Workouts and Self-Discipline

[Jester]

....

There is always time after work for the gym.

When I was working 8-5 I found I couldn't be bothered to get up early, just wanted to get home after work, the gym was too crowded both before and after work anyway, and I was generally too hung over to drive in on a Saturday morning.

To me this is a major thing, I am going to start a new thread on he topic, don't know if anyone will weigh in besides me. But here I go.

So here's the question.

What is the best time to work out?
Suppose you are in a new city, foreign, non-English-speaking, non-friendly.

What are some ways that you are able to maintain self-discipline, do workouts with no buddy, maintain the rhythm?

[The_Adventurer]

I say first thing in the morning or expect it won't happen. If you have to wake up an hour or two earlier, so be it. You'd be surprised how many little things can get in the way of a fitness routine and how quickly they will do so.

Things change when you're in a friendly environment. When I lived in the country in China, I would wake up early in the morning and work until 10:30 AM or so, then go hiking in the mountains for a couple of hours, come home for lunch and then get back to work. Having freedom and control of your schedule helps.

When I was Shanghai, I joined a gym. They opened at 8:00. I had to be at work at 9:00. I thought that was pretty stupid. That forced me to train in the evenings when it was overly crowded, which I just hate. I hardly ever went, and gained weight...

[Moretorque]

Keep a few workout items at home so you can do 50 % of it in your own way at home. This works the best...so when you go to the gym it makes it much easier to target the areas you don't do at home then you can get out quick in less time weekly.....and do a better work out overall.....

The end goal of course is to compete with Mr. Wu on stage.... as most impressive human being

[Jester]

Thanks and +1 to both you gentlemen.

I need a kick in the ass right now.

Will post here what happens.

[Jester]

bump

[drealm]

I started working out in late 2015 after 6-7 years of doing nothing. Talk about a cold start. I had zero motivation and I was the worst looking and least athletic person in the gym. Going to the gym actually made me less motivated.

The first thing I did was give up on goals. I told myself I will do the bare minimum. Be there three times a week, forget everything else. Forget form, technique, planning, results etc. Whatever comes is icing on the cake. My only goal is to be there. Since my expectations were low, it was easier to start.

Second thing, I made my workout simple. Just three different exercises and I'm done. Forget the hundreds of machines in the gym. Just pick three things. Four is too many. And when I say three things, I don't mean three things for day "a" and three things for day "b". I mean keep it as simple as possible. Do the same three boring things every time you go.

Third thing, I go to a fitness club that has a spa and sauna in the back. You can find something similar. After each workout I enjoy this. This was my carrot on the stick to get me through the grind.

This is what worked for me.

[Moretorque]

If you have a work out bench and adjustable dumbbells at home with a pullup bar you can do most of your routine in your own time at home.. You go to the gym to do your legs, like squats and other stuff you cannot do at home to make it all simple...

Being able to grab dumbbells when you are at home targeting your upper body muscle groups more often will make a huge difference overall....

[Jester]

I started working out in late 2015 after 6-7 years of doing nothing. Talk about a cold start. I had zero motivation and I was the worst looking and least athletic person in the gym. Going to the gym actually made me less motivated.

The first thing I did was give up on goals. I told myself I will do the bare minimum. Be there three times a week, forget everything else. Forget form, technique, planning, results etc. Whatever comes is icing on the cake. My only goal is to be there. Since my expectations were low, it was easier to start.

Second thing, I made my workout simple. Just three different exercises and I'm done. Forget the hundreds of machines in the gym. Just pick three things. Four is too many. And when I say three things, I don't mean three things for day "a" and three things for day "b". I mean keep it as simple as possible. Do the same three boring things every time you go.

Third thing, I go to a fitness club that has a spa and sauna in the back. You can find something similar. After each workout I enjoy this. This was my carrot on the stick to get me through the grind.

This is what worked for me.

Helpful.

Thanks.

[gsjackson]

Two big considerations for motivation. (1) If you can see results you'll stay motivated. Weights are great for this, though less so for an older body. Give them 2-3 weeks, and they've got you. (2) But, during plateau and low energy periods, as well as time constraint days, having to drag yourself to the gym is a major disincentive.

I combined lifting with various sports for 45 years, and got a nice collection of injuries as a result. The last two years I've been doing a self-concocted version of the old Charles Atlas dynamic tension, which is basically using one arm or leg to provide the resistance for the other. You can work the muscles from various angles, not just the one that the lift allows, and work around any muscular injuries. The results for me: This routine doesn't bulk you up as much as weights, but you stay strong looking and have more definition in the arms. It's a physique that may well be appealing to more female eyes than the jacked-up lifter look.

You can knock some of these out in 10-15 minutes anywhere, and keep the demotivation monster on its leash without the need to invoke massive will power.

Check out the website transformetrics and its living strength forum. It's roughly 20 guys and their guru, who is in phenomenal shape at 64. They bat around various theories of these old fashioned "physical culture" forms of exercise, and the guru produces books. He's been working on his ultimate magnum opus for some time now. One theory he has talked about re Sanford Bennett, "the man who grew young," is the possibility that just flexing all your muscles in some fashion every day releases growth hormone and keeps you young.

My website is currently in suspension until I can pay extortion money to the malicious techie (in my employ) who first shut it down, then screwed it up. But such as it is at the moment: http://www.geographyofhealth.com.

[Jester]

Two big considerations for motivation. (1) If you can see results you'll stay motivated. Weights are great for this, though less so for an older body. Give them 2-3 weeks, and they've got you. (2) But, during plateau and low energy periods, as well as time constraint days, having to drag yourself to the gym is a major disincentive.

I combined lifting with various sports for 45 years, and got a nice collection of injuries as a result. The last two years I've been doing a self-concocted version of the old Charles Atlas dynamic tension, which is basically using one arm or leg to provide the resistance for the other. You can work the muscles from various angles, not just the one that the lift allows, and work around any muscular injuries. The results for me: This routine doesn't bulk you up as much as weights, but you stay strong looking and have more definition in the arms. It's a physique that may well be appealing to more female eyes than the jacked-up lifter look.

You can knock some of these out in 10-15 minutes anywhere, and keep the demotivation monster on its leash without the need to invoke massive will power.

Check out the website transformetrics and its living strength forum. It's roughly 20 guys and their guru, who is in phenomenal shape at 64. They bat around various theories of these old fashioned "physical culture" forms of exercise, and the guru produces books. He's been working on his ultimate magnum opus for some time now. One theory he has talked about re Sanford Bennett, "the man who grew young," is the possibility that just flexing all your muscles in some fashion every day releases growth hormone and keeps you young.

My website is currently in suspension until I can pay extortion money to the malicious techie (in my employ) who first shut it down, then screwed it up. But such as it is at the moment: http://www.geographyofhealth.com.

This is gold. Pure gold.

I need this.

[gsjackson]

Also, according to virtually everything I'm reading now -- and I've been reading around in the exercise world for a long time -- dispense with aerobics altogether. They're counter-productive, and you can get all the benefit, without all the drawbacks -- stressed joints, muscle teardown, huge time investment -- with just a few minutes of short anaerobic bursts, such as wind sprints. A recent British study concluded that if you get on an exercise bike, and go as hard as you can for 20 seconds, three times, with a minute or two of rest in between (i.e., a total time investment of four minutes or so), you'll get everything you might hope for from a long aerobics workout.

All advice qualified, of course, with: "different strokes for different folks." We all respond differently to different types of exercise, and YMMV.

[Jester]

I'll try it.

+1 and thanks.

[gsjackson]

The anaerobic short bursts of intensity are supposed to up the testosterone, whereas aerobics make you soft and feminine, with wide hips and torn down musculature in the upper body.

They say that the best kind of lifting (for T and general muscular development) incorporates the oxygen debt of anaerobics. Full body exercises, such as clean and press, rather than isolating individual muscles. Always free weights, rather than machines, for this particular objective in lifting.

Now, the dynamic tension exercises I recommend above isolate individual muscles. Probably best combined with a tax-the-whole-body exercise such as pushups.

But again, experiment around and see what works for you.

[Jester]

The anaerobic short bursts of intensity are supposed to up the testosterone, whereas aerobics make you soft and feminine, with wide hips and torn down musculature in the upper body.

They say that the best kind of lifting (for T and general muscular development) incorporates the oxygen debt of anaerobics. Full body exercises, such as clean and press, rather than isolating individual muscles. Always free weights, rather than machines, for this particular objective in lifting.

Now, the dynamic tension exercises I recommend above isolate individual muscles. Probably best combined with a tax-the-whole-body exercise such as pushups.

But again, experiment around and see what works for you.

Well f**k ME
I always thought "anaerobic" was some kind od of goddam bacteria

But I followed your link and learned

What Is Anaerobic Exercise?

Anaerobic means without oxygen. Anaerobic exercise consists of brief intense bursts of physical activity, such as weightlifting and sprints, where oxygen demand surpasses oxygen supply.

While aerobic exercise relies on oxygen, anaerobic exercise is fueled by energy stored in your muscles through a process called glycolysis. Glycolysis is a method by which glycogen is broken down into glucose, also known as 'sugar' and is converted into energy. Glycolysis occurs in muscle cells during anaerobic exercise without the use of oxygen in order to produce energy quickly, thus producing lactic acid, which causes your muscles to fatigue.

[Jester]

Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight training, sprinting (running or cycling) and jumping. Basically any exercise that consists of short exertion, high-intensity movement is an anaerobic exercise...

Heavy weight training is an excellent way to build strength and muscle mass. You should only be able to complete three to six repetitions with the weight chosen until you reach muscle fatigue, or the inability to do one more rep.

I mean JESUS no one ever told me this before

JESUS