Early Retirement Extreme Forums

@Scott 2. I appreciate that you quoted "best". Akin to Jacob's comments on the idiosyncratic nature of stretching, my biggest hurdle to enjoying yoga (and therefore getting the most physical and mental benefit from it) was seeing that my exercise is necessarily different than yours (or hers or his) exercise because my body is different.

Weirder/harder poses do not necessitate more benefit. The same as reading harder/weirder books does not necessitate more benefit.

My wife was a student at the canadian national ballet school when she was younger. Me doing yoga beside her is like a chunk of mud sitting beside a snowflake in terms of aesthetics, but if she feels unchallenged and bored by the exercise and I feel like I am friggin' Gumby meets Ghandi after 30 minutes, who did it "best"? Therefore she modifies her moves and I grunt and try to sit cross legged comfortably...

Agreed, making the shapes simply offers a context for teaching/practice of the yoga.

I went through a lot of pain chasing ideals before I understood.

I always sit on a bolster now. It's much easier on my hips and back. Cross legged, I also tuck a block under each knee.

Scott 2 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 03, 2017 1:08 pm

Agreed, making the shapes simply offers a context for teaching/practice of the yoga.

Brilliant point! This is similar to martial arts where practicing techniques serve as a training aid. A black belt means that one has learned all the training aids and can therefore begin to develop as a fighter.

There so many term include in it, but here is the list of some Exercise/Fitness Logs which i personally do.
Fluid Intake
Variety Adds more life
Hit Workouts
Self-Motivation

I'm beginning to see some progress in my lifting. It feels like I have been doing it "forever", but when I actually think about my history, it's been a lot of fits and starts and few periods where I've actually managed to hit the gym even twice a week. So the lack of results were really the expected outcome. I'm determined to not lose my progress this time, so I guess this is my accountability.

My latest bout is roughly a year old, with a couple of months break this Christmas. That made me lose some momentum, but not too much strength/body mass.

Currently at (in kg):

Deadlift 5 5 5 at 115
Squat 5 5 5 at 50 (only recently started with them due to previous knee problems, going very slowly)
Bench press 5 5 5 at 55
Military press 5 5 5 at 42
Barbell row 5 5 5 at 70
Chins 7 7 5 at bodyweight (around 78)

At least I'm stronger than I've ever been before

Exercise and fitness log that is very important in our day to day life. It takes them prediction out of it and maximizes the results of everything you do because when you keep a fitness journal everything you do has a purpose. Keeping an exercise journal can also help to: ... Gain a better understanding of exercise habits, helping you to troubleshoot and make changes. Plan exercise rest days.

I broke my foot in July and I'm transitioning out of the boot now. I've been lifting and using a stationary bike. I prefer the treadmill but I have to ease my foot back into things so I'm stuck on the bike for a while.

I use a vintage (80s) Raleigh Record on a Kinetic stand I bought from someone here. I like that set up, but after a while the seat really hurts me in all the wrong places. I've tried putting a towel on it but it doesn't help much.

Is there a trick to making the seat more comfortable? I don't want to buy a different seat since I'll mostly use the treadmill when I'm able (although maybe I'd use the bike more if it wasn't so uncomfortable).

jennypenny wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 19, 2019 8:45 am

I broke my foot in July and I'm transitioning out of the boot now. I've been lifting and using a stationary bike. I prefer the treadmill but I have to ease my foot back into things so I'm stuck on the bike for a while.

I use a vintage (80s) Raleigh Record on a Kinetic stand I bought from someone here. I like that set up, but after a while the seat really hurts me in all the wrong places. I've tried putting a towel on it but it doesn't help much.

Is there a trick to making the seat more comfortable? I don't want to buy a different seat since I'll mostly use the treadmill when I'm able (although maybe I'd use the bike more if it wasn't so uncomfortable).

Real bike shorts are your friend.

Ugh, I was afraid of that. There goes what little dignity I had left ...

jennypenny wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:05 am

Ugh, I was afraid of that. There goes what little dignity I had left ...

I bought a pair of pearl imuzu (not sure if I spelled that right) bike shorts on clearance that came with a little detachable skirt. I think it actually looks cute on my 50 something BMI of 26 self. While I haven’t biked a ton as a result I have enjoyed way more and had some fun outings with my biking centric family members.

Thanks LI. I found them (pearl izumi).

I've been looking at the shorts. I'm tall and need a longer inseam/rise so I looked at ordering mens shorts instead of women. Does anyone know ... is the padding in the same places on mens bike shorts as womens?

jennypenny wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:22 pm

Does anyone know ... is the padding in the same places on mens bike shorts as womens?

I went to a sporting goods store to check ... no, they do not have padding in the same places. Mens shorts won't work for me.

Real bike shorts are the next best thing after clipless pedals on a roadbike.

Shorts padding is gender specific---also different brands have different ideas about patterns. There are also baggy/casual cycling shorts with inlays. Longer ones mostly make sense for colder weather, otherwise, stopping above the knees is best. Some like bibs, some don't. Skirts and even dresses also exist E.g. https://www.nashbar.com/louis-garneau-i ... 1?v=605271 ... seems a bit gimmicky though?!
Some (typically more expensive and intended for triathlon) come with removable liners.

Be aware that some sizes might be "skinny European" or calibrated to riders ... like what would be an American L could be a XXL Italian biker.

Soreness is due to too much saddle pressure. This can be relieved with a bigger saddle, a lower gear, or putting more power into the pedals (going faster in the same gear), or occasionally standing up in the pedals. A lower gear is worse for the knees and more power requires being in better shape. That's the core of the issue. A standard roadbike is not going to be very comfortable at <15mph. A racing saddle is too small/hard. Above 15mph, your legs begin to take much of your weight off the saddle.

JennyPenny,

I would confirm bike fit and try a couple saddles. Saddles have come a long way since the 80's when your bike was produced. We now have gender specific options.

If you can connect with local female riders, you can get expert saddle opinions. Bell Helmets and Trek Bikes are sponsoring local women advocates across the country to lead women's rides. Bell Helmets is called Bell Joy. Trek's is out of their Trek Brand bike shops. Many cyclists have tried different saddles and might have an extra to loan. Some shops do loaner programs on saddles because it is so personal. Shops can also have a bucket of take-off saddles at a good price when a new bike buyer immediately bought a different saddle.

Bike fit can also make a saddle more comfortable. Many beginner cyclists have the saddle too low, so they are comfortable at a stop sign. I get to ball park saddle height by sitting on the bike and putting my heels on the pedals. When I pedal, I want my legs fully straight without my hips rocking. Hips rocking = saddle too high. Legs not straight = saddle too low.

Sorry to hear about your foot. Who did you kick?

Most bike shops sell gender specific padded underwear. Wear them under any short or skirt. They're way cheaper than regular cycling shorts.

I've discovered that I draw the frugal line at buying used exercise shorts. I ordered a new pair. I checked the size chart carefully so hopefully I can get my fat american ass into them.

@wheatstate-- Thanks for the suggestions. I had someone knowledgeable check the seat height for me. Part of the sudden issue is that I can't lift my butt off the saddle while I ride yet because it would be too much pressure on my foot. Before, I would let my butt hover over the seat which was much more comfortable (except for that one time I fell off but we won't talk about that ).

I recently started training again in preparation for a self supported ultramarathon. My good friend text me one day asking if I'd like to join him in a 40 mile race on Catalina Island. Sounds good to me! Im sure I'll regret it but I could use the goal.

His plan is that we give ourselves 12-16 weeks to prepare for it while keeping each other accountable. Each week we share our mileage and for the weeks we don't meet our mileage we will owe the other person lunch. I've completed the following:

Week 1: 25.5 miles completed of 25.5 expected miles
Week 2: 24.5 miles completed of 28.5 expected miles (I owe him lunch)
Week 3: 19.5 miles completes of 31.5 expected miles (I owe him lunch again )
Week 4: 28.75 miles completed so far of 34.5 expected miles (I owe him lunch once again )

Although I come from a background of athletics, competitive racing and collegiate running I'm hurting. My body is cooperating to an extent but I am not the athlete I once was

I really respect those who can do those types of endurance events. I have no issues walking 20 miles, but running that is a completely different story.

It seems to be I have the mental fortitude to push through an intense interval training or heavy singles in weightlifting but the kind of sustained endurance for ultra marathons is fascinating to me.

But then again I'm a bundle of fast switch muscle fibers so everyone is better at different things.

naturelover wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2020 11:46 am

It seems to be I have the mental fortitude to push through an intense interval training or heavy singles in weightlifting but the kind of sustained endurance for ultra marathons is fascinating to me.

But then again I'm a bundle of fast switch muscle fibers so everyone is better at different things.

Good on you for still having that mental fortitude for interval training. I did some recently and ended up cursing up a storm upon finishing

Fortunately with enough training most people can do some amazing things. Funny thing about those fast twitch muscle fibers (either Type IIa or Type IIX) with proper training they can act and resemble slow twitch muscle fibers ability to resist fatigue. So you'd be able to maintain both the explosiveness of fast twitch muscle fibers while maintaining the ability to 'last' during a race. Takes a while for the adaptation to occur but if you ever wanted to try endurance racing, it wouldn't be out of reach

File this under, "You can't always control what happens, but you can control how you react."

For weeks I've been working up to a Murph a day, without the weight vest. I was back to four sets of pull-ups (32/26/22/20) on alternating days until the pull-up bars were fenced off at the park. I've been doing two or three sets of pushups every morning (80/65/(45)) as well as abs, but I've been lazy with the squats and rarely do more than 100. Now that the pullup bar is gone, squats will be my focus and I am shooting for a regular morning 300 by Memorial Day. I also use my TRX every other evening in one of the vacant apartments and alternate that with weights (I bought a set of Powerblocks).

For cardio I am alternating daily 10K run and bike. This morning I rode around the bay and returned by the free commuter ferry with one other passenger. I've been using my tank-like expedition bike as my road bike needs a bit of fine tuning.



Diet-wise we are killing it. 10AM green smoothy breakfast. 3PM big salad & meal. Most days since the start of Covid I've kept the eating window under 5.5 hours and rarely over 6.5 so intermittent fasting is going well.

If nothing else I am determined to come out of this Covid-19 mess in good physical condition.