Today's article is for those who want to get into weight-training but who feel that the gym is not for them. This may be because you are an introvert, or you find the personality type who is attracted to the gym off-putting, or you dislike the motivational music. Whatever the reason, the more I speak with people about this subject the more I find there are people who don't go there and therefore don't work out, and this article is for you.
Severel months ago I watched a lifestyle vídeo by Vio Fazakerley. It was about being a better man. Last week I was having a conversation with one of my professors about the importance of physical exercise and what she had to say was mirrored by what the shop worker had to say this morning when I went to the sports shop and did something I hadn't done for twenty years: bought some weight training equipment. I am not a materialistic guy so anything I do buy tends to be personally noteworthy.
The gist of the conversations was that the youths of 20 and thirty years ago were, on average, fitter then they are now. Moreover, the lifestyle of a professional person nowadays is, generally, to get up, go to work, sit at a desk, go home, watch TV. Obviously this is a massive generalisation but nevertheless is going to be true for many people. I am approaching early middle-age and currently have the massive privilege of being back at university on order to change my career. My classmates are approximately half my age and some of the boys are flabbier than me. That is to say, I am not flabby at all!
Keeping Fit Without Leaving Home.
The vídeo and accompanying manual showed what is possible to do without going to the time and expense and inconvenience of joining a gym. Following its advice, for several months my routine has been to exercise first thing in the morning. This morning routine is important because by exercising as soon as you get up and 2-3 hours before getting into your daily work routine you can benefit maximally from the hormones produced by exercising. I have also watched vídeos by the body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards and she gives tips for pre-power body language that can help before going into a stressful situation, and this can complemente the effects of that first buzz-effect of wellbeing you get soon after your morning work out is over. But that is another story.
My morning workout involveds bungees in order to warm up. Then I go into my work-out proper. I have two objectives. Firstly I want to acquire a trunk with a classic 'A-shape". I have never had a beer belly so this should not have been hard to achieve but is proving surprisingly elusive. Secondly, I want to look proportional. To achieve these I do the following exercises:
- Squats
- Half-vertical press-ups
- Spider-man press-ups
- Vertical press-ups
- Front kitchen exercises
- Back kitchen exercises
I accept that such descriptions may be meaningless to many of my readers and I am happy to clarify if you get in touch. But the name of the exercise is less important than knowing the muscle-group that you intend exercising. This comes from knowing what you want to achieve. I make extensive notes on my work outs and I find this is essential for my progress. To give you an example, one of the best exercises for acquiring the A-shape I mentioned is the squat. It works the quadríceps, the hamstrings, the glutes and the calves. Blogs and sites talk about the 'big three', which includes the bench press and the deadlift. You can exercise at home by incorporating any object that provides resistence. You should use a belt. I have reached the stage where I have been exercising at home for several months, counting and increasing my repetitions and timing my breaks and usually doing three sets of several repetitions depending upon the exercise. I have a full length mirror to check my form and I note my progress. Remember, the work-out that works for you is the one you can keep up over time!
Conclusion: Out with the Laundry Basket!
It got to the stage where my squat repetitions were increasing and my break intervals were decreasing. Since my time, like everybody's, is precious, I decided it was time to add a weight to my squats - I had been using a laundry basket. So I went out today and bought bar (8.3kg), weights and gloves. Tomorrow I start again and shall be checking my form in front of my full-length mirror. During the week it will perhaps by time to buy a weight-lifting belt.
Question for you: in weight-training terminology, is 'conditioning' the same as 'warming up'? If you know the answer, can you put it in the 'Comments' below, please?
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