Exercise and Fitness II

[Vethnar]

I have already told you. Its all about your diet.

Yes, and I'm grateful for that piece of advice. :)

Remember that I still want to get stronger, though -- just not at the expense of too much weight.

[lessthanluke]

Yes, and I'm grateful for that piece of advice. :)

Remember that I still want to get stronger, though -- just not at the expense of too much weight.

See stegos advise above. You can do what you want.

I have gotten alot stronger over the past year and I've only gained around 7lbs.

[Vethnar]

Vethnar,

Do squats. Do dead lifts. Do Olympic lifts. Follow Rippetoe's form. You'll gain muscle. You'll gain speed and strength and be able to run faster.

I do lots of squats and deadlifts, but no Olympic lifts. Perhaps I should. I've never heard about Rippetoe's form (will look it up, though -- thanks for the pointer). I do gain muscle, speed and strength, I just wish it were possible to gain more speed and strength without gaining much muscle. :)

[Vethnar]

See stegos advise above. You can do what you want.

I have gotten alot stronger over the past year and I've only gained around 7lbs.

That sounds great. I hope I can achieve the same.

Thanks again!

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

:lmao:

Speaking of carbs, once this pregnancy is over I am going back to my 0 cereal diet. I've cut cereal out of my life like what, four times now, partially because I'm lactose intolerant, partially because those are carbohydrates and sugars I am not interested in eating, but damn. Cereal is tasty. I am not wanting to experience the mouthfeel of oatmeal this very second though I have a huge tub of it staring me in the face every time I go back into the kitchen for more Special K with the berries.

C'mon Mina, kick yourself in the ass, no more cereal after this box of Special K is done. OATMEAL. OATMEAL. OATMEAL. CHICKEN BREAST. BROCCOLI. MORE WATER. Mina does not want to be a fat preggo lady. Maternity clothes are fugly. Mina wants to minimize the amount of weight she has to lose post pregnancy. C'MON, BITCH, EAT RIGHT.

*continues psyching herself up as she hits "Add Reply"*

I gained a total of 20 pounds with each child, and after the first were born, I was only about 6-7 pounds heavier than pre-pregnancy weight.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Today at the gym was entertaining as well as a kick in the ass. Just as I was about to suggest "I think need more weight" on the shoulder presses, he was all "put those puny weights back and get the next size up." Next time, we're probably going to increase the weight again, and that will be what I'll work with for a couple of weeks. Anyway, so we laughed about me muttering "no pussying out. no pussying out" to myself during the dreaded shoulder presses. At the very end, I had the choice between some assisted stretching (which feels awesome and helps with my shoulder hunching) and pull ups. I chose pull ups (although the last set was pretty sad) and stretched my own damn self.

My arms are a bit rubbery right now, though. Gah.

[Minaku]

I gained a total of 20 pounds with each child, and after the first were born, I was only about 6-7 pounds heavier than pre-pregnancy weight.

Wow. My doctors want me to gain anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds, and I might be on track to gaining roughly 35 (closer to 40, the way I'm going). I'm really trying not to eat all the sweet things that I want to eat (I have one cheat item other than cereal, and it's that bottle of caffeine-free Pepsi in the fridge of which I am only allowed to drink 12 ounces a day at most, every other day preferable). I started this at 114 and yesterday at 23w/1d weighed in at 136.4. Going to cross my fingers and keep my diet good and keep walking - going for a walk on the treadmill later today for about a half hour. I am hoping walker lady is not going to be there at the same time as me - there is only one treadmill, and this bitch walks every day and I never see any results from her. I have to fight real hard not to tell her to raise the incline and perhaps break a damn sweat every once in a while.

[Vethnar]

I think this might come down to a definition of what is muscular and what isn't. Looking at that guys legs and shoulders - he is pretty muscular. He isn't huge or apparently ripped like Bolt or most of the modern sprinters, but there's a significant amount of muscle on his body.

Exactly. He is muscular and obviously fast and strong, but not very big. That's what I would like to achieve, too. Unfortunately, I seem to have the choice between beeing far weaker than he was, or being far bigger than he was.

[Lord of Oop North]

Sounds like fun! I used to do some climbing but I haven't had much time for it since I landed here in NorCal. I have this little wall that I built for fun. I just try to get on the wall and stay off the ground for five or ten minutes. It's half vertical, and then there's a sloped overhang and a corner to play on. These days I mostly just hang off it like a monkey, but at one time it was actually a pretty useful training tool for climbing (esp. finger and grip strength) even though it isn't particularly high. It fits in 12 foot ceilings.

Hah, neat! In my playing around, I have discovered that it is a lot harder then I thought it would be. I didn't really expect it to be easy, and my grandfather never let me think it was (he was a bit of a alpinist), but I never imagined how much strength it actually takes. And I like to think that I have pretty good finger and grip strength, as a result of climbing through framing for half my life.

I should try building one of these contraptions. I mean, honestly, do I care if my neighbours think I'm insane? Not really.

Grats on the move, Loon :D Soccer makes for the HOTTEST looking male bodies, it is known. Just FYI.

Hah, good to know. :)

[Stego]

Soccer makes for the HOTTEST looking male bodies, it is known. Just FYI.

Yeah, chicks totally dig gay dudes.

[Minaku]

Yeah, chicks totally dig gay dudes.

Soccer players are namby pambies, rolling around on the field after being kicked in the ankle. Oh noes.

Me, I like basketball types. Dayum.

[Liffguard]

Soccer players are namby pambies, rolling around on the field after another player comes within three feet of them and the ref isn't looking, then rolling around on the ground and screaming like an epileptic three year old who's been told he can't have an ice cream. Fucking pussies, play a proper sport. Oh noes.

Fixed for accuarcy.

[Annelise]

I went to the gym yesterday, lalala, and they told me I wonder a free session with the personal trainer. So I figure, what the hell, pick the trainer's brain a bit, learn a few new exercises.

Ow.

Learn a few things I did. Here's hoping I can navigate stairs without pain sometime this week.

Obviously never had any intention of signing up for sessions they push at the end. Still, should have seen my face when she talked about the nutritional program that goes with the session.. where you report back what you eat and they say a lot of no. I said, "Look, I'll be frank. I work out so I don't have to watch what I eat. I'm not doing that, ever. Until I have a health reason that makes me, anyway."

I respect all you people out there who do the diet angle, 'cause that's a lot harder than exercising in my book. :)

[Xray the Enforcer]

[mod] Let's please stay on topic, which is about exercise. [/mod]

[seastarr]

I should try building one of these contraptions. I mean, honestly, do I care if my neighbours think I'm insane? Not really.

If I didn't live in one of the kookiest places in America, I'm sure my neighbors would think I was nuts. I often get the feeling that this board thinks I'm nuts. Maybe I really am nuts but just don't know it? Certainly I could care less what the neighbors think. They must really love the aerial swing thing I've got going on. I hang upside down like a bat on a regular basis. Good traction for the spine.

For the sprinter V- One approach to your problem that hasn't been discussed particularly is kinetic chains and neuromuscular patterning---in other words, the patterns you use to recruit and fire your muscles. One way to make increases in power and speed without necessarily increasing muscle mass and strength is to learn how to use what you have more efficiently.

I used to struggle with just your problem, because I was a ballet dancer. I am also a mesomorph, so I have thick, fat-bellied muscles that respond to strength training. This was really not ideal for a ballet dancer, since the aesthetic is to be very thin and very lean. You can't look like a weightlifter or you'll never get hired. So, in order to get the strength to lift my legs where they needed to go, I had to learn how to be extremely efficient. Basically, I had to learn core stability and how to recruit first from deep muscles like the psoas and tranverse abdominals, and secondarily from the big superficial muscles in the legs.

Getting a good pilates teacher could help you with this. It can be hard to find someone with true skill and expertise, as it takes a very refined eye to be able to break down the movements and see where there are inefficiencies. Maybe your running coach or other athletes could recommend someone to watch you and help you?

Basic functional core strengthening may be helpful. I'm not talking about sit ups or weighted abdominal work, but rather learning how to scoop the belly and maintain deep engagement during your other motions, changing how your spine, ribcage, and pelvis stack up in standing and running positions to minimize loss of energy.

Whew! Finally, getting more flexible makes you more efficient because your body doesn't have to fight itself when it is doing motions that take it towards the limits of your range. If you are fighting tightness, you are having to expend extra effort and strength towards pulling against the tightness. Gaining flexibility, particularly in the hamstrings and the hip flexors, may help you move your legs with more ease in your stride and then you can use your muscles to move your bones (as they were meant to) instead of to fight your other muscles.

Hope that's not too abstract.

[ztemhead]

If I didn't live in one of the kookiest places in America, I'm sure my neighbors would think I was nuts. I often get the feeling that this board thinks I'm nuts.

I think you're only a little nuttier than most. I still find your posts fascinating though, and props for having the chutzpah to post such off the beaten path insights. You make me want to stretch more. ;)

did another Stego upper body workout today. only thing I felt a noticable change in was the incline dumbell press, I went up 5 lbs each side, and I'm ready to bail on the "assisted" for dips. Not quite there for pull ups yet.

[Stego]

Not quite there for pull ups yet.

[Lucky Pierre]

Week One:

Mon: Upper body workout

Tues: Cardio

Wed: Lower body workout

Thurs: Cardio

Fri: Upper body

Sat: Cardio

Sun: rest

Week Two:

Mon: Lower Body

Tues: Cardio

Wed: Upper Body

Thurs: Cardio

Fri: Lower body

Sat: Cardio

Sun: rest

I'm going to put all the exercises that I can do on index cards and keep them grouped by area. Then I'll make my own schedule based on the above. I think I'll try to get the cardio back in there at least 2x a week as I've not done any in several weeks-although I've been in the pool daily.

Yesterday was leg day-then I spent an hour walking around the neighborhood distributing flyers... I can barely walk today.. :)

[lessthanluke]

Squatted 440lbs x 1 today. PR though it was harder than expected.

[ztemhead]

dayum.

just... dayum.