What exercises for people over 200?

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Replies

  • Starfish_418
    Starfish_418 Posts: 6
    I am 245 lbs. and I just started to run a few weeks ago. Am I great at it? No. Am I getting better? YUP. I think that regardless of your weight you can do any exercise. Just listen to your body., When you need to rest, rest.
  • lsjd2000
    lsjd2000 Posts: 287 Member
    When I First started I was prob around 230-240 no clue since we didnt have a scale - we started by walking almost everyday - then joined the Y and started using the eliptical and walking out side when the weather was nice - then added in weight training Course then I started working full time and totally didnt exercise much for a year (why I havent lost much in the last year or so :grumble: my own fault) SO at 220 starting again (bought a scale so I would know) I use a treadmil at home that we bought eachother for christmas and teo bo videos (actually i use many vidoes as I get bored very easily) and do what I can sometimes there are things I can do fully somtimes I have to modify it a bit but each time it gets better. You can do pretty much any exercise you want - a friend at work thats over 200 is doing insanity she said she has to modify alot and cant do the jumps but in the end its all about getting up and moving.
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    Unless you're pretty short, 200 pounds isn't overweight enough to warrant a "special" exercise plan. You should be able to do just about anything. Hell I'm over 200 pounds and I'm training for a half marathon. Granted I'm a 6 ft tall guy and 200 isn't terribly far off of a healthy weight for me. Still even at 5'4", 200 pounds isn't *that* heavy. You should be able to do most anything.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    I weigh over 300 pounds (just under 200 of that is lean mass, according to my body fat estimates). I've been doing barbell lifting in the gym for about 4 months, plus some light cardio (elliptical mostly), and I've just started getting back into karate classes again as well.

    These workouts seriously kicked my *kitten* at first (after the first karate class, I was limping around for 4 days due to incredibly tight, sore calves), but your body WILL adapt to them. There may be some point where you have to take your weight into consideration when planning exercise, but I doubt you're there at 200. Just pick something you like, go for it, and don't get discouraged when it hurts like hell at first.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    All of the exercises.

    Also, in future please give more info. 200 pounds at 5 foot tall is totally different from being 6 foot. Age matters too.
  • emtb319
    emtb319 Posts: 87
    I'm just below 300 and I have a recumbent exercise bike that I use for cardio. I love it!! I also participate with the daily mini goals here. Once you start doing it, it gets easier and easier. Just last week, I could barely do 5 minutes on the bike, stopping once or twice and sweating my rear off and huffing and puffing. This week, I feel like I could bike forever. I can go 15+ minutes at a time. The best thing to do is start. At first, it will take a lot of effort for what seems like a little work, but after a short while it will get easier and easier.
  • Irish_eyes75
    Irish_eyes75 Posts: 475
    At 244 I thought all i could handle was walking - somehow I was damned to the treadmill for a while.
    I joined a women only gym and the owner "forced" me to take a spin class. I say force jokingly, she scolded me for thinking I was too big to handle it and I was so fearful of being the fat girl who had to leave in the middle of class. Well, i took the class and even though I didn't do all the fancy stuff everyone else was doing, I did the entire class and I felt unbelievable after. Don't get me wrong, I was dead and couldn't walk for days but I was empowered!! The next week I added a cardio kickboxing class and that was amazing too. I never stepped foot on the treadmill after those classes.
    You can do anything. Really!
  • porffor
    porffor Posts: 1,210 Member
    I was 227 when I started moving my butt.. and chose the C25k with a 5k race for life charity run as my goal. I ran it but slowly.. there is a term penguin runner.. that is still me and will be for life I've learnt.
    Also.. I had a life long dream of learning to ride a horse - so I picked up the phone and was amazed I COULD ride a horse even at my weight.. it was just very tall! lol So I started riding lessons.

    8 years down the line I've maintained 40 ish lbs of loss (I have dipped 9lb lower than my current weight briefly). And had a baby - that saw me increase my weight. BUT.. I now own a 14 hand (not so tall as to let me afford to become heavier again) large pony and ride and work out..

    So whatever you do - make sure it's something you ENJOY! Don't slog the calories off doing something you hate..life is too short!

    Marital arts is great for low impact too.. I loved Karate before I fell pregnant. :)

    If you have any doubts on injuries etc get advice from a medically trained person.. or fitness instructor etc.
  • Southernsass6885
    Southernsass6885 Posts: 100 Member
    A few years ago, I started at 256. I couldn't do an elliptical more than 8 minutes, I went to the gym and hated all the skinny *itches, and going upstairs exhausted me. So, I took baby steps. I'd park the car father from the store, so I'd walk further. I'd walk on a treadmill at my normal pace, but added a bit of an incline. And all these little steps put together, I was later able to be on the elliptical machine for an hour, I went to bootcamp classes, and I'm about to start training to do a marathon with my brother next year.

    So, not telling you what to do, but just start small, hon. Things take time. And with a little patience, we'll all be able to look at those skinny/healthy *itches and realize that we're one of them.
  • lostwisdom
    lostwisdom Posts: 73 Member
    I'm in my 200s and do walking, badminton, my fitness coach on the wii, and soon swimming as well. Don't let it hold you back!
  • mcseabreeze
    mcseabreeze Posts: 4
    Being over 200 also, I'm walking first and then I'll pick up the pace to power walking with weights. Not sure after that.:smile:
  • christydarlin1969
    christydarlin1969 Posts: 2 Member
    Just rejoined fitness pal for the second time. My husband is a personal trainer, and we both LOVE food. :) So, I went to my doctor because I am also a type 2 diabetic and it was time for a check up. Unfortunately the only thing I have NOT been consistent with is exercise. My sugars are still out of control even after religiously taking my meds, etc. So my doctor referred me to an Endocrinologist. This scares the PEE out of me. I do NOT want to be insulin dependent. So I have started using that gym membership I have been paying for but just being stubborn about going.

    Mostly, right now I'm doing interval training on the treadmill, that's my focus. I do inclines maxing out at 10% and I max out my speed at 3mph. All of that is going to change as my body becomes more accustomed to the workout. My goal is to be able to run with my husband for health. He doesn't know that yet, I kinda want to surprise him.

    Anyway, I also do weight lifting one or two times a week, for the tone factor.

    I didn't mention that I am currently around 240 lbs, but the highest I have been is about 320 and I am a 43 year old gramma of 4.

    Good luck to you!!!
  • japruzze
    japruzze Posts: 453 Member
    Walk. You don't need to buy anything. You can do it any where and every where. Set a length of time - 30 minutes - and see how far you can go. Keep to that time and extend how far you go every three times you walk. Once you hit 2 miles, extend the time and start again. You want to keep challenging yourself. Also, you can "sneak" in extra exercise by parking far from the door and walking in to the store or work. Stop using the elevator and start using the stairs. If you are new to exercise, this will get you started. When you're ready (you'll know) join a gym and get a trainer to start you out with the right exercises and form. I lost my first 50lbs with walking as my only exercise.
  • DebbieMc3
    DebbieMc3 Posts: 289 Member
    At 250 lbs I was doing Weight training, C25K, Zumba, TaeBo, swimming....... give it a go - your body will love you for it!!

    This!

    There is nothing you can't do. You might need to modify the activity. ie. instead of jumping during kick boxing I just step.
  • Sharbear6936
    Sharbear6936 Posts: 7
    I like to ride a bike. I am just a little over 200 myself and I have a bad foot...making walking or running impossible. Swimming is good too.
  • tebcolorado
    tebcolorado Posts: 50
    I'm over 200 pounds and I bike 10 miles a few times a week, power walk for an hour in the morning, do Wii Active in my living room, weight lift in my basement, dance in front of the TV, do push ups, planks and squats til failure. Don't limit yourself. Everything is possible.

    Just watch the Biggest Loser if you think you are limited...some of those guys are well over 400 pounds and they RUN on a treadmill the first week. Your limitations are all in your mind.
  • BR3ANDA
    BR3ANDA Posts: 622 Member
    DDPYoga, its awesome, you get the flexibilty but most important, you get cardio! The best thing is that they show you how to make the positions easier. www.ddpyoga.com BANG!

    Oh ya, forgot to add, its NO IMPACT, so you dont hurt when your done. BTW, I'm 240 lbs right now, been doing DDPYoga for a month.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I was 228.4lbs at 5'2"...just a month out from a 4 month case of bronchitis/asthma flare when I started working out. My first 2 weeks I spent 60 minutes on the treadmill 5x a week. I wanted to die, but I refused to quit. The third week I started adding strength training on the machines. In 6 months I have lost 24lbs, IDK how many inches, and can now do 60 minutes of hill intervals without stopping or slowing down.

    My friend Min came to the gym with me last week--she is 330lbs, and she did 30 minutes on the treadmill with me the days she came.
  • gratefulandrelentless
    gratefulandrelentless Posts: 33
    I'm just over 200 (really, really hoping to make it under that bloody number next week!), and I love the elliptical. It's excellent on my joints and I can really get my heart rate up when I do interval programs on there. Also, I'll echo what everyone else says -- I love to walk everywhere! My goal is to become a runner after I shed some more of this weight -- I feel so... floppy... when I run now. But soon! SOON!

    Also, yoga. And I am about to try swimming (eek!).


    Good luck! You can do it!
  • suz4260
    suz4260 Posts: 1
    I would suggest walking to start. Park farther away, take the dog for a walk or walk around the block. After you lose some pounds and you feel like you have more energy try some more activities. If you are disciplined you can have home excercise equipment and use it faithfully. If you skip exercise try joining a gym and go with a friend. It will keep you on the correct path. Good Luck.

    :smile:

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