TIME TO GET RRRIIIIIIIPPED!!!!! - the exercise thread

I've just moved and might be getting a job a 15 minute bike from my place. The problem being that biking a place slightly closer than there and back (with a 10 minute break in the middle) made my legs very sore the rest of the evening. Any advices on how to get in shape enough that I can bike to work more easily? Without making it painful to exist the following day?

 

I used to do this, biking back and forth, and the only thing that helped was just doing it. At least for me. :(

 

so I met this thing today:


This is the ARC trainer. It works kiiiiiiiiiind of like an elliptical, but I guess with more vertical range of motion? Kinda like an elliptical and a Stairmaster had a baby. Very low-impact, nice and easy on the joints. Looks pretty chill.

This thing kicked my ass (mostly in the good way) for half an hour today. It took about 10 minutes to really get used to it, mostly because a) I have legs like a dachshund and b) if you're not careful it's real easy to get it going fast enough that it actually kinda runs away from you, and unless you hit the stop button you can't just stop.

And then I got adjusted to it, and really enjoyed it, and then the 30 minute program was over and I got off it and walking??? huh? how do legs??¿ so I had to just kinda wander around the gym for a while until I remembered how legs work on a normal floor.

 

I have a love/hate thing with these. Generally I stick with ellipticals but sometimes I just want to be on one of these (and then it goes on to maul me).

 

Got my kit together. Re-authorizing tomorrow, leaving for the event on Thursday. Hopefully nothing major breaks and I haven't forgotten anything.

 

Fought a few rounds, re-authorized. Everything worked fine, I didn't forget how to fight, but I have absolutely no stamina.

 

Wait, fighting?

 

Yup. SCA medieval reenactment fighting. We put on armor and beat each other with sticks until we're all tired and then go eat and drink at a local pub. What city are you in / near?
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sca+fighting

 

I'm in minneapolis and have Interest in This .w.

 

Remind me never to piss you off (again).

 

I'm in Mpls too. Info on practices:

Tuesday Nights in South Minneapolis at Brackett Park, 2728 39th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN, 55406 from 6:00–9:00 p.m. These gatherings are run by the Knight Marshal who you may contact with questions about how practices are carried out.

http://nordskogen.org/events/martial-practices/

All are welcome to come and watch and ask questions. After you've watched it if you want to try it out there is some loaner equipment. We've been going to Merlin's Rest after.

My SCA name is Matthew Smallwood.

 

Well I went and fought tournaments Thursday and Friday, and battles Saturday. Sore as heck yesterday, feeling a bit better today. Practice again tomorrow!

 

I missed the gym yesterday because work, so I went tonight. On Tuesdays they actually have classes for the adult jungle gym/Crossfit-lite thing which I hadn't yet tried because there's a lot going on there and it's kinda intimidating. So I thought what the hell, I'll try it! My body is ready!

Spoiler: my body was not ready

The trainer lady was very nice and spent twenty minutes just straight up murderating us in the best ways. The TRX thing is fun! Throwing a medicine ball on the floor as hard as you can is really fun! Those battle rope things are way harder than they look and my arms are going to fall off oh god help

 

Went swimming for the first time in like 5 years or more. Did half assed laps across the short end of the pool (i wasnt in the actual Lane Zone, it was public swim and it was v shallow because i cant actually swim competently)

Achieved Tired Arms/Legs, Chlorine Smell

I wish 2 become Aqua Everett, Who Swim And Walks Up Stairs Not Out Of Breath

 

did some exercise for the first time in a longass time, now that my treadmill is free of clutter

feels good man

 

Heyo! I haven't been regularly physically active of my own volition since high school marching band over a decade ago, so getting back into exercise has been, um, a challenge, but I've been pretty successfully sticking to it for a few weeks now! My sister pointed me at Darebee recently, which has been super helpful for me finding bodyweight strength exercises that genuinely account for the fact that I'm an overweight couch potato instead of a Fitness Enthusiast. I bought stretchy exercise shorts in my size so I can go on semi-brisk walks on campus in (relative) comfort.

The biggest thing making a difference for me, though, is... yoga. I feel about that fact pretty much exactly as was said earlier in the thread about running:

I absolutely hate the "yoga will cure everything" people, and I actually tried yoga intermittently several times over the past few years and couldn't stick with it. I don't know what changed recently, but apparently I am Ready for some serious stability/balance work, mind-body connection, and set aside Me Time every day. I do at least these short morning and evening videos every day, and on rest days from strength/cardio I do longer videos from the same channel. She's pretty amazing at regularly encouraging you to adapt poses to wherever you're at in your practice. I am, like, the least flexible human, but this just. makes me feel really good. and that is what I'm after.

 

I've been walking on the treadmill for 15 days now, and I finally feel less like death by the end of it??? Of course now I worry I'm not getting my pulse high enough for it to count as Exercise but my main goal here has always been to make walking less of an agonising chore, so I'm still happy about it even if it's not the most efficient method of exercise. My legs still hurt, like, all the time, but I'm pretty sure that's normal given how my body complains about everything.

 

so uh
anyone in here know how stressful krav maga tends to be on the joints?
cause the thing is
I have the money to pay for at least a fair amount of classtime at a place, and I found one in Seattle that's pretty promising. the reason I picked krav maga is twofold: one, I'm hella out of shape lately--which makes sense, back home I had a treadmill in the basement, now I'd have to take a bus to get to the gym on top of motivating myself to want to go to the gym, but with this I'm paying for classes that are at specific times and have specific goals and actual instructors so I'll actually go and do the thing. two, it's a self-defense thing.
but I'm kinda worried about whether or not it's going to be hell on my....already fairly problematic joints.

 

it might be best to call them an ask, they might have options available for people with joint issues as well.

 

oh, I totally didn't even think of that! thanks :D I'll call them tomorrow and see.