Lifting: what is your current program?

[HMR]

http://www.crossfit.com/

+1.
I've been doing Crossfit since the '90s (long before it was known as "Crossfit"). IMO- It's also the best program for people who travel since you can do it with or without equipment.

Also switched to the http://www.thepaleodiet.com/ about 3 months ago. I feel better than ever.

+1.
I've been eating "mostly" Paleo for 10+ years. The health and performance benefits are real.

Crossfit and Paleo are a great combination.

[YJake]

I have always had a decent workout routine even though I'll never excercise as much as I had back in my highschool years. Then I was a cross country runner and Lacrosse player, talk about lots of cardio!

Now I do a gym routine 3-4 times every week and that's been enough to keep me very fit. I run a mile and do stairs every day and plan to hold the routine for a long while

It's amazing how your quality of life improves when you try to stay fit!

-Jake

[Purple People Eater]

I've started hitting the gym a few times a week recently, too. It's an excellent way to let out aggression and stress, with a positive effect on the body. Since my accident a couple years ago, my back pain has left me pretty stagnant and kind of crippled. To remedy the pain, I started working just the back muscles a few months ago, ever-so-lightly. Once I felt I got a little more structure, I started jogging a bit.

Now I am doing this current routine, in this order, when at the gym:

DAY 1:
Run 1 mile
25 push-ups
Dead-lift (60 lb) 2x12
Trunk extensions on exercise ball 3x12
25 push ups
Run 1/2 mile

DAY 2:
Run 1/2 mile
Squats (175 lb) 3x8
Stairs 10 minutes
Stretch hamstrings for 5-10 minutes. (They're really tight)
Run 1/2 mile

I do feel better already, and I've coupled this routine with eating better and drinking less soda and beer and A LOT MORE WATER. I've never had a weight problem, but I'm 6'1 and 145 lb. so I am trying to put on some healthy weight, and hopefully cure some aches and pains. Not to mention, I believe it's helped my slight insomnia as well. It's much easier to get to sleep when you're actually tired at bedtime.

[weezerbot]

I've started hitting the gym a few times a week recently, too. It's an excellent way to let out aggression and stress, with a positive effect on the body. Since my accident a couple years ago, my back pain has left me pretty stagnant and kind of crippled. To remedy the pain, I started working just the back muscles a few months ago, ever-so-lightly. Once I felt I got a little more structure, I started jogging a bit.

Now I am doing this current routine, in this order, when at the gym:

DAY 1:
Run 1 mile
25 push-ups
Dead-lift (60 lb) 2x12
Trunk extensions on exercise ball 3x12
25 push ups
Run 1/2 mile

DAY 2:
Run 1/2 mile
Squats (175 lb) 3x8
Stairs 10 minutes
Stretch hamstrings for 5-10 minutes. (They're really tight)
Run 1/2 mile

I do feel better already, and I've coupled this routine with eating better and drinking less soda and beer and A LOT MORE WATER. I've never had a weight problem, but I'm 6'1 and 145 lb. so I am trying to put on some healthy weight, and hopefully cure some aches and pains. Not to mention, I believe it's helped my slight insomnia as well. It's much easier to get to sleep when you're actually tired at bedtime.

Um, hello your local massage therapist here!! Get with me I work on a sliding scale my friend!

[RogerH]

Here is a fun one when traveling/or in addition to home/gym....www.fitdeck.com. It seems so basic but works well. I have my weights and run/bike routine, but for fun I add the Bodyweight and Navy SEAL routines from Fitdeck and must say it kicks my behind! My wife enjoys
P90x, and I find it a good workout too.

Variety is the key!

[Bighead]

That is interesting. Tell us more about the TRX Force. opinions, etc.

With me leaving for two months across EU and Asia, a field training option has appeal

I first heard about the TRX from one of my active duty students...tried his one day and decided to buy my own. In my opinion it is a very good tool to throw in my bag for a trip. Find an anchor point and start the workout. The Force kit I bought comes with the parts to anchor it almost anywhere...not sure about the other kits they offer.

Take a look at some of these videos...What is TRX Suspension Training?.

[dzzz]

I like the quote "the most effective program is the one your not doing". Muscle adaptation is so effective there's no such thing as an ideal or best program.

Staying motivated, multijoint lifts, food rather than supplement emphasis, some cardio to exhaustion - that would be my short list that I need to get back to. The most effective program I've done is Body for Life. Unfortunately beyond basic lifting it all about food.

[Scott Brady]

Jeremy and I have been mixing things up every 4-6 weeks and have seen significant hypertrophy and fat loss. I am buying new pants and belts now (shirt size is the same). I am about 6% down on body fat and have lost roughly 15 lbs. from the start (I am down about 35lbs from my high six years ago, sitting in front of a computer all day). A few weeks ago, I stopped measuring weight as an indicator of progress, moving over completely to body fat.

I know my BMR is way higher now. Hungry all the time! To see the next real change will come from diet. I know that and have started to make slow changes, first stopping all sodas and sugary drinks (water only), and instead of a large cappuccino in the morning, I get a medium with 2% milk instead of whole.

The Paleo diet is interesting. My sister has had real success with raw foods.

The big killer for me is all the travel, though I typically lose weight while in the developing world (Mexico excluded). I am about to leave for two months across eastern Europe and Asia, and will have no room for workout equipment. That makes the TRX appealing.

[HMR]

The big killer for me is all the travel, though I typically lose weight while in the developing world (Mexico excluded). I am about to leave for two months across eastern Europe and Asia, and will have no room for workout equipment. That makes the TRX appealing.

Scott- I probably travel as much or more than you and I go to just about every different environment for both work (commercial pilot) and play. The nice thing about Crossfit, P90x, TRX, etc. is you really can do the workouts "anywhere". I don't bring any gear but enjoy adapting workouts to whatever native equipment I find. For example, a tree stump can be used for dips, lunges, leg lifts, push-ups and multiple other exercises. My friends and I call them "Rocky Balboa" workouts. With some creativity, I think you'll be able to stay on a good program. It'll be fun to hear what you come up with.

[voyageur]

Howdy fellow fitness Guru's. Just wanted to insert a little different take...

I am a sixty four year old male who has Chronic Kidney Disease. Not Kidney cancer. Not kidney cysts, or any other recognized disease, just partial renal failure. GFR 29, Creatine 2.3. This is still pre-dialysis... (Thank God)

I have been aggressively riding bicycles, mountain and road, since 1962. Currently own my favorite a CHUMBA XCL. In the "past" my spouse and I (43 years so far) would ride 100 mile Saturdays all the time. Last time was 2004. Forty six miles up the Withlacoochee Rails to Trails and forty six back. Ninety six miles and no problem. That was then this is now... We have been physically active and eating right for our entire lives. I now weigh 230 pounds (5'10"), 30 pounds over my ideal weight. My diet has been drastically altered due to my recent discovery of C.K.D. Many of my favorite foods, that are healthy for "normal" people, are poison to me...

In my carport, I have over $3000.00 worth of resistance equipment including a top-of-the-line Smith Machine, made by MARCY and all the stuff that goes with it... It's getting kind of dusty.

C.K.D. causes (among other things: Muscle loss, fatigue, irregular heartbeats and other assorted crappy symptoms).

I am not complaining at all, just stating facts. If you have a healthy fit body now - enjoy it. If you can bench press 225, enjoy it. If you can basically eat anything you want, enjoy it. Just don't ever, ever, take good health for granted!

I am still lifting (all I can) three days a week. I still ride my road bike every day. I also take naps every day, because I need to. There is no medical treatment for my condition. When I asked my Nephrologist what I could due to slow down the decline of my kidney function, she said, "Eat right, lose weight and exercise." She also said, "It's all up to you."

If you are a praying person send them up for "Voyageur". If you are not - just think happy thoughts. Having supportive friends and family, encouraging me to be fit, is all I can count on for help...

Repeat - not complaining, just saying...