I love the summertime! I especially enjoy spending time in Ocean City, New Jersey where I have several buddies – including my 26 y/o son Michael - who start their day, everyday, with a good old-fashion “sweat.” Whether it’s a long shore weekend or a vacation week, I can always count on Steve Ang and Mark Benevento ready and waiting for a sweaty workout. Some mornings are better than others, depending on if some nights were better than others!
We accept no excuses!
Ocean City has a marvelous 2 ½-mile boardwalk bordered on one side with the picturesque Atlantic Ocean and on the other side with a menagerie of retail and food shops plus two large amusement areas. But most of the emporiums are closed when we hit the boardwalk – except the girth-generating donut shops – at 7:00am. By the way, we always comment on the length of the lines of patrons waiting patiently for their freshly-made donuts as we fly by for our biweekly 5- mile run.
The other two days of the week specifically scheduled to stimulate our aerobic conditioning are reserved for the “garage.” If you read my book I Feel Great and You Will Too! then you are familiar with my “cardio circuit.” It lasts 56 minutes (not counting transfer time) and involves doing seven aerobic stations for eight minutes each. The intensity of each exercise is predicated on the fitness level of the user, and we always try to set objective intensity goals to meet or beat.
The cardio circuit is a wonderful full-body workout incorporating your upper body and lower body as well as your core. The seven stations strategically situated throughout the garage are the stairmaster, rowing ergometer, bicycle ergometer, upper body arm ergometer, eliptical, versa climber, and one matted area dedicated specifically to the core – in that order.
Everyone selects a station to start the workout and rotates clockwise every eight minutes. Dogging between stations is not permitted. You want water, then drink while your exercising. The theory behind the cardio circuit began decades ago when I used to train professional athletes. The equipment may have varied then but the principles were the same. Work your ass off for eight minutes and then your done – until you hustle to the next station. One station is more upper body-centric followed by a more lower body-intensive. The variety in the circuit eliminates boredom and provides the incentive that you can do anything for eight minutes with the resultant 56 minutes being a dynamite aerobic burn – as well as touching most of your 650 muscles.
Besides the four of us, weekends usually bring a visitor or two to the garage who we can torture once we know that they’re coordinated enough to handle the equipment and fit enough not to drop dead. One of my buddies, who visited last season, mailed me a gift after his inaugural workout. It was a flat rock with the inscription “Please do not throw up here.” We have it proudly resting in the garden as you enter the garage. The postscript to this story is that ever since that memorable day, Dave Magrogan has gotten himself in fighting shape!
In review, four days of the week are allocated to either running or the cardio circuit and the other three days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) are focused on strength training. On “strength” days we leave Ocean City for the mainland town of Somers Point where we visit Greate Bay Country Club’s fitness center. The facility has everything one would need to facilitate muscle growth and to kick your ass!
Stay tune for a future blog where I will detail my strength program. It’s righteous!
This entry was posted
on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 11:27 am by Pat Croce
Leave a Reply
July 28th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Hey Pat! Your routines are killers, but throwing up never felt so good! You rock man, can’t wait to hear about your strength programs. Keep up the great work!
Lee Witt
August 4th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Pat:
I love to run on the Boardwalk as well. I’ve moved away from NJ (unfortunately) but have on more than one occasion thought about driving the 650 miles for some Mack and Manco Pizza!
Patrick
August 4th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Nothing better than a morning run on the boardwalk. But look out for the people in line at Brown’s for doughnuts!!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Great post… I have to go back to your book and try one of those cardio circuits. Hopefully, you will do a post soon about your diet and what diet theories you subscribe to, other than consuming a lot of skinny water
August 17th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Pat, great post. As I read it I was taken back to the segment in “I FEEL GREAT” when you were recovering from the leg injury. Sweatin’ while trying to avoid the ever onslaught of greenheads.
Aside from eagerly awaiting your strength program, I also have a suggestion for a possible blog. Donald Trump devoted a brief chapter of his book “How to Get Rich” to a week of his life. He chronicled and commented on his entire schedule for a week. It was facinating and quite an insite to the goings on of highly wealthy and successful people.
You say you’re a plate spinner, I’d love to see what a typical week is like for you. I’m sure you could write a book just on a typical day in your life.
Hope to see you at the Doc’s Place again. I play every Friday and Saturday 7-11 NON STOP!! And I always have my “I Feel Great” book with me. Thanks for keeping my spirit strong!