smith950 Workout Journal

[smith950]

In Jan my wife and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. Like each year we go out to eat, talk and reflect on the past year, boring!!! Next year is different it’s 25 years and we are going somewhere cool like Cabo, Cozumel, Italy, maybe even Australia. But not just go and lay around, go and do something, yah right. I can’t hardly walk around the block without being out of breath, so walk a mile on the beach or hike somewhere is out of the question.

So now I have a goal, get healthy. After playing around at a local fitness center for a few months it’s now time to get serious. My hope is this journal will help me track my progress.

Who am I:
Sex: male
Age: 48
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 220lbs
Body type: Mesomorph (out of shape)
No health issues. (Mrs. says I have other issues)
Dr said I need to lose 25-35 lbs, but like LiftGirl said “Your goal is to lose fat.”

I actually started working out on Monday, 6/18/07. But today the journal starts.

Today was a cardio day. Road a bike at a low setting for 20 minutes, keeping the rpms near 80 and my heart rate got up to 134. That’s would be 78% of max.

Tomorrow is lifting weight.

Soon I should have a diet log going. And maybe even get the Mrs. Into the gym with me.

[Your_Crazy]

Good for you. This the first step of you not walking but running on the beach chasing your wife. Welcome to the discuss fitness journal.

[CF-OC_gal]

Hi smith950!

I just wanted to welcome you to DF and let you know that we would love to have you share your fitness journal here. It's great to see you and your wife tackle this as a couple.

There are a lot of good discussions to be found on various fitness topics here in the forums.

Welcome!

[smith950]

Thanks Crazy and Brat. It nice to have other welcome me on this journey.

Today's workout was earlier than most. I got to the gym at 5AM.
Added weight at Pierini suggestion.

10 min on the treadmill.
10 min of stretching
bent-over rows DB, 3 x 8 20#, 2-25#
bench press, 3 x 8 65#, 75# 85#
squats, 3 x 8 140#, 150#, 160#
overhead DB press, 3 x 8 40# hold 6 secs
BB deadlift, 3 x 8 70#, 80#, 90#
10 min stretching

I'm still working out the amount of weight. Each set was 10lbs heavier. Monday I will increase each one a little more.

Tomorrow more cardio.

Nice workout this early morning. Your starting time beat mine by 30 minutes this morning.

You'll get greater archival benefit in your Online Journal by indicating your poundage for each exercise. In 6 months from now, you'll enjoy looking back and seeing how much progress you have made.

Keep the pedal to the metal and don't quit before the fitness miracle is completed.

Have a great weekend!

[smith950]

Yesterday was cardio. I went on a 7 mile bike ride at a slow pace. It was nice to be out of the gym and enjoy the nice weather.

[smith950]

Yesterday was an off day. We took the dogs out for a run in a friends corn field. We walked about a mile and a half. I can see that the cardio is helping a little.

Today's workout was at 5:30. I am still sore from last friday. Pects and gluts are sore not hurting just tender.

Today's goal was to do each exercise with an up count of 2 hold 2 and down count of 2. The first set of each was fine. The last few in the second and third set were tough. Boys went with to make sure the old man does hurt himself.

10 min on the cycle.
10 min of stretching
bent-over rows DB, 3 x 8 30#
squats, 3 x 8 160#, 2X170#
bench press, 3 x 8 75#
BB deadlift, 3 x 8 90#
overhead DB press, 3 x 8 40#, try and hold for 6 secs.
10 min stretching

[smith950]

25 minutes on bike. Heart rate near 130. Finished with 10 minutes of stretching. I brought the latest Backpacker mag to read. Getting in the groove of working.

[Lady C]

OK if you are reading while trying to tax your muscles - you can't be working hard enough. Put down the mag and WORK. Listen to music instead.

Hello smith950,

I know you are just beginning and your conditioning has a ways to go, but unless you have a very low resting heart rate, at some point you will need to rev it up and put a little more pedal to the metal with your cardio training.

Do you have any idea what your resting heart rate is? That is when you first wake up in the morning, taken before you get out of bed or do anything to elevate your heart rate.

I read in one your earlier posts that you got your HR to 134 bpm or 78% of max. A little math confirms that you are using the standard formula of 220 minus your age as your maximum HR. That is just a guide and at some point as you become fitter, you'll want to test that. Using that formula, for example, my maximum HR should be 168 bpm but it is actually in the 180-185 bpm range.

At some point, if you really want to become superfit, you'll need to do HR interval training. Warm up, of course, then zig-zag up and down with your HR - for example, spend a minute at 140-145 bpm then recover for a minute and repeat over a 15-20 minute intensity period. Then cool down. You'll get far fitter this way rather than a steady-state workout. And you'll need less time to get the cardio job done.

Unless you have known health problems, don't be afraid to put the pedal to the metal. Not every cardio workout, but at least twice a week.

[smith950]

Lady C good point. I have been keeping the RPMs up. I'll have to make a change. Thanks.

pierini,

I will check out my resting heart rate tomorrow morning. I’m not sure what the resting heart rate does. Is it just a tool to see how efficient your heart is? I’ll have to look at some of the old post to get up to speed. An increase to 140-145 bpm will get me to 90% for 2 minutes then back down to 120? 130? 50%ish? and then repeat the cycle 5 or 6 times. I will add interval training a couple times a week to my training. It will be a nice change.

[smith950]

No workout today. I was up late with problems at work. I almost feel like I'm cheating by not working out. I'm be back tomorrow.

[smith950]

Started my at 5:30 and made a change by adding some interval training to my cardio, bike riding. The first increase ran my heart rate up to 145 for about 75 seconds. That's all I could do. Then I dropped back to 120-122 for about 90 seconds. I repeated the cycle 3 more times. The last time was really hard to keep pedaling. Then an easy ride for 5 minutes. Man am I tired.

[minime]

Hi Smith! welcome to the online journal section! (i just noticed your journal!)

I think it is great that you are taking steps toward being healthier.

Also, I agree that getting your heart rate up a bit higher won't hurt you, mine often gets to 180 with no ill effects (that I know of ha ha) though I realise you are older, I am sure you could get up to 145 for intervals as Pierini suggested. After a while you will notice that you can be at a higher heart rate without feeling like you are.

Good luck!

[smith950]

7/3/07

Thanks Minime.

I have been working out.

On 6/29 I got to the gym at about 6:00.

bent-over rows DB, 3 x 8 30#
squats, 3 x 8 3X160#
bench press, 3 x 8 80#, not very good.
BB deadlift, 3 x 8 100#
overhead DB press, 3 x 8 40#, hold at the top for 6 secs. Well tried to hold for 6 secs.

In the afternoon hiked about 10 minutes to a stream and fished for a couple of hours and then hiked back out. Carried a 25 Lb. pack in and a 15 lb pack out.

On 6/30 I wasn't near a gym so I walked 1/4 mile to the restaurant for breakfast and back. Then hiked 20 minutes carrying 30lb pack to another fishing hole. Spent the day fishing, walking and standing along a couple of streams. Then hiked back out with 15 lb pack.

7/1 was suppose to be a rest day. Not really, walked to restaurant, church and then to the stream. Spent a couple of hour fishing and walking. Then hiked back out.

7/2 was a true rest day. My legs and lower back are a little fatigued.

7/3 was another rest day. I will be back in the gym tomorrow.

Have a nice 4th.