Exercise and Fitness II

[Stego]

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

Nice! I know you're a stickler for form, so that's a real 440 squat, not one of those slight knee bends. Good work, man.

[Kat]

So...how's everyone's exercise going?

I am apparently on day 14 of my previously-unofficial Month of Activity. Meaning, so far, every day this month, I have done something or other. I don't usually have set goals, but I might as well finish this one out. Yesterday I started doing weights again (of the non-free variety) and today was Bike to Work Day. Well, I didn't actually bike to work, but I escorted my mother to work on bike. She said, "That was fun. I'm not going to do it every day, but I'd do it next year if you escorted me again." :lol: Yay mom, way to subtly coerce me into things a year in advance.

But anyway. Trying to bump this thread because Chataya thinks it's positive. ;) So I'll ramble some more about happy things.

Being this active has made me realize how much happier I am when I'm doing physical things. I have reached a point gradually where I actually enjoy exercise, not to punish myself or whatever, but because it improves my mood. And I've also realized that this is a drastic change from the way I approached exercise after puberty, when I grew and suddenly became a not-so-fast swimmer, and had to quit soccer because all the teams were actually competitive, and PE class sucked. I kept swimming in high school, but I enjoyed it a lot less when my friends quit and took all the interest out of going to practice. And the way the PE teachers in middle and high school did things made me feel terrible about my level of fitness despite my activity. We were subjected to those fitness tests, but rarely did anything to prepare for them, so a couple times a year, we'd have to run for a while, and then (since we didn't ever run a mile except for the test) they'd shake their heads and tell me how slow, weak, and inflexible I was, and I got the idea that it was a wonder I was even still alive and able to stand up. :rolleyes:

Even though my mother has been a member of a gym forever, I never went to a gym personally until college. And that was only because I realized that I needed to do something. I kept dating guys who liked running and they kept trying to make me run with them and I'd just tell them it was hopeless; I was slow and inflexible and I'd probably die after half a mile. My roommates, on the other hand, were gym fanatics who dragged me to all sorts of classes. I miss having roommates like that, but I credit them for making me see the error of my ways. I thought gyms were just for crazy, tanned LA people (and my mom). Once I realized that the gym was full of nerds like me (at least the one at Nerd University was :P) I felt better about going and just doing my thing and zoning out, or trying new classes. I got stronger, and didn't feel so out of shape when I hiked. I taught some of my friends to swim. I still can't really run, but now I realize that without ridiculous tests that I don't have to stress out about, I can just find things that I like doing, and do them, and not worry about being slow or weak.

The other thing I'm happy about is that after I moved back to SF, two different people convinced me I should start biking. I never biked in the city before that, because drivers were crazy and traffic was everywhere and there were a lot of hills. Also, I had been indoctrinated to the all-or-nothing school of traffic: either you're a driver, or you're a psycho cycling fanatic! who does Critical Mass and like, gets in fights with drivers. I had a professor who did fall into the latter category, but he managed to convince me on a ride around the city that there was actually something to bike activism. I simultaneously started getting really sick of taking the bus everywhere since I could only afford gas occasionally, so I got a bike at a garage sale and tried it out. Lo and behold, there were only a few hills that were too much for me, and once I figured out the right routes, the insane traffic wasn't so bad to deal with. Now I can go up all the hills that I need to, and avoid the others, and I'm happy on my bike. And I genuinely enjoy it as a form of transportation; I don't have to deal with crowded buses and trains as much, and I can still drive if I need to. With the hills around here, it's good exercise, and gives me some variety from being inside at the gym.

I'm not really sure what the point of all this was, other than just to say how glad I am that I've found an active lifestyle that suits me, even if I'm no athlete. Even if my 62 year old mom can still beat me at arm wrestling.

[Mudguard]

Keep it up Kat! Exercising everyday is awesome. It feels great to be in shape. I'm exercising every other day right now, but my recovery after workouts is getting much better, so maybe I can squeeze in an extra day per week.

I was very active in high school, but stopped after I started college. Didn't do any exercise for about 10 years. Started running a several years ago to lose some weight, and at first, I couldn't even run 200 yards without stopping to catch my breath. Kept up the running for about 9 months, but then fell off the wagon for a couple years. Started running again at the beginning of this year and have made good progress, much faster than I was expecting. It's amazing how adaptable our bodies are. The big motiviation now is to get ready to climb Mt. Whitney.

Going on a very strenuous hike this weekend. 15 miles and about 7000 feet of elevation gain. No place to get water on this one, so I'll have to pack all the water I need, probably 5 liters or so. Got some trekking poles, so I'm excited to test them out. The mountain I'm climbing is pretty steep, so the trekking poles will supposedly help a lot on the descent. I have to admit that at first, I thought trekking poles looked kind of dumb. I was wondering why hikers were carrying around ski poles. But pretty much everyone who has used them, loves them, so I'm giving it a try.

[Red Sun]

So...how's everyone's exercise going?

On monday, I did some nice and exhaustive pilates exercises from a DVD I once bought on a whim, all in all 1 h 20 min.

On Tuesday, I did alternating excerises for legs and shoulders/arm. I really do love squats, but I fear that the weights I'm using now are already too light. My arms are still very weak, though. I did only manage six push-ups (the version where you put your arms on a work-out bench or in my case, my couch table), while the other exercises for arms and shoulders went better.

Wednesday evening, I biked ca. 19-20 km (11,81 - 12,43 miles) in 1h 15 min. It's an adapted an somewhat longer version of this bike tour.

Yesterday, I was not so successfull, Thursday is not such a good day for exercises for me, but I still managed to have a minimum of activity, because I biked to the university and back.

This morning, I did some pilates to wake up.

I really do feel better, since I started working out regularly and watching my food intake, but reducing body fat, building up muscles and stamina really takes time, and sometimes that is very frustrating. I was never a very athletic type, but I had always strong legs. Even in my worst shape, I can walk two hours with no stop, and I like walking. I wish I had better opportunities for hiking where I live, but right now, biking is the only sport that helps me to build up stamina and is fun, because I can be outdoors and see/smell nice things.

I also think that I really need to join a gym, even though, I have some hang-ups with the idea, because I feel that the exercises I do alone are not as effective as they should be. If the fee cover the yoga or pilates classes, it would also be a good opportunity to meet other people. Related to this decision, I have a question regarding sport shoes. Right now, I only own a pair of run down running shoes, and I need to buy new ones. Do those of you who also do running own one pair of shoes for running and one pair of shoes for the gym, or can you use the same shoes for both? Sport shoes are really expensive, and I don't have the money for two pairs.

[lokisnow]

only had about twenty minutes at the gym tonight, so I got on the treadmill and thought I'd try the fifteen degree thing. I started at 5 degrees at 3mph and added a degree every minute, I was at 15 degrees by ten minutes, then I started adding a tenth of an mph to my speed each minute. by the time I got to the 18th minute I was wiped out. walked just barely over a mile, then dashed off to be able to get to the movie on time. :-p I'm definitely adding a second cardio day, and it'll be an incline focused walk working up to a jog, what a hell of a workout. I just hope my calves aren't complaining too much tomorrow since tomorrow is leg day.

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

DAMN that's a hell of a lot of weight, congratulations, man.

and as Stego mentioned, you probably do a real squat. At the gym yesterday while I was doing bench I saw three people doing squats, none of them were coming close to doing real squats, the one woman who was working with a trainer/boyfriend, was closest, but the bottom of her thigh was still probably ten degrees from parallel, her guy was worse, probably around twenty degrees, then there was a german fellow who looked to be in excellent shape (spotted my heavy set benches) he was doing squats that I would struggle to call half squats, vague knee bends perhaps. I saw him do one that could reasonably be called a half squat... but still... If he'd been doing heavy weight (he was doing about 135-185) I'd have said something, but I kept my mouth shut, maybe he wants to do half squats? :-p

I wish I had a spotter to watch form on my squats, I've noticed in the mirror when doing squats on my daily warmup (just air squats, no bar or anything) that my hips are dropping well below parallel, I'm working on stopping that, and trying to get used to the right depth, but if anything I've been going too deep, which is inefficient. :-p

oh and yesterday I had a personal best on bench press, added five pounds, and pressed 185x4. :D

[Liffguard]

and as Stego mentioned, you probably do a real squat. At the gym yesterday while I was doing bench I saw three people doing squats, none of them were coming close to doing real squats, the one woman who was working with a trainer/boyfriend, was closest, but the bottom of her thigh was still probably ten degrees from parallel, her guy was worse, probably around twenty degrees,

:o

Bottom of the thigh? Twenty degrees from parallel? That's not even close to a squat. The aim is to get the top of the thigh to parallel. Or, in order to account for differences in leg shape, the crease of the thigh (where it joins the hip) should pass below the knee.

[Stego]

I just attempt to hit ass to ankle. I don't know that I ever succeed, but it's close.

[ztemhead]

I deadlifted 355 today, which gave me smiles.

think I blew a microchip somewhere though because my squats afterwards weren't for shit.

[Xray the Enforcer]

congrats on the personal bests, lockesnow and LtL. :)

Asthma has been killing me this week, so it's been pretty shitty on the workout front. Monday and Tuesday, too sick to workout. Wednesday I dosed myself to the gills with my inhaler and my trainer kicked my ass. It was glorious. Then yesterday was the worst asthma day yet and I was at my doctor's office. I now have the drugs I need to keep this shit in check (they worked last year), and I look forward to next week and a renewal of the proper exercise activity.

[Red Sun]

congrats on the personal bests, lockesnow and LtL. :)

Asthma has been killing me this week, so it's been pretty shitty on the workout front. Monday and Tuesday, too sick to workout. Wednesday I dosed myself to the gills with my inhaler and my trainer kicked my ass. It was glorious. Then yesterday was the worst asthma day yet and I was at my doctor's office. I now have the drugs I need to keep this shit in check (they worked last year), and I look forward to next week and a renewal of the proper exercise activity.

:groupshugs: I really hope that the medication works well and fast, so you feel better.

[Minaku]

I just attempt to hit ass to ankle. I don't know that I ever succeed, but it's close.

There's this half-exercise ball thing that I put under my ass when I do squats, I think it comes maybe 8-10 inches off the floor. When I squat, my butt has to touch that.

Locke, the squats you saw those people doing wouldn't even count as freakin' demi-pliés.

[Xray the Enforcer]

:groupshugs: I really hope that the medication works well and fast, so you feel better.

Thank you. :)

In fact, I already feel better today after just one day on the steroidal anti-inflammatories. I went into the gym today, although had a slightly truncated session (45 minutes instead of an hour). But I added extra weight to every exercise (and only really struggled on one), so I'm happy to report that I'm improving.

[lokisnow]

:o

Bottom of the thigh? Twenty degrees from parallel? That's not even close to a squat. The aim is to get the top of the thigh to parallel. Or, in order to account for differences in leg shape, the crease of the thigh (where it joins the hip) should pass below the knee.

I know, top of thigh, I was disgusted by what I saw. The only person there I've seen do a real squat is the guy that comes in and does fifty pullups over two or three sets for his warmup. :-p

I feel I really should work on my leg raises, I can't hold myself in an L, legs straight out parallel to the floor, for more than 15 seconds or so. it's actually the only part of my warmup I hate and often 'forget' to do.

[ztemhead]

heh, I saw that yesterday. some guy squatting 315, lowering his body a total of about 12 inches.

I began a run just now, but my back was hurting something awful, and it was beastly hot out so I stopped. Good news, instead of starting on my day, I went to the fitness center in my apartment complex and put in 40 minutes on the cross trainer.

[Iskaral Pust]

Ankle still injured. Working insane hours. No exercise at all for weeks. The good news is I have lots of stress and aggression to expend once I can find time to work out.

[seastarr]

I feel I really should work on my leg raises, I can't hold myself in an L, legs straight out parallel to the floor, for more than 15 seconds or so. it's actually the only part of my warmup I hate and often 'forget' to do.

Are you doing this with your palms bearing all your weight flat on the floor? You will find it is much easier if you do it up on a pair of yoga blocks. You will float beautifully and feel light and you can even swing your hips gently forward and back in your L-press. That might get you motivated not to "forget." It will also help you connect to your lats and your psoas abdominal, so that when you go back down to the floor you will have better patterning to lift yourself up. This is how they teach us to do jump backs in ashtanga practice, which is basically moving from L-press to chaturanga dandasana (the bottom of a tricep push-up) by pressing up, bending the knees in towards the body, swinging legs through arms gracefully, and landing lightly in the push up position. I'm still working on the gracefully part.

I went back to ashtanga this morning and had big breakthroughs on some twists, hip openers, and arm balances that had been snagging me up. The bad news is my elbow is a little more sore today than it has been.

[Liffguard]

I just had the most awesome boxing session today. Since my club is a university club it doesn't run over the holidays, so it's been a good month since I had a good knock-about. Just four rounds of fairly relaxed sparring with two rounds of rope in between and a fast bodyweight circuit at the end. I was really worried about ring-rust but the break actually did me good. I went in with no expectations and was able to just relax and get my movement on. I only got caught with a couple of truly clean shots, the rest I managed to slip or block. My footwork was also much better, normally I fight like I have concrete boots but today I was actually staying on my toes. I was moving; in and out, side to side, up and down. I just feel really good for finally getting back to throwing leather.

It got ruined at the end by a bit of drama though. There's this guy who trains with us intermitently. He's such a nice guy, really earnest and well-meaning, and also a big fight fan. He's obsessed with boxing, muay thai, grappling, MMA etc. He really wants to be a competitive fighter. Unfortunately, he's a very big guy (and by big I mean fat) and his fitness sucks. Nevertheless, he was in the ring sparring today. He just couldn't make his body do what his heart wanted to do and had to quit about one minute into every round. His ex-coach, who is friends with our current coach and owns the gym, was there watching. At the end, he just rips into the guy. "You're a disgrace! Don't get angry, get fit! Fucking hell, get off your arse and hit the road!" We all felt pretty bad for him.

The thing is, the coach is right. I feel kinda guilty 'cause when I was talking to this guy afterwards I basically confirmed everything that had been said. "Look, he might have used some pretty harsh words, but he's right. You'll never be a fighter if you don't get fitter. It'll be hard, but you can do it." I offered to take the guy running to try and put a positive spin on it. The guy was literally sitting on the bench outside the gym struggling not to cry. Overall, just a shitty situation.

[lokisnow]

Are you doing this with your palms bearing all your weight flat on the floor? You will find it is much easier if you do it up on a pair of yoga blocks. You will float beautifully and feel light and you can even swing your hips gently forward and back in your L-press. That might get you motivated not to "forget." It will also help you connect to your lats and your psoas abdominal, so that when you go back down to the floor you will have better patterning to lift yourself up. This is how they teach us to do jump backs in ashtanga practice, which is basically moving from L-press to chaturanga dandasana (the bottom of a tricep push-up) by pressing up, bending the knees in towards the body, swinging legs through arms gracefully, and landing lightly in the push up position. I'm still working on the gracefully part.

I went back to ashtanga this morning and had big breakthroughs on some twists, hip openers, and arm balances that had been snagging me up. The bad news is my elbow is a little more sore today than it has been.

thanks for the advice, I do them on a leg raise/dip station or from a hanging position from a pullup bar. I've tried doing them palms on the floor, or even about 6-10 inches off the floor on some sort of bar type raisers but my feet just thump straight down, I can't seem to keep them up at all from that position. I'll see about trying them palms down on some yoga blocks, how high are those?

[Stego]

The thing is, the coach is right. I feel kinda guilty 'cause when I was talking to this guy afterwards I basically confirmed everything that had been said. "Look, he might have used some pretty harsh words, but he's right. You'll never be a fighter if you don't get fitter. It'll be hard, but you can do it." I offered to take the guy running to try and put a positive spin on it. The guy was literally sitting on the bench outside the gym struggling not to cry. Overall, just a shitty situation.

Nothing worth having is easy. And the harsh voice that informs you of this fact is one you will always recall fondly if you ever succeed.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

2 mile hike with cub scouts (6-7yr olds) :lmao:

It was fun and I took the lead made those boys break a sweat. (ours is an odd group, all moms except the scout leader...the other moms were not liking me so much...but who the hell wears flip flops on a hike in the woods. :rolleyes: