Midwife - you must be able to wear jeans more often than I can. I currently have 2 pair that fit the way I want and I wear, but I can only wear them to work on Fridays, and then only if I don't have an "important" meeting. I usually buy Land's End jeans because their petite rise fits me and they'll hem the legs. I have a pair in each of 2 smaller sizes waiting for me to get there.....
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Lydia, if you think you'd lose your grip, I definitely wouldn't try the knees to elbows thing yet. I will probably have to work at hanging from the bar first, then some knee raises, because my grip isn't that great yet. I'm considering wussing out and buying some lifting straps, or try taping my hands, or something. The palms just get so red and sore doing legs, esp with DBs. Maybe one could get a similar effect, safely, with the captain's chair? Or on the floor, like me, if your abs/core isn't all that yet!
Mel, now that's more of a "Mel" workout, windmills on the pull-up bar!
Hi ladies! Can I join this chat? I've been consistently working out on my Weider Home Gym two-three times per week again since the beginning of December. I'm currently doing a complete body workout that I got off of ExRx.net - I found it when I was looking for something to get me back into the flow. It is almost time to change it up, but I have surgery scheduled for 1/22 so I figure I won't change to a different routine until after recovered and back from that, since I'll have to take some time off and almost start over.
I'm doing the following exercises, most all of them are done with the Weider so they were the 'cable pulley' option from the exercise choices per body part on the website:
Cable Squat
Stepup - no weights yet, working on balance
Seated leg extension
Standing Row
Pushup (non-modified)
Seated Pulldown
Chest Press
Tricep Dip about 50% of the time
French Press
Crunches
"100 for Core" which I actually got from PhotoChick, not ExRx.net - alternates between crunches, reverse crunches, bicycles, plank, different things different days
Pullups - I can do 3 consistently, some days I make 5 but not often enough to count it.
That whole flow is taking me about 35 minutes. I've gradually increased my 'resistance bar weight' in the month since I started, so I feel like I'm making some progress. My plan as the year goes on is to acquire a real weightbench and some adjustable dumbells, but I'm working with what I have available now. I'm thinking I might add in the 'knee to elbow' thing I just watched the video on, but I'll probably use the beginner's variation!
Midwife - you must be able to wear jeans more often than I can. I currently have 2 pair that fit the way I want and I wear, but I can only wear them to work on Fridays, and then only if I don't have an "important" meeting. I usually buy Land's End jeans because their petite rise fits me and they'll hem the legs. I have a pair in each of 2 smaller sizes waiting for me to get there.....
Oh, I don't actually NEED 4 pairs of jeans. Half my work week I'm in scrubs, the other half in office attire, and the days I'm off I'm in athletic clothes usually.
I just have this weird addiction to buying jeans when I make it into a new size.....
I too started on a Weider home gym until Mel clonked me over the head with a dumbbell and told me it was time to move on over. I'm glad you have plans to move that way yourself. What you're doing is great, but I have to agree with the x'perts here that there's no comparison to free weights. Lying on a bench doing a chest press and keeping those 20 lb dumbbells from going into orbit is a big challenge that you just can't replicate on a machine. I'll give a thumbs up to the bowflex adjustables. From time to time you can catch them on special at dick's or sports authority where they'll throw in the stand for free. We had to get those for our trip to the ATL bc taking a set of single weight dumbbells was something dh wasn't willing to do. Early C'mas, anniversary (23 years SUnday!) and probably b'day present this year! Totally worth 5 year's of b'day parents, imo.
Pat, I heard on the nat'l news this morning about how terrible it is in Alaska!! Those "hi's" of the day were just crazy! Like -45 in Fairbanks, or was it Anchorage - the one in the middle of the state. I talked to someone in chicago today and she said next week they are supposed to have a high of zero one day. I was like, how does your house and office heater keep up with that -- do you have something special that we don't have in the rest of the country? She said no, they just get used to feeling cold & drafty all the time. What do you guys do there? I'm sure you must have to have engine block heaters that you hook your cars up to overnite, plus garages are mandatory... My sister used to put cardboard in her car's grill when she lived in Mnpls. They were saying on the news how many people couldn't get their cars started today in Alaska. Oh, yes, and how it's hard to fix cars in the perennial dark (6 more mins of daylight each day!)
Which reminds me, I should search for Pat's library cam thread. Sorry Pat, but it did make me feel better about our lousy Pennsylvania weather!
Shannon- Welcome! I don't actually clonk people over the head It sounds like you are doing great. Any woman who can do ANY pull ups is doing great! I like cables as a mix with free weights and body weight training.
And welcome back to the pull up queen, Kim! Good to know you are still out there, and in recovery from your bout of cardio-itis
OK, Cheryl, I did a lot of the exercises on the video yesterday. My shoulders hurt! I can do the knees to shoulders and the straight leg, and managed three shaky (and scary) inversions. Did any of you notice on the video that when they started showing inversions, it was a guy and not the same woman who started on the video? There is a reason. It's a LOT harder for women to get their butts above their upper bodies...even strong, fit women. When we used to do them at the gym, there were only two of us who could do it, and we had some pretty strong women there.
So after my three inversions, I plopped down on a bench to rest. The fitness director, whose office overlooks the weight and cable tower area, came out and sat down beside me. (Remember, this is not a gym where I have ever been an employee). I'm a VOCAL member of this gym so he knows me by sight and we've talked a couple of times. He asked me to PLEASE NEVER DO THAT AGAIN (the inversions). He said he's watched me workout for almost two years and knows that I know what I'm doing and how strong I am, but was terrified that I'd fall on my head on his watch or that someone else would try it. OK...he's right that there is no recourse if you fall. So I guess I'll be doing those at home. Maybe dh will spot me, cause if I break my neck, he'd have to clean the house and cook
Alena- Good on ya on the body fat trend.
Here's another body mystery- I'm 5'3 and 128 pds and wear a size 4 jeans. my dd (26 yrs old) is 5'3, weighs 122 and wears a 0. Of course, the thighs are spray painted on to her, but they fit her perfectly in the hips and waist. She has sprinter legs and also lifts heavy.
My new motivation for peeling off a bit more of last year's fat accumulation and getting in fantastic shape is that I just booked a 5 day ski trip to Colorado with my dd for early April. I sure hope there is snow! We will look hilarious- we have the same skis, the same boots, and almost the same parka. If only I looked the same age
Off to the gym. There is a dusting of snow out there and it's cold. But not for Alaska!
I guess it's a good thing to look and dress like your daughter. Last night DD & I went to MIL's house for dinner after the gym. We both had red hoodie sweatshirts, shorts, and running shoes.....my sil & my bil both mistook me out of the corners of their eyes for my 16 yo DD. I guess I dress like a teenager. I still have 10 pounds on her though!
Oh, btw, I did another crazy 18 super-super set pyramid thing of dumbbell shoulder presses, but this time my max weights were 27.5 dumbbells.
My new motto is Lift Heavy or Go Home! (Just for me, of course!)
[QUOTE=Mel;2541196 So after my three inversions, I plopped down on a bench to rest. The fitness director, whose office overlooks the weight and cable tower area, came out and sat down beside me. (Remember, this is not a gym where I have ever been an employee). I'm a VOCAL member of this gym so he knows me by sight and we've talked a couple of times. He asked me to PLEASE NEVER DO THAT AGAIN (the inversions). Mel[/QUOTE]
Whaaat!? He didn't offer to spot you! Mel, your my hero. I bet it looked cool though. Enjoy planning your Colorado vacation.
Shannon: It sounds like a great place to start. I wish you a speedy recovery from your upcoming surgery. Let us know how you are doing.
Stay warm Pat!
Fran: Enjoy your adjustables. I had to smile, a summer vacation to Hilton Head inspired by DH to purchase my set. Same reason. Didn't want to have to lug four sets of dumbells along on the trip.
I'm just hanging out with DS2 this morning playing with legos. He has manuals, he has bags and bags of legos separated by color, and I've got a full pot of coffee.
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Morning ladies! Welcome, Shannon!
I missed my lifting workout last night, due to being sick. Feeling fine today, and off in a few minutes to yorkie-proof my sister's backyard fence. The new neighbor tidied up on their side of the fence, so now there are gaps and the yorkie is all about seeing the neighborhood. I also am still trying to trace the problem with my van's windshield wipers. sigh. I'll check in later, hopefully to report that I made up for yesterday's missed UB workout.
I think my trainer is a little generous with her body fat measurements.....so, the trend is good but I wonder if I was really 14% with the last measurement. Clearly the only way to solve this issue is for me to borrow your jeans and see if I can wear them. Like the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 3FC Style!
Midwife, this should be very easy to do - and I think Mel should join us. I know you are both busy but wouldn't it be a fun experiment? My size 4 jeans are from GAP, the style is called Essential. Just pick a size 4 and try them on.
Mine are 4L (34" inseam) but that doesn't matter, the waist/hip area should be the same. Ok, ladies, hit the nearest GAP and report your results back!!
Shannon, welcome!
I did Zumba this morning and will do legs / abs tomorrow.
Thanks for the welcome everybody!
Cheryl - I tried the 'knees to elbows thing from the video and could almost do one. I must have looked all kinds of crazy trying it... I did better with the beginner's version, but wow... need to work on that! Hope you are feeling better!
Sportmom- I've been looking at adjustable weights for a while, but figured since I already had the Weider I would wait to invest in them until DH was working out again, too. Well, doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon, so my new goal is that I'll start saving money and buy them as a reward for myself when I go for four weeks three times per week on the Weider. Or, when I save the money and recover from my surgery, whichever comes first. I saw a Reebok set on Amazon that looked good and I've seen the Bowflex as well... I may post the different ones here and see what you guys think about them.
Alena - I am desperate for jeans that fit. Haven't gone into a GAP in ages, are they still a good jeans place? I'm 5'5.5 and weigh 118 - last time I checked I was wearing a 4 also...
Mel - there is no way I would be able to do that inversion without falling on my head. Wow for you! (is there an emoticon for the Wayne & Garth "we're not worthy" bow? ) And I figured you didn't really clonk people over the head with dumbells, though some days I could use someone to do it to get me motivated to move!
Lydia -does DS2 line all his legos up in rows? My stepson sorts all his blocks by color and shape, then lines them all up in individual rows. I watch him do this for hours and don't know what about it is so fascinating... He is 4, who knows what is in his head!
Midwife - nothing wrong with being mistaken for a 16 year old!
Pat - I drink a lot of tea in the evenings because caffeine keeps me awake, too. I found a peppermint herbal tea I liked, but my favorite right now is a decaf Earl Grey.
I did my workout today, increased the resistance a little bit. Felt good. I finally finished making the chart I've been working on for a month so now I have a pretty grid to log exercises and weights on instead of scribbling up and down and all over the same piece of paper for another month. I felt very professional and fancy today with my clipboard and formal workout log!
Location: Lyin' in a puddle of sweat on the floor.
Posts: 2,296
S/C/G: 235/201/175
Height: 5'7"
Still no UB lifting, but at this point I'll just call it a loss and move on, since I have one coming up on Tuesday. Got my sister's fence yorkie-proofed yesterday, and put new tarps on her big dog's kennel (in the pouring rain, of course!), and that was it for being productive yesterday.
Got invited out to jam at another rink with 2 friends, so I did that last night. 3 hours, decent music and a good workout..my legs were toast and my feet sore after 2 hours, since the floor was tight (aka grabs your wheels, no slide, so you have to work for every step and turn...ouch).
Glad to hear about all the knees-to-elbows experiments, lol! Glad nobody fell on their head. I'll stick with doing them on the floor and practicing hanging from the bar, before I give that one a whirl.
Today, I'm thinking I might do another skills practice for my workout. Need to work on push-ups and handstand push-up progressions (still can't get used to being upside down ), ab torture, and will try to squeeze in a run or dust off the bike, if the weather holds. Have to work on the van today, since I didn't get a chance to do that yesterday.
I interrupt this thread to answer the cold questions:
- it has not been above zero at my house since Christmas or the day after, except last Sunday (1/4) it got up to 2 above for about an hour.
- Yes, we have block heaters in our cars - but no garage, just a carport, which keeps the snow and frost off, but does nothing for the cold. I have serious garage envy.
- We heat with gas mostly mostly, but have started using our wood stove again since the gas company recently increased their rates 22%! DH is retired so he's home a lot and keeps the stove fed. He also cuts/brins in all the wood. When we heated with wood in the 70's-80's-90's I was the bringer-in, and when he said we were going to go back to using the wood stove, I refused to do anything beyond feeding the beast and cleaning up around the stove/wood box.
- Mel, I'll repost the web cam tomorrow, it's dark here now, as if you don't know.....
Quote:
Pat, I heard on the nat'l news this morning about how terrible it is in Alaska!! Those "hi's" of the day were just crazy! Like -45 in Fairbanks, or was it Anchorage - the one in the middle of the state.
Fran, Fairbanks is in the "interior" of the state, and it's usually VERY COLD there. We were with some friends from outside of Fairbanks over New Year's and when they left their home (in North Pole) it was -65F! Anchorage is on the coast, so the weather is somewhat moderated by the ocean. I live about 50 miles NE of Anchorage, and there's a mountain range in between. We don't get as cold as Fairbanks, but colder and snowier than Anchorage. My DH always says regarding temperature "it's not the low low's that get you, it's the low high's" Whatever, I'm ready for more normal winter temps which is mid-teens to low 20's. Hopefully the weather chick is right, and it'll warm up by mid-week.
But on the other hand, I don't know anyone who lives at the North Pole. Which is very cool. But seriously -65 degrees? For real? Don't the thermometers freeze? And is there some point that it is so cold, that it doesn't even matter? What's the difference between -65 and -85?
I usually buy Land's End jeans because their petite rise fits me and they'll hem the legs. I have a pair in each of 2 smaller sizes waiting for me to get there.....
I'm glad you have plans to move that way yourself. What you're doing is great, but I have to agree with the x'perts here that there's no comparison to free weights. Lying on a bench doing a chest press and keeping those 20 lb dumbbells from going into orbit is a big challenge that you just can't replicate on a machine. I'll give a thumbs up to the bowflex adjustables. From time to time you can catch them on special at dick's or sports authority where they'll throw in the stand for free. We had to get those for our trip to the ATL bc taking a set of single weight dumbbells was something dh wasn't willing to do. Early C'mas, anniversary (23 years SUnday!) and probably b'day present this year! Totally worth 5 year's of b'day parents, imo. 
It sounds like you are doing great. Any woman who can do ANY pull ups is doing great! I like cables as a mix with free weights and body weight training.
I guess I dress like a teenager. I still have 10 pounds on her though!
Mel, your my hero. 
I bet it looked cool though. 
Enjoy planning your Colorado vacation. 
), ab torture, and will try to squeeze in a run or dust off the bike, if the weather holds. Have to work on the van today, since I didn't get a chance to do that yesterday.
