Exercise routines, tips and chatter?

[paradise lost]

Join a squad hun! Or start your own. Call it the yummymummy morning swimmers and meet to exercise a bit (you don't have to enter anything competative to be a squad right?) and get round the rules like that?

I just did 5k at 90%max hr in 32 mins again. I've put another thread up about heart monitors as i am really confused now. LOL.

Bx

[Nadine216]

If you keep jogging like that you will be 161cm before December!!! We would have to change your username to Stubby!!

I don't have energy to start a club. I have a very intricate balancing act going on, so am not going to tip my scales. Maybe when I stop working ... hmmm. Actually that is a very good idea. I'll keep it at the back of my head. Might just be something I can look into, THANKS!!!

[Lilly-Pilly]

Okay i found this thread and had a quick look over it, but now i need inspiration and ideas.
I'm pretty small framed, and short too, so exercise isn't something i've ever needed to do, although lately i've noticed im starting to put on weight easier than i used to.
My biggest problem is that I work as a Massage Therapist, so after working between 6 - 8 hours a day of deep tissue massage work i get home and after cooking dinner, house work, kid stuff im exhausted. The idea of running or riding or anything exhausts me more!
I also work when DD is at school, and at the most get every second or third weekend off from her and thats really about it, so its not like i can go out and run/ride etc.
So, how do you find the energy at the end of the day to excercise??

[C~Q]

Well i'm really lucky that I don't work si I go in the morning and get it out the way. It must be really hard to juggle exercise with working. I get all my enthusiasm and energy from the classes and the people there. I just LOVE them. I have to force my self to use the gym but the classes I could go to all day long. Have you ever tried something like that in the evening? Does your gym (or a gym near you) have a Creche?

ETA - Bec i'm glad you love the new pram and I am so jealous of you for loving running - I hate it soooo much!
Nadine - that swimming pool sounds insane! Does anywhere near you have Aquarobics? Although thats not really the same as swimming is it!

[Nadine216]

Hi, Dee
The way you get energy to exercise is by exercising not what you had in mind, I'm sure, but that is just the way it is. If you can hold on for the first two weeks, it will get better. I exercise in the morning, I start the day fresh and I have no excuse (exept my own lazyness) not to exercise. Before dd I went to the gym at 5:10am!!!! That was the only time I could fit it in my schedual. I now have a halfday job, but have to work in my husband's shop in the mornings, so my gym time is between 7:15am and 8:30ish.

Rachel - there are a privately owned heated pool in town and there are aquarobics and I did go to one class, but not for me. I think I might be bias, but it was all old ppl (I mean really, really old ppl!!!) I just did not fit in, and it is SOOOOO not really swimming

[C~Q]

Thats really funny because the only time I did Aqua it was full of old ladies (but I think because of the type of pool it was)! It was actually kind of gross because at the end we had to stand in a circle and massage each others shoulders and it felt awful, massaging some randoms bare, wet shoulder! Ugh, it still makes my skin crawl thinking about it!

Well, for those of you who are interested, I did the new Pump today (65) and it was really good. Very hard squats and chest but reasonable Triceps and Biceps. I decided to put my weight up because all my friends at the gym have been laughing at me for not increasing in about 6 months so now i'm doing; warm up - 7.5K, Squats - 20K, Chest - 10K, Back - 10K (want to go higher but I have a wrist injury), Triceps - 10K, Biceps - 7.5K and Lunges - 10K. Would be really interested to know what everyone else does

[chrysalis]

Hi everyone I haven't read all of the way back through this post but my tip is try and make exercise incidental to your other activities eg I park the car at the other end of my local shopping centre so i have to walk up and back, used to ride my bike to and from work, saved $$, stress reliever etc etc.
Rachel that Aqua class sounds gross! Ew.
I am impressed with your weight loading.
I am still a beginner, warm up 5kg, squats lunges and back 10kg, triceps and biceps 5kg.

[C~Q]

bb77 that's great! I've been doing it for 2 years which is why i'm not all that happy with my weights!

[paradise lost]

Nadine - i've been running 4 days in a row now! LOL. I'd LOVE to go out again today but unfortunately i did a 7k yesterday afternoon and started to feel tight in my hips which is what happens when i overdo it. So today is a complete rest day, and tomorrow i'm gonna try for either a 5k at race speed or a 7k nice and steady again.

Dee - HI! Welcome to the thread. I have to agree that to get energy to exercise....you exercise! Contrary to logical reasoning, exercising GIVES you energy (within reason, obviously if you exercise instead of eating or sleeping that's not good). I think everyone should exercise, whatever build they are. You can be thin and slight and incredibly unhealthy, just as you can be overweight but active and healthy. Your body accumulates fat around the heart and liver you can't see from the outside but that can be a real health risk. I also (having recovered from depression myself) think far less people would need their anti-depressant drugs if they were able to exercise more. When you exercise your body rewards you with endorphins and if you regularly exercise those endorphins keep on coming, lifting your mood all the time. I exercise for fun and stress relief, i'm never going to be skinny or an athlete - the one thing i'm really good at (long distance swimming) i actually find a bit dull! Finding something you enjoy is the key, once you have something you love you will WANT to go out there and get that feeling. Exercise in your body's instincts is about getting food, physiologically we were fit to hunt. So your body will always reward you a little with the endorphins but if you hate what you do it won't be enough to keep your mind "into" it. Your body WANTS to exercise, you just have to find a way to do it that lets your mind enjoy it too.

I find exercise gives me so much. Stress relief - i'm a single SAHM with DD 24/6 (she goes to her dads for 24 hours a week) and i really need to escape sometimes. Fitness - i FEEL better in my body. THere's something great about being able to run up stairs and not even feel it. I'm like a dynamo i have SO much more energy now! Mental health- i feel good all the time, partly to do with the endorphins but partly because my exercise routines give me something to work towards and achieve that, unlike the rest of things i do/have done in life, are not to do with money, duty or necessity. I run because i can and when i run a 10k because i could i feel so proud of myself. And i was 40lbs heavier and completely unfit 2 years ago, i am living, running proof that ANYONE can exercise and enjoy it. Physical - it gives me satisfaction to see my strong calves, or my rounder bum. I will never be skinny but i look and feel so HEALTHY, and the better i feel about my body the more confident i am, the more confident i am the more sexy i am, the sexier i am the more head over heels DP is with me, and that makes me feel even BETTER. It's all good hun. I totally recommend it

Rachel - i demand a description of the new moves I figure we're on the last release, a lot of up for 2, down for 2, then 2 singles throughout the whole hour and the triceps is the crazy edge of bench then french press, then with the bar one (which i quite like because you don't get that feeling at the end of the second set where you think "OMG i have to do all that again!?!" LOL).

I'm midway through my second release, been going since the start of October last year. I lift 5kg to warm up, 10kg for squats, 7kg for chest, 10kg for back, 5kg for triceps, 7kg for biceps, 7kg for shoulders, 7kg (if we use the bar) for lunges, and a 2.5kg plate (if we're using one) on my chest during crunches/abs. How do you guys up your weight? DP, who's been doing it years, told me to wait until i was finishing with a little more in the tank and then go up a bit, but my body doesn't work like that. I'm very efficient, so if i lift 10kg my body will adjust to lifting 10kg but it never feels "easy" and i never feel i have enough left to lift more so i just arbitrarily jack a few groups up every few weeks. I just went from 9kg to 10kg with my squats and back which made me feel great as it meant i could use 2 5-plates instead of two 2.5's and 4 donuts . I felt so proud taking those 5's off the rack! LOL. I've been running for about 2 years now and that builds lean but not hugely strong thighs. I thought when i first started that i'd be great with squats because of the running, but though i could run 12miles continuously i could only lift 7kg! LOL.

I think i'm going to move to 9kg for my lunges and shoulders soon. One i've done that i might move to 12kg for my squats. Do you guys focus on one muscle group for a release or move it all forward incrementally? I want to get up to 12kg squats and back, 10kg lunges, 9kg shoulders and chest and 7kg triceps by the start of summer (end of May?) i think... Hmmm maybe i should write a plan?

Bx

[Nadine216]

Ewww, ewww, and double ewwww from me - touching old ppl's wet necks *shiver* You can make a very cool thriller from that idea. Ewwwwwwww

Hi, bb77 - Yeah I do that same thing. Not always, but I will park only once and walk where I want to be, even if it means it's two or three blocks. And I tend to carry dd as much as I can when in town. Like when I only need to buy a bread, I don't put her in a trolly, kwim? I also try and walk to town on Saturday's, I don't have lots of shopping to do then and it's only really to keep dd and me busy.

Bec, I can't agree more on what you get from exercise. You have said it perfectly. I just thought this morning (adoring myself in the mirror ) that I could have been this fit and healthy AGES ago, but NOOOOO I was just to lazy. My face looks so slim and my collar bones are just peeking and very seductive. And I too will never be stick thin, but I absolutely LOVE my arms at this stage. Evertime I pick up something heavy and my bicep bulge (ok, do a little bump) I fall in love with myself all over again. And the fact that I can do the amount of crunches that I do, is to me utterly astounding. I just love the way exercise affected my life.

Ok, you guys have me totally and utterly curious ... what the heck do you do in pump class!!!!!!!
Like I have read in other threads like Pump 41, or like Rac said Pump 65 - WTF?? Is there a web-page that I can have a look at? Maybe I can introduce that to my gym instructor or fit in an extra session for myself and do it on my own.

Saying that, Bec, I can't help you with your weight question don't know what you guys are talking about.
All I can say is that my dad said to increase like this for regular circut training: Example:
Week one: 3 reps 10kg
Week two: 2 reps 10kg, one rep 12kg
Week three: 1 rep 10kg, one rep 12kg, one rep 10kg
Week four: 1 rep 10kg, two reps 12kg
Week five: 3 reps 12 kg
It may sounds slow, but he said that if you do it like that, your body has time to adjust and you don't overwork yourself. (He was an springbok swimmer and trained alot when he was young, granted he did not do bodybuilding, but only build lean muscle. But that is what we girls want, right?? Not Johny Bravo pecs, just Lara Croft glutes!!)

BTW - I don't like circut training. I find it boring I need the interactiveness (is that a word?) of class.

[paradise lost]

OMG i think you would LOVE bodypump! It's a Les Mills, just google "Bodypump Les Mills" and the website with the class intros and stuff will come up.

The class i do is 60 mins (there is an express for 45 mins i believe too but our gym only does the longer class). It's all done to music with a bar and different weight plates and a step/bench. Each new number indicates a new routine and new music. The class is always laid out the same: warm-up, squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, shoulders, abs and each area has a new track. The emphasis is on lower weight and lots of reps, rather than heavy weights/low reps. Of each release i'd say 2 or 3 tracks are really hard, and the rest aren't too bad and the emphasis shifts with each new release. The current squats (am trying to remember it all so someone correct me if i'm wrong) is (with the bar resting across the squishy part of the top of your back/shoulders you squat down trying to get the thigh and shin to make a 90degree angle (but no lower, many don't manage that far for the whole track) without letting your knee travel forwards too much - like you're going to sit down on a chair):

*squat down for a count of 4 (mega slowly) and back up for count of 4* x2
*down for 3 up for 1* x4
*down for 2, up for 2* x2
*down for 2, up for 2 then 2 singles (down 1, up 1)* x4 or 6 i think
*singles* for 4
*down then only half way up, working the bottom half* x8
*down for 4, up for 4* x2

You repeat that routine 3 times during the track, once with feet hip distance apart, once with them a little wider and the final time you can choose yourself. It sounds relentless written out but the music keeps you going and you usually get a few seconds in between each set to shake off your legs and stretch your back.

All of the muscle groups are like that, with a routine within repeated 3 times, though sometimes they'll be different, like the triceps one just now you start off as i said above, lowering your bum off your bench with your hands on the edge of it and your elbows bending back so when your triceps are taking your weight, then you hold a plate up above your head, "glue" your upper arms to your ears, and lower and raise the plate behind your head, then you lie back on the bench and use the bar to lift either from arms straight up to bar just over the forehead (you keep the upper arm still and only move the elbow) or up and down with the elbows tucked in tight and grazing the ribs each time. So there are 3 different "things" but within each bit the lifts are the same - up4, down 4, up 3 down 1, singles etc.

It is so fun and there's something inspiring about being in a room of people all lifting weights simultaneously. I only do it for 1 hour a week but already in 4 months i am so much more toned and stronger. My running has improved and i feel stronger and more confident. I'd totally recommend you give it a go. A gym near you almost certainly offers it...

Bx

[Nadine216]

I am emigrating to Mozambique!!!!!!!!!! That is where the nearest bodypump class is
We don't have that in South Africa. And you are right Bec, I would LOVE that!!!!!

It looks like lots of fun, and like you will get a hectic work-out. AND it's for men too. That could be great.
Maybe I should talk to my instructor and ask that if I do the research and learn a bit more, maybe she could (or I *being VERY naive*) could fit in a class on a Thuesday morning. OR
I could just do it on my own till everyone in the gym is soooooooooooo interested that we can demand BodyPUMP SA!!

My brain is working overtime now. I WANT TO DO THAT CLASSES!!!!!

[C~Q]

Wow, so you don't have Les Mills classes at all in SA? I've just had a cold shiver down my back, I think I would die without my LM classes! Unfortunatly not just anyone can be a Les Mills instructor. You have to have the countries relevant group fitness qualification and then you have to be trained by Les Mills. New instructors have to attend a workshop for 2 or 3 days solid training where they learn the choreo and how to instruct. Then they are approved (or not) to team teach in a Les Mills licenced gym. THEN, after team teaching with a qualified LM instructor for a while they have to send in a video of themselves teaching for approval. Again, they can pass or fail at this stage. Once passed they can teach by themselves. They also have to attend quarterly workshops to learn all the new releases. Phew, I know all this because i'll be doing my Body Combat training when I get back from visiting the UK it July...v. scared!!!!

Bec, I always found it really hard to up the weights. My instructor always said when it gets easy, up your weights but it never got easy for me! So with this newe release I thought, stuff it, i'm upping EVERYTHING (except back). The first 2 times I did it I had a fall-back bar with my previous weight on it but I found that if I knew it was there, I would use it so now I don't even set it up. WIth the chest track this release (sooo much easier than the one you're doing!) we had a break and I was about to swap it and just thought f##k it, i'll keep going and I did!

I bumped all my weights up but you should probably ask your instructor what she recomends. It's probably best not to up all the upper body weights at once but lower body should be fine.

Did the new Step today (71) it was so so so so so much fun! It's really dancey and there are quite a few funky moves including "Thriller" arms at the end!

[paradise lost]

Well, since my buggy arrived i have been out SO much!

My normal week:
Monday: 3-4k buggy run
Tuesday: 0.5-1k swim + 60 min bodypump
Weds: Off
Thurs: 5k run
Fri: Off
Sat: 3-4k buggy run
Sunday: Off

Last week went:
Monday: 4.75k/32mins buggy run
Tuesday: 5k/32mins buggy run, 60 minute bodypump
Wednesday: 60mins in moderate zone (fast walk/slow jog)
Thursday: 7k/50-odd mins buggy run
Friday: Off (took a LOT to force myself not to go out! LOL)
Saturday: 8k+/60mins buggy run
Sunday: Off

DP said on Sunday morning i look thinner already! Lol, i've been eating SO much too, i'm starvin from all the runnins I'm thinking i might keep it going this week as i feel really good just now.

Thanks for the advice Rachel i'll ask Sharon about upping my weights next week. I tend to add to one group at a time, as i can't handle full-body DOMS.

Bx

[Nadine216]

Sounds like a lot of drama to get BodyPump Class
Then I must just be content with what I have, and wait till you emigrate to South Africa to come and introduce us to BodyCombat. Ohhhh, sounds tough!!

Just wanted to share...
I had the most awsome class on Monday. I know it was awsome, because my inner thighs are SOOOOOO SORE !! I just LOVE when I had a great workout and my muscles are nice and tender.

I am thinking of upping my weights at gym also. Atm I do whatever with the 1.5kg handbarbels. Want to up to 2kg per hand. Might get tough as we do about 40 exercise per rep, but I will not know if I can if I don't try.

Question: I currently have crosstrainers that I work out with. BUT they are SOOOOO slippery. Any recomendations in what to look for in an exercise shoe. I am not going to jog in them, just step and fittnessball.

[paradise lost]

Because i run i tend to use too-beat-up-to-run-in trainers at the gym... Just a normal general purpose gym show should do but i do find there are often better treads on ones meant for running. It depends on your foot shape what is comfy but i need good support for my feet (tend to over pronate with my right foot) and like a well-padded, wide-soled shoe for good stability. Do you have a good fitness store with properly trained assistants who can advise you nearby?

Bx

[Nadine216]

Yeah, Bec getting into the city would be my best option. You just never really know if the person you are speaking to REALLY know's what he/she is talking about. Maybe I can chat with Jeanne (my gim instructer) She will definatly know what type of shoes to buy.
We go into the city about every weekend, but getting DH to go into the shops I want are almost impossible

[C~Q]

I've got the new Asics Crosstrainers and they're really good. I went into the shoe shop and spoke to the girl there and they were the ones she recommended. I think you can use them for most activities