I’m on the stereotypical “New Year, New Me” drive to lose some flab and regain some long (long) lost fitness.

So I went along to our local “Fat Dads” exercise class, billed as an “All Abilities, Strength and Conditioning session”.

Showed up and was a little concerned that everyone already looked fit and were chatting about training, triathlons and half marathons. 😒 But that’s okay, I expected to be the sweaty fat guy.

I got through a series of those stress positions that they use torture people in Gitmo, aka “Pilates” and the light activity stuff (standing on wibbly rubber cushions while catching medicine balls, chasing around odd shaped bouncy balls etc). All fine. Not easy, but fine.

Then we got to the circuits part…

45 seconds per station. 5 seconds recovery in between.

I made it through lunges, crunches, shoulder presses, started to struggle at the high knees, panting by the squat jumps, then got to the wall sit (back against the wall, knees at 90, hold ball between knees and pass a medicine ball from side to side)..

Halfway through that I could feel my eyes start to roll back in my head..

Instructor told me to stop and sat me in a chair.

Had to sit there for the rest of the circuits session, feeling dizzy, spacey, and shamed, with various people asking if I was all right and assuring me I looked like death.

Managed to get myself together enough to rejoin for the gentle warm down bit at the end.

I was offered a lift home, but I decided the fresh air would help so I walked (only about 600 yards).

Out of breath by the time I got to the door (cold air, wind, gym gear, asthma). Laid out on the living room floor. Concerned missus check my heart rate and blood pressure about a dozen times till it dropped closer to my resting rate.

In summary, I think I have a lot of work to do!

Hell of a first work out if you have been inactive for a while. Maybe try something gentler and work up to circuits?

Sounds like it, but it will get better.

I remember my first velodrome race, in the easiest group, being in a similar position after every race.

Lesson here – listen to what your body is telling you, not an instructor shouting out general instructions to a larger group. And don’t try to keep up with others that are fitter than you!

But well done for doing it – go back but don’t push yourself as hard next time 🙂

at least the instructor was paying attention.

HIIT circuits is probably not the best course of action for you right now .

I would suggest something much lower intensity – you can do the same sorts of exercises and get similar benifits but by doing them much slower so you can last the session.

Keeping it sustainable will keep you doing it . a few more sessions like the above and youll have jacked by the end of the month.

A much younger me was convinced by a friend that we should hit some classes before our holiday (2 weeks before!).

I had a similar wobble, didn’t know if I was going to pass out or shit my pants!

When I was a member of our Council run gym scheme a few yrs ago, I decided to turn up to the weekly circuits.

It started late enough that I could easily fit almost an hour of cardio in before the circuit session itself, so i turned up already pretty tired from that.

I nearly died during that first circuit session – bits of me were aching that i didn’t think could ache, I felt light-headed on a couple of occasions & was gasping for breath.
For the next 2 days I could barely moves my entire body was so sore.

Next week it was surprisingly better & the week after that I was able to sustain a decent effort for the full session. It’s amazing how quickly your body adapts – keep at it & perhaps just modulate the effort a bit for the first month or so.

can I be the first to say ‘go and talk to your GP’. You may have just red-lined normally, or there may be something requiring some attention.

Hell of a first work out if you have been inactive for a while.

Unfortunately “a while” is pretty much “years”. 😊

I’m 44, 97kg, sedentary desk-jockey – even with a walk at lunchtime I struggle to reach 5000 steps on a work day! Haven’t even cycled to work since the summer. 😐

I’m 44, 97kg

Height?

can I be the first to say ‘go and talk to your GP’.

Missus is already pestering me. (She’s a consultant). She thought I could possibly be calcium deficient and should get tested just in case (I avoid milk and don’t get a lot of sun so that would fit).

unless he is 6ft 4ft hes overweight.

so long as he is about 5ft 6 he is not yet in the obese class.

Height?

187cm. Not quite tall enough to excuse that weight!

Fat Dads? Sounds like some misleading advertising there! Good effort, mind. 🙂

I’m C25K’ing, which is much more my pace. 🙂

It might be because if you’ve previously been fit you are used to pushing yourself (muscle memory), and your CV system can no longer cope. If you’ve never been fit, you’d probably stop long before that point as simply being out of breath would stop you.

That’s just supposition on my part though.

Also, bear in mind that dizziness and light-headedness are always in the warnings and disclaimers for exercise, so perhaps get yourself checked out at the Doc’s.

I’d ignore it.

take care Graham! but do stick at it I’d say.
Calcium deficient? Would check the lot really, iron and all the rest.
Make sure you’re breathing properly (deeply).

Good luck. The hardest bit is picking up the exercise again — I know you used to do quite a fair amount. One of our regular gang has stopped and he’s now of a size (he was never svelte) that I worry about practicalities of getting back on a bike again!

Also desk jockey here but benefit of working from home means I can head out if I can motivate myself without regret and be back at work within a 2 hour slot.

newly 57 (eek) and some weight lower. I am barely 180cm though, and seem to manage to run at high metabolism. Harder to keep weight off as you get older though. I did used to be averse to sports at school, and over-weight.

I bloody love circuits, there’s one at our local leisure centre run by an ex-UK judo champion, he’s 50, ripped to heck and has been doing this circuit class for 25 years.
But, I consider myself fit (I run 35 miles+ a week, cycle 50 or 60) and it’s properly hard. Heart rate is always through the roof, sweat buckets, ache all over. It’s a heck of a workout.
In your shoes, I’d go back but pace yourself, you want to finish strong not beat yourself up for the first 30 mins.
Use a HRM if you can and make sure you don’t go too deep.
Also, think about your eating. If you’ve not eaten for a while the low blood sugar can be a problem, some slow release carbs 2 hours before would help that.

The whole idea of exercise and training turns me off. There’s enough misery in our lives without actively seeking it.

Just buy a single speed bike and ride it around a bit. Walk when you have to. Keep doing it for long enough and you’ll find you’ll feel better. And doing it at your own enjoyable pace helps too. If you want to suffer a bit, then you can dial that in as required.

You could simply go for regular long walks with a few decent hills, but that’s more lower body.

Getting outside is the best medicine.

You’ll end up with a reasonable level of fitness and a decent core.

Oh, and don’t worry about diets, just don’t pour shit into your body.

Of course, if you’re planning racing (or wanting to impress others with your ripped body), then it’s a different story, but why inflict that upon yourself? Racing sucks… 🙂

Well done on going to a class and keep at it, it does get easier!

Be prepared for some serious DOMS over the next couple of days though.

@GrahamS

Start slow …

44, 187cm and 97kg looks a bit heavy.

There is little more satisfying than the rapid improvement over the first month of exercise-improved fitness. In a month of regular exercise, you’ll soon adapt. Just take it a little easier next time. Once you’ve gained that fitness, it starts to get harder.

Well done.

I almost had the same in a 10 mile TT. Went far to hard, and could feel the tingling in both hands. Back off and finish gently.

There’s enough misery in our lives without actively seeking it.

This is a very odd attitude. If it were only misery, we wouldn’t do it would we?

Training in itself can be unpleasant – although frequently not* – but people do it for the sense of achievement earned by being better at something. Don’t denigrate us cos you don’t share the same feelings!

* for example, I just did 90 mins of zone 3 as part of my training programme focused on weight loss. This took the form of a lovely spin around the local lanes on a sunny winter’s day…

You could simply go for regular long walks with a few decent hills, but that’s more lower body.

Of course, this takes a long longer – those with families might not feel able to ignore them and sod off for 6 hours on weekends to indulge themselves.

Drink more water.

Go to a class thats realistic, 5s break is bollocks at your stage.

Epicyclo, bravo – avoid misery, and buy a singlespeed 😂😂😂👏🏻

If you don’t get the joy of singlespeed then its not for you. Or you’re doing it wrong.
The only thing I found that gets the same response of “it hurts but I’m enjoying it so much that I won’t stop’ is a rowing machine.

The whole idea of exercise and training turns me off. There’s enough misery in our lives without actively seeking it.

Likewise – but I decided that this time around I needed a bit of an extra push from a scheduled activity, because the “just get out there” self-motivation just wasn’t working too well and hasn’t been for some time.

44, 187cm and 97kg looks a bit heavy.

Well yeah, duh! That’s why I was going to “Fat Dads” exercise class in the first place 😁

As lunge says, pace yourself. You can do circuits at your own level and doesn’t need to be balls out all the time.

(When I used to do bootcamp classes, I was amazed that it was mostly overweight (some very) ladies there. They were there going at their pace and went the whole hour).

Keep it up!

Yes, been there. Had to drop out of a spin class, thought I was going to hurl or drop on the floor. I always make a conscious check of where the bin is now. Also had a similar episode to the OP in a circuits class.
Upper body exercise just kills me. I do a circuits class with my 8 year old daughter now, much more my level..

I’ve just started gently doing some HIIT at home, based on classes I used to go to a few years ago. What feels dead easy on the first set will soon get you going by the third!

Start gently, up the sets/reps/effort over time as it gets easier.

5 second rests with your lack of fitness is crazy, try 30/20 or 35/15 and just push yourself a bit harder each time.

Well that’s going to feel pretty satisfying when you can do a whole session! Looks like you’ve got a very nice little goal to work towards there.

In the mean time, either do an easier class or the same class and miss out every second or third activity before you injure yourself and scupper your chances before you’ve properly started!!

Nobeerinthe fridge
Epicyclo, bravo – avoid misery, and buy a singlespeed

I’m not biased or anything… 🙂

But it does work, and it’s more fun just going out for a ride on the bike than going to a gym.

Make fitness a by-product of what you do for fun rather than hard work.

Focus on quality NOT quantity. Concentrate on getting the form right otherwise you will crock yourself and put yourself out for a few weeks. I returned to circuits after the Christmas break and found it hard.

If you’ve been inactive for years then you’ll need to build up rather than going hell for leather from day 1. I’m guessing that the 95KG isn’t all lean muscle so you will be carry a fair amount of ballast too. Don’t compare yourself to other people, keep at it and pace yourself, you will see the rewards. Oh, and well done for making the first visit, that’s always the hardest one.

5 second rests with your lack of fitness is crazy, try 30/20 or 35/15 and just push yourself a bit harder each time.

I do a military style bootcamp, not BMF but similar. When starting or after I’ve missed a few sessions, even some days when I’m not feeling great,and being 50 as opposed to 20 I tend to give myself a discount for long service, so as said, maybe 6-8 reps instead of 10, 30/30 rather than 40/20 intervals, etc.

I find I get more from it by lasting a full session being able to do the exercises with good form, than by trying to do the same as the 20-somethings for the first 15-20 mins and then gradually deteriorating to by the end being barely able. That leads to misery, injury, and you feel like not going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQSYo_pC-QA

I would say don’t panic, you were doing something you weren’t used to and probably not (yet) fit for. I used to get dizzy when I first started learning to play the oboe! It’s a respiration thing. It does seem the class was rather mis-sold though.

@crikey Mmm, maybe the gym is more fun than single speed… 🙂

We going to post something about gyms being a bit pants or something and try Zwift.

Then saw crikey’s post and watched the vid. Yeah, Zwift doesn’t have that. It really doesn’t. Not at all.

-There’s enough misery in our lives without actively seeking it.

-buy a single speed bike

I thought you wanted LESS misery!!

I do a HIIT class 4 times a week and once you get to the level, the body adapts.
Always good fun seeing the post-Christmas newbies and having bets with fellow regulars if we’ll ever see them again.