This one is for my fellow gym rats.

While I was spending time with the daughter in Montreal, she expressed curiosity about my workout. From time to time my three loyal readers ask for work out suggestions, so without further ado here is my current work out.

I go to the gym three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I am religious about spacing my workouts with a day off so that my body has ample recovery time. On three of my off days I make sure to get at least 40 minutes of brisk cardio (running, power walking, exercise bike) and I do a 20 minute ab routine in the evening. Six nights a week, after warming my body up with either skipping for 10 minutes on the exercise bike, I do a 20 minute stretching routine designed for runners. To make it less boring, I do it while I watch TV.

Sundays are my break days.

I am working very hard on building running speed and endurance, so on my gym days I begin with a 40 minute run. Right now that involves hill running on the treadmill. If you're not trying to build cardio endurance, then a 20 minute warm up on the cardio equipment of your choice will get your muscles plenty limbered and ready to go.

I have a shoulder injury which means my current program avoids freestyle shoulder work. I only keep a program for six weeks. After that my body has begun to learn efficient ways to do the exercises, lowering their benefit.

Day One of my current program I call Buttal Inferno after that old song "Disco Inferno" because after you do this your backside will burn, baby, burn. A lot of my exercises are compound moves because I've been working out a long time now and my trainer keeps me challenged. If you're not sure of good form, either get a trainer to demonstrate these moves to you or don't do them. Kids, you can hurt yourselves but good with some of this stuff.

If you don't know what these exercises are, Google a bit and you'll find web sites that demonstrate them.

1) Dumbell deadlift/shoulder press. Because I have a shoulder injury I do this with 15 pound weights. I do a dumbbell deadlift and at the top of the move when I've straightened up, I segue into a shoulder press. Use good form to lower the weights after the shoulder press back to hip level before you go back into the deadlift. Take your time because if you speed through the transition, you will give yourself an owie, that I can guarantee. Three sets of twelve reps.

2) Front squats/calf raise. I do this in the Smith Machine with 10 pound weights on the bar. I do a standard front squat and when I straighten I segue into a calf raise. Remember, with squats you push up from the heels, with calf raises from the toes. With all squats make absolutely sure that your knees don't drift in front of your toes at the bottom of the move�it's an excellent way to give yourself a major knee injury. Three sets of twelve reps.

3) Cable kickback. This is your kickback on steroids. Drag a bench to the cable machine. Put on the ankle cuffs that let you chain yourself to the cable machine. I set the cable machine for 40 pounds (start with a lot less if this is the first time you've tried this), climb up on the bench, and do three sets of ten straight kickbacks. You want to kick back and high, but not so high you hyperextend your lower back. This exercise will show you just how much a butt can sweat.

4) Cable bent leg kickbacks. As above, but instead of extending my leg back straight, I keep it bent at the knee when I kick back and up. Three sets of twelve reps. This exercise will show you that it is possible to make your butt sweat even more than you imagined possible.

5) Cable standing kickbacks. Move your bench out of the way, up the cable machine to 50 pounds, and kick back. At the end of all this I guarantee your whole body will be covered with sweat. Do this routine on a day when you don't have any need to stand, sit or walk.

6) Wide grip lat pull. This is for your back. I set the machine to 90 pounds and do three sets of twelve.

7) Wide grip row. Again with the back. I set the machine to 90 pounds and do three sets of twelve.

At the end of all workouts I do a brisk 20 minute walk on the treadmill to help my muscles unwind.

Day Two is Upper Body Blast. Everything is three sets of 12 reps.

1) Standing alternating dumbbell shoulder press. Because of my injury I only use 10 pound weights

2) Incline bench press. Because of my shoulder injury I only use the 25 pound bar (not the Olympic bar) with a five pound weight on each side.

3) Bench press. My shoulder can't take a standard bench press, so to take the strain off the stabilizer muscles, I drag a bench under the Smith Machine and do my bench press there. I put 10 pound weights on each side

4) Standing dumbbell curl. 15 pound weights

5) Tricep extension on a bench. 10 pound weights.

6) Standing cable kickbacks. A repeat from Day One. These raise the butt and after 54 years on this planet, my butt can use all the raising it can get.

7) Concentration curls. 15 pound weights

8) The program originally called for tricep dips on the bench but no way no how my shoulder can take that. We've substituted close grip push-ups. I don't do a full body push-up, just from the knee.

Day Three I call Attack on the Pancake Butt or Lunge-a-rama.

1) Forward lunges. 1 set of 15 reps each leg.

2) Stationary lunges. 1 set of 15 reps each leg.

3) Backward lunges. 1 set of 15 reps each leg

4) Walking lunges. 30 steps.

5) Step-ups/side kick. I step up on a bench and as I balance on one leg do a side kick before stepping down. Two sets of 12 reps.

6) Bent row. I use an Olympic bar and do three sets of 12 reps.

7) Seated cable row. 110 pounds, three sets of 12 reps.

8) Reverse flye (this I do on the pec deck because of my shoulder injury. It takes the strain off my stabilizer muscles. 40 pounds, three sets of 12 reps.

In other, gym related news, there was a tie for my gym's Hallowe'en Costume Competition. I am co-winner, along with the woman who dressed up as winter, which means my membership has been extended another two weeks.

Woo HOO. I have learned my lesson from this year and will begin assembling next year's costume far, far sooner.

Really.

I mean it.

--Marn

Mileage on the Marnometer: 1252.16 miles. Done. Now I can log me some of them there Road Runners, eh?

Goal for 2005: 1,250 miles - 2000 kilometers