Sometimes we are really busy and finding time to work out or lift can be difficult. I have a gym in my office so I have no excuse. I just need to have the desire to get my can in there and lift hard like I would if there were people around me in the gym setting. There are always distractions beckoning you away from your exercise equipment.

 

When I used to lift at a gym, I would put the headphones on, crank up the tunes, and get to business. No social time, just work. Throw in a few cute women and I know I lifted more intensely.

 

At home I have a cat rolling around at my feet or I think of something I need to do and Bingo, I’m distracted. Same thing at the office. There’s always some work to be done. Remember this when you contemplate purchasing a home gym or piece of equipment. You need to be able to focus and have the drive to lift on your own or with your partner.

 

If buying equipment is what it takes to get you exercising then great. Using your equipment as an expensive coat hanger isn’t doing you any good, unless you ran out of closet space. The point is you have to use it.

 

Before you start any exercise program consult with your doctor and have a thorough physical. Once you get the “Go get’em Tiger,” then you can begin.

 

A gym can be pretty overwhelming to a rookie. Whether you are going to run or pump iron, there are some steps you can take to get started. If this is all new to you then start slowly. There is no need to run five miles your first day out because that is what you used to run in track 25 years and 35 pounds ago. Even if you were able to run the distance, you wouldn’t be able to walk for a week a couple of days after the run. Start slowly. Similarly, throwing 200 pounds on the bench when you haven’t lifted since high school, is just begging for an injury.

 

The time frame for a good workout should be around one hour. When you first start out that time should be less. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down before and after the main exercise. No need to go on the DL (disabled list) this early into your “Shock and Awe” health program.

 

Make sure you have on comfortable clothing. If you are determined to wear your little brother’s shirt to look big in the gym or parade around in a tight outfit to showcase your figure, be prepared to be interrupted by people while you try to get a good workout in. When you draw attention to yourself, you will either be stared at or asked out.

 

Some gyms are more about dating than lifting it seems. If you need a date then by all means go that route and the two of you can “lift together, happily ever after.” Otherwise get some lose clothes so you can move in them and save your sexy body for someone special. If you need to have a new wardrobe, great, but you will still look stupid if you’re not busting your butt or you’re doing bench presses on a leg extension machine. We will discuss different machines, techniques and strategies for lifting safely and effectively.

 

Bring a towel to keep your sweat off the equipment and protect you from someone else’s. Put the weights back on the rack. My Aunt Rosanne doesn’t need to be removing 45-pound plates because you were too lazy. Likewise, make sure when you leave the machine it is back at a height where anyone can use it. If your machine is occupied, wait for the machine, ask if you can work out between their breaks, or try other machines to accomplish the same workout.

 

Bring lots of water or some kind of sports drink to replenish your body. Learn how to stretch properly. Also you need to get good rest. It is the time needed for your body to repair itself and grow. Continue reading on for more information before dusting off your dumbbells and spandex shorts.

 

·        Warm up before exercising and always cool down and stretch afterwards.

·        Discontinue exercise if you have pain and consult with your doctor.

·        Park farther away from the front door. You also won’t get the side of your car dinged up from people who fling their doors open.

 

·        Take the stairs once in a while.

 

·        Proper stretching helps your muscles stay long, keeps your body flexible, encourage quicker recuperation, decrease the chance of injuries and always able to maintain good posture. It also helps to maximize the effectiveness of your workout.

 

·        Onions and potatoes come in five and 10 pound sacks; however I would recommend eating them at some point. So do oranges and grapefruits, which come in sturdy bags with handles. Slip on a pair of gloves and the cords won’t hurt your hands. Or fill a half gallon or gallon of milk jug with water for a 4 or 8 pound weight respectively.

 

·        If you are worried people will see you or don’t want to be intimidated; you can always start your exercise program at home. Cable TV and YouTube have a lot of videos that not only make you sweat but teach you a lot about exercising properly, using correct form, protecting your posture, maintaining good nutrition, the importance of stretching and the benefits of your hard work.

·        You can always walk and jog outside or take it inside a mall. If you want to lift weights, than I have some suggestions for you. Check the paper for people getting rid of equipment because of moving, disuse, estate sales, etc. The spring cleaning, failed New Year’s resolution, “just get rid of this stuff,” garage sale is the perfect place to find bargain-priced gym equipment.

 

·        Don’t do too much and get discouraged. Start slow and build up muscle, confidence and experience. It takes time to get out of shape and longer to get back into great shape. Be patient and faithful to your regimen.

 

·        With exercises you always want to exhale as you lift the weight and the muscle contracts. Then inhale as you lower the weight. Otherwise you will create too much internal pressure and can really injure yourself.

 

·        Give yourself a minute in between lifts no matter what lifting strategy you are following or whether you are lifting light or heavy weights.

 

·        Starting position is usually with your hands or feet about shoulder’s width apart. With lying down exercises don’t arch your back. Maintain good posture and form with each exercise.

 

·        Concentrate on the muscle you are using. Control the weight when you lift. If you bring a weight or cable down too far you will hear a clanging of the weights. This is a great indicator that you are allowing the weight to control your movement and that you are not keeping the tension on the muscles. Everyone around you is going to have a headache.

 

·        Go slow. Don’t swing, allowing momentum to do the work for you. You are really cheating yourself and your muscles.

 

·        How much weight should I lift? If you are getting tired when you reach the end of you repetitions (reps) for that set, be it 6, 10 or 15 repetitions, then the weight is perfect for you. If you could do 10 more repetitions than you are wasting your time.

 

·        If you minimize the time in between lifts, and cycle through different muscle groups, you can actually get a component of aerobic exercise because you will be moving fast and breathing harder for oxygen. You can get a great workout in 20 minutes.

 

·        Don’t forget isometric contractions. Making muscle poses and holding them as if you were on stage at the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding competition, are prime examples of this type of exercise.

 

·        Okay so you are ready for the gym. Ask friends where they go. Call around and maybe even get a detailed tour of the facility or schedule some time to talk with a trainer who can show you how to use each piece of equipment safely and explain which muscles are being worked.

 

·        At a gym don’t be overwhelmed by the size of the place or the amount of equipment. You can work with all of the individual machines, weights or go right to a smaller circuit of machines to hit each muscle group. You can learn proper form and what muscles you are training as each piece of equipment usually has a diagram of how to perform the exercise, as well as what muscles are being used.

 

·        Try the machines and free weights to see which you like best or get the most out of when you’re done. Varying your workout or the equipment used will always help you get better results.

 

·        Changing resistance is easy because you only have to move a pin in the weight system, called a stack, to select a different weight. During your workout you can cycle through a bunch of different machines. This allows you to move through your workout faster.

 

·        Aerobic exercise involves moderate to intense exercises that last awhile, build up your endurance, and require the use of oxygen. Running, swimming, bicycling, aerobic classes, jogging, walking, jumping rope and basketball are some examples.

 

·        With Aerobic exercise, your legs are used primarily and they are a large muscle group so you will burn more calories than say an exercise that focuses on your arms. Completing regular workouts of 30 – 45 minutes a day can raise your metabolism for 28 – 24 hours. You will burn more calories throughout the next day and beyond.

 

·        The general rule for an effective workout is to train within your Target Heart Range (THR). An easy method to figure this out is to take 220 and subtract your age. Then multiply that number by 60% – 80%. You want to be in this range when you exercise to maximize your results in the shortest amount of time. For example; 220 – 40 years old = 180. 180 x .60 (or 60%) = 108 Beats Per Minute (BPM). 180 x .80 = 144 BPM.

 

·        Another simple rule is to exercise just intensely enough to carry on a conversation, with a little huffing and puffing. If you are able to exchange the neighborhood gossip with your girlfriend, put more effort into the walk, instead of the words.

 

·        Speeding up and slowing down, known as interval training, is another way to boost the efficiency of your workout. You can increase your fat burning potential up to three times.

 

·        Anaerobic exercise is done without the use of oxygen and is associated with explosive exercises done for short durations. Jumping, sprinting and lifting weights are examples. Lifting weights can raise your metabolism for 32 – 48 hours. Combine that with aerobics and you will be a “lean, mean, fighting machine.”

 

·        Sugars slow the metabolism, increase insulin levels, increases the storage of food as fat and can ruin your morning workout benefits. So if you are setting a goal, exercise and sensible eating go hand in hand.

 

·        Varying the machines and exercises will change the angle your muscles are worked. It can hit different sections of a muscle group, produce greater gains by shocking the muscles and can help prevent burnout. This helps muscles grow in all regions and will yield better overall results. You might also have an option to lift if your regular machine is being used.

 

·        Don’t forget to work out your entire body. Many guys forget they have calves.

 

·        Because your body has a unique ability to adapt to any physical demand, you need to vary your workouts. Remember, we talked last week about how your body can reset its metabolism when restricting your food intake. Same with weights.

 

·        When you move a weight of any size try to use explosive movement to push the weight to the top, contract hard, slowly bring the weight back down, pause and repeat.

 

·        You could lift heavier weights with a few reps one week, and then use lighter weights and higher reps the next week. When you lift with really heavy weights you aren’t completing the typical 10 – 12 repetitions. The weight is too heavy. You are stressing different muscle fibers. One to four repetitions of a heavy weight is a real mass builder. You can take a minute or two break in between sets to allow your body time to replenish your muscles with more lifting energy.

 

·        When you switch to the higher repetitions of 12 – 15 and use lighter weights, you are sculpting and defining your body.

 

·        You could superset, in which you complete one set and then decrease the weight, and immediately start another set. You get no break here and it saves time. You will continue to do this until every ounce of energy is drained from your muscles and you are exhausted. This is a great way to get in and lift, hard and fast.

 

·        A pyramid set is a technique to start lifting with a light weight and increase the weight for each consecutive lift until you reach your peak. Then reverse the program and take weight off as you do each lift until you are back down to the beginning weight. There is no set increment to raise or drop weights.

 

·        The 10-second rep. You lift the weight quickly to the peak position in around 1 second, contract the muscle and hold for 2 seconds, now slowly return to the start position over 3 seconds and then hold the weight for 4 seconds before attempting another lift. It helps to focus on the eccentric or negative action of a lift, so you control the weight as it comes back down to the starting point. This technique keeps your muscle fibers under tension longer than when you go through the motions quickly.

 

·        Lifting independently from the other arm or leg will build a more powerful and symmetrical body. Using your arms or legs together when you lift, allows the body to overcompensate and cheat for its lagging muscles so you can lift more. The strategy of lifting independently really emphasizes the individual muscle, and allows greater range of motion that leads to deeper contractions, and great results.

 

·        Muscle repair can take as long as 7 – 10 days. The swelling in the muscle tissue occurs during and immediately after lifting. They’ve recovered when they aren’t sore and have full range of motion.

 

·        If you train really hard you will raise the caloric demands of your body. You need to feed the machine to make it bigger and stronger. If you don’t have enough nutrition then your body will eventually break down muscle tissue.

 

 

Before starting any exercise routine, discuss any health concerns with your doctor. If you have any problems during any exercise, stop what you are doing and please consult a healthcare professional immediately.

Remember the weight you might be trying to lose doesn’t come on overnight and it is not going to come off overnight either. So grab your spouse or a friend and take a walk, play tennis, go dancing and have fun. Start slow and incorporate some fitness into your life and enjoy greater health and increased energy. Grab the kids and go to the park or join them in a game of kickball. You’ll feel like a new person and you will owe it all to yourself.

 

There are lots of websites to show you how to lift. Unfortunately a lot of them are also selling you all kinds of stuff and making outrageous claims about items they sell. Some that I found to be pretty good for demonstrating a variety of exercises for each muscle group are: www.betterbodz.com/exercise_main.html, www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.html, and www.shapefit.com/training.html. With any website, don’t get sucked into all of the items for sale.

 

You can select any body part and there will be around 10 exercise variations for you to choose from. When you click any of them there will be a video demonstration of how to perform the exercise correctly. The video can be really helpful. Other websites may also offer great video demonstrations if you need assistance. There are always instructional videos for sale as well. There’s also a pretty good book titled, “Back At Your Best” (shameless plug) that has: all of this; easy-to-follow pictures; the past week’s info; and a lot more; to help you regain your health.

 

Join me next time as we discuss whiplash from car accidents. Best prevention would be to use your directional when making a turn or changing lanes, but we’ll cover a bunch of great info.

 

These topics come from my book, “Back At Your Best; Balancing the Demands of Life With the Needs of Your Body.” It is available in book and Kindle format at Amazon, www.BAYBBook.com and at my office.

 

If you have any personal health concerns or questions, feel free to email me at DrJay@BackAtYourBest.com. I will answer them in private or in this section in a week or two.

Dr. Jay M. Lipoff is the owner of Back At Your Best Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, LLC, which is located in the Wildewood Shopping Center. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University in 1990, a Doctorate of Chiropractic (D.C.) from New York Chiropractic College (NYCC) in 1994 and he became a Certified Fitness Trainer (CFT) in 2005.

Dr. Lipoff is an Executive Board Member, International Chiropractic Association Council on Fitness and Sports Health Science; Co-Founder, Drug Free Training USA; Member, NY Strength-promoting the importance of physical conditioning; Board Member of Public Relations Committee, Maryland Chiropractic Association; President, Wildewood Business Network-promoting better business relations and community outreach.

For more information, go to www.BackAtYourBest.com, find us on facebook or call 301-863-BEST (2378).