Weightlifting - Paul's page


		general routine (heavy)
More to come here soon, when I get a chance to work on it. (I'm only slightly more motivated when it comes to the actual working out!) my gym		Squats The granddaddy of all exercises! I don't go super heavy anymore but I do go "butt to the ground" and also alternate between a narrower stance and a wider stance (i.e. within the same workout). Deadlifts (stiff-leg) I really like these, and actually do them on leg day as they hit my hamstrings so hard. Makes a good compliment to squats. Bench Press What I started with in high school! I don't go so heavy on these anymore, partly due to shoulder problems, and partly due to needing to bring other areas up to speed (e.g. shoulders). Shoulder Press (see Maintenance Routine below) Lats (pulldowns) (see Maintenance Routine below) Shrugs Have done these fairly heavy (e.g. 250 lbs) but still seem to get more traps growth from just doing deadlifts. Calves (see Maintenance Routine below) Abs (see Maintenance Routine below) The above represents about three work- outs a week, e.g. Squats & Deads day, shoulders & bench day, and then everything else day... So would hit each body part once a week (approx).
good reading
	Muscle (Sam Fussell) A fun-to-read mostly-true account of the author's quest to discover, explore, and fit in with the quirky world of bodybuilding.
	Underground Steroid Handbook (I & II) (Dan Duchaine) Don't have to use steroids (I don't!) to find this cult classic fascinating. Kinda an Anarchist's Cookbook for hard core bodybuilders.
	Little Big Men (Alan Klein) Never finished this one but roughly along the same lines as "Muscle" by Fussell (although a little less entertaining and more critical of the sport).


the soloflex years
Had a Soloflex (still do actually) which I used for years when we lived in Columbia. (I didn't belong to a gym there.) I was reasonably happy with it at the time; it suited what I wanted to do, esp. in our small condo. I'd add weight plates as needed, for better resistance and feel. Not sure now if I'll ever use it again, though, having come to much prefer an actual gym.		maintenance routine (light)*
		Shoulders Was really weak here for years (and out-of-balance with my benching) which gave me a very rounded-shoulder look. More recently I've tried to combat this by favoring shoulders over chest, which is why it appears here in the "short list". Also, overhead presses do a decent job of triceps maintenance. Calves Can't ever relax on these, or my calves shrivel to nothing! Perhaps my worst body part, easily out-of- balance with everything else. Lat Pulldowns Not so fun to do, but I do consider these a maintenance necessity. They don't just work the back, they also keep biceps from atrophying. Abs Cable crunches (on knees, "bowing" deeply) and ball crunches (on swiss ball) are the only ab routines I like at all.
			*This is closer to reality... When I'm having trouble getting into the gym regularly (which is most of the time) I still try to do this simple routine as a bare minimum (all on the same day or divided up as needed). Legs are obviously missing but from a maintenance perspective they get exercised somewhat from volleyball and tennis.

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	www.paulfidler.com	e-mail
	www.paulfidler.com	e-mail
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						the above routine enables me to uproot trees at will (real story behind this photo)