Personal Fitness Goals
The author sumiting Kebnekaise, 24 June 2003.
Kebnekaise is the highest mountain in Sweden at ~2,097 metres (6,879 ft). It lies in Swedish Lapland, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and west of Kiruna near the Kungsleden hiking trail between Abisko and Hemavan.
Introduction
I am putting myself on notice and declaring my 2025 fitness goals (perhaps slightly late already!)
First some context - I am no longer a spring chicken having turned 60 last year. I am a big guy and am about 12 kg / 25 lbs heavier than I want to be.
I sit at my computer all day for work, don’t walk enough, and my joints no longer sustain jogging / running. I can ride a bike without discomfort, and used to do the odd longer ride (~160km / 100 miles) for charity, but am now out of shape.
My goal is to build cardiovascular capacity, increase endurance, increase strength, increase flexibility / joint mobility and define a regime that complements my Taiji.
From a general health perspective, I am two years post full hip replacement and have dodgy knees, one of which had the meniscus removed following a sparring session that went wrong. I also discovered that my upper body mobility, particularly my right shoulder, is limited. The right shoulder issue might be due to an untreated skiing injury following a heavy fall.
I particularly want to be able to get up and down off the ground quickly, would love to be able to attempt a lotus position again (which I used to be able to do reasonably well), to sit back on my heels, and to do what I call a ‘fireside squat’ (again, something that used to be easy).
Are you saying that Taiji doesn’t keep you fit?
Maybe, if as in the old days, I walked every day for an hour to the park, trained for an hour, went to work and then trained another hour after work, and then walked home, I would have strength, stamina and technique.
Let’s face it I don’t, and won’t, and not many others do either.
I typically only train three hours a week as a student and teach for one hour. I also sneak in one hour a week of beginner Kung Fu when I can.
If I was teaching more than once a week, I think I would be in better shape. I find the continuous movement and the additional breath work associated with providing instruction raises a sweat and elevates my heart rate, more so than just attending a typical class.
My teacher gives lessons most days every week. She is older than me and she is very strong and flexible, with an amazing squat.
My ideal scheme would be to meet my fitness goals with my Taiji and Kung Fu alone, but that is not possible with the amount and type of training that I am doing.
Whilst I occasionally shuffle around the kitchen doing a bit of work on technique, I don’t train a lot at home on my own, as I do better in a group or coached setting.
So, I repaired to my local gym and enrolled in some 1:1 physical training sessions, so my Physical Trainer (PT) could build up a picture of my current capabilities and limitations and recommend a tailored plan for me.
I found a place close to me, but won’t name check them until I get approval.
The author and two friends having completed a charity cycle ride of over 167 km (100+ miles) in North Wales, 15 June 2019.
Personal Fitness Goals
After working with my PT for about six weeks I cobbled together the following ‘PFGs’ to be achieved by end of 2025.
Strength
50 press ups
50 situps
50 squats
10 chin-ups
For the press-ups, sit-ups and squats, I’ll be happy to achieve them in 5 x 10 reps initially. The stretch goal would be to do 50 in a single rep.
For the chin-ups, I have never been good at these and I initially thought about setting a target of ‘1’. To make it more of a challenge I have pushed it to 10
Mobility / Agility
Get up off the floor quickly and smoothly
Sit on my heels, a ‘campfire squat’
Sit cross-legged / lotus
A forward roll
A head stand
A hand stand
These might sound like modest goals, almost childlike, and were once things I could do with relative ease. But I guess as with all these feats of ‘athleticism’ once you stop doing them, you lose the ability to do them.
I guess I am trying to reverse ageing 👴🏻
The last three on this list are not without risk, and are most likely to lead to injury.
Stamina
Walk / hike 25 km (15.5 miles)
Cycle 160 km (100 miles)
I have been able to do both of these in the past, my last 160 km bike ride was a charity ride a few years ago now (2019), but I think it is achievable. The question is, will it be this year or next year? I did an untrained 60 km in September 2024.
Last time I hiked 25 km was a while back (2003). Admittedly it was in the Swedish arctic and I was carrying a pack with provisions for a week. Am a little worried about this one.
Routine at the Gym
I do two 1:1 PT sessions a week and one Mobility and Recovery class (M&R). This means I am now doing some kind of activity for 1-2 hours a day, five days a week.
Stretching / loosening up, which includes (I am going to get some of these terms wrong!)…
‘Sevens’
Worlds best stretch
Cat / Cow
Open / close
Shoulders (kneeling, wrists on the low bench, head between arms)
Hip flexor on the bench
Squat mobility
Strength…
The big rubber band thing in front of my chest, up and over my head, then behind my chest and back
Squats (usually reps of 10) - my technique is still awful
Press-ups (increasingly horizontal, reps of 10)
TRX rows (inclined pull-up, reps of 10)
Box step-up (24”, reps of 10, more reps on my ‘weak side’)
Finishing up…
‘Dead bugs’ (3-4 reps of 20)
Plank or side plank (30 second hold or 5-10 leg elevations)
The sequence and content will vary.
In M&R classes we do quite a bit of work with the ‘foam roller of death’ on the glutes, quadriceps and Achilles tendons. Rolling out my quads can be excruciating to the point of wanting to cry. There’s quite a lot of grunting and gasping at this part of the class!
The back gets similar treatment either side of the spine and around the shoulder blades.
The foam roller has a little evil baby sister, ‘the rubber ball of death’. This is used around the glutes too, particularly the sciatic nerve, and hard to find places around the shoulder blades.
Weekly Schedule
Here’s what my schedule usually looks like right now…
Monday: PT one hour
Tuesday: Taiji one hour; Kung Fu one hour
Wednesday: PT one hour
Thursday: Taiji one hour; M&R class one hour
Friday: day off, except once a month 3-4 hours Traditional Chinese Martial Arts teacher training
Saturday: Taiji one hour; teaching Taiji one hour
Sunday: day off
What does success look like?
Goals: I’ll need a bit of a makeover, but it’s good to visualise where you are going right? Image Getty / Unsplash.
With agreement from my PT, when I am ready, I am looking to swap in the occasional Strength and Conditioning Class and / or some BoxFiT.
Success looks like doing at least one long distance cycle ride this year, one 25 km hike and a high proportion of the ‘lesser’ achievements.
This needs to be done alongside my continued learning and practice of the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts.
Wish me luck!
