Initial Physical Conditioning For SCA Combat - Aka TFOMP The
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2001 4:41 pm
INITIAL PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR SCA COMBAT
Aka TFOMP! THE FAT OLD MAN PROJECT
3/17/2001 By Richard Blackmoore.
WARNING: I know there are some typo's and badly phrased sentences, I will try to clean this up as time allows. I wrote this Saturday night while unable to sleep.
This is a brief review of one fat old SCA knight's approach to initial physical conditioning after an extended layoff, with an eye towards attaining a level of fitness suitable for entry level SCA combat. In this case, the subject is myself. The training described is not necessarily the best possible solution for anyone else. This review is not terribly scientific, but I did promise a basic review of my initial attempt, so here goes. I hope some of you find it helpful.
The bottom line? I started working out around the first week of February 2001:
STARTED WORKING OUT EARLY FEBRUARY:
6' tall and 40 year's old.
244 pounds
30.5% Body fat (Avg. 30% to 31% pinch measurements, confirmed by electronic)
Weak as hell, out of breath easily, did not fit in armour or my good clothes, recovering from laziness, stress, pneumonia and an utter lack of exercise or proper nutrition.
PROGRESS BY MARCH 17:
6' tall and 40 year's + 1 ½ months older. (yeah! I did not shrink.)
235 pounds
24% Body fat (Avg. 23.5% to 24.5% pinch measurements, confirmed by electronic)
Much stronger with better endurance, I fit into my armour as well as some of my old clothes. My stomach and love handles are still too damned big and fat, but I have the beginnings of a chest and my calves and arms are looking acceptable again. Won all the tourneys at yesterday's small local fun tourney event. Admittedly, I was the only knight there and the competition was not tough, but hey, it's progress considering I had not fought in over two and a half years and I had one quick practice first with a fighter essentially fighting at newbie level).
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES:
One Gym membership to a club with free weights, machines, aerobic machines and a small pool.
Miscellaneous shorts, gym shirts and pants, etc. All 100% cotton and comfortable.
Swim trunks.
Harbinger Ultimate workout gloves with tech gel.
Wrist wraps for trapezius shrugs.
Everlast heavy bag gloves (Not the best, but already owned them).
Omron Body Fat Analyzer Model HBF-300 to supplement gym's pinch calipers.
Home scale calibrated to match the gym's scale.
Better food and drink.
Lots of reading of magazines and body building books.
Protein Supplements (powdered form to make shakes).
Flax Seed Oil Capsules.
Centrum Vitamins (the one a day type).
The specific diet, exercises chosen, number of sets, reps, and the like shown, are not static, they are altered and adapted on an ongoing basis in order to better suit my personal needs and preferences. They are also modified unintentionally by changing real life schedules, snowstorms, business trips, lack of willpower on some days and ongoing education as to the best possible diet and schedule, which interfere with my idealistic plans and often naive expectations. I am no longer twenty, naturally powerful, able to drink tall beers and eat large pizzas and remain fairly fit with little exercise.
Any training plan needs to address the individual's age, natural body type, physical height, weight, bone density and strength, current base conditioning level, cardio respiratory condition, physical limitations/handicaps/injuries and willpower.
Your ability to make time for the desired workout plan to be implemented is crucial. A plan that requires 6 days a week is great, but it won't work for you if your job and domestic obligations simply don't allow time for that schedule to be consistently met.
If you lack the willpower to follow a sensible eating plan or to go to the gym even when your schedule does allow, you are doomed from the start. Choose a starting workout schedule and diet plan that your real life commitments will allow you to meet. Be serious about it, enjoy it and you can expand your workout and commitment to healthy eating as your schedule allows and your desire grows.
Nothing breeds enthusiasm and dedication as much as success does, so choose a plan that is not unrealistic. As your progress continues, you may find yourself willing and able to take on a more ambitious plan. Most people fail because they set unrealistic immediate goals for themselves and give up before giving themselves a real chance. The first two to four weeks are crucial, for most people, they never get over that initial hump, where nothing seems to work right and everything is hard.
BACKGROUND:
I am 40 years old and had not fought since early 1998, a little over two and a half years. I had not worked out at all in at least five years and has not seriously gone to the gym for much longer than that. I had developed extremely poor eating habits and found my health and physical conditioning levels to be generally declining, not solely due to the aging process. I have been working a very stressful desk job, allowed mundane personal disasters to distract me, I am raising a young daughter and rebuilding my house. In the fall of 2000, I developed pneumonia and was ill right through early winter. So much for the excuses. That is exactly what they are, excuses. I can complain all I want about personal difficulties that can easily be used as excuses for letting my body fall apart and that is exactly what I did. Nothing is more important than your health, for without it, you cannot take care of your obligations to family, friends and employees. It's hard to make a difference if you're dead or constantly tired, weak or depressed. Physical conditioning does not only make you stronger, it makes you feel physically better and mentally sharp.
Not everyone can find time for the program I chose, not everyone can afford a home gym or a club membership. Everyone can find some time to exercise and it does not take any longer to prepare healthy food. It is a matter of willpower. I tend to be an all or nothing type of person. I either devote my full energy and resources to something or I neglect it utterly. This is great when you are trying to do something difficult and you are giving it your all. Unfortunately, I spent much of the last decade in the neglect it utterly mode where my physical condition is concerned.
After recovering from the pneumonia, I decided to take stock of myself. My notes from the gym's physical trainer and my own notes show that at the beginning of February 2001, I weighed 244 lbs on average (men's weight can easily fluctuate 2 to 5 lbs a day when you are big and fat, so averages are important). My body fat % was approximately 30.5% (Generally reading 30 to 31 using the pinch measurement, this was borne out by electronic measurements done a week later), which is very bad. The very high side of the "normal" range for a non-athletic, but "healthy" adult male is generally accepted to be about 24%. I am 6' tall, I have always tended to carry the bulk of my fat in the belly, love handles and lower back areas. I was fat enough that even though my build conceals some of it (I have broad shoulders and a naturally small butt) that my entire back was flabby and I had developed fat deposits in my upper legs, upper back and chest as well. My stomach was embarrassing. My upper arms and shoulders had become small, flabby and weak, my chest was all flab and my lower back was incredibly weak. The only "muscular" parts of my body were my calves and forearms, but their size did not reveal the true level of muscular weakness that existed or the level of fat deposits that had accumulated in the thighs and upper arms.
The only part of my body that had retained any of its inherent power was my calves, but even those had become pitiful my standards. In terms of aerobic/cardio, I would get winded just going up stairs or playing with my 4 year old daughter. Of more concern was the rapid heartbeat that would occur from minimal exercise. While my blood pressure was in the normal range, it was on the very high side of normal. I would be huffing, puffing and red in the face after minimal aerobic activity. The barely normal blood pressure was more lucky genetics than anything else, I certainly had not eaten right or gotten enough exercise to justify it. Under stress at the office, my blood pressure would sometimes spike and I was starting to get headaches.
My friends sometimes told me I was not fat, just that I had a beer gut and 40 year old paunch. Problem was, I was in worse shape then they or I realized fully. I was weak, tired constantly and was not even drinking beer. I was over the edge into the dangerous 40 year old heart attack category in terms of fat, cholesterol, etc. The fact that my family background probably gives me a genetic predisposition to be able to avoid heart attacks and eat badly without cholesterol being at a record horrible level, does not mean it is smart to push my luck.
I am lucky in that I have only minor physical problems and restrictions. I was born pigeon toed and with a pair of shortened Achilles tendons. These conditions and many years of being trained to walk with straight feet, caused some minor cartilage damage/loss in both knees. The shortened Achilles used to make me walk on my toes and risk injury during heavy lifting. In my twenties I blew one knee up while playing racquetball after doing some heavy lifting, that is how I found out about it. I had minor on and off pain before, but I ignored it. Years of wearing sports orthotics, proper stretching and awareness have allowed me to work around the conditions. Basically I have to avoid heavy repetitive impact exercises (running on hard surfaces, no problem, I hate running) and severe twisting of the knee when tired, I have to do a lot of stretching of the hamstring/legs before serious exercise and finally no free weight deep squats past a 90 degree bend at the knees.
I have some damage to my right hand's nerves and index finger/thumb joints due to old SCA fighting injuries (broken thumb, re-broken thumb, damaged joints and nerve damage at the base of the thumb). The only blessing to the two year layoff is that my hand problems are at an all time low and working out with decent gloves has (so far) not been a problem at all. The problem used to manifest itself as sharp, stinging pain or a weak grip, usually after vibration through a sword grip or blocking a single blow (or shot to a steel gauntlet). Annoying, painful, hardly the end of the world though, I know many people that work around much more pain in the hands, elbows and shoulders than I have to deal with.
I have chronic stiffness of the lower back. According to Dr.'s this just a minor annoyance primarily due to my physical build. It is overcome by stretching and exercise.
My bones have always been strong and relatively dense (old measurements designed to check bone density/weight had confirmed this, basically a combination of immersion testing for body fat % and body fat weight in the 1980's) and I have no reason to believe that had changed as my poor diet was nonetheless full of calcium, vitamins and protein. Yet the body fat ration indicated what I had feared, I had become a fat old man. I missed being in shape, I wanted to fight again, I wanted to play with my daughter, work in the yard, get involved in other athletic pursuits and enjoy marathon sex with my wife without tiring, etc. Thus this informal experiment began. I call it TFOMP! The Fat Old Man Project.
SETTING GOALS:
I decided that I would concentrate on short and mid range general and specific goals and only look so far into the future in terms of what I wanted to accomplish.
A) The immediate short term general goal was to choose and implement a balanced program of exercise and sensible eating that would result in generally improved overall physical health.
The specific goals this encompassed were, in no particular order:
1) Reduce my body fat % to at least the normal range for an adult male (12% to 24%). This would reduce the burden all that excess fat was placing on my cardio pulmonary system and joints, improve endurance and self esteem and from an SCA perspective allow me to eventually fit into my old brigandine without feeling like a sausage. Be able to be in armour comfortably no later than late March, early April in terms of fitting into something and being able to fight without falling over from lack of wind or dead arms.
2) Recondition my bodies' joints, tendons and ligaments to the rigors of physical strength training. This is crucial to allowing one to progress without injury.
3) Increase my levels of lean, dense muscle mass. This would both allow me to redevelop strength and to a degree my old speed. Just as important, the increased muscle mass consumes calories whether you are awake or asleep, this contributes to the goal of reducing body fat.
4) Improve my pathetic level of cardio pulmonary conditioning. This would not only help me to live longer, it allows for greater endurance in all athletic endeavors and once again helps to achieve the goal of reducing body fat.
5) Be able to fit into street clothes other than my fat man suit or workout/gym clothes.
B) The mid range general goal was to start to build additional muscle strength, speed and flexibility in specific body areas and muscle groups and to start sculpting my body into a specific form and overall shape that would lend itself to SCA combat and general athletic pursuits. Some body parts should be ready for this after only a few months, others may require a good year or more before enough mass, strength and speed has been developed for this to matter.
Some of this is a matter of personal vanity, building towards a particular body self image that would also complement the appearance that I want for myself, not purely a matter of functionality. Some of the things that I contemplate are more for self image and happiness rather than being required for success in SCA combat.
The specific mid term goals are:
1) Build a symmetrical body type within the limitations of my existing bone structure and genetic pre dispositions. I am fortunate enough to have long muscle bellies in some key areas, this allows me to build towards a V - shaped upper body, with powerful upper back, chest, trapezius without much difficulty in terms of the upper torso.
This is complemented by having strong shoulders, mine tend to get strong, but I have trouble building mass in the side and rear deltoids. A lot of the SCA usable power comes from or is driven through the upper back and chest muscles. Some of the power and a lot of the control and ability to redirect power comes from the shoulders, the front deltoid in particular. Strong arms don't do much if they are connected to a weak shoulder/chest/back. For two handed weapons, a strong upper torso that remains flexible is a tremendous advantage, especially for muscular pole arm strength moves. I want to be sure that the short term mass building goals create bulk growth in the upper torso, back and shoulders, giving me a base to build a balanced physique from, without weak areas or gaps.
2) Develop power, not size, in the lower back, abdominal muscles, internal and external obliques in order to be able to throw SCA blows, duck, bob and weave effectively with power driving through my legs, hips and torso without losing that important connection in the torso. I want to be able to use boxing and martial arts avoidance techniques and moves. A torso that is flexible and strong, due to a solid lower torso and back is the missing link in most SCA fighters that have otherwise developed upper bodies. When fighting on your knees or with two handed weapons, two sword or in a style that requires a lot of fast controlled movement, lower torso strength and flexibility is a key element lacking in most fighters which they come to miss. This body area is the one that helps with self image, it is what allows you to have that classic wasp waisted, v-shaped Steve Reeves upper body that looks good in and out of armour. It does not help to have a big powerful chest and set of arms if your beer belly is sticking out in front of it.
I unfortunately am somewhat naturally barrel chested, my abdomen tends to protrude slightly even when fit and the last place I lose unwanted body fat from is the lower belly and over my external obliques. So losing that last vestige of flab requires commitment to proper eating, not just exercise. Spot reduction is a myth. I can have very solid muscles underneath my stomach flab.
3) Build powerful legs and lower back to support the overall build. My calves normally bulk up and get strong fast so I am not to worried about those, they will generally get large and defined as a by product of just the short term goal's basic workout regimen.
Due to my minor restrictions with Achilles and knees I can still build power in my quadriceps fairly fast, but I am somewhat slowed down by not being able to do the free weight squats, I tend to use the Smith Machine to do a partial free weight movement but only to 90 degree bend of the knees. This partial range restriction not only slows muscular development but also can result in the quadriceps not developing 100% normally. The Achilles can make the hamstring exercises annoying, so I have to be careful with those and bulk and power do not come naturally to them as they do to my quads and calves, but once I warm up I can do heavy weights as the muscles allow without incident. My goal here is power and endurance more than extreme mass.
For SCA combat there is not real advantage to large quads/calves/hamstrings, just powerful ones. Building bulk in the quads and hamstrings is not a high priority as long as they continue to get strong and remain large enough to give me overall body symmetry for vanity reasons.
4) Arm strength, speed and power. Assuming the rest of your body is fit as described above, the arms are the most misunderstood part of SCA fighter anatomy. Fighters with strong, flexible arms that can move fast have a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Many people equate size with power. They could not be more mistaken. There are guys in the gym with arms almost have my size who are able to move significantly more weight or to move light weights faster than I can currently. While size can be an indicator of power, it is in my case, I naturally bulk up when getting stronger, especially in my forearms and triceps, everybody is different. Speed is also misunderstood.
You need a certain amount of strength to move an object of X weight at X speed. That being said, the type of musculature you develop has a bearing on speed. Not all muscle fiber is the same. Much of this is genetic. Some people have an abundance of slow twitch muscle fiber and are predisposed to lifting heavy weights, when they work out, they tend to build these slow twitch fibers more easily and can lift heavier weights, but this does not mean they will necessarily be able to move a sword much faster. Often it leads to tremendous muscle endurance and power, just not blinding speed. This endurance allows you to fight consistently and for much longer periods of time, resulting in better training sessions and the ability to participate in endurance format competitions (long tourneys, resurrection battles, etc.).
This is very apparent in the arm and shoulder muscles. Others have more fast twitch muscles which allow the muscle to contract faster and therefore naturally move a weapon faster, assuming the muscle's overall strength allows that weight to be moved in the first place. Those with fast twitch muscles often tend to develop both types of muscles when they work out, enabling them to build power, speed and endurance.
Those with a preponderance of fast twitch, may find they can build more speed, but not the bulk, power and strength of those with more slow twitch. Others have an exquisite balance of both. Think of the boxing mid range weight classes, with refined bulk, speed and power, they tend to have an excellent genetic balance of both muscle fibers, that they enhance through lifting both heavy weights slowly for strength an alternating with light weights with lots of reps to enhance the fast twitch muscle fibers along with high speed light and heavy bag work and flexibility training. While training in particular ways can help to compensate for a lack of either type of fiber, if you understand your body's genetic predisposition's, advantages and limitations, you can set up a training program to maximize your potential. Most people tend towards a mixture of the muscle fibers, as a very bad generalization, the naturally bulky, muscled people have a lot of slow twitch and the naturally wiry have a lot of fast twitch. Poor conditioning easily can mask your natural type, so if you want to be a thin wiry guy or a big hulking presence, you may be able to, but if you have never really been in shape, it is hard to know what your natural tendencies are.
This is a generalization, but most SCA fighters are so out of shape, that is more important to build strength and some mass than to worry about speed initially. Once again, it depends on the fighter. Very few SCA fighters should worry about being muscle bound. While having huge muscles can slow you down, it rarely reduces flexibility, it usually increases it. Most SCA'ers are so lacking in basic muscle mass and muscle strength, they could put on many pounds of muscle and see both strength and speed gains before ever having to worry about losing speed due to bulking up "too much".
For myself, I have naturally big forearms, especially the rear half. I would guess my forearms are bigger than many in shape fighters and they have a developed appearance even when they are weak. My mid range goal with the forearms are to make them more powerful and build the twisting portion of the muscle that helps with off side blows (found on the inside of the forearm near the elbow), to build strength in the wrist and front half of my arms where they are very weak. My wrists while large, have never been as strong as others my size and condition without a lot of training on top of the normal arm workouts and my hands have strong palms, but thin fingers for their size, so I will need to do extra training for these weak points once general mass has been built in the arms.
My biceps by this point will hopefully have some mass and power, they develop much slower than my triceps and forearms, I would want to start seeing definition of the multiple heads and to be able to start weak point training of them for extra power and endurance, not worrying too much about mass except for vanity's sake. If I don't make an effort bulk the biceps a bit, the triceps, shoulders and rear forearms will rapidly obscure them resulting in an appearance issue.
Triceps are an extremely underrated muscle group. For SCA combat they not only allow for tremendous increases in control, they allow the arm to through descending shots with incredible speed and power. While good form will result in good power, the triceps allow descending and off side shots to accelerate and follow through. If your upper arms are tiring during combat, it is probably your triceps that are letting you down. They also account for much more of the arms overall mass than the biceps, from a vanity point of view, if you want big arms, the triceps are what give you that overall "manly man" bulk, the biceps are more the eye candy that give you the nicely accented top of the arm for shape. Biceps do a lot of work on rising blows, shield raising for defense and blow recoveries, but triceps do much more of the offensive sword and pole arm work as well as powerful downward parries.
My mid range goal with the triceps is to be sure that I am working the muscle in its full range, to enhance definition so that I can identify which parts are not being fully developed and therefore are not as strong as I would like. Once I have the mass, I want to train them for additional speed, along with the biceps using high rep, low weight techniques and supplemental speed and heavy bag work.
5) Develop additional speed through speed training of my arms and legs, the ability to sprint quickly for short distances without being winded (in and out of armour), improve overall flexibility and reduce body fat to a percentage more in line with a modern athlete rather than that of a normal forty year old healthy male. Improve my overall health and dietary habits to reduce the likelihood of illness or infirmity due to advancing age.
WHAT I DECIDED TO DO ABOUT IT:
Any gym will tell you that you should consult a physician before beginning an exercise regimen. I normally discount this, but now that I am older, had an extensive layoff from physical conditioning and had just recovered from pneumonia, I decided that seeing a physician was a very good idea. For anyone else who is extremely out of shape or who has not exercised heavily before, this is probably excellent advice that you should follow. One caution, Dr.'s often are out of touch with body/strength building. Their conception of health may not be what you and I want.
Since I had to get a follow up X-ray and checkup after the pneumonia anyway, I simply combined the visit with a full checkup. During the visit I confirmed that my blood pressure was barely in the normal range (but not exactly healthy, this is normal for a 40 something American Male), my lung capacity was low but there was not permanent damage, my cholesterol was high (no surprise there) and that I was generally in lousy condition. While he did not put any limits on physical exercise, I got the usual lecture about taking it easy, start gradually and radically alter my diet. OK, green light for the madness to begin.
I had already joined a gym a year earlier, for what my daughter's swim lessons had been costing me, I was able to get a couple's membership at a local club that was on my way home from work, and it had a small pool where my daughter could swim with us as much as she wanted instead of once a week. I had not however, used the gym except to occasionally swim with my daughter.
If you are looking for a gym, I generally recommend Gold's Gym/World Gym/Bally's and the like. Avoid small gyms that just started up, they tend to go out of business fast and take your money. If you do sign up with a gym like that, do it on a payment plan, don't give them a lot up front. If you buy a membership in the off peak season's, you can often get a good deal and get a monthly payment plan so you don't have to cough up a huge chunk of change in advance.
A gym with a pool is a good idea, many people will swim when they don't feel like doing other exercises and it is good, low impact exercise. It is also fun. Many serious bodybuilding gyms unfortunately do not offer pools. A gym with a whirlpool, Jacuzzi, sauna or steam room can be very attractive to those with physical impairments or to help ease the discomfort that can accompany sports injuries or general workout blahs, stiffness, etc.
I find that while multi purpose clubs like mine that also offer racquetball, tennis, handball and the like do not make much of a difference for me, for others they can make the difference in terms of motivation, auxiliary exercise and to get other members of the family engaged in regular exercise. It is always easier to get into shape if you have your significant other's support and active engagement in the process. Also, once you start getting into shape, you start being concerned about the condition of those you love, so you start wanting them to exercise as well. Be careful with this, don't preach. It is kind of like the former smoker who beats on everybody not to smoke. They can be really annoying without meaning to be.
Back to my story. The gym I joined cost $88.00 a month for two adults, and my daughter can use the pool and day care facilities at no extra charge. I has a small pool, secure locker room area, food counter with fresh food, physical trainers available for a fee, massage also and a full complement of free weights and Cybex/Nautilis/Body Master/Hammer Strength and other machines. It has an aerobic workout room and programs for those that want it and the usual treadmills, stairmasters, bikes, elliptical machines, gravitron etc.
The hours are not ideal, they close at 9:00 on Friday, 9 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. Due to the fact that I am not a morning person, like to see my daughter after work, the early Fri/Sat/Sun closings can be a problem. Most bodybuilding oriented gyms have better hours, but don't offer the full range of facilities and "optional" items such as the tennis that mine does. Find a gym that suits your purposes. If you are a morning person, most offer early hours workouts.
So now I had a gym. I knew I wanted to eventually be using free weights as my primary strength building foundation. Why? I like free weights, they generally allow you to build mass and strength faster than any other approach, while forcing you to develop control as your muscle groups have to work together for stability and control. Many machines are either not very adjustable or force you to use angles or motion patterns that are not ideally suited to your height, build, limb size, etc. They often force you to use both arms or both legs together, so that your weak arm or leg is not forced to work as hard as your good one, leading to asymmetrical development.
When using machines, I tend to prefer those that use free weight plates and simply let you work muscles at angles that a bar or dumbbell simply won't allow, while these are still machines, they are very useful and really considered to still be part of a free weight program. Many companies make good free weight oriented machines, including Hammer Strength, Body Master and others. Some companies make both types.
Many of us tend to use the word machines to describe the non-free weight devices from such companies as Cybex/Body Master/Nautilus that lift weight plates using cables, belts or chains. Those type of machines can also be useful, especially for abdominal obliques (internal and external) and leg curls/extensions and I use them in my routines in order to avoid certain injuries due to my knee/Achilles minor problems.
Machines have their uses, even in advanced routines, especially for isolating specific muscles or groups, working a weak side limb/muscle, they also allow you to work out with greatly reduced risk when working out alone as they provide auto-spotting (no one has to be there to help you when your muscles work to the point of failure and don't let you get the weight back on the rack or floor without hurting yourself).
For many people who have not been exercising at all, it is safer and psychologically more comfortable to begin a machine only regimen and switch gradually over to free weights. Also, the more poorly conditioned folks tend to be on the machines, rather than in the free weight room, so the machine area is usually less intimidating for some. Especially the women. Some gyms have separate weight rooms for women who don't feel comfortable working out with the guys.
Whatever you choose to do is fine, so long as you start exercising in the first place. Some people are intimidated being in the free weight room surrounded by big brawny guys (and girls!). I find myself inspired to play catch up, so I don't find this to be a problem.
If you can find a training partner or partner(s), you can work with heavier weights to muscle failure much more safely. Some people find having a partner to be motivating, they are also less likely to blow off a training session if they know someone is depending on them. With my schedule, this is hard. So as I meet "regulars" at the gym, I not only try to make friends, I try to develop a relationship where I can get them to spot me on a tough exercise in the absence of a workout partner.
I used a personal trainer to help review the current theory on free weights, aerobic training, machines, check my form (on some free weight moves I was way off) since you can't always watch yourself in a mirror, spot me until I got through the first week or so of training until I got to know some people at the gym and to review my proposals in terms of a basic, mass/strength building, fat reduction program.
Due to my desire to both build muscle mass and lose fat (not weight!), some of my ideas were counter productive. It is tough to balance caloric intake and the right nutrients for muscle growth, while trying to lose body fat quickly. I took a balanced approach. I did need to lose body fat or I would not fit in my armour. So I decided not to kill myself trying to do too much in terms of losing the fat. Many studies show that for people who are building body mass, it is hard to also do a lot of aerobic exercise, at least not in the same workout. I was shocked at how little aerobic was recommended by many reputable strength building/body building authorities. Some were saying as little as one or two aerobic sessions a week and never in the same workout as the muscle building.
Originally my schedule/plan was geared around a four day a week (MON/TUE/THU/FRI) plan as I did not think I could get to the gym more than that and I was concerned about over training. Too much training is worse than not enough, your body can feed off of muscle instead of fat and your muscles which are naturally broken down during exercise don't have time to rebuild. The plan was in deference to my very busy schedule. I did not want to plan on working 6 days a week and end up blowing off two out of every four sessions. I was trying to leave weekends free for my family and if I missed a day during the week due to work, I could make it up on the weekend as an exception.
The main reason to have so many days, other than to avoid over training in a single workout session, is to be able to split up the muscle groups over different days. The reality of my situation is that I set up four specific training sessions, then started working out and found I could fit more sessions in. Rather than alter the program, I simply started repeating the program, never working more than 4 to 6 days in a row (6 was a mistake) without a rest day. This way I always had a minimum of 1 rest day a either in the middle of the 4 different workouts or after a maximum of 5 workouts in a row.
Ideally, I will be working out five days of seven, doing aerobic on the two days off including speed work and heavy bag work on those off days. This is not reflected in the "what I really did for my workout". Also, vary the exercises, once you have a basic approach, you want to mix and match in certain exercises that hit the muscle or muscle group from a different angle so that your training does not get "stale".
Initially, unless you are already in some decent kind of condition, you want to concentrate on mass/strength building exercises, not toning, sculpting, refining, definition exercises. Save those for occasionally being mixed in or for the mid range plan. Sculpting or going for definition when the muscle is small, is a waste of time and energy.
One problem was doing the aerobic in the same workout. I am now down to only 2 aerobic a week. I am going to try to do the aerobic completely separately from the workout days, I also plan to switch the overall workout plan from a four session plan to a 5 or so that I can further break out the muscle groups (Chest and Back is a killer sometimes) a bit more and do more weight and/or higher intensity work for the plan de jour.
There is a lot of argument now over stretching. Conventional wisdom has it that pre workout stretching reduces injuries by warming up the muscles, preparing the muscles, tendons and ligaments for the oncoming assault. I have always subscribed to this theory. Recent studies indicate that stretching may not have these benefits and may actually reduce the intensity of the workout because for conditioned athletes, stretching is wasting energy that could be employed in the exercise. I am not a Dr., my preference is to stretch first. Make your own choice.
I do agree that some sort of warm-up is good, for some this means 5 or 10 minutes on a treadmill, speed or heavy bag, bike, stairmaster, etc. Once again, make your own informed choice. I hate working legs after an aerobic warm-up, I think it saps some of my energy, but I do it for fear of injury due to my personal limitations previously mentioned. Once again, at the high end, some experts bring up the fact that this uses up energy that could be used on the workout.
I also like the new, high intensity free weight approach. Note that high intensity does NOT mean moving the weight faster. It means less of a wait between sets and different exercises. It means that at least on the last rep of the last set, you are pushing the muscle to failure. This means you better have a spotter, be using a machine or be doing and exercise that allows you to fail without dropping the bar or weigh on your head, check or chest, etc. Do NOT try high intensity for the first week or two like I did. It can get you hurt. But I am stubborn, macho and sometimes quite stupid. On my first serious leg workout, I did so much weight and to failure, that I literally could not walk right for two days. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Here is the bad part. To make a muscle grow at its maximum possible rate for strength or mass, you have to exhaust the muscle, working it to the point of failure. When this happens, the muscle is actually experiencing a large number of tiny tears, it is the rest period after exercise during which the muscle rebuilds itself that actual growth in size and increases in strength occur. Most people don't want to exercise the to point of muscle exhaustion, so they stop short of the muscle getting worked to its maximum. The last two or three reps of the last set of a given exercise should be very difficult. If you stop before the point of failure and are not experiencing the "burn" afterwards, you are doing a lot of work but will not improve as rapidly as you could. While during the first week or two of training, you want to work until you are tired, not necessarily to failure or you can hurt yourself, eventually you want to be creating this.
The next hard part, is that if you are exercising say biceps, if you are doing Ez-Bar curls, sitting dumbbell curls, preacher curls and incline dumbbell curls, if you overdo it on the Ez-Bar, you may have trouble on the rest. You have to try to find a balance.
What many people do is have the first set of a given exercise be a light, warm-up set. Then do pick a higher weight and do their normal two or three sets at that higher weight. Others just do three or four sets, incrementing the weight on each set. Some people want to increment the weight on each additional set and then find they can't get enough reps out or can't lift the higher weight at all. Others subscribe to the start with the heaviest weight you can where you can get out at least 4 to 6 reps, then work down on succeeding sets with lighter weights to get the reps up to around 10. Some people do a general warm-up of the overall muscle group to be worked, then go right into their heavy or incremental sets.
Me personally, I like to do a general warm-up, and except for legs, either go right into fairly heavy weights, doing 3 sets of 10 at either the same or at increasing weights per set. If on the last set I get less then the full 10 reps out, that is OK as long as I am working hard and getting at least 6 out. If I got the 10 out easily, I probably need to up the weight next time, increase the intensity or add a set depending on what I am trying to do. On the last rep of the last set, I want my muscles to be straining and failing. Some people only want to be straining at the end of each exercise for a given muscle or group, until they get to the last set of the last exercise for that muscle or group and then go to failure. Whatever works for you best is what you should do. But at whatever point you work to failure, you should have a spotter if it is on a free weight movement where you have no safe way to put the weight down. I like to move the weights slowly, a minimum of 2 to 3 seconds to complete a rep if not longer on most exercises. Don't jerk the weights up and do let let them come down slowly. Many people throw the weights up quickly and then let them come flying down, this is not a good idea and leads to injuries. Also, the resistance to the weight being returned to its starting position helps to build strength and should not be overlooked.
Concentrate on proper form. Don't get hurt. If a joint hurts, have someone check your form. You may be doing the exercise wrong or with too much weight. Some body parts respond better to more reps or sets, read a book or just figure it out for yourself, everybody is different. If you are training for speed, you generally want lighter weights, more reps and faster movement during the exercise. If you want mass, you generally want more weight, less reps and do them slowly and under control. On muscles like biceps and calves, be sure to contract them fully at the end of the exercise so that they are working to their maximum potential.
I kept a set of index cards, one for each workout, detailing the exercises to be performed, the # of sets, # of reps and the weight lifted on each set. I would make notes as to hard/just right/too easy with abbreviations so that the following week when that exercise rolled around again, I could more intelligently gauge my progress. The first week, I was not doing all of these exercises or all of the sets, but I worked into it gradually and after I felt comfortable, cranked the weight up as my body would reasonably tolerate, I only really overdid it on the quads/calves (ouch).
I did not worry about fat loss right away. You will often look worse the first month you work out also, because your muscles swell and grow and can actually make your abdomen look bigger. Also, many men lose the fat in their arms, chest and upper back first, making them look pear shaped. Don't let it bug you. Wear baggy clothes if necessary to ignore it. Do monitor body fat % improvements as an indicator of fat reduction after the first two weeks or so, it will give you an idea if you are losing fat and gaining muscle. Do not worry about weight! It is often a very bad indicator of what is going on. Muscle weighs more than fat anyway.
THE HEALTHY EATING PLAN:
For some perverse reason, God made everything fattening that you should limit consumption of taste really good. It probably made sense when we lived in caves and food was scarce and we needed to stock up on energy when we could, but now in the refrigerated/fast food age, it just screws us up.
Fortunately, with proper cooking and seasoning, there are a large number of healthy things to eat, if you can change your patterns long enough to get used to it.
Do not go crazy with supplements. Avoid the dangerous steroids, meal replacements and liver damaging items. Start off simple. Good food, water and vitamins are most important. A diet that is relatively low in fat, with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates is crucial. Do not starve yourself. Do not think of your modified eating patterns as a modern weight dropping, stomach hurting diet. Use the term "diet" to refer to a healthy approach to life that is allowing your muscle mass to increase while allow the fat to gradually be worked out of your body. When you build a lot of muscle mass, you get to eat a lot more, not less, you just have to eat better food.
Try to break out of the traditional 3 meal a day plan with dinner being huge. Try to spread your food consumption over 5 or six smaller meals. Get a lot of nutrition in for breakfast and through judicious spacing of meals and snacks, you should never be starving. If you do feel like you are starving, your body is probably burning muscle, not fat.
Rather than go crazy counting calories or following a regimented diet, I basically did the following. No candy, no cookies, no sugary desserts, very little bread and if I do have bread it's whole wheat 7 grain generally with little or no butter, use margarine if necessary. If I use olive oil its a light olive oil. Use seasonings to add flavor to otherwise bland foods that might bore you.
I am not drinking much alcohol at all. I am human, so there will be times I break the rules, after all I am not a professional bodybuilder. But its better to eat a bad meal out once in a while than to have to cheat all the time on all your meals to be happy. Remember, for every 15 minutes you spend on aerobic exercise, that butterfingers candy bar will more than wipe out your caloric burn.
Don't expect aerobic exercise to cause all the weight loss, the diet will help as will high intensity strength building workouts and additional calorie burning dense muscle mass.
Avoid all fast food, fatty appetizers, sugary junk. If I have to eat at a fast food place I get a grilled chicken sandwich without mayo and/or a salad. I am not eating small quantities, remember this is not a diet per se, it is eating healthy. Once I build up enough muscle mass, I can eat a little more junk and it won't matter much, but for now I want to continue to lose body fat gradually without risking the loss of muscle mass and the gain thereof. Avoid any fried, deep fried, baked with sugary/fatty gravies/sauces, candy, cakes, pies, ice cream, etc. Fried chicken, pizza and burgers will not do.
At some point, I will probably get a better handle on my exact calories, fat/sugar/carbohydrate intake. Right now, I have not had the patience and am getting good results anyway. For those with more patience and time, proper diet can make an even bigger difference, especially for those with slow or problem metabolisms. Mixing the right foods together in specific combinations can also result in better nutrition and available energy amounts.
Note that I did not mix in the protein supplements until after a full month of working out. Also, I should probably cut out the Wonton Soup. I am also human, so I have not stuck to this 100%. It is a guideline. I have also had fruit juices and things like cran-apple. Remember, some juices are high in calories and sugars and sucking them down in quantity can make you as fat as eating junk food. Some are diuretics in large quantities and you can get dehydrated. Water is your friend.
Avoid eating much before retiring for the evening. You don't want to stuff yourself full of calories and then fall asleep.
If you have to eat a lot of red meat to live, so be it, but choose lean cuts and avoid adding fattening sauces, gravies or sugary marinades. Substitute ground turkey for ground beef where possible. Stop eating hot dogs, pepperoni, salami and the rest of the garbage I love to eat.
Fish is a wonderful thing for gaining strength and reducing fat. I hate fish. A lot. That is part of the reason I am using the Flax Seed Oil. If you like fish and have access to safe, fresh supplies, it is generally great for you. Here is roughly what I have been eating:
Drink:
-At least 6 glasses of water a day. If you have to urinate frequently, you are probably drinking enough. Your muscles need water to grow and for your body to stay healthy. Don't worry about temporary water gain.
-Supplement with fruit juices and protein shakes. Avoid soda like the plague. Just because it is diet, does not mean it is good for you, and it tends to keep your body wanting other sugary things.
Vitamins and Supplements:
-A one a day type vitamin tablet in the morning. I use Centrum.
-Flax Seed Oil capsules three times a day
Breakfast: A banana (or other fruit), coffee, orange juice and low fat or fat free yogurt with fruit.
On weekends or for a treat, pancakes, go easy on the syrup.
Mid morning:
-Protein shake with either low fat milk or water. I have been using Human Development Technologies 55G Time Released Protein Pro Blend 55 Protein Diet Supplement. I buy it in bulk and mix it myself to save a ton of money.
Lunch:
-Chinese food. I get a steamed chicken and mixed vegetables with white rice. Sometimes with light sauce on the side and Wonton Soup. Or a steamed mixed vegetables platter without chicken at all.
-A salad. Sometimes with protein added like grilled chicken or turkey. Sometimes a chef's salad, but don't overdo those, lots of calories in some. Use low fat dressing if any dressing at all.
-Grilled chicken breast either by itself or on a platter with veggies, pasta, rice, etc. A sandwich sometimes with tomato, lettuce, onions, mustard and whole wheat bread.
Mid afternoon-One or more of these:
-Protein shake again.
-Fruit - Grapes, apples, etc.
-Vegetable (celery sticks, carrots).
Dinner:
-Grilled, baked or broiled chicken breast. Usually with pasta, rice and/or cooked veggies and/or a side salad with veggies. Try various seasonings and low fat/calorie sauces.
-Pasta dinner with low fat/low sugar sauces or gravies when possible, with veggies in or on the side. Watch the bread intake.
-Low fat, ground turkey breast based chili with beans.
-Salad with veggies. Sometimes add cheese or meats. Occasional chef's salad but watch the dressing and these are not necessarily low fat/calorie due to meats/cheeses/eggs/dresssing and size.
-Fruit.
-Turkey baked white meat.
-Very little red meat, if I do have it, a lean cut.
-Vegetables, preferably raw if I did not have any in my salad. Cooked are good also, especially corn, broccoli, peas and rarely baked potato. Others (not me) like cooked spinach, carrots, etc.
-Sometimes add a protein shake.
After Dinner snack or if its a late night and I have not hit the gym yet or am not going:
If no protein shake with dinner, may have one now. If I have already worked out, I use a different protein that will get into the system faster: Human Development Technologies Whey Protein Dietary Supplement with milk. This one does not blend easily or with water. Both taste good in the Dutch Chocolate flavor.
-Fruit, low fat popcorn, veggies, small salad or other low fat, low calorie snack.
After workout:
The Whey Protein dietary supplement shake.
THE ACTUAL WORKOUT:
Once again, the previous caveats apply. I plan to change this to a consistent 5 or 6 day a week set of exercise segments as I have simply been repeating the four days and really working out 5 to 6 anyway. It would be better to have less exercises in a given session, probably with Saturday as the mandatory non workout day to accommodate the SCA and my family better.
I would suggest having the aerobic be either on the off workout days or in the morning on a day when the workout is scheduled for that evening. I have been supplementing this with a certain amount of swimming. I have also been mixing in some other exercises (for example on chest, do decline Olympic barbell presses instead of one of the other presses) to work the muscles from different angles and still avoid going stale. I will stick to mass building exercises for the most part.
I have been adding forearm and wrist exercises with dumbbells and barbells just recently, but not in an organized way yet.
I have actually been lax on the aerobic side, except for the heavy bag part, I have typically not been doing more than 15 minutes of interval training for aerobic. I have been using the treadmill lately, despite the fact that it is bad for my knees, I should go back to the stairmaster or elliptical machines.
Weights are the recent weights used, pick your own weights, don't use mine, they are just there as a reference as to what I am doing now and how I got to my current conditioning level. Everybody is different, use very light weights the first week or two to get your body used to the stresses, then ramp up the weights carefully over time.
I strongly suggest reading books, magazines regarding strength training, getting personal instruction to start, especially if you have never done this before. Don't over due it and get hurt. Don't forget to drink during the workout. I am usually taking 30 to 60 seconds max. between sets of a given exercise, longer only if I am struggling and want to be sure I get the reps out.
There are a lot more details and options, the approaches to training vary widely. This worked for me. It may not have been ideal, but compared to the results other people have achieved, I think my methods have some merit.
DAY 1 - Chest, Back and Abdominal:
Chest:
Bench Press - 3 sets 10 135/145/145 Total weight w/Olympic Bar.
Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 sets 10 40/45/50 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Start with dumbbells at side of chest, press overhead and twist to meet at top, plates edge to edge.
Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets 10 45/45/45 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Start with dumbbells at side of chest, press overheat and meet at top, plate end to plate end.
Body Master Pec/Dec Machine - 3 sets 10 110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates. Use in chest/pectoral mode.
Flat Bench Chest Fly's With Dumbbells - 3 sets 10 30/30/30 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Back:
Hammer Strength Bent Over Bar Rows (w/chest pad and free weights). 3 sets 10 135/135/135 Total wgt of plates.
Hammer Strength Seated Row 3 sets 10 140/150/150 Total wgt of plates.
Cybex Seated Row Machine - 3 sets 10 140/140/150 Total wgt machine plates.
Cybex Lat Pulldown Machine - 3 sets 10 130/140/150 Total wgt machine plates.
Gravitron - Wide Grip Assisted Pull-ups - 3 sets 10 assist settings 5/6/7
This is an air pressure assisted machine that lets you do pull-ups, etc., with assist from a platform that allows you to do more than you could without an assist, really works the upper back well.
Abdominal:
Cybex Torso Twister - 3 sets 10 140/150/170 This really works internal and external obliques.
Crunches - with bent legs in motion. As many sets of 15 or 20 reps as you can do with good form. I suck at this currently, generally 5 sets of 15.
Leg raises on back/arm grip stationary platform - OR Nautilus or Cybex crunch machine. 3 sets 15 if leg raises, 3 sets 10 if one of the machines.
Aerobics:
½ Hour interval training on Stairmaster, Treadmill, Elliptical Machine or other. Quite frankly, I have only been doing 15 minutes of this.
DAY 2 - Arms:
Biceps:
Standing Ez-Curl Bar Curls - 3 sets 10 65/65/75 Total wgt of bar and plates
Hammer Strength Preacher Curls - 3 sets 10 65/65/65 Total wgt of plates
Seated Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets 10 25/25/30 Total wgt each dumbbell
Start dumbbell parallel to the bench, supinate as you raise it to be 90 degrees to bench.
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets 10 20/25/25 Total wgt each dumbbell
Start dumbbell at 90 degrees to the bench, keep it there through full contraction of muscle.
Standing Straight Barbell Curls - 2 sets 10 60/60 Total wgt bar and plates.
Be careful with this one, a straight bar can strain your joints. Don't overdo it.
Triceps:
Cable Pressdown with Straight Bar - 3 sets 10 6 Machine plates (I think about 70 lbs?)
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets 10 135/135/145 Total wgt w/Olympic bar and plates.
Flat Bench Lying Triceps Extensions, Ez Curl or Straight Bar - 3 sets 10 65/65/75 Total wgt w/bar and plates.
Standing Overhead Triceps Press - Use Ez Curl or 90 degree bar - 3 sets 10 55/55/55 Total wgt w/bar and plates. Do this fully extended overhead to down behind your head.
Sitting One Arm Triceps Extensions - 2 sets 10 20/20 Total wgt dumbbell. Do this one at a time bringing the dumbbell from almost locked arm overhead to down behind your head.
Day 3 - Shoulders and Hamstrings:
Sitting Military Press - 3 sets 10 85/85/85 Total wgt including any Olympic bar or Smith machine bar wgt. Use a bench with back and safety rack for bar OR bench and a Smith machine.
Behind the Neck Press - 3 sets 10 65/65/65 Same criteria and setup as Sitting Military Press.
Body Master Pec/Dec Machine - 3 sets 10 100/120/120 Total wgt machine plates. Use in rear shoulder mode.
Sitting Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets 10 35/40/40 Total wgt each dumbbell. Press directly
Overhead so plates meet. You can do end to end or edge to edge to work different angles.
Standing Side Lateral Dumbbell Raises - 3 sets 10 25/25/25 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Hammer Strength Shrugs (Trapezius) - 3 sets 10 180/230/230 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Curls - 4 sets 10 90/100/110/110 Total wgt plates.
Cybex Leg Curl Machine - 4 sets 10 100/110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates.
Cybex Sitting Leg Curl Machine - 4 sets 10 100/110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates.
DAY 4 - Quadriceps and Calves:
Squats on Smith Machine - 4 sets 10 90/140/150/160 Total wgt plates.
Unless in perfect health, do not go over 90 degrees at the knees, consider knee wraps, get advice about foot position, thighs should be able to get parallel to the ground without knees bending past 90 degrees. If you don't have knee problems, consider free weight squats with Olympic bar instead.
Body Master Leg Press (Reclined seat, angled sled) - 3 sets 10 360/450/450 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Press (Reclined seat, forward press) - 3 sets 10 270/270/320 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions (One leg at a time) - 3 sets 10 35/35/35 Total wgt plates.
Magnum or Body Master Standing Calf Extensions - 3 sets 15 145/180/180 Total wgt plates.
Body Master Leg Press (Use w/safeties up for calf extensions with toes) - 3 sets 12 270/180/180 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets 12 90/100/100 Total wgt plates.
Abdominal:
Cybex Torso Twister - 3 sets 10 140/150/170 This really works internal and external obliques.
Crunches - with bent legs in motion. As many sets of 15 or 20 reps as you can do with good form. I suck at this currently, generally 5 sets of 15.
Leg raises on back/arm grip stationary platform - OR Nautilus or Cybex crunch machine. 3 sets 15 if leg raises, 3 sets 10 if one of the machines.
Aerobic - Heavy boxing bag, ½ hour, 3 minute rounds, 1 minute off. Focus heavily on jabs over power punches. Use padded bag gloves.
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Hark, I hear horses.
[This message has been edited by Richard Blackmoore (edited 03-19-2001).]
Aka TFOMP! THE FAT OLD MAN PROJECT
3/17/2001 By Richard Blackmoore.
WARNING: I know there are some typo's and badly phrased sentences, I will try to clean this up as time allows. I wrote this Saturday night while unable to sleep.
This is a brief review of one fat old SCA knight's approach to initial physical conditioning after an extended layoff, with an eye towards attaining a level of fitness suitable for entry level SCA combat. In this case, the subject is myself. The training described is not necessarily the best possible solution for anyone else. This review is not terribly scientific, but I did promise a basic review of my initial attempt, so here goes. I hope some of you find it helpful.
The bottom line? I started working out around the first week of February 2001:
STARTED WORKING OUT EARLY FEBRUARY:
6' tall and 40 year's old.
244 pounds
30.5% Body fat (Avg. 30% to 31% pinch measurements, confirmed by electronic)
Weak as hell, out of breath easily, did not fit in armour or my good clothes, recovering from laziness, stress, pneumonia and an utter lack of exercise or proper nutrition.
PROGRESS BY MARCH 17:
6' tall and 40 year's + 1 ½ months older. (yeah! I did not shrink.)
235 pounds
24% Body fat (Avg. 23.5% to 24.5% pinch measurements, confirmed by electronic)
Much stronger with better endurance, I fit into my armour as well as some of my old clothes. My stomach and love handles are still too damned big and fat, but I have the beginnings of a chest and my calves and arms are looking acceptable again. Won all the tourneys at yesterday's small local fun tourney event. Admittedly, I was the only knight there and the competition was not tough, but hey, it's progress considering I had not fought in over two and a half years and I had one quick practice first with a fighter essentially fighting at newbie level).
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES:
One Gym membership to a club with free weights, machines, aerobic machines and a small pool.
Miscellaneous shorts, gym shirts and pants, etc. All 100% cotton and comfortable.
Swim trunks.
Harbinger Ultimate workout gloves with tech gel.
Wrist wraps for trapezius shrugs.
Everlast heavy bag gloves (Not the best, but already owned them).
Omron Body Fat Analyzer Model HBF-300 to supplement gym's pinch calipers.
Home scale calibrated to match the gym's scale.
Better food and drink.
Lots of reading of magazines and body building books.
Protein Supplements (powdered form to make shakes).
Flax Seed Oil Capsules.
Centrum Vitamins (the one a day type).
The specific diet, exercises chosen, number of sets, reps, and the like shown, are not static, they are altered and adapted on an ongoing basis in order to better suit my personal needs and preferences. They are also modified unintentionally by changing real life schedules, snowstorms, business trips, lack of willpower on some days and ongoing education as to the best possible diet and schedule, which interfere with my idealistic plans and often naive expectations. I am no longer twenty, naturally powerful, able to drink tall beers and eat large pizzas and remain fairly fit with little exercise.
Any training plan needs to address the individual's age, natural body type, physical height, weight, bone density and strength, current base conditioning level, cardio respiratory condition, physical limitations/handicaps/injuries and willpower.
Your ability to make time for the desired workout plan to be implemented is crucial. A plan that requires 6 days a week is great, but it won't work for you if your job and domestic obligations simply don't allow time for that schedule to be consistently met.
If you lack the willpower to follow a sensible eating plan or to go to the gym even when your schedule does allow, you are doomed from the start. Choose a starting workout schedule and diet plan that your real life commitments will allow you to meet. Be serious about it, enjoy it and you can expand your workout and commitment to healthy eating as your schedule allows and your desire grows.
Nothing breeds enthusiasm and dedication as much as success does, so choose a plan that is not unrealistic. As your progress continues, you may find yourself willing and able to take on a more ambitious plan. Most people fail because they set unrealistic immediate goals for themselves and give up before giving themselves a real chance. The first two to four weeks are crucial, for most people, they never get over that initial hump, where nothing seems to work right and everything is hard.
BACKGROUND:
I am 40 years old and had not fought since early 1998, a little over two and a half years. I had not worked out at all in at least five years and has not seriously gone to the gym for much longer than that. I had developed extremely poor eating habits and found my health and physical conditioning levels to be generally declining, not solely due to the aging process. I have been working a very stressful desk job, allowed mundane personal disasters to distract me, I am raising a young daughter and rebuilding my house. In the fall of 2000, I developed pneumonia and was ill right through early winter. So much for the excuses. That is exactly what they are, excuses. I can complain all I want about personal difficulties that can easily be used as excuses for letting my body fall apart and that is exactly what I did. Nothing is more important than your health, for without it, you cannot take care of your obligations to family, friends and employees. It's hard to make a difference if you're dead or constantly tired, weak or depressed. Physical conditioning does not only make you stronger, it makes you feel physically better and mentally sharp.
Not everyone can find time for the program I chose, not everyone can afford a home gym or a club membership. Everyone can find some time to exercise and it does not take any longer to prepare healthy food. It is a matter of willpower. I tend to be an all or nothing type of person. I either devote my full energy and resources to something or I neglect it utterly. This is great when you are trying to do something difficult and you are giving it your all. Unfortunately, I spent much of the last decade in the neglect it utterly mode where my physical condition is concerned.
After recovering from the pneumonia, I decided to take stock of myself. My notes from the gym's physical trainer and my own notes show that at the beginning of February 2001, I weighed 244 lbs on average (men's weight can easily fluctuate 2 to 5 lbs a day when you are big and fat, so averages are important). My body fat % was approximately 30.5% (Generally reading 30 to 31 using the pinch measurement, this was borne out by electronic measurements done a week later), which is very bad. The very high side of the "normal" range for a non-athletic, but "healthy" adult male is generally accepted to be about 24%. I am 6' tall, I have always tended to carry the bulk of my fat in the belly, love handles and lower back areas. I was fat enough that even though my build conceals some of it (I have broad shoulders and a naturally small butt) that my entire back was flabby and I had developed fat deposits in my upper legs, upper back and chest as well. My stomach was embarrassing. My upper arms and shoulders had become small, flabby and weak, my chest was all flab and my lower back was incredibly weak. The only "muscular" parts of my body were my calves and forearms, but their size did not reveal the true level of muscular weakness that existed or the level of fat deposits that had accumulated in the thighs and upper arms.
The only part of my body that had retained any of its inherent power was my calves, but even those had become pitiful my standards. In terms of aerobic/cardio, I would get winded just going up stairs or playing with my 4 year old daughter. Of more concern was the rapid heartbeat that would occur from minimal exercise. While my blood pressure was in the normal range, it was on the very high side of normal. I would be huffing, puffing and red in the face after minimal aerobic activity. The barely normal blood pressure was more lucky genetics than anything else, I certainly had not eaten right or gotten enough exercise to justify it. Under stress at the office, my blood pressure would sometimes spike and I was starting to get headaches.
My friends sometimes told me I was not fat, just that I had a beer gut and 40 year old paunch. Problem was, I was in worse shape then they or I realized fully. I was weak, tired constantly and was not even drinking beer. I was over the edge into the dangerous 40 year old heart attack category in terms of fat, cholesterol, etc. The fact that my family background probably gives me a genetic predisposition to be able to avoid heart attacks and eat badly without cholesterol being at a record horrible level, does not mean it is smart to push my luck.
I am lucky in that I have only minor physical problems and restrictions. I was born pigeon toed and with a pair of shortened Achilles tendons. These conditions and many years of being trained to walk with straight feet, caused some minor cartilage damage/loss in both knees. The shortened Achilles used to make me walk on my toes and risk injury during heavy lifting. In my twenties I blew one knee up while playing racquetball after doing some heavy lifting, that is how I found out about it. I had minor on and off pain before, but I ignored it. Years of wearing sports orthotics, proper stretching and awareness have allowed me to work around the conditions. Basically I have to avoid heavy repetitive impact exercises (running on hard surfaces, no problem, I hate running) and severe twisting of the knee when tired, I have to do a lot of stretching of the hamstring/legs before serious exercise and finally no free weight deep squats past a 90 degree bend at the knees.
I have some damage to my right hand's nerves and index finger/thumb joints due to old SCA fighting injuries (broken thumb, re-broken thumb, damaged joints and nerve damage at the base of the thumb). The only blessing to the two year layoff is that my hand problems are at an all time low and working out with decent gloves has (so far) not been a problem at all. The problem used to manifest itself as sharp, stinging pain or a weak grip, usually after vibration through a sword grip or blocking a single blow (or shot to a steel gauntlet). Annoying, painful, hardly the end of the world though, I know many people that work around much more pain in the hands, elbows and shoulders than I have to deal with.
I have chronic stiffness of the lower back. According to Dr.'s this just a minor annoyance primarily due to my physical build. It is overcome by stretching and exercise.
My bones have always been strong and relatively dense (old measurements designed to check bone density/weight had confirmed this, basically a combination of immersion testing for body fat % and body fat weight in the 1980's) and I have no reason to believe that had changed as my poor diet was nonetheless full of calcium, vitamins and protein. Yet the body fat ration indicated what I had feared, I had become a fat old man. I missed being in shape, I wanted to fight again, I wanted to play with my daughter, work in the yard, get involved in other athletic pursuits and enjoy marathon sex with my wife without tiring, etc. Thus this informal experiment began. I call it TFOMP! The Fat Old Man Project.
SETTING GOALS:
I decided that I would concentrate on short and mid range general and specific goals and only look so far into the future in terms of what I wanted to accomplish.
A) The immediate short term general goal was to choose and implement a balanced program of exercise and sensible eating that would result in generally improved overall physical health.
The specific goals this encompassed were, in no particular order:
1) Reduce my body fat % to at least the normal range for an adult male (12% to 24%). This would reduce the burden all that excess fat was placing on my cardio pulmonary system and joints, improve endurance and self esteem and from an SCA perspective allow me to eventually fit into my old brigandine without feeling like a sausage. Be able to be in armour comfortably no later than late March, early April in terms of fitting into something and being able to fight without falling over from lack of wind or dead arms.
2) Recondition my bodies' joints, tendons and ligaments to the rigors of physical strength training. This is crucial to allowing one to progress without injury.
3) Increase my levels of lean, dense muscle mass. This would both allow me to redevelop strength and to a degree my old speed. Just as important, the increased muscle mass consumes calories whether you are awake or asleep, this contributes to the goal of reducing body fat.
4) Improve my pathetic level of cardio pulmonary conditioning. This would not only help me to live longer, it allows for greater endurance in all athletic endeavors and once again helps to achieve the goal of reducing body fat.
5) Be able to fit into street clothes other than my fat man suit or workout/gym clothes.
B) The mid range general goal was to start to build additional muscle strength, speed and flexibility in specific body areas and muscle groups and to start sculpting my body into a specific form and overall shape that would lend itself to SCA combat and general athletic pursuits. Some body parts should be ready for this after only a few months, others may require a good year or more before enough mass, strength and speed has been developed for this to matter.
Some of this is a matter of personal vanity, building towards a particular body self image that would also complement the appearance that I want for myself, not purely a matter of functionality. Some of the things that I contemplate are more for self image and happiness rather than being required for success in SCA combat.
The specific mid term goals are:
1) Build a symmetrical body type within the limitations of my existing bone structure and genetic pre dispositions. I am fortunate enough to have long muscle bellies in some key areas, this allows me to build towards a V - shaped upper body, with powerful upper back, chest, trapezius without much difficulty in terms of the upper torso.
This is complemented by having strong shoulders, mine tend to get strong, but I have trouble building mass in the side and rear deltoids. A lot of the SCA usable power comes from or is driven through the upper back and chest muscles. Some of the power and a lot of the control and ability to redirect power comes from the shoulders, the front deltoid in particular. Strong arms don't do much if they are connected to a weak shoulder/chest/back. For two handed weapons, a strong upper torso that remains flexible is a tremendous advantage, especially for muscular pole arm strength moves. I want to be sure that the short term mass building goals create bulk growth in the upper torso, back and shoulders, giving me a base to build a balanced physique from, without weak areas or gaps.
2) Develop power, not size, in the lower back, abdominal muscles, internal and external obliques in order to be able to throw SCA blows, duck, bob and weave effectively with power driving through my legs, hips and torso without losing that important connection in the torso. I want to be able to use boxing and martial arts avoidance techniques and moves. A torso that is flexible and strong, due to a solid lower torso and back is the missing link in most SCA fighters that have otherwise developed upper bodies. When fighting on your knees or with two handed weapons, two sword or in a style that requires a lot of fast controlled movement, lower torso strength and flexibility is a key element lacking in most fighters which they come to miss. This body area is the one that helps with self image, it is what allows you to have that classic wasp waisted, v-shaped Steve Reeves upper body that looks good in and out of armour. It does not help to have a big powerful chest and set of arms if your beer belly is sticking out in front of it.
I unfortunately am somewhat naturally barrel chested, my abdomen tends to protrude slightly even when fit and the last place I lose unwanted body fat from is the lower belly and over my external obliques. So losing that last vestige of flab requires commitment to proper eating, not just exercise. Spot reduction is a myth. I can have very solid muscles underneath my stomach flab.
3) Build powerful legs and lower back to support the overall build. My calves normally bulk up and get strong fast so I am not to worried about those, they will generally get large and defined as a by product of just the short term goal's basic workout regimen.
Due to my minor restrictions with Achilles and knees I can still build power in my quadriceps fairly fast, but I am somewhat slowed down by not being able to do the free weight squats, I tend to use the Smith Machine to do a partial free weight movement but only to 90 degree bend of the knees. This partial range restriction not only slows muscular development but also can result in the quadriceps not developing 100% normally. The Achilles can make the hamstring exercises annoying, so I have to be careful with those and bulk and power do not come naturally to them as they do to my quads and calves, but once I warm up I can do heavy weights as the muscles allow without incident. My goal here is power and endurance more than extreme mass.
For SCA combat there is not real advantage to large quads/calves/hamstrings, just powerful ones. Building bulk in the quads and hamstrings is not a high priority as long as they continue to get strong and remain large enough to give me overall body symmetry for vanity reasons.
4) Arm strength, speed and power. Assuming the rest of your body is fit as described above, the arms are the most misunderstood part of SCA fighter anatomy. Fighters with strong, flexible arms that can move fast have a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Many people equate size with power. They could not be more mistaken. There are guys in the gym with arms almost have my size who are able to move significantly more weight or to move light weights faster than I can currently. While size can be an indicator of power, it is in my case, I naturally bulk up when getting stronger, especially in my forearms and triceps, everybody is different. Speed is also misunderstood.
You need a certain amount of strength to move an object of X weight at X speed. That being said, the type of musculature you develop has a bearing on speed. Not all muscle fiber is the same. Much of this is genetic. Some people have an abundance of slow twitch muscle fiber and are predisposed to lifting heavy weights, when they work out, they tend to build these slow twitch fibers more easily and can lift heavier weights, but this does not mean they will necessarily be able to move a sword much faster. Often it leads to tremendous muscle endurance and power, just not blinding speed. This endurance allows you to fight consistently and for much longer periods of time, resulting in better training sessions and the ability to participate in endurance format competitions (long tourneys, resurrection battles, etc.).
This is very apparent in the arm and shoulder muscles. Others have more fast twitch muscles which allow the muscle to contract faster and therefore naturally move a weapon faster, assuming the muscle's overall strength allows that weight to be moved in the first place. Those with fast twitch muscles often tend to develop both types of muscles when they work out, enabling them to build power, speed and endurance.
Those with a preponderance of fast twitch, may find they can build more speed, but not the bulk, power and strength of those with more slow twitch. Others have an exquisite balance of both. Think of the boxing mid range weight classes, with refined bulk, speed and power, they tend to have an excellent genetic balance of both muscle fibers, that they enhance through lifting both heavy weights slowly for strength an alternating with light weights with lots of reps to enhance the fast twitch muscle fibers along with high speed light and heavy bag work and flexibility training. While training in particular ways can help to compensate for a lack of either type of fiber, if you understand your body's genetic predisposition's, advantages and limitations, you can set up a training program to maximize your potential. Most people tend towards a mixture of the muscle fibers, as a very bad generalization, the naturally bulky, muscled people have a lot of slow twitch and the naturally wiry have a lot of fast twitch. Poor conditioning easily can mask your natural type, so if you want to be a thin wiry guy or a big hulking presence, you may be able to, but if you have never really been in shape, it is hard to know what your natural tendencies are.
This is a generalization, but most SCA fighters are so out of shape, that is more important to build strength and some mass than to worry about speed initially. Once again, it depends on the fighter. Very few SCA fighters should worry about being muscle bound. While having huge muscles can slow you down, it rarely reduces flexibility, it usually increases it. Most SCA'ers are so lacking in basic muscle mass and muscle strength, they could put on many pounds of muscle and see both strength and speed gains before ever having to worry about losing speed due to bulking up "too much".
For myself, I have naturally big forearms, especially the rear half. I would guess my forearms are bigger than many in shape fighters and they have a developed appearance even when they are weak. My mid range goal with the forearms are to make them more powerful and build the twisting portion of the muscle that helps with off side blows (found on the inside of the forearm near the elbow), to build strength in the wrist and front half of my arms where they are very weak. My wrists while large, have never been as strong as others my size and condition without a lot of training on top of the normal arm workouts and my hands have strong palms, but thin fingers for their size, so I will need to do extra training for these weak points once general mass has been built in the arms.
My biceps by this point will hopefully have some mass and power, they develop much slower than my triceps and forearms, I would want to start seeing definition of the multiple heads and to be able to start weak point training of them for extra power and endurance, not worrying too much about mass except for vanity's sake. If I don't make an effort bulk the biceps a bit, the triceps, shoulders and rear forearms will rapidly obscure them resulting in an appearance issue.
Triceps are an extremely underrated muscle group. For SCA combat they not only allow for tremendous increases in control, they allow the arm to through descending shots with incredible speed and power. While good form will result in good power, the triceps allow descending and off side shots to accelerate and follow through. If your upper arms are tiring during combat, it is probably your triceps that are letting you down. They also account for much more of the arms overall mass than the biceps, from a vanity point of view, if you want big arms, the triceps are what give you that overall "manly man" bulk, the biceps are more the eye candy that give you the nicely accented top of the arm for shape. Biceps do a lot of work on rising blows, shield raising for defense and blow recoveries, but triceps do much more of the offensive sword and pole arm work as well as powerful downward parries.
My mid range goal with the triceps is to be sure that I am working the muscle in its full range, to enhance definition so that I can identify which parts are not being fully developed and therefore are not as strong as I would like. Once I have the mass, I want to train them for additional speed, along with the biceps using high rep, low weight techniques and supplemental speed and heavy bag work.
5) Develop additional speed through speed training of my arms and legs, the ability to sprint quickly for short distances without being winded (in and out of armour), improve overall flexibility and reduce body fat to a percentage more in line with a modern athlete rather than that of a normal forty year old healthy male. Improve my overall health and dietary habits to reduce the likelihood of illness or infirmity due to advancing age.
WHAT I DECIDED TO DO ABOUT IT:
Any gym will tell you that you should consult a physician before beginning an exercise regimen. I normally discount this, but now that I am older, had an extensive layoff from physical conditioning and had just recovered from pneumonia, I decided that seeing a physician was a very good idea. For anyone else who is extremely out of shape or who has not exercised heavily before, this is probably excellent advice that you should follow. One caution, Dr.'s often are out of touch with body/strength building. Their conception of health may not be what you and I want.
Since I had to get a follow up X-ray and checkup after the pneumonia anyway, I simply combined the visit with a full checkup. During the visit I confirmed that my blood pressure was barely in the normal range (but not exactly healthy, this is normal for a 40 something American Male), my lung capacity was low but there was not permanent damage, my cholesterol was high (no surprise there) and that I was generally in lousy condition. While he did not put any limits on physical exercise, I got the usual lecture about taking it easy, start gradually and radically alter my diet. OK, green light for the madness to begin.
I had already joined a gym a year earlier, for what my daughter's swim lessons had been costing me, I was able to get a couple's membership at a local club that was on my way home from work, and it had a small pool where my daughter could swim with us as much as she wanted instead of once a week. I had not however, used the gym except to occasionally swim with my daughter.
If you are looking for a gym, I generally recommend Gold's Gym/World Gym/Bally's and the like. Avoid small gyms that just started up, they tend to go out of business fast and take your money. If you do sign up with a gym like that, do it on a payment plan, don't give them a lot up front. If you buy a membership in the off peak season's, you can often get a good deal and get a monthly payment plan so you don't have to cough up a huge chunk of change in advance.
A gym with a pool is a good idea, many people will swim when they don't feel like doing other exercises and it is good, low impact exercise. It is also fun. Many serious bodybuilding gyms unfortunately do not offer pools. A gym with a whirlpool, Jacuzzi, sauna or steam room can be very attractive to those with physical impairments or to help ease the discomfort that can accompany sports injuries or general workout blahs, stiffness, etc.
I find that while multi purpose clubs like mine that also offer racquetball, tennis, handball and the like do not make much of a difference for me, for others they can make the difference in terms of motivation, auxiliary exercise and to get other members of the family engaged in regular exercise. It is always easier to get into shape if you have your significant other's support and active engagement in the process. Also, once you start getting into shape, you start being concerned about the condition of those you love, so you start wanting them to exercise as well. Be careful with this, don't preach. It is kind of like the former smoker who beats on everybody not to smoke. They can be really annoying without meaning to be.
Back to my story. The gym I joined cost $88.00 a month for two adults, and my daughter can use the pool and day care facilities at no extra charge. I has a small pool, secure locker room area, food counter with fresh food, physical trainers available for a fee, massage also and a full complement of free weights and Cybex/Nautilis/Body Master/Hammer Strength and other machines. It has an aerobic workout room and programs for those that want it and the usual treadmills, stairmasters, bikes, elliptical machines, gravitron etc.
The hours are not ideal, they close at 9:00 on Friday, 9 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. Due to the fact that I am not a morning person, like to see my daughter after work, the early Fri/Sat/Sun closings can be a problem. Most bodybuilding oriented gyms have better hours, but don't offer the full range of facilities and "optional" items such as the tennis that mine does. Find a gym that suits your purposes. If you are a morning person, most offer early hours workouts.
So now I had a gym. I knew I wanted to eventually be using free weights as my primary strength building foundation. Why? I like free weights, they generally allow you to build mass and strength faster than any other approach, while forcing you to develop control as your muscle groups have to work together for stability and control. Many machines are either not very adjustable or force you to use angles or motion patterns that are not ideally suited to your height, build, limb size, etc. They often force you to use both arms or both legs together, so that your weak arm or leg is not forced to work as hard as your good one, leading to asymmetrical development.
When using machines, I tend to prefer those that use free weight plates and simply let you work muscles at angles that a bar or dumbbell simply won't allow, while these are still machines, they are very useful and really considered to still be part of a free weight program. Many companies make good free weight oriented machines, including Hammer Strength, Body Master and others. Some companies make both types.
Many of us tend to use the word machines to describe the non-free weight devices from such companies as Cybex/Body Master/Nautilus that lift weight plates using cables, belts or chains. Those type of machines can also be useful, especially for abdominal obliques (internal and external) and leg curls/extensions and I use them in my routines in order to avoid certain injuries due to my knee/Achilles minor problems.
Machines have their uses, even in advanced routines, especially for isolating specific muscles or groups, working a weak side limb/muscle, they also allow you to work out with greatly reduced risk when working out alone as they provide auto-spotting (no one has to be there to help you when your muscles work to the point of failure and don't let you get the weight back on the rack or floor without hurting yourself).
For many people who have not been exercising at all, it is safer and psychologically more comfortable to begin a machine only regimen and switch gradually over to free weights. Also, the more poorly conditioned folks tend to be on the machines, rather than in the free weight room, so the machine area is usually less intimidating for some. Especially the women. Some gyms have separate weight rooms for women who don't feel comfortable working out with the guys.
Whatever you choose to do is fine, so long as you start exercising in the first place. Some people are intimidated being in the free weight room surrounded by big brawny guys (and girls!). I find myself inspired to play catch up, so I don't find this to be a problem.
If you can find a training partner or partner(s), you can work with heavier weights to muscle failure much more safely. Some people find having a partner to be motivating, they are also less likely to blow off a training session if they know someone is depending on them. With my schedule, this is hard. So as I meet "regulars" at the gym, I not only try to make friends, I try to develop a relationship where I can get them to spot me on a tough exercise in the absence of a workout partner.
I used a personal trainer to help review the current theory on free weights, aerobic training, machines, check my form (on some free weight moves I was way off) since you can't always watch yourself in a mirror, spot me until I got through the first week or so of training until I got to know some people at the gym and to review my proposals in terms of a basic, mass/strength building, fat reduction program.
Due to my desire to both build muscle mass and lose fat (not weight!), some of my ideas were counter productive. It is tough to balance caloric intake and the right nutrients for muscle growth, while trying to lose body fat quickly. I took a balanced approach. I did need to lose body fat or I would not fit in my armour. So I decided not to kill myself trying to do too much in terms of losing the fat. Many studies show that for people who are building body mass, it is hard to also do a lot of aerobic exercise, at least not in the same workout. I was shocked at how little aerobic was recommended by many reputable strength building/body building authorities. Some were saying as little as one or two aerobic sessions a week and never in the same workout as the muscle building.
Originally my schedule/plan was geared around a four day a week (MON/TUE/THU/FRI) plan as I did not think I could get to the gym more than that and I was concerned about over training. Too much training is worse than not enough, your body can feed off of muscle instead of fat and your muscles which are naturally broken down during exercise don't have time to rebuild. The plan was in deference to my very busy schedule. I did not want to plan on working 6 days a week and end up blowing off two out of every four sessions. I was trying to leave weekends free for my family and if I missed a day during the week due to work, I could make it up on the weekend as an exception.
The main reason to have so many days, other than to avoid over training in a single workout session, is to be able to split up the muscle groups over different days. The reality of my situation is that I set up four specific training sessions, then started working out and found I could fit more sessions in. Rather than alter the program, I simply started repeating the program, never working more than 4 to 6 days in a row (6 was a mistake) without a rest day. This way I always had a minimum of 1 rest day a either in the middle of the 4 different workouts or after a maximum of 5 workouts in a row.
Ideally, I will be working out five days of seven, doing aerobic on the two days off including speed work and heavy bag work on those off days. This is not reflected in the "what I really did for my workout". Also, vary the exercises, once you have a basic approach, you want to mix and match in certain exercises that hit the muscle or muscle group from a different angle so that your training does not get "stale".
Initially, unless you are already in some decent kind of condition, you want to concentrate on mass/strength building exercises, not toning, sculpting, refining, definition exercises. Save those for occasionally being mixed in or for the mid range plan. Sculpting or going for definition when the muscle is small, is a waste of time and energy.
One problem was doing the aerobic in the same workout. I am now down to only 2 aerobic a week. I am going to try to do the aerobic completely separately from the workout days, I also plan to switch the overall workout plan from a four session plan to a 5 or so that I can further break out the muscle groups (Chest and Back is a killer sometimes) a bit more and do more weight and/or higher intensity work for the plan de jour.
There is a lot of argument now over stretching. Conventional wisdom has it that pre workout stretching reduces injuries by warming up the muscles, preparing the muscles, tendons and ligaments for the oncoming assault. I have always subscribed to this theory. Recent studies indicate that stretching may not have these benefits and may actually reduce the intensity of the workout because for conditioned athletes, stretching is wasting energy that could be employed in the exercise. I am not a Dr., my preference is to stretch first. Make your own choice.
I do agree that some sort of warm-up is good, for some this means 5 or 10 minutes on a treadmill, speed or heavy bag, bike, stairmaster, etc. Once again, make your own informed choice. I hate working legs after an aerobic warm-up, I think it saps some of my energy, but I do it for fear of injury due to my personal limitations previously mentioned. Once again, at the high end, some experts bring up the fact that this uses up energy that could be used on the workout.
I also like the new, high intensity free weight approach. Note that high intensity does NOT mean moving the weight faster. It means less of a wait between sets and different exercises. It means that at least on the last rep of the last set, you are pushing the muscle to failure. This means you better have a spotter, be using a machine or be doing and exercise that allows you to fail without dropping the bar or weigh on your head, check or chest, etc. Do NOT try high intensity for the first week or two like I did. It can get you hurt. But I am stubborn, macho and sometimes quite stupid. On my first serious leg workout, I did so much weight and to failure, that I literally could not walk right for two days. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Here is the bad part. To make a muscle grow at its maximum possible rate for strength or mass, you have to exhaust the muscle, working it to the point of failure. When this happens, the muscle is actually experiencing a large number of tiny tears, it is the rest period after exercise during which the muscle rebuilds itself that actual growth in size and increases in strength occur. Most people don't want to exercise the to point of muscle exhaustion, so they stop short of the muscle getting worked to its maximum. The last two or three reps of the last set of a given exercise should be very difficult. If you stop before the point of failure and are not experiencing the "burn" afterwards, you are doing a lot of work but will not improve as rapidly as you could. While during the first week or two of training, you want to work until you are tired, not necessarily to failure or you can hurt yourself, eventually you want to be creating this.
The next hard part, is that if you are exercising say biceps, if you are doing Ez-Bar curls, sitting dumbbell curls, preacher curls and incline dumbbell curls, if you overdo it on the Ez-Bar, you may have trouble on the rest. You have to try to find a balance.
What many people do is have the first set of a given exercise be a light, warm-up set. Then do pick a higher weight and do their normal two or three sets at that higher weight. Others just do three or four sets, incrementing the weight on each set. Some people want to increment the weight on each additional set and then find they can't get enough reps out or can't lift the higher weight at all. Others subscribe to the start with the heaviest weight you can where you can get out at least 4 to 6 reps, then work down on succeeding sets with lighter weights to get the reps up to around 10. Some people do a general warm-up of the overall muscle group to be worked, then go right into their heavy or incremental sets.
Me personally, I like to do a general warm-up, and except for legs, either go right into fairly heavy weights, doing 3 sets of 10 at either the same or at increasing weights per set. If on the last set I get less then the full 10 reps out, that is OK as long as I am working hard and getting at least 6 out. If I got the 10 out easily, I probably need to up the weight next time, increase the intensity or add a set depending on what I am trying to do. On the last rep of the last set, I want my muscles to be straining and failing. Some people only want to be straining at the end of each exercise for a given muscle or group, until they get to the last set of the last exercise for that muscle or group and then go to failure. Whatever works for you best is what you should do. But at whatever point you work to failure, you should have a spotter if it is on a free weight movement where you have no safe way to put the weight down. I like to move the weights slowly, a minimum of 2 to 3 seconds to complete a rep if not longer on most exercises. Don't jerk the weights up and do let let them come down slowly. Many people throw the weights up quickly and then let them come flying down, this is not a good idea and leads to injuries. Also, the resistance to the weight being returned to its starting position helps to build strength and should not be overlooked.
Concentrate on proper form. Don't get hurt. If a joint hurts, have someone check your form. You may be doing the exercise wrong or with too much weight. Some body parts respond better to more reps or sets, read a book or just figure it out for yourself, everybody is different. If you are training for speed, you generally want lighter weights, more reps and faster movement during the exercise. If you want mass, you generally want more weight, less reps and do them slowly and under control. On muscles like biceps and calves, be sure to contract them fully at the end of the exercise so that they are working to their maximum potential.
I kept a set of index cards, one for each workout, detailing the exercises to be performed, the # of sets, # of reps and the weight lifted on each set. I would make notes as to hard/just right/too easy with abbreviations so that the following week when that exercise rolled around again, I could more intelligently gauge my progress. The first week, I was not doing all of these exercises or all of the sets, but I worked into it gradually and after I felt comfortable, cranked the weight up as my body would reasonably tolerate, I only really overdid it on the quads/calves (ouch).
I did not worry about fat loss right away. You will often look worse the first month you work out also, because your muscles swell and grow and can actually make your abdomen look bigger. Also, many men lose the fat in their arms, chest and upper back first, making them look pear shaped. Don't let it bug you. Wear baggy clothes if necessary to ignore it. Do monitor body fat % improvements as an indicator of fat reduction after the first two weeks or so, it will give you an idea if you are losing fat and gaining muscle. Do not worry about weight! It is often a very bad indicator of what is going on. Muscle weighs more than fat anyway.
THE HEALTHY EATING PLAN:
For some perverse reason, God made everything fattening that you should limit consumption of taste really good. It probably made sense when we lived in caves and food was scarce and we needed to stock up on energy when we could, but now in the refrigerated/fast food age, it just screws us up.
Fortunately, with proper cooking and seasoning, there are a large number of healthy things to eat, if you can change your patterns long enough to get used to it.
Do not go crazy with supplements. Avoid the dangerous steroids, meal replacements and liver damaging items. Start off simple. Good food, water and vitamins are most important. A diet that is relatively low in fat, with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates is crucial. Do not starve yourself. Do not think of your modified eating patterns as a modern weight dropping, stomach hurting diet. Use the term "diet" to refer to a healthy approach to life that is allowing your muscle mass to increase while allow the fat to gradually be worked out of your body. When you build a lot of muscle mass, you get to eat a lot more, not less, you just have to eat better food.
Try to break out of the traditional 3 meal a day plan with dinner being huge. Try to spread your food consumption over 5 or six smaller meals. Get a lot of nutrition in for breakfast and through judicious spacing of meals and snacks, you should never be starving. If you do feel like you are starving, your body is probably burning muscle, not fat.
Rather than go crazy counting calories or following a regimented diet, I basically did the following. No candy, no cookies, no sugary desserts, very little bread and if I do have bread it's whole wheat 7 grain generally with little or no butter, use margarine if necessary. If I use olive oil its a light olive oil. Use seasonings to add flavor to otherwise bland foods that might bore you.
I am not drinking much alcohol at all. I am human, so there will be times I break the rules, after all I am not a professional bodybuilder. But its better to eat a bad meal out once in a while than to have to cheat all the time on all your meals to be happy. Remember, for every 15 minutes you spend on aerobic exercise, that butterfingers candy bar will more than wipe out your caloric burn.
Don't expect aerobic exercise to cause all the weight loss, the diet will help as will high intensity strength building workouts and additional calorie burning dense muscle mass.
Avoid all fast food, fatty appetizers, sugary junk. If I have to eat at a fast food place I get a grilled chicken sandwich without mayo and/or a salad. I am not eating small quantities, remember this is not a diet per se, it is eating healthy. Once I build up enough muscle mass, I can eat a little more junk and it won't matter much, but for now I want to continue to lose body fat gradually without risking the loss of muscle mass and the gain thereof. Avoid any fried, deep fried, baked with sugary/fatty gravies/sauces, candy, cakes, pies, ice cream, etc. Fried chicken, pizza and burgers will not do.
At some point, I will probably get a better handle on my exact calories, fat/sugar/carbohydrate intake. Right now, I have not had the patience and am getting good results anyway. For those with more patience and time, proper diet can make an even bigger difference, especially for those with slow or problem metabolisms. Mixing the right foods together in specific combinations can also result in better nutrition and available energy amounts.
Note that I did not mix in the protein supplements until after a full month of working out. Also, I should probably cut out the Wonton Soup. I am also human, so I have not stuck to this 100%. It is a guideline. I have also had fruit juices and things like cran-apple. Remember, some juices are high in calories and sugars and sucking them down in quantity can make you as fat as eating junk food. Some are diuretics in large quantities and you can get dehydrated. Water is your friend.
Avoid eating much before retiring for the evening. You don't want to stuff yourself full of calories and then fall asleep.
If you have to eat a lot of red meat to live, so be it, but choose lean cuts and avoid adding fattening sauces, gravies or sugary marinades. Substitute ground turkey for ground beef where possible. Stop eating hot dogs, pepperoni, salami and the rest of the garbage I love to eat.
Fish is a wonderful thing for gaining strength and reducing fat. I hate fish. A lot. That is part of the reason I am using the Flax Seed Oil. If you like fish and have access to safe, fresh supplies, it is generally great for you. Here is roughly what I have been eating:
Drink:
-At least 6 glasses of water a day. If you have to urinate frequently, you are probably drinking enough. Your muscles need water to grow and for your body to stay healthy. Don't worry about temporary water gain.
-Supplement with fruit juices and protein shakes. Avoid soda like the plague. Just because it is diet, does not mean it is good for you, and it tends to keep your body wanting other sugary things.
Vitamins and Supplements:
-A one a day type vitamin tablet in the morning. I use Centrum.
-Flax Seed Oil capsules three times a day
Breakfast: A banana (or other fruit), coffee, orange juice and low fat or fat free yogurt with fruit.
On weekends or for a treat, pancakes, go easy on the syrup.
Mid morning:
-Protein shake with either low fat milk or water. I have been using Human Development Technologies 55G Time Released Protein Pro Blend 55 Protein Diet Supplement. I buy it in bulk and mix it myself to save a ton of money.
Lunch:
-Chinese food. I get a steamed chicken and mixed vegetables with white rice. Sometimes with light sauce on the side and Wonton Soup. Or a steamed mixed vegetables platter without chicken at all.
-A salad. Sometimes with protein added like grilled chicken or turkey. Sometimes a chef's salad, but don't overdo those, lots of calories in some. Use low fat dressing if any dressing at all.
-Grilled chicken breast either by itself or on a platter with veggies, pasta, rice, etc. A sandwich sometimes with tomato, lettuce, onions, mustard and whole wheat bread.
Mid afternoon-One or more of these:
-Protein shake again.
-Fruit - Grapes, apples, etc.
-Vegetable (celery sticks, carrots).
Dinner:
-Grilled, baked or broiled chicken breast. Usually with pasta, rice and/or cooked veggies and/or a side salad with veggies. Try various seasonings and low fat/calorie sauces.
-Pasta dinner with low fat/low sugar sauces or gravies when possible, with veggies in or on the side. Watch the bread intake.
-Low fat, ground turkey breast based chili with beans.
-Salad with veggies. Sometimes add cheese or meats. Occasional chef's salad but watch the dressing and these are not necessarily low fat/calorie due to meats/cheeses/eggs/dresssing and size.
-Fruit.
-Turkey baked white meat.
-Very little red meat, if I do have it, a lean cut.
-Vegetables, preferably raw if I did not have any in my salad. Cooked are good also, especially corn, broccoli, peas and rarely baked potato. Others (not me) like cooked spinach, carrots, etc.
-Sometimes add a protein shake.
After Dinner snack or if its a late night and I have not hit the gym yet or am not going:
If no protein shake with dinner, may have one now. If I have already worked out, I use a different protein that will get into the system faster: Human Development Technologies Whey Protein Dietary Supplement with milk. This one does not blend easily or with water. Both taste good in the Dutch Chocolate flavor.
-Fruit, low fat popcorn, veggies, small salad or other low fat, low calorie snack.
After workout:
The Whey Protein dietary supplement shake.
THE ACTUAL WORKOUT:
Once again, the previous caveats apply. I plan to change this to a consistent 5 or 6 day a week set of exercise segments as I have simply been repeating the four days and really working out 5 to 6 anyway. It would be better to have less exercises in a given session, probably with Saturday as the mandatory non workout day to accommodate the SCA and my family better.
I would suggest having the aerobic be either on the off workout days or in the morning on a day when the workout is scheduled for that evening. I have been supplementing this with a certain amount of swimming. I have also been mixing in some other exercises (for example on chest, do decline Olympic barbell presses instead of one of the other presses) to work the muscles from different angles and still avoid going stale. I will stick to mass building exercises for the most part.
I have been adding forearm and wrist exercises with dumbbells and barbells just recently, but not in an organized way yet.
I have actually been lax on the aerobic side, except for the heavy bag part, I have typically not been doing more than 15 minutes of interval training for aerobic. I have been using the treadmill lately, despite the fact that it is bad for my knees, I should go back to the stairmaster or elliptical machines.
Weights are the recent weights used, pick your own weights, don't use mine, they are just there as a reference as to what I am doing now and how I got to my current conditioning level. Everybody is different, use very light weights the first week or two to get your body used to the stresses, then ramp up the weights carefully over time.
I strongly suggest reading books, magazines regarding strength training, getting personal instruction to start, especially if you have never done this before. Don't over due it and get hurt. Don't forget to drink during the workout. I am usually taking 30 to 60 seconds max. between sets of a given exercise, longer only if I am struggling and want to be sure I get the reps out.
There are a lot more details and options, the approaches to training vary widely. This worked for me. It may not have been ideal, but compared to the results other people have achieved, I think my methods have some merit.
DAY 1 - Chest, Back and Abdominal:
Chest:
Bench Press - 3 sets 10 135/145/145 Total weight w/Olympic Bar.
Incline Dumbbell Press - 3 sets 10 40/45/50 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Start with dumbbells at side of chest, press overhead and twist to meet at top, plates edge to edge.
Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets 10 45/45/45 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Start with dumbbells at side of chest, press overheat and meet at top, plate end to plate end.
Body Master Pec/Dec Machine - 3 sets 10 110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates. Use in chest/pectoral mode.
Flat Bench Chest Fly's With Dumbbells - 3 sets 10 30/30/30 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Back:
Hammer Strength Bent Over Bar Rows (w/chest pad and free weights). 3 sets 10 135/135/135 Total wgt of plates.
Hammer Strength Seated Row 3 sets 10 140/150/150 Total wgt of plates.
Cybex Seated Row Machine - 3 sets 10 140/140/150 Total wgt machine plates.
Cybex Lat Pulldown Machine - 3 sets 10 130/140/150 Total wgt machine plates.
Gravitron - Wide Grip Assisted Pull-ups - 3 sets 10 assist settings 5/6/7
This is an air pressure assisted machine that lets you do pull-ups, etc., with assist from a platform that allows you to do more than you could without an assist, really works the upper back well.
Abdominal:
Cybex Torso Twister - 3 sets 10 140/150/170 This really works internal and external obliques.
Crunches - with bent legs in motion. As many sets of 15 or 20 reps as you can do with good form. I suck at this currently, generally 5 sets of 15.
Leg raises on back/arm grip stationary platform - OR Nautilus or Cybex crunch machine. 3 sets 15 if leg raises, 3 sets 10 if one of the machines.
Aerobics:
½ Hour interval training on Stairmaster, Treadmill, Elliptical Machine or other. Quite frankly, I have only been doing 15 minutes of this.
DAY 2 - Arms:
Biceps:
Standing Ez-Curl Bar Curls - 3 sets 10 65/65/75 Total wgt of bar and plates
Hammer Strength Preacher Curls - 3 sets 10 65/65/65 Total wgt of plates
Seated Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets 10 25/25/30 Total wgt each dumbbell
Start dumbbell parallel to the bench, supinate as you raise it to be 90 degrees to bench.
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets 10 20/25/25 Total wgt each dumbbell
Start dumbbell at 90 degrees to the bench, keep it there through full contraction of muscle.
Standing Straight Barbell Curls - 2 sets 10 60/60 Total wgt bar and plates.
Be careful with this one, a straight bar can strain your joints. Don't overdo it.
Triceps:
Cable Pressdown with Straight Bar - 3 sets 10 6 Machine plates (I think about 70 lbs?)
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets 10 135/135/145 Total wgt w/Olympic bar and plates.
Flat Bench Lying Triceps Extensions, Ez Curl or Straight Bar - 3 sets 10 65/65/75 Total wgt w/bar and plates.
Standing Overhead Triceps Press - Use Ez Curl or 90 degree bar - 3 sets 10 55/55/55 Total wgt w/bar and plates. Do this fully extended overhead to down behind your head.
Sitting One Arm Triceps Extensions - 2 sets 10 20/20 Total wgt dumbbell. Do this one at a time bringing the dumbbell from almost locked arm overhead to down behind your head.
Day 3 - Shoulders and Hamstrings:
Sitting Military Press - 3 sets 10 85/85/85 Total wgt including any Olympic bar or Smith machine bar wgt. Use a bench with back and safety rack for bar OR bench and a Smith machine.
Behind the Neck Press - 3 sets 10 65/65/65 Same criteria and setup as Sitting Military Press.
Body Master Pec/Dec Machine - 3 sets 10 100/120/120 Total wgt machine plates. Use in rear shoulder mode.
Sitting Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets 10 35/40/40 Total wgt each dumbbell. Press directly
Overhead so plates meet. You can do end to end or edge to edge to work different angles.
Standing Side Lateral Dumbbell Raises - 3 sets 10 25/25/25 Total wgt each dumbbell.
Hammer Strength Shrugs (Trapezius) - 3 sets 10 180/230/230 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Curls - 4 sets 10 90/100/110/110 Total wgt plates.
Cybex Leg Curl Machine - 4 sets 10 100/110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates.
Cybex Sitting Leg Curl Machine - 4 sets 10 100/110/110/120 Total wgt machine plates.
DAY 4 - Quadriceps and Calves:
Squats on Smith Machine - 4 sets 10 90/140/150/160 Total wgt plates.
Unless in perfect health, do not go over 90 degrees at the knees, consider knee wraps, get advice about foot position, thighs should be able to get parallel to the ground without knees bending past 90 degrees. If you don't have knee problems, consider free weight squats with Olympic bar instead.
Body Master Leg Press (Reclined seat, angled sled) - 3 sets 10 360/450/450 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Press (Reclined seat, forward press) - 3 sets 10 270/270/320 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions (One leg at a time) - 3 sets 10 35/35/35 Total wgt plates.
Magnum or Body Master Standing Calf Extensions - 3 sets 15 145/180/180 Total wgt plates.
Body Master Leg Press (Use w/safeties up for calf extensions with toes) - 3 sets 12 270/180/180 Total wgt plates.
Hammer Strength Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets 12 90/100/100 Total wgt plates.
Abdominal:
Cybex Torso Twister - 3 sets 10 140/150/170 This really works internal and external obliques.
Crunches - with bent legs in motion. As many sets of 15 or 20 reps as you can do with good form. I suck at this currently, generally 5 sets of 15.
Leg raises on back/arm grip stationary platform - OR Nautilus or Cybex crunch machine. 3 sets 15 if leg raises, 3 sets 10 if one of the machines.
Aerobic - Heavy boxing bag, ½ hour, 3 minute rounds, 1 minute off. Focus heavily on jabs over power punches. Use padded bag gloves.
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Hark, I hear horses.
[This message has been edited by Richard Blackmoore (edited 03-19-2001).]