Progress Check In
Comments
-
I've been following the ongoing dialogue about V02 max here. It seems to me that rucking is likely a good exercise for people, especially out of shape folks like me, to raise the FLOOR of cardio fitness and V02 max. It's not likely to have significant impact on the ceiling of your cardio fitness, although, depending on where you start, it should help.
I walked 1.89 miles with my pack loaded with a 20 pound plate and my heart rate was noticeably higher and the fatigue in my upper back and legs was higher than if I'd been walking without a pack. -
That’s wild
-
I think walking is the best place to start for someone getting off the couch and starting from scratch.
Zone 2 should feel like you can still carry on a conversation and not be totally out of breath, but someone could tell you're definitely exercising when speaking with you on the phone for example. At least, 150 mins of this a week would be great.
And keep in mind, even if the pounds aren't coming off quickly, there's still a huge benefit in getting your VO2 max into the top 25% for age group.
-
Strong agree, walking is GOOD for you. Very clear blood sugar benefits to walking.
Which, since this is a progress check, the one thing I am failing on this year is my overall steps. I don't record fancy stuff, but the default health tracking on the Iphone had me at 7500 per day in 2023 and dropped to 6500 in 2024. Part of that is variability with recording steps while golfing, part was running less but was more than offset by plenty of rowing. But I still wanted to get it back to 7500 this year.
Well January was ass weather and I'm at 4500 per day so far this year. Rowing machine winning instead.
-
Walking is a lot easier in California
-
It never rains in Southern California.
So you may burn down.
-
One April we were swimming in the ocean at Oceanside in 105 degree heat with fires at Pendleton and on the 15 at the 76 with one at Carlsbad
Crazy day
-
Yeah, thanks for this. Not gonna lie, checking in on the MAHA board has actually taught me a few things* and been inspiring me to get moving again. Cheers to a healthier 2025!
*Also talking with my physician, and getting some blood work done. I'm not solely making health decisions based on a college football internet message board.
-
Please, for the love of god, don't make health decisions based on the advice of lay people on a back water college football message board!!
-
HOWEVER, if you are going to make health decisions based on the advice of lay people on a college football message board, make sure it is this one and not the one where the most prominent member is literally nicknamed Fatters, or the other one where the founder was well known for her double chin (and nice ass).
-
I’m making all my health decisions based on this bored. Fuck going to the doctor, I have Pawz and Yella.
-
Having a rough morning personally and this was a needed, well-timed pickup.
Glad you are making progress. Stay with it. God speed.
.
-
Listen to @pawz and not me, big dog! I hate the fucking internet and am only here cause I go sucked during peak HH in 2016.
-
My check-in is timed with Election Day, since that was the first day of the second round of chemo.
I’ve had a 25lb swing in weight at only 5’8”. Down 10lbs the first week back on chemo. Lost 5 more, then up 25 for 10lb net.
I definitely didn’t gain any muscle weight, which is the next goal. And imperative..
-
Take me with a grain of salt. I’m just am amateur at this stuff and still learning.
I am really, truly happy to see this board having a positive impact on people’s lives outside of our? small postage stamp on the interwebs.
.
-
I’m just goofing. I love the information I find here, but I’m always going to do my own research. I gained 10lbs after quitting keto, but now that I’m getting into the swing of riding the peloton and continuing to cut out sugary shit and generally watching/tracking what I’m eating, I’m down below where I was at my lowest on keto. I’m down 17lbs overall.
-
Weighed in at 194.8 today. FFS. This 80% zone 2 / 20% anaerobic may really have something. Still lifting weights, yoga etc. Drinks being reduced may be helping, but am still at an average of 2.3 per day since then. This included a work trip to Ireland for a week with a trip to the Guinness factory. There is so much food available when traveling and also results in less gym time, but still dropping. Probably some cumulative effects too.
Bob Ernst for HHS!
-
Fat shaming works !!
-
I've been really focused on increasing the time in saddle on the Peleton this winter in border between Zone 2/3 including adding in some 60 min workouts.
It's been a little tricky to figure out what my max HR is these days and I still can't figure out if it's 180ish or 192 ish. As such, I've been going perceived effort and 140 BPM feels about right for the transition between Zones 2 and 3. I can hold that for an hour and still have plenty of gas in the tank to hold it for another 30 or 60 mins.
A few months I ago on the Peleton my average watts for 30 min at 140 BPM was 209. Last week is was up to 251 watts for 30 mins at 140 BPM. That's some dramatic improvement.
My old man fitness goals for 2025 at sub 19 mins for 5000 meters at 25 s/m on the C2 and break 600 KJ of total output (333 average watts) for 30 mins on the Peloton.
-
Yeah been trying to do a once per week hour piece on the C2 in zone 2. It feels so lame but I'm losing weight and seeing gains in various places - higher weight tolerance on squats/hamstring curls/quad lifts. Cleared 19 mins in a 5K a couple of weeks ago which was a nice milestone to hit (at 23 s/m). Debating other goals right now. 1:25 pace for a 1 minute piece might be the next goal. TBD
-
I got to 19:10 last summer but got sidetracked focusing on Mt Biking.
I try not to stress the old man times too much compared to what 19 year old yella could do- e.g., 19:50 for 6000 meter.
Sub 19:00 at 3761 feet (it's hard) feels like a good measure of skrong old man VO2 max.
-
Yella directed me to this thread. I started rowing again on 1/30. Then, I proceeded to get sick, but picked it back up on 2/11. I've been rowing consistently since then. I haven't been doing sprints; instead focusing on endurance. I had worked my way up to 36 minutes. Today, I went up to 40 minutes & cleared 9000 meters. This is all at 22 s/m.
I'm 54 years old and stand at 5'10", with a wingspan of 6', weighing in at 165 and some change.
A year ago, I was weighing in around 195. Got fed up and started my weight loss effort on 5/1. By early September, I was in the 163-164 territory. I did all that by cutting 500-700 calories a day from my diet. There was little in the way of working out. Occasional hikes, yard work, and a lot of sportbike riding (which isn't totally intense, but does engage your core and leg muscles if you're riding properly).
Anyway, I'll start doing sprints on the Concept 2 again soon. For now, I'm trying to build up to 10000 meters in one session. I am definitely seeing the results with musculature. Nothing hurts, so I guess my form is good… and I'm super flexible.
I'll try to post a screenshot of the recent entries in my Concept 2 logbook.
-
Fucking Euro date format...
-
the best diet to lose weight is having the discipline to cut 500 - 700 calories per day.
maff is hard.
-
Word! I had to get into the mindset and be stubborn. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't easy. It's starting to become a habit now, but I watch everything carefully. A little bit of fasting helped, BTW. I did anywhere from 12 to 18 hours. A sixteen hour fast was the norm.
-
I had signed up for the Concept2 challenge for International Women’s day, to get an easy $5 for the Women’s Sports Foundation and since that’s an easy workout after Saturday golf. Had to row a 5K.
Well I didn’t realize it was the C2 WOD and all results would be published. So had to push and overcome golf/lunch drinks and the old man afternoon nap, plus not being as hydrated as ideal. Somehow shaved like 3 seconds off my best time this year. Acceptable.
Cold and not humid probably helped a ton.
-
I did a "don't kill yourself" 5K this AM at 23 to 24 strokes / min. 19:36.
My understanding is that my elevation adjustment (we're about 4000 ft) gives be a 3% discount, so in theory with the same effort I'd be around 19:00 at sea level. But I'll need to come to tidewater Virginia and drink a few beers first.
Again, the goal for the 1st half of 2025 is sub 19:00 without major discomfort.
-
So fun running at elevation facts @whlinder…
The WR in the Marathon is 2HR and 35 sec if my research is accurate. At Mexico City (7300 ft) the record marathon is 2:08:23 Hrs.
So like a 6.5 % discount.
Mike needs to take some boats to Flagstaff AZ before IRA's or something to cheat code their lungs.
-
I technically live in Piedmont Virginia since we're west of the fall line. Which isn't nearly high enough to get an altitude discount.
I've never noticed whether Concept2 publishes anything around the impacts of humidity on performance, since it can be pretty brutal for running. I definitely get tired easier on humid days on the C2 and sweat all over the place which is annoying. Surely pushes heart rate up for same effort, especially when not adapted to summer conditions, and has to be worth a second or 3 on splits.
-
That's a great question. I'm sure there's some measurable impact. Doesn't your Cuntry Club have some decent climate control?
I've never really rowed anywhere super humid other than IRA's in New Jersey and I think we got lucky with decent weather.
