Working to Stay Lean ~

[J Francho]

33 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Makes me feel 'light on my feet'.

I like that. 

Me too. I only ever feel truly light on my feet when I'm behind the drum kit, or on a plank of wood with four little wheels.

[A-Jay]

On 10/18/2017 at 2:25 PM, A-Jay said:

Back in late Aug I posted that after several months, I was very fortunate to have pretty much fully recovered from a knee injury. Additionally I was thankful for the opportunity to be able to get back in the gym. 

 

This summer I celebrated my 29th birthday - for the second time.  Not exactly at a point in my life where it's a good idea to be carrying excess baggage.

 So the past several months I’ve made a concerted effort to work towards reducing my body fat.  

It’s been a labor of love.  History has indicated, that at least for me, getting my diet in check is always a major priority as is being smart & sensible while in the gym. (I built a small home gym several years ago ~ extremely convenient).  

 

I'd like to encourage anyone & everyone who is thinking about making a change to improve their health to Go For It !

The longer we wait the harder it gets.  The first step is the hardest.

 

Although not totally where I want to be, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. 

I routinely finish all my training with core work – this video is the last set from this morning.

A-Jay

 

 

Just over a week shy of being 3 years since posting the OP ~ 

I'll take it.

Don't let anyone tell you a man can not benefit from resistance training over 60.

It's never too late to start.

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

Down here in the South you would not be considered obese, maybe fat, but not obese.

 

[Glenn]

Proud of you!

[BASS302]

 

On 10/12/2020 at 3:26 PM, A-Jay said:

Don't let anyone tell you a man can not benefit from resistance training over 60.

It's never too late to start.

Yes, but I have resistance to training!

 

You have more muscles on one arm than I do on my entire body.

[Bass Rutten]

Love your dedication and discipline! I started strength based training about 4 years ago at 47, I've since left my gym and went back to functional / movement / bodyweight based training from my kickboxing, boxing & martial arts days. My current garage "gym" consists of a jump rope, a high bar, and a set of gymnastic rings, that's it. You don't need a room full of machines to get started folks, no excuses and it's never too late!

[roadwarrior]

On 10/15/2020 at 1:51 AM, BASS302 said:

 

Yes, but I have resistance to training!

 

You have more muscles on one arm than I do on my entire body.

[A-Jay]

Still making it happen ~

Remaining consistent with this Total Body training and my diet

 has me feeling pretty lean these days. 

This one marks the last workout video for the 2020-2021 hard water season.

With a little luck, the next several clips might see me holding a few Brown Bass.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

 

[Jigfishn10]

WTG buddy!

[A-Jay]

Been a minute since I posted here ~ 

#borninfiftynine

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

[Bird]

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Been a minute since I posted here ~ 

#borninfiftynine

A-Jay

This level of fitness comes in handy when curling DD fish. Lol

Keep it up ?

[A-Jay]

Is it weird that I actually enjoy this ?

A-Jay

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Is it weird that I actually enjoy this ?

You're just weird, Andy...has nothing to do with the workouts.

[throttleplate]

12 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Is it weird that I actually enjoy this ?

A-Jay

i have a workout routine but no way near what you do. What do you do to motivate yourself on the days you dont feel like workin out but know you need to?

[A-Jay]

7 hours ago, throttleplate said:

i have a workout routine but no way near what you do. What do you do to motivate yourself on the days you dont feel like workin out but know you need to?

 

  This is a great question and perhaps the key many aspects of life. 

I know the feeling believe me – many times just getting into the gym feels like it uses half the energy I have for the day.  Through the over 40 year that I’ve been training, I’ve blown off my share.  Not something I’m proud of but it’s the truth. 

 So self-motivation is different for each of us and what works for me may not work for others.

Either way, this is my version of how to make it happen.

 To begin with, pretty much my entire day is spent ‘preparing’ to preform my workout; especially the days I do Not train.  Eating right (and enough), staying hydrated, and getting sufficient sleep all have to happen in order for me to be at my best in the gym and hopefully to avoid injury.

  So there’s plenty of motivation needed constantly just to workout for those 90 minutes every other day.

Placing that type of priority on this for 24 hours a day – everyday,

helps me with get into the gym.

 To go along with that, my own mind set as to why I do it all plays a huge role.  I always talk about being “fit for life’ and that’s really all this is.  I want to be the best version of me I can, for many reasons including being here for my wife (who is 14 years younger than me, btw and my BIGGEST Supporter).   Now at 62, it’s a battle but it’s important to me and I understand I will encounter both physical & mental resistance along the way.  If it wasn’t important, it would be easy.

 

  The benefits of being, light on my feet, feeling balanced and strong cannot be overstated IMO. 

With my training being the single toughest deal I do, it makes the rest of my 'life' seem 'easy' and  at this point, with very few 'limitations'.  My ability and most importantly my willingness, to accept & cope with stress is always much better when I'm in full workout mode.  And it’s a full load of self-motivation that is essential to keep this whole human engine running.  For me, lack of self-discipline erodes self-esteem.  Which has a snowball effect that can get me headed in the wrong direction, fast.

 

 Some of the things I do that help keep me on track;

I keep detailed workout logs; when I can beat my own records from day to day I feel like a success. 

I talk about my efforts and results with friends & family as well as posting the training on my facebook page and on youtube.  When you know the ENTIRE WORLD can watch you train, it makes you try just a little bit harder.  Might seem a little strange I guess, but I do not concern myself with what others think or do (or don’t do).  None of that effects my health.

Finally, we can’t go back and change the beginning,

but we can start where we are now and change the ending.

I think about that one every day.

Hope that helps

A-Jay

[throttleplate]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

  This is a great question and perhaps the key many aspects of life. 

I know the feeling believe me – many times just getting into the gym feels like it uses half the energy I have for the day.  Through the over 40 year that I’ve been training, I’ve blown off my share.  Not something I’m proud of but it’s the truth. 

 So self-motivation is different for each of us and what works for me may not work for others.

Either way, this is my version of how to make it happen.

 To begin with, pretty much my entire day is spent ‘preparing’ to preform my workout; especially the days I do Not train.  Eating right (and enough), staying hydrated, and getting sufficient sleep all have to happen in order for me to be at my best in the gym and hopefully to avoid injury.

  So there’s plenty of motivation needed constantly just to workout for those 90 minutes every other day.

Placing that type of priority on this for 24 hours a day – everyday,

helps me with get into the gym.

 To go along with that, my own mind set as to why I do it all plays a huge role.  I always talk about being “fit for life’ and that’s really all this is.  I want to be the best version of me I can, for many reasons including being here for my wife (who is 14 years younger than me, btw and my BIGGEST Supporter).   Now at 62, it’s a battle but it’s important to me and I understand I will encounter both physical & mental resistance along the way.  If it wasn’t important, it would be easy.

 

  The benefits of being, light on my feet, feeling balanced and strong cannot be overstated IMO. 

With my training being the single toughest deal I do, it makes the rest of my 'life' seem 'easy' and  at this point, with very few 'limitations'.  My ability and most importantly my willingness, to accept & cope with stress is always much better when I'm in full workout mode.  And it’s a full load of self-motivation that is essential to keep this whole human engine running.  For me, lack of self-discipline erodes self-esteem.  Which has a snowball effect that can get me headed in the wrong direction, fast.

 

 Some of the things I do that help keep me on track;

I keep detailed workout logs; when I can beat my own records from day to day I feel like a success. 

I talk about my efforts and results with friends & family as well as posting the training on my facebook page and on youtube.  When you know the ENTIRE WORLD can watch you train, it makes you try just a little bit harder.  Might seem a little strange I guess, but I do not concern myself with what others think or do (or don’t do).  None of that effects my health.

Finally, we can’t go back and change the beginning,

but we can start where we are now and change the ending.

I think about that one every day.

Hope that helps

A-Jay

every other day just comes to fast for me to do a workout. I give my body 3 to 4 days rest in the summer between workouts and 2 days rest in the winter as i am less active so i step it up.

 

At 60 i do yoga stretching every morning because i have had 2 back surgeries, 1 neck surgery, 3 shoulder, 2 elbow and 1 knee surgery.

 

The stretching takes an hour but it has taken away all the lingering pains from my surgeries and i must do this every morning or i mentally will feel bad and physically i will feel off.

 

It took me years to get the right stretches down to a routine that works. Its like i had to reverse engineer my body and build a better one and keep it in top shape, no different than maintaing your boat or car to keep it running smooth.

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

every other day just comes to fast for me to do a workout. I give my body 3 to 4 days rest in the summer between workouts and 2 days rest in the winter as i am less active so i step it up.

 

At 60 i do yoga stretching every morning because i have had 2 back surgeries, 1 neck surgery, 3 shoulder, 2 elbow and 1 knee surgery.

 

The stretching takes an hour but it has taken away all the lingering pains from my surgeries and i must do this every morning or i mentally will feel bad and physically i will feel off.

 

It took me years to get the right stretches down to a routine that works. Its like i had to reverse engineer my body and build a better one and keep it in top shape, no different than maintaing your boat or car to keep it running smooth.

When it comes to motivation,   seems like there's plenty there to work with.

Also it sounds like you have done a nice job of tuning your exercise to your specific needs.

A-Jay

[Jigfishn10]

On 6/19/2021 at 2:21 PM, A-Jay said:

Is it weird that I actually enjoy this ?

I actually enjoy how I feel afterward...LOL

Great job buddy! ?

[A-Jay]

Woke up at zero dark thirty this morning and it was obvious that I wasn’t going back to sleep. Solution ~ Get in the Gym . . . . . #borninfiftynine #fitforlife

A-Jay

[CrankFate]

I should probably check into this thread more often. I was up about 30lbs from the lockdown.  I am down to 220 for the first time in a long time. Working to get as close to 210 as possible. Having a vacation scheduled always helps, because you dont want to look fat in the pictures. I worked out like crazy for the first 4 months of the year. Right now, I am just focusing on diet and shrinking the size of my shoulders and upper back. I looked terrible in a shirt with a collar, because my traps were just too big. Genetics. My upper back and traps get bigger if I type the word "weights" or "gym." I was doing way too much bench pressing. I focused on 20 rep sets in just about every lift for the first part of the year. Taking a break now, but will be going back soon, in total weight loss mode.

[MN Fisher]

I've been working to 'lean up' - down to 195 from my high of 220. Now it's stretching exercises - pilates mainly - but soon as things settle down here it's starting with weights...light to begin. Wife's just a week back from the hospital and there's a lot of daily care needed...which is why the delay.

 

I'm never gonna look like Andy - way too late a start - but if I can loose the mid-section expansion I'll be happy.

[The Maestro]

On 6/20/2021 at 2:41 AM, throttleplate said:

i have a workout routine but no way near what you do. What do you do to motivate yourself on the days you dont feel like workin out but know you need to?

Motivation wanes and is therefore unreliable. Some days it's high and you're all amped up to workout and other days you just don't feel like it. Sticking with it ultimately comes down to self discipline.  Doing it even when you really don't want to.  This is also why I think it's important to find a form of exercise that you don't completely dread doing as you'll be a lot more likely to stay with it long term.

[Jigfishn10]

It's a 5 day a week thing for me which has been part of my work week schedule for quite some time (years) now. I find that if I start to dread the workout it means I need to have a back-off week. Usually happens when I up the intensity for a block. I'll back off on the intensity for a week, maybe use less weight and allow my body to recover.

 

The only other time motivation becomes an issue is when my body adapts to a routine that I've been doing for weeks and it's becoming stagnate. Time to adjust the routine or adapt to a new one. 

 

Just gotta make it a part of your daily schedule.

[throttleplate]

i lost some unwanted weight say 10 lbs and here is what i have been doing.

Lunch is my most undisaplined meal, i cut way down on my bread and sandwich meat and now instead of meats i eat a big bowl of malt 0 meal using the fake sugar or stevia and 1% milk,then i eat a slice of toast with peanut butter and 1% milk.

 

I have been going to fleetfarm and buying 2 lb bags of assorted nuts and some times i just eat lots of nuts say a cup and get full from them and that is my lunch.

 

I used to have a before bed snack that was usually a small bowl of cereal but for the last 6 months i quit that and now if i feel hungry i again eat some nuts to stop my hunger.