Okay peeps, I'm after some advice/tips here, so be gentle.

I'd like to build up the strength in my arms, so carrying a PR for a few hours doesn't make them feel as weak as a kitten.

Due to my numerous health issues, the main ones being;

Scoliosis of the spine, stopping practically all movement of the spine, except for lower few vertebra allowing a couple of degrees forward bending, but I'd rather not put any more stress on that.
Bifid (fused) ribs, making upper body movement even more difficult.

Both these stop me raising my arms above my head (can only raise them until upper arms are horizontal, like this) and they also reduce the amount my arms can swing backwards behind me. i.e. I can't touch my back.


I'd prefer to excercise at home and have limited space/funds, so a multi-gym or bench would be out of the question.

Any thoughts on what I can do?

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Hey Steve,


Your health concerns make it difficult to come up with an answer- I'd be worried about you injuring yourself.

The best exercise for biceps is curls. For you I would say dumbbell curls as picking up a barbell off the floor would be out.

However I wouldn't start doing any exercise without consulting your doctor first.

The problem is working out your triceps (backside of the arms). Without access to gym equipment, working your triceps will require you to raise your elbows above your head. Or by bending your torso forward which you can't do.

There are a couple of tricep exercises (that can be done with dumbbells) in which you lie flat with your elbows pointed toward the ceiling.

Again I'm extremely hesitant to give you a green light so to speak for fear of putting strain on your body that it can't handle.

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Ta for the tips Kev.

I wouldn't do anything that would be any major strain on my back.

I'm at the age where I know exactly how far to push it.

BTW, I know a lot more about my condition than my doctor, so going to him for anything more than a chesty cough is wasted.

I think using dumbells while lying face up on the floor sounds a good idea, kind of like bench pressing without a bench.

Or could I lay on my bed for more comfort?

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

I have to leave for work in a few minutes- so I'll give you a couple of exercises tonight after I get back Steve.

Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Okay, ta.

Will go and have a look at getting some weights in the meantime.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

(This is now my third time trying to post this message- my computer has habitually crashed on me every time... The last time I literally tore my shirt off while yelling obscenities in frustration/anger and I am now sitting here shirtless as I type this.


Yeah. )


Okay Steve here are some exercises for you to do.


For biceps you are going to do good ol' dumbbell curls:



You can either do them both arms at the same time as shown, or one arm at a time alternating right arm, then left arm, right, left, right, left etc.

I would start with 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

For your triceps the best exercise I could think of that would meet your needs are lying tricep extensions:

This link has the best video of exactly how you should be doing the movement:

http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_ ... sion_.aspx

In this case your elbows are pointed toward the ceiling, in line with your shoulders, but not going past them.

There is a variation of this exercise in which you lower the dumbbells one at a time, across your chest like this:



As for weight- I would go very light (such as using an unopened soup can) to get a feel for the movement and what is involved.

EDIT- as I think about it- it would probably be best for you to do one arm at a time with the tricep exercise. Do your right arm for ten reps and then switch to your left arm.

This way you hold a dumbbell in one hand and can use your other hand (not holding a dumbbell) to support the arm you are exercising with to prevent it from moving above your shoulder (or falling on you should your strength give out at anytime). I can take some posed pics of what I mean if you need me to Steve.

(This is kind of what I'm talking about):



You support your arm by gripping your elbow with your free hand. However the model is grabbing underneath her arm for support, I would place my hand right on top of my bicep in the crook of my elbow.

Again you can do 3 sets of 10 repetitions. You can do your tricep workout right after your bicep workout.

You can do this up to (but no more than) three times a week with at least a day in between to recover. As you progress you can add more sets and heavier weight.

When you first start- don't go too ape. Don't use any heavy weights as your arms will feel like they are going to fall off the next day (or you'll wish they would fall off).

Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to ask for more advice.

Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

That's just what I was after, ta.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

No problem Steve!

I edited my above post- just want to make sure you see the edit.

Kevin

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I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Just saw that, but would have re-read it all anyway.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

and that's why kev has gold wings what a guy .

_________________
"I am the ULTIMATE BADASS , state of the badass art"
Alpha squad. Burton's Bandits

Seconded. Considerate, thoughtful advice.

Steve, I recommend Argos if and when you do get a set of dumbells. They're good quality at a great price,
they have various sets and of course you can exchange 'em if you need to, no questions asked.
(No, I don't work there guys!)

Good luck, PVB!

Yup, already looked there.

Although the sets are so heavy it'll knacker me arms just getting them to the car.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Managed to park near the store and got them into the car without passing out.

They have a large wall chart of exercises with them, two of which are the ones suggested (others are for other parts of the body).

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

The bars themselves weigh 1.25Kg each (with no weights on them), so seem quite easy to start off with.

Did the first set about an hour ago (a good time to do this?) and felt no problems at all.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Good to hear Steve!

What time of day doesn't really matter much- just that you should try to do the workout at that same time of day every time.

The body is a funny thing... It thrives on a set regime. It works best getting meals on at regular intervals the same way every day. I try to eat my meals at the same time of day every day and try to do my workout at the same time of day every time.

However... your body will eventually become accustom to your workouts and will stagnate. If you do the same workout every time your body will become used to it and not improve. You have to shake things up by switching up the routine (if you always do chest first then arms, do your arms first). Or by switching the exercises around (just about everybody does flat bench presses first for chest- try doing incline presses or flys first and do flat bench last).

Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

Okay, thanks.

The wall chart has a few other exercises I can do (not just for my arms), so after a while/few months/whenever I can just mix those in as I want.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Thought I'd post a few times over the next few months to say how I'm getting on. This first one is after the first week.

Just using the bar of the dumbells (which weigh 1.25kg each) I don't feel any real 'weight' at all in the bicep curls. So after a session there's no difference in how they feel.

However, doing the lying tricep extensions I can feel the weight and after each session my arms felt like they'd actually been exercised. No ache or stiffness, just that they'd done some work for a change. I've never done any lifting in that position before, so I guess those muscles are weaker than the biceps.

Next week I'll add a 0.5kg weight to each end of the bars and see how I get on. If that's too much for the triceps at this early stage I'll just keep them for the biceps and use the bar on its own for another week or two.


On a similar note (and one reason I want to build my arms up) I spoke to a worker at my llama park yesterday, telling her what I was doing. I said "it'll help me when lifting bales of hay and straw, as even the young girl volunteers carry them easier than I do."

The woman I was telling this to then pulled up her sleeve and showed me her bicep; it looked like Kevin's!

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Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

But is she as pretty as Kevin?

Derek

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Cpl D. Smith CMD
A04/TQ1.0.62147E1


RIP Pvt. Chris Chulamanis A14/TQ4.0.66993E7 You are missed.

I wouldn't call her pretty, but she is married, so the old saying 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' applies I guess.

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Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

Blimey Steve you make her sound a right Minger....

_________________
Pfc Glenn Allen ,
1st Batt. 69th Regiment,
Homers Hero's..
Drops so Far.... 29 and counting

Not at all, I'm just saying that I don't fancy her.

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Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

188.2 this morning... worked out 5 times this week ,got in 100 pushups today ,and about 150 crunches ,, this week i have been working on not hanging on to the treadmill while i run ,they say thats bad to do , so i have had a good week looks like i am in a steady 1.5 lb a week drop which is fine , I pulled my pants off yesterday without unbottuning them i gotta get some pics up .and its greart to see you getting in to it pv .

_________________
"I am the ULTIMATE BADASS , state of the badass art"
Alpha squad. Burton's Bandits

I'd better workout harder- no woman should have my arms (Spat excepted of course).


Glad to hear you are off to a good start Steve!


As for myself- I had a huge wake up call in the gym yesterday. I've been taking it easy over the last few months not paying attention to my diet, and not working out as often as I should (it seems I look for the smallest excuse not to go to the gym).

Well I decided to weigh myself yesterday...

I've put on 8 pounds since last D-Con.

It may not sound like a lot- but on my small frame 8 pounds is like 20 pounds on someone with a larger bone structure. I'm tipping the scales at 160lbs.

I looked my best in 2007 where I had actually been as low as 148lbs. However I was working out much harder back then and had a bit more muscle mass.

Last year I had taken my diet a little too far, and had sacrificed some muscle- at Polaris in July Mike mentioned to me that I looked "smaller" than the previous year. Even though I was around the same bodyweight (about 150lbs) I had lost some size.

It wasn't until I looked at some photos afterward (comparing them to 2007) that I realized I had really over done it with my strict diet-





So I started "eating" again. And I had convinced myself that indulging in junkfood wasn't a bad thing... Only thing is I've gone too far the other way now.


So I'm going to be strict again... But I have to make sure I hit the gym and hit it HARD. Otherwise I'll just shrink, not gain/maintain muscle and burn fat.

Good news is that my strength is getting back up there- my decline press was up ten pounds more than the previous week. I figure I should be back to my normal strength in another two or three weeks!

Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

<looks at pic of Kev's arms>

Hmm, maybe her biceps weren't quite that big, but they certainly were a lot larger than mine.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

ok the first pic is me this summer at my worst , the second and third are today ..still have the love handles to deal with , i have lost 17 lbs ,and my wife started out in november and is down 32 lbs ..

_________________
"I am the ULTIMATE BADASS , state of the badass art"
Alpha squad. Burton's Bandits