keeping in shape though the winter????

When I was younger- I didn't put much thought or effort into this ---but at age 47 I now put a LOT of thought into it.

I am wondering what you folks who are still active on the roof top do to stay in shape-through the winter and year around ? My current program is sunday-run 5 miles Monday---swim 2250 meters tuesday run 3-1/2 miles weds. swim 2250 meters thursday run 3-1/2 miles friday swim 2250 meters saturday rest I am adding 1/2 mile to 1 mile per week to my mileage-so when we resume production late march/early april i should be running 6-7 miles on sundays-and maybe 5 miles on tuesdays and thursdays. i have never consuistently run through the working season- but I am hoping to keep the sunday 6 mile run during the working season-and run monday through friday just a quick 2-3 miler at 5:00 AM

funny how this wasn't necissary in the past- but at age 47 my co-workers/employees are young enough to be my sons

so-what are you folks doing? stephen

woody, i can tell you what was the immediate cause of my knee surgery-and what I have noticed since

Probably 8-9 years ago i was painting my own house,squatted down in the back yard cleaning out a brush in a 5 gallon bucket. when I stood up POP!

I didn't hink much about it at the moment-just tried to walk it off. I was actually going on vacation in a couple days and I figured a week or so of rest swimming in the surf on the outer banks would fix me up A.O.K but when I got home from vacation my knee still wasn't right-so off to the orthopedic guy. He checked it out, asked me how it happened and pronounced it "torn meniscus"-standing up from a "catchers squat' is the classic cause of a torn meniscus. I worked through the fall with it-and that winter had the surgery and did the re-hab- that knee is now my GOOD knee!, lol.

what I notice now is- ladders fine, climbing straight up the roof---fine- but walking latterally across a roof steeper than 4/12 puts a twisting motion on my knee that they do not enjoy. working off of roof jacks on steep roofs, climbing from staging to staging- just fine- but any twisting motion in the knee- not good.

also-weight.- had this conversation a couple weeks ago with my oldest son. He is a distance runner, graduating from college in the spring---age 22 and this is the first time in 12 years that he hasn't been running/training full time. so I talked to him about watching that his weight doesn't start creeping up on him- but of course at his age he isn't concerned. I suggested that whatever he weighed THAT DAY- that is his line in the sand- he must not cross it- I pointed out how easy it would be to put on 1 pound a year-and by the time he is my age he would be 25 pounds heavier.- he wasn't impressed with that- so I took him down in the basement and had him pick up a 25 pound dumbbell from our weight set---- "do you REALLY want to carry around the equivalent of one of those every step of EVERY day, 7 days a week,24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year?"

his response?- "that would SUCK!!!!" then I pointed out that a LOT of guys my age-are carrying around TWO or THREE of those dumbells-every day!

I have a friend- he is about 3 years older. In college he was a DI college athlete- he now looks like the michlin tire man.- very nice guy- but he is carrying the equivalent of a bundle of shingles with him,every step of every day.

THAT, my friends ,is where I believe the knee trouble comes from.

i have a ways to go- but every 5-10 pound i drop I notice little things that i start doing again-that I hadn't done in years- it ain't the age as much as the weight. moves requiring agility/flexibility on the roof that you used to do all the time--- but didn't even notice you haven't done in a long time

Best wishes to all, stephen

woody, I have never had knee problems either, after 26 years on the roof, I am fine in the knee area.

stephen, not the wrong place at all, these guys should be working out and staying in shape and staying young!

I think roofing has been one of the best ways I have stayed in shape through the years. I have found that steep slope roofing has been better for me than flat roofing.

I don't mean to change the subject, but Stephen mentioned knee problems. Every time I see someone in roofing that I haven't seen for awhile they always seem to say "Still working up on the roof? followed by "how are your knees holding up?" But in almost 40 years of roofing I have never had any problems with my knees. I don't know if it's because when working tile there's rarely a need to kneel. You guys that have had knee problems, do you attribute them from working on your knees or from the workout they get from constantly going up and down the roof?

I guess I posted this topic in the wrong forum, huh! :)

Seriously- I envy those of you who have been able to stay in shape and keep the weight off, regaurdless of age.

My personal experience hasn't been as fortuneate. I have always figured I was in pretty good shape for a guy my age-especially compared to my peers with office jobs and whose idea of exercise is playing a round of golf or watching football on tv while pounding down cheeto's---- but I also know what I weighed around age 18-19-and I know i put on a pound a year or two pounds a year or three pounds a year-and you don't even notice it at the time- but 20 or 30 years later one day you weigh yourself and think WTF!!!!- man how did THIS happen???????

so- i found a plan on the internet that slowly takes you from NO running- to being able to run 3 miles at a time-it takes about 8-9 weeks to work up to it and a few weeks beyond that to get really comfortable at that distance.

with the swimming- it took about a month to be able to get up to swimming over a mile without stopping( I have always been a strong but slow swimmer)- once i got to those two milestones( run 3 miles,swim 1 mile)- everything took off from there. My agility improved tremendously-and any knee problems seem to have faded away.( I had surgery on one knee some years ago-and the other knee is not what I would like- but infinitely improved)

I don't want to be a bore on this topic-so I will leave off at this point except to say-it's almost like getting younger- except BETTER than getting younger. ( remember how dumb we ALL were when we were young?)- well we CAN regain a lot of abilities we used to have,only NOW we appreciate them,instead of taking them for granted.

my very best wishes to one and all, stephen

Gosh, that means I have about 21 more years to go! I weigh about 225 and that is too much for sure. I could stand tobe at 190 like I ws for about 20 years. Much easier on the knees.

my first boss was 65 when i started working for him died at 78 still roofin,thats old.I was with him until he was 70,talk about old skool ways... :lol:

Only 55? I do much the same and I am 57. We are really getting old Mike!

At 47 almost 48 i still ROOF,that keeps me in fine shape.

Huf, huf, huf, huf.......

I got tired just reading this thread.

"Round" is a shape!

Monday- put ladder up to roof, usually big house. Haul self and tools (up to 45 lbs.) up ladder as needed. Work 6 hours, Takedown ladder. Take dog for 2 to 3 mile walk. Shuffle run (to lesson impact) uphill sections while being towed by dog. She will only help pull me uphill if she's running.

Tuesday through Friday- repeat.

The reason there's sports medicine is so many people injure themselves trying to stay in shape. I avoid the risk that by not excercising.

Sunday-6 mile run Monday- 6 mile run-15 minute rowing machine Tuesday- 4 hours at my MMA gym, usually sparing with the pro fighters and amatures getting them ready for a their fights. Wed- 6 mile run-15 minute rowing machine Thurs-4 hours at my MMA gym, sparring. Friday- day off Sat. - 4.5 mile run - 3 hours MMA sparring.

I'm in better shape than I have ever been, I'm 45 this year beating up guys less than half my age that are professional MMA fighters. who would have ever thought I'd be doiung this at 45?

www.grandrapidsmixedmartialarts.com