This morning I met with a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness for the free session I got with my company's group membership. After some brief introductions to general fitness, most of which I already knew, he recommended I do more free weight exercises than the fitness machines, since I would have more room to move around and be less constrained, considering my not-inconsiderable size. I like the machines because they make it more clear to me what I am accomplishing, and the "gadget" quotient tickles a few neurons, but the hardcore fitness people seem to do free weights more; I know that supposedly it takes more balance so you are affecting all the muscles in your body, and the machines isolate the muscles more. My question is always whether they are being somewhat snobby about the machines, or if there is more benefit to free weights. When pressed, the trainer said the machines were fine, but is he a reliable witness, since his employer stocks a huge building full of the machines, and he can't be too forceful about it? How opinionated can these people be?
On a similar note, one of the things the trainer mentioned was that I should consider trying some of the Apex Fat Burn 1/2/3 and meal replacement products. I went back to the office interested in it, after checking the products out in the weird "vestibule o' things to buy" at the club. After talking with the fitness gurus in the office, it seems the Apex product line is a division of 24 Hour Fitness, though a web search finds a bunch of places to buy the Apex products besides the gym. Unfortunately I only find one mention of the stuff anywhere you can't buy it, and while it is critical of the Fat Burn, it doesn't give any details. Typical of enthusiast forums, where people choose to display their expertise by talking tough and being unhelpful. Your sad little life doesn't impress me, dumbass.
Anyhow, I might try the meal replacement from Apex, and compare it to some stuff recommended by GNC. One thing he did convince me of was to try to adopt the 6 small meals a day plan that has been so heavily advocated by the fitness industry lately. Again, the profits reaped through this "latest development" make me cringe, but I'll give it a shot, and the trainer mentioned far more real food than he did the pseudofood I am nevertheless considering as a linchpin of my weight loss plan.
Probably the most directly beneficial part of my session with the trainer was he showed me a few deltoid exercises with dumbbells. Unfortunately, it exposes me to the lower back pain that has provided me with an all-too-convenient excuse not to exercise for years. At least he taught me an exercise called the floor bridge that I can do that should help strengthen my lower back, and he thinks my hamstrings are too tight which contributes to the back pain; I'm not sure what that means, but it sounded clever.
Dang it, I was looking for links for the deltoid exercises and it turns out I think I misunderstood him, one of the things he taught me seems to be rotator cuffs. Rear Delts are something for which I can find no exercise that will be comfortable with my tremendous belly, as they all seem to require leaning very far forward and raising weights up sideways.
It's a surprising amount of work to learn all this crap.
Probably the most directly beneficial part of my session with the trainer was he showed me a few deltoid exercises with dumbbells. Unfortunately, it exposes me to the lower back pain that has provided me with an all-too-convenient excuse not to exercise for years. At least he taught me an exercise called the floor bridge that I can do that should help strengthen my lower back, and he thinks my hamstrings are too tight which contributes to the back pain; I'm not sure what that means, but it sounded clever.
Dang it, I was looking for links for the deltoid exercises and it turns out I think I misunderstood him, one of the things he taught me seems to be rotator cuffs. Rear Delts are something for which I can find no exercise that will be comfortable with my tremendous belly, as they all seem to require leaning very far forward and raising weights up sideways.
It's a surprising amount of work to learn all this crap.
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