Gym/Exercise Thread

[jimjom]

Hate going to the gym, I mean I like it but need to switch it up and break the monotony.

[Rylan]

Hate going to the gym, I mean I like it but need to switch it up and break the monotony.

TRX. Fantastic workout. No freeweights needed, which makes it better since there is no number I am aiming for which keeps me excited to work out.

[steelhammer]

Thought this was going to happen next year, but I posted some really respectable training rides so far this season and it looks like I am going to start racing (mountain bike) later this year. I still need to get a lot better, but the times/watts I have been posting are good enough to start sooner rather than later. Highly recommend owning a quality indoor bike trainer.

[shafnutz05]

Nice steelhammer...

[columbia]

Thought this was going to happen next year, but I posted some really respectable training rides so far this season and it looks like I am going to start racing (mountain bike) later this year. I still need to get a lot better, but the times/watts I have been posting are good enough to start sooner rather than later. Highly recommend owning a quality indoor bike trainer.

What's the recommended price point for one? I wouldn't mind spending $300, but I don't want a piece of junk.

[steelhammer]

Thought this was going to happen next year, but I posted some really respectable training rides so far this season and it looks like I am going to start racing (mountain bike) later this year. I still need to get a lot better, but the times/watts I have been posting are good enough to start sooner rather than later. Highly recommend owning a quality indoor bike trainer.

What's the recommended price point for one? I wouldn't mind spending $300, but I don't want a piece of junk.

I use and recommend the 1-Up USA. It is $300 and has a lifetime warranty (the one where they even pay for shipping if something goes wrong). It uses centrifugal pressure resistance and has a functional range up to 3000 watts. It's also quiet so you can easily watch TV/laptop while training (makes a huge difference). I can post some links later, but Google for that trainer and read the reviews. Training on a bike is a much better long-term cardio solution because it is so much easier on your body (joints).

[JS©]

update:

weighed myself this AM, down 35 lbs in 2 months. Sitting at a solid (but still overweight for my size) 195. The first 20 lbs seemed to be the easiest since it was mostly water weight. At one point there was a day where I dropped 6 lbs, but it was from being dehydrated and most of that weight was back a day later . Post-work skate once a week for an hour, run 2x a week.

Still targeting 180, which at this pace should happen right about when I do my half next month.

a month later, and I'm still at 195. It has varied somewhat, sometimes going as low as 191.5 and going as high as 198. Kinda bummed about it since I've been running and skating more in the last month than I have in the last two (when all the weight was coming off).

So my wife has been complaining about P90X, saying the workouts are too long to be practical. (And to be honest, she's sorta right; I have to be working out no later than 6:30 in the morning if I'm going to keep to my daily schedule.) So she's been looking for an alternative program that's only about 30 minutes a day. She got the new Jillian Michaels "Body Revolution" thing, and we did the first two workouts together this weekend.

Ho-lee-geez!

Every bit as intense and difficult as anything in P90X, except Plyo and Core, but in a different way. P90X is definitely more geared towards lean muscle growth and size, whereas Body Revolution is more about sculpting and overall fitness. Either way, I was totally gassed at the end of the workouts, and I liked it.

While I find both her and Tony Horton to be somewhat grating in their personalities, I don't tune Michaels out after the first half of the workout the way I do Horton. Maybe that's a function of the brevity of the workouts or the fact that I've been doing P90X off and on for a year now more than anything specific to the two people, but it is what it is.

There was one of those P90x type videos that I saw in the AM that was supposed to be only 10 minutes long. I'm almost sure Tony Horton was behind that one too. Might be worth looking into if time is an issue.

[shafnutz05]

JS, I hear ya. I am down from 206 to 189 or so, and I have hit a bit of a plateau. That being said, because I'm doing a lot of strength training, I'm definitely toning up while maintaining the same weight. I've tried to make a conscious effort to focus more on physical appearance than the number on the scale.

[steelhammer]

You guys are at the point where it would be way more useful to use a measuring tape in addition to a scale to quantify your results. Measure the widest part of your waistline the first thing in the morning and record the results over a few weeks. Then you have a much better idea of how your body composition is truly changing.

[Troy Loney]

I bought my first pair of 29 waist pants last weekend....i feel pretty good about it.

[Idoit40fans]

29? WTF? I swear I wear 31 and i'm pretty effing thin.

[CERV96]

I went to this place for new running shoes. Top shelf operation. Had blister issues and told me what was wrong with the ones I was wearing and what was right with the new ones. Just about everyone that works there runs in all the local marathons.

http://eliterunners.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JS©]

You guys are at the point where it would be way more useful to use a measuring tape in addition to a scale to quantify your results. Measure the widest part of your waistline the first thing in the morning and record the results over a few weeks. Then you have a much better idea of how your body composition is truly changing.

Considered that. 180 is more of a personal goal because of reserves.

Based on my height, that's the number I'm supposed to be at. If I'm above it, they do the measure by some magic waist/neck formula. Based on my weight, I always knew what my max weight could be before I would fail. What I don't like about that is that it's not exact. One person might measure you with a 40 inch waist* while another person might measure the same waist as a 37.5. Saw it happen last weekend with those exact number. With weight, there's no debate about it. With the exception of a scale that might be a pound or two off, it is what it is. An inch or two on the tape is dramatic, like 10-15 lbs. If done wrong, it can be the difference between being a percent under the guidelines or being a percent over and getting the boot. That is why the number is more relevant in my case.

* - the military defines waist as being measured around the belly button, not where you would wear your pants.

[IanMoran]

I have a bad habit... I seem to be an "all or nothing" type when it comes to working out, and really it isn't sustainable then I crash and do nothing for litterly 6 months

I get all in "gym mode" / do insane amount of workouts / intensity... then end up skipping a couple times, and before I know it I'm on my couch eating potato chips.

I'm looking to try to do something more moderate, but then I know I can stick with. I used to be the same way with diet "go insane / measure everything" / then end eating junk like crazy when I can't keep up. I've switched to a more moderate "just try to eat a little healthier" and I've stuck with that for a lot longer so far than any of my "all-out" diets.

I'm looking to do something similar at the gym. Do you guy think I could get results working out 3 days a week?

One day lower body, one day upper body, and one day just running.

Will that do anything or would that just be pointless? I'm not trying to become an Olympic athlete, just look better / feel better about myself, get in better shape, lose some weight, maybe be able to see some muscles, etc..

[shafnutz05]

It all depends on what your ultimate goal is. Weight loss? Building muscle? If it is weight loss, then I doubt your 3 day plan (two of which is primarily strength training) will be much help. I was generally the same way, now I work out 5-6 days a week with 1-2 days off. I usually alternate cardio and strength every day. My cardio day I might run like 2-3 miles, strength days I'll go for like 30-40 minutes. Nothing too crazy.

[IanMoran]

I've already been losing weight just based on diet (I recently packed on a ton of pounds), I figured I should probably work-out too and not become "skinny fat" when I'm done losing weight.

So maybe do my "3 day routine" twice... Your right I can probably do strength days in 30-40 minutes if I work out fast. "By fast I mean not much breaks in-between my different exercises." I used to do the pacing around in-between everything and it took forever. I like not giving myself much time because it becomes a lot easier to get a workout in / it ends up feeling like a mix of cardio / weight lifting (start sweating a lot and such).

[steelhammer]

You guys are at the point where it would be way more useful to use a measuring tape in addition to a scale to quantify your results. Measure the widest part of your waistline the first thing in the morning and record the results over a few weeks. Then you have a much better idea of how your body composition is truly changing.

Considered that. 180 is more of a personal goal because of reserves.

Based on my height, that's the number I'm supposed to be at. If I'm above it, they do the measure by some magic waist/neck formula. Based on my weight, I always knew what my max weight could be before I would fail. What I don't like about that is that it's not exact. One person might measure you with a 40 inch waist* while another person might measure the same waist as a 37.5. Saw it happen last weekend with those exact number. With weight, there's no debate about it. With the exception of a scale that might be a pound or two off, it is what it is. An inch or two on the tape is dramatic, like 10-15 lbs. If done wrong, it can be the difference between being a percent under the guidelines or being a percent over and getting the boot. That is why the number is more relevant in my case.

* - the military defines waist as being measured around the belly button, not where you would wear your pants.

That's true, but that's why I mentioned ways to standardize the test for yourself. I always measure the widest part, which can change to some degree depending on your current weight and body fat %. Same with measuring at the same time (to account for the fluctuations in your waist size throughout the day). This is a good one to use when measuring yourself: http://www.amazon.com/AccuFitness-MT05- ... 904&sr=1-1

[Idoit40fans]

With summer coming I just cut out soda for the most part. Becoming more active just happens in the summer, so on top of my workouts i'll be doing stuff. I'm not really going to lose weight(there isn't much to lose), i'll be much healthier though.

[Staggy]

I've already been losing weight just based on diet (I recently packed on a ton of pounds), I figured I should probably work-out too and not become "skinny fat" when I'm done losing weight.

So maybe do my "3 day routine" twice... Your right I can probably do strength days in 30-40 minutes if I work out fast. "By fast I mean not much breaks in-between my different exercises." I used to do the pacing around in-between everything and it took forever. I like not giving myself much time because it becomes a lot easier to get a workout in / it ends up feeling like a mix of cardio / weight lifting (start sweating a lot and such).

You could also superset a few of your exercises. I get good results from doing 3 days of strength training and 10 or 15 minutes of HIIT cardio on a bike afterwards. It just depends on what you like to do and what your goals are.

[tifosi77]

There was one of those P90x type videos that I saw in the AM that was supposed to be only 10 minutes long. I'm almost sure Tony Horton was behind that one too. Might be worth looking into if time is an issue.

I think his first video was called "Power Half Hour" or something like that. And the "Power 90" series are somewhat shorter workouts, too. But, honestly....... the production values in those older videos are so poor it's kinda distracting! (And I'm perfectly aware of how pretentious that sounds)

[Rylan]

29? WTF? I swear I wear 31 and i'm pretty effing thin.

I mean I like to wear belts and such so I wear a 31 or 32. But even for me 29s are too tight and there isn't much fat sitting in my body.

[Idoit40fans]

Thats pretty much how I am...except I hate belts.

[DudeMan2766]

This thread inspired me to try something different in my workout so I popped in the Yoga disc of P90X that I've always skipped over. What kind of psychopath invented this? I realize you cant really be good at it the first few times, but is this supposed to be relaxing. They have 1:30 on the clock and I pushed thru to an hour 5 minutes left. Maybe I'll do 20 or 30 minutes at a time to pace myself. I am sweating like a pig tho, but I'm sure I did nothing correctly.

[Troy Loney]

This thread inspired me to try something different in my workout so I popped in the Yoga disc of P90X that I've always skipped over. What kind of psychopath invented this? I realize you cant really be good at it the first few times, but is this supposed to be relaxing. They have 1:30 on the clock and I pushed thru to an hour 5 minutes left. Maybe I'll do 20 or 30 minutes at a time to pace myself. I am sweating like a pig tho, but I'm sure I did nothing correctly.

You need to build up in Yoga and your not going to be able to do everything right away. Some Yoga stretches are good to put into a workout, but if your doing yoga for a weight loss workout your not going to get the mental advantages of it. If you combine it with meditation it is completely relaxing and resets you mentally.

[count2infinity]

There are different types of yoga.... P90x yoga is not a relaxing type of yoga by any stretch of the imagination.