Talk about your exercise experience today

[Gemme]

Well, finally! I think I finally found the gym I'll call home for a while. It's a franchise gym that at least one of you goes to already and I've had positive experience with the company in the past, so they were already in my top 3 options.

The other two....well, one is a small NE franchise that has okay reviews in my area but pretty bad ones elsewhere (no consequences for not following company policy, maybe?) and the other is a very well known, national franchise but the location closest to my home is snubbed even by branches of the same company (I was told, "We don't affiliate with THEM!" by a customer who is a manager at another store). I took a tour of the NE franchise and it seemed okay. They did have classes included with one of their memberships and they are 24/7, which is awesome, but I just didn't feel 100% at home there. The national franchise...honestly I never made it inside. I did see inside from the windows and spoke with someone who works there but it definitely didn't feel like 'me' so I passed on that. Also, the entrance or ANY of the doors were not clearly marked. Wouldn't you want customers to know where to go to come inside? Apparently not.

During my tour today, I found out about the trainers they have and the individual styles of them....the "Biggest Loser: I'm gonna make it hurt so good" type versus the "kinder, gentler" guy....as well as ALL the fees involved in everything including canceling early on a contract (and that it's reasonable enough for me to not worry about), and they were honest enough to let me know that if I signed up on day A, x would be my total and if I signed up on day B, y would be my total. Most gyms would take your extra bucks and not say anything, but these guys were really nice. So, by waiting an extra day or two, I save more than $20 right off the bat AND I won't have to pay the annual fee for 2013. At all. Sweet! Plus the gym has a contraption I've never seen before and it intrigues me. I don't know if I'll use it but I can think of a few out of the box ideas for it and that kinda makes me giggle. Hopefully, I won't be staring at it, giggling like a loon, too often.



So, I'll go back later this week and sign the contract and thus will begin a new gym journey. Woot!

But, as far as today goes, that's all that got accomplished besides a LOT of shopping.

[o222Good]

One word...

DOMS

[Rockinonahigh]

Today I hada medium workout,four miles on the bike,thirty minits of shooting hoops that involves lots of stretching and moveing around then I did some tichi moves for another twenty minits just to brush up on them besides I can relax when doing them unless I do some other martial arts moves that arent so relaxing.I know onething by working out late in the evening I sleep better at night,I was geting up a couple times at night then takeing a while to fall asleep again...a good nights sleep is priceless.

[starryeyes]

I walked 3.16 miles. It felt good to get off my butt!

[Bad_boi]

I did way better today with target practice. It has been 2 days and I am excelling with my disc.

[ahk]

I __________ exercising. Well actually I dislike walking on a treadmill. I will climb stairs, I will spin on a bike, I will pretend I am cross country skiing, but I won't walk on a treadmill. I just don't like doing it.

It takes a lot of umph and talking me into going to the gym. We are starting to go back today. My wife and I fell off the wagon about 4 months ago when we found out our pup was sick and basically it caused us to be homebound all the damn time. So now, we are making our way back to the gym. I'm not thrilled about going. I get so bored.

Any suggestions to help the bored feeling to go away?

And, what do you do for pre-workout (drink/food) and post-workout (drink/food)?

And, how long do you spend working out? 30 min of cardio, 15 min of stretching, 15 min of weights??? examples.

Thank you for everyone posting and for starting the thread--- moo chews grassy ass.

[Glenn]

Hiya Folks; Today I bicycled along the beach, and also went down around the park. I have been doing this twice a day, sometimes three. I am getting saddle sores lol. The Sears vintage coaster bike I restored, is holding me up pretty good. My muscles are taking the hills on the dunes a lot more comfortably now. I also hike in the woods with a bag, picking up litter. When the water warms up a little more, I will be swimming everyday. Today, when I started at the path, a young fawn I always call Babydoe met me, and I'll be darned, if she was'nt following far behind me, as I turned around and saw her, when I reached the parking lot lol!

[Cowboi]

Originally Posted by ahk

I __________ exercising. Well actually I dislike walking on a treadmill. I will climb stairs, I will spin on a bike, I will pretend I am cross country skiing, but I won't walk on a treadmill. I just don't like doing it.

It takes a lot of umph and talking me into going to the gym. We are starting to go back today. My wife and I fell off the wagon about 4 months ago when we found out our pup was sick and basically it caused us to be homebound all the damn time. So now, we are making our way back to the gym. I'm not thrilled about going. I get so bored.

Any suggestions to help the bored feeling to go away?

And, what do you do for pre-workout (drink/food) and post-workout (drink/food)?

And, how long do you spend working out? 30 min of cardio, 15 min of stretching, 15 min of weights??? examples.

Thank you for everyone posting and for starting the thread--- moo chews grassy ass.

Im not sure about the bored feeling. I never get bored at the gym.
Pre workout supplements are Anavite, glutamine, and L-Carnitine. I take these about a hour befroe the gym.

I use a pre workout drink, about 30 minutes before I start my workout. Right now I am using a produt called nano vapor. It is jam packed with all kinds of goodies!!!L-Citruline, beta Alanine, creatine, b vitamins. Gives a great pump!!

Intra workout I add some branch chain amino acids to my water.. Xtend is a really good one. I like the blue raspberry flavor best.
Post workout is my protein shake, always with in 30 of my workout. Right now im using Carnivore protein powder.

I always do some type of warm up. Just what ever I feel like at that time.
When I work out with my trainer, we do some crossfit for cardio.

I hit the tread mill after my workout, usually for about 25 min. So i am un and out of the gym in about 90min tops.

[ahk]

Originally Posted by Cowboi

Im not sure about the bored feeling. I never get bored at the gym.
Pre workout supplements are Anavite, glutamine, and L-Carnitine. I take these about a hour befroe the gym.

I use a pre workout drink, about 30 minutes before I start my workout. Right now I am using a produt called nano vapor. It is jam packed with all kinds of goodies!!!L-Citruline, beta Alanine, creatine, b vitamins. Gives a great pump!!

Intra workout I add some branch chain amino acids to my water.. Xtend is a really good one. I like the blue raspberry flavor best.
Post workout is my protein shake, always with in 30 of my workout. Right now im using Carnivore protein powder.

I always do some type of warm up. Just what ever I feel like at that time.
When I work out with my trainer, we do some crossfit for cardio.

I hit the tread mill after my workout, usually for about 25 min. So i am un and out of the gym in about 90min tops.

Thank you for all your suggestions.
I'm thinking the reason you don't get the "bored" feeling is with the caffeine that is in pre-workout drink. I drank a cup of green tea beforehand, and brought a homemade gatorade substance drink with me, and afterwards had a pea protein green smoothie afterwards. So far, I am not sure how I feel... it did feel good to go though.

[Bad_boi]

I got a new mid range and driver discs and took them out for a throw. I need to practice with them. I hope to be hitting up the course next week.

[Rockinonahigh]

I had my shoulder injected today not a fun experence but was nessary as the doc found I had bursitis in the joint.So for the next fue days useing my shoulder is a nono cause he said it would be Friday before the full effect would happen.All I could do was ride my exersise bike for a fue miles then use the stepper for a while as well as do some other leg work..be glad whin I can do something else.

[Bad_boi]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

I had my shoulder injected today not a fun experence but was nessary as the doc found I had bursitis in the joint.So for the next fue days useing my shoulder is a nono cause he said it would be Friday before the full effect would happen.All I could do was ride my exersise bike for a fue miles then use the stepper for a while as well as do some other leg work..be glad whin I can do something else.

Could you let me know how the injection goes? I have bursitis and I am kinda scared to get a shot. Thanks in advance.

The only cure for gym boredness I've found is not going to the gym. Get out and about in the fresh air. Exercise with people...it's fun to laugh even when working out.


Re. Cortisone shots in the shoulder - I had them for inflammation due to calcifications. The shots don't hurt (maybe I just had a good Doc...she was very purty which helped me be a 'big brave solider' ) and the effects can be variable. In my left shoulder the shot didn't make much of a difference and I ended up with surgery in the same year. However, the right shoulder shot lasted about a good year or so before the pain came back and further surgery was indicated.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by ahk

I __________ exercising. Well actually I dislike walking on a treadmill. I will climb stairs, I will spin on a bike, I will pretend I am cross country skiing, but I won't walk on a treadmill. I just don't like doing it.

It takes a lot of umph and talking me into going to the gym. We are starting to go back today. My wife and I fell off the wagon about 4 months ago when we found out our pup was sick and basically it caused us to be homebound all the damn time. So now, we are making our way back to the gym. I'm not thrilled about going. I get so bored.

Any suggestions to help the bored feeling to go away?

And, what do you do for pre-workout (drink/food) and post-workout (drink/food)?

And, how long do you spend working out? 30 min of cardio, 15 min of stretching, 15 min of weights??? examples.

Thank you for everyone posting and for starting the thread--- moo chews grassy ass.

I procrastinate exercising. Once I'm there, I'm good though.

Okay, so this is my layperson style.

It's never good to go to the gym on an empty stomach. That's why gyms keeps sweets or some kind of candy nearby, for those whose sugar takes a nosedive. It's never good to go to the gym on a full stomach either. You can cause cramps, nausea, gas and make yourself just feel weighted down and miserable.

My solution is to eat a good sized banana smeared with peanut butter about half an hour to 45 minutes before I start my warm up. It's not too much and the peanut butter has staying power once the carbs from the banana wear off.

Water. Water. Water. I'm not a fan of plain water but it's all I drink when working out. It's feels more refreshing and 'clean' to me. Keeps my engine running well.

Post workout, I eat. I eat sooooo good and I eat whatever I want within reason. By the time I get home, I'm famished but I don't want to undo all the good I just did, so it's usually a good, solid protein to help my muscles rebuild and some quality carbs, like fresh veggies either in a salad or steamed and I limit the junk. Your body burns more calories right after you work out, so that's the time to get a meal in. Some says it's 60 minutes after your finish your work out and some say more. I try to eat within the hour of stopping my workout.

As for warming up, there's been so much hype, both pro and con, that's it's really up to you and what works best for you. I do know it's easier to injure yourself stretching cold muscles, so I typically will walk on the treadmill (I know, you hate that but it's what *I* do regardless of what the rest of my workout consists of) for a few minutes, with a gradual increase in speed and elevation. I usually give myself about 5 minutes for a moderate workout and about 8-10 for a difficult workout. I want to be as warm and pliable as possible when I go into my workouts since I tend to overdo it. When my workout is finished is when I typically stretch. That's a good way to calm my system down and get back into 'not workout' mode.

I can be a little aggressive when working out and I'm definitely competitive with myself. Once I reach a goal, I want to go farther or faster or longer. That can be a good, healthy mentality but it tends to backfire on me when I'm restarting a new program, so I'm trying to be very aware of that this time. The last time, I hurt myself and then I couldn't workout at all for a couple of weeks. In that time, I lost my drive and motivation and then I just didn't work out at all. So, it's best for me to take longer and build up to what I know is my best before trying to conquer it.

For me, I need to be consistent. Working out around the same time and getting into a routine with it is what works best for me. Other folks need to jazz it up and do different schedules, whether due to work responsibilities or the boredom factor. I need to switch up the actual routines so my body doesn't adapt and my progress plateaus but my time frame needs to be consistent.

The length of time at the gym is solely determined by my work schedule. Working days are either off days at the gym or very short days. Less than an hour for sure. Days off are limitless. I can meander around and do a little on all of the machines or spend an hour on one before moving on. There's no rush and I tend to enjoy it more. It feels less like a workout and more like something I'm doing for me. I mean, it's all for me. BUT when I'm able to enjoy it more, it's more fun. The rest of the time it's something I "have" to do not necessarily something I "want" to do. So, my "have" days are shorter and less fun and my "want" days are longer and more fun. I also tend to do more weight work on my days off and basically stick to cardio on my quickie days.

Clear as mud?

[Rockinonahigh]

Originally Posted by Bad_boi

Could you let me know how the injection goes? I have bursitis and I am kinda scared to get a shot. Thanks in advance.

Hi Bad Boi.The shot did hurt a bit at the last thiryt seconds or so,I just grited my teeth and growled like a bear then sucked the rest up cause it wasn't more or less any worse than I have delt with without the shot, I got ten cc's of lideocaine.Sofar i'm still haveing some pain so I do hope by tomorrow whatever pain I have will be gone.I hope by sunday I will be back to my old self cause my ladies 8 ball teal will be playing in the finals of the city championships,sofar we have made a clean sweep of all our games just one more will than the team is vegas bound for the national 8 ball tournaments.I give thanks to all my team mambers who are winning these games they have been awsome each and everyone of them.I have been keeping score to do my part with a pen in one hand and the rule book next to me incase we need to check rules for whatever reason.

[Gemme]

Made it to the gym tonight. During peak hours, of course, so it was pretty busy. Not as busy as Tuesday night, so I need to make a mental note that attendance probably peters out as the week progresses.

I got 45 minutes in, including warm up and cool down. Nice and easy. I'm not rushing things this time. Three 5.2 mph intervals of one minute runs paired with a jaunty walk at 3.5 mph. Just enough to make me sweat and know that I was there but not enough to ignite my 'I can do better' instinct, which often leads to an awesome workout and 2-3 days of pain and/or discomfort afterwards.

Smart is the way to go now that I'm knocking on 40's door.

I got a smidge of ab work in too. There's not enough mats in the stretching/ab area but everyone kind of worked it out. I liked that. No super loud folks or obnoxious types huffing and puffing.

All in all, a wonderful experience.

[nycfem]

Sometimes I get bored if the workout is too light. I am most "entertained" if I am drenched in sweat and putting out so much energy that I don't have room to be bored. I can also better put up with bad television that way.

I definitely agree about varying work-outs, like everyone has said, especially getting outside. It's like meals. You can find the same one interesting for a long time and then get bored and switch things up. Go with what you are really in the mood to do or give yourself something that seems especially challenging or out of the ordinary.

I also sometimes like to embrace the "bored." There's a zen quality to being bored. It makes you aware of small things around you, and the mundane becomes a bit interesting to one's self even though it's still essentially boring. I like that about the gym. The same is never really the same.

If you let yourself be bored for a while, then sometimes you enter a dreamlike zone where you are not thinking at all or unaware of what you are doing in a nice way. I felt this way swimming laps. Once I pass 45 minutes of laps I just go into that meditative state where the outer world disappears.

One way the gym becomes less boring is when you start to see results

And, finally, I'll end with one of my favorite Andy Warhol quotes: ""I like boring things. I like things to be exactly the same over and over again." I admit that's actually something I like about the gym

Originally Posted by ahk

Any suggestions to help the bored feeling to go away?

[Gemme]

A quickie last night. It was busier than I thought it would be for a Friday.

I started out on the Arc but it stopped on me and started over when I was fiddling with the tv remote and my earbuds and that irritated me because I didn't know exactly where I was in the workout....how far, how many cals, etc. But I estimate that I was on it for about 10 minutes and burned about 80ish calories, giving leeway for error.

Plus, it wasn't under one of the ginormous ceiling fans. Seriously, whoever installed those knows me. Like really knows me. Not a lot of folks like air blowing on them during their workouts. I do. Hit me up with the fan like I'm in an 80s hair band video.



So, I found Alex under the fan and I started on the treadmill. I called Alex a cheater and said that Jillian Michaels would not approve and then he said......he said.....that Jillian Michaels was a fake.

A FAKE!!!



He earned those squinty eyes, lemme tell you.

So, cheater Alex went off to work on the weight machines and I got into a groove on the treadmill and then finished up with 5 minutes of stretching and abs.

All in all, about 40 minutes total, including switcheroo time, etc. Short and sweet since I work today.

Nothing for me today. Work's going to be demanding and the gym will be closed by the time I get home from work.

Sunday's looking like a good, long day though.

Oh! I forgot to mention the runner. Sometimes I'll focus on another person if I'm bored or trying to get through a difficult part in the workout and there was this girl running in the row ahead of me and to the side. She had really long hair in a pony that she kept twisting and tucking it under her bra strap and she had an unusual way of holding her hand when she ran full out....like a downward claw. She was tall and very slender and so her fingers were very slender and long and I just couldn't stop looking at her claw hand. Interesting.

In other news, I flashed my undies at a quarter of the gym while I was on the Arc. Just another reason to end that quickly.

[Cowboi]

Today was shoulder day.

Seated military press
2 warm up sets 10 reps
3 sets of 10/12 reps

Side lateral raises
1 warm up set 12/15 reps
3 sets of 12/15 reps

Upright barbell rows
3 sets of 21's 7 wide grip 7 med grip 7 close grip

Lying rear delt raise
3 sets 12/15 reps

Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15 reps

[Cowboi]

Originally Posted by Cowboi

Today was shoulder day.

Seated military press
2 warm up sets 10 reps
3 sets of 10/12 reps

Side lateral raises
1 warm up set 12/15 reps
3 sets of 12/15 reps

Upright barbell rows
3 sets of 21's 7 wide grip 7 med grip 7 close grip

Lying rear delt raise
3 sets 12/15 reps

Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15 reps

Just threw the calf workout in there because they were calling my name!!! LoL