Some years ago I was daily using a workplace gym that had among other devices an adductor (leg clench) machine - which I used a lot.
One day I had a call from the gym asking me to please come down and 'unlock' the machine: I always used it on its highest setting and never realised that the next user needed to leg-clench a bit to free the setting mechanism. Even the male gym assistant who was build Mr Universe couldn't do it.
He asked me afterwards 'how come you have such strong adductors'. The answer was that I regularly rode batty horses cross-country.
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I can thoughly reccomend weight lifting
Re: I can thoughly reccomend weight lifting
My story is that in my mid 30's my body was a wreck! I had 6 months off work with bad sciatica and went to numerous specialists, had cortisone injections and was even recommended to have back surgery. My main problem was, it transpired, postural. I worked in London at the time and lived in Leicester so spent most of my time sitting on trains, in my car and at a desk. And absolutely no exercise.
Then i moved to London and someone suggested a yoga class. Zoom forward 25 years and i'm now in my 60's and my back's in the best shape it's been since i was a kid. I've also gone from being one of the stiffest persons in a class to being a yoga instructor.
I don't just do yoga either these days, i do a lot of aerobic cardio (e.g. body Attack/Combat classes) and a little bit of weights (via the occasional body pump class) as i found these give additional benefits. I also do a lot of walking and was doing some running (although i've given running up now as i prefer classes and my back doesn't like cold getting into it!).
The key thing to me just seems the need to be fit by whatever means. Whilst i'm not a particular fan of certain fitness activities (e.g. heavy weightlifting or marathon running etc.) i suspect they are all far better then doing nothing. There's so many people i know who, once they get on a bit, really struggle with ill health brought on by a lifetime lack of any real exercise.
Alan
Then i moved to London and someone suggested a yoga class. Zoom forward 25 years and i'm now in my 60's and my back's in the best shape it's been since i was a kid. I've also gone from being one of the stiffest persons in a class to being a yoga instructor.
I don't just do yoga either these days, i do a lot of aerobic cardio (e.g. body Attack/Combat classes) and a little bit of weights (via the occasional body pump class) as i found these give additional benefits. I also do a lot of walking and was doing some running (although i've given running up now as i prefer classes and my back doesn't like cold getting into it!).
The key thing to me just seems the need to be fit by whatever means. Whilst i'm not a particular fan of certain fitness activities (e.g. heavy weightlifting or marathon running etc.) i suspect they are all far better then doing nothing. There's so many people i know who, once they get on a bit, really struggle with ill health brought on by a lifetime lack of any real exercise.
Alan
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Re: I can thoughly reccomend weight lifting
tonyreptiles wrote:Some of the older TMF members might remember that I was a fitness professional back in the early 2000s. Although I don't do that anymore I'm till working out regularly and keeping up with as much fitness science as I can. I do my best at CrossFit 2-3 (sometimes more) days a week, even though most of the rest of the clientele is 20-30 years younger than me. (I'm 50)
I'm a BIG advocate of resistance training, whether it be lifting weights or working with your body weight. It'd need a book to write even a summary of the physiological and psychological benefits. But, in short, almost every major biological system of the body will benefit from increased lean mass.
Muscle is metabolically active tissue - it needs to consume calories to survive. More muscle = fewer stored calories and more burned calories.
Lean mass and the biological processes associated with building and maintaining it assist with regulating many of the body's hormones, making it especially important for menopausal women.
Resistance training also counters osteoporosis by improving bone density.
But, the most important benefit for me is that it helps to maintain the body's functionality. Look at any frail old person and you'll see they just can't do certain things easily. They can't pick something up off he floor, they can't get their footing if they trip, and they can't easily get up if they do end up on the floor. They can't climb stairs, get in and out of the bath, climb out of a car or carry shopping easily.
Resistance training won't make you immortal, but it will stop you from becoming 'old' before your time.
Here's my number one resistance training tip.
If you sit down a lot, you'll likely have have back pain.
This is because sitting down weakens the 'posterior chain' a group of muscles down the back of your body that often work together to achieve movement and stability. These muscles include the hamstrings (back of your thigh) , glutes (butt cheeks) and the lower back (Erector spinae).
There are numerous resistance exercises you can do to improve these muscles. However, pinpointing one muscle to work it in isolation isn't recommended. The posterior chain works as a chain - all together. An, like a chain, a weak link messes up the whole thing.
Instead, compound movements are much more effective, such as:
Squats (With or without weights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvwVtlqjTE
Lunges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlhojghkaQ0
Deadlifts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op9kVnSso6Q
(Replace barbell with a bottle of water)
And my favourite bad back fixer...
Straight-leg deadlifts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N97yeNuDBcQ
(Again, barbell replaced with water/kettlebell is just as effective.)
I'd highly recommend you get at least one session with a competent trainer to coach you on these lifts. They're complex, multi-joint movements and there's potential for error.
The movements above are what cured my rapidly-worsening back problem, which had escalated after I switched my fitness career for the life of a desk-bound writer. I'd been out of fitness for a few years and was rarely training. Only when I started training again, and focusing on these lists, did my back pain go away.
Enjoy!
TR
Good post and thanks for the video links, they get straight to the point - no waffle!
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