Getting Started

Today was my second real workout on this road to health. This time, I'm determined to do this right. Ease into it a step at a time, not overdoing it, not sluffing it.

I got to the gym at 7:00am. Started stretching myself on "The Octopus's Nightmare". That's just my name for this contraption that turns you into a pretzel over and over again. In 10 minutes, you will find that you can stretch yourself in more ways than you ever thought possible. Any thoughts of dignity go right out the door. Pretty girls walk past with an expression of horror and fascination, grown men turn pale and shudder.

Then, once we're all loosey-goosey, it's time for the treadmill or recumbent bicycle. I think the recumbent bike ought to have a disclaimer on it... You'd think that because you're sitting down, it would be easier. It's not. The only advantage that I can find is that it doesn't put your balls to sleep after 1/2 hour in the saddle.

10 minutes of progressive interval training and on to the weights.

At this point, I'm just trying to get my body used to the idea of exercise again, so I'm not too concerned about what weights I'm handling; just focused on form

For most of my exerciese, I use a limited range of motion to keep strain off my joints. I have no interest in competitive weight lifting, so I simply don't care about full-range lifts. I care about keeping my shoulders, elbows and knees intact. I don't worry about lack of flexibility, not with all the stretching I do every day.

What most people don't think of, is that weight lifting, done correctly, is good for your cardiovascular system. So 10 minutes of aerobic may not sound like much, but that just gets the joints lubricated and warmed up.

I'm only using one set of each exercise with a weight that is heavy for me after 12 reps or so. This is a moderate workout, and I'll ramp up the intensity bit-by-bit each week.

In about 6-8 weeks, I'll be using really heavy weights for about 4 reps max. This is where the limited range of motion (2-4) inches really pays off. Well over 80% of all weightlifting accidents happen at the point of extreme stress on a joint. My solution is to never have the weight in this range in the first place.

I've been reading High Intensity Training by Ellsworth Darden and Static Contraction Training by Pete Cisco. Both stress the importance of short-duration, high intensity workouts designed to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers possible as quickly as possible. This is what fires up the metabolism and burns fat.

I'll be posting pictures and stats soon.