In another post, I mentioned that I had joined a gym for the first time in my life. I grew my muscles the old fashioned way, by hard work. As I am getting older, work isn't all that hard anymore. Maybe that's because I do less of it. So I joined up to lift some weights, perhaps ride a machine or two, and get back in shape. And, the gym has a pool. We used to have a pool here at the LittleBIll compound, but it started to rust out, so it is no more. It was only good for floating around with a beer anyway. Besides, swimming outside in December isn't exactly my idea of fun, or even sanity.

I've been there about two weeks now, and have had several adventures there. One thing that is included in the swingeing fees they charge is a couple of appointments with a personal trainer. They set me up with a young gentleman whose father is four years younger than I am. It is an interesting relationship. He is not quite sure what to make of me, and I am taking orders from someone younger than my own children.

I had my initial appointment with him shortly after joining up. I was supposed to meet with him last week, but had to reschedule due to squirrelus interruptus. Today we met up again so he could take me through a personalized workout plan. I learned a few things. One, I had been just moving weights around on the various machines up until today. He walked me through a bunch of exercises, starting out with the exercycle, or whatever they call it. Then it was squats. I felt like telling him when you get older, you do lots of them anyway. I kept my mouth shut though, because I didn't want to give him the impression I thought he didn't know squat.

I was a little miffed at the weights he was suggesting for me. "I thought, I can lift way more than that!" Well lemme tell you something. By the time I was done, I was lucky to be lifting my feet off the floor. The last exercise probably made the least sense, but it was kind of fun. I had to take a 10 lb medicine ball, lift it over my head, and then hurl it to the floor with all my strength. I told him, "I'm already good at this one!" Every now and then something goes wrong in the shop and a piece of wood will impact the floor at near relativistic velocity. It doesn't improve my situation any, but it makes me feel better. By the time I did 10 reps of that though, I was ready to quit. Fortunately, it was the last thing on the list, and he was expecting my reaction. He told me I did better than he expected. Either that means I am in better shape than I thought, or I look even worse than I am. I will choose to believe the former rather than the latter.

There's no way I am going to join the musclehead crowd though. That's the group of guys there who spend what looks to be most of their life pumping Iron. Some of them have bulging muscles in their eyelids. I am going to have to stop looking in the mirror there though. I understand it is good for proper form, but it also keeps reminding me that right now I sort of look like a snowman in the sun with the way the weight is sluffing off of various parts, and none of it symmetrically.

@@jenn1 There is a story behind my screen name. I am a junior. So ever since I was a little boy, I was Little Billy. As I grew, that became little Bill, with my Dad being Big Bill. Now, I am several inches taller than he is, and much stockier (even without my adipose additions). But I remained Little Bill. Then the movie Unforgiven came out, with Gene Hackman playing the character of Little Bill. I actually used a picture of him as my avatar on some forums.

Here is a picture of me from a Christmas party a few years ago with two of our friends. Both of them are five foot nothing - barely. But the lady on the right is a real firecracker, and inspires fear in all sorts of people.

@@LittleBill

Oh my! I love the photo and the background story. Made me smile.Thanks for posting it.

@@LittleBill

Oh my! I love the photo and the background story. Made me smile.Thanks for posting it.

Thank you. Mrs LittleBill made the costume for me. I was roped into playing the Spirit of Christmas Present for a local theater group in a musical version of A Christmas Carol. We were getting a little more mileage out of it at this party.

i love working out with the medicine ball and throwing it on the ground. Before surgery I would do that and then jump at the same time. Its all about getting your heart rate up another form of cardio. You'll be jumping soon! I still have another week before I can do weights. I am so excited for you having a personal trainer will help you get creative with your workouts! Don't let ever bother you that he is younger! You will learn off of each other!

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@Carrie1122. Thank you! I hit 159 bpm on my heart rate throwing that ball. He was impressed. I think my artistic temperament helped out some.

It is possible to do a lot of things without building a lot of muscle. That being said you do realize that muscle is going to burn more fat than anything else, at rest. Its going to be easier to do things the stronger you are.

Best of luck!

You are welcome Little Bill! Wait till you start throwing the ball while doing sit-ups. Talk about a full body work out! That is my fav. Lunges are awesome too, you will start shaping your legs and muscle just grows! I am so glad that I did not have to stop doing that just no weights with it. The smith machine is one of my favs too. i can do a whole bunch of stuff with it, and it helped me with doing push-ups I did not have to get on the ground until I was strong enough. And don't be intimidated by the meat-heads. I was at first but they are all talk and most of them are nice. I learned a lot just by watching them exercise and incorporated what they do just on a smaller weight scale.

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I have a goal to someday be able to do a pull-up.

I should make that a goal. I have never been able to do one...even when I was serving in the USAF! Or even as a kid in PE. Never! My arms are my weakness. I can barely throw! Good goal.

I have a goal to someday be able to do a pull-up.

I should make that a goal. I have never been able to do one...even when I was serving in the USAF! Or even as a kid in PE. Never! My arms are my weakness. I can barely throw! Good goal.

Funny thing is my trainer says most of the guys who do them for Crossfit and stuff aren't doing "real" pull-ups, they're doing something called "kipping" where they throw themselves up with their hips and it's a "cheat" move.

I've also never been able to do a pull-up, for the fitness tests I had to do the straight arm hang because I couldn't pull myself up even a bit. They have a machine at the gym that counter-balances percentages of your body weight with the weight stack that he says we will be able to start with down the line a bit, and start working up to it.

@@LittleBill

Again I am entertained and find laughter in your story! It's funny how all us WLS people find ourselves entering Gym-land and initially feeling strange. I always feel weird when I am on a cardio machine and right next to me is a 20something year old, 115 lb young lady fully tones running at about 30 MPH. Oh well, I figure that in a year or so MAYBE I can run half that fast.

I have to laugh at the remarks about trainers and other people who help us being half our age. My husband and I are always remarking at how, seemingly suddenly our doctors, kids teachers, lawyers, and most of the work force looks to be young enough to be our kids. It's just weird going the the doctor and having him be half my age.

I was at a retail store yesterday Christmas shopping in the mall. There is a new store call "Buckle" and I wandered in really not knowing what I was looking for. A young man, could not have been more than 22, asked to help me. He was the most polite, helpful salesperson I've ever run into. I was impressed so much by his service that I wrote an email to his boss. I am a huge sucker for manners and showing respect, regardless of age.

I have a goal to someday be able to do a pull-up.

I should make that a goal. I have never been able to do one...even when I was serving in the USAF! Or even as a kid in PE. Never! My arms are my weakness. I can barely throw! Good goal.

Funny thing is my trainer says most of the guys who do them for Crossfit and stuff aren't doing "real" pull-ups, they're doing something called "kipping" where they throw themselves up with their hips and it's a "cheat" move.

I've also never been able to do a pull-up, for the fitness tests I had to do the straight arm hang because I couldn't pull myself up even a bit. They have a machine at the gym that counter-balances percentages of your body weight with the weight stack that he says we will be able to start with down the line a bit, and start working up to it.

When you say pull-ups, do you mean having your hands/arms facing out, or facing in? I think facing out is even harder, right? Anyway, I can't do either, but wow would that be a great goal!

When you say pull-ups, do you mean having your hands/arms facing out, or facing in? I think facing out is even harder, right? Anyway, I can't do either, but wow would that be a great goal!

Pull up is with the palms facing away and chin ups are with palms toward you. That was my goal at the beginning of this year. I had never done one in my entire life, but I am proud to say that I can do 15 chin-ups now!

When you say pull-ups, do you mean having your hands/arms facing out, or facing in? I think facing out is even harder, right? Anyway, I can't do either, but wow would that be a great goal!

I hadn't thought that far ahead, frankly. I guess I always think of them palms out. I'd be happy to be able to do it either way.

When you say pull-ups, do you mean having your hands/arms facing out, or facing in? I think facing out is even harder, right? Anyway, I can't do either, but wow would that be a great goal!

Pull up is with the palms facing away and chin ups are with palms toward you. That was my goal at the beginning of this year. I had never done one in my entire life, but I am proud to say that I can do 15 chin-ups now!

That's awesome!!! And thanks for the answer on pull-up vs chin-up. I think they would use different muscles then, right?

@BigViffer

Now that I think of it, I think as a kid I could do about a half of one chin-up. But not even an inch pull-up.