with all the gyms closed where i live, people no longer bat an eye when i bust out push-ups and air squats in public. so on my easy days, during the run, i incorporate a superset of air squats/push-ups/lunges at every traffic light and stop sign on my route.
i sincerely miss going to the gym though! i've had very few things to complain about covid, when it specifically comes to the changes and adaptations i've had to make regarding personal fitness, but not having a gym to go to has definitely been a bummer. more so than the requisite equipment and the space, it has been difficult to re-create the sense of purposefulness of heading over to the gym with a plan for a workout.
as an aside, i find myself reading every one of your articles as soon as it hits my inbox, and i am compelled to leave a comment every time, because it feels like you are speaking to me and for me (with a lot more eloquence). i never thought i'd find an online forum i'd be active on after i turned 40. :)
Best thing about turning 40 is not caring what other people think about anything. ha. Thanks so much, I'm so glad this newsletter is making these kinds of connections. Believe me, it's as much for me as it is for you guys.
This is topic that is really close to my heart, in ways both figurative and literal. Figuratively: the weight lifting version of strength training served for many years as my only means of routine exercise. I got big and strong. Literally: I now take medicine for high blood pressure every day to account for the damage done by being 300 pounds with almost no cardiovascular training. Since the summer I have lost weight through sensible calorie restriction and running 5-6 days each week. For the first few months of this new regime I consoled myself about my rapidly shrinking chest and arms by telling myself I'd live longer with strong legs than with strong arms, but I couldn't resist the siren song of the push up. Since autumn I have taken up the practice of ending every run by immediately getting down for a couple of quick sets of pushes. At first 2 sets of 20 was a challenge, but I've gradually moved up to 2 sets of 30. It feels good to harness the lower body pump of the run by engaging the non-running parts of my upper body while I cool down.
During quarantine last spring I invested in resistance bands to compensate for no longer having access to the weight room and I found it enjoyable as long as the weather was good and I could use them outside. I hate using them in the house and they've gathered dust these last couple of months. The u-shaped dip bar apparatus I invested in was an even better purchase and I loved using it for pushes and pulls, but, again, it's an outdoor thing for me. I've thought about investing a kettlebell and will consider it even more strongly now that I have read some of the testimonials below, but I still don't see myself using them inside.
I think I can feel comfortable doing my limited post-run workout until it gets nice enough outside to spend more time in the elements. Running has just taken over at the moment and I want to be cognizant of the need for diversity in my routine, but I feel like the interval and tempo work I am mixing in lately is doing the job for now. Part of me is still running for my life (again, figuratively and literally) - I have more weight to lose and I can barely keep my appetite in check as it is. I spent way too long overeating after exercise to risk backsliding into bad habits. Running, protein, whole foods. That's my mantra until I break the spell of the post-workout peanut butter binge.
God, I miss peanut butter. I hope everyone has a strong week!
Thanks Joe. Good thoughts. Kettle bells are great. I haven't used mine in a while so I left them out of the post. They're tough to do inside unless you have a basement or some serious padding. If you try them really learn form. It's super easy to throw your back out or damage hip flexors. Air squats are a great way to prepare your body for bells.
I really love my kettlebells. I find them to give me a pretty complete workout with a minimal amount of equipment. I have a distorted view of how old I am (53 and not 23) so I overdid it when I first started about a year ago. But doing some swings after running, or whenever I need to burn off some bad energy, is incredibly convenient. I also appreciate that using them in different ways has made me more stable overall.
I had a bit in there about bells but took them out since they've fallen out of my rotation. I love them, and def plan to bring them back when it gets warmer.
My favorite sentence in this entire post and I thank you for it: "Sorry if that sounds cold, but if you prioritize working out, you’ll find time to do it." Anyone that doesn't is making excuses for not trying.
I have spent my fair share of time in physical therapy over the years. Broken things, strained things, surgery fixed things, just thing things...I have a wonderful relationship with Marathon Physical Therapy in Newton and my PT is an ACE. Full disclosure, I'm not a joiner. I didn't play school sports, I was a tall kid but a disappointment to coaches, PE teachers and classmates alike because I wasn't good at basketball or anything else really. I failed miserably in early sporting outings and it made me fearful of failing at all sports...until I found running. That being said, a few years ago I fell in love with barre. It was strength and core training that tested me but was in a space that I felt comfortable in (no mirrors in the studio). It was yoga based and mostly body weight based exercises. I love it. After practicing for quite a while, I realized that the reason why I enjoyed the movements is that they were exactly what I've been doing in PT for years. Clamshells, bridges, one legged bridges, planks, etc...its familiar and that familiarity made me comfortable with being in a room of strangers doing the same things.
The other thing is that barre isn't easy. It's yoga, pilates, weight training and everything in between combined into one but virtually no impact. It's my go-to workout to supplement running.
For folks who like to work out alone but need someone to maybe show them the ropes, FitOn is a great app, and the free version is really inclusive! I downloaded it a few months ago and it has gotten me back into a better 'routine' during the pandemic. I had sort of gotten into a bad, repetitive funk where I wasn't actually making any sort of progress.
Hi, Paul. Good post, enjoying the newsletter. I am 53 years old and new to running -- picked it up during quarantine. I'm running 3 times a week, and figuring out what I should be doing on the other days, to avoid injuries and for general full-body health, is challenging.
I'm wondering if you can do a post on what advice you would give to new runners? So much to think about. Workouts, increasing distance vs intensity, overall goals, gear, the role of running in your life, etc. Too much for one post, but anything focused on the newbies would help, and I'd appreciate tips/perspectives from other readers.
Love it, that's awesome. There is a lot to think about and I'd say you're way ahead of the curve that you are thinking about it. I think the key for offdays is finding something you enjoy, whether it's working out or yoga or even just walking. Having some way to move your body every day is a really big step. Hopefully I'll be able to answer some of those questions as we go along.
Thanks for sharing. I used to be a big gym/weights guys and then when I didn't have the time to go anymore, figured that running/basketball would basically cover it (not true). During this past year, without basketball and limited running due to a knee injury, I have done more home resistance training (my son, my brother and I have a weekly session) which has been good. I hope to learn more about activity diversification as a benefit since ideally I like to mix in basketball, rock climbing, etc. with running. I know for some sports/athletes it can be beneficial, but I am not sure how much it helps for running (the opposite is obvious - I am still running in a 2 hour basketball game when younger, non-runners, have lost some steam).
I think resistance training is the absolute key. I had two skills as a HS basketball player: range and aerobic conditioning from X-country. Unfortunately, I'm 5-7 so that was it. Curious about rock climbing as a strength activity, less enthused about actually scaling rocks.
Ha, my only skill was endurance (though I am a bit taller)! As for rock climbing, when it is inside, there are no real rocks and a lot of soft padding. You can think of it as more dynamic resistance exercise where you use your balance, center of gravity, and engagement of specific muscles/muscle sets, to move through/up space. Some of the same tools of focus, patience, spatial awareness that go with running come into play.
In normal times, I'd go to November Project twice a week. They're totally free and have chapters in a lot of cities around the U.S. and Canada. It was a lot of bodyweight work, and at least here in Austin most of the people that showed up were runners, so that's sort of what the workouts were built around. Now that that's on ice though I've needed to make up my own workouts for the first time. My only workout equipment is a pair of cinderblocks, but I've managed to find quite a lot of different uses for them!
This is the post I've been needing. I'm still trying to set some health goals for 2021, and while running is what I most like to do, I need to plan on how to become the best runner I can be, which, of course, doesn't mean the most running. I've had good luck with kettlebell workouts, so incorporating that will be a key component.
Sitting at a desk all day (on an exercise ball, at least!) doesn't help, and it especially tightens my shoulders. I try to avoid planks and pushups for that reason, so I am always looking for bodyweight exercises that can work the same muscles without the shoulder tension.
Great post! Reading your workout schedule I would only suggest more upper body and a day of rest/recovery. This is particularly important as we age. Recovery/healing is necessary for muscle fibers to regenerate. Resistance training for the entire skeletal structure reinforces bone density and guards against injury.
Thanks, Bob. I do a bit more for upper body than I mentioned in the post, mainly because the first draft was twice as long and getting confusing. Mostly resistance stuff and back work on the swiss ball, which I shall get into in a future post. You are 100 percent right.
with all the gyms closed where i live, people no longer bat an eye when i bust out push-ups and air squats in public. so on my easy days, during the run, i incorporate a superset of air squats/push-ups/lunges at every traffic light and stop sign on my route.
i sincerely miss going to the gym though! i've had very few things to complain about covid, when it specifically comes to the changes and adaptations i've had to make regarding personal fitness, but not having a gym to go to has definitely been a bummer. more so than the requisite equipment and the space, it has been difficult to re-create the sense of purposefulness of heading over to the gym with a plan for a workout.
as an aside, i find myself reading every one of your articles as soon as it hits my inbox, and i am compelled to leave a comment every time, because it feels like you are speaking to me and for me (with a lot more eloquence). i never thought i'd find an online forum i'd be active on after i turned 40. :)
Best thing about turning 40 is not caring what other people think about anything. ha. Thanks so much, I'm so glad this newsletter is making these kinds of connections. Believe me, it's as much for me as it is for you guys.
This is topic that is really close to my heart, in ways both figurative and literal. Figuratively: the weight lifting version of strength training served for many years as my only means of routine exercise. I got big and strong. Literally: I now take medicine for high blood pressure every day to account for the damage done by being 300 pounds with almost no cardiovascular training. Since the summer I have lost weight through sensible calorie restriction and running 5-6 days each week. For the first few months of this new regime I consoled myself about my rapidly shrinking chest and arms by telling myself I'd live longer with strong legs than with strong arms, but I couldn't resist the siren song of the push up. Since autumn I have taken up the practice of ending every run by immediately getting down for a couple of quick sets of pushes. At first 2 sets of 20 was a challenge, but I've gradually moved up to 2 sets of 30. It feels good to harness the lower body pump of the run by engaging the non-running parts of my upper body while I cool down.
During quarantine last spring I invested in resistance bands to compensate for no longer having access to the weight room and I found it enjoyable as long as the weather was good and I could use them outside. I hate using them in the house and they've gathered dust these last couple of months. The u-shaped dip bar apparatus I invested in was an even better purchase and I loved using it for pushes and pulls, but, again, it's an outdoor thing for me. I've thought about investing a kettlebell and will consider it even more strongly now that I have read some of the testimonials below, but I still don't see myself using them inside.
I think I can feel comfortable doing my limited post-run workout until it gets nice enough outside to spend more time in the elements. Running has just taken over at the moment and I want to be cognizant of the need for diversity in my routine, but I feel like the interval and tempo work I am mixing in lately is doing the job for now. Part of me is still running for my life (again, figuratively and literally) - I have more weight to lose and I can barely keep my appetite in check as it is. I spent way too long overeating after exercise to risk backsliding into bad habits. Running, protein, whole foods. That's my mantra until I break the spell of the post-workout peanut butter binge.
God, I miss peanut butter. I hope everyone has a strong week!
Thanks Joe. Good thoughts. Kettle bells are great. I haven't used mine in a while so I left them out of the post. They're tough to do inside unless you have a basement or some serious padding. If you try them really learn form. It's super easy to throw your back out or damage hip flexors. Air squats are a great way to prepare your body for bells.
I love this! I try to end each run with planks, pilates 100s, cruches, something core related.
I really love my kettlebells. I find them to give me a pretty complete workout with a minimal amount of equipment. I have a distorted view of how old I am (53 and not 23) so I overdid it when I first started about a year ago. But doing some swings after running, or whenever I need to burn off some bad energy, is incredibly convenient. I also appreciate that using them in different ways has made me more stable overall.
I love the bells too. Haven't used them in a while since I had some back issues that I'll get into in a later post. I hear ya, I'm 46 going on 16.
Kettlebell swings!
I had a bit in there about bells but took them out since they've fallen out of my rotation. I love them, and def plan to bring them back when it gets warmer.
My favorite sentence in this entire post and I thank you for it: "Sorry if that sounds cold, but if you prioritize working out, you’ll find time to do it." Anyone that doesn't is making excuses for not trying.
I have spent my fair share of time in physical therapy over the years. Broken things, strained things, surgery fixed things, just thing things...I have a wonderful relationship with Marathon Physical Therapy in Newton and my PT is an ACE. Full disclosure, I'm not a joiner. I didn't play school sports, I was a tall kid but a disappointment to coaches, PE teachers and classmates alike because I wasn't good at basketball or anything else really. I failed miserably in early sporting outings and it made me fearful of failing at all sports...until I found running. That being said, a few years ago I fell in love with barre. It was strength and core training that tested me but was in a space that I felt comfortable in (no mirrors in the studio). It was yoga based and mostly body weight based exercises. I love it. After practicing for quite a while, I realized that the reason why I enjoyed the movements is that they were exactly what I've been doing in PT for years. Clamshells, bridges, one legged bridges, planks, etc...its familiar and that familiarity made me comfortable with being in a room of strangers doing the same things.
The other thing is that barre isn't easy. It's yoga, pilates, weight training and everything in between combined into one but virtually no impact. It's my go-to workout to supplement running.
thanks for saying that. I asked my wife/editor if that was too mean and she was like, nope. barre is badass
Your editor/wife is a smart lady.
For folks who like to work out alone but need someone to maybe show them the ropes, FitOn is a great app, and the free version is really inclusive! I downloaded it a few months ago and it has gotten me back into a better 'routine' during the pandemic. I had sort of gotten into a bad, repetitive funk where I wasn't actually making any sort of progress.
Good rec, thanks! Those funks are bad news. One way I try to break out of it is with more pace, try to get the HR up.
Hi, Paul. Good post, enjoying the newsletter. I am 53 years old and new to running -- picked it up during quarantine. I'm running 3 times a week, and figuring out what I should be doing on the other days, to avoid injuries and for general full-body health, is challenging.
I'm wondering if you can do a post on what advice you would give to new runners? So much to think about. Workouts, increasing distance vs intensity, overall goals, gear, the role of running in your life, etc. Too much for one post, but anything focused on the newbies would help, and I'd appreciate tips/perspectives from other readers.
Thank you!
Love it, that's awesome. There is a lot to think about and I'd say you're way ahead of the curve that you are thinking about it. I think the key for offdays is finding something you enjoy, whether it's working out or yoga or even just walking. Having some way to move your body every day is a really big step. Hopefully I'll be able to answer some of those questions as we go along.
Thanks for sharing. I used to be a big gym/weights guys and then when I didn't have the time to go anymore, figured that running/basketball would basically cover it (not true). During this past year, without basketball and limited running due to a knee injury, I have done more home resistance training (my son, my brother and I have a weekly session) which has been good. I hope to learn more about activity diversification as a benefit since ideally I like to mix in basketball, rock climbing, etc. with running. I know for some sports/athletes it can be beneficial, but I am not sure how much it helps for running (the opposite is obvious - I am still running in a 2 hour basketball game when younger, non-runners, have lost some steam).
I think resistance training is the absolute key. I had two skills as a HS basketball player: range and aerobic conditioning from X-country. Unfortunately, I'm 5-7 so that was it. Curious about rock climbing as a strength activity, less enthused about actually scaling rocks.
Ha, my only skill was endurance (though I am a bit taller)! As for rock climbing, when it is inside, there are no real rocks and a lot of soft padding. You can think of it as more dynamic resistance exercise where you use your balance, center of gravity, and engagement of specific muscles/muscle sets, to move through/up space. Some of the same tools of focus, patience, spatial awareness that go with running come into play.
That sounds cool. Think I'd like to give it a try *when all this is over*
In normal times, I'd go to November Project twice a week. They're totally free and have chapters in a lot of cities around the U.S. and Canada. It was a lot of bodyweight work, and at least here in Austin most of the people that showed up were runners, so that's sort of what the workouts were built around. Now that that's on ice though I've needed to make up my own workouts for the first time. My only workout equipment is a pair of cinderblocks, but I've managed to find quite a lot of different uses for them!
You *can* do a lot with cinderblocks! Love it.
This is the post I've been needing. I'm still trying to set some health goals for 2021, and while running is what I most like to do, I need to plan on how to become the best runner I can be, which, of course, doesn't mean the most running. I've had good luck with kettlebell workouts, so incorporating that will be a key component.
Sitting at a desk all day (on an exercise ball, at least!) doesn't help, and it especially tightens my shoulders. I try to avoid planks and pushups for that reason, so I am always looking for bodyweight exercises that can work the same muscles without the shoulder tension.
Nice, good call on the exercise ball for sitting. You can use them for lots and lots of stuff for core, legs, and back.
Great post! Reading your workout schedule I would only suggest more upper body and a day of rest/recovery. This is particularly important as we age. Recovery/healing is necessary for muscle fibers to regenerate. Resistance training for the entire skeletal structure reinforces bone density and guards against injury.
Thanks, Bob. I do a bit more for upper body than I mentioned in the post, mainly because the first draft was twice as long and getting confusing. Mostly resistance stuff and back work on the swiss ball, which I shall get into in a future post. You are 100 percent right.