Some Workout tips

I wanted to start a thread as a place to get some good workout tips as
well as share your own. I am a martial artist, and have alot of
experience being in tip top shape. I personally prefer bodyweight
exercises as they build good functional strength, good for all sorts
of things. I think a good workout comes from dedication. For all you
guys out there that are new to working out I cant stress it anough.
Stay with your work out, if you need ideas look at my blog (http://
workin-out.blogspot.com/). There is alot of quality info in there, and
my personal work out schedule. Being in shape is hard work, but the
rewards are for greater than the amount of work you have to put in!

"TheHeartOfAHero" wrote in message
ups.com...
I wanted to start a thread as a place to get some good workout tips as
well as share your own.

Up until this morning, my "exercise" has basically been meandering strolls
taken four or five days a week. Walking is good, yah? And I have been
walking far enough/fast enough/long enough to raise my pulse rate and so
forth. Not power-walks, though, by any means.

Anyway, today I started the "Hackers Diet" work-out routine, Rung 1 --
beginner level, simple calisthenics. I was shocked at how hard it was for me
to do these simple exercises. For the toe touches, I could barely get my
hands down below my knees. On the sit-ups, It was difficult to lift my head
up high enough to see my feet! The beginning portion of the routine calls
for two (yes, 2) girl push-ups, and... don't even ask. I knew I was out of
shape, but I really didn't know that things had gotten this bad.

I've committed myself to adding some form of aerobic exercise to my morning
routine because the evening strolls can be somewhat sporadic. Next month, or
maybe later this month, I'll probably buy some weight lifting equipment and
start lifting three-to-four nights a week.

So, as far as tips are concerned, here are mine: 1) It doesn't matter where
you start or how well you do over the first short period of time. The
important thing is to start and to keep with it -- things gets better over
time. 2) A clipboard is probably the most important piece of exercise
equipement there is. Writing down what you plan to do gets you motivated;
keeping track of what you've accomplished keeps you motivated and keeps you
on-track.

I am a martial artist, and have alot of

Sorry to mention it, but this is a real pet peeve of mine. A lot, as in "I
see a lot of cute girls at the beach", is two words, not one. There's no
such word as alot.

Regarding your tips, do you have a video or some such thing that you would
recommend with an aerobic-type kata that I could learn? Looking towards the
future, I might want to shake-up my morning routine with an occasional
change. Also, what do you think of Tai Chi as a regular exercise?

if you need ideas look at my blog (http://
workin-out.blogspot.com/).

It was nice to peek at your blog and see that it wasn't another
penny-a-click ad site. Nice blog. Welcome aboard.

em wrote:

"TheHeartOfAHero" wrote in message
ups.com...
I wanted to start a thread as a place to get some good workout tips as
well as share your own.

Up until this morning, my "exercise" has basically been meandering
strolls taken four or five days a week. Walking is good, yah? And I have
been walking far enough/fast enough/long enough to raise my pulse rate
and so forth. Not power-walks, though, by any means.

Anyway, today I started the "Hackers Diet" work-out routine, Rung 1 --
beginner level, simple calisthenics. I was shocked at how hard it was
for me to do these simple exercises. For the toe touches, I could barely
get my hands down below my knees. On the sit-ups, It was difficult to
lift my head up high enough to see my feet! The beginning portion of the
routine calls for two (yes, 2) girl push-ups, and... don't even ask. I
knew I was out of shape, but I really didn't know that things had gotten
this bad.

If you want a real shock, read the book "FrameWork."
The self-evaluation section is a real eye-opener.
It pops a lot of delusional bubbles people have about
how young they feel and/or how in shape they think
they are.

I've committed myself to adding some form of aerobic exercise to my
morning routine because the evening strolls can be somewhat sporadic.
Next month, or maybe later this month, I'll probably buy some weight
lifting equipment and start lifting three-to-four nights a week.

In general, men need to work more on flexibility/range
of motion, whereas women need to work more on developing
strength. Again, the FrameWork book (health and fitness
from an orthopedist perspective) is well worth a trip
to the library or the $8 including shipping to get a
used copy from Amazon.

So, as far as tips are concerned, here are mine: 1) It doesn't matter
where you start or how well you do over the first short period of time.
The important thing is to start and to keep with it -- things gets
better over time. 2) A clipboard is probably the most important piece of
exercise equipement there is. Writing down what you plan to do gets you
motivated; keeping track of what you've accomplished keeps you motivated
and keeps you on-track.

Those are good tips.

I personally think that thi chi is not great exercise, or a good
martial art altough it seems halfway decent when it comes to heart
heath for older people. I have met a few thi chi people but only one
young man that took it. He said that thi chi was very boring, has no
physical work to it. Most of the older people I knew that took thi chi
took it for the heart benefits, one of which had a heart bypass, and
could not do the full on arts. My thoughts on it are that thi chi is
not an effective self defense art but is more of a art for the mind
and cardiovascular strength as alot of the moves use deep breathing.

I dont know any good videos on kata that I can think of, you could try
checking on youtube for some ideas, but if you want a good way to
shake up your morning routine, try running around your house and
turning it into a obstacle course. It sound childish, and it kinda is
but it is a fun effective way to get a good workout. Find some stuff
to jump over, stairs to run up and down (in different ways try running
up fast only one step at a time and then slow two steps at a time) and
doing stuff like bear walks and what not. It gives a good work out
that is not boring, and builds good skills as well as making you
stronger.

On Jul 8, 4:16 pm, "em" wrote:

1) It doesn't matter where
you start or how well you do over the first short period of time. The
important thing is to start and to keep with it -- things gets better over
time.

This is absolutely the most important thing of all. I began
exercising because I had such severe knee issues that I could barely
walk, and I joined a gym in order to have an opportunity to do water
aerobics, which I'd been told might help my knee. At that point in my
life -- about 9 years ago -- I was seriously considering applying for
a handicapped driver permit so that I could park close to things. Now
-- at age 59 -- I run several times a week, climb mountains, swim,
lift weights, do yoga, have competitive weight lifting state masters'
records, etc. And I (a woman, btw), can do at least 10-15 "guy" push-
ups :-). (And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!

Chris
262/130s/130s

On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:45 -0700, Chris wrote:

(And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!


Dunno about that... every time I sit in the leg curl machine, after,
my hamstrings feel tight, and I just lean over and hang down for a
bit. Now that I've been doing that for a while, suddenly I can not
only touch my toes, I'm getting to where I might be able to do so with
my knuckles instead of my fingertips!

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

On Jul 12, 11:22 pm, Cynthia P wrote:
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:45 -0700, Chris wrote:
(And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!

Dunno about that... every time I sit in the leg curl machine, after,
my hamstrings feel tight, and I just lean over and hang down for a
bit. Now that I've been doing that for a while, suddenly I can not
only touch my toes, I'm getting to where I might be able to do so with
my knuckles instead of my fingertips!

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

Well, that's great. But it's the stretching that's doing that for
you, not the leg curls. Leg curls per se will tighten your
hamstrings. People differ a lot in how flexible their hamstrings
are. I know very obese people who can easily touch their toes, but it
has never in my life been easy for me, whether thin or fat. It has
taken the frequent stretching work that comes with yoga to get me
there. (Incidentally, I gather that men generally have tighter
hamstrings than women -- dunno why.)

Chris
262/130s/130s

Chris wrote:
On Jul 12, 11:22 pm, Cynthia P wrote:
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:45 -0700, Chris wrote:
(And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!
Dunno about that... every time I sit in the leg curl machine, after,
my hamstrings feel tight, and I just lean over and hang down for a
bit. Now that I've been doing that for a while, suddenly I can not
only touch my toes, I'm getting to where I might be able to do so with
my knuckles instead of my fingertips!

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

Well, that's great. But it's the stretching that's doing that for
you, not the leg curls. Leg curls per se will tighten your
hamstrings. People differ a lot in how flexible their hamstrings
are. I know very obese people who can easily touch their toes, but it
has never in my life been easy for me, whether thin or fat. It has
taken the frequent stretching work that comes with yoga to get me
there. (Incidentally, I gather that men generally have tighter
hamstrings than women -- dunno why.)

Chris
262/130s/130s

Many of the single joint (isolation) resistance training
exercises improve flexibility/range of motion if they are
worked through a full range of motion. Becoming "muscle
bound" and/or losing flexibility/range of motion due to
resistance training is a myth. Even multi-joint exercises
can improve flexibility in those who may be particularly
tight. Any exercise that causes a stretch will improve
flexibility over time.

If we're going to throw sweeping generalizations around,
tight hamstrings is most likely due to being sedentary
(sitting) and/or simply allowing it to happen.

I just started back doing squats and deadlifts as part
of my resistance training program. At first my hams
were tight (heels would lift and I would lean forward
and round my back at the bottom of the range of motion),
but in time they loosened up. The only specific
stretching I did was a little high heel work (hook a
heel on something at about hip height and lean forward
for 10 seconds or so and then do the other side) in
between sets. I attribute most of the increase in
ham flexibility to the implied demand of the squats
and deadlifts. And those two are definitely not single
joint exercises.

There's a lot to be said for the SAID (Specific Adaptation
to Implied Demands) principle.

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:20:35 -0700, Chris wrote:

On Jul 12, 11:22 pm, Cynthia P wrote:
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:45 -0700, Chris wrote:
(And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!

Dunno about that... every time I sit in the leg curl machine, after,
my hamstrings feel tight, and I just lean over and hang down for a
bit. Now that I've been doing that for a while, suddenly I can not
only touch my toes, I'm getting to where I might be able to do so with
my knuckles instead of my fingertips!

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

Well, that's great. But it's the stretching that's doing that for
you, not the leg curls. Leg curls per se will tighten your
hamstrings. People differ a lot in how flexible their hamstrings
are. I know very obese people who can easily touch their toes, but it
has never in my life been easy for me, whether thin or fat. It has
taken the frequent stretching work that comes with yoga to get me
there. (Incidentally, I gather that men generally have tighter
hamstrings than women -- dunno why.)


I suppose. But I wouldn't have been doing that stretching but for
doing the curls, LOL! They are what make me feel like I *need* a
stretch.

Yoga would probably be good for me, but I don't even think I've ever
seen a class in our town. I should check and see if there is anything
at the gym, I know they have had Pilates classes in the past.

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:07:26 -0800, Cynthia P
wrote:


Yoga would probably be good for me, but I don't even think I've ever
seen a class in our town. I should check and see if there is anything
at the gym, I know they have had Pilates classes in the past.

The first Hatha yoga classes I ever attended were through a community
college. You might try there. Unless your town is quite small, or
the people think "yoga equals the devil" you should find some help.
Ask around.

Rick