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regardless of which one you do, start slow. you ain't 20 anymore.

 

And to that point, STRETCH.  I don't care how it looks, or how boring it is.  It may just be the most important part of your workout.  You lose flexibility as you age, and even a 20 year old can have no flexibility if they aren't taking care to stretch properly.

 

No point in having strength or endurance if you aren't flexible/agile enough to use your full range of motion.  When I was a personal trainer this was the biggest thing that people missed.

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Reduce your carbohydrates, walk 10 miles a week, stop fretting about it. It's 90% genes. You can exercise 10 hours a week and you'll live maybe an extra 2 days. In a nursing home. On oxygen. In a wheelchair. Drooling. 

 

Or you can get a testicle transplant. Bunch of guys on here can refer you to a surgeon. 

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Reduce your carbohydrates, walk 10 miles a week, stop fretting about it. It's 90% genes. You can exercise 10 hours a week and you'll live maybe an extra 2 days. In a nursing home. On oxygen. In a wheelchair. Drooling. 

 

Or you can get a testicle transplant. Bunch of guys on here can refer you to a surgeon. 

Oh shit thats funny

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Nice! How do you like Insanity vs Insanity Max 30?

MAX 30 is effing tough, but doable. i like the simple fact that it's about 20 minutes shorter than regular Insanity. 

 

And yes to stretching! So necessary. That & foam roller after lifting is a god send.

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And to that point, STRETCH.  I don't care how it looks, or how boring it is.  It may just be the most important part of your workout.  You lose flexibility as you age, and even a 20 year old can have no flexibility if they aren't taking care to stretch properly.

 

No point in having strength or endurance if you aren't flexible/agile enough to use your full range of motion.  When I was a personal trainer this was the biggest thing that people missed.

and something that i personally forgot about. till i just read this. thank ya sir!

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Static stretching is good as a cool-down after your workout, but you don't want to static stretch until your muscles are warmed.

Agreed. Warm-ups should be used to loosen the muscles and joints initially. I've seen studies that say that static stretching pre-workout can reduce maximum strength output.  Too lazy to produce link right now but it makes sense conceptually if you think of the muscles as elastic bands that can't be too loose to "snap-back".

 

And yes to stretching! So necessary. That & foam roller after lifting is a god send.

I'm just getting into foam rolling.  It is pretty nice.

 

and something that i personally forgot about. till i just read this. thank ya sir!

You're welcome sir!  I forget sometimes as well but then it bites me when that extra soreness kicks in.

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Concur on first doing the warm up.... then stretching.  Been doing that for as along as I can remember.

 

I've been racing masters track until about 5 years ago.  Had a meniscus issue and had to stop. Hoping to get back to it soon. Hate being out of shape. Am 52 at the moment.  Switched from racing on a 400m track to racing motocross.  You'd be surprised how many "old guys" race.  Both moto and track.  Right now I'm struggling to get back in to shape. A lot of crap going on that makes it tough to have any time.

 

From my own experience and from what others more knowledgeable and experienced people have told me, flexibility is a key factor in being able to do the things you want to do in terms of fitness.  If you're tight, and you keep working out, even light workouts... like 2 or 3 mile runs.... you'll probably end up with some sort of injury.  Iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints, runners knee (pain above or behind your knee cap) or plantar fasciitis.  I've had three of those four.  They all sucked.

 

It's definitely important to warm up.. THEN stretch.  You're body won't move correctly if it's tight.  Then you start to have problems.

 

And build up slowly. Another way to get hurt, or get discouraged is going out to run 5 miles your first day with people who run all the time.  Only thing that sucks more is doing it again on day 2.

 

If you run, try to get a good pair of the right type of shoes.  Has a lot to do with your arches and how your foot rolls as you contact the ground.  And to some extent, your weight.  There's three types with variations of each.  Motion Control, Stability and Performance. Some places have different names for Performance shoes... ie mininalist, etc.  most people over 35 wear one of the first two.  It's best to get some advice.  A running shoe store would be a good start.  I've been to Runner's High in Freehold.  The owner Mike Mooney is a great runner and very nice guy.  Knows what he's talking about.  But there are probably good places to go all over the state.  RoadRunnerSports.com is a decent place to check out running shoes.  Pretty good return policy.

 

You don't have to run to get into a better state of fitness.  For someone with knee issues, a stationary bike is probably a better choice. Or at least a treadmill instead of the roads.  And avoid concrete sidewalks.  Unless you like pain.

 

If I'm on a stationary bike or a treadmill, I have to watch something that motivates me.  For me that's motocross videos mainly.  Usually good music tracks and it passes the time more quickly.  I've also used some of those road bike training DVDs.  Hate the music, but it's better than looking at a wall.  Found out later that the music (sucky techno stuff) is there to set a cadence. Anyway, I find watching something helps.

 

A lot of times, people have good intentions about getting more fit, losing weight, etc.  but life gets in the way.  What helps is if you have a commitment to some event that you're training for.  A 5K road race, one of the Spartan things... a 10K walk event.  Bike ride.  1 mile fun run.........  whatever.  Something that goes on the calendar that you commit to will make it more likely that you stay on your program.   You don't have to train to qualify for the olympics...  Just something that you'll want to do what will keep you working out.

 

Walking a dog works too like I think Vlad said above.  He'll annoy the crap out of you until you get off your ass.  I mean the dog will annoy. Not sure Vlad will.

 

One more thing though.  I spent some time doing the P90X workout.  Was tired of trying to come up with workouts on my own.  Figured it was easier to have a workout plan set that I could just use.  P90X is tough to do, even when you cut the workouts short.  I don't recommend it for anyone coming off a 5 year stint on the couch.  But one of the things the guy who made P90X said was a big reason he could do all of that stuff at his age, was his flexibility. And what he does for flexibility is yoga.   I'm not a yoga person but I've done.. or rather tried to do.. the P90X yoga workouts.  Had a tough time finishing them.  One was 1hr 14 min long.  I was pretty damned surprised it was as tough as it was.  But, it does keep you flexible.  I avoid anything where I'm upside down.  Hurts my head.

 

Being in shape beats being out of shape.  Find a way to do something that you can do every day.  Mix it if up you have to.  Instead of weights, split some wood if you can.  Most things like that are better than doing nothing.

 

There's a ton of stuff to talk about when it comes to fitness. If i have anything useful, I'll post more info.

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Agree with Kevin above.

 

I'll also add that to me the biggest part was to set, and maintain a routine. Try to work out at the same time every day and stick to it until it's ingrained. You may have to modify the duration or intensity but keep the routine.

 

Flexibility is huge, especially as you get older. I'll admit that's one area I've always struggled with. Again what helps me is to make it part of the routine. Do a little after every workout.

 

I'm not a fan of thick sole running shoes. Ran track in flats and spikes, now I use 5-fingers for my distance runs and really like them. They take getting used to though.

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I once came face to face with a living reminder about fitness and investments in your health... It was an RSO at an outdoor range nearby.  Guy must've been 57 years old, close to 300 pounds, problems walking, and everything.  Lap-band surgery, heart bypass, etc.

 

This same RSO was telling me about his plans to bug out should the SHTF... I'm thinking "you probably can't bug out of your couch much less your home without suffering a catastrophic heart attack!".  Poor guy... was telling me all about the thousands of rounds of ammo he had stocked up at his bug out location... 

 

Wanna survive the unexpected?  Kinda need to be in good shape to deal with whatever comes your way.  

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Being in shape beats being out of shape.  Find a way to do something that you can do every day.  Mix it if up you have to.  Instead of weights, split some wood if you can.  Most things like that are better than doing nothing.

 

 

This is the essence of it.  Find something you enjoy doing, or at least don't hate too much.  If you dread it, you're not going to do it.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, get out and walk.  If you're feeling energetic, mix some running in.  Don't try to get off your couch

and go out for a five mile run. 

 

Gyms have gotten to be incredibly inexpensive, due to all the competition.  Crunch Fitness near me has basic memberships for $12 a month, which

allows you to use all the equipment.  Don't waste a lot of time at the gym.  You should be able to complete a full-body workout in 20-30 minutes.  

You don't need to grind out three sets of everything.  One set each of squats, presses, bench presses, lat pulldowns, and triceps machine two or three

times a week will work wonders.  Five to ten minutes of stretching is plenty.  Keep it simple and get it done.

 

Like some of you, I've been dabbling in the Max 30 workouts.  I don't do their cardio, as I run every day.  But I've been doing their power and strength

workouts.  That guy kicks my butt!  I've been too proud to do the modified workouts, but I can't make it through the regular workout without rest breaks.

(By the third set of plyo push-ups my arms just won't work anymore.)  

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