OK, workin' it today gals.

Yay Kitty! You're doing it! I am too - hopefully the frigging scale will agree, you know?

Okay, I think after this I'll only have to report what I do for a legs workout - and then you'll know what I do. I'm going to stick to the workouts I'm mentioning for 6 weeks before I change anything up. I'll do little variations on grips and junk - but these will reflect the basics.

There's not a lot of rhyme or reason to how I'm splitting things. I confuse myself. I had an organized plan all wrote up, but when the twins train with me everything gets thrown off.

After the 6 weeks, my trainer finally agreed to teach me Olympic lifts and deadlifts after she sees my progress. Exciting!

Wow, this is scary listing the weights. I feel like a big wuss! But since I wuv you up Jammy, here goes:

Chest+Back
4 sets each, reps to failure:
Dumbbell Press, Flat (30#) and Incline (22.5#)
Flyes, Flat (22.5#) and Incline (17.5#)
Cable Crossover (45#)
~~~~~
4 sets each, I can't fail on my back, seems impossible (altho I try):
Lat Pulldown (100#) Wide Grip
Seated Row (on cables 110#) Narrow Low Grip
Cable Pulldown (85#)
Pullover Machine (90#)
Dumbbell Rows (30#)
Shrugs (35#)
Again my back felt great - but I was reluctant to push it. Skerred of hurting it again.
~~~~~
10 min mile treadmill
20 min stairstepper w. intervals
~~~~~~
Today's workout was a little longer than normal, I used more recovery time as an experiment. This workout ran longer because of that. Interesting how the calorie burn recorded by the HRM is so impressive with all of that rest!
HRM says: 1013 calories burned.
~~~~~
Some creepy guy was staring at me almost the entire workout. He looked in love and in rage all at once. I think that's why my calorie burn is so high - the FEAR. For the first 40 minutes or so it was just him and I all alone in the weights room. It felt like a bad scene in a prison movie. Luckily, I didn't have any soap to drop.

Barb, I want to hear how using your monitor goes with your workouts! Just to satisfy my curiosity, I'd love to see the difference between the workouts that incorporate more cardio and the plain straight weights sessions.

FB, lmao!!

Kitty and Shauna, ! I'm doing it today, too! Well, not THAT, sicko! I mean staying OP! Sheesh, some peoples' filthy minds!

FB, woohoo on the oly lifts! At least you can try them, and see for yourself if you like them. Glad your back is feeling good lately!

Thanks for posting your weights, FB. I'm all about the wuv! lol. You can't be a wimp, since I think you've got me beat on just about everything. I am in awe of your back strength! Chest, quads and calves, I'm pretty strong, but back, shoulders, hams...weak! I'm getting better, but it's a long, hard road, sheesh!

I'll do a more normal lifting workout today so I can post weights, too. I needed a to do it, since I'm hating on my home set-up right now, but I need to keep it up, even if it is boring as heck without a real BB or bench!

I've never tried going to F on every set. Probably can't try that yet, though, not in the 6-10 rep range, cuz I'm still taking it easy, so as to make sure the arm is totally healed up.

Lately I've been starting with a high rep set, dropping reps each set/increasing weight (like 12-10-8-6), then the very last set I drop the weight and go to F, but it's a high rep/lighter weight set, like high teens to 20s is F on that last set. I just don't wanna be laid up again, KWIM? I'm trying very hard to keep hold of my usual "lift heavy or go home" attitude so I don't hurt my stupid self, but it is hard! I wanna go heavy, too!

Creepy about the staring dude at the gym! I had a guy staring at me one day while I did incline flies. I couldn't decide if I was doing it wrong, if he was impressed that I wasn't using girly weights, or if he was just taking advantage to stare at my boobs. It was mostly annoying, though, not scary, cuz there were lots of peeps in the gym at the time, plus I was bigger than him and pretty sure I could kick his skinny butt.

Barb, what FB said! We need some detailed workout reports, here!

Eh, I seriously doubt I could beat you at anything Jammyjam. My back and legs are my strong points personally. The legs are killer from the biking - I swear biking has given me the best visible results. I punished them with many, many hills last year.

When I was strictly training with my trainer we never went to failure. She had me go for 15-20. Once I struck out on my own I decided on the failure thing. I did a little research and decided that's what I wanted. Now, when we work out together I still work her way and she's amazed at the strength it's given me. So yeah, I go back and forth between failure and higher reps - depending on whether I work out with the twins or not. Those twins!

We do drop sets as well, when we work out together. I think they're quite nice, really. I just read something yesterday about pyramid sets, maybe I'll try that sometime.

I've been doing the negative thing for this go round of 6 weeks. I'd like to see if it impacts the results any.

You need to take care of your poor army arm! Forget the lift heavy stuff for now - it would be terrible if you tried and hurt it again. Did you ever go to a doctor for it? Did you get a diagnosis? Oh, I forgot - you are renaissance woman! You probably have your degree in all of that!

Boobs always look nice with incline flies. I'll bet he was checking your tatas out for sure. Heck, I stare at my own when I do them, they look that impressive (for once, or it's my padded bras looking good from that angle!).

Okay - that's all the weight talk you girls will get! I promise! It's just nice to find a few like minded peeps out there. Swear now, I'll shut up with my lengthy long winded iron talks. It's Barb and Jammy's turn. RIGHT BARB?

And a weight/challenge update...
NOTHING. NO change. I work my butt off over here, this side of the Mississippi, I eat like the queen of clean and NOTHING.

Semi-OP Day

I'm having trouble eating... no appetite whatsoever and I have to force down 1200 calories. My high days are even worse. I think next week I'm going to prepare more calories dense entrees, and try to load up early in the morning instead of leaving like 500 calories for dinnertime.

Exercise was also a bust... I was supposed to do my ABS Diet DVD, and it did, but I totally half-assed it.

So today as a so-so day. Hopefully I'll pick up tomorrow.

Hope all is well with all you ladies

Shauna, sounds like you maybe need a guilt-free rest day on the exercise? Only if you want to, but if I'm just feeling cooked from daily workouts, I'll take one, even though it usually means bad news on the scale for a day. It's better than being too exhausted to get a good workout. Eat PB or cheese. Lots of calories in a small package.

Speaking of rest days, I probably should have taken one after my long run yesterday, but I promised FB I'd lift, so I did an UB workout. I was feeling wasted after the BP, so I ended up just doing 2-3 sets of 10 for the rest (not to failure, coach, I promise! Not on purpose, anyway.). Just couldn't do my usual 5 sets thingy.

DB Flat Bench (lb/reps): 2x20/12, 2x25/10, 2x30/8, 2x35/6, 2x30/8(F)
DB Fly (flat): 2x15/12, 2x20/10 (don't have padded bench = ouch, gave up on the drop reps/add weight here, and stole my dog's pillow..it still hurt!), 2x20/10, 2x20/10
DB BO Row (2 DBs): 2x25/10 (3 sets)
DB BO Row (UH Grip): 2x25/10 (2 sets)
DB BO Rear Delt Row: 2x25/10 (2 sets)
Back Ext (unweighted)/10
Hip Ext (unweighted)/10
DB Shrugs 2x35/10 (2 sets)
Bench Dips (unweighted)/10 (3 sets)
DB OH Tri Press 1x25/10, /8F (oops, this weight was fine last time), 1x20/10 (2 sets)
DB Preachers 1x15lb each side (just did right arm first, my weaker one on these, went to F, matched reps on the left, till the right arm reps dropped to 4)
Standing DB Curls, 2x20/10 (3 sets)
Hammer Curls, 2x20/10 (2 sets)

There you go, FB! The 35 pounders on the BP 6 rep set were somewhat comical, trying to get them into position, but it was a better weight scheme, since my F set didn't go into the teens or 20s this time. The arm and the wrist felt good tonight, but everything else was still sore from all the crossfitting.

Morning, ladies! At least, it's still morning here.

I'm missing Kali. She hasn't checked in for a while. Hopefully she's just busy.

FB, glad to see the scale moved this morning. I figured it was from lifting heavy or something, but got distracted and forgot to say so. You know it will go down eventually, and hopefully you're packing on some muscles, too.

I have a few urgent projects around the house today, so I'll be doing those. I also need to spend some time at my desk this weekend, working on the taxes, and hopefully getting a skeleton of a plan laid out on the calendar for this year. My boy is gone for the weekend, so it's a good time to get some stuff done! I really want to get caught up on this urgent stuff, and try to get back on track with my workouts and dog scootering next week. I haven't had the dogs out near as much as I meant to this year.

Hi All Happy Sat
today I cleaned my rugs and overhauled the house !
so that will be my exercise ...I would rather clean than get on the tread mill !
anybody else out there like that ?
I did manage to do a few (as many as I could)squats with weights last night
WOW I feel the burn in my legs big time !
that is a **** of a workout Jamsk8r !

I am presently filling up my tub & going in for a good soak !

tried to stay as low cal as I could
WW toast, spinach leaves,some lettuce dabble of mayo yummm
popped a bag of corn and burned the heck out of it ( sign from above)

not sure whats on the menu for tonight hubby went meat shopping...hum how unusual oh happy day !

Snow in the forecast again for Sunday here in NH
can't take it anymore!

send some pics of your dogs!

I would like to join the Valentines day challenge!
I challenge myself to lose 5 pounds!

SW: 191
GW: 186

FINALLY Started my period! WOO HOO! Happened yesterday and I was already two pounds lighter today! I think the water etention was reaking havoc with the scale. I felt pregnant for a full week. I will be using progeterone cream this month so hopefully my cycle will become regulated. Anyways, we had a b-day part for my son today so I'm a little tired and I still need to take the dog for a walk before bed.

Just have to say, FB, I think I'll be laughing about that creepy guy from the gym all night! Sorry for the truma he caused you! :0) I wonder if guys just pick out girls to stare at as a form of concentration? Seems like the "creep stare" happens a lot! LMAO!

You guys - the creepy guy was pretty funny. Especially AFTER the workout, once I got the **** outta there!

Jamsta - My workout today?
ROLLERSKATING AT THE RINK! With my son!

Today was an okay day. I went 200cals under my goal, which wouldn't be a problem except that this has happened like 4 days this week.

Also, Jamsk8r, I took your advice and took a day off with exercising. And WOW I needed it! Actually though, it looks like I'm coming down with something (cold/ flu) and that combined with my TOM, and my going under with calories is probably why I feel so sh*^ty lately. I usually aim for exercise 6 days/ week (3 cardio & 3 circuit days) with 1 rest day per week. I guess with all thats going on with my body though, that was just too much to handle.

So I've decided to take a break from the gym until my symptoms are gone, but at least until wednesday to give my body a chance to recoop.

Off to bed now. I'll check in tomorrow and let you guys know whats up.

I hope all is well with you other challenge sweethearts. Stay strong you ladies! We're over halfway there!