bowflex SelectTech 552 ($349 for a set of 2). Not terribly cheap, but you get a lot in a small space.
...
I love these weights. I got them on sale pre-pandemic for $200-250 from Amazon. I think it was $225 but I'm really not recalling and can't find the order now to confirm. They are awesome because you get a great weight range in a small package. There are a bunch of different styles from different companies now, but I really love this set.

My personal focus is fat burn. I would like to boost strength, but I'm needing to get my fat off so I'm doing things like HIIT and cardio along with a strength training routine. Since starting my vacation I've not done the weights but once though. I have closed all my rings and done a workout every day since November 2nd.

I have to say, doing Fitness+ has been a huge hit for my house. Me and Mrs T have been using it consistently and really are enjoying it. It is kinda nice to have a good challenge that isn't our "normal routine" and feel different muscles remind us they are still there in our body. Doing the same routine over and over again it starts to neglect parts that these workouts tend to find. At $80 a year or $6.67 a month it is worth it for my family.

Ryan, In the Fitness app there is a Trends section. That is where you can see your overall Trends and then drill into specifics. I'll share mine so you can see... and you'll see that my VO2Max is not where it needs to be either:

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.

Last edited by turtle : 2021-01-04 at 16:52.
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