Jordan Derksen
Total Posts: 392
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10-31-22 02:40 PM - Post#922915
So, I’m gonna do that thing and quote something Dan said over 10 years ago. It highlights something important I recently discovered myself and hopefully will generate some good discussion.
I’ve been on a bit of a journey lately and through a series of discussions with close friends taken my focus off ‘The Gym’ to just try something totally new and different. Maybe it’s mental burnout from the gym, maybe it’s stage of life with young kids, maybe it’s tackling a long-ignored weakness, but I just had to focus on something new.
I’m trying yoga.
After several weeks already of thinking, discussing, and really trying it out I got to reading some of Dan’s older material and I came across some things that really resonated with where I’m at right now. I am a big fan of Dan’s older work. Easy strength is great, but like anything I find the high frequency just doesn’t work for me long term. The training minimalism stuff works much better for me like the famous one lift a day or two days a week programs.
Here I’ll quote Dan: “Also, you need to nail down this issue: do I do light days or off days. I can’t do light. I can only workout, so for me, an easy day is “off.”” [http://danjohn.net/2012/05/training-for- middle-age-and-beyond/]
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to up the frequency and drop the intensity to just end up being unable to keep the intensity down. I either pick a light weight and do everything at that light weight and get bored out of my mind or go too hard too often and the whole thing falls apart. So that’s the first part.
Another quote from the same article sums up the other part nicely.
“I would argue these last two ideas [farmer walks and sprints] tie into everything I have said (see tonic and phasic…explosive glute work…two week blocks, whatever), but many people will become addicted to the gym for their answers and the answer is probably outside.” [http://danjohn.net/2012/05/training-for- middle-age-and-beyond/]
So, I’ve ignored mobility, movement, and recovery for a long time. Taking a break from weights and focusing on yoga – which I have spent my whole training life making fun of by the way – has benefited in some surprising ways.
I feel better, I move better, I sleep better. And here’s the test for me. I play hockey better. In this case, it’s not so much farmer walks and sprints, but tackling a long-ignored weakness that can only be tackled doing a not-the-gym thing. In my case, Yoga.
Yup. 2 weeks after doing yoga with some pullups and dips thrown in a few times a week I got on the ice and played the best game of my 8 years in hockey. My feet felt free, my legs weren’t tired and slow, my hands were coordinated, and mentally I felt quick. I got a goal and 3 assists. Normally I don’t get any points. 4 weeks in now and results are maintaining.
Like Dan’s comment I think I’ve spent way too much of my life thinking all the answers are inside the gym. It’s easy to forget that sometimes to get better at your sport (or whatever your goal is) you need to make sure you have the energy and capacity to actually practice and play said sport. The gym is great. But its fatal flaw is it’s full of these structured movements performed in a lab setting. Turns out when I’m skating my feet are not locked under my hips. Proper skating requires mobility and strength in many positions around the body.
Having a 400-pound squat and deadlift won’t make me a better skater. In my stage of life with limited energy to pour into these hobbies it was actually just taking away from my ability on the ice.
Maybe this is a duh moment for most or all of you. But it’s been eye opening.
Then the real question is. What is your goal? It should tie in with ‘What is your test?’ The test should reflect the goal. Re-evaluate if it doesn’t. Beating my head against the wall trying to improve my lifts in the gym so that I can be a better hockey player just wasn’t working out for me anymore. For too long in my life my tests and goals haven’t lined up. My tests have always been ‘Did my lifts improve?’ I tied this directly to how I felt about whatever goal I had. Maybe this is a lay over from my crossfit/weightlifting days where ‘did my lifts improve’ was a very valid question.
Part of this is also realizing that an hour of hockey is quite a leg workout. In general really it satisfies this whole fitness thing quite well. When talking with a friend recently he asked me “So if you find the weights just aren’t working, and sometimes you’re just sick and tired of it, what are other things you can do to be healthy and fit?” I didn’t understand the question. Then he points out, “What do you actually like doing?” That was easy. Playing hockey. “Well just do more of that, it’s a heck of a workout.” No kidding. I recently started taking my heart rate monitor along to the rink. The graph at the end speaks volumes about what I’m doing for that hour. It’s basically 3-minute shifts of short sprints with rest for an hour. Sprints is not an exaggeration. So, if my sport is giving me leg training, then do I need to train legs beyond movement and mobility? At this point I would say no.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like “The Gym”. But there was this frustration happening where goals were competing in the gym and outside. It got easy when I thought of it that way. What do I want? Just because some gym lift isn’t improving doesn’t mean I will now also fail at my goals on the ice. I had a friend years ago tell me if I wanted to be better at hockey, I should stop lifting heavy. Back then I thought he was nuts. Not be "strong"? Are you kidding? Now I wish I had listened. My definition of strong was very narrow.
If I look at my year and, like Dan suggests, plan out times to really ‘go for it’, the summer becomes the obvious time for that. The rest of the year just go have fun doing whatever you like doing. Which wouldn’t be unlike what elite level players do.
So, what do you all train for? Are your goals outside the gym or do you train weights to be better at training weights? What sort of things in “The Gym” do you find hold you back from your goals? What sort of “Outside the Gym” things do you do that help your goals? And maybe that’s the key to Dan’s longevity in the kilt/field/ring. Pick the times you go for it in the gym. The rest of the time get out on the field.
Very interested to hear from you guys on this.
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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10-31-22 02:58 PM - Post#922917
I’m still sitting here staring at the screen wondering what my test is.
It’s a profound question for those of us who don’t compete in anything formally.
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Matt_T
Total Posts: 379
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10-31-22 03:21 PM - Post#922921
I’m still sitting here staring at the screen wondering what my test is.
It’s a profound question for those of us who don’t compete in anything formally.
Did it hurt me (or will it)?
Great post OP
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Sean S
Total Posts: 44
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10-31-22 03:34 PM - Post#922922
This is exactly what I have been working through over the past couple years. It has been difficult to break old habits and mindsets, but redefining "success" or "strong" has been helpful.
I have mostly settled on easy OS work and/or yoga, walking (or aerodyne riding due to weather or a cranky knee), and practicing my martial art. Success for me is being able to go out and play with my boys whenever they might ask and keeping up with the teenagers at martial arts (mostly). During the academic year (I'm a college professor) my training has to be much easier than during the summer when I have less work, less stress, and more sleep. I still overdo it at times and have to remind myself to do less than I think I need to.
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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10-31-22 05:38 PM - Post#922923
Did it hurt me (or will it)?
That hurt me just to ask, so you're undoubtedly correct, ha.
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Gunny72
Total Posts: 410
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So, I’m gonna do that thing and quote something Dan said over 10 years ago. It highlights something important I recently discovered myself and hopefully will generate some good discussion.
I’ve been on a bit of a journey lately and through a series of discussions with close friends taken my focus off ‘The Gym’ to just try something totally new and different. Maybe it’s mental burnout from the gym, maybe it’s stage of life with young kids, maybe it’s tackling a long-ignored weakness, but I just had to focus on something new.
I’m trying yoga.
After several weeks already of thinking, discussing, and really trying it out I got to reading some of Dan’s older material and I came across some things that really resonated with where I’m at right now. I am a big fan of Dan’s older work. Easy strength is great, but like anything I find the high frequency just doesn’t work for me long term. The training minimalism stuff works much better for me like the famous one lift a day or two days a week programs.
Here I’ll quote Dan: “Also, you need to nail down this issue: do I do light days or off days. I can’t do light. I can only workout, so for me, an easy day is “off.”” [http://danjohn.net/2012/05/training-for- middle-age-and-beyond/]
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to up the frequency and drop the intensity to just end up being unable to keep the intensity down. I either pick a light weight and do everything at that light weight and get bored out of my mind or go too hard too often and the whole thing falls apart. So that’s the first part.
Another quote from the same article sums up the other part nicely.
“I would argue these last two ideas [farmer walks and sprints] tie into everything I have said (see tonic and phasic…explosive glute work…two week blocks, whatever), but many people will become addicted to the gym for their answers and the answer is probably outside.” [http://danjohn.net/2012/05/training-for- middle-age-and-beyond/]
So, I’ve ignored mobility, movement, and recovery for a long time. Taking a break from weights and focusing on yoga – which I have spent my whole training life making fun of by the way – has benefited in some surprising ways.
I feel better, I move better, I sleep better. And here’s the test for me. I play hockey better. In this case, it’s not so much farmer walks and sprints, but tackling a long-ignored weakness that can only be tackled doing a not-the-gym thing. In my case, Yoga.
Yup. 2 weeks after doing yoga with some pullups and dips thrown in a few times a week I got on the ice and played the best game of my 8 years in hockey. My feet felt free, my legs weren’t tired and slow, my hands were coordinated, and mentally I felt quick. I got a goal and 3 assists. Normally I don’t get any points. 4 weeks in now and results are maintaining.
Like Dan’s comment I think I’ve spent way too much of my life thinking all the answers are inside the gym. It’s easy to forget that sometimes to get better at your sport (or whatever your goal is) you need to make sure you have the energy and capacity to actually practice and play said sport. The gym is great. But its fatal flaw is it’s full of these structured movements performed in a lab setting. Turns out when I’m skating my feet are not locked under my hips. Proper skating requires mobility and strength in many positions around the body.
Having a 400-pound squat and deadlift won’t make me a better skater. In my stage of life with limited energy to pour into these hobbies it was actually just taking away from my ability on the ice.
Maybe this is a duh moment for most or all of you. But it’s been eye opening.
Then the real question is. What is your goal? It should tie in with ‘What is your test?’ The test should reflect the goal. Re-evaluate if it doesn’t. Beating my head against the wall trying to improve my lifts in the gym so that I can be a better hockey player just wasn’t working out for me anymore. For too long in my life my tests and goals haven’t lined up. My tests have always been ‘Did my lifts improve?’ I tied this directly to how I felt about whatever goal I had. Maybe this is a lay over from my crossfit/weightlifting days where ‘did my lifts improve’ was a very valid question.
Part of this is also realizing that an hour of hockey is quite a leg workout. In general really it satisfies this whole fitness thing quite well. When talking with a friend recently he asked me “So if you find the weights just aren’t working, and sometimes you’re just sick and tired of it, what are other things you can do to be healthy and fit?” I didn’t understand the question. Then he points out, “What do you actually like doing?” That was easy. Playing hockey. “Well just do more of that, it’s a heck of a workout.” No kidding. I recently started taking my heart rate monitor along to the rink. The graph at the end speaks volumes about what I’m doing for that hour. It’s basically 3-minute shifts of short sprints with rest for an hour. Sprints is not an exaggeration. So, if my sport is giving me leg training, then do I need to train legs beyond movement and mobility? At this point I would say no.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like “The Gym”. But there was this frustration happening where goals were competing in the gym and outside. It got easy when I thought of it that way. What do I want? Just because some gym lift isn’t improving doesn’t mean I will now also fail at my goals on the ice. I had a friend years ago tell me if I wanted to be better at hockey, I should stop lifting heavy. Back then I thought he was nuts. Not be "strong"? Are you kidding? Now I wish I had listened. My definition of strong was very narrow.
If I look at my year and, like Dan suggests, plan out times to really ‘go for it’, the summer becomes the obvious time for that. The rest of the year just go have fun doing whatever you like doing. Which wouldn’t be unlike what elite level players do.
So, what do you all train for? Are your goals outside the gym or do you train weights to be better at training weights? What sort of things in “The Gym” do you find hold you back from your goals? What sort of “Outside the Gym” things do you do that help your goals? And maybe that’s the key to Dan’s longevity in the kilt/field/ring. Pick the times you go for it in the gym. The rest of the time get out on the field.
Very interested to hear from you guys on this.
This is an excellent post. Almost magazine article worthy.
I personally train for movement and at 50 years of age, to be pain free.
Since discovering Dan John and this great forum 5 years ago, I always try to include a push, pull, squat, hinge and carry movement when I am lifting weights. Usually 3 days a week.
Another day, (always Friday morning), I am in a walking group with a bunch of old Rugby mates. Part of our walking track are 94 stairs. We do these 94 steps anywhere between 5 to 10 reps, depending how we all feel, then we go for a coffee after woods. Great for our mental health as well.
I have found that these stairs are pretty much my leg workout for the week. I also love doing them. Great camaraderie!
Once a year, I will do the 40 day programme. This is my Bus stop. I usually do this in January and February to kick start the new year off.
Jordan, if Yoga and Hockey work for you then why would you stop?
Andrew Gunn,
Brisbane, Australia
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jimi1942
Total Posts: 26
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10-31-22 10:12 PM - Post#922925
I would be very careful with yoga. I wrote a very long article I sent Dan and some other people. Here is part of it.
Flexibility training can be done actively and/or passively. Active flexibility uses external force to increase range of motion. Passive does not.
https://camillamia.com/active-vs-passive-fle xibility/#:~:text=The%20d ifference%20between%20act ive%20...
Yoga generally involves passive flexibility, although it becomes active if a teacher forces a student into greater range of motion. This can become a real problem if done without sensitivity, as it can tear up ligaments, tendons that attach muscles to bones, or even muscles.
This article from the New York Times is worth reading.
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/h ow-yoga-can-wreck-your-bo dy.html
I'm not saying not to do yoga because it's working for now, but pay attention when your body is telling you to do less in time and range of motion. Don't do it mindlessly. I wouldn't try to imitate the teacher who may be hyper flexible or what you see in books. It's not a competition for who moves the furthest.
I used to do yoga when it was considered part of a spiritual discipline in the early 1970s and not what a lot of it is now, a way to look and feel better. I have been a teacher of the Feldenkrais method for the last 30 years and do that and other methods instead to improve mobility. This is my short definition of the method: an educational process for improving movement and overall functioning. It can improve posture, coordination and flexibility while reducing and/or eliminating neuromuscular pain. I almost never demonstrate when I teach. Generally, the movements are slow and gentle although not always. If you're interested, you can read more here.
https://feldenkrais-metho d.org/archive/feldenkrais-m ethod/
At the age of 73, I deadlift much higher than official height and no longer care about how much weight I can lift. I never had the body for it and weigh about 75-85 pounds less than the few serious lifters my age and my height I read about. I don't want their injuries. Surfing and skateboarding are dangerous enough.
My best friends are dead. Others with one exception are all suffering serious health issues. I would like a fairly functional mind and body for as long or as short as I live, but there are no guarantees. I found that out when my 11 year old daughter got a 3 out of a million cancer twenty years ago. She was raised with all organic foods until the age of five when we moved to a place where they were impossible to get. She had no transfats (before all the labelling against it,) no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives. She took vitamins, sunblock, drank reverse osmosis water etc.. She survived with a lot of scars, both physical and emotional. Other families weren't so lucky.
Life looks a lot different from this age than it did even ten years ago. I know I don't have all the time in the world anymore and try to focus on what I believe is really important. Good luck.
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tom6112
Total Posts: 846
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11-01-22 12:51 AM - Post#922929
I am 61 and do the training that I enjoy.
I like running about 3 miles 3-4 days a week .
I run very slowly and enjoy running just as much as ever.
I had a great CC coach in college. I know what it takes for me to run faster but have no desire to.
I lift twice a week and push myself with in reason. I get in 10-15 thousand steps a day. My weakness is flexibility. I am not as consistent as I should be. But yoga does seem to help me
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Kyle Aaron
Total Posts: 1911
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I’m still sitting here staring at the screen wondering what my test is.
After a few years of training people, I no longer ask people their goals. Every man wants to be big and strong, every woman wants to be sexy. Except for the ones over 50 who just want their back to stop hurting.
While you're talking about outside the gym, you could just take the gym outside.
https://startingstrength.com/article/lifting-outsi de
https://www.instagram.com/discoverydeadlift/?hl =en
Edited by Kyle Aaron on 11-01-22 02:47 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
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11-01-22 08:09 AM - Post#922934
I’m still sitting here staring at the screen wondering what my test is.
It’s a profound question for those of us who don’t compete in anything formally.
I tend to approach this in a backwards way: I have no “formal test”, no specific goal to work for. That would totally kill the fun factor for me.
I have shame levels: a varied list of minimums I won’t allow myself to fall short of.
A few of them:
- Easy fighting: being able to spar/roll for a few rounds relying on technique only (this is way trickier than it may sound).
- Easy locomotion: being able to sustain a Maffetone/Niko-Niko pace for at least 90 minutes, no matter what the terrain (running, walking and hiking rolled into one).
- Easy lifting: being able to do at least five reps of front squats, snatch grip RDLs, dips and pull ups using between 100% and 125% of my own bodyweight, without needing a Valsalva maneuver (this ensures the effort level must be kept low-ish).
- Easy movement: being able to alternate carries and crawls for ten minutes straight and feeling energized at the end.
So, yes, I’m weird that way. 
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
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11-01-22 08:13 AM - Post#922935
By the way, this thread is pure gold.
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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Dan John
Total Posts: 12292
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11-01-22 08:52 AM - Post#922937
Fantastic thread, thank you all.
One thing on yoga, to chime in: bad teaching. I was doing the camel pose and Little Miss Expert decided to up the intensity and my umbilical hernia was the result.
I found out later that yoga injuries are much more common than people think but they are vastly underreported as, literally, people think that the injury is part of the healing process.
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions.
Thanks for all of this great information here.
Daniel John
Just handing down what I was handed down...
Make a Difference.
Live. Love. Laugh.
Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude)
Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk.
Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth.
Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights.
Reread great books. Say thank you |
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The Finn
Total Posts: 435
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11-01-22 08:57 AM - Post#922938
Most of us that are into weight training are familiar with the "rules" on how you should follow a certain program as it's written and not tinker with it, and how you shouldn't switch programs too often.
This is excellent advice for a new lifter who doesn't really know what he/she is doing and needs a clear guideline to follow.
As we get older and more experienced and our bodies and goals change, maybe these rules can sometimes become too restrictive.
We don't have to do deadlifts or bench presses or follow a set program if we don't feel like it.
I think you're simply making an honest and mature decision to steer your exercise habits in the direction you really enjoy and what your body probably needs.
"My grandma Olga, a famous Finnish Powerlifter, once told me,
'Little one, take care of your gastrointestinal tract
and it'll take care of you.'
Then she struck me with some salted herring."
- TC Luoma |
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
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11-01-22 09:13 AM - Post#922940
people think that the injury is part of the healing process.
But… why?
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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11-01-22 09:23 AM - Post#922942
I tend to approach this in a backwards way: I have no “formal test”, no specific goal to work for. That would totally kill the fun factor for me.
I have shame levels: a varied list of minimums I won’t allow myself to fall short of.
A few of them:
- Easy fighting: being able to spar/roll for a few rounds relying on technique only (this is way trickier than it may sound).
- Easy locomotion: being able to sustain a Maffetone/Niko-Niko pace for at least 90 minutes, no matter what the terrain (running, walking and hiking rolled into one).
- Easy lifting: being able to do at least five reps of front squats, snatch grip RDLs, dips and pull ups using between 100% and 125% of my own bodyweight, without needing a Valsalva maneuver (this ensures the effort level must be kept low-ish).
- Easy movement: being able to alternate carries and crawls for ten minutes straight and feeling energized at the end.
So, yes, I’m weird that way.
This is pure gold, and absolutely how I see things. It’s just articulating your standards, your minimums, from the perspective of what’s easy instead of what’s your maximum.
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Jordan Derksen
Total Posts: 392
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11-01-22 10:31 AM - Post#922945
Jimi – thanks for sharing. That’s a tough journey with your daughter. My wife lost her sister to cancer when she was young, so I see what that does to a family. Sorry you had to walk through that with your daughter.
Thanks Jimi and Dan for the warnings about Yoga. I am following Yoga with Adriene on youtube. She’s got a very active movement-based style. Some of the ‘poses’ are just basic stretches I recognize from original strength or other mobility programs. The imbalances I’m finding in my hips and shoulders have been the key takeaway. I have no interest in hyper flexibility or holding poses for extended periods of time. Anyone can try to twist into a pretzel and cheat their way to flexibility. It’s the movement from pose to pose that’s really highlighting the issue for me. Adriene does a good job at coaching the movement and making sure you aren’t compensating.
Kyle – I can totally agree with people just wanting to look good. But it can be very subjective. Body dysmorphia is a real thing. When I was ‘big and strong’, I didn’t think I was. There’s always another 5 pounds to gain or another 5 pounds to add to the barbell. Now that I’m down 25 pounds I had to change my wardrobe. Those old pictures of myself still surprise me. To be honest I would love to look that way again, but it’s expensive and it hurts.
If someone subjectively feels better about themselves by lifting weights that’s great. For me I had to look at what my pursuit of strength to the exclusion of other qualities was taking from me and ask why. Strong looks very different on the way up vs on the way down. To take a guy from an empty barbell to bodyweight lifts can change his life. But once you know how to move and brace properly it doesn’t matter if you can squat 225 or 315. Moving your buddies couch with him feels the same. There’s diminishing returns with weights, and the older I get the lower I believe that point is.
Things look different after you’ve lifted for a decade and hit some decent numbers. I had a buddy start lifting recently and he texted me ‘I finally put 2 of the big plates on the bar for bench. Feelin so strong it’s awesome.’ I respond. ‘225 that’s some good work!’ He texts back, ‘no I wish. I mean 1 of the big plates on each side.’ Oh ya… even to this day 135 is a warmup weight after doing a few reps with the empty bar and I basically don’t bench anymore.
I like iPood’s thoughts here. Maintaining minimums. Once you can move some weight, it’s time to look at where your other qualities are at. When you are unable to maintain some other important minimums – like if taking a short 400m jog hurts everything – maybe it is time to step back and work on some other qualities.
Like I said, I want to return to weights. I miss it a lot. But at some point, your body has given what it can and you gotta take care of yourself. Now I’m understanding hey, I can pick 2-3 months a year to really go for it with weights. The rest of the year, well there’s a lot of other stuff to do.
This is why I wanted to throw this out there and have you guys to chime in. I think it’s fascinating knowing what keeps people going. Dan has been able to live out his goal. He’s outlasted everyone. But there’s some important decisions that get made to help you get there. He clearly structures his year a certain way. In an old article Dan said he spends some time every year getting to his yearly goal of incline benching 405. First, that’s insane. I squatted that once, I couldn’t imagine moving that load with my arms. Second, it’s easy to see that and think ‘Wow, Dan is strong’ with the assumption being he can incline 405 year-round. But he can’t, and the important point is he doesn’t try. Wanting to look good will keep you going for a while, especially if you look as bad as the average north American. But eventually you must pursue a goal and want something out of your fitness to keep driving forward. Because eventually you’ll be tired and it’ll float up in your head, ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’ Looking good or maintaining some arbitrary numbers in a certain lift won’t be enough to answer that question. At least for me it’s not.
Asking why is the reason I first quit crossfit after my last competition. I was mid run in some crazy workout in the heat outside in summer and it floats up in my head, “Why am I doing this. Do I hate myself?” I stopped running mid workout, went inside, and from that day chose to start doing what I liked – Olympic lifting. That was 10 years ago.
Some say that somewhere that timer is still running…
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
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11-01-22 11:16 AM - Post#922946
This is pure gold, and absolutely how I see things. It’s just articulating your standards, your minimums, from the perspective of what’s easy instead of what’s your maximum.
You still owe us a pamphlet co-autored with Dan Martin. 
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
|
11-01-22 11:19 AM - Post#922947
Jimi – thanks for sharing. That’s a tough journey with your daughter. My wife lost her sister to cancer when she was young, so I see what that does to a family. Sorry you had to walk through that with your daughter.
Thanks Jimi and Dan for the warnings about Yoga. I am following Yoga with Adriene on youtube. She’s got a very active movement-based style. Some of the ‘poses’ are just basic stretches I recognize from original strength or other mobility programs. The imbalances I’m finding in my hips and shoulders have been the key takeaway. I have no interest in hyper flexibility or holding poses for extended periods of time. Anyone can try to twist into a pretzel and cheat their way to flexibility. It’s the movement from pose to pose that’s really highlighting the issue for me. Adriene does a good job at coaching the movement and making sure you aren’t compensating.
Kyle – I can totally agree with people just wanting to look good. But it can be very subjective. Body dysmorphia is a real thing. When I was ‘big and strong’, I didn’t think I was. There’s always another 5 pounds to gain or another 5 pounds to add to the barbell. Now that I’m down 25 pounds I had to change my wardrobe. Those old pictures of myself still surprise me. To be honest I would love to look that way again, but it’s expensive and it hurts.
If someone subjectively feels better about themselves by lifting weights that’s great. For me I had to look at what my pursuit of strength to the exclusion of other qualities was taking from me and ask why. Strong looks very different on the way up vs on the way down. To take a guy from an empty barbell to bodyweight lifts can change his life. But once you know how to move and brace properly it doesn’t matter if you can squat 225 or 315. Moving your buddies couch with him feels the same. There’s diminishing returns with weights, and the older I get the lower I believe that point is.
Things look different after you’ve lifted for a decade and hit some decent numbers. I had a buddy start lifting recently and he texted me ‘I finally put 2 of the big plates on the bar for bench. Feelin so strong it’s awesome.’ I respond. ‘225 that’s some good work!’ He texts back, ‘no I wish. I mean 1 of the big plates on each side.’ Oh ya… even to this day 135 is a warmup weight after doing a few reps with the empty bar and I basically don’t bench anymore.
I like iPood’s thoughts here. Maintaining minimums. Once you can move some weight, it’s time to look at where your other qualities are at. When you are unable to maintain some other important minimums – like if taking a short 400m jog hurts everything – maybe it is time to step back and work on some other qualities.
Like I said, I want to return to weights. I miss it a lot. But at some point, your body has given what it can and you gotta take care of yourself. Now I’m understanding hey, I can pick 2-3 months a year to really go for it with weights. The rest of the year, well there’s a lot of other stuff to do.
This is why I wanted to throw this out there and have you guys to chime in. I think it’s fascinating knowing what keeps people going. Dan has been able to live out his goal. He’s outlasted everyone. But there’s some important decisions that get made to help you get there. He clearly structures his year a certain way. In an old article Dan said he spends some time every year getting to his yearly goal of incline benching 405. First, that’s insane. I squatted that once, I couldn’t imagine moving that load with my arms. Second, it’s easy to see that and think ‘Wow, Dan is strong’ with the assumption being he can incline 405 year-round. But he can’t, and the important point is he doesn’t try. Wanting to look good will keep you going for a while, especially if you look as bad as the average north American. But eventually you must pursue a goal and want something out of your fitness to keep driving forward. Because eventually you’ll be tired and it’ll float up in your head, ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’ Looking good or maintaining some arbitrary numbers in a certain lift won’t be enough to answer that question. At least for me it’s not.
Asking why is the reason I first quit crossfit after my last competition. I was mid run in some crazy workout in the heat outside in summer and it floats up in my head, “Why am I doing this. Do I hate myself?” I stopped running mid workout, went inside, and from that day chose to start doing what I liked – Olympic lifting. That was 10 years ago.
Some say that somewhere that timer is still running…
Maybe all of this should be wrapped in a nice WW article. Just saying…
I always enjoy your insights.
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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11-01-22 11:27 AM - Post#922948
You still owe us a pamphlet co-autored with Dan Martin.
I think the other Jordan has covered most of it here already, haha.
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Chris Rice
Total Posts: 702
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11-01-22 11:59 AM - Post#922950
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions. DJ
One of the most important things ever said!
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Chris Rice
Total Posts: 702
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11-01-22 12:03 PM - Post#922951
A Yoga practice I enjoy - and it hasn't hurt me ........ yet is Ashtanga Yoga Short Forms with David Swenson. It has 15 - 30 - 45 minutes choices. I like the 30 minute one a lot - your mileage may vary.
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Matt_T
Total Posts: 379
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11-01-22 12:56 PM - Post#922955
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions. DJ
One of the most important things ever said!
My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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11-01-22 02:12 PM - Post#922957
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions. DJ
One of the most important things ever said!
My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
So Dan, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Lao Zi were right after all (moderation). Who’d have thunk it.
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Matt_T
Total Posts: 379
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11-01-22 02:22 PM - Post#922958
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions. DJ
One of the most important things ever said!
My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
So Dan, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Lao Zi were right after all (moderation). Who’d have thunk it.
I'm not sure that's that simple though, in the context of the OP. Sometimes it's about doing something different, and drastically rather than moderately different, to keep going (ie ditch the gym instead of more 'easy' strength).
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Neil W.
Total Posts: 41
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11-01-22 02:41 PM - Post#922960
I take this dialog as a reminder that progress can happen in any number of directions. When you push forward in the same direction for too long, diminishing returns set in. That's when you can find yourself surprised and delighted by the feeling of progress that comes when you try a different avenue.
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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11-01-22 03:21 PM - Post#922961
Everything in excess is an issue...in all directions. DJ
One of the most important things ever said!
My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
So Dan, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Lao Zi were right after all (moderation). Who’d have thunk it.
I'm not sure that's that simple though, in the context of the OP. Sometimes it's about doing something different, and drastically rather than moderately different, to keep going (ie ditch the gym instead of more 'easy' strength).
Good point. I was thinking along the lines of not allowing ourselves to beat our heads against the wall in the first place. But you’re right, when you’re in this situation, the answer isn’t beating the wall more gently, but finding a path with no wall.
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DanMartin
Total Posts: 20705
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11-01-22 03:34 PM - Post#922962
Stretch what is tight. Strengthen what is loose. Go for a walk. Never eat anything bigger than your head. Practice getting up off the deck.
YMMV
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Brian Hassler
Total Posts: 616
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11-01-22 04:30 PM - Post#922963
So Dan, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Lao Zi were right after all (moderation). Who’d have thunk it.
Dan, Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Lao Zi all walked into a bar. Only Dan could lift it.
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Kyle Aaron
Total Posts: 1911
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11-01-22 08:15 PM - Post#922965
My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
Yes. I mean, look at any person in any sport, and most have at most a decade and a bit in them before they retire with injuries. Sure, we can all name some old-time strongman who did it solidly from 16 to 90 - but that's the point, we can name the person who did that, countless nameless others dropped off.
That's why - using the example of strength training - I have that "training for life" thing. You get a decade or so (with some overlap) of just playing and bodyweight work (5-15), sports (10-25), weightlifting (20-35), powerlifting (35-50), bodybuilding (50-65, dumbbells and machines).
Among our population of 40-50 or older, there can be a Peter Pan (rarely a Peta Pan) problem, some 56yo idiot who thinks he coulda bin a countendah. But for the rest of us with more than a couple of brain cells to rub together in our noggins, it's actually liberating to realise that our PRs are all behind us.
We can, like that guy I linked, just take a bar and some plates out to a mountain somewhere and just pick them up. Or do yoga or pilates or something. That's fine.
That's assuming you've been active your whole life. If you're only starting at 50+, it's different.
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Gunny72
Total Posts: 410
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My big takeaway from this thread, is keep doing anything - even easy anything - for long enough and eventually it's excessive. Easy strength, yoga and hockey, whatever.
Yes. I mean, look at any person in any sport, and most have at most a decade and a bit in them before they retire with injuries. Sure, we can all name some old-time strongman who did it solidly from 16 to 90 - but that's the point, we can name the person who did that, countless nameless others dropped off.
That's why - using the example of strength training - I have that "training for life" thing. You get a decade or so (with some overlap) of just playing and bodyweight work (5-15), sports (10-25), weightlifting (20-35), powerlifting (35-50), bodybuilding (50-65, dumbbells and machines).
Among our population of 40-50 or older, there can be a Peter Pan (rarely a Peta Pan) problem, some 56yo idiot who thinks he coulda bin a countendah. But for the rest of us with more than a couple of brain cells to rub together in our noggins, it's actually liberating to realise that our PRs are all behind us.
We can, like that guy I linked, just take a bar and some plates out to a mountain somewhere and just pick them up. Or do yoga or pilates or something. That's fine.
That's assuming you've been active your whole life. If you're only starting at 50+, it's different.
Well said as always Kyle!
Andrew Gunn
Edited by Gunny72 on 11-01-22 08:54 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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Vicki
Total Posts: 8196
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Then the real question is. What is your goal? It should tie in with ‘What is your test?’ The test should reflect the goal.
. . .what do you all train for? Are your goals outside the gym or do you train weights to be better at training weights? What sort of things in “The Gym” do you find hold you back from your goals? What sort of “Outside the Gym” things do you do that help your goals?
Age 73, goal is to feel good, pain free with as much energy as possible. So my test is easy, how am I feeling and am I able to live well as I define it. My goal used to be to be as strong as possible which ended when I got as strong as possible, injury let me know.
I walk 4 miles 3X/week (do step ups when raining), HH 3X/week, Indian Clubs 3X/week, along with balance and movement exercises. I have thrown in bodyweight squats during my walks, one here, one there, one where ever when the mood strikes. Being outside is refreshing and envigorating.
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thomasjbarrett
Total Posts: 87
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11-02-22 05:15 AM - Post#922974
Everything in moderation, including moderation.
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German75
Total Posts: 50
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11-02-22 05:53 AM - Post#922975
Hey, little late to the thread here. Jordan, my Yoga journey began 1 year ago with my daugther (14 years old now) doing yoga on youtube. I just wanted to check if it really is as good as people say.
After 1 year and many 30-day yoga challenges, i do also see changes in the way i stand, walk and generally move. As a senior competitive tennis player i felt pleasantly surprised by improved footwork, eye-hand coordination and better focus, especially in between points.
I do the "Breathe and Flow" Yoga classes on youtube. He does Yoga for Men episodes, i highly recommend it. He is german, but classes are in English.
Yoga Gamechanger for me: Anyone who wants to relax after a hard workout, check out "Yoga Nidra", it is a Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) Protocol. Pls check it out. There is plenty of videos on youtube. I learned about it on on of Dr. Huberman podcasts.
Greetings from Germany
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SpiderLegs
Total Posts: 369
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11-02-22 07:25 AM - Post#922976
Not really into yoga, but discovered Steve Maxwell's Daily Dozen about 15 years ago and try to do a variation of it 4-5 times a week. Stopped paying for a gym membership when I moved four years ago and set up my garage with kettlebells, dumbbells, a TRX and a box for doing step ups. Then was intentional about the new house we just bought, it's the only subdivision around with sidewalks so I can walk in the dark before sunrise with a headlamp on before work. 5-6 days a week I do 40-50 minutes of walking, then 1-2 days of hiking on steep mountainous trails.
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AAnnunz
Total Posts: 24932
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Guess I'm the outlier here.
When I swapped emails with Dave Draper in August, 2006, he asked me, "Can you imagine what strange madness we'd suffer, what havoc we'd reek, what condition we'd be in, if we didn't lift weights? Push that iron." Amen.
Like our dear, departed lead Bomber, for me, it always has been and always will be about The Gym. Sure, I do my due diligence -- weekly stretching/yoga, daily zone 2 cardio, etc. -- but although my aging body no longer permits me to shoot for age division powerlifting records, it still allows me to play with some decent loads. Present strength goals include trap bar deadlift (with a more spine friendly setup than straight bar) - double bodyweight x 15, and weighted pullups - bodyweight + 100 x 5. Pretty sure I can get both by the end of the year. The bodybuilding, or more correctly, body sculpting goal -- a jacked, well proportioned beach body -- hasn't changed in many years. Ain't easy, since my body no longer produces much testosterone and growth hormone, but I know some tricks (rest/pause, reverse pyramid, etc.) that take me further than most and do my best with the cards I've been dealt.
Great topic, Jordan!
| Be strong. Be in shape. Be a man among men, regardless of your age or circumstances. |
Edited by AAnnunz on 11-02-22 05:46 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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yadmit
Total Posts: 12221
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11-02-22 05:53 PM - Post#922992
Funny, I've actually been thinking about this for the last while. I just turned 55 and was starting to wonder what the purpose of the gym/fitness gig was at this point.
Is it to just live comfortably or is it to get strong/lean? I know the latter is doable, but more challenging with the age I'm at. But the former allows me to enjoy peanut butter cups with less guilt.
I guess I'm still trying to figure out what that goal of mine is, but till then, swinging bells lets me do things I may not be able to do without the practice.
Maybe that's the goal after all?
Great thread.
Still Lots to Learn
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Life's short, take lots of pictures.
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It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - Neil Armstrong
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Brian Hassler
Total Posts: 616
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11-02-22 06:36 PM - Post#922993
I'm somewhere else on the matrix-- I really do need to get stronger for my sport, but I also need to spend a lot of time practicing it. ES is the answer, but I'm trying to figure out how many qualities I can fit into an ES workout without it no longer being "easy". It's similar in the sense that it requires some ongoing introspection and evaluation, though.
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Vicki
Total Posts: 8196
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11-02-22 07:07 PM - Post#922995
Is it to just live comfortably or is it to get strong/lean? I know the latter is doable, but more challenging with the age I'm at. But the former allows me to enjoy peanut butter cups with less guilt.
Go for STRONG while you can. After 70 you will no longer be able to do as much or get as strong. You can get “strong” for your age but it will not be anything like what you can do in your 50s or 60s. You will have plenty of time to eat those peanut butter cups. . . if you still want them. Feeling good is better then tasting good in my opinion.
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yadmit
Total Posts: 12221
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11-02-22 07:34 PM - Post#922996
Now you're just bringing in logic... :)
And you have a valid point.
Is it to just live comfortably or is it to get strong/lean? I know the latter is doable, but more challenging with the age I'm at. But the former allows me to enjoy peanut butter cups with less guilt.
Go for STRONG while you can. After 70 you will no longer be able to do as much or get as strong. You can get “strong” for your age but it will not be anything like what you can do in your 50s or 60s. You will have plenty of time to eat those peanut butter cups. . . if you still want them. Feeling good is better then tasting good in my opinion.
Still Lots to Learn
------------------------- -----------------
Life's short, take lots of pictures.
------------------------- -----------------
It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. - Neil Armstrong
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Gunny72
Total Posts: 410
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Then the real question is. What is your goal? It should tie in with ‘What is your test?’ The test should reflect the goal.
. . .what do you all train for? Are your goals outside the gym or do you train weights to be better at training weights? What sort of things in “The Gym” do you find hold you back from your goals? What sort of “Outside the Gym” things do you do that help your goals?
Age 73, goal is to feel good, pain free with as much energy as possible. So my test is easy, how am I feeling and am I able to live well as I define it. My goal used to be to be as strong as possible which ended when I got as strong as possible, injury let me know.
I walk 4 miles 3X/week (do step ups when raining), HH 3X/week, Indian Clubs 3X/week, along with balance and movement exercises. I have thrown in bodyweight squats during my walks, one here, one there, one where ever when the mood strikes. Being outside is refreshing and envigorating.
You are inspirational Vicki!
Andrew Gunn
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jimi1942
Total Posts: 26
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Diablo
Total Posts: 7355
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Longevity and quality of life.
With those at the center of the journey, there could be a million paths that lead there, and that is part of the spice that adds to the whole thing.
DJ has a great summary of how to get there in his signature block. It's pretty bulletproof.
Nearly all the posts address those different paths that lead to longevity and quality of life. It's always been at the center for me. You just kind of have fun juking along the way playing with Yoga, HIIT, IF, or whatever along the way.
So, what do you all train for? Are your goals outside the gym or do you train weights to be better at training weights? What sort of things in “The Gym” do you find hold you back from your goals? What sort of “Outside the Gym” things do you do that help your goals? And maybe that’s the key to Dan’s longevity in the kilt/field/ring. Pick the times you go for it in the gym. The rest of the time get out on the field.
Very interested to hear from you guys on this.
Diablo
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth- MT |
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Cearball
Total Posts: 273
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11-03-22 03:41 AM - Post#923009
Below is a quote I made in another forum but the gist of it is I have had greater success in my fat loss which was a 2021/2022 goal that's ongoing by cutting my training back & training intuitively than I ever did in all the months before when I worked alot harder for it.
I'm still not 100% why this was the case but it certainly made me revaluate my strength training.
I think I often undervalue the stuff I do in work & the training/recovery effects & needs it places upon me.
I have seemingly gotten stronger to.
I did a training shift after I tore my ACL during a little martial arts competition.
Totally sucked as that competition up until that point reminded me why I loved martial arts which I was feeling bored/frustrated with up until that point.
After the injury I stopped training martial arts as my main reason for doing so was self defense.
Guess whats really good self defence?
Being able to walk/run when required!
Martial arts was taking too much away at this point than it was giving so I quit because of my above reason of self defence & the fact I want to be able to walk in my old age & hike & be reasonably mobile/active.
"Results from loose following of Giant 3.0 with a single 24KG from 1st July.
Been manic in work & high stress for the last two months.
Coupled with house moving drama that dragged out for one & a half years.
Knowing this I have trained when I felt like it during the last two month period.
Also managed to catch covid again during this four month timeframe & have generally been run down.
This has led me to train over the last 120 days 23 times.
Or 1.34 times a week.
This is the first time I have tested my 24kg press since before July 1st but am not sure exactly when.
I went through my training log to try & find when I last tested my press but fear I didn't record it as it wasn't a planned thing.
I felt good on a rest day & just picked up the 24KG bell & went for it but I am 90% certain from memory I got 7 reps both left & right.
This was a surprising PB for me.
Anyway today I tested again as I am moving into a different programme.
I got 7 reps left & 9 reps right.
So another PB at least on my right side.
Just sharing this as weirdly I have had more success with this prolonged half assed following of the Giant 3.0 than I did last time when I did it stricter with double 24 Kg bells.
Also I think I have somehow managed to lean out.
My weight reads the same & even the BF analyser (crappy electro ones built into the scale) but I have gone down a belt notch & clothes that haven't fit for a long time suddenly do.
I look leaner around the waist but still far to go on that front."
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JPS2019
Total Posts: 32
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11-03-22 03:53 PM - Post#923024
I always like the story Coach relates of a T&F athlete whose name escapes me (I think thrower, maybe discus) who would go into the gym, and had a squat or snatch he wanted to hit. If he hit it, he focused on skills for the next season/cycle. If he didn't, he worked it back up to a standard.
I'm beginning to feel similar. I think I am at:
2X BW deadlift
1X BW press
A "few" pullups and front squats at BW that feel easy.
Maybe a BW clean or snatch.
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AusDaz
Total Posts: 3611
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11-04-22 07:43 AM - Post#923035
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching this thread develop and contemplating my answer to what I train for or maybe why I train the way I do and I’ve arrived at this - I train for joy.
Let me try and unpack that a bit.
I’m in my early 50s. For the last 4 years or so, I’ve been aiming to do 3 days a week of DMPM variants (various versions posted in the DMPM thread) and 4 days per week of stand up paddle boarding. Sometimes life gets in the way, but that’s the plan.
I’ve done some KB certs, a couple of tactical strength challenges, 20+ years of martial arts and that’s all good but when I’m out on the water I sometimes get this strange feeling and realize that I’m smiling. Being out on the water does something for me that I can’t seem to quite replicate indoors. I figure that anything that makes you spontaneously smile is worth pursuing.
I enjoy the process of trying to get better at paddling within the limits I’ve set for myself of paddling a maximum of 4 days a week. Funnily enough, after 4 years of training 7 days a week, I’m pretty competitive in my age division. But I do it for the joy of it. I have some goals competition wise but that’s really not what’s about for me.
And I have a group of people that I go out with and we talk rubbish and laugh when someone falls in and trash talk one another and generally have fun. We call ourselves Team BLS (be less shit). I borrowed that from Kyle Aaron’s shit, suck, good, great.
I do the DMPM stuff at home. My 20-something son and daughter join me when they can. Sometimes by video call. We chat and catch up and lift some weights. A couple of my friends from paddling join me as well. Sometimes we have a boyfriend or girlfriend get invited along to join in. One of my friends has started bringing his 16 year old son along. It’s his first foray into lifting.
There are no standards. Just turn up. Have fun. Try and be better than yesterday. And if you’re not, try again tomorrow.
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Jordan D
Total Posts: 771
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11-04-22 08:00 AM - Post#923036
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching this thread develop and contemplating my answer to what I train for or maybe why I train the way I do and I’ve arrived at this - I train for joy.
Let me try and unpack that a bit.
I’m in my early 50s. For the last 4 years or so, I’ve been aiming to do 3 days a week of DMPM variants (various versions posted in the DMPM thread) and 4 days per week of stand up paddle boarding. Sometimes life gets in the way, but that’s the plan.
I’ve done some KB certs, a couple of tactical strength challenges, 20+ years of martial arts and that’s all good but when I’m out on the water I sometimes get this strange feeling and realize that I’m smiling. Being out on the water does something for me that I can’t seem to quite replicate indoors. I figure that anything that makes you spontaneously smile is worth pursuing.
I enjoy the process of trying to get better at paddling within the limits I’ve set for myself of paddling a maximum of 4 days a week. Funnily enough, after 4 years of training 7 days a week, I’m pretty competitive in my age division. But I do it for the joy of it. I have some goals competition wise but that’s really not what’s about for me.
And I have a group of people that I go out with and we talk rubbish and laugh when someone falls in and trash talk one another and generally have fun. We call ourselves Team BLS (be less shit). I borrowed that from Kyle Aaron’s shit, suck, good, great.
I do the DMPM stuff at home. My 20-something son and daughter join me when they can. Sometimes by video call. We chat and catch up and lift some weights. A couple of my friends from paddling join me as well. Sometimes we have a boyfriend or girlfriend get invited along to join in. One of my friends has started bringing his 16 year old son along. It’s his first foray into lifting.
There are no standards. Just turn up. Have fun. Try and be better than yesterday. And if you’re not, try again tomorrow.
I think this is just about the closest thing to “fitness enlightenment” I’ve ever seen.
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German75
Total Posts: 50
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11-04-22 09:01 AM - Post#923037
Hey Jimi, thanks for the advice. I read that book already twice, it´s a gold mine. And also Brad Gilbert´s "Winning ugly". I couldn´t stand him as a player but his book is very useful.
Best regards
German 75
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iPood
Total Posts: 2360
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11-04-22 09:12 AM - Post#923038
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching this thread develop and contemplating my answer to what I train for or maybe why I train the way I do and I’ve arrived at this - I train for joy.
Let me try and unpack that a bit.
I’m in my early 50s. For the last 4 years or so, I’ve been aiming to do 3 days a week of DMPM variants (various versions posted in the DMPM thread) and 4 days per week of stand up paddle boarding. Sometimes life gets in the way, but that’s the plan.
I’ve done some KB certs, a couple of tactical strength challenges, 20+ years of martial arts and that’s all good but when I’m out on the water I sometimes get this strange feeling and realize that I’m smiling. Being out on the water does something for me that I can’t seem to quite replicate indoors. I figure that anything that makes you spontaneously smile is worth pursuing.
I enjoy the process of trying to get better at paddling within the limits I’ve set for myself of paddling a maximum of 4 days a week. Funnily enough, after 4 years of training 7 days a week, I’m pretty competitive in my age division. But I do it for the joy of it. I have some goals competition wise but that’s really not what’s about for me.
And I have a group of people that I go out with and we talk rubbish and laugh when someone falls in and trash talk one another and generally have fun. We call ourselves Team BLS (be less shit). I borrowed that from Kyle Aaron’s shit, suck, good, great.
I do the DMPM stuff at home. My 20-something son and daughter join me when they can. Sometimes by video call. We chat and catch up and lift some weights. A couple of my friends from paddling join me as well. Sometimes we have a boyfriend or girlfriend get invited along to join in. One of my friends has started bringing his 16 year old son along. It’s his first foray into lifting.
There are no standards. Just turn up. Have fun. Try and be better than yesterday. And if you’re not, try again tomorrow.
Brilliant!
"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness
and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums.
It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable.
Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow.
Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't."
Dan Martin |
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WxHerk
Total Posts: 334
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11-04-22 12:45 PM - Post#923040
I do the DMPM stuff at home. My 20-something son and daughter join me when they can. Sometimes by video call. We chat and catch up and lift some weights. A couple of my friends from paddling join me as well. Sometimes we have a boyfriend or girlfriend get invited along to join in. One of my friends has started bringing his 16 year old son along. It’s his first foray into lifting.
There are no standards. Just turn up. Have fun. Try and be better than yesterday. And if you’re not, try again tomorrow.
This is beautiful. I wish you and yours many, many more years of training together and talking heaps of good rubbish!!
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DanMartin
Total Posts: 20705
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11-04-22 02:26 PM - Post#923045
I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching this thread develop and contemplating my answer to what I train for or maybe why I train the way I do and I’ve arrived at this - I train for joy.
Let me try and unpack that a bit.
I’m in my early 50s. For the last 4 years or so, I’ve been aiming to do 3 days a week of DMPM variants (various versions posted in the DMPM thread) and 4 days per week of stand up paddle boarding. Sometimes life gets in the way, but that’s the plan.
I’ve done some KB certs, a couple of tactical strength challenges, 20+ years of martial arts and that’s all good but when I’m out on the water I sometimes get this strange feeling and realize that I’m smiling. Being out on the water does something for me that I can’t seem to quite replicate indoors. I figure that anything that makes you spontaneously smile is worth pursuing.
I enjoy the process of trying to get better at paddling within the limits I’ve set for myself of paddling a maximum of 4 days a week. Funnily enough, after 4 years of training 7 days a week, I’m pretty competitive in my age division. But I do it for the joy of it. I have some goals competition wise but that’s really not what’s about for me.
And I have a group of people that I go out with and we talk rubbish and laugh when someone falls in and trash talk one another and generally have fun. We call ourselves Team BLS (be less shit). I borrowed that from Kyle Aaron’s shit, suck, good, great.
I do the DMPM stuff at home. My 20-something son and daughter join me when they can. Sometimes by video call. We chat and catch up and lift some weights. A couple of my friends from paddling join me as well. Sometimes we have a boyfriend or girlfriend get invited along to join in. One of my friends has started bringing his 16 year old son along. It’s his first foray into lifting.
There are no standards. Just turn up. Have fun. Try and be better than yesterday. And if you’re not, try again tomorrow.
Brilliant!
I'm in eff-ing tears,,,
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