Expert: David Dickeson, A.S. - 9/19/2007

Question
David,

I read in another post where a football player was asking for advice on building endurance and stamina, and you replied with some suggestions as well, asking what equipment he had available with the thought of creating a workout plan for him to build strength, lose fat, and build stamina.

I was wondering if you could do the same for me?

Objective:
- Build Stamina
- Build Endurance
- Build Strength
- Lose Body Fat (current fat, 10% -- from physical last week)

Equipment:
- Treadmill w/ Auto-Incline
- Bowflex Gym
- Free Weights

Previously:
- I was walking/running one mile on treadmill, however I haven't done it since last Thursday due to many other tasks at hand.  Would like to get a scheme and workout schedule going and stick to it.

Thanks,
Travis

P.S; If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

Answer
NO exercise program will work if it is long and complicated. Here is what I recommend to you:

BEFORE you do any exercise, STRETCH! The way to learn as to what parts of your body you need to stretch, try different stretching movements. If you feel fatique or stifness when you do a certain stretch, such as squats, then that is where the tightness is at. Remember this and always emphasize stretching specific tight muscles. You will learn as you go along.

WHY STRETCH FIRST? Success, or failure of growth, be it stamina, endurance, and/or strength, depends ENTIRELY on blood flowing thru your muscles. If your muscles are tight, due to stifness, there is NO GROWTH. Stretching loosens up the muscles, increases blood flow to the muscles.

Now you are ready to exercise:

The use of the treadmill, daily 5-15 minutes, will build stamina. I recommend you use it when you wake up and again before you go to bed. Avoid the incline, unless you are mountain climbing. You goal is speed on the treadmill.

During the evening, after dinner, when the family has settled down, go to your Bow Flex Gym. Set the resistance at moderate. Select exercises that you can do 20-50 reps each. You are allowed to pause when fatiqued.

I recommend the blow flex during the evenings because you SIT DOWN while doing these exercises. After a day on your feet, walking, driving, sitting down, and getting up, you are fatiqued. Sitting down, you can do more exercises than standing up.

This exercise will build endurance and some strength.

Do the treadmill Sun-Friday. Saturday is your day off!
Do the bow flex Mon-Friday. Weekends is time off from the bowflex!

On Sunday morning, do the free weights. This is your strength building time. What works best is to lift and HOLD the weight for 1 minute. You want to fatique completely your muscles. So keep the joints bent when lifting and holding. So the bones do not hold the weight.
Never lift over your head. For safety. The weight should be heavy at 30 seconds. Your muscles shake slightly.

A whole-body fatique exercise is where you take a weight bar and plates, pick up the bar, bent over, elbows bent, knees slightly bent, back bent, and hold the weight for 1 minute. The weight should be heavy so you fatique all your muscles.

Once a week, increase the weight slightly.

YOur body fat is excellent. If you are working toward bodybuilding, you will have to go lower. You do this by eating a small meal every 3 hours and greatly reducing your intake of processed foods and fatty meats.

If you have any more questions, please write again.