Ok, I’ve been meaning to post some kind of fitness thread since grunching with some personal fitness and weight loss stuff in SenorKeed’s Potato Famine thread. SenorKeed's Fall Weight Loss Challenge - #478 by DodgerIrish
I’m not really one to do too much in the way of personal content, but I have some perspective and think this thread may be useful to some.
The overall purpose of this thread is to post some content about my efforts toward improved fitness and weight loss in a way that will hopefully be informative and, potentially, entertaining.
Where things stand as of Feb, 24, 2020: I’ve done about 60 1-hour workouts over the last 4 months and have lost about 30 lbs, from 320 to 290, and gained plenty of muscle. (I’m 6’2" and was a fomer offensive line, sup bro!). I’m in much better shape, physically, mentally, and medically than I was four months ago. I am stronger, sharper, better looking, and have more energy. I have lost four notches off my belt. I have gained more productivity each day than I spend working out and my quality of life has improved. This is after four months, but I had decent results after jsut one month and solid results after two. If you are at all similar, that’s all it takes, just mentally commit and then follow through. (Though I’ll discuss some failures to launch below.) Set aside an hour 4-5 times a week and significant lifestyle improvements will rapidly come your way. If you’re like me, you’ll even start to look forward to your workouts.
So, in some ways, I started my journey by signing up with Orange Theory Fitness about 4 months ago https://www.orangetheoryfitness.com/, but in other ways my “journey” covers my entire life. I’ll get to that, as I’m a big believer in context, but first a word about Orange Theory.
They have about 1500 franchises in the US/UK and Canada. Michelle Obama, among others, is a big fan. I discovered them by googling “fitness places near me” (I had recently moved) and there was a studio about 2 miles away, so I checked into it a bit online and went in and took my first free class and then signed up. (Orange Theory is great, but it is by no means essential, though I do think their class structure and workout style makes everything easier.)
How does Orange Theory work? They run 1-hour fitness classes about 14 times a day, starting at around 5 am to around 7:30 pm (at least at my studio). Some time prior to class you schedule your workout via their app or website. (There is like a $10 fee if you cancel, which is actually good for “no excuses” attendance.) You can see the instructor for the class, and you get to know the ones you like and their music tastes before long. I view it as something like the McDonald’s of fitness, in the best sense. In fact, I regard it as something of a technological innovation for personal fitness delivery.
The workout itself is HIIT (high intensity interval training). Basically, you do a mixture of treadmill (about 30 mins per class, rower (about 10 mins), and “floor” (weights and bodyweight exercises) about 20 mins. My studio has 15 rowers and treadmills and floor stations, and the average “full” class is about 25 people. An instructor leads the class and there is fairly loud music (generally metal, rap, pop, or technoish, depending on the instructor). (I personally prefer technoish for working out.) The specific workouts are different each day, including the pacing on the treadmills and floor exercises. Corporate basically sends the studio the daily workout. There’s even a reddit group where people share intel on the specifics of the workout. Finally, everyone wears a heart rate monitor (about $119 from them) on their arm and there are a few 40" TVs that display everyone’s personal stats (not necessarily by name). The idea is to keep your heart rate between 84-91% of max during the workout. (This is based on some dodgy science that this range is “ideal.” It’s probably not ideal, but an elevated heart rate workout for an hour is generally accepted as a good, solid workout.)
The “system” is great for a number of reasons. I like the personal feedback of the monitor, which encourages me to push harder or pull back depending on my heart rate. The daily changes keep things interesting and prevent the workouts from getting stale. Also, everyone can basically work at their own pace. While I huff and puff at 18 mins/mile on the threadmill, the professional athlete or 200 lb grandma next to me (actually, more often than not, it’s a hot babe) can work at their own pace. No one cares about your pace or your stats, they are focused on their own workout. There’s not much chatting during class. Scheduling via an app is also great. Classes are the right size and you “commit” to going when you feel up to a workout, which kind of locks you into attending. Finally, the instructors do a good job of balancing motivation but not pushing people hard. They are more like helpful teachers than drill sergeants. Classes are about 70% female, and the vibe is more efficient and focused than macho or cult-like. The cost at my studio is $179/mo for unlimited classes. That’s not nothing, but as discussed below, it’s nothing compared to not doing something to get or stay fit.
Ok, with that background, what has been my journey and where am I at currently? [Posting this “Part I” now, but will be working on it for another hour before I leave for my workout.]
