What makes an exercise fit in the "Strength" category?

Do NOT add wrist or ankle weights to any portion of your body. No recognized authority on exercise recommends them because, for most people, they lead to joint injury.

Strength building means muscle building.

You can turn any motion exercise into a muscle building one by doing sets of repetitions with the final set ending at the limit of strength. For example, lay on your back and lift your straightened legs to a height of about six inches. Repeat ten times. Rest one minute and repeat. Rest one minute and repeat. On the fourth set the last three raises should be the most difficult to achieve with the last one verging on strain. Note I said VERGING on strain. Do not overstrain.

If you do this leg lifting routine four days in a row and then skip a day, you will find in a week or so that you will have to increase the number of repetitions to twelve or even fifteen in order to have the last three be on the verge of strain.

What you are doing is stressing the muscle to the point of exhaustion, muscles respond to such behavior by increasing in strength. You can do any exercise with such a pattern and build muscle strength. You can speed the process by using dumbbells or exercise equipment, raising the amount of weight with each set of repetitions.

Joe(i do this stuff five days a week)Nation

Joe's right - strength training exercises (also known as resistance training) should be purposeful for building strength, not piggy-backed to cardio routines. You can do them on the same day, but the exercises themselves should be focused. Although some pieces of cardio equipment have resistance settings (such as inclines on a treadmill, or resistance settings on a bike), I would stay away from those features in your situation.

Doing arm curls with a can of soup in each hand is resistance training for your biceps and a good first pass at resistance training. Using the soup cans and lifting your arms out to the side (not higher than your shoulders) or lifting your arms overhead fully extended and then back down so the cans are level with your ears will train your shoulders. Reps should take about 3 seconds in each direction. Laying on your side and doing a leg lift with the top leg is resistance training to the outer thigh as long as your leg is 'tired' by the time you finish. Resistance bands with handles are available in many diameters and allow for specialized exercises to many different muscle groups.

The point is to isolate a certain muscle group and work it until you 'feel the burn', but not to the point where you're over straining to complete the last rep. As you build strength it will take more weight (or more reps) to build additional strength.

Joe, JPB--

Thanks for the clarification. I sort of suspected that I was going to have to build an "Upward and Onward" attitude into Wholesome Daily Motion and now I'm sure of it.

On the recommendation of my Physical Therapist I use one pound gloves and one pound ankle weights.

Why would a one pound glove be different from a one pound can of soup--except that I can't drop the glove on my toe or play "Chase the Chowder" as part of my workout?

Or a one pound ankle weight be more insidious than a heavy shoe?

Many thanks.

anoither tip... if you are going to do cardio and resistenace training on the same day... do enough cardio to warm up 5 to 10 minutes... do your resistenace training first.... end with your cardio.

also, skip a day between resistance training. muscles strenghten and build during their rest periods.

I'm of to the gym right now for a spin class actually.

Sokay by me if your professional is advising. I was referring to those poor duffs who one sees trotting around the high school track wearing ten pounders on their feet way before they have built up the strength (or joint structure) to handle them.

I like dumbbells because they are cheap.

I don't know if you are into record keeping, (I love charts) a diary of which exercises you performed with the number of repetitions and sets (and later how much weight you were using) will give you a really clear picture of your progress or lack of it. And it helps me remember what I am supposed to be working on.

Joe(Tuesday is Arms, Wednesday is Shoulders)Nation

BPB--

I always start with stretching--and on my bad days, that's where I stop.

Joe--

I started a new Diary Page at the Rehab Center this morning. You're right. The increasing numbers are cheerful.

Don't stretch before excercising, stretch during and after. Stretching before you're warmed up is like pulling cold taffy. Do light weights/resistance to warm up, stretching is to add flexibility, not to warm up.

BPB, why do you say cardio after lifting? I do it first for two reasons: helps warm up, and because you want to get something with simple carbs & protein as soon as possible after lifting weights, so I lift second.

And at what point do you bend over as far as you can and try desperately to blow yourself?

Well for you, that point is called "Friday nights."

Damn right. Although the key word in this sentence is "try."

Gentlemen!

Gentlemen?

Sorry, Noddy. I just had an urge.

Carry on.

Kicky--

You are forgiven for leading Slappy astray.

It's working better for me.. I always do enough cardio to break a sweat before I lift.... but then the major after I lift... and I find it helpful, on adivce, to wait one hour after finishing to get protein.... keeps the metabolism up....of course my goals are different than yours I don't want bulk... just to stay trim and have a low body fat along with some definition.... and Kicky... if you could blow yourself you'd find it's not that big a deal.

I understand seven percent of "men"--mostly teenaged boys--are capable of enough flexibility for oral self gratification.

I've never considered masterbation to be a spectator sport.

This 7% is probably chronically unemployed..... :wink: