Am I just really out of shape?

[johndagolfer]

Here is my story.

Played 4 hours a day 6 days a week during high school
Played 2-3 hours a day 5 days a week during college

Gained 89 lbs, developed gout(improperly diagnosed), quit tennis for 13 years
Starting getting back into decent shape 3 years ago, and lost 55 lbs.
Hurt my ankle this last march and was out of tennis for 7 months to recover. Out of everything physical, gained 30 lbs back.

Present day. I have lost 15 of the 30(over two months) I gained by eating much better and swimming(25 of breath stroke, 25 of freestyle to simulate sprinting and recovery) 1 hour a day 5 days a week and lifting weights 3 times a week.

My problem that I have faced even when I lost the initial 55 lbs is that I am always so short of breath. 10-15 minutes of intense warm-up and I am breathing hard, my shirt is soaked to my shorts. I have also noticed that the one or two times that I've tried some road work that I can barely last 3/4 of a mile before I am gasping for breath.

Even when I was in high school I remember I was always a heavy sweater/breather.

So my question is. Am I just genetically unlucky to have low lung capacity or something or should I just keep losing weight and see what happens when I reach my goal weight?

thanks!

[sureshs]

You did not provide your height. Calculate your BMI and see whether you are obese, overweight or fit.

Then you can explore the problem further.

[LeeD]

Yes, and also maybe you rush between points, not taking time to breathe and regroup. You might be rushing yourself.
And you're somewhat fit for swimming and lifting weights, maybe not for playing tennis.
Pushing off on concrete works your legs like water never did.

[mikeler]

You are still carrying around a lot of extra weight.

[johndagolfer]

No doubt I am still overweight current BMI is 30. But do you think that 15 minutes of intense warm-up should leave me very winded? I would have thought that my workingbout would have helped some but doesn't seem to be

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

No doubt I am still overweight current BMI is 30. But do you think that 15 minutes of intense warm-up should leave me very winded? I would have thought that my workingbout would have helped some but doesn't seem to be

I'm not sure, but after "intense warm up" I'm normally out of breath as well. I'm not in great shape by any means, but I know what your feeling for sure.

-Fuji

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

No doubt I am still overweight current BMI is 30. But do you think that 15 minutes of intense warm-up should leave me very winded? I would have thought that my workingbout would have helped some but doesn't seem to be

Makes me feel good. I am at the upper end of the overweight category while you are touching obese.

I don't know about intense workouts because I don't do them, but do you feel winded after walking up stairs, and if so, how many levels? Do you get out of breath and do your feet hurt?

[OHBH]

It sounds like your only cardio is swimming, and unless you are already an great swimmer you really aren't getting a good workout from doing it. Granted the extra weight makes running a bit too rough on the joints and swimming is a nice break for them but unless you really challenge your heart and lungs you will not see results. I like to use a stair climber when I don't feel like running but I always have my heart rate monitor on and make sure I am in the 155-165 bpm range which is a good range for training aerobic capacity, though this will depend on some factors http://www.active.com/fitness/Articl...art_rate_zones

[johndagolfer]

I generally jog up 2 flights everyday without any problems. But I my body seems to think I am working hard cause I would feel sweat on my back from this. My feet alleys hurt cause of the.damage.my gout has caused my ankles.

It just makes me worried that guys twice as big as me seem to be able to out run me and out hustle me on the court without he trouble I seem to have with a 10-15 ball rally.

Thanks for all the replies!

[johndagolfer]

Originally Posted by OHBH

It sounds like your only cardio is swimming, and unless you are already an great swimmer you really aren't getting a good workout from doing it. Granted the extra weight makes running a bit too rough on the joints and swimming is a nice break for them but unless you really challenge your heart and lungs you will not see results. I like to use a stair climber when I don't feel like running but I always have my heart rate monitor on and make sure I am in the 155-165 bpm range which is a good range for training aerobic capacity, though this will depend on some factors http://www.active.com/fitness/Articl...art_rate_zones

I guess this could be it and yes I am a terrible swimmer, but I am constantly pushing my self and always am breathing really hard after my swims. I have also increased my distance each week over the same hour.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Makes me feel good. I am at the upper end of the overweight category while you are touching obese.

Overweight according to BMI?

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

I guess this could be it and yes I am a terrible swimmer, but I am constantly pushing my self and always am breathing really hard after my swims. I have also increased my distance each week over the same hour.

You should be breathing hard if you are swimming or running. There is a term called "tennis shape". Yes running a lot helps, but still nothing prepares me for a tennis match then actually playing tennis.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by mikeler

Overweight according to BMI?




You should be breathing hard if you are swimming or running. There is a term called "tennis shape". Yes running a lot helps, but still nothing prepares me for a tennis match then actually playing tennis.

That's a very good point as well!

-Fuji

[rufus_smith]

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

Here is my story.

I have also noticed that the one or two times that I've tried some road work that I can barely last 3/4 of a mile before I am gasping for breath.

You are not cardio fit at all. Lose weight and jog/run a minimum of 20 mins. a day.

[pvaudio]

Two things, and the first thing I'm being dead serious about. Do you know how to breathe properly? I couldn't get court time, so this evening I went out and did about 5-6mi in about 45deg weather. Two years ago, at a lighter weight, I would have simply collapsed after one mile. Why? I did not know how to run properly, and sure as heck didn't know how to breathe properly. Running is a very simple thing which is actually quite complicated to do properly, but once learned, becomes SO easy it's a laugh. I am not exaggerating here, so if you have not learned proper strides, cadence and breathing, then that's likely 75% of your running problem. Swimming has much the same issue, although it is more difficult to learn how to swim properly simply by watching youtube videos and reading magazines. Once you can run correctly, you will go farther, faster, and spend a fraction of the energy doing it.

The second question is more direct. Why did you gain 30lbs in 7mo? That means you did not change your lifestyle, rather, you simply dieted your weight away. If you want this to work, you have to want to change the way you live. It's as easy as dedicating yourself to that change, but that can be one of the hardest things to do. Trust me, I have more than been there (check the "happy with your fitness" thread). So, in this new weight loss phase, have you changed your life, or just started dieting again?

[johndagolfer]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

Two things, and the first thing I'm being dead serious about. Do you know how to breathe properly? I couldn't get court time, so this evening I went out and did about 5-6mi in about 45deg weather. Two years ago, at a lighter weight, I would have simply collapsed after one mile. Why? I did not know how to run properly, and sure as heck didn't know how to breathe properly. Running is a very simple thing which is actually quite complicated to do properly, but once learned, becomes SO easy it's a laugh. I am not exaggerating here, so if you have not learned proper strides, cadence and breathing, then that's likely 75% of your running problem. Swimming has much the same issue, although it is more difficult to learn how to swim properly simply by watching youtube videos and reading magazines. Once you can run correctly, you will go farther, faster, and spend a fraction of the energy doing it.

The second question is more direct. Why did you gain 30lbs in 7mo? That means you did not change your lifestyle, rather, you simply dieted your weight away. If you want this to work, you have to want to change the way you live. It's as easy as dedicating yourself to that change, but that can be one of the hardest things to do. Trust me, I have more than been there (check the "happy with your fitness" thread). So, in this new weight loss phase, have you changed your life, or just started dieting again?

Your breathing suggestion intrigues me. I am often mis breathing when I swim and swallow a lot of water. I have often been told that it seems like I hold my breath during the more intense rallies. How did you go about working on this?

As for my dieting it was hard to lower my caloric intake right after the injury. And the initial weight spike was due to that. I am eating much more healthy now due to lowering my goal .

[junbumkim]

It might be because your warm-up is too intense? You want to start off pretty slow and increase the pace. If you try go from 0 to 70 or 80 suddenly, your heart and body are having to work awfully hard. Once you are warmed up, you can try going at 80~100..

Swimming is a great exercise but uses muscles in different way from running or tennis, in other words, it's not a great exercise to prep you for tennis. If I were you, I would substitute stationery bike and treadmill with one of swimming sessions. Try interval training, which is fairly easy to simulate on stationary bikes.

Pvaudio's suggestion is interesting. One of the reasons why boxers can last so long throwing punches is because they know how to breathe, which is quite similar to tennis. Whenever you hit a shot, try exhaling. You inhale as you wind up and exhale as you execute - you see pros do this all the time. If you find this unfamiliar, simply trying soft grunting. It helps me time and recover.

You might also have too high of expectation from your playing days (I assume you played college tennis??). You are probably mid to late 30s, and are not playing tennis on daily basis.

[TimeToPlaySets]

How old are you???

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

Here is my story.

Played 4 hours a day 6 days a week during high school
Played 2-3 hours a day 5 days a week during college

Gained 89 lbs, developed gout(improperly diagnosed), quit tennis for 13 years
Starting getting back into decent shape 3 years ago, and lost 55 lbs.
Hurt my ankle this last march and was out of tennis for 7 months to recover. Out of everything physical, gained 30 lbs back.

Present day. I have lost 15 of the 30(over two months) I gained by eating much better and swimming(25 of breath stroke, 25 of freestyle to simulate sprinting and recovery) 1 hour a day 5 days a week and lifting weights 3 times a week.

My problem that I have faced even when I lost the initial 55 lbs is that I am always so short of breath. 10-15 minutes of intense warm-up and I am breathing hard, my shirt is soaked to my shorts. I have also noticed that the one or two times that I've tried some road work that I can barely last 3/4 of a mile before I am gasping for breath.

Even when I was in high school I remember I was always a heavy sweater/breather.

So my question is. Am I just genetically unlucky to have low lung capacity or something or should I just keep losing weight and see what happens when I reach my goal weight?

thanks!

BMI is the biggest joke out there. Michael Jordan is obese according to the BMI. If you have 5% fat yet are muscular, you are probably obese according to the BMI.

I don't know how old you are, but I also used to be a rocket, never got injured except for slight cuts and bruises, or a sprain here and there, here I am 38 years old and this has been a year of injuries, one after another, you'd think I were a hypocondriac.

My doc gives me 500IU of HCG shots every other day, I am injury free, more energy, pain all gone. Again, don't know your age, but look into bio-indentical hormones, all you are doing is making your Testosterone and HGH the same as when younger.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by johndagolfer

I generally jog up 2 flights everyday without any problems. But I my body seems to think I am working hard cause I would feel sweat on my back from this. My feet alleys hurt cause of the.damage.my gout has caused my ankles.

It just makes me worried that guys twice as big as me seem to be able to out run me and out hustle me on the court without he trouble I seem to have with a 10-15 ball rally.

Thanks for all the replies!

OK then get your BP checked. If that is normal, you are probably OK.

Many people who "run out of breath" actually have high BP.

[r2473]

Have you tried doing HIIT barefoot?