The use of heart rate monitor became a very useful tool. It kept me from working too hard or too easy. The monitor I was using, Polar 610, also came with software. I was able to download all of my exercise sessions into a computer. Then I was able to objectively document my exercise sessions. The software was able to track my calories burned during exercise, my average heart rate, hours spent exercising per week, and much more. After every exercise session actually looked forward to downloading my session to see how I did.

It also allowed me to exercise at different heart rates. One day I would run at 70% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then bike at 80% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then go back to running at 70% for another 10 minutes. The next day I would just bike for 40 min. But I would again exercise at different heart rates, 10 min at 70%, and 5 minutes at 80%, and 10 minutes at 75 %, and 5 minutes at 80%, and then 10 minutes at 70%. This was a fun way to exercise and I actually began to look forward to exercising, whole process was less boring.

I kept up with this type of training for five months. On day of my first triathlon, I was forty pounds lighter.

Some how, some way, I did it. I finished my first triathlon, and as crazy as it sounds I really enjoyed myself. I was feeling good about my accomplishment, but I still had some serious weight to lose. So I found another triathlon race six months later, signed up for it and continued training. The weight just kept coming off and coming off.

At time of my second race, eleven months after learning about triathlons, I had lost sixty pounds.

It seemed like every week one of my patients, whom I had not seen for months, would come in for a treatment. The reactions were always same, doc what heck happened to you, you look like a totally different person!

I felt like a different person too, I was running without knee pain, I was happier at work, my relationship with my family was better, I was no longer embarrassed to go to a pool party or water park, in fact I looked forward to them.

My patients and members of health club where my office was located were constantly asking me about my weight loss. I remember one of gym members walking up to my desk and looking at my before and after pictures. He pointed to my fat picture and said, “That is me” then he pointed to my fit picture and said, “That is way I want to look”. Wow, what a great feeling, I could not believe it.

As I am sitting here writing this article, it has been a year since my first triathlon. Just a few weeks ago, I raced in my third race and I actually managed to finish second in my age group.

As a result of getting into triathlons, not only do I have a new body, I have a new life.

Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Mesa, AZ. He continues to compete in triathlons and has kept his weight off for over a year now. If you would like to contact Dr. Banas, he can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com

Write down weight and number of repetitions you did for first set only. For your next workout, if you made it to fifteen repetitions increase weight. If you did not make it to fifteen repetitions, keep weight same and try to do more repetitions than you did last time. This will constantly push you to trainer harder. Try and do exercises in exact same order every time.

Not resting will really fatigue muscle, but only while lifting at that time. You will still be able to do your other training. Training this way will stimulate muscle growth because you are causing muscles to fail. In fact, on your third set you may only be lifting bar with no weights on it at since your muscle is failing. That is one reason you will want to do this workout on some type of machine unless you have a spotter. Get past how much weight you are lifting, just let your muscles fail.

After a few sessions switch type of exercise you are doing. Instead of a chest fly do a decline bench, then latter do an incline bench. Instead of a close grip lat. pull down do a seated row, but keep same basic order, working larger muscles to smaller muscle.

You should be able to get this fully body weight session done in thirty minutes or less. Now go run!