Water!

Wow, have I ever underestimated how much water it really takes to run a human body efficiently!
For the last two weeks I've been drinking over three quarts a day and its done wonders.

Our bodies are estimated to be about 70 to 80 percent water. Our muscles, lungs and blood are mostly comprised of water. Water regulates our body temperature, transports oxygen to our cells, cleans out impurities and believe it or not revs up the metabolism.

Without enough water, we become dehydrated, which reduces blood volume, that in turn means less oxygen is getting to our muscles. Unfortunately our bodies are slow to warn us of dehydration; the saying goes that if you're thirsty you're already dehydrated.

A good rule of thumb is to drink one half ounce of water for every pound of body weight. So while the old eight glasses that we're used to might work for many people, its not enough for the likes of a 200 lb guy like me.

So go ahead, have a glass of good clean water, or two or ten- its refreshing, cheap and really good for you!

How many reps and sets should I do

There is an old adage that more reps/less weight equals more fat loss and less reps/more weight equals muscle growth. While the former is true, there's some question about the latter; in fact studies have shown that using different rep ranges builds more muscle.

There's lots of routines that call for 5-8 reps, and many that call for 8-15. The correct answer though, is that both are right. In fact recently I've been varying my reps and I seem to be benefiting from changing it around. But here's what I do: I make sure to do about 25-30 reps total per routine. So if I'm doing 5 reps, I'll do 5 sets but if I'm doing 8 reps, I'll do 3 or 4 and so on.

Obviously if I'm doing more reps per set, I'm using a lighter weight than if I'm doing 5 reps. But one thing I try to focus on is not only the positive (lift) but also the negative (return). Especially on lighter weights, I'll lift quickly and forcefully, and then lower the weight slowly, focusing on the muscle in both directions.

For example If I'm doing a hammer curl, I'll literally imagine that I'm trying to hammer a nail in upside down in front of me  and push the weight accordingly. Then lowering the weight slowly, the muscle is still working on resistance, rather than letting the weight fall.

Try it- it makes a difference, and don't forget to have fun!

Yoga?????

Going to try some Yoga for real tomorrow. I've fooled around with it a bit lately, mostly when I have some time before a work-out and only by following pictures in a book, so who knows if I'm even close to doing it right.  But I am finding that 20 minutes or so seem to really help limber me up and my work-out is way more energized.

So, I'm going to my first ever class tomorrow evening and see if I can do some of the poses without making a complete fool of myself. If nothing else I'll learn the form and benefit from the stretching- we'll see.

Rotator cuffs- don't ignore them

Before I started exercising it seemed like I had to see my osteopath almost monthly. I'd pull my shoulder out or my hip and be in agony, until my doctor would straighten me out and align my frame. He'd always start with my feet and comment how one leg was longer than the other or some such stuff. Then he'd begin his manipulations and if I wasn't feeling better when I walked out of his office, I was by the next day.

Since I've been exercising regularly, I don't need to see my doc so often, but I do try to go every three months or so to make sure I'm keeping everything lined up. This is important for me, it's sort of a check in to make sure I'm in good muscle balance.

I went a few weeks for one such check in and actually had a shoulder that was complaining (an old injury that likes to flare up every now and then). He fixed me right up, but it made me realize that I had been forgetting to exercise my rotator cuffs. Its an easy thing to forget, they seem so insignificant but if your rotators are weak, it compromises other exercises too like bench presses.

Speaking of forgetting to exercise small muscles, there are others you shouldn't ignore. Here's a great link for how to exercise often forgotten muscles, including rotator cuffs.

Great to be back

After a two week respite it was great to get back to the gym. I didn't totally slack off while on vacation, (see my improvised work-out), but it sure is good to get back to some familiar routines.

That said, it's really important to mix it up too. Don't get stuck in the same old habits every time you exercise because you'll find that you plateau. Tony Horton's  P90X program gets it right on when he talks about muscle confusion. By mixing it up every now and then you continually challenge your muscles and get more out of your work-outs.

Speaking of that crazy P90X® I've been giving it a bit of a go and as hard as it is, I can't see how it doesn't work. Not sure I'll incorporate it yet, but if I do I'll be sure to report the outcome

Improvised work-out

So I've been on vacation and haven't gotten to the gym for over a week now. I've been working out using whatever I can find including everything from doing Russian twists using a small bolder to squats while holding a cast iron lawn chair.

It's amazing want you can still accomplish and I feel pretty wiped out from the hour I spent this morning. It may not have been a mega muscle work-out, but it sure worked my core.

No running lately though since I messed up my calf using those barefoot shoes. It was my own stupid fault for not breaking into it slowly.

The Big Five Oh

Well here I am the other side of 50, but only by a few days. I would have dreaded the day if I hadn't been been in better shape at 50 than I was at 30!

I anticipated my last work-out of my 40's and envisioned it as one of those super-powered work-outs that leave you on an adrenaline high for days. Ironically, it was nothing of the sort- in fact it was kind of flat, as was the first one as a fifty year old.  Well that's okay, it's pretty common to have one or two less than perfect work-outs from time to time. The main thing is not to beat yourself up about it do the best you can and enjoy the really great work-outs when they happen.

Happily, I was back on track today and enjoyed the gym so much, it was kind of hard to leave.

Lose your gut with squats

Visceral fat - the fat around the organs that's killing us off with diabetes, heart disease and cancer is hard to get rid of. You can do sit-ups till your blue in the face, but working your biggest muscles, i.e. your legs will help burn that fat off. For this I like the squats and done properly you can feel it in your quads, hamstrings and abdominal muscles.

Squats can be done a number of ways; with a barbell, with dumbbells, in a Smith machine to name a few. The important thing is to do them correctly. You have to squat down far enough so that your thighs are parallel with the floor. Try putting a bench there and lower yourself down onto it- preferably, just till your butt touches it. Then stand up again pushing yourself through your heels. There is definitely a potential for injury if not done correctly, so ask a trainer to help you before you try it.

Some people scoff at using the Smith Machine for squats, but I use it because I put my feet way out in front and keep my back vertical and my head up. With squats I aim for higher reps and less weight at first, then after a few sets, I'll up the weight and do less reps. Also, I'll try not to rest too much between sets like I would with other routines. I'll often follow a few sets of squats with leg extensions making sure to incorporate a drop set in there somewhere.

One things for sure, if I've worked really hard it makes me walk funny for a while after and I know I'm making progress.

More running

Ever since I can remember I've had people ask me "Are you related to Roger Bannister- you know,  the first person to run a four minute mile".

I'm not related, but I've often wondered if we share some distant ancestor. The ironic thing is that I'm not a even a good runner. In school I had the longest legs yet I was the slowest. I was pretty uncoordinated, but back then I also lacked the will or the competitiveness.

Now at 50, I seem to have found the will I never had and the competitiveness, although I'm mostly competitive with myself.  I'll never get close to what decent runners can do today, let alone the likes of my namesake. Its amazing to think that a 4 minute mile means running at better than 15 miles per hour and that even the best marathoners can keep up an average speed of better than 12 mph

Roger Bannister at age 80

I've tried cranking the treadmill up to 12 and its frighteningly fast, I'm too chicken to crank it up to 15 lest I make a complete fool of myself and fall off the end, but even if I could get there, I doubt I could maintain it for more than a few seconds

Sir Roger Bannister (he was knighted in 1975) completed the first sub four minute mile in May 1954. Since then, its been beaten 18 times by 13 people with the current fastest record of 3:43.13 being held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco (17 1/2 mph in case you wondered- I did).

I've only been running a week or two, but I'm going to keep at it. I won't even come close to a 4 minute mile, probably be lucky to get a 6, but I'll always be in awe of those runners who can maintain high speeds in distance running.

Drop sets

I love Sundays; its the day I can really work hard at the gym and spend the time I feel I need without worrying about getting to work on time. It's the day I can do sets and have enough time to fit in some drop sets to maximize intensity. Check out this great article at Bodybuiliding today on how drop sets can really benefit.

Russian Twists and Medicine Ball decline crunch

A quick visit to the gym this morning (an anomaly for Saturday) but got in 20 minutes of running and some core work.

Here's part of what I did:

Russian Twist: 

1. Sit on a mat and hold feet out in front, but elevated slightly off the ground (balancing on the butt)
2. Hold a medicine ball in front, and rotate shoulders to the left. hold the position for a breath then rotate to the right- hold again. (keeping feet elevated)
3. 3 sets of 30 reps - 15 per side 

Medicine ball decline crunch: 

1. Lie on a decline bench and secure legs in the end
2. Hold a medicine ball at chest
3. Push the small of back down against the bench so to isolate abdominal muscles
4. Contract abs and lift shoulders off of the bench, while simultaneously pushing the medicine ball towards the ceiling
5. Hold the position, then inhale and lower shoulders down at a controlled speed.
6. 3 sets of 30 reps.

A day off

Friday- This is one of the days I don't work -out, yet its just as important as the days I do. It's the day my muscles are sore and burning- when I know they're coming back stronger from the work I put them through the day before. (I can really feel that run from yesterday!).


Apparently, as you age your muscles need more time to recover. One of the things I was doing wrong when I first started working out was not giving them enough recovery time. For one thing, I was working every muscle every-time.


I've since learned that I was over-working my muscles and actually depleting them. Damaged muscle fibres require time to recover after each workout, so that they can repair and re-build in numbers. If you incorporate sufficient recovery time  into your program and your diet is feeding the nutrients your body requires, then muscle growth will happen.

Since I figured this out, I try to rotate work-out days to exercise different muscle groups but when I work that group I push really hard.For instance on my chest, I'll do 3 sets of single arm bench press, followed by a burn set, then  do three sets of single arm bench press fly's. Then I'll do the same two routines on an incline bench. Then cable fly's, dips and so on, till my chest feels like its on fire.

So today I'll relax! Tomorrow, I think I'll have another go at that Pike/rollout

Runs like a Teddy Bear

That's what my mum used to tell me when I was a kid and because she was right (think- tall lanky version of Winne the Pooh) I never embraced running the way some people do. So a little over a week away from turning fifty, I thought I'd give it another go.

My very fit wife- a really great runner was the inspiration for this latest punishment to my shins, and because we drove to the gym together and I was done with my work-out before her, I thought I'd run a mile on the treadmill and see how it felt.  "What the hell", I figured, "I can do 3 miles on the elliptical in less than 20 minutes- how hard can it be?" Turns out, its very different to the elliptical; first off, if you have no grace- like me, it really hurts your shins. Secondly, if you have no grace like me and you're a little over 200lbs, you tend to sound a bit like an elephant thudding around the place (or a giant bear).

Well, I persevered and ran just over a mile in about 10 minutes-(okay, that doesn't sound like a very fit man, but hey, I'm still carrying the teddy bear thing). The next time (last Tuesday), I decided to do it again and take some of my wife's advice about lowering your center of gravity and trying to land lighter etc and some of that other "barefoot" running stuff. The result- not bad, I made 2.1 miles in about 20 minutes.

Trouble is, I'm very competitive with myself- and once I do something, I just have to do it again only better and faster. Today, I made 2.4 miles in 20 minutes and I think, (though I cant be sure) that I was a bit quieter. And you know what, I loved it- I got into some kind of rhythm and I could see what people mean when they say it's so freeing. Not only that, but it warmed me up nicely for my weight lifting.

I think I'll keep up the running and will probably continue being obsessed with increasing the speed and form till I find the next craze, or at least till I run less like Winnie the Pooh.

Strengthening the Core and Improving Posture

At 6'-6" I've always had a tendency to stoop. In the last ten years or so, that stoop has become more of a slouch. Since I've been working out, I've focused hard on posture and core strength, but still have a ways to go.

I work-out at the gym three days a week, and try to do core work on two of the off days, making a total of 5 work-out days a week. If I'm not splitting firewood or digging the garden that is. But even at the gym I try to incorporate core exercises with all of my sets.

Here's one of my favorite exercises to strengthen core, abs hips and back- you don't need a gym for this one:


Plank: 

1. Start by lying face down on an exercise mat. Place your elbows and forearms underneath your chest.
2. Prop yourself up to form a bridge using your toes and forearms.
3. Keep your back straight and do not allow your hips to sag towards the ground (think plank of wood).
4. Hold this position and focus on tightening your abs until you can no longer maintain a flat bridge. You can start with 10 seconds and work up to 3 minutes. if that becomes too easy, try elevating your feet on a stool!
5. Remember to not let your hips and back sag. If you don't keep a straight line, it wont do much for you and you could injure your back

Side Plank:

1. Lie on your side with your right hand on an exercise mat. For beginners, you might want to begin this exercise on your elbow.
2. Lift yourself up to form a plank with your right arm straight and your left arm on your side.
3. Hold this position and focus on a straight line (plank of wood?) Repeat with the other side.
4. Remember to keep your body in a straight line, tightening your abs and butt muscles. You might want to start in front of a mirror to learn the technique.

It begins

Well actually, it began. A year and a half ago to be precise. At 48, I realized I was probably past the halfway mark. And at 6'-6" and 220lbs I wasn't exactly overweight, but let's just say I wasn't in as good a shape as I should be.

Although I'd had my intermittent bouts with the gym or the rowing machine, I'd never really stuck to any regular exercise program. As an owner of a construction company, my excuse was: "I work hard all day, I don't need to exercise." But as my company grew and I found myself in an office chair more and hauling lumber around a job site less... well you get the picture.

So I set out on a goal that I hoped would make me stronger, healthier and less prone to injury. One of the biggest problems was how to make time to stick to a regular program. For me, this was more about organizing my time than a lack of commitment to health.

One thing I know about myself is that I absolutely hate letting other people down by missing appointments or even being five minutes late. This obsessive behavior actually made the solution simple; I made an appointment with a one on one  trainer, but not just one appointment, I made many- twenty in fact.

This accomplished two things; the first that I would be making a habit of working out at the same times every week, a habit I hoped would be hard to break. The second was that I was not only developing a habit, but also my supremely qualified trainer was helping me work good training habits into my muscles.

I'm not a wealthy man and one on one training can get expensive, especially if its a couple times a week. So once I'd developed a habit of working out, I got a gym membership and supplemented with more days.

Now I'm a regular at my local club, and missing a work-out day rarely happens.