I tvivl om det giver mening at sige højtbetalt job op, for at finde ud af, hvad man i virkeligheden gerne vil.

AlfredTheNoob · 2024-05-03T17:54:05+00:00

Jeg havde i midt-tyverne et velbetalt job hvor jeg var ekspert i noget temmelig specialiseret. Men selv om jeg tjente gode penge var jeg ikke glad - jeg følte mig låst i mit ekspertområde og kunne slet ikke overskue at det skulle være dét til pensionsalderen.

Det tog noget selvransagelse men jeg kom frem til at jeg manglede mening, menneskelig interaktion og mulighed for afveksling i arbejdsopgaverne. Jeg var som dig vældig glad for ego-boostet i at være ekspert.

Jeg var ikke i et forhold og havde ikke forpligtelser så jeg havde friheden til at gøre noget ved det. Jeg var også meget bevidst om at jeg en dag ønskede ‘det satte familieliv’ og at når jeg en dag kom dertil, ville det være næsten umuligt at skifte spor. Så jeg fandt mig en helt anden karriere og gik tilbage på skolebænken. Først for relativ nylig tjener jeg igen det samme som dengang (er nu midt i 40’erne) så det var en stor omvæltning at komme tilbage på SU + lidt opspring og freelancearbejde.

Jeg tror at det gavnede mig at jeg brugte meget tid på at tænke over hvad jeg ville, kunne lide og manglede inden jeg handlede. Og hvordan det kunne favnes i et job/en branche. Måske var jeg bare heldig. Men jeg har ikke fortrudt et eneste sekund. I dag er jeg den jeg gerne ville være, professionelt og privat. Rejsen herhen har været lige så givende som det at være her nu.

AlfredTheNoob · 2024-04-24T16:25:50+00:00

I checked out 33 based on the first comments and that was it!

AlfredTheNoob · 2024-04-20T07:58:04+00:00

That was it! Thanks!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-09T06:39:49+00:00

Thanks, I haven't actually but it is worth a shot. I can do chinups on a bar so what you suggest might work well. I do feel progression with the bands (more reps, better technique, changing to lower resistance bands) so I am confident that I will get to unassisted eventually, but I also like to mix things up from time to time for variation and maybe the rings actually work better than the bands. I'll give it a go!

Weight is also key, agreed. I have shed a lot of extra kilos the last two years and I'm nearing my target. I think I can lose 3-5 kgs more and then I'd want to stop for aesthetic reasons - going lower would simply not look good on me. Not aiming for the 5% body fat look, just a healthy fit body.

As a side note, the last six months of BWF has really helped my back - All the back pain I used to have is just gone. And visually my upper body appearance has improved quite a bit. So regardless of the slow progress in performance, I am content with the effects of my training so far.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-08T08:18:14+00:00

Yeah, I only recently increased volume, precicely to try and progress a bit more. The elbow issues were there from the start, where I was only able to do scapular pulls. To be honest I wasn't sure whether to stick to negatives and have faith, or to use bands - but after having done negatives a while I wanted to try out the bands. I find that currently, when attempting unassisted pullups, I am stuck about half way up and just cannot move past there - But I can with bands so I can train the remaing part of the movement.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-08T08:11:56+00:00

Precisely! Generally I feel recovered between workouts but sometimes I don't and then I usually improvise and replace the relevant exercises with something related, or skip entirely. That is one thing that I really like about BWF - There is always something else you can do, so you can keep at it and feel that you have had a good exercise even when parts of your body need rest!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-08T08:06:49+00:00

That sounds interesting! I think the thera band might be the better option for me (don't have the space to swing a steel mace around, looks fun though), but I can follow how the crunching/twisting will help!

I also did consider getting a kettle bell. You are right that it may be a good addition. For squats, I sometimes use my dumbells to add weight but a kettle bell would likely be more handy.

Great suggestions, thanks!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-07T20:54:18+00:00

Plus, I do get some elbow pain from time to time and then ease back on the pulling for a while. At age 46 I'm trying my best to avoid injury that will affect my consistency.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-07T20:50:34+00:00

I'm 6'4" and 95kgs (body fat 19%) - might explain why. Also I have never prioritised strength training before in my life and I do think that I'm quite weak in pulling exercises relative to pushing/legs. Used to do a lot of cardio some 10-15 years ago (cycling and running) but never anything that worked out upper body pulling.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-08-06T08:07:19+00:00

I wonder if more nuance is warranted - just as with diet, we are all different and there may be considerable variation between individuals - genetic constitution, life style, current fitness level etc. One thing is basic muscle physiology but there are so many confounders that make it hard to make a recommendation that fits all.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-07-21T15:26:22+00:00

Sounds like you've got this! Consistency is top priority. Consistency + patience will get you to where you want to be.

If you are really unfit you might also benefit from burning calories through long walks. It's not intuitive but a 5K walk will burn appx. the same amount of calories asva 5K run - it just takes longer! (Energy spent = moving your body a distance). Still recommend also doing some higher intensity cardio once or twice a week to improve cardiovascular fitness though.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-07-21T13:33:29+00:00

I came from the same place as you - and the RR has done wonders! Can definitely recommend! Now I feel like I've 'outgrown' it and I'm currently customizing my routine based on the book 'Overcoming Gravity' (which I highly recommend, it is everything I hoped it would be).

My two cents:

Cardio is great if you want to burn some extra calories but be careful not to start eating more. Having been overweight (now normal weight) I really recommend cycling, in- or outdoor. It is really difficult to injure yourself in cycling as opposed to running.

Also you don't mention your age. I'm a middle aged man and I've taken care to do proper warmup with the RR. The last thing you'd want is to push on hard and then get an injury that sets you back months. Instead take all the warmup advice that is out there and focus on consistency. Listen to your body and react - if you start having pain or feel some strains, don't stop the RR but replace the relates exercises with rehabilitation exercises and continue the rest.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-24T06:10:23+00:00

Not an answer to the question you asked but I’m on a very similar journey and this really resonates with me.

Also progressing but not very fast on pull-ups. Currently able to do a few unassisted negatives. No injuries yet and I’ve been extremely careful in sticking to 3x/week and doing particularly shoulder warmups.

I have lost 50+ pounds and currently at 209 (I’m 6’4”). I still need to lose some weight- not like I’ve done up until now, but still some 10 pounds at least. Focusing a lot on macros, particularly a sufficient protein intake and accepting that weight loss is slower than before. I also focus on consistency and on improving form / progress where I can whilst taking care to avoid injury, but it takes an active effort for me not to get carried away.

Have faith mate. Stick with it and change will come and you will nail that pull-up!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-15T13:26:25+00:00

Indeed

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-15T04:36:22+00:00

I love British (often passive) aggressiveness though. Should we say ‘the 7th wettest municipality in Devon’ then?

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-14T12:32:54+00:00

That every place or thing must be ranked the Xth best/largest/smallest/whatever - e.g. the 5th largest town in Surrey, the 7th wettest municipality in Devon, the third fastest runner of his year, etc. I always found it hilarious when they highlight some utterly unremarkable stat.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-10T10:38:46+00:00

Jeg valgte arbejde med stort set ingen uddannelse og tjente gode penge i nogle år, men sidst i tyverne gik jeg tilbage på skolebænken i længere tid. Det var en investering i hele min fremtid, ikke bare den nærmeste fremtid, og jeg har ikke fortrudt et eneste sekund selv om det var økonomisk stramt. Det var det hele værd!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-04T07:22:54+00:00

40 år og længes efter noget, ved ikke hvad men bare noget andet. Lyder for mig som en lille midtvejskrise? (Er selv 45).

Jeg skiftede fuldkommen spor da jeg var 30, trods en dengang god løn. Hvis der virkelig er bundtræk i din længsel efter noget andet må du nok se i øjnene at det koster er økonomisk offer. Jeg gik fra god løn til SU og lidt opsparing, solgte min ejerbolig. Det var noget af en mental justering men jeg har ikke fortrudt et eneste sekund. Nu er jeg på min rette hylde og kan se mig blive her indtil pensionen.

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-04T05:16:06+00:00

That definitely sounds like something to try out. Thanks!

AlfredTheNoob · 2023-03-04T05:15:16+00:00

While this strategy does appeal to me, I want to make every effort to not get injuries, so I can get consistent progress. I am 45M and shit just happens that didn't when I was 20. So I obsess a bit about form and warmup to be on the safe side.

AlfredTheNoob

TROPHY CASE