chuckography

"Hey, weight a minnit..."

Joe Weider, the man behind the famed body-builder
Arnold Schwarzenegger, now has turned his attention to me and my body.

Believe me, I need all the help I can get!

Well, Mr. Weider is not giving me a hand personally.

I just bought a used home weight system with his name on it and I have high hopes.

Yes, it's only early January in 2015 but already such exercise equipment is on sale. Found this on Craigslist.

I noticed it was dusty.

In a few more weeks I suppose the crowds will be smaller at gyms and fitness centers as reality overpowers even the most sincere best intended New Year's resolutions.

 This 200-pound machine was purchased at Sears and delivered in a large box on a big truck to its new owner three months ago.

I searched last week for one like this - or similar - and Craigslist popped up with this winner.

I called because the price was lower than at the stores. Did he still have it for sale?

Yes he did and I drove over - using my Smartphone's GPS  to navigate -  and pulled up in his driveway.

About a month ago, he had removed the Weider 6900 from the box and carefully assembled it in his garage.

I did not ask why, after only a month, he had decided he didn't need it. Who knows, maybe a month from now, I too might offer it up for sale?

Fortunately, I have plenty of room for exercise equipment.

My dad, a carpenter and cabinetmaker, had built his 50' x 20' workshop after they moved from the peninsula (Ansonborough) to Hanahan in 1962.

I call this my "Charleston Basement"  because of all the space I have downstairs.

And to watch eyebrows raise to envision anyone having a basement in our below-sea-level-Lowcountry.

After my dad had passed away, I found Lowe's would sell "mistake-mixed" paints very cheaply so I brightened up the spacious but dull workshop with bright colors.

 I had toyed with the idea of moving up to a full weight bench with metal plates and barbells.

Did not like the idea of trying to press heavy weights without a "spotter" to insure I did not have a mishap while alone and be in trouble.

(I had a boat for years and did not go out alone. Less boating but more shared good times with others on board.)

Instead, I liked the idea of ten weights (12.5 pounds each) which could be combined and moved with pulleys and cables to provide varied resistance as I worked on different parts of my body.

I quickly learned that you balance the number of rep(ititions)
 you do versus the weights involved.

Different results if you lifted heavier loads fewer times or more times with  less weights.

This came with a nice chart showing about 36 different ways to tone specific muscles.

And suggested regimens to set and meet specific body building goals.

I am so glad the previous owner had patiently - and correctly - put all of these parts together.

It works smoothly and I am experimenting with using a different number of heavy plates.

After only 3 days of working out ways to work out, I feel this is working out well.

The "basement," over the years, has seen several treadmills come and go. The last two came from Play It Again, Sports

When one burned out (the mother board started smoking!) the guys helped me choose my current Horizon model.

They do this a lot and made moving in the new and hauling out the old a simple procedure.

I just walk (fast) instead of jogging or running on my treadmill and that takes 30 minutes of my 5x a week exercising.

I did the annual Bridge Run for 13 years - walking rather than running.

Did my first run, er, walk, the last year the 2-lane John P. Grace was used; many years on the 3-lane Pearman,  and did my final walk on the 8-lane Ravenel.

So, until the city builds a new bridge across the Cooper River, I guess that's it for me.

But my walking continues.

The treadmill faces a small tv set, and, using my ROKU, I can stream Netflix movies and series onto the screen and be entertained.

It makes the half-hour walk more interesting.

(Click on the photos for more details.)

As noted earlier, this is my 800th posting on my 8-year old blog.

I started Web Logging a few years after I retired from The Post and Courier, my 200+ years old local newspaper.

I've written about a diet I started early last summer so this new phase of exercise equipment continues that weight-loss effort.

Yes, I am using weights to lose weight.

Labels: Butterfly chest exercise, dumbbells and barbells. Horizon treadmill., John P. Grace bridge, Pearman Bridge, Play It Again Sports, Ravenel Bridge, Weider 6900 weight system

posted by chuckography @ 8:53 PM