Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Hey all of you,
While spring may have sprung where you are Surfermom, it certainly hasn’t here which is why I haven’t been running but I’ve walked my usual 4 to 5 kilometres. The roads are far too slippery for running so I’m going to have to wait a while longer but I’m still doing my 25 minute yoga every morning.
This week I got to include a Balance Ball DVD made by Suzanne Deason and it’s filmed in Hawaii so it’s relaxing & picturesque. It’s a mixture of yoga & Pilates and I just love it. Those big balance balls are so much fun.

I think stretching is a very important part of exercising but I think a lot of men have a harder time doing it due to body shape. Generally men are bigger and more muscular than us women.

Oh and Surfermom; you are a really good artist. That painting you did of your border collie with it’s favourite ball is incredible good.

So I haven’t been jogging cause I don’t want to fall yet I managed to fall over the railing at our local bank today while out and bashed my legs up pretty bad. While it hurt , I have to admit that it must have looked pretty funny

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Well I feel I've done my bit yesterday. We went for a long hike in the swirly snow over freezing windy fields. I think it was -2 or -3 at least.

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Well done, Surfermom dodging the Easter kids on the beaches there. I'm sure you'll find a quieter place to run (and surf) away from all the chaos and ice cream. I'll have a look at your paintings in a moment

I see what you mean about finding it hard to do the pec dec exercises at your height. These machines are adjustable but it's usually just the seat height , the arm bars tend to stay the same and I guess you have to stretch to use the elbow pads which isn't a good position to do. as you say, there are alternatives.

Annie - You're a far more resilient young lady than I am a man in this cold weather. It took me about two hours pondering whether or not to venture outside this morning. Good on yer!

And Bratti - Yoga balls. I've tried those giant Spacehoppers out myself but end up rolling around a bit then falling off completely! Too right they are not designed for larger and longer folk like myself, but I did find that I could do push ups on them by positioning my feet on the ball and hands on the floor. That was a long time ago...when I used to do push ups! Can't think why I don't do them anymore to be honest though!
Nice work

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Myself then, and feeling better after my one-day bout of I dunno what really - it must have been the four bottles of beer I drank at home last night - I hit the gym this morning after my usual broken weekend sleep but ready for a session nonetheless. With all improvements in place on my template (i.e. piece of paper and pen), I set myself a strict time of one hour to do as many exercises as I could. It’s work tonight and Sundays are always a light session if I manage to go at all so I didn’t want to push it too far…


Sunday, 18 Mar 18:

Tricep extensions, 50kg:
(As it was freezing cold at the gym I did a quick warm up set to begin with, 20x40)
20/15/12
*This was an increase of 5kgs from last week. Four weeks ago I was repping just 30kg, so this new routine is working very well so far. I’ll leave this weight and reps the same for next time.

Triceps pulldown (against backrest), 41kg:
30/25/20
*Too many reps on this now which means the weight must go up for next time. I’ll probably make it 47kg and lower the reps slightly until I get used to the extra poundage.

Lat pulldown, underarm close grip, 40kg:
30/20/15
*Again, need more weight on this too. 45kg next week. May decrease the reps.

Fly dec, 65kg:
30/20/20
*This was a big increase in weight from last week where I was pulling 50kg, but I’m still managing the same amount of high reps. Slight change next time with the middle set adding five reps and then I’ll be looking at making the weight 70kg+ the following week.

E-Z preacher curl, 85° vertical pull, close grip, 28kg:
22/16/14
*This was up from 23kg but I’m going to push past the 30kg mark next time and decrease the reps very slightly.

E-Z preacher curl, 45° standard pull, wide grip, 23kg:
22/20/18
*Same with the regular position. Up from 18kg last week but I reckon I can still lift more at the moment as the reps are still going up pretty easily for the weight. 25.5kg next week.

• I’ll be adding a forearms exercise into my routine from next week as they are needing to catch up with my upper arms due to these extra weights.


Incline leg press, 180kg:
50/30
25x200
*It’s oh-so tempting to keep adding weight to leg exercises but although I have very little issues with my knees now I still have that caution in my mind, so I’m going to decrease the weight on this to 150kg next week in favour of adding more reps instead. Gone are the days of pushing 400+!

Ham curls, seated, 40kg:
40/30/20
*Happy with these. No changes.


1 hour.

I'm obviously getting stronger again, although that isn't my goal anymore. The thing is to keep me exercising properly and making myself work hard, I need to go heavier but I didn't think I would be progressing this much so soon. I'm thinking it must be because of the heavy weights I used to lift when I was bodybuilding and my body must think my muscles need that extra weight again. I'll play it by ear and take it steady anyway. The bigger muscles are good to see making a reappearance but it's fitness not bulk I need these days.

If there are any of my exercises you need an image of, please let me know and I’ll find a pic.

I must do one session either Monday or Tuesday each week just to keep the limbs working properly, although sometimes it’s a wrench to find the motivation. Next session probably Tuesday.

Thanks for reading

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Annie, that was an impressive hike. I am sure it was quite beautiful with all that fresh snow.

Bratti, everyone I know who does yoga first thing in the morning says that they reap the benefits from it all day long. Combine that with the walking and you have a very soild program that should get you through the last of the cold snaps up there.

Good luck with your exercise ball! I enjoy mine though I am inconsistent in using it. It's my go-to for back stretching and working on lower abs.

Floydy, you earned two chuckles from me..the first over an image of you rolling around and falling off the ball (they do come in various sizes)...and the second for the realization of the post effects of four beers.... Good thing both didn't happen at the same time!

You seem to be hitting your stride with the new program - all those reps and only small increases in weights. Anytime you get tempted to go heavy, just remember how your knees felt when they were really acting up.

It was a short surf session today with thunderstorms gathering, so few calories were burned until Ranger, my not-quite-trained mastiff/lab mix got out and bolted, resulting in some exhaustive sprinting. That counts, right? Who knows - perhaps I'm onto the newest exercise fad! Anyway, he is safely back home and I managed a session of step aerobics.

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Running after bull mastiffs on the beach, Surfermom. Too right it will keep the calories off. Don't write it into your programme though as you'll wanting to be run after him further next time!

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My mid-week workout is something I’m getting used to now. Gone are the days when I would train seven days a week for two hours plus each session, building the physique I always craved for. I achieved that as much as my circumstances would allow (being the forces, etc, marriage halting proceedings in the late 1990’s), and of course my current situation with working nights and that old thing called adapting to one’s age.

So there we have it, one decent enough session during the week, making up for things towards the weekend when I push myself a little further and it took me a long time to accept but I’m happy with things now as they are. I’m able to add weight each time to suit my workable reps training and I’m still keeping the muscles in the right place and they can still ‘pump up’ quite impressively, and in comparison with a lot of other guys I see in their fifties (and sometimes much younger) who are not active and pretty lazy with their need for presentable self-respect, I’m in a good place with my health and fitness.

So to today, and it was continuing with my usual programme, making changes from previous targets and fulfilling my objectives, a more than adequate workout took place…


Tuesday, 20 Mar 18:

DB press, incline bench, 22kg:
15/12/10
*This is a good weight now. The 20kg was too light and I’ll probably stick with this one and just add a few more reps as I’m lifting if it gets too easy (*see foot of page for some new info about this).

Seated row, 47kg:
20/15/12
*Up from 41kg last time.

E-Z standing curl, 23kg:
20/15/12
*I’m changing this to a barbell next time and increasing the weight to 30kg. Reps may be lower according to ability.

E-Z preacher curl, low pull, close grip, 28kg:
22/16/14

E-Z preacher curl, standard pull, wide grip, 30.5kg:
20/15/12
*The above two E-Z bar exercises had added weight which tested my strength somewhat but I’ll be amending the reps as per notes below.

Tricep extensions, 50kg:
20/15/12
*Still adding 5kg each session. Where will this end?!

Sled press, 150kg:
30/25/20
*Sole leg exercise today. A little is enough sometimes.


1 hour.

*Looking at this programme again, I’m going to adjust my programme to add 2-5 “pause reps” after each set from now on which will slightly affect my reps count. What this means is when you come to end of a set, instead putting the weights down you hold them in the ‘up’ position for a few moments while you catch your breath and then add several more reps, as many as possible until your muscles fail and you put the weight down. This creates more intensive work for the muscles which will see them develop more fully after rest. So on the template I use for the gym there will be an additional column noting how many extra reps I should be doing and these will be included in my total rep count for each set.
Hope that makes sense?!

Next session Thursday

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Hahaha, I most certainly earned my dessert with that chase, Floydy. While it did plenty for my speedwork training, it didn't do much for my pride - a fifty something woman chasing a massive dog down the beach is quite the picture, I can assure you.

It's always interesting to read how your workouts are progressing and, this time, how you have adapted through the years. OldGreyFox reminds us that life is what gets in the way of a perfectly good workout regimen. The pause reps seem like an easy habit to incorporate that will push you to failure without the extra weight. Nice job on those.

It is blowing a blue streak here and I am about to run headlong into it, only to be pushed the opposite direction like a sail, but aside from having my hair in my face, I quite like it as it forces me to change my pace and breathing. As we get older, we are more likely to sink into a steady even pace that rarely changes, so anything that forces me us out of the habit is good for the muscles including our favorite one - the heart.

Now I am off to follow up all that good talk with the walk...or the run....as the case may be .

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

^
Yeah, I'm happy with my lot training-wise right now, S. Those pause reps will move things up a notch next time I'm sure. I'll have a day off tomorrow. Thanks.

Hope the walk/run went okay today. I guess it's a run if your dog goes along too...unless it's a lazy dog that is. But then if it takes after yourself, it will be a really speedy thing

You mention OFG. I'm quite sure he'll be listening in to all this over his cream tea and buttered scone during his afternoons on that sun-drenched deck of his. Hope he doesn't forget to bring the rest of this thread's members home with him!

Anyway, good news! I'm off work all next week prior to Easter. Putting four days holiday in at work for me means I get 10 off including the weekends, so I was lucky to get in there. Loads to do in the house mending things etc, but it's the free time I'll cherish...may even try out an evening session at the gym too!

Talk later, take care

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

What outstanding news to hear that you have a week off! That's just what the forum "doctors" have been hoping for . Some of my favorite work breaks were those spent at home - sleeping in and slowing down the pace without the energy required of travel.

Coincidentally, it is spring break for the local schools which means I am taking my daughter to Kansas and Colorado for some fun and family. My parents are in their eighties, so it's a chance to go home that I don't dare miss. You all will laugh, but I am excited to see snow! It's still piling up in the Rockies.

No snow here, but another day of wind. After several days of some pretty fierce running, I took a recovery day. As much as I talk the good talk about the importance of taking a day off here and there, I always have to push away a sense of laziness for not doing something fitness-wise.

Ick. My diet has been terrible this week. Too many rich picnic foods the last few days - mayonnaise overload. Tomorrow is another day though - with the egg yolks, cheeses, and breads stowed safely away, with little else on my plate but a good beach run....

It's SPRING OFFers! Let's mooooove....

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

^ Surfermom, it's fantastic to get a week off. You know how time, or lack of it drives me crazy last night tomorrow then and then it's offski and homeways.
Loads of work to do at home though, but I'm actually looking forward to doing some DIY. I'll probably mention my tasks and chores in one of the Good Morning threads at the weekend. Don't worry though, I have plenty of free time pencilled in for myself too. So it's the gym for some long sessions and there will be a band to see one night and an anniversary meal night out with some friends. can't wait till 6 am Friday morning!

Bet you can't wait to get back to Kansas to see your folks, S. It's always great to catch up with family and I hope they're doing okay. You all have a great time and take your parents out to some nice places, maybe a meal or two etc. Enjoy yourselves!
Now I understand how you were always at Max's Kansas City when you mentioned the place in my music thread. It all adds up now...

Have a good beach run later and burn them thar calories off. We (all?) await your post

Talk later, next time with my own Thursday gym session with the results of my adapted "extra reps" session.

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

DIY, sleeping in, a concert, and an anniversary...that's more like it! Imagine going to the gym without time pressures; I am sure we will get some interesting reports....

Ha, yes I was in Kansas for a short time, but was fortunate to grow up all over the country, mostly in several California locations where I spent most of my childhood and teen years...

I was due to leave first thing in the morning, that is until one of my fillings fell out. As everyone is like-minded around here, my dentist has already left on his vacation leaving me to sort it out with his hygenist. No matter, I should be in good shape for the sixteen hour drive on Saturday.

The good news is that this affords me a good long, sunny run tomorrow having just completed five today. The first run after a lay day is always a good one and after that first two miles of getting my feet and heart rate where I wanted them, I could have gone on forever.

Alas, I am not the marathoner OGF is and decided it better to call it a day. I don't need to break anything else before I leave ::

Happy moving!