Exercise
Dang
In 2024 I slipped a disc working out. I didn’t listen to my body and was driven by numbers, goals and ego stuff I guess. I’ve always had the intention of using good form when lifting weights, but I’ve learned that’s not sufficient - you can still hurt yourself! The mind is willing but the flesh is weak.
Recovery has been awfully slow, there will be some permanent impacts, but I’m now (start of 2025) finally able to get back into things.
So I’m resetting all my exercise plans, aiming for long term health. I’ve removed a bunch of previous stuff, because it can be depressing to feel a sense of going backwards. Much of life works in cycles, not upward trending lines…
The focus is now on:
- return to health
- listening to the body
- regular exercise that fits into lifestyle
- light weights
- achievable goals
Goals
I’ll still use some numbers and targets as motivation, and because I need to return to a basic modicum of function!
Current goals are for 13/04/2025.
Cardio Fitness
Current Goals:
Run 2km in 10 minutes
Run 5km in 30 minutes
In the medium term future I’ll track against the beep test and try and get a halfway decent age/gender adjusted score.
In the longer term future, I could get a better measure of VO2max, improve my ability to do longer endurance training by rehabilitating my hip flexor and/or doing exercise that supports it (eg. swimming), include some kind of acute short term fitness measure & training.
Strength
Current Goals:
Regularly lift the big 6 with any amount of weight/reps at all. Zero expectations.
- Deadlift
- Squat
- Pull-up
- Shoulder Press
- Bench Press
- Pendlay Row
Next I’ll aim to get back to the age/gender Novice level 8 rep max target on the Symmetric Strength Standards. For lower back exercises (eg deads, rows) I might have to aim lower…
I’m not planning longer term yet.
Flexibility
Current Goals:
15 mins of physio provided stretches daily.
Need to even understand how to make goals for this.
Yoga or pilates might be good longer term?
Body Composition
Current Goals:
Get down to 12% body fat (visual measure).
Try and get there by increasing exercise rather than calorie restriction.
This will always be a bit of a vanity measure…
Resources
(NB: some irrelevant or out of date.)
