Go with the flow!

[SpacecityPaula]

Tee hee, I bet the marshmallows got some looks.

BTW, I wanted to thank you for the message you posted in Tom's journal about the metabolic workouts maybe being overkill (for lack of a better word). I've decided to step back a bit and do basic compound lifting that just doesn't wear me out because of the questions you asked him. This way I can train, still change my body, not feel like I'm gorging myself on food and enjoy my lifting.

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Espi

since I already had planned to overfeed tonight

Genius! Pure genius! We had a pizza/ice cream going-away party for hubby last night. I paid no attention at all to restricting my portions. I'm gonna call it an "overfeed". (Yes, I need to up my calories but, really, last night was ridiculously overboard. )

[Espi]

@ Diane: it's a great way to not feel guilty over digging into the food

@ Paula: I'm glad it helped. I think the fact you have illnesses going on is a good indication that your immune system is compromised. Too much exercise and/or not enough food will do this. My knee jerk response has always been to overeat, but if fat loss is what you want, it is not giving much success.
Lifting heavy w/o doing metabolically expensive workouts (high reps or lots of balancing) don't tax the system as much and while it *seems* more boring, it is easier to keep calories in check. And for those of us, who do dig lifting heavy, it can be a real blessing.

Diane, just when I read Paula's blog this morning (off line) I thought about you.. why not do the same as Paula does and pick up Bill Star's 5x5 program. I'm not 100% familiar with it though, but Paula should be able to give the details, right?

[kfisherx]

I had the occasion this morning to really dig into your workouts again (as opposed to skimming through for the personal stuff) and I am again blown away by how strong you are. And here I was feeling pretty hot with my 50lb db presses. Now I feel like a wuss

Yesterday I hit a few PRs myself and I wondered if we ever stopped getting stronger and if the PRs would stop but reading your log I think it doesn't. That is a pretty cool feeling.

Also I love to read your workouts because they are filled with such variety.

[Espi]

50lb presses w each hand? That's 22.7kg each.
Not a weight to sniff at!
Mine are generally given as (x kg x2) indicating the wt for each hand, but when it's just 1 number , it's total weight.. so you'd need to divide by 2. And then you will see that you & me are about the same strength

My top weight sofar was 24 kg + 1kg wrist weight for each hand. I've gotten to 2 reps last time. I should try to see how I fare with a 26kg db. I try to not think about how it might crush my head or fall sideways and hurt my shoulders. That's what held me back in the past.
Unfortunately , I don't like being spotted as it makes me lose focus. The worst was once when an employee of the gym (a nice guy who worships Coleman) spotted me and said "Lightweight". I just burst out laughing and lost all my strength at the same time.
Having someone giving you a hand-off (that's the term?) can be a great way to increase pressed weight!

[kfisherx]

Oh yeah.... It was because I had a spotter that I was able to reach for these numbers. I would never have been brave enough to try it on my own. I keep thinking about smashing my face, etc.

[Espi]

See, like I said, it would have been the opposite for me. Unless it's someone like my SO whom I trust completely. But even then I'd have a problem focussing well.
(Dumbbell or barbell) bench pressing really is one of the hardest exercises to focus for. Lying down makes me feel relaxed and yet , you have to almost get angry to be concentrated/focused enough.
With someone else nearby , even someone I trust, it would be harder to focus.
Never mind asking just about anyone to spot me as I'd have the added fear of him (or her?) not being there in time. Or, what has happened before that they help out with a lift which I could have done on my own.. and I'm already antsy because of that anticipation.

It did take years to build up enough confidence to use weights over 20kg though.. that's the downside of it. You've only been lifting for a brief while and bam, are already pushing the 50lbses! That's way more impressive!

ETA: food-wise things are suddenly not 'clicking' anymore. I'm seriously bummed that my body once again proves to me how it does *not* like dairy nor even cheese. I'm rebelling against the thought of having to drop it once again by eating too much junkfood. The latter also because I've been asked why I just don't buckle down : eat less and lift heavy w low volume. LMAO , it's the same Q as I'd asked Tom/Stingo. And I'm actually rebelling agains that too!

I do NOT want to do just 'simple' stuff.. I LOVE lifting heavy. I LOVE high-ish volume workouts, coz I get to try out different exercises that way!
if I'd had to wait till I'm 'there" I feel that the workouts would become too boring etc. Besides, I'm beyond thrilled to finally see LBM-gain or no loss when cutting calories at a very sloooooow pace. Always always I'd see LBM-loss. I know that if volume is too high, i'm going to lose LBM once again, but it's so neat to push the 'envelope' for a bit and eat as much as you can and still lose fat.

[stingo]

So it seems you know one of the reasons why I was skeptical of your low-volume approach. I don't want to lose the conditioning I've been building up with the metabolic workouts I've been doing, plus they give a different approach to try. As it is, I'm adjusting my nutrition (just tweaks right now) per my trainer's advice.

[Espi]

It's just like it is.. I was just also reading in Diane's log about how she loves her functional strength most of all and beamed when reading it.
Weight-wise I'm quite pleased where I am. Body-fat wise there's still a lot to do, but a starvation diet won't get me there when I want to keep or even gain LBM at the same time.
And really : isn't it fun, fun fun to be able to lift heavy and/or to have endurance etc.
Overdoing things is something else and considering how easily I *do* get ill or start overeating, a real concern.
So, I've got to be a bit more conservative on the lifting volume, than I'd like to be, since I do like being able to function properly outside the gym (get my normal work done) and seeing progress too (losing fat as well as gaining strength).

I know there are other approaches = do less and eat a LOT less but where's the FUN factor of that? There must be a middle ground. And it seems the both of us plus a few more on the forum are looking for that!

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Espi

I know there are other approaches = do less and eat a LOT less but where's the FUN factor of that? There must be a middle ground. And it seems the both of us plus a few more on the forum are looking for that!

The fun factor is important! I tend to forget that when I focus on something. That's why I'm adding running back into my life -- pure enjoyment. Reading your logs -- seeing how you have fun with your workouts and odd exercises and Wendy's fun with running (and several others' logs as well) is inspirational for me. I get downright giddy over the fun logs some days. LOL

And that middle ground? Why is it so hard to find and keep? I mean, it's right there in the middle and should be easy to find. It's not out on the difficult-to-find edges, for Pete's sake. Sheesh. Middle ground sounds so easy...

[ljk]

Sorry to hear you are not happy with your physique. Maybe some heavy ham curls and DLs would target the glutes and hams?

I am sure you look much better than you think you do.

[Espi]

Weird huh.. how we talk about how training can be FUN and then I'm having one of the most un-fun training sessions. How ironic

Blegh.. a really bad day. One of the few days I dreaded training and things didn't get any better when I was there.
What I did?

After the usual warming up:

hang cleans for wts from 25 to 35 kg
front squat for
WU: 47,5x5
52,5x7
57,5x6
62,5x2 .. stopped at 2 as I really lost faith in myself

Romanian DL
WU: 50x5 - 60x5
75x7
80x6
85x4

Same here.. just couldn't get the form right.

And then
single leg pressing
26x5 (-3)
24x5

And I said.. f*k it and stopped training. I really wasn't into it for utter lack of motivation. And frankly fatigue as well. For a fleeting moment I thought about cardio, but .. not motivated either.

[Espi]

Originally Posted by ljk

Sorry to hear you are not happy with your physique. Maybe some heavy ham curls and DLs would target the glutes and hams?

Are hamstring curls like glute-ham raises but then done from the floor when someone holds you at the feet?

I am sure you look much better than you think you do

Well I do know I have some body parts I can be happy with, but from the favourable comments of my SO on my ass I'd have thought it looked better than it does. I know what parts can't be helped much (belly , boobs) but it's precisely the part sthat I thought were OKIsh viz butt & hamstrings, which gave me the most disappointment when I saw the pix.

Sometimes it's so not motivating at all to be training with the idea of getting 'the perfect body' as it's just NOT going to happen. At least, not with the material I've got. I can try to improve upon myself though. So, not giving up on it at all.. just having a bit of an off day.

[dillytl]

Sorry you are having an "off" day Espi....sounds like some ME time is in order. Maybe a hot bubble bath, a massage or a manicure/pedicure!

[ljk]

Hamstring curls, I would have thought, are just where you hold a dumbbell (or use a machine) to curl a weight. I lie on an incline bench, face down and put a db between my feet and curl it up and down.

If you can do glute-ham raises I am sure these are better.

The problem with the quest for the perfect body is that it never ends. It seems that the benchmark is ever-changing and becomes more elusive with time. As you progress, the goal changes so you're hardly ever happy with what you have achieved. (at least with me). Imagine yourself three years ago; you'd probably have been thrilled to look the way you do, right now...it's hard eh?

[stingo]

Or, you could post pictures (not the ones you already took for obvious reasons) but normal, everyday pics?