Laughing Wolf
Thursday, June 12, 2008
So You Want To Get In Shape
I’ve been having several discussions off line with people who are wanting to get in shape, and the net result is that I am going to post some quick guidelines for that and for what I think can be/is an essential part of so doing: getting a personal trainer.
First thing: see your doctor. The older you are, the more out of shape you are, the more you need to check with your doctor to find out if there are things you should not be doing. Not what you should do, but what you shouldn’t do. It may be a hard limit on heart rate (i.e. do not exceed XXX beats per minute no matter what), certain joints that you don’t want to strain, or a limit related to something like diabetes. Even if they say just go do it, you need to take this step.
Second: Find a good personal trainer. I asked mine what he recommended and he suggested strongly that you not only want someone who knows exercise, weights, and biomechanics; but, most of all, you want someone who will listen to you. Listening is critical, because that is how they know what your goals are, or can learn enough about you to help you set goals and then develop a plan to meet them. They will learn about you, and not simply try to shoehorn you into a preset thing that they like to do. Also, one you find a trainer, they can help you find a facility as trainers may work at or with multiple facilities.
Third: Any trainer or facility should put you through a thorough assessment. This will check not only general fitness, but assess each area of the body, your overall cardio fitness, flexibility, and even how well your body is using the oxygen it gets. Not everyone does the latter, but if possible it is something I strongly recommend. Any trainer who would put you immediately into a program without a good assessment is someone you should run from, not merely walk away from. That also holds true for any trainer who tries to make you do things without regard for age or damage. For example, if you’ve had bone spurs removed there are going to be limits on what you should do, so if they tell you to do something the doctor said not to do, run. If they don’t modify things for age, again, run—we all can do things when we are young that we shouldn’t do, but can get away with it (for a while if lucky); or, we can do things then that you simply can’t do from a structural standpoint later (another thing you should discuss with your doctor in step one).
Fourth: In terms of facilities, find one that is reasonably clean and has a good mixture of cardio (elliptical, treadmill, bikes, etc), free weights, and machines. Look also at the brands of equipment, as that can tell you a lot about a place. Me, personally, I now look for Free Motion, Precor, Hammer Strength, and a couple of others. They also should have a working, current AED in place and have a staff that is trained in what to do when things go wrong. Ask them, and then ask around about them. I also tend to stay away from any that demand a huge amount up front, and a continuing payment if you don’t do prescribed steps in a precise order multiple months in advance (sometimes also involving blood, candles, and rituals by moonlight) to resign; or, if they hit you with high pressure and/or high-pressure smoke as soon as you hit the door (why no we don’t have X brand, but we have something even better than that junk...). I also look to see if they have some specialized fitness rooms, where trainers can work with you in privacy on flexibility and more. These often don’t have a lot of weights, but large open areas, mats, balance balls, and more specialized gear for working on such things.
I would also note that a good personal trainer may not be a good or registered physical therapist. Physical therapy is a different animal from personal training, so a therapist may not make a good trainer. That said, a good trainer should have some knowledge of physical therapy.
Working with a good trainer will get you better results faster, without injury, and therefore is worth it. You will get much more bang for your buck with a good one. I’m lucky. I have a great trainer and the place I work out has some excellent staff. Between the trainer, the Nice-Young-Marine (who tries to kill me), and Uncle Fester (another staff member) I get a lot of assistance in meeting my goals safely and as quickly as my general condition allows.
If you happen to be in the Indianapolis area and are looking for an excellent trainer, drop me a line. I will be glad to put you in touch with mine, and while he doesn’t have large amounts of time, I highly recommend any time you can spend with him.
LW
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Riding, Working Out…
Just a quick update for those few who are interested. The workouts continue and the nice young Marine is helping a lot with the upper body workout. In bad news, I found out that the personal trainer I worked with before my first embed is leaving. So, I found the funds for a few sessions with him before he goes, and the first one was last Thursday. At my request, he is concentrating on stability, balance, and coordination; then core; then lower back. His work on the first part was invaluable to my embeds, as I lack coordination, balance, and stability. While I am working core in my regular workouts, anything and everything helps in the battle of the bulge. Lower back is just the recognition that it is not what it was, and I want to strengthen, protect, etc.
Right now, I am working with the trainer on Tuesday and Thursday, leaving Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for my core and upper body sessions. Am debating if I am going to do two sessions on Tuesday and Thursday so I can keep doing the circuit. The sane part of me is saying no, since my first session with the trainer had me stiff, sore, and mobility impaired until today. Ow was and is the word. Squats, one-legged squats, lunges, calf raises, leg press, and runs up and down stairs were but part of that first session.
Today, I got up early and took off on the most challenging ride I’ve done here. Almost exactly 18 miles, and it hits the worst hills in the worst way for the majority of the ride—making it a very good workout. It is not a route I could take during the day because of some interesting traffic, but at about 6 a.m., not bad. Did it today for the first time in roughly 1 hour 15 minutes. I did have to stop once, just because I hurt where I sit and needed to get off the seat for a couple of minutes.
Yes, I wore the bike jersey and it actually worked very well. Think I may have to get another here next month, another bright one so that drivers find it hard to miss me.
More soon, off to make breakfast.
LW
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Getting Into It, or Just Sick?
I haven’t been biking as much as I would like, but am doing what I can when weather and job permit. Since I have to ride on some busy highways, I do want to stand out. So, today I ordered a black-and-gold Army bike jersey…
LW
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Riding Alone Is Not Nearly As Fun
The weather around here has been what I will term sucky: way too much rain, and it always seems to be windy/rainy right when I get off work. Yesterday looked to be good, but by the time I got home and out on the bike, the wind was very strong and the sky going grey. I went anyway. Only did 3-4 miles (odometer says closer to four, but I think three is fair), but I can say that the new seat is a huge improvement. Am continuing to tweak seat height, and the other things done at the store have helped.
The only thing no adjustment could help was the wind. I watched the sky get darker and the wind pick up, and that was one reason I turned around when I did. Good thing, as the wind was coming at me on the way back and it was almost enough to move me backwards on its own. The return trip was not fun fighting against it. It was fun, and nice, when a grain carrier ran interference for me on a busy highway I had to cross—easy to do when it was blocking for me.
The largest drawback I found? Riding alone is not nearly as fun as riding with a group—or at least the group I rode with for Face of America.
LW
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