My Health Journey

Blank chart I use to fill out my workouts Record-keeping is key to successful weight training. Though I have always recorded my exercises, I was applying the records far too automatically in determining what weights to use on a particular day. Looking back, it appears I have been increasing weights too fast, and adhering too rigidly to the plan. That, perhaps, can explain the frequent injuries I was having. After a year-long hiatus from weight training, I wanted to ease in gradually. I am finding the need to revise my strategy for weight training. The main observation is that my form degrades as I continue an exercise for more reps . As muscles fatigue, others pitch in to fill their place. The hip starts to move to assist the bicep, or the lower back moves in to help. That's not good because it's recruiting muscles other than the ones in focus, for a job they're not meant to do in the first place. Another observation is that I'm not training for an event. Rather...

Apart from a few nice walks at sunset, the heat wave kept me indoors for most of the last ten days. I managed to do three weight sessions: Monday, Friday, and Labor Day Monday. I have been battling injuries on the left side of my body. Through yoga and foam rolling, as well as a couple of chiropractor adjustments, I managed to eliminate that pain by the beginning of the weekend. I had been using mostly 5 and 10 lb. dumbbells to reintroduce my body to weight training gradually.  Friday's session felt easy I decided to upgrade the weights to 12.5 lb. for the Monday session (keeping the left arm at 10 lb. for some exercises to give it more time to heal). In retrospect, that was a mistake, as I had spent an active and vigorous weekend with my girlfriend. We exercised both in and out of bed. She left me exhausted on Monday, and I should have rested instead of immediately doing weight training. By Tuesday morning, I woke up with serious pain on my entire right arm, from the ...

To help me start my weight training, I got several books on using dumbbells. The one I ended up using most is Dumbbell Training for Strength and Fitness, by Brzycki and Fornicola. It is aimed at the beginner starting with a home gym. The exercises in there are basic but cover all the muscle groups. I like the clear description of each exercise, and the indications on whether to skip it or how to adapt it in case of injury. The last part of the book is a collection of dumbbell workouts submitted by different coaches. It was fun to work through some of them and helps break monotony. The book has a good introductory section about safety practices and general advice. I still refer to it for reminders of the proper form for each exercise, and occasionally for new exercises to do. Overall, if you're a beginner to dumbbells, this is the book! The other popular book, Dumbbell Training, by Allen Hendrick, was useful for finding additional exercises. However, and I attac...

My old cumbersome dumbbells A few years ago, I reached a point in my walking where I was no longer making progress. I was walking at least an hour each day on outdoor trails. My weight loss reached a plateau. I realized that all the walking strengthened me to the point where an hour walk is no breeze, and my recent weight loss meant it was taking less effort to walk. I tried extending my walks, or taking two daily hour walks. It was nice to spend all that time outdoors, but with work, my daughter, housework, and other things, it became difficult to find that kind of time. My PowerBlock Dumbbells To boost my development, I decided to go back to weight training, something I had done briefly as a teenager, and then again in college. However I did not like gyms. The thought of getting into the car to go to a gym, to exercise in front of other people no less, robs me of half the motivation to work out. If only I had a set of weights at home, I thought, then I'd have no e...

My bedroom workout setup. Injuries are a fact of an active life. Whether from accidents, poor posture, repetitive use, or exerting oneself too much, injuries get in the way of further exercise, leaving muscles weaker and withering away. Most of the last two years I have spent battling injuries. This led me to re-evaluate my approach. Rather than focus on running speed or weights lifted, I need to understand my body better and build around it. Something I am just realizing is that the workouts and routines you find in books are usually aimed at neutral people who are in reasonable shape and mechanically balanced. The same routines may not necessarily work for you if you are starting from a baseline of injury and imbalance. Instead, they need to be customized to fit your needs and your body, which requires first knowing your body. Last week I did a tour of my body with fairly light 15 lb. dumbbells. I felt much soreness in my neck, upper left arm, left hip and lower back, and right...

The heat wave halted my running to a standstill, so I resurrected the set of weights I have at home to resume weight training. Turns out the last time I had done any weights was last summer, when I decided to take it easy on my heels to alleviate the plantar fasciitis that had developed. Following the recommendation of my chiropractor, I decided to start with especially low weights the first few sessions and see how it goes.  Today was the third session. My first two sessions, starting with 15 lb. dumbbells, identified weak area of my body. Currently at the top of my list is my left shoulder / upper arm, which appears to have suffered an injury. For the last two weeks, I've been feeling pain there when I do dishes. Now I feel it with any type of press, flys, especially pullovers, and lateral raises, but surprisingly not front raises. My chiropractor adjusted it yesterday, but the pain was still there when I exercised today, suggesting it was ...