Upper Body Workout

Hard upper body workout today.  Felt a little sluggish throughout the session.  I was probably feeling the effects of yesterday's session, plus the fatigue from the travel this past weekend.  I do feel a gradual increase in my upper body strength, which is my primary goal.  I want to be able to bench press my weight within six months.

Lower Body Workout

I felt a little tired this morning since we returned from our trip to my niece's wedding late last night.  Nevertheless, I persevered with my lower body workout.  About 10 minutes into the training I felt better and it turned out to be a fine workout.  I did exactly the same routine as last Wednesday with a hard set of intervals (30 minutes) on the recumbent stationary bike at the end.  The squats are starting to feel too easy, so I will increase the weight on the next workout.  I had some dates and a banana before the workout, and some Vega Whole Foods Health Optimizer with cranberry/pomegranate juice after completion.    

Upper Body Workout

Upper body workout today.  I felt pretty good, but a little sluggish.  I like this workout, but don't feel that I get the intensity per body part as I do with the 3-way split routine.  I will continue this workout until the end of the month and decide whether to change to the 3- way split in September.  My poundage is gradually increasing and my strength is definitely increasing.  I ate a couple pieces of fruit before the workout, and a Vega protein shake with banana, seeds, and 2 cups of frozen mixed berries afterwards.  This is a good recovery drink and carries me for a couple of hours after the workout until I have lunch. 

Lower body workout today was really energizing.  I felt very good throughout, especially on the squats.  I didn't up the weights from previous squats, but I performed the exercise a little deeper, which really adds stress. 
I have discovered that working out on an empty stomach is the right way to go.  I had a banana and a peach 1/2 hour before starting, and this worked very well.  Last Sunday, before my upper body workout, I had a green smoothie with lots of ingredients, and I suffered for it throughout the workout.  Today was A+.  I did 30 minutes of intervals at level 6 on the recumbent bike at the end.

A friend and I drove to the Cartersville Budweiser Brewery and went for a 33 mile ride.  The temperatures were pleasant at the start, but the heat and humidity built.  It was a beautiful ride through the Georgia countryside.  My friend is recovering from a broken ankle, so we took it easy, which was okay because I was tired from the previous two day's strength training workouts.  Tomorrow, I have been called for jury duty, so I will probably take the day off from training.

Did the upper body routine today with 22 exercises, 1 set per exercise.  I worked the repetitions until near failure.  I rested between 1-2 minutes per exercise.  I covered chest, back, shoulders, arm/forearms, abs.  This is a hard workout.  I like it for several reasons, one of which is that I can move from exercise to exercise without changing weights.  I set up the equipment before I start and just move from one to the next with appropriate rest in between.  I am having trouble with dips, partly because I am tired by the time I get to this exercise, and mostly because I have a lot of strength to improve.

 This was a typical day.  I made a green smoothie with banana, medjool dates, apple juice, ground flax seeds, Vega Health Optimizer, kale and spinach before the workout.  A couple hours after the workout, I had a whole wheat tortilla with boiled potato, hummus, peppers, onions, leftover pasta sauce, and mixed salad greens.  For dinner we had potato soup with spinach, and corn plus matzo with almond butter and low sugar cherry preserves.  Had a couple of dates and a peach for dessert.

Two of my favorite strength training websites are Logan Franklin's Gray Iron Fitness and Richard Winett's ageless-athetes.

I have learned a lot about strength training and body building from these athletes.  Logan is in his mid 70's and Richard in his mid-60's.  Both are dedicated to fitness for older folks and prescribe resistance training to keep us fit and young looking.



I was introduced to Richard's site recently and have subscribed to his excellent newsletter Master Trainer.  In one of his recent newsletter he talked about the workout routine that he has settled on as he has moved into his 60's.  He trains four times per week with a 2-way split routine, upper body and lower body.  He does lower body on days 1 and 3, and upper body on days 2 and 4.  He does cardio work after some of his weight routines, and light cardio on every other day of the week.  I probably will not follow this routine exactly, but I am trying the 2-way split that he prescribes.  Today was the first day with a lower body workout.  I am doing it a bit differently.  He does 19-20 exercises covering all the body parts with 1 set per exercise.  I am doing 7-8 exercises with 3 sets each and increasing the weight on each set, while reducing the reps.  Today, I warmed up with 10 minutes on the stationary recumbent bike, did lower body including two ab exercises, and then finished with a hard 30 minutes interval session on the recumbent indoor trainer.  Good workout.

Before the workout this morning, I had a banana and 2 medjool dates.  After training, I had a whole wheat tortilla with hummus, whole wheat spaghetti and kidney bean/corn/tomato sauce (leftover from last night) 1/4 avocado, some onions and some olives.  In mid-afternoon, I made a smoothie with Vega Health Optimizer, two oranges, and a cup of mixed frozen berries, and a banana.  For dinner we had brown rice with curry vegetables.  Ate some more bananas and dates after dinner.

Full body strength workout today.  I am enjoying this workout.  It is quite intense, however, I am still debating whether this is more effective at building strength than the three-way split I was doing before.  I'll do this for awhile before I decide to stick with it or revert back to the 3-way.  Since I haven't taken a rest day since last Saturday, I thought I would drag a bit during this workout, but I felt very strong, and full of energy the entire time.  May take a rest day tomorrow tho.

My legs were tired from the gym workout yesterday, but I went to Stone Mountain Park and did two hours (30 miles) of hill repeats, including the steep heart break hill.  The temperature was lower than it has been for the past couple of weeks, but the humidity was high.  Great ride and I was quite tired at the end.

For breakfast I had a green smoothie with orange, banana, Vega Whole Foods Health Optimizer, flax seeds, sesame seeds, kale and spinach.  For lunch I had a whole wheat tortilla with hummus, potato, brown rice, peppers and avocado plus several kalamato olives.  Dinner was spinach and black bean soup.  I was hungry a couple of hours later, and my calorie intake was a bit low so I made another smoothie with Vega, 2 bananas, 3 dates and some apple juice. 

Good workout today.  I decided to try changing my workouts and my schedule to allow more time (and energy) for cycling and other outside training.  The three day a week 3-way split routine was really tiring me out and I was having trouble with a reasonable cycling schedule.  So, I have moved to full body workouts in the gym instead of the 3-way splits.  I will do these every third day to give myself more bike time.  I'll experiment with this to see how it goes.

 My green smoothie this morning was made in the Vitamix with 2 cups of mixed frozen berries, 1 banana, 1 scoop of Vega Whole Plant Protein, 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds, 1/2 tbsp of sunflower seeds, 1 cup of kale and 3 cups of spinach.  For lunch I went to Sweet Tomatoes Salad Bar Restaurant and had a huge salad, baked potato and 1/2 cup of minestrone soup.  For dinner I had a large bowl of lentil, spinach and eggplant soup with whole wheat bread and hummus.  I snacked on bananas, dates and nuts after dinner.

Today, I rode on the Silver Comet Trail with two friends.  We went 30 miles, shorter than I had planned, but it was a good ride nevertheless. 

My wife and I are going to the Braves game today, so my time to workout this Sunday morning was limited, especially since I didn't get out of bed early.  I hit the gym and did one hour of aerobic work....20 minutes on the stationary recumbent bike, 20 minutes on the rowing machine, and 20 minutes of fast hill walking on the treadmill.  It was definitely a time efficient and effective workout.  I may incorporate this one into my routine. 

Today was an arm (biceps, triceps, forearms) workout.  I felt tired at the start, but gained energy and focus as the workout proceeded.  I did four separate exercises for the triceps and am beginning to see, and feel, more definition.  I did three exercises for the biceps and four for the forearms.  For the triceps, I tried some dips.  My strength isn't adequate to to deep dips, but I did three sets of shallow dips with 5 reps each.  As I proceed, I intend to increase the amount of dip.  This is a great compound exercise that concentrates on the triceps.  This was a tiring workout.  I am ready for a nap.

 Before my workout this morning, I had a green smoothie with one orange, one banana, 1 cup of mixed frozen berries, 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of ground sunflower seeds, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Vega Sport  Plan Based Protein, 1 cup of kale,  and 3 cups of organic baby spinach. For lunch I had a whole-wheat tortilla, with hummus, sweet potato, chopped peppers, chopped onions, and some mixed salad greens. For dinner my wife and I went to a Chinese restaurant and I had steam mixed vegetables with several cups of white rice topped with Chinese white sauce. I have banana and some dates for dessert

I woke up early this morning, so I headed out to Stone Mountain Park and got started around 7 am.  I finished about 8:45 am with a stop at the bathroom facilities at the Confederate Museum.  My legs were tired and felt heavy from the lower body workout of the day before.  I also didn't drink enough water, so felt dehydrated at the finish.  Bike training after lower body workouts will be a challenge.

I ate a banana and some dates before the ride and several dates and some almonds after.  When I got home I had a green smoothie with orange, banana, mixed frozen berries, flax seeds, kale and spinach.  I also added some Vega Sport Plant-Based Performance Protein to the smoothie.  I had lunch with a friend at Sweet Tomatoes salad bar restaurant and had a huge salad with a baked potato with a little minestrone soup spooned on the potato.  For dinner, I had a whole wheat tortilla with hummus, peppers, onions, quinoa risotta, and some mixed salad greens.  I had a couple of bananas and some dates for dessert.

Leg workout today with 10 minutes of hill walking warmup and 12 minutes of fast hill walking at the end with stretching.  I bought a new seated calf machine, which allows me to run through two different exercises for the calves.  I felt good on the 3 sets of deep squats I did at the end with progressing weights from 125 to 135 to 140.  Before the workout, I reorganized my home gym so that the space is a little more orderly.

 Before my workout (about an hour), I drank a typical green smoothie with 2 bananas, orange, cup of mixed frozen berries, ground flax seeds, 1 ounce of kale and 3 ounces of baby spinach.  For lunch I had a whole wheat tortilla, with homemade guacamole, hummus, brown rice, black beans, and a cup of arugula.  Dinner was kale and pasta soup with some bread, matzo, almond butter and low sugar mixed berry preserves.  Various fruit for dessert. 

Of the three gym workouts I do, this (Back/Shoulders/Chest/Abs) is the toughest.  My upper body and core muscles really get assaulted.  The weights I use are light, but I still am spent at the end.  I feel like my body is responding to the workouts, I have minimal soreness the next day, and am ready for the next workout.  Tomorrow I'll do a bike ride, so I skipped the rowing that I usually do at the end of this workout.

 I started the day with a glass of water with some lemon juice followed by a banana and some grapes.  An hour later, I made a green smoothie with 2 bananas, 1 orange, 2 dates, 1 TBSP of ground flax seeds,  1/2 TBSP of sunflower seeds, 1 ounce of kale and 3 ounces  of organic baby spinach.  I also added some Vega plant protein supplement.  For lunch after my training, I had a whole wheat tortilla with hummus, avocado, carrots, onions, cut up baked potato, and mixed salad greens.  I snacked on bananas and dates in the afternoon.  For dinner we had a baked sweet potato, and an arugula, avocado, celery salad with a rice vinegar dressing. 

Very humid day at Stone Mountain Park.  Did 6 laps of my 5 mile loop at a brisk pace with 2200 feet of climbing.  I was pooped at the end and my legs were crying for mercy.  I did the first three laps in 58 minutes, which is near a personal best for me, and complete the entire 6 laps in 1:58, also, for me, a good time.

Half way through the ride I met a couple of other guys who ride recumbents, and we shared stories and became acquainted.

I love the 'hill repeat' type of training at Stone Mountain.  If I push hard, it is an intense workout.  The intensity is good, since I have cut down the number of bike workouts per week to about three per week.  The combo of 3 weekly gym workouts with 3 sessions on the bike is thus far working out well.

Did a arms (biceps/triceps/forearms) workout.  This is a great program.  The muscles of the arm are really pumped after multiple sets/reps.  Too bad that nobody is interested in my biceps anymore.  When I was a teenager, I could get dates based solely on my pumped up biceps.  Now, I am the only one that notices.

It was very hot and humid outside today.  So, it felt good to stay inside in the air conditioned home gym.

Before my workout at about 10 am, I ate a banana and a couple of medjool dates.  After the workout I had a stuffed whole wheat tortilla with guacamole, onions, a baked potato cut up into chunks, some sliced carrots and a cup of mixed salad greens.  I had a green smoothie in the afternoon with an orange, two bananas, ground flax seeds, a cup of frozen kale and two cups of baby organic spinach.  For dinner we had some whole grain bread with almond butter and low sugar preserves, plus potato, black bean and kale soup.  Click on the the image to the left to see nutrition details.

In last Thursday's post, I mentioned that I was basing my current strength training routine on Frank Zane's training DVD.  Frank has a long list of  victories in his bodybuilding career including My Olympia in 1977, 1978 and 1979.  He has written several books, Frank Zane: Mind, Body and Spirit, and Fabulously Fit Forever.

His training DVD is a useful guide for weight training.  Although I have never met Frank, I have corresponded with him via email, and we have talked by phone.  My home gym is equipped with several pieces of equipment that Frank recommended, including a device that he created, the Leg Blaster, which provides a way to do deep squats without the risk of back and knee damage that comes with traditional barbell squats.

I was attracted to Frank as a 'coach' for weight training several years ago because his advice is age-adjusted, he publishes a quarterly newsletter that gives helpful training tips, and his books and DVD have been very useful in guiding me towards effective training routines.  He also provides advice on appropriate form for doing the exercises in his recommended routines.

Currently, I am doing Frank Zane's 3 way split routine.  I workout in the gym three days per week.  On day 1, I exercise the back, shoulders and chest.  On day 2, the workout is for my legs (quadriceps, calves and hamstrings).  On day 3 I train the arms (biceps, triceps and forearms).  I do each series once per week, which provides plenty of rest.  The sessions are quite intense and put a lot of stress on the body parts being exercised.  I am using fairly light weights and high repetitions, in order to reduce the chance of injuries.  I will gradually increase poundage as my fitness improves.

I am enjoying the workouts, and am starting to see improvements in strength and body shaping.  My goal is to maintain strength and healthy muscles and bones.  I am beginning to see why strength training may be the most important exercise for people as they age because this type of training helps prevent muscle loss and strength decline, a natural part of getting older.

My bodybuilding workouts are starting to become more intense.  I reorganized the lower body workout according to Frank Zane's training DVD.  Now I start with working the calves.  I recently bought a seated calf machine, which I will pick up on Tuesday.  This will give me a more complete set of calf workouts.

After the calves, I concentrated on the inner and outer thighs (adductors and abductors), went on to hamstring curls and quad

extensions, did some hard side lunges and finished off with 3 sets of deep squats on the leg blaster.  Before today, I would start with the squats.  At the end I did 18 minutes of hill walking on the treadmill at level 7 incline, and some stretches.

This was a rare day when I ate too little.  Combined with a tough workout, I was really spent in the evening and had a hard time sleeping.  I woke at 3 pm and had to get something to eat, so I snacked on a whole wheat tortilla with some hummus and pasta.

In the morning I had a green smoothie with an orange, banana, peach, ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, kale and spinach.  I then worked out and didn't eat much until dinner.  Dinner was some soba noodles with various vegetables and lots of fruit for dessert.  I wasn't that hungry after dinner, but did snack on some dates, grapes and almonds. I am still learning to eat to better accommodate my bodybuilding workouts.

It was really hot today, especially humid.  I started out at Stone Mountain Park at 8 am, and finished just after 10.  I did six laps of the 5 mile course with 2250 feet of climbing.  It was a good 'hill repeat' workout.  It is nice to ride at the park on weekdays, because there is very little traffic.  I think the weight room work is helping because it felt as if my endurance for climbing is improving.

Hard workout today.  Did three exercises for the chest with 3 sets each, some upper back exercises, and some shoulder exercises.   I am not using heavy weights, but I feel as if I am getting a great workout.  Finished off with 20 minutes of stationary rowing.  Took a nice nap this afternoon.

My usual green smoothie for breakfast, this time with banana, orange, a peach, flax and sunflower seeds, kale and baby spinach.  Ate lunch at Jason's Deli.  Ordered a large plain baked potato and ate it with a large salad from their salad bar.  Potato and kale soup with nine grain bread and hummus for dinner.