BuckeyeChuck
Member
No, I'm not referring to the 12-oz curl. 
At 42, I'm one of the younger guys around here. There are a lot of posts in the Lounge about what we eat, or what we watch, or what kind of ailments we have, or how fat we are (or aren't). I'm 47 pounds off my peak and get more health-conscious as I age. I've lifted weights on and off (more off than on) for nine years, a key reason why I'm so much lighter than I used to be.
My opinion is that weight lifting is, by far, the most efficacious form of exercise, for numerous reasons:
(1) Builds lean muscle mass. Very important as I age. I'm of very, very slight build so I'll never have muscles popping out, but even slender guys lose muscle as they age.
(2) Improves strength.
(3) Good cardiovascular exercise. Anybody who says it's not isn't doing it properly.
(4) Strengthens and aligns joints.
(5) Increases bone density.
(6) Teaches the body to burn fat, especially when coupled with a reduction in carbohydrate consumption.
(7) Low impact, especially on joints.
(8) Improved physical look.
Since I dislike exercise, I have learned that a key to exercising consistently is to limit the time I spend doing it, so I now only do one set. I tend to do each set to failure (unless safety dictates otherwise) and that means I can complete my basic workout in about 25 minutes. (I have a more complex set that can take up to 45 minutes and sometimes I do it instead.) I've also learned the value of two-a-days. I have two types of core routine (abs, lower back, quads and hamstrings) that I tend to do in the mornings. They take between 10 and 15 minutes. I have found that moving this 10 to 15 minutes from the evening to the morning makes the evening workout feel much shorter. For those of us who dislike exercise, managing the psychology of it is important for consistency.
I refuse to pay for exercise, so I do all of this in my basement with a minimum of equipment. I have a bench that was a Christmas present from my parens to one of my brothers when we were teenagers. My bar and plates are a standard set that were my father's when he was a teenager. (Dad turns 70 in April.) My dumbbells are cast iron hexes which I've acquired over the years. I also have a Weider 200 Power Tower on which I do pull-ups and dips.
So, who around here also lifts weights? What do you do? Where do you do it? How have you been able to do it consistently?
At 42, I'm one of the younger guys around here. There are a lot of posts in the Lounge about what we eat, or what we watch, or what kind of ailments we have, or how fat we are (or aren't). I'm 47 pounds off my peak and get more health-conscious as I age. I've lifted weights on and off (more off than on) for nine years, a key reason why I'm so much lighter than I used to be. My opinion is that weight lifting is, by far, the most efficacious form of exercise, for numerous reasons:
(1) Builds lean muscle mass. Very important as I age. I'm of very, very slight build so I'll never have muscles popping out, but even slender guys lose muscle as they age.
(2) Improves strength.
(3) Good cardiovascular exercise. Anybody who says it's not isn't doing it properly.
(4) Strengthens and aligns joints.
(5) Increases bone density.
(6) Teaches the body to burn fat, especially when coupled with a reduction in carbohydrate consumption.
(7) Low impact, especially on joints.
(8) Improved physical look.
Since I dislike exercise, I have learned that a key to exercising consistently is to limit the time I spend doing it, so I now only do one set. I tend to do each set to failure (unless safety dictates otherwise) and that means I can complete my basic workout in about 25 minutes. (I have a more complex set that can take up to 45 minutes and sometimes I do it instead.) I've also learned the value of two-a-days. I have two types of core routine (abs, lower back, quads and hamstrings) that I tend to do in the mornings. They take between 10 and 15 minutes. I have found that moving this 10 to 15 minutes from the evening to the morning makes the evening workout feel much shorter. For those of us who dislike exercise, managing the psychology of it is important for consistency.
I refuse to pay for exercise, so I do all of this in my basement with a minimum of equipment. I have a bench that was a Christmas present from my parens to one of my brothers when we were teenagers. My bar and plates are a standard set that were my father's when he was a teenager. (Dad turns 70 in April.) My dumbbells are cast iron hexes which I've acquired over the years. I also have a Weider 200 Power Tower on which I do pull-ups and dips.
So, who around here also lifts weights? What do you do? Where do you do it? How have you been able to do it consistently?
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I have no problem letting someone pay me to work out, but there is no way I would ever consider doing it without getting paid.
I told her I was not even going to put them on. That was the wake up call I needed. I called a friend and we joined the YMCA. Started doing the only exercises I knew, powerlifting, and within a few years I broke all my teenage personal records, including a 400 lb. deadlift at a bodyweight of 175 lbs.
