Been On the Fitness Train for a While Now... *Now With 1 Year Update*

**el guapo** · 09-03-09, 14:20

Have you given any thought to swimming? I'm signed up for a short triathalon next year with some friends and decided to take some swimming lessons with my girl (I can swim already, but not with any kind of form, head under water, etc). At this point I'm not even kicking with my legs, they just drag behind me. It's a hell of a workout. I'm exhausted when I get out of the pool, but not sore in my knees and shins when I'm done running. Lessones were only $15 a piece and were well worth the time and money. Good luck. looking good so far.

**Hellbilly** · 09-04-09, 01:59

If you have an indoor set up for a bicycle the dvd series from www.spinervals.com works well for cardio.

**BushmasterFanBoy** · 09-19-09, 11:38

I had an MRI done this Monday, and the doctor viewed the results Wednesday. Found out that there was no tearing to speak of. However, what had happened was my knee cap popped out of place and smacked into my femur, bruising it. The swelling is mostly the result of internal damage, and is responsible for the difficulty in movement. I asked how long it should take to heal, and 4-6 weeks was the answer I got. "When can I run again?" netted me an "8 weeks". It's a setback, but I can still focus on upper body routines, and see if my strength and cardio can get back in sync by the time I'm able to start running again.

The good news is that its a pretty rare injury, and its a freak accident, rather than the result of any damage inherent in my knee, so with some good physical therapy, I should be able to make a very good recovery.

**Honu** · 09-19-09, 17:32

try to get some sustained cardio type stuff

bike riding or swimming long distance so your body works a long time can get you in great shape quickly and wont be as hard on you

good job to you keep it up

**randyman_ar** · 09-20-09, 00:32

Originally Posted by Honu

try to get some sustained cardio type stuff

bike riding or swimming long distance so your body works a long time can get you in great shape quickly and wont be as hard on you

good job to you keep it up

Excellent advice. I believe variety is the 2nd most important thing in any exercise program, with rest and DIET being #1. And diet being the hardest to achieve...well for me anyway.

**ARJJ** · 09-27-09, 18:01

FanBoy, first off, a big congrats on the weight loss--It takes a lot of motivation to drop that kind of weight in a few months (short of maybe basic training or the police academy). I'm also sorry to hear about your injury--I feel your pain! I just had arthroscopic labral repair on my left shoulder, and I've been in a padded sling for 2.5 weeks, with 3.5 left! Lifting weights was an important hobby of mine, and I've had to stop for the time being. It's a real bummer.

I agree with what the others have said--use this time to improve your upper body. I wish it had been a lower extremity that I had injured! (I've had those before, and it doesn't slow me down much like this shoulder does.)

What is your current upper body routine? You said you have access to a weight bench, but what else? Pull-up/dip bar, dumbbells, etc.?

**BushmasterFanBoy** · 09-28-09, 00:48

Originally Posted by ARJJ

FanBoy, first off, a big congrats on the weight loss--It takes a lot of motivation to drop that kind of weight in a few months (short of maybe basic training or the police academy). I'm also sorry to hear about your injury--I feel your pain! I just had arthroscopic labral repair on my left shoulder, and I've been in a padded sling for 2.5 weeks, with 3.5 left! Lifting weights was an important hobby of mine, and I've had to stop for the time being. It's a real bummer.

I agree with what the others have said--use this time to improve your upper body. I wish it had been a lower extremity that I had injured! (I've had those before, and it doesn't slow me down much like this shoulder does.)

What is your current upper body routine? You said you have access to a weight bench, but what else? Pull-up/dip bar, dumbbells, etc.?

Thanks for the congrats.

Right now, my routine is to hit my local gym and do the following upper body workout every other day:

Chest:
Incline bench with dumbbells
Fly Machine
Bench Machine

Back:
Row Machine
Dumbbell rows

Shoulders:
Overhead press with dumbbells
Overhead press machine
Shoulder Fly Machine

Arms:
Dumbbell curls
Reverse curls
Curl Machine
Tricep machine

Forearms:
Wrist Curls with dumbbells

(I'm almost always working with sets of 12-10-8 reps with increasing weight for each lift/machine listed. If anyone has any tips, like cutting it up into several days to focus better on certain muscle groups, or a particular recommended lift, feel free to chime in.)

For the last week, I've been able to use an exercise bike which is very nice as it allows me to get something of a cardio rush approaching running, and it gets my right quad VERY sore, not that it's any trouble, since its still visibly smaller than my left (non injured) one.

I feel like I'm gonna have to battle atrophy and injury at the same time on my way back to running.

But I'm also doing physical therapy twice a week, which helps a bunch.

I've been doing this routine for the last week and a half, and I'm really enjoying it, of course, being new, I'm going to see some gains. I've also been drinking some protein shakes before and after each workout, which hogs up some 500 calories of my daily supply, but I figure it's worth it.

Speaking of diet, does anyone have any good recipes for good, low-fat, high protein, meals? Right now, I'm pretty much only seeing Chicken and eggs off the top of my head. My goal is to get my body in great shape, so when I'm able to run, I'll be working with a body that's much more prepared than when I started. I figure, to do that, I'm going to need to more than just cut calories, but actually control WHAT I eat, not just how much of it.

**John Frazer** · 09-28-09, 06:33

I did routines like that for years and never got much of anywhere. They didn't even help me look strong, let alone actually be strong.

My advice is to ditch all the machines and all the isolation exercises. Do pullups (unweighted and weighted), dips (same), bench press, floor press, and barbell presses (moving on to push presses and push jerks when your knee is better). You'll be out of the gym in half the time, with better results.

Many have suggested the Crossfit program, and it's one that I've been happy with, especially variants that emphasize heavy lifting. It's worked for me at 40+ so it should work even better than you. I like www.coachrut.blogspot.com, but www.crossfitfootball.com should also be a winner if you want to bulk up and if it works for your schedule.

**TomD** · 09-28-09, 14:53

If you are wanting SHOW muscles, stay with the weight routine but if you are wanting FUNCTIONAL fitness then go with Ross Enamait's routines, kettlebells or crossfit or a combination of the three. Be very careful doing heavy weight shoulder exercises. As to your diet, don't skip the snacks; just eat the right things as 5-6 small meals a day are much better for you than the traditional 3. I wish I had known what little I know about fitness when I was your age. Keep it up!!