| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
I know - tis the season. But, I've been making a real effort to get back in shape for the better part of 2014. I just don't know what to compare myself to...so figured I'd ask here. 1. I cannot run. Haven't been able to since my accident in 2008 - metal rod in my L femur; metal plate in my left hip; metal rod in my R tib/fib. 2. I am 6'4" and currently weigh between 195-202 depending which scale I use and whether I just peed or not. I have more of a beer gut than I care to have...part of the reason I'm trying to get back in shape. 3. I bought an elliptical machine a couple months ago and have been doing my best to use it 3x a week (they say when you start out, don't do it every day, but every other). 4. I have a weight machine in the basement - overheads, press, curls, leg press, etc. Every weekday morning I do a routine of light curls, presses, leg presses, and a sorta-kinda standing/lifting row - not a seated row, but I stand and "pick up" the weights with the low cable (trying to keep my back in shape because I lift and move my PA on a regular basis doing shows). I'm not trying to bulk up - I'm not built that way - but just keeping going with the PT I used to do in the hospital. Range of motion, decent strength, mobility, endurance. I think I'm right around 100 lbs on everything (190 on the leg press). Like I said, I don't want "bulk", just..."not tater-like". Every morning is 3 reps of each, 40 or 50 per rep, while I watch the Today show. Oh...and I'm 42. The elliptical is the newest thing for me - since I haven't been able to run for 6.5 years, my cardio is shit. I'm currently on the elliptical at zero ramp, resistance level 2 (1 being the easiest). I'm going 15 minutes at a time, steady rpm (58-66 normally). Tonight- 15:06. 2.0 miles. 209 calories burned. 162 heart rate immediately at the end; down to 120, 3 minutes later. What say the group...I know I have tons of room to improve, even to get back to where I used to be before the accident (admittedly I was nearly 7 years younger then too, besides not being a bucket of bolts). But...anyone who "knows" this stuff who can give me an indication of where I am relative to society at large? Feel free to be brutal - I'm trying to improve, and coddling doesn't help  | ||
| Pwnzor |
You're not in too bad of shape if you're 6'4" and only +-200 pounds. I'm barely 6' and I'm right at 200 pounds, and I'm 42 also. I can't run very far but I can walk fast... without stopping for as long as necessary. I'm not in what I'd call good shape but I'm not in bad shape either. | ||
| Midknyte |
. (Message edited by Midknyte on December 11, 2014) | ||
| Ljm |
Joe, That sounds like a reasonable workout to me. In terms of society at large, sadly for everyone else, you are in pretty good shape to do anything regular. Adding the cardio is a great next step and the heart rate during cardio sounds about right. For variation, if you wanted to do it every day, do one day with a target heart rate where you have it, i.e. 160ish, and holding it there (more or less) for 20 minutes will increase your cardiovascular conditioning considerably. For the alternate days, target a heart rate of under 130 for the same time. That will facilitate burning fat. Don't worry about bulking. At our ages, that is not nearly as easy as it would have been, well, decades ago. Getting stronger will be helpful though, and one training day with repetitions at 15 will help push that up. Keep up the good work. Lifting is a great way to work around injuries for those of us who have multiple broken parts. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Thanks for the tip on alternating cardio days...I'll have to figure out what puts me at 130 and try and stick to that on the light days. Problem is I tend to be a "go-go-go" guy when I'm on the machine...maybe some easy listening instead of ministry/metallica/Beastie boys...  | ||
| Thumper74 |
Or do what a friend of mine did... He somehow rigged his tv so it only works when he's using an exercise bike. Makes tense moments in Call of Duty even more tense! And his kids hate it! | ||
| Teeps |
A bicycle cannot be beat for cardio, you might also consider Cross Country skiing, since where you live will have readily available snow. Consulting a professional physical therapist would not hurt either. | ||
| Kilroy |
Get a recumbent stationary bike to vary your cardio. You can find "like new" ones on craigslist for next to nothing. The best thing you can do as a next step with your weights is to not do the same thing every morning. Split your routing into 3 parts (ie chest and shoulders on day 1, back and arms on day 2, legs on day 3), then take day 4 off from lifting, then repeat. Its counterproductive to do the same thing every day, no time for the muscles to recoup, and strengthen. Watch your diet, more protein, more good carbs, cut out all the fat and sodium you can. And try to drink at least 1/2 gallon H2O over the course of the day. You will be surprised at the results. Good luck! ps I just turned 50, just ran a Tough Mudder and blew past over 500 young'uns over the 12 mile course.....age means nothing unless you let it mean something...... Kilroy | ||
| Sagehawk |
Dont forget to go to lake, beach , whatever and go swimming. That helps. Running, walking in sand helps. Take the grandkids to the park and do what they do. With in reason of course. If you dont have grandkids, go rent some. Theres bound to be a set of parents somewhere that need time away from their offspring. Some call that volunteering. I call it, oh crap, they can do that? Why cant i? Back to all the reinforcement some of us have in our bodies. make it fun, otherwise its another chore to mark off. | ||
| Azxb9r |
You dont want to work major muscle groups every day, give them a day of rest in between workouts. If you want to hit the weights every day, then lower body one day and upper the next. You can do cardio every day, but as mentioned you need to vary the intensity or you can end up overtraining. Also, dont forget to have a rest day once a week. If you really want to find out what kind of shape you are in, go to a spin class  | ||
| Ratbuell |
Good call on varying the weights...I'll make one day torso, one day back/leg. And a day off is no problem - I take weekends off. At the core...I'm still a lazy bastard  Spin class? nah. I already know I'm pathetically out of shape - I don't need to prove it in a room full of people! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
October of 2012, I reached maximum density. I had been trapped in rural Oklahoma with an unlimited expense account and nothing to do but eat. I ballooned up to 255. I'm 6', and 43 now. I started walking every day. I started out at two miles, then 4, then 6. My maximum has been a little over 11 miles in a stretch. I walk between a 13.5 to 15 minute mile. In winter, I'm a treadmill monkey. I discovered that if you ramp the incline up to maximum and walk at 4 MPH, you can burn between 1000 and 1200 calories in an hour. I use Runkeeper to track my activities and calorie burn. I've done 767 miles since June. I also use Myfitnesspal to track caloric intake. It is linked to my Runkeeper, so whatever calories I burn get factored into my daily intake. I've yet to feel starved. I dropped from 255 to 209. I've gained back about 5 lbs (as I usually do in the winter), but my goal is to maintain over the summer and hit it again this spring with a goal of 200 or below. | ||
| Etennuly |
Congrats Jeremy, good on ya! I need to do the same, but am working with some failed body parts that limit my walking distances. And, when I expend my limited physical efforts exercising it takes away from what I can do in my work. One hour of careful, limited, instructed, working out in a Gym can and has cost me three days of being functional in the work place.  I did that weight loss clinic thing a few years ago. Success there depends on your insurance not changing. I went from 255 down to 216 over six months. Our insurance changed and the $180 a month for the program was no longer available. When you quit that stuff cold turkey the bounce back is worse than they warn you about it. Toss in another physical aliment and I was back to 255 in about three months. Joe you seem much more fit than I, but I know part of where you are coming from is the age position. It is hard to believe what getting older does to your physicality. Good on ya for fighting it as it starts to work on you. It is much harder when it gets ahead of you. Why is it when I read the thread title I think this is the opening of a Billy Joel song?  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Just trying to be a less Fat Basturd.  | ||
| Bob_thompson |
Agreed with all of the above and will add one very important thing I believe in, but at 73 y.o. it IS very important to me since I have some hypertension. Get yourself a good BP/pulse rate testing machine and monitor your BP & pulse rate when your workout makes you start to breath heavy and feel a slight heavyness in your chest as my doctor has advised me. I bought a 4.8 star rated one at Walmart for about $55.00 by Omron. Monitor it within seconds when finished and then in 5-10 minutes to be sure it comes back down. Go here: "www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calculator_target.asp" for your personal heart rate calculation before you start. My workouts are mainly cardio with cable weights, stepper and treadmill. I also ride a bicycle during the summer. I do my workout every day moderately to maintain it daily but vary positions also as I'm now retired and it keeps me in a regiment which I like. And that lets me have the ability to ride my 1125R how it should be ridden in these fine canyons out here. I have also increased reps three times since I started as I got more in shape but do this slowly. I also like music while doing my workout but keep it low key rock or Reggae. Research good breathing techniques and that helps also. With BP medication and my workouts my BP is now under control and I'm firming up and loosing my stomach also. 5'6'' and 160 and like the musical group Chicago "feeling stronger every day" YA! It seems like every day after 50 y.o. you can easily fall into bad shape quickly if you let yourself get lazy. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease (severe gluten intolerance) a year ago and my body took a really big hit physically so I got back into working out a year ago. Don't get lazy and "ride on". Always stay well and stay safe my friends. Bob | ||
| Ratbuell |
<--- wants to be Bob when he grows up I experimented tonight with some of the buttons on the elliptical, after hearing the importance of varying the "load" on your body. There are preset "workouts" in there that vary the load, ramp degrees, and target RPM. I clicked on the 250 calorie one. Preset was 20 minutes. Um...owwwwwww. It's a goal. I made it to my usual 15 minutes, seems to be my current limit for exertion. Burned 213 calories in 15:08. Only went 1.83 miles, but the target RPM was much lower than I had been doing on my "just start going" workouts up till now. The good news? 160 heart rate at the end. 3 min later...120. Resting rate, as I type this? 78. I'll just keep plugging away  Tomorrow's project is to remove a 14' long wall between the kitchen and dining room of a rental apartment. Oughta keep me busy  (Message edited by ratbuell on December 12, 2014) | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Find a playful willing wench. Burn lots of calories and way more fun than working out.  | ||
| Ratbuell |
yes, but the ultimate expense is MUCH higher...  Been married. Been divorced. Zero desire to go through that hell again. Estrogen SUCKS (and not in a playful third-date kinda way, either!). | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Three "F's" rule? | ||
| Slaughter |
I have a NY resolution - visit Court on his home turf - NY! | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I hear you Joe. Me too, I ride motorcycles and drive trucks too. Nearly died a few times doing that but I keep on doing it. Plenty of playmates out there and they're not all looking to take you to the cleaners. | ||
| Thumper74 |
FT_bstrd, I can only think of two 'F's. F'ing, fighting, and, reading the news? I'm also on the bandwagon here. I'm really fat, somewhat of a drinking problem and type II diabetes. My last A1C was through the roof. My family doctor sent me to an endocrinologist who freaked out. Started a mostly vegetarian/whole food thing. I'm down from 349 to 321 in a little over 6 weeks. I cut out alcohol completely around 2 weeks ago. Between those two changes my blood sugar has dropped to normal ranges, hell, last night time I started to get shaky and found my blood sugar below ideal levels. I can't remember the last time it was low when I checked it. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
"If it flies, floats, or......., it's cheaper to rent than own." Keep after it Thumper. It's worth it. I'm on year 3. Slow and steady. (Message edited by ft_bstrd on December 13, 2014) | ||
| Oldfartnbuell |
On being in shape; I am 77yrs old. Can hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon from the south rim and turn around and hike back up. Not too bad. Just refuse to say how many hours it takes me! | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I always thought the 3 Fs rule was Find em F*** em Forget em. | ||
| Bob_thompson |
I wanna be Joe (Oldfartnbuell) when I grow up. On the three "F's" idea. I guess I never really had the chance to prove that out one way or another. I've been married to the same beautiful lady for 50 years next May. Two things about that one good, one bad. first the bad; she is an outstanding cook. Enough said. I have to really try hard not to overeat. The good, sex is still prevalent in out lives and that helps keep me healthy both physically & mentally. Enough said. There are many ways to "work out". Enough said, period. (Message edited by Bob_thompson on December 14, 2014) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Married 18 years the 28th of this month. Didn't say not better. Just said not cheaper. Wouldn't have it any other way! |
