Ok Lydia, how much weight will the squat rack handle for squats? If it is sturdy enough to handle hundreds of lbs to do squats it would certainly handle your weight to do a chin-up. That being said I do about 45* pushups using a bar on my squat rack at home and there is some wiggle in the bar. I’m leaning against it when doing the pushups so I eliminate the wiggle but if there is any room for wiggle when you are ready for a pull up that might be an issue to deal with, just something to keep in mind. Ever think of taking a mini tram or bosu ball and using it to propel yourself up to the bar. (sorry, I just couldn’t resist, I’m bad.)

Me: By the time I got home last night my knees were giving me grief (arthritis) I decided to wait and do my resistance training this morning. They are still really making me limp so I think this evening I will just do workout B without the lunges. I’m trying to think of something I could substitute for the lung without the stress on my knees for days like this but can't come up with anything. Normally once I warm up my knees tolerate almost anything accept jumping but today they are being a little more difficult then typical. Any thoughts?

Evangeline, lunges are uncomfortable for me too. I substitute squats instead. Do you think that would work for you?

Oh I so love the visual. Imagine if I actually could jump up and propel myself up there and then crank out fifteen pullups. It would be like a stunt movie. Alas, we will never know. Not only do we not have step ladders for pullups we don't have bosu balls either. I know, can you imagine. ~sigh~

So I've been thinking about your knees. I have osteoarthritis under my knees so I know how lunges sometimes are painful. When doing the lunges keep the weight in your heel more so when stepping out than the ball or top of your foot. I would also try reverse lunges to see if those are more comfortable. If it looks like lunges are out of the question maybe one legged deadlifts? These also encourage balance/stability like lunges do as well as engaging the hip flexors. Or, there's always more step ups and the endless variety of squats.

Just try to protect your knees from impact or slamming down onto the ground. I put together a wonderful circuit program that I had to alter because the jump ups to the bench left me feeling crippled for a couple of weeks later. The good news is that the stronger my quads have become through step ups the better and more reliable my lunges have become so it is possible to improve it just may take a while.

Lydia, a squat rack is fine for doing pullups. I've had people do a kind of assisted pullup by putting a dumbbell under the bar standing on end so that you can give yourself a little help with a step up. Just remember it's supposed to be a pull up, not a step up

No workout today other than cardio. Clean eats so far and trying hard to keep it that way. I'll be doing legs by my lonesome tomorrow- my workout partner's son is in football playoffs. Good for him, but not for me.

Mel

Getting fit is contageous. Our sitter/au pair was in the house yesterday when the kids and I did power sculpt. She seemed very interested and is frequently talking about wanting to get fit. I showed her how to get to exercise tv on the remote (she has it in her room too).

Today, both she and I were hobbling around.

But in a good way

Kittycat, I am joining you in the "hobbling around" although in my case, it's my arms more than my legs. I did my upper body workout last night and this morning, I thought that I had not exercised enough since I was not as sore this morning as the last time. Apparently, I was wrong.
I went to my core class and planned to do 1 hr of Zumba afterwards but I found out I could barely hold the swiss ball with my arms stretched out in front of me. My left arm is jello and I skunked out before the Zumba started.
I am hoping to do a bit of cardio on the TM at home in the evening instead.

Other than that, this was is shaping up to be a good week (my first week of the BFL challenge). I was at the gym on Tue, Wed, Thur, Frid, Sat and tomorrow is another core class and then lower body workout. My free days will be MOndays - I hate the gym on Monday, it is too packed and I find that going back to work after a weekend is enough to deal with for one day. :-)

Very cold rainy and very windy weather here, hope yours is better. Have a nice weekend, all.

KittyCat: Welcome to the hobble club! I'm doing that dance today too. Actually this is the second day of DOMS in my quads which is kind of unusual for me but it's okay. Today was leg day for me. My plan to give my aching quads an extra two days to heal before doing another session with them. I was intent upon doing only 45 minutes of cardio and then 30 minutes of core. Really.

I did get the cardio in but after that I felt good enough to work the hamstrings. Hey, they didn't hurt why should they take a rest day right? That led to step ups. Not only did I do the step ups but I used a 35 pound bar for the first time instead of the 18 pound body bar I had been using. Sweet. The only thing I need to be careful with is that it is as long as an Olympic bar and it's a tight space between the benches and where the free weights are stored. I kind of have to keep a look out for those around me. Oh, and that after I fatigue myself doing the step ups and split squats with this thing it's a bit of a chore to lift it up off my shoulders and over my head when I'm done. But, I did it.

Alena, so you didn't get to wear your shoes today?! like you I was having some issues with a ball after my workout too. Isn't funny how you can fatigue the muscles enough that you can't extend a body part in front of you for very long. After my legs I tried to do deadbugs with the ball and found that I coudn't keep the legs together with enough strength to hold the ball in place between my feet. I kept rolling down my knees. Oh well. I chose to get some planks in there instead.

All good stuff.

What are deadbugs?

The little black things under the door mat

hobble= health, huh. well, ultimately, right?

Deadbugs? My dogs cockroach, but that's a different category. :-)

45-minute cardio on TM: Check!

Lydia, I don't have the shoes yet. I had to order them online, as much as I hate to to this - I holding my breath. Here is a pic for you:

All Right.

Fran: Here ya go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1SUCQfYrlU

Unfortunately, i do let my limbs flop to the ground. I'm hardly graceful with this and often have to think about which leg and which arm I'm supposed to move when I get started.

Alena: Yep. Those are pink and very cute. Enjoy them!

Unfortunately, the black things under my doormat (and all over my kitchen floor) these days are the itty bitty pieces of turf backing - ugh so annoying - they get inside dd's socks! But at least they don't mark, shred, so it could be worse, right?

It's official, my whole family did ball curls tonite. I think that's what Mel called them when she recommended them. Of course, somehow, the evil children can crank them out in record time with no balance issues, but we even got dh down on the floor doing them and he showed me up too. But hey, it's good to get the whole family laughing, even if it is AT mom!

I like the dead bugs! Thanks for the link!! It reminds me of my pilates on the ball dvd I have. Great fun. I'm sure it won't feel that way when I'm doing it!

Tomato, I love those shoes!! Who makes them? Where'd you order them from?

Ah, those deadbugs!
The Oxygen magazine calls them 'V-up ball passes'.
I have been doing them in my core classes, but instead of holding the ball against the shins (the beginner version) we hold the ball between an ankle and a hand of the opposite arm. Yeap, it does require concentration on which limb is supposed to do what.
The advanced version is hard for me - the part where I am supposed to lift up my legs with the ball between them. I can do a lot of advanced core exercises with no problem but that exercise has me defeated - I can't get my legs up unless I help them with my arms a bit. I will try with legs bent at the knees.

Nelie - the shoes are from Canada.zappos.com - you will be shopping at the US Zappos I think - I looked them up for you.
Here are Capezios:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/25079191/c/3.html - very similar.
Here are Blochs (which I ordered):
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/25079146/c/3.html

You are lucky - you will get free shipping. I have to pay shipping plus they charge me $25 "import fee". Check what people are saying - usually they run small and need to be ordered 1 size up if not more - that's how I ended up with the pink monsters because nothing else was available in size 11. (normally I am 9.5 but I have really wide feet).