Which activities in life brings you the most fun?

[CorpRaider]

Damn that 85 year old woman can deadlift about as much as I can!  

Edited October 19, 2022 by CorpRaider

[Cod Liver Oil]

@Gregmal Start small with body weight and a pull up bar and a set of something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/ProForm-Select-Weight-Dumbbell-Black/dp/B08BDD6GNM/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2WGBLJ3KYRKD7&keywords=nested%2Bdumbbells&qid=1666191863&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjQzIiwicXNhIjoiMi40MiIsInFzcCI6IjEuNTkifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=nested%2Bdumbbe%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-16&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.ac2169a1-b668-44b9-8bd0-5ec63b24bcb5&th=1

Just hit a few reps every time you walk past the thing.  Do something every day. If you want heavy weights, go to the Y a couple times per week.

Ill post a couple a programs later. Def good for ADD, patience with crazy kids and clients and being able to rip faces off if necessary.

[dealraker]

1 hour ago, Gregmal said:

Ugh my dudes I envy you guys. Maybe it’s my adhd or whatever but I’ve just never been able to lift consistently. Shit my hockey coach always used to threaten to bench me cuz I’d just skip practice on days we did weights. I’d rather swim or skate for hours than lift for 25 minutes.
 

Any recommendations on setups or stuff you can buy/do at home? Gyms are another ugh for me. Once upon a time I wasted like $170 a month on Lifetime Fitness which was an amazing place but ultimately one I got bored with and never went.

Same mental state here.  But I bought some home gym machines 20 years ago (I'm 68) and put them in the basement.  We use them regularly and with age I easily see why strength training is huge as to staying capable to live vibrantly and independently.  So down I go...not smiling but with all kinds of audio, video, etc. to do a 30 minute thing that makes a huge difference.  

[Xerxes]

Was doing crossfit before Covid. Stopped. 

That said, I do run/trail run minimum 40-50 km per week. Minimum 10 km going up/down on a local mountain per week. Small mountain but still, every week. 
 

bicycle a lot in summer. Did 450 km in Sicily over 7 days with +800 m elevation every day. Had 35-38 degree temperature first 3 days. 
 

I am seriously looking at Cotopaxi, the king of the volcanoes, and stuff like that. The highest I have been in 5,100 meters and need to push further. 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Xerxes

[Castanza]

1 hour ago, Gregmal said:

Ugh my dudes I envy you guys. Maybe it’s my adhd or whatever but I’ve just never been able to lift consistently. Shit my hockey coach always used to threaten to bench me cuz I’d just skip practice on days we did weights. I’d rather swim or skate for hours than lift for 25 minutes.
 

Any recommendations on setups or stuff you can buy/do at home? Gyms are another ugh for me. Once upon a time I wasted like $170 a month on Lifetime Fitness which was an amazing place but ultimately one I got bored with and never went.

 

Biggest thing is mindset. Most people get bored with typical body building type stuff (can't blame them). What Cubs is doing is a good program but if you want something more variable, try implementing some dynamic stuff in a circuit with no rest between. Most people won't get results doing simple body building type stuff (standing in front of a mirror doing bicep curls). Do something that gets your adrenaline pumping, makes you sweat your balls off and your lungs feel like they're on fire. Mix it up and keep it fresh. The other day it was raining and 52 degrees so I decided to go trail running instead. Came back soaking wet, muddy and freezing my ass off. Wife told me I was F&*%ing crazy. Felt great. I am by no means a Gym Rat and have no desire to spend hours there every day, evening or weekend. I want to get in, get it done, and get out. 

 

Embrace the suck.

 

Example (doable with an hour lunch break). 

 

Tue & Thur

 

Warmup

100 Assault Bike (quick pace but not exhausting)

 

Muscle Endurance (no rest between)

 

A) (3-5 sets)

Kettle Bell Swings (60lbs) x 10

Dumbell Squats (80lbs) x 10

Burpees x 10

Dips x 15

Pull-ups x 10

 

B) 

Incline Situps (45lb) x 25 (4 sets)

Flutter kicks 30 sec x 5

Plank 60 seconds x 5

Jump Rope 10min (1x at end)

 

Strength

A) (2-5 sets)

Bench (225) x 5

Clean and Snatches (135lb) x 5

Deadlift (275) x 5 

Split Squat (135) x 5

 

B) (2-5 sets)

Bench (85 %max) x 1

Dead (85% max) x 2

Squat (85% max) x 2

 

 

Cardio (mix up as you please)

M - 5 mile road running (8:30 pace fastest)

W - 1 mile flat ground running (As fast as you can)

F - Trail run 3-5 mile (9:30 pace)

Sometimes I just walk for an hour at a 19min pace

 

Sat/Sun

rest

 

Over the last few years I've learned I really like to be regimented/consistent (within reason) and I'm happier when I am. So I eat the same exact thing for breakfast and lunch every day M-F. Most people go overboard on supplements and protein powder. Shit will make you fat if you really aren't exerting yourself. Just eat good whole foods imo. 

 

Breakfast

6 - whole eggs with mushrooms

1 Slice Ezekiel toast (with real butter)

1 glass OJ

2 Cup Coffee

Omega 3 vitamin 

Multi vitamin

 

 

Lunch (post workout)

Two Cucumbers

1 Cup cherry tomatoes

2 Hot Italian Sausage Links 

3/4 cup Crumbled Feta 

Chick Fil-A Sauce (don't knock it till you try it)

 

Dinner

Whatever

 

[Cod Liver Oil]

I also play very informal family soccer (kids and parents) on Sunday mornings. Its fun to run around like nuts with your kids for an hour or so. If anyone lives near Morristown, NJ and wants to play, lmk.

[tede02]

5 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

 

 

@cubsfan I am just ahead of you at 69. I work out every day at least one hour. Not nearly as heavily into weight-lifting as you but that is part of my program. I also feel I am stronger than I was in my 20s and easily feel 25 years younger than I imagine most 69 year olds feel. A couple of week ago a student had questions after class so we came up to my office on the third floor. She is on the women's soccer team and is actually one of the better players. She made a comment about climbing the stairs to the third floor. I bound up those stairs.

 

I love this attitude! You're 30 years ahead of me but I keep telling my wife that one of my biggest goals in life is to stay in shape so I can do most of the same things I'm doing in my my 30s when I'm in my 60s and 70s. Virtually all my clients are baby boomers or the silent generation. It sucks to see some of them let themselves go to an extreme degree. I also have a handful of relatives in their 70s that act like they are 90 years old because they sit and watch TV all day. NO WAY! There's so much stuff I want to do in life especially once I'm not so anchored down by my little kids. Gotta stay healthy. 

[tede02]

Although I'm in finance, I love doing physical work. Building stuff, cutting wood, carpentry, tractor work, etc. I get a huge sense of satisfaction from this kind of work. 

[DooDiligence]

Music, specifically keyboards. Progress is glacially slow but I've been taking lessons from a jazzy / funky keyboardist and love this kind of music. I have 5 songs that I've written which are designed to be performed solo, using a looper pedal. I'm inching closer to doing some open mics. The biggest impediment is that I use 3 different boards on 2 stands and porting all my gear is a chore. It's a mental impediment, of which I have a few. I've been going to open mics to view setups and meet other musicians and have met quite a few talented and like minded individuals. I hope to wow a few of them and start playing together. I envision a Becker Fagen type of arrangement where we write material with certain additional ad hoc musicians in mind.

 

I've also been experimenting with video, specifically, stop motion video and intend on producing short clips to go along with recordings.

 

I get through with my AA next Summer. We're nearing the end of this semester (Descriptive Astronomy is taking more time than I expected) & (Spanish requires damn near zero study). Next semester I'm signed up for Contemporary Literature and Spanish II. After that, I'll be able to devote a lot a lot more time to pulling together musical projects.

 

Playing music puts me in the flow.

[cubsfan]

5 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Ugh my dudes I envy you guys. Maybe it’s my adhd or whatever but I’ve just never been able to lift consistently. Shit my hockey coach always used to threaten to bench me cuz I’d just skip practice on days we did weights. I’d rather swim or skate for hours than lift for 25 minutes.
 

Any recommendations on setups or stuff you can buy/do at home? Gyms are another ugh for me. Once upon a time I wasted like $170 a month on Lifetime Fitness which was an amazing place but ultimately one I got bored with and never went.

 

@Gregmal - just for you buddy.

 

Keep it real simple. Here is what I did during COVID when the gyms were closed.

 

I bought a 45 lb bar (Ohio Power Bar), but they are all pretty standard. I picked up weights 

here and there on FB market place.  Got 300-400lbs of weight plates. Bought some horse stall

mats for my garage floor (protect the concrete from heavy weights).  

Bought a couple yoga mats to stretch.

 

Keep it simple & just Deadlift.  Why? The deadlift is the easiest compound exercise to learn

and you can build MASSIVE strength with it. If you learn to deadlift - you can forget about

12 exercises on the machines in Planet Fitness.  All with one exercise.  Done.

Just do this 1 exercise for 3 months. Period.

 

The deadlift uses ALL your body's muscles except your neck and your head. So gluts, quads, 

hamstrings, calfs, abdomen, shoulders, arms, chest, and the entire back. The deadlift will

trash you completely.  It will correct bad posture by building a large strong back. It will build

massive strength in your abs (much more than sit-ups). It will tighten your gluts where your

pants fit better. If you have any back pain - expect it to disappear in about 3 weeks. Gone. Poof.

 

Here would be a suggested starting point:

 

Start with 65 lbs - 45lb bar & 2 10 lb weights. Do a set of 5. If it's easy, add 5 lbs and go to 75.

Do a set of 5. Easy? Add another 5 lbs. Keep repeating. Most dudes will get to 85 or 95 first time.

Now when it seems "heavy" - great!  That is your "Workout Weight". Your starting point.

 

Say it's 95 lbs - do a 1 or 2 sets of 5 Reps - every other day. Keep going up 5lbs a workout if 

you can. Don't miss workouts. If you do, then don't add weight. The core of each workout

is 5 or 10 Reps at your "working weight" - the rest are warmup lifts to get to the working set.

 

I started at 65 lbs about 4 years ago. This process works. Focus totally on PERFECT form as

@Blugolds11  suggested. That will insure you avoid injuries and you'll keep moving up.

 

This is a 30 minute workout - 3X per week. Always stretch & warm up slowly up to your working

weight. Your goal is to add 5lbs per workout. At some time, you'll move to 5lbs per week.

Eventually, it might be 5lbs per month. This process can go on for a couple years.

 

In 60 to 90 days (if you don't miss workouts) - you will be amazed at the strength gains.

In 6 months, you will feel like a new man. Guaranteed.

 

 

[maxthetrade]

4 hours ago, tede02 said:

Although I'm in finance, I love doing physical work. Building stuff, cutting wood, carpentry, tractor work, etc. I get a huge sense of satisfaction from this kind of work. 

 

I agree! It's very satisfying to build something with your hands. A couple of years ago I designed, built and tested a few telescopes, it was very rewarding to see images taken with these instruments that captured light millions and in some cases billions of years old!

Today one of my hobbies is cooking, I enjoy to be able to produce something that is as good if not better than what I had in the very best restaurants of the world. And you can enjoy a bottle of excellent wine and  don't have to drive after dinner;-)

[vakilkp]

Appreciate the comments from cubsfan, bluegold on lifting/exercising.  It is inspirational.  Another to add - incorporate meditation and/or breathing along with yoga.  Exercise your brain and maintain flexibility.  I am not in the 50s but in much better shape now -- I do P90x, Insanity, weightlifting, cardio, 15 minutes of meditation and 2 days of yoga.  These activities along with time with family/friends and reading round out my top three.  Hoping I am not a couch potato in my 70s.

[Gregmal]

Good stuff, thanks guys. 

[Libs]

Playing drums in a band. I decided to form my own cover band in late 2019, because in every prior band, I had no say in the music. Either it was an existing band that had their songs already, or a new band where the singer called the shots. So I laid down the founding principles of the band in a Craig's list ad, and started auditions. The band was set by early 2020. It's worked out better than I could have hoped. We're a true democracy in action. We've got 50 songs everyone likes (or at least can live with) and we've been gigging for two years. 

 

Lately I've noticed real improvement in my playing. I'm able to listen and respond to other band members as we play, instead of 100% focusing on what I was doing. Almost an out-of-body experience.  That's what good players do, of course, but I'm a mid-level player (in a mid-level band).

 

And of course, half the fun is the camaraderie developed during rehearsals & gigs. And the endless discussions (and arguments) about our favorite bands and songs. 

 

Every once in a while, I'll count in a song just right, the mix and the instruments will be perfect, and we'll nail it from start to finish....and if it's a song that ripped my guts out in my youth, I'll almost get high from the emotion of it. We've re-created that feeling from when I first heard it at 17. Magical. 

[cubsfan]

1 hour ago, Gregmal said:

Good stuff, thanks guys. 

 

Here's your new home gym set-up with the 1 exercise that does it all:

 

 

 

[Blugolds]

9 hours ago, Gregmal said:

Ugh my dudes I envy you guys. Maybe it’s my adhd or whatever but I’ve just never been able to lift consistently. Shit my hockey coach always used to threaten to bench me cuz I’d just skip practice on days we did weights. I’d rather swim or skate for hours than lift for 25 minutes.
 

Any recommendations on setups or stuff you can buy/do at home? Gyms are another ugh for me. Once upon a time I wasted like $170 a month on Lifetime Fitness which was an amazing place but ultimately one I got bored with and never went.

 

My advice to you regarding lifting consistently can relate to investing...not individual stocks, but overall portfolio..

 

You will have good days and bad days in the gym, sickness, just not feeling it etc and maybe you dont hit your numbers but you went...the markets swing up and down daily and it doesnt really matter...the important thing is that hopefully your balance at the end of a year is higher than the start of the year...the same with the gym, after 6mo-1 yr you really see the difference. 

 

This means that it has to be managed...it has to be measured. Use an actual routine, find your starting numbers for the lifts you want to do and then add to them weekly, even if just 5lbs...track those numbers (I used to actually track body weight, weight/lifts in Excel monthly)when you SEE results its a motivator. Additionally it gives you a purpose when in the gym or working out at home. When I was in the gym all the time I had my workout printed weekly and brought it to the gym every day, each set was literally checked off with a pen, it gave me a "job" to complete. The majority of people in commercial gyms are just wondering aimlessly, machine to machine, trying different things...they're spinning their wheels, no idea where they are or where they are going. Its the equivalent of buying a stock just because you heard about it at the water cooler or on CNBC but never looking at the financials of the company or doing DD/DCA etc. Set goals (ie. Bench 200, Squat 300, Dead 400, Press 100 for total 1k lbs) then determine where you are starting at and when you watch those numbers start to rise and the graph line in Excel goes from bottom left to top right you wont be bored. 

 

Really it just comes down to what you wanna do..if you want to be active and build muscle you dont even need machine/setups/equipment...look at prisoners, situps, pushups, dips etc. Many have access to free weights, but the majority of their time is in the cell working out with body weight or improvised extra low weight/resistance. 

 

Without goals and measurable progress anything is boring, you dont even know if what you are doing is working. Pick random stocks that continually go down and see how enthusiastic anyone is about investing...do your DD, place your bets, watch your port grow and compare it to the SP500 to see that you are consistently beating it and that is motivation to continue, not boring at all. You want your workout time to be like the morning of an earnings release for a company you hold and know is gonna blow it out of the water. 

 

Also, if you are swimming or skating regularly, maybe stick (pun intended) with that, nothing wrong with that either...havent seen an unhealthy speed skater or competitive swimmer that I recall ever. Important thing is to find something that you enjoy and WORKS and just do it, and be consistent.....much like.....investing..

[cubsfan]

22 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

I echo @cubsfan about weight training and maintaining or building muscle more important the older you get. When you get injured, the repair materials come from existing muscle. That is why breaking a hip is often the kiss of death for the elderly, because they haven't maintained any muscle mass.

 

This loss of muscle mass with age is viewed as a disease, sacropenia, that can be prevented, or at least greatly delayed.

 

This notion expressed by @boilermaker75 is so important. Aging can be held off for a long, long

time with weight training and a reasonable diet. Everything gets easier. 7 years ago or so, I was a

physical POS - and was having trouble with stairs. I couldn't believe it. Loss of muscle mass

was the cause. Today, everything is different. I even contracted COVID in February and did not even realize it. About 2 months later, I noticed my sense of smell was gone (still is). Muscle mass 

definitely helps you deal with illness - as you have significant reserves to draw upon.

 

[cubsfan]

This is especially for you young guys.

 

Skinny & weak young man, 135Lbs, 5' 10".... 5 months later 180LBs and strong.

 

This shit works.

 

 

[Cod Liver Oil]

I have developed a workout toolbox. BTW, working out with a bro if possible is fun.

One day per week, nickles and dimes (see below). Bodyweight stuff

One day: deadlifts (heavy weights, 5 by 5)

One day: sprint on track or run hills

One day: Volume (light weights, sets of 20)

One day: chop wood or play a sport

One day: long walk

One day: do nothing, eat a lot of carbs, nap

 

 

[Paarslaars]

90min seems long though, I typically do about 40-45min for a starting strength routine.

I'm 34 though  

[Lazarus]

@cubsfan, no one is going to convince you otherwise. But SS is a beginner program for young people. Weightlifting can and should be done by older people, but you've drunk the SS cool aid. I have Rippetoe's book and videos, I've done the program, I even have some of his intermediate books. He's awesome. But any sort of 5x5 program (and yes, I know that Rippetoe's is actually a 3x5 program) going three times a week is way too tough for a 68 year old guy. Even Rippetoe says that you need to eat like a pig to recover, he recommends GOMAD. A program like Pavel's Power to the People is much better for older people.

 

I like fitness. I still do squats and I can still dunk a basketball even though I'm in my 50s. But yoga is the only exercise that actually makes my body feel better.

[cubsfan]

^^^ Hey man. Believe what you like - seriously. This thread is about ideas & suggestions.

And it's not about drinking the kool-aid...I'm doing the program.

 

I'm 2.5 yrs into SS - and it's quite amazing in terms of results. There is nothing exceptional

about me - I can tell you that. The process works quite well and the time commitment is

very reasonable. The key is to learn to do the lifts properly. It's well set up for older demographics

who are properly instructed.  It's very easy to measure progress.

 

Of all the training stuff I've done as I have aged (above 40,  lets say) - this one has been

far and away the most valuable. My experience of doing 30 different gym machines,

that don't make you strong - was better than nothing - but never got the job done.

Crossfit was really fun too, but your strength peaks very quickly.

 

But here - if you take the time to learn 4 lifts - you use your time efficiently and get much stronger

very quickly for a long time. I figure I have 2 more years before I peak.

 

 

[james22]

8 hours ago, Lazarus said:

SS is a beginner program for young people.

 

The program changes with age.

 

 

[dealraker]

8 hours ago, Lazarus said:

@cubsfan, no one is going to convince you otherwise. But SS is a beginner program for young people. Weightlifting can and should be done by older people, but you've drunk the SS cool aid. I have Rippetoe's book and videos, I've done the program, I even have some of his intermediate books. He's awesome. But any sort of 5x5 program (and yes, I know that Rippetoe's is actually a 3x5 program) going three times a week is way too tough for a 68 year old guy. Even Rippetoe says that you need to eat like a pig to recover, he recommends GOMAD. A program like Pavel's Power to the People is much better for older people.

 

I like fitness. I still do squats and I can still dunk a basketball even though I'm in my 50s. But yoga is the only exercise that actually makes my body feel better.

Oh yea...cubs is going to "modify" his thoughts (posts!) and actions!  LOL.   Enjoy him as is maybe?  He's obviously got some special ability to handle his routine.

 

I worked building hiking and biking trail for 10 hours one day (at age 66) then rode the mountain bike hard with the younger bunch the next day.  Ended up at the hospital with a right leg swollen such that it looked elephant-like.  I think it was called myositis, the blowing up of muscle fibers, and my emergency room doctor says, "Dude...you know this can be fatal don't you?"  She says, "What days do you take off?"  My wife howled with laughter when she heard that.

 

I've learned to modify...but only because I'm forced to do so!  LOL.  

 

[cubsfan]

^^^ Bingo James!