Rex's daily fitness journal - warning: out of shape shirtless dude pics
FunkmasterRex
Posts: 153 Member
Started exercise and food tracking yesterday on 5/27/2022. Will attempt to do daily picture updates to track as it goes. Hopefully I get to my goals.
Initial weight: 217.8 lbs
Goal: 160 lbs @ 5' 9"
Will try to do 1 hour of jogging and 1 upper body strength exercise per day 6 days a week.
Initial weight: 217.8 lbs
Goal: 160 lbs @ 5' 9"
Will try to do 1 hour of jogging and 1 upper body strength exercise per day 6 days a week.
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Replies
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Day 1
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Day 2
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This was me on July 4 weekend in 2012 10 years ago when I was 42. Hopefully I can get back to close to where I was. Here we go.
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Why are you only doing upper body exercises?0
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I will be running for an hour 6 days a week. If I don't do any upper body exercises, it will wither away and be unbalanced. This volume of running takes care of the legs and core in my past experience. The upper body needs attention. Not sure if at 52 my body will react the same way, so I'll have to adjust the regimen as I go.3
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Are you just (re-) starting working out? An hour of jogging x 6 days is quite a lot. (I'm saying this as a quite-active 66 year old woman, so not doing the "old people can't" thing, I swear!)
I can only speak for myself, but I find that - as I age, especially, but at any age, realistically - I thrive best if I ramp up slowly when I increase volume and/or intensity.
Maybe that's not where you are . . . but if it's possibly new, consider whether a gradual on-ramp vs. a zero-to-sixty instant intensity increase might be good. Going too hard, too fast - at any age - can trigger fatigue, bleed calorie burn out of daily life, and be counterproductive for both fitness and weight management. I get the appeal of going hard. If the hard is sustainable long term, that's excellent. But I've hit a wall before (multiple times, TBH 😆), and it's not productive.
Wishing you amazing outcomes, sincerely!10 -
Thanks, I'll have to adjust if I am just trying to delude myself into reliving my glory days. I jogged 3.2 miles yesterday and 3.2 miles today both in an hour. That isn't much faster than how fast some people walk - I am really out of shape. I haven't done any exercise in at least 5 years. So far so good.
At my peak in 2012 I was running about 7 miles in 1 hour 6 days a week - that was 42 miles per week about 50 weeks per year. I'll see if I can do 18 miles this week. If I'm exhausted I'll dial it back. I am thinking that it will take 6 to 9 months to get to running about 6 miles per day or 36 miles per week. I've never been 52 before so it will be touch and go. Life never turns out the way you plan anyway but we have to have a plan. 4 -
One thing that has really helped me in running is that I learned to relax into a comfortable pace and push slowly only at the margins. I don't go all out and try to destroy my body. That's the benefit of being old. I try to listen to my body and don't always try to drive through pain. But I like to hang out near my limit and cross over slightly from time to time. I trust time plus volume of training and let the results unfold naturally. That is in contrast to many, including my younger self, who obsess about every natural variance each day. Embrace the you that you are is what I like to think. Ironic that I would say that as a start a daily picture journal but I like tracking. It's worked for me in the past.2
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Day 3 morning weigh in: 215.4 lbs.1
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Day 3: Jogged 3.25 miles in 62 minutes. Lat pulldowns 1x8@100lbs, 1x7@120lbs, 4x6@120lbs.
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Pinning these for motivation to get back to somewhere near my old self. According to the image data these are from 2/28/2012. Wish I had taken sharper pictures back then.
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Keep going! Oddly enough, I started at 217 pounds on April 8th or 9th and my goal is around 164 pounds by October. I have stalled out this week. Been doing a lot of work helping a neighbor move (3-4 hrs a day). It involves a lot of heavy lifting and moving none stop. We're practically packing a man's homestead to move two states away. So I think water weight has me stalled for now and my muscles get used to this work. Anyway, keep it up! You will be at your goal in no time!1
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Thanks for your kind comment @Kiwi2mfp. I think muscles benefit from a jolt now and then if you don't tax them to death and allow adequate recovery. If you can help a friend, what does it matter if your workouts stall a little? You've made a contribution to the wellness of the world and made someone's life better by helping a friend who needed you. Btw, where are you on the road to your goals? Leave a link to the thread where you are documenting your trip to a happier and healthier you if you have one so that I can follow you. Look forward to joining you at the finish line of our goals whenever I get there. 3
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FunkmasterRex wrote: »I will be running for an hour 6 days a week. If I don't do any upper body exercises, it will wither away and be unbalanced. This volume of running takes care of the legs and core in my past experience. The upper body needs attention. Not sure if at 52 my body will react the same way, so I'll have to adjust the regimen as I go.
If you want to build muscle long slow distance running is not the way to do it.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-running-build-muscle#runnings-effects
https://www.livescience.com/does-running-build-muscle
Long slow running is fine, but you need to supplement with some resistance work. To be honest, given the speed at which you're jogging you would probably get as much benefit walking (less joint pounding).
Good luck.2 -
FunkmasterRex wrote: »Thanks for your kind comment @Kiwi2mfp. I think muscles benefit from a jolt now and then if you don't tax them to death and allow adequate recovery. If you can help a friend, what does it matter if your workouts stall a little? You've made a contribution to the wellness of the world and made someone's life better by helping a friend who needed you. Btw, where are you on the road to your goals? Leave a link to the thread where you are documenting your trip to a happier and healthier you if you have one so that I can follow you. Look forward to joining you at the finish line of our goals whenever I get there.
Thank you! I don't think I have any links. I'm sorry. Mostly just been keeping my food journal and commenting on my page. I am at 198.2 on day 52. I am happy with my progress so far. I have some medical issues that I go in for blood work in October for. I am hoping a healthy diet and normal BMI will help correct these things. That is why I have a time line goal and am going at this more aggressively. I have about 34 more pounds to go.
I do believe the same about helping a friend. His family is at his new house and he is trying to go at this massive move on his own! He'd be here away from his family for MONTHS if he took this on by himself. That's just not cool. He keeps saying how over whelmed he feels. I can only imagine.
You are welcome to friend me. I don't have any pictures though so my feed is likely boring but I'm still taking one step at a time.0 -
@Kiwi2mfp thank you for sharing your details. Look fwd to seeing you reach your goals.
@Theoldguy1 I'm running long and slow b/c I just started 3 days ago and am out of shape. Hopefully I can ramp up to 6 miles per day in 1 hour over the next year. Baby steps. 2 -
I also think that my goal is not to pack a bunch of vanity muscle by doing HIIT or other types of high intensity training. I'm not trying out for the NFL or the NBA. My goal is to pack functional muscle in order to support a high volume of running. I currently run slow because it is at this speed that I'm at 70% of my heart rate reserve, optimizing the cardiovascular benefit. In simpler terms, I am exercising my heart muscle to work more efficiently. There are a lot of critics of cardio, mostly proponents of resistance/strength training who tend to ignore the benefits of improving your cardiovascular health. Strength/resistance training has cardiovascular benefits, but not to the same extent as running does. Look at all the professional wrestlers dropping dead of cardiac failure at a young age.
For inexperienced people, the large muscles that are visible to everyone seem flashy and the goal to pursue, but avoiding heart issues by strengthening the cardiovascular system will save you from many ailments as you age, including heart attacks, hypertension and other conditions that aren't flashy but become important as you age.
Also, running at large volume over time will definitely develop functional leg and core muscles. It will not do that for your upper body, so I incorporate some upper body resistance exercises that engage major muscle groups. Strength/resistance is great but it has to have a purpose. Adding 20lbs of muscle mass so that I can look like I'm bulging out of my shirt, that's not one of my goals. Mainstream and social media will try hard to sell you that dream. I would like my muscle mass to have more functional and health benefits. I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder or a sport-specific athlete. I just want to be healthier. 2 -
FunkmasterRex wrote: »I also think that my goal is not to pack a bunch of vanity muscle by doing HIIT or other types of high intensity training. I'm not trying out for the NFL or the NBA. My goal is to pack functional muscle in order to support a high volume of running. I currently run slow because it is at this speed that I'm at 70% of my heart rate reserve, optimizing the cardiovascular benefit. In simpler terms, I am exercising my heart muscle to work more efficiently. There are a lot of critics of cardio, mostly proponents of resistance/strength training who tend to ignore the benefits of improving your cardiovascular health. Strength/resistance training has cardiovascular benefits, but not to the same extent as running does. Look at all the professional wrestlers dropping dead of cardiac failure at a young age.
For inexperienced people, the large muscles that are visible to everyone seem flashy and the goal to pursue, but avoiding heart issues by strengthening the cardiovascular system will save you from many ailments as you age, including heart attacks, hypertension and other conditions that aren't flashy but become important as you age.
Also, running at large volume over time will definitely develop functional leg and core muscles. It will not do that for your upper body, so I incorporate some upper body resistance exercises that engage major muscle groups. Strength/resistance is great but it has to have a purpose. Adding 20lbs of muscle mass so that I can look like I'm bulging out of my shirt, that's not one of my goals. Mainstream and social media will try hard to sell you that dream. I would like my muscle mass to have more functional and health benefits. I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder or a sport-specific athlete. I just want to be healthier.
I absolutely agree, running will build strength in your lower body, and cardiovascular exercise is definitely important for cardiovascular health. I will add, though, 2 more things: the professional wrestlers dropping dead are frequently more related to steroid use and its associated cardiovascular damage. Also, yes, cardiovascular exercise will by its nature decrease your ability to build muscle (though you can absolutely build muscle and do cardio), which is why powerlifters generally don't do cardiovascular exercise (though bodybuilders generally do)0 -
This is a picture of my legs when I was running at high volume. Never had any problem building muscle in my legs doing running/cardio. The musculature was a natural development over time as I ran. And I generally had abdominal/core musculature. Didn't need to target specific muscle groups like weightlifters nor do resistance training, I just ran.
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However your shoulders will become imbalanced if you just run and don't do resistance training. Everyone's mileage will vary.0
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Day 4 weigh in: 214.2 lbs.0
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I’ll be honest I think you should do some walking at an increase pace(walk with purpose). A 3.5-4mph walk vs slow jog will get you a very close amount of calories burned and it will lessen the impact on you as you drop some weight. I walked a full year before I attempted my 1st mile on a treadmill. I’m almost 6 feet and my weight then was roughly proportional to your starting weight. It was several months before I attempted an outside jog. I’ll be 52 at the end of June. I’ve been jogging in earnest for about 18 months now. During that time I have fallen back to walking when things get tweaked or I’m not feeling a jog. Be aware that being 10 years older is that much easier for you to injure yourself and sideline yourself for longer periods. Being older stuff doesn’t recover as quickly. Do this as a lifestyle not as I want to be what I once was. I’ll never be the person I was then. I am working on the person I can now be and as I age I’ll adjust. Take your time don’t hurt yourself. No need for you to competewith a memory/state you once were.. Do keep us posted. Good Luck and be safe…5
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Thanks mrmota70. For now I have a plan and I'll adjust as it goes. Every plan needs tweaks. I am an experienced runner and I think that most inexperienced runners who tend to push too hard beyond their ability should worry about injuries, but I ran for years with a heart pacer and I am able to run well within my limits without one. Also, people with a reasonable amount of running under their belt with good form are able to find a comfortable stride and their feet often lift less than 1 inch as they run. This is critically important to have an efficient stride both for mechanics and energy efficiency over time. My feet are always so close to the ground that I never have issues with pounding on my ankles, knees, hips nor joints. I've seen inexperienced runners doing the goose step or emulating sprinters lifting their knees way up high. If you're doing that, yes worry about injuries. But I think a lot of this criticism of running is written by people who haven't run very much or other type-A people who go way too hard beyond their ability and are quickly injured.
I used to run about 2,000 miles per year at 42. Will I be able to run that at 52? I don't know, but my father is 80 and runs 5 miles a day 6 days a week. My mother is 78 and runs 6.2 miles 6 days a week. Who knows if I'll get there, We'll have to see. 2 -
Day 5: Jogged 3.34 miles in 65 minutes. Run was again a little challenging. Lat Pull Downs 6x8 @120 lbs.
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You might think from this snip of an earlier post that I run because of my parents, but it's the other way around. I was running in my 30s after lifting for exercise throughout my 20s. When my father was 62, I suggested that he try running. I'll never forget how he looked at me like I was crazy, to suggest that at his age. But my Dad was a planner and someone who knew how to commit to things until he succeeded. So he began reading about running training plans and at 62 found a website that had a training course and plan to train to run a marathon. I think he has run 26 marathons including the NYC marathon, the Boston marathon (that requires you to qualify with a low time) and one in the Swiss Alps at Jungfrau in Switzerland. He used to do the Mt. Washington run in New Hampshire straight up the mountain for 10 miles for 10 straight years. When he was starting at 62, he was a heavy drinker. That was his main pastime. I never thought that he would live much past 70. When he took up running, he found that drinking got in the way of his training runs and decided to give up drinking. I think running gave him 10 more years of fulfilling life and he is still going strong.FunkmasterRex wrote: »my father is 80 and runs 5 miles a day 6 days a week. My mother is 78 and runs 6.2 miles 6 days a week.
My mother was more naturally athletic. She went to college as an athlete and rowed competitively while in school. She didn't do exercise after college, and when my Dad approached my Mom about running together when she was 60 years old she thought he was crazy. At the time she was suffering from shoulder pain and all the ailments that come with age. She gave it a try so that they had something to do together in retirement. They slowly followed the plan and she has done over 30 marathons in five continents, all in their 60s and 70s. They used to plan all their trips here and abroad based on the marathons that they were going to compete in. They used the time in between races to execute structured training programs. My Mom was always more athletically gifted and she often won her age group at many races. Although it was at an advanced age group, there were always many surprisingly well-trained people with many decades of running experience at international races.
They are now winding down their competitive racing careers and focusing more on running to optimize health. They still do a large volume of training and I hope it keeps them healthy for many more years.
For the past 18 years they have been much more consistent than I have in training. I gave up running and exercise at different times to focus on work or family or some other thing that came up at the time. I don't regret doing this because I feel privileged to have been able to focus on family and work. Those around me supported me in my choices to focus on different things and I will always be thankful to them.
I hope that all of you dream big. You never know where life will take you if you take a reasonable and sustainable approach that makes you just a little bit better each day in some aspect. That is my approach - to try to be a little better than I was yesterday. Don't be afraid - you never know where that will take you.
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Thinking about injuries, I think that I was more prone to injury 10 years ago because I was more willing to take my training past my limits back then. It's rooted in greed for gains that I hadn't properly developed the fundamentals for. These days I don't have the same need to push past my limits. I suppose that's one benefit of being older. Not that I am wiser with age, but more guarded about injury and health than when I was younger. When I was younger I felt invincible. These days I'll take a small or moderate win that takes me toward my goals. When I was younger I had a lot of insecurities about getting to my goals. When older I get the sense that another bus will come right along if I miss this one. I was competing with others externally when I was younger. These days I compete with myself to be my best self -- slowly. 1
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Day 6 morning weigh in 214.2lbs.1
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FunkmasterRex wrote: »Thinking about injuries, I think that I was more prone to injury 10 years ago because I was more willing to take my training past my limits back then. It's rooted in greed for gains that I hadn't properly developed the fundamentals for. These days I don't have the same need to push past my limits. I suppose that's one benefit of being older. Not that I am wiser with age, but more guarded about injury and health than when I was younger. When I was younger I felt invincible. These days I'll take a small or moderate win that takes me toward my goals. When I was younger I had a lot of insecurities about getting to my goals. When older I get the sense that another bus will come right along if I miss this one. I was competing with others externally when I was younger. These days I compete with myself to be my best self -- slowly.
I injured my knee running in the military. THEY push a person sometimes more than one should go. Tore my meniscus. I eventually tore the other meniscus, I believe due to the military neglecting the first one as long as they did. Therefore, I'm not fond of running anymore. Being told at 24 years old that I will definitely need both knees replaced by the time I'm 75 kind of steered me away from running or jogging anymore. My knees are a mess!2 -
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