Well, to try and talk about something a little less partisan, I thought I'd do a little review of some products I have used in the last year to try and get myself in shape. Right about a year ago, I tried out the T25 program that was created by the guy who also created Insanity, Shawn T. I haven't done insanity, but like most of America, I've seen the infomercials while sitting on the couch eating shitty food. As the name implies, the workouts in the T25 program are 25 minutes long (cool down period is an extra couple of minutes) and in the base package, there isn't any extra equipment needed unless you choose to use a dumbbell instead of the resistance band provided.
What I liked about the program was the lack of equipment and the time. There was no excuse to say I couldn't block out 25 minutes of time and basically I did the routines in the morning before I went to work or before I went and did other stuff if I wasn't working. The workouts were Monday through Friday, but Friday was supposed to be a day where you did two workouts and I opted to just do the second one on Saturday. Overall, these workouts look pretty similar to what I see in the insanity informercials. Gobs of gasping cardio, push ups, burpees, jumping and so on. From the time I started the program to the time I finished up with a whole cycle, I could never fully keep up with the people. This is pretty hard core stuff and it was brutal on my joints. For people in ridiculous shape or who have made it through insanity, this is probably a nice maintenance program that you could do for a month or so without worrying about losing what you gained from that program. For me, I didn't get much out of it.
In addition to the constant pounding on the joints, I never really lost any weight and never really lost in waist size. My diet wasn't according to their plan which recommended a 1600 calorie a day diet, but I also wans't eating any high fructose crap or drinking sodas. I do think I lost some general upper body fat and was more toned by the end, but for the commitment and work, it was pretty disappointing. One caveat was that my cardio ability while playing hockey noticeably improved, and that was something worthwhile. However, another downside though was that by the end of the cycle, I was bored to tears with the DVD's that all started to feel the same. Not long after I was finishing up T25, P90X creator Tony Horton came up with his short workout called P90X3 with workouts there are 30 minutes in length including warm up, but not including cool down stretches.
For as displeased as I was with T25, I was to an equal but opposite extreme pleased with X3. In the base kit, there are 16 different workouts on a total of 8 discs and the recycling of particular moves is way less than in the T25 series. The overall variety of the workouts is also substantially different and when you start, there are several different pre-determined programs that you can follow; classic, lean and doubles. I started with the lean and though it uses the same discs as the other programs, the arrangement is different and the general focus is on becoming more lean. You still build some muscle, but probably not as much as with other combinations. Within about a month, I dropped about 5 lbs and lost two inches of waist size and was very pleased. Instead of just pounding the body day after day, the X3 program focuses on balance, stretching, building and cardio. In addition to weight routines, there is also yoga and pilates.
After finishing the lean cycle, I have moved on to the classic cycle and even though I am using the same discs that I did for the lean cycle, the arrangement is different and new routines have been incorporated that I didn't use in the lean cycle. Considering that I did T25 first, it's hard for me to say how appropriate this program is for someone who finally decided to drag their ass off the couch and get going. That said, in comparison, I think X3 would be a much better choice than T25 in that situation. I like that it feels like a program that works your body from top to bottom and I recommend it highly.
So what do others here do for exercise?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/02/168437030/research-a-little-extra-fat-may-help-you-live-longer
ReplyDeleteI am all about this theory. Just be a little fat as long as you aren't lazy along with it.
Really Max I have weighed the same for about 20 years so I don't worry about it. I am active on my days off, swim, (Yep opened the pool this weekend,) garden, tend the apple trees and all the other crap growing around here, and in constant motion at work. Hell man I only have extra time to rest a little. :)
This is my mid life thing. It's kind of like hiking to the top of some mountain, once I've been there, I probably won't go back to it. Even when I was in the Army I never really had that "ripped" look. Once I see the full six pack, I'm sure I'll start drinking six packs a plenty. By BMI standards i'm overweight and I'm probably never going to have a BMI below 25 and it would just be unrealistic. Still, while I'm still playing hockey against a bunch of guys 10-15 years younger than me, I gotta do something to not get embarrassed every week. Gardening and tending the earth is probably a better balance than what I'm doing!
ReplyDeleteMeh, I'm 42. I'm fine with the knowledge that I'll never have the smokin' bikini bod I did when I was 30 pre-kids. Just wanna look decent by the pool and feel healthy at this point. I was always athletic.
DeleteFunny, running is the best way I've found to burn fat & keep the heart rate up. It's not as cool sounding or trendy as P90X or Hot Yoga, I know, but it just works. If you got healthy knees/hips, I recommend it Mike. I was always a sprinter in my youth, never ran distance. I didn't fall into it until my late 30s and was shocked by the benefits.
That's just it, the knees won't take it. I probably shouldn't be playing ice hockey either, but I enjoy it too much. I hear you on the hot yoga and even the P90X stuff. That's quite a rabbit hole to fall into when I see the ferver some people get about it. I like the non hot yoga, I think all of us here might be a little less crabby if we did it regularly! Even Tai Chi for that matter!
DeleteEver try swimming? Great for cardio and toning, very low impact. You'll use muscles you never knew you had.
DeleteThe problem, of course, is you need a pool. You have to plan & have the time to do it. It's not nearly as convenient as waking up and doing a 25 minute workout in your living room, but it is great great exercise for folks with joint issues.
I run 5 miles, 3 to 5 times a week, weight circuit on same days, low weight, lots of reps, mixed martial arts with my friend once a week, and chase my crazy-ass kids around. Good weather's here, I'll be out in the yard a lot.
ReplyDeleteMorning all
ReplyDeleteGood topic here today and after 78 years I guess I have some experience.
From 16 to 64 I was run off my feet trying to make enough money to retire on. During this time I played sport and during twenty years in the navy I was kept fit by useless bloody exercises which were compulsory. After navy life I had no boss other than my pride as I started and ran my own import business.
The business was successful beyond all expectations and at sixty four I sold out and retired. Now retirement involves simple exercises, chief amongst them being "elbow bending" this is a scientific method of transferring liquid from a glass into the digestive system. Normally I bow to the god Bacchus when pulling the cork and therefore the Biceps, triceps and muscles of the lumbar region are given a workout during the cork removal process.
It is my belief that exercise for its own sake is a totally non productive activity. Far better to use the muscles in pursuit of work related activities which at least have potential for some monetary gain.
Cheers now from Aussie
Lol. 12oz curls ...
Delete"It is my belief that exercise for its own sake is a totally non productive activity."
DeleteFair enough, but this attitude is also in part why we have obese, 12 year old children who are taking medication for high blood pressure amongst other things.
DeleteMax
This may perhaps be a little confronting but there are some very unsubtle differences between the 12 year olds today and the 12 year olds in 1948! We constantly see kids on TV ads, sitting in front of the box with another box containing KFC or MacDonald’s deep fried rubbish. My experience of 1948 in UK was nothing to eat between meals and at meal times the standard meat and three veg with pudding (desert) three times a week.
There were no obese children in UK back then. Our three children were never obese but of the eight grandchildren, one is overweight and I have one son in law I would consider obese. The obese son in law has been a successful competitive swimmer, scuba diver, and underwater hocky player and Kayak paddler. All the offspring however have never missed an opportunity to work in order to earn a little extra income and I think it is this, rather than time wasting “exercise” which has kept them in reasonable shape
Australia is rapidly joining the US as the home of the fattest population in the world, we have some way to go but the proliferation of KFC, Mackas and other purveyors of junk food have a lot to answer for.
By the way Max, I am having a little trouble accepting that you have 12 year olds requiring medication for hypertension. Surely diet should be the answer here, to medicate at such a young age smacks of treating the symptoms rather than eradicating the disease.
Finally, a lifetime of work related exercise does allow expansion of the waistline in the later years through the ingestion of liquid sunshine; I can put up with a little hypertension caused by shiraz; far more socially acceptable than KFC don’t you think?
Cheers from Aussie
By the way,anyone care to define 12oz curls? this one defeats me! and If pfunky is single,she is destined to remain so,no male would have the stamina to run her down!!
"By the way Max, I am having a little trouble accepting that you have 12 year olds requiring medication for hypertension. Surely diet should be the answer here, to medicate at such a young age smacks of treating the symptoms rather than eradicating the disease."
DeleteBingo! It is indeed the answer, well that in addition to getting off their keister and playing like kids did when I was young. However, the minute someone starts to talk about what you mention there, we start to think like the para that preceded the one I quoted and that's when we are starting to get into very dangerous territory. In some ways, I find it ironic that highly addictive drugs like heroin or cocaine are illegal, but food that is engineered to cater to the addiction centers of our brain is totally legal and moreover, we happily pay the costs of Blood pressure medicines, diabetic medications, cholesterol medications and so on to try and counterbalance the fact that we choose not to be eat better.
12 oz curls refers to the lifting and "curling" of a beer can to the lips. Standard beers in this country are 12 ounces. Interestingly, I find time to both work a job and work out. It can be done.
@King
DeleteLol. It'll be 14 years of wedded bliss for me in July. Yes, my husband can catch me - that's why we have 3 kids ...
;-)