Gym Thread

[Armchair Wanderer]

I guess this would be everything that isn't running outdoors and athletics.

What do you do? What are your goals? Hows it going?

Me.. I only do about 5 or 6 exercises in the gym but they're compound movements so they're working more than one muscle, and they're all pretty easy on the joints. Hit my goal of doing 3x10 pull-ups the other day but since then I've had a cold and had to move house so not been for a while.

[Annoyed Grunt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTuVIvE2UIg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gooner Girl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTuVIvE2UIg

Been working your biceps again tonight lifting that remote up and down eh Colin?!

[clapton is god]

I'm a waLker. I get myself up to the Lakes as often as I can. I used to get there every other week and have walked every hill up there at least once, many of them half a dozen times. I'm currently on my last 60 or so to complete a second round.

But.... I didn't walk there between November and March and last time out I was shocked at how hard work I found it.

Soooo... I have just booked myself accommodation in Ulverston, Coniston, Langdale, Rosthwaite, Keswick and Caldbeck for a 70 mile walk up The Cumbria Way in June.

Now I need to get myself fit. Serious diet and exercise program underway and I lost five pounds last week, which is better than I hoped for in my first week.

[Annoyed Grunt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTuVIvE2UIg

Been working your biceps again tonight lifting that remote up and down eh Colin?!

Just the right one..........

[General Mannerheim]

Can't stand the gym, joined a couple of times - did Nowt but go in the sauna and steam rooms.
I do play squash 2/3 times a week tho, depending on my mojo, and go mountain biking at least once a week too 15/20 miles a pop. Hopefully get out more now as summer approaches. I do those things for fun tho, not for any personal gain, although I'd definitely be a right fat bastard if I didn't.

[Jakerbeef]

Call on meeeeee. Call-


Sorry. Misunderstood the thread.

[jimbo]

I'm a waLker. I get myself up to the Lakes as often as I can. I used to get there every other week and have walked every hill up there at least once, many of them half a dozen times. I'm currently on my last 60 or so to complete a second round.

But.... I didn't walk there between November and March and last time out I was shocked at how hard work I found it.

Soooo... I have just booked myself accommodation in Ulverston, Coniston, Langdale, Rosthwaite, Keswick and Caldbeck for a 70 mile walk up The Cumbria Way in June.

Now I need to get myself fit. Serious diet and exercise program underway and I lost five pounds last week, which is better than I hoped for in my first week.

Nice one. Always amazes me about how quickly you lose your fitness, and how tailored to your specific activities your fitness becomes. I've spent the last 2 months doing a shed load of walking in North Wales whilst I was living there, before which I'd been playing football 4 times a week and was probably the fittest I've been in a long time. Even so, I still found it bloody hard work going up the first couple until I got the hang of it again. Now I've moved back to Blackpool, played footy last night for the first time in 2 months and wanted to vomit after 5 minutes. Makes no sense!

[Armchair Wanderer]

Can't stand the gym, joined a couple of times - did Nowt but go in the sauna and steam rooms.
I do play squash 2/3 times a week tho, depending on my mojo, and go mountain biking at least once a week too 15/20 miles a pop. Hopefully get out more now as summer approaches. I do those things for fun tho, not for any personal gain, although I'd definitely be a right fat bastard if I didn't.

I'm the same really in terms of doing it for fun but the health benefits are a welcome bonus. Used to love playing squash but not played it for years.

Now I need to get myself fit. Serious diet and exercise program underway and I lost five pounds last week, which is better than I hoped for in my first week.

Nice work!! I like your sense of adventure with the cumbrian walk.

[Gail Platz]

I do play squash 2/3 times a week tho.

You any good? I play for a side and coach a group of kids.

I find the gym really boring so I tend to get in, nail it and get out in about 40 minutes tops.... which is a lot better than most people you see in the gym stood around scratching their arses for two hours.

[Armchair Wanderer]

I do play squash 2/3 times a week tho.

You any good? I play for a side and coach a group of kids.

I find the gym really boring so I tend to get in, nail it and get out in about 40 minutes tops.... which is a lot better than most people you see in the gym stood around scratching their arses for two hours.

Can't talk for anyone else but for me I need to rest between sets. Tend to motor through it all fairly quickly, but I can't do a set of pull-ups say, then do another 30 seconds later. All the books tell you to have very small windows of rest but I can't do it. Must have crap muscles or something.

[TANGODANCER]

Can't talk for anyone else but for me I need to rest between sets. Tend to motor through it all fairly quickly, but I can't do a set of pull-ups say, then do another 30 seconds later. All the books tell you to have very small windows of rest but I can't do it. Must have crap muscles or something.

Thirty seconds in between sets is ridiculous, especially if you're not young. If you're doing repeat sets of anything, the idea is to extend yourself but not exhaust yourself. Do a couple/few less each set and build up gradually. It isn't a competition, and torn muscles ( which most forms of excercise cause, albeit minutely) need time to repair. It's why you shouldn't exercise the same parts of the body on successive days. Exercise with a partner or do something else between sets to give yourself a rest period. You decide what you can handle and be comfortable with and you'll make better progress doing it right rather than fast. A real "Festina lente" case.

[Dujon]

... Exercise with a partner or do something else between sets to give yourself a rest period. You decide what you can handle and be comfortable with and you'll make better progress doing it right rather than fast ...

Couldn't agree more, TANGO. 'Practice makes perfect' is my wife's mantra - not that it matters much these days.

[General Mannerheim]

I do play squash 2/3 times a week tho.

You any good? I play for a side and coach a group of kids.

I find the gym really boring so I tend to get in, nail it and get out in about 40 minutes tops.... which is a lot better than most people you see in the gym stood around scratching their arses for two hours.

not really, but its all relative. im a steady 2 or 3 in 3rd division NW Counties for Bury. Where do you play?

[Bijou Bob]

I've let myself get out of the loop recently and relied on the refereeing to keep me fit. Having jacked that for the remainder of the season I need to get my arse in gear. Started last week on holiday in Egypt, Gym 5 days from 7 but need to keep it up now. I've changed my training to more compound exercises and can already see a difference.

Have to say that I took the plunge last year and did a load of classes. It was intimidating to say the least to be the only bloke in Body Combat and Spinning (I drew the line at Zumba!) and the eldest there by a good few years, but I was amazed how good a cardio workout you get. I got the definite impression that some of the women in the class had the thought I was only there to have a perve at them in lycra but 1. They needed to take a look at themselves in lycra and 2. I was too wasted to even think about it.

[Bruce Rioja]

Did a 12 mile walk this morning; the steep, uphill, muddy bits informed my chest that I'm not up to starting running again just yet, but will head back down the gym again on Monday and will take it all from there.

[Armchair Wanderer]

I've changed my training to more compound exercises and can already see a difference.

Compound FTW! Also, full range-of-motion or whatever the technical term is.

First session back in 2 weeks after having a cold and moving. Hard going but there's a different crowd late afternoon/early evening so that was nice. Walked to the gym from a different angle (since moving) and am pleased to see there's a KFC on the way home if I'm feeling lazy.

[Wandering Willy]

OK - been a member of the gym for a week now and I have to say I am really enjoying it.

Usually do a 5 min warm up on a bike, then a circuit 3 reps of 12 on about 6 weight machines twice, 20 minutes cardio on a bike and finish with some ab work.

All in all about 65 minutes of exercise and I alternate the weight machines between legs and arms on different days. Been 6 out of the last 7 days so day off tomorrow. Not losing any weight but somehow I feel a lot trimmer.

The bike is not hurting my ankles at all which have improved so hopefully I will able to mix some running in with the gym work in a couple of weeks or so.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Went to the gym today so I can laze around all day tomorrow drinking beer and eating takeaways.

[Harry Genshaw]

Went to the gym today so I can laze around all day tomorrow drinking beer and eating takeaways.

The gym I go to is a private one attached to the physio. He's an ex Mr Universe competitor and while I go there for core training to assist my running, everybody else appears to be body builders. It was embarrassing at first lifting all their huge 20lb weights off the machines to pop my 5lbs on! They are a right nice bunch but talk about hard core - they were all discussing what weight of chicken breast they could eat with what carbs - I'd be too ashamed to tell them I called at the chippy on the way home for chips, pie & gravy