Pauline's There and Back Again Log

[foodfromafar]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

...it was just one day and you'll be back at it strong today.

As for appetite - maybe you did more than you thought? Or your body is just telling you that you are HUNGRY and need to be fed!

You're right, Bytsi!

Originally Posted by beach_plums

This is exactly how I felt after my workout last night too. I can relate. But I also know that the next time in the gym will be so much better.

Yes, 2-B-1 was a much better workout even though I thought I would die toward the end of it!!

Originally Posted by dillytl

I just had one of those workouts last week!!!

It's nice to know I'm not alone and everyone hits a slump once in a while.

Originally Posted by Amblus

Yep, I've had a few of those myself. But you know what? What we're doing is HARD. If it wasn't, everyone would do it. Your next workout will be better - I always hate the first few of a new stage because I'm not yet comfortable with the exercises.

That was such a good reminder!!

Originally Posted by realcdn

Sleep is one of those things we tend to take for granted. After a good night's sleep I can take on the world. After an interrupted night I feel like I'm not quite there. Hopefully the B workout will go better.

Yes, Anne, I felt much better after getting a good night's rest.

Originally Posted by Celestialmom

Pauline--just checking in after being in the land of no internet! Looks like you had a discouraging workout (I've had one of those recently too), but it can only get better, right? (At least we hope so!) Anyway, I hope the shoulder thing heals quickly so you can do all you want to.

Keep it up...
Celeste

Thanks, Celeste! My shoulder is beginning to feel better already. And knowing it can only get better is a great motivation!

Originally Posted by marthand99

I hope the B workout goes better, Pauline.

It did, Marty! A good night's sleep and a LOT of calories was all I needed!

Originally Posted by DanceDiva

Just another perspective. The Stage 2A workout is no walk in the park on a good day. It is very heart rate intensive. You may be being too hard on yourself.

Thanks, Tracey! I have a tendency to push myself hard and then not appreciate how much I've done.

Originally Posted by Silly Sally

Crazy woman, you're working harder than a team of horses - no wonder you're hungry!! Tiny as you are, and as hard as you're working, you'd better be willing put a good bit of good food in there.

EAT. Well.

Yes, sir, Hamster Capt. Sally!! I am dutifully eating a plate of enchilada casserole followed by a couple of tangerines for dessert.

I ate like a horse this week, seriously, and didn't gain an ounce!

I'll try to post Workout 2-B-1 asap.

I can't tell you all how much your support, encouragement and advice means to me!!

[tcoy777]

Hey thanks for the links on the YWTL stuff. It has really helped my shoulder. How is yours doing these days?

[foodfromafar]

Stage 2 Workout B-1 May 15, 2008

I goofed up and did 1 set too many on most of these...

Wide-grip deadlift from box Sets 1-2 65#/10

Bulgarian Split Squat Sets 1-2 BW/10
Underhand-grip lat pulldown Sets 1 50#/10 Sets 2-3 60#/10 (mistake)

Reverse Lunge from box with forward reach Sets 1-3 5#+5#/10
Dumbbell Prone Cuban Snatch Sets 1-3 5#+5#/10

Swiss Ball Crunch
Set 1 BW/10 Set 2 25#chest/10 Set 3 10#overhead/10
Reverse Crunch Sets 1-3 BW/10
Lateral Flexion Sets 1-3/10

Prone Cobra Sets 1-2 60s

HIIT 15 minutes w/ 1 minute hard/2 minutes recovery

Whew, this is quite a workout! My legs were like jelly. I started on the recumbent bike for HIIT, but switched to the treadmill after the first interval. Much better...

Question on treadmill levels...What does Level 1 mean? The treadmills at our gym go in mph as far as I can tell, so Level 1 feels like crawling....backwards...

[Karen411]

Pauline, it looks to me like you're doing very well and making great progress . I hope the shoulder improves. No advice on the treadmill, but I imagine 1 mph is really sssslllloooowww and I can totally understand wanting to pick up the pace .

[Celestialmom]

Originally Posted by foodfromafar

Stage 2 Workout B-1 May 15, 2008

I goofed up and did 1 set too many on most of these...

Pauline--what are you thinking?! If you're going to goof up, you should do LESS sets than required, not MORE!! Kidding...well, at least you KNOW you got a hard workout!

[marthand99]

I'm glad the B workout went better! That's funny that you did an extra set.
Had you done BSS before? What did you think? I have a love/hate relationship with them. Such a great workout, so miserable by the end of a set!

On mine, they mean mph. So level 5 is 5 mph/12 minute miles and 6 is 10 minute miles.

[foodfromafar]

Stage 2-A-2 May 20, 2008

Today's A workout went slightly better than the first one. I say slightly because I had to modify to make up for my gimpy shoulder and I also did something to my left front leg (I guess that would be the quad?) during the first set of step-ups which made the rest of the workout a little more challenging (esp. the static lunges!) I also had to do squats after the step-ups/one point rows because someone was using the squat rack to do curls...

Warm-up for 6 minutes of treadmill. Forgot to do my specific warm-ups that I usually do and paid for it by pulling a quad during my first exercise set. I did a good stretch at the end, though.

Front Squat Push Press - didn't even attempt these due to the shoulder thing. Did regular squats instead.
'Set 1 55#/10 Set 2 60#/10

Step-ups Sets 1-2 10#/10 on bench
Dumbbell One Point Row Set 1 10e/10 Set 2 15e/10

Static Lunge Sets 1-2 BW/10 (started with 10s but owie on the left leg)
Push-ups Set 1 30degrees/4 45degrees/6 Set 2 45degrees/10

Cable Horizontal Woodchop Sets 1-2 10/10 (I tried to go up to 20 but couldn't...)
Plank Set 1 Elbows/60s Set 2 Arms/60s - did 2 quick pikes at 20s intervals to stop the shaking.

The workout went quickly but I was sure sweating it at the end... My left leg feels better today. My left arm/shoulder is still feeling the push-ups. I'm going to make a trip to the doctor to have it checked out since it doesn't seem to be improving. He'll probably just tell me I'm getting old...and I can live with that. I just don't want to be stupid.

[foodfromafar]

Oh, and one more thing. I am up 2.5 lbs this week. 105 is the highest I've been in a long time. I think some, maybe most of my gain over that past 4 weeks is muscle, I'm seeing some real changes. However, I'm going to be more vigilant in what I'm eating and may reduce my calories a bit to what works better for me in maintaining so I don't continue gaining at this week's pace.

[stephanie932]

Originally Posted by foodfromafar

Oh, and one more thing. I am up 2.5 lbs this week. 105 is the highest I've been in a long time. I think some, maybe most of my gain over that past 4 weeks is muscle, I'm seeing some real changes. However, I'm going to be more vigilant in what I'm eating and may reduce my calories a bit to what works better for me in maintaining so I don't continue gaining at this week's pace.

Remember, Pauline........You may be holding a lot of water. Especially since you are back to the weights. I wouldn't go by that number as much as I'd be paying attention to how your clothes are fitting. You are gaining muscle. I would agree with being vigilant with your eating......but, I'm not so sure I'd be cutting calories unless clothes are tight, ya know?

[foodfromafar]

Thanks, Stephanie! Love the flipflops! Anyway, you're right. My clothes getting too snug is a much better way to judge. Oh, I know my thighs are getting bigger because my pant legs are a little more snug and I think my behind is getting higher because there is a little more sag in the seat of my pants - just a little, but I can notice it. One can hope, can't she?

[beesknees]

Hey Pauline - the BWM isn't as scary as it looks. Its a good burn!

I noticed that at the end of stage 1 my thighs (which are my problem area to begin with) were getting bigger because of the way some of my jeans were fitting. But the other day the same jeans seem to fit better again. I am hoping it was some fat loss. I think this stuff is cyclical and retaining water might be the cause.

[foodfromafar]

The doctor says the shoulder is bursitis. Gave me some anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks and said I can continue any exercise that doesn't aggravate the shoulder. So I'll resume workouts tomorrow.

I skipped yesterday because we were helping a friend move. They live in a second floor apt. with a total of 21 steps. They're moving overseas and we had to pack their stuff into a shipping container. The moving company did NOT lower the container to the ground. It was a good 5 ft off the ground. Had to use a ladder to get into it. I stood at the back edge of the container grabbing the boxes I could lift from the guys lifting them up to me. Think deadlift from a box and you've got it about right! I was squatting down and pushing up with my legs with a full load. Between the deadlifts, squats and all those step-ups we have to do I was all set. Didn't get tired...didn't get sore... It's really nice to be stronger.

The other nice thing was when the doctor asked me about doing pushups. "You do pushups? You exercise regularly?" I asked him why he was asking and he said most people my age didn't exercise regularly. I'm so glad to be one 48 year old who does exercise!!

[gardengirl447]

You are looking great! Keep up the awesome workouts!! Its great to feel strong its totally empowering.

[foodfromafar]

Stage 2 Workout B2 May 24, 2008

WU: Treadmill 5 minutes, BW squats/8, Lateral lunge/5, Reverse Lunge with twist/8, Inchworm/5, Deadlift 45/8

Wide-grip Deadlift from box Set 1 65/10 Set 2 75/10

Bulgarian Split Squat Sets 1-2 10/10
Underhand-grip lat pulldown Set 1 60/6, 50/4 Set 2 60/10

Reverse lunge from box w/ forward reach Set 1 5e/10 Set 2 10e/10
Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch Sets 1-2 5e/10

Swiss ball crunch Sets 1-2 10overhead/10
Reverse Crunch Sets 1-2 BW/10
Lateral Flexion Sets 1-2 #2/10

Prone Cobra Set 1 75s Set 2 90s

I'm still figuring HIIT out. I was seriously thinking of skipping it after the weights...but I decided to drag myself through it since Alwyn wants to kill us... Anyway, I started at a fast walk and then went to a full run. I did it at zero incline so as not to totally kill myself... Any comments are appreciated. I will add 1-2 more intervals next time. How fast should I try to run? 7 mph seems like a good clip to me who never runs...

Intervals on Treadmill Incline 0
3 min 3.0 mph
2 min 3.5 mph
1 min 7 mph
2 min 3 mph
1 min 7 mph
2 min 3 mph
1 min 7 mph
2 min 3 mph
3 min Cooldown

[kfisherx]

I second and third the advice to keep on eating. You are not gaining as fast as you think and even though it is scary if you are liking what you see in the mirror than keep eating and bulking. It is way cool when you start to see the work that you have been doing. Then the fat comes and starts to cover it up and the cool factor goes away. But don't worry, the fat will come off again pretty quickly.

[missjane]

I think your intervals look great!