Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with workout

Why did this workout zap me so badly, and how can I fix this?

SNWidget — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:27:20 -0800

Today, I tried to get back into the swing of working out with the NYTimes seven minute workout. I made it until about Step 8 before I got light-headed and had to stop. I know I'm out of shape, but why did this workout zap me so badly, and what can I do to fix this? It's summer, and I've got some time, so I've decided to finally do something about the fact that I'm not in shape. I eat well, and I'm losing weight that way, so this is more for endurance, stamina, and such things. I hate getting winded so easily during any sort of activity (including romantic fun with my wife).

She'd found the NYTimes workout linked to above, and we gave it a shot. Now, I know I'm out of shape - I'm 28, 6'1, 220lbs, no muscle to speak of - but I've done jogging before, and I can make it through the first bit of Couch to 5K without much trouble. I can go jogging, and it knocks the wind out of my sails, but I survive it. This killed me within 10 minutes.

I need to get healthier, and I need to get in shape. I know that includes cardio and strength. What can I do to get past this so I can do more than 10 minutes without dying? Is this just a wall people hit early on with this kind of thing? Am I trying to run before I can walk, so to speak?

Need to get nice butt with butt squeezes?

Jasna88 — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:55:20 -0800

To do so, how long every day i need to do them? I usually hold 10sec., should i hold more for faster results? Can i somehow get good bum in 2-3 weeks?

Comfy Yoga/Workout Pants in the Right Texture for a Curvy Gal?

snuffyrat — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:40:10 -0800

Hola folks! I am located in WNY area near the Canadian border (willing to drive into Ontario for shoppin'!) and am hoping someone can guide me in the right direction for the right kind of pants. I am looking for Semi-Fitted Lower-waisted (I am short waisted but have serious hips - I HATE those fold-down waist ones with a burning passion) Yoga pants to wear for Yoga & Workouts that also are *not* a matte/cotton type texture. I have light coloured animals in my home and also am self conscious about wearing light colours...hence for the sake of my sanity I like my yoga pants to be a "slick" texture and black or another dark colour. Bon Ton was carrying Vogo brand pants that were perfect, just a sweep of the hand and any stray dog hair would be gone. Sadly mine are wearing through and I am down to one pair...this is bad for someone on a weight loss journey who works out several times a week - the pants are washed a lot! Any recommendations? There must be someone out there that's as picky as I am....maybe? :D

A mysterious alien from a distant solar system wants to PUMP YOU UP

Admiral Haddock — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 06:56:02 -0800

The only thing that gets me to the gym is watching science fiction movies on my iPhone. Can you recommend some more based on the criteria inside? I watch sci fi on the elliptical in 35 minute chunks. I'm looking for movies that are both exciting enough to keep me motivated in the workout itself and also engaging enough to make me want to go back to the gym to see the next installment. I'm not necessarily looking for the very best the genre has to offer--just a carrot to get me to the gym.

Some criteria--

--I prefer, I guess, hard science fiction (if that's the right term). My strong preference is for future time periods, spaceships, or alien civilizations, etc., rather than contemporary (so, Transformers may be sci-fi, but robots in LA leaves me cold). However, District 9 was excellent.

--Shoot'em ups are good; too much dialog, or too cerebral, is not so good (say, Primer).

--Lots of nudity is not so great for the gym (I'm looking at you, Mathilda May in Lifeforce).

--Should be in English, because reading subtitles on an iPhone on an elliptical is both difficult and impossible (so, Eden Log is out).

--Importantly, the movies don't need to be fantastic--just good enough to get me working out. (Of course, they don't need to be bad!)

Examples of stuff I've recently enjoyed at the gym:
Prometheus
Dredd (the 2012 one)
Outland
District 9
Sunshine
Minority Report
The Black Hole
Cube
Battlestar Galactica (TV, obvs)
Dr. Who (again, TV--but I started with some old Tom Bakers, and that was not a great choice)
Aliens
Fifth Element

Thanks!

Definitely not crunch time

elizeh — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:48:55 -0800

Annoyingly, crunches irritate a bulging disc in my back. Since I'm not keen on having surgery just so I can do this one thing (the disc doesn't otherwise bother me, as long as I keep my core strong), what alternatives to crunches can I try? If it matters: I do already do push-ups, planks and side planks.

Best Fitness Apps

annabellee — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:12:42 -0800

Recommend the apps, websites, technological gadgets for exercise that you can't live without. I'm looking for amazing apps and sites that will help me stay fit. I'm a youngish woman and have found so many sites and apps (there are 64 from the past year on this site alone) but I am wondering which ones are actually good, that you'd recommend to a friend.

I know and like Couch to 5K and Nike Plus. I found some old posts where people suggested Gym Hero and Fitocracy but haven't tried either. I'm partial to fitness apps, but am also interested in goal-setting/healthy living websites, gadgets--whatever works.

Any downside to a combination cardio and strength workout?

Mechitar — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:17:26 -0800

Any downside to a combination cardio and strength workout? I have started doing combination cardio-strength workouts at my gym. A typical workout goes like this: 10-15 minutes on the treadmill, then I immediately do strength exercises, with no downtime between sets. For example, I’ll do a set of pull-ups, then straight to a set of chest fly on a machine, then a set of dips, then a set of ab crunches, then a set of shoulder presses on a machine, then back to the pull-ups, and the cycle repeats (though I often mix up the order depending on the availability of machines, and my mood). Intuitively this seems like a great idea: I get a solid 30-40 minute cardio workout, because my heartrate is up the whole time. I also get a solid strength workout. All this with none of the downtime of waiting between sets. Efficient and effective!

Or is it? Is there some downside to this that I’m not thinking of? Is it dangerous, for example, to be doing strength exercises while my heartrate is up an my breathing is fast?

Some background: I try to do these workouts (or just running) 2 or 3 times a week. My goals are to keep up a decent level of fitness (and the slim figure and feelings of well-being that come with it) and to get some nice muscle tone with just a bit of bulk. I seem to be meeting those goals. I have a basic good level of fitness, having been an on-and-off runner for most of my life, and having been similarly on-and-off with a modest strength-training regimen for the past couple of years.

How to get curvy without getting dumpy?

windykites — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:08:06 -0800

I'm gaining weight for basically the first time. I'm happy about it- I've always wanted to be less of a stick- but I'm not happy about how the weight is sitting. Can I do anything about it? Some women have a gorgeous, curvy, voluptuous figure that I want to achieve. For example, some women have big bottoms, but their bottom is a great shape. Or they'll have a belly but still have a waist. Or they'll be heavy but have a great hip-to-waist ratio.

I'm starting to gain weight, which is fine. But I don't like how that weight is sitting on my body- I'm looking a lot more dumpy and blobby and saggy than I am curvy and appealing.

Should I work out? How? I've tried some workputs in the past but i didnt really know what i was doing or have a goal. Can I work out to get a better shape without getting too much thinner, or without having visibly defined muscles? I've always been scrawny and a bit stick-shaped, and envied prettily round women, so now that I'm staring to gain I'd like some curves for a change!

Mobilize me

downing street memo — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:47:54 -0800

I've been working out, lifting weights, on and off for five years, but I've never paid any attention to mobility/stretching. This is dumb. Please help me come up with a defensible plan. Workout details: Three times a week I do a 3x5 style workout (Rippetoe's "Wichita Falls", to be exact). I follow that with one round of Tabata sprints on a stationary bike. I play soccer once a week, and I'd like to eventually add in long-ish runs (no more than 5 miles) twice a week. In the next few weeks as it gets warmer I'll begin riding my bike to work as well - 3 miles one way, not much in the way of hills.

My question is, what should I be doing to prevent injuries and to ensure I'm moving in the most efficient way? I know about (and like) MobilityWOD, but I'm having a hard time generalizing the advice and workouts shown to a routine. Happy to hear about pre and post-workout exercises as well as stuff done standalone.

Small, attainable fitness goals

yawper — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:01:50 -0800

I need some fitness goals beyond the vague "get in shape" and the too-common "run a marathon". Can you help me come up with small, concrete, achievable goals? Here are some examples of what I'm looking for:

I want to be able to take the stairs to my 5th floor office and not be winded
I want to be able to touch my toes without bending my knees
I want to be able to do 50 pushups
Etc.

These are just examples I pulled off of Google. I welcome both traditional and out-of-the-box ideas. What were some goals that motivated you?

Relevant info: 37 y.o. female, 5'2", 118 lbs, looking to gain muscle definition (especially in my arms/shoulders), improve posture, balance and endurance. Have been working out for about 4 months, about 3 times a week, mostly cardio fitness classes.

Snowflakey workout music question #45356

John Raskolnikov Gilson — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 10:10:09 -0800

"Abel" by The National, which is essentially "Born to Run" filtered through indie rock, is the perfect workout song for me, combining the key elements of (1) simple chord progression and song structure, (2) layered instrumentation, (3) lots of energy/intensity (including vocal energy/intensity). Recommendation engines' recommendations have been lacking in (1) and (3), so I'm turning to you guys: can you suggest songs with those elements?

Is ice skating really that good an exercise for the beginner?

tel3path — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:13:24 -0800

Everything I am reading about ice skating raves about what a wonderful workout it is and how you will develop a core-o'steel and burn no end of calories! How true is that, really, for the beginner? I am teaching myself ice skating from, essentially, absolute beginner level. I am just getting to the end of chapter four of the book I am using, which teaches forward stroking and a preparation for skating backwards.

Up until now I have been teaching myself to stop, and to glide forward on one foot on the flat of the blade. So until yesterday, all of my workouts consisted of: stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stop. Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, glide. For an hour or more.

Yesterday I reached the dizzying heights of proper forward stroking. Yes, seven whole minutes without stopping! I was on the ice for almost an hour and a half. It was not strenuous at all. I did not break a sweat. I did not suck wind. My ankles, calves and glutes do not ache and my abs wax not tense upon me. I didn't check my heart rate but I assume it was bobbling along at resting pace.

Basically I don't believe that what I did amounts to a workout. In terms of effort, it was easier than walking. It's supposed to be! That's what skates are for, to propel you with effortless speed along those frozen canals!

Or am I wrong? Is it possible that I could do this activity for 90 minutes, not feel a thing, and still call it a workout? Why? I don't get it.

The song that helps you make it those last few minutes on the treadmill?

cherrybounce — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:10:40 -0800

Salt n' Pepa's Push It always does it for me, but it's getting old. What song gets your blood pumping every time?

Who wears short shorts? We wear short shorts!

mrfuga0 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:45:35 -0800

What do women wear under workout shorts? I work out by doing heavy lifting and some conditioning work (fast workouts that involve lots of movement -- pushups, sprints, etc. -- essentially CrossFit workouts). Sometimes I do yoga or light running/hiking. Whatever I do, there is a considerable amount of bending/lifting/stretching and a good chance I could flash someone. To combat this, I usually wear running shorts from Target with the built-in underwear. If it is cold, then I wear yoga pants without underwear.

Right now, all I can find (in South Africa) are workout shorts without inner liners -- what do people wear under these? I would be pulling my underwear out of my crack all workout long if just wore regular underwear and the amount of bending and such like (with a trainer in my face) makes me wary of no underwear.

Halp?

Where are the Gyms of Yesteryear (in the City of Today)?

corb — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:52:13 -0800

About five years ago, I had an incredible, full-service gym that provided for every need I had. Now I'm in the NYC area - where can I find a gym that offers all the services I need? (Or at least, most of them.) Things the gym had that I really liked:

1) Childcare was offered on-site for older children, so they could watch movies and hang out while the moms/dads worked out.

2) Personal training plans were worked out for your goals.

3) Dietician on-staff had the ability to create full meal plans (besides Eat X Package) and prescribe metabolism boosters (and gave Vitamin B shots, which I'm not sure if they even work, but hey.)

4) No glass windows - absolutely not a show for looky-loos outside.

5) Kept late hours, so if you wanted an after-work workout, you could go then.

Any ideas, folks? Again, NYC area, Manhattan or Brooklyn preferred, willing to go to Staten Island or Queens if it's really good, the Bronx as an absolute last resort

Working out for advanced beginners

Kololo — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:15:00 -0800

I've been working out for about two months with a personal trainer. She started off having me do full body workouts that I quite enjoyed - they were sort of boot camp style, in that it was a combination of strength and cardio (ie. lots of burpees and mountain climbers and planks, mixed in with compound strength bearing exercises.) Much to my surprise i have gotten much fitter than I've ever been before, pretty quickly. Now my trainer is transitioning me to workouts that alternate upper body and lower body each day, with more of a focus on strength vs cardio. Is this better? The rationale appears to be that as I've gotten stronger that I need to do more sets of each exercise to get a good workout on each body part. On the other hand I really enjoyed the feeling of working out my entire body and being exhausted at the end of the workout everywhere.

Is this shift in approach part of the natural progression of getting fit? Do i need to transition to these alternating workouts in order to keep building strength and muscle tone? What about adding in cardio separately? I could use advice about the most efficient way to progress without it taking over my life - I'm trying to keep my time at the gym to about an hour four times a week.

(Of course I can have this conversation with my trainer too, but I want to be better informed in preparation for that talk.)

(Miscellaneous details: I'm a 36 year old woman, no injuries or health problems, about a third of the way thru losing 25 lbs, tho I'm focusing on diet to achieve that goal)

Gyms are scary

nickhb — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:43:07 -0800

Help me get over my gym anxiety and stay motivated to exercise. I am a 22-year-old guy. I was very heavy in high school, but I've lost weight and am now within healthy weight range for my height. However, I'm still doughy and out of shape. I really want to get some muscle and firm up, mainly for attractiveness/confidence reasons (doughy is not really an option for young gay guys). Here's the problem: the gym freaks me out.

I go in and it's crowded and every guy there is huge and strong and I start to feel panicky and anxious. It doesn't help that I am completely ignorant about gym etiquette, and I have no idea what to do if there are no benches open. Do I stand behind a bench and wait for the guy there to finish? Do I do something else and keep an eye on the bench area? Changing gyms is not an option for now, as I'm a college student and the campus gym is free.

How do you guys deal with gym anxiety? How do I get over the idea that everyone is judging me? How can I get past this and stick to a routine? I'm going to try going in the morning when it's less crowded, but I'm eager to hear your suggestions.

Help me figure out how to keep working out during my upcoming NYC trip!

sixswitch — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:51:52 -0800

Before the holidays I started a new strength training regimen and I've been really consistent so far. I really, really want to keep it up during an upcoming trip to NYC in February. I haven't had much luck searching for gyms with single-visit fees or similar. Can anyone offer advice / help? I don't need much — barbells & free weights — and I don't mind dingy. Bonus points for cheap. I'm splitting my time between Brooklyn (Bkln Heights & Bed-Stuy) and Manhattan (126th & Broadway). Bodyweight stuff is always a backup option, but I really want to keep pushing with my current program.

Better fitness mags for women?

spunweb — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:04:41 -0800

Really over Fitness and its monthly workouts. What should I subscribe to instead? I've been a subscriber to Fitness Magazine for several years. I normally cycle through their monthly workouts (one's typically a weights routine, one's more Pilates influenced, and one's a combination of the two) but recently their last few issues have included routines that seem kind of dangerous -- like the images/videos have included the model's knee looking like it was out of alignment, or your wrist will sprain or whatever. Plus, the recipes suck, and sometimes the healthy living tips read like a pro-ana/pro-mia tips-list. Is there another fitness mag for women that includes monthly routines, somewhat delicious recipes, and is more body friendly?

(I'm open to blog suggestions as well, but like magazines because I like to archive routines I really like in my amazing Hufflepuff workout binder to take to the gym with me.)

Ideas for Productive Workouts

Sassyfras — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:51:00 -0800

I do not like working out for the sake of working out. But I do love working hard and vigorously if it means I am being productive and getting something done. Can you help me come up with ideas of working hard and having a tangible result at the end? I recently took a job cleaning horse stalls twice a week. It takes me 3-4 hours to get 16-19 stalls cleaned. It's hard work shoveling horse poop into a bucket, then lifting the (very heavy) bucket to empty into the tractor. I work non-stop when I am doing this. And when I am done, I look back at all those sparkly clean stalls and I feel like I've really accomplished something. The added benefit is that I was moving and working hard the entire time. My arms, shoulders and back get quite the work out.

But this is only two times a week. I'd like to find some other tasks/jobs that I can do regularly (a few times a week) that make me work hard and have a tangible result at the end (i.e. clean stalls!). Any ideas?

I am a 37 year-old female. I would like to lose 10 pounds eventually. I'd most like to get in shape and be strong.

Simple home workout routine?

WinnipegDragon — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:27:29 -0800

I'm adding dumbells to my elliptical and I'm looking for a reasonable home workout routine that I can use as a guideline. I've been using my elliptical religiously for about two months now, and I'm ready to add some weight training to my 'get healthy' routine. I don't need to be ripped or anything, I'm in my mid-thirties and I just want to get healthier.

I ordered a set of selectable dumbbells, but I don't have a bench. Is there a simple four or five day per week routine that I can use to add these in to the cardio work I'm already doing?

This seems like a job for Google, but most routines that I turn up are billed as 'get ripped in eight weeks' nonsense or P90X-level hyperworkouts. I could use a little more guidance than that.

Cheers!

What are the best sites for streaming fitness videos?

melissa — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 07:42:13 -0800

What are the best sites for streaming fitness videos? Like so many people do each January, I've decided that I need to incorporate more exercise into my life. I'm having trouble deciding what I want to do so I thought I'd try out some fitness videos to see what would work for me. I'm trying to go with a Health at Every Size philosophy - eat well, get exercise and not get hung up about the numbers.

I had originally planned to try videos through Netflix but I see that they no longer have the license to show them there. I see that there are sites that do memberships where you have access to lots of videos. What ones have you used and recommend? I'm happy to pay for a membership if the quality and variety is good.

I'm a woman nearing my mid-30s, overweight and will probably be doing these videos with a four year-old providing colour commentary at least some of the time.

I'm particularly interested in yoga and Pilates, but don't want to close myself off from general fitness videos.

I saw this recent thread but it it was focused on free videos.

Special snowflake detail: I'm Canadian so US-only sites are no good for me. Thanks for any tips you have.

Any good free online workout videos out there?

caoimhe — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:36:49 -0800

Free online workout videos? I am an exercise dvd junkie, and I'm trying to kick the habit of buying so many. Any free online workout videos/trainers you'd recommend for an intermediate-advanced exerciser?

I'm up for anything!

Weight-loss value of under-desk pedaling?

Alabaster — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:12:05 -0800

Is an under-desk pedal exerciser a worthwhile supplement to an existing weight-loss / exercise regimen? I need to lose weight and I already have an elliptical and free-weight routine.

In addition to my "dedicated" workout time, I've been considering getting a small pedal exerciser (link is just the first example that came up) to do some lightweight exercise while I work at my computer. The idea is to add 1-3 hours of "idle" exercise during a normally-sedentary activity. But the reviews for these products imply that they are primarily used by the elderly and disabled (I am neither).

Of course I know that any exercise is better than being sedentary, but is it worthwhile to do 1-3 hours of medium (not-much-sweat) pedaling, compared with (for example) just adding an extra 10 minutes to my vigorous elliptical routine, or taking an occasional work-break to do a set of pushups?

P.S. I'm not interested in a walking desk, a computer stand for my elliptical, or any bulky equipment.

I know, you're not my doctor, but...

Buffaload — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:01:31 -0800

Why, all of a sudden, does a small glass of wine make me feel drunk? ...And I'm not a light drinker, either. Last Sunday, I went to a football game and tailgated with friends. Over the course of 10 hours, I had seven drinks, mostly beer (one vodka drink). Afterwards I definitely wasn't sober, but I wasn't out of control drunk, either. I had a light to medium hangover the next day, Monday, and by Monday night felt better.

On Tuesday I went to the gym for the first time in months. I worked out with a trainer. I worked too hard and didn't drink enough water, but didn't really notice either until later.

Tuesday night I had a glass of wine with dinner and a glass of wine after dinner. I felt so drunk that the room was spinning and fell asleep at 8:30 p.m. I woke up the next morning still feeling dizzy.

I worked out again on Wednesday morning. This time I drank a liter of water (began drinking it during my workout, mostly cardio, and then finished it afterwards). I felt mostly normal the rest of the day.

Wednesday night, I thought, what the hell, I'm hydrated again. So, I had one glass of wine with dinner. I got drunk. Dizzy, uncoordinated, drunk.

Here's where I start to get worried: On Thursday morning, I woke up and still felt dizzy. That triggered some anxiety, because what the hell? I deliberately ate more than I usually eat on Thursday and also drank two liters of full-calorie gatorade throughout the day. Also, I didn't work out or exercise at all on Thursday.

On Friday, I'm feeling more like myself. And because I can't leave well enough alone, I decide to experiment. I pour myself a splash of red wine, and I drink it, with my filling dinner (chicken paprikash -- it was demanding some good red wine). And I feel a little buzzed after I drink it.

Now, on Saturday morning, I woke up again, still feeling a little dizzy. And that's worrying me.

But I don't want to call my doctor at this point because what on earth would he say? "You're saying wine is making you not feel good? Have you considered not drinking wine?" But that's not the point. The point is, I'm concerned about this sudden change. Can I still be dehydrated?