The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: billt on August 11, 2015, 10:55:01 AM
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I retired last December. When I did I made the commitment that I would not just get into the bad habit of laying around and becoming a "couch potato". So I got my treadmill all fired up and working, and had a guy come out and tune it up, lubricate it, put on a new belt, etc.
I've been going on it religiously every day since. I take Sundays off. I go 6 days a week, at full incline for 7:00 minutes, at 2.5 MPH. That may not sound like much, but believe me you're huffing and puffing afterward. It's a bit like walking up stairs at a fast pace for 7 minutes.
The thing is I don't feel any different after almost 7 months of doing this. Yeah, it's a bit easier to go the 7 minutes now, than it was when I started. But big deal. I'm not seeing much, if any benefit. I'm 62 and don't expect to feel like an Olympic swimmer, but I should think there would be some physical gain. Do any of you guys undertake in this type of exercise, and do you think it's as beneficial as so many claim it is?
The human heart starts beating not long after conception. And it keeps beating until the day you die. It never gets a break. How can something that works that hard require "exercise" in the first place? What am I not seeing here?
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I've been there done that. What made a difference for me was high intensity exercise such as Crossfit. You need to add in some anaerobic exercising into the mix, like some weight lifting, push-up, sit-ups, etc.
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Might want to check out this site for a more detailed explanation why aerobics or cardio excessive might be what you need.
http://www.alsearsmd.com/pace2/jvnb/
They want to sell you the plan, but it's not hard to figure out from what is shown.
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What result are you looking for ?
Your heart isn't going to get larger, or buff.
What you will accomplish with your current routine is to keep the shot flushed out of your heart and arteries. You only feel that if you don't do it.
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What result are you looking for ?
You know, I'm not sure of what I should be expecting? I've always felt good. No shortness of breath. No getting long winded going up a flight of stairs, etc. I'm not even sure how I should feel at my age, (62). Other than noticing the fact stuff I used to do takes more out of me now than it did when I was 40. When I went to a Cardiologist 3 years ago, he did a stress test and said he gave my heart a "10". What ever that means. So it's not like I'm ready to keel over.
I've washed and waxed my vehicles. Changed oil and shock absorbers. Cleaned out and organized my garage. All since I've been retired. No problems except for being a little sore the next day. I've got guys on my block that I never see doing anything, except hoisting a beer in a lawn chair. But when I get on the floor to play with the dog, it sure isn't as easy to get up as it used to be! ;D
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You know, I'm not sure of what I should be expecting? I've always felt good. No shortness of breath. No getting long winded going up a flight of stairs, etc. I'm not even sure how I should feel at my age, (62). Other than noticing the fact stuff I used to do takes more out of me now than it did when I was 40. When I went to a Cardiologist 3 years ago, he did a stress test and said he gave my heart a "10". What ever that means. So it's not like I'm ready to keel over.
I've washed and waxed my vehicles. Changed oil and shock absorbers. Cleaned out and organized my garage. All since I've been retired. No problems except for being a little sore the next day. I've got guys on my block that I never see doing anything, except hoisting a beer in a lawn chair. But when I get on the floor to play with the dog, it sure isn't as easy to get up as it used to be! ;D
Finally, a topic I actually know something about!
Bill, at your age, being active and staying active is the main thing. If your heart checks out and you're not having any difficulty in day-to-day activities, you really don't need to do any additional cardio. As long as you stay active, keep doing what you're doing. If anything, a brisk daily walk will keep your joints limber. If you're looking to shed a few pounds, you'll have much better success in watching what you eat rather than trying to burn it off.
As for why the treadmill doesn't seem to be working, it could be a number of reasons. If you had to climb a hill 1 year ago, would you be able to climb that big hill easier today? You won't know until you try. Also, doing the same thing every day tends to yield few results beyond the tolerance to do that specific task. Try lowering the incline and increasing the speed a touch.
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my advice is find the gym where all the pretty young things go( both single and the milfs) find one with a great but in spandex, get on the machine behind her. you will be amazed at how far you go.
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Bill, I used the Tmill 5 days a week after my stay in the hospital. That along with proper diet made a big difference. Now that I am unable to do the mill...just barely able to walk the track, I can see a big difference. I am able to use cycle type action machines (go figure) but they don't seem to be the same.
I suggest you change your routine a bit. Don't go for max speed and incline but work you way up and spend more time on the mill...worked for me.
Richard
PS: I weighed 283 to start and got down below 200. Kept it off for a long time but organized motorcycle rides with a meal thrown in has hurt a bit.
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Bill, I used the Tmill 5 days a week after my stay in the hospital. That along with proper diet made a big difference. Now that I am unable to do the mill...just barely able to walk the track, I can see a big difference.
Richard
That brings up another thing. Right after I retired my feet were killing me after I finished. I was working 12-1/2 hour shifts 3 days straight standing on a cement floor. Both my back and feet ached something awful by the time I got home. Now that I'm taking it easier, and off my feet more, I have zero foot pain after doing the treadmill. My feet look much better as well. A lot of the dark veins have disappeared. And the skin color is much even and more normal with no dark spots. I'm 6'2", at around 220. So yeah, I could drop a few pounds, but overall I'm not too bad.
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try elipticals, not just one but several different kinds.
they are all a little different, some may not hurt your joints like others.
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We tend to stiffen up as we age....tendons, muscles, joints........You would probably benefit as much or more from a good stretching regimen.
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When I lay on my side in bed, and arch my back up and down from my neck to my hips, like a swimmer going through water. I can hear all of my vertebra cracking. It doesn't hurt. Probably just calcium deposits and stuff. But it never did that 20 years ago. Miserable old age.
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my advice is find the gym where all the pretty young things go( both single and the milfs) find one with a great but in spandex, get on the machine behind her. you will be amazed at how far you go.
TAB, he doesn't have to leave home for that. ;D
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Bill, I'm getting to this late, but I don't see some of my points mentioned so I will endeavor to offer some explanations for your observations.
Even at our advanced age, the human body is a fairly adaptive mechanism. Soon after you start an exercise regimen, your body realizes that this is the new norm and adapts to it. You get an initial improvement in muscular strength and in the body's ability to use oxygen more efficiently, but the body doesn't adapt more than it needs to in order to accommodate this new level of effort.
But, what this also means is if you use the same exertion for the same period of time to reach a certain level of exhaustion, you will continue to reach that same level of exhaustion after each similar period of exertion. Your body won't adapt more than is necessary.
This means, if you want to achieve increasingly greater strength, endurance, and cardio-vascular health, you need to regularly increase the effort-level/effort-time of your exercise periods. If you have been walking along at 3.5 MPH on a zero incline for 30 minutes, increase to 3.8 MPH on qa 2 incline for 45 minutes. And when you can do that without needing a nap afterward, increase it again.
Of course all this comes with certain purely physical and undeniable limitations--at our age, more limitations than we would care to admit. Arthritic joints, stressed tendons, arterial blockages and all the other ravages of time tend to adversely impact our abilities to physically improve--as does the simple fact that recovery takes longer than it did when we were younger.
As a young man, I used to hit the gym for a couple of hours 5 or 6 days a week. That is no longer possible. Bad knees, prosthetic hips, and a shoulder that needs replacing (surgery scheduled for Oct. 13) have all contributed to a reduction in gym time. Still, I hit the elliptical three days a week for a 45-minute workout. That allows me to remain in a state of physical fitness that is in concert with my overall activity level. I am no longer the buff beach bod I once was, but I don't have to turn out the lights when I take a shower.
To put it in perspective, Bunny used to say, "Honey, you look like my Greek god." Now she says, "My god, honey, you look like a Greek."
Age happens. But, lest you think limitations are only visited on the old, there is a story about a young farm boy who decided he wanted to be the strongest man on earth. To reach this lofty goal, he found a newborn calf and lifted it every day. As the calf grew, he reasoned, his strength would also grow. One day, he thought, I will be able to lift a grown cow and no one else can do that.
Well, if you have ever spent any time on a farm, you know that a calf grows faster than a healthy farm boy's ability to increase muscle strength, and a grown cow is too heavy for even the strongest man to lift no matter his preparation.
So, with all this as preamble, continue on with your exercise program. It's doing you good even if you can't see immediate results. Add in a bit more challenge every so often, but don't go nuts over it. Think of it sort of like the guy who quits smoking. The physical repair of his body is so slow, he may not realize that he's feeling better each day. Until, one day, he finds he can walk up a hill without wheezing.
FWIW,
Crusader Rabbit
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Let's turn this into a gun related issue:
I found over a decade ago that my shooting, both action and precision, benefited from cardio health. Recently I am noticing the affects of age on joints and strength. My hands constantly feel like I have worked them hard, and my fine motor skills deteriorate quickly. I also find the constant increase in lack of flexibility.
Michael and Marshal, are you listening? How about some shows or segments on the physical needs of shooters - young, old, and aging?
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The biggest problem I see all the time with these long duration cardiovascular workouts prescribed by these doctors, is people simply won't follow them. A half hour high energy workout, followed by a long "cool down", then weights and all the rest. Then you're allowed 2 pieces of Celery and a piece of dry burnt toast. So many guys I know just gave up not long after starting.
No one will do that. Most don't have the time or the discipline. They'll try it, then after a few days they'll just say F' it, and quit. Some exercise is better than no exercise. So for now at least, I'm not setting my goals too high. I know if I do I won't stick with it. I'll increase it SLOWLY, rather then bite off too much at once and quit out of discouragement.
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Make yourselves useful. upper and lower body work outs.
Get both and alternate for balanced good health
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apedal%20power%20generator
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The biggest problem I see all the time with these long duration cardiovascular workouts prescribed by these doctors, is people simply won't follow them. A half hour high energy workout, followed by a long "cool down", then weights and all the rest. Then you're allowed 2 pieces of Celery and a piece of dry burnt toast. So many guys I know just gave up not long after starting.
No one will do that. Most don't have the time or the discipline. They'll try it, then after a few days they'll just say F' it, and quit. Some exercise is better than no exercise. So for now at least, I'm not setting my goals too high. I know if I do I won't stick with it. I'll increase it SLOWLY, rather then bite off too much at once and quit out of discouragement.
Exercise for the sake of exercise is mind-numbingly boring. Standing on a treadmill for a prescribed amount of time would fall into that category. If you don't have any specific purpose to exercise, just get outside and go for a brisk walk. Make it part of your daily routine and it'll have the same benefit as slaving away on a treadmill but it will be something you enjoy (maybe). At least the scenery changes when you walk outside.
Personally, I could never exercise for the sake of exercising. That's why I play rugby and do strongman competitions. Everything I do in my training has a very specific purpose and progression. I'm constantly striving to get stronger, faster, and more explosive. I'll be 40 before the year's out, and as I get older, the hits hurt a little more, recovery takes longer, and progress happens less frequently, but I'm still competitive.
There's an old saying that goes, "I didn't quit playing rugby because I got old. I got old because I quit playing rugby." My biggest fear in retiring from sports is that I'll realize the truth in this saying.
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if this is not reasons enough to go to the gym....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAC37SMHKxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_fCqg92qkss
check your pulse.
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Bill, can I ask (probably a silly) question, please?
On the treadmill, are you holding on to the handle bars, or otherwise resting your arms/hands on the front of the thing? I got the third best results in the history of those things at Ft. Riley at the time. I'm not in that kind of shape, and never have been. When I'm holding onto the handles, I can go on forever on the thing without feeling it.
Don't know if that helps, but that was the observation I made at the time..
Peanut gallery signing off!! ???
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I hold on to the hand holds. I don't pump my arms like when you see people walking, carrying those weights.
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Bill, can I ask (probably a silly) question, please?
On the treadmill, are you holding on to the handle bars, or otherwise resting your arms/hands on the front of the thing? I got the third best results in the history of those things at Ft. Riley at the time. I'm not in that kind of shape, and never have been. When I'm holding onto the handles, I can go on forever on the thing without feeling it.
Don't know if that helps, but that was the observation I made at the time..
Peanut gallery signing off!! ???
There is a risk in that type of exercise.....going forever with no strain tells your body that that level of development is all it needs to maintain. It will allow your cardiovascular performance to deteriorate to that level.
Going "all out" for a few moments, at what ever level that is for you, resting and repeating for for 30 minutes a day might work better for you.
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First it was Jim Fixx, who died at 52 of a heart attack. Then there was "Pistol Pete" Maravitch who died at age 40 of heart failure. Now Darryl Dawkins has died at 58 of a heart attack. I'm really starting to wonder about all of this "staying in shape" crap? None of these guys had an ounce of fat on them, and were active as hell throughout their lives. What good did it do?
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/08/27/report-darryl-dawkins-former-basketball-player-dead-at-58/?intcmp=hplnws
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If you're in great shape you may live a couple of extra years but they might just be a couple of drooling like an idiot diaper wearing years. I don't know if it's been mentioned but always talk to your doctor before starting or changing an exercise routine.
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http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/09/13/moses-malone-nba-hall-famer-dead-at-60/
Just read that yet another long time NBA star, Moses Malone just dropped dead at 60.
"Fellow Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy said Malone died in his sleep from an apparent heart attack, according to FOX26 sports director Mark Berman."
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http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/09/13/moses-malone-nba-hall-famer-dead-at-60/
Just read that yet another long time NBA star, Moses Malone just dropped dead at 60.
"Fellow Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy said Malone died in his sleep from an apparent heart attack, according to FOX26 sports director Mark Berman."
Sad, but not unexpected. The bigger you are, the harder your organs have to work just to keep you going. It's like putting a 4-banger in a race car. It'll get you around the track, but the harder you step on the pedal, the sooner it's gonna blow.
I see this with a lot of my friends and fellow competitors on the strongman circuit. Add in the PED's that some of them are most undoubtedly taking, and it's a ticking time bomb.