The Old Guy Rules

 My lovely daughter Shelbi informed me that if I'm going to give people workout advice in my book and on my website, I need to put my money where my mouth is, or, as Shelbi put it, "Show people you're buff so they see that you know your stuff."  These photos were taken last summer in "The Lion's Den," which is what Josh and I call our weight room, pictured below (my wife made the sign):

This page will have a workout EACH DAY that will bring good results if you don't skip workouts and stay loyal to the program.  I will make a suggestion for an aerobic workout each day as well.  Please remember that:  1.  Your ability to complete the workout will be depend on your age and relative physical condition.  Make modifications as the need arises.  These workouts are not set in stone, but will provide you with a general structure if you don't have a workout yet.  2.  ALWAYS consult a physician if you are just beginning any workout regimen.  3.  Diet is every bit as important as exercise.  I know people who exercise like maniacs but never lose weight or look good because they eat horrible diets.  You have to pay attention to your eating, like I said in the book.  4.  Workouts should be fun.  If you don't like something about the workout, change it.  Enjoy what you're doing; you'll work harder and be less likely to miss workouts. I'll change the workout every day, so we don't get stale.  Old Guys don't get stale; we don't have time for that.

As you read (or will read) in my book The Old Guy Rules, we Old Guys are all about variety and changing things up to keep our bodies guessing, so I will list several exercises for each body part, and you can choose alternate exercises to do for each body part every workout if you can't or don't want to do the ones I list for that day.  You will do six workouts a week for now.  You have to go HARD!!!  Old Guys come hard, or they don't come at all.  However, we also have to be intelligent about this, so some words of caution are in order.   

Old Guys, I know I'm asking you to push yourselves in the gym and in your life, but you have to recognize when it's time to back off.  When you're going to failure, you have to be able to gauge when you're overdoing it.  You have to warm up and stretch before you work out; the older you are, the more you need to warm up your muscles.  If you are inexperienced at lifting weights, use very light weights at the start until you get the hang of the exercises.  The range in repetitions should be 8-12; if you can't do 8 reps, lower the weight.  If you can do 12 reps, add weight.  When I was a competitive power lifter in college, I kept my reps low and my weights high, but that takes a toll on your joints and tendons and makes you susceptible to injuries, which we Old Guys don't need.  If you can't go to absolute failure, please...don't.  Do what you can, every time you can, and you'll get stronger and be in better shape; that much I can promise you.  Any exercise you do is better than doing nothing, so do the best you can.  As you embark on this workout, please remember one thing...All that you can do is ALL that you can do! 

Since I've been a little lax about updating the daily workouts since school started (Who knew teaching 5 English classes a day would be so time-consuming?), I've decided, at least for the time being, to put up the next 3 months of workouts.  Keep in mind that exercises can ALWAYS be substituted.  For example, if I have you doing barbell curls for biceps, feel free to do reverse grip pullups instead.  Do what you want to do, and switch things up if you feel like it.  This is just meant to be a general guideline.  Later, when I have more time, I'll go back to the daily workout, but this will give you all an idea of what I'm doing in my own workouts, and you can write me with any questions at oldguyrules@gmail.com.  Work hard, Old Guys.  Do what you can, and the results will happen.

Months 1-3

Day 1

Exercise                                            Sets                      Reps

Incline Barbell Press                         3                           15-12-10

Dumbbell Bench Press                      2                           15-12-10

Flat Dumbbell Fly                            2                           15-12-10

Standing EZ-Bar Curl                       3                           15-12-10

Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curl  2                           15-12-10

Cardio:  20-30 minutes on stationary bike at 60% heart rate.

Day 2

Exercise                                            Sets                      Reps

Leg Press                                          3                           15-12-10

Leg Extension                                   2                           15-12-10

Lying Leg Curl                                   3                           15-12-10

Calf Raise                                         2                           Max reps

Cardio:  45-minute walk at a brisk pace.

Day 3

Active rest day.  45 min. of cardio, preferably on the treadmill at 75-80% maximum heart rate.

Day 4

Exercise                                            Sets                      Reps

Lateral Raise                                    3                           15-12-10

Barbell Front Press                           2                           15-12-10

Dumbbell Front Raise                       2                           15-12-10

Dumbbell Shrug                               2                           15-12-10

French Press                                    3                           15-12-10

Single-Arm Dumbbell Overhead         2                           15-12-10

Extension

No Cardio today.

Day 5

Active rest.  Do 30 minutes on a stationary bike at 75-80% max heart rate.  Also, do 3 sets of 15 crunches with weight.

Day 6

Exercise                                            Sets                      Reps

Pull-Up (On Bar or Assisted             1                           15-12-10

Machine)

Wide-Grip Pulldown                          2                           15-12-10

Back Extension                                 2                           15-12-10

Seated Calf Raise                              2                           15-12-10

Standing Calf Raise                           2                           15-12-10

Cardio:  20-30 minutes on an elliptical at 60% max heart rate.

Day 7 

Rest day.

 The above links are for the Lemond Revmaster.  I spend a LOT of time on the exercise bike; during the winter, it's my primary cardio workout when I can't get outside.  The nice thing about bike riding is that it's low impact and easy on the back and knees.  The Revmaster is expensive, but well worth the money if you can afford it.  It has the smoothest action of any bike I have ever ridden, and I've written a ton of exercise bikes.  It is, without question, the Rolls Royce of stationary bikes.  I have a Revmaster Pro, and I LOVE it.  I highly recommend the Revmaster Pro or the Revmaster Sport to anyone who rides a stationary bike...it's the best model on the market.

Exercise Options (Feel free to substitute at any time on any day):

Chest:  Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, Decline Bench Press, Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes, Incline Dumbbell Flyes, Cable Crossovers, Pushups, Dumbbell Bench Press, Dips

Back: Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns, Seated Rows, T-Bar Rows, One-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Wide Grip Chins, Bent Barbell Rows

Biceps:  Barbell Curls, Preacher Curls, Alternating Seated Dumbbell Curls, Hammer Curls, Chinups (underhand shoulder-width), Reverse Curls, Concentration Curls, 21's

Triceps:  Narrow Grip Bench Press, Lying Tricep Extensions, Dumbbell French Press (2-handed), Narrow Grip Pushups, Tricep Pushdowns, Dumbbell Kickbacks, Bench Dips

Quads:  Squats, Leg Press, Leg Extensions, Hack Squats, Dumbbell Step-ups

Hamstrings:  Leg Curls, Seated Leg Curls, Standing Leg Curls, Lunges (Dumbbell and Barbell)

Calves:  Standing Calf Raise, Seated Calf Raise, One-Legged Calf Raise, Leg Press Machine Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise

Shoulders:  Military Press (Dumbbell or Barbell), Dumbbell Lateral Raises, Dumbbell or Barbell Front Raises, Shoulder Shrugs, Rear Lateral Raises, Cuban Press

Abs:  Crunches, Ab Roller, Air Bike, Bent Knee Hip Raise, Frog Crunches, Cable Crunch, Seated Cable Crunch, Cross Body Crunch, Dumbbell Side Bend, Flat Bench Leg Raise, Hanging Leg Raise

I prefer not to limit myself with a diet that's too restrictive.  I'd rather have general guidelines that leave me enough flexibility to structure my diet around an eating plan rather than on constructing specific meals, which is just too demanding unless you're one of the fortunate people who have hours each day to spend on such things.  I mentioned in The Old Guy Rules that I once looked at a diet plan that was so comprehensive that it read like a Master's Thesis.  Following such a plan would have been maddening and unrealistic.  You need an eating plan that's easy to follow and allows for flexibility and variation.  So I'm going to include a few things that I do that help keep me in fighting trim.  Many of these are mentioned in the book, so I won't go into too much detail here.

1.  Eat many small meals as opposed to a few big ones.

2.  Drink water throughout the day (Don't forget to use Xtreme X20).

3.  If you cheat once in awhile, don't beat yourself up.  Just get back to your eating plan ASAP.

4.  Give yourself a "cheat day" once a week where you can eat as much as you want, as long as it's good food.

5.   Start your meals with a glass of water and some salad to give yourself a full feeling before eating the main part of your meals.

6.  SUBSTITUTE THE GOOD FOR THE BAD!!!  There are so many times during the day when we could substitute something good for something bad.  Sherbet, for ice cream, almonds for peanuts, Propel for soda, chicken breast or fish for red meat, fruit for candy or cake...the list is endless.  There are things out there that you like that are good for you; you just have to FIND them.  It is very important not to keep a bunch of bad foods within reach.  If it's not in the house, you won't eat it, so keep it out of the house.  

If you're interested, I base many of my eating habits around a book called The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler.