I hit the weights and the weights hit back

Many things I'll have done by the time I stand or fall on Aug. 14 will be filed under you-probably-shouldn't-do-this. For example, it's generally recommended that when you get to a certain age -- let's call it "creaky" -- you should consult your physician before embarking on any exercise regimen. I did not do this. Not because I thought it a formality; in fact, just the opposite. I figured he'd say no.

Let's see, you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, you have asthma, you haven't run unless you were chased in 30 years, and three months ago, you were walking with a cane because your quads are so weak. I see no problem with you swimming 400m, riding 10k and running 2.5k. That doesn't at all compromise my duty to help ensure your continued health. Also, I'm lending Lindsay Lohan my car.

I have not collapsed in a heap yet, and it's been six weeks, so I guess I got away with it.

Wednesday, in the interest of building up some upper body strength, I went to the basement of the Y, which is stocked with all manner of resistance training machines. I'd been doing some basic stuff on the machines up by the running track, but downstairs are weight machines I've not seen the like of before. So I jumped into some exercises that worked some places I hadn't been working.

Thursday, I woke up a little stiff in the upper body. It hadn't gone away by lunch, so I figured I'd better skip the swim and just do a short run and some lower body weights. Again, a few new machines.

This morning, when I woke up, my legs were fine. But my upper arms had gone from stiff to agonized. I could hardly lift them. When the pain had subsided enough that I could isolate which muscles were actually rising up against me, I found it was, for the most part, my deltoids, all of 'em on both sides. At least I now know exactly which machine wrought such havoc. Have to be careful with that one.

Why my upper body and not my lower body? I have a couple of theories. I warmed up Wednesday with five minutes on the elliptical machine; on Thursday, by running a kilometre. My upper body probably wasn't warmed up enough on Wednesday, whereas my lower body definitely was. Also, in general, my leg muscles are larger and stronger than my upper body muscles. And -- probably critically -- it's easier to get an effective stretch on the lower body after a workout.

Long and short of it: Used today as my rest day, a day earlier than planned. As long as I don't stiffen up again overnight, I can make up the swim tomorrow and take a ride and/or run Sunday. And, while I'm not going to dump the weight training from the schedule -- I really need to build the strength -- I'm going to approach new stuff much more warily next time.