Self Improvement?

[WishICouldPlay]

Nice sunny day way up here in the Great White North. Ice-packs have melted from the rivers, Icebergs are starting to recede, Inuit have packed up the Igloos, but the Polar Bears are still really pissed.
Damn, I bet it hit 45 degrees (almost). Tee Shirt weather.
So, I put on one of my PRS Tees and head downtown for a walk and some shopping. Went into the mall looking for a nice pair of sweats and maybe some jeans.
No sweats to be found, some nice jeans but I guess I just ain't built right for them anymore ... largest size I could find was a 34. Now 34 is a fine size for boobies, not so much for a male waistline (at least not mine).

Time to start working out for summer. I want to get into really good shape one more time before I croak.
I'm actually not in bad shape for the shape I'm in, but there is abundent room for improvement.

I pulled my Powerblocks out of storage, they are essentially self-contained dumbells (that's why I relate to them well), that are small in volume, not weight, that I can use in my condo.
Grab one of the routines I worked out a few years ago and will start tomorrow. Obviously, dumbells aren't as flexible as going to the gym, however there are a surprising number of benefical exercises you can perform with them. Got to start somewhere.

Also going to work on psychological enhancement ... a kinder, gentler me if you will.
I need to become more sophisticated - going to take up meditation, grow a ZZ beard, learn to play the oboe and french horn and quote Aristotle, Plato (thought he was Play Dough), Descartes and Confucius and think "Big Brain Guy" thoughts.
At the end of the day the most useful insight will come from ZZ ... "girls go crazy for a Sharp Dressed Man".

So, things are looking up, hope by the end of July the temperature is solidly in the fifties (fahrenheit) and when I do a pushup, I won't actually push myself up, I'll push the earth down, just like Chuck roud:.

 

[lgk1208]

I hate that when I go to store to get myself clothes or shoes and they are almost always out of my sizes. They have the larger and the smaller ones just not my size. Ugh. You've got a good sense of humor. You can do it. Thanx for bringing it to my attention that I need to work on my fitness.

 

[carpincowboy]

Can you do some exercise for me aswell. I could do to lose a spare, tyre or two.,.

 

[WishICouldPlay]

Can you do some exercise for me aswell. I could do to lose a spare, tyre or two.,.

Absolutely, not a problem.

Once I get in shape and Chuck blesses me I'm going to be able ...

to divide by zero.
to breathe underwater.
to count to Infinity ... TWICE! ... in less than an hour.

 

[Bud1904]

I have some old sweats with weak elastic. I wear suspenders when I run and I look a little strange but that's OK.

 

[garrett]

No need for a gym, unless you're looking to get seriously ripped. Dumbells and gravity are all you need. I use resistance bands, but similar effect.

Don't forget your cardio!

Just make sure you don't get your ZZ beard caught in your dumbells...

 

[WishICouldPlay]

No need for a gym, unless you're looking to get seriously ripped. Dumbells and gravity are all you need. I use resistance bands, but similar effect.

Don't forget your cardio!

Just make sure you don't get your ZZ beard caught in your dumbells...

I tend to do bodybuilding/weightlifting oriented exercises. I'm not looking to get ripped, those days are long gone, but I do like the feeling of strength and the "firming" up those exercises provide. Makes it feel worthwhile to me.
The powerblocks are a clever design, they are steel plates connected by a handle with the weight choices controlled by a movable bar. Kinda like a reverse russian "nesting" doll. My set go up to 60lbs but you can purchase extensions which will take them up to 90 (which I will never need). I like to be able to workout at home because you can work to your own schedule, whenever you feel like it. One of the most effective exercises than one can do and it is totally free and widely available is simply running up and down a set of stairs several times appropriate to your ability. Great cardio and leg workout.
Anyway, when it comes to exercise, words are the easy part but only action counts. It is relatively easy to begin but consistency, duration and motivation are the difficult aspects. Going to do the best I can, keep my eye on the endgame and embrace success.

 

[tiboy]

If you are up for a trade, I'll offer some of my fitness for some of you guitar chops. I don't know what your chops are, but I'm positive they exceed mine.

 

[WishICouldPlay]

If you are up for a trade, I'll offer some of my fitness for some of you guitar chops. I don't know what your chops are, but I'm positive they exceed mine.

Naw, can't do that. Whatever chops I have were hard earned. I will grow into fitness over the next few months.
Now, if we were talking trading some years off my age, I'm down for that (lol).

Going to channel Jack Benny, I'm going to grow younger every year and when I hit 39, stay there forever, just like Jack ... immortality!!

Anyway, my powerblocks are staring at me, sayin' ok big mouth, time to work out.
I actually painted a pair of eyes (in my clumsy and awkward way) on them for motivation. There just kinda' creepin' me out right now .

 

[ezkahuna]

I think it's a government conspiracy. Every year for the last 5 years gravity has become stronger & more powerful. I'm conducting my own tests right now and charting the results. Every week I stand on my bathroom scale and sure enough - gravity is pulling me harder and harder towards the Earths core. I have watched the needle rise very consistently and have yet to understand their objective. FML.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I think it's a government conspiracy. Every year for the last 5 years gravity has become stronger & more powerful. I'm conducting my own tests right now and charting the results. Every week I stand on my bathroom scale and sure enough - gravity is pulling me harder and harder towards the Earths core. I have watched the needle rise very consistently and have yet to understand their objective. FML.

This is a FACT!!!

Not only that but they're messing with my camera when i'm not looking. I think they've swapped the lens or something to make it look like my stomach has grown in the vids. I can still see the edge of my feet so I know it's a lie!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I'm tryin' to do the ten push ups a minute for ten minutes thing... I mostly stop at 5 or 6 minutes though because I'm a wuss.

 

[garrett]

I tend to do bodybuilding/weightlifting oriented exercises. I'm not looking to get ripped, those days are long gone, but I do like the feeling of strength and the "firming" up those exercises provide. Makes it feel worthwhile to me.
The powerblocks are a clever design, they are steel plates connected by a handle with the weight choices controlled by a movable bar. Kinda like a reverse russian "nesting" doll. My set go up to 60lbs but you can purchase extensions which will take them up to 90 (which I will never need). I like to be able to workout at home because you can work to your own schedule, whenever you feel like it. One of the most effective exercises than one can do and it is totally free and widely available is simply running up and down a set of stairs several times appropriate to your ability. Great cardio and leg workout.
Anyway, when it comes to exercise, words are the easy part but only action counts. It is relatively easy to begin but consistency, duration and motivation are the difficult aspects. Going to do the best I can, keep my eye on the endgame and embrace success.

The only way I can maintain any consistency is to exercise at home. I tend to lose motivation on the way to a gym. I take advantage of the inspiration at home before it fades.

I'm tryin' to do the ten push ups a minute for ten minutes thing... I mostly stop at 5 or 6 minutes though because I'm a wuss.

Man, I don't usually get much past 10 push ups, period. Genetics wasn't kind to me when allocating upper body strength. There's a reason guitar is my passion instead of baseball. :laugh:

 

[boxstop7]

The only way I can maintain any consistency is to exercise at home. I tend to lose motivation on the way to a gym. I take advantage of the inspiration at home before it fades.

This fascinates me, and just goes to show how different people can be. I'm the exact opposite - a total gym rat. I used to be in a gym 6 days a week, for 2+ hours at a time. When my son came to live with me full-time last year, I couldn't make it fit into my schedule with work and his school/day care, and I had to stop going. I bought a bunch of fitness equipment for home workouts (a treadmill, Bowflex Select-Tech dumbbells (similar to the PowerBlock that the OP has), a bench, and a TRX system) to go with the P90X stuff I already had. And it has been a total flop. I hate working out at home. It's all mental, and I know it. I have a really, really hard time focusing during a home workout. I associate home with decompression and relaxation, and combined with the cats climbing all over everything and the kiddo constantly in and out with various concerns/questions, it's hard for me to get into the workout-intensity mindset. At a gym, I'm there for one purpose and that's to put in some serious work in a distraction-free environment - and I had the results to prove it at the time I had to cancel the membership. The home workout thing just hasn't worked for me. I need the gym environment to help create that laser-like focus.

I really envy you guys that can pull off the home workout thing, as I'm very, very much an extrinsically motivated person!

 

[docbennett]

Get a dog. That's all you need.

In the 8 years that I've owned Wayneburger, my wonderful Airedale, I walk him about 2 miles total every day. I've gone from a very tight 34 waist to a very loose 32 waist, and I keep buying new belts to hold them up.

All things being the same, walking your dog briskly has to be one of the best exercises available. And the dog likes it too!!

 

[garrett]

This fascinates me, and just goes to show how different people can be. I'm the exact opposite - a total gym rat. I used to be in a gym 6 days a week, for 2+ hours at a time. When my son came to live with me full-time last year, I couldn't make it fit into my schedule with work and his school/day care, and I had to stop going. I bought a bunch of fitness equipment for home workouts (a treadmill, Bowflex Select-Tech dumbbells (similar to the PowerBlock that the OP has), a bench, and a TRX system) to go with the P90X stuff I already had. And it has been a total flop. I hate working out at home. It's all mental, and I know it. I have a really, really hard time focusing during a home workout. I associate home with decompression and relaxation, and combined with the cats climbing all over everything and the kiddo constantly in and out with various concerns/questions, it's hard for me to get into the workout-intensity mindset. At a gym, I'm there for one purpose and that's to put in some serious work in a distraction-free environment - and I had the results to prove it at the time I had to cancel the membership. The home workout thing just hasn't worked for me. I need the gym environment to help create that laser-like focus.

I really envy you guys that can pull off the home workout thing, as I'm very, very much an extrinsically motivated person!

Does your home workout look more like this? (language warning)

My daughter or the dog or the cat will drive me nuts occasionally. I usually try to do it when the kiddo isn't around. I work out in a spare room, so I can always close the door.

My favorite thing, though, is to hop on the bicycle and go for a ride. I like being out experiencing the world rather than being cooped up inside.

 

[boxstop7]

Does your home workout look more like this? (language warning)

My daughter or the dog or the cat will drive me nuts occasionally. I usually try to do it when the kiddo isn't around. I work out in a spare room, so I can always close the door.

My favorite thing, though, is to hop on the bicycle and go for a ride. I like being out experiencing the world rather than being cooped up inside.

YUUUUUUUPPPPPP...that about sums it up! :rofl:

Hence why I work better in a gym. My fitness goals are pretty specific, and I'm working toward more of a body recomposition than a "get in shape" type result. In order to achieve those goals, I know exactly what I need to be doing. And I was doing it when I was in the gym. At home...it's all pretty much gone down the crapper. My workout room is actually a sitting room that's inside my bedroom, but there's no door. There's an inexpensive gym down the street from my house, and I'm trying to figure out how I can make the scheduling work. As a single parent, that's usually the toughest part.

 

[alantig]

I hated going to the gym. Hated some of the people there, too - the kind of guys who stood around the next day, "Yeah, I was at the gym last night working out for three hours." Yeah, I watched you do a set. 25 minutes later I watched you do your second set. I never saw the third because I was home already. This particular place was in a strip mall, with a big glass front window. If a woman walked by, it was like watching puppies at the pet store from the inside - these guys would all run up and press their faces to the window to watch them walk past.

Now I do stuff at home. Mainly stationary bike, although we did buy a used home gym. I don't lift as much as I should because I'm prone to shoulder problems, but I do a fair amount of leg work, mostly leftover PT exercises. I was specifically told to avoid leg curls and extensions. The stationary bike - we're on our fourth. We've burned three out. I usually ride 35 fairly hard minutes three times a week and try to do an easier 45 minutes just about every night. Now that the weather's warmer, I'm substituting walking the dog instead of the 45-minute ride. The dog likes the first 15 minutes, then realizes I'm not quitting and she's got a long way to go. We pass the house about a third of the way through (distance-wise), and she's taken to subtly veering off into the yard to try to get me to stop. The funniest ones were the first two or three - once we got to where my wife would always turn around last year (she has knee and ankle issues - probably from carrying my fat @ss for 26 years!), the dog would try to dig in and not go any further. She lost. My wife said, "One of you looks a lot fresher than the other - and it's not the one you'd think."

 

[jfb]

Workout truth.

Thumbs up for JennaMarbles. She is freaking hilarious. Marbles and Kermit rule too.