The Exercise & Fitness Thread: The Struggle Is Real

[bob]

On 11/01/2021 at 1:15 PM, Mr_Odwin said:

I got close to a 20:00 5K when I was running regularly, but that was after following an intensive training programme. It really is the best way to do it. Set off on a 12 week programme with the planned 5K attempt at the very end of it. This was one of my plans:

Training

Date

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Miles

Week 1	July 25th 2016	4M	6 x 800m @5K Pace	5M	6M	5M Fartlek	7M	Rest	32
Week 2	August 1st 2016	4M	5M Fartlek	5M	6M	6M	7M	Rest	33
Week 3	August 8th 2016	4M	6 x 800m @5K Pace	4M	6M	8 x 200m Hills @5K Pace	8M	Rest	32
Week 4	August 15th 2016	4M	8 x 400m @ 5K Pace	4M	6M	5M	8M	Rest	32
Week 5	August 22nd 2016	4M	6 x 800m @5K Pace	4M	6M	7 x 500m Hills @ 5K Pace	9M	Rest	33
Week 6	August 29th 2016	4M	10 x 400m @ 5K Pace	4M	6M	6M	10M	Rest	35
Week 7	September 5th 2016	4M	8 x 800m @ 5K Pace	4M	6M	7 x 500m Hills @ 5K Pace	6M	Rest	30
Week 8	September 12th 2016	4M	6M	4M	6M	6 x 400m @Sub-5K Pace	8M	Rest	33
Week 9	September 19th 2016	4M	10 x 400m @ 5K Pace	4M	6M	10 x 200m Hills @5K Pace	7M	Rest	31
Week 10	September 26th 2016	4M	8 x 400m @Sub-5K Pace	4M	6M	6M	6M	Rest	31
Week 11	October 3rd 2016	Rest	6M	10 x 200m Hills @5K Pace	6M	12 x 400m @5K Pace	5M	Rest	27
Week 12	October 10th 2016	Rest	8 x 400m @ 5K Pace	5M	5M	Rest	RACE DAY		18

I was ready and rearing to try this, but then I realised it's not 2016, so I can't!

 

Might lay on the sofa and eat Quality Street instead.

[Ashley]

I'm finding lately that my biggest obstacle is my own mind. Last week I was doing shoulders and I know my left one is weaker which makes me feel like overall I struggle and I think that then feeds into me feeling like I can't do it at the time. Similarly today I struggled with some Bulgarian split squats which I've done before with weights but I just couldn't balance on one foot.

Think I'm just kind of in a mental rut. I know there's no real answer other than work through it, but just wanted to procrastinate at work.

[MindFreak]

Some days are just not good days without any reason. Then you struggle with lighter weights which makes no sense. 

[Fierce_LiNk]

Hit some new PBs today. Overall, had quite a good day focusing on legs. One of those days where all the parts seemed to line up nicely and I had enough energy to push through.

85kg x 10 for back squats. Managed 55kg x 10 for front squats, too. Also got a nice round 100kg x 10 for RDL. It's a fine balance of moving the weight but also working the muscle. I'm more focused on working the muscle rather than just going for numbers, but pleased that I managed to do both today. I do front squats straight after back, so maybe I need to just play around with where I do that one, because squats followed by...more squats is a bit tiring at times.

[Ashley]

Squat it like it's hot Flink

[Fierce_LiNk]

3 hours ago, Ashley said:

Squat it like it's hot Flink

Waiting for those booty gainssss.

[MindFreak]

Going straight for front squats after back squats seems a bit exhausting. I would recommend focussing on each either for a period of time (say 4 weeks of FS only and then switch for 4 weeks) or just do alternating - Monday BS, Wednesday FS or such. I would perhaps focus for a period rather than a day but that's just me.

I've burned a bit out from doing home workouts lately. I'm just not as motivated and my results are a bit lower than they were in summer. However, I found that some old-fashioned circuit training could help me a bit with the strength. 10 exercises with 50 seconds on, 10 seconds break for two or three rounds is really good - I do two consecutive exercises for each group of muscles; e.g. deadlift and back extensions, squats and lunges, push-ups and overhead press, etc. 

It's snowing and really cold here at the moment so outdoor exercise is not really appealing to me. I do miss running though.

Edited February 16, 2021 by MindFreak

[drahkon]

After a few months of no motivation due to various reasons, I've managed to go for 3 runs over the past 7 days:

4km in 30 minutes
6km in 42 minutes
8.6km in 1 hour and 2 minutes

I got some new inlays for my shoes (for my "regular" and running shoes) recently so now my feet hurt after a run. That's normal, though. Should stop after a few weeks.

Really hope I can keep my motivation up.

Edited February 23, 2021 by drahkon

[Goafer]

Seeing as we finally have some decent weather, I figured I'd bring the bike out of retirement and see how much fitness I've lost since last autumn.

Turns out it's not as much as I thought. I've definitely put some weight on since then, but the fitness is still there to some extent. Did my shorter route and only stopped at the point where I turn round, and even that was more due to me wanting a break rather than needing it.

The bike didn't even need that much maintenance, which was nice. Topped the tyres up, freed and oiled a sticky brake and it was good to go.

[Happenstance]

19 minutes ago, Goafer said:

Seeing as we finally have some decent weather, I figured I'd bring the bike out of retirement and see how much fitness I've lost since last autumn.

Turns out it's not as much as I thought. I've definitely put some weight on since then, but the fitness is still there to some extent. Did my shorter route and only stopped at the point where I turn round, and even that was more due to me wanting a break rather than needing it.

The bike didn't even need that much maintenance, which was nice. Topped the tyres up, freed and oiled a sticky brake and it was good to go.

Oddly enough I was planning on taking my bike out for the first time this year today as well but I managed to fuck up my toe yesterday so it hurts to put my shoe on. Dunno what’s wrong with me lately!

[Ashley]

PT requested some progress pictures the other day and then today gave me the option of whether I want to trim down to have abs for summer or increase eating to bulk up more. Going to weight it up (ey-ohhh!) a bit and get back to him. I imagine the latter will be more difficult as I'm already having 3 substantial meals and then a snack (fake meat with humous and a bit of salad in a seeded flatbread) but I am curious to see what I can achieve...

[Beast]

I've gained a lot of weight because I've been off of my feet due to my Plantar Fasciitis (which is nicely healing). I'm now 19st 9lb. I'm almost a stone away from being back to square one! I can't be having that!

I've just bought myself Ring Fit Adventure (bloody amazing bit of kit, by the way) and I've just got my bike fixed up so I don't put too much weight on my foot. I've also started doing a bit of yoga too so hopefully I'll be able to lose some bloody weight!

[martinist]

Funny enough I also have Planter Fascitis from running too much.

Feet still flair up when i run and they slap down instead of rolling through the sole of the foot when i run.

People are saying I look like i've lost weight which is nice (as i sit here downing a bottle of wine to ruin everything)

I've been running with the dog everyday around 2pm for an hour and that seems to be taking the weight off, the thing is i like to stuff my face with garbage around 8pm. Really need to stop doing that.

[Beast]

33 minutes ago, martinist said:

Funny enough I also have Planter Fascitis from running too much.

Feet still flair up when i run and they slap down instead of rolling through the sole of the foot when i run.

People are saying I look like i've lost weight which is nice (as i sit here downing a bottle of wine to ruin everything)

I've been running with the dog everyday around 2pm for an hour and that seems to be taking the weight off, the thing is i like to stuff my face with garbage around 8pm. Really need to stop doing that.

I couldn't recommend it enough that you have the injection. I wished I did it sooner. To be fair though, mine got to the point it hurt to walk or stand so I bit the bullet and done it. I think mine may have been done by too much running. I remember it starting when I was walking and I suddenly felt my foot go. It was horrible. From then on, it gradually got worse. I did the injection two weeks ago and near enough, it's completely healed. My heel is still sore but it's going down bit by bit.

[Ganepark32]

Syarted doing regular exercise at the start of August last year as I'd put on a little bit of weight with lockdown, though I wasn't heavy by any stretch of the imagination as I'd got up to 99.1kg (which isn't bad considering my diet hadn't been the greatest through early lockdown, lot of convenience vegan foods) and was only starting to see evidence of my belly sticking out.

I managed to keep going through to the start of November before my downstairs neighbour at my old place started his nonsense and threatening me but I'd lost 5kg by December so I was chuffed.

Had a few months of down time in between moving into temporary accommodation to get out of my old flat which meant I couldn't really exercise as there wasn't room but started again 2 weeks after moving into my current place and its now been 5 weeks and despite it being a little difficult getting back up to speed, I'm now back to my full hour workouts in the morning and feeling great for them.

A combination of slowly increasing the intensity of my workout and sorting my diet out has meant I've shed another 1kg and a bit. So I'm down to 92.9kg from my initial 99.1kg last year. Still needing to work more in getting the stomach to look flatter but definitely getting there. Just making sure to keep adding extra reps or more dedicated spots for ab workouts as well as strength training on legs and arms, though slowly as I don't need a repeat of last year where I managed to both mess a tendon up in my right knee for a bit and then cracked a rib. Doing 9 straight weeks without a day of rest really took a toll but I've learned and I'm now set for specific days of workout, a day for a long walk and rest days as well as making my diet more beneficial to back up what I'm doing.

At this point, I'm the lowest in weight since about 2019 but its now about building that strength up, especially around my knees and my shoulders as I seem to get a lot of pain and stiffness with both. I've got hypermobility in my shoulders, which means that my shoulders tend to slip and pop out when trying to do things like press ups so not ideal, so don't know whether that's why my shoulder strength has been lacking up its getting there.

Looking at getting a crossfit machine in the coming weeks as my partner is on the exercise kick as well and we're looking for something for days when we're not doing as intense a workout and thought this would be a great idea. Will also need to look into getting new weights as my dumbbells are from my partner and are a bit old at this point (they're one that you fill with sand). So need to find some good modular ones and a bar for down the line. Hoping to also eventually get back into doing some running. Haven't done long distance runs since I was in college and that quickly wound down with me going to University and having to commute every day. But going to slowly lead up to that, from doing longer walks to jogging and then on from there. Long term goal but I'll hopefully get there.

But yeah, very happy with my progress so far. Food habits have changed for the better and woth the exercise, physically I feel better than I have done for a long time (even when I'm sore after exercise from doing sets of 10 second planks). Hoping it'll finally kick my mental health in the right direction as lockdown has obviously taken its toll on many, myself included but I've always struggled with it and more so in recent years. But yeah, going well so far, just got to stick at it.

[Ashley]

Good work. As they say it is about forming a habit and seems like you're getting there with both food and exercise

[MindFreak]

9 hours ago, Ganepark32 said:

a crossfit machine

A Crosstrainer? Otherwise, never ever heard about a crossfit machine (except the crossfitter mantra "don't use machines, become one").

Anyways, good job!

After getting a second child in January, working out has become a bit harder for me. In the weekdays I'm at work so I just take an hour off before lunch and exercise (I still work from home all the time) but during the weekends, I find it hard to find the time for it as I want to spend time with my oldest son and not leaving my wife with both of them. The young one has a hard time sleeping during the day and that makes him high maintenance (for her).

[Goafer]

I've started cycling again and I'm amazed at how much fitness I've retained. Managed my long route over the weekend (although I did feel like death after) and managed my medium route at a fairly fast pace today and barely got out of breath. 

Just got to lose the weight I put on over Christmas and I'm back to where I was late last year.

[martinist]

Rolled my ankle while i was running yesterday and now its pretty badly brused. Gonna lay off for a while untill i can run without limping like an idiot.

Will probably try again around Monday or so.

[Goafer]

Been using the recent bike upgrades as motivation to actually get out on it. Bloody good day for it today as well. 

[MindFreak]

Went out for a run on Tuesday, usual 5.55 km route I have. Weather was great, 16° and almost no wind, yet I struggled with the run and actually had to take two breaks (one with 10 m walking, one with just standing still) and a break for tying my shoe laces. Time: 23:44 (stopped the time on the two breaks where I was standing still)

Today I went for the same route, a bit colder (9°) and a little more wind. I had plenty of energy, took no breaks and held a steady pace all the time. Time: 23:42. 

It's crazy how things like that vary. 

[drahkon]

A question for the runners here:
Anybody got recommendations for Bluetooth earphones? Only have a tight budget, so anything around 30€ would be fine.

Just need some with a nice enough sound quality that don't fall out of my ears while running   I hate running with cable-bound earphones so I wanna get a wireless pair.

[Goafer]

16 hours ago, drahkon said:

A question for the runners here:
Anybody got recommendations for Bluetooth earphones? Only have a tight budget, so anything around 30€ would be fine.

Just need some with a nice enough sound quality that don't fall out of my ears while running   I hate running with cable-bound earphones so I wanna get a wireless pair.

I use these whilst cycling: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XG8L3CW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_7ENTEX5YB566QE0J77A3

They're fine. Nothing fancy, but I only listen to podcasts, so they do the job. I've been using them for just over a year.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Goafer

[drahkon]

Thanks.

Couldn't sleep well last night so I also did some research myself.

Went with these:

They're supposed to be pretty good for the price I paid (33€). Hope they deliver what's promised.

[Ashley]

Decided to cut for a while so I've spent the weekend doing some meal planning and trying to get a rough idea of where I'm going with this. Going to spend the first week logging everything on My Fitness Pal (which is grabbing exercise data from Fitbit anyway) and then use that to get a better sense of what needs changing as I find having some data to work with easier. Ultimately I need to cut down on carbs/fats somewhat and maybe some more cardio, but will review after the first week.

Just spent a while grabbing my data from Fitbit for the last 5 weeks and putting it into a spreadsheet to crunch some numbers:

• Seems I burn most calories when doing legs followed by back, chest, core and obliques in that order
• Back day I tend to burn more calories on average but I know this is largely a useless stat as it includes walks and obviously that varies
• Tuesday is the biggest calories burning day on average

Although I've just realised that the data for those 5 weeks will be atypical as I've been off work for 3 weeks so I will have been out working more than normal.

Now that I've done all that I might look at building myself a web app to crunch these numbers for me. Was playing around a few weeks ago to figure out the technical side and now I guess I've got a use case! Just wish Strong had an API to be able to tie these datasets together