I miss the fitness threads and the fitness Doms!

[Lizzie_Borden]

That is MAJOR, Lizzie! Way to go!

Thankies

That's my 1/4 of the way there mark, so it's a big milestone. Pushing hard now to try and get halfway there by New Years.

 

[Cattypuss]

You've inspired me Lizzie. I've been badly off the wagon (eating AND gym) due to various reasons (very poor mental health and rather dodgy physical health) the last 2-3 weeks and I haven't had the nerve to weigh myself (when I binge, I BINGE). I've probably put on 15 pounds in the last 2-3 weeks. But I need to weigh myself tonight and get back on the horse, before that 15 becomes 50.

I guess that slider in my signature is gonna be moving rather sharply to the left tonight but there we are. Such is life.

You have reminded me that I can't just stick my head in the sand while letting all my hard work go to waste. Effort DOES pay off and I need to get back on the horse while I can still salvage the efforts I've already made. I want to be at goal before I have to buy summer clothes again.

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

You've inspired me Lizzie. I've been badly off the wagon (eating AND gym) due to various reasons (very poor mental health and rather dodgy physical health) the last 2-3 weeks and I haven't had the nerve to weigh myself (when I binge, I BINGE). I've probably put on 15 pounds in the last 2-3 weeks. But I need to weigh myself tonight and get back on the horse, before that 15 becomes 50.

I guess that slider in my signature is gonna be moving rather sharply to the left tonight but there we are. Such is life.

You have reminded me that I can't just stick my head in the sand while letting all my hard work go to waste. Effort DOES pay off and I need to get back on the horse while I can still salvage the efforts I've already made. I want to be at goal before I have to buy summer clothes again.

For me, the worse my mental health has been lately, the more obsessed over all this I've gotten, with my charts, and spreadsheets and what not.

It's the one thing I *can* control.

Sure, I still have off days where I eat too much crap etc, but I get back into it. I organise new things and new plans and all that.

 

[Homburg]

I've had problems with my iliotibial band mostly and I'm a tad skittish because of a run-in with a torn meniscus about 7 years ago that put me under the knife.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll start with some balance things before I get to anything weighted. I'm reluctant to join a gym because I'm terrible about getting there and actually getting any return on my money. But I'm ok with putting some exercises into my day to day time.

Sleep problems are making this return to running a real bear. Feeling sluggish while you run is mentally painful. But at least I'm out there for every scheduled run.

From what I've seen, ITB issues sometimes respond really well to myofascial release. Try foam rolling your ITB, or, if you're brave enough, working it with a lacrosse ball. I will warn you, it hurts like a motherfucker, but loosening a tight ITB can help with a load of knee problems.

--

I haven't had any knee injuries, but find that halfway through a combat or step class my knees start to ache. Elasticized supports help, and I'm taking calcium and glucosamine supplements, but I'd rather try to strengthen them if possible.

So during pump class, doing squats (with a 10kg weight on the bar) should I have my feet wider than a hip width apart? Deadlifts and rows sometimes make my lower back hurt a little too (but I only have about 7kg on the bar for those). Instructor says my technique is fine

With those sorts of weights, loading in itself will not bother your joints. Repetitive stress may well though. Minimum width for me in any squat movement is shoulder width. Wider is generally better for ME. Might not be for you, and I don't know that wider stance would be a good idea for a pump class as I've never done one. Still, shoulder width is as fast as hip width, more stable, and will help a little in backing off pressure on your knees.

In general, women should do loaded hip dominant movements, especially as they get older. Strong hips will go a long ways to preventing hip issues as you age, as well as helping to maintain muscle and bone density.

To be frank, I have a love/hate relationship with the idea of pump class. My lifter brain hates it because it is not useful loading. Progressive muscular overload is the way to get stronger, dammit, not playing around with subpar weights for 300 reps. Lifter brain also knows that you only have a certain number of presses in your shoulder, squats in your knees, etc. Loaded or unloaded, statistically speaking, that joint will bed in a given way only so many times before it fails, regardless of load. So you might as well load that sucker!

But my GPP (General Physical Preparedness) side is happy with it because, hey, at least it's lifting! Loaded movement will be superior to unloaded in the majority of cases (ignoring practice for technique, which should be done unloaded). It's more efficient use of workout time, and gets participants used to at least some loading. And, frankly, it looks freakin tiring.

The GPP side of me has similar things to say about (exercise style) yoga and pilates, because, wow, that shit's hard.

--

My knees have been stuffed from the get go. I do a lot less of the bouncing round type cardio because of it.. and I usually struggle with squats and lunges because I crunch badly and it hurts like a bitch and I stop.

But, I realised the other day that sticking my ass out a little further, and bending at the waist a bit more, shifts that gravity point back a bit more, means my thighs are doing more of the work, and it takes the pressure off my knees.

For me, bouncing of any sort is a non-starter. Jumping rope is a recipe for hideous knee pain, and jumping is the same. Likewise, I refuse to do lunges (barring certain very weird lunges that I would neither describe nor suggest).

You are right on track with the idea of sticking your ass out. This will sound vulgar, but the way I describe it to people is to think about sitting down on the toilet. You don't keep your feet together and drive your knees forward. Your feet are wide apart and you stick your butt out. Doing the same thing with squat motions will help you knees.

Close stance squats (like hindu squats for example) keep the feet close and the knees drive forward. The ass stays in a line over the feet basically. The puts basically all of the shearing force for the movement on the knee. Horrible thing to do. Spread your feet, stick your butt out, and lean your upper body forward. You will stay balanced.

And good on ya for figuring that out, Lizzie. It shows that you are really paying attention to your body, and are willing to modify your technique based on what your body is telling you. Wildly intelligent thing to do.

That said, the phrase "crunch badly" is usually indicative of something wrong. Have you had it looked at? If it is a general styrofoam-ish noise when you walk or move it could be patellofemoral disorder (used to be called chrondomallacia patella syndrome). This is what I have, and it is basically the backside of your kneecap has gone rough and it is slowly shredding the cartilage that it slides against. In most cases, it's no big deal, but some cases are nasty enough to require surgery on the backside of the knee cap. A badly screwed up meniscus could also cause crunchy noises, and, wow, no fun. There are probably a half a dozen other reasons as well, but the short answer is "crunching badly" is a bad thing. Maybe you might want to see a doc.

 

[midwestyankee]

From what I've seen, ITB issues sometimes respond really well to myofascial release. Try foam rolling your ITB, or, if you're brave enough, working it with a lacrosse ball. I will warn you, it hurts like a motherfucker, but loosening a tight ITB can help with a load of knee problems.

I have a foam roller and I have used it when I've had knots in my legs. However, now I'm more concerned with preventing these problems.

 

[Homburg]

I have a foam roller and I have used it when I've had knots in my legs. However, now I'm more concerned with preventing these problems.

Foam rolling is as much prevention as it is treatment. ITB issues are often caused by a tight ITB. Regularly rolling that bugger out can help to loosen it up. Tight calves also contribute to this problem, and regular rolling helps with that as well.

 

[midwestyankee]

Foam rolling is as much prevention as it is treatment. ITB issues are often caused by a tight ITB. Regularly rolling that bugger out can help to loosen it up. Tight calves also contribute to this problem, and regular rolling helps with that as well.

Jeebus, man, can't we cut some kind of sadist-to-sadist deal here? This is some kind of brutality you're suggesting.

 

[Homburg]

Jeebus, man, can't we cut some kind of sadist-to-sadist deal here? This is some kind of brutality you're suggesting.

It's... for your own good. This hurts you more than it hurts me.

I mean, er, the other way around. Really.

 

[Keroin]

Jeebus, man, can't we cut some kind of sadist-to-sadist deal here? This is some kind of brutality you're suggesting.

It's... for your own good. This hurts you more than it hurts me.

I mean, er, the other way around. Really.

"When Sadists Collide!"

A new series on Spike TV. *pops popcorn*

 

[FloggingMolly]

"When Sadists Collide!"

A new series on Spike TV. *pops popcorn*

I'd watch that.

 

[Homburg]

"When Sadists Collide!"

A new series on Spike TV. *pops popcorn*

BTDT

All of the instructors I worked with when I was doing sombo were sadistic bastards. We regularly sparred and were just mean as shit to each other. Good stuff, especially as everyone was competent enough not to get injured or injure anyone.

 

[BiBunny]

BTDT

All of the instructors I worked with when I was doing sombo were sadistic bastards. We regularly sparred and were just mean as shit to each other. Good stuff, especially as everyone was competent enough not to get injured or injure anyone.

*Fans self* That is fucking hot.

 

[Homburg]

*Fans self* That is fucking hot.

Hot? Fuck yes, it was hot. The primary area we rolled in was a 15x20 unventilated shed with 2"wrestling mats on the floors and walls. It was commonly about 110-120 degrees in there during the summer. Now put on a kurtka top (like a thick-ass judo gi top with shorter sleeves) and grapple for, oh, any amount of time, and the temperature shoots up.

I sweated my ass off in that goddamned box. And it didn't help that inevitably the other mean-ass bastard that I was sparring with was also a big sweaty sumbitch too. So, yeah, brutally hot. I drank gatorade like you wou-

Oh, wait, the other kind of hot. None of that. Move on. The above description was solely for educational purposes, so you keep your dirty hands out of your filthy drawers.

 

[BiBunny]

Hot? Fuck yes, it was hot. The primary area we rolled in was a 15x20 unventilated shed with 2"wrestling mats on the floors and walls. It was commonly about 110-120 degrees in there during the summer. Now put on a kurtka top (like a thick-ass judo gi top with shorter sleeves) and grapple for, oh, any amount of time, and the temperature shoots up.

I sweated my ass off in that goddamned box. And it didn't help that inevitably the other mean-ass bastard that I was sparring with was also a big sweaty sumbitch too. So, yeah, brutally hot. I drank gatorade like you wou-

Oh, wait, the other kind of hot. None of that. Move on. The above description was solely for educational purposes, so you keep your dirty hands out of your filthy drawers.

Too late.

 

[Homburg]

Too late.

Shameless hussy!

 

[midwestyankee]

It's... for your own good. This hurts you more than it hurts me.

I mean, er, the other way around. Really.

I plan to roll out both legs in a bit before I go out for my run this afternoon. If I never post again, you'll know why.

 

[Homburg]

I plan to roll out both legs in a bit before I go out for my run this afternoon. If I never post again, you'll know why.

Because the foam rolling will cure your knee problems and lead you to a life of running across the country a la Forrest Gump.

 

[ImOnIt]

These goals are going to get me closer to my next set of goals and the ones after those.

 

[FurryFury]

I need to do a lot more working out work. In the meantime, I have blisters. Sounds like progress. LOL.

FF

 

[BiBunny]

I've been put on Wellbutrin for PMDD. One of the well-documented side effects of Wellbutrin is weight loss. I see this going very, very well.

 

[midwestyankee]

As the Mouse would say, fuckity fuck fuck! I can feel incipient pain in the same part of my knee where I had a meniscus repair done 7 years ago. Time to retreat from the road and do some serious knee and leg strengthening work before I go back out for more running. One week from finishing the couch-to-5K, too.

 

[Homburg]

"There are only two kinds of people that benefit from running - physical therapists and orthopaedic surgeons."

This particular bit of wisdom was passed on to me by a physical therapist who also happened to be a runner. Well, was until he blew out a knee...

Might I suggest picking up a good erg? I had a really nice magnetic unit that was quiet and worked me like crazy. Much kinder on the joints.

 

[midwestyankee]

"There are only two kinds of people that benefit from running - physical therapists and orthopaedic surgeons."

This particular bit of wisdom was passed on to me by a physical therapist who also happened to be a runner. Well, was until he blew out a knee...

Might I suggest picking up a good erg? I had a really nice magnetic unit that was quiet and worked me like crazy. Much kinder on the joints.

How does one buy a unit of measure?

 

[Homburg]

How does one buy a unit of measure?

Oh, shit, sorry, "erg" is slang for "ergometer", in other words, a rowing machine. Something akin to the Concept 2 would work nicely. It's a cardio machine that will really work your ass without killing your joints.

 

[midwestyankee]

Oh, shit, sorry, "erg" is slang for "ergometer", in other words, a rowing machine. Something akin to the Concept 2 would work nicely. It's a cardio machine that will really work your ass without killing your joints.

My ass is relatively trim, thank you very much.

I've used rowing machines before but they bore the hell out of me. They're worse than treadmills, in fact.