Column Chronicles: Tips on training for strength

Tips on training for strength

Frank Cotolo
November 26, 2020

Men like to have big muscles. Women like men to have big muscles. Do you know what? It is never too late for a man to build up his strength and develop big muscles. Here are some tips on how to do it safely.

Body-weight exercises are not easy but doing them is easy. Believe it or not, you have all the equipment you need in your home right now. Go to your closet and take out that elastic resistance tubing that has been sitting there. Dust it off. While you are in the closet, take out that giant inflatable ball that made you faint when you blew it up with your mouth. These are all you will need.

Since you are puny now, you have probably been called a dumbbell, right? That is what you should get next. Dumbbells can be purchased at any store that sells athletic equipment. Buy two, one for each hand. If you cannot afford them, ask about the store’s layaway plan; it is so simple, even a dumbbell can use it.

You may want to get a personal trainer. Why? Because you do not know how much you should do using your dumbbells, inflatable balls and elastic resistance tubing. Doing too much may cause you to die. Seriously. You could strain your ribcage or crack a bone or provoke an aneurysm. Death is no way to develop muscles; any trainer will tell you that. A trainer is worth his or her weight in muscles, unless that trainer is obese. Never hire a trainer that is over 300 pounds, smokes or takes heroine.

Here's a free tip any trainer will give you. Do not hold your breath when using your dumbbells, inflatable balls and elastic resistance tubing. Breathe in and out, just like you do to stay alive in all other situations. If it becomes hard to breathe, be sure you are not having chest plains at the same time. That could lead to death and, as we mentioned previously, death is no way to develop muscles.

Before you start doing any training, though (sorry I did not tell you this at the beginning of the blog), check with your doctor. He will look at your medical records (he should have them in a folder with your name on it) and review your current health. He will know if you are in good enough shape to do the work necessary to develop muscles. He or she needs to give you the OK to begin your training and that must be an honest estimation. Do not pay your doctor extra money to give you the okay. That cheating approach could backfire on you and the consequences could be as bad as death. And you know - death is no way to develop muscles.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.