Anyone else getting fit in Covid?

[Neville Chamberlain]

Deadlift?

Deadsoon, more like!

[Kankurette]

Sorry if I've asked this before but is it OK to miss a few gym sessions? I normally go 2-3 times a week but can't at the moment because I've got a massive translation job on with a tight deadline.

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Are you asking about weight training or cardio sessions? I only ask because I feel OK commenting on lifting but I'm probably the least qualified person in the the northern hemisphere to advise on fitness training.

If it's the former, yes you'll be fine missing a few sessions. Your muscles won't lose strength that quickly but if you do nothing at all for two or three weeks I'd ease back into it and stick to lighter weights and higher reps for the first couple of workouts.

[Kankurette]

I do a mix of both. I alternate between using the cardio machines and doing weights. Bench press, seated row, leg spreader etc.

[JamesTC]

A few gym sessions missed won't be harmful. Just take it easy on your first session back and don't push yourself too far.

[Kankurette]

I am hoping to get a session in at the weekend. I admit going the gym is not fun in this weather though, even the aircon doesn't help.

[bgmnts]

The thought that I've wasted so much money on gyms in the past when I love adjacent to a fast flowing river with birds and flowers and such is madness!

Definitely have to do more local hiking in the woods and fields I think.

[popcorn]

Ran my first ever 5k last night. Hadn't been doing a couch-to-5k plan or anything like that, but I've spent a lot of time on a treadmill over the last few months so just decided to try it and see what happened. Managed it in 42 minutes - almost certainly the longest I've ever run without stopping in my life. Not exactly super speedy (internet says around 30 mins is a kind of benchmark middling rate) but pleased.

Tried it again last night. Thought 40 minutes felt achievable. All but collapsed at the 3.7km point. Going too fast I suppose. Bit depressing. Then on the walk home I saw a bloke chuck an empty can of lager into someone's garden and I said "oh mate come on that's terrible" and he told me to fuck off.

[bgmnts]

Ran 5k in this?

You psycho.

[popcorn]

It's nice and cool in the evening!

[JamesTC]

Maybe I should run later. I'm finding 3.5 miles to be a wall in this heat when I run after work. I'm trying to do 4.5 to 5 miles a day.

[Norton Canes]

I seem to have transformed into some kind of iron man super athlete in this heatwave. Bike ride at lunch, weight training after work then off to the beach for an evening swim.

[flotemysost]

Yeah, weirdly I find moving about is the only way to stay sane in this weather. Went for a brisk walk round the park on my lunch break yesterday, and it was only really hellish when I had to wait ages under direct sun for the traffic lights to change, had to pace up and down on the pavement while I waited. As soon as you stop moving you're just confronted with your own reeking, sodden repulsiveness.

[Blue Jam]

Tell you what, this little heatwave we're having is making it a lot easier for me to eat less. Appetite completely nuked. Anyone else?

[Bernice]

Sort of. Then it cools down a bit in the evening and I want to stuff my face with Nik Naks and Ritter Sport from the corner shop.

[kalowski]

I was... Got to the fittest I've been in an age. 10k in under 50 minutes.
But I've now fucked my Achilles. It's a horrible injury. I can cycle, but I have to run at a snail's pace which is kinda pointless.

[Norton Canes]

Just nature's way of saying why run when you can cycle.

We've lived near Morecambe for about 16 years now and before this week I'd never swam in the sea there. Went every evening over the past three days though and it was blissful. I mean I say 'swim', more just wading in and bobbing around, but in the warm water with the sun setting over the mountains... so good. 

You do need to catch the tide at pretty much its highest though, or it's quite a walk over the sands.

[bgmnts]

I was... Got to the fittest I've been in an age. 10k in under 50 minutes.
But I've now fucked my Achilles. It's a horrible injury. I can cycle, but I have to run at a snail's pace which is kinda pointless.

This is why you should never run.

[Neville Chamberlain]

I was... Got to the fittest I've been in an age. 10k in under 50 minutes.

I ran 10k in 49:01 minutes the other weekend :-)

[Chollis]

48:50 for me 👏👏👏

[kalowski]

49:16 is my time (and I'm 50 in September).
But nowadays my left Achilles is twice the thickness of my right.

[JamesTC]

Went to see my new nephew today. My sister took a picture of me with the baby and the dog and sent it to me. Had a bit of an existential crisis on seeing it. First time I have looked at myself and thought that I don't look like a complete fat fuck. I know I still have loads more to lose and the mirror is a cruel mistress but it was nice to eschew the body dysmorphia for at least one picture.

[popcorn]

Congrats, that's a good feeling. I saw a photo of myself from a few years ago and was astonished.

[Poisson Du Jour]

43:59 while we're being running bores. But since I got covid in May 9k has been my longest run and if I had to do 10 I'd struggle to do 55 minutes now. I hope this is mainly the 40° heat and not just covid. We'll see in September when I start upping the distance again.

[Kankurette]

I can't run because I have fibro and it fucks my knees, but then I couldn't run even before I got ill. I've just been going for walks instead. I know people say 'just give it a try' but I have and it hurt like hell. My back is also in a shitload of pain due to having an MRI yesterday.

I've accepted that my inability to run means I'm never going to lose loads of weight. I gained a shit ton when I was on Citalopram and it's been hard getting it down.

[popcorn]

I've accepted that my inability to run means I'm never going to lose loads of weight. I gained a shit ton when I was on Citalopram and it's been hard getting it down.

How are you at stairs? How about rowing?

I've done some rough maths based on my fitness tracker and the stair stepper machine burns more calories per minute than any other cardio I do, followed by running on the treadmill, then the rowing machine. I'd say I work about equally hard at all of them, in terms of how they feel to do.

[Rizla]

I've done some rough maths based on my fitness tracker and the stair stepper machine burns more calories per minute than any other cardio I do, followed by running on the treadmill, then the rowing machine. I'd say I work about equally hard at all of them, in terms of how they feel to do.

That's interesting - how many calories per minute do you reckon you get on the stair stepper then? It's murder on my knees so for cardio I've been sticking to the eliptical/crosstrainer thing on which I'm apparently burning 500 calories in 30 mins. The same calories on the treadmill or bike was taking me more like 45/50 mins.

[popcorn]

These are *highly* approximate numbers established through highly unscientific means. Basically I looked at a handful of recent workouts for each of the following exercises, tracked on my Apple Watch, and worked them out from there. I also forgot to work out the numbers for spin class so I've added that on, and it's actually the highest burner by far.

Calories I burn per minute per exercise

Spin class = 14
Stair stepper in gym = 11.5
Treadmill run = 11
Jogging around outside extremely slowly = 11
Rowing  = 8.8
Weights in gym = 5.8
Walking outside = 5.2
Outdoor cycle = 4

For the treadmill and rowing, I always do an Apple Fitness class, so I'm alternating between fast, slow and moderate speeds for the duration.

On the treadmill I just pick a slow n steady speed and do it until I hit 250 calories, which I clear in about 18 minutes. Then I take a break and do it again, or do something else.

I'm apparently burning 500 calories in 30 mins.

That's impressive! Most I've ever tracked is 450 calories in 25 mins during spin class. Spin is by far the biggest calorie burner, as you can see above, but it's fairly nightmarish. I have a lot of free time so I usually prefer to burn more calories slowly than blast them all out in one horrendous go.

I've actually never tried the elliptical, I should give it a whirl.

[Kankurette]

I love the rowing machine, bike and crosstrainer.

[Magnum Valentino]

Anyone any experience of constipation after starting going to the gym. Could be dehydration due to this weather but I thought I'd ask this as well...