Getting in shape

I'm not an expert at getting in shape but I have done it.

I spent the better part of the last 10 years in and out of shape. I'd join the gym on the first of January like half the men in this part of the world. By the end of that month I'd be sitting on a membership that I didn't use.

I've also read all the books on goal setting and personal fitness. Diet books and exercise books. I know quite a bit. But despite all that I was still pudgy. (I was fat). I used the standard excuses as to why. First. "Ah. It's not that bad. I still have time to get in shape." Then I switched to the "I just don't have time." I never got to the "big boned" because I knew down to my core that bone density has nothing to do with it. I also skipped the "My parents were heavy it must be genetic." That one never passed the buck for me. Height and limb length are genetic and to some degree so is muscle configurations but fat is basic. Food in - exercise = fat stored. It is purely nurture. You learn to eat from you parents and so if they have a lack of control chances are you do too.

So what did it take?

Ok so I started like all, with good intentions. But I didn't really have goals. I said I wanted to be in shape. I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to have muscles. Nothing specific, nothing measured. And nothing worked.

I read somewhere that a journal for eating and working out is crucial. So I started keeping one in a little notebook. Then I moved it to an agenda, and eventually a Palm Pilot. All had some good effects. I would work out a bit longer and I would track my goals. What little I had.

Then I noticed something. All the personal trainers in my gym (no my trainers) had their clients progress on one piece of paper. One for the whole client. All their exercise and such on one piece.

I wondered if that would help, so I went out and bought a cheap clipboard and constructed a workout plan that would fit on one piece of paper. It had a
section at the top for writing my goals, and a table with short forms names of the exercises I was to do.

Down the left side I had the numbers 1 to 31 for each day of the month. Oh I also had the name of the month at the top and an extra row at the top and bottom for my start values and my goals.

And it worked.

Now I had a system but would it work? Well it did! I started lousing weight and getting stronger. Each time I worked out I saw what I had set as my goal for the end of the month. That's as far as I wanted to "dream". I looked at my start values and added a couple pounds or meters on for the end of month goal. When I worked out I would be able to do two things. 1 See how often I worked out in the month. 2 See how much further I had to go to get my goal.

In the space at the top that I set aside for my goals I first wrote "Work out 3 days a week" At first I didn't hit that very often. Eventually though I did. It took two months but I managed a consistent 3 days a week. Then I set it at 4 days a week. This I managed right away. Well almost. One week I only made it twice. Bad week. So I reread my goal and well it's been 3 months since I've missed doing 4 days a week.

How and why it works. My theory

Because it's always in my face. That's it I think. I leave the clipboard near my front door so I see it all the time. At the gym I have no question of what needs to be done. I have some options but once I've selected to do a workout I know exactly what I need to do.

The goals are easily and repeatedly measured. Each time I go to the gym I see my goals and I can see where I've been and what I have to do to get to my goal. The figures are all numbers so I know if I got it or not. Not almost or about right. Right or Not right. That isn't to say I've hit all my goals but at least I know what I have to do when I'm going for them.

The goals are realistic. I know that eventually I want to be the guy with the sculpted body who easily benches 100lbs dumbbells. But for now I just want to be able to lift 10 lbs more than what I started lifting at the beginning of the month. Oh just to point out I started at 40 and I'm now at 75lbs.

Here's my workout.

Word document

You'll note I have a couple bold headings:
BACK, CHEST & TRI, LEGS, BAG and FOOD
The back, chest, legs, and bag are all workouts. Oh and so is the run. (though it is actually an elliptical trainer)
The different splits aren't really that important, only that there are splits. Any good workout coach will tell you, you need to rest. Do one "section" a day each time you work out and switch sections every time you work out. This will give your body at least 72 hours to rest for each muscle group.

If you want to follow this program to the letter. I suppose you'll need to know what all the elements are.

BACK
Wide pull down. This is a wide grip pull down. on_the_web

Low Row This is also called the Low Pulley Row on_the_web

Chop. I don't really know any other name for this. Nor could I find it online..

Basically I use a cable at the lowest position and stand at about a 45 degree angle to the handle. I grab hold and with a strait back pull up and across my body. This is a gross motor exercise that works my back and oblique's. It also hits my shoulders a bit. Be careful not to strain or use too much weight. This one could cause injury if done wrong.

Bi. This is short for Biceps curl. I do alternating curls here.
Grab two dumbbells and raise one at a time to your chest.

CHEST & TRICEPS
BP Bench press. You can choose to do this with Dumbbells or a bar. Heck even a machine. I'd suggest the Dumbbells, more muscles are called into play, because of a need to balance the weight. You'll do quite a bit less lbs with these than with the bar or machine but the weight isn't important, as long as it's going up.

Inc Inclined bench press. Find a bench where your head is above your hips and poof you're inclined.
This works the top of your chest and some of your shoulders.

Dec. Decline bench press.

Dip This can be a bench dip or a machine dip. on_the_web

Tri Ex Triceps Extensions. I personally like the cable version of this because it isolates, and at this time in the workout isolation is all I have left.

LEGS
Squt. The squat is a complex
movement. Not just bend down and push up. It takes more to do this than the leg press and calls into a bunch of muscles for balance. I like a more rounded look so I tend towards the balancing movements. Because this is a complex and potentially dangerous exercise I suggest looking into how to do it correctly.

crl The leg curl machine is a great tool for hitting the hamstrings and butt.

Ex. The leg extension machine hits your quads and is nice as a finishing move. Because it
isolates so much though I'd not use it exclusively.

Calf. Any form of calf raise will do though I much prefer the standing version. It makes more of your muscles work, though really it just doesn't hurt the tops of my knees like the sitting ones.

BAG
This is an interesting split that I think most will omit. I looked around for the body I wanted most and to be honest it's a boxers body. I know how to punch from some martial arts training and figured I could always get better. So I started working on a heavy bag. I do this workout as a circuit training thing. I hit the bag for 2 mins then I do crunches and then skip for two minutes. (Well I try. I usually trip on the rope). I do 3 or 4 turns of this and get amazing cardio workout.

The run well that's easy. I run and record how far I make it.

FOOD
I record bullets on what I ate or what I plan to eat. The H2O gets a check if I drink my 8 cups and an X
if I don't.

Well that's it, I suppose.

Seeing as I don't believe in luck. I'll only wish you this. Be successful.