More From Dr. Sears - muscle building

These next paragraphs from Dr. Sear's book, The Doctor's Cure, explain why isometric exericses or Calisthenics are better for your muscles than just trying to increase muscle size at the gym.

"In daily life, your muscles work against the resistance of your body-weight. Despite the fancy exercise equipment in gyms, calisthenics remain the best way to build strength that you can use. Calisthenics are also much more effective in strengthening ligaments and tendons. To build strength that you can use work against your own body's weight.

"Your lower body is more important for functional strength than your upper body. For both men and women, there appears to be little benefit to creating oversized muscles in the arms, chest and shoulders, and having a muscular imbalance between the upper and lower body cn harm joints (especially shoudlers and neck) and posture later in life.

"Your biggest muscles are your quadriceps on the front of your thighs, followed by your hamstrings on the back of your thighs and the gluteus mscles in your buttocks, meaning your three biggest muscles all work to flex and extend your hip. If you want to maximize your exercise's effect on your total body strength, go to the muscles that nature designed to be the strongest and work them first."

Dr. Sears gives a series of exercises for each area. Again, just buy the T-Tapp program. It is isometric and it includes the cardio-interval training. The beginner's level is not easy; start there. I was surprised at how the short, intense exercises winded me pretty fast even though I have spent the last year doing uphill treadmill stuff every day for 40 minutes. I have good endurance, but not short-burst capability. I'll get there. It's fun.