Athletic performance in your 40s?

[The AD]

You can work your legs in swimming, but it's not easy and most people tend to drag their legs a bit, present company included. Definitely difficult to do that rowing if you want any kind of power whatsoever.

[alias_rice]

Rowing works my glutes in ways swimming just can't. That and I can put an erg in my workout room at a fraction of the cost it would be to put a lap pool in.

And rowing is a lot like masturbation- sure the stroke is the same everytime, but the stroke rate and the intensity will vary to make it more interesting. I recommend trying to get at least 4 sessions of each in per week.

Is The Stranger possible on the rower? I would think a numb hand may be problematic there.

[The AD]

Well, you do have a numb butt, however that sounds like something useful for completely different activities.

[old goat]

Rowing works my glutes in ways swimming just can't. That and I can put an erg in my workout room at a fraction of the cost it would be to put a lap pool in.

And rowing is a lot like masturbation- sure the stroke is the same everytime, but the stroke rate and the intensity will vary to make it more interesting. I recommend trying to get at least 4 sessions of each in per week.

It's much easier to watch porn rowing than swimming. That said I did get so fascinated by the ass of the woman walking by the pool at my old condo complex that I swam head first into the end of the pool.

[neufox47]

Yeah, about a month ago i started the pallof and rotational cable crunches. They don't seem to do much, at least compared with side bends, feet up, with 40lbs on my back

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Did your cable machine run out of weights? What do you mean by didn’t do much? As a mostly static exercise a Pallof press isn’t supposed to make you sore.

Also, what is a side bend? Like this? https://www.muscleandstrength.com/ex...ide-bends.html

[neufox47]

Whats interesting is that there are many coaches out there who preach core work should heavily focus on anti movement and stability, but if you look at any actual athlete's training programs they are filled with dynamic core movements. IMO, the anti movement stuff is a great warmup and activation and helps with injury prevention, but the dynamic work is where you will see performance benefit. Personally, i like banded chops/twists or landmine twists, leg raise variations, banded crunches, and ill throw in banded reverse side bends as well.



An Erg is probably the next piece of equipment im getting for my garage. i really like the big ROM it forces you into, and its ability to be used as a full-body session that it also easy on the joints.

You gotta walk before you run and banded chops and landline twists are still anti-rotation. But I wouldn’t recommend them to someone who is doing no core work currently. If you have a wall to throw med balls at a rotational throw might be best for rotational power.


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[J. Barron DeJong]

Did your cable machine run out of weights? What do you mean by didn’t do much? As a mostly static exercise a Pallof press isn’t supposed to make you sore.

Also, what is a side bend? Like this? https://www.muscleandstrength.com/ex...ide-bends.html

He just heard about side-bends and sit-ups in a song and figured that should make up the core of his routine.

[rod9301]

No.

Mine is

Feet on couch, weight on one elbow on the ground, and lower the hips and raise them.

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[rod9301]

Did your cable machine run out of weights? What do you mean by didn’t do much? As a mostly static exercise a Pallof press isn’t supposed to make you sore.

Also, what is a side bend? Like this? https://www.muscleandstrength.com/ex...ide-bends.html

No, i can add more weight, but still, i can't feel the muscles working. Maybe they do

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[Foggy_Goggles]

I think the term you are looking for is Elevated Side Plank Dips

[neufox47]

No, i can add more weight, but still, i can't feel the muscles working. Maybe they do

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You have to keep going up in weight then. For someone as advanced as what you’re saying go up until you struggle to not get pulled over when extending. You can play around with widening your feet some and dropping to a lower stance.

When progressed you should struggle to maintain the arms out position for 2-3 seconds and it should require you bracing your entire body from your toes to your shoulder and pec.

On a Keizer air cable machine I’ll go 60-70 lbs. Cable machines with weight stacks are notoriously different but anywhere from 50-90.

[ironhippy]

The only advantage rowing (erging?) has over swimming is you can watch TV while on an erg. Otherwise it seems grindingly dull to me. At least in swimming you can change strokes.

Swimming hard is something that takes a lot of practice, you can't just take someone off the street (even if they can swim) and have them do effective sprints in a pool.

You can take someone (with zero fitness or training) and put them on a rower and have them do a 500 m sprint.

If you are concerned about athletic performance (and not just health/fitness), the dullness of training shouldn't really be an issue.

[joetron]

Swimming hard is something that takes a lot of practice, you can't just take someone off the street (even if they can swim) and have them do effective sprints in a pool.
.

“But you can’t be any geek of the street, gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean.”





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[EWG]

Swimming hard is something that takes a lot of practice, you can't just take someone off the street (even if they can swim) and have them do effective sprints in a pool.

You can take someone (with zero fitness or training) and put them on a rower and have them do a 500 m sprint.

If you are concerned about athletic performance (and not just health/fitness), the dullness of training shouldn't really be an issue.

I mean, in theory I agree with you, but in practice, weeks of 10,000 yard daily swim workouts will turn you into a self loathing mind numb pain-cave zombie with no will to live and no connection to reality. But, um, otherwise it's great for mental health.

I remember years ago some ultra distance RAAM type bike dude said they knew they were ready for racing when they could ride a trainer staring at a blank wall for 10 straight hours. I'd rather do that.

[Brock Landers]

Crossfit is a sport. It is not training. Treat it as such. Lots of better methods for training, but for many the draw of competition and box culture outweighs the risk of injury. Nothing inherently wrong with crossfit, the same way there is nothing inherently wrong with playing in a pickup soccer of basketball league to get/stay in shape.

10000% disagree. I go to a very competitive, regionals-level, popular “box”. And 80% of the people, minimum, are just normal people working hard. Training. Most places it’s 95% of people.

You can get hurt. You can tweak stuff. You can get in great overall shape. Like you can get hurt doing anything that gets you in great shape. But you don’t need to go 110% in terms of competitiveness v training.

Go in, don’t think much, go hard, get a great workout in, it’s more efficient than anything else you’re doing. The other cult cameraderie stuff is extra if you want to go into it.

[phatty]

10000% disagree. I go to a very competitive, regionals-level, popular “box”. And 80% of the people, minimum, are just normal people working hard. Training. Most places it’s 95% of people.

You can get hurt. You can tweak stuff. You can get in great overall shape. But you don’t need to go 110% in terms of competitiveness v training.

Go in, don’t think much, go hard, get a great workout in, it’s more efficient than anything else you’re doing. The other cult cameraderie stuff is extra if you want to go into it.

The best physical condition I was in was when I was doing crossfit regularly. I would do 3 classes a week plus my normal running/riding. I got jacked pretty good. I would agree that most people at the gym were just there for the workout. No one was going to competitions. We might get a little competitive in the class, but that's it. I only quit because I got injured. Ironically I didn't get hurt doing crossfit.

[rod9301]

You have to keep going up in weight then. For someone as advanced as what you’re saying go up until you struggle to not get pulled over when extending. You can play around with widening your feet some and dropping to a lower stance.

When progressed you should struggle to maintain the arms out position for 2-3 seconds and it should require you bracing your entire body from your toes to your shoulder and pec.

On a Keizer air cable machine I’ll go 60-70 lbs. Cable machines with weight stacks are notoriously different but anywhere from 50-90.

Ok, maybe i didn't explain properly.

I have to brace myself not to be pulled over, so it's not easy by any means.

But I'm not sure what muscles are being used and how it benefits.

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[ironhippy]

10000% disagree. I go to a very competitive, regionals-level, popular “box”. And 80% of the people, minimum, are just normal people working hard. Training. Most places it’s 95% of people.

You can get hurt. You can tweak stuff. You can get in great overall shape. But you don’t need to go 110% in terms of competitiveness v training.

Go in, don’t think much, go hard, get a great workout in, it’s more efficient than anything else you’re doing. The other cult cameraderie stuff is extra if you want to go into it.

(Based on my experience 10+ years ago) the problem is that every "box" is different and you can't judge one based on another.

Some would focus on health and safety and others would focus on pushing out more reps at all costs.

[ironhippy]

“But you can’t be any geek of the street, gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean.”

Earn your keep.
Regulators, mount up!

[Danno]

(Based on my experience 10+ years ago) the problem is that every "box" is different and you can't judge one based on another.

Some would focus on health and safety and others would focus on pushing out more reps at all costs.

I have no idea which type mine is, but most I have seen so far seem like people just working out. In any case, I know enough to not push myself too hard. I mean, yes, eventually I will presumably be lifting more weight, but right now I am sticking with low weights for everything, and only after I convince myself that I have the full body strength to do something will I up the weight. For example, my lower back/core needs to catch up to my legs, and until it does, lifting heavy with my legs puts my back at risk.

[ironhippy]

The best physical condition I was in was when I was doing crossfit regularly. I would do 3 classes a week plus my normal running/riding. I got jacked pretty good. I would agree that most people at the gym were just there for the workout. No one was going to competitions. We might get a little competitive in the class, but that's it. I only quit because I got injured. Ironically I didn't get hurt doing crossfit.

The most "jacked" I've ever been was doing Crossfit 3-4 times a week plus running and biking. Our Crossfit classes started with strength training, so it involved straight up lifting weights followed by some type of metcon.
I was the strongest, fastest and most "in shape" I've ever been, but I was also in my late 20s (this was 2005 - 2009). I then injured myself outside of Crossfit but was actively leaning away from that type of training at the same time.

I'm now 14 years older, can't lift as much (I also don't spend nearly as much time lifting weights) but I can ride a bike much faster and much further than I could in my Crossfit days as well as outrun my Crossfit self (in anything over 10 km)
I weigh less and am noticeably fatter as well!

[I've seen black diamonds!]

The good crossfit gyms don't do many crossfit workouts. Neither do crossfit competitors.

[Brock Landers]

I have no idea which type mine is, but most I have seen so far seem like people just working out. In any case, I know enough to not push myself too hard. I mean, yes, eventually I will presumably be lifting more weight, but right now I am sticking with low weights for everything, and only after I convince myself that I have the full body strength to do something will I up the weight. For example, my lower back/core needs to catch up to my legs, and until it does, lifting heavy with my legs puts my back at risk.

It’s the moving weights in a workout…doing compound movements quickly…that form falls apart and you can get hurt.

Push yourself aerobically, metabolically, but take your time in workouts on snatches, overhead anything, and keep weight moderate…just moving a somewhat moderate weight multiple times does the trick.

When it’s strength time, first part of class, coach is watching…hit the deadlift and squat like you mean it. You’ll get feedback on form and those 2 movements work a whole lot of muscles- bigger muscles and smaller core muscles. It gets the hormones going within you as well (in a good way).

[The AD]

I mean, in theory I agree with you, but in practice, weeks of 10,000 yard daily swim workouts will turn you into a self loathing mind numb pain-cave zombie with no will to live and no connection to reality. But, um, otherwise it's great for mental health.

Yeah, but who's doing that other than good high school through college competitive swimmers and people training for very long swims like the English Channel? These days I'm happy to swim a few times per week and get in 3,000-5,000 yards per session. Maybe five hours per week in the pool.

[ironhippy]

The good crossfit gyms don't do many crossfit workouts. Neither do crossfit competitors.

100%, the competitors never did "Crossfit" as described. They always did structured strength training and then treated the workouts like a sport with specific training. Which at the time was exactly what Greg Glassman claimed was not necessary.

It was a contradiction from day one. He took high level athletes, taught them circus moves and then claimed the circus moves made them high level athletes.