On working out: changing up the routine.

I am a self confessed gym rat, working out on average four to five days a week and I have been doing it for ten years steady. I do it for health reasons physical fitness, conditioning for skiing and other outdoor activities and yes, vanity.

In the past few years the workout routine got stale and I found I was not going anywhere. So this year I modified my routine from doing three sets of a particular exercise at the same time, go through a circuit and end off with a cardio burst of 5 minutes to keep the heart rate up. That way I keep moving.

Day One:

Start 20 min cardio on the cross trainer or treadmill, then ab crunches,lat pull down for the back, dead lift 10-12 reps, bench press with dumbbells, bicep curls and upright row as one circuit. I hit the cross trainer or treadmill for five minutes and repeat doing three sets in total.

Day Two:

Just like day one with the cardio but the weight routine is this:
ab crunches, push ups: 25 per set, triceps pull down, walking lunges holding 30 lb dumb bells each side, shoulder press with dumb bells and squats holding a 75 lb dumbbell in front of me. Again end off each circuit with five minutes of cardio to keep the heart rate up, repeat with three circuits.

Funny thing happened all of a sudden in the past two weeks I became stronger. I am now performing better now than six year ago for upper body strength, for example earlier this year I was benching 110 lbs with 55 lb dumb bells in each hand. Now I'm bench pressing 150 lbs with 75lb dumb bell weights in each hand and it’s not easy like an Olympic barbell set up or a machine.

I have two goals I'm working on for the medium term, better core and lower body conditioning and to get back onto the running bandwagon which I have been on and off the past few years.

Outside of the gym I have been skiing in the winter for the past 34 years, I should ride my bike more and get back into running. To do that I should date another runner to force me to keep up, come to think of it I wouldn't go out anyone who wasn't as physically active as I am, it is an important part of my life.