Exercise logging
So, after my month-long Total Reset project of setting my exercise routine back to essentially "start" for the first time in ten years (since over the past year and a half, my metabolism has been shifting from the leftover surging of youth and into a slower, more stable adult one)... I figured I'd keep track of how I'm doing here. If you see anything I'm doing that's absurd, feel free to offer comments as to how I might improve. "Total Reset" means just that, I'm keeping no sacred cows from my previous routine. If I should go for fewer sets of more reps, more sets of fewer reps, or just outright wasting time with a given set of exercises, let me know what you think.
Today, day one of the New Regimen, I did:
pushups.
A minute or two of warm-ups, then
One set of 50, two sets of 25, and then a set of 15.
After a few minutes to rest again, I did another set of 50, and then a set of 15. At this point, I got what I call "muscle-lock" in my head. This is when even if you have the breath and will to do it, your body simply -will not- make another pushup. So far as I can tell, this is the breaking point that I should be reaching with each session to make the most of the experience.
Previously, I'd been doing no warmups (yes, I know this is wrong) and launching straight into a set of 100. After that set, I rested for approx one minute, then did a set of 39. The significance for the number has been lost to me for some time, but as it was routine, I just went with it. Then I did a descending couple of sets, starting at 45 and then ultimately reaching 65 by the time I decided on my Total Reset, then dropping about ten with each successive set. Given what I took from the last week or so before the TR, I determined that this was probably the most ideal methodology (as it was the only thing I'd changed in, well, years).
the effects of the loss of muscle mass over the duration of atrophy are rather obvious to me, as after those sets mentioned above that were functionally half of what I -had- been doing before the reset, I feel the fatigue rather strongly. As I'd predicted, the strength is largely built-in to my frame, the endurance is something I'd trained in. Let's see how it goes!
Tomorrow is situps. I don't have an exercising pad, so when I leave my feet on the floor, it wears the skin off my tailbone. Only real choice is to do the situps with my feet supported by something. I'm thinking that I'm gonna try for 60-100 in the first set, as I had been doing descending sets of those previously, but starting at 200 and then halving with each following set. To be updated tomorrow! I'm feeling very positive about this.
Today, day one of the New Regimen, I did:
pushups.
A minute or two of warm-ups, then
One set of 50, two sets of 25, and then a set of 15.
After a few minutes to rest again, I did another set of 50, and then a set of 15. At this point, I got what I call "muscle-lock" in my head. This is when even if you have the breath and will to do it, your body simply -will not- make another pushup. So far as I can tell, this is the breaking point that I should be reaching with each session to make the most of the experience.
Previously, I'd been doing no warmups (yes, I know this is wrong) and launching straight into a set of 100. After that set, I rested for approx one minute, then did a set of 39. The significance for the number has been lost to me for some time, but as it was routine, I just went with it. Then I did a descending couple of sets, starting at 45 and then ultimately reaching 65 by the time I decided on my Total Reset, then dropping about ten with each successive set. Given what I took from the last week or so before the TR, I determined that this was probably the most ideal methodology (as it was the only thing I'd changed in, well, years).
the effects of the loss of muscle mass over the duration of atrophy are rather obvious to me, as after those sets mentioned above that were functionally half of what I -had- been doing before the reset, I feel the fatigue rather strongly. As I'd predicted, the strength is largely built-in to my frame, the endurance is something I'd trained in. Let's see how it goes!
Tomorrow is situps. I don't have an exercising pad, so when I leave my feet on the floor, it wears the skin off my tailbone. Only real choice is to do the situps with my feet supported by something. I'm thinking that I'm gonna try for 60-100 in the first set, as I had been doing descending sets of those previously, but starting at 200 and then halving with each following set. To be updated tomorrow! I'm feeling very positive about this.