Have you been more fit?

[fluxrad]

My girlfriend and I had an interesting conversation tonight that revolved around being fit. I just got done playing hockey with a bunch of 18 year olds that skated circles around me and was complaining to her when she posed the question: Are you more fit now, or when you were 18?

This question then boiled itself down to the basic: Have you ever been as fit as you are now? Assume that pre-puberty does not count and that we are going off things like weight/height ratio, caloric intake, whether or not you smoke, how much muscle mass you currently posses, etc.

For those of you who are no longer fit or were once more fit...when was it? I'm guessing for the vast majority of people who are no longer fit, their late teens were the fittest time in their lives.

[eric5148]

I judge my fitness level on how far I hit a golf ball. I'm longer than ever right now. And it's not the equipment, because it's based on how far I hit range balls with my irons.

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

I said yes, but I think it's kind of close. I think I was really fit at the end of my swim season in Junior year of HS (I guess that would make me 17) and I'm 20 now and I've been going to the gym pretty regularly for 6 months (and 4 times a week for 1.5 hours avg the past month).

[PokerBob]

I am 34. I was a runner in college and ran 60 miles/week. I am not as fit, and it's not close. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[willie]

i lifted a lot my senior year of highschool and got really big between my freshman and sophomore year....

then took almost 2 years off....

back into it and i've been goin hard for a month, dropped a bunch of bodyfat and i'm regaining strength steadily...

muscle memory kicks ass/

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

I don't think muscle memory A)Lasts 2 years without reinforcement B) Has anything to do with what you're talking about

But I've been wrong before.

[Reef]

I'm stronger than ever since I just keep lifting (age 20), but Vo2 max is nowhere near my former max.

[ethan]

I'm in decent shape now, but I was in better shape my senior year of HS cardio-wise. Of course, then I was playing varsity sports with practice 4 times a week, where practice meant running 1.6 miles as a warmup, 2 hours of drills/scrimmage, and 10-20 minutes of sprints. I'm in decent shape now - figure I could run that 1.6 is 12:30 without much trouble, but the same effort would get me 11:30 in HS. I was significantly slower than most in HS - the fastest times were around 8:00, and 9:30 was regarded as a pretty good time. Thank god I wasn't on varsity.

I can lift significantly more now than I could then, though.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
I judge my fitness level on how far I hit a golf ball.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awesome!

[UCF THAYER]

Senior year in high school i was all state swimmer. 5'10" 145 pounds. Now im a senior in college and weigh over 200.
I think im gonna die soon.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

I answered yes, but 4 weeks ago I would've said no.

[censored] real job.

-Craig

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I'd say I was the most fit at about 25-27, and the second most when I was about 40.

[LargeCents]

It's been a steady decline since around 19 years old. I was in various sports in high school, but only did sporatic intermural/pickup games in college. I was a runner most of my life, but injuries kept nagging at me until I eventually stopped running around 24 years old. Now, at 31, I still do a lot of bicycling, but it just isn't the same. I keep dreaming that I can recapture some of my lost vitality with effort and determination in workout/nutrition/etc, but maybe what's lost cannot always be found again.

[tonypaladino]

I've always been heavy. When I was 18 I was 5'10" and 250 lbs. Now I'm 21 and i float between 300 and 320. I'm in [censored] BAD shape. It sucks.

[PoBoy321]

When I was a senior in high school, I threw shotput and discus, ran at least 3 times a week and could bench over 300 lbs. Now, I'm lucky if I get out of bed before noon to sit around, watch TV and play cards all day.

[Blarg]

The way age works, most people who make it into their 20's will have to say yes, they used to be more fit. Simple dynamics of the situation.

I was at the height of my fitness in my early 20's, when being extremely athletic was very, very important to me, and I had been training very hard for years. I've gone in and out of some fairly drastic cycles since then, becoming very fit and very unfit(not so much to the eye, but just not eating right, working out, etc.). I've been letting sitting in front of the computer get to me for a while now and let me get very unfit, so I'm trying to come back from behind again to get in shape again. I doubt I'll ever be as purely physically fit as I was in my early 20's, have the same bone density, etc. I could perhaps be more "energetically" fit, though, and certainly have better nutrition, and be happier.

Unfortunately, there's a history of heart problems in my family, so letting fitness problems accumulate or putting them off into the future isn't very smart in my case. Time for me to get smart about taking care of myself more. My diet is already drastically better this year, and hopefully I'll be able to get into the groove on the rest.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
i lifted a lot my senior year of highschool and got really big between my freshman and sophomore year....

then took almost 2 years off....

back into it and i've been goin hard for a month, dropped a bunch of bodyfat and i'm regaining strength steadily...

muscle memory kicks ass/

[/ QUOTE ]

I always used to work biceps from the time I was a little kid because my arms were so skinny, and now, whenever I start lifting, my biceps grow much faster than anything else. Same with thighs -- used to do lots of squats and stuff, and now when I start lifting again, they grow so fast initially even though I'm the hardest gainer I've ever met that I can get small stretch marks. The other stuff comes along at the pace of a little old lady.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Senior year in high school i was all state swimmer. 5'10" 145 pounds. Now im a senior in college and weigh over 200.
I think im gonna die soon.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ouch. 145 is skinny for 5'10, and 200 is pretty hefty, though not crazy fat. The main thing is that 55 pounds is a lot of weight to put on in four years. COllege food and screwy sleeping schedules, not to mention partying, can really hit your health hard. Hopefully you'll clean up your act when you graduate and want to get your life on the road again. Hint: fat people get hired less.

[ChoicestHops]

Not really. Im not toned, but Im not fat at all. In junior high I was a pretty chunky kid, weighing about 180 at 5'10. Now Im 150. Im not in shape by all means though - the state has my drivers license right now so Im stuck at the house consistently. These days I drink, eat, and smoke alot but Im in the best shape Ive been.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
It's been a steady decline since around 19 years old. I was in various sports in high school, but only did sporatic intermural/pickup games in college. I was a runner most of my life, but injuries kept nagging at me until I eventually stopped running around 24 years old. Now, at 31, I still do a lot of bicycling, but it just isn't the same. I keep dreaming that I can recapture some of my lost vitality with effort and determination in workout/nutrition/etc, but maybe what's lost cannot always be found again.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can get a long way there with good nutrition. Even with not very good nutrition. Just doing something like cutting out soda and drinking more water can do a huge amount of good and help set your system right. All those little bad things we do to ourselves add up, and when we get rid of them, it nicely adds up the other way. We start to feel much better than we have in years and years.

I was feeling in miserable health for quite a while, but now that my body has readjusted to a more sensible diet, I feel great compared to how I used to. The feeling good just progressively built up as my body got used to not having so much crap in it. My vices: a gigantic soda habit and too much high-fat food -- lunch was usually junk food, and my biggest meal of the day. Now I've slowly readjusted to a diet that's not so disrespectful to my body and feel at least 10 years younger. That in turn has inspired me to get back to exercising more frequently, which is cool and helpful too.

But you can start really small and within a few weeks or months start feeling radically better.

[Blarg]

Remember that the shape on the outside doesn't always reflect what's going on inside you. My grandparents looked fine before and after their multiple heart attacks. That guy who popularized marathon running in America, Jim Fixx, died of a heart attack in what, his 30's? or early 40's? And the guy ran marathons! But inside, he was all f*cked up.

[HopeydaFish]

I was probably at my most fit last year (at age 29) when I totally changed my diet and started working out almost every day. I dropped about 25 pounds and felt great.

Then I started a new job and didn't have time to work out as much. I've gained about 10 pounds back, but I'm still in better shape than I was 2 years ago. My diet isn't as good as it was last year (fast food is starting to sneak back in once a week), but it isn't nearly as bad as when I was in College. In College I was living the "Super Size Me" diet -- I had McD's at least twice a day, 5 days a week.

The absolute best shape I have ever been in is when I was 16 years old and playing baseball. It was a very competitive team and we either played or practiced 7 days a week. I was also jogging quite a bit and didn't have any money for fast food, so I only ate the healthy food my mom cooked at home. I've been in a slow decline ever since.

[ChoicestHops]

I understand. I need to get in shape pretty bad. When I get my license back I plan on getting a gym membership and getting on some NO2. I don't think I can quit smoking, but I definitely need to change my diet and get in better shape.

I have to stop smoking by the time Im 25 though. Ive read statistics that if you quit before you're 30 lungs get cleared out and your chance of cancer drastically decreases.

[Blarg]

Yeah, you might as well try to get it done earlier. I bet it just gets harder to quit as you get older. Also, when you're young your body springs back so much more easily. Even in your 30's and 40's, it starts taking cuts longer to heal, hair grows more slowly, etc. Everything repairs more slowly. So the damage you do then will be both greater and harder to heal. All the tough stuff is much easier to do when you're young.

The nice side benefit of course is that you have a greater part of your life spent feeling better instead of worse, too.

What's NO2, anyway? Nitrous oxide? I don't follow.

[LargeCents]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Senior year in high school i was all state swimmer. 5'10" 145 pounds. Now im a senior in college and weigh over 200.
I think im gonna die soon.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ouch. 145 is skinny for 5'10, and 200 is pretty hefty, though not crazy fat. The main thing is that 55 pounds is a lot of weight to put on in four years. COllege food and screwy sleeping schedules, not to mention partying, can really hit your health hard. Hopefully you'll clean up your act when you graduate and want to get your life on the road again. Hint: fat people get hired less.

[/ QUOTE ]

I graduated high school weighing 135 on a 5'11" frame. Yeah you could identify most of the bones in my body with my shirt off. I was a "trim" 180 when I graduated college. I got up to 235 a few years after that. The last few years, I keep trying to get back to that 180, but it's a struggle. I usually languish around 200.

[Blarg]

Wow those are big changes. Good luck getting back to your ideal weight. I mostly think in terms of fat percentage instead of weight, myself. I don't care what I weigh if I'm healthy and trim.