About This Exercise Thing
I have gone round and round on this one. Read up on many of the experts and well-respected among the internet elite and their various thoughts, ideas, programs and recommendations.
Mark Sisson (The Primal Blueprint & Mark’s Daily Apple), Mike O’Donnell (IF Life & Fitness Spotlight), Scott Sonnon (RMax International & Circular Strength Training), Adam Steer (Bodyweight Blueprint - also a CST instructor), Jon Hinds (Monkey Bar Gym), Pavel Tsatsouline (Dragon Door & Kettlebells), Rusty Moore (Fitness Black Book), Matt Furey (Zen Master of the Internet), and Frank Forencich (Exuberant Animal) — these are the ones with the most influence on my thinking.
I do not desire the physique of a bodybuilder; I am looking to return to the lean, athletic build of my own past - more a cross between a gymnast and a defensive back - with greater strength, more stamina, and an overall ability to perform well.
And I am well aware that changes to my body will depend greatly on the dietary plan and what I eat; exercise and physical training are to reshape the body as the diet leans it out. Mark Sisson, Brad Pilon, and Mike O’Donnell have had the most impact on changing my thoughts on how to eat: primal/paleo coupled with some form of Intermittent Fasting will be the rule of the day for the next ten weeks.
Because my body is currently so out of shape, under-trained and older now (I’m coming up on 58 years in December), I am going to focus on bodyweight training. I will also incorporate in the training as I progress tools to assist in the use of my body weight - TRX Suspension System, Lifeline JungleGym II, Perfect Push-ups, a dip station and a doorway pull-up set.
But to start building my fitness foundation I will use simple bodyweight exercises (push-ups, body rows, squats, lunges, planks, burpees, and bridging using a stability ball) and incorporate from Frank at Exuberant Animal the concept of moving in the three planes - sagittal (straight ahead, forward and backward), frontal (side-to-side), and transverse (rotational / twist) and doing so in a playful manner. More bonono than chimp (look it up yourself at Exuberant Animal online).
I’ll be working to train movements more than specific muscles. Complex work as opposed to isolation work. Gross motor skill and functional to start and refine later. So basic bodyweight exercises, some sprinting, swimming, and plenty of time on my bicycle - and when I have the opportunity, some body-surfing and sprinting in the sand barefoot - as well as greatly increasing the simple act of walking a whole lot more. Somewhere among this effort will be also be some basic yoga movements - perhaps a few rounds of the Sun Salutation or simply moving through four or five asanas in a circuit fashion.
As I go along, I’ll post what I’m doing and describe how I feel and how I’m responding and credit my ‘tutors’ as I progress. If you follow any of this, terrific. If you want to make comments, they are welcome - even the ones that claim I’m doing it all wrong… but if you make that claim, please back it up with some credible references.
~Faith, Chuck
