Exercise routines, tips and chatter?

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!!!) :cryinglaugh: I just did not fit in, and it is SOOOOO not really swimming

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 :)

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.

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

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

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 :rolleyes: :p ) 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. :cryinglaugh: 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 :lol: 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 :lol: I need the interactiveness (is that a word?) of class.

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

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!!!!!

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!

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

:( 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. :p 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 :boohoo: !! 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 :redface: 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.

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

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 :rolleyes:

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 :)

Thanks Rachel :)

I spoke to a girlfriend and she told me she just bought her some Medal New Trainers or something like that. Says it gripps the tile's off the floor, but it's a bit expensive. :( So I need to save up some money, but I am getting me a pair of those.

Where is everybody? In the gym I hope :lol:

Well, I have had a killer 3 days. I did Pump/Step on Monday as usual, then I turned up at the gym yesterday at 4.45 to do Combat only to find out I had the wrong time, it was Pump then and Combat at 5.45. So after much indecision I decided to do Pump again (very naughty I know) and put my weights down. Then I did Combat after. This morning I did Combat followed by Pump and just thought stuff it i'll put my weights back up again. So that's Pump/Step, Pump/Combat, Combat/Pump...YOUCH! I'm not in too much pain now but I know it's coming!

Got Step tomorrow and Attack on Friday so i'm not going to do anymore Pump till Monday!

Hope everyone is well :)

Oh Racheal, I WISH!!!

Are doing year-end and stock-taking, so no gym for me :( :( At my job and my husband's shop, so I am SOOOOOO busy. So if I am not around a lot, excuse me :)

I am hoping to be finished by next week Thuesday, so then I can get back to the gym.

Your workout sounds hectic!! I would have loved that!!!

Oh you poor thing :( I hate it when real life interfears (sp?) with gym - that's why i'm going to make it my job lol!

Hope you're all finished up soon. Whats everyones else's excuse?! ;)

Well i coulnd't run thurs/fri/saturday because it was too dangerous with the buggy in the high winds. VERY annoying as i was climbing the walls and DD was none-too-chuffed being stuck in all the time either!

I did run 7k on Sunday, without the buggy which made my slow-and-easy pace WAY faster!

Monday i was kind of ill, DP had had a horrible fever/cough thing a bit like flu over the weekend and i was afraid i was getting it too, but it all came to not much and i think basically it was another sinus infection :(

I skipped my swim but made it to bodypump last night, which was great. Our usual instructor was off and the other girl took it. She's great but a ball-buster - she actually REMEMBERS how much people lifted last time and forces them to put their weights up. And she swapped the biceps for a real toughie with a lot of fast fast reps too. My arms are killing today, it was a great class :D

I'm putting my squats and back weights up again next week i think.

The sun is (FINALLY) out here and the winds have (FINALLY) dropped a bit, so i'm gonna take DD out to the park so she can run a bit and i can run a bit (5k?) ahead of our planned outing this afternoon. YEAY!

Bx

I bet your little girl loves being in the pram whist you run, having the wind in her hair - it would be fantastic!

Hope you've been able to run a bit more now :)

I have had my biggest ever week at the gym this week.

Mon - Pump/Step
Tues - Pump/Combat
Wed - Combat/Pump
Thurs - Step
Fri - Off
Sat - Pump/Attack

It was awesome, I feel great (bit tired and sore). I want to do the same next week and add an Attack class on the Friday.

Woohoo I love it! Now i'm un-doing all the good work by drinking lots and lots of beer!

Have a good weekend everyone :)

I'm not a fan of the latest release of Body Pump (dont know the number). It just doesn't seem to jell for me. Too many transistions, poor timings, all a bit jolty. Plus none of the songs really do it for me.

Also not a fan of the latest Body Step. Don't I sound like a grump now! It always throws me off when we start off with the block around the "wrong way"!

Do others have opinions?

Are you on the new release? When did it begin? Is Hot Stepper your abs music and that Chirstina Aguilera that makes you want to kill yourself the cool-down? LOL.

What do you mean about the block?

You do sound moany! Get back in the gym moany! Lol. Only kidding. At least you won't have to suffer it too long, and often when the transitions and timings feel bad it's because it's challenging your body more. They mix it up to keep you awake and keep you working. No pain no gain right? :D

Bx

Ruth is talking about Pump 65 and Step 71. You should get those some time in the next year Bec ;)

Pump 65 is a KILLER! Full on squats and lunges and no break in the chest track, phew! I kinda know what you mean Ruth, but I really like it. One of our instructors has already started mixing it up and we did 26 today - ouch! It's amazing that it only takes a few weeks to get used to something, even if it is really hard. As for Step I think it has to be one of my favourites!

It is off-putting starting the other way around (the block is front facing the instuctor instead of side facing) and I must admit I don't like doing the speed step that way round, but I really like all the new moves and the music is cool.

Have you tried any of the others? In Combat 35 there is Roundhouse challenge so practice for it Bec, 26 RH kicks without putting your foot down (well, you are allowed but you shouldn't!), wow it's a great challenge! There's a song from Hairspray, I think it's called "Can't Stop The Beat"? It is AWESOME!

Oh, excitin! I'm trying to tone my hams so hard squats and lunges will probably do me a painful favour... LOL.

Pump progress report (in total weight on the bar):
Warmup: 5kg
Squats: 12kg (as of last night)
Chest: 7kg
Back: 12kg (as of last night)
Triceps: 5kg
Biceps: 7kg
Lunges: 12kg (as of last night)
Shouders: 7kg

Aims: to get my squats and lunges to 20kg by June, to get my triceps to 7kg by June, to get my biceps to 9kg by end of current release.

I wish i was more overall strong. I feel like i COULD NOT add any weight to the triceps - i feel like i'm only JUST able to finish atm, yet the instructor was nagging me to get my bicep weight up last night and i think i could try 9kg next week. And like the squats and lunges are HARD with 12kg, but i feel like i'll be able to add more in 3 weeks or so (in fact i don't really hurt today so if i haven't gotten some DOMS in my legs by tomorrow i'm going to move to 14kg next week), but with my back i feel like it's gonna be longer before i can up that, i'm finding it really hard now. I just feel like some of my muscles are hopelessly weak compared to others. Like if you took my biceps and scaled from that i should be able to life about 25kg on my squats!

Running progress report:
speed: 6mins10secs/mile (WOOT)
distance: 7.5km at race speed (9mins45secs/mile)
endurance: 65mins continuous with buggy

Aims: sub-1hour finish at 10k in May.

Swimming progress report:
500m/12mins (150m breast, 350 freestyle)

Aims: none. LOL.

Bx

Ok, I have finished taking stock and are back in my routine - THANK HEAVENS. Isn't it weird how you get up in the morning, don't really want to gym, drag your sorry butt there and end up enjoying it, but when you can't go to the gym you are willing to sell your first-born right for 30 minutes of intense pain and sweat :cryinglaugh:

I am totally jealous of you guys having Attack and Combat and Pump classes :( :(

Had a nice, strechy fitball class this morning. I feel long and lean and stiff in the back a bit, but that is only because she consentrated the back this morning.

Hypothetical (sp) question.
Could a woman get her body in shape in six months of extensive and hard gym (weights & cardio) training??? DH was oogeling a girl on TV the other day (darn damn sexy, I was oogeling her also ;) ) and I told him that the chances of me looking like that was about -49.5. And then I thought that if I train hard for six months, surely I could look like that - if I wanted - I could, if I wanted. If I did not have a job and could train mornings and afternoons and eat the right food (this could be a HUGE problem :rolleyes: ) ... how long will it take to get your body in tip-top shape?? Maybe even less time - like 3 months???

ATM I like myself, I am just wondering that IF I were to take on a project like that, how long would it take me.

Hypothetical answer:

Yeah, you should be able to get fit-looking in 6 months with hard work. But...

How you look when you're "fit" depends a lot on your body type though. There is a woman in my bodypump class who leaves after the lunges because it is her 5th class of the day. She does 18 classes/week. Now don't get me wrong, she looks good, but if i were doing 18 classes/week to look like her, FOR ME, it wouldn't be worth it.

If you are the sort of person who has thick skin you will NEVER get the definition and tone that someone who has thinner skin can, and likewise if you have thin skin, you will never get the firmness of flesh that a person with thicker skin can. If you are an ectomorph somatotype you'll find it very hard to build big muscles and if you're an endomorph you'll find it very hard to build lean wiry muscle. Without seeing the girl and you it's hard to know if your body type is anything like hers. So yes, you could get to that level, bodywise, in 6 months, but you'd need to be prepared to look nothing like the photo girl when you do.

Also, once you reach this level, are you willing to keep putting the hours/effort in to stay that way?

It's something we've debated before on a few running forums i go to. So often people aspire to athlete's bodies without thinking about the fact that for most people who look like that, the work that makes them look like that is their ONLY job - top athletes do almost nothing for themselves, their working day is in the gym/on the track, so to take on looking like them you're basically taking on another job on top of the one you already do, kwim?

If you really wanted to, you could quit your job and become a personal trainer...? ;)

Bx

Firstly - I spelled hypothetical correctly!! :dance: LOL

I get what you are saying and no :redface: we do not have the same body type. I am big-boned, pear-shaped and heavy (probably build hard muscle, not lean) and she was boy-shaped and fine.

And a big NA-AH NO on the keeping it up like that, once I get there. I have a life other than exercise :cryinglaugh: It has been in the back of my mind lately, swotting personal training or something in that line. But I know I will never make the move. I am a play-it-safe kind of girl.


Just noticed something else ... it's only in this day and age that you can chat to ppl from the UK and South-Africa on an Austrailian web-page!!

Thanks for bearing with my silly questions. :)

I know, technology is wonderful :)

My DP is a software architect, but he did his personal trainer qualification a few years back and does a course or 2 every year (recently did spinning course, going to do antenatal soon i think) just to keep his qualification current. You could save up and do the course without having to leave your job immediately?

I have a friend from SA actually and i love reading your posts as the way you say some things like

:

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she told me she just bought her some Medal New Trainers

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reminds me of her and makes me smile. And i LOVE having idle chats about exercise. Having you guys to talk to about it stops DP and my Dad getting too sick of it.

Just ran 5k in high winds with the buggy, was so windy i was having to push it DOWN hills into the headwind. LOL.

Bx

OK. I'm officially OVER this cold.

So this Monday coming, I'm going to tackle the 1000 steps.

And on the Sunday after that.

And the Sunday after that.

And I'm going to return to my C25K that I haven't done in 3 weeks and am totally missing (surprisingly).

Nadine, as Bec said you can definatly change your body over 6 months! I never ever thought my body could look the way it does and I had a baby just over a year ago. You will have to maintain it though but I would say if you ever get to that point then it would be because you have changed your mindset about food and exercise so I don't think that would be hard to maintain - it would just be your way of life.

I am really lucky that DH earns enough so I don't have to work. We always said I would go back to work when DD2 was at school. Even now the thought of not being able to go to the gym at least 5 tmes a week fills me with dread which is why i'm becoming a personal trainer ;) The instructor thing is just for fun (it would have to be, they only pay $35 a class :doh:). So to me all the work I do at the gym is for my future and my career and it's a good way to justify it!

Oops, have to go, my taties are boiling over...I will be back!

:

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Oh, excitin! I'm trying to tone my hams so hard squats and lunges will probably do me a painful favour... LOL.

Pump progress report (in total weight on the bar):
Warmup: 5kg
Squats: 12kg (as of last night)
Chest: 7kg
Back: 12kg (as of last night)
Triceps: 5kg
Biceps: 7kg
Lunges: 12kg (as of last night)
Shouders: 7kg

Aims: to get my squats and lunges to 20kg by June, to get my triceps to 7kg by June, to get my biceps to 9kg by end of current release.

I wish i was more overall strong. I feel like i COULD NOT add any weight to the triceps - i feel like i'm only JUST able to finish atm, yet the instructor was nagging me to get my bicep weight up last night and i think i could try 9kg next week. And like the squats and lunges are HARD with 12kg, but i feel like i'll be able to add more in 3 weeks or so (in fact i don't really hurt today so if i haven't gotten some DOMS in my legs by tomorrow i'm going to move to 14kg next week), but with my back i feel like it's gonna be longer before i can up that, i'm finding it really hard now. I just feel like some of my muscles are hopelessly weak compared to others. Like if you took my biceps and scaled from that i should be able to life about 25kg on my squats!


Bx

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Your Bicep weight is really good. I have always found it the hardest weight to up. I am still only doing 7.5K and that is killing me, at the end of the track my form is shockingly bad and I am wobbling like crazy! 9K is a really good weight to aim for, good luck!

I would recommend upping your Bi's and Tri's on the next release for sure. The Tricep track is long, with no breaks but there are 4 different moves so you're not spending the whole time in agony! The Bicep track is also pretty hard but it's really short so just go hard!

When I am doing my lunges I have stopped having the bar on my back (knee problems) and that really helps me up my squat weight. Maybe you could try squating 15K and only holding weights in either hand or infront when you do the lunges? I have found upping the weight in squats to be the easiest, as long as you can get the bar off at the end!

IKWYM about muscles being weak, man my biceps are pitiful!

Kazbah - I hope you get better soon! Being sick is sooooo awful, I really, really feel for you!

And everyone, keep up the fitness chatter I LOVE IT!!!!!

PSML ROFL - RACHEAL!!! I read that last line to quickly and I read "my tieties are boiling over" I sat here thinking for a second - Gee, what the heck is that woman doing!!!!!

Bec, I am going to kiss you to DEATH!!! I read your post yesterday and thought there is no way that I can get into personal training or anything like that and just blew the suggestion off. BUT I was paging through a mag in bed later and I saw it - career oppertunity, brilliant, simple, easy and perfect for me. I still need to do some serious market research AND hear what I have to do to qualify to instruct in these classes, but I am so stoked. I don't know if you know about this, but it's called preggiebellies. It's and excercise regime that are spesific for pregnant women using fitballs and light weights. There are no real place in my town for pg women to excersise. Yes we have a gym and a curves (new) and some pillates/yoga stuff, but no real classes for pg women, kwim. And I could incorporate some swimming and walking. Something different for everyday of the week, kwim?? Then I started thinking about what happens AFTER you had your baby. I could not go to the gym, because our gym does not have a day-care facility. Then I started thinking about classes for new moms and their babies ... using their babies as weights (sounds so unpersonal) but in that way strengthen the bond between mother & child, and even classes for mothers and todlers. And then I was thinking about instructing in methods that you can use while in labour (like using a fitball or sitting in certian positions) or teaching lemase (sp!!) I have not been in labour and probably would never experiance it, but that does not mean that I can't reach. Those who can't do, teach :rolleyes: We are about a hour's drive from the city where you can get all these classes, BUT it's still a hour's drive and what woman has two hour's to "waste" to drive to an excersise class?
Anyway I am probably TOTALY naive about this, but the more I think about it the more I like the idea. I have to get DH onboard too, have not spoken to him yet. I first want to do the research. I just hope it does not cost a fortune to begin, but even if I have to take five years or more, I would SOOOO LOVE this!!!!! It's a job I can do from home and then I can quite!!!!!!! I have all these ideas and my mind is racing. I'm rambling :lol:

Kazbah - that sounds lovely and daring. And it's great that you live close enough to do that that often. Goodluck !!!

OMG!! :lol: :lol: preggiebellies were established in Melborne, Australia!!!!

Come on guys - give me some feedback if any of you did some of that classes - how was it!!!!!

Nadine i never went to anything like preggiebellies (just walked and swam, will be running through my next PG!) but it's great to hear you sounding so stoked! :)

I don't think it makes any difference about you having had labour or not because you'd be teaching people a range of techniques and not all of them work for everyone - i only found slow deep breathing in labour to be helpful, even when i was trying to not push panting just didn't work for me, so even if you'd had a labour it doesn't mean you'd necessarily be able to relate better to anyone. Also my favourite midwife, Sandra, who was amazing and gave me so much confidence re: my blood pressure (i.e. that it was labile and not really scary-high as it seemed) and was an aromatherapist and gave me brilliant advice for post-birth and a great aroma-oil gel for my poor burised perineum had NEVER had a kid. And some of the worst advice i got was from people with loads of kids.

Here they have a few classes, aquanatal, preggy-yoga, that sort of thing, and there's a post-baby buggy-pushers group (in the park, fast walking/slow jogging, some resistance work using bubs as you say and general stretching) some people like. I never went as when she was small i didn't have a good enough pram to run and now i do i'm WAY past where they train - i guess i could run the 7k to the park, train with them and then run the 7k home again?

Kaz i hope you feel 100% better really soon. I'm SO jealous of your 100 steps - it looks amazing! Nothing like that here, unless i climb ben nevis, bit of a hike just to GET there though...

Bx

Nadine I think that sounds fantastic! And you sound so passionate and excited and that is what this industry is all about! I bet you'll be brilliant at it :)

Thanks for the boost Bec & Rachel. Different strokes for different okes :lol:

Bec, you are one crazy lady, do you know that?? I bet it's that buggy that brainwashed you :p

I have not heard back from the preggiebellies head office yet, but I know that I would need some training - diploma/certificate or something. Have not told DH yet, either. I was thinking about maybe getting a partner in the business, one who are qualified. *scratching head* Thinking my input can be finance, managing and marketing and hers could be the more hands on ... for time being, kwim?? Because I myself would hesitate to go to a class that are not given by a person with proper qualifications, especially when I am pregant. I am so scared that if I wait to long or till I have the qualifications that the gap might have been spotted by someone else.

Ok, have another problem.

Like I said before - I love ab work. I love the way I can tighten my abs and feel those mucles inbetween my ribs. BUT we did this exercise this morning and I could not get control over my abs. I was sitting there huffing and puffing and sweating and making small farting sounds :p , but NO CONTROL. I am going to explain the exercise and then where I have the problem.

Sit flat on the floor, legs pulled up towards your butt, hands on knees. Lift feet off the floor by slowly leaning backwards. TIGHTEN ABS, lift hands off knees and keep the position for twenty dreaded long counts!!!!! then REPEAT!!!! :wall:

My tummy keeps popping out :( And that must not happen. My instructor told me to breath in, pull my navel to my spine, tighten everything in the ab-areas (feel it pull on that hip-bones that stick out just above your you-know-what - don't know what that is called in english), and breath out while keeping the abs tight, feeling them flatten. WTF!!!!

I am trying, but that is not happening. Any suggestions on how to get my tummy NOT popping???? Or how to strengthen those parts of the tummy?? I can do kazillion crunches, but I can't do that for more than 2 seconde :redface:

Do you mean a V-sit?

I just tried to do what you said, and only felt a slight pull under my bellybutton, nothing near my pelvis, and having all my weight on my tailbone KILLED!

Bx

*dragging my sorry-for-myself-butt in here*

Yeah, Bec, I would call that a V-sit. That is exactly what is not suppose to happen, your abs is suppose to support you so that your spine/tailbone does not carry all the weight. :dunno: Going to ask her again next time she tells us to do that.

I have been a bit lazy this week. Monday dd was sick, so I could not go to gym and this morning I went into the city with DH instead. I am stiff as a board from Wednesday's fitball session, but that is what you get for skipping on 'n Monday :rolleyes:

I am dropping some weight though :clap: I have not had ANY bread so far this week and I am down one kilo!!! I am SO naughty with pudding and chocolate and custard and jellydrops, but NO BREAD!!!! So I really do think that is where my biggest problem lay.
We are going to ttc as of the begining of April, so I have less than a month to get to AT LEAST 66kg and convince my Darling Husband to let me exercise again during this pregnancy. He is hell bend that that is what caused my prem-birth, which of course could not be further from the truth.

I may be coming in here a bit less. I have a lot of work, one of the girls left. There are word that the boss is not going to get someone in her position, so the work have to be shared between the rest of us.

I might not have felt it at the time but i was in a WORLD of pain from those V-sits the next day! I felt it ALL OVER my abs, especially my obliques.

I can't see, if i weigh 77kg and my tailbone is the only part of me touching the floor, how strong abs can possibly reduce my weight! I tried tensing my glutes which helped a tiny bit but i doubt is the "proper" way to do it. I had DP (personal trainer) check my technique and he said it looked fine, so i also have no idea about the whole lower abs theory. He said that the normal way to tighten the lower abs is laid-flat-leglifts (hard and can hurt your back) or pelvic tilts, but you can't do a pelvic tilt and keep your back straight. Let us know what your trainer says.

I put my squats and lunges up to 15kg last night at pump!!! YAY me!!!

I've had a minor hip injury (from long runs and a biomechanical foible of mine) so i've been nursing it all week with shorter runs and lots and lots of stretches. So annoying as i was getting into my groove but i guess avoiding serious injury will do more for my training than forcing the issue...

Bx

Na-hu, was not beamed up by aliens, although I thought I was a bit "out-of-it" for a while. I was sick again :( Lost my voice for the WHOLE easter weekend!!! I think my body is mad at me :dunno: I have been more sick since dd was born than in the previous 15 years!!!!!! It's driving me nuts.

Anyway, I WANTED to go to gym this morning. It's been almost 14 days since my last "confession", but I overslept! LOL I usually set my alarm for DH to and then reset it when he gets up, but this morning, I just turned around and slept in. DD woke me just in time to see the clock say: "7:05 you are LATE!!"

But tomorrow I am going for a nice and relaxing fitball class and Monday it's back on the wagon. The hell with my sodding sinusses, I'll gym the snot right out.

How is your hip, hun? That irks me into my marrow ... just when you are getting in a nice routine and getting your grove on SOMETHING HAPPENS!!!