InTheRain

How far have you fallen from the best shape you have ever been in? Or... are you in the best shape of your life?

I'll start - I've fallen a long ways... but I've made a bit of a come back.

The best shape of my life... Early 20's; 5'10"; 166 lbs; under 5% body fat; Ran a mile in under 5:20; competed in powerlifting events; and had a 40 inch vertical jump.

Worst shape of my life... late 30's; 242 lbs; body fat??; don't think I could run a mile then, stopped lifting weights, i could still jump quite well... maybe 30 inch? developed diabetes.

Now... late 40's; 220 lbs, body fat about 20%; Ran a mile in 9:40; completed a 203 mile one-day bicycle ride; Tried the weights again (still pretty strong... for an old guy, but not much stamina), i can't touch the rim anymore on a basketball standard, and the diabetes has gotten worse.

I'll never get back to the best shape of my life, but I'd like to continue to move in that direction and become an alumni of this forum. Age has an affect on fitness, however, I'm sure that my sedentary lifestyle for many years had a much more significant affect. The cycling is fun, the inspiration I get from others in the forum is appreciated, and becoming more fit is getting me back to sports/hobbies that enjoyed when I was fit... tennis, softball, hiking, and even skateboarding.

I'm having fun, but it's amazing to look back and see how far the fitness level has fallen over the years.

aenlaasu

A long, long way I've fallen.

From 18 to 30, my weight tended to shift slightly between 120 to 125 pounds. At 5'2" and very active it gave me a nice curvy figure. I could walk all day, run within limits (bad knees), swim like a dolphin for hours, medieval folk dancing all night and cycle like a mad woman.

31 was a bad year and I'm still trying to dig out from under it. My back and a few other nasty evil things keep making it a 4 steps forward, 3 back sort of thing. I'm determined to at least get to where I feel healthy even if I never see 120 pounds again.

flip18436572

Use to dunk a basketball two hands behind my head. I doubt I will ever get to that point again with two knee injuries. Still have 50 lbs to go to get out of the clydesdale weight range and under to where I want to be. Still have goals of marathons and 70.3 Triathlons. At 45 it is not looking good for me, but I am still going to set my goals high.

If I can do it, anyone can!!!!

bautieri

17 years old, 5'8'' 169lbs

5:20 mile, 300lb bench press, could do over 100 pushups on my finger tips. Worst shape, 23 years old, 245lbs and couldn't run a mile unless a lion was chasing me.

Presently 24 years old, 199-201lbs, 7 minute mile, can preform 100 pushups flat handed.

BTW, round and pear are shapes. I was always in shape, just not the desierable shape

Kotts

50 years old (with rounding) 5'10" 183lbs.

20 years old 5'10" 155 lbs, but no upper body strength.

Not sure when I was in the "best shape", but I'm way bettter now than in my late 30s (265 lbs).

petflunky

Let's see. My best shape was when I was in my mid to late 20's up to around 30. 6'1 195 pounds, and 13% body fat. I wore a 34x34 pants (I know this because I cleaned out my closet a month ago), and had a full head of hair. Exercised 3-4 days a week, taught aerobics 3-4 days a week, and for a while was riding my mountain bike back and forth to work, roughly 12 miles each way. My eating was also considerably better.

Now: 41 years old, over 300 pounds, no gym membership, gets tired on 5 mile bike trips (but I'm trying), wears a 42x32 pants now. I'm working on eating better as well. Maybe I will see a nutrionist about it.

neilfein

As much as I enjoy riding in snow, this winter has been hard on my riding. I got winded riding down the street this morning.

rdtompki

Late 30's at 6', 185-190 lbs running 60 miles/week. Best rolling hill marathon 2:42. 10K race average under 5:30. 385 mile bike trip with wife and two sons - 4 days. 25 years later at 63 I'm 215 lbs and getting back into cycling. Want to get back to 190 and ride a few centures.

divecon2k4

Best was late teens to early 20's 6'1'' around 215lbs 200lbs at my lightest was riding 15 to 20 miles a day 3 or so times a week used to do one or two charity rides during the summer

Worst now pushing 30 up to a alltime heavyist at 268 the last 3 years I've been really lazy sitting behind the wheel of a truck 11 to 12 hours a day doesn't leave much time for exercise when I get home.

But I have quite smoking, bought a new road bike and trainer and am good for atleast 2 to 3 days a week on it. Actully got to go outside and ride for the first time in probally two years. this fourm has helped me hearing about everyone rides(Mr Beanz are the best) keeps me motivated to go home and get on the trainer insted of just sitting on the lazy boy in front of the TV, so thanks for the help and wish me luck

Neil_B

My best conditioning was September 2007, when I completed a century. I was about 245 pounds.

My worst conditioning was December 2005, when I weighed 400 pounds and was hospitalized for a suspected heart attack. I was in such poor shape that for the stress test I had to be injected with drugs to simulate the effect of exercise - the doctors didn't think I was strong enough to walk on a treadmill.

At the moment I'm somewhere in between these ranges.

lubers

Best shape I was in recently was 2004 when I did the BAK . I was at 220 lbs and was just getting into biking for the first time. Following year I started to have back problems and its been down hill since. Now my left knee is almost gone and with no job I have to watch it carefully. My weight has gone up to 275 so I have to try to unload some excess baggage to help my back and knee out. Hopefully I can start riding soon this weather here in Wisconsin has been lousy.

Tex_Arcana

I started this program yesterday https://hundredpushups.com/index.html

I was shocked when I took the initial test on Saturday and struggled to do 10 push-ups. I did all the sets and reps Monday morning today the pain isn't so much in mt arms and shoulders like I expected. It's in my chest and abs.

CliftonGK1

How out of shape am I... or how out of shape do I look?

At 6'6" and 250 - 255 pounds, I'm not the first guy people want to see shirtless at the pool.
However, I'm willing to throw down $20 that my mid-day HR, blood pressure, fasting sugar levels, total and individual cholesterol measurements will beat the same stats of many "in-shape" lookin' folks.

unixpro

How far out of shape I am depends on your (or my) point of view.

When I was 21, I weighed 150 pounds, had a 31" waist, could bench 250 and deadlift 400. I spent about 3 hours/day in weight training. However, I had no aerobic stamina.

Today I'm nearly 50, weigh 250, have a 38" waist, could bench 190 last time I tried, a couple of months ago, and have no idea how much I could deadlift. However, I now ride 19 miles each way almost every day to and from work, with a significant elevation change. I spend 3-3.5 hours on the bike. My legs are like tree trunks and my aerobic stamina is excellent.

I don't think I'd trade one for the other; each has its advantages and disadvantages.

VA_Esquire

Senior Year of High School (class of '06)
Weight- 168
Body Fat %- 9%
Mile- 5:28
My daily routine consisted of running 5 miles before school at 5am then after school I had 2 hours of soccer practice which then went right into an hour of weight training at the gym. Over the weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) I cycled for 2 hours before work.

Current (Junior in College)
Weight- 201
Body Fat %- 15%
Mile- 6:50

I'm trying to bring it down to my high school body fat % without taking away the muscle.

dbikingman

I guess I fall into the camp of it depends. Like many others here my goals have changed. I use to go to the gym regularly and could lift more then I do now. I use to run 5 days a week, but didn't ride.

I think my best recent fitness was mid-December, but since then I have "fallen out of shape", but I am in better shape then I was last February. I expect to be in better shape this summer then last.
Maybe the best shape of my life, depending on how you look at it. Keep tune I'll let you know.

Meek

Best shape of my life at 13. Could run a sub 5:30 mile (just lapping people on the track for PE), Football MVP, Baseball MVP, didn't play bball in a league. In baseball we always played fast pitch, when 11 hit over .900 for the season!Stopped everything after a move that summer.

In high school starting lifting and for the next 20 years had a 300 something bench, 400 something squat and 400 something dl. Dunk behind my head with 2 hands.

Got fat.

Getting leaner and trying to regain the insane conditioning I had from playing every sport full out back in my youth...

FWIW It's harder than I expected, but I know deep down there is a machine waiting to be released

Currently down to 208 @ 6'1" with ~15% BF

RollingThunder

I recently sold my Trek mtb, with proceeds going towards a new Ridley Gladius. I was in pretty good shape before selling the bike! It's been a month, and I've put on so much weight in just one month that it's depressing.

I'm 41 years old, and 1.92m tall (6 ft 3 or so) and spent a lot of time in the gym before taking up cycling about 8 months ago. You can still see the outline of the old chiselled shape still hanging in there! I'm very strong, but haven't been very fit since I stopped playing rugby when I was 22 years old.

For a year or two, when my wife and I were living in Paris, I took up jogging and used to run all over Montmartre every morning! It was great, and I got to doing a mile in 6.5 minutes, which isn't bad for a guy that weighed 250lbs. I was doing about 5-7 miles every morning, as well as going to the gym.

Unfortunately, it started to massacre my knees as I'm a heavy guy, so I stopped and went back into the gy onlyn, therefore adding even more muscle weight.

I'm determined to stick with cycling now, as I want to get back to 100kgs - 110kgs weight and have a fitter heart! I'l cut the weights to muscle maintenance but not growth.

I don't think I'll ever get back to the wrecking ball I was when I was 23 or so, or even the chiselled hunk (or so my wife says!) of Paris in 2002, but I must stop being the overweight middle aged guy I am now!

VA_Esquire

I think Meek is in better than me being that I'm only 5'11. What is your daily/weekly regiment to cut weight? All I do is run, cycle, and sometimes play tennis if I can find someone to play.

Meek

Recently to drop weight, I've increased my L2 riding and actually found several meals I like (and can eat regularly) and have been sticking to them averaging around 2700-3000cal. Trying to take the weight off slowly...

youcoming

I had a better shape in my early 20's but I smoked everything under the sun and I'm pretty sure some stuff that never saw real sun. At 37 I am in th ebest physical & health shape of my life. 6'1" 225lbs. Going to try to hit 200 by June when I hit 38.

natbla

My best shape was when I was 19 and still training as a top level national whitewater slalom racer. I was 162 and able to do anything I wanted for as long as I wanted. My best shape non-athlete years was age 22 when i Was 170ish and had a fully balanced set of muscles with strong legs and still able to boat a ton. I couldn't do the 4 hours a day of training due to bad recovery from shoulder surgery but still very active.

Worst shape is 2000 and age 28 when I hit 240. I started walking and then riding as well as paddling a bunch again and got it down to 195 by the end of 2002. I'm pretty close to that bad again in terms of fitness even if I'm still 15 pounds lighter. I need to develop better personal discipline about eating and exercise. I want to get down to175 before I hit 40 (January, 2012). But I don't really believe I have the determination and commitment to do what it would take in the face of my own life's other important investments (family, work). But I hope I find that strength and passion soon, or it will be another disappointment for me.

mds2004

Played sports all my life, both basketball and football. When I was about 16 in high school my sports career was ended when someone dove into my knee with their helmet leaving the doctor to have to take all the cartilage out of my knee. Now whenever I move it you can hear the bones grinding. Then at about 20 I was up to 320lbs at 6'4''. I am only 22 now and am at 260-265. I just picked up bicycling this last month hoping it will help me continue to drop to my desired 220lbs.

I dont care about having the typical bicyclist body as I already have muscle underneath but am just focusing on losing the weight and building more muscle.

Pamestique 

Well I'll admit it... unless you count "round" a shape, not very good at all. Two years ago I road 8 centuries and did 2 week long treks across Montana and Texas... last year, I retired for awhile. Not certain why other than motivation. I am struggling to regain some level of fitness but it's hard. I think it's easier when you never had any. I was in good shape (at least my fitness level was good - I just needed to lose some weight). I'm now very depressed over how little fitness I have. =sigh= I guess it would help to ride more than once a week!

Herbie53

I did some club / local criterium racing in college and was 165 - 170 lbs and had a rest pulse in the low 40's. I'm 6'4" and will never weigh that again, but have come a good ways from my worst shape of ~250ish, rest pulse in the 90s, blood pressure meds, frequent gout attacks, etc.

Been at the bike since about last September and currently at 217lbs, rest pulse in the low 60's and hope to go off BP meds soon -- gout seems to be gone too!

Getting faster than the skinny guys I'm riding with is just a bonus!

Cycling rocks.