During my signup with Blast Fitness I had a chance to talk with the trainers their who filled me in on some amazing things I’ve never known about the mechanics of exercise.
If you’re like me then you spent most of your life avoiding the gym at all costs. I can say for sure I’ve lost more sweat in the gym this year than I probably could accumulate over the last 35 years of my life, but something different now.
They pointed out that if you are running through the same routine every time you visit the gym, that calorie counter on your treadmill is basically lying to you more and more. Essentially your body is adjusting to the routine of spending 20 – 30 minutes on the treadmill, and your bicep and tricep are adjusting to the routine of those two machines you use at each visit. Yeah the treadmill says 550 calories burned, but if you always perform that same task every time you go in, chances are you aren’t really burning as many calories as you think.
Basically they point toward free weights, and I always dreaded them. Why? Cause you see those guys at the gym using free weights and you think “meat head” which is really you just being intimidated by the athletic people in the back of the gym that are bad ass enough to grunt with 50 pound dumbbells in their hands. You think “Why cant a machine replicate this?” then you use the machine, and it causes some pain (first couple visits) but over time it aint bringing the pain anymore. So whats the deal with free weights?
Free weights engage the core. Standing up doing dumbbell curls is not only working your arm but forcing your entire body to counter the weight of the dumbbell.. I ran through this routine last night at my gym (handed to me by my trainer) and what I can tell you this morning is – PAIN, PAIN PAIN PAIN..
Everything on this list is primarily arms but i’m feeling the pain all the way down my back and down my sides.. My chest is aching when I breath.. This is the muscle breakdown we are looking for out of a workout that builds new muscle fibers. This is the pain we are looking for!
Take my routine and give it a shot – this is a full upper body workout that will have you crying at the end. I did 30 pound dumbbells for the bench, and for the most part kept 30 pounds on each arm per workout (where two hands were used I did 60 – 80) Give it a shot..