Advice

They stopped me in the hall and asked what happened. It had been a few months – in one case, a few years – since they saw me last and took note of the change.

“Roberto,” they said. “Are you okay? Where did the rest of you go?”

I would explain that I lost some weight. They always act astounded, which I always find flattering.

“What is your secret?”

“Eat less,” I said. “Exercise more.”

“Exercise?” They answered. “Oh, yes. We know what you mean by exercise.” Followed by a wink.

I caught the double entendre, but dismissed it. But it did lead me to think of a couple of my favourite workout routines. Ones I actually look forward to doing. Three back-to-back days of this and I have to take a day off.

I’ve included links to each of the exercise videos I’ve studied and continue to study as I exercise. Because in every instance, even if you scale down the weight or do it assisted (like an assisted dip), what matters most is form. When you master form, you target the right muscle area and keep the muscles under tensions, allowing them to develop. Muscles don’t know weight, they know work.

A few notes:

• Scott Herman is my go-to YouTuber for exercise videos. Sure, there are others. But I like him.
• “Fit Father” project is another good one.
• Bodybuilding.com is another good site.
• I enjoy picking up “Men’s Fitness” or “Men’s Journal” at the library from time to time (or if I can find a copy of the PDF online). I don’t study it as much as I review it and see if some of the stories jive with me and my experiences. I don’t take it to heart, but some of it is good to read, if only for motivation.
• Some of the linked videos and instructions show variations on a given exercise. That’s on purpose. It’s because while I like this workout, you want to change things up a bit so you shock your muscles into learning something new.
• I start every workout with either a ten minute jog at 4.2 mph (with 2 minutes of cool-down at 3.9 mph) or the metabolic workout. All in an effort to get my body warmed up and ready to exercise.
• Where I break the exercises into ‘sets’ – that’s where I do those exercises as a ’round’ and only rest when all of the sets within the set are complete. I pace myself and make sure to breathe to keep my muscles filled with oxygen. I generally rest for about two minutes then do it all over again. But, once again, if I get tired inside of a set, I will stop for 90 seconds or until my heartrate drops to 110 bpm and then go back at it, breathing like a blast furnace.
• Each day of exercises takes me about forty five minutes to an hour – depending on how hard I push and how much rest I take between sets.
• Keep a log. Go to the dollar store, get a cheap notebook, buy some pens (one red, one blue, one black) and keep it in your gym bag. Make small notes every workout as the thoughts come to you and keep it to yourself. I’m betting that the notes after your workout will find you in a great mood. And then, when you find yourself losing a little motivation, review your notes so you can remind yourself why you are doing this and how good you felt afterwards.
• I am not a trainer! This is just how I exercise. I like to share, but you know that already.

After three days of this, I take one day off and then right back at it on the fifth day.