Check-In For Those Who’ve Worked Out More Than 20 Years
Arc2Arc
Posts: 484 Member
No, I don’t mean one workout :-). I just hit 60 and realized I’ve been working out almost continuously for 45 years. A sport got me started and I’ve been doing resistance and cardio ever since.
Who else has been at this a long time? How long? What has it done for you? While conditioning is it’s own reward, a little recognition here is nice too.
Who else has been at this a long time? How long? What has it done for you? While conditioning is it’s own reward, a little recognition here is nice too.
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Not quite: About 19 years plus a few months, more or less. I'm 65 (66 in about 3 weeks), started being routinely active in my mid 40s after cancer treatment.
What has it done? Probably extended my life, definitely improved my health, made me stronger, probably an element of why I have higher calorie requirements than many women my age, greatly reframed a lot of my social life, made me happier certainly, among other things.
On the one hand, it still seems improbable to me that it happened; on the other hand, I can't imagine life without it.
I was in high school before Title IX in the US increased athletic opportunities for women, and I was a bookish kid anyway. I married an active guy, so did some active things intermittently in my 20s/30s with his encouragement/lead (canoe camping vacations, other canoeing, Chinese martial arts (which he taught) . . . ). He died in 1998 (cancer), I was diagnosed with stage III (advanced) cancer myself in 2000, did the full surgery-chemo-radiation-meds routine. Much depleted after, I realized that if I wanted ever to feel good, strong, energetic, happy again, I was going to need to *work* at it.
I started with some mild things, group yoga classes, some strength training. In 2002, a breast cancer survivors rowing team was forming locally, and I joined . . . wondering if I was crazy to do so. I got addicted to rowing, trained regularly, raced both on water and machine (even got some place medals!), did other cross training to stay in shape especially in off season, went to multiple rowing camps, took adult learn-to-swim classes even though I dislike being *in* the water, visited other rowing clubs, gathered a group of friends who for several years now row together 4 days a week at the local rowing club in season. I do some biking, usually off-season strength training, spin classes or stationary bike, and other stuff now for fun and variety.
It's a whole different life, truly.
Recently, I did one of those dumb questionnaires that predicts how long you'll live. For fun, I filled it out as if my mid-40s pre-routinely-active self, then again as my mid-60s self. My 45-year-old self was predicted to live to be 67. My 60-something self was predicted to live to be 102! (Obviously, I don't believe the results in a literal way. Most of my family lives into their 80s, which I hope for; the activity level - I hope - makes more of those years active and happy, since that's what I've seen in my extended family.)9 -
^^^. What a great story. It was worth starting this thread just for that! Congratulations on what you've accomplished. Wind in your sails and keep at it!2
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^^^. What a great story. It was worth starting this thread just for that! Congratulations on what you've accomplished. Wind in your sails and keep at it!
That's so kind of you to say!
Can you share a bit of your story? What sport got you started? Do you still do that sport? How has your activity level/variety/etc. evolved with different twists in other parts of your life? It seem like there would be some different challenges to keeping a habit of lifelong activity. Myself, I mostly got active as my life was d-complicating a bit in terms of other responsibilities (because of widowhood, death of parents, retirement, etc. - I don't have children).0 -
I played a sport (baseball) through college and into the pros until a shoulder injury ended that. I started running and lifting when I was 15 as part of training for baseball. Of course, back then we didn't know how to train and weights were being used in ways detrimental to our health. A lot of guys went down at the front end of the surge in weight training. Not long after my injury they realized many injuries, mine included, resulted from training imbalance.
With my career over, I decided to go to grad school but take a year off to learn to ski and live in the mountains. Skiing became my passion. Maybe it was because I needed something to replace baseball. Maybe because I love being on the side of a mountain. Maybe I just love skiing. I also had grown an appreciation for being in shape and skiing became the pay-off as the better shape you're in the more fun it is.
As I've made my way through these 40 years, workout practices have evolved enormously. I can remember when resistance training meant hanging around the heavy bench with friends, arm curls, situps and a few other weight routines. The state of the art and awareness has come a long way. The great thing is from a conditioning standpoint I am and have been in maintenance for a long time. I'm happy with maintaining and it isn't that hard to keep what you've earned in the past.
I look a friends who haven't been active and conditioned and the age really shows. Whereas those of us who've kept in shape look almost like a younger generation. Then there's what it does for one emotionally. Where would we be without our workouts? This winter I'll plan on skiing 100 days and this summer I cycled more than that.
How long will this lifestyle last? Until I can't do it anymore whenever that might be!5 -
Started when I was 19 in 1983. So over 38 years. I started by just lifting weights to gain some weight. Later on actually started competing in local bodybuilding shows till late 80's. And have been a Fitness Professional since 1997 when I first got certified. To this day I still workout somewhat like I'm going to compete. Also instruct kickboxing class and do a little running.
I try never to miss a workout even if I'm on vacation. I always try to do something physically active someway or another regardless of where I am. If I'm in a mall, I don't use the elevators or escalators if at all possible. My fitness and shape keep people guessing at my real age and many times I've pegged for 35-45 years old. I can still sprint pretty fast, get down on the floor and break dance if I wanted to, and play sports like I was in my 30's. I've been diligent to saving my joints and keeping my flexibility and LOVE that I don't have pain or issues like many of my peers. But I HAD TO WORK AT IT.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I'm not quite 20 yet. I'm back at it for around 16 years now. I was a pretty good athlete in my youth (and played pretty advanced club sport in college), but got undercut in a pickup BB game my senior year and blew an ACL. I was paying for my own college and didn't have insurance to get it repaired.
In graduate school, unfortunately, I picked up a cigarette and became a smoker for 10 years. I stayed thin throughout while I managed restaurants (couldn't get over 160 lbs as a matter of fact and was likely 13% or so BF then). It was when I switched to a desk job (recruiting, what I still do till this day) and quit smoking in the same year that I started ballooning up. After a few years, I got up to 255 or 260. IDK, honestly, because I didn't have a scale and didn't want to know.
Then, like an idiot, I was coaching my son in BB and demonstrating how to do a zone defense and my knee dislocated (I had never gotten it done and should have because I had insurance for years). A knee dislocation is pretty gruesome stuff. Whatever you have left in the knee is gone. Meniscus was literally shredded off the bone. Underwent two surgeries and ran out of PT appointments while I still could barely put weight on the leg. I certainly wasn't able to walk yet. I was 41 at that time. I'll be 57 next week. That's when I started turning things around. When I couldn't be more depressed about my health.
Long story short, I took the next year learning how to just walk again. I used a Stationary bike to try to get stronger. Moved from a few steps to a few 100, then a 1/4 mile. Within a year, I was walking at lunch. Got to the point in 2 years I did 3.5 miles every day. Took around 2 years to lose a severe limp. Started lifting, started even trying spinning classes (very rough at first). Started tracking weight around 4 years in when my weight stagnated at around 218.
Within the first year of tracking, got down to 170, which helped a lot with walking. After around 5 years, I was walking my dog and wondered if I could jog because it (my right knee) was feeling pretty solid. The first time I tried to jog was at around 3 years -- a kid had left his backpack at my son's JV soccer game and, without thinking, I tried to run it to him. I face planted in front of an entire bleacher because the pain was so severe. So me just trying to jog again was pretty daunting.
Started jogging with 100 steps at a time, then would walk. I literally counted. It hurt TBH, but I could do it. Within 2 years, I signed up for trail races and was running trail races against former track athletes and cross country runners. Cincinnati had a great trail series that went from around 3 miles to around 8 miles. I completed all of them and did that for around four years until my "good knee" wouldn't allow it any longer and I developed chronic runner's knee.
During rehab, I started rowing on a Concept2 machine. I liked it a lot. Found out that my 2K times were getting decently interesting compared to others for my age group. I also learned there were indoor "regattas" during the Winter, where former college/high school crew and current OTW (over the water) rowers and Cross Fitters would all get together and compete. My first year, I got destroyed by a mountain of a guy that was over 60 and did a 6:48 2K, which is insane. I later learned he had set records for a Masters OTW rower up in Chicago. I was hooked.
In those years, I had been lifting 3X a week religiously, doing cardio 6 times a week and I was training harder than I did in either high school or college as an athlete. I got my 2K times down from 7:50 to 7:11 at age 53 and finished 2nd for my age group in Indy (pretty much the best of the Midwest for indoor and OTW rowing were there).
Injured my thoracic disc the next year and my rowing times have fallen off the charts. I may not get back to those levels but, since Covid has slowed, I'm back to lifting heavy 2X a week and doing cardio 6X a week -- two of those are brutally hard sessions. Oh, and I was asked to join in Indoor rowing virtual club which so happens to have like 5 of the top 10 athletes in the 50 to 60 age group in the world. Most of the guys that are my age in the club are SERIOUS athletes. And while my times pale in comparison, they still appreciate my efforts and consistency of training. My goals until I'm 60 are to get back to competing against two women in my club that are two of the top women in the world over 50 (one holds nearly every US record on the C2 and is a serious Masters OTW rower and National Champion). My times were equal to hers 4 years ago. I'm now 10 seconds off of her on pace.
I'm around 194 now and around 20% body fat. I look more like a beach bum than the old fat guy that I used to be. I made a deal with the kids at the desk at Planet Fitness that if I can show them my HRM and I can burn 1000 calories within an hour (it's not uncommon for me to do rowing, but it's much harder doing supersets to do that -- my last one was 750), they'll set the "Lunk Alert" off on me so I can go join F45, which is much more my style. My wife says, "you don't need to workout more!". But it's my jam now and I really enjoy it.
Just observational, performance in indoor rowing is very directly correlated to ability to have a huge training load. I took around a 20 year gap in my training. Nearly everyone that is better than I am never stopped training. I hit a certain point and I break down and can't do more. I do around 6 or so hours of cardio a week and 2 or so lifting. That's around my peak I can handle. I know people that double what I do. If you never stop training, it does seem that workload is handled much better.
San Diego, every year, has an Indoor race (it was paused during Covid). They have 3 guys there (two over 50 and one over 60) that are all WR holders and one guy is in charge of the Navy Seal training program. Complete badasses, all of them. I was planning on racing there until I injured my back. I'd like to get close enough to that level just to compete with those guys and not get completely humiliated (they are all sub 7 2K guys). At least that's a motivator, whether or not that will happen.
Oh (sorry for the long post), the knee -- still the same knee. When I injured it, at 41, they only didn't do a full replacement because I was too young at that time and knees only lasted 15 years back then. It doesn't hurt, but I've considered getting it replaced because it's the limiting factor on my performance. My right leg, stronger than 95% of the population my age, is still 1/2 as strong as my left leg and the knee joint is the weak link. I have full mobility and no pain, though, which is huge. I'm eying up where I need to be in my 60s in order to compete on a national stage again and the knee might be the only thing holding me back. That's the kind of mentality I have now. It's more about how can I be a better athlete, not how can I get out of pain. But there's always a balance there and you have to train smart.6 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »I'm not quite 20 yet. I'm back at it for around 16 years now. I was a pretty good athlete in my youth (and played pretty advanced club sport in college), but got undercut in a pickup BB game my senior year and blew an ACL. I was paying for my own college and didn't have insurance to get it repaired.
In graduate school, unfortunately, I picked up a cigarette and became a smoker for 10 years. I stayed thin throughout while I managed restaurants (couldn't get over 160 lbs as a matter of fact and was likely 13% or so BF then). It was when I switched to a desk job (recruiting, what I still do till this day) and quit smoking in the same year that I started ballooning up. After a few years, I got up to 255 or 260. IDK, honestly, because I didn't have a scale and didn't want to know.
Then, like an idiot, I was coaching my son in BB and demonstrating how to do a zone defense and my knee dislocated (I had never gotten it done and should have because I had insurance for years). A knee dislocation is pretty gruesome stuff. Whatever you have left in the knee is gone. Meniscus was literally shredded off the bone. Underwent two surgeries and ran out of PT appointments while I still could barely put weight on the leg. I certainly wasn't able to walk yet. I was 41 at that time. I'll be 57 next week. That's when I started turning things around. When I couldn't be more depressed about my health.
Long story short, I took the next year learning how to just walk again. I used a Stationary bike to try to get stronger. Moved from a few steps to a few 100, then a 1/4 mile. Within a year, I was walking at lunch. Got to the point in 2 years I did 3.5 miles every day. Took around 2 years to lose a severe limp. Started lifting, started even trying spinning classes (very rough at first). Started tracking weight around 4 years in when my weight stagnated at around 218.
Within the first year of tracking, got down to 170, which helped a lot with walking. After around 5 years, I was walking my dog and wondered if I could jog because it (my right knee) was feeling pretty solid. The first time I tried to jog was at around 3 years -- a kid had left his backpack at my son's JV soccer game and, without thinking, I tried to run it to him. I face planted in front of an entire bleacher because the pain was so severe. So me just trying to jog again was pretty daunting.
Started jogging with 100 steps at a time, then would walk. I literally counted. It hurt TBH, but I could do it. Within 2 years, I signed up for trail races and was running trail races against former track athletes and cross country runners. Cincinnati had a great trail series that went from around 3 miles to around 8 miles. I completed all of them and did that for around four years until my "good knee" wouldn't allow it any longer and I developed chronic runner's knee.
During rehab, I started rowing on a Concept2 machine. I liked it a lot. Found out that my 2K times were getting decently interesting compared to others for my age group. I also learned there were indoor "regattas" during the Winter, where former college/high school crew and current OTW (over the water) rowers and Cross Fitters would all get together and compete. My first year, I got destroyed by a mountain of a guy that was over 60 and did a 6:48 2K, which is insane. I later learned he had set records for a Masters OTW rower up in Chicago. I was hooked.
In those years, I had been lifting 3X a week religiously, doing cardio 6 times a week and I was training harder than I did in either high school or college as an athlete. I got my 2K times down from 7:50 to 7:11 at age 53 and finished 2nd for my age group in Indy (pretty much the best of the Midwest for indoor and OTW rowing were there).
Injured my thoracic disc the next year and my rowing times have fallen off the charts. I may not get back to those levels but, since Covid has slowed, I'm back to lifting heavy 2X a week and doing cardio 6X a week -- two of those are brutally hard sessions. Oh, and I was asked to join in Indoor rowing virtual club which so happens to have like 5 of the top 10 athletes in the 50 to 60 age group in the world. Most of the guys that are my age in the club are SERIOUS athletes. And while my times pale in comparison, they still appreciate my efforts and consistency of training. My goals until I'm 60 are to get back to competing against two women in my club that are two of the top women in the world over 50 (one holds nearly every US record on the C2 and is a serious Masters OTW rower and National Champion). My times were equal to hers 4 years ago. I'm now 10 seconds off of her on pace.
I'm around 194 now and around 20% body fat. I look more like a beach bum than the old fat guy that I used to be. I made a deal with the kids at the desk at Planet Fitness that if I can show them my HRM and I can burn 1000 calories within an hour (it's not uncommon for me to do rowing, but it's much harder doing supersets to do that -- my last one was 750), they'll set the "Lunk Alert" off on me so I can go join F45, which is much more my style. My wife says, "you don't need to workout more!". But it's my jam now and I really enjoy it.
Just observational, performance in indoor rowing is very directly correlated to ability to have a huge training load. I took around a 20 year gap in my training. Nearly everyone that is better than I am never stopped training. I hit a certain point and I break down and can't do more. I do around 6 or so hours of cardio a week and 2 or so lifting. That's around my peak I can handle. I know people that double what I do. If you never stop training, it does seem that workload is handled much better.
San Diego, every year, has an Indoor race (it was paused during Covid). They have 3 guys there (two over 50 and one over 60) that are all WR holders and one guy is in charge of the Navy Seal training program. Complete badasses, all of them. I was planning on racing there until I injured my back. I'd like to get close enough to that level just to compete with those guys and not get completely humiliated (they are all sub 7 2K guys). At least that's a motivator, whether or not that will happen.
Oh (sorry for the long post), the knee -- still the same knee. When I injured it, at 41, they only didn't do a full replacement because I was too young at that time and knees only lasted 15 years back then. It doesn't hurt, but I've considered getting it replaced because it's the limiting factor on my performance. My right leg, stronger than 95% of the population my age, is still 1/2 as strong as my left leg and the knee joint is the weak link. I have full mobility and no pain, though, which is huge. I'm eying up where I need to be in my 60s in order to compete on a national stage again and the knee might be the only thing holding me back. That's the kind of mentality I have now. It's more about how can I be a better athlete, not how can I get out of pain. But there's always a balance there and you have to train smart.
I know what it’s like trying to perform physically at a high level despite past injuries. Congratulations on your commitment and on what you’ve achieved.1 -
Back in high school my mother didn't approve of me joining any team sports with risk of injury, so I joined the track and cross country teams. I was good enough to earn my varsity letter, not good enough to win any individual awards, but at least I was moving.
When looking at colleges, I had a chance to go to one of the military service academies, but felt I was not a good enough athlete so declined the opportunity. My first week on campus at the school I chose for academics, I walked past a booth for ROTC, which offered scholarships and a guaranteed job after graduation in exchange for four years of military service. While I still didn't think I could qualify athletically for any military job, I chose to give the ROTC a month before making my final decision. In that month I participated in the group exercise sessions, which consisted of lots of running and calisthenics, and I discovered to my delight I not only could keep up with everyone, but in some ways excel. So I went ahead and committed to ROTC, got a full-tuition scholarship from the USAF (which combined with my university academic scholarship covering room and board meant I graduated debt-free) and got my commission as an officer upon graduation. Over those four years I've lost count of how many 5k runs I did for the fun of it (and the free t-shirt and cookies at the finish line).
Over the next ten years of military service my fitness level plunged off a cliff. Long work hours (24-48 hour shifts are no joke, even at age 22) with a desk job and a terrible diet caused my weight to balloon from 150 to 220. At the time the USAF fitness standards were the joke of the entire U.S. military, gauging an airman's fitness by having them pedal a stationary bike with variable resistance for up to ten minutes at a time. When something more occurred during the rare unit fitness times, it was invariably a run which I and my fellow slobs all slogged through. (The service fitness regimen has been drastically overhauled into something respectable today, but by that time I was already a civilian.)
Upon becoming a civilian in 2009, I was seriously overweight and out of shape, huffing and puffing up a single flight of stairs, with high blood pressure, poor blood chemistry and very low self esteem. Job hunting was taking a long time, with my early "sure fire bets" all falling through, so the stress of feeding my family of six was also starting to take a toll. Figured if I had no control over my life, I'd regain control over SOME part: me. A new gym had just opened a block away from my house, figured I could take out my frustrations there rather than exploding at my family.
Tried my old friend running, but turns out that running at age 17 / weight 150 is a lot easier than running at 31/220, go figure. Swimming was never my strong suit, and after a decade in the military the various calisthenics-based classes being offered held zero interest to me. But on a lark I decided to try weightlifting, as I had a half-formed memory of time in the weight room from my school track days doing squats and lunges for stronger legs.
I was instantly hooked! Didn't have the money to invest in a personal trainer, but between internet searches and fitness magazines I managed to trial-and-error my way into a working knowledge of proper lifting technique and workout construction. (I have records of what I did from my very first lifting workout until today, and I cringe when I look back at my early efforts.) About this time I also discovered MFP, so between control of my diet and my newfound love of the weight room I swapped my fat 220 for a muscular 195. Took a couple years, and I have maintained it for going on a decade now. At first I was addicted to power lifting, the search for that ever-higher single rep max, being strong for my bodyweight, that sort of thing. Was starting to reach respectable numbers until I disregarded caution and climbed too high too fast, injuring both shoulders during a super-heavy (for me) bench press, narrowly avoiding surgery but losing out on three months of training during a painful rehab.
These days I consider myself a "lifestyle lifter" which means I want to look good plus be strong enough to help out however needed (most recently by literally holding the truck door in place as my son bolted in onto the frame), but most importantly being able to live life unhampered and as pain-free in my joints as possible. My figure will never win any bodybuilding contests, but the most important judge, my mirror, whole heartedly approves of the new me. Stairs are no longer a fear, and in fact I choose to take the stairs for anything under five stories (and would go higher as well, if not for the increased time required compared to an elevator). My blood pressure and blood chemistry are wonderfully healthy now, as is my self esteem.
In summary, you could say I've been working out for about 27 years now, transitioning over time from a sprinter to a distance runner to a *cough* bicyclist *cough* to a power lifter to a lifestyle lifter.5 -
Well not contiguous years, but roughly 45 years minus a 15 year break during my 40's-early 50's due to career demands. I'll be 64 in November.
Started out playing baseball, softball and doing some running, with a bit of time in the weight room. After some weight gain and a serious health decline due to way too much sales work and business travel, I regained a focus on health and building fitness at 54 years old. I returned to running, then cycling, then multisport endurance races.
I now have a very active social circle most of whom are runners, cyclists and triathletes. With our kids grown and out of the house, the social aspect of fitness is as much fun as training. I'm currently in race recovery mode, so that means just cycling and swimming for fun. I also work with a trainer at my gym during the offseason. The most important factor for me as I get older is to avoid injury as I continue to exercise.5 -
Nine years consecutively at this point...I'm 47. I had about 8 years from 30-38 where I didn't do much except maybe the occasional weekend warrior but overall, most of my life has been pretty active.
3rd grade through senior year - Started running club track and field in 3rd grade and ran track all through high school. Dabbled in gymnastics, wrestling, football, and swim team throughout those years. My parents had me in some kind of sport most seasons with dead of winter usually being my only break in sport. I was also a lifeguard for a summer season after my junior year in high school.
19yrs to 22 yrs - Marine Corps...lots of training and working out with a combat ready unit.
22yrs to 30 yrs - College. Didn't really "workout" that much though I did hit the weight room pretty regularly a few days per week with some breaks here and there over those years. Mostly I was just very active. Worked landscape construction for awhile as well as warehouse work and a stint waiting tables. I didn't have a car for much of that period so I road my bike and walked most places. My roommates and I were pretty heavy into playing Ultimate Frisbee as well as Frisbee Golf, skiing, backpacking camping, and hiking.
30 yrs to 38 - Not much going on fitness wise here. Graduated and started my career and working long hours and traveling for work about 25 weeks of the year trying to make that corporate climb. Got married and had my first kid at 35. Occasional weekend ski trips in the winter and some hiking here and there was about it for me during this time. Had my 2nd kid at 38 and was in pretty bad shape health and fitness wise and decided I needed to get it together.
2013 to present - Lost about 40 Lbs from the end of 2012 through late spring 2013. Dabbled in a few different things fitness wise...running, rucking, and started hitting the weight room. In 2013 discovered a love for cycling while training for a sprint triathlon. Never ended up doing the sprint due to an injury about 2 weeks before the event, but I never looked back with cycling. Got into endurance road riding events and races in 2014 and did those pretty regularly through about 2018. Eventually available time to log the miles for endurance training became harder to come by with my boys getting older and having more home work, playing soccer and soccer practices, archery practices and archery meets, etc. Still cycle and mountain bike and spin regularly for fitness and exercise, but no more training. I was pretty consistent with weight training through about 2018 as well, but pretty inconsistent with it the last couple of years due to COVID and just being busy and not wanting another place to commute to. Just started up at a new gym that's around the corner from my office, so it's very convenient and easy so I've been back at that for the last couple months.3 -
Back in high school my mother didn't approve of me joining any team sports with risk of injury, so I joined the track and cross country teams. I was good enough to earn my varsity letter, not good enough to win any individual awards, but at least I was moving.
When looking at colleges, I had a chance to go to one of the military service academies, but felt I was not a good enough athlete so declined the opportunity. My first week on campus at the school I chose for academics, I walked past a booth for ROTC, which offered scholarships and a guaranteed job after graduation in exchange for four years of military service. While I still didn't think I could qualify athletically for any military job, I chose to give the ROTC a month before making my final decision. In that month I participated in the group exercise sessions, which consisted of lots of running and calisthenics, and I discovered to my delight I not only could keep up with everyone, but in some ways excel. So I went ahead and committed to ROTC, got a full-tuition scholarship from the USAF (which combined with my university academic scholarship covering room and board meant I graduated debt-free) and got my commission as an officer upon graduation. Over those four years I've lost count of how many 5k runs I did for the fun of it (and the free t-shirt and cookies at the finish line).
Over the next ten years of military service my fitness level plunged off a cliff. Long work hours (24-48 hour shifts are no joke, even at age 22) with a desk job and a terrible diet caused my weight to balloon from 150 to 220. At the time the USAF fitness standards were the joke of the entire U.S. military, gauging an airman's fitness by having them pedal a stationary bike with variable resistance for up to ten minutes at a time. When something more occurred during the rare unit fitness times, it was invariably a run which I and my fellow slobs all slogged through. (The service fitness regimen has been drastically overhauled into something respectable today, but by that time I was already a civilian.)
Upon becoming a civilian in 2009, I was seriously overweight and out of shape, huffing and puffing up a single flight of stairs, with high blood pressure, poor blood chemistry and very low self esteem. Job hunting was taking a long time, with my early "sure fire bets" all falling through, so the stress of feeding my family of six was also starting to take a toll. Figured if I had no control over my life, I'd regain control over SOME part: me. A new gym had just opened a block away from my house, figured I could take out my frustrations there rather than exploding at my family.
Tried my old friend running, but turns out that running at age 17 / weight 150 is a lot easier than running at 31/220, go figure. Swimming was never my strong suit, and after a decade in the military the various calisthenics-based classes being offered held zero interest to me. But on a lark I decided to try weightlifting, as I had a half-formed memory of time in the weight room from my school track days doing squats and lunges for stronger legs.
I was instantly hooked! Didn't have the money to invest in a personal trainer, but between internet searches and fitness magazines I managed to trial-and-error my way into a working knowledge of proper lifting technique and workout construction. (I have records of what I did from my very first lifting workout until today, and I cringe when I look back at my early efforts.) About this time I also discovered MFP, so between control of my diet and my newfound love of the weight room I swapped my fat 220 for a muscular 195. Took a couple years, and I have maintained it for going on a decade now. At first I was addicted to power lifting, the search for that ever-higher single rep max, being strong for my bodyweight, that sort of thing. Was starting to reach respectable numbers until I disregarded caution and climbed too high too fast, injuring both shoulders during a super-heavy (for me) bench press, narrowly avoiding surgery but losing out on three months of training during a painful rehab.
These days I consider myself a "lifestyle lifter" which means I want to look good plus be strong enough to help out however needed (most recently by literally holding the truck door in place as my son bolted in onto the frame), but most importantly being able to live life unhampered and as pain-free in my joints as possible. My figure will never win any bodybuilding contests, but the most important judge, my mirror, whole heartedly approves of the new me. Stairs are no longer a fear, and in fact I choose to take the stairs for anything under five stories (and would go higher as well, if not for the increased time required compared to an elevator). My blood pressure and blood chemistry are wonderfully healthy now, as is my self esteem.
In summary, you could say I've been working out for about 27 years now, transitioning over time from a sprinter to a distance runner to a *cough* bicyclist *cough* to a power lifter to a lifestyle lifter.
You know, when I was considered a prospect in a sport in my teens and managed to get paid for it for a few years, I considered someone an athlete who was gifted athletically and accomplished in their sport. In high school and college a letter and thereafter by being a professional. That’s not at all my definition any more and it hasn’t been for a long time. A true athlete is someone, irrespective of talent, seriously conditions and pursues a sport. To be a top athlete, one has to have taken on and overcome adversity.
You, sir, epitomize to me what an athlete is. Congratulations on your inspiring accomplishments, enjoy the benefits you’ve earned and thank you for your service.5 -
Well not contiguous years, but roughly 45 years minus a 15 year break during my 40's-early 50's due to career demands. I'll be 64 in November.
Started out playing baseball, softball and doing some running, with a bit of time in the weight room. After some weight gain and a serious health decline due to way too much sales work and business travel, I regained a focus on health and building fitness at 54 years old. I returned to running, then cycling, then multisport endurance races.
I now have a very active social circle most of whom are runners, cyclists and triathletes. With our kids grown and out of the house, the social aspect of fitness is as much fun as training. I'm currently in race recovery mode, so that means just cycling and swimming for fun. I also work with a trainer at my gym during the offseason. The most important factor for me as I get older is to avoid injury as I continue to exercise.
I’m grateful for the sports friends I have and have had over the years. Congrats on the life you’ve built through your athletic pursuits.1 -
Well not contiguous years, but roughly 45 years minus a 15 year break during my 40's-early 50's due to career demands. I'll be 64 in November.
Started out playing baseball, softball and doing some running, with a bit of time in the weight room. After some weight gain and a serious health decline due to way too much sales work and business travel, I regained a focus on health and building fitness at 54 years old. I returned to running, then cycling, then multisport endurance races.
I now have a very active social circle most of whom are runners, cyclists and triathletes. With our kids grown and out of the house, the social aspect of fitness is as much fun as training. I'm currently in race recovery mode, so that means just cycling and swimming for fun. I also work with a trainer at my gym during the offseason. The most important factor for me as I get older is to avoid injury as I continue to exercise.
I’m grateful for the sports friends I have and have had over the years. Congrats on the life you’ve built through your athletic pursuits.
The last few years have been a blast. Group travel this year included a Miami to Key West bike ride, racing the Challenge Miami triathlon, racing IM Chattanooga and a few other shorter trips. Next year's plan includes snowshoeing in New Hampshire, hiking in Utah and a triathlon that starts with a swim in Seneca Lake, then a bike through NY's wine country and finishes with laps run around the Watkins Glen Nascar track and ending at the Finger Lakes Wine fest.
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What an awesome line-up. Where in UT will you be hiking. That's my neck of the woods, I hike a fair amount. Although snow's on the ground now.0
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That's awesome! "Only" 9 years at this point. However, if I hadn't stopped after I had my kids for a period of about 2 years (although I did exercise on and off in that time) it would be 24 years.5
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Speakeasy76 wrote: »That's awesome! "Only" 9 years at this point. However, if I hadn't stopped after I had my kids for a period of about 2 years (although I did exercise on and off in that time) it would be 24 years.
I think we can accept that. :-). Well done and congratulations!1 -
My profile details my story over the last 5-6 yrs.
The full version of it is I took up fencing at 14 (43 now!) and turned out to be ok at it. Competing at national events and gaining a spot on my regional squad but never really quite breaking through to being “properly good”. Probably because I was also doing a ton of other stuff and didn’t give it the training it needed.
Off to Uni (UK medical school) and I could no longer afford dance lessons, so joined the ballroom club. Suddenly I’m in two University “first” teams - fencing and dancing. And studying for a medical degree.
Left uni, started working. Horrendous hours. Joined a gym for the first time and nearly signed up for the Royal Navy.
Met my now husband. Learned to ski. Blew an ACL on the first day of my first trip. Long rehab, involving getting back in the gym.
Discovered I’ve still got the ski bug and kept wanting to get better and better.
Started on an instructor training pathway. Doing this I found that I really would perform better if I were fitter. Back in the gym and -13kg! I also took up running and yoga (for mobility / balance / mental aspects).
I’ve been neglecting the gym work recently and really do need to get back to it - especially the lifting / “conditioning” elements.
Oh and OP: great photo. Keep skiing!3 -
What an awesome line-up. Where in UT will you be hiking. That's my neck of the woods, I hike a fair amount. Although snow's on the ground now.
My wife has hiked Bryce and Zion and wants to return. We also have a group of friends pushing us to join them at Antelope Canyon in Az next march. Either place will be a first time visit for me.2 -
47 years sporting here, take off about two years in the middle where I was just being lazy. Track and Field athletics is the greatest thing since sliced bread for me, I did that from 13 years old, on and off until nearly 40. During that time I also trained in martial arts and some weight training.
I purchased a good quality, commercial treadmill for home at one point and was training indoors. Shin splints had put paid to me running on pavements outside. A slipped disc in 2010 put paid to that too though, so I would walk on the treadmill, until able to run again. I risked a run outdoors in 2011 by trying my very first parkrun and it was at this point I turned a corner, a friend mentioned that a sports shop near me did running gait analysis, so along I went, got tested and fitted out with my first pair of Saucony running shoes. Now I was able to train outdoors, no shin splints, no injuries, nothing!!! Joining a running club, I did more and more parkruns and also entered numerous road races, including one marathon, 7 half marathons, several 10 milers and 5 miles and numerous 10k and 5k races.
My husband and me eventually emigrated to the Canary Islands, we joined a gym and was weight training 5 or 6 times per week, this eventually stopped when we were ordered to train with masks on at the beginning of 2021, even on the cardio machines, masks were mandatory, neither of us wanted to do that, so we gave up the gym. I was running regularly outdoors, but a sudden health complication caused me to change my tactics, so now, I am power walking every other day and am gradually adding in running, bit by bit, to gauge how it is affecting me, so far all seems okay.
I will be 61 years old soon, if somebody had said to me when I was just starting out on my sporting adventures "you will still be training when over 60" I would have laughed, but here I am and still loving it, (even if it is half killing me now LOL).3 -
What an awesome line-up. Where in UT will you be hiking. That's my neck of the woods, I hike a fair amount. Although snow's on the ground now.
My wife has hiked Bryce and Zion and wants to return. We also have a group of friends pushing us to join them at Antelope Canyon in Az next march. Either place will be a first time visit for me.
Incredible places. If you go, there used to be one company that was allowed to do respectful ATV tours of Grand Escalante. We did that (and more) with our kids years ago and the Grand Escalante ATV tour was their highlight. The guy that did the tour had Native American ancestry and they really respected the ecology. Grand Escalante is amazing. Personally, I like it much better than the Grand Canyon. Antelope is amazing. Make sure you have a good camera.2
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