I have been working out since the ’60′s when my older brother put a workout bench down the cellar and we got our tips from Charles Atlas. The rule was do three sets of ten and increase weekly – not bad advice except for the fact that the barbell bench press causes more injuries in the gym than any other exercise. It might be better to use dumbells or hire a personal trainer and learn how to exercise safely.
For the last three years I’ve been doing different routines in the gym and last summer I passed a physical exam in the hot summer heat which included pushups, situps, an obstacle course and a one and a half mile run. This was for the position of Correctional Officer and the entire group of 150 who passed were put on hold when the state cut the funding for the positions.
In the spring of this year I took the Physical Ability Test (PAT) for the fire department and I went over 1.7 seconds on the hose pull – end of test. I could have taken it again but I was so overweight I knew that I would have to lose 30 or 40 pounds and I just couldn’t do it no matter how hard I tried. Dieting and working out in the gym six days a week yielded no results.
In August I hit my all time record high weight of 247 pounds and at 6′ tall, this puts me in the obese category with a BMI of 33.5. Groan.
Well I finally decided to do something about it and being a Real Estate Realtor and working the long hours I knew that I simply could not devote the two hours a day to go to the gym.
Now you say that two hours is too long and you are right. My actual time lifting weights was about 25 minute but when you add in the warmup, cardio, cool-down, stretching, sauna/steam room, shower and post work-out meal, it was a two-hour time slot. I would leave my house at 10 AM and be free for my first appointment at noon.
My last routine was a split where I would work one or two muscle groups a day over the course of four days and work them to failure. You might have heard that you are supposed to come out of the gym feeling charged up and energized and sometimes I would but other times I would feel drained. It is no wonder that I stopped all working out in April.
When I made my mind up to lose the fat in August I started a new weight loss program which provides five balanced meals a day. You take each pre-packaged meal with a piece of fruit or a vegetable and it is so convenient. You also have one or two small meals a day consisting of a small amount of lean protein with a green vegetable – other colors are ok too.
Well the fat has been dropping off along with inches off my waist
I will be starting a new routine in the gym as soon as I find some spare time. In the meantime, I plan on dropping another 20 pounds. Want to join me?
Retired Fire Department Lieutenant, writer, photographer, cinematographer, blogger, Realtor, and Marketer. Article Source: