Re: Post your daily exercise routine

It's been great reading all your posts in here by the way, keeping up to date even though I haven't been training myself that much.

Surefermom, you're a great inspiration to all on here who may think they are too old or out of shape to exercise. The level of fitness you have is pretty awesome actually. Great to see you here as a newcomer as well. keep it up!

Healthy set of legs there too, Bob!

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Hurricane Franklin gave us a nice round of glassy surf up here in the norther Gulf of Mexico this morning, which enabled my daughter and me to spend about three hours catching yards of waves. While I am no pro (just ask my snickering offspring), for every pearl and wipeout I manage to get the fins and rails into the side of a peeling wave. It's a great workout; without thinking, paddling works out core and upper body muscles, while standing up and turning the board requires all one's leg muscles. Further, falling off the board or getting smacked in the face full-on by a wave keeps one's ego at a very low and healthy state. There was quite a bit of each today.

Even the end of the day ended nicely with a long five miles at low tide. Into the setting sun one direction and then with my back to it with the last of the refracting rays on the pink tufts overhead:

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

That sounds Idyllic Surfermom, living about fifty miles away from the nearest beach I can reach it in just over an hour, and I do, at every opportunity....However, this mornings run was no less dramatic.....

Something felt different this morning as I pulled on my shorts and laced up the running shoes. A cloudless blue sky, and although it was broad daylight at six thirty, the waning moon could still be clearly seen almost overhead, the sun had caught it before it had time to scuttle away below the horizon. I stepped outside to a cool crisp morning, the damp air caressed my face and legs as I made my way out into the country. An abundance of red berries weighed down the branches of the Rowan and the sun seemed lower in the sky than usual. It is beginning to feel like Autumn......

There was a quiet stillness as I made my way down that neglected road. Could it be that the diversion that was in place this morning was sending all the traffic on a wild goose chase around the neighbourhood while repairs were made to the level crossing? Or was it that the world knew something special was going to happen today.....

There was no indication that my run would be any different from any other day, my legs were feeling heavy and cumbersome, and short bursts of speed would be followed by the slow jogs of recovery. I would not give in to the feeling of lethargy that accompanied me on my run this morning. And so it was, as I made my way, snail like, around my eight mile course, sometimes fast, and sometimes slow, until I arrived home, thankful of being able to stop and fill my gasping lungs with air.

I clung to the wall in desperation and glanced at the time on my stopwatch........A seasons best time by five seconds......Not an easy task on one of my most run courses........No sounds of the surf lapping up onto the beach, or the gentle swish of the palms as they are gently massaged by the warm gulf breeze.....
But an amazing relaxed feeling of euphoria..... and the thought of......How the hell am I going to make it through the day....

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Congratulations on your record - especially in August Well done, snail!

Your vivid descriptions of your running adventures are not only inspiring, but they send me scrambling for Google to discover the new in what is so familiar to all of you in the UK. I did not, for example, know what a rowan is, but I do know we have mountain ash trees here, so I can better imagine how vivid those berries are. You certainly had your daily dose of endorphins, it seems.

As it was, my endorphins were soaking wet this evening. A long and happy phone call with my parents (both in their mid eighties) resulted in a late exit out the door. Squinting to prepare myself for the sun that should be setting, I instead discovered a slate-colored crown of roll clouds staring at me menacingly and furrowing its brows in warning. Knowing the skies fairly well here, and never letting anything stand between me and five miles, I shrugged it off, estimating that I had at least forty-five minutes of pavement time before the skies fell.

As it turns out, it is a good thing that I am not a forecast meteorologist. About three miles from home, the entire contents of a cumulonimbus cloud poured unmercifully and completely on my head, blinding me from everything except for the thick and lethal lightning bolts snapping down over the gulf to my right. There is always some internal debate about what to do when one is caught wide out in the open in a thunderstorm, so this time I did what I thought best - I ran. I ran fast. I ran soggy, but faster still. One car, racing past, covered me in a sheet of water, and one man pulled over to offer me a ride (thank you, kind sir, but my father long-ago put the fear in me about riding with strangers), and I made it home in no time. It was a personal best!

Actually, I have no idea. I forgot my running watch...but it felt fast. Does that count? Do I get a medal? Never mind, I shall settle for a hot shower and dry clothes, and another day knowing that OGF pulled off a better run than me .

As an aside, I am not liking what is in the mirror these days. While my running distances have been the same and I feel strong enough, I am SURE that I am losing muscle mass in my quadriceps, hamstrings, etc. and need to do something to mitigate this ...more cycling, perhaps? More hill running? This will never do....

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Nonsense Surfermom your descriptive accounts are far superior to my meagre attempts. And your battle with the wrath of God outstrips my mere five second improvement on what are fastly diminishing times. Forty Five minutes for five miles would be a good time for me these days, and I notice you run every day.....You mentioned 35 miles per week....so 5 x 7 = 35...Yes... In comparison I only manage three runs per week of 6 - 8 - 10 and maintaining this has been one of my most important rules for almost forty years, only the distances have changed. The most important rule is not to stop or walk during a run (unless injured)....These rules have served me well over the years resulting in very little injury.

I find it fascinating that the internet can allow two runners to communicate with each other from different continents. I have never been much of a team player, hence the ability to run long distances with just myself for company, but it never ceases to amaze me the camaraderie exhibited by fellow runners, we certainly are a breed apart.

Unfortunately Champagne is not a drink you would normally find in a Northern Pit village, so I'll toast your success last night with a frothing brew of Brown Ale......Cheers...Surfermom....

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Sports day! If one plans to run, go surfing, and ride bikes to help a friend trying to catch some feral kittens to take them to the veterinarian, be sure to do the first two first, or else you will be too injured and exhausted to do anything else. That story is so off topic that I will post it tomorrow in the “Pets and Animals” section, but I am happy to report that I survived the event (though others barely did not and there is car interior that will never be the same) well enough that I squeezed in a cool six miles with my daughter late in the day.

Yes, OGF, isn’t it interesting how solitary our sport is, yet we are indeed very supportive we are of one another, even if it is a nod and wave out on the roads, or an interesting thread out here in cyberspace. I am thoroughly enjoying reading about your adventures on foot so very far away. While was once convinced to get involved in competition, I have found that I am infinitely happier having given up that competitive lifestyle. Running my own little daily competitions against my legs, heart, lungs, and mind - each of which are fiercely trying to beat me - are satisfying enough. I do like keeping an eye on my pace, but my times are nowhere what they were six or seven years ago. C’est la vie!

I completely agree about maintaining distance and I remember watching “Everest”and thinking that walking mid-run is like sitting down on a long ascent. Once you do it….that sweater starts to unravel.

The toast was most appreciated - certainly after that season’s best you deserved a cold and frothy ale. In return, I raise a cup of late night tea for your victory and perseverence!

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Hi

Any form of running is out for me, a serious injury to my left leg in 1989, told I would never be able to walk without crutches and a full length heavy metal leg brace.

After several years on crutches and then sticks I can walk and only occasionally have to wear a light weight brace, it is no longer screwed into the leg.

It is somewhat weird, I can climb up Snowdon, but cannot come down, it is the same with stairs, up is easy, down I have to swing my leg.

I have what Surfer calls a spinner, an adapted exercise bike, with the left pedal fixed.

I also have an adapted road bike, again with the left pedal fixed, which I love to get out on.

I have to choose my routes carefully, steep hills are a no no with only one pedal.

I have a daily exercise routine to maintain the quads in my left leg, very important.

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Really enjoying reading about Surfermom's adventures. It's surely a different world out there

Well,
Normal service is resumed, or it’s getting there gradually after a lovely couple of hours training yesterday. The knees were feeling in better shape, so instead of postponing another legs session, I did a relatively good 40 minutes on the legs, followed by a general booster for the upper body.

Arthritis is irreversible but it can be controlled if you keep some sort of load bearing routine going to keep the legs reasonably strong, so without bashing myself bonkers by completely destroying those dicky knees of mine, I decided on a re-run of a session I did a few weeks ago – three sets of high reps/light weights. This time I kept the weight the same for all three sets but went to failure on an additional fourth set, plus with a little extra weight. I decided that this should see my leg strength increase again without pushing things too far too quickly.

LEGS

Incline press:
50x100
25x150
25x150
25x150
28x200
*Very cautiously adding the 50kg for a final failure set. My quads can easily handle this kind of weight which makes it all the more frustrating because I cannot risk any further knee damage therefore I’ll take things steady over the next few weeks with the weight.

Seated leg press:
25x120
25x120
25x120
43x160
*Notice that these final heavier sets are looking like a doddle. This does mean that I have a guideline now for increasing the previous three sets each coming session.

Calf press:
20x150
20x150
20x150
14x160

Extensions:
25x40
25x40
25x40
22x60
*Bit of knee pain on these, so I’ll leave these weights as they are next time.

Seated ham curls:
25x40
25x40
25x40
14x50
*These went very well, no problems pulling backwards with the lower legs at all. I intend to increase the weight on this quite a lot next time to return to my previous standard.

- - - - - - - - - - -

OTHER WORK

Seated row, hammer bar:
15x41
15x41
15x47

Seated hammer curls, alt:
6x14
6x14
6x16

Concentration curl, seated, alt:
6x18
6x18
7x20

E-Z bar preacher curl, low pull, slow, c/g:
6x40
6x40
6x40
5x50
*No worries as usual with pull work. The 50 seemed easy like old times. If all else fails and all my bones seize up, I can always go back to being a bicep boy!

SUPERSET:
Tricep extensions / 20kg BB curls:
33x40 / 20 curls
21x50 / 20
15x60 / 20
13x70 / 20
8x80 / 20
*No rest between the extensions and picking up the bar. As with the bicep work, the triceps are still on good form and in decent shape. Rocketing up the plates with these extensions.

Shoulder press:
5x80
5x80
3x90
*Much improved from Wednesday’s effort. I know I said I wasn’t going for heavy weights to increase the strength anymore, but I can’t help it. The temptation is too much!

Pec dec:
15x50
10x60
4x70
15x40 fast
*Rarely do pec dec work, it doesn’t do anything for my chest whatsoever, but I was walking by the machine so why not do a few jolly little reps?

Tricep extensions (again):
30x35 high reps

Ab crunch:
10x50
10x50
10x50
10x60
10x70
50x35

5 mins bike.


Time: 2hr. 10mins.

Much more like it. A basis there for a proper routine starting again next week.
It’s strange that the only exercise that was giving me a little hassle was the leg extension, and for some strange reason the 5 minute bike at the end, which was really painful – walking up steps has the same reaction. Must read up about this.

Today I won’t be training as it’s food shopping in the morning and in the afternoon I’m going to see The Stranglers with support from Big Country and The Ruts. Should be a good gig.

Thanks for reading, have a good weekend

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Swimfeeders, that is one of the most sensational fitness stories I know about. Twenty-seven years after being told you had a debilitating injury and you are still that active and dedicated to keeping your legs fit? Incredible! This world of spinning classes is new to me, but I have decided I need more leg work, so it's an entertaining enough way to do it, and I can see that it will be enjoyable in the winter months. That said, I would, take a day on my outdoor bike any day of the week! Do I ever feel your pain when it comes to those downhill treks! When you are young, you never anticipate that going up would so much better than going down. I am very interested in your workouts and progress!

Floydy, I am still amazed at your work and have often wondered whether or not you (and others) worry that when going to failure, you could cause a serious injury. I relaize you probably have a spotter, but how do you know the difference between approaching failure and approaching a blow out, so to speak?

A concert on a Saturday night promisies big fun. I am a fan of "Big Country"...and am showing my age as my kids have never heard of them.

I had a light workout today of step aerobics using three pound weights and quiet five mile run. Then I completely cancelled it out with a pasta dinner, a giant green salad, and, I must confess, a nice thick slice of garlic bread. It was worth every step!

Re: Post your daily exercise routine

Good questions raised, Surfermom, thanks

The failure sets I do are really just one or two extra reps which can (just) be pushed out after a standard set, although sometimes I do try to round them up to the nearest 5 (10,15 reps total etc), depending on the exercise.

The only exercise I need to use a spotter for is the bench press, but only if I'm going very heavy on and that is something I'm trying to limit these days. It's much more sensible and realistic now that I'm in my 50's to simply aim for maintaining my physique, rather than trying to get 'bigger' anymore. That would be nigh impossible and pointless. I'm happy with my shape and health mostly but even so you can't change the habit of a lifetime, and yes, I'll sometimes still push myself a little bit harder just to see if I've "still got it". I can't help it!