This is where I’m inclined to recommend Peloton. So I will. Here’s a post from 3 months ago where I talk about the bike I purchased in February. I rated that purchase 5 thumbs up at the time, and I’d now rate it 6 thumbs up. I’ve continued to use it consistently for running, biking, strength, and stretching. It’s just been a great piece of equipment overall.
The primary issue, as someone mentioned earlier, is the tendency for people to purchase equipment that becomes a clothes hanger. This is where Peloton IMO shines - they have interactive classes that are extremely engaging in a way that keeps me coming back consistently. For me, the best part has been the strength classes, where there’s a huge online community that creates monthly strength programs. Each day, I basically click on the 3 classes scheduled, so there’s no decision making involved. It’s 10 minutes of core every day, then a rotating 30 minutes of arms and shoulders, chest and back, legs and glutes, full body. It’s the first time that I’ve done any real lifting since college. And it’s all dumbell based, so it’s a very manageable process. (This may not be appealing to people who lift real weights, but I’m assuming that someone in your position–just wanting to work out more–would be more like me.)
Here’s what I would recommend:
Sign up for a monthly subscription, where the first month (I believe) is free and there’s no commitment. Download a few classes and try them out. You can do guided runs downloaded to your phone or stream the guided strength/yoga/stretching classes to your phone or TV. See if you think the classes are sufficiently motivating to keep you engaged. If so, then consider permanently subscribing, or consider buying the bike or treadmill. (The bike or treadmill will require you to upgrade your monthly fee to $40, but you get multiple accounts if you do that, and there are some smaller benefits, as well.) If you don’t find the classes engaging, then nothing lost.
I will again echo the idea that the best plan is the one that you actually do. I just think that Peloton is exceptional at implementing this. (I’m leaning towards purchasing the treadmill in the near future.)
I’m running a half marathon this weekend and just got the final packet pickup information. For the first time that I’ve ever experienced, the pickup will be alphabetical by last name, rather than by bib number. This may sound like a completely trivial change, but I can’t tell you how irritating it is to get to the convention hall, go to one table to look up your bib number, then go to an entirely separate set of tables to pick up your material. (Or, alternatively, stand in a jostling crowd looking up your number while your cell phone reception is garbage.)
Now it’ll just be straight to the table. Can’t believe this isn’t the standard.
Rocking forward usually, but it could be because I’m terrified of falling backwards so I lean my upper body too far forward.
I’ve tried 2.5 lb weights under my heels, which does feel a little better. But right now I use shoes with a decent amount of heel. I got tired of always messing with the little weights.
It’s really just this feeling like I described. When I hit parallel it feels like my body is in free fall with zero power.
If I go deeper with heavier weight than usual one rep, it feels like a zap to my whole body. If I try to do that multiple times, I get stuck and have to bail. That’s where my trainer would always spot me and boost me back up. Maybe that zap is in my head - fear of falling.
At the bottom of a squat you really need to push your butt back and close your hips so that your butt goes way back but the bar is still over mid foot. If you don’t feel stable and confident doing that I think you’ll find yourself losing all tension at the bottom because your quads can’t do it all.
I really don’t recommend this, a lot of people that do this will extend their cervicle spine (aka neck) which is risky. I advise keeping your chin neutral while squatting and for many people the cue “look down” will help them with this.
Thanks - those videos are interesting. Your fall is a lot like the one I had at the gym a month ago, I think I gave myself turf-toe pitching forward. Except I didn’t make the rack and landed on my knees. I had to roll the weight off my back onto the catch bars.
I’m pretty sure I’m doing low bar. It can’t get much further down on my back.
In fact I had one little breakthrough yesterday. I had rolled the bar a little too far back and it was hurting my hand. But I realized if I kept the weight perfectly balanced on my back/shoulders through the motion - as opposed to wanting to pitch forward or backward - it alleviated the pain in my wrists. So I started doing that more. But I’ve had these breakthroughs in the past and then they didn’t help.
One other thing is I can front squat almost as much as back squat - and it feels more natural to me. So whatever that means for the way I like to pitch.
I’ll post a video in a few days when I recover from yesterday. It will probably look a lot like this guy’s first joke squats.
Yeah I don’t want to try a2g with at my age. I have good knees, but still basically any squat always hurts in the knees. I worry my knees will blow up with too much weight bouncing down like that.
I’m no sports doctor or anything but pretty sure Starting Strength discusses this as proper in squats. He compares these types of lifts and how certain lifts work this way similar to jumping with straight legs vs bending your legs and if you are doing low bar you barely go past parallel.
Right, I’m doing low bar and on anything over 135 lbs, over more than a couple reps, I’m stopping 10 degrees short of parallel at least - because I’m terrified I’ll get stuck.
I might upgrade this to incredibly aggressive. My half marathon is tomorrow, and my watch is predicting 1:35:30, which would be more or less my PR. But I haven’t put in nearly the miles I have in prior years - I haven’t even hit 100 miles in a single month this year:
Hopefully the time on the Peloton bike translates over, but I’m skeptical.
I read all the stronger by science guy’s stuff on sqauts. A lot of good ideas.
I think my biggest problem right now is bracing. Basically I don’t do it. I try to “tighten up” but to me that was just clench my core. I’m going to try the things he talks about here and see if it helps.
Take a deep, diaphragmatic breath (stomach expanding, not shoulders rising). Brace like you’re going to take a punch to the stomach if you’re squatting without a belt, and push your stomach and obliques against your belt if you’re squatting belted.
Create total body tension from the ground up by finding and maintaining three points of contact with your feet, screwing your feet into the ground or trying to spread the floor, and trying to bend the bar across your back if you’re back squatting.
Also good to know that everyone has a sticking point, and I’m not really risking blowing out my knees by bouncing a bit. I’ve always found it easier to bounce. I think my sticking point might be very close to parallel. So in trying to go right to parallel (or cheating just above it because I’m scared of failing) I’m literally stopping in the middle of my sticking point, which is exactly what it feels like.
Oh yeah - also I might have Celtic hips, which makes me a shitty squatter by nature.
Most of the half marathons I’ve done feature races of various distances. Tomorrow is both a half and full.
It says something very not good about my self esteem that I experience a moderate amount of shame whenever I pick up my race packet and I’m doing a “lesser” race. And it’s so obvious who’s doing what race because there are separate pickup areas for each race and you get race specific shirts.
Recommended this to someone else in this thread. You already have the only piece of exercise equipment you need–your body.
Here’s a site with every conceivable type of workout for every fitness level, no equipment required. Check out the Programs and Challenges as a good way to get started.
I don’t want to do belts because I have borderline high blood pressure and had double inguinal hernia surgery. So I’ll just lift less and learn how to brace w/o a belt.
Any chance you could connect the dots on belts, high blood pressure, and your hernia repairs. Did the surgeon tell you the belt was a bad idea given the hernia repairs? There are plenty of olds with hernia repairs that belt up and lift a lot. Same with the high blood pressure and belt. Is that something your doc told you that you shouldn’t do.
