Exercise and Fitness

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

Talk about BMI is fine for non-athletes. If you are in the gym, don't focus on BMI. I am 5'9" and weigh 212-215, hell I am obese on that scale. I've forced myself there from 140 over the past 6-7 years. Waist has always been 32-33".

Yea, I know BMI is useless if you do any type of weightlifting at all. It's basically a "supermodel" measurement. Makes no sense in the real world.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Porsche

That's an accomplishment. And without exercise?

Thanks, and yes. Weight loss isn't rocket science, its just discipline (notice I'm not saying it's easy, because it's not). Calories in/calories out. What I found was I was eating between 1,000 and 1,500 calories too much every day for my activity level, even though I didn't really "overeat". I gained the weight a few pounds a year over a couple of decades. I matched my calorie intake to my burn rate, then cut it some more. Basically I'll lived on right around 1,000 calories a day for 14 months to lose the bulk of it.

I did that and dropped from 267 to 171, and a (tight) size 44 to 32. I realize I'm going to have to up the excercise level to maintain and tone though so getting ready to start that.

Originally Posted by Porsche

"Exercising," you say. And right away it's a deterrent, right? Just the word alone makes you cringe, I'll bet. And why not? It's a chore to most people and after the initial novelty wears off, most people drop it, hence the ubiquitous exercise machines for sale with very low miles on them.

Here's the "secret," hawk man: Find an enjoyable activity/sport. It should be pleasurable and even fun. If it's just "exercise" then it is unlikely to be sustainable for the rest of your life ... as it should be, and needs to be if you're to succeed. Most people do not succeed with mere "exercise."

Hah! You've been watching haven't you? Good solid advice.

Originally Posted by Porsche

Walking has much to recommend it, actually, and your wife can join you. It may even lead to running.

Actually, I do quite a bit of walking, and some of is technically purposeful as "exercise". I just need to up the intensity instead of "strolling".

Originally Posted by Porsche

...(some good advice on cycling and other activities from above, well except running)....

I'm not a runner. I have done it, and used to be relatively "good" at it and could build up distance pretty quickly when I do it but I dreaded every minute of it. I don't get the "rush" from it others do, so it just doesn't work for me.

I will probably get back into biking. I live within a short ride of the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and have always loved to bike. Before now my weight made it almost impossible, really threw off my balance because I was so heavy at 5'7".

So, bikes and weights it is. Now I just need to get up from the computer and do it!

[bestwheelbase]

@Porsche you make lots of good points. Playing is fun, exercising is a chore. Get out and play!

@Dadhawk - I am like you, I do not enjoy running. Cycling is fun because it lets you cover greater distances, explore more places and, if you get tired, you can stop pedaling and still enjoy the breeze.

Silver Comet Trail looks awesome, but it also looks pretty flat. It's a good place to start, but remember - your FRS can easily haul a bike with the seats folded down.

One last thing: @Porsche I love you man but $8k-13k for a bicycle is gonna scare people away. Your advice to avoid department store bikes is spot-on. All the best rides start with a trip to your local bike shop.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

@Dadhawk - I am like you, I do not enjoy running. Cycling is fun because it lets you cover greater distances, explore more places and, if you get tired, you can stop pedaling and still enjoy the breeze......

Yea, it's relatively flat since it's an old railroad bed, so the worst of it is a 2% grade, although that can go on for miles. The advantages are its long (almost 100 miles, so 200 miles round trip) without being repetitive like a track would be. Also, its good for roller blading which I also will do. It does have some added overpasses and such that are above the 2% grade, but again nothing drastic.

Not worried about getting the bike there, I have a Suburban for that duty, and in fact could just ride the bike there (less than 2 miles on what passes for backroads here).

[Timmy_Jones]

Lets talk grip strength....

I have never used any 'assists' in lifting but when dead lifting over 4 plates I NEED straps. No chalk allowed in our gym. Any advice here? I do forearm workouts but my hands just give out with heavier weights.

Only exercise I ever use straps for is deads, I can handle everything else.

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

@Porsche you make lots of good points. Playing is fun, exercising is a chore. Get out and play!.

Oh man, I love lifting weights. I don't know how you couldn't. I could never just go outside and run. Cycling, maybe, but something about a heavy barbell and just determination to lift it is a blast to me.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

Oh man, I love lifting weights. I don't know how you couldn't.

I like your enthusiasm.

Weight training is, arguably, the single best form of resistance training available. You and I know that, Timmy, but you might want to help educate those who might be inclined to dismiss it as the pastime of the ignorant(?). That's not the case at all, and people reading in your fine thread here might benefit from some teaching.

Weight training permits targeting muscles with a specificity largely unmatched by any other form of endurance and strength training.

Injured? Then some form of weight training is probably just the solution for therapy. One simply uses very light weights, targeting the injured area.

Good job on your accomplishments; you've done a lot, Timmy.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

I love you man but $8k-13k for a bicycle is gonna scare people away. Your advice to avoid department store bikes is spot-on. All the best rides start with a trip to your local bike shop.

Heh. Got your attention, didn't it?

I expect everyone knows they can enjoy cycling without buying a pro bike. Just as we can enjoy sports cars without buying an expensive Porsche, Ferrari, etc.

Although, I will say that anyone who gets truly involved in cycling will end up wanting to spend around $3k-$4k if buying a NEW bike. That has been the sweet spot for maximum return for your dollar, beyond which the law of diminishing returns sets in.

I'm old and we struggle trying to think what to buy ourselves; we have everything we want, really. No, I don't have a Ferrari OR a Porsche, alas, but I'm reconciled to the idea, you know? We live modestly and frugally and within our means. Seeing what is happening to people in our country today is very disturbing.

Increasingly, my wife and I count our blessings.

By the way, those bikes over $9k employ battery powered, electronic shifting! Isn't that amazing? It's about a $2500-$3000 premium last I looked for the top of the line Dura-Ace electronic shifting equipment. You just push a button to shift. I'll settle for my Dura-Ace mechanical, manually shifted equipment.

Oh, and thanks for "loving" me; wish more people did. :happy0180:

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Not worried about getting the bike there, I have a Suburban for that duty, and in fact could just ride the bike there (less than 2 miles on what passes for backroads here).

Since you sound as though you may take up cycling again, I feel obliged to play "Safety Nazi" and encourage you to wear a good helmet. I also wear good padded cycling gloves for comfort and to keep from having a doc pick gravel out of my palms should I crash, and I would feel dangerously naked without my tiny mirror that clips onto my eyeglass frames. I keep an eye on the cars coming by me.

Look at quality, padded cycling shorts as well; they are indispensable.

Go online and check out Performance Bike and Bike Nashbar for good deals on equipment. (Performance owns both, I'm told. I've bought from them for many decades and been cycling since the late 60s.)

You'll find numerous cycling forums where you can learn a great deal, and there are many cycling books worth reading that you may have at your local library.

I'd encourage you to get your wife involved as well, and even the kids.

After you get over the initial couple weeks of soreness ... have FUN!

[xxscaxx]

Originally Posted by MF_DEUCE

umm...I'd REALLY take caution when doing this. I've talked to some very intelligent professors who work with some supplement companies and has been a professional body builder who told us to not use protein shakes as a whole meal. I believe some protein powders even say *Do not use as a whole source of nutrition*. The body needs whole food, if you're going to swap a meal/snack with some drink, I would suggest "juicing." That is a much more natural way of eating the right things in a much more efficient way.

Im no expert, you can do what you like but it just doesnt seem natural.

Sidenote: I just read my protein powder mix and it states: Do not use as a whole source of nutrition.

i'm not using it as a whole source of nutrition. I'm not eating every meal using a protein shake. one or two meals a day I will use it for my protein source.

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by xxscaxx

i'm not using it as a whole source of nutrition. I'm not eating every meal using a protein shake. one or two meals a day I will use it for my protein source.

I know what you mean, when you say meal it means one of the times during the day you eat. I have 6-7 meals a day but a few are shakes. Others are food. Sometimes a combo.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

One last thing: @Porsche I love you man but $8k-13k for a bicycle is gonna scare people away. Your advice to avoid department store bikes is spot-on. All the best rides start with a trip to your local bike shop.

Yea, gotta agree with that one. Sorry, but I'd struggle to justify $3K to $4K for a bike unless I was doing some serious event training. I'm willing to spend more than a "WalMart" bike but honestly past a few hundred dollars, I just don't see the value in it.

It's the same thing with cars. I can afford a new car that costs 2 to 3 times an 86, but I don't see the ROI in it for me.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I'd struggle to justify $3K to $4K for a bike unless I was doing some serious event training.

Then this bike done in collaboration with the McLaren F1 operation would probably not interest you.

http://mikesbikes.com/product/12spec...e-130904-1.htm

I'm willing to spend more than a "WalMart" bike but honestly past a few hundred dollars, I just don't see the value in it.

So you say now; if you find a sport that meaningfully enhances your life, then the chances are good that you will follow in the footsteps of so many others and come to understand that $4000 invested in your health is not so much after all. This is what I expect your wife hopes for you.

Every beginner I've ever spoken to had the same expectation of spending "a few hundred dollars, max..."

This is why I suggested you begin with a used bike. Keep the cost down, and be able to sell the bike for near what you originally paid for it should you find cycling not to your liking.

I never suggested anyone BEGIN with a $4000 bike. That's why I said, "that anyone who gets truly involved in cycling will end up wanting to spend around $3k-$4k if buying a NEW bike."

I would anticipate that happening after a few YEARS of cycling. You'll probably know by then what role cycling will assume in your life. Your wife has high hopes.

If $200 is your limit, I'd strongly recommend learning how to properly fit a bike, and then shopping at garage sales where you might stumble onto a real find.

You never answered my question about age, so I'll just offer the obvious suggestion: Get approval from your physician before undertaking a strenuous exercise program.

[M-17]

Originally Posted by ihaskrayon

Not to be homo or anything, but I really think this thread needs more pictures. I'm sure a lot of people will get motivated seeing people change and what they can become if they work hard and start eating right.

I'm one of those people that can pretty much eat anything and not gain a pound. I would say if anything, I've gained a little bit of weight due to alcohol. Now that I've cut that down a lot (only drink 2-4 beers a week) I feel better since I've been working to raise my cardio the past few weeks and have noticed my stomach getting slimmer. I would say that I'm about 130lbs +/-.

I feel that one of my main struggles is gaining weight to build muscle. I agree with M-17 that I would like to stay as natural as possible. I try to eat healthy and the only kind of supplement I use is whey protein powder post work out. Other than that, I don't really use anything else.

I'm the sort of the same way. I can lose weight so easily but I can eat as much as I want. There was a point in my life when I noticed I was letting myself go due to drinking on the daily. But learning to give up on certain temptations and eating right got me right back to where I used to be.
Gaining weight can be somewhat a challenge for me. Since I don't want to gain much fat. I want to add proper weight on my frame and if takes me longer then so be it. I can live with that. And besides most weight lifters are fat, but not all of them (that could be saved for a different discussion).



And I'm just realizing again why I gave up on running a little more than a year ago because of my knees. Damn I really don't want to wear some knee braces. I can get up to 3 miles no problem. I'm trying to progress steadily but after a while of running from a week my knees start to bitch. Anyone know any good tips around this? My goal is to get up to 10 miles.