For years I've been exercising, and the results have been good. My body hasn't shriveled or sunk into the beginnings of decrepitude like some of the other men my age. Yet it always felt like something was missing. I didn't feel strong enough in certain areas like my back, core and trunk. Fatigue would set in at times, because I was overworking certain areas of my body when I should have been trying to balance them with others.
Due to all the running I did, a lot of my energy was being used by leg muscles. I also did some strength building in my arms because I knew my upper body wasn't as strong as my lower. While my calves looked like a marathon runners and my arms became solid, my midsection suffered from lack of attention, which affected my posture and balance. My coordination was also poor because I'd been doing different forms of exercise in my lower and upper bodies. The lack of cardio in my arms, with only strength training being utilized, meant they weren't as durable as my legs. The lack of strength training in my legs, while only doing cardio for them, meant they weren't as strong as my upper body despite being more durable. In summary, my body's energy was being misaligned because of my fixation with distance running.
This wasn't a horrible problem to have- exercising problems seldom are. It just meant I could have been doing things better. Getting a gym membership, thanks to my employer's benefits discount, made all the difference. Thanks to all the equipment suddenly available, I was able to work all the major muscle groups until I figured out an appropriate balance. The goal was to work out all of them equally, using both strength and endurance to keep them in the best possible shape.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or 150-300 minutes at moderate intensity. "Additionally, the D.H.H.S. encourages balance and stretching activities to enhance flexibility, as well as muscle-strengthening workouts two or more times a week." (www.everydayhealth.com). This translates to 15-30 minutes of vigorous exercise five days per week, or 30-60 minutes at light intensity, with 2-3 sessions for balance and strength training.
Using all this information, I set out to construct the closest thing to a perfect regimen that I could. Bear in mind that since my legs are so durable, I'm on the high end of the endurance spectrum, requiring about 150 minutes a week of vigorous exercise to maintain my health. I used to do well over 150 minutes a week but have since dropped that number after it became clear that I was overworking my body, causing more fatigue in my daily life. I've also never been able to incorporate a consistent balance and stretching activity like yoga into my program. Nonetheless I am trying my best follow the weekly schedule I've outlined below:
On Mondays, do 30 minutes of upper body strength training and 30 minutes of lower body cardio. Your gym should have dumbbells and machines for all kinds of upper body strength training. Key muscle groups are forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders, lats, and chest. Do 3 sets of 10 reps for all these. Good activities for lower body cardio are sports like basketball and machines like the treadmill and the elliptical. Both machines are great for quads and hams. Treadmills are better for the calves, while the elliptical is better for the glutes. Alternate between these for the maximal leg cardio benefit. It doesn't have to be on the same day; you can switch between workouts. Remember to stretch after every cardio workout. This counts as one of your required stretching exercises, though you should be doing it all week.
On Tuesdays reverse it. Do 30 minutes of lower body strength training and 30 minutes of upper body cardio. Lower body muscle groups to work on are the calves, quads, hams, glutes and hips. Exercises that are good for upper body cardio are rowing, chest press, pull ups and rope climbing- they each utilize many different muscle groups. Alternate between them for maximal benefit. My gym has machines for all these activities. If you're using machines, make sure you aren't spending more than 10 minutes at a time on each. Gym etiquette expects that you allow time for others to use the equipment. Also make sure your weights are at the lowest possible level. Remember it's endurance training, not strength. Spend the least amount of time possible moving between machines. You want to be able to go for as long as you can, even if you're only lifting 10 lbs. at a time.
The rest of the week is rest and repeat. On Wednesdays just do core strength, which won't take long. Look at doing the abs and back only. Also do 30 minutes of lower body cardio. Take Thursdays off to give your body a break. On Fridays do a repeat of Monday. On Saturdays do a repeat of Tuesday. Sundays should be another easy day of rest. Do some more core strength, like on Wednesdays. However instead of the 30-minute lower cardio, do a 30-minute yoga session for improved flexibility. Sunday is a beautiful day to do yoga or tai chi, something light and spiritual while other people are at a temple or church.
If you're tired, it's always ok to skip a day. Taking Saturdays off is perfectly fine if you don't feel up to it. But remember to work out the muscle groups you should have been doing the following Monday. The key is alteration; always switch the groups every time you work out. And try not to combine strength training and cardio with the same muscle groups on a given day. This could lead to injury by overusing them. It will also help your muscles repair faster if they aren't busy healing from two types of exercise.
Following this program has made me feel healthier than I've ever been. I feel stronger, faster, and younger than I have in a long time. It has the maximum cardio recommendation of 150 minutes a week and provides strength training to all the muscles groups twice. It even opens space for a nice little grounding session at the end of the week. I'll be following it for as long as I can. Hopefully you feel inspired to try it as well.
Day | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
W.O. 1 | Upper body strength | Lower body strength | Core strength | Off | Upper body strength | Lower body strength | Core strength |
W.O. 2 | Lower body cardio | Upper body cardio | Lower body cardio | Off | Lower body cardio | Upper body cardio | Balance |
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