***** All things Fitness *****

[penguinz]

2022 getting and staying fit thread!

[-King-]

Originally Posted by NewChief

In my running, I had a pretty bad knee issue that was causing significant stiffness and pain for a week or two... like bothered me when sleeping, walking, and sitting on couch. Lots of swelling. Seemed like probably a miniscus issue.

Anyway, I knew about the Knees over Toes Guy, so I investigated a bit and incorporated a few things from the program (I never subscribed or anything). I don't know why it works... but reverse sled pulls are a freaking miracle for knee issues. I can do a set of them (we have a treadmill at my gym that lets you do sled pulls by adding resistance) and my knee feels incredible.

Anyway, doing that along with continuing to work my squat and split squats deeper has my knee(s) much improved.

I need to that. I've always had shitty knees but never been a huge problem. Lately I started running and my knees feel terrible at the end and later on in the day. No swelling but very stiff and brittle feeling.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by NewChief

For me, running is meditative and exploratory. I can just leave my house and mentally create a route in my head as I go. Also, being outside feels so much better to me than being in a gym. So yeah, the benefits are probably more psychological than physical, but nothing sounds worse to me than walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes, much less an hour. I have a hard enough time doing “reverse sled pulls” on a treadmill for 5 minutes to start my workouts.

That being said, I love my hour of lifting in the gym, but for more zone 2 work, I’d just much rather be outside.

Time stands still when I'm on a treadmill for more than a few minutes... I've tried music, watching sports, shows... doesn't seem to matter.

I find outdoor walks/jogs/hikes far more enjoyable.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Incline walking burns almost as much calories as running and is way easier on the joints. No idea why anyone chooses running anymore and the toll it takes on your body.

All I can say is in my personal experience running just makes me feel great psychologically & physically. Sometimes I just need a run to clear my head and be at peace. Then I will feel better for the rest of the day as well. I was big into strength training from 18 to 28. Not always but many times I dreaded it. I am an extreme hard gainer so I felt lethargic and bloated alot of times since I really had to bust my ass to ever gain weight and add strength.

I absolutely HATED running for the first month or two. I had shin splints. My knees were getting shredded. Had no idea how people could ever run so much mileage in a week. Now I get it. I guess I didn't have enough ATP in my muscles. I changed my gait to supinate more and land more on the outside of my foot on my easy runs. Changed everything. Now no knee pain even on 30 to 35 miles per week. When I run I get to be outside on the trails. See a little bit of nature. While I did use the mill this winter it is really boring especially if I would just be walking.

I imagine if I keep running as much as I do maybe I will eventually get knee problems but for right now it really has changed my life. Of course to each their own. Obviously doing both is the best but there is only so much time in the day and I am training for time right now.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Time stands still when I'm on a treadmill for more than a few minutes... I've tried music, watching sports, shows... doesn't seem to matter.

I find outdoor walks/jogs/hikes far more enjoyable.

Agreed. I love being outside. The sun, the trees, the breeze - so much better than a climate controlled, stale gym with boring ass white walls.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Time stands still when I'm on a treadmill for more than a few minutes... I've tried music, watching sports, shows... doesn't seem to matter.

I find outdoor walks/jogs/hikes far more enjoyable.

Outdoor is undefeated but I figured out that if I find a show or movie I'm really into, it's real easy to make 30 minutes pass on the treadmill. But before that, I tried music, podcasts etc and I'd be dead bored within a few minutes. Needed something visually stimulating that I could focus on and allow me to forget that I'm on a treadmill.

[penguinz]

Comp is 9 weeks and already hitting gym PR's every week. Looking forward to a record or two.

[Bearcat]

These are the fitness rabbit holes I dive into...

It started with an interesting Short tidbit about sternum angle when bench pressing and how a steeper sternum angle means you're basically decline pressing when you're on a flat bench, then the longer video about it, then a sidebar video that sort of disputes much of it in terms of upper/lower chest gains, but also throws in tidbits about how arching your back matters to the angle in which you're pressing, too.

And it's nothing I stress out about or really even change in my routines, just find all the studies on biomechanics and so forth interesting.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Time stands still when I'm on a treadmill for more than a few minutes... I've tried music, watching sports, shows... doesn't seem to matter.

I find outdoor walks/jogs/hikes far more enjoyable.

Treadmills are a last resort for me. I don't enjoy them at all. I discovered recumbent stationary bikes a while back, though, and those are great. I can bring a book and just sit and read and pedal, and if you can crank it up to a really tough level it actually gives you a pretty good leg workout. So maybe I make it a little more of an anaerobic exercise than aerobic.

Having said that, I was in a hotel a while back and they had a really bizarre treadmill that I tried. It didn't have any power, and it was essentially a belt on two big drums that were in front of me and behind me. When I stood on it, the belt sagged under my weight and kept me stable between the two wheels. I seldom use treadmills, so I'm not good at them. This one kind of freaked me out, but at the same time I think it may have been a much better design for actual running. I'd like to try it again. I think that is actually a treadmill that I would use once I got used to it.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Treadmills are a last resort for me. I don't enjoy them at all. I discovered recumbent stationary bikes a while back, though, and those are great. I can bring a book and just sit and read and pedal, and if you can crank it up to a really tough level it actually gives you a pretty good leg workout. So maybe I make it a little more of an anaerobic exercise than aerobic.

Having said that, I was in a hotel a while back and they had a really bizarre treadmill that I tried. It didn't have any power, and it was essentially a belt on two big drums that were in front of me and behind me. When I stood on it, the belt sagged under my weight and kept me stable between the two wheels. I seldom use treadmills, so I'm not good at them. This one kind of freaked me out, but at the same time I think it may have been a much better design for actual running. I'd like to try it again. I think that is actually a treadmill that I would use once I got used to it.

Heh, sounds like something from the Flintstones.

I do a quick 3-5 minute warm up on a treadmill before every workout, but depending on how many people are there, it also doubles as a way to wait for the first machine/bench/etc. of the workout to become available so I can swoop in and grab it at a moment's notice.

I have seen people really going at it on the stair climbers before and if I had to pick indoor cardio, that would probably be it (and it would probably become just as much a hamstring workout).

[Clyde Frog]

Originally Posted by blake5676

I lost 40 pounds last Dec-Mar just incline walking. Didn't realize how heavy I had gotten but stepped on the scale and had hit 255. I'm just shy of 6'2" so I wasn't a blimp but definitely fatter than I should be. Stopped eating like shit and did 3 miles a day on the treadmill at 4mph pace and 6% incline. I'm not sure how accurate Apple Watch trackers are but I was burning bw 5-800 calories doing that alone.

I eventually wasn't getting my heart rate high enough after doing that for a few months so I started running on the treadmill and worked up to running the 3 miles rather than incline walking. Hated it but it was a means to an end. Never did catch the running bug though.

I like the controlled aspect of the treadmill by being able to manage the incline and pace. If I was just walking at a slower pace and flat, I'd do it outside and skip going to a gym.

The calorie tracker on Apple Watches are not even close to accurate. They do track your heart rate and sleep patterns really well though. It also helps as a nudge to workout or move around if you’re not a morning workout person.


Good job on the weight loss. Just keep moving, every day. You’ll never regret it afterwards but you will regret not doing it if you don’t.


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[Clyde Frog]

Finally hit the 1000 pound club. At 44 I’m good with that as a lifetime achievement. If I’m lucky enough to see my 60s I’m sure my joints will thank me for not going for 1100.

455 - Deadlift
315 - Squat (ass to grass)
270 - Bench (full ROM with a 1 second pause at the bottom)


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[BWillie]

You guys are a buncha meatheads.

I won my first 5k a couple weeks ago, for my age division anyway.

Lifting weights is for young men wanting to pick up chicks.

I will lift weights again when I can get my girlfriend to leave me.

[InChiefsHeaven]

3 months of Hotworx, and gave up booze for Lent...down about 8 pounds in 3 months. Balance is insanely better as is flexibility. I feel really pretty good.

Gonna have to continue serious regulation of booze if I want to reach my goal though.

Dammit. I hate getting old...

[loochy]

Legs are starting to lean out. Upper body is always harder to shed fat for me.

[Rain Man]

There's a half-marathon in about six weeks that I'd like to do, and I'm trying to gird up the courage to sign up. I haven't run one in over five years, and I know it'll be brutal, but I want to do it.

I did a 13 mile jog a month ago in pretty cool weather, and did just fine. I tried to do one last week (while recovering from a cold), and I completely ran out of gas at Mile 10.5.

If I sign up, I'll gut my way through it and finish, but I'd really prefer from an ego perspective to not come in last place.