The Sports/Fitness Thread

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by OJneg, Oct 21, 2015.

  1. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    I bought a pair of dumb bells a ways back. Think they came with 40 pounds of weights. I use them for upper body every work day, alternating exercises/muscles. So I hit a muscle every other day.
    Only do one set of somewhere between 10-20 reps right now, may work up to 2 sets at some point. This is a quick workout, doesn't take much time, only use the dumb bells and some place to lay down for some of the exercises. Makes it easy to fit in the morning routine.
    I also have a pull up bar that goes over a door frame, but don't use it as much as I should.
    On weekends I take my dog on a 2 mile walk in my hilly neighborhood so used to walking hills, also run up the longest, steepest hill for some cardio.
    For more cardio during the week, I have a pretty nice treadmill. Do a couple mile run maybe 4 times a week after dinner. I have a tv mounted in front of the treadmill, really like having that, makes it much easier to get motivated to run.
    I want to add core exercises to my routine, but have not done much there yet.
     
  2. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    Along the line of the car keys - I keep almost all food that doesn't need refrigerated in the basement. In the pantry in the kitchen is just ingredients used for cooking, like rice, beans, oatmeal, canned goods, etc.
     
  3. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I have a sit stand desk and a timer that helps me change positions while working, and I'm trying to integrate sets of stairs into those position changes. Better than sitting all day but definitely not enough to gain and maintain flexibility and balance so am trying to find stretching routines to work in as well.

    Oh and I just got Switch Sports or whatever it's called. Some very spirited badminton matches got me sweating and (sadly) sore yesterday.
     
  4. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Since 2019-2020 I have developed three sets for myself to stay in shape. Each day I can choose a different set. At the end of the day I do pull-ups.

    Every set has aspects of it with influences from fencing, wushu/martial arts, callisthenics and power training.
    - One set with full stretching and jabs.
    - One set with full stretching and horse-stance punches.
    - One quick power set, less stretching, extra push-ups, plank and reverse plank.

    My focus is on my core and my balance.

    As a kid I once observed the footwork of ballet dancers. Remember how they can direct their feet at left and right, and immediately jump off and/or move up or down while balancing on the balls of their feet? Just stand up straight, turn the left foot left and the right foot right. Stay in balance and then lower yourself and then rise again. That is the core of many of my movements. You see this kind of balance also with gymnasts and high level wushu practitioners. Once you improve your balance you can gain enormous amounts of strength without bulking up.
     
  5. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    There's some thinking out there along the same vein as fartlek training where different activities are used for different muscle stimuli, and utilizing different energy conversion processes. Crossfit kind of butchers the idea, and tries to compress time-in-zones, but at least gets the higher intensity stuff sort-of right. at least for endurance sports, the anaerobic fitness/ability you build at the end of a training program is generally just not possible without a solid base of pure aerobic training. And it's only during anaerobic efforts that you'll recruit certain muscle groups/types (i.e. fast twitch/slow twitch) enough that get more taxed as they support a maximal effort of a larger major muscle groups (i.e., calves getting strained while supporting a maximal effort from the quads and glutes).

    Also, hiking is a killer for cyclists since cyclists loose a lot of fine motor coordination (and strength) due to over-repetition and mechanical convenience. If I hike over 4 or 5 miles, my IT bands turn into concrete and I get some serious DOMS, mostly because hiking forces me to use my smaller hip muscles for balance, and the hip flexors are no match for my "overdeveloped" cycling quads and glutes. Which turns into some seriously tight and inflamed IT bands for me, at least. Nice and hurty.

    For someone that bikes a lot, try working on a couple strength training exercises: a ball assisted crab walk for as long as you can stand the reps, and a banded squatted side walk, working your way up in band resistance.
     
  6. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Since that hike I totally changed my perspective on exercise. Before my goal in the gym was doing what I already do, but just making it stronger. So higher weights and more reps on primary muscles.

    Now instead I focus almost entirely on strengthening my weakest muscles. So I take a weight I am comfortable lifting but do it in as awkward a position I can where the weight is hard to lift.

    One example is lying on my side and lifting a weight behind my back. Gains aren’t only measured by increases in strength but also mobility. I rather work like this with 5-10lb weights than curling with 30lbs

    Also abandoned sneakers with a thick heel in favor of minimalist shoes with zero drop angle. Which reminds me, adding another simple tasks to my list:

    -use a ramp instead of the stairs

    Stairs don’t flex you calf muscles much (like cycling). If you can do stairs easily but the ramp causes pain, you might have something you need to work on
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2022
  7. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Thanks for posting this.
    For my quick morning workout, instead of dumbbells for upper body muscles, I tried some new core exercises. I'm going to try mixing dumbbells and core workouts in the morning to hit more muscles, although I may only hit them once or twice a week. I think it makes sense to use more muscles, even if it means you spend less time on your main muscles.

    Randy
     
  8. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    there's an idea in most training programs: train to your weakness, compete to your strength.
     
  9. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    That is my focus for the coming decades. I consistently want to stay strong and become stronger.

    I need to spare my back and my knees given my job is very physical. I train my core and muscles around my back to do most of the heavy work.

    I love pull-ups. Slow ones really make you feel the work you put in.
     
  10. bobboxbody

    bobboxbody Friend

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    I frequently get rekt in the IT band now that I've started running and going on hikes with my wife due to many years of cycling with very little cross training. Magic pain relief for me has been reclining pigeon pose.
     
  11. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Yeah, pigeon pose will do it. Depending on overall hip flexor tightness, it will take a couple steps/other stretches to get a good deep stretch from a regular pigeon. It helps, too, to have an assistant to apply good pressure in a back figure-4/pigeon. If you can stand the absolute pure hellishness that is foam rolling IT bands, that works really well. i'm really not kidding about the pain, though. it's straight up 9/10 if you haven't done any other stretching work.
     
  12. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    So the issues with long periods of chair sitting are well known. I always took this to mean the back support was the issue. However I’m realizing that spinning office chairs might be an even bigger issue.

    When the chair spins your spine stays fixed. Back muscles never get engaged or get stretched if you need to get to something behind you. Also discourages turning your head and stretching your neck.

    I think I’m going to switch out the office chair I have for a piano bench. Not only because of the lack of back support but also allows me options to sit cross-legged or seiza
     
  13. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I'm sure we have other kettlebell-ers around here, but as someone who did barbell and dumbbell strength training since high school, kettlebells were a gamechanger. I started kettlebells when gyms closed in 2020 and have never felt this good. Kettlebell training seemed to improve my run times and give me better balance/mobility. And better aesthetics for that matter. Gyms are open again but I don't see myself going back. I will take the membership money and invest in an adjustable bell and branch into clubs/mace/bags.

    Regarding cycling: I got my roadbike a few years back and still enjoy riding. I actually prefer to ride alone because it feels like you can really push and get a crazy pump. Wind in your face and all that is fun. But I'm not convinced cycling actually improves practical strength, mobility or longevity. Just doesn't seem to translate. Cycling guys are good at cycling and that's that. I consider it a secondary sport that I maintain for the purpose of competing in tri's.
     
  14. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I agree about cycling. I remember reading several years back that professional cyclists had a bone density equivalent to old ladies because it was a low impact exercise. Which is why they broke collar bones so often from crashes
     
  15. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    It kinda depends on what kind of cycling you're doing and what kind of goals you have. If you're cycling for "fitness" but with no goal, then yes, aside from gaining some cardiovascular fitness, it's a pretty one-dimensional exercise. Having some decent bit of aerobic fitness will certainly lower your risk for things like cardiovascular disease. There's a study out there that compared the leg muscle mass of retired pro cyclists at time of death, compared to the same total body mass non-cyclists, and the retired pros had about 4 times as much muscle mass, well after they'd stopped cycling. Most elderly immobility concerns are highly correlated to muscle atrophy later in life, so there's that.

    However, if you're trying to be competitive in some kind of cycling competition, there's all sorts of ways that building and maintaining an aerobic endurance "engine" will benefit you later in life. HOWEVER!! relatively recently there was a meta-analysis of some studies on heart conditions in older (i.e., 45+) "life long cyclists" that shook up some things. Google Lennard Zinn, if you're interested. One of my old teammates went through a 5-ish year ordeal with tachycardia that baffled every single cardiologist he saw. It was like he turned 50 years old, and his heart decided that anything over a recreational pace needed 185bpm.

    also, Pros break collar bones because that's what happens when you hit the deck at 30+ mph. Try it and see! strip down to your underpants, get in your car, drive up to 35mph, then jump out and try to land squarely on your shoulder.
     
  16. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I will add that cycling is a great way for overweight individuals to get active and not pound their joints in the process. Many stories of people losing +50lbs in a few months when they start pedaling. The same goals could be achieved by strict diet and long walks, but that is just not as fun.
     
  17. Velomane

    Velomane Acquaintance

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    One of the most important aspects of cycling, to me, is the benefit to my mental health. I've been an avid cyclist for over two decades. Had my share of crashes and bonks: that's just the physical shit that's quickly left behind. When my psoriatic arthritis flared up some years ago, there was no escaping the chronic pain in sleep. No escaping it in booze, drugs (prescribed and other), music or elsewhere. Except for the bike. I was up at four to get in a few hours before work. The bike allowed me to forget everything. Chronic pain will f**k with your head and make you have stupid thoughts. My bike got me through it. I still find myself grinning like an idiot when out riding, including this morning.

    Yes, I love the bike.
     
  18. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    About kettlebells, for the home owners there are some kettlebells that are perfect for home users, as they are adjustable. I have the blue ones (16-24kg) but will also acquire the red ones(8-16kg).
    The only problem is that we would want a lighter model, with this type of build, between around 4-12kg. I prefer these much more to the plastic (side disc) ones that i've tried.


    [​IMG]
     
  19. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    May I suggest caution here. Lack of support under elbows while typing and using a mouse are common causes of shoulder and neck issues (including "mouse shoulder"). When everything closed down in 2020, I was using an ordinary Ikea wooden chair and desk in our home office with no arm support, and ended up having to go to PT later that year. If you do this, make sure that you are focusing on shoulder / rotator cuff support in your ordinary workout regimen.

    Sounds super lame, but since I experienced it figured I'd mention.

    Much better approach for me has been to continue using a proper chair, but switching between standing and sitting many times throughout the day and going on a walk in the middle of the day.
     
  20. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Ironically enough I finally started PT today for IT band syndrome that has plagued me for years after sitting for an absurd number of hours during graduate school and during the beginning my career at a desk job. Obviously there can be any number of contributors, but as someone who regularly works out at home with a whole-body approach and hikes frequently it has been a real annoyance still getting this pain (mostly in my right knee) when hiking downhill as I train for a major hike (for me) this summer.

    Figured I'd pass along what I've learned so far in case helpful to others. Obviously individual cases vary so consult your own PT!

    The most common cause of IT band syndrome is weak hip abductors (including the gluteus medius). See: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Iliotibial_Band_Syndrome ("Muscle weakness of the hip abductors is also be associated with iliotibial band syndrome as this causes increased hip internal rotation and knee adduction. This was found as a significant issue for athletes with iliotibial band syndrome."). They are inactive from lots of sitting, and they are not typically activated during regular leg exercises like squats or lunges that focus on the larger muscles.

    Edit: for counterargument I just found, see this: https://www.painscience.com/articles/weak-hips-weak-theory.php. Any thoughts?

    A couple videos:

    Almost always, the pain shows up for me when hiking downhill and appears on the outside of my right knee. It just so happens that when testing this week with my therapist, my right glute medius is much weaker than my left. They are starting me on a targeted exercise regimen very similar to what is suggested here: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-abductor-exercises. They also added couch squats. As the pain typically shows up when hiking downhill, their recommendation was to focus on those muscle groups and focus as well on eccentric muscle contraction. Slowly lowering legs during leg lifts and clamshells; slow lateral movements on banded side walks. Hikers typically get enough concentric contraction from other exercise (squats/lunges) and hiking uphill.

    There can be some tissue/facia issues that inhibit mobility as well. However, to resolve that I and others question the efficacy of foam rolling the IT band. For one, it's super painful and often already inflamed, so you're just making it worse. For two, it's just a bunch of thick fibers that doesn't really stretch itself. The issue is more the muscles that connect to it and control the joints to which it connects. If you feel "stuck", consider finding a local ROLFer in your area, as they focus on releasing facia and increasing mobility of joints and connective elements.

    I'll plan to post periodic updates over the next 9 weeks as I continue to train and hike. I've had a goal to hike Mt. Washington (highest point in the eastern US) for years now, and I've finally booked time in the middle of July to make it happen this year. The trail I'm doing is around 8 miles round trip with 4,000 feet of elevation gain (and drop) on New England rocky trails.

    Last year my best was around 7 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain/drop with no knee pain near the end of the fall. Last week I did 6.5 miles with 1,900 feet and had pretty bad pain on my right knee for the last 1/3 or so. I've been pushing harder this year and hadn't really worked up to that distance properly (jumped from 1,200 to 1,900), nor had I started the targeted exercises. This weekend I'll shoot for a little over 2,000 feet and see how it goes.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2022

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