Quote Originally Posted by High_Plains_Drifter View Post
Yeah there's no way I'm going to be able to get as much good out of free weights as a universal gym, for one, because of the near total atrophy in my right triceps, and two, even when I use the front, bottom cable on the gym and do curls, I can feel a little catch in my back sometimes if I'm not consciously flexing my core to stand straight. The other thing about a gym for me was the ability to virtually get a total body workout on one machine.

And it's pretty obvious at this point that I'm not going to pack on a lot of bulk, although I will put some on, I just enjoy the workouts, it feels great and it's healthy.

Going to get a workout today shoveling SNOW... holy cow we got it good yesterday, and it's COLD.
Quote Originally Posted by High_Plains_Drifter View Post
Been looking at barbells. I used to have a nice set, lost it somewhere after moving a dozen times. I might pick up another set. I know there's a lot of exercises you do with them, and them being free weights would be good.
I went with the barbells to force my injured shoulder to keep up. I use dumbbells to isolate it and work it alone to build its strength up. Doubt it'll ever catch up, but if I focus on just rehabbing the injury I see a LOT of spinning my wheels. I literally started with 5 lbs and have worked my way up. The overload from the barbell weight has forced it to come along.

Gives me something to bitch about and blame

I lift how I always have. At least since about 81. I used machines before that because that's mostly what was available to me. I don't knock them. And on a day like you described today being, I'd be sitting INSIDE at my weights watching it snow OUTSIDE . Regardless the weather, I'm in the garage. It was bad when I lived in IL. I would have on long johns, sweats, clothes, heavy ass gloves, hat, snow boots and STILL have to run inside about every 20 minutes and thaw my hands. I was so bulked up it's a wonder I could move to lift

It's still cold here insofar as that steel bar goes. I wear gloves between sets. But generally get away with just sweats and a hoodie.