Well, it has been 8 months since I posted in this gym log. Mostly because it's been about that long since I did any working out. I waffled off/on plan, gained some weight. I've lost that now. I've been slightly more physically active lately. Tensing my muscles a lot. Cooking more, doing a few more house errands. A lot of more stand-up/sit-down behavior than usual.

I just ordered and received a 'flat bench' and barbell, and bought a couple 25# weight plates (I have smaller ones also). I've wanted to be able to do bench press and butterflies for a long time but my existing recline-bench has the seat affixed and is too short for anything not sitting.

For the moment, I have kitchen cabinets laid on plastic all over my living room floor, to be painted. It's been a big series of back to back "house jobs" as I cleaned out and got help painting my bedroom, hallway, living/dining area, and kitchen. The kitchen cupboards are left to be primered, painted, hardware'd and mounted, at which point a weekend reorganizing and cleaning will finish off the kitchen. Another weekend on reorg of the big living room bookcase and desk will finish off that room. And I think I can probably do in a weekend the 12 big drawers and closet of my own bedroom. So in my perfect world, by six weeks from now if I keep on it, all but the kid's room and back room (which we are currently calling The Fire Swamp) will be done -- clean, organized, painted.

This ought to count as physical gym work in my book. I have to squat every time I bend down! A little more effort and my living room returns to the spacious place I made it that has my squat cage and bench in it.




I also feel that making one's "place of rest" nice is just as important. My room though tiny has hugely improved as well:






What I've been working on lately is simple body-weight stuff. Wide-legged squats, at least a few a day. Stretching, not formally but at every opportunity. Drinking a lot of fluids (I've had a cold for over 2 weeks) so I have to get up to run to the bathroom -- from my captain's bunk, believe it or not that is its own form of exercise at my size!

My current first-goal is to focus on strengthening my abdomen, obliques, and hip flexors. In my supersized body these are the three things (especially the latter two) that get the most stress from even the simplest exercise let alone "weight training" and the ones that I think most contribute to the success or failure of health/injury across the board for me as a result.

Within a week or two as the painting finishes, I hope to have some stats in here of ongoing workouts and where I begin.

PJ