Returning to running/exercise for the, erm, older gentleman.

VimFuego

Should I see the doc 1st?
I used to exercise a lot, though have never really been gym monkey, preferring running and circuit training type things. However, I haven't exercised in 12 years as I've found that my work has kept me reasonably fit and usually left me too knackered to exercise. But I am in the process of running down my gardening business for various reasons, so was thinking of getting back into running etc. I know there are a few exercise type professionals here, so was wondering what the recommended advice was re seeing the doc. I'm not aware of any issues, but I guess most of us aren't, until they become issues. 

RaymondLin

Ease yourself back into it, do non-impact base cardio - cross trainer, rowing machines.  Take care of your joints.

octatonic

Depends on your current fitness level.
Get some decent shoes and go out for a run.
If you can't make 5k then look at 'couch to 5k' programme to get you to that point.

When I got into running I had a decent level of fitness so just started doing 5k's and then 10k.
Now I sometimes go longer but mostly not.
It is all about consistency.

TimmyO

See if theres a.priper qualified kettle bell instructor near you and get a couple of technique lessons then buy a 16kg kettle bell - low impact, great cardio, 

rustneversleeps

Why not ease into with a bit of cycling.I done this about a year ago and  you can make as easy or hard as like.I like life so I keep it off road.I not taking about Lycra etc,just brought an old bike.Still works for me.

VimFuego

TimmyO said:

See if theres a.priper qualified kettle bell instructor near you and get a couple of technique lessons then buy a 16kg kettle bell - low impact, great cardio, 

I was giving thought to kettle bells, the aesthetic kinda fits with me.

I do like cycling, and it's something we were doing a bit of, main issue is round here is really hilly, not big hills per se (though there are some) but lots of smaller ones. There's a few old railways that are now cycle paths, so that's a possibility. 

ESBlonde

Old railway lines are good for steady pace, also along some beach areas there can be some level places (although north Devon is a bit 'picturesque' and dramatic). Alternatively along beside a river in the bottom of a valley can be none too steep, but tourist traffic might change your mind in those narrow lanes with stone walls!

fields5069

I think the old wisdom was to get a check up if you're over 35. You could still drop dead even after being given the all-clear though.

To be safe, you could get a watch & chest strap and make sure you stay within an aerobic heart rate zone? I'm terrible for that, I run and I really don't get any satisfaction from plodding, though I also don't go near my max rate unless it's the last km of a Porkrun.

fretmeister

I followed a plan by a 1970s Olympic marathon runner who devised the whole Interval, Couch to 5K approach.

For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

But bascially it was very very gentle - to make sure the day after exercise wasn't painful at all as that puts people off having another fo.

Monday was 12 minutes only. 1 minute walk, 1 minute gentle run. repeat
Wednesday and Saturday the same.

that continued for a month.

In month 2 for 2 weeks it was 14 minutes. Then 16 minutes.

After 2 months the final Saturday was for a 15 minute run without any walking. As slow as needed - even a shuffle.

Then back to intervals again. 18 minutes - still 1 min walk and 1 min run etc.

Then after than the time reduced. Back to 12 minutes (or maybe 14), but this time it was Walk for 1 minute but run for 1:30.
Each week increase by 2 minutes.

Then reduce time again but Walk for 1 minute and run for 2 minutes. Then after than Walk for 30 seconds, run for 2 minutes.


As slow and as gentle as needed so there is no soreness on the following day.

I'll try and remember the guy's name. It was an excellent approach.

TimmyO

VimFuego said:

TimmyO said:

See if theres a.priper qualified kettle bell instructor near you and get a couple of technique lessons then buy a 16kg kettle bell - low impact, great cardio, 

I was giving thought to kettle bells, the aesthetic kinda fits with me.

imho (although I'm not a zealot) they are a very good bet for people who want to stay fit, maintain, develop ir improve mobility and maintain or develop a bit of real-world-helpful strength.

Unfortunately there are some properly poor people teaching it - if you are lucky enough to have someone nearby who is IKFF or RKC qualified then it's a really good bet to get a few lessons and be taught how to stay safe and effective at a handful of core movements (say swing an its variations, turkish get-up, windmill (high and low), snatch) - even with just those you can stay VERY fit and mobile. 

If you can't find an instructor locally then Steve Cotter's iOS app has all of his teaching in video format an is really worth it 

TimmyO

TimmyO said:

VimFuego said:

TimmyO said:

See if theres a.priper qualified kettle bell instructor near you and get a couple of technique lessons then buy a 16kg kettle bell - low impact, great cardio, 

I was giving thought to kettle bells, the aesthetic kinda fits with me.

imho (although I'm not a zealot) they are a very good bet for people who want to stay fit, maintain, develop ir improve mobility and maintain or develop a bit of real-world-helpful strength.

Unfortunately there are some properly poor people teaching it - if you are lucky enough to have someone nearby who is IKFF or RKC qualified then it's a really good bet to get a few lessons and be taught how to stay safe and effective at a handful of core movements (say swing an its variations, turkish get-up, windmill (high and low), snatch) - even with just those you can stay VERY fit and mobile. 

If you can't find an instructor locally then Steve Cotter's iOS app has all of his teaching in video format an is really worth it 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kettlebell-encyclopedia/id643314682

VimFuego

fretmeister said:

I followed a plan by a 1970s Olympic marathon runner who devised the whole Interval, Couch to 5K approach.

For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

But bascially it was very very gentle - to make sure the day after exercise wasn't painful at all as that puts people off having another fo.

Monday was 12 minutes only. 1 minute walk, 1 minute gentle run. repeat
Wednesday and Saturday the same.

that continued for a month.

In month 2 for 2 weeks it was 14 minutes. Then 16 minutes.

After 2 months the final Saturday was for a 15 minute run without any walking. As slow as needed - even a shuffle.

Then back to intervals again. 18 minutes - still 1 min walk and 1 min run etc.

Then after than the time reduced. Back to 12 minutes (or maybe 14), but this time it was Walk for 1 minute but run for 1:30.
Each week increase by 2 minutes.

Then reduce time again but Walk for 1 minute and run for 2 minutes. Then after than Walk for 30 seconds, run for 2 minutes.


As slow and as gentle as needed so there is no soreness on the following day.

I'll try and remember the guy's name. It was an excellent approach.

think I've done that before, main issue I had (and possibly may still have) is being able to see a stop watch to time the run bits, especially in the dark.

VimFuego

Tim, think I've found a couple of RKC instructors not too far from me, may give them a call. 

fretmeister

VimFuego said:

fretmeister said:

I followed a plan by a 1970s Olympic marathon runner who devised the whole Interval, Couch to 5K approach.

For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

But bascially it was very very gentle - to make sure the day after exercise wasn't painful at all as that puts people off having another fo.

Monday was 12 minutes only. 1 minute walk, 1 minute gentle run. repeat
Wednesday and Saturday the same.

that continued for a month.

In month 2 for 2 weeks it was 14 minutes. Then 16 minutes.

After 2 months the final Saturday was for a 15 minute run without any walking. As slow as needed - even a shuffle.

Then back to intervals again. 18 minutes - still 1 min walk and 1 min run etc.

Then after than the time reduced. Back to 12 minutes (or maybe 14), but this time it was Walk for 1 minute but run for 1:30.
Each week increase by 2 minutes.

Then reduce time again but Walk for 1 minute and run for 2 minutes. Then after than Walk for 30 seconds, run for 2 minutes.


As slow and as gentle as needed so there is no soreness on the following day.

I'll try and remember the guy's name. It was an excellent approach.

think I've done that before, main issue I had (and possibly may still have) is being able to see a stop watch to time the run bits, especially in the dark.

Have you got a smart phone?

There are free apps where they will beep at you to swap from run to walk.

fretmeister

The guy I was thinking about was Frank Shorter.
Runkeeper used to have his program on the iphone app.

VimFuego

don't think I have a smart phone, will have to check. 

EricTheWeary

fretmeister said:

VimFuego said:

fretmeister said:

I followed a plan by a 1970s Olympic marathon runner who devised the whole Interval, Couch to 5K approach.

For the life of me I cannot remember his name.

But bascially it was very very gentle - to make sure the day after exercise wasn't painful at all as that puts people off having another fo.

Monday was 12 minutes only. 1 minute walk, 1 minute gentle run. repeat
Wednesday and Saturday the same.

that continued for a month.

In month 2 for 2 weeks it was 14 minutes. Then 16 minutes.

After 2 months the final Saturday was for a 15 minute run without any walking. As slow as needed - even a shuffle.

Then back to intervals again. 18 minutes - still 1 min walk and 1 min run etc.

Then after than the time reduced. Back to 12 minutes (or maybe 14), but this time it was Walk for 1 minute but run for 1:30.
Each week increase by 2 minutes.

Then reduce time again but Walk for 1 minute and run for 2 minutes. Then after than Walk for 30 seconds, run for 2 minutes.


As slow and as gentle as needed so there is no soreness on the following day.

I'll try and remember the guy's name. It was an excellent approach.

think I've done that before, main issue I had (and possibly may still have) is being able to see a stop watch to time the run bits, especially in the dark.

Have you got a smart phone?

There are free apps where they will beep at you to swap from run to walk.

and ones were they can talk you through it in your ear buds if you prefer. 

I'm about as old, fat and unfit as I've ever been. Terrible really  although I have every idea what to do about it the umph to do so is sorely lacking. 
Another possibility is walking football, which tends to be aimed at the over 50s. There is a club near me but I'm still on my way back from work when it starts ( excuses,excuses...) but almost anything doing an activity rather than focussing on the idea of exercise per se can be helpful. When I did used to run it always went better when I was having angry thoughts about someone rather than focusing on the run itself ...   

Iamnobody

VimFuego said:

don't think I have a smart phone, will have to check. 

Get a fitness tracker watch thingy - £20 will get you a basic one.

TimmyO

VimFuego said:

Tim, think I've found a couple of RKC instructors not too far from me, may give them a call. 

they might default to wanting to sign you up as a training client - just tell them you want to learn good technique so you can train on your own and they should be good 

Iamnobody

TimmyO said:

See if theres a.priper qualified kettle bell instructor near you and get a couple of technique lessons then buy a 16kg kettle bell - low impact, great cardio, 

Intersting...

I’ m not that old depending who you ask 41? But looking for an interesting workout I can do at home when there’s not much time. What’s a typical Kettleball workout - 20mins? 

At at the moment I’m trying to keep it interesting with swimming, cycling and gym work. At the gym I mainly do medium weights on the weight stations at a decent pace to make it more if a cardio workout. Then rowing and assault bike.