Ooooh have fun. I think BR is having a sale of 30% off its fall arrivals (celebrating its 30-year anniversary)...
Bummer about the dresses and skirts though. Well at least cooler weather is coming so you have several months before it's time for fun dresses & skirts again. Even still...
I feel lame complaining, though. I could have much worse issues.
Oh, I totally agree.....it's just such a huge hit to the wallet.
Thanks. It's not very well-focused and I hope to play around with portraiture now that I have my fancy-pants camera. I really am amazed at how much more control I have over my photos with it than with my other camera (which was not an SLR but still a very feature-rich digital).
I am planning tomorrow to take a bunch of pictures (of various things) with my new-found knowledge and camera. Maybe I'll get some good macro shots of weights & equipment.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
139.4 pounds this morning and continuing to get smaller.
I saw a lot of changes with NROL FL I. Again, as i said before, I'm not sure if it's just because I'm leaner now and minute changes are more visible. We'll see how FL II goes.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Supine Hip Extension w/Leg Curl
3x12
These really get the hamstrings - I like it
Barbell Push Press (yay! I love these)
3x12x60
Dynamic Lunge
1x12x65
1x12x70
1x12x75
Upper-Body Russian Twist
3x12
Lots of 65-75 pound weights in there. I enjoyed this workout quite a bit - it was challenging and not too long, but I still felt like "I worked out!" when I was done.
I'm kind of annoyed that I STILL have belly fat. It's that little roll above my belly button and it just won't go away. I'm starting to get definition in my thighs, especially when I flex. I was talking to John this morning; I really do think I have more of a male pattern of fat storage than most women. I mean, I'm 5'6", just under 140 pounds, and I still have a little beer belly (more like a beer pouch) and fat on my lower back (where my waist starts curving out). It's annoying because I'd rather have junk in the trunk & larger thighs than defined legs and a fat torso. GAH.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
DM, I remember FLII....I liked this workout! I have those leg curls going on in my workout, too....they are great! I have to do them with one leg on the ball and the other leg bent and off the ball. oWWWWW! I can never make it through all my sets doing the one-legged curls and need to put both legs/feet on the ball eventually. I do love them, though. GREAT job on those lunges.. WOW! and, the push presses again.
I'm the opposite of you...my stubborn roll is right BELOW my belly button. Drives me crazy!!
Hey DM....me again. I've read how great front squats are for you and I am determined to learn how to do them without killing my delts or my wrists. I have incorporated them into the current 3-week stage I am on. I am beginning to REALLY like them, but they still kill me with the grip.
As I began thinking about this, I thought I remembered you had mastered the front squat grip and came here to find your tips. Since you are doing them now in FLII (which I substituted for back squats at the time I did FLII ), any tips you'd like to share?
The ONE thing that really helps me is taking my pinkies out from under the bar. So I just have 3 fingers under the bar when it's on my delts, and that seems to do just fine. The muscle(s) on the underside of my forearm close to my wrist are a little sore afterward (from being stretched), but it goes away in 2-3 seconds after my set. And, I figure that this is the first time I've done front squats in months so it's no surprise my forearms are like "WTF are you doing?" They'll get used to it, just like our other muscles do.
That was key for me, the pinky. Widening my grip just a little bit to compensate for my long arms was also very helpful, but I didn't have to widen it very much. Give it a whirl & see how it goes
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
The ONE thing that really helps me is taking my pinkies out from under the bar. So I just have 3 fingers under the bar when it's on my delts, and that seems to do just fine. The muscle(s) on the underside of my forearm close to my wrist are a little sore afterward (from being stretched), but it goes away in 2-3 seconds after my set. And, I figure that this is the first time I've done front squats in months so it's no surprise my forearms are like "WTF are you doing?" They'll get used to it, just like our other muscles do.
That was key for me, the pinky. Widening my grip just a little bit to compensate for my long arms was also very helpful, but I didn't have to widen it very much. Give it a whirl & see how it goes
Tomorrow is my front squat day, so I'm going to try the grip minus the pinky instead of my cross arms grip. I'll report back with my results!!
I really want to get the elbows up grip down so as to prepare me for O-lifts in the future.
Re: fat distribution - we always want what we don't have! Sounds like I am the opposite of you. I have always had the small waist but large thighs/hips. Finding pants is a challenge because when I find a pair that gets over my thighs, the waist is always huge. I would kill for smaller thighs!
Also congrats on your continued loss. Every time I read your log you are down more. Way to consistent!
Well you make a good point - I don't tend to have a problem finding pants or jeans, which is a good thing. (am I rubbing it in yet?)
I hate that my fat still rolls over the top of my pants when I sit down. I can't wait for the days when I can do laundry on my abs.
But, you know, for all the whining I do, I am unwilling to be more stringent with my diet or work out a whole lot more. So, I remind myself that my moderation in diet & exercise means moderation in fat loss. I could be doing much greater calorie restriction and hours more exercise a week, but I don't want to. So I should just shut up.
In other news, I had a love affair with my new camera this weekend. I went to a local park & took some pictures...
buzz buzz.... these bees are huge - about 2" long. *shudder*
I thought this picture would turn out well, but it's still a little blurry so I need to work on my macro skills.
Took this one on my tripod with a slower shutter speed to make the water look softer, then converted it to b/w. Also got a polarizing filter to improve pictures with water/sky, which i used here. Again, a little fuzzy but good practice.
Showing off my push-press shoulders.
This is poor composition that I didn't recognize until I got home... I have a tree coming out of my head.
And finally - my dream bike I hope to buy in the next 1-2 years: a honda shadow *swoon*
and in RED too - my favorite color
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I love watching the bees in the yard. Such busy little animals that never seem to stop. Of course the flowers in these shots are fairly impressive (gorgeous colours). I'm very jealous of your new toy.
Bulgarian Split Squat w/OH Press
1x11x15e
2x12x10e
Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown
1x5x95
1x7x90
2x12x90
Romanian DL w/Bent-over Row
This is about the time I saw my life flash before my eyes. I loaded the bar with 25lb plates and tried to do a row & laughed at my pathetic attempt. I was completely drained.
1x12x75
2x12x65
Sad.
Lower-body Russian Twist
WTF - how are these this hard?? I could only get my legs to about a 45' angle. My last set was ridiculous; my legs kept falling over and I couldn't get them back up. GAH.
3x12, legs never lower than 45' without losing form
This workout was really effing hard.
Today's eats -
B: egg whites w/spinach, ham, mushrooms, mozzarella
L: salad w/chicken breast & a piece of a Panera baguette and half a small cookie (cheat alert!)
S: baby carrots & turkey breast slices
D: Laura's Lean Beef patty, salad, and broccoli. And a glass of Paulaner Oktoberfest Maerzen.
Dunno what I'll eat later; I've already hit around 1200 calories so it'll be small. Maybe cottage cheese.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
OH yeah! I remember this one.....killer! For the Lower Body Russian Twist (aka Windshield Wipers), you can do them with your knees bent until you can do them with your legs straight (I still haven't been able to master it with my legs straight!).
Cheat night tonight. We went to Flying Saucer and I had a french dip sandwich with:
1. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye IPA (I love Rye IPAs!)
2. Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth ESB
3. Split a Bell's Two-Hearted Ale
mmmm.
Left the bar & went to the parking garage at 7:30 only to find out it CLOSED at 7pm. There were NO signs saying when it closed, so when I parked there I didn't give it a second thought. So, we took a taxi home and I'll have to go get my car tomorrow after work. I am NOT happy. How can a parking garage in an entertainment district DOWNTOWN close at 7pm?!!! WITH NO SIGNAGE?!
I am pissed.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I should have tried with all this new muscle I have
Actually, the garage was shut with steel doors - I'm sure I'd have been no match for them (or the arrest I'd likely have experienced for breaking & entering).
Oh well. I'll throw a tantrum tomorrow and insist they pay for my overnight parking due to lack of signage on their entrance AND the parking stub I held onto.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I think BR is having a sale of 30% off its fall arrivals (celebrating its 30-year anniversary)... 
(am I rubbing it in yet?)
Linear Mode
