Fitness Goals: Helping Each Other Reach Our Goals

[CrazyGolfNut]

I am interested in what everyone is doing with their programs. I am 71 and have a couple of bad discs and a knee that will be replaced in the fall if all goes well.   I used to go to the gym but gave it up a couple of years ago due to the pandemic.  Everyone that I know picked up colds the first week or so they went so I am trying to come up with something at home. I do not have an elliptical or bike so l am investigating things to do like leg lifts, hand weights, stretching etc.  Will be watching this thread to see what others are doing. 

[taylorjonasher]

9 minutes ago, CrazyGolfNut said:

I am interested in what everyone is doing with their programs. I am 71 and have a couple of bad discs and a knee that will be replaced in the fall if all goes well.   I used to go to the gym but gave it up a couple of years ago due to the pandemic.  Everyone that I know picked up colds the first week or so they went so I am trying to come up with something at home. I do not have an elliptical or bike so l am investigating things to do like leg lifts, hand weights, stretching etc.  Will be watching this thread to see what others are doing. 

@CrazyGolfNut if you haven't already, sign up for the fit for golf app testing! It is something that I have been seriously considering, and I know that Mike works with golfers of all ages and ability levels. There is a big emphasis on flexibility and mobility, and he gives options for at home vs in the gym work outs. He also posts most of his exercises on his Twitter, so you can put a group together for free just by scrolling down his timeline. I also highly recommend listening his Fit For Golf podcast as he has some really good guests on and they cover a wide variety of training and recovery topics that have helped me out. It takes a couple episodes to get used to the accent though - might need a shot or two of Jameson to help translate!

 

[CudaKota66]

Great thread! Especially for those of us that are 'stuck' inside & not-real-motivated to leave the warmth of home until April 

I, for one....and maybe only one....purchased the GolfForever system. Okay, so I bought it last year & it sat in the closet until this year   A combination of sobriety & a new bride resulted in an additional 25 pounds on my 6'3" frame. Admittedly, I needed it - I'm now a healthier 180 vs what I was. Now it's time to move it from the middle 

[Owengeorge13]

30 minute boot camp (p90x3) 20 minute HIIT (Liift4)

[taylorjonasher]

7 minutes ago, Owengeorge13 said:

30 minute boot camp (p90x3) 20 minute HIIT (Liift4)

Nice work!

[tony@CIC]

21 hours ago, CrazyGolfNut said:

I am interested in what everyone is doing with their programs. I am 71 and have a couple of bad discs and a knee that will be replaced in the fall if all goes well.   I used to go to the gym but gave it up a couple of years ago due to the pandemic.  Everyone that I know picked up colds the first week or so they went so I am trying to come up with something at home. I do not have an elliptical or bike so l am investigating things to do like leg lifts, hand weights, stretching etc.  Will be watching this thread to see what others are doing. 

Lots of exercises you can do at home, starting with planks. FYI, I was reading an article in Golf Digest about the most important exercise for golf & seniors = rotation. Not sure if you can do that with the bad discs and potential knee issue. Maybe a good start is just walking? Easy on the knees and back. 

[MIGregB]

On 1/25/2024 at 12:05 PM, CrazyGolfNut said:

I am interested in what everyone is doing with their programs. I am 71 and have a couple of bad discs and a knee that will be replaced in the fall if all goes well.   I used to go to the gym but gave it up a couple of years ago due to the pandemic.  Everyone that I know picked up colds the first week or so they went so I am trying to come up with something at home. I do not have an elliptical or bike so l am investigating things to do like leg lifts, hand weights, stretching etc.  Will be watching this thread to see what others are doing. 

3 hours ago, tony@CIC said:

Lots of exercises you can do at home, starting with planks. FYI, I was reading an article in Golf Digest about the most important exercise for golf & seniors = rotation. Not sure if you can do that with the bad discs and potential knee issue. Maybe a good start is just walking? Easy on the knees and back. 

Having bad discs puts you in a cautious frame. But like tony@CIC, I am a huge advocate of planks. I started doing them 7 years ago as a last-ditch effort to mitigate a problem I was having and saw an immediate improvement. I haven't stopped doing them since. And, oh by the way, they're great for golf!!

If you've never done them, I have 2 pieces of advice. First, start with whatever amount of time you can hold a proper plank, even if it's only 10 seconds. I'm serious! (Google planks and you'll get tons of how-to videos.) But do them every day gradually building yourself up. It isn't about strength, it's about tenacity. You'll be surprised how quickly your core will improve. My issue was, and still is, my shoulders and triceps. They bother me far more than my core. I've added push-ups after the planks to help build those muscles as well. Nothing crazy, just 10 to 15 depending on how I feel; again, building up slowly at 1st (I started off with modified, bent knee push-ups!!!).

The second is, doing planks becomes incredibly boring so find a way to distract yourself while still holding them properly. While I was trying to get beyond a minute or two, I had my wife talk to me to distract me. A distraction will help you do them longer thus improving quicker.

Again agreeing with tony@CIC, rotation is big! I work on flexibility, rotation and balance with simple stretching before my planks and the one-foot rotation drill. All together I now only spend about 1/2 hour every other to every 3 days, but it's paid off well for me. 

Of course none of this is cardio, but simple walking can help that. 

Good luck!

Edited January 26 by MIgregb
Inappropriate choice of words - thank you Jnobel89!

[taylorjonasher]

Numbers from yesterday and workout:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/13658321019?share_unique_id=119

Weight - 199.9

Calories Consumed - 1,766

Calories Burned - 3,383

I smoked myself yesterday and am feeling drained today. I will need the weekend to recover from the last two days. I did a good job of spreading out my protein intake yesterday so that it wasn't such a chore at the end of the day, ended with with 177g for the day. It also helped quite a bit to stay satiated by taking 1.5 scoops twice through the day; didn't turn into a hangry Karen around 2pm like I normally do. Just have to power through the last 2 lbs of this terrible tasting powder. 

[taylorjonasher]

9 minutes ago, MIgregb said:

Having bad discs puts you in a cautious frame. But like tony@CIC, I am a huge advocate of planks. I started doing them 7 years ago as a last-ditch effort to mitigate a problem I was having and saw an immediate improvement. I haven't stopped doing them since. And, oh by the way, they're great for golf!!

If you've never done them, I have 2 pieces of advice. First, start with whatever amount of time you can hold a proper plank, even if it's only 10 seconds. I'm serious! (Google planks and you'll get tons of how-to videos.) But do them every day gradually building yourself up. It isn't about strength, it's about tenacity. You'll be surprised how quickly your core will improve. My issue was, and still is, my shoulders and triceps. They bother me far more than my core. I've added push-ups after the planks to help build those muscles as well. Nothing crazy, just 10 to 15 depending on how I feel; again, building up slowly at 1st (yes, I started off with sissy push-ups!!!).

The second is, doing planks becomes incredibly boring so find a way to distract yourself while still holding them properly. While I was trying to get beyond a minute or two, I had my wife talk to me to distract me. A distraction will help you do them longer thus improving quicker.

Again agreeing with tony@CIC, rotation is big! I work on flexibility, rotation and balance with simple stretching before my planks and the one-foot rotation drill. All together I now only spend about 1/2 hour every other to every 3 days, but it's paid off well for me. 

Of course none of this is cardio, but simple walking can help that. 

Good luck!

I second the distraction suggestion! When I incorporate planks in, I normally do them with an interval timer on my phone, and after I start the timer I will put on some sort of action movie with lots of shooting and chaos (The Extraction is pretty awesome!) to help power through the 8-10 minutes of work. 

[MIGregB]

5 minutes ago, taylorjonasher said:

I second the distraction suggestion! When I incorporate planks in, I normally do them with an interval timer on my phone, and after I start the timer I will put on some sort of action movie with lots of shooting and chaos (The Extraction is pretty awesome!) to help power through the 8-10 minutes of work. 

I like using my phone timer as well. I have to admit that stopped telling people how long I do planks because I found it to be defeating when they 1st try and can't even do 30 seconds; I couldn't when I 1st started! It took time (again, tenacity!!), but I got myself up to 9 minutes. But I found that to be overkill for what I was trying to achieve. So now I do just 4 minutes, moving directly into the push-ups, and then a half-a$$ed back plank (to help counterbalance muscles). Rather than feeling beat-up the rest of the day, I feel invigorated! At nearly 73, I'm pretty proud of that. 

[taylorjonasher]

10 minutes ago, MIgregb said:

I like using my phone timer as well. I have to admit that stopped telling people how long I do planks because I found it to be defeating when they 1st try and can't even do 30 seconds; I couldn't when I 1st started! It took time (again, tenacity!!), but I got myself up to 9 minutes. But I found that to be overkill for what I was trying to achieve. So now I do just 4 minutes, moving directly into the push-ups, and then a half-a$$ed back plank (to help counterbalance muscles). Rather than feeling beat-up the rest of the day, I feel invigorated! At nearly 73, I'm pretty proud of that. 

9 minute planks are a full 8 minutes longer than what I hold them for! I just go for a bunch of 1 minute holds with 30 seconds of rest, or a bunch of 40 / 20 splits! I'd be proud of that at any age - keep it up!!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

59 minutes ago, MIgregb said:

If you've never done them, I have 2 pieces of advice. First, start with whatever amount of time you can hold a proper plank, even if it's only 10 seconds. I'm serious! (Google planks and you'll get tons of how-to videos.) But do them every day gradually building yourself up. It isn't about strength, it's about tenacity. You'll be surprised how quickly your core will improve. My issue was, and still is, my shoulders and triceps. They bother me far more than my core. I've added push-ups after the planks to help build those muscles as well. Nothing crazy, just 10 to 15 depending on how I feel; again, building up slowly at 1st (yes, I started off with sissy push-ups!!!).

I understand the point you're trying to portray as far as starting with any amount of time you can maintain a proper plank and perform push-ups. However, the use of the bolded term bothers me to no end. The "sissy" or "girl" push up you're referencing is a modified push-up that someone absolutely should perform if they cannot maintain a flat back and strong core with a standard push-up. This terminology, while I know was not your intention, shames and belittles individuals who perform a modified push-up. When I am smoked during a high volume strength session or performing push-ups as a finisher exercise, I regularly modify to a kneeling position instead of a full plank push-up. 

The same can be said for the plank, where someone who cannot maintain proper posture from the toes can and SHOULD modify to placing the knees on the floor to achieve the proper stimulus and training effect in performing that exercise. 

Once the plank has been mastered and you are able to hold that position for an extended amount of time, adding modifications (i.e. alternating leg raises, alternating arm reaches, shoulder taps, etc.) should be added to challenge stability through the core instead of holding it for longer and longer durations. As you said, it becomes a greater challenge of fatigue to the shoulders and triceps than the core, which diminishes the value of the exercise. 

A 9 minute plank is no joke, and honestly it is impressive to be able to stay in that position for that period of time. 

[GolfSpy AFG]

Here here!

12 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I understand the point you're trying to portray as far as starting with any amount of time you can maintain a proper plank and perform push-ups. However, the use of the bolded term bothers me to no end. The "sissy" or "girl" push up you're referencing is a modified push-up that someone absolutely should perform if they cannot maintain a flat back and strong core with a standard push-up. This terminology, while I know was not your intention, shames and belittles individuals who perform a modified push-up. When I am smoked during a high volume strength session or performing push-ups as a finisher exercise, I regularly modify to a kneeling position instead of a full plank push-up. 

The same can be said for the plank, where someone who cannot maintain proper posture from the toes can and SHOULD modify to placing the knees on the floor to achieve the proper stimulus and training effect in performing that exercise. 

Once the plank has been mastered and you are able to hold that position for an extended amount of time, adding modifications (i.e. alternating leg raises, alternating arm reaches, shoulder taps, etc.) should be added to challenge stability through the core instead of holding it for longer and longer durations. As you said, it becomes a greater challenge of fatigue to the shoulders and triceps than the core, which diminishes the value of the exercise. 

A 9 minute plank is no joke, and honestly it is impressive to be able to stay in that position for that period of time. 

Here here!

Although it seems to me that if you can hold a plank for 9 minutes, its utility as an exercise is somewhat diminished and it’s time to add in alternating shoulder taps or something.  No?

[MIGregB]

26 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I understand the point you're trying to portray as far as starting with any amount of time you can maintain a proper plank and perform push-ups. However, the use of the bolded term bothers me to no end....

No disrespect intended; I agree and stand corrected.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Just now, MIgregb said:

No disrespect intended; I agree and stand corrected.

It's unfortunately a commonly used term, and I assumed you meant no harm with it. Just one that I have always actively tried to get anyone and everyone that I can to move away from using it. 

Glad to have your contributions to the thread!

[RickyBobby_PR]

Traditional planks aren’t as taxing as people think. Yes they may seem hard for awhile but they aren’t as effective because it is something that can be done for extended periods of time.

if you want to build core strength a reverse plank or rkc plank are much better options.

also doing the McGill big 3 is a better option 

[MIGregB]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Traditional planks aren’t as taxing as people think. Yes they may seem hard for awhile but they aren’t as effective because it is something that can be done for extended periods of time.

if you want to build core strength a reverse plank or rkc plank are much better options.

also doing the McGill big 3 is a better option 

I agree. I incorporate rkc planks into my set, part of my rationalization for not holding them as long, but it's more difficult and I thought it a bit much for anyone who's never done them but wanted to try them out. Isometrics in general aren't great for overall strength training. But they are beneficial for the core and joint stabilization, although other variations improve on core strength. My shoulder flexibility is poor enough that I can't pull off a reverse plank, which is why I said earlier that I do a half-a$$ed plank to work on balancing things out.

[Owengeorge13]

LiiFT4 40 minute chest/tri, hiit, core, treadmill 

[taylorjonasher]

1 hour ago, Owengeorge13 said:

LiiFT4 40 minute chest/tri, hiit, core, treadmill 

Getting after it!

[taylorjonasher]

Yesterday's numbers and workout:

Leg day. It was decent, although I dropped my third working set of squats and didn't want to unload and reload the bar, so set 4 didn't happen. The rack I was working in had a soft spot in the floor where the mats have broken down (note to self, stay away from cage #3) and I could feel myself sinking into my heels when I got my feet set and didn't like it. Couldn't really find a good spot to stand. There's always next Friday for redemption. Got in a solid 8.5 hours of sleep last night and I feel great. Doing a little yoga this morning, then going to get fitted for a driver, woods, and a driving iron today.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/13673143878?share_unique_id=125

Weight: 199.7

Calories burned: 3,257

Calories consumed: 2,298

[BallsLeon]

Got a membership to a yoga studio at the start of the year, and going 3-4x a week with my wife. Hard to say if it’s helping my flexibility yet, but some of the classes are starting to get a little easier. My first hot power yoga class was super humbling, having to quit multiple times but managing to hang in there the whole class this week. Not a ton of weight, but constant movement and stability/balance muscles are on fire by the end. Was a little hesitant about the idea of yoga, but hard to deny it kicks your butt.

[Owengeorge13]

LiiFT 4, week 1#2 back/bi, core then treadmill

[taylorjonasher]

49 minutes ago, BallsLeon said:

Got a membership to a yoga studio at the start of the year, and going 3-4x a week with my wife. Hard to say if it’s helping my flexibility yet, but some of the classes are starting to get a little easier. My first hot power yoga class was super humbling, having to quit multiple times but managing to hang in there the whole class this week. Not a ton of weight, but constant movement and stability/balance muscles are on fire by the end. Was a little hesitant about the idea of yoga, but hard to deny it kicks your butt.

I used to make fun of yoga until I did a couple of sessions. It absolutely helps my back and hips.

[cksurfdude]

10 hours ago, taylorjonasher said:

I used to make fun of yoga until I did a couple of sessions. It absolutely helps my back and hips.

Yes!! I have a short, simple routine that specifically focuses on back and hips - can also attest it absolutely helps

[Owengeorge13]

LiiFT4, day 3 week 1, shoulders, hiit, core then treadmill 5k then walk

[taylorjonasher]

Yesterday's numbers:

Workout - 15 minutes of yoga, then a fitting taking 100+ swings. I also hit another 50-60 balls in my garage yesterday.

Calories consumed: 1,968

Calories burned: 3,696

[BallsLeon]

This morning did a power sculpt class, and then a restore yoga class after for a cooldown. After the Chiefs game I went to the sim to hit/putt for 3hrs.

That makes 4 classes, and 8hrs on the sim for the week.

[Michael.Sandoval33]

25 minutes ago, BallsLeon said:

This morning did a power sculpt class, and then a restore yoga class after for a cooldown. After the Chiefs game I went to the sim to hit/putt for 3hrs.

That makes 4 classes, and 8hrs on the sim for the week.

Ahhh yesss, I really need to get back into my yoga routine as well. 

~~Namaste~~

[GolfSpy_APH]

Out of curiosity, how man of you have more physical type jobs which you would consider part of a fitness or just general keeping in shape routine?

[GolfSpy_KFT]

Hey all! The article I have been working on for the main site was published over the weekend. If you’re looking to add some mobility drills into your weekly routine, check it out! 

https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/golf-fitness-add-mobility-to-improve-your-swing/