I regularly receive emails with exercise questions. The most frequently asked question is what do I do for exercise. I split my exercise time between the gym and at home, and my routine consists of a three-day rotation with two days of cardio training, then resistance training the next. My second day of cardio is flexible, and I can opt out of my regular cardio training and instead work in the yard or do something else for variety, like doing multiple rounds hitting my heavy bag.
My workouts are vigorous and I push myself, but eventually I learned not to push too hard. Instead, I follow an instinctive approach, training based on how I feel, doing more on the days I feel like it, and allowing myself to do less on other days.
In other words, I don’t lock myself into a set workout.
So here is an example of my cardio workouts and how you can copy the routine at home.
What is the best cardio workout at home?
One of my two cardio workouts is 45-60 minutes of treadmill walking, gradually increasing speed and elevation. I love watching TV while I exercise, and it gives me the opportunity to watch things that my wife, Anita, hates. That means action movies, where the bad guys do terrible things, and the hero hunts them down and annihilates them. I’m very careful to warm up well, starting with a slow walk at 2 mph, then gradually adding speed and elevation until I’m sliding at 3.5 mph and a 10% incline .
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My second cardio workout is high intensity interval training on a stationary cycle. I warm up and work progressively harder for 5-10 minutes, then switch to pedaling “full” for 10 seconds followed by 20 seconds at a much slower recovery pace. Then I repeat this over and over again for at least 10 rounds. I follow up with modest resistance training for my lower body. This includes leg presses on a machine, as well as calf exercises.
What is a good strength training at home?
For my upper body strength workouts, I start with freehand exercises, starting with a plank in a push-up position. I hold the plank for about 5 minutes and finish with pushups. The plank really tires my upper body which makes push ups very difficult and I can’t do more than a handful. When I can’t do another pushup, I drop my weight from my toes to my knees for “modified” pushups and keep going. Let me add that for those in a hurry and don’t have time for a full workout, this approach is great for challenging your upper body and core, and only takes about 8 minutes.
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How to use Total Gym to train at home
Then I go to Total Gym. In my 46 years of writing this column, I’ve been bombarded with products to try and then endorse, but decline unless I’ve been using them for a while and convinced of their long-term value.
Initially, I was against buying Total Gym. My wife, Anita, is always looking for new and different ways to exercise. Not me, especially when it comes to resistance training. Give me an old fashioned barbell and dumbbells and I’m happy. So when she mentioned that for years she had been watching Total Gym commercials on TV with Chuck Norris, and she always wanted to try, I didn’t encourage her. Rather the opposite. It’s just another bogus exercise gimmick touted by a movie star, I told him.
Undeterred, Anita began her investigation. How was the Total Gym rated by the pros, and what did they say about Total Gym by those who owned it? Where and how could she get the best deal? Then, after gathering her information, she presented her case to me, finishing it off with a 30-day free trial and free shipping. As usual, she won, and I accepted the purchase. I thought the worst that could happen is that we had to pay to send it back to the manufacturer.
The Total Gym arrived in a huge box which we carried up the stairs to our workout room and then carefully removed to preserve the box (at my insistence on reshipping to the manufacturer). I frowned as I looked at the pieces to be put together. If you knew how utterly unable I am to put anything together, and how irritated and annoyed I am, you would know why I was frowning. But surprisingly, we did it in no time.
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I watched Anita do some exercises on it. It seemed like it might work well for her, and I resigned myself to the fact that, like the new puppies she brings home, it was going to stick. I didn’t use it (my male ego wouldn’t let me give in that easily), but instead continued with my regular workout. The more Anita used it, the more enthusiastic she became. Hearing her continually bragging about Total Gym, I decided to give it a try when she wasn’t around.
I started performing some of my old waiting exercises, and as I did, two things immediately jumped out at me. First, surprisingly, I was working my muscles much harder than expected, increasing the incline of the sled to increase resistance. And, second, joy of joys, I did the exercises without the slightest twinge of pain in my surgically repaired shoulders.
Not only that, when I was done I did my set of dumbbell exercises and was amazed at how my shoulders reacted. Total Gym warmed up my shoulder joints, stretching them in new and unique ways, allowing me to do more with free weights than I had been able to do in years.
I was hooked.
For the past few years, Total Gym has been a core part of my strength training. It is a great piece of exercise equipment, quite durable, smooth and easy on the joints. Additionally, you can add weight to the sled to increase resistance. It’s not cheap and prices vary widely with several models available. If you’re interested, shop around for the best deal. I think you will be satisfied, but if not, send it back after a 30 day free trial.
Contact Bryant Stamford, professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at [email protected].