What's your current exercise routine?

[Aetherous]

In this thread you can share what you currently do for fitness. Not that anyone really cares about others' routines, but this could give an idea of what healthy activities people do here at the forum.

 

...

As for myself, I care about general cardiovascular fitness, basic abilities, and having a halfway decent appearance. I go to the gym every day that I can, so probably 4 days per week on average...if I'm able to every day, I go every day. So here is my basic routine right now, after years of not being so healthy:

10 minutes elliptical (staying above 6 (on Planet Fitness machines, not sure what that means) with the level set at 7, the whole time), 10 minutes bike staying above 90 rpm with the level set at 9, 10 minutes walking at 3 mph and incline at 1, then jogging for 0.3 miles at 6 mph (increasing by 0.1 mile each week or two), and walking again. I get really bored with cardio in the gym so each time I tend to switch the machines like this. I also have calf and shin problems, and need to ramp up my activity super gradually. (Some days I skip the gym and just hike for at least an hour.)

Then I'll do assisted pullups. Used to have the strength, and less body weight, to be able to do 10+ unassisted (when in Army basic training)...I'm working back up to that. I tend to put the assisted weights at 110, then do 5 pullups, rest 1 minute, then lower the weights one notch (so it's less assisted), until a bit before the point of failure...for me right now, I tend to do 3-4 sets of gradually decreasing the assisted weights. I think of it like warming up the movement, and then getting to strength building.

Then do just one set of 17 fast pushups. I add 1 pushup per week to it, or as able without reaching failure. Used to be able to bust out 35 quick ones. I think training pushups at a fast speed helps with being able to do more of them...when in basic training, I noticed that doing a quick 35 enabled me to score 100% on the fitness test easily (where I had to do something like 60 within 2 minutes). The speed training helps. I still do Army style with perfect form, where the face is looking forward (not at the floor, but at the wall), the whole back is held in a straight line, the chest touches the ground when going down, and the elbows extend fully so that they'd be locked in the up position. After the pushups, I hold the plank position with arms extended for 30 seconds.

Then ten 4-count flutterkicks. I used to be able to do 70 4-counts (counting like: 1,2,3,one, 1,2,3,two, 1,2,3,three; then eventually 1,2,3,seventy)...when I could do that, it really helped my running, and also my situps, for the fitness tests.

Then 30 lb dumbbells full ROM bicep curls, 5 reps 3 sets. Not for fitness so much, but my triceps tend to be naturally very strong (I think due to being really good at skullcrushers during undergrad), so this balances me out and makes the arms look decent.

 

...in the past I would do Stronglifts 5x5 routine. It was really good and enjoyable, although my knees can't do it these days.

[MuadDib]

I begin the morning with some joint mobility exercises (shoulders, back, neck, wrists, fingers, waist, ankles etc.) and some stretching (arms, legs, torso). After that I do 25 squats, 9 breaths of spinal breathing and 13 breaths horse stance. I follow up with 15 narrow push ups and 5 minutes of zhan zhuang. This is my morning routine.

 

If I do not go to the gym that day, I do 150 crunches and 25 knee pulls-ins for core strength. I also do 35 more push ups so that I finish the day with 50 push ups.

 

If I do go to the gym, I do the crunches and push ups at the gym. I also do one or two sets of 5 pull ups. I work the bench press going up to 35 - 40 kgs plus the weight of the bar. I use the machines at the gym for training the chest, back, biceps and upper leg. I do cardio in the form of two sets of 12 minutes on the treadmill. I run at an average rate of 10km /hour but I squeze in two subsets where I go up to 12-13km/hour so it's like high intensity interval training. Overall I do roughly 4km on the treadmill. I try to go to the gym at least twice per week; if I manage to go for the third time, I reduce the amount of repetitions and increase the amount of the weights so I gain some strength. 

 

I do beginner level hatha yoga once a week, roughly for 45 minutes. This is so that I remain somewhat flexible. I used to be much more flexible when I went to regular yoga classes 

 

If the weather permits and I have the time, I take a 7-8km walk in the morning over the weekend. There are simple resistance training machines on the path I take, so I take the opportunity to do some pull ups and some simple resistance training during my walks. I find the combination of resistance training and walking very effective.

 

[Aetherous]

Now I've increased the pushups to 20 reps, increased the run/jog to 0.4 mile, and increased the flutterkicks to 12 four counts. Low numbers comparatively, but progress is all that matters. Feeling like I could take on the world when leaving the gym.

[MuadDib]

I noticed @voidisyinyang keeps referring to the book Taoist Yoga: Internal Alchemy and Immortality. Since it is freely available, I decided to read it... slowly and carefully. Chapter 3 is about opening up the eight channels. The author describes a step by step method towards opening the channels and advises the reader to practice it every morning to clear impurities and blockages. It is meant to be practiced in full lotus (which I am able to do), but I thought since I do 5 minutes of zhan zhuang every morning, why not integrate the breathing practice into that? 

 

I found that the channel opening practice feels very natural in zhan zhuang; more so than in full lotus. So I integrated that into my morning routine. It seems to be very effective and I feel like I have made some progress.

[voidisyinyang]

3 hours ago, MuadDib said:

I noticed @voidisyinyang keeps referring to the book Taoist Yoga: Internal Alchemy and Immortality. Since it is freely available, I decided to read it... slowly and carefully. Chapter 3 is about opening up the eight channels. The author describes a step by step method towards opening the channels and advises the reader to practice it every morning to clear impurities and blockages. It is meant to be practiced in full lotus (which I am able to do), but I thought since I do 5 minutes of zhan zhuang every morning, why not integrate the breathing practice into that? 

 

I found that the channel opening practice feels very natural in zhan zhuang; more so than in full lotus. So I integrated that into my morning routine. It seems to be very effective and I feel like I have made some progress.

thanks for checking it out - just so you know - the author actually also recommended that if you do half of your practice as standing exercise that you get results TWICE as fast! Too bad he didn't mention that in his book. But he was a martial artist first and then he trained in Daoist alchemy and Ch'an meditation. His lineage is online also - so there's a couple websites that give the details of how he also taught standing active exercises.

[thelerner]

I don't get to the gym as often as I should.  When there I'll grab a 40-50 lb dumbbell 'globlet' squat down, rise and press it up above my head, repeat.  Do 2 sets of 8.   Rest then hold weight lengthwise, straight leg deadlift down, rise, then curl the dumbbell up, down, then deadlift.  Do 2 sets of 8 of those, then hit a machine for 20 minutes, and repeat that for 2 or 3 rounds. 

 

During the day I'll grease the groove by doing 25 easy pushups against the kitchen counter and when no ones looking do 25 creaky bodyweight squats.   Stretch and condition the muscles, get the blood flowing a little bit.  I'll walk alot, 10-20,000 steps most days, and when once a week try to bike or kayak for an hour or two.  

[MuadDib]

7 hours ago, voidisyinyang said:

thanks for checking it out - just so you know - the author actually also recommended that if you do half of your practice as standing exercise that you get results TWICE as fast! Too bad he didn't mention that in his book. But he was a martial artist first and then he trained in Daoist alchemy and Ch'an meditation. His lineage is online also - so there's a couple websites that give the details of how he also taught standing active exercises.

 

That makes sense. I'm a big fan of standing exercises. I will surely check out the online material after I've done reading the book. It should take some time though as it is not an easy read 

 

Thanks.

[voidisyinyang]

20 hours ago, MuadDib said:

 

That makes sense. I'm a big fan of standing exercises. I will surely check out the online material after I've done reading the book. It should take some time though as it is not an easy read 

 

Thanks.

that book is a life long read.

[Jim D.]

My exercise routine has been going for decades. I spend two hours per session 3 x's weekly using resistance, light weights, aerobics, and stretching. I am afraid to quit for fear of declining. I am 73 years old.