The Exercise Thread

[kach22i]

It has been a month since I injured the tendon in my arm (improper curls).

Did my first push ups in a month, but I did them girl style (on knees) and on my bed for less strain.

Five sets of thirty, half of my old normal. Included the leg lifts and crunches which I've been slacking on lately.

We will see how my body reacts, I'm tired of just swimming and lower body work outs. I need to get back on track. I'm losing my mojo.

[impactbumper]

bicep injury?

[kach22i]

The tendon on inside of the elbow was injured last month. This one connects to forearm I believe, but was injured when I lost the correct line (and twisted) while doing inclined curls for my biceps.

Seems to be okay today, going to try some regular push ups today. Then I'll work my way up to inverted ones, then sliding ones inverted.

[GG Allin]

I've been on the treadmill very regularly since mid February. Walking at 3.7 mph at a number 15 incline for 35 minutes, give or take a few. According to the calorie counter, and I've been logging the totals, I've burned just under 13000 calories. Haven't lost any noticeable weight.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

Walking ..........Haven't lost any noticeable weight.

Current theory suggests that low pace aerobic activity only burns calories while you are doing it, and has little extended benefits.

Same theory suggests that getting your heart rate up by any means (sprinting, weight lifting, even a sauna) gets your metabolism into high gear where you burn extra calories all day and even in your sleep.

Doing Squat Thrusts or Burpees activates a major muscle group (large muscles in legs) which gets the whole fat burning process in motion.

I personally believe that males need upper body activation and females don't as much.

I read once that the difference between exercise and body building is that in exercise you only exercise the muscles you have, and with body building you build new muscles.

I guess you have to ask yourself if you want to stay the same (tone up a bit) or change your look more aggressively.

I read an article recently which said we lose muscle mass starting at age 25, and after 40 it's something like a half pound to a full pound a year with fat gains double of that. At 65 and older when that frail and weak look overtakes it's because we have lost too much muscle mass.

However I found out just how dangerous weights can be when used improperly. I will be sticking to more boot-camp style workouts until I'm back up to par.

[impactbumper]

13000 calories close to 4lbs if you are on a deficit.

[kach22i]

Last night I did an hour long workout consisting of; push-ups on slider discs, heavy punching bag (kept it light), elliptical machine, crunches/leg lifts, squat thrusts, Burpees and some light weight lifting, all without pain.

No swelling or tenderness today on the inside of the elbow where it had been showing up.

I'm going swimming at noon today to stretch things back out.

I'm amazed at how one tender little spot on my elbow kept me from doing many basic core exercises.

Forearms, pectoral to collarbone connections, thighs/hamstrings and abs are all telling me they are coming back online this morning. I'm getting my mojo back.

EDIT: The swim went great, last few times out I've been doing 72 lengths in 1-hour 20-minutes (half-Olympic). This time I did 80 in the same amount of time, but I took the backstroke out of my routine, so that accounts for the bump. I also cleared out my lungs, sort of disgusting but necessary thing after an upper respiratory infection (an cold) a few weeks ago. I feel like a I have a third lung now, good to be able to breathe freely again.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Current theory suggests......

Well, either way I feel a lot better in general. If I try running, and I have , I wind up messing up a knee or a hip. Messed up a hip so bad in '13, it took over a year for it to feel right again. We'll see where I'm at in 6 months. Just had a Dr. appointment on the 28th, was 175#. I'd like to be under 170 at my next appt. in 6 months.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by djmcmath

Stu, I haven't tried this, but I like the idea. I've been alternating my runs, so one day I'll do distance (which for me is about 5 miles), then the next I'll do intervals. I'll push as hard as I can for half a mile, then cool it back to a 10min pace until I don't feel like I'm going to die, then I sprint for another half a mile, then slow ... It usually hurts pretty good.

But I'll shift over to a more formalized "sprint for 8 intervals of 20/10" and see what it does. I'll report back in 6 weeks.

I'll be interested to hear. They say you have to go like Rottweilers are chasing you - and you may want to vomit....

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

Well, either way I feel a lot better in general. If I try running, and I have , I wind up messing up a knee or a hip. Messed up a hip so bad in '13, it took over a year for it to feel right again. We'll see where I'm at in 6 months. Just had a Dr. appointment on the 28th, was 175#. I'd like to be under 170 at my next appt. in 6 months.

I hate running but will gladly sprint up a flight of stairs or a short steep hill.

I have to walk after to get my heart-rate down after such an event.

Listen to your body, don't rush or force anything.

My biggest mistake in the past has been trying to push myself and then getting discouraged.

Take it at your own pace, at our age we know life is a marathon and not a sprint.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by kach22i

However I found out just how dangerous weights can be when used improperly. I will be sticking to more boot-camp style workouts until I'm back up to par.

As in most things, proper techniques is everything. One of the things I learned was that you warm up for an exercise with weight 1/4 to 1/3 of your target weight. You do the exercise for one full set, using the proper technique. Then you switch to the target weight, and do the sets you have pre-planned using the proper technique, and only the proper technique. Some folks actually cool down with the lighter weights, but I never did. That final rep lifted the proper way is the hardest. But yeah, I have seen several folks hurt themselves because they didn't know how to do it.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

I've been on the treadmill very regularly since mid February. Walking at 3.7 mph at a number 15 incline for 35 minutes, give or take a few. According to the calorie counter, and I've been logging the totals, I've burned just under 13000 calories. Haven't lost any noticeable weight.

Three months later, I guess my metabolism has kicked in. I'm at 33600 calories burned since February. I've settled in to a 1 day on 2 days off schedule.

[alphlle]

I found that riding my bike had a profound effect on my shape.

[stuartj]

Quote "This includes strenuous hiking, high-impact aerobics, long-distance running, or biking faster than 10 mph (16 km/h)."

Phht.

[kach22i]

Three months since the tendon kept me to swimming and a few push-ups.

For the past couple of weeks been getting into dips, weights, heavy bag and messing around with pull ups.

Chiropactor and and friend showed me some tendon stretches which have really helped. Still not not 100 percent, and still no curls.

People keep commenting on how much my face has thinned out. Did not realize how much until I saw a photo of myself taken seven years ago.

Dairy remains my nemisis.

Working on diet, eating small meals every 3-4 hours which is how long the body retains protien.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by kach22i

......... but have been told recovery is going to take a month or two, so don't push it.

The tendon in my left elbow no longer gets irritated after exercise, it took 9-months to heal completely but has been nearly an forgotten issue for 2-3 months now.

Dead lifts

Squats

Pull-ups/Chin-ups

These were the three exercises I was told were essential, and you really don't need much else. I might agree with this although I do many other exercises and activities. They were "game changers" for me to say the very least.

Other game changers or "threshold" exercises have been walking on my hands and feet in all directions, creative use of my dipping bars for pull ups from underneath, and reverse push ups off the front bumper of the 911 (the perfect height).

Just monkeying around schoolyard style with my overhead pull up bar and "walking the plank" as seen in a Youtube video were good simulators.

Running, swimming and one person trampoline have been great fillers for off days.

After a year and a half of six days a week, I've cut back to 3-4 days a week to focus on recovery time and mass building for my upper chest.

I trend to eat more on days off, and eat less on exercise days for some reason, still working on my diet, lots of room for improvement.

Also the on-off semi-daily exercise routine is more difficult than a daily routine, at least to start with I find.

[wildthing]

I still can't pull myself up more than 4x...

[kach22i]

UPDATE: 02/11/2019

I'm following up on this thread to add what I might call a "threshold discovery", that is to say some new exercise or technique that is a possible game changer and ups my knowledge base.

Anyone with past rotator cuff discomfort, elbow tendon strains and even back issues may benefit from doing bench presses with their chest and not arms or shoulders or back - consult your physician, I'm just a guy on the Internet.

See the below video.

Published on Apr 11, 2017
Chest Workout Tips for Size (HARDGAINER EDITION!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmsFJHkWkfo

Next, you will want to start with a few chest exercise activation tips to help you build a bigger chest. The most important thing you can learn how to do is to press with your chest and not your front delts or shoulders. This is easier said than done. You can learn how to activate the often dormant scapular muscles that increase your awareness of how this should feel by starting with a few sets of scapular hanging pulls. From here, do some standing barless chest presses to ensure that your shoulders are staying back and that the press is coming from the chest muscles.

You will then head to the bench press where you will face your typical hardgainer insecurity of the amount of weight that is on the bar that you are pressing. The big mistake is to think that it is not macho to be benching lighter weights. This doesn’t matter since trying to push weights you can’t handle will do nothing to help your chest grow. Start with a weight you can control and learn to press it correctly with your chest instead of your shoulders.

I've been shying away from the bench press because I have dumbbell free weights, resistance bands, bars (gas line pipes - no gas) hanging from my floor joists and other means of upper body workout. In addition I often find bench presses make me aware of my left rotator cuff, and I already do not sleep on that side.

This morning I did a short set of bench presses on my rubberized floor in my basement (Scooby1961 style also on Youtube) and no hint of irradiating my shoulder.

It is a bit premature to say the pre-warmup of ATHLEAN-X works in the long run, but will do a follow up one day.

I found this video much more helpful than the old "arch the small of your back" videos found elsewhere.

NOTE:

I have gone back to exercising nearly everyday, but some days are just 20-30 minutes and not a full hour or more.

I cannot do "on and off" very well, a daily routine is better for me.

[kach22i]

Update: 07/07/2020

New playground.

[kach22i]

Getting most of my exercise chasing geese off my lawn and back into the river plus using the kayak.