Exercise and Fitness II

[Lucky Pierre]

I found an iPhone app to track exercises... BodyBook. I think it was $3.99 It's totally customizable and very easy to use with some cool reports that break down your exercises by muscle group.

:thumbsup:

[seastarr]

Ok, here's my idea for those of you who asked about stretching. I will post a pic and instructions for a stretch every few days, and you can let me know if you practice them and how they feel for you. I am interested to see how this goes since I've never tried to explain stretches in such a manner before. Usually I can see and touch to make corrections and give help.

First thing I feel about stretching: It is a practice of awareness. Be present in your body and try to tune in while you do it. If you can't breathe or you are all tense (eyes scrunched up, jaw clenched) it's time to back off. Start slow and easy.

Look at the picture first, and get a general sense of the shape. Notice details of placement in the picture such as shape of the neck and curves in the spine. Then come back and read my tips. Then try the shape.

So here we have a stretch for the hamstrings. In yoga it is called supta padangusthasana. Normally it is done holding the big toe with the hand, but you can start by using a normal belt around your foot as I did in the example.

Doing it well:

1)Make sure your butt/sacrum stay on the floor.

2)Try to flatten the bottom leg towards the floor, too. (Mine's not doing too well in the pics)

3)Scoop the belly in

4)KEEP THE LIFTED LEG STRAIGHT--who cares how high it goes

5)Tuck in the chin down towards the throat and make the back of the neck long. If that's impossible, put a pillow under your head.

6) Pull on the belt until you feel stretch in back of thigh. Your calf might stretch too.

Simple and powerful. Do it every day for a week, 5 minutes a leg (my yoga teacher sometimes makes us do 45 minutes a leg). Then see how much you've dropped in getting palms on floor in a forward bend.

There's a lot of refining you can do in this shape, but I would end up writing a book here if I went on...

[Angalin]

Wow, seastarr, thanks! :wideeyed: Quick question to clarify: this stretch is done without the back "imprinting" on the floor? Spine is in neutral position, I mean.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Oh my gods, I fucking hate cardio. Tedious as all fuck. I hated it when I was in competitive athletics and I hate it now.

*whew*

I just had to get that out.

Since my shoulder was pissed off yesterday, I gave my upper body a break entirely today. Instead of rowing, I was on the treadmill. My weight regime was entirely lower body, although that was a bit truncated due to the longer time I spent on the treadmill.

[seastarr]

Wow, seastarr, thanks! :wideeyed: Quick question to clarify: this stretch is done without the back "imprinting" on the floor? Spine is in neutral position, I mean.

Ideally, yes. At first, especially if those hamstrings are kind of tight, it will probably imprint. But try to keep the natural curve of lower spine. I know that is really hard to see in the picture. I can post one that shows this better.

supta padangusthasana: Supta means reclining or laying down it is used to distinguish this stretch from other variations like standing upright.

pada means foot and angustha means big toe and asana just describes that this is a posture of yoga. They are all asanas.

So, supta padangusthasana means roughly: laying-down-foot-big-toe-posture. The big toe part describes the grip you will eventually have, holding the big toe with index and middle finger and thumb. It also describes, to my mind, the energetic apex of the posture, the foot and big toe are kind of the nexus of interaction between your body and the rest of space in this posture. If you wanted to get real metaphysical (and yoga is a metaphysical practice, too) it's where the energy of the universe streams into your body and where the energy of your body streams into the universe. Whew. It's a little early for all that!

[Greywolf2375]

Oh my gods, I fucking hate cardio. Tedious as all fuck. I hated it when I was in competitive athletics and I hate it now.

*whew*

I just had to get that out.

Since my shoulder was pissed off yesterday, I gave my upper body a break entirely today. Instead of rowing, I was on the treadmill. My weight regime was entirely lower body, although that was a bit truncated due to the longer time I spent on the treadmill.

<----- is the choir to XRays preaching of this subject. I really need to find a gym with a hoops court; riding a stationary bike, treadmills, stair climbers...bane of my existence.

Tried the Tate way yesterday for chest. Aside from finding even more how much strength I have lost, not sure my wrists actually bend the way his do. Which wouldn't be too much of a surprise - a Dr I had to see when I was in high school did call me a mutant for how my knees and hips are attached. Made my mother really happy to hear that...

so...forearms...any recommendations? Kinda set actions you can take, but anyone have any interesting exercises they do?

[seastarr]

so...forearms...any recommendations? Kinda set actions you can take, but anyone have any interesting exercises they do?

For an exercise:

I have this thing that looks like an old fashioned rolling pin, with a 6ft cord attached in the middle. At the end of the cord is a sack, and I put beanbags in the sack for weight. Then I hold the rolling pin out in front of my shoulders with straight arms, and turn the rolling pin to wind the rope around it, until the sack hits the rolling pin. Then, I lower the bag back down to the floor, turning the opposite way. The motion is largely in the wrists. It doesn't take much weight, maybe 3-5 lbs, and 3-4 repetitions of the rolling cycle up and down. It's all about keeping the motion controlled on the way down.

I made my own device like this using a dowel, some codline, and a burlap sac. I imagine you could too.

[Lucky Pierre]

My UB workout today kicked my ass... my arms are still rubber and I'm famished...

I broke a 25# weight strap... :rolleyes: Those stupid things are expensive...

[lessthanluke]

I don't do forearm work much but what sea star recommended works well.

I'm having a week off from all forms of exercise. My body is beaten up and I need a break.

[Minaku]

Oh my gods, I fucking hate cardio. Tedious as all fuck. I hated it when I was in competitive athletics and I hate it now.

*whew*

I just had to get that out.

Since my shoulder was pissed off yesterday, I gave my upper body a break entirely today. Instead of rowing, I was on the treadmill. My weight regime was entirely lower body, although that was a bit truncated due to the longer time I spent on the treadmill.

Agreed. Hate cardio with every fiber of my being. I refuse to run - this is why I walk on the incline, I use the arc trainer, and holy shit I am glad pool season is around the corner.

Greywolf, I do have a suggestion for forearms but I don't think you'll like it. Take up piano. Train seriously 3 hours a day. In some 5-10 years you'll have fat-free forearms. :P

[Greywolf2375]

Agreed. Hate cardio with every fiber of my being. I refuse to run - this is why I walk on the incline, I use the arc trainer, and holy shit I am glad pool season is around the corner.

Greywolf, I do have a suggestion for forearms but I don't think you'll like it. Take up piano. Train seriously 3 hours a day. In some 5-10 years you'll have fat-free forearms. :P

Well, I like the idea...I think playing the piano would be awesome. I was looking for something more in the less than 3 hours a day and 18-24 month range tho . :)

The forearms are very fat free...lacrosse and golf have seen to that. Just not where I would like them to be.

SS, yes - that is one of the exercises I do, thank you tho. Creates a very similar result to cradling a lacrosse stick from what I have experienced