Martial Arts, fitness, etc...

[digitalsolo]

So, off topic from my normal nerd-centric discussions...

2.5 years ago, I was 250+ lbs and pretty lethargic.  I decided to get in shape and started doing the elliptical/eating better.   Quit drinking juice and eating at restaurants 5 days a week at work.    At the end of the first year I lost about 35 lbs and decided to take up running.    Last October I started doing ATA Taekwando with my son.

As of this year, I've quit drinking any type of soda (I used to drink a lot of energy drinks) so I'm down to only drinking tea/water/Gatorade, and at this point I'm down about 70 lbs (I bounce around 182-188 lbs) and work out about 5-6 days a week.   I have run a couple 5ks (last year I ran a 30 minute in my first ever "run more than a mile", this year I've run a 24:56 and am trying to get under 23 minutes by next spring) and I'm starting to work on getting actual muscle tone.

Curious what everyone else does for fitness, etc.    I'm not aiming to get ripped, just trying to perpetually improve my current conditioning, particularly as I'm working toward my black belt, which has some fairly stout fitness requirements.

[MPbdy]

Crossfit gets slammed a lot, but I really don't know if there is much better out there for overall conditioning and athleticism.  It isn't anything new...it is just branded, and a little cult-ey depending on your gym.

A lot of them will run a 6 week challenge where they'll give you a target weight loss, body fat % loss, or potentially lean muscle gain and if you meet the goal your 6 weeks are free, or you can roll that 6 week deposit into a discounted membership.

Form is king over speed and weight, or you will hurt yourself.

I liked it because the workouts are prescribed each day which means you need zero knowledge of workout programming.  Everyone does the same thing.  The workouts only last 20-30 minutes usually, and you're in and out in less than an hour including changing and getting a warm-up in.

If you're already mindful of your nutrition, crossfit will turn you into an absolute machine.

[scuter83]

I go to the gym 3 days a week.  We just got an erg at home for the summer from my fiance's kids high school.  That is a hard workout to beat since it is muscles and cardio.

[wickedrx7]

 Of corse the first response is someone talking about CrossFit.  it is a good workout though, my biggest problem is the cost...

Are you a bike fan? Mountain biking is an awesome cardio workout and also gives a similar rush to driving cars fast. When you put together a good set of corners with a fast downhill and killer climb, it really gets your adrenaline going.  There are some decent trails near you, I usually try to bring my bike and ride when I’m in the area.

[MPbdy]

Of corse the first response is someone talking about CrossFit.  it is a good workout though, my biggest problem is the cost...

Are you a bike fan? Mountain biking is an awesome cardio workout and also gives a similar rush to driving cars fast. When you put together a good set of corners with a fast downhill and killer climb, it really gets your adrenaline going.  There are some decent trails near you, I usually try to bring my bike and ride when I’m in the area.

LOL I don't even do it anymore and I still talk about it.  What a mess haha.  It was indeed very expensive, but for the first 7 months it was bearable when factoring the 6 week promo.  I feel like it would really mix well with something like martial arts though since it addresses overall conditioning and flexibility.  The fitness test requiring a fuckton of bodyweight exercises is a good match.  I got much better at pushups, pullups etc during the time I did it.

[Venom13132]

i like to do workout videos like Insanity and the lot because I don't need any equipment and can do it in my house with little prep.  I have fallen off the wagon a bit since I got married but I used to be pretty big into triathlon   I went from running my first 5k to finishing my first full Ironman in 33 months.  That is a little aggressive.   

I want to get back into triathlon but will likely stick to sprint and Olympic distances with the occasional half distance ironman.  Doing a full just takes up way to much time for training.

I do like running and need to get back into it.   I like workouts that I don't have to drive anywhere to do and get the most benefit from least amount of time.

[digitalsolo]

I don't think I'd have time to do crossfit well with my schedule;   I'm in Taekwando class about 3-4 hours a week, (3-4 nights, with 1-2 classes a night) so getting to another location would probably eat up the rest of my family time.   That and Taekwando is already, uh, not super cheap, haha.  It's a hell of a workout though (I've never done anything as exhausting as sparring, save maybe a rowing machine).   I do need to look at some other stuff to get the overall conditioning better though, so maybe some of the techniques they use I could apply at home?

I am a bike fan, and that might be something I can setup on weekends;  I have a full suspension ANCIENT K2 that I refit a while ago for a 1x9 with disc brakes.   I was a long time road bike guy back in the day (40 miles a day was not an uncommon thing for me in high school/college), so I'm not very skilled at proper MTB stuff, but I should probably get into it a bit, if only for cycling being less cruel to my busted-ass knees.

[digitalsolo]

i like to do workout videos like Insanity and the lot because I don't need any equipment and can do it in my house with little prep.  I have fallen off the wagon a bit since I got married but I used to be pretty big into triathlon   I went from running my first 5k to finishing my first full Ironman in 33 months.  That is a little aggressive.   

I want to get back into triathlon but will likely stick to sprint and Olympic distances with the occasional half distance ironman.  Doing a full just takes up way to much time for training.

I do like running and need to get back into it.   I like workouts that I don't have to drive anywhere to do and get the most benefit from least amount of time.

Yeah, that's a lot like me.  I want max benefit in minimum time.   No problem with putting in MAX effort, just trying not to spend another 10 hours a week on it (on top of what I already do with running/martial arts).

I don't really like running, which is funny because I run 8-12 miles a week, haha.   I do like beating my records, so it's just competition for me.  I do love the martial arts stuff;  there's a ton of satisfaction in seeing the benefits and while I had good balance before (I used to speed skate competitively and still downhill ski, which are pretty balance-centric) it's amazing to be able to jump kick, land on one foot, do kicks in 3 directions and still be stable.   Really neat stuff and the focus and such of it is great as well.    I do want to look at doing a "sprint" sometime, as I think I can handle that (at least finishing it not in last place) at my current fitness level.   I'm an "okay" swimmer, I do laps at my in-laws lake to practice open-water a bit, but I'm mostly "good enough to not drown" vs. fast, LOL.

[wickedrx7]

Totally agree that Crossfit is one of the best total body workouts.

[MPbdy]

Any type of high intensity workout will get you what you’re looking for. Definitely can do it at home!

[Exidous]

I'm a big fan of swimming but it's kind of a pain unless you have a pool nearby.

[paul_3rdgen]

I actually just got back into the gym this March.  It’s amazing how much better I feel!  I quit 4 years ago, just before my son was born...... big mistake, my old back injury became a big issue again as the rest of my muscles became weak. 
   Now that I’m back at it and doing 3 days a week of weight training and 45mins of swimming, I’m feeling a lot better.  I can’t really do cross fit or other intense classes due to my disc between l4 and l5 being screwed up..... plus I like doing my own thing.   My weight training is pretty intense because I take little to no breaks, and do more then most people within my hour there.  My goal is to stop my back from hurting and to be able to play with my kids without worry!  So far I’m pretty close to reaching that, just gotta maintain it. 


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[Cobranut]

Man, I'm jealous of you guys.
I'd love to lose 30 pounds and get back into better shape, but I'm not the type who enjoys exercise.
I don't mind being active if I have something physical to do, but I lack motivation for doing the physical stuff for it's own sake. 

What's your secret for making it fun, or at least bearable??? 

[wickedrx7]

Man, I'm jealous of you guys.
I'd love to lose 30 pounds and get back into better shape, but I'm not the type who enjoys exercise.
I don't mind being active if I have something physical to do, but I lack motivation for doing the physical stuff for it's own sake. 

What's your secret for making it fun, or at least bearable??? 

Find something enjoyable that raises your heart rate. Martial arts, boxing, basketball, biking ect.  I hate the gym and only go in the winter and really dislike it. In the summer, I bike or run almost every day just cause I love being outside. All activity is hard at first but once you start seeing improvements, it can keep you going.

[digitalsolo]

Man, I'm jealous of you guys.
I'd love to lose 30 pounds and get back into better shape, but I'm not the type who enjoys exercise.
I don't mind being active if I have something physical to do, but I lack motivation for doing the physical stuff for it's own sake. 

What's your secret for making it fun, or at least bearable??? 

I don't find running/elliptical fun, at all really.   I set a target and then try to beat it, but I'm a target driven guy, so it works for me.     The martial arts I really like though, it's a ton of fun and I don't notice that I'm working my butt off until I'm already covered in sweat.    I loved skating as well (I was a rink rat though, so I was always on floors not the street) and that was a great workout too.

In short, find something that you actually like that happens to be physical and go from there.