Weight / Fat loss

I am in rehab for a elbow tendon so I am doing squats, neck and abs , I am nearly fifty years old so I am not too bothered about looks, really I just want to enjoy being middle aged. I look around and so many people my age are on medication, can't move or are sick. Being called 'grandad' in the boxing club is a small price to pay.

That ice cream looks good :)

I am in rehab for a elbow tendon so I am doing squats, neck and abs , I am nearly fifty years old so I am not too bothered about looks, really I just want to enjoy being middle aged. I look around and so many people my age are on medication, can't move or are sick. Being called 'grandad' in the boxing club is a small price to pay.

That ice cream looks good :)

I'm 37 years young.

I here what you're saying about simply enjoying being active, strong, and healthy. Although up here, I get the feeling folk are more active in adult life (my in-laws in their late 60s still kick my arse xc skiing).

I started the year with the ambition of going from 84Kg with a small pot belly. To 85+Kg with no pot.

I managed the 85+Kg bit.....

Jan 1st 2012. Just under 84Kg I think.

Hopefully I will have a little less tummy for my 85Kg Jan 1st 2013.

(No my nipples arent usually that small. Yes it was a fecking cold new years day swim)

^ Would.

New years day swim in Scotland you fucking LOON - BRILLIANT photo mate

I have found that the more read about food the less rubbish I eat

Further North than Scotland and to the right a bit.

Shetland then

what a LOON - I am still chuckling

re planks - how long are you guys going for? do you do multiple sets of them?

If you want glory abs, use some weights. But if its strength you're after then repetition is more important.

I would be inclined to think that if you want strength, then enough weight to get you 1-5 reps would be right. 8-12 reps for growth and past that for endurance.

Northwest Norway. Was pretty mild this year. The year before I had to walk through deep snow and ice just to find the sea.

As you float there, frozen, lungs spasming for air, all feeling in fingers and toes long gone, you think....

'well this year can only get better'

planks, I do two minutes front and two minutes each side, I can do four minutes front but my obliques are weak so I am focusing on them, I have only just started mind

I am not a member of a gym so I will have to do weighted crunches with kettle bells, think I will work my way up to several hundred crunches then alternate days with weights

Norway flippin'eck must be seriously beautiful & full of bloody VIKINGS (I have been drinking with vikings in Akureyri Iceland which was a bit mental actually)

Good going! I've only recently started doing them but not timed myself for more than a minute and a half. I might have a go at matching your four minutes tonight :-)

Hrm. I only do planks for 60 seconds at a time, but with reps. This is mostly because I do them on a mat and my arms get sweaty and slide gently off the mat over time. Facepalm.

I reckon its better to go for shorter but to keep perfect form quite often I read a book on my phone - yogamats are grippier

planks, I do two minutes front and two minutes each side, I can do four minutes front but my obliques are weak so I am focusing on them, I have only just started mind

I am not a member of a gym so I will have to do weighted crunches with kettle bells, think I will work my way up to several hundred crunches then alternate days with weights

Norway flippin'eck must be seriously beautiful & full of bloody VIKINGS (I have been drinking with vikings in Akureyri Iceland which was a bit mental actually)

You sound strong. I can recommend investing in a swiss ball for sit ups and supermen etc. Just make sure you dont bounce too much and stress your back. I use mine loads when I cant get to the gym because I'm home with the nippers. I use a heavy book for extra weight.

Tis beautiful up here. Takes effort to get out and cycle, run etc. because the climate sucks. But the effort is always worth it.

7.4 degrees here, just about to head out for a run.

Oh, the suffering.

^needs black and white photo with condensed type layered over it..

You sound strong. I can recommend investing in a swiss ball for sit ups and supermen etc. Just make sure you dont bounce too much and stress your back. I use mine loads when I cant get to the gym because I'm home with the nippers. I use a heavy book for extra weight.

Tis beautiful up here. Takes effort to get out and cycle, run etc. because the climate sucks. But the effort is always worth it.

Well if it is anything like Iceland it must be staggeringly beautiful. I am 6ft tall & weigh 70 kg, I am thin and wiry, I have a fighters physique, with aspirations to obtain a neck like yours ;)

Well, at 2:10 my obliques were burning like hell ...

My abs are visible but they aren't popping out or anything. I'm around 78kg, if I was 75 then they'd be a lot more prominent.

As for the weight loss, i'm heading in the other direction. Eating some more protein and back on the squats and deadlifts routine, usually every 5 days or so. Also i've been doing weighted pullups (just a 20kg barbell weight added to a bike chain around the hips), which are I find are a really good exercise. I can just about do 10 chins b4 failure. Trying to do at 80 a day. I don't do any ab-specific exercise, they get worked during deadlifts quite a lot I find. I haven't set any goals or targets, just generally trying to do a bit a day.

nice traps m8

with aspirations to obtain a neck like yours ;)

nice traps m8

Why thankyou blushes

I play a lot of rugby as hooker. Solid neck and traps are kinda key to the role.

My abs are visible but they aren't popping out or anything. I'm around 78kg, if I was 75 then they'd be a lot more prominent.

As for the weight loss, i'm heading in the other direction. Eating some more protein and back on the squats and deadlifts routine, usually every 5 days or so. Also i've been doing weighted pullups (just a 20kg barbell weight added to a bike chain around the hips), which are I find are a really good exercise. I can just about do 10 chins b4 failure. Trying to do at 80 a day. I don't do any ab-specific exercise, they get worked during deadlifts quite a lot I find. I haven't set any goals or targets, just generally trying to do a bit a day.

awesome mate, that's awesome - I can't do deads due to breaking my neck yonks ago, can't do chins due to a tendon rip, oh the joys of old age - today I am going to see if I can jump rope without aggravating my elbow

Why thankyou blushes

I play a lot of rugby as hooker. Solid neck and traps are kinda key to the role.

they play Rugby in Norway ?