At 42, it took a pandemic to get me going...but I’m about 8 weeks in and loving it

[bellec]

@dalady8 I will certainly check it out!

 

[dawn16]

@bellec I am glad to hear you putting in the work. Consistency is key. Stick with it and you will reap the benefits fully.

 

[ft89]

@bellec Get a heavy bag and some gloves. Some of the best cardio imo.

 

[rachelmaria3]

@bellec Congrats! Wish I could say the same thing. I found it so hard to do bodyweight workouts at home. Hate to say it but I'm not working out as much right now. I need that gym environment and doing solely bodyweight workouts isn't for me. I need both free weights and bodyweight. Fortunately for me my gym opens up to it's full 24/7 hours tomorrow. Also fortunately for me I go at the time of day where there's no more than 2 people in there besides me and the gym is big and spaced out.

 

[twilightsdream]

@bellec Bro, I'm 40 and went to a gym for the first time in my life in January. Like you I always had a mental aversion to them, preferring sports and the like. But, I really like going to gym! During our lockdown, which is 2 months in, been working out at home 4 days a week. I've kept it going, and I know I will until my body can't move anymore. Just love what it's doing for my body and my psyche. Us old dogs can learn new tricks! Keep it up!

 

[timberduck]

@bellec 36/male in decent shape. Did the elliptical and cardio machines along with 5/6 week weight lifting for two years prior. Lost tons of weight. Then the dreaded corona hit and gyms closed along with restaurants and reduction of meal prep food at grocery stores. For about a month I got depressed and did not physical exercise and let my diet go. I felt my midsection starting to loosen up and my former toned parts loosen too. So I decided to do what I haven’t done in 6 years and sucked at- start running...

Well it started horrendously, my feet hurt, my knees hurt and my back. I almost gave up on it. But something neat happened. I became addicted to that runners high you hear people talk about. So I kept running some distances 5-6 times a week to get that high. Well a month in and I think I could call myself a moderate runner! I look forward to running everyday, my body does not hurt anymore and my stamina/endurance is better. I can go further without being out of breathe.

I haven’t seen a dramatic weight loss, I think my body is toning back up. And it’s good because gyms are opening back up- my former weight routine with running routine, I’ll look great by years end. I plan to stick with running. But like you mentioned, persistence and dedication is key! Keep going!

 

[bellec]

@dawn16 YESSSS!!!

I know how you feel, we think it’s a lot easier if we were younger....and we are right! But we have to pay a little price for our history of slacking!

Just put your head down and go to work, don’t think about anything but the exact thing you have in front of you (push-up, squats, whatever) and just do it. You don’t even have to think about it again when you’re done...your body will remind you how awesome you’ve been.

As I write this I’m dealing with an intercostal muscle pull, so I’m going to have to take a few days away from the exercises (I think I got a little crazy with the bicycle crunches) but I still have a plan to continue on with walks (around 5km a day) to keep something going. I will also take this time to start getting my diet ready.

You can do it my man, if I can you sure as hell can. I broke into the 265lb area this week and I’m jacked about it, there’s always something to be happy about if we go out there and work it!

 

[simplygirl]

@bellec I highly recommend using www.darebee.com . It has a TON of body weight workouts with pictures and tons of programs including some really cool RPG workouts. It also has diet plans that are very simple. And it's completely free (donations accepted) without any ads.

I don't work for them, I've just never seen a source like it!

I also like nerdfitness.com because of their free content but they also sell programs.

 

[bellec]

Well I made this post before spending the afternoon with my family for my grandfathers 91st bday... what an awesome day

Thank you all for your encouragement and advice.....I was and am still, totally blown away by the responses

Thanks again

 

[sister_diane]

@bellec Really awesome to read this @bellec. You basically have to find the fun in training at one point in your life and then you’re hooked. Just imagine how great you’ll look and feel in 5 years.

I’m really happy that I have started my fitness journey early. I’m 24 now and I’m pretty strong already. Looking forward to progressing even further.

But I’d like to give you one important piece of advice:

Technique/form/range of motion!​

You probably just started doing push-ups, squats and whatnot like you imagined they should be done. That is what most people do and that’s perfectly normal. However, there are certain things that you should be aware of that affect the movement. Most likely you are not performing your push-ups exactly as you should be.

Watch this video (or look up other videos) and evaluate your own push-up after. If you’re doing some things wrong, change them. The first time you do a perfect push-up, it will probably be really hard again. You might feel like you have to take a big step back. But please do it, as it will result in a lot more strength gains, better stability and control. In the end you’ll get way stronger with those.

Do this to all of your exercises. Are you performing them perfectly? If not, where can you improve? That is how you get really strong.

 

[richardmitly]

@bellec If you have an iPhone/iPad, I can recommend TouchFit GSP. It's $4.99 and you always get a different routine, so no boredom. There was a time when I did this exclusively 3-4 times a week, and after a few months I was in the best shape of my LIFE. The workouts can be very challenging and are guaranteed to make you sweat.