Lydia - you know I love to hear all the yoga talk. I had a yoga revelation this week. We do so many chatarungas (spelling?) which is really the slow lowering down portion of a tricep pushup and this week, I just changed my position and I was able to do so many more. Usually, I have to drop my knees down after a few. I was quite sore the next day too so yay for yoga!
I worked from home this morning (a rare treat) and had the afternoon off. I wanted to go for a run but it was about 40C with the humidity and I didn't think it was worth it so I tackled my weed jungle. I must have spent a couple of hours out there and I got a lot accomplished but it's not done yet! I hope to finish this weekend.
I also got a ton of raspberries, which is great, but I think I might have to dig them out next year. They really are ugly prickly plants and they multiply like weeds. They will take over your property if you're not really careful.
Midwife/Lydia - I think lots of us struggle with losing those last pounds while trying not to lose the muscle. It is a struggle every day. I dropped a few pounds earlier this year, gained back a couple and am now hovering around 129 but can't seem to get to the 125 goal. I know that it's not a huge deal and that it's often my fault. I think it was Mel that mentioned how the weekends ruin the rest of a good week and that is certainly true for me! Maybe it's worth it if I maintain and get to enjoy some good food with friends and family but I'm not sure.
Gotta run but I hope to check back in this weekend...enjoy everyone!
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Mel and Nelie, I hope you're back to normal, soon!
Fran, I sent you a PM last night, re the whey. I'd make use of it, if you don't have a long-time pal who wants it.
Isabella, I have a similar problem with the Himalayan blackberry, where I live. Great berries, but they can take over the world if you don't keep after them constantly. I spend about a third of my summer cutting blackberry vines and hacking at their roots, which just seems to piss them off and make them multiply, lol.
No lifting for me today. Skating tonight, though. Okay, more work, less chatting (for me)!
Height: tall enough to know what's on top of your refrigerator
Hellooooo all!
Mel, I hope you are feeling better!
I just finished a horrible week of PMS. Not fun at all, and control? Well, I managed to average a maintenance week. Between a rock and hard place at work, but I'm dragging others into it to help. Friday had to rush the pet to the vet, so we've been monitoring all weekend. Not good for workouts, food shopping, really anything except reading!! Today I am reviewing the BFL book again. I have two weeks left in this challenge (two weeks?!? where does the time go? I'm glad I have all those workouts behind me!!) and I want to make the most of them. I know that I'm starting another one right afterward, but I like to have my stats and photos every 12 weeks.
Workouts have been slacking, too. Maybe it's the heat, the stress, whatever - at least I recognize it and I'm back on track today. Wednesday I worked legs pretty hard and was sore until Saturday. It's too hot to do the lawns today, but I'll go to the gym and watch the pro bowlers.
Stay cool, groovy cats, and have a fantastic OP week!
I'm trying to get myself on a good lifting schedule, but since I have work trips every other week to a place that doesn't have a gym, it's been tough.
I'm following the stronglifts 5 x 5 program. Basically, it follows an ABA one week, BAB the next.
A workouts:
Squat 5 x 5
Barbell row 5 x 5
Bench press 5 x 5
Dips 3 x F
B workouts
Squats 5 x5
Overhead press 5 x 5
Deadlifts 1 x 5
Pull up, chin up 3 x F
Increasing the weight slightly every workout.
So far it's been going good. My only problem is the overhead press. I'm still on the empty bar because my technique goes to crap by my 4th set.
Oh and pull ups. I have to go assisted. Just hanging there hurts my hands, but if I want to go unassisted I have to do it. Dips are going far better than I thought (although this is an exercise that I can do in a hotel room). I'm trying to progress with a stability ball, but I can only get out about 5 before landing on my butt. But one leg I can go for about 15 before my arms start shaking a lot.
I'm also trying to do the push up challenge on off days and planks. All of my core work the last couple of months has really helped me.
Last night I did work out A. My chest and shoulders are soooore! The squalf an hour, not going all the way down, then clean jerks, and good mornings, without letting me work through. I was on the Smith machine, but my butt and legs don't feel sore. They feel used, not "I just squated 100 pounds" sore.
Ugh. Whatever. I'm going to start lifting early, before the college crowd goes in.
That's a great program Archy. You'll make some great gains!
I like Mehdi's stuff a lot plus he really writes some great stuff on form, corrective exercise, mobility, SMR, and the like. Great stuff. I read his blog religiously.
By the way, I'm sure he'd like to see you get off that Smith Machine though
Ooh, I just re-read what I posted and the part where I'm complaining about the guy who was hogging the squat rack was gone.
He's the one that hogged the rack for an hour doing squats "not going all the way down, then clean jerks, and good mornings, without letting me work through."
That's why I went to the Smith machine, I figured Smith squats were better than no squats. But I'm not sore or anything. Tomorrow I'm going in at 7am so that I don't have to deal with the college boys.
Well, at least he wasn't curling. Although he probably could have cleaned from the floor for clean and jerks or at least let you work in. No accounting for commond decency though.
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Archy, another thing you can do, if that happens again, is try a different type of squat, just for a change-up. Overhead squats are challenging for me, and I'm not even using weight yet...too scared of dropping it on my head, lol, but really still working on my form, and I still feel it, for sure. You can also do squats with DBs or front squats, or a push press combined with a squat. Sounds like a great program you've got there, though!
Rest day for me today, then back to the gym tomorrow.
Archy- that looks like a great program. One of the things that really helped my military press was doing one arm at a time dumbbell presses, then switching back to the bar for a few weeks, then back to dumbbells.
Fran- Ummm....I asked you about the whey...did you get my PM?
I've had a no gym couple of days. My cold progressed to a sinus infection that felt like the front of my head was going to explode off my body I think I'm ready to start again. I've got a date with the elliptical at 5:20 tomorrow morning and we'll see how that goes
Hi guys, had to check with the dh on the protein powder bc apparently he used up the Designer Whey while I was in NYC. What I still have is the brand, Body Fortress, which to me tastes the same as DW, it's also chocolate and 23g p per scoop - it's the ultra formulation. It's sealed. I also have a 1/2 full Body Fortress chocolate that is 20g per scoop - regular formula, obviously opened.
They are both sold at Target so if you want to buy a small size there first to try it if you don't want to go by my recommendation that it's the more affordable Designer Whey, that's cool too. Here's the link:
OK, Cheryl, it's all yours! I have lots of chocolate!
First day back on cardio- ugh, that was hard! Chest and back at the gym at lunchtime if I can find a ride...I'm car-less because my ds is home for 2 days.
Morning, everyone. Leg day accomplished. Breakfast accomplished, and I'm hurtling toward lunch. Work NOT accomplished, but so it goes. Lifting and eating are bigger priorities, after all.
I spent most of the weekend attacking a 30' x 10' strip of aegopodium (aka, Bishop's weed, aka Pig Weed, aka, Creeping Fangtooth Kim's Bane). It has to go before put in a fence along our back property line. This weed spreads through every evil device known to plant-kind, but especially through tubular roots. The roots form a dense mat, and to truly get rid of the stuff, each and every inch of root has to be picked out. I regularly curse the person who went to the nursery one day and decided, "oh, that will make a nice ground cover." (Yes, nurseries *sell* this stuff. There ought to be a law!)
Oh, and I did some "stump grinding," too, of two maple tree stumps along the fence line. Manually. With a grubhoe. After the aegopodium, that seemed positively relaxing.
Did I mention that my back and hammies were sore today?
Hope everyone has a wonderful day.
Susan: what a cutie pie! Love that hair (even if it will fall out soon enough).
I think I'm ready to start again. I've got a date with the elliptical at 5:20 tomorrow morning and we'll see how that goes 
