Question

[lauralynne]

age 21 I blew my whole left knee out skiing. No surgery - no problems now. I'm 40 now and while my back is sometimes sore, I can directly attribute it to recent activities and it returns to it's pain free state rather quickly.

but I'm not in my 30's anymore so I guess I don't count (and while I dind't fuck any fat chicks, I am a former fat chick)

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

or possibly infrequent intence exercise... ie think'n they're 18 again after not doing anything for 4 years

True. I always get a joy this time of year as my gym gets packed beyond belief from the New Year's resolution 40 year olds who try to lift what they "supposedly"(I mean what 150lb 16 year old can't benchpress 500lbs?) usetacould in highschool.

[lauralynne]

counterpoint to the resolutionists (from another forum):

I'm an endurance athlete. I train all year not only outside, but also at the gym and the pool. I can expect some serious crowding in both places for the next few weeks. It happens every year.

Suddenly we have to add 30 minutes to our scheduled gym time because of the "resolutionists". There are no parking places. When you do manage to find one and get to the locker room 10 minutes behind schedule, there aren't any lockers available and the door is blocked by someone trying to remember the way to the weight room. In there, the machines you need to use are all occupied by people in new track suits pushing too much weight with truly horrible form. The bubbler is blocked by someone who is trying hard not to look totally out of their element. You can't get in the pool because it's jammed with people using pull buoys on their arms and kickboards as flotation devices. Half the lanes have people with no goggles and baggy swim trunks down to their knees who can't swim an entire lap.


The whole freakin' place is filled with...with...

beginners.

It's one of my favorite sights. I've never been in a place more full of hope than a gym during the first week of January. It's a place full of people giving action to their dreams. People who for that day are making an effort to be fit, to improve themselves, to live a better quality of life. The effort and courage it takes them to get there that morning is huge. It certainly exceeds what it takes me. I know where everything is. I know the pool etiquette. I know what my workout is going to be and how to use the machines. My stomach is already kind of flat, my calves look like I've had brick implants and I'm not the least bit embarrassed to take my shirt off in the locker room. This is routine for me. These new people will be showing a lot of courage and determination by going to the gym in the next few weeks and they'll deserve my respect. They'll get it.


It wasn't that long ago that I was one of them. During the next few weeks I'll be making an effort to help some of these people feel a little less uncomfortable. Maybe make eye contact with some of them, be ready to give a nod or say hello.


Once we're halfway into February, the crowds will be gone. Parking will be easy. Machines will be available again. The wait at the pool will go away. We know this. We're endurance athletes. We know the reward that comes from sticking through the hard parts.

And from helping others through them.

[TommyHotWheel]

Blew my knee out twice and my back was tweaked(herniated disk and some other nagging shit) at work. Comes with working 70 hours a week and raising 2 kids with all of the house chores on top of it.

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

True. I always get a joy this time of year as my gym gets packed beyond belief from the New Year's resolution 40 year olds who try to lift what they "supposedly"(I mean what 150lb 16 year old can't benchpress 500lbs?) usetacould in highschool.

yeah before I joined the military I opened at Bally Total Fitness for the front desk as a part time job... first month after new years the gym was fuck'n INSANELY packed... Feb 1 50% of what it was on Jan 3rd... March 1... maybe 1 or 2 new members stuck around... the rest were regulars...

I hated playing basketball at the gym at that time... all the all state and all universe players come out and play and would get annoyed that a 19y/o could go by them so either a. i traveled. b. i carried the ball c. they slipped. c they'd tackle me and claim no blood no foul... but wanna start a fight if I block their shot.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by lauralynne

counterpoint to the resolutionists (from another forum):

That was pretty good. I guess a way to view it for someone who maintains a somewhat healthy lifestyle (Mountain biking, Kayking, Road cycling, lifting, etc) is the same way we have to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of "I'm 19, new to motorcycles and I'm wanting a Gixxer1000 for my first bike. I know I'll be a good boy, etc, etc, etc" that we'll get in spring. Despite most won't get the message I guess if one fat boy decides to hit the gym instead of all you can eat wings and continues doing it through February that's a good thing. Same if we can talk one 19 year old away from a 600 super sport to a more proper beginner bike we have helped someone.

But in the meantime since I won't have access to a machine and it's too cold to really bicycle. I might have to make a kayak trip to the Okefenookee in hopes it will be somewhat warm.

[Archren]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

Okefenookee

Gesundheit!

[Corey]

Have you seen the shoes that people wear? They're piss poor designs, not fitted right, and worn for style over comfort. They don't know if they suffer from overpronation or supination and end up buying shoes that seem to exacerbate the problem. They wear shoes that fuck up their gait, fuck up their posture, and eventually fuck up their back. If the foundation is shit, it's going to ruin the structure, no matter how pretty it is.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by Corey

Have you seen the shoes that people wear? They're piss poor designs, not fitted right, and worn for style over comfort. They don't know if they suffer from overpronation or supination and end up buying shoes that seem to exacerbate the problem. They wear shoes that fuck up their gait, fuck up their posture, and eventually fuck up their back. If the foundation is shit, it's going to ruin the structure, no matter how pretty it is.

Plus that. I had some Sacouny(?) shoes for running. I felt like they were weird on me and went to a shoe place that takes video of you running on a treadmill then have you stand on a pad to find your pressure points. The Sacouny shoes (Which I got because everyone creamed their pants at the mention of them) were the worst shoe for me. Found out Mizuono(?) fit me best and it made a huge improvement in my running.

[Archren]

Originally Posted by Corey

Have you seen the shoes that people wear? They're piss poor designs, not fitted right, and worn for style over comfort. They don't know if they suffer from overpronation or supination and end up buying shoes that seem to exacerbate the problem. They wear shoes that fuck up their gait, fuck up their posture, and eventually fuck up their back. If the foundation is shit, it's going to ruin the structure, no matter how pretty it is.

Sadly, a lot of shoe places don't make an effort to try and find the kind of shoe that's appropriate for a person's foot. That's why I went to RunTex for my last pair of running shoes.. they're not as specialized as what Smittie mentioned above, but they had me walk/jog/run up and down this mat in the store, measured my foot, checked my arch and had me try on 3 different kinds of shoes to see which worked best for me. I ended up with a pair of Asics that are light as a freaking feather.. and while I'm usually extremely prone to shin and thigh splints, I haven't had any issues with that at all since I got those shoes.