posted FAll 2008
Starting from many years of being "sedentary":
1. Strength and muscle development: Muscle tissue renews itself completely over course of about 6 months. As we train new cells are forming everyday. Those new cells will be stronger than the ones they replace. Increases in strength will occur slowly in the beginning, but within 6 months of starting resistance training there will be significant improvements in muscle tone and strength.
2. Aerobic endurance (VO2 max): it will take 6-12 weeks of preliminary base building before meaning full results. The average person should be able to run a mile by the end of this period without stopping.
3. Body metabolism: The rate at which our body burns calories at rest begins to adapt to change with new exercise and eating habits. We begin to burn more calories while resting. That change is immediate...slow but immediate. It took me about 12 months to see a dramatic change.
4. Weight loss: People who are 40-60 pounds overweight should expect to lose 50% of that within the first year. If they don't then they are doing something wrong. The ideal formula is to lose 2 pounds a month until the desired weight is obtained. However, 3-4 pounds a month in the beginning is not unusual. I dropped about 40 pounds in the first year (240 to 200); 15 in the second year; and 5 more the 3rd.
