2020 Health & Fitness Thread

I`ve upped the volume of my workouts a bit for some bodyparts (without identically duplicating any movements) while decreasing the frequency even more(!).

E.g., volume: I`ll emphasize/not either the stretch or contracted portion of the movement, add/delete additional (*progressive*) resistance to accommodate the strength curve of the muscles involved (i.e., something like the Nautilus cam provides).

E.g., frequency: I didn`t feel my quads/hams were fully recovered and ready for RT until nearly *4 weeks* had passed, which had me expecting a downgrade in performance. But no, I added both weight (hey, the warmup sets seemed easy..) and reps.

I`m still flummoxed by the Q of how to balance my RT/SIIT cardio/chores so they don`t interfere with each other! After my RT Leg workouts, I can`t do effective cardio for days; after some of the groundskeeping chores I can`t do *any* exercise at all for days. Very tricky balancing act given my seemingly extreme need for recovery.

Perhaps even more polyphenols would help, but everything known to be therapeutic is awfully pricey.
 
Bill D said:
I still walk for four miles every day..
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-AND-

Accumulator said:
Four miles would take me well over an hour..
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Well, maybe not after all :)

After working up to a quick 94 sec sprint on the Stair, I rested for a minute and hopped on the Tread. 60 minutes, three (virtual) hills via the incline/decline buttons = 4.07mi.

To accomplish that, I had to do ~19min at 4.4mph, which I had to do with it level, that would`ve been too much for up/down another hill, I can only do those at 4.2 max so far.

But at least I did the 4mi in an hour! Now maybe I won`t feel like I oughta reach that particular goal (at least for a while) and I can dial it back a bit to where my "go long" day hikes are still somewhat pleasant. I was *working* for some of this one, not my idea of "fun" by a long shot.
 
I guess if you can reach 4 mi in an hour with inclines, I should be able to do it just walking flat. I’ll make it my goal to eliminate those five minutes and do 4 mi in an hour starting tomorrow
 
Bill D said:
I guess if you can reach 4 mi in an hour with inclines, I should be able to do it just walking flat. I’ll make it my goal to eliminate those five minutes and do 4 mi in an hour starting tomorrow
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I`m OK on the inclines up to 4.2, although that`s *working* at the peak. My "pump arms" probably contributes to that though.

I found the tricky part was dealing with the need for a warm-up/cool-down as I have to start out around 3.2mph and spend a few min working up to 3.8 for the first hill. Then I need a bit of time at ~3.4 near the end so it`s not an abrupt halt, and today I only got one minute...not much of a cool-down having just spent so long at 4.4, wouldn`t surprise me if most people want more than that.
 
Accumulator said:
Gee, where`s jrock645? I want to know whether the HRT made a big diff....and to hear about whatever training program he`s on now.
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still loving the trt. Training isnt much different than what menno drew up for me. Switched out a couple exercises and added a set here and there to raise volume, but its still fundamentally the same with each exercise bwing done twice a week and each muscle being hit 3-4x’s a week. Progress continues to be good.
 
jrock645- Ah, that`s great! I was hoping that you were making progress. I sure find it interesting how you and I do well with such differing frequency, just goes to show how different different people can be.

Bill D- Note that walking on the Tread might be very different from walking in the Real World, I just don`t know. I *DO* know that it sure took me a long time to build up to the speeds I`m doing on it now, never woulda thunk it a year or two ago.
 
I just came by this thread....I am 79 year sold..I walk 1-1/2 mile a day...lift weighted bars 10 to 30 lbs...LOL my big problem is its 5 o`clock some where and have two Southern comforts at night...I thank god.for giving me good health...
 
maurofc70- Hey, glad you found this thread :D

That`s *GREAT* that you`re doing that at 79! Heh heh, IMO that good health you`re enjoying oughta keep going with the exercise you`re doing.

I myself wouldn`t see those Southern Comforts as a "problem" ;)

Do you do your walking outdoors/indoors/?where?
 
My lengthy recovery periods are getting crazy...guess it`s because of the (very demanding) chores I`m doing all the time.

Yesterday was my first Upper Leg workout in..!!27days!.. and I expected to be detrained. But no..more weight, more reps, good form..genuine progress. Gee...

Flip-side frequency-wise is that my daily very easy/"far from going to failure" sets of Leg Raises on the Roman Chair) are really improving the definition of my abs/etc. I might start trying the same thing for my Inner Obliques.
 
Happy to report that the terrible condo gym has reopened
Going to utilize as few pieces of equipment as necessary and just run circuits in the now "private 1 hour gym session, 3x a week" that I have access to.

Any tips?
Obviously disinfecting all equipment that I use before/after
Probably splitting it into upper/lower body days so I`m not disinfecting as much equipment.
 
BMWWW- I`d be all about minimizing your potential exposure to the Virus (and those who might have it). So I`d lean towards movements that hit multiple muscle groups at once, trying to be as efficient about it as possible. Plenty of time for a more specific/targeted approach once things are back to normal.

You using the gym for RT, Cardio..or both?

Heh heh...you deem it "terrible", got me wondering ?why? it`s so bad. Some equipment is truly "worse than nothing", but other uhm...less than optimal...stuff can be fine with a little thought and planning.
 
Pneumatic Resistance...anybody ever get a good RT workout on it?

C. Bass is all about their Hip-Belt Squat machine as it removes loading of the spine from the movement. OK...I like those (H-B Squats) too, do `em on a cable/pulley apparatus that I`ve tweaked to be pretty-OK (but it could sure be better :rolleyes: ). But the pneumatic stuff I`ve tried was terrible, never worked for me in the least.

BTW, I noticed that Bass tried the Zane Leg Blaster that I use. He liked it for Legs/etc. but it was too hard on his back. OK, makes sense as I have to watch that myself. I just found it interesting that he had one available and found it effective. Don`t suppose anybody here has tried one of those....

(Last time I looked, they`re off the market, and I kinda expected somebody like Bass to consider it a, uhm.. "toy".)
 
Starting back on the cutting train. Had a dexa scan on sunday. Shows ive put 9.5lbs of muscle on since mid june. Good chunk of process, but bodyfat is also up a bit- part of the game. Bf% came in at 18.6%. Getting a bit soft but not out of control. Easing into restriction this week. Calculated my calories needed for a 20% deficit at 3055 per day. Obviously wont maintain that large of a deficit through the process but can start a bit faster being over 15%.
 
jrock645- Thanks for the update, I was just about to post Qs about how everybody`s doing.

I gather you`re OK with that increase in both lean/not weight, right?

What`s your BF goal for long-term? What`s it like having that 18.6%?
 
Well I began my TG early this morning with my semi-daily walk. Just me and a few bicyclists around; not another soul around exercising. I find that sad or maybe folks just do thing later around here.

Any way, hope I don’t gain any pounds from today’s feast. If I do I’ll begin to walk them off Saturday and Monday.
 
I`ve been able to increase both the frequency of my workouts and their volume, *probably* due to all the Polyphenols I`m getting these days.

Well, I`m *NOT* doing that for Upper Legs, I`m *DEcreasing* both frequency and volume for those. It`s getting kinda extreme: three sets for Quads, one set for Hams, and that`s so debilitating that I had to cut short my Cardio despite waiting five days in-between. Those workouts are going fine..reps/weight, making surprising progress...but it just takes forever for those muscle groups to fully recover, *probably* due to the work they get from the daily chores. I`d been going three weeks between workouts for them, went *four* this last time and still added reps on each of the movements.

The near-daily, sub-maximal, Core training is turning out to be a great idea. I`m doing *everything* better, far more reps with more control and a greater ROM on the days when I`m actually *working* them (two-three times/week). I`m seeing better definition too, especially the lowermost area of my torso. Haven`t noticed my waistline actually getting much, if any smaller, but it looks better.

I`ve added more Carbs to my bfasts with no apparent downside. Some are from cereal (Barry Sears wouldn`t approve!), some from fruit; this is *without* decreasing Carbs/calories to compensate.

Similarly, at least so far, adding Walnuts to my diet has also worked out great. After reading about the "they can often add bodyweight, but not bodyFAT" studies, I`ve given it a try (was already eating nuts daily) and my results seem to mirror that. I dunno if I`d try it unless everything else were dialed-in and the bf% were on-target, but if you`re already close to "magazine-ready" it could be worth experimenting with.
 
Wondering whether people on this thread make Thanksgiving/etc. real Cheat Days...nothing extreme here, but then I don`t get the "overeating as pleasure" thing anyhow.

Eh, either way, it`s not like a day or two oughta make a big diff. Though when we went away for TG and *really* indulged, those 4-5 days were enough to significantly change my bf%, to the point that it definitely showed.
 
I eat maybe a little bit more than average on holidays but not like when I really indulge in my favorite meals which is quite seldom.
 
Accumulator said:
jrock645- Thanks for the update, I was just about to post Qs about how everybody`s doing.

I gather you`re OK with that increase in both lean/not weight, right?

What`s your BF goal for long-term? What`s it like having that 18.6%?
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Well, theres no way around gaining some fat when trying to put on a significant amount of muscle. Just no two ways about it, and 9.5lbs of muscle in about 5 months is a significant gain in lean mass. So, overall Im fine with it. The overall weight gain does take a toll, though. Just makes harder work of daily activity having to carry an extra ~25lbs around. That and im so over force feeding myself and having to choke down meals when i have no interest in eating. Im actually excited about going into restriction. We’ll see how long it takes for fatigue to set in.
 
jrock645- As long as you`re enjoying the ride, that`s what counts. I guess I just wondered why you were going to the Cutting Phase right before the Holidays.

I sure don`t blame you for being.." so over force feeding myself and having to choke down meals". I mean, gee..I`d just never do anything like that, doesn`t sound fun at all, but I gather it`s what works for you. I do kinda wonder about the idea of "waiting for fatigue to set in" though, more of that just not sounding like enjoyment to me.

Are you back to training in a gym or still doing it at home? In my area, going to a gym would be like playing Russian Roulette with more than one round in the cylinder.
 
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