[Tyson]

I run around and play with my 7 year old daughter.  Yes, even going down the slides and the monkey bars.  Soccer, frisbee, tag, etc... Really good exercise!

[Vulcan00]

I am a member of LIFETIME Fitness, they opened a new facility near me this year. I can recommend this organization, its a first class operation.



 if your interested you can check here and see if they have a facility near you.  https://www.lifetimefitness.com/en.html

[RDavidson]

Yes, what is a fitness plan? Your friend has to decide to make a life style change. Here is what I did:

1.) Hire a personal trainer that concentrates on perfect form first.

Over half the trainers I have seen allow their clients to workout with such bad form we cringe knowing it's an injury just waiting to happen.

2.) Budget enough money to work with a personal trainer 3 times a week for at least year but it will take 5 years before good form happens naturally.

3.) Start with baby weights and work up.

4.) Warm up and stretch for 45 minutes before a workout. Intervals on the stairmaster are a great cardio warmup.

5.) Screw the diet thing, just eat a little of everything. Cut back on carbs and beer except on Fridays.

6.) Hike in the wilderness once a week with a good friend, away from people, cell phones, the news and noise. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body.

Yes, I fully agree with getting a GOOD trainer if you're new to lifting weights. However, learning proper form and technique doesn't take 5 years. It just takes repetition. It also helps to have a good general understanding of body mechanics. Here's the thing ; Your muscles have "memory." It can take as little as about 300 proper reps of an exercise over the course of a month or so for your body to learn a movement. If you learn incorrectly the first time, it takes about 10x as many reps to fix poor form. That's 3000 reps! So please, learn proper form early on. You'll get stronger faster AND you'll decrease your injury risk significantly.
Another pointer: Don't watch what other people are doing in the gym and compare yourself to them. Everyone is different and likely has different goals. Also, the majority of people I see at the gym sacrifice form so they can lift heavier weight. It's a stupid pissing contest. Check your ego at the door and go to work on yourself.
Yes, I also agree, proper warmup is very important. You just need to get your heart rate up a bit and physically "warm" yourself (ie get blood pumping through your body). You should have a light sweat going before you even start your actual workout. I suggest foam rolling to start. This rolls knots out of your muscles and primes your muscle fibers for work. It also helps to keep existing knots from tightening as you workout. One of the most important parts of the body to foam roll are the IT bands along the sides of the legs. This relieves tension in the knees and hips......which can happen from just sitting at your desk all day. Foam rolling is painful at first, and you might not enjoy doing it, but just keep at it and you'll get to the point where it feels good and you feel good afterward / ready to workout.

[BobM]

Excercise coaches and trainers are important for some people. I mean, how else will you learn how to use the gym? Yes it costs extra, but it is worth it if you don't know what you are doing. Gyms can be expensive so you might as well spend some more to get value for your $.  I always sigh at those people in the gym who just have no real idea on how to properly lift weights or perform simple excercises in a way that strengthens muscles. For example ...

We all know the guy/girl who gets on the machine and just swings their legs up and down using momentum to propel them. They are not creating tension and not actually using the muscles properly, so it is almost a pointless exercise and can actually hurt them in the end.

Or the one that strains upward then lets the weights fall back down quickly. They don't even know that the "negative" side of the exercise (return) is just as important as the "positive" side (the lift), or actually more important to properly toning a muscle.

Or those that perform 3 reps of a huge amount of weight but never do any endurance training or toning with high rep/low weight.

Then there's those people who just sit on a piece of equipment and talk to each other. You can usually identify them easily because they are the biggest people in the gym and have no muscle tone at all. It's a social event and you know they live the rest of their life the same way. Their son/daughter usually bought them the membership and they really don't want to be there. Well, at least they have the potential to do something and are getting up off the sofa at home.

Or those that always order the banana smoothie as they leave, because it's yummy and must be OK because the gym serves it up.

[Devil Doc]

Personally, I prefer a good book and a good partner. The book doesn't cost much and the partner, who doesn't cost anything, can motivate you on those days that you're not into it, and visa versa. Lifting weights and exercising is not rocket science. It doesn't take much to learn strict form if you go to the right gym and hang around the right people. Body builders and power lifters just love to share their knowledge for free. BTW, the right gym is the one that smells like sweat, doesn't have TVs or music, and isn't a place you want to spend a lot of time shooting the bull in your pretty track suit.

[RDavidson]

Personally, I prefer a good book and a good partner. The book doesn't cost much and the partner, who doesn't cost anything, can motivate you on those days that you're not into it, and visa versa. Lifting weights and exercising is not rocket science. It doesn't take much to learn strict form if you go to the right gym and hang around the right people. Body builders and power lifters just love to share their knowledge for free. BTW, the right gym is the one that smells like sweat, doesn't have TVs or music, and isn't a place you want to spend a lot of time shooting the bull in your pretty track suit.

I generally agree with you. Weight training isn't rocket science BUT it isn't necessarily simple either. I see SOO many people, due to the crossfit craze, suddenly trying to execute power cleans. Power cleans are a very technical lift which takes a lot of practice and people should be taught how to do them correctly as well as taught the mechanics behind the lift. Also, body builders and power lifters have almost entirely different goals (building mass and building strength/athletic performance, respectively)......which brings me to another point. Ask yourself what your goal is, then find the best path to reach that goal. I once saw a young girl trying to teach her 45-50 year old mom how to do power cleans. A woman this age has zero business doing power cleans. Not to mention, the girl wasn't teaching the movement correctly ; The blind leading the blind. It was AWFUL to watch. I just wanted to go over over there and say " teach your mom something useful / helpful like squats." But even basic squats and deadlifts have more to them (mechanically) than people realize. With that said, there is no reason to do all the machines that work all the little isolated muscle zones, unless you're rehabbing or unless you have mobility issues. Work on squats, deadlifts, bench, and pull-ups (and some of their great variants like split squats, Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell bench / incline bench, and chin-ups) and do them all with equal intensity and regularity to help avoid muscle imbalances. These are the core exercises EVERYONE in the gym should become proficient at before anything else. Something to keep in mind too is that pulling exercises are harder for us than pushing, so be sure to work your back-side hard, if not harder than your front side. There is a ton of resources online for this stuff. All you have to do is Google Squat Technique, or Deadlift Technique, and you'll find some great information ; stronglifts and t-nation are excellent.

[WGH]

Maybe young people who have never been injured can achieve good form easily but with all the mileage I have I need constant adult professional supervision.

I started my career in 1972 doing concrete form setting, moved on to large beam construction in custom homes and spent a few years laying 10" x 14" mud adobe block.

A sciatic nerve injury, a paralyzing lumbar strain, and a twisted ankle effected my form both in and out of the gym. My body adjusted but became lopsided because I favored one side which also changed my posture. With proper total training I've straightened out and the last couple of years have been pain free. At 66 years old I keep up with everyone in Saturday morning boot camp and these kids are fit.

[RDavidson]

That's an excellent point, WGH. A fitness / mobility assessment should be done before jumping into lifting or doing any abnormally strenuous fitness regimen (particularly if you're older and/or have a mostly sedentary lifestyle). We all have different strengths, weaknesses, abilities and disabilities. These variables increase with age. Any GOOD trainer should provide a fitness / mobility assessment on the first day and will continue to closely monitor your progress, as well as protect you from doing potentially harmful things.

[JimJ]

I generally agree with you. Weight training isn't rocket science BUT it isn't necessarily simple either. I see SOO many people, due to the crossfit craze, suddenly trying to execute power cleans. Power cleans are a very technical lift which takes a lot of practice and people should be taught how to do them correctly as well as taught the mechanics behind the lift. Also, body builders and power lifters have almost entirely different goals (building mass and building strength/athletic performance, respectively)......which brings me to another point. Ask yourself what your goal is, then find the best path to reach that goal. I once saw a young girl trying to teach her 45-50 year old mom how to do power cleans. A woman this age has zero business doing power cleans. Not to mention, the girl wasn't teaching the movement correctly ; The blind leading the blind. It was AWFUL to watch. I just wanted to go over over there and say " teach your mom something useful / helpful like squats." But even basic squats and deadlifts have more to them (mechanically) than people realize. With that said, there is no reason to do all the machines that work all the little isolated muscle zones, unless you're rehabbing or unless you have mobility issues. Work on squats, deadlifts, bench, and pull-ups (and some of their great variants like split squats, Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell bench / incline bench, and chin-ups) and do them all with equal intensity and regularity to help avoid muscle imbalances. These are the core exercises EVERYONE in the gym should become proficient at before anything else. Something to keep in mind too is that pulling exercises are harder for us than pushing, so be sure to work your back-side hard, if not harder than your front side. There is a ton of resources online for this stuff. All you have to do is Google Squat Technique, or Deadlift Technique, and you'll find some great information ; stronglifts and t-nation are excellent.

I didn't even try squatting or deadlifting until I had some in-person coaching. Maybe it's just me, but I find it incredibly hard to look at YT videos and try to build correct muscle memory off that. But a 25-year old coed trainer jabbing me in the back whenever I start rounding...well, that works

Right now, I've been running 4 days a week, lifting on the off days. Running my second half marathon next month, and I'm going to be ramping up the mileage over the winter, hopefully doing the full 26.2 next year - goal is under 4 hours.

And to think, when I joined this forum I was completely sedentary...

[FireGuy]

For the 2nd year, our Dept. will be participating in the Lung Associations' Air Climb (fund raiser).   Every weekend our team gets together to "practice" climb in our 3-story training tower.  The actual Climb  site (building) in March is 38 floors.  I try to do 60 floors per weekend, with full fire gear including self-contained breathing apparatus  (SCBA).  Everyone climbs at their own pace.  It's the toughest regime I've ever done, that does not require any skill.  A good break from cycling in the summer.

[RDavidson]

That's awesome. I'd love to do something like that for a change of pace.

[DaveC113]

Mobility is very important too, resistance training should be combined with stretching exercises such as yoga.

Right now I lift 3 times a week and do yoga 2-3 times a week. Lifting is in a group setting with a very talented coach 2 times per week, much cheaper than hiring your own PT. Yoga is Bikram... in the 108 degree room.    People who lift and don't stretch may end up with horribly limited range of motion, I've seen plenty of folks in yoga who didn't figure this out and will now spend a very long time trying to regain normal range of motion.

I'd recommend everyone stay away from Crossfit, it's a bad program and can be dangerous.

I was hoping to get on the podium doing Enduro mt bike racing but I'm switching to "veteran-pro" class (old, washed up ex-pro riders  ) so that may not happen but the staging for that class is better, we get to go before any of the amateur classes... I don't care that much if I win in 40+ amateur. The enduro mt bike racing scene here in CO getting really popular.

[OzarkTom]

I am staying on the Paleo Diet. That has worked for me the last nine years and has kept any excess weight off and diabetes 2 in check without ever taking any drugs or insulin. What is nice about that diet, I never have to starve myself.    I eat until I am full.

[macrojack]

I stay away from doctors as much as I can, eat well, and try to keep my feet on my desk at least 5 hours per day. At this point my prime objective lies in trying to age gracefully. I'm 5'5" tall and carry about 157 lbs. of rippling muscle and stagnant fat.

Consultations available.

[MtnHam]

Swimming laps at your local public pool is cheap and safe- no worry about injuries. If you keep at it, idealy 1 mile, 5 days/wk, you will realize a "swimmer's body," look and feel great.

[Photon46]

My wife & I have lifted weights and walked/jogged for over thirty years, started when we were in our mid to late twenties. She & I have always exercised together first thing in the morning before breakfast on workdays, no excuses to procrastinate if we do it first thing. The core thing we do is walking 30-40 minutes most days at 3.5-4.0 m.p.h. Depending on how we feel, what's sore, etc. we often jog. We also do some yoga/stretching 3-4 nights a week. After my wife retired, she joined Gold's Gym and started going to dance, Pilates, yoga, and core fitness classes four days a week in addition to what we do together. Her retirement freed up my morning routine a little bit and I've got about another half hour for exercise in the morning so I've slowly been adding to my morning workload. While I agree that Crossfit can be a recipe for overwork and injury, I also think there are some worthwhile ideas in the emphasis on functional compound exercises. I've been replacing bench presses, pull downs, crunches, etc., with more gymnastic style compound movements. A pair of parrallettes and a chinning bar from Rogue Fitness have been two of the best pieces of equipment we've ever bought for our gym. While I'm 61, with the changes in our routine, I've actually been able to add a bit of muscle and have reduced my body fat to the 12% range. My wife used to be a fitness/bodybuilding competitor before steroids took over women's competition and she in as remarkable shape for her age now (63) as she was when she competed in the early eighties. We sure have to be more careful to warm up and pay attention to good form now, injuries take a lot longer to heal now than they did when we were younger. We don't try to lift heavy any more, it's more about good strict form and control.

[DaveC113]

A lot of the "combo" exercises Crossfit and other programs use can be very, very difficult so you feel like you've accomplished a lot. And they are good to use for interval/endurance training, but they will not result in maximized results in gaining strength for the simple reason they don't isolate the muscles being exercised. One quick example is dumbell rows done in the plank position... this also works the core pretty hard, but if you do rows supporting yourself over a bench with a flat back you isolate the muscles that actually do the rows. You can lift a lot more weight in this position vs the plank position. So combination exercises can be good for endurance/cardio but aren't great for maximizing strength. It's actually possible to make yourself weaker. The coach I work with tries to find a good balance between doing a few "combo" type exercises and using tons of specialized machines that isolate every muscle group.

[OzarkTom]

How to get fat without really trying.

http://foodbabe.com/2015/01/04/how-do-you-get-fat/

[Photon46]

A lot of the "combo" exercises Crossfit and other programs use can be very, very difficult so you feel like you've accomplished a lot. And they are good to use for interval/endurance training, but they will not result in maximized results in gaining strength for the simple reason they don't isolate the muscles being exercised. One quick example is dumbell rows done in the plank position... this also works the core pretty hard, but if you do rows supporting yourself over a bench with a flat back you isolate the muscles that actually do the rows. You can lift a lot more weight in this position vs the plank position. So combination exercises can be good for endurance/cardio but aren't great for maximizing strength. It's actually possible to make yourself weaker. The coach I work with tries to find a good balance between doing a few "combo" type exercises and using tons of specialized machines that isolate every muscle group.

No arguments from me about any of the points you make, all true. That said, I'd gotten a bit tired of the same old bodybuilding isolation movements that focused on strength as the main goal. We all react a bit differently to any given exercise regimen and at age 61, I'm not likely to make any meaningful strength gains doing the same thing I've been doing for the last 30+ years without risk of injury from trying too hard. The attitude some Crossfit gyms have, that "you don't know what you're capable of - keep pushing till you puke" is a recipe for disaster an older person doesn't need.  I doubt even a genetic freak like Rich Froning will be able to keep that level of exertion up as he ages. A regiment made up with a mixture of compound, difficult to execute exercises and more isolated strength movements seems to be working well for me at the moment. My own fitness goals revolve very much around trying to maintain core fitness and balance as I age. I was a pedestrian hit by a car when I was a kid and have some imbalances in my ribcage and spinal muscles as a result of the surgeries to repair the damage. I also have a job that involves a lot of desk jockey time and I commute too far in a car. So, trying to combat the entropy my lifestyle induces and overcome problems from past surgeries are the main reasons I'm focusing on core strength compound exercises.  I've found I need to cycle my exercise goals through time as I age. Focusing on one aspect of fitness too long seems to lead me to stasis and boredom. Sometimes I'll focus more on endurance, sometimes strength. BTW, if anyone is interested , I've always found Clarence Bass's website to be a great source of thought provoking articles on fitness, diet, lifestyle, etc. He's a bright guy that isn't wedded to any one fitness credo and is always looking for the latest research to improve human potential. We all wish we could be as fit as this guy is at 77. http://www.cbass.com/

[RDavidson]

Mobility is very important....

I'd recommend everyone stay away from Crossfit, it's a bad program and can be dangerous.

Yes! Mobility. Mobility. Mobility. This is SUPER important regardless of what type of athletic shape you're in or not. Since I've concentrated more on my mobility over the last couple of years, I am MUCH stronger through full range of motion than I've ever been. I'm nearly 38. I know this will translate to being able to remain strong, active, and injury free as I age. I foam roll (myofacial release) for 15-20 minutes, stretch a bit (but don't over stretch as some natural tension is a good thing for strength training) while warming up. This will take a good 30 minutes or so. I used to just lightly warmup with a set or two of whatever was on the lifting menu for the day. I also was very tight and lacked mobility.....not really realizing it.

YES! I COMPLETELY agree. Crossfit should be approached with caution. I appreciate the functional aspect of Crossfit and training the body to adapt to varying tasks & exercises which can translate to the real world. The problem is, not everyone should be doing some of the training techniques. Not everyone should train the same way an elite athlete should. It IS dangerous. It's pretty common that I hear about people who are into Crossfit getting injured.
The point of working out is to get stronger / healthier, but avoid injury so you can keep going to the gym.

I think I stated this earlier, but always keep in mind your fitness goals. Are you training to compete? Are you training for a sport? Are you just wanting to get in shape and put on some muscle? Train appropriately to meet your personal goals, and keep in mind your strengths, weaknesses, past injuries, age, etc. etc. Egos should ALWAYS be checked at the gym door. You're there to improve yourself, not prove anything to anyone else.