Working Out

I'm not a guy, but most days I drink at least two litres of water in the form of coffee and I often pick up boxes of chocolate I've been known to walk miles in the pursuit of perfect shoes too.

 

Well, if the comments I've gotten here are to be believed, that description would include me. I've gone through numerous different weight-training regimens; they all seem to be about equally effective. There are some basic exercises that should be part of most any routine, and a larger number of more specialized exercises that may usefully be added to one's routine for a period of time or just for variation on particular occasions (or because some particular machine or bench or what-not is not available). I can't list them all here. I think that the most important things to practice are (1) to learn which muscles are worked by each exercise, and (2) to do each exercise according to the proper form (i.e., so that you really are working the muscles that that exercise is supposed to work). Over time, you figure out what exercises "work" for you, both in the sense of effecting gains and in the sense of being physically comfortable.

My dietary situation is rather uncommon in that I run very lean by nature. I have to take in pretty nearly as many calories as I can, or my weight goes down. So I have protein shakes in between meals at least twice a day. Dietary intake is pretty much what any dietitian would recommend -- get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, but not too much carbohydrate, prefer monosaturated to saturated fats, that kind of thing.

 

lol