Swollen shoulders

A conversation between No. 2 Son and myself at the YMCA one morning:

No. 2 Son: "Dad, I think there is something wrong."
Dad: "Why? What do you mean?"
No. 2 Son: "My shoulders, they're all swollen."
Dad: "Well, do they hurt?"
No. 2 Son: "No, they're just swollen."
Dad: "Let me see." Observes No. 2 Son's shoulders closely. "Dude, they aren't swollen, that's just muscle."
No. 2 Son: "Really? How?"
Dad: "Well, you know how we've been coming to the Y? And how we've been lifting weights? Well, that's what happens when you lift weights; you get muscles."
No. 2 Son: "Cooool."

Lessons Learned: weight training

This weeks "Lesson Learned" deals with exercise. Lesson is; free weights are much more difficult than weight machines. Since the boys are out of school, and I no longer get them up at half past four in the morning to exercise with me (I can be nice that way), I decided to switch to free weights for the summer.



Thursday I did my legs. That means squats (rough equivalent - so I thought - to the leg press machine). Now, on the leg press machine, I lifted 390 pounds. For the squats, I put 70 pounds on the bar bell. Here it is, three days later, and my quads (that is the muscle group located on the upper front thigh) feel like knotted ropes every time I walk.



So take heed, switching from machines to free weights can be terribly painful!



And again, thanks for visiting!





Technorati Tags: exercise, weight machines, free weights