Resistance Training, Day Three

You need to work hard, engaging as many muscle groups as possible.

There are four objectives here, increasing bone density, adapting your bones to carry more weight. Aerobic capacity, the ability of your lungs to pump a lot of air quickly. As you exercise blow out strongly to increase the amount of air you are processing. Increasing your heart rate, You should be able to double your resting heart rate, and maintain that for a short while at least. You may need to build up to that. Sustained exercise, you do not need to train for an hour at a time, but the sort of strength and fitness we are aiming at should allow us to dig the garden for an hour or more, or to walk up hills, or to climb several sets of stairs.

This set of exercises should take 15 to 20 minutes. You should get quite breathless. Focus on breathing out strongly to get more air. You will get a bit sweaty. Your heart rate will rise quite a bit, you might like to measure that by taking your pulse. Take a rest if you need to.

The purpose of the weight is to make the body work just a bit harder than usual. Heavy weights are not necessary, but you do want some resistance. It's suggested that you find a weight that's hard to lift once in the manner intended. Use a weight that's about 50% of that.

Remember the hard easy principle. Go for a walk or do some dancing or Tai Chi of the alternate days.

Resistance Training, Day Three

Short description

Begin with the Dumbbell Stretches, do a set of 8 to 12. Move on to getting up and down. By now you should be really puffing. Move on to overhead lifts.

Longer description

Dumbbell Stretches

You need suitable weight dumbbells.

Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height.
Extent your arms, up, sideways of on diagonals, stretching as far as you can.

With feet apart, rotate your body as far as possible to the left and the right.
Make it harder by rotating with arms extended.

Create a short routine for yourself and repeat it until failure, or for up to 90 seconds.

When you can do that long easily, increase the weight.

Getting Up and Down
You need a carpet or mat to work on.

With or without a weight. (A pack on your back could provide extra weight.) Go from standing to lying on the ground face down. Get back to your feet.

Try to do this as smoothly as possible. Do it slowly and continuously, don't rest.

Repeat until failure.

Ground to Overhead Lift
You need a fairly heavy dumbbell or a bag of sand.

Use two hands, not one.

This is a popular exercise with cross training athletes. They use the dumbbells with a single handle on top.

You can use a standard dumbbell holding one end. Or grip the bar-ends with you hands (use gloves to hold the clamped ends.) Alternatively make yourself a sandbag of suitable weight (Put handles on it.).

Lift the weight from the ground high over your head. Move the weight SLOWLY, keep it stable, and them lower it under control to the ground. Repeat until failure. When you can't move the weight anymore, can you hold it for a few more seconds?

Don't repeat these exercises again for SEVEN days. Let your body fully recover.

Resistance Training, Day Three

Resistance Training, Day Three

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