[Merlin_83]

Greetings,

I need some solid advice on getting back at it in the gym. I used to ride my bike to gym early in the AM, cardio (step mill) and then performed arm, chest, back and core routines. I got into running and after awhile, got in amazing shape, ate quality protein and veggies. Then one time was spotting someone doing incline bench, and totally f***ed up my back. It required surgery and still kind of bothers me. Now, I know I can't go back to being 'beast' mode in the gym any longer, and want to focus on lots and lots of cardio to strengthen my overall cardiovascular system in general. I suppose rotating through step mill, treadmill and elliptical machine is best ? Yes ?

I snowboard a fair amount in winter, and surf when I can rest of year. I want to try and get overall strong, not ripped and shredded - but in shape I can go and do a bucket-list item I have dreamed about forever. Go to a dedicated surf camp in Indonesia, to place I found out about many years ago. Google Nias or Lagundi Bay - place has amazing 'rights' and the wave is so perfectly shaped too.

Cheers,
Merlin

[vsix]

Okay, then forget everything about bodybuilding workout you knew before.

To become stronger you need cardio, that's correct but the best exercise for your chest, trizeps, bizeps, lat's, lower back is doing plain and simple trizeps-pushups on the bar. Hope I nailed the right word, as english isn't my first language. Anyhow, important for this execise is to do it with your own weight! Even you accomplish just 2 repetition's, stay focused and easy climb up to rep.numbrs of 15-20 and 3-5 set's. This will build your stabilizer muscles back up and you will get on the gym track in no time
Giving you a prognosis of 3 month steady workout, 5 times a week. What's really important on this is:
Everytime you do a workout always try to hit the same time, never play around and say will do it a half hour later or even miss workout's. Don't even think about skipping exercises.
Once you successfully climbed up that repetitions latter, consider to use 3 exercises for one muscle. For example:
Chest lower part
Bench press with bar/ horizontal and in an angle to workout your upper chest muscles
Bench flying with just barbells
Chest workout on the cable

Combine that with the contrary used muscle when you do chest, wich is the muscle bizeps.
So that means for the bizeps you will also use 3 exercises.
Barbells, standing
Bar, standig
and concetration curls! slow and very little weight so that you can really push and exhaust yourself to exceed 20 repetitions!
Same for the back and trizeps, wich will be the best for you as an starter, to combine.

All I can tell you is that this magical program without any supplement B.S. will( if your not into drugs of any kind of sort and have a healthy life) let you become VERY massive and you will VERY fast undergo a body morphing phaze.
Trust me, no supplements, nothing do what I say and you shall see!
Good luck and if you have any other question feel free to ask

[overcoil]

First, are you familiar with the late F1 driver Andrea Decesaris and his surfing at all those great locations around the world?
Second, from your introduction you surely have the muscle memory and the latent knowledge to configure a great routine - and I think forums and youtube and internet sites are amazing for ideas.

There are some theories that "steppers" and "elliptical machines" with their range of motion for the knee when performed for long durations may not be the low impact knee saving exercise one would expect.
Curious what type of resistance training you can perform? I assume pull-ups are out ?