Billy Blanks Has Got Nothing On Me

I have discovered the best workout ever. Using this system I lost an average of a half pound for each day that I tried it, and I ate as much as I wanted of any kind of food that I wanted. This new exercise regimen is a total body workout, leaving no muscle group unused. What is this amazing new workout? Roofing.

You begin your workout by climbing up onto the roof of the dwelling that you want to work on. My particular exercise location had several different components; a nearly flat area, two slightly elevated basic roof areas, two long basic roof areas and one section where several areas came together at different angles. Start at the area most distant from the dumpster and begin. At this point you can choose either prying up the old shingles or hauling the pieces to the dumpster. I chose hauling which involves a lot of leg work moving across the various inclines and peaks. It is also helpful if, as in our case, the dumpster is left in a location directly under the telephone cables leading into the house. This creates more motion in your body as you either duck and throw, or heave over the cables, making sure that you can throw your burden high enough into the air to clear the lines.

After shingle removal you move into the next phase of the workout, nail removal. If your homeowner doesn’t want his new roof to leak the old nails must be either removed (which was the preferred method in our location) or driven tightly into the decking. To make this station most effective it helps if the wood you are removing the nails from is good 60 year old pine; the nails will be less likely to pull out easily. This can be used to exercise both arms. One arm wields the claw on the hammer and the other uses a pry bar to coax out the more embedded nails. This exercise is also good for the lower legs as you are constantly standing, kneeling, or squatting on an incline.

The last phases of the program are similar to each other. The first is the application of ice barrier and tar paper, next is the application of the shingles. Each involves finding a stable exercise position, then a lot of arm work as you drive in nail after nail. Some people sabotage their exercise regimen at this point by using a compressor and nail gun, but fortunately in our case the gun proved to have mechanical difficulties for the entire first day of fitness camp.

The best way to spend your last day of conditioning is to work out for 7 hours then get immediately into a car and drive for 4 ½ hours. When you get out of your car at the end of the journey you will have a true appreciation for which muscle groups have been exercised.

If you are interested in trying this out I know a guy in Southfield, Michigan who can get you started immediately.