Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: fbloke on September 28, 2009, 11:18:32 PM
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I'm about to get made redundant again and am thinking of taking some time out to chill all the way out and get some energy and inspiration back. Too much life stuff and career have burned me out a bit. I've saved a bit of money and was trying to think of activities that would be fun and relaxing other than the usual go to gigs/the pub/massage parlour. I'm going to do all of that as well of course, but there must be more creative things I can do. I thought about meditation retreats, yoga weekends, trekking across Peru and all that cack, but it's not really me. I've a bit late for the Oktoberfest, unfortunately. Have any of you got any ideas?
Thanks,
Mike.
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Take up a new instrument, get a pet, read books. Just don't get caught up in a daytime TV routine :P
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I always find weightlifting a relaxing, yet focused and pleasantly 'goal orientated' therapy.
Not 'Bodybuilding' as such , more in the realm of Olympic style lifting - or the more attainable / healthier / cardio and strength based Kettlebell training. Great for getting in shape - and having a 'chill' focus ; wherever you find yourself mentally or geographically. I suggest primarily using the Kettlebell as a viable option - as for me it amalgamates all the value of running /aerobics, explosive power, strength training and flexibility training in one small package.
Whether the individual goes for an Olympic Barbell to work with ; or the much more affordable / all purpose Kettlebell, there are ( like guitar pickups ) good suppliers / sources of instruction and many 'pretenders'.
Not everybody's cup of tea, but has been great for me in a similar / ongoing situation. :)
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Buy a fairly cheap but good compact.
Try and snap as many different plants, animals, etc. and publish them on a blog.
Easy. You're using your money on a camera, maybe starting a new hobby, being active, listening to peaceful nature (bring some music too maybe?) and you're occupied when its dark or when you can snap photos on a blog.
And then come to the board and post a bit too.
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I'd agree with Derek that a bit of physical exercise is a good idea if you've got time on your hands (sorry to hear about the redundancy).
I've been running a lot lately and it feels pretty good. I think. When my shins and back aren't aching. :|
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Go travelling :D It's great fun everyday is new you meet lots of new people and it could change your outlook in life.
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Go for a a Mountain biking weekend or holiday
http://www.cycleactive.co.uk/
Great way to meet people and get a sore ass :D
I had a similar time a while ago so I hired a van, got a matress in the back and went on a 10 day tour of the UK with my bike and guitar. It rained the whole time so I just got pissed in the back of a van and played bad blues at empty camp sites.
Sometimes it's better to just do something organised, the people you meet can be very inspiring (or annoying)
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another +1 for cycling
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Go for a a Mountain biking weekend or holiday
Great way to meet people and get a sore ass :D
Hmmmmm.... :|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E)
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Go for a a Mountain biking weekend or holiday
Great way to meet people and get a sore ass :D
Hmmmmm.... :|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E)
:lol: Well handled Philly ; Tom's otherwise excellent suggestion / description left him 'Wide open' ... :wink:
Oh, and another +1 for cycling. Also for consideration , a good friend of mine has taken up Kayaking on his local ( man made ) lake ; great for stress relief, getting close to nature / fresh air and exercising at your own pace , away from the traffic. :)
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Go for a a Mountain biking weekend or holiday
Great way to meet people and get a sore ass :D
Hmmmmm.... :|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E)
:lol:
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another cycling +1 here, I love it. Probably more than guitar at the minute! :?
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I always find weightlifting a relaxing, yet focused and pleasantly 'goal orientated' therapy.
Not 'Bodybuilding' as such , more in the realm of Olympic style lifting - or the more attainable / healthier / cardio and strength based Kettlebell training.
how strict are you taking it? ie the 5 or 6 meals a day to get a steady source of protein and etc
I think I've been lifting weights for about a month now and doing the diet stuff, my body is certainly in better proportion, having bigger triceps makes a huge difference to my arms
need bigger weights now because current ones don't stress the muscles enough :(
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I'd suggest country walking or something.
My girlfriend and I went to Torquay earlier this month and we walked around Haytor and Canonteign Falls. It's quite relax, good exercise and you can be completely away from the busy life and pressures.
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I always find weightlifting a relaxing, yet focused and pleasantly 'goal orientated' therapy.
Not 'Bodybuilding' as such , more in the realm of Olympic style lifting - or the more attainable / healthier / cardio and strength based Kettlebell training.
how strict are you taking it? ie the 5 or 6 meals a day to get a steady source of protein and etc
I think I've been lifting weights for about a month now and doing the diet stuff, my body is certainly in better proportion, having bigger triceps makes a huge difference to my arms
need bigger weights now because current ones don't stress the muscles enough :(
Hiya JDC, :)
As my involvement has been over many years, I am not overly strict on the diet ; the main reason being that I follow a form of training that is meant to work ( for soldiers, martial artists - and manual workers ) on just about any food intake. I do of course pay much more attention to getting 'quality calories' than the average 'man/ woman in the street' - but compact, wiry, stronger than I look ' - is the objective for me. Also, as Pavel Tsatsouline's writings ( however over hyped and marketed his stuff is ) - brought to my attention a very different set of 'wisdoms' from the former Soviet Bloc countries ; I am training quite the opposite to the way I did in my 1970's Bodybuilding days.
Think more sets/ reps of 2 x 5 - or 3x3 , at about 85% of one's 1 Rep max, but frequent - and never to failure. To 'practice' the lifts - instead of training them. The legendary Reg Park used 5 x 5 extensively , and he was the inspiration for a young Arnold S.
Read this download of Pavel's most famous work / the thing that enlightened me :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3612825/Pavel-Tsatsouline-Power-To-The-People
( If this link breaks any forum rules, then I'll delete )
Also Mark Rippetoe's 'Starting Strength' is good, as is the free e:book 'From the ground up' by Dan John.
It's all compound exercises really, very little ( if any ) isolation work. As Dan John reminds us :
" The body is one unt".
Think more Squat / Deadlift / Overhead press .
There is also a great free e:book from 'Stronglifts.com' about the whole 5 x 5 concept and a down loadable spreadsheet.
The 'Kettlebells' compliment and add conditioning , relevant to explosive sports and high power to weight ratio e.t.c. You don't have to do both, but there is certainly merit in both. Whilst I am certainly not affiliated with Pavel's relentless marketing machine - I can say that the above turned my own training around - and brought me more ( relative ) strength and speed at 50 + years old , than I could have dreamed of at 21.
I will add a protein supplement during the heavier parts of any given training cycle, and the 'wave cycle' method seems to produce the most sustainable gains. My own experiment is ongoing - and aims at me hitting strength / body composition targets in months and years ahead, not days or weeks.
A medication I have to now take for life, put me about 20kg of unwanted weight on very quickly - but I am now fighting back against that, so my campaign against these systemic effects must be 'sure and steady'.
There is a whole 'sub culture' built around these things, but I don't want to un-intentionally 'spam(ish) ' this revered forum with any more links or recommendations. If you should want more info - do P.M. me - but first read the link , as if you climb over the gimmicky 'hype' - the basic truths contained within really do work very well. You can still put on size with strength - if that's what you want, by following the 'Russian Bear' routine.
Like I said, there is so much to tell, but this is not the right place. It is nice to hear of someone else that enjoys the 'Iron game' though. The only trouble being that I often find it much more enjoyable than sitting down and playing my guitar !
Cheers ! :)
* Edit*
Another thing JDC: Whilst you labour without sufficient weights to challenge you as you would like ; I always found shortened rest periods between sets, and s-l-o-w negatives to make almost anything seem heavy in a cumulative way.
Also , due the nature / type of the muscle fibres involved ( If you want straight hypertrophy ) , triceps seem to respond better to lower reps / arm biceps higher : Quads , higher reps, hamstrings lower. Go relatively easy on the shoulders if also benching and rowing in the same workout ; as they will have already been pre - worked in the chest/ back work. As always , we are an 'experiment of one ' - but I assume you are much younger than me, so those Squats / Deadlifts / Clean and presses will really help stimulate the production of HGH and Testosterone.
I am always reminded of the rather stark reply reply given to a young chap ( on a weightlifting forum ) when he asked how best to put on size :
" Squat till you drop, eat while you're down there - sleep when you're full " .... :lol:
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I'd suggest country walking or something.
My girlfriend and I went to Torquay earlier this month and we walked around Haytor and Canonteign Falls. It's quite relax, good exercise and you can be completely away from the busy life and pressures.
I heartily agree, a lovely country walk is safe, relaxing - and puts perspective on one's life. :)
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I'd like to thank you all for your very helpful replies and good wishes. It's been great to hear from you all. Now then, I'll summarise what I'm going to do based on all of your suggestions:
1. Buy a saxophone and a doberman, read books but STOP touching myself intimately in front of "Loose Women"
2. Start weightlifting, get all buff
3. Buy a camera
4. Go travelling by bike to a leather bar dressed as an undercover policeman. Take photos of men dancing with each other.
5. Go for a walk. This may be appropriate as I may not be able to sit down if the evening in the leather bar has gone well.
I'm sure after 6 months of a lifestyle like that I'll feel like a new man ;-{)
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I'm sure after 6 months of a lifestyle like that I'll feel like a new man ;-{)
And you'll be fit enough to catch him ... :wink: :lol:
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I vote for: learn to build amps!
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Go for a a Mountain biking weekend or holiday
Great way to meet people and get a sore ass :D
Hmmmmm.... :|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJMerul33E)
Thanks for the PM Philly but I meant from the seat :oops:
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cheers for the reply Fourth Feline
I've been having random wiki and youtube binges on bulking info, so much stuff out there, and confusing pointless info pushing supplements, I think I've learnt the majority of the good stuff, if I had the right gear I'd be doing 2 sets per exercise of 8 to 12 reps going to fail, at the moment I'm doing upper body twice a week, would do lunges on a separate day but need more weight
thinking of changing the order of the exercises around a bit so things like chest and back are first, bicep and tricep last since their exercises don't use other muscles apart from forearms and I'm not training those, not directly anyway
I find getting the blood pumping is good for guitar too :)
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Do something totally different to anything you've done before... you'll start with no expectations and you can't really fail.
Good luck.