Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Off Topic => Topic started by: River Don on August 17, 2020, 05:26:39 pm
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6 months since becoming aware of CV19, I've reached my target! After a lot of feeling hungry on the 5:2 diet, no booze except wine with Sunday dinner and a lot of cycling, I'm down to 12 stone. I reckon I've lost near 3 stone. According to one online calculator I'm around 17 to 20% fat. Not bad going for a bloke approaching 50. If I do catch it, I've now done everything I can to prepare.
I've got a new 6 month target. It's time for some muscle gain but not big, I want to see if I can get toned. Robert Downey Jr achieved it for his boxing scene as Sherlock Holmes at the age of 45, good going for an ex-drug addict! Is it possible for a 50YO me?
Time to join Fight Club. It might be difficult getting used to eating lots of protein and I dislike working out. Swimming would an ideal exercise but the local pool isn't open. Difficult. I was confident I could lose weight, I've done it before. For me, this is a much bigger challenge.
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Excellent RD.
I managed to lose 5kg and hit my target of 750 press ups in an hour (Ok, the original target was 1000 but I soon accepted I wasn't doing that). I couldn't get any more weight off and I'm impressed at you dropping 3st. That's some going.
I'd definitely recommend press ups for arm and chest muscle tone. I was quite chuffed with how I was looking when I was working up to that target. Let it slip in the past couple of months mind.
If you've never done them much, just start off doing 3-4 at a time and build them up. Set a target for 15-20 in a minute, then 80 or so in 5 mins, doing them in 3s, 4s or 5s with a 15 second break between each set. You'll be amazed how quickly it has an effect.
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I reckon 3st loss, can't be sure because I didn't get weighed back then but by last Xmas I'd become lazy. I was straining size 36 Jeans, I don't think 15 stone is an exaggeration.
In a way the 5:2 diet is easy. It means putting up with hunger for a day but then I could eat a big burger and chips followed by a couple large scoops of ice cream the next day. I didn't do that often but I was allowed to do it.
Now I need a new target because I know I can easily slip back but this means more control of the diet and disciplined exercise. That's more like hard work. So I've let my target be known, come next Feb, I hope to be posting a pick of the new look, engulfed in the old big jeans.
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RD, regular exercise and a decent diet is the way.
I suppose I am lucky because I have always enjoyed training and working out but I see that you say you don’t enjoy it.
Set yourself reachable goals rather than setting the bar too high.
Good luck.
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It's not a case of not enjoying it so much as keeping the motivation, Hound,
For instance when I'm cycling, after a long steady warm up, I can find my zone and just real off the miles and enjoy the scenery. That's likely to get harder as it gets colder.. Same with swimming, I was never fitter than when I was doing a lot of that but it was easy, there was a pool near the office and I could swim most mornings. Playing football I was more focussed on the game than thinking about the state of my lungs.
There's something about gym work, it doesn't distract me in the same way, so it takes more determination, if that makes any sense?
Still, any advice is welcome.
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RD
Agreed, which is why I focus on intense, time-limited exercises.
The most body-transforming exercises I've ever done are planks. If you vary them up (front, back and side) they do wonders for core strength and shape.
I once did a 5 minute plank and I swear the final 45 seconds is the closest I've ever been to dying. The world record is summat like 8 hours which is just beyond belief.
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Pre Covid I was doing 7 gym sessions a week - CV and some loose weights/resistance work - every morning at 6am, and 2 dinner time spinning sessions. I was also dog walking plenty at weekends also. My weight was consistent, but I used to 'treat' myself to anything I wanted to eat and enjoyed a tipple. Considering that I had open heart surgery less than two years ago (dodgy aortic valve), some of the rowing and bike times I was setting were better than I had been doing for well over a decade. Covid has put things on hold somewhat, but I have been maintaining my fitness by walking daily and stretching. I do a high paced 3 mile walk in the morning and do stretching afterwards. I have cut back on the beers of late as (like a lot of folk) Covid has meant I started to drink more. I find my upper body muscle tone has gone a little, so the suggestion by BST might be worth a shot...
Hope you succeed River Don... if you come up with any plan let us know...... and well done on your weight loss to date.
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I decided to do more walking 8 weeks ago, broke my ankle on my first walk, took me two hours to hobble the mile home 😩😩
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Pre lockdown I went to the gym 5/6 times a week and have never really been into classes but lately I’ve got into Joe Wicks on YouTube. He won’t be to everyone’s tastes as he’s a bit loud and, for want of a better word, Essex, but I find him pretty engaging. Simple, varied exercises for a decent HIIT session without any equipment.
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Those Joe Wicks sessions were a pretty good blowout. I thought I was doing a heavy HIIT session myself at the start of the lockdown, but doing the JW sessions with the kids always left me knackered.
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I have sent you a PM River Don.
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Well done mate, great effort that.
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Great stuff. I've gone completely the other way. Having gone from being almost marathon fit to barely running at all and putting on the best part of a stone in weight. Working long hours, eating crap and drinking too much. Its not a recipe for healthy living. Can't seem to find my motivation at all at the moment.
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Good effort losing weight in this, I can't stop myself eating purely out of boredom sometimes. I'm determined to get my weight down before holiday next month though. Seems to be much harder to control as you get older. I've also just started to see my pace drop sprinting. The realisation that in football terms I'd be 1 year contract territory is there.
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I'm really missing the gym. I'm exercising and stretching at home but it's not the same. My worry is that at nearly 72 I'll never get back as I was as it definitely gets harder to control your weight as you age.
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I've walked myself stupid in the last 6 months. Was doing at least 6 miles most days.
Unfortunately for some reason I'm getting severe pain on the inside of right knee and some pain in the same place in the left knee.
Had the right one x-rayed. No sign of arthritis (despite crunching noise when I move it) so waiting for a scan.
Just started going back to Nuffield gym last week, was rowing and doing weights, bit of cardio,but tripped over and badly damaged my thumb, so no gym or swimming for the next few weeks.
So reduced to a painful 2 mile stroll about 3 times a week and pottering around the allotment.
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You're lucky Tommy, all of the gyms in Bradford are closed again.🙁
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A couple of people have inspired me in getting fit, one of them is Frank.
Frank is a 94 year old fella who lives downstairs in my Mums flats. He's as thin as rake, perhaps partly because he has digestion problems that force him to be very careful with his diet. He's also always been very sporty, in later years he has played a lot of bowls but all that has been put on hold. He is still very keen with his rowing machine though.
If you're struggling with aches and pains, rather than struggling against it, I think it best to find something lower impact, like a rowing machine or a bike.
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If you're struggling with aches and pains, rather than struggling against it, I think it best to find something lower impact, like a rowing machine or a bike.
Quite agree with this - I had to give up competitive rugby, football and squash after I had my cruciate ligament done and ruptured my shoulder. I could still do the latter two, but not at the same level (or velocity) as I had previously - so I reverted to doing something I could do without pain, which involved more centered movement. I do miss competing in sports badly - but I now challenge myself and the clock to keep that edge.
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I went to the doctors for my annual check-up the other day. I was stood naked in front of him and he said: "Your belly's got a bit bigger since last year." I said, "I know, in fact, I haven't seen my manhood for years." He said, "You'll have to diet."
I said, "Why, what colour is it now?"
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BST
So, planking. I have heard of this but I've never tried it before, so I looked it up and found this lad.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lismOShjHnA
I've tried it a couple of times and it is killing. If I get everything inline a breath deeply like he suggests... Then I'm looking at only 15 seconds. I imagine that's a bit pathetic. What's a reasonable length of time to be doing this for? At the moment, for me it's just managing any length of time.
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As with anything RD, start with what you can do and work it up. Be prepared for the last 20% of the time to hurt like f**k and your time will soon build up.
I was only doing 15-20 seconds when I first started a few years ago. Try to do that several times a day and be aware that your abs will ache like hell. Then as the aching eases, add 5-10 seconds a day.
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The initial difficulty is a sign of how much you need to strengthen your core. I had back trouble for 25 years before I started planks. Hardly had a twinge for the last 5 years.
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Back in 1980 I had gone up to over 14stone.
I was contracting in the North East and in digs in Whitley Bay Mondaŷ to Friday. I started doing press ups and sit ups in my bedroom. I eventually built up to over 500/600 a day in batches of 100. I went down to 10st 8 as I also stopped having the daily fried breakfast and stopped having the evening pudding. I used to do a quick 30 press ups every time that I went to the bathroom as well. I was only 32 then though which made it easier but it shows how you can build up your exercises fairly quickly if you are determined.
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Wish I could get down to 14stone😟
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Wish I could get down to 14stone😟
You can do it, if you want to. I am rapidly approaching 50 and I was over 14 St, probably 15.
First thing I did was stop drinking alcohol altogether. I did that for 4 months, now I allow myself a glass of wine on a Sunday. Then I used the 5:2 diet. Look it up.
It's not for everyone but I can manage without eating very much in a day. My mum has lost quite a lot of weight just by missing lunch on weekdays.
Do that and you will lose weight.
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Back in 1980 I had gone up to over 14stone.
I was contracting in the North East and in digs in Whitley Bay Mondaŷ to Friday. I started doing press ups and sit ups in my bedroom. I eventually built up to over 500/600 a day in batches of 100. I went down to 10st 8 as I also stopped having the daily fried breakfast and stopped having the evening pudding. I used to do a quick 30 press ups every time that I went to the bathroom as well. I was only 32 then though which made it easier but it shows how you can build up your exercises fairly quickly if you are determined.
Idler.
I used to poo-poo press ups but they really are superb exercises. And anyone who can do one, can work up to doing 500 a day if they are prepared to work at it and hurt.
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It helped me not being at home. No distractions and I used to ring the wife and kids when the other lads were having their puddings.
It is surprising how quickly you can increase reps as well.
I can still manage 50 press ups in a morning at even 71. Not comfortably any more though. I also used to do them on my knuckles rather than my fingers as well as it makes you work harder. Alan Rushby used to have us doing that at karate class in the 70s.
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50 press ups at a time is going some. I used to do 100 without a break when I was 25, but these days I'm struggling to hit 40. I do 100 over 5 mins most days in batches of 5-10 at a time with a few seconds gap.
I took part in (read: "failed spectacularly") a 1000 press ups in an hour effort for charity earlier this summer with some ex- US forces guys. One ex-SEAL did the 1000 in just over 45 minutes, including one run of 333 without a break. Just superhuman!
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Wish I could get down to 14stone😟
You can do it, if you want to. I am rapidly approaching 50 and I was over 14 St, probably 15.
First thing I did was stop drinking alcohol altogether. I did that for 4 months, now I allow myself a glass of wine on a Sunday. Then I used the 5:2 diet. Look it up.
It's not for everyone but I can manage without eating very much in a day. My mum has lost quite a lot of weight just by missing lunch on weekdays.
Do that and you will lose weight.
Trouble is I'm rapidly approaching 70 and good food is one of my few pleasures in life
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
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50 press ups at a time is going some. I used to do 100 without a break when I was 25, but these days I'm struggling to hit 40. I do 100 over 5 mins most days in batches of 5-10 at a time with a few seconds gap.
I took part in (read: "failed spectacularly") a 1000 press ups in an hour effort for charity earlier this summer with some ex- US forces guys. One ex-SEAL did the 1000 in just over 45 minutes, including one run of 333 without a break. Just superhuman!
The most that I ever managed was 135 straight off. I decided then rather than go for personal bests to do batches of 100 but a bit slower and better technique. The problem is as you age you are less flexible and arthritis starts to kick in as well.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
I wonder if he was in the same class as Wolfie?
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
I wonder if he was in the same class as Wolfie?
Yes, and so was Methuselah.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
I wonder if he was in the same class as Wolfie?
Was Wolfie a teacher at the time?
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
I wonder if he was in the same class as Wolfie?
Was Wolfie a teacher at the time?
Yes, but he was ready for retiring.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
Big wow! My grandad would have been 108 in November. Except he died in 1998.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
I'm not making this a p*ssing contest RD, but my Dad will be 96 in January.
Big wow! My grandad would have been 108 in November. Except he died in 1998.
Thats nothing my Grandad would have been 110 now, except he died in 1963
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Wolfie's still alive though.
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They say he changed God's nappy when he was a lad.
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
Is she on the 5-2 diet as well😅
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You're just a yound lad then Raven.
Me Mam is 80 at Christmas.
Is she on the 5-2 diet as well😅
Nah, I posted further back in this thread, she hasn't been eating during the day and skipping lunch.
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No wonder she's losing weight if she's skipping.
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It helped me not being at home. No distractions and I used to ring the wife and kids when the other lads were having their puddings.
It is surprising how quickly you can increase reps as well.
I can still manage 50 press ups in a morning at even 71. Not comfortably any more though. I also used to do them on my knuckles rather than my fingers as well as it makes you work harder. Alan Rushby used to have us doing that at karate class in the 70s.
Crikey, Idler, as soon as I read the knuckle press-ups I was reminded of doing them in the Karate training in Alan Rushby classes.
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I had to pack in in 1971 as I went to work at Rockware on continental shifts and loads of overtime. It was a shame as karate and football training really got me fitter. I used to enjoy the sessions at Spinney Farm, I think that's what the Peglers sports ground was called.
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I had to pack in in 1971 as I went to work at Rockware on continental shifts and loads of overtime. It was a shame as karate and football training really got me fitter. I used to enjoy the sessions at Spinney Farm, I think that's what the Peglers sports ground was called.
My father in law ended up a supervisor at Rockware, he’s retired now and 83 years old
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I was there 71-74 so would probably know him even if only by sight. I was on B crew but did loads of overtime on other crews.
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I was there 71-74 so would probably know him even if only by sight. I was on B crew but did loads of overtime on other crews.
That doesn't fit well with your screen name then mate.
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I'm Idler now than I've ever been hound. 😉
I even went to a do at the Idle working Mens Club last year.
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Press Ups.
I was in very poor shape. 5 full press ups was a struggle, I'm ashamed to say. However there are ways of building it up. Press ups on an incline against a chair or half press ups from the knees. Still, I did struggle at first, I wasn't making much progress.
Then I read about a way to improve things. Instead of setting a daily target of say 30, do only as many as you can before fatigue sets in. Take a break, 10 seconds follows 5 reps, assuming it takes a couple of seconds to do a press-up. Then repeat and repeat. Note how many you achieve. Next day have a break to allow the muscle to recover. The following day go again but try and add at least one more to the routine. As the days pass it's surprising how often it's possible.
But things changed, I read about Mathew McConaughey. He's a very fit bloke but when he's not in training for a movie, one of the ways he stays in shape is to constantly do push ups throughout the day. Basically, whenever he has a few minutes to spare he gets down and does 20 push ups. This way he's doing hundreds of push ups a day.
I can't do 20 press ups in one hit but I can do 12. So I've been doing that for a couple of weeks now, though I don't do it every day, remembering you need to give the muscles a day to rest. So now I'm doing 120 press ups every other day in ten sets of a dozen.. Get up, press ups, shower, press ups, breakfast, press ups. I quite like this system and I'm sure I'm getting stronger more quickly but it's not like working to fatigue and taking notes to measure progress.
Something else makes it difficult to measure progress. I've discovered that the most effective way of doing press ups is slowly. So now I'm slowing the movement down pausing a second or two at the bottom before pushing up hard and fast. These controlled press ups are more demanding, I know I'm improving but I can't say how much. I should probably try and test myself by doing the three sets to fatigue occasionally.
And press ups aren't just press ups. You can do them with your hands close together to work the triceps more, on an incline to work the shoulders more, with your arms wider apart to work the chest more. There are loads of techniques, so I try to vary it. I would never have guessed there was so much involved in just doing press ups.
Anyway, I'm getting stronger and I feel I'm making continued progress, I'd recommend it to anyone. Expect the first two or three weeks to be tough but it will get easier. Then it becomes a constant challenge to improve.
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Good effort RD keep it up.
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I used to do similar in the late 70s early 80s when I was contracting away from home RiverDon. It's surprising how quickly that you build your reps up. I used to also do sit ups as well but my only days off were Saturday and Sunday.
Maybe you could try sit ups on alternate days so resting arms and chest but still exercising. I was up to 500-600 press ups and sit ups a day until I was based at home again rather than in digs. Keep up the good work, it will be well worth it and also try doing the press ups on your knuckles which makes it harder as you don't get the the spring that you do from your hands and fingers.
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Idler, you've read my mind. I've just begun doing sit ups and crunches on the off days, I was going to see how it progressed before posting about it.
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I just wish that I could do as many these days. I really miss the gym as I had just got back to somewhere near. I was finishing on the rower and doing about 4.6k in 22 minutes and gradually improving again.
The long lay off from March really got to me when gyms reopened. When I was younger getting back into the swing was fairly easy. It took me a month this time. Hopefully back in December.
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Good going RD. Like I said earlier in the year, press ups are genuinely life transforming.
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It was going to be swimming but no sooner had the leisure centre opened than it was closing again.
I'm keeping going with cycling but I don't go out on a dark wet morning in the rain or fog. So an alternative exercise was needed somewhat reluctantly I turned to pressups but I'm glad I did now.
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I was 50 during the first lockdown and lack of exercise and a "sod it" diet had meant the pounds had piled on. I topped the scales at 19st 9lbs.
At the end of July I decided to go on a diet. After much research and talking to a mate who had been doing it for 2 years I decided on the low carb keto diet.
I've lost 3st so far. No exercise as such other then walking the dog. I've gone from 3 meals a day plus snack to one meal a day (1500 cals) and I fast for around 22 hours between meals. I'm just never hungry.
Interesting side effects too. Positive ones. My skin is in great condition. I'm sleeping better. I have loads of energy and mental clarity. I don't feel tired or flagging in the afternoons like I did before. Still got around a stone and a half to go to get to my fighting weight.
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that's quite impressive, I worked with a guy years ago that lost weight just by stopping having butter on his sarnies. I have done the same since and have only put weight on recently during lockdown and being stuck on the couch.
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This is typical and the timing is impeccable. I've woken up this morning with quite a nasty strain in my left arm...
Doh!
It seems doing shit loads of press ups doesn't come without risk. It really hurts. It looks like I'll be layng off the press ups for a week or two at least now.
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That's impressive Rob though I'd like to bet it's the fasting more than cutting carbs that's dropping the weight off. I used the 5:2 diet to get the weight off initially.
If you think Boris Johnson reckons he was topping 17 stone (so probably 19 stone) and he found himself in trouble with Covid because of it. Then it's really a good thing to do.
Edit: 15 stone is still overweight though. You really need to be getting to 13 to be fighting fit. But then if you can do 15 then a couple more shouldn't be too difficult.
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I can never understand why fat people don't lose weight because of the extra exercise they get dragging all that bulk around.
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I can never understand why fat people don't lose weight because of the extra exercise they get dragging all that bulk around.
Has that green van not arrived to cart you off yet.
Must have got lost in the fog yesterday. I’ll order another one!
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This is typical and the timing is impeccable. I've woken up this morning with quite a nasty strain in my left arm...
Doh!
It seems doing shit loads of press ups doesn't come without risk. It really hurts. It looks like I'll be layng off the press ups for a week or two at least now.
THAT'S the reason you've got a strain in your arm? ;)