I regularly receive emails with questions about exercise. The most frequently asked question is what do I do to exercise. I split my exercise time between the gym and at home, and my routine consists of a three-day rotation with two days of cardio training and then resistance training the next. My second day of cardio is flexible, and I can choose to drop my regular cardio training and instead work in the garden or do something else for a change, like go through several rounds hitting my heavy bag.
My workouts are vigorous and I push myself, but I’ve finally learned not to push myself too hard. Instead, I follow an instinctive approach, exercising according to how I feel, doing more on the days I feel like it, and allowing myself to do less on other days.
In other words, I don’t lock myself into a fixed workout.
So here is an example of my cardio exercises and how you can copy the routine at home.
What is the best cardio workout at home?
One of my two cardio workouts consists of 45 to 60 minutes of treadmill walking, gradually increasing speed and elevation. I like to watch TV while I work out and it gives me a chance to watch things that my wife, Anita, hates. This means action movies, where the bad guys do terrible things and the hero tracks them down and takes them out. I’m very careful to do a proper warm-up, starting with a slow walk at 2mph, then gradually adding speed and elevation until I hit 3.5mph and a 10% grade.
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My second cardio workout is high-intensity interval training on a stationary bike. I warm up and gradually work harder for 5-10 minutes, then switch to pedaling “hard” for 10 seconds followed by 20 seconds at a much slower recovery pace. I then repeat this over and over for at least 10 rounds. I follow this up with modest resistance training for my lower body. This includes leg presses on a machine, plus some calf exercises.
What is a good resistance training at home?
For my upper body resistance training workouts, I start with freehand exercises, starting with a plank in the pushup position. I hold the plank for 5 minutes or so and finish with pushups. The board really fatigues my upper body, making push-ups very difficult, and I can’t do more than a handful. When I can’t do another pushup, I drop my weight from my toes to my knees to do “modified” pushups and keep going. Let me add, for those who are in a hurry and don’t have time for a full workout, this approach is great for challenging your upper body and core, and only takes about 8 minutes.
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How to use Total Gym to exercise at home
Next, I switch to the Total Gym. During my 46 years of writing this column, I’ve been bombarded with products to try and then endorse, but I turn them down unless I’ve used them long enough and are convinced of their long-term value.
Initially, I was against buying Total Gym. My wife, Anita, is always looking for new and different ways to exercise. I don’t, especially when it comes to resistance training. Give me an old barbell and dumbbells and I’ll be happy. So when she mentioned that for years she had been watching Total Gym commercials on TV with Chuck Norris, and she always wanted to try it, I didn’t encourage her. Quite the contrary. It’s just another fake exercise gimmick promoted by a movie star, I told him.
Undeterred, Anita began her investigation. How did professionals rate Total Gym and what did its owners say about Total Gym? Where and how could I get the best deal? Then, after gathering her information, she presented her case to me and capped it off with a free 30-day trial and free shipping. As usual, she won and I accepted the purchase. I thought the worst that could happen is that we would have to pay to have it shipped back to the manufacturer.
The Total Gym arrived in a huge box that we carried down the stairs to our exercise room, then carefully removed to preserve the box (at my insistence to forward it to the manufacturer). I frowned as I looked at the pieces that needed to be assembled. If you knew how completely inept I am at putting anything together, and how irritated and upset I get, you’d know why I was frowning. But surprisingly, we got it up and running in no time.
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I watched as Anita did some exercises with him. It seemed like it might work out just fine for her, and I resigned myself to the fact that, just like the new puppies she brings home, she was going to stay. I didn’t use it (my male ego wouldn’t let me give in that easily), but continued with my usual training. The more Anita used it, the more excited she became. Hearing her continually brag about the Total Gym, I decided to give it a try when she wasn’t around.
I started doing some of my old standby exercises, and as I did, two things immediately struck me. One, surprisingly, was working my muscles much harder than I expected, raising the incline of the sled to increase resistance. And, two, joy of joy, I did the exercises without the slightest twinge of pain in my surgically repaired shoulders.
Not only that, when I was done I did my dumbbell set and was amazed at how my shoulders responded. Total Gym warmed up my shoulder joints, stretching them in a new and unique way, allowing me to do more with free weights than I’ve been able to do in years.
I got hooked.
For the last several years, Total Gym has been the core of my resistance training workouts. It’s a great piece of exercise equipment, quite durable, soft and easy on the joints, plus you can add weight to the sled to increase resistance. It’s not cheap and prices vary considerably with various models available. If you are interested, look for the best offer. I think you’ll be satisfied, but if not, return it after a 30-day free trial.
Contact Bryant Stamford, professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at [email protected].
