Fit and strong as we want to be

My Dad as a newbie middle-
aged man - RIP dear Dad.

A recent conversation with another middle-aged man fitness brother from a different mother included a brief exchange about middle-aged man appropriate diet and fitness training.  

It doesn’t have to be complicated or exhaustive I shared, because, for those of us who have reached this coveted middle-aged man status, it doesn’t take much to excel among our peers.

At some point, it may be as simple as walking upright with good posture and absent a king-sized belly protruding over our belt buckle and, voilà, we might be in the top ten percentile among our middle-aged men brothers. 

With regard to fitness training, I honestly believe that a daily single set of pushups and pull-ups performed with excellent form and for one to two reps short of failure and then followed by a brisk walk for about 30 minutes is all that is needed.  This assumes, of course, that your fitness training is to help you get the most out of your game of life which does not include some competitive or recreational sport. 

So, for example, if you participate in a softball league, your fitness training should include something more than the above minimalist prescription such as spending some time with batting practice and infield/outfield position drills. 

Now with regard to diet, I believe it’s so simple and that’s probably why it’s also so hard to put into perpetual practice.  We should eat as little as possible to be as fit and strong as we want to be.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Going up and down the ladder

My workouts of late have centered on using kettlebells and done at a neighborhood park.  

I’m having a good time, enjoying the summertime weather and getting challenged sans a formal gym training environment.

Last Sunday, however, I decided to get in a quick workout in my basement and I used my only pair of 35-lb. dumbbells.  I wanted a quick and whole-body workout that would give me a good “pant” when finished.

So I did a double dumbbell up and down the ladder complex.  What I did was ten rounds of a double dumbbell complex explained below:

Here’s a video demonstration:

This was the first time I tried this workout so allow me to share a few post-workout training words of wisdom:

• Pick an appropriate dumbbell weight.  I only own a pair of 35-lb. dumbbells and this weight seemed about right for me.  I suggest selecting a weight that challenges you but allows you to start a new round every two minutes as I did in the video.

• One way to measure your fitness conditioning improvement is by being able to start a new round in less time.  So for me, a goal might be to start a new round every 90 seconds rather than two minutes.  Don’t take such a drastic drop however but small decreases as you’re conditioning improvement allows.

Give my Pierini Double Dumbbell Up and Down The Ladder Complex a try for a great middle-aged man fitness challenge and have fun going up and down the ladder.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

For a longer and healthier life

Recent research confirms that education leads to a longer and healthier life!

According to an abstract of research done by a team of researchers at the University of Colorado, New York University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and published last week on the internet website of PLOS One: 

“Educational disparities in U.S. adult mortality are large . . . Thus, policies that increase education could significantly reduce adult mortality.”

You can read the entire abstract here: 

Mortality Attributable to Low Levels of Education in the United States

To all middle-aged men of the world:  obey this new research and continue your educational journey for it may lead you to a longer and healthier life.

And there’s no better place to get your middle-aged man continuing education than here at Pierini Fitness.  

And, by the way, middle-aged women are welcomed too.  They deserve to benefit from this cybespace elixir fountain of health.

Visit Pierini Fitness for a longer and healthier life.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

"Conoscere il mio sangue"

  Federigo Pierini - paternal great-grandfather of Pierini Fitness

One of my many middle-aged man interests is getting to know my ancestors and about ten years ago I spent a lot of time doing this until eventually “hitting a wall” unable to learn more about them without expending extraordinary effort.    One such hitting the wall episode was when I realized there was no photo of my paternal great-grandfather for me to visually know who he was and how he looked.   

But many wonderful conversations with my Dad gave me a clue including one when he once shared a boyhood memory of his grandfather and my great-grandfather.  According to my Dad, my great-grandfather was a short, light-skinned man with a happy disposition known to family members by his nickname of “Walkie”. 

My Dad recalled how his grandfather encouraged him and other grandchildren to walk by uttering the command “walkie, walkie!” in his broken English accent.  Like many Italian immigrants, Walkie only spoke enough English to get by, preferring instead his mother tongue Tuscan-dialect Italian.

Another memory my Dad shared was a photograph he once viewed of a younger Walkie wearing a tall black hat and sporting a very long handlebar moustache.

Federigo Pierini was born in the Lucca area of Italy on September 19, 1856 to parents Pietro Pierini and Fruguina Morelli.  According to a newspaper obituary, Federigo immigrated to California when he was 15 years young and was “a leader of the Sacramento Italian colony and resident of Sacramento for 65 years.”

Upon arriving in America, Federigo initially called home the gold mining area of Amador County in California where he worked as a horse trainer.  It was there he met his wife Elena Garbarini and sometime later, the young married couple moved to Sacramento to begin raising a family.  Three boys were born – Joseph, John and Edward – and the family residence was a Victorian home, purchased with hard-earned money saved, and relocated to the southwest corner of 27^th and G Streets in midtown Sacramento.

Federigo financially provided for his family by working as a self-employed vegetable peddler as did many other Italian immigrants of this era.  He sold vegetables, home grown in the family’s backyard, from a horse-drawn wooden carriage along the streets of midtown Sacramento. 

He also made money selling home-pressed olive oil from olives from a small orchard of olive trees grown in the family’s backyard.  Extra money was made by sharpening kitchen knives, perhaps for the same customers who purchased his home-grown vegetables and olive oil.

Federigo’s amazing yet simple life of 80 years as an Italian immigrant in his adopted country came to an end at 7:15 a.m. on July 11, 1937 and all that is known about him this day primarily rests with me to pass along to other family members who may be interested.

A recent photo discovery provides the only visual clue that may ever exist about Federigo.  I felt like a blessed and rich man when recently viewing it for the first time.  So today, on the 78^th anniversary of his death, I cherish this photo because it has helped me to know my blood - “conoscere il mio sangue”.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Photos coming soon

One of the jewels of middle-aged manhood is becoming a grandfather.  I had my first experience last year on July 24, 2014; you can read about it here:

Introducing Pierini Fitness IV

Yesterday, grandson number two was born at 6:20 p.m. my time so my middle-aged manhood jewels continue to grow making me a "rich man".  

Check back often for further details as I share more about my new treasure and know that there will be photos coming soon.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Squat-assisted pullup

As a middle-aged man in the last decade of my middle-aged man life, I've come to realize and accept there are things I can still do today that one day I can't or won't do.  

I'll also acknowledge that, now, there are things I used to do that I can or will no longer do.  It's all part of the deal that comes with my gracefully aging journey and I'm at peace with this reality.

For many middle-aged men, doing a dead-hang pullup or a bodyweight squat - either a single or multiple reps - is something beyond their current abilities.  If that's you, then what I'm sharing here is also for you. Fortunately, I'm not one of those middle-aged men yet and am still able to bang out dead-hang pullups and full-range bodyweight squats for decent reps counts.  

But my day may be coming.

The following video is a demo performed by a 60-year young "fitness model" of 25 reps of squat-assisted pullups done with a perceived squat assistance of 85 to 90 percent.  In other words, this pullup is perceived as only taking 10 to 15 percent of what would be required to perform a regular dead-hang pullup with no squat assistance.

The squat-assistance can be tailored to your needs and fitness goals and change during the course of a workout.  Conversely, you can adjust the amount of pullup assistance to make the bodyweight squat easier or more challenging.  I do encourage you to concentrate on squat depth to get the most out of the squatting part of this exercise.  An added benefit of doing so is to get a full hang from the bottom position of the pullup. That'll give your upper body and lower back a nice feel-good stretch that you're bound to enjoy.

Here are some training suggestions on how to incorporate this squat-assisted pullup into your workouts:

• Complete 25 to 50 reps as a warmup at the beginning of your workout.

• Complete as many reps as possible in 10 to 20 minutes or longer.

• Complete 10 to 25 reps as one of three to five exercises in a circuit training workout.

The possibilities are endless and limited only to your imagination and fitness training goals.

Here's the video:

Add this exercise to your fitness training toolbox; I believe you'll enjoy it - the squat-assisted pullup.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

You're fired!

Middle-aged man Donald Trump - you're fired!

As I've said time and time again, I'm the ambassador of middle-aged men around the world, advocating their interests and expressing their views of the way life was, the way life is and the way life should be.

A recent incident, however, has resulted in me adding another responsibility to my growing list of ambassador duties and that is to be the chief justice for a high court of sorts where middle-aged men can be prosecuted and tried for their reprehensible acts.

Recently, this middle-aged man court was in session for the first time and the accused was non other than middle-aged man Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

You see, and as you may know, middle-aged man Trump recently put his foot in his mouth while announcing he is a candidate for President.  I'm sure many of you listened to what he had to say as reported by countless sources.  

Well this middle-aged man has Mexican ancestry running through his blood and in the world in which he lives, and from his first-hand extended travels to Mexico, understands things differently than middle-aged man Trump who gets his information from second-hand sources.

Sure there might be a few bad apples in the Mexican cart, but the people of Mexican ancestry this middle-aged man knows are are God-loving, hard-working and family-oriented people more likely to love you  exactly as who you are rather than to hate you for some stereotypical character others might typecast you to be.

Middle-aged man Mr. Trump, did you enjoy that apple you ate today?  If so, thank a Mexican because, more likely than not, he or she picked it for you!

Middle-aged man Mr. Trump, you've been charged with being a bigot and engaging in behavior unbecoming of a middle-aged man trying his very best to live a good and honest life.

Middle-aged man Mr. Trump, this chief justice of middle-aged man court finds you guilty as charged and your sentence is that you may not longer identify yourself as a middle-aged man because you're fired!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum 

Heavyhands 7-Movement Medley

Over five years ago, I wrote about a weekly date with heavyhands.  I had no idea it would become the most viewed of the over 730 blogflections (and counting) here at Pierini Fitness.

In case you missed it, click the link below to read it:  

A weekly date with heavyhands

For the longest time since then, I've wanted to make a video of my heavyhands 7-movement medley but never got around to doing it.  A week ago, however, I finally did and today I'm sharing it with you.  

As an alternative to performing each movement for one minute, as the video suggests, you may want to count instead.  I suggest counting to 120 for the alternating hand movements (movements #1, #4 and #6) and counting to 60 for all other movements.  

That is what I did a few days after filming this video when I completed an abbreviated workout of two rounds and one mile in 16 minutes. A walking pace of between 15 to 20 minutes per mile seems about right to me.

Grab a pair of light dumbbells and go take a stroll in the park or your neighborhood trying my Pierini Heavyhands 7-Movement Medley.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Pierini Lower Body KB Complex

I'm no longer a card-carrying member of a gym and now doing my middle-aged man fitness training at a neighborhood park.

Here's a video I recently made of a kettlebell workout that is now part of my training mix. I'm using a 20 kilogram (44 lb.) kettlebell and the prescribed workout is to complete five rounds of a complex of five different exercises in which five repetitions of each exercise are performed for both the right and left sides.  The video is of me performing the first round.

In a perfect world, I'll do this workout once a week and measure fitness progress by the time it takes me to complete five rounds.

Since every workout deserves to be named, this one is called the Pierini Lower Body Kettlebell (KB) Complex.

Maybe you'll take it for a test drive - my Pierini Lower Body KB Complex.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Just a confused middle-aged man

Almost every middle-aged man in the world had this recent Bruce Jenner story shoved down their throats.  

Whether we wanted it or not, the mainstream media was determined to give us a large, made-for-prime-time, serving of The Bruce Jenner Show, and they ferociously attempted to reprogram our thinking about who is a man and who is a woman. 

When to “correctly” call someone a “he” or “she” became the cyberspace political correctness meal they tried to force feed us.  However, not everyone was hungry or had an appetite for this meal and this middle-aged man was one of them.

Bruce Jenner’s manly journey until recently has been an admirable one as an accomplished athlete, 1976 Olympic gold medalist, husband, father, successful businessman and eventually as a lost soul television personality member of the Karshashian Clan.  Somewhere along the way, or perhaps all along, he developed a serious case of doubt about the man he was and the man he is.

He isn’t alone apparently, in suffering from gender dysphoria which the internet website WebMD explains is something a person has when feeling strongly they are not the gender they physically appear to be.

Wouldn’t a better description be that it’s something a person has when feeling strongly they are not the gender they actually are?

Despite known weaknesses of lacking compassion and empathy, I recently found myself having plenty of both for Bruce Jenner.  I can only intellectually imagine the actual suffering he has endured and will continue to endure for the rest of his life. 

But let there be no doubt about it as he lives the rest of his life masquerading as a person he has named “Caitlin”, Bruce Jenner was born a man and will always be a man; he’s now just a confused middle-aged man. 

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum