Exercise & Fitness: it’s a marathon, not a sprint

[Iskaral Pust]

I’ve been really strong in my recent gym sessions, especially seeing progress with squats and reintroduced deadlifts.  Last autumn my bench press made a jump forward that wasn’t matched across other exercises, but now I’ve seen the same progress everywhere.  The warm-up runs help too.  I need to continue to build up my cardio stamina.

There was some dessert back-sliding for 2-3 weeks after indulging in some sugar over Christmas.  It’s so easy to fall back into that habit.  But I’ve cut it out for the past week and will maintain that now.

I keep declining invitations to play indoor soccer because my wife is stressed about COVID risk, but I’m looking forward to playing outdoor once spring arrives.  My son asked me about trying rugby and it piqued my curiosity for myself too.  I might look into it — there is a rugby league around Fairfield County, CT.  These last few months I have been watching rugby match replays (Peacock streaming has English PL, European Cup and Six Nations rugby) in the background during gym sessions.

[BigFatCoward]

Took my bike in for a service. it needs loads of new parts that are apparently not easy to get. They estimate April as the company that makes them is only working at 25% capacity due to covid. 

[MercenaryChef]

10 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said:

Took my bike in for a service. it needs loads of new parts that are apparently not easy to get. They estimate April as the company that makes them is only working at 25% capacity due to covid. 

ride fixed gear, bro. less parts, stronger legs.

[BigFatCoward]

48 minutes ago, MercenaryChef said:

ride fixed gear, bro. less parts, stronger legs.

There is a 1km Hill at 9% on my commute. It's not doable.

Also I lack the beard, hair & tattoos to ride a fixie. 

[Takiedevushkikakzvezdy]

The weather in my region is absolutely horrible right now, so I haven't been able to even take walks, let alone run. 

[MercenaryChef]

25 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said:

There is a 1km Hill at 9% on my commute. It's not doable.

Also I lack the beard, hair & tattoos to ride a fixie. 

i could slay that fucking hill. but i have all those other qualifications. 

[BigFatCoward]

15 hours ago, MercenaryChef said:

i could slay that fucking hill. but i have all those other qualifications. 

I probably weigh at least 50lb more than you, dragging bulk uphill is hard.

[Iskaral Pust]

My Saturday got blown up and I lost my chance to exercise.  So my legs session got pushed back to Sunday and I had time available for some extra effort.  I did five sets each of squats and deadlifts at the heaviest weight, instead of the usual three each. I also do 2-3 sets each of progressive warm-up to heavyish weight.

So I’ll definitely have some stiff, sore leg muscles later today and tomorrow as DOMS sets in.  It felt great at the time though.  And it makes me think I haven’t been pushing myself hard enough if I could just increase top-end volume by 60%.  It’s often a challenge to have enough time for a longer session.

Barbell squats: 185lbs for sets of 8 reps

Deadlifts: 215lbs for sets of 8 reps

I should definitely be lifting more weight — like 40-60lbs more — on each movement, but I’m still rebuilding after some lower back problems over the past two years caused by my initial work-from-home set-up.

[aceluby]

Almost done with week 4 of my 6 week program, down 12 lbs since Jan 1.  If I can trim 16 more I'll be at 200 lbs even, which should get me in the 10-15% bf range.  Today was lower body and it was killer.  Definitely more of a high rep program, but I'm still trying to go heavy.  Already thinking about my next program, which I'm leaning toward a 4 week MMA program that is pretty intense.  I'm hoping upping the intensity might give me that push to keep the fat burning where it is to keep this cut as short as possible.

[ithanos]

Hope everyone is on track for their goals.

Have been training quite religiously these past four months since we came out of restrictions and our gyms reopened. Although I'd piled on the Covid kilos, like so many others, I found that for several weightlifting movements (squat, front squat, snatch, clean, dead-lift), I'm the strongest I've ever been. My stability in movement is also in good order. So, since I'm not getting any younger, the goal for this year - and maybe only this year, is to push the envelope in those lifts as much possible and set strength maximums for my age at 2022. Then, for the rest of my life, to never try to better those weights but aim to hold parity or as close to parity as I get older. If by 2032 I can do the same lifts, pain free, at 75%+ of 2022 weight then I'd consider that a win. 60%+ in 2042 would be fantastic. 50%+ beyond 2042 would be incredible.         

On the conditioning side, I've been trying to improve my rowing technique on the Concept2 rowing machine by using the force display as a guide. I had no idea how poor my technique had become. During sprints my force plots, from left to right, look like a cliff face with a cliff top sloping gently to the right. The ideal is to cultivate a rowing stroke that plots like a lone mountain with rounded peak. I quickly got into a rhythm of creating silhouettes of an elephant facing left. A bit more effort in technique and I managed a flattened mound. But then frustration creeps in and there pops up a two humped camel plot and then, one time, what looks like the Sydney Opera house. I muse and aim for the classic dick pic but its hard to achieve(no pun intended). This is gong to take some time to master.

[aceluby]

Finished my program this weekend and after 6 weeks of work & dieting I was able to shed 15lbs!!  Goal is to lose 12 more by the time softball starts this spring, but that shouldn't be a problem even if I do start losing at a slower pace.  Just need to keep to eating out and drinking less.

 

[cowolter]

Amazing job!!!! Stick with it. 

I am struggling to get over the hump and drop the last 15. I am at the gym 5 days a week and making serious progress in my lifting and strength. However, I am maintaining the same weight that I have been at for 3 years now. It is frustrating I am 15 pounds from my goal weight (and being shredded) but I am seriously struggling to make it happen. I know the missing component is diet in some way, but I am struggling to get the calorie intake down to a sustained deficit because I am lifting hard, high rep 5x10, compound lifts, which increases my appetite a lot.

[Starkess]

I finished doing a bulk at the beginning of the month and have been doing maintenance for the past few weeks before diving back into a cut. Honestly I hate it. I swore to give it my best effort and not let fear of gaining weight hold me back, but I've now done a bulk two years in a row and it just makes me feel awful. The plan was to cut half the bulk, but I may just try and cut back down even more. I see all these women being like "gaining weight and weightlifting made me look so good!!!" but apparently that's not my body.

[Poppytint]

Therefore, this year I committed to deciding no more than once a month, ideally less often. I hope that by doing this, I will see losses every time I make a decision, and it will keep me motivated - I record my calories in the application. I need to focus on the long term, too. I'm too impatient. I've ordered supplement with panax ginger for better stamina, and I'll hope they help me with my training. Because after exercises I am empty of energy 

[Starkess]

Damn. Took the last 3 months off from running after all the issues I had with my glute/hip during marathon training last fall. Went for two easy walk/runs last week and BAM. Pain is back. So frustrating!! Guess I'll keep doing these stupid stretches (I admit I let them fall by the wayside when I stopped running) and waiting a while to try again.

[Iskaral Pust]

I hate how fat I am now.  I weigh 195-200lbs, which is my heaviest ever (at 6ft tall).  In fairness, I’m also at my most muscular ever because consistent weightlifting during work from home for two years has really been effective.  But I’m also carrying more padding than I should.  Probably 20% body fat now.  Abs are still visible but only in bright light.  I need to lose 10lbs, perhaps even 15lbs

During October-December I cut out desserts and dropped from 195lbs to 190lbs.  Then I lapsed on the dessert habit over Christmas through now and just as quickly I’ve regained it all and then some, even though I’m eating smaller desserts than before.  I think I have a collection of problems:

I just don’t move enough while working from home — I’m standing in front of the monitor & camera all day long rather than moving around a large office space.  My sense of “normal” portion sizes has become distorted and I feel hungry if I reduce them now.  Like anyone, my body will try to resist weight loss, so if I do cut then I need to sustain it for a while until it becomes a new normal.  Long work hours and lots of stress (work, COVID, my MiL has permanently invaded my living space) brought me to a bad habit of staying up late — self medicating with Netflix and to have some private time to decompress — and therefore sleeping too little, which all contributes to the irresistibility of sugary desserts late in the evening.

Aside from my self-pity about my entirely self-inflicted flabbiness, workouts are going well.  The only problem is that too many days I’m just too fatigued to exercise.  That happens most midweek days but even sometimes on weekends.  I think I’m showing signs of burnout.

But I feel a burst of motivation after I read @aceluby’s posts.  It can be done.

[aceluby]

You got this @Iskaral Pust!!  I've leveled off again after a great beginning of the year.  Working out has been great, but you can't work out a bad diet, and I've splurged too often on burgers and beer.  Trying to get back on that horse this week.

[BigFatCoward]

Fuck. My derailleur just snapped off my bike (pleasantly though it was right outside another police station on my way to work). That is going to take ages to get fixed due to the lack of parts. That puts a huge dent in my exercise time (they have shut the gym at work because someone 'borrowed' the defibrillator). 

Also it makes my commute suck ass. 

[baxus]

My shoulder is still not fixed, but there have been some improvements there. I hope to have that wrapped up in a month or so, so that I can go back to training. I really miss it, and it's been 6 months now which feel like ages.

My only physical activity for months now has been walking the dog. Good part is that now I spend at least an hour, sometimes two, every day outside plus a couple of shorter walks.

[3CityApache]

On 3/1/2022 at 4:55 AM, Starkess said:

Damn. Took the last 3 months off from running after all the issues I had with my glute/hip during marathon training last fall. Went for two easy walk/runs last week and BAM. Pain is back. So frustrating!! Guess I'll keep doing these stupid stretches (I admit I let them fall by the wayside when I stopped running) and waiting a while to try again.

Almost same here. My pause from running is much longer though, I stopped in September 2021. Last weekend, after solid two months of almost an hour a day of indoor cycling, I tried the light 5k run and the freaking knee hurts again. And I won't be letting to cut it open again. Worst case scenario - I'll stick to cycling and smimming for good. But I will try to get back to running again, as I need to get back to playing tennis too, because I love it, which I can't say about running.