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Re: Starting again [Gearup] [ In reply to ]
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Gearup wrote:
best reply on this thread. the easiest reply on this thread.

I actually think in some cases (and I suspect a suprisingly large amount of them), the good-sounding advice of "just exercise for 20 minutes a day, doesn't matter what it is, or how hard, just build consistency and get out there!" isn't as good as it sounds.

I'm one of such people for which this advice would be a super-fail, having tried it in the past.

Telling me to go out 20-30 minutes a day, just going randomly, with no goal, no progression, no purpose, for me = quitting very quickly. And I consider myself super motivated! It's just that there's no close-range goal to motivate you to break through the barriers that are inevitably going to come up.

I'm MUCH better off getting a easy training plan, even if it's an "off-season" training plan, and at least following it to some degree, even if it means that I have to drop or change some workouts in the middle of it.

My wife is like this too. She's not a racing athlete, and has run in the past, and is constantly talking about getting back into running. I spent 10 years of "just go run for 20 mins", which became "ok walk-run for 20 mins" which became "ok just walk for 10 mins" which became "honestly, even if you do NOTHING, as long as you put your running clothes on, consider it a win for consistency." (As you can see I'm a pretty soft coach.)

That all changed when she talked about doing a half marathon with a friend in 6 months, and I gave her a beginner plan from a book. With the goal and the plan, even though she was essentially at zero running, she got it all together and happily finished the half marathon.

I wouldnt discount the power of having a beginner-friendly plan as well as a goal of some sort to reach with it.
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Re: Starting again [MortenFalk] [ In reply to ]
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MortenFalk wrote:
Matt J wrote:
I would consider focusing on recomposition of your physique before too much endurance training.

Endurance training can really stress your body.

My suggestion would be weight training, a strict diet high in protein and leafy greens, low fat, no sugar, walking an hour daily, and begin swimming.

What part of ā€˜strict dietā€™ will ensure that OP want to continue his journey in many years to come. He will eventually burn out if he has to live strict.
No one has to do anything. 6 weeks on a strict cut diet can do wonders for body composition and itā€™s over in 6 weeks, not to mention your satiety is reset and your hormone environment has probably improved.

If youā€™re overweight the best two things you can do is increase muscle mass and restrict calories. I think thatā€™s generally a good idea before you go pounding your feet on the pavement and sitting all your weight on a bicycle seat.

Eventually burning out actually sounds better than getting hurt.
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Re: Starting again [Matt J] [ In reply to ]
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Matt J wrote:
MortenFalk wrote:
Matt J wrote:
I would consider focusing on recomposition of your physique before too much endurance training.

Endurance training can really stress your body.

My suggestion would be weight training, a strict diet high in protein and leafy greens, low fat, no sugar, walking an hour daily, and begin swimming.

What part of ā€˜strict dietā€™ will ensure that OP want to continue his journey in many years to come. He will eventually burn out if he has to live strict.
No one has to do anything. 6 weeks on a strict cut diet can do wonders for body composition and itā€™s over in 6 weeks, not to mention your satiety is reset and your hormone environment has probably improved.

If youā€™re overweight the best two things you can do is increase muscle mass and restrict calories. I think thatā€™s generally a good idea before you go pounding your feet on the pavement and sitting all your weight on a bicycle seat.

Eventually burning out actually sounds better than getting hurt.

The thing is that doing 6 weeks on a strict cut diet works extremely well. Until itā€™s not. Then when you reach the end of these six weeks you will automatically gain weight again because you donā€™t longer live strict.

Trust me. Been there, done that.

Iā€™ve lost 45 kg myself. I lost the first 25 kg by doing what you suggest. Then I burned out cus it was too strict living that way. I gained 15 kg again before just a little motivation retuned. Then doing the exact same stupid things. Lost a lot of weight fast, but was extremely close to burning out again. I was angry and irritated all the time. Thatā€™s what happens when you live too strict.

Now Iā€™m living life where everything is allowed. Itā€™s about the doses you give yourself. Now Iā€™m more happy and weight is going slowly downwards again. And I donā€™t feel that I am punishing myself.

Live has to be lived. Itā€™s about balance. Rather taking things slowly and progressing than doing things fast and living a life not worth living.

Morten Falk StĆørling
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Re: Starting again [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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I am the same. I get advice from friends and family that ignores my drive and my inner demons - as a former high-level athlete and professional performer, I was reminded by my physiotherapist a few days ago that the goals, the attainment, the planning and progression are ingrained in me for decades. Iā€™ve tried and failed to ā€œjust do somethingā€ for years. And thatā€™s not to say this time wonā€™t be different but I already realize itā€™s a struggle without having a goal in place.

For my part, Iā€™m 25 lb heavy, have zero endurance now, and Iā€™m rehabbing two lower leg injuries. Prognosis uncertain on one of those, as itā€™s likely a Soleus tear or partial rupture.

Iā€™m going to try a very long-term goal, finding a race mid to late next year, and before that race prep Iā€™m trying to stick to Z1-2 base building. Itā€™s always been my weakness anyway. Iā€™m trying to channel the Norwegian speed skater that everyone was talking about from several months ago, although Iā€™m not going to be doing too many 5-hour trainer rides.
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Re: Starting again [MortenFalk] [ In reply to ]
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MortenFalk wrote:
Matt J wrote:
MortenFalk wrote:
Matt J wrote:
I would consider focusing on recomposition of your physique before too much endurance training.

Endurance training can really stress your body.

My suggestion would be weight training, a strict diet high in protein and leafy greens, low fat, no sugar, walking an hour daily, and begin swimming.

What part of ā€˜strict dietā€™ will ensure that OP want to continue his journey in many years to come. He will eventually burn out if he has to live strict.
No one has to do anything. 6 weeks on a strict cut diet can do wonders for body composition and itā€™s over in 6 weeks, not to mention your satiety is reset and your hormone environment has probably improved.

If youā€™re overweight the best two things you can do is increase muscle mass and restrict calories. I think thatā€™s generally a good idea before you go pounding your feet on the pavement and sitting all your weight on a bicycle seat.

Eventually burning out actually sounds better than getting hurt.

The thing is that doing 6 weeks on a strict cut diet works extremely well. Until itā€™s not. Then when you reach the end of these six weeks you will automatically gain weight again because you donā€™t longer live strict.

Trust me. Been there, done that.

Iā€™ve lost 45 kg myself. I lost the first 25 kg by doing what you suggest. Then I burned out cus it was too strict living that way. I gained 15 kg again before just a little motivation retuned. Then doing the exact same stupid things. Lost a lot of weight fast, but was extremely close to burning out again. I was angry and irritated all the time. Thatā€™s what happens when you live too strict.

Now Iā€™m living life where everything is allowed. Itā€™s about the doses you give yourself. Now Iā€™m more happy and weight is going slowly downwards again. And I donā€™t feel that I am punishing myself.

Live has to be lived. Itā€™s about balance. Rather taking things slowly and progressing than doing things fast and living a life not worth living.

I found a strict diet to be a relief. Food prep and simple meals took ā€œwhatā€™s for dinnerā€ off the to-do list. Shopping is a breeze, and I save money while observing the diet.

Weight has been off for 3.5 years through lots of different variations.

We all have different experiences. My suggestion is simply to think about it. My fastest 70.3 race result was after only 10 weeks of training coming off of heavy weights, HIIT, and low body fat.
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Re: Starting again [Toolish] [ In reply to ]
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I'm in much the same boat. My race bike sits where I put it when I got back from IMFL in 2015.

I'm 55, my weight is up 20 lbs and my triglycerides are up more. On Friday my doctor said, "lose weight and exercise you fat tub of goo." OK, not exactly but that is what she was thinking.

So the bike comes out to start with some moderate 10 - 15 mile rides, I need to find a pool to swim at, and I'll be back running slow on the trails.

Where to get started is to start. For you and I there is no magic plan. Build up slowly to stay healthy and injury free. You aren't getting better if you can't train because the tendinitis in your knees makes walking hard. And the answer for the majority of people is SBR more. Do some fast, do a lot steady. Don't get hurt. Stay motivated. It makes for a very short book, but it is what most come down to.

I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.
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Re: Starting again [Toolish] [ In reply to ]
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Question for the OP, are you a gym person? A structure person? Some people (me 40% of the time) ā€œneedsā€ to go out to trainā€¦yes I can be on the trainer/bike inside but if Iā€™m doing weights etc, I work much better at a gym. Lots of people need the structure of a ā€œdietā€ or meal plan etc to stick to their goals.
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Re: Starting again [jeremyebrock] [ In reply to ]
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I have never been to a gym in my life. I have treadmill, trainer and squat rack in the shed and that is my space to work out. I have been considering a gym membership to see if that changes anything but I can't justify the expense when I have all i 'need' at home.

I prefer structure to make it up on the fly, but I think the problem has been the plan is too aggressive.
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Re: Starting again [Toolish] [ In reply to ]
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Absolutely. If you donā€™t need it, donā€™t do it, itā€™s just a waste. I think a lot of people jumped into Peloton purchases because they need to be told what to do, whereas probably a good % of people on this forum are the opposite, and prefer to ā€œdo their own thingā€
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Re: Starting again [Toolish] [ In reply to ]
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FWIW I used a sprint triathlon plan from TrainerRoad to get back in the saddle and found it to be both motivating and pretty easy to follow without getting buried. I think I gave myself something like 4 months to get ready for my first [short] race in over a decade, and I managed to get to the startline without getting injured, which was my main goal. I too like structure, but I also like affirmation, so it's nice to see my sessions upload from either the app or Garmin and get all the little green checkmarks on my calendar. Depending on whether you're intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, though, I'm sure you could get the same satisfaction and direction from a free Triathlete plan or whatever; that would give structure and you'd know what you're supposed to be working toward every day, even if you don't have a race on the calendar. As a very extrinsically motivated type-A people pleaser who loves lists, though, I know I need the feedback from TR and it's worth the price of the subscription to me.

That said, I think one important element is, as others have pointed out, making sure that you're honest with yourself about what you can do right now vs. what you could do "then", and then figuring out what you can control vs. what you've got to be patient with. For example, I've done a lot of walking and run/walking over the past six months or so because my run is just not back yet, and my poor 45 y/o body objected pretty strongly to a sudden reintroduction of weight-bearing cardio. So, I've concentrated on getting aerobic fitness back in other ways and I've seen some real gains in my swim and bike because of that. I'd love to be back up to speed (as it were) across the board, but right now I've got to be patient, consistent, and -- again, as others have said -- pay a lot closer attention to strength training and my diet (even though eating an entire pizza after track practice was super satisfying, what worked in my 20s definitely doesn't work in my 40s!).


Make haste slowly.

[what Yoda said about trying]
Last edited by: Bastet: Oct 3, 22 7:27
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Re: Starting again [Toolish] [ In reply to ]
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I found that hiring a coach was worth it to get me back going after a long time away from triathlon. It was expensive, but worth it for me.
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