looking for a new way to do things and wound up here

[driscool]

So..... I came across NF while searching under 'Beginners bodyweight exercise'. To get to why I was doing that I'll give a bit of background. I'm 38, And an English Language teacher living near Madrid in Spain, though I'm originally from the UK. Two years ago I was massive, like 108 kilos. I'd been bouncing around that kind of number, above 100kg certainly for at least the previous 7 or 8 years. There were several abortive attempts to, you know, be more active, playing soccer or squash, drinking less, eating less over the years but nothing sustainable. I

was getting used to being a fat guy, my wife got (and unfortunately remains) pretty overweight too- rebounds from crash diets being IMO the killer in her case. Anyway, Summer 2012 I decided enough was enough and I didn't want to feel so crappy- I had sore knees and hips and couldn't comfortably lie face down. So I set myself an easy target to begin with- I would walk, run (or a combination of the two) or cycle 12 times a month. FAIL months could be made up for in the next month or supported by banked extra days from the previous- so, you know, it was always a good idea to go above 12 if I could. I went running and cycling with a friend perhaps 2 or 3 times a month, which was great both for the external motivation to get up and get out there, and because he was only a bit fitter than me to begin with. The walking and cycling gradually dropped off and became running, running and running. In the summer of 2013, I made a mutually beneficial bet with a marathon running student. If she got through the exam I was coaching her for, despite being heavily pregnant, I would run the Madrid half-marathon with her the following spring. And dammit she passed and the fear set in. I set myself targets, like 100k over the Xmas holiday period, and joined a virtual running team for something called Jantastic which runs Jan-March, where.you have to set and self report goals to score points for your team. Massively motivating. So the HM rolled round and I finished in 1:55 YES! This was a big deal for me. I also achieved pbs of 24:57 for the 5k and 54 something for the 10. My goals are to get below 50 for the 10k, 1:50 for a HM, and maybe to work up to the big distances.

Ok, so these are not great times in the grand scheme of things, but I did it, lost 20kilos in the process, get a runner's high and everything. I think I get to call myself a runner.

However. I seem to have overtrained, as I have a persistent Achilles tendon niggle, and ITB soreness that comes and goes. I freak out sometimes thinking that I'm going to have to stop running. I'm worried I'll lose all the gains I've made. Don't wanna be that huge guy again. So I'm thinking road cycling, which two of my brothers are big into and really appeals where I live. But it's a big initial outlay, and realistically something I would do at weekends, not through the week. Gyms... meh. Walking is obviously something I'll always do, but I always did and it didn't really seem to have a great effect. Time is a factor, especially this year as I'm studying too from October, money is a factor, and bodyweight training seems like a thing I can work with.

Now I'm going to go public with my first goal. I want to do a pull up. Just one. I've never been able to do that. Not even a chin up, it just always seemed impossible. So I'm going to do the beginners bodyweight plan, with a bit of extra stuff from the How to do a Pull Up article.

So there we are. Me and my goal.

[shaar]

Pull ups are HARD!! I can sometimes do one without feeling like my arms are about to shatter...

I joined NF because I was looking for something different too; time for a good change alongside others that are doing the same thing. Welcome!!

[driscool]

ooof looking back that first post is a bit tldr

 

thanks for reply sharaway. Well I've dont the beginners bodyweight routine twice now. DOMS were bad the first time, but today, after yesterday's second runthrough I feel fine and went out for a 10.5k run this morning. 

[aeshnidae]

Regarding the overtraining injury, listen to your body and take care of yourself. I did not listen to my body sufficiently and wound up with a broken leg that truly screwed up my fitness routine. I know it sucks to have to scale back once you feel like you're in a groove, but better to scale back a little bit now than put yourself out of commission for 6 months, which is what I did (I'm also 38, this happened 2 years ago). I rehabbed on a stationary bike and then an elliptical. I used to think "gym, ugh" but I joined a $10/month no-frills gym (grungier than a Planet Fitness, and with more free weights) and it's been great. You also can't go wrong with the body weight workout.  

[Amdhiel]

You've made some awesome progress already. Have you ever tried using a foam roller for self massage. It helps me a lot with stiff muscles and is cheaper than getting a massage.

[driscool]

You've made some awesome progress already. Have you ever tried using a foam roller for self massage. It helps me a lot with stiff muscles and is cheaper than getting a massage.

Thanks for the awesome! I was looking at foam rollers the other day. I hear they are pretty painful.