Rubies & Jade Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Pushups, pullups, dips. Try running with bricks in your hands. I don;t know. Why do so many people refuse to get a Y membership? Sell your bike and pay for a year at a YMCA.the Y in my area is terrible--its mostly a basketball court & pool, the weight & equipment area is tiny and always overly full of people. I hated the year I was a member and won't go back. Also, in the city without a car I was alway having to lug a bag of clothes and shoes and stuff to the gym and then on the subway to work--I felt like a bag lady all the time. So, I understand not wanting a gym membership--but it is tricky trying to workout without it. In nice weather I bike, and do the pushups and stuff at home. I walk alot and use stairs as much as possible. I wish I had enough room in my apartment for an eliptical trainer or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lany Freelove Cassandra Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Tough week on the work outs. I have overslept several times. I might need iron supplments or something if this is going to happen every month *sigh* Getting old really sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 BJT -- I hear you on the whole "two bags" syndrome on the subway. It sucks, but I'll never get a good workout otherwise, so I suck it up. And, yeah, I am paying a fair bit to go to a nice gym, because the lower-end gyms in this city are just gross.Was moving a little slowly this morning (and so was the F train), so I only got about 35 minutes in the gym today. Rowed 2000m, then squats, weighted torso torsion, shoulder press, stretching. I was going to do some leg adductor (think that's it) exercises, but the machine stumped me. Well, I'll try again on Monday.KotW -- you can do a lot of these exercises at home with weights. Bricks or actual weights. It's a start, at least. And don't give up that bike -- sometimes getting out of the gym and getting exercise elsewhere is a welcome change. Plus, gas-free transpo, yo. :) You'll be ready for the moshpit in no time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikingBeard Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Did delts today. Up 20lbs on DB presses, 10lbs on DB Side Laterals, and 20lbs on rear delts. I've never felt that strong before. Was an awesome feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I've never felt that strong before. Was an awesome feeling.That's great news, VB. Keep it up! (and welcome to the thread, BTW) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikingBeard Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Thanks.My life pretty much revolves around the gym, books, and sex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztemhead Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'm done with the creatine after this bottle is empty. I've gotten over the headache thing (just drink tone of water) but it makes me so damn drowsy later in the day that I just have to go home and nap. Maybe a different formulation of the stuff would work better, but this brand I'm using now isn't worth it.Day 1 of the stego workout today. I wrote it down verbatim from the thread, but will be doing situps in addition. Mikey likes situps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubies & Jade Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 BJT -- I hear you on the whole "two bags" syndrome on the subway. It sucks, but I'll never get a good workout otherwise, so I suck it up. And, yeah, I am paying a fair bit to go to a nice gym, because the lower-end gyms in this city are just gross.Was moving a little slowly this morning (and so was the F train), ...I've been lurking on this thread for a while because I'm thinking I just need to suck it up (as you say) and go back to a nicer gym. There is a good one up the street (Body Elite, its right off the F line as a matter of fact!) that maybe will work. I think I need to try going there a couple of times during the week in the morning and then coming back home before heading to work. I'll think about it...[on a tangent, the F train has been worse and worse lately... I've just about given up on it and way to Jay street instead to get the A train...] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I don't understand people who like doing sit-ups. I would rather do just about anything in the world than sit-ups. This is why I have to go to classes at the gym, because otherwise I would voluntarily do nothing at all for my core.Even though my swim coach told me when I was 11 that if I didn't do sit-ups, my abdominal muscles would wither and then my guts would fall out. Seriously. And I believed her....yet many years of doing anything but sit-ups has proven that statement to be untrue.Someday when I am rich, or at least making some decent income, I am going to hire a personal trainer just to tell me to strengthen my core. Because there is still that niggling feeling that maybe I haven't reached the right age yet, and that if I don't keep going to gym classes, one day I'll wake up, roll over, and find out that I left my intestines on the other side of the bed.So there. That's my de-motivational thought of the day. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Vikingbeard,Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a doctor. I am not a trainer or a rehab professional. I only have my personal experience. My back had pieces of shattered vertebrae free-floating up and down my spine. Multiple herniations. For ten years. Surgeon said if I had waited longer on my reconstruction, I'd be in a wheelchair for life. I've also had knee surgeries, probably due to being overweight due to that massive amount of pain caused by physical exertion with a shattered spine. Since my surgery, the thing that has made my back stronger the absolute most has been deadlifts. The thing that has made my knees the strongest has been squats. Does it hurt? Fuck yes. It can be agonizing.Is it worth it? Fuck yes. Knuckle up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eponine Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Back up to 30 miles this past week but have a couple nagging injuries so I'll probably stay there for another week before I get back to typical training. <proud coach> Though it's not me, I felt this is the place to brag: We had a girl win the 1600 & 3200 in the conference championships fairly easily; the 3200 was in 11:12 and the 1600 was in 5:15. She ran both just to win instead of time so I figure she has another 6-7 seconds to drop on the 1600 and 10-15 on the 3200 once she's thrown into some competition (more if we decided just to concentrate on one). Definitely going to medal at the state meet and there is a decent chance she'll win it. </proud coach>That's awesome! Is she going to run in college? I am super jealous of her for having you as her coach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Wolf Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 That's awesome! Is she going to run in college? I am super jealous of her for having you as her coach!Yep, full ride too (well, half running, half academics.) Can't take a whole lot of credit for her since I just got there this year and she's been pretty damn good for the last 3, but I think she's matured into a very smart racer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokisnow Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 squatted my body weight today! :D last week's heavy sets on squats were 155x5, 165x5, 175x5, and 185x5. this weeks heavy sets were: 170x5, 185x5, 195x5, 205x5. iirc from five years ago, my max squat was about 255 for 1-2 reps, and 240 or so for 6 reps, looks like I'll be getting back there much sooner than I expected (I don't expect to continue upping twenty pounds a week, I'm still acclimating to heavy lifting again). Deadlifts are a somewhat new movement for me, particularly doing them properly, which is a totally new movement, so I'm going much more cautiously on adding weight and focusing on drilling the form of the lift into my muscles, I'd rather do it right and light than wrong and heavy, so it's quite a bit less than my squat at this point, but I fully expect it to close that gap and overcome my squats over the next few weeks of deadlifts. Squat form was much stronger this week, my knees did not want to rebel and more naturally went out over my toes, I think this is also because my stance was an inch or two wider and overall just a little better. but the old habit that kicked in this week was the tendancy to come up more on my toes, so I concentrated on trying to keep the bar over the middle of my foot, which helped a lot. I also locked my eyes into a spot on the floor and kept my head in the right position, it really does give your more power in your hips when you do that. I think next week I'm going to ask someone to spot me to make sure I'm going deep enough and that I'm coming up correctly, because I worry I'm not driving it up the ideal way, I think I still have some bad habits ingrained in my muscles on that portion of the lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liffguard Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Vikingbeard,Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a doctor. I am not a trainer or a rehab professional. I only have my personal experience. My back had pieces of shattered vertebrae free-floating up and down my spine. Multiple herniations. For ten years. Surgeon said if I had waited longer on my reconstruction, I'd be in a wheelchair for life. I've also had knee surgeries, probably due to being overweight due to that massive amount of pain caused by physical exertion with a shattered spine. Since my surgery, the thing that has made my back stronger the absolute most has been deadlifts. The thing that has made my knees the strongest has been squats. Does it hurt? Fuck yes. It can be agonizing.Is it worth it? Fuck yes. Knuckle up.Again, same disclaimer. I'm not a doctor, physio, rehab professional etc. But I agree with all of the above. I've had reoccuring problems with my right knee and the exercises that have helped the most have been deadlifts and squats. Every physio I've seen with this problem, as well as a sports therapist I regularly see, has told me that the best way to protect shitty joints is to build up the muscle around the joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztemhead Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Again, same disclaimer. I'm not a doctor, physio, rehab professional etc. But I agree with all of the above. I've had reoccuring problems with my right knee and the exercises that have helped the most have been deadlifts and squats. Every physio I've seen with this problem, as well as a sports therapist I regularly see, has told me that the best way to protect shitty joints is to build up the muscle around the joint.thirded, and was reiterated by a doc I recently drove in the cab. I never thought I'd be able to do serious amounts of weight in squats again, but now I am, and it is good. did the stego upper body workout today, and it was good, though by the last set of military presses, my upper chest crapped out and I had to call it a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikingBeard Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 It's not like I'm never gonna deadlift again. I hurt my back 2 weeks ago so by next week or the next I'll deadlift again, this time starting with half the weight and concentrating on form. I always squat on leg day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seastarr Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I began the elbow rehab yesterday, including Less Than Luke's curl and push down recommendations. I got a little freaked out yesterday because it was all swollen around the joint and even a little bruised although that may have been from the massage the night before. Here's what I finally broke it down into, and today, already, the elbow is feeling a whole lot better:1)I do a series called arch and curl on my gyro tower. This is pretty obscure stuff, I doubt any of you have heard of the gyro work. I can't write its full name because they are trademark freaks. Really.2) I do some intense neck and shoulder traction on the reformer.3) I do the bicep curls using the gyro tower. It's like a cable system. I kept the weight at 15lbs. because that was about as much as left elbow could negotiate. Left elbow is very uncoordinated these days.4) I do the tricep pull down things also using the gyro cables. Had to kneel up on a bench to get the proportions right, but it worked out. These didn't hurt at all, and I tried them at several different angles. With my elbow close to the body there was just a little catch in my tendons, but nothing bad.#3 and #4 are new to me, and honestly I felt silly doing them. I usually am doing much more complex motions when I am working out and doing these one joint flexions and extensions seems really goofy to me. But it's working, so I'm on the bandwagon with them.5) A big upper body stretch series that opens chest, shoulders and arms using weighted traction on the same cable tower.6) I tie a 10 lb. sandbag to my left arm for 5-10 mintues a day and just do straight traction.So, the plan is to do this everyday, and hopefully make it back to ashtanga by next Friday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elrostar Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Looks like today's trip to the gym isn't going to happen, as we're trying to get our apartment ready for a housewarming party tonight. Tomorrow morning I'll be aiming for another a three mile run/jog and Stego's upper body workout. I figure if I really kill myself with those pull-ups and upper body exercises, it will start to pay off pretty soon.Last time was my first time really doing weights of any kind in a long long time, but at least now I have some idea of where I'm starting from. Not where I'd like to be starting from, but at least I know where it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xray the Enforcer Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 [on a tangent, the F train has been worse and worse lately... I've just about given up on it and way to Jay street instead to get the A train...]Oh man, tell me about it. Yesterday was a real shit-show.I really like my gym -- the equipment is well-maintained, the locker rooms aren't disgusting, it has all kinds of classes and extra studios (exercise room, yoga studio, pilates studio and bike room), and it's just generally a pleasant place to be. Even more awesome, the trainers and staff really encourage a female-friendly atmosphere in the weights area. (This is the very first gym I've been to that does this.) Much of this comes down to educating women on how to use the equipment, but it's totally reinforced by the attitudes of the trainers. They will not let guys act like shitheads in the weight area, and I've seen them give backup to women when guys get all proprietary about the freeweights. It's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikingBeard Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Did back today Hyperextensionswide Grip PulldownsBB RowsT-Bar Rowsthen....20 minutes walking on treadmill @ 3mph on a 1.5 incline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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