Exercise By Shale May 8, 2014 First off, let me say I am a lazy procrastinator. Some ppl think I am pretty energetic and have endurance because I ride a bicycle 6 miles to work every day, rain or shine, cold or steamy hot. But, I don't have a car so the bike is my necessary means of transportation and my not owning a car is partly by design because it forces my lazy procrastinating ass to get on that bike every day. I also do a little upper body exercise with15-pound free weights since I do not work in construction or in a warehouse throwing 50-pound sacks of stuff onto pallets all day. I have been using these same light weights for years, since the mid 1980s and once thot of increasing to 20 pounds but decided at my age it might cause more problems with my joints (I have had bouts of tendonitis in my elbows and bursitis in my right shoulder). However, this exercise regimen has become merely a maintenance to keep me toned. Years ago I heard that one can do just one set of reps but to push it to the max. At the time 120 butterflies, 100 presses and 60 curls was pushing it. But in my laziness, I stopped pushing further and settled into that number and by procrastinating I did this about 2 or 3 times a week instead of every other day. In my mid 60s my excuse was that my age prevented me doing more and this was confirmed by the pectoral muscle ache the third day after exercising. I have also been doing abdominal exercises for years because of lower back problems. I do not do sit-ups but lay flat on the floor, legs bent with knees up and push my back flat to the floor. Try it, it really does stress the abs. Also, in addition to my daily bike riding I have been jogging to increase bone mass since breaking my leg in 2005. I have never been overweight but got a little protruding gut on me after age 45. So, I cut down on the fat intake and managed to keep that little bulge from becoming a big gut, which is so common in the U.S. today. I don't find fat attractive, it doesn't turn me on and I suppose my vanity made me give up all those unhealthy eating habits that less vain ppl enjoy. In March 2012 it occurred to me that 2% low fat milk was still a lot of fat (especially in the quantity I consume) so I gave that up, using fat free milk with added fat free powdered milk to thicken it. I lost 5 pounds shortly after that, going from my long-time 190 pounds to 185 and it was mostly that little padding on my abs. But, with a recent physical, I weighed 183 pounds and my abs are not getting any more defined. The reality is that at 69, this may be age-related muscle loss. Hence, my newfound interest in pushing my muscles. On April 24 I started my every-other-day exercise discipline. No more excuses or procrastinating until it was too late in the evening. When I get home from work, my evening routine now includes upper body exercise and on off days a one-mile run (or at least 6 blocks to the store & back). By May 2, I was pushing to 130 flys, 110 presses & 70 curls. Today I did 140 flys, 120 presses and 70 curls. I know some of these will top out, but hopefully I have the discipline to continue the every-other-day regimen and to actually push beyond my comfortable number of reps. I have been researching weight training and may try switching to more sets with fewer reps. Oh, and that age thing - I think that was self-defeating. My pecs don't hurt with the increased reps and shorter recovery time. And, I think my pecs are already getting larger.
All my pix that were linked here from Photobucket were lost when those asswiped deleted my account because of perceived violation of their vague "community standards" Here they are again.
I may have topped out for a while, no reall improvement can be seen. Physical things slow down after 70 I guess. I have been increasing my upper body exercises over the past year, doing a third to a half more reps than when I started. I just took a pic today and I look the same as a year ago - no bigger. But, considering I am a year older I guess it's a wash that I look the same. If I haven't gained any muscle mass at least I haven't visibly lost any. Front Side
if you've been doing the same set of exercises for a year (or multiple years), you shouldn't expect much result. you need to change things up from time to time. higher weight/lower reps would be a start, but ideally you should be doing completely different exercises that hit the same general muscle groups. of course, you look great for 70, and good for any age, so i'm not saying you need to worry about it. but if you are looking for some sort of "improvement," then you should vary things when you level off.
Actually I have increased the reps steadily over the year. I once thot of going from my 15-pound weights to 20 but realized that it is not just muscles involved. I have joint & tendon problems to contend with. Right now I wear a band on my left arm during exercised because of a recurrence of "tennis elbow." So, I figured at this point the 15-pound weights will last me the rest of my life - as I get older they should be heavier & heavier. Also, am leary of trying new moves because my right shoulder goes out occasionally my left wrist has an occasional arthritic pain and I am missing a disc in my lower back which goes out on occasion. Ppl say I look great for my age but it is like an elegant old mansion looks great until you go in and find the floors creak, the doors & windows stick and the electric keeps blowing fuses. (and don't even think about the plumbing) :unsure:
if there's leaky drains, i don't want to know.... it seems like what you're doing is working for you. what i said still stands though if you're actively looking for improvement (beyond increased reps, which are good but will only get you so far). it all depends on what your goal is, which it seems like you're meeting with what you do now, so there's really no need to worry about it.
I go to the gym every day, doing cardio one day and muscles one day. I find it easier to keep going when I don't do the same thing every day! It seems like you're focused on a little beyond just staying fit. If it works for you then I'm all for it. Go Shale!
that's the ticket Soul....being consistent I like to vary my routine as well....I like to simply run for my cardio not a big fan of walking machines or thread mills...
There's something about friction that you get from running on the earth as opposed to running on a machine, but, there's also something good for your joints when running on a machine as opposed to running on the earth. Basically for me, I have to work harder and run harder on a machine and for longer periods to feel like I've done the same amount of work as a jog 1/3 distance on land, but I don't feel nearly as sore as I do after that jog if I am using a machine.
Irminsul, I totally agree with you. There is no doubt that long term running on tracks, roads,etc can really take a TOLL on most body's specifically the knees, ankles and hips. For me, I like the change in scenery when I run as opposed to the machines and watching a TV or whatever. I NEVER run without music thought which is probably weird to some but I like listening while I run
