Fitness Journey

[danktat]

Just an update (for those who care)....

Still holding steady between 169 lbs and 172 lbs. Like I said, as a grown man, I don't want to be any lighter than 170 lbs (I'm 5'5" by the way). I would however like to rearrange a little bit more of that body weight from my midsection to that upper shoulder and chest girdle. Lol

Anyway, here is my obligatory, arm day, mirror selfie.

 

[alantig]

It’s funny you mention not wanting to be lighter than 170. I remember seeing a chart that said my ideal weight was something like 135-145, and I’m 5’9”. At that weight, I couldn’t do anything - not enough mass. And I worked summers in the garden shop at a store - loading bags of soil and rocks all day. I got bent over backwards one day by a wet bale of peat moss. Now, I need to get my weight down, but I’m thinking more in the 170-180 range. I expect to get there very shortly after they start the crematorium.

 

[danktat]

It’s funny you mention not wanting to be lighter than 170

I grew up the skinny guy. I had a 28 inch waist as an adult. Wrestled 126lbs as an 18 year old. Then my metabolism switched off at about 28 or 29. I never want to be that "skinny" dude again...But fat and out of shape wasn't working for me either. lol

 

[bodia]

Nice work! Keep it up.

I graduated high school.....6' 3" and 143 lbs. Fast forward 35 years and you can add 100 lbs.

 

[danktat]

Nice work! Keep it up.

I graduated high school.....6' 3" and 143 lbs. Fast forward 35 years and you can add 100 lbs.

I wrestled 119 and 126 lbs in high school. Jumped up to 205 pre pandemic. Lost 35 lbs to get back down to 170.

 

[ScottR]

Great work my man! I feel you on the skinny guy thing. When I graduated high school I was 6'1" and weighed a buck fifty. These days I'm pushing 210-215. The worst part about my injury is no longer being able to lift. Stick to it dude and the rewards will keep coming!

 

[CandidPicker]

Congrats on the weight management, @danktat!

Much like yourself, I was active in sports in school (ran high school cross-country/wrestled 129-130 lb. 1st year college). During the summers before graduation, my work involved lifting baskets of tobacco leaf onto flatbed trailers. My teen years from 17 to 21 showed my physical health to be in the best shape of my life. (Would post a pic of myself, shift off in my basement with my Gibby SG, my first electric, but this might draw a bit of snark, so no pic...)

Over the years, I attended college and gained the "freshman 15," the dubious weight gain most all freshmen seem to put on during their first year attending university.

Today, my weight is just about 221 lb. at 5'7", which is mostly belly fat and upper body flab.

If there were a better way for me to tone the upper body with weight management ( I currently use a phone app for counting calories and adding exercise ) I'd happily be able to share my joy with you about managing my weight. Am currently undergoing some PT for shoulder impingement which is preventing me from attending the gym and using their shoulder machines. Still can visit the gym for lower body and biceps/triceps; just am not allowed on the cardio/shoulder machines until the personal trainer OK's my strength/shoulder range of motion...

 

[danktat]

Am currently undergoing some PT for shoulder impingement which is preventing me from attending the gym and using their shoulder machines.

At my age (45), I am constantly battling some sort of injury that lasts a good month or two at a time. Right now it has been an elbow for the past couple of months that is preventing me from going as hard as I'd like to be. I have just learned to work around a lot of it. Still, kind of a pain in the a$$. Takes the wind out of your sails a bit when your body won't ALLOW you to do what you want to do.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Great job, Danktat!

During the shutdown, I was doing a lot of stress eating until I finally got my sh!t together and I started watching what I eat. I'm down 20+ pounds and I feel great. I don't lift weights, but I practice a lot of yoga. Yoga won't add that bulk that a lot of guys are looking for, but it'll give you a swimmer's or gymnast's physique, and that works for my middle-age body.

 

[veinbuster]

I’ve spent more time exercising this year than in previous years, mostly because I’ve been home everyday and get bored easily. I’m 20 hours over my max annual total in previous years already.
338 days of yoga(ish) - I skipped one day after 7 hours on a bike
164 days on a bike
140 days weight training - modest weights
Other odds and ends to mix it up.
I’m not super fit. I just feel much better when I keep everything moving.

For me it’s a long term lifestyle thing. The yoga type stuff gets longer as my body gets older - probably 3x as much as 15 years ago. I might have a bitching core under the belly fat, but will probably never really know.

 

[Tone-y]

I had to work my weight out, as I'm not used to using pounds (here in the UK we use stone or kilogrammes).
So I'm 44, 187lb, but 6'4". I've always been in the skinny side, but after university I was only 168lbs, I wouldn't mind getting a bit nearer to that again but sitting at a desk all day long doesn't help

 

[Slowhands]

At my age (45), I am constantly battling some sort of injury that lasts a good month or two at a time. Right now it has been an elbow for the past couple of months that is preventing me from going as hard as I'd like to be. I have just learned to work around a lot of it. Still, kind of a pain in the a$$. Takes the wind out of your sails a bit when your body won't ALLOW you to do what you want to do.

I was recently telling my 15 year old daughter than when you 15 and you hit your thumb with a hammer it really hurts for a few days. When you're 50 and you hit your thumb with a hammer it hurts for the rest of your life.

The good news for me is that I've also lost a lot of weight during this last 9 months (but I didn't get ripped, just thinner) and my knees actually don't hurt anymore. So that's something. I want to start doing some yoga again, that always sounds a little goofy to me but when I was doing it regularly my flexibility was through the roof and now ... it aint.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Nice work KB and Shawn. Well done Peter, I wish I had all of your resolve.

My excuse is the house prep/sale/move. There’s always 2021!

 

[danktat]

338 days of yoga(ish) - I skipped one day after 7 hours on a bike
164 days on a bike
140 days weight training - modest weights
Other odds and ends to mix it up.
I’m not super fit. I just feel much better when I keep everything moving.

See, that is WAYYYYYYY too regimented and too much counting for me. If I had to keep track of all that, I probably wouldn't last long doing it.

 

[CandidPicker]

At my age (45), I am constantly battling some sort of injury that lasts a good month or two at a time. Right now it has been an elbow for the past couple of months that is preventing me from going as hard as I'd like to be. I have just learned to work around a lot of it. Still, kind of a pain in the a$$. Takes the wind out of your sails a bit when your body won't ALLOW you to do what you want to do.

For me it's a bit different, the personal trainer won't let me near the shoulder and back machines until my flexibility/range of motion is worked out in PT. And yeah, I understand the PITA part. Most trainers say no pain, no gain. My thought process is exercise, rest, exercise, rest, let things heal before you try straining them again.

The older guys can tell you recovery time takes longer when you overdo it, so I try to remember to pace myself and do things slowly with good form and repeat as needed , and only add more load or reps after I've worked at one level for several weeks. The truth is don't expect to go out full steam first thing. I still need to convince myself my health will improve once the shoulder/back PT thing is done. My next test is being able to lean up against a wall, my feet about 15 inches away from the wall, and touch both arms to the wall with the back of my hands. Once I can do that, the personal trainer will show me how to use the shoulder & back machines.

Other good news from the home front: my COVID test came back negative this evening. Still will need to mask and glove up at work, but this is a load of possible grief off of me today...

 

[veinbuster]

See, that is WAYYYYYYY too regimented and too much counting for me. If I had to keep track of all that, I probably wouldn't last long doing it.

Much of it gets logged automatically. I just run a report to see numbers.
Having it logged keeps me honest. It’s too easy for missing one day to become missing a week and then just not bothering any more.

 

[Herr Squid]

Much of it gets logged automatically. I just run a report to see numbers.
Having it logged keeps me honest. It’s too easy for missing one day to become missing a week and then just not bothering any more.

Yeah. There really is no substitute for knowing what the numbers really are, whether it's activity, money, or knowing what you're really eating (or drinking). As much of a PITA as it is, if you think you know and you don't have the numbers, you don't really know.

I can attest to this a born glutton and somebody who's let his fitness regimen go right into the ditch. I lost a few pounds early in on March-April, then started piling on the weight. I'm nearly as heavy as I've ever been, but I've committed a twice-a-week video session that's going to kick my ass (it certainly did Wednesday night) and require me to step up on the off-nights to keep up.

 

[Mike Duncan]

I bike around 20 miles a day when off from work. Sadly, at almost 50, I continue to eat like I'm 12.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I bike around 20 miles a day when off from work. Sadly, at almost 50, I continue to eat like I'm 12.

More similarities, apart from the cycling!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Personal trainers??? Boy, I need to up my game.

Actually, I do need someone to push me a bit. I’ve never needed motivation, but lately I’ve been working my butt off and when I get home I have been working out as much as usual.