A Man's Abs Must Be Ripped Until the Day He Dies: Home Workout Edition

Believing that 'a man's abs must be ripped until the day he dies,' I have been dedicated to home workouts for 30 years.

I work out at home almost every day, but because I have a personality that gets bored easily, I change my routine frequently. My training content changes in cycles of about three to six months.

I would like to summarize my training content and its effects.

Regarding the effects, I will summarize them based on feedback from those around me.

I want to write about what kind of training I was doing when I received certain comments from others.

● Exercise

1. Repetitions and frequency

2. Time until the feedback was received

3. Age when the feedback was received

4. From whom

'XXXXXXXXX'

● Sit-ups (old-school abdominal exercises)

1. At first 100 reps, gradually increasing to about 200 reps daily

2. About 3 months after starting

3. When I was in junior high school

4. During a swimming class in PE, from my PE teacher

"You've got an amazing body."

● Crunches

1. About 200 reps every day

2. Two months after starting

3. When I was in college

4. From a male friend, at a public bath

"Your abs are ripped."

● Push-ups

1. Hundreds of reps every day

2. Three months after starting

3. Around the age of 23

4. From a female friend

"Did you get bigger? You look really good."

● Wooden sword practice swings (I was learning stage combat)

1. At first 200 reps, gradually increasing to 500 reps every day

2. About 2 months after starting

3. Around age 25

4. From a male colleague

"Your arms (forearms) are thick. Do you do martial arts?"

● Dive Bomber Push-ups (you can find them if you search)

1. 10 reps x 3 sets every day

2. 1 month after starting

3. Around age 28

4. From two female colleagues

"It's nice that your arms are thick, isn't it?"

"I thought so too"

(I wasn't told this directly. I happened to overhear them talking while standing.)

● Sumo Teppo (referencing the book by former wrestler Ichinoiya)

1. 300 to 500 reps every day

2. 3 months after starting

3. Around age 30

4. From a female colleague

"Has your back gotten leaner? Are you doing something?"

● Sumo Shiko Stomp (Based on the book by former wrestler Ichino-ya)

1. 100 times every day

2. Three months after starting

3. Around the age of 32

4. From a female colleague

"Your sides have really toned up, haven't they?"

* I have never done serious training at a gym. This is strictly about objective feedback gained through home workouts.

* I am aware that based on the theory of supercompensation, a frequency of 2-3 times a week is considered optimal, but due to my personality, I do it every day because if I don't, I lose my motivation and won't continue.

* Regarding the number of repetitions, I understand that 'slowly, or with high resistance, doing 8-10 reps to failure x 3 sets' is considered efficient for stimulating muscle growth, but due to my personality, I find it easier to stick with it if I focus on completing a high number of reps, so that is what I do.

I also tried training with 'failure x 3 sets.' If the goal is not to build massive muscles but to create a body that receives positive feedback in daily life, I feel that the method of completing a set number of reps while 'repeating the feeling of not being able to do any more' is effective.

I also tried the method of 'applying a heavy load with fast muscle training, followed by showering the damaged muscle fibers with growth hormones through slow muscle training.' I felt the effects, but it was so painful that I gave up after two months.

* I would like to summarize the objective feedback I received from going to a gym—a boxing gym when I was in high school and a climbing gym after I started working—if I have the opportunity.

*Regarding road work: I would also like to summarize the objective evaluations I've gathered on things like trail running in the local mountains, running with a barefoot feel while wearing Luna Sandals, and repeatedly doing nothing but sprints, if the opportunity arises.