Friday, March 23, 2012

Exercise Ladder

I really do need to exercise. So I am going to start the Hackers Guild Exercise ladder TODAY DAMMIT! Here are the basics.

Do every level of the ladder for one week. It should take you less than 15 minutes to complete the ladder. If you succeed in doing this for a week then you go up a rung on the ladder.

Rung 1
Bends - 2
Stand upright with your legs apart, hands outstretched above your head. Bend forward, as far as you can, trying to touch your toes (it's OK if you can't reach your toes). Then straighten up and bend backward moderately. Repeat the specified number of times.

Situps - 3
Lie on your back on the floor, feet slightly apart, hands at your side. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor far enough so that you can see your heels. Smoothly lower your head and shoulders back to the floor. Repeat the specified number of times.

Leg Lifts - 4
Lie face down on the floor, legs slightly apart, with the palms of your hands under your thighs. Lift your left leg, bending at the hip and knee, while simultaneously lifting your head from the floor. Smoothly lower both your head and leg. Then lift your right leg and head in the same manner. Repeat the specified number of times (each repetition involves lifting both the left and right legs).

Pushups - 2
Lie face down on the floor with palms just outside your shoulders and arms bent. Keeping your knees on the floor and allowing your legs to bend at the knee but holding your upper body straight, lift your body until your arms are straight. Then smoothly lower your body back to the floor. Repeat the specified number of times.

Steps - 105, 1 Jumping Jack, 30 Steps.
Run in place at a brisk pace for the specified number of steps, lifting your legs 4 to 6 inches from the floor with each step. Every 75 steps, stop and do 7 introductory ``jumping jacks'': stand with your legs together, arms at your side. Jump up in the air, extending your legs to the side and your arms outward to the level of your shoulders. Then jump up again, bringing your legs back together and your arms back to your side.

The ``Count'' column in the table helps you keep track of the running and jumping phases of this exercise. The first number is how many complete sets of 75 steps of running and 7 jumping jacks you should perform. The second number gives the number of extra steps you should run after the last full set (don't jump after these final steps).

Be sure to count a running step only as your left foot touches the floor, not every time either foot touches. The easiest way to keep count is to count to 75 as you run, do the 7 jumps, then start counting from 1 again for the next running phase. I find that keeping track of the number of complete sets of running and jumping is best done by setting out a number of coins equal to the number of sets for the current rung and moving a coin from one pile to another as you complete each set.

Anyone else with me? I know Grouchie stopped his pushups by now, right? Right? Admit it! Even Gary can do something this easy! Hah! Needed to get back on your bad side bro. Josie already has her own personal trainer regiment so lets not screw with her. Lightning has a pussy heart and I am not going to be responsible for his death plus he probably already has some wimpy heart-attack survivor program going on... I am starting this tonight! Peace.

11 Comments:

Blogger Astin said...

Funny, I was just thinking today that I should restart the ladder. Maybe I will tomorrow when I wake up.

Note that those are "girl" pushups for the tier 1 levels, and they switch to real ones for tier 2 (can't remember what rung that starts at... 15?).

I tend to do real pushups, real crunches, and the double-leg stretch when starting out instead of the easier versions. I also usually do more pushups and situps as well. Basically, the first pushup that is remotely difficult is when I stop.

You can also skip a rung if you find it really easy.

12:59 PM

 
Blogger SirFWALGMan said...

wtf is this Leg Lifts? you just raise your straight leg while laying on your stomache? I always though leg lifts were on your back?

1:50 PM

 
Blogger crafty said...

Even Gary, eh? (In Rocky IV's Ivan Drago's voice) "I must break you."

Especially since the push-ups are girl pushups (no offense, entire female gender), I don't see anything here that will kill me. OK, hotshot, I'm in...and since we're both degenerate gamblers, care to make it interesting, hopefully in some extremely juvenile way?

2:38 PM

 
Blogger SirFWALGMan said...

Sounds good through out some ideas. You are certainly an idea man!

3:10 PM

 
Blogger Carmel said...

Sounds weird but to burn more calories workout in the cold. Research "brown fat"

3:17 PM

 
Blogger crafty said...

Well the program is so metered, so there's no concept of "more" or "better," and I really don't want to bet that I'll outlast you because I don't want to root for anyone's failure, so I don't have a lot of concept as what the big bet should be. BUT - since you threw down a challenge and I accepted, I think that my presence on your blogroll should be some minimum prize...what ideas do you got?

3:39 PM

 
Blogger Josie said...

I'll try this tomorrow - and let you know if I survive. I'm in.

5:26 PM

 
Blogger lightning36 said...

You realize that I have now been doing regular cardio for six months? I would run circles around you, fella!

11:40 AM

 
Blogger crafty said...

hey, so are we doing this or not?

1:58 PM

 
Blogger Astin said...

Pretty much. It's more work than you think, but it's really just a stretch, not a burn/strength thing.

5:34 PM

 
Blogger SirFWALGMan said...

we will do it Gary! I promise. I did not start Friday. uggghh. I still can not think what our bet would be... I can put you on the sidebar though!

1:01 PM

 

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