A Two-Year Story of My Exercise Routine
I have been on my current exercise and fitness regime for probably a bit under 2 year now. It really
My current exercise regime is based more on weight and strength training rather than anything particularly cardiovascular.
It really began in August 2015 at a housesit in Courtenay (the one where I started to weigh myself regularly) which had a big dog. The dog liked walks and I was introduced to his daily 2 mile circuit by his owner. I have to admit that these walks were difficult at first and my feet ached. Gradually, with increasing exercise, I could take the dog for walks of 5-7 km. Not sure how the dog felt about that some days before his rear started to drag n the way home. The house also had a small weight training unit in the garage which was quite nice to use, and totally unused. I quite liked it but had to watch the amount of leg press weights as my knees were telling me they couldn't take much more.
Coupled with that, the house had a dry sauna which I love to use. While spending time in there, I needed something to do so stomach crunches was something easy. Started easy with 10-20 crunches, eventually ending at 100 over the course of some 8 weeks.
I took a break from dog walking and the crunches at the end of September when we left the house sit (the dog was most distressed to see his owner return and me leave) and had a week before going to Europe. Once in Europe, my exercise was walking (on the Cinque Terre high trails and not the waterfront ones). Along the way in Italy, I found an exercise mat to resume doing crunches on a dily basis.
On to Asia, some hotel properties offered gym equipment and I generally used the weight training equipment and a good exercise bike when available, though this was very periodic and done in small spurts. In the last week of our 4 month sojourn, I did find house brand strap training equipment which allows you to set up a gym nearly anywhere there's a door (unless you care about the door and jamb) or something to hook on to and use your own body weight to work out, so I started to do some exercises there.
In March of 2017, we spent over 2 weeks crossing the Pacific on a container ship. Sailors can be a muscular bunch as there's not much to do, so working out is one thing. Equipment was rather sparse though the strap system supplemented the equipment. Once we got off in California, I was sedentary for that week (perhaps not when it came to walking) for a week in California before getting onto a cruise ship for a few days and resuming gym weight workouts.
Sedentary again when we got back to Vancouver. One I connected back onto the internet, I read an article that stated planking as a better core workout than crunches as it exercised all the muscles despite the lack of movement. Though 10 seconds is apparently too much for beginners, I found that I could hold the position for 2 minutes, even up to my record of 4. Until I started to do them properly.
By laws of physics, increasing the distance between support points increases stress.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/for-abs-hard-as-rock-plank-like-the-eastern-bloc-fitness/article32887253/
I followed the above link and pushed my elbows above my shoulder instead of below which increased strength required quite substantially.
I had quite strong, hard abs before this so that helped.
I was able to stay on this routine for most of April 2016 though I injured an elbow with the strap training system which put me out for a bit. Following a break in May (featuring walking and a little bit of gym weight usage), I did my routine into June and July. Perhaps with my predisposition to gout in late July, and wearing the wrong shoes on a hike, I managed to injure my foot which put me out for walking through August.
I was able to walk well again at the end of August when we began a sit of 3 dog, one of which required considerable exercise (long walks and hikes). The house was also set up for strap exercise so I did this rather regularly for the next 5 weeks into early October.
Another house sit in beginning in mid October 2016 only had cats and no points or trees for the strap trainer so I just used the dumb bells in the house (used by the woman who proves someone in her mid 60s can still be quite attractive) for a little bit of upper body workouts.
Into late November, we returned to where I began this regime. I found that I had, without really watching what I eat other than my diet post, lost some 4-6 lbs on the same scale, and I could see a contour developing down the middle of my torso. I don't have the body type for my muscles to really show through (my body fat smooths it all out under the skin) but you can see it with the right light. It was back to dog walking (in the cold and snow, long pant only when it got within 2-3 C of freezing) and the weight machine (cold as it was in the garage but that gets the brown fat working).
Sauna but no more crunches though I did let up on the planking.
January through March this year brought us to a place with more dog walking (until we realised one of the dogs didn't like long, brisk walks) but no place for strap training. Too cold outside too.
At this place, I could resume planking, adding planking on my side, and having read a 7-daily workouts for men, adding squats and pushups.
Pushups are said to be very versatile as they develop more than a few muscles. Yes, even doing 10 is hard at first but after a while, you find you can do 3 sets of 15 reps with ease. I probably could do more.
April brought us to a place where planking or getting on the floor was somewhat undesirable but there was dog walking.
Later in April was a trip to eastern Canada (no exercise at all other than walking) and then a 3-week cross-country RV trip in May which allowed me to strap train at select cam sites with suitable tree.
Back to Vancouver Island, I have two dogs to walk and a point to attach the strap.
I've managed to keep up my daily routine of:
At least 2 sets of 15 push ups
2 sets of 12-14 squats
Plank or maybe 2 or more of at least 60 seconds each
Side plank of at least 60 seconds each side
Lateral and front/side? rises - 2 sets of 20
Strap exercise - 10 different ones I have to get names for
I feel nicely toned but it could always get better
My current exercise regime is based more on weight and strength training rather than anything particularly cardiovascular.
It really began in August 2015 at a housesit in Courtenay (the one where I started to weigh myself regularly) which had a big dog. The dog liked walks and I was introduced to his daily 2 mile circuit by his owner. I have to admit that these walks were difficult at first and my feet ached. Gradually, with increasing exercise, I could take the dog for walks of 5-7 km. Not sure how the dog felt about that some days before his rear started to drag n the way home. The house also had a small weight training unit in the garage which was quite nice to use, and totally unused. I quite liked it but had to watch the amount of leg press weights as my knees were telling me they couldn't take much more.
Coupled with that, the house had a dry sauna which I love to use. While spending time in there, I needed something to do so stomach crunches was something easy. Started easy with 10-20 crunches, eventually ending at 100 over the course of some 8 weeks.
I took a break from dog walking and the crunches at the end of September when we left the house sit (the dog was most distressed to see his owner return and me leave) and had a week before going to Europe. Once in Europe, my exercise was walking (on the Cinque Terre high trails and not the waterfront ones). Along the way in Italy, I found an exercise mat to resume doing crunches on a dily basis.
On to Asia, some hotel properties offered gym equipment and I generally used the weight training equipment and a good exercise bike when available, though this was very periodic and done in small spurts. In the last week of our 4 month sojourn, I did find house brand strap training equipment which allows you to set up a gym nearly anywhere there's a door (unless you care about the door and jamb) or something to hook on to and use your own body weight to work out, so I started to do some exercises there.
In March of 2017, we spent over 2 weeks crossing the Pacific on a container ship. Sailors can be a muscular bunch as there's not much to do, so working out is one thing. Equipment was rather sparse though the strap system supplemented the equipment. Once we got off in California, I was sedentary for that week (perhaps not when it came to walking) for a week in California before getting onto a cruise ship for a few days and resuming gym weight workouts.
Sedentary again when we got back to Vancouver. One I connected back onto the internet, I read an article that stated planking as a better core workout than crunches as it exercised all the muscles despite the lack of movement. Though 10 seconds is apparently too much for beginners, I found that I could hold the position for 2 minutes, even up to my record of 4. Until I started to do them properly.
By laws of physics, increasing the distance between support points increases stress.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/for-abs-hard-as-rock-plank-like-the-eastern-bloc-fitness/article32887253/
I followed the above link and pushed my elbows above my shoulder instead of below which increased strength required quite substantially.
I had quite strong, hard abs before this so that helped.
I was able to stay on this routine for most of April 2016 though I injured an elbow with the strap training system which put me out for a bit. Following a break in May (featuring walking and a little bit of gym weight usage), I did my routine into June and July. Perhaps with my predisposition to gout in late July, and wearing the wrong shoes on a hike, I managed to injure my foot which put me out for walking through August.
I was able to walk well again at the end of August when we began a sit of 3 dog, one of which required considerable exercise (long walks and hikes). The house was also set up for strap exercise so I did this rather regularly for the next 5 weeks into early October.
Another house sit in beginning in mid October 2016 only had cats and no points or trees for the strap trainer so I just used the dumb bells in the house (used by the woman who proves someone in her mid 60s can still be quite attractive) for a little bit of upper body workouts.
Into late November, we returned to where I began this regime. I found that I had, without really watching what I eat other than my diet post, lost some 4-6 lbs on the same scale, and I could see a contour developing down the middle of my torso. I don't have the body type for my muscles to really show through (my body fat smooths it all out under the skin) but you can see it with the right light. It was back to dog walking (in the cold and snow, long pant only when it got within 2-3 C of freezing) and the weight machine (cold as it was in the garage but that gets the brown fat working).
Sauna but no more crunches though I did let up on the planking.
January through March this year brought us to a place with more dog walking (until we realised one of the dogs didn't like long, brisk walks) but no place for strap training. Too cold outside too.
At this place, I could resume planking, adding planking on my side, and having read a 7-daily workouts for men, adding squats and pushups.
Pushups are said to be very versatile as they develop more than a few muscles. Yes, even doing 10 is hard at first but after a while, you find you can do 3 sets of 15 reps with ease. I probably could do more.
April brought us to a place where planking or getting on the floor was somewhat undesirable but there was dog walking.
Later in April was a trip to eastern Canada (no exercise at all other than walking) and then a 3-week cross-country RV trip in May which allowed me to strap train at select cam sites with suitable tree.
Back to Vancouver Island, I have two dogs to walk and a point to attach the strap.
I've managed to keep up my daily routine of:
At least 2 sets of 15 push ups
2 sets of 12-14 squats
Plank or maybe 2 or more of at least 60 seconds each
Side plank of at least 60 seconds each side
Lateral and front/side? rises - 2 sets of 20
Strap exercise - 10 different ones I have to get names for
I feel nicely toned but it could always get better
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