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Greywolf2375

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Saw the chiro last night about my neck issues and found out that I, once again, had two elevated first ribs. I had figured it might be something like this based on what the pain felt like, but was nice to have it confirmed. Dr. Wonderful adjusted me and I'm good to go again. Just need to make sure I am stretching my neck more consistently than I have been. Today's a day off anyway, so back in tomorrow with legs...quads specifically. Maybe I'll try these squat things...I hear good stuff about them...

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I did a bit of a quickie workout yesterday in between work and date night. That is, low - med weight, high reps, low rest in between sets. I know it doesn't turn a schlub into a Schwarzenegger, but it's amazing how much more confident you feel after a bit of gym time. :thumbsup:

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Wanted to do a timed 5k yesterday but heavy rain and 10 hours of work on a CS project got in the way. friggin two-dimensional array python notation. So I thought I'd run today but my mom asked me to watch her dog so I went back home and ran 1.5 miles with the dog. Didn't get a good run in b/c the dog messed up my pacing.

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Nah this is at the rear of my shoulder so I don't think its my rotator cuff. The joint just feels messed up.

Give it a rest for a week, man. I know you don't want to hear that shit, but no use in fucking yourself up long term. You're still a baby in this shit.

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Give it a rest for a week, man. I know you don't want to hear that shit, but no use in fucking yourself up long term. You're still a baby in this shit.

I've already had two weeks off upper body stuff but I lift stuff in work. Know how I hurt it? Bloody slept awkwardly and woke up in pain.

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Does anyone ever do the back exercise where you lay face down over the incline bench and pull a barbell up towards yourself? I tried that yesterday during a back workout and it didn't target that back quite as much as I was hoping that it would.

Make sure your shoulders are down throughout the exercise, not hunched up near the ears at all. Squeeze the shoulder blades together as you pull the bar up. Keep the elbows locked in tight against the side of the body. It'll definitely work the back then.

Course, you may have already been doing all that already in which case :dunno:

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I've been really out of it for the last couple of months--personal injuries followed by major illness and a death in the family. I kept at dance, but everything else suffered a lot. It's time to get back into the swing of things.

I just washed the make-up off my face from the dress rehearsal. The recital is Saturday--it's kind of weird, because it's done in such a little kid way (every class has a song chosen for it, you come out, do your number, and you're done--not a ballet of any sort). It's been an interesting experience. I wish I had done something more intensive and demanding, but this was fun. I still feel self-conscious in just a leotard and tights compared to my high school counterparts. This is going to be especially true in the performance, since my vote for a romantic style costume lost to a short tutu that showcases my one roll of fat at the top of my thighs that just won't die. At the same time, I'm possibly the cleanest dancer in the class and my turns, balance, and ability to just dance have improved a lot over the course of the year. My endurance is getting better too--the last 1:30 of the dance is straight leap series, and I can get through it pretty well now. As long as I don't fall on my attitude turns, I'll be good (I can do the turns without a problem, but I can't seem to come down gracefully from them).

As for pretty much everything else, I just feel out of shape. I'm working on building up my running and trying to learn how to not get bored. I need to get back into strength training regularly. Now that it's nice, I've started going to a local park to read during lunch. I have myself do pull-ups, dips, and hanging Ls on the playground before I'm allowed to open the book, and I do push-ups, lunges, squats, and V- and N-ups sometimes in the evenings, but it's time to get the weights back out. Here's to recommitting myself!

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Nah this is at the rear of my shoulder so I don't think its my rotator cuff. The joint just feels messed up.

What kind of movements are associated with the pain?

I'm taking a day off running today since I seem to have gotten a bit of plantar tendonitis in my right root. I did 8k yesterday and I'm running a 10k next Sunday. Don't want to train too hard over this week or I'll tire myself out too much.

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I've decided to go right back to basics as far as running goes. As I posted on the last thread, I've been trying to get into barefoot/minimalist running. I love it. I love the feel of it, the ease of it, the lack of knee pain. However, I keep running into a problem. I keep pushing too far, too fast and over-fatiguing my calves, over-stretching my hamstrings and over-stressing my arches. I know I need to take it slow but it's been very difficult to reign myself in. It's frustrating to be so under-conditioned.

As such, I decided I needed a program. The couch to 5k program is designed for complete beginners looking to get into running for the first time. What I've realised is that I am a complete beginner. Sure, I've done lots of running before. However, a body is a complex system and only as strong as its weakest link. My weakest links are my calves, achilles tendons and arches, all of which have been weakened and deconditioned by years of normal running shoes. Since my weakest links are as weak as those of a complete beginner, I am a complete beginner. So, I'm taking it from the beginning. The only modification I've decided to make is to speed up the program by running every other day rather than three times a week. Since I'm using this program for muscle conditioning rather than CV, I'll maintain my CV fitness with biking, BJJ and circuit training.

My aim is to complete the program and then start pushing the mileage. I also have an additional motive for this. I recently passed the Admiralty Interview Board and it looks likely I'll be joining the Royal Marines in September. Commando training has a very high dropout rate, often due to injury. The principles of minimalist running, once learned, can be applied to running in other shoes including trainers and boots. I want to fully learn these principles to minimise my risk of injury if and when I join up.

Like I said, it's extremely frustrating to have to take my training back to such a basic level. I feel like I'm going backwards. However, I accept that it's something I need to do to progress and I take inspiration from a favourite quote by H.L. Hunt.

“Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.”

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Took a week off to focus on writing.

Going to gym today, perhaps. But first going to run 2 miles along the lake. Too nice outside not to, really. Training for the marathon doesn't start until June, but I'd like to be comfortable doing 5 miles at ~9-10 minute pace before then.

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so back to my new library pick-up, the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding.

I had a chance to look at it the other day and I have only two words: homoerotic porn

My only question- where do they put their wangs when posing for competitions?

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In other good news, my one-mile run time has cut from 9:54 to 9:16!!!

Congrats, that's a pretty big time cut.

I also wonder the little tricks they use that Stego referred to one time to look super-cut the day of the competition.

I think one of them is dehydration, it tightens up the skin or something.

On another note...I was finally able to do a pistol. I'd say I have a 50% success rate w/ my right leg and a 10% success rate w/ my left leg. That's kind of scary, I didn't know there was such a huge disparity between the two. I guess it's a good thing I started doing these unilateral leg workouts. Aha! I've figured it out, I've been balancing incorrectly this whole time. I mean I still don't have the strength necessary to bang these guys out for reps but my main problem was definitely that I wasn't balancing correctly. I needed to put the pressure on my heels more. Now onto the rest of my workout

Pistols ~7x1

Bulgarian Split Squat 3x5

Step-ups 3x5

Split Squats 3x5

Lunges 3x5

Single Leg Calf Raises 3x5

Lunging Calf Raises 3x5

^--That's where I go into a lunge and then do calf raises. I don't know if it has a better name.

Standing Leg Lift x30s

^--That's where I lift my extended leg to the point where it's parallel to the floor and hold it there for x seconds, in this case 30. It's actually one of the harder moves in my opinion.

I was actually tired enough by the time that I got to the single leg calf raises that I was actually having trouble balancing.

This took way longer than expected, but that's b/c I spent the first half of it working on pistols after realizing I could do them.

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My guess is that they stuff them under and to the left.

I also wonder the little tricks they use that Stego referred to one time to look super-cut the day of the competition.

Bodybuilders all have different techniques to "peak" for competition. Generally, it involves manipulating water intake a week or two before competition. You increase water dramatically (1-3 gallons) and then remove it completely by competition day. Bodybuilders also manipulate carb / sodium / potassium intake.

Fake tanning and covering the body in Preparation H (seriously) is also routinely done.

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