General Health & Fitness - Stay/Get Back in Shape

[Carolina Fever]

I wish I could play basketball like I used to. I used to play three times a week in the morning at the Y. When the kids got into middle school they had to be there so early that I couldn't play there anymore because I had to get them ready and took them to school. They sometimes have times here at the community center for 35 and older to play, but varies how often month to month, and they don't have any times to play at night when the youth league is going on from December to March. They do have times to play in the morning twice a week, but it's the same deal now with getting the kids up and to high school in the morning.

 

[CRHeel94]

There's nothing better than a good basketball sweat. During my offseason I try to play 1-2 times per week, but I'm really careful about injuries (over 50).

Really miss the day when you could go play 2 hours several times a week.

 

[nrsair]

Have you tried “time under tension”. Works well with lower weight. Shoot for a 60 second set, with each rep taking 5-6 seconds to complete. You can split the time evenly between the eccentric and concentric phase. Or spend five seconds on the eccentric phase and the explode up.

Yup, I don’t religiously time my reps but I do a slow eccentric which gets most of my sets in that 45-60 second range. Try to get a good stretch at the bottom where applicable too.

I’ve come to kind of enjoy working around the limitations of light weights- for example, on leg day my first quad exercise is heavy Bulgarian split squats. Then the second is regular squats, with dumbbells on my shoulders, but I only come up 2/3 of the way one each rep. I got that tip from Dr. Mike on YouTube and it makes a comparatively light set of 12 *really* hard.

 

[4thgenheel]

I’ve been lifting a lot- push/pull/leg split with dumbbells and bands at home. I have the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells that go up to 50 pounds. I’m going for hypertrophy and target the 10-15 rep range, so that’s heavy enough for now.

I got a rowing machine last year which is a fantastic torture device.

i follow a hypertrophy expert named chris beardsley pretty religiously. he knows his stuff. a lot of it is really the nitty gritty science of muscle building but he puts out plenty of info on how to apply that in the real world to most efficiently and effectively build muscle. here's a link to his patreon, you don't have to subscribe/pay to get the vast majority of his content. he's on instagram and X, too.

https://www.patreon.com/c/SandCResearch/home

his FAQ is a gold-mine: https://www.patreon.com/posts/frequently-asked-43097481

 

[Carolina Fever]

There's nothing better than a good basketball sweat. During my offseason I try to play 1-2 times per week, but I'm really careful about injuries (over 50).

Really miss the day when you could go play 2 hours several times a week.

I played yesterday for around 1 1/2 hours. Hadn't really played since December except with coaching my son's rec league team at practices. I was rusty but still able to get up and down the court. I turned 50 last October. Most of the guys were in their 30s and 40s.

 

[StrangePackage]

If you an afford it, consider getting a personal trainer. It can structure the reentry into fitness and really help build the habits.

My personal trainer is the reason I lift three to four times a week, even though only one of those is with him.

 

[CRHeel94]

I played yesterday for around 1 1/2 hours. Hadn't really played since December except with coaching my son's rec league team at practices. I was rusty but still able to get up and down the court. I turned 50 last October. Most of the guys were in their 30s and 40s.

I was still playing full court a few years ago, but it was taking its toll. Plus it devolves into a lot of long fast breaks.
Much prefer half court now (with proper clearing of course).

 

[Heelsandeers]

Just finished up one of my favorite least favorite full body routines - 100 burpees

Been a while but started them back up last week. Good for when pressed for time

Goal is 10 mins without feeling like dying. Today was an uncomfortable 11:30

Again today for the first time since this post in 10 mins 20 secs

Getting there. First 50 are a breeze. 51-100 are misery

Was on track for 10 mins up through 80 reps

 

[nrsair]

I’m doing a bulk for the first time in my life. Not religiously tracking calories but making sure I hit protein goals every day. Never thought I’d say it but I’m sick of eating and look forward to getting the cut started in April. But on the positive side my wife told me unprompted that my delts look big

 

[Heelsandeers]

Definitely miss hooping regularly. That hasn't happened since before covid

Always kept in the best shape and about the only cardio to me that's enjoyable

Would like to get back to it, though that injury risk gets greater every year

 

[Heelsandeers]

I’m doing a bulk for the first time in my life. Not religiously tracking calories but making sure I hit protein goals every day. Never thought I’d say it but I’m sick of eating and look forward to getting the cut started in April. But on the positive side my wife told me unprompted that my delts look big

What's your calorie and protein goals?

I've never bulked like that either (and no need on my current 1x week split ) but sure I could benefit from one with the right routine

 

[nrsair]

What's your calorie and protein goals?

I've never bulked like that either (and no need on my current 1x week split ) but sure I could benefit from one with the right routine

I’m 5’11 and 175. Been shooting for roughly 2800-3000 calories per day and at least 140 grams of protein. I spent a lot of time trying to stay skinny for running and cycling for many years and honestly probably had some disordered eating during that time, so I don’t track everything exactly- I’d fall back in to those habits and drive my family crazy. But I do weigh out the protein portions of my meals to make sure I’m hitting that threshold.

 

[stankeylegjones]

I'm in the gym M-F, following a weightlifting (olympic) program that I write. (I got fascinated by the work of a few Soviet sports scientists and decided to learn what their research was saying, and so now I write my own programs.) Start with cardio - usually around 1-2 minutes getting up to zone 4, then stay there until I burn 150 calories. Then warmup + training session lasts around 90-120 minutes. I then walk throughout the day for mental fitness (along with some active recovery), usually around 10K steps. Saturday and Sunday I try to walk to burn the rest of my goal-calories-burned-for-the-week off (I'm trying to maintain my current weight). I have been tracking my food intake for a while now, along with breaking down macros. I try to eat only clean meals, outside of a processed meal once/twice per week. Lot's of greens, good fats, protein, etc. Yes, it's way beyond what anyone should do (speaking about the food log) but it's helped me stay at my current weight/body composition for several years now. (I used to be overweight, eating a lot of processed foods, drinking more than I should, etc., then I had a bout of gout along with a high blood pressure reading, and realized that I needed to quit fucking around and get serious about my health.)

 

[stankeylegjones]

I’m 5’11 and 175. Been shooting for roughly 2800-3000 calories per day and at least 140 grams of protein. I spent a lot of time trying to stay skinny for running and cycling for many years and honestly probably had some disordered eating during that time, so I don’t track everything exactly- I’d fall back in to those habits and drive my family crazy. But I do weigh out the protein portions of my meals to make sure I’m hitting that threshold.

I completely understand what you mean. I'm pretty sure I've become obsessed with calories/macro intake, which I'm starting to try to get over. I track everything I eat on an excel sheet. I average around 85 g fat, 370 g carbs, 175 g protein per day (weekly averages). I pretty sure it's not good mentally to be so obsessed over my food intake, but I'm afraid of slipping back into being unhealthy and overweight. I have also been trying to not burn a shit-ton more of calories than I need to. I used to walk, on top of intense training 5 days / week, around 15 - 20K steps / day. It got to the point where I was sore, A LOT. Legs were always tired, etc. I cannot tell you how worried I get when I decide not to take a walk in between meals. But, I feel like it's getting easier to do so...it also helps that the scale is not moving upwards, but, once again, I would like to be less worried about that as well.

 

[Heelsandeers]

I’m 5’11 and 175. Been shooting for roughly 2800-3000 calories per day and at least 140 grams of protein. I spent a lot of time trying to stay skinny for running and cycling for many years and honestly probably had some disordered eating during that time, so I don’t track everything exactly- I’d fall back in to those habits and drive my family crazy. But I do weigh out the protein portions of my meals to make sure I’m hitting that threshold.

I'm around the same, a little lighter at 5'10, so can definitely imagine being tired of eating. Hitting a clean 3000 is more than it sounds

Only time I've really tracked calories was when cutting to 160. Think that was about 1900 calories a day. Hitting that protein number is always the challenge

Tracking is a pain but really no other way if you have a clear goal in mind. Too easy to over/under estimate

 

[Heelsandeers]

I completely understand what you mean. I'm pretty sure I've become obsessed with calories/macro intake, which I'm starting to try to get over

Maybe doing it obsessively is bad but it beats overeating

I need to get better at dialing in the right macros and just generally eating cleaner overall

 

[JCTarheel82]

I'm down about 15 pounds since the New Year. Dropped all of that weight in the first six weeks of the year and have plateaud since. My diet isn't super clean but substantially better than before. I need to get back in the habit of exercising regularly.

 

[wmheel1287]

Below are the macros from my trainer. I'm 6'3 or so...not quite 6'4. I weigh 240.

Work 3 days a week with a personal trainer for strength. Do 10k to 12k steps per day usually including a 3 to 4 mile walk with the dogs.

 

[DiehardHeelFan]

Weights/strength training 3-4 times a week. Cardio of some sort 2 times a week. Take one day off. Try to eat as clean as I can for at least 6 days a week. Staples are breakfast and a shake some point during the day.

Breakfast = 2 egg omelette with 2 TS of hemp hearts, mushrooms & mozz cheese. Topped with an avocado and a TS of olive oil plus a small piece of keto whole wheat pita (mainly fiber) plus small glass of milk. Love breakfast

Shake: spinach and kale, collagen protein, whey protein & soluble fiber (psyllium husk), yogurt and frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries and blackberries). All are roughly a serving except the greens.

Rest of the day varies.

Not a big fan of cardio either though it feels good when I’m done. What helps me push though it is my playlist Find that the right song/s put me in the mood to keep pushing and/or make me forget I’m doing monotonous cardio ha. Have a weights playlist and a cardio playlist. Find both a big help with the mental side. Also work out very early in the morning. Sets the tone for the rest of my day. Days really do feel different if I don’t make it to the gym.

 

[Heelsandeers]

Below are the macros from my trainer. I'm 6'3 or so...not quite 6'4. I weigh 240.

Work 3 days a week with a personal trainer for strength. Do 10k to 12k steps per day usually including a 3 to 4 mile walk with the dogs.

Not a lot of calories for 240, probably dropping weight fast. What is your end goal?

Not a big fan of cardio either though it feels good when I’m done. What helps me push though it is my playlist Find that the right song/s put me in the mood to keep pushing and/or make me forget I’m doing monotonous cardio ha. Have a weights playlist and a cardio playlist. Find both a big help with the mental side.

The music definitely helps. Noticeable difference vs listening to podcasts (or nothing)