First let’s start off with the basics. We are going to use resistance training as the primary tool for sculpting our bodies. Why? Well first you would have to run or do enough cardio to equal or exceed 35 miles a week in order to cause the slightest change in your body composition. Resistance training on the other hand really only needs to last an hour a day to be truly effective for what we are looking to do and far less then that if you are only after some strength and muscle mass increase. We are going to use anaerobic endurance training to get the benefits of aerobic work and strength training in one workout down 1-2 times a day. At first we will do them twice a day because we are going to start out rather short and work up to that magical hour! So we will do a circuit that will consist of simple exercise’s that one can do standing initially since some people may not be able to get on their knee’s and may not feel comfortable working from the floor at first. We are going to do a circuit which is made up of several different exercises linked together in a continuous fashion. So we will do one set of 10 repetitions then move to the next exercise and so on. Once we get to the end of all the assigned exercise’s you can either start over right away which is the best practice or you can take a short brake before starting over. No if you are really out of shape or you have the intensity cranked up real high you might need to take a break up to 2 minutes in length before starting over. You will do this for 15 minutes of exercise. If you are taking a break you will need to reduce the rest time each week until you are doing these circuits continuous with out a rest break between circuits for the entire 15 minutes! We are going to do two 15 minute workouts per day preferable one in the morning before work and one in the evening after work.

Oh I almost forgot a set is a group of repetitions of a single exercise done at one time before stopping or moving on to another exercise. A repetition is when one complete cycle of any given movement from start to finish back to start position is performed. A circuit is a group of exercise’s that are done in a specific order one after the other usually with no break between exercises. Our goal is to be able to do this circuit for one continuous hour non-stop. So each week if you find that the workout is getting easier you can add time to the circuit. Once you reach the hour mark you increase the weight and reduce the time and start working your way back up again.

As time goes on we will introduce such classics as the push-up, pull-up, and whole body bridge for time! So just be patient. Oh and this is nothing at all like what my book is going to be like just so you know. The program I am laying out in this blog is for old out of shape men like me that want to look good and feel good but are not too worried about doing just those things we need to do to attain higher athletic performance. First all need to establish a fitness base and then we have to decide if we really want to make the sacrifices that must be made to attain a high level of athletic physical preparedness.

Now on to the exercise’s. I am going to pick exercise’s that can be performed with either elastic bands or with dumbbells. I have not found a good site with illustrations yet to link to that shows these exercise’s so you might need to google them if you do not already know them.

Shoulder Press
Bicep Curl
Tricep Over head Extensions
Bent Over Row
Dumbbell Squat
Front Shoulder Raise
Dumbbell Lunge
Calf Raise’s
Standing Ab Crunch
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift


We will start with these and work our way up. In time we will add push-ups and pull-ups. If you feel comfortable doing push-ups or pull-ups right now go for it or you can wait.