Tenacious DM and the Log of Destiny

[missjane]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

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.

I'll let you know what I come up with tomorrow!

[GinnyLou]

DM,
Beautiful new avi you have going on. That is a great picture.

[DirtyMartini]

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.

[DirtyMartini]

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.

[Bytsi]

130's - that's AWESOME!!!!

Can't wait to see how ripped you get after FLII

[realcdn]

Hey, another person who put up a snazzy new avatar. Looks great, and glad you're having fun with your new camera.

[DirtyMartini]

NROL Fat Loss II A1

Front Squat
3x12x75

Wide-Grip Seated Row
1x12x70
2x12x75

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.

[missjane]

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!!

[missjane]

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?

[DirtyMartini]

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

[missjane]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

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.

Thanks for the tips!!

[beesknees]

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!

[DirtyMartini]

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

[realcdn]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

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.

That's so easy to do. However, that's the joy of digital, you didn't pay someone (or waste supplies) to print it.

My favourite one would be the bee on the flower. Not that you asked, just telling anyways.

[DirtyMartini]

here is another one for you then

[realcdn]

Nice!

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.