What are you doing to stay in shape?

[BReeves215]

I’ve been maintaining a regular practice (3-4 times/week) of yoga and/or pilates, as well as walking, biking, and/or hiking on most weekends for the last 15 years, which has helped me feel good, energized, and in fairly good shape. Now that I’m 57 I’m concerned I should be incorporating weight training to prevent bone loss and resulting injury. Problem is I really dislike gyms and I can’t afford a personal trainer right now. Any DIY suggestions?

 

[MissySki]

I’ve been maintaining a regular practice (3-4 times/week) of yoga and/or pilates, as well as walking, biking, and/or hiking on most weekends for the last 15 years, which has helped me feel good, energized, and in fairly good shape. Now that I’m 57 I’m concerned I should be incorporating weight training to prevent bone loss and resulting injury. Problem is I really dislike gyms and I can’t afford a personal trainer right now. Any DIY suggestions?

As someone who just started back at a gym and working with a trainer… I’m just not exactly sure how one would really get the most benefit out of weight training without going to a gym, unless you have heavy weights to use at home. I only go twice per week though and then do other stuff at home.

I’ve enjoyed the Peloton online app classes for strength training… But now I’m realizing that it is NOT the same. Given that I was using like 20 lb weights at home whereas I’m now doing leg presses with over 300lbs of weight on the machine in the gym. I think you would need to invest in some weights and then do higher reps with the less weight than if you went to the gym and use higher weight with less reps or to failure. I oersonally like the higher weight less reps because it feels more efficient to me and I don’t want to dedicate more time than I need to.

I had no idea I’d be doing that much, so it has really put into perspective how lacking my weight training was previously. I think upper body is a lot easier to do at home, as the weights I use there are much less… though I’d still need to invest in more than I have now and I assume that will improve and get to higher amounts over time. But lower body seems impossible to lift heavy at home without a much larger investment in equipment. So I think it would have to be less weight and much higher reps. I wonder if you could work with someone to develop a home routine for you specifically though?

 

[MissySki]

Yesterday was exactly 3 months from when I did my initial body scan before starting to work out with my trainer and we finally did my second scan. While I don't honestly know how reliable the machine they use is to measure fat and lean muscle mass specifically etc... I do like the idea of being able to track trends in this regard. I am someone who is very goal oriented, so having something that can give updates on specific metrics is right up my alley.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see a great amount of progress towards many of my metrics going in the right direction. That is, fat going down and lean muscle mass going up overall and also specifically in each limb/torso/visceral fat category/subcutaneous fat category, etc. My basal metabolic rate also seems to have improved due to the increased muscle mass. My "biological" age score which was my actual age of 41 when we started has gone down by 1 year to 40 as well. I want this to keep going down further! However, I have only lost around a pound total... when you break it down I lost a bunch of fat and gained a bunch of muscle but that's the net overall result. I'm not actively trying to lose weight specifically; our goal is to build muscle in general currently... but I wouldn't mind losing a few more pounds overall in the process either.

Anyway, my trainer was very pleased with this scan, she calls me her model student lol. I have been seeing/feeling a lot of progress in my lower body and core the past few months in terms of strength and even appearance, and I'm glad the scan showed this as well because you never know if it's a bit in your head when you see yourself every day. I was pretty surprised at how much can change in only 3 months. I've been doing 2 - 1 hour long sessions per week with my trainer and then skiing 2-3 days per week (outside of the weeklong Utah trip) and my pup and I go for a walk/jog once or twice per day. So nothing overly strenuous to keep up with right now, and that's what works best for me haha. But I am seeing so much more progress than just trying to do workouts myself at home. I think it is the design of the workouts and how things are specifically stacked together, along with the constant focus on technique that a trainer provides. There is no cheating that's for sure! My upper body has made progress too, but we haven't been able to work much on arms/back/chest the last few weeks because I am dealing with some sort of right shoulder pain that came on suddenly, literally the morning after I got home from Diva West I woke up with it. I have not gotten it to go away yet so likely will be checking in with my doctor on it. It seems to start feeling almost better over a few days and then I do something random to aggravate it again and the cycle restarts... This is really annoying because my upper body is definitely my weakest point and we were just starting to make some progress there when my shoulder became unhappy out of the blue. Hopefully it is just a short derailment.

In closing, at the 3 month mark I am very happy with my trainer and how things have been working out. Now to keep this whole routine up long term so there isn't an on off yoyo effect of being in shape and letting it go, that just isn't going to be sustainable as age increases. I am told it is so much easier and more enjoyable to maintain than to always be trying to get back into shape when we slack off... which makes total sense. That is the tough part and why a trainer is helpful for me though, I get lazy and my well-intentioned breaks end up going on all summer and fall lol. In the spring we will transition to additional exercises to ensure golf motions are also being supported with more rotation and of course continue to chip away at building more muscle and burning away more fat in general. So far so good though, I would so recommend finding a good trainer to partner with for anyone on the fence.

 

[VickiK]

KUDOS! The consistent exercise can make your bloodwork numbers move in the right direction too.

it is so much easier and more enjoyable to maintain than to always be trying to get back into shape when we slack off...

Abso-expletive-lutely.
And congrats on finding a great trainer!

 

[RachelV]

I’ve been maintaining a regular practice (3-4 times/week) of yoga and/or pilates, as well as walking, biking, and/or hiking on most weekends for the last 15 years, which has helped me feel good, energized, and in fairly good shape. Now that I’m 57 I’m concerned I should be incorporating weight training to prevent bone loss and resulting injury. Problem is I really dislike gyms and I can’t afford a personal trainer right now. Any DIY suggestions?

Missed this earlier! I spent a few years doing a strength training class at my local rec center, and the trainer there did provide some workouts to do at home when you can't make it to the gym. You do need to have some weights at home, dumbbells from maybe 8lbs to 25lbs depending on where you're at. Also one of those inflatable exercise balls.

Threw them in a folder here if you're interested: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pZoreaTnrWOk1F9tRH_KogH1_E0GFTCM?usp=drive_link

As @MissySki points out you can't do all the same stuff you can do at a gym, but something like these would be a great start, anyways.

 

[Peppermint]

I use power blocks (adjustable dumbells) for my workouts at home. Depending on the set you buy, you can get some pretty heavy weights if needed. I like them because they don't take up too much space and I can adjust to lighter weights for upper body, then go heavier for my squats. I also use Bodylastics bands to give more variety for upper body work outs. They are high quality and will never snap, as they have a woven cord inside the bands.

 

[VickiK]

@BReeves215 here's what I have. But 3 sets of dumbbells--light, medium, and heavy (to you), a mat, and a resistance band are enough to start. Have a dedicated space for the equipment and for you to work out in. Sometimes I go to the gym for a group class, to use the pool, or to work out in an A/C environment.

 

[MissySki]

I use power blocks (adjustable dumbells) for my workouts at home. Depending on the set you buy, you can get some pretty heavy weights if needed. I like them because they don't take up too much space and I can adjust to lighter weights for upper body, then go heavier for my squats. I also use Bodylastics bands to give more variety for upper body work outs. They are high quality and will never snap, as they have a woven cord inside the bands.

Curious what these go up to?

We are still building up the free weights I use for deadlifts, squats, lunges, etc. So that isn't terribly heavy for me, often 25lbs per hand when kettle bells. A bit more total with a bar for deadlifts. We do use the leg press machine a lot though, and I am still at the ~333lb weight there. I could go up now if we were just doing leg press sets as we started out, but my trainer has taken to having me do lunge sets in between each set of leg presses... 3 sets of 10 for each... so with that stacked on the 333lb leg press weight is just tough enough at the end of the last set that I have resisted adding more. It's coming though lol. The next jump would be an additional 50lbs I think. I really like the leg press machine, it makes me feel very powerful as a small person.

When it comes to upper body though, I'm still so light on weights it's embarrassing! lol I mean it's fine as I don't have any desire to lift very heavy with my upper body overall, but it shows how little I've paid attention to upper body workouts compared to lower starting with a very different baseline for each. And I want to build strength there for health longevity for sure. Need to keep working on that.

 

[santacruz skier]

Plan on joining a Pilates studio this month in addition to my personal training once a week !

 

[cosmicplanks]

Tonal is a great option for heavy weight training at home.

It offers pretty good programming and adjusts weights automatically (so you are always progressing). It now goes up to 250lbs and offers weight modes such chains, eccentric and burnout.

Another new feature is drop sets, which help you reach true failure pretty easily. I love it, I have been using it since 2021.

It really takes all the friction out of resistance training for me. You still have to have discipline to show up and be willing to lift heavy, though.

it’s also not cheap. But I bought it with Affirm and paid over time. Both my husband and I agree it was the best investment we made in our health in the last 10 years.

 

[RachelV]

An old coworker of mine wrote up a great review of Tonal a few years ago:

Tonal home gym review

I got a Tonal a few years ago and it has been a life-changing machine. I’ll go into some detail in this post as to why I feel that way. One of my pet peeves when I read product reviews is the…

blog.chaddickerson.com

If I didn't live walking distance from the rec center I'd probably get one.

 

[Peppermint]

Curious what these go up to?

We are still building up the free weights I use for deadlifts, squats, lunges, etc. So that isn't terribly heavy for me, often 25lbs per hand when kettle bells. A bit more total with a bar for deadlifts. We do use the leg press machine a lot though, and I am still at the ~333lb weight there. I could go up now if we were just doing leg press sets as we started out, but my trainer has taken to having me do lunge sets in between each set of leg presses... 3 sets of 10 for each... so with that stacked on the 333lb leg press weight is just tough enough at the end of the last set that I have resisted adding more. It's coming though lol. The next jump would be an additional 50lbs I think. I really like the leg press machine, it makes me feel very powerful as a small person.

When it comes to upper body though, I'm still so light on weights it's embarrassing! lol I mean it's fine as I don't have any desire to lift very heavy with my upper body overall, but it shows how little I've paid attention to upper body workouts compared to lower starting with a very different baseline for each. And I want to build strength there for health longevity for sure. Need to keep working on that.

I have the sport 24s and my husband has the 50s but they go up to 100lbs per block.

https://powerblock.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoq3EbvwPwSAZbal5OCtuh7dvqx8ZHwzpAceoJO239wHtxcz2xjk

 

[sibhusky]

After a week of flu, I "flu" past my goal weight. Now I just have to figure out how to maintain my weight. Will still record and track things.

 

[Jenny]

After a week of flu, I "flu" past my goal weight. Now I just have to figure out how to maintain my weight. Will still record and track things.

Congrats on reaching the goal!

 

[cosmicplanks]

An old coworker of mine wrote up a great review of Tonal a few years ago:

Tonal home gym review

I got a Tonal a few years ago and it has been a life-changing machine. I’ll go into some detail in this post as to why I feel that way. One of my pet peeves when I read product reviews is the…

blog.chaddickerson.com

If I didn't live walking distance from the rec center I'd probably get one.

That is spot on. I agree with him, it made lifting so, so easy that I can no longer find an excuse not to do it.

 

[ilovepugs]

I had a Tonal in my old house and it was great to have during the pandemic! I felt that the programming was a bit conservative as far as working the big muscles but the convenience was unbeatable.

In my new house I built a power rack setup with a cable attachment on my porch and that covers the vast majority of the movements that I like to do. Not necessarily for beginners (I have years of lifting experience). My second day using the setup I smacked a window and the bar gets cold in the winter because the porch is only lightly insulated. The space is a bit janky. The convenience is worth it though.

In the fall when I was lifting more diligently and trying to increase numbers I got on the verge of maxing out the combined weights of my barbell on the squats. Luckily I have gotten lazy and am merely doing minimal maintenance lifting during the ski season so that’s dropped down a bit and I don’t have to spend more money on barbells yet. I am going to consider getting those adjustable dumbbell thingys because I’d like to do more and heavier Bulgarian split squats which I think are great for skiing. I also think cable bicep curls suck and I think I’m missing some of the little muscles in the shoulder girdle with a barbell bench press and my left shoulder always needs the extra work. In the meantime I guess I should use my resistance bands….

I also own a treadmill that also lives on the porch. That sees approximately zero use during ski season. I probably should jog on it a little though when I don’t have time to lift (usually hour long sessions) or get out to xc ski which is what I have been doing for minimal cardio during the season.

 

[marzNC]

When it comes to upper body though, I'm still so light on weights it's embarrassing! lol I mean it's fine as I don't have any desire to lift very heavy with my upper body overall, but it shows how little I've paid attention to upper body workouts compared to lower starting with a very different baseline for each. And I want to build strength there for health longevity for sure. Need to keep working on that.

Can give you another incentive for upper body fitness . . .

I started doing some strength training last summer and fall (after age 65). Mostly because there is an instructor at the local indoor rock climbing gym who does a simple strength program and a core class multiple times a week. Obviously helpful for rock climbing. My 20-something daughter started the classes first, so I was curious. I started her on rock climbing about the same time as skiing (preschool age).

What was clear for my trips that involved flying this season is that moving a 40+ lb rolling double ski bag is easier now that I'm stronger overall. I only bring one pair of skis. I realized after Diva West that if I packed a little more carefully, I wouldn't need a small rolling carry-on size suitcase. For the return flight from Albuquerque (today), I even packed my helmet into the ski bag. The ski bag was 44 lbs on the way to Taos and 47 lbs on the way home. Didn't have any trouble maneuvering it in/out of the relatively small elevators at ABQ. (Two elevators required because I rented from Turo so parked the rental in the garage.)

 

[RachelV]

... In my new house I built a power rack setup with a cable attachment on my porch and that covers the vast majority of the movements that I like to do. Not necessarily for beginners (I have years of lifting experience). ...

I'd love to see a pic of your setup.

 

[VickiK]

+1, @ilovepugs , seconding Rachel.

 

[ilovepugs]

I'd love to see a pic of your setup.

You can see it IRL next weekend. It’s pretty janky but it works. lol.