How would you rate your personal health & fitness level?

[FastFreddy]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Scale of 1 (deathbed) to 10 (high school varsity football and varsity basketball) ?
I'm about 3.
Junior high 100 yards, 11.6 seconds with jeans, tennis shoes, and no warmup in 55 degree temps, fully fogged in SanFrancisco. Now, more than 30 seconds, as I can't run.
Standing long jump jr high... 9'2". Now, barely 5'9".
Standing vert. Jr high, 40", no BS. Now, having grown a foot, can't reach the bottom of the basketball net...
Long jump, 8th grade 21'7" in all city, admittedly my best by 2' ever, but the 6 guys who beat me did their personal bests also. Went from dirt track to cork at KezarStadium. Now, for sure no better than 10'.
In college, we ran 6 miles around 38 minutes, if we wanted a shower before the next class. I wanted a shower. Now, I can't go 6 miles period....even in 3 hours.

Really can't run six miles in 3hrs better not run with me. Training for marathon number 11. Been running 8 miles 7 days a week 7:30 pace. Trying to run under 3hrs. 2:59 would be perfect haha. Wow 6 miles in 38 is fast. Did you run track in College?

[LeeD]

I was a phys ed major in college.
Took 2 football/basketball classes, one CrossCountry, one modern dance/fencing/karate. I went to college 3 semesters. Figured, if I was gonna be a gym teacher, I might as well help out the teachers from the inside, their side of the equation.

[LeeD]

6 miles in 38 minutes is slow for a runner of any kind. I could do that in junior high, 7th grade, when I was a midget.
Last time I ran for time, around 1979, for motocross training, 4.7 miles in never more than 33 minutes, age 30.
During a recent bicycle race, the Cinderella Century, I had to walk just about a mile from the car to registration, SIX times. Average 17 minutes to 20, gimping along and resting as often as overhang shielded me from the pouring rain.

[LeeD]

Interesting that so few of you posters are willing to say how your fitness is, mayb exposing something you don't want known?

[NLBwell]

Originally Posted by LeeD

3 downed, but with a couple swigs of Bacardi Superior Puerto Rican Rum..

Well, that will loosen you up in other ways.

[LeeD]

Well, I"m getting perilously close to the end anyways, so what's a swig or two going to do?
I just wonder... if my wheels were still good, what level would I be playing?
Probably exactly the same as now.

[Itagaki]

I'm "happy" with my current level of fitness (strength in my case) in that I think it's alright

But there's always room for improvement and that's exactly what I aim to do

[0d1n]

Originally Posted by r2473

Are you happy with your current health and fitness level?

Why or why not.

Yes, and yes...I am...but that doesn't mean I don't intend to improve it (it being fitness...not health).
Why am I happy with my health ?? Because my latest blood analysis turned out perfect, the doctor said I was going to live 100 years (something about "good cholesterol numbers being unusually high...which is supposed to prevent cardiovascular issues and correlates with longevity"). I also don't have serious injuries or diseases (that I know of )...so there's no reason not to be happy.

Why am I happy with my fitness?? Because my cardiovascular fitness is way above most people my age I see around here.
I could get stronger though...and I intend to...in the last years I've limited myself to "playing sports" like tennis, football, table tennis...etc and some biking as all the physical activity I'm doing...and I feel there's a lot of room for improvement in the muscle/power building department....which I intend to work on this winter.
I'll never be a gym rat though... and also I don't care about isolation and how my muscles look, I'm all about function.
I prefer the more complex exercises...the "whole body workout approach" that enables usage of smaller stabilizing muscles as well as larger, more visible muscle groups.
If the function is as it should be...the "look" will follow. I'm in the camp that admires a "gymnast" type who can do anything with his own body much more than a "body builder/power lifter" type who can pump ridiculous amounts of weight in a gym and has bigger muscles...maybe more definition...etc.

[floridatennisdude]

Been a long time since I measured my maxes, jumps, and times. Being closer to 40 than 30, I can say that it is at some point in your 30's where fitness becomes harder.

Into my early 30's I would have done a sprint triathalon on a dare. Today, I'd worry about drowning before I made it to the bike.

However, I still make it to the gym 2-3x per week for weights before work. And I manage to get on the tennis court 3-4x per week. Might sneak a round of golf (still breaking 90 from time to time) and a long bike ride in a couple times a month. Basketball, flag football, and road races are in the past, but life could be worse.

I'm probably in the upper 25% of men my age.

[tennytive]

My personal health and fitness levels for my age are off the charts.

Many here are talking athletic ability levels declining, and in that regard I don't run as fast, jump as high, or have the upper body strength I used to.

I can't complain, but sometimes I still do.

[hifi heretic]

Sounds like we're being green-lighted to boast a bit. ..Ok, so here goes:

For 48 I think I'm doing very very well... Probably near the top 3%.

Heart-rate: 46
BP: 128-70
HT: 6'
Wt: 184lbs., which hasn't changed since college

I love working out and do each of the following 2 x week (2-day split. ..Including other exercises of course)

2 sets of bench-press (bar touches chest, no bounce) w/ 185 lbs for 15 unassisted reps;
2 sets of squats w/ 225 lbs to true parallel for 12 unassisted reps.
2 sets of 18 chin-ups (just shy of full extension, which is bad for elbows)
2 sets of 30" box jumps for 15 reps.

Cardio-wise, using a treadmill, I do 2.5 miles in 30 minutes but break it down into maximum sprints for 2 mins., then 3-4 minutes of walking, then repeat. ..I do this twice-per-week.

..And of course lots of USTA league tennis; some singles, mostly men's and mixed doubles.

While not quite as strong as when I power-lifted in college, I'm much healthier overall and a far far better tennis player these days.

[FastFreddy]

Originally Posted by LeeD

6 miles in 38 minutes is slow for a runner of any kind. I could do that in junior high, 7th grade, when I was a midget.
Last time I ran for time, around 1979, for motocross training, 4.7 miles in never more than 33 minutes, age 30.
During a recent bicycle race, the Cinderella Century, I had to walk just about a mile from the car to registration, SIX times. Average 17 minutes to 20, gimping along and resting as often as overhang shielded me from the pouring rain.

Really most people I know are happy to run a 5k in 38 mins. Did u run in College or pro? What brand and cc dirt bikes did u have? I had a 1983 yz125, 1984 rm 250, 1985 cr 500.

[LeeD]

1983 was my last year, I qualified for the Sat. Oakland SuperCross, and in my first race, crashed at the 3rd turn, knocking me out of any chance to go further or go into Sunday.
1978, while still playing Open level tennis, bought my bud's '77 YZ 125.
1979, bought DuaneJoice's YZ-250. He was top 5 ExpertPro in District 36, NorCal.
'79, bought new KX-125 air cooler.
'80, bought new KX-125 air cooler.
'80, bought used '79 Husky 390.
'80, bought new KX-250 air cooler.
'80 traded Husky for early model YZ-490.
'81 bought new KX-420.
'82, bought new RM-125 water cooler.
'82, bought used RM-250 air cooler.
'83, bought new RM-250 watercooler. Quit riding summer of '83, after greenstick ulnar (left forearm) in a CMC Expert 250 race at LakeMadera.
I was never a runner. I jumped long jump for junior high, then played basketball and football 3 years thru high school.....and entered 9 roadraces thru AFM, winning 3rd place overall in 1966's 250 Production class with a year old YDS-3C with DunlopTriangulars, cut baffle, richer jetting, no air box, cut slide, thinner head gasket, trimmed pistons, Thruxton handlebars, and raised footpegs. I crashed in 4 of the races, my history thoughout everything I've ever done.

[LeeD]

Oh, one of the guys at the house raced Honda's. From 125's with 23" front wheels, to '83 watercoolers, 250's air and watercooled, and that beast (as you well know), the CR-500. I absolutely HATED that CR-500...scared the beejesuss out of me, when it came on the pipe. Notice I switched from YZ-490 to KX-420, and started top 3 in every Open race, novice thru intermediate, and every VetExpert race.
Couple years, during the TransAms at SearsPt., (where CR-500's dominated), I'm in the newspaper pictures walking around with 2 of my buds, the Honda guy and a Suzuki rider...as spectators, not riders.

[goober]

Originally Posted by r2473

Are you happy with your current health and fitness level?

Why or why not.

I use to be able to play 4 hours of singles. Now I am 10 pounds overweight and not in great shape I am relegated to doubles usually on line 3.

I thought I would have more free time as my kids got older. Actually I have significantly less. My 2 older kids are in a highly academic school with a pretty heavy workload. It is much more difficult than anything I did at the same age. I pretty much have to help them every weeknight in doing homework, looking over papers and preparing for tests. On weekends and sometimes during the week, there are all kinds of things I have to drive them to- violin and piano lessons, tennis, ice skating lessons. I exercise less and play tennis less compared to 5 years ago.

[LeeD]

I dunno....
I watch and talk to player's at Hellman Courts, UCBerkeley. Even the very top singles players practice only for 2 hours. Maybe during off season they'll practice longer, but not 4 hours straight. The can hit and giggle tennis for 4 hours, but not play or practice that long.

[goober]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I dunno....
I watch and talk to player's at Hellman Courts, UCBerkeley. Even the very top singles players practice only for 2 hours. Maybe during off season they'll practice longer, but not 4 hours straight. The can hit and giggle tennis for 4 hours, but not play or practice that long.

I dunno- you watch a college singles practice for 2 hours and make deductions based on that? I don't know if you are trolling or are completely daft. The fact they practice for 2 hours doesn't mean they could hit for 4 hours if they wanted to. A lot of people that age (and older) are capable of playing 4 hours. Haven't you ever had to play two tournament matches in one day? Heck I played 3 tennis matches at a tournament in one day 2 singles and one doubles for a total of 6 hours+ of tennis.

With all of your "I remember playing A/Open tournaments back in the day with player blah, blah blah and I am good friends with Harold Solomon but I don't respect his game talk." I thought 4 hours would be nothing for you. Dude you are the motorcross/surf legend of TT that also led his varsity basketball team in rebounding at 5'5", don't let me down with 4 hours is too much tennis!

[LeeD]

Sorry, 4 hours is too much for me, and for most tennis players.
Would you believe? Practice is harder than matches! Matches, your adrenalin is up, your interest is up, you've prepared for this moment.
I've hung around practices for CCSF and SFSU, and while TOTAL time of practice might go longer than 3 hours, the player's actual HITTING and movement practice times were closer to 2/3rds or half that.
I've sat in the boat while SammyDuval was practicing. He never did more than 10 slalom passes, or half that many jump practices in one day.
RonGrant and ArtBauman were friends of mine. They only took enough laps to familiarize the track, and had other rider's, including me, break in the various sets of tires.
I went from Novice to 125/Open Pro in motocross in 6 years. Never have I seen any rider practice longer than 45 minutes. Sometimes, they'll ride the bike longer, but it's not practice, and they're not pushing. I used to give rides to RodneySmith, bringing him from his home to our practice track behind Shell's Oil Refinery in Concord/Martinez.
For practice, most top performers warm up/stretch first, then go moderate intensity for a few minutes, then go full speed for less than an hour, because concentration don't last much longer, then cool down and cruise a few, adding the FUN FACTOR back into the equation.
I seriously doubt even a Nadal would practice more than 2 hours at a time, twice a day, during the off season. Nobody works harder than Nadal.

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by goober

I dunno- you watch a college singles practice for 2 hours and make deductions based on that? I don't know if you are trolling or are completely daft. The fact they practice for 2 hours doesn't mean they could hit for 4 hours if they wanted to. A lot of people that age (and older) are capable of playing 4 hours. Haven't you ever had to play two tournament matches in one day? Heck I played 3 tennis matches at a tournament in one day 2 singles and one doubles for a total of 6 hours+ of tennis.

With all of your "I remember playing A/Open tournaments back in the day with player blah, blah blah and I am good friends with Harold Solomon but I don't respect his game talk." I thought 4 hours would be nothing for you. Dude you are the motorcross/surf legend of TT that also led his varsity basketball team in rebounding at 5'5", don't let me down with 4 hours is too much tennis!

For a junior playing 14s, 4 hour sessions should be the norm. For college players, if they go all out for 2 hours...that's a heckuva load.

They might train that hard in the off season, but I doubt they are on the courts longer than 15 hours in a week and another 5 hrs on weights and conditioning.

[LeeD]

Don't forget the running, both long distance and short sprint/recoveries, which take up maybe over an hour and a half 3 times a week.
The actual hitting time is short compared to all the work done away from the court, track, stadium, venue.