As I lay on the examination table in the ER and a cardiologist read me the shocking results of my test, I thought to myself how did I get here? I was once an all-met athlete who had a promising career until an arm injury ended that. I still played games and occasionally walked, so how could I possibly need a quintuple bypass at age 39? Well no matter the way I got there, it was clear after the operation that I could not go back that direction.
So I embarked on trying to correct the issues that I could control. A change in diet to smarter food choices and eliminating weekly trips to the McDonalds was a good step. However, a more important adjustment needed to be made and that was in the area of exercise. When I took a closer look at myself, I noticed more body fat than I thought and my cardio fitness had definitely decreased. So I set out a routine for myself to get back in acceptable physical condition and ensure I’d live longer for my wife and kids.
Changes had to come in various areas, from cardiovascular to strength and conditioning. After speaking with some trainer friends and doing research, I came up with the following weekly routine to get my heart and body back into game shape:
Cardiovascular
Here is where the journey had to begin. Walking is a great way to build up the cardio fitness without the stress that running can include. Cardio work is the one segment of my weekly workout that is done everyday of the week. I try to get out as early in the morning so as to minimize the effects of heat. During the week I will start out with a two mile walk and do that for the first three days. Once Thursday arrives, I push it up to three a day, giving me a total of 18 miles during a weekly period. There is no need to speed walk through your route, but I also incorporate a few changes in incline along the way so as not to make the walks a monotonous level trek. After even a few weeks the difference is noticeable.
Weight Work
Hitting the weights also does my body good. Now I don’t go the gym rat route and pump iron at the local gym. I like doing things in my own home at my pace. With that in mind I came up with this grouping of activities that has helped to increase my strength and overall conditioning. It is done on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday routine weekly:
Bench Press – Four sets of six repetitions – Have no scientific data to prove it, but my heart and chest muscles seem to benefit from this work. Key is to remember this is not a ‘see how much weight you can lift’ type thing. I put on enough that I am comfortable with it, but do strain a bit. Take a minute break between sets.
Curls – Four sets of six repetitions – Again this is about comfortable, but challenging weight. Use a far apart hand grip on the weight bar and bring from waist level up to shoulders. Bring bar back down slowly, so as to cause a little resistance in your forearms.
Bent Over Rows – Four sets of six repetitions – Great for dealing with muscles in the back and shoulders. With weight bar on the ground, bend in a 90 degree angle and pick the bar off the floor and pull all the way up to chest. Let the bar and your arms go back down, but not all the way to the floor. Pull up to do your next rep, and then take minute breaks between each set.
Military Press – Four sets of six repetitions – The finisher as I call it. I do this set last because it is the most physically demanding of my weight work. Picking the bar off the ground, bring the weight up to shoulder level, while using a reverse hand grip. From there, push the weight over your head and bring it down to your shoulders, but behind your head. From there, push the weight up again over your head and bring back to the shoulder position in front now.
Calisthenics
On Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, I like to run through a variety of what I call callisthenic exercises. This is to help with keeping other muscles tone, while also helping to build on the cardio endurance as well. There are four facets to this part of the workout (crunches, pushups, jumping jacks, and shadow boxing with hand weights), with anywhere from 10 to 12 cycles done. Difference in this case is that I do one set of each exercise in turn before completing one cycle.
Crunches – Typically 25-30 repetitions per set
Pushups – Typically 25-30 repetitions per set
Jumping Jacks – Typically 75-100 repetitions per set
Shadow Boxing – Typically 75 punches per arm per set
In the end, this workout has gotten me to where I needed to be. Blood pressure and cholesterol problems have been alleviated. I can now walk freely for miles and not double over at the end of the jaunt. By body has also rebounded to the point that I feel twenty years younger. It is all a kind of miracle in a way, but one that anyone can accomplish if they put their mind to it.