Exercise/Fitness Log

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jennypenny »

Off the crutches. My leg feels pretty steady although right now it feels like a giant Charlie horse--I guess because it's the first time I've been on it in a while.

I talked to the orthopedist about how to proceed if I want to keep running (he'd rather I stopped).I'm going to work on other cardio for now like walking and biking. I'm also going to focus on strength training to get stronger and make sure my strength is balanced. I'm also going lose as much weight as possible before I try and run again. It couldn't hurt. I've also agreed to take the supplements I need to compensate for the deficiencies related to the celiac.

Ha, that sounds like a lot now that I've written it all down. Better get busy. :lol:

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jennypenny »

Do any of you drink lemon water? Do you drink it alone or in something like tea? Does it have to be warm for the benefit?

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jacob »

Insanity is finally done done DONE!!!

Results: In terms of sustained horsepower intensity (30-60 minutes) I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm not as 1-rep or 10-rep strong as when I was 30 yo, nor is my resting pulse as low was when I was swimming as a teen, but in terms of 50-100 rep sets, I don't think I've ever been better.

Prior to starting this I was running or cycling (spinervals and runervals) for about 30-120 minutes per day, so I had a good aerobic base to start with. In the program you do a test every 14 days doing 9 different exercises for max rep in a minute. Most of my test numbers have been doubled and some have more than tripled. My previous self from 3 months ago would be ashamed to meet and be utterly crushed by my present self. Oh yeah, I ultimately managed to beat Tonia ("the machine") on most numbers too. Not low-plan oblique.

Physically, I've put on about 5 pounds of muscle and dropped about 1% of bodyfat down to 8%. DW has one of those fitbit scales which I get to use and it's just a steady linear transition. I didn't bother changing my diet because I really do like pasta.

There IS such a thing as "insanity sore". It's pretty much a constant feeling of DOMS stretching from just above the knees to the lower ribs. Usually DOMS goes away for me when I get used to a routine but here I just pushed harder and harder.
I quickly began to dread the 60-minute workouts in month 2. I haven't felt this need to psyche myself up to working out since I did the clubbell density training (in the style described in the ERE book). On the other hand, unlike weighted HIIT the feeling of having been destroyed recedes much quicker.

I'm kinda glad it's over. It probably won't be long before I'm back.

Oh yeah, I highly recommend it!!---Which is saying a lot from someone who came in very dismissive of "body weight aerobics on TV"-workouts most of which make me yawn, literally. Note that Insanity VERY tough on the knees and ankles! There's a lot of all kinds of different jumping and landing. Starting my knees/ankles were strong enough to run/sprint, but not strong enough to do power jumps, frog jumps, power jacks, and similar for 45 minutes w/o joint pain (which is BAD). The intensity level is just about the highest that's available commercially. It clocks in at 1000kcal/hour which corresponds to cycling time trials at 22mph+. There are also several instances of what I refer to as "stupid human tricks" which are exercises that require an absolute minimum level of strength and flexibility to do at all. (I could do most of them except some gymnastics moves that just made me feel stupid and frustrated :-P ) If you can't do a handstand against the wall, high knees for 2 minutes straight, 20 real pushups, and drop from standing into a low plank w/o injury then forget about it for now. It's not intended for rookies.

I bought my set for $50 on eBay.

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jennypenny »

It's been a month. I've been doing the hill workouts on my treadmill and biking. (haven't fallen yet :) ) I'm also lifting daily. I set up a superset in my garage so I can keep my heart rate up while I lift. It includes weight stations, heavy bag, speed bag, burpees, push ups, and dips. I hate to admit it since I miss the running, but I feel better. I'm definitely stronger and I'm sleeping better. I haven't gotten on the scale yet, but I'm going to on Tuesday and start focusing on weight loss.

Chad
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Chad »

jennypenny wrote:It's been a month. I've been doing the hill workouts on my treadmill and biking. (haven't fallen yet :) ) I'm also lifting daily. I set up a superset in my garage so I can keep my heart rate up while I lift. It includes weight stations, heavy bag, speed bag, burpees, push ups, and dips. I hate to admit it since I miss the running, but I feel better. I'm definitely stronger and I'm sleeping better. I haven't gotten on the scale yet, but I'm going to on Tuesday and start focusing on weight loss.
Sounds like a good workout. Make sure you measure yourself (waist, biceps/triceps, shoulders/chest, thighs). The scale won't show your full progress if you are building muscle, but the tape will.

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

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I wish I had thought to take measurements so I could track that progress. I'm at the shore and I felt so much steadier in the surf today. I'm sure that's the strength training. It was nice to see 'real world' results instead of just numbers. It made me want to work harder at it.

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Ego »

For the past few months I've been running in the hiking/approach shoes I used on the Lycian Way hike and gradually developed some sort of heel issue. I was reluctant to pay real money for new shoes in Indonesia because I wasn't entirely convinced it was the shoes. Well, yesterday we went to the weekend market in Bangkok and found great used shoes for for both of us. Mrs. Ego found a pair of Chaco's and I got some good runners for 350 baht ($9.75). We did some speed work in Lumpini park this morning and the heel feels good as new. I'm happy that it went away but I'm a little bummed that I wasn't able to adapt to the approach shoes. I used to take pride in the fact that I cold run with whatever I stuck on my feet. Oh well,

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Chad »

@jp

At least it's measurable in real life events!

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jacob »

https://www.velopress.com/books/fast-after-50/

Although mostly endurance focused where strength training is seen as complementary, I recommend it anyway.

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

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We ran a 10K this morning. 90 degrees and 90% humidity with a hilly course. I was happy with my effort but even happier when Mrs. Ego came across the finish line as the first woman overall. She won a trophy and a meal at one of the island's nicest restaurant. The speed work is paying off.

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jennypenny »

@Ego--That's awesome! I would have assumed that traveling would have a negative impact on your fitness level. Is it hard to keep it up while traveling?

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

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It's strange. Now that I look back I realize that our fitness levels plunged (or maybe it is better to say changed) while hiking the Lycian Way. Partially, I believe, because we were carrying heavy packs long distance, day after day, but not really doing anything intense. That effort demanded a lot of calories but the food in the rural places was not terribly nutritious. Lots of white bread. Few fresh vegetables available to purchase.

We turned things around in Ubud. It is by far the healthiest place we've ever been. Organic produce can be bought directly from the small-plot growers and the grocery stores are chock-full of healthy foods. We rented mountain bikes and were riding a lot. Running through the paths along the rice paddies is magnificent.

Mrs. Ego was practicing yoga at the Disneyland of yoga, The Yoga Barn. http://www.theyogabarn.com/ I'm not a yogi, but being around those who are the most dedicated yoga-people in the world had a positive influence, even on me. I mean the doers, those who are actually dedicated to a particular practice. Not those who adopt the trapping of someone who seems to be a doer. They are there too.

I was going to write longer thread on Bali as an ERE destination but I'll leave it at that for now. Oh, one other thing. While walking or riding around Ubud I would count the single females and males. Not the locals, just the foreigners. The ratio was always about 75% female to 25% male. And most people are healthy. The book and movie Eat-Pray-Love showed the West that Ubud is a place where single females can go without being harassed. And so they come in droves. Single ER guys (or ER women interested in finding other women open to adventure) take note.

I digress.

Chad
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Chad »

Ego wrote: While walking or riding around Ubud I would count the single females and males. Not the locals, just the foreigners. The ratio was always about 75% female to 25% male. And most people are healthy. The book and movie Eat-Pray-Love showed the West that Ubud is a place where single females can go without being harassed. And so they come in droves. Single ER guys (or ER women interested in finding other women open to adventure) take note.
Wouldn't that be harassment if I hit on them? :)

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Ego »

It is interesting to see how the lopsided ratios flip the dynamic entirely.

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jacob »

I took a month long break since finishing Insanity in which I just did a few workouts per week (mainly Fast&Furious and a couple of the Month 1 + a few spinervals). Resting pulse dropped suggesting some previous overtraining. BF% went back up a bit.

Last week I started on Insanity Max:30. So far so good. (My shoulders are DOMS killing me as I type this.)

In terms of intensity, this feels like month 3 in terms of stepping up similar to how month 2 felt compared to month 1 (see post above). The exercises are gnarlier (more stupid human tricks involving more motion/coordination, but I' getting used to picking them up faster); and there are practically no breaks. Post exercise soreness appears almost immediately after a few hours akin to clubbell or kettlebell density training. The good news is that workouts all only last 30 minutes which I greatly appreciate. Month 2 took almost one hour each every day ... which is a lot considering the HIIT nature---almost a 1000kcal total burn. Max:30 is just HIT... there aren't really any intervals left. Also, there's practically no stretching. The warmout is part of the workout and thus you just kinda scale into it.

In my opinion, this system works great until the point where one maxes out. After that it feels like efficiency goes down a lot because there are no 30 seconds to recover. Compare doing burpees for 3 minutes followed by a 30 second break and then repeating. You might last a few rounds. Then try just going all out until you fail. Then start again. The first run is great. The subsequent ones get more and more pathetic. Of course this pushes the body a lot more even if the total reps are ultimately fewer.

Interestingly, while Insanity was mainly limited (for me) by muscular endurance, Max:30 is mainly limited (for me) by aerobic capacity. Which is new, and weird, and pathetic. Also nonstrategic, since aerobic capacity is one of the few age-dependent markers :?

I'm happy to note that I'm somewhere in the middle of the cast this time. Last time, I was near the bottom when I began. Of course there are always a couple of superhero[in]es.

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jacob »

As a proxy measure for the frequency of flailing limbs intensity ...

30 minutes of Max:30 records as ~3000 steps.
55 minutes of Insanity records as ~2000-2500 steps.

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

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This morning we did the Bali International Triathlon & 5K. I did the sprint tri and Mrs. Ego the 5K.

I had reserved a tri-bike but somehow the reservation got lost in translation so I ended up borrowing a folding bike from a nice Indonesian woman who overheard my plight. While the bike was way too small for me and more suited for commuting to school, I was happy to have it and made the best of a less than perfect situation.

Mrs. Ego kicked ass in the run once again. She was the second woman overall. I have to admit, I think I get more pleasure out of seeing her win than I would had I won myself.

In triathlons the organizers write your age on the back of your calf for all to see. I was passed on the bike by a guy with the number 69 scrawled on his leg. When he passed I yelled, “I’m giving it everything I got and I’m getting passed by a #&$%@#$ 69 year old". He immediately sped up and left me in the dust. I eventually caught him near the end of the run and we crossed the finish line together.
jacob wrote:
Look at the healthy outliers that you know/are aware of.

Then do what they do. Adopt their behavior.
I sat with him after the race and we talked about what he does. He said he is a persistent mother %#@#&! and he refuses to use his age as an excuse or as a way to inflate his accomplishments. Interesting guy.

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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by 1taskaday »

Often wonder Ego if you keep a blog or record of your and your wife's adventures/travels on a blog ...would love to read about them.

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Ego
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by Ego »

Thanks for asking. PM sent.

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jennypenny
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Re: Exercise/Fitness Log

Post by jennypenny »

That's awesome, Ego.

I've added yoga to my routine to help with balance and flexibility. No offense to anyone who enjoys yoga, but I really struggle with how boring it is. I'm going to stick with it for now. It might help if I wore headphones so I couldn't hear the snap, crackle, pop of my joints as I did it. It would also help if my dog didn't try to lie down on the mat with me.

I think part of the problem is that I like to feel, I don't know ... wrecked, I guess, after working out. Do you know what I mean? Yoga is supposed to make me feel rejuvenated (which is does), but that's not nearly as satisfying. *sigh* I have issues. :(

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