Exercise and Fitness
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I've been emabarking on getting fit... again.
I tried to get back into running early last year, but had some problems with old foot and knee injuries that made it a struggle once the distance built up, so packed it in. I've recently joined the gym just to keep a decent level of fitness, and got myself a personal trainer to set me up a fitness program which will hopefully get my body in a better shape to start running on the roads again.
It's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm starting to feel the difference. I've put on about half a stone in weight, and some of my shirts are starting to get a bit tight around the chest - the small Rumpus ones barely go on now. The big difference has been the weekly squash game with the chaps from work; I'm covering more ground and not getting as tired. Still not winning much, but the games are much closer.
Rubbishly though, I seem to have developed some weird sleep disorder, so where I'd expect to have more sleep with exercising more, I'm finding I'm more awake and struggling to get more than five hours sleep a night. Off to the doctors tomorrow to see what they say. -
I'e found the same thing - the fitter and leaner I am the less sleep I require. Five hours seems a bit low though!
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Are you exercising in the evenings? Can take a good three to four hours to settle down enough to sleep.
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Must admit even if I exercise in the evening and take a hot bath after I never have any problem sleeping.
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I'm waking up at around 5am, so go to the gym for an hour or so before work. Try to go to bed at a reasonable time but takes me a couple of hours to actually fall asleep.
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You should try booze, Col.
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I'm with you KC, in December 2009 I weighed, well, I'm not saying how much exactly but it was my lowest weight in about 10 years. Cut to today, and while I haven't exactly ballooned, I'm about 10 pounds more now than I was then. Worse, I've had more colds and bugs in my 6 months in London than in the last 5 years of living in the West Country. To be expected I guess, seeing as I'm in much closer proximity to thousands more people than before. But the upshot is, between the colds, extra work and extra nights out, I've slacked off the gym and am rather unfit again.
As a for instance, my half-marathon (21,000m-ish) pace on the rowing machine was about 2:22 per 500m about 3 years ago. It took me 1 hour, 39 minutes and 9 seconds to do a half marathon and I didnt find it hard. Today, I rowed at that same pace for all of 15 minutes before I needed a short break.
I know that within 6 sessions I'll be back at a reasonable standard (well, I'll be able to manage 10k without needing to stop in the middle) but I know it's going to hurt.
I may need to implement a temporary drinking ban again to kickstart progress. :( -
I almost killed myself attempting a 5k row at the end of my last session. That was at a 2:30ish pace, but did try an ambitious last 500 at sub two-minutes that lasted about 200 metres.
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Yeah after a pretty long and rubbish winter, I realised the only real exercise I have been getting for about 4 months is walking in the lakes every other week. Been hitting the running and cycling again quite a bit in the last month or so though to try and up fitness levels for the summer and feel a million times better for it.
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I'm slowly getting back to fitness. Did 26 miles on the bike today and it didn't feel too bad. I'm still a bit slow, even on the road bike, but I'm putting that down to there being more hills around here than where I was last year. I certainly feel like I'm moving a lot faster on the road bike.
I have about 7 weeks now to get up to full fitness for this 81 mile etape thing in May and I'm starting to think I might manage it. If you'd asked me a month ago I would have given a different answer. -
Think the big thing we all need to remember is, if you were fairly fit before and you've just slacked off for a bit, it will be much easier and quicker to pick up the thread and recover a decent pace compared to if you were never fit at all in the first place.
That's the thought I'm clinging to anyway ;) -
Skiing. If you enjoy it and you've got the budget - and i would seriously suggest you avoid Switzerland - then it gives you a boost unlike any other I reckon. Since I got back a month ago I have found my strength and lung power has returned to pre travelling levels.
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Rexx, two months is plenty of time to regain fitness for an 81 mile slog, you'll be fine, although it doesn't really give you any slacking off time ;-)
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I'm similar to Puffle in a way. I was at my lightest about a year ago, and then after I did the half-marathon and seriously hurt myself (boring stuff but I basically aggravated a bunch of muscles around my pelvis and hip and was in agony for months), I probably put on a stone and a half, which is hugely frustrating, especially after I managed to shift so much weight the first time round.
Good news is I'm now sufficiently recovered to get stuck in at the gym again (which in itself is therapeutic to the problem), and hopefully on the road to losing the weight again.
Colin - are you at the Carrefour? -
I'm shocked by how my fitness has collapsed since tearing bits of my knee last year. Put on a mass of weight, energy of a sloth and hilarious lack of flexibility. Gently turning all that around now we're settled but I reckon it'll be a year before I'm back to how I felt in 2009.
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Slow and steady is definitely the best way to get back to fitness after injury. I know a few folk who have re-inured themselves trying to do too much too soon. One chap rebroke his foot in exactly the same place within 6 months- both anatomically and geographically!
I needed to lose weight since October last year as I wanted to do a number of distance races in 2011 and my knee was giving me issues. Keeping an honest food diary made the whole thing pretty straightforward and losing 0.5-1 lb a week is easier if you are simply balancing numbers. Although, being a tree hugging vegan as well I was shocked at how little protein and carbs I was getting for my training so a diary has helped enormously in other ways. -
Koworld said:
I'm shocked by how my fitness has collapsed since tearing bits of my knee last year. Put on a mass of weight, energy of a sloth and hilarious lack of flexibility. Gently turning all that around now we're settled but I reckon it'll be a year before I'm back to how I felt in 2009.
A newborn ain't gonna help none not neither nor nuffink.
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It'll be alright with new bubba, we both work mostly from home so disappearing on the bike for an hour a day is no real issue. @budgie I shall be pacing myself relative to Headington Hill :)
Just kicking off the new regime with a full English at a greasy spoon in Kidlington. I've asked for skimmed milk in me tea. -
Ah don't make me depressed. Used to do that hill every day coming back from work. I'm sure I'd be a mess if I tried that now.
Edit: Oh and what Dave said, go easy on the knee pushing up the hill :)
New work will be a cycle ride to and from so that will help at least.Post edited by budgie at 2011-03-28 05:52:57 -
@dalbyspook Yep, Carrefour. I can be seen lifting feeble weights early in the morning.
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@KidCasio Ah. I tend to go in the evenings but will probably be doing a few midweek mornings soon, hopefully. I'll give you a wave as I stumble along chadlike on the treadmill.
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Koworld said:
Just kicking off the new regime with a full English at a greasy spoon in Kidlington. I've asked for skimmed milk in me tea.
I'm shaking my head at you right now sir. Right now.
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I know, ruined the taste of the tea it did :)
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Just returned from an epic few games of squash. On court for over an hour, and still had a bit left in the tank.
The gym time has definitely boosted my fitness levels. -
Managed to complete my second ever marathon distance run today. Due to the high winds, rain and hills it was far from quick but just satisfied to another under my belt.
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Great work Al. Mentally that must be a real confident booster if you have Edinburgh in the pipeline.
High wind, hills and rain- surely that's what running in Scotland is all about? Hope you didn't get your kilt soggy ;-) -
nowt worse than a soggy kilt..
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Blimey Alan, that's fantastic mate. I was feeling quite proud at being able to run for a total of 16 minutes without dying the other day ..but hey, I'm closing the gap. ;)
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Well played Al, it's been cool to see your progression on this.
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Good stuff people. :)
My progress is still on track. I've not managed to get as much swimming in since starting to work from home, but I have started going to a circuit training session once a week as an alternative. Bloody hard work some of that is. -
Thanks chaps.
@Jim - the funny thing is, considering the amount of miles I've covered in the last year, the first 3 miles are always as tough as old boots, once you get past that mark though, your body seems to get to it's optimum running temperature, your second wind kicks in and you can pretty much run on auto-pilot after that. -
Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting to that stage Al, but still a way off yet I fear. :)
I'm using a little iPhone app called 'Get running', and it's been pretty good so far. It really eases you in gradually with the proper intervals and that, so you don't get put off by doing too much too soon - which is where I always go wrong usually. I've also been very careful to do all of of the requisite stretching this time too, which is something I've been a bit lazy over in the past and then subsequently paid the price in sore knees and legs.
Fair play though, the weight is already starting to fall off me, and I'm only on the 4th week. I've started back in the gym too for the first time in over 8 years, so I don't think my poor body knows what's hit it. :) -
Jimmytheat said:
Fair play though, the weight is already starting to fall off me, and I'm only on the 4th week.
The weight you lose is incredible, I've lost over a stone and the belt hole I used to get into when I was 20 is now too slack. It's definately a lovely side effect of the running.
:-)
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I started off as a skinny bugger, and still am, but I've happily put weight on. My waistline is shrinking which will make buying trousers a much more difficult task than it already is.
I'm hoping the joints and muscles in my right leg will be able to take to road running after my recent gym prep. My trainer recommended running on grass for the short term before hitting the solid roads. -
Grass? Grass? The man's a charlatan, a fitness-quack, a potion-peddling fraud! The real solution is, of course...
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You shill.
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Did this short workout last night from the lovely Zuzana of http://www.bodyrock.tv
Fuck me, what a killer. It took me a smidge over 18mins to complete and I can barely walk this morning. ;)
Here's the workout details if anyone fancies a go: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2009/10/17/todays-workout-one-legged-gypsy-saturday-october-17-2009/
Post edited by Muttley at 2011-04-06 04:28:40 -
Been long enough since the op for me now to get back into doing bicep and tricep curls and such, to build up my arms back to what they were beforehand.Post edited by PVB at 2011-04-06 08:43:37
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*fap fap fap*
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Hmm, the thought of PVB weightlifting doesn't do it for me... Each to his own I suppose ;-)
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A aha ha . Oh Cock.
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/Backs away from Stark, then closes door and runs away.....Post edited by PVB at 2011-04-06 10:22:46
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Muttley said:
Did this short workout last night from the lovely Zuzana of http://www.bodyrock.tv
Fuck me, what a killer. It took me a smidge over 18mins to complete and I can barely walk this morning. ;)
Here's the workout details if anyone fancies a go: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2009/10/17/todays-workout-one-legged-gypsy-saturday-october-17-2009/
It probably depends on the strength of your ab muscles and overall flexibility, but there are only four exercises in that, and two of them look horrendously bad for your lower back. The last one might be dodgy and all if you're not able to take all the strain on your hip/thigh.
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Just done 10k on the indoor rower, well, 7k then a 3k at a slower pace.
I love it when idiot lads sit down on a machine next to me, have a sly look at my pace, do 60 seconds at twice my speed then have to slow right down or stop completely because they're fucked. Sometimes they start again matching my pace like the guy next to me today. He lasted 8 minutes before he gave up. I really want to say, look, I might be a fat asthmatic girl but I've been doing this for 3 years and if you flap around like a fish out of water you'll never beat me, love.
I've turned into a rowing snob. :(
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@gogol1000 Which ones do you think are bad for your lower back? They all mainly seem to hit abs, glutes and abductors. They may hit the lower back a little, but nowhere near as much as something like Planks (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/qt/plank.htm) which I do as part of circuit training every Monday/
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That crawl forward when her hands are closest to her feet she's bent double more or less. Also the sit up one - I've been told by a physio that a sit up only needs to go as far as working your ab muscles (so only a small lift) to be of benefit, and raising yourself any higher just puts strain on the lower back.Post edited by gogol1000 at 2011-04-06 14:34:05
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@puffle I always found that amusing when I went to the gym too. They always had really poor form as well. ;)
What's your 2k time BTW? I'd never really went for a 2k time before and just tried one the other week and managed an 8m 17s -
I do 2k at the end of my weights session at the gym, and go for a 9:00 pace; any quicker and I'm fucked. After that I do a 20 minute Kilimanjaro on the cross trainer.
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@muttley - I've only ever tried once seriously and managed an 8:12. I certainly couldnt manage that now, not that I'd want to try, I hate speed work. Out of interest I also tried 1000m when I was much fitter and did a 3:53.7, which I will rather immodestly say was pretty fucking awesome. In fact, I ranked it on the C2 ranking site and it was in the top 10 womens times in my age category in the world for months.
My favourite distance is 5k, the best I have ever managed is 21.18. My holy Grail is a sub-21 minute 5k (think that's a pace of 2:06 per 500m, which is fine for 3k but agony over 5) but right now I'd be happy with 22 minutes. I also like 10k, have done that in 44.32 and at that time I felt I could improve on that, but just finishing a 10 is tough right now.
I'm aiming to do another half-marathon before Christmas. -
Back when I was rowing I was pulling a couple of seconds under 7:30 on the 2k at my peak (racing start for first 30 strokes, 1:45 split sprint for the last 250 metres. Fuck)
Wouldn't manage 8:30 these days :(Post edited by budgie at 2011-04-06 15:20:16
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