Working out

[gunslingerdick]

I was talking with a buddy of mine the other day and we were bemoaning getting older. He said he doesn't work out and I thought that was crazy. If you're over 40 years old and you're not doing something to keep in shape, you're basically asking for a heart attack or stroke or something.

In December of 2011, I started running. I don't particularly like it, but I run the trails so it's a little more entertaining to me than running on the road. I had gotten up to my long runs being 7-9 miles but always running at least 4 miles every time out. But back in February, I was down on a snow covered trail, slipped on a root or something underneath the snow and twisted my knee something awful. I took about a month off and then tried to run again and had shooting pain through my leg. So I had to stop running. Since then, I've just been working out with weights in my garage. I have 3 sets of dumbbells - 25 lbs, 40, lbs and 50 lbs. I can do a lot of different exercises with those and I'm as strong as I've ever been probably but my belly and love handles are back because I'm just not doing any cardio work. I'm going to let the hot summer pass and my knee heal up until September or so and then I'm hoping to get back to running.

So the purpose of this thread is just to get y'all's thoughts on working out and maybe pick up an idea or two for what I can be doing over the summer in addition to lifting.

Whaddaya got?

 

[HookUNC75]

Don't know if you've ever tried cycling, @gunslingerdick but I've been doing it for years. I'm 62 and my legs and knees just can't take the pounding of the pavement. I ride anywhere from 8 to 12 miles per day (short distance by most standards but where I live is pretty hilly.) There is some investment in a decent bike but it's an alternative you might want to consider.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Yes, I work out. My job is pretty sedentary, and my diet is.....probably as bad as coolwater's or probably worse, so I have to work out. I'm a member of a small, but serviceable, 24-hour gym near the house I'm living in currently. My problems is the opposite of yours pre-injury: I hate doing cardio. Give me free weights any day over cardio. So I have love handles and a beer belly....but at the same time, have really strong looking shoulders, arms, and legs.

So I've been forcing myself to do cardio lately. I'll go for a run (2-4 miles) on the road or on trails near my house. I also joined an adult soccer league that plays one night a week. That's going alright, but I still have two main problems when it comes to rectifying my doughy midsection:
1). I drink too much beer
2). I despise doing core exercises, and dislike doing legs....both of which are crucial to a flat stomach.

As for what you can do with those free weights you have:
- first, I'd recommend getting a pair of 10's as well. This will allow you to do things like lateral side raises (shoulders), that you really shouldn't do with 25's
- there's so much you can do with free weights. I'll break down a few things I like to do, by body part, in a new post

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Shoulders:
- ''Arnold presses" with your 25's (to start). Sit up vertically on your bench, hold the 25's in front of your face, shoulder-width apart with reverse grip (your palms facing towards you). Press the dumbbells up, while rotating your hands inward so that you finish with the weights above your head, with your palms facing out, then come down in the reverse fashion. Just YouTube it.
- lateral side raises like I mentioned in the post above. Slow and in control is the key for these.
- one-armed clean and press
- shoulder-raises -- keep your elbows by your side and grip the dumbbells vertically, with your thumbs facing the ceiling, and pivot your elbows upward to be parallel with your shoulder

Biceps:
- pretty self-explanatory. On curls, make sure not to cheat and use your back.
- seated concentration curls (Youtube it), but basically you let your arm hang down and then curl it 180 degrees up to your chest, going slow to isolate the bicep
- alternate between heavy weight / low rep and low weight / high rep

Triceps:
- lay on your back on the floor and "bench press" the dumbbells.
- nosebreakers while laying on your bench (YouTube it)
- dumbbell kickbacks (YouTube it)
- French press -- sit vertically on your bench, use one dumbbell and lower it behind your head (YouTube it....may be called something different)
- dumbbell push-ups

Chest:
- bench press with DB's
- chest fly's with DB's
- if your bench can change angles.....incline bench and decline bench with DB's

Back: (truthfully, back is the one muscle group that's hard to work out with just dumbbells)
- lawnmower pulls (strengthen the middle of your back)....that's all I got. You could recreate a lat pull down with dumbbells I guess.

Legs:
- weighted squats, weighted lunges, weighted calf-raises

 

[TarHeelNation11]

And I agree with @HookUNC75 , you can cycle for sure.

Beyond that, I'd say join a gym with an Olympic-sized pool. You can't beat swimming. It is insanely good for your cardio, your core, your shoulders, your chest, and your legs. It will kick your ass too. If you can work up to swimming half a mile without taking a break, you'll see results on your love handles and in your fitness level. I'm way too lazy to swim unfortunately, and my new gym doesn't have a pool.

And while we're documenting injuries, I suffer from tendinitis in one wrist, so it's hard for me to go past a certain weight on bench press, squats, and anything where I have to keep my hands under the bar to support weight. Which pisses me off. Also, I tweaked my rotator cuff tubing on the lake a few weeks ago, so I've been running in lieu of the weight-training. Worked out my back last night and I think I made it 10x worse unfortunately. But I don't have the desire to spend the money on getting it looked at.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

And now, workout gifs:

 

[UNC71-00]

I either run or bike (or spin class) for cardio. Swimming might be an option for you as well, but not for me because I can't stand swimming laps. I also try to do yoga a couple of times a week (gym has a class). As far as road biking, I do that 2-3 times a week when it's not hot as hell. I try to go about 20-30 miles each time. I found a good bike on Craigslist for $600. Let me know if you want any info about how to research bikes and I can shoot you some links.

I also can't stand lifting weights. Don't do much of that until I am trying to get legs stronger for ski season.

My one recommendation would be to join a decent size gym- one that has classes- and go to spin class. It is a good workout and the eye candy is usually top notch in those.

 

[BillyL]

 

[TarHeelNation11]

MISSING:

UNC71-00's Man Card.

 

[BillyL]

 

[Raising Heel]

I was talking with a buddy of mine the other day and we were bemoaning getting older. He said he doesn't work out and I thought that was crazy.

Call me crazy.

 

[UNC71-00]

MISSING:

UNC71-00's Man Card.

This from the man who has fap-related tendinitis?

 

[gteeitup]

just about everything mentioned, other than cycling/biking, i do.

i started running about 18 months ago and i love it...i only average about 10 miles a week, about 2.5 each run...i have worked with weights my entire adult life so it took awhile to get my leg stamina up, just did squats forever.

at any rate, on days i don't run, i do my own forms of the p90x workouts; chest/back, shoulders/arms, yoga, and ab work.

i'm in the best shape of my life right now and i'm pretty proud of it.

i did take a 3 month break from home workouts in the spring to try gold's gym just to see what i had...did an old school workout called the "stronglifts 5x5"...i got incredibly strong and burned a lot of fat just doing compound movements...it was actually more satisfying than doing iso stuff like curls, triceps, etc...check that out if you want and it's also a great app for your phone.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Good suggestions fellas. I have pretty good routines going with my weightlifting but thanks for those recommendations too THN11. And yeah, core exercises are the worst. I skip those on days when I'm just not feeling it. That's also a factor in my stomach and love handles returning.

As far as joining a gym, that's not going to happen. My schedule just doesn't allow for that. I love swimming and during the summer, I can do a little of that because we're members of a pool. And I can get laps in when I take the kids up there in the evenings and on the weekends. But joining a gym and swimming are both time consuming. The drive time back and forth, the changing and showering somewhere other than home, packing up...nah. Can't do it. I live about 300 yards from The Blackwater Creek trail system in my town. And it's so easy for me to just run out the front door, go through my neighbor's backyard and get a good run in. And like I said, I have all the equipment I need in my garage and workout there with my weights - also very time efficient.

The one thing I don't have but thought might be a good thing to have in my garage is a heavy bag. Anyone have one? I figure that could be pretty good for some cardio work. They aren't real expensive, are they? I don't need a stand and all that. I have beams in the garage ceiling I could hang it from.

71-00, I would like to have a look at the links you could provide regarding bikes. I used to mountain bike a little but I don't know if I had the wrong kind of seat or it's just my fat ass, but after riding I felt like I had been violated so I haven't biked in years.

**the tagging feature wasn't working for me. Anyone else having problems with that?

 

[gunslingerdick]

I've seen several of y'all mention yoga. My wife loves that sh*t. She does the Bikram yoga - you know, when you're doing yoga in a room that's over 100 degrees. She said it would be awesome for my knee. I might check it out but the classes are 90 minutes. Factor in the drive time and that's me having to set aside 2 hours for a workout. That's just not realistic for me to do consistently.

 

[UNC71-00]

I've seen several of y'all mention yoga. My wife loves that sh*t. She does the Bikram yoga - you know, when you're doing yoga in a room that's over 100 degrees. She said it would be awesome for my knee. I might check it out but the classes are 90 minutes. Factor in the drive time and that's me having to set aside 2 hours for a workout. That's just not realistic for me to do consistently.

That shit would kick your fat ass. I have done it a couple of times and it was brutal, aside from the many attractive females in the class.

 

[UNC71-00]

As far as links- figure out what size bike you need- just google that. Then search for bikes on Craigslist or Ebay or wherever. If you find one you like, go to www.bikepedia.com to make sure what they are selling matches up, then go to www.bicyclebluebook.com to figure out the fair market value based on condition.

Make sure that sucker hasn't been wrecked too- should be easy to tell.

 

[gunslingerdick]

 

[TarHeelNation11]

@gunslingerdick (yes, the tagging works for me),

I'd LOVE to have a heavy bag, but I rent, so there's nowhere for me to put one. Dang, I'd love to have one....always think about it. Would be a great stress release, cardio, and shoulder/tricep strength workout. It shouldn't cost any more than like $85 at Dick's I would guess.

And yeah, if you don't have time for a gym, I'd say rock on with your free weights. If you could get an actual bench so you could bench press, that would help even more (or if you can just get a bar....there's a lot you can do with the bar, even if you don't have bench press uprights).

 

[TarHeelNation11]

This from the man who has fap-related tendinitis?

 

[gunslingerdick]

@gunslingerdick (yes, the tagging works for me),

I'd LOVE to have a heavy bag, but I rent, so there's nowhere for me to put one. Dang, I'd love to have one....always think about it. Would be a great stress release, cardio, and shoulder/tricep strength workout. It shouldn't cost any more than like $85 at Dick's I would guess.

And yeah, if you don't have time for a gym, I'd say rock on with your free weights. If you could get an actual bench so you could bench press, that would help even more (or if you can just get a bar....there's a lot you can do with the bar, even if you don't have bench press uprights).

I have a bench. It can go incline but not decline. And I don't have a straight bar - only dumbbells. I like dumbbell benches better than straight bar anyway. I think it isolates the muscle better. But yeah, I'd like to have a bar for other exercises.

 

[gunslingerdick]

@TarHeelNation11

D'oh!, was forgetting the @ symbol.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

I have a bench. It can go incline but not decline. And I don't have a straight bar - only dumbbells. I like dumbbell benches better than straight bar anyway. I think it isolates the muscle better. But yeah, I'd like to have a bar for other exercises.

An awesome core/abs workout that I actually like to do (but can't right now with my bum shoulder) utilizes a straight bar and it's called Floor Wipers. You can YouTube it, but it's a really great way to work your shoulders and intensely work your core/abs at the same time. You focus so much on holding the bar steady, that you sorta don't realize how much you're engaging your core.....until the next day!

Fair warning though, if you're working on a hard surface, put a couple towels, or a pad down to cushion yourself because it's real easy to rub your skin raw on your lower back / tailbone doing floor wipers.

Plus, you'll be able to do deadlifts with a straight bar. I despise deadlifts, but they're really good for you.

 

[gteeitup]

i'd stay away from flat benching anything...it's just not a natural movement...i do push-ups when i do chest at home or i use a stability ball and do presses because it also works your core.

which reminds me, get a stability ball and so some minutes on that...there's a workout just with that friggin ball that kills.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

i'd stay away from flat benching anything...it's just not a natural movement...i do push-ups when i do chest at home or i use a stability ball and do presses because it also works your core.

which reminds me, get a stability ball and so some minutes on that...there's a workout just with that friggin ball that kills.

Stability balls are excellent, I agree.

Don't agree on no flat benching though. It IS true that your bench max is not an indicator of how strong you are; overall though, bench pressing has its advantages.

 

[saran]

i'd stay away from flat benching anything...it's just not a natural movement...i do push-ups when i do chest at home or i use a stability ball and do presses because it also works your core.

which reminds me, get a stability ball and so some minutes on that...there's a workout just with that friggin ball that kills.

When benching a person has to pull their elbows in towards their chest a bit. That put the stress on pecs. Having arms wide and at right angles to bar puts stress on front shoulders and that can jack them up over time.

 

[coryfly]

I used to life pretty seriously but haven't since I've been married. However, I am lucky enough that my weight stays down pretty naturally. I have started to do some abs and pushups lately just to try and get something resembling a six pack back. It's tough to stick to it after laying pipe all day though.

 

[UNC71-00]

I used to life pretty seriously but haven't since I've been married. However, I am lucky enough that my weight stays down pretty naturally. I have started to do some abs and pushups lately just to try and get something resembling a six pack back. It's tough to stick to it after laying pipe all day though.

Everytime Cory makes a comment about laying pipe, I can't help chuckling to myself.

Bet that job has been brutal this summer.

 

[coryfly]

Everytime Cory makes a comment about laying pipe, I can't help chuckling to myself.

Bet that job has been brutal this summer.

The last week or so has been terrible. We left at 2:30 today it was so bad and my crew generally works until 5 or so.

 

[Raising Heel]

Everytime Cory makes a comment about laying pipe, I can't help chuckling to myself.

Whatever you do, don't think about his abiding love of Miracle Whip while already chuckling.

 

[coryfly]

I've actually cut down on Miracle Whip and cut out potato chips completely. I'm trying to be more healthy in some respects to counter how unhealthy I am in others. It is working gloriously.

 

[UNC '92]

I have ran pretty much all my life up until recently. I did both treadmill and pavement. I have also been coaching AAU basketball for the past 4 years so I ran a lot there as well. About 4 months ago I slipped on a wet spot on the court. After a few days of the most god awful, debilitating back and leg pain I gave in and went to see my doctor. He ended up referring me to a specialist who took an X-Ray and saw enough to send me in for an MRI. Turns out I crushed my disc between my l5 and l6 and herniated the disc between my l4 and l5. Meanwhile my spine was pressing on that damn sciatic nerve due to all the swelling and damn, that hurt down into my feet and also caused a slight loss of control to my right foot.

After resting and rehabbing I am pretty much pain free and needed a way to do cardio without further injuring my back. Since any meaningful running is now forbidden, I decided to buy an elliptical. I bought a Schwinn elliptical about a month ago and so far it has been great. I'm up to 45 minutes a day on that thing now and it has done the job in lieu of running. I'd recommend that for someone going through knee or back pain. No pounding the feet down on anything and makes use of your arms if you get that resistance up a little.

 

[JuleZ '02 HEEL]

Up until the last few months, I have admittedly not done much in the way of exercise since high school soccer, and we won't talk about how long ago that was. I had tried doing some basic stuff (pushups, crunches) on my own but never stuck to it very well. At the beginning of March I started going to F3 workouts three times a week, before any sane person is out of bed, as that's the only time I can fit it in with my schedule, my wife's, and a 2-year-old. It's free, it's outdoors, rain or shine, and there are guys expecting to see me on a regular basis who will give me a hard time if they don't. The group has some kind of workout every morning but I go Mon/Wed/Fri. I do not love when that alarm goes off at 5 in the morning but it feels good to be doing something to get in better shape.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Up until the last few months, I have admittedly not done much in the way of exercise since high school soccer, and we won't talk about how long ago that was. I had tried doing some basic stuff (pushups, crunches) on my own but never stuck to it very well. At the beginning of March I started going to F3 workouts three times a week, before any sane person is out of bed, as that's the only time I can fit it in with my schedule, my wife's, and a 2-year-old. It's free, it's outdoors, rain or shine, and there are guys expecting to see me on a regular basis who will give me a hard time if they don't. The group has some kind of workout every morning but I go Mon/Wed/Fri. I do not love when that alarm goes off at 5 in the morning but it feels good to be doing something to get in better shape.

I wish I could go super early to the gym before work, but man, I've tried it a few times and after the initial alertness/endorphins wear off......I crash hard by noon or so and cannot stay awake.

Back at Carolina, it seemed on Tuesdays/Thursdays, I'd always have a 9:30 and a 2:00 class, so I'd bring gym clothes with me to my 9:30 class, work out on campus after that class, get some lunch on campus, then just chill in Davis Library or somewhere until class at 2. And without fail, I would fall asleep halfway into that 1hr15 minute long lecture. I remember I was taking a Tuesday/Thursday 2:00 - 3:15 PWAD class my junior year called something like "War and Preparedness in 20th century American Society" or something like that, and it was in one of those halls on North Campus in McCorcal Place or however you spell it. Can't remember the hall name, but it was on your right if you were walking towards Franklin. The sun shined in nice and bright from the windows.....man, I was out like a light, halfway through that class every time.

 

[gunslingerdick]

I cannot do early morning workouts either. My favorite time to workout is lunchtime - especially in the winter months.

 

[coolwaterunc]

Yes, I work out. My job is pretty sedentary, and my diet is.....probably as bad as coolwater's or probably worse, so I have to work out.

lol I guess I'm the champion of unhealthy eating on this board. I'll gladly take it. On a serious note, up until this week - because I've been on vacation this week and I eat whatever the F I want when I'm on vacation - I went about 2 1/2 months without eating fast food or takeout. My diet consists of only the basics - meat, fruits and vegetables, and all prepared at home. I'll throw in some brown rice sometimes too. Only every once in a while, I'll eat bread, but I don't regularly eat it anymore, and I don't drink calories - only water and an occasional unsweetened tea (no artificial sweeteners, just plain tea). It makes a huge difference when you go simple like that. As far as exercise, I do have a treadmill, and I try to do two miles every day since, like THN, I have a desk job and literally only move when I need to go to the restroom. I don't run because screw that, walking is good enough for me.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

^ oh Christ. Okay, I'm now the champion of unhealthy eating on this board *grimacing with sweat drop emoji*

 

[coolwaterunc]

It's not that big of a deal, really, and it's a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be. I do get tired of preparing absolutely every meal and the cleanup that comes with it, but it's worth it. Pizza cravings are the worst though. It's always been my favorite, and it pains me to not eat it. I try to satisfy them by cooking up a spaghetti squash, putting it into a baking dish along with marinara sauce, a little bit of cheese (trying to cut back on that a little too) and pretty much any pizza toppings I want except for pepperoni and sausage, which sucks because those two were my favorite. It's an okay alternative, but it's not pizza. Every single meal I eat consists of at least one fruit and one vegetable. I get sick of it sometimes, but there are so many fruits and veggies to choose from, so I try to spread it out. For meat, it's usually chicken since it's so versatile, but I don't get too particular about it. For beef, I try to keep it only grass fed, if available.

I didn't really do it for weight loss, as I was shockingly not really overweight to begin with. I have an overactive metabolism, I guess. I'm 29 and it's still going strong. I did it to simply clean it up a bit and just to feel better overall. It works, and I'm happy with it.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

It's not that big of a deal, really, and it's a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be. I do get tired of preparing absolutely every meal and the cleanup that comes with it, but it's worth it. Pizza cravings are the worst though. It's always been my favorite, and it pains me to not eat it. I try to satisfy them by cooking up a spaghetti squash, putting it into a baking dish along with marinara sauce, a little bit of cheese (trying to cut back on that a little too) and pretty much any pizza toppings I want except for pepperoni and sausage, which sucks because those two were my favorite. It's an okay alternative, but it's not pizza. Every single meal I eat consists of at least one fruit and one vegetable. I get sick of it sometimes, but there are so many fruits and veggies to choose from, so I try to spread it out. For meat, it's usually chicken since it's so versatile, but I don't get too particular about it. For beef, I try to keep it only grass fed, if available.

I didn't really do it for weight loss, as I was shockingly not really overweight to begin with. I have an overactive metabolism, I guess. I'm 29 and it's still going strong. I did it to simply clean it up a bit and just to feel better overall. It works, and I'm happy with it.

You're dead to me. I'm now gonna call Dominos, whose number I know by heart.

ETA: ended up not calling dominos. Resisted the urge

But for real, I need to eat healthier too. The Braves are already doing enough damage to my health

 

[coryfly]

What I've done is started grilling a bunch of meat on Sunday night. I then eat that through the week. I'll eat beans and blueberries and stuff like that with it. It has worked well enough to help me drop 10 pounds or so, which is about all I can afford to lose. You can still eat good food and be healthy and lose weight. The key is just not eating a bunch of crap all the time and not eating huge portions. I think the portions is actually a much bigger deal than what one eats.