For your older folks......

The few days after Spring Forward, which we just had, studies show an increase of over 20% in heart attacks for the next few days....

be careful......

Did Insanity, Shaun T...Beachbody - yeah, I know, 10 years ago thinned down a ton and was much more "toned" afterwards. Shredded away some obvious fat. Then did some P90X and Insanity Asylum stuff.

Shortly thereafter I began doing some research on working out and eating healthy. Stumbled upon Leangains (intermittent fasting and Reverse Pyramid Training). Did that for a few years and then stumbled upon Jim Wendler and did his stuff for a few years and also dabbled with some 5x5 stuff. I has fairly strong. Nothing earth shattering but weighing in around 180lbs I had hit a squat for 365x3, was deadlifting 350+ for multiple reps, and had worked on my power clean to be able to hit 225 for a rep. Again, no records were being broken but I was fit, strong, felt good, and looked good without a shirt lol.

I worked out pretty religiously for a course of about 8-9 years. Well, starting in March/April when COVID hit - I just stopped, completely. It was weird. Having our first born in April certainly didn't help matters, but for the first time in almost a decade I felt no urge or desire to workout.

I decided last May to try giving "distance" running a shot. Something I always said I would never do. I ended up kind of enjoying it and ran throughout the summer. Mostly short runs, typically between 2-5 miles. Didn't have the attention span for anything longer, or the desire TBH.

Fall came, and I stopped again. Just didn't have that desire and, I will be honest, I was making or prioritizing my time to accommodate any type of working out.

I stayed fairly sedentary throughout the fall and winter, and gained about 6-9 lbs. Luckily, my job involves a decent amount of moving and I get a good amount of steps in each day.

Fast forward to last week, and I am starting Insanity over again. Back to where it all began. I am hoping this 2 months kind of "kick-starts" my appetite again to working out and looking forward to lifts and hitting some marks. I know I may never squat, deadlift, or clean anything like I could before - but I definitely miss that barbell and the weights. Hopefully this little cardio routine whips me back into shape (which by design, it definitely will) and I can get back to throwing around some weight again.

posted by birddog23

Fast forward to last week, and I am starting Insanity over again. Back to where it all began. I am hoping this 2 months kind of "kick-starts" my appetite again to working out and looking forward to lifts and hitting some marks. I know I may never squat, deadlift, or clean anything like I could before - but I definitely miss that barbell and the weights. Hopefully this little cardio routine whips me back into shape (which by design, it definitely will) and I can get back to throwing around some weight again.

After any lay off I prefer weights to start back up and put off the cardio

Reminder...

posted by Verbal Kint

After any lay off I prefer weights to start back up and put off the cardio

Reminder...

This is my first “lay off”, so I’m lacking expertise. I shall see if this bites me in the rear  

And yeah, Shaun T and the Insanity program is definitely corny. But it’s worked once for me before. 

posted by birddog23

This is my first “lay off”, so I’m lacking expertise. I shall see if this bites me in the rear  

And yeah, Shaun T and the Insanity program is definitely corny. But it’s worked once for me before. 

Good luck.  Sometimes a layoff is necessary to recharge the motivation.  I've never done insanity.  I have bad knees, so it's not an option for me, but it looks like a good program.  I know a lot of people who swear by the results.

My only advice on resuming your lifting - which you probably already know.  Be conservative and slow on starting weights and progressions.  Almost every injury I've ever gotten from weight lifting (which isn't many) is because I try doing too much.  Probably a "male" thing.  But I forget I'm older and if I've been off for awhile, not only are my muscles smaller, but my joints, bones tendons, etc are all weaker and need a lot of time to acclimate to being under stress.  

posted by birddog23

And yeah, Shaun T and the Insanity program is definitely corny. But it’s worked once for me before. 

I usually HIIT once a week and rotate his Pure Cardio and Plyometric routine in as 2 of my 6 options.

Not a fan of his pre-workout static stretching, the "warm-up" to his stuff is intense if you push it

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

I try different programs for working out.  Over quarantine, I started doing a program called Stronglifts, which was basic 5x5 barbell lifts and no cardio.  I did it for abouit 3 months, and it wasn't for me.  Mostly because I'm 50 and my joints can't take heavy lifting like they used to.  Also, I'm more concerned about keeping a healthy heart as I age, so I wanted more work on that front.

I was intrigued by the 5x5 program - I read of something similar 35 years ago, when was In my 20's and heavily into the Nautilus program.

This past Christmas,  I started lifting 6 days a week, alternating back/biceps with chest/shoulders, doing 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps at several weight stations in my morning workouts, and struggling to build overall strength. The last four weeks I switched to my own 5x5 routine,  four days a week, with every third day doing cardio.  Been doing squats, pull-ups, traditional bench press, and overhead press machine.  Seems to be working out well.  I'm able to push harder and harder, lift more weight for more reps overall (appropriate for my age), and seem to have better muscle tone all over.

This has been complicated by myasthenia gravis, which hit me like a ton of bricks a year ago.   For a few months I couldn't hold my head up or chew my food, and I was having trouble not breathing properly.  Meds have me about 85% of "normal", but the overall fatigue throughout the day is still mentally stressful.  My neuro doc gave his blessing to get back into regular exercise and even weightlifting, with a caution to advance slowly, which I have.   After the first two months of hitting the gym,  the myasthenia fatigue was bad in the evenings.  In my case, the 5x5 format definitely helps reduces late-day fatigue.

Started my RPT (reverse pyramid training) yesterday.

Liked my 2 1/2 weeks of Shaun T's Insanity but I miss lifting too much and I'd much rather lift weights for 45 minutes than do cardio for 45 minutes. My plan will be to try to get 1-2 "lighter" cardio sessions in a week - but in all honesty, a walk with the dog may be my cardio.

I will be deadlifting, bench pressing, and back squatting. Then will sprinkle in some chins, dips, rows, and overhead pressing.

It had been a while since I lifted heavy. Last night's 275x4 opening deadlift set felt HEAVY lol. I hope to adjust rather quickly within my first 3-4 weeks.

By summer's end I should be deadlifting up over 330 again and hoping my squat is right around there too for 3-4 reps. I am terrible at bench pressing, and have always struggled with that but hoping I can put up some decent weight over these next 4 months or so.

Edit: Will also be going back to my 16/8 intermittent fasting.

I'm on the Peleton 3-4x a week. Need to get to 5-6. 

I hate that fucking machine, but it's effective.

posted by Automatik

I'm on the Peleton 3-4x a week. Need to get to 5-6. 

I hate that fucking machine, but it's effective.

I'm having one delivered next week. Not even sure I like riding but I need something to get my ass to start exercising. Hopefully I start doing it consistently to make up for the cost of it. 

There's endless workouts in addition to cycling. 

Like all things fitness, just need to your ass on the bike and stick to it. Attractive trainers also a plus.

Pretty thrilled. I hit 225 in decline (x6) and in flat (x2) today. Never once did that before in my life.

About 7-10 days ago I got 315x2 in deadlift. Possibly a PR for me, since I can't remember what I ever did back in high school. Love being back in the gym, probably there 6ish days a week. Occasionally I have 1 day off a week, then sometimes I get 2. It's not really a consistent day, but it's typically a Monday or Wednesday/Thursday.

I may do some creatine here shortly. Rarely do I do any protein, but I have some. Left shoulder has been bugging a lot since I got back into it in August. Rest days have helped, but then shoulder time it gets going again.

posted by OSH

Pretty thrilled. I hit 225 in decline (x6) and in flat (x2) today. Never once did that before in my life..

I may do some creatine here shortly. Rarely do I do any protein, but I have some. 

Looking forward to hearing your results with creatine.  That was just on my mind today coming home from the gym.  I'm having a hard time "motivating" my muscles to push harder during a workout.  I know, I know - I'm a senior, not a kid.  But I looked at a few links today that indicate moderate use of creatine is safe and helpful for older folks.

The short time I worked on the bench press in my 20's, my best single was 205 before I quit shortly afterward.  Right now I'm up to reps with 145 lbs using a 5x5 format.  Would like to see if I can increase that by this summer.

posted by Automatik

There's endless workouts in addition to cycling. 

Like all things fitness, just need to your ass on the bike and stick to it. Attractive trainers also a plus.

Got delivered today, 20 minute beginner ride kicked my ass, literally. Do you ever get used to the seat? Any recommended trainers?

It takes a while to where you're not dying the entire ride. Maybe around ride 8-10. 

I like Jess King and Ben Alldis the most. 

All of the girls are solid, some kick your ass more than others so be ready. Their ratings are spot on. 8 and up is a bitch.

If the seat is bothering you, read up on your posture and seat/handle bar adjustments. Watch all of the tutorials. Form and posture is huge, especially when you're out of the saddle. You should be sitting on saddle with your ass bones, not your gooch. lol

Also look up "fore aft saddle position." That's the tilt of the seat. Standard is parallel to the ground, but some prefer a slight tilt up or down. Makes a big difference. I prefer a slight tilt up. 

I only know all of this due to real cycling. It took me lots of tweaking to get everything right.

posted by iclfan2

Got delivered today, 20 minute beginner ride kicked my ass, literally. Do you ever get used to the seat? Any recommended trainers?

What model?  Are you an experienced rider?  I'm not at all, but am interested in learning more about Peleton. 

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

What model?  Are you an experienced rider?  I'm not at all, but am interested in learning more about Peleton. 

I just got the entry level one. Didn’t need the moveable screen or the added cost. I’ve never ridden an exercise bike and rarely ride one outside. We’ll see how it goes but the first ride wasn’t bad. I’m trying to make it as convenient as possible for me to exercise so that I actually consistently do something. 

posted by iclfan2

I just got the entry level one. Didn’t need the moveable screen or the added cost. I’ve never ridden an exercise bike and rarely ride one outside. We’ll see how it goes but the first ride wasn’t bad. I’m trying to make it as convenient as possible for me to exercise so that I actually consistently do something. 

Does it come with a mat?  Do you have it in the basement?  

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

Does it come with a mat?  Do you have it in the basement?  

It doesn’t come with anything, but if you use a code from someone that has a bike, you get $100 off accessories that can be used for a mat or shoes or a kit that has both. You also need special shoes. We don’t have basements here, and have 2 girls taking up our other rooms (and playroom/ office) so it is in our master bedroom currently. It has a 30 day guarantee so you can’t really go wrong. 

We did buy a heart rate monitor (skosche rythym) which connects to it on screen and will probably order a mat to catch sweat instead of the carpet. 

Edit again, it possibly takes awhile right now so you can always order and then back out. Ours first said May 7th delivery when I ordered in Feb, but I spoke on chat with them 2 separate times to get it moved up more each time. 

Thanks for the info. Post about how it's going from time to time. 

I'm starting back on weights next week. I had a busy month in the fall and opted to take a month off to recharge. Then at the end of that month found my cancer and entered a month of stress and doctors' appointments. Then had surgery and had to take 4 weeks off for recovery, and have been skiing three days a week since late January without much time for anything else. I've lost 20 pounds of mass during that time.

I'm looking forward to the soreness that comes with the first few weeks of getting back into the routine. I'll have to go slower than usual because my incision location puts me at high risk for hernia... will likely insert much more focused abdominal work off the bat than I ever have before.

posted by GOONx19

I'm starting back on weights next week. I had a busy month in the fall and opted to take a month off to recharge. Then at the end of that month found my cancer and entered a month of stress and doctors' appointments. Then had surgery and had to take 4 weeks off for recovery, and have been skiing three days a week since late January without much time for anything else. I've lost 20 pounds of mass during that time.

I'm looking forward to the soreness that comes with the first few weeks of getting back into the routine. I'll have to go slower than usual because my incision location puts me at high risk for hernia... will likely insert much more focused abdominal work off the bat than I ever have before.

Hope you’re doing well 

^ Appreciate it! Got my 3-month scans back clean two weeks ago. Still about a 16% chance of recurrence but it’s dropping every day. 

I'd be interested in your opinions on static stretching.  

I've been doing it at the end of workouts (about half the time) for most of my life.  I do it because I learned to do it while playing football and wrestling in high school.  Recently, I've decided that it has done nothing to benefit me at all.  I'm not particularly flexible and stretching has never made a bit of difference with that.  I doubt it's prevented any injuries either.  A couple of months ago while doing it, I thought "Why the hell am I doing this all the time.  It is stupid."  So I quit doing it altogether.  Now, a few months later, I feel absolutely no different.  I'm beginning to think static stretching (not to be confused with dynamic warm ups) is a complete and total waste of time.  I'm sure my JV football coach (God rest his soul) would have me run wind sprints for saying this.

So what are your opinion?

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

I'd be interested in your opinions on static stretching.  

I've been doing it at the end of workouts (about half the time) for most of my life.  I do it because I learned to do it while playing football and wrestling in high school.  Recently, I've decided that it has done nothing to benefit me at all.  I'm not particularly flexible and stretching has never made a bit of difference with that.  I doubt it's prevented any injuries either.  A couple of months ago while doing it, I thought "Why the hell am I doing this all the time.  It is stupid."  So I quit doing it altogether.  Now, a few months later, I feel absolutely no different.  I'm beginning to think static stretching (not to be confused with dynamic warm ups) is a complete and total waste of time.  I'm sure my JV football coach (God rest his soul) would have me run wind sprints for saying this.

So what are your opinion?

I agree with you. I believe that proper warm upa and cool downs are important parts of working out, but I think that many of us stretch simply because we did it in our younger days.