What is your workout

[W2R]

For over a year we have gone to the gym regularly 3 days a week, each time working out for an hour or sometimes a little longer. No matter what else I do, I always do weights - - two sets of 10 on each of 19 weight machines, every gym day. We went today and this is what I did. Guess I am in a pattern because this is what feels good and healthy and fun to me, and I am still progressing and feeling healthier and more capable as time passes.

For a while last summer I was also enjoying the Concept 2 rowing machine there. I have used various other gym equipment there, as the mood strikes me, and many are terrific machines but nothing has really "stuck" as part of my permanent routine, the way the weight machines have.

As soon as I can get rid of the infernal chest cold that I presently have, I intend to start riding on my exercycle again at home. That should be pretty soon, I would expect.

 

[M Paquette]

5 days a week I do an hour on the elliptical, at a targeted heart rate. Three days a week I'm also doing crunches and obliques. I take the weekend off...

 

[Seeking Hobbes]

Of all Post-Retirement resolutions... the "Getting in the best shape of my life" plan has been my most disappointing.

I'm not really sure why.

Pre-retirement I worked-out daily (Running, Cycling, Elliptical, Kettle bell, Hanging Crunches, etc.). It was almost a requirement in order to relieve the j*b stress and keep my weight in check (I w*rked in the food industry). Now that I have all the time in the world, however, I never seem to fit "exercise" in.

After much thought, I've determined that three factors caused this... The loss of a routine, the elimination of stress and the natural weight loss found by not being surrounded by food. All good things... except that, together, they sabotaged my fitness goals.

So, with the new year came a resolution to redouble my efforts & "shape up". I'm selling my road bikes... bought an elliptical w/heart rate monitor (delivering next week), and am planning a routine very similar to M Paquette's - adding several days of pull/push ups, kettle bell swings and alternating the elliptical with running (much to my dog's approval).

Wish me luck!

 

[frank]

I do pushups, crunches, and dips 5 days a week 3 reps of 25 each. I still need to figure out what kind of excercise to do to keep loosened up. seems like my legs are always stiff, but I walk to the post office every day about a half mile each way. any suggestions? don't like to run, it seems to hard on the joints, so I walk when I go.

 

[braumeister]

how many former runners do you know who can no longer run due to knee problems?

That's an "individual differences" thing. If you enjoy it, why not do it until it causes problems?

I started running in my 20s, and routinely ran 30-40 miles a week through my 30s and early 40s. Now in my 60s, I'm down to usually about 15 miles a week, but I still enjoy it just as much. I do one or two half-marathons and several 10-Ks every year.

Developed a bit of a knee problem a few years ago, but wearing a Cho-Pat strap on that knee has taken care of it nicely. I'll keep running as long as I can.

 

[mystang52]

I love to run, and while I don't hate weightlifting I don't enjoy it either. So, I run 3-4 times per week and squeeze in 2-3 weight sessions/week. I'm 59, have been a runner for 14 years, and am currently recovering from a 2-month "disabled list" from a bad case of runner's knee. However, that is the first knee problem I've encountered, and I'm now recovered enough to resume running.
I believe there have been other studies that show running does NOT cause long-term knee problems unless one already has a propensity for it (e.g., arthritis).

 

[eytonxav]

Relative to exercise routines, I would start by saying what is your goal(s) (eg loose fat/add muscle, improve cardio, increase flexibility, gain strength, general health, sports specific, etc) and then design a plan that works for you. Some experimentation may be needed to see what works best for you, and even after doing a successful routine for a while, it may need to be changed up because it stops working or your goals changed and also because sometimes its just good to keep your body guessing.

When I came down with diabetes I noticed a real loss of strength and stamina. After walking off about 30 lbs of weight by walking 3/miles day and eating better, I hit the gym and started strength training. I did a full body routine for about a year 3X per week using free weights and machines, and also jogged 3 mile/2x per week. For the past couple of years, I have been doing a split routine 3X week, ~ 1-1:15 hr/session, and
no jogging/walking. I also alternate my splits every 3-4 months between strength (5-6 reps) at higher weights and hypertrophy (rep 8-12 range) less weight. I do not do circuits, but typically do a few warm up sets and then 3 working sets.

It was really tough going when I first hit the gym, but this has kind on grown into a hobby for me and I am very diligent and consistent in making it to the gym. I find it enjoyable competing against myself and seeing the results in the mirror and in my ability to do more at my age (almost 63). That said, I still believe the most important ingredient in your fitness plan will be what you eat and would say that accounts for 60% of my results.

 

[rgarling]

... I still need to figure out what kind of excercise to do to keep loosened up. seems like my legs are always stiff, but I walk to the post office every day about a half mile each way. any suggestions? ....

I highly recommend a daily dose of Scott Sonnen's Intuflow beginner routine (which can be found on youtube), and transitioning to the intermediate program as you improve. He has posted both the beginner and intermediate program, so they are available at no cost. I think the beginner program is in 6 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...0l0l79509l30l29l0l18l18l0l207l1675l2.7.2l11l0

 

[eytonxav]

I highly recommend a daily dose of Scott Sonnen's Intuflow beginner routine (which can be found on youtube), and transitioning to the intermediate program as you improve. He has posted both the beginner and intermediate program, so they are available at no cost. I think the beginner program is in 6 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...0l0l79509l30l29l0l18l18l0l207l1675l2.7.2l11l0

I've heard a lot of positive's about Scott as a trainer. I believe he trains a lot of police and military personnel and has developed many different types of routines for various purposes.

 

[Mulligan]

Stl Post had an interesting article today about a trainer whose clientle is overweight african-american woman. Yells, curses at them, name calls, has wall fame and shame, swats them occassionally with a plastic whiffle ball bat if not going hard enough, and fines them for not dropping weight. The experts that were commenting on the program said "negative reinforcement" does not work and the program appears borderline misogynistic. The funny thing was the woman swear by it and are proud of their results. Oddly enough, most of the women were professional, college educated woman. I know all experts in every field seem to hate negative reinforcement, but it has always worked for me. I need a trainer like that to take me to the next level. Fear of failure always motivated me more than success motivated me.

 

[kaudrey]

I do pushups, crunches, and dips 5 days a week 3 reps of 25 each. I still need to figure out what kind of excercise to do to keep loosened up. seems like my legs are always stiff, but I walk to the post office every day about a half mile each way. any suggestions? don't like to run, it seems to hard on the joints, so I walk when I go.

Yoga or Pilates come to mind for loosening up...

 

[kaudrey]

I walk (briskly) ~2 miles 4-5 days a week and do a once a week yoga class. I know that's not enough - I should be doing some kind of weights - but have never figured out what would work for me. DH suggests I join his gym, but I've never enjoyed / stuck with a gym in the past and don't think I would now. But I figure what I'm doing is much better than nothing so I'll stick with it for now.

MB- if you don't like the gym, you can do a lot of strength training in your house, with little or no equipment. Push-ups, crunches, tricep dips on chairs/stairs, squats, lunges, calf raises.....you can create whole routines just using your body weight. Or get some basic equipment - a stability ball and some dumbells, and your options grow even more. You can find tons of exercises on the 'net - try Health magazine or Sparkpeople, as two options for ideas.

 

[W2R]

Of all Post-Retirement resolutions... the "Getting in the best shape of my life" plan has been my most disappointing.

I'm not really sure why.

Pre-retirement I worked-out daily (Running, Cycling, Elliptical, Kettle bell, Hanging Crunches, etc.). It was almost a requirement in order to relieve the j*b stress and keep my weight in check (I w*rked in the food industry). Now that I have all the time in the world, however, I never seem to fit "exercise" in.

After much thought, I've determined that three factors caused this... The loss of a routine, the elimination of stress and the natural weight loss found by not being surrounded by food. All good things... except that, together, they sabotaged my fitness goals.

So, with the new year came a resolution to redouble my efforts & "shape up". I'm selling my road bikes... bought an elliptical w/heart rate monitor (delivering next week), and am planning a routine very similar to M Paquette's - adding several days of pull/push ups, kettle bell swings and alternating the elliptical with running (much to my dog's approval).

Wish me luck!

Good luck, but it doesn't sound like you need it! Before long, exercise will be come part of your daily retirement routine. Enjoy that elliptical! Like MPaquette on his elliptical, and like you plan to do as well, on my exercycle I keep my pulse in a target range. This helps me to improve at a realistic pace. I especially love the programs that mimic hills and so on, because they make it more interesting and challenging, and you probably have some on your elliptical as well. Even though I go to the gym regularly, I prefer to do cardio at home because it only requires one machine and I can do it while watching TV in the evenings.

Before retirement, I had to battle traffic to get to the gym during rush hour after work. When I got there I was exhausted before I could even start and in a hurry to finish so that I could run errands or go home and fix dinner. So although I did use the gym frequently then, it has been so much easier for me to work out regularly in retirement. I hope it becomes part of your daily ER routine as well.

 

[Ronstar]

.... IOW, how many former runners do you know who can no longer run due to knee problems?

A few. And it's questionable whether running caused their knee problems. Most of the former runners I know have other problems such as bad backs, bad ankles, obesity or laziness that prevent them from running. Most of these people no longer want to make the commitment to stay fit by doing any kind of exercise.

 

[DAYDREAMER]

Monday-row for 3 miles in my rowing shell (about 45 minutes), tuesday- peddle 3 miles hobby Kayak (about 45 minutes), Wednesday work 45 minutes on core and stretching.

repeat row on thursday, and peddle kayak on friday. Really works up a sweat

 

[haha]

I have always heard that the best exercise is the one that you'll actually do. I am still looking for the best exercise!

This is the way I see it also. I think that to get concerned about fine tuning is mistaken, for several reasons. One, the underlying research is poor, and much of what passes for research is business promotion. It really isn't known with any degree of security what works best for what goals in which people, and it likely will not be known for a very long time. So one doesn't really have a solid basis to make discriminations between different workout types, frequency, intensity, etc. Two, even if some program or other may be marginally better than another, by loading up a simple activity with a lot of cognitive folderol we may find ourselves just walking away from it and doing very little. On pretty days I most enjoy walking in attractive lively areas. Then if I haven't met my calorie burn goals I finish off with rowing around dinner time.

On cold or rainy days I might just row twice, though I also have some built in walking like Trader Joe or a coffee house which will get me out even in lousy weather. Usually I row 30-40 minutes, then a short break, then another session of rowing. It is very easy to burn 500-600 kc this way, without even feeling pushed.

Ha

 

[kz]

Walk 3-5 miles/day at least 5 days a week.
20 minutes of stretching at least once every day
Just finished 3 miles in the freshly fallen snow (felt like 6, probably shouldn't have shoveled the driveway first)

 

[ripper1]

I have been doing the Body by Science high intensity set once a week. 5 core exercises, one set of ~12 reps each super slow to total muscle exhaustion. I probably wuss out a bit on the level of max I reach but I still have better tone and definition than I had with my 3x weekly less intense routine I had been following for 30 years. I add in about 3 20-30 mile bike rides a week or some time on a stationery bike if the weather sucks. I would love to run but it messed with my joints.

I would be suspicious of those one day a week strength training routines. I guess it might work for some people who might be genetically wired for something like that and respond well. For me I like to do a full body workout 2 to 3 days a week and rest or cardio on the other days. This seems to work for me but being retired I guess I just like going to the gym everyday.

 

[donheff]

I would be suspicious of those one day a week strength training routines. I guess it might work for some people who might be genetically wired for something like that and respond well. For me I like to do a full body workout 2 to 3 days a week and rest or cardio on the other days. This seems to work for me but being retired I guess I just like going to the gym everyday.

My results this year were better once a week than I got from 3x previously. Admittedly, those 3x were sorta wussy, although they included more exercises. I think the BBS method will/would work for someone who can really max out the sets. I have done that on occasion but fall a hair short most of the time. For that reason I am considering switching to a 2x weekly routine trying to keep up the level of effort I have been doing. I also forgot to mention that in addition to the 5 core BBS exercises I do a separate set of abdominals (planks, leg lifts).

 

[M Paquette]

Before long, exercise will be come part of your daily retirement routine.

I really think that's the key. When it's part of the routine you go through every day, it moves from chore to habit. Within a few months, you'll find that skipping it can be hard, setting off that little 'something's wrong' alarm in the back of your mind.

 

[haha]

I really think that's the key. When it's part of the routine you go through every day, it moves from chore to habit. Within a few months, you'll find that skipping it can be hard, setting off that little 'something's wrong' alarm in the back of your mind.

So many things are this way. If you can just make 3 months, you have a good chance of never dropping the activity.

Ha

 

[foxfirev5]

I try to briskly walk everyday for 35-60 min. Usually it works out to 5-6 days a week. I throw in a dumbell work out and some other exercises. As others have stated you need to do something you like and can work into your schedule.

 

[Moscyn]

Am over 50 and have had some surgeries. When I exercised after recovery from each surgery, I was careful not to overdo but realised that I need to progress from half an hour's brisk walk 3 times a week. Exercise is now part of my routine. These include stretches and some yoga poses for 15 minutes a day. Brisk walking/jogging for 40 minutes 4 times a week, weights and gym equipments 3 times a week, follow a video exercise program once a week and then golf twice a week. Usually walk the course when I golf. Rest of the day, I am usually on my feet. Living in the city, I do not drive and walk a fair bit.

 

[bubba]

Walk/jog ~~ 4 miles per day unless the weather is bad, in which case I will use the elliptical for 40 minutes. Need to add in weight training.

 

[Brdofpray]

I started cycling when I was 50, after my knees retired me from running. My motivation was the annual bike ride across Iowa. Now 8 years latter, I have ridden 6 of those years. I find having something to train for keeps my motivation high. I ride 3 to 4 thousand miles a year. That generally translates to 100 to 150 miles per week (April - October). In the colder months, I use a nordic trac to maintain my cardio.