The general fitness thread

[Mor]

 

I am annoyed when people look down on this, or suggest that some people shouldn't bother, to me fitness is not different from basic hygiene i.e. integral part of you life.

 

I'm guessing that's exactly the kind of arrogance that leads others to react with hostility ("looking down on it", as you put it).

 

It like teeth brushing, no one is forcing you to brush your teeth, but neglecting it soon become noticeable, unhealthy and generally doesn't feels good to you or your surrounding, it also takes a lot of effort to "fix" the effects.

 

What so arrogant about pointing this out? What piss me off is the guys who don't brush their teeth making the situation uncomfortable to others, and on a road to costly dental plan, but claims that "he is ok with that", that people who suggest that brushing teeth is normal basic thing for every human being are some product of "modern" bla bla enter excuse here... well this analogy got a little out of hand but you get the point..

Edited December 4, 2013 by Mor

[Orogun01]

 

 

I am annoyed when people look down on this, or suggest that some people shouldn't bother, to me fitness is not different from basic hygiene i.e. integral part of you life.

 

I'm guessing that's exactly the kind of arrogance that leads others to react with hostility ("looking down on it", as you put it).

 

It like teeth brushing, no one is forcing you to brush your teeth, but neglecting it soon become noticeable, unhealthy and generally doesn't feels good to you or your surrounding, it also takes a lot of effort to "fix" the effects.

 

What so arrogant about pointing this out? What piss me off is the guys who don't brush their teeth making the situation uncomfortable to others, and on a road to costly dental plan, but claims that "he is ok with that", that people who suggest that brushing teeth is normal basic thing for every human being are some product of "modern" bla bla enter excuse here... well this analogy got a little out of hand but you get the point..

 

Brushing your teeth is necessary to maintain health, but most people are turned off by a muscular roided giant screaming in your face that you should floss.

[Mor]

Brushing your teeth is necessary to maintain health, but most people are turned off by a muscular roided giant screaming in your face that you should floss.

Like I said before:

Just a little thing to add, being fit =/= being "pumped". You don't need to be a jock, and spend hours each day in the gym. Just have some basic self respect/control. For example both of my parents in their late sixties and do 4km fast walk at least once a week.

So being fit is not about being anal with floss, its about not neglecting your self. This is nothing more than a standard advice that you would give any kid about self hygiene and seeing this as being yelled at speaks to some insecurity more than anything else. Edited December 4, 2013 by Mor

[Woldan]

Without a doubt a minimum amount of sports is an absolute necessity to lead a healthy normal life because the human body was designed to do a ton of physically demanding activities every single day. I remember a German heart surgeon saying that from the 9500 bypass surgeries performed each year 9000 could be avoided with a moderate amount of regular physical activities like running or strength training. 

To get back to the discussion, some people aren't satisfied with doing the absolute minimum required, like with dental hygiene using lots of floss and the monthly visit to the dentist for ultrasonic cleanings.  

Edited December 4, 2013 by Woldan

[Walsingham]

On any normal day I spend at least an hour walking. Much of it up hills and stairs. I consider this to be moderate exercise.

 

Poor exercise is a consequence of sedentary lifestyle. By which I mean driving to work and sitting down all day.

 

To the best of my understanding you DO NOT have to do very much exercise at all to avoid serious heart trouble.

[Gorgon]

Excercise is boring though and it's getting too cold to bike everywhere like I usually do. 

[Walsingham]

Biking is too slow not to be boring, or too fast to have the luxury of thinking. that's why i'll always prefer a fast walk.

[Nonek]

Well the old knees are telling me in no uncertain terms that i'm about done with Rugger, time to hang up the oddly shaped balls, think i'll have to start a new workout regimen and cut back on the good wifes cooking.

[HoonDing]

Well the old knees are telling me in no uncertain terms that i'm about done with Rugger, time to hang up the oddly shaped balls, think i'll have to start a new workout regimen and cut back on the good wifes cooking.

Tai chi, maybe?

[Orogun01]

 

Well the old knees are telling me in no uncertain terms that i'm about done with Rugger, time to hang up the oddly shaped balls, think i'll have to start a new workout regimen and cut back on the good wifes cooking.

Tai chi, maybe?

 

Good for circulation and breathing.

[Woldan]

Excercise is boring though and it's getting too cold to bike everywhere like I usually do. 

 

I could never be bored while struggling with a 80kg barbell during shoulder presses our 140 kg shrugs. ''Man, that weight is absolutely killing me and I really have to be careful not to lose my grip and bash my head in with the barbell but man, am I bored''. Nope.  I also find being able to lift those weights way too cool to be bored.  

 

About cycling, yeah, I loathe my stationary bike but I'm currently investigating a way to use special winter tires on my bike so I can drive on slightly-snowy roads without killing myself. 

The temperature itself is not a problem since there are special clothes available for biking in cold weather. Think of the tight fitting suits Olympic ski drivers use in the TV.  (Though I'd recommend avoiding cycling in temperatures below minus 10 Celsius, its not very healthy for your lungs and throat. )

Edited December 4, 2013 by Woldan

[ShadySands]

Boredom is often a problem for me as well so I usually try to make a game of it

 

It's not as bad when the weather is nice and I can do a lot outside but in the winter it's tough

[Mor]

There are many games to occupy your mind. You can also use music to pass time(just make sure to pick something that makes you energetic). There is also the TV magic, you can loose time with it on treadmill, even when you almost sprinting. Although I personally not a fan of the gym, usually I prefer company friends\wife to jog\fast walk with a quick stop on one of the "outdoor exercise ares".(I think we got more of them around here than Starbucks used to be in the USA)

Edited December 6, 2013 by Mor

[BruceVC]

So I was watching the Piers Morgan show and they had some fitness experts on his show who help coach and train celebrities, so they really understand the human body and the principle of fitness.

 

Anyway they basically affirmed what I have been saying, they said you need to do fitness training 5 times a week. It needs to become part of your lifestyle to achieve meaningful change. This idea that you can go to gym 3 times a week and do 30 minutes light cardio training is not enough. But they did say your training needs to be fun

[Woldan]

Thats why Crossfit is so popular, its a combination of weight lifting, circuit training and sport games.  
The idea of making fitness more fun and appealing for the masses is a great one, the problem is Crossfit just doesn't work; its highly ineffective in building muscle and dangerous for the joints.

 

Anyway they basically affirmed what I have been saying, they said you need to do fitness training 5 times a week. It needs to become part of your lifestyle to achieve meaningful change. This idea that you can go to gym 3 times a week and do 30 minutes light cardio training is not enough. But they did say your training needs to be fun

I totally agree with what they said. But ''fun'' in exercise is rather easy to achieve, once you feel the positive changes from proper exercise you will have fun while lifting. 

[BruceVC]

os

Thats why Crossfit is so popular, its a combination of weight lifting, circuit training and sport games.  

The idea of making fitness more fun and appealing for the masses is a great one, the problem is Crossfit just doesn't work; its highly ineffective in building muscle and dangerous for the joints.

 

Anyway they basically affirmed what I have been saying, they said you need to do fitness training 5 times a week. It needs to become part of your lifestyle to achieve meaningful change. This idea that you can go to gym 3 times a week and do 30 minutes light cardio training is not enough. But they did say your training needs to be fun

I totally agree with what they said. But ''fun'' in exercise is rather easy to achieve, once you feel the positive changes from proper exercise you will have fun while lifting. 

 

100 %, I didn't know that about Crossfit. It is very popular in South Africa, several of my friends do it and they look good but if its not such a good idea do you have links that explain the negative. I would like to share this with them. Funny thing is one of work colleagues just tore his shoulder muscle doing Crossfit.

 

But I can also understand why our comments about doing gym 5 times a week can actually annoy people. Even though that's not out intention. For most people they say they don't have time to go more than 3 times a week. Everyone is busy and has RL responsibilities, some people are studying and have kids. I get that. To be now told that " 3 times a week is not enough" can be frustrating and people think we are being haughty.

 

But in most cases I don't agree with the reasons that people can't go to gym or do some kind of exercise 5 times a week. People can make the time if they are prepared to sacrifice other things, like playing games or chatting on forums

[Hurlshort]

I've been keeping it simple and just running a mile a day, doing push ups and situps at work, and stretching regularly.  I've been doing this about 5 times a week for the last few months and I feel a lot better than I did before I started.  It isn't going to change me terribly, but at my age I'm more concerned with not losing ground.

 

I still play hockey once a week and that has been going better since I started running.

[BruceVC]

I've been keeping it simple and just running a mile a day, doing push ups and situps at work, and stretching regularly.  I've been doing this about 5 times a week for the last few months and I feel a lot better than I did before I started.  It isn't going to change me terribly, but at my age I'm more concerned with not losing ground.

 

I still play hockey once a week and that has been going better since I started running.

 

That's a good effort. Nice one 

[Mor]

So I was watching the Piers Morgan show and they had some fitness experts on his show who help coach and train celebrities, so they really understand the human body and the principle of fitness.

 

Anyway they basically affirmed what I have been saying, they said you need to do fitness training 5 times a week. It needs to become part of your lifestyle to achieve meaningful change. This idea that you can go to gym 3 times a week and do 30 minutes light cardio training is not enough. But they did say your training needs to be fun

I don't know about celebrity fitness experts, but if but if you change "light cardio training" in your last sentence to "vigorous exercise" its pretty much the two medical expert recommendations.

 

IMO the 5 times a week schedule is not a realistic for many people. Personally, I would never been able to keep up such ridicules schedule in the university, the army(mandatory here) or now at work\family life. Maybe if I was celebrity I'd be able to do more than 1-3 days a week and while I probably can't press as much as Woldan, I still more fit than 90% of the kids I see today.

 

Also definition of "fitness" may differ, i'd settle for the more traditional definition of not being fat i.e. do whatever, as long as at the end of the day you don't need to make up cute nick names for your abdominal fat layers.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Mor

[BruceVC]

 

So I was watching the Piers Morgan show and they had some fitness experts on his show who help coach and train celebrities, so they really understand the human body and the principle of fitness.

 

Anyway they basically affirmed what I have been saying, they said you need to do fitness training 5 times a week. It needs to become part of your lifestyle to achieve meaningful change. This idea that you can go to gym 3 times a week and do 30 minutes light cardio training is not enough. But they did say your training needs to be fun

I don't know about celebrity fitness experts, but if but if you change "light cardio training" in your last sentence to "vigorous exercise" its pretty much the two medical expert recommendations.

 

IMO the 5 times a week schedule is not a realistic for many people. Personally, I would never been able to keep up such ridicules schedule in the university, the army(mandatory here) or now at work\family life. Maybe if I was celebrity I'd be able to do more than 1-3 days a week and while I probably can't press as much as Woldan, I still more fit than 90% of the kids I see today.

 

Also definition of "fitness" may differ, i'd settle for the more traditional definition of not being fat i.e. do whatever, as long as at the end of the day you don't need to make up cute nick names for your abdominal fat layers.

 

 

Good points raised, yes they did say vigorous training is required if you only train 3 times a week

 

But don't dismiss celebrity fitness consultants. The one lady was Kim Kardashian's personal advisor and you know how quickly she got into shape after the baby, so her advice is accurate

 

Where do you live Mor?

Edited December 6, 2013 by BruceVC

[Woldan]

 IMO the 5 times a week schedule is not a realistic for many people. Personally, I would never been able to keep up such ridicules schedule in the university, the army(mandatory here) or now at work\family life. Maybe if I was celebrity I'd be able to do more than 1-3 days a week and while I probably can't press as much as Woldan, I still more fit than 90% of the kids I see today.

 

I've been exercising rigorously 5 times a week (70 minutes/day) for 7 years - cycling not included- because thats how my 5 day split works, and that used to be a problem, it took my body ~2 years to adjust to the almost daily strain. When I started with my 5 day split I was completely WRECKED after lifting, now I'm not even getting tired and I can go to work etc. after having lifted a total of almost eight thousand kilograms in one hour.

Your body simply needs to expand its energy storage which seems to be a slow process, sadly, but it comes in very handy not just in weight lifting but also in extreme hikes, mountain climbs and wild parties. The downside is on off days I can't sleep due to excessive energy.

 

I'm absolutely sure most determined people could do a 5 day split. Having all the necessary weights at home helps big time though, I would not drive to the gym and back 5 days / week

 

100 %, I didn't know that about Crossfit. It is very popular in South Africa, several of my friends do it and they look good but if its not such a good idea do you have links that explain the negative. I would like to share this with them. Funny thing is one of work colleagues just tore his shoulder muscle doing Crossfit.

Ugh, I would have to look for sources, that Crossfit is highly dangerous for your body is the general consensus amongst the semi-professional and professional weight lifters all around the world but I don't know if there is any article about that.

 

I can assure you, if it was that fun and easy to build muscle and keep fit all the professionals would not sit around in dreary gyms doing dumbbell isolations, myself included. The main problem with Crossfit is they took normal weight lifting exercises and bastardized them, most of the times far too heavy weights are used, so to lift them you have to use a very bad awkward form and you have to jerk it. 

You don't have to be a genius to figure out what this means to your joints and back. Think of your back as a carbon fiber suspension bar from an F1 car, it can withstand enormous amounts of stress from the bumpy road, curbs and the down force, but a little bump from another F1 car and it breaks to pieces because it was not designed to withstand sudden lateral forces. Thats why form is so important when using heavy weights.

 

Another problem is most of the times far too less or far too many reps are used, some CF exercises consist of 50 reps of very light weights etc., while not potentially dangerous doing so many reps is just totally nonsensical. Doing 3 reps with very heavy weights and bad form however is not just very dangerous but also useless. 

 

There is a reason why we weight lifters pay so much attention to form and don't jerk weights, and why we increase weights so carefully. The body has to adjust to the weight and the muscles need a specific amount of reps to grow, and all that only happens when proper form is used. In a nutshell: Use time-proven weight lifting exercises that have been used for thousands of years, gradually increase the weight, make smooth reps and never jerk the weight, keep your rep range in the 6-10 area and you will see improvement without wrecking your limbs and back.

Crossfit is pretty much the opposite. 

Its just the biggest fraud and rip-off ever, you know what they do to promote it? They pay professional weight lifters serious money to participate in competitions so everyone thinks you can get that big and strong with fun flashy Crossfit. And the membership fee in Crossfit gyms is a joke, too.

 

I wish it would work, I'd totally do it if it worked because it seems to be way more fun that normal lifting. But it doesn't. 

Edited December 6, 2013 by Woldan

[Hurlshort]

My wife is a former fitness instructor, and she agrees with about Crossfit being a fairly dangerous activity.  She also complains about those Tough Mudder events.

[Mor]

I've been exercising rigorously 5 times a week (70 minutes/day) for 7 years - cycling not included- because thats how my 5 day split works, and that used to be a problem, it took my body ~2 years to adjust to the almost daily strain. When I started with my 5 day split I was completely WRECKED after lifting, now I'm not even getting tired and I can go to work etc. after having lifted a total of almost eight thousand kilograms in one hour.

Your body simply needs to expand its energy storage which seems to be a slow process, sadly, but it comes in very handy not just in weight lifting but also in extreme hikes, mountain climbs and wild parties. The downside is on off days I can't sleep due to excessive energy.

 

I'm absolutely sure most determined people could do a 5 day split. Having all the necessary weights at home helps big time though, I would not drive to the gym and back 5 days / week

I didn't said that people can't adjust to 5 days schedule. There is little we can't do with time and determination, and bettering ourself is something that we should all strive for. However, there is only 24 hours in our day(usually it seems like much less) and there are many venues to better our life, which is why we pick and choose. Which is why I offered with bare minimum definition, if someone want to take the extra mile go ahead, but at the very least everyone should take care not to neglect themself.

 

btw you are 200% right about the adjustment period, its really hard to get yourself into gear, especially to people who can be categorized as couch potatoes, but as with all things in month(?) they should start to feel the effects. IMO the important thing is to find a routine you can work with past the first month.

[Walsingham]

My wife is a former fitness instructor, and she agrees with about Crossfit being a fairly dangerous activity.  She also complains about those Tough Mudder events.

 

I don't understand those tough mudder things at all.

 

I 'got' pushing yourself when I was training for the Army. It's important, and you have to test yourself to the limits, because you might need them. But if you're an office manager at Kinko, then frankly feth off.

[ShadySands]

I guess it all depends on how much you (dis)like obstacle courses