There was a time in my life, during the monsoons we went
down for a swim under a stream at 7 in the morning. Came back walking by 11:00,
totally soaked in water and the pouring rain, and then decide to go for a game
of football in the afternoon. We would then decide on a session of badminton in
the evening.
On another occasion, we had gone on a trek to Matheran. We
started from Kharghar in the morning by bus to Panvel. From Panvel another bus
to Dodhani. From Dodhani the trek would begin, though we would be huffing and
puffing and taking multiple breaks with the weight of our backpacks, we still
made it at Sunset point by 12 pm. Also worth mentioning is that we decided this
late at 10:30 pm the previous night after a tough session of badminton.
We trekked the whole day in Matheran as Matheran has no
vechicles inside, and then trekked back down the next day. Took the bus, and
while walking back home we would have a conversation of what should we in the
evening. Someone would say, let’s play badminton, and we would all agree,
without the slightest hesitation. We played, though exhausted, we were so fit
and well conditioned.
On yet another occasion, we played Badminton in the morning,
football in the evening and then even badminton later in the evening, these
kind of activities we regular day to day affairs. We were in amazing
cardiovascular condition. Yes, one may argue that we had the energy of youth.
But just 6-10 years later, all the above things seem like a
distant memory. I am so weak, so fragile that the slightest activity reminds me
about it for the next 4 days, and sometimes causes frustrations as I have one
today. So conservative.
I have injured my Upper Back yet again, and I sit in the gym
while my cousin trains. She puts in some real effort on the exercises. Today is
accessory day or what we call small muscle group day. I don’t do it, as I have
been made to believe that if I put in effort on the big exercises the small
muscles will take care of themselves. So there is no need to spend precious
energy on these exercises. I am not sure if I am right or wrong by avoiding it,
but from now on I am going to do it.
I am being made to analyze my training, my idea of fitness. My
plans were to reduce my weight, to get a slimmer look by December.
My strategy was as follows:-
·
Eat only good nutritious food, eat less,
gradually reduce the calories,
·
No junk
·
Sleep well, take less stress.
·
Workout with weights, but make sure you take
enough rest.
·
Do cardio, this was a new one actually. I never
used to do cardio before.
·
Do stretches before and after the workout.
They all look good, isn’t it, but these are my observations
from over 3 months now:-
- I am constantly ill. I thought it is the weather, as monsoons bring in new allergens. So sneezing, and cold are a regular affair.
- When I did my cardio, my back knees hurt, and it would not recover completely for my scheduled Weight training. I jogged, walked most of the time.
- My strength levels didn’t improve at all.
- Whenever I stretched, I always got injured in the following workout.
- Above all, I didn’t lose any weight, I am the same 82 kgs.
These are surely not healthy, and I believe the problem lies
somewhere in what I jotted down as my strategy to reach my fitness goal.
With this failure in mind I have come to new strategies:-
1. Only
weight train.
2. Divide
your exercises into 2 groups, 1). Core Exercises 2). Accessory Exercises
3. Workout
the Core Exercises on Day 1, Accessory Exercises on Day 2. Rest one day and
continue again. So 2 days ON, 1 day off.
4. Do
relatively higher reps each exercise.
5. DO
NOT do Cardio. Atleast for 6 months don’t and then observe the fitness levels,
and fat percentage.
6. Emphasize
the upper body development, and hence do the upper body exercises first.
7. Eat
well, good nutritious food. Don’t set any limits here, just eat.
Monday - Core Exercises
1.
Bench
Press
2.
Rows
3.
Shrugs
4.
Military
Press
5.
Pulldown
6.
Squat
Tuesday – Accessory Exercises
1.
Side
Bends
2.
Crunches
3.
Standing
Calf Raises
4.
Neck
Exercise
5.
Gripper
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday – Core Exercises
1.
Bench
Press
2.
Rows
3.
Shrugs
4.
Military
Press
5.
Pulldowns
6.
Squat
Friday –
Accessory Exercises
1.
Side
Bends
2.
Crunches
3.
Standing
Calf Raises
4.
Neck
Exercise
5.
Wrist
curls
Saturday & Sunday – Rest
Once I
start failing in the core exercises, I will try to change stuff around, but the
poundage should go up very very slowly to avoid staleness.
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