I miss the fitness threads and the fitness Doms!

[meattyhead]

I think there's a misconception among women that lifting weights will make you big. The reality is that it's all about genetics. I could pump iron until all the cows came home, every last one, and you'd barely notice a change in my body mass. And yet I know women who just think of lifting and bulk out. LOL.

Also, the free weights areas in gyms usually tend to be populated by men, often large men, and many women find this intimidating. I know I'm frequently the only woman I ever see in the free weights area, particularly the squat rack.

The irony is that weight lifting is really, really beneficial for women, especially as they age. Also, it speeds weight loss and helps with cardio activities.

Your 100% correct. I always get a great concern from women saying "I don't want to look like a dyke!" Honestly, you wont. If you want to burn fat and lose weight, you need to pump iron. The more muscle you have, the more you burn off during your non-workout days.
I mean, just don't go and take HTH or Creatine and that sort of stuff, then your asking for it.

 

[ultramarineblue]

My arms are sore from working out yesterday. It didn't help that I slept on the adjustable part of a strap last night. I thought that my legs would be what was sore today but not so.

 

[brioche]

So is it pain that doesn't allow you to sleep, or are the pills what's changing your sleep habits?

If your back hurts, and it's chronic, it might be something you do in your every day life. This is just a thought, but I had a job where I built up one side of my torso and back muscles to be stronger than the other. Well, not enough to be noticeable, but because I did repeated actions over and over, I would pull my spine out of alignment which caused tingly areas, sometimes a burning sensation and sometimes even numbness all in the shoulder blade area of my back.

I went to a chiropractor for a while, and it was always the same thing. He'd fix the situation, but it would always come back. Until I quit that line of work, the situation never got resolved for good.

It used to be the pain, in the fall and winter. Now it's the pills. They make me sleepy in the day and awake at night. It doesn't seem to be related to anything I did. It happened in the summer. One day I was in a class, sitting in a padded chair and taking notes. That evening I went to the store and was walking funny because of pain in my hip. The next day it had radiated to my back.

I worked through most of a school year with it. Right now I have a PT who also does acupuncture on it twice a week. X rays, MRIs, a physiatriist, a rheumatologist - and no one knows what it is. Finally, the pain specialist gave me a working diagnosis of why I was hurting but still didn't say what it was.

I'm tired. I don't care what it is, I just want it gone.

 

[ultramarineblue]

Walk, weights with arms, and an aerobic workout today. Goal for tomorrow is a good walk early. I just hope it isn't raining when I get up to walk.

 

[Homburg]

No deadlifts today. Bowel issues got in the way, and that is not something to chance when doing deads.

 

[brioche]

I did an hour of weight machines today for the first time in a year. I can tell I'm going to be sore in my arms tomorrow, not sure where else.

 

[Keroin]

I will have to run a few marathons to burn off all the party treats I ate and drank over the past five days.

(But it was worth it).

 

[CutieMouse]

So the down side of having attempted [and failed at] the dating thing over the course of this past winter/spring is that I gained a few pounds. Then added all sorts of work stress to the mix [and a few more pounds]. And to top it all off I started being lazy about my wardrobe and wearing modern clothing instead of vintage (read lots of soft fabrics instead of things with set in waistbands), which made it easy to ignore said few + few pounds.

But then the other day... I found a deadstock 1940s pajama set. That I can totally fit into if I drop the dating/stress/modern clothes weight.

Which is what finally dragged my ass back to the rec center tonight for a 3 month membership & 45 minutes on a computerized bike thingie with a little view screen of a pretend mountain and everything.

 

[Homburg]

The downside of carrying a good bit of muscle on my frame is that allergy attacks are very vigorous. Sneezing, when you are built like me, is a very physical thing, and results in a shitload of muscle soreness the next day.

In short, fuck, I hurt.

 

[brioche]

I was right. My biceps are killing me. The 20 pound curl bar is too light and the 30 pound is too heavy (look I'm a woman and just starting back up). I wish there was a 25 pound one. Maybe I'll try 30-30-then20 for my last set, because I was really struggling. My trainer had to help.
Fortunately tomorrow's session is just 30 minutes legs and core, with cardio after if I want. I think I'm going to focus more on core on Thursdays now that I'm on the machines Tuesdays.
The problem is that the gym is absolutely stifling. It is really hot and the cardio machines are at the highest part. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle the heat?

 

[YourCaptor]

Amazing cardio today. My pace was perfect, when my heart beat to the point that I can feel the pulse in my neck and hear the thumping in my ears I slowed that fraction of a second, renewed my conscious breathing and got back to a good stress range. At the end I was still going strong, I added 4 minutes and just kept going faster and faster, sprinting the whole damn way.

My sweat soaked shirt felt good in the breeze, I think it kept my mind motivated.

When I stooped this chick was watching, fiddling, she'll be thinking about me.

Yea so my cardio is great, but my strength not so hot. The other day my pullups went something like 12-8-4-crying Always one or the other, cant ever have both.

 

[cathrynb]

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[cathrynb]

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[brioche]

I'm not a doctor and obviously don't know very much about your situation but have you tried seeing a Rolfer? This is also known as Structural Integration. They work with the connective tissues in the body to force your muscles to relax and realign.

I tend to carry all of my stress in my muscles and this was resulting in chronic pain in my back, shoulders, knees, etc. I had a couple knee injuries as a result as well. Then I saw a Rolfer and she told me I was clenching all my muscles without even realizing it. She forced my muscles to relax and gave me some stretches and exercises to do at home and it has helped so much!

I don't know if this is something that would help you but I figured it's worth a shot.

Well, actually, it's been recommended that I try registered massage therapy since it's muscular. I'm putting that off a bit because I have to foot most of the bill for that - my plan doesn't cover RMT very well. My PT does digital manipuation of the muscles and keeps what she terms "scar tissue" from accumulating - she says it feels like gristle under her fingers.
I know what you are talking about because I used to overuse my back muscles and had no core muscles - but the fact that my core muscles didn't disappear when I stopped working out shows that I stopped that.
I also had those spongy foot things done for orthotics. Not top of the line ones where they cast your foot in clay, but not the chiropractor ones where you stand on a plate either. So that'll help.

 

[Homburg]

Cycle 5, Wave C
Deadlift day

165x3
210x3
250x3 Warm-ups done
315x5
355x3
400x4 Rep calc says 453#

Astute readers will note that the first set is usually 5 reps. Well, my ass was dragging so low this morning that I was getting carpet burns on my glutes, so I decided, fuck it, I'm doing power cleans. Got 2 and pulled another speed dead because I was getting wobbly about the balance.

The performance overall was lackluster, but I did better than LB. His heart is completely not in it these days. I can't blame him. It's looking like he's going out of country, so lifting is not anywhere near the top of his list.

I've been sore a lot lately. Sore even when I'm not doing anything, during downtimes. Makes me wonder if I need to ratchet back a touch. I was making good gains on the lighter weights, so maybe I should pull back to where I would be had we not tested for max. If LB does split, I think that is definitely what I will be doing.

 

[Bandit58]

I missed a couple of classes this week a) because Sir had the car one evening and b) the next night I was feeling off colour so didn't think it was a good idea to work out.

So I've only done one spin class on Wed and my usual Pump class last night. I'm hoping all will be back to normal next week - I'm actually working out more this winter than I did the last, so I'll be trim and toned for summer (if it ever gets here! )

 

[YourCaptor]

There are fitness Doms??? I am in!

Yesterday I ran 4.5 miles. Today it's weight lifting and the elliptical. I've been overweight my whole life and now a healthy BMI is just 12 pounds away! I'm definitely going to be tuning in here for motivation.

Nice. Do you know how to switch from weight loss mode, to maintaining weight mode? Too many people mess up that step, it's tragic so close to the finish.

 

[cathrynb]

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[midwestyankee]

Maintaining weight has never been a problem for me. I am far too fond of chocolate and ice cream to ever go anorexic

At this point I'm taking my fitness goals more seriously than my weight goals. I'd really like to run a half marathon. My goal is to add a mile every two weeks.

BTW Your avatar is amazingly hot. You probably have been told that a lot.

If you were to add a mile to your running total every two weeks, you might be extending yourself or not stretching yourself enough, depending on where you're starting from.

Most of the training resources for running that I've used have suggested adding mileage in increments of about 20% per month. In Month A, let's say you ordinarily run 10 miles per week. In Month B (i.e., the following month) you would bump your weekly mileage by 20% to 12 miles. Run 12 miles for the first three weeks of Month B and then cut back to the previous month's weekly mileage for the final week of the month. Then, in the first week of Month C, move up another 20%, which would be about 2.5 miles, or 14.5 miles per week. Follow the same pattern of running this distance for three weeks followed by a week at the lower, previous month's mileage.

You should be able to continue this 20% per month incremental gain for several months.

 

[cathrynb]

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[brioche]

Here's a question for all you weight-lifters: how many days should your muscles be sore after a workout?
I'm still sore in my biceps from Tuesday. I'm thinking that's a bit much.
I've massaged some arnica gel in, so they're not hurting right now, but it never lasts with muscle pain.
I actually have a pharmacist who orders in a specific kind of arnica gel for me because that's the one I like. I think I have something else homeopathic around here too he recommended, Traumeel pills.

 

[midwestyankee]

Thanks for the great advice! I've been doing one long run a week, two shorter runs, and crosstraining in between. So this week my long run was 7 miles and the shorter runs were 4.5 and tomorrow I'll do 4.5 again for a total of 16 miles. Saturday is my day for just stretching So let's see, if I add 20% then in the next month I should take it up to 19.2 miles per week. I definitely think that is doable!

I AM trying to stretch more since I think that has been a problem for me in the past.

P.S. I like YOUR avatar too! I grew up watching Spencer Tracy movies.

That's a pretty decent balance with your long run being about 50% longer than your next longest run. You might consider doing an even shorter run one day each week to get in some speed work. If you bump your mileage to 19 per week, you could do 9 for your long run, 6 for the next longer one, and a 4-mile day that is mostly fartlek or which is built around a set of half-mile uphill bursts. Often people who get into covering a lot of distance forget to do any speed work and that actually reduces some of the fitness improvement that comes from the longer mileage.

 

[Keroin]

Here's a question for all you weight-lifters: how many days should your muscles be sore after a workout?
I'm still sore in my biceps from Tuesday. I'm thinking that's a bit much.
I've massaged some arnica gel in, so they're not hurting right now, but it never lasts with muscle pain.
I actually have a pharmacist who orders in a specific kind of arnica gel for me because that's the one I like. I think I have something else homeopathic around here too he recommended, Traumeel pills.

This really depends on a variety of factors: your age/weight/fitness level, how much weight you lifted/how many reps and sets you did, how adapted your body is to lifting, yadda, yadda, yadda. I have done lifts that I barely feel the next day and others that have left me aching for a week.

There are a few tricks I've found really helpful for reducing post-training pain.

1. STRETCH! Make sure you take at least 15 minutes for a good stretch at the end of your training. Anyone out there who is not stretching after a workout is a poo head...just thought I'd mention that.

2. Try to get some vitamin C in you within 20 minutes of finishing your training. I usually just keep a bag of dried cranberries in my gym bag, that way I always know I have some.

3. During your post-training shower, crank the water up as hot as you can stand it for 30 - 60 seconds, then turn it down as low as you can stand it for the same. Alternate the hot and cold 3 or 4 times minimum. Yes, it really works, take it from a former triathlete who needed to bounce back quickly in order to train 6-7 days a week.

Pay attention to your body. Excess and prolonged soreness can be a sign that you're pushing too, too fast. Also, if you're female, you should make the week before your period the week you do your lowest weight as that is when your body is weakest.

Having said that, I LOVE the soreness. In fact, I thrive on it. When I hurt, I know I'm on the right track . So you can also try to adjust your psychological perception of the pain. (Or not - I do tend to go a bit over the top when I train, lol).

 

[Homburg]

To add to Keroin's excellent advice, I would also suggest a meal of quick/easy digesting proteins and quick carbs after your workout. Like immediately after. I'm usually ravenous afterwards, so it's not a prob, but for some people it can be. If you can't eat, grab a good post workout drink. Surge is fantastic, but not cheap. Gatorade G3 seems like it is okay, but the taste is a wee bit weird IMO. A really easy one would be to grab a tall glass of low-fat chocolate milk. The milk's proteins and sugars are quick and easy to digest, and make for an excellent PWO drink/minimeal (assuming you can drink milk, of course).

The protein greatly aids in preventing protein catabolism in your muscles, and the quick sugars taken just after a serious workout will go right into muscle glycogen. When I was serious about PWO, I was using Surge. Sweet as all hell, but it massively boosted my recover.

Protein in general is key to good muscle recovery.

 

[YourCaptor]

Maintaining weight has never been a problem for me. I am far too fond of chocolate and ice cream to ever go anorexic

At this point I'm taking my fitness goals more seriously than my weight goals. I'd really like to run a half marathon. My goal is to add a mile every two weeks.

BTW Your avatar is amazingly hot. You probably have been told that a lot.

I meant in the other direction. Many people work off their weight, and then return to their previous habits, and weight comes back.