Ok, so here I am, lurking and reading, being silently inspired by all you women who have taken this challenge and continue with it. My partner and I bought the book (NROL4W) after checking out the first version from the library. What a treasure we found in that first book. We were thrilled to find the women's version. We've been reading blogs like stumptuous.com (Mistress Krista is my idol) and gubernatrix trying to find a better workout.
In February my partner started the workouts while I was on a business trip in California. I so wanted to bring the book with me so that I can try to get Alwyn to sign it since I was going to be near his place for a day. I can be such a geek with stuff like that.
Anywho, I started when I returned to find my partner LOVES the program. She was able to show me the exercises and how to perform each one with good form. Off to a good start. I have to say, it is so nice to go to the gym, plan in hand, with someone to help you out.
Stats for me:
Female, age 41
5'7" 160#
32.8% Body Fat*
102.4 lb. Muscle Mass*
* Last two reading from body weight/fat scale
Initial start with learning how to accomplish all exercises with good form. Felt like a fool doing the Prone Jacknife. Second set I had to be sure my shirt was tucked into my shorts otherwise I was giving quite a show to the boys in the gym!
So that's the start of a beautiful me! Wait, a HEALTHY beautiful me. Instead of posting everything I've done since then, I'll post the last workout I've done, along with what was done later in the day.
Since Lisa (partner) had started the program before me, she is at the 3 sets stage. I had time to kill while waiting for her to finish so I decided to do a 10 minute HIIT run. I'm not sure how "highly intense" it was, but I did get through it.
After the morning workout, partner and I went home to take care of dogs and start on the yard work. Holy hell, we moved logs and stacked them into piles, raked wet leaves, blackberry stalks and debris and lifted the piles onto a pickup. We ended up having a second workout that was almost as strenuous as the morning workout.
Today is supposed to be a rest day. Haha. Man I'm hungry.
Hey welcome to the logging. It sounds like you really are jumping in with both feet. How is your body responding to this? Are you sore yet? We all got huge appetites when starting this program. It seems to kick up the metabolism in many of us.
Hey welcome to the logging. It sounds like you really are jumping in with both feet. How is your body responding to this? Are you sore yet? We all got huge appetites when starting this program. It seems to kick up the metabolism in many of us.
Thanks Karla, yep, the body is really sore. More this weekend than last few weeks. Too much done in the yard. Usually, I'm fatigued but don't feel as if I've over done it. Maybe that means I need to up the weights.
I've noticed my appetite has increased a great deal. We've been logging our meals every day and the calories keep piling up. It's crazy. I think I eat more than the guys I work with and they race bicycles!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Two days of "rest" and back to the gym. Not really a rest when, on Mondays and Wednesdays, I also train in and teach 4-5 year olds Tae Kwon Do. Plus, tackling blackberry bushes in the back yard is no rest day. Tonight, on the 1/2 mile walk to our local community center that has the gym, the partner and I pass by a field with a father and his 8-ish year old son getting ready to set off a rocket. We stop to watch and the rocket jets off into the wild blue. We cheer but quickly quiet down as it lands about 3 blocks away on the other side of a building. The boy just stares. Dad says, "That's gone buddy!" Way to go Dad.
On to the workout:
I left my latest sheet at home that had my last set of weights and reps so I wasn't sure where to start off at. My memory threw some numbers in my head and I noted them on the sheet. As I sit here, I find my original sheet and see I wasn't too far off. Not bad.
Stage 1, WO B #4
Deadlift: W/U 50#/12 S1: 55#/12 S2: 65#/12
Shoulder Press: S1: 12# ea/12 S2: 15# ea/12
Lat Pull Down: S1: 70#/12 S2: 70#/12 (These seem to be so difficult to get pass this weight!)
Lunge: S1: 12#ea./15 S2: 15#ea./15
Crunches: S1: 10#/15 S2: 10#/15 (Didn't realize I was only supposed to be doing 10 reps)
I can tell that I have not had enough to eat today. My head hurts and I felt cranky right after walking out of the gym. My calorie tracking says less than 1450 calories. I can so feel a difference when I don't eat enough. Mmm... big fat chicken and black bean burrito waiting for me.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Rest day today... which means that I get to play, er, teach little ones Tae Kwon Do. A bunch of punches, kicks and tumbling and loads of games. A short rest between teaching my class and attending my own class gives me enough time eat the banana and two chocolate chip cookies my 17 year old son made the other night. Train in my class, then home for dinner.
Tomorrow I start the second phase of Stage 1 with 3 sets instead of 2. Oh lucky me!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Wow, it's been forever since I've logged any workouts. But I have been working out. Which is good. Yet work has been hectic. Which is bad. But I got a promotion. So that's good.
Thursday 20 Mar: Stage 1 - WO A5
Squat: S1: 50/12, S2: 55/10 S3: 60/10 (Didn't realize I was only supposed to do 10 reps until after first set)
Push Up: S1: 45 degree bench/10, S2: Same, S3: Same
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
So the motivation has slipped to an all-time low these past couple weeks. I do not see any changes yet (at least not the ones I'm wanting to see) and my workouts hadn't been fantastic with being sore/hurt/whatever. I know all the reasons for staying in the program: You'll look fantastic, think of all the things you'll be able to do, You'll be healthier, yada yada yada. I want to look in the mirror and see that my stomach is an inch or 4 smaller. I want to see my thighs not jiggle. I want I want I want. I really can't stand all this yammering going on in my head. I keep going on because I have the best partner in the world who wants me to succeed at this and see me be happy with myself. So she decided to go back and do a few of the workouts again with me. We weren't on the same track... she had started before me and I missed a couple workouts that put me back further. I didn't want to get discouraged and neither did she, so here we are, ready to keep going. I'm waiting for her to get home and changed so we can walk over to the gym. I made a platform on the back patio to do some little "jump ups" on as a warm up. The better I get, the higher that platform goes.
Food has been a bit of an issue for me. I want to make sure I'm eating enough but I don't want to overdo it. And I want to be sure I'm eating the right kinds of food. I may go back to tracking everything. I think that was the biggest issue for me... taking the time to track it all.
Not home yet. More jumping!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I'm with you on the tracking - I dont' have time. I think we all KNOW what to eat, and about the right portion sizes, and just need to be diligent about our choices. I've read on here that you can eat as often as you want, as long as you eat "clean". I think that's probably right. Brings back memories of Susan Powter. Maybe we should all shave our heads?
Keep on!
__________________
Laugh a lot, and when you're older, all your wrinkles will be in the right places.
Yesterday's workout was the last of Stage 1 Workout A for me. LisaC and I put to rest squats, for now, having frustrating discussion about form. I don't want to to go atg, she keeps telling me to bring my butt lower. I just want to be sure I'm not rounding my back and not folding forward into a good morning. Back stays flat but I know I need to work on folding over. I'd rather stay more upright than have my butt go lower, as long as I'm still parallel to the floor. That being said, this is how the workout went:
Squats: WU: Empty bar/8, 65#/5, S1:75#/8, S2: 70#/8, S3: Bar/8 ("discussions in between)
Push up: S1,2&3: Floor/8 (These feel so good to be down on the floor, no knees, going down 'til the bill of my hat hits the floor)
Seated Rows: S1&2: 85#/8, S3:70#/8 (Better form and more range of motion at 70#, 85 seemed to not feel as good, but I did do them)
Step Up: S1,2&3: 16#/8/Bench
Prone Jacknife: S1,2&3: 15 (These surprise me, I start out sharp and feel great, but when I get to 12 I start getting tired. My balance is soooo much better than when I first started these. Just need to make sure my shirt is tucked in!)
Tuesday is our last Stage 1 workout. I feel as if I already had a rest week so most likely just the day off in between will suffice. I do know that when we do deadlifts I also want to do a few squats for form. I have to remember to bring the camera to video us in the gym with weights so we can critique it at home and leave the banter out of the gym.
As soon as I download the pics from the camera, I can post my "before" pictures. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not, but putting it out there and saying that I vow for something to happen at the end of the 6 month commitment to the program will keep me accountable for my actions and results. A list of stats will follow.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Yeah!!!! I got back on the bike and actually did a ride with LisaC and it didn't rain on us. WooHOO! Those of you living in Portland, OR know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I've decided that since my bike rides are part of my weight loss training, I am going to post them here.
If anyone in the PDX area wants to get together for either a road or mountain bike ride, drop me a line. I'd love to ride with new people.
Anyway, here's the ride. Not much, but after a winter of only looking at my bike, it's something!
Time: 1:01':05
Distance: 13.36mi
Max: 22.2mph
Average: 13.1mph
No cadence yet. Have to adjust computer sensor for next ride.
My goal during the week is to ride on the trainer for at least 15-20 minutes when the S.O. gets up for work early. That should give me time to start the coffee and ride for awhile as she gets ready. Longer rides on the weekends. She and I work out Tu-Th-Sa which leaves Sunday open for longer bike rides. Thank gawd it isn't football season right now. That's a decision I hate to make!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Done with Stage 1. We finished the last workout last night and I hit triple digits on the deadlifts. Last set was 8 @ 100 lbs. The rest of the workout looked something like this:
Afterwards, LisaC and I did a couple practice runs of the new exercises in Stage 2. We will probably start on Thursday. Saturday at the latest. We got a friend of ours started on the program and she's almost done with Stage 1. We'll all start together with Stage 2.
No pics yet, but I can tell that my body is changing. The scale says nothing new, but that's to be expected.... right? No news is good news? Upper body strength has improved greatly. Legs feel super strong. My challenge is to keep the flexibility I've gained through martial arts while building strength.
See you in Stage 2!!!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
No pics yet, but I can tell that my body is changing. The scale says nothing new, but that's to be expected.... right? No news is good news? Upper body strength has improved greatly. Legs feel super strong.
Yep, no news is good news. Lose fat, gain muscle, scale stays the same. (Or even goes up.) If you're feeling stronger and noticing changes in your body, that's what really matters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velogirl
My challenge is to keep the flexibility I've gained through martial arts while building strength.
I sometimes throw in some split stretches after a workout, when I'm nice and warmed up.
I sometimes throw in some split stretches after a workout, when I'm nice and warmed up.
That's a really good idea to stretch after the workouts. Heck, we should be doing that anyway. I find that my hip flexors are tighter now than before. Makes for bad jumping kicks. I have a martial arts yoga book.... actually two of them. I should probably take a look at them. My splits are better now than they have ever been. Almost as good as my 17 year old black belt son!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Good lord, I really suck at updating this thing. Have now done two workouts (A & B) for Stage 2. Workout A was on the 10th. I felt great afterward. Then I did B. Holy hell that hurt! But it only lasted for a day and I was able to keep up with the youngen's in taekwon-do last night. I actually think my jumping kicks are improving. Thanks Alwyn!
Stage 2 wo A: 4/10
FSPP: S1: 37#/10 S2: 37#/10
Step Up: S1: 24#/10 S2: 24#/10
DB 1-Pt Row: S1: Okay, so I didn't read the book right before going to the gym so I wasn't too sure on which leg to do these so I figured it like anything else, do one side then the other. So I ended up doing 20 reps per set for both sets. Oops! 20# for S1 then 30# for S2. Can so totally go up to 40# next time.
Static Lunge: S1: 30#/8 S2: 30#/10
Push Up: 10 both sets on the floor. Lisa inspired me by doing her second set of push-ups with elevated feet! Show off.
Plank: S1: (on elbows/forearms) 60 sec S2: (hands) 60 secs.
CHWC: S1: 50#/10 (bad form) S2: 40#/10 (much better)
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Wide-grip DL: S1: 65#/10 S2:75#/10
Bulgarian SS: S1: 5#/10 S2: 10#/10
UHLPD: S1: 85#/10 S2: 85#/10
Reverse Lunge: S1: 16#/10 S2: 16#/10 -- Dipping way too deep on 1st set. Better 2nd set.
DB Cuban Snatch: S1: 10#/10 S2: 16#/10 2nd set way better than 1st. Finally got the movement correct. It hurts the chest though.
Swissball Crunch: S1: 12#/10 S2: 12#/20
Reverse Crunch: 10 & 10
Lateral Flexion: 10 each side, 10 each side.
Prone Cobra: 90 seconds for both sets. I think. Lisa was time keeper and just said "go" and "stop" so I don't really know for sure. I started to count in Korean to keep from being bored.
I don't really know what it was that did it to me.... most likely the deep reverse lunges... but my quads were killin' me! But, as my TKD instructor always says, "It's a good kind of hurt."
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
It has been 10 days since my last workout. I feel as if I've fallen off some sort of wagon and hit my head on a rock that knocked me out for 8 days and today I've just woken up. Phew! Workouts take a back seat while traveling I'm finding out. But I would not have missed my parent's 50th anniversary for anything! Plus, LisaC and I got some fantastic cheese from Wisconsin.
Since my gym was closed today, I went for a bike ride instead. I'm not too sure how "highly intense" this was, but it was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest and I sure as heck didn't want to waste it. 2 hours, about 30 miles and I got to ride around an island. How cool is that? Take a bridge off the main highway and you get your choice of clockwise or counter-clockwise. Wind always being a factor, I try to choose wisely. Clockwise. I chose wisely. No wind on the back side of the island. Some day, when there isn't yard work waiting form me at home, I'll do two laps around the 12 mile island.
Got home and had a protein shake. Ok, here's a question. How different is a cycling recovery powder than just a whey protein? For my cycling I end my rides with Hammer Nutrition Recoverite. Talking to one of my employees on Friday, who races bikes, I asked him what the difference would be. He didn't have an answer. So, when I got home from the ride today, I checked the nutrition info. No fat in the HNR, 2g in the BioChem whey. About the same calories. 32.5g carbs in the HNR to 17g in the BioChem. Wow! 22g protein in the BioChem, only 10g in the Hammer. Alright, I think I just found my answer (I'm reading the labels as k.d. Lang sings to me as I write this). But the cool thing about the Hammer Nutrition products is that they use no added chemicals, no simple sugars (that will make you spike then crash), nothing artificial, or "anything unhealthy." I love the way they help me while I ride. HEED is quite possibly the best thing to drink while doing any kind of high intense activity. No, I don't work for the company. I just like their products.
Tuesday will most definitely be a workout day. Stage 2, 2A. I think. I better find my paperwork.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Hey I noted the other day that you can Lisa are here in Portland. I live in Gaston which is a tiny little town SW of the city but I ride my bike almost every week in the city on the Spring Water trail. I am not familiar with the island to which you refer so we'll have to talk.
I have a trainer that I work with in NW 2 times a week. He has helped me tremendousy with squat and DL form. If you guys ever want to get together I would be more than happy to share what he has shared with me on these exercises or any of the others.
Most of the bike products that I have had in the past were higher in carbs and even had cafeine in them. They keep you from crashing on those long rides.
Hi Karla, yep, we're in North PDX. I rode out to Sauvie Island off Hwy 30 heading toward Scappoose. It's a fun 12 mile ride even if you drive to the island and ride from there.
Lisa and I would love to get together and learn what you have in regards to form. That would be fantastic. We have discussions about form during a workout, but she keeps me on the right track. It's been horrible that we've taken so much time off, but family travel comes first. Had we known there was a Y in my parent's town, we would have brought the workout clothing and paperwork. Next time.
I'll pm you my info and we can arrange a date, time and place. We usually workout Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday while doing TKD on Monday and Wednesday. But we are open to any time.
Thanks!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Hey velogirl and welcome to the forum. With a name like yours, I had to check out this log. But now, I see you've stolen my title line!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velogirl
Got home and had a protein shake. Ok, here's a question. How different is a cycling recovery powder than just a whey protein? For my cycling I end my rides with Hammer Nutrition Recoverite. Talking to one of my employees on Friday, who races bikes, I asked him what the difference would be. He didn't have an answer. So, when I got home from the ride today, I checked the nutrition info. No fat in the HNR, 2g in the BioChem whey. About the same calories. 32.5g carbs in the HNR to 17g in the BioChem. Wow! 22g protein in the BioChem, only 10g in the Hammer. Alright, I think I just found my answer (I'm reading the labels as k.d. Lang sings to me as I write this). But the cool thing about the Hammer Nutrition products is that they use no added chemicals, no simple sugars (that will make you spike then crash), nothing artificial, or "anything unhealthy." I love the way they help me while I ride. HEED is quite possibly the best thing to drink while doing any kind of high intense activity. No, I don't work for the company. I just like their products.
For a post-ride drink, it's not really that different. Hammer promotes a 3:1 carb to protein mix, Endurox promotes a 4:1 ratio. Most experts recommend at least a 2:1 for proper recovery, but that is if you have been keeping your glycogen levels up during the ride by eating or drinking some carbs during your ride (like you mentioned, HEED; I use Accelerade to get me some protein because I can tolerate it during the ride).
As far as the simple sugars, you actually want those post ride. The long and the short of it is that you want to spike your insulin levels after your ride, opening up pathways to get the protein to those muscles and recover faster. For my rides (and also what I recommend to my spin students), I use any of the following:
-Accelerade + why protein powder isolate (2:1 C:P ratio)
-protein powder isolate + Hammer gel (2:1 C:P ratio)
-non-fat chocolate milk (in a pinch)
Welcome again. What kind of riding do you do? I'm guessing MTB because you are in the perfect place for it. Also, check out the biking subforum here at JPF when you get a chance.
Hey velogirl and welcome to the forum. With a name like yours, I had to check out this log. But now, I see you've stolen my title line!
For a post-ride drink, it's not really that different. Hammer promotes a 3:1 carb to protein mix, Endurox promotes a 4:1 ratio. Most experts recommend at least a 2:1 for proper recovery, but that is if you have been keeping your glycogen levels up during the ride by eating or drinking some carbs during your ride (like you mentioned, HEED; I use Accelerade to get me some protein because I can tolerate it during the ride).
As far as the simple sugars, you actually want those post ride. The long and the short of it is that you want to spike your insulin levels after your ride, opening up pathways to get the protein to those muscles and recover faster. For my rides (and also what I recommend to my spin students), I use any of the following:
-Accelerade + why protein powder isolate (2:1 C:P ratio)
-protein powder isolate + Hammer gel (2:1 C:P ratio)
-non-fat chocolate milk (in a pinch)
Welcome again. What kind of riding do you do? I'm guessing MTB because you are in the perfect place for it. Also, check out the biking subforum here at JPF when you get a chance.
Hi Kaiser, thanks for looking in. I've actually read some of the sub-forum here. But my tag line came before doing so. I try not to steal anything. I do both road and MTB, although the MTB bike has not seen as much action as the roadie. Hopefully I will fix that little issue this year. Heading to SF bay area this weekend with maybe one afternoon to ride.
Accelerade kills me while riding. I had to stop using it. That 4:1 ratio was harsh. The Hammer has been, so far, the most pleasant tasting and feeling. The protein powder + Hammer gel concoction sounds appealing. I'll have to give that one a try. I love the study on chocolate milk.
I agree, simple sugars post ride, no problem. While riding longer distances (metric and true centuries), I try to eat plenty of carbs while riding. Maybe that's why I haven't seen a huge weight lost during the summer months of rides.
I'll make sure to check back in with the cycling sub-forum. Awesome signature, btw.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I am so looking forward to Tuesday. Lisa and I finally get back into the swing of things at the gym and, best of all, we get to have a workout with Karla. It'll be a fantastic way to "jump back in" for me and for Lisa to do. We've had a bit too much of doing not lately.
I'll be sure to give the details after Tuesday's workout.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Last Tuesday's workout with Karla was fantastic. She really helped us with our form and is such a wonderful source of inspiration! The day went something like this (going off memory, we didn't write anything down):
Warmups: Alt toe touch; BW squats
Squats: WU w/ bar 2x15, S1=65#x12, S2=75#x8
DL's: WU w/ bar 1x15, S1=75#(?)x12, S2=95#(?)x10
Step-Ups: 2 sets 15lb DB 20 each leg
Russian Shuffle: Okay, this one killed me! Could only muster a few yards. Lisa did much better than I. I'm determined to figure this one out.
Thanks again to Karla for showing us some stuff. Just got the word that we are going to the gym this morning. WooHOO!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Slowly, LisaC and I are getting back into the weights. Squats tonight felt really good as we put what Karla taught us into action. Not to sacrifice form for a lower squat, slowly raising the weights, and a good amount of warm-ups before hand!
It really felt good to feel strong again. I don't think what we've done in the garden and around the house lately qualifies as sitting on our heels, but we definitely both enjoy the workout in the gym. Thursday will be the (hopefully) next time there.
And Karla, if you're reading this, Lisa did not get the job from two weeks ago. She was offered another one today! Yeah.
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Jumping in with both feet
Linear Mode
