News

Power Crunch gets expert feedback on a different workout routine every week. This week, Mike Duffy shares his exercise plan.

My Goal

"A personal trainer comes in three days a week and we're doing fine-tuned exercises based on what I can and can't do. It's a tailored program."

My Workout

Mr. Duffy's family history, stressful job and hearty appetite led to a small heart attack in 1992. In 2006, he found himself getting easily winded. "My wife urged me to see a doctor and they told me, 'We want to perform open-heart surgery on you tomorrow.' " Sixteen months later, Mr. Duffy is getting in shape by doing the following workout with an exercise physiologist:

Warm-up on a stationary bike;

Stretches (especially for his back and shoulders);

Standing row with elastic bands; arm circles; calf raises; squats; bicep curls; elastic tricep pushdowns, and side bends (10 reps of each);

Finish with 10 minutes of cardio.

While wintering in St. Petersburg, Fla., Mr. Duffy sticks to his one-hour routine at a local gym. When he gets back to Ottawa he plans to get his cardio time up to 20 minutes.

My Lifestyle

"My work has changed a lot. I used to be on Canada AM, then the News at Noon, then on Question Period at 2 o'clock and then on my own show at 5 o'clock. That was before I had the surgery. Now I work from home in the mornings. I make sure I get plenty of sleep. No more late nights."

My Motivation

"The big thing is stamina. If you're sitting at your computer you aren't improving your stamina. But if you're on your bike and watching the House of Commons committee then you're achieving both. I have another motivation and it's not so much about weight. Now it's about staying alive."

My Workout Anthem

"Steve Earle's Guitar Town. When you're thinking, 'I can't do this any more,' the guitar goes twang, and you play air guitar for a minute or so. Then you keep going."

My Challenges

Complications during surgery left him with serious injuries including broken ribs and damage to his rotator cuff. "Everything that could go wrong did, but I'm alive," Mr. Duffy says with a laugh as he lists the problems. "A very sore shoulder. The bottom two fingers on my left hand are numb. The nerve easily becomes sore, inflamed. Shooting pains around the elbow. Some nights I can't sleep it's so bad."

The Critique

Lhara Eben, a fitness trainer at Toronto's Eclipse Fitness Club, knows that maintaining a workout routine can be hard for beginners. "The most important thing is that he enjoys it."

Although Mr. Duffy lost 50 pounds after his surgery, he recently hit a plateau. Ms. Eben recommends he create challenges to kick-start weight loss again.

Since Mr. Duffy enjoys watching television on his stationary bicycle he can try testing himself against the clock.

"Do a few intervals, even if it means a 10-second sprint: 'For the next 10 seconds I am going to get up to 130 rpms [revolutions per minute],' " Ms. Eben says.

"If he's watching TV: 'For this next commercial I'm going to ride only using my right leg and engage my core by taking my arms off.' "

Mr. Duffy is doing physiotherapy for his shoulder injuries, but that doesn't mean he should lay off the exercise. "Shoulder injuries affect the entire upper body," Ms. Eben says. "One injury and you overcompensate somewhere else."

He needs to focus on good form to get injured muscles strong again. Ms. Eben says elastic bands are a great way to start.

"They provide a little bit of resistance and they are good at keeping your body in line, in the right form. Free weights would be a good natural progression because you have to rely on your body for form."

Lifting free weights or even tossing around a medicine ball while balancing on an exercise ball or a Bosu balance trainer can be an excellent way to develop overall strength. "It will teach him to use his whole body in a fun movement."