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Exercise & Fitness Exercise & Fitness: Chat / Discussions
2041

It’s a funny thing about Body Mass Index, I’ve noticed, but the charts seem to be oddly skewed somehow, quite probably at both ends of the chart. At 5’ 7" tall and weighing 12st 8lbs the chart classes me as being Overweight and one chart I saw online actually put me as Obese. :smiley: The charts say my weight range should, for a man my height, 8st 6lbs (!!) to 11st 6lbs and frankly even at the upper weight level I would be looking very ill and unwell.

My diabetic nurse, who had weighed me, was a little concerned I was down by 5lbs even though I have gained muscle, and advised me to stop there as I looked fine to her at my current weight. Her face was a picture when I informed her the BMI chart had me down as 1st 2lbs overweight still, to which she replied “no, no, no, don’t try and lose that! I can see little evidence of surplus fat!”…

You just can’t win, but I did enjoy the chuckle. :smiley:

2042

The NHS are hopelessly out of date with their evaluation of height against weight, Tachyon. That’s how they still tally up how fit and fat we are and it’s embarrassing to say the least to have to listen to their ignorance.

Earlier this year I had a general check up which featured blood tests, pressure levels and general measurements. I had/have(?) a little excess belly fat but all my tests were fine, though they said I could be “borderline” diabetes 2 if I didn’t watch my lifestyle!

I asked them what they meant by this and the doctor further prodded my belly and exclaimed that “it’s all muscle!” and asked me what I did. Like you, Tachyon, most of that so-called “excess fat” isn’t fat at all, it’s a wall of muscle under a very slight layer of water retention which makes it look like excess flesh. He took the bloods from my forearm and said I “was solid” and pinched my triceps on my left arm to which he couldn’t actually grip anything but skin.
My weight was 16.5 stones against my height of 6’3". I explained my diet, which is high in protein cutting out most salt and sugary foods and that I exercise 3-4 times per week. I also have a physical job at work which keeps the cardio going too. I wear 38" trousers but need a belt as my actual waist size is about 35" as I need the room for my well-trained thighs.

So mate, I would take the NHS’ accuracy in these matters with a pinch of salt. If you’re really wondering about a spot-on, in depth analysis of your fitness levels, it’s best to see a sports physio. They are the experts and will tell you your correct BMI :cool:

2043

Floydy’s right Tachyon, take no notice, I also am 5 foot 7 and I weigh 10.5 stone, so my BMI is 25. I’ve exercised most of my adult life, my B/P is usually a bit on the low side, and I always cut the fat off my meat! Perfect according to the NHS…:smiley:

But I’ve had two Heart Attacks…:-(…? ‘Go Figure’ as Surfermom would say…:cool:

2044

Saturday 20/10/18: Quick upper body; 50 mins.

With one thing and another as mentioned earlier this week in these pages, it’s been impossible to fulfil any sort of cohesive exercise in the time I get. With the granddaughter here overnight, I was soon to capitalise on her lie in so I hit the gym for an early morning blast.

DB press:
8x26’s, 8x28’s, 8x30’s

Lat pulldown, w/g:
15x35, 15x35, 15x35

Seated row:
12x41, 12x47, 12x53

Smith shoulder press:
8x35, 6x40, 4x45

Smith bench press:
6x60, 2x80, 15x40
*This wasn’t much cop. My strength was very low today having missed a few important sessions, but that’s not really my game too much now. Fitness and keeping the weight down is far more important.

Decline bench press:
10x60, 10x60, 10x60
*Suddenly realising that this machine is probably the instigator of my recent neck problems as I lifted today, this will be the last time I ever use it.

Bicep standing pinwheel curls, alt.:
8x14, 8x14, 6x16

Bicep standing curls (across chest), alt.:
6x16, 6x16, 6x18
*Not very heavy on both these variations of arm curls, both hitting inner belly and outer head results in some quite effective building.

Tricep extensions:
12x40, 12x50, 12x60

Ab crunch:
20x30, 20x30, 20x35

Not too bad a workout though I’d like to have had more time. Back home for a big breakfast and looking forward to my four hours a week of social life this afternoon.
Tomorrow I’ll be training the legs with a cardio session afterwards.

Thanks for reading.:cool:

2045

Happy to see that you all are still moving along, and that from your BMI’s you aren’t worth the trouble - making miserably tough meals for lions, tigers, and sharks :lol:. Mine, I am not so sure about!

Floydy is doing cardio! Yay!

Anyway, I am back home and on my way to run.

There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home. :smiley:

2046

Hi Suzie, wonderful to hear from you :cool: I won’t ask about the aftermath of the hurricane except to say that I hope your friends and family are okay and have managed to salvage at least some personal posessions. I can’t even envisage the problems which could arise following such a disaster. Must be awful. You all take care now.

Re the BMI. You are right. It’s best not to worry too much about that sort of thing too much. Years ago in my physical prime I was extremely intense about fat content and got myself “shredded” to a very high standard but sometimes it cost me my health. Yeah okay I was as muscular as it was possible to get on a strictly protein-rich diet but I would sometimes keel over after a three or four hour gym session. Either that or throw up! It wasn’t worth it and despite looking in good form and powerful strong, living like that full time makes you feel so ill. You may look pretty good but at a cost - and it isn’t worth your health. It took me a long time to realise that and take a reality check. Days gone by…

Yes, the cardio. It’s early days but last week’s short session was extremely enjoyable. I would not have thought how easy it was to get back into it and with headphones on I just went for it. No running though (so far) as I’m being cautious there because of the knees, but when I hit the bike my legs ended up peddling so fast it surprised me and I loved it. In fact tomorrow I’m all set for a full-on total cardio workout, prequeled by a short session on thd leg presses as per my usual Sunday exercise.

So, great to see you again in here, Suzie. I’m sure that now you’re home again you will be looking forward to some serious running once more, not to mention waxing down that surfboard to catch that wave once more! :004:

Take care Surfer Girl, you’re a star :023:

2047

After a week of real-life kinds of exercise more akin to the kind of effort that you weight lifters are doing in the gym, I thought I would be a disaster running for the first time in a week. Aside from knee surgery, I don’t remember going this long without running.

With a blue sky full of blossoming with cumulus clouds, I set out well before noon, another change in the routine. Slathered with sunscreen and donning my sunglasses, this Saturday meant that aside from a few dads playing football (both yours and ours) with their boys, I had the entirety of the sportsplex to face the music.

To baby my back and knees, I chose a cross country route along a drainage canal lined with autumn wildflowers in scarlet, yellow, and lavender. Seeming every bloom was covered with Monarch butterflies fueling on nectar before their incredible journey to Mexico across the gulf. The sight was so spectacular that I hardly noticed how I labored to get over that first tightness of breathing and rapid heart rate that comes with the first quarter mile.

History has proven that my first day would feel emancipating, while tomorrow’s run would leave me feeling like lead. Taking advantage of my one day of faux youth, I let it all go and pushed as hard as I could for 4.5 miles. Even though I really hadn’t lost any weight despite the hard work of the previous week, I felt light and the miles passed quickly. Another half mile? Sure, why not! So pushing it just a little harder, I let my feet fly. It felt so freeing to be out there out of the disaster, away from the biting mosquitos, and away from the deafening sound of chainsaws and bulldozers.

Too bad that tonight I am as stiff as a board and am having to stretch it, shake it, and otherwise move it before doing something as difficult as simply standing up and crossing the room. So much for feeling free :lol:. Tomorrow morning is going to huuuuuuurrrrrt.

Running is either making me feel younger or is killing me. Tonight, I’m not sure which :mrgreen:.

2048

Sounds like a plan Floydy, good luck with the cardio, and it sounds like you’re in pretty good shape to start with…:023:

Good effort Surfermom, the problem is, when you haven’t run for a week you end up like a coiled spring…All that energy waiting to be released…:026:…It’s so good to be back on the road/track you forget about the lactics…:017:

Sitting down on the toilet is something we all take for granted, but it can be hell on earth for the runner who has overdone it…:018:
Excellent account by the way…:038:…Good to have you back…

Four seconds…That’s how close I was to a seasons best on my Friday five a day…Unfortunately, today’s eight miles would rank in the bottom five of my all time most uncomfortable runs…And the comments in my journal emphasised it…‘Knackered and running on empty’ …:frowning:

Absolutely fabulous Autumn morning, with a sunrise providing a better feeling than all of the cannabis in the world…But it was here (about halfway round) that the wheels came off. Struggling to put one foot in front of the other I limped, plodded and staggered the remaining four miles to the finish.

How I made it to the end without walking I’ll never know, I tried in vain to inject some pace, but after yards passing by in only double figures I was once more down to an uncomfortable jog. I tried to catch some old bloke out for his morning jog on the last quarter mile, but my half arse effort had fallen on stony ground, as I turned the corner on to the home straight he had gone…

It was little compensation that the watch indicated that it was the fastest of all my recent eight milers this year…But as I hung on to the gatepost for dear life, trying to force more oxygen into my aching lungs, and quench the sound of my beating heart loud in my ear…I decided it wasn’t worth it, and the watch was a liar!..Tuesday’s run had better be good, or else…:mad2:

2049

Great to see you two both back in the thread. Tachyon, Lion Queen and myself kept the show on the road while you were away, as per your reasons.

Seems you are also both a tad rusty but that’s always the case following a lay off. However, getting out and about as you do running through your respective nature trails must be exhilerating at times and will surely take your mind off the pain you experience during your run. Well done, you’ll be back on top form again by next weekend I’m certain :slight_smile:

Right, off to do my cardio effort.

2050

Sunday 21/10/18: Cardio; 45 mins.

Intending to begin with my regular legs session followed by cardio I was a touch anxious about that idea when I walked into the gym. My dilemma was that if I spent my time training my legs in the manner I normally do then I’d probably have thought “sod the cardio” at the end of it and gone home nicely pumped in the legs but without the cardio exercise which is just as important if not more so. I am determined to keep this in my programme just once a week and it really is best to dedicate a separate session to it. The legs can be trained the following day, which was free anyway, so that should work fine. Back to topic then, here’s the cardio session:

Rower:
Time: 10 mins / Distance: 2231 mtrs.
*Adapting this as an arm exercise more than merely pulling overhand with each stroke, I switched to underarm to work the biceps and gave the bar a good jerk as I went along. i.e. an alternate hand grip every minute.

Treadmill:
Time: 25 mins / Distance: 2.5 km / Calories burned: 200.
*As last week, to make this trudge of a machine more interesting I played around with the incline and speed buttons whilst doing my walking. At one point I was walking at 7.3 km/h, which is as fast as I can possibly walk without breaking into a jog. Someday I may even run, we’ll see how it goes, but I gotta watch the knees which is why I don’t.

Bike:
Time: 10 mins / Distance: 5.3 km.
*A good distance travelled within my time allotted to be honest. I went through the effort levels too, but found the lower levels more akin to fitness where I was racking up the metres as fast as my legs would carry me.

Back to all this again next week.

Thanks for reading.:slight_smile:

2051

Floydy, that’s some walking speed! I would have been jogging at somewhere in the neighborhood of .68 kmh or .42 mph - short legs of mine and all :roll:. I am guilty of setting a speed and incline on the dreadmill and locking them in like they are missile coordinates. Really good job maintaining your aerobic work for 20 mins. which seems to be the threshold for heart benefits. Can you tell any difference yet in your strength, endurance, weight, or measurements yet? If not, you will!

OGF, I am with you. The running is definitely not getting easier and when I think about my pace times five to ten years ago, it’s a little mystifying. Unlike you who bravely checked your watch along today’s outing, I chickened out and left mine on the counter. Not very brave, I know, but I just wanted the satisfaction of finishing the blasted thing, without having to beat badly:cry:. Floydy is right; I was about as rusty as a 1940s coupe.

When I am out doing five, like I did today, huffing, puffing, and pouring with perspiration, I sometimes think about you doing eight at a time, which never ceases to amaze me. When you feel ready to throw bricks at the universe like you seemingly wanted to do today, you might think about looking at some of the current finish times for some of your peer groups. I would put a (never cannabis :018:) treat on it that you are out-pacing many of your peers’ winning times. Although you are ultimately racing against you - you aren’t racing against 50 or even 60 year old you anymore. :023:

To Tachyon and LQ, I am reading your posts with interest. I have to say Tachyon, that I am among you who think that the current BMI calculators are ineffective for people who exercise. Grabbing a little something here…a little less there…or trying on my favorite jeans gives me a much better picture :lol:. There are times when I have weighed more than I do now, and had less body fat.

Oh, and don’t even try to talk to me about getting caliper measurements from darling, fit twenty-something while watching what happens when calipers meet aging skin :twisted::twisted::twisted:. It’s not good. :mrgreen:

Perhaps the answer is to toss out everything that measures anything :lol:…

But I am just too competitive - with myself.:079:

2052

Mini-milestone today at the ‘little gym’ when I clocked up three hours of constant work and I finally went for broke and did 1,000 crunches on the stomach/back machine. I did them in sets of 100 though, as I didn’t want my poor torso to explode! :smiley: In between sets I did arm and leg work, and the leg exercises went much better than normal. Last night my right knee gave a hell of a crack, out of the blue, and has felt much “looser” than it has done in many months. It’s not as good as normal but it’s very close and has made walking a lot easier today. Long may it continue!

2053

It’s very early days yet, Suzie, but the weight will come down I’m sure very soon. I have lost 3-4 lbs within a couple of weeks, so we’re heading in the right direction.
I have changed my diet too for the better, which is even more of a bonus. Yes, I can see myself heading more towards the cardio side of things now that I know it’s not affecting my knees at all. So a mixture of lighter weights, a good diet and 45 minutes cardio a week is hitting the spot nicely and I’m happy with that :cool:

Mate, you are MAD. Just crazybonkersstylee. 1,000 ab crunches would tear my insides out. I just don’t know how you do it. But if it’s working for you, go for it and as long you are doing those lower back exercises to offset all the forward bending, keep it up buddy. Phew! :surprised:

2054

Aye, the back is done as well. It’s like a rocking motion, maintaining pressure in each direction. Certainly good for me. :slight_smile:

2055

That’s not a mini-mileston, Tachyon, that’s a huge one! I haven’t done that many crunches in ages and really applaud your results. After three hours of working out, they would have to take me out on a stretcher. Excellent!

Floydy, that is about what I expected in terms of results. You are well on your way now that you are in a groove. It always takes me about six weeks to see any visible improvement, and i join you in trying to get in even better shape. With a cruise at the end of the year, I am joining you in getting into tip-top condition well before the sailing date.My goals are to lose a couple inches which always works better for me than stepping on the scales.

The oak trails were the scene of the crime today, and crime is not an overstatement given the fact that I felt like lead and my time was only so-so. What worked well today was that the sun was behind my back for half the run, which enabled me to focus purely on form. I tend to over-pronate and pull my shoulders up ever so slightly, so my shadowy (and nagging) teacher once again reminded me for the last 2.5 miles what it felt like to be in perfect form.

Isn’t this just great weather to be out pushing our bodies! :smiley:

Time for tea and to start turning all these leafy green things into something that looks akin to a salad…:wink:

2056

Didn’t I mention yesterday that your first run out feeling rather groggy was just a blip, Suzie? Right as rain (or Florida sunshine to be exact) you’ve had a night’s good rest and put in a much better performance today. I’m certain you’ll be looking fabulous for your forthcoming cruise. Lovely work :cool:

2057

Just as an add-on, Suzie - and I hope you didn’t mind me splitting up your post to quote in two halves - it’s just a couple of weeks into my cardio (and only once a week at that so far), but I’m already feeling so much more energetic, especially at work. A lot has to do with some diet changes too, wherby I’m choosing my shopping carefully and cautiously cutting out most of the harmful sugar/fat/salt content which are noted as RDA guidelines on all packaging here in the UK. I don’t know if that’s an international requirement yet?

Yes I’ve got the bug for cardio and although I’m keeping the weights going to retain some kind of form and muscle, I’m aiming to lose weight and generally keep myself in as good a conditional shape as any 54-y.o. can be who lives a lifestyle like myself working nights.

I have also said a goodbye yesterday to my sole remaining bodybuilding forum I participated on for many years. I simply am not in that frame anymore and partly not wanting that style of training to interfere with my new-found fitness schedule, I also don’t fit in very well with the other guys who are pounding the heavy weights going all “bro” and “hench” and “swole” lol. I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt etc etc blah-de-blah and they understand my reasons for leaving the forum. I’ll still pop in from time to time for a chat but as for holding a training journal, that is over for me now.

So with a light weights session coming up today, I bid you farewell until later on. :cool:

2058

Thanks, that’s very kind of you. :slight_smile: I wish I could run like you, but my knees are not up to the job. It turns out my immune system is causing the arthritis in them, and they recently started me on a new medication to suppress my immune system. One of these days I WILL run though! Keep up the good work. :slight_smile:

2059

Tuesday 23/10/18: Light-moderate; 3 sets; 50 mins.

My early week light-moderate workout.
Selecting fewer exercises than I would normally, I upped the reps a touch to stabilise my training with some of the sets hitting the ‘failure’ point (that is, doing as many reps as I was able, then pausing with the weight and pushing out a couple more which really hits the muscles hard). As I missed out my Sunday legs session in favour of cardio and with yesterday being unavailable for training, just a couple of brief leg exercises too.

DB bench press:
15x26’s, 10x28’s, 7x30

Seated row:
27x41, 18x47, 14x53
*Surprised at my back strength with this exercise today, those reps mounting up easily. I’ll be upping the poundage on this apparatus from next time.

Barbell curl, seated, 60° bench:
16x30, 12x30, 15x30

Tricep extensions:
30x40, 15x50, 12x60

E-Z bar preacher curl, close grip:
15x33, 15x38, 8x43

Sled leg press:
25x150, 25x150, 25x120

Seated ham curls:
20x40, 15x50, 8x60

Really pleased with this short session today. Heaven knows why but my strength has rocketed over the past week, not that I’m aiming to get any bigger these days. It’s just good to know that I can still do this kind of thing occasionally and retain the muscle too.

Next weights session planned for Thursday, then cardio at the weekend.

Thanks for reading.:slight_smile:

2060

Hi,

My daily exercise is running and yoga. These are the best and makes your day.
Thanks.