Riding Fittness

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ballisticexchris

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Good old Physical Therapy stretches and muscles around my bad knee really suck! I'm so limited on what I can do. Unable to walk. Shoulder screaming in pain when outstretched, lifting, or pulling. Being injured this long without treatment is a horrible way to live. Now with this COVID crap I'm stuck even longer!

This is the max calories I've been able to burn in just over an hour. Pretty damn sad considering in a normal workout the average calories burned is well north of 2000 in an hour.

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ballisticexchris

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Take a break don’t make things worse
Taking a break makes it worse!! Physical therapist has given me these exercises to help with keeping my muscles from deteriorating. I'm frustrated because I'm unable to do more.
 

Sierra1

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Take a break don’t make things worse
Chris, he's right. Looking at that HR graph, you're spending too much time in the yellow & red. HR and muscle deterioration are two different things. As a matter of fact, HR into the red is actually bad for your muscles. To fight muscle loss, use weight/resistance training. Doesn't have to be a lot. Just enough to make your muscles tired. One of my "workout buddies" is a 78 yr old great grandmother that is all of five feet tall. She has worked her way up to a 135lb bench press. She started at 74 yrs old, and was only able to lift the empty bar. The only thing "special" about her is her determination.
 
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ballisticexchris

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I really struggle to keep my HR low. I really would like to get a stress test to see what my real target zone is. I used to do it myself when I was younger. Something is not right. I feel very comfortable at 140-150. At the end I sprint for the last 30 seconds to minute. Anything under 145 on the stationary bike feels like I'm not working out at all. The spikes earlier in my workout are the Swiss Ball triple threats and leg curls/quad lifts.

On my ab days it's a little bit better. Until I get on the bike. The target zone you see is a generic one I set for my age. 50%-85% 81 -137 bpm. I'll give it another go tomorrow and post it here.

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Sierra1

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220 - age = max HR. Max HR x .7 for lower limit. Max HR x .8 for upper limit. That is your "cardio" zone. Max HR x .5 & .69 is your upper/lower range for the "fat burning" zone. Those are not numbers I came up with, they're the official, doctor approved and recommended numbers. Contrary to what we think, you don't have feel like you're getting your ass kicked to see real results. The above chart shows Chris's "green zone". The green zone is showing the actual upper/lower limits of his cardio zone, per the formula for his age.
 
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ballisticexchris

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If you want to see a wild one look at this one. My wife and I did an almost 2 mile walk last week in our neighborhood. She bonked out at about 1.5 miles. I rushed home to get the car and go back for her. The loop was downhill starting out and uphill coming back.

I have never walked so far on crutches in my life!! I damn near collapsed from muscle pain when I got home.

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ballisticexchris

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Here we go for today. Just finished up before the rain hit. What blows my mind is how the chart tells a story!!

1st spike in the yellow was an interruption during my stretching. My mother in law was having a meltdown not being able to find her phone book (it's been gone over a year now) I had to take the note she wrote that reminded her to be mad about it. She is at stage 5 Alzheimers. Very sad to watch.

2nd spike was the Swiss Ball Triple Threat. Brutal exercise for hamstrings.

3rd spike was the Blue Elastic Band Hip abductions.

4th spike was 5lb standing leg curls/leg lifts for quads.

Then it was 20 minutes on stationary bike. I took your advice Robert and did my best to keep my HR at around 130. Very very hard to do!!

After that it was on the vibrating foam roller 2 min lumbar/ 2 min hamstring.



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Sierra1

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I did forget one thing. I too at first was getting my HR up into the 140s for 20-25 minutes. Thinking more is better, right? Doctor told me that a lower HR, for a longer time is what the body needs/likes. So, my "zone" is 116-131bpm for 35-40 minutes. I will agree with Chris, that it doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. But, over time, I've had to increase my resistance on the bike, to keep my HR up showing that my heart is in better shape. Also, if I'm just walking (as fast as I can), I have trouble keeping my HR in the "cardio" zone. It keeps dropping into the "fat burn" zone; which is not a bad thing.
 
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ballisticexchris

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Try out walking with crutches. It is no problem keeping the HR in the zone!!:)
 
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ballisticexchris

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Got another great workout today. I'm finally able to bring my HR down into the green for my 20 minute cardio session on stationary bike. Thanks for the advice Robert. I'm going to get a more accurate HR zone by tracking my resting HR for a week or so. Right now I'm about 67-70 when I wake. I put my phone under my pillow and use this really cool HR app ( Instant Heart Rate) that takes a super accurate reading.

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Sierra1

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I have a Fitbit, so tracking HR is easier. My resting is down to 63bpm. I woke up one day, and it was 52. That's how I know "lower for longer" works. That graph is looking better, how's it feel?
 
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ballisticexchris

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I actually feel a little tired today after the workout. It is super difficult to keep my HR down when doing the cardio. As time goes by I'm sure it will get easier. Oh, one thing to note: I find when if my HR starts to climb too high, I can take in a few deep breaths to get it to drop. My physical therapist is really happy with my progress. She mentioned to me that even she has a hard time training with a lower HR.

My diet is good though. Lots of water, three balanced meals, and minimal snacking. It's this injury that is wearing me down. Very frustrating.
 
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ballisticexchris

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One thing I might add is "happy with my progress" as in working my muscles around my knees and other body parts that are not injured. My knee and shoulder are both in really bad shape. Being on crutches and having screaming pain in my knee/shoulder daily is debilitating.
 

SHUMBA

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Well I'm getting it done!! Last few weeks have been a challenge. For someone who is unable to walk or lift without huge pain this is better than nothing. I just get up in the morning an do it. I'm unable to do leg work other than stationary bike or arm strength that requires extending my arm, lifting, or pulling. I have been injured since January 1st. It sucks but I'm making the best of it.
Sorry to hear that. Just make the best of it
SHUMBA

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Checkswrecks

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I and everybody in the family also wear Fitbits. What great devices to keep us from slacking off.

Good on you Chris for hanging in there.
 
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ballisticexchris

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Thank you Bob. I'm doing my best to keep the healthy parts of my body in half decent shape. Happy Easter to all.

PS, I edited my posts to to thumbnails on the chart. Those darn things were taking up a lot of screen space.
 
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