Losing weight to get better in exercising

FatOnRocks

Hey there,

3 years ago I started climbing. Got hooked immediately, anyway, I'm not the lightest and lately I was thinking to lose some weight to become better climber.

Anyone else has similar motivation?

JenniferM1234

Yes! I love soft adventure travel (nothing life threatening), and when I'm in better shape physically, I can keep up with my college-age kids. So, Christmas vacation is my goal for more stamina and all that.

mirthomasart

I'm with you! I've been into running and yoga for a good eight or nine years now. My endurance is good, but I feel I could improve my running speed much more easily if I was down 20 pounds. I've also reached a point where the only way I'm going to improve certain poses in yoga is if my belly stops getting in the way.

Shortgirlrunning

I started running this year and it’s definitely added some motivation to lose the weight! I ran my first half in September and I’m hoping to be at my goal weight by my next one in April and hopefully get a better time!

AnnPT77

Losing weight made me noticeably faster rowing on water (less weight to move), but not on the rowing machine (my splits there stayed about the same).

I can see how it'd help for climbing, but it won't necessarily help things where moving one's body weight is a minor factor.

girlwithcurls2

Definitely. I find that when I'm lighter, running is much easier. I trail run, and hills are a total &$#^ when I'm fat.

jhanleybrown

Yes. First cycling. Trying to lose 20 lbs and am getting close to halfway.

FatOnRocks

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Losing weight made me noticeably faster rowing on water (less weight to move), but not on the rowing machine (my splits there stayed about the same).

I can see how it'd help for climbing, but it won't necessarily help things where moving one's body weight is a minor factor.

That's true. Cannot judge other workouts, only climbing and running. Used to do kick boxing and never thought about losing weight, tho I believe that might help that time too.

FatOnRocks

Shortgirlrunning wrote: »

I started running this year and it’s definitely added some motivation to lose the weight! I ran my first half in September and I’m hoping to be at my goal weight by my next one in April and hopefully get a better time!

Planning my first half next spring! So far I'm only on 10k so need to increase the distance.

Machka9

Yes ... if I want to get back into long distance cycling, I need to return to the weight I was most of my life. Last seen in late 2017.

Shortgirlrunning

FatOnRocks wrote: »

Shortgirlrunning wrote: »

I started running this year and it’s definitely added some motivation to lose the weight! I ran my first half in September and I’m hoping to be at my goal weight by my next one in April and hopefully get a better time!

Planning my first half next spring! So far I'm only on 10k so need to increase the distance.

Once I hit 10k everyone told me that if I can run 6 miles I can definitely do a half, not sure if I believe their logic lol but it was encouraging!

If you’re looking for a plan to follow I did Hal Higdon’s novice half marathon plan and really liked it.

riffraff2112

chin-ups. So much easier now that I am thirty pounds lighter!

sijomial

I had a charity century cycle ride booked but my training was badly compromised by a whole series of injuries (lower back, shoulder, knee ligament) so transfered some of my normal training focus to losing some weight.

For every 1.7lbs lost my power to weight ratio improved by 1% (whoopeee!).

But losing 6lbs did help me set a PB but also simply made me feel I was doing everything I could to be the best prepared I could be in the circumstances, that's a nice feeling to have on the start line of any event.

springlering62

Losing weight helped me with simple stuff like forward folds, reverse planks, shoulder stand etc. The belly was either no longer in the way or no longer came cascading down in inversions. Combined with weight training, I’ve been able to get balance poses I never could before like grasshopper, side crow, and others. I’m willing to try any pose now because I actually have a chance at achieving them.

On the flip side though, I think that some poses that used to come soooo easy (pigeon, including all the twisted variations I loved) I can’t do anymore because my body hasn’t figured out how to re-jig the shape. It falls into the old shape, which has become painful. Even simply crossing my legs for sukhasana is a production these days.

drmwc

I took up bouldering 6 months ago. I love it - I go as frequently as possible.

I've gone from a BMI of 28 to a BMI of 21.8 over a similar period. I've also got a lot better at climbing, partly due to better technique, partly due to better fitness, and partly due to becoming a lightweight.

The grades I get have gone from v0/v1 at the start (and then just easy v1s) to v4s now. Overheads are not a big deal, whereas 6 months ago I struggled with them. My biggest weakness currently is dynos - I am far better at grip strength, technique focused stuff. My current sessions tend to be 2 hours, whereas 6 months ago I struggled after 30 minutes.

BrianSharpe

I started running years ago thinking that it would be a good way to help lose weight. Then I started racing & doing triathlons. Now it's a matter of managing my weight to become more competitive.

AnnPT77

springlering62 wrote: »

Losing weight helped me with simple stuff like forward folds, reverse planks, shoulder stand etc. The belly was either no longer in the way or no longer came cascading down in inversions. Combined with weight training, I’ve been able to get balance poses I never could before like grasshopper, side crow, and others. I’m willing to try any pose now because I actually have a chance at achieving them.

On the flip side though, I think that some poses that used to come soooo easy (pigeon, including all the twisted variations I loved) I can’t do anymore because my body hasn’t figured out how to re-jig the shape. It falls into the old shape, which has become painful. Even simply crossing my legs for sukhasana is a production these days.

That's a really good point: The geometry changes with weight loss do make a difference for some sports/activities, not just the weight per se.

I can get to full compression on a rowing stroke now (seated in boat, shins vertical, chest touching thighs, arms stretched out past feet) without dysfunctionally flopping my knees out to the side to make room for my belly. That adds length through the water, and potential strength at the start of the stroke. (Now I just need to keep working on the bladework to take best advantage of it . . . ! ).

Like you say, certain yoga poses are easier, and I'm less likely to fall over backward when squatting.

HoneyBadger302

Bettering my fitness AND losing weight both have big pay offs in my sport. Fitness comes first, but trimming down has some very direct payoffs as well - every ~7 pounds is an increase of 1 horsepower, plus being able to get into a full tuck greatly reduces wind resistance and can make a couple MPH difference (or more depending on your bike) by the end of a longer straight.

Add in just having less weight that you're trying to move around and support....the payoffs are well worth the effort, especially for me! As a female I naturally am a little more lacking in upper body strength (compared to a guy all else being equal), and it has held me back in the past when I've let my fitness (and weight) slide...

jo_nz

FatOnRocks wrote: »

Hey there,

3 years ago I started climbing. Got hooked immediately, anyway, I'm not the lightest and lately I was thinking to lose some weight to become better climber.

Anyone else has similar motivation?

Yes!
I used to try and exercise to lose weight...but I didn't really love the exercise and struggled to stay committed.

Now, I am sticking with activities I enjoy and trying to figure out how to get the most out of those activities - that includes fueling my body appropriately which is resulting in changes to my weight.

Focusing on the exercise first and weight loss second has been a good switch for me personally (I know many overweight people who are fit and love to exercise, so not saying it's for everyone, but the change of mindset is great for me).

rainbow198

Yes! Focusing on fitness really worked well for me.

The fitter I became, the easier it was for me to do activities, which made me want to try new things that I couldn't do before.

Combined with eating better and being aware of my calorie intake the weight loss came along with it.

Exercising helped me to make better food choices and my thought process changed. When I saw a candy bar I started thinking that would take 2.5 miles to burn. Not to say I don't eat them because I did and still do, but I learned to fit things I wanted into my day and ask myself is this worth it or not. I was used to eating whatever I wanted for so long.

When I started off it was tough for me to walk a 1/2 mile non-stop. Now I'm getting in around 25 - 30 miles per week.

Also my resting heart rate started off in the high 90's. It's now in the high 40's.

One of the best things about fitness and being fit for me is that I never get bored. There is always something new to try, which helps maintain my weight loss.

CSARdiver

I was an avid climber and grew up worshipping the stonemasters.

On a team reunion in Vegas we took a trip out to Red Rock Canyon and saw some climbers, which got me thinking I needed to start climbing again, but I was really out of shape and 70 lbs overweight. Started MFP a few months later. Maintained a small deficit and gradually increased my activity until I could climb again.

Now I'm pretty close to my former peak and looking forward to hitting some big walls with my kids.