I miss the fitness threads and the fitness Doms!

[Keroin]

Well, the chocolate experiment was a success, my back is all better! LOL.

Seriously, you know what helped? Long walks on the railroad track. My chiro guy back in the day said it's really important to get lots of lube sloshing around the vertebrae and the best way to do that is to get the spine moving from side to side lots. Walking is good for this but as it turns out, walking on railroad tracks is even better!

Went to the gym last night and had only minor twinges. I'll probably hold off on running for a few more days but that's about it. I'm starting to get CRANKY without my runs.

 

[Homburg]

Spinal fluid placement is one reason why I won't lift heavy right after I wake up. And it is the reason why back extensions, bridges, and the reverse hyperextension are so good for the spine.

Have we talked foam rolling yet? Have you looked into it?

 

[Keroin]

Spinal fluid placement is one reason why I won't lift heavy right after I wake up. And it is the reason why back extensions, bridges, and the reverse hyperextension are so good for the spine.

Have we talked foam rolling yet? Have you looked into it?

We have and no, I have not, just too much on the plate at this moment. But it's on the "to do" list. Fer sure.

 

[Netzach]

I just set myself back about a month on roasted carrots. Too-lightly roasted carrots, I guess.

It was almost worth it.

 

[WriterDom]

Leg day. 4 sets of 20 squats. 3 sets of dead lifts and leg presses. Walked out on wobbly legs. Yeah, I can see how dead lifts can be your friend. Didn't do real heavy. Just getting a feel for it.

Might as well go for 20 miles tomorrow. If I can be decent about riding I might get some shoes and if I do that I have to get pedals too. But the guy at the bike store said unlike walking or running shoes, they'll last a hell of a long time. Not much wear and tear just pedaling. Then you can use a whole different set of muscles to push you forward.

 

[Homburg]

I found a set of bike shoes that were my size, and actually fit on clearance a coupla years back. They're ugly ass things, but they fit, and that's really tough for me. I gave up on oly lifting in no small part because the proper shoes are fucking expensive, and have to fit perfectly. That means that I would need to buy two different sets. Add int he fact that they're mail-order only, and thus shipping, plus the nightmare of sendign them back if they didn't fit, and I just said fuck it.

Anyway, I bought the shoes, and some SPD's for the bottom. A buddy of mine likes SPD's, and has a coupla bikes with them installed. I rode with it a coupla times. It's interesting, but I won't do it again for a coupla reasons.

First off, I ride trail almost as often as I ride street, and I am just not good enough at unhooking the SPD's and latching them back in to handle the off-pedal touches that are common when trail-riding. Hell, I'm not really good enough at un-latching them to do the normal off-pedal stuff required by street-riding (like waiting on a light to change).

Second, while it is more correct to ride with the ball of the foot on the pedal, that tears the hell outta my knees. So I normally push with the pedal mod-foot. Better to lose the extra power afforded by the calves than to shred my knees, and I can't adjust the SPD's back far enough to get the right position.

That said, if you can do it, they rock. You really do get more muscle involvement, and thus can realise both stronger strokes and more endurance (as your spreading the load on more muscles). Your knees sound healthy as hello, and my particular problem with needing the mid-foot pedalling is apparently very uncommon. While most recreational riders pedal midfoot, very few people have the trouble I do.

So, at the end of the day, I look at my cool bike shoes and sigh a little bit. You will probably have better luck with your healthy knees.

*jealous*

 

[intothewoods]

I just set myself back about a month on roasted carrots. Too-lightly roasted carrots, I guess.

It was almost worth it.

Sorry to hear it, Netz. I had some gastro issues years ago - nothing compared to what you're dealing with - but not being able to eat practically anything really sucked. It was so frustrating.

 

[Homburg]

MIS hit the weights again today. Last weekend was a forced deload as she was menstruating, but nothing was stopping her today.

We tested her deadlift, and my little 106# girl pulled a whopping 155# off the floor, no straps. And she did it multiple times, and the lifts were still quick, even at 155#. My badass girl had another 10# to go on that lift, easy, we just had to leave for a dinner appointment.

Man, it was awesome too. She was so jazzed! She was like, "I can do more! Toss another five on there!" and up went the bar. It was something to see.

Completely turned her day around too. She'd had a bad moment earlier that just ruined her mood, but the iron worked its brutal magic. Her mood did a complete 180, and she was bouncing around excited as hell. She even said that she finally understood what I meant when I said "Iron Madness," and how you can just get so fired up that you're ready for more plates, more plates, more plates.

I am so proud of her

And it's not the lift numbers themselves. Sure, they're fucking impressive. She's at a freakish 1.44 ratio of body weight to deadlift on her first serious try. Pound for pound, she's virtually as strong as I am in this lift. I'm proud of that, sure, but it's not just that. It's not even just that moment of understanding when she finally grokked why I do what I do, and why I push so fucking hard.

I'm proud of her because what she did was HARD. It HURT. It made her want to cry at one point. But she kept right on going, stepping up to that bar, and pushing fuck all hard. That is what I'm proud of.

And, wow, she looked incredible while she was doing it too. I've said before that the deadlift does lovely things to a woman's body, and this was most certainly no exception. The top position of the lift has the shoulders back, chest extended, hips and glutes tight and flexed, shoulder muscles and traps standing out defined, and a look of fierce concentration that I find sexy as hell.

Yes indeed, deadlifts are your friend.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I've been dreaming about fitting in workouts. Unfortunately, there just has not been enough time in the day. I keep hoping that the next week will allow for it but so far it hasn't. The good thing is that with how busy I've been I've had to walk all over the place to get things done. I just miss those quiet walks where the goal is just to walk and not get something else done.

Netzach, I hope your setback isn't as long as a month.

Homburg, your description of the deadlift makes me wanna do them.

 

[ecstaticsub]

uggh! The kids being off on winter break last week did me in. It's not their fault..but I get so little time with them because of my job I wanted to take advantage of the time we had together. So I didn't work out as much as I should have and my diet wasn't as healthy.

But on the upside I got to spend loads of time with my children.

Weigh in day is tomorrow and I know Daddy has been in a super-determined mood so I am sure he will win.

Oh well...I'll just start over as if today is Day 1.

 

[FurryFury]

That's a great attitude!

 

[Homburg]

Homburg, your description of the deadlift makes me wanna do them.

And well you should! There is no better exercise out there for giving you a killer backside. Literally, the whole back side of your body, but especially your ass.

Just make sure you get some instruction on how to do them properly and preferably have someone watch you. Some people are natural deadlifters and have perfect form out of the gate. Most people need coaching in some aspect of it. Good form is how you lift heavy shit and not hurt yourself.

 

[WriterDom]

My hamstrings are so sore it hurts to sit down. But I got a bike ride in. The tight shorts seemed to spare my ass more than the shorts looking pair. I wouldn't say comfortable but tolerable.

It's time for dumbbell presses for three weeks or so. And maybe some close grip benches for triceps. Still like my dips though.

I wonder if those assisted pull up machines would be any help in doing pull ups again. Pathetic that I can't do one pull up.

 

[Homburg]

I have tried one or two assisted pull-up machines. They seem like they're a damned good idea, but the ones I played with were non-commercial models. They sucked. The one at my buddy's gym looks really functional and useful.

And bike shorts are serious bidness. So are the seats. Personally, I'd look into a new seat over new shorts. I have shit-canned a lot of seats over the years, and flat won't ride a bike with a bad saddle. Oddly enough though, many saddles that look comfy will wear you out, whereas many very good quality, solid, long-haul saddles look just uncomfortable as hell.

I know this one guy what has more money in his whammy-dyne unpadded carbon fibre seat than I do in my main bike, and it looks flat scary. He says it is the most comfortable seat ever though. *shrug*

 

[Keroin]

Well...sigh...time to admit defeat.

Fuck.

I've been trying to pretend that my allergy/asthma stuff wasn't coming back but I can't keep lying to myself any longer. Fuck it all. I go for a run and end up hacking like an 80 year old man. I'm starting to get the dark circles under my eyes again, stuffy nose, blah, blah, blah.

In Aitutaki, I had none of that but my doc says that's pretty common simply because you're in a new environment without all the crap your body has developed allergies to. Still sucks though.

Going in Thursday to renew scripts for inhalers.

POO.

 

[Netzach]

Sorry to hear it, Netz. I had some gastro issues years ago - nothing compared to what you're dealing with - but not being able to eat practically anything really sucked. It was so frustrating.

Yup. I've decided that until I can get off steroids, I'm sticking with the unbearably unpalatable and unhealthy diet I've got going. A couple more weeks won't kill me.

The good news? It's not a month. Sure felt like it though the other day. God bless people who know stuff about inflammation, as opposed to MD's who are stupid. The alt-health guy said go liquids only and go back up to ten mg's for 3 days.

Day 1 - bad. Day 2 - worse. Day 3 - 65 percent better if not more. Better enough I can go to 5 again tomorrow. No more carrots for a while. Babyfood ahoy!

 

[Netzach]

Well...sigh...time to admit defeat.

Fuck.

I've been trying to pretend that my allergy/asthma stuff wasn't coming back but I can't keep lying to myself any longer. Fuck it all. I go for a run and end up hacking like an 80 year old man. I'm starting to get the dark circles under my eyes again, stuffy nose, blah, blah, blah.

In Aitutaki, I had none of that but my doc says that's pretty common simply because you're in a new environment without all the crap your body has developed allergies to. Still sucks though.

Going in Thursday to renew scripts for inhalers.

POO.

POO is right, yucky.

 

[unregistered]

 

[WriterDom]

Bike seats are funny. My comfort bike that I'd like to sell has a great seat for 10 or 12 miles then it turns into the seat from hell. The road bike feels like you are sitting on a hard rail but it's not nearly as painful after 20 miles. And it's like anything else. If you do it enough your body will start to adapt.

Today I want a chest workout that I'll feel for a couple of days. Give my legs a well deserved day off.

 

[Homburg]

Homburg, your description of MIS deadlifting makes me want to try it, too. I tend to work out alone, though; it would be tough to find someone to watch. I'm going to ask around though. My current routine includes a leg machine (the only machine I use, all others are free weights/bars) on which I lay back and push the weights toward the ceiling. This does do nice things for my legs, but I'm not so sure it's working any magic on my rear. So, deadlifting, huh...

Well, so long as you have good proprioception, you can probably get away with it. The big thing to remember is to keep your spine either neutral (straight) or slightly arched. This is accomplished for most people by picking a spot on the wall a little higher than eye level when standing, and keeping your eyes fixed on that spot through the whole lift. This elevates the head a little and that tends to put the spine in the right spot.

After that, remember to bring the hips and back up at the same time. Too many people bring their butts up first, then muscle the weight up with the back. That works, but it's more of a Stiff-legged Deadlift than a standard deadlift. Still a fantastic exercise, and mighty mighty mighty for the glutes, but the overall effect won't be as solid as the weight will be lower.

And keep your elbows locked straight. While you aren't likely to dork up your elbow or tear a bicep with the sort of weight you will do initially, it makes good sense to get into good habits early. So flex your biceps and triceps while lifting, and keep the elbows locked. And just trust me on this, alternate your grip. One hand palm up, one palm down. Your hands will thank you. Your gym floor will thank you.

---

Bike seats are funny. My comfort bike that I'd like to sell has a great seat for 10 or 12 miles then it turns into the seat from hell. The road bike feels like you are sitting on a hard rail but it's not nearly as painful after 20 miles. And it's like anything else. If you do it enough your body will start to adapt.

That is a good point. Mileage really does make a major difference. My mountain bike has a pretty good compromise seat. It leans a little towards the road bike side, but isn't completely hard. But if I get over about 20 miles, my butt doesn't like me any more.

 

[BiBunny]

Well...sigh...time to admit defeat.

Fuck.

I've been trying to pretend that my allergy/asthma stuff wasn't coming back but I can't keep lying to myself any longer. Fuck it all. I go for a run and end up hacking like an 80 year old man. I'm starting to get the dark circles under my eyes again, stuffy nose, blah, blah, blah.

In Aitutaki, I had none of that but my doc says that's pretty common simply because you're in a new environment without all the crap your body has developed allergies to. Still sucks though.

Going in Thursday to renew scripts for inhalers.

POO.

I have allergies year-round, but I struggle way more with asthma when it's cold outside. Maybe when it warms up, you won't have nearly the issues with it. *Crosses fingers*

As for me, I'm struggling with dehydration issues. I have no idea what it is--the heat in this house, me just not taking in enough liquids, or what--, but I'm having a hard time. I'm thirsty all the time. I have a headache that Won't. Go. Away. And it gets worse when I eat.

I drink and drink, and it seems that only sports drinks really kill the thirst, but a gallon or two of those a day (with all the sugar in them) is probably not the healthiest thing. Water won't touch it. Not to mention, the water here is just...ew. Even with a Brita filter, it's BAD.

I wondered if I'd become diabetic, so I bought one of the cheap things to check my blood sugar. Both my fasting and my post-meal levels are well within the normal range, so I have no idea why I'm having such a hard time here.

I haven't done anything out of the ordinary, so that can't be the reason. But I've been struggling for several weeks with this crap, and I'm sick of it.

 

[Cattypuss]

Keroin, have you ever come across the Buteyko Method? I bought a book about by Alexander Stalmatski (got it from Amazon) and it turned my life around. I went from being on huge doses of inhaled steroids and lots and LOTS of salbutamol to being drug-free (and asthma-attack-free) within weeks, just from following the advice in the book, and I have stayed that way for (ooh, must be around) 5-6 years now. I am a very allergic person and my asthma was allergic.

Slimming World weigh-in tonight and I am cautiously optimistic.

 

[WriterDom]

I think I'm going to warm up a little on Saturday then get a spotter and see if I can do 205 on the bench. That's about 38 pounds more than I weigh. After I did dumbbells today I did 185 twice and probably would have gone for three if I had a spot. If I can get that then I can set of goal of 225 by sometime this summer.

 

[Homburg]

As for me, I'm struggling with dehydration issues. I have no idea what it is--the heat in this house, me just not taking in enough liquids, or what--, but I'm having a hard time. I'm thirsty all the time. I have a headache that Won't. Go. Away. And it gets worse when I eat.

I drink and drink, and it seems that only sports drinks really kill the thirst, but a gallon or two of those a day (with all the sugar in them) is probably not the healthiest thing. Water won't touch it. Not to mention, the water here is just...ew. Even with a Brita filter, it's BAD.

I wondered if I'd become diabetic, so I bought one of the cheap things to check my blood sugar. Both my fasting and my post-meal levels are well within the normal range, so I have no idea why I'm having such a hard time here.

Sounds like not water, but electrolytes. Sports drinks are sports drinks because of the sugar, sure, but also because of the salt and potassium. Do you have issues with muscle cramps too?

I would personally try two things. First, you can get Propel (sugar-free gatorade) or SmartWater (water with electrolytes) and that should be the sports drink sans loads of sugar. You can also hit any place that sells vitamins and look for potassium citrate caps. I take them when it is hot outside and I'm sweating a lot, and they help kill the headache that Won't. Go. Away.

When I made ghetto gatorade, it was basically a teaspoon or two of salt and four potassium citrate caps in a cup of water, microwaved til the caps and salt dissolve. Then add the cup to a pitcher of crystal light or sugar-free kool-aid (preferably something citrus, as the tang hides the salt and potassium whang). That was the BEST sports drink ever for the dead of summer.

--

I think I'm going to warm up a little on Saturday then get a spotter and see if I can do 205 on the bench. That's about 38 pounds more than I weigh. After I did dumbbells today I did 185 twice and probably would have gone for three if I had a spot. If I can get that then I can set of goal of 225 by sometime this summer.

That rocks, man. I wish I could bench my BW, let alone more than my BW.

 

[Homburg]

Squat Day, Cycle 2 Wave B

150x5
185x5
225x3 Warm-ups done
260x3
300x3
335x11 Rep Calc says 458#

I cannot adequately describe that top set. I felt pretty rough this morning, and really did not want to lift. Did it anyway, because, well, it's what I do. I think I may have had another rep, but when LB stepped up towards the end of 11 and was in place to catch the bar, I figured my form must've gone straight to hell.

Pipe Walk, 4" pipe - 1 circuit

I was done after the first loop. DONE.

Knee-lifts - zed

I mentioned earlier that I was done, right? Yeah, so done that I didn't even do the knee-lifts. That whole "Feel like shite" thing just sat on my chest and convinced me to call it short. Credit to LB, he finished well. I think he was trying to compensate though, as his top set on the squat was pretty poor.

I'll try to make up the ab sets later. For now, food, and rest.