As a globally ranked distance freestyle endurance swimmer; I did not know that I was bound to be a disabled American.

My ideas regarding exercise have developed into a program focused on the extension and contraction of the 10 major muscle groups: trapezius, deltoids, latissimus, pectoral, biceps, triceps, gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings (group), calves.

I believe in track and swimming style stretching on a folding judo mat, and a light bumper plate olympic lifting program with free weights, medicine ball, and weighted bars. Kneeling on the judo mat and sitting back on my heels is great for quadriceps. Then a butterfly stretch and a track stretch for each leg.

I use a 7’ 45lb Olympic bar, and hav a concrete floor under a high ceiling without abject need for an Olympic platform. Also, an incline, decline, flat bench, and a 5-50lb dumbell set, and I need a only a chin-up bar for the latissimus exercise additional to bar and dumbell rows for the exercise of all ten major muscle groups.

I do not power lift nor body build; I stretch and lift in the Olympic style with weights and intensities targeted at my feeling better. I use an Olympic 7’ 45lb bar with 2-4 bumper 10 plates that I am able to curl to my clavicles and then position on my arms while they are in the Franciscan cross; for a front squat with my arms forward, hands over the bar, and with the bar on my deltoids.

Then back to the floor and the Olympic lifts with the same weight are: Romanian deadlift, with carefully convex spine at 85lbs for me, then the bent row, upright row, and finally the full floor through military press motion of the clean and jerk.

Dumbbells are great for trap shrugs, straight arm side lifts for deltoids, and for curls, and sitting on the bench with a (2x curl weight) dumbbell behind the head for a triceps press.

Lifting and stretching are essentially the same thing for me; though they are basically alternate forms of extension and contraction of the major muscle groups, respectively.

I no longer believe in competition, and I have transformed my thinking into an evolutionary biological dietetic and exercise physiological light olympic universal fitness regimen which I believe people should add jogging to if they are able; or hiking, as I would personally like to do.