[Offers] NSC Fitness Thread

[Badger Boy]

I think walking is underrated - it makes you less hungry than higher intensity exercise and is great for mental health.

I think my maintenance aim once I hit 12st 8lbs will be to not go above 12st 12lbs.

It completely is. I've begun rambling slowly on the Downs and it makes me feel much better. Fresh air, peace and quiet and some wildlife to watch. Nobody cares how quickly you move or how much distance you cover, it's just about being outside and if nothing else, that's so important. Congratulations on getting your weight down, sorry to hear you were unwell for a spell but glad you've come through it and you're continuing your good progress.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

I've just taken possession of a Concept 2 rower; a new way to get injured.

Does anyone else use one of these at a (pre-Covid) gym or at home?

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

OK, binned FitBit only because it's stopped charging for some reason.

Working from Home rather than lolling but kept the fitness going and dropped alcohol for all but 2/3 days a week.

Started at 14 1/2 st and am now 13st 12oz and have started cycling

Update from me, started as you can see above at 14 st 7 lbs, and am now 13 st 7lbs. I'm four sessions away from completing C25K and have 5to10K ready and have a couple of 10k's booked.

Feeling really good and starting to lose the belly!

Going to go back into youth football coaching so need to get much fitter yet, always hate to see coaches lumping around preaching about pace and mobility!

Only downer in my life now is seeing the spreadsheets of [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] etc and have massive Excel envy , but sorting that now!

 

[Mellotron]

Mid June UPDATE:

Jan - struggled to make changes as still pretty deep in addiction to shit food. I'd set a goal of under 2,000 calories a day and really struggled to stay under. I think I was used to eating 2,500+ cals a day.

Week 1 - 16st 9lbs
Week 2 - 16st 11lbs
Week 3 - 16st 7lbs
Week 4 - 16st 8lbs

Feb

Week 5 - 16st 8lbs - started to really focus on macros from here - adjusting diet to take on more protein and less carbs...
Week 6 - 16st 4lbs
Week 7 - 16st 2lbs
Week 8 - 16st

Mar - I was unwell during March (possible COVID) and lost weight too quickly. I was barely eating and slept 12+ hours a day for about a week or so in the middle.

Week 9 - 15st 12lbs
Week 10 - 15st 7lbs
Week 11 - 15st 3lbs
Week 12 - 15st
Week 13 - 14st 11lbs

Apr - hit a bit of a plateau across April - lost motivation a little, stopped using protein shakes.

Week 14 - 14st 9lbs
Week 15 - 14st 9lbs
Week 16 - 14st 8lbs
Week 17 - 14st 7lbs

May - picked it up again and refocused my efforts. Have discovered a great area to walk in woods near my work so going for long lunch walks every day.

Week 18 - 14st 6lbs
Week 19 - 14st 4lbs
Week 20 - 14st 2lbs
Week 21 - 14st 1lb

June - Still having some unintentional "cheat" days but my desire to binge eat has almost completely gone now. I had a Pizza Hut takeaway with Mrs Mellotron and I struggled to get through my half of a medium pizza. Back in't day I'd have polished off a whole one nae bother and plenty of sides. It feels like I have managed to successfully retrain my body/brain/tastebuds and it feels good.

Just ordered a load of new clothes online as jeans and shirts etc all pretty baggy and shapeless. Now limit myself to 1,650 calories a day, something that would've felt impossible in January now doesn't feel particularly difficult.

Week 22 - 13st 12lbs
Week 23 - 13st 10lbs

End goal - 12st 8lbs (and a “healthy” BMI) by end of 2020. However at current rate I'm hoping to hit it around August - and I'm already thinking I may look to push on a little further to around 12st 4lbs once I hit my target - will see what body composition is like at the time, will also be looking to move away from pure cardio slightly onto a higher emphasis on weights, to tone etc.

Look forward to seeing others' updates.

 

[CHAPPERS]

I've just taken possession of a Concept 2 rower; a new way to get injured.

Does anyone else use one of these at a (pre-Covid) gym or at home?

Didn't splash out on a Concept 2 but I did invest in a rower in January when I realised I just wasn't getting out running. Glad I did as it's getting a lot of use on the days I don't want to play dodge the pedestrian/group of wayward cyclists/dog walkers who dont understand how much space they are taking up on my runs. Got a JLL R200 which seems decent enough and can fold away nicely into the corner of the bedroom.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Didn't splash out on a Concept 2 but I did invest in a rower in January when I realised I just wasn't getting out running. Glad I did as it's getting a lot of use on the days I don't want to play dodge the pedestrian/group of wayward cyclists/dog walkers who dont understand how much space they are taking up on my runs. Got a JLL R200 which seems decent enough and can fold away nicely into the corner of the bedroom.

Cheers. Has it made a difference to your weight/fitness/wellbeing etc?

The Concept 2 is a beast of a thing (8 feet long) and doesn't really 'fold' - you have to dismantle the thing. Having said that, it's been a good investment (esp as I got it for virtually nothing) in that not only is it a good workout but (touch wood) it actually seems to have helped my running-related knee injury.

My problem is that I've got a bit of an obsessive personality (hence the running injury) and am trying to set myself goals that are a tad unrealistic given that I'm old, light and have very short leg and arms. (Think James Cracknell and multiply the age by 2 then divide the physique by 2). My realistic goal would be simply to keep up with Mrs GNT over 5K!

 

[Marty McFly]

Been kayaking a couple of times a week for the last 6 weeks or so, having bought inflatable ones. In conjunction with cycling and hiking it's great to see mood and physical changes!

 

[Mellotron]

End June UPDATE - Putting this on here as a nudge to others who committed to improved fitness during lockdown...

Jan - struggled to make changes as still pretty deep in addiction to shit food. I'd set a goal of under 2,000 calories a day and really struggled to stay under. I think I was used to eating 2,500+ cals a day.

Week 1 - 16st 9lbs
Week 2 - 16st 11lbs
Week 3 - 16st 7lbs
Week 4 - 16st 8lbs

Feb

Week 5 - 16st 8lbs - started to really focus on macros from here - adjusting diet to take on more protein and less carbs...
Week 6 - 16st 4lbs
Week 7 - 16st 2lbs
Week 8 - 16st

Mar - I was unwell during March (possible COVID) and lost weight too quickly. I was barely eating and slept 12+ hours a day for about a week or so in the middle.

Week 9 - 15st 12lbs
Week 10 - 15st 7lbs
Week 11 - 15st 3lbs
Week 12 - 15st
Week 13 - 14st 11lbs

Apr - hit a bit of a plateau across April - lost motivation a little, stopped using protein shakes.

Week 14 - 14st 9lbs
Week 15 - 14st 9lbs
Week 16 - 14st 8lbs
Week 17 - 14st 7lbs

May - picked it up again and refocused my efforts. Have discovered a great area to walk in woods near my work so going for long lunch walks every day.

Week 18 - 14st 6lbs
Week 19 - 14st 4lbs
Week 20 - 14st 2lbs
Week 21 - 14st 1lb

June - Still having some unintentional "cheat" days but my desire to binge eat has almost completely gone now. I had a Pizza Hut takeaway with Mrs Mellotron and I struggled to get through my half of a medium pizza. Back in't day I'd have polished off a whole one nae bother and plenty of sides. It feels like I have managed to successfully retrain my body/brain/tastebuds and it feels good.

Just ordered a load of new clothes online as jeans and shirts etc all pretty baggy and shapeless. Now limit myself to 1,650 calories a day, something that would've felt impossible in January now doesn't feel particularly difficult.

Week 22 - 13st 12lbs
Week 23 - 13st 10lbs
Week 24 - 13st 8lbs
Week 25 - 13st 7lbs

Have noticed a slight wavering back onto snacks a bit more recently, however even with little blips I'm rarely over 1,700 calories a day and continuing a decent amount of exercise. Weight loss is slowing a little but still going in the right direction, a pound a week is ok.

End goal - 12st 8lbs (and a “healthy” BMI) by end of 2020. However at current rate I'm hoping to hit it around August - and I'm already thinking I may look to push on a little further to around 12st 4lbs, maybe even 12st 0lbs once I hit my target - will see what body composition is like at the time, will also be looking to move away from pure cardio slightly onto a higher emphasis on weights, to tone etc.

Look forward to seeing others' updates.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Cheers. Has it made a difference to your weight/fitness/wellbeing etc?

The Concept 2 is a beast of a thing (8 feet long) and doesn't really 'fold' - you have to dismantle the thing. Having said that, it's been a good investment (esp as I got it for virtually nothing) in that not only is it a good workout but (touch wood) it actually seems to have helped my running-related knee injury.

My problem is that I've got a bit of an obsessive personality (hence the running injury) and am trying to set myself goals that are a tad unrealistic given that I'm old, light and have very short leg and arms. (Think James Cracknell and multiply the age by 2 then divide the physique by 2). My realistic goal would be simply to keep up with Mrs GNT over 5K!

Just picked up on this.

We have one as both kids and myself row. They are a good I’m a bit more agricultural. Saying that I went out for the first time at weekend in a single and the coach said it’s the best hes seen me scull.

The erg is just the job for knackered knees. I used it to get fit and strengthen up my knee after my partial knee replacement and reckon it’s one of the reasons I may such a good recovery.

ergs are horrible if you have a competitive nature, as state of mind is a very big player. There’s nothing worse than getting into piece and realising after 30 seconds that it isn’t going to happen.

For me small improvements over big improvements. Knocking 0.3 of a split is more within the realms of possibilities that taking a second out.
I’m 56 and 70kg and so like you up against it, however I’m just over 6ft which is a big help.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[AlbionBro]

I have started doing a fitness routine, I have started walking my dog, 'Dick' three times a day rather than two times and I eat a rich tea biscuit rather than a hobnob when we get back. I have lost half a stone in 6 weeks and may have met a new partner they love to stroke my dog.
I am thinking of upping in to four times a day.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Just picked up on this.

We have one as both kids and myself row. They are a good I’m a bit more agricultural. Saying that I went out for the first time at weekend in a single and the coach said it’s the best hes seen me scull.

The erg is just the job for knackered knees. I used it to get fit and strengthen up my knee after my partial knee replacement and reckon it’s one of the reasons I may such a good recovery.

ergs are horrible if you have a competitive nature, as state of mind is a very big player. There’s nothing worse than getting into piece and realising after 30 seconds that it isn’t going to happen.

For me small improvements over big improvements. Knocking 0.3 of a split is more within the realms of possibilities that taking a second out.
I’m 56 and 70kg and so like you up against it, however I’m just over 6ft which is a big help.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You are spot-on. I'm a competitive little sod (63kgs, 5'6", and 65) with a horrible dose of Small Man Syndrome. I'm still at the stage of making small improvements on my times but this will plateau soon.

I made the mistake of looking at the Concept 2 rankings where you can check-out fellow sufferers in your age and weight categories and (sad but true) I'm trying to pick them off on by one. (I'll might catch up with the blokes as well as the women soon!)

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

At the end of the day the erg is all about power which at the end of the day is down to weight and muscle mass which can built but is limited to body shape etc. Fitness you can build on but unfortunately is only half the story.
From a rowing point of view it gives a very good indication of fitness but doesn’t always transfer onto the water ... thankfully.

Try to vary work outs. I’ll do anything from 10x1minute @ 32 spm to 5k at 24 spm (2:06/500m split).

I’m now building up from 2k to 5k at 22spm around 2:04/500m split. I’ll then do shorter higher stroke rate pieces before returning to the 2k to 5k at 22spm aiming for a 2:02/2:03 split.

Saying all of this the concept2 site has loads of training schedules.

I’ve started rowing again which means less time spent on the erg. I for one am not complaining.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Greg Bobkin]

End June UPDATE - Putting this on here as a nudge to others who committed to improved fitness during lockdown...

Jan - struggled to make changes as still pretty deep in addiction to shit food. I'd set a goal of under 2,000 calories a day and really struggled to stay under. I think I was used to eating 2,500+ cals a day.

Week 1 - 16st 9lbs
Week 2 - 16st 11lbs
Week 3 - 16st 7lbs
Week 4 - 16st 8lbs

Feb

Week 5 - 16st 8lbs - started to really focus on macros from here - adjusting diet to take on more protein and less carbs...
Week 6 - 16st 4lbs
Week 7 - 16st 2lbs
Week 8 - 16st

Mar - I was unwell during March (possible COVID) and lost weight too quickly. I was barely eating and slept 12+ hours a day for about a week or so in the middle.

Week 9 - 15st 12lbs
Week 10 - 15st 7lbs
Week 11 - 15st 3lbs
Week 12 - 15st
Week 13 - 14st 11lbs

Apr - hit a bit of a plateau across April - lost motivation a little, stopped using protein shakes.

Week 14 - 14st 9lbs
Week 15 - 14st 9lbs
Week 16 - 14st 8lbs
Week 17 - 14st 7lbs

May - picked it up again and refocused my efforts. Have discovered a great area to walk in woods near my work so going for long lunch walks every day.

Week 18 - 14st 6lbs
Week 19 - 14st 4lbs
Week 20 - 14st 2lbs
Week 21 - 14st 1lb

June - Still having some unintentional "cheat" days but my desire to binge eat has almost completely gone now. I had a Pizza Hut takeaway with Mrs Mellotron and I struggled to get through my half of a medium pizza. Back in't day I'd have polished off a whole one nae bother and plenty of sides. It feels like I have managed to successfully retrain my body/brain/tastebuds and it feels good.

Just ordered a load of new clothes online as jeans and shirts etc all pretty baggy and shapeless. Now limit myself to 1,650 calories a day, something that would've felt impossible in January now doesn't feel particularly difficult.

Week 22 - 13st 12lbs
Week 23 - 13st 10lbs
Week 24 - 13st 8lbs
Week 25 - 13st 7lbs

Have noticed a slight wavering back onto snacks a bit more recently, however even with little blips I'm rarely over 1,700 calories a day and continuing a decent amount of exercise. Weight loss is slowing a little but still going in the right direction, a pound a week is ok.

End goal - 12st 8lbs (and a “healthy” BMI) by end of 2020. However at current rate I'm hoping to hit it around August - and I'm already thinking I may look to push on a little further to around 12st 4lbs, maybe even 12st 0lbs once I hit my target - will see what body composition is like at the time, will also be looking to move away from pure cardio slightly onto a higher emphasis on weights, to tone etc.

Look forward to seeing others' updates.

Great effort and well done for keeping up the weight loss for a prolonged period. I hit my weight loss target (13st 5, from 15st) the other week and I've noticed I'm a little bit lost at times without that incentive. The trouble is that I don't want to lose too much weight or else I start to look ill – in fact it's already been asked if I'm well!) So I might re-set the target to 13st and see how that goes. I run a lot, which means I can eat a load of sweet stuff, but really I should cut that out too.

Sod it, I'm re-setting that goal now. Thanks for the nudge and good luck for July.

 

[Mellotron]

Great effort and well done for keeping up the weight loss for a prolonged period. I hit my weight loss target (13st 5, from 15st) the other week and I've noticed I'm a little bit lost at times without that incentive. The trouble is that I don't want to lose too much weight or else I start to look ill – in fact it's already been asked if I'm well!) So I might re-set the target to 13st and see how that goes. I run a lot, which means I can eat a load of sweet stuff, but really I should cut that out too.

Sod it, I'm re-setting that goal now. Thanks for the nudge and good luck for July.

Good work. Keep us updated with how you're getting on.

I totally get what you're saying about feeling a bit lost without a specific incentive. My aim is to hit 12st 8lbs, maybe have a few days of enjoying myself to celebrate, then reset for 12st. I also want to shift focus around that time to more weight-based exercises than cardio, to tone up a bit more.

 

[The Wizard]

The most frustrating aspect of fitness for me at the moment is trying to lose the bit of body fat I have whilst gaining muscle, to lose weight you need to eat less calories, to build muscle you need to eat excess calories.

Nightmare, added to that I’m a vegetarian so getting enough protein and muscle building chains is very difficult I have 3 ISO pro(pure whey) shakes per day to try keep my protein intake up, I probably need to choose between losing the fat and building muscle as from googling it, it seems doing both is difficult to get the correct balance between calorie deficit and eating enough calories to fuel your muscles.

Also [MENTION=12101]Mellotron[/MENTION] , fantastic progress. That’s really impressive, particularly through lockdown.

 

[Mellotron]

The most frustrating aspect of fitness for me at the moment is trying to lose the bit of body fat I have whilst gaining muscle, to lose weight you need to eat less calories, to build muscle you need to eat excess calories.

Nightmare, added to that I’m a vegetarian so getting enough protein and muscle building chains is very difficult I have 3 ISO pro(pure whey) shakes per day to try keep my protein intake up, I probably need to choose between losing the fat and building muscle as from googling it, it seems doing both is difficult to get the correct balance between calorie deficit and eating enough calories to fuel your muscles.

Also [MENTION=12101]Mellotron[/MENTION] , fantastic progress. That’s really impressive, particularly through lockdown.

Thanks mate.

Yeah from what I've read it appears very difficult to do both at first, so maybe try to eliminate the fat first then bulk up the muscle?

 

[The Wizard]

Thanks mate.

Yeah from what I've read it appears very difficult to do both at first, so maybe try to eliminate the fat first then bulk up the muscle?

Been a gym goer for a while, never taken it too seriously though I was the kind of person who went to the gym for an hour lifted some weight then would go home and eat a big pasta bake and 2 muller corners and wonder why I’m not seeing results

At the moment I’ve got a weight bar/bench and I’m doing weights every day in the garden which I’ve really got into and my arms and legs are getting there but I’ve always had stubborn weight around my hips and stomach so I’m incorporating a 1 hour cycle round the PP velodrome 3 times a week and I’ve started eating pretty clean to try and tackle this issue. Anyone else have any tips that worked for them? I don’t think my genetics are kind in that area either

 

[Deleted member 37369]

I'm just waiting for the Tuffnells delivery van to turn up with my new Model D Concept 2. I sold my last one last September as I was about to have hand surgery and I needed to get rid of the temptation to row when I shouldn't! That's the great thing with these machines - very easy to sell at a good price if you look after them.

My best times on the ERG was back in 2010/11 - but I'm just short of 16 million lifetime meters, so that'll be my first target when I get back on it! Will just need to make sure I take it very steady to start with and mix up the sessions ... and then gradually try and improve times, although general fitness and weight loss are my main goals these days.

Just for info ... these are my PBs at various distances etc. Quite pleased with some of them ... the one that I'm really gutted about is not quite making 15,000 meters in 60 minutes. I just couldn't quite hold the 2:00/500m pace I needed at the end!!

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

I'm just waiting for the Tuffnells delivery van to turn up with my new Model D Concept 2. I sold my last one last September as I was about to have hand surgery and I needed to get rid of the temptation to row when I shouldn't! That's the great thing with these machines - very easy to sell at a good price if you look after them.

My best times on the ERG was back in 2010/11 - but I'm just short of 16 million lifetime meters, so that'll be my first target when I get back on it! Will just need to make sure I take it very steady to start with and mix up the sessions ... and then gradually try and improve times, although general fitness and weight loss are my main goals these days.

Just for info ... these are my PBs at various distances etc. Quite pleased with some of them ... the one that I'm really gutted about is not quite making 15,000 meters in 60 minutes. I just couldn't quite hold the 2:00/500m pace I needed at the end!!

View attachment 125628

That's really impressive. I'm clearly a novice (albeit a bloody old one!) compared to you and Deportivo. I'd be delighted to get down to 8.00 for 2K but am at 8.34 right now and it's a big chasm. Looking at Deportivo's training data (and I suspect yours might well be similar) my spm c/w his is very high at 28-31. As I'm short on power I don't think I could generate sufficient power per stroke at 23-25 spm so I'm always going to be rather frantic and then fade as the lactic bites in. As I've always been a bit of a 'natural' at running (I'm not a superstar or anything but I've been decent without much by way of structured training) it's a struggle to be bottom of the pile in another form of fitness - but it's good for me.

Good luck with the new machine - and mind the heart! I can see you've re-set your goals but I wonder if you might slip back into busting a gut.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Cheers. Has it made a difference to your weight/fitness/wellbeing etc?

The Concept 2 is a beast of a thing (8 feet long) and doesn't really 'fold' - you have to dismantle the thing. Having said that, it's been a good investment (esp as I got it for virtually nothing) in that not only is it a good workout but (touch wood) it actually seems to have helped my running-related knee injury.

My problem is that I've got a bit of an obsessive personality (hence the running injury) and am trying to set myself goals that are a tad unrealistic given that I'm old, light and have very short leg and arms. (Think James Cracknell and multiply the age by 2 then divide the physique by 2). My realistic goal would be simply to keep up with Mrs GNT over 5K!

Sorry, missed this. I really like the rower, as it gets me through my running slumps which happen every couple of weeks seemingly. A burn on the rower every couple of days keeps things ticking over, which has helped during any low moments during this weird time we are having.

I’ve managed to lose no weight during lockdown but my upper body shapes is changing for the better. The issue is I really like wine and cheese. I exercise because I have to but I am enjoying running these days.