get fit for 2017

Mr.Generous · 27 December 2016 at 7:08PM

Ok the new year is nearly here ... and if anyone wants to join me I'm going to start doing some serious exercise to get fit and loose a few lbs. Male 51 yrs old, overweight.

I used to visit the gym, probably started in my mid 40's when the weight piled on. When I got made redundant 3 yrs ago I cancelled several things to cut down the outgoings, and I was starting a more active job.

Anyhow its not worked, turning into a couch potato. So here goes. Gym membership started at Pure Gym, £16 per month as a money saving guy that's pretty decent value. Aim is just to feel fitter - I'll know its working because you can do more for longer on the machines.

So first visit tonight.

Treadmill walking uphill 15 deg slope burned 200 cals.
rowing machine (found this harder than I used to) 1 km 50 cals
leg press machines (inner and outer) with 52 kg's 30 reps and several holds.
few other weights for chest / arms / pecs.

Duration 1 hr, I go at it solid, no piddling about texting or chatting.

feel much better for it - this thread might help me keep it up!:j

chucknorris · 27 December 2016 at 9:39PM

I started my comeback campaign yesterday, I've had a lot of running injuries, including now, and I have also slipped back into drinking too much. I drank nothing last night, but had half a bottle of wine tonight (I won't have any more tonight). I will target keeping below 21 units a week (from about 90).

I usually go for a power walk/hike in the afternoons in the Surrey hills, with my dog, almost 4 miles in about an hour. This morning I did my first additional planned daily cycle activity (I can't run due to an injury), on a heavy inefficient bike, on grass around our sports field (7 laps, about 20 mins only, but it is hard work, especially when the surface is soft). I'm looking to burn about 3,500 calories a week via exercise.

I'm watching what I'm eating too, I'm trying to consume on average, no more than 2,200 calories per day. Between cutting back on eating and drinking I'm hoping to cut out another 3,500 calories per week.

parking_question_chap · 27 December 2016 at 11:41PM

Good luck op, I strongly suggest you look at setting some long, mid and short term goals. And I mean actual results ie lose x kg or being able to run y distance in z time. I dont mean to knock anybody, but those that start exercising just because its the turn of the year seldom last long. You need to think about what your motivation really is.

phatbear · 29 December 2016 at 1:21AM

good luck with your plan to get fit.

one thing not to get hung up on is the "i burnt x amount of calories" as its total nonsense.

everybody burns calories at a different rate, even if you input your weight into the machine it will be wildly off, however it is a good way of measuring your progress if, like me, you cant remember how far or for how long you have been on a certain machine

Mr.Generous · 29 December 2016 at 2:00AM

yeah id have to agree about the calories thing, I just use it to track my efforts. On the bike I can do loads of calories, no way is it realistic. I know last time I hit the gym I was thinner, stronger and happier. I am a motivated guy, I won't stop going I enjoy it too. I only quit because after 28 years of having a wage coming in it felt scary having no job. I worked 7 days and long hours in first year self employed, now normal days maybe a bit less than some. So time to act. Thanks for posting everyone so far, day off the gym today - visited my old dad in care home, back to gym tomorrow.

chucknorris · 29 December 2016 at 10:29AM

phatbear wrote: »

one thing not to get hung up on is the "i burnt x amount of calories" as its total nonsense.

It isn't always total nonsense, if you take the time to get to know your own body and how it reacts to exercise, it takes a long time, but it is do-able, but obviously the OP is not in a position to calculate his burned calories). It might not be easy to calculate using machines or weights. I certainly wouldn't try and apply it to weight training (I don't do enough to have a decent sample size for analysis), but I do know that I burn about 725 to 775 (I use 750 as an approximation) calories per hour on a long(ish) run. Good point about using the calorie burn as a benchmark though.

I'm not talking about average lists from machines, books or the internet (which is not user specific), I am talking about analysing your own results/data.

EDIT: Or more precisely I should say, rather than I burn 'X' number of calories, I know what weight I can lose from running (based upon 3,500 calories per pound). Whilst the number of calories might be slightly inaccurate, due to the 3,500/lb not being 100% correct, the weight loss is the important result (rather than the number of calories) and that is reasonably accurate for me. But it won't be too far away either, because the 3,500/lb is reasonable for me, I know that from my weight and what I eat.

chucknorris · 29 December 2016 at 10:47AM

Mr.Generous wrote: »

yeah id have to agree about the calories thing, I just use it to track my efforts. On the bike I can do loads of calories, no way is it realistic. I know last time I hit the gym I was thinner, stronger and happier. I am a motivated guy, I won't stop going I enjoy it too. I only quit because after 28 years of having a wage coming in it felt scary having no job. I worked 7 days and long hours in first year self employed, now normal days maybe a bit less than some. So time to act. Thanks for posting everyone so far, day off the gym today - visited my old dad in care home, back to gym tomorrow.

Have you considered hiking, cycling and/or swimming, as I have got older (I'm 59 in about a week) I have found that I tend to pick up running injuries much more often than I used to. Although one of the advantages of a treadmill is that it does reduce the impact on your joints, compared to running on hard surfaces. I've got a decent commercial quality treadmill at home, I bought it so I could still do long runs when the weather was really bad, but now that I have a dog I seldom use it, as I always end up thinking that I have cheated him out of an outing (which is also why the swimming has taken a back seat to other activities).

parking_question_chap · 29 December 2016 at 10:51AM

Running on grass would work just as well. I dont find I can run totally naturally on a treadmill.

chucknorris · 29 December 2016 at 10:57AM

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Running on grass would work just as well. I dont find I can run totally naturally on a treadmill.

Not on frozen ground, like right now for example. I usually run on the top of Mickelham Common, because the ground is very sandy, so quite soft (when not frozen). If I lived near a beach (like I used to) I would run there.

Mr.Generous · 29 December 2016 at 11:06PM

Thanks for all the advice, I don't run any more, I walk up hill quite fast on the treadmill, less impact on the knees. Years of playing football as a young lad have taken a toll.

Gym today.

Treadmill - 20 mins, 5.5km per hr up hill 15 deg. 250 cals
Rowing - resistance 8/10, 2 kms 105 cals
Bike (couldn't work out the display so did 1 mile. cals unknown!!
It was a spinning bike, ill see if anything else or cross train next visit.
Leg press outward weights 52 kg. 50 reps
Leg press inward weights 52 kg. 50 reps
Some weights for the arms and chest but amazed at how weak I am on some lifts.

Spent just over an hour, Ill work the time up a bit each visit.

parking_question_chap · 30 December 2016 at 9:54AM

chucknorris wrote: »

Not on frozen ground, like right now for example. I usually run on the top of Mickelham Common, because the ground is very sandy, so quite soft (when not frozen). If I lived near a beach (like I used to) I would run there.

If the grass is long enough it will have sufficient dampening properties to negate the frozen sub surface. Of course short grass should be avoided in such conditions.

get fit for 2017

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