I have been measuring myself since highschool because I made my own clothes. You know, I bet sewing sites have something on them that show you how. It is basically the same. It is how you measure a body!
I have been measuring myself since highschool because I made my own clothes. You know, I bet sewing sites have something on them that show you how. It is basically the same. It is how you measure a body!
My mom sews, so she'd probably know, too. Guess I should ask...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
Just curious, how much creatine are you doing? I've been doing 5g per workout day & am considering going to 5g per day based on this
Just wondering how much you're taking and whether you've noticed a difference in your workouts as a result.
About 5g/workout, too, in my pre-workout shake. I'm using two pre-workout products that have creatine as part of the mix, but not creatine by itself. (Other ingredients include arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (NO) & caffeine.) So while I am taking creatine, it isn't really for the purposes of taking creatine, if that makes any sense. I've been thinking about getting some, though, to take every day and post-workout. (I've read that article and others, and I know that if you're really taking it, you should do so after your workout.)
Some days I think I can tell a difference from my pre-workout shake, some days not. I think part of it has to do with not yet knowing my limits in a lot of the lifts, so I'm not sure if the "Wohoo, yeah!" is from having weights that are too light or not going through the whole range of motion or from a super-charged body from my pre-workout shake.
Last night at TKD included lots of kicking drills and then lots of stretching. We started stretching with partner stretching. I am, by far, the shortest person in my class but also one of the more flexible. Usually for partner stretching, you work with someone about your own height. Well, I got paired with a guy who's about a foot taller than me! (The tallest guy in the class, actually. The reasoning was that he isn't very flexible. So I would be able to push his legs high enough and he could push mine.)
So, I could push this guy's leg up high enough that he was getting a good stretch. But his legs are heavy! In the stretches we were doing, you push your partner's leg up; then the instructor says, "Push down," and your partner pushes back against your pushing up; then the instructor says, "Back up," and they stop pushing and you push their leg up higher. After the first "Push down" from this guy, I could hardly hold my arms up! On the second one, I couldn't move his leg up at all because my arms were toast. We were joking about this, and then he says that each of his legs probably weigh 60 lbs. (He is not a small & skinny guy.) Ack, no wonder! That's more than I've done in any push-press so far.
So, new reason for lifting more--so I can stretch people at TKD.
Today, my hips are tired and my arms are sore. (But the good news is that my feet still go over my head, even though I haven't really worked on flexibility for a while.)
So my "four days off" has dwindled to two, thanks to TKD. There was class on Thursday (still feeling it in my hips!). And then last night, the club ran a self-defense seminar. Two hours of teaching, one hour of Q&A, and then two hours of TKD members playtime Playtime was throws and groundwork. I love groundwork! I have no idea why; I think that makes me a bit of a freak; but it's fun.
I've been meaning to look in to doing some Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but then I get lazy and never look or I figure I'm already doing enough, excuses excuses excuses...
There's a really good BJJ/MMA school in town. My dad knows the guy who runs it. And the time of the beginners' class works perfectly in my schedule. So, Thursday night I'm heading over to add BJJ to my week.
DB single-leg RDL: 1x6x10lb DBs, 2x6x20lb DB
Bent-over Row: 3x6x40lb
Started the RDL with two DBs but kept falling over. Switched to one larger DB in the opposite hand as the leg. Much better balance.
DB single-arm OH squat: 3x6x5/10lb DBs
DB incline press: 1x6x10lb DBs, 1x6x15lb DBs, 1x6x20lb DBs
Doh. So brain-dead, I put the heavy weight overhead on the OH squat. No wonder my arms were gonna fall off. Incline press, since my arms were wiped after the inverted OH squat, I had a hard time finding the right weights. Everything felt heavy when I picked it off the floor, but once I got on the bench it wasn't so bad.
Planks: 3x90s
Reverse Wood Chop: 3x6x10lbs
BW matrix
24 squats - no big deal
12 lunges each leg - yeah, yeah
12 jump lunges each leg - quads gave it up about halfway through. Wowzers...
Paused for extra water and rest, then tried pushups to make up for the failed matrix. 13 and splat.
Stairs hurt. Poor quads. And poor lats! Alwyn must have something against my lats.
Started the RDL with two DBs but kept falling over. Switched to one larger DB in the opposite hand as the leg. Much better balance.
DB single-arm OH squat: 3x6x5/10lb DBs
DB incline press: 1x6x10lb DBs, 1x6x15lb DBs, 1x6x20lb DBs
Doh. So brain-dead, I put the heavy weight overhead on the OH squat. No wonder my arms were gonna fall off. Incline press, since my arms were wiped after the inverted OH squat, I had a hard time finding the right weights. Everything felt heavy when I picked it off the floor, but once I got on the bench it wasn't so bad.
Planks: 3x90s
Reverse Wood Chop: 3x6x10lbs
BW matrix
24 squats - no big deal
12 lunges each leg - yeah, yeah
12 jump lunges each leg - quads gave it up about halfway through. Wowzers...
Paused for extra water and rest, then tried pushups to make up for the failed matrix. 13 and splat.
Stairs hurt. Poor quads. And poor lats! Alwyn must have something against my lats.
Most of it, anyway. That one-arm snatch is amazingly fun!
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Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
Heh, yeah, when I started my first set & got through the squats & lunges, I thought, "hey this isn't so bad..."
My legs just kind of stuck in position and said, "Nope, really, we're done." *snort* I should've added my time--took me nearly 4 minutes to get to that point. Heh, I know what I need to work on...
Okay, I just stood up after sitting down for 45 mins.
Last night TKD: I taught a musical form (actually the one I'm doing in my avatar), so I had to do it with them. Over and over and over... Whew! Very much exhausted. After I got home and to bed, I was asleep in moments.
That ol' ego crept back in to my workouts--since they said that "martial artists" may/should be able to do pistols, of course I had to do them that way... And yeah, getting down ain't easy! My ankles are not very flexible (all those sprains from soccer). And oh, problem on the tower was definitely the stickiness, not just me being a wimp. That's comforting.
Back Extension: 3x6
YTWL: 3x6x5lbs
Actually did the Swiss Ball Glute/Ham Raise instead of the back extension, since I don't have anything to do the extension on. Only now I need a way to add weight (?), since it's kinda easy... YTWL is very humbling--you never thought 5lbs could be so heavy...
Intervals: didn't happen; too tired, mentally and physically. The workout itself wasn't so tough on the body, at least not in the heart-pounding way that 3A or Stage 2 A/B were. Starting with the YTWLs and then the core work, it's more concentration- & focus-type moves, which become more of a mental game. (Esp. the YTWLs: "I will not let a 5-lb DB beat me! ")
And, as long as the BJJ school is having class tomorrow night (they're moving locations this week), I'll be over there tomorrow and then off to TKD. Depending on how intense the classes are, I might have to cut down to 2 lifting sessions/week or move my second lifting night to Wednesday or Thursday morning. We'll see how it goes...
I did get my mom started on NROLFW this week. She doesn't have the time to read the book right now, but since my dad, my brother, and I all lift, she already believes in lifting and eating. Dad & brother are working on her eating; she just doesn't eat much, not that she's "on a diet". I get to do the lifting part, well, because I got here first. (Dad hasn't changed his lifting routine much in 20+ years and doesn't believe in going past a quarter squat. Brother does body-building splits, mirror-muscle exercises, and "ego lifts" (e.g., 600-lbs on calf raise machine). So I jumped in.)
Mom's been walking on the treadmill off & on for several years (mostly off). The heaviest she's ever lifted is 5lbs, and she's had no weight training. Anything she knows to do, she's picked up from my dad or brother. I'm showing her how to do the lifts and letting her use my book if she needs it. But, since she's never lifted and because she waits to lift until we've all gone to work (and because Dad will have my hide if she hurts herself), I'm starting her off at bodyweight when possible and having her do 3 days at each level of Stage 1. She's also rather inflexible and/or has no balance, so there's a lot of work to get greater ranges of motion. I can watch her/work with her more on Saturdays. She's also going to walk on the treadmill on her non-lifting days.
I'll never get pictures or measurements out of her. (We've tried before.) So I'll guess. She's 5 foot tall, maybe 125 lbs. (2" shorter than me and 7-10 lbs lighter. But I wear a smaller size in clothes.) She actually got really serious for a while about getting in shape about a year ago; she'd accidentally grabbed a pair of my pants and tried to put them on and was convinced she'd gained a whole lot of weight. Started walking again and really watched what she ate... and then she figured out that she'd worn my pants. Oh well
That is one month... but the current ones are on the left; the old ones, with the silly flash, are on the right. I think it looks like I gained? I dunno. Some of that could be posture, but I was doing my best to stand up straight! Pfft. Maybe I was more tired after 3B1 than I thought Or maybe I just can't see straight. I dunno...
Someone at work told me today that I was walking like I was about to punch someone I'm gonna take it as a compliment... I think...
The flash makes it a little harder to see, but I definitely think your stomach is smaller/flatter than it was last month. I'm glad you clarified that the ones on the right are older!
I tried, Kelly, but I'm technologically challenged And can't usually remember what I did yesterday
Oh, but I remember last night. First night of BJJ. I don't know what I was thinking: their warmup kicked my butt. I nearly passed out halfway through the warmup and didn't get to roll any last night. Ugh. I hate being a wimp.
So, obviously what I thought was "intense" effort in my lifting/HIIT/TKD isn't anywhere near intense enough. First goal: conquer the dang warmup. Still, it's nice to be a white belt again. (And when I got to TKD, we pulled out the mats and I practiced the moves I'd seen. Grand fun! The best part was the guy I was rolling with was trying to tell me what to do from a certain position; I went with what I learned from BJJ and he said, "Whoa, what was that??!" Tehe.)
Also, found out they roll 4 nights/week and Saturdays. BJJ + TKD + lifting... I gotta find some way to do it all without overdoing anything. I am wiped out after this week, which included me actually working at TKD instead of just teaching. I almost called in to work this morning; I'm that tired. Not sore, just achy and have no energy. I know I need more sleep, especially. Might need to eat more, too, though I already feel as if I'm slamming extra protein shakes all the time.
BJJ is EXHAUSTING!!! Our karate style incorporates some BJJ moves, and when we have grappling class, I feel like a truck ran over me when it's done! GREAT workout though - leaves every muscle in your body screaming
I switched schools (from TKD to karate) about 5 years ago, and it was strange going from black belt to white belt - but also somehow very freeing, as no one had any expectations of me... Enjoy!!!
BJJ is EXHAUSTING!!! Our karate style incorporates some BJJ moves, and when we have grappling class, I feel like a truck ran over me when it's done! GREAT workout though - leaves every muscle in your body screaming
I switched schools (from TKD to karate) about 5 years ago, and it was strange going from black belt to white belt - but also somehow very freeing, as no one had any expectations of me... Enjoy!!!
Exactly. I'm an instructor at TKD and am supposed to be one of the ones with all the answers. The black belts always joke around about going back to being a white belt. One of them finally did a few years ago, at this same BJJ school, and he taught us some stuff before he graduated. Now it's my turn.
And I like that it's almost completely different from TKD, so I'm not likely to get them mixed up. I'd imagine going from TKD to karate would be tough mentally, especially.
yeah, your glutes are definitely higher. And your stomach is getting leaner; you can tell that your torso is a bit narrower especially at the top. And your thighs are leaner.
I admire your enthusiasm for the BJJ. I don't think I'd enjoy all the chokeholds & stuff that it focuses on. I think it'd just piss me off.
TKD looks fun though. The BF did it for years so I've watched a bunch of videos of some competitions (not his) of more well-known guys (don't ask me their names, I don't remember!). I don't think all of the stuff I've seen is TKD, but I do know that some of the TKD moves are quite... what's the word... pretty? Graceful? It's a mesmerizing sport to watch.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I admire your enthusiasm for the BJJ. I don't think I'd enjoy all the chokeholds & stuff that it focuses on. I think it'd just piss me off.
The goal is to do it to the other guy first I was talking to one of our college's football players last night; he said he switched from offense to defense because he hated to be hit. Now he hits.
For example - the New Rules of Lifting for Women is an overall "general fitness" book for women where we tried to explode some myths as regarding women and weight training.
But it's not a sports conditioning book - nor is it a fat loss program or a pure strength program. Although it will work reasonably well for these - it's definitely not designed purely for any of those goals.
I'd write a different program if the goal were primarily fat loss - or if the goal was to compete in a sport - a sports-specific program would be better. In other words - if I had to get someone as lean as possible, as fast as possible - I'd use a different program. And if I wanted to get someone stronger - I wouldn't use one of my fat loss programs.
Good to know. I guess that means it's more of a "learn how to use weights" book. (But we're women, so they say "workout" and we hear "fat loss".) Still sticking with it. Although now with BJJ in the mix, I'm definitely eying his MMA conditioning stuff for after.
I am so tired today. (Yes, it's that bad--that comment deserved underlining, bolding, italicizing, and red font.) Maybe I should've called in this morning. And food is rather unappetizing right now--took me nearly an hour each on snacks and lunch. Supposed to go to a TKD tournament tomorrow...might just stay in bed.
I guess that means it's more of a "learn how to use weights" book.
While the programs might be general (not fine tuned to strength or to weight loss) I'd think many will experience these two benefits, say 50-50 strength or fat loss, as opposed to a strength tuned program which would 75-25 or a fat loss program (25-75).
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
I just read through your log. I think your progress pictures looks great. I can relate to the stories about your mom. My dad has been trying to get my mom more into weights for the last couple years. I think the main issue is - my mom loves clothes and wants to look great in clothes. She sees lifting as a tool for that, but she doesn't love lifting the way my dad and I do, so she loses motivation and gets down on herself. She also has trouble challenging herself and progressing, I think because she isn't lifting for its own sake. Plus she has never tracked her macros and I suspect she doesn't eat nearly enough protein.
I really enjoyed reading about your TDK classes and BJJ. I'm getting excited for Tuesday night, although I'm a little nervous too. I'm not the most physically agressive person, but I guess that could all change.
While the programs might be general (not fine tuned to strength or to weight loss) I'd think many will experience these two benefits, say 50-50 strength or fat loss, as opposed to a strength tuned program which would 75-25 or a fat loss program (25-75).
You're right, Tom. Sorry, I didn't mean to seem so flippant when I said that. And I'm definitely sticking with NROLFW, since right now I could use even "general" fitness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LWilson212
Hi Leslie -
I just read through your log. I think your progress pictures looks great. I can relate to the stories about your mom. My dad has been trying to get my mom more into weights for the last couple years. I think the main issue is - my mom loves clothes and wants to look great in clothes. She sees lifting as a tool for that, but she doesn't love lifting the way my dad and I do, so she loses motivation and gets down on herself. She also has trouble challenging herself and progressing, I think because she isn't lifting for its own sake. Plus she has never tracked her macros and I suspect she doesn't eat nearly enough protein.
I really enjoyed reading about your TKD classes and BJJ. I'm getting excited for Tuesday night, although I'm a little nervous too. I'm not the most physically aggressive person, but I guess that could all change.
Hi, Leah You really don't have to a be an aggressive person to do martial arts, even the contact martial arts. I'm an easy-going prankster myself But it's still useful to know that you could hit someone if you needed to.
I went home after work on Friday and slept. Woke up, ate, and slept. That was pretty much my whole weekend. I was tired.
Last night, BJJ, class #2. I didn't pass out during the warm-up! Yay! I should get a gold star or something. Still didn't completely keep up; they'd get two runs down the mat, and I'd only get one. But I got one, dang it! And I didn't pass out.
I was talking to one of the guys before class (he's a 3rd dan in TKD), and he said the warm-up here is really what most schools do in an entire class. I felt a little better then.
So, because I didn't pass out and wasn't going to throw up, I got to roll for the middle of class. Most of the guys are bigger than me, but for a lot of the stuff, size doesn't matter. Hips/core are huge for getting things done. Trying to out-muscle the guy doesn't usually work.
For the last 15 minutes or so, they do free rolling, and I really don't know enough to get out there. Yet. So I just watched.
The guy I'd talked to before class, he rolls his eyes and sighs and generally looks bored when he fights. Another guy fights with his eyes fixed on the ceiling; nothing wrong with his eyes, he just never looks at his opponent. Another guy is like a little monkey, twisting around and popping out on the other side. And then there's another who does these gymnastics-looking pommel-horse flairs when he switches positions.
And then I went home and, because I'm crazy, did Stage 3 A2. I'd missed it on Friday, when I just went to sleep instead.
On the RDL, I used a 25-lb DB in the off hand and a 10-lb DB in the other. The offset in weight still helped me balance.
DB Single-arm OH squat: 3x6x5/10lb
DB incline press: 3x6x25lb DBs
Tried to go up in weight on the OH squat, but arms were kaput.
Planks: 1x60s
...
and I was done. No BW Matrix, either. Couldn't move. Shower and bed, and asleep in <30 mins. Slept solid. Nice.
BJJ starts at 6:30/7 pm, depending on the night, so I'm staying 1-1.5 hrs later at work and going straight to BJJ. That means I have time to sleep in in the morning, which is also fabulous after TKD. TKD testing is the end of this month, so I have to stay longer now to teach more (and to practice Martial War. I think I'll have to do it because I brain-farted it during a demonstration at the last exam. Oops. Also have to drill all my other forms, just in case; I'm on the "watch list.") So, yeah, more sleep is good.
Last night, BJJ class #3. Could finally notice that some of the guys were also barely making it through the warm-up. So it's not just me. Good.
And there's another girl!! Whoot! She's been doing BJJ since December, at another school, and came to ours for the first time last night. She showed me a lot of stuff. Said her friends/family thinks she's nuts, too, but agreed that this is fun.
It's really funny now that there are girls in the class. Tim, our instructor, will be looking at the two of us while giving directions and keeps using feminine pronouns ("grab her arm," etc.). The guys snicker or rolls their eyes. We're messing with their dynamic.
I finally got to do some free grappling last night. Finished class just dripping with sweat. Seriously, grappling = HIIT on crack. Could hardly walk or talk afterward.
Went to TKD. We took the advanced belt class outside for interval work. Sprint down, do whatever evil-tortureness we came up with, sprint back. I kept pulling things from the body-weight matrix.
I'm sore and/or bruised on every part of my body. And I love it.
What a great workout!!! Isn't it fun to get a good sweat going, then pass on the fun to everyone else? ( evil laugh).
I'm one of only 2 senior-belt women in my karate school, and I love it when we're both in class at the same time... other days, I really feel the lack of estrogen in the room
What a great workout!!! Isn't it fun to get a good sweat going, then pass on the fun to everyone else? ( evil laugh).
Yes, indeed. And glad I could put the Body Weight Matrix to good use.
BJJ last night. No lifting after. Couldn't move my arms! I guess that puts me down to two NROLFW workouts per week, Monday and Friday. Friday is a gi class and I don't have a sturdy enough gi yet, but I'll order a judo gi tonight.
After class was cool--some of the guys told me that, when we get to the free rolling part of class, I can grab one of them to teach me the basic stuff. Whoot! Initiation passed.
(And in deference to the "Push-ups Sexist?" debate in the main NROLFW forum, I passed the "new kid" initiation, not the "girl into guys' world" initiation.)
Last night at TKD included lots of kicking drills and then lots of stretching. We started stretching with partner stretching.
So, new reason for lifting more--so I can stretch people at TKD.
I love doing this - at first I hated it, but now that I've become a bit more flexible, I really appreciate it. I just wing the heavy leg onto my shoulder and treat it like a front squat. since I'm 5'10, I don't usually need to turn it into a press!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ledove
Yes, indeed. And glad I could put the Body Weight Matrix to good use.
sweet - I'm actually looking forward to the BW matrix - I can feel a difference in my jumping already after stage one.
Playtime was throws and groundwork. I love groundwork! I have no idea why; I think that makes me a bit of a freak; but it's fun.
That one-arm snatch is amazingly fun!
")
I dunno. Some of that could be posture, but I was doing my best to stand up straight! Pfft. Maybe I was more tired after 3B1 than I thought 
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