Lockdown Exercise thread

[3s-gtech]

Okay, just tried the 1 minute press-up challenge.

 

Had to do them conventionally for the sake of my weedy arms!

 

49 in one minute with decent form (chin to floor, then full extension). I find doing military form shifts everything to my triceps instead of chest.

[witch]

Not keen on the sort of crunches where you put your feet under something - cheating I reckon. Also if you are going to do lots of crunches you need to be very careful to do some back exercises - swimmers, superman, that sort of thing - or else you are at risk of back injury.

I did this yesterday:

90 minute workout to celebrate FitnessBlender's 6 million subcribers. They wouldnt normally do such a long workout - in fact they make a big point of saying that you really dont need very long workouts - but just once in a while it is a bit of fun. With a long HIIT portion, combat, strength training and abs, I am pretty knackered today and just might take the day off!

[3s-gtech]

With the feet held, it shifts some of the work to the quads but it can help to engage the lowest abdominal muscles. You can hit those with a sit-up though, if done properly.

 

A 90 minute workout sounds hard! My circuits and speed sessions are 30-45 minutes (gym/weights is closer to two hours, but most of that is recovery!)

[superatticman]

Standard sit ups like the ones I did are slowly but surely falling out of favour. Its not recommended to do 100's of them, not that that's ever going to be a problem for me mind. I think doing 'crunches' where you go from about 20 degrees to 40 degrees is actually a lot harder and safer?

[3s-gtech]

To me, a sit-up is from the floor to around 60 degrees. If you go right up to 90 (or beyond), you've just unloaded the muscles for half of the exercise. I guess the modern sit-up is somewhere between a crunch and the old-skool. Crunches where you barely lift the shoulders off the floor and just crane your head upwards are the worst though.

[CHiLL]

I've been on a couple of cycles this week, utilising Birmingham's new A38 cycle path. I have been critical of the expense and disruption caused by the council building this and the lack of cyclists in general in Birmingham. However it is a nice cycle path to use and has it's own traffic lights for crossing junctions, etc.

 

As well as the cycling, I'm still doing the daily PE with Joe Wicks exercises. It's tough going!

[witch]

With the feet held, it shifts some of the work to the quads but it can help to engage the lowest abdominal muscles. You can hit those with a sit-up though, if done properly.

 

A 90 minute workout sounds hard! My circuits and speed sessions are 30-45 minutes (gym/weights is closer to two hours, but most of that is recovery!)

 

It was pretty tough. Had yesterday off - today is going to be strength training- upper body

[superatticman]

I think my own challenge is not to hit higher numbers but to look at improving form throughout my routine. Very easy to fall into bad habits when you go out by yourself. Want to be able to extract as much return from the effort I'm putting in.

 

My usual routine usually involves:

 

*15 minute brisk walk to sports field

*45 minute brisk walk around this large field Split up though by:

*2 sets press ups (20-30 reps per set)

*2 sets squats, bum back, knees not passing toes. (30-35 reps per set)

*2 sets knee raises (60-70 reps per set)

* 1 3 minute 'round' shadow boxing soft targeting leaves and branches

* 2 sets torso twists (60-70 reps per set)

*1 set standard sit ups (40-50 reps)

*2 sets 'crunches' head meets knees (30-35 reps per set)

* 1 plank 60-90 seconds (hate these!)

* 2 sets barbell row with steel crossbar from goalpost. Harder than it sounds with wide handed grip and flexing bar! (20-25 reps per set)

* 2 sets shoulder press with above (15-20 reps per set)

* 25 min brisk alternative walk home including 10 minutes very steep gradient.

 

Effort I'd say is 'moderate' overall.

 

I like this workout because you can split up the above up and mix things up. I love being outside and I want to be able to enjoy my workout.

[CHiLL]

I've moved from doing the PE with Joe Wicks to his 7 days of sweat thing. Did the first one today and it was a step up, I'll say that much!

[mikeprice]

Have been doing about 14-15 miles on my bike most days recently

 

funny thing is that I did 1/2 mile more today than yesterday - based on tracking on Endomondo - but did exactly the same route????

 

must have gone round the corners closer to the kerb yesterday I guess

 

(Note - OK it is an ebike - but I am using lower assist setting more and more as the days go on - and did several miles today with the motor set to off!)

[3s-gtech]

We’re getting to the point where I’d start to notice a drop-off in strength and fitness if I’d backed off at all - seems to be going okay though. I have access to weights and some kit which helps.

 

Today’s circuit was a simple set of six - press ups and a variation, burpees and a variation, and sit-ups and variation. Six sets total.

[witch]

I had a look at Joe Wicks - I couldnt believe what I was seeing. Completely disorganised and his form doing push ups and planks was a sight to see (his bottom was so hign it was almost in a pike position). He also did NO back exercises to balance the core work

Not sure what everyone sees in him.

FitnessBlender (other sites are available) are so much better - you can choose what you want to do, your difficulty level, length of workout, the lot.

I am still doing a class a day - yesterday was a quick blast of HIIT and then a lower body weights killer

I am doing much longer walks with the dog too - up to 2 hours most days and I think that is helping

[3s-gtech]

That’s surprising, considering how influential he is. Thing is, I suspect anyone that is knowledgeable enough to know wouldn’t necessarily be doing his stuff to see that - they’d look to their own coaches or programmes.

[CHiLL]

I had a look at Joe Wicks - I couldnt believe what I was seeing. Completely disorganised and his form doing push ups and planks was a sight to see (his bottom was so hign it was almost in a pike position). He also did NO back exercises to balance the core work

Not sure what everyone sees in him.

FitnessBlender (other sites are available) are so much better - you can choose what you want to do, your difficulty level, length of workout, the lot.

I am still doing a class a day - yesterday was a quick blast of HIIT and then a lower body weights killer

I am doing much longer walks with the dog too - up to 2 hours most days and I think that is helping

Is that the live 'PE with Joe' videos, or his other ones too? I know in his live ones he's got a broken hand/wrist, so can't it properly. I found him to be too hyper/spontaneous in his live videos, which is understandable since they're aimed at kids, but I don't have kids and doing it on my own. I also noticed that as the days went on, his live viewing figures were just falling off a cliff as each day passed. I think that coupled with the fact he's also recording other fitness videos for his other series on the same day and tiring himself out...he's much less enthusiastic about the whole thing and sometimes he comes across as miserable or it's a chore/he's committed himself to do and doesn't enjoy it.

 

I've found his 7 days of sweat a much better challenge, though I may consider switching to something else.

[Mark182]

I've looked at the forum rules and think this is aloud. I am cycling 100 miles indoors for the NHS, if anyone would like to donate the link is here

[mrstrong]

We've been doing the joe wicks pe some days, my back ache is pretty bad at the moment, I'd put it down to poor chair at home

but maybe it's the wicks workout ?

Also he always does a 5min warm up but very little cool down, is this right, I thought the cool down / stretches after

was more inportant than the warm up? Might have a look at FitnessBlender and try some yoga / pilates, can you reccomend any

good resources?

[unixman_again]

Poor chairs are the worst thing for your back. I've got a Backapp at work. At home I use a Swiss Ball which is affordable. You can get one easily on Amazon. Van Damme has some good advice. There are 5 vids so far. Here is the first

 

[3s-gtech]

We've been doing the joe wicks pe some days, my back ache is pretty bad at the moment, I'd put it down to poor chair at home

but maybe it's the wicks workout ?

Also he always does a 5min warm up but very little cool down, is this right, I thought the cool down / stretches after

was more inportant than the warm up? Might have a look at FitnessBlender and try some yoga / pilates, can you reccomend any

good resources?

 

In my (fairly extensive) experience, cooling down is not as important. If you don’t warm up, it’s pretty easy to pull something/strain/explode a muscle. If you don’t warm down, you’ll be more sore and stiffer the next day, but this will fade when you next exercise (after warming up properly again!)

[3s-gtech]

It’s been business as usual in the interim - circuits on Mondays, weights Tuesdays, long sprints Wed, short sprint Fri, and the odd long run.

 

Today, my first ever 1000 rep circuit - 10 sets of 10 exercises, 10 reps.

 

Almost visited Chundertown by taking the vom train 🤢

[hardtailstar]

I've been running four times a week and doing body weight exercises each day.

 

Lost half a stone in last two months!

[witch]

Sticking to my 5 times a week exercise routine but have upped it a bit - I chose a 4 week plan that has "extra credit challenges" after each routine meaning that the completed thing takes up to around an hour. Also keeping up the long dog walks and have tried to make sure I go out for an extra walk with mrwITch every evening.

Definitely lost weight and gained muscle but I don't ever weigh myself so I have no idea of the numbers.

 

More difficult to fit it all in now I am back at work but I am going to try

[witch]

We've been doing the joe wicks pe some days, my back ache is pretty bad at the moment, I'd put it down to poor chair at home

but maybe it's the wicks workout ?

Also he always does a 5min warm up but very little cool down, is this right, I thought the cool down / stretches after

was more inportant than the warm up? Might have a look at FitnessBlender and try some yoga / pilates, can you reccomend any

good resources?

 

@mrstrong FitnessBlender do loads of yoga/pilates based routines and they also have stand-alone warm ups and cool downs.

Joe Wicks isnt great - his form isn't that good and he doesnt do complimentary back exercises to go with the stomach stuff

[mikeprice]

Dunno if I have said this before

 

but

 

so far I am managing to do a bike ride (OK ebike) every day unless it have been raining - which is pretty much every day at the moment

 

normally between 16 and 22 miles

 

result so far is that the 2 hills on the route used to be a strain - serious burning in my legas even though they are steep and short

now I just shoot up them with no trouble

 

long hill leading up to a local village also used to be a strain - breathing hard and needing to shift down gear by the time I got to the village - now I am still breathing heavily but stay in 4th (unless there is a headwind)

 

and the long flat bits I can now do mostly over the motor cutoff speed (15.5. mph)

 

 

so I seem to be getting fitter

 

no idea if I have lost any weight - but actually I don't care

 

anyway - if I get this virus then the better I can breath the better - considering I have asthma and all

 

and I have always found breathing to be a handy trick - never realised how useful until I got asthma!!

[CHiLL]

I completely fell off the fitness wagon a few weeks ago. Trying to get back into it, but my motivation to do it has completely gone.

[3s-gtech]

The best way to restart is to identify the parts you like the most, start with those, and build your routines around that. It can be as simple as “I like seeing the views when going walking”, so you build some routes around that. It could be “I take satisfaction from feeling fitter”, so you build progression into whatever you do.

 

For me, my motivation has pretty much been entirely social since I left uni. I like seeing and training with my friends. I keep fit and train hard so that I can compete and socialise. I also get a huge buzz of satisfaction when I complete a hard session - which is only surpassed for me by coaching and seeing that athlete succeed.

 

Find what you like about exercise. The answer can’t be ‘nothing’, as you know that’s a recipe for poor health, low quality of life and a cycle of poor diet and inactivity.

 

Go for a walk/cycle/run/etc, today if you can, and enjoy moving.