Welcome!

I'm addicted to information. The net is my tonic, with answers to almost everything. From the first days of the web when downloads took forever to the thousands of hits for a subject thanks to Google and others, I'm still amazed by what's available for anyone to find.

What's this got to do with fitness? Well, everything! I know there are folks who like to be spoon fed information and don't have the time or the interest to search for things on their own. At the same time, there are those who don't want to follow the crowd and who want to explore and decide for themselves. That's me (and maybe you!).

I read a lot of fitness related pages and I'm always amused by the orthodxy of weight training. You can find "experts" with opinions on everything who are sure that their system is best. The problem is, human beings are not identical creatures. We may be made up of the same parts, but we don't always respond to stressors the same way.

One 6'2", 205 lb. male might respond best to a 5X5 system, where another might respond best to a circuit training system. There are so many different variables affecting us all, that a cookie-cutter approach to training often fails the individual and leads to a loss of motivation and a halt to training.

I'm 43 years old and have been "lifting" semi-regularly since I was 20. During that time, I've tried bodybuilding, powerlifting, circuit training, 3X3, 5X5, 20-rep squats, "Singles and Doubles", "Twisted Conditioning", "Hard Style" kettlebells, Girevoy Sport kettlebells, sandbags, kegs, bodyweight conditioning, running, cycling, swimming, "Old School" weight training, and combinations thereof.

So which worked the best? They all did.

At least for a while. Like about 3-4 weeks until I got bored and began searching for the next "best" program. So what does that lead to?

Well for me, I get sidetracked by other things around the house like kid duty, home projects, overtime, and whatever else life throws at me that distracts me from training regularly. My first focus is my family, but one of the things I've learned is, if my head isn't straight, then my time with my family isn't always enjoyable for them or for me.

A regular training routine helps to "clear the cobwebs" by energizing the system and stimulating the brain. I was reading Clark Howard's show notes for today, and saw the following that helps explain what I mean:

Exercise can slow the aging process

http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/index.html

Basically, Clark explains how a British study through the Archives of Internal Medicine showed how regular exercise slows the aging of the body and increase longevity by 5-6 years. Check it out! Clark has lots of great stuff on his site, mostly aimed at consumer protection.

I'll have more on this subject soon. Time to go home.