on...topic: fitness plan
Friday, July 18, 2003
note to self
Just for the record, if I'm planning to do dumbbell lunges in the future, I need to have Aleve handy the next day. 3 or 4 of them.
Monday, August 19, 2002
upper body workout - day 4
Today's big effort was to get through the chest portion of the workout. I had difficulties with the last two sets last time, and I was looking forward to getting it this time. Day 4 showed areas of improvement (chest, back), areas that need to be worked on (my right bicep, particularly), and areas that I'm not pushing enough (triceps). I'll adapt Friday's workout and hopefully the progress will continue.
I'm really happy with the improvement so far. And I feel a lot better after a workout now than I did the first day.
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
upper body workout - day 3
Today was another step in the right direction. I pushed myself pretty hard again today by stepping up the bench press weight again, and it showed. I wasn't able to complete the final two sets, but that's okay. It gives me something to work towards on Monday. On the positive front, I completed the biceps sets with my right arm as well as my left! This is a big accomplishment. Now I can finally move upward a little bit there on Monday!
Day 3's results show a steady improvement overall. I'm very pleased with my progress thus far. I'm pushing myself well. I wasn't this far along last time.
Friday, August 9, 2002
back in shape - day 2
Just after I stopped feeling sore from the first time, here it is Friday. Actually, I was pretty pumped about giving it another go. If there's one thing that I've learned about workout programs, it's that the first time's always the toughest. After that, you get into the spirit of it, and it becomes a challenge, not something to dread.
Looking back on the first workout, I realized that I hadn't really pushed myself very hard in the chest exercises, so I downgraded my effort in day 1 and added weight to the lifts today. I also went up a little in weight on most of the shoulder exercises and the "high point" set of dumbbell pullovers for the back.
Day 2's results were pretty promising, I think. I managed the extra chest weight pretty handily, and the shoulder weight added to the intensity there. I almost got that last dumbbell pullover! I'll get it next time for sure. Of special note is that I completed the workout in 46 minutes, right on time, for the first time ever! I was never able to do it the first time. I feel a lot better after this workout than the first one, and that's to be expected, I would think. Now it's time to go eat...
Wednesday, August 7, 2002
feeling the burn - 2 days later
I believe that Daffy Duck said it best..."agony, aggg-oooo-nyyyyy!"
I'd forgotten just how rough the first workout can make you feel. Right now, my biceps and triceps are still screaming at me, "What did you do to us?" from my Monday workout. Making a right angle with either arm sends a jolt of pain from both, pleading with me never, ever to do that to them again.
But that's okay. Experience tells me that it gets easier from here, as long as I keep up with it. And that's what I intend to do. I've outlined my goals for this plan. I'm no fitness expert or dietician, so my numbers my not be reasonable. Then again, I'm measuring my weight and body-fat percentage with instruments that only provide reasonable figures, at best. My overall goal is to look and feel better about myself, and that's something that I can easily track progress of without resorting to numbers.
Monday, August 5, 2002
back in shape - day 1
All through the past year, I had vowed that when I got back into my own place, I'd start working out again, because I'd have my weights again. And I decided that I was going to have to follow through on that. I also decided that I'd include my progress in pressing on... because it would help me to have a physical record and it'd keep me accountable. Today, I took the first step.
I had decided a while back that I was going to follow some of the aspects of the Body-for-life program that I had followed a couple of years ago. It's a very good program, but there were parts of it that I didn't feel that I would need or that would be feasible for me to try to do, like eating six small meals a day.
However, the upper-body workout was something that I was intent upon keeping. It's a good workout; it only takes 45-50 minutes, and you only do it three times every two weeks. I figured that was something that I could keep up with. I knew that I was going to start riding my bike around town and the campus, so that'd take care of the aerobic and lower-body workouts. My legs don't need to be any bigger than they are. :)
So this morning I had my first workout. It took some effort to roll out of bed and do it. The last time that I had started a workout, I had no idea of what I could do, and ended up overestimating my strength by a long shot. I figured that this time I'd have a closer idea of where I needed to start.
I was pretty close. I pushed myself to the limit on a bunch of the exercises. My workout was a challenging one, but not impossible. Look at Day 1's results. It's not very pretty, but it's there for right now, and that's fine. I'll spruce it up later.
At the end, I was spent. I felt like I'd gone through a two-a-day, with my body reacting like you'd expect it to. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Look at this recent ESPN article, skipping down to the paragraph beginning "The first thing you need to know about NFL training camp..." and you'll get my drift.) So I cooled off for a while until I felt more like myself. It was tough to take a shower, mainly because it was difficult to get my hands over my head to wash my hair. :)
After that, I got the bike out and decided to see what a ride to campus was like. I was pleasantly surprised. The entire trip is a little over a mile and a half, and encompasses about 25 blocks. Since I got my bike tuned up, it's a lot easier to ride now. I did it pretty easily, and I think that I should be able to get in some good workouts with my bike just by riding to and around campus.
So, overall my day fitness-wise was good. My next upper-body workout will be on Friday, and the one after that on next Wednesday. After that, I'll repeat the Monday-Friday-Wednesday pattern. Body-for-life gave me pretty good results in roughly ten weeks; here's hoping that I'll stick to it and be looking good come November. :)
Coming soon: my overall fitness goals.