Aha! We're 60 days into our best beach bods. I hope it's going well! Here are some checkpoints:

1. If you began you fitness regimen in January and you've been at least mostly faithful to it, there's no doubt you saw some real improvement in February. Assuming you didn't eat cheesecake for every meal, you HAD to! So I know that those of you who started in January are feeling GOOD right now! Keep it up, because you'll see more improvement in March than you did in February. Success begats success!

2. If you started in February, or started in January but quit for awhile and resumed in February, there's good news! You should have a great base of muscles that have been worked and trained in the necessary movements. So, you shouldn't be sore any more. That means that March is your month! Only 30 more day to the end and at the end I promise - you're going to look in the mirror and actually notice a physical change! That is, unless you are eating cheesecake for every meal. Don't do that!

3. If you haven't started at all, do not worry! You can build that muscle base in March; see real improvement in April; and even more improvement in May. By the time June rolls around, you are going to look decidedly better than you do today. BUT...you have to start TODAY and you HAVE to be consistent in your workout. I have no doubt you will because you wouldn't have read this far if you didn't have that spark of desire it takes to accomplish physical change!

NOTE FOR EVERYBODY - No matter where you are in the process, it's vitally important that your diet be good. You CANNOT out-train a bad diet. Like death and taxes, that is a certainty.

No matter where you are in the process, March is the absolute best month for committment and results. Good luck!

Still a 100% pescaterian. But those random meat craving are kick in now and then, but I haven't strayed. I will be straying a bit in May, Gator festival is happening. But even then it'll primarily be boiled crayfish plates and lobster benigns, a tiny bit of alligator though. Lots of dancing mostly. Outside of those random cravings I feel great, slimming down with hardly any effort, but still need to put in more effort so more tai chi for balance/grace and lots of cardio. Spring is right around the corner so I'm ready.

morningsong said:

Still a 100% pescaterian. But those random meat craving are kick in now and then, but I haven't strayed. I will be straying a bit in May, Gator festival is happening. But even then it'll primarily be boiled crayfish plates and lobster benigns, a tiny bit of alligator though. Lots of dancing mostly. Outside of those random cravings I feel great, slimming down with hardly any effort, but still need to put in more effort so more tai chi for balance/grace and lots of cardio. Spring is right around the corner so I'm ready.

morningsong said:

Pushed up 306 again Saturday and this time there is video proof! I could have done more, too. It's AMAZING what being able to go the gym 2 times a week can do for me!

RodeoSchro said:

Brendan said:

RodeoSchro said:

Pushed up 306 again Saturday and this time there is video proof! I could have done more, too. It's AMAZING what being able to go the gym 2 times a week can do for me!

This is amazing. My goals are always to remain in shape and be fairly strong. This is way beyond that.

Thanks! I owe it all to Type II diabetes, LOL.

MY LONG BORING STORY ABOUT WORKING OUT

I was maxing out on the bench at about 225 10 years ago. In anticipation of my upcoming 50th birthday, my plan was to get in the best shape I could; take some picture of myself; and then say "adios!" to the gym. Great plan, huh?

I noticed a month after my 49th birthday that my shirts and pants were a lot baggier than normal. I knew I was in good shape and I knew I was lifting more weight than I ever had before. And I was ripped! I had six-pack abs! So I thought maybe I'd just moved muscle around or something. But then I had a physical.

The doctor told me two things. One, he really liked my weight of 165 pounds. Wait - what?!? I weighed 165?!? No way! I always weighed between 185 - 190. Granted, it had been awhile since I'd weighed myself, but I was consistently in the 185-190 range for 15+ years. How could I have lost 20 - 25 pounds?!?

It was because the second thing the doctor told me was that my blood sugar was 390 and I was a diabetic. Yikes! That wasn't a complete surprise - my doctor had told me at age 40 that my blood sugar was steadily rising and that one day I would likely develop Type II. He said my case was genetic and there nothing I could do about it. Sure enough, he was right.

We got me on medicine and I asked the doctor if after we got my blood sugar numbers back to something liveable, would I gain back the weight I'd lost? He said that if I ate right and exercised, I would. What a relief! I liked having six-pack abs but if I'd stayed at 165, I was going to need an ENTIRE new wardrobe. That was not in my budget!

When I started working out again, I had a conversation with a trainer and the subject of reps came up. Specifically, he asked me "Why are you counting reps?" He said that if I wanted to put on muscle, I should lift as much weight as i could, as many reps as I could. On. Every. Set.

Best advice ever!

Now to be clear, he did advise doing a couple warm-up sets prior to busting it. I followed his advice and not only put the weight back on, but began setting new records on everything I lifted.

I'll never forget the first time I did 306! I'd maxed out at 276 prior to that day but I felt real good and said, "Why not? Put another 45 pound plate on each side!" And I did it! Man, I was floating on air!

Things kept progressing and I got up to a max of 336. That was in 2014. I had a goal of making it to 350 pounds but in 2014 I had three non-weight-lifting sciatic nerve injuries. Each one took awhile to heal and build back my strength. And then in 2015 we moved our office and my drive went from 10 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Blech!

That has REALLY cut down my gym time. It's a rare week that I get to hit the gym twice. Usually I only can get there on Saturdays, so I do 100 push-ups the rest of the days. That helps maintain strength but I can't get stronger without hitting the gym 2 or 3 times a week.

I think we have around 18 months left on our lease. When it runs out we're either moving everything back to where I live, or I've got to start something else. This erractic gym schedule is killing me!

RodeoSchro said:

Brendan said:

RodeoSchro said:

Thanks! I owe it all to Type II diabetes, LOL.

MY LONG BORING STORY ABOUT WORKING OUT

I was maxing out on the bench at about 225 10 years ago. In anticipation of my upcoming 50th birthday, my plan was to get in the best shape I could; take some picture of myself; and then say "adios!" to the gym. Great plan, huh?

I noticed a month after my 49th birthday that my shirts and pants were a lot baggier than normal. I knew I was in good shape and I knew I was lifting more weight than I ever had before. And I was ripped! I had six-pack abs! So I thought maybe I'd just moved muscle around or something. But then I had a physical.

The doctor told me two things. One, he really liked my weight of 165 pounds. Wait - what?!? I weighed 165?!? No way! I always weighed between 185 - 190. Granted, it had been awhile since I'd weighed myself, but I was consistently in the 185-190 range for 15+ years. How could I have lost 20 - 25 pounds?!?

It was because the second thing the doctor told me was that my blood sugar was 390 and I was a diabetic. Yikes! That wasn't a complete surprise - my doctor had told me at age 40 that my blood sugar was steadily rising and that one day I would likely develop Type II. He said my case was genetic and there nothing I could do about it. Sure enough, he was right.

We got me on medicine and I asked the doctor if after we got my blood sugar numbers back to something liveable, would I gain back the weight I'd lost? He said that if I ate right and exercised, I would. What a relief! I liked having six-pack abs but if I'd stayed at 165, I was going to need an ENTIRE new wardrobe. That was not in my budget!

When I started working out again, I had a conversation with a trainer and the subject of reps came up. Specifically, he asked me "Why are you counting reps?" He said that if I wanted to put on muscle, I should lift as much weight as i could, as many reps as I could. On. Every. Set.

Best advice ever!

Now to be clear, he did advise doing a couple warm-up sets prior to busting it. I followed his advice and not only put the weight back on, but began setting new records on everything I lifted.

I'll never forget the first time I did 306! I'd maxed out at 276 prior to that day but I felt real good and said, "Why not? Put another 45 pound plate on each side!" And I did it! Man, I was floating on air!

Things kept progressing and I got up to a max of 336. That was in 2014. I had a goal of making it to 350 pounds but in 2014 I had three non-weight-lifting sciatic nerve injuries. Each one took awhile to heal and build back my strength. And then in 2015 we moved our office and my drive went from 10 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Blech!

That has REALLY cut down my gym time. It's a rare week that I get to hit the gym twice. Usually I only can get there on Saturdays, so I do 100 push-ups the rest of the days. That helps maintain strength but I can't get stronger without hitting the gym 2 or 3 times a week.

I think we have around 18 months left on our lease. When it runs out we're either moving everything back to where I live, or I've got to start something else. This erractic gym schedule is killing me!

Nothing “boring” about that. It’s also inspirational. I admire the dedication, and I always admire your writing and your openness. I read that part about your trainer’s advice maybe a year or so ago, and it has stuck with me as great advice. Did you also increase your protein intake in order to achieve such dramatic results?

No, and I'm disappointed in myself for not having a better diet. No excuses, I'm just too dang lazy to take the time to eat better. I'm very fortunate in that I don't gain much belly weight and when I do, all I have to do is cut back on portion size for a few days.

But last year my goal was to get some abs and I knew I had to improve my diet, and I really didn't do a good job of that.

My diet isn't all that bad; it's just not the kind of diet a really dedicated enthusiast would have. The one universal truth in fitness is - you can't out-train a bad diet.

My bench results weren't really "dramatic". It took me a long time to get to 225 on the bench. I think I hit 225 for the first time in 2006 or so. And then after the diabetes deal in 2008, I didn't make it to 306 overnight. I guess that took about four years. But then it DID get better faster after I stopped counting reps and started lifting as much as possible.

RodeoSchro said:

After talking myself out of it for so long, I'm going to join LA Fitness, splurge and hire a personal trainer. I'm pretty good at cardio but strength training I have to admit I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. And it hurts which is why I don't do it often. So I'm going to depend on a professional to show me the ropes and keep me motivated. I have to wait a couple of weeks though because I'm having lasik this weekend and want to make sure all is well before I start on this fitness journey.

kitbradley said:

After talking myself out of it for so long, I'm going to join LA Fitness, splurge and hire a personal trainer. I'm pretty good at cardio but strength training I have to admit I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. And it hurts which is why I don't do it often. So I'm going to depend on a professional to show me the ropes and keep me motivated. I have to wait a couple of weeks though because I'm having lasik this weekend and want to make sure all is well before I start on this fitness journey.

A. Congratulations on lasik! I had it done at age 35, after 25+ years of glasses and contacts. Man, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself! And, they undercorrected one eye to about 20-40, which was supposed to keep me from needing bifocals at the usual male age of 40, pushing it back to probably age 50 or so. Well, I'm 59 and still don't need 'em! I hope yours is just as much a success! I know you're going to love it!

B. Congratulations on hiring a trainer! That is the BEST way to get committed. You'll be amazed at how consistently you train when you know you've already paid for the session! Go get 'em!

Well, the Rodeo is over. It was one of the best; at least, I had a ton of fun! I went to 14 shows in 20 days. I had exactly one workout. Soooo.........

I've got some catching up to do! We have a kind of fraternity reunion in 3 weeks. I've got to get all the weight back in the right places, as well as a fresh coat of hair paint. Growing old ain't for sissies!

Stopped taking my vitamins regularly, got sick been sick for 3 weeks, started back on my vitamins feeling better. Lesson, take my damned vitamins regularly regardless what folks say.

morningsong said:

Stopped taking my vitamins regularly, got sick been sick for 3 weeks, started back on my vitamins feeling better. Lesson, take my damned vitamins regularly regardless what folks say.

I'm glad you're feeling better!

I skated the pollen season almost until the very end, but caught a cold Friday night. However, I still powered through my push-ups yesterday and today and guess what? I feel much better here on Monday afternoon! So the push-ups didn't completely keep me out of sickness but I'm sure they helped make my recovery time much quicker!

We've got a college reunion of sorts in two weeks. I've got to hit the weights hard so I don't look as old as the other guys!

RodeoSchro said:

morningsong said:

Stopped taking my vitamins regularly, got sick been sick for 3 weeks, started back on my vitamins feeling better. Lesson, take my damned vitamins regularly regardless what folks say.

I'm glad you're feeling better!

I skated the pollen season almost until the very end, but caught a cold Friday night. However, I still powered through my push-ups yesterday and today and guess what? I feel much better here on Monday afternoon! So the push-ups didn't completely keep me out of sickness but I'm sure they helped make my recovery time much quicker!

We've got a college reunion of sorts in two weeks. I've got to hit the weights hard so I don't look as old as the other guys!

I didn't stick to my schedule as I should have, which always makes me feel a bit guilty. But I didn't falter too much just keep moving forward, learn and do better.

From what I've seen you far from looking all old and stuff, it's working for ya.

RodeoSchro said:

kitbradley said:

After talking myself out of it for so long, I'm going to join LA Fitness, splurge and hire a personal trainer. I'm pretty good at cardio but strength training I have to admit I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. And it hurts which is why I don't do it often. So I'm going to depend on a professional to show me the ropes and keep me motivated. I have to wait a couple of weeks though because I'm having lasik this weekend and want to make sure all is well before I start on this fitness journey.

A. Congratulations on lasik! I had it done at age 35, after 25+ years of glasses and contacts. Man, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself! And, they undercorrected one eye to about 20-40, which was supposed to keep me from needing bifocals at the usual male age of 40, pushing it back to probably age 50 or so. Well, I'm 59 and still don't need 'em! I hope yours is just as much a success! I know you're going to love it!

B. Congratulations on hiring a trainer! That is the BEST way to get committed. You'll be amazed at how consistently you train when you know you've already paid for the session! Go get 'em!

The lasik was successful but since I'm over 40, I still need reading glasses, unforunately. But, it's nice to not have to wear glasses while driving or watching TV.

As far as the training is concerned, I'm approaching my 3rd session. The second session was rough. We did legs and back. I worked some leg muscles that hadn't been worked in a good 10 years. Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain the day after. I could not walk with my feet flat on the ground. The back of my calves were KILLING ME!!!! I'm back to almost 100% after about 3 days in pain. Going to cycle class tonight.

I tell ya, this journey is not easy. Last night, I had to keep myself busy so I wouldn't eat cookies and right now, I'm sitting here coming up with every excuse to skip out on the cycling tonight but I've paid too much money for these training sessions to half-ass do it so I'm still hanging tough and actually (kinda) looking forward to my next session on Thursday.

kitbradley said:

RodeoSchro said:

A. Congratulations on lasik! I had it done at age 35, after 25+ years of glasses and contacts. Man, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself! And, they undercorrected one eye to about 20-40, which was supposed to keep me from needing bifocals at the usual male age of 40, pushing it back to probably age 50 or so. Well, I'm 59 and still don't need 'em! I hope yours is just as much a success! I know you're going to love it!

B. Congratulations on hiring a trainer! That is the BEST way to get committed. You'll be amazed at how consistently you train when you know you've already paid for the session! Go get 'em!

The lasik was successful but since I'm over 40, I still need reading glasses, unforunately. But, it's nice to not have to wear glasses while driving or watching TV.

As far as the training is concerned, I'm approaching my 3rd session. The second session was rough. We did legs and back. I worked some leg muscles that hadn't been worked in a good 10 years. Needless to say, I was in a lot of pain the day after. I could not walk with my feet flat on the ground. The back of my calves were KILLING ME!!!! I'm back to almost 100% after about 3 days in pain. Going to cycle class tonight.

I tell ya, this journey is not easy. Last night, I had to keep myself busy so I wouldn't eat cookies and right now, I'm sitting here coming up with every excuse to skip out on the cycling tonight but I've paid too much money for these training sessions to half-ass do it so I'm still hanging tough and actually (kinda) looking forward to my next session on Thursday.

You'll be amazed at how your body will crave that high. And I'm sure it is not easy. I still do my stuff the very slow lazy way. Make sure I've put in 15K steps and 15 flights of stairs (not all at once!) each day. Eventually I'll push the limits up to 17.5K steps per day. Oh and that still involves hula hooping too...no need to do a sit-up.

Keep fresh fruit around for nibbling. Jello Sugar Free Dark Chocolate pudding over raspberries (or blueberries).

I enrolled 2 of my kids in a gym.

Does that count for something?

PurpleJedi said:

I enrolled 2 of my kids in a gym.

Does that count for something?

No.

maplenpg said:

So... I can't quite believe we're in April and I'm still on track! I'm walking a lot with my dog which I'm sure helps,I try to power walk where possible, especially up hills. I'm getting much better on the treadmill and I've moved on to advanced fitness videos on YouTube some of which I can do and some where I still struggle. I try to do various reps throughout the day such as squats, star jumps,burpees, push-ups etc... (Whilst the kettle boils or the ads are on). I feel fantastic and have lost 30lb. Lots of people noticing too which is great. Add on top a new job that I love and 2018 is a great year so far.

That's awesome! Way to go!

RodeoSchro said:

Brendan said:

RodeoSchro said: This is amazing. My goals are always to remain in shape and be fairly strong. This is way beyond that.

Thanks! I owe it all to Type II diabetes, LOL.

MY LONG BORING STORY ABOUT WORKING OUT

I was maxing out on the bench at about 225 10 years ago. In anticipation of my upcoming 50th birthday, my plan was to get in the best shape I could; take some picture of myself; and then say "adios!" to the gym. Great plan, huh?

I noticed a month after my 49th birthday that my shirts and pants were a lot baggier than normal. I knew I was in good shape and I knew I was lifting more weight than I ever had before. And I was ripped! I had six-pack abs! So I thought maybe I'd just moved muscle around or something. But then I had a physical.

The doctor told me two things. One, he really liked my weight of 165 pounds. Wait - what?!? I weighed 165?!? No way! I always weighed between 185 - 190. Granted, it had been awhile since I'd weighed myself, but I was consistently in the 185-190 range for 15+ years. How could I have lost 20 - 25 pounds?!?

It was because the second thing the doctor told me was that my blood sugar was 390 and I was a diabetic. Yikes! That wasn't a complete surprise - my doctor had told me at age 40 that my blood sugar was steadily rising and that one day I would likely develop Type II. He said my case was genetic and there nothing I could do about it. Sure enough, he was right.

We got me on medicine and I asked the doctor if after we got my blood sugar numbers back to something liveable, would I gain back the weight I'd lost? He said that if I ate right and exercised, I would. What a relief! I liked having six-pack abs but if I'd stayed at 165, I was going to need an ENTIRE new wardrobe. That was not in my budget!

When I started working out again, I had a conversation with a trainer and the subject of reps came up. Specifically, he asked me "Why are you counting reps?" He said that if I wanted to put on muscle, I should lift as much weight as i could, as many reps as I could. On. Every. Set.

Best advice ever!

Now to be clear, he did advise doing a couple warm-up sets prior to busting it. I followed his advice and not only put the weight back on, but began setting new records on everything I lifted.

I'll never forget the first time I did 306! I'd maxed out at 276 prior to that day but I felt real good and said, "Why not? Put another 45 pound plate on each side!" And I did it! Man, I was floating on air!

Things kept progressing and I got up to a max of 336. That was in 2014. I had a goal of making it to 350 pounds but in 2014 I had three non-weight-lifting sciatic nerve injuries. Each one took awhile to heal and build back my strength. And then in 2015 we moved our office and my drive went from 10 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Blech!

That has REALLY cut down my gym time. It's a rare week that I get to hit the gym twice. Usually I only can get there on Saturdays, so I do 100 push-ups the rest of the days. That helps maintain strength but I can't get stronger without hitting the gym 2 or 3 times a week.

I think we have around 18 months left on our lease. When it runs out we're either moving everything back to where I live, or I've got to start something else. This erractic gym schedule is killing me!

About the reps thing... Isn't the issue that many might do 12 reps and stop even though they could go on? But at the same time you can't really say "as much weight and as much reps as possible", then I could just do 3 reps with something super heavy. But that surely does not have the same effect than finding the weight that actually challenges you with 10-12 reps (and then increasing after some time).

Phishanga said:

RodeoSchro said:

Thanks! I owe it all to Type II diabetes, LOL.

MY LONG BORING STORY ABOUT WORKING OUT

I was maxing out on the bench at about 225 10 years ago. In anticipation of my upcoming 50th birthday, my plan was to get in the best shape I could; take some picture of myself; and then say "adios!" to the gym. Great plan, huh?

I noticed a month after my 49th birthday that my shirts and pants were a lot baggier than normal. I knew I was in good shape and I knew I was lifting more weight than I ever had before. And I was ripped! I had six-pack abs! So I thought maybe I'd just moved muscle around or something. But then I had a physical.

The doctor told me two things. One, he really liked my weight of 165 pounds. Wait - what?!? I weighed 165?!? No way! I always weighed between 185 - 190. Granted, it had been awhile since I'd weighed myself, but I was consistently in the 185-190 range for 15+ years. How could I have lost 20 - 25 pounds?!?

It was because the second thing the doctor told me was that my blood sugar was 390 and I was a diabetic. Yikes! That wasn't a complete surprise - my doctor had told me at age 40 that my blood sugar was steadily rising and that one day I would likely develop Type II. He said my case was genetic and there nothing I could do about it. Sure enough, he was right.

We got me on medicine and I asked the doctor if after we got my blood sugar numbers back to something liveable, would I gain back the weight I'd lost? He said that if I ate right and exercised, I would. What a relief! I liked having six-pack abs but if I'd stayed at 165, I was going to need an ENTIRE new wardrobe. That was not in my budget!

When I started working out again, I had a conversation with a trainer and the subject of reps came up. Specifically, he asked me "Why are you counting reps?" He said that if I wanted to put on muscle, I should lift as much weight as i could, as many reps as I could. On. Every. Set.

Best advice ever!

Now to be clear, he did advise doing a couple warm-up sets prior to busting it. I followed his advice and not only put the weight back on, but began setting new records on everything I lifted.

I'll never forget the first time I did 306! I'd maxed out at 276 prior to that day but I felt real good and said, "Why not? Put another 45 pound plate on each side!" And I did it! Man, I was floating on air!

Things kept progressing and I got up to a max of 336. That was in 2014. I had a goal of making it to 350 pounds but in 2014 I had three non-weight-lifting sciatic nerve injuries. Each one took awhile to heal and build back my strength. And then in 2015 we moved our office and my drive went from 10 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Blech!

That has REALLY cut down my gym time. It's a rare week that I get to hit the gym twice. Usually I only can get there on Saturdays, so I do 100 push-ups the rest of the days. That helps maintain strength but I can't get stronger without hitting the gym 2 or 3 times a week.

I think we have around 18 months left on our lease. When it runs out we're either moving everything back to where I live, or I've got to start something else. This erractic gym schedule is killing me!

About the reps thing... Isn't the issue that many might do 12 reps and stop even though they could go on? But at the same time you can't really say "as much weight and as much reps as possible", then I could just do 3 reps with something super heavy. But that surely does not have the same effect than finding the weight that actually challenges you with 10-12 reps (and then increasing after some time).

Correct on all counts. What I do for each exercise is something like this:

2 sets/16 reps each of a light warm-up weight (mainly to make sure the muscles are ready)
1 set/12 reps of a medium warm-up weight
1 set/12 reps of a heavy warm-up weight (something that makes 12 reps challenging)

I probably do more warm-ups than necessary, but once a long time ago I hurt my shoulder and I just want to make absolutely sure it's ready and fully warmed up. Then, I quit counting and start working.

1 - 2 sets of a weight that when I go to failure, I'm doing somewhere around 10 reps
1 set of whatever max weight I think I can get up, with as many reps as possible
2 sets of the same weight as those first 2 sets, going all the way to failure
1 set of my first warm-up weight, but doing that "1 1/3" lift (1 full rep and a 1/3 rep before the next rep)

My main man Arnold used to say that you should never decrease weight. Start low and then keep adding until you can't add any more. That's probably the best way; I mean, he IS Arnold! The reason I do my max in the middle is mainly to see if I can still bench 300. I figure if I did all that crushing work before trying 300, I'd be too wiped out to ever get it up.

But now that I've shamed myself by admitting I'm going against Arnold's advice, I'm going to go back to the Arnold method. That is, if I can ever get back into my gym. Work sucks!

RodeoSchro said:

Phishanga said:

About the reps thing... Isn't the issue that many might do 12 reps and stop even though they could go on? But at the same time you can't really say "as much weight and as much reps as possible", then I could just do 3 reps with something super heavy. But that surely does not have the same effect than finding the weight that actually challenges you with 10-12 reps (and then increasing after some time).

Correct on all counts. What I do for each exercise is something like this:

2 sets/16 reps each of a light warm-up weight (mainly to make sure the muscles are ready)
1 set/12 reps of a medium warm-up weight
1 set/12 reps of a heavy warm-up weight (something that makes 12 reps challenging)

I probably do more warm-ups than necessary, but once a long time ago I hurt my shoulder and I just want to make absolutely sure it's ready and fully warmed up. Then, I quit counting and start working.

1 - 2 sets of a weight that when I go to failure, I'm doing somewhere around 10 reps
1 set of whatever max weight I think I can get up, with as many reps as possible
2 sets of the same weight as those first 2 sets, going all the way to failure
1 set of my first warm-up weight, but doing that "1 1/3" lift (1 full rep and a 1/3 rep before the next rep)

My main man Arnold used to say that you should never decrease weight. Start low and then keep adding until you can't add any more. That's probably the best way; I mean, he IS Arnold! The reason I do my max in the middle is mainly to see if I can still bench 300. I figure if I did all that crushing work before trying 300, I'd be too wiped out to ever get it up.

But now that I've shamed myself by admitting I'm going against Arnold's advice, I'm going to go back to the Arnold method. That is, if I can ever get back into my gym. Work sucks!

Interesting, no drop-sets for Arnold? I do those quite regularly, I think it's nice to get the really burning muscles at the end with the lower weight and more reps.

Phishanga said:

RodeoSchro said:

Correct on all counts. What I do for each exercise is something like this:

2 sets/16 reps each of a light warm-up weight (mainly to make sure the muscles are ready)
1 set/12 reps of a medium warm-up weight
1 set/12 reps of a heavy warm-up weight (something that makes 12 reps challenging)

I probably do more warm-ups than necessary, but once a long time ago I hurt my shoulder and I just want to make absolutely sure it's ready and fully warmed up. Then, I quit counting and start working.

1 - 2 sets of a weight that when I go to failure, I'm doing somewhere around 10 reps
1 set of whatever max weight I think I can get up, with as many reps as possible
2 sets of the same weight as those first 2 sets, going all the way to failure
1 set of my first warm-up weight, but doing that "1 1/3" lift (1 full rep and a 1/3 rep before the next rep)

My main man Arnold used to say that you should never decrease weight. Start low and then keep adding until you can't add any more. That's probably the best way; I mean, he IS Arnold! The reason I do my max in the middle is mainly to see if I can still bench 300. I figure if I did all that crushing work before trying 300, I'd be too wiped out to ever get it up.

But now that I've shamed myself by admitting I'm going against Arnold's advice, I'm going to go back to the Arnold method. That is, if I can ever get back into my gym. Work sucks!

Interesting, no drop-sets for Arnold? I do those quite regularly, I think it's nice to get the really burning muscles at the end with the lower weight and more reps.

I don't know, he may be doing them now. My info is from the 1970's.

It seems like every article I read in a muscle magazine nowadays encourages "pyramiding" so I'm sure it's OK. But I am going to go old-school-Arnold for awhile and see what happens.

RodeoSchro said:

Phishanga said:

Interesting, no drop-sets for Arnold? I do those quite regularly, I think it's nice to get the really burning muscles at the end with the lower weight and more reps.

I don't know, he may be doing them now. My info is from the 1970's.

It seems like every article I read in a muscle magazine nowadays encourages "pyramiding" so I'm sure it's OK. But I am going to go old-school-Arnold for awhile and see what happens.

"Pyramiding" would be the other way around? Light weight, many reps to heavy weight, few reps?

Phishanga said:

RodeoSchro said:

I don't know, he may be doing them now. My info is from the 1970's.

It seems like every article I read in a muscle magazine nowadays encourages "pyramiding" so I'm sure it's OK. But I am going to go old-school-Arnold for awhile and see what happens.

"Pyramiding" would be the other way around? Light weight, many reps to heavy weight, few reps?

Light weights, to heavy weights, back down to light weights is what I thought it means, but I could be wrong.

maplenpg said:

So... I can't quite believe we're in April and I'm still on track! I'm walking a lot with my dog which I'm sure helps,I try to power walk where possible, especially up hills. I'm getting much better on the treadmill and I've moved on to advanced fitness videos on YouTube some of which I can do and some where I still struggle. I try to do various reps throughout the day such as squats, star jumps,burpees, push-ups etc... (Whilst the kettle boils or the ads are on). I feel fantastic and have lost 30lb. Lots of people noticing too which is great. Add on top a new job that I love and 2018 is a great year so far.

I'm so happy for you! It is always a day by day goal to be active and it looks like you are well on your way. Have activities that bring you joy and not drudge. And yes, doing activites while waiting for something engages your brain too. Going to get the oil changed in your car? Make the appointment on a nice day and take a brisk hour walk. Going for groceries? Park way the hell away from the most convenient space and do a couple extra laps in the store.

Congrats on the new job! That always helps the outlook.

RodeoSchro said:

PurpleJedi said:

I enrolled 2 of my kids in a gym.

Does that count for something?

No.