Quote: (10-03-2014 05:46 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:
about "do i even lift"
I think it's an important point , I agree that lifting weights seems by far the most efficient way to (temporarily) reverse my physical decline when I do it.
I still love cardio. I used to do huge amounts of cardio, especially bicycling which is not just cardio but a wonderful way to experience nature and adventure.
I do NOT share the strange disdain for cardio exercise that many lifters do-- I see it as just about the only way to lower your resting heart rate.
But one of the things that happened to me is that as I worked hard to save up money, is I was far to tired because of my age to exercise in my 50s for months at a time, during those times I really porked up and stiffened up.
Alcohol makes all that worse but when I was working in a maximum security prison I had a trouble surviving psychologically.
Denial is great, but we all disappear completely and forever.
So make the most of your time. Every day at a job you don't like, every day hungover, is gone and not coming back.
The thing is why NOT engage in denial? It's not like you'll get points after you're dead for being honest with yourself.
IKE:
I am NOT trying to be judgmental because in reality it seems that you have about 10 years on me, so it would be a little bit difficult for me to talk specifically about your situation because I have NOT experienced my 50s yet.. but I have experienced decline in energy and more difficulties keeping on muscle mass, etc..
I believe that my recent experiences of the past few years and my relationship to exercise can lend some comparison points... and in reality I force myself to exercise... I shoot for 5-6 days a week of exercise, but sometimes only am able to accomplish 3 days a week.
Frequently, I view exercise as a big ass waste of time and I do NOT want to do it, but mentally, I force myself into such a routine.. even though I continue to say that I hate it and even though I continue to say that this is way too much work and way too exhausting of an activity.. but I continue to force myself into it. One caveat is that I have engaged in a lot of salsa social dancing as a substitute, which is probably NOT the greatest kind of exercise - but it brings a social element that makes me feel a bit better psychologically, but even if I am salsa dancing a lot of times in a week, I still consider that a couple of times in that week, I need to accomplish other exercises that include resistance training.
I have exercised and stayed active for a large majority of my adult life (but I had some episodes of inactivity and even times during my late 30s and early 40s that I was ONLY engaged in salsa dancing - which was NOT really good for my physique nor my physical prowess or stamina - in part due to problems with my diet and sleep, too).
In any event, I have had extended periods of my life focused on cardio work outs and jogging - even up until recently, but the fact of the matter is that the cardio has a tendency to wear a guy out, and does NOT really contribute very well to other beneficial aspects that men need to continue to build upon - that is the maintenance and building of muscle mass (which seems to erode with aging and also seems to be related to testosterone production).
I believe that even you recognize aspects of the benefits of resistance training with your post that seems to concede about the benefits of resistance training.
If you can figure out a way to combine or even to cut back on the cardio and substitute resistance training for your cardio, you will likely see positive results over time.. Maybe it will take several months or even a year, but you will likely see it and then feel it? I personally have been reading about this as well and that one of the challenges for aging (that i have experienced the beginning stages) is maintaining muscle mass.
Sometimes people will spend an hour or more in the gym, but think about spending only 20 to 40 minutes (getting in and getting out - fuck it about spending so much time in there). If you are NOT feeling great on any particular day, then just do your exercise and try to get the best out of it in 20 quality minutes, and if you are feeling good keep going for 40 minutes and get the fuck out.. .. Maybe you can extend this upside time to 60 minutes, but I tend to value getting many days rather than skipping days?
So within your workouts, you should focus on incrementally increasing the percentage of the time that you are engaged in resistance training rather than cardio.
Maybe you will always feel that you need to fit in some cardio, maybe 5 minutes to warm up, and then 10-30 minutes of resistance training and then 5 minutes to finish the work out. Also, if you get to working out on a regular basis, you may start to find that it is better to put the cardio portion of the workout at the end of the work out, rather than at the beginning. That way you have more energy for the resistance training.... When I first returned to the gym, a few years ago, I was so out of shape that I put cardio in the beginning and then I was worn out after the cardio; however, I built up some endurance, and I felt better just going straight to the resistance training and placing the cardio at the end of my work outs (10-15 minutes at the end).
Finally, if in the beginning of your getting back into a work out routine, you find the resistance training to be too much exertion because all of your muscles are going to feel atrophied and sore and NOT in shape, then convert the resistance training into a form of cardio with low weight and a lot of repetitions (20-30 repetitions). You can do 3 to 5 sets of whatever exercise you choose while rotating body parts (chest and triceps) (back and biceps) (shoulders and legs).
After you get used to lifting and your muscles are NOT so fucking sore for several days after each work-out, then you can work yourself up to higher weights and fewer repetitions (maybe some sets will only have 5-8 reps - so for example, after you get a little more used to the exercises, then you may start out a particular exercise with a set of 14 reps, then higher weight and 10 reps and then higher weight and 8 reps and then lower weight and 12 reps). I personally like to engage in a form of pyramid lifting to have high reps for the first sets and then work myself up to higher weights with my sets and then work my way back down to lower weights and higher reps.
Ultimately the advantages of working out in the form of including (and/or increasing) resistance training is to build your endurance and build your ability to carry your groceries up the stairs and build your ability to pick up a girl (maybe?) or to run after her, if needed, and ultimately living longer with fewer metabolic syndrome symptoms.
Diet and sleep is another important aspect of course.