Do you guy excercise? If so, what do you do?

[AJ_Atlanta]

My 12-yo son has gotten into wrestling now, and when he discussed weight training, my hubby said no - all you need to stay fit is some running/walking, jumping on the trampoline, jumping rope, etc. And to build muscle (especially important for a growing kid who shouldn't be stressing his body with weights), he says sit ups, push ups and pull ups are all you need. I swear he is right, my kid is SO strong at this point, it's ridiculous. Not an ounce of fat, and just kind of regular, short amounts of movement as opposed to "working out" or anything like that. 5 minutes spent jumping rope against your sister is a GREAT workout (it just about kills me) and they always have fun and never think they're doing anything good for them!

He is right, too young for heavy weight training - once he has a good base going he can start adding in plyometric exercise, but I am sure his wrestling coach will do that.

[dfrecore]

I like rowing machines. They provide cardiovascular and almost full-body, strength training workouts that are low impact. The Concept 2 is the gold standard, but it'll cost around $900. Stamina offers decent, cheaper alternatives for under $400. You can find some other brands for just under $200, but they aren't close substitutes for the Concept 2. I also like recumbent bikes because it's easy to exercise and watch TV at the same time. I bought one for less than $150 from Walmart.

That's our next purchase, after a wrestling mat. I guess we are turning the garage into a gym...

[C5259]

That's our next purchase, after a wrestling mat. I guess we are turning the garage into a gym...

Yeah that's what I ended up doing. Have a power rack, bunch of weights, airdyne bike, giant tractor tire with sledge hammer, and a sled. I hated the gym environment and having to wait for machines. OHH gawd January was always horrible! But yeah best purchase ever. I too want to get a wrestling mat.

[bjcheung77]

That's our next purchase, after a wrestling mat. I guess we are turning the garage into a gym...

I have no space in the house or garage, otherwise I would convert it to a gym as well or to an exercise room.

[bluebooger]

so no one's tried out a "total gym" or one of the alternatives ?

[AJ_Atlanta]

so no one's tried out a "total gym" or one of the alternatives ?

Use on when I needed to rehab a should injury, they work well for what they do best. You will actually find them (and the professional versions) used by a lot of physical therapists.

[Peter123456789]

I run and bike. I bike in the morning (20 miles on my indoor bike at level 12. Yes, it is hard and yes I do sweat in bunches) and run in the afternoon. I run 5 miles a day and 7 a day during weekends. I have been running since 1980 (yes, high school and college). My biking mileage is around 120 a week, running 35-40 miles a week.

That's incredible. Do you have any injuries? Ever take a day off?

[Tireman4]

That's incredible. Do you have any injuries? Ever take a day off?

Yes, I have had tons of injuries. Yes, I have not always hit those marks. Yes, there was one time I had to go 6 weeks without running. Days off, yes,

[bjcheung77]

Yes, I have had tons of injuries. Yes, I have not always hit those marks. Yes, there was one time I had to go 6 weeks without running. Days off, yes,

Hehe, I was reading that earlier and was amazed how fit some of the forum members were.
We can't all be ironman/woman, but we can try to keep active and fit for health reasons.

[dfrecore]

That's incredible. Do you have any injuries? Ever take a day off?

My husband runs ultra-marathons (anything over 26.2 miles, but his main ones are 100-mile races). He has been doing it for 10+ years, and is running 60+ miles a week right now training. He even runs a couple of miles a day or two after a 100 just to get back in the groove. And he NEVER gets injuries from running. Every single time he's gotten injured in the last 15 years, it's from everything he does EXCEPT running. Broken wrist from softball, broken finger from flag football, torn ligament and cartilage problems from soccer, broken toe from accidentally kicking the dog when they were running (dog ran in front of him and tripped him up), more stitches than you can count from water skiing, whitewater rafting (sorry about that babe!), fighting with his brother, wrestling, etc.

I have finally told him to stop all other sports, because he always gets hurt and then can't run, and he is super cranky when he can't run. I can't take it! So no other sports, stick to running!!