Not clicking that link, not clicking, not clicking...!

Tiki- Grab a bosu and put it in a power cage so that you can reach out and stabilize yoursef on the uprights the first time you use one. Or any big machine (or hunky bodybuilder) that's not going to move or wobble with you. Try some simple squats. Try just shifting your weight from one foot to the other. Move you hips a bit. Then progress to something simple like curls. It really makes workouts more fun, makes you use your abs for everything, and will IMPROVE your balance.

WTG on the pushups, chickies! :bravo:

Mel

So far I haven't clicked that link either...I'm already hungry and I don't need the food porn encouragement right now! ;)

I went to the gym yesterday with a male friend and it was nice to have someone show me how to use those "scary" machines. Of course I'm sore today but that's a good thing...as long as I'm okay for my power class tomorrow after work.

While it was fun trying new things, and I think I'll go again, the only problem with a couple of the machines is that they may have been a bit out of my league. I don't know what you call the machines with the plates where you just click in the weight you want but those I like because it's easy to switch weights up or down during a workout, but he took me to these machines where you have to lift on barbell plates (if that makes any sense to anyone). So, it's tougher to go up/down weight and if a big guy leaves a giant weight on it, it's difficult to move.

It was fun anyway and I really enjoyed doing the chest presses but I could only do the bar alone!! But that bar was giant...anyone know what it might have weighed?

Beth/Frab - I love/hate pushups too. I'm still on the girlie ones but I'm waiting until I can do 15 or 20 straight and then I'll switch to the "real" pushups!

And I'm still working on my running. I've gotten up to 5k on my Ipod but I think it measures a bit high so I think I'm close but not quite there yet.

I also can't wait until it's a bit nicer out to get out there and run but I'm also a bit scared that for some reason I can only run on the treadmill. I only started running a couple of months ago so I haven't been able to hit the pavement (so to speak).

Tiki - I'm also afraid of the bosu ball but one of these days I'm going to go for the basic squat, like Mel suggested.

Okay, enough of my ramblings. Hope everyone is having a good day and I'm just hanging out, waiting to see if the snow really comes today!

:D

If a big guy leaves a weight on the machine, chase him down and tell him to finish his workout and unrack his own weight! It's the gym equivalent of leaving his underwear on the bathroom floor ;) It's HIS workout and his job to clean up after himself. One of my pet peeves. If you read back through the LWL threads, you'll find this an ongoing rant over the years.

An oympic bar with no weights weighs 45 pounds.

You were using "plate loaded" machines as opposed to "pin driven".

Ugh, still snowing here. I see shovel cardio in my immediate future :p

Mel - thanks for confirming that some boys are just dumb! ;) and for filling me on the lingo! I think I'll stick, for now, with the other machines to be safe. And 45 lbs?? Really? If that's what I was lifting, that would explain why I could only do three sets of six! I'll have to ask since I have no idea if this was an olympic bar.

Oh yeah...and I think shovelling may also be in my future. Well, it's a good workout anyway.

Shoveling is on my schedule as well but will have to wait til tomorrow morning as I JUST GOT HOME!!! The drive home was horrific!! I waited to leave work until after 7:30 in hopes the salt trucks and snow plows would have come through - but they hadn't. Grrrrrrrrr!

Elisa, don't let the weight and machines scare you. I remember I used to be scared to do dead lifts but after I tried them (Mel made me) it wasn't as bad as thought it would be. And benching 45 lbs is impressive especially on your first go round.

Tiki

Mmmm spidey press-ups *shudder* He he! :high: Go Mel! Grasshoppers too - they look. Interesting! I shall have to practice them, then introduce them to the Tough Guys at kickboxing :lol:

I did some really great calf presses yesterday on the leg press machine. I had it set on the same amount that I used for leg presses about 6 months ago! :rofl: I'm really bemused that my calves can be as strong as my quads :?: but it's fun. I sometimes use the barbell I'm squatting with for calf-raises too :dizzy: Is that NORMAL?????

Oooh deadlifts - I saw some boob at the gym deadlifting with his back! :crazy: Where does one get the confidence to strut over and say, "Excuse me, but your form is rubbish, you'll hurt yourself (using such heavy weights!!!!!), do you mind if I show you?" or do you just mind your own business? I kept on with my ab-crunchy machine and shut up but I bet he'll be putting his back out one day!

My knee is feeling better today but last night I thought I'd broken my toe!!!! :eek: Fortunately it's not. Hence why I only "thought" I'd broken it! It wasn't quite as bad as when I did break my toe, but almost! And I couldn't put any weight on it... Ok so maybe I sprained my big toe!!!! :lol3: Doesn't sound quite as bad does it? :rofl: So :crossed: that I'm all healed up for the big tournament on Sunday! :hyper:

I'm here but a bit wobbly and my ear is still bunged up. It's a lovely spring day and the first lambs on our neighbouring farm were born overnight. So it's definitely spring. :hug: to those of you with a lot of greyness or bad snow. (Good snow is lovely, isn't it?)

I vow that my food will be cleaner today. I have more energy because I feel better.

Exercise - a bit but not too much. I'm going to get back little by little.

PS There are a lot of tractors here too. And a lot of muck-spreading as well at the moment! :)

:hug: So glad you're feeling better!

Lambieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! I miss them now that I'm in the smoke :(

Thanks! I'm planning an action-packed half-term next week: stacking logs, planting garlic, turning and applying compost, swimming, biking. So I'm pacing myself this week. I should be OK for all this by the weekend. :crossed:

Happy Valentine's Day! May your day be full of hearts and roses and no chocoalte--- ok, maybe 1 square of dark 80% cocoa :lol3:

Off to do some heart friendly cardio and shoulders,

Lovely freezing rain here on top of snow :faint:

Mel

Giving advice that is not asked for can sometimes end up getting ugly even when it is given with all the best intentions as in your case. I would try to give him the opportunity to seek advice if needed. This is how I would approach it. Get a bar and start doing deadlifts in the station next to him or somewhere in his line of sight. When he sees you deadlifting in the correct manner, one of three things is probably going to happen.

1. He sees you. Figures he is doing them right, you are doing them wrong, but he is too polite to correct you. In other words, he continues to do them incorrectly. Oh well, you tried.

2. He sees you and if he wasn't too confident in his form to begin with but can recognize correct form when he sees it demonstrated, he will start to try to emulate your form. Hooray! Mission accomplished!

3. He sees you and figures he is doing them right and you are doing them wrong and he comes over to "help" you. This could get fun and perhaps profitable. After a little debate on who is doing them correctly (and maybe a little wager on the side) call in a trainer or experienced lifter whose opinion both of you trust to settle the issue. He will then find out that his form was incorrect and dangerous from an injury perspective. Again, mission accomplished.

Case 1 will be the most probable outcome, but it beats going over to over unsolicited advice, having him tell you to mind your own business while probably adding a few choice words that force you to utilize your kickboxing skills on him. He winds up in the emergency room, you wind up banned from the gym. Nobody wins.

Hi LWL,

Silverbirch - good you are back! What happened to the ear ? I also am gearing up for term break, but I might have caught DS flu bug. I feel lousy, Just got out of bed & grabbed some tea to get better.

BTW depalma, I agree 100% with your analysis of Frus dilemma. The guy is probabely convinced that he is right.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

:val3: Morning folks! How about cardio today and chest and triceps. Appropriate, yes?
I work evenings today:( but Dh told me this morning that everday is like Valentine's for us :hug: I think I'll keep him.


Oh Depalma ... how am I going to get this picture out of my head now? Case 1 will be the most probable outcome, but it beats going over to over unsolicited advice, having him tell you to mind your own business while probably adding a few choice words that force you to utilize your kickboxing skills on him. He winds up in the emergency room, you wind up banned from the gym. Nobody wins.

Well, Dr Rabbit, it was just a cold, you know. And then I got a secondary bacterial infection which went into sinusitis, etc, blah, blah and I always need antibiotics then. I saw what my mum (rather rudely) calls a 'child doctor' and she didn't give me antibiotics and then it got worse. And I couldn't/can't hear or think, come to that. And so on and so forth. And now I'm on the second lot of antibiotics (prescribed by old-timer doctor) and I think I may be entering the land of the living. Thanks for asking!

Have just read about your new boss (over on maintainers). Dear, dear. You had the right idea to go to bed. Hope you don't get the bug. There are so many about and they are all Horrible.

Depalma: yes, you have encapsulated it. :lol:

Mel: take care out there.

Susan: lovely DH you've got there!

Love to everyone else.

Fran - I'm from CA and when I first moved to Colorado, I was frightened of basements! The only experience with basements that I had ever had was watching scary movies where there is a killer/monster in the basement. I remember visiting someones house and they asked me if I wanted to go in the basement, I gave them a look like they were crazy. I then bought a townhome with a basement and I was always a little wary of it but not as much as when I had first moved there.

Pushups! I'm all for pushups. I've been doing them on my knees though. I can crank out about 30 before I die.

Eating is good but I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I wimped out of exercise.

Forgot to mention - Tractor pulls! I'll admit I'm another one that thought tractor pulls involved people pulling tractors, not tractors pulling stuff.