Early Retirement Extreme Forums

A confluence of theanimal briefly mentioning it in a post and DW having free access after getting on the 21DayMakeOver, I tried out the Insanity program (a 60 day DVD program by Shaun T (of Hip-hop ABS fame, yikes!), similar to P90X but more cardio-oriented).

I've always been rather dismissive of aerobics, so my first attempt was done in regular clothes with beer in hand for hydration. I only lasted half way through. This was after spending 1-2 hours each day either running or cycling with Spinervals. It's not exactly like I'm weak. Since I'm generally impressed with people who completely crush me, I picked up a copy on ebay for $50.

Just finished the first month(*) and it's working for me. In terms of workout autobography, I respond well to high intensity power moves. Not very well to strength workouts and decently to pure aerobics although I don't like to have "runner's body".

(*) I'm now faster/more on than some of the team but I fear I'm comparing my week 4 to their week 2.

In short, it's a 40 minute interval workout without weights that's heavily focused on lower body stuff (lots of different squats) with some push ups usually in the context of burpees. Usually, an exercise is done for either 30 or 60 seconds and they come right after another w/o breaks for 3+ minutes. Then there's a 30 second break. Then it's repeated, typically 3 times. Sometimes there's no break but rather a lower intensity instead. In general, the 40 minutes divides into 9 minutes warm-up, 2x5 minutes of stretching, 22 minutes of HIIT, and a total of about 4 minutes of breaks total.

The program is 3 days on followed by 1 recovery workout followed by 2 days on followed by 1 rest day each week for 4 weeks. Then one recovery week. Then 1 additional month of more intense workouts which I'll get to in a week.

It's 8:51 on a Monday morning, and G and I are in the car with the kids, heading for a week of camping in Wisconsin.

We just drove past a guy on a bicycle. He was soaked in sweat. His eyes were closed, arms straight out to the sides, and he was grinning. He looked radiant. Literally the happiest human I have seen in months. I wanted to turn the car around and go thank him for being so happy, and for expressing it so fully, because it made me feel happy too.

Just finished the Insanity "recovery week". Piece of cake. Unlike Month 1, this was 1 minute on, 20 seconds off type of stuff... I fear Month 2. Starts Sunday. Looking for a cheap Asylum deal on eBay.

I can now maintain a [wide] squat position for 150 seconds w/o suffering. Eat yer hearts out relative wimps, haha! ;-P

Onwards and upwards ... per aspera ad astra or some such, yo!

Nice to see that you're doing insanity. That's my favorite workout program. The first couple weeks of month 2 is going to kick your ass

Day 2 of Month 2. I am humbled. Crazy!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/0 ... tness-age/

Older athletes can be much younger, physically, than they are in real life, according to a new study of participants in the coming Senior Olympics. The study found that the athletes’ fitness age is typically 20 years or more younger than their chronological age, providing a clear inspiration to the rest of us to get out and start moving more.

Fitness-age calculator.
https://www.worldfitnesslevel.org/#/

Someone should make a calculator to combine this with a Myers-Briggs and SWR calculator to make an ERE score.

Interesting article. I wonder how they get the baselines for a "36" year old, etc. in the calculator?

The one thing that always bothers me about stuff like this is they only focus on half of the fitness equation. They only measure the aerobic side. They never measure the anaerobic/strength side. How fast are they sprinting? How much can they power clean? Squat? etc. Most of the older people I see running appear to have decent cardio, but move and look like they could barely get themselves out of a chair. What good is having a great heart if you can't do anything with it (and vice versa)?

The ERE calculator would be amusing.

Loved that test, especially since I ranked much younger than I am. That never happens.

I agree it's not all about cardio, although I do think the ability to perform cardio implies a certain level of fitness. Any test of overall fitness should probably test things like how fast a person can get up off of the floor or get into the back seat of a car. The best test of youthfulness is probably whether a person can fall down and get back up. During exercises like suicides, my son's coach will holler out math, vocab, and history questions to see if they're fit enough to be able to think while exercising. I've always liked that test, too.

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I dodged another bullet this week, so I'm ready to start training. The running has been going well. Frankenleg is holding up and only buckles on me occasionally now. I have a new treadmill and it's helping. I hate to admit it, but the gadgetry on the treadmill and the fitbit help me keep going. I'm aiming for a November half. I'm going to spend the next few weeks building a solid base, and then I'll do a 12 week program leading into the race. I have no goals other than to run the entire race (no walking) and finish in the time allotted. I'm one of those "finishers"

There is an cultural obsession with youth. But you can't actually get younger, only maintain young characteristics.
Maybe it's better to frame it the other way: It's the absence of maintaining decent cardiovascular performance that ages a person above and beyond their chronological age. Otherwise it makes sitting on our butts all day seem 'normal', and people who move around consistently are seen as freaks.

Sure an in-shape 50 year old can probably run circles around an out-of-shape 25 year old. But I wouldn't call the 50 year old special - I would say the 25 year old has the fitness level of a 60+ year old. Not to say that the 50 doesn't deserve kudos for being consistently active to decades... just that we should shoot for that to be normal.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a heart rate monitor?

I've always used a Polar. My doctor said he's using a fitbit charge HR now and he likes it. I have a charge, but not an HR, and I like it.

The Up3 has a heart rate monitor that isn't fully implemented yet... so don't get that. Jawbone's advertising on that product is sneaky. They're supposed to make it fully functional in the next few months. You know how those things go, though. Just an FYI.

I have an Up2 (same device but no HR), and I love it. It's a shame they can't get their act together on the HR stuff for the 3.

Has anyone done a comparison between the wrist and the chest HR monitors? Do the wrist monitors have to be reasonably tight to work?

Ego wrote:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/0 ... tness-age/

Older athletes can be much younger, physically, than they are in real life, according to a new study of participants in the coming Senior Olympics. The study found that the athletes’ fitness age is typically 20 years or more younger than their chronological age, providing a clear inspiration to the rest of us to get out and start moving more.

Fitness-age calculator.
https://www.worldfitnesslevel.org/#/

Someone should make a calculator to combine this with a Myers-Briggs and SWR calculator to make an ERE score.

Related: Aging rates vary widely ... and link to journal article (PDF)
"The scientists looked at 18 different ageing-related traits when the group turned 26, 32 and 38 years old. The analysis showed that at the age of 38, the people's biological ages ranged from the late-20s to those who were nearly 60."

Done 1.5 weeks of "Month 2" now.

It does get easier the second time around but M2 is definitely pushing my performance limits rather than just regaining past performance. It's tough!! And there are way more "stupid human tricks"(*). And therefore, I ordered Asylum 1.

(*) Exercises that make me feel dumb because I can't do them very well.

PS: M2 is much heavier on the push-ups(**) than M1. Both wide (pecs) and narrow (triceps).
PPS: Catching the train today on a 150m sprint only left me very slightly breathless (at this level).
PPPS: It used to be that double-stepping the escalator for seven floors was hard. Now it's a matter of course.

(**) I hate push-ups. Always avoided them. Until now.

PPS: Catching the train today on a 150m sprint only left me very slightly breathless (at this level).
PPPS: It used to be that double-stepping the escalator for seven floors was hard. Now it's a matter of course.

I love that feeling of being fit enough to be in control of almost any athletic situation. I'm working on getting to that level now. Doing 5-6 days a week of cardio and 4 days of strength training. I'm upping the cardio next week from the base level couple mile jog to HIIT and will be going from low weight base building strength exercises to high weight to failure exercises. I needed to get past the "I'm too sore to get out of bed" phase before I really amped it up.

Looking for perspectives on optimal number of sets and recovery time to increase maximum number of push ups. Data here.

I was doing some training before the list starts, maybe attempting week three of the 100 push-up program. But I didn't record anything.

For the first five days I was doing six near max sets separated by very long breaks, based on a self-assessment of when I could give near max effort again.

Then I read this SEAL preparation guide which advised 5 sets of 20 with 60 to 120 second breaks, based on my current max of 33.

I was very pleased with the results, which seemed to take me to a new max of 38 after about two weeks.

Since then my training has been desultory because of some health and personal crises. Now I'm getting back on track and wondering if I should reassess. Anyone's feedback is welcome.

@Miss Lonelyhearts--I like that SEAL guide.

I came up lame the other day during my long run. Just got the results from the doctor ... another fracture. I think my orthopedist is going to stage an intervention if I don't give up the running. As luck would have it, I bought a used Raleigh a couple of weeks ago, so I have an alternative right now. I don't ride well enough to get a good aerobic workout, but it's something. I still remember all the tricks for lifting and bag work from the last fracture. And at this point I'm a pro on crutches, although right now I could be cited for CWI.

I don't know what I'm going to do. The running means so much more to me than just exercise. I guess I'll see how fast this heals and then decide.

jennypenny wrote: I came up lame the other day during my long run. Just got the results from the doctor ... another fracture.

Nooooooooooooo!

I'm really sorry.

That sucks. ((jp)) I decided to give up running as one of my ever-rotating exercise options after I blew up one of my knees last spring, but I was never devoted to it. My sister, who was a thoroughly devoted runner, is now subject to fractures due to side-effects of cancer treatment. She is now thoroughly devoted to yoga.