I’m working on helping my dad lose weight. He’s old and obese. He’s done well by walking and working on his diet over the last few months and has lost about 40 lbs from 320 to 280 but I want to give him a bit more now to help him continue to progress and because summer is here so walking is becoming more and more difficult due to heat.
So far I’m toying with leg flutters, “squats” using a broomstick in front of him and going down to a chair, perhaps buying him a kettlebell to do swings OR a sledgehammer to beat a tire with (sorta the same motion so no need to get both), and perhaps an Elite Fitness Band to do some rowing with.
Anyone have any other exercises that would be very accessible?
also check out RossTraining.com - Indoor Conditioning Options for some indoor conditioning options. However, some of these may be a bit difficult for him, so I would start with a punching bag. How old is your dad? Can he jump rope?
He’s 285 lbs with Type-2 Diabetes and in his 60’s. He’s had at least 2 heart attacks I know of and a stroke. There’s no way he’s jumping rope or doing burpees.
I considered trying to get him a punching bag but not sure if he would work it with enough intensity to really see any results. Throwing punches for 5 minutes only works if you either punch very hard, very fast, or both.
[quote]EndersDrift2 wrote:
I considered trying to get him a punching bag but not sure if he would work it with enough intensity to really see any results.[/quote]
So you think he can handle sledgehammer swinging, but not a punching bag? I’d say sledgehammer work is much more intense, even at its “easiest”, than bag work.
Again, I have to disagree. It’ll work fine at almost any pace with an overweight, deconditioned/beginner client. It’s easy for him to adjust his own intensity and I’ve found most clients really get into the feel of smacking the bag around. Starting with a basic 1 minute “on”/1 minute “off” for 10-16 total minutes would be a start.
Other than that, I think bands and bodyweight exercises would definitely be the next step to add into his plan. He’s already dropped a bunch of weight, so maintaining the diet in check and keeping a comparable time and intensity of training should keep things moving along.
Or, like Tommy mentioned, getting him someplace to keep walking indoors might be an idea. Mallwalking?
How about some of those aerobic steps? He can do step ups on them. Jumping jacks, marching in place. Kind of boring but won’t kill him. And yeah if burpees and jump rope are too intense so is the sledge.
I assume money is an issue or you would have purchased a treadmill or stairmaster or bike or something? Craigslist?
In his position I would have to say work more on his diet and let him do steady state cardio (running/walking/cycling - nothing fancy and not too intense) and let time do the work. Healthy young men at a moderate weight can lose fast with intense stuff but for him its gonna take time, why complicate it?
[quote]Silo101 wrote:
In his position I would have to say work more on his diet and let him do steady state cardio (running/walking/cycling - nothing fancy and not too intense) and let time do the work. Healthy young men at a moderate weight can lose fast with intense stuff but for him its gonna take time, why complicate it?[/quote]
Did you read his post?
He said he has done well walking and tightening up his diet. He was looking for alternatives cause he lives in flordia and it is insanely hot there so walking outside during the day isn’t such a good idea.
Collucci I like the mallwalking idea as well my grandfather used to do that.
As boring as it is, anything steady state is the way to go, longer duration and lower intensity with a huge focus on volume is the most common prescription for cardiac rehab situations. Like the posts above mall walking is a great idea, if you can find a way to exercise early in the day (although its hot non stop) being outside might make things manageable. If tolerable in the heat try going for shorter bouts, 10-15 minute short walks multiple times per day to reach a higher volume. Are there Ca+ blockers or medications involved in his treatment? Be vary as many of these drugs limit cardiac output and cardiac response to exercise.
As boring as it is, anything steady state is the way to go, longer duration and lower intensity with a huge focus on volume is the most common prescription for cardiac rehab situations. Like the posts above mall walking is a great idea, if you can find a way to exercise early in the day (although its hot non stop) being outside might make things manageable. If tolerable in the heat try going for shorter bouts, 10-15 minute short walks multiple times per day to reach a higher volume. Are there Ca+ blockers or medications involved in his treatment? Be vary as many of these drugs limit cardiac output and cardiac response to exercise.
[quote]Silo101 wrote:
In his position I would have to say work more on his diet and let him do steady state cardio (running/walking/cycling - nothing fancy and not too intense) and let time do the work. Healthy young men at a moderate weight can lose fast with intense stuff but for him its gonna take time, why complicate it?[/quote]
Did you read his post?
He said he has done well walking and tightening up his diet. He was looking for alternatives cause he lives in flordia and it is insanely hot there so walking outside during the day isn’t such a good idea.
Collucci I like the mallwalking idea as well my grandfather used to do that. [/quote]
Did I say it had to be outside? You heard of a treadmill? And even if thats not an option, I didnt disregard other steady state methods. I just said that he should do “nothing fancy and not too intense and let time do the work”. I was telling OP to forget about stuff like the hammering and boxing. Anything wrong with that? Did you read my post?
Chris - I don’t think you understood my post about punching bags. I think my father could handle that but I don’t think he would use enough intensity. The Sledgehammer absolutely uses more intensity even at the lowest level which is why I feel it would be a better option.
Wilba - Burpees and Jump Rope aren’t too intense necessarily, they’re too hard on his legs.
No he’s not retired and yes money is an issue. There’s no mall where he lives.
Aerobic Steps is an idea as he doesn’t have stairs and that would certainly up it a bit from walking outside.
I would do step ups with a simple aerobic stepper you can get for about $20 at wal mart. You can start him off slow and work up time/pace as his conditioning improves. with his medical history I would not let his HR get too elevated, work his ability to do an activity for time vs working for intensity.