Workout: What did you do today?

[Dianne W]

Lisnaholic I was reading this thread and thought gosh weightlifting and reminded me many years ago Husband bought an all in set of a contraption I called it, was a bench with weights basically and weighed a tonne and he took over the spare bedroom as the children had fled...thankyou thankyou haha. But it was one of those bad buys that never got used.
I had a discectomy in 1988, maybe remember the old Atkinson Morley specialist Hospital in Wimbledon they basically operated on spines and brains. Fab u los outcome micro surgery even more fab u los, but even then I was told no more running for you as I was an athlete of small grade and would train at the Croydon Arena with the Harriers that was a real shock so I took up advice and took up gentle exercises at various clubs with the tights and leotards brigade...netball team I played in was out so Yoga just like you said..no no basically. Well I have an old disk still and she is slow and gives you warnings as well...Barbara Curries Power of Yoga...hey you don't have to wear the tights etc....just relaxing clothes and it really does alter your bending power first off, everything is designed to strengthen you slowly but surely. Ok feel daft if you are watched as have suffered a pea taker myself, but honestly the benefits I can say are amazing...I am tall long legs and I can touch my toes and gripe them like its a ride in the park....

[grindy]

Many thanks for your full and considered answer, grindy.
What you say about muscle loss is absolutely true and I'm sure you're right about strength-building too. As I'm such a beginner, I'm going to stay with stretching for another week or so, and will then perhaps look at strength building - although I'm hoping to do that without buying lots of equipment and stuff.

Thanks for your interest, grindy.
"What do my sets look like?" I'm not even sure how to answer that tbh. Number 1 is choose some music, then I do ten touching-of-the-toes, ten extending an elastic strap for the muscles between the shoulder blades. Both exercises repeated in 3 sets. Then on the floor for some sit-up type exercises, culminating in a hands-and-feet crawl around the dining table, which feels kind of ridiculous tbh, but is recommended on a YouTube clip.
It's only about 20 mins altogether, by which time I find I'm losing interest a little.

If you ever need a program, let us know. There are certainly possibilities with no or at least very little equipment necessary.
As for counting reps, I assume it's just a matter of habit. If you train regularly, you'll count subconsciously and won't be distracted or bothered by it.

[Lisnaholic]

If you ever need a program, let us know. There are certainly possibilities with no or at least very little equipment necessary.
As for counting reps, I assume it's just a matter of habit. If you train regularly, you'll count subconsciously and won't be distracted or bothered by it.

^ Thanks, grindy. Your post is 100% good news for me
It's occured to me that you're right; I'm dissatisfied because I do too much stretching and not enough demanding strength work. It's like I'm warming up on the sidelines, but never going out on the field to play. I'm going to look on YouTube, but may take you up on your offer of guidance later. Thanks.
__________________________

Sorry to hear that you have back problems, Dianne, as I know they can recur throughout a person's life. It's a sad paradox that it's often the people who want to exercise that suffer the most. At least that's the case, apparently for you, and also with 2 friends of mine, who in their mid-twenties sustained back injuries (one during football, one during rugby).
Yes! The Atkinson Morely Hospital! Luckily, I never had to go there myself, but I remember going past it on the bus various times as a kid. I always thought it looked sinister, like an asylum in a Hitchcock movie.
___________________________

@ grindy and Dianne: yeah, I am most definitely not going down the road of buying some fancy personal workout bench contraption that I'd only use once, like D's husband ! 

[grindy]

^ Thanks, grindy. Your post is 100% good news for me
It's occured to me that you're right; I'm dissatisfied because I do too much stretching and not enough demanding strength work. It's like I'm warming up on the sidelines, but never going out on the field to play. I'm going to look on YouTube, but may take you up on your offer of guidance later. Thanks.
__________________________

Sorry to hear that you have back problems, Dianne, as I know they can recur throughout a person's life. It's a sad paradox that it's often the people who want to exercise that suffer the most. At least that's the case, apparently for you, and also with 2 friends of mine, who in their mid-twenties sustained back injuries (one during football, one during rugby).
Yes! The Atkinson Morely Hospital! Luckily, I never had to go there myself, but I remember going past it on the bus various times as a kid. I always thought it looked sinister, like an asylum in a Hitchcock movie.
___________________________

@ grindy and Dianne: yeah, I am most definitely not going down the road of buying some fancy personal workout bench contraption that I'd only use once, like D's husband ! 

Take youtube recs with a huge grain of salt. The vast majority of fitness advice is either complete bullshit or wildly ineffective.
Most people are looking for novelty and shortcuts, so most vids focus on unusual and vaguely tiring but not actually hard stuff, instead of explaining the basics of exercises and programming. Feel free to post stuff you watch here, to get some perspective.

[DJChameleon]

With age as my excuse, I don't work out in the sense that you guys do, but I am trying a few more exercises, like touching my toes, where "maintaining mobility" is more often the goal than building strength. I have two real beginner-type questions:-
i) I get bugged by having to constantly count to ten every time I do a "set". I find it boring, and distracting when I'm trying to listen to music at the same time. Has anyone found a good solution to that issue ?
ii) I've tried doing a "dead hang" for the last couple of days. That's quite a healthy thing to do, right?
My best so far has been 8 seconds before it feels like my upper arms are on fire - so unless anyone can top that, it will remain as the definitive Forum's Longest Dead-Hang 

If you don't feel comfortable jumping straight into lifting weights. I would suggest resistance bands starting out.

[grindy]

If you don't feel comfortable jumping straight into lifting weights. I would suggest resistance bands starting out.

Why do you think bands are better for beginners than weights?

[DJChameleon]

Why do you think bands are better for beginners than weights?

I have no science to back it up but I just feel like bands are easier to get into as an alternative to weights. I have no idea if it actually better or not.

[jimmy jazz]

You can use bands with a lot of resistance or weights that weigh very little so they can be as challenging as you want them to be.

The advantages bands have for beginners are cost and storage.

[grindy]

I have no science to back it up but I just feel like bands are easier to get into as an alternative to weights. I have no idea if it actually better or not.

From a scientific perspective bands are definitely worse due to the irregular force curve. At one end of the movement you have a huge amount of tension, at the other almost none. Depending on the exercise, this can severely limit the benefits from the eccentric portion of the lift as well as the weighted stretch, both of which are especially important for strength and h-word. Apart from that, many band exercises just feel awkward due to this weird force curve.
Not saying they don't give you any results, they certainly do and they are a good option for people who have very little room or money or are travelling. But I wouldn't recommend them in general.

[jimmy jazz]

both of which are especially important for strength and h-word

Thanks mate 

[Guybrush]

I get not wanting to spend a lot of money on equipment, but I'd recommend acquiring some very basic equip.

I regularly use these things:

• Adjustable bench, can be set to incline/decline
• A couple of dumbbells
• A barbell
• Three resistance bands of varying resistance
• Pullup bar
• Gymnastics / suspended rings
• Pushup bars

Not saying you need all this, of course. Maybe start with dumbbells?

I especially appreciate my bench and dumbbells. Dumbbells is the most essential, I think. A lot of the exercises you might do with a barbell, you can also do with dumbbells. And they can probably double as pushup bars too.

Stuff I have, but don't use much:

• Ab-wheel
• EZ bar
• Jump rope
• Hand gripper

The hand gripper seems stupid, but otherwise these are also good things to have, I think.. yes, also the ab-wheel.

Some of this I bought second hand, so I don't feel like it was too huge of an investment.

[grindy]

I'd say a set of adjustable dumbbells is all it takes at the beginning. If you want to get jacked, you might need more. If you just want to stay in reasonably good shape, it's enough.

[DJChameleon]

Jump rope is good for cardio but I was keeping Lisnaholic's age in mind and jumping would be rough on the knees. He would need something lower impact.

[jimmy jazz]

BSS this evening.

I hate them.

RIP Dog.

[Dianne W]

^ Thanks, grindy. Your post is 100% good news for me
It's occured to me that you're right; I'm dissatisfied because I do too much stretching and not enough demanding strength work. It's like I'm warming up on the sidelines, but never going out on the field to play. I'm going to look on YouTube, but may take you up on your offer of guidance later. Thanks.
__________________________

Sorry to hear that you have back problems, Dianne, as I know they can recur throughout a person's life. It's a sad paradox that it's often the people who want to exercise that suffer the most. At least that's the case, apparently for you, and also with 2 friends of mine, who in their mid-twenties sustained back injuries (one during football, one during rugby).
Yes! The Atkinson Morely Hospital! Luckily, I never had to go there myself, but I remember going past it on the bus various times as a kid. I always thought it looked sinister, like an asylum in a Hitchcock movie.
___________________________

@ grindy and Dianne: yeah, I am most definitely not going down the road of buying some fancy personal workout bench contraption that I'd only use once, like D's husband ! 

I have had little back issues since the disk 'bits' got taken out and a full scrape of the spine to widen some proper space that we need to be pain free. I was lucky to get micro surgery at a time when nearby hospitals were not doing that procedure. My late Dad took me there and I saw that look on his face when he saw this ancient building and said later he just wanted to take me back home again, he was such a kind man unlike the other parent...

I was into sports a lot but obviously at less than 14 years old I then had my first back issue, I just dealt with it for many a year with Osteopaths being my main rescue venue. Reluctant for the dreaded op I just took other routes until I was told you have little choices left. Was really ok as it turned out.

Exercise is important but unless you warm up first your easily gonna hurt yourself..Older wiser and all that..So Stretching is good, very good, just do it first whatever exercise you go for. Yoga works for me and I dance a lot and not going to talk about the belly dancing haha.