Health & fitness

[Brogan]

Is anyone else into any form of exercise, keep fit, etc?

Since my early teens I've always done weight lifting and played a lot of sports such as rugby, football and also athletics - sprints, long jump and javelin, etc.
I did actually play rugby for Durham county but having to work on weekends when I left school put paid to that
I also represented the RAF at athletics but again couldn't get time off to compete in the competitions.

I got quite heavily into bodybuilding in my 20's but always natural, I have never used steroids or any other form of artificial enhancement. Take it from me, anyone who is a decent size and says they've never taken steroids is lying through their teeth.
After several bad injuries involving muscles, tendons, etc. I gave it all up for about 10 years.
And a very relaxing 10 years it was too

Most recently though I have taken up running (about 3 years ago) and that has helped me shift the excess weight I accumulated whilst sitting on my backside for 10 years - all 18kg of it

My first run was a woeful 10 minutes and I was reaching for my inhaler before I was half way.
Now I can happily* run 15km without a wheeze - it really is amazing how running has improved my overall health.

At one stage last year I was running up to 4 times a week for a combined distance of 45km.
Now I just run 3 times a week - 2 x 10km and a 5km and also lift weights twice a week.

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to break 20 minutes for the 5km and 44 minutes for the 10km but at 41 and with a body better suited to distances of no more than 200m, I don't think it's going to happen

My claim to fame though is my resting heart rate is lower than Kimi Räikkönen's.
Not bad for an old bloke

So, anyone else do any form of regular exercise or sport?


* I say happily but in reality I loathe running. It is an excellent way to maintain weight and keep fit though.

 

[Bullfrog]

I've been running every day again for about 2 months after about 5 years without any meaningful exercise.

Used to play rugger a lot at school, uni and after but had to stop after a back injury got too bad. Went from 3 training sessions, 2 games and 4 gym days plus quite a labour intensive job to absolutely nothing. I'm about 3 stone lighter than when I finished but the running should help my general fitness (bored of getting out of breath when physical exertion is unavoidable) and get rid of the disturbing new growth around my midriff.

 

[Brogan]

get rid of the disturbing new growth around my midriff.

That's what prompted me to get back to the gym.

We went on holiday a few years ago and when I saw the photos I think I was down the gym the same day

 

[Speshal]

Aside from work hefting heavy weights and motocross I've not really done any exercise for about 16 years and I'm now officially a fat .

Years of sat on my arse (and drinking cider) mean I'm about 3 stone overweight and carrying it all up front.

Just recently I've started walking for an hour an evening, leading up to start running to try and shift some of it as it's a long time over due.

 

[Brogan]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread

I took around 18 months off from the gym due to the birth of our daughter, but after just a few weeks I was back doing 10k runs again at the same speed as before I stopped.

Now I'm doing 10k runs 3 times a week and a short but intense weight session after each one.

I still absolutely detest running, but it allows me to drink beer without any side effects so that's all that counts

 

[Fenderman]

Currently if I'm not at work I am very much a couch potato. At least that is the shape of my profile. Viewed from the front I appear to wearing a cross-ply tyre. My exercise consists of assaulting the three flights of stairs at work at regular intervals throughout the day and a minimum four ten minute walks as brisk as I can manage. A weekly day out in a country park teaching countryside management to young people boosts the regime.

This is all thanks to an accident eighteen months ago when I managed to inflict upon myself a traumatic bilateral quadriceps rupture. Having previously been very fit and active, indulging in such things as tree planting, Tai Chi, shadow boxing and other bizarre forms of physical exertion I am slowly recovering some of the muscle mass lost from my legs. However, my rotund belly and bum are irritatingly resistant to change.

I can no longer risk weight lifting, which I never really got into as such, since a twang of the quad's will put me back in hospital and cost another few months off work. I am determined however, to regain my as much of my previous level of fitness and lose as much of my current levels of fatness as I can. I may never again perform a mawashi geri but thankfully Tai Chi can be practised as a softer art than Karate so that's my bag now.

Footnote: Keep fit chaps and chapesses. You never know when you'll need it!

 

[Brogan]

This thread just won't die...

So after another prolonged lay-off due to a quite severe chest infection which took about 4 months to shake, I'm finally back up to speed (pun intended) again.

Still only doing 10k runs three times a week and short weights sessions.

Got a holiday in Turkey soon so time to start working on my abs

 

[canis]

Until late last year I worked out 4 or 5 times a week, mainly cardio and stamina work for snowboarding and skiing. Due to a car accident I couldn't work out at all without a lot of pain so stopped until just over a month ago. I managed to go from a 32" waist to a 36" waist between the beginning of October to the end of December (stopped exercising but still kept eating the same way).

In the last month I have lost over a stone in weight and 2 " round my waist trying to get fit again, though the last 2" gain refuses to go away no matter how hard I work on it. I am currently running (treadmill) about 5 miles 3 times a week and doing weight work 2 days a week with the weekends off. I have a final fitting for my wedding suit tomorrow and have been desperately trying to burn off and get back to the 32" waist but it appears all my efforts have just increased the muscle mass and the waist line is creaping back up (That is my excuse and I am sticking to it, nothing to do with the hotel I am have been in during the week for the last 3 weeks having the most amazing menu with fresh market brought produce every day )

 

[Speshal]

This thread just won't die...

I'll just quote this from Facebook shall I?

Aarghh! I was 8k into a 10k run and on for a personal best when I pulled my hamstring!​

 

[Brogan]

Bugger

I was so annoyed I was going to keep going but knew it would have just got worse.

Hopefully it was just a twinge and I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[Speshal]

I'm doing bugger all exercise at the moment as some kind soul decided to drop something very heavy on my foot on Tuesday and as a consequence I now have 3 broken toes.

 

[Brogan]

I've heard some excuses for getting out of going to the gym but that's a bit drastic Spesh.

Next time just get them to give you a dead leg

 

[soccerman17]

Swim practice about 9 times a week after school every day, before school 3 days a week, and saturday morning. Sometimes we don't swim and do some dryland arm and leg training. But Brogan, what's your resting heart rate?

 

[Brogan]

Last time I checked it, it was around 40.

That was a few years ago though,

 

[soccerman17]

wow thats low i thought mine was pretty low in the 50-60 range. Still haven't got Miguel Indurain beat at 29 tho

 

[Brogan]

At my age I think 29 is a distant memory

I suspect it may have been around that 15-20 years ago.

 

[The Pits]

I used to cycle a lot when I was younger (many many years ago) and working in a shop I was fairly active (I held the potato bag dead lift allcomers record, and think I still do!!) and although I smoked, I was fairly fit.

However, I made the fatal error of moving to the office, cycling stopped, as did the smoking, but I put on around 3 stone.

A couple of years ago, I decided to make a concerted effort to get fit again, so I joined the gym, and did some fairly regular sessions, and borrowed a bike. It was working for a while, until the arthritis set in. I was advised to limit exercise such as running and cycling, and take up swimming. I hate swimming, as I wear glasses, and in the pool I can see absolutely bugger all.

I kept up the cycling though, against orders, and I am getting reasonably good as long as the knees hold out. however, thanks to my lack of self control in the food aspect, the weight loss is a little slower than I would like!

I hate arthritis, I keep getting told it should not happen to someone as "young" as me, but that doesnt stop it hurting!!

Maybe a pair of prescription swiming goggles?

 

[Brogan]

I know how that feels - I also suffer from arthritis, mainly in my wrists and fingers.
I also have sciatica due to a prolapsed disc which was diagnosed when I was 18.

I too hate swimming (mainly because I float like a brick) but you obviously need to be careful of making the arthritis worse.

 

[Floris]

I am horribly out of shape, one of my health issues that I am struggling with the last 5 years.
One thing to improve my life a bit is to simply walk more and having water or orange juice in the morning, rather than say, a soda or coffee.

 

[Brogan]

Really pleased with myself this week.
I have managed to beat my personal best for both 5K and 10K.

I think I'm just about at the limit of my VO2 max now though so doubt I will achieve times which are much faster, if at all.

I still hate running though