2021 General Fitness thread

[Buehler445]

How's everyone's 2021? These threads have been full of good stuff in years past.

What are we doing this year?

[Buehler445]

I'm looking for a basic beginners Yoga routine.

My flexibility is asshole. When I hit the gym after harvest I've been stretching before and after, but I obviously need to focus more on flexibility and balance than only strength. Cardio is ass too, but I'm good with the bike.

EDIT: I need video too. I suck so much at Yoga, just a list of poses isn't going to get it done.

I found a few on YouTube and there were a ****load, but some of them were wonky. I was hoping someone here would have something simple for a rube.

[Bearcat]

There's a bodyweight fitness sub on reddit and I've been doing variations of their recommended routine for the past ~3-4 months.

Things I was awful at before (pull-ups and dips) have progressed nicely and I'm now decent at, while things I think I was already decent at (push-ups and some of the leg and core things) have gotten better, too.

Seems like a good beginner to intermediate-ish program, focusing on progressive overload. It's not just "do pull-ups, and use a chair if you suck at them", but if needed, starting with hangs or pull-up negatives.

It brought me out of the ancient times of the P90x style workout, where I was probably doing far more endurance training than I realized.

Also walking a couple miles every couple days, with two monster hills nearby. Dealing with calf tightness and shin splints, depending on the day... getting old sucks.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

There's a bodyweight fitness sub on reddit and I've been doing variations of their recommended routine for the past ~3-4 months.

Things I was awful at before (pull-ups and dips) have progressed nicely and I'm now decent at, while things I think I was already decent at (push-ups and some of the leg and core things) have gotten better, too.

Seems like a good beginner to intermediate-ish program, focusing on progressive overload. It's not just "do pull-ups, and use a chair if you suck at them", but if needed, starting with hangs or pull-up negatives.

It brought me out of the ancient times of the P90x style workout, where I was probably doing far more endurance training than I realized.

Also walking a couple miles every couple days, with two monster hills nearby. Dealing with calf tightness and shin splints, depending on the day... getting old sucks.

Wanna link it up?

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by The Franchise

Wanna link it up?

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightf...mended_routine

They have a lot of good reading material, too.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by The Franchise

Wanna link it up?

This is some of what I read up on several months ago...
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightf...training_guide

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightf...ngth_training/

https://thefitness.wiki/improving-your-diet/

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

There's a bodyweight fitness sub on reddit and I've been doing variations of their recommended routine for the past ~3-4 months.

Things I was awful at before (pull-ups and dips) have progressed nicely and I'm now decent at, while things I think I was already decent at (push-ups and some of the leg and core things) have gotten better, too.

Seems like a good beginner to intermediate-ish program, focusing on progressive overload. It's not just "do pull-ups, and use a chair if you suck at them", but if needed, starting with hangs or pull-up negatives.

It brought me out of the ancient times of the P90x style workout, where I was probably doing far more endurance training than I realized.

Also walking a couple miles every couple days, with two monster hills nearby. Dealing with calf tightness and shin splints, depending on the day... getting old sucks.

When I get back to a computer I’ll comment on the shin splint stuff. Turns out I got old at 21ish LOL.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

When I get back to a computer I’ll comment on the shin splint stuff. Turns out I got old at 21ish LOL.

Thanks... started as calf pain and apparently had to learn how to walk, heh... but as I've shifted weight and landing and so forth, it's mostly in the shins now.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Also walking a couple miles every couple days, with two monster hills nearby. Dealing with calf tightness and shin splints, depending on the day... getting old sucks.

Shin splints are the ****ing devil. I ran track in high school and knew what shin splints were. And I'm genuinely not a dumbass. But in college I pulled my hamstring pretty seriously and was out of virtually anything for awhile and put on some weight. So when I got it back together enough to run some distance I over did it. A lot. I got shin splints so bad I could barely walk. I'm not a dumbass. But obviously I'm a dumbass.

So on the shin splint thing, I've tried a bunch of different things. Here are are the things that moved the needle for me.

I overpronate really bad when I run, so I always wanted minimalist shoes so it would let my foot do it's thing. I think that's wrong. They improved when I bought stability type shoes that prevent the pronation.

www.roadrunnersports.com has the best descriptions of how shit works and where different shoes fit into their matrix. Stability might not be where you need to be, but that site is where I started to learn about the different types of shoes. And their customer service is really good. You're not getting anything cheap, but I throw them some business, because they've done me some good.

The second aspect is compression. And always outside in. Dad said when dinosaurs roamed the earth he had to shave his legs so they could tape his shins, when I was a kid they had prewrap. I'm not sure what the answer is now, probably kinetic tape, but THIS is what I use. It used to be cheaper, but it has a pad you put on your shinbone and wrap your lower leg with the neoprene wrap. It really helps.

I don't know if it helped or not, but when they're hurting ice helped. Just putting an icepack on them doesn't do much good. So when Buehler445 does something, he ****ing does it, so I bought some ace bandages and put an ace bandage on my shin (go outside in), then put the ice pack on and hold it there with a wider ace bandage. Then my stupid ass went to bed. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that, and early on I would wake up in the middle of the night from pain from too much compression too long, but it worked. I'm sure I looked like a flaming moron, but I didn't care. I was a hurting unit.

Third is calf stretches. I don't know what my major malfunction was with tight calves but when the shin splints were the worst I was stretching my calves every half hour. And I'm not smart enough know why but different stretches stretch different parts of the calf (or different muscles - I don't know. I'm a moron). So I got the best results from doing the flat foot push against the wall stretch, then balls of the foot on a step kind of thing, and a different stretch from getting a belt around the balls of my feet and pulling from a seated position. Now I didn't know it was a thing, but I had to do PT and they had me stretch my achilles which is the same thing with the belt in a chair, except bend your knee. I didn't know that was a good thing, but it really helped.

Big thing is don't be like Buehler445 and let it get out of control. God I'm a ****ing idiot. It was 3 years before I could run or play basketball without a bunch of pain. And I think I did that icing thing every day for like a year. Don't be like me.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Shin splints are the ****ing devil.

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Shin splints suck. Dealt with them in track and soccer.

You should ice for 20 minutes max at a time. then 20 minutes off, then repeat. I usually could only do this for about 2 hours at a time before I decided I needed a break from that. Mostly to get rid of shin splints you need to take it easy. Stretching, judicious icing, and rest is the cure.

Then when you're ready, restart your exercise regimen, but go slow. Like 1/3rd of whatever you were doing before. Build up gradually, and if the shin splints return, scale back for a week and then try to build up again. And consistent stretching and ice post-exercise during this time.

Also get after-market insoles. Amazing how they help with all your common foot/ankle/shin issues.

Thanks for all the info!

And FWIW, no idea if it's actually shin splints. I had no pain for a while, doing walk/jog intervals, but then at one point started having calf pain to the point I had to do something... and so I researched and it was a combination of too long of strides and not landing properly.

Fixed that and it shifted to the shins... and just before Christmas, the pain stuck around far longer than normal, into the evening, so I decided I'd take the 5 days as a break. Still hurt a few days ago, but not nearly as bad... but, it's pretty immediate when I start jogging, so thinking it could be the shoes or need more work learning how to walk.

I lower my heels off a step for a stretch and will put on foot behind the other... but, will try different stretches as well

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Thanks for all the info!

And FWIW, no idea if it's actually shin splints. I had no pain for a while, doing walk/jog intervals, but then at one point started having calf pain to the point I had to do something... and so I researched and it was a combination of too long of strides and not landing properly.

Fixed that and it shifted to the shins... and just before Christmas, the pain stuck around far longer than normal, into the evening, so I decided I'd take the 5 days as a break. Still hurt a few days ago, but not nearly as bad... but, it's pretty immediate when I start jogging, so thinking it could be the shoes or need more work learning how to walk.

I lower my heels off a step for a stretch and will put on foot behind the other... but, will try different stretches as well

Sounds like shin splints. Lay off hiking up hills/inclines for awhile. Maybe a couple weeks.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Shin splints are the ****ing devil.

THIS

Purchased a couple last week and finally got back to it today.

I think they did help some, but could probably use a couple weeks off at some point to completely heal and reset. After the biggest asshole of a hill today, I started feeling it in my hamstrings some (and never do), so I was probably pushing it a bit more without realizing it, given less (but still some) pain.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Purchased a couple last week and finally got back to it today.

I think they did help some, but could probably use a couple weeks off at some point to completely heal and reset. After the biggest asshole of a hill today, I started feeling it in my hamstrings some (and never do), so I was probably pushing it a bit more without realizing it, given less (but still some) pain.

Glad they helped.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I'm looking for a basic beginners Yoga routine.

My flexibility is asshole. When I hit the gym after harvest I've been stretching before and after, but I obviously need to focus more on flexibility and balance than only strength. Cardio is ass too, but I'm good with the bike.

EDIT: I need video too. I suck so much at Yoga, just a list of poses isn't going to get it done.

I found a few on YouTube and there were a ****load, but some of them were wonky. I was hoping someone here would have something simple for a rube.

Before seeing your edit, I was going to mention I'm sure youtube has a ton out there... the old school P90x has a good balance posture routine. The yoga part is crazy repetitive and boring, IMO, but the 2nd half is balance stuff, which I found helped over time.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Before seeing your edit, I was going to mention I'm sure youtube has a ton out there... the old school P90x has a good balance posture routine. The yoga part is crazy repetitive and boring, IMO, but the 2nd half is balance stuff, which I found helped over time.

I’ve done the p90x yoga years ago.

I can’t do an hour and a half. I’m looking at 20-30 min.