Ten squats

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Pretty much every time I put my cars on my scissor lift, and do any maintenance I do lots more than 10 full get on the ground, and get up to get a tool.

I recently did my 378,000 mile oil and filter replacement, and lube the front end. I still want to know what magic force puts the tool I just used back on the workbench, or on the other side of the car when I am sitting on the ground.

Interesting! I do 12oz curls.

Mental telepathy moved that wrench. You were thinking about putting tools away when you were done. It just happened sooner than you were thinking of doing it.

[911 Rod]

Have to start somewhere. Start will regular walking.

[gsxrken]

Getting DOMS can happen even if you train all the time but throw something new in. And it can be comically painful, as you described! Lunges with a light barbell destroy me when the rare time I do them comes around, and I train legs every week. Same thing with yoga. Sore as hell afterwards… and someone mentioned balance? Yoga shows me how far I’ve regressed balance wise when everyone but me is standing on one leg without flailing. I’m getting better at that after 6 classes over the last month or so, but still terrible. I wouldn’t have known this as I have no issues in day to day.

[Skip Newsom]

Good luck Dixie!
You may not have been looking for suggestions, but here they come!

Sitting too much does not do us any favors.

I've found that you need to find some kind of exercise you at least "kind of" like to do and then do it at least a few times a week. During my working years as a Manager I got very little exercise at work so I'd hit the gym for the StairMaster and weights after work 3X a week and make a point of getting outdoors for some activity on the weekend.

My go-to since retirement is walking and I concur that hills are critical for strength and endurance.
My usual route is 3 miles with several hundred feet of elevation change and Ive got three different routes in the neighborhood that have different grades depending on how spunky I'm feeling.

My real test for level of fitness is to put on a backpack with 30-35 lbs and go hike a trail that's got at least a thousand feet of elevation gain.

Another favorite is bicycling, I'm lucky in that respect too since I'm about 100 yards from a 30 mile paved rails to trails route with gentle elevation changes since it was a railroad to begin with.
It's a whole different set of muscles involved walking vs. hiking with a backpack vs. Elliptical vs. bicycling. Variety helps IMHO.

Tackling hills is not really feasible in Florida, however- going for an hour of walking and tossing in a few sets of lunges along the way will do you lots of good and build leg/butt strength even if it looks silly.

You can always make it known you are from the "Ministry of silly walks" and developing your abilities.

Rainy days I hit my Elliptical, weights, yoga and core. I'm usually a little sore, but it's a "good" sore

It's good to recognize something needs to change and even better to do something about it.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gsxrken

Getting DOMS can happen even if you train all the time but throw something new in. And it can be comically painful, as you described! Lunges with a light barbell destroy me when the rare time I do them comes around, and I train legs every week. Same thing with yoga. Sore as hell afterwards… and someone mentioned balance? Yoga shows me how far I’ve regressed balance wise when everyone but me is standing on one leg without flailing. I’m getting better at that after 6 classes over the last month or so, but still terrible. I wouldn’t have known this as I have no issues in day to day.

Yeah, I can do squats all day (may be a slight exaggeration), but lunges are quite a bit tougher for me as well. I'm assuming that the muscle recruitment between the two is very different (despite seeming like it should be nearly the same mix of quads and glutes).

Yoga is awesome! And one of the reasons why is because it works on balance so much. And, IMO, a lot of it, because it's unusual positions engages more muscles than a similar weight lifting exercise. I feel like a squat really focuses an a couple of very large muscles, but some of the standing balance poses in yoga engage those same muscles, plus a dozen other smaller muscles that didn't come into play in a regular squat. The only things that I feel like are a bit neglected by yoga are the biceps and lats, but it gets everything else.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Skip Newsom

I got very little exercise at work so I'd hit the gym for the StairMaster and weights after work 3X a week.

My go-to since retirement is walking and I concur that hills are critical for strength and endurance.
My usual route is 3 miles with several hundred feet of elevation change and Ive got three different routes in the neighborhood that have different grades depending on how spunky I'm feeling.

My real test for level of fitness is to put on a backpack with 30-35 lbs and go hike a trail that's got at least a thousand feet of elevation gain.

Another favorite is bicycling, I'm lucky in that respect too since I'm about 100 yards from a 30 mile paved rails to trails route with gentle elevation changes since it was a railroad to begin with.
It's a whole different set of muscles involved walking vs. hiking with a backpack vs. Elliptical vs. bicycling. Variety helps IMHO.

Tackling hills is not really feasible in Florida, however- going for an hour of walking and tossing in a few sets of lunges along the way will do you lots of good and build leg/butt strength even if it looks silly.

You can always make it known you are from the "Ministry of silly walks" and developing your abilities.

Rainy days I hit my Elliptical, weights, yoga and core. I'm usually a little sore, but it's a "good" sore

It's good to recognize something needs to change and even better to do something about it.

Good call on the elevation change. It's hard to do in FL or here in TX, so the best option is either finding some stairs (in a building, or a set of bleachers, or...) or a stairmaster is not a bad option. Going up and down (like stairs) is a more rigorous "exercise" than walking on a flat surface. I think lunges are also similar.

Yoga is a great option for anyone and everyone. Several times here on the board in various threads balance has been mentioned. Someone posted that they were told (by their Dr?) that the ability to stand/balance on one foot was an indicator of life expectancy. Yoga has got to be one of the best exercises for balance short of tight rope walking.

[gacook]

What causes the soreness from working out is a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. Take some BCAAs after your workout and it'll help reduce your recovery time and soreness.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gacook

What causes the soreness from working out is a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. Take some BCAAs after your workout and it'll help reduce your recovery time and soreness.

BCAAs?

[gacook]

Branch Chain Amino Acids.

[ErrorMargin]

Originally Posted by masraum

...the ability to stand/balance on one foot was an indicator of life expectancy.

I started using the hip adductor and abductor machines at the gym...this transformed my balance from average to great.

Yoga and other things are very helpful too, but making those muscles stronger was a huge gain for me.

[ErrorMargin]

Originally Posted by gacook

What causes the soreness from working out is a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles.

I've suffered from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) all my life...especially after leg day.

About 4 years ago I saw a few articles on a new product called Nella that made big claims about how their product (a probiotic) would consume lactic acid in your body and increase energy levels, reduce DOMS, etc.

I've taken probiotics before and did not notice any benefits so I was skeptical, but I was reading the article the day after leg day and the DOMS was hitting me hard. So I bought 1 month worth to give it a try.

After just 3 days (1 pill a day), no more DOMS. I workout hard in the gym 5 days a week and have no DOMS at all. I am 56 years old.

I don't know that this product will do anything for you if you don't suffer from DOMS. But if you do, you should give it a try.

[TimT]

Dixie should get into Pilates, its incredibly popular (the classes at Club Pilates around me always have wait lists).. I dated a woman who is a Pilates instructor, she shamed me into going for the beginners intro class...

So I tried it, I had sore muscles that I was not even aware I had...

And I've been working out regularly for the last 15 or so years.. I hit the gym 5-6 days a weeks and do 30-40 mins cardio, then weights... I don't (can't) lift heavy. I even hired a trainer last year who weaned me off the weight machines, to using only barbells, dumbbells, and kettle bells..

I do goblet squats with a 30# kettle bell.. holding the weight at your chest changes the CG of the motion as opposed to a barbel squat or a hack squat..

Using the various free weights forces you to engage more muscle groups than sitting at a weight machine.. And still the one intro to Pilates class woke me up... Try it

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

Interesting! I do 12oz curls.

Only the first one is 12 oz, then they get progressively lighter.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Only the first one is 12 oz, then they get progressively lighter.

That depends on how much that first drink is! Sometimes a bottle is only one drink if I'm really frustrated with the project. When I snapped the forming tap off in the block of my 3.2 several years ago, I'm fairly certain I did 5 12 oz curls in rapid succession.