The Fremont YMCA is open again after its annual cleaning week, and I worked out at the Wellness Center last night with trainer Mike Clegg. Before, in between, and after lifting, I spent did three sessions on the treadmill.  I walked 40 minutes for a total of 2.05 miles, and burned 423 calories.

I lifted 8,150 pounds with my arms, following my orthopaedist’s instructions to take it easy with my shoulder.  When I visited him a week ago he was pleased with both the movement and strength in my repaired left shoulder, but said it would take 8 months to a year to regain full movement and strength.

I lifted 8,100 pounds with my legs, and finished the weight lifting doing 4,000 pounds on the abdominal machine.  I am a little jealous when I see younger lifters do really heavy weights, but I am not trying to be a power lifter, I only want to build some muscle, replacing fat with more muscle.  The thing for me to do is focus on consistency, lifting 2-3 times each week, and not worrying about what others are doing. 

The same thinking needs to happen with my cardio workouts on the treadmill.  I need to get to the Wellness Center 5-6 times a week to do cardio, and need to try to get out of my comfort zone and experiment with some of the other cardio machines.

I am trying to psyche myself into early morning work outs again.  For much of 2008 I was getting up to arrive at the Wellness Center when it opened up at 5:30 a.m.  It did set a positive tone for my day, and it would actually be a better time than after work.  Now if I can convince myself to not reset the alarm when it goes off at 5:00 a.m.,  I will be set. 

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I have not been posting on Stepping Up To The Plate much lately.  The Wellness Center at the Fremont YMCA has been closed for cleaning, and won’t open up again until Monday.  I am working out at home with the pulley and plastic bands I got while rehabbing my shoulder, but that is about it.  I am doing a better job with eating, both selection and portion.  And I am drinking a lot more water too.

Someone suggested I could lose a lot of weight eating nothing but bologna.  That sounds both unlikely and risky, and too many people already think I am full of bologna.  I think I will pass on that diet and just try to eat a little less, eat a little better, and exercise a little more. 

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I have been working out everyday, just not writing about my work outs everyday.  From Tuesday-on Tuesday I did an entire work out of cardio and weights, including lifting with arms, legs, and using the abdominal machine.  Wednesday was cardio only-the treadmill for 40 minutes and the hand petal bike for five minutes.  Yesterday was cardio and lifting with legs and the abdominal machine.  Tonight will be cardio plus lifting with my arms and the abdominal machine.

I am a long way from being in shape, but each work out seems to get me closer, at least closer to not hurting so much a few hours after working out.  I’ll take it. I am talking legs, especially my knees not hurting as bad after my work outs.  My shoulder still aches every time I lift with my arms.

My treadmill work outs have been 40 minutes, 45 minutes when I don’t lift, and I have been burning 400+ calories and walking over two miles each day.  Tuesday totals for lifting were: 6,850 pounds with my arms, 7,350 pounds with my legs, and 2,000 pounds with the abdominal machine.  The Thursday totals were 7,500 pounds with my legs, and 2,000 pounds on the abdominal machine.

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Last night was a cardio only work out at the YMCA Wellness Center.  Work outs this week have all included 45 minutes on the treadmill, with 5 minutes on the hand petal bike.  The bike is cardio too, but I do it more for my left shoulder rehab than for the cardio.  I walked 2.32 miles and burned 470 calories on the treadmill.

I am going to include some weights tonight, especially some routines for my arms.  My left shoulder continues to be sore after lifting and I am torn between fear of over doing the lifting and fear of going back to doing no lifting at all.

I need to incorporate some stretching in my work out routines-legs, back, arms, I guess everything.  What I ought to do is start getting up early in the mornings and doing Tai Chi.  It seems like if weight loss and building strength are two sides of the triangle, stretching should be the third side.

I glanced at an article in today’s sports news that stated David Ortiz wants to know what drug he tested positive for in 2003.  Was there more than one David?  This reminded me of a rather unfortunate incident in my misspent 16^th year on earth.  Very stupidly three of my friends and I managed to obtain four pints of cherry vodka, one bottle for each of us.  It really didn’t seem all that strong going down, and I drank it rather quickly.  By midnight, my curfew, I was well beyond the feeling no pain stage and into the getting sick stage.  My friends dropped me at home, I ran into the house and past my parent’s bedroom to the bathroom, where I recycled the cherry vodka into the toilet.  Naturally I woke up the entire house with all the racket, and my mother thought I was vomiting blood.  I told her I didn’t know what was wrong-ala David Ortiz 42 years later.  My dad obviously knew what was wrong and played his trump card. Since I didn’t know what was wrong they would take me to the hospital emergency room and have my stomach pumped.  That brought about a confession and a grounding.

I have never even sipped cherry vodka since.  Heck, for 25 years I couldn’t even take cherry cough syrup.  I wonder if David Ortiz quit taking his unknown drug after 2003.  I wouldn’t bet my 401(K) on it.  I was punished for taking that illegal substance, but most major leaguers don’t seem to be (yeah, I know Manny Ramirez didn’t quit after 2003, got caught this year and was suspended for 50 games).  If their names are bandied about newspapers, ESPN, radio talk shows, and the internet, is this really punishment?  A sullied name can certainly be salved by a multi-million dollar contract, and all the perks that come from being a star athlete. 

The person I will be impressed with is the one who finally says “yeah, I did it,” and then talk about the environment that not only accepted using an illegal substance but practically demanded it.  David Ortiz feigning ignorance is not impressive.

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I did a cardio only work out at the Fremont YMCA Wellness Center yesterday.  I walked 45 minutes on the treadmill and added five minutes on the hand petal bike.  I burned 464 calories and walked 2.31 miles on the treadmill, a 3.08 miles per hour pace. 

However mediocre my accomplishments are, they are definitely not enhanced by steroids or any other chemicals.  Apparently Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are on the famous Major League Baseball tested positive for steroids in 2003 list. Yes, the same Ortiz and Ramirez who were important cogs in the Boston Red Sox overcoming the Bambino Curse to win the 2004 World Series. 

Now, I do not think the Red Sox need to give back the Series trophy.  I assume that many of their opponents had players that also showed up as testing positive in 2003.  I am ambivalent as far as should players named as testing positive have asterisks beside their names in record books.  I think baseball purists want to be able to compare 2009 to 1909 and say it is a level playing field, when steroids or not it certainly isn’t.  If you want to talk about performance enhancement, simply compare the equipment of 2009 with that of 1909-balls, bats, gloves, and playing fields.

I know I have posted about this in the past, but many games are now played at night, and there were no night games when the likes of Cobb and Ruth played.  Of course that was to the old-timers advantage.  Air travel vs. train travel should cause for asterisks in comparing different eras.  So should nutrition and exercise and salaries that allow players to focus on baseball year round, not having to find another job in the off season.  In 1909 it was assumed that a pitcher would pitch a complete game, even if the game went into extra innings.  In 2009 it is assumed that a pitcher will not pitch a complete game. Different eras, different circumstances, different styles of play can’t be logically compared. Compare Barry Bonds with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, not Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth.  Don’t compare Roger Clemens with Bob Feller or Christy Mathewson.  And A-Rod shouldn’t be compared with an Ernie Banks or Brooks Robinson.

Should players who tested positive for drugs be banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame?  Given my argument about other performance enhancers, I don’t think that should be used as an argument, though it most definitely is by hall of fame voters.  Perhaps this is a black mark when it comes to character, but if character was really a serious issue, how was Ty Cobb ever selected? To me, if Cobb is enshrined, Shoeless Joe Jackson should be too.  And no, Jackson and Pete Rose did not commit the same sin. Jackson was guilty of poor judgment, and Rose was guilty of gambling on baseball games. Neither is guilty of being a racist psychopath like Cobb. Anyway, there are already plenty of shady characters in the hall, so what difference would a few more make.

That the substances are banned means the players using them are cheaters.  That is a good point, but to say that the steroid users are the only players in sports who cheat is more than laughable.  So cheating shouldn’t bring asterisks or bans to the juicers. And here is where you might want to call me a hypocrite, because I do believe in stiff penalties for users and abusers, I do believe in the asterisks by records, and I do believe that players who test positive for steroids should never even see their name on a hall of fame ballot-in any sport. 

Why? Because there are terrible health risks involved in the use of steroids, and major league players are role models for our youth. 

Of course than the issue that would need to be addressed is why players felt the need to take the banned substances to begin with. High salaries? TV? Fans expectations?  Owner expectations?  It seems like this is a house of cards built on a sandy low tide beach.

I am seriously disappointed in the numbers of readers I am getting on my Ron Speaks Out and Stepping Up To The Plate blogs.  I take the blame for the low numbers.  From April-June I was not doing a lot of blogging on Ron Speaks Out, and the topic that was constantly on my mind was my Dad’s health and subsequent death.  That is not necessarily a topic that is easy to read about, and not of great interest to a lot of people.  Still, I let my emotions show on those blog posts, and that was something a lot of writers don’t, won’t, or can’t.

As far as Stepping, it was to be my constant reminder to keep up with my work outs and diet.  Of course I control the input-the posts-so there have been times when the blog did neither.  After hurting my shoulder in December my work outs suffered for four months.  Then I had surgery and that limited my work outs until the past few weeks.  I could have and should have done in cardio what I could not do in strength training, and the injury had nothing to do with diet.  I did not post often enough in the past few months for people to want to come back every day and read what I had to say. 

However, I have spent a lot of time developing networks in both Twitter and Facebook.  When I announce a blog update on Twitter it goes to 35,000 people.  A Facebook announcement goes to 1,000 more people.  I would call it heaven if 1 out of 10 people would take a look at my Speaks or Stepping updates.  I would be thrilled with 1 out of 20 people stopping by.  It is depressing when the actual figures are nowhere near where I think they should be.  I try to produce good content on these blogs, so each post takes time, and maybe my time would be better spent on my main effort, The Rest of the Dirt. 

For now I am going to try to improve these blogs-more commentary on daily controversies on Speaks, and more frequent posts on both Speaks and Stepping.  If anyone has ideas on other steps I can take to increase readership, I would love to hear them, as I really don’t want to pull the plug on any of my blogs.

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Thursday was my last rehab session at Excel Physical Therapy.  My PT Ashley Belt decided to make it a memorable one, as it was a true work out, not just a rehab session.  The 45 minute session included five minutes on the hand petal bike, and so many different exercises I can’t remember them all.  We used a variety of weights, ranging from 2 to 15 pounds.  We also used several different plastic ribbons and did wall push ups.  By the time we were done I wondered if Ashley was ever going to quit bringing me new weights for another routine.  That was the first time in a month that I really did need to ice down after the rehab session.

I would like to thank my surgeon Dr. Brett Fischer and Ashley for being a great team.  My left shoulder isn’t 100% yet, but it is getting close and may even end up being better than it was before my injury.  Ashley was commenting on my return to working out at the YMCA Wellness Center and said “Remember, no one ever says gee, I wish I hadn’t gone to the gym today.”  Good words for a send off.

Yesterday was a good work out that started slow and seemed to gain momentum.  I did only cardio, spending 40 minutes on the treadmill and 5 minutes doing the hand petal bike.  I ended up walking 2.24 miles on the treadmill (3.36 miles per hour), and burned 433 calories.  I do believe my wife Jane is a little embarrassed when I come home in a sweat drenched t-shirt, but I figure that is supposed to be the idea of my work outs, and if I offend someone at the Wellness Center, well, I pay my dues too.

I am looking forward to another good work out this afternoon, with some lifting as well as cardio.

On Monday 7/20 I did a 45 minute cardio work out, with 40 minutes on the treadmill and another five on the hand petal bike.  I walked 2.18 miles on the treadmill and burned 430 calories.

Yesterday I did a complete work out with trainer Mike Clegg.  After a ten minute warm-up on the treadmill, I did fourteen different routines with free weights and five different machines.  Overall I lifted 15,840 pounds.  Breaking this down, I did 7,200 pounds on three different leg routines, and another 1,750 pounds on the abdominal machine.  I did 6,890 pounds on 10 different arm routines, and hopefully I used light enough weights to keep from overworking my left shoulder. 

After the weight work out, I did five minutes on the hand petal bike and another 30 minutes on the treadmill.  In the 40 minutes total on the treadmill I walked 2.12 miles and burned 420 calories.

My work out goals for the next week are:

1.  Work out at the YMCA Wellness Center at least 6 of 7 days.

2.  Lift 3 days each with my arms and legs, with my Thursday rehab session counting as one time with my arms.  Do the abdominal machine at least 3 times.

3.  Keep the weights at the same amount as I did in my session yesterday.  The following week, make some slight increases.

4.  Keep the minutes walked to 40 per day this week.

Tomorrow is my last scheduled rehab session.  I still have some soreness in my shoulder, but I have good range of motion and the shoulder is getting stronger.  Rehab hasn’t been much fun, but having to use my right arm to lift my left arm in the future would not have been fun either. The surgeon did a great job, the physical therapist did a great job-not only in our once a week sessions, but in motivating me as well, and I think I did a good job to.  It isn’t 100% yet, but I think it will be soon.

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Yes, it has been a few days since I last posted.  I still have been working out though.  I count my rehab as a work out-up until a few weeks ago I took a pain pill after rehab, so my physical therapist does not cut me much slack.  Actually, even though I have only been seeing the therapist once a week she is more than pleased with my progress.  I have tried to do all the exercises several times a day as she has suggested, so seeing her only once a week has not limited my progress.

What limited me the past few weeks was overdoing my weight work out with my trainer Mike Clegg.  For example, the weight I used on my bench press was 175% greater than any I had lifted in over three months.  That was stupid.  My therapist Ashley said it was, my wife wondered why we had spent thousands of dollars on the surgery if I was going to try to injure my shoulder again, but most of all my shoulder told me how ridiculous I had been.  I talked with Mike Clegg today and we will go with lighter weights tomorrow and build up gradually to the heavier weight.

Trying to go to fast kept me from lifting weights the past two weeks.  A little less weight and being able to lift three times a week would have been much better for me. I am notorious for too much too soon, and once again it bit me.  Hopefully this is a lesson I will remember.

Although I did not lift, I have kept up with my cardio.  On Saturday and Sunday I walked 40 minutes on the treadmill and did 5 minutes on the hand petal bike each day.  I walked 2.07 miles on Saturday and burned 420 calories.  Even though the work out was quite different on Sunday, I burned 417 calories and walked 2.06 miles. 

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Although my son Matt and I left at 1:15 p.m. yesterday for our racing road trip, I still managed to get in a quickie work out at the YMCA Wellness Center.  I walked 1.63 miles in 30 minutes, and burned 335 calories.  As on Sunday, the important thing was making time for the work out.  Most times in the past I would not have. 

I have worked out seven of the past nine days, and have finished five of the ten work outs trainer Mike Clegg challenged me to get in by our next meeting, July 21^st.  I have seven days to complete the remaining five work outs, and actually hope to make it to the Wellness Center everyday.

As on Sunday, I walked through the pits prior to last night’s races.  This track was set up different from the track at Albion, and I probably added only a little over a half mile to my day’s total.

My shoulder is still sore from last week’s work out with Mike Clegg, though part of that might be beating myself over the head for lifting bar bells.  I am going to try to do a few dumbbell routines tonight, along with leg routines and cardio.