[John Casler]

A good friend of mine and I were really in to strength training.   Mostly 5x5 type programs with free weights.  My freshman year in college, I ran all the time and was really weak.  I also only weighed around 150 at 5'11.

I started lifting my 2nd year in school, and by then end I was up to around 215.   My bench had gone up to 315+, my squat was 430+, and my deadlift was 525.

Earlier this year though I ran into a series of medical problems.  In about 3 months I lost 35 pounds, most of which was muscle.  I'm in the worst shape I've been in that I can ever remember. 

I'm finally starting to become healthy enough for exercise again, and hope to start back again this week.  We'll still do strength training, but we are going to shift some of focus to cardio for more of a well rounded conditioning.

Here's some old lifting vids I made if anyone is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJySb1h_SI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAwGjJXiVQM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msakSyzw09Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etXz0RBwzAs

Coke,

Way to young for medical problems, hope they are resolved.

Your vids show exceptional strength potential.

You are wise to add regular cardio to your weekly schedule.

I find the best to be running stairs.  HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

This is excellent for all fiber TYPES and it doesn't cause as much repetitive stress as flat running or jogging.

If you have a LARGE staircase (like a football stadium) Sprinting up and walking or slow running down, is just the ticket.  Nice high pulse rates (at the top) and then mild recoveries on the decents.

I sprint this staircase in Santa Monic.  It is known in LA as "the Santa Monic Stairs" (sorry I didn't shoot this video, but is shows the stairs)  It is about 12-15 stories all together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHek8aE_ksM&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q014PVJV8vw

[mjosef]

Maybe...I am gettin' used to playing with the phat around my tummy...its like play dough, you can make funny shapes with it...like sad faces, happy faces...
Been trying to lose 10 lbs...well, not really trying too hard. 
My best physical years were late teens to late 30's...I'm averaging 10lbs per decade...been downhill ever since...lifestyle has changed...much less activity...but I am still in fairly good shape compared to most of my generation.
I am not a runner, unless a zombie may be chasing me, then I am like the wind.
I bike around daily...my workday is physical which helps. I try to eat wholesome foods in the right combinations (my idea of right ie)...I avoid HFCS, but I like my sugar cane sugar brown...back in the day I raided the cane fields and enjoyed the cane juice using only my teeth to tear the bark off the cane.

My weight went from 119 in my early 20's to 130 in my early 30's to 150 now that I am in my 50's. I am somewhere around 5'4"...so yeah I could lose 10lbs. I did notice in the last few months, my love handles has been shrinking all by itself...could be 'cause I'm sitting less, eating less...still cannot fit into my old 29" jeans, well, I could but it won't button at the waist.

I used to swim a lot, but been at least 5years since I did...was out on Catalina Island, so had to say hi to that blue clear water. Wish I could afford to live there...
I don't like swimming pools, makes my eyes turn red like Count Dracule

I don't think I have ever had a major medical problem, besides gettin' chicken pox when my daughter started going to school and brought it home. 


Edit: I see a lot of people using the word 'yoga' in the context of exercises, and have to point out that yoga is not just an exercise regime....sure there are postures and movement that can mimic physical exercises, and are often taught as such, but that is not yoga. Thats just physical exercise.

[Sonny]

Well, I am not in as good of shape as I was in my 20s and 30s, just turned 40 last month, but I still like my shape.  I used to ride (cycle), play soccer, and lift weights a few times a week (each).  Now it's just weights and some cycling and running. 
I am 5'8.5" and about 157lbs.

I still wear a size 30/31 jeans and well, happy...

I do encourage all of us Audiophiles to get some exercise for sure...I think it's important to stay healthy so we can listen to all that music we bought!!! and keep upgrading!!!

T

[WGH]

Instead of stairs I do mountains. I'm out on the trail every weekend, last Sunday was the 9 mile Mount Lemmon/Lemmon Rock Loop, after 7 miles the hike finishes off with a 1610 ft elevation gain in 2 miles.

Finger Rock trail to Kimball Peak is my favorite. The trail climbs 4155 ft in 5 miles to the top of Kimball Peak and there are no shortcuts on the way down, just one big step after another.

I also do cardio and work with a trainer twice a week between hikes.

Wayne

[Tyson]

What I have discovered is that what I put in my mouth has far more to do with my waist than what I do with my arms or legs.

[jimdgoulding]

6'2", bout 198 last time I looked.  A few pounds to my wallet I wouldn't fret about.

[Niteshade]

Here is a good chart to look at:

http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.shtml

[JohnR]

I don't think you need strength training (as in weight lifting etc) or the chemicals and junk that you're supposed to buy that goes along with that whole culture. Spend your money on a good Yoga instructor instead. Ditch the sugars (fruit juice, chocolate etc), refined grains, and preferably the meat and poultry. Add some regular exercise like swimming or walking most days of the week. Hey, it worked for me

[BobM]

I've always had a high metabolism. I've been at my 190lbs at 6.1 since I graduated from college. It's only in the last 2 years that I crossed over to 200lbs at 49-50, and that was mostly due to mid-life-age-related-guilt partying. We eat a low fat diet but I do have a sweet tooth that gets occasional care and feeding. I was a gym rat until about 35 (tough to be a regular with young children around).

I know I need regular excercise more now than ever, but commuting into NYC for work each day leaves little time for the gym and a family life. I just started things up again and intend to get back to the gym in about 1-2 weeks, after I loosen up at home with push-ups and situps and the elliptical to get back some wind.

We're going to visit Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks in August and I want to be able to hike a bit without feeling like an old man. That's my primary motivation to start up again, but I will need to find additional motivation to keep going when we return. The problem is that there is usually some life event that derails my workout plan for a week or two and then it's almost like starting over from the beginning, which is much harder at 50 than it was at 30.

I know, I know - it is more important now than ever and I definitely do feel better when I am excercising. It's not about building muscle anymore. it's about not losing muscle and gaining endurance and some tone.

Bob

[coke]

I don't think you need strength training (as in weight lifting etc) or the chemicals and junk that you're supposed to buy that goes along with that whole culture. Spend your money on a good Yoga instructor instead. Ditch the sugars (fruit juice, chocolate etc), refined grains, and preferably the meat and poultry. Add some regular exercise like swimming or walking most days of the week. Hey, it worked for me

The only "chemical or junk" really needed is protein, and that's only if you don't get enough in your normal diet.

There's a lot of benefits to strength training, some of which were mentioned earlier in the thread.

I suggest everyone interested in training with free weights read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.  Very informative, and helps prevent injuries.  His program is also proven to provide VERY GOOD results.   

[rollo]

  Well at 59 155 lbs and a 30 waist at 5'-9". light weights 5 to 10 lbs with streching is it for exercise. The most affective change for me was reading " Eat Right 4 your type." by Dr Peter D'Adamo.
  As a type "O" blood type I began avoidind the foods reccomended to avoid and vice versa. Lean red meats, dark leafy veggies, no wheat, dairy potatoes, or vinegar based products. Gotta stay alkaline. Type "Os" produce the most acid of any bloodtype.
  My wife a cancer survivor is thriving as well. she is a type "A" which is veggie based NO red meat, wheat, etc. No processed foods only ORGANIC. No sugar, corn syrup. fructose and the like.
 To date we have lost weght without trying eating 5 to 6 times a day. More energy, sleep better and see the bathroom 2 to 3 times a day. No indigestion, bloating or movement issues.
  This way of eating is used by the Cancer Institute. They have an excellent survival rate.  Curing stage four cancer. We have living proof. No pills no supplements to buy. just excellent information.
  PLEASE give it a try. You WILL feel so much better. REALLY


charles

[JohnR]

The only "chemical or junk" really needed is protein, and that's only if you don't get enough in your normal diet.

Oh, OK. So, how do you know if you're getting enough protein or not?

[coke]

Oh, OK. So, how do you know if you're getting enough protein or not?

The general rule of thumb is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight a day.  I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but this is what I've found from my research.  Also, this is for someone involved in weight training, and the "average" person doesn't need as much.

[ctviggen]

Actually, I do like the shape I'm in.  I do aerobic exercise daily and eat a moderate, low carb and low saturated fat diet.  I just started doing sprint type "burst" training which is really improving my shape, and I have lost 30 lbs and got down to my ideal BMI bodyweight at 160 and 5'10".  Not bad for a guy approaching 40 and that had a massive heart attack 4 years ago

I wouldn't worry about saturated fat:  there's basically no scientific evidence that saturated fat is bad for you. 

I've finally stuck to a low carb (eating whatever saturated fat I want to eat) diet this year and have lost around 25 pounds so far.  Previously, I would derail myself because I thought carbohydrates were necessary for workouts.  I've been working out 3-4 days per week (HIIT and slow burn weightlifting) with absolutely no ill effects from low carb.

[ctviggen]

I don't think you need strength training (as in weight lifting etc) or the chemicals and junk that you're supposed to buy that goes along with that whole culture. Spend your money on a good Yoga instructor instead. Ditch the sugars (fruit juice, chocolate etc), refined grains, and preferably the meat and poultry. Add some regular exercise like swimming or walking most days of the week. Hey, it worked for me

Strength training is highly beneficial.  Yoga?  I've tried both and strength training is way better for my body. 

As to avoiding meat and poultry, I subscribe to the low carb way of eating and therefore eat as much mean and poultry as I desire.  I do avoid all grains and only eat low carb fruits and vegetables. 

[JoshK]

Great thread!

I'd have to answer no.  I could stand to loose 5-10lbs and add some muscle mass (likely going up in weight).  Mostly, I need to change diet and get in shape again.

Too many excuses here.  5'8" 165lbs, 34yo. 

I really just don't know how to work out properly.  Most of the trainers I know are more into showing you how to bulk up rather than just get in shape.

I use to like to run.   I ran a couple half marathons, but the impact is tough on my hips and joints. 

[ctviggen]

This is the only weightlifting routine that's kept me injury free:

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4605.html

I do not believe that it's really a 30 minute workout, once per week.  Personally, I've had to increase the number of exercises and frequency of workouts in order to gain strength.  I've also had to rotate different exercises into this routine to avoid boredom.  However, I have been using this now for about a year, and I have been injury free the entire time. As a former bodybuilder, I have tons and tons of injuries.  This is the only workout that's kept me injury free (knock on wood). 

Also, I was unsure of the claims that this workout would help with aerobic exercise.  However, I went on a short vacation and we walked a ton.  I carried my daughter everywhere on my shoulders.  I had tons of strength and aerobics that I didn't have before.  Whether it's this exercise regimen, I do not know, but I believe the slow burn workouts have contributed to my endurance.

[JohnR]

I've tried both and strength training is way better for my body. 

Your subsequent post indicates that strength training has been rather problematic for you... injuries, boredom, etc. I mean, you know, I've tried both too and my recommendation (all of it, not one part picked out of context) is genuine. Thanks

[Sonny]

We have to remember one thing as we train with weights...

IT"SNOT HOW MUCH YOU CAN LIFT, IT"S HOW YOU LIFT THE WEIGTHS YOU'RE LIFTING!  COUPLE with that is the fact we are older and not body builders, the key is to keep and improve the strength we have...DO THE EXCERSISES RIGHT, and there won't be injuries...

Pictures tell a thousand words...
Sitting down in the sweet spot...that's me!



T

[Tyson]

I wouldn't worry about saturated fat:  there's basically no scientific evidence that saturated fat is bad for you. 

I've finally stuck to a low carb (eating whatever saturated fat I want to eat) diet this year and have lost around 25 pounds so far.  Previously, I would derail myself because I thought carbohydrates were necessary for workouts.  I've been working out 3-4 days per week (HIIT and slow burn weightlifting) with absolutely no ill effects from low carb.

I wish it were true, but I included saturated fat in my diet (mainly coconut oil), and the cardio markers in my blood all went to hell.  Evidently I have the ApoE 4 allele, which about 15% of the population has, and we are in fact quite sensitive to saturated fat intake.