Official Workout/Fitness Thread (Re-born)

[Induveca]

Incline chest pressing 120 pound dumbbells for 12 reps without much effort now.......biggest issue is my gym only goes up to around 130 pounds on dumbbells. Obviously should be more than enough, but have never hit that wall before on free weights.

Also hit 900 pound leg presses for 6 reps. 10 45s on each side, was scary but very cool. Goal is to hit 1080 pounds for 3 reps.

Form is so crucial with this type of weight, one tiny little pain, or feeling I need to compensate makes me stop immediately.

Also, for people with joint pain when lifting out there......I've bought into the hype of Cissus Quadrangularis. People have been singing its praises for joint pain relief and improved healing time. Had read more than a few posts with people proclaiming joint pain disappearing after 1 week of use. I can proudly report after throwing it in alongside my standard Glucosamine supplement, 10 days later I was able to bicep curl with a complete range of motion for the first time in months yesterday. Stuff really works!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Just finished my workout. I am really encouraged!

Over the summer, my workouts were intense and I saw great gains. After that, I started to devote less and less time to AM workouts due to work and school starting. For about 4 or 5 weeks I gradually got down to not even going in to the gym. I gained about 5 pounds and felt flabby, quickly. Had enough of that, and over a week ago I rededicated myself to getting back in the gym early at least 5 days a week.

My workouts generally consist of shooting a basketball and practicing ball handling to loosen up; doing one of the cardio machines; working my abs; doing pushups and isometric exercises; doing some lifting; and, cooling down with a light swim as time permits.

What really encouraged me today is that I can no do 3 to 5 sets of 7 reps at 290 on the machine bench--when back at the beginning of the summer I could only do it once. I did 290 for 12 reps pretty easily today. Getting stronger at 50 is a blessing!

I think my nutritional approach is working. I've been taking daily a GNC Sport Multivitamin; Amplified Whey Protein Powder; 100 mg of Co Q-10; and, sometimes an aspirin or two on those mornings I'm aching. I don't overdo ANYTHING, because getting hurt would just defeat the purpose. I think the protein is helping with my muscles and the Co Q 10 is helping with cardio endurance and mental clarity. I can tell the difference in good ways from taking what I take.

The main thing working out does for me is calm me and prepare me mentally for whatever stressors are going on. I can say that it makes all the difference in the world.

I really am enjoying compliments on my appearance, particularly from people who haven't seen me in a few months.

[dobrojim]

I am pleased with myself as well

I ran the Steamtown marathon Sunday finishing in 3:25.06
good for 235th overall out of ~1900 finishers
20th among 162 men 50-54 years old

legs still sore today

[Induveca]

If anyone has become bored with their lifting routine, check out German Volume Training.

Guaranteed to shock the hell out of your muscles and make you gain a ton of muscle quickly..........it's absolutely devastating (in a good way). 10 sets of 10 reps, compound exercises......of 70-75% of your 1 rep max.

Intense stuff.

[nate33]

My shoulder still bothers me when I bench or do dips with weight, so I've been trying other things. Lately, I've been focusing on eccentric lifting: you quickly load the muscles then slowly release. It's really working out great. I'm as strong as I've even been and I'm having no pain in my shoulder.

I do push-ups with my feet on the bench: I push up normally, and then I lower myself very slowly (12 to 15 seconds). I repeat to failure (usually 5 or 6 reps), rest and do again for two more sets.

I do the same thing with pullups. I pull myself up once, then slowly lower myself over 12-15 seconds. Repeat until failure.

It works for lots of things: curls, lateral raises, etc.

KNEE UPDATE:
My knee rehab is going great. I can now run normally at an intermediate pace (as fast as a 7:00 mile for as long as 3.5 miles). I haven't tried sprinting yet but I can probably do that too. I can jump normally and my lateral motion seems good. I have no pain in my knee on any of these activities. Basically, the only evidence that I have a knee injury is in the weakness of my hamstring. It's about 60% as strong as my good leg. (They used a portion of my hamstring to graft a new ACL.)

[Zonkerbl]

Ugh, I'm up to almost 200 now. I've gained about 30 lbs since I went off my add medication.

So I take add medication, get high blood pressure and die. Or I go off add medication, get overweight and die.

Gotta get back into shape...

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Over-Mood-Ch ... 0898621283

The book is designed to be used alone or in conjunction with professional treatment. Step-by-step worksheets teach specific skills that have helped hundreds of thousands people conquer depression, panic attacks, anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse and relationship problems. Readers learn to use mood questionnaires to identify, rate, and track changes in feelings; change the thoughts that contribute to problems; follow step-by-step strategies to improve moods; and take action to improve daily living and relationships.

Zonker, I've had the problems above with the exception of substance abuse. (My brain can trip on its own!) From what you've been brave enough to share, I think if you invest just a little time and money you would get a tremendous amount of help from that book. I know because I did myself.

For the times you have the strongest feelings, it really helps to take inventory of what you're feeling, how strongly, what is the worst thing that can happen, how likely, etc. The worksheets in the book walk you through some techniques for recording those feelings. I had a tremendously positive and helpful therapist, who also is of my same faith, guide me through some cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.

Not saying every day is peaches and cream, or that I'm living large and in charge on everything, Zonker. I just have a much more balanced approach now thanks in part to some thought improvements, such are outlined in the book.

[W. Unseld]

I'm reading the 4 Hour Body which has times has been great and at other times frustrating but it's the third or 4th time I've ready to slam protein first thing in the morning ie 40 grams of it. I feel good after doing it and I don't need caffine when I do. The protein I bought is cheap but I recently discovered it has creatine in it and I'm trying to find a good, inexpensive lean protein for weight loss and creatine is counterproductive. Does anyone have a good protein mix brand suggestion?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I also feel much better when I take a protein shake in the AM post workout, W. Unseld.

I think it is worth the tradeoff to take it despite it slowing weight loss, because IMO it allows you to build lean muscle, which burns fat and tones you up. I lost weight taking a protein shake called Cyto Gainer, but that was over the summer when I had a lot of time to spend in the gym.

Don't know what kind of time you have, but I think just walking and cutting calories probably would shed the weight. Walking on an incline treadmill would be even better.

[W. Unseld]

CCJ, I'm not doing this post work out. I'm just doing it to start the morning sort of like eating eggs to stay full and get protein. Clearly I should be doing it post work out and life is full of excuses but keeping a job at work is a b*tch right now and having two small kids is awesome in number of ways but difficult to make jive with a work and a work out schedule.

DAMN IT, IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!!

Okay, yes it is, but I had to get that out of my system anyway.

[Induveca]

There is an interesting diet that has been hugely successful in test studies, and something I've done unwittingly myself in the past which may help you all quite a bit.

Basically, it works like this:

Sunday: Eat whatever you want in reason. But just try to be light on pastas/rice/bread. Light cardio. Cardio if desired.
Monday: Eat breakfast, lunch........light cardio/workout. Don't eat anything else after lunch.
Wednesday: (See Sunday)
Thursday: Cardio/workout early, eat breakfast. Eat lunch. No dinner.
Friday: (See Sunday)
Saturday: Eat breakfast, eat lunch. Workout/cardio. No dinner.

This is basically a modified version of the "nothing after 5 PM" type diets which are popular in Asia. However there were some studies on bodybuilding.com, can't find the link just now which showed people who followed this diet strictly in a large study in Mexico lost up to 35 pounds in 2 months (the average was 11 pounds in 2 months for those with little to no exercise). There was something with it suppressing insulin production for 12 hour periods over the nighttime, which yielded BETTER results than skipping dinner daily.

Pretty interesting. It's also quite logical, anyone who skipped dinner for an evening.......and woke up the next morning you can imagine that impact doing it 4 times a week in perpetuity.

The key here is every other day to skip dinner, and if you sleep at 11 PM, wake up 7 AM you've gone 17 hours without eating. The minimum is every other day to go 12 hours without food. Hope this makes sense, typing it quickly........

[dobrojim]

my second longest race of the year, 50 miles, on Saturday.

It'll be a long, but fun day. Start and finish at Watkins Glen HS

[Induveca]

Dobrojim & or Nate,

At the risk of exploding my knees.......I am in a desperate need for cardio in an extremely packed city. I've begun to jog some in a few parks for 30-45 minutes when necessary.

That all being said, I'm a big guy. 6'4", 225 and have gained around 20 pounds of muscle in the past 6 months....my legs hit the ground pretty damn hard. I'm petrified of using the wrong shoe, or using wrong technique when jogging. I'm really banging up my knees/ankles I feel....doing something wrong here.

First off, could you recommend a solid light running shoe for someone my size? I'm in extremely good shape, I can swim forever/use the elliptical 90 minutes on very high settings. It's just my technique/equipment I feel. I'll wear ankle braces/knee braces....whatever. **** I'd run in a full body cast if it ensures it protects my legs enough to keep lifting regularly.

Any books/sites/videos you could recommend on jogging technique/form would be immensely helpful. I am doing a cutting phase and just can't get into the gym at times where ellipticals are available so I'm hitting the pavement instead at times.

Really appreciate it!

[nate33]

Go to a specialized athletic shoe store and get fitted for running shoes. You need the right type of shoe based on the way your feet pronate when you run. You'll probably end up paying about $100 for your first pair of running shoes, but you'll be amazed at how good it feels when you use them. It's like running on air. From that point forward, you can just order the same model of shoe online for about $70.

Regarding running style, you want to stick to shorter strides with a faster turnover. You shouldn't be putting your feet very far in front of your center of gravity when you plant it, and you should be planting on the middle of your foot, NOT your heel. I suggest using a watch or a GPS when you first try doing this. It's really weird because it feels like you are going real slow but the watch tells you that you are actually going faster. When I first adapted my normal running style to this short-step style (also known as the POSE method), I shaved about :20 per mile of my pace at the same pulse rate.

You can google "pose method" and you'll find plenty of websites and youtube videos that describe it. One thing to note, when you first try it, it'll probably make your calves real sore at first (along the sides of your lower leg). You are using muscles that haven't been using much and it takes them a week or so to adjust. Also, try to minimize the up and down bobbing when you run. That's pure wasted motion. You almost want to feel like you are running on eggshells. It feels a little prissy at first if you're used to trudging along in a manly manner.

Another hint is to try a little bit of barefoot running in the field or on some dirt somewhere. When you run barefoot, it hurts to strike with your heel. It forces you to run the way nature intended for you to run, with a mid-foot strike and short steps. Don't do very much distance in bare feet without building up to it very slowly. Extensive barefoot running on weak feet can give you plantars fasciitis or achilles problems. Just stick to a couple of hundred yards at a time to try to work out the running motion. Then try to mimic the same running motion in shoes.

[nate33]

From page 1 of this thread. For Induveca

fishercob, hermitkid, a couple of suggestions:

It definitely could be running technique. A long distance running stride is nothing like the running stride in a sprint or in a sports activity. You want to minimize the up-and-down motion because it's all wasted energy (and it adds wear and tear to your joints). You do so by shortening your stride. Don't think about jumping off your back leg and over-extending your front leg. Instead, you just kinda fall forward onto your front leg without jumping off the back. The power from your run should come almost exclusively from your gluts and hamstrings as you "pull" yourself through the stride. It shouldn't come too much from your quads and calves as you "jump" into the next step. You want to minimize the work of the calves altogether. When you try this technique, I suggest using a stopwatch or a GPS watch (or a treadmill) to measure your speed. You are going to feel like you're going slow but you'll actually go as fast or faster than you were with your old technique. Check out this link for more info.

Another suggestion is to go to a running store and get a real pair of running shoes. A specialized running store will put you on a treadmill and measure the way you pronate when you run. They'll then give you the kind of shoes that work best with your running style. A decent pair of running shoes will cost you $80-120. If you're buying something from Foot Locker for $50, they're probably not good enough.

When you get started running, don't be afraid to walk. Run for 3 minutes then walk a minute. Then run 3 then walk 1. Slowly, over the course of a few weeks, lengthen the running portion (4:1, then 5:1, etc.) until you can run the whole time. Another thing: make sure you run at least 3 times a week. If you do it less, you're gonna continue to be sore. It's just like lifting weights. If you do a heavy workout after a long layoff, your muscles hurt like hell for two days. But if you lift the same muscle group every 3rd day, your muscles heal quickly and you're barely sore the next day.

Also, stretch after your run. Don't stretch before your run. If you feel tight while your running, it's okay to stretch after you're warmed up for about 6 or 7 minutes, but don't stretch cold. I usually run 3/4 of a mile easy, then stretch, then go run another 3-4 miles at a faster pace.

Start off run/walking for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. After a week or two, get it up to 25 minutes, after another week or two, 30 minutes. Stay at the 30 minute level until you are able to run it all the way with no walking. If you want to build from there, start increasing one of the runs. So you go 30, 30, 40 minutes. Then 30, 30, 50 minutes. Then 30, 30, 60. You are now at half-marathon training levels.

[dobrojim]

Agree with Nate totally on going to a specialized shoe store except
I'd go slightly further and say go to a /running/ shoe store. Neither
of us can know what will be the right shoe for you but a good salesman
at such a store should be able to help you.

I'm not familiar with the style/technique he mentioned. My own take
is that ideally, it should be a natural thing. I actually might go as far
as disagreeing a bit with the idea of trying to avoid a heel strike. It really
depends on your own anatomy. When I was last fitted for orthotics this
summer, I had a little talk with the podiatrist about the latest fad
in running footware, the 5 Fingers which is basically like a tough sock.
(Read Born to Run). The idea behind this is that they promote (what some believe is) a more
natural style of running, less heel strike and more mid-sole. My podiatrist
advised me strongly against that given the specific anatomy of my feet.
Running shoes are designed in most cases for a heel strike style.

One thing for a big guy like you is that you might want to pay attention
to the type of surface you're running on. When I run on one of the vulcanized
tracks, then I feel like I'm running on air or with springs in my legs.
Stay away from concrete, asphalt is better, off-road is better yet. That
said, off road generally forces you into a slower pace which may not
give you the aerobic stress/challenge that you are looking for. But off road
is also great for stress relief in that your entire surroundings are likely
to be healthier ie fewer cars around and more natural and enjoyable.
Running in the woods can be a very spiritual experience. There is also
something beneficial about trail running on an uneven surface as opposed
to a perfect paved one in that it typically involves more different muscles
moving in different ways.

If all that fails and you are having physical issues from running that
you believe might be addressed by style, look into a few sessions
with a coach to evaluate your running style.

First thing though is get fitted for shoes by a knowledgeable person familiar
with runners and then stay away from the surfaces that have the
least give to them.

When I train on a track, I do not try to run any faster than the max
pace I can run for 6 minutes straight even though I can sprint somewhat
faster than that at least for a 200-400 M interval.

I ran for about 5-7 years before I developed chronic achilles tendonitis.
Suffered with that for a year or 2, then got custom orthotics from a
podiatrist and have been mostly injury free in the 5-6 years since then.

[Induveca]

Guys, thanks a lot........i'll be running mostly in a park on dirt trails/sidewalks. I'll try to find routes on dirt mostly to save my knees. Will also check out the videos you mentioned Nate.

Heading out tomorrow to get fitted for some custom shoes. I can run a three miles no problem in 8 minutes per mile just from my swimming and elliptical training, problem is i'm sore in all the wrong places. I just feel like a damn freight train sometimes. I know for a fact if I take a tumble something is going to break as things feel close to breaking even when I don't fall.

Hope the shoes help, lack of stability with my current adidas is frightening.

Thanks again.

[nate33]

Ironically, you might have some issues because you are in such good shape. It takes a while to build up the muscular-skeletal conditioning necessary to tolerate the impact of running for long distances. That's not a problem for most beginner runners because they're also limited at the cardiovascular level. They get tired quick enough so that they don't overtax their muscles. You are an unusual case. You are in great cardiovascular shape but you haven't built up a resistance to the impact of running.

I'd take it easy at first. Run for just a mile or two and then finish up your workout on a bike or in the pool. In each successive workout, I'd add a quarter of a mile or so to the run portion of the workout until you've built up to 3-4 miles. If you don't do that, you might end up with some joint pain and muscle aches. Also, take an ibuprofen after your runs, at least for the first couple of weeks.

[dobrojim]

I would try to avoid routine use of ibu and the like except under
severe circumstances. Some level of inflammation is OK. Don't
try to mask pain. Listen to your body.

[Nivek]

Indu: Why do you need to run? When you run, are you getting muscle soreness or joint pain? I do my cardio (when I do it) mainly on the elliptical or the bike these days because jogging on my knees is baaaaaad. If I'm prepping for a Warrior Dash or something, I'll do treadmill or some street jogging once a week. More than that, and my knees are just killing me. Hmm, I wish Portland had a GM again. With my knees, maybe I could talk them into a max contract.