He's discovered magic!
http://www.muscletech.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/MTStore/blog.jspWednesday September 13, 2006
Starting an exercise program is too overwhelming!
Chris Aceto and Jay CutlerFor beginners and people who are so far out of shape that you feel like starting an exercise program is too overwhelming, I know how you feel. I had to start all over again after five years off from training this past spring. Where do you really start when you're weak, soft, and small to the point where you look like you've never really trained before in your entire life? That was me in mid May when I flew up to Toronto to take awful “before shots” before getting started in the gym in what was going to be a rocky road back to a muscular physique. The entire idea of getting back into shape was sort of overwhelming. First, I had been more than under the weather for some time. For five full years, I'd been dealing with a health issue, which left me pathetically weak. Although I had been feeling much better over the last 12 months, I gave up on going back to a gym. My radar screen was filled with family, my wife and two kids, business, and helping a few bodybuilders with their nutrition. The gym, eating right, and getting back into decent shape never entered my mind. The few times I daydreamed about going back to training just seemed like a waste of time. Time is something I don't have much of. Plus, the effort and all that — all the hard work required to get back into shape; I didn't think I had it in me. Overall, though I was feeling good. My body was toast. It was really really weak.
Around the beginning of the year, the time when people make resolutions, I thought about working out again. Jay Cutler had always been after me to get back to the gym. He'd say, “You'll feel better. Just start.” My wife thought it would be a good idea. I just didn't really know where to start. A few weeks later, a very good friend from Team MuscleTech gave me a call. At one point in the past, MuscleTech and I had thought about doing some things together. They have the best supplements in the world, the biggest research budget in the world, and the most credibility in sports nutrition, and they had approached me about working on some projects. This time around, someone floated the idea about me getting back into the gym and taking before and after pics. The conversation moved fast and I found myself getting excited and saying “Yeah, I can do this. I can get back into shape.” Next thing I knew, I was standing with just a pair of shorts in front of a photographer. Pasty white, droopy. With no muscle to speak of. With the before pics behind me, it was time to hit the gym.
The gym hit me. No lie. The first day back, my bench press was limited to 85 pounds for 6. That's all I could do. Over the five years, my joints had, unbeknownst to me until I propped myself under the bar, been trashed. 85 pounds felt like 85 on my pecs, but 850 on my joints. The next day, I woke up and my left shoulder was swollen and I couldn't even hold the phone. What a comeback. Right there, I knew my back–to–shape plan would need a lot of patience and some planning. I'd need to set very short–term goals.
The two goals I set where to train one body part every day and to limit my carbs to less than 50 grams a day. With the training, I knew I simply had to go through the motions. Since I was weak and my joints were killing me, I'd settle for picking 3 or 4 exercises a day for each body part. I'd do 3 or 4 sets, sometimes 5 for each exercise. And the weight would be nominal. For example, I would take biceps and do 12–pound alternate dumbell curls for 10 to 12 reps and 4 sets. Then I'd move onto hammer curls and do the same there: 4 sets with 10 to 12 reps using just 12– or 15–pound dumbells. I would finish with standing barbell curls with just the bar. (The first day I did arms, I injured my tendons in my forearms! Things were breaking apart all over, so I had to go real slow.) Legs were equally as pathetic. I'd do 5 sets of leg curls and 5 sets of leg extensions. True story: I'd find myself “working in” with elderly people using the same weight as me! Next, I'd do leg presses with just the rack. No weight at all. Besides understanding I had to start slow, I had already hurt my shoulder and forearms pretty badly from the get–go, so I wanted to make sure I didn't end up killing myself.
With nutrition, initially I drank 4 or 5 Muscletech® shakes a day, the 15 ounce cans that give you 45 grams of protein in each serving. I'd usually eat one meal a day — either egg whites and toast for breakfast. Or, I'd eat steak and a small potato and salad for dinner. I figured I was fat and my metabolism was almost dormant. I certainly didn't need to eat many carbs because I wasn’t burning any with that type of “training.” So, my thought was that if I limited my carbs, at least I'd keep my calories under control and hopefully coax my body to burn some fat. I figured if I could make it through a day with even this limited training and a good nutrition starter plan — a couple hundred grams of the best protein on the market while limiting my carbs and calories, something had to happen. “One day at a time. Be patient.” I wrote those words on the top of my computer as a reminder. They're still there, and things are looking good.
posted by Chris Aceto at 10:01 AM
