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Alternatives to gym

SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
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I don’t know if it’s a mid-life crisis or what, but recently I’ve been wanting to trade my truck in for something electric (Tesla truck, Bollinger, Rivian), I stopped watching football all day Sunday, and I’m looking for alternatives to hitting the gym.

I have a kayak I’m going to start taking out, but a good workout in that is time consuming as I don’t live close to a launch.

I’ll stop in for some jiu jitsu classes now and then, but I can’t do it 4-5 days a week, or even 2-3 days, haha. It’s not the cardio, it’s the wear and tear.

Tried rock climbing recently, and holy humbling experience. At 250+ right now, I was bouldering on children’s routes. My forearms and biceps and fingers and hands swelled up with blood within the first 3min, and after that, I could barely make a fist, much less follow little Johnny sideways and backwards on little holds made for doll fingers. All said and done, I had a blast and in an hour, I was completely spent. But I was also trashed for a few days afterwards.

I think the big thing is, I need more variety. I’m “blessed” not to have children, so I can be selfish with my time and branch out and experiment, without neglecting anyone or anything.

Just typing this out, I realize I need to just budget out a few hundred dollars a month and buy the memberships I want to the variety of places I enjoy occasionally, and then develop a way to juggle them so I’m not wasting money, but also recovering between sessions.

What do y’all do besides the gym that is as much for the workout as the experience?

For me, it will be boxing, kayaking, jiu jitsu, and rock climbing, 4-5 times each per month. I’m going to give up the gym for a few months and see how my body responds.
 
CFM

CFM

National Breast Implant Awareness Month Squeezer
Mar 18, 2012
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I have a 63 drop top I am in the process of rebuilding the engine. Tomorrow I start the heater core replacement, if you know heater cores and old AC cars you know the task is not for the timid. Power windows work but they're lazy and need the old grease removed and with fresh modern lube they'll run like new, same with the power seat. Always something to do like mow, eat, cook, lift, shop, relax. We have 2 motorcycles and a lawn tractor, so 6 oil changes at varying intervals. Also running gas line and power for a garage heater so I can tinker with my old car this winter. I roll 4 days a week and lift 2-3 days.
 
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rawdeal

TID Board Of Directors
Nov 29, 2013
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. . . I’m “blessed” not to have children, so I can be selfish with my time and branch out and experiment, without neglecting anyone or anything . . .

There is so much more wisdom in this thought than you blessed people will ever know :):(. Once you have children, they own you, and your heart. You would be devastated if something bad were ever to happen to them, and you arrange your life to accommodate theirs. "This too shall end," and in most cases it's as simple as the kids growing up, moving out, and becoming self-sufficient. Wifey and I reached that point and, born without the gene that codes for wisdom, began adopting rescue dogs ... up to 9 in the house at the same time once. We occasionally wonder what we would have done with all the time, money and energy we spent instead on two 2-legged kids followed by nine 3-4-legged kids, but we can't imagine life without them.

As to the original question: some of my time and energy goes to the Gym. More of it goes to the large park where my dogs and I use the DogPark within, or the woodsy trails that are all over. I never go near the cardio machines in the Gym, and I have to minimize Legs with the weights due to all the squatting I do with my dogs and those who belong to owners who just sit and shoot the shit with each other. Overall, I am happy, but the older I get, the more I realize things are never gonna be perfect.
 
SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
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@CFM There’s something to be said about the incredible feeling you get from spending the whole day trying to find your 10mm socket... But honestly, working around the house for me is as much yoga/meditation as it is exercise. I kinda hate finishing projects. It’s that same letdown as right after a big meet.

@rawdeal Yeah, I put it in quotes because I’m old enough to know that kids are a blessing, a miracle if you will, and while I enjoy my money and freedom, the fact that I can’t have kids is more of a curse than a blessing. Not that I don’t plan on adopting one day, if I’m in the right spot with the right woman, but not being able to pass on my genetics and see a little mini-me growing up and reflecting my uniqueness back at me...

I do have dogs, 3 of them, and they’re pretty awesome. Lucky to have a good lineup of friends and “friendlier” friends too, so life is good.
 
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IronInsanity

IronInsanity

TID Board Of Directors
May 3, 2011
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While not a substitute for lifting on a physical level, I've found golf to be a competitive alternative. I still lift 3 days a week but when I get an injury my first thought is "can I still play golf?" not "can I still lift?" I'm fortunate that I'm able to do both regularly. I think I recall reading in another thread that you were a golfer at one point. I set a goal about 5 years ago to become a scratch golfer. I'm not there yet, but I'm a single-digit handicap.
 
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CFM

CFM

National Breast Implant Awareness Month Squeezer
Mar 18, 2012
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Sockets are too high tech for me I use a hammer and a chisel.
 
macgyver

macgyver

TID Board Of Directors
Nov 24, 2011
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I have been playing with cars lately. (something I was into at one point but went 10 years without buying anything). It has gotten a little nuts and I need to start selling since I bought 5 cars this past year. Really only 2 are 'toys' but I want to get another toy so I need to start getting rid of stuff first.

I still workout since I made a commitment to myself to never let myself get out of the gym again. I took 10 years off and see what that did to me. I have worked WAY too hard to get to where I am to let it slip at this point. But the gym is just part of my day now rather than my focus. My workouts are mediocre by my standards, but to others they probably think I train hard. It has been this way the past few years. What is really cool is I really have not lost any strength even though I am mostly doing light weight TUT stuff.

I have my diet to where I am the leanest I have ever maintained and now put the least effort into it. I maintain single digit BF without cardio and eat anything I want. Intermittent fasting has changed my relative level of effort that I need to put into my nutrition by a mile. You still live within the rules of cals in cals out, but not being hungry all the time makes it very easy. If I want to pound half a tub of icecream, I just do it. Lately, I have been hitting the icecream 3-4 times a week.

I look at it as ebb and flow. I went balls out for 6-7 years and now I am letting up a little. BUT I will always go, even if my workouts are not super intense. The cool thing about the many years of hard training, is the true muscle density that is built. People often mistake me as being 5-6 weeks out from a comp. I tell them...'nope, just staying in shape'.

I look forward to a time where I am motivated to put more focus into the gym again, but injuries and just general other things in life have to fit as well.
 
The other Snake

The other Snake

VIP Member
Aug 19, 2016
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Do it all including the gym!

I put in my 40, have a home of my own to maintain, a good wife and 4 young men to call my own; one is out of the house now. I still find time hit the gym 5-6x/wk, catch my Eagles and Phillies, sneak out into the woods to hunt, wet a line on the lake and do some woodworking every now and then. I'm damn proud to say that even if I check out tomorrow, I got more done in a lifetime then most ever will.

I feel the trick is to cycle your hobbies. When archery comes around and the rut is on, I plan my 1 week gym layoff recovery for then. Workouts are high intensity/ lighter weight with short rests. I can be in and out in an about 45-90 min. depending on the workout.

Planning, structure and flexibility goes a long way if want to get many things done in a week. If there's going to be some rain in the forecast, chest and tri's could get bumped up or back a day to fit in some outdoor time when it's nice. I'm not a believer in doing a body part more than once a week so it's easy to avoid over training if a workout gets moved during this time.
 
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So1970

Member
Oct 28, 2019
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If you're looking for a good cardio workout spend some time with the grandkids. You'll find out how out of shape you really are
 
Tomas Payne

Tomas Payne

VIP Member
Jul 29, 2014
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I like hiking in addition to body building. Also play tennis to keep the pounds off. DM me for ideas. For someone at your weight you can start off light-moderate and eventually find something to keep you healthy and around to be a great father.
 
C

C T J

Crossfit VIP
Jan 24, 2013
2,483
740
golf, mtn bike, kayak, hike, travel
 
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