Well this morning was the day! I headed back to the gym for the first time in quite awhile. I woke up feeling my usual self of being tired, groggy, and not really all that into anything but I did look forward to starting today while being both nervousness and excited. 11 AM rolled around and I was well on my way driving to The House of Iron to pay tribute to my body and chisel it back into shape. Well before there is any chiseling, there is a lot of fat that needs to come off. A LOT!!
As soon as I entered the gym and saw the equipment and heard the music, I knew I was making the right decision. There was my buddy Dave smiling at the counter waiting for my arrival. What a great guy and truly full of knowledge. He has won competitions in various states and has already trained champion competitors in bodybuilding. I am honored to be trained by him, yet again.
The first week will be a full body routine focusing on various machines and 2-3 sets of high reps (30-50 reps/each) and low-medium weight. The point of this is to work into my routine and get my body back into a solid program. Starting out too fast, too heavy just leads to injury. Why fail by not paying attention and having a good plan. After this first week or two, we will start doing muscle isolation.
In regards to my schedule, I will be in the gym for weight training Monday, Wednesday, Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday I will be there for cardio and core. Additionally, on the weekends, I will get some fresh air and walk some nature trails and tracks around my house. I must admit, I have NEVER been a runner so my pace will be slow and steady with a power walk then slow-paced jog routine to get the heart rate up. You really do not need to run at all. Just pick some form of cardio for conditioning. Weights also increased cardiovascular performance too. Pick a cardio routine you will like and stick with instead of fighting with yourself. If you do not like running, then try cycling. If you do not like cycling, then try walking up and down stairs.
The entire full body routine took a little over 1 hour and that is resting about 20-30 secs between each set. It is important to rest between sets unless you are super-setting, which is a different story and something I am not ready for at this time. If you are just starting out, do not even be afraid to take 1 minute between sets. Listen to your body!
The hour went by pretty quick and the good thing about having a partner, or trainer, is you get to talk to someone which keeps you not only moving along with motivation but also eases the drudgery of having to go through this yourself. My advice, find a partner, someone who is will to be there for you without question and vice versa. Feed off each other’s energy and just make it happen.
For nutrition for this week, I am simply getting back to eating clean. Previously, I was probably taking in 5,000+ calories a day (yes that is WAY over the normal) and eating way way too much food, especially the wrong kinds of food. This is probably why I’m so out of shape. Anyways, I am trimming this down to about 1,000-1,200 calories per day. As of this message, I have consumed about 600 calories and getting ready to make myself my next meal. I will be eating about 5-6x per day with appropriately sized portions based upon the following system:
- Breakfast
- Healthy Snack
- Lunch
- Healthy Snack
- Dinner
- Healthy Snack
After the workout, it is important to get some form of protein back into your body to assist in recovery. I made myself some nice lean chicken spiced with black pepper and basil. Along with fresh spinach, broccoli, and grape tomatoes sprinkled with fresh lemon juice. It tasted good and I am happy I like to cook as well, which is also good for you mentally.
Off to make my next meal!
Train Hard – Train Smart!!
~Ray
FAT-2-INSHAPE 