Richard Ha writes:

I’m back lifting light weights and getting in some aerobics training. I have three more weeks to take it easy before I can go back to the gym and start lifting weights seriously again.

In the meantime, I’m doing a routine that is ideal for someone who wants to strengthen his or her cardiovascular system. It goes like this: On an elliptical or treadmill do a one lap warm up—six minutes or so. Then do a warm up set of ten reps of light curls, dumbbell front laterals, side laterals, cable pull down and crunches. Move from one to the next smoothly. Then get back on the elliptical or treadmill and do another lap at a moderate speed. Go back to the dumbbells and repeat the cycle at 10 reps.

I do four cycles increasing the weight a little if I feel strong or the same or less weights if I don’t feel strong. I train by feel rather than by a rigid schedule. That is how I was able to enter 16 straight powerlifting meets without an injury.

When I’m 100 percent, after four cycles, I continue for two more laps on the treadmill, for a total of 35 minutes or so of walking. Together with the weightlifting that can be an hour of cardiovascular exercising. Depending on how hard one pushes the weightlifting, it can make for a strenuous workout. My heart rate can hit the 160s if I’m doing curls with 45 pounds or front laterals with 35 pounds on the last set.

I like this exercise combination because it breaks up the monotony of doing just one thing. It is very important that one performs the weightlifting in slow strict form. This helps to prevent injuries.

In my mind I squeeze the blood in and out of the muscles when using the weights and then when I walk on the treadmill I imagine replenishing the oxygen and removing the waste from the weightlifting. To me this is better then just lifting weights or just doing aerobic exercises.

I’m off to Honolulu to go to the Father’s Day Brunch at Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room. We got the sneak preview menu, and I’ll have to try as much of it as I can. And Leslie is on the East Coast. But we’re still blogging!