Seattle dropped the indoor mask requirements 9 days ago, so after a very long absence, I am back at my Glitter Gym. š„³
I estimate that I lost 3-5 pounds of muscle during this period and some strength. I wasnāt lazy during this period. I still walked a lot plus did some bodyweight exercises (but not enough). And since late October, yoga every single day.
The plan now is to regain the lost muscle. I also want to strengthen my ankles, knees, hip flexors, and feet. Here is my plan.
Daily
10,000 steps walking per day. I donāt consider this to be āexerciseā. I view taking several walks a day as sitting interruptions. For a few weeks now, I walk backward up a hill every day.
Morning yoga or stretch routine. Between 20-40 minutes. I have found so many classes on Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Evening stretching. 10-15 minutes.
Strength (3x a week)
Iāll be using a few of the mass exercises recommended in Tall Man Training by Alexander Cortes. I was already doing goblet squats with my trusty 35-pound dumbbell, but now that Iām back in the gym, Iāll be adding the hack squat and leg press.
For the chest, Iāll be using incline presses. Dumbbell and barbell.
I also just started doing inverted rows.
Initially, I wonāt be going to failure. Iāll be leaning towards volume as I get back into shape. Iāll be using the HIT principles of slower controlled movements over āgoing heavyā. Safety first.
Non-Gym Days
Iāll be using some of the Knees Over Toes info plus some stuff I found on YouTube to strengthen my knees, ankles, feet, and hip flexors.
From KOT, I am focusing on the Tibialis Raise and the Split Squat initially. Then Iāll look at the Reverse Squat.
Last summer, I got a high hamstring tear. It has taken forever to heal. It still acts up if I drive for more than 30 minutes. Initially, I think I made it worse through stretching. Now I believe it was a weak hip flexor that caused the problem, so Iām adding some hip flexor exercises to address that.
I also own an adjustable slant board, which I do bodyweight squats on daily from different angles.
And finally, Iāll be working on toe and foot strength exercises to assist with some yoga poses.
Enough To Get Started
I donāt plan to resume Zone 2 cardio at my gym just yet. After a few weeks of getting resettled into the program above, Iāll likely do some of my outdoor walks with a weighted vest.
I wonder how long it will take to regain my lost muscle?
Comments
Tony
March 23 at 2022 at 12:26 AM
Hi there again. Seems that I might have similar fitness goals to yours since I also do plenty of walking and some lifting on certain days of the week. I donāt know how much muscle Iāve lost between 2021 and today, but Iām certain that Iāve lost some since Iām still at around 135 pounds. This, again, comes with being an ectomorph, I suppose. Feel free to post updates, if you wish.
MAS
March 23 at 2022 at 12:35 AM
@Tony - The way I determine that I lost is muscle is by using a combination of weight with a tape measure around my waist. Itāll roughly let you know if you are gaining/losing muscle or fat. My waist was the same, but my weight was down, so I figured muscle loss. Now the game is to get the weight up without increasing waist size.
Tony
March 23 at 2022 at 1:13 AM
So weighing oneself while also measuring the waist? Iāll remember that going forward. Thanks again.
Iāll also ask if youāve incorporated martial arts training as well. I briefly practiced bo staff techniques with detached broomsticks a few times during the pandemic. Laugh if you wish.
MAS
March 23 at 2022 at 2:54 PM
@Tony - Here is a post where I explain the tape measure more: https://criticalmas.org/2019/10/what-happened-after-the-scale-at-my-gym-broke/
No martial arts for me. I have a long history of getting injured by my own hand. I donāt need to double that risk.
Tony
March 23 at 2022 at 6:39 PM
Hello again, MAS. I just read the article. I have measuring tape at home, so Iāll use that. Regarding martial arts training, I admit that I take pleasure in knowing that even someone my size can use force. Of course, other somatotypes can perform Superman punches and tornado kicks with even greater force, too.
Matthew
March 26 at 2022 at 7:10 AM
āInitially, I wonāt be going to failure.ā Given the likelihood that muscle damage doesnt promote growth, isnt it counterproductive to go to failure since itll lengthen recovery times?