2 years of calisthenics at 42 years old – Progress report!
- Thread starter mudmixer
- Start date
-
- Tags
- bodyweight fitness
@fmeekins Thanks 
That wouldn't work for me. I need a dedicated window of time to work out and the rest of the day is for work, family and hobbies.
That's not to say that it won't work for you. Any exercise you can fit in, no matter how you do it will be beneficial (excluding people who tend to exaggerate).
That wouldn't work for me. I need a dedicated window of time to work out and the rest of the day is for work, family and hobbies.
That's not to say that it won't work for you. Any exercise you can fit in, no matter how you do it will be beneficial (excluding people who tend to exaggerate).
@ginene I use a Google doc. It's not the best, but it works and I like that I can use it across devices.
Some exercises are hard to measure progress when you can easily adjust the difficulty within the exercise. In those cases I might keep the same rep range for a really long time and try to keep the intensity as high as possible and maybe check improvement in other areas.
For example the intensity of Arch rows and pseudo planche pushups can be easily adapted mid rep or from rep to rep. From these exercises I got an approx. 14 second tuck planche and tuck front lever for free, which was a good sign of improvement.
Some exercises are hard to measure progress when you can easily adjust the difficulty within the exercise. In those cases I might keep the same rep range for a really long time and try to keep the intensity as high as possible and maybe check improvement in other areas.
For example the intensity of Arch rows and pseudo planche pushups can be easily adapted mid rep or from rep to rep. From these exercises I got an approx. 14 second tuck planche and tuck front lever for free, which was a good sign of improvement.
simonaannie
New member
@mudmixer
I am not diabetic but I went to the doctor a few month ago and decided to bike there. It's a fairly hilly ride and I was going pretty hard to make sure I got there on time. When they did the blood panel it showed that my blood sugar had skyrocketed even though I had not eaten anything. When you do strenuous exercise in a fasted state your body will release glucose into the blood stream to ensure that you have the energy to handle the workload, to the point that it looked like I was borderline diabetic even though everything else was normal. Depending on how hard you were going that might be why it made it more difficult to manage your blood sugar, especially if you were in a calorie deficit.
And yes you look about right for 13-14% body fat, if anything, I would say you were closer 10%.
I am not diabetic but I went to the doctor a few month ago and decided to bike there. It's a fairly hilly ride and I was going pretty hard to make sure I got there on time. When they did the blood panel it showed that my blood sugar had skyrocketed even though I had not eaten anything. When you do strenuous exercise in a fasted state your body will release glucose into the blood stream to ensure that you have the energy to handle the workload, to the point that it looked like I was borderline diabetic even though everything else was normal. Depending on how hard you were going that might be why it made it more difficult to manage your blood sugar, especially if you were in a calorie deficit.
And yes you look about right for 13-14% body fat, if anything, I would say you were closer 10%.
@simonaannie I know that effect can be really strong in some people, but my glucose has never spiked much with physical activity.
My problem with running was that I would eat a banana before leaving, put some lemon juice and sugar in my running water and still my glucose would start to tank at around the 40 minute mark and I would have to eat several glucose tablets while running which is really unpleasant especially if I was out of water by then.
With calisthenics my glucose is much more stable both during and after the workout.
My problem with running was that I would eat a banana before leaving, put some lemon juice and sugar in my running water and still my glucose would start to tank at around the 40 minute mark and I would have to eat several glucose tablets while running which is really unpleasant especially if I was out of water by then.
With calisthenics my glucose is much more stable both during and after the workout.
charlefdwylie
New member
@charlefdwylie Thanks!
I'd definitely recommend the Recommended Routine from this sub and it is really easy and fun to follow using the free 8x3 app.
Best of luck!
I'd definitely recommend the Recommended Routine from this sub and it is really easy and fun to follow using the free 8x3 app.
Best of luck!
@mudmixer Great, great inspiration, thanks!
I’m M43 (173cm, 68 kg), and a few weeks into RR. Did some bouldering earlier so can already manage around 3x5 pull ups with good form as part of my RR. Otherwise I’m new to training. Would you recommend that I stick to RR for a full year or that I mix with other exercises? (Can only train twice a week do to work, kids and life).
I’m M43 (173cm, 68 kg), and a few weeks into RR. Did some bouldering earlier so can already manage around 3x5 pull ups with good form as part of my RR. Otherwise I’m new to training. Would you recommend that I stick to RR for a full year or that I mix with other exercises? (Can only train twice a week do to work, kids and life).
@mudmixer Awesome work mate. I just turned 44, and this is very motivating to see.
How did you progress your chest to wall handstand pushups? I went from putting feet on floor, then bench, then countertop, then handrails. Able to do like 3x10, and thought I was ready to move onto wall, but up to this point I always had my feet resting on a horizontal surface, and when I moved to a vertical wall, on the way down, my feet feels like it needs to get off the wall or something.
Also, how much of a surplus were you doing when you went from like 70kg to 80kg? I initially went on a cut for 3 months, and now I’ve been on maintenance/slight surplus for about 4 months. It’s near impossible to know if I’m really gaining muscle or what.
How did you progress your chest to wall handstand pushups? I went from putting feet on floor, then bench, then countertop, then handrails. Able to do like 3x10, and thought I was ready to move onto wall, but up to this point I always had my feet resting on a horizontal surface, and when I moved to a vertical wall, on the way down, my feet feels like it needs to get off the wall or something.
Also, how much of a surplus were you doing when you went from like 70kg to 80kg? I initially went on a cut for 3 months, and now I’ve been on maintenance/slight surplus for about 4 months. It’s near impossible to know if I’m really gaining muscle or what.
@deann0408 Thanks
So you progressed your pike push ups only by elevating your feet higher? Or did you also get your hands up on high parallettes or two chairs in order to do deficit pike pushups and get a full range of motion? I'd try that because it makes the pike pushups much harder.
When I started moving to the wall, I followed the advice of a FitnessFAQs video where he notes that the jump in difficulty is really high, so he says it is totally fine to do a short transitional period building strength with back to wall HeSPU. I put some books on the floor to limit the range of motion and took one away every time I got 3x6. It went pretty fast. I also continued doing deficit pike pushups to work on the full range of motion and make up for the low rep sets on the wall.
When my back to wall HeSPU was to the floor, I also started doing a couple of chest to wall negatives before back to wall in order to check if I had the strength to go back up.
Gradually the chest to wall increased and I didn't need to shorten the range of motion very long.
So you progressed your pike push ups only by elevating your feet higher? Or did you also get your hands up on high parallettes or two chairs in order to do deficit pike pushups and get a full range of motion? I'd try that because it makes the pike pushups much harder.
When I started moving to the wall, I followed the advice of a FitnessFAQs video where he notes that the jump in difficulty is really high, so he says it is totally fine to do a short transitional period building strength with back to wall HeSPU. I put some books on the floor to limit the range of motion and took one away every time I got 3x6. It went pretty fast. I also continued doing deficit pike pushups to work on the full range of motion and make up for the low rep sets on the wall.
When my back to wall HeSPU was to the floor, I also started doing a couple of chest to wall negatives before back to wall in order to check if I had the strength to go back up.
Gradually the chest to wall increased and I didn't need to shorten the range of motion very long.
About diet and gaining muscle...
I don't really measure my calories precisely, but I keep track of my weight and adjust my food according to whether I want to gain or lose. For losing weight, the easiest way for me is to do intermittent fasting (skip breakfast), avoid snacks and eat in moderation for most meals.
To gain weight, I eat breakfast, have a snack of cottage cheese or protein bread with peanut butter between meals and generally eat more at meals. Also I load up my post-workout protein shake with extra stuff like banana, peanut butter and a bit of olive oil.
Generally to be sure that you are gaining muscle, keep track of your measurements. Shoulder, chest and biceps are what I mostly check. They should increase on a surplus and not change much on a caloric deficit.
I don't really measure my calories precisely, but I keep track of my weight and adjust my food according to whether I want to gain or lose. For losing weight, the easiest way for me is to do intermittent fasting (skip breakfast), avoid snacks and eat in moderation for most meals.
To gain weight, I eat breakfast, have a snack of cottage cheese or protein bread with peanut butter between meals and generally eat more at meals. Also I load up my post-workout protein shake with extra stuff like banana, peanut butter and a bit of olive oil.
Generally to be sure that you are gaining muscle, keep track of your measurements. Shoulder, chest and biceps are what I mostly check. They should increase on a surplus and not change much on a caloric deficit.
@deann0408 Btw, another thing that helped me a lot was working on getting 3x1 minute handstand holds, chest to wall.