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Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
I have been going ham on the bike(s). Commuting daily (6 miles) plus a few supplementary rides (20-30 miles) here and there. I’d really like to get up to 50 miles per week and build from there. I got really close last week with a total of 47 miles.
What kind of rides do you do outside of commuting? I’m blessed with good geography - all travel is over flat ground, but there are options for hills and mountains. Most days each week I take a loop through the hills to get a little cardio in.
I’m currently doing the Coffeeneuring challenge, but I also do some overnight camping trips and just cruising around town and on the local greenways. All my bikes have big enough tires to do gravel, so I sometimes hit up the trails in the local state park, too.
Oh, and it’s hilly as heck here if I choose the right (wrong?) route.
Well I seem to have gained 5 lbs. Not sure if it's muscle or gut, but I'm sitting at juuuuust under 200. Which isn't terrible for being 6'2", but I'm hoping it's the muscle. I certainly feel a little more "filled out" around the shoulders and upper chest, which is nice.
Still haven't gotten a routine down yet, just yesterday I did squats (5x3), bench (8x3), and face pulls (8x3). From what I've heard, general consensus is focus on one big lift, and other smaller lifts after per day.
Skipped gym this morning, so now I have to go tomorrow morning to fill my 3 a week quota. I should start running, swimming, or hitting the heavy bag on my days off so at least I get some cardio too.....
I’m not sure how often you’re weighing yourself, but 5 lbs could be, at least partially, water weight.
I've been drinking a lot of water for sure! It's definitely within the usual weight fluctuation range for me. By next week it'll either drop or continue up, which will tell me which option is happening. Either way, certainly nothing to raise a stink about yet.
Running is the easiest to work into a schedule. It just requires shoes and most people can do it straight out of their door.
Unfortunately, it's the least desirable of the three options for me right now. I think I have some leg problems or something so running really makes my legs complain, and I don't even go that far! Like maybe a mile and a half when I'm really feeling it. I would like to get back to running eventually for both mine and my dog's sake, but for now I might ease into cardio with the swimming.
Is it your joints? Cycling would be easy on them by comparison.
Yes, specifically the knees. Unfortunately I'm living in an area that's small enough to run safely, but not large enough to get the benefits of cycling I believe. And the road that I would cycle on is rather unsafe for the two-wheeled. Hopefully whenever I buy that new house we'll have a better area for exercising!
Does it feel like your knee/kneecap is being pulled to the outside of the knee? Could be your IT band. It's a common issue for runners, apparently. I have it in my left leg, but in my case it's caused by tight glutes and tight hips, plus the myriad of brokenness I am.
I'd see a doc or physiotherapist if you can to have them evaluate what's going on. What they had me do was the pigeon stretch, glute bridges, and then foam rolling my IT band (it's not comfortable at all). But I'd still recommend the medical professional first.
Well.. I finally lifted weights after a 2-year layoff thanks to my gal pal inviting me to her gym, today. In fact… this is the first time I’ve ever been in an actual gym! Previously, I lifted weights in a ad-hoc setup my old boss had in a room our company was renting.
Anyhow, I’m surprised that I didn’t lose too much strength since the layoff. Though, I have been doing a lot of bodyweight training that translates into the lifts I attempted today. That said… my numbers aren’t all that impressive. Let’s see… I was hitting 155lb. bench press for reps, 185lb. deadlift for reps (😞), and 110lb. bent-over-rows for reps. Finished with some neutral-grip pull-ups and 45lb. EZ bar curls.. cuz, y’know.. gotta walk out with that bicep pump. 💪 Was too much of a wuss to do squats and didn’t care to overhead press, but otherwise that pretty much mirrored my old routine.
Kinda exciting and I def got a taste for free wights, again! Certainly beats wrecking my joints with copious bodyweight exercise volume…