What is your Fitness Regime

[Vikram]

I have had several injuries in the past few months but I won't give up.

Right now doing light Cardio as I am recovering from another injury

If those injuries are due to lifting, either you are picking up more than you can/should and/or your form needs attention. I had a couple of weights related injuries and they are not fun. The damage sometimes can be lasting and may actually keep you off weights. Forgive for being preachy, but you need to approach it a bit more scientifically if you are to avoid injuries.

Best-
Vikram

[Skyman]

Second that, if you are injured repeatedly, something is wrong.

Wah Briha Ji, I'll bet all the ladies must have swarmed you, clamoring for MR BOMBAY.. .I suspect you must have been a naughty fellow back then.... .

Vikram, at your age it is harder to put on mass and cut fat.You will need time and progressively harder workouts.Try the P90X.Or else risk ending up like Mack

[Vikram]

Vikram, at your age it is harder to put on mass and cut fat.You will need time and progressively harder workouts.Try the P90X. Or else risk ending up like Mack

And, what makes you think that it is harder to put on muscle at my age (whatever you think it is)? Care to share your fitness regime?

Re Mack, he will out walk and out punch you any day.Trust me.

Best-
Vikram

[Skyman]

Metabolism slows down after 30 or so.I know you are more than that.

My Regime -

Hanging leg raises - 1/3 days plus side raises.

Calf Raises 1/3

Bridges 1/3

Push Ups 1/3

Pull Ups 1/3

All once in three days.Backed off squats because my jeans won't fit anymore.Backed off pull ups because i can't recover fast enough after them.

As for Mack, rather a sad tragedy.A fine specimen fallen to ruin. I agree.The man still packs a wallop.

[Vikram]

Skyman,

I dearly wish you educate yourself a bit more in an organised fashion. You really preach with a great deal of conviction about a lot of things you know little about. I am not being overly critical of you,BTW. With good nutrition and matching exercise regime, packing muscle well late into forties is not an issue.

Best-
Vikram

[Skyman]

It is harder.I do not debate it is possible.You can look anywhere, male metabolism slows down past 30.Consequently, it is harder to put on mass and cut fat than it was in your teens or twenties.

[xl_target]

It is harder.I do not debate it is possible.You can look anywhere, male metabolism slows down past 30.Consequently, it is harder to put on mass and cut fat than it was in your teens or twenties.

Things vary from person to person. I was much quicker, faster and had more endurance in my 30's than when I was in my 20's. That might have been the Tae Kwon Do but I could eat anything and as much of it as I wanted and not gain any weight.
It wasn't till I hit my 40's that things slowed down a bit. Part of that could have been because I was now spending more time in the office and didn't get as much exercise.

[brihacharan]

[quote=
"Skyman"]It is harder.I do not debate it is possible.You can look anywhere, male metabolism slows down past 30.

It wasn't till I hit my 40's that things slowed down a bit. Part of that could have been because I was now spending more time in the office and didn't get as much exercise.

> True the body metabolism slows down after the 40s...
> To add to this "The Mid-Life Crisis" sets in - Consolidating Career, Upbringing of children, Settling them, Planning retirement etc. which puts "Physical Fitness" regimes in the back-burner.
> The way out is to continue exercises (Yoga / Tai Chi) diet control etc. The pace could be a tad slower but continue - Is A Must!
> Easier said than done - but attempting it is good in the long run.
> So guys - Don't despair - Pick up the skipping rope, the hidden dumb-bells, swimming trunks and get moving

Briha

[essdee1972]

You guys inspired me to take out the 'bells and the floormat!!!

In my youth, the major exercise I did was walking and cycling. School & college. In college, the hostels were 1.5 km from the classes, which meant 6 km every day, and then 5-6 km every evening to get the "eye candy".

Then, after getting employed, I started some light cardio & bodyweight exercises, but when you are out of home from 7 in the morning to 9 in the night and beyond, what matters most is food and bed. Plus, having a baby who tended to wake up at his own sweet will and put an air raid siren to shame, meant that one tends to maximise on sleeping opportunities! This lack of any exercise (unless you call running up and down staircases and chasing local trains a workout!) continued till 2009, when a bout of rather disabling back pain led me to start again. Nothing heavy, mostly stretches, a little weights, pullups, situps, etc., all at home. Due to a wrist dislocation when I was 10 or so, I could never do more than 4-5 pushups at a time, even using pushup bars (or whatever you call those handle type things).

I also cut down on the booze, from a few large ones every weekend, to a few small ones once or twice a month. Also cigarettes from 20 a day to 10-12 (except when I am drinking). Food, alas, was too precious to give up. As someone advised, don't eat to live, you should live to eat!!!

This continued till last year, and then I got a severe bout of the flu. And I mean severe. 10 day's sick leave for the first time since I was a kid!! And for the next fortnight, I found it hard to drive the 20 minutes to office! And since that stoppage of exercise, I just couldn't re-cross the bump. Plus adding shooting, photography, DIY to my hobbies ate up quite some time (lame excuses, I know!). A leisurely 45 minute to 1 hour walk in the evening, with my dog, was all. And the office not having an elevator, had to climb 3 floors 3 times a day (16-foot ceilings, so 3 floors = 5 floors in the newer 10-foot ceiling buildings).

Earlier this week, I was on a company sponsored team building program which included kayaking and sailing, from which most of us returned with sore backs & legs. And then I saw this post. Which inspired me enough to restart last evening. Did only stretches and jumpin' jacks and suchlike. Will start light bodyweight today. Need your blessings & wishes!!

The target is just to keep pains and aches away. No Mr. India at this age! Plus, the only thing I'm taking up is exercising, the food and smokes remain as is. And another thing, ever since I made Scotch my drink of choice, giving up the rums and vodkas, my consumption of aerated sugared beverages has come down to almost zero (unless I need to finish my son's Coke)!

Now, I need advice as to how to keep a dog from licking your face when you are trying to bench press!

[Skyman]

I would suggest you lay off benching and get your back fixed up.

6km for eye candy, now that's commitment.Shabhash, i am sure you will become Mr Bombay one day .

Work hard and obtain the mass and strength when you can.You will only have to maintain it for the rest of your life, as Briha Ji will concur.

[brihacharan]

I would suggest you lay off benching and get your back fixed up.
6km for eye candy, now that's commitment.Shabhash, i am sure you will become Mr Bombay one day .
Work hard and obtain the mass and strength when you can.
You will only have to maintain it for the rest of your life, as Briha Ji will concur.

> One Cardinal Rule as told to me by my erstwhile Guru in Physical Fitness.....
> " Don't try to build mass - "Try to build Muscle Definition" - This will last a lifetime - Whereas bulk will one day begin to sag with advancing age
> Joint pains (Arthritis) is the fallout when you carry excess weight in your body.
Briha

[Skyman]

You mean lean mass...?

[airgun_novice]

Ah ! I did start off on Brihji's regimen of Yoga but then the enthusiasm tapered off. The weight dropped 5 kg, only to climb back a couple of notches on the kg, once I left off.

I agree with the Skyman Analysis - the real old age starts catching up post-30. In fact bones stop their development and therefore auto-repair around 25yr - the muscle mass at around 30yr. This of course is the natural course observed in non-hormone & non-steroid induced societies.

The young brash one (supposedly) starts "maturing" post-25. Hence the Marathi phrase "gaddhe-25shi". May be it may not have to do totally with maturity (of brain) since the hormones with their finely honed chemicals also surge most by 25 yr without benefit of any citrates, the youth till 25 would be *visibly ever ready* like a "gadha".

Back to physics - err, physical. From Monday on,
1. 3 km walk 3-4 days of week (first two months)
2. Free hand exercises daily
3. surya namaskaar alternate day (starting with 2 sets of 6 each)
4. Pranayam (15 min) daily
5. Meditation (15 min) daily.
6. 2 2-day trips per month that takes me to Mommy Nature. -> This I still do - have to, to keep my head clear.
7. A full body massage once every 20 days

Typically 4 & 5 can be combined, but I choose 5. to sink into "Shunyatva" as much as I can. Pranayam is more of a conscious effort.

Much contrary to what one might think from my pix, -

1. Have to safeguard my back - "ideally" (i.e. medical opinion-wise) I should not drive - definitely not ride scooter, pick up more than 5 kilos (!!!) weight, bend forward to pick weight etc.
2. Have to take care of blood sugar, blood pressure etc. (thankfully not on insulin... yet)
3. Have to take into account a repetitive dislocated left shoulder
4. Accept a few grams less of cartilage in my right knee, since there were taken out post-surgery
5. Stick with dislocated/ hurt/ injured right wrist that's healed naturally but yet can not go for many of those dips etc.
6. Newly induced joint pains (arthritis - Brihji ?) in colder weather, probably due to diabetes and obesity combined with BP.
7. Weakening eye sight - also probably due to 6. above.
8. Diplopia due to some impact to the head at some point - body has substantially been hammered in the past.

And to add to the list above the biggest handicap - laziness. And better not speak of "diet". What to speak of it ? As one of my friends once said - I am an "equal opportunity" supporter; simply love American, Chinese, Japanese, Marathi, Bengali, Gujurathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Thai items. I hope she was talking about food. That was before I got married. Post marriage, I still am "equal opportunity" - but now it's only about food.

SO now once again, I start my Battle of the Bulge - with best wishes and blessings from y'all and especially Brihji.

My first checkpoint will be June 30 - will keep posted then.

[essdee1972]

AGN, I am looking to do your point 6. Where can I get some inspiration? I typically fire up the car and travel non-stop for a couple of hours (heading away from town, of course!!) maybe once a month or so. Plus, at least one 2 week holiday is a non-negotiable factor of employment for the last 5-6 years.

And Skyman, my college was in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and 3 km out of the 6 was to get out of the campus!!!

[airgun_novice]

Dear essdee1972, Check out nivalink site for weekend gateways. There was also a book published - something like "52 weekend gateways from Mumbai". Good Luck ... and enjoy!