It's gym time!

[rugerla1]

So my entire life starting from 9th grade on, I've never been out of the gym as a regular routine until the past two years of no lifting at all. Maybe a month break and back hard at it but never this extended amount of time. I just got back from a trip to Panama City Beach with my wife and daughter and what a "Get mad at myself" moment that has been! The last time I was there was 16 or 17 years ago and I had a six pack (of beer and abs) and routinely did sets of bench with 225 lbs and was one of the guys that people noticed when I walked in somewhere. Well, lemme just tell you, I am nowhere any of that now and it really ticked me off. Now at 42 years old, I have no dreams of being that big again or showing off. But dang I feel miserable and the diet started today and already called different gyms to figure out which will work better for me now. I used to work out at both Gold's in Nashville and remember all the idiots who go to socialize, not work out. I am not up for dealing with that now and hated it then as well. I always want to concentrate on the workout and talk later. Maybe I'll be able to workout there anyway since I'm on an off schedule from the normal social crowds and all will be good. Also looking at Planet Fitness. Either way, I'm ready to hit the weights and diet equally hard.

 

On a side note from being mad at myself (it's my own fault, nobody did it but me) I do have some great news and no I didn't save a bunch of money by switching to Geico. I had my 5 year cancer scan last Monday and yesterday when I got back from PCB I went to see my Doc and got FABULOUS news! Everything looks great, as it has since my treatment ended in Oct of 2010. I now have no more CT scans, only bloodwork labs every year!!! Couldn't have knocked me down with one of Spot's hammers! Well, it would've knocked me down but I'd be happy when I woke up :rofl:

Edited June 23, 2015 by rugerla1

[Fourtyfive]

Good news brother , get back at it ; it will only make you stronger.

[Murgatroy]

I have a membership at Planet Fitness. I like it. I go later in the evening, and it is not empty, but it is not crowded. I have noticed that there are a few muscleheads, you can easily spot them, they always make a point of standing in front of the mirror to work out. But there are a lot more normal guys and gals than there are of them.

 

I like the amount of equipment available, my wife is keen on the 30 minute work out sections they offer.

 

I like being left alone, I come in, put my headphones in and do what I am there to do, and I have yet to be hassled by anyone.

 

The fact that it is $10 a month (basic) for unlimited home gym useage is awesome. I was paying $70 a month for a Rush membership, and while there are a few significant differences, they aren't $60 worth for what I was using.

 

My wife has the Black Membership. It is $20 and included half price drinks, free tanning booth usage and massage table usage. Along with unlimited access to all participating PF locations.

[RED333]

Pay to go to a gym, why, go buy a good set of post hole diggers.

Dig 10 holes, put the dirt back and move to a new spot.

This will work your upper body well.

To get you legs into the work out, dig the hole 4 feet deep.

No I dont do this much any more, but in my younger years I did dig a few, best

workout you can get.

[rugerla1]

Good news brother , get back at it ; it will only make you stronger.

 

Thanks FourtyFive, I really appreciate it!

 

I have a membership at Planet Fitness. I like it. I go later in the evening, and it is not empty, but it is not crowded. I have noticed that there are a few muscleheads, you can easily spot them, they always make a point of standing in front of the mirror to work out. But there are a lot more normal guys and gals than there are of them.

 

I like the amount of equipment available, my wife is keen on the 30 minute work out sections they offer.

 

I like being left alone, I come in, put my headphones in and do what I am there to do, and I have yet to be hassled by anyone.

 

The fact that it is $10 a month (basic) for unlimited home gym useage is awesome. I was paying $70 a month for a Rush membership, and while there are a few significant differences, they aren't $60 worth for what I was using.

 

My wife has the Black Membership. It is $20 and included half price drinks, free tanning booth usage and massage table usage. Along with unlimited access to all participating PF locations.

 

I was actually looking at the Black Card so I could go to other locations with friends that are members as well. I don't mind a little crowd as long as people are moving. The muscle heads flexing in the mirror didn't bother me, at least they had put in time and effort. The ones who meet up to stand at the flat bench and talk about what they are going to wear to the club that night are the ones who tick me off. Since when did men chat about clothing choices before going out?  :rant:

Thanks for the feedback on PF, I appreciate it.

 

Pay to go to a gym, why, go buy a good set of post hole diggers.

Dig 10 holes, put the dirt back and move to a new spot.

This will work your upper body well.

To get you legs into the work out, dig the hole 4 feet deep.

No I dont do this much any more, but in my younger years I did dig a few, best

workout you can get.

 

 

My Dad made sure to introduce me to that workout when I was young, and even then I had aches and soreness in places I didn't know muscles even existed! For now, I think I'll break my body back into it at a smarter than I used to pace :lol:

Edited June 24, 2015 by rugerla1

[MacGyver]

Congrats on being cancer free! That's huge!

With your history, you know how much better being fit will make you feel. Being a bit older than you were the last time, it actually means a lot more because you'll have to work for it.

I work out five days a week at the Maryland Farms YMCA, so I definitely know the 'see and be seen' crowd. It used to get on my nerves, but I don't even notice it now. It's worse during certain times of the year where it'll be crowded for a week or so, and then it goes back to the normal crowd. Most of the social types seem to congregate on the tennis courts, so I rarely have to wait for a machine.

[rugerla1]

Congrats on being cancer free! That's huge!

With your history, you know how much better being fit will make you feel. Being a bit older than you were the last time, it actually means a lot more because you'll have to work for it.

I work out five days a week at the Maryland Farms YMCA, so I definitely know the 'see and be seen' crowd. It used to get on my nerves, but I don't even notice it now. It's worse during certain times of the year where it'll be crowded for a week or so, and then it goes back to the normal crowd. Most of the social types seem to congregate on the tennis courts, so I rarely have to wait for a machine.

 

Thanks MacGyver! Yes, it's so huge it's still kind of surreal. Yesterday's visit was the one I wished I could have fast forwarded to after my treatment was done. Of course nothing health wise was certain at that time of course. I didn't know if I'd be back in for more treatment or surgery, so jumping ahead 5 years ago was just a dream. I'm very thankful to be in the position I am today since so many others are not that fortunate.

 

And you're 100% correct about how it makes me feel. People I worked with couldn't stand how good of a mood I was in when I clocked in at 7am. I'd been up, put in 1 1/2 hour workout, then showered, and was more awake than 5 cups of coffee worked for them haha. But I really did feel good every day aside from being happy with how I looked. And it will definitely be harder now, but my goals won't be to be "big and swole" just bigger in some places and smaller in others :lol:

 

A good friend of mine used to go to the MF YMCA and it was always packed when he was there, but he mainly runs now with less weight training. So his gym is on trails but he did like the Y.

[Patton]

I did the Planet Fitness thing with the wife just so I would have somewhere to work out at in the middle of the night during my off days. I kept my regular gym membership because I had been there so long, it wasn't expensive anyway, and because I needed a hottub and pool. What I did not like about Planet Fitness was that it was so cheap you had some real trash working out there with you, the lockers get broken into at least once a week, and they don't actually want people who want to workout. They want people who will pay for a gym membership the will never use. I really got the unwelcome feeling. They do have a gun buster sign but I still have LEO creds. However, I will not leave my wallet nor a weapon in the locker room.

I wish I could work out like I could years ago, but time has caught up with me. I take too long to recover and my back is in terrible shape. Machines and medium-light weights is all I should do. I still enjoy the muscle soreness that comes with a good workout.

[peejman]

Congrats on the good cancer scan result!  My employer added a rudimentary gym to the facility about a year ago.  It's up on a mezzanine and it's hot this time of year, but the whole point of exercising is to sweat a little anyway, right?  I used to go to the gym pretty regularly but got away from it when we moved.  My workout now is more about maintaining a reasonable strength and cardio fitness level than being pretty, but I can tell that I look better for doing it.  Having lost 12-14lbs as a result helps too. 

[rugerla1]

Thanks guys! My immediate plans will be mostly cardio, with weight lifting being a small part of the daily routine. Gradually as I lose weight and get my stamina back I'll throw in more weight training. I'm really excited about this!

I'm so pumped about my results but sad at the same time for my family, friends, and coworkers that are fighting cancer currently. All different kinds, but a fight nonetheless that will never leave my memory. It's like it was yesterday and I never felt so helpless depending on others to get around through treatment. My Doctor did what he said he was going to do "It's gonna suck, some days you may hate me, but I'm doing what I have to do to get you better". I'll never forget him telling me that. I'm not a hugger of men outside of family, but I hug him and thank him EVERY time I go in for a visit! Thanks again for all the kind words y'all.

[peejman]

Thanks guys! My immediate plans will be mostly cardio, with weight lifting being a small part of the daily routine. Gradually as I lose weight and get my stamina back I'll throw in more weight training. I'm really excited about this!

 

 

You might think about reversing that.  Lots of studies say more strength training and less cardio, especially as we get older (I'll be 40 in a few weeks).  I do my own incarnation of interval training... strength training at a light cardio pace.  I use light weights and various body-weight exercises.  I do two sets of 6-10 different strength exercises with no more than 30 seconds rest between exercises.  Meaning I do one set of all 10, then another set of all 10.  That gets my heart rate up around 120, keeps it there for the duration, and I get a whole body workout. 

 

After that, depending on time/mood/motivation, I'll either do a 3rd set or 10-15 mins on a cardio machine (bike, elliptical, etc.) or nothing  :ugh:  .  I like it because it's fairly quick (no more of this 2 hrs at the gym nonsense) and both my strength and cardio fitness have improved considerably.  My rest heart rate is 55, down from about 80 when I started. 

Edited June 25, 2015 by peejman

[darsk20]

Congratulations on the good news. Now get back at it!

[rugerla1]

You might think about reversing that. Lots of studies say more strength training and less cardio, especially as we get older (I'll be 40 in a few weeks).

I agree 100% with what you say, I just didn't go in to detail on my intent. I generally had a hard time before going in to do just cardio because the free weights drew me to them so much. But this time since I've been out so long, my statement should have said that I want to get all of the major muscles and stabilizing muscles worked in at a smart pace instead starting up my old routine and not being able to move for a week.

I know you know, but most would be surprised at the common belief that only cardio is the way to lose weight. I used to tell people all the time to build muscle while tying to cut and almost every time I'd hear "Well I don't want to gain too much weight putting on all that muscle"?? I'd tell them they have nothing to worry about, if everyone could put on that many pounds of muscle that fast, we'd all be body builder size. It's a fact that weight training will help you burn fat. I just hope I have the discipline to go in and do like I want and not get all dumbell happy and ignore cardio. I think I'll be okay because with age being a factor, being fit cardiovascular wise is more important to me now than it was 15 years ago when it was there naturally. Edited June 25, 2015 by rugerla1

[jgradyc]

I agree with peejman and rugerla1, although "cardio" is a really broad area. If you aren't fit, just a weight circuit and Crossfit stuff is going to get your heart into the cardio zone. 

 

Consider alternating weights/Crossfit type stuff on one day and elliptical, spin, stairmaster or running on the other days.

 

At least two or maybe three workouts a week should include something intense. High intensity, short duration exercises... weights, running, cycling... have been shown to boost testosterone levels. That's key to slowing the aging process and speeding up your metabolism to burn more calories. "High intensity" means 8 reps of 20 seconds sprinting uphill, 8 sets of 30 seconds sprinting on a spin bike, 8 reps of sprinting, or the Crossfit Tabata workout, which might be 8 sets of 20 seconds of squats with 10 second recovery between sets.  Oh... and don't do Crossfit classes. It's fun, but an injury waiting to happen, at least it was for me.

Edited June 25, 2015 by jgradyc