All round fitness - what do you do to maintain it?

[Big J]

As someone who doesn't use a great deal of fitness or strength in my work, if I don't do something to maintain it, I get 'skinny fat' in reasonably short shrift. It's been a bit challenging here in Devon, as the winter weather doesn't encourage you to want to be outside, so I've been largely gym based. Weights and indoor rower were the default, but the rower (and probably because I pushed myself too hard) impinged both my shoulders. That's now gone and my shoulders are 95% better again.

 

I've a list of niggles and injuries as my arm. A combination of growing too fast, doing too many sports to a fairly obsessive/high level and manual work. There isn't much that doesn't hurt at some point.

 

But at the moment I have a goal. Moving to somewhere with extensive outdoor opportunities (including some I've never tried before like skiing and ice skating) is encouraging me to get in shape.

 

So each week now I'm doing a couple of runs, a couple of bike rides and three shortish weights sessions. Some stretching and shoulder rehab too.

 

I'm hoping that once we're in Sweden (94 days and counting), I'll be able to incorporate plenty of swimming into the mix. The forest trails/roads are hugely extensive, so however much running/cycling I want to do, I can without ever really needing to go on a tarmac road.

 

I'm 37, nearly 38 and reasonably strong and fit, but also quite broken. What have others done as they've approached middle age to stay active and healthy? 

 

Photos of our daily swimming hole and running trails, for reference:

 

[doobin]

Compound lifts, heavy enough to be a challenge but without getting into bodybuilder territory where injury becomes a risk.

 

It makes me laugh, almost every customer says "wow, I bet your job keeps you fit!". No love, all I do these days is pull levers and point fingers.

Edited April 28, 2022 by doobin

[Big J]

7 minutes ago, doobin said:

Compound lifts, heavy enough to be a challenge but without getting into bodybuilder territory where injury becomes a risk.

 

It makes me laugh, almost every customer says "wow, I bet your job keeps you fit!". No love, all I do these days is pull levers and point fingers.

 

I hear the exact same thing all the time! 😁

 

I'm working on getting back to squats. I totally overdid them in 2020, and in September of that year gave myself double patella tendonitis. Takes sodding ages to rehab them, so just squatting with the bar at the moment and doing wall sits. It's so frustrating as they are my favourite compound lift. I was doing 2x20 reps three times a week at the time, hence the tendon problems!

 

Do you incorporate any cardio?

 

 

[doobin]

7 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I hear the exact same thing all the time! 😁

 

I'm working on getting back to squats. I totally overdid them in 2020, and in September of that year gave myself double patella tendonitis. Takes sodding ages to rehab them, so just squatting with the bar at the moment and doing wall sits. It's so frustrating as they are my favourite compound lift. I was doing 2x20 reps three times a week at the time, hence the tendon problems!

 

Do you incorporate any cardio?

 

 

Squats are just fantastic. I find 5-8 x 5 depending upon weight to be good for me.

 

The only cardio I do is sprints in the pool. I'm a very strong swimmer but my willingness to spend thirty mins in the water comes and goes. I like squats because you can be totally shagged within fifteen minutes.

 

I hate with a passion other forms of cardio, but probably because I should do it more often.

[Big J]

Just now, doobin said:

Squats are just fantastic. I find 5-8 x 5 depending upon weight to be good for me.

 

The only cardio I do is sprints in the pool. I'm a very strong swimmer but my willingness to spend thirty mins in the water comes and goes. I like squats because you can be totally shagged within fifteen minutes.

 

I hate with a passion other forms of cardio, but probably because I should do it more often.

 

I agree. If there was just one lift to do in the gym, it would be squats. Unless you have patella tendonitis! 

 

I did a lot of cycling as a kid, as well as some running. I think that because I did that in my formative years, it's left me with a big CV capacity, so cardio isn't too hideous, even when I'm unfit. That being said, cycling now at 108kg is a different matter to when I was competing at 65-68kg (albeit, I was 6ft 5" then, not 6ft 8").

 

Any tips on front crawl? It absolutely wipes me out after about 40m, whereas I can happily swim a mile breast stroke.

[doobin]

8 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I agree. If there was just one lift to do in the gym, it would be squats. Unless you have patella tendonitis! 

 

I did a lot of cycling as a kid, as well as some running. I think that because I did that in my formative years, it's left me with a big CV capacity, so cardio isn't too hideous, even when I'm unfit. That being said, cycling now at 108kg is a different matter to when I was competing at 65-68kg (albeit, I was 6ft 5" then, not 6ft 8").

 

Any tips on front crawl? It absolutely wipes me out after about 40m, whereas I can happily swim a mile breast stroke.

None whatsoever I’m afraid- I only swim breast stroke! I like my head out of water.

 

I find a powerful breast stroke is good cardio as it keeps pressure off my dodgy joints as well as the water helping me to keep cool. But my best progress has come from a squat rack at the yard. 
 

I too did a lot of cycling when I was younger, my cardio isn’t terrible but it could be better. Probably carrying a bit more weight than I need currently which doesn’t help. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by doobin

[topchippyles]

14 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

I agree. If there was just one lift to do in the gym, it would be squats. Unless you have patella tendonitis! 

 

I did a lot of cycling as a kid, as well as some running. I think that because I did that in my formative years, it's left me with a big CV capacity, so cardio isn't too hideous, even when I'm unfit. That being said, cycling now at 108kg is a different matter to when I was competing at 65-68kg (albeit, I was 6ft 5" then, not 6ft 8").

 

Any tips on front crawl? It absolutely wipes me out after about 40m, whereas I can happily swim a mile breast stroke.

Bit of hard manual work you want musch not driving that dinky toy about 🤣Never had these issues when cutting with a saw all day did you jonathan 💪

[tcfengineering]

I used to have a lot of back problems through my 20's and 30's. Then when I was around 40 I started to do daily training. I reckon most of us are quite strong physically but piss poor in the core (I was !). In the morning before breakfast I do 100 chinups, 100 situps and 100 pressups. It is dead quick, I do it while the kettle is boiling. I did this for about 4 years, and then I added some in the evening, I do 100 chinups, but it is 5 sets of 20 and they are calisthenic chinups so much more technical. Now I am 48 and I havent had any back problems for almost 10 years, in fact I am in much better nick now then when I was younger. I also train karate twice a week and also try and run or cycle twice a week if poss.

 

Daily training is the key, I havent missed a day in over 8 years, even when I broke my ribs, I found something I could do and didnt stop.

 

The other thing is stretching. I hate it, but I know it does me good so I suffer through it. I think that this is probably as important as the exercise as you start to get older.

[Big J]

13 minutes ago, topchippyles said:

Bit of hard manual work you want musch not driving that dinky toy about 🤣Never had these issues when cutting with a saw all day did you jonathan 💪

 

No, it's true. I always felt really good physically when I was cutting. I like playing piano though, and the two are almost mutually exclusive. HAVS and fine motor control of your fingers don't go together.

[Big J]

13 minutes ago, tcfengineering said:

I used to have a lot of back problems through my 20's and 30's. Then when I was around 40 I started to do daily training. I reckon most of us are quite strong physically but piss poor in the core (I was !). In the morning before breakfast I do 100 chinups, 100 situps and 100 pressups. It is dead quick, I do it while the kettle is boiling. I did this for about 4 years, and then I added some in the evening, I do 100 chinups, but it is 5 sets of 20 and they are calisthenic chinups so much more technical. Now I am 48 and I havent had any back problems for almost 10 years, in fact I am in much better nick now then when I was younger. I also train karate twice a week and also try and run or cycle twice a week if poss.

 

Daily training is the key, I havent missed a day in over 8 years, even when I broke my ribs, I found something I could do and didnt stop.

 

The other thing is stretching. I hate it, but I know it does me good so I suffer through it. I think that this is probably as important as the exercise as you start to get older.

 

Very sensible advice. It's building it into your daily routine - I remember once reading someone say that exercising for one hour a day makes the other 23 much easier. I don't even think an hour is necessarily needed. 

 

Listening to Radio 4 a few weeks back, they were talking about the health benefits of resistance training (especially in the elderly) and the amount you have to do per week is so small to have the full benefits. 45-90 minutes is all that's needed. Once you get over 180 minutes, it's actually detrimental (to mortality rates, at least). 

 

I'm planning to build swimming, running and cycling into my daily routine in Sweden. Even if I'm at work, it's unlikely that I'll be far from water, so I'll run/cycle down to the lake in my lunchbreak and swim. I'm pretty tolerant to cold water so can do this whenever it's ice free